What I use on my Skin

Hello again, it's Amy, today I thought I would share with you the products that I use on my skin. I always find these really helpful, as I'm always up for any useful advice anyone could give me about skincare and I am always looking for a simple and quick makeup routine, so I thought why don't I tell you mine! But just before we start, I just want to tell that I am in no way a beauty and skin care expert, being the age that I am, so if you want advice that you can 100% trust, talk to a dermatologist, but if you just want to know the basics, you've come to the right place. Let's get started!

So the first thing which I'm going to talk about is what my skincare routine is. This is the routine which I use in the mornings and I find it really wakes me up and is quick too. So the first thing to do which is really important is to cleanse your face. The products which I recommend which are affordable is either the Body Shop "Aloe gentle facial wash" or the BRYT "cleanse". The Body Shop cleanser is one of my all time favourite cleansers, a) it smells nice, b) it doesn't irritate the skin, c) it's a foam so its easier to put on and off and d) whenever I use it, it makes my skin clearer and less spotty. I'm not lying when I say this is definitely worth buying, it never breaks me out, gets rid of most of your acne (I don't have any, but friends do and they say it works wonders). The next product is the BYRT cleanser, this is also an exceptionally good product. It is also a foam and is a super quick product to use, it makes my skin really soft and clean after using it, and it also has a really nice refreshing fragrance too. It is a little bit more expensive then the body shop cleanser (only by like £4) but it is definitely worth it. And if you don't know where to buy it, I believe they sell it in Waitrose.

The next step is a toner, this just takes away any extra bits of dirt and impurities that         didn't wash off with the cleanser. This is not a crucial step but it will make your skin look
and feel really clean, they are a girl's best friend on a summer's day, we've all been there. To use a toner, you can either spritz it over your face, or put a couple of squirts onto a cotton wool pad and rub that over your skin, either way is good. As for my favourites (I've mentioned this product before, I apologize), I love the Lush "Breath of Fresh Air" toner water. This toner is definitely the most refreshing out of all the toners in lush, and is the perfect product to balance and tone your skin. It has rose water in it, to cool down your                     skin, seaweed to protect your skin and also Aloe Vera to soften it, this is like the most perfect combination don't you think.

The last step of this three step process is a moisturiser, this is basically the product which will make your skin feel really soft, so basically not dry,mcracked and horrible. The first moisturizer I really like is the Steam cream. This is basically a light weight moisturiser which absorbs into your skin really well and doesn't make your face greasy after applying. This is definitely a great product for a present as it's a good price of about £12 and there are so many different designs to choose from.mot is great for all age groups and acts as a hand, face and body moisturiser, but I like using it most on my face. The next moisturiser I'm going to share with you is the Aveeno moisturising cream with Collodial Oatmeal. It is great for dry and sensitive skin and is a great price from most supermarkets or drugstores. It is quite heavy but it keeps my skin really soft. It is great for all ages and works wonders on dry or chapped skin.

 I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you do try out any of these products please tell me in the comments below. I'm sorry that I didn't have a picture of the body shop cleanser to show you, I just ddon't have one at the moment. Awkward...And sorry for not posting sooner, I've had a lot of homework this week, but anyway. See you next time.

Amy xx

My Top 5 Shampoos

Hello again, sorry I haven't posted in a while, I was just having one of those very busy few days. Anyway, today I thought I would tell you my top 5 shampoos. Each shampoo has a different scent and I'll write a little description of each of them. Enjoy!

This first product that I'd like to talk about is the Herbal Essences range. I've tried a lot of the individual products in this range, but my favourite is the product "Hello Hydration", this is good for dry and damaged hair and I find that this one in particular makes my hair very soft hydrated (obviously, by the name)and the scent is incredible, it smells like coconut and the scent stays with you for roughly two days, which is really good. Though it is quite hard to get the product out of the bottle, I definitely recommend it.

The next product is from the Pantene range, I particularly like the "Repair and Protect" Shampoo for Normal to thick hair. This is super moisturising and always leaves my hair really silky smooth. And just a little tip if you use this shampoo twice, so basically do one coat wash it off, then do another it makes your hair just as soft. I also recommend the conditioner too. This shampoo has a really simple scent, but I guess it smells a lot like flowers and is very refreshing.

One of the other products that I really like is the "Philosophy" Amazing Grace Shower gel, bath, shampoo. This product is around £14 so is a little more expensive but definitely worth it. It has three different jobs and this product is very good as all of them. the scent is very pretty, feminine, dainty and smells like flowers too. It leaves my hair and skin feeling really clean and fresh after I've used it. The packaging is also very pretty and is really big so it lasts for a long time.

