Two From Yes To

There are a couple of things that have been featuring rather heavily in my daily routines lately that I have been absolutely loving.  One I have mentioned previously in my Sick Day Skin Care Routine, and the other is one I've been enjoying using over the past few weeks.  Yes To is a brand I've heard of, but it's not one that I regularly see raved about.  I've seen their facial wipes being spoken highly of quite a few times, and whilst I wasn't really a fan of the Cucumber Facial Wipes that I tried, I don't understand why nobody has branched out to try much else.  There are five different ranges to choose from, each aimed at a certain type of skin and here today I have the Yes To Blueberries Firming Eye Treatment and the Yes To Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub to talk about. 

Yes To Blueberries has a "clinically proven formula to treat fine lines and nourish age damaged skin," which whilst it may not be strictly for my age group, I've been really enjoying using the Yes To Blueberries Eye Firming Treatment in my daily routine.  I have been using it daily during my evening routine for the past few months now, and I don't think I've got a bad thing to say about it.  It's thicker than any other eye cream that I have, which is why I choose to use it in the evenings, but it doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy or feel heavy on the skin.  It absorbs really quickly and leaves the area feeling really soft.  At first, I didn't think that I was too bad for fine lines, but I think that using this combined with the Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream in the morning has made a noticeable difference - maybe not noticeable to anyone else, but I feel like I can tell that something good has gone on.  Because I use two eye creams, I don't think I could pin point if it was one or the other in all honesty.

Next, the newer Yes To addition to my collection, the Yes To Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub which I think smells just like sour gummy worms or something.  It's sweet, but sour and just smells pretty amazing.  I have often tried daily face scrubs before and some of them are just so harsh and scratchy that using them can become quite sore and leave my skin feeling irritated.  This one however has just been a complete pleasure to use; the exfoliating grains gently buff the skin, leaving my skin feeling soft without being at all abrasive.  Acne and big cystic spots haven't been an issue on my face recently (I almost don't dare type that in case it's one giant jynx...) and I'm feeling confident that introducing an exfoliator more regularly to my routine might have played it's part in keeping my skin look fresh and clear.  A random positive is that it also sits happily in my shower and doesn't collect water in the cap - don't you just hate when that happens!

Have you tried anything from Yes To yet?

The Sick Day Skin Care Routine

This week hasn't been a great one as I've been plagued with the dreaded flu that has been making the rounds.  I've spent two days in bed watching the world go by from my window whilst watching a ridiculous amount of Friends.  Ten hours yesterday to be exact.  That's actually a little sickening writing that out.  But y'know.  Ill times and all that.

You might be thinking that fitting in a skincare regime when you feel so crap is a bit OTT, but I found that looking after my skin really helped in making me feel better in myself.  Don't get me wrong, I have spent the last three days completely make up free, and wearing very minimal make up on the days I made it into work, but my skin is feeling pretty peachy.

After cleansing, I started my day of lazing by applying my favourite eye cream which is the Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream.  I've raved about it here before, but it checks all of my boxes; smoothing, hydrating and brightening - brightening being the key here when we're severely lacking in energy.  I've been using The Body Shop's Soothing Aloe Day Cream for quite a while now, so kept it in my routine.  It's thicker than your usual day cream, but once applied feels really light and super hydrating.  I topped off my skin with Bioderma's Atoderm Cream but only applied it to the really dry patches on my skin which was mainly around my nose.  It really helped take care of the skin which had gotten sore from too much nose blowing!  I topped off my morning skin care with a swift application of LUSH's Lip Service Lip Balm to my super dry lips, ensuring that I did this straight after washing my hands seeing as it's a finger dip lip balm, and I don't fancy swiping my flu germs back into the pot.

The evening routine was also a pretty quick one.  I started the evening how I do every evening by using the Yes To Blueberries Eye Cream.  I like using this one in the evening as it's a bit richer than the Balance Me one and really helps to hydrate the areas around the eyes.  I follow that with the Vitamin E Moisture Cream from The Body Shop.  I haven't had this miniature too long, but I've already repurchased the full size!  It's really hydrating, but so light I could use it morning or evening and it smells really nice!

