The Haircare Routine

It has to be said that I'm relatively low maintenance with my hair despite previously training to be a hairdresser in my mid-teens. My hair naturally sports that wavy beach hair look and I rather like it. That's not to say that some days I don't faff around with a heated volume brush or a conical wand to give my hair a bit of extra va-va-voom! But let's get to the point. Meet my super clean, super shiny, super moisturised, super volumised and super healthy (phew, talk about overusing the word 'super') hair care routine which works a treat on my long, thick and coloured hair . It consists of just 4 products and is perfect for those of you who, like me, love to be low maintenance in the haircare department.

I'm very fussy when it comes to shampoo and conditioners and it takes a rather special shampoo and conditioner for me to shout about - these are it! Avalon Organics are a brand I've not heard too much about but I love the fact that as well as being natural, their products are also 70% organic and their packaging is made from 100% recycled materials. My long, thick and coloured hair has been a bit of a pain lately as rather than being able to go 3 days without washing, I'd have to wash it everyday - a lazy girls worst nightmare. So I opted for the Avalon Organics Lemon Shampoo, a lemon curd scented clarifying shampoo that removes build up and anything that may leave your hair looking dull and lacklustre, but also nourishes your hair with hydrating shea butter without weighing it down. Then instead of using the matching lemon conditioner, I know that the ends of my coloured hair need a bit more love to whip them into shape so I like to add moisture and shine. This makes Avalon Organics Ylang Ylang Conditioner the perfect accompaniment to the lemon shampoo for me. It's thick in consistency and uses babassu oil and mica minerals to strengthen, hydrate and add shine to leave your hair feeling soft and shiny. Needless to say, these two work a dream in combination with each other and are the best natural shampoo and conditioner I've used to date.

Next up - Naked. A brand that sells 97% natural products, are sold in Boots and were the first natural haircare brand I ever tried. I used to adore their shampoos and conditioners and although I've moved on to better things the Naked More Volume Body Body Building Mouse is still a winner in my books. It defines my waves and gives a fabulous volume boost at the same time, destroying the need for hairspray to maintain my style and doesn't leave your hair with that horrible hard crispy feeling. It's a product that I don't use every time I wash my hair, but if I'm going to be curling my hair with a conical wand like mentioned above, this is my best friend.

For the finishing touches, and for a pre-shampoo mask it has to be said that good ol' coconut oil is the one. I'm using Fushi's Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil but decant it into a smaller glass jar for ease of use and travel. It's fantastic to use pre or post blow-dry to smooth out any frizz, add shine and protect your hair from those nasty heat appliances. Then about once a week I slather a generous amount of it into my hair, concentrating on the ends and pop my hair up into a bun for a good half an hour. After shampooing and conditioning my hair as normal, I'm left with extra luscious shiny healthy locks. Definitely a must before a night out as well as once a week at least.

So that's it, my haircare shenanigans all dished out to you in one neat little post. What does your haircare routine consist of?

The Zesty Scrubber

I'd like to introduce you to my favourite body scrub as of late - Deep Steep's Grapefruit & Bergamot Sugar Scrub. It's formulated without parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate, mineral oil and artificial fragrances or chemical preservatives, meaning that with this cruelty free scrub only the good stuff is used and it's 100% natural. A zesty citrus scented combination of shea butter, brown cane sugar and cocoa butter which really gets to work and sloughs away dead skin cells to reveal buttery smooth skin. Not only that but it also boosts skin circulation and there's no need to moisturise afterwards. I love to use this in the morning as the energising feel good scent really helps to make me feel more awake and ready for the day ahead. It's also the perfect skin prepper if you're a fake tanner like me too! When that evening comes around I moisturise my dry areas (knee's, elbows etc - you know the drill!) and pop on my fake tan of choice, then I wake up in the morning my tan is even and there's not a dark patch in sight. Proof that this really does do a brilliant job at getting rid of those nasty dead skin cells, fake tan is a harsh critic and thankfully it's given it the thumbs up!

That being said, let's see if Bodhi's Rosemary Chi Himalayan Detox Salt Scrub is good enough to knock it off the top spot which I'm eager to get my mitts on when that comes out next month!

