My Evening Skincare Routine │ lipsticksandlevis

Hello everyone!

For anyone who didn't see my last post, on Wedensday, I am doing a mini skincare series. This is the second post in that series so if you want to see the first, you can find it HERE. So, for today's second part, I am going to let you in on my evening skincare routine. I only realised once taking the photos for this post that everything in my evening skincare routine is from The Body Shop. I obviously really like their range of skincare, so much so that it's all that I use! If you didn't see my first post, here's a background on my skin type. I have combination skin, oily in my t-zone and dry in most other areas especially around my eyes and my mouth. So, here's my evening skincare routine!

This first step depends on how much make-up I have worn that particular day. If I have gone the whole hog and worn foundation, concealer, mascara, eyeliner, a bold lipstick, the works, I will us the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil from the Body Shop as my first step to remove most of my make-up. I just put on pump onto my fingertips and massage into my full face of make-up. It then just seems to dissolve away all the make-up and grime that's built up throughout the day, and it does it so easily! I will then wipe it off with a warm, damp muslin cloth ready for the next step. Next I go in with my Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, again from the Body Shop, as a second cleansing and make-up removing step. I like to double cleanse when I've worn make-up just to make sure that every last bit of make-up is removed from my skin and my skin feels super clean. I use the same, warm, damp muslin cloth to wipe of the cleansing butter, just as in my morning skincare routine. I am also currently using the same toner, both morning and night, because I've had a few pesky blemishes and this really helps to dry them out and get rid of them as quickly as possible, the Tea Tree Skin Clearing toner. To put some moisture back into my skin I wait for the toner to sink in and then put two drops of the Body Shop's Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-oil, onto my fingertips and then press it into my skin, all over my face. I also like to bring this down my neck too. It's like having an overnight facial and feels very luxurious on the skin. Once the oil has sunk into my skin, I then apply the Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask. I just roughly apply this to my face and leave it to work it's magic overnight. At this time of year I need all the help I can get from products to put a bit of moisture into my skin and this little lot works an absolute treat! 

What products are in your evening skincare routine?

Do you use any of these products?

♥

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My Morning Skincare Routine │ lipsticksandlevis

Hello everyone!

I'm going to get back into the swing of blogging after my week off with a series of skincare posts. This being the first in the series, is going to be my morning skincare routine. I'll give you a little background on my skin before I get into the routine. I have combination skin, my t-zone gets quite oily and then my cheeks, around my eyes and my mouth tends to get quite dry in places, especially at this time of year, with the cold weather and having the heating on around the house. It really dries my skin out even more. My skincare routine changes as the seasons change, because my skin is constantly changing too, so I'm going to keep doing up to date skincare routines, depending on the time of year. 

Firstly, I like to us the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter from the Body Shop. I massage a little bit of this allover my dry face and then add a little bit of water and rub in to create a milky texture. Then, I wipe it off with a warm, damp muslin cloth. Leaving my face damp, I take a little bit of the L'Oreal Skin Perfection Radiance Revealing Gentle Exfoliator and massage it gently into my skin. I like to massage it in allover my face, focusing mainly on my forehead, chin and around my nose. I rub it in until it goes slightly milky and frothy in texture and then, again, wipe it off with a warm, damp muslin cloth. Recently, I have been getting a few blemishes and have therefore been using the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner from the Body Shop. I put this on a cotton wool pad and gently pat it al over my face, into my skin. Although the tea tree is quite drying, the next two steps I use counteract that drying quality to keep my skin nice and moisturised. Next, I move onto my serum which is hydraluron by Indeed Labs. A little goes a mighty long way with this product. So, I squeeze a tiny blog and rub it into my skin, concentrating on the areas of my face that get the most dry. As the last step, I apply my moisturiser, which is currently the Organic Surge super-intensive daily moisturiser. This is designed specifically for dry skin and has a very rich and creamy texture to it, keeping my skin properly hydrated in these cold winter months.

What are your morning skincare staples?

Do you use any of these products?

♥

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Long time, No posts.. │ lipsticksandlevis

Hello everyone!

So, I just want to explain why there has been a lack of post over the last week or so.. As I mentioned in one of my last posts, I have been busy redecorating my bedroom. As I work too, I have been doing to my bedroom what I can in between going and doing my shifts at work, which means that it has taken me longer than I would of liked, but now two and a half weeks later I am almost done! This weekend, I had the full weekend off work, and so decided to get everything finished including the shifting of furniture and the building of my new dressing table. Now, everything is finished and how I want it. I am just waiting for my dressing table chair and a few little decorative bits to arrive. 

Because I have been decorating for the last two and a half weeks, my bedroom has been a bit of a mess and a bit all over the place and so I've not been able to take good quality blog photos or even get to the majority of my beauty stash and that is why there have been no posts this last week. However, now that I have got everything finished and everything is accessible again, I'm back! 

