Serious About Serums

Beauty

I’ve been manifesting so much recently and it is changing my life – shout out to Francesca Amber and Law of Attraction Changed my Life Podcast! I spend so much time watching stuff on my phone that actually that isn’t going to make me rich and successful. What do we get from looking at so much on our phones 24/7? Anyways, I am not here to tell you how rich and successful I am going to be (or am!). I am getting back onto blogging because those whole 3 blogs I did, I really enjoyed every minute so I have no idea why I stopped. I’m going to blame COVID because it’s the excuse of the world right now.

I want to talk about serums and if you’re serious about skincare, then you need to be serious about serums! Serums are what is going to give you results. They are a thinner, stronger concentrate of ingredients which deal with the shit your moisturiser won’t. Wrinkles? Get a serum. Pigmentation? Get a serum. Dull skin? Get a serum.

You get the idea. Get a serum. Cleanse, tone, SERUM, moisturise. Serums don’t replace your moisturiser, understand?

Serums are expensive, but that’s because they do what they say they do. Ok I’m not saying every serum is going to give you insane results because it may take you some time to find your holy grail, but they will give you much better results than a moisturiser on it’s own. They deliver powerful ingredients deep within the skin, penetrating further than your moisturiser.

Serums treat your concern, moisturisers treat your type.

My top picks!

Estee Lauder Advance Night Repair

The UK’s number 1 selling serum! Although don’t be confused by the word ‘night’, this is to be use morning AND night! The formula is patented until 2033 meaning no other company can copy it’s formula so this baby is one of a kind! It is suitable for all skin types and is oil free meaning those oily gals don’t need to fear it. It tackles all skincare concerns such as ageing, uneven skin tone, dryness, loss of firmness etc etc etc. IT DOES EVERYTHING.

Honestly though, I have a love hate relationship with this serum. For me, it’s fragrance free and I live for a product with oozes boujee’ness. When I come to the end of a bottle, I don’t miss it. But then when I get another bottle, I love it again. We have a rocky relationship, it’s nothing personal, there’s just other serums which I prefer and LOVE.

Price starts from £60 for a 30ml which is expensive but it tackles everything you need a serum to tackle so for me, I think it’s great value for money!

Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum

OH. MY. GOD. My favourite serum in the whole god damn world. I feel emotional when this comes to the end. It smells like I am smothering my face in cold, juicy, fresh oranges which wakens the skin and makes you feel SO fresh and clean. It combines exfoliating acids to help remove dead skin cells and vitamin C which brightens the skins revealing a brighter complexion from the first use. It also contains banana powder inspired pigments which help protect the skin against pollution and assists in the brightening process. If your skin is dull, tired and needs a kick of hydration, then this needs to hit your basket right this second!

50ml is £53 which is a STEAL.

Pixi Clarifying Serum

If you suffer from breakouts, this is the serum for you. It contains salicylic acid which tackles those little bitches that aren’t welcome on your face.

I use this when I’m having a breakout hormonal camp out on my chin. It is generally quite rapid at clearing up the area when I apply 3/4 times over a period of 2 days.

For £26 for 30ml, it really isn’t a bad price for a product to become your breakout hero product. Deffo one to keep with the time of the month products for sure! They do a whole range of clarifying products in the Pixi range which I haven’t tried but given this product has delivered what it promised, I would be intrigued to try the other products in the range!

Elizabeth Arden Capsules

I’m yet to find a serum as silky smooth as Elizabeth Arden. Honestly, it’s like applying liquid silk to the skin. They do a range of different capsules such as vitamin C, ceramides and Hyaluronic Acid. The only issue for me is the capsules are a little bit gimmicky and a faff. I mean just put it in a bottle and be done with the capsules.

I have tried the vitamins C, the ceramide youth activating and the hyaluronic acid capsules and LOVE them all. My skin feels fresh and brighter after the first use and I will not be without them. No7 recently brought out a similar concept but they didn’t do it for me. I felt they dragged and was like putting glue on my skin. I went straight back to the Elizabeth Arden version because for me, they’re a 10/10.

They are around £73 for 60 capsules which if you use it twice a day, that’s only a months worth. I tend to use these in the evening and another serum in the morning just because I can’t justify a £73 monthly expenditure on one serum (especially when I like all the range!!)

