Home made muslin cloths

I use non foaming cream cleansers on my face like Una Brennan and Cetaphil; I work the cleanser onto dry skin and wipe off with a warm muslin cloth. I love how refreshing this cleansing method is and I think it's perfect for all skin types, as the method doesn't aggravate the skin. Despite being incredibly soft, they also provide a little bit of gentle exfoliation - perfect for an everyday routine. My only gripe is that they are so expensive for a tiny piece of cotton! Muslin cloths depending on what brand you buy can range from £2 to £4.. that's definitely what I would consider drugstore robbery!

So, a few months ago, I decided to research where I could buy muslin from to make my own. I found that in haberdashery's the quality I encountered were always poor - extremely scratchy. It was only a day later when I realised.. duh! babies use muslin squares! And with the growing market for designer babies and of course babies needing the quality of the softness itself - there were tons of brands that sold 100% organic cotton. I can't remember what brand I chose but it was little French one, that sold organic muslin squares in a pack of three for around £7.00. 

The giant squares of muslin were already sewn into two layers and I cut eight individual facial cloths from each (that equaltes to about 30 pence each for a cloth). Then I just wizzed with an easy straight stitch on the sewing machine and voila!

I now have an abundance of muslin cloths and can easily find and fetch a new one when the used ones are in the laundry basket. The cute little patterns on them, also bring a smile to my face :)

Products I bloody regret purchasing

Do you ever look through your drawers and think "this is certainly why I am poor". That thought ran through my head today ...and nearly everyday, as every tiny bit of space I have, I pack and hoard. Today, I am going to enlighten you with a small sample of the worst products (in my opinion) that are going in the bin tonight!! You see, that's how much I hate them; like I said, I'm a natural hoarder, so there are a lot of stuff I don't enjoy very much but refuse to bin BUT not these nasties!!!

Simple Moisture Boost Hydro Cream.

This stuff, I found to be so misleading. It says it easily absorbs - which it does not. Locks in moisture for 24 hours - which it does not. 

Garnier Moisture Match for normal to dry skin.

I had hiiiigh hopes... which crashed and burned. I've only used this once, so I can't really say, if it will help change the skin in any beneficial way. When I did use it, it was adsorbed into my skin quite easily and didn't make me look shiny ...or sweaty. However it broke me out! after like five minutes, I got these angry bumps on my skin. I must be allergic to something in this - which is unusual because I generally get on very well with Garnier products.

No7 Beautifully Balanced purifying toner; Essential Moisture night cream; Beautiful Skin mask.

All three terrible products. The toner has way too much alcohol in - which fyi, is terrible for oily/acne prone skin types. The night cream and the mask, which is designed for sensitive and dry skin really irritated my face, sometimes up to the point it's burning, which of course made it more dry and filo pastry like. Contrary to old wives tales, ladies, if it's burning it ain't working!

Re:nu Age Defy Shampoo.

Ok, So I'm 23, I don't really need age defy shampoo.. but what does that really mean anyway?!?! All I know is that it promised tangle free and soft hair and it didn't deliver. It's SO WEIRD! It says "lather for a luxurious foam" BUT it doesn't... It doesn't lather at all, yet it says it does... So I thought "hey it retails at £27.00 it can't be bad.. maybe it's like those new cleansing balms you've seen..." The result was a massive knot ball and I smelt like an old lady.. because the scent is actually awful! It smells like imperial leather soap :(

Catwalk Oatmeal and Honey Conditioner.

Smells delicious like biscuits or cookies. Works awful. It foams!!! What conditioner foams? At first I thought I had residue shampoo in my hair, so the next time, I made sure I rinsed thoroughly... still foamed... Also it's very liquid, sort of like the consistency of single cream. You have to use a lot of product on the hair and my hair feels little or no different if I actually didn't use a conditioner at all with this product.

This blog should really be called 

SUSIE MOANS

Empties August

Balance Me. Super toning body wash.

I received this free from the magazine Glamour. The product is 99% natural and is free from parabens, SLS etc. Despite using all the product, I didn't actually enjoy using this. It has a very natural smell from the natural oils in the ingredients but that didn't bother me. My gripe with it, was that it claimed that only a small amount is needed because it is a concentrated formula but because it's free from SLS (foaming agent), I didn't know how far the product stretched on my skin. I wouldn't buy this product.

Radox basil and grapefruit shower gel.

