In-Depth Skincare Favourites

Today I’m going to be talking all about skincare! The skincare industry is huge right now and if you’re anything like me then you’ll find navigating through all the different products to be a bit of a minefield. You may be asking which products are worth it, what’s best for your skin type and if you really need to do a 12-step Korean beauty inspired routine. The answer is it’s different for everyone, but today I’m going to be sharing some of my favourite skincare products and explaining how I use them.

If you really want to get some in depth skincare knowledge and learn more about ingredients in products, check out James Welsh and Skincare by Hyram on YouTube. These two individuals have really helped me understand how to create a good skincare routine and what to avoid in products particularly for those with sensitive skin.

First of all, these products work for me. I have a typical dry skin type with some areas that are slightly more combination. My skin isn’t sensitive but sometimes gets a little congested in the T-Zone. These products may work for you too but be sure to try what is best for your needs! I also work for Smashbox as part of ELC companies. Some of these favourite products are from part of the ELC company and I will put a * next to them!

Section One: Moisturisers.
1. GlamGlow Glowstarter Moisturiser in Nude Glow.* This is the product I’ve been using as a makeup primer for quite a while now. It adds a lot of moisture to the skin and creates a glow due to the sheer tint in the product. It creates a beautiful skin texture for makeup and lasts a long time in terms of hydration. I will say this does have a fragrance which I enjoy but if you are more sensitive I would perhaps try something fragrance free.
2. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion.* This is a fantastic moisturiser and really does keep the skin continuously hydrated throughout the day. It’s very lightweight and feels amazing on the skin.
3. Swiss Clinic Eye Cream (This item was GIFTED) This eye cream is lovely! It is very cooling on the skin and great for puffiness. It’s a little expensive but really does feel amazing when applied.

Section Two: Cleansing
1. fresh Soy Face Cleanser. This face wash is lovely and I purchased it after some of my favourite skincare influencers mentioned it. It’s a great facial cleanser and doesn’t have a strong scent. It easily removes makeup and impurities from the skin and my skin doesn’t feel dry afterwards which is the biggest bonus for me.
2. Nip+Fab Dragon’s Blood Cleansing Pads. I’ve been through almost two whole pots of these pads! I tried them out one day after seeing them on sale and I really enjoy using them now. They are great to remove excess oil from the skin in a rush and just to brighten and refresh your complexion. If you need a skin pick me up these are the perfect go to and I think that these would be great for oily skin too!

Section Three: Exfoliants
1. Vitamasques Rose Gommage Peeling Gel. This is not something I use every day and it’s more of a treatment than a cleanser. This removes dead skin and impurities from the skin and therefore creates a better skin texture. This is a much more gentle form of exfoliation than a typical physical exfoliant. Things like scrubs should only be used very sparingly as they can easily make small micro tears in the skin. I use this or a chemical exfoliant instead!
2.The Ordinary Peeling Solution. This product has been very highly rated on social media and it is basically considered a mild chemical peel. I use this only once a week and for around 8 minutes, 10 is the recommended maximum. This is a chemical exfoliant meaning it helps to reduce dead skin cells and renew fresh ones. This exfoliates without the need for scrubbing. It may produce a tingling sensation so I would not necessarily recommend it for sensitive skin. You can always contact brands directly for specific advice!
3. Herbal Essentials Facial Toner. This is my everyday toner! Its easy to use and not too harsh on the skin, in fact it is quite gentle. I use this after cleansing to freshen the skin and then moisturise after. This is also unscented which is perfect for sensitive skin types!4. AlphaH Liquid Gold. This is a glycolic acid toner which is good for deep exfoliation and is preferably used at night. I always use this as part of my nightly routine and about once or twice a week.

