Firstly let me start off with an apology for the poor quality photo, the weather is pretty gloomy and it's really overcast here today *sad face.  I thought I'd do a little post on my favourite toners as I use these three regularly but for different purposes.

So we'll start from the left shall we? La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray is my morning toner, I use it straight after cleansing and it's designed to mattify skin and leave it less shiny and greasy. I love the fact this toner comes in a spray bottle, it's really cooling and wakes your skin up. I've been Serozinc for about 3 weeks now and I'm really enjoying it, I find my skin is less oily throughout the day.  

Next up is one you must have seen before, Pixi Glow Tonic. I use this toner pretty much every morning (before Serozinc) and again in the evening. It's one of those products where you don't see the gradual change in your skin but all of a sudden you'll start getting compliments from other people. I think I've mentioned before that I'm addicted to anything that contains Glycol and that's what drew me to this toner. If you have skin that's a little lacklustre and you want something that will exfoliate whilst toning then this is for you.

Last but certainly not least is Caudalie Beauty Elixir. This is the toner I like to use after having my twice-weekly face mask or when I'm having a break-out. Imagine someone with a mouth full of mint blowing on your face, that's how refreshing this stuff is. It's cooling, soothing and instantly tightens my pores after cleansing. Although I use this as a toner you can use it to prime skin and set makeup, it's truly a marvel.

Do yo see any of your favourites here?

April Empties & Repurchases

I didn't want to be the one to say it but where the hell did April go? Spring seems to be flying by and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's excited about the prospect of summer being on our doorstep. So as we say hello to May and goodbye to April here's my empties and a few repurchases...

Clarins Double Serum | £55 30ml

Being in my mid-twenties I wanted to start using something for preventative measures against ageing and Clarins Double Serum was my first choice as it's a multi award winning anti ageing product. Suitable for all skin types this powerful serum helps shrink pores, firms skin and helps smooth wrinkles. I use at night and over the last 6 months have seen a dramatic change in my skins texture, my pores are considerably less visible and my complexion has an all round glow to it. A definite repurchase.

Botanics All Bright Micellar Water | £2.99 250ml

I bought this micellar water on a bit of a whim as there was an offer on in Boots. This micellar water claims to not only remove makeup and cleanse skin but also contain a natural mild exfoliator to leave skin brighter. I found this micellar water to be ok, not as great as my favourite (B. micellar water from Superdrug) and I certainly didn't see any improvement in my skins appearance from using it. Unfortunately not a repurchase.

B. 4in1 Cleansing Wipes | £3.50 25 wipes

These wipes are the best I've come across. The B. range from Superdrug offers some seriously brilliant skincare products, these wipes along with their micellar water gently remove all traces of my makeup and leave my skin feeling soft and smooth. These wipes are a regular repurchase.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Lotion | £11 200ml

I had high hopes for this toner after reading so many shining reviews on it but unfortunately my skin didn't reap any of the benefits it claims to give. Despite this toner claiming to be free from alcohol the scent tells me otherwise and it really dried my skin out (and I have pretty oily skin!). Definitely won't be repurchasing this one.

Body Shop Almond Nail & Cuticle Oil | £7.50 1.8ml

For my pre mani cuticle treatment I use Leighton Denney's Slick Tips, a great product but not practical for when you're on the go as it comes in a glass nail polish style bottle so queue The Body Shop's pen style cuticle oil. I usually keep one of these in my handbag and one on my keyboard at work, because it comes in a pen style applicator it's such a quick and easy product to use. A definite repurchase.

Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover | £1.60 100ml

This has been my favourite nail polish remover for what seems like forever. It does a great job of dissolving polish quickly and leaving my nails feeling moisturised and clean. The formula also helps whiten nails so it's great for those times you forget to use a base coat and are left with some staining. A regular repurchase.

Lancome Hypnose Mascara | £22.50

I adore this mascara, I have raved about it in a previous post as it does the most amazing job of lengthening and giving volume to my lashes without leaving them looking clumpy and loaded with mascara. I love the fact I can wear this mascara all day and not need to worry about smudges or any dry flakes. Already repurchased another one of these little beauties.

Number 4 Lumiere d'hived Super Comb Prep & Protect | £20 200ml

This was actually a sample from a Birchbox from months ago that I totally forgot about. This stuff smells divine and really helps to seal the moisture into my hair after washing and leaves it feeling soft and smooth. I've gone on to purchase the full size product from the Birchbox shop as I couldn't find it anywhere else in the UK.

Did you see any of your favourite products here or anything you'd want to try?

La Roche-Posay 4 Week Trial Results and Product Reviews

With suffering from acne prone skin (primarily on my chin and jawline thanks to PCOS) and hearing loads of rave reviews on La Roche-Posay's products I decided to give their range a shot and after 4 weeks of use I feel confident in giving a review on what I have tried.

