Acne

Acne: Story So Far..

08:23

Having suffered with acne for about three years now, my skin is never something I like talking about, let alone writing about it on the internet and including a picture of myself with no makeup on, but like they say there's a first time for everything. 

Before I hit the age of sixteen I had lovely clear skin, not a blackhead, scar or spot in site. However that summer my skin had a bit of a meltdown and decided now was the time for me to get acne (couldn't think of a worse time in my life if I tried). For a while I didn't really treat my acne, all I did was buy every face wash and scrub available on the high street that was geared towards spot prone skin, but none of those were helping, if anything they made matters worse. 

I then went to my local GP and got put on antibiotics, which I took for about a year and a half I think, but those didn't really do the trick either; it wasn't getting any better, and by this point my acne had spread to my cheek and chin area, were as before it was just confined to my T-Zone. 

Unfortunately I don't have any bare faced pictures of myself from when my acne was at its worst because as you can imagine, makeup was my best friend and the camera... was not! What I can offer you however is a picture of myself now. 

                                                                        An unedited, bare-faced, HD picture of myself taken straight after my workout! 


After having taken Trimethoprim (Click here to read my in depth blog post all about it) for 10 months, this is how my skin looks now. 

While on Trimethoprim my skin was beautiful, it was spot and blackhead free; my facialist was extremely impressed! But I couldn't be on medication for the rest of my life, so in June, my dermatologist and I decided that it was time for me to come off it. My skin stayed clear for a few weeks once I had finished my course, but while in Mallorca I noticed I was starting to get a few spots here and there, it was a bit disheartening, but I knew this would happen anyway. 

As you can see from the picture above I don't have any big red nasty spots on my face; the only red spots that you can see are actually scars, and I get those whether I pop a spot or not. Besides the scars all I have are a few little bumps on my forehead and on the side of my nose, and considering I haven't been on medication for three months now, thats actually pretty good going.

I would highly recommend Trimethoprim to anyone with acne who is a bit afraid to try Accutane. You may still get a few spots when you come off it, but the same can be said for Accutane, and the possible side effects of Accutane just did not seem worth the risk to me. 

Now I'm on the hunt for really good skin care that will keep my skin in the condition it's in now or better yet, clear it up even more. It's going to take time and a lot of trial and error, but its important to me that I only use whats best for my skin. 

To any of you suffering with acne all I'll say is, keep your head up and don't let it knock your confidence too much. The people that mean the most to you and are true friends, really won't care that you have a few spots on your face, and those who do aren't worth your time. Have patience, do your research and enjoy your life! 

Lara x 

And Other Stories

Girls Day in London Town

08:43

Last week I went into London to see one of my friends from Madrid who was in the country for a week or so; and of course we had a proper girls day out, I'm talking, brunch, shoe shopping, makeup shopping, more food, finished off by sitting on the sofa with a glass of wine catching up on just about everything! 

I thought it would be a nice idea to share with you some pictures of the places we went so you yourself could check them out the next time you're in Londres. 



Food


A girls day out isn't complete without a nice meal or two. The first place we went to was Balthazar in Covent Garden for some brunch. This place is notoriously hard to get a table during lunch and dinner time, but you'll be fine if you're just going to brunch like we did. I could not recommend it enough, the food is amazing and the atmosphere and decor isn't something you find everyday; Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures while I was there, the pancakes had all my attention! 



For lunch, my lovely friend took me to one of her favourite places to go in London. Caffé Concerto has restaurants scattered all over London; we went to the one in Knightsbridge. The decor and atmosphere was all very 'up market Paris' and the food also has the same feel to it. We had the warm duck and pear salad topped off with a glass of prosecco and my God was it amazing. I managed to take a few pictures while we were there. 
                  
                                                                         Me and Ksenia at Caffé Concerto (Isn't she pretty?!) 

                                        
                                                                      Red lips + prosecco + my new ring
Shopping


I personally didn't do a lot of shopping, all I brought was a ring (Shown in the picture above) but I did have my first trip to & Other Stories located on Regents street which is where I brought my beautiful new ring, and we also popped into Space NK. 