It really does have such an uplifting smell, more grapefruit than basil I would say. It lathers really well but I do think it's on the runny side. I have repurchased this.

Docteur Renaud raspberry soft cream. 

Received this in a Glossybox aaaages ago but a little of this product goes such a long way. I loved this product, it was thick and creamy but it soaked in my skin almost immediately after application. The raspberry smell was so unusual compared to other face products and it was so pleasant to smell this throughout the day. Definitely would purchase this item. 

Everyday St Tropez.

This is a gradual tanning product, sort of like those ones from Garnier and Dove. I would say St Tropez's version is a little different because it's more of a self tan than a everyday moisturiser. The formula is a little thick but it spreads really well. This is the only product which I felt gave a natural tan out of all the ones I tried. I can literally put this on an hour before I go out and know that my skin will be around two shades darker. It says it doesn't have a fake tan smell on the packaging but it does! and I would definitely score it as one of the worst smelling ones. At around £14.99, it is around two thirds more in price than standard ones but it is worth it, the tan lasts for a week after one application. Definitely would buy again.

Garnier Soft Essentials rose toner.

Brilliant product. It's alcohol free, cheap, makes skin noticeably softer, I really couldn't sing its praises more. I use this more as a cleanser than a toner. When I'm in a hurry I will use this to cleanse my face in the morning instead of washing it. I use this when my skin feels itchy or uncomfortable to relieve it. I use this after I cleanse my face, for more of a moisture boost than to take off my remaining make up. I love it and I've bought this product tens and tens of times.

Essential ultra honey and shea butter hair mask.

Ok, you can't buy this product in the UK. It's from Japan and can be purchased on Ebay and Sasa.com. It's a cult product in Asia. It has the thickest formula, it smells delicious and it definitely gives results for dry hair even with a small amount of product. I will of course be stocking up on this when I go on my travels.

Loreal  absolute make up remover. 

It's one of those half oil and half water formulas that are essential for removing waterproof eye make up. Despite loads of bloggers hauling this item and singing its praises, I don't think it is worth the hype, it performs just the same as my Garnier and Boots Botanic one. The pro is that it is a little less greasy however it does costs a little more. I also feel like I have to swipe my eye more with this product, instead of it instantly dissolving like with some others. I wouldn't repurchase this unless it was on offer. 

Have you tried any of these products?

Balance rescue tonique review

As you may already be aware from my last blog post disclosing the items of my Glossybox, you may have picked up that I wasn't impressed with the contents. The lip balm has performed as per standard, the Renu mask is also average. This post is not about the other products, it's about the Balance rescue tonique for combinations skin which I previously described as smelling like a 'mouldy fruit bowl'. I have got to swallow my own unkind words because the product is BRILLIANT.

Roaccutane the saviour pill

I am so sorry I have been MIA for quite some time. Today, I was more than motivated to blog, as I want to RANT! I have been so disgruntled lately with the 'news' on short bursts of current affairs on the BBC and of course hypeuptheproblem Daily Mail. Everyone and their uncle is trying to highlight the dangers of Roaccutane. 

Having been prescribed the drug myself (I think for a 6 month course) I am a living testament of what a miracle these pills are. Yes, there are side effects hence why it can only be prescribed by a dermatologist. He or She monitors the patient very closely on the course of the prescription (every 3 or 4 weeks). Also, you are told of the negative outcomes; including depression and how a small statistic of patients have committed suicide, which was probably due to the drug. Not only does the dermatologist lists the side effects but you are also required to sign a waiver, saying you have been told of the side effects, you understand and agree to go ahead. 

During my final months of the prescription, I was on 70mg a day. This is a rather high dosage but the doctor prescribes on the the basis of how well you have been coping with drug (emotionally and other side effects); how the progress of trying to clear the acne is going and height and body weight. I didn't feel I was effected in terms of my emotional health, my main side effects were extreme dry and sensitive skin and very achey achey joints. Nevertheless, my dermatologist always made a point of asking how I was feeling emotionally. 

Roaccutane saved my life. I know I would never have been able to do well in university academically as well as socially. How does acne effect your studies??? Simple, I wouldn't have had the confidence to participate well in group work or even talk to lecturers without being self conscious and insecure. 