Another shampoo which I really like is the Lush Shampoo bar in "Jason and the Argan Oil". Another shampoo bar which I really like is Lush's "Jumping Juniper", which is really nice too. But this is my favourite one. It smells like the shower gel "Rose Jam" which smells like roses (obviously). It is very good for damaged hair and makes it really soft. It's a shampoo bar so you massage it in your hands and lather it up in your hair.

The last product I'm going to tell you about is the Phil Smith "Moisture Rich, Nourishing Repair Shampoo". This shampoo definitely makes my hair the most soft after one wash and my hair feels really clean and this scent definitely lasts the longest. It smells very fresh and very soapy, but in a good way. I would also highly recommend the conditioner as it makes my hair really moisturised. The bottle is also a very good size and the product is easily squeezed out of the bottle.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and in the comments below tell me what your favourite shampoo is.

 

Amy xx

Home Pampering

Today I thought I would share with you my pamper evening routine. I don't always do the same thing or use the same products but these are just some of my favourites... Enjoy!

The first step is making yourself a cup of tea, hot chocolate, or any drink of your preference. Today I used my Anthropologie "something good mug" and I had a cup of T2's English Breakfast tea. Once you've done that I start running my bath, it takes about 5 minutes to do , so while that's doing it's thing I cleanse my face and remove any makeup I had on that day, (if any). I love BRYT skincare's foaming facial cleanser. This isn't a very well known brand but I picked this up at my Christmas fair in December and have used it ever since. I believe they sell it in Waitrose and it is a reasonably good price so I would definitely recommend it. After I've done that I put on a candle. Today I chose my White company candle in the scent Cassis. I love the smell of this candle so much! It smells like blackberries, cedar and cloves and is a really sophisticated scent. Next I have the difficult job of choosing which products to use in the bath. Today I decided on my French Kiss bubble bar from Lush and the Jo Malone Amber & Lavender Bath oil. French Kiss smells like lavender, and the bubbles it makes are so soft and relaxing. I find that this works really nicely with the Jo Malone Bath oil because they both smell quite similar and both have the same relaxing and soothing effect. The bath oil makes my skin feel really soft and hydrated.

After you've put all the products into the bath you get in. I don't think I need to tell you how to do that. Once your in the bath deciding which shower gel to use is your next job, and today I chose the Wild Argan oil Shower Gel by the Body Shop. it smells quite nutty and luxurious, and it makes you feel very sophisticated once you've got it on. After I've done that I just sit in the bath watching YouTube, listening to music, or read a book. Whatever you want to do really. And after about 40 minutes I get out and dry myself.

The next part of your pamper evening routine is putting on a face mask. I am a big fan of the Superdrug Superfruits Exfoliating Mask, but today I decided to use my Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask by Lush.  This is my favourite face mask from Lush as it's really exfoliating and has a really relaxing smell of Lavender, which I really like. Just a little tip for all Lush face masks, keep them in the fridge, and use within a month otherwise they will go really mouldy and horrible. I keep this face mask on for 15 minutes and while it's working its magic I normally watch YouTube or read a book, you know the usual. When the 15 minutes are up I moisturise my face and body. I like using Steam cream for my face, and any of the body shop body butters on the rest of my body, today I used the glazed apple one. I was given the Steam Cream as a Christmas present two Christmas's ago and recently I've really gotten back into it. It moisturises my face and leaves it feeling really soft, and it has a really neutral scent which is relaxing at the same time. The body shop body butters are always of a really high standard and if you haven't tried one yet I would definitely recommend them.

And that's the end of my little pamper evening routine. I hope you enjoyed it and in the comments below tell me one thing you can't live without on your pamper evening.

 

Amy xx 
 
 
 

TMI Tag!

Hello, today I thought I would do the TMI Tag. It's a tag which has been trending for quite a while now and it is basically a "get to know you" tag. It's quite long so I would sit back and relax if I were you. Enjoy!

Question #1 WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? A red Hollister hoodie and grey Abercrombie and Fitch Joggers.
Question #2 EVER BEEN IN LOVE? I don't think so...
Question #3 EVER HAD A TERRIBLE BREAKUP? Nope.
Question #4 HOW TALL ARE YOU? Approx. 5ft 4in.
Question #5 HOW MUCH DO YOU WEIGH? Next question...?
Question #6 ANY TATTOOS? No, I just imagine an old lady with a tattoo, kinda gross.
Question #7 ANY PIERCINGS? No, doesn't it really hurt?
Question #8 OTP? Blair and Chuck from Gossip Girl, of course.
Question #9 FAVOURITE SHOW? Gossip Girl, Modern Family, 90210.

