Yes To Carrots hair care

Yes To Carrots Nourishing Shampoo - £8.20
Yes to Carrots Leave-in Conditioner - £10.99

In the above picture, you can see some classy bathroom shots of my hair when using shampoo containing sulphates (top) and after using sulphate-free shampoo for a few weeks (bottom). Just to give you a bit of context... I've struggled with my hair for a long time. It's very fine, dry and a bit wavy-wonky. I dye it regularly and this makes it plumper (yay) but drier (boo). I would always look at my friends with their lovely silky hair, sigh, then resign myself to a lifetime of Hermione-esque fuzz.

Now, I know that coarse-haired ladies have it tough too, but it seems like every product designed for dry hair assumes that because the hair is dry, it must also be coarse and thick in texture (not fine) and therefore the product is pretty much akin to body-butter. Products made for coloured hair are usually packed full of silicones (which make my hair sticky and dry) or are just not moisturising enough. Products made for bleached or highlighted hair tend to be a bit overwhelming (apart from the Redken Extreme CAT Restructuring Spray which is bloody brilliant).

Anyway, in order to stop feeling so down about my hair (and to shut up my moaning!), I did a bit of research into wavy, sensitised hair and the products that work for other people. Surprisingly (as I don't consider myself to have curly hair), any hair grumbles I typed into the Google search bar seemed to be covered in minute detail on forums for curly ladies... There were two popular solutions suggested for my Hermione hair woes: stop using shampoo altogether; or switch to sulphate-free or low-sulphate shampoo.

To cut a long story short, I tried the second method as fine hair needs to be clean otherwise it looks gross. I also took notice of advice on the forums on silicones. In a nutshell, using "normal" shampoo was stripping my hair much more than it needed to, then the corresponding conditioner in the range would pile on silicones to smooth and gloss over the damage underneath. For most people, this routine is fine. But for my rubbish hair, this process resulted in parched, over-washed hair weighed down with a sticky film (yuck).

I now stick largely to sulphate-free (or low-sulphate) shampoos and avoid silicones as much as possible. My favourite products which fulfil these criteria are from the Yes To Carrots range. I use the shampoo, conditioner (although I ran out last week as I go through conditioner like nobodies business!), and the leave-in cream. I have tried the cucumber colour care shampoo and conditioner from the same company, and while it was lovely, it wasn't quite conditioning enough for my hair.

You can see (and hopefully you agree) from the above shot, that this little change has made a world of difference. In both cases, I shampooed, conditioned and used some sort of leave-in cream and I left my hair to dry naturally. I sometimes use one of the Loreal Hair Expertise sulphate and silicone free offerings (there are a few different ones in the range including an intensive conditioner - EverSleek I think - which is quite amazing), but day-to-day, Yes To Carrots gives me great results. The range is fantastic value (around £8 for 500ml of shampoo or conditioner!) and they last for ages. The leave-in conditioner is rich, but easy to distribute and you only need a little blob each time.

All of the ingredients are listed on the Yes To... company website. They are a San Francisco based company - like Benefit I believe, so much of the range is only available stateside. However, online sellers like BeautyBay and Feelunique stock the basics at very reasonable prices, and I would thoroughly recommend trying it out if you feel like your hair might be similar in texture to mine.

Cleanser Hall of Fame

I love a good cleanser. Going through the skin troubles I've had this past few years, I've completely changed my routine and have tested a lot of products. I've made some poor decisions (harsh, foaming cleansers) and I've still got a lot more I want to try, but these have been my favourites so far. They were chosen with my sensitive, acne-prone skin in mind, but most would work equally well for those with dry or oily skin as they are simply brilliant cleansers.

First up, is the Origins Never a Dull Moment (£18) face wash, which is the only foaming wash I've had any success with. I reviewed a while back and you can find that post here.

My second most used is the No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser (£9). I've been through, ooh, about 4-5 bottles of this. It is a gel to begin with, and I apply it to my skin without wetting my face first. I really massage it in to ensure it has emulsified all my makeup, then I remove it with a flannel rinsed in almost-hot water. It takes a couple of repeats (rinsing the flannel, wiping, rinsing) but it'll take most of the day/makeup/SPF off in one go. I usually double-cleanse if I've been wearing foundation and SPF and general wisdom is that you can either cleanse for the second time with the same product, or go for something else with different skin benefits. This gel cleanser leaves my skin feeling clean and soft, however, despite it being marketed towards normal/dry skin I do feel that it works better for oily/combination as when my skin has gone through dry phases this cleanser has been a bit too harsh.

