Who doesn't love summer? There's nothing better than flying off to exotic destinations, basking in the sunshine (when there is any!) and throwing your jumpers and black tights to the back of your wardrobe. But, there are a few downsides to the warmer climate. My biggest issue in summer, is that I struggle to find a balance with my skin. Naturally, skin gets oilier and less flakey, but it can easily feel the effects of strong sunshine and start to show signs of dehydration, all at the same time. That's when it's time to call on products which will hydrate and plump, without overloading the skin or leaving it greasy.

Please don't think I'm throwing shade at By Terry from the title of this post. On the contrary. Everyone knows that the By Terry Ombre Blackstars are the creme de la creme when it comes to eyeshadow sticks and I concur, but I'm rather bored of hearing about them. There's only so many times you can read the words 'holy-grail' before your interest wanes, purely because one particular product is overdone. There's a plethora of eye crayons I rate that hit the high-end, mid-range and affordable markets, so I thought I'd plunge them into the limelight for a change.

Family genetics have blessed me with some persistent, dark circles under my eyes. Even when I've had those crucial, eight hours of sleep and I'm hangover-free, those eye bags still linger. It can be difficult to banish shadows for good, considering they're caused by blood vessels showing through the thin skin, but I've discovered a collection of products that have really helped to reduce the look of them, both short and longer-term.

Clinique have got the whole, easy-peasy, amateur-friendly makeup range down, don't they? Setting the trends with their Chubby Stick line, they've certainly helped me to cut minutes off my makeup routine in recent years. I love their original lip balms and their more recently released blush, contour and highlight sticks. Today though, I want to focus on the cream eyeshadows. The Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tints For Eyes are what I've been wearing non-stop, recently, rotating between the four shades that now seem to be a permanent fixture in my makeup bag.

We all chop and change the skincare products that we use, especially when new releases are constantly hitting us and there's a sudden surge of interest in specific products that are the next must-have. But, my skin doesn't like that, at all. Whenever I cut my routine down to the products that work for me time and time again, my skin is very grateful and it shows. Also, skincare products take a good few months to really get to work on your skin anyway, so if you don't use it for long enough, chances are you won't see the true benefits from it. At the moment, my morning skincare routine looks like this. It may seem like a lot of steps for a busy morning rush, but the longer I take to give my face a good going over, the better my skin and makeup looks and the better I feel. This morning routine has been working well for me for a few months now and so I thought I'd share it with you guys.

Now that my skin has passed its oily phase and is on the drier side, I like to opt for foundations that still give me great coverage, but also boost radiance and have more of a moisturising texture. Clinique's Even Better Foundation gives me the exact finish I want and it's now one of my absolute favourites.

One thing that stands out from my childhood, beauty-wise, that is, is my mum's Clinique skincare regimen. You know, that three-step routine that was all the rage back in the 90s. I'd always wanted to try Clinique's products for myself and follow in her footsteps as she had lovely skin, although, admittedly, the Clarifying Lotions were somewhat of a minefield. The first version I tried, the Clarifying Lotion 3, was a nightmare with it being far too astringent and harsh. When swept over my skin, it stung and left my skin red, raw and rather unhappy. After that experience, I gave up on them. Recently, though, when buying my mum a few bits from a counter, I was given a small sample set of the Anti-Blemish range, and I loved the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion! The Anti-Blemish Solutions version seems far better suited to my skin and has now become a staple within my skincare routine.