Latest Skincare Routine

I'm having a pretty lazy day today so I thought I would write another post whilst I've got the time! I don't think I've shared what skincare products I'm using for a while, so that is what I shall be doing!
I'm not very loyal to products and I've usually got a backlog of things to use- my beauty cupboard of doom definitely testifies that! I often pick up items in bargain shops or from clearance sections so it seems cheap at the time but I suppose it all adds up!
I'm fairly happy with what I'm using at the moment with the exception of the moisturiser which I find to be a bit heavy for me overall. Having said that it's worked wonders on getting rid of the dry parts around my nose so swings and roundabouts!
For my cleanser I'm using the Garnier Essentials Foaming Cleansing Cream. I got this from 99p Stores absolutely ages ago so I thought it was about time I use it up. It's formulated for dry skin so whilst it is foaming it's not stripping. It says not to use it around the eye contour area but, being the maverick I am, I use it on my eyes anyway as it doesn't sting and it helps get rid of any mascara traces (I normally use wipes to get rid of mascara first). I thought it might be rose scented but it doesn't really smell of much. If anything it smells a little plastic-y for some reason!
I got the Anatomicals scrub on clearance in TK Maxx. I think I bought it mainly for the name! I'm glad I did though as it's not too harsh or too mimsy. It feels really refreshing and cooling, and has done a good job of making my skin feel smoother.
I bought the Garnier Moisture Match over a year ago now when they were new. I wasn't too keen on it initially, but after having it hidden away for months I felt it was time to give it another go. The texture is quite strange as it's sort of sorbet like. It feels a tad granular but it actually isn't- odd! It's meant for combination/oily skin but like I said, I find it a bit much and it leaves me looking too shiny. It's ok under foundation though and my Maybelline Dream Pure BB cream in particular helps take away some of the shine. It's nearly finished now and I'm quite glad. Even though it was good for my dry patches!
I've also been using the Neutrogena ultra-light spot treatment moisturiser when I'm feeling particularly spotty or at night time when I want something that's going to absorb straight away-it's nice to have a break sometimes from all the heavier creams, especially in summer.
Under my make up I've started wearing the Nip + Fab Shine Fix mattifying gel to help manage shininess during the day. It doesn't prevent all shine but I can see the difference when I don't wear it. Some gels can ball up but this doesn't and it has a lovely clean, fresh scent. All in all not a bad buy from TK Maxx (again!).
I also use Pure sensitive wipes which I get from Poundland (2 packs for a quid-bargain) as well as the Pure micellar water from Savers for £1.99. It's so good, I don't know why more people don't write about it! I wrote about it very briefly here.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

Avon Sun Fresh Protection SPF30 Face Sun Cream

Now I have to admit I bought this totally on a whim, as are many of my purchases actually... In any case I've been looking for a super lightweight facial sun cream for ages now. I tried one from Superdrug last year, in Mallorca, but even though it said it was 'matte' it was anything but and left me looking like I'd rubbed lard on my face. Not the best look on anyone. I'd been eyeing up the ones by La Roche- Posay , Soap & Glory and the Benefit one, but they are pretty pricey and I don't really have that money to spend on a product, as important as sun protection is. I decided to check out the Avon site and saw that they were running a 3 for £10 offer on sun care items. I thought that was really good as some of the creams were £16 on their own at the time. The offer isn't on any more but they are all reduced to nearly half price at the time of writing this. This cream is currently £5.40 instead of £9.
 I didn't have high hopes for it when I put in the order but I thought it was worth a gamble. Now though I can safely say it was worth it! I've been trialling it since yesterday and I'm very impressed as it's not heavy or sticky and most importantly it doesn't leave me super shiny. My regular moisturiser at the moment leaves me more 'dewy' than this! The gel like cream spreads on smoothly, which is great as I've heard that some are hard to rub in as they dry down so quickly. It's suitable for sensitive skin and offers UVA and UVB protection, as well as being oil free and fragrance free (though I would say it does have a light scent). It actually says UVA/UVB PA +++ but I'm not really sure what that means. If anyone can enlighten me that would be fab. I'm hoping to use this mainly when I go to Budapest at the end of July but I'm also going to use it when I know I'll be outside a lot at work. I was in the sun a lot last week and my forehead, near my hair line, got quite sore. I always seem to catch it there first! I'm already getting quite freckly so I probably should have been using a sun screen a bit sooner!
If you're looking for a sun cream for oily/combination skin that I would recommend giving this one a go as I've been pleasantly surprised!

Makeup Revolution Awesome Eyeshadow and Eyebrow Palette- Make Believe

Two eyeshadow posts in one day- and I don't even wear it that often! It's been sunny today though so I thought it was a good time to get some swatching done! I received this palette in the British Beauty Blogger beauty box and I was pretty pleased with it as it has a mix of neutrals, brights and darker shades. I know I'm unlikely to ever wear some of the bright shades but it's nice to know I have them should the occasion ever call for it! You get 14 eyeshadow shades as well as two eyebrow powders. The pans are really dinky but I've yet to finish an eyeshadow so maybe that's a good thing! They are all shimmer shades (bar the eyeshadow powders- obviously), which is great for me as I tend to favour a more shimmery finish. Overall the pigmentation and texture of the shadows is good but it does vary a bit between the shades. Some are a bit more chalky and patchy, and some are excellent with super intensity. For the price though they are great, and the slightly weaker shades are easily fixed with a touch of primer. The eyebrow shades on the other hand are rather pap as the colour pay off is poor and the lighter shade is just not right- I don't think it would suit many people at all! 

I think these palettes would be great to take on holiday as they are super slim,but fairly sturdy, and you get so many shades to experiment with. This one would be particularly good as you have something for day and night. 

First column (first shade on the bottom- not sure why I did it this way!) The green shade and the brown one are the stars here pigmentation wise! The grey was a tad powdery and one of the least impressive.

2nd column plus eyebrow shades. I love the sage green shade as well as the burgundy one- although I have no idea how I'd wear it!

Have you tried any of the Makeup Revolution Palettes? 

L'Oreal Color Infallible Eyeshadows

Or 'Infaillible like it says on the pots... a bit confusing! But anyways, I found these whilst having a browse in Poundland, like I do nearly everyday, shamefully, and for that price I had to try them out as they seem very well loved in the blogosphere. They had quite the shade collection but I chose Metallic Lilac and Endless Chocolat. I actually only got the lilac shade at first, but when I got home and swatched it I had to go back and see if there was any other colours I would wear as I was so impressed. Also, I'm not too sure why the packaging is different between the two. I'm not that fussed though as the pigmentation and quality is amazing! I'd read plenty of glowing reviews so I was wondering whether they would live up to them but they really do. They are a sort of compacted loose powder but they are not messy in the slightest. They have the softest texture ever. I think bloggers over use the term 'buttery' but these actually deserve the description! The pigmentation is possibly the best I've experienced. The colours come out so rich and vibrant and they swatch like a dream- I hate eyeshadows that look good on your finger and then don't transfer well. I'm not sure about any fall out, as I haven't worn them properly yet, but I'm going to today and I shall put in an update later on. The brown is very intense so I think it will make a good liner smudged out a little, whilst the lilac would look pretty all over the lid. I'm hoping this one in particular will compliment my green eyes.
Overall these are brilliant and for a quid you can't go wrong!

Definitely worth a rummage in your local Poundland! The other shades I saw in mine were Coconut Shake, Burning Black, Sassy Marshmallow (which I want for the name alone!), Pebble Grey, Purple Obsession and Blue Curacao.