I am horrible with committing to monthly beauty favourites because I tend to stick to products for longer periods of time and don't switch things up monthly. So I am here today to share my current beauty favourites with you all.

Lip balm

Eco Lips Mongo Kiss - Vanilla Honey
Dry lips? Desperately need moisture back into your lips? Look no further than this JUMBO (literally) lip balm! It's certified organic so you know its made with 100% safe ingredients. Also, it comes in a variety of scents, but I love vanilla honey most. I use it every night before bed and its so so moisturising.

Face Mask

Sukin Purifying Facial Masque
I am a massive lover of clay masks however having to mix them with water or the dreaded drying feeling afterwards tends to put me off. In winter I need to steer clear of those clay masks and have replaced them with this one by Sukin. I've actually been using it since January and still have quite a bit left. It really helps to clear out my skin and leaves it feeling soft. Unlike your typical clay masks it's not drying whatsoever.

(I wrote this before it turned into Spring but I still use it!!)

Face wash

Nourish London Kale 3D Cleanse
First of all kale is one of my favourite vegetables, so when it is in a cleanser I already love it. The face wash claims to lift impurities and detoxify skin. I enjoy using it as a second cleanse in my routine as I find it removes any left over makeup or even sunscreen residue.

It is not drying whatsoever and the colour changing aspect makes it a lot of fun to use.

Eyeshadow

Too Faced Natural Eyes
If you follow me on Instagram you would know Tartelette in Bloom was my obsession but I hit pan on a few shades so I'm trying not to use it as much 😂 Instead I have gone back to one of my first favourites - Natural Eyes by Too Faced. On the daily I mix nudie and heaven all over my eyelid and in the crease. It is the perfect shade and blends easily. This is a great "first" eye shadow palette because I feel like it has everything you will ever need.

Mascara

Urban Decay Perversion
Since going cruelty free no mascara I tried gave me what I was after. I was in mecca one day and near the registers were mini items so of course I gave in. My lashes are pretty long and I am after length over volume. This mascara can make my lashes look fake if I pack it on or I can apply it lightly, brush it out with a comb and my lashes look super natural. The brush can get a little messy because it is larger than what I'm used to but I'd definitely purchase the full size!

Brushes/Tools

A while ago I did a post dedicated to the new ecoTools brushes and yes I still adore them. I use the big powder brush daily for powder, bronzer and blush. It is so soft and I just want it on my face all day long. Their eye brushes are just as good, if not better than their OG ones back in the day. They make blending eyeshadow a dream and don't irritate my eyes (a common issue I have if the brush bristles are too harsh).

Last but not least is their sponge. This sponge converted me from applying foundation with a brush to a sponge. I used to despise sponges because they absorbed the coverage I needed to cover my scarring but not this one. It is honestly magical in the way it applies my foundation. It doesn't even soak up liquidy foundations that you think it would. I need to go purchase 10 of these because I'm too lazy to wash the one I have but at the same time I want to use it every time I apply makeup.

Comment your faves below or let me know over on the gram!

A few people have asked me how to best conceal birthmarks, redness, dark circles etc so I thought I'd put together a simple post to explain it. Although I am not a makeup artist I have dealt with most of these issues myself, so I do know a thing or two based off my own experience.

First things first, understanding the basic colour wheel:

The above image describes what each colour would generally be used for. Usually the colour opposite to the shade you are trying to "correct" is what you will use. For example, with redness you'd use a green concealer.

In this post I will address what I think are, the three main concerns people want to colour correct. Redness, dark circles and dull skin tones.

Redness/Acne

• Yellow or Green concealer
• Spot conceal
• Apply before foundation/normal shade concealer

Personally for redness I reach for a yellow toned concealer, despite what the above image states you should use. As I am on the fairer side I find a yellow concealer is a lot more forgiving and works just as well. If you have a deeper skin tone I recommend using a green toned concealer.

