review: botanics skin care

hello! i know, it's been absolutely AGES since i last posted (over 3 weeks!). i've been really busy juggling university and my lab project and working part time as well as having a bit of a social life and binge watching game of thrones with my boyfriend and this has all resulted in me neglecting my blog! but i have a bit more free time now so i am trying very hard to get back into blogging on a regular basis.

i'm going to kick things back off with a skin care review, i've switched up my skin routine recently and thought i'd share my opinions on the new products i've been using. as i've mentioned before in posts on here, i am a massive fan of the garnier micellar cleansing water and have been repurchasing it for quite a while. it is such an easy way to remove your make up and has helped shake me out of lazily reaching for a pack of make up wipes every night. i've never really done the whole 'cleanse, tone and moisturise'  thing but as i'm getting a bit older (i'm almost 21 now!) and branching away from 'teenage skin' products i've decided to give a fuller routine a go.

after reading a review on another blog recently (i can't remember which one it was, sorry!) i decided to branch out a bit and try out the brand botanics from boots. lucky for me, there was a 3 for 2 offer on skincare so I decided to purchase a cream cleanser and a micellar cleansing water (i also bought the garnier bb cream as part of the 3 for 2 offer which you can see a review of here). i actually wanted to buy the toner in the range but it was sold out in my local boots, instead i decided to try the micellar water to see how it compares to my trusty garnier one.

botanics gentle cleansing cream and botanics micellar 3 in 1 cleansing solution - RRP £3.99 available here and here

i've been using the botanics all bright cleansing cream by applying it to cotton pads and wiping all over my face to remove my make up. this does require using quite a bit of product and it can be quite messy as the cream is very runny and greasy and tends to get all over my hands, this is probably best done over the sink where you can rinse your face fully to ensure all the product is off. it also takes up quite a lot of cotton pads which aren't ridiculously expensive but i have been getting through them pretty quickly.

i've then been using the botanics all bright micellar 3 in 1 cleansing solution which is a liquid very similar to the garnier water and sort of using it as a toner. i apply this to cotton pads and then wipe over my face again to remove the residue from the cream and any additional make up, it's surprising how much is still on your face even when you think you've taken it all off!

i then finish my routine by applying my olay moisturiser which i talked about in my last post on skin care here. 

now, this isn't a particularly long winded process but it does require a bit of time and patience, something that i haven't always got i.e after a night out at 4am when i just want to get in bed! it also uses up lots of product and cotton pads, i don't wear particularly heavy make up and it can take me 10+ pads to get all of my make up off. i've found the cream cleanser doesn't actually remove all of my make up and i actually need the second cleansing step just to make sure it's all off. i'd say it's probably best to use the cleanser by applying it all over your face then removing with a damp flannel or something rather than cotton pads as i have been doing.

i decided to try using just the micellar cleansing water to remove my make up to compare it to the cleansing cream and see how it measured up. i can say i probably wouldn't use it as a sole way of removing make up, it worked well at removing any left over bits of make up after cleansing but when tried alone, my eye make up barely budged! you'd need to use a lot of product and the bottle isn't a huge size, i think i'd get through a whole bottle pretty quickly.

the double cleansing i've been doing has left my skin feeling very soft and the products smell lovely, quite fresh and floral but only subtle and not overpowering. i do also agree with the claim that the products make to 'brighten skin' as i definitely noticed my skin had more of a glow about it after using these products for just a few days. however, i've found i have had quite a few spots and blocked pores since starting this skin routine. this is obviously something to be expected when using new products but it's something which i didn't get from the garnier micellar water which made my skin incredibly clear. i feel using a cream cleanser and then a micellar water and then a moisturiser is probably blocking my pores as it's quite tricky to wipe all of the product away, i do feel like there is a residue left on my skin even after wiping it all away.

the products are pretty reasonably priced and may suit people with less sensitive, less blemish prone skin but for me, i yet haven't been tempted away from the garnier cleansing water. it makes taking my make up off so much quicker and easier, i use far less cotton pads and the generous sized bottle (400ml) lasts a lot longer than these products have done. it also leaves my skin feeling very clean without the need for double cleansing or using a toner to remove any residue. sadly these particular botanics products aren't for me and i probably wouldn't repurchase them, however i definitely will try other products from the range as the quality and price are really good!

do you have any skincare favourites that you swear by? feel free to comment! i'm always on the look out for new products to try!

october favourites

hello! i haven't really done a monthly favourites post before but over the past month i've discovered and rediscovered a few new products that i've been using a lot and it made sense to share them all in a post like this so here we are! 

