Here at The Key Style we know that no outfit is complete without those finishing touches. Nothing takes a good outfit to a great outfit quite like the right accessories. That’s why we’ve chosen our favourite selection of shoes and bags from NA-KD Fashion to help you accessorise with ease…
All items are available from https://www.na-kd.com/en
Katie Kelly 31st January 2021
Make way for a dose of sunshine in your wardrobe with the soon to be colour of the season yellow. Pantone have officially named it ‘illuminating yellow’ alongside ‘ultimate grey’ (Pantone’s second colour of the year) and is said to represent hope, positivity and something uplifting. We think it’s obvious to see why yellow is the chosen colour for 2021 after the way the whole world changed last year. If one thing’s for sure we definitely need a bit of positivity in our lives this year, and if we can do that through our wardrobe then why not!
We’ve got to say we are pretty excited to start injecting more colour in to our wardrobes as soon as the weather starts getting warmer. So we thought we’d put together our top picks off of the high street that you can shop now to get the ball rolling. Think lighter knitwear, jogger sets and bodysuits. We hope you enjoy our picks and manage to get some inspiration for the coming months. Let us know in the comments below if this is a colour you’ll be trying out this Spring/Summer.
Claire Boyle 24th January 2021
Ok. So here we are in Lockdown 3.0 (in the UK) and let’s face it, we’re all feeling, well, a bit shit! It’s barely the end of January and it’s already been a long ass year! Most of us are stuck staring at the same four walls day in & day out and almost no one has a clue what day it is, right? Which is why now more than ever it is so important to talk about self care! Taking the time to look after yourself should always be a priority, but especially now during this pandemic when many of us will be facing struggling times, looking after our mental health is vital! So self care isn’t just about a sheet mask and a bath bomb – although these can be great – it’s about making sure that you prioritise taking that little bit of time that’s just for you. So here are some of our favourite self care tips to help you look after number one!
1. Take a bath
Now usually we’re always on the go, so hopping in and out of the shower is just what we tend to do. But right now when we have the luxury of time on our side, we’re realising that sometimes there is nothing more relaxing than a nice long hot bath. You can choose to have an indulgent bubble bath while reading a book & drinking a glass of wine, or make it fun with a colourful bath bomb. Or you could go all out and add bath oils, candles and spa themed music for an at home spa experience. We feel more relaxed already.
2. Pamper yourself
If you’ve followed us for a while you’ll know there’s nothing we enjoy more than a good pamper session. Now for us, that means hair washed, full body scrub, full skincare routine with sheet mask, facial roller, fake tan, THE WORKS! It might look the same for you or it might be something like painting your nails, giving yourself a blow dry, or putting on your make-up just because. Anything that gives you a little pick me up and puts a bit of pep in your step, we say go for it!
3. Read a book or listen to a Podcast
One thing we’ve promised ourselves this year is that we will make more time for reading books and listening to podcasts, which means less time scrolling through social media & watching 96437 series on Netflix. There’s something about curling up in a quiet cosy corner under a blanket with a hot drink and a good book that just hits different than watching a movie. Check out this post to see our recommended reads. And if you’re not big on reading, well that’s the great thing about audio books and podcasts, you don’t have to do any of the work. You just pop your headphones in, then lie back and relax. You don’t even need to use your eyes or really concentrate on anything like you do when you’re watching TV. How often do you honestly just lie down, close your eyes and relax?? Try it, we guarantee you won’t regret it. You can check out our post about our favourite podcasts here.
4. Do some journaling
Sometimes there is no better way to switch off than by writing down your thoughts. Whether that’s actually journaling or maybe just writing a to do list, writing down your goals for the month or year, making a list of things you are grateful for or even just brain dumping all of random miscellaneous thoughts onto paper just to get them out of your brain. Looking after your mental health is a huge part of self care and sometimes when you have a lot on your mind it can be hard to switch off and can be a big cause of anxiety. We know that writing things down in a notebook or journal helps us to think more clearly and make things seem a lot less overwhelming.
