New Year New Skin Care Regime

I have never had the best of skin, and as a teenager it made me so miserable which was when I became a little obsessed with eating well and cleansing. I have tried everything, from lotions and potions prescribed by doctors to the contraceptive pill which did work really well - but a few years ago I decided I wanted a break from hormones and chemical induced products and try more natural remedies. 

My Doctor told me that eating well has nothing to do with good skin, but personally I think that's Bull Shit. Unfortunately for me, genetics aren't on my side either, my Dad suffered terribly with acne when he was young so I blame him. 

After a little too much indulgence at Christmas, I can see the direct result of too much cheese and chocolate on my face. So with the New Year brings a much stricter skin care regime. 

My must-have products

 DAYTIME REGIME

Cleanse - Tone - Moisturise 

I wear little-to-no make-up during the day so my morning ritual is quite simple.

I use Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel, followed by their Toner and Active Moist. I have combination skin, it can vary from dry to extremely Oily on a weekly basis and Active Moist is great for tackling both, but I often use Dermalogica Clear Start blotting paper come the afternoon or if I am heading out after work just to soak up any excess oil. 

As I am unfortunately getting older I have noticed the need to take care of my eye area more too, so use Dermalogica Total Eye Care with SPF 15. 

NIGHT TIME REGIME

I have never used face wipes as part of my skin care ritual (unless at a festival or travelling) and cannot understand people who use them as their only form of cleansing, even though I have many friends who do this. Even at my drunkest state I always manage to wash my face before bed. 

My night time routine differs from my morning regime. To wash away oil and dirt that has built up during the day I use Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser which is a deep-cleansing clay formula designed for oily skin. To get rid of built up dead skin I also exfoliate 2-3 times a week with Skin Prep Scrub. Although I moan about Oil I still need it, to combat dryness and ageing. 

I use Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate as a night time moisturiser, just two drops is enough to massage into your whole face and neck - it also has a lavender smell which is perfect to send you off to sleep. 

Even though I am now in my mid-late twenties I still suffer with spots - and will use Dermalogica Clear Start Emergency Spot Fixer for any looming appearances I can see flaring up. 

And finally... my all time favourite - COCONUT OIL. 

I only became accustomed to this early in 2015, when staying at a Thai Orphanage that produced their own organic Coconut Oil - but now it appears to be on every beauty page and blog.... and rightly so because it is a little miracle worker. 

I received this cute little pot in my stocking this year from Dr.Jacksons, it is the perfect mini-size. 

I use this on my eyelids, as they can get dry and sore in Winter, my lips and cuticles before bed every night. 

So there you have my skin care regime, what's yours? 

Let me know if you have any top tips or products you can't live without. 

Avocado Weekend

Whilst travelling I did A LOT of eating and drinking. Although the fresh fruit out there was amazing, much of the food in South East Asia is fried and when you are constantly on the go and not able to cook for yourself you tend to just eat when you can and what ever is available at the time. 

I have never been 'fat' but I do tend to get bloated or 'Carb Belly' as I call it, and some areas could definitely do with toning up (I've been saying I want Ab's for over a year now) so now I am back I have re-joined boot camp and am absolutely loving it. I was pleasantly surprised to find out my metabolic age is only 12 years old, and visceral fat is the lowest it can be... I honestly thought I would be 'Skinny Fat' skinny with dangerous high levels of fat inside. 

I HATE gyms, I much prefer to exercise outside in the open and having someone direct you and apply some pressure definitely makes me perform better. Not only that, but at the bootcamp I attend they also offer lots of nutritional advice. I have always known what is good and what is bad for me and do eat quite healthy it's always great to have that extra support and to share ideas and bounce of each other and it's also a bit of healthy competition! 

As a general healthy eater, I am making small changes to make my diet better. One of my biggest cravings is for chocolate and something sweet, so when I saw a recipe for Avocado Cheesecake in Stylist magazine I had to give it a go. 

For the base toast some Pecans and Desiccated Coconut in the oven for around 10 minutes 

Juice around 8 limes to add to the Mashed Avocado mixture for the filling and a teaspoon of lime zest too. 

Once complete, I put in the freezer overnight to set. 

The Finished Product; A perfect zesty crunchy citrus healthy sweet treat. 

You can find the full recipe for this dish by clicking here.

So just like Kale, Avocado is having another moment as an 'it' super food, although I've always been a fan. 

A 'good fat' food, Avocado is also high in Potassium, Fiber and Vitamins K, C, B5, B6 and Vitamin E.

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, so at weekends when I have more time I often like to spend more time on it - this dish also including Avocados was delicious after my Saturday morning work out and I didn't feel hungry again till much later in the day. 

Baked Egg in Avocado with a fillet of Salmon. 

Simply crack the eggs into where the Avocado seed is, pop in the oven for around 10-15 minutes along with your fillet of salmon and add a sprinkle of Paprika on the eggy avocado to liven things up a bit.