National Eczema Week - My Story*

Everybody, at one point or another, has had something happen with their body that they cannot control.

For many people their teenage years are a nightmare plagued by acne, greasy hair or having a brace.

I was really lucky as a teenager not to have any of these problems very badly. I had the odd break out and, as you're probably aware I've had my teeth woes as well.

My problem was far more irritating, in the literal sense of the word. 

Collection Wednesday - What's In My Drawers?

Despite the title this honestly isn't a post about my underwear!

The one thing I've noticed from speaking to other bloggers and reading other sites is that the main drawback of beauty and fashion blogging is the cost.

KACHING!

Every week new products are launched, new styles become on trend, the latest gadget comes out (Case in point yesterday Apple released the iPhone 5S and 5C. Do I need it? No. Do I want one? Of course!)

Despite being a real life grown up now, with a job, a mortgage and some money to spend I, like many others, cannot justify spending loads of money each week and it got me thinking.

How many things, in my make-up collection and wardrobe, were potentially overlooked when they came out?

What is Collection Wednesday?

So this is where Collection Wednesday begins. Every Wednesday I'll delve into my collection for things that float my boat, question why I ever purchased them or are just a little bit ...mehhhhhh, I like it but I don't love it!

Of course if get a new release or anything new I will no doubt shout about it but let us give a bit of loving for the old friends we currently own that are still there after the launch dies down.

This week's stars are...

Pores No More.... more cement than miracle cure

Dr Brandt's - Pores No More - Pore Refiner with Hint Of Tine - £33.15

I wanted to like this so much. I got given a tube by my hairdresser/wedding make up artist and she swore by it. The colour wasn't quite right and although the coverage was amazing initally it looked like someone has taken a trowel and slapped it on. 

The worst bit is when I had a bit of a tan and thought I'd pull it for another go I pumped it on the back of my hand and it just clumped and went an almost, peely skin consistency (see image below!)

Dr Brandt had dried right up :(

For £33.15 I wasn't expecting miracles but DO NOT LIKE.
HOWEVER this is just my personal opinion and lots of people I know love the stuff. The Pore Vacuum is really good as well. Available at FeelUnique.com

I LIKE it but I don't LOVE it

Urban Decay Primer Potion - £15

I remember when this primer was first released and it was AMAZING, every blogger swore by it and every vlogger used it in their how to's. Now I don't hate it but I just don't think it's the best. For £15 I had the original bottle and there is still quite a bit left, this is due to a couple of design flaws and thus why the packaging changed. Added to the fact the packing peels off everywhere and gets all over your face. Personally I find it useful but no more useful than using a concealer or a MAC paint pot. More often than not as well a lot of the shadows I use don't need a base (I like vivids! What can I say? :))
Available at Debenhams


Best eyeshadow pencils I have ever used!

Urban Decay - 24/7 Shadow Pencils - £12.60

I love vivid colours. It's probably why I don't wear make-up to work, I can't get away with neon pink eyeshadow in a Thursday morning meeting! These pencils are amazing and no matter what look I go for these are brought out again and again.

I bought one originally for Bestival a few years ago where I was rocking a Katy Perry costume and I picked up Clash which is a vibrant blue glitter reminiscent of felt tipping the sea in a picture when you were a kid. This stuff would not budge, which at a festival was amazing. I could wander along my merry way and not worry. 

Swatched Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencils
(L-R - Narc, Mercury and Clash. With Flash)

Swatched Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencils
(L-R - Narc, Mercury and Clash. Without Flash)

Shortly after I purchased Narc (a metallic khaki green with glitter) and Mercury (Metallic silver with grey tones) and they are so versatile. They can be worn on their own or provide enough base for any number of dramatic looks by working other colours into the crease and brow bone. I know when I put them on as well I don't need to worry about fall out either.

Only downsides are that they are so hard to shift you'll have trouble shifting without waterproof make-up remover and a wire brush, there are too many for me to buy all of them and also putting eyeliner on top can be quite tricky as well. Apart from that ,along with MAC shadows these are in my top 5. They are available at Debenhams.

Till Next Time
FluffyCandy
Xx

The Skincare Tag

So I'm a few days into blogging and in this short, but sweet, amount of time so far I've seen some great beauty blogs out there.