5. Talk
Just like writing things down, talking to people can be a massive help when you’re feeling down or anxious or overwhelmed. Remember, we’re all going through this right now, so if you’re feeling a certain way then we can guarantee you are not alone. And on top that we are all lacking in human interaction right now, and those who live alone will be finding it especially difficult. So be sure to schedule time to talk to your friends, and preferably via Zoom or FaceTime. Just seeing a friendly familiar face can make a huge impact on your mood. And it doesn’t have to be for a quiz or games night (although these are really fun). You could just arrange a virtual girls night in complete with wine & pizza or it can just be for a good old fashioned chin wag. Whatever it is, just make sure you are making the time to talk, especially if you are struggling, and remember, our DM’s are always open.
6. Meditate
There’s nothing worse than being unable to relax or switch off because your head is overwhelmed with thoughts. As two people who are serial over thinkers we know the struggle of brain overload. So that’s why we have both benefited massively from meditation. Taking some quiet time just to reflect, empty your mind & focus on nothing but your breath, is sometimes all you need to make your mood do a complete one eighty. Meditation has loads of amazing health benefits such as helping to reduce stress, alleviate anxiety and is even linked with increasing your productivity! If you’re not sure where to start, a quick YouTube search is all you need. You can search for guided meditations for anything from stress relief to mindfulness, pain relief and even to manifest money! So just choose one that works for you and prepare to feel zen.
7. Exercise
In the words of the great Elle Woods “Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins makes you happy. Happy people don’t kill their husbands!” Which is a good thing considering from what we’re hearing, lockdown is making the prospect of killing their spouse cross many women’s minds! Like, have they always chewed so loudly!? Anyway… It’s no secret that exercise has numerous health benefits. But besides the obvious physical benefits, exercise is also proven to have massive mental health benefits. Exercise can help to ease symptoms of anxiety & depression, relieve stress, as well as help improve self esteem & confidence. So whether you prefer a hardcore HIIT session, or a high energy aerobic dance workout or are more into a relaxing yoga or Pilates workout or even just taking a walk. Whatever it is works best for you, just getting your body moving and working up a sweat can have a huge impact on a negative mood. Sometimes even just buying new workout gear can give you the pick me up you need to get moving. Check out some of our favourite activewear below.
8. Do some DIY
And no we’re not talking about the painting & decorating kind! You guessed it! We’re going full Salt-N-Pepa! Let’s talk about sex baby! Just like exercise, sex releases endorphins, which as we already know, are pretty great for your mood – please refer to the words of Elle Woods mentioned earlier. Sex, or we should say orgasms, have many health benefits, both physically and mentally. First of all is the aforementioned mood enhancing endorphins released during orgasm (dopamine & oxytocin) which basically, give you a natural high. There is a Huffpost article about female masturbation that says “who needs drugs when you can make your own?” And we couldn’t agree more! Plus, orgasm can also relieve stress, be a form of pain relief and help you to fall asleep. Not to mention it improves your sex drive, burns calories and makes you feel more comfortable & confident with your body. And of course there’s the fact that it just feels damn good! So ladies make time for some “me” time. It’s good for your health! And if you want a little inspiration then treat yourself to one of our picks below.
