My Favourite Face Suncreen | BEAUTY

Hello!

"it's incorporated into my everyday routine, because prevention is key, right?"

We've heard it a million times: wear SPF. It's anti-aging, prevents wrinkles and decreases the development of skin cancer. Yet, there are so many things about sunscreens that don't seem so pleasant. i.e. the weird smell, the break outs, greasy-ness and the blocked pores. That was pretty much the reason I avoided the product, and didn't feel it was "worth it" to have it in my routine - until now.

Charcoal VS Clay Face Masks | BEAUTY

Hello!

"so your skin appears fresh and glowing."

Face masks are a beautiful thing. Not only do they make you feel super pampered (whether done at home or in a super fancy spa), but they also do wonders for your skin - if you find the right one, that is. There's the issue: which one is the right one? 

Peel Off Deep Sea Face Mask | BEAUTY

Hello!

"if you find you have an issue with large pores, with regular use ...you will see them become smaller"

I love a good face mask. You'd think that they're just for slumber parties and to make you feel like you're a bit of an alien - who knew they actually help the skin?! *shock, horror*

Magnitone Lucid Haul + First Impressions | BEAUTY

Hello!

Out came the Lucid, and then I was beginning to get drawn in"

If you've been watching YouTubers for a while now, you might remember when there was a huge craze on the Clarisonic. It had just come out at the time, and was pretty much an America-only product. It seemed to have great reviews and I think I'd watched every single one of the YouTube reviews out there! I really wanted one. 
It was, however, a nightmare to get in the UK, and quite frankly, I'm glad I didn't get it then. At £180, it wasn't something I could justify buying, and the hassle of plug exchange and overseas warranty just didn't appeal to me.

Fast forward a couple of years and here I am, holding the Magnitone in my hands with the facial expressions of a proud mother!

When I first saw the Magnitone range come out a few months back, it didn't really appeal to me. At the time they had the pulsar, which is the slightly bigger (and not so attractive) version of the one I got, the Lucid. Although the price of the pulsar is a lot cheaper than the Clarisonic, I didn't want to buy it at the time. Out came the Lucid, and then I was beginning to get drawn in.

"Lucid resembles the Clarisonic Mia, and the range of colours Magnitone has is just beautiful!"

So, having had my eyes on the beauty for a couple of weeks, I knew I had to get my hands on it. There were many bloggers and vloggers showcasing the product, as it had been sent to them. One thing I realised, most of the reviews I watched/read were not reliable. You see people using it for a few days and claiming it to be their holy-grail, others doing a skin care routine video and then mention it's their second time using the product (it's hardly a routine if you've only been doing it for 2 days). I just couldn't trust it.

On the day of my second last exam, I ordered the product from Superdrug, as it's currently on sale for £49.99, down from it's original £69.99. It was delivered on the day of my last exam (last Friday), so it was almost a "yay for completing exams" treat!

I'd say the Lucid resembles the Clarisonic Mia, and the range of colours Magnitone has is just beautiful! There's like a colour to suit everyone! Though I was contemplating between the pink or the aqua, the minty green of the aqua was the one calling my name. Plus, it matches my toothbrush, that's always a plus side, right? :)

"I will keep you updated and let you know it how it's going after a few weeks - so stay tuned!"

As for the brush itself, I've been using it for the past two days and am pleasantly surprised. When you first open the box and feel the bristles on the brush, you wont believe how soft they are. When using the brush on your face, it's a lovely feeling and not abrasive at all. There are two settings, deep clean and sensitive. You're meant to use the sensitive setting for the first 5 days of use, then whatever suits your fancy. You can use the brush twice a day (one minute each time) but for the first couple of days, they recommend once a day to ease your skin into it.

There's a timer on the brush that beeps every 20 seconds, so you have a guideline as to when to move to the next part of your face. They recommend 20 seconds for the forehead, 20 for both cheeks, and 20 for the chin and nose. I do find that I'm often wanting more than 20 seconds, yet I stick to it as I don't want to overdo it. The device automatically turns off after the minute.

"here I am, holding the Magnitone in my hands with the facial expressions of a proud mother!"

So far my skin feels good after using it, but I can't vouch for much as it has only been 2 days. I will keep you updated and let you know it how it's going after a few weeks - so stay tuned!