Following the Vitamin E Moisture Cream, I've been alternating between these two; the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask and the ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Serum.  The Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask smells incredible and will probably always be a staple in my skincare stash.  I absolutely love using it, and my dehydrated skin is always thankful by the morning.  The ESPA Pro Serum is one that I don't see getting spoken about too much, but is a product that is a real skin treat.  I'm going to link you straight to the ESPA website to read up on the benefits of the serum as there are so many skin loving oils in there that my post would be ridiculously long if I tried to list them all, but it brightens the skin, enhances radiance, moisturises, soothes and protects just to name a few.  It really is an amazing product and one that I'll definitely be repurchasing despite its £48 price tag...  Finally, I slapped on some more of the Bioderma cream where needed - I'd definitely recommend picking one of these up, it's been amazing at sorting out my extreme dry skin areas.

So there we have it.  I'm feeling so much better today and have even ventured out of the house!  I'm back to work tomorrow, and hopefully having carried out these routines I won't look too grey and lack lustre...hopefully much better than I did on Thursday anyway!

Do you have a sick day skin routine?

December Empties: Skin Care

Continuing on from the last Empties Post, I'm back with some more empties, but this time it's skin care!  I've really been enjoying my skin care routine lately and have really enjoyed finding some lovely products that really work well with my skin.  Some bits I've been using haven't been great, but oh well...

My first empty is this pack of Yes To Cucumbers Face Wipes.  I don't remember the last time I bought a pack of face wipes, and I actually won this pack - I used to use face wipes daily, but y'know...Caroline Hirons and all that.  Basically my skin care has come on in leaps and bounds.  These weren't bad face wipes, but I don't think I'll be buying them again in the hope that I actually stop being lazy and use water and an actual cleanser.

Next up is The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye Make Up Remover.  I love this.  So much so, I've already bought and am onto my second bottle.  I don't use this daily, but it really is great for travelling and using on the days where your mascara needs a little extra help.  It needs a shake as it's got an oily layer, but it's amazing at removing your make up  - I love the entire Camomile range, and would definitely recommend you try it!

This Nuxe Nuxellence Jeunesse Youth and Radiance Revealing Fluid was a real favourite of mine.  Unfortunately for me, this was only a sample size, but I got so many uses out of it.  It's a really light weight moisturiser that applies beautifully to skin.  It feels really velvety and not at all heavy.  I would love to own this again, but at £47 for the full size, it's not something I'll be purchasing any time soon.  But if this is in your price range, I'd highly recommend trying it out!  There is 20.15% off it at the moment at Escentual!

The Garnier Pure Shine Control Moisturiser was one I really liked at first.  It was great before it started to get really cold - it's a  light blue formula with a jelly like texture, and smoothes on really nicely.  I didn't notice anything spectacular with the oil control aspect, but I did notice how tacky it made my skin feel.  I don't think I'll be picking this up again.  I also wasn't too keen on the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Stress Control Cleansing Lotion.  First up, it's not your typical lotion - it's not creamy, it's a full on fluid.  I didn't use this regularly, just in times of need when I thought that something must be able to help me battle my skin - I didn't notice any real action from this lotion, but I guess I was using it irregularly.  I just found it to be quite drying, and stripping so my skin wouldn't have liked daily use.

Finally, my favourite from the lot - the Origins Make A Difference Plus Rejuvenating Moisturiser.  I can't even begin to explain how much I loved using this, and how gutted I was when it ran out.  Firstly, it smells amazing - really uplifting, slightly fruity, but mostly refreshing.  It was really light weight, but also really hydrating at the same time.  A little does go a long way, so despite the £34.50 price tag, I really would like to pick another one of these up.  The pot I had is best suited for combination/dry skin, which was nice on my skin, but I would like to try the Make A Difference Plus Rejuvenating Treatment for combination/oily skin to see how it compares.

