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Liz Earle

BeautyLifestyleMakeupOrganizingYou tube

January Cleaning/Organizing Makeup Purge

by thelifestylelady

Howdy Y’all,

How are y’all today? Today I need to get back to the gym so that is my mission, I hope not to fail, what are your plans this week? How was your weekend? Mine was good, it started Friday when I went antiquing, it did me good to get out and have a giggle with a friend, I purchased a few small things. Little items for the house. Is that something you might be interested in? I could do a haul, let me know. I love items with a history/story to it, perhaps it is the Brit in me.

On Saturday we had friends to dinner, I was a little disappointed with the pie I made, it didn’t go as well as usual but ho-hey, dessert was good and quite frankly that is the best bit. Sunday was a little quiet which secretly I like, I have a little list of things I like to do on a Sunday to make my week run more efficiently, maybe I will do a post about it.  I have perfected a system which makes me face a new week with a positive outlook. Another little gem was that Mr L got a new car, I secretly love to see him happy, even if I give him a little stick. I am happy to see him enjoying the fruits of his labor. It is well deserved for him, he is always kind and generous to others so I love seeing his uncontrollable smile.

Today’s video is about purging, when I arrived back from the UK part of my rehabilitation was to get the home back in a routine, I love the fresh perspective that some distance from home gives me. I don’t set myself unreliable expectations but slowly cover the areas where I need to sort or purge. Today my video covers makeup in particular face makeup.  This week I want to get sorted on my kitchen going through draws and getting rid of clutter and equipment I don’t need or use, it is so uplifting and cathartic. Wish me luck.

Enjoy your week friends.

Ta Ta for now,

TLLx

 

 

 

 

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BeautyYou tube

Product Empties Winter 2016

by thelifestylelady

 

Howdy Y’all!

Happy New Year! I am still away and enjoying the peace and quiet of home, spending quality time with friends and family, enjoying our last week before our January officially starts. Todays video is all about product empties, things I have used to the last drop, with lots of great sales going on I thought it might give you some inspiration to give something new a try. Any of the products mentioned you love? Anything I should try?

How was your NY? Any resolutions your planning? I am thinking about goals for this my blog at the moment that I hope to share with y’all very soon!

Ta Ta for now.

TLLx

 

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BeautySkin Care

Making Time – At Home Facial

by thelifestylelady

Howdy Y’all!

I hope you had a wonderful Halloween, ours was fantastic Little L really enjoyed herself, it was such a pleasure to see her so excited every time she knocked on the door. I don’t know about you but this time of year is so busy, for me the last quarter is always the busiest. Halloween, Little L’s birthday, Thanksgiving and then Christmas. With so much planning and organizing as well as regular life, time for me or making time for me is such a low priority. Many years ago I attended a British Airways flight safety training (you are thinking where is this going?!) During the training the trainer explained that it was imperative that in case of an incident you put your own mask upon your face before helping others, including children. I thought this was ludicrous. He explained that if you didn’t care for yourself first what use could you be to anyone else? This whole mindset was totally alien to how I had been raised, although being a mother now I am beginning to understand the wise words more and more. I love being a mum, I love my daughter to bits but if I had one criticism of myself it is that I did not take or make enough time for me, I felt I had to be all to her every need. It is only recently as she started school I have discovered the benefit of me time and how much I was needing it. I am also aware that we can’t all have it.

Over the past three years I have tried where possible to make the most of the limited time I had, doing something for me that would make me feel and look better. For some that might be a facial for others reading. Over the next few weeks I wanted to show you some small ways you can “make time” for yourself. Today for example I start with an at home facial. I read somewhere by some expert that you should get a decent facial bi-weekly or monthly, if you have the time and finances for that all power to you. As someone who does like beauty things a facial for me is a twice yearly activity mainly because time is precious and I want to prioritize it in other ways. I will say this, if you are looking to have a facial, if it is your first time or a new area, try and find a facialist with a good reputation who is not necessarily associated with a particular brand. It does drive me insane when I have a facial and that facialist spends the time on the hard sell. Plus an independent facialist will have a better idea of brands/products suited to your skin. (I digress.) I am a believer that an amazing facial can transform your skin and how you feel. What I do at home is not in any way as good as a spa facial but it come close in allowing me the time to focus on my skin and RELAX.

Please be kind! I am being so brave putting a close up or my bare face on the blog.

 

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This is a too close up of me after twelve hours of makeup wearing. Time to clean and care for this dry and tired complexion.

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If I have been wearing makeup I love to remove it with an oil based cleanser and I love The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. It is gentle on skin and breaks down even thick makeup. I love it because it is gentle on my eyes and great for my sensitive skin. I do take a couple of mins to work it into the skin. I also use a clean cleansing cloth daily.

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Now the majority of the makeup is removed, I used a beautiful cleanser which is a treat for the skin. At the moment I am loving the Emma Hardie’s Cleansing Balm. It starts as a balm which you work into the skin. It lathers when water is applied. I use a clean flannel to remove the remains. It really cleanses the skin and leaves it feeling smooth, plus it smell divine. If Emma Hardie is a little more than you like to spend, please click here I did a post on a variety of cleansers some of which are more affordable.

 

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After the cleansing is finished, I decided to exfoliate, sometimes I use an exfoliator like this Tata Harper if I have not used the Clarisonic when cleansing. Both would be too rough for my skin. If Tata Harper is a little expensive I also really love St Ives Facial Scrub, which is cheap and effective.

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After exfoliating I decide what type of mask my skin needs. I tend to alternate between a deep cleansing clay mask and a hydrating one. Today my skin was feeling dry after exfoliating so I decided to apply First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Oatmeal Mask. I apply this to all areas of my face except the eyes. I find this so calming and nourishing for my skin.  As I age it is my eye area which needs TLC and so I like to use eye masks. This is Sephora Lotus eye mask. These work so well and can be thrown away afterwards. I also like that you don’t get product to close to the eyes.

 

 

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This is me after mask. To echo that I was short on time, I cleansed and exfoliated before dinner and then applied the masks and went and cooked family dinner. I did look sexy. I wore the masks for longer than the recommended time to fit in with family life.

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With everyone happy and fed I removed the mask and decided to apply a serum and eye cream. Today I choose Sunday Riley Good Genes, I love to give this product time to sink in. I also applied First Aid Beauty eye cream. My eyes love this stuff. I think I mentioned before that for me the serum is the best place to invest when it comes to skincare and makeup. A good serum is worth its weight, buy the best you can afford.

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An hour or so later (after sorting the house for Monday) I applied Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate for night, it smells divine and gives my skin that final boost of moisture. If your skin feels great after the serum application you could skip this step or alternatively apply your regular moisturizer. I find my skin appreciates a night oil. I know I look greasy and sexy lucky Mr L!!

I will be honest and say that my skin always feels great the next day and it does effect the amount of makeup I need to wear. I also feel heaps better if I get a good night sleep and have drunk plenty of water. Trust me when I say this takes very little time and you can fit it around running the family, just pray the neighbors do not require a jug of milk. Do you have any questions? Any products you love? I have had lots of questions about eyes and eye creams so going to do a post soon.

Ta Ta for now,

TLL x

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BeautyHairMakeupSkin CareYou tube

Product Empties Beauty & Skincare – Fall 2016

by thelifestylelady

 

Howdy Y’all,

Happy Halloween . Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, ours was very quiet Mr L has picked up one of the infinate bugs lurking around of late, it is a result of the high temperatures we are  suffering with here. We hope to be out trick or treating later but it does feel odd doing so in 80OC. Little L is meant to be a mouse this year, we will see how we do, she has very fixed views on everything. I did manage to visit my hairdresser this weekend, we chopped and darkened in hope for cooler weather. I always like to take a chunk off my hair every few years and I decided this was the time.

