The AM | PM Routine Tag

I've noticed The AM/PM Tag floating around quite a lot lately and I absolutely love reading them. There's nothing better than being able to snoop around and gain a little insight into people's daily routines. Even though I wasn't tagged by anyone I've decided to join in on the fun anyway as nothing beats a good ol' tag blogpost on a Sunday morning!

- AM- 

1. What is your morning beauty routine? I'm definitely not a morning person so waking up is always a struggle for me. I usually cleanse my face with Burt's Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream which helps reduce any redness, softens my skin and leaves a nice cooling sensation on my skin due to the hint of menthol in the product. If I have time I'll use my ESPA Balancing Herbal Spafresh Toner and then I reach for a cooling eye product, at the moment I'm using up my Embryolisse Artist Secret Radiant Eye (which I was kindly sent and it's lovely but way too expensive to justify a repurchase), before following up with my La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo moisturiser. If I have time in the morning I might pop on a face mask, Lush make some of my favourites, but this happens pretty rarely as I'm always in a rush to get ready!

2. What's for breakfast? Cereal usually, or a piece of toast with a little bit of Philadelphia cream cheese. If I have more time I love making scrambled eggs on toast! And I always have a piece of fresh fruit too which varies every day.

3. Coffee or Tea? Honestly, neither. I like to start my day with a glass of fresh orange or apple juice. If I had to pick between the two I'd choose tea, but only fruit or green tea. I'm not a fan of normal tea or coffee! I don't really drink hot drinks at all weirdly. 

4. How long does it take you to get out of the door?  If I have 30 minutes to get up and get out the door I can do it but give me 2 hours and I'll find ways to fill in the time! On average to wake up, eat and get ready I like to give myself an hour so I'm not rushing too much.

5. What is your go-to makeup look on a fuss-free morning? If I'm having a good skin day I'll start with bareMinerals Complexion Rescue and if not I'll use my Bourgois Healthy Mix foundation with my Real Techniques Sponge. Next is bareMinerals bareSkin Serum concealer and then I like to use Stila's Convertible Color, in either Camilla or Peony, to add a flush of colour to the cheeks and lips. I always needs a powder to set my makeup, a new favourite of mine is Vichy's Dermablend Setting Powder, and I quickly brush throw my brows with L'Oreal's Brow Artist Plumper. For eyes, I add a wash of with a Kiko Long Lasting Eyeshadow Stick and finish up with coat of Maybelline's Lash Sensational mascara!

- PM -

6. What is your evening beauty routine? I'll start by removing my makeup with Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water then I follow up with Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish. About 2 to 3 times a week I'll lightly exfoliate with the Superfacialist Rose Brighten and Refine scrub and then I'll spritz on my ESPA toner again. I add 4 drops of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate and if my skin is feeling a little bit dry I'll use my Vitamin E Night Cream from The Body Shop. 

7. Snack time! What's in the bowl? Most of the time it's another piece of fruit and possibly a Chocolate Digestive or an Oreo. Sometimes I have the strangest cravings though, I had such a hankering for a piece of cheese the other night!

8. How do you wind down and prep for bed? I'm terrible at winding down and turning off my phone before bed, I'd love to be that person but my mind is always at its most active at night. I like to catch up on some YouTube videos or watch a few episodes of whatever TV programme I'm into before climbing into bed. 

9. Cozy up! What are you wearing to sleep? My Victoria's Secret flannel pyjamas, they're so comfy. If it's warmer I'll usually swap the long-sleeved shirt for a loose t-shirt or a vest though. 

10. What are some things you must do before hitting the hay? I always to double  triple check that my alarm is set and then all I ever really need to do is apply some lip balm!

Below are all the products mentioned and I'd love to know if you're a morning or an evening person! I'm also tagging these 5 lovely ladies to talk about their AM/PM Routines:

Jodie from jodieloue

Ela from elabellaworld

Anjna from anjnaharish:thoughtsofagirl

Katie from beautyfromkatie

Becky from lifebybecky

Favourite Products for Naturally Fuller Brows

Bigger, bolder brows are definitely here to stay. There are so many products on the market right now that are designed to help you fake that fuller brow that people are often spoilt for choice but as a girl with naturally fuller, and rather dark, eyebrows I've really struggled to find the perfect products for me. When all you need to do is to fill in a few gaps, neaten up an arch and somehow manage to get your brows to stay in one place you'll soon discover that a lot of products end up being way too intense and those naturally full brows end up looking quite ridiculous and rather harsh. I'm aware that I'm rather blessed to have an abundance of eyebrow hair, believe me I know how screwed I would be if I had to somehow draw on matching eyebrows, but when a look calls for a delicate, soft brow it can become so frustrating when it's almost impossible to achieve. 

One of my biggest brow issues (but ironically it's also one of the things I love the most) is the colour of my eyebrows. They're almost black and on my very pale skin it creates quite a stark contrast. With a little bit of bronzer it can look great but because of their deep pigment I'm not looking for any intensely pigmented products. Brow products that can be slowly built up to increase pigmentation or products that can add just a hint of colour are my best friends. Finding gaps in my brows has to be the most frustrating problem I face. Having to fill in my brows with such dark brown shades requires a very light hand and it's so easy to end up creating a block of colour that doesn't mimic a natural hair at all. The three products I'm featuring today are brilliant for people with naturally fuller brows for the many reasons that I'm about to list below but they're also excellent brow products in their own right. I think anyone would enjoy using them, even if you have quite sparse brows, if you're looking for products that excel in precision and leave a natural looking finish. 

Top 5 Nude Lip Products

Nude hues are slowly taking over my lip product collection. A few years back you'd be lucky to find anything even slightly neutral in my stash but now nude lip products are all I seem to buy. I still absolutely adore wearing a classic red lip now and again but nothing seems to effortlessly pull a look together like the perfect nude lip. Somehow I've managed what I thought would be impossible and I've whittled down my collection and selected my Top 5 Nude Lip Products to share with you. From barely there washes of colour to bolder, more solid mattes I think I've managed to cover every base. I suppose my Top 5 products are almost like a capsule wardrobe for the lips!

Here Comes the Sun with bareMinerals bareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer

Being on the paler side, bronzer can either be my best friend or my worst nightmare. Adding a touch of bronzer to my makeup is the easiest way for me to instantly look healthier and more alive but it's also so easy to go overboard when you have fair skin. When bareMinerals kindly sent over their bareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer* I was honestly a bit terrified of it which, in hindsight, was a bit ridiculous as the 'Sheer' element of the product was stated pretty clearly in the name. But I had never ventured into the world of cream or liquid (or in this case serum) bronzers before as I imagined them to simply be too intense for my pale skin. I can safely say that my fears were misguided and now I think I'm completely converted to the liquid bronzer trend. In fact, I'm so addicted to this product I'm literally pining for hot summer nights as my glowing complexion simply doesn't match the rubbish weather we're having in the UK at the moment.