Question #10 FAVOURITE BANDS? Rixton, Union J, etc.
Question #11 WHAT DO YOU MISS? Summer, where are you sunshine and beaches...?
Question #12 FAVOURITE SONG? About a Girl, Union J. Something I need, Ben Haenow, Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson.
Question #13 HOW OLD ARE YOU? 12.
Question #14 ZODIAC SIGN? Pisces. Chinese zodiac: Horse.
Question #15 QUALITY YOU LOOK FOR IN A PARTNER? Someone who... laughs at my jokes (whether funny or not), is honest with me.
Question #16 FAVOURITE QUOTE? Blair Waldorf, "If your gonna be sad, you might as well be sad in Paris."
Question #17 FAVOURITE ACTOR? Audrey Hepburn.
Question #18 FAVOURITE COLOUR? Orange and light green.
Question #19 LOUD MUSIC OR SOFT? Not too loud but not too quiet either. Medium volume.

Question #20 WHERE DO YOU GO WHEN YOU'RE SAD? This is not going to sound very original but I'm just gonna be honest, my bedroom.
Question #21 HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO HAVE A SHOWER? 10-15 minutes.
Question #22 HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO GET READY IN THE MORNING? School day: 20 minutes. Weekend: 40 minutes. But it depends on the day.
Question #23 EVER BEEN IN A PHYSICAL FIGHT? Does one with my sister count. Because we've all had those moments.
Question #24 TURN ON? A good sense of humour.
Question #25 TURN OFF? Burping, farting, you get the picture...
Question #26 THE REASON I STARTED A BLOG? It was one of my new years resolutions, I wanted to and my friends kept nudging me on to start one.
Question #27 FEARS? Spiders. Ahhhh!
Question #28 LAST THING THAT MADE YOU CRY? To be honest with you, I can't remember, I think about a week ago, but not sure... Sorry!
Question #29 LAST TIME YOU SAID YOU LOVED SOMEONE? Yesterday evening...

Question #30 MEANING BEHIND YOUR BLOG NAME? I live in London, and it's one of my favourite cities in the world.
Question #31 LAST BOOK YOU READ? Boys don't cry, Malorie Blackman. Amazing book! Great for people around my age like 11-14.
Question #32 THE BOOK YOU'RE CURRENTLY READING? Girl Online, Zoe Sugg. I love this book so much, the characters are really relatable for people in their pre-teens or teens.
Question #33 LAST SHOW YOU WATCHED? Modern Family.
Question #34 LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO? My sister.
Question #35 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND THE PERSON YOU LAST TEXTED? My mum.
Question #36 FAVOURITE FOOD? Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup from Wasabi and chocolate covered strawberries. Yummy...
Question #37 PLACE YOU WANT TO VISIT? Cape town, South Africa.
Question #38 LAST PLACE YOU WERE? School. I know right, I'm a good girl.
Question #39 DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH? Yes... I might just keep that one to myself.

Question #40 LAST TIME YOU KISSED SOMEONE? My mum, this morning. I'm just so sad.
Question #41 LAST TIME YOU WERE INSULTED? I can't remember...
Question #42 FAVOURITE FLAVOUR OF SWEET? Moams.
Question #43 WHAT INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY? The piano and oboe.
Question #44 FAVOURITE PIECE OF JEWELRY? My coral pink Jack Wills bracelet.
Question #45 LAST SPORT YOU PLAYED? Volleyball, I twisted my ankle ):
Question #46 LAST SONG YOU SANG? Stockholm Syndrome, One Direction. Yes, I can sometimes be a bit of a directioner.
Question #47 FAVOURITE CHAT UP LINE? Did you sit in a pile of sugar? Because you have a pretty sweet a**. Oh yes guys it's all about the cheesy chat up line.
Question #48 HAVE YOU EVER USED IT? Not that I can remember...
Question #49 LAST TIME YOU HUNG OUT WITH SOMEONE? Me and my sister were chatting about 10 minutes ago, does that count...?
Question #50 WHO SHOULD ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS NEXT? I tag you! Whoever you are reading this post.

Wow, I finally got through them all, I never thought I would make it to the end. In the comments below answer one of the questions. Have fun!

 

Amy xx

My Perfume/Body Mist Collection

I thought today I would share with you my perfume/body mist collection. My perfumes are all different prices so I thought I would put them in too, obviously some brands who sell some of the perfumes might have a different price but this is just how much I payed for it. Enjoy!

