Category: balance Me

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February 2015 Favourites | Makeup, Skincare, Haircare & Body

When I was considering writing a favourites post for this month, I honestly didn’t think that there would be many products worth mentioning. It wasn’t until I sat at my dressing table and was looking through my drawers that I realised that this month was a great beauty month for me – I even got more into hair products! Who would have thought? This month’s favourites is a nice mix of all things makeup, skincare, haircare and bodycare…

Makeup

I had a bit of a rediscovery this month in the form of the Bourjous 123 Perfect CC Cream which I actually have a full post on here. This has been collecting dust in my collection and I forgot how much I love it. Despite it being a CC cream, the coverage is incredible and I love this for days when I’m in a hurry as this blends seamlessly and quickly. I’ve also been loving a glowy cheek this month, and two products that stand out are the Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso and the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Beige. The blush is a gorgeous peachy coral shade (can you tell I’m excited for summer) and surprising the Shimmer Brick is not the most shimmery highlighter I own – it gives a stunning glowy highlight without looking like a disco ball. Love. The final makeup products I want to share today are all to do with eyes. If you read my last post, you’ll know that I recently got the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette and this has been my go-to for eyeshadow recently. It’s great for the more natural everyday looks I want to achieve and also has some smokey and colourful shades to take me through to the night. Finally, the Mac Tan Pigment had to get a mention. If I had a perfect eyeshadow colour, this would be it. It is a highly shimmery, rose gold-esque shade, and it is beautiful. 

Hair
Usually when it comes to hair, I don’t really bother doing much with it. I have naturally straight hair and while I don’t love the flatness of it, it looks good enough for me to get away with its natural texture. A product I used to use all the time was the Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce Body Booster Mousse (post on the whole line here) and since I have recently been craving some more volume in my hair, I pulled this out of my stash and started using it again. I have been using this every time I blow dry my hair and I have fallen back in love with it. It provides a lift at the roots but doesn’t leave my hair feeling gunked up with product which is something that I hate when it comes to mousses. This is some great, and affordable, stuff. I have also got into using the Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer as a hair mask about once a week. This leaves my hair looking so full and healthy, and my hair honestly looks at its best just after I have used this on it. 

Skincare/Body
This month seems to be filled with rediscoveries – I recently repurchased the balance Me Radiance Face Oil (full review here) and it has been doing my skin wonders. For those of you who have oily/blemish-prone skin and are scared of putting oils on the skin, don’t be. This really helps to clear any blemishes I have without drying them out. It nourishes and balances my skin and is overall a great product. For the body, I have been loving the Rituals Fortune Scrub. It is a really effective exfoliator without been too harsh and scratchy on the skin. It has a citrus scent which is very invigorating and fresh in the shower which I love. A rather random favourite this month has been the LaVanilla The Healthy Deodorant in Pure Vanilla. I picked this up while I was in New York as I was looking for a more natural deodorant and I have to say this stuff actually works wonders. It keeps my underarms dry all day and it smells really sweet but isn’t so strong that it competes with your perfume. Speaking of, my favourite scent of the month has definitely been Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium. I received this a christmas present and it is one of the most unique and interesting perfumes I own. It has a combination of vanilla and coffee notes which results in a sweet, rich yet dark and sultry scent.

I feel like favourites posts are meant to be fairly text heavy, so I hope you find these mini reviews useful! I didn’t include any lip products in this post as I always have so many favourites that this may have turned into a dissertation… Let me know your current favourite products below!

