Miss Dior Eau De Toilette

I think everyone has that one perfume in their collection that they will buy over and over again regardless of the price etc. For me it's the Miss Dior Eau De Toilette. I've had about 3 bottle of this perfume since I was about 14/15. The bottle itself is beautiful, very simple but cute with a square glass bottle and a clear bow top. It also has a quirky dogtooth etching on the base, very chic. The scent is what you'd expect from a very classic well established perfume, it's classed as a 'fruity' scent, however I disagree. I find it to be more on the musky/floral side of scents. It has high notes of Tunisian neroli, mid notes of Bulgarian and Turkish rose and base notes of patchouli and vanilla. It's a very pretty scent and wears perfectly with everything. I really have fallen in love with it.

It's very strong which allows you to use it moderately and has incredible staying power. I can use this in the morning and still smell it on my hair and skin the next morning. I'd say this perfume is targeted to younger women in their late teens to twenties. It's playful yet quite mature too, a 50ml bottle will cost you £53. It's definitely an evening scent and therefore tends to last me a lot longer, that and the fact you don't need to use too much!

Liz Earle Skincare Regime

I'm sure most of you will have some point have heard of the famous Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. If you aren't already knowledgeable, Liz Earle are a skincare brand who practice in natural ingredients. Although the cleanser is their most popular products, there are definitely some gems amongst the rest of their collection. Liz Earle have a monthly offer of their 3 step regime for £43 with a different full sized product free for you to try.

The offer includes a full sized Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, Instant Boost Skin Tonic, Skin Repair Moisturiser and 2 muslin cloths. You also get a free full sized gift depending on what month you order. This package works out much cheaper than buying each item individually which is a bonus.

The Hot Cloth Cleanser is a creamy cleanser suitable for all skin types. With a dry face, using one pump, massage it into your skin and then use a warm damp muslin cloth wipe the product off the face using gentle circular motions. This action cleanses and exfoliates your face in one. The formula smells naturally of plant extracts and feels gentle and soothing on the skin. I found the action of having to use a cloth to remove it quite a drag but it does help to exfoliate the skin well and thoroughly remove make-up. It also prevents the soaking wet floor I seem to get when having to splash my face to remove product. It's so gentle you can even remove your eye make-up with it but I tend to used a separate remover to do this with. I do really rate this cleanser, however, because of my acne I personally need to use something with more spot fighting ingredients and this wasn't enough for me. It did help calm the redness and irritation I get with other cleansers which was good. On none spotty faces I think this would be an excellent cleanser and I would use it all the time if it wasn't for that issue.

The Skin Tonic toner is my favourite product of the range. It's a super gentle toner which can be applied to a cotton pad and gently wiped over the face closes pores and makes sure no tiny scrap of make-up or cleanser is left on the face. It smells really natural and is really soothing and refreshing on the face. Unlike other cleansers, it doesn't contain alcohol so it doesn't irritate the skin or leave it feeling tight and itchy. It really preps the skin well for moisturising. Skin is left really soft and calm, no redness in sight. I really love this product and would probably buy it on it's own.

I went for the combination/oily option for my moisturiser as I have moderately oily skin. The Skin Repair Light Moisturiser was my least favourite product. One or two pumps is enough for your whole face and it dries super quick leaving your face hydrated yet not dewy. However, I found that after only 15 minutes of using this my face was plastered in excess oil production. At first I thought I may have used too much but no matter how much I used I got the same effect. For a moisturiser targeted at oily skin, I felt like I was using something targeted for very dry skin, it left a horrible film of oil/cream all over my skin and I had to cleanse my face again to get rid of it.

Overall, I really enjoyed using the cleanser and toner. I would repurchase them again and recommend to those of you wanting something gentle yet effect in your skincare regime. Now I can't speak of behalf of other skin types but I really hated the moisturiser and individually priced at £18, it was the worst product I'd ever used. I don't use Liz Earle as part of my skincare regime anymore but I passed my products onto my Mom to try and she loved them so much that she's been using them for almost a year now.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Cleanser & Moisturiser

I'm always on the hunt for the perfect skincare, and once I'd exhausted all the regular drugstore brands, I turned to more high end solutions. Since dabbling in the high end market, I've been pretty impressed, but not completely satisfied. Everything I try is too heavy for my skin and leaves me producing crazy amounts of oils or is too stripping and leaves my skin feeling tight and itchy. I'd heard good things about La Roche-Posay and decided to give their oily skin products a whirl.

I'll start with the Purifying Foaming Gel first. Targeted at oily sensitive skin it is the perfect cleanser for me. It dispenses as a gel and you only need to use a small amount and work it with some water between your hands for it to all foam up and rub into your face. It isn't at the cheap price coming in at just over £10 a bottle but a little goes a long way. I've had my bottle almost a month now and it's just gone half way through I reckon, used both morning and night. I really love this stuff, first impressions were that it didn't smell foul or overpowering like a lot of treatments for my skin type, instead it was very calming and refreshing. It lathered up really well with a little help from some water and didn't sting when massaged into my face. It did a good job at thoroughly removing any left over make-up my face wipes hadn't done. I've noticed my face is a lot calmer and I have less redness since using this product. It does a good job at leaking my face super clean and leaves it feeling refreshed without stripping it of it's oils.

Next up, the Sebo-Regulating  Mattifying Fluid. Like most 'mattifying' moisturisers, it has a gel consistency as opposed to a more creamy one. This isn't a problem except it does dry a lot quicker than other formulas so you have to work quickly when applying it. You apply an average amount and apply over a cleansed face. This is one of the more expensive moisturisers I've purchased at around £14 a pop for 40ml which lasted me 3/4 weeks used twice a day. It smells similar to the wash which I liked. It gives the skin a very matte finish and slightly minimises the appearance of pores. At first it does feel like your skin isn't quite hydrated enough but after a few minutes it feels just like any other moisturiser. This did everything it claimed to a controlled my oil production better than any other product I'd used. It didn't eliminate it completely but improved it big time. This helps immensely when wearing foundations and BB creams as I didn't need to powder as much so I could pull off a more dewy, less oily look.

Both this products used in conjunction have really cleared up my skin better than any other products I've used. I used these after testing out Vichy which left me unimpressed and I'm so glad I tried them because now I wouldn't use anything else. I'm about to repurchase both and despite the price tag they really do a good job on my skin without being harsh, it amazes me! They aren't miracle products and I'm still yet to be acne free, but in terms of skincare, this is as good as it gets for me.

September Wishlist #01

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

(1) I've wanted a Ted Baker phone case like forever. However they're exactly cheap for what they are so I've made do with a fairly cheap polka dot one since I had my phone. House of Fraser has currently got a few in the sale and I've got my eye on this little beauty, who doesn't love a cute dog? (2) When my nails look pretty I can't get enough of rings. I don't own any silver ones and this one caught my eye. The simplicity and cute little rhinestones makes this ring a perfect day/night accessory. (3) I only actually own one scarf, but recently I've been making more of an effort to wear it and now I'm quite fond. This pretty little leopard design with lime green accents is perfect and I need it, like now. (4) I'm a massive fan of anything ditsy and cute dresswise, this little number in Topshop is about as 'tea party' as it gets and would be a perfect piece to layer up over autumn. (5) I've never experimented with highlighter before, but since I've gave bronzer a chance I'm considering it. Benefit are famous for their highlights and High Beam is definitely something I'd want to give a whirl. (6) I'm all over MAC shadows since I purchased 'Charcoal Brown' to fill my brows in. They're very pigmented, apply nicely and blend well. Naked Lunch is a perfect neutral for day time wear all over the lid. Teamed with a darker tone in the socket it would look beautiful.