24 November 2015

Skincare Routine: How I Cleared Up My Acne


Ever since I was a little kid, I've always had problems with acne. It was just something I struggled with and was quite insecure about.  I used to have acne all over my face, especially on my cheeks, and it just wouldn't go away! So, let me tell you, I've tried my fair share of skincare products, trying to figure out which ones worked best for me. And as a disclaimer, I'd like to add that we all have different skin types, I have acne-prone, combination/oily skin, so not everything I use that works for me would also work perfectly for you, but these are the products that I've used and loved.

Here are some tips I live by for making my skin feel more alive:
  1.  One thing that I find really beneficial for my face is to let it breathe. Meaning trying to give it breaks and not use heavy makeup products everyday.  That really helps with letting your pores breathe and not get clogged.  
  2. Use a face primer, it seals your pores and makes the makeup look better while still creating a barrier between your skin and the makeup.
  3.  Go for a base-less makeup look. If you really want to put some makeup on, opt for some eye makeup and a nice pop of colour on the lips, and all-in-all just skip the face products! This will help you look put-together while still giving your skin the break it needs.
  4. No matter what you do, never sleep with makeup on. I'm sure you've heard everyone say that, and that's because it really is important! When we put makeup on, our skin absorbs the nasty chemicals in it, so removing your makeup every evening, like I've said too much in this post already, helps your skin to breathe
  5. Always be gentle and try to keep your skincare routine hydrating, this will help the skin be healthy, moisturized and less prone to taking in the bad chemicals found in products. 
  6. My last tip is don't stress over it. Of course we will all get breakouts every now and then, and till this day my skin isn't always clear, and that's 100% okay, so don't worry about it.
Here's what I use to (try to) maintain acne-free skin:


I use this Neutrogena Deep Clean Wash/Mask to remove all my makeup, it's one of thee greatest products I've ever used. I've tried a lot of different face washes from different brands, and even other products from Neutrogena, but this one is what I found worked best for me. I use it as a face wash, by wetting my face, then lathering this up in my hands and washing all the makeup away. It even works great with removing my mascara and eye makeup. One bonus thing about this product is that it also double up as a mask! So after a long week, I put this on my face and leave it on for about 5 minutes or until it dries up, then I wash it off and let me tell you, it's one of the best feelings ever! My skin feels so fresh and alive after I use this product. It's definitely a must-have in my skincare routine.


This is also a well-loved product of mine, the Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub by Lush Cosmetics. It's one of the greatest scrubs out there, and I know a lot of people swear by it. It's used for all skin types as well, however, opt for a more gentle scrub if you have really sensitive skin. I use this scrub gently on my face to remove any leftover dirt or dead skin, and it makes my face as smooth and bright as ever after. It also helps get rid of blackheads and allows the skin to feel almost refreshed after. I use this weekly, or twice a week, and it gets the job done perfectly. I surely recommend this!


After making my face feel amazing with that scrub, I go ahead and use this Dark Angels Face and Body Cleanser by, again, Lush Cosmetics. I got this cleanser not so long ago, but I've definitely been loving it. I have to say though, the only downside about it is that it can cause a mess, since charcoal and black sugar, as you can probably tell from the picture below, are one of it's main ingredients. Taking a piece of the cleanser, you add some water and mix the cleanser into a paste, which is very pleasing to do, massage it into your skin then wash it off. What does this cleanser do? For starters, it's perfect for my skin type, the oily and acne-prone skin. It helps in reducing the redness of the face and breakouts while leaving the skin glowing and hydrated. Love it! 


So that's all that I use for my face! You should also certainly moisturize your face after to keep it hydrated and loved. I exfoliate first using the scrub to open up my mores and let the cleanser do an even better job. 

I also wanted to add this in here, since it is somewhat considered skincare, right?

I use this Mint Julips Lip Scrub by (wow, what a shock!) Lush Cosmetics. Ahh, I can't tell you how much I love scrubbing my lips. I use this honestly whenever I feel like it. It's especially great to use before you apply any kind of matte lipstick, since it makes it look so much better on those soft lips. It removes the dead skin on your lips and leaves you with the softest, pinkiest, most kissable lips. I then use a lip balm, the one in the picture is an H&M lip butter I got ages ago, but any lip balm would work. 

