Blogtember 2013: Drink More Water

Today's Topic:"Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered"

Drink more water!

I used to be one of those people who didn't really like to drink water. I was a die-hard ,ilk fan from a very early age, and this lasted all the way until - well - just recently to be honest. I always would hear people talk about the benefits of drinking water. How good it was for your body... full of things that were good for you....how important it is to stay hydrated. 

But did I really listen? 

No. Not really. 

I was too obsessed with milk. Now, don't get me wrong  I know that milk, in moderation, is good for you too. And I have a history of osteoporosis in my family, so I need to make sure I always have a good intake of calcium, but I could drink a ridiculous amount of milk in a day. I think I used my need for calcium as a bit of an excuse, and guzzled down pint after pint without really noticing. 

And them as I started university, caffeine crept in to the equation too. Water intake kind of went out the window, and it was coffee, tea, milk and fizzy drinks all the way. 

But then, more recently, now that I have been blogging and starting YouTube, I've been paying more attention to advice, tips and tricks that people offer. My friend Sarah (or Saloca in Wonderland) is always full of pearls of wisdom about beauty-related things, and one day we were talking bout face mapping... 

I have always had dodge skin. I'm just one of those people. And at school, my spots were particularly horrendous. It was embarrassing, walking around school and being the only girl in your year with bad skin. But mum assured me it was just my hormones, so I let nature take its course. But still, at age 26, I still have the odd pimple to contend with. Sarah mentioned how dairy can affect the skin, and that made me go back to: 

Drink more water!

Maybe it was time to drink more water. As an experiment if anything. To see if it made a difference or not. 

Well. 5 months on and my skin has really cleared up. Oh, I still get the occasional spot here and there, but generally my skin looks so much better. My under-eye circles look less pronounced, my old acne scars are fading and I'm even starting to notice that my hair is looking shinier and more glossy too! Of course, it might not be down to water, but it can't all just be co-incidence that I'm starting to see changes. 

I feel better for it too. Whereas I used to rely on coffee to get me through the day, I'm now down to one (which I have with coffee whitener instead of milk.) I've cut fizzy drinks out completely, and milk is now more of a luxury drink. I still make sure I get calcium by eating cheese, and yoghurt, but I've cut down on my dairy-overload.

With drinking more water I feel just generally more hydrated and happy. I have a lot more energy too. I've even downloaded an app on to my phone, which helps me monitor how much I've drunk and how hydrated I am. I'm a really competitive person, so having something I can use to monitor my progress is like having a competition with myself!

So, if there is one piece of advice I can pass on to you, dear blog reader, it is 

Drink more water!

And see if you notice any chances! 

(Shout out to Sarah (http://www.salocainwonderland.co.uk/) who is doing the Blogtember Challenge too. Thank you for the beauty tips, lovely, I'd have never done this change to water without our chat x)

Z is for Zit Zapping

I have never had the best skin. Growing up, I was one of those teenagers who had a huge amount of spots that just seemed to appear on my face as soon as I hit puberty, and never left. 

It wasn't easy at all. Nearly all the girls in my year at school had perfect skin and perfect hair, and there I was with a mess of ginger hair on my head (the teenage years were incredibly frizzy because my hair just couldn't decide if it wanted to be curly or wavy,) and a load of red pimples on my face. 

Although my skin has cleared up a lot since being a teen, it isn't perfect. I am still really prone to breakouts and sometimes I have zits of DOOM that just don't ever seem to go away. Add to that scars from previous spots, and I tend to look really red and feel really self-conscious. 

On one of my frequent trips to the Lush shop in Liverpool, I got talking to one of the shop assistants. I had read a lot about their face masks online, but needed a bit of guidance on what to go for, because my skin is a) combination and b) incredibly sensitive! 

She recommended to me the "Mask of Magnaminty" which is designed for acne-prone skin. She also recommended "Coalface" to try alongside the mask. 

Mask of Magnaminty contains a range of ingredients that help combat breakouts and perk up the skin. I use it about 1-2 times a week, focusing on problem areas on my face. I apply a thickish layer to where I have spots, leave for 5 minutes, then rinse off. It always leaves my skin feeling zingy and smelling minty-fresh!  The mask really helps to reduce inflammation, and push my skin in the right direction to start looking better. It's not harsh on the skin at all, and is a perfect skin-pampering product. 

Coalface is a solid cleanser that foams up when you use it with water and apply it to the face. It is designed for oilier skin, and acts as a cleanser and an exfoliater in one. Because I have combination skin, I only use Coalface once a day (usually at night) as it does dry out the drier patches on my face. Since using the cleanser I have really noticed a difference in the clearness of my skin. I still get spots, but my acne scars have faded, and my skin looks brighter and happier in general, and it always smells fantastic after I use the cleanser!

Using these two products together has really made a difference to my skin. I'll probably always suffer from spots, but having good quality, effective products that I can turn to in times of trouble really makes me feel a lot better about it! 

What's your skincare routine? Are there any other Lush products you have tried? 

Ginger x

Botanics All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash | Just Add Ginger

Lately, I have been really lazy with my skincare routine! I decided it was time to change, and picked up the Botanics All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash from Boots whilst on a shopping trip, to try and get myself into better habits! 

I have really, REALLY sensitive combination skin, so always try to go for products with natural ingredients. My skin reacts to things really easily.

The All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash is £2.66 on the Boots website. That was one of the main reasons I was drawn to it....budget busting cleanser ahoy!! 

The scent is what I would describe as "clean". There aren't any definite notes I can pick up in the smell. It just leaves your skin with a really fresh scent. Definitely my cup of tea! 

I used this cleanser twice daily for five days on the go, and for the first few days, my skin felt really soft after using the cleanser. I could feel that my skin felt cleaner. It was lovely. 

But then....something happened.

The cleanser, although leaving my cheeks super soft, left my T-zone really dry and sore. I am sure that on normal or even oily skin this cleanser would be great, but for me, using it every day was just turning out to be too much. I'm not sure what it is, but something in the ingredients is just too abrasive for my skin. 

I think the Botanics range in Boots is great. I've used products from the range before with no adverse effects. I do think though, that if you do have sensitive skin, the Botanics All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash would be much better used as a once-a-week scrub. That's what I'm going to do with mine. Hibiscus is a skin brightener, so using this will be good to lighten up duller looking skin in these Winter months!