Origins GinZing Moisturizer

Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturizer £23 - link

This is my absolute favourite S/S moisturiser of all time. I've been using it for about 2 years and despite trying a whole heap of others I always come back to this one.

I'm a huge fan of Origins and I think their skincare is truly one of the best on the market. As for their Ginzing collection, I am just completely in love with it all and this one in particular. This is a really lightweight moisturiser that somehow still manages to be really hydrating. It sinks in beautifully and I always find that my make up applies so much nicer if I've used this beforehand. The scent is incredible and, as the packaging would suggest, smells of fresh oranges.

Titled a 'enery boosting' moisturiser it really does make a difference to bringing some life back to my skin. It doesn't really add the radiance that I crave and that it's meant to add but does do wonders to refresh my lacklustre skin. I much prefer to use this in the day although you could definitely use it as a day and night cream - I just personally like using something a little more heavy duty in the evening. It's oil free so is great to use for people like me with oily skin too which I know is often a problem with some moisturisers.

I couldn't recommend this enough if you're in need of a moisturiser for the upcoming warmer months. It's wonderful.

Have you tried this? What do you think of this moisturiser?

B L O G L O V I N | I N S T A G R A M | G O O G L E +

Balance Me Cleanse & Smooth Face Balm

- Balance Me Face Balm £20 -

This was yet another discovery through Birchbox. I got a sample of this a couple of months ago and left it sitting in a draw until I threw it into my suitcase when I went to Turkey in October. Ever since then I've been using it daily and have fallen in love with it. 

I haven't had much experience with cleansing balms but if this is anything to go by then I will soon have a collection of at least 100. 

On first impressions I thought the texture was lovely - it's really thick which makes it perfect for this weather and when applied it feels completely luxurious. 

It's full of great natural ingredients to cleanse and heal dry skin, remove make up, add radiance and make your skin feel as smooth as a baby's bum. And it really does do all of those things! I use this mostly as a make up remover as opposed to just using it to cleanse my face and it works really well. 

I'm looking forward to trying more cleansing balms and more from Balance Me in general. As a lover of radiance inducing skin care, this set from Birchbox seems like a great place to start trying other things from the brand.  Yet another thing to add to my christmas list!

Have you tried anything from Balance Me?

Lots of love.

Review: Urban Veda Exfoliating Facial Polish

- Urban Veda Radiance Exfoliating Facial Polish £8.99 - 

After receiving this as a sample in a Birchbox a few months ago this has quickly become part of my daily routine (which you can read about here). To control my oily skin an exfoliator is mandatory, especially in the Summer, and after going through various others this one is my favourite so far. It's completely natural with no parabens or GM ingredients and consists mainly of marigold, papaya and coriander all to help aid radiant skin and an enhanced complexion.

The microbeads within the product are fine and really small which I think is essential for facial exfoliators. If the grain is too thick you can often be left with feeling like you've lost a layer of skin which after many red faced incidents, I learnt the hard way. I use this every morning and night after using a cleanser and before moisturising. It makes my skin feel super soft and makes a huge difference to how my moisturiser and make up apply, helps keep the oil in my skin at bay all day and balances and brightens my complexion.

This works wonderfully as an exfoliator and it's a great product for the price, I'd definitely recommend trying it if you can!

Do you use exfolaitors? What one's your favourite?

Lots of love.

Review: Origins VitaZing Energy Boosting Moisturiser

- origins vitazing moisturiser £28.00 -

I think this is the best moisturiser I've tried so far and that is a big deal. I'm a complete skincare junkie, I have half an IKEA Alex devoted to creams, serums, oils and everything in between and I know using an Alex as a unit of measurement is ridiculous but you know what I mean.

Mangosteen is the 'main' ingredient and after reading about it, it seems like the best thing since sliced bread.

It has anti aging qualities, it's a natural anti-bacterial which helps to reduce spots, dry and oily skin and acne, it helps you look refreshed and energised, it has cell repairing properties and so much more that you can read about here.
The amount of spots I've been getting recently has massively reduced since using this and although it seems to combat my oily t-zone it doesn't completely mattify my skin. I usually find it helps the most when I first put it on but it doesn't do much for the shine I get throughout the day. 

I really like this whole line by Origins actually. As well as this moisturiser I also have the GinZing energy boosting moisturizer and I have my eye on the GinZing refreshing eye cream (no pun intended). I prefer the scent of these to their other products, they all smell really fresh, clean and citrus-y. I also find that they're a lot lighter on the skin and they're all brightening products - two of the things I want most from skin care in the Summer and, most importantly, it has SPF 15 to protect you. 

It's been described as a BB cream because of the sheer tint it gives but it has no coverage whatsoever and I wouldn't put in to that catageory. The tint does make your face look radiant and completely tones the skin when applied and if you don't need the coverage - wearing this on it's own would look great. The glow/radiance it adds to the face makes you look like you have been out in the sun all day - the only way I can think to describe it is it's like a really really sheer tan.

 It truly is a lovely skincare product and a great addition to anyone's routine.

For the 3 weeks I've been using this I've noticed my skin just looks and feels more healthy, energised and just all round better. I can't talk about this enough, I'm obsessed. 

What's your favourite skin care product?

Lots of love.

Review: L'Oréal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution & Toner Duo

- l'oréal micellar solution - l'oréal velvety-soft toner - 

Micellar water was first introduced to me in the form of Bioderma and I fell in love with it. I do also have a slight affair with cleansers which I used to solely use as a make up remover but now use the likes of Bioderma as a step before. A few weeks ago, as I was waiting for a replacement of my most beloved micellar water,  I found this duo in Asda. They were on offer so I decided to try them.

My 250ml Bioderma is still sitting in a drawer, unopened.

It's a beautiful micellar solution. It's really purifying, it softens your skin and removes all impurities you might have and it's only £4.99! It doesn't contain any alcohol, which I'm not sure many micellar solutions do, but I have quite sensitive eyes so it's just all the better that alcohol isn't an ingredient. This is just a really lovely addition to your make up removal routine especially because of the price and L'oréal must be doing something right to land this in Vogue's top 10 micellar waters!

The toner is just as lovely. I haven't been using this long as toners are a fairly recent discovery for me, but now I don't know what I would do without it. I apply this straight after the micellar solution and the pair work perfectly together just as you would assume. It's really cleansing and leaves my skin looking clean, clear, toned and radiant.  It has a velvety texture as the name suggests and, to be honest, it just feels really nice to put on your face.

I also like the fact that these are drugstore products. It's really satisfying for me to find a gem among highstreet brands for the sake of convenience and price aswell!

I would definitely recommend picking these up next time you come across them.

They are a great duo and a really nice addition to anyone's skin care routine.

Have you tried these already?

What's your favourite micellar water?

Lots of love.