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Firstly, Happy New Year everyone!

Secondly, apologies for the post not being up sooner – I’ve struggled to find time to get decent blog photos. (Starting the year off well I see…)

Thirdly, welcome to my mini blog series all about skincare! Unlike most beauty obsessed gals, I love skincare way more than any beauty product and I really think it’s important to invest some love and attention into your skincare. So I thought I’d share with you some of the skincare items I am hooked on right now. Each week there will be a new post chatting about my favourite items – and I’ve split them into categories to keep it nice and easy to find what you’re looking for.

First up, we’re talking cleansers. Now I am certainly guilty of being one of those gals that either fall asleep with a full face of make up on, or only make a half-assed attempt at removing the muck from my face. But the past few months I’ve really been trying to make an effort to cleanse, cleanse and cleanse! (That’s twice at night, and once in the morn for pure baby soft cheeks.) There are an abundance of cleansers on the market and it’s hard to find the right one for you. I like a quick, gentle cleanser that still does a little nourishing for my skin whilst removing my make up. So today I’ve got three cleansers that I pretty much always have in my stash.

Garnier Micellar Water – £3.33

Let’s start with the cheapest of the bunch. You’ve probably heard everyone talk about the Garnier Micellar Water, and for good reason. It makes removing your make up so easy, you barely have to put in any effort at all. I pour a little onto two cottan wool pads, place them over my eyes and let the magic happen. I love using this cleanser because it gives you a little bit of me time to just relax and take your mind off everything else. This cleanser is great at removing the toughest of make up whilst being gentle on your skin. A definite must have if you’re on a budget!

Camomile Silky Cleansing Extract – £12

While the Garnier cleanser is more water based, the BodyShop’s camomile cleanser is an oil based formula that breaks down your make up gently, whilst nourishing your skin. This also comes as a cleansing butter if you’re not a fan of the oil consistency. This is probably my favourite cleanser, and I always end up repurchasing it. It’s great because you can just rub the oil into your dry skin and it immediately gets to work. It’s also really nice removing it with a warm muslin cloth. Whenever I use this cleanser my skin always feels super soft afterwards – and for a gal with sensitive eyes, this doesn’t even bother them! The BodyShop really know there stuff when it comes to a great cleanser!

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser – £14

After using either of the other cleanser’s first, I always reach for my Liz Earle cleanser second. Generally this isn’t a great cleanser for removing loads of make up, but if you’re wearing a light amount then it still does the trick. What I love to use this cleanser for is to double cleanse my face. It helps to remove any excess make up and oil leftover from my first cleanse, and it really leaves your skin feeling silky smooth. This is also a great morning cleanser to help put a little energy into your face.

So there you have it –  I’d love to try some new cleanser out once my stash runs dry. I definitely have the Oskia Renaissance Gel on my list to try one day, a maybe a few others. Let me know what’s your favourite cleanser!

It’s finally February, and we’re finally out of the bluest month! I can’t believe how fast January flew by, and typically I haven’t stuck to any resolutions…Anyway, I have been loving some music this month and I figured I’d share that with you guys. Of course there is some La La Land and Ed Sheeran (because who else isn’t obsessed with these two?) along with a few oldies that I just love.

So here it is – feel free to leave me any music suggestions of your own, I love finding new music.

1. 7 – Catfish and the Bottlemen
2. Out of the Blue – Prides
3. The Fools Who Dream – La La Land
4. City of Stars – La La Land
5. Shape of You – Ed Sheeran
6. Touch – Little Mix
7. Sun – Two Door Cinema Club
8. The 17th – Courteeners
9. Across the Moor – Blossoms
10. Hide – Little May
11. Everywhere – Fleetwood Mac
12. Re-arrange – Biffy Clyro

If you want to listen to the entire playlist, you can find it here on Spotify.

Lauren – x

 

So now that I’m no longer a English Lit student “reading” a different book a week, I decided to set myself the target of reading 30 books this year. That doesn’t sound so bad right? So I thought I’d share the books I’m currently making my way through and a few that I plan to read this year.

The Danish Girl – David Ebershoff:
Recently been made into a major film starring Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl follows the struggles of a transgender male living in 20th century Europe. This tender portrayal of marriage discusses the love between two people and the strain that it placed upon them when Einar struggles with his identity. Currently I am only half way through this, but the writing is evocative and captures your attention from the offset. I am enjoying reading something a little different to my usual books, and I’ll definitely want to see the film once I know the ending! I’d really recommend this.

Dark Places – Gillian Flynn:
Another of Flynn’s mystery novels which explores the Satanic Cult hysteria that consumed America in the 1980’s, whilst also discussing class issues and intense poverty. This book is next on my to read list. I find Flynn’s novels to be engrossing reads that I struggle to put down. Although her writing, and characters, can be a little odd compared to other contemporaries, the mystery element is sure to grab your attention and keep you reading. This is another book that is being made into a film, and after enjoying Gone Girl so much, I’ll be sure to see this one.

All I Know Now – Carrie Hope Fletcher:
A rising west-end actress and Youtube phenomenon, Carrie’s book is a funny retelling of her adolescence in which she reveals the troubles with bullying, puberty and just generally growing up. An extension of her blog and youtube channel, this book is like reading sisterly advice on every subject. I was a little apprehensive that this book would only be beneficial to teenagers dealing with the issues we all went through, but actually I’ve found there to be little bits that apply even to a twenty year old! This is a perfect read to cheer you up about life and all the embarrassing mistakes you’ve ever made – because we’ve all made them too! I’m looking forward to Carrie’s fiction novel coming out in July!

Not Always Happenstance – Rachel Anderson
I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of this thanks to a website Ebooks For review (find here.) I’ve yet to read this novel, but it sounds like something that is right up my street. I’ve also never heard of the writer so I don’t know a great deal about this book, so instead I’ll insert a brief exert of how Kathy from I am a reader describes it.
“But, like a large wave on the brink of breaking, [Lani’s] life is about to crash out of control. A proposal of marriage, a conniving grandmother, a cryptic Asian woman, and a handsome guest, and suddenly everything calm begins to churn, everything clear becomes confused, and all that was normal segues into peculiar.”

I hope to write reviews for each of these novels up on here, but if you’d like to know how I’m getting on and what I’ve read previously feel free to follow me on Goodreads here.

What are you reading right now? Do you have a reading goal for 2016?

I’m not one for showy titles that catch your eye, but trust me girl you need this product in your life!

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited along to my local Body Shop store in Aberdeen for a VIP event. On arriving we were given some prosecco and some great freebies! They even had the cutest little cupcakes on display (and for munching.)

After having a good chatter and a little nosey around, they started a mini-presentation all about some of their new products from the Drops of Youth range – and it’s safe to say I was amazed!The Drops of Youth range aims to tackle the first signs of ageing, and give your skin a little helping hand in reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Sexy huh?

Now I know I’m only in my twenties, but my forehead has already starting showing signs of ageing with a big ol’ lovely wrinkle. They do say you should start using anti-ageing products in your twenties after all…

The product I was most amazed by was the Drops of Youth Liquid Peel. Why? Because this stuff actually works. THE MOMENT YOU USE IT. When I was in the store the woman put a little product onto the back of my hand and within a few seconds I could already see the dead skin coming away. Crazy right.

 

So here’s what the Liquid Peel boasts – the peel exfoliates and gently peels off impurities from your skin, whilst lifting dead skin cells and residuals. It leaves your skin feeling soft, clean and purified. It’s perfect if you live in a big city with lots of pollution, or if you suffer from dry, blocked skin.

I’ve been using this for the past week and a bit now, and I’ve really noticed the difference. Like I said, you can instantly see the dead skin coming away when you rub the product over your face, and I can really see my skin becoming much clearer. They recommend using this 2-3 times a week, which I feel is quite a lot so I’ve only been doing this twice a week at the moment. I would also suggest though if you have dry, sensitive skin that you have some face oil or moisturiser at the ready. The girls at The Body Shop recommended using the Drops of Youth Concentrate to add some moisture back into your skin!

Currently the Liquid Peel is out of stock on the website, so if I was you I’d run to my local store and pick up a bottle while they last. You won’t be disappointed!

Have you tried this product before? Let me know your top skincare product.

Lauren-x