GRWM: My 21st Celebrations

I recently turned twenty one. I was lucky enough to celebrate my little milestone with the family and friends dearest to me. I'm not going to go into mushy details - just let me say that I had the most incredible night and will only ever have the fondest of memories. 

I'd love to take you with me as I got myself ready for my 'luxe and glamour' themed party. 

Hope you enjoy!

Rachel xo

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Glycolic Toner

A little while back I spoke about how I was really struggling with break outs and just couldn't figure out what to do/change to help my skin. While I was shopping for a foundation one day (in order to hide the dastardly things!) the shop assistant recommend using an exfoliation toner to me. It was nothing new to me; I'd heard all about them and had even tried an acidic toner before. However, in my experience such a toner was super, duper strong and basically just made my already angry and sensitive skin cry out even further. 

I went for a wander through the aisles, however, and came across this little bottle: the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner. It sounds strong, it looks potent, but the label assured me it wasn't. In fact, they recommended using it morning and night. 

I've used this toner each night since I purchased it and I haven't felt any irritation. It does recommend avoiding use if you have broken out acne, but on the whole I feel it has kept my skin relatively clear. I still go through my hormonal breakouts which are unavoidable, but this has definitely made a difference in the texture of my skin. I love that it doesn't feel any different to a normal toner when I apply it - no tightness of skin, no irritation - and I think this might have a place in my bathroom cupboard for some time to come! 

Have you tried this toner from Mario Badescu? What exfoliating toner would you recommend to me?

Rachel x

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The Sunday Summary #5

| Face for a day | Soft serve joy | Obligatory roadtrip photo with the sister | Frankie's first birthday | Best view for an afternoon | Butterly in the tide | Ready for sunbaking | Sunday lunch | Bringing out the big guns in this heat |

What have you all been up to during rhe week? Let me know in the comments below!

Rachel x

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Festive Fingers!

 

I'm always a sucker for Christmas. My plans for decking the house out with various shades of tinsel and baubles begin well before December hits. There really is no better time of the year, in my humble opinion. So why shouldn't my festive spirit spread all the way to the tips of my fingers? I recently did a little nail D.I.Y. and seeing as I've received a number of compliments (to which I reply "Don't look too closely") I thought I'd share it with you all! I've never dabbled very much in nail art. I've always found it far too intimidating. Yet, given the time of year, I thought I'd chuck on a bit of extra sparkle! 

 

 

Seeing as I'm very much a novice, I kept it all very simple. Starting with a base coat of the Manicare Beginning to End. This is a great little bottle that acts as a base polish, a hardening treatment and a top coat all in one. I've been loving it lately and have noticed such a difference in my nails. So much so that it'll be featuring in it's own little post in the coming weeks. I digress. Back to the nails!

After applying as base coat, I slapped a couple of coats of Essie's Ballet Slippers and left it to dry well. I then found myself a suitable amount of sparkle - this one is an option from Sportsgirl which was aptly named 'Silver Glitter'. I haven't invested in any decent nail tools yet, but I found a really fine artist paint brush did the job beautifully! I chose to do two accent fingers on each hand - my index and my ring finger. The trick is to go slowly - don't just slap it on or you will make a mistake. I found doing two layers of this created a better, more defined, line. To finish - after allowing to dry completely - I topped it with another thick layer of the Manicare Beginning to End and I was done! Simples!

 

This was ridiculously easy to create and I just love how pretty it looks. It reminds me of snowflakes, or the chilly winter's air. Even though my Christmas entails neither of these things, living in Australia, it still represents the festive season to me!

 

What are your favourite ways of getting into the Christmas spirit?

 

Rachel x

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