La Roche Posay Lovin'

About 2 months ago one of my best friends decided to make it so that all of her skincare came from the same brand, something I'd never really heard of but when thinking about it, makes a lot of sense. By doing a bit of research (reading a few blog posts) you can figure out what brand would work for you - this depends on what you look for in your skincare: what ingredients they use, whether they are natural, what skin types they specify for, whether they're suitable for your skin etc. etc. The theory is that if you use skincare from the same brand it should all mesh together in a lovely little pot of goodness. Although many people like to use different brands and products to target different problems with their skin, I personally think if you find a line that works for everything you need (which is becoming a lot easier as the industry grows) it all just becomes a bit more harmonised.

My brand of choice was La Roche Posay - purely because their effaclar range specifically fits my needs - helps tackle blemish prone skin, keeps shine at bay but also thoroughly cleanses and rejuvenates the skin. I'd also used the effaclar duo before and LOVED it. So let's take a look at what I've been using.

The Cleanser
The cleanser I chose was easy - the effaclar purifying foaming gel. Claiming to "lift dirt, grime and sebum away from the surface of the skin without disrupting its delicate balance", I was drawn to it. I have used foaming gel type cleansers before so knew they suited my skin and my routine, this one is a thick gel that lathers into a foam, but it's not so foamy that you look like you've made a bath-bubble beard (we all done that as a kid right?) and can be washed off really easily with your hands or a hot flannel. I find that this doesn't leave my skin feeling dry or stripped at all, it just makes my skin feel clean and refreshed and it also has a lovely fresh scent; the same as all the la roche posay line, I really like the not-really-there clean smell it has, so next time you're in boots, go have a whiff. 

The Toners
For toners I of course had to pick up the serozinc zinc sulfate solution which is a facial spray that has been raved about plenty of times by fellow bloggers. This one's great for if you have generally troublesome skin and need a light layer of treatment post-wash, something that's not at all harsh and actually quite moisturising but does the job of giving a little more something. However, for those days I feel extra grubby - whether I've worn a lot of makeup or sweated it out at training that day, I feel I need an extra mini-cleanse/bit of exfoliation after my first cleanse. For this I picked up the Effaclar Astringent Micro-Exfoliant Lotion (phew). This bottle of lovliness works wonders, I find that even after a really good deep cleanse it still manages to pull any extra grime from my face, and the micro-exfoliant part makes sure my skin is resurfaced everyday, without being stripped of all the good stuff, as those beady exfoliators tend to do.

The Moisturisers 
What would a LRP post be without a spot of effaclar duo+, ay? I won't go on too long about this because I'm sure you all know the deal - it's a very lightweight, easy moisturiser that works wonders on blemished skin, and that I can definitely vouch for. I use this as my daytime moisturiser as it is very light on the skin but also puts some hydration back into it, it also works very nicely under makeup, giving a semi-matte finish that is easy to apply foundation over. I have definitely seen results from this product, and would highly recommend it. For my night time choice I wanted something a little different, the duo+ is lovely and light but for bedtime I like something that sinks in a little deeper and keeps me hydrated for longer, also in comparison to the size of the cleansers and toners, LRP moisturisers do have a little less product in them (my one bugbear about this line) so I require two. For this I went for the effaclar H. I had never heard anything about this product before but bought it, blindly trusting the brand. And I'm very glad I did. It's literally just a ticker, slightly more moisturising version of the Duo+ and works well to keep my skin nourished overnight whilst doing the same job to help out any blemishes.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my skincare routine at the moment, it works well for my combination, blemish prone skin and I feel a lot better knowing all the products come from a brand I trust and love. Can I also point out the immaculate service from the people at Escentual (no I have not been paid to say this) - I ordered all of these products at the same time and they came incredibly quickly, in a really good standard package, with all the bubble wrap you could want, and their twitter team impressed me with their amount of communication. Bravo, Escentual. I would highly recommend using their site for brands that are harder to find, and they always seem to have some sort of deal or offer. When I bought this lot, there was 1/3 off French pharmacy which is why I went crazy - but my order totalled to under £40 so I was very happy with that.

So that's my skincare story as of now...

What skincare do you rely on? And have you tried anything from LRP?
Comment below and share this post if you enjoyed!

My natural everyday makeup - FOTD

Woah there's my face..

I thought I'd kick things off in the beauty department with a natural everyday makeup suggestion for those of you who are either a) solely nosy into what people put on their face everyday or b) are looking to switch things up in the natural looking aspect of things

This look has a mix of high end and drugstore bits and apart from one product, I'm a die-hard fan of them all, so let's dive in shall we?

Base
For me, when it comes to the base of my makeup I need two things for my combination skin: enough coverage and setting power to hide my pesky break-outs and not too much coverage that I look dry and cakey. For me the stay matte powder in transparent, much loved by fellow bloggers, does the stay-in-place job perfectly. While the combination of the MAC studio fix fluid and NARS creamy concealer act as my spot-defying duo, without making me look dry. I think I've cracked it.

Complexion
Ah complexion.. the mythical land of bronzers, blushes, highlights and all that good stuff. I never really got into colour on my face until this year (strange, I know - it always just scared me a bit, much more than a thick black line across my eye) For my pick today I've been loving this pair; the soap and glory solar powder and MAC's rosy outlook blush. Both give my face enough colour to make me look alive but not so much that I turn into an oompa loompa or a clown - perfect!

Eyes
There seems to be a lot of product going on up there for an everyday look but trust me, more is more sometimes. On the eyes I've been obsessed with Maybelline's colour tattoo in (you guessed it!) on and on bronze, I totally get the hype about this product, the perfect bronze shade to add a little something to the lid when you don't want them to be fully naked.
My eyeliner choices are tophsop's kohl liner in coal (woah so many kohl/coals) and Rimmel's nude scandaleyes waterproof eyeliner thingy - both do the job of defining and awakening, I don't find they transfer at all although the nude wears off quite quickly but that's expected slightly as I blink 24/7 and the topshop one makes me want to try more topshop makeup so much! Great pick and it's only £4!! I'm also trying out this L'oreal liquid one at the moment that's had stunning reviews and so far I really like it! great especially for little thin lines on the outer eye.
Now, for mascara I've been trying out this Body Shop one, and although my lashes really get along with it and look much more lengthened and curvy after, there's one problem: so much product goes on the brush! If you can stand wiping off the bristles about 7 times on the side of the tube to get the excess off before you apply - it's really good, however I don't think I can stand it much more and will be putting this one to the back of my muji drawers. Merh.

Brows
Yes, I use two products on my brows, and although this may seem eccentric for an everyday thing; it's worth it. I love the classic benefit gimme brow in light/medium for a completely naturally full looking brow, it just adds that bit of umph my brows need. However, I do find that i struggle to use it to lengthen my brows, which I do need to do as they're a little short. No fear though! For this I simply swipe some Sleek brow stylist on each end and voilà!

Lips
For lips it's plain and simple; on a day to day basis I'm after something moisturising, comfortable to wear and adds the right amount of colour (not too much or too little). This soap and glory sexy mother pucker stick in Nudist does the trick and is again worth the hype. It adds a nude wash of glossy colour that looks kind of orange-esc on me (which I love) it suprisingly stick around for a while and does what I need it to do. Good job.

Hope you enjoyed that look into my everyday face!
If you did why not give it a comment or even a share?

What products do you love for an easy everyday look?
Comment below!

50 facts about me - An introduction

Hello there,

So.. somehow you've stumbled across my little old blog, well aren't you a lucky one? (possibly). How about we kick things off with a simple 50 facts about me, just to get us in the swing of things.. Although I'm not really sure I know 50 things about myself, but here goes.

1) My FULL name is Sarah Louisa Taylor
2) I'm 18 years old, and a student living in the South East area of the UK - quite near London
3) In September I'm heading off to uni to study dance, and am keen to get a blogging/youtubing thingy-ma-jig on the go on the side of it all
4) I spend my time either studying History, English and dance a-level, dancing for my team, spending time with friends/family/my boyfriend, or watching youtube videos/reading endless amounts of beauty, fashion and inspirational kinda bloggy things
5) I train in ballet, lyrical, contemporary, tap, modern, jazz and commercial dance - but my favourite is contemporary
6) I have pale skin, brown hair and brown eyes.. in fact here's a little picture - to put a face to a name...

(although I actually look a little tanned here... Although I am sorry for the awful selfie face and those bits of hair I'm sure you want to tuck under as much as I do. Which leads me to my next fact..)

7) I'm AWFUL at taking selfies, I find it rather hard to keep serious when taking a photo of my own face

8) I love stationary. Pens, paper, notebooks, folders, pencil cases, colouring accessories, rulers, the whole shabang. Paperchase is like heaven to me.

9) I currently am working part-time at a cinema which I must admit is A LOT of fun sometimes and I think I'll cherish the memories I've made there forever *cringe*

10) I love studying history 

11) My favourite film is stardust because who doesn't love a film with a star as a person and a witch trying to eat her heart?

12) I only have a small makeup collection but I'm aiming to grow it and love talking about, looking at, and researching makeup - everything to do with it from the products themselves to what it means to different people

13) I have a pretty simple style; I'm a jeans and plain tee kinda gal

14) I've been with my boyfriend Sam for nearly 4 years

15) I LOVE going on holiday, family holidays are some of my favourite memories and every year I love going away whether it's somewhere hot or just in England

16) I'm really excited to go to uni, the thought of having my own space and buying my own shopping really excites me

17) London is my favourite city - I can get to central London in about 20-30 minutes on the tube and have done all my life and I love it, every time I go which is becoming more and more often as it's so close I find new and interesting places and things to do and see. 

18) I would love to live in central one day but who's got that kind of money? Not me.

19) I have two best friends who I can say will definitely be there with me drinking my tea and gossiping when I'm in my 80s

20) I own a snake. Yes, it's weird. His name is Sid and I bought him when I was 8 years old.

21) I listen to a massive range of music from the likes of Ed Sheeran and Katy Mcallister to Enter Shikari to Kanye to Example - a whole mess of people

22) my favourite band is the arctic monkeys

23) my favourite colour is white (I hope that counts)

24) I'm quite fussy with food but really want to start eating healthier

25) I need to learn how to cook pretty soon.. 

26) I can't wait to have my own place and decorate it and go to homesense and buy everything

27) I either wear my hair straight down or in a top knot - there is no in between unless you catch a rare ponytail

28) I love watching Made in Chelsea with my boyfriend - it's one of our faves and Mark Francis is my favourite DARLING

29) I live with my mum and dad and have a brother who lives nearby with his girlfriend

30) I want to eventually get married on a beach so I don't have to wear shoes and can look a boho chic in my white beachy wedding dress (I have it all planned out)

31) I desperately want to travel the world and visit everywhere possible - all the major cities to all the small islands, if we do only have one life I want to get it right!

32) I don't follow any religion

33)  I'm an English Literature student but I rarely read - maybe when I've finished my a level I'll get into it

34) I have the biggest girl crush on Amanda Steele even though she's like 4 years younger than me she is just GOALS

35) my favourite youtubers/bloggers are: Lily Pebbles, Vivianna Does Makeup, Amelia Liana and Essie Button (in no particular order)

36) I'm quite the granny - I've been 18 for 7 months and still haven't bought a round of drinks, nor gone to a ..... club *shudders*

37) I love small white flowers, any flowers green and white and small and dainty - lovely

38) I'm not overly opinionated or quick to judge, I'm quite open to things

39) I would love to make a career out of youtube and/or blogging

40) I need to invest in a decent camera before I start a youtube account

41) when I was younger I had an obsession with fairies and to this day I still love fairies

42) I want two tattoos when I'm older; one in the centre of my shoulder blades and one on the inside of my upper arm

43) I'm incredibly grateful for everything I have and the people around me, I know how advantaged I am to even be typing this

44) I LOVE dainty jewellery, I just think it's so pretty and simple yet effective

45) I'm quite weird sometimes, I pull ridiculous faces and make strange noises and my family and friends are sometimes genuinely worried

46) I get such a buzz when I perform to an audience, I don't think there's any feeling like the one of being on stage

47) I got into makeup from a young age from always wearing makeup for dance shows and watching my older best friend go through her makeup stage before me (I used to sit in awe as she applied her Collection 2000 mascara that smelt of oranges, her dream matte mouse foundation and stay matte powder at the age of 14 whilst I was still 11 and wasn't allowed any of it humph)

48) My ultimate goal in life is to be in a position where I can say I'm comfortable and 100% happy in my situation - hopefully that will be in a job I love, with a husband I love and a family surrounding me

49) watching youtube actually really motivates me - the organisation of it all gets my OCD side kicking- OH that reminds me... I left off Claire Marshall from that list ^ but she is such a babe, her editing is the best by far and again, gets my sense tingling with those skills

50) I'm excited to start this journey!!

PHEW

That wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Well there you go, nice to meet you!

Tell me some facts about yourself in the comments below and suggest posts you'd like to see! I'm game for anything, me.