Section Four: Masks and Treatments.
1. Ole Henrikson Phat Glow Facial. (This item was GIFTED) This mask is very refreshing and I feel like it does wonders for dullness in the skin. This is definitely exactly what I’m looking for in a mask. You massage it into the skin and then wash off which leaves the skin feeling plumped and revitalised creating a beautiful skin texture.
2. Makeup Revolution x Jake Jamie Watermelon Mask. This is specifically marketed at being good for dry skin and it really does boost hydration. I use this when I really want to make my skin look nice and never more than once a week usually. It is fragranced so be aware if you are sensitive to that.
3. Clarins Booster Serum. I add this into my night creams and it helps with scarring and any small blemishes. I find this helps to fade certain areas and really improves any discolouration in the skin. I would definitely recommend this if you struggle with any scarring issues.

Section Five: Honourable mentions not pictured here.
These items are some of my favourites that I currently don’t own because they’ve run out and it’s currently a bit difficult to get a hold of certain products! A lot of places are low in stock but regardless these are some honourable mentions.
1. PIXI Glow Tonic. I’ve been through loads of these and I love them so much. If this works for your skin type I would definitely recommend trying it out. This is a lovely toner!
2. La Mer The Tonic.* This is a very pricey item which is why I haven’t bought a new one. However it is a fantastic tonic and makes my skin feel AMAZING. I’m definitely going to treat myself to it again one day.
3. Mabel and Meg Lumilixer Serum. I loved this when I had it and now I’ve run out I realise how much I miss using it. It was definitely one of the best serums I’ve used after trying some others.
4. MILK Makeup Cooling Stick. This is a great product for adding some extra hydration and it really smooths and plumps the skin nicely. I use this one in the summer a lot!
5. Bobbi Brown Detox Mask.* This mask is fantastic for blackheads and controlling oil production in the T-Zone. As this dries you can see where blackheads were and its very satisfying!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

March Favourites 2020

This post is a little late but I’m going to share my March favourites with you! This post is focused on makeup and I love everything in here. I’ve really been trying some new styles and techniques so I’m going to share that with you soon.

So first up is the James Charles X Morphe Palette. This is honestly so good. I heard hype about this product for ages and never gave in then one day I received it as a present. This pigment is incredible and I’m obsessed with the colour scheme. You can do everything with this palette! Next is the Jake Jamie x Makeup Revolution Watermelon Mask. I used this a few times in March and it smells incredible and is lovely on my dry skin. A definite drugstore skincare favourite! As for cheek products I have two. First is the Fenty Beauty Bronzer. This is a mini but wow does it last forever! This gives a beautiful warmth without looking too golden on my skin. The other cheek product is the Doll Beauty Like a Diamond highlighter. This is so intense it looks almost wet on the skin and I love that! I’ve only used it a few times but it is truly incredible. It’s a soft shade but doesn’t look too pale.

My last two products are a mascara and a lipgloss! The mascara is super affordable from Makeup Revolution. It’s the new Blow Out mascara and I love it! It has a plastic brush which is my favourite. Lastly is the Milk Makeup Lip Vinyl in Chillin’. I LOVE THIS! They don’t even make it anymore but it’s my favourite ever and I wish I had another one cause I’m sure I’ll use this up!

I hope you enjoyed reading and I’ll be beach soon with more beauty content!

Project Pan: Starting Out March 2020

I’ve decided it’s finally time to start using some products up! Therefore I’ve collected together ten items that I want to try and use up in the near future. Some of these will be relatively easy and some of them may take a while. These products are all great, I just know I should try and use them up so I’ll be working on these as often as I can. Let’s get into the items and try and give an estimate of when I want to use them up by. Most of these shouldn’t take too long!