Yes, I understand some young adults have died from the nasty side effects of this drug. However lets not forget everything in life has risks, surgery has risk, would we stop operating on people due to 1% of those patients unfortunately die? no. I wish their parents would stop campaigning for Roaccutane to be banned. It's none of their business, this drug in my personal opinion does more good than bad. Banning this drug would mean that thousands of young adults who could take the drug and only have minor side effects like me, can't have the desired, insecure and self conscious free life they could. 

If you are a sufferer of acne, choosing the the best course of action is ultimately up to you and your body. There are many different treatments for this awful skin condition and if it has been long term, I would suggest speaking to your GP. I was told at 16, that I would grow out of it, I didn't and had to suffer years of waiting for the miracle day I would wake up with clear skin. As a result of that, I have a few prominent areas of scarring and terrible memories of being insecure and ashamed. 

It feels quite sad and superficial to say that a skin condition has held me back in the past. Should I have embraced my flaws instead of feeling sorry for myself? It's hard to say, maybe I could have been a little less negative and focused on all the positive aspects in my life. Nevertheless, my acne is gone and I have to thank Roaccutane and my dermatologist from the bottom of my heart.

Sensitive skin products (Roaccutane)

When I was taking Roaccutane, I experienced the usual side effects of extremely sensitive dry skin; So, I thought I would blog about the products that I used and were to become my saviours. These products would also be great for hyper sensitive skin types too.

Lets start with Carmex. This medicated lip balm was my hero, it didn't get rid of the dryness or the cracks or the bleeding... but it did take away the pain and a hella lot better than other lip products on the market. Post Roaccutane side effects, it makes my lips plump, shiny and no cracks. (p.s. when I was on the medication, it was five whole months of extreme dry lip hell!)

And to moisturisers. I was prescribed a lot of eczema type creams to relieve the dryness, not only for my face but the rest of the body too, things like dermal and other super yucky lard creams. The only one that benefited me, was Doublebase. It's a gel cream type consistency and although sat on the skin, when used overnight, in the morning my skin would absorb it and would feel more comfortable. I remember it occasionally stung but not as bad as the other creams I was given. I recommended my dad who has eczema to give it ago, he too said this cream was a lot better than the other prescriptions. Although I was prescribed this product, you can also buy it over the counter in pharmacies. Neutrogena deep comfort balm was the body moisturiser I used on my skin during the day because it absorbed well. Doublebase was too gloopy to use under clothes, so I opted for this one instead. It soaked in quite well however because it's scented it did have a slight burning feel initially.

The creams that were prescribed to me, were also recommended as face and body washes - yuck! For me, I used Avene cream soap, this soap was great, gentle, no stinging, creamy and moisturising. It's not cheap about £6 for a small bar, which goes very quickly!

I used Garnier sensitive toner to cleanse my face in the morning, as I usually don't shower or use water to wash my face then. This had no stinging! Pro points! and it continues to give relief to my skin when it's dry, I love this stuff. I didn't however, use the moisturiser during my course of Roaccutane but it's a product I recently discovered and it always sits on my shelf. I travel to Durham/Newcastle quite frequently, where the wind whips your face and I find this product soothes my skin, no stinging unlike L'oreal Hydrafesh.

During my course of Roaccutane, I tried many other products, Jergens (stings), Aveeno (Too sticky), Bio oil (did nothing) that wasn't right for me.  Oh and also, the medication dried out my skin so much, I didn't really need to wash my hair unless it started to smell. I didn't have any problems with my usual shampoo and conditioner (L'oreal Elvive) but I did have a bottle of sensitive Head and Shoulders to hand, in case when things got really bad. Another point ABSOLUTELY NO HAIR COLOURING.

The 30p sheet mask

What do you do with all the serum left behind in the packet of your sheet mask?

The brands I have chosen to buy, SaSa, My beauty diary etc are very generous with the super tonic serum and often there are loads left behind even after the mask is saturated. I've been wasting it until not very often when an idea struck me. I decided to empty the contents in a free toner bottle and planned to pat the serum on my face when I wanted a treat. After visiting Muji, I came up with a much more ingenious plan.

These paper face masks come 5 for £1.50. I simply pop the mask in a vaseline line, squirt the mask with the serum until it's saturated and unfolds. AND VOILA a mask for 30 pence. These Muji masks are not as thick and as soft as the ones from korea but hey ho, my skin still gets the whitening moisturising treat it craves.