I've been avidly reading, getting tips and feeling my way round and after seeing Gracie Darling's Little Owl Beauty blog I spotted she had a skincare tag. 

Now as an avid YouTube watcher I've always wanted to do a tag! There are so many to pick from; The Boyfriend Tag, The Rainbow Tag but, this being mainly about beauty and all, I thought why not start at the very beginning of beauty with skincare!

So, feel free to pick up the tag yourself and enjoy reading my answers. I'm always looking out for new tips and tricks so leave a comment below!

Describe your skincare routine in five words..

Varied, simple, legacied, hopeful and lax  

What's your skin type?

I've had several different counters give me several different versions. Some say oily, some say dry and some say combination. 

If I were to draw you a map I would say relatively normal with a nose and chin that suffer from blackeads. In addition my friend says I have "The weirdest shaped pores I've ever seen" I usually whack a pore strip on though to get rid of these. Biore Pore Strips - £7.50  

What's your favourite skincare product?

Not necessarily a product as such but nothing makes my skin better than a damned good holiday. Getting away from it all, the pollution, the stress, add in a sunny climate, swimming in the sea and a better diet and I remain spot free. Failing that I can never go wrong with Clinique's 7-Day Scrub - £18.50. It's pricey but I really love the smell and the granules feel so good on tired skin.

Top blemish zapper? 

My mum, when I was a teenager, said don't waste your time on spot zappers and miracle creams and would get me to dab perfume (Yes! PERFUME) onto my spots. Till this day I still do, I think the alcohol in the perfume soaks up the gunk or something but that and a good face steam always seems to do the trick for me! I'm probably giving super bad advice right now!

Face wipes, yay or nay? 

I love face wipes. I have hoards of them and whilst they will never replace cleansing, toning and moisturising. Sometimes though my skin gets a bit aggravated with the fussing and they do the trick. Ideal for removing a heavy night out's make up though.

Toner, yay or nay? 

Toner is great. I tend to use Clinique's 3 Step - (Varied Prices) (in 2) and the toner, as much as I hate it, really reveals all the gunk and dirt on my face. It's half fascinating to use and half horrifying!

High end skincare or high end makeup?

High end make up. Skin is pretty resilient and I like to think that in all the time us humans have been about we've found one way or another to look after our skin. Whether it's through diet, good hygiene, even things like banana and oatmeal face masks it's pretty easy to even out. Just look at Lush Cosmetics, they've built their entire business around using things in nature to care for your skin and body.

Creating colours and textures of what you then put on your canvas (I mean face!) is a little more scientific and if you are going to put it on, it may as well be very good quality!

What's the most unusual skincare product you've tried?

Well apart from the perfume I mentioned previously, probably any of Lush's products. There are things in them like kaoline, chocolate and vodka! Ocean Salt which I mentioned in my August favourites smells like margaritas. I know of some people who've had Vampire Facials, Bull Semen and all sort of weird stuff put on their faces but unless they are some sort of miracle cure (or free :)) then I'll stick to my slightly middle of the road stuff!

You're in a French pharmacy and can only pick one item - what is it?

This is the question that realllly intrigued me about this skin tag. I'm a bit of a Francophile, in fact I'm off for a weekend in Paris in 2 weeks (EXCITED!) and I've been thinking about what I want to pick up whilst I'm over there.

I've heard great things about the facial sprays but. at the same time, we probably need those maybe two weeks out of fifty two here... so one thing I've heard good things about is Cattier Masque L'Argile Rose - £4.40 which I'll try and give a whirl whilst I'm over there.  

Tell us your top skincare tip.

I would normally say drink loads of water, as this is what we are all nagged to do but instead I would suggest don't fuss too much with your skin. It's good to try out new things and improve trouble areas but if you chop and change too much your skin will end up not knowing what's hitting it and so will your purse. In addition remember what works now or doesn't work may change over time. In the last couple of years my skin has changed so drastically products that were once my Holy Grails I can no longer use, whereas stuff that brought me out in a rash is now a staple!

Thanks so much for reading and I tag you! Let me know if you do the tag as I'd love to see your answers!