mask | vogueandmacarons

STEPS FOR GLOWING SKIN

Glowing, youthful skin is something all women strive to achieve through various products and treatments. Our skin is very fragile; it gets damaged very easily either from factors we something to do with (like diet and makeup) or factors out of our control (like the environment and time). Although it is not easy to change the effect these factors have on our skin, there are ways for us to protect and even repair our skin by minimizing the effect of the negative factors. Bellow, I share with you guys some easy daily and weekly steps that should not be omitted and that will help to achieve the glowing skin we all desire.

DAILY STEPS

Daytime

Cleansing: Every morning it is important to cleanse our skin once we wake up. You might think that it is not necessary as all we did was sleep, so how come the skin is dirty. However, throughout the night, our skin is exposed to the environment around us, plus there are the products we used the night before that need to be removed. Therefore, we should cleanse our skin with a mild cleanser, to merely refresh it and wash away any impurities.

L-R: first aid beauty, philosophy, lancome, lancome, first aid beauty, clarisonic — L-R: First Aid Beauty, Philosophy, Lancome, Lancome, First Aid Beauty, Clarisonic

Moisturizing: Once we have cleansed our skin and before applying any makeup, it is important to moisturize it. During the day our skin is exposed to the harsh environment, like the sun and the car fumes, plus we have makeup on. Either the weather or the ingredients of our makeup, might dry our skin. In order to keep our skin hydrated we need to apply a light moisturizer, that will not burden the skin or interfere with our makeup.

L-R: kiehl's, charlotte tilbury, lancome, lancome, jurlique — L-R: Kiehl’s, Charlotte Tilbury, Lancome, Lancome, Jurlique

Sunblock: The final step of a daytime skincare routine, must be the sunblock. We all know how harmful the sun can be for our skin. From creating free radicals and quicker aging to skin cancer, the sun rays are a major source of skin damage. Therefore, it is essential to apply a good, high protection sunblock before applying our makeup.

Nighttime

Remove makeup: Removing our makeup at the end of the day is the basic step of a good nighttime routine. Many women tend to omit that step, which results in all the chemicals from the makeup products to stay in the skin for the entire day. This essentially results in a lot of damage; from breakouts to dry and irritated skin. Therefore, it is crucial to remove all the makeup from the face and eyes.

L-R: Koh Gen Do, Clinique, Johnson & Johnson, Biotherma, Ren — L-R: Koh Gen Do, Clinique, Johnson & Johnson, Bioderma, Ren

Cleansing: Once the makeup is removed, we should cleanse our skin. Even with the makeup remover products, some makeup will remain on the skin. Plus our skin has been exposed and covered in makeup throughout the day. Therefore, it is very important to cleanse it with a stronger cleanser than the one we used in the morning. The cleanser will relieve the skin from all the dirt and damage it has been through since morning.

L-R: fFrst Aid Beauty, Philosophy, Lancome, Lancome, First Aid Beauty, Clarisonic

Serum: Before applying our nighttime moisturizer, it is important to apply a lightweight serum over our skin. Based on the skin’s needs, it could be a hydrating one, a brightening one or an anti-aging one. Serums are more concentrated than moisturizers and packed with beneficial ingredients. They are basically boost-shots for the skin.

F-R: Algenist, Nude, Jurlique, Dior, Lancome, Dior

Moisturizer: The last step of a good nighttime routine is the moisturizer. Same as in the morning, the moisturizer will hydrate the skin during the night. Since during sleep our body doesn’t function as intensively as the rest of the day, and since we don’t put makeup on while we sleep, the night moisturizer has to be a bit thicker than the day one. The night moisturizer can also have anti-aging properties. Don’t forget that during sleep, our body heals itself and repairs any damages, so we should do what we can to help it.

WEEKLY STEPS

Apart from a good daily routine, it is important once or twice a week to exfoliate our skin and apply a mask. Exfoliating is important as it removes the dead cells and skin. It basically rejuvenates the skin and polishes it. The “bad” skin is washed away for the “new” one to emerge. Because the exfoliating process could be a little harsh for the skin, it is important not to overdo with it; exfoliating once or twice a week is more than enough. Apart from exfoliating the skin, applying a mask is equally important. It could be a hydrating, brightening, anti-aging or anti-blemish mask; the mask’s purpose is dictated by the skin’s needs. Face masks are concentrated and therefore easily absorbed by the skin. They offer an instant boost or repair of any damage done to the skin. Applying a mask on the face is a spa-like treatment but in the comfort of your own home. Again a little goes a long way, so once or twice a week is the perfect frequency for face masks.

exfoliators — F-R: Lancome, Fresh, Chanel, Laura Mercier

L-R: H&M, Fresh, First Aid Beauty, Lancome, Fig & Yarrow, Kocostar

Following some simple daily and weekly steps will result in clean, glowing, youthful skin. Using only a few products, can help achieve the perfect skin we all desire. Although my skin doesn’t have any specific problems, I follow these steps, as much as I can, to protect my skin and keep it glowing and fresh. Comment below and share your favorite skincare routine steps. Also let’s connect on Instagram (@vogueandmacarons) and Twitter (@vogueandmacaron)!

Till next time take care dolls 😉

Vicky x

CHANEL AND LANCOME SKINCARE REVIEW

Happy February everyone! As you have probably realized by now, I am into skin care products more than make up ones. Skincare products improve the skin and help deal with any problems it may have, instead of just masking and covering them up. I like trying different skin care products from different brands, as I am always searching for something better and different from the products I already have. I don’t really have high-end brands makeup and skin care, but on January there was a huge sale on a few shopping centres and I decided it was my chance to get some high-end skin care. Therefore, I went with Chanel and Lancome. I already have a couple of skin care products from both brands and I really like them. From both brands I picked a toner and a mask, because I love toners and I always like to try new masks.

From Chanel I got the Silky Soothing Toner for Comfort and Anti-Pollution and the Hydration, Protection and Radiance Mask from the Hydra Beauty line. I used both products and I sadly have to admit I am not very satisfied with both of them. First thing’s first, the Toner is a nice toner which refreshes the skin, but it is not something that wowed me. It smells lovely, but I don’t feel it really cleanses my skin. It is supposed to be anti-pollution, but besides refreshing my skin, I don’t feel it does anything else. It’s not that I don’t like it, I just feel that the other toners I have offer something more. The Mask, as well, is not something amazing. It is a moisture mask for radiant and smooth skin, that you apply on your face before you sleep and you massage it into your skin before you sleep. It felt really greasy on my skin and my skin couldn’t absorb it at all. I don’t know if this is how the product is supposed to be, but I really hate greasy products that make my skin look shiny and they are not absorbed easily. Even once I woke up the product was still there. It had been absorbed a little but you could still feel my skin being sticky. I didn’t like the mask and I felt it also broke me out a bit. I never had acne or any skin issues but after the mask I had a couple of zits and irritation, which to be is a break out. Really unhappy with the mask.

From Lancome I got the Clarifying Exfoliating Toner and the Purifying Mineral Mask with White Clay. Unlike with Chanel, I was really satisfied with Lancome. I have two products already from the brand and I really love them, so I had high expectations from the two new ones. The Toner is amazing. I absolutely love it! It has a strong scent because it contains alcohol. Toners which contain alcohol, are not suitable for dry and sensitive skin types; they will dry out the dry skin and irritate the sensitive skin. It didn’t irritate my skin at all. I would classify my skin as a little sensitive, but not much. Therefore, the toner didn’t affect my skin negatively at all. On the contrary, It actually helped my skin a lot. Every time I use the toner, the cotton pad is quite dirty even after I have cleansed my skin. This is something I hadn’t noticed before with my other toners. I was always under the impression that I had cleansed my skin a lot and therefore there was nothing for the toner to remove. With this toner I realized I was wrong; there always was some dirt left and this toner will definitely remove it. So happy I actually got the 400 ml bottle (double the size of my other toners), because it will last me for a long time. The Mask is really good as well. It is a clay mask and as with all clay masks, it becomes solid on my skin before I rinse it off. Its scent is quite unpleasant, but it doesn’t really bother me and the results I get are amazing; my skin feels really tight and bright afterwards which I love. I used the mask on my mom, who has a different skin to mine, and it was a success as well. Her skin was so moisturized, tight and brighter than before. Such a lovely mask. The skin really feels extra clean and refreshed. It even feels tighter which is great! I prefer it much more than the Chanel one.

Recently I added some high-end products to my skin care collection, from Chanel and Lancome, as I don’t have anything almost from the first brand, and I love whatever I have from the second. I was quite disappointed with the Chanel products, because although the toner was simply ok, the mask was quite underwhelming. The toner has a nice, refreshing feel but nothing more than that. The mask is greasy, sticky and not easily absorbed. It also broke me out a little bit, which doesn’t happen often. Unlike Chanel’s products, the Lancome ones were great. The toner is amazing, because it really moisturizes and cleanses my skin and the mask is great because it makes my skin feel more plum, tighter and brighter. What more could you ask from a mask right? I totally recommend the Lancome products but for the Chanel ones I am not satisfied therefore, I can’t really recommend them. The toner is ok for refreshing your skin, so I suppose you could try it out but the mask is a let down. I would love to hear your opinion about these products and which is your favorite toner in general? Comment down below and share! Also don’t forget to pop over my Instagram (@blueberrylover) and Twitter (@vickyinlalaland) and say hi!

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky