SKIN CARE ROUTINE

SKIN CARE ROUTINE

Hi guys. So, a lot of my friends and family have been asking me recently what I've been using to get rid of  blemishes on my face. Like a lot of people, now and again I get the odd spot, but before I had a set skin care routine it was a completely different story. I used to break out all over my face, especially my forehead, which made me feel incredibly insecure. My solution was applying very heavy foundation on a daily basis but that wasn't fixing much, just hiding it. Now that I have a set skin care routine with products that I love, I definitely don't breakout as much as I did before. So I'm going to talk you guys through my skin care routine. Before I tell you all about it, I understand that everyone has different skin types. Not everyones skin will react the same way to some of the products I am about to mention, but they have worked wonders for me. If anyone is wondering, I have combination to oily skin as I have dry cheeks but an oily T-zone. I do recommend that before trying certain products, you should perhaps seek advice from a skin specialist. Or maybe if you know your skin type you can always talk to someone around. I spoke to the very helpful ladies at Space NK, who gave me advice and tips on skin care and different products. So, lets begin...

Removing your makeup thoroughly is one of the most crucial steps in your skin care routine. I wipe off all my makeup, usually using Bioderma. My Bioderma ran out so I decided to head to Boots. I picked up what I've heard to be a dupe for Bioderma- Garnier's 'Micellar Cleansing Water.' So far, I'm liking it. It gets rid of makeup and does the job but despite this, I probably will end up getting back to my Bioderma soon. But this is a great alternative for anyone wondering.

Now for my routine in the shower. I use the Dove 'Go Fresh' body wash in 'Blue Fig and Manderin.' It smells great and is incredibly refreshing. Especially great for those mornings when you just don't want to get out of bed. As its been so cold outside, I like to use a body wash that keeps my skin feeling nourished and moisturised and this body wash feels so creamy, it does the job perfectly. I use this body wash by squeezing a bit out onto a loofah or exfoliating gloves to get rid of those dead skin cells.

I know I've spoken about this product already, but I just can't seem to get enough of it. It's the 'Lush Lip Scrub' in 'Santa's.' In winter especially, your lips tend to get chapped, dry and sore. The only thing I feel that saves my lips from getting like that is this lip scrub. They use natural ingredients. I usually take a pea sized amount onto my ring finger and 

rub it onto my lips in  a circular motion. Then I just wash it off... or lick it! 

I then take two pumps of the 'Ren Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser' onto my fingers and place some onto my forehead, chin, cheeks and my neck and I just massage it all onto my skin for 2-3 minutes. I then get a damp muslin cloth and wipe my face with it. I usually just use the Boots own brand muslin cloths or the Champney's muslin cloths for extra sensitive skin. I was told by the women at Space NK not to use this as my skin might start producing more oil, as this is removing oil but I myself loved this product as I have blemish prone skin and the clay cleanser really does help to unclog pores and cleanse my skin. I then found a solution. I thought I'd balance it out by using a great moisturiser.

I then pat my face dry with a towel and spray some La Roche Posay 'Thermal Spring Water' which I use more like a toner. I either take this onto a cotton pad and wipe it all over my face or I just like to spray this directly onto my face. It makes me feel fresh, wide awake and ready to face the world! It's a natural antioxidant and soothes and softens your skin and can be used on both children and adults.

I then let that dry and start by applying my eye cream. At the moment, I'm using the Clarins 'Eye Revive Beauty Flash' which refreshes, tightens and brightens your eyes. I just gently pat that underneath my eyes and just pat the excess onto the top of my eyes. This eye cream doesn't interfere with makeup and I have been told that it can be worn on top of your makeup during the day to refresh and brighten the eye area.

I then move onto my La Roche Posay 'Effaclar Duo' which is, without a doubt, one of the best steps in my routine. I cannot complete my skin care routine without this and I've been religiously using this product for over two years now. I love everything about it. This is reason that my skin improved and the reason my blemishes have disappeared. It is said to correct imperfections, helps get rid of marks and unclogs pores. This is one product I recommend to a lot of people with problematic blemish prone skin to use as part of their skin care routine.

Recently, I popped into Space NK and saw a product that I've seen a lot of people rave about. The Embryolisse 'Lait-Crème Concentrate.' I didn't see any testers but I really wanted to get it so I just went for it hoping that I didn't waste my money on something I wasn't going to like. I had read that it can be used as an after-shave cream, baby product, cleanser etc and I always say that whatever can be used on babys is safe to use on myself. This is what I bought to balance with my Ren cleanser. I took out a fair amount and dotted it all over my face and neck and gently rubbed it onto my face. My skin has never felt so good. It made it feel so soft and smooth and just moisturised my face without it feeling too greasy or still dry. This is a must have for winter and is great to use under your makeup.

I've been in between two body moisturisers: The Garnier 'Intensive 7 Days Daily Body Lotion' and the Nivea 'Rich Nourishing' body moisturiser. In winter, my skin tends to get even dryer than it actually is which is why I need something that is extra rich, moisturising and doesn't sink into the skin pretty quickly so that it keeps my skin moisturised for longer. I use the Nivea one a lot more although it's a little time consuming to work into the skin. It's still worth the effort as your skin stays moisturised all day and it has a fresh smell to it to give that refreshing touch.

Last but not least, I take care of my lips and hands. A lip balm I've been loving is the Carmex 'Limited Edition Moistrising Lip Balm.'  It really helps fight chapped and dry lips and almost smells of Vicks Vapour Rub- a very soothing smell- and for my very dry hands I've been using the Aēsop 'Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm' which I mentioned in my 'Manchester Haul.' I can't get enough of this product. It absorbs and hydrates my hands and I can't stop sniffing it as it smells just like a spa!

Now you know what I do and use for my skin care routine, if you have any comments or questions leave them down below or contact me on:

salihaakku@hotmail.co.uk

and follow me on instagram :

@sally_akku

Lots of love 

SALLY AKKU 

XXX

MANCHESTER SHOPPING HAUL

MANCHESTER SHOPPING HAUL

Hi again. So a few days after I went to Liverpool One, I travelled to Manchester Arndale whilst on a visit to a few of the museums in Manchester. That was definitely a day where I didn't want to shop for clothes so I didn't focus on anything except beauty products. As I don't live in a city, I've either got to travel to the next biggest city or shop online for my beauty products. So I was prepared to track down what I needed as I was ready with my list!

1st stop : SPACE NK

                          

Firstly, I decided to quickly pick up my under eye saviour! My NARS 'Radiant creamy concealer' in shade 'Caramel.' Nothing has worked this well under my eyes to hide those 'last minute project hand in, all nighter dark circles' as well as this. I usually use this with my Real Techniques 'Setting Brush' and blend it in well and set it with my Ben Nye 'Luxury Powder' in 'Banana' to create a flawless bright finish. 

£22.00

As I was walking around the shop testing different products on the back of my hand, I felt the need to moisturise. I then came across this Aesop's 'Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm' and used the tester to moisturise. I instantly fell in love with it! It moisturised my hands without it feeling greasy and the smell of this moisturiser was just so calming. My hands now smelt like I just walked out of a spa. It contains Mandarin Rind, Rosemary Leaf and Cedar wood Atlas. I now massage this onto my hands and feet before bed as it is incredibly moisturising and the smell makes it all the more soothing.

£19.00

Oh, have I heard a lot about this product! The hype about this product is insane. I thought I'd try the smaller sized one to see what all the fuss was about. After cleansing my face, I used my La Roche Posay 'Effaclar Duo' as a serum and then applied this on top and let it sink into my skin. As I applied it I completely understood what all the fuss was about. My skin instantly felt much softer and nourished. It can be used for many things, as an after shave product, a cleanser, a mask and also as a baby skin care product! I will definitely be purchasing a larger version, as this has become a favourite part of my skin care routine.

£13.00

I received these Nude 'Perfect Cleanse Omega Cleansing Jelly' samples from Space NK which I am yet to try but I'm liking it already as it claims it has no parabens, sulphates or silicone's, which is always a good sign. I thoroughly look forward to using these and I will put up a little review when I have properly tried them.

Urban Outfitters

I walked into Urban Outfitters to have a quick look at the home section as it always has quirky things. As a lot of you know, I have recently moved house and I'm sticking to whites and creams in my room. I wanted a cute little white frame for my dressing table and found this frame which has a vintage look to it and as you can see it goes well with a few of my cream and white accessories in my room which I got as house warming gifts. I still need to properly decorate, but for now I'm really liking this cosy look for winter.

£10.00

As I was paying for my frame, I was stood in the queue of doom (where they stack all beauty products alongside) and although i tried to resist, I eventually gave up and picked up something I really wanted to try. The EOS 'Hand Lotion' in 'Berry Blossom.' People went crazy over the EOS lip balms so I thought id give this a go. I love that its small, travel and handbag friendly. It smells sweet and soft at the same time, absorbs well and it will be staying in my handbag for sure!

£6.00

 SELFRIDGES

Left to right

'Powder & sculpt brush'-£35.00

'Eye Blender Brush'-£25.00

'Lip Cheat Lipliner'-£16.00

My first stop in Selfridges was definitely the Charlotte Tilbury counter as I usually go to the Selfridges in the Trafford centre where they don't have a Charlotte Tilbury. I was extremely excited to finally get my hands on some products! I wanted my first few Charlotte Tilbury products to be things that I could use everyday. After going around the counter, I finally picked up three items. My first item was the 'Powder & Sculpt Brush.' I wanted this brush to use for everyday quick contouring as it has a perfect dome shape and the size is great if you want to get right under them cheekbones and for setting your under eye concealer.

 The next thing I picked up was the 'Eye Blender brush.' I bought this brush as I thought it would be great for blending out concealer under the eyes and also to use to blend out eyeshadow. It's good to use for them creases! I love the packaging and also how it is made to not roll off (just makes life a little easier)! I love the quality of the brushes and will be going back to buy some more. Another thing I picked up was the 'Lip Cheat,' which was said to help you re-size and re-shape your lips. As a lot of you may know I am loving the over drawn Kylie Jenner lip, so I picked this up in 'Iconic Nude'. Now, this is a 50/50 product for me. When I tried to apply it, it felt like you've got to really work it in to your lips as its not as pigmented as I would have liked, but overall I think it gives a pretty natural finish to the lips.

This is the 'Master Corrector' from Giorgio Armani in shade '2.' It's an orange corrector. Yes, orange. This corrector helps to cover a bit of pigmentation I have on my face, which is especially common for those with darker skin tones. I first blend some of this corrector out onto the darker areas then just go over them with my concealer. The orange cancels out the darker areas and using concealer just helps to even out everything.

£26.00

Since a few months, I've been trying to wear eye liner and have been using the Giorgio Armani 'Waterproof Smooth Silk Eye Pencil' in shade '1' which is a black. This is probably one of the creamiest eye liners I have ever used. It has a blending tip on the other side which I absolutely love. Perfect for those who may have to rush makeup in the morning. I loved it so much that I thought I'd go and get it in shade '2' which is a dark brown and looks a little more subtle than the black. It has now become my everyday eyeliner. It's amazing to throw in your handbag and it already has an amazing blending tip with a point so you can get right to them corners.

£19.00

Last but not least, a friend of mine picked up 'Spice' lipliner from MAC as we were walking through and it just looked like a perfect autumn/winter brown. It would suit a lot of different skin tones and is just the most perfect brown lipliner that I've got my hand on. Great for everyday use. It's very pigmented and doesn't cling onto dry areas on your lips and is a perfect shade and lipliner if you want to over draw, re-size or re-shape your lips. A fab product!

£12.50

Thanks for reading 

follow my instagram : sally_akku

Lots of love 

SALLY AKKU 

XXX

THE COAT (MENS EDITION)

THE COAT (MENS EDITION)

As you may or may not know, about two days ago I uploaded my 

 'THE COAT (WOMEN'S EDITION),' which all my female readers loved, so I thought why not do one for my male readers. I know its getting cold out there especially if you're living in cold England, so I thought Id post a few ways to style your coat/jacket.

'Travel in style'

Jacket- MCQ Alexander McQueen

Shoes-Givenchy

Holdall-Givenchy

'Work hard, play hard'

Coat-Paul Smith London

Shoes-Bottega Veneta

Scarf-Burberry

Briefcase-Valextra

'Day to evening'

Jacket-Officine Generale

Shoes-Lanvin

Watch-Uniform Wares

Most of these items are available at Net-A-Porter and Selfridges.

 P.S all you high end loving fashionistas check out @crepslocker on Instagram for the most fashion forward designer footwear out there. They stock everything from Buscemi to Louboutins!

Thanks for reading 

follow my Instagram for updates: sally_akku

Love of love 

SALLY AKKU

XXX

THE COAT (WOMENS EDITION)

The Coat (WOMENS EDITION)

'High expectations'

So this is a look you could pull off during any season and this look could be worn maybe on your way to a glamorous party, occasion or event, this is sophisticated glamour.

Lipgloss-Tom Ford in 'Naked'

Heels-Gianvito Rossi

Bag-YSL

Coat-Victoria Beckham

'Day to night, city life'

This look could be worn to work, a meeting or even a day out shopping with the girls and can be worn during the day or evening.

Scarf-Givenchy

Heels-Christian Louboutin

Coat-Bottega Veneta

Bag-Saint Laurent

'Winter Olympics'

This street,sporty look could be worn everyday ,whether its to university or going out for a cuppa, its an all round comfy, casual look, This one sure does get my vote!

Pouch-Givenchy

Shoes-Nike

Watch-Larsson & Jennings

Coat-American Vintage

follow my instagram to see the latest on me and my blog:

sally_akku

thanks for reading 

love

SALLY AKKU

xxx

LIVERPOOL BEAUTY HAUL

LIVERPOOL BEAUTY HAUL

After a month away from shopping for beauty products, I finally got my long awaited shopping spree. I managed to get my hands on products that I’ve wanted to try for a long time.


1.Our first stop, Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar: All my favourite products in one place. My purchases at the MAC counter were certainly worth the lengthy wait. As a huge fan of the matte lip, I was super pleased to see MACs new ‘The Matte Lip’ collection. I was particularly drawn to ‘Styled in Sepia,’ which is an almost Brown-nude lipstick with a very subtle, natural touch. It is especially perfect for those individuals with Olive or Brown skin tones that are fans of the nude lipsticks as the typical nude shades are much lighter and may not always compliment darker skin tones. That’s where ‘Styled in Sepia’ fixes those problems as the perfect everyday matte nude.
£15.50

2.Still staying on browny-nude lips, I decided to  pick up a glossier version of 'Styled In Sepia,' which is 'Touch.' It has a 'Lustre' finish, and is a perfect 'your lips but better', browny-pink which is perfect for all seasons.
£15.50


3.Every beauty geek I know is going crazy about Kylie Jenner's new overdrawn pinky-brown lip. A lot of us heard that its either 'Whirl' or 'Soar' lip liner by Mac, so I decided that I wanted both, but when I asked,they told me that Whirl was so popular that it was out of stock, which is the same thing they told me at three other Mac counters. I am giving up hope now! I did get my hands on 'soar' though. It's  almost like a dusty pink and would compliment every skin tone. It also doesn't cling onto dry areas on your lips like a lot of other lip liners do and is a colour you can wear throughout the year.
£12.50


4.Another thing I picked up that caught my attention was 'Beet' by MAC. This is a deep pinky-purply lip liner. It's not at all drying or  shiny but has a perfect matte finish and you know how much I love my matte's.
£12.50

left to right -

'Beet' lipliner by Mac 

'Soar' lipliner by Mac

'Trust' lipstick by Mac

'Style in Sepia' lipstick  by Mac

5.I was excited when I went up the escalators and saw that the floor above was filled with different beauty brands from Origins to Ren, to Louise Young! My first stop was Origins. I was on the hunt for a deep treatment type of lip balm as the cold winter months can have a horrible effect on my lips and I wanted to be prepared, so I bought the Origins 'Lip Remedy.' So far, I am loving it! It doesn't feel sticky or gooey in any way and it will fight those chapped lips!
£14.00

6.I also found my Ren 'ClearCalm 3 Anti-Blemish cleanser',which I've been using for about a year now and I am loving everything about this cleanser. Having to always order this online and pay for delivery is the downside, so I was extremely happy to see it in Harvey Nichols. This cleanser is great for combination to blemish prone skin, as it is clay based it deeply cleanses,purifies and unclogs pores. I just gently massage it into my skin for 2/3 minutes and wipe it all off with a damp muslin cloth. You can find these in any Boots store. 
£15.30

7.Another thing that really excited me that I hadn't seen anywhere else and have been wanting to try for a very long time
was the Louise Young 'LY34 Super Foundation Brush.' I've been wanting to see it for myself and finally, I got my hands on it. Louise Young's best seller. It is great for liquid foundations and also when you want to buff in powder foundations. It has a large surface compared to other foundation brushes that I have tried. It has an almost dome shape, the shorter bristles are good for blending whilst the longer ones are good for buffing the foundation in.
£24.00

 8.Last but not least, despite the rush, we made our way to Lush. Currently, Christmas in shop. It's that time of year where everything smells spicy, cinnamony and festive!
Unfortunately, I've just moved house recently where I have my own shower which means I can't use the bath bombs anymore but one thing that I always have to stock up on, every Christmas, is the lip scrub in 'Santa.' It's definitely my favourite lip scrub, and smells of a cola cube. I use it when I get in the shower by taking a tiny bit out at the tip of my finger and gently exfoliating in a circular motion. I love how it helps exfoliate and moisturise my lips at the same time and as they use natural ingredients, its good for those of us who can't help but lick off the excess. I gave one to my friend as part as one of her birthday presents, and she loved it too! I will have to buy a few more towards January sales, as this balm is a Christmas exclusive.
This can only mean one thing...more SHOPPING
£5.50

Hope you enjoyed reading my post.
If you have any questions or have any post recommendations,
please comment below.
Thanks for reading

Lots of love
SALLY AKKU
XXX