Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

I am always searching for a good foundation for pale skin and until quite recently drugstore foundations were a no-go, always too yellow or dark. But since Rimmel brought out their new shade "Light porcelain" I have been trying out every kind! My most recent purchase was their Wake Me Up Foundation because I already have and love their Wake Me Up Concealer. Here are my thoughts…

I have to admit that I was put off by the bright orange lid. This is probably because being pale I have a natural dislike of the colour but I got over that pretty quickly. The pump gives a good amount of product and doesn't squirt it too far either.

The consistency of the product is lovely and creamy and it blends into your skin really easily. The colour also blends fantastically well, not too pink or yellow and it doesn't sit heavily on the skin. It gives a medium coverage but it can be built up and it gives your skin a natural healthy glow, which is good for people like me who have dry skin. One thing I would say, is that if you have dry patches it does sit in them and make them a bit obvious, so make sure you put on plenty of moisturiser before applying it.

As for it's staying power I have taken it on a very hilly walk on a sunny day (it is SPF 15, woo hoo!) and it didn't budge! At the end of the day my skin still felt soft and had a nice glow to it, without getting oily, and my blush had stayed in place as well.

Conclusion

Really pleased with this product! It's fantastic for pale skin in terms of colour and that all-important SPF and it wears really well as a foundation too. You can currently pick it up for £8.99 from Boots.

Have you tried this foundation? What is your go-to drugstore foundation?

Much love,

Sasha Monday x

Emergency Skin Saviours!

Okay, so when I was a teenager I had really bad skin which I was really self-conscious of, especially since red spots are super obvious on pale skin. I really struggled with my skin for years but fortunately it cleared up as I neared my twenties, although I still get the odd breakout now and then. One of the things that having bad skin teaches you is exactly which products work in a crisis and which ones don't, so here are the products I turn to when my skin needs a bit of TLC.

Cleansing Oil

If you have bad skin the last thing you would think of doing is putting oil on it but honestly it could be exactly what your skin needs. If your skin is dry it can produce excess oil in an attempt to compensate and this can cause you to break out. Using a cleansing oil can help rebalance your skin and it doubles as a great make-up remover. I currently use L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection Cleansing Oil because my skin is much better now and at £7.99 it's well worth having in your skincare routine. However, back when my skin was really bad I invested in Dermalogica Precleanse which at £10.95 for 30ml is much more pricey but I couldn't fault the results. It has a lovely fresh smell and it helps to get rid of nasties by prepping your skin and allowing your cleanser to be much more effective.

Tea Tree Oil

A very simple but really effective way to get rid of a spot quickly is to put a dab of Tea Tree Oil on it before you go to sleep (the smell is maybe a bit too strong to use it during the day). The oil dries the spot making it smaller and eventually getting rid of it. Seriously great stuff and you can find it in most drugstores. If you're suddenly caught without your Tea Tree Oil then you can use regular toothpaste  (again only use at night!), I know it sounds a bit weird but it also dries out spots, although not as effectively as Tea Tree Oil.

Mask Treatments

My go-to mask no matter the problem is Dead Sea Spa Magik Delicate Boosting Mask. I still use this if my skin feels a little dull or if I'm starting to break out and it's just fantastic, I'm yet to find a mask that beats this one. My skin feels gloriously soft after using it, it has a lovely creamy texture and it smells like a fresh seaside morning. The only quibble I would have is that the mask doesn't dry when it is on your face, so I tend to end up smudging it off on other things when I put one on, but otherwise I would highly recommend it!

One thing I will say is, if you have bad skin I know just how horrible it is to look in the mirror, only see your imperfections and want to cover them up with makeup. I made that mistake and it can just make things worse, so try to resist piling on the makeup everyday and, trust me, it's not as bad as you think it is. Chin up, it will get better.

So those are my skin saviours. What products do you reach for when you have a skin emergency?

Much love,

Sasha Monday x

Moisturisers with SPF

As anyone with fair skin knows, SPF is an essential part of our skincare routine, but really it doesn't matter whether you burn easily or not, it is a good idea to protect your skin from the sun (especially at this time of year). I don't know about you, but I have always hated the feel and smell of sun cream so if I can find an alternative I am all over it! Quite a lot of moisturisers have an SPF in them now so I am going to talk you through some of my favourites.

