Minimal(ish) Skincare Routine

I've been trying to use more minimal and natural skincare products, and I actually want to experiment with making my own. But for now, here's what I use in the morning and evening. 

Morning Routine

Dr. Organic Dead Sea Face Wash 

First of all, I'll wash my face with this organic facial wash. It doesn't contain any nasty ingredients such as parabens, SLS, DEA, BHT and synthetic colours. This really makes my skin feel clean and refreshed, without feeling too harsh. I've noticed a lot of facial washes from the drugstore make my face feel very sensitive. It's really important to know exactly what you're putting on your face!

LUSH Eau Roma Water

I went into LUSH a couple of months ago and was recommended this toner. So I got it and only started using it a couple of weeks ago. It smells lovely and it's a lovely product, HOWEVER it contains  Perfume and Methylparaben, which are both ingredients I now try and avoid. These are both described as safe synthetics, but I was still gutted when I saw them on the ingredient list. I would really recommend checking the label of any product properly before you commit to buying it! 

Laidbare Pack Your Bags

I use this eye cream in the morning and in the evening. It keeps the area around my eyes hydrated and I've definitely noticed the under eye area tighten, which very rarely happens!

The Body Shop Day Cream 

I've been using this product for years now and it always makes my skin stay matte throughout the day. I don't think I would repurchase it however, purely because of the parent company issue. 

Evening Routine

For my evening skincare routine, I switch the day cream for the Superdrug Vitamin E Night Cream and the Balm Balm Face Balm, and use the other three products as I would in the morning. The face balm makes my skin feel and look incredible after I've applied it. I used to worry that putting oils on my face would make it look extra oily, but in reality, it's completely changed the way my skin looks. 

Cruelty-Free Bronzers

Everyone loves a good bronzer, especially if it's cruelty free! Today's post is all about my 4 favourite bronzers, including affordable options. 

Elf Golden Bronzer - £4.50 (vegan)

I absolutely love this bronzer. It includes 4 different shades, although I like to simply mix them together to create a beautiful sun kissed glow. It's also not too warm, so you don't have to necessarily worry about looking orange or muddy!

Medusa Sun Kissed Bronzer - £6.50 (vegan)

Don't be put off by the colour of this bronzer, I promise it doesn't look as orange when swatched or when on! A little goes a long way, so a simple sweep over the cheeks will give the skin a lovely summer glow. 

NARS Laguna - £28

Looking back, I can't believe I spent nearly £30 on one bronzer!!! Whilst it's a beautiful product and a favourite with a lot of bloggers, there are definitely more affordable options out there that do a similar job.

Too Faced Sweet Tea - £25 (vegan)

I personally prefer this to Laguna, purely because you can either use the two shades individually or mix them together. This bronzer gives the skin a beautiful, natural looking glow! 

Elf Golden Bronzer, Medusa Sun Kissed Bronzer, NARS Laguna and Too Faced Sweet Tea

Which one's your favourite? 

What's In My Travel Wash Bag

I'm off to New York City next week, so I thought that it would be the perfect time to share what I'll be taking away in my wash bag!

Top row, left to right: Dr. Organic Dead Sea Facial Wash in a travel sized bottle, Balm Balm Lip Balm, Superdrug Facial Wipes, Superdrug Toothbrush, Cotton Pads, Tweezers, Nail Clippers and Superdrug Shaver

Middle row, left to right: Superdrug Vitamin E Eye Cream, Salt of the Earth Deodorant, Original Source Shower Gel, Dr. Organic Coconut Oil Shampoo & Conditioner, Superdrug Suncream and The Body Shop Day Cream

Bottom row, left to right: Dr. Organic Toothpaste, Everclen Toner and Batiste Dry Shampoo

A lot of these products are half full as I will hopefully finish most of these up out there. That way I'll have more room in my suitcase for buying things! 

The wash bag is from Soap and Glory. 

Summer Boho Inspired Home Decor | Budget Friendly

I love changing the decor around in my room and I'm always on the look out for new bits and pieces! My favourite homeware shops are of course Urban Outfitters and H&M. They do some amazing homeware stuff without breaking the bank. 

This Green Market wooden tray was from H&M and was only about £8. I love the whole rustic and natural look is gives to my room, and it's great for displaying plants on!

Introducing house plants into your home is a great way to add a splash of colour without spending a fortune. This one was from my local garden centre, but you can even buy them from Tescos for a couple of quid!  

