Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Pads Review

As you might have seen if you saw my nightly skincare routine post, I've been using the Superdrug Deep Pore Cleansing Pads for a few weeks but after using them all up, on my trip to repurchase them I noticed these from Clearasil. Now I must admit at this stage, being the frugal student I am, I noticed that for roughly the same price I could buy these and get an extra 25 face pads. So guess what happened. 

My skin type 

Normal - Dry 

What does it do? 

These pads claim to 'Cleanse, exfoliate and help clear spots fast' and 'visibly reduc[e] spot size and redness in as fast as four hours'. 

What's in it?

Aqua, Alcohol Denat., Salicylic Acid, Glycerin, Isocetheth-20, Sorbitol, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Lavandula Stoechas Extract, Helichrysum Italicum Extract, Cistus onspeliensis Extract, Disodium EDTA. 

(No I don't really know what any of those mean either)

How do you use it?

Simply take one pad out of the pot and gently run over a cleansed face. Once you've done one side, turn the pad over and compelete the same process again paying particular attention to any spots or concerns. Once you have used the pad your skin should be silky smooth without being too dry. Nevertheless I always follow up these pads with a moisturiser. You do not need to rinse this off! A saviour for like-minded people who hate having water splashed in their face.

How does it feel?

The pad comes double sided with a small cross hatching on each side. This will help gently exfoliate your skin allowing all the wonderfully unknown to me ingredients to work into all your pores. i.e it gets out all the crap living underneath your skin that you didn't even know was there. As Caroline Hirons would say, stinging good, burning bad. Yes I find these pads do sting a little bit, nothing unbearable or horrendous but something you must be aware of. 

When do you use it?

The packet says you can use one pad morning and evening. I personally only tend to use one pad a day, purely for the fact of I am also currently trialling the Nip and Fab Glycolic Acid Cleanser and am not completely sure how to the two work in conjunction with each other. In the morning I cleanse my face as usual and if I'm not going anywhere I will use one of these. In the evening I use one pad after my acid cleanse and follow up with a moisturiser.

Price

Boots - £3.59 currently on offer 

Superdrug - £3.56 currently on offer

Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored.

Nightly Skincare Routine

We all want great skin, flawless pores and no spots without putting the effort in. In an ideal world we could just wake up looking fabulous, put on some make up if we want to and at the end of the day just get into bed and wake up perfect. Unfortunately, life isn't like that.

I have always had, thankfully, pretty good skin. During my teens I had the odd occasional bright red volcano of destruction on my face but always suffered with blackheads. The nasty little back buggers that are useless for nothing and make you look like a dot to dot. Sexy. 

You can see my previous routine here. I'm not really one for buying into expensive skin care products because 1) I don't currently have a job and 2) I don't think I know enough about skin care to know if something is actually going to work. I'd much rather spend a few quid trialling a product and if it doesn't work then I've lost nothing!

So here's what I've been using over the past few weeks.

1) Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water 

I've been using this product for roughly a year in total. When the word 'micellar' came onto the market I quite literally had no idea what it meant. All I knew was that this stuff was going to take off my make up. Since then I have used this every time I take my make up off and it does the job pretty well. It's the ultimate lazy product. All you need are a few cotton pads and a few splashes and job done. No rinsing, no stinging, no residue. 

You can buy this here

 

#cleansingselfie

2) Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

If you've seen my What I got for Christmas 2014 post you'll know I've only recently added this to my routine. So far I love it but as I said previously, I want to give this enough time to settle into my skin and see how good it really is over time. 

If you're interested you can buy it here

3) Superdrug Deep Action Pore Cleansing Pads

These a a small double sided cotton pad with a smooth side and a *slightly* rougher side. You use the rougher side first to gently exfoilate followed by the smoother side. I personally really like these. I have super sensitive skin and these have been working fine for me so far. 

They have a slight acidic quality which is great for exfoliating and really getting into your pores to clean out all the dirt and grime but without irritating your skin. 