I have got a new dressing table, the Ikea Malm Dressing Table, which means that I can get my make-up organised and spread out in a better way because I was finding that I would forget that I owned things and they weren't getting used. Now however, with this new dressing table and its super big drawer my make-up will be lovely and organised and I will be able to see everything that I own! I am just awaiting on some dividers to arrive for the drawer so that I can go through and organise it all!  

I am super pleased with how my room has turned out, so expect a blog post coming up soon to show you what it now looks like and then maybe soon a little make-up collection and storage post once I've got my dressing table exactly how I want it!

Thanks for being patient with me!

♥

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Instagram Diaries #1 │ lipsticksandlevis

Hello everyone! 

I see so many of these 'Instagram Diary' posts floating around the blogosphere and I think they are such a cool idea and I love to look at them and read the posts, but I have never done one myself. So, I have decided that every month, I am going to do one of these little 'Instagram Diaries' as a round up of what I've been up to and a way for me to look back at the month and see what I have done. So, here is my first entry in my Instagram Diaries! Enjoy.

What have you been up to over the last few months?

♥

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25 Facts About Me │ lipsticksandlevis

Hello everyone!

I was thinking about what to include in today's post when I realised that I have never written a post regarding myself. I thought that anyone reading my blog doesn't know anything about me, just the things that I am interested in. So, today I am going to tell you 25 facts about me. I am currently part way through redecorating my bedroom so I have very little space for taking attractive photos and I can't get to the majority of my belongings so this is definitely an easier post for me to write today because I dont have to sort through boxes and move any furniture to get to the majority of my beauty stash. I hope you get to know me a little better from this post.

1. Since I was young, I am super shy when I meet new people. But, once I get to know you I can be a bit weird. That's not a bad thing though, is it?

2. Even though I sit here writing about beauty and make-up and all things girly, I am a massive football fan. I've supported Manchester United practically since I was born!

3. I am so happy when the sun is out, but feel so down when its gloomy and raining.

4. Up until a couple of years ago, I still owned a pair of shorts that were meant for girls age 10-11. (I'm now 20, so was 18 at the time)

5. If I find a new game to play on my iPhone or iPad, I become addicted to it really quickly and become obsessed with completing it. 

6. I collect Disney DVDs.

7. I just love anything Disney related.

8. I love all things baking, knitting, sewing, cooking, etc. basically I sound like a housewife.

9. I have a really fluffy guinea pig named Percy. I named him after Percy Weasley from the Harry Potter books / films. I thought Percy was a lot cuter name than the likes of Fred, Ron or George. 

10. I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and couldn't tell you how many times I have seen the films. 

11. I have a serious obsession with candles. I can't be without them burning round my bedroom.

12. I absolutely can't wait to have my own family, and have babies! I've had their names picked out since I was young.

13. I have never been to London, only ever passed through it or to go to on of the London airports.

14. I bruise so easily, someone could poke my arm and it will instantly bruise.

15. I love Christmas, and I honestly don't think that I will ever grow out of it.

16. I really struggle with my anxiety when it comes to driving. Even being a passenger in a car, I am constantly panicking, especially when it comes to overtaking other cars.

17. If I could, I would wear pyjamas all day everyday, no matter what I was doing or where I was going.

18. Since I turned 18, I have only ever drank alcohol probably twice, and that was when I first turned 18. I just really don't like the stuff.

19. I am constantly wanting to switch my room around and redecorate. I just love decorating.

20. When we were younger, my brother, cousins and myself used to pretend we were wrestlers and wrestle pillows on a tampoline. 

21. I really regret not staying in touch with some people from when I was at school, and letting my anxiety get in the way of me keeping in touch with them.

22. I have been with my boyfriend for just over 3 years now and I love him to bits.

23. I love animals. I can't imaging ever living somewhere without some sort of animal to accompany me.

24. I sing all the time, but I would never sing in front of anyone apart from my family. 

25. I really enjoyed writing this post, and I'm definitely going to do something similar in the future!

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Spending Ban │ lipsticksandlevis

Hello everyone!

Over the last week or so I have seen so many New Year's Resolutions from people that it's made me decide to do something. I'm putting myself on a spending ban! No buying beauty products. So, no make-up, haircare, skincare or body care or anything else to do with beauty until the end of February, ATLEAST! I have so many products that are half used up, or even left with just a little bit left because I like to try out new products and chop and change what I'm using and because I like to try new things, I'm always buying new products just because I like the look of them or I've read good things about them on the many different beauty blogs that I like to read. I have a huge stash of products that just get used once or twice, for me to try them, and then thrown back in the draw and forgotten about until I decide that I want to switch it up again. I literally have a  back up products for every purpose, and I even have back ups of back ups, a bit confusing, right? So, to cut a long post short, as a sort of 'new year' thing, I want to put myself on this spending ban to stop myself adding to my evergrowing back up stash. I want to start to use up some of the products that I have left half full and I want to start sticking to one product and using that up before I flit about to another product. So, prepare yourself for a couple of empties posts to come in the near future. 