Now I'm done, I promise! I hope this was helpful and you guys liked it. It was quite fun to write about my skincare routine, honestly. Let me know in the comments if you use any of these products, and what's your favorite skincare product? Thanks for reading!

15 November 2015

I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara

Mascaras are a big deal for me. I'm always searching for something that gives my lashes volume, length and just generally makes them look good. I don't always do eye shadow on my eyelids so most days, I let my mascara do the talking when it comes to my eyes. With that being said, one of my all-time favorite mascaras is this one right here; the I <3 Extreme Crazy Volume mascara by Essence cosmetics.


 I can't say enough about this mascara, it definitely gets the job done! It has a nice plastic brush which helps you add the volume you need.  It gives my lashes the push-up they need, and that's without even using an eyelash curler before hand! This mascara basically puts the life back into those little hairs, adding the much-needed black pigment, and makes my whole makeup look that much better, as you can see from the before and after pictures below.



Another bonus is that this mascara is so affordable, and for such an important product in my makeup stash, I'm thankful for that. Haha. When I have the slightest doubt that I'm about to run out of my old mascara, or if it dries out, I immediately go ahead and repurchase a backup of it. I just can't have it missing from my collection!

Overall, would I recommend this mascara? 100%. For starters, it's doesn't break your bank. And more importantly, it's one heck of a mascara. Definitely one of the best I've used, if not the best.

Have you tried this product? What's your favorite mascara?

9 November 2015

What's on my iPhone: My Must-have Apps


I love my phone, and let's be real, it's a big part of my day. Not just for the social media, for that matter, but I love using my phone for productivity as well. So today, I decided to gather up some of my favorite, must-have apps to share with you guys.




I just want to point out that my phone is an iPhone 6 Plus in Gold and my phone case is a gold, mirrored one that I got from Virgin Megastores in Dubai by a brand called Laut. They have some of the coolest cases!  



Side note: my phone wallpaper is one I found through Pinterest here.



Wunderlist:
I actually just started using this app a few days ago, but it's one worth sharing. It's an app that helps you stay on track with your to-do list to make sure you're staying productive. You can add notes, set due-dates, and the best part is, you can sync it with all your devices, even your laptop! You just download the app to your laptop and you have your checklists whenever or wherever you need them.



Muslim Pro:
This app, I'm in love with! It's all you need as a Muslim in one app. Everything from the Holy Quran, the Qibla, the local prayer times, to the Islamic calendar.. You just have it all in one place. It also has some prayers to say for whatever the situation you're in, which always helps me when I need it. Couldn't recommend this app enough!



Forza:
This is a bit out of the blue, but since I'm a football-lover, this app is one of my favorites! For all you football fans out there, you can stay on track with your favorite football teams, match times, and live updates during the match itself. Cool, huh? 





Merriam-Webster:
I just added this in here because it's a life-saver when you least expect it. It's basically an offline dictionary, for when you want to lookup the meaning of a word on-the-go. There's nothing really special about this app, but it's one I need to have on my phone!



8tracks:
If you're a music-fanatic like me, you'll love this app. It's one I use all the time to discover new music.. What you do is you just open the app, type in what mood you're in right now, or what type of genre you want to be listening to, and it'll bring up millions of playlists tailored to your search. It's also available as a website, so if you're on your laptop, open it up and listen to some cool tunes. 



I hope you enjoyed this post, it was definitely fun to make. Let me know if you use any of these apps, if not, would you want to use 'em? Thanks for reading!

5 November 2015

Fall Lipsticks

In my opinion, lip colours definitely make a statement, whether you're more of a bold, dark lip kind of girl, or you prefer to let the attention go to your eye makeup and so, you choose the subtle, nude lips. Whichever the case, I've got you covered! I gathered a bunch of my favorite lip colours for this time of the year to share with you guys.


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First off, the infamous Twig lipstick by Mac, which I mentioned in my previous post, my October favorites. It's definitely on the top of my favorites list, since I always gravitate towards it.


Here's one that I recently tried out and fell in love with, the NYX lipstick in the shade MLS22 - Strawberry Daiquiri. This is such a good, affordable lippie! It's so pigmented, long-lasting, and it's definitely matte. Best part is, it's comfortable to wear and doesn't dry out my lips. Love this and I'm definitely going to be trying out more lipstick shades from NYX.


