The Oil Cleansing Method | Week 1 (& a half)

Hi y'all!

Today I wanna chat about The Oil Cleansing Method. 

'Cleansing with oil?!' I hear you say! - Yes cleansing with oil.

About a month back I got my daily/weekly email from MichellePhan.com with a post on oil cleansing. This piqued my interest, so I clicked the link and went and had a READ. 

The How To:

The general gist is using a mixture of 2 oils, the main oil being Castor Oil.

You mix this with your chosen carrier oil and massage in to the skin for a few minutes, allow to sit for 30 seconds to a minute, then run a face cloth under the hot tap, wring and place on your face to cool.

Once cool wipe over the face and repeat another 2-3 times.

Make sure all traces of the now 'dirty' oil has been removed.

I started using this on/off after reading it then stopped. But decided I would give it a proper go a week and a half ago.

My chosen carrier oil was olive oil (not the best to use I'll tell you why).

What I did was mix about 3 teaspoons of castor oil to 6 teaspoons of olive oil and stored in a little tub.

Castor oil, although amazingly fabulous is incredibly drying so you will always want to use less than your carrier oil. I used slightly more castor oil because I have very oily skin.

The castor oil is the main component that draws out the dirt and impurities that have snuggled themselves into your pores. Some people have even said that while they are massaging the oils in they can feel little gritty balls of dirt - I however have not.

So for week 1(& a half) what have I noticed?

Believe it or not but my oil levels have reduced a huge amount. Before I would put on my make up and an hour to 2 hours later my face would become a massive oily mess capable of frying an egg.

But over the last few days my skin's oilyness has reduced to more of a dewy glow.

The down side however is that I have broken out :(

My battle with acne started when I was 11 hitting its peak at 13-17.  

Between 18-21 my acne reduced to a less scary stage - I wouldn't of said I had sever acne at any point but definitely mild - moderate at times.

Now I'm in my mid twenties my acne has reduced to mere pimples and blocked pores/blackheads.

A total win if I may say so.

But these last few days I have had more pimples than normal - nothing grotesque but red, lumpy and visible.

Fresh from the shower with moisturised skin.

Not the worst breakout in the world but the worst I've had in years

And the reason for this break out?

Olive Oil!

I didn't know this but olive oil is a Comedogenic which means it blocks pores.

I found this article that is of great use for those of you who are planning to try out this oil cleansing method.

It lists other oils to use and what skin type each oil is best for. Its defiantly worth a read.

So today I bought some Jojoba oil to use as my carrier oil, which is what KL uses from SecretLifeOfaBioNerd.

 CLICK HERE!

I also bought a face steamer too from Argos for £11.99 to help relax and open my pores and clean more dirt away. Yay!

So, so far ignoring my break out I am loving this way of cleansing my skin in the evenings. It removes all of my makeup no problem and my skin feels clean and soft.

I'll keep you all updated and let you know how this little skin-journey is going.

I hope you found this helpful!

Jeni x

Angel Wing Braid

Hey Beauty Lovers!

A real quick hair post for you today.

This is the Angel Wing Braid. Thus named for looking like an angel wing!

Its basically a lace braid, but your adding more hair to the top strand.

Here's where I learned this lil beauty:

SecretLifeOfaBioNerd

At the mo I am really loving this YouTuber!

She is amazing!

I have such an urge to DIY everything now!

I trimmed my fringe the other day so its much shorter now so there's the odd sticky outty bit.

To finish the braid off I just continued to braid past my ear then pinned into place.

Its a really cute bo-ho look

Hope you like and check out SecretLifeOfaBioNerd!

Jeni x

Package From Korea #2 | Tony Moly

Hi Guy's!

I'm so excited, finally both my packages from Korea arrived!

Isn't it so much more exciting getting things in the post!?

A few weeks ago I order 2 Tony Moly products from ebay.

Eggpore Blackhead Out Oil Gel 30ml - £5.19

&

Appletox Smooth Massage Peeling Cream 80ml - £5.33

The Eggpore Mask came in a little plastic package with all the ingredients and directions on it, in both Korean and English.

