Cleansers that have improved my skin

Its been a while since I posted about anything beauty related, or posted anything at all in fact. Its been a rocky road for the past few months and I haven't been feeling it so I gave my personal hobbies a break so I could concentrate on looking after myself a bit more. My skin was looking drab and lifeless with more breakouts than I have ever experienced and it was really getting me down. What you learn through your 20s is that having good skincare is a much better life decision than having the best makeup on the market. So here are my top 4 picks that I have been loving the past few months.

Chidem Vitamin Cream Cleanser / For radiance, firmness & sensitive skin

I found this in a my draw as I was having a sort out and have been addicted to it ever since. Vitamin based skincare has always been a hit with my face, it really does take to it like a duck to water. Vitamin C is especially a firm favourite with my 26 yr old skin. Its really helped with minimising my spots and imperfections, with my skin feeling freshly clean and radiant after every wash. This was actually gifted to me at a Blogger event and I'm so grateful as this is always the best way to discover new brands. Its not the cheapest in the cleansing world but at £36.50 I personally feel like it is totally worth it, plus the packaging is something you can proudly keep on your bathroom sink.

I massage 2 pumps of this into my face with a dab of water and wipe it away with a muslin cloth, first with warm water and second with cold to close those pores. The smell isn't going to wow you but it has a naturalness to it which is bearable once you get used to it. Great for sensitive skin and perfect for a wiping away all the dirt from the day without feeling dried out .

Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser / For clearing pores and dirt

I happened to pick this up when I was buying some Biore nose strips at Boots. It was on offer at the time, costing only £3.75 (originally £5.24) so I thought it was a good one to try considering it was quite cheap and stated it was great for pores. Charcoal based products are proving quite popular at the moment, especially when its in its natural form as it can transform your skin by drawing out dirt from deep down or whitening that smile. Since using this is have noticed a difference, my skin feels so much cleaner after each use and my pores have minimised in size.

I use this in the same was as all my cleansers, as this is my favourite way to clean my face. The gel consistency feels soft on the skin and I love the minty fresh feeling of this on my face once I have washed this off, although it can give quite a tight feeling after use so make sure you give it a moisturise. It states to use this everyday but I have oily/normal skin so I only use this a couple times a week to make sure this doesn't dry me out. 

La Roche-Posay purifying gel / For a excess sebum & acne prone skin

I use this cleanser on days when I need a thorough clean. You know those days where your face feels gross and you want to get every ounce of make up off and feel fresh. This foams up really well so it does just what I need. With added thermal spring water this makes a great cleanser for sensitive skin. This active water helps to soothe the skin and acts as an anti-irrirant so there should be no cause for concern on this reacting with your delicate skin. 

As I have normal cheeks I tend to concentrate this on my t-zone where I get the biggest build up of sebum on my face. I add product to my hands and add a little water, foam it up in my hands before I apply it to my face. This helps with the control of the foam so you can concentrate it on the areas you need it the most. You can either splash your face with water afterwards or use a muslin cloth to wipe it away. This retails at £11 in Boots, which is mid-range for a cleanser but you can find it on offer for around £7 most of the time so keep an eye out on the skincare deals. 

InsitU cosmetics face scrub / Made for you (personalised)

I came across this brand at a blogger event and what attracted me to it first of all was that I could get it personalised with my name and product based on my personal preferences. Now I have one of those names that is spelt differently from what you find in the shops, Im sure you can guess I got a little bit over excited at this prospect. InsitU is on the pricer side of skincare but I think its totally worth getting if you have the budget, even if its one thing. This particular one retails at £31 and I have since noticed they have improved the formula and it now comes with a natural loofa to help those pesky dry patches.

When choosing your skincare you have a few options to choose from. Picking if you want a moisturiser, cleanser etc is your first call but then you get to make it your own. Adding in your name to get written on the bottle is the first thing, you then decide what mood boost you want added to the product, you then tick what kind of skin you have before finally telling then your biggest skin concern. This then gets made and delivered to your house for you to use. 

