Skin Care Diary 2.

As you may have read in the first part of my Skin Care Diary, I went to see the dermatologist just over a week ago about starting the isotretioin treatment Roaccutane for my long standing acne problem. Luckily all my tests came back fine (including the pregnancy one!) and I was given my first months prescription to start very soon. I'm really excited to start the treatment, but not for the side effects! I spent an absolute fortune in Boots buying skin care items in preparation. The skin care lady thought I was insane when I told her I was planning on having extremely dry skin in the future!

In the mean time I thought I'd share with you a few techniques and recommendations for covering acne with make up. I stumbled across this video my the amazing Lisa Eldridge on You Tube in which she uses a very similar technique to the one I use for covering up my acne. This way you get to look at a pretty model instead of my ugly mug.



I always start off by preparing my skin before foundation as my skin currently tends to be a bit greasy and shiny during the day. I love Good Things Miracle Mattifier to moisturise with, followed by Murad Oil-Control Mattifier over my T-Zone for extra help and then finally a thin layer of Clarins Beauty Flash Balm all over my face.



Like Lisa I use a lighter foundation over the majority of my face, Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation (shade- 51) in my case. I love this foundation. I'd used MAC for years but had found recently my usual shade was looking a bit orangey and I ended picking up this Bourjois foundation on special in Boots. It's light, easy to blend and even smells nice. I then use the same Vichy/Dermablend corrective foundation Lisa uses in the video (shade- 15 Opal) over the worse areas on my face. For me this tends to be around my chin and jaw line, I also apply some of this over my permanently red nose! For any areas still looking a bit red and for my under eye shadows I use Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (shade- 1 Fair), which is another amazing cheap buy. I then usually set my make up with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (Shade- Light), but I'm really interested in trying the setting powder Lisa talks about in the video.



Does anyone else suffering from acne have any tips or product recommendations to help cover up bad skin?

Claire
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A very late January Favourites

Claire's Favourites.

Lee Stafford Treatment for hair that never grows past a certain length
£7.14
Back in June 2010 I decided it would be a good idea to let my friend chop my hair into a bob (with kitchen scissors nonetheless) and since then I’ve been lusting after long locks. I saw a review of this on a beauty blog and after reading rave reviews on the Boots website I decided to buy it. First the downside - The tub which comes priced at £ 7.14 doesn’t last all that long, it’s suggested that you use an egg sized application between every shampoo and condition (I probably only use a 50p sized blob) until the condition of your hair improves then cut back to just using it once a week. I’ve been using this for about 2 months now, I’d say my hair has definitely grown more than usual and it’s in amazing condition.

Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser
£8.16
My skin has been disgusting lately; we’re talking Grease Fest 2011. This moisturiser has been an absolute saviour. It mattifies my skin without drying it and it smells amazing. I need to check out other products in this range.

Mac Lipstick in Dubonnet
£12.50 (I actually got this free through Back to MAC)
Bryden wore this on a night out; I loved it and copied her. I can’t say much else!

Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara
£10.99
This is one of those products that despite hearing so much about and being told repeatedly by Bryden “That mascara is bloody amazing man!”, I’d never got round to buying. After feeling pretty let down by Rimmel’s Lash Accelerator I finally got round to buying this. I should have listened to Bryden sooner, I LOVE this mascara. It makes my lashes look super long (To the point that people think I’m wearing false lashes), doesn’t clump and keeps my lash curl in for hours. The only down fall is that this stuff is tough to get off, I’ve taken to wearing the Rimmel mascara underneath (As not to waste it) to create a sort of barrier between my lashes and the Max Factor mascara to make it easier to take off.

Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge
£4.99
I haven’t used a make up sponge since I was about 14 and I didn’t know that foundation brushes existed. I hate make up sponges, they’re just rubbish, but I’d heard good things about this. This little bit of pink sponge has changed my life (Ok, slight exaggeration. It is amazing though.), I’d usually spend ages blending with a brush. This gets in the job done in 30 seconds. I also use it for applying concealer, highlighter and cream blush. Amazing.

Bryden's Favourites



Avril Lavigne Black Star Perfume
30ml £20.43
I am rubbish at describing fragrances. The Perfume Shop's website describes this as ''a fusion of vibrant floral, fruity and gourmand accords, each with a distinctive, lively appeal. The notes blend to create a swirling, sparkling cloud of fragrance, for a truly energetic scent''. Well... I have no idea what that means but in my words I'd describe it as a sweet, fruity floral scent. It's lovely!

CHI Silk Infusion
Prices vary
This is something I have re-discovered. I used to use it all the time and it got shoved to the back of my chest of drawers because I was too scared to run out of the product after Sally's stopped stocking CHI products. I recently found a bottle of CHI Silk Infusion in my local TK Maxx so I retrieved my old bottle from the back of the drawer. I can't believe I stopped using this stuff. It truly is amazing. It cuts down drying time and leaves my hair soft as silk. I'm still dreading running out of the stuff but there's always ebay for when that day comes.

Illamasqua Precision Ink
£17.00 Illamasqua
This stuff lives up to the hype. Amazing colour pay off, easy to apply and the staying power is outstanding. What more could you want from an eyeliner? This eyeliner ticks all the boxes and is well worth paying a little bit more then you would for a drugstore brand eyeliner.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator
£8.99 Boots
Claire hates this and so did I at first. The first time you will open the tube you will find that the product itself is too wet and therefore the only look you will get from this product is the natural look. Give it some time...After a couple of weeks into the product the wetness has gone and you're left with the perfect consistancy to build up your lashes.

Earrings
£3.99 (I THINK) H&M
After seeing a girl in a local pub wearing these I had to track them down and grab myself a pair. They're very heavy to wear but I absolutely love them. Very Edie Sedgwick.

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