~Effective pore purifying product that clears out blackheads and impurities with egg & camellia ingredient~

Directions| Apply an appropriate amount onto areas with blackheads and gently massage for 3-5 minutes. Wash off with lukewarm water - This clear oil turns white because it combines with the sebum while massaging.

Features| Contains egg elements and magic capsules which remove dead skin and sebum. The oil gel purifies whitehead, blackhead, excessive sebum and dirt in pores.

Pore trouble care solutions help to purify the skin, manages dead skin cells, provides nutrition and protects skin from further damage. Improves various troubles and makes skin look bright and clean.

Camellia Flower Extract soothes skin with no irritation and purifies dirt deep inside pores with light-weight jelly-like feeling.

I love the packaging its so cute! The top is a screw off lid and inside is a plastic cover with a tab to pull off and reveal the gel beneath.

The gel is clear with tiny micro-beads mixed in

Its smells really lovely and fresh - kind of citrusy

The Appletox Mask didn't come in any other packaging

But directions for use were listed with the product on the ebay shop

Directions| After cleansing, dry the skin and Apply generously to dry areas all over the face, avoiding eye and mouth area. Gently massage for 1~2min and leave for 30sec. Gently rub your face in a circular motion and wash off in tepid water.

Features| Green apple extract Minerals(Mg, Fe), Vit(A, E, B1, B6, C) maintain skin's natural firmness and brightness. Highly effective on exfoliate.

AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) AHA accelerates skin's natural exfoliate process.

Acid loosens the bind between skin and dead cells, soothing the outer skin maintain fresh and silky.

The top screws off and underneath is another plastic cap with 'Tony Moly' insignia on it.

Underneath is just a simple white cream - smell amazing!

As I smoothed this on to the back of my hand I could feel little beads forming.

I am so excited to try out both these products! :)

As an added bonus in with my packages I received some Samples!

Lioele| Secret Pore Rich Balm

Lioele| Multi Seaweed Gel

Lioele| Triple the soloution BB Cream

Skin Food| Platinum Grape Cell Essential BB Cream SPF 45 PA+++

&

One I have no idea what it is but has SPF 30 PA++

Once I've given these 2 products ago I will do a review on each to let you know how I got on.

The ebay stores I used were:

iamlove-shop

&

cosmetic.love

hope you enjoyed!

Jeni 

Quick Tips | Smudge Proof Lashes

Hi Kitties!

I'm going to try and introduce a new element to my blog

Quick Tips

So these will be little tips I've learnt along the way that I think are worth sharing!

Today I'm going to share a tip that I read about from a teen mag when I was like 13-14.

At the time I wasn't big on makeup and sort of forgot about it till now!

I've recently started wearing mascara on my lower lashes again - I'd stopped because I was fed up with getting panda eyes all the time!

Then I remembered this little tip I read - and it works!

All you will need will be:

A Face Powder

&

A Fluffy Brush

F.Y.I  Its not a real MAC brush it came from china!

So you may have already guessed what you have to do! 

1. Start with Clean dry Lashes 

2.Using you fluffy brush pick up some face powder and dust your eyelashes and lower lash line with powder

3. Apply mascara

Now I'm not 100% sure whether the powder simply soaks up excess oil around the eye's to stop the smudging, but what I do know is that since using this little trick I haven't suffered with panda eyes!

I think that it also makes lashes a little more fluffy too!

(B.T.W I don't think it will be smudge proof if you rub at your eyes)

Hope you give this a go and I hope it works for you too!

The mascara I used was:

 Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express-Flared £7.99

&

Powder Was:

Maybelline Fit Me! in 125 £5.99

Jeni x

The Double Bun AKA The Princess Leia

Hi !

Today I give to you this fun hair style I wore on Friday 

The Double Bun

or 

if your a Star Wars fan like me

The Princess Leia!

Do we like my awkward posing? :P

This hair style is super easy to create.

