What would you repurchase # 1

Here are some of my fairly recent empties that I loved and would repurchase in the future - I have already repurchased some of them. There is a mixture of skincare, body care and makeup items. Obviously I couldn't talk about all of the items I wanted to in this one post because it would be far too long, but I have missed out items such as the Caudalie Beauty Elixir (I love that stuff!) and the Tweezerman Brow Mousse - both of which I would definitely repurchase. 

All images from Google

1. Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter: I received this in the Harrods Glossy Box last year and I have been saving it for special days because I just love this product - the price for the full size bottle is quite expensive but you can buy the small travel size for around £6 online. The body butter smells divine, it is hydrating but not sticky or heavy and it absorbs quickly. 

2. Clinique 7 Day Facial Scrub Cream: I have been using this product on and off for almost a year (naughty, naughty I know) but I love this scrub. It is gentle on my sensitive eczema prone skin but it really exfoliates and leave my skin so smooth. I have done a full review post on this product already - click here. I will definitely repurchase this product as I find myself wishing I had it. 

3. Cosmopolitan Beauty Foundation Sponge: I have repurchased this foundation sponge about six or seven times, I love it! I use it for applying my liquid foundations. I find that it is amazing for applying foundation onto dry/flaky skin because it doesn't emphasise the dryness. This is a lifesaver product for me! 

4. Caudalie Crushed Cabernet Body Scrub: I received this scrub as a free gift with purchase online and I actually have two. I like the smell of this product, as with all Caudalie products, it smells so fresh and natural. The scrub is exfoliating but moisturising too. A product I will repurchase when it is on offer/sale because it is pretty expensive. 

5. Simple Rich Moisturiser: I have gone through about ten or more bottles of this moisturiser. This product is my fail safe, go to facial moisturiser because I know it is one of the few products I can use when my eczema flares up badly. 

6. Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion: I had a travel size bottle of this product a year or so ago and I took it on holiday with me and I LOVED it! It smells amazing, it is hydrating, it absorbs quickly and it is fantastic for sunburn. I will be buying this again even through it is a bit expensive, as with all Caudalie products. 

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Eczema and Me

Here is a post about my experience with facial eczema, the products that help control it and tips to cope with the physical and emotional effects of eczema and also the product that reduced my eczema like nothing else!

Product images from Google

How did my eczema start?

My eczema story started when I was 14/15 years of age and eczema must be an awful and annoying skin condition at any age but during high school it was particularly difficult. My eczema started as very small mild patches of slightly drier skin and no matter how much moisturiser I applied, the dryness didn't go away. I kept talking and complaining about it to my parents and we went to see our GP who is a deramtologist and he said that I had eczema. My eczema started around my eyes and the dermatologist gave me hydrocortisone, a mild version, and I have used that for years (although I haven't for about two or three years now). Unfortunately my eczema did start to spread and the hydrocortisone, which is a steroid cream, did not work as well - and hydrocortisone shouldn't really be used around the eyes for long periods of time as I used it because it can causes thinning of the skin. 

Eczema Progression & Products 

By the age of 16/17 the eczema had spread to the tops of my cheeks, all around my eyes (especially my eye lids) and it was just awful and quite depressing at times. Eczema, the version I had, looked really red, inflamed and super flaky so it wasn't nice at all! Which is especially horrible if you are a teenage girl at high school/college. When I get small eczema flare ups now I still get redness, extreme dryness and my eye lids tend to get inflamed and swollen. I found some products that did not irritate my skin during this time, I found the Simple Rich Moisturiser which does not irritate my skin at all so I would recommend it if you have sensitive skin (although everyone is different). I also found the Avene gentle cleanser, the no rinse version, also didn't irritate my skin. However, sometimes my eczema was so bad and painful that I was literally scratching at my face and scrubbing at my skin in tears because the eczema was stinging/burning/itching almost constantly! But I found that calamine lotion worked wonders, it stopped the itching and burning almost instantly and even though it made my skin even paler and dry than it already was, it allowed me to feel like I had normal skin for the time when I was at home and not at school. I love the Care+ calamine lotion. 

At the age of 18, when I started college, my eczema now came in flares, so I didn't have it all of the time and I have been trying about four different creams for my eczema, mainly steroid creams from my GP/Doctors. I wanted to try and cover up the redness, blotching and the other disgusting effects that come with eczema but it wasn't easy because it was on my face so you can't really hide that! However, the Revlon Colorstay foundation (for dry skin, shade Buff) was a lifesaver as it helped cover the redness and gave me some confidence. Also the Cosmopolitan foundation sponge that I adore, also helped a lot because it didn't exmphasises the dryness of my skin and it somehow makes foundation press onto the skin and not look dry or flaky. One main tip that I would say if you have facial eczema is not to scratch the skin because it does make it worse and also try using basic products and go to see your doctor or a dermatologist if possible (however try and stay away from steroid creams).