Wishful Thirst Trap Juice Serum

Wishful was created by Huda Kattan who founded Huda Beauty. It’s the skincare range which has really taken off! This serum was created because Wishful released a face mask called Thirst Trap Cocoon mask which quickly hydrated skin in just 15 minutes. People went crazy for the serum that infused the mask so Huda launched a bottle of the stuff in its pure form, no mask needed!

I bought this because I just love products that hydrate my skin and for £43 for 30ml, it was worth trying! Its infused with hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and hollyhock rose which really gives your skin a drink of the good stuff, leaving you with plumped, hydrated glowing skin! This is your perfect winter serum!!

No7 Protect and Perfect

So this product shot to fame in 2009 when I appeared on a BBC programme. It had been shown to effectively reduce wrinkles and leave your skin feeling and looking firmer in 2 weeks – pretty insane claims for a product as cheap as this! It contains antioxidant complex which helps protect the skin against future ageing as well as pro-retinol which supports the skin’s renewal process to reduce the appearance of ageing.

For £25.95 (and usually on 3 for 2), this product has stats which shows it delivers and is a perfect start for a first time serum user. The product goes on the skin nicely and does soak in without leaving a sticky finish! My only downside to this product is that it is in a tube so there is no control on how much you actually use!

The Ordinary

As a brand in general, these are brilliant and one serum I will ALWAYS have with me is the hyaluronic acid 2%. It’s priced at £5.90 and is one of the highest (and deffo the cheapest) percentages of HA on the market. If you want basic skincare that just does what it needs to do, then ordinary is your gal.

Niacinamide is great for reducing pores. Alpha Arbutin is great for pigmentation. Buffet is a cocktail of different ingredients to target ageing and caffeine solution is great for reducing dark circles. You can pick these up for a couple of ££ each and layer them to target your concerns. It is recommended you do not combine vitamin C and niacinamide just because they effectively cancel each other out and is therefore a big fat waste off your hard earned dollar!

I’m always looking out for a new serum to try just because there is a vast amount on the market! These are a few that I have tried and tested and learnt to love. I’m yet to try a Clinique serum which is surprising given how much I LOVE the brand! Maybe I’ll add that to my next shopping list…

Let this be your sign to go and treat yourself to a serum and report back to me the results!

Good luck!

Skincare for Beginners

Beauty

I need to give myself more credit than I do. I get messages all the time from friends and family (and some through recommendations from friends) for skincare advice. You’re asking me? Seriously?

Maybe it’s because I’ve always wondered if anyone would ask me for advice on something and what it would feel like, now I’m like woah! It’s a nice feeling knowing you can give advice and be confident about it!

So skincare. Where to begin!

Did you know your skin isn’t down to just genetics? 🧬 How many times do you hear oh they must have good genes! Yes it makes up some of your beautiful skin, but only 25% of it. 75% is down to environmental factors which can be controlled by YOU. Look after your skin!!

Let’s talk products!

There are hundreds and thousands of products on the market which can be overwhelming. I see so many customers starting aimlessly at the skincare aisle wonder wtf they are even looking for.

Identifying your skin type is the first step to finding products that suit your skin…

Normal — lucky you! You find your skin just likes you. It needs little attention and doesn’t scream for any particular product. You’re one of a few, my friend.

Oily — you find your skin feels oily, especially in the t-zone and you suffer regular breakouts. A matte product can be your best friend and finding make up which keeps the oil at bay is a challenge in itself. BUT guess what?! You age much slower than other skin types (you hear that, normal skin type?!) yep. We << as I fall in this category << are blessed with skin that may drip with oil but we will thank when we’re wrinkle free at 60 (LOL).

Combination — you have an oily t-zone with dry cheeks, not ideal. Your pores appear more visible in the t-zone.

Dry — your skin is thirsty!!! It craves a drink. It can tend to be worse in winter when it becomes cold and windy outside. You have dry patches or experience flaking skin throughout the day. When you wash your face, your skin can feel tight, itchy or dried. Don’t worry, we can fix this!!

Sensitive — your skin suffers from redness or irritation after using new products or products with fragrance. If you suffer from rosacea, eczema or psoriasis, this is your category. Avoid a heavily fragranced product, RUN! We need all the fragrance free goods to keep your skin in tip top condition.

Now you’ve established your skin type, you will find all of a sudden, the skincare aisle aren’t overwhelming and you can target products for your skin.

