My Autumn Essentials

Hello everybody ^_^ I hope you’re all well. Uni has really started to take it’s toll on me, hence the lack of posts. I think more than anything it’s the lack of light and less time for photography which is adding to this dilemma! Anyway’s the clocks are turning this weekend so hopefully that extra hour will help us bloggers out a little ^_^ I wanted to make a little post about the things I think are Autumn Essentials, on we go;

A lip balm that actually works

There are tonnes of lip balms on the market, but for autumn everyone needs one that actually does what it is supposed to do. I’m currently using up a pot of carmex which I got with a glossy box, and it works pretty well. My ultimate favourite, however is the blistex one (reviewed here).

Berry/Brown hues for the lips

Everytime autumn rolls around people dig out their favourite berry shades, and I’m usually not an exception to this - albeit picking sheerer tones. This year I’ve leaned more heavily towards the 90’s inspired brown tones and mauvey shades. Two of my favourites are Essence’s XXXL longlasting Lip Gloss in MATT effect - 06. This is a beautiful dusty rose/mauve shade and I would describe the finish as more of a velvet kind than matt. It feels pretty moisturising and suits most looks, so it’s a total winner for me!

The second one I’ve been loving is a new release from Rimmel London, their new Provocalips in the shade Make your move. I will be reviewing this real soon hence the lack of swatch, but it is the most PERFECT longlasting lip product I have ever come across. Ever. Oh and it’s not drying! I also adore their lip liner in the shade Spice. It’s extremely flattering for women of colour, and mix between the Kylie G and 90s lip, well worth picking up!

Zoya Polish in ‘Aubrey’

I was kindly gifted this Zoya polish in Aubrey* and quickly fell in love with the shade. I don’t think they could have picked a more ME shade actually! My favourite colour of all time to wear on my nails is purple, and this is such a complimentary shade for olive skintones. The formula is just what I would expect from a quality brand like Zoya (which is toxin free) and it lasted a decent 4 days before I had any chips which I was very pleased with ^_^

Also when writing this post it just hit me that Drake’s first name is Aubrey so every time I apply this now I’ll probably be humming a Drizzy tune haha.

A Slightly shimmery blush

What is it about this time of the year that makes skin look a little dull? The lack of sunlight, the cold weather or maybe the business of Uni having started. Whatever it is, picking a blusher that has a satin finish, or even a tiny bit of shimmer is a really easy way to bring some life into your face again! People tend to shy away from anything shimmer, and that’s how I felt about the Illamasqua blush in Allure for the longest time, however once blended in with the RT duo-fibre contour brush, it really gives a gorgeous glow to the skin and you can barely see the shimmer unless you’re like 5cm away from my face. Plus the shade is PERFECT for autumn, a stunning dusty rose/mauve which looks like meh in the pan, but amazing on the skin! 

L’Occitane Hand cream

I have a large bottle of the Soap& Glory hand food on my desk so whenever I sit down to do some work I give my hands a bit of TLC. I’ve had this since last December and it’s still going strong, so do check it out this year when they have their amazing 3for2 sales on! I also love having a tube of hand-cream in my bag. At the moment I have the L’Occitane one which I got free with a mag a while back, (and I believe there’s another magazine out right now that’s offering a similar bottle!) and not only is the packaging pretty, but it smells delightful and is non-greasy too.

New Balance 373

These have been the best shoe investment this year. They’re super comfy and make commuting a breeze. Especially when waiting around for the bus to come, sometimes I’m standing for half an hour and so I need to have shoes that give my feet the VIP treatment every time ;D plus they’re so classic and go with the whole old-school vibe of brown lips rather well. I’m a comfort over style person 99% of the time, and if you’re on the market for comfy versatile trainers I’d really recommend picking these up.

due to not possessing the swaggy skills of fblogger I have no decent photo, sorreh

Those are the things that I have been using time and time again this autumn, and each of them I think you should would like too.

Have you got any Autumn Essentials? I’d love to read what they are ^_^

P.S Due to the rubbish lighting I thought I’d snazz these photos up with some filters and whatnot from picmonkey. Turns out the snazzing got a little outta control, I hope this doesn’t become a habit._.

Thanks for reading!

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My Autumn Essentials

Hello everybody ^_^ I hope you’re all well. Uni has really started to take it’s toll on me, hence the lack of posts. I think more than anything it’s the lack of light and less time for photography which is adding to this dilemma! Anyway’s the clocks are turning this weekend so hopefully that extra hour will help us bloggers out a little ^_^ I wanted to make a little post about the things I think are Autumn Essentials, on we go;

Current Night Skincare Routine

Hello ladies! A couple of months back I shared my morning skincare routine (read here), and today I’ll be discussing the items I’ve been using recently at night. As I said before this is the first year I even started a skincare routine, and so I’m switching things up pretty often. This is why every now and again I’ll be sharing the items I’m using ^_^

I also want to mention that skincare is SO important. A lot more so than you may realise at first, but without a good bareskin base it’s hard to achieve an even finish with makeup on top. The best way to address what YOU need for your skin is to think about the issues your skin has, is it blemish prone? Oily? Dry? Dehydrated?