I love to use this with my cleansers for an added boost of exfoliation. As I have sensitive skin Im always aware about being careful with exfoliators as I tend to react to them. This is an exception so I have been sticking with this for a long time. My skin feels so smooth afterwards, giving my skin a dry free complexion. 

I hope this has been helpful to some of you with your with skincare problems. Just know that one cleanser/toner doesn't fit all and mix it up and I have found using the same one day in day out doesn't always benefit you. Especially being a girl with ever changing hormones with my acne prone skin. I'm still on my way to achieving the skin of my dreams but just making sure you wash every night before you go to bed and give your face a cleanse in the morning, you will quickly notice a difference if you don't do this already.

Enjoy your week!

Lets get personal : Grief

Oh how life can change in an instant! That moment where your breath is taken away from you and you forget how to breathe. A feeling of deep emotion so numbing your not sure if your dreaming or still awake. That was yesterday...

I came home to the beats of Beyonce on my new Skinnydip cat headphones, looking forward to a good takeaway and a catchup of The Island with the boyfriend but to walk around the corner of the doorway to see my mum. I imstantly stopped in my tracks and fired out the questions that came flying through my mind. 'Grandad?' 'Cancers back?' 'Terminal?'... All answered with a softly spoken and sad toned 'yes'. That's when that moment hit me.... As we chatted and spoke through the days events I couldn't help but think how lucky I am to have the family I do! No matter what life throws at us, we always pull together and stick by each other no matter what. That's what life is all about.

It's now the next day and I sit here in the car, whizzing by everyone else living their daily lives feeling as if the world is going in slow motion as we creep towards the hospital. The fear of the unknown and the memories of a healthy grandad who's smile and personality could light up the darkest of tunnels. A man who has been the only father figure I have known who I want to walk me down the isle, hold my first baby and travel to New Zealand with to live out our travelling dreams.

This is a new chapter in my life and one I could have never written myself but as I live this new chapter I will share it with you. I think it's important to support each other whether you are going through a traumatic time or not and for some I hope you can find comfort that you are not alone. This journey is going to be incredibly sad but I am going to do what I always do and be positive, think forwards and make the most of every moment because every second of every day really does matter

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I wrote this back in April, a few days after my birthday with the notion of posting diary like entries of my experiences with loosing a loved one, but it just became too hard. It felt insensitive and wrong and so I had to take it down. Enough time has now gone past that I can now share my experience with you, in the hope I can help someone who might be going through the same experience. More soon....
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'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade'
Love Khrissie X

#Blogmas 7: Stocking fillers under £10

Its blogmas day 13! I can't believe how quickly this month has already gone. I have been trying so hard to get a post up everyday but seeing as I decided I would do this on the 1st December, I never got a change to pre-plan posts and photographs. My days have been really long with work so by the time I get home and eat I need to go to bed. I have made it my mission this weekend to take as many pictures as I can so I can post for the rest of Christmas for you.

For day 13 I thought it would be good to show you a few gifting gems which I have found especially for you. Its coming to the start of the Christmas rush for presents and when your in a panic I find it hard to search for gifts that are affordable. So I have put together a little selection of some presents, that would be great for all sorts of people.

Enjoy! I hope it gives you some inspiration....

1/ Personalised Pencils from - Not on the High Street
As mundane as that may seem when you say you have got some pencils, it really isn't. If you know someone who loves stationery, then there is nothing better. They are also personalised so that adds a special touch and it stops the problem of other people stealing your things, especially if you have a spelling like mine.

2/ Arthur egg cup and spoon - Not on the High Street
This is a cute little gift for your friends or family who really enjoy breakfast time. Why not make it that little bit more interesting by presenting it in something fun? This would also be a great little gift for a kid who is into kings and princesses.

3/ The Night Before Christmas' gift set - Lush
There a lot of people in this world that love nothing more than a bit of me time and a bath. This christmas gift set would be perfect for that friend or family. This little box comes with the snow angel bath melt and intergalactic bath bomb. Both which are amazing on their own as gifts but much better wrapped up beautifully together.


