[BEAUTY] No makeup on my face for a year? Challenge accepted.

I have literally no idea where this year has gone! Can't believe it is December/Christmastime already.  When did this happen, and where is my festive spirit?! I don't have a christmas tree up in my house (strike one), I have bought next to no presents (strike two) and I've decided not to go to my work's Xmas dinner because I'm just not feeling the christmassy vibe (GTFO).  

 SCROOGE!! But also, new fringe!!

So I mentioned a couple posts back (here) that I was sick to death of my skin being blemish-prone and ridiculously sensitive, and that I was going to set myself the challenge of not wearing makeup on my complexion (i.e. lips and eyes are ok, everything else strictly banned) for 12 months.  My ultimate aim is to get my skin back to a stage where I can put makeup and new products on it without it becoming overly-sensitised and just basically freaking out! 

Me sans makeup, other than a bit of liquid eyeliner and mascara :)

Well, this is my first update about how that is going .. which is quite frankly awesomely! I have had NO blemishes at all, and my skin seems to be settling down and reacting less to things like weather etc.  My rosacea is non existent too! Hurray.  My new wonder product is La Roche Posay Hydraphase UV Intense Light, which is making my skin naturally radiant without the need for any kind of coverage on my face at all!  The only problem I currently have is that this moisturiser burns my eyelids?! Like, they feel like they're on fire for about 10 minutes after applying it, and then start to peel (I am the sexiest person in the world, I know).  I've been using plain jojoba oil to moisturise the eye area, but I can no longer use it for reasons I don't want to go into I dropped the bottle lid in the toilet so had to throw it out lolololololol.  

I'm also starting to feel a lot more confident about my face without concealer, primer, foundation, powder etc etc - I'm starting to even prefer my skin to be natural, rather than caked in makeup (bad beauty blogger!).  I do really miss blush and highlighters, but I think getting my skin to a good standard is more important currently.  Anyway, who needs blusher when you can take a brisk walk?! Ha.  

Other than completely ignoring the fact that it's Christmas, I've been deliberating over my new hair colour.  I know I know, I'm obsessed, but seriously, I've been thinking about going lighter - like a honey/caramel kind of light brown, just so I could get it light enough to get lots of pastels running through it (its the dream!) in time for Spring.  But now I'm thinking, why not go a LOT lighter, like silvery white?! That way I can put all the cotton candy colours through it that I want if I ever feel like it, or leave it a beautiful snowy colour.  Yeah, I can admit it - I just want to look like Daenerys. My hair is currently a warm level 4, so to get to a neutral level 12 is going to take a lot of work, time and toner,  But I'm excited!! I'm going to have the first bleach done professionally of course, for my birthday at the beginning of January.

I'll leave you with the obligatory cat pic - this is Seren, who has been out of the limelight picture-wise because she's so shy I don't often get a decent pic of her! She's been through a tough time, where she started to overgroom to the extent where she would get bald patches, but she's doing much better now after a lot of TLC :)

Seren cat, who is starting to get a lot happier after a stress episode :)

Tali xxx

REVIEW: Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint

I've mentioned my love for this product before I know, but I thought it deserved a more in depth review :)  I lived on free samples of this foundation/tinted moisturiser for a while, and was so impressed with it I decided to buy the full size version.  I couldn't believe my luck actually - I was going to buy the 'Liz Earle trio' (Cleanse and Polish, Skin Tonic and Skin Repair moisturiser) and the Sheer Skin Tint anyway, so guess what the August bundle was? All four products for just £41 (worth over £66)!! I snapped that bad boy up on the first day of the deal ;)  The deal ends on 5th September so what are you waiting for? Go go go!!

Liz Earle describes this product as:

"The perfect way to enhance your skin. Our rich and creamy, yet lightweight formula leaves all skin types looking naturally dewy, even and radiant. With mineral UV protection SPF15, it’s enriched with our own blend of natural source vitamin E, borage and avocado, specially selected to work in harmony with our skincare range."

Me with no makeup on *gulp* I'm still recovering from being ill so be nice!

 Me with just Sheer Skin tint on my skin, and a tiny bit of mascara and Korres tinted lip balm.

Full face on - over Sheer Skin Tint is No7 pressed powder (now discontinued), No7 Natural Blush Cheek Colour, Bare Minerals Pure Radiance to subtly highlight,  Eyes - MAC Paint Pot in Vintage Selection (LE), L'oreal Carbon Gloss liquid liner, Lips - Chanel lipstick in Rouge Orage

I'm in two minds about this product, but generally I really really like it.  Most foundations aggravate my uber sensitive skin, but this in fact seems to soothe it!  A lot of makeup also seems to break me out at the moment, but Sheer Skin Tint makes my spots disappear... I kid you not!! On the rare occasions my rosacea flares up, this foundation clears it up.  So it's kind of a win/win for me.  

I have quite dry skin so I'm sold on anything that makes my complexion dewy and glowy.  If you prefer a matte finish, this foundation is not for you.  Sometimes I feel like this product makes me almost too shiny, so beware.  Of course, you can just set it with a matte powder and then you're fine, which I sometimes do.  For daytime wear, when I like having light coverage and radiant skin, this product is perfect for me.

So why am I in two minds about it? It is really really REALLY light coverage! I have quite dark shadows under my eyes, and the sides of my nose are red thanks to broken capillaries, but that's pretty much all that's wrong with my skin - I'm lucky not to have any scarring, and I don't break out that often.  Even for the sides of my nose and under my eyes, though, I find myself reaching for my concealer to mix with the Skin Tint (is it kosher to mix concealer and foundation?! Please tell me if this is taboo!) for better coverage.  

So yeah, I would prefer something with slightly more coverage, but as this is marketed more as a tinted moisturiser than a heavy duty foundation I can't really complain!  I do love the fact that it seems to be good for my skin and calms it down rather than being irritating or making me break out (this may not be the case for other people though so always patch test!).  It's a total "my skin but better" product, giving me a radiant and evened-out complexion, but don't buy it if you want/need better coverage :)