Moisture is key!

Moisturisers are an important part of any daily skincare routine. They keep the skin soft, smooth and hydrated. The ones I use the most are the Botanics All Bright Day and Night Creams, and the Lacura Shimmering Day Cream from Aldi.

I love the Lacura Shimmering Day Cream. It has a beautiful scent to it, and gives a lovely shimmering glow to the skin. It is a day cream designed for Normal/Sensitive skin and contains Pro-Vitamin B5, Botanical Oils and Defensil. Defensil helps condition and protect sensitive skin. It is really moisturising, makes the skin look radiant and provides a great base for Makeup. This used to be available to buy all the time from Aldi but then they stopped doing it and now only have it occasionally when they are doing their Monday/Thursday deals. I cannot remember the price but it is definitely under 5 euro. Keep a look out for it in their leaflets, it's normally available when they are doing other specials on skincare and makeup.

Now we move on to the Botanics All Bright Day Cream. As I have said in a previous post the All Bright range contains AHA's which increase the skin's sensitivity to the sun. Well this day cream has an SPF 15 which helps to combat this. I apply this to my skin most mornings, apart from the mornings where I may use a serum or a slightly richer cream if my skin is feeling dry. It gives a good glow and is hydrating. One thing I don't like about it though is that I need to use a bit extra than I normally would with a moisturiser as it is just that tiny bit hard to spread, but I can't pinpoint why that is! But don't let that detract from the beauty of this cream because it is worth every penny.

When it gets to bedtime I love applying the Night Cream. It is really thick and spreads beautifully across the skin. It leaves my skin feeling so smooth and quenches any thirst it may have after cleansing. Although it is thick it allows my skin to breath. My skin looks wonderful the next morning. It measures up to a lot of the more expensive creams and is definitely worth purchasing.

I will be doing a review on a couple of Clarins products shortly. The Beauty Flash Balm and the Double Serum. I wouldn't normally buy creams at these price range but I got them in Lanzarote vat free and really bartered for a good price so I made huge savings on them. Always a good idea if you want to treat yourself on holidays to get something that you've being dying to try out at home in Ireland but is just too expensive. You can really negotiate in the beauty shops in The Canary Islands and drive the price down.

love from the biffo x

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Micellar Water and Face Wipes

On those nights where I am wrecked tired or just super lazy and don't want to wash my face I have to reach for the micellar water, or I hate admitting it....face wipes. So lets start with the face wipes I use and another brand which I tried.

1. Lacura Facial Cleansing Wipes available from Aldi. I think I pay 85 cent for these. They are definitely less than 1 euro anyway, and they are probably the best facial wipes I have ever used. I use the ones in the blue packet which are for sensitive skin, but they have some for normal skin, and I think oily/combination skin but I will have to verify that. There are 30 in the packet compared to 20-25 in a lot of the other brands. You will here many bloggers saying that face wipes are bad for your skin but they are dermatologically tested, which means they have passed many different tests to be made suitable for use on the skin! These wipes are so moist and lift away make up with such ease. Definitely worth throwing in the trolley when you're doing the weekly shop!

2. Water Wipes. Who hasn't seen the ad? Water wipes are the worlds purest baby wipes and are totally chemically free! If it's good enough for a baby's bum then it's good enough for my face so I gave them a go! These wipes are moist, containing 99.9% water and 0.1% fruit extract. They are so refreshing on the skin, but one thing I have to say is that because they contain no soaps or oils they drag a bit on the skin. I know they are designed to wipe up poo from a baby's bum but that stuff can be hard to shift and so can make up and I just didn't think it did a good enough job. Water wipes do however have a new range of face wipes available which contain mineral extracts, so I will be doing a review on these in the coming weeks!

A tip for storing your wipes is to keep them in a relatively cool place and store the packet upside down. That way it keeps the top wipe in the packet moist all the time.

Moving onto Micellar water. If you're not going to wash your face then at least give it a wipe with some micellar water. Squirt it onto a cotton pad and away you go. I've only ever tried two different brands of micellar water, one from my beloved Botanics range and the Garnier one.

I find both of these micellar waters really good. The Botanics one is brightening and refreshing. It dissolves make up, unclogs pores and removes impurities. The only down side to it is the size of the bottle. By the time you've soaked a couple of cotton pads in this you can see the bottle emptying. It's not one that you'd be using every night if you planned on making the bottle last.

The Garnier one however promises 200 uses. Ok, maybe if you were only using it to remove eye make up you'd get 200 uses out of it, but if you're like me and you like to get the cotton pad fairly wet then you won't get 200 uses from it. It does last you a good while however and removes make up with such ease. It's widely available in supermarkets, pharmacies, Boots and Pennies and depending on promotions etc. it can cost anywhere between 4 and 7 euro.

love from the biffo x

The Power of Botanics

Now I know other bloggers have often mentioned one or two Botanics products in their posts but my love for the Botanics range reaches the deepest depths! (does that even make sense?) I love how all their products are "plant-powered." Boots has worked with Scientists at The Royal Botanic Gardens in England to develop the Botanics range and all the products contain some sort of plant.