4/ 'Love you to the Moon and back' keyring - Not on the High Street
I love this little keyring as this saying is something I say to all my family. I love how no matter where in the world you are, we all share the same moon. So when you feel like your far away from someone you miss, just look at the moon because you know they will be looking at it too. It sounds so cheesy but it really does help in those times where you feel the most lonely. The base keyring is £10 but you can add letter pebbles to it for £3 each if you wanted to personalise it.

5/ Puffin Classic books  - Anthropologie
This is perfect for your book worm in the family. Theres nothing better than a classic story to read while your relaxing the winter. With the book covers so beautifully illustrated, they would look wonderful on a book shelf and totally Pinterest worthy.

6/ Russian Doll measuring cups - Amazon
These measuring cups are adorable! I really need some myself. They stack into each other to make it space saving and super cute on your worktop at the same time. These would be perfect for the baker e the family. They are always useful to have around, even for meal recipes and theres nothing more enjoyable to have pretty tools to do it with.

7/ Beatrix Teacup & Saucer - Oliver Bonas
Last up is this gorgeous tea cup and saucer. I mean just look at it! They have different styles on the site as well as a full 4 piece set and a teapot cup if you wanted something which was more of the whole package instead. I really want these, well I want everything I have shown you today but this is just gorgeous! There are a lot of avid tea drinkers out there, and there is nothing better than drinking tea in style. I feel this pays homage to Britain and the British ways in which we do things, which I think is great. Ughh I love it!

So that is all I have to show you today, but check out the rest of the sites that these are linked too as there are lots of other amazing gifts available!

See you tomorrow...hopefully!
Love Khrissie x

#Blogmas 4: Friday Favourites

Today I am going to share with you my top 4 favourite Christmas films. The weekend is the one where I am finishing off my Christmas shopping and curling up to one of my favourite movies with snacks and hot chocolate. So here it is...

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My favourite film of all time, is of course ELF!

This is a favourite of the nation and I'm not surprised. It's full of Christmas charm, wit and love! It carries a special Christmas message and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I also love how funny it is. Will Ferrell plays Buddy the Elf so well, I almost feel this is his alter ego for real. If you haven't seen it yet, download it now or buy the DVD as its one you are going to want to treasure forever!

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Number 2 on my list has to be 'A Puppets Christmas Carol'

This is a film I watched every year when I was a kid for as long as I can remember. It always seems to be showing on the TV during December and so I try not to miss it. I didn't get to watch it last year which stupidly upset me, so it is time to buy the DVD. Not sure why I haven't purchased it already to be honest.

It is a great alternative to the classic Christmas Carol and Scrooge films you might have seen. A story about a selfish man at Christmas who gets taken back to his past when he was a much nicer person, to the present day where he can see all the misery he has caused and finally, what will happen in the future. This leads to a massive change in personality for Scrooge and it ends on a happy note. This is a feel good family film with the addition of the well known puppets such as Kermit included to make it a little bit more fun.

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Number 3 is The Grinch

This is a great movie! Very much a family movie with yet another message similar to Muppets Christmas Carol. This is a story about a grinch who doesn't like Christmas as he is green and used to get bullied when he was little. His first love let him down and so it turned his heart dark, which led him to being very lonely with no one else but his dog. Cindy Lou is a sweet girl and loves Christmas more than anyone. She is the only one who isn't scared of the Grinch and through the film, warms his heart through a series of events. Its a happy ending where 'Who Town' where they all live is a much happier place. The sing, dance and enjoy the festivities together.

Jim Carey plays the Grinch in this, he is one of my favourite actors as I love his stupid ways. He plays the role to perfection so much so I don't think the film would be the same without him. Make sure this is on your christmas film list this year.

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Number 4 is Love Actually.

