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A UK Pregnancy, Parenting and Lifestyle Blog
January 13, 2020

My Skincare Routine

*denotes affiliate links.

Ahh, it’s been a while hasn’t it! I miss my blog, I miss writing, I miss sharing things on here without the scrunity that YouTube and social media bring. So I’m going to try and make an effort to write at least one post a week. Whether it’s something to do with the kids or parenting, beauty or fashion related, or just general life chat and musings, I will try my best!

I get asked a lot about my skin and my skincare routine over on Instagram, so thought it would be useful to share what I do and what products my skin seems to like and reacts best to. Please note my skincare regime is more intense than my make up one! Don’t want you guys thinking I spend hours on skincare and makeup. I spend about 10 mins in the morning on skincare and 5 minutes on makeup. And then maybe 10-15 mins at night on my skincare routine, longer if I’m doing a mask or scrub.

Bit of background for you. I suffered massively with my skin when I was younger. Lots and lots of breakouts, unmanagable oil and using harsh products left me with quite a bit of scarring. I ended up on Roaccutane at one point and it really was the only thing that got my breakouts under control and pretty much stopped them completely (please note, it is a last resort drug that has to be prescribed and monitored by dermatologists, usually at a hospital).

My skin has been pretty good since I’ve had the kids, and have not been on any hormonal contraception. I get the odd spot or two in the run up to my time of the month but apart from that I’m relatively happy with it. Just need to sort out those pores that seem to keep enlarging. Oh, and the post 30 wrinkles which are making more of an appearance haha.

So, this is my usual daily skin routine.

In the morning I obviously don’t have any make up to take off so I just give my skin a good cleanse before my shower.

At the moment I’m using the Ceravae Smoothing Cleanser in the morning and the Tropic Smoothing Cleanser or Glossier Milk Jelly Cleanser at night.

The CeraVae Smoothing Cleanser* was SUCH a find! I got it online but they sell it in Superdrug and it’s budget friendly – £8-12. It’s made such a difference to my skin. It’s a clear gel cleanser, with no real scent to it, and it lathers up really well with a bit of water. I love it because it’s really smoothed out my skin and has made it rather glowy!

I was introduced to the Tropic Smoothing Cleanser £16 by my bestie Jess and love the smell and consistency of it. It smells so good and has a cream type texture to it, which feels super luxurious when you rub it into your skin. I like using it more at night because it feels a bit heavier and I have more time to work it in and rinse it off with a lovely warm bamboo cloth.

I love the consistency of the Milk Jelly Cleanser. It’s hard to describe but it melts into your skin and provides it with all sorts of goodness to get it nicely cleansed. It’s £15, which is a good price for what it is. It lasts for ages, because you don’t need to use that much, and it is a really effective cleanser. It was my usual morning cleanser until I discovered the CereVae one.

Another cleanser I really rate is the OSKIA Renaissance Cleansing Gel*. It’s pricey, at £33, but it lasts ages and is dreamy. It’s really good for combination skin, like mine, and balances it out well. I love the smell too. Or the Caroline Hirons Double Cleanser – again a bit pricier at £. It has two sections – a hard oil to use first to get make up off and then a cleanser. I do really like it, and it makes my skin feel really soft and clean but the oil doesn’t fully take my mascara off (at night). Have to use my Face Halo pads for that..

Once I’ve had my shower I use a day cream and then a primer before doing my make up. The day creams I use at the moment are the Origins Matte Moisturiser with Willowherb* (prettiest packaging) £27 or Nivea Q10 Power Day Cream (previously worked with Nivea on two campiagns for this product) £11, it just depends on what my skin needs. The Origins one is lighter that the Nivea one so I tend to use it in hot weather when my skin needs less moisture. And the Nivea one is great on days where I need that little bit of exta moisture, or my skin is drying out from cold weather.

Primer wise, I like the Smashbox ones. They’re all really good but my two faves would be the Photo Finish Primerizer or the Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer. Both work really well with combination skin, sit well on your skin and help your make up last throughout the day.

I also pop on a bit of eye cream. At the moment it’s my Nivea Q10 Anti Wrinkle + Energy Eye Cream £12.99 but I also like the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream*  – £46 – and the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream* (super light and sinks in really well) – £33.50.

At night, I take my make up with a Face Halo pad. I discovered these a couple months back and love them. They easily and quickly take off every single trace of my make up. Even mascara. And I wear a lot of that.

I cleanse my skin using one of the cleansers mentioned before, so my skin is squeaky clean. And then I use Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting Liquid Exfoliant* – £28 – which works really well to reduce pores! Glossier’s Solution – £19 – is really good at improving skin texture too.

Next I pop a serum on. I love the Glossier Superglow serum – £24 – but want to try their new Futuredew serum asap! It sounds dreamy. I also really like the Tropic Super Greens Nutrient Boost – £42. It smells super vegetable-y, which takes a bit of getting used to, but it leaves my skin looking much healthier, brighter and happier.

Then I massage in my night cream – either Origins High Potency Night-a-Mins Oil Free Resurfacing Cream* – £32 – or Nivea Q10 Power Night Cream – £12.99. Again, the Origins one is more of a gel/cream consistency and smells lovely, and the Nivea one is a denser cream which feels more enriching.

Weekly, I love a good scrub and a mask. I tend to do them on different days. So I use a scrub once I’ve taken my make up off and cleansed my skin at night, let my skin breathe for a bit and then pop some serum and a night cream on when I go to bed.

The scrub I’m using at the moment is the Oskia Micro Exfoliating Balm* – £52 (but I got it with 25% off and it lasts ages!!). It seems to have the perfect balance between deep cleansing my skin but also protecting it from drying out. It gets rid of dead skin cells so that your skin is able to soak up serums and moisturisers better.

And I could probably have a whole cupboard dedicated to face masks but here are a few that I really like:

  • The Sanctuary 5 Minute Thermal Detox mask.
  • Bobbi Brown Skin Nourish mask.
  • Glossier Moisturising Moon mask.
  • Origins Out of Trouble mask*.

I do also love a good facial and have been getting Hydrafacials for the past 4 months. I’ll do a seperate post all about them asap.

Let me know what your favourite skin care products are! I LOVE hearing about new brands.

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Kisses and cuddles with my faves 💖💫 Kisses and cuddles with my faves 💖💫
‘Each of us as citizens, has a role to play in c ‘Each of us as citizens, has a role to play in creating a better world for our children.’ - Nelson Mandela ❤️
It’s not enough though, is it? We’ve always h It’s not enough though, is it?

We’ve always had diverse toys in our house (not enough, but I’m working on it ❤️), but when questioned ‘why do you buy your kids Black dolls?’, I’ve faltered and answered incorrectly. I would respond saying ‘because that’s the doll Isla liked the best. What does it matter? We’re all human’, rather than questioning why that person is questioning it in the first place.

In a massive learning curve this week, where I am actively trying to become an anti-racist ally, not just anti-racist/non racist in general, I have found so many shortcomings in my effort to educate my kids and in my own attitudes towards race. But this isn’t about me. So here are some resources I’d like to share on top of the ones shared in my stories.

Some books to read:
Me and White Supremacy - Layla F. Saad.
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge.
How to argue with a racist - Adam Rutherford.
Brit(ish) - Afua Hirsch.
White Fragility - Robin Diangelo.
I Am Not Your Baby Mother - Candice Brathwaite.
So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo.

Diverse kids books:
Anti Racist Baby - X. Kendi.
Riley Can Be Anything -Davina Hamilton.
Look Up - Nathan Bryon.
Mae Among The Stars - Roda Ahmed.
The Mega Magic Hair Swap - Rochelle Humes.
Let’s Talk About Race - Julius Lester.
Welcome To Our World - Moira Butterfield and Harriet Lynas.
This Book Is Antiracist - Tiffany Jewell.
The Extraordinary Gardener - Sam Boughton.
Let The Children March - Monica Clark-Robinson.
Ruby’s Worry - Tom Percival.
A Kids Book About Racism - Jelani Memory.

Some things to watch:
When They See Us.
13th.
Who Killed Malcom X.
Time: The Kalief Browder Story.
Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap.
Dear White People.
I am Not Your Negro.

My to do list:
- Sign more petitions.
- Donate to more causes.
- Listen to podcasts and share.
- Encourage changes in the school curriculum so that my children, and their classmates, get a better, much more rounded and diverse education.
- Call things out.
- Have honest/open conversations.
- Share content.
- To keep educating myself, whilst never expecting others to do it for me.

It’s just a starting point.

Thanks for listening x
Black Lives Matter. I can never pretend to unders Black Lives Matter.

I can never pretend to understand, but I will always stand.

I’ve been on a huge learning curve this week and have, shamefully, come to the realisation, which I should have a long time ago, that it’s not enough to just not be racist. We must also be actively anti-racist and do everything in our power to ensure our children are too.

Today is a day to stop, listen, support, educate ourselves, donate, sign petitions, take action in any way we can, big and small, to make sure that everyone knows we stand with our fellow humans, family and friends. But we can’t just do this today. We must do it each and every day going forward ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻
And breathe! First day without both my babies for And breathe! First day without both my babies for the first time in 10 weeks today and it couldn’t have gone better. Both had wonderful days and were full of stories when they got home. I said over on stories last night, which got an incredible response so thank you to everyone who reached out, that I am completely comfortable with my choice to send the kids back to school and nursery but would never, ever judge anyone who felt different. We are all in different boats in this storm we’ve found ourselves in and what works for my family, might not work for yours. I have deliberately stayed out of the ‘are you sending your kids back or not?’ debate as it started to feel like another toxic discussion, in the media and on social media, that was resulting in yet another parenting divide.
I could have had the kids in this whole time, under key worker provision, but tried my best to hang on till the phased reopenings that I hoped would happen when they did. They were what I was aiming towards. Don’t get me wrong, I have LOVED having the kids at home together for such a sustained period, we have made lots of memories and learnt so much more about each other, but mixed in with the nature of my job and the fact that @thisdadalife is deployed and so I’m on my own with minimal support, I couldn’t have gone on much longer.
When I got in from dropping them off today, and as I went upstairs to work at my desk, I literally collapsed on the stairs and almost cried in relief. Relief that we made it through, as dramatic as that sounds. I don’t think I realised the toll it was taking mentally as I was constantly running on adrenaline.
I am so happy to get a bit more balance back and to, most importantly, feel like a better mum again. Not a snappy trying to juggle it all 24/7 with no break mum.
If you sent your kids back today, whether you wanted to or not, I’m with you and support you.
If you have kept them home in your bubble for longer, I’m with you and support you.
If you’re still unsure what to do and are undecided, I am with you and support you.
Nobody knows the full extent of someone else’s circumstances and we have to stop and realise that before we judge anyone else ❤️
Ibiza vibes in Puerto Gardeno today 😂☀️😅 Ibiza vibes in Puerto Gardeno today 😂☀️😅
This is the first year in YEARS that I have felt ok wearing a bikini. And I feel like it’s more down to how strong I feel, rather than how I look. Whatever it is, I hope it continues ❤️
On another note, how tanned does the @filterbymollymae fake tan make you look! 🙌🏻
(Both bikini and cover up are from last year).
#losingmyboobstho #youwinsomeyoulosesomehaha
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