Review: Herbivore Lapis Balancing Face Oil

Hi everyone,

I have been using the Herbivore Lapis Balancing Face Oil on alternate evenings for the last couple of months, and I would like to share my thoughts with you.

The Herbivore Lapis Balancing Facial Oil is suitable for anyone who has oily/ combination/ acne prone skin; as this oil will help to balance out the skin and hopefully lessen the skins natural oil production over time.

The Herbivore Lapis Balancing Facial Oil is a lightweight oil, but its also an oil which you can feel working on the skin once it has been applied, which is rare to find in a facial oil. It is also a blue coloured oil, but it goes on the skin clear.

Claims

- Highly concentrated oil blend is ideal to use as a daily moisturiser, & uniquely formulated for oily, combination and acne prone skin

- Works quickly to sooth irritated skin & reduce the appearance of redness and breakouts

- Helps to prevent future breakouts & balancing excess oil production

- Apply 3 - 5 drops to cleansed skin morning & night. Massage in & allow to absorb for 1 - 3 minutes before applying make up

I really like using this oil as not only can I feel it working once it has been applied to the skin, but when I wake up the following morning my looks a little more glowy and radiant. The scent of this oil is also pleasant, even though it can be quite strong on occasion. My skin also seems to be a little more balanced than usual, and I'm not as oily in my T-zone than I was previously.

Why is Your Skin so Glowy?

Hi everyone,

This blog post is actually inspired by a question which I got asked from a customer who I served?

Alternating Skincare Routine
During the week I have two different skincare routines, one for during the day and one for in the evening. My daytime skincare routine mainly focuses on being more hydrating, while my evening skincare routine is a combination of being purifying and hydrating. I've found this works best for me due to my skin being on the oily/ combination side, but I only ever have a mild breakout once every so often.

Vitamin C Serum
I use a Vitamin C serum as part of my evening skincare routine, and Vitamin C is known for helping to brighten the skin over time. I have been using Vitamin C for around 18 months as part of my skincare routine.

Balancing Facial Oils
I'm currently using two balancing facial oils on alternating evenings, as one is slightly more gentle than the other. 
  The aim of balancing facial oils is to stop the skin overproducing sebum, and balance out the bodies natural sebum production to stop the skin from becoming really oily.
  These types of facial oils are fantastic if you have naturally oily/ combination skin. Be careful as some of the balancing oils can be harsh on the skin.

Double Cleansing
By double cleansing my skin in the evenings it has really made a difference to my skin. My preferred method is to first cleanse with a cleansing balm and then remove it by using warm water and a flannel. Then for my second cleanse I will use either a cleansing milk/ gel, and I will then again remove it using warm water and a flannel.

Triple Threat Layering
Because facial serums and oils are the most potent part of any skincare routine I will layer mine by using a combination of three different serums/ oils, and I do this as part of both my morning and evening skincare routines. 
  The serums/ oils for my daytime skincare routine focuses more on hydration and revitalising the skin, while my evening skincare routine focuses on brightening, nourishing and purifying the skin.

Face Masks
I do these whenever I feel my skin needs a little pick-me-up, and I usually do these either once a week or once a fortnight. The face masks I mainly use are for clarifying and purifying the skin.

Review: Kiehl's Rosa Arctica Lightweight Cream

Hi everyone,

I have been using the Kiehl's Rosa Arctica Lightweight Cream as part of my daytime skincare routine for around a month, and I thought I would share my thoughts with you.

The Kiehl's Rosa Arctica Lightweight Cream is really lovely to use as part of my daytime skincare routine, due to its lightweight consistency and smooth texture. It sinks into the skin more or less straight away, and a little bit goes a long way. The Rosa Arctica Lightweight Cream has a very mild, but pleasent fragrance.

Claims

- Lightweight anti-aging moisturiser

- Powerful, lightweight anti-aging cream formulated with rare "Resurrection Flower" which is hand harvested at full bloom to ensure efficiency 

- Fights the signs of skin ageing over time, including lines, wrinkles and loss elasticity, firmness and density

- Delicately scented with lavender oil, which is known for its relaxing and soothing properties 

Overall I have really impressed with this moisturiser, as I noticed that my skin became much more hydrated over time. Also, my skin had a more natural radiance too it than usual. I also really like that this moisturiser has a lightweight formula, which makes it ideal to use as part of a morning skincare routine.

'Project Use it Up' 2017 Empties

Hi everyone,

Here is my empties post for my 2017 'Project Use it Up'.

L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gels in a Mini Size & Deluxe Size

I really enjoyed using the Verbena shower gels from L'Occitane as they had a lovely fresh citrus scent.

Molten Brown Templetree Body Wash

The 'Templetree' shower gel has a relaxing fragrance which is lovely to use in the evenings. But the formula is nothing special for the high price tag.

5 Avon Shower Gels

I used all five of the shower gels from Avon, and I think my favourite scent was the 'Rio Cocktail' which I actually used two bottles of. But I'm not too sure if the formula agreed with my body, as I think I had a mild reaction too them.

M&S Lily of the Valley Shower Gel

I flew through this shower gel within the space of around two weeks, and the scent really wasn't for me. But the formula was okay.

2 Dove Shower Gels

The formula of these shower gels were lovely and very hydrating on the skin. Also, the fragrances lingered on the skin for a little while after I had got out of the shower. My favourite fragrance was the 'Blue Fig & Orange Blossom' as it just smelled delicious.

2 Deluxe Size & 1 Mini Size Body Lotions

These body lotions were lovely to use as the fragrances stayed on the skin for quite a while after they were applied. The Gucci Bamboo had the lightest scent, while Angel had the strongest scent. If you do have any these from Christmas gift sets I would higly recommend that you use them, as you may be pleasently surprised at how nice the formulas are.