My third most used is the Suti Cleanse Organic Balm (£28). This is gorgeous. The balm itself is quite a creepy colour (bright green) but it has a lovely smell - a bit like kiwi fruit. Unfortunately the top ingredient in this is shea butter - my arch nemesis (it breaks me out). As a pre-cleanse however, this is fab. I cleanse with this then reach for either the No7 gel or the Origins wash. As long as the shea butter isn't sitting on my face in a moisturiser I seem to be ok. Despite the evil (for me) ingredient this balm is pure, organic loveliness and is well worth the money if you're into your cleansing and love the ritual (and the scents).

If I'm not using the Suti balm, my next favourite pre-cleanse oil is the Botanics 100% Organic Facial Oil (£9.99 usually, but on promotion for £6.66 just now) . I did a full review of this a few days ago which you can find here.

A more recent addition is the Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser (£16 at Escentual just now) which I got as a gift-with purchase. This has gritty bits in it, which in all honesty, I'm generally not very sure about. I usually get my exfoliation from "flanneling" (ha) and from chemical exfoliants (glycolic, AHA, etc). But this is nice. It's a good one to take into the shower (don't wash your face in the shower if you have the water really hot!) in the morning - just a nice wee scrub to buff away any dull, dead skin cells that have accumulated overnight.

I recently got samples (from a magazine) of the REN Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Gel (£14 at M&S just now) and the Balance Me Daily Essentials Pure Skin Face Wash (£16 for the big size from the brand website, interestingly, you can also get a teeny trial size for a few pounds) and I've been seriously impressed with both of them. I've loved REN products for a while now, their hydra-calm cleansing milk (danger shea butter!), glycolactic mask and rose otto bodywash especially are superb, but this was my first try of a Balance Me product. I really liked the cleanser and will certainly be exploring the range further (hello "congested skin serum" and "skin bright hydrating face mist" - come to me my pretties!)

While all these balms and gels and things get the bulk of the makeup off, I'm always a bit scared to put them near my eyes. I don't wear a lot of eye makeup: only eyeshadow, mascara and undereye concealer as my eyes are sensitive. To sweep this away, I love the Vichy Purete Thermale Soothing Eye Make-Up Remover for Sensitive Eyes (£8.70 at Escentual). It's the most gentle, soothing, refreshing product and it's one of only two removers I trust near my eyes (Klorane Soothing Eye Makeup Remover is the other). I'm not sure how effective these are if you smear your entire eye area in heavy, waterproof mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow, but for normal, everyday makeup removal - these are great.



Phew, another long post. I hope this was somewhat helpful if you were thinking about buying any of the above, or if you were thinking of updating your regime. I'm always on the lookout for new cleansers to add to my stash, so please feel free to leave any recommendations in the comments :)

Botanics 100% Organic Facial Oil

Botanics
100% Organic Facial Oil
Boots - £9.99

Oils are having their moment right now and are even beneficial for combination and oily complexions, especially when used in combination with another cleanser to remove every last trace of make up and dirt without upsetting the skin. Double-cleansing with an oil before using your regular cleanser helps to ensure stubborn long-wearing foundations and sunscreen are lifted from the skin gently.

This Botanics oil is almost always on some sort of offer at Boots, which means you can feel less guilty about rubbing it all over your face and wiping most of it away! It has an amazing, if somewhat artificial, smell. Very sweet and "almondy". However, the product is 100% organic, which I assume means the "parfum" ingredient as well.

To use as a cleanser, pour around 5-10 drops into your hand and massage onto your dry face (no need to wet your face first). Really work it into the skin and around the eye area (probs best not to get it into the eyes if possible). Then, soak a regular facecloth in warm water, wring it out, and start polishing the oil off. Rinse your cloth and repeat a couple of times until you feel that most of your make up is gone. Then go on with your regular cleanser and follow with your usual regime.

This oil can also be added to moisturiser and/or night cream for a boost, or even massaged into the face before moisturiser. I rub this on my hands, lips, and any weird dry patches. I also like sweeping a very small amount over my eyebrows with my little finger to gloss them up a bit and help them look groomed.

All-in-all, there are tonnes of uses for this little bottle of wonder and with its organic credentials, gorgeous scent, and affordable price tag it's a no-brainer = buy it!