The morning we went into London I had seen a tweet by a blogger (I can't tell you which one, my memory is awful, apologies) mentioning this store called '& Other Stories' and made a mental note to visit it if we had enough time, and funny enough we stumbled across it when walking down Regent Street; in typical Lara style I kind of fan girled and jumped up and down saying how much I wanted to go in, and I was not disappointed. It's a bit of a miss + match store selling pretty much everything, from gorgeous shoes to cotton buds. The layout of the store can only be described using two words, clean and chic, making it a shoppers heaven. So whether your in London or any other city where this store is located I highly suggest you go in and look around, there are so many beautiful things in there; you could either come out with some beautiful new clothes or some new body products.



We then moved onto Space. NK and I think I deserve a round of applause for not buying anything; However we were in there for about 25 minutes. Ksenia was introduced to the magic of Nars and I was educated in the Goldfaden MD products, the gentleman that served us was amazing and I wish I had found out his name. As with everyone that works in Space NK he was really informative and knew what he was talking about and really made you interested in the products. I was given a sample of the Goldfaden MD 'Doctors Scrub' and 'Vital Boost' Moisturiser so I'll be giving those a test run in the next few days to see if they would be a good investment and I will let you know. 


                      

A few snaps of the & Other Stories store on Regents Street. 




Ksenia getting her makeup done in Space NK - she finally got introduced to Nars!



I hope you liked this post, it's slightly different than what I usually put up but I thought it would be interesting for you guys. 

Lara x

Beauty

The Liebster Award

08:42

Hello my beauties, sorry I've been a bit MIA recently, I've had a friend come visit me on holiday and hadn't had time to blog, but fear not, I'm back and have a lot of blog post ideas for you. Today's post is slightly different to what you would normally find on my blog, but i hope you like it. 




A few days ago i was contacted by the lovely Em from MascaraWarrior (Click Here to go to her blog) to see if i wanted to take part in The Liebster Award, and after doing a bit more research i came to realise that it's more of tag rather than an actual award for bloggers with less than 200 followers. I think this is an excellent way to find new blogs, give your own blog a bit more traffic and to find out a bit more about the person that tagged you etc. 

The rules that Em stated were: 
  1. Link back to the person who nominated you.
  2. Answer the eleven questions from the person who nominated you. 
  3. Write down eleven more questions.
  4. Nominate eleven more bloggers that have less than 200 followers.
  5. Let the bloggers you've chosen know about it!
So without further or do, these are my answers to all the brilliant questions I was asked! 



If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Australia or Cape Town, South Africa. I went to Australia when i was about 12 years old with my family, but i was too young to appreciate how beautiful it was, and Cape Town because i've only ever heard amazing things about it.



Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
First impression of me, and if you see me with a massive group of people you would probably think I'm an introvert, but once you get to know me, I'm a bit mental.


What are some interests of yours besides beauty and makeup?

Music, Drama and traveling... I don't travel to new places that much, but i have a serious case of wonderlust.



You woke up late and have five minutes to do your makeup! What do you reach for?
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, and Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara.


What's your favourite type of clothing or accessory?
Maxi dresses. I could live in those things for the rest of my life.




What's the last thing that you genuinely laughed at?
Probably something my younger brother said, not a day goes by that he doesn't make me cry with laughter.


What's your favourite book, movie, song, or television show?
Favourite movie = A Walk To Remember. Favourite Book = Anything by Sophie Kinsella (I love her!) Favourite Song = Just about anything, I'm not fussy when it comes to music. 


What skill do you wish you had, or one you wish you could do better?
I wish I could dance. I'm so bad it's scary! 


If you could speak any language fluently, what would it be and why?
Italian


Name something off of the top of your bucket list.
Road trip around America. 




What do you usually do when you want to have fun? 
Probably go to my best friends house. She lives 2 minutes away from me and even if we end up staying at home, we always end up having a good time!

