New In | New Years Beauty Buys

CHANEL VITALUMIERE AQUA FOUNDATION | MAC LIPSTICK IN BRAVE | JO MALONE WOOD SAGE & SEA SALT COLOGNE

I'm not sure what it is about the festive period, but after Christmas and into the New Year I always get this overwhelming urge to splurge. I went sales shopping over the weekend and typically, my beauty haul consisted of full price only items. 

First up was an essential repurchase, of which I knew would never be in sale. Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in 10 Beige is my go to everyday foundation and my current bottle is putting up a serious fight to give me product. At an eye-watering £33, this isn't the most purse-friendly option but I simply cannot be without - a light to medium coverage that looks, feels and glows like skin should. 

Like most girls, I've been sucked into the Kylie Jenner mauve lip craze thanks to her incessant Instagram postings and research showed that MAC was the brand I needed. Amongst the few products the interweb threw out at me, Brave Lipstick (£15.50) seemed a common theme and so to the MAC counter I went. I asked to try on the lipstick first to ensure the colour suited my skin tone and it was love at first swipe. Brave is a satin finish, packed with pigment, a comfortable wear and has become a fast favourite in my makeup bag already. 

On a previous shopping excursion (told you I've been #feelingspendy) I popped into Jo Malone. I have been lusting over the Wood Sage & Sea Salt fragrance since I happened upon a sample in a magazine. Unfortunately, they were out of the cologne but the consultant kindly gave me a generous sample of the Body Creme so I could at least try the fragrance on my skin. I cannot even begin to explain the commotion this fragrance has caused at home - I smothered my hands in it the minute I got through the door and my mum became obsessed with it too (Mother's Day present sorted). I went back in over the weekend and alas, they had restocked the Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne - destiny some (me) might say. Lets be real, I'm crap at describing scents but the JM website tells me this 'woody' fragrance it has notes of Ambrette Seeds, Sea Salt and Sage, but I also detect a hint of fig. Love. I will most definitely be adding the Body Creme to my birthday wishlist. 

Have you treated yourself to anything since Christmas?

Sunday Update #7

Here's a blog post I thought I would never end up writing and if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you will already know that on Monday, I passed my driving test. Many of my friends and family will know that this has been a real struggle for me and honestly, I still can't quite believe it. 

My driving journey began when I was 17, my parents bought me 10 lessons as a birthday present and I picked everything up pretty quickly, but when it came to the test a year later I failed right at the last minute. Although I was obviously gutted, I knew that most people passed second time round, so I didn't let it affect my confidence, until I failed a further two times. By this point I was emotionally drained and I stopped driving for quite a while. Long story short - I passed on my sixth go and every fail was not down to my ability, but just my nerves completely taking over. For anyone who has failed once or multiple times, it is so disheartening, but when you want something, you have to keep trying and whilst I have had several breaks in-between, I really didn't want this demon get the better of me.

On Monday 3rd February at 10.14am I set off for my test, this time I took my driving instructor with me, as I never did this in the past and I thought it would help me to have someone who knew I could drive, with me. I loaded up on Bach's Rescue Remedy and slathered on my beloved This Works Sleep Balm - basically, I left nothing to chance. I was incredibly nervous, as expected and when I pulled up at the test centre after taking the test I honestly did not know the outcome, I just had my fingers crossed and was chanting 'please, please, please' over and over in my head. When he told me I had passed, I just said "oh my god what a relief!" and then scribbled an eligible signature onto my test certificate and that was it - I'd done it! My parents have been away and all I wanted was to ring my mum and tell her and her reaction was everything I wanted and so much more - actually everyone I told or spoke to was so pleased for me and I felt on cloud 9 for the rest of the day. 

Yesterday, my parents took me to a local garage where my mum bought her car, to look at what they had on offer. After looking online, I had my eye on a Nissan Micra that they had, but didn't want to get my hopes up, just in case she had been sold when I got there. Low and behold, she was there waiting for me. I am very fortunate to have the best parents in the world, who agreed to loan me the money so that I could get a half decent car and so, Poppy the Micra is now mine! We pick her up on Tuesday and I've spent the weekend sorting out tax and insurance for her, as well and buying the essentials - car mats, de-icer and Yankee Candle air fresheners (the closest thing to a beauty product I can buy for my car...) My pink license also came through the post yesterday, which I wasn't expecting - the icing on the cake you might say.

I'm honestly elated that I've finally done it and I know this is going to give me the independence I've desperately wanted for years. If your struggling with driving or maybe you've just failed - please don't give up, when you finally do it, it makes all the hard work so worth it. Those regular Space NK trips may need to stop for a while though...