Do you have a problem with hoarding products like me? haha

♥

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Shopping the Sales │ lipsticksandlevis

Hello everyone!

So, as Christmas is long gone now, I'm sure a lot of you ventured to the shops to have a nosy at the boxing day sales. I certainly did. So, today I'm just going to show you a few of the bits and pieces that I picked up in the sales. I did buy some clothes, but I'm not going to show you them today. I'm just going to show you the beauty bits and a little extra something that I couldn't resist buying. So, here's a few of the bits I bought in the January sales.

Real Techniques Nic's Picks set - from feelunique - was £29.99 reduced to £23.99

French Connection Hand Soap & Lotion Set - from Boots - was £10 reduced to £5

Elemis Skincare - from Superdrug

Elemis Softly Softly Daily Moisturiser - was £21 reduced to £9.99

Elemis Super Boost Moisturising Serum - was £17 reduced to £9.99 

Elemis Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash - was £13 reduced to £4.99

Soap & Glory Nothing but the Fruits gift set - from Boots - was £30 reduced to £15

Rosies Pantry Cake Slice - from Boots - was £10 reduced to £5

Did you do any shopping in the sales?

What did you pick up?

♥

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My 2015 Beauty Wishlist │ lipsticksandlevis

Hello everyone! 

So, I did a post a bit like this at the beginning of last year but I didn't really get into blogging until the end of the year, so haven't been back and looked at it and haven't taken much notice of it. This year, however, will be different. This is going to be my Beauty Wishlist for 2015, or in other words all of the products that I have had my eye on and would really like to try throughout 2015. There is quite a variety of products hear, from skincare to make-up to and haircare. I am a big fan of all things beauty and I just love trying out new products and finding ones that work really well for me. So, I'm writing this post, for you to see what products I'm looking to try but also for me to keep track of and check against when buying new products. I can look back on it at the end of the year and see what I wanted to try at the start of the year. So, all of these products, I have heard great things about over the last year and even longer but never got around to buying any of them. Here they are..

Skincare that I would like to try..

1. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

2. Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

3. Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief

Other skincare products that I would really like to try are the Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask and the Indeed Labs pepta-bright even tone Skin Enhancer. 

Make-up is a department where I'm always wanting to try new things and these are just my top 5.
1. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation
2. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer
3. L'Oreal True Match Foundation
4. the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette, both 1 and 2
5. Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara
Among all the other make-up items on my wishlist are the Nars Lip Pencils, the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer, the Benefit Gimme Brow and more MAC Lipsticks.
I also want to try Charlotte Tilbury as a brand. I've seen her products about a lot recently and they have some really good reviews, not to mention the gorgeous rose gold packaging!

Tarte is a brand, as a whole, that I have been dying to try. That will hopefully be a lot easier now as some products are available here in the UK through QVC and also through Sephora who now ship to the UK. I will definitely be trying a lot of products from the brand but in particular these three..

1. tarte Amazonian Clay Full Cover Airbrush Powder Foundation & Airbuki brush

2. tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blushes

3. tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation

With haircare, I tend to just buy whatever catches my eye and sounds like it will do my hair some good. So, this year, once my stash of haircare products have run out, I want to try to get into a proper routine and use product that all work in conjunction with one another. The Tigi S-Factor Smoothing Range is one that I have comtemplated buying for a while but it is quite expensive so I've never pushed myself to buy it. But this year, I think is the year, I'm going to loosen those purse strings and go for it, but not until I have used those haircare products that I have hidden away in my stash. 

Do you have a beauty wishlist for 2015?

What is on it?

♥

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Stay Positive │ lipsticksandlevis

Hello everyone!

Staying positive is something that I really want to try and do this year, because I've always had a hard time doing that, but especially last year. So, today I just wanted to share with you a few positive and inspiring pictures from my books that you may have seen in my previous post. I love flicking through these books when I'm feeling a bit down, they really cheer me up. When you're not feeling to great come here and look at these quotes and images. They're sure to make you feel better! So, here you go!

What do you do to stay positive and 'Keep your chin up'?

♥

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December Favourites │ lipsticksandlevis

Hello everyone! 

Today, I am bringing you my December favourites! I did think about doing a favourites for the whole year of 2014, but decided against it because I didn't feel that I could choose any really stand out products after only blogging properly for a few months. So, on with the favourites. I have a bit of a mixture this month, from hair care to body care and also a bit of make-up. I have worn make-up a lot more recently. I don't wear make-up all the time because I don't tend to put in on for work, however, this month I have worn make-up more and also switched up the products that I used more. Anyway, I shall get started with the favourties.

I'll start with the make-up products. A couple of these have most probably been in a favourites post before, but I love them and I always end up going back to them. The first is the Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder from The Body Shop, I use the shade 01- Light Matte. I love this bronzer because of what it says in the shade name, Matte. It is completely matte, so perfect for contouring. I use it for contouring all around my face and it just looks lovely and natural. I also love that the shade is so light because I do have very fair skin, so this add a nice subtle bit of bronzing without it looking like I've smeared muck along under my cheekbones. The mirror is also a big bonus, for taking out with you on the go and is a decent size to use for any touch ups that you may need. Next is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, which I'm sure has appeared in a favourites before and will for many months to come. It blends out my foundation and concealer seamlessly and gives such a gorgeous finish. It makes the application of foundation so much easier, I feel, and at just £5.99 it's a bargain! I will continue to use this every day, until I find something I prefer which isn't looking very likely! The Rockateur Blush by Benefit, is definitely my go to blush for the autumn and winter. I find myself reaching for it day in, day out. It is the most gorgeous rosy gold colour and gives such a gorgeous sheen to the cheeks and without the need for using a highlighter. I think this blush would look gorgeous for any make-up look, and all year round. The Mac Lipstick in Creme Cup is one that I go through phases with. In summer I would reach for it every time I was applying my make-up. As we came into Autumn, I ditched it and was constantly reaching for red and purple shades of lipsticks. Now, I am finding myself constantly reaching for it again. I love the creaminess of it, it's really moisturising on the lips which is handy for this time of year. I love the slight pink tone that is has and I just find that it looks amazing with any make-up look. My final make-up favourite is the Avon Supershock Max Mascara, which is my absolute favourite and I think may have even taken over my love for the Benefit They're Real mascara. The wand is what I love most about this mascara, I find that it just separates my lashes amazingly, making them fan out and not clumpy at all. It also gives my lashes a lot of extra length which is what I love most in a mascara. Unfortunately, I don't think you can get it in the peacock packaging anymore because it was a limited edition, but the product inside still works the same, right?

Next, the body products. These two favourites are the only body products that I tend to use in the winter. A sugar scrub and a rich body butter, to keep my skin nice and hydrated and smooth. As you can see, both of these products are from The Body Shop, one of my favourite places for scrubs and body butters. The Chocomania Body Scrub, was such a lovely scrub to use. It smelt like chocolate, which is always amazing, and was a sugar scrub, so really worked on those dry patches and got rid of the effectively. I'm saying 'was' because I actually used the whole tub throughout the month of December, which obviously proves how good it is and that it is worth a go! It is currently on sale on The Body Shop website, for half price, so go get it cheaper while you can! The Almond Body Butter isn't actually available from The Body Shop anymore so I won't talk about it too much, but there are tonnes of other scents for the body butters so I'm sure you would be able to find one that tickles your fancy. This is so rich and moisturising, and sinks in super quick, and the fact that it smells like marzipan is a huge bonus. I love marzipan!

Lastly, the hair care products. I am all abut products to improve the state of my hair. I used to dye my hair frequently and use heat on my hair everyday and it got to a point where it was so damaged that I just decided that I wasn't going to dye it anymore and I would only use heat sparingly. I am seeing an improvement, but I'm still not entirely happy with it. I leave my hair to dry naturally whenever it is washed, so I have to try and combat the frizz. That's where this first product comes into place, the John Frieda Frizz-Ease Original 6 Effects Serum. With this product, a little definitely goes a long way and I use it quite sparingly. I use one pump and spread it evenly through wet hair, focusing mainly on the mid-lengths and ends of my hair, because that where my hair gets frizzy. I then just leave my hair to dry naturally. I find that when I don't use this my hair is a lot more frizzy, it doesn't completely get rid of the frizz in my hair but it definitely calms it down a lot. I like to use an intense hair treatment twice a week to really give my hair a good amount of moisture and nourishment. At the moment, the one that I am loving is the L'Oreal Hair Expertise Ever Riche Nourishing Intense Mask. I use this in between shampoo and conditioner, putting a walnut sized blob into my hair focusing mainly on the ends. It leaves my hair feeling super soft and nourished,so much so that I would love to use it every day if I could! Last, but most certainly not least is the Shine So Bright Hair Balm from Lush Cosmetics. This is a treatment for split ends and although it doesn't completely get rid of them, it does help to mask and prevent them. It contains coconut oil, olive oil and shea butter, to add moisture to the ends of your hair, therefore preventing the split ends from appearing in the first place. I think it's a brilliant product and I never miss using it when I wash my hair. It can be used on either wet or dry hair, but I always tend to use it on wet hair. So, that concludes my December favourites.

What were your favourite products for the month of December?
♥

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