Guest Post #8: Battle: SPF Face Moisturisers by Sarah from The Yellow Sunflower Blog

It been some time since I had a Guest Blogger appear on my blog and I am absolutely delighted that Sarah from The yellow Sunflower Blog contacted me asking me could she take part.  Sarah is Irish and Has a great blog that I visit on a regular basis and I hope you pop over to her to see it for yourself :) :) If anyone out there wants to take part in a Guest Blog Post on my Blog your can Contact me by emailing me @ Dear-nina@hotmail.co.uk 

So without further ado heres Sarahs Post 

Hey guys! It's so lovely to be writing a blogpost on Nina's blog! I have been following Nina for years now and love her honest blogposts and reviews and I am thrilled to be writing a guest post for you all here on Nina's blog! Most of you probably don't know who I am, but I am Sarah, from The Yellow Sunflower blog (sarahyellowsunflower.blogspot.ie) and I've been blogging for 2 years now. I love to blog about all things beauty, skincare and cosmetic related and why not throw in some fashion also!?

I'm going to be reviewing and comparing two products I like and discussing a topic that I think everyone needs to be aware of! I hope you enjoy reading it. 

As I've said on numerous occasions on my blog- The Yellow Sunflower it is so important to wear a Sun Protectant Factor (SPF) every day, especially on your face. Your face is always exposed to the sun (even if you don't see it, the rays do come through the clouds), where as the rest of your body may not be (clothes etc.) As a result of this, I feel it is so important to wear an SPF (be it in a moisturiser or your favourite foundation) every single day. There may be clouds in the sky or it may be raining, but the sun is always still in the sky (you may not be able to see it) and the harmful rays do penetrate through the clouds too! Meaning your skin is at risk and is exposed to the rays, so you must wear some protection on your face!

You may be wondering what harm or damage the sun does to your skin? Well, it can do a lot of damage over time, damage that is irreversible!

Some of the main dangers of the sun, to your skin, especially your face include:

* Damaging your skin causing sunburn or redness

* Aging- the sun's harmful rays cause your skin to age and cause premature aging and wrinkles (BIG NO NO!)

* Hyperpigmentation- pigmentation in your skin. Meaning you could have certain areas of your face (cheeks, neck, upper lip) a darker shade than the rest of your face

So because of this, you need to wear an SPF on your face every day. Enter, Nivea's Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream SPF 15 and Elave's Daily Skin Defence SPF45. I've been using both these products for some time now and I wanted to review them and let you know what I thought about them!

Nivea¦ Light Moisturising Day Cream SPF 15

This moisturiser can be used on a daily basis as it is so light and absorbs into the skin in super quick time! It's a great moisturiser and I've been using it daily under my foundation in the past recent months (Oct-April). It's great to put this on in the morning and I know I'm covered and my face is protected with SPF15. It's for Normal/Combination skin types and it works well for me as I have mainly Normal/Dehydrated skin. You can also get one suited to Oily and Dry skin with a lower SPF of 8, so they're worth checking out if your skin is mainly dry or oily.

The reason I've been using this particular product recently is because during the Winter months and early Spring I feel the lower SPF of 15 is substantial, and then when we come into Summer and warmer weather, where the sun is stronger I opt for the higher SPF of 45, from Elave! On to that in a minute!!

The benefits of this product is that it's so compact and small (easy to throw into your handbag), fast absorption into your skin (ideal for when you're in a rush in the mornings and putting on your makeup) and really lightweight which makes it easy put on.

Elave¦ Daily Skin Defence SPF45

Elave Skincare are an Irish skincare company and one which I only discovered when I got this product. I've actually done a giveaway with the company recently and it had a great response, many people seem to love the company! On to the product, as you can probably tell this has a higher SPF and one which I use in the warmer months (May-Sept). Again, I follow the same routine as above, each morning I apply this under my foundation and then I'm protected and covered for the day. If I'm not wearing foundation on that particular day, I'll use this on its own. If I apply it in the morning, it saves me as I easily forget if I don't!!

This again works well for me and my skin type and provides a much higher SPF rate, which I love! SPF45, it's rare to find a product with this high of SPF. Also both products are really affordable (Nivea: RRP €10 approx. and Elave: RRP €22 approx.). As this has a higher SPF content, it is a richer consistency and is a thicker product, meaning it does take longer to soak into your skin. So be careful not to put too much on your face, or you'll be left with a white residue on your face! This is brilliant for the warmer months and is a great product to bring on your sun holidays as you've got your face protected from the sun with a really high factor!