The Dream Team

Working full time has really made me appreciate bedtime. I've never really had much of a problem getting to sleep *touches wood*, but sometimes, if I've had a busy week or stressful day at work, I can find it hard to shut down for the day. I also find Sunday nights extremely hard to navigate - the imminent morning alarm seems to taunt me. I'd heard a lot about This Works Sleep range but was a bit dubious as to whether these kind of products actually work. 

I found myself in Space NK on one of my lunch breaks and decided to pick up the Deep Sleep Night Time kit, as I had a £5 N.centive. The kit comes with a full size Deep Sleep Pillow Spray and Sleep Balm. The pillow spray does what it says on the tin, you simply spray above your pillow before getting into bed and the Lavender and Vetiver helps you to unwind and fall asleep. The Sleep Balm is a 100% natural, multi purpose balm that can be rubbed onto temples and pulse points to help sleep and also ease nerves. 

So does it actually work? The first night I used both products, I felt extremely relaxed and sleepy, but I was also watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy and found it a little difficult to switch off when it was finally time to sleep. Having said that, I woke up the next morning less groggy than usual and I found I wasn't battling with my eyelids on the commute into work. The next evening I decided to skip Grey's (sorry McDreamy) and go ahead with the pillow spray and balm. I can't remember much else past my head hitting the pillow. Some might argue it's the placebo effect, but I have been sleeping much more deeply than I have in the past and I'm starting to feel a bit better come morning on work days. 

At £22 for this kit, it's not a a necessity but if you find it hard to drift off to sleep, this range might be worth investing in. My only problem now is I don't think I'll ever not be able to have these products by my bedside... 

BEAUTY TECH | Babyliss Boutique Italian AC Dryer

I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate drying my hair, so much so that I have been known to let my hair air dry overnight, leaving me with a frizzy and hard to manage mane. For Christmas, I asked for a new hairdryer, my old one was tired and when I could be bothered to use it, it made my hair smell like toast - not ideal. After some online research, one particular model kept cropping up on Google - the Babyliss Boutique Italian AC Dryer (£74.99). Nine out of ten Grazia readers claimed it was the best  and fastest hair dryer they'd ever used - Grazia approved and claims to be fast? Sold. Low and behold I must have been a good girl in 2013 as Santa not only delivered McDreamy and McSteamy in boxset form but the aforementioned hair dryer too, and ladies after using it for almost a month I can confirm it is the best hair dryer I have ever used. 

Let's begin with size. The Babyliss Boutique is smaller than your average hairdryer but oh so mighty. It's compact size makes it extremely easy to handle and will be perfect for future travelling. It has two speed settings and three heat settings, including my personal favourite the "True Cold" setting. This machine packs a real powerful punch and can get my sopping wet hair dry in 10 minutes max. I start off using the highest speed and heat setting and rough dry my hair until it's about 90% dry, before using the included Thermal Brush to smooth out ends and style my bangs. I then blast my hair with the True Cold setting, which unlike most other hair dryers, blasts cold air rather than luke warm, allowing it to seal hair cuticles and leave hair so soft and beautifully shiny every time. I've also come to notice that my hair stays a lot straighter after use, another plus point of the True Cold setting, as the cold air 'locks' in your style.

This particular dryer is Italian made and has a 2400W motor, which is why it dries hair so quickly. In the box you get a thermal brush and ultra-slim nozzle for straight blowdrying, alongside a 5-year guarantee. The dryer features a 2.7m salon length power cable, ionic technology for smoothness and shine, as well as hanging loop and a removable filter. At £74.99 it might not be the most affordable appliance on the market, but if like me you hate blowdrying your hair or are in a rush, this hairdryer really will change your life. It's often on offer in Boots or on Amazon too - I know my Mum and Dad picked it up for around £50. 

What part of your beauty routine do you loathe?

Perfume Review | Giorgio Armani Si

When it comes to perfume, I very rarely change up my scent. I wear my beloved Stella by Stella McCartney almost everyday and up until now, Chloe was my "special occasion" perfume - you know the one you reserve for when you're going somewhere other than work or to the shops. Whilst purchasing my Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara, the sales assistant told me about their new perfume before spritzing 3-4 pumps onto my Selfridges bag. I walked out of there not really batting an eyelid and then all of a sudden this gorgeous scent caught my attention and from then on I developed a mildly worrying obsession, whiffing the bag at every opportunity and even going as far as keeping said bag because it smelt too good to bin. Needless to say, a month later I purchased a 50ml bottle of Si by Giorgio Armani. 