No7 beautifully balanced toner review

I ran out of toner today and found this ones lurking in the back of my treasure chest. There's a simple reason why it was there... It's awful. When I bought this, there was an offer for 3 for 2 and teamed with the description online, being that it was alcohol free, I decided to give it a try. It's NOT alcohol free, in fact the second ingredient is just that. It stinks so bad of the stuff, it's likely to give you a hangover. With all alcohol based products it leaves the skin feeling sticky not clean. Alcohol is a common ingredient for toners for oily/combination skin, this is to dry it up mainly. However, it's really bad for that skin type, in fact it encourages skin to produce more oil and sebum, which in turns means more breakouts. A good toner for oily combo skin without alcohol and on a budget is Garnier essential ones, the rose one for sensitive skin being one of my favourites. So save your money and your £5 vouchers and steer clear of No7 toner. However, if you need a good desk cleaner, this will do just the trick.

Acne. How to get rid.

I know there is loads of information on the internet about acne. They vary from tips from 'gurus' on youtube to pages dedicated to the cure. I absolutely love youtube videos from girls who like to pass on new products and review products companies have given them to try before releases in stores.

Today, however, I was plain mad after watching about a third into a video, dedicating to 'curing' acne. I was an acne sufferer and after suffering from this horrific experience (4 years long to be exact) I cannot and did not want to watch a video where a youtuber was emphasising with other girls, how bad acne is, considering what she called acne was a few spots. The worst thing is, girls who are watching these videos can be as young as eleven or twelve years old; if someone is telling them a miracle treatment is Neutrogena 2 in 1 mask, they will believe it. If they had real acne, products like these will not work, instead a young girl who goes on believing a miracle £5 drugstore product is going to solve it, will keep using it and inevitably end up with acne scaring when the ordeal is over.

I know a lot of people won't read an anonymous blog from someone like me. But, I'm going to tell you my story for those who will. Throughout my teenage years, I did get spots and pimples, I could have had maybe five, six spots at a time on a bad week. This bothered me as a thirteen year old, knocked my confidence of course but it was only when I hit sixth form the real problem started. My face exploded overnight, it was across my cheeks, chin, hairline, nose, everywhere. Spots as big as peas under my skin, serious blackheads and whiteheads. I ignored the problem thinking it will go away, naively telling myself it was only temporary. I started using products like Clean and Clear, you name it I have probably tried it. Only after a year, I went to the doctors and was diagnosed with acne. I was given low strength antibiotics, creams with benzoyl peroxide... None of these treatments worked. I was finally referred to a dermatologist after a year of trying G.P allowed prescriptions. I think that year must have consisted of three different types of pills and 2 different types of creams. Again, the dermatologist diagnosed me with acne and gave me some antibiotics which were to control the acne (via blocking hormones) until I hopefully grew out of it. He was thinking a years treatment until I was 18 will do the trick. Hallelujah! the pills worked! I was free of acne when I started university. First year was a breeze, waking up, no base makeup, no smelly anti spot products, I was confident and thought life was going good. Then in my second year, the spots started creeping back, again, like the first outbreak massive painful spots covered my face. So, of course I immediately went back to the doctors. This time at my new campus surgery. I told the doctor, I was using an antibiotic prescribed by my old dermatologist and it worked fantastic, now no longer on the pills, the acne was coming back. The reply was, he did not have permission to prescribe these drugs, you have to be a specialist in the field. So, I was given low strength antibiotics, like the very first ones I used. I didn't have much hope and was right, these pills did not work. It was only after a year and a half, I was referred to a dermatologist. This amazing woman put me on a drug called Roaccutane straight away after receiving all my various test results. Roaccutane, is a steroid prescribed by dermatologists after all treatments have failed. The drug being so strong has a lot of side effects. I took Roaccutane for 5 months. The acne is now 'cured' but I have been left with a fair amount of scarring on my right cheek and around my hairline. This wasn't due to me squeezing spots, although that probably did not help, my skin was getting so fragile after healing it self over and over again, scarring was inevitable.

After that long story, the point is, acne is not one of the worst things to suffer from, its not even an illness as such. I understand and emphasise with any of you who suffer from spots. However, if you have acne, you must not listen to youtubers telling you Clearasil is best, head to your G.P and get advice from an expert in medicine not in using a airbook mac. Your doctor can confirm whether you are suffering from acne or just have some teenage spots. Its never a waste of time for them or you, that is is why they are called general practitioners. If your acne does not improve after two trials of antibiotics prescribed by them, insist you should be referred to a dermatologist. Real acne can ruin peoples teenage or even adult years don't let it stop you.