This product is also handy and ideal for travelling due to it's size (50ml) and can be thrown into your handbag or on the plane (less than 100ml). It does take longer to

absorb into the skin but it's worth it for the higher protection you get with this product.

I like to feel that I'm doing what I can, from a young age, to protect my skin from the harmful rays from the sun. It is beautiful to look at, but the sun does and will cause irreversible damage to your skin if you don't protect it and wear SPF on your face daily. It's never too late to start so why not go out any buy one of these day moisturisers to make sure you're covered and protected. Use under your foundation or if you have a foundation that has an SPF (it'll say on the bottle) be sure to use that!

That's it for today's blog post. I really hope you've found it useful and thank you Nina for this opportunity! I would really appreciate if you checked out my blog The Yellow Sunflower and my Twitter and Instagram pages (@SarahWhelehan). 

My contact details are as follows:

Blog- The Yellow Sunflower (sarahyellowsunflower.blogspot.ie)

Twitter- @SarahWhelehan (https://twitter.com/SarahWhelehan)

Instagram- @SarahWhelehan

Sarah x

I love love love hearing from you all :) I make it my duty to read each and every one of you comments and every time i get a comment from you it highlights my day thanks so so much to you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Guest Blogger #7: My Skincare Routine by Tash from Skin Deep

I’m Tash and I blog over on http://skindeep247.blogspot.co.uk/.
 I’m super excited to be here today to talk about my skincare routine and I hope you enjoy the post! :)Ok, so my skincare routine is incredibly simple, I just don’t have time (and frankly I can’t be bothered) to spend hours and hours removing my makeup. So my routine is quick.

So in the morning I cleanse my face with water and then go in with Clean And Clear Morning Energy Skin Energising Facial Wash (and breathe). This is super quick and it just leaves my face feeling really soft and clean. After that I will apply my Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream. I just put a small helping of this onto my face for it be prepped for when I apply my makeup. I will then apply some of the Anatomicals Zap Zap Zap Gets That Chap spot  stick. I just apply the day end onto any spots just to reduce any redness before my makeup. Then finally I slick on a bit of lipbalm. At the moment I am using the Maybelline Baby Lips in Hydrate which I really like. That’s all that I do in the morning which sounds like a lot but I can condense this into 5mins so it’s super quick.

In the evening  I take my Body Shop Seaweed Purifying Cleanser to remove my eye and face makeup. Following that, I take the Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Cleanser to make sure everything’s off my skin. And then I follow with the same moisturiser that I used that morning. Again if I have any spots I will use a spot treatment, at night I tend to use a heavier one so I’m using the Freederm Fast Track Spot Gel which I found really helps clear things up. Lastly, I will put on a lipbalm. I use a heavier one at night and currently I am using the Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream.

 And lastly, I use the Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser once or twice a week. 

So that’s it for my skincare routine. It sounds like a lot but when you’re doing it, it’s quite a simple and quick!

If you are interested in doing a Guest Blog Post on Nina's Bargain Beauty All you have to do is email me at dear-nina@hotmail.co.uk and we will work from there :)  Thank you so much Tash for sharing your skin care routine with us :) :)  I loved it :)  Please be sure to check out Natasha's page for more great posts 

I love love love hearing from you all :) I make it my duty to read each and every one of you comments and every time i get a comment from you it highlights my day thanks so so much to you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My Empties #2

Hello My Beauties How are you all today?

I decided to do another Empties Post, alot of you liked the last one I did so I have been stashing my empties especially for you :) :) 

Let me tell you its great to finally throw them into the bin lol

I love these sort of posts and videos because you surely get a full insight to how the blogger/youtubers got on with the products and see if they would repurchase them again :) 

So without further ado I shall start on mine :) 

Starting from the left 

Lancomes Softening Hydrating Toner:  I got 2 very decent sampled sized bottle of this product from the Lancome Event I went to.  I was super excited to try this out partly because Its not often I get the chance to try something from a high end brand like Lancome plus I wanted to see just why it costs so much.  To be honest I don't see why this product costs as much as it Smells good, Refreshes the skin like it claims and also is alcohol free I felt it didnt do anything different to what a drugstore toner did for me.  Dont get me wrong I loved using it but to be honest I would not go out there and pay around €30 for a toner not on your nelly :) :) 

Elemis Softly Softly Daily Moisturiser:  I got this in one of my glossyboxes and was super excited to try it out.  If I am not mistaking this Full Sized costs about £20 to buy which again is high end in my eyes.  I have also heard that "Freshskin" range by Elemis is for teens and twenty year old's .  I didnt find any fault with this product it did hydrate my skin well and I found I used very little to cover my face and neck.  This sample lasted me for quite some time.  The scent from this moisturiser is mild and smells a little like almonds I actually liked it alot.  Would I go out and buy it again hmmmm no to be honest It didnt do anything different to what some drugstore moisturisers did to my face and for £20 per bottle I was expecting a little more from it 