i honestly can't believe it's already november, where on earth has this year gone?! on the plus side, i absolutely love this time of year and get really excited about halloween, bonfire night and of course christmas! so here are a few products i've been loving so far this autumn:

seventeen smoulder gel eyeliner

RRP £3.99 - available here

i am a massive fan of a feline flick of eyeliner and i rarely leave the house without it, i just feel like it improves my make up 10000% and makes me look like i've made an effort even if i got ready in 15 minutes. i've been using the maybelline precise felt tip eyeliner pen for a while but i recently decided to try out a gel eyeliner as i've never really tried one and i fancied a change. i went for the seventeen gel eyeliner as at just £3.99 it hardly breaks the bank and i wouldn't feel like i'd wasted my money if i hated it. luckily, i have absolutely loved using this eyeliner and it is firmly a part of my everyday make up routine!

the eyeliner does come with a brush but i use my ruby and millie angled eye liner brush that i've had forever. i must admit, it does take a bit of practice and i haven't quite nailed the technique yet, cotton buds are your best friend when getting to grips with eyeliner! the gel liner is so much more pigmented than the 'felt tip pen' style of eyeliners i've been using and it literally lasts ALL day. seriously, it's a struggle to remove! it's tear proof, sweat proof and almost eye make up remover proof, if you're looking for something with longevity then this is the product for you. i will without a doubt be wearing this eyeliner all winter, once you've perfected the application (if in doubt there are tonnes of videos on youtube about applying gel eyeliner) it's so quick and easy and lasts all day without the annoying panda eye effect.

garnier bb skin perfector (oil free)

the shade 'light' 

 RRP £9.99 available here

i bought this in boots during a 3 for 2 offer on skin care when it was actually reduced to just £5. i have used the garnier skin perfector daily all in one bb cream (the first one they brought out) before and thought it was perfect for summer but left my face quite dewy and the coverage was only light, something great for in hot weather but not so suitable for winter. this caught my eye as it claims to be oil free and give 'perfected skin with no shine', something i much prefer in winter. recently my skin has been really clear and some days foundation feels a bit much, especially when i don't need a heavy coverage and so i've been turning to this.

this product is just fantastic, it's so different to the original bb cream. instead of a dewy appearance it leaves skin matte but with a healthy glow, it glides on smoothly and feels almost like a primer in texture rather than a moisturiser. it's also much higher coverage than the original bb cream and could easily replace your foundation if you usually use one with lighter coverage such as the bourjois healthy mix foundation. it seems to melt into my skin and doesn't feel heavy or cakey, in fact you can barely see it at all but it does subtly alter the appearance of my skin and evens out the tone. the shade is perhaps a little too dark for me but you only need a little and it blends in enough to stop you looking 'orange' as you would with a foundation. this is one of very few products i've found that actually does exactly what it says on the tin and to top it off it is spf 20, what more could a girl want?! well, perhaps a little more variety shade wise but you can't have it all can you!

collection gothic glam lipstick

in shade 'revenge'

RRP £2.98 available here

i actually got this lipstick about a year ago in superdrug but i can't actually find the product on the website anymore. however if you follow the link above you can buy it from asda so it's worth keeping an eye out on any collection stand because they might stock the 'gothic glam' collection.

this is the perfect autumn shade, the lipstick bullet itself looks like quite a dark, bold purple shade but it's actually a plummy red which is really wearable. i love the darker make up shades that autumn brings so i decided to switch up my usual red lipstick for a braver, deeper shade and i'm so glad i did. the lipstick glides on really easily and wears really well, it isn't drying on the lips and has quite a creamy consistency. obviously it does wear off a little as you eat/drink and needs reapplication but for less than £3 you can't really complain! this lipstick is really good value and a gorgeous shade to try out a winter berry lip. if you're unsure about trying a darker shade of lipstick then this could be a good starting point, it's not too purple or dark, easy to wear and doesn't break the bank.

soap and glory kick ass concealer

RRP £10 available here 

i've already done a blog post talking about this product earlier this month which you can see here so i won't go on too much about this. i had to include it in my favourites as it's definitely been one of my favourite things to pull out of my make up bag this month and i've used it every day since i bought it, it's even replaced my trusty collection concealer! 

the use of shades of apricot and yellow to counteract purple and red tones in your skin is what sets this concealer apart from any others i have used, the coverage is just so much better. it's so creamy in texture and just glides on without the need to use too much product. i find it easier to use my fingers and pat it on than to use a brush as it blends much better. i then pat over the areas i've concealed gently with the pressed powder included and it is set all day. if you're on the fence about whether you should try this then i think you should go for it. £10 does seem a lot for a concealer if you're not keen on spending loads on make up (like me) but i think it is worth it and boots always have offers on cosmetics which can make it a bit better value for money.

thanks so much for reading! i've reached over 2000 views which is insane seeing as i only started this blog a couple of months ago. i really enjoy keeping it updated and writing about beauty and fashion things i've loved or hated so it means such a lot that people seem to be enjoying reading it too!