Deep Steep's Grapefruit & Bergamot Sugar Scrub is available from Naturisimo - here, for £9.95 for 237ml.

Barely There Makeup

It's not everyday that my freckles make an appearance as obvious as this, but about once a week I tend to sport a 'barely there' makeup look. It usually happens on lazy days where I don't intend to do much or we get a call from our friends saying they'll be round in 10 minutes, that obviously calls for a quick spruce up to make myself look somewhat presentable, right? I don't want to frighten my poor friends to death now do I? I kid, I kid. But anyway, I think I've found a combination of products which, when using a light hand, creates the most natural barefaced makeup look you could possibly imagine. So let's get to it...

I started off with a blob of Dr Hauschka's Toned Day Cream and rubbed it into my face as if it were a normal moisturiser. I'm only using a tester at the moment but first impressions of this are good and despite it's light tinted moisturiser level coverage, it smooths, evens out my skin tone and adds a dewy glow. One to add to my shopping basket in the future maybe!? Living Nature's Concealer in 'Medium' was then smoothed under my eyes and dabbed onto a few blemishes that the Toned Day Cream didn't manage to cover, but then I wouldn't expect it to. For cheeks I blended a small amount of RMS Beauty's Lip2Cheek in 'Promise' (review here) over the apples and blended upwards towards the hairline. My square/round face was then subtly contoured to add a little more dimension using Lily Lolo's Mineral Bronzer in 'South Beach', a matte apricot brown which never appears orange despite whether I'm showing off a pale or tanned complexion. I then swept the remainder of what was on my brush over my eyelids, concentrating in the crease to add slight definition. My brows were filled in with a current favourite of mine, Nvey Eco's High Definition Cake Eyeliner in 'Brown' - a product that works so well when used fill in my brows, it'd be rude not to. Ilia's Mascara in 'Nightfall' is a new mascara of mine which I haven't quite made my mind up about yet, but whilst I'm still deciding I wiggled this onto my top and bottom lashes and then proceeded to dab RMS Beauty's Lip Shine in 'Bloom' over my lips to give a natural pinky brown glossy finish.

Finito, a barely there makeup look that'd easily fool the men in your life and has you looking natural and fresh faced in a jiffy.

The Double Cleanse

We all know by now that I love my skincare, give me a face oil or a cleanser and I'm a happy bunny. The latter is in fact what this post is about - cleansers, but not just one cleanser...two cleansers, used together, one after the other. Why? Here's my two cleanser, two step rationale and the lowdown.

Step one 'getting rid of the bad stuff' - When I say getting rid of the bad stuff I mean removing makeup and dead skin cells. Balance Me's Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm* does just this. It's a star at getting makeup off, gently exfoliating your skin with tiny oatmeal particles and also adds a much needed dash of moisture and radiance in the process. To use, I squeeze a pea sized amount onto my hands and rub it between between my palms, then massage it into my face (yes my eyes too!) and remove with a warm, damp muslin cloth. When used on it's own it's a good one for a quick but thorough cleanse and perfect for those who don't want to spend ages on their skincare routine but still want to take care of their skin. I like to call this my 'live for the moment' cleanser.

Step two 'giving it the good stuff' - Now that my skins clean let's get all science conscious with probiotics and peptides, anti-aging ingredients and a clean and calming chamomile, eucalyptus, rosemary and bergamot scent to soothe the senses. To put it simply, bio-organic plant and flower essences such as baobab, hibiscus, mongongo oil and kigelia africana combine to enhance the skins health, texture and appearance to reveal a brighter complexion whilst stimulating skin renewal. Aurelia's Miracle Cleanser leaves my skin feeling clean, soft, firm and hydrated, perfect for you girls who are a little bit wary of what the future brings in terms of your appearance, this 'live for the future' creamy cleanser is the one. To use, the process is exactly the same as the Balance Me cleanser except I like to use a larger amount, about a walnut sized finger scoop is ideal.

