10 Tips for Better Skin

10 tips
I don’t have the best skin in the world however I’ve picked up some tips over the years on how to improve my skin and when I stick to these tips I definitely see an improvement in my skins overall condition - although its quite hard to follow all of these steps all of the time. Whether you have dry skin, oily skin, blemish prone, dehydrated or any other skin type, following these steps will improve your skins condition.

Stay well hydrated | For your skin to be well hydrated it is suggested that you drink eight cups of water a day. Quite often people who think they have dry skin in fact just have dehydrated skin which is a different kettle of fish. Whether your skin is dry depends upon your skin natural oil production - dry skinned people have a less active oil production and oily skinned people have an overactive oil production - but you can have oily skin and dehydrated skin as dehydration correlates to the amount of water in your body. Staying well hydrated helps all aspects of your health so its worth drinking plenty of water for more reasons than the appearance of your skin. Aoiding alcohol and caffeine also helps to improve your bodies hydration levels as alcohol and caffeine dehydrate your body. You can tell if your skin is dehydrated as it will look slightly dull and lifeless.


Maybelline superstay better skin foundation | Review

better skin
A while ago both Lucy and I were in the market for a new foundation. This offering from Maybelline was new to the high street at the time so we thought we’d both give it a try and review it as we have different skin types.

“Dull, blotchy, uneven skin? Visibly improves your skin every minute you're in it. Our first hydrating foundation with Actyl C and SPF 20. Flawless all-day coverage. The formula helps skin look more radiant, fresher and even, with all-day wear.”

Jade’s thoughts:

Starting with the positives this foundation really does last all day. I’ve found I need to powder about half way through my day but my makeup is still in one place at the end of day which never happens with my oily skin. Along with the longevity the wear of this foundation is great too as it wears evenly. So, I don’t get a oily t-zone and then the rest of my makeup looks the same which is what typically happens. This foundation also contains SPF 20 which makes it great not just for summer but year round as a daily foundation - just not for night time, the flashback is ridiculous! The price is also great at only £8.99.

However, I also have many problems with this foundation. The foundation itself is very thick for a liquid which makes it difficult to blend into the skin and can look heavy and mask-like even without powder. This I have a problem with as although I like to have a decent amount of coverage from my foundation I don’t like it to look like I’m wearing a lot of foundation. The colour range is very very limited. All the shades have pink undertones so if you have a tan or are olive skinned - like me - it’s really hard to find the right match. I’m also not a fan of the packaging as I think it looks quite cheap - despite being a high street product. My last point isn’t really a positive or a negative but the foundation claims to help improve your skin whilst you’re wearing it which isn’t something I’ve noticed over the month I’ve been wearing it. (I'm wearing this foundation in this FOTD post)

 Lucy's thoughts:
I have very mixed feelings about this foundation. I love the look it gives my skin and the overall product is a winner in my eyes but it doesn’t suit my skin type, which is combination.
What I love about this foundation is the coverage it gives. It makes your skin look 'flawless'- as it suggests- and covers most of my imperfections without having to use a concealer. It doesn’t make my skin look cakey either - when I first put it on - and the colour is the best match I have found for my skin out of all of the foundations I have tried as it is light and quite pink-y toned.
However, I cannot powder to set this foundation in the morning when I put it on as it makes it look very cakey and heavy and does not look natural-or nice- what so ever. This is a pain as I have to take my powder and brush out with me in case I get shiny in the day, which I wouldn’t normally have to do.  My skin tends to get dry in between my eyebrows, my temples and sometimes around my chin, but I also get oily on my nose and around that area. I find that this foundation doesn't sit well on my dry patches and goes slightly patchy. So, I would definitely not recommend this foundation for people with dry skin as it has a matte finish. But it does last quite well on any oily patches I get.

As a solution to this issue I have been mixing this with my Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation as it's more sheer and slightly too dark for my skin, the combination of the two creates a perfect natural coverage and colour for me. 

What new products have you been trying?

~ Jade and Lucy xx

Face of the day #3 | 02.03.14

better skin

Products used:
Topshop highlighter ~ crescent moon

It's finally beginning to get warmer in England - despite the still miserable weather forecast of rain - which means fresh, spring time pink lipstick can be worn again - not that you can't wear it at any point of the year as there aren't any rules to makeup. I picked this particular one up from boots the other day and have been loving it. It lasts a good four hours and doesn't dry out the lips, also the colour is gorgeous. Satin taupe has been mentioned a number of times here on Aquapearl but now those of you that haven't bought it yet - though you definitely should - can see why both Lucy & I love it. It's just great.



Are you looking forward to spring makeup trends?

~ Jade xx

Photography information

Canon 600D with 18-55mm lens, Canon 24mm lens or Sigma 70-300mm lens. Canon EOS M with 18-55mm lens or Canon 24mm lens. Any edited photos are edited using Photoshop CS6. Picture source is given for any photo used that is not directly ours.