In terms of what the device comes with, there's an EU charger for when you go on holiday (which will be great when I go to Egypt), a UK charger for charging at home, both of which is a wire that attaches to a magnet-like thing which attaches to the device, meaning it's safer (and pretty cool!). Alongside that, there's a 1 year warranty that you can sign up to online.

All in all, I'm glad I waited and purchased the Magnitone Lucid rather than the Clarisonic, and I'm also glad I caught a great deal with Superdrug.

Tell me, is there anything that you swear by when it comes to skincare? 

The Body Shop HAUL: POTW

Hello!

"What a bargain."

With Christmas time comes good sales and with good sales comes LOTS of shopping! It's that time of year where you usually spend your time wandering around the stores in hope for finding something for your loved ones, however, I was a bit cheeky and spent time at my computer frantically searching the body shop website to treat myself! Well, with the prices I got the items for, you'll understand why! 

"I've up-ped my shower cream game for the winter"

First off, it's this scary looking thing. The bristles look like the ones that come at the end of a gardening broom, but trust me, they're not that hard! Dry brushing is amazing for your skin, see post here, and I had done a bit of running around from Boots to Superdrug to The Body Shop and settled on this one. All places had the same type of brush, but this one was my fav.

" high hopes for this one, and don't want it to disappoint."

RRP is £8, but I got it for £4.80. What a bargain. 

The next thing is the Brazil Nut Shower Cream. As you know from this post, I've up-ped my shower cream game for the winter, and this was the next on my 'to try' list. We turned that 'to try' into 'to buy' and here we are! The product smells amazing and I think the latter will be better than the Nivea. I have high hopes for this one, and don't want it to disappoint.

"shall use it more and see how well it serves its purpose."

Thirdly, I bought this. How adorable is the packaging? The heart is just so cute! Actually, this is a gift for a friend, she loves the original white musk scent so this slight variation will hopefully be a winner too! These would be great as stocking fillers.

"bristles look like the ones that come at the end of a gardening broom, but trust me, they're not that hard!"

Finally, I picked up a muslin cloth. RRP £2.50 and I picked it up for £1.50. Having used it yesterday, it is lovely to exfoliate the skin. I didn't expect it to be the material to be as it is. I had thought it'd be much more smooth. However, I shall use it more and see how well it serves its purpose.

"I was a bit cheeky and spent time at my computer frantically searching the body shop website"

Overall, I'm super happy with the purchase - the delivery was great from The Body Shop, and at 40% off, you can't go wrong!

What are your favourite things from The Body Shop?

Setting Your Beauty Free | Guest Post

What is the very first thing that we notice when we meet someone? Physical appereance, of course, more specifically, facial features. This is why we must take care about our skin, so we would be more satisfied with ourselves. If you are having some skin-related issues, no matter how much you are trying not to care about what others may think about you, it sometimes bothers you, because you may find yourself  unattractive, or with low self-confidence, due to the fact that you have, perhaps, acne. Yes, they might be bothersome, and nuisance, but, fortunately, they can be treated. And, you are not alone.

Causes 

According to some studies, about 80 to 90 percent of young people in Western world are affected by acne. In 2010., it seized 650 million people. And yet, science can not give straight answer to the question:”What is the cause of acne?” On the other hand, there are several factors that could contribute to appereance of this skin condition. In the past, food was considered as one of the biggest reasons for manifestation of acne, but this misconception has somewhat been proven false.

On the other hand, genetics is one of the reasons for having this condition, but, inheritance of acne does not follows the classic Mendelian pattern. Inheritance can skip generations, or be achieved from relatives, not just direct ancestors. However, some new researches have shown a link between specific type of bacteria, called Propionibacterium acnes, which causes inflammation that leads to some more serious cases.

In spite of popular opinion, dirty skin does not causes acne, in fact, scrubbing skin too hard, or using chemically aggressive coditions, lotions or soap, can only irritate skin and make things worse, leading to permanent scarring and marking. Eventually, most scientist agree that acne are connected to hormones, which is the main reason for its appereance during puberty,youth age, or menstrual cycle. For this reason, acne are harder to treat, for example, during pregnancy, when hormones are also on a rampage, because not all medical drugs can be used without risk of permanent damage to fetus.  Acne can also appear, during menopause, or as a result of a Cushing syndrome, which is outcome of abnormally high level of hormone called cortisol.

