My Favourite Podcasts This Month | August 2018

Hey Guys! 

Over the past couple of months, I've been listening to podcasts instead of listening to music or watching YouTube videos while I'm getting ready in the morning. I love that with podcasts you don't have to physically watch it and can just put your headphones in or plug your speaker in and listen while multitasking. A few months ago I would listen to Estee Lalonde's podcast The Heart Of It while I was tidying my room or doing housework. After finishing her podcast series I started looking into other podcasts that I would enjoy, which led to me browsing through the popular section of Spotify podcasts. 

When I go to bed sometimes I struggle to fall asleep, so I've been finding different ways to help me relax. Sometimes I listen to soothing music or I put a Netflix show on just to have some noise in the background (I sometimes struggle to fall asleep when there is lots of silence. Bizarre I know!). After a while, I found podcasts were good to listen to when I couldn't sleep, so over the last couple of weeks, I've been switching between these three different podcasts when I'm getting ready in the morning or I'm struggling to fall asleep. 

On Spotify, there is such a huge selection of podcasts to choose from. There are so many different genres that there is something for everybody! 

(WARNING: SPOILERS)

Crime Junkie

I only started listening to Crime Junkie last week, but after a few episodes it automatically went on my favourites list. I'm a huge fan of murder mysteries and unsolved crimes/murders (highly recommend Buzzfeed's Unsolved True Crime videos with Shane and Ryan) so any stories of mysterious murders and bizarre crimes always capture my attention. When I first started listening to the podcast I wasn't sure if it would be as good as some other videos and podcasts I've listened to before about crime and murder. But the narration and stories are great! 

Crime Junkie is a weekly podcast where every Monday Ashley Flowers discusses a different crime story she has been researching. By dissecting all the facts and details she gives the full story behind the unsolved crime giving all the chilling information she has found while doing her research, which then leads on to who the suspects are and motives behind the crime or murder.   

The first episode I listened to was Episode 39: Serial Murder Todd Kohlhepp and straight away I was hooked! Ashley Flowers' narration is great. She gets straight to the point and gives all the facts straight up with suspense and chilling information. Each episode is different and the details she gives in each story is extensive and paints a full picture of the events taking place!

Some stories aren't as great as others and lack some suspense and thrill but I think that is more of a personal preference on what type of crimes and murder mysteries you find interesting. The Serial Murder Todd Kohlhepp was the most interesting I've heard so far due to the murders he committed and the number of people involved. Due to the fact it has more thrilling facts, I found it more gripping compared to other episodes. 

If you are crime-obsessed like me you'll love this podcast! They talk conspiracy theories, murders, wanted people and serial killers so definitely check them out over at Spotify. 

Happy Place

Happy Place is a podcast series by Fearne Cotton where she "talks to incredible people about life, love, loss, and everything in-between as she reveals what happiness means to them". Throughout the series, she discusses the subject of happiness, positivity and mental health with people such as Emma Willis, Gok Wan, Dawn French and Stephen Fry. It is a great series for those who need uplifting ❤

I started listening to Happy Place because I was looking for something that focused on positivity and getting over hardships. On Spotify, Happy Place is in their popular selection so I scrolled down the list and on seeing Dawn French pop up I clicked on her episode. I'm a huge fan of Dawn French from watching The Vicar of Dibley, French & Saunders, Absolutely Fabulous, Lark Rise to Candleford and from reading her autobiography a few years ago. I thought I knew a lot about Dawn French but actually, after listening to her conversation with Fearne I learnt quite a lot more about her and how she stays positive in the world of entertainment. Especially with divorce, journalists writing about her dad's death and her body image. 