All you need are 4 hair ties and your required number of bobby pins.

To start off, separate hair in to two sections, parting from the middle.

Then tie in to pig tails at your desired height.

Gently twist and wrap hair around the hair tie to form a bun on both sides.

Like me, you may need to twist the bun round and gently fan it out to get a neater, flatter shape.

Once you have your desired shape simply pin in place. 

I used two pins per bun, just to keep it flat.

Then spritz with hairspray.

Job done!

I loved wearing this hair style, its cute and a little quirky. 

And I totally didn't mind being called Princess Leia all day!

Hope you give it a go!

Jeni x

A Lovely Surprise!

Hello Happy Bunnies!

Yesterday I got a lovely surprise! 

One of the very lovely ladies at work bought in a bag of left over/extra un-opened/un-used makeup testers. (Her husband supplies them to shops & so on, & they quite often get lots left over to take home!)

And so said very lovely lady said to me:

 "Hey Jeni, you like make up would you like to take some of these home with you!"

Well my little face lit up and I was a bit "OMG really!" 

Anywho...I picked out 2 lip glosses & 2 lipsticks all by L'Oreal a brand I haven't actually used before Shock/Horror!

I genuinely could not stop saying thank you, and she kept telling me I could take more! If I hadn't controlled myself the bag would have come home with me! 

So here are the amazing lippie's that I picked out :)

They are sooo pretty :)

I have 2 of the L'Oreal Rough Caresse Lipsticks worth £7.99

And...

2 of the Glam Shine 6hr wear Lipglosses worth £8.69

I have never had such beautiful looking lipsticks or lipglosses. I love the packaging - so classy :)

All 4 colours are beautiful! I wore the lipstick 202 Impulsive Fuchsia today such a pretty bright colour! Oh my gosh! 

Time for a quick review!

Lipsticks

Both colours are really pretty on, and glide on smoothly and feel like a lip-balm. I would say I had about 45min-1hr's wear before I felt my lips beginning to dry and a need of lip-balm to moisten. The colour lasts a long time even through eating and drinking although your left with more of a tinted-stain than a full blown lip colour - which is still really nice. Given a chance to buy these I totally would!

202 Impulsive Fuchsia 

4 Rose Mademoiselle

The colours in the flesh are a tad more punchy and vibrant.

Lipgloss

Again both colours are beautiful! I love the heart shaped soft applicator that bends gently as you gloss up. The colours are a bit more muted than the lipsticks. And as with all lip gloss they are a little sticky but not as much as some of the cheaper brands. Last night I wore 118 Fresh Cassis out to the cinema with my boyfriend and it lasted well through popcorn, coke & kisses (aww-hehe). Once the gloss wore away I was left with a very subtle tint. Again I love these lip-glosses and would totally buy them!

118 Fresh Cassis

102 Always Pink

 Both colours a bit my alive in the flesh!

 camera + bright sun light = colour bleaching!

So I feel like a very lucky girl to of been given the chance to pick out and try some new goodies!

& 

A really big thank you again to the very lovely lady at work who let me and the other girls pick out some pretty treats!

I hope you enjoyed!

Have a lovely day|evening|night where ever you are!

I'm off to get ready for bed!

Jeni x

H&M Swatches!

Finally they are here!

The H&M swatches that I didn't have in my

Mixed Haul post!

The eye-shadow's didn't have names so these are my names for them! Its more of a description of the colours! :P

The consistency of each isn't to bad, a bit powdery but not to much so. They also have quite a creamy feel.

&

The eyeliner is much brighter than I thought, has a metallic finish to it which really catches and reflects the light.

Although as a swatch the lip pen is very bright on my lips its different. My lips are naturally very pigmented anyway so this colour tones them down a bit and leaves a slight orangey hue. I find I can only wear this if my lips are completely smooth otherwise it really shows up any cracks.

Thanks for looking!

Jeni x

Mini-Clear-Out

Hiiii All!

