My Everyday Skin Care Essentials - Cleanser, Toner & Moisturiser

Like most skin care obsessed girls, I own a multitude of different products both high end and budget priced that I regularly apply to my face in the hope that they will make me look like a glowing goddess, or at the very least just plain old presentable!

Although I partake in weekly pamper sessions involving face masks, scrubs, oils and the like; these products aren’t an everyday necessity. I’m a firm believer that a basic routine, i.e. cleansing, toning and moisturising does wonders for your complexion. So when stripped back to basics, this is what my everyday skin care looks like.

My cleanser of choice is Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser. I have previously written a review on this product which you can view here. It does a great job of keeping my oily T-Zone under control as well as removing makeup. It also leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean without being overly astringent. I like, a lot.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic is my go to toner, it tightens my pores, makes my skin feel fresh as a daisy and it has that lovely spa smell; like freshly squeezed lemons! Yum! I would advise that you avoid drinking it though!

I have also written a post all about Korres Moisturising Pomegranate Cream Gel which you can take a look at here. It’s my favourite moisturiser to use as it really nourishes my skin, yet absorbs extremely well and has a mattifying effect on my T-Zone. Apparently pomegranate is a natural astringent, who knew?!

An added bonus and a reason I like these products is that they are all paraben free and mainly plant based, making them free from harsh chemicals and artificial preservatives which can irritate the skin. This is something that I regard quite highly as I like to try and avoid the ‘nasties’ where I can!

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July Favourites

Without meaning to sound clichéd, can someone please tell me where the summer is going and how is it already the end of July?! I must say I have been enjoying the heat wave that has passed through the UK over the latter half of the month, the sun worshipper in me is currently a very happy bunny!

There have been a few things that I have really enjoyed the use of during July and I share them with you in this video. A couple of new fashion favourites have made their way in there, along with a some beauty bits and Sophia Amoruso’s #GIRLBOSS which I’ve been completely unable to put down; I definitely recommend this book if you’re in search of some female empowerment (in a non feminist way!).

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My Week In Pictures #15

The past week has been full of excitement and enjoyment for little old me. Gavin arrived home and after having been apart for eight weeks I was ecstatic to see him. As you can imagine, we’ve been enjoying days out and general catching up which in turn has made me a very happy girly! Next weekend we will be in London spending time with family, so unfortunately I’ll be unable to post my week in photo’s; however I promise to make up for it the following week with lots of snaps of our trip. For now, I hope you enjoy the following snippets of my life from the past seven days!

 Throwback Thursday, Cavalli Club Dubai  //  I’ve been a busy blogging bee recently, planning lots of upcoming posts!  //  Mac Candy Yum Yum

       Just chilling out on her napkin. If I fits, I sits.  //  Essie sugar daddy  //  I saw these super cute tins in TKMAXX and I now want all of them!

Face of the day  //  Walks along the river with the other half  //  Day out with the boy

Instagram @katesbeautystation

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Fresh Faced and Simple Summer Makeup

I love injecting some colour into my life during the warmer months and this applies to my makeup too, I just love pink and peachy hues at this time of year; they lift your complexion instantly and effortlessly. I have been wearing this look none stop recently, it consists of my favourite pink lip; MAC’s Pink Nouveau teamed with my signature cat flick and a dewy glow. Once you have the cat flick down (I find that felt tip liners are a fool proof way to achieve this, they’re quick and easy to use) this look can be done in just a few minutes.

For my base I have used L’Oreal True Match Foundation, a recent discovery of mine and I haven’t reverted back to my high end foundation since buying this, it has high coverage with a light consistency; two things that aren’t usually combined.  I then use a tiny sweep of Bare Minerals Ready Bronzer on my temples and just underneath my cheek bones and jaw. For my blush I have used MAC’s Fleur Power, a beautiful rosy pink which adds warmth to my complexion. To finish off my skin, I add a touch of my favourite highlighter, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle, this product is what achieves that ‘dewy glow’ I was talking about earlier. I also use this to highlight under my brow bone.

To fill in my eyebrows I use MAC Handwritten Eyeshadow which I have also used to add some definition to the crease of my eyes. For my cat flick I like to use Avon Super Shock Gel Liner, which comes in pencil form and is super easy to use. I top this off with a slick of L’Oreal Volume Million Lashes Noir Excess and I’m good to go!



