The 'bedside' routine

So today I wanted to share with you, what I like to call, my ‘bedside’ routine. It’s my morning/bedtime beauty routine consisting of a few god sent products I keep on my bedside cabinet. I go through this routine when I wake up in the morning and before I sleep at night and I've seen dramatic improvements in my skin and well-being since starting it a few months ago!

As you can see above (left to right) the first thing on my bedside is a little white porcelain jewellery holder. As annoying as it is, taking your jewellery off at night is really important! The natural chemicals of your skin can quicken the wear and tear of even the finest jewels so giving them time away from your skin while you sleep will help you prolong the life of your bling. It’ll also give your skin and ears a rest from supporting bracelets, earrings etc.

Next we have my little Yankee candle, not necessarily part of a beauty routine but something I count as essential. I light it when I’m getting ready for bed as the scent of lavender is really relaxing and soothing – perfect to help you drift into a deep sleep. However if you are the sort of person who drifts off really quickly DO NOT light candles before you go to bed, it’s not worth the risk of leaving a burning candle on overnight.

Next we have my Garnier micellar water which I use with the cotton pads that you can see in the glass jar on the left of the cabinet. Micellar water helps remove makeup and cleanse your skin without scrubbing or rinsing so it’s perfect for cleaning your skin in bed. I use this the second I wake up in the morning just to freshen my skin for the day and prepare it for the makeup onslaught it’s about to deal with!

In front of the water are my Garnier make up wipes, these are for dry skin (which I have a lot of) and are really good for preventing flaky skin, greasy noses and spotty breakouts. I use these to take off my make up before I sleep, followed by a quick wipe over with the Garnier micellar water.

After that is my Bliss aloe leaf and peppermint foot moisturiser. Everyone should have three moisturisers in my opinion, one for your body, one for your face and one for your feet, and Bliss’ foot patrol is the perfect exfoliating and softening cream for your poor feet! It’s an essential after a long day of work, chasing trains and torturing my feet with high heels and drunk dancing! I use it after my morning shower and just before I go to sleep at night.

Next is my E45 moisturising cream, not particularly glamorous but it’s probably the most exciting/least medical of all my moisturisers. Because I have psoriasis (a skin condition that makes your skin crack, flake and open raw sores due to the over-production of cells) I need to use a lot of moisturisers that have medical, as well as cosmetic, benefits and E45 is the perfect light moisturiser for this. I use it morning and night after I shower and use a small tube throughout the day on any exposed/sore skin.

Finally on the right are my Protein World vitamins. I take two multi-vitamins a day and I also take two Vitamin D supplements every day as they have been proven to help with psoriasis. Protein World’s vitamins are really helpful just because they come in a large jar for a pretty reasonable price. Multivitamins are always handy to have as it’s hard to get a lot of natural vitamins (that our body should get from the sun) when you live in the UK!

This routine helps keep my face fresh and free from breakouts and has helped the state of my poor scabby skin improve so much over the last few months! Also thanks to the vitamins my hair and nails have all improved dramatically! Another thing I usually have on my bedside is a bottle of water, I try to drink a pint in the morning and one before I go to sleep – water helps with energy levels and has tonnes of natural benefits, so a pint of cold water is the perfect way to start and end your day!

I hope this post has helped some people who suffer from skin problems as well as anyone just looking to improve their beauty routines. I’m considering doing a post specifically on treating acne/break outs and maybe one specifically on how I treat my psoriasis, so let me know if you’d like to read more in a comment below!

Pandora Jewellery

Today I thought I'd share with you a post about one of my absolutely favourite possessions, my Pandora jewellery. I think Pandora is absolutely beautiful and their charm bracelets are the perfect way of commemorating the special times in your life.

I'm going to take you through my charms and then tell you a little bit about my ring. The first charm on the left is my ‘Good Luck’ charm, this was a present off my mum given to me on my last day of university. It was to wish me good luck in my future and it’s my most recent charm.

The next charm on the left is a little member of the Queen’s Guard who stand outside Buckingham Palace. This one was a gift from my step-dad after him, my mum and I went away on a mini holiday to London.

Third from the left is my little diamanté Christmas tree which was a Christmas present (duh) off my boyfriend Josh. It was our first Christmas together and the charm will always be a great way to remember that.

The small dangly heart charm was a gift off my mum for Christmas. There’s no particular reason behind this charm other than it’s a love heart and she loves me! I think it’s so beautiful and delicate, it was the second dangly edition to my collection.

Next to the small heart charm, in the centre of the bracelet, is my princess charm. This is another one Josh got me and it was for our first year anniversary/valentine’s day – they’re within like two days of each other. It has a pink cubic zirconia in the centre which matches my ring and ‘Princess’ is engraved into the back of the charm.

Josh got me this charm because he calls me Princess and he’s soppy and I'm a brat! This is my only charm with gold on it, which you can see on the little crown! I think the crown on the heart is just so adorable – I absolutely love Pandora’s fairy-tale collection.

Next to the Princess charm is the Eiffel Tower charm. Josh got me this after we went on our first holiday together. We went to France, in case you didn't guess from the charm, and it was my first ever dangly charm!

Next to the Eiffel Tower we have my pineapple – not a sentence I ever thought I’d write. This was a Christmas present from my mum and the main reason I wanted a Pandora bracelet. I collect all things pineapple and when I saw this charm I desperately wanted it. Sadly it retired before I could get one but mum managed to track one down for me – what a gem.

The next two charms were both 20^th birthday presents off my mum. The first is a dangly heart charm that has two halves to it. One half says ‘Daughter’ as you can see on my bracelet, and the other says ‘Mother’ which my mum wears on her Pandora bangle.

Last but certainly not least is my Russian Doll charm or the ‘Babushka’ charm. As I said it was a 20^th birthday present and is really special to me as I collected Russian dolls when I was younger. I still have a collection of them and this charm is a beautiful addition to that collection.

Finally shown in the pictures above is my Pandora ring. This was a 20^th birthday gift off Josh. It’s a silver Eternity ring with pink cubic zirconia and beautiful engravings around the edge. I wear the ring every day and people are quite judgy when I say it’s an eternity ring assuming it’s like an engagement ring or one of those crazy American promise rings.

That’s not the case, it’s just a nice way of saying I love you and reminding me of that every day. I know that this ring is available in plain white and purple as well as pink and is stackable with Pandora’s other rings.

I also wear my bracelet everyday as it’s not so dainty that it’s not wearable but still pretty and delicate looking, plus it goes with just about every outfit.

Pandora charm bracelets are an excellent gift idea for a loved one and are a great way of building memories with them. I love looking at my charms every day and being reminded of some of my happiest times.

I’d also recommend a Pandora as a gift as it’s not overly priced and you’ll never struggle to find a present for your loved one as Pandora stock such a wide variety of charms and jewellery to suit every occasion.

Do any of you own any pandora jewellery? If so tell me about it in a comment below! Or tell me about your favourite bling.