BUT… what products do I even need?

Well I’ll cover each category in a blog post but to get you started, here is how my skincare routine looks… honestly it sounds like a lot of effort but those 10 minutes I look forward to every day as it’s a little bit of me time!!

1. Cleanse – TWICE! First removes the dirt the second gets deep into the pores.

2. Tone – Either a AHA/BHA lotion (which is an exfoliating stage) or a lotion like (Origins Mega Mushrooms 🍄 Soothing Lotion )

3. Eye cream — ring finger and pat upwards ⬆️

4. Serum – always ALWAYS use a serum. They penetrate quicker and deeper into the skin

5. Moisture with niacinamide topical powder (MUST have for everyone The Ordinary Niacinamide Topical Powder )- mix them together and apply all over

6. SPF — I use factor 50. Higher the better in my opinion! (What I’m currently using and loving Vichy Capital Soleil Mattifying Cream )

For nighttime, I would use a different moisturiser but still with the niacinamide powder (unless the moisturiser already contains it).

Instead of an SPF, at this stage I’ll apply an oil. Oils are always the last step in skincare. I alternate between a Retinol 1% and a 100% Organic Rose Hip Seed Oil.

My routine can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to skincare or you don’t have the budget to spend £££ on lots of products! But there are so many great products on the market that are reasonably priced allowing you to get an amazing skincare routine which is kind on the purse too!

A great skincare routine which combines my 6/7 steps into a 3 step routine is the NEW Fenty skincare range. A perfect starter set for newbies!

Love

Carly

💛

Another Beauty Blog?

Beauty, Makeup, Uncategorized

There are probably way over 1,000,000 beauty bloggers and I’m about to become the 1,000,001th one. You’re welcome.

I’m Carly. I recently landed my DREAM job at Boots. I can hear you laugh from here, because lets face it, who lands their dream job in retail? Where you have targets to meet, people to greet, standing on your feet all day and asking if you have a Boots card 459 times a day.

Well actually, that would be me. I am a Boots Beauty Specialist and I absolutely love it. I get to talk to people all day about something I am super passionate about, play with beauty all day and get a couple of freebies along the way. Now tell me this wouldn’t be your dream job?

I get to work alongside some of the worlds best brands such as Liz Earle, Clinique, Estee Lauder and Huda Beauty. We get to try the products and talk about them all day to customers who want to be in the beauty game. Whether it’s a teen looking for the most talked about Ordinary product at £4 or a 46 year old wanting to buy all the luxe beauty care with no budget, finding products to suit my customer is such a fun job to have.

And the best part isn’t getting to try all the products for me, it is when the customer returns to tell me that they loved my recommendations and they’re looking for more products or a replenish – I got your back sistaa!

So lets wind it back, how did I get into this job?

If you would have said to me 5 years ago I’ll be in the beauty game working for boots and have my own freelance make up company, I would have lauged the same way you laughed when I told you about my dream job at Boots. I worked in law for years (!!) working towards my law degree and sitting in an office 9-5 Monday to Friday. Something just niggled me that I couldn’t see myself in this career for the rest of my life. I loved the whole dressing up for the office and going to conferences, but that was it really. Having clients all over the country meant most of your communication was over the phone or email. There was little face to face interaction and I just lost the passion.

A few personal things happened in my life and I became a stay at home mum of 2 gorgeous boys. Fast forward to 2019, I began to hate my stay-at-home status. I did social media for a company but I missed having a purpose to leave the house. A purpose to turn up at work and be accounted for.

I’ve always had a passion for beauty, always looking for the next beauty product be it make-up or skincare. So my amazing husband suggested I go into make-up. We would find a course for me to do and go from there. After Christmas, that’s exactly what I did. I went on a course, watching loads of tutorials and spend £££ on building my kit. I bought my domain, set up my social media and before I knew it, I had several brides enquire with me!

But that wasn’t the solution to me leaving the house and having a purpose. So I had a look if there was any beauty jobs available in retail. It would give me the purpose, the training and the enjoyment of doing what I am passionate about everyday. Which is how I came across the Boots job. 20 minutes from my home, part time hours so I could be around for the boys.

And here I am, 3 months into my dream job! So expect lots of product reviews, tips and everything in between. If there is anything you want to know that I don’t cover, let me know!

Now, about that maskne…