First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads

Hello!

I thought I would write a quick post on the Exfoliating toning pads from First Aid Beauty, I had heard good things about these and was looking for a new toner to incorporate into my morning skincare routine that would be a bit lighter than the toning products I use in the evening. I have been using Ren Clarifying Toner or the Pixi glow for a while now but fancied a change and these seemed to fit the bill.

I like the idea of using pads as opposed to the standard bottle toner as I think its quick, easy and you get just the right amount of product, plus for me who wears glasses it saves me pouring out half a bottle onto a cotton pad when I can't see as I have usually put my glasses somewhere and can't find them! 

These pads are fantastic for a lighter tone and for people who are just moving into the acid stage of toners but are a bit frightened of taking that step, the great thing about these are they contain no nasties, alcohol or perfumes and contain lovely stuff like lactic glycolic and  Hyaluronic acids which are great for skin.

I have been using these in the morning after cleansing followed by a spritz of hydrating spray and so far I'm impressed, I would say these would suit any skin type even sensitive, as they are very gentle and can be used Am and Pm.

 I use a more intense exfoliant at night and will be doing a review on these later as I do find my dull and hormonal skin needs that extra oomph but I did find using the more intense ones twice a day breaks me out more so the FAB pads are a brilliant lighter addition to my routine. 

I got my First Aid Beauty pads from Feel Unique on offer at £14. 

What are your favourite toners?

Love Lola xxx

My favourite cleansers

Hello lovelies, today's post is about my favourite cleansers that I use on a daily basis depending on how my skin is. I have been quite lucky throughout my years on this earth and had no major issues with my skin other than the odd spot but over the last few months I have noticed that my skin is starting to have a lot more breakouts than normal. Research and advice have told me that its more hormonal breakouts due to certain things going on in my body and things that are changing, upping my skincare regime is certainly helping me so today I thought I would share my current cleansers with you all.

My first cleanser which I use on the days when my breakouts start is my REN Clarifying Clay Cleanser which is aimed at blemish prone skin, REN is always a winner for me and I really like this as I find it gives my skin that extra deep clean and it contains some great bio extracts such French Clay,Zinc Gluconate and Salicilin. I usually leave it on for a few minutes before removing it as it feels like a mini face mask. I use this usually from the days my spots start up to when they begin to calm down, which can take anything from a few days to a few weeks. I will often use other cleansers in between, especially if I have been wearing a lot of make-up or sunscreen but I try to avoid wearing much when I have my breakouts as I tend to feel a bit clogged up.

On my heavy make up days I use the Body Shop  Chamomile Cleansing Oil as my pre-cleanse to take off the first layer of make up - I love this as a pre cleanse it feels lovely on the skin and I do use it on occasion as a normal cleanser in my light make up days when my skin can feel a little on the drier side. After my pre-cleanse I follow this with Clinique Take The Day Off balm as this is fantastic for removing any remaining make up, eye make up and SPF. It looks hard in the tub but glides on like an oil and feels lovely- if you can't afford the Emma Hardie Balm the Clinique is a great alternative. 

Another staple cleanser for me is Balance Me Cleanse And Smooth Face Balm when my skin is on a normal day but I need a little oomph this is one of my favourites, a lovely balm consistency with tiny bits of oatmeal to just give your skin that bit extra when feeling a little dull or lifeless, its not harsh in any way and gives you that bit of a pick me up whilst leaving skin soft and smooth.

My final cleanser is my Una Brennan Super Facialist Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser, a lovely staple cleanser that leaves skin soft and hydrated, its a great all round cleanser that does not dry out the skin but if you wear a lot of make up I would suggest a double cleanse with this or use the Una Brennan pre cleanse oil with it,This cleanser is only £7.99 so fantastic value if on a budget. 

I hope you all enjoyed reading about my favourite cleansers, I'm going to follow up with my favourite toners on the next post.

What are your favourite cleansers?

Love Lola xxx

Indeed Labs Facial Powdered Exfoliator

Hello all, I love trying new skincare and always use an exfoliant as part of my routine, I mainly use liquid form with the Clarins Exfoliating Toner as a once or twice weekly treat but sometimes I feel I'm not quite getting that oomph I need. Traditional exfoliants usually consist of a cream beaded texture and to be fair they can tend to do more harm than good so when I heard that Indeed Labs had brought out a new powder exfoliant I was quite intrigued, I use their Hydraluron religiously and have found a great improvement in my skin and I have also heard rave reviews about the other products in their range particularly Pepta Bright which is next on my wish list.

Anyway I have to say even after only using once I love this exfoliant!
It contains ingredients such as:

Bamboo extract

Rice bran powder

Okinawa red algae

Hyaluronic acid 

Pineapple enzymes 

All fantastic for your skin especially when you need that bit extra as you get older. It is a water activated powder so you just pour a little if the powder into your palm add some water until you form a creamy consistency then massage into your skin... One thing just to watch be careful when you empty out the powder as it comes out quite quickly and you will end up with a rather large handful and will have to scoop it back into the container! 

It's claims to reveal more polished softer smoother skin..and yes it did! Unlike most scrubs that have rather harsh beads in the Indeed Labs had very fine particles which was enough to make me feel like I was getting that extra bit of oomph without stripping my skin off. After a massage of around a minute I wiped away with a warm flannel. My skin felt more clean and certainly had more glow, it did feel slightly drier than normal but I find my skin slightly drier after using either my Clarins exfoliant toner or using a clay mask but as soon as I popped my serum oil and moisturiser on my skin felt amazing! Even waking up this morning I had more of a glow. I would highly recommend this for anyone wants to avoid the harshness of some traditional scrubs but needs extra oomph in their skincare. I have combination skin which is sometimes prone to breakouts and dehydration and this worked lovely for me and I can't see why it wouldn't work well on other skin types too. 