Ingredients: Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet almond) oil*, Argania spinosa kernel oil*, Rosa canina seed oil*, Tocopheryl acetate, Limonene, Citronellol, Pelargonium graveolens flower oil, Citrus aurantium dulcis peel extract*, Linalool, Citrus aurantium bergamia (Bergamot) fruit oil, Citrus medica limonum (Lemon) peel oil, Geraniol, Parfum (Fragrance)**, Citral
* Ingredients certified as organic by the Soil Association for use in cosmetic products
** Ingredients certified as organic by the Ecocert Association for use in cosmetic product

Foundations, BB's and CC's for pale skin

Finding a foundation that's even vaguely near your skin tone is a difficult task for all of us. In anything more than light or sheer coverage foundation, there is very little room for error and the shade must be spot on. Recently, it seems there has been an influx of lighter, more sheer formulations. We have also seen the arrival of BB balms, swiftly followed by CC creams which usually have a limited shade range - sometimes only one colour (argh). I imagine this is pretty annoying whatever your skin tone and certainly for pale skinned folks (ghosties)  like myself, this lack of shade range is a bit of a nightmare.

However with some clever application and a bit of a trial-and-error approach, you can still reap the benefits from these new fangled formulations and cover what you need to cover, all while avoiding the biggest beauty faux pas = orange-face-with-white-neck.

I've gone through a lot of foundations recently. A lot. I've tried (in the lightest shade available of course): Max Factor Xperience (meh); Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect (looks amazing if your skin is a bit dry and lacklustre, looks gross if you're naturally oily!); Max Factor Lasting Performance (a former favourite), Lancome Teint Idole (too thick, too dark); No7 BB cream for normal/oily (poor coverage, even for a BB!); 17 BB cream (99% sure this made my skin break out); Loreal Paris Infallible (great colour, 65% sure this made my skin break out although it was quite possibly a joint effort between this and a dodgy cleansing balm!); Max Factor Colour Adapt (too dark)... etc, etc, etc... I'm not the only one that does this am I? Please tell me we all try every bloody foundation, like it for a bit, then give it away?

Anyway, my top four of the year (for vastly different reasons) are: Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation in 005 Beige Ivoire (SPF15); Max Factor CC Cream in 40 Fair (SPF 10); Dr Jart+ Regenerating Beauty Balm (SPF 30); bareMinerals Original SPF15 Foundation in Fair.

I reviewed the Lancome one earlier and you can find that review here. I'll go through each of these focusing on the formulation and how I use it first, then I'll go onto the shade and swatches.

Starting with the first one on the left in that picture: the Dr Jart+ Regenerating BB Balm. This one is dark. There's no getting away from that. But it has SPF30. 30!! Even a tiny droplet of this mixed into your moisturiser and blended all over before putting on your proper foundation will give you a bit more sun protection that you would normally have. That, incidentally, is how I use this = mixed into moisturiser. I sometimes just smear a dot of it over my face without moisturiser if my skin is a bit oily, or only moisturise my cheeks, then put this all over (but a very small amount).

On the far right of that picture, is the Max Factor CC cream. This has been my base of choice recently and I'm almost finished this tube after a few months of wearing it everyday. It's a great pale colour (swatches below) and it doesn't seem to make my skin break out. I will admit that oily girls will likely struggle with this. It says on the bottle that it is "infused with skincare ingredients" and I would say that even skin which is a teeny bit dry will find that putting this on top of moisturiser is just too much and the finish will be quite shiny. I usually put a tiny bit of moisturising gel on my cheeks, then put this CC cream on all over, either with my fingers, or with the Real Techniques expert face brush. I then swirl a bit of face powder (bareMinerals Mineral Veil) to calm down the sheen.

Lastly, at the bottom of the picture, is the bareMinerals Original foundation in Fair. Mineral foundations take a bit of getting used to. I bought this a while back, right at the start of my recent facial meltdown (cystic acne, milia, blackheads, whiteheads = the whole package). It was the ONLY makeup I could use that didn't allow my skin to cultivate crops of new blemishes throughout the day. My skin got over this initial flare-up and went the other way = extremely dry and sensitive. Buffing this into broken, irritated skin is not a good idea, and will not look good. You need a good base for this, preferably load up on your favourite moisturiser, then buff this on (don't use the bareMinerals flawless face brush, it's gross and scratchy) with a brush designed for mineral powders. I use the ecotools buffing brush, which is probably completely the wrong tool, but hey, who cares, I like the finish it gives.