9. Switch off your phone!
Or at least put it down for an extended period of time. Social media and in fact media in general can be overwhelming at the best of times. We are constantly fed a combination of negative stories on the news and picture perfect filtered highlight reels on instagram. And that was before the pandemic! So now we have all of the above plus fear, confusion, anger, conspiracy theories and more to contend with. Sometimes it just gets all too much and it’s time to switch off. We have personally tried and tested this method and trust us it does wonders for your mental state. Here’s what we did and highly recommend you do too. First, delete the Daily Mail app, or any other celeb tabloid media app, just do it! It’s full of crap and you don’t need to spend your day obsessing over Kim & Kanye’s divorce and whether or not he’s give a beauty guru a good seeing to, and you definitely don’t need to know which Kardashian/Jenner/(insert random Towie/Geordie shore/Love Island person here has had what done to their lips/face/tits/arse. Who cares? Yes we are guilty of looking at this stuff too but trust us. DELETE IT! Good! Now, and this will be a shock coming from us, delete the Instagram app! We know, blasphemy! But just for a day or two, or a few if you need it, along with Facebook & Twitter etc. This is the best option if you need to have your phone switched on but, if you can, switch off your phone! Or at least put it on airplane mode. We just texted the people closest to us something like this: “I’m feeling overwhelmed and need some time to recharge, so I’m switching off my phone & you won’t hear from me for a couple days. I’m ok, I just need a break.” (P.s. We did make sure to check it once a day just in case of an emergency). This did us the world of good, and it will help you realise how much time you spend attached to that little device. So spend all that extra time meditating, going for walks, reading, maybe do some DIY?… see what we did there 😉 Trust us you will feel completely recharged and re-energised after the break from all that negative energy.
And number 10… Sleep Zzz
It might sound obvious, but sometimes the best thing you can do to take care of yourself is making sure you get a decent amount of sleep. So whether that means taking a nap when you feel like you need to recharge or maybe not watching the next episode of that series on Netflix and just going to bed an hour earlier. Good sleep will help you to feel refreshed and energised and reduce your stress levels as well as improve your brain function throughout the day. If you struggle switching off at night try putting your phone away an hour before you go to bed, buying a pillow spray or listening to some sleep sounds using an app like Calm. You could even invest in some new bedding to make your bed feel more luxurious and make you look forward to getting into bed at night. Because all the caffeine in the world is just no substitute for an amazing night’s sleep!
So there you have it. Our top wellness tips for helping you to take care of you. Self care might look different for each of us, so whether for you it’s a long bubble bath with a glass of wine, a pamper night, a good sweat session, or just some good old DIY, as long as it makes you feel good, that’s all that matters! Happy self caring 🙂
Click here to check out an edit of all our favourite self care products in The Key Shop and be sure to share your favourite self care tips in the comments!
All opinions are our own. This post contains affiliate links meaning if you purchase through these links we do earn a small amount of commission.
Claire Boyle 21st January 2021
This year we made a promise to ourselves to read more books. There’s nothing quite like cosying up in a blanket with a hot drink and a great page turner. So if like us you want to make more time for reading or you’re just looking for inspiration for your next title, read on to discover the books we’re planning to get stuck into this year.
All about the law of attraction and how positive energy can attract positive things into your life. A great read if you want to learn more about manifesting your goals into real life.
Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given
A feminist read for women who want to fuck the patriarchy! Florence Given is an influencer who uses her platform to highlight issues like period poverty & gender equality. The description says this story will help you to “discover that you are the love of your own life” and we are here for it!
Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King
This Sunday Times best Seller has sold over 500k copies worldwide and we are dying to find out why. This positivity handbook is all about practising self care, prioritising your wellbeing, overcoming negative energy and manifesting your goals and we are all about those things too, so we definitely can’t wait to get stuck in to this one.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
This 2019 Booker Prize Winner tells the stories of 12 characters who are all black, all British and mostly female and extremely different. It tells the stories of their lives, loves, experiences and struggles while exploring topics of race, class & sexuality. Definitely one to add to your reading list.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
This one isn’t being released until 2nd March 2021 but is sure to be a page turner. Written by Nobel Literature Prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro this book will follow the story of Klara, an artificial intelligence friend who wants to find a human owner. This just sounds so interesting and thought provoking and we can’t wait for this one.
Are there any books you will be reading this year that you think we should too? Please let us know in the comments! And click here to read about the podcasts we’re listening to right now!
Claire Boyle 23rd January 2021
We love a podcast! They are so great for when you want to pop in your headphones while you’re cleaning or working out or just going for a walk. Personally we love listening while we’re working at home. There’s something about a podcast that seems way more intimate and candid. You can listen to your favourite celebs, authors, comedians etc. just have a relaxed conversation about pretty much anything and everything. Or you can learn great career tips and get motivation for your business or advice on lovelife, sex, relationships, pareting. Or you could just find one that makes you laugh! Take a look below for our recommendations for our favourite podcasts to add to your playlist.
The Lady Gang podcast is hosted by Becca Tobin, Jac Vanek & Keltie Knight, who used to host a TV show on E! Also called Lady Gang. This is a really fun easy listen where the three hilariously funny and opinionated ladies discuss all things Hollywood and celebrity and no topic is off limits. From celebrity hookups and breakups, to Sex & The City TV comebacks, real housewives, sex and drinkng games. Unapologetically funny & female!
The Real Reel is a podcast about real people, real careers & real life hosted by Natalie Barbu. Natalie is a content creator, influencer, youtuber, podcast host and founder of her own company WeBloom Social. She literally does it all! This is a great one to listen to when you’re in need of motivation & inspiration. Natalie interviews a different personality every week from entrepreneurs & CEO’s, to Youtubers & social media influencers. With topics covering everything from career advice, growing your online presence, motivation for success, productivity, investing, manifesting… the list goes on.
Ctrl Alt Delete podcast is hosted by author, podcast host & multi-hyphenate Emma Gannon. Her book ‘The Mult-Hyphen Method’ looks at rethinking the traditional career paths and 9 to 5 work week and instead creating a career and life balance that works for you. On her podcast she discusses everything from career & money to life & relationships with her guests which include the likes of YouTuber Patricia Bright, Author of The Secret Rhona Bryne & Instagram cleaning sensation Mrs Hinch.
Ok so this one might be very specific to fans of the TV show Scrub’s, but that’s we love it! Fake Doctors, Real Friends is hosted by Scrub’s co-stars and real life best friends Zach Braff & Donald Faison (aka JD & Turk). Each week they basically relive the show episode by episode & share backstage stories about filming the show as well as host exclusive interviews with the cast members. Very niche, but very entertaining & very, very funny.
One for when you just want to laugh. In this podcast comedians Ed Gamble & James Acaster invite a different celebrity each week to visit their fantasy restaurant and choose their ideal starter, main, side dish, dessert and drink. What ensues can only be described as hilarious! With celebrity guests that include Louis Theroux, Romesh Ranganathan, Noah Schnapp, Katherine Ryan, Joe Lycett, Greg Davies, Joel Domett… the list goes on and on. In a word… Genius!
Do you have any favourites that we need to be listening to? Let us know in the comments or DM us on instagram! We love hearing from you guys! Be sure to check out our post on self care here or check out our list of our favourite books to curl up with here!
Katie Kelly 17th January 2021
Is any self care day actually complete if you didn’t use a sheet mask? In short the answer is no, not if you want the ultimate hydration for your skin. Picture this, it’s a rainy and cold Sunday evening. You run yourself a hot bath, soaking up every last bubble. When you’ve finished it’s time for your nightly skincare routine to add all that moisture back into your skin. So you reach for a sheet mask and go lie down on your bed (complete with cucumbers of course). You can just feel how hydrated and refreshed your skin is. Sounds perfect right?
So allow us to run through our favourite sheet masks because trust us when we say, we’ve tried a lot! These are essentially our ride or die masks but please let us know in the comments below if you’ve tried any of these or have any recommendations. Enjoy!
2. Pixi Beauty Vitamin C sheet mask – available on Pixibeauty and Cult Beauty (3 for £10) One of our go-to masks that we’ve been using for what feels like years, is the Vitamin C mask by Pixi Beauty. We personally don’t use a lot of products in our routines that use vitamins as an active ingredient which is why we love using the Vitamin C mask. Vitamin C is great for brightening the complexion and promoting collagen in the skin. This mask also uses caffeine extract which is used to de puff the skin. This is one that is great to use after drinking one too many wines as skin usually looks quite dull the day after consuming alcohol. What we also love about purchasing this on the Pixi Beauty website is that you can set up an auto replenish subscription meaning you can get your masks delivered straight to your door as often as you like without having to place the order every time. What more could you want!
3. Dr Jart+ Dermask Water Jet Vital Hydra Solution – Available on Cult Beauty and Beauty Bay (£6.00). Okay so we could probably list quite a few of the Dr Jart sheet masks on here but the one that stands out to us as an absolute must-have, is the Water Jet Hydra Solution. Seeing as this post is all about the most hydrating masks it’s only right that this one got the honourable mention. Packed with hyaluronic acid and aquaxyl (an ingredient used to limit water loss) this mask gives you an instant boost to your skin leaving you feeling all hydrated and glowy afterwards. And that’s what we all want from a sheet mask right?
4. Skin Republic Collagen Infusion sheet mask – Available at Superdrug and Boots.com (£4.99) As with the Dr Jart sheet masks, we could easily mention all of the masks in this range, trust us when we say they are all so good. In this post we’re just going to focus on the collagen infused mask as this is the one that, in our humble opinion, gives the best results, and here’s why. This mask is injected with Collagen, elastin and vitamin E. Combining these ingredients together helps to revitalise the elasticity in the skin, making the skin appear more youthful. So if you think about it your getting an affordable quick fix to make your skin look instantly boosted and younger! (Adds to cart immediately). This is one that we love to use in the morning, especially on a Monday to start our week off the right way and give us that fresh, dewy ‘I woke up like this’ glow!
5. Beauty Laundrette Hydrate and Soothe sheet mask – Available at Superdrug (£3.00) A brand we only discovered just last year but one we both instantly fell in love with. We’ve bought their products as gifts before and always get messages saying how much people love them! So let’s focus on the sheet masks. There are two masks you can buy, the radiate and glow and the hydrate and soothe but we personally prefer the hydrate and soothe. This mask is targeted for dry and dehydrated skin and helps to hydrate the skin leaving it feeling refreshed and soft. It’s filled with desert plant sugar and sodium hyaluronate which help the skin feel revitalised. It’s also worth mentioning the price of this mask compared to some of the others, this is just £3.00 and considering how good this mask actually is it’s probably the one we would recommend stocking up on the most!
So that’s it for our favourite sheet masks that we use time and time again. We hope you enjoyed reading through our list and hopefully you found some new additions to add to your skincare routine. Be sure to check back in for more beauty posts coming soon and you can shop more of our fave sheet masks below or click here to shop more of The Key skincare favourites!
Ultimate Christmas Movie Guide
It’s that time of year again, when bingeing your favourite Christmas movies is deemed fully acceptable. Okay so maybe it’s still a little early but after the year we’ve all had I’d say we are well within our rights to get a head start! So if you’re like us and want to delve straight in then below is our ultimate Christmas movie list filled with all of your favourites and a couple of newer releases. So grab yourself a cup of tea, get the snacks in and get ready to binge! Enjoy!
Home Alone
Okay let’s start things off with an absolute classic. It wouldn’t be Christmas without at least watching one of the Home Alone movies. Our favourite has to be the original movie when Kevin get’s left behind whilst his family jet off to Paris. I think we all know what happens next, but in case you haven’t yet seen it be prepared for non stop laughs.
Love Actually
Who doesn’t love a good love story when it comes to Christmas. Love Actually brings you romance, laughs and dare I say a little bit of frustration (yep we all know I’m talking about Alan Rickman’s character Harry). You know you’ve got yourself a truly British film when Hugh Grant is part of the cast. So get yourself some popcorn and potentially tissues for what we think is one of the best two hours you’ll spend this Christmas.
The Holiday
Continuing on with another romantic story, we have to mention The Holiday. Probably one of our favourites to watch during Christmas, The Holiday brings you two very different love stories but both equally as heart-breaking as the other. Okay maybe heartbreak is slightly overkill but you do definitely feel sorry for both characters. Along with an all star cast, you’ve got yourself what turned out to be a go to Christmas movie.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A go to movie that you can watch as a family and basically enjoy at any age. Jim Carrey’s version of Dr Seuss’s The Grinch is a Christmas Classic. If you’re looking for something light hearted and fun to watch on a Sunday evening we definitely recommend this one. It’s got great costumes, over the top hair and make up and lots of laughs.
Elf
It just wouldn’t be right to have a Christmas movie list without including Elf. Probably everyone’s go to movie year after year and for good reason too. It’s non stop laughs, and so many one liners that you’ll be repeating for days after. This movie has a special little place in our hearts when we went to New York two years ago for Christmas and watched Elf in the hotel. It was probably the most perfect setting to enjoy this absolute joy of a movie.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Arguably the best Christmas movie to come out of the 80’s. This is the third instalment from the film series and in our opinion is the definitely the best one. If you haven’t seen this one yet, keep an eye out for cousin Eddie and his family when they come to visit. There are lots of laughs in this one so I’d save it for a Friday or Saturday with a few glasses of wine.
The Polar Express
First on our list for the animated movies is The Polar Express. This one is such a feel good movie and Tom Hanks plays one of the lead roles, need we say anymore. This one is based on an old children’s book and tells the story of a young boy who finds himself on a magical adventure to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. It’s such a lovely, feel good movie to watch with the family on a Sunday evening after your roast dinner.
Deck The Halls
What’s Christmas without a little friendly competition with your neighbours, or in this case a lot. Deck the Halls brings you two very competitive neighbours who try to out do each other with the best decorations in the neighbourhood. This movie is borderline ridiculous in parts but that’s what makes it so great. An easy and fun watch, that you’ll probably revisit year after year.
Jingle All The Way
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this action packed comedy from 1996 as a dad who promises his son anything he wants for Christmas. Of course his son wants a sold out toy and oh did we mention it’s Christmas Eve. A quick an easy hour and a half watch with nothing short of a few laughs along the way. If it’s not already there make sure you get this one added to your list.
Miracle on 34th Street
Okay so we’re throwing it way back for our next movie. For us Miracle on 34th Street needs to be watched in the original 1947 black and white version. Don’t get us wrong we love the 1994 take on this classic movie but there is just something about the original that just tops it for us. If you’ve only ever seen one but not the other why not give it a go this Christmas.
Mr Popper’s Penguins
Originally a book, Mr Popper’s penguins made it on to the big screen with Jim Carrey taking on the lead role. This is a light hearted, fun and very cute movie to watch as let’s be honest it’s the penguins that steal the show. We pretty much watch this movie every year now after discovering it for the first time two years ago.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Last but not least on our ultimate Christmas movie list is Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Okay so technically Jack Skellington is more of a Halloween character but in this movie he leaves Halloween town and discovers Christmas town. A slightly darker take on a Christmas movie than the others above but definitely a must watch for all the family to enjoy this season.
Other honourable mentions:
So that’s it for our Christmas movie guide. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through our favourites, let us know below your favourite’s and any suggestions you might have for us.
Happy Viewing
Katie and Claire
Buying cruelty free skincare can seem a little daunting at first, especially if like me you decide to switch out your entire beauty cabinet for a whole new skincare routine. After years of trying out different brands, and I mean years I’ve decided to put together a list of my favourite cruelty free brands to help ease you in to making the switch over. Originally I was going to write one big post about all my favourite brands but instead this is going to become a monthly feature where i put the spotlight on one particular brand. I really hope you enjoy reading as much as i enjoyed writing it.
The Ordinary
First up I wanna talk to you about The Ordinary. Aside from the fact that the whole range is super affordable, this brand has very quickly become one of my go-to’s when it comes to shopping for some good quality products. The ordinary has completely stripped back all those unnecessary ingredients that get added to our everyday skincare products and instead focuses on using quality ingredients at an impressive price point. If this is your first time shopping from the range I suggest going for some of the brands top sellers. Below is a quick guide of some of my tried and tested favourites that I always stay well and truly stocked up on.
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
This for me is the holy grail and at £5.90 it’s easy to why. As you may already know hyaluronic acid is super hydrating for the skin hence why it’s my holy grail product. I’m at that age now (28) when I’m starting to think about ingredients that are going to make my skin appear plumper and firmer, and this does exactly that. I can honestly say that whenever I use it my skin just instantly feels boosted, like it’s had this injection of hydration. This one has the addition of vitamin B5 which means that it’s giving your skin that extra boost to help repair any damaged areas. It’s also super lightweight so it doesn’t leave a sticky residue on your face, which I personally love because it feels like the product is actually soaking into your skin rather than sitting on the surface. Lastly you can use this product as part of your morning and evening routine. A little really does go a long way so you don’t have to worry about stocking up every month on a new bottle (bonus).
Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG
Second on my list is caffeine solution. Now if you follow us on YouTube and have watched our skincare hauls you will know how much I rate this product. So it’s basically like a serum but it’s water based so again doesn’t feel too heavy or sticky on the skin. it features a high concentration of caffeine which helps to target puffiness and dark circles. If you think about it caffeine is what we drink in the morning to make us feel more awake and alert so it only makes sense that we put this around our delicate eye area to basically create the same effect! Again this one can be used as part of your morning and evening routine and you can get it for just £5.80 a bottle. As per all The Ordinary products I’ve tried a little goes a long, which makes this product all the more worthwhile.
‘Buffet’
Another product I wanted to talk to you guys about is ‘Buffet’. This is another water based serum that targets signs of aging and helps to make your skin more firm. Buffet has a mix of hyaluronic acid and Matrixyl 3000, which together stimulates the collagen in your skin to create a more youthful appearance. I’ve just come to the end of my first bottle and I must say I was very impressed with how it left my skin after using it just a few times. This is another product that can be used morning and evening and is to be used before your oils and creams. This one is a little pricier at £12.70 but still super affordable when comparing to other brands. Definitely give this one a go if you’re looking for a good introduction into The Ordinary.
High Adherence Silicone Primer
Now moving onto makeup, primers tend to be one of those products that I get extremely fussy about. I personally think a good primer can really help your foundation sit nicer on the skin if you choose the right one. I first bought this primer purely based on the fact that it was only £3.90 and I was already a fan of so many products from this range so I thought why not give this one a go. As I expected it did not disappoint. This particular primer has silicones in it that help minimise pores giving a smoother appearance to your skin and a nice base for your foundation to sit on top of. It gives your skin an almost airbrushed look and although it mattifies the skin it also hydrates at the same time. What’s not to love about that!
Coverage Foundation
Lastly I wanted to talk to you about the coverage foundation. This foundation came highly recommended to me by a number of people after I was looking to change from the foundation I was using. At £5.90 it was a huge step down from the previous £27 I was paying, so that was already a little win for me! For me I like to go for a foundation that has full coverage so I don’t have to use a lot of product. I do suffer from acne scarring on my cheeks and that’s definitely something that I’m conscious of when looking for a suitable foundation. This one has a really nice coverage, and a little really does go a long way. I find this foundation to be a bit more watery so it spreads nicely over your skin. I found that it never sat it any creases and made my skin look cakey which is an important part for me when choosing a foundation. I 100% recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a cheaper alternative to their current foundation, I promise you will not be disappointed!
