This blog post is brought to you by a rather discruntled and fed up Tracey.

Since mum left us [ I still can’t say died, it’s far too final and blunt] I’ve been trying really hard to wake up each morning with a smile; to think happy thoughts.

Obviously I’ve not always succeeded and on quite a few days I’ve been in tears before it’s even turned 10.00am. I’m a lady in grieving and I take it this is normal behaviour.

To make matters worse,  today I’ve woken up to a poorly Mollie [ dog ] she’s struggling to walk on her back leg and looks and probably feels the same as me.

Very Fed up.

It’s just another worry I could do without. I love the bones off that little fur lady and couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her. I’m currently sat typing with her next to me, that way I can keep my beady eye on her.

I’ve cried, I’ve had coffee. Normality is resumed… for a few hours anyway.

So anyway today I thought I’d share some beauty products with you. I’ve been using all of these on and off for the past couple of months.

Just to clarify [ I know their are skeptics out there who think Bloggers only feature gifted goods] Non of the products featured were gifted by a brand.

I love them, I buy them and I use them. Simples!

So without sounding like a chuffing record [ I do , I know ! ] the stress from the last few months has really taken a negative toll on my already shitty skin.

A few weeks ago I had a major, MAJOR break out. I’m 46 please stop. Lots of lump, bumps and white heads around my chin and jawline , some of which turned into angry red spots.

Due to lack of sleep I’m hollow and dark under my eyes . I look drained, spotty and knackered. I sound delightful don’t I?

Makeup helps. Thank the lord for makeup! 

I decided to simplify my skincare routine; to not over faff. I didn’t want to aggravate or make my skin any worse. Mum always used to say when things take a turn for the worse go back to basics.

So I have…

Back to basics.

I’ve been drinking lots of water, making sure I take my Iron , vitamin D and C capsules.

I have been cleansing both morning and evening using the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Cleanser – 100ml £16.00. It feels beautiful on the skin. I apply, rub it in and leave it for a minute or so to sink in . I like to take in the delicious smell – it’s comforting, spa-like and it reminds me of mum, who used it religiously.

I remove with a cloth [not always muslim as I tend to lose them or the BF bleaches /cleans out the toilet with them! ] that has been soaked in hot water. I find it easily removes all traces of makeup … including my eye makeup   [I wear a lot of mascara ] I love the simplicity of everything coming off in one go without too much rubbing & scrubbing.

As my skin is on the oily side I’ve been following with a second cleanse using the Merumaya Luxury Facial Wash £17.50. This removes the last traces of any makeup and oil left behind from the first cleanse. It is recommended for oily, combination spot prone skin and gives me that extra clean feeling.

I tend to use it with the Manual  Cleansing Brush £14.50, which reminds me of one of my dads old shaving brushes. This ensures a highly effective squeaky clean cleanse.

I love both of these cleansers. They are gentle and don’t aggravate my skin.

The best thing I’ve found for treating  my pesky spots is Acnecide which you can purchase in Boots [ behind the pharmacy counter ] for just under a tenner.

I wapp this on the affected areas [my whole bloody face] after cleansing and leave for a few minutes before applying my moisturiser. Acnecide reduces redness and tries up any blemishes super quick.

Moisturiser comes in the form of SKN-RG Organics Cellular Repair Moisturiser £49.50 for normal / combination skin. This was a gift from my BF a couple of months ago [to cheer me up] and to add to the excitement its a brand I had not used before .

Its described as a cutting edge organic formula that combines probiotics, energised nutrients, herbs and roots for skin smoothing daywear that also serves to bolster skin’s resilience.

I love it and so does my skin.

It’s a thickish cream that applies like a dream. It has a pleasant smell, sinks in beautifully and leaves my skin feeling hydrated, comfortable but not greasy.

Unfortunately it doesn’t contain an SPF so on sunnier days when I would be outside a lot I would switch to Merumaya’s Youth Preservation SPF20 – £35.50 which as the label states has an SPF 20.

Apart from a spot of eye cream courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue – £40.00 and a coating of Vaseline on my lashes [ it’s great to condition them] that’s my face done.

I’ve been using Magic Eye Rescue for around 6 months now and reviewed it previously // here. 

Thankfully It’s nothing like the Magic Night Cream which I wasn’t keen on  at all. It felt like my face would stick to the pillow the cream was that thick and gloppy! 

I really couldn’t cope without an eye cream, my skin looks and feels tight without. I kinda guess that as I’ve been using one since I was 14 I’ve got rather accustomed to it! Not a bad thing to get accustomed too.

The good news is my skin has over the past few weeks, keeping strictly to this routine, improved no end. Its still not great but then let’s be honest here it never has been.

Im hoping to start re-introducing a retinol  [ The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2%] in the next couple of weeks , and feeling brave I trailed a new face mask last night … [ more on that shortly] but for the time-being that’s my lot.

Away from skincare something that always makes me happy apart from cake … is a new candle. As Autumn draws in, what better time to purchase a new one. Yay to dark evenings, everything by candle light and Baileys Coffee.

Autumn has to be the most romantic season. It’s definitely my favourite.

My fire place is currently like a shrine [ I’m not sure to what ] complete with the newest addition candle from Sainsbury’s Home.

Black Amber & Parchouli Scented candle reduced from £5 to just £3.50.

The first thing that drew me across to it was the simple packaging. I love the plain glass jar with the bold , black type-face running across the bottom.

I couldn’t resist.

Bread, milk, sugar and a candle … thank-you very much.

It’s not the strongest smelling candle I’ve had the pleasure to own but the scent – Sandalwood ,Amber and patchouli with hints of rose is just lovely. Even the BF likes it and he’s very choosey. He doesn’t find the scent over-powering which he has with some candles in the past.

I’m pleased to report that while I’ve been typing Mollie appears to have perked up slightly. She wants to kiss me lick my face which is always a good sign.

I think this calls for a coffee…

accompanied by some tunes . I’m really loving Harry Styles new one ‘Two Ghosts’ Its perfect sit with your poorly dog, drink coffee and chill music.

Until next time, Tracey x