ANOTHER HOLY GRAIL PRODUCT- INDIAN HEALING CLAY MASK

I LOVE FACE MASKS, but often find a lot of them do not do what they claim to be able to do. As I have fairly sensitive skin I have to be careful with what products I use- it takes me a while to trust certain brands. So I was searching for a new face mask to really focus on clearing my pores around my nose- after some googling I found out about the AZTEC SECRET Indian Healing Clay. So many people had written really positive reviews online so I ordered straight away- only £13.60 for a pound of clay (which is amazing value!). The product is organic (and contains no additives, no fragrances, no animal products and hasn't been tested on animals) and apparently Cleopatra used to use similar clay masks to keep her skin clear - back in the day (haha!)
The product comes in powder form and you can either create the face mask by mixing it with water or raw apple cider vinegar- I chose water.
One of the main tag lines this products has is "feel your face pulsate"- when I first applied this mask onto my skin I totally got this feeling! You literally feel like your face is pulsating, which can be quite irritating and itchy at times but at least you know it's actually doing something on your skin. The company proudly states this product itself as the world's most powerful facial- which I would agree with, my skin felt and looked so much softer after having the mask on for half an hour (they recommend 10 minutes but I put a thick layer of clay on). Even though after application my face was slightly red (which the company states is normal because the product draws blood flow towards your the surface of your face), my skin went back to it's normal shade after around 20 minutes.

To make the mask with water, I would suggest adding the powder to a bowl (cannot be metal) then adding drops of water until you get a thick clay consistency- don't worry about lumps in the mask, it all dries the same way on the face. Apply the mask with your fingers evenly and leave for 10-30 minutes or until the whole mask has dried and starts to crack. This type of mask feels very tight on the skin (which I personally love) and dries to a hard shell on the face. But once the mask has been removed by using a damp face towel, you can see the difference in your skin straight away.
My main issue is small pimples on my cheeks, no word of a lie, this mask reduces the appearance of these pimples a million percent,  also the pores around the nose feel and look clearer- such an improvement!

Not only can this be used as a face mask- it can be used for body wraps, clay baths, foot soaks and insect bites. I like multi use products like these- you're saving more money by having one product that does the job of many.
I couldn't recommend this face mask more and I wish I had known about it sooner- I use this every week but its so gentle that you can use it daily.  It has quickly become a holy grail product in my collection, so cheap and so beneficial for my skin. I believe the product doesn't go off
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SIMPLE KIND TO SKIN- DAILY ROUTINE

I wish someone had told me how amazing Simple products are years ago. I can't imagine using anything else after using these for the past month or so. I have slightly sensitive skin so I have been using the Simple body wash for a couple of years now, but never broadened out to their facial skincare range. After Christmas, Boots were selling Simple gift sets off really cheap, I decided to buy a couple, just to try them out. I made a hell of a saving, grabbing a 3 product gift set for £5, while the products would normally cost around £12 combined! These products are often on offer in the usual supermarkets and drugstores, I always wait for them to be on offer before buying a bulk (after all I am a university student with a tight budget!)

Here's my daily skin routine with these amazing products:

Simple Purifying Cleansing Lotion: 

Scentless, natural and moisturising, everything you would want in a face lotion. I usually relied on the basic cheap eye make up removers and often ending up having puffy stingy eyes due to my fairly sensitive skin.  But this lotion is so refreshing on the skin and has no nasty after effect on my eyes. Another great thing about this product is how little you need to use to cover the whole face, a bottle of this cleanser has lasted me months. Most importantly, it does a really good job of removing layers of make-up easily, there's no need to scrub the skin with this product. It glides on the skin and gently removes the impurities.

Simple Soothing Facial Toner:

All of the toners I have ever used have included alcohol, causing my skin to be really clear but giving my skin tiny surface pimples from the formula. I thought these pimples were normal for my skin, but after using this toner, they disappeared in less than a week.  I can't put into words how much I love this toner, it does an amazing job of cleaning my skin without being too harsh. The formula is kind to eyes, as well as skin, it does a really good job at wiping away any dirt on my face from the day. The product is also very cooling on the skin, which is so refreshing after a long day, just before I'm about to go to sleep.

Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser:

Heavy moisturisers stress me out, I hate how clogged up my skin feels after using them. I have been searching for a moisturiser that is not only really moisturising but light on the skin too. I use this product daily now, it leaves my skin feeling moisturised and soft also. The product is cheap, plus the bottle lasts ages and doesn't need replacing often. I often rub this product on my neck as well as my face, when using this overnight, my face always feels so fresh, non-greasy and soft in the morning (and ready for a full face of make-up!) I know there is a Simple Night Cream, that I am yet to try, but there will be a review when I do! But for now, this product moisturises my skin really well, day and night, which works perfectly for me.

Combining these 3 products together as my skincare routine has drastically improved the condition of my skin, little pimples are no longer appearing on my skin, my skin feels less clogged up and more refreshed. For the price you are paying for these products, they do an amazing job while still being kind to the skin.
You can purchase these products from most supermarkets and drugstores. Visit Simple's website here.

