Lets Prep and Prime that face!

Hey guys

Welcome back to my blog. As previously promised I will be sharing my make up haul with you all, but before that I thought why not share how I prep and prime my skin.

As many of you may know I am more inclined to using drugstore skincare as opposed to high end. This is mainly because it is more affordable and there is a variety of drugstore products available which are of really good quality. Here is my 3 step routine and a review of the products I use.

1

So I have dry skin, in Autumn and Winter my skin can get extremely dry and flaky. Therefore, I cleanse my skin with the Nivea Facial Cleansing Wipes. They are 3 – in – 1 and usually come as 25 wipes in a packet or you can buy the 40 wipe packets which will obviously last longer. The wipes pictured are for Normal & Combination skin, silly old me picked up the wrong ones. I usually go for the gentle option which is more suited to my dry skin. Anyhow, I’ll buy them next time. Firstly, the wipes claim to cleanse thoroughly and remove waterproof make up. Secondly, these wipes are refreshing. Which they so are! Thirdly, they are extra mild. Therefore, they aren’t harsh on your skin. Having dry skin it can be really sensitive, as a result of which I opt for the sensitive option. Having used these on my face, I found that they cleansed my face but stung a little and gave my skin a tingling sensation. This is probably because; my skin is dry and sensitive. I’m sure they’ll be fine if you have normal or combination skin though. The wipes also contain Vitamin E, Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant. So, it oxidises your skin and gives you healthier skin. The wipes shouldn’t be your sole source of Vitamin E, but they sure do contribute to your use of Vitamin E.

Cleansing my face before applying makeup gives me a smoother coverage. The wipes help oxidise my dry skin, so that it looks healthier and my make up application is smoother. If I skip this step, I find that my foundation tends to linger on my dry patches and that is such an unattractive look!

These wipes typically cost around £3.15 for a 25 pack. The Nivea wipes range include Gentle wipes for dry skin, Fragrance free wipes and Deep Cleansing Exfoliating wipes.

2

To moisturise my face I use the Nivea body moisturiser which is Rich Nourishing. This product provides intensive moisturising care and claims to give you 24 hour noticeably smoother skin. Having tried and tested this product religiously over 24 hours, I have seen an incredible change in my skin. The dry patches have decreased and the flakiness has gone. But, you have to use it religiously! I slather it on before wearing any make up and if I’m having a makeup free day I try to wear it a few times a day and then before bed I make sure to really slather it on. The moisturiser is white in colour and the texture is quite runny. However, when you apply it is creamy and you have to actually rub it into your skin in order for your skin to soak it all in. It is a very rich formula and it also contains Almond oil. Before I started using this product I used to apply Bio Oil to my face before my makeup to achieve a dewy finish and to stop my make up from lingering onto my dry patches. However, since I have started using this product, I find because of the Almond oil I don’t have to use Bio Oil anymore. I can achieve a dewy finish with only the richness of this moisturiser. The product is recommended for dry to very dry skin; it leaves your skin feeling rich just as it claims to do.

This is by the far the most amazing moisturiser I have ever used to prep and prime my skin and is now my go to product. If you have dry skin like me, I’d recommend you to moisturise using this product in order to have add a dewy healthy glow to your face. This is the body lotion which I use to moisturise, it is a body moisturiser however I use it on my face as well. Although perhaps I should buy a day cream.

This moisturiser retails for £3.75 for a 250ml bottle, and £5.29 for a 400ml bottle.

3

The final step of my skin prep and prime is using this beauty. The Nivea Men Post Shaving Balm, in Sensitive. Although it is post shaving balm, I use this product to prime my face. I love the texture of it as its smooth, the fragrance is nice and the way it absorbs into your skin is just really good. It doesn’t linger on top of your skin like another layer and it gets rid of any remaining dryness which the cleansing or moisturising may have missed. After using this product as a primer, I feel that my skin always looks so much smoother and it looks much healthier.

After priming my face with this and then doing my makeup, my makeup gives me a much better coverage. It looks flawless and really enhances the shade of my foundation, therefore I sue less foundation when I have correctly prepped and primed my face. The smoother base provides a much smoother finish. Most importantly, I look healthy and have a dewy finish. I love a nice dewy finish as opposed to the matte look. The dewy look is much more natural and gives you a glow.

Again, I sue the sensitive option as my skin is dry and sensitive. However, you can also use this product if you have normal, oily or combination skin. The finish will probably still be the same. After having experimented with other primers, this is now my go to primer and I don’t think I will ever revert back to any high end primer.

It has many practicalities, with the main one being the price. High end primers tend to be more expensive. However, this is such a cheap and durable product. It retails for £5.35 for a 100ml bottle. It lasts me a few months, this obviously depends on how often you prep and prime your face and how often you apply makeup.

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This is the end of my skin prep and prime regime, it’s now time to apply that makeup! 

If you use any of the products I’ve mentioned, be sure to comment and tell us about your experience with the product/s.

Until next time x
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored, I have purchased all the products myself and this is my true honest review of them.

The prices I have used are based on the current prices as advertised online by Boots.

Designer Labels, Impracticality and Egos

We live in an era where we think everything we buy has to be designer, be it clothing, shoes or accessories. Even our technology has to be up to date, I mean we can’t have last year’s Iphone can we? Honestly, it is nice to have the latest everything and especially something with a nice label on it. However, we forget to look at the practicalities surrounding our nice new designer products.

The price is the first major factor…

Everything designer comes with a hefty price tag too, we pretty much pay to parade the designers name on our bodies. Don’t get me wrong, I too have designer shoes and bags etc but realistically, they are so not worth the price tag. There are teenagers and students out there who have their eyes on designer products. It’s completely fine to not wear designer products at your age. I got my first designer handbag at the age of 20, which too wasn’t a big designer, just a regular Ted Baker bag. Yes Ted Bakers a designer, but is nothing in comparison to a Chloe bag!

I then got my Valentinos as a graduation present in November 2015, at the jolly good age of 23. Heck, I didn’t get my first designer make up till my 24^th Birthday two weeks ago.

Realistically, I got all my designer bags, shoes and make up etc at an occasion. I cherish the products and don’t wear them as often as I probably should. I can’t afford to buy truck loads of designer products, just like many of you out there. However, social media often influences us all. Others flaunt their designer goods out there and we think we have to do the same. Many students and teenagers have little to no money to their name. Heck, I graduated in 2015 and I’m still unemployed! There’s plenty to buy out there, but little money to use.

When you buy something designer, you have to look after it like a baby. Every little scruff on my Valentinos makes my heart constrict. I can’t get my money’s worth out of them and they are a little impractical to walk in so often.

Anyway, so I didn’t mean to vent but I just want to get it out there before sharing my new makeup haul with y’all that I’m not swimming in designer products and that really, that is completely fine.

Sending much love your way, until next time xoxo