Dark circles

• Peach toned concealer
• It can be applied after foundation
• Follow with normal concealing and powder

My favourite corrector to use for my undereyes is the NYX Dark circle concealer.

Dull Skin Tone

If you are suffering from a dull complexion try a lavender or purple toned concealer/primer.

If you do not want to purchase colour correcting concealers or sticks you can opt for a primer. A number of brands make these such as Becca and NYX.

That brings me to the end of my post. Hopefully it was helpful and you're now able to colour correct anything you skin throws at you!

Tonight's post is inspired by Instagram making life difficult. I have seen a lot of people (myself included) notice a drop in engagement with their posts and a few others are paying to hopefully bring in new followers, likes, comments etc. Personally @thedailycatchup is a hobby. I don't want it to become a job or anything big, so likes and followers are just a bonus. However, I will admit getting under 100 likes is a little annoying because it takes time to take capture and then edit photos for the gram. I am sure many other agree that there is a lot of behind the scenes that go on. I feel like paid posts or having to join like/comment threads can take away the fun of things.

I have tested both a like thread and paying for an Instagram promotion purely to compare whether it is even worth paying for, in case you are someone considering it.This was only a one off thing for me so hopefully me doing this and reviewing it can be beneficial for others. Straight up I am going to be completely honest. I believe (based off my experience and stats) that joining a like or comment thread boosts your photos exposure way more than paying Instagram!

I promoted my post from yesterday for $1 which claimed I would reach 220-770 people. The promotion lasted 24 hours. I will attach a few screenshots of my stats over the 24 hour period.

This was the amount of likes I had when the promotion had just begun:

This was an update of my stats in the morning from the paid promotion:

Stats from the afternoon:

Currently how many likes my post has (not from the promotion at all!) and stats:

Overall, even though I have three hours remaining, paying to "promote" my post did next to nothing. It didn't reach the amount of people Instagram claimed it would. 220 people was their minimum and I didn't even reach that. Like I said, I won't be doing this again, it was purely for experimental purposes but I am pretty annoyed it didn't even gain me one extra like lol. If you are thinking to pay I wouldn't recommend it based off my experience. I suggest you join facebook groups to engage in like/comment threads and boost your posts exposure that way.

Instagram is definitely greedy and unfortunately it doesn't look like they're going to do anything about this engagement issue which is disappointing.

First things first, sorry for being absent from my blog once again. Life has been throwing a lot at me this year and I really had to figure out my priorities, which unfortunately meant blogging and Instagram got a little neglected.

If you are a regular reader of my skin diaries you would know I've been suffering from hormonal acne for years (8 to be exact) and it is still a constant battle. If you'd like to catch up, here are all my previous skin diaries. A quick summary of my health situation so this can all make sense, after all health and the appearance of your skin is connected. 8 years ago I started experiencing a lot of hormonal issues such as pain, nausea and of course, bad skin. This has continued up until present day. Fast forwarding to July last year (I may have mentioned this in previous skin diaries so I'm sorry if it's repetitive) a cyst was found on my right ovary. I knew because my period literally went missing for a few months, I had terrible pain and my skin was a nightmare. The solution was the pill and it was all and well while I was on it. The cyst went, I gained some weight, my boobs went up three sizes and most importantly my skin cleared completely. I decided to get off it because I'm someone who hates medication and I did not want to rely on a pill to balance my hormones. Assuming the cyst was a one off thing I got off the pill and focused on natural alternatives. Like cutting out dairy and sugar etc.

