My skincare wishlist...

I am a skincare addict, but that isn't the same as having a good skincare routine - mostly because I'm forgetful and don't actually use the multitude of products I own. Yesterday, Sam and I were watching a bunch of Caroline Hirons' videos when she jumped up and exclaimed THAT'S IT I FEEL SO GUILTY I NEED A GOOD SKINCARE ROUTINE. So, now that she's vowed to take care of her skin, I'm gonna do the same! I thought I'd show you what I'm currently lusting after...

First and foremost is Ultrabland by Lush, which is one of those balm cleansers that everyone raves about. I'm popping in to Lush today and asking for a sample, so I'll let you know how I find it! Next up is the Moringa Body Butter from the Body Shop, which is two of my favourite things: the scent of moringa in one of their body butters, which I luuurve anyway. Perfection. I've recently become a big fan of hydrating mists, and the Hydrating Mist Toner from Trilogy looks dreamy. They're a perfect middle step in your skincare routine and I find them to be soooo refreshing.

I've tried a little sample of moisturiser from Manuka Doctor before but never anything from their apiclear range, so I'm dying to give the apiclear Skin Treatmen Serum a go! The Estee Lauder Idealist is also a serum, but obviously it's a lot more of a high end treat. I love the packaging and I bet it smells amazing. Last but not least is renewed hope in a jar from Philosophy, which is a moisturiser I've heard so many people raving about. I'm always on the hunt for the perfect final step to my skincare routine and this looks amazing!

Have you tried any of these products - let me know! Keep your eyes out on mine and Sam's blogs for what will no doubt be a lot of skincare reviews. 

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleep Mask // Review

Such a wordy title... A few weeks ago I went along to a bloggers event at The Body Shop in Liverpool, which you may have seen my post about - click here if not! I had such a lovely time but it was hell for my bank balance, as I ended up buying a few products that I needed wanted. One of these was the Bouncy Sleep Mask from their Drops of Youth range.

I suffer from mega dry skin, and I'm always on the look out for anything that will soothe it. At first I thought this might be quite gimmicky, as it's the consistency of PVA glue and has some sort of memory foam technology. Ahhhh, science. But nevertheless I decided to give it a go, and we got a little bit of discount on the night so it seemed the perfect opportunity.

You apply the mask (which comes with tiny spoontula, which is a blend word I have just invented because it's a cross between a spoon and spatula) after the rest of your skincare routine, which for me is pretty lengthy. It's recommended that you put the mask on about 15 minutes before bed time, so it's not completely gross and sticky on your pillow. It is meant to feel quite tacky on the skin, which doesn't bother me at all!

Being pessimistic, I didn't expect much. Oh how wrong I was - the next day I woke up and was expecting my skin to feel tight, rough and dry as it usually does in the morning. But for the first time ever, it was SOFT. I'd never experienced that before, and immediately rang my mum claiming it was a miracle. It is, okay?

I went home from uni for a couple of days and, alas, forgot to take the mask with me. My skin reverted to it's red-raw self, and I kicked myself for not doing a thorough bag-check before I left the house. Luckily after a night of using it when I got back to uni, my skin was dreamy again. I still have a bit of redness on my cheeks and the usual acne on my chin, but my make up seems to be applying so much better and my skin isn't sore any more.

Honestly, I am so thrilled I found this product and I'd recommend it to anyone. If you've tried it, let me know what you thought!

Want to know about Tropic's Pure Lagoon serum? CLICK HERE

The Body Shop bloggers event - Liverpool 2015

I was lucky enough to be invited to my first ever bloggers event last week - at The Body Shop in Liverpool, organised and hosted by the gorgeous Aisling. I met Emma and Asbeena at the train station, and we filled ourselves with burgers at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen in L1, before heading over to event with Sammy and Tasha. Upon our arrival we were supplied with drinks, popcorn and sweets, which is enough for me to give an event a 10/10...

We were introduced to some new products, notably the AMAZING 'Bouncy Sleep Mask', which I have already labelled a miracle (full review coming soon...) and I was also a guinea pig for some of their new lip products, while people took horrendous candid photos of me. I then spent the rest of the night sniffing and swatching the entire store, which Sammy will tell you is no exaggeration.

Aisling was also kind enough to give us some samples, which should hopefully satisfy my hunger for new products for approximately 4 days. I've always been a huge fan of The Body Shop, as it's one of the only brands that doesn't irritate my sensitive skin - so this event was right up my street, because we got to spend hours in there doing what beauty bloggers do best, armed with cameras and make up wipes.

I had such a lovely night and it was amazing to finally meet some of my gorgeous blogging friends, plus it has got me so excited to see what the future holds in terms of my blog! Oh, and I was part of a selfie-stick picture for the first time, One to tick off the bucket list...

Want to know my thoughts on the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter? 'course you do

What I got in the #APOVgiftswap

I took part in the #APOVgiftswap this year, and my swap partner was the lovely Yasmina - and she sent me some lovely gifts. Part of the rules was to create a blog post about what we received, so here's mine!

I reviewed the Butterbear bath bomb here, and I absolutely loved it! The glazed apple scent from the Body Shop is my favourite of all the Christmas ones they've done, and the strawberry one is my favourite from the normal range, so I was a very happy bunny to receive these. The mittens are just so cute and they'll definitely come in handy when I'm walking the dog and going out & about, as it's been freezing recently. I also got a lovely Thorntons chocolate lollypop too ... But I may or may not have already eaten that. Oops. Yasmina was also really thoughtful and got me a sample of the Dream Cream from Lush to help my eczema, such a babe!

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Yasmina for my amazing gifts, and to Viola for creating the gift swap - it was such a lovely thing to be a part of. Hope you both had a wonderful Christmas!

Daily December #14 // The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter // Review

I know my last beauty post was a cleanser review, but in that post I mentioned I've been loving the Camomile Cleansing Butter from The Body Shop. I picked it up when I had a voucher from Glamour Magazine, and I'm so glad I finally did!

The first thought I had when I opened the Cleansing Butter was how amazing it smells - but not in an artificial way. It smells delicate and natural, which is something I love. It works in the same way as any other cleansing balm does: when rubbed into a dry face of make up, it dissolves what's on your skin, making it easy to wipe away with a warm damp flannel or muslin cloth.

For me, this actually works - unlike the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, the Camomile Cleansing Butter removes all of my make up in one go, which is so good for lazy people like me... I sometimes use it of a morning on my bare face too, if I'm feeling too sensitive for an exfoliator. It hasn't broken me out which is always a bonus, and at £12 it's a lot cheaper than other cleansing balms - and when is there not a discount code going around for The Body Shop?

I would whole heartedly recommend this product to ANYONE, it's fast become of the staples in my skincare routine and I think I'd be lost without it. I'm also hoping to try their cleansing oil too! As if we are two weeks into December now, this is craaaaazy. 

Want to see the products I think are worth the hype? 'course you do

My Pamper Routine // Uni Edition

I do love a good pamper - now that I'm back at uni, I don't have a bath, so my pamper routine is a lot different to what it would be while I'm at home. A warm shower and my fluffy dressing gown have replaced the days of bubbled-filled bath tubs!

To start my pamper nights off I light some candles in my room; I currently have some gorgeous tea lights from Primark, they're green but I can't for the life of me work out or remember what the scent is - BUT THEY ARE DELICIOUS. I also have a Strawberry Buttercream Yankee Candle which my boyfriend got me for Valentine's Day; still going strong as I'm scared to waste it!

I take off my make up if I've been wearing any (I'm currently using the Simple toner on a cotton pad, followed by a make up wipe (naughty I know! Brackets within brackets, who does that?) and a splash of warm water) and then it's onto a face mask. These are my favourite things EVER and I don't do them enough. I usually use a Montagne Jeunesse one, but recently I tried a black one from Pilaten which I loved.

I then put on a DVD or some YouTube videos on my laptop while I allow the face mask to do it's job for 15-20 minutes. After I've washed it off, I apply my moisturiser - I'm currently using the Manuka Doctor Restoring Night Cream which is just lush.

After that it's on to my nails; I take off whatever I've currently got on, then smother my hands with Vanilla Bliss hand cream from The Body Shop. If my nails need extra TLC, I'll file and buff them before painting them a beautiful colour from my excessive collection. Depending on whether I have a night out coming up, I do my toes too because nobody likes ugly feet, right?

So that's my term-time pamper routine; not the most extravagant but when you're sharing a bathroom with near-strangers, it's the best you can do! What does your pamper routine involve? Tell me over on Twitter, @katygilroyblog