For someone who suffers with dry skin, I have an obsession with hydrating skincare products. I am a huge fan of the original Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula lotion so as you could imagine, I was super excited when Palmers offered to send me some goodies from their skincare range. So if you’re anything like me and you’re wanting to improve dehydrated skin, then look no further than these affordable products. Warning: You will become obsessed.

I seem to go on and on about how I don’t like using wipes for makeup removal as I find it too harsh on my skin therefore as an alternative, I stick to micellar waters or oil based cleansers. This is where Palmer’s UltraGentle Facial Cleansing Oil* comes in handy. I use two generous pumps of this to massage in circular motions on a damp, makeup-caked face then I rinse thoroughly with warm water. Despite wearing waterproof mascara, this cleanser dissolved impurities and all traces of makeup within seconds leaving my skin feeling soft and cleansed whilst also giving it that glorious Palmer’s Cocoa Butter smell which I adore. This cleanser contains 8 pure oils: Apricot, Argan, Soybean, Sesame, Sweet Almond, Grape Seed, Jojoba and Rice Bran oil. The cleanser doesn’t leave any excess oil on the skin which is something I’m very fussy about and it claims to be suitable for all skin types as well as safe for sensitive skin AND it’s cruelty free!

To me, there’s nothing better than pampering your skin with a face mask once a week and I’m pretty sure I have found my new favourite mask. Palmer’s Purifying Enzyme Mask* helps to purify, exfoliate and smooth your skin. I don’t know why but clay masks are my all-time favourites, I get a weird sense of satisfaction every time I use one (is that weird lol?). This mask uses natural Kaolin Clay which lifts out impurities within minutes to deeply purify and cleanse the skin whilst Papaya Enzyme gently exfoliates resulting in baby soft skin. It says you can use this mask up to 3 times a week however I only like to use it once a week for an extra pampering treat! You only need to apply a thin layer of this and it completely dries in the next 10-15 minutes. You can then rinse off with warm water to reveal your soft and cleansed skin. I loved how this mask didn’t seem to dry my skin out any more than what it already was.

This next product is what I was most excited about trying. I’m going to admit that I have never tried any face oils in the past purely for the fact that most of them seem very expensive. Palmer’s Multi-Effect Perfecting Facial Oil* is on the market for just £9.99 which I think is an amazing price considering it contains the added benefits of Retinol (Vitamin A) which is an extremely effective ingredient that helps to visibly increases the appearance of firmness, diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles, smooths and refines the surface of the skin and improves uneven skin tone. It’s very hard to find a product which contains Retinol for such an affordable price range these days! I have seen a massive improvement with my skin right from day one. My redness has reduced and the pores on my nose seems less noticeable. I suffer with major smile lines around my mouth which I have always been self-conscious about however I’ve noticed a huge improvement in which I don’t notice them as much anymore, not forgetting to mention that my skin appears more radiant and healthy. I use around 3-4 drop of this on my skin every night before I go to sleep so that I give it a good amount of time for it to do its job and sink in.

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Have you tried anything from Palmer’s NEW Skincare Range yet?

Must Have Carry-On Travel Essentials

With my holiday only being 11 days away, I think it’s safe to say that am very excited yet super nervous at the same time. I am such a nervous flyer. Well, I’m an anxious traveler in general. In my mind I believe that my comfort on a flight begins with how you pack your carry-on bag, I need to make sure I pack everything which will keep me feeling content and comfortable for the flight (and hopefully pass the time a bit quicker).

The Basics

Travel Bag: I currently use a plain black rucksack which I got for £10 in Primark and it has done me wonders. It’s the perfect size and I manage to fit quite a lot of stuff in there. I love how it has front pockets and also two more compartments inside for even more extra storage. I use this as my main travel bag and also my staying over bag for when I’m round a friend/family house for the evenings.

Travel Wallet: The boyfriend and I picked one of these up from eBay last year before we headed off to Amsterdam. I believe it cost around £5/£6 which I thought was very reasonable considering the ones we looked at were more on the £12 side of things. It fits all of our boarding passes, passports, ID cards and travel money inside, leaving plenty more room for any other extra cards and details you want to take along with you.

What I bring to keep comfortable

Flip Flops: If I’m going away on a summer holiday, I always love to either wear flip flops for the whole journey or bring a pair with me in my bag so I can change into them halfway through ready to face the hot weather when I get to the other side.

Sunglasses: There’s nothing worse than getting off the plane to bright, sunny weather and not having any sunglasses for protection therefore you end up squinting the whole way to your hotel/villa. I like to think ahead and bring a pair with me so that I can chuck them of once we’ve gotten off the plane.