Today I decided it would be a good idea to go though a few drawers and my makeup bag and bin some stuff that I don't use or are total rubbish!

I didn't end up with loads of stuff but here is what I did end up with!

Some nail polishes

Miss Sporty Glossy-Tech top coat & Sally Hansen Insta-Dri: Both of these have become incredibly sticky and gloppy with time and are no use anymore, so off to the bin with 'em!

The 3 George polishes on the right:

The pastel purple has sort of curdled and split - not so pretty

The shatter top coat is a load of pants! It doesn't do what it say's just sort of blobs out and makes your nails look a mess

&

The white polish is quite streaky and I recently bought a Barry M white polish that's much better...

So bye bye you three!

Superdrug Dry Shampoo - I have never use a worse product. It doesn't work at all. I gave it 3 try's on 3 separate occasions and nothing! It sprays out as you would imagin then sits in your hair and makes it a bit stiff, if anything it makes your greasy hair worse than it was before! Do not buy this! I recommend Batiste or just plain old talc.

ShockWaves Go Matt Clay: This is bin-ward-bound simply because I don't use it! I bought it when I had my hair cut in to choppy layers, used it twice and decided that I didn't like the sticky stiff feeling it leaves. Better for guy's or girls with short choppy cuts!

Rimmel Eyeshadow: I swear I have had this for years! It might of even been my mums, either way I don't use it and its sorta past its best!

B.Dramatic Bold Liquid Eyeliner: Yeah I've never been a big fan of this, it isn't very dark and frustrates me that I would have to double up the layers except when I do, it wipes off!

So ta-ta!

So that's it! Not a massive clear out, but it does feel good getting rid of things you don't use and simply clog up space! 

Try it out for yourself!

The added bonus is that you now have an excuse to replace them with new exciting buys!

Jeni x

The Common White Girl TAG!

Hello World :)

I was tagged by the lovely Vanya from The Beauty Blog to do

"The Common White Girl Tag"

So here it is!

1| Favorite Starbucks drink?  

I keep it simple with a Cappacino or a Mocha

2| How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

Depends! Anywhere between 20 - 40 mins [if I do my hair]

3| How many selfies do you take on a daily basis?

On a daily basis - Zero! - I don't photograph well!

4| How many IG followers and pics do you have? 

If IG is instagram, again Zero! I don't have an iphone!

5| Do you ever say "LOL" or "OMG" out loud?

I do say OMG, but never LOL - If I LOL I do tend to actually Laugh Out Loud!

6| Do you wear the same clothing item more than once? 

All the time!

7| Are you racist? 

I wouldn't say I was!

8| How many tweets do you have? 

Zero! haha no Twitter for me!

9| Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr? 

Tumblr 

10| What do you spend most of your time doing? 

Working!

11| Who are your favorite youtubers?

bebexo, bubzbeauty, blogilates, CHIQBELLE, Evelina & iheartmakeup92

12| How often do you do your nails?

once a week maybe

13| Are you a shopaholic? 

yes 

14| How many times have you watched Mean Girls?

LOADS! haha "Sooo fetch!"

15| Do you own a lot of clothes?

Yes and No! 

16| Do you take pictures of your food before you eat it?

Only if I am proud of what I have cooked, or excited about what I am eating!

17| Do you wear makeup everyday? 

Yes I look about 12 if I don't

18| What are your average grades in school? 

I left school 7 years ago! But mostly C's & D's with the odd A thrown in for my Art & Japanese classes!

(wasn't much of an academic)

19| How do you usually style your hair?

Mostly loose, If not it'll be in some form of a braid

20| Do you always look presentable? 

I would say so! 

So there we have it! My very first tag! I would like to tag any and all to do this!

Hope you had fun and maybe learned a bit more about me!

Jeni x 

Side Dutch Braid

Evening!

Just a quick hairstyle for you today,

I wore this to work yesterday, my fringe is getting really long and flappy now so I wanted to have it out of my face yesterday, I don't know if it happens to you but do you ever just find it totes annoying?

