Pamper sesh/Mini-facial.

Once a week I like to treat myself to a little facial, so to speak. No, I don't go out and get it done professionally, I do it by myself on myself, in the comfort of my own room. Perfectamundo.

It is one of the most pampering things you could do and your skin will love you for it, and you don't really need fancy expensive products or equipment. For example, stage 1 is cleansing. Any cleanser would do, depending on your skin type. Stage 2 is a repeat, so essentially a double cleanse, and you could use the same cleanser as before or go for a different one if you fancy. I find that my oily congested skin appreciates a double cleanse and I find this really effective at leaving skin prepped and primed. If you don't want to double-cleanse or don't feel your skin needs it - don't. I only do it because I definitely need to! Stage 3 is exfoliation. Any exfoliator will do, just make sure that the exfoliating matierial within the product isn't natural - peach kernels or nut shells aren't naturally round and therefore can scratch the skin, which isn't good. Man-made beads or crystals in exfoliating products are better because they can be refined down and rounded so they have a less harsh effect on the skin but are still effective. Step 4 can be carried out over a bowl of water. You don't have to own a steamer! Step 5 can be carried out again with a preferred cleanser. Stage 6 can be carried out with any mask you like - hydrating, chemically exfoliating, cleansing, whatever you want!. For stage 7, use your favourite moisturiser, and hey presto.
Everyone does their own facial differently, but mine is through trial and error, and this method and these products work for me!

I have written out what I normally do once a week facial-wise. Sometimes I skip out a stage if I'm feeling pushed for time, but normally I don't feel like I'm doing my skin justice unless I do the whole caboodle!

1) If I have a full face of makeup (which is rare), I take it all off with a baby wipe first and then I cleanse my face with the Neutrogena 'Visibly Clear 2 in 1' face wash to remove all the impurities and oil from my skin, leaving skin already feeling fresh and so clean.
2) I cleanse my face again with my Clarisonic and a foaming face wash (I am loving Neutrogena's 'Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash'), and then follow with Boots' Botanics 'All Bright Cleansing Toner', just to ensure I have cleaned every last trace of grime from my skin.
3) I follow the double-cleanse with micro-dermabraison courtesy of No7's 'Total Renewal Micro-dermabraision Exfoliator'. This is hands down the best exfoliator I have ever used. I haven't yet found one to beat it (yet). It removes all the dead skin cells, revealing new skin, ensuring all my products are ready to be absorbed well!
4) Then I steam my face with my own steamer - I've had it 6 years and it's still going strong! I add Boot's own 'Glycerin and Rosewater' or tea tree to the water. It really depends how my skin is feeling, if it's a wee bit sensitive I opt for the rose water, if I have a massively huge breakout I opt for the tea-tree essence just to clear out my congested pores.
5) Then I cleanse with a foaming cleanser, to make sure I have removed all the micro-dermabraison crystals from my skin.
6) I then apply a mask; this could either be the Neutrogena 'Visibly Clear 2 in 1' used as a mask (I love those multi-purpose products I do) or the Elemis 'Papaya Enzyme Peel'. I normally alternate but if skin is feeling congested, I will plump for the Neutrogena mask above the Elemis one, and if skin is looking dull and lifeless, I'll opt for the latter!
7) I then apply Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum, followed by a nice big sticky layer of Eucerin's 'Aquaphor' to ensure my skin is moisturised like hell - and I'm done!

I do think it is important not only for the skin, but also for the mind to completely de-stress and focus on yourself - I don't have much 'me-time' at the moment so this is the one selfish thing I revel in.

No7 'Total Renewal Micro-dermabraison Exfoliator'.

Let me warn you - this is going to be a rave. Why? Because I love this product. I have repurchased this so many times I have lost count. Seriously, I LOVE IT.

When I was around 16/17 I really got into exfoliating products because I suffered with dry patches on my cheeks and exfoliating was really the only way to get rid of them. I tried so many so-called exfoliators and was slightly disenchanted by trying one lame product after another. Sometimes there wouldn't be any exfoliating power to the product, it was like rubbing a cream containing tiny balls into your skin or they were like face washes with a few scratchy bits in. I wasn't enamoured. Then one day my dear mother came home with one of those No7 sample bags you get free if you spend over a certain amount. A little sample tube of an exfoliator was in there, so I used it one day, and my 17 year old self instantly fell in love; it was an exfoliator which actually exfoliated and seemed to work! No more dry cheek patches!



