What's on my bedside table

I saw many of these posts floating around a few months back and now that I'm back blogging I thought today I would share my version. Here's what I keep on the table next to my bed.

 

It's rather over crowded but I like my little set up. First up we have two gorgeous Yankee Candles, both gifted to me by my lovely boyfriend. The medium sized one is Strawberry Buttercream that he bought me for my birthday, this is really sweet so definitely not for those of you out there that don't like sweet scents, it can get rather sickly after a while. In all honesty it smells like all the other cakey scents they do but with a hint of strawberry, I absolutely love it. The small jar, Black Cherry is one he decided to pick up as a little gift when he got paid this month. It literally smells like cherries and it’s gorgeous. The two of them burning at once smells devine, really fruity and sweet, absolutely perfect for a nice relaxing night.

 

Behind these I have my red Guess glasses, I have two pairs of these, red leopard print ones for when I'm in the house and a nice cream neutral leopard print for when I'm out and about, that I keep in my handbag. Then there's a load of beauty products. On the left hand side I have all my perfumes and other smelly's. I have my Dove roll on deodorant, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle perfume, Elle by YSL perfume, Lady Gaga's perfume, along with a few other bottles, and a ton of testers from beauty boxes, gifts with purchases etc. I've also got a mini L'occitane shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion and soap that I took from a hotel I stayed in (probably shouldn't admit that online but never mind) Then there’s just a few body sprays from Soap and Glory and Lynx. And a room spray from Avon.

 

 

On the right hand side I have all of my skincare products, minus my cleansers and exfoliators that live in the bathroom. My everyday skincare items in here are, my Garnier miscellar water, Nivea eye makeup remover, Liz Earle toner, Clarins HydroQuench moisturiser, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +, YSL eye cream and a Clearasil spot cream. I also have a load of others I use from time to time including products from L'occitane, Simple, Nivea, Coola, Monu Spa, L'Oreal and loads more. I really do not know why I have so much. Lastly there is my full size Soap and Glory Hand Food and Heel Genius, and my boyfriend’s No7 moisturiser that I practically forced him to buy and he only ever uses once in a blue moon. Oh and that piece of card you can see with a baby’s head on it. Is my gorgeous invite to my goddaughter's christening, which asks me to be godmother, I intend on keeping it forever.

 

 

So that's what my bedside table looks like; organised chaos. Like the majority of things in my life. Thanks for reading, and if you haven't already done this, I tag you all :)

Much Love

Gemma xo.

Wednesday Afternoon Pampering

Hi Lovelies, if you follow me on Instagram (gemmaferris91 if you would like to) then you may have saw a picture that I posted about an hour ago - 

(instagram picture)

As its my day off I decided I would give my skin a good clean and pamper, because I've been noticing some imperfections which I thought I may be able to clear up. Here's the products and what I did.

(l-r montagne jeunesse mud pac mask, soap and glory peaches and clean, no7 beautiful skin cleansing water, simple anti-blemish moisturiser, la roche-posay effaclar duo, soap and glory scrub your nose in it, liz earle instant boost skin tonic)

First of all I soaked a cotton pad in my No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water, to make sure there was no make up residue left on my face. Last night I was so tired all I did was use this cleansing water then went to sleep so there could well have been some make up left on my skin from yesterday (yuck!) Then I cleansed with Soap and Glory's, Peaches and Clean Cleansing Milk, leaving it to soak into my skin for an extra few minutes to ensure a deep cleanse, then removing in circular movements with one of my Liz Earle muslin cloths soaked in warm water. I got this cleanser when I ran out of my beloved Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser, and although its a lovely product and hasn't done anything bad to my skin I don't think I will repurchase it, I'm too set in my ways with my LE cleanser which I adore! Whilst I was in the shower and my pores had opened up with all of the steam and heat I applied the Scrub Your Nose In It Face Scrub from Soap and Glory, I applied this to my t - zone with my fingers, and then buffed it in a bit more with an exfoliating brush, that I have from when I did Beauty Therapy in college. Again I left this to soak into my skin for a few minutes then using the same technique as before I removed it with a muslin cloth. Once I'd had a shower and my face was dry, I applied the Montagne Jeunesse Face Mask with a face mask brush and left that on for 15 minutes, whilst I sat back and relaxed. Once that had set I removed it with warm water on a flannel and spritzed the Instant Boost Skin Tonic all over my face to refresh my skin (as you know I love this product!). Lastly I finished off with some of my Effaclar Duo and Simple moisturiser for a double helping of blemish fighting goodness.