Travel Pillow: I get neck aches whenever I sit down for a long amount of time. My brother bought a travel pillow recently and it’s the most comfy thing ever and I’m definitely going to be bringing it on the flight with me. We have an early morning flight therefore I will most probably end up having a little nap on the plane with this pillow as my support.

Lip Balm and Hand Cream: During flights, I always get super dry lips and hands therefore bringing lip balm & hand cream along with me is essential.

How I keep entertained

iPad: With the recently new download Netflix feature, I am definitely going to be catching up with some shows on my iPad to make the time go a bit faster.

Headphones: I don’t know what I would do without my headphones on a flight. I’ve always had problems with my ears where I’ve had to go to the doctors numerous amount of times, therefore headphones do me the world of good. There’s nothing worse than having blocked ears for days whilst you’re trying to enjoy your holiday.

Books: I have always loved reading ever since I was little. Getting stuck into a book is a good way to pass the time. I’m currently reading 13 Reasons Why after watching the show on Netflix and I’m loving it so far, it’s defiantly the book that I’m bringing on holiday with me.

Snacks: Of course you’re bound to get a bit peckish on the plane therefore I like to stock up with some snacks to help keep me content. (I get a bit ‘hangry’ otherwise lol).

What is on your ‘must have carry-on essentials’ list when it comes down to travelling?

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Double Cleansing With PIXI + Caroline Hirons

I have been following Caroline Hirons for a good year and a half now. When it comes down to skincare tips and advice, her blog is my go to place. Caroline and a few other influencers have teamed up with Pixi to create a bunch of fabulous collaborations which you can find over here on their “what’s new” section. As soon as I heard that Caroline was bringing out a double cleanser I was shook and so frickin’ excited to say the least.

What is double cleansing?

I found out about double cleansing through Caroline’s blog and it’s something that I have been using in my skincare routine a lot more often. I use cleansers anyways as I don’t like the feel of makeup wipes, they seem to be harsh and rough on my sensitive skin and it just doesn’t work out well for me. You start off with your first cleanser, preferably something oil based to help remove the bulk of your makeup and to help get rid of any sweat and dirt. Oil based cleansers are becoming very popular recently and they’re also generally safe and gentle to use around your eyes. After rinsing that away, you move onto the second step which is cleansing your face again but with a cream cleanser to actually cleanse your skin. Caroline recommends to massage a cream cleanser into your skin for a good few minutes and I believe she has a post on how to massage your face properly.

“If you’ve spent time putting it on, then take time taking it off”

-         Caroline Hirons

       My initial thoughts about this product was ‘what a flipping great idea’ I’m surprised that no one thought of doing a double cleanser in one tub before?! Genius. The packaging is absolutely beautiful. The plastic tub feels sturdy yet not too heavy and the design is simple yet tells you exactly what the product is all about from the first glance. Inside the tub contains two separate compartments: one for the oil cleanser and then one for the cream cleanser. Both sides contain 50ml of product each. I immediately noticed how this product doesn’t have any scent to it, which is perfect for me as I suffer with sensitive skin. Too much fragrance can actually break me out more and my skin can become very irritated. The product claims to be suitable for ALL skin types which is great!

The solid cleansing oil instantly melted into my fingers from the warmth of my hands, making it easier to apply to my skin. I massaged this into my dry, makeup caked face and simply watched the magic happen as it dissolved and melted all of my makeup away within seconds. I’m talking the stubborn mascara, the matte liquid lipstick and those layers of foundation, cream contour and powder – literally the whole ‘shebang’. I mean, I looked ridiculous afterwards with all this melted makeup on my face but after rinsing it away with a cloth and some warm water, my skin felt tremendously soft. Moving onto the cleansing cream side of things, this was definitely my favourite part mainly because I prefer using creams rather than oil cleansers. Whilst massaging this cream into my skin, it felt very luxurious and silky smooth. I like to massage it into my skin for a good few minutes so that the product has enough time to sink into my skin before rinsing away.

I can honestly say that my skin has never felt so soft and clean in its entire 20 years of life. The cream didn’t leave any leftover residue on my skin and I felt like I didn’t need to moisturise afterwards because my skin already felt super hydrated. I believe having a good skincare regime helps massively with how your makeup applies and looks on the skin, I would 100% recommend everyone to try out double cleansing at least once in their lifetime and see how it works out. I am certainly never going to stop it.

This product retails for £24 online at Cult Beauty or in stores at Marks and Spencer.

Have you tried out this product yet?

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