Full Skin Cleansing Routine

Hello my beauties :)

Today, I'm gonna blog about my skin care routine and the products I use throughout.

1. I always make sure my hands are squeaky clean and after I wash them thoroughly with soap and warm water, I apply a sanitizing gel. This will eliminate commensal skin bacteria and therefore, prevents transfer of these bacteria onto the face.

2. Dilate 2 or 3 cotton discs in warm water and apply eye-make up remover to each one of them.

3. Pull the brow of one eye upwards (gently), apply the disc to the eyelid and leave for 5 seconds. Sweep in an outward motion and repeat until all the makeup is removed.

4. Run under the lower lashes with disc edge to remove any mascara and eye pencil smudges. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the other eye with another cotton disc. If mascara is still coming out, apply some more make up remover to a cotton bud and run it over the lashes.

5. To remove lipstick, apply some makeup remover to another cotton disc, hold lips taut from one side and sweep outwards in the opposite direction (if your holding your lips from the left side sweep to the right and vice versa).

6. For cleansing the face, apply a 20 Euro-cent coin-sized dollop of cleanser to one of your palms. Wet the other palm and work the cleanser into a lather. Start by applying it over the neck in upward, circular movements and move on to the centre of the face and continue with outwards circular movements. Pay special attention to the nostril area. Rinse off with warm water and repeat when removing full make up.

7. Apply toner all over the face, omitting the eye area.

8. Apply 20 Euro-cent coin-sized dollop of FACIAL scrub (body scrubs have coarser granules which will be too harsh for the skin on the face) onto your palms and massage on your face using circular motions outwards and upwards from the jaw-line. Leave on for 3 minutes and rinse off with warm water.

9. Apply a thin layer of face mask (for peel-offs apply a thicker layer) all over the face omitting the eye and lip areas. Leave on for 15 - 30 minutes or as long as it is stated on the package. Rinse off with warm water. Steps 8 and 9 should ideally be done twice a week.

10. Apply another application of toner paying special attention to the hair-lines so as to make sure all traces of the mask are removed.

11. Leave the skin to dry.

12. Apply some eye gel or eye cream by gently dabbing with the ring finger around the orbitals.

13. Apply a slick of lip balm.

14. Apply a layer of moisturizer and work in the skin until fully absorbed. In the morning apply sunscreen prior to applying the moisturizer. When I am not going to apply foundation, I use a tinted moisturizer as a make-up base.

- Skin Truth Face Eye Contour Gel

- Nivea Visage Extra Gentle Eye Make-up Remover

- Nivea Visage Refreshing Facial Wash Gel

- Nivea Visage Refreshing Toner

- Nivea Visage Young smooth it! mild exfoliating facial scrub

- Nivea Visage Young control shine! mattifying gel cream

- Nivea Visage Young be beautiful! tinted moisturizer

- Nivea Lip Care Caregloss & Shine

- A range of Montagne Jeunesse face masks and tonics. I always try out different ones suited for my skin.

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Review: Revlon Illuminance Creme Eyeshadow Limited Edition 10-Shade Palette in Warm & Toasty 02

Hello my lovelies. Today, I'll be reviewing Revlon Illuminance Creme Eyeshadow Limited Edition 10-Shade Palette in Warm & Toasty 02.

My cousin and his lovely wife bought me this palette as a gift when they came over for a visit. We do get Revlon here in Malta but not all the stuff, as was the case with this palette. I immediately fell in love with all the neutral tones and when I turned to the back of the palette and read 'limited edition', I was over the moon. It is the only creme eyeshadow palette I own and I really love it.

Be it summer or winter, these eyeshadows never fail to impress. Especially during summer when make up seems too worn out by the heat that it doesn't want to stay put! The colours come out really nice and I like to experiment with new combinations. However, applying a powdery base (mineral foundation, pressed powder or simply a similar coloured eyeshadow) prior to applying the creme ones, will help prevent creasing + a similar coloured eyeshadow underneath will make the colour stand out more (not that these ones in particular need it). Further more, the colour stays put until I take it off with an eye-makeup remover.

The different shades in the palette compliment any skin tone and are perfect for day or night. I prefer to use the lighter colours during the day and the darker colours at night though I do mix different scales of the browns to achieve a different look each time. The image on the right shows swatches of the 10 different colours in the palette.

Until next time, take care & stay beautiful

Laraxoxo

More about → Review: Revlon Illuminance Creme Eyeshadow Limited Edition 10-Shade Palette in Warm & Toasty 02

June 2010 Favourites

Hello make-upholics :) It's time for my first monthly favourites post and well here they are!

From left to right they are:

- e.l.f. studio Complexion Perfection

- e.l.f. nail polish in Medium Red

- Rimmel 60 Seconds nail polish in 270 Shocker

- e.l.f. nail polish in Dark Navy

- e.l.f. dual pencil sharpener

- Rimmel Lasting Finish Minerals Loose powder foundation in 001 Ivory

- Napoleon Perdis Protege lipgloss

- essence stay natural concealer in 01 Soft Beige

- L'oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara in Black

- Max Factor Lash Lift Volume & Lift Mascara in 5074 Black/Brown

To start off, my absolute favourite product is the Complexion Perfection by e.l.f. It retails for £3.50 and you get 13.5g of product in a sleek case with a nice-sized mirror. I use the various shades to counteract redness and sallowness in my complexion and also to set my under eye concealer.

The nail polishes all have a very good stay-on time without chipping even without a top coat on. Applying polish without a top coat is the best way to test longevity of a polish and these 3, besides being hot shades for this summer, passed my test!!

e.l.f.'s dual pencil sharpener is a very good deal. For £1.50, you get 2 sharpeners, the dual one and a bonus single one. There is also a picker installed in the side of the dual one which you can use to remove any colour remnants from the blades. The cap and base of the dual sharpener are also detachable for optimum cleaning.

I found mineral foundation to be the best foundation for my skin since it gives me the coverage I need and also, it mops up oil from my skin and leaves me flawless all day.

I got the Napoleon Perdis Protege Lip gloss from a 50 make-up points redemption on Meg's Makeup (If you want to join the site contact me with your email address and I will send you an invite) It has a nice summery coral colour and a fresh minty taste...you feel it tingling on your lips instantly! I have been using this ever since i got it and it is now one of my absolute favourite lip glosses.

The essence concealer is great because you apply just the right amount by twisting the base and then blend it with its brush. It gives me a very fresh look.

Mascara is the one product I NEVER EVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT! It gives the eyes an instant lift and you can choose different colours to suit your mood and look. I mostly use black for evenings and brown for natural looks.

So I guess that's all for now :)If you have any questions or queries don't hesitate to contact me...

Stay beautiful,

Laraxoxo

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