I bloody love cushions! They're a great way to change up the feel to any room. The more the merrier right?! The two at the back were from Next and the elephant cushion was from B&Q for £8. 

The pyramid glass box was £4 and the trinket tray was also £4 from Urban Outfitters. They're both great ways to display your favourite crystals. 

The faux ivy vine was only 99p from Thing-Me-Bobs, and is a great alternative to the real thing if you're not keen on ivy! It gives a very urban-jungle vibe to any room. 

If you are a fan of ivy, a great way to display it is by hanging it from your ceiling. Plant hangers can be quite expensive so I made this one instead. I can do a DIY post if anyone's interested! 

DIY Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is something that I've sworn by for years now. I've gone through so many bottles of it and spent a lot of money in the process. Recently I've noticed that my scalp has been very irritated to the point where it's actually bled. I know it's not my shampoo or conditioner, so I decided to stop using dry shampoo to see if that would help. 

It of course did help, but I hated having to wash my hair every other day, so I did some research on whether natural dry shampoos exist. The ones I found were really expensive and no way was I going to spend £20 on a bottle of dry shampoo. I had a look at the ingredients and dry shampoo is essentially cornflour mixed with a load of other stuff to make it smell nice. So I did some more digging and found some recipes for a DIY dry shampoo! I had a play around and experimented a bit, and hallelujah, I made something that actually worked. 

Oh and the main ingredients came to less than £2. Inexpensive and a great natural alternative. Win win.

You will need:

• An essential oil of your choice (5 drops)
• 1 tablespoon Baking powder
• 1 table spoon Cornflour

You want your mixture to be half cornflour and half baking powder. You can either use a tablespoon or a cup. 

Mix it together and add around 5 drops of your essential oil. Mix it up again. 

Store it in a glass jar and make sure the lids on properly so it doesn't go everywhere....

To apply it, get a make up brush that you no longer use, dab it into your dry shampoo and tap it so you get any excess product off. 

Then basically brush dab the brush on the roots of your hair and let the dry shampoo sit there for a couple of minutes.

Brush out the powder and there you go!

Let me know if you give this a try!! 

Empties

I've kept all my empties from July and thought I would share whether I would repurchase any of them or not! I'm trying to switch over to products that are more natural and organic, so I'm still trying to use up a lot of them that aren't and I'm slowly getting there. I want my products to be as minimal as possible, and unfortunately I have quite a collection of products that aren't. 

I finally used up the MAC foundation, and obviously I won't be repurchasing. The Hard Candy eyeshadow primer was crap and not even empty so again that's another one that I wouldn't repurchase.

 The ELF eyeshadow primer I probably would repurchase, along with the Make Up Revolution powder. Although I still prefer my B. Pressed Powder!

I'm still unsure about how I feel about NYX. I love their products but there's the whole parent company thing to think about, so I'm unsure about the NYX Micro Brow Pencil. It's my favourite brow pencil and I've actually gone through two of them now, so if anyone has a 100% cf alternative then please let me know!

I really liked all of these products here, BUT I won't be repurchasing any of them apart from the Coconut Oil because they all contain ingredients such as SLS, parabens and fragrance. I'm trying to purchase products that have more natural and organic ingredients, and I'm even starting to make some of my own products! 

I have already repurchased the Dr Organic Dead Sea Face Wash and the Aloe Vera Toothpaste. Both of these products are amazing and work just as well as those that contain the usual nasty ingredients. I've also repurchased the Superdrug Facial Wipes as they actually don't contain too many ingredients, plus they're really cheap. The Simply Pure toner hasn't been repurchased purely because I bought one from Lush to replace it, but I think I might go back to this one. 

De-clutter | Beauty Products

I've had a bag of beauty products that I don't use or dislike sitting in my room for a while now, so I thought it was time to officially get rid of them. I love a good de-clutter and actually really enjoy sorting through stuff that I don't want anymore! 

Most of the make up seen above is actually getting thrown out as it's years old and has either dried out or gone off. Likewise both the Garnier and Body Shop products are years old, plus they're not cruelty-free. The S&G body spray smells like disinfectant so that's got to go, and also the face wash started to irritate my skin so that's also going. The shimmer Body Shop lotion smells amazing but a) made me look like I had rolled around in glitter and b) made me come out in a rash, so unfortunately that's got to go as well! Also as you can see, the majority of the make up isn't cruelty free either.

