Current skincare favourites

I know it's not that long I posted about my current skincare routine, but I feel like my skin is changing constantly. Most of the times I could describe it as normal, but there are times when my skin acts up, big time. Sometimes it's hormonal, sometimes it's the weather and seasons or it could just be my diet.
At the moment it's a tough one. I seem to get a few spots around my chin and cheeks - you know, the really painful ones that aren't ready to pop, haven't been for a week. But then I also have some really persistant dry patches that don't seem to go away no matter what I do.

Normally I would try every possible detox mask I can get my hands on, but this time I thought to switch things a bit. Instead of worrying about every tiny spot on my face, I have started to focus on the dryness.
Mary Kay's Timewise 3-in-1 cleanser is the perfect cleanser for this. It has tiny tiny particles that gently exfoliate the skin and its creamy texture leaves my skin feeling fresh and smooth. It also has a toner in it - perfect especially if feeling lazy and don't wanna go through 100 different steps. I also use this only in the evening. I have completely skipped cleansing my face in the morning. Instead I just wash my face with cool water.
I recently purchased The Ordinary's Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG and Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 and I'm more than happy to tell you they are totally worth the hype. I use them both mornings and evenings before any creams. Caffeine Solution is meant for under eye areas (correct me if I'm wrong) and it helps to reduce puffiness and pigmentation. Hyaluronic Acid is meant for face and it's super hydrating (which I totally need). Their light texture makes them easy to apply and it doesn't feel like I have something on my face, but they still do the trick.
At the moment I have been using prescribed eye cream, hence why there is no eye cream in the picture. My eyes especially have been so sensitive and dry, that every once in a while I have to go through this process before I use any other products on the area.
In the mornings I have been reaching for Yves Rocher's Hydra Végétal moisturiser that is suppose to give you 24h worth of hydration. Now I can't guarantee it as I use moisturising products twice a day, but it is really good. It doesn't irritate my skin at all and it has a very smooth texture - a little goes a long way!
I have never heard of Essano's Rosehip oil before, but I suppose it's just as any rosehip oil. Mine is enriched with acai berry antioxidant oil, but doesn't have any nonsense in it. It's such an amazing product and I'm gutted I didn't get more when visiting The UK.

The products above are the ones I use on a daily basis, but once in a week or every 10 days I use Mary Kay's face mask from their botanical effects range. Unfortunately this product isn't available anymore and it makes me sad. This seriously is one of the best hydrating masks that also exfoliate the skin. The exfoliating masks I have used in the past tend to just dry my skin out, but this does the complete opposite. You can use it as a regular exfoliator too, but I find it works the best when left on the face for a longer time.

Let me know what your favourite are or if you have tried any of these before.

Rosy make up look

I have noticed around spring and summer I tend to get a bit more playful with my make up routine. Normally I go for the no make up - make up look, where I just wear minimal amount of very nude and warm tones. But as spring arrives and everything gets more colourful, I feel more energized and like to experiment with different techniques and products. I love different shades on pink and thought I would try to add that to my face as well.

I spend most of my time building the base. Before foundation I apply tons of different products just so my base would be as even as possible. For someone who suffers from dry skin and the tone is ten different shades of red, I couldn't survive without Clinique's Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base that helps to even out my skin tone and reduces any redness (it also has SPF!).
Like probably a lot of others, my pores are slightly larger on the nose and chin area, and that's when Maybelline's Baby Skin Instant Fatigue Blur in apricot comes handy. It helps to make pores less visible and makes adding foundation so much easier.
The last couple of months I have been switching with a couple of foundations but Maybelline's Fit Me has been my go-to product. It's easy to blend, especially when using my absolute favourite foundation brush from Zoeva. Their 103 Defined Buffer is so gentle on the skin.
Concealer is definitely something I could not live without. For this look I used Maybelline's Fit Me concealer just to hide any red marks and my awful under eye circles. Looks like I didn't do such a good job with it, but to be fair, they are seriously dark and the skin around is super dry and I try to avoid the cakey look.

For rest of the face I don't spend much time. I quickly draw my brows with Rimmel's Brow This Way Eyebrow Sculpting Kit. I'm long over-due getting my brows done, but this has saved me so many times. Although this brush from Body Shop is meant for eyeliner, I use it for brows as I think it does a better job at that. 

