Taking It All Off

There are just some days where removing your makeup at the end of a long day is the best feeling in the world. In my teenage years and early twenties I was all about the makeup wipes and I very rarely bothered to take my makeup off at night. Now I'm a bit older, a bit wiser (sadly that doesn't apply to important life situations!) and I couldn't even tell you the last time I slept in my makeup. I am religious about it now, even after a night out I have to cleanse my face. No more sleeping in false eye lashes for me!

Skincare is very personal, I am not a skincare expert by any means (actual beauty school drop out here) but these are the products I love to remove my makeup with and that work for me. I have typical combination skin, oily by the end of the day and I am prone to the odd breakout more often than not!

Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel and Muslin Cloth - Cleansing balms and muslin cloths were a revelation to me and are what got me off makeup wipes in the first place. They are so easy to use, apply the cleanser of your choice all over, then wet your muslin cloth with warm water and wipe over your whole face. I normally will repeat this twice as I wear makeup everyday. This is my favourite method of removing my makeup as its so quick and you don't need to use a separate makeup remover first, everything just comes off in one go, face makeup, mascara, the lot!

The Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel is one of my favourites as it feels so luxurious on your skin, I also love Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish and Tesco's Pro Formula Radiance Hot Cloth Cleanser. All of these I use with a muslin cloth. 

Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover and Bioderma - If I'm not using a hot cloth cleanser and want to use my Clarisonic, I like to remove my makeup first with a cleanser. This stops your Clarisonic brush getting really dirty and ensures your face is properly clean.

Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover is the best I have found for removing waterproof mascara. For my face makeup, I love using micellar waters as they are quick and easy (can you see a trend?!) I just squirt some on a cotton pad and rub over my face, cant get much more simple than that. I am currently back to using Bioderma as my lovely Sister bought me back two bottles from Paris but L'oreal's Skin Perfection Micellar Water is just as good.

The Clarisonic Plus - My best friends bought me a Clarisonic for my birthday last year. The most simple way for me to describe a Clarisonic, is that its like a giant electric toothbrush for your face. I have always wanted to try one but I was a bit scared to spend that amount of money, so it was amazing to get it as a present. 

I have been using the Clarisonic now for about 3 months and if I'm honest I still don't feel ready to give it a full review. I can say that I love how clean it makes your skin feel and I do enjoy using it, but I don't feel I have noticed a dramatic difference in my skin yet. It feels a lot smoother and softer but in regards to breakouts I haven't noticed this having any effect yet. Having said that I don't use my Clarisonic every day, so maybe it will take longer for me to see a visible difference in my skin.

You can use any cleanser you like with a Clarisonic, although more watery cleansers work better. I am currently using one of the cleansers that came with my Clarisonic and Neal's Yard Rose Facial Wash. 

After cleansing I like to use a toner, I have two toners which both do different jobs. The Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner is a chemical exofilator, sounds scary but its not! I much prefer chemical exfoliators to traditional gritty scrubs as the chemical ones are stronger and you notice a real difference in your skin. I just spray some on a cotton pad and wipe (top tip - pour your toners into a spray bottle as you use so much less product!). If my skin is feeling drier I will use my Neal's Yard Rehydrating Rose Toner, which I love. This just leaves your skin feeling refreshed and clean.

Lastly I moisturise and since discovering beauty oils I haven't looked back. I love using a beauty oil as your skin feels so nourished and hydrated, I also notice that my skin looks so much better in the morning after using these. 

As I have combination skin, I only use beauty oils at night. I apply 2-3 drops all over my face and leave to sink in. I will be honest I don't moisturise my face again in the morning, I find I don't really need to as the oil is hydrating enough and I'm kind of picky about moisturisers. The only one I have found that I really love is the Kate Somerville Goat Milk which I have now used up and as its only available in America I'm just going to have to stick with my beauty oils.

I'm currently using the Josie Maran Argan Oil Light. I wasn't keen on it at first, as its a more greasy oil but I have been using it for a few weeks now and I'm enjoying it. You can buy Josie Maran in the UK from Net A Porter. 

My all time favourite beauty oil is Tarte's Maracuja Oil but I have done a post on my favourite beauty oils which you can read here.

Now I'm off to cleanse my face!

Beauty Inspiration - Liv Tyler

Let me start by saying I really dislike the term "girl crush" so I'm going to try my upmost to refrain from using it in this post! 

I am a big Liv Tyler fan, I love the woman (I also love her Dad!) 

To me she is the epitome of beauty. I love how striking, yet effortless she looks. If you have ever watched Empire Records you will know what I mean. 

I don't think its healthy to aspire to be any "celebrity" but if something or someone inspires you, that can be a great thing.

Its Livs (first name terms now) effortless beauty that inspires me. She never looks overly made up, her hair is never overly styled. She knows what works for her and sticks with it. 

As I've got older my tastes in beauty have definitely changed. In my early twenties I dyed my hair every colour possible, a night out would not be complete without one or even two pairs of false lashes and I would not leave the house without my winged eyeliner. I look back at some pictures and I don't recognise myself, I feel like I was so lost back then. Now I'm 27 I don't feel the need to hide behind my makeup or dye my hair on a weekly basis to reflect my mood!

I came across this interview with Liv on Into The Gloss and it was a revelation. She divulged her beauty secrets and some of her favourite products, the equivalent of porn for me!

Now I already had a few Liv Tyler inspired purchases but after reading this article I made a few more. I thought I would share them here in case anyone else shares my love!

Clarisonic - This was a surprise birthday present from my friends this year, so a happy coincidence that Liv loves it too! I have been using this for about 3 weeks now and I don't want to do a review until I have used it for at least 6 weeks so I can really give my honest opinion. I will say though that my face has never felt so clean! 

Available from John Lewis (prices vary)

Koh Gen Do Moisture Foundation - In the interview Liv mentioned this as her choice for foundation. Koh Gen Do is an eco friendly makeup line created 25 years ago by actress Ai Saotome. Sadly its not available in the UK but if you are in the US you can buy from Sephora. This foundation doesn't feel like makeup, it just feels like you are putting on moisturiser. It definitely works best when applied with fingers as it has a thicker consistency. Once applied this gives such a beautiful natural effect, you wouldn't even know you had foundation on. It has a dewy finish which I like but I do have to powder my oily areas. I have this in the shade 123. 

Available from Sephora $62.00

Becca Beach Tint - This was already in my collection and I didn't know Liv was a fan. This is a cream blush which you can also use on your lips for a tint of colour. These Beach Tint's are waterproof as well so have great staying power. Mine is in the colour Watermelon, it doesn't say what colour Liv uses but just pick one that suits your skin tone. 

Available from Space NK £20.00

Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow in Pravella - Liv says she has used this blush for years and I can see why.  Formula wise it is quite possibly the nicest cream blush I have ever used. Its not sticky, it doesn't stain your cheeks, it blends easily and its long lasting. The colour is such a pretty pink, it gives you a very natural flush of colour. 

Available from Cult Beauty £21.00

Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Magic Lip and Cheek Balm - This has been one of my all time favourite products long before I discovered we shared a joint love for it. Liv was the face of Givenchy so she would definitely have been encouraged to push their products but I have read in several interviews that she uses this and it definitely falls into that multi use category she loves. Honestly this is my favourite lip balm, it feels so nourishing on your lips but what I love the most is the pink tint of colour it leaves behind! This was in my top 12 makeup favourites of 2012 and I expect it will appear again this year. Available from Debenhams £18.90

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Lipstick in Liv's Lips - I was like a woman possessed trying to get hold of this lipstick! This was designed especially for Liv as she is a big fan of sheer berry toned lipsticks. Although this looks black in the tube don't be scared, on the lips it come out as a sheer berry colour. 

Sadly this is also only available on Sephora $30.00

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey - This was also in my top 12 makeup favourites of 2012. I bought this after reading that this was the lipstick used on Liv in Lord of the Rings.

Available from Debenhams £15.30

I thought Liv's Lips and Black Honey were going to be exactly the same but they are actually quite different, however they do give a similar effect on the lips.

Left: Clinique Black Honey Right: Givenchy Liv's Lips

And heres me with my hair that hasnt been dyed for over a year and a half! Oh and Im wearing all the makeup mentioned above with Liv's Lips.

If you hear of any more Liv approved beauty buys make sure you let me know! ;)