Purifying Foaming Gel For Oily Sensitive Skin rrp £11 200ml 

A foaming gel cleanser that's tested on blemish prone skin and is designed to gently purify skin and eliminate impurities and excess oil. You can't knock the amount of product that you get for your money and the cleanser itself is nice, it foams well and leaves skin feeling clean and not at all tight as some cleansers for oily skin do.

Effaclar Clarifying Lotion rp £11 200ml

Another product in their range designed for blemish prone skin and comes highly recommended by thousands of dermatologists to help reduce excess oil levels and unblock pores. I like the cooling effect of this toner after cleansing and it does leave my skin feeling squeaky clean without drying it out and again the amount of product you get for your money is undeniably good value.

Physiological Ultra-Fine Cleansing Scrub rrp £10 50ml 

I have a bit of a soft spot for exfoliators and with this one promising effective results with its soap-free and alcohol-free formula I couldn't resist adding it to my routine. Firstly this scrub smells lovely, kind of a mix between baby wipes and a floral smell which is a pleasure to use however it doesn't do much on the exfoliating front. It's more like a cleanser with a few exfoliating beads in it which leaves you feeling like you need to use more. For the mere 50ml for the price and the amount you need to use I wouldn't purchase again, I have exfoliators in my bathroom cabinet that deliver better results for half the price.

Effaclar A.I Targeted Breakout Corrector rrp £9.50 15ml

Suffering from at times large cyst type spots on my jawline I like to apply something intensive to said spot before bed to try and get some of the inflammation down by morning and La Roche-Posay's appealed to me as it claimed to be wearable under make-up and intensely purge imperfections. Let me start by saying however little of this product you use you will not be able to apply make-up over the top, it has a bitty texture to it when it's dried that makes it totally obvious you have something under your make-up. I tried using it only at night after cleansing and toning and it does nothing for getting down spots. If you suffer from large spots like I do then I highly recommend Clinique's Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel to get angry spots down without drying them out.

Effaclar Duo Ant-Blemish Cream rrp £15.50 40ml

I love the texture of this cream, it feels smooth to apply, however my skin does not like this product. This cream promises to unblock pores, fight off shine and fight against the appearance of marks and scars and I can honestly say my skin texture has got worse after a month of using it. It's recommended you apply to the whole face morning and night but I had to stop wearing it in the day as it was stripping my skin of moisture and left me with dry patches, something I've never experienced before with having oily skin.

I know when it comes to a new skincare routine you have to be patient to see the results you want but after a month of using this range my skin is getting worse and I'm having the worst break-outs I've had all year...when I get spots on my forehead you know there is something seriously wrong. 

I had high hopes for these products but they just don't work for me. Do you use La Roche-Posay products? What are your experiences with them?

LIB's The British Beauty Blogger Dream Box

Earlier this week Latest In Beauty announced they were releasing a 'Dream Beauty Box' collaboration with Jane Cunningham aka The British Beauty Blogger, this caused a stir on all social media platforms as ladies couldn't wait to get their hands on it! Luckily I didn't hang around too long to purchase mine as it sold out within 24 hours, unsurprisingly so as it's packed with some fabulous products each of which I will use. Priced at £19.95 and the value of the contents amounting to over £100 this is an astoundingly good value beauty box and with each of the products being tried, tested and approved by Jane herself we all knew we'd love it! There were only a few variations of products you would receive, the Make-up Revolution palette, Essie nail polish, Bourjois cream blush, Kneipp herbal bath and Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick sachet. I was very happy with the variations of the products in my box, lets take a closer look at the products I received...

Kneipp Herbal Bath rrp £7.95 Stress Free Orange & Mandarin full-size

Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick sample in So Marilyn

Bee Good Honey & Wild Water Mint Cleansing Water rrp £10 full-size

Elemis Treat Your Feet foot cream 20ml 

Essie in Spin The Bottle rrp £7.99 full-size

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara rrp £19 full-size

Benefit  It's Potent Eye Cream 3ml sample

REN Satin Perfection BB CReam 3ml sample

L'Occitane  Divine Lotion rrp £10.50 50ml 

Bourjois  Cream Blush rrp £7.99 full-size

La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water 50ml

Janjira  Thai Lime & Ginger Handwash 50ml

Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow and Eyebrow Palette in Lock & Load rrp £4 full-size

Roger & Gallet Gingembre Rouge Perfume 1.5ml vial

Lola  Kabuki Brush full-size

I'm really happy with the products I received and find it an amazing value box, the great variation of products means it's great for a pampering night in! I know I'll be trying a few products out at bath time tonight...

Jodie

xoxo