Know the skin your're in | My 8 Step Skincare Routine

Eight steps sounds like a lot but bear with me on this guys. In aid of knowing the skin you're in following Wednesdays post I thought I would share my own skin diagnosis with you and the steps I take to ensure my skin stays in tip top condition.

My skin is characterised by minimal pores, flakiness and dry patches on my cheeks with the occasional feeling of tightness when I use chemical rich products, meaning my skin is dry and quite sensitive.

1. Gentle daily make up removal
No matter if I'm blind drunk, sick as a dog or more tired than ever I will always take my make up off before bed - really Armageddon could be pending and I'd still be removing my make up. I use a gentle cleansing balm by the body shop which you can read more about here, and when I'm feeling super motivated I'll pop a warmed, damp cloth over my face to open up my pores.

2. Exfoliate weekly
Admittedly I'm an over exfoliator, I like nothing more than the polished feeling a rough exfoliator gives you but ideally you should exfoliate once a week to avoid damaging and scraping your skin. As my skin can be quite dull I use a vitamin C scrub from the Body Shop again to give me a bit of brightness. I usually do this in the shower as it tends to get a bit messy!

3. Cleanse daily

Foaming cleansers usually aren't the greatest for folks with dry skin, but I'm happy to say I have found one that works for me by all natural brand Arbonne. Their calm range is specifically formulated for people with my skin type and I use the Calm daily cleanser in the shower every day. I often switch my cleansers around and use Angels on Bare Skin by Lush which is one of my first loves in the cleansing world, which you can throwback to my review of by clicking here.

4. Moisturise twice daily

In keeping with the all natural, specifically formulated for dry skin theme I again use the Calm daily moisturiser by Arbonne though I do switch it up every now and again to some by Lush as my skin can get used to a product after a certain length of time and it'll just stop working 

5. Eye cream twice daily

Well eye gel! I use a cooling eye gel by the Body Shop which helps eradicate any puffiness I have (particularly in the mornings) and is also much gentler on the skin than any other moisturiser I have been known to throw on there. I'm thinking of soon investing in an anti aging cream for my under eyes simply because you can never start too young and dry skin tends to age at a faster rate than oily skin (bummer!)

6. Facial Oil twice daily
Following my moisturiser and eye cream I'll dot oil on both cheeks and down my forehead and rub it all over my face. This helps the skin absorb moisture that bit better and gives me a healthy glow. I love the Oils of Life facial oil by the Body Shop but I have also been known to dabble with some Neals Yard oils too.

7. Sleeping Cream every evening
This is something I have only just started dabbling in but it's a great addition to my night time routine. I'll rub this in circular, upward motions on my face and my neck and it just gives your skin that extra little boost before bed. Every morning I wake up and I'll still continue with my usual cleansing and moisturising but this just helps my skin along the way.

8. Weekly face masks

As you could probably guess, Lush are my favourite when it comes to face masks, I'll tend to buy one a month and use it every Sunday when I enjoy a bubble bath or even when my skin is feeling particularly run down. My favourites for dry skin are the Love Lettuce exfoliating face mask and the Oatifix hydrating mask.

Of course in addition to my skincare routine I also have a few make up tips and tricks that keep my skin looking and feeling great however I'll save that post for another time.

Thank you so much for stopping by to read my updated skincare routine, hopefully you have discovered some amazing products from this or learned a little something about caring for your own skin and I apologise for eliminating an entire readership of oily faces! If you have any skin saving products for dry skin you think I would love be sure to leave your suggestions in the comments below, come share them with me on Twitter or if you'd occasionally like to see my face be sure to follow me on Instagram and Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, know the skin you're in!

H.Elizabeth x

I'm Your Venus | Lime Crime Venus: The Grunge Palette Review

Having heard a great many mixed reviews about Lime Crime in the past, I kept my distance opting instead for tried and tested brands that grace my usual beauty sites, Beauty Bay, Sephora etc. It wasn't until this season when I  saw some of my favourite make up artists donning these shades and at a time when I myself was getting very, very into my warm tones, smokey reds and browns that I turned to Lime Crime. 

It was around one week before Lime Crime launched on Beauty Bay that I bought this palette (typical I know!) I bought it as part of a bundle in which I got the palette and their highly coveted liquid lipstick in the shade 'Wicked' which I thought was fairly apt for the time of year I was buying it (October/Halloween/Spooky times in case you were wondering.

The shadows as you can see are highly pigmented but are obviously best applied with a brush - the swatches above I don't feel are truly representative of how well the shadows appear on the eye and how well they blend into one another, though for a single swipe of the finger into each shadow I don't think they did too badly! My favourite and go to look of the moment with this palette is a crease of Creation and Muse, darkened up on the outer corner with Icon, with a touch of the rose shimmer of Venus and of course Aura on my inner corner.

Overall I do think this palette is value for money (considering it's only £27.67 AND it's Vegan friendly), especially as I use at least one of these colours on a daily basis and it'll be great come Spring and even Summer when I can use shades like Aura, Shell and Divine to create lighter and more 'fun' looks. All of that and you know...it looks great on Instagram!

I hope you have enjoyed my short and snappy review of the Venus Grunge Palette by Lime Crime, as a brand of course they do tend to attract a lot of negative press and heat for things they did in the past however simply judging by their products and nothing else then I'm suitably impressed!

If you want to see any looks I do using this palette be sure to leave a comment below, or you can see some of my most common and loved looks on Instagram, Twitter or even Facebook if you fancy!

Until next time folks, I'm your Venus and your fire!

H.Elizabeth x