L'Oreal Expert Intense Hair Mask

This is a fantastic hair mask if you have dry/damaged/coloured hair as it will slowly help to repair the hair over time. This is quite a thick product, so you don't need to use a lot of it. This is also from L'Oreal's professional haircare range, so if you can get hold of it then I'd recommend that you try it if your hair is need of some TLC.

Moroccan Oil Light 25ml

This is only the travel size of the Moroccan Oil Light, but it lasted ages for me as I only have fine hair and I only needed to use a couple of drops at a time. This is great for getting some hydration back into your hair, especially if your hair has dry/ damaged ends.

Milkshake Leave in Conditioner

This is a lovely, lightweight leave in conditioner that smells good enough to eat. Everytime I woke up after using this my hair was in such a better condition, and I had no trouble getting a brush through my hair. I've already repurchased a full size bottle of this.

Basiste Sweetie Dry Shampoo

This has got to be one of favourite scents that Basiste makes for their dry shampoo range, as it smells like raspberries. The scent also lingers for quite a while in your hair after it has been applied. I already have a back up of this dry shampoo ready after I used up my Tropical Basiste dry shampoo.

Ragdale Hall Lavender Oil Pillow Mist

The Ragdale Hall Lavender Oil Pillow Mist is lovely way to get yourself off to sleep. All you need to do is spritz your pillows and bedding just before you go to bed, and it will send you off into the 'land of nod'. The lavender fragrance is also a very natural lavender scent, which makes it even more relaxing.

Jo Malone Wild Fig & Cassis Cologne 30ml

This was one of those fragrances that grew on me the more I used it. It had a gorgeous fig scent, which was lovely to wear during the Spring months. Sadly, the Wild Fig & Cassis fragrance from Jo Malone has now been discontinued.

Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede Cologne 30ml

This isn't one of my favourite fragrances from Jo Malone, but it needed using up as it was getting up their in age. To me this fragrance is just too generic, and sadly not that special.

Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Mask

If your after a natural, but intensive purifying face mask then this could be for you. When I say its intensive; its intensive, and I think thats because of the tea tree which is in the mask. It does an excellent of purifying the skin, especially if you have oily/ combination skin.

Body Shop Chinese Ginseng & Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask

This is also a lovely mask from the 'Body Shop', and again its also an intensive face mask. It also has exfoliating grains throughout from the rice, and it has lovely smell of Ginseng.

Blistex Mediplus Lip Balm

I used the Blistex Mediplus lip balm as my night time lip balm, and I applied it every night before I went to bed. Sadly, the more I used it the more I noticed it was drying out my lips; which is a shame because it is a nice lip balm. Its just not a lip balm for me.

Burt's Bees Coconut & Pear Lip Balm

This is a lovely lip balm to use during the day, and it does leave the lips feeling hydrated. Also, the coconut and pear scent is really nice and its also a very natural fragrance. Sadly, I didn't get use all of it up, as it turned

No.7 High Shine Lip Crayons in 'Pink' & 'Nude'

These took quite a while to use up, as it wasn't a creamy formula. Both shades are very natural looking on the lips, but I had to build them up to get any colour from them.

Clarins Jolie Rouge Lipstick in 'Pink Sugar'

This lipstick took by surprise as I used it up within about six weeks of this project starting. This shade had a lovely, creamy formula; and it was also a cool toned pink shade. Sadly, this is old formula of the Clarins Jolie Rouge lipsticks; so I'm unsure if you can still get this shade within the newer formula.

Lancome Lip Lover in 316 (Mini & Full Size)

The shade 316 in the Lip Lover line is a lovely pink-coral shade. These are very comfortable to wear on the lips, and they do a last for a couple of hours on the lips before you need to reapply. I used up the mini size, and I got about half way on the full size as I had to stop using it due to developing a cold sore.

So, thats all of my empties for my 2017 'Project Use it Up'. I'm taking a year off from doing this project, as I want to see how well I use things up thoughout this year, just by naturally using them up.

'Project Use it Up' 2017 Finale

Hi everyone,

My 'Project Use it Up' for 2017 has finally come to an end, and I think overall I have managed to very successful with this years 'Project Use it Up'. In this post I'm going to go through the products I've used up, and also the dates in which I finished using these products up. I'm also going to be doing a 'Project Use it Up' 2017 empties in a seperate blof post.

Products That I Have Used Up

L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel
5 Avon Shower Gels
Blistex Mediplus Lip Balm
Body Shop Chinese Ginseng & Rice Face Mask
Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede Cologne 30ml
3 Deluxe Body Lotions & 1 Mini Body Lotion
Milkshake Leave in Conditioner
M&S Lily of the Valley Shower Gel
Ragdale Hall Lavender Oil Pillow Mist
Clarins Jolie Rouge Lipstick in 'Pink Sugar'
Jo Malone Wild Fig & Cassis Cologne 30ml
L'Oreal Expert Intense Repair Hair Mask
Bastiste Sweetie Dry Shampoo
2 Dove Shower Gels
3 Full Size Body Lotions
Molten Brown Templetree Body Wash
Lancome Lip Lover 316 (mini)
No.7 High Shine Lip Crayon in 'Pink' (mini)
No.7 High Shine Lip Crayon in 'Nude' (mini)
Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Face Mask
Moroccan Oil Light 25ml

Products That I Have Decluttered

Burt's Bees Coconut & Pear Lip Balm (turned)
YSL Touche Eclat Foundation 
Lancome Lip Lover 316 Full Size (Had to declutter due to using it while having a cold sore)

Total amount for products that I have used is £276
Total amount for products that I have decluttered is £57

I'm having a year off doing 'Project Use it Up', as I want to see how well I can do just by naturally using products up.