1. Milk Makeup Concealer in Crème: I love this so much! This is honestly an amazing concealer and it never creases or moves around. I have a very small amount of it left so I’m sure I can use it up really soon.
2. Benefit Dandelion Lipgloss: I’ve had this for sooooo long! I really need to just cut to the chase and use it up. If I find I don’t love it however, I will just put it with my empties as I need to move onto other lip products.
3. Lancôme Genifique Serum: This is a sample size but I really want to use it up as I have a few other serums I want to try out. I should be able to finish it quickly.
4. Lancôme Monsieur Big Mascara: I love this! This is a sample size but I.ve used it loads but it’s still going.
5. MAC Captive Lipstick: I’ve had this for so long and it’s more of an autumnal shade. I just want to try and use this beautiful colour more!
6. Tarte Thrilled Blush: I got this ages ago in one of my first ever Tarte orders. I still have so much Tarte I haven’t used. I’ve hit pan on this and I really want to use it all up soon.
7. Clarins Hydrating Cream: This is only a little sample but I wanna use it up to clear space.
8. Caudalie Serum: This is a lovely serum and is very hydrating. I need to use it as often as I can while my skin is in such a dry state.
9. Smashbox Radiance Primer: I love this one but it is now discontinued so my goal is to finish this one and find a new favourite primer. (I’m a partner of ELC and work for Smashbox!)
10. Colourpop Lippie Stix in Aquarius: I’ve had this ages and I do love it. I just don’t wear this colour much anymore but I’ll use it for everyday and hopefully use it up when I can.

I hope you enjoy this post! Please check out my other socials which are all madithemermaid.

Anti Haul #2

Today I’m back with my second Anti-Haul post! I spend a lot of time watching theses types of videos on YouTube and they’re always super interesting to me. I look at the New In section of makeup websites, Trendmood and other sources to find makeup I know I won’t be buying. These products may be amazing but it’s unlikely I’ll be buying them anytime soon. I’m also still on a makeup No-Buy so this is the perfect post to express my feelings about current makeup trends. If you have these and like them let me know, but on first impressions I don’t think I’ll be buying!

1. First up is this Natasha Denona blush palette. £51! That’s crazy! I have the bronze and highlight version and I do like it but I bought it on super sale at TkMaxx and you won’t catch me spending £51 on a blush palette. That’s so expensive and while I’m sure it’s beautiful, I have many blushes already.

2. This palette from ABH is huge and has 16 shades instead of the usual 14. There are some pretty colours in here but for £49 I know I have these shades in my collection. I just got the Riviera which has the blues and pinks and the neutrals I have in lots of other palettes. Therefore, this one is not for me!

3. Oh Hourglass…why! This brand is gorgeous, stunning and has some products that look fantastic. But everything is SO expensive. I mean when did concealers start running £25+ that just seems insanely expensive to me. £32 for 6ml of product is just not worth it even if this is an amazing formula, because I would go through this way too fast. One day I will try something from this brand but this pricey concealer won’t be it.

4. Anastasia made it onto this list twice! This palette is pretty. I really don’t have anything else to say about it. It’s cute but nothing we haven’t seen before and for a HUGE £33 I can not justify buying it. I feel like I could honestly never use this!

5. Laura Mercier is a beautiful brand and this product does look very nice. However I went to the counter and searched this and it leaves a LOT to be desired. It’s a very dry formula and it’s almost like a sheer, glittery eyeshadow. I was really disappointed as I expected this lovely texture but sadly it’s just not for me.

6. I honestly love Huda Beauty so much and I was super interested in her skincare line, even though I thought it might be a bit gimmicky? For example this is a scrub, not something you should be using very often at all. I feel like a chemical exfoliant is so much better for the skin. I really recommend doing research on scrubs because they can sometimes not be the best, and for £34?! No thanks.

7. So this foundation from Pat McGrath…£60?! Just let that sink in. This is literally more than my monthly car insurance. WHAT?! This might be AMAZING but like, who is buying £60 foundation over and over. Plus I’ve seen reviews and people don’t seem to be loving it so it’s an easy pass for me.

8. I’ve said before I’m not the biggest fan of Too Faced shadows, they just don’t really do anything for me. This palette is very plain and just a bit lacklustre. It might be incredible but after trying their shadows before I don’t think I’ll be hurrying to buy this.

9. I have the Farsali Skintune Blur and I honestly really like it! However this product just confuses me. I’m sure if you had more oily skin this might be good but I think it would be very mattifying as it does contain clay extracts. Not for my skin type and not for £50!

10. Can someone please explain to me why companies are still charging £30 for real mink lashes and people are buying them?! If you wouldn’t buy real fur then don’t buy mink lashes because it’s the same exact thing. £30 for lashes is also ridiculous and I feel like Lilly Lashes relies on influencer marketing a lot, meaning most regular people have never heard of them. I don’t know how they can get away with this crazy high price point!

I hope you enjoyed me having a little rant and moan about some of these products!! No disrespect to any of the brands because they’ve got to make money and are just doing what they think is right so it’s completely up to them.

2020 Makeup Wishlist

I’m currently doing a no buy of all makeup products! I’m only excluding replacements such as brow products because I don’t have loads of that kind of thing. Today I’m going to be showing you some of products I’m currently lusting over! I might do one of these for skincare products too, but this post is all about makeup. If I wasn’t on a No-Buy these would be the things I would get!

1. Jeffree Star Nudes Volume One

I am a long time lover of this liquid lipstick formula and I’ve actually used up quite a few shades from this line. To me, this set is perfect as it contains colours I love and some I haven’t tried yet. Also I find minis really appealing because I do have a lot of lip colours and I love to keep lipsticks in my handbag! This selection of colours is just to die for!!

2 Farsali Primer Set

I’ve tried the Farsali Skintune Blur and I love it! I really want to try more from this brand and this little set is super affordable considering you get to try 4 of their primers. These are renowned for creating a flawless base and I would love to experiment with these!

3. Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde

I’ve wanted this since it came out! When I saw this colour scheme I fell in love. I’m obsessed with the pastels and jewel tones combined in this palette. I love Huda Beauty shadows and I would probably say they’re my favourite formula ever!

4. NARS Sheer Glow

This product has been around for years but I never got round to trying it! I’m much more into foundations now and I also want something that matches as so many of mine are too light for me. I’ve heard so many good things about this product and I love a glowy foundation.

5. Fenty Beauty Butter Powder

This is another product that is super hyped up! People on YouTube love this so much and I feel like I just have to try it. I would probably get a mini size to try first. I really want to use up a powder before I get this one!

6. Huda Beauty Tantour

This product looks amazing! I’ve seen lots of people use this in tutorials such as Soph (sophdoeslife) on YouTube and I like so many of the same products she does. I haven’t used cream bronzer in a while but I am more into creams than I used to be.

7. Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand

If you’ve seen the Charlotte Tilbury adverts you know that this product looks STUNNING on the skin. This blush is a super glowy finish and gives that Victoria’s Secret angel flush we all want. The pink shade is the one screaming my name! One day I’ll try this!

8. Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Lip Bath

This lipgloss style product is gorgeous. I’ve also seen this in adverts and I really want to try it! I might have to make a trip to Charlotte Tilbury and try a few things on. I’ve heard this product also makes your lips feel incredible!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my 2020 wishlist!

February No-Buy (All Makeup)

I’m trying something new for this month, I’m not going to buy ANY makeup. The only items I will purchase are replacements I need or use daily. For example I tend to use up brow pencils very quickly as I use them ever single day so I will be purchasing one or two. I’m also not including skincare as I have recently run out of a few items such as toner. I also have some things I want to try and I’ve been waiting to purchase but I will include those in my end of the month roundup. I’m going to be trying this in February and possibly continuing further into the year!

I just have too much makeup! I have items from Christmas I haven’t even opened yet which is really bad. I need to organise myself and now is the time. I’ll be updating you on my decluttering and organisation journey.
Wish me luck! I’ll be doing a round-up soon.