"Aluminium-oxide micro-crystals smooth, refine and renew sweeping away dull cells for incredable radiance from the first time you use it. Within 4 treatments stimulates skin cell renewal to work against fine lines, skin tone evens leaving skin softer, silky to touch and more refined. Helps to work against the appearance of dark areas, sun damaged or belmish prone skin too. Not to be used on sore sun-burnt skin."
In the beauty world there has been a move away from physical exfoliators towards chemical exfoliators. I am prescribed a chemical exfoliator (Retin-A) which is amazing for my acne, but you can't beat a good physical scrub every so often.

This is much stronger than your average facial scrub, and that is why I like it. My skin is very oily and prone to acne (but you already knew that right?) so I need a good effective exfoliating product to slough away all the dead skin and impurities to help prevent (more) blemishes and to help skin regenerate! After using this product I am always amazed how soft, renewed and glowing my skin is. You really notice the difference after a couple of weeks of use: my skin seemed more even in texture and appearance and skin seemed a lot softer and more refined. WIN!

I would not recommend this if you have sore/sensitive skin, because it can sting even on my skin, and I imagine it would be agony if you used it and had sore/sensitive skin. If you have normal/oily/combo skin, it is probably best to use this product every few days, since using it too often can make skin sore and overly-sensitive. Plus it's just not effective! I use mine a few days after I first applied my Retin-A for the week, but when I haven't been using the Retin-A for a couple of weeks I use it every 3 days. Sometimes my acne is so bad I can't use it, and I would say that if you do have acne which results in lots of whiteheads, wait until they've disappeared before use. You don't want to take the heads off the spots because scarring may occur!
When I do use this product, I always use it at night, so that my exfoliating all the potions and lotions I apply at night are more effective as the old dead gross skin has gone leaving the newness behind!

You don't need to use a lot of product to get results: I used a pea sized dot for each area: forehead, left cheek, chin, right cheek. A little bit does go a long way!

I don't find that this product reduces acne pimples occuring, but I do find that it helps at reducing the red pigmentation on the skin and uneven skintone the acne leaves behind, which is helpful for me because I do have some pigmentation issues as a result of my battle with acne.

I am an avid believer that man-made exfoliating material is the best, like the aluminium-oxide micro-crystals in this product, simply because the particles are more uniform, refined and rounder in shape than natural materials like peach kernel, nut shells or the like. They can be quite sharp and may damage the skin. The man-made exfoliating materials are obviously better for this reason, and yet are still effective at doing their job, revealing new fresh skin each time!

This product comes in as £11, which I think is astounding. It is such a high-quality product for a great price. Also, I have had my current tube for about 4 months so far, so that works out at just under £3 a month! If that isn't good value, then I don't know what is.

Packaging is simple. I bought mine before No7 had an image overhaul, so my tube is pearlescent white with a white cap. Simple and uncomplicated is how I like it. Thumbs up!

Overall I think this is an amazing product and there is nothing wrong with it at all in my book, it does exactly what it promises. It works at refining my skin and making it look all shiny and new, and the price is amazing. If you haven't got a tube...why the hell not?!

Boots' Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner.

This toner is wonderful and I really like it. I have only just got into the whole 'toner' thing, and this is the third one I am currently testing out!
I bought this particular toner from the 'All Bright' line from Boots Botanics (the other lines within the Botanics range are 'Radiant Youth', 'Ultra Calm', 'Organic', 'Shine Away' and 'Hand and Body')because I was looking for something which would work on making my skin look brighter and more radiant, since sometimes my skin can look quite tired and dull. On the tube it claims that 'this revitalising toner helps visibly tighten pores and instantly brighten skin. Skin is left feeling fresher and prepared for moisturising'. This toner also contains 'natural' AHAs (alpha-hydroxy-acids), which works at chemically exfoliating the top layer of skin away, revealing newer skin underneath. However, there are different types of AHA (glycolic acid and citric acid to name a few), and the back of the tube doesn't specify which, which is a little disappointing. I always find vague statements a little shadowy. These 'natural' AHAs are said to be derived from the Hibiscus flower, which is new. I have never heard of Hibsicus flower containing AHAs, so I have learnt something there!
It also doesn't state what concentration the levels of AHA are in the product, which again is disappointing if you like to know specifics about the product. My guess is that it would be very weak levels within the product.