Its a feel good romantic comedy about love at Christmas. Through the film you watch peoples lives change for better or worse in love and friendship. You follow along a few stories at a time, which confused me the first time I watched it, but once you get the hang of it and figure out who everyone is, its a delight to watch. It has a lot of famous faces in it from Keira Knightly to Liam Neeson so you know its going to be good before you watch it. A few tears will fall and laughter laughed but its the ending which leaves a smile on your face.

I hope you liked reading about my top 4 Christmas films this year. There are still a few I have never seen like Arthur Christmas which I need to add to my watch list so I have a lot of snacking and hot chocolate making to do.

Leave your top 3 down below as I would love to add some more to my list this year.
Until tomorrow

Love Khrissie x

Travelling the UK: The Lakes

Happy New Year everyone!

I'm glad to be back. Christmas was wonderful with all the family, catching up with friends, over eating and playing board games. It came and went so quickly that it was New Year before I could say 2015. For the New Year I went up North with my partner to see his family who I had not seen in months. We travelled up on the Mega Bus on New Years eve and enjoyed a takeaway, played more games and set off our own fireworks into the new year, it was wonderful. The next few days were spent seeing the rest of the family until it got to the 3rd Jan.

On the 4th of Jan it was mine and Nicks 5 year anniversary of being together (if you want to here how we met etc let me know) and so we thought we would celebrate it in a different way. My New Years resolution is to be happy and part of that is doing more of what I love. Travelling and seeing new places is one of them so we thought we would head to The Lakes for the day with his parents. I've always wanted to travel back to The Lakes since I visited it as a kid and fell in love with it.

Kendal, UK

Kendel, UK

We left Wakefield at 8:30am and headed for Skipton, a quaint little town in the heart of the countryside. It was the perfect place to stop for a cup of tea and a tea cake before we carried on the rest of the journey. Next stop was Kendel, this was another small market town, full of cute shops and beautiful limestone houses. One of those places you could imagine spending your days when you were a little older. It was lovely to just walk around and take in the beauty of the place. After a quick stop at Costa and a cream cake (my favourite) we headed on our journey up to the lakes. 

If you follow me on social media you would have heard I got a new camera from the boyfriend at Christmas, he really spoilt me and I am so grateful for it. I've been wanting to learn how to use a camera properly for years so this was a perfect way for me to learn. He got me the Nikon D3300 which is a lovely size and looks quite simple to use with some practice. I thought this trip would be the perfect time to test the camera out to see how it compared to my little canon camera. All photos shown in this post are the results I got from it. On first impressions I'm quite impressed. So I spent a lot of my time just looking around and trying to spot opportunities where I could take a snap and practice my composition and instinct in finding beauty in the most simple of things.

After a short drive we arrived in Windermere, which took my breath away as the view of the lake came into site. It really is a beautiful place, tucked up in the heart of the Peak District just waiting for you to discover it. If you ever have a chance to explore the UK you should definitely pay a visit. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

We spent a good while here just looking out onto the distant hills and feeding the swans and ducks which seem to populate most of the area. It was lovely to be somewhere away from our usual surroundings of London and discovering how beautiful our country can really be.

Our last stop was a 15 minute drive to the other end of the lake in Ambleside. Not much different to the other towns we have visited but beautiful all the same. There were a lot of B&Bs in this town so the perfect place to stay if you want to visit the Peak District for a few days. I was thinking how nice it would be a to have your own little B&B in that area. It would be a lovely business to have if you did not like the hustle and bustle of the overcrowded cities.

The sun set around 4:15pm that day so as it got dark we decided to head back home. We were lucky enough to see the sun set behind the hills of the lakes which was stunning. My first sunset of 2015! It was a wonderful day and I'm really pleased we decided to go. It made for a wonderful start to the New Year as it kept me super busy, just enjoying the simplicities of life with some of my favourite people. Definitely make the most of each day you have, even if it is something simple and never put too much pressure on yourself to do anything as it will just make you feel terrible.

Plan a trip around where you live, its a lot cheaper than going on holiday abroad and you can still have as much fun. There might not be the hot sun to lay around in but who wants to spend all their days getting sunburnt when there are all the places in the world which you have never seen before.