 Now that you've had a chance to find out a little bit more about me,  its my turn to ask a few questions to these lovely ladies: 

 Lottie Pearce | Love Beauty and Spa
Ash | Beauty With Ash
Melissa Bubbles | Bubbles on Beauty, Fashion and Life!
Liz Outh | My Pretty Obsessions
Sophie Rose | Miss Sophie Rose
Stef | Scottish Stef's Nails
Lisa Carrieanne | Beauties Unlocked
Jenny | Lifestyle, Love and Fashion
Annie | AnnieLeaf
Sam | Rosey Cheeks Fashion and Beauty 
My Fair Style
  1. What top 5 beauty products (Skincare, Haircare, Makeup etc) can you not live without?
  2. Your house is on fire, and you can only save one thing. What is it?
  3. Boy + Girl Celebrity Crush?
  4. Who are you most inspired by and why? 
  5. Fave beauty guru on YouTube or here in the blogging community? 
  6. What's the first thing on your bucket list? 
  7. If you could have any special power, what would it be? 
  8. Beach babe hair or groomed glossy locks? 
  9. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why? 
  10. What is your dream job? 
  11. Five things that you like about yourself? (Not really a question, but let's just go with it) 

Thanks again to the lovely Em for tagging me, and if you're reading this and i haven't tagged you feel free to have a go at it as well, and then let me know!! 

Lara x 

Beauty

Summer Review: L'Oréal Professional Solar Sublime Protection Spray

08:33

For me summer has finally started, I'm currently blogging from the beautiful island of Mallorca, and I'll be here until September (Lucky me!!). With the summer comes all the lovely products that are catered to protecting and caring for your skin, hair etc from that gorgeous yet harmful (if your not careful) sun. 
Before leaving to come to Mallorca i did a cheeky Feelunique order, and the L'Oréal Professional Solar Sublime Advanced Protection spray was the product i was most excited to try out. 

I've had a chance to try this product out in both the sea and the pool, and I also let my sister use it to get a second opinion, and we both love it. Priced at £11.25 you can't really go wrong. It has UV protection that creates a light film around the hair to protect it from any sun exposure; and it doesn't leave your hair greasy or sticky, in fact mine and my sister's hair felt softer once it had dried. The smell is another plus, it just oozes summer with it's tropical scent, which lingers in the hair even after its dried. 


I could not recommend this product enough! There are far more expensive ones on the market that do the same thing, but I just can't justify spending all that much money when, in my opinion this one is just as good. You get 125ml in the bottle, and only need a few light sprays to cover your whole head, so it will last you ages. 
However if you have coloured hair, i'm not sure if this would work for you, and just to be safe I would purchase something that specifically protects colour treated hair. 


Lara x 

Acne Prone Skin

Out With The Old In With The New..

10:38

New blog layout and a new everyday makeup routine!

 I was looking at my blog today, and was just not loving the layout, so i decided to give it a little pick-me-up. I also, filmed, edited and uploaded a new video today which is about my everyday makeup routine (Click here to see my YouTube Channel and watch the new video)

 Hope you like the new layout and video!

 Lara x




Products I used:
- Murad Shine Control and Acne Prone Primer
- Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in 'Caramel' 
- Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara
- Nars eyeshadow in 'Bali' 

- Nars blush in 'Gilda' 


Blog

First YouTube Video - Makeup Collection ♡

10:11

Hey Girls, 

 I thought i would try something a little different and film a video for you, this one is just me showing you all the makeup that i own. Let me know your thoughts, and i will be putting some more videos up soon

 Enjoy! 

 Lara x 


Beauty

Mini Haul: Madrid Style

14:46

First off i feel like i should apologise for being a bit MIA recently, its been a crazy few months and blogging kind of slipped my mind; but fear not, i'm back, and i've come back with a haul for you guys. Now i don't know about you, but im a big fan of hauls, maybe its because im incredibly nosey like that; this is only a small one, but hey, any new makeup is good right?



So being the smart shopper that i am, i brought all the products at El Corte Ingles here in Madrid (i think the english equivalent would probably be John Lewis) and because i have a foreign passport i got a 10% discount (nice bit of helpful information for anyone traveling to Spain). 




