Monu Professional Skincare

Recently I've been trying out two products from MONU. For those of you that don't know, MONU are a Professional Skincare company and their products are one of the most popular professional skincare brands used by beauty therapists’ worldwide! Now, as a former beauty therapist, this is something that I can really relate to. Professional Skincare is often overlooked in favour of products that focus more on their packaging than the actual quality of the product. However I must say that MONU have managed to do an excellent job at achieving both a sleek design, along with a fantastic quality product.

Ok, so moving on, what have I actually been trying out? MONU Recovery Balm which is designed for skin which is Sensitive and Stressed ­ perfect for post­ summer ­ and MONU Brightening Boost, a super lightweight serum. The great thing about these products is that they don't contain damaging chemicals, artificial perfumes or synthetic colours, and they're not tested on animals. Sounds good so far but...do they actually work? In a word, YES. My skin as a teenager was oily but acne free, but as an adult I have chronic dry skin on my nose and the top of my cheeks, with acne prone/oily on my chin and forehead: essentially ALL of the skin groups! I know, some of us just get all of the luck!!! I use both the recovery balm and brightening boost as part of my morning routine and just the Recovery Balm at night.

These products have changed my skin life, and although I'm at risk of sounding a little dramatic, but regardless of any products/processes I've used before, I just couldn't get rid of the dry flaky skin on my nose, and my whole face was just very 'unbalanced'. I've only been using these products daily for a little under 3 weeks and my skin looks glowing and generally more even.

Over and above all of this, they smell fantastic! The Recovery Balm smells like roses and whilst it's a little on the heavy moisturiser side, it doesn't sit on the skin. While the Brightening Boost has a light fresh smell, it doesn't have that oily­-type feel that you can sometimes get with other serums. I wear both of these products under make­up and I don't have any problems: actually, I find my foundation wears better because my skin is so hydrated.

I will without a doubt be re­purchasing these products and I find the prices are affordable given the high quality.

Have you tried any Monu Skincare?

L x

That Red Lip | MUA

Let's face it, there's nothing better than a good Red Lipstick. You can wear it night and day, matte or gloss, so many variations and ways to wear it.

Not long ago I picked up this MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in 'Reckless'. For £3 I didn't expect a lot, but I had to have it as the colour is just stunning. 

 

 
Pros:
Dries to a beautiful matte velvet finish
Very highly pigmented
Colour does not budge
Budget friendly

Cons:
Hard to remove
Because it's so pigmented it's a little tricky to apply
Shows up any dry patches on lip
Flakes after a few hours of use
Stains everything it touches

I think this would be beautiful in the Autumn/Winter and it's one of those lip colours that's fine, as long as it goes on first time: messing up is not an option with this product!

Have you had any experiences with this range?

L x

Wishlist Wednesday #4 A face by Charlotte Tilbury

1. Beach Stick - £30
2. Air-Brush Flawless Finish skin-perfecting micro-powder - £33
3. Powder & Sculpt brush - £35
4. Colour Chameleon colour-morphing eyeshadow pencil - £19
5. K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick - £23
6. The Feline Flick liquid eyeliner - £22
7. Light Wonder foundation SPF 15 - £32

I'm lusting after these beautiful products by Charlotte Tilbury, especially the lipstick!

What's your Wishlist Wednesday?

L x

Do more of what makes you happy

What if one day when you're really really old, you look back at your life and remember you 'didn't go to the beach that day' because: you hated your belly or your thighs, or you didn't wear that bold red lipstick because you were scared that other people might judge you. You didn't write that blog because you thought other people might judge you. You didn't ask that question in fear of the answer. You didn't wear that outfit that YOU thought was great but were scared other people would think it was ugly. You didn't quit your job and travel the world because life might be a bit harder for when you get back. You didn't take the plunge and cut your hair off because you were worried you'd regret it. You didn't have that extra glass of wine or extra portion of food because "it's just sooo unhealthy".

Yeah, wouldn't that be awful. Get over your fears, our time is so limited and there never will be another chance, just do what makes you happy!

What makes you happy?

L x

Skincare Sunday | How to get acne free skin

Unfortunately, I think there is a large degree of stigma attached to acne and people often associate it with an extremely poor diet. Now, I'm not saying that it will necessarily help matters if you avoid your greens, but did you know that everybody's acne can be triggered/exacerbated by different foods? My advice would be to try an 'elimination' diet with the following food groups, and each week cut out a food to see whether your symptoms improve.

Reduce your Candida
We often hear a lot of talk about 'good bacteria' in the gut, and it's really important to maintain a good balance. An over-production of yeast in the gut, 'Candida' can often lead to a whole host of symptoms, one of which is acne flare-up. To achieve a balance in your gut, you should avoid foods that contain yeast, these are: Marmite, mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, stock cubes, cheese. Foods that are high in sugar 'feed' the bacteria, which admittedly is quite a disgusting thought; so ease up on the sugary foods too. There's no need to cut these out of your life forever, but certainly reduce them until your symptoms clear up.

Take a load off your Liver
Your liver may have become somewhat overloaded and your liver doesn't function as it should, your body can become very toxic. You can rectify this by staying hydrated and taking regular sauna’s or steams which help to flush these toxins out of the skin. Limit your intake of processed foods and, the ever-so- obvious, alcohol.

Balance your hormones
It's not really a secret that us women tend to get acne around 'that' time of the month. The reason for this is because of the increase in Testosterone, where the hormonal shift gives us those extra little 'gifts' - oh the joy! Limit caffeine and avoid caffeinated soft drinks. Don’t skip meals, start your day with a good breakfast containing protein and complex carbohydrate.

What foods irritate your skin?

L x

POTW #2 Sleek Vintage Romance Palette

I love Sleek Eyeshadow Palettes, for the small price of £7.99 you get 12 mineral based eyeshadows that are highly pigmented and a mix of matte and shimmer shades.

As the name suggests the colours are pretty romantic, although I think the shades are also a really nice way to transition from Summer into Autumn.

 Swatches

Do you like Sleek eyeshadow palettes, which is your favourite?

L x