This toner claims to cleanse impurities and freshen, which is does very well. It works well after a cleanse at removing every single impurity and trace of oil/makeup from the skin, leaving skin feeling squeaky clean, but not tight or irritated. Skin does feel freshened and 'perked up', so to speak!

This product has not cleared up my acne, which again isn't really a dealbreaker because I didn't buy it for that purpose!
I don't find this toner to really have any effect on my pores either, which is sad. But my pores are huge, and I wasn't looking for a pore-tightening product when I purchased this product, so I'm not holding that against it! There is always the option of applying some pore-minimising serum/moisturiser/primer on afterwards.

The smell of this product is quite flowery, probably due to the Hibiscus derived ingredients, and smells wonderful to me, however if you're not a fan of scented cosmetics I would steer clear of it because it is quite a strong smell. But I find it really puts me in a good mood in the morning, which is amazing, not even Chris Evans can put me in a good mood in the morning!

The packaging is great in my opinion. The design is wonderful and lovely for what I say is a cheaper-end-of-the-market product. It set me back a whoooole £3.99 for 250ml from Boots, which in my opinion is a very good price! I have had my tube for about two months now, and I still have around a third of the bottle left. I like to really saturate my face in it every morning/night, so I do use quite a lot compared to most people!

Overall, I really get on with this toner and for the price and the great qualities I have mentioned I would definitely re-purchase! Although I do think the company need to be a little bit more specific about what AHAs the product contains and in what amounts, but then again I think that's me being completely pedantic!

Boots' 'Traditional Glycerin and Rosewater'.

I bought this a few weeks ago, because as well as needing a toner that was going help my acne, I needed a toner for when I had over-used my Retin-A, which leaves my skin dehydrated, flaky and sore. I found just the thing in Boots' own 'Glycerin and Rosewater'. This product doesn't market itself as a toner product, but a 'beautifier', which can be used as a toner. Don't you think beautifier is such a lovely word? I do! I have heard lots of people putting it to different uses: the main use is using it as toner, but have heard some people use it as an eye make-up remover and some use it as a make-up setter.

It is lightly fragranced, but smells divinely of roses, which is lovely. I suppose some people could argue that it is a scent reserved for the older generation, but I think it smells absolutely wonderful and just smelling it improves my mood, let alone anything it does for my skin! It just reminds me of going outside during a Summer evening and smelling all the roses in our garden...but anyway, I digress!

The ingredients list all seems very tame: aqua, glycerin, isopropyl alchohol, methylparaben, sodium citrate, parfum, eugenaria caryophyllus leaf oil, rosa damascena flower oil. Obviously, from reading the ingredients list, it is quite clear that this product contains parabens and artificial fragrances, but that doesn't overly bother me. It works at moisturising my skin and that's all I care about!
This product doesn't contain anything that irritates my skin, and I find that even when my skin is dry, flaky and even cracked and when most products just sting like eff and irritate like hell, this toner when applied to the skin on a cotton pad soothes, cools, refreshes and moisturises. It really is a lovely feeling. This makes me think that this is a product that people with dry and/or sensitive skin may get on with due to the fact that even in my post-Retin-A state I suffered absolutely nothing, and it kept my skin hydrated.

One thing I would say is that it does tend to leave skin looking quite shiny and tacky, probably due to it's moisturising properties and due to the fact it has a slightly thicker texture than other toners I've tried. Because of this, this product is probably better during a night-time skincare routine, as using it in the morning before makeup/day skincare can make my already oily skin a little too oily for my liking, although not overly oily. Sometimes my skin is so dry after Retin-A use that I have to use it during the day just to help my skin out a little bit, but when it's recovered it's best just to use it at night!

This product cost me £2.32 for 200ml from Boots (well, duh!), which I think is a right little bargain - some would say 'dirt cheap'! Plus, the bottle is kind of quirky and quite vintage-y, and I quite like it sat on my dresser! Although it is an obvious plastic bottle which kinda cheapens it a little bit, but this is a skincare blog, not a design blog!

Overall, when I run out of this, I will probably re-purchase since it really helps soothe, calm and moisturise tired, stressed and damaged skin without any stinging or irritation! I love the smell and, even more, the price!