Indeed Labs Powdered Exfoliator is currently priced at £18.99 from Boots. 

Have you tried any Indeed Labs products? 

Love Lola xx

Ren Omega 3 Optimum Serum Oil

I love Ren skincare and you will always find at least one product of theirs in my skincare collection, I am also a huge lover of serums and recently became a huge fan of oils for my night routine. I came upon the Ren Omega 3 Optimum Serum Oil from reading the wonderful Caroline Hirons' blog who is the Queen B when it comes to skin so I knew I would have to try it and have to say its a lovely. It feels and looks like an oil on first contact but acts like a serum, it doesn't leave you feeling greasy and is absorbed quickly. It's loaded with essential vitamins and really gives your skin a boost and improves moisture levels. It doesn't contain any nasties either such as sulphates, parabens or mineral oils which are all best avoided if you want great skin. Don't be afraid to use serums and oils if you have oily skin they are actually great for oily skin, I would say this can be used on any skin type and has been tested with good results on sensitive skin.

Ren Omega 3 can be purchased from the Ren website, Space NK, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer for £23.00.

What's your favourite serums and oils? 

Love Lola xx

Una Brennan Rose Hydrate intense moisture mask

Hello all, as some of you know from twitter I'm pretty obsessed with skincare and regularly engage in conversations with some of my favourite bloggers about skincare products, in my next few posts I'm going to be doing my morning and evening skincare routine and a selection of my favourite products but first I'm going to tell you about a great mask that I tried a few days ago. I love the Una Brennan range and find it very affordable in my tighter budget months, there is currently a 1/3 off at Boots skin couldn't resist giving this hydrating mask a try. Superfacialist by Una Brennan Rose Hydrating Mask

I have to say its lovely, a little if the product goes a long way, it says to leave for 5 mins to maximise hydration benefits but I left mine on for around 10/15 mins then wiped away with a flannel and some warm water. It claims to boost skin moisture and includes White Willow extract, Vitamin E, Urea and Marshmallow to create a calmer renewed complexion.. I have to say it did exactly what it said, my skin felt and looked smoother and softer and for the current price of  £5.99 its  a complete bargain.

Una Brennan Superfacialist is currently on offer at Boots for £5.99 from £9.99 there is also 1/3 off the rest of her great range.

Have you tried any Una Brennan products? 

Love Lola xx

Boots No7 Pop and Glow and a little apology

Hi all, firstly I would just like to say I'm sorry its taken me so long to get round to doing another blog post, over the last few months I have been having a very hard time dealing with my anxiety issues and it was taking its toll on me. I am hoping to write a post later about the anxiety I have suffered,how it effects me and how I have coped with it... But firstly I want to get a few blog posts in on things I have been trying over the last few months. First up is the No7 Pop & Glow cream blush in Classic Rose which I bought on impulse in a rush but hoped it would live up to the reviews I had read about it...In short its a big thumbs down for me, it was more of a powder consistency rather than cream which was my first disappointment as I was hoping for a dewy glow to add to my slightly grey skin but it went on just like a powder, secondly it took 5..yes 5 applications to build up some colour and I found most of the colour stayed on my fingers, from my hand swatch the colour looks quite intense but once on the cheeks it seemed to disappear, on the upside it did blend well and is great for just sweeping on the cheeks for a hint of colour and i do mean a hint! but if you like a dewy effect and a more intense colour then I would say this isn't the right cream blush for you. You can find Pop & Glow in Boots stores for £9.95.

What's your favourite cream blush? 

Love Lola xx

Mini skincare haul

Hello all! I decided to add a few bits to my skincare collection, I am pretty obsessed with my skin and constantly on the hunt for the next best thing. I have products which range from high end to high street and I mix it up most months depending on budget. This month I have invested in a higher end serum and moisturiser and a lower end cleanser, toner and mist.
Cleanser wise I am waiting for the very popular Emma Hardie cleansing balm to come into stock and the Pixi Glow toner which was recommended to me by the beautiful Rougepout. I would normally go for Clarins Extra Comfort Cleanser and Clarins Gentle Exfoliating toner but with spending a rather large sum on a serum and moisturiser I thought I would try something a little less hurtful on my bank balance,until then I decided to go for the Super Facialist Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser by Una Brennan and the L'Oreal Age Perfect Refreshing Toner... Which is Caroline Hirons approved before you all gasp in horror! I also decided to try the La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water instead of my Aveda Toning Mist.
Lastly I purchased the very popular Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair which has had amazing reviews and also a new moisturiser launched which is the Revitalising Supreme which I can't wait to start using tonight! I will trying all these products over the next few months and giving my thoughts on them, I will also be waiting in anticipation for my Emma Hardie balm and Pixi Glow to compare high and lower end brands.

List of products all purchased from Boots:

Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Cleanser £7.99

L'Oreal Age Perfect Refreshing Toner £3.19 on offer from £4.79

La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water £7.50 

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Recovery Complex £48.00

Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme Creme on offer at £36.00 

What are your favourite skincare brands? 

Love Lola xxx