My Not So Secret 7

Only last post i was saying how i felt that getting the skin right is the key to any make up look. And it is. But what if skin has never been your strong point?

When your skin is not feeling so great your confidence takes a great knock. And i know - Ive suffered plenty an eve when i should have been at some party or a night out with my school friends or biggest mortification ever: a date with the guy in the year above me that i had to cancel cos i was having a bad skin day. I suffered from acne as a teenager and I'll admit that i was painfully aware of it. The worst thing was that while all my friends grew out of it and sported glowing complexions, my skin stayed crappy into my adult life. Now don't get me wrong, It was never that bad but it was certainly enough for me to coat my whole face in a much too thick layer of foundation.

I'm sure you'll understand that when its you, it feels that the whole world is staring at any, even tiny imperfection. It was enough to make me visit the doctors and beg to be prescribed the pill, a cream, a medical face wash...anything that would make it better. And so i tried everything i was given, i ordered the Pro Active System from QVC, Ive sat in the house with some concoction of toothpaste or vodka or cucumber face mask on my face. But while somethings seemed like they might be making a difference only one thing truly did.

Now nearing 24 i can finally say that my skin is clear. Swapping liquid foundation for minerals was all it took to clear my skin up. Simple as that. But i don't take it for granted at all. I remain pretty meticulous about my skincare. I'm NEVER the girl that can roll in from a night out and fall into bed with a face full of make up.

When it comes to skincare, everyone is different with their own concerns and issues, needs and likes. My skin is oily and sensitive with some visible pores and what works wonders for my skin might be your idea of torture - But these are the products that really work for me.

1) LILY LOLO FOUNDATION

Yes I know, not technically skin care, but this is the single product that i attribute to be the 'wonder product' for my skin. I started using this about 8 months ago and the change in the condition of my skin was dramatic. From acne prone skin 8 months ago, within a month of swapping my usual Armani Foundation for Mineral Foundation breakouts are rare occurrence.

Before, i found that breakouts were overwhelming. Id despair (and I'm not being dramatic here!) at the state of my skin...yes there would be tears, but now i find that the odd breakout i do get (usually just hormones causing the odd blemish on my chin) is much more dealable because i am aware that this one will not just be replaced with three more by the time it clears up. I will NEVER go back to liquid foundation!

SKINCARE WILL NOW BE SPLIT INTO 2 DIFFERENT CATEGORIES

The 'BEFORE I GOT SKINT' Category

2) THE NEALS YARD SYSTEM

After seeing such dramatic results by simply switching from a liquid to a mineral foundation i realised the extent to which your skin can be negatively effected by unnecessary chemicals. And so I switched all my skincare products to Neals Yard. In case the pic ended up too small to read Neal's Yard have a No Animal testing, No GMO Ingredients, No Parabens, No Nano Particles, No Synthetic Fragrances or Colours, No Silicones, No Mineral Oils, No Phithalates, No EDTA, No Propythlene Glycol, No Cardomer and No Dea Policy.

CLEANSER - PALMAROSA FACIAL WASH- "A soft and gentle facial wash for all skin types that cleanses without removing moisture. " - £11.70 for 100ml bottle

TONER - LAVENDER WATER - "A skin toner for problem skin. Organic lavender oil creates this refreshing toner that removes the last traces of cleansers and refines pores to prepare the skin for moisturising. Lavender is restorative to the skin, helping to reduce redness or blemishes." - £7.80 for a 100ml bottle.

MOISTURISER - VIOLET DAY CREAM- "A pure face cream to help maintain a healthy complexion. Containing organic calendula, apricot and violet." - £14.65 for a 30ml tube.

These products are all part of the 'Purify Oily Skin' range and I found that the whole system was great for my skin. It was soft, blemish free and all the products were easy to use, fuss free and most importantly i felt happy knowing that i wasn't polluting my face with harsh chemicals. The only down side to this is that in keeping with the organic nature, the have pretty hefty (but i think reasonable) prices. All in all a great system for me.

The 'AFTER I WAS HIT BY THE CREDIT CRUNCH' Category

When my Neal's Yard products began to run out I found that i just couldn't afford to repurchase (note: if i could have, I definitely would have bought again!) so i began to introduce lower end cheaper skincare products into the routine. After successfully replacing one product at a time and not seeing any negative reactions i am now completely using drug store skincare. While i like the idea of using organic skincare and will probably go back to Neal's yard when i can, if I'm honest i don't see any difference in the condition of my skin and am more than happy with the results i get using these cheaper products.

3)EXFOLIATOR - Neutrogena Visably Clear Spot Stress Control Daily Scrub

4)EYE MAKE UP REMOVER - Oil of Olay Eye Make Up Removing Cream

5)MAKE UP REMOVER - Neutrogena Oil Free Make Up Remover

6)CLEANSER - Clearasil Ultra Depp Pore Treatment Lotion

7)MOISTURISER - Neutrogena Oil Free Moisturiser.

So there you have it, the 7 products that work for me - I hope you find what works for you.

x

Lily Lolo Easter Discount

Greetings lovely followers! I for one will be taking advantage of this 15% off full size products at Lily Lolo. Im definitely going to get a back up of my HG foundation. Just in case you know!?

I would definitely recommend the foundations and the cover ups. The are my absolute Holy Grail of skin saviours. These products have made such a difference the condition of my skin and i almost never get breakouts anymore...and let me tell you, that is nothing short of amazing!

Other than that I have to say that Ive only tried a few other bits and pieces from this line, the first being the Flawless matte which is a mattifying skin finish. I like this but i dont feel that im oily or shiny enough to warrant a full sized one. The second thing i tried was the Blush sample in Rosy Apple. In the sachet it looks BEAUTIFUL with a stunning rosy pinky brown colour with the perfect shimmer to it. Now i am a total blush fiend...but i hated this one. I am uber pale and i really couldnt see this on my skin. I got absolutely no colour payoff. AT. ALL. NOTHING.

So if you want my advice, Order samples now (99p) so you can get an idea of the great products that Lily Lolo have and then go back and take the 15% off on a full size foundation or Cover up. If you try anything else, let me know how you find it! Enjoy!

PRODUCT REVIEW - LILY LOLO FOUNDATION

Ok, after a tutorial with the boyfriend i should now be equipped to place pictures properly - Huzzah!

PACKAGING : 4/5
QUALITY: 5/5
PRICE: 5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
WOULD I BUY IT? A big fat YES!

WHERE TO BUY: online at http://www.lilylolo.co.uk/. There are a few local salons that do stock the brand and these can be found also at the website.

ABOUT: The site says "Made from pure crushed minerals and containing no harsh chemicals, dyes or fillers, mineral foundation is not only gentle on the skin but also contains zinc oxides which have healing properties - perfect for those who suffer breakouts or have sensitive skin. Requiring no additional illuminating products, mineral foundation will give you the natural fresh-faced glow of beautiful healthy skin. "

COLOURS TESTED: Candy Cane and Porcelain.

The best thing about Lily Lolo is that they understand that people do not want to throw away money on some rubbish product. Lucky for them, the product is good. Beacuse of this they have introduced a sample system meaning you can purchase small, inexpensive samples to test the colours and whether you liked the product before commiting to a full size.

Candy Cane is a light pinkish shade with cool undertones for paler skins. I found this was fine when i first applied it but once it had settles in definitely looked a bit too pink for me.

Porcelain a neutral shade for the palest of the pale was perfect for me, if anything it was a tiny bit too light! And that never happens! But the great thing with mineral foundations is that you can mix them. I tapped in a tiny bit of Candy Cane into it and the colour was perfect.

PRICE: 99p for the 0.75g sample size - which lasted me over 3 weeks and a mid price range £12 for the full size 10g size in a sifter jar. This is going to last absolutely ages!Much longer than a regular liquid foundation which often retail at much more than this.

PROS
- Great Colour Range.
- Buildable Coverage. By appying thin layers you can build up from a sheer to medium/full.
- Not too shimmery.
- No Fillers and unnecessary fillers. The foundation contains only 5 ingredients:

1. Mica - reflects the light and reduces the appearance of fine lines and pores,
2. Zinc Oxide - offers SPF and calms skin complaints such as rosacea,
3. Titanium Dioxide - has SPF and is often found in sunscreens. also gives high to adhesionto the face, offering high coverage.
4. Iron Oxides - Produce beautiful earthy colours.
5. Ultramarine Blue - Used to cool down colours.

- Made my skin problems (uneven tone, prone to spots) much better in just a week!

- You get LOADS for your money.

CONS

- The lid of the pot seems quite thin and considering the mixing and tapping of the brush all goes on in the lid this may be a problem.
- This doesn't look amazing under camera flashs. It can make me look quite ghostly. However i feel that the benefits FAR outway a pale picture or two...Hell, i'm way used to that!
- Because of the loose powder, it can get messy.

Ok, so for reference, this is what i look like sans make up. It's not great. Still a bit uneven and you can see old acne marks. BLEUGH.



After applying Georgio Armani Fluid Master Primer and leaving for 10 mins, (the skin has to be TOTALLY DRY before aplication or it will go cakey) I then tipped a little of my mineral foundation into the lid and swirled my Lily Lolo Super Kabuki brush (£14) to pick up the powder. Tapped the excess off (HINT: less is more with mineral make up) and applied to my face starting at the jaw in cirular motions. This was the result -



The coverage is Med/Full and looks quite Matt in the photo...but in person it looks really natural and feels totally weightless. Clearly i need BLUSH!