SOAP AND GLORY 'THE FAB PORE' REVIEW.

I asked for this product from my boyfriend for christmas amongst other things and I have to say of all the wonderful gifts he bought me this is definitely one of my favourites! The packaging is sleek, clean and easy to store. I personally dont particulary like the scent of Soap and Glory products, I prefer a fresher scent and sometimes I find them too sickly! Not all the range, but a large majority of it. So I was concerned about how perfumed this product may be and therefor how effective, but actually the scent is gorgeous and fresh. It just smells incredibly clean and almost medicinal to a point, basically you don't feel bad putting it on your skin! 

The texture of this product is exactly what you'd want from a clay style face mask, it doesn't gloop and it dries slowly. I swear I can FEEL this product working. What I love about this mask is that it has these soft blue micro exfoliating balls in it, I love the scrubbing nature of the little balls! But I also love that the packaging tells you to massage the product until the balls have dissolved into the skin, and I quite like being given a time scale almost of how long to work with a product! 

It takes about a minute or two with warm hands for the whole face and you feel like you've had a good scrub to losen any grubby pores and then you're leaving the product to pull out the rest! I usually exfoliate before using a face mask but I don't think you need to at all with this mask and that's wonderful! I have left it for the full 15 minutes as they recommend but if you dont have the time then 5-10 minutes will still leave you with a good result anyway! I do this twice a week and usually leave it for the full 15 minutes.  I really love it! Using this in hand with my La Roche Posay products is really improving my skin. 

Love,

Podge x

NIGHTLY SKIN CARE ROUTINE.

I can't stand going to bed with my makeup on! Apart from the odd exception when I've come in worse for wear, and even then I usually manage to attack my face with a baby wipe. For me there's nothing better than getting into bed with cleansed and moisturised skin, teeth brushed and hair clean! I always sleep better when I make the effort before bed. So this is the nightly skin care routine I stick to, it rarely changes although I will occasionally add in a stronger moisturiser if my skins dry or a face mask every now and then.

STEP ONE.
This is the most important step, I wash my face with Johnson's daily gentle exfoliating wash which is a wonderful product. It had really gentle exfoliating beads and leaves my skin feeling soft, cleansed and has just enough of a scrubbed clean feeling that I love! I don't have my own picture of this product as I've used my last bottle up and haven't had time to purchase a new one! In the mean time I'm using a clean and clear wash of my sister's but I don't rate it that highly so I won't review it. I'll be repurchasing my trusty Johnson's at the weekend!

STEP TWO.
Next, using two large cotton wool pads from the boots baby range i sweep my la Roche posay effaclar micro exfoliant lotion over my skin, concentrating on my Tzone and any current problem areas. I've reviewed this product and the Effaclar duo from the next step here.

STEP THREE.
Next I apply the la Roche Posay Effaclar duo with my finger tips over my t zone primarily but just generally concentrating again on my problem areas. The product is actually quite moisturising so I've started using it in place of my moisturiser, again the full review of this and he micro exfoliant is here.

STEP FOUR.
Next I apply my eye cream. I think this step is incredibly important as its a great idea to start investing in your skin early on, you'll thank your younger safe later as my mum always says! I use the Superfacialists neroli brightening eye cream and I really love it. It promises to firm up the eye area and to brighten the eyes. I really feel like it works, especially over Christmas when I've had plenty of late nights and tired eyes this product has really helped me out and I'll definitely be repurchasing it! It's a bit pricey for such a tiny tube but you only need to apply a minuscule amount with your finger tips on each eye. TIP: never rub your eyes! Always pat products in as the skin is very sensitive and fragile and stressing the skin will encourage wrinkles.

STEP FIVE.

My last but by no means least important feature of my nightly routine is lip balm. I get incredibly dry lips at night, probably from sleeping ever so elegantly with my mouth open! I love Nivea lip balms, they're so creamy and nourishing and so reliable! I actually got a multipack as a christmas present and I'm currently working my way through the Milk and Honey stick which is lovely! Always remember, your lips need moisturising too!

I've also included Soap and Glory's 'The Fab Pore' in the first picture as I consider this product to be an important and extremely effective part of my skin care routine! But as I don't use it daily I've done a separate review/how I use it post HERE.

Ultimately all these products work well for me, and leave me skin feeling fresh and incredibly clean before bed! What products do you like to use before bed? 

Love,

Podge x

LA ROCHE POSAY REVIEW.

I'd started to notice in the past year or so that I was getting a lot of black and white heads on my face, I think this was mainly due to using moisturisers that were too thick, relying on face wipes too often and too much fake tan! Ultimately I had seemingly permanently blocked pores! I was on the look out for some new products when I started hearing a lot of beauty bloggers like Tanya Burr and Ruth Crilley talk about the La Roche Posay 'Effeclar Duo' which promises to unclog pores and basically banish those annoying t-zone based breakouts! La Roche Posay are a french skin care band that have been steadily growing a strong following in recent years! They are a recommended product range by over 25,000 dermatologists world wide and on their website they describe themselves as "sensitive skin specialists." 


Just before Christmas I heard that Boots had a 2 for £15 deal on La Roche Posay Effaclar skin products, so along with the Effaclar duo I picked up their Astringent Lotion Micro Exfoliant which promised to "Tighten and help unblock pores".

That night I washed my face with my Johnsons Gentle Exfoliating Wash as usual and followed by sweeping the Micro Exfoliant Lotion on a large cotton pad over my skin concentrating on the T zone where I have the most issues. I then applied the Effaclar Duo on the same areas with my finger tips in place of my moisturiser. At first the Exfoliant Lotion did make my skin sting a little but every time I've used it since the stinging has lessened!

I woke up in the morning with already smoother and clearer skin that still managed to feel moisturised and soft, so I was mightily impressed! However, over the next week or so I noticed that I got several yellow-head type spots in the areas that I normally get the blocked pores and to be honest they were so bad at one point that I nearly stopped using both products. However my mum convinced me it was my skin purging and that it would clear up. I'm so so glad I persevered as that seems to have been the case and the last and most aggressive spot is now clearing!

I definitely would suggest using both products together if you have quite blocked pores as I think the lotion has really helped and they work great together! I wouldn't suggest either of these products for sensitive skin, but La Roche Posay makes products for ALL skin types so definitely go take a look and pick some up that would work for you! My skin looks clearer, more perfected, my pores are smaller and not clogged! I have been banging on about this brand to anyone who will listen now! Even with the gross spots at the beginning I could see the rest of my skin clearing and now they spots are going my skin looks better than it ever has! I love these products and can't wait to try out more from the range.

Has anyone else tried it? How did you get on? Did you notice the 'purging' process?

Love,
Podge x

HI, I'M PODGE.

This is my first ever blog post on my first ever blog... ever! I'm a very nosy person and whenever I read a new blog I love to know a little bit about the creator and so I thought my first blog post should give anyone reading this a chance to get to know me, podge! So here goes, the 40 beauty questions quiz!

SKINCARE 
How many times do you wash your face daily?
Once, in the evening. In the mornings I do my normal night time skin care routine, I just remove the washing step!

What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo) 
Definitely combo! Slightly oily T zone but I get dryness between my eyebrows and around my nose.

What is your current facial wash?
Johnsons Gentle Exfoliating Wash.

Do you exfoliate? 
Yes! My day to day face wash is also a really gentle exfoliant but I also exfoliate twice weekly with my Soap and Glory The Fab Pore mask and leave it on for 5-15 minutes depending on how long I have.

What brand do you use?
Soap and Glory.

What moisturizer do you use?
At the moment I'm using the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo in place of my moisturiser, but usually I use Garnier products or Johnsons, nice and simple products.

Do you have freckles? 
Sometimes in summer.

Do you use eye cream? 
Yes! I'm nearly 21 which isn't at all old obviously but I'm no longer a teenage! At the moment I'm using Superfacialists Neroli Illuminate eye cream.

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Nope.

Did you ever have to use Pro-activ? 
Nope.

MAKE-UP
What foundation do you use? 
At the moment, Rimmel Wake Me Up. My other favourite is Lancome Teint Miracle but as I'm a student, I can't always afford it!

How about concealer? 
I don't use concealer at the moment.

Do you know your undertone color?
Pretty neutral, more on the cool side!

What do you think of fake eyelashes?
I love them but can just never get on with them, I used to have eyelash extensions which I loved but I started to get scared that I'd lose all my lashes when I was old so had them removed! I occasionally use strip lashes for nights out.

Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months? 
Yes! I got conjunctivitis a few months ago which I'm fairly sure was because I used the same mascara all summer, so for about 4 months and took it abroad on 3 separate occasions... Must have picked up germs!

What brand of mascara do you use?
Maybelline at the moment but i'm not picky, I love benefit They're Real! mascara but I'm waiting on my student loan to repurchase it haha.

Sephora or MAC? 
MAC

Do you have a MAC Pro-card? 
No!

What makeup tools do you use in make up application? 
For foundation I use my Real Techniques Stippling Brush and then I use my finger tips for my blusher/bronzer as I use a lot of cream products.

Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes? 
Never.

For the face? 
If I'm off for a night out, then maybe!

What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?
I have bluey/green eyes so neutral warm and golden colours with plummy colours at night tend to work best on me.

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner? 
Liquid the majority of the time.

How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil? 
Haha, not too often.

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows? 
Never tried any!

Do you use mineral makeup? 
I've tried some but I love my skin to seem dewy and I always feel like my skin looks too matte when I use them!

What is your favorite lipstick?
Guava by Bobbi Brown, but I rarely wear lipstick.

How about lipgloss? 
I literally never wear it.

What is your favorite blush to use? 
At the moment I'm using rimmel soft rose and it's gorgeous.

Do you buy your makeup on ebay? 
I've bought a set of makeup brushes from Ebay and a MAC reflects glitter pot in copper, that's all.

Do you like drugstore makeup? 
Love!

Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets) 
Never have done, but I would!

Did you ever consider taking make-up classes? 
I'm looking into it at the moment but they're expensive and I'm at uni so we'll see!

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
No, I'm pretty well practised now!

Name a makeup crime that you hate? 
DEFINITELY badly drawn or too thin eyebrows! Gross! and also pale lipstick and fake tan as a combination, never good, and clumpy mascara or excessive bronzer!

Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones? 
Both for different moods and different people! But I definitely stick to more neutral looks on myself.

Which celebrity always has great make up?
I love Kristen Stewart's red carpet looks, and Emma Watson! Very simple, young but sultry.

If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use? 
Eyebrow pencil!

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
I would and I have but I wouldn't be happy about going out without doing my eyebrows or wearing mascara!

Do you think you look good even without any makeup on? 
If my eyebrows were fuller I'd be a lot more satisfied haha.

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
For the combination or value for money and quality; Rimmel.

What do you think of Makeup?? 
I love it! I genuinely look forward to applying my makeup in the mornings/for a night out and I love trying out new colours and new looks. 

Love,
Podge x