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Primark Haul

Last week I headed into Primark for a bit of a browse and as always I ended up walking back out of the shop with a huge brown bag – this always happens! I love the quality of their clothes as well as their take on trends and the affordable price tag means I don’t feel bad about picking up a million (I’m exaggerating slightly) items. This flamingo pink bomber jacket (I show it to you properly in the video) with a palm tree print is one of my favourite of the bunch and the duo chrome sunglasses made my heart melt as soon as I laid eyes on them. In this video I share with you the whole bunch of the clothes and accessories that I bought on my little trip.

Enjoy!

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My Week In Pictures #14

This week I appear to have spent a considerable amount of time snapping away at pretty pink flowers. My mum always has such lovely ones dotted around the house that I couldn’t not share these, I think they really brighten up a room. Aside from being a happy flower snapper, my week has consisted of work, work and more work. Gavin arrives home from Dubai in a few days so I’ve been trying to get lots done before he arrives so that I have plenty of free time to spend with him. This also means that my next few ‘week in pictures’ posts will be a lot more interesting as we will be doing a lot of fun things!

So until then, here are a couple of my pretty flower pictures!

I love my bed way too much  //  Pretty roses  //  If I fits, I sits. Cosy cat. 

Sunday’s face  //  Baby unicorn  //  I feel as if I may as well dedicate my instagram page to flowers at this point

Instagram @katesbeautystation

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Five Product Face

On lazy days and on days when I’m in a rush, I like to keep my makeup to a bare minimum, but lazy days don’t have to call for lazy makeup. I filmed this video as I like the idea of being able to do your whole face without the multitude of products that we as girls think we absolutely need in our lives. The fact is, we don’t need half of it, we just buy it because it’s pretty and makes us feel that bit more glam. By choosing only five products to use on my face I discovered two things, a) that it is perfectly possible to look just as nice using the bare essentials as it is when you’ve spent an age carefully partaking in your intricate makeup routine, and b) that I am able to do a whole face of makeup in only five minutes, result!

Now on to the products I used. For my base I used L’Oreal True Match Foundation, you can read my full review here. Instead of using a concealer, I simply dabbed on a little extra foundation in areas where I needed it, which worked really well as it provides excellent coverage while being light in consistency. For my eyebrows and to lightly line my upper lid I used MAC’s handwritten eyeshadow, this is my holy grail eyebrow product. Since using this I don’t even bother giving anything else a try. For my mascara I used L’Oreal Volume Million Lashes Noir Excess, my favourite; I have repurchased this many times over. To add a flush of colour to my cheeks I used my trusty Fleur Power Blush by MAC and finally lipstick, when I’m in a rush with my makeup I always use a bright lipstick. At times when I’ve kept the rest of my face looking natural, I find this step really adds a lift to my complexion. The one I reach for in this video is Pink Nouveau by MAC, it’s one of my all time faves!

If you’d like to see how I applied the products, you can view the video below. I can assure you that the quality is in fact a lot clearer than the thumnail below shows.

Enjoy!

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Budget Cleansers For Problematic Skin

 If you happen to be like myself and suffer from breakouts regularly, then I’m sure you will be fully aware of just how many skin care products promise you beautifully clear skin almost overnight. Unfortunately they rarely work and it’s usually false advertisement, I’m a sucker for a good advert! However I have found a few products that are aimed at problematic skin that do work to keep my face looking clear and balanced, so here are the ones that I have found to work best for me.

Garnier Skin Naturals Pure Active Intensive Charcoal Scrub. I use this scrub 2-3 times per week and I find it really works to keep my skin clear. It is exfoliating without being abrasive. It claims to help fight spots as well as helping to fade marks, I agree with the first statement as it does a good job of keeping my skin nice and smooth, however I can’t say I’ve noticed any fading of my redness. This doesn’t bother me though as it’s not the reason I use this product.  The main purpose of this is obviously to keep your skin looking clear and soft, which it achieves very well.

Witch Naturally Clear Oil Control Foaming Face Wash. I keep this one for when I’m having a breakout because I do find it quite astringent. I’d recommend this if you have very oily skin as it does a great job of getting rid of excess oil, however if you only have excess oil around your T-Zone I’d be tempted to leave this one as you may find it drying on other areas of your face.