On a Budget?

For me there are two contenders for this particular category as it depends on what you're looking for. The first is Simple Kind to Skin Protecting Light Moisturiser SPF 15, what you see is what you get, a basic moisturiser with a low SPF, it tends to be my go-to in winter when the sun isn't as strong and at £6.99 in Boots (plus they have a 3 for 2 offer on at the moment) it's very affordable. The second is The Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser SPF 30, which at £13 is twice the price but also twice the SPF… Tricky. I tend to use this one more in the summer because of the high SPF but also because I find it brightens my skin and has a slightly lighter texture than Simple's version making it more pleasant in the heat.

The Tinted Moisturiser

I have already discussed NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser in my Summer Favourites post but it is worth adding it here as it is SPF 30 and is taking over as my daytime moisturiser at the moment. Although it is a little pricey at £29 it's well worth it for the colour match and effect on your skin as it acts a little like a BB cream and improves your skin over time, what's not to love?

Body Moisturiser

Again I have two which I tend to use depending on the season and the strength of the sun. The first (and easily my favourite) is Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula SPF 15 Body Lotion, which happily is also on offer at Boots for £2.86 at the moment (normally £4.29). It is only due to the low SPF that this is my winter moisturiser, if the SPF was higher I would use this all year round and be a really happy bunny. I adore the chocolate smell, it makes my skin feel wonderfully soft and it also helps with stretch-marks and scars! Palmer's, if you ever read this, a higher SPF moisturiser would be amazing. As it is, during the summer months I am forced to use Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Protective Sun Lotion SPF 50. I'm aware that it is technically a sun cream and I'm cheating a bit by including it in this list but it manages to avoid the nasty smell by masking it with coconut and it does act as a good moisturiser. At £15 it's about the same price as an average sun cream but it smells better and doesn't add an extra-white tint to your skin.

I'm currently on the hunt for a new moisturiser for my evening routine. Any suggestions?

Much love,

Sasha Monday x

Review: bareMinerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment

I have always been really sceptical about products which claim to reduce the size of your pores. I had never found one which had any effect on my pores (perhaps they are particularly stubborn?). Anyway, I had read several glowing reviews for bareMinerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment but didn't really want to splash out on something which I wasn't very optimistic about, but I put my faith in my fellow bloggers and took the plunge... Happily I was proved very wrong! Even after one use I could already see an improvement to my pore size and my complexion, my skin looked healthier and felt lovely and soft. Now this is a product which I couldn't be without anywhere in the world.

Who knew that putting makeup on before bed was good for your skin? I was a little concerned that it might stain my nice white pillows but  that hasn't been a problem. There is also something therapeutic about putting it on. Using a brush which is built into the lid, you gently buff the powder into your skin.

You can buy bareMinerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment here and it comes in four different shades: Clear, Light, Medium and Tan. I use Clear but the other shades are available in case you want a little bit of coverage after your nightly cleanse (perhaps after going to the gym in the evening) and you can use this without having to worry about it clogging up your skin. If you do have fair skin and are worried about the colour match it's probably best to start with the Clear version as I have found that even that one provides a little coverage. When you wake up in the morning your skin feels softer and has a lovely natural glow to it.

A product I highly recommend!

Much love,

Sasha Monday x

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my beauty and lifestyle blog.

I have always been a big fan of beauty blogs and have learnt a lot from them but because I have very pale skin most makeup recommendations (especially for foundations) would end with me looking like a goldfish or a sheet of paper - not very attractive...

So I decided to start a blog which would include my tried and tested recommendations for makeup and skincare which suit us fair maidens, as well as a few lifestyle posts. I'm by no means a professional makeup artist but I have spent many years trying to find the right products for my skin and I would love to be able to share my finds with you.

Even if you aren't fair-skinned, I hope my reviews will be useful, you can just ignore any colour recommendations! 

Much love,

SashaMonday x