I couldn't find these online but these are similar 

4) No7 Essential Moisture Night Cream

Sweet thickness of lovely skin this is heaven in a pink glass jar. A relatively recent purchase of mine as I thought one is never too young to prevent wrinkles and ew dry skin. I've used this the past few nights and so far I love it. Yes it's quite thick but that is what I would expect from a night cream; it's meant to absorb overtime as you sleep to get the full affect, unlike a lighter day moisturiser. That being said it doesn't feel greasy, sticky or heavy once it's on. So far so good but as with the Liz Earle I will post a full review once I've used it for a few months.

You can buy this here

What products are you loving at the moment? Let me know in the comments below. 

My 5 Worst Habits

We all have them. Don't even bother to deny it. I'm just here openly admitting them so we can move on with our lives and continue to annoy people with our bad habits. 

1) Cracking my knuckles

Yes I do realise how annoying this is, especially when other people do it. The sound of it, from someone else, makes my skin crawl and inside my head I am screaming, begging them to stop. Yet it do it myself and constantly. I've been cracking my knuckles since I was about 10 and it's a habit I have never been able to get out of. Unlike grinding my teeth, cracking my knuckles doesn't hurt and contrary to popular belief studies have found it does no damage what so ever. Most of the time I don't even notice I'm doing it but oh to feel that thrill when you crack a really tense knuckle... heaven. 

2) Abandoning things on the floor

I'm one of those people that sees something on the floor, falls over it and then doesn't bother to pick up said thing. Now please let me just clarify, this doesn't apply to say other people's things but only my own. For instance if someone else's mug is on the floor I'll pick it up and move it, but my own my god it could stay there for days and I wouldn't even notice. I've always been a bit of a messy one but as many messy people like to say it is organised mess. You see if I move that mug I wont know where I've put it unless it goes back exactly in its right place in the cupboard. The same applies to my handbag and my onesie you see in the photo above. I know exactly where they are in my room because that's where I last left them and if they aren't in that place or in their designated area, my god heads will roll. 

3) Forgetting half my cup of tea

It's not even like I do this on purpose. I make myself a cup of tea, wait a couple minutes for it to cool down and when I go to drink it its still to hot so I struggle through the first half, burning my tongue every time I take a sip, then decide enough of this I'll wait till it's a bit cooler and then half an hour later BOOM half a cup of cold tea. This is something that annoys my Grandma incredibly. Sorry Grandma. 

4) Biting the ends of pens

I'm going to go ahead and blame my sister for this habit. We have both as far back as I can remember chewed the ends of pens. Well, when I say chewed I mean destroy to within an inch of their life and possibly, most of the time, break because we've chewed it so hard we crack the ends off. It's pretty amazing if you can find a pen in each of our stationary drawers that isn't hanging on to within an inch of it's life and if you do well you can be damn sure I'm going to chew on it until it is. Whoops!

5) Selective hearing

I've inherited this trait from my Mum I've decided. I discovered this the other day when I was sat on the loo (TMI) and didn't have any loo roll. Despite screaming to my mother who was sat only in the next room for 10 whole minutes, she didn't hear me. It does make me think what if there was a serious situation and I was just sat blankly ignoring the world as chaos ensues around me. I'm hoping one day this doesn't happen but well I guess I'll never know anyway. 

Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored.

You might also like; Why Don't Clothes Fit Me?, 20 Things I Should've Told My 15 Year Old Self, Why Are We So Afraid of the Hairdresser? 

Top pics of 'New In'

There's just something incredibly addictive about looking through the 'New In' section of a retailer's website. It's a great way of checking out what styles, colours, shapes and fashions to look forward to in the next season as well as giving you a little space to get fashion forward before everyone else. 

I don't think its any secret by now, have you seen my Instagram, that New Look is one of my favourite retailers of the moment. Constantly changing styles and colours, bringing us something new, whilst maintaining an incredible quality at an affordable price. I cannot gush enough. 

So I thought New Look is a pretty great place to begin. For 2015 I want to become more adventurous in the types of things I wear. I have just become so comfortable with wearing a black skirt with black tights and black boots. Pretty damn boring if you ask me. It is time for some brights, some lemons and some rose gold loafers. 

Heels 
Grey Satchel 
Yellow Bag 
Bikini Bottoms 
Bikini Top 
Watch 
Loafers 

Another retailer I absolutely love are ASOS. ASOS is basically the shop with all shops, you can quite literally buy from (nearly) every UK highstreet brand. Particularly good if a certain item is out of stock on the stores website, ASOS is the place to go.

I am so in love with fluffy jackets you would not even believe. I tried a Cruella DeVille style one on in Bershka the last time I was in London... to which my friend told me I looked ridiculous but I know I looked fabulous. Thanks Rhiannon. Alas, ASOS have an incredibly similar style jacket which I am tempted by. I've also become the proud owner of a wide rim black hat so I'm basically going to look like a model. You know.

Donald Duck Tee 
Peg Trousers 
Skater Dress
Fluffy Coat
Midi Dress 
Boots

And now we move onto Topshop. A hybrid of designer and highstreet, the fashion forward and ever cool Topshop is my luxury 'I'm feeling expensive and cool and sexy and hey look a pug t-shirt' store. Topshop is the place to go when you have a fancy dinner, a birthday celebration or you just fancy something a little bit off peg that you wouldn't usually find in any other high street retailer (see orange knee high suede boots as example).

I think the boots paired with the pussybow dress and military jacket would be a match made in heaven. Layer up with a scarf for the coming winter months and in the summer swap the boots for sandals. Job done.

Jacket 
Boots 
Shirt
Pussybow Dress 
Jumper 
Jumpsuit 
Polkadot Dress 




Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored.


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My New Years Resolutions

That time of year hath come again my friends. The day we all must set out what we hope to achieve from ourselves in this new year. And I am no different.

New Years resolutions are, I think, a great way of setting out how you want to be better in the new year. It is important that all of us recognise we do indeed have flaws, flaws that make us who we are and at the same time who we don't want to be. But sometimes, our flaws can become our strengths. 

I'm never one for going with the usual classics of lose weight or get nice nails, which are admittedly things I always want but can never quite achieve. No my new years resolutions are a little more on the deeper side so please do bare with me.

1) Go with the flow

I have far too much of a desire to have order and a set list of instructions. I think this year I'm going to challenge myself to go with the flow more, let things happen and see where life takes me!


2) Stop listening to rubbish and focus on what's important to yourself 

The media constantly bombards us with images of the perfect woman, how to achieve better skin in 3 easy steps or what your star sign says about you. Bloody nonsense. We are taught that being ourselves is not good enough; for that in order to be a success in this world one must fit into a certain and very specific set of rules set out by some sniffling old man sat at a desk he probably inherited from his great great grandpapy. I want to stop listening to this and in 2014 I think I did a pretty good job of it. We are good enough exactly as we are. Yes we can make improvements on ourselves, hence this list, but they should never be things that have been drummed into us since we were five. Focus on achieving your goals, your dreams and your values, not the dreams of some seemingly perfect woman in a magazine.


3) Clean contact lenses more

This is something I am absolutely awful at and my optician constantly tells me off. I just get so lazy, take them out my eyes, put them in the little pot and forget about them for a few days. Who knows what horrible nasties I'm putting into my eyeballs every three days?! Must address. Urgently.


4) Value everyday life

I think we all seem to forget that life exists beyond our iPhones and laptops. We wake up in the morning and the first thing we do is check twitter or Facebook or see how many people liked our Instagram selfie. We forget to look outside and see the birds in the trees or the squirrels running about the garden. I think I definitely need to appreciate the world we live in way more than I do.


5) Having a boyfriend is not the be all and end all of life

Okay yes I recognise that it is a very lovely part of life and my god do I enjoy it when I do have a man in my life but that's as far as it goes. May I firstly point out, this is something I recognise and have done for a long time. I am my own person and I rather enjoy that. That being said, here is far too much of a focus on women, young girls in particular, and the importance of having a boyfriend. We're taught that having a boyfriend will make you popular, happy and satisfied. But this couldn't be further from the truth. When it comes to a point in YOUR life when you can't remember the last time you talked to your best friend about something other than a guy, or when the last time you sat down and watched a TV programme only you wanted to watch, there is something fundamentally wrong. How can we possibly even attempt to make someone know us if we don't know ourselves. A relationship is a partnership, not a dedication to self-loss and we could all do a damn sight better to remember that.


I do hope you've enjoyed that little list there. My contact lenses are a must so if you do see me tweeting or instagramming please do nag me! What are your new years resolutions?




Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored.

Cuffed pyjamas are the next best thing

It's 23.08 as I write this. I am cosy in my bed, still snuggling under my Christmas bedding because I refuse to turn into bah humbug just yet, and I do not have the struggle.

We all know what I'm talking about. The pyjama bottom struggle. 

It's 5am. Your awake and frankly you're pissed off. You're trapped in between your duvet and your pyjamas with no means of escape. You're trouser has rather rudely decided to twist itself around your leg and then hike itself up your thigh. It seems like a never ending battle between you and your trouser leg. A bedtime straight jacket. 

I struggled for years with this issue which ended eventually in me deciding I would no longer wear pyjama bottoms. It had become too much of a nightly, hourly, battle against the primark imprisoner. But never fear my friends there is a solution.

Cuffed pyjamas. I have recently discovered these and they have quite literally changed my life. Gone are the days of waking up at 4am because your calfs are cold. Gone are the days of your pyjamas becoming a gathered pair of shorts venturing dangerously near to your crotch (seriously though how does that happen? Pretty sure I'm not a gymnast in my sleep). Cuffed pyjamas are perfection. 

They stay in place! The cuffs at the bottom act as a shield to hold the rest of the leg in place. No more riding up your leg! No more twisty battles at 3am. And what's even better than a cuffed pyjama? A CUFFED PYJAMA LEGGING. 

Cosy, warm and stretchy. Oh sweet wrappings of fabric joy. I can now sleep in warless peace. 

Here are some I picked up recently. If you like me battle with pyjama bottom woes, get some cuffed pyjamas and experience the best sleep of your life. 

Primark, £6

Asda, £6

Primark, £6

Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored. I just have a passion for cuffed pjs. 

Social Media and Memories

When was the last time you went on a night out, took some photos and didn't upload them to facebook in the morning? When was the last time you went out for dinner with your friend and didn't take a photo of your food and upload it to instagram before even taking the first bite? When was the last time you went out for a walk with your family and didn't mention it on twitter?

We as a generation are consumed by social media. We can't wake up without checking what our friends have been up to in the past 8 hours while we've been asleep. And I am no exception to this. I wake up and immediately check for my phone, break out in a sweat when I can't find it and sigh in complete relief when I discover it under my pillow. Yes, under my pillow! Social media access is never more than 30cm away even whilst I sleep.

But what even is it that is so addictive? Social media is essentially a space where humans can become anti-social. We post photos, status', and events without even realising we're ignoring the person sat infront of us, who with no doubt is probably doing exactly the same thing.

I went to Wagamama the other day for lunch with my friend and spotted a couple sitting in my eyeline. I am all for a little bit of people watching to pass the time but this couple in particular amazed me. Whilst yes they engaged in the odd spot of conversation, most of the time they were consumed by the tiny rectangle glowing box in their hand that held all the secret wonders of what everyone else was up to. How can we continue to live like this?

According to the Independent "The number of Facebook users worldwide has doubled between 2010 and 2013, from 608 million to 1,230 million, while Twitter has 284 million monthly users. Britain is at the vanguard, with the second highest social media use in Europe."[*] That figure is completely astounding yet will continue to rise throughout 2015.

But what want to question is not, why are we so addicted to social media but how is it affecting us? Perhaps even without us knowing. I don't need to remember the taste of my Christmas dinner because I have a photo of it on instagram. I don't need to know what I did 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days ago because I can scroll back through my twitter and will have no doubt tweeted my way through the entire 16 hours I was awake. 

The part of our brain that processes short and long term memories is being destroyed every time we hit the upload button. We're uploading a part of ourselves to the internet every minute of every day and it is unstoppable. The never ending stream of online conciousness spewed onto the homepage of a social media platform.

So think for a moment. The next time you sit down with a bowl of ice cream in front of a movie on a Saturday night, don't pick up your phone. Don't snapchat it to your top 3 friends and don't upload it to instagram only to give it a Valencia theme. Sit back and enjoy every mouthful. Take a few moments of undisturbed quiet away from the relentless and pointless updates from the social media giants.

Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored.