JULIA STYLES XX

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Hello Hello!

Today I have a skincare post for you guys!
This is a topic I love to talk about as I'm deeply passionate about taking super good care of my skin. Grab a cuppa, it's a thorough one! I really hope you enjoy this post as much as I have enjoyed creating it.
So, coming from Trinidad where the water isn't hard, humidity is the norm and beach life (permanent, glowy, healthy, tanned complexion) is a thing, my skin was in a pretty healthy state. Until I moved to London.

Cue dry, dehydrated skin. *rolls eyes*

I have combination skin - oily in my T-zone and relatively normal to dry on the cheeks and in Trinidad I had a fairly decent skincare regimen that worked for my skin type and that was that.
I don't know if it's the shock of the different weather in conjunction with the hard water over here in London but I found that my skin felt terribly dry so much so that I was no longer oily in my T-zone and my skin was just left feeling dry and tight throughout. Before I had a full blown panic attack, I decided to try my hand at some products to see if maybe changing up formulas and altering my regimen would help with my skin's tantrum.

Below are the products that I have carefully curated to combat my dry skin.

Cleansing:
I have 3 different things that I strictly use for the morning and evening. Glossier's Milk Jelly Cleanser is my go to in the morning. On days where I feel like I need an extra boost to wake up, I use a tiny amount of Neutrogena's visibly clear spot proofing smoothing scrub, mostly because of the smell, but I limit my use of this, which I will explain why later on. At night, I use L'Occitane's cleansing milk as it is gentle and does a great job at taking off my makeup without being too harsh. It also smells like a spa and I honestly can't find a fault in that.
If I feel like I need a deep clean, like if I wear a full face, then I go in with my Clinique take the day off cleansing balm, which is pretty much a miracle in a jar. I remove it with a hot flannel.

Toning:
I can't remember a time I used anything else besides micellar water or rose water to tone my skin. I stick with drugstore brands because I find that they work well for me. When I'm out of Bioderma/rose water (my preferred babies) I use Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water. I know it's not a toner per se but I do love to do this after cleansing just to make sure there's no muck left and one of the main ingredients is glycerin which is great for keeping the skin supple and hydrated.



Exfoliating:
Since reading about how bad physical exfoliants could be for your skin, I've been trying to swap those out (the Neutrogena scrub mentioned above) for a chemical exfoliant which only sounds harsh but actually isn't if used correctly. Just to clarify, physical exfoliants are those with micro-beads or tiny pieces of fruit seeds that are meant to scrub all impurities out of the skin. Chemical exfoliants do just that but without the microscopic abrasions that seeds leave on the skin, which can allow for the harboring of bacteria under the skins' surface which will eventually surface as pimples or black heads. (EW!) The only downfall with chemical exfoliants is that it can leave the skin susceptible to sun damage which is why I only use this exfoliant, The Ordinary Glycolic Toning Solution, at night. I do this max 3 times a week because it is quite a strong solution. FYI, it tingles.

Moisturizing:
So before I did a complete skincare regimen transformation, I religiously used Neutrogena's combination daily skin moisturizer, but as my skin got worse, it stopped working and I would put it on and my skin would still be dry. I decided to give Lush's Vanishing Cream a go. After about a month's use, I noticed that my skin feels so hydrated and supple every time I use it. It's quite thick but for this weather in London, it works just fine as a day time moisturizer and my makeup applies so well on top of it. For my night time skin moisturizer, I decided to stick with my tried and true Nivea Rich Regenerating night cream, which up to this day, despite my skin's tantrum, has not failed me.




Pampering:
The face mask that I have been using is Lush's FOMO Jelly Mask which is gentle enough to use everyday but I do not have the time for that so I usually leave that for my pamper sesh on Sunday. It leaves my skin feeling soft and clean which is always a plus. When I feel like I need a more heavy duty, deep cleaning mask, I use Lush's Mask of Magnaminty, which is equally as refreshing as it is effective.



For my body, I use & Other Stories Body Scrubs, Body Soufflé's and Body Lotions. I'm obsessed. My current favorite scent is Perle de Coco however if you do not like sickeningly sweet scents, avoid this like the plague. I interchange this one with a few others. I use the body lotion in the day and the body soufflé at night simply because of the difference in consistency. I like to feel quite pampered before I get into bed and the body soufflé is so luxurious. Their scrubs are my favorite as they do not leave an oily residue as most scrubs do but instead give off a really nice lather (like a proper body wash) so you feel like you're getting rid of all the dead skin AND cleansing your body properly. Win!




Lastly, I love the Trinidadian brand Immortelle Beauty's Sheer Moisture Spray oil for my feet, knees and elbows to keep unwanted ashiness at bay. I use it in and out of the shower. My favorite scene is Pomelo + Coco Crème.

These products are my personal favourites. They work for my skin and have really kept dryness and breakouts at bay, especially during this past week when we had the snowstorm in London. However, as a self-diagnosed skincare product junkie, I am always looking for amazing products, so if you guys have any recommendations or must haves that you'd like to share, please do!

Thanks for reading!

The Products That Saved My Skin: Winter Edition

Hello Hello!

Today I have a skincare post for you guys!
This is a topic I love to talk about as I'm deeply passionate about taking super good care of my skin. Grab a cuppa, it's a thorough one! I really hope you enjoy this post as much as I have enjoyed creating it.
So, coming from Trinidad where the water isn't hard, humidity is the norm and beach life (permanent, glowy, healthy, tanned complexion) is a thing, my skin was in a pretty healthy state. Until I moved to London.

Cue dry, dehydrated skin. *rolls eyes*

I have combination skin - oily in my T-zone and relatively normal to dry on the cheeks and in Trinidad I had a fairly decent skincare regimen that worked for my skin type and that was that.
I don't know if it's the shock of the different weather in conjunction with the hard water over here in London but I found that my skin felt terribly dry so much so that I was no longer oily in my T-zone and my skin was just left feeling dry and tight throughout. Before I had a full blown panic attack, I decided to try my hand at some products to see if maybe changing up formulas and altering my regimen would help with my skin's tantrum.

Below are the products that I have carefully curated to combat my dry skin.

Cleansing:
I have 3 different things that I strictly use for the morning and evening. Glossier's Milk Jelly Cleanser is my go to in the morning. On days where I feel like I need an extra boost to wake up, I use a tiny amount of Neutrogena's visibly clear spot proofing smoothing scrub, mostly because of the smell, but I limit my use of this, which I will explain why later on. At night, I use L'Occitane's cleansing milk as it is gentle and does a great job at taking off my makeup without being too harsh. It also smells like a spa and I honestly can't find a fault in that.
If I feel like I need a deep clean, like if I wear a full face, then I go in with my Clinique take the day off cleansing balm, which is pretty much a miracle in a jar. I remove it with a hot flannel.

Toning:
I can't remember a time I used anything else besides micellar water or rose water to tone my skin. I stick with drugstore brands because I find that they work well for me. When I'm out of Bioderma/rose water (my preferred babies) I use Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water. I know it's not a toner per se but I do love to do this after cleansing just to make sure there's no muck left and one of the main ingredients is glycerin which is great for keeping the skin supple and hydrated.



Exfoliating:
Since reading about how bad physical exfoliants could be for your skin, I've been trying to swap those out (the Neutrogena scrub mentioned above) for a chemical exfoliant which only sounds harsh but actually isn't if used correctly. Just to clarify, physical exfoliants are those with micro-beads or tiny pieces of fruit seeds that are meant to scrub all impurities out of the skin. Chemical exfoliants do just that but without the microscopic abrasions that seeds leave on the skin, which can allow for the harboring of bacteria under the skins' surface which will eventually surface as pimples or black heads. (EW!) The only downfall with chemical exfoliants is that it can leave the skin susceptible to sun damage which is why I only use this exfoliant, The Ordinary Glycolic Toning Solution, at night. I do this max 3 times a week because it is quite a strong solution. FYI, it tingles.

Moisturizing:
So before I did a complete skincare regimen transformation, I religiously used Neutrogena's combination daily skin moisturizer, but as my skin got worse, it stopped working and I would put it on and my skin would still be dry. I decided to give Lush's Vanishing Cream a go. After about a month's use, I noticed that my skin feels so hydrated and supple every time I use it. It's quite thick but for this weather in London, it works just fine as a day time moisturizer and my makeup applies so well on top of it. For my night time skin moisturizer, I decided to stick with my tried and true Nivea Rich Regenerating night cream, which up to this day, despite my skin's tantrum, has not failed me.