Wow that was long! So what do these products look like on the skin? Well:

As you can see, the bareMinerals foundation is an excellent shade. Really light with not too much pink or yellow but just enough "yellowness" to counteract the underlying red/pink tones often found in pale skin. If you are the other type of pale however, you would perhaps benefit from trying the other fair shades as you might want a bit more pink to counteract your natural yellow tones.

The Dr Jart+ Regenerating balm is very dark here as you can see. No problem at all with it if you use it as I've described above.

My favourite of the moment, the Max Factor cream, is a rosey-pale colour which matches my skintone perfectly, but as mentioned, I sometimes need a bit of yellow in my base to counteract my natural redness. Mixing this with a bit of the Lancome one (the last swatch) seems to sort that out though and it's not overly pink toned so I actually get away with using it alone.

Phew. I hope that was helpful. No doubt I'll continue buying foundations even after finding these beauties, so brace yourselves for another long post on bases in the future. I'm currently eyeing-up: bareMinerals "ready" compact, NARS Sheer Glow, Laura Mercier Silk Creme, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, and about a hundred others. When will it end?!

Where to buy:
Dr Jart+ Regenerating BB - Boots - £14 (usually £21)
Lancome Teint Miracle - Feelunique - £27.50
Max Factor CC - Boots - £9.99
bareMinerals - Feelunique £19.95

Clarins Daily Energizer Lotion + Daily Energizer Cream

Clarins
Daily Energizer Lotion SPF15 - Clarins USA $25
Daily Energizer Cream - Escentual - £16.80

Clarins products have always been (in my mind) geared towards more mature skins. Most of their range is unsuitable for acne-prone skin, with the exception of some of their excellent toners and cleansers. They always seem to have amazing gifts with purchase offers in Boots and department stores, so you can come away from the Clarins counter with a really good deal.

The Daily Energizers range has been around for a few years now. It was formulated with "young" skin in mind, which apparently means people in their 20s. There are lots of promises of brightening and radiance-boosting in the product descriptions for this range which is what drew me in. They are also supposed to detoxify, revive and smooth the skin.

To be honest, I didn't see evidence of those kind of effects. What they are great at, however, is providing moisture to my skin when it's angry and reactive. When I have an acne flare-up, or if something I've eaten or put on my skin has caused inflammation and irritation, I could trust these products not to make it worse, while keeping the skin clean and pure. They both provide an excellent base for makeup and you only need a tiny bit so both versions will last for ages.

I use the Daily Energizer Cream in the evening (after a serum or facial oil if my skin will allow it), and the Daily Energizer Lotion during the day with its handy built-in SPF. I always thought I'd replace these when they ran out, but it turns out the lotion has been discontinued in the UK. This is a shame as finding a light, non-acnegenic, SPF lotion to replace it will be difficult. I'll repurchase the cream when the time comes, and I see there's also a cream gel, a cleansing gel and a wakeup booster tonic to add to the regime. Escentual has a few of these at a special price just now, which makes it the ideal time to stock up. All-in-all a good range, and great prices from such a luxurious brand.

Ingredients: I threw the boxes away so don't have any ingredient information - sorry!

Organic Surge Eye Gel

Organic Surge
Eye Gel
Organic Surge £8.49

I've tried a few Organic Surge products and although I love the price points, company philosophy and ingredient ethics, some of the skincare range I tried has put me off. The Daily Care Face Wash is very harsh on my skin so it became a back and chest wash. The Super Intensive Daily Moisturiser and the Overnight Sensation Night Cream are much too rich for my skin so I used them up as hand creams. I notice there is now a Blissful Daily Moisturiser for normal/combination skin which I would have been willing to try except: what's that in the ingredients list? It's my old nemesis = the much dreaded shea butter (an incredibly acnegenic substance).

Goodies from the range include the First Class Mask which is fantastic and really sorted out any dry patches (and no shea butter in sight - yay), and the Refreshing Toner was also a good buy and it smelled lovely.

The Organic Surge Eye Gel is in a whole other league however, and is a forever repurchased kinda product for me. My last eye cream gave me those little "milia" bumps all around the tops of my cheeks and brow bone, indicating that the formulation was too rich. The Organic Surge gel however, is light, refreshing and hydrating. I absolutely cannot fault it apart from that time I got some right in my eye and it hurt (Beware - MENTHOL!)