Maybe I'm a little bit greedy, or maybe I just like to do things to the extremes - both of which are unashamedly true, but like I said, I love to use them both, hand in hand, one after another. Taking my makeup off at the end of the day and doing the same process with two entirely different cleansers is no chore for me, it's an indulgent routine, a nightly pamper almost. I definitely notice a difference when I use one or the other compared to when I use both products, individually they're beautiful beautiful beautiful products, but together they're my new found secret to radiant, plump, silky smooth skin where my pores are barely visible and I've never felt so comfortable in my own skin. 

Blog Sale: High End Beauty

As you may know in January I switched to natural makeup so I am selling all of my makeup collection.
Postage is included within the price (remember this costs me £3.20 - £3.60 per item) and I will only post items within the UK.
Payment is to be made by paypal (my paypal address is gemmaantonia@msn.com) within 48hrs and must be marked as a 'gift' for friends or family to avoid charges from Paypal themselves. PLEASE NOTE: If I do not hear from you within 48hrs or you do not pay within this time, I will assume that you no longer want the item. Please also leave a way for me to contact you by! To see my Ebay seller feedback, click here.
Please let me know if you would like anything or have any questions.
Wild About Beauty Sheer Glow Moisture Tint in Medium, used 1x, £14. Wild About Beauty Ultra Dewy Glow Stick in Benny, used 2x, £11. Illamasqua Illuminators (old packaging) in (top to bottom) Glimmer, Fondle & Poised, all used 1x, £8.Chanel Sheer Illuminating Fluid in Sunkissed, 3/4 jar left, £15 (SOLD). Nars Illuminators in Copacabana (SOLD) & Orgasm, over 1/2 left, £13 each.MAC Eyeshadows in Expensive Pink (SOLD), Cranberry (SOLD), Bronze - has a small chip at the top missing (SOLD), Knight Divine & Coppering (SOLD), all used approx 7x, £7 each. MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood, usage shown, £8. Mac Fluidline in Rich Ground, usage shown, £8. MAC Pro Longwear Eyeshadows in Carefree & Sweet Satisfaction (SOLD), used 5x, £11. Nars Lipgloss in Orgasm, used 1x, £13.Nars Tzarine Eyeshadow Duo, only swatched, £14. Nars Dogon Eyeshadow Duo, used 8x, £12 (SOLD). Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Androgen, used 1x, £10 (SOLD). Illamasqua Bronzing Duo in Glint/Writhe, only swatched, £15.MAC Costa Chic (SOLD), Creme Cup (SOLD), Shy Girl (SOLD), A Perfect Day - LE (SOLD) & Viva Glam Cyndi Lipsticks, usage shown, all £8.Nails Inc Victoria Nail Varnish, used 1 x, £8. Nails Inc Saville Row, used 3x, £7. Chanel June Nail Varnish, used 1x, £10. Illamasqua Purity & Bacterium Nail Varnishes, used 1x, £8 each.Origins Out of Trouble Mask, used 3x, £10. Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask, roughly 3/4 left, £8. Nuxe Reve De Miel Ultra Comfortable Face Cream, used 1x, £15. Kiehls Algae Mask, 1/2 left, £10.

Sampling Sunday

I used to never try samples of anything, I'd always just be so optimistic and buy full size products without having a doubt in my mind that they wouldn't work for my skin or I wouldn't like them. Well, I've finally learnt my lesson after countless blemishes, the odd allergic reaction and far too much money wasted to even mention. So today I'm embracing samples and I thought I'd share my immediate thoughts with you.

It all starts in the shower where I rip open a sachet of Dr Organics Pomegranate Body Wash*. I have their Pomegranate Lip Balm which is fab so I was sure I'd like this, especially as I've been using their Virgin Coconut Oil Body Wash for quite some while now. It has such a gorgeous delicate but fresh scent and leaves my skin feeling soft and slightly fragranced, much like the other Dr O body wash I have. It'd definitely pick this one up next time I go to Holland & Baratt if I was feeling a little less coconut inclined.