Garnier Skin Naturals Pure Active 3 in 1. This is a brilliant product firstly because it acts as a wash, scrub and a mask all in one and I must point out that it does a fantastic job of each. So if you don’t fancy splashing out on your skincare then this is a great option. It claims to purify your skin, unclog pores and mattify; and I feel it does just that. It contains pumice granules which make my skin feel soft and exfoliated, however they aren’t too harsh like a lot of other face scrubs I‘ve tried, which makes this perfect for everyday use. I tend to steer clear of harsh scrubs as they can damage the top layer of your skin and over stimulate sensitive and oil prone skin.

 I love finding products that don’t cost an arm and a leg which really work. It’s taken me years to find products that actually do keep my skin clear and I’m sure these will be my budget skin care staples for a long time to come. If I do happen to find anything that works even better I’ll be sure to let you know!

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1000 Subscribers On YouTube! - Video

Trying to portray my happiness with a cheesy grin...hmm.

Last weekend I was so exited to see that 1000 of you lovely lot have clicked that little subscribe button on my YouTube Channel.

I absolutely love making videos and the feedback I receive just warms my heart, you guys are amazing! To think that this many of you enjoy my videos and want to see more is so exiting to me and so in order to express my utter joy and gratitude I made a little video for you! Thank you so much to every one of you who has subscribed to my channel, you have made me a very happy bunny!

I hope you enjoy the video.

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My Week In Pictures #13

The past week has been nothing out of the ordinary. It’s been filled with work, writing and editing blog posts and the usual day to day stuff. I won’t bore you with the mundane details, but I shall leave you with my week’s worth of snap shots which will hopefully be slightly more interesting!

            How pretty!  //  Sweet cherries or strawberries and cream?  //  Porridge with almond milk, banana and cinnamon. Yummy!

Bloggy picture  //  I am LOVING #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso  //  You know you’re lazy when you’ve been home for over a month and are still using your travel makeup bag. I should probably re-organise this soonish!

Instagram @katesbeautystation

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Pretty Pastels To Perk Up Your Nails

Clockwise from top right: Revlon Lilac Pastelle  //  Essie Mint Candy Apple  //  Essie Lilacism  //  Essie Van d’go  //  Topshop Nails Forget Me Not

If you happened to read this post all about my favourite bright and neon nail shades that I love to wear during summer time then you will be aware of the fact that this is the time of year that I like to add some colour into my life and that I find an easy starting point to achieve this is with my mani’. However, if super bright nail colours aren’t your thing then you’ve come to the right place because in this post I will be talking you through the pastel shades that take pride of place in my collection.

Revlon Lilac Pastelle. As you have most likely noticed, I’ve chosen two lilac polishes to show you; this is simply due to the fact that it does indeed happen to be one of my favourite colours to wear on my nails during spring and summer time. Lilac Pastelle is the lighter of my two shades and is very white based, which means it’s a great one for making a tan stand out. It adds a natural, clean and manicured look to your nails.

Essie Mint Candy Apple. I am in no doubt that if you haven’t already tried this polish then you definitely will have heard of it, it’s been raved about within the blogosphere for a good two years plus now, so I’ll keep this brief. It’s a beautiful pastel green which leans more towards turquoise than it does yellow. This is why I love it so much, sometimes pastel greens that have a yellow undertone can stain your nails but not this one, which means there is no need to wear a base coat underneath. If you’re a lazy bones like me then this is always good news!

Essie Lilacism. The more heathery shade of my two chosen lilacs. This is a more muted shade than Lilac Pastelle and although it looks brighter in the bottle, once applied to the nails you can see that it has a grey undertone which I find makes it look classy and elegant.

Essie Van d’go. My all time favourite muted peach, this is the toned down version of Essie’s Tart Deco which I mentioned in my  summer brights post. This is a definite pinky peach and almost looks as if it could indeed be pink in some lights, another great one for accentuating a tan!

Topshop Nails Forget Me Not. My collection of pastels just wouldn’t be complete without this beautiful pale blue which again, is white based. I do like my white under toned polishes, I find that they just make my nails look freshly manicured even when I’ve had my polish on for days (provided it isn’t chipped) which this doesn’t do easily. I can wear this for nearly a week without it chipping on me, bonus!

So those are my favourite pastel mani’ pedi’ shades for summer time, I hope you enjoyed this post. What are your favourite shades to wear at this time of year? I’m always on the hunt to expand my collection, I think it may be a bit of a problem really...

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Pick Of The Pinks



Clockwise from top right: MAC Fleur Power Blush  //  MAC Dollymix Blush  //  MAC Impassioned Lipstick  //  Topshop Nails Daydream  //  Essie Limo Scene

I love wearing pink hues at this time of year (or at any time on that note) to give me a natural and feminine look. I find that pale and nude shades have the ability to make you look fresh faced and youthful, while brighter shades are just perfect for a bold and pretty summer time pop.

So, here is my pick of the bunch when I’m looking for an instant lift to my complexion and a girly yet natural looking mani’...

MAC Fleur Power Blush – A warm toned pink. This is the more low key option of my two featured pink shades, a perfect one for all year round. If you’re looking for a blush that provides you with a healthy flush of colour, this is a perfect option. I like wearing this during the day with a slick of mascara and I also find it perfect for a night time when I’m opting for a more glam look on my eyes, it just adds that healthy glow without any crazy colour overload – we don’t want that! It has a satin finish which I prefer to matte shades which I find can be a little too powdery looking.

MAC Dollymix Blush – The name says it all, this is a bright candy pink and it’s just perfect if you’re opting for a girly doll faced look. However, don’t be put off by the crazy bright colour in the pan, when used with a light hand this blush adds a gorgeous healthy glow to your cheeks. It’s one of MAC’s sheertone shimmer blushes and while you can see the shimmer in the pan, it applies onto the face as a beautiful sheen. I don’t feel the need to use a highlighter when I use this, so if you’re into your multi purpose products then this is a great one. I love it for when I’m off on my holidays, it’s perfect for summer and saves space in my makeup bag by doubling up as my highlight, result!

MAC Impassioned Lipstick – This is a gorgeous warm toned fuchsia, I love bold lip shades in general but Impassioned is definitely my favourite summer bright lipstick. I pair this with Fleur Power blush and a neutral eye with a touch of mascara and my usual cat flick for an easy to achieve, feminine look. It is an amplified finish which of course means that the colour payoff is amazing and it lasts for hours.

Topshop Nails Daydream – If I’m feeling a pink nail, this is the colour I’m most likely to reach for. It’s bright, but not in an obvious sort of way. It’s not the brightest in my collection by a long shot, but the reason I love it so much is because it's a gorgeous flamingo pink (one of my favourite colours) that is easy to wear; it’s not an ‘in your face’ colour but yet it catches the eye at the same time. It’s a beautiful shade for summer time and I just love it.

Essie Limo Scene – This is more of a white based nude, however it does have the slightest hint of pink. If you’re a regular visitor to my Youtube Channel you will know that this is my absolute favourite nail colour of the moment. It’s such a natural shade and is one of those that makes your nails look freshly manicured whenever you’re wearing it. A newly added staple in my collection.

So there we have it, the pink products that have made it to the very top of my beauty bag! Every girl needs a bit of our signature colour in her life, right?!

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How To Grow Your Hair Faster and Longer

A couple of years ago (against my hairdresser’s warning that I would live to regret my decision) I decided to go for the chop and adopt a completely new hair style, I had gone from having waist length hair to a graduated bob in a matter of minutes. Although I did love my short hair for a little while, it’s needless to say that I eventually ended up wishing I had my long hair back, yes you were right Mr hairdresser, damn it! It was then that I began the arduous journey of growing my hair to its former length.

So almost three years later, with hair that is once again waist length and a wealth of experience under my belt, I share with you the tips and tricks that I have picked up along my hair growth journey.

I hope you enjoy this video. As always, be sure to to give the ‘like’ button a quick press if you do!

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My Week In Pictures #12

So it’s the first week of July, my favourite month of the year! The sun has been out which has made me a very happy bunny. All in all it’s been a fairly chilled week with lots of family time at the weekend. I don’t have much else to report really, so I shall leave you with the past week’s worth of pictures! To see more, you can view my profile here.

 Dream Believe Achieve  //  Bloggy picture  //  Hello July!

 Ginger bread teddies  //  It was a red lips day  //  Breakfast time!

Instagram @katesbeautystation

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Cosmetics Mini Haul - Video

In this video I share with the contents of my shopping bag after picking a few bits and bobs up that I needed (and a couple that I didn’t but couldn’t resist). I have written a review about this foundation so if you’d like to know my thoughts on it, you can have a look here.

I hope you enjoy this video. If you do, be sure to give it a tumbs up to let me know!

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L'Oreal True Match Foundation - Review



Recently I had that ‘oh no!’ moment. You know, the one where you’ve recently arrived back from being abroad and you’re applying your foundation, only to realise that your lovely tanned skin has now faded and your makeup, rather than making you look like a glowing sun kissed goddess (I wish) now makes you look like a weirdo whose face colour doesn’t match the rest of their body. This called for an emergency trip to the nearest drugstore to pick up a new foundation. I didn’t want another high end one as I don’t like having too many open at the same time, so I opted for L’Oreal True Match which I had read a lot about and fancied trying out. Well, I can safely say that I was not disappointed!

For £9.99 this foundation is a dream, I will go as far as to say it’s the best drugstore foundation I have ever tried and here’s why... It claims to be natural looking, while still providing ‘outstanding’ coverage without caking. Well those are some pretty big statements to live up to L’Oreal, but somehow you’ve managed it! This is such a lightweight foundation to apply, yet it covers all red patches and blemishes I have, not only does it cover them but it doesn’t cake over spots or look too heavy when I’m having a bad skin day. What’s more, the colour that I picked (Golden Beige) matches my skin tone perfectly which is always a problem I’ve had with drugstore foundations in the past, I always found them to be too much on the pink side for my olive skin. It’s also easily buildable for use on a night time and while it provides a slightly dewy finish, it doesn’t go shiny throughout the day. I will even go as far as to say I may never go back to using a high end foundation (or at least not for the foreseeable future), I prefer this to both my MAC Studio Fix Fluid and Studio Sculpt foundations, something I really wasn’t expecting and with a purse friendly price tag to match, there’s nothing that I don’t love about this product.

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Nail Colours To Brighten Up Your Summer

Clockwise From Top: Nina Ultra Pro – Fuchsia Rage  //  Topshop Nails – Green Room  //  Essie – Tart Deco  //  Barry M – Blueberry Ice Cream  //  China Glaze Orange Knockout

Summer has to be my absolute favourite time of the year, the sun is out (on a good day), I get to wear pretty little dresses and bright colours make a welcome comeback into my life, I’m all about a bit of colour, it adds an element of fun to any look and works a treat for lifting my mood!

An easy way to add a dash of colour into your life is by wearing it on your nails and I find that summer is the perfect time to experiment. So without further ado, here are the brightest shades in my collection and the ones I reach for most during this season.

Nina Ultra Pro – Fuchsia Rage. Let’s start with this neon Barbie pink, it doesn’t get any more girly than this! I have found with some fluorescent pink nail polishes that they can sometimes turn out to have a slightly orange tinge once applied to the nails, but that doesn’t happen with this bad boy, the colour you signed up for on the bottle is exactly what you’re getting on your nails. I wear this on days when I’m feeling particularly girly, hey – who doesn’t need some flouro pink in their life occasionally?! Like all neon shades, it applies matte, but with a clear top coat to finish it off it’s just a dream.

Topshop Nails – Green Room. When I’m feeling in the mood for a slightly more edgy colour, this is the one I reach for. I find it needs three coats to be completely opaque, however the time invested in this mani’ is totally worth it and what’s more, I don’t need to wear a top coat with this colour as the finish is oh so shiny. Need I say any more?!

Essie – Tart Deco. The more demure of my two favourite orange shades, this is a beautiful coral which I just love wearing on summer holidays. It’s bright enough that it adds a pop of colour to any outfit, yet it isn’t an ‘in your face’ colour, it’s classy but fun at the same time. A firm staple in my summer collection.

Barry M – Blueberry Ice Cream. I love blue nails at this time of year, along with Green Room I feel that this colour adds a little somethin’ somethin’ to any look. I feel blues and greens are more funky colours as opposed to the classics such as pinks, reds and peach shades. I love Barry M Nail Paints in general as I always find that they apply really well and last ages and Blueberry Ice Cream is no exception. It goes on opaque in one coat, although I like to apply two for longevity and it lasts on my nails without chipping for a good five days, not bad for £2.99 eh?!

China Glaze – Orange Knockout. This is by far my most reached for neon shade and probably the brightest of my entire nail polish collection. It just screams out ‘summer’ to me. Along with Tart Deco, I love this for beach holidays and times when I’m feeling like being a bit more out there with my nails. This is such a gorgeous colour and it’s definitely one that only makes an appearance on my nails during summer time, making it extra exiting to wear as I know that when this colour gets brought out, it means that summer has well and truly arrived.

I hope you enjoyed this post, I love partaking in a good old mani’ pedi’ at any time of year but especially during summer time when there are no gloves to hide my mits behind and the tootsies get a chance to make an appearance! What are your favourite shades to pretty up your nails during summer?

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