Elizabeth Chats

As you can probably tell from my Blog, I'm a bit of a skincare obsessive. I would absolutely love perfect porcelain skin; mostly so I could leave the house without make-up without feel so self-conscious.  I'm always on the look-out for the most highly recommended skincare products; and Alpha H Liquid Gold is without a doubt one of the most hyped beauty products out there!  So why is it such a skincare favourite?  It uses  alpha hydroxy acids, which melt the 'glue' that binds dulling dead cells to skin's surface, revealing the healthy 'new' skin cells beneath. It s timulates cellular activity - accelerating repair and renewal.  It works hard to erase the  visibility of acne scars, dark spots and brown patches, making skin look beautiful.  Because of the products hyper-ingredients you need to build up a skin tolerance (No it will not burn your skin off) The reason you do this is to minimise redness: So just use once a w...

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I had FINALLY paid off my overdraft. I thought it would be nice to do a little post all about how I managed to pay it off. I really hope that if you're struggling with debt and financial issues that this helps you too. Write it down Write down every single thing you owe, from credit cards to overdrafts. Write down exactly how much you owe and what you pay each month (minimal payment and the interest you have to pay) Admitting to myself not only shocked me but brought me to my senses. Writing everything down was a big shock, when I just thought about it, I was like 'Ah, it's only a few hundred pounds, its not that much.' But when I actually saw in writing that it was almost £1000, I burst into tears, I knew I needed to get it sorted out before it spiralled (even further) out of control. Work it out I worked out how much I needed to spend each month:   I jotted down how much I earn each month, then took away a...

Ever since I gave birth to my daughter Emmy, my skin has been terrible, very oily, yet dry, and being a new mum, I've only just started to have the time to sort it out. I've been trying to up my skincare game and I have been experimenting with a lot of top rated and highly recommended products to try and find skin-care which can (hopefully) solve my skincare woes.  I've never tried anything from Dermalogica before but I knew them as a high-end skincare company.  Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant is one of their highest rated products and was intrigued to find out why.  Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant is a rice-based powder which, when mixed with water, activates to release papain, salicylic acid and rice enzymes, providing both manual and chemical exfoliation   Unfortunately I have to be honest and say that myself and this particular product do not get along. I feel that for £39, the way in which you apply the product feels strange. I think it...

As a new mum, I seem to constantly look exhausted, so I need all the help I can get. On days where the dark circles under my eyes are particularly heavy, I always reach for this cult classic concealer.  The luxurious lightweight and creamy texture is perfect for concealing under the eyes. Because it has light reflecting pigments it makes the under-eye look brighter and more awake.  Other concealers can be a little to heavy to use around the delicate eye area, as they can often crease and look too heavy. This one is perfect; not too heavy and it doesn't tend to crease in the fine lines under my eyes.  Of course the concealer is not just for under-eyes, because its non-comedogenic you can use it on spots as it won't clog pores. However I do not find that it is the right type of concealer to use on spots as it tends to highlight them, rather than conceal them (I've had other people say the opposite to this, so that might just be my experience with th...

My Princess Emmy at 3 days old 💓  When I first started to tell people I was pregnant EVERYONE (including strangers, randomers and people in the supermarket) wanted to tell me what I should do when the baby is born. Don't get me wrong, I've had some amazing support and advice from the people around me (my mum is my go-to baby guru) But honestly, when Emmy was first born I was given some strange advice, so here goes:  PS: If some of this advice works for you and your baby, then that's great. Every mum and baby is different and what works for someone, may not work for someone else, but that's perfectly okay: This blog is against mum judgement. And this post illustrates advice that didn't work for myself but may work for others.  Let your baby cry it out NO NO NO. This concept just seems strange and cruel. With Emmy if I leave her to cry, she doesn't think, right, I've cried for 10 minutes no ones coming so I may as well stop. She gets louder and...

During pregnancy my hair went really thin, and basically started to fall-out in clumps. Apparently this is caused by pregnancy hormones and is completely normal. Fortunately around 6 weeks after giving birth my hair started to grow back, but it still didn't look or feel the same as it used to before pregnancy.  I was telling one of my friends about this and she recommended that I tried the Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair Treatment, I had read other rave reviews about this haircare product and thought I would give it a go.  So what is it? This is a l eave-in hair treatment that instantly repairs and protects from heat styling. It detangles and strengthens hair leaving it looking and feeling stronger.  Why the hype? It contains  Certified organically-derived quinoa protein penetrates hair to instantly repair damage and strengthen from the inside out +  Wheat protein helps protect from heat styling such as blow-drying and ironing +...

I'm constantly on the look out for a beauty bargain; here's what I do to make sure I get the most bang for my buck.  Check the 'New In' Section on Bargain websites daily , to ensure you don't miss out on the best bargains. I check out TKMaxx and Feel Unique ALOT to see what they have, as the better the bargain the faster it sells out  Search Ebay, Depop and Facebook Market Place  Although people on these sites can be extremely annoying! You may be able to find yourself a bargain.  Look-Out for Coupons and Remember to use them : My Favourites are the ones from Boots, as I shop here a lot, and they offer some really good vouchers (Sign up for a Boots Cards / Parenting Club / Also in the Boots Magazine) Check out the Bargain Shelves: Seriously, I've had some crazy bargains from the Boots bargain corner. TKMaxx is great place to try too; although hunting for the right product may take a while (I swear someone goes in and purposely messes-up all the mak...

Since becoming a mum, I have been constantly knackered so I'm always on the look out for a decent eye cream. I used to use the Origins Gin-Zing Eye Cream, which is one of my absolute favourite eye creams. However after receiving the Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream in a gift set at Christmas I thought I would see what its like.  I can honestly say that since Christmas I have used this every single day (and that is not an exaggeration)  Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream has been formulated to brighten, refresh and hydrate the delicate eye area. Like a decents night sleep in a tube. This is perfect for busy people, who love fuss-free products. You can use this at any time of day (morning or evening) as well as before or after make-up, to give eyes a little refreshment throughout the day.  So does it work? Yup! I've found that it helps to make the area around my eyes look more awake and helps to reduce dark circles, puffiness and generally looking absolutely knac...

What you REALLY need in your Maternity Hospital Bag  (Don't make the same mistakes as I did and start running out of things on the second day)  When I was pregnant I told everyone that I planned to wake up one morning with contractions, get straight to the hospital, give birth in a matter of hours and come home the same day. Oh how naive I was: I ended up with a 16 hour labour and a 4 day stay in hospital.  Unfortunately my hospital bag reflected my naivety, 'one pair of knickers will do' 'Oh the hospital will have maternity pads right?'  So I decided to help other women in my position, yes there are SO many lists on the internet about what to take and when I was expecting I trawled through them all. So I thought I would make one of my own : )  First, use a suitcase , not a bag, a suitcase is bigger and easier to wheel places (plus its a good place for your husband to sit on if there are no other options ha) Lets start with what ...

Is there anything better than after a long day at work, getting home, sitting down and taking your make-up off?  Honestly I love the feeling of clean fresh skin and as such I'm always looking for a make-up remover which can remove every inch of my foundation.  I need a make-up remover which is strong enough to remove waterproof make-up without making my eyes sore. Over the years I've tried hundreds of make-up removers, but here are my Top 5:  Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes & Lips This is one of my recent discoveries, I find that it easily removes waterproof mascara with little effort. It doesn't make my eyes sore and it doesn't leave that strange oily residue on the skin, which you seem to get with some make-up removers. As you can see from the near empty bottle, this is my absolute favourite eye make-up remover. I usually follow this up with the  Clinique Take the Day off Cleansing Balm. Garnier Mi...