Monthly Favorites | May

Another month has flown by and that means one thing.. it's time for my May favourites! I have a real mixture of products this time and I didn't realise how many I had collated until I started editing the pictures.. this is going to be a long post guys! Let's get started...

MAC Eyeshadow Palette | Link

I bought this limited edition eyeshadow palette last year but I didn't really start to use it properly until recently. I'm not too sure what happened, I guess it just ended up in my dressing table drawer to be forgotten about for a while but over the past month I have been reaching for this palette every day. 
The shades in this palette are perfect for me as I'm a neutrals girl and they are all really easy to wear. During the day I tend you use the middle taupe shade the most but you can blend all of them out to make them suitable for both day and night (except for the black). I really love this palette and the shades are easy to work with and add a little extra shimmer without being too over the top.
Despite this palette being sold as limited edition I'm sure I saw them on display in Selfridges in London a couple of weeks ago so maybe they are part of the permanent range now. Definitely take a look because the shades are all so beautiful and there are others available too.

*Bio Oil | Link  
I first started using Bio Oil on and off a year ago but recently I've gone back to it and it works really well to hydrate my skin. It's nice to switch to oil from a moisturiser occasionally and you need very little of this product for each application as a little goes a long way. it also smells lovely!
This is also a product my family enjoy using! 
Read my full review here.

*St Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Lotion | Link  
I absolutely love having a tan but as I haven't been on holiday for a while and most of the time the weather in the UK isn't the best it's pretty hard to get and maintain a tan. This means I have been turning to fake tan more and more because it gives me a confidence boost.
I've tried quite a few tanning products from a range of brands but without doubt my current favourite is the St Tropez Bronzing Lotion for the following reasons:
- It's easy to apply - The dispenser works perfectly (I've this to be a problem with other products in the past) - You get even coverage - You get a natural bronzed glow - It's long lasting - It doesn't smell bad
I'm almost at the end of this bottle and I will definitely be repurchasing.. I love this fake tan! I will be doing a full review on this product soon.

La Prairie Midnight Rain Perfume | Link  
I love fragrances and one of the more recent ones to be added into my collection is Midnight Rain by La Prairie. Firstly I love this perfume because the packaging is stunning. It's really different from your standard transparent glass bottles and it definitely mimics a dark night sky.
As for the fragrance itself? It's rich, floral, sweet and feminine and is perfect to wear in the evening, however, from time to time I have also used it during the day because I love it so much!
The staying power of this perfume is also pretty good. It easily lasts all evening but naturally does fade a little.
Read my full review here.

Real Techniques Contour Brush | Link  
Over the past month I have been using this contour brush by Real Techniques regularly but not to contour. Rightly or wrongly, I have been using this to blend in my concealer as I'm yet to find the perfect brush for that. I find the MAC concealer brush a little too hard and this one a little soft but with the latter I do find I can buff the product into my skin pretty well to prevent any caking or streaky lines so I prefer it.
I seem to have a habit of using Real Techniques brushes for things other than their purpose and I like them because they are soft, work well with the products and are easily available on the high street.

L'Oreal Super Liner | Link  
The next product I have been loving over the past month is the Super Fine Eyeliner by L'Oreal. The tip is so thin it is really easy to get a precise line and I love that the colour is jet black. When it comes to staying power, this product is really good at that too. I can apply it first thing in the morning and it's still in place by the end of the day if it is used over the top of powder eyeshadow. Unfortunately, it doesn't work so well over cream eyeshadow's, though.

YSL Mascara | Link

Last but not least is the YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Luxurious mascara in black. I love this because the mascara is jet black so it is perfect to wear in the evening when you want darker eye make-up, although I do wear this in the day too.

The packaging, like all YSL products is also stunning and houses a beautiful formula which lengthens my lashes and adds volume. I do find it a little clumpy at times so I always scrape the extra product off before application but that works well and guarantees good looking lashes every time.

What do you think of my picks?