In January this year my weight literally dropped off. I think I lost a total of 12kg and I was already on the skinny side so it was not good. I didn't reach out to doctors at the time, instead I saw a naturopath but I didn't really openly admit my weight loss. It really affected my mood and I had no idea why the weight went away (so did my boobs, back to an A cup for me). Additionally, my skin broke out like crazy, it was like I went backwards. I went to a doctor and asked for a hormone blood test, I was rejected and told "I'm too young to have any hormonal issues that need checking" so that was that. The naturopath helped me to start balancing my hormones but as you'd notice in previous skin diaries it wasn't as big of a success as i'd hoped. I know natural alternatives take a while but deep down I knew something was wrong with my hormones. Around June/July when I noticed I was really struggling to put weight back on (my weight just kept dropping despite me ensuring I was eating around 2,300 calories) I went to the doctors because my wrists began to hurt. I was advised to take calcium & vitamin D tablets as well as alter my diet. Altering my diet helped me gain weight, roughly 2kg within a month, which was a lot better than it going down. I then saw another doctor because my naturopath wanted me to check my thyroid. I ended up getting a blood test and found my thyroid was hyperactive. That somewhat explained why my weight was dropping however when I had a one month check up my thyroid was back to normal and the doctor wanted me to have more tests because there wasn't much of an improvement with my weight, periods being regular or my skin. He had a feeling there was something off with my reproductive system. He requested an ultra sound as a check up because I had a cyst in the past, so I went to do that. During my ultra sound I discovered I had another cyst (which made total sense because my skin was badly breaking out at the time) as well as being told I have a mild case of polycystic ovary syndrome. The doctor had to clarify through a blood test but when I found out that this was most likely the issue I had all these years I was so relieved but also disheartened. I knew my hormones were imbalanced and I knew the symptoms weren't for nothing so I was glad to finally have a name to what was going on with my body. However, another curve ball. For some reason my blood test results didn't line up with my symptoms or what was seen on my ovaries so I'll need to go to the hospital to do further tests to see if it is polycystic ovaries or some other issue. Although I most likely do have the condition.

Anyway, that's an update on my health this year. It was necessary to explain because it is why my skin is the way it is as well as the reason for my absence. Of course the pill is the immediate response to the condition however it can't actually ever be cured so I thought, what's the point of a "bandaid" fix when I can try to eliminate or at least lessen the symptoms naturally. I've seen a dietitian but wasn't happy so now I will try a nutritionist where my naturopath was located. I will include that experience in my next update. Hopefully now that I pretty much know the cause of my acne I can achieve clearer skin.

I don't really have much of a skin "update" for you all but I do have the reason behind it all so I thought it was important to dedicate a post to. Like I said above I will update on the diet in the next skin diaries but for skin care and beauty this is what I'm using.

Skincare

• Palmer's Cocoa Butter Gentle Facial Cleansing Oil - the same as my other skin diaries! Although I do want to purchase the face halo and remove makeup with that.
• Nourish Skincare Kale 3D cleanse - I love kale, when I saw it was in a cleanser I immediately knew I'd love it. It is a colour changing cleanser (goes from silver to green when you mix it with water and use on your face) that is super gentle. It lifts impurities and detoxifies the skin. I prefer it over the previous cleanser I was using and am trying to use it 2x daily. I am guilty of only washing my face once a day, in the mornings I like to use warm water but I see more improvements when I use this cleanser twice.
• Nourish Skincare Radiance Firming Facial oil - I replaced rosehip oil and my sukin moisturiser with this oil. It is very lightweight and doesn't clog my pores. I've really enjoyed using it especially in the mornings under mineral makeup because it helps hydrate my skin. I did purchase another facial oil to use after this one so I look forward to seeing which one I prefer. I'll definitely update in my next post.
• Tea tree oil - I've been using this to spot treat any cystic acne I get and it works wonders but new pimples love to pop up so its a constant battle lol. 

Makeup

I have made the conscious effort to use more natural ingredient makeup on a daily basis. I have a natural/organic cosmetics series coming soon including reviews and favourites so I won't go into detail but I'll list a few i've been using.

• Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation spf 15
• Physician's Formula Organicwear CC Cream
• Scout Cosmetics Organic Healthy Glow Fluid Foundation

Here are some photos of where my skin is at lately + comparison from last skin diaries:

July (previous skin diaries) - Pictures were taken roughly a week or so before my period. Possibly closer to ovulation time which is always when my skin is at it's worst.

