Beauty Wishlist | The High End Edit

Although I've been loving what high street brands have to offer lately, I can't help but be sucked in to Space NK and other high end concessions wishing for something more luxurious.  I wandered around my local Space NK a few weeks ago and picked up the Living Proof Prime Style Extender, which had been on my wishlist for a while, but if my debit card had, had its evil way, I would have been walking out with a lot more besides.  I write down my wishings in a notepad and adding another product to the list I noticed a high end trend going on.

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1. Origins GinZing Moisturiser; £23 - There's no denying that Origins is one of my favourite skincare brands and they've since launched the moisturising sister of their popular GinZing Eye Cream.  I'm currently on the look out for a daily moisturiser that keeps the oil at bay and this sounds right up my street.

2. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation; £33 - I picked up a sample of this from House of Fraser the other day and have used it everyday since and I love the finish.  It's got great coverage but it also has a glow to it, something often lacking from higher coverage foundations. Do I really need another foundation? No, but that wont stop me lusting.

3. Bioderma Sebium Micelle Solution; £9.99 - I love the original Bioderma, so I want to try the Micelle Solution formulated for oily skin, Sebium.  I've still got some of the original left to finish up first, before jumping into an impulse purchase.

4. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder; £38 - Hourglass is a brand in general I want to try but the Ambient Lighting Powder has really caught my eye of late, and not just because of all the blogger hype.

5. MAC Brushes in 217, 219 and 266; from £17 - I've been really getting into eyeshadows of late and want to update my brushes.  The 217 is the infamous blending brush which is great for blending shadows into the crease, 219 is a pencil brush, great for smudging colour along the lower lash line and 266 is a small angled brush perfect for applying eyeshadow as eyeliner.

What's on your beauty wishlist?

Top 12 Beauty Products for 2012

Without trying to sound cliched, I can't believe another year has been and gone. I caught the beauty bug quite severely this year and I'm not sorry, although my debit card is.  I've tried out a lot of different products and I think it's safe to say this years list looks a lot different to last years.  I've divided my favourite products into three sections, skincare, haircare and make up.  This is a hefty post so I suggest you make a cup of tea and take a break from your New Years Eve beauty prep. 

SKINCARE 

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution - A beauty blogger phenomenon and for good reason, Bioderma really is worth the hype. I use this to take off stubborn eye make up by soaking a cotton pad and resting on my eye for around 30 seconds before wiping clean. It's also good for an easy morning cleanse if you don't have time to faff with a cream cleanser.  

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentrate - At the beginning of the year, I was sworn on a complete Liz Earle skincare routine and that has since changed.  Embryolisse is a french skincare brand and this moisturiser is one that comes model recommended.  It's a simple formula which leaves the skin hydrated but not greasy and my skin really enjoys it. 

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - An old favourite that does the job. I use this when my skin is behaving to take off my make up in the evening.  It's creamy and soothing on the skin and the muslin cloth gives a light exfoliation as you rinse of the product - an added bonus.  

Origins Out of Trouble Mask - Whenever I'm having a bad skin day or moment, I turn to this face mask.  Not only does it dramatically reduce skins redness, it helps soak up excess oil and banish breakouts.  

HAIRCARE

L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise EverPure Colour Care & Moisture Shampoo - The next three products have made it into my top 12 because they are amazing products both together and alone.  The shampoo cleans the hair thoroughly whilst leaving hair feeling like it has been conditioned too.  It contains rosemary and juniper, giving it a gorgeous herbal scent which lingers in the hair long after you've washed it.  The range itself doesn't contain sulphates, a chemical that is known to being quite harsh on hair.  

L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise EverPure Colour Care & Moisture Conditioner - I can't get away with just shampooing my hair, thanks to years of bleaching and using heat on my hair, so I always follow up with conditioner.  This leaves my hair silky to the touch and easy to detangle.  Unlike the shampoo, this has mint rather than juniper so can feel quite cool on the hair too.  

L'Oreal Hair Expertise EverPure Reinforcing Intense Mask - Once a week, I like to give my hair a treat, in the form of a hair mask.  When you use heat or chemicals such as hair dye on your locks, it's important to put back in the moisture that they have striped out. It has a thick, paste like consistency which you're advised to leave on for 10 minutes, although I find it works better by leaving in for an hour.  Once you wash it out, you're left with smooth, frizz free, moisturised locks.