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FOTD | Spring Every Day Make-Up

Hello Everyone! Just a quick post today and one was was inspired but a selfie I took this morning before filming a You Tube video. Yes, you read that correctly.. it's been 11 months since I last filmed but I've decided to take it up again seeing's as I've now got a camera with a flip screen and believe me it makes things a whole lot easier! For anyone who is interested, the video will be up within the next hour (it's uploading now) and will be appearing on my channel here. My first video's are extremely cringe worthy and really hard to film because I didn't have the right equipment or lighting but I'm pretty pleased with how today's one turned out :)

Anyway, onto today's blog post, a simple Spring every day make-up look. The picture quality isn't the best because I took it on my phone I'm afraid but hopefully it shows the make-up well enough for this short post :) The look I was going for was simple, girly, fresh and natural which I think I achieved. The products I used were:

Primer - Smashbox Photo Finish Original | Review | Link

Foundation - Rimmel Match Perfection in Ivory | Review | Link

Concealer - Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer | Review | Link

Powder - MAC Mineralise Skin Finish in Natural shade Medium Plus | Review | Link

Bronzer - Nars Laguna | Review | Link

Blusher - MAC Tenderling | Link

Eye primer - Urban Decay Priming Potion | Review | Link

Eyeshadow - MAC Naked Lunch and Satin Taupe | Link

Mascara - Maybelline the Falsies | Review | Link

Eyeliner - L'Oreal Black Super Liquid Liner | Link

What do you think of this make-up look?

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RE-DISCOVERED PRODUCTS

Although the weather is pretty awful here in the UK, especially for those poor people where there has been flooding over the past couple of weeks there has been the odd blue sky and spot of sunshine where I live.  This combined with rooting around in my make-up collection has inspired today's post featuring products that I recently re-discovered. I love it when that happens because in a strange way it feels like you've just purchased them and they are brand new again. Here are the re-discovered products I have been loving:

Maybelline The Falsies // Link

When I first bought this mascara last year it was because I gave into the hype around it. The Falsies seemed to pop up on every blog and You Tube channel I followed so I eventually gave in and bought it.  If I'm honest when I first got it I wasn't a fan at all.  I found it to be very thick and clumpy and after just a few uses it ended up in the bottom of my make-up drawer to be completely forgotten about until the last month.  I'm not sure what made me try it again but this time when using it I decided to scrape the excess product off before using it and it turns out when you do this, The Falsies is amazing! It separates my lashes beautifully, my eyes look defined, my lashes full and lengthened and overall I've been very impressed.  It's a shame to have to scrape the product off first but this isn't something new to me as I also have to do this with my YSL Shocking Mascara.  I never thought I'd say it but I'm converted and love this mascara, I'm so glad I gave it a second chance.

Barry M Gelly Nail Paints // Link

I love Barry M nail polishes but as I mostly have only bright colours suitable for Spring and Summer they have been a little un-loved over the past few months.  This all changed a few weeks ago when I began mixing up my nail polishes as I was getting a little bored of my dark shades and berry tones.  My favourite of all the polishes in the Barry M range are the gel polishes and it's so nice to be using them again, even if it is a little early for these shades!

Soap and Glory Solar Powder // Link

Since discovering Nars Laguna bronzer all the others in my collection haven't really been looked at until this month when I re-discovered Soap and Glory Solar Powder looking a bit sorry for itself in my make-up drawer.  After a bit of a tidy up it looked as good as new and I've been really enjoying using it again as it makes a change to Laguna.  Solar Powder is a very pretty, wearable shade which gives the skin a natural glow so it's perfect for me to use with my pasty complexion at the moment.

L'Oreal Glam Shine Lip Glosses // Link

When I was younger I used to wear lip glosses non-stop.  There was never a day that went past without me constantly topping it up and being on the hunt for a new one but as I've got older and delved into the world of lip crayons, stains and lipsticks they haven't had much of a look in.   After re-organising my make-up collection a few weeks ago, however, I found my L'Oreal Glam Shine lip glosses and remembered how lovely they are.  Since, I have been wearing them every day either on their own or over the top of my lipsticks and it's been really nice to have an added sheen to my lips and re-discover these pretty products.  The wonderful thing about these glosses is the formula because they are not sticky in the slightest so they are very comfortable to wear.. I also love the heart shaped applicator as you get precise yet quick application.

