No Fuss Brush Cleaning Routine | Freedom Studio Solid Brush Bath Review

I may be the most easily influenced person on the planet. There I was quite content with my tried and tested brush cleaning routine (baby shampoo with a spritz of alcohol to disinfect and a blender cleanser for reusable foam sponges) when all of a sudden up pops THIS video by Andrew of Beauty and the Boy on Instagram showing, perhaps the easiest brush cleaning routine I have ever seen featuring this brush bath by Freedom Pro Studio.

No sooner had I clicked the like button than I had bought the solution to try for myself, and I must say if you're a no fuss, no muss no coconuts kind of person this may be the brush bath you've been searching for.

This sanitising brush cleanser works by swishing around your 'dirty' make up brush in some water, swirling it around in this little brush bath and rinsing the soapy solution (and make up residue) off under a running tap. And that is literally it! So in short, swish, swirl, rinse (trust me it's not a magic spell as much as it sounds like it!) 

Cleaning my brushes with this isn't a thought like it normally is -it is so quick and easy, it gets the job done and it helps in making your brushes smell lovely and clean. 

I of course always finish off my brush cleaning routine by leaving the brushes over night hanging over the edge of a counter on a dishtowel - this helps them maintain their shape and dry all around and top them off with a spritz of alcohol solution to ensure they are thoroughly disinfected.

The Freedom brush bath  retails at £7.00 for a 100ml tub - a little of this product really goes a long way and I can see myself using this for a long, long time to come. If you're looking for a cost effective, no fuss, no muss cleanser for your brushes I really do recommend checking out the Freedom range at your local Superdrug you really don't have to pay the world for an effective cleanser as some would have you belieive!

Hopefully you have enjoyed checking out this new product with me, be sure to let me know in the comments below if you do decide to give this a bash - at £7.00 for me it was a no brainer considering how often I wash my brushes! Otherwise you can catch me lurking on all of the usual channels, Twitter for rants and musings, Facebook for make up artistry, Instagram for snaps and more from the blog on Bloglovin.

Until next time,

H.Elizabeth x

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

Sleeping Beauty | Oils of Life Sleeping Cream by the Body Shop

 

The older I get the more I'm buying into the whole anti aging thing. I remember being what 16 or 17 years old and thinking everyone was exaggerating when they said you're never too young to start a good anti aging routine....well let me tell you something past Hannah, PREMATURE WRINKLES! In fact past Hannah you're already something like 10 years behind so you're doomed already! And now it's time to try and scrape it all back, starting with my skincare.

You guys already know from my post on the Oils of Life Facial Oil that I love the Oils of Life range, and in fact I only recently repurchased my beloved facial oil last month along with which I was lucky enough to be given a whole plethora of samples, funnily enough including the very sleeping beauty cream we'll be chatting about today.

The Oils of Life Sleeping Cream functions pretty much as the jar suggests, as a cream to apply lightly to your face at night, so you can awake a with a silky, smooth, freshly pressed face minus any creases (other than those you'll get off the pillow!) After trying a very generous sample, which lasted me 2 weeks, from the Body Shop themselves I decided the cream was for me and took the plunge on a pretty massive pot only last week. The cream was quite sticky in texture but was very lightweight and absorbed into my skin in no time at all (so no goop on my pillow, score!) and it smells lovely too! But the real test was the morning....well a few mornings really because I ain't expecting an overnight cure for my mug.

After a week or so of applying the cream every night, well every night I remembered, the condition of my skin had dramatically improved. Not that I'm particularly prone to spots, but my skin looked visibly brighter, didn't feel as rough or dry as it had been and my pores looked smaller (call me crazy but they do!) I've been chuffed so far with the results, and I was more than pleased to invest in my rather large jar, especially since a tub a thimble size managed to do my moon face for 2 weeks!

Have you ever tried anything by the Body Shop Oils of Life range? How did you find it? Share your picks and Body Shop finds with me in the comments below, I always love trying new products and finding brand new things to spend those hard earned dolla's on! As usual though you can catch my ironed face on the usual channels, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and of course more from the blog on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, ironed, plump and crease free.

H.Elizabeth x

Beauty How To | How to clean your make up brushes thoroughly

As much as I would love to sit here and tell you that I am a creature of habit that simply isn't true, unless you count a monthly (weekly) make up purchase as a habit, albeit a bad habit but a habit all the same. So when it came to writing this post I thought you know what let's just get all of our cards out on the table and show the world how poor a beauty blogger I really can be, so here goes. I, Hannah Adams, am guilty of leaving my make up brushes to stew in their own mess for 2 (okay 3!) week periods without a ritualistic cleaning... there I said it, and yes I do feel better for it. But you know what doesn't feel better? My face!

So in order to pull me from my make up brush cleaning slump I thought what better way to give myself a swift kick up the backside than to write about it so I feel obligated to clean them weekly! Today therefore I would like to share my very thorough brush cleaning routine and share a pledge with you today that I, Hannah Adams, henceforth here and forever promise to clean all of my make up brushes at least once a week from here on out. And so without further ado, here are my tips, tricks and general routine for cleaning my make up brushes:

What you will need:

A small tea plate

Washing up liquid
Olive Oil

Alcohol Make up brush cleaning solution (For this I use one from MAC)
A clean dishtowel

Method:

1. Squirt some washing up liquid on to your tea plate and add an equal amount of olive oil to the centre.
2. Take your make up brush and swirl it around really getting in there and watch all of the liquid seep into your brush.
3. Rinse your brush under a running tap, squeezing out any excess soap and olive oil. Usually I rotate the brush on the palm of my hand under the water then squeeze it out gently.
4. 'Shampoo' your brushes with the alcohol solution, for this I use the MAC make up brush cleaner.
5. Use your dishtowel to dry off your brush, it will still be a little damp so wrap the head of your brush in the dishtowel and leave over night.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 for all of your make up brushes and you're good to go!

I am aware the way I am washing my brushes is perhaps not the right way, best way or even the second best way but it has served me well throughout the last couple of years and my brushes always come out conditioned and squeaky clean! But of course as you know I am always open to your comments, feedback and general musings so if this post has helped you or you think I need help be sure to leave your thoughts below, come share them with me on Twitter or if you want to see more of my now clean and blemish free face and brushes be sure to follow Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, squeaky clean with my weekly routine!

H.Elizabeth x