Ojon Instant Restorative Hair Serum - 2012 has been the year of the hair oils and although I discovered this product at the tail end of the year, I wont ever look back.  I run it through the mid lengths and ends of my hair, which helps reduce drying time and give a gorgeous shine as well as helping to restore the goodness into my locks.  I've seen a dramatic improvement in the condition of my hair since using, as has my hair stylist.  

MAKE UP

Liz Earle Signature Foundation* - This year I found my holy grail foundation thanks to Liz Earle.  While I've found formulations I've loved, the shades have never gone pale enough to fit my Snow White complexion.  This product is the perfect shade and has a medium, natural, long lasting finish.  If you're not a fan of the dewy look, a dusting of powder works a treat to set the foundation and make it more matte looking.  

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Another one of those beauty blogger phenomenons but possibly one of the best concealers I've ever used. I've recently repurchased my fourth tube of this product and choose it over any high end concealer.  It's got great coverage as well as great staying powder, concealing blemishes perfectly.  I go through phases of using this under the eye, sometimes I find it to be too cakey but for blemishes it does the trick (and it's only £4.19).  

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base - I think this product could be my overall favourite for 2012, it's that good. I never got on with the infamous Urban Decay Primer Potion, it made my eyeshadow slide off rather than stay on. The NARS primer however keeps shadow in place for hours without smudging (hence the title) or sliding.  If there's one product I recommend you try, it's this one.  

Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Hydrating Gloss Stick in Hibiscus - My favourite lip product came down to two contenders but ultimately, Jemma Kidd won.  The Hi-Shine Hydrating Gloss Stick forumla is beautiful, smooth, silky, pigmented and easy to apply - not to mention it also smells amazing.  Hibiscus is a coral shade which can be built up depending on preference and is easy to maintain throughout the day.  

What products have made it into your 2012 favourites? 

Product reviews: Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate; Origins Out of Trouble Mask; L'Oreal EverPure Colour Care & Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner; L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise EverPure Reinforcing Intense Mask; Ojon Instant Restorative Hair Serum; Liz Earle Signature Foundation; Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer; NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base; Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Hydrating Gloss Stick in Hibiscus

How To: Beat Bad Skin Days

There's nothing worse than a bad break out.  My skin has never been perfect, but I've managed to find a routine, along with some tips and tricks that helps my skin in its time of need.  I have normal to combination skin, so the majority of my break outs happen around my T-Zone. Although it sounds obvious, making sure your make up is taken off properly is essential to clearer skin. We're all guilty of turning to the face wipes after a night out but nine times out of ten, face wipes are just not enough.  I'm currently using Bioderma and loving it but another affordable and easily available option would be the No7 Cleansing Water.  

After I've removed all of my make up, I then go in for a second cleanse using the REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser.  This is a lovely product, which helps soothe skin and helps clear up any break outs.  Once a week after cleansing, I will turn to my favourite face mask. Origins Out of Trouble is great at drawing out all the impurities and sucking up any excess oil which may lead to further out breaks.  I would then follow up with a toner and a moisturiser. I've been enjoying Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate, which is a simple, non greasy moisturiser, recommended by make up artists and models.  

If my skin is particularly bad I will pop a bit of PanOxyl Aquagel 2.5% on angry areas.  This gel dries up the spot and helps reduce the redness in just a few hours.  After a couple of days with this routine, I find that my skin clears up pretty quickly. I also try to drink as much water as I can during the day, which also helps when it comes to break outs.  

How do you keep your skin clear?

New In: Skincare

What a day I have had! I needed to pop into town to get a few bits but also had a parcel being delivered so had to rush out before I missed it. Miraculously, I managed to get most things on my list and get in home about an hour before the delivery arrived! I haven't done a haul for a while and thought I'd show you some new (and old) skincare products I've picked up both online and in store.  

Earlier this week I finally caved and ordered myself a bottle of Bioderma (from this eBay seller). It's not  the easiest of things to get your hands on in the UK, but I ordered Monday afternoon and it was despatched straight away and arrived with the Postman this morning.  I find my eye make up is the trickiest to get off, so I'm excited to see if this is as good as the hype claims.  

Another online purchase was the Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate, which I picked up from love-makeup.co.uk.  This moisturiser has been hailed as most models favourite product and they always request is on shoots/catwalk events, so if it's good enough for a model, it's worth trying in my eyes! I ordered the 30ml which was the smallest size.  

I popped into Liz Earle whilst frantically running around town today, to pick up a back up of my favourite cleanser. It's the only cleanser I've found myself repurchasing time after time. It's a great everyday cleanser that removes make up with ease.  The lady who served me also gave me a complimentary Skin Tonic spritzer, which is so refreshing on the skin.  