Pampering:
The face mask that I have been using is Lush's FOMO Jelly Mask which is gentle enough to use everyday but I do not have the time for that so I usually leave that for my pamper sesh on Sunday. It leaves my skin feeling soft and clean which is always a plus. When I feel like I need a more heavy duty, deep cleaning mask, I use Lush's Mask of Magnaminty, which is equally as refreshing as it is effective.



For my body, I use & Other Stories Body Scrubs, Body Soufflé's and Body Lotions. I'm obsessed. My current favorite scent is Perle de Coco however if you do not like sickeningly sweet scents, avoid this like the plague. I interchange this one with a few others. I use the body lotion in the day and the body soufflé at night simply because of the difference in consistency. I like to feel quite pampered before I get into bed and the body soufflé is so luxurious. Their scrubs are my favorite as they do not leave an oily residue as most scrubs do but instead give off a really nice lather (like a proper body wash) so you feel like you're getting rid of all the dead skin AND cleansing your body properly. Win!




Lastly, I love the Trinidadian brand Immortelle Beauty's Sheer Moisture Spray oil for my feet, knees and elbows to keep unwanted ashiness at bay. I use it in and out of the shower. My favorite scene is Pomelo + Coco Crème.

These products are my personal favourites. They work for my skin and have really kept dryness and breakouts at bay, especially during this past week when we had the snowstorm in London. However, as a self-diagnosed skincare product junkie, I am always looking for amazing products, so if you guys have any recommendations or must haves that you'd like to share, please do!

Thanks for reading!

So from my previous post, you'll see that I love skincare just as much as I do makeup.

Something about a fresh, clean, well taken care of canvas just can't compare. So I thought why not break this ridiculously long hiatus that I've been on with a skincare post, rather than bore you with all the reasons for my absence.

The product that I want to share with you guys is one that I have been lovinnggg for the past 2 months or so. It's not a new product on the market by any means but it is new to me and I wanted to share my honest opinion on it with you lovelies.

It's a beauty product, yes. But more specifically, it's a skincare item that I would recommend to just about anyone.

>>>>>>>>>>>



Basically it's a clay mask but it isn't just any old clay mask. It's a 100% green bentonite clay mask & I know you may be thinking that there are so many bentonite clay masks out there and maybe you can attest to the working power of some of them but for me, this is the best one that I've tried thus far.

The only other one that I'm eager to try is one by Glam Glow but for now this Indian Healing Clay is my go-to. After wearing makeup every single day for a week (going to school & work), this mask is a welcome treat on a cozy Friday night.

It literally gets rid of everything. And I mean E V E R Y T H I N G. What's more is that you can feel it getting rid of everything because it pulsates. I promise that I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. You can feel your face pulsing, tightening almost. As a matter of fact, it pulsates and tightens so much that it's actually kind of a pain to take off. But do not let that deter you because when you do get it off, the results are unreal.

So what I do with this mask is mix it with Apple Cider Vinegar, which is what they recommend. The label does say that you can mix it with water but the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar makes this mask that much more effective, at least for me.

SIDEBAR >>>

Skin Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar include - :
> helps to remove unsightly spots from the face
> improves firmness of the skin
> acts as a natural acne treatment.

 and these are just some benefits to name a few.

Has anyone else tried this mask and if so, what did you all think?


Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay | Review

So from my previous post, you'll see that I love skincare just as much as I do makeup.

Something about a fresh, clean, well taken care of canvas just can't compare. So I thought why not break this ridiculously long hiatus that I've been on with a skincare post, rather than bore you with all the reasons for my absence.

The product that I want to share with you guys is one that I have been lovinnggg for the past 2 months or so. It's not a new product on the market by any means but it is new to me and I wanted to share my honest opinion on it with you lovelies.

It's a beauty product, yes. But more specifically, it's a skincare item that I would recommend to just about anyone.

>>>>>>>>>>>



Basically it's a clay mask but it isn't just any old clay mask. It's a 100% green bentonite clay mask & I know you may be thinking that there are so many bentonite clay masks out there and maybe you can attest to the working power of some of them but for me, this is the best one that I've tried thus far.

The only other one that I'm eager to try is one by Glam Glow but for now this Indian Healing Clay is my go-to. After wearing makeup every single day for a week (going to school & work), this mask is a welcome treat on a cozy Friday night.

It literally gets rid of everything. And I mean E V E R Y T H I N G. What's more is that you can feel it getting rid of everything because it pulsates. I promise that I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. You can feel your face pulsing, tightening almost. As a matter of fact, it pulsates and tightens so much that it's actually kind of a pain to take off. But do not let that deter you because when you do get it off, the results are unreal.

So what I do with this mask is mix it with Apple Cider Vinegar, which is what they recommend. The label does say that you can mix it with water but the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar makes this mask that much more effective, at least for me.

SIDEBAR >>>

Skin Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar include - :
> helps to remove unsightly spots from the face
> improves firmness of the skin
> acts as a natural acne treatment.

 and these are just some benefits to name a few.

Has anyone else tried this mask and if so, what did you all think?



Hello lovelies!

Thought I'd share some of my favourite makeup products of the moment with you. Recents and oldies but goodies :)

So I'm gonna start with my recently purchased favourites which I was ridiculously excited to get in the mail...you should've seen me that morning, it was like Christmas lol

I decided to try the BH Cosmetics Glamorous Blush Palette, the 26 Shadow Blush Combo Palette and the 10 pc Sculpt and Blend Brush Set.

A few favourites


Hello lovelies!

Thought I'd share some of my favourite makeup products of the moment with you. Recents and oldies but goodies :)

So I'm gonna start with my recently purchased favourites which I was ridiculously excited to get in the mail...you should've seen me that morning, it was like Christmas lol

I decided to try the BH Cosmetics Glamorous Blush Palette, the 26 Shadow Blush Combo Palette and the 10 pc Sculpt and Blend Brush Set.
Hello lovelies,

It's been a while and I'm sorry. There's truly no excuse for such a long absence. I do hope to be blogging more often now that I am situated semi-permanently here in Trinidad. However, I shall not make any promises but instead see how it goes on a day to day basis. Obviously I don't expect to be blogging every single day but I do hope that my posts will become more frequent :)

Lately, I've been feeling SO inspired...

My environment, things that I've been watching like my favorite YouTubers, TV shows, different music, good grades in school amongst other great things have all been motivating factors for me at present. Today I have for you a blog post and YouTube video where I'll be talking about the skincare products that I find myself reaching for most often. I suppose I can call them my FAVS.



I just want to give y'all a brief history of my skin just so you guys have an idea of why I use the products I use. Understanding and monitoring your skin is important as this will determine the products you choose to buy when it comes to skincare. 

Skincare Favourites

Hello lovelies,

It's been a while and I'm sorry. There's truly no excuse for such a long absence. I do hope to be blogging more often now that I am situated semi-permanently here in Trinidad. However, I shall not make any promises but instead see how it goes on a day to day basis. Obviously I don't expect to be blogging every single day but I do hope that my posts will become more frequent :)

Lately, I've been feeling SO inspired...

My environment, things that I've been watching like my favorite YouTubers, TV shows, different music, good grades in school amongst other great things have all been motivating factors for me at present. Today I have for you a blog post and YouTube video where I'll be talking about the skincare products that I find myself reaching for most often. I suppose I can call them my FAVS.



I just want to give y'all a brief history of my skin just so you guys have an idea of why I use the products I use. Understanding and monitoring your skin is important as this will determine the products you choose to buy when it comes to skincare. 


Hey guys,

Soooo after much waiting and contemplating, I decided to ask my mom for the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette for Christmas. I'm a student and 50US/45euros is a lot to spend on makeup! AND I need to budget my money carefully. SO i decided to wait until Christmas for this palette.

Honestly, with Urban Decay, the packaging is always impeccable. I am a sucker for packaging. When I see a product in Sephora and the packaging is bright and pretty and girly, you best believe that my butt is over there checking it out, deciding whether I should buy it or not.

Sad but true story.

Urban Decay: Naked 3 Palette Review!



Hey guys,

Soooo after much waiting and contemplating, I decided to ask my mom for the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette for Christmas. I'm a student and 50US/45euros is a lot to spend on makeup! AND I need to budget my money carefully. SO i decided to wait until Christmas for this palette.

Honestly, with Urban Decay, the packaging is always impeccable. I am a sucker for packaging. When I see a product in Sephora and the packaging is bright and pretty and girly, you best believe that my butt is over there checking it out, deciding whether I should buy it or not.

Sad but true story.

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