I've also listened to Gok Wan's episode and I never knew he had such dark times in his life from his childhood to eating disorders and anorexia. He talked about when he left school because he got kicked out due to bad behaviour, working in his family's restaurant from the age of three and developing issues with self-confidence and body image. I've always known Gok to be a positive figure in entertainment, especially in helping women to learn to love themselves on his show How To Look Good Naked. But I never knew he had experienced such things as an eating disorder and had such a hard time when he was younger because he has always been so positive from what we see of him in the media and on television. But I think that just shows that nobody knows what is happening in someone's head and what they choose not to share. Gok Wan talks about many great things that keep him positive and it was so uplifting ❤

Another episode which really resonated with me was Stephen Fry's discussion with Fearne. As most people know Stephen Fry has battled with mental health for quite a while and now he is battling with prostate cancer. Listening to his episode was so enlightening. One thing he said was "why are we ashamed of the bodies we didn't choose to be given and have no control over" which I couldn't stop thinking about. He is so right and I think Stephen Fry is such a positive role model to those who have struggled because he reflects so much positivity. He has had the hardest of times due to coming out about his sexuality, getting criticised for marrying a man 30 years younger than him and then having to deal with his mental health and battle with cancer, and throughout this, he demonstrates how you can get through it with a positive attitude ❤

This series is great if you are feeling a little lost and need a boost to get you back in the right direction. Fearne Cotton narrating the podcast is great, she listens to each person's incredible story so attentively and lets them get everything off their chest without asking too many intrusive questions. 

Shane and Friends

Shane and Friends is a bit of an older series compared to Crime Junkie and Happy Place, starting in 2013 and ending back in 2017 with no new series appearing in 2018. Shane and Friends is also only available on Apple Podcasts instead of Spotify, so instead of my Spotify playlist, I also use my Apple Podcast app to listen to Shane and Friends and for looking up other podcasts that I might enjoy. 

 Narrated by YouTuber Shane Dawson and his co-host Jessie Buttafuoco (who is hilariously sassy) every Friday an hour-long episode would be uploaded which was described as "non-stop tea spilling, shade throwing and overall hilarity". Where Shane and Jess would "dig deep into the lives of their celebrity guests by asking brutally honest questions that others might not have the balls to ask". 

Shane has lots of guests on the show such as Joey Graceffa, James Charles, Tyler Oakley, Trisha Paytas, Tana Mongeau, Jenna Marbles, and the very well known Michelle Visage. He has had a lot of well-known influences on the podcast, most of them being fellow YouTube stars and some being viral internet sensations. The topics of discussion differ depending who they have invited on the show, so when Michelle Visage was a guest they discussed Celebrity Big Brother and Ru Paul's Drag Race. Whereas, with other guests, he'll discuss rumours that haven't been addressed, conspiracy theories, what is going on in popular culture, what is going on in their personal lives and what is happening with other celebrities. 

I haven't listened to all five seasons of the podcast as I tend to select the episodes I'd prefer to listen to with guests that I'm interested in, as some of the guests I'm not a fan of or the topic of discussion isn't something I'd find funny. The funniest one I've listened to is Episode 77 with Drew Monson and Garrett Watts, when those two and Shane are all together they are so funny and the conversation topics they have are hilarious! Another episode I really enjoyed was Episode 79 Conspiracy Theories and Trying Acupuncture because other than crime and murder mysteries I love conspiracy theories (especially Shane's conspiracy theory videos) so listening to different conspiracies is time well spent ❤

Shane's podcast isn't as PG as Crime Junkie and Happy Place as it is more of a comical podcast discussing crude topics and funny experiences, so there aren't as many serious topics discussed compared to the other podcasts I've been listening to. Shane and Friends is the podcast I go to when I need some comedy and something light-hearted to laugh about.  

Let me know in the comments below what podcasts you are listening to at the moment and if you have any recommendations ❤

See you soon!

Amy x

Books I've Bought Recently

Hey Guys!

There are so many books I want to read but unfortunately, I'm not one who can read four books at a time, especially when they are all of a similar genre. So instead I'm just going to have to work my way through the books I've currently got piled up on my bedside table. I'll do a separate post on my reading list but for now here are some books I've brought recently:

I highly recommend searching for the books you want in charity shops first before looking to buy them brand new, at least then you'll get a discounted price and you'll be giving money to a good cause. If you can't find the books you are looking for in your local charity shops try AbeBooks (you can buy literally any book second-hand and they are sold for amazing prices and most of the time postage & packing is free!) I've brought a few books from them now and they have only cost £2.65 each!

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

A lot of you will probably have heard of the Mortal Instruments franchise as Lily Collins starred in the 2013 movie The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and there has been a popular Netflix season called ShadowHunters which follows the Mortal Instruments books by Cassandra Clare. When I was younger I was never really interested in the books (even though it is my favourite genre) but as soon as I saw the film I did gain some interest but didn't really think to go buy them until I started watching the series (if you haven't seen the series you should! It is really good). 

I was eyeing it up in the charity shop in my hometown for a while but because I have such a huge pile of books to read already I didn't see the point. But after eyeing it up every time I went in I decided to finally buy it (£1.99!) and now I'm desperate to read it ❤

The plot summary states "Clary Fray is seeing things: Vampires in Brooklyn and werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistibly drawn to the Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, Clary encounters the dark side of New York City - and the dangers of forbidden love."

I already know the basic outline of the story as I've seen the movie and series which both follow the storyline of the City of Bones but I'm interested to see if they have missed any parts of the book out in the film and the series (like what I found in Harry Potter). There are six books in the Mortal Instruments series so I'll be purchasing the next book City of Ashes once I've read this one. I've found myself buying books that are all part of collections, like with Fallen and Harry Potter, so at some point, I'll just have to stick to one collection and finish all those books before moving on to other books. At the moment I'm halfway through the Harry Potter books, then I need to buy and read Torment which is the second book to Lauren Kate's Fallen series and then find the second book to this series and finish this collection of books (this may take me a while). 

The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld

I got The Interpretation of Murder in Paris at Shakespeare and Company in the second-hand section. My mum and I both chose to pick this book as we both love a murder mystery so we knew if one of us enjoyed it the other would. Shakespeare and Company did a great selection of books and this one stuck out, especially as it is about Sigmund Freud and his first and last trip to the USA (I read a lot of Sigmund Freud's work for my degree). 

The plot summary states "On the morning after Sigmund Freud arrives in New York City on his first – and only – visit to the United States in 1909, a stunning debutante is found bound and strangled in her penthouse apartment, high above Broadway. The following night, another beautiful heiress, Nora Acton, is discovered tied to a chandelier in her parents' home, viciously wounded and unable to speak or to recall her ordeal. Soon Freud and his American disciple, Stratham Younger, are enlisted to help Miss Acton recover her memory and to piece together the killer's identity. It is a riddle that will test their skills to the limit and lead them on a journey into the darkest places of the city, and of the human mind". 

I've read tons of books that are murder mysteries where people have disappeared out of nowhere and for me one thing I love is seeing the story unravel and everything making sense at the end. Something I always do is try and guess who the murderer is looking at the logic behind all the clues! So when I come to the end of the book and I guessed right I love it! Or even better the culprit is someone completely unexpected and was never even considered the person behind the murder. I've read a few Agatha Christies which got me into the crime genre. So, I think both myself and my mum are going to really enjoy reading this book! 

Recommended Books

I thought I'd add another section to this post for books I'd recommend you guys to read if you are into mysteries and crime novels. 

No Time For Goodbye

I read this book on holiday a few years ago when I got bored with the book I was reading, so I picked this one up from a selection of books my mum had brought with her. I didn't really expect must as I just looking for something different to read while we were sat sunbathing or on the terrace. But to my surprise, I could not put the book down! I was sucked in! I was constantly picking it up when I had a spare five minutes and it is actually the first book I have finished in one week. The story is gripping and I was desperate to know what was going on and what was behind the disappearances. 

Source: Wikipedia

The plot summary states "On the morning she will never forget, suburban teenager Cynthia Archer awakes with a nasty hangover and a feeling she is going to have an even nastier confrontation with her mom and dad. But when she leaves her bedroom, she discovers the house is empty, with no sign of her parents or younger brother Todd. In the blink of an eye, without any explanation, her family has simply disappeared.

Twenty-five years later Cynthia is still haunted by unanswered questions. Were her family murdered? If so, why was she spared? And if they're alive, why did they abandon her in such a cruel way? Now married with a daughter of her own, Cynthia fears that her new family will be taken from her just as her first one was. And so she agrees to take part in a TV documentary revisiting the case, in the hope that somebody somewhere will remember something - or even that her father, mother or brother might finally reach out to her . . .

Then a letter arrives which makes no sense and yet chills Cynthia to the core. And soon she begins to realise that stirring up the past could be the worst mistake she has ever made . . ."

Other than Agatha Christie's novels this was one of the books that got me into crime novels and mysteries. Unfortunately, I think we gave the book away for someone else to read but I wish I would have kept it so I could give it another read. It is hands down one of the best books I've read, especially out of all the crime and mystery books I've read. It's so fast moving and there are so many ups and downs!  

A true rollercoaster!

What books do you recommend? Let me know in the comments below ❤

See you soon!

Amy xx

Our Week In Paris: Photo Diary | Part One

Hey Guys!

From my previous post, you'll know that I recently took a trip to Paris and found the cutest bookshop, but that wasn't the only part of the trip. I've put a photo diary together to show you what tourist attractions we explored while we were there. 

Day One: Travelling to Paris

We travelled to Paris on Sunday 24th June and landed at Charles de Gaulle in the afternoon. We didn't really have a lot planned for Sunday other than checking into our hotel and exploring the area around us, so there weren't many photos taken on the first day as we explored a few bars in our neighbourhood and places to eat. For the duration of our trip we stayed at the Ibis Brancion Parc des Expositions in the 15th Arrondissement, so we were more south of the city but by taking the metro and tram it didn't take long to get into central Paris. I was glad we didn't have anything planned as the early morning flight and travelling was exhausting and by the time we had checked in I was ready for a nap. In the late afternoon, we found a quiet little bar for a drink and they just happened to be playing the England vs Panama game which was convenient for my parents haha! After dinner in a local restaurant, we headed back to our hotel and relaxed for the rest of the evening. 

Day Two: The Rose Line Walk 

If any of you have watched or read the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown you will know what the Rose Line is, so my dad being a huge fan of Dan Brown downloaded the Rose Line Walk. The Rose Line Walk is a walk exploring Paris and the sites discussed in the Da Vinci Code novel.  Therefore, on our first day, we did a lot of walking and saw some of the big attractions. We didn't get any tickets for anything for our first official day in Paris hence it was just exploring around the city and seeing what was around. It is actually surprising how close everything is together and how after five minutes of walking you are seeing another tourist attraction!

We didn't take photos of every part of the walk as we were taking in all of our surroundings but we did take pictures of the main attractions we saw: 

The Louvre

The queues for The Louvre were quite long and we didn't buy any tickets for our walking tour so we didn't go in. But it is definitely on my list to visit when I take a trip to Paris again!

The Jardin du Luxembourg

The Jardin du Luxembourg was beautiful! Children we playing with boats in the water, the flowers are so colourful and vibrant and there are chairs dotted around everywhere so you can sit and read or people watch. I can't believe how a public garden is so well kept and is that beautiful ♡ we have beautiful gardens here in the UK too but the flowers and statues in the garden were something else!

This was just a building I took a photo of on our walk to another part of Paris and these flowers were too beautiful to not take a photo of. Imagine living here and seeing such charming flowers every day ♡ 

 Hôtel de Ville 

The Hôtel de Ville was decorated in the Pride colours ready to celebrate Pride the following Saturday in a big parade. This is actually the town hall, the city's administration building so to see the exterior decorated with the pride flag was nice to witness!

We also went into a beautiful church called the St Sulpice Church (where the Rose Line, also known as the Paris Meridian is located) and it was so beautiful inside. Inside there were separate chapels within the church so you could pray to individual saints and in each chapel, there was a confession box. The paintings in some of the chapels were incredible, especially that of the angels.  We also tried traditional French baguettes and beers while sat outside making the most of the incredible weather we had. 

While walking around Paris we also came across plenty of other churches, the Notre Dame and some beautiful architecture. For our first official day in Paris, it was wonderful ♡ 

Day Three: Versailles

Versailles was about 45 minutes from our hotel so we did research prior to our trip to decide which method was the best way to get there, resulting in us deciding to get the tram to an RER train stop and getting the train (which was a double-decker train, something I've never seen before) to Versailles. 

We didn't pre-book tickets to Versailles because I get free admission as I'm a student who goes to a university in Europe, but mum and dad needed to get their tickets. So we got there early (it was still so busy) and ended up buying tickets from a self-service machine which was more convenient than the huge queue leading to the ticket desk. We did have to queue for an hour and a quarter to get in (the queue by 10:30am was longer than the courtyard so we had people queueing in lines next to us) but luckily I was prepared with a rucksack full of water, suncream, hats and portable phone chargers! Even though it seems like a long wait the queue was actually moving quite fast and we got inside at a good time, so don't let the long queues put you off. 

I've been dying to go to Versailles for so so long (especially since watching the BBC show Versailles) and I'm a huge fan of going to palaces, castles and estate houses so my expectations were pretty high! The palace was beautiful and each room was incredible with portraits and the furnishings, but unfortunately because of the number of visitors, the flow of traffic in the palace and how rude the other tourists were it kind of ruined the experience for me! Other visitors were pushing into me and cutting me up trying to get in front and each room of the palace was so full of people it was uncomfortable! But one of the members of the staff we spoke to when buying my garden ticket did say that this was the busiest he had seen it for a while, so I think we just chose a day when everyone else decided to go too. So that was a bit disappointing, however, the gardens made up for it completely. The gardens were like a dream and I'm going to do a separate post talking about the gardens and how beautiful they are ♡ 

The Hall of Mirrors

I didn't manage to get a lot of photos of the inside of the Palace due to how busy and crammed the rooms were full of people and getting pushed around so I got better photos of the garden. 

I'll discuss the fountains and the Music Fountain Show in the separate blog post about Versailles Gardens. 

Latona's Fountain

Apollo's Fountain

Petit Trianon

The Petit and Grand Trianon is the small château offered by  Louis XVI to Marie Antionette and was her residence away from the Palace. The Petit Trianon house and gardens were so beautiful ♡ 

Statues placed around the Versailles' Gardens

Versailles was incredible, especially the gardens! However, I would say some tourists are so rude and inconsiderate of the people around them and every room was crammed full of people that you couldn't move with people constantly pushing into you. I much preferred the gardens as you got your own space but also because they were literally something from a dream! ♡ 

After spending the entire day at Versailles and walking what seemed like miles around the gardens we took the train back to the RER station and got on the tram back to the neighbourhood our Ibis hotel was in, relaxing for the rest of the evening.

  As there are a lot of photos from our trip I split this photo diary into two parts so it didn't get too long. Part two will be coming Wednesday 8th August at 7:30pm so look out for that to see day four (The Notre Dame), five (The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysées) and six (The Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge) of our Paris trip ♡ 

See you on Wednesday! 

Amy xx

Recent Movies I've Been Obsessing Over | Part 2

Hey Guys!

On Sunday I shared a post with you about films that I had watched over summer that I was obsessing over and loving! And instead of making it a really long and boring post I split them into two parts, so here is part two ❤ 

Let's go! 

The Legend of Tarzan

I actually thought this was a live action version by Disney but it turns out it isn't, it isn't linked to them at all, but obviously Tarzan isn't just a story created by Disney. Many other production companies have created films and stories about the fictional character.

I love the story of Tarzan, I think its a great tale and the relationship he has with all the animals is so enchanting! As a child I always wanted to have an elephant and monkey for a friend and obviously as I grew up that little dream became very hard to achieve haha! But I still loved watching the Disney animation. So, when I came across the 2016 'Legend of Tarzan' film I was very intrigued to how the story would be portrayed differently and if anything was adapted or changed, and to my surprise it was very similar to the Disney fictional film but was based after Tarzan had met Jane and wasn't about being discovered by man but more about how he has adapted into society and having to go back to Africa to protect his ape family. It is a very action packed film, with lots of fighting and conflict between different parties but it isn't all about the fighting and the selfishness of the enemy, its also about family and the connections he still has with the animals even after moving away. 

I think the movie is a great new story for the fictional character Tarzan and how his life progresses. It is even better being live action as I got to see it in a completely new light. It is very heartwarming and Margot Robbie and Alexander Skarsgård are perfect for the casting!

If you were a fan of the Disney animation Tarzan than check out this version! 

Spirited Away

I'm actually in love with this movie! I remember it was on the television one of the days when I was younger but at the time I never got the chance to see it, and I can't believe I never saw it until now! It is such a cute movie ❤  I'm really into Asian dramas and anime so this movie was perfect! It is such a happy feel good movie that is sweet, innocent and is the type of film where you can just sit back and enjoy it without having to think too much! Each of the characters have such lovable characteristics and some of the story is just so wacky and unrealistic, its so fun! The main character Chihiro is adorable and the way every character tries to help her is so sweet!

Considering it is dubbed in English as the original voice over is in Japanese you wouldn't be able to tell, it could be as if spoken originally in English! 

I feel like Spirited Away is a classic that everyone should watch! Especially if you aren't into anime as it might shine a new light to that genre of television ❤ 

Footloose (2011)

This version of Footloose is the remake from 2011, as I wasn't sure about watching the original Footloose as I don't really like Kevin Bacon and watching a two hour film with him as the main character is not really my idea of fun haha! He just annoys me, especially after the EE advert! Anyway, the 2011 remake is so good, they updated all the tracks to more recent songs except from the original movie track 'Footloose'. The soundtrack is so good - definetley fits the film perfectly!

I love the story line for Footloose and the protagonist Ren is the cutest! His character is so sweet and all his friends are so funny, especially Willard, his personality is hilarious haha! Seeing all the traditional line dancing and classic dance moves was so amusing :)

I love that the film is just so chill, light-hearted and the soundtrack definitely makes it more fun, a little like Guardians of The Galaxy! I find a lot of soundtracks made the films so much better ❤ They made them more enjoyable! I actually liked it so much I downloaded it on to my phone and get ready to it in the morning haha!

When it comes to movies with great songs I always get a bit carried away and end up listening to the songs all the time and learning them off my heart haha! Especially films like Mamma Mia, Funny Girl and Disney movies ❤ 

The Godfather Trilogy

Me and my mum have sat and watched the Godfather trilogy over the past two weeks and damn they are long! A three hour film is tough to watch in the evening when you have been busy all day and have to concentrate to what is going on! But it is such a great trilogy of films! I love gangster, mob type mafia films as they are so packed with action and I love the way Italian families are so close and look after each other as it is how my family are so I can relate ❤ I think the first movie is my favourite as I love Don Vito Corleone as the head of the family, I like that he is feared and respected by a lot of people but will help any of his friends and family in need, he is a loyal man! In the first movie I like that Michael has just returned and that all his family are still in it like all his brothers and mother. I actually can't believe its taken me this long to actually watch the movies as my cousins have always recommended them to me! 

The second movie is great too as it obviously moves on to when Michael becomes the head of the family and takes control of all the businesses and has his own children, but I miss Vito Corleone and it isn't the same with him not being in it anymore but obviously it moves through the times! I also think when they flashback to when Vito moves to New York and his origins before becoming the Godfather is great! The second movie is very dramatic and I do love a bit of drama so its the perfect set of films for me haha! 

Then, the third film is obviously the conclusion to the trilogy when the head of the family changes again to Vincent, and I think the film was so action packed that I had to keep reminding myself what had happened in the beginning as three hours is a long time for a lot of action and complicated drama to happen haha! I had to keep asking my mum a lot of questions as she has seen all the films before :) 

If you like organised crime movies like Goodfellas and Oscar, where there is loads of conflict, drama and action you'll love the Godfather trilogy! But you can't just watch the first one you need to watch all three otherwise you'll be missing out on some great scenes! 

If there are any really good movies that I haven't mentioned comment below and I'll add them to my film list ❤ 

What is your favourite movie of all time?

See you on Wednesday my lovelies!

Amy xx 

My Night Time Summer Skincare Routine | 2017

Hey Guys!

Over the past couple of months I have switched up my night time skin care routine
 a bit as I began to notice my skin gradually getting dry around my eyebrows and cheeks. I had also collected a few more products to give a try so I worked them into my skin care routine to see if they would work with the condition of my skin. 

Lets get started!

#1 Micellar Water

I've used Garnier's micellar water products before so I knew they would work out for me when removing my make up, especially stubborn products like mascara and eyeliner. I love that it is so pure and basic but is perfect at removing all the impurities, oil and make up I've worn all day. It is definetley a go to product! I even buy the cute little travel version when I go on holiday as its just so convenient! 

Sometimes if I just need to focus a little more on the removal of my eye make up because my eye shadow or eyeliner is a little stubborn I use the Nivea Daily Essentials Extra Gentle Make Up Remover. But the only thing I don't particularly like with this make up remover is that sometimes it stings and makes my eyes really sore, which doesn't seem right if it is suppose to be a product focusing on your eye area and states that it is 'extra gentle'. It isn't every time but it has happened to catch me out and basically blind me for a few seconds! But it works when I need it to so I'll continue to use it haha!

#2 Cleaner/ Scrub

In the evening I use my Simple Foam Cleanser as its great at removing the rest of my make up that was missed in the previous step. It is really gentle and soft, which is perfect as I tend not to use a really harsh scrub before applying a detox face mask and its been doing great wonders for my skin. Since using this product my skin has started to get much softer and brighter. When I wake up in the morning my skin isn't as patchy and I don't have any red inflammation which I used to experience when using other face scrubs and cleansers. At the moment I'm trying to be more delicate with my skin and treat it better so a gentle cleanser is always a good product to turn to ♡ 

#3 Face Mask

I've mentioned this face mask a few times now on my blog and it is still an amazing product! I don't use it every time I cleanse my face, only three times a week as using it every time would stress my skin out a bit too much and I don't want to use it excessively. As you might be able to tell I've finished all of it and will need to look for another face mask to use next, but I highly recommend the Pure Clay Purity Mask for it has helped clear my acne prone areas like my cheeks and jaw line. It does run out quite quickly though considering you are suppose to use it three times a week! 

#4 Serum/ Treatment Oil

I've been using this Serum for the longest time and I've always loved the results so I've never bothered trying anything new or a different brand. I probably will in the future when I'm in the experimenting mood but at the moment I'm happy with what it does for me! I like using a serum as it retains more moisture which is great for my dry skin. And it has anti-wrinkle remedies in it, and I know I'm only 19 but prevention is key and I have terrible terrible frown lines on my forehead so anything that will help reduce those I try haha!

#5 Night Cream

I've used this night cream for a while now and it is quite a thick night cream which some people aren't a fan of as it takes a lot longer to soak in and be absorbed by the skin, but for the evening I tend to put on a thicker cream so that my skin can absorb a greater amount of moisture while I sleep. They do say that between 10pm and 2am your skin is at its best healing point and so that is the time you should be applying products to be absorbed and getting a good night sleep. I'm not sure how true it is but I don't mind going to sleep a bit earlier now that I actually have things to do this summer :) 

#6 Eye Cream

This is one of the new products I had picked up and wanted to try! I have been using a few Lacura products for a while now, especially their serum. So, considering  this is a product from the same range I thought I'd see if it worked for me. So, after incorporating it into my skincare routine for around two weeks now I've began to really like it. It is a gel so it has a very sticky texture but after application give it about two minutes and it is fully absorbed and doesn't leave a sticky residue around the eye. You only need a really small amount as well so this small tub should last me a while! 

When it is officially Autumn I'll probably end up switching my skincare routine up again as my skin will probably get a lot of dry patches so I'll have to tailor what products I use to deal with that problem! Is anybody else looking forward to Autumn already?

What is your go to product when you get really dry patches on your skin? Let me know in the comments below!

See you tomorrow lovelies! ♡ 

Amy xx