 Nars Blush in Gilda






 Nars Long Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Rue Bonaparte


The first two products, as you can see from the photos above are from NARS. Now these two products made this a pretty exciting purchase as they are the first things i have ever brought from the brand, it may surprise you that i didn't go for the cult favorites such as 'Laguna' bronzer and 'Orgasm' blush, but they weren't really what i was looking for. I was in desperate need of a new blusher, but didn't want to go down the pink sparkly route that i normally do when buying blusher and Gilda was the perfect product. As you can see from the picture it is a pretty vibrant salmon/ coral colour and i will admit that the thought of using it kind of scared me, but if i use a little and blend it well it looks really lovely and natural and looks even better now that i have a slight tan. The whole non-glittery blush thing means that you would probably have to use a highlighter with it, especially in the evening time. 
The second item i brought was a flesh/light coloured eyeliner to put in my waterline as part of my everyday look to brighten up my eyes. Having used this product for a while now, i can happily sit here and tell you that it does the job, im not going to give it holy grail status just yet, as i feel that i could find something better. In terms of it being called a 'Longer Than Life' eyeliner, i'd have to disagree a bit, it doesn't last all day on me and it does need touching, but thats the only down side i can think of. 



Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara + La Roche-Posay Cleansing Gel

Now im not a fan of wearing/ applying false eyelashes, therefore i always buy mascaras that can give me the same amount of intensity minus all the fussing about. For this reason i have always been a huge fan of the Maybelline 'The Falsies' but this Rimmel mascara was on a 2 for 1 offer so i thought id give it a go, and i can't quite believe that im typing these words, but this may replace my beloved Maybelline mascara!! One coat of this, and i have my perfect day time look- defined but not crazy in your face lashes, and on a night out 3-4 coats of this and i may as well be wearing false lashes, and at times have even been asked if i am... i highly highly recommend that you go buy this and give it a try.
Last but certainly not least, i brought myself a face wash. If you have read some of my last posts you will know that i have/ some times still do suffer from acne breakouts. I would normally buy a product that was geard towards acne prone skin, but i decided to give my skin a break from all the harsh stuff, and get the most gentle thing i could find, and that is why i brought the La Roche-Posay Cleansing Gel, and my skin has really thanked me for it. It gets every little bit of my makeup off and doesn't sting or irritate my eyes. I've had very few breakouts since using this product and my skin feels a lot more hydrated then it did before. If you are looking for a bog standard face wash then this is without a doubt my highest recommendation. 

Lara x 





Acne

Everyday Makeup Routine

14:39

This is a blog post that i have been wanting to put up for a while, but i just haven't had the guts to as it requires me to plaster pictures of myself without makeup on, on the internet; and having suffered with acne, the thought of doing that scares me a bit, but here i am. This is basically just going to be a step by step look at how i do my makeup everyday. This look is what i wear to go to class, shopping, lunch with friends etc. Its incredible simple and natural, which i personally think is what an everyday should be. *Be warned, this will be a picture heavy post*


Here is are the before and after pictures. As you can see in the top picture my acne scaring is quite prominent and i look like i haven't slept in days and in the botom picture, i like to think that you would agree with me in saying that there is a vast improvement. Keep reading to find out how i achieved the end result. 


After moisturising using the CVS moisturising lotion for all skin types i apply my Bare Minerals Foundation (Full Bare Minerals makeup review here) I apply this using the Bare Minerals Full Flawless brush, in the buffing action that they tell you to use. I apply this until i have a medium coverage. My acne scaring is never fully covered, but i feel that if i put anymore on i would just look like a cakey mess.


Once i've applied my foundation i move onto my eyes. I always without fail curl my eyelashes, it helps to open up your eyes and make you look more awake, and if you've had a late night, you're going to need all the help you can get; the curlers i use are by tweezerman. I then apply two coats of mascara; i personally like using two different mascaras to get my desired result. I use the YSL Shocking mascara first, which adds volume like no other, and then i use the Clinique High Length mascara, to lengthen and separate my lashes. 


Now its time for the eyebrows. I naturally have quite thick and dark eyebrows, but i like to use i bit of eyeshadow to help in the areas where my eyebrows are slightly more sparse (I tried to find out the name of the eyeshadow i use, but was unable to, i can however tell you it is a MAC eyeshadow that's a kind of coffee colour... not that thats much help). I apply the eyeshadow using the Real Techniques brow brush and comb it through using a spooly from MAC. 