St Ives Daily Microdermabrasion:  I absolutely love love love this product its one of my favourite daily defoliators out there.  I mean this is amazing it smells amazing it feels amazing and the out come is amazing my skin feels smooth and soft and ready for the day :)  You can purchase this from boots and costs as little as €6.69 for 125ml I will surely be giving this a separate review soon :) :) Love it 

Garnier Simply Essentials 2 in 1 makeup-remover:  (still a favourite ) This is a favourite of mine for sure and for a long time.  Its so so affordable in fact it only sets me back about 3 to 4 euro.  This contains 2 layers the top layer (blue) is the eye makeup remover the bottom layer is suppose to be for the face.  It contains no perfume or alcohol.  The reason I love this so much is that its absolutely amazing to take of my eye makeup literally one swipe and bam gone.  I find If i use the blue layer before shaking it for the rest of my face the blue layer is more effective for the most stubborn waterproof mascaras and liners.  The only fault........ its feels quite oily and I dont particularly like oily products on my face.  The fact it does such a great job, its affordable and its brilliant even for anyone with sensitive skin I can tolerate a little oiliness.  

Nivea Refreshing Toner:   This has to be the most affordable toner I have tried and loved.  This feels amazing against the skin and I find no stingy feeling while using it.  Its that gentle on the skin I have even used this around the eye area and found it had no effect on me.  I feel refreshed and I find it works great taking whatever dirt and grime thats left on my face.  It smells amazing too :) :) I will certainly be repurchasing :) 

Docteur Renaud Raspberry Soft Cream Review:  I received this moisturiser in my glossybox (in which I do not get anymore)  I think this was a limited edition moisturiser For 50mls of moisturiser this would set you back a whopping £25 which is quite steep to be honest especially for just an everyday moisturiser.  Yes it smells amazing and feels really nice against the skin leaving you hydrated for the day but with that price I was expecting more even spf or something I was certainly not going to go out of my way to repurchase.  If it was cheaper I would but I think the price is a bit much 

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes:  I know alot of people are against face wipes but to be honest in my opinion if you find the right facial wipes you are doing no harm to your skin I have been using them for years.  These wipes were recommended to me because I was going through a little bit of a rough time with my face and using my normal face wipes were irritating it more so I gave these a try and loved them.  They are ideal for anyone with sensitive skin and did not feel one bit scratchy which I love.  There is no oils, no alcohol, no perfume and no colouring in these but what is in them is  Pro-Votamin B5 which actively restores, softens and smoothes.  They are even gentle on the eyes.  I will be repurchasing these again for sure :) 

Lush Vanilla See-Lite Body Lotion:  Oh dont even get me started on this little beauty.  Ladies if you are a vanilla scent fan or even if you are not you will love this body lotion.  Oh my goodness I got this sample sized (as big as it is) in one of their boxes and loved it from day one so much so I went back and bought the full sized bottle.  This smells out of this world even when I apply this all over people can smell the vanilla all the way downstairs.  Plus the scent lingers literally all day long on me.  My skin feels smooth and soft and leaves a beautiful healthy glow on there too.  I loved this all over the summer as it made my tan look amazing.  I highly recommend this to everyone you will love it :) 

Cocoa Brown 1 hour tan:  I absolutely love this tan Check out my blog post on it to see what difference this makes.  I love how natural it makes me look and lasts up to 5 days without having to worry about patches etc.  Its amazing and for under €8 its well worth it.  Marissa Carter has done an amazing job with this product for sure and she has lots more to try out too I cant wait to try her Moisturiser which is coming out very very soon.  Plus Marissa made an announcement that Cocoa Brown will be available to purchase on all Aer Lingus flights from Dec 1st!  Happy days :) 

Batiste Dry Shampoo For Brunettes:  Wow I love this product.  It has been my saviour in more ways than one.  Been a busy mum and blogger its sometimes hard to get the time to wash my hair everyday.  To be honest I wash my hair only 3 times a week because my hair lasts that long before looking in any way greasy but some days I do find I need a little pick me up so I spray a little of this in and it livens up my hair more than it does if i washed it.  Honestly the volume that I get from this is amazing and my hair looks amazing plus it smells booti-ful :) I love it 