January Favourites 2020

Today I’m going to be showing you my favourites from this month! I used to do a favourites post every single month back when I first started my blog. This year I’m going to try and do so again, because they’re one of my favourite posts to read and write. This month I have a range of products to talk about including makeup, skincare and fragrance. A lot of these are new to me so hopefully you see something you like. All these products are currently available as far as I know so I would definitely recommend checking them out if you like the sound of anything!

The first product I’m going to talk about is the palette featured here. This is the Makeup Revolution Forever Flawless Fire palette. This has a different formula to their cheaper palettes, this one is £10 and the quality is vastly improved from the ones in plastic packaging. The colours are stunning, they blend very easily and the finish of the metallic is super unique. The yellow isn’t super bright but I don’t mind as for this palette it is a great transitional shade. I particularly love the shade Wildfire! I would definitely recommend swatching this in store and seeing if you like the shades because I love them!

Onto my fragrance of this month. I am IN LOVE with this Jo Malone Tropical Cherimoya cologne. It’s so unique, super fresh and light but it lasts forever on the skin which for me is a huge selling point. This is fantastic and so worth the money.

Next is the Too Faced Hangover spray! I haven’t tried loads from Too Faced but this item appeared in my local boots so I thought I would try it. This is super refreshing and I love it as a primer and setting spray. Such an easy product to use!

This foundation is the Bobbi Brown Long Wear Weightless foundation and honestly this one has blown me away. The wear is honestly phenomenal but the finish is still light and not heavy at all. It isn’t matte which I love and it works well with my dry skin and doesn’t ever look dry.

This lipgloss is life! This is the Milk Makeup Chillin’ gloss. I’m not sure if this is still readily available as I purchased this item in TkMaxx but if you get a chance, go for it. The formula is perfection, it’s so pigmented but super shiny.

Next up is my favourite moisturiser. This is from Dewy Tree and this is the Clean Lab Facial Cream. This again was a TkMaxx find but honestly I need to hunt a new one down because it is incredible. The cream is lightweight but so good for dry skin and has no noticeable fragrance, I’m in love!

Lastly is the Milk Makeup Blur Powder. This is one of my favourite base products ever. It keeps my makeup in place for hours without touch ups and really does create a blurred effect on the skin. If you’re oiler I would recommend using a little more product right around the T-zone to create a super blurred and flawless finish.

I hope you enjoyed! Comment below your current favourites!

Empties #7

I finally cleared out loads of used-up products! It’s about time because I had loads of makeup I was trying to use up and I feel like I’m finally making some progress. I’ve started to try and use up lip products in particular, as I seem to just have way too many. I’m thinking of doing another lipstick declutter video again soon because the last one was quite popular and it’s super therapeutic to clear space. I’m going to go through my empties and rate each item.

La Mer The Tonic: This product is fantastic! This is a pricey brand but this item is amazing if you ever get a chance to try it. It really helps resurface the skin. 9/10
Mabel and Meg Lumilixer Serum: This is so raved about! This vitamin C serum is really nice, but I feel I could find something similar for less. The texture wasn’t my favourite but it was reasonably nice. I would possibly try again. 7/10
Bobbi Brown Skin Nourish: This was a nice mask but nothing spectacular, I would possibly buy again but I wasn’t obsessed with it. 7/10
Bobbi Brown Instant Detox: This is incredible. I loved this for reducing the appearance of blackheads so much, you can literally see this product working as it pulls excess oils from the skin. I would definitely buy again! 9/10
Clarins myClarins Re-Boost Comforting Cream: This cream has an amazing texture and is so good for my dry skin. A definite re-purchase for me! 9/10

Benefit Brow Contour Pro: This product was okay but the highlight pencil was not my favourite, it just doesn’t do much for me. The brow pencils were creamy and nice however. I wouldn’t buy again in a hurry. 6/10
MUA Brown Pencils x 3: You won’t find a better brow pencil for £2.50. Super easy to use so I would definitely get more. 8/10
Smashbox Brow Teach to Go: Perfect brows, every single time. Plus there’s a gel to set the brows in place. 9/10
Nyx Precision Brow Pencil: This is a nice pencil and creates a very naturally fluffy brow look. I would probably buy again. 8/10
Ciate Feline Flicks: This liner was really nice but the nib was a bit thick for my liking personally. I would probably try this again! 7/10
Nyx White Liner: I love this for creative looks! I have already bought a new one! 9/10

