Hello my lovely people! I decided to do a quick update on myself, my blog and being mia etc. As most of you are aware, I was gone for around 5 months -which isn't a joke- that's almost half a year! And then a week a go, I sprang back into action, back into the picture like I was never gone! So I feel a little obliged to explain my absence just to keep you in the loop as I know a lot of you appreciate my presence and input on the blogosphere and I don't want to take advantage of or ignore that kind of loyalty and consideration that we have for each other. We're #instasisters at the end of the day ;) 

I don't want to divulge any details about my personal life or anything which I'm sure you all can understand. But basically....I had some things going on in my life that needed my care, concern and attention and I knew I would benefit from the mental space and the physical effort away from blogging. I won't claim to put truckloads of effort and dedication into my posts but I can't deny the whole process is definitely a time consuming one and I just didn't have the capacity to balance it all. My mind just wouldn't have been in it.

The time that I couldn't give to blogging then became an actual break from the blog and Instagram...it was quite refreshing to be honest. Though I did miss it, taking this time away didn't stop me from being a passionate beauty enthusiast and everything I saw or bought that excited me - I was itching to share with you all! I can't even begin to tell you how much I missed you all...you girls know who you are!

Then came the lazy stage of the break. I had collected so many goodies and had so many reviews lined up that I became a little overwhelmed with the amount of work that I had put on myself. I had what some may call a bloggers block! Like I said in my comeback / empties post (here) the bag just got heavier and heavier, so did the list of reviews that I wanted to write and I quite literally crept back and pussyfooted away from it all. It took lots of courage and planning to decide to come back and I told myself to take it one step at a time and hopefully that way I'd be able to manage it all.

Skin Update

Also in the last 5 months my skin has been all over the place. I was ill for a while and I think the combination of poor health, stress and lack of a routine made my skin almost unrecognisable. I developed dark circles, pigmentation, was ridiculously dehydrated, fine lines made an appearance all over my face, texture and flakes were at a record high and I had some active breakouts. I couldn't put a speck of makeup on my face, it looked absolutely awful atop of my skin.

Instead of crying into a pillow or locking myself in a tower, I went on a mission to nurse it back to health. I reduced the amount of acids I was using, especially Salicylic Acid as my skin doesn't seem to tolerate it if used too often. I applied my serums and antioxidants regularly and consistently (I have to thank my Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair, my Paula's Choice Resist Antioxidant Serum and Pestle & Mortar Hyaluronic Acid for replenishing my poor skin). I slathered on the oils and moisturisers and ingredients that strengthened my moisture barrier, wore my sunscreen daily and used acids every other day to help it all along. Along with plenty of water Alhumdulillah (all praise to God) my skin has improved a lot since doing this, it's still a little dehydrated and the fine lines are still there but I'm more at peace with my skin now.

Makeup Update

It's no lie I have done some makeup shopping in the past 5 months, I'm no saint and I've never claimed to be haha! It's not a lot but there's plenty to show and tell for. With regards to application I have become even more minimal with my makeup, especially the amount of foundation I use, because of my skins poor health I was forced to reduce the amount of foundation I put on as it would make my skin look much worse. 'Less is more' had really become me. I wanted the makeup to be invisible and flattering. I wanted to see skin, I wanted to achieve what foundation was intended for and that is healthy perfected skin. I've always known less foundation looked better on me but especially now that I have a slightly harder job at perfecting the imperfections, getting the right finish is vital for me. I have some new favourite products and techniques that I can't wait to share with you.

Now that I'm back I am trying to be more proactive with the blogging. I'm sure you've noticed that I've been throwing reviews at you this whole week, reason being I've tried sooooo many new things while I was away so I really want to share my experiences and thoughts with you, if I could I would throw it at you all at once but we know that's near impossible haha! So expect many more reviews to come your way and lots of new goodies to show. I hope you've all been well yourselves in these last 5 months my lovelies. See you soon. xxx

P.S. Since it's Ramadan I may do another disappearing act, just giving you a heads up hehe...It's the month of more prayers, self reflection, building on that connection with God, taking from His bountiful treasures and paving the way for the coming year...so please please remember me and the world in your humble prayers. Peace! xxx