Lately my skin has been all over the place, so I wanted a cleanser that targeted towards blemish prone skin. I picked up the REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser from Space NK after hearing good things from other bloggers.  I was pleasantly  surprised with how big the product is, as you get 150ml.  I'm looking forward to trying this out tonight and seeing if it helps my skin out.   

What have you been up to today?

Skincare Wish List

Skincare has been an important part of my daily routine for about two years now, since I started to take it seriously.  Lately, I've been bitten by the skincare bug, stepping away from my beloved Liz Earle products and trying something new.
  

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1. Bioderma Crealine/Sensibio H20; £15.50 (500ml) - Recently this product has had a change in name but that has by no means changed it's popularity. First used by MUAs, the blogging world has now got hold of this make up removing secret and wont stop talking about it. I've had this on my wish list for a while as I like the fact it's supposed to remove all traces of make up and it's good for the skin.  

2. Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre; £17.50 (75ml) - Apparently models request this wonder product on shoots and at Fashion Weeks. This is a multipurpose product which can be used as a primer, make up remover or most commonly as a moisturiser.  I've been looking out for a 'simple' moisturiser to try for a while and this one happens to be suitable for all skin types. If it's good enough for Naomi...

3. REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser; £18 (150ml) - Although I absolutely adore my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, I find it doesn't really help my skin when I have an active breakout.  While I've been using an Origins mask (review here) to help fight the battle of the breakout, I'd also like a cleanser that would also help.  REN has been talked about quite a bit lately and is a brand I've previously used and loved. 

4. Origins GinZing Eye Cream; £21 (15ml) - I suffer with puffy eyes in the morning, especially on those days where I'm woken up with an alarm. My current eye cream doesn't really do anything to wake my eyes up and after dabbling into the Origins world, I'm ready to try something new. 

Have you tried any of the above products?

Pay Day Splurges

I popped into town on pay day, with the hope of finding a christening dress but to no avail.  Instead, I picked up a few items off of my wish list and a couple of other random bits.  

Essie's Fiji, Tart Deco and Sexy Divide

When I heard that Essie would now be readily available in Boots and Superdrug, I was pretty excited.  After hearing so many great reviews from American bloggers, I knew I'd want to add a few colours to my overflowing collection. I know they are available online, but I don't trust the swatches you see online because 9 times out of 10 they are completely different in real life.  I'm currently sporting Tart Deco on my fingers and toes and absolutely love it.  The brush is thicker than a usual nail polish applicator, meaning you don't have to continually apply product to cover your nail.  The formula was creamy and opaque, I only needed 1-2 coats to get full opacity.  I put my nails through a days work at Tesco, where my nails usually end up battered and broken and but the end of the day I had one tiny chip which was unnoticeable to anyone else.  Needless to say, I'm impressed and can't wait to use more from the Essie range.  Do you have a favourite Essie colour?

It seems that every high street make up brand is jumping on the BB Cream bandwagon. I had yet to try one and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about so picked up the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light. I'll let you know how I get on with the product and whether I prefer it to foundation.  

It's no secret that the Bioderma Micelle Solution became incredibly popular within the beauty blogger world, but unfortunately it's not the easiest product to get hold of in the UK.  I happened upon this No. 7 product whilst browsing Boots.  I had a £5 off voucher so this was only £4 - a bargain when you can buy Bioderma on eBay for £20+.  It comes with a pump which allows it to easily and evenly distribute product.  If you'd like to see a review on this, let me know!

I've needed a new travel make up bag for a while, but haven't found any that I like.  I popped into Urban Outfitters looking for a necklace when I stumbled upon this.  It's perfect to fit everyday essentials in and will come in so handy next week when I start at More! Magazine for a two week internship.  

I have been looking for a sideways cross necklace for what seems like forever.  After seeing them on Etsy and being forever sold out, I gave up hope and forgot about it until I watched an OOTD video that ThePersianBabe put up. Low and behold, she was wearing this necklace and I knew I needed to try and find it when I next went to Urban Outfitters.  It's really simple and dainty, but most of all it's silver! I love silver jewellery at the moment and hardly ever wear gold, so I was so happy they had these is silver and gold.  

My beloved Vectra's have been falling to part for a while now, but I love them so much I went into denial.  I decided enough was enough and picked up a new pair.  These are made of canvas, whereas mine were the originals made from suede, but I've been told that these are a bit stronger and should last longer! 

I must find a Christening dress now and stop spending money on beauty and miscellaneous items.  Do you have any online boutique suggestions that I could look at?