The Miracle Cream?

After a few years of on and off eczema with no real end in sight I went back to the Doctors and they gave me a non steroid cream called Protopic 0.1% which is an absolute miracle worker! Since using Protopic on my face my eczema has been virtually non existent and for the past year or so I have only had to use it when I had an odd flare up - once a month. I would definitely recommend that you look out for or ask about Protopic if you have eczema. I also found that when I had a little flare up, the Clinique 7 day facial scrub was fantastic, it doesn't irritate my skin and it is quite gentle but it still exfoliates well and gets rid of the excess flakiness that my eczema caused. Another tip for facial eczema, when you get a flare up, try and figure out your personal eczema triggers/causes - eczema can be triggered by so many factors and I have gone through months of eliminating things from my diet to see if that causes my eczema but I still haven't found the cause fully. I find that stress is a factor for me and also some skin products trigger my eczema, such as the I Love Strawberries Face Mask and the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish to an extent. Also the Eve Lom Cleanser really irritates my skin. 

There is my eczema story, I hope it helps some of you who also suffer from Eczema as I know how horrible and painful (physically and emotionally) it can be particularly as a teenager and young adult.

Hoping for a few good skin days as I am going to the T.G.I Fridays event in Manchester on thursday, has anyone else been invited? I will see you there, be sure to say hi! x

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In Love With Fashion Competition

In Love With Fashion are currently holding a giveaway whereby you can win £30 to spend on their site. In Love With Fashion believe that you should always wear an item more than once and being able to transform your summer clothing into autumn/winter outfits is a great money saving idea. Send your blog post entries via facebook and you can share your entries via twitter. Email lfa@inlovewithfashion for examples and to send your entry. Closes 7th November. Also write a small description of your outfits/theme. 

Outfit One: This outfit comprises the Cream Cropped Cable Knit Jumper (£28) that is in all three outfits. The aim of the competition was to find items that you can use with numerous outfits. The jumper comes in a white and grey shade too. I paired the jumper with a Zara like skort were it looks like a skirt but it is a pair of black smart shorts. The Black Wrap Shorts are priced at £32.  I like the casual jumper with a pair of smart, formal shorts. I think this outfit would look great with a pair of formal but sexy heels, such as these ILWF Triple Buckle Chunky Heel Shoes (£30). You could add nude or thin black tights. A simple but smart outfit. 

Outfit Two: Again the same jumper but this time over the Pink Floral Summer Playsuit (£36). Adding a chunky knitted jumper over a floral summery playsuit gives the more summery items in your wardrobe a new lease of life. Team with Nude Suede Platform Shoes (£10, sale) or even with black biker boots! Rose gold jewellery would look great with this look. 

Outfit Three: My favourite outfit! Make the cute cream jumper a bit more edgy with a gorgeous White Tartan Shift Dress (£30). Tartan is a massive trend right now and I think this dress would look great with the cream jumper over the top. Add some black biker boots and thick black tights this outfit would look amazing! 

There are my outfits, my theme is: girly turned grungy and making more summery clothing into outfits that you can wear during the autumn and winter with a few additions x

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New/Upcoming Exciting Beauty Products

There have been some fantastic high street/drug store makeup releases for autumn/winter but the most exciting product for me anyway are the more expensive products! Here are my picks of the most exciting and lust worthy beauty products from the new and upcoming autumn/winter collections!

1. Hourglass Lighting Powder Palette (£56): This palette was realeased a couple of days ago and it is sold out on Space NK but I think it is still available on Libertys. It is quite a lot of money for face powders but you get three, one of which is a limited edition and the powders individually are quite expensive so this set is a bit better value for money. It is on my list...and you get a mini primer with the set too! The amazing Temptalia has swatches etc on the palette. I really hope it goes on sale after christmas!

2. Chanel A/W Nuit Collection 2013: I don't own any Chanel makeup and this christmas I hope that changes, I intend to buy the natural palette - how gorgeous do those shades look! The lipsticks also look great. 

3. OCC Mini Lip Tar Set: This set is currently available in Sephora for $20 and I hope it comes to the UK. The OCC lip tars in their full size have been available to buy in the UK for a while but I would love to try the minis. 

4. Burberry Fresh Glow Powder (£31): Yet another product on my wish list and it had to be from Burberry - not the cheapest brand! I am all for highlighters, although I only like powder highlights. Firstly, the packaging looks amazing as all Burberry packaging does and the nude radiance 01 shade above looks like a great pale highlighter. Swatches of these two powders on The Beauty Look Book blog look gorgeous. 

Any other bloggers in manchester going to the T.G.I Fridays event on the 7th November? I will meet you there! x

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October beauty favourites

Here are my favourite products for the month of October - this time there is a mix of skincare, perfume, makeup! I love reading favourites posts, it shows if a product(s) is worth buying or not - and they make my christmas wish list longer!