Excuse the horrifying packaging/picture. Honestly, I put this in here purely because it's the only dark lipstick shade that I own. I'm not a bold lipstick wearer.. I rarely go out with red lips, let alone these dark, black/deep purple shades, which is why I don't own many of these shades. I got this H&M lipstick in the shade Up All Night ages ago just for fun, and I'm pretty sure they even stolled making these. It's definitely not the best out there but I enjoy playing around with the colour every now and then. If you're looking for a dark matte lip which is similar to this shade, I suggest you try out the Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipstick in the shade Potion or for a more affordable choice, the NYX soft matte lip cream in the shade Transylvania. I've heard great reviews about both.

On a side note, H&M just came out with a totally new makeup line, and so far, I've heard nothing but good reviews about the new products. I can't wait to try some of them and tell you how I feel.


And finally, this is for when I want the eye makeup to do the talking, I go for a nude lip. Here, my choice is the Essence lipstick in the shade 05 Dare To Be Nude. I mentioned before that I love Essence's lipsticks/lipliners and I'm saying it again. This lipstick is really creamy and has a good pigmentation to it. It's just a pretty good choice to go for when hou'rs looking for a nude choice. 

So that's it for this post, I hope you guys enjoyed it and liked the products. Let me know in the comments what you might want to see next! Thanks for reading, loves x

1 November 2015

October Favorites

It's that time of the month! Yep, you guessed it (or did you?)... Monthly favorites! October has been a hectic month since I had my GCSEs and had a lot of studying to do, which is what took up most of the month for me. But luckily, after I was done with those, I had a couple of days to enjoy the rest of the month freely! And let me tell you, catching up on my favorite TV Shows has been so much fun! I started watching House of Cards the other day, still just 3 episodes in, but so far so good! Honestly, TV shows are life.

Alright now let's get to the point of this post! Here are some of the things I loved this month:

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This Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water has been a go-to this past month. It's just such an easy way to get rid of your makeup, especially eye makeup, before using your facial cleanser to properly clean your face. I heard that this is a dupe from the infamous Bioderma makeup removing thing.. (No idea what it's called to be honest). I personally haven't tried the one by Bioderma so I can't give my personal opinion about it, but this Garnier one definitely does get the job done! 


Next up, the Wet n Wild eye shadow trio in Silent Treatment. I love this because it's so easy to use, since there are only three shades and each one is labelled 'Brow bone', 'Crease' and 'Eyelid' so you can't go wrong with it. It's also suitable for traveling, so if you're in a rush just pop it in your makeup bag with some eye brushes and you can get your eye makeup sorted on the way. Wet n Wild eye shadow trios are pretty good in general. Love 'em.


I can't tell you how much I love this MAC lipstick in the shade Twig. It's such a pretty color. It has a satin finish and goes perfectly with every makeup look/outfit I happen to choose, so whenever I have no idea what lipstick to go for, I pick this one! 


Another lip product I've been loving, not only this month, but for as long as I've started using it, is this Essence lipliner in the shade 12 Wish Me a Rose. It's this lovely nude-y soft pink kind of color, it's gorgeous! Essence lipliners are creamy and really easy to apply, and they have some of the most beautiful shades! And they're so affordable, I definitely recommend you try them out, you just can't go wrong with these.


I wrote about this Bourjois eyebrow pencil in the shade 07 Noisette in my last post, which was a 5-Minute Makeup Look. It gives a nice natural look to the eyebrows and it's the perfect shade for my hairs, I just love it!


Lastly, this is one of my favorite perfumes! It's the Alien perfume by Thierry Mugler, which was a birthday gift to me by my amazing best friend. I've had my eyes on it for so long since it was listed as one of the best long-lasting perfume, which is true, it's the perfect blend between amber, woods and vanilla. So good.

I also wanted to add a favorite song of mine for this month, which I have to say is The Beach by The Neighbourhood, one of my favorite bands of all-time. Honestly I won't talk about this song too much, but I just genuinely love it. And I listen to a lot, and I mean a lot, of songs, so to pick one out of all these great tunes, is saying something!

So that's it, folks! I hope you enjoyed this post. Have you tried any of these products? What are some of your October favorites? Let me know in the comments. Oh, and don't forget to follow the blog to stay tuned for future posts! Thanks for reading x 



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