Skincare // Oily, Acne Prone Skin Regimen [v] [CF]

L U S H // Herbalism (v) (CF)

Once I've cleaned my face of makeup with my choice of remover, I start my routine with Lush's "Herbalism" facial cleanser. Designed for oily, acne prone skin, this cleanser effectively washes out my pores of residual makeup and dirt from the day. Whilst the smell is a tad off putting to begin with, it's definitely a product that's earned a stable place in my regimen. 

This solid cleanser requires a pea sized amount and a splash of water (mixed to form a paste) to work it's magic. Supposedly, this product is considered to be a light exfoliant, but I find with the help of the following product, my skin is left feeling smooth and hydrated and my skin tone even. 

S P I N for perfect skin

There are plenty of electronic face brushes out on the market today. The most popular being none other than the og, Clarisonic, or the Foreo "Luna Mini" for an everday clean. If either of these products are out of your preferred price range or unavailable to you, look no further than to the "Spin for perfect skin" face brush. You might of heard of this little guy through the plethora of insane discount codes given out to youtubers (seriously guys, keep those codes, as you can save yourself up to $80 on this product with the RRP of $100).

I use this face brush with the cleansing head possibly every other/three days, depending on my skin or the events of that day. The exfoliating head works a treat also, but I find myself using that every other week.

T B S // Aloe Calming Toner (v) (CF)

 Once my skin has been cleaned to perfection, I move onto prepping my skin for the day/night ahead. The Body Shop's Calming Toner from their Aloe line is one of the best. Perfect for those struggling with sensitivity and acne, this product aids in refreshing and preparing the skin for makeup, or simply calming the skin by wearing it overnight. 

P A L M E R S // Moisture Rich Night Cream (v) (CF)

After a toner, I will apply one of two moisturises. Either my Cetaphil Lotion (mentioned below) or my Palmer's Moisture Rich Night Cream. A small amount goes a long way (too much can leave your skin feeling greasy) with this aromatic, non-comedogenic product. I guarantee you'll wake in the morning with skin smoother than a baby's butt. The vitamin E in it works a treat for acne scarring, too. 

C E T A P H I L // Moisturising Lotion

If my skin is feeling a little icky and not up for a thicker cream, I'll reach for this guy. After being recommended to me by my doctor, the Cetaphil Moisturising Lotion had become another staple to my skincare routine. It's wonderful under makeup and keeps my skin hydrated over lengthy periods of time. 

L U S H // Grease Lightning (v) (CF)

This is a very new addition to my skincare routine. Lush's Grease Lightning has always been on my wishlist, and only recently did I finally get around to purchasing it over some umming and ahhing. Made with aloe and witch hazel, Grease Lightning is a spot treatment that is applied to affected areas. I found that over the space of two days, any problem areas had been completely fixed. 

I N V I T E // Vitamin E oil (v)  

 Finally,  I finish my routine with a very small amount of vitamin E oil to prominent acne scars or flaky areas/spots that need some tlc. 

What products are in your everyday skincare routine? Let us know below!

Until next time,

(v) = vegan
(CF) = Cruelty Free

Aesop // Fabulous Face Cleanser and Parsley Seed Toner [v] [CF]

 Aēsop. The store that nobody ever pronounces correctly or can justify spending $60 on watery cleansers chock-a-block of herbs. Well, that's what I thought to begin with, at least. 

I could be slightly biased on how I found these products as I did receive them as a gift and, well, free stuff is always going to be fantastic. It's like those cheap bags of popcorn you receive at university open days that are the best things your taste buds have ever had the privilege of being acquainted with. Yes, I just compared a 100ml bottle of cleanser to a bag of popcorn.

Enough rambling, lets get down into the nitty gritty details of Aēsop's Fabulous Face Cleanser and Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Facial Toner.

Despite every drop being too precious for my empty wallet to even consider, the cleanser wasn't an overly exciting product, as it didn't really seem to do the best job at cleaning my face after a day out.

I might consider this as being more of a morning cleaner, with it's pungent citrusy scent and cool, watery formula being rather refreshing. It's definitely fit for sensitive skin, too. It doesn't strip your skin of it's natural oils, and whilst it isn't non-comedogenic, it didn't seem to clog my pores either. 

It surprisingly lathers up quite nicely too. I still don't know if I could justify spending $40-$65 on 100ml-200ml of this stuff. 

As for the toner, I definitely may consider splurging. I've had mine for over a year now (I know, I'm terrible) and it's still going strong as  little goes a long way with this toner. I apply this straight after a shower and allow for it to dry into my skin before moisturising. The next morning I find my skin to be soft and primed for makeup. It's soothing on angry flare ups and helps to reduce inflammation. It's also surprisingly hydrating as well. 

Will I be repurchasing these products again? Most likely not on my student budget as there are better drugstore products out there for a quarter of the price, but they certainly are luxurious products to use after a long week. 

What do you think of Aēsop products? Do you have any favourites you swear by? We'd love to hear!

Until next time,

A Frank review

Hello lovely humans of the internet, Emily here,

Let's be frank (I apologise for the pun, but it was there and there was no chance that I wasn't going to take it)...scrubs are difficult. Maybe it's just me, but I've never been able to find the perfect body scrub. They're either far too fine or uncomfortably coarse; overly oily or completely dry; horrifically pungent or not fragranced enough etcetera etcetera etcetera. Well today, I've come to tell you about the scrub I've found to check all the right boxes. 

Today I'm reviewing the well-renowned body scrub, Frank.

With Frank across every platform of social media, there is no doubt that this sweet-talking coffee scrub is sweeping across the nation, into everyone's bathrooms.

I've currently trialled two of Frank's scrubs; the Coconut Coffee Scrub and the Original Coffee Scrub. In my opinion so far, the Coconut Coffee Scrub is my favoured one. It leaves less residue on my skin,  seems to be slightly less moist and has a fragrance more up my alley. It's supposed to be the one best suited for sensitive skin, but quite honestly, other than not leaving behind as much oil as the Original scrub, it's not too much different in this department.

Both promise to target cellulite, stretch marks, psoriasis, varicose veins, eczema, acne and scarring with roasted and ground robusta coffee beans. I went ahead and did a little extra research to find out the benefits of coffee for the skin. I've received the following information from this site here.

What I've discovered, is that through the power of coffee, your skin's strength and facial elasticity is greatly improved, as is the production of collagen and elastin, thus classifying it as an antioxidant. Along with the help of chlorgenic acid to reduce puffiness and redness and caffeine to smoothen any roughness, lines or wrinkles, any acne or scarring of the skin is combated over a short period of time through the use of a coffee scrub.

The Original Coffee Scrub contains brown sugar and sea salt to smoothen your skin, and almond oil to nourish, repair and tone. The Coconut Coffee Scrub replaces the almond oil with grapeseed and coconut oil to hydrate and repair, and smoothens the skin with the help of coconut flakes and jojoba beads in addition to the original recipe of brown sugar and sea salt.

From my own experience, after three weeks of scrubbing my problem areas and leaving the product to dry on my skin for around ten minutes, every other day, any scarring and acne is visibly reduced in size and redness. 

As for smoothening your skin, Frank does the job like no other. After most uses, I find I don't even need to moisturise as my skin is left feeling soft and rejuvenated. 

The fragrance is rather pungent, so if you don't like the smell of coffee, you may take a while getting used to it. But I can promise you once you get used to the aroma, you'll be best buddies with Frank. 

I can highly recommend this little guy to anyone on the hunt of a high quality scrub for a low price. 

Until next time, 

Have you read...A Salty Beginning...?