June Favourites

It's time for this months beauty favourites post, with a random chucked in for good measure.  June 2013 has been one of those months I wont forget for a long time to come.  Just this past week I graduated from university with a 2:1 in Fashion Journalism, which I am beyond proud of and I'm now on to the next chapter of my life  - one that doesn't involve education for the first time in 16 years.  More of that in an upcoming post, now let's get onto my favourites for the month of June.  

I've begun running out of some of my favourite skincare products and as I don't have the cash to splurge on repurchases just yet, I've been pulling out products that have started to gather dust.  I've had the Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser since January, but have only really gotten into it this month. It smells like peaches and has a peppermint twist which is cooling on the skin.  It's great at getting make up off and leaving your skin feeling clean and refreshed.  I've also been using Origins Drink Up Intensive in place of a moisturiser two times a week to give my skin a moisture boost.  This is a popular face mask in the bloggersphere - it's one you pop on and leave overnight.  It can be quite tacky so it's definitely one to put on 30 minutes or so before you get into bed, but by morning you're left with soft, plumped up skin that's ready for make up.  I also rediscovered an old favourite in the form of perfume this month.  I've had CK IN 2 U for a few years now and I love the smell around this time of year.  It has notes of Amber, Vanilla and Cedar.  

As I mentioned earlier, I graduated this week and so wanted to give myself a summer glow to take the edge of my extremely pale skin.  I've tried out a couple of different mousse tans but St Tropez is by far the best. If you're afraid of tanning, like I once was, the guide colour really helps to blend out any streaks and leave you with a flawless finish.  The product dries quickly and takes up to four hours to develop, so I usually pop this one before bed and let it do it's thing overnight.  I've also been enjoying Essie's Tart Deco, which turned out to be a great match for my graduation dress.  The formula is creamy and opaque, needed only two coats for maximum colour.  A lip product I've been reaching for all month is Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine in 'Boy', for a quick and easy swipe of colour that's easy to reapply during the day.  These lipsticks are extremely moisturising and have that iconic Chanel scent to them.   

A non-beauty related favourite this month is in the form of a TV series.  I've been bitten by the Grey's Anatomy bug, after my sister-in-law insisted I would love it.  I love American drama's, my favourite being One Tree Hill and I've fallen head over heels for Grey's.  If you've never watched it, it's set in a hospital and follows Meredith Grey who begins life as a surgical intern.  It features the likes of Katherine Heigl, Eric Dane and my newest crush Patrick Dempsey.  

So that's it, another month of 2013 done and dusted.  

What are you're favourites this month?

August 2012 Favourites

It's that time again and without sounding cliched - just where has this year gone?! Not long to go until I start my third and final (eek) year of university but that's a whole other post.  I don't religiously blog about my favourite products as some months I can't come up with an amount I deem suitable.  This month, as the weather got warmer, I kept tabs on just what I was using so much.  The majority of products I have reviewed in depth and I will leave links for those at the end of the post.  

When I've worn make up this month, I've kept it fairly simple and natural.  I've re-discovered my love for Bourjois' Healthy Mix Serum foundation, which is my cheaper equivalent of Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua.  Under the eyes and along the bridge of my nose, I've been loving YSL's infamous Touche Eclat.  Another Bourjois favourite is my Little Round Pot blusher in #16 which both smells and looks amazing on my cheeks.  When it comes to lips it's either been Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream and a lip balm or one of the two pictured above.  Topshop's Innocent is a lovely rose colour which looks good both straight on or patted into the lip - if I fancied an injection of colour I reached for Jemma Kidd's Hi-Shine Hydrating Glosstick in #4 Hibiscus (bit of a mouthful).  On my nails, I've been loving Essie's Watermelon - a gorgeous hot pinky red shade which looks equally amazing on toes.  

My two skincare standouts have both been from Origins. After having a horrible time with my skin at the beginning of the month I started using the Out of Trouble face mask which has helped clear up active breakouts and reduce the amount of oil, especially around my T-Zone.  When I bought the face mask I was also given two samples.  I've really been enjoying using Modern Friction (which I keep calling Micro Friction - #fail) which has helped get rid of any redness or scarring that breakouts have left behind. Definitely thinking about a full size purchase! 

L'Oreal's Ever Pure hair care range has really stuck out for me, for at least six weeks now.  I use the Colour Care and Moisture system which leaves my hair feeling like silk - plus they smell heavenly.  Once a week I will slather on the Reinforcing Intense Mask and leave in my locks for about an hour before washing out.  As I have bleach blonde hair, it can be quite porous and it's important to give it a good soak to help better its condition.  I've come back to my Moroccan Oil Light, which is nearly all gone (sob).  I prefer the light formulation as it doesn't weight my hair down but still does the job.  

What have been your favourite products this month?

Full product reviews: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation; Bourjois Little Round Pot Blush; Essie Nail Polish; Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Hydrating Glosstick in #4 Hibiscus; L'Oreal Ever Pure Colour Care and Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner; L'Oreal Ever Pure Reinforcing Intense Mask; Origins Out of Trouble Face Mask

Essie Diffusion Line Nail Polish

(L-R: Watermelon, Tart Deco, Sexy Divide and Fiji)

For years I've stuck to Barry M's Nail Paints, not really knowing any better until I discovered the world of beauty bloggers and vloggers. Since then there has been an unbelievable amount of talk about Essie.  I'd even read that the Queen's hairdresser had requested Essie's 'Ballet Slippers' - the only shade she would wear.  I'd never got round to purchasing any colours before it's Boots and Superdrug launch a month or so ago as they were hard to find and once you had they were around £11 each.  When I saw the stand in my local Boots, I gravitated towards it, knowing I wanted the infamous Fiji but also picking up a few more along the way.  

My Essie collection began with 'Tart Deco', 'Sexy Divide' and 'Fiji'.  As soon as I got home, I applied 'Tart Deco' to my both my fingers and toes.  I wore 'Fiji' which is a gorgeous pale pink shade, to my nephews christening.  It's a nice muted, sophisticated shade great for weddings, christenings and other special occasions.  I picked up 'Sexy Divide' as it's very much similar to my favourite Barry M colour 'Vivid Purple' which is slowly running out.  It's a shade that I will no doubt be wearing a lot over autumn and winter.  Watermelon is my latest addition to my collection. I was drawn to this colour over all the other colours as it's a bright pink but without being too fuchsia. 

Before the Boots and Superdrug launch the polishes formulation and brushes were changed as part of the 'Diffusion Line'.  The new formula is extremely thick, creamy and opaque.  I found that one coat is enough with most of the shades I have, maybe two with 'Fiji'.  The brushes have been re-worked and are now a lot wider making application a lot less time consuming with only one or two swipes needed per nail.  As for the staying power, I'm impressed.  When I first applied 'Tart Deco', I put it through the ultimate test - a shift at Tesco.  My nails always break or chip when I'm at work but miraculously this manicure stayed in place.  It did start chipping around 3-4 days after which I was really pleased with.  

Essie's Diffusion Line is available in most Boots stores (I have yet to come across them in Superdrug but you can get them online here) and are £7.99 each.  I'm looking forward to building up my collection with more colours.  

Which Essie shade is your favourite? 

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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?