I cannot express how great I think these products are. Just amazing. I have lots of different products from the range so far, and plan on expanding bit by bit. I have a lot from the "All Bright" range. I was looking for products to brighten my skin last winter and these didn't disappoint. Within weeks of using them my skin was brighter and fresher and I have continued to use them. One thing I will advise about the "All Bright" products is that they contain AHA's which are a natural occurrence in the Hibiscus flowers which are the natural brighteners used in this range. AHA's increase the skins sensitivity to the sun, so I wouldn't be bringing these on holidays with me. And you should always use a product with SPF on top of these products even in our less-sunny Irish weather. But in saying that you should not let that detract from the quality of these products. I have used more expensive cleansers and creams which don't even come close to these.

Let's start off with the products I use for cleansing my face.

 The first is the All Bright Purifying Face Scrub. Who doesn't like a good face scrub? I know I do.

I like to use a scrub at least twice a week, and I prefer to use one that isn't too rough and harsh on the skin. This scrub from Botanics ticks that box. It claims to "buff away impurities to reveal brighter skin" and I have to say that it comes up trumps when proving this! It contains walnut shell to take away flaky skin, and apricot seeds to gently remove dirt and impurities. It also contains almond oil, shea butter and cocoa butter, so while it may be buffing away dead skin it is also moisturising.

Moving onto a product which I use everyday. The All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash. How lucky was I to come across this product because I absolutely love it.

 

It is such a gentle cleanser. You only need a small drop applied to a wet face and it foams up into the most brilliant lather. A tube of this will last you forever. Although it is gentle it completely lifts away any dirt or make up that may be on your face. It leaves the skin feeling so fresh and squeaky clean.

Up next is the All Bright Cleansing Toner.

I apply this most days after cleansing. I just sweep it around my nose and chin where my skin is mostly oily and needs the most toning. It has a lovely scent which isn't overpowering and makes my skin feel so fresh, clean and bright.


Last but not by any means least, the almighty Shine Away Ionic Clay Mask.

If I could take only a few items to a desert island this would definitely be in my bag! I love face masks, and it's not too often that I come across one as good as this and at such a reasonable price. It contains mineral rich clay, from the ocean, and willow bark extract. The clay helps to draw out deep rooted impurities from the skin while the willow bark acts as a natural toner. After I use this mask my face is clear, soft and smooth. I follow it with a sweep of the Cleansing Toner, and then apply a Botanics moisturiser (which I will review in another post.)

The Botanics range is available to buy at all Boots stores and online at www.boots.ie or through their mobile app. Boots are great with their offers and there's nearly always an offer on skincare, whether it be 3 for 2 or half price across selected lines you should always keep your eyes peeled and stock up on Botanics when they are on offer. The range is not expensive by any means and all the products will last you for ages!

In my next post I will be reviewing some of their moisturisers and other lovely potions to use on your face.


If anyone has any questions ask away!

love from the biffo x

A Simple Intro

It seems you can't swing a cat these days without hitting a beauty blogger or two in the face! So I decided to jump right onto that bandwagon and give it a go.

I'm from the Midlands, and with the word "Biffo" in my blog title you'd be correct in guessing I'm from Offaly!
My first career in life was as a beauty therapist and although I've chopped and changed a lot since then the passion for the beauty world has never left me!

I'm hoping my approach to this blog will be good to be on a par with all the rest, or even stand out just a little bit! I'm going to focus mostly on budget friendly products available from supermarkets and pharmacies and within the Midlands region. Most of the bloggers I follow are from the big cities and have more products readily available to them. Now I know that almost everything can also be ordered online these days but not everybody wants to do that. Occasionally I may have slightly pricier products if I'm able to afford them!

My favourite bloggers, snapchatters, facebookers at the moment are The Beautiful Truth, Faces by Grace, and Tara Make Up for beauty/make up. I follow a few fitness bloggers too because I am on a constant path to lose weight! The ones I like at the moment are Mom Fitness Diary, My Escape from Obesity, and Squats Bakes and Protein Shakes would have to be my fave because she makes me feel less guilty about having my cheats at the weekend!
Anyway...I could ramble on forever!

So please bare with me while I assemble all my favourite products over the next few days and start writing reviews. I hope that you'll like what I have to say and don't find me too boring! If anybody has heard good things about a product and would like me to review it before you buy then please ask, I will do my very best to accommodate everyone.

Thanks gals!