Si is quite sweet and citrussy in scent, featuring notes of Mandarin Oil, Liquer de Cassis (blackcurrant to you and I), Amber and Vanilla. I usually opt for something more floral, but I've found myself prefering fruitier scents of late, proving that preference changes as you get older. It's potent formula lingers from the moment you apply to the next morning when you wash it off in the shower. When I purchased it, the perfume came with a shower gel and body lotion. I don't usually rate perfume lotions and potions but unlike most, these actually smell like the fragrance and so they make for an extra special in-shower treat every now and then. 

It's not the cheapest perfume, coming in at £62.50 for 50ml, but you only need one or two sprays per application and when you really can't stop thinking about it, it's a worthwhile investment (that's how I'm justifying it to myself anyway). I purchased my bottle during the pre-Christmas sale at Debenhams, taking the price down to just over £50, so it's worth keeping an eye out for those deals. Next time you're browsing the perfume concessions, I recommend you give this a whiff, although I can't be held responsible for what comes next, it really is that good.

What's your favourite perfume?

NEW IN | Beauty Splurges

As a certified (kind of) beauty junkie, it's my job to spend copious amounts of money on make up and skincare I don't necessarily need, but most definitely want. On my lunch breaks, I tend to find myself wandering round either Boots, Superdrug or Space NK and well this week, I didn't leave empty handed. You might want to grab a cup of tea for this one, there's a lot to get through...

First stop, the drugstore. I initially went in looking for Bourjois' Colour Boost Lip Crayon in Plum Russian - I've yet to try it but after trying and loving Peach on the Beach, I have high hopes. Little Mix recently collaborated with Collection and Perrie's hue in particular caught my eye. It's more purple than I usually go for, but I've had nothing but compliments since wearing it (the beauty advisor in Space NK thought it was one from NARS - win). The formulation isn't the best, it can be quite drying without a lip balm underneath, but at £2.99 you can't grumble and the pigmentation is fantastic. 

Now, my skin has been like a hormonal teenager lately, especially my chin and whilst I was browsing the aisles of Boots I came across the Superfacialist Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask. I have heard good things about the range, so I decided to give it a try - the whole range is currently on offer in Boots too. I've used it once and on first impressions I was impressed. I will write a full post on it soon. When my skin is horrific, there is only one cleanser that really kicks it into gear and that's (can you guess what I'm about to say?) Liz Earle's Hot Cloth Cleanse and Polish. I've tried a lot of cleansers, both high end and low end but this one comes out on top every time. I decided to get the Limited Edition Christmas Starter Kit, which includes 2 muslin cloths and 150ml pump.

I shouldn't be allowed to walk into Space NK armed with a debit card because it's very difficult to walk out empty handed. I have been lusting after NARS Sheer Glow since the beginning of the year. I did the sensible thing and asked for a sample and after trying it, I loved it. The colour selection is fantastic, and I was surprised that my shade wasn't the lightest in the collection. My shade is Mont Blanc and I begrudgingly bought a pump for the foundation, as more often than not, I waste more foundation when I have to pour it. It was the last Mont Blanc and the last pump so it was fate, right? I then picked up a new Tangle Teezer because mine has seen better days - the bristles were bent and out of shape. On a seperate occasion, I picked up Giorgio Armani's Eyes to Kill Mascara in Selfridges after a make up artist recommended it to me at a PR event. I love it. It lengthens beautifully, adding the right amount of volume which can be built up. 

Now it's time to go hide that debit card of mine... Have you splurged on anything new lately? 

Sunday Update #6

There's a large elephant in the room, concerning my absence (and the layout change). To say the last six months has been crazy is a slight understatment. I graduated from university in June and I was fortunate enough to land myself a 3-month job trial at a Beauty PR agency, which begun on July 1st. Whilst I was on my trial, I kept my part time job so I was working 6 day weeks, and needless to say, that by the time Sunday came round, I really couldn't face taking blog photos, editing them, uploading and then writing a post - I just wanted to do nothing! Some call it lazy, but I needed some me time on those Sunday's. 

I have now been with AD Publicity for five months, which means I got the job and I couldn't be happier! I've now left my part time job and have really enjoyed having my weekends back (it's been five years since I last had Saturdays to myself). During the past six weeks, I've had more time to read and enjoy blogs again and realised how much I missed it myself. I wanted to start fresh, with a new layout, so enlisted the very talented Megan, who illustrated my last header for me. I wanted a more beauty orientated header as I very rarely talk about anything else on this blog. I think it sums the blog and myself up perfectly - NARS is my favourite brand for make up in general, Origins is my go to skincare brand and Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish still reigns supreme in my stash as the best cleanser I've ever used.

There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon, both at work and in general. Christmas is coming and if you follow me on Twitter I am literally wishing my life away just for it to be December - such a child at heart! I want to start blogging more frequently so will try to get up at least two or three posts a week, beauty is still my passion and I'm lucky enough to be able to work with it everyday now too!

How have you been?