–RachelElizabeth

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What’s in My Travel Skincare Bag | Blogmas Day #16






















In case you didn’t read yesterdays post, I am currently in New York! I thought I would take this opportunity to make a somewhat short travel series, and walk you through all the beauty goodies that I am hauling across the Atlantic with me. Today we are talking all things skincare…


It may not be the most travel-friendly option, but I couldn’t not bring the The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil (full post) as it is my ultimate favourite makeup remover. I haven’t found anything that removes makeup quite like this does. For my cleanser, I am bringing a sample size of the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish that I got in my You Beauty Advent Calendar – this actually used to be my favourite cleanser, so I’m quite happy to have this back in my life. Next up we have another also slightly bulky product – the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads. I reviewed this only a couple of days ago here, and the convenience of them definitely made me take them on my trip. The final basic product I am taking is the Kiehls Ultra Facial Moisturiser, which is just a really simple effective lotion. 

Because I’m a little worried that my skin will freak out after the 8 hour plane journey, I am bringing the big guns when it comes to fighting blemishes and dehydration. The La Roche Posay Effeclar Duo + has become a classic in my routine, and a serum that I constantly use on blemishes because it helps to reduce them without drying out the skin. For spot treatment, I am bringing the Aesop Control Gel which is a personal staple. A product that hydrates, helps any blemishes and is generally a life-saver is the BalanceMe Radiance Face Oil, so this is a must for me. The final product I am brining along with me is the Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm as planes (and cold weather) really take a toll on my lips. 

This isn’t the most travel-friendly skincare bag, but as I’m not too strapped for space on this trip, I was more concerned on bringing products that would really help my skin. I’m also brining a few extras for an in-flight routine, but that’s a whole other blog post…

–RachelElizabeth
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Balance Me Radiant Face Oil

I’ve been looking to ramp up my relatively simple skincare routine (read about both my morning and evening routines here), and I, surprise surprise, read about this one on Caroline’s blog. My skin’s been quite dehydrated recently – not to be confused with dry, my skin skill gets oily throughout the day but there are patches on my face that seem like they drink up foundation or anything I put on my skin. As I was reading up more about this product, it seemed that it would a good place to start for my first ever facial oil.

balance Me radiance face oil

The Claims:
Smooth away the years with our highly emollient, 100% natural face oil. Skin lacking in lustre is enhanced with a rich, replenishing blend of naturally active and smoothing ingredients. Don’t be afraid to use if your skin is prone to congestion as oil on oil is extremely balancing, hydrating and comfortable to wear.

The Verdict:
If you have oily skin like me, the idea of putting more oil on your face is daunting and seems quite disgusting. However, this oil is targeted at all skin types, and as I quoted enough, it is supposed to help balance the skin’s natural oils. I have been using this for almost a month now, and I have noticed a huge difference with my skin. I’ve definitely noticed a difference in terms of my dehydration – my foundation seems to stay on longer on my skin, and overall my skin is looking a lot less dull. I had quite a bad hormonal breakout but this oil really helps on clearing the skin.

To apply, you pop a couple of drops from the pipette (love the packaging) and then massage over your skin. It does feel quite greasy when putting on the skin, but there’s something quite luxurious about it. I use this post-hydraluron and pre-moisturiser in my nighttime routine. I don’t use it in the morning like it suggests as I think it would be too heavy under makeup, but if you have extremely dry skin (or I’m not wearing makeup that day) I think it would be perfectly fine to wear in the daytime. 

If I (or Caroline) has managed to convince to buy this, I highly recommend that you order it from Debenhams. They have a programme called the Try Something New Guarantee which means they will send a free sample of the oil along with your order so that you can try it out before opening the bottle just in case your skin really doesn’t get along with it. The sample lasted me about a week, which I think is enough time to tell whether your skin is reacting badly to it. It isn’t really an apt length of time to see a huge improvement in your skin, but if you have sensitive skin, this is a great solution so you don’t waste money! balance Me is also a great natural brand if that is one of your beauty concerns. 























I couldn’t be more positive about this product, it really is a welcomed addition to my routine. It is a slightly pricey purchase, but its cheaper than some of the other facial oils on the market. As I’ve said before, I really believe investing in skincare is important – if I’m going to break the bank for anything, it has to be for skincare.

–RachelElizabeth
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