Marc Jacobs  perfume in "Daisy" £58.71: So to start check out the bottle which this perfume is in! It's so cool! If you can't tell by the picture basically, the base of the bottle is just a normal bottle but the lid has 3-D yellow, pink and white daisies stuck onto it and it's just so beautiful and elegant. The scent is also very lovely. It's fresh and enlightening and it makes me feel very posh and sophisticated when I put it on which I really like. It is also very delicate and feminine.

The Body Shop eau de toilette in "Japanese Cherry Blossom" £16.00: The packaging of this is really sweet and pretty, on the back of the bottle is a cute picture of a cherry blossom and a Japanese building in the background. The smell  a little overpowering sometimes so I would suggest not putting too much on. But otherwise the smell is very feminine and refreshing which is nice and it smells a lot like cherry blossom which is obviously a good sign. It is also really good value for money.

Nina Ricci perfume in "Nina" £28.50: I've just got the little 30ml bottle but it has lasted me forever! you literally need a tiny bit and your ready to go. The bottle is really pretty, as it's shaped like an apple and has a silver leaf as the lid. The fragrance is very strong but very cheerful and a little citrusy (a bit odd but I think so...), I would suggest not putting too much on, although it is also very fresh and fun scent.

The Cotswold Perfumery perfume in "Rosa" £12.70: I found this little 25ml bottle of rose scented perfume in a cute shop in the Cotswolds while I was there, just to let you know. It wasn't that expensive for what it is which is good and as it smells really elegant, delicate and feminine I thought it was a really good buy. Though the bottle is nothing special I think it's simplicity is very nice. And I know I've repeated this sentence quite a lot but don't put on too much as it is quite strong.

Hollister body mist in "Silver Strand Beach" £11.00: This scent is the only scent out of all the Hollister body mist's which I actually like, don't you think the other ones smell too strong?, maybe that's just me. It smells like mangoes, coconuts and a little bit orangey too. It smells a lot like a beach day on a tropical island, and a bit like a smoothie that you have by the pool in summer. The packaging is simple but really pretty and the label on it has the logo and cute yellow flowers, like the ones you would put in your hair around the outside, which I really like.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post and tell me what your favourite perfume is in the comments below.

 

Amy xx

My top ten Body Shop Scents

Like a lot of people I am a massive fan of the Body Shop. They have a ridiculous amount of scents to choose from and even if I say so myself I've tried quite a lot of them. So I thought why don't I share with you my top ten, enjoy...

No.10... "Pink Grapefruit": I've only ever tried this scent in the body butter but I found that it was quite overpowering and that you smelt a bit like a fruit salad after putting it on. But other than that I do really like the smell and it definitely smells like grapefruit and I think next time I won't try a body product but maybe the lip butter  for a more subtle smell...

No.9... "Raspberry": In this scent I've got the born lippy pot lip balm, I think it's called, and I quite like it. It is definitely moisturising for the lips and I've smelt the body butter before and it is definitely very fruity but I felt that if you didn't put too much on you would be OK. It smells very much like a raspberry and it is very fresh too... I've heard that in this range they have a lip gloss which I'm quite keen to try.

No.8... "Papaya": I'm quite a big fan of this scent because it reminds me a lot of summer and is very fresh and (this is going to sound weird) clean too. I find it's not too overpowering, but I wouldn't suggest putting too much on...

No.7... "Mango": I think this is a really lovely scent. It reminds me of being at the beach and cool air blowing onto your face. I have this scent in the body sorbet and I think it's very nice. I would suggest to use the body sorbet in summer rather than winter as it feels very fresh on your skin and is quite sticky so you don't want to be wearing it under lots of layers.

No.6... "Vanilla Brulee": The second I smelt this scent I absolutely fell in love with it. It smells a-ma-zing! I've got the shower gel in this scent and I absolutely love it, though I think in body butter form it would be way too overpowering for me, (which is why it's not higher up on the leader board). It is one of the body shop's sweet scents which is why I like it because it's not like their ordinary fruit scents.

No.5... "Blueberry": I have this scent in the lip butter and it is one of my favourites... It is very moisturising and the smell will definitely wake you up. To me though it smells quite artificial which has is why this scent isn't higher up on the "leader board". But over all I really like the smell.

No.4... "Japanese Cherry Blossom": I have this scent in perfume form and I absolutely love it. The design is really pretty and this scent in particular is perfect as a perfume. I would describe the smell as bright, uplifting and very flowery. The perfect scent for spring.

No.3... "Passion fruit": Just in general I am a massive fan of passion fruit and I could smell it all day. Which is why I like the body shops passion fruit range so much. To start it smells a lot like a real passion fruit which is quite nice and secondly it's not too strong and after you've used the shower gel you will feel like your on holiday.

No.2... "Glazed Apple": I absolutely love this range and in particular the body polish. You use it in the shower and it is basically a gentler version of their scrubs, which is perfect for me as the scrubs slightly irritated my skin. When you put it on it makes you feel like your rubbing sugar all over yourself, which is obviously a really nice feeling. It smells exactly like a glazed Apple, sweet, uplifting with the right amount of Apple.

No.1... "Wild Argan Oil": This scent is the most relaxing scent in the body shop, and that's why I put it at no.1. I have the shower gel and solid oil lips and they are both so soothing for my body and lips. When you use anything in this range it makes you feel like youv'e stepped into a mysterious world. It smells very nutty but fresh and is absolutely beautiful. This range is perfect for a pamper evening. 

I really hope you've enjoyed this blog post. I had a lot of fun making it and I hope you had fun reading it. In the comments below, please tell me your favourite scent at the body shop is!

Amy xx

My Lush Favourites

What I really love about this time of year is of course the shopping, (who doesn't?) and there's one shop in particular which shines, Lush. I think I've been a Lushie for about 2 years now, and the more I go the more I fall in love with the shop. So today I thought I would tell you my favourites.....

"Breath of Fresh Air" Toner: This is most definitely my favourite toner from Lush, (and believe me, I've tried all of them). It smells like the sea and on a warm day it is literally your best friend. It's really refreshing and is good in the morning too to take off dirt from the night before.

"Christmas Eve" Bubble Bar: This is one of Lush's Christmas products and I think it's one of the best. It has a really simple design of a dark blue sky and yellow moon and the smell I think is quite citrusy, I also find you can have three baths with just one of these and it's not too expensive, it's a bargain!

"The Comforter" Bubble Bar: This bar has the most amazing smell and has the most incredible colour in the whole of lush! It smells like blackcurrants and it has white and different shades of pink swirled on a purpley pinky base. Wow that was quite a mouthful. It is also massive so you can get at least five or six baths with it (for me it runs out after three but that just depends how much you use....).

"A French Kiss" Bubble Bar: This product is what I call my "relaxing bath product", it smells like lavender and the bubbles that it creates are ridiculously soft. I can't really describe the shape, let's just day it's kind of mountain like, but the colour is beautiful, different shades of purple dotted around a white base.

"Magic Wand" Bubble Bar: This beautiful bright pink wand has the snow fairy scent (see below). Swish it around your bath and it will create little pink bubbles. It comes out at Christmas and I always look forward to it. It also has a little bell attached to the string which I think is super cute.

"Reindeer Rock" Soap: This is my all time favourite soap (at Christmas time) in the whole of Lush! It smells a lot like the comforter, but not exactly... (you'll get what I mean if you smell both of them). The soap is a really pretty crimson/dark red colour and little silver reindeers on the top, (they're not clearly reindeers but I think they are)...

"Shimmy Shimmy" Shimmer Bar: I am a massive fan of this bar! It smells like white chocolate and vanilla and it shines so I just thought let's give it a try! It is also quite moisturising and leaves a little sparkle after you put it on.

"Snow Fairy" Shower Gel: This product is a bestseller in Lush, and I know why.... It smells like candyfloss and a little like pear too, it is also a beautiful bright pink colour, who wouldn't love it! I also find that when I use it the smell stays with me all day, you'll definitely be the one getting the compliments.

"Strawberry feels forever" Massage Bar: This product smells like strawberries and looks like one too! It is very creamy and moisturising and very "dream" like. It is pink and has lasted me forever (you get it?, you probably don't) so is a great value for money.

I hope you enjoyed this little blog post and in the  comments below tell me what your favourite lush product is!

Amy xx

Hey!

Hi, I'm Amy and welcome to my little space on the internet. This is my first post and to be honest with you I'm really excited. I've never done anything like this before but here I am taking on this adventure, besides, you only live once right? You must be wondering why I've started this blog and to be honest with you it's because I wanted to, I have friends who have started blogs and really enjoy it so why not?  I am also really into the world of fashion and makeup so why don't I share my passion with the rest of the world. I also talked about it with my family and they just said "yeah give it a try", so I thought let's just go for it. And who knows, maybe you're reading the blog of a future celebrity *wink wink*. Anyway on this blog I'm going to mostly write about beauty, fashion and my London lifestyle (hence the name London girl). I really hope you have enjoyed this little introductory post and I do hope you read my future ones too.

By the way happy new year and I hope you had a good one, let's just say mine involved a lot of watching TV and drinking diet coke, but that's for another time and another day....

 

Amy xx