Elizabeth Ardens 5th Avenue Perfume:  This has been a favourite for many years.  I have been through many bottles of this beautiful perfume and I really hope it never goes off market.  I like to wear this scent in the winter time I dont know why but I always seem to reach for it more around that time.  The perfume has a floral scent with a spicy edge to it but its not over powering.  I think it will always be one of my favourites once you buy a bottle of it and finish it, you will find you will buy another :) 

2 of my favourite foundations ever !!!!
NYX HD Studio Photogenic Foundation:  I have a review done about this foundation already which you can check out here but this foundation is amazing full stop I find it brilliant for coverage for lasting powder for photos for everything.  It gives medium coverage and feels very lightweight.  My skin looks flawless and you use very little to cover the entire face.  The only fault I find is you have to purchase it online which means finding your perfect match can be hard but if you check out as many reviews as you can you will surely end up finding your match just make sure you do not go by the shades the website gives you as it will be wrong.  Love it !!!!!!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation:  Do you know what?? The beauty blogger that I am im only realising I have never done a blog post on this tut tut tut shame on me If you would like me to review this let me know :)  This is another long time favourite of mine.  Sineady Cady from themakechair and Lisa Eldridge are also fans of this foundation.  Seeing as I am around NC20-25 I find number 52 a perfect match for me.  The formula is very light and takes very little effort to apply.  I like to use a stippling brush like my Favourite foundation brush the Blank Canvas Cosmetics F20 Brush.  The finish is light to medium coverage and leaves my skin looking flawless.  I just love how natural it makes my skin look without giving away the fact I am wearing a foundation I love it !!!!!  The one thing I will have to say is that I would love if they would bring out more shades as there is only 5 shades to choose from but this is a perfect foundation for anyone with pale skin 

Mally Volumising Mascara:  I have to say I fell into the you-tube hype on this mascara.  After hearing Itsjudystime and Emily Noels raving reviews about this I just had to see what the hype was about.  I did a full review on this mascara in which you can check out here .  I loved it but to be honest I found it dried out too quick And paying £17.50 per mascara is way too much for it to dry out after 2 months. 

MUA Extreme Volume Mascara:  I have already reviewed this mascara and included photos of course but I just have to say for a £2 mascara this works pretty darn well !!! I was well impressed with the formula, with its performance and most of all with the wand.  For a super affordable product this is definitely worth a try.  I have even bought back ups of this I love it :) 

Maxfactor 2000 Calorie Mascara:  There was one day I was reading through Fluff & Flipperies blog and Emma had a post up about Maxfactors Mascara's and the fact that they are 20 years old I thought that was amazing.  I was curious to find out what the formula was like especially what it was like 20 years ago.  So I searched online to see if I could get my hands on it.  I finally found it on Fragrance Direct for £4.50.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this.  The formula is not too wet, its jet black and also easy to apply what i love is the brush its curved and grabs every lash.  The finish result is nice full curled lashes.  It wouldnt be the type of lashes for night time but its certainly a during the day mascara :) 

Avon SuperShock Mascara:  I absolutely love love love this mascara.  This has always been a favourite of mine for as long as I can remember.  Its amazing the brush is brilliant it grabs every lash, the formula is amazing its not too wet or dry its just right.  The finish is what you call perfect I have fuller longer lashes and it lasts until i take it off.  Its just such a pity Ireland do not have Avon anymore I miss it so so much :( 

Before i begin my apologies for this been so grubby but i suppose thats what happens with brow gels with clear packaging :(
e.l.f Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Mascara:  I have loved this product since I first tried it 2 years ago.  For a £1.50 products this holds my brows into place literally all day long.  I love it.  You have one side for brows and one side for lashes.  I use both sides for my brows to make the product last longer :) :) I highly recommend you all to try it out if you havent already :) 

Mac Eyebrow Pencil in Lingering:  I won this in a competition.  I have to admit I used it every single day I used it.  It was the perfect shade for my brows and the finish was as natural as you could get it.  I never had to set it and it lasted all day long without smudging one little bit.  I nearly cried when I ran out of this as I loved it that much but to be honest I cant bring myself to repurchase because of the price of it and the fact you only get 0.09gs of product for it.  There are plenty of dupes for this brow pencil out there that is a fraction of the price.  

Wow Finally I am finished haha I hope I didnt bore you with this extra long post :)  Is there anything in this bunch that is your favourites or that isnt?  Let me know what are your thoughts on these :) 
Until next time 
Lots of Love Luck and Laughter 

I love love love hearing from you all :) I make it my duty to read each and every one of you comments and every time i get a comment from you it highlights my day thanks so so much to you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx