What's In My Makeup Bag

This is my makeup bag which contains the majority of my everyday makeup items, a few brushes and a couple extra items. I usually take this to college when I know I'll need touch ups throughout the day.

This pink floral makeup bag is from Primark and was probably about £2.50.

In my makeup bag I have:

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in 170 Coral Reef

balance Me. Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer 002 (review HERE)

Max Factor Xperience Weightless Foundation in Raw Silk 45

Benefit The Pore Fessional

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in 2 Light

Benefit Bag Gal Lash Mascara

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in 206 Nude Pink

No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow in 69 Starry Lights

Blistex Relief Cream

Makeup Academy Eyebrow Pencil in Brunette

Nivea Creme

Collection 2000 Shimmering Glow Powder on 4 Espresso (mini review HERE)

Stila Angel Light Powder in Shade B

The Body Shop Face & Body Brush

Elite Models Beveled Blush Brush

Bloom Cosmetics Mineral Foundation Brush

That's quite a lot of products! If there are any products that you would like a review on, just leave me a comment below and I'll make sure I do!

Hope you enjoyed this post. If you have done a similar post, leave it in the comments below and I'll come and have a read!

Amie ♥

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Skin Care Routine | Dry & Sensitive Skin

I made a post called 'My Skin Saviours' back when I first started blogging, and I thought I would show you my whole skin care routine. From the age of about 13 to early 16 I suffered with really bad skin which used to affect my self-confidence. I set out to find the right products for my skin type (dry/ sensitive skin) and try and fight back! I've only just 'perfected' this routine within the last year or so and since then I have had reasonably clear skin. I also take Bassetts Soft & Chewy Early Health vitamin tablets, which are for children but they taste so good and have actually helped my skin, and a Cod Liver Oil tablet (any brand) everyday. I also drink as much water as I can which works out well because it's usually the only thing I drink.

Morning
Cleanser - Every morning I exfoliate my face, back and chest in the shower with the St Ives Sensitive Skin Gentle Apricot Scrub. This stuff is amazing, when I suffered with spots on my back and chest, (a real confidence knocker - and a bit gross) this exfoliator cleared them within a week at the most! I have used this everyday since. After this I then cleanse my face with the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Cream Wash. This featured in My Skin Saviours post as one of the main products that really cleared my skin. I love this and it's great for dry skin as it's a cream so doesn't dry out your skin as much as other cleansers.

Toner - The Simple Soothing Facial Toner is a relatively new instalment to my routine. This is my second bottle and I'm really liking it. Before trying this I never saw a point of toner, but after using it my skin feels cleaner and as it dries my pores feel like they're getting smaller. I apply this with a cotton wool ball (the ones in the picture are from Boots, but any one will do) all over my face and neck. I then spray about 5 pumps of the Savlon First Aid Wash before my toner dries. This may seem like a weird product to use but it does say it can be used for spots and I like to think it kills all the bacteria off my face before I apply my makeup.

Moisturiser - As I have dry skin, moisturiser is a key step in my routine. I use the Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser as it is the richest moisturiser Simple make, so I'm getting more moisture into my skin in one go. I then use my eye cream and at the moment I'm mostly reaching for the balance Me. Wonder Eye Cream. I suffer with dry eyelids which can make my makeup look cakey. Using this has kept my eye lids soft and hydrated.

Night
Cleanser - If I wear makeup I will use a Johnson's Daily Essentials Face Cleansing Wipes for dry skin. These are great and remove all of your makeup, even waterproof mascara, and leave your skin feeling soft. For an extra clean I use the Neutrogena Cream Wash again.

Toner - Again, I use the Simple toner and 5 pumps of the Savlon spray in the same way as in the morning.

Moisturiser - Again, I use the Simple Replenishing moisturiser and the balance Me. eye cream.

Spot treatment - I only treat my spots at night as it can dry your skin out or look weird under makeup. The first treatment I do is my Freederm Spot Treating Gel. I've gone through loads of these and it helps fight and prevent spots. I place a light layer on any blemish and allow it to dry. Next I use the Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Face Mask as a less-concentrated version of tea tree oil. As it's in mask form it'll be much more gentle, so I place a light layer over the oilier areas of my face (chin, nose and sometimes forehead) plus over any bad blemishes. This product is meant to be a weekly mask, but I find it works fine like this. Finally I use some Sudocrem, mainly on any dry areas of my skin plus on top of spots. This is a great product to have because it has so many uses! This may seem a lot on my skin, but it all works well for me.

I don't do anything weekly to my skin, unless I have a face mask or two laying around. So that's it! I hope that if you're suffering with bad skin you can take some tips or products out of this post. It's really the case of researching and trying out new products, and eventually something positive will happen.

What is your best tip/ product for healthy skin?

Amie ♥

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July Favourite's

These are the products I have been loving this month!

Missguided Nail Polish in Missmatch | balance Me. Wonder Eye Cream

Revlon Nail Growth Treatment | Benefit's The Porefessional

Rimmel London Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in 12 | Makeup Academy Pencil Eyeliner in Gold Nugget

♥ Missguided Nail Polish in Missmatch - I have been loving orange this Summer and when this was free in Cosmo's magazine I had to have it. It's a gorgeous bright orange with no shimmer in. It's been my favourite this month because the staying power is amazing! With just one top coat this nail polish stayed on my nails for 4 days with absolutely no chipping!

♥ balance Me. Wonder Eye Cream - people may think I'm weird using eye cream at such a young age, in fact I started wearing it when I was 14/ 15! This isn't because I'm scared of wrinkles, but because I get very dry eye lids. I've been swapping between this eye cream I got free in Glamour this month and my Simple Eye Balm (which is the one I started using when I was 14/ 15), and I prefer this one! I love the fresh smell and it has a much thicker consistency so feels very moisturising on my eye area.

♥ Revlon Nail Growth Treatment - I suffer with very dry and brittle nails that never grow properly. I've been using this growth treatment to put some extra nutrients back into my nails to help them grow stronger. I really like this product, it has a lovely lemon smell and since starting using it my nails seem to grow longer and are less prone to breaking. I've already bought a back up just in case I run out!

♥ Benefit's The Porefessional - this was featured in my Glamour Magazine Benefit Freebies post where I stated I didn't have a need of this product and I probably wouldn't use it. I was wrong! This product is one of the best selling primers in the UK at the moment and I can tell why! I've loved using primers in this hot weather as my makeup just doesn't apply properly or stay throughout the day if I don't use one. The Porefessional feels very luxurious and smooths out your skin's surface to provide a base for your face makeup. I focus it on my nose, chin and forehead as these are the places my makeup seems to come off the quickest. This product has helped my makeup stay on for much longer and I really like it!

♥ Rimmel London Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in 12 - this is one of my favourite coral lipsticks  (featured in my Top 6 Lipsticks post) because the colour is so pigmented and lasts a long time on your lips! It is also one of my 'go-to' lipsticks as I find the colour suits me really well.

♥ Makeup Academy Pencil Eyeliner in Gold Nugget - this colour is such a nice alternative to the brown eyeliner I use in my everyday makeup. It's a gorgeous, pigmented shimmery gold colour that applies smoothly. I love using this above my upper lash line. As it's gold, it goes with my brown eyes really well which is another thing I like. Full review HERE.

What are your July favourite's?

Amie ♥

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What's In My Bag?

I love reading this type of post and having a good nose into what is in other girl's bags, so I thought I would do this post myself!

The bag...

From Accessorize approx. £16

This is the bag I mainly use because it's a big bag and I love coral and has been featured in both of my OOTDs (cinema & coffee). If this bag doesn't go with my outfit I usually go for my Cath Kidston bag which is blue and has a floral print. Neither of these bags are still online as the Accessorize one was in the sale a while ago and the Cath Kidston one is a past season pattern.

So what's in my bag..

Topshop tan leather purse (love the clasp on this purse!)

iPod 4G 8GB (case from eBay)

My phone - HTC Wildfire S (phone case from eBay)

Philips earphones LINK

Notepad from The Works (featured in THIS haul)

Radox Clean & Moisturise hand sanitiser in chamomile & jojoba oil

Kleenex tissues (I have a cold at the moment :(!)

Soap and Glory Hand Food cream LINK

balance Me. rose otto intensive lip salve LINK (featured in THIS Glamour magazine post & if you use the discount code GLAM05 you get £5 off your order!)

Some pennies!

My mirror from Superdrug years ago

My keys with charms from Cath Kidston, Accessorize, Clintons and Primark

A biro

A hair grip my friend made for me

Optima 4GB USB

And a little Kinder Egg hippo toy haha!

Hope you enjoyed this post and I would love to see if any of you guys have made a 'What's In My Bag' post!

Amie ♥

Glamour Magazine's balance Me. Freebies

Once again I have caved into Glamour Magazine's freebies! I cannot resist being able to try out some new products at such a great price of £2! After flicking through last month's edition I noticed that the balance Me. skin care products were next in line. I was interested in trying out the intensive lip salve and wonder eye cream. I'm going to be honest and say that I've never heard of this brand, but after researching their company on their website HERE, I'm so excited to try out these products properly! The great thing about these products is that they are, more or less, completely natural, which is a great bonus with any beauty product.

August 2012 issue

What better way to show you these natural products than taking photos in my garden! Today has been such a lovely day, very warm and sunny. Hoping it's here to stay!

♥ Extra Care Wonder Eye Cream 7ml: this product claims to do three things: revitalise weary eyes, smooth away dark shadows and reduce the appearance of fine lines. This is a white cream that feels very luxurious when you pat into your eye area. It has a lovely refreshing smell which is from the lemon and cucumber oil and has anti-oxidant and hydrating qualities. Also this is great as it is for all skin types, and as the ingredients are natural, I don't think it will aggravate sensitive skin. This product has 99% natural origin ingredients and can be purchased HERE in full size for £20 for 15ml.

♥ Daily Essentials Pure Skin Face Wash 50ml: this is a gentle yet effective face wash that dissolves makeup and washes away daily grime. It's sulphate and petroleum free which keeps your skin balanced and clean without stripping away your skin's natural moisture levels. It uses anti-oxidant moringa and rich rice bran oil to help brighten and polish the skin. It also has scents including frankincense, grapefruit and ylang ylang oils (fancy!). The only thing I'm a bit concerned about with this face wash is the smell, it's not something I would personally choose. Also this product is for normal to combination skin types, so isn't what I would usually go for. But with all these benefits they claim, I am willing to give it a go! This product has 98.8% natural origin ingredients and can be purchased HERE in full size for £16 for 125ml.

♥ Treatments Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve 10ml (full size): I do love a good lip balm and when I saw this was 100% natural, I couldn't wait to try it! It is a very thick consistency and you only need a tiny bit for smooth lips. This is the only product of the three as of yet I have properly tried (I literally ripped it out the packaging to put some on). The first thing is that it smells so fresh with the hint of rose from the rose otto and palma rosa which help hydrate, calm and balance your lips. It softens your lips through mango (yum) and cocoa butters and sooths with jojoba and virgin coconut oils. I would definitely try and get your hands on this one as it is the only full sized product being given away! You can purchase this product HERE in full size for £12 for 10ml.

The forth product being given away is the Daily Essentials Balancing Face Moisturiser 20ml. I have plenty of moisturisers stacked in my drawers and as this one is for normal to combination skin, I don't have the need for it. This product also has 99% natural origin ingredients and can be bought HERE in full size for £24 for 50ml.

I would definitely recommend checking out these little freebies! I'm sure there wont be as much hype over these products compared to last month's Benefit products, but I think they're worth trying out.

Have you managed to find any of the balance Me. skin care products in a Glamour magazine? Or have you already been trying them out?

Amie ♥