(These photos were taken indoors and the next images were taken outdoors in natural sunlight. Natural outdoor lighting does make my skin appear "clearer" whereas indoor lighting tends to make it look worse, so keep that in mind. I will try to remember to attach some indoor lighting photos again for a more accurate comparison.)

20th September - Taken a few days prior to my period (I forgot to take photos at ovulation time when my skin completely broke out). A couple of hormonal breakouts along jaw, cheek and temple although at this point mostly were starting to clear up.

6th October: my 11 day period finally ended and this is how my skin is looking.

In my next update I will discuss my diet in more detail, especially the changes I've made over the past two or so months. I just want to have an appointment with the nutritionist to get more advice so I have more to share with you all. Have a lovely day/night!

The last week of uni is over and now I just have two weeks of placement. I can finally get back into regular blogging!! 

This weeks post is a foundation review. Foundations are one of my favourite makeup products to try out because I feel like my skin is very difficult to work with, so when one works I know it's good! If you didn't know I have dry, acne prone, sensitive and scarred skin. I like my foundation to look natural but still cover well enough for me to feel confident. Does the SCOUT foundation live up to my standards? Read on to find out.

SCOUT Cosmetics claims the foundation to be soothing and moisturising with a light fragrance. It is perfect for all skin types and leaves skin fresh, radiant even toned.

Before jumping into the pro's and con's of the foundation I will include a few images I took on the day I wore it for 10+ hours.

Before and after of SCOUT Cosmetics Luminous Finish Foundation

Close up of SCOUT foundation

How I wear the foundation:

I apply the foundation with a brush to get more coverage and I do not use primer. To prep my skin I rely on whatever moisturiser I am using at the time. In the above photos I am not wearing a primer either.

You may notice that in the second image of just the foundation applied to my skin it doesn't cling well and leaves a weird patch. I have no idea why that happens but once I applied powder it fixed.

Pros

• Doesn't need to be set. Especially if you have dry skin it won't leave a weird sticky feeling so you can easily get away without applying any powder.
• Medium coverage and buildable.
• Doesn't settle into pores. Even without a primer it sits fairly nicely on my skin, despite my scars. If you do have deep pores or scars a pore filling primer can diffuse this.
• Lasts hours and hours. I can easily wear this all day long without worrying about it or touching up. This could be because I have a dryer skin type, but it isn't overly "luminous" (unlike the name claims) so I could see it working with oily skin too.
• Natural finish. Although it does get more "luminous" over time.
• Lightweight and undetectable.
• Organic/natural. A liquid foundation that is actually good for you!
• Doesn't crease in fine lines. Nor does it settle in my smile lines.
• Quite affordable for a natural foundation, similar to Mecca prices.

Cons

• Can ever so slightly cling to dry patches. This could be avoided by wearing a hydrating primer, I just don't bother on a regular basis.
• Sometimes sits funny/patchy on my skin but again that could just be my skin at the time or a lack of primer.
• Not a very luminous finish, its more natural matte in my opinion. It does get more of a glow the longer you wear it, like I mentioned above.

Overall I do really like this foundation. I feel comfortable wearing it on more of a daily basis because I know it isn't made from chemicals but still covers my skin. The only major downfall for me was that it can be patchy but when I tried it again with a primer this problem didn't occur. I'd definitely recommend this if you're after a new liquid foundation. 

Also, it doesn't claim anywhere that it has SPF and I didn't notice any major flashback, only slightly. For me this is more of a day time foundation, rather than night. You could also sheer out the coverage if you were to apply it with a sponge.

Disclaimer - This product was sent to me to test out for myself. The review was my idea and all opinions are 100% honest and based off my own experience. I only work with companies I would personally support or purchase from myself and generally use products for an extended period of time before writing a review. For more information click here - disclaimer