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(All photos are my own)

NAKED 2 vs W7 IN THE BUFF

I spent so long staying away from eyeshadow, relying on just winged eyeliner, which I still do now and then. But as we all know, eyeshadow brings so much definition to the eye and brings so much more attention to the eye area. I had heard so many good things about the Urban Decay Naked Palettes. After a long period of research into what each palette offered, I decided the Naked 2 palette was the one that I would get the most use out of. The Naked 2 palette is more cool toned which would suit my skin, I also thought the colours were more beautiful than the Naked 1 palette. I found a perfect dupe online, the W7 In The Buff palette, which is a fraction of the Naked palette price at £7.50. It has almost identical eyeshadow colours to the Naked 2 palette so I thought it would be perfect to try out the Naked 2 colours before spending nearly £40 on the Urban Decay palette.

Urban Decay Naked 2 

After spending 4 months using the W7 palette, I upgraded to the one and only Naked 2 palette. The packaging is beautiful and sleek, a sturdy metal case (17 grams roughly) but doesn't feel clunky, it also comes with a huge mirror inside the case. The brush is amazing quality, a soft double ended brush including a thick and thin brush. The brushes do an amazing job of blending and feel super soft on the eye during application. In the Naked 2 palette, the colour are more beautiful than they are in W7 palette, they blatantly are much better quality than the W7 palette, with better pigment and shadows that last forever on the eyes (especially used with the legendary Urban Decay Primer Potion). These shadows blend easier, look better and are so much easier to use, due to the better range of colours. I use this palette everyday without fail, I adore this product and I am always discovering new ways to use the shades in the pan. This is perfect for a simple but beautiful and classic cut crease, I have been been testing cut creases out with all different shadows in the palette, receiving so many compliments from others after doing so.  Despite costing a lot of money, in my eyes, it is worthwhile, I have got so much use out of it and it comes with so many beautiful colours that can be suitable for any skin tone. The shadows offer so much pigment that it takes a long time to use up each shade.

W7 In The Buff 

The palette's packaging is a metal case, it's sturdy (around 15 grams) and is very protective for the eyeshadows inside, but it doesn't come with a built in mirror (gutted!). The brush that comes with the palette is pretty useless to me, with a sponge applicator at one end and a brush at the other. The brush felt rough on my lids, this may be due to my sensitive eyes. I resulted to using my Real Techniques eye shadow brush, which is feels softer on my lids. The formula of the shadow itself has a soft feel but it takes longer to build up on the lid. Once it has built up, it gives a really nice colour. The wear doesn't as long as I would like, before the end of the day, it had started to rub off. The palette gave me the opportunity to grow to love all the shades in the Naked palette, even though they are an exact match, and discovering different techniques on how to blend the shades and creating new looks. But I did notice in this palette that a lot of the shades looked different in the pan, looked very similar on the eye, which I didn't find when I started using the Naked 2 palette. After experimentation, I found that when these shadows are used with a good primer (Urban Decay Primer Potion is one I would recommend), they last the day. Very impressed with this eyeshadow palette for how cheap it is, such a bargain.

(top-Naked 2, bottom- W7 In The Buff)

Overall, for me, the obvious winner is the Urban Decay Naked 2. Despite the high value, it makes up for it with high quality! I reach for this palette everyday, its so versatile that I use it on nights out too. Nevertheless, the W7 is a good starter for someone who wants to get comfortable with shadows before spending a lot of money on a good quality palette.

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(All images are my own)

MY HOLY GRAIL PRODUCT - COCONUT OIL

I had heard so many good feedback about coconut oil months prior to actually purchasing some for myself. My close friend always raved about it, so I decided to get a jar of my own. Lucy Bee Coconut Oil is the one I brought, completely organic and natural and only £9.58 from Amazon. The jar contains 500ml of coconut oil and has lasted me 5 months so far, with a third of the product still left.

I often use coconut oil as a replacement to many daily products, mostly on my hair as a deep conditioner, which works miracles. My hair falls down to the bottom of the rib cage, I daily straighten it and often colour it, lets just say, it's not in perfect condition and it shows. I have split ends and visible damage, it's not heavy damage but it's noticeable close up. Twice a month I drench my hair in coconut oil and leave it to soak over night then I wash it out. My hair is always left feeling so soft, even my boyfriend has commented about how much softer my hair feels after the coconut oil treatment. My advice would be to avoid putting too much coconut oil near your roots, it'll take longer to wash out and leave your hair feeling greasy, especially for thinner hair. I have really thick hair and whenever I use too much coconut oil near my scalp, my hair is left feeling soft still but slightly greasy. Normally I use a small spoon to scoop out a medium amount of the product into my hand to melt it down into a liquid oil as in the jar it is a solid oil. Once it has melted down I apply generously to my hair. To wash out the oil, it takes a big longer in the shower, but it's much better to make sure the product has left the hair to avoid a heavy feeling to the hair.
As I am obsessed with coconut oil, while my hair is still wet, I spray my hair with OGX Coconut Oil Weightless Hydrating Oil Mist, which smells amazing! While the pure coconut oil has no strong smell, the mist has a strong coconut scent. The product can be used on wet or dry hair, comes in a small bottle so is perfect for on the go.

Pure coconut oil can be used as a general moisturiser, I use it on my lips all the time to get rid of any dryness, especially in the winter months. The same goes for my cuticles when they are sore. Coconut oil can be used all over the body as a body moisturiser/oil. If you combine the oil with coarse sugar, you can create a really simple and cheap body scrub which leaves your skin feeling silky soft and is completely natural.
Coconut oil is pure, and so naturally good for the body with so many uses. I wouldn't be without my holy grail product, it works out so cheap and lasts a long time.
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xxx