Are there any places you want to visit this year?
I've decided I want to go to Scotland for my birthday this year as I have never been before and I cant wait to spend more time doing more of what I love! I'm going to leave you with this beautiful picture I managed to get of the sunset as we are heading home. Life is beautiful so live the adventure!

Love Khrissie xx

A resolution for us all!

Resolutions are great because it makes us all think in a positive way! We tell ourselves what we want to change so we are happier people, but why is it so hard to keep those promises? It's because we put too much pressure on ourselves to make those changes and normally ask ourselves to change a lot all at once.

This year I'm going to have one resolution and it's very simple: 'To be happy and make other people happy' 

So no matter what that might entail I don't have to put pressure on myself to be a whole new person as soon as January 1st begins because who cares if we have flaws, are slightly messy and put on a bit of weight over the holidays, we were happy doing it so why punish ourselves? 

Things for me are going to change in 2015 with being happy in the forefront of my mind but for now I'm gong to focus on the things that make me happy right now!

My friends, family and my wonderful boyfriend are something I never want to change as they make me the happiest of all! I'm spending my new year with the boyfriends wonderful family and enjoying a takeaway with some fireworks to finish and to be honest I can't think of anything better. 

Thank you to all who have read and commented on my blog and helped to make it grow to what it is right now, I can't wait to see where the new year takes me! 

Have an amazing evening and I'll see you in 2015 for the beginning of a happy life! 

Love Khrissie 

Blogmas Stocking Filler: Mello Mallo #Khristmas

Happy Sunday! The time has come where preparations for Christmas get underway and what a better place to start than stocking fillers? These are the gifts you can buy friends or family to open which are little presents to open before the main present. Now this year I am having a big family christmas and there are a lot of people to buy for but although money can be tight, you can still give gifts which are meaningful and cost a fraction of the price.

Here are some marshmallows* and a couple of hot chocolate sticks* from a new start up company called Mello Mallo who hand make these tasty mellos in a small town called Bedfordshire. This started with a 'desire to spread happiness through the love of taste-tingling treats', and I can tell you they definitely do that! Here are some of the flavours that Laura (the chief Mallo maker) sells on her website here.

Now when I received these in the post I was so excited! Especially as there was raspberry and white chocolate, orange chocolate and a white chocolate stick! My favourite! You can enjoy these on their own as a cheeky snack or add them to a hot chocolate using the sticks. What a perfect idea!

All you do is fill up a cup of milk of your choice, pop it in the microwave for a few minutes or heat it up on the stove until hot. Add in your stick and swirl it around until all the chocolate has melted off the stick! How delicious does this look?

Once melted you can enjoy it on its own or pop in some marshmallows for some extra flavour. I melted the white hot chocolate stick and paired it with the white chocolate and raspberry mallows. It was so delicious and something I would love to enjoy on the morning of christmas when everyone is waking up and getting excited about the day.

Here you have it! A perfect treat for any of the family to enjoy! They are home made with simple ingredients, gluten free and best of all, they are so moreish! So 'take a moment to Mello out, you deserve it!'

You can buy different sets on the Mallo store with lots of other flavours available including some new festive flavours! You can purchase these little bags of mallos (4 per pack) for only £2 each or 3 packs for £5! The stirrers are only £1.50. A wonderful affordable treat that will surprise anyone when opening their stocking on Christmas morning! I know I want to get some for sure. You can check out the store here. Thank you Laura for sending me some to try, I can tell they are going to go down great with all my friends and family!

Here is my first Christmas post! I'm so excited!
If you would like to see more posts where I share affordable stocking and gift ideas as well as DIY decorations then leave me a comment below and I will get straight onto it.

I will be using the #khristmas, as I feel I have a fortunate name that I just have to use it so I will be creating a chat throughout December where we can talk everything Christmas..woo! Keep an eye out on my twitter.

Love
Khrissie x