Moisture is so so important for me, I have combination skin, I get oily in my t zone when I'm hot, normal in some places and get easily dehydrated and dry in others, so I need to make sure that the moisturisers I use deliver appropriately. The most important aspect of a moisturiser for me is hydration and absorption. It really needs to quench my skins thirst and my skin needs to drink it up straight away. I'm extremely fussy with moisturisers, and if I find one that works for me I will continue to use it and keep it as a staple. I need my moisturisers to be affordable because of how often I will apply it during the day for ablution. But because I'm always looking for the next best thing I am always willing to try out new things. So here are some quick reviews on the moisturisers I currently own.

This is Part 2 of my current skincare routine. Toners. Back in the day toners were used to rebalance the PH level of your skin and to remove any residual cleanser or leftover grime. Now is the era of the Exfoliating Toner, made famous by Caroline Hirons. These toners work to scuff away dead skin cells and bring out newer layers of skin! There are so many variations of exfoliating toners, some have higher acid levels and some low.

This particular post will be shorter than my first because I have only 2 toners that I am rotating between. The first one is the Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Toner. Full review here

Bravura Detoxifying Eucalyptus Toner 15% AHA

A little stronger meaning I've bumped it up to 15%. This is the Bravura Detoxifying Eucalyptus Toner, for oily problem skin, now I don't have oily skin but I do have problem skin. This is the strongest AHA I have ever used on my face and I think it's a little too strong for me. This smells really strong and almost medicinal which I don't think is everyones cup of tea. I'm not sure if it's the percentage of the AHA or one of the ingredients like the alcohol but I found my skin getting really dehydrated after using this, it did work to clear some of my spots out and some bumps, a lot more than the Clarins one but it was making my skin more dry and dehydrated and really parched. I've finished this and will be moving onto something else now. I used it after cleansing and before moisturising. This would be good for people with very oily problematic skin. Overall I do like their products and I can't wait to try out more Bravura London products. Bravura specialise in AHA products which was how I discovered them, they also do anti-aging products and other products for all your skincare needs, heres the link to their website.

Next post up will be : Moisturisers!

Because of the extensive collection I own, I am dividing this post into several parts so it doesn't turn into one massive never ending post. One post will be about my cleansers, another about my toners, another about moisturisers, another about face masks and another about treatments. I use particular products appropriately for when my skin needs a certain treatment, I don't use them all at once! I try to keep my regime simple, I don't like layering products and you have to remember I wash my face up to 5 times a day to perform ablution for my 5 prayers, so I won't be reapplying hundreds of layers over and over again.

This post will be about my cleansers. I use a cleanser to take off my makeup if i have any on and then another cleanser at the sink to get a more thorough clean. I always cleanse more than once. Just to be safe.

Boots Time Delay Micellar Cleansing Water, Dr Darren McKeown AHA Active Radiance Cleanser, Neutrogena Spot Stress Control Scrub, The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

Next we have an old favourite which is Dr Darren McKeown AHA Radiance cleanser, This has 3% AHA so it very lightly exfoliates and cleanses, removes leftover makeup and grease and leaves skin soft. It was the way it left my skin feeling smoother that had me hooked on this stuff, hence why I kept repurchasing it off of Ebay. Though I have found another alternative that is easily attainable from Boots or Superdrugs.  I have almost finished this bottle and probably will not purchase anymore, I thought I should include it in this post as an honorary mention. Adieu my old friend adieu...

The other alternative that I came across is the Neutrogena Spot Stress Control Scrub. This my friends is a true hidden gem. I had no intention of purchasing this, I only bought it because I had a Boots voucher to use with it. The first time I used it, I applied it as I normally would do any cleanser, smothered it on,  I brushed my teeth for 2 minutes and then went back to my cleanser, since this was a scrub I massaged it around a bit and then I started rinsing it off, as I was rinsing it off, I felt (what i thought was) a slimy residue on my skin, immediately I knew I hated this cleanser, I hate residue on my skin. BUT as I kept rinsing, I realised there was no slime, my face wasn't slimy it was incredibly SMOOTH! It was BUTTERY SMOOTH. I grabbed the tube and scanned through the ingredients. There it was. 4th in line. Glycolic Acid! 4th! Glycolic Acid was the 4th ingredient! WOWZERS!!!! Me and AHA's are like best buds, so I was ecstatic that this drugstore cleanser had AHA's in it that made my skin feel impeccably smooth. It was instant love. This washes off makeup and grime and helps to control future breakouts. The little scrubby particles encourage the Chemical exfoliation too so its a double whammy! I will do  a separate blogpost on AHA's and why I adore them so much. Please please please, go out and buy this, so affordable and effective.