I haven't used Maybelline's 24h Color Tattoo in such a long time and I was super excited to use it again. Underneath I applied Mary Kay's eye primer, although this shadow doesn't necessarily need it as it really does stay. 

I'm not much of an eyeliner gal, and this product reminded me why. Rimmel's Scandaleyes Thick&Thin is probably the most painful product I have ever used. The tip was solid and felt like poking my lashline with a needle. Plus it didn't have the biggest pigment. I don't think I will be using it again. 

L'oreal's Miss Manga is my all the time favourite and go-to mascara. For someone whose lashes are blonde and short, I didn't know my lashes could look so stunning. I could actually see them! I do have to curl them though.

Last but not least, I add  blusher and highlighter and finish the look with a lipstick. For this look I tried to avoid using powdery products as I wanted some extra glow.
This Body Shop's Lip&Cheek Velvet Stick is one of my favourites. It's very subtle but still adds nice peachy colour to cheeks. You can also use it as a lipstick which is always a plus. Gotta love a good multiuse product.

As for highlight I have been trying to use up this Seventeen's Skin Wow! 3 Way Highlighter. It's older than I like to admit, but still does the job. Now I'm on a hunt for different liquid highlighter, so if you have any recommendations, let me know. I add this to high points of my face and sometimes even mix it with my foundation.
Lipstick makes such a difference to any make up look, and because this was more on the rosey side, I chose this MaxFactor's Colour Elixir Lipstick in the shade English Rose. I think it suited me better when my hair was blonder, but it's still one my most used lipsticks.

A surprise birthday party, sunshine and tons of food

Now that Easter is over, it's time to accept the reality and start focusing on new things. But first, have a little throwback Thursday to my trip to The UK.

I was supposed to write this post over a week ago, but I suffered from quite severe post-holiday blues. I had an amazing time in England and I felt a bit lost and bored after the busy week. I think I'm at my worst when I'm bored. I become irritated, restless and anxious. Don't get me wrong, I do love my peace and quiet, but when it covers 95% of my day, it can get a bit too much.

But nevertheless, let's travel two weeks back, when I was in the lovely, sunny England (yeah, you read right. It was sunny!). I actually can't believe how lucky I was with the weather considering April isn't normally the most stable month weather wise. 

Even though you can't technically have time off, when you are unemployed, this trip was exactly what I needed. I love living in Finland, but sometimes I have this massive urge to get away. So when my friend's boyfriend messaged me asking if I was interested to surprise her on her birthday, I didn't hesitate for a second. 

During my visit I kinda forgot I wasn't living there anymore. It's easy to forget when you are surrounded by these lovely people I'm lucky enough call some of my closest friends. It's so easy when everything is so familiar and you go to the same places as before and bought the same stuff. Of course I also like to experience new stuff, but when you have lived somewhere for some time, you get used to certain things and when you are not there you'll miss those things. It's the same thing when I visit Berlin.

So yeah, every time I head back, I have this list of things I want and places I want to go - not forget people I want to see. It's not a typical holiday, where you can relax and experience new places. My days are pretty scheduled and by the time I'm heading back home I feel like I need another week to recover. But I would do - and I do - it over and over again.
I feel extremely lucky to have more than one place in this world to call home.

Ps. Sorry for the shitty quality. All these photos were taken with my phone.

A day in Tallinn

The Finnish cruise culture is quite something - us Finns do love a good cruise, especially if heading to Estonia or Sweden. There are no words to really describe it, just something you have to experience. As it's quite cheap, it's a popular option. That is also how I traveled to Tallinn, Estonia over a week ago. I have to admit, it was pretty exhausting but totally worth it. 

We left at 9.30PM from Helsinki which meant spending the night on the ship. As we had a very early wake-up call, me and my auntie basically hit the bed the minute we got to our cabin. 

I don't remember the last time I was up at 6am, but surprisingy I wasn't tired even the slightest bit. Filled myself with a delicious buffet breakfast and we were ready to hit the town.

The first thing we did was exploring the empty streets of the old town whilst the sun was rising. At that time (about 7.30AM) nothing was open so it was best just taking it slow and enjoying the views.

The best part of traveling is definitely exploring new places and getting to know different cultures. I wouldn't say no to a beach holiday, but I'm more of a city-break kinda gal. There is nothing better than walking aimlessly on the streets of a city, and I think that's the best way to find amazing places you might not be able to see if you just visit the touristy side of the city. 

We were in luck. The weather was gorgeous! It had been raining a lot and it also rained the day after, but we managed to get a full day of pure sunshine and crispy spring air. Popped in to a couple of cafés, did a little bit of shopping, but mainly we walked - a lot. I think at the end of the day we had walked about 20 000 steps which I could definitely feel in my legs. But boy was that nothing compared to the day after. I barely got out of bed as I felt like I had been to the gym. 

It was such a nice little trip and I wouldn't mind going back again - preferably when it's slightly warmer so staying outside wouldn't be such a problem. After all, Tallinn is by the sea and can get quite windy.

Evening skincare routine

I'm not one to spend ages and ages focusing on my skin nor do I use a huge amount of products, but I try to keep my routine regular. I very rarely fall asleep with my make up on - even after a night out I remember to cleanse my face. I think it's so important to take good care of your skin. A lot of people don't even realise how beneficial it is to have a every day skincare routine and to have the right products for your skin type. It doesn't mean you will end up with perfect skin, but it helps. And being in my late 20's, I definitely start to see the early stages of ageing. Yikes!

First I gently wash my face with just water leaving it wet before reaching to this Remington's face cleansing brush. I find it works better if my face is wet - I also run the brush part under the tap before putting cleanser on it.
I have always been a big fan of Clinique's cleansers and their Rinse-off foaming cleanser I'm using at the moment is the newest addition to my collection. Even though it's meant for normal to oily skin, it doesn't dry my skin out at all.
Normally I don't wear any make-up, but if I do, I tend to double cleanse. First with just a cleanser and then with the brush, so I'm sure to get rid off all the bad stuff that would otherwise be clogging my pores.

When it comes to toners, I'm so picky. When I find a good one, I stick to it. My skin can be so sensitive sometimes and I have reacted especially to toners. I love Body Shop's Vitamin E range in general so when I found their hydrating toner I was over the moon.
Sometimes my skin can get a bit bumpy and then I reach to tea tree oil. It's so much better than any harsh, drying products that will just damage my skin. It's antiseptic and I use it more as a targeted treatment. I don't always have the best diet and it shows on skin almost immediately and this has made a lot of spots less painful.
To finish my routine I apply Mary Kay's targeted action eye revitalizer which really helps with my under eye circles and bags and age fighting eye cream and then Body Shop's Vitamin E overnight serum in oil over my face. I love how hydrating it is, but doesn't leave my skin feeling sticky or oily at all - I was surprised how quickly my skin absorbs it.

And then I'm ready to put my pj's on and head to bed with a nice book - or phone, if I'm being realistic.

A new beginning

I have stopped counting how many times I have started blogging, and also how many times I have thought about starting this one. I think it has been almost 3 years since I last properly blogged. For someone who enjoys writing a lot it's hard to comprehend why it has taken so long. Well, here we are, once again.
I never really know what to write on the first post, but thought some kind of introduction of the person behind the screen is always nice. So here we go!

I normally go by the name Anni, but have multiple nicknames. I celebrate my birthdays on the 13th of february and being an aquarius is probably the best way to describe my personality. You could describe me as a independent, curious, absent-minded little rebel who still enjoys peace and quiet. I'm quite an honest and sometimes even blunt person and I'm very much aware it's not always a good thing. If you can't hear it, you can definitely see it on my face as I have zero talent hiding my facial expressions (hence why I'm not a youtuber).
But I like to think there are good things too. I hate drama and I rather spent time on my own than let people exhaust me with their nonsense. I'm generally a happy and laid-back girl and it takes quite a while to really piss me off even though aquarius's are known of their temper.

Beauty, writing and traveling are mainly my passions, but I get excited about a lot of things - and super easily. As traveling being one of them, it's no surprise I didn't settle living just in the lovely, arctic country called Finland (where I'm from). I spent my early twenties working as an au pair in Berlin and in the UK studying beauty (and that's how I fell in love in the beauty industry).
I do love a good lipstick, but my biggest interest is in skincare, hence why I have mainly worked in companies that promote skincare products. At the moment I'm mainly unemployed, but kinda work as a skincare consultant.

This blog is my way to share those passions.

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