For those of you who don't know a Dutch Braid is simply a reverse French Braid - meaning that you braid under the middle strand rather than over leaving your braid sat on top of your head.

I would of love to of tugged on the braid to make it a bit fuller but had I done that my layers would of fallen out all over the place.

I love this braid, it looks really cool and I sort of felt a bit like a worrier princess haha! - Or that could be because I'm reading A Game of Thrones!

Hope you like! :)

Jeni x

Summer Favourite's 2013

Aloha!

Today its Summer Favourite's!

I have whittled down my fave's to just a few beauty products and thrown in a few extra non-beauty related things.

Hope you enjoy!

Do you like my suns? ^^

So from left to right:

Garnier Body-Summer Body | Batiste Dry Shampoo-Tropical | Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo-for dry hair | Natural Collection-Vanilla Body Spray | MUA Power Pout-Irreplaceable | Skin79-Super BB mini | Natural Collection Cream Blush-Rosy Pink | Carmex Moisturising Lip Balm | Natural Pearl Bead Bracelet

Garnier Summer Body 400ml £3.56 currently at Superdrug: In Light Sun-Kissed. Such a good gradual tanner. Smells of Apricot and tans gradually to a light natural looking tan - Just make sure you wash your hands after you apply!

Batiste Dry Shampoo Tropical Flavour 400ml £4.99: This is the best dry shampoo I have used! You do get a white cast but with some scalp massage and a brush all is good, it works amazing and I love this tropical scent!

Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo 500ml £5.99: I absolutely love how this smells! Lathers up really well leave my hair soft and feeling clean!

Natural Collection Vanilla Body Spray 150ml £2 only at Boots: Smells so nice leave's skin with a subtle scent of vanilla or clothes for that matter!

MUA Power Pout in Irreplaceable £3.00 at Superdrug: This has been my go to lip colour all summer long and I'm still loving the peppermint scent!

Skin79 BB mini bought as a set from ebay: If you follow my post you'll know I bought a gift set of Skin79 BB creams to try out and my review will follow soon (still using them up!) But I loved this! Such a natural colour and finish!

Natural Collection Cream Blush in Rosy Pink 9ml £1.99 only at Boots: Again if you follow my post you would have seen my post on the Natural Collection range and how much I love this blush it has been a staple in my makeup bag ever since I bought this little bargain!

Carmex Moisturising Lip Balm 7.5g £2.69: Love it! I always have chapped lips wish I knew why and this stuff is amazing with it. Has a scent that I can only describe as menthol and has a slight tingle on the lips but works wonders! My favourite lip balm.

Natural Pearl Bead Bracelet: This was a gift from my Dad from when he went on holiday to the South of France and I house sat for him looking after he's nutty doggies. I've loved it since I've had it :)

Mixed Bag Favourites

Adorkable by Sarra Manning | Lana Del Rey-Born to Die | Working Stiff by Rachel Caine | 2 Weeks Notice by Rachel Cain | Imagine Dragons-Night Visions | Taylor Swift-Red | Blogilates with Cassey Ho

The other's are self explanatory but just a quick chat about Blogilates.

Earlier this summer I decided now was the time to get in shape, I found Cassey on youtube by watching Bubzbeauty. Cassey Ho is incredible! She is so motivating, sunny and just plain awesome!

All her videos you can do in the comfort of your own home, with little to no equipment. She offers monthly workout calenders (for free!) food plans & recipes!

I've always been the sort of person who starts working out for a few months then looses interest then stops. But thanks to the insane motivation Cassey offers I just couldn't not stop! My body is slowly changing from a skinny frame with wobbly thighs (yup that's where all my fat ends up!) to little Miss Muscle! But not in that scary she muscle way! haha

So if you want to get in shape but don't want to join a gym check out Blogilates! I garentee you'll be glad you did!

http://www.youtube.com/user/blogilates

http://www.blogilates.com/

So hope you liked my summer favourites

:)

enjoy your day

Jeni x