This last cleanser was one I bought on a whim. I had read about oil cleansing and really liked the idea of an oil cleanser that gently dissolves your makeup and then turns into a milk when mixed with water and washes away leaving skin soft and nourished. I'm a moisture junkie, so anything that imparts hydration and softness is a must have for me. And in these cold winter days we could do with some extra hydration. The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil costs a hefty 10 GBP, which for me is a lot for a cleanser. Though I should mention that The Body Shop has regular sales and offers so you never really have to pay full price if you buy at the right time. They say to apply on dry skin, massage and rub into makeup then add some water and massage some more then rinse a plenty. it does leave skin feeling really soft and nourished, for someone who doesn't like residue this does leave a teeny weeny bit of residue but not so much that I feel like washing my face again. Though on days when I'm washing off makeup I do do an extra cleanse with the oil or a separate gel cleanser. I don't think I will repurchase this because I am way too eager to try out other cleansing oils and balms available in the market.

So that is it for my cleansers, having good cleanser is very important for me, I will do my best to avoid breakouts and will try and make sure my skin gets a thorough clean. Never sleep with makeup on guys! Hope this was helpful. Watch out for part 2 which is Toners!

I came across this toner whilst I was watching Dannii Ofe's (What I Call Beautiful/Xodjo on YouTube) video about her skincare routine. She mentioned that it combated any congestion on her skin and I was instantly interested. I did my research and it seemed to receive very good reviews.

I started using this mask back in March and it has had a definite impact to my face. I'll start off with my skin condition and problems then I'll mention how this has made a difference to my skin.

Perfect flawless skin, who doesn't want that? I want it for sure! Every beauty lover wants perfect healthy skin. My skin isn't too bad, I am very very grateful to God for blessing me with the skin that I've got. But it's far from perfect. I've sort of given brief details about my skin, but I'm dedicating this whole post to skin and my search for 'THE' foundation, as I'm sure many of you out there are interested in the same thing, and maybe just maybe, one of you hold the key to my foundation problems!

I'm South Asian, a very yellow under toned South Asian, and I love my yellowyness, I love the natural sunlit glow my skin has. My skin is normal to really dry, though when I'm hot it does get oily on my forehead, around the nose and chin (so basically my t-zone). But after I've washed my face or done my ablution I NEED to moisturise or my skin will start pulling and will feel taut. I'm around NC40-42, though some recent research and trials say something else. My cheeks are the lightest part of my face, my forehead is slightly darker (due to teenage years of acne which only sprouted on my forehead and the acne creams I used to treat them), and the area around my mouth is darker than my forehead. The darker areas are kinda grey and dull looking and aren't obvious, you sort of have to focus on those areas after I tell you then you'll notice the different colours on my face :D !

Even in my twenties I get spots! I can blame that on hormones and a not-so-perfect diet. It isn't as bad as my teenage years, I just get the odd one or two right there bang in the middle of my forehead and boy can they be mean ugly ones. I also get tiny tiny spot like bumps on and around my face, usually in clusters, sometimes they go, sometimes they stay, only noticeable when your closeup. It was only after I started threading my whole face aged 20, when I started sprouting spots on my cheeks, I'd never get spots on any other place of my face apart from my forehead! I was lucky I guess, the other girls in high school were jealous of my smooth clear cheeks hehe! Anyway I thought that maybe because I'd pulled (threaded) the hairs out of the pores of my face, it left the pores empty and more susceptible to catching dirt and turning into spots, it makes sense right? Then once the spots healed they would turn into dark dark scars and would take months to fade :( !!! I also noticed and learnt what 'big pores' were :(. I bet you're thinking "bet she regretted threading her face! She has to deal with pores, zits and black scars now!" Yes I do regret it, I really miss that youthful clear blemish free healthy skin that I had on my cheeks, but the fur HAD to go, you win some you lose some I guess...

Hyper-pigmentation. Tan skins are cursed with this, I am! Ugh! Bane of my life! It doesn't go, I've tried Ambi fade cream, I've tried Fade Out, I exfoliate, nada nothing works. It's hormonal I think (any suggestions anyone?) It's like I have a frickin moustache. My lips are hyper pigmented too, yukky looking, though not as bad as some I've seen. I get to miss out on so many lovely lip colours because it looks horrible with the darkness on and around my lips. And the ye old acne scars dotted around my face. It can look quite bad, but again I am and have to be grateful to God that it ain't worse.

I know many people that have the same problems as me, I have done so much research on all these issues, which have encouraged me to change my skincare regimes and diet i.e. drinking more water. I try to use specific skincare that will tackle those problems, like brightening, radiance enhancing products, AHA's, SPF, exfoliation etc. I will do a post soon on the products I use and that I think have helped and I like.

Now onto foundation!! The way I see it is I want to have perfect skin and if I can't have perfect skin or until I DO have perfect skin, I want to fake it! Lol lets be real nobody has perfect skin, I may never have perfect flawless radiant skin, so I want a foundation that will work with my skin to make it look more even, more radiant, more healthy and flawless! Is it wrong for me to want to feel good? No? Then why haven't I found my perfect foundation yet? I have tried a few, high end and low end but I still prefer my own natural skin compared to the cakey grey fake mess looking back at me from the mirror. Okay slightly exaggerating, I'm sort of new to makeup, I'd say around 2 years, but I've learnt a hellofalot in the past 2 years, so I know what I'm searching for. I haven't tried a good many but I'm getting there! Below I will list ALL the foundations I have and have tried, whether there full sizes that I've bought or just samples I've collected.

First ever foundation, bought by my sister yonks ago, when I was a tomboyish late teen and I couldn't be any more interested:

No7 Radiant Glow Foundation in Walnut 45 : My sister randomly picked it up for me, she came home and slapped it on my face, I don't remember how I reacted or what I thought, only trying it now I can say that it's okay, but it's a shade or two too dark for me, it has tiny tiny shimmer particles, which do look radiant on the skin but I don't like looking darker, I look rather burnt and my natural radiance goes.

YSL Perfect Touch Radiance Brush Foundation No.6 Gold Beige : My sister bought it, but I was with her, only in person. It seemed to work fine when I first used it, but after 4 years, something isn't right, the YSL assistant chose this shade for me, and now after some research I find out that this shade is for NC30 skin tones?!? I am not that pale!! How did I manage to wear this without looking fake!! Because when I wear it now it looks sort of grey and too light on me. Has my skin tone changed these past 4-5 years? Has the foundation gone off? Has the formulation changed?

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation in Sun Beige: I have dry skin, I don't need to look any more matte! Bought when I had very little knowledge in makeup. It's drying on me, a bit too dark for me, not yellow enough at all, looks cakey and I am left with absolutely no glow or radiance whatsoever. Never again!!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in 56 Light Bronze: I read so many good stuff about the Bourjois Healthy Mix, Lisa Eldridge uses this in her videos, and all that jazz about the Chanel factory! Well I like the moisturising-ness, the dewy look it gives my skin, how it evens it out, but it's not yellow enough! And it's slightly dark on me! I like it but again snatches the yellowy glow from my skin.

Mac Studio Sculpt NC42: the MAC mua chose this shade for me and gave me a generous sample, it's moisturising, decent coverage, lasts long, but I've been told by my friend and sister that it's slightly dark on me. So I went back and got a sample of...

MAC Studio Sculpt NC40: I went down a shade! But this is slightly too light for me (I think) and not yellow enough! I have to use it sparingly and blend blend! So this has led me to believe that I'm a NC41 in the Studio Sculpt range!!! I must be, right ???

MAC Mineralize Satin Finish Liquid Foundation in NC40: I was recommended this foundation by a friend, who said it was amazing and she's seen it on others and it looks amazing. So I got a sample. I really liked this foundation, really really! I had used this when my skin was really good and behaving really well, and when I used this-and just a tiny tiny amount then let it settle in for a few minutes, my skin just looked soooo even and perfect, my skin tone and all, no yellowness vanishing! I really liked it, but they gave me such a tiny sample I haven't been able to play about with it and my skin hasn't been too good these past couple of months.

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC40: This is okay, but I think its a little too light for me, I would be interested in trying the NC42. So I cant make any judgements on this yet.

So these are the foundations I've tried, I just wrote a little detail on them, if you want to know anything just let me know. I haven't been 100% with any of these, apart from the MAC Mineralize Satinsfinish. But if anyone has any advice to give me please leave some comments. I don't like looking grey, I want a foundation that will work with my yellow undertones and natural glow. Because I don't think I've found my perfect match yet, and I'm confused as to whether I am a NC42 or NC40?!? Maybe I am applying them wrong, should I invest in some brushes? Something with decent coverage as well, makes me look radiant and flawless and gorgeous!! This is a long post eh?! Oops! Any help and recommendations are welcome! And so the search continues...