Tarte Shape Tape in Fair Neutral:  I loved this concealer for a long time! I already have another one but it’s a bit light for me so I’ll only use it occasionally. 8/10
Smashbox Studio Skin Concealer: I loved this! It’s been reformulated now and it’s even better. 8/10
Dior Airflash Foundation: I love this so much! I finally used it up and I really want to repurchase this, it’s honestly fantastic. 9/10

Fenty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow: Literally such an amazing lip product! I’m really into lipglosses now and this one changed the game for me. 10/10
Jeffree Star Doll Parts: This had dried up I’d had it for so long! I loved this one so much for the longest time, such a classic. 9/10
Barry M Matte Setting Spray: I did NOT like the smell of this. It’s very odd it’s almost like a brush cleaner and it also smells spicy weirdly enough. Not a fan but I do love Barry M, it did make my makeup last a bit longer. 3/10
Pixi Glow Mist: I honestly don’t get on with this one too much, but I love almost everything Pixi brings out. This is nice as a skincare product but I wouldn’t use it as a setting spray like YouTuber’s recommend. It’s nice as a refreshing product instead. 7/10

I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know what you would like to see from me!

Trip to Bicester Village

Today I’m going to be chatting to you about my trip to Bicester Village! Me and my boyfriend decided to visit last week and it was so cool. Bicester is a designer outlet shop and has a huge range of styles that are discounted. I really wanted to get some jewellery as part of my graduation present so I was definitely on the hunt for some lovely earrings or a necklace! My boyfriend and I also needed to get each other Christmas presents.

After a bit of a parking debacle we managed to get in and start shopping. We checked out some of the super high end shops first and they were amazing!! The Dolce shop was so interesting, so much to see. We wandered through the area and went into anywhere that we were interested in.

One place we loved was the Rituals shop!! It was so beautiful and we both bought some lovely items. The layout is just incredible and I love everything they make.

We also went into Gucci and Prada as I wanted to look at their small leather goods and bags! I found an amazing leather purse in bright red with gold lettering and loved it so my boyfriend got it for me for Christmas! We then got him a Superdry leather jacket for his present.

We had a wander round and decided to get a doughnut from this super cute stand. We had seen this online and they looked AMAZING!

The box was also super cute and has adorable cartoon designs! The doughnut was incredible and so delicious! We finished the day by taking some pictures and looking at the lights.

This was such an amazing first trip to Bicester Village and I really want to go again as soon as I can. I had a great time and loved it!

YSL Event with Fred Letailleur (Southampton Bloggers)

Today I want to chat to you about an amazing event I went to at the Yves Saint Laurent counter in Southampton! This event was organised in collaboration with Southampton Bloggers which is a great group that allows local blogs to connect with brands. I love YSL and I’ve tried a few of their products in the past so I was super excited to see the Masterclass run by Fred Letailleur who is an amazing makeup artist!

Me and friend attended the event which took place in the studio area of John Lewis which was a beautiful space! I want this big brightly lit background for my makeup pictures!

The masterclass was amazing and we learnt how to create an amazing party look! The products all looked fantastic and I wish I could of bought all of them. In the end I purchased one of the gift sets contains the Touché Eclat and the Gold Blue Primer and I can’t wait to use them!

The set also came with a goody bag!! This contained a mini Libre Perfume and The Curler mascara. I can’t wait to try this mascara too, I love curling mascara so much.

This trip was gifted as part of Southampton Bloggers. All opinions are my own and I purchased the items myself.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know your favourite high end products you’ve been loving.