What I Do Differently

I often get asked for beauty tips and tricks and it's occurred to me that I do some things differently to the rest of you. Here are some things I was thinking of tonight.

001. I use two cleansers at night to remove my makeup and clean my skin. The ones I like are the Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel and Clarins Alpine Herbs Cleansing Milk. The gel transforms to an oil upon application (on a dry face) that is easy to spread around your face and then turns milky when you add water to wash it off. I always use a muslin cloth to remove this cleanser as I feel it gets all traces of my makeup off and works to lightly exfoliate my face too. It's the closest I'm going to get to the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanse and Polish! I then use my Cleansing Milk to clean my skin after my makeup is removed. I warm the milk in my hands and then apply in a suction method over my face and neck. The products thickens and gently removes all impurities, it's what's known as Clarins' 'anti-pollution' cleansing method.

Gel                                         Oil                                     Milk

The Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel in action.

002. I use the Clarins Toning Lotion for Normal to Dry Skin to remove my Cleansing Milk and tone my skin rather than washing off the milk and then toning. I think that when it comes to cleansing milks this method is acceptable.

003. When my skin is still damp I apply my serums and moisturisers. I'm a big fan of the when-your-skin-is-still-damp method as you can get away with using less product and there is more 'slip' when you're massaging the products in therefore less tugging and pulling of the skin which ultimately means wrinkle prevention! With a bit of luck!

004. Once a week when I'm using one of my daily-esque face exfoliators in the shower I take a bit up into my hair and give my scalp a scrub. I believe I'm helping to keep my hair follicles free of product build up, skin cells and dry flaky bits thus allowing my hair to grow longer and healthier and improve the overall health of my scalp. It feels pretty good too, it's weird but give it a try!

005. A few times a week I'll mix a face oil concoction and give myself a facial massage at night. I'm considering doing a separate post on this because I've been obsessed lately. I'm learning all the acupressure points on my face and how to give myself a shiatsu massage.

006. I don't just have one shampoo and conditioner that I use everyday, rather I have several and I decide which ones I want to use on the day. The same goes for my skincare too; I have many moisturisers on the go at once. These are a few.

007. I sometimes mix my concealer with a little bit of eye cream to give a softer more hydrated look. Especially in winter, nobody likes a cakey look under their eyes!

008. I use two blushers everyday. A bronzy shade for under my cheekbones and a pinky shade for my apples. High maintenance - Maybe. Does it look more natural? - Yes.

009. I curl my eyelashes 3 or 4 times down the length of my lashes rather than just once at the roots as I find if I only curl them once, they crimp. If I do it multiple times down the length, they curl. I don't press too hard on the curlers either.

010. I don't 'pump' my mascara wand in and out of the tube before applying. It doesn't add any extra product to the brush, it just pushes air into the tube, drying out the product. Hello mascara that only lasts a week!

Do you do any of these things too? Leave me a comment with your tips.

- Lizy x

PS sorry for the shoddy night-time photos. Better than no photos right?