Dior Addict Lip Gloss

The first thing that attracted me to the Dior lip glosses is the beautiful packaging.  They look stunning sitting in the displays with the transparent and silver casings containing sparkly product waiting to be used.  Again, this is a lip gloss which has a lovely formula because it isn't sticky so it is comfortable to wear and I wore it a lot over the Summer last year when I first bought it.  In the lead up to Spring I can imagine I will also get a lot of use out of it... It's too pretty to stay in the drawer!

What do you think of my picks? What are your re-discovered products?

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FOTD // Casual Saturday Shopping Trip // feat MAC, Urban Decay, Dior, Chanel, YSL, L'Oreal, Maybelline

Hello Lovelies! The second post of the day is a FOTD (face of the day) which was taken today in the car enroute to the shops.  This wasn't just any shopping trip though, this was to look for a fascinator to wear to my friends wedding next week.  I know I've left it really late but that's because I couldn't decide on what dress I was going to wear. I bought a beautiful one in the Summer because I feared at this time of wear they may not be anything suitable but when I tried it on recently I wasn't entirely happy with it.  I'm not sure why, I can't pin point any particular thing, I guess it just didn't really have that 'wow' factor so during the week I was on the hunt for a replacement.  Thankfully, I found a stunning dress in Coast that I feel much more comfortable in and now I have a pretty fascinator to go with it too. 
Anyway, back to today's post.  I just wanted a really natural, no fuss makeup look today and even though I got up in plenty of time it all seemed to have vanished and I was rushing around trying desperately to get ready in time.  Here are the products I used:
Primer - Benefit Porefessional // Review Foundation - Chanel Vital Lumiere Aqua // Review Concealer - Benefit Erase Paste // Review Powder - MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Natural in Medium Plus // Review Highlighter - MAC Soft and Gentle // Review Blusher - Dainty Doll Cream Blush in Paper Roses // Review Eye Primer - Urban Decay Priming Potion // Review Eye Shadow - Urban Decay Shattered Face Case // Review  Eye Liner - L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Smokey pencil liner in Brown Fusion// Review Mascara - Maybelline The Falsies Lip Liner - Dior liner in nude Lipstick - YSL Rouge Volupte Fetish Pink // Review
Please note, some of the posts I have linked above are old so apologies the photo's are not as good quality.
What do you think of my make-up look?

 Enter my MAC Giveaway

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L'Oreal Elnett Flexible Hold Extra Strength Hairspray Review

So, everyone needs a good hairspray in their life even if you only use it occasionally like me.  There are really only three times I grab mine... if I create a quiff/bump in my hair, if I have curls or a bun style. Even so, I want to use a product I know will keep my style in place whilst still making my hair look natural.  I'm not a fan of hairsprays which leave my hair feeling too crisp or change the look and texture of my hair as I'm not using the product for that purpose, I'm purely using it to keep everything in place.

Over the years I have tried a lot of different hairsprays but there is one I always go back to.  The L'Oreal Elnett Flexible hairspray comes in a variety of sizes so whether you need it for travelling, your handbag or bathroom you will find one that suits your need.  The packaging is your typical can shape and there are numerous ranges available. My favourite is the flexible hold, extra strength.  I find the flexible hold finish still allows my hair to move and my curls to drop a little without leaving my hair crisp to the touch.  Whereas the extra strength will keep my style in place for several hours.

The formulation is a light mist which is dispersed evenly over my hair so I don't end up with some wet patches and some missing product.  The formula isn't sticky or heavy so after application my style still looks the same and it can even be brushed out if necessary.  This fine hairspray is also said to protect against humidly which is brilliant because my curly hair is prone to frizzing at any opportunity.

The L'Oreal Elnett hairspray is a great all rounder.  It is great to hold your style in place whilst maintaining a natural look and this product lasts ages.  The largest size (as photographed above) lasts me for around 18 months so priced at only £6.60 is great value for money.  You can buy this hairspray from Boots as well as other drugstores and supermarkets.

What is your favourite hairspray?

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L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Smoky Eye Liner Review

 

Hello Everyone!

I hope you're all well.  