1. Bioderma Atoderm PO Zinc Ultra Soothing Cream (£12.95): I have been using this facial moisturiser on and off for the past couple of months and I love it! I have dry sensitive skin due to eczema flare ups and this cream does not irritate my skin at all even when I have a bad flare up. It is very soothing, smoothing and it feels so nourishing. I would definitely buy this again, I am almost out of mine. I would only recommend this product to those who actually have very dry skin as it is super moisturising and it can make the skin look greasy. 

2. Diptyque Vetyverio (£50, 50ml): I bought this perfume in the Space NK sale a few months ago for....£17! Incredibly cheap as it should have been around £68 I think and it is a 100ml bottle too so I got a amazing bargain. Gotta love the space nk sales, I will be spending a lot in their after christmas sales! Anyway, this fragrance is so gorgeous, it is a nice transitional scent from summer to autumn/winter as it is musky fragrance but contemporary and fresh. 

3. Max Factor Smooth Effect Foundation (£6.50, Fragrance Direct): I bought the shade 45 cream ivory from Tesco as it was reduced to £3.99 and I loved it but the shade was slightly off so I bought the lighter shade 40 Porcelain which is amazing. I adore this foundation, it is great for my dry skin, it has light-medium coverage (more on the medium side in my opinion), it doesn't look caky and you can't really see it on the skin. I would highly recommend this foundation and I will be buying a back up soon. 

4. Vaseline Paint the Town Lip Balm (£3.49): I bought this from Superdrug a few weeks ago and I have been using it quite a lot. It feels really smooth and moisturising on the lips and it adds a very pretty flush on colour to the lips which looks really natural but still noticeably pretty. 

5. Sleek Oh So Special palette (£7.99): I have been using this palette so much for all of my halloween looks and also during my normal makeup as the matte shades are great for everyday on the lids and I have been using them for my brows too. It is a great multi-use palette for halloween looks, everyday, smoky eyes and for dark brows too. I really want the au naturel palette now...

A couple of random beauty favourites: Fragrance direct online shop, Real Techniques eye brushes from the starter set and the Barry M creme foundation in white which again I used for most of my halloween looks.

What were your favourite beauty products of October? x

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October collective haul

Here are most of the beauty items I have bought over the month of October, there is also one item of clothing too. I did go to primark during october and I have a blog post on my buys, click here. All of the items in this haul have been bought from the Body Shop, Asos and H&M sales (and I used a couple of discount codes I found online). 

The Body Shop: The body shop started their sale about a week ago now when this is post but as I am writing this the sale has been going for a couple of days. I bought eight items (all full size) and I spent a grand total of £20.90 which is an amazing saving in my opinion. I bought two coconut baubles that you could hang on the christmas tree - they contain a 50ml body butter and a lip balm - they were only about £2.40 on sale and with my discount code. I also bought the Brazil nut body butter which I haven't tried before and it doesn't really smell of much but I like that and it feels really moisturising, it was £3. I also picked up the brazil nut body scrub which was £3 as well and I hate the smell - it doesn't smell like the body butter, it smells like a body scrub I have tried from the body shop before last christmas. My mum likes the smell though so she is going to have the scrub. 

I bought two things from the new Honey Mania range, the lip balm which is so cute in its little pot and the shower gel. The shower gel smells incredible, I have asked for the perfume for christmas. I bought a mini hand gel from the Absinthe range and finally I did buy a perfume, the Midnight Bakula EDT (50ml) which was about £5.50. It smells so nice, musky and spicy - it smells a bit different in the bottle than it does on the skin, it smells much nicer and spicier on the skin. I think it will be one of my go to perfumes for winter. I used the code 14319 to get an extra 40% off sale and non sale items! 

Fragrance Direct: I bought three items from Korres from Fragrance direct which has only just started to stock Korres products. I bought the silk milk conditioner for coloured hair and I love the packaging fo Korres products but the smell of this conditioner in the bottle is not very nice but I will have to see what it is like when I actually use it. I also bought the shea butter and vitamins hair mask from Korres which looks great and it has a pump too, can't wait to try it. Finally from Korres I bought the Ginger and vitamins foundation in the lighest shade they had, LF1 (I do not understand the korres shades ranges, it is a bit confusing). The shade is a bit too dark so I might try and mix it with my barry m white foundation. I haven't tried the foundation fully yet. I bought the amazing Max Factor Smooth Effect foundation in the shade 40 porcelain here too. Lastly, I did order two pots of the amazing pretty quik nail polish remover as they were only 99p but I was sent two eye lash curler instead! Not happy but I have contacted customer services and hopefully it will be resolved soon. 

H&M: Finally for H&M I bought this gorgeous nordic/scandinavian style jumper which I love so much! And a £1 manicure set from the sale and with delivery it should have been about £34 but I only paid about £22 with delivery. H&M is amazing for discount codes, just google 'h&m code 2013' and look for the codes available - I do this every time I order online as you can get money off most of the time. 

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