Beauty Bay Black Friday Sale Picks

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 You're probably being inundated with Black Friday beauty deals right now, so I thought I'd put together a quick post featuring my picks from the Beauty Bay Black Friday Sale. They are one of the best online beauty retailers out there when it comes to value for money (especially good for bargain skincare!) so the Beauty Bay sale was bound to be a good one! Here's what I'd buy but you can check out the Beauty Bay Black Friday Sale here. Is there anything here that takes your fancy? 

Clinique Moisture Surge Mega Stars £33.95 (15% off)

Butter Cup Cleansing Balm x 2  £12.60 (30% off) - actually just bought this set. Really good for removing makeup/first cleanse.

Tan Luxe The Face and The Gradual Duo £22.50 (50% off!)

Revolution Multi Mushroom Jelly Toner £3.95 (50% off!)

Laneige Vanilla Lip Sleeping Mask £14.25 (25% off)

Sand & Sky Byron Body Set £46.75 (40% off)

Dr Jart Winter Heroes £28.85 (15% off)

There are literally hundreds of products and sets on sale at Beauty Bay right now, so if you're looking to gift some beauty bits or you need to top up on some items yourself, now's the time! You can shop the sale right now here.

Giving The Gift Of A Little Self-Care To A Loved One

 

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 Feel like someone in your life could stand to use a little more self-care? Have they been having a tough time lately, or are they dealing with stress? Or perhaps they have been talking about living more mindfully and with wellness as a focus? Whatever the case, these self-care gifts could be the perfect thing for the festive season.

A spa day

One of the classic 'experience' gifts, showing that your gift doesn’t have to be something they can physically hold. Great memories and experiences work just as well. A nice day out at the local spa can help them feel refreshed and be on the receiving end of a little pampering. Of course, you can partner it with a day out at lunch together to really help them feel spoiled.

A little calm to help them through the day

If your loved one is always on the move and always busy, then it’s pretty easy to assume that this comes with some stress. As such, encouraging them to take a load off with a calm and soothe giftset, including things like a calming candle, soothing moisturiser and the like can show them that you care for them. It can also help them ease away the stresses of the day when they need it the most.

Go get madeover together

Sometimes, a nice day out at the salon can be just as effective at helping us feel good about ourselves as the spa can. Of course, you don’t want it to look like you’re trying to say that your loved one is in need of a makeover or a new hairstyle. As such, making it a gift that you both enjoy together can highlight the positive intentions behind it and can make for an excellent day out together, as well.

The gift of mindfulness

If your loved one has always talked about wanting to try mindfulness or has been trying to get into meditation, then you can help them on that journey as well. Apps like Headspace which use subscriptions can be purchased as a gift card, allowing them to redeem and improve their own wellness journey. You can remove the barriers that might be keeping them from living a more well-rounded life.

Write about it

Journaling is another practice that’s widely been acknowledged as being quite beneficial for one’s mental health and for unlocking the habit of mindfulness. As such, a journaling kit can be quite a thoughtful gift. It’s a nice way to encourage someone to try and get in touch with themselves more, but it also doubles as a nice bit of stationery, which is something that a lot of people have a quiet fondness for.

While self-care is the goal, choosing any of the gifts above is sure to show much you care about the recipient as well. Just make sure that they will be comfortable with the gift that you choose and that it’s received in the best of spirits.

Things to Know Before Going Blonde

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It's a significant decision to go blonde. The best method to determine whether you will enjoy life as a blonde is to speak with a professional, as opposed to ruminating over a box of bleach in the grocery store. You'll determine not just the colour that will look best on you, but also how much upkeep your particular hair type will demand from the colour or if you want to have ombre. No one solution fits all. It's not always simple to find the blonde who suits you, and sadly there are no easy ways to tell if it will. 

Your eye colour and skin tone are important considerations when choosing a hair colour, whether it be light or dark. Everything else depends on your colouring and preferences. So to put it simply, going blonde on a whim isn’t a good idea, there are a lot of things to consider and know beforehand. Even if you still want to, it's best to research first. 

It won't be a quick change

Particularly if you're moving from dark brown to light blonde, drastically changing your hair's colour might cause serious harm to it. Your hair runs the danger of breaking and developing split ends if the lightning process is sped up. Big transformations require patience and time. Instead, let a professional colourist take your hair on a journey by gradually lightening it over several visits until it reaches the desired shade of blonde. Each treatment should be spaced around two weeks apart to give your hair time to replenish and strengthen. Healthy blonde hair can be achieved in two to six sessions, depending on your hair type and previous hair colouring experiences.

It needs a lot of maintenance 

Maintaining a full-blonde hair colour is very labour-intensive. It is advised to schedule appointments every 6 to 8 weeks for trimming and fixing split ends as well as maintaining your hair's colour. In addition to salon appointments, a sound home care routine is essential! Investing in salon-quality products will help you achieve longer-lasting results and maintain the health and colour of your hair. Being blonde requires a lot of work. Oh, and the price is also high.

Be prepared to change your makeup and brows

Your face is framed by the hue of your hair. Your existing lipstick colour will most likely need to be changed if you go blonde. After your blonde session, go to a nearby make-up counter and ask a stranger who has never seen you before for some makeup advice. If you want your brows to match too then you may also want to have blonde eyebrows. 

Damage to your hair is likely

Bleach is the most harmful colouring procedure and should always be applied carefully and gradually. Bleaching the scalp excessively or repeatedly might dry out the hair and harm the follicle. The hair may break at the weakest spot along the hair shaft or fall out completely as a result of this. Try using a toner first before using bleach if you want to maintain the health of your hair.

Croma Skincare Pure HA Liquid Mask

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 In all my years blogging about beauty it's unbelievable that it's taken me this long to try a liquid mask. The Croma Pure HA Liquid Skin Mask is my second product from the brand and my first time trialling a liquid mask and it's made me interested to try more from both fields!

Croma Pure HA is a highly concentrated mask with an odourless, gel consistency that comes in 1ml doses in ready to use syringes.

The formula contains 1.8% Hyaluronic Acid that works to smooth, moisturise and revitalise the skin while improving hydration levels and enhance elasticity at the same time. It’s designed for all skin types, is extremely lightweight and is made from minimal ingredients including water and glycerin. This mask is designed to be used one to two times a week for best results – so far I have only used it once.

The consistency is like a thick serum and you simply spread it over your face (onto clean dry skin) then rinse it off after fifteen minutes.
The mask sort of absorbs/dries down into the skin so you can go about your business with no worries of product sliding off and splatting onto your keyboard or floor, so in that sense it’s an extremely user-friendly masking option. Perfect for work-from-home days; I even wore my glasses after applying the mask with no worries.

When it comes to removing the gel mask, I used a flannel and warm water and it was similar to removing cleanser, though it took a little more time. Immediately afterwards, my skin felt the same as when I’ve removed my cleanser – just quite clean and refreshed. It was after I dried my face that I really felt the effects of the mask.

In a nutshell, my skin felt like it had had a big drink. If you’ve ever had a Hydrafacial, it felt quite similar to that really. My skin was soft, yet firm at the same time and things just felt a little more plump, in the best way. While I couldn’t see these immediate effects, I could certainly feel them. Maybe with further uses I’ll be able to see the difference I can so obviously feel?

Revelling in this lovely hydrated feeling, I left it a few hours before applying my skincare. As I write, it’s been almost 24 hours since I used the mask and my skin is still feeling bouncy and hydrated. I would liken it to feeling like a sponge that’s plumped up after sucking up a load of water. A fantastic product. 

The Crome Pure HA Liquid Skin Mask comes in a box of a set of four 1ml syringes, with an rrp of £75 at Croma. but if you google it you’ll see it available at a few retailers for less than half that price. Croma aslo make a variety of serums and other skincare - you can read my review of their Farewell Dry Skin Serum here and I also have some sheet masks from the brand that will be on the blog very soon.

Aurelia London Top to Toe Wash and Cream Deal

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A heads up for anyone with babies or young ones in their life (or if you just really like soothing sleepy bath and body products) organic beauty brand  Aurelia London have a really excellent deal on right now.

For a limited time, you can buy the best selling Sleep Time Top to Toe Wash and Sleep Time Top to Toe Cream for just £14 with free delivery.

To clarify, that's both products together for £14, which is really excellent value, considering the bundle is usually £48. Both bottles are a generous 240ml, with a pump dispenser.

Aurelia say:

The Sleep Time Top to Toe Wash - rich in coconut oil, aloe vera, oat kernel and calendula - gently cleanses delicate skin without drying or causing an imbalance. 

The Sleep Time Top to Toe Cream - with starflower, shea butter and meadowsweet extracts - then melts into skin beautifully, the perfect combination for a dreamy night’s sleep for your little one.

A fantastic deal that would also make a great gift, for less than £15.

Available right now at Aurelia London.

Dior La Mousse OFF/ON Foaming Cleanser

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Dior OFF/ON Foaming Cleanser has been around for a little while now but I’ve only just recently got a tube myself. Because I buy a lot of the products that feature on the blog, or receive them as gifts from loved ones, I don’t often review new to market products – I review things that are new to me and this cleanser is my latest new-to-me bit of skincare!

Dior say that this cleanser combines the smoothness of a cream with the effectiveness of a foaming cleanser and having now used it several times I have to agree. OFF/ON is a very, very beautiful facial cleanser.
I was initially drawn to the name of this product as it is a little unusual. The OFF/ON name refers to the removal of dirt, impurities, makeup and sunscreen (Off) and replacing them with beneficial ingredients to soothe and preserve hydration levels and skin barrier function.

It has a silky, mousse-like texture that feels light and airy on the skin. Only a very small amount is needed and you simply massage it into damp skin before rinsing off. I was worried it was going to leave my face feeling tight, dry and squeaky clean but as it turns out, my skin almost feels like I've applied a very lightweight moisturiser, but there's no residue, if that makes sense? In a nutshell, this cleanser leaves skin feeling fresh, clean, comfortable and hydrated. In fact, I don't find myself rushing to apply my skincare afterwards, which is testament to how lovely I find this cleanser leaves my skin feeling.
In terms of ingredients, I love that this cleanser features Water Lily which is grown in the Dior Latour-Marliac garden in France. As a side note, Dior's private gardens are really beautiful. If you haven't seen the Dior fragrance documentary The Nose, I really recommend you do- there's lovely footage of the gardens and a scene that shows the gardeners hand picking jasmine that's remained in my mind! It’s literally a dream of mine to visit these gardens.

Water Lily (Nymphea) is known for its purifying properties, so it makes sense that it's extracts are in the formula of a cleanser. The addition of soothing corn flower floral water and liquorice extract make the cleanser a very gentle option, which should in theory make it suitable for sensitive skin.
While I personally prefer a balm or oil for makeup removal, Dior OFF/ON is quite capable of the job, I'd just be a little cautious when using it to remove eye makeup. It also doesn’t claim to be a makeup remover and the ingredients just seem a bit too luxe to waste on that job.

Dior La Mousse OFF/ON Foaming Cleanser retails for £40 for 150ml but so far I've found the cleanser cheapest for £34 at Escentual and £35.90 at Sephora UK.

You Deserve To Feel Good About Yourself - Here's How

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You deserve to feel good about yourself. There are too many people out there right now that don’t, simply because the world has told them not to, but this is not acceptable. You deserve to look in the mirror and love what you see, knowing that you look amazing. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you can do to achieve this goal, so keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.

Change Up Your Style

First, you might want to think about changing up your style. If for the last few years your style has focused heavily on what you think you should look like rather than what you want to look like then this is a must. You want your style to express who you are, and that might mean going to a personal shopper and asking them to help you find some new clothes, or it might mean looking into the best hairdresser around. 

There are plenty of style changes that you can make if you want to, but the important thing is that you’re not changing for anyone else. You should be exactly who you are, and nobody else, even when it comes to your style.

Be True To You

Leading on nicely from our last point, you should be true to who you are if you want to feel good about yourself. Looking in the mirror and seeing someone else, or looking in the mirror and feeling like an imposter is an awful feeling that we wouldn’t wish on anyone. You should always be trying to stay true to who you are, so that you can look at yourself and know without a shadow of a doubt that it is you. If you aren’t being you, then you’re proud of a character, and you feel good about the character that you are wearing but this isn’t good enough.

Ignore The Haters

The last thing that we’re going to mention is that you should be ignoring the haters. The haters are always going to have something to say, and more often than not they are the noisiest group around but you’ve got to learn to shut them out. Their opinions don’t matter, what they say does not matter and we know that this is easier said than done but we know that you can do it. The haters are going to hate for whatever reason that they can come up with, but if you don’t care, then there’s nothing they can say that will knock your confidence. 

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you can do in order to feel good about yourself once more. You deserve to feel happy exactly how you are, or if you’re going to be making some changes, exactly how you want to be. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you manage to achieve this goal sooner rather than later.