Santa Baby, Just Slip A Lippy Under The Tree For Me...

Less than 2 weeks until the big day! My tree's sparkling, the presents are wrapped & I've already had more than my fair share of cheese and crackers... Oh and it's FREEZING! But I can overlook that, as it's officially my favourite time of year :) Although I think I say that about every season.

I submitted the final draft of my Christmas list to Santa a couple of weeks ago and these beauties made it to my top 4...

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream

Babyliss Pro Porcelain Conical Wand in Black 19-32mm

Baby Pink Converse

YSL Rouge Volupte in Opera Rose

And I have it on very good authority that I have all of the above! So excited :)

I've wanted Estee Lauder Night Repair for ages, but at £37 it just isn't something I could ever justify buying for myself, so this will definately be well loved. The same goes for the YSL lippy, every time I'm in Debenhams, I swatch loads of the lipsticks but never actually part with the cash... I can't wait to display this on my nightstand, the packaging is just beautiful. As for the Converse, well I just love them. I have dark pink ones but they're looking a bit worse for wear. And finally, the conical wand, for those who don't know it's basically a curling tool for your hair and it looks so simple to use, I've seen lots of hair tutorials on youtube with this. I opted for the largest size in black, because eventhough my hair's only shoulder length, I want to use it to get quite big waves, as apposed to tight curls.

What's at the top of your Christmas list this year?

And just a reminder that you've still got time to take advantage of Sigma's 10% off coupon code! I've just ordered some eye brushes and as I'm sure you know, they're excellent quality and really affordable. So click HERE and get your order in before 31st December :)

Beating Breakouts

I hate spots. But then, who likes them? I have pretty good skin about 85% of the time but sometimes I get random breakouts that really put me in a bad mood. This is usually around a certain time of the month or after a night out when I've neglected my skin by not cleansing properly. I also get the odd breakout when I'm stressed or run down and usually they occur at the top of my forehead, on my chin and sometimes around my nose. I've tried a hell of a lot of products over the years to try to prevent said breakouts as well as get rid of them when they occur and after various trials and errors I've got my top 3 'spot fighting' products that have found their way into my skin care routine. So let's jump right into the first one!

Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Pads

The main ingredient I look for in a product for fighting breakouts is Salicylic Acid. I'm no scientist or skin care expert or whatever, but from internet research, other beauty bloggers and beauty professionals I find that this ingredient is mentioned ALOT. When the lovely Chloe Morello mentioned these Clearasil pads in one of her YouTube videos (she too suffers with pimple prone skin) I knew I had to try them! She swears by the Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action range which is specifically for fighting spots FAST and these pads are honestly awesome! You get about 65 pads for £5.35 from Superdrug, link here, and although that seems pricey, trust me they're worth it. The thin pads are soaked (and I mean thoroughly soaked) in a spot fighting solution including salicylic acid and you basically wipe them over your freshly cleansed face daily. Because the pads are so wet it feels like you're drenching your face in the really strong liquid which at first feels a bit too much but it dries quickly and you just leave it for a couple of minutes then apply your moisturiser etc. I can't tell you how clean and shiny my face is after using these! Even after a good scrub/cleanse there's still some makeup and dirt that comes off on the pad so they're super deep cleaning. As stated in the description, these really do get rid of your nasty spots within 3 days. Amazing. I dont use them every day as I find them quite strong and my skin isn't terrible, but whenever I break out or my face feels greasy I reach for them. I'm really wanting to try more from the Ultra range.

Lush Tea Tree Toner Spray

This has been doing the rounds in the blogosphere lately and rightly so. It's a tea tree toner (you never would've guessed!) and tea tree is a great natural ingredient to use when preventing and fighting spots. It's a really fresh, light spray and I love the tea tree scent. I know some people hate tea tree so if you're one of those people then this will probably not be a great buy for you, but I apply this morning and night on a cotton pad before my moisturiser and it really soaks up any excess oil and freshens my face. The smaller bottle which is the one I have is super cheap at £3.95 for 100g, link here.

Garner Pure Deep Clean Foam Wash

I've been using this on and off for about 6 months and it's one of those products that I always end up coming back to. If it's getting near to my time of the month I'll start using this in the shower to try and get a good deep clean going before the spot's strike. It's a foaming wash and it gives my face a really deep clean. It's quite a strong face wash if you get my meaning, which I personally love because I can really feel it working when it makes my skin tingle. If I've had a night out where I've worn a lot of makeup, I'll use this the next morning to ensure I give my skin the deep clean it needs. You can buy this from Superdrug for £2.95 for 200ml.

So they're my favourite products for dealing with breakouts, I'd love any other recommendations if you have them and let me know if you use any of these :)