My Skin Care Routine

Hello my lovely readers! :)

Happy Monday !! :)

I hope you all had a lovely Monday. I decided to share with you all my skin care routine and also provide you with my thoughts on the several products that I use. 

First thing first, I have a combination to oily skin. My T zone is the culprit. Lol. It tends to get oily which I do not like. Ahhh, but well I make do with it. It's not that bad ;) I do not have acne luckily and get only few pimples here and there especially in summer. But right now, my skin is pretty much behaving and it's cleared.

In the morning, I wake up my skin with fresh tap water and use Dove soap to cleanse and remove any impurities from my pores. I then use Yves Rocher Hydrating Tonique to tone my skin.

Then I apply my Ducray Ictyane moisturizer and Uriage sunscreen SPF 50+ and then proceed with applying makeup. Moisturizer and sunscreen is a MUST for me; I live in a tropical island, where there are 2 seasons only (summer and winter) and we have sun whole year round, which I simply love! But my skin bears the brunt, unfortunately! Hence, sunscreen is like a staple product for me.

That was for the morning routine. For my night time skin care, I remove my makeup using my Galenic Pur makeup remover. I like using this makeup remover, since it works for eye makeup as well. Moreover, the product does not irritate my skin and fully removes all makeup properly. If you have combination to oily skin, then do give this product a try. I'm in love with it, and will surely repurchase same! I apply it with my hands (Yes, I'm more a "hands" lady. Heheh) I warm the product in my hands and then apply it on my face and neck. Using small rotating movements, I work on my face and eye area. I remove the product with a warm wet face towel. I rinse my face and then scrub my forehead, nose area, and chin. I use St Yves Apricot Scrub, which is a real saviour! This scrub greatly contributes to keeping my skin spot free; it does prevent pimples and blemishes. 

I make sure my skin is and feels squeaky clean, and then moisturize and lip balm. So there you are! My complete skin regimen :) I am sticky to the above since I am completely satisfied with the results. I usually stick to a skin regimen for about 6 months and then I change it.

So, for now, this is how I'm pampering my skin :) 

How about you? What products you use? Feel free to comment below :)

Much love 

xxx

Fitness madness :)

Working-out has become one of my priorities lately. After I left university (approximately 3 years back), and started working, my schedule and life changed significantly.

I work in one of the most hectic sectors ever! By the time I finish work and I get back home, I barely have any energy left in me; all I do is take a warm delicious smelling bath (yes, I LOVE smelling delicious!) and snuggle into my bed and drift into sleep. And then the next day, it starts all over again! But I got really bored and fed up with the routine, and instead of working out exclusively during weekends, I have managed to add some 20-30 minutes work-out during the week days as well :) Yayyy!

So during the week, after work, I log onto Youtube and do some 30 mins Zumba dance, which is REALLY exhausting! But after that 30 mins work-out, I feel really GOOD!  I feel light and motivated :) It's one of the best exercises ever.

During weekend, I do some yoga and some intensive exercises, targeting specific areas like my stomach and  my bum :P Yeah, need to tone it as well :)

I am dedicated to taking the required time to take care of my body since it is very important for me. I know many women do not get the required time to do exercises/ look after themselves. But I feel that if we make a real effort, we end up obtaining what we want. Nothing is impossible in life. Hard work and faith in yourself makes everything possible, and can make even the most humongous task seem easy peasy :) It might seem difficult to shed those extra pounds but strive for it, work your ass off and feel proud once you achieve your target :)

Review: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

After a trip to the shop, I succumbed to my temptation and bought myself the much talked about beauty product: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm.

I have been using this product on and off, on special occasions like parties and weddings. It has a creamy texture and is light ivory in color. The beauty flash balm is a moisturizer and primer all in one.  It is supposed to tighten your skin, and make your skin appear smooth and youthful as well as radiant. So much benefits from a single product did leave me skeptical at the beginning, but as I used it, I noticed the difference it made to the appearance of my skin. I have a combination skin and I apply it mainly on my cheeks which tend to be dry. It works amazingly well for a primer since my skin looks dewy and fresh, and my skin literally glows!