Post secret cleansing routine (all will be revealed soon!) I've teared open and smothered Tata Harpers Resurfacing Mask on my face. It's a sheer pink toned gel mask which uses pomegranate enzymes, pink french clay and white willow to enhance the skins appearance by eliminating clogged pores, moisturising and firming the skin whilst exfoliating and healing blemishes. It's a mask that I often hear good things about as well as being one I've wanted to get my paws on for quite a while now and I can now tell you that as someone with normal/dry skin who also is prone to spots this is a dream to use. After leaving it on for 20 minutes and removing with a muslin cloth, my skin feels brighter, clearer and smoother without there being a touch of dryness in sight so it's already been placed firmly at the top of my wish list. The argan oil orientated Kahina Brightening Serum was next on the agenda to massage into my skin, a slightly sticky radiance promoting and skin refining serum which aims to reduce hyper-pigmentation, discolouration and scars within 6 weeks. Although I can't comment on these pigmentation decreasing claims as I'm sure you'll understand that one sachet is not enough for 6 weeks usage (trust me, I wish my head was the size of a pea so it was!) it definitely does make my skin appear luminous and feel silky smooth. Kahina's serum is also an environmental damage diminishing, skin defence and free radical fighting easily absorbed serum of which 25% of the profits are donated to Berber women in Morocco. Next up is Oskia Nutri-Active Day Cream, now I already have a bit of a love affair with Oskia's Bedtime Beauty Boost - a product I would do anything to get a full size pot of, but would I like the Nutri-Active Day Cream just as much? Almost! It's lightweight formula provides your skin with key nutrients and hydration to protect the skins DNA, elasticity, collagen production and smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. At the tender age of 22 I don't currently have any wrinkles but I am starting to use anti-aging products as a preventative measure as I'd love to look as youthful as I can for as long as I can. This rose and lychee scented day cream makes my skin feel soft and supple whilst also giving it a subtle glow making my skin appear healthy, hydrated and my skin tone even. It's one to try if you're in the market for a more luxurious day cream but if you had to get one item from Oskia and have a spare £74 knocking around, I'd without a doubt recommend the Bedtime Beauty Boost which is in my opinion a super charged version of the day cream and just such a gorgeous product.

To round it all up after my hands have been doing copious amounts of rubbing and massaging, it's time to take care of them with Dr Organics Manuka Honey Hand & Nail Cream*. I'd been recommended this by Sarah and had just never got around to picking up, but oh how I regret that now!? The smell, the texture, the everything! This really is divine and does a wonderful job at getting my hands back into action and giving them the intense moisture boost they deserve. I'm grabbing my coat, my shoes and a jacket and popping one of these into my basket a.s.a.p!

Have you tried any samples recently?

The Makeup Bag: May

Forget foundation, concealer or mascara. Of course I'm using them but this month I wanted to focus on some more interesting products, the ones that give colour and texture and really make me feel like me. I'm probably the opposite of everyone else when I say this but when the sun comes out and it starts to get warmer I want to look more polished. Now that doesn't mean that I don't trade in my foundation for a tinted moisturiser, because I'm a massive fan of the stuff, but what I mean is that I'm weather orientated. So when it's dull and cold outside, I tend to sport dull boring makeup and the drab weather makes me lack in the enthusiasm department. Likewise, when the sun's showing it's face it makes me happy and when I'm happy I take great pride in my appearance - make sense? So for May I'm going to introduce you to the products I'll be using to create an effortless chic and classy makeup look throughout this month.