What skin care bits have you been loving lately?

Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Wipes

I can't even remember the last time that I actually bought a pack of facial wipes.  Ever since I started following Caroline Hirons, I have definitely kept completely clear of them and haven't touched them since!  A while back, I won another giveaway and managed to bag myself a goodie bag full of Yes To products!  I've never tried anything from Yes To before, so was really looking forward to trying some of their bits!

I started with the Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Facial Wipes, which I first used after a night out to take my make up off when I was staying at a friends house.  I have to say that since switching to oils and balms to take my make up off, these wipes didn't remove my make up effectively at all, and definitely didn't do very well battling against the Benefit They're Real mascara!  (It'd take a good wipe to get that mascara off..)  The wipes actually left my skin quite sore, tight and a little bit stingy which was surprising as they're sold as soothing facial wipes.

I didn't think it was fair to just base my review on one use, and have used them again this weekend but I didn't use them to take my make up off; more of just a facial refresh whilst I was sat at home.  The stinging sensation didn't come back this time, and the wipe did feel a lot more soothing during use.  The towelettes are quite thick and a lot more luxury feeling compared to the Nivea/ASDA wipes I used to religiously use.  But my skin still did feel a little tight after use, although it did feel nice and smooth.

Ingredients wise, these wipes are 98% natural which I am pretty impressed by.  The wipes are enriched with skin loving ingredients such as cucumbers to exfoliate, soothe and de-puff, green tea to help prevent break outs, and aloe vera for some much needed moisture.  They're also oil, SLS, petroleum and paraben free!

I don't think I'd rush out to buy another pack of these, and won't be using the rest of this pack very quickly either.  I think I will slot them into my gym bag to gently clear my face after I've finished sweating like a pig to try and refresh my face if I'm busy straight after.  I'm not a fan of cucumber, and the smell just isn't one for me - after a night out, I found the scent of these really hard to look past, but since using them more sober again, I can get over the smell and  it really doesn't last long at all.

Have you tried anything from the Yes To range?

Wednesday Wishlist #5: ASOS Sale

I had been happily browsing through the ASOS site this last week, but unfortunately it was just "window shopping."  Having just moved into my house, and filled it with furniture, it's safe to say I'm pretty skint at the moment.  An Access All ASOS e-mail dropped into my inbox this afternoon giving Insiders an opportunity to win a voucher towards their wishlist!  I was on it...

1/2/3/4/5

First on my wishlist is this pair of faded blue Vans.  My Vans are pretty destroyed and I am still wearing my biker boots even though it's sweltering outside, so these would be perfect for bringing a bit of Summer into my style!  Even though I love my current Vans, I have always wanted a blue pair like these, so for this bargain price...well they need to mine.

I had spotted the Yes To range on ASOS a while back, so I'm pleasantly surprised to find some bits of theirs in the sale.  I've never tried the brand before, but have heard lots of great things about their products.  My skin is continuing to play up, despite being on tablets from the doctors, so I'd like to try the brand starting with the Yes To Tomatoes Balancing Moisturiser said to help reduce redness and blemishes.

I love midi skirts and everyone always compliments my figure when I wear them, and whilst it's a bit hot at the moment to crack them out, I think they are a wardrobe staple.  I also love this bottle green colour!  This one is from AX Paris and is a jersey style, so isn't your full on office pencil skirt.

Despite being completely skint, I have a holiday booked next month!  I have done no holiday clothes shopping, so I thought I'd slip in a nice playsuit!  I love this monochrome floral printed playsuit and think the swing fit would be really flattering on my shape.  I also think the contrast in colours would look amazing with a tan...even though I am definitely a burner over a tanner.

Probably my favourite item on this weeks wishlist...this Monki Denim Biker Jacket.  I have been after a denim jacket these past few months, but whilst I love the light acid denim jackets, this faded black denim jacket is much more my style and I could see myself getting a lot of wear out of this!  I love it!

What bargains have you grabbed in the ASOS Sale?