Does anyone else love a good de-clutter?!

Living Naturally

I received some goodies from Living Naturally the other week and I wanted to try them out before I posted about them. 

It says on their website that they are:

 'the first company in the world to develop a Plant-based Laundry, Haircare & Skincare Range for sensitive skin, based on Certified Organic Herbs & Certified Organic Wildcrafted Soapnuts. Our expertly handcrafted products are all made in the UK from 100% vegan, natural and organic, ethically sourced, sustainable & cruelty-free ingredients. Free from SLSs, Parabens, Mineral Oil, Palm Oil, Artificial additives or fragrances.' 

If you've read my previous blog posts then you will know that I'm trying to use products that contain natural and organic ingredients, and that are also vegan and eco-friendly. Living Naturally definitely ticks all of these boxes. I was really happy to see that they didn't use a ridiculous amount of packaging and more importantly, there was no plastic. Oh and all three of the products I got are lavender scented, which I am totally obsessed with! 

LAVENDER & GERANIUM SOAP - £4

First of all can we just talk about the fact that this soap came in a reusable bag rather than standard plastic packaging. I really wish more brands would follow suit and reduce the amount of packaging they use. Anyway, the soap itself smells absolutely amazing and lathers really well. It also doesn't  irritate my skin and is a great alternative to your average shower gel. I'm tempted to try this out on my hair as well!

CARDAMOM & LAVENDER SOAPNUT SALVE - £8.50

They were definitely not wrong when they said a little goes a long way. This pot is going to last me such a long time! So first of all the website states that: 

'It is great for all skin types and will help dry, cracked, itchy, inflamed, sensitive/problem skin and skin prone to acne, eczema, psoraisis.

Can be used on cracked hands/feet, sunburn, stings, cuts/grazes, insect bites. Apply to skin, rub in. Use sparingly, a little goes a long way.'

Initially I had no idea what I was going to use it for. I've had problems with my skin on my elbow for years now and it's been particularly bad for a couple of weeks. It's very dry and gross and nothing would really work. So last week I applied a bit of this before I went to bed and I am being completely honest when I say that I woke up and it had pretty much gone. Three days later it had healed up/disappeared completely. I would really recommend this if you have problem skin anywhere! 

CARDAMOM & LAVENDER SUGAR BODY SCRUB - £10

I've been wearing shorts a lot recently and unfortunately this means having to shave my legs (BOO). I've used a fair amount of body scrubs in the past and nothing compares to this. I personally think that it's a lot better for your skin to spend a more money on a product that's made from natural and organic ingredients. I will definitely be re-purchasing this once I've used it up. This makes my legs so soft and smooth and I actually don't feel conscious about wearing shorts!

July Favourites

July. Another month that's completely flown by. Time's a funny, scary concept. 

So July saw the anniversary of my blog which was exciting but also kinda daunting. I have also gone another month without buying any make up. In all honesty I've lost my passion for beauty products and collecting make up. Don't get me wrong, I still love make up, it's just not my main source of happiness anymore, which is totally fine. So enough chit chat, let's get into my July favourites!

Plants. I have been OBSESSED with plants to the point where my room currently resembles a green house. I've been getting a load of inspiration from Pinterest which is also another one of my July favourites! One of my pins has 12.4k pins which is bloody crazy and gave me the kick to get into using Pinterest properly again. You can follow me here.

Make up wise, my two favourite products has been this NYX foundation combined with S&G One Heck of a Blot Primer. It's been really warm here recently and these two products have kept me looking relatively matte whenever I've worn make up!

My favourite YouTuber of the month, and pretty much has been every month for the past four or so years, is Karissa Pukas. She seems like such a genuine and relatable person that always keeps it real unlike so many other YouTubers out there. Even when she does a sponsored post I feel like I can really trust her to be honest. Plus she is seriously stunning and her style is on point!! 

Another long term favourite of mine is of course Luanna's blog Le Happy. I've been loving her style throughout this month and her pictures make me so excited to be going back to NYC this month!! 

I've been trying to live a more minimalistic lifestyle recently, which is how I discovered Sophie's blog. Her posts about minimalism have really inspired me to keep going and to not rely on having so much stuff to make me happy! Her photography is seriously stunning and she seems like such a lovely person as well. 

I fucking love Scream, it's the best show on Netflix and IT'S BACK FOR ANOTHER SEASON!!! Stop what you're doing and go watch it. I'm serious.