Today my video is about empty products, I always think these videos are of value because they really show you what I have loved and continued to reuse till empty rather than just first impressions. The majority is skincare! Please enjoy.

Keep safe, enjoy halloween and don’t eat too much candy/sweets (note to self!)

Ta Ta for now.

TLL x

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BeautySkin Care

TLL Essential Cleansers

by thelifestylelady

Howdy Y’all,

I am writing this from a rainy Texas after having two weeks of wonderful weather. With the prospect of a very hot summer rapidly approaching the idea of getting outside and enjoying Spring is a must so blogging might be a little on the back burner. One of the questions I get asked quite a lot from friends is about my skincare. I had been thinking about what is the best way to produce this post without it turning into an essay, it seems to make sense to break it down into each element and maybe vlog the whole process later. So today I thought I would start with cleansing. I am very fortunate that the skin (on my face) has never given me many problems, it is on the dry side but I suffer with few breakouts (except last week I had two!) and have never had acne. If I have areas of concern they tend to be dryness and redness (English skin.) I do think genetics and a healthy approach of lots of water and plenty of sleep contribute hugely to your skins welfare. You can seize control to ensure you give your skin a great foundation with an effective skincare routine and this for me this starts with cleansing. Finding great cleansers that work for you, can totally transform your skincare routine. I do like to try different cleansers from time to time but I have two which I absolutely love and would literally cause me to have a complete meltdown if I didn’t have several in backup.

Cleansing is so important because it cleanses (obviously.) It also prepares the skin for further skincare/ sunscreens/ makeup or masks. I always cleanse first thing in the morning, it wakes me up and helps me face the day. I have a morning cleanser by my sink and another in the shower depending when or where I am. This helps remove any skin care from the night before that has not been absorbed, sweat and altogether makes my skin feel clean and ready to receive makeup.

Essential Cleanser

In the evening I am a strong advocate for the double cleanse, whether you are a makeup wearer of not I love to use an oil cleanser first, I enjoy the feel of it on my dry skin and nothing breaks mascara down like it. I have tried sampled many different oil base cleansers both high end and drug store and I have always come back to The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. My relationship with The Body Shop makes me smile because it is where I started exploring skincare and makeup in my early teens and now in my thirties I have gone full circle and I find I am drawn back to the brand. I love the natural aspects and the products are gentle and very effective. I must do a post on my favorite Body Shop products. It has a fabulous price point and they run amazing deals on their website which I always participate in. I get nervous if I don’t have three of these in stocks. It would be on my skincare must haves. Sure you can pay more for a fancier brand (which I do when I feel it is necessary, but this is a must have.) I use a muslin cloth which you can also purchase through them to remove.

After I have finished my first oil cleanse I always turn to my trusty faithful Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish. If you have followed my blog for sometime you will know how much I love the Liz Earle brand. This for me is the hands down the star of the fleet and beauty insiders agree with me. It has won over 120 awards and I am never without it. A pump of the cream on your skin sooths and removes any remaining oil or makeup. The removal with warm water and muslin cloth works as a gentle exfoliator and really cleanses the skin. I really feel after I have removed this that my skin is clean, soft and brighter. If I have no other cleansers to sample or my skin feels drier than normal it is this I reach for as my morning cleanse also. This again is a wonderful price point and contains no chemicals or nasty’s. This is a product I recommend everyone to try.

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I do not have huge emotional attachment to other cleansers but thought I would mention a few other I have been sampling or I grab if I see them on special at the store. Origins GinZing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser This I tend to always have in my shower, it has the most amazing smell and is so invigorating for the face first thing in the morning. Origins is another terrific brand and the quality across the line is fantastic. The reason I don’t use this everyday is because it is a scrub and is a tad abrasive to use daily on my sensitive/dry skin. I do use it at least twice a week and Mr L has been know to reach for it, as the smell is unisex. So if real estate is tight in your shower this might work well. Another great price point, if you were to purchase you wouldn’t regret. The reason I don’t have any at the moment is because I am waiting for a delivery from Sephora.

Cucumber Cleanser

Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Daily Gel Cleaner. If you have very sensitive skin than this I would recommend. It might also be for you if you are not a fan of heavily floral fragrances as the cucumber is a subtle cooling fragrance.  This again is lovely and I tend to reach for it if my skin is feeling very sensitive or if I have been in the sun. It does soothe the skin. The reason it is not a must have for me is because honestly I am not a huge fan of gel cleansers. They are thick and I don’t love rubbing their texture into my face. I also don’t love the way they lather. I prefer oil and cream, that being said this is one of my fav gel cleansers I have tried. It is also drug store and a more than reasonable price point. So if you are on a budget this might be worth a try.

Kiels Cleanser Final

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser I have been trying this one out as I received it in my Birchbox last month. Kiehl’s again is a well respected brand and I had high hopes. Firstly there is nothing wrong with the cleanser, it removes your makeup but for me it is a gel and therefore I am not a mad fan of the texture. I also don’t love the fragrance. I probably wouldn’t purchase again simply because I have other products which suit my skin better.

Hope your skin is feeling squeaky clean now, the world of cleansing is a complex one as there are so many to choose from depending on your skin type and your texture preference. Some simple things to remember, don’t let your water get too hot, and change your muslin/wash cloth regularly (everyday if you can.) What cleansers do you love? Let me know.

 

Ta ta for now.

TLL x

 

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BeautySkin Care

Monday Loves- Hand Cream

by thelifestylelady

Howdy Y’all,

How was your weekend? Super Bowl filled fun? I have to be honest I am not the greatest fan of football but with the adverts and halftime show to keep you entertained you get through it. Plus who doesn’t want to live in Ryan Town? The weekend as ever went crazy fast, I had plenty of fun and I am recovering after two nights out in a row. Life is not what it was! So tis the season for dry hands, who is with me? I always feel it across my knuckles when my hands are dry. I’m not sure whether it is being in and out of the cold or that I am outside more enjoying the park and not wearing gloves, (because how can you take squillions of photos of your little cherub and check Facebook and Twitter when you are wearing gloves?) I have my hands in water far more than I have ever done, not just washing dishes but washing my hands a million times a day. I also think that when I was a working in an office I always took greater care of my hands because I was always applying cream. What else can you do on a conference call?

My mother has always told me that your hands and decolletage tells a ladies age, so taking care of them is essential. I do try, I am making a conscious effort to place hand cream in places where I have 10 seconds to apply, like in the car when I am in the drive-thru que, on my desk and next to my bed (an obvious place,) although I am often too tired to remember. I even place hand cream next to my hand washes at my sinks, but those hand creams are a little like conditioner, the wash runs out and there is always lots of cream left. Since I am suffering with dry hands I wanted to share with you what I love and what I turn to when I need my hands to be silky smooth. I have to tell you that hand cream makes a wonderful gift, male or female as a hostessing gift or for those who love to garden. Just an idea!

What do I look for in a hand cream? I must love the fragrance. It must actually make my hands feel more comfortable and nourished. I hate that film and sticky feeling some of the creams can leave on your hands, why would I want to wash that off my hands which defeats the point. So I am quite fussy, shock horror so here are some of TLL favs:-

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  1. Liz Earle Superskin Hand Serum No beauty recommendation would be
    Lifestyle Lady appropriate if it did not include Liz Earle. I love her brand and range of skin care. This is the first time I have used the serum (I think it’s new to the collection.) It does not disappoint. This is next to my bed, it is a serum so I feel it is more nourishing than a standard cream and this is reflected in the cost, it is the most expensive item I have on my list. In my view worth every penny. It has a light fragrance of essential oils and I am very attracted to its botanical nature and the fact it’s natural and does not contain any uglies or nasties. This is typical of the fanstastic standard of Liz Earle and I am glad I have a backup ready.
  2. Bath & Bodyworks Fresh Tangerines Hand Cream This was a spontaneous buy, I am getting more familiar with the brand. I have always found the candy smell in their stores a little off putting but I sucked it up and bought this and I have not been disappointed. I will tell you I am a sucker for anything that smells of Clementines, Tangerines or Oranges. I love the clean smell and it just reminds me of summer. So this was a no brainier purchase. I obviously love the fragrance but their is a variety of other scents in the collection. For $5 this is such great value and the cream is soothing, comfortable and nourishing.
  3. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Hand Treatment As one would expect of Elizabeth Arden this is great, it is a cult classic. It is probably closest to the Liz Earle and I turn to this when my hands are really dry and need a treat. If you are a fan of the Eight Hour range than this will be for you.
  4. Mangiacotti Hand Repair I purchased this when I went to the hairdresser they were selling this range. Again it was the fragrance which drew me in. You will see from the photo that it is almost empty so that should tell you all you need to know. I will repurchase if I can source it.
  5. Cath Kidston Flora Hand Cream Collection This was a Christmas present from Mr L. He is sick of holding my scraggy hands, yes we still hold hands occasionally – who says romance is dead?! I didn’t have high hopes for this and I have been proved wrong. I adore the fragrances and they are nourishing and creamy. Good job Mr L a great stocking stuffer.
  6. L’Occitane Hand Creams If you have followed the blog for a while like Liz Earle L’Occitane is another one of the brands I love. TBH L’Occtiane to me knocks it out of the park when it comes to their hand and foot creams. They sell them in such a variety of fragrances and sizes. I am NEVER without one in my purse and they are a beauty staple. There is a reason why it’s loved by The Green Beauty Bible. Treat yourself give it a try.

So what have I missed that you love? Get in touch and let me know.

Ta Ta for now,

TLLx

 

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Editorial

The Friday Feeling- Links I love

by thelifestylelady

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Howdy Y’all,

It is Friday! Congratulations you have made it through another week. Looking forward to a weekend of great weather in Texas, so I have that Friday feeling and I thought I would share some of the things I have liked and loved this week.

So I mentioned the weather is to be good this weekend as a result we have been invited to our first BBQ of the year, a BBQ in January who would have thought? We will actually be able to sit outside rather than the summer where the heat is a nightmare. I am making an appetizer, wanting to stretch my repertoire I am going to make this, hope it is yummy I will report back.

It’s baby fever amongst my friends at the moment, and I love the American tradition of Baby Showers and Sprinkles. I really enjoy celebrating the mum and the impending arrival. I have a sprinkle to attend this weekend, although I had already purchased a gift I was in Gap this week and saw these. For those of you who are not familiar with the Mr Men books or The Little Miss books you have missed out. I loved these during my childhood and they are a great gift for children. They are smaller books with a great moral message to them all. The collections can be bought through Amazon here and here. A great addition to any child’s library.

If you have a littlie in your life who is fond of Disney like Little L, The Disney Store is having a fab sale on plush soft toys, buy one full price ($19.95) get the second for $1. Elsa and Cilla (Cinderella) were added to our family.

I think I have mentioned earlier my love of candles and Bed Bath & Bodyworks are having another sale. I went in to see what I could find and discovered the Lilacs candle, I love the smell so much, it is delicate and reminds me of Spring which is not far away. I also managed to get a Gardenia room fragrance, I love The smell of Gardenia’s I just wish they did this in a body cream.

I was disappointed when I was in London that one of my Christmas gifts (a Liz Earle facial) was cancelled due to the therapist being sick, so Mummy L gained the benefit, which is good. Liz Earle so kindly sent me a pack of goodies to say sorry. It was a lovely surprise and I will blog when I have tried all I was given. It was so kind of them. So thank you. I have been a fan of the brand for years. Give them a try.

Have a super weekend.

Ta Ta for now

TLL x

 

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