Next up is what i consider to be the most important step in my routine after applying my foundation... under eye concealer! I use Benefit's Erase Paste in number 3. A little goes a long way with this product, i think i've have mine for something like a year and a half and its still going strong. My first impression with this product was not a good one; when i first started using it, it would look really cakey and crease like nobody's business  but having watched many YouTube videos in which this product was i used i realised that i was just putting way too much on. This concealer can help you hide a multitude of sins, no one will ever tell that you had a late night once you put a bit of this on!


Unlike a lot of people, now is the point where i apply my translucent powder, don't ask me why, because, well, i don't have an answer for you, this is just what makes sense to me, but you can apply it at the very end if you wish, i honestly don't think it makes a difference. I use the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder with my Topshop Powder brush. Being translucent  it doesn't add any colour or take away colour to/from my face, it simply helps my makeup last longer and stops me from getting shiny; and since im living in Spain, this will be my best friend in a few weeks as the weather will start to warm up.


Bronzer time! This is a step that i will miss out once i get a tan, but in the winter months i like to put a light dust of NARS Laguna bronzer on my cheeks, neck and then blend a bit into my hair line. I don't put a lot on because i'm not really a fan of the tangoed look; sometimes you can't tell that i've even put any on. I apply the bronzer with the Bare Minerals Flawless Face brush.


Now its time to put some colour back into my cheeks. I've been using MAC PeachyKeen since i started wearing makeup, and i haven't really tried anything else. Its the perfect colour for both summer and winter; in summer it enhances my tan, and in winter i just put a little dusk of this on and it just brightens my face up. Now this is a shimmery blush, so if you go crazy with it, you won't look to great, however it does mean just you can get away with not putting a highlighter on.


After i've done all this, i will then go ahead a choose my lip colour for the day, it will normally be a natural lipgloss or lip balm. Below are side profile pictures of me with and without makeup, as you are able to see how the acne scarring on my cheeks is covered up. 





I hope this was interesting and helpful to some of you. My next post will most likely be a review, so keep your eyes peeled for that 

Lara x 


Blog

Essie. Essie.Essie

11:00

Todays post is about my Essie nail polish collection; the colours i own, how long they last, colour pay off etc. Now considering i don't have the longest nails seen as i have the extremely nasty habit of biting them (however i am slowly stopping) i own quite a few Essie nail polishes, and my love affair with the brand still continues.

      From Left: Over the Edge, Sorry the name rubbed off the bottle and i wasn't able to find the colour on the site, Pillow Talk, Aruba Blue and Lilacism.  

From Left: Smoking Hot, Not Just a Pretty Face and again i couldn't find the name for the last colour.


Above are pictures of swatches of all the colours i own, excuse my stubby finger. Now i won't be doing a review on every one of them otherwise we'd both be here forever.
As i previously said, im slightly in love with Essie, the colour range is incredible and the limited addition colours are always gorgeous and they are super affordable unlike similar brand O.P.I. Therefore its a great brand for someone like me who has only just got into painting my nails regularly. In terms of colour pay off, what you see is what you get, the colour that goes on the nails is exactly what you see in the bottle; however the orange one in the last picture, tends to come off slightly more brown once its on the nails. The best thing in my opinion about the Essie nail polishes is that you can get away with one coat, i've tried Topshop, Barry M and No7 nail polishes and i always feel that to get the real colour you need two coats to get the full effect, but if your in a rush one swash of any Essie polish and you are good to go. 
In terms of chipping, if you don't apply a top coat they will chip within a few days, however with a top coat i've managed to keep the colour on for over a week and they still looked good (the top coat i use is the Sally Hansen Insta-Dry)

Essie is available in most boots stores across the UK. 

Lara x 


Beauty

New Year. New Makeup.

14:06

So people its 2013, now i don't know about you but im pretty disappointed that there aren't any hover crafts like in 'Back To The Future'. However we are in store of more beauty products, and limited addition collections, which is always exciting! 

 Now my last post was quite some time ago (naughty Lara!) but i pinky promise i will post things more often im not going to sit here and tell you that i'll post every other day, because to be honest i may not, but i will be posting more, that you can count on. I have a few posts lined up that im looking forward to writing, and i'll also be posting new stuff on my lifestyle blog too, so check that out if you're interested. 

 Happy New Year!

 Lara x