I dab a touch of this around my eye socket morning and night, and that's it. Job done. It ensures your eye area stays hydrated and bright and it doesn't affect undereye concealer or eyeshadow as it is instantly absorbed (you may want to use a primer for longer lasting results). With other eye creams or when using nothing at all I would get odd, dry, itchy patches on my eyelids that stuck around for months. I haven't seen a recurrence of these patches at all since using this gel. Perfection!

Ingredients:  Aqua (Water)*, Glycerin (Veg)*, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract*, Aloe Barbadensis Extract*, Polysorbate 20, Alcohol Denat*, Euphrasia Officinalis Extract*, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract*, Menthol*, Acrylates*/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol*, Ethylhexylglycerin, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate.
*naturally-derived ingredient. Free from animal-derived ingredients. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

SEVENTEEN Mirror Shine Lipsticks in Beehive, Pinked and Shouty

SEVENTEEN
Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive
Boots £4.79

I'm not normally a lipgloss fan - I'm more likely to reach for a tinted lipbalm. I do have a few lipsticks, but these are usually creme-textured pale colours for during the day, and the odd tomato red or deeper peachy pink for evening. So when I came across the Mirror Shine Lipsticks from 17 in Boots, I'm not really sure what possessed me to give them a try. But try I did and I eventually went back for another shade, and yet another. The three I've included in this post are Beehive - a sheer rose; Pinked - a sheer pale pink; and Shouty - a more punchy but still sheer cerise.

Beehive (in the first image above) is my favourite of the bunch, and I'm on my second stick already. It's a perfect warm, rose pink. The little mirror included in the packaging is fab for touch ups during the day - and you will need to touch these up as they are by no means long lasting.

Pinked (above) is a much cooler toned pink and looks fantastic with pale ash blonde hair. This shade is a touch too cool for my skintone, but I still think it's a really lovely colour. I sometimes use it over a peach lipstain to add a bit of shine and pinkyness.

Shouty (above) gives a stronger, but yet still wearable colour.

The formulation of these is like nothing I've ever come across in a lipstick before. It's almost like a balm, yet they give such a glossy finish that many have asked me what lipgloss I am wearing. Wearing these everyday and reapplying several times, hasn't caused any dryness at all. However, all three shades mentioned here are very forgiving if your lips are already a little worse for wear, with the exception of Pinked which sometimes builds up on dry patches. This can be easily remedied by patting the dry areas with your finger to lift the over-abundance of colour.

The last time I went to Boots, these were on a buy-one-get-another-half-price offer, which means these little beauties are extremely affordable as well as practical. They have also recently updated the packaging and there always seems to be new shades joining the existing palette. I'm hoping to pick up Belle and Camisole next, but I could quite easily grab the whole lot.

Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Treatment Pads

Nip + Fab
Glycolic Fix Treatment Pads
Boots £12.99

I bought these radiance-boosting pads from Boots when they were on a 3-for-2 offer and I've just finished the third tub so that's around 6 months of using them almost every day. The magic words which lured me into this purchase were "glycolic acid" and "hyaluronic acid" - the holy grail of ingredients for my rubbish skin.

Each tub of Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Treatment has 60 pads for exfoliating, brightening, refreshing and retexturing (all of my favourite things!). The glycolic acid aims to retexture and resurface; the hyaluronic acid will moisturise and refresh; witch hazel purifies and tones; and the added blue daisy extract soothes and calms.

These pads really go a long way to giving you the skin you want - pure, clean and smooth. I'm not sure how strong some of the ingredients are, however. I feel my Liquid Gold is a much more powerful exfoliator, and my Hydraluron serum plumps my skin up more efficiently. But buying these two separately is quite costly, and if you aren't sure if glycolic and hyaluronic acid are for you (I'm willing to bet your skin will love them, but it's best to start gently) then these are an ideal starter purchase. They are strong enough to yield a noticeable effect, and you'll get a tingly feeling the first time you use them, especially if you don't usually use liquid exfoliators.

One gripe I do have is that they do leave a slightly sticky, tacky feeling on the skin but once I carried on with serum and moisturiser etc. this effect largely disappeared. This negative is only a small one though, and wouldn't put me off purchasing them again. I see there's now a deep cleanser, a foaming cleaner, and a serum in the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix range which I'm dying to try (apart from the serum which works out at more than double the price of Liquid Gold - ouch). I'm hanging off buying them in the hope there will be an another awesome Boots offer in the near future...


Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Alcohol Denat. (SD Alcohol 40-B), Disodium EDTA, Globularia Alypum (Blue Daisy) Extract, Panthenol, Lactic Acid, Parfum, Limonene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral

Dior Rosy Glow in 001 Petal

Diorskin
Rosy Glow in 001 Petal
Escentual - £25.90

Isn't this beautiful? I bought the Diorskin Healthy Glow Awakening Blush Rosy Glow in Petal 001 as a treat for myself when I submitted my Masters' dissertation earlier this year and I can hardly bear to use it! When my hair was a very light ash blonde, I always went for pinky toned blush to perk up my complexion. Now I have cultivated a much warmer copper shade of hair, and popular consensus is that redheads should avoid bright pink (gah, who else hates all these beauty "rules"?).

Well, so I thought. While this blush looks bright in the pan, it's actually incredibly subtle on the skin. So subtle in fact, that I struggled to get a swatch picture. Rather than a hit of colour, this blush gives more of a soft focus, brightening effect. Even with my redder hair, this doesn't make me look oddly flushed at all. It apparently reacts with the moisture in each skin tone, giving a custom colour. I have quite dehydrated skin so I do wonder how Rosy Glow managed with my lack of moisture...

The blush comes in gorgeous casing with a black velvet pouch for travel. The little brush is handy (and cute) but I prefer a big fluffy blush brush to avoid an obvious stripe of colour. The formulation is fantastic (as you would suspect from a luxury brand) and a faint sweep of blush is still intact at the end of a work day. I'm more of a cream-blush gal, but this gives such a healthy finish, I almost forget it's a powder.

Botanics All Bright range

About a year-and-a-half ago, my skin first started properly freaking out for the first time in years. I was completely unprepared for the whiteheads, blackheads, oily t-zone and cystic acne which ensued and spent hours reading blogs and product reviews to find a magic cure.

It turns out there is no magic cure, but there certainly are products and ingredients which can help you on your way to much clearer, brighter, happier skin. Incorporating these into an appropriate skincare regime can dramatically reduce the pain and embarrassment of blemished skin.

One range in particular has seen me through these bad times: Botanics All Bright. These products have natural hibiscus extract, which promises to "brighten and smooth all skin types". This gentle exfoliating effect is essential for congested skin. Combined into a regime, the overall effect is astonishing for such a cheap range of products. They really help overcome whiteheads, clear out most blackheads and leave skin much more refined in texture.

Although they are brilliant, they're not miracle workers - I am still left with cystic acne (which is hard to treat with topical on-the-skin products anyway) and I do get the odd blemish every few days. The exfoliating action from these products alone is not quite strong enough for me, and I do incorporate other products (especially glycolic masks and toners) into my routine.

Keep an eye out for special offers on all of the Botanics products. Currently, there's up to a third off selected Botanics skin care. I wait until these offers appear then stock up on refills (although I wouldn't stockpile too far ahead as the natural ingredients may not keep for too long). I've included the full prices in this post but it's very rare you'll catch them not on offer.

Top performers for me include:

1. Botanics All Bright Gentle Cleansing Cream - £3.99
2. Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner - £3.99
3. Botanics All Bright Refreshing Eye Roll-On - £8.99
4. Botanics All Bright Cleansing Face Wipes 25s - £3.49

Yes, I've put the face wipes in there. Just to clarify: I absolutely do not *wash* my face with the wipes. They are for make up mishaps or moisturiser/serum dramas (ie. get it off my face NOW moments). You must cleanse your face properly with a face wash, preferably morning and night, preferably use a face cloth, preferably use a decent cleanser (I haven't tried the face wash from this range because I am married to my cleansing balms and to my Origins gel, but it looks okay from the ingredients). I'll wash my face with one of my cleansers, warm water, and a flannel. Then I'll sweep a bit of the All Bright cleansing cream over, and then a sweep of the toner.

Another word of warning: the Soothing Eye Make Up Remover is awful. Dreadful. It hated my eyes. My eyes hated it back. Straight in the bin - there was no way I was giving it to a friend or family member. The day and night moisturisers are okay I guess... I think this is one area you need to put a bit of money into. I have an Origins moisturiser in my regime which I absolutely could not live without, it is £34, the moisturisers from this range are less than a fiver, so I guess in this instance you do get what you pay for.

