Skin care has never been something that I've invested in, it all seemed a little complicated and unnecessary for me back in the day. I was quite happy with a face cloth and a good old bar of dove soap. From a young age I was never prone to any dry skin, spots or blemishes of any kind, it had been looked after and was glowing. But then things changed (as they do when you turn 13) and my skin started to become unbalanced. I started finding my skin oily in certain areas and dry in others to the point when I ended up with really painful and severe acne mainly around my forehead (thank god for huge fringes). I don't think it was something that a lot of people noticed, but it certainly made me a lot more self-conscious of what was going on under that mad combover of mine.

So as parents do, mine tried to help me and invested a lot of time and money into helping me get rid of the mass lumps on my face. Certain things made it worse, others cleared it up amazingly. But it was a constant battle of trying to find the right balance and being able to rely on it. So after nothing really worked I consulted a doctor who has given me a drying lotion for the spots and tablets to clear up the bacteria causing the breakouts. Like it was meant to it got rid of the spots and gave me a much clearer complexion, that I even patched the fringe.

But now at 19 years old where I do wear makeup most days, I'm finding myself tackling some more frequent breakouts. Nothing major enough to make me want to go to a doctor but enough for me to want to try and invest in skin care. I don't quite as much have a routine as yet but I have been trying out some products and this Nuetrogena Visibly Clear range has been working wonders;

Using the gentle scrub exfoliator every other day and the facial wash daily has managed to get rid of any blackheads, whiteheads or spots on my face. Not only is it gentle to my sensitive skin, but it smells like heaven. Both the scrub and wash make your face feel cool and refreshed, helping me wake up every morning as well (which I definitely need). Once I use these products I'll then follow on with the  oil-free moisturiser, mainly around my nose so I get rid of any dry/flaky skin. Using these before bed and pre-makeup'd everyday has made my skin feel significantly softer, look brighter and has reduced blemishes in just 1 week. Maybe I'm just new to this whole skin care thing, but Neutrogena are definitely doing something right.

You can pick these products up in most shops, online retailers and drugstores, as the brand are well known and established in the UK/US. As well as this range of "Visibly Clear" products there are other lines which may suit your problem areas and skin type better. I picked these up while shopping in my local ASDA for £3 each, but you should be able to get them online as well. As usual all items and topics in todays blog will be linked below- let me know your skin care secrets and if you've tried these products out before. I hope you guys have a fab day, I'll see ya soon.

Email: haute.bothered@gmail.com

Twitter: HauteBothered_

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Useful Links:Oil Free Moisturiser, Grapefruit Facial Wash, Grapefruit Daily Scrub

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All about that KIKO

KIKO is probably that make up brand that has similar pricing to the likes of Rimmel, Maybeline etc. but I've always found it to have higher quality. Since starting back college I've tried to start saving for summer & paying off my car so I can minimise my outgoings in the long run obviously (because right now everthings going to bills and savings). So I set myself a challenge for the next few months by trying to find high quality make up at lower prices.

I went to the Glasgow fort to get my brows did, and on the way noticed that KIKO had a huge sale so it would've been unlike me if I never popped in for a look. After just having ran out of one of my foundations and I seen this as an experiment to try out some new ones. Kiko had lots on the sale some with 50% off so I got colour matched grabbed some and got on with it.

Now recently all I've done is buy lip products soo it was kinda obvious I'd pick up one, or three. Since I use baby wipes all the time I've been meaning to invest in a good cleanser so I picked up some bits from that. So after that quick 15 minutes in the shop I came out with a bag packed with stuff and heres what I got;

  

So where should I start first... Well maybe about how bloody cheap everything was. Ill get started with the cleansing products; The Kiko 'Purifying Pads' I picked up for only £3.95 reduced from £9-£10 (sorry I can't remember exactly) & the 'Cleansing Foam' which again was £3.95 in the sale. Both items look like they are store only content, because I've struggled to find more of the purifying pads online. Ive pretty much ran out of both these items already, but I've found my skin to be a lot more clearer and softer when using these over the last few weeks.

Moving on I then picked up some foundations a liquid, cream & a powder. The first one I got matched was the Unlimited foundation (basically because it had the same consistency as MAC Studio Sculpt) which was the only product not in the sale at £14.90, but now is available for as little as £7.40 depending on the skin tone - Mines is in Neutral 40. Moving on I picked up the BB Glow Compact in the shade 06, which is the cream foundation which I just wear everyday or as a top up to the Unlimited foundation if I need super high coverage. Im picked this up for about £4.90 reduced from £12 or so.  Finally for my face I picked up the standard Compact Powder in Shade 105 for only £4.90 from £9.90. Thats like a full face of make up for as little as £18 pounds.

Finally my lipstick habit got fed when I picked up 3 super pigmented and fab colours. Firstly I got two from the Luminous Chrome Collection in shades 703 (Metallic finish) & 500 (Creamy finish) both for £2 each. The next one I picked up purely because the packaging was unreal for the price tag of £3.70, the Intensely Lavish lipstick in the shade 05.

Unfortunately some of the products I purchased in store are not seeming to be available online,  if you have a KIKO Milano near you then I would highly recommend going into the the store rather than searching online. But as usual I'll have everything linked below (that I can) hopefully to help you find the products or a store near you. I hope this was helpful and gave you an insight into Kiko Cosmetics. Have a great day guys, i'll speak to you soon.

Email: haute.bothered@gmail.com

Twitter: HauteBothered_

Instagram: Haute_Bothered

Useful Links: KIKO Sale, Unlimited Foundation, Compact Powder, Luscious Cream Lipstick, Luminous Chrome Metallic Lipstick, Intensely Lavish Lipstick. Store Locator

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