Let's pretend I'm sporting the plain Jane look and I've got my foundation, concealer and any powder I may (or may not) want to wear on. My next call to duty is my eyes and for that I'll be grabbing Lily Lolo's Mineral Eyeshadow in 'Vanilla Shimmer', a warm vanilla shade with a slight amount of shimmer in it which is a lovely easy peasy colour to brighten up my eyes. Using a large fluffy eyeshadow brush (think Mac's 224) I like to take a small amount and blend it over my lid and up to my brow bone. Then it's time for Nvey Eco's High Definition Cake Eyeliner in 'Brown' to do it's thing. I like to use this as a bit of a multi-tasking product, yes it's a gorgeous eyeliner that once applied stays put all day, but it's also a fabulous eyebrow shade and eyeshadow. I'm going to be taking full advantage of it's 3-in-1 capabilities and using this to fill in my brows, blend into the outer corner of my eyelid (or the outer V as it's often called) and then line my bottom lash line too. Once my mascara's applied I move further down my face and begin to bronze up my cheeks with Lily Lolo's Mineral Bronzer in 'South Beach', a matte apricotty brown which despite it's obvious warm undertones leaves me clueless as to how it never makes me appear orange and leaves a natural golden tone to the skin. I then dab my holy grail highlighter - RMS Beauty's Living Luminizer (post here) on the tops of my cheekbones to add a beautiful subtle glow. Now for the finishing touches, RMS Beauty's Lip2Cheek in 'Promise' (review here) will be lightly pressed onto my lips to add a rosy pink tint and then for a pop of colour I'll be ensuring that a bright red that's guaranteed to grab peoples attention in the form of my new obsession - Zoya's Nail Varnish in 'Maura' (post here) is newly applied to my nails every few days or so.

The Radiance Renewal

I've been cooped up inside for the past couple of weeks being a good little student working away on my assignments and unfortunately my skin has had to take a back seat. Despite using the odd few products that were featured in 'The Study Time Basics Edit' I haven't been doing much else (tut, tut!) and so it's unsurprising that my skins resembling the surface area of a concrete wall - rough and lacklustre, yuck! Last night I decided enough was enough and headed to my skincare stash and delved through numerous glass jars, tubes and containers until I had found the ideal combination of products to battle away my unforgiving complexion.

The first step includes Balance Me's Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm*. As the name suggests it's a balm cleanser created with antioxidant arctic cloudberry - which is a bit of a eskimo by managing to live in -40°C and is rich in nutrients, then chamomile to soothe and oatmeal particles to ever so gently exfoliate your skin whilst red mandarin is used to brighten up your complexion. A pea sized amount rubbed between my fingertips to create an oil and then massaged into my face (eyes included!) really hydrates whilst effortlessly removing makeup and leaving your skin feeling beautifully clean and smooth. A cleansing balm is a skincare stash 'must have' in my opinion and Balance Me's offering is truly a winner. Now that my makeup has been removed and I have a fresh and clean base, it's time to smother on Ren's Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask*. A gel consistency fruit enzyme exfoliating mask that uses passion fruit, lemon, grape, pineapple and papaya acids to exfoliate the skin without the need for physical exfoliation. It somehow leaves my skin feeling super soft, smooth, bright and happy! And although I'm still using this sample sized tube that I received from the 'Nottingham Beauty Blogger Meet' back in April you can guarantee that I'll be heading to good old John Lewis to pick up the full size after I'm done! It's now up to mask number two to provide a bit of a moisture boost to my face. Green People Vita Min Mask provides a cooling action after the slight tingling sensation that the Ren mask can give, whilst also making my tired skin feel more alive and nourished. Now I'll be the first to admit that unlike the previous two products mentioned, this is no miracle worker and although I can sometimes be a tough critic it does do a decent enough job to make sitting with a white face watching Youtube videos for 20 minutes worthwhile. However, I'm on the market for something better so I'd love to hear any suggestions for natural/organic hydrating masks that you might have! And lastly, the Balance Me Radiance Face Oil does just as it's name suggests, like I'm beginning to learn that all Balance Me products do. I do have a rather obsessive facial oil collection, many of which I have tossed to the side to forget about or are in the 'give to friends' pile, that's not to say that they're not good but they're not amazing either. The Radiance Face Oil uses a soothing and conditioning blend of amazonian buriti nut oil, roman chamomile, yarrow and benzoin which after massaging into my face leaves me with a non-greasy yet radiant appearance and seems to even out any blotchy red bits that I tend to suffer from when my skins not at it's happiest. I've got the rollerball version which is ideal for travelling or on the go applications but it also comes in a glass bottle with a pipette if you prefer.

So this isn't necessarily the quickest way to sort out that concrete wall face I was sporting, taking just under 30 minutes to use all 4 products, but it's a goodie and it worked for me!