After all of that my skin is now feeling super clean and soft. My pores are all unclogged but still haven't shrunk. And there is no sign of any oilyness on my t - zone. I really enjoyed this little pamper session and would do it again if I ever wanted a really deep facial cleanse and hour of relaxation! There's nothing better than taking some time out to relax and pamper yousrelf!

If you would like reviews of any of the products I have used, then please do let me know, as I would be happy to do that for you guys. And also any product recommendations for reducing pore size are VERY MUCH WELCOMED so please tell me of any wonder products you use, as large pores are something that really bug me and I want to get rid of!!

Hope you enjoyed this post. And if you haven't had a pamper for a long time, go and have one, it makes you look and feel so much better! And everyone loves that!

Much Love Gemma xo.

February Favourites

Hi Beauties, Sorry for the lateness of this favourites post but I just couldn't decide what to feature in it. So here's 5 of my most reached for products in the month of February!

First up a skincare product -

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic - I bought this way back in September (i think) and I have been using it every single day since and I love it. Some people don't use a toner at all and think its a pointless step in their skincare routine. I on the other hand have been using them everyday since doing Beauty Therapy in college. I'm not sure if my skin actually benefits from it, because I haven't stopped using toners at all for the past 5 or 6 years, but I really enjoy using them, they really freshen up the skin and make it feel really clean and clear. I use this after cleansing. I spray it 4 times on a cotton pad and sweep it across my face, to make sure my face is completely clean and make up free. The smell of this toner is absolutely gorgeous and it really wakes my skin up, once I finish this I will definitely be repurchasing it.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Deep Nourishing Intensive Mask - I've been really looking after my hair recently and I think this has really helped. Since using it my hair has been really lovely and smooth. I use this at least once a week and I really like it. I reviewed it here if you would like to take a look.

MAC Girl About Town - This was my first MAC lipstick that I bought back in January. It's a gorgeous bright fuscia pink and I fell in love with it as soon as I laid eyes on it. Whenever I go out I use either this or the Rimmel Apocalips I'm about to talk about.

Rimmel Apocalips Big Bang - As you may know from reading this review I went out and bought 2 Rimmel Apocalips' the day they came out. I thought the bright pink I bought would be my favourite but in actual fact Big Bang is, this bright true red has been my most reached for since purchasing them. I've never owned such a red before, its really lovely and bright. The Apocalips themselves are really good too. They feel like a gloss when applied but dry to a beautiful matte finish. With the amazing pigmentation of a high end lipstick. I'm sure a well be extending my collection of colours very soon.

MUA Blusher Shade 2 -  I've been using MUA's blusher in shade 2 everyday I've wore make up in February. Its a lovely light dusky pink colour with ever so slight shimmer in it. The pigmentation is actually rather good for a product costing just £1, one quick swirl in the pan is enough to give my cheeks a lovely flush of colour. For only £1 I will definitely pick this up again, I have 3 of the 6 shades but this one is the one I use most. (As you may be able to tell the blusher in the very first picture in this post isn't actually shade 2, because the writing on the front of the packaging has completely faded and I wanted you to be able to see what the blushes look like, so I used another one of the colours in my collection so sorry if that causes confusion, also apologies for the messy packaging, I forgot to clean it before photographing)

Hope you enjoyed this most, and maybe have a few ideas of new products you would like to try out. What were your most reached for products in February? Be sure to let me know.

Much Love Gemma xo. 

Gemma Loves:: Liz Earle

Ok so I know I wasnt going to be writing any beauty blogs but I just have to share my love of Liz Earle with all you guys!

I assume you have all heard of Liz Earle but for those of you who havnt, It is a skincare range  (founded by Liz Earle and Kim Buckland) that uses naturally active ingredients (plant extracts etc.)That is suitable for absolutly everyone no matter age or skin type.

I first heard of Liz Earle when I was watching Youtube videos and reading blogs trying to find a decent skin care regime that I could stick to. Up until purchasing Liz Earle I was using a variety of brands and never really found anything too outstanding that really stood out to me! Therefore when a product would run out I would just look for a cheap replacement somewhere in town. And embarassingly I would often not even cleanse my skin instead I would wipe a facewipe across my face, tone then moisturise and I was good to go! (embarassing and shameful I know for a qualified Beauty Therapist :/)

So one day in July (the 20th to be precise) I placed an order on the Liz Earle website after months of pondering weather I should spend the money on these products or not! I ordered the Essentials Try-Me Kit, which contains the all famous Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser(30ml tube) the Instant Boost Skin Tonic(50ml bottle) and 2 15ml tubes of the Skin Repair moisturiser, one for dry/sensitive skin and one for normal/combination skin. I thought this would be the best thing to buy on my limited budget so I could test out the products before purchasing any full sized products! It turns out I do love Liz Earle products and they do wonders for my skin :)

Heres a picture of the Kit from the Liz Earle Website

So now three months have passed and I finally have a skin care regime in place that I am actually sticking to! I purchased a full size cleanser as soon as the mini one in the kit ran out! I honestly felt and saw such a difference in my skin the first time I used it and from then I knew that it would be my staple cleanser! No matter what toner and mosituriser I use in the future I will with out a doubt use Cleanse and Polist Hot Cloth Cleanser! I also loved the toner and a full size bottle arrived on my doorstep yesterday the small 30ml bottle in the kit lasted all this time so this full sized one will hopefully not need replacing anytime in the near future! Now as for the moisturiser I havnt purchased a full sized one because right now my skin has a mind of its own, one day it'll be oily the next it will be dry! (I blame all the foundations and primers I have been trying out recently) so until my skin decides what its going to do im just alternating between cheaper alternatives aimed at certain skin types!

Aswell as there amazing skincare products. Liz Earle's service is brilliant! When ordering off the website (theres no where to purchase Liz Earle where I live so I do it all online) your order is delivered in just a few days and the products always come beautifully wrapped. You recieve small guides on how to use the products you have purchased. And everytime Ive had a delivery Ive recieved a small sample product, when I placed my first order I recieved a booklet showing and explaining all Liz Earle products along with a 15ml tube of the Skin Repair Light moisturiser for combination/oily skin and also a sachet of the Sheer Skin Tint in all 4 shades! My second purchase was the full sized cleanser and along with that I got a sample of a body wash (I cant remember what it was called because I didnt really like the scent so my boyfriend nicked it!) and with my most recent order, 200ml toner and the Rose and Lavender Special Edition Cleanse and Polish (i love the scent of this and I will be using it as my night time cleanser) I recieved a sample of the new perfume; Botanical Essence No.15. I honestly can not describe to you how much I am in love with this scent! It's amazing! When I first found out about the perfume I wasnt impressed and I didnt think I would like it, how wrong was I?! I think I will have to be purchasing it sometime soon!

Special Edition Cleanser





I feel like that was a very rambling boring post but I just had to share my love of Liz Earle with you guys! Im sorry for the lack of my own pictures but I did hopelessly try to take a few snaps with my awful replacement Sony Ericcson phone but they were shocking so Im afraid these images I got off the net will have to do.

The perfume I am dying to buy

Hope you enjoyed this post.

Much Love Gemma xo.