Last word on the All Bright range (and Botanics in general): it is incredibly refreshing to see the ingredients printed online (that's why I haven't included them in this post). I spend hours looking for ingredients lists online and if I can't find any, and if I don't have access to the physical product, I'll just pass it by - no matter how much love it's getting on blogs and in magazines. So good on Boots for providing these details and saving their customers the hassle!

Soap & Glory Peach Party

Soap & Glory
Peach Party in Apricot Jam
Boots £11

I love a sweep of blush and there is nothing better for perking up pale skin. However, us ghosts have to be careful not to overdo it with deep colour. As a cool ash blonde, I loved pale and pink blushes in anything from candyfloss to vintage rose to Barbie-cerise. As a warm copper blonde, I've had to veer towards peach and nude blushes as bright pink is just too much with the hair.

I'm a big fan of Soap & Glory bath and body stuff, and was lured-in by a 2 for £15 offer in Boots on the make-up stand. Peach Party in Apricot Jam is a "multi-colour blush brick" with a gorgeous peachy-gold finish. It is a bit sparkly, but totally wearable in the day as long as you don't go overboard. It's a very hard colour to photograph, as the shimmery metallic pigment seems to catch the light and it completely overshadows the lovely peachyness underneath.

Peach Party is a multi-dimensional brick with peach, copper and gold pearlised pigments. I suppose it would be possible to use a small brush or eyeshadow sponge applicator to pick up the individual colours, but they do look wonderful swirled together.

Darker-skinned lovelies would be able to build up the colour on this, and use it to give a lovely warm glow. Ghosties should use a light hand with a fluffy blush brush to sweep a little of the product: on the apples of the cheeks; very slightly on the nose; and a little swirl on each temple. Using a warm apricot or beige eyeshadow and a peachy-nude lippy unifies the look. Peachy perfection!

Ingredients: Mica, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Talc, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Dimethicone, Nylon-12, Glyceryl Stearate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Tin Oxide, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, BHT, Silica, [+/-(May Contain/peut contenir) CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 19140 (Yellow 5 ), CI 75470 (Carmine), CI 15850 (Red 7 ), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77007 (Ultramarines), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77492 (Iron Oxides)]

Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation

Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation
in 005 Beige Ivoire
House of Fraser - £27.50

Finding foundation for pale skin is (what seems like) a never-ending quest full of costly disappointments. It's incredibly easy to find yourself completely outwith the shade range of entire brands (go to counter: try palest shade, weep, leave, never return).

I heard through the grapevine that Lancome had some pale shades and decided to give it a go and by that I mean I ordered it in the House of Fraser sale earlier this year without having tested it in real life (usually not a good idea).

Lancome describe Teint Miracle as a: "natural light creator for bare skin perfection" and state that it: "helps to recreate and boost the skin's luminosity". With SPF 15 and an oil-free formulation, this should suit most skins apart from the very dry or very oily due to the luminous, non-matte finish.

There are two pale shades in the Teint Miracle range - 005 Beige Ivoire and 007 Beige Rose. I have a pinky-pale complexion with visible blue veins (gross) and a smattering of warm coloured freckles. I was sorely tempted by the Beige Rose. I'm glad I didn't go for it, and here's why: an overly pink-toned complexion can be balanced with a yellow-toned foundation. Pinky-pale foundation on pinky pale skin would only emphasise underlying redness and people would be asking if I'd been on the wine, again... Especially with my new copper hair. 

So I ordered Beige Ivoire. As you can see in the picture it is yellow-toned and perhaps, just a teensy bit too dark for me. It isn't a full coverage foundation however, so it does blend out nicely (no pics I'm afraid, my face is misbehaving). It gives just enough coverage to even out my skin and perk it up a bit, providing a lovely base. It's not a flawless looking foundation by any means, the coverage and texture is almost on a par with some CC creams I've tried, but it does leave a lovely light finish. 

I have occasionally brushed on a bit of finishing powder after using this, especially on my forehead. I've used it for both daytime and evenings (I'm not one for heavy coverage any time of day) and I've also dabbed it on blemishy and blotchy bits as a sort of concealer over BB creams and CC creams if needed. It doesn't break me out (as long as I remove thoroughly in the evening) although it's definitely not as pure as something like the bareminerals foundation (which is highly recommended if you suspect that your base is causing blemishes). The ingredients list is below, although I'd double check before purchasing if you have sensitivities as formulations can change.

All-in-all a lovely foundation and I will repurchase (despite the price).

Ingredients: Aqua/water - cyclopentasiloxane - alcohol denat - phenyl trimethicone - glycerin - ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate - peg-10 dimethicone - bis-peg/ppg-14/14 dimethicone - peg/ppg/polybutylene glycol-8/5/3 glycerin - linalool - rosa gallica extract / rosa gallica flower extract - talc - dimethicone - dimethicone/polyglycerin-3 crosspolymer - methicone - alumina - aluminium hydroxide - magnesium sulfate - limonene - disodium stearoyl glutamate - butylphenyl methylpropional - tocopheryl acetate - hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexen carboxaldehyde - hexyl cinnamal - parfum/fragrance - may contain +/- red 28 lake, red 7, mica, titanium dioxide, blue 1 lake, bismuth oxychloride, iron oxides

Origins Never a Dull Moment Face Cleanser

Origins
Never a Dull Moment Skin-brightening face cleanser
Boots £18

Origins "Never a Dull Moment" face wash is a skin-brightening face cleanser with fruit extracts. I bought this when I was on a bit of a mission to overhaul my skin care routine and I was thoroughly fed up with my skin and its bad behaviour. My skin was freaking out and was somehow managing to have all the following properties simultaneously: dry, oily, blotchy, tight, itchy, lumpy, spotty, dull, flaky, shiny... the list goes on. Hideous.

Anyway, I was initially dubious about this wash as it is foaming, which is usually a no-no for acne-prone skin. However, Origins mentioned those magic words which always manage to lure me in, namely:  "skin brightening" and "fruit acids". Any product with those terms is usually geared towards sluggish complexions much in need some exfoliating action. Right up my alley.

I have large collection of cleansers with my most popular choices in the past being a gel to milk cleanser for the shower in the morning (I don't have hot showers due to low blood pressure so the temp is fine for my face, if you do have hot showers - beware of washing your face in the hot water!), and a balm cleanser in the evening removed with a flannel. I avoid shea butter and mineral oil like the plague. If I do use an oily balm, I make sure to double cleanse with something to remove the balm residue, or to ensure the balm has friendly ingredients (almond oil, rosehip oil etc don't break me out).

This Origins cleanser has been in the shower with me most mornings and I've been really appreciating how clean and fresh my skin feels. The little boost from the fruit acids contributes to the other peeling products I use and has significantly cut down on those pimply surface spots that are usually a result of clogged up skin. The smell isn't anything to write home about, but I don't use products for their smell. I have a few Origins products (reviews coming up) and they often have quite... odd smells. Sort of like plants. Hmm.

I've included the full ingredients list as presented on the packaging as I like to know exactly what's in my products and it's often a nightmare trying to find a full list. Origins aren't quite an organic brand however they use lots of lovely essential oils and natural extracts. These can be a problem for some sensitive skins, but my reactive skin seems fine with this, in fact it is very soothing. Some might not like the fact it has butylene glycol in it. I personally don't go out of my way to avoid it, but there is talk that it can dry the skin.

So in conclusion: great product; not cheap but reasonable for results; easy to use in the shower; foaming but not drying; great gentle exfoliating action for clogged skin; basically, an all-round winner!

Ingredients: water\aqua\eau; citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) flower water - cocamidopropyl hydroxylsultaine - coco-betaine - decylglucoside - sodium cocoyl sarcosinate - sodium isostearoyl lactylate - methyl gluceth-20 - peg-7 glyceryl cocoate - sodium chloride - barosma betulina (buchu) leaf oil*, citrus paradisi (grapefruit) peel oil*, eucalyptus globulus (eucalyptus) leaf oil*, abies sibirica (pine) oil*, prunus amygdalus amara (bitter almond) kernal oil*, limonene - disodium cocoyl glutamate - mangifera indica (mango) fruit extract - carica papaya (papaya) fruit extract - yucca schidigera (yucca) extract - quillaja saponaria wood extract - aloe barbadensis (aloe) leaf juice - polyquaternium-6 - bis-peg-18 methyl ether dimethyl silane - sodium cocoyl glutamate - butylene glycol - polysorbate 20 - monosodium citrate - citric acid - phenoxylethanol - methylchloroisothiazolinone - methylisothiazolinone.    *essential oil