Personally my skin was normal/dry and sits now more on normal because I’ve consistently been using moisturising products, oils and just generally taking care of my skin! I also have uneven pigmentation and very dark circles. Aside from that I have been blessed with fairly decent skin so do keep that in mind, what works for me may/may not work for you.

A few weeks ago I picked up this adorable cake stand from Sainsburys. It was on sale and I’ve been obsessed with the whole heart theme recently, so I knew it would be perfect for my dressing table! I like to keep all my little current skincare bits and bobs on here, not only are they all in one place and easily accessible,  but they match the heart shaped bowls that keep my current rotation all together. Of course I can’t keep EVERYTHING on here, like the larger bottles, but it works well for pots and tubes. (Also they’re generally lying down, contrary to this photo haha).

For under my eyes I have been using 100% sweet almond oil, which I discussed in a post recently. I have heard that this specific oil is good for dark circles, and with continuous use over the past month I have noticed a slight reduction! However I’m not making any wild claims, I have trouble sleeping often and so my dark circles are pretty much a never ending battle...we shall see if there are any differences in a few months!

If you’ve ever read up about the benefits of Olive oil you will know that it has a tonne of uses and SAO is just as awesome. So much so that I have been using a few drops of this as replacement over moisturiser for the night time, just lightly patting it into my cheeks and forehead. I have normal/dry skin and since using this instead of a moisturiser I have been waking up with plump, hydrated skin. I would also happily use this as a cleanser too, because its 100% natural and super nourishing! I can’t say enough good things about the OCM, but do be sure to research a little into it as it has changed people’s skin for the better (and saves a heap of money too).

Around my mouth/upper lip area I have some colouration/uneven pigmentation. I think is pretty natural, however I also have a hunch that my skin was coloured for a long while by using a facial bleach D: Before I started threading the upper-lip area, I used to bleach it and lets just say facial or not, that stuff can be very strong! I’m not sure if I applied it for too long or perhaps too often, but I do think it left lasting pigment.

The only thing I could think of, that targets uneven skin tone which I could think of was Bio-Oil. Now I know that this is great for stretch marks, and it’s probably not the most gentle oil to apply to facial skin because I hear it contains mineral oil. However I have just been applying two drops every night, directly over the upper lip/mouth area on my face and much to my delight the results have been amazing! I would say it’s faded by 85% which really blew me away. This was such a ground-breaking product for me because it means I have less concealing to do and I can get away with one layer of my base too.

For blemishes and redness I took a chance with Superdrug deep action anti-blemish gel and because it was so cheap, to be quite honest I didn’t have high hopes. However it has reduced the redness around my nose slightly, and it’s also somehow calmed down spots/red areas. For such a small price tag, this 15ml tube is pretty awesome!

A very recent addition to my night routine is this Pearl Drops Beauty Sleep Overnight Serum  which I bought on a whim. I will report back if there is any noticeable difference, and indeed if I even remember to use it regularly! It’s pretty self explanatory but y’know a gel for the teeth to whiten them, a must attempt for tea lover.

For lips recently I’ve just been using my classic carmex moisturising lip balm which I got in a glossy box. I think its a decent lip balm, with a slight tingling sensation, a thin consistency but still managing to add moisture. I don’t feel like its the best for overnight, as I don’t wake up with super soft lips and all in all I still prefer my blistex to this, but like I said it does the job!

And that is it for my night-time routine! I am currently using up my makeup removers from The Body Shop and Garnier, both brands I will not be purchasing from again because they both support Israel’s war crimes (or are unfortunately owned by a super brand that does). I know this is a bit of a random selection but these are what have been working well for me lately.

Have you been tried any of these? and also do you use any oils in your night time routine?

Thanks for reading!

 Follow Via Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Follow on Instagram | Like The Blushing Giraffe on Facebook

Current Night Skincare Routine

Hello ladies! A couple of months back I shared my morning skincare routine (read here), and today I’ll be discussing the items I’ve been using recently at night. As I said before this is the first year I even started a skincare routine, and so I’m switching things up pretty often. This is why every now and again I’ll be sharing the items I’m using ^_^

I also want to mention that skincare is SO important. A lot more so than you may realise at first, but without a good bareskin base it’s hard to achieve an even finish with makeup on top. The best way to address what YOU need for your skin is to think about the issues your skin has, is it blemish prone? Oily? Dry? Dehydrated?

Personally my skin was normal/dry and sits now more on normal because I’ve consistently been using moisturising products, oils and just generally taking care of my skin! I also have uneven pigmentation and very dark circles. Aside from that I have been blessed with fairly decent skin so do keep that in mind, what works for me may/may not work for you.