Taking Off The Day

Scrub Love "Mint Temptation" £12.95* & Clinique Anti-Blemish Clearing Treatment £18

Helloooo! I hope you have had a good week, I am so tired.. I can't even explain.. I've had a chest infection and pleurisy the past 2/3 weeks and it's still lingering in my lungs and making me so exhausted all the time. But on the plus side I ordered myself a shiny new mountain bike this week which I'm so excited to get out on when I'm 100% better, the area I live in has the most perfect, scenic trails to buzz (slowly) round in all weathers, wooo, expect some posts about that when it all arrives and I get back into the swing of things! 

Anyway, here's my favourite products to take off my makeup and start to wind down for the evening,

Step 1: Cleanse

Firstly I remove all my makeup using Simple eye makeup remover and Clean & Clear deep cleansing lotion on soft makeup pads, I've been using these 2 products since I was about 14, they are so good and take everything off with ease and leave my face feeling squeaky clean. 

Step 2:  Exfoliate

Next I move onto exfoliating, recently I have been trying out the new coffee scrub craze from the company Scrub Love*, all their scrubs are 100% natural and I can definitely say I now understand what the hype is all about because this stuff actually does work! The scrub I am currently using is the "Mint Temptation" one, here is what Scrub Love have to say about it "The perfect blend of organic ingredients with a mint kick will leave anyone tempted.. Tea tree mixed with amazing argan oil will cool and moisturise. While more than a hint of mint will stimulare circulation with this organic scrub - leaving you polished to perfection.." Firstly I wet my face with warm water and then apply a handful of lovely, SUPER fresh smelling mint flavoured coffee granules and rub it all over my face, focusing mostly on my cheeks, rubbing it all in, in small circular motions, I must admit it does look like I have a bit of a stubble going on when I am using it, but who cares! It really cools my face down and feels really nice on my skin, I've noticed it has completely got rid of the little bumps I've had on my cheeks for a while now! I leave it on for about 10 minutes or so and then rinse it all off with warm water then pat my skin dry with a towel. My skin feels so soft and nourished afterwards. I am really pleased with this product so far, it can be used all over your body, in the bath or in the shower which is great because I don't always have baths as I much prefer showers.

Step 3: Moisturise

Lastly I use Clinique anti-blemish solutions all-over clearing treatment which keeps my skin moisturised and totally clear of blemishes, I absolutely love this product, it works so well and my skin has never looked better since using it. I have been pretty lucky with my skin in general, however, I would tend to get the odd spot now and again but now I very very rarely get spots since using this cream. 

I hope you will try out some if not all of these products, they're all excellent! Thanks for reading! :) x

Simple Kind To Eyes Revitalising Roll On ♥

Simple Kind To Eyes Revitalising Roll On - £4.99 (on offer for £3.32!)

Hello! I have been loving this eye roll-on recently, so I thought I better share it with you gals! I have been using it when I wake up and before I apply my makeup. It is brilliant for reducing the puffy, tired bags under my eyes and brightening up my entire eye area. I have noticed a difference in the colour of the inner corners of my eyes, they aren't as dark and purpley as they were before I started using this product, so I am really pleased. Using this product first thing in the morning is such a treat as it has a metal ball applicator which is always really cool and refreshing when I roll on the cold gel formula to my skin which is full of vitamins, cucumber, lupin and glycerin extracts which are great for your skin! I would definitely recommend you try this product if you want to brighten up your under eye area and waken yourself up more in the morning!

Simple Perfecting Beauty Balm Review ♥

Simple BB Cream - £8.99

Hellooo, I have a pretty negative product review today. I think it's good to keep a mix of good and bad reviews on my blog, so that people with similar skin tones to me know what they are getting with a product. 

I am a huge fan of all of Simple's products but this one definitely isn't one I am going to be adding to my favourites any time soon. I have been looking for the perfect, light BB cream for a while now but it just doesn't seem to exist! I seen this one on offer in Superdrug a couple of weeks ago for £4.49, I thought it was the perfect time to try it as my skin was pretty clear and I wanted to wear less foundation on a daily basis. I looked through all of the boxes on the shelf to find the lightest shade, however, I was surprised to see that they all had the same 'universal shade' on the front of every box. I was confused at how one shade could possibly fit everyone, however, I still bought it. 

I was shocked at how orange this BB cream was when I first squeezed it out of the tube. I applied it on top of my moisturiser with my Real Techniques expert face brush (review here), and buffed it into my skin. My face instantly turned orange and I could still see every little mark left from previous spots. I tried blending it down my neck to make it look a bit better which didn't work. I think this BB cream would only be best used if you fake tan and have a glow about your skin all the time, otherwise it is going to totally mismatch your skintone and make you look like a tangerine. I was really really disappointed in this BB cream as Simple are such a brilliant skincare brand. Maybe makeup isn't their strong point just yet, but I am hopeful that they will bring out a better BB cream in the future!

Have you tried this BB cream?

2013 Beauty Favourites ♥

Happy New year everyone! I am really sorry I have been away for so long, I have been really busy recently. I have finally moved into my new room, yay, I absolutely adore it, I will be posting a room tour soon so keep your eyes peeled! I also haven't felt like myself recently so I didn't feel up to writing blog posts, sorry but I am feeling a bit better now so I should hopefully be back on track. I hope you all had a magical Christmas and New Year, I had a good one.

Here is my round up of best beauty products in 2013, most of them will have their own reviews linked within the post and others will be reviewed soon!

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - £37

 I know everyone and their mother raves about this palette but it is definitely the best I have ever had! I am going to do a full review on it soon. The shades are highly pigmented, they last all day and look brilliant when blended together. The list of eye looks you can create with this palette are endless! I have used it in so many different ways and every look I create I get lots of compliments on. I have posted a couple of pictures of my makeup using this palette on my Instagram @magickruby if you want to have a look. I could happily just use this palette on its own, forever and not use any others, it's that good!

Simple Eye Makeup Remover - £3

I have been using this makeup remover for about 3 years now and I wont ever use anything else. I have very sensitive eyes and skin, so I have always been wary about certain makeup removers. This one has no artificial colours or perfumes, no oils and 2 vitamins, so a big thumbs up from me! I use it on a round cotton pad and hold it over my closed eye for a few seconds and then wipe away my makeup. It is such a gentle product and it gets rid of every last bit of my makeup. 

Clean & Clear deep cleansing lotion - £2.99

I have been using this cleansing lotion for a couple of years. It works perfect with my skin and it cleanses every last millimetre of my face. I use it on a cotton pad in the morning and at night before I go to bed. It removes my foundation and powder effortlessly, leaving my face feeling cool and refreshed, I have done a full review on this product here.

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Cleansing balm - £34

I have a full review on this product here. I feel like my skin gets a treat every time I use this face cleanser, it smells amazing, it's easy to apply and it leaves my skin feeling clean and refreshed. I have also noticed while using this product for a long time that it has brightened my skin, which is good for me as I have blemish marks which never seem to disappear (annoying!) I highly recommend trying it out if you haven't already!

Liz Earle Grapefruit and Patchouli Hot Cloth Cleanser Limited Edition - £24.75

I have always loved the original Cleanse & Polish and its scent but this one is AMAZING I adore the smell of patchouli and the smell of grapefruit.. so when these two came together and made this amazing limited edition bottle I was very happy! I have a full review on the original Cleanse and Polish so if you want to learn more have a read of that here.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation 110 Ivory- £12.99 

I have been using this foundation for a few months now and i am so pleased with it. I have a full review on it here. It is medium/full coverage and it blends perfectly into my skin, it is the perfect pale shade for me and I don't see me changing to a different foundation any time soon! If you have super pale skin like me, give this foundation a try, it's working well for me.

Elf HD powder - £6.99 

This loose powder sets my foundation perfectly in place, it has a very natural finish and it lasts all day. I find applying it with the powder puff it comes with works best, it makes my face feel silky smooth and as if I amnt wearing any makeup. This tub lasts months so for £6.99 it is a real bargain and worth every penny!

Simple Oil Balancing Moisturiser Review ♥

Simple Oil Balancing Moisturiser £4.25 - Superdrug

First of all, the weather here in Scotland is rubbish.. as usual.. and I have like another 3 weeks until I get paid and I want to go shopping in Glasgow but I have no shopping money or travel money! AH :(! Apart from that everything else is fine, my blog is keeping me more and more occupied these days which is great!

As some of you may know, I have had an ongoing love for the brand 'Simple' for a few years now and I am always excited when they introduce new products to their ever growing skincare range.

I have slightly oily/combination skin so I am always on the look out for oil fighting or oil balancing products. I know my skin is 'safe' with Simple so that is why I picked this up. It has a thick consistency when it is first squeezed out of the tube but once you apply it to your skin it evens out nicely. It gives my skin a matte finish once the cream has dried which makes it feel soft and smooth. I have used it as a primer before I apply foundation which seems to work really well. I am pleased with this product and I think that it is starting to balance out my skin, I will definitely be repurchasing it when it runs out.

My Favourite Moisturiser

Hello :)! 

I have had a pretty boring week.. job applications, watching telly, playing The Sims3, Instagram and Tumblr, seems to be as exciting as it has got! I hope you have all had a good week so far. I hope you enjoy reading today's post!

I have been using Simple Products for 3/4 years now and it is my absolute favourite skincare brand. I have slightly sensitive skin and most moisturisers break me out or leave dry patches on my face. I have tried many moisturisers to see if I can match this one but I can't, it is so good!

There are no artificial perfumes or colours in this moisturiser. There are  2 vitamins, pro-vitamin B5 and Vitamin E, which are great for your skin and it also has 2 skin loving ingredients, Glycerin and Borage seed oil (which is good for eczema).

My boyfriend has had trouble with his skin his whole life, he has stress related eczema and dry patches of skin, he has multiple skin creams which are prescribed to him from his doctor and none of them seem to work, while we were out shopping with my mum one day she told him he should try this Simple moisturiser, which he was uncertain of as he didn't like experimenting with creams any more as none seem to work and always made his skin worse. Ever since my mum bought him this product he has been buying it over and over again as it really has helped his skin, so that proves that there really is no perfumes and harsh chemicals in it's formula!

I use this when I get ready in the morning and when I go to bed at night, if I haven't used it in a while (because I have been lazy with my skincare routine) I can instantly see a difference the next morning, my skin is brighter and not as dull looking, much softer and doesn't feel oily or greasy.

I would highly recommend giving it a go if you are wanting to try a new moisturiser!