LloydsPharmacy’s Beauty Breakfast

Two words I love, right next to each other: beauty and breakfast. Two things I love, all around me: food and skincare.

LloydsPharmacy sure do know how I like to be woken up!

Yesterday morning at the Gallery of Photography in Temple Bar, LloydsPharmacy hosted a Beauty Breakfast for press and bloggers in order to launch their inaugural own brand of skincare, SKINeffect, alongside their Get Summer Healthy campaign which they say "aims to promote healthy skin and bodies in Ireland over the summer months covering both the cosmetic and nutritional elements that comes with good healthcare practice".

In order to help you do this, you can avail of their Skin Analysis Service in selected stores or fill out a skincare questionnaire and have a custom-built regimen put together just for you. I actually tried this out on the morning with the lovely girls from Dermalogica and learned lots of interesting stuff about my skin. Much I knew but they offered me names for things and solutions. And let me know that the lines on my forehead that have been stressing me out are expression lines and nothing to be overly worried about - thank Christ.

As well as the SKINeffect range, LloydsPharmacy also stock a wide range of other brands across their 87 stores nationwide, including Avene, Caudalie, Clarins, Dermalogica, Eucerin, Trilogy, Neostrata, Nuxe, Revive Active and Udo’s. Their SKINeffect range covers all areas of skincare and is available now. This weekend LloydsPharmacy will be offering special skin checks so, pop into your local store to find out more.

I'm pretty excited to try some of their brands that I've been creeping on from afar but had never had any products from before now. Especially Caudalie (Shout out to how awesome they were on the day! Hi!) and Nuxe.

Right, well I'll just go back to smearing creams on my face. Give your skin love, people, it's your biggest organ!

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Non-make-up handbag make-up essentials

The make-up bag that I carry on the daily has no real make-up in it. But I still consider the items my essentials for seeming put-together. They're basically the things for being caught out - having to go to an event without advance notice, appearance disasters, hygiene, weather. 

My Tatcha rice paper sheets are probably the closest thing to make-up. The idea is to have something that would serve to "powder my nose" if I'm wearing a full face and don't want to have to add layer upon layer of powder over the course of a long day. Or to merely blot out oiliness or shininess if I'm going without make-up but my skin's misbehaving. I've bought cheaper blotting paper in the past but never really saw any results - there's a reason these are considered the best.

Winter was not kind to my hands this year and I'm still recovering so I pop my travel size Laura Mercier Hand Créme in Ambre Vanillé in my bag for moments of quiet. Commutes are a great time to moisturise your hands as you can sit there and let it soak in. This also smells amazing and perks me up after a long day.

Also for hands is my Hand Maid Cleansing Gel from Soap and Glory. I don't really believe in hand sanitiser as I try to keep my immune system strong but there's nothing worse than being in a situation where you can't wash your hands and feel the need to. I try to use it sparingly. Especially as I find the scent a wee bit over-powering.

I wear SPF on a daily basis and this little moisturiser from Sanctuary Spa is cheap, handy to pop in a bag as it's travel size and is super-lightweight - so while the SPF is low, you can top it up and add lots of layers without feeling sticky and gross.

I like to keep my travel size Avéne in my bag to set make-up and also to refresh myself over the course of longer days. It's seriously good stuff.

My trusty Eve Lom Kiss Mix always comes along. It is, without a doubt, my favourite lip balm. I swear by it and now realise it's well worth the extra spend.

Additionally, I keep some chewing gum and a sample of whatever perfume I'm currently wearing to ensure I never get stinky - something I worry about a lot. You can never be too careful.

So, what are your non-make-up essentials?

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