Consequences 

If not treated in time, or unprofessionally , acne can severely damage skin, and, in most cases the damage caused is permanent and irreparable. Acne can leave scars, marks, dark spots, pigmentations, which are noticeable. Apart from physical aspect, a lot more serious aspect are mental issues, which can lead into depression, anxiety, low level of self-esteem, or, in some extreme cases, even suicide.

Treatment

Treating acne should be acquired exclusively from professional doctors and dermatologists. Do not wait for acne to disappear by themselves, visit the doctor as soon as you notice any escalation of condition. They will prescribe adequate treatment and take care about you. Luckily, today, thanks to scientifical progress, there are a lot ways for you to get rid of acne. Not all of them include medications, especially those based upon benzoyl peroxide, which is connected with appereance of cancer. In general, medical drugs with each passing day are becoming more and more overcomed by new, painless and modern ways.

Laser technique, for example, represents a cutting edge of struggle of mankind to preserve its beauty. These therapies can also improve skin texture and lessen the appearance of scars. It is completely safe, reliable, and accessible anywhere in the world. If you find yourself on a holiday in Australia, for example, and because of a hot weather, your acne got worse, you can find many specialised companies for acne treatment in Sydney.

Get Super Soft, Lovely Hands

Hello!

Surprisingly you may not know exactly how important keeping your hands moisturised actually is. Read on and find out...
Today is National Wash your Hands day. I'm not lying, it really is! It's in this time of the year as with the colder weather, the case of the flu seems to have hit everyone at once. To help stop the vicious cycle of catching and spreading germs... well, wash your hands!

Constantly washing your hands means you're constantly removing moisture from them, leaving them dry and flaky. Whether you're a hand model or not, keeping your hands soft and lovely is key for youthful skin, and should be more of a priority than it seems to be.

Did you know your hands and neck are the first places that show signs of wrinkles? Keeping these area moisturised means you'll look youthful and radiant.
I keep telling my mum this and now she keeps a bottle of heavy moisturiser on the kitchen counter near the door so as she leaves her hands are moisturised. That's not to say I haven't seen my dad use it a couple of times too!

Itchiness, skin irritation and flakiness can also occur due to dry skin, known as xerosis.

Try these hand creams on-the-go:

Image from here

available in Boots, Amazon and many others.

image from here

available from Boots, Amazon

and for a night time treatment - my go to product:

image from here

available from Boots, Amazon and others.

Keep these mini-products in many different places such as:

• desk
• purse
• bedside table
• kitchen counter
• coffee table

This way you remember to do this more often.... which is what I need to start doing more! 

So let's do it, you and I - we'll get softer hands together!

Don't forget to check out this post to see whether your makeup needs to be thrown out! 

Brush Your Skin for Smooth Skin?

Hello!
I have recently heard about brushing your skin to improve conditions. Brushing your skin? What's that, you may ask - well, it's basically getting a brush (like the one pictured below) and using it to brush your skin to make it smooth and... well, nicer!

So, all you do is go over your body with this brush, without any water or any soap or anything, it just simply is used dry (hence why it's called Dry Brushing!).
There are many benefits related to this:
- Reduced Cellulite
- Toned Skin
- Smooth Skin
- Eliminates Toxins*
- Increase Circulation = GLOWING skin
- Youthful Skin

*This is told to be a great detoxifier as your skin gets rid of a lot of toxins that we have in our body, so if the pores are clogged, these toxins cannot be removed, so by dry brushing, we are unclogging our pores and therefore detoxifying our bodies!

Not only that, it is also Anti-Aging! Prevention is key, guys, lets jump on this bandwagon.

I don't currently do this but did some research and would love to try it out myself. When I first heard about this dry brushing, I used a flannel to do the same type of thing and already I saw a difference. I am definitely going to purchase a dry brush to try out for myself and will let you know how it goes!

There are a couple of dry brushes I am looking into to see which to purchase, all £10 or below:
1. The Body Shop Cactus Brush
2. Amazon - Yerba Prima Brush
3. Tesco - Tisserand Aromatherapy Body Brush

Oh, and you want to use this is motions towards your heart, starting from your feet in an upward motion and avoid any sensitive areas. I would also recommend to not use this brush on your face, although you can get face brushes for a similar effect!

Do you dry brush?

xoxo,
BerryBloomXO

PS. What do you think about naming skin care/body care posts as 'BerryBody' or 'BerryBeauty'?!

Photo from here