SPOT TIPS, TRICKS, AND EXPERIENCES

Hello!

Once again, sorry for the late upload, I went to Ikea with my friend Poppy today and only recently got back.

Anyway, today's topic is something most people from the ages of 11 (maybe younger) -18 (maybe older) year olds suffer with: Spots. I thought it'd be a good idea to tell you what products I like to use, and some tricks I do myself, or have heard of to help with breakouts.

Spot Products
 We all know getting rid of spots is a right pain, but I use these products to help keep my skin as clear as I can. Luckily for me, I'm part of that minority of teenagers that get a minimal amount of spots which I'm very thankful for, but I know not everyone's skin is like that, so I hope these products may help.

1. Boots Spot wand

I honestly don't think I've met something as brilliant as this when it comes to zapping down spots. The two sides are for day, and night time, I'm not sure in the difference of substances, but both work extremely well and help to reduce the size and redness of spots occurring on my face in an instant. Also, this is only £3.99, and I use mine everyday which lasts me atleast 2 months!

2. St Ives apricot scrub

This St Ives scrub is meant to lift away surface oils and dirt that can lead to blackheads and blemishes, and it does exactly that. Although I rarely use this as my skin isn't that bad, when I do it leaves my skin feeling extra fresh and cleansed, but do use a moisturizer after used because it does dry the skin out. After using this, I see a noticeable difference, and my spots have already gone down in redness, and size. 

3. Clearasil Daily Scrub and Rapid Action Treatment Cream

 

The last and final product(s) I have used before and worked successfully is the Clearasil daily scrub, and the treatment cream. Once again, the scrub pretty much does what the St Ives one does, however it doesn't have an apricot scent, and is a smidge cheaper. I find that the treatment cream has constantly worked for me, not as well as the Boots spot wand, but it is a cheaper alternative, and does the trick, just not as a fast.

Spot Experiences

As I mentioned further up, I've never been a victim of acne or major breakouts, the most I get a month is around 3/4 if that. However, not a long while back, I saw a lump appear on my chin and me being vain, I was worried the lump would ruin my appearance and took the idea of putting an ice pack onto it in hope it will cool the lump down and make the redness disappear, but no. This made things a lot worse, and the next morning I woke up with a small open wound on my chin, turns out I had freezed the skin off?! Anyway, this was a problem for me because I had school that day, so I took the idea of covering it up with concealer and foundation etc in hope it would cover it up, and it did...for the first day. As the second day arose, the wound had scabbed over making a very uneven surface on my chin and of course making it very hard to cover up. I constantly tried to cover it up and would keep re-applying foundation in lessons because the scab had a little slit in it which opened to the wound, so of course the foundation sunk into it in an instant, and I really don't think repeatedly applying products to it helped. As days moved on things got worse, and I kept getting more anxious in hope the scab would heal soon, eventually it did, and the scab went down, but now on my chin I'm left with a very faint red scar in the shape the scab was all because I panicked about my appearance...oh dear.

Do not freeze spots, this will burn the skin and cause an open wound, and you will probably have to experience what I did.

Spot Remedy's and Tips

  A few brands that sell good spot removing products:

Here are a few tips I know work, and have found from various internet sites.

1. Drink lots of water, this keeps the skin hydrated and clean.

2. Don't keep touching the spot, your hands will pass on germs and bacteria into the spot which will make things worse.

3. Use non oil-based concealers to cover up if needed, things with less oil in, the better.

4. Apply toothpaste to the spot, I've heard this dries out the spot making it fall off with no residue, but this doesn't work for everyone and very small spots.

5. Don't squeeze white heads immediately, if you do it as soon as the white head appears, this will cause the spot to bleed and appear again.

6. Use a steamer to open your pores and get rid of the bacteria, but don't do this too often or your face will dry up.

7. Apply Sudocrem, I've heard this works a treat for spots.

8. Apply a small amount of an essential oil to the spot (lavender, rosemary, thyme, and sandalwood), these are different to skin oils.

9. Don't use too many treatments at once, use different products one by one to see which ones work the best and which method is the best for you.

10. Wash clothes and duvets frequently, if you don't wash these enough, the bacteria and oils build up from your body and help start spots.

I hope this helped with you or anyone you know suffering with spots, but at the end of the day, we all get them!

RECENT FAVOURITES

Hello!

Sorry for the late upload today, I've been sorting out my room and going a bit mad with cleaning products and the hoover. At some point I plan to take photos of my room for a Room Tour, but I need to paint a few things first before I show you all.

Anyway, recently I've found quite a few products/items I have enjoyed using, so I thought I'd express my love for them today.

1. Kyle Minogue Perfume "Showtime."

 The first product I have been loving is this perfume by Kyle Minogue called Showtime. The scent of this is so sweet, but with a hint of floral to it-it's hard to describe but I really do love the smell. I've had this for quite a long time, but only really started using it recently! An odd thing that I love is the packaging of the perfume, sometimes you get really plain bottles, but this one is really cute and girly, and also goes with my room-bonus!

2. Rimmel London Blusher in Pink Rose 020.

 I've been using this for about 2 months now, but I'm really getting into it, and I've recently realised how nice it makes my cheeks look compared to other blushers I have. The small hint of shimmer adds a nice highlight to my cheeks, and transfers a super pretty pink/peach colour on my face, which I also vaguely dust on my nose, and forehead to make it look a bit more natural. Anyway, this blusher stays on and lasts for ages, and I haven't even hit pan yet.

3. Pearl Drops Toothpaste/polish.

 Weird thing to put in a favourites post, I know, but this toothpaste/polish is honestly the best whitening paste I've ever used. After 1 brush I already see results compared to other whitening toothpastes, and this toothpaste is also relatively cheaper than others which is a bonus. According to the toothpaste, it uses "Pearlite" to whiten the teeth, I have no idea what that is but it sounds rather odd. Also, the tube may look small, but it does last quite a long time, however not as long as a Colgate tube for example, but this doesn't bother me.

4. The Fault In Our Stars book by John Green.

 I'm possibly the person you would least expect to find a book in a favourites list, however John Green has cracked me and I was reluctant to include this book. I'm not going to go too far into detail, because I don't want to ruin it for others, but in short it's about a girl called Hazel who has tumor cancer (I think), but meets an exceptionally gorgeous person called Augustus Waters who changes her life. I'm not too far into the book, but whenever I have the oppurtinity I end up reading it which is very unlike me! If you haven't heard of John Green, he writes award winning novels, including this one, which I strongly suggest you read.

5. Baby Lips in Cherry Me.

 Recently, I've done a post on the Baby Lips lip balms, however Cherry Me is appearing a lot on me lately. As Autumn symbolizes reddy colours, I thought wearing Cherry Me would fit in with the season, so I wore it for a few days and now I can't stop putting it on! I carry this with me in my school bag because it's a handy size, and I don't get told off for wearing it which is good, however when applying this in lessons I do get a few odd looks, oops.

6. Fifa 14 App.

 Oh dear Zoe. I've really let myself go this time, I have found a new love called Fifa 14. We only met a few days ago, but we've been interacting ever since, and can't seem to put eachother down! Fifa 14 has never been my cup of tea, but after finding this app I am well and truly addicted. I've always loved football, but I love the idea of creating your own team, playing against other people around the world, and playing real matches which is what this app grants. My friend Charlotte and I were on facetime for 7 hours on Saturday 5th October playing Fifa 14 constantly, that's how bad my addiction has got...help!

7. L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil

 The last product is a fairly new product released by L'Oreal, and I'm warning you, it's a gift from the hair god's. My hair has quite a lot of split ends, and is also very brittle, but this oil reduces the appearance and feel of the brittleness, and split ends which constantly loom on my hair. All you need is 2 small drops of the oil as it goes a long way, then rub the oil onto the ends of your hair. I use this almost everyday, and it leaves fabulous, noticeable results! If you have hair like mine, then purchase this because it really helps, however it is around £9-£10.

What products are you loving?

OOTD #1

Hello!

I thought I'd start doing something a bit different, and show you my outfit of the day a few times. However, I'd only do this when I feel I'm wearing something that looks nice together- nothing slob-ish looking, and today I thought I'd show you what I'm wearing.

Top: On my top half, I've opted for a simple, black, flowing crop top, and obviously as it's Autumn, just wearing that wasn't enough so I added in a blouse. This blouse is mint green, and adds a sweet, subtle colour to the outfit, however you can style the blouse tucked in, or out. Personally, I prefer it tucked in because otherwise it looks quite long on me-almost drowning, but either way works fine. Also, the shirt can be done up and styled completely different, but I don't think that style suits me.

 Accessories: As the outfit is pretty much block coloured items, and nothing patterned, I thought I'd add a big necklace to add more detail, and a different texture to the outfit. In the picture you can't see my ears, but I do have some vintage gold/pearl earrings in to match the necklace.

Bottom: On my legs I'm wearing some blue, denim jeans, but these jeans aren't made of denim, they're a stretchy cotton with a light blue finish. As it's getting colder, I thought jeans would be more appropriate for the weather, but funnily enough today wasn't too cold so I probably could've got away with shorts, however I felt jeans went best with the top.

Feet: Before I start, please excuse how dirty my 'white' Converse are. I thought converse would go best with this outfit because they're comfy; easy to put on, and have only 1 feature colour to match the outfit. I don't have the best feet around, and certainly not wearing socks with trainers wouldn't do them any good, so I added black frilly socks to keep my feet protected, but still look stylish.

Most of the items I'm wearing you probably would've seen in my new collective haul, however if you want any details on where things are from, prices etc, leave a comment below!

thanks to my mum for taking these photos ;]