Ark Skincare Review

For the past couple of weeks I have been trying out a few Ark Skincare* products. They are a skincare brand who specialise their products for different age groups rather than different skin types. I fit into the teens to early 30s bracket so the products I tried were from the 'Age Prepare' group.

Ark Skincare kindly sent me the Age Aware Discovery Collection to try and the first thing I noticed was how nice the packaging is! It came in a fancy bag with a ribbon tied in a bow and inside was a mesh travel bag containing four travel sized products - the Skin Refining Exfoliator, Skin Clear Cleanser, Skin Vitality Moisturiser and Skin Purifying Masque. For £28 you get to try all these out and see if you like them before buying full sizes which is a good option if you don't want to spend a lot on something you are unsure about. One thing I would say about the packaging is that the tubes have screw top lids which can be hard to put back on when you have the product on your hands, but the full size products have pumps so that shouldn't be a problem.

I have been using the cleanser and moisturiser everyday in the morning and evening, the exfoliator just in the mornings and then used the masque twice a week since the start of November and I have definitely noticed a difference in my skin.

The exfoliator contains bentonite beads, loofah and margosa leaf extract so as well as helping to clear the skin it also helps to keep it that way. It doesn't feel harsh at all either so it won't irritate your skin like some others can. The cleanser is very gel-like and I did have some issues with it running out of the tube while I was trying to get the lid back on. The instructions said to work it into a lather which I had some trouble with as it didn't lather well at all but it still left my skin feeling really clean and refreshed. I only needed to use the tiniest bit of moisturiser as it is quite thick without being heavy on your skin. I really liked the masque compared to others I've tried as you only need a small amount and it dries clear. You leave it on for 10 minutes and then wash it off. It is definitely a lot easier to get off than some others! 

The whole range has quite a fresh scent and left my skin feeling really soft and refreshed. The image of the brand is definitely sophisticated and spa like too, and by now you should all know that I am a sucker for good packaging!

Overall, I would definitely purchase the full sizes of all of these products as they have helped my skin improve so much. I will say that the prices may not be so good for people on a tight budget, but the products do last for a long time as you only need a small amount of each so I think they are definitely worth the money!

Wearable Autumn Makeup

I have done an everyday makeup tutorial blog post before, but as it is into Autumn now it has changed slightly so I thought I would do an updated everyday makeup look. 

I start off by applying my Match Perfection foundation in the shade '010 Light Porcelain' using my flat topped brush from RC Cosmetics. You have probably gathered by now that this foundation is my favourite, mainly because it is the only one I have found that is the perfect shade! It doesn't have the highest coverage but it does the job. 

Then I use my Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in the shade '1 Fair' and apply it under my eyes and on any other blemishes and blend it in using my Zoeva '142 Concealer Buffer' brush. It is really high coverage and only around £4 which is amazing. 

To finish off my face base, I use Rimmel's Stay Matte powder on my Barbara Daly powder brush to get rid of any shine. 

Moving on to cheeks, I apply my Bourjois blush in the shade '34 Rose d'Or' using my real techniques blush brush. It is the most pigmented blush I've used and gives a really nice rosy glow to your cheeks. I also use the bronzer out of my Sleek face form palette which I have in the shade 'Fair' and apply this using my Zoeva '127 Luxe Sheer Cheek' brush which is perfect for contouring. 

For my eyes I start off by using a Maybelline colour tattoo in the shade 'On and On Bronze' and blending it out using my Zoeva '231 Luxe Petit Crease' brush to get rid of the harsh line. 

I then use my Maybelline gel liner on a Zoeva '317 Wing Liner' to line my upper lash line. Gel liner can be quite hard to get used to but once you get the hang of it, it is so much easier than liquid or pencil liner and also smudges a lot less easily. I line my water line and the inner corner of my eyes with a plain white eyeliner pencil and then curl my lashes. 

After this I use two different mascaras, one for top lashes and one for bottom. For top lashes I use Maybelline's 'The Falsies' mascara which is amazing for length and volume. I don't like my bottom lashes as long as this mascara makes them though so I use the 'Rocket Volum' mascara instead which doesn't make them look spidery. 

I just brush my brows through with a brow brush, fill them in with a little bit of the darkest shade from my Makeup Revolution 'Focus & Fix eyebrow shaping kit' using the same Zoeva wing liner brush as before and then add a little of the wax that comes in the same kit so that they stay in place all day.

Since it is getting colder now, my lips tend to get a bit dry and sometimes chapped so I just apply a bit of the Bubblegum Lip Scrub from Lush. This makes my lips really soft again and it tastes good too! 

I then apply my favourite lip colour which at the minute is Kate Moss' lasting finish lipstick in the shade 03 which is a gorgeous dark nude colour, I top it off with some Barry M lipgloss in the shade 'Toffee' which is not sticky at all and smells amazing and that's it!

This is my 'go to' every day makeup look in Autumn so I hope you enjoyed :)

October Favourites

I have quite a range of favourites this month which I'm going to share!

First I will start with some clothes that I have been loving, starting with Topshop Moto jeans.  I struggle to find jeans that fit me well as I like them super skinny. I have  Leigh, Joni and Jamie jeans and they are all so comfy. They are quite stretchy and they come in so many colours and styles.

Burgundy is such an Autumnal colour and so I have a lot of clothes that colour but never shoes so when I saw these boots at the start of the month I had to buy them.  They were definitely worth it as I have worn them a lot! They're really comfy and I like that they have a little wedged heel.

As it is now getting colder, my woolly jumpers are out. There is nothing better than getting cosy in a nice jumper when it's freezing cold outside.

Another favourite this month that is also related to the cold weather is pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. That sounds like such a typical thing to say but honestly they are amazing and so good for warming you up.

Next is Soap & Glory's 'Hand Food' hand cream. Cold weather can make my hands really dry and I have been outside for a lot of the later part of October so this was a necessity. It really made my hands stay feeling soft.

Baths are lovely in the Autumn/Winter time but only if there's something from Lush to brighten them up! The two things I was loving from Lush during October was 'Candy Mountain' and 'the Comforter' bubble bars, Candy Mountain smells like snow fairy and the comforter smells like blackcurrants. Both of them are bubble bars which you crumble under running water to make mountains of bubbles and they also make the water pink which is always a bonus.

Accessories I have been loving is my Klaus Kobec watch and these rings from We Run This. I can't actually wear the rings as midi rings because they are too big so I normally spread them out but I think they look nice as midis too!

A random favourite from the past month has been these drawers and pots from Ikea. My every day make up was a mess before and it all used to fall everywhere but since I got these it is now so much more organised and I can reach it all easily which is perfect.

Finally, my biggest favourite happened in the last week of October which I spent at Woburn Safari Park. It was so amazing as I got to help care for all the animals including making their food and enrichment activities, grooming and cleaning out. I also got to get up close to a lot of the animals and it was genuinely an amazing week and established that working with animals is definitely what I want to do!

And that's all of my favourites from October, hope you enjoyed :)