I have been very satisfied with this product ever since I have been using it. However, I feel this might be a miracle beauty product for women with dry skin. Its creamy texture and non sticky application are laudable. The product is of a thick consistency and a little goes a long way. It helps my foundation to look more natural and my skin looks youthful (I'm 25 only, but still! :)) I use about a pea sized amount for my face. I rub the product on both hands and then gently smear it over my face. You don't need to rub the product for it to sink into your skin. It just has to be spread on your skin and voila! 

I find it a great product which is used as primer and my foundation stays on longer. I would definitely repurchase this product.

How about you? Have you used this product? Leave your comments below! :)

Some superlicious skin treats

I love love love body scrubs and body moisturisers! I cannot stress enough on how much I love scrubbing and moisturizing my body skin. Whenever I go to a beauty shop, this is what I always look for, new brands of body scrubs and body moisturizers.

Though I did try many scrubs, I have not been fully satisfied with the results. Which made me look online and I found something which works great for the skin and which cost much less than the scrubs on the market!

I do my own homemade body scrub!

For that, you need:

A jar
A bowl of raw/ brown sugar
Olive oil/ coconut oil
Some essential oils
Rose petals

You first fill in the bowl with coconut oil/ olive oil. I love coconut oil the best. Fill it about halfway and then fill in the brown sugar alternating with rose petals till the bowl is nearly full. You may add few drops of essential oils just to make it exotic and yummy :) I personally like the Vanilla essential oil which works wonders with the brown sugar and coconut oil combo! Makes me want to eat this thing! lol



You may then store the jar and use the scrub as and when you like! Not only is this an effective body scrub, but it is easy to make at home itself, and it creates a spa like ambiance in your bathroom, with the tropical fragrance it will exude.

Hope you enjoy this!

Amika Hair Styling Tool

I just bought a new flat iron for my long tresses :)) Yay! The fact is that I have been wanting to buy it for sooo long and I finally got it! My brand new Amika Flat iron.

I got the one with zebra stripes (oooh, reflects my wild side ;) heheh) I absolutely love this thing! Plus, the design makes it easy to handle. You can straighten your hair as well as curl it! Isn't this baby amazing? Moreover, the ceramic plates is less damaging to the hair, especially if, like me, you use a flat iron every two to three days. There is a heat control and you can set the temperature as you desire. I like curling my hair more than straightening it though. It makes some lovely curls to my hair :) Though quite pricey, I would say this is a great long term investment. 

A little wand and Gorgeous lashes :)

I have recently been tempted to change my mascara which I have been using for so long! My favourite Maybelline Volume Express mascara. I  have been using the same brand for like more almost 3 years! (Imagine how much I love it!) 

This product is really something to rave for. The consistency of the mascara is perfect and it is waterproof, so you can wear same without any worries for smudges or mascara running off on your cheeks!

My favourite mascara!

However, since I love trying new products, I decided to change and try something else. I decided to swap to another product in the Maybelline range itself, The Falsies Volum' Express.

This mascara is reallllyyyyyy A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It really gives the lashes the falsies effect. The wand is kinda different from the other mascaras on the market. Initially, the product comes off the tube and on the wand a bit in excess. I wipe the excess product with a tissue paper and then apply it. The result very satisfactory to me; my lashes appear longer and more thick. Moreover, the wand distributes the product evenly on the lashes. The stay power is for approximately more or less 12 hours and is waterproof. I believe you don't need to shell out loads of money for a good quality mascara, since this one will live up to your expectations. It does all that it promises to do.

So far, I am thinking of sticking to this one for quite a long time :) Only thing is that the mascara is really hard to remove! I have to use lots of makeup remover to finally clean my eyelashes. But this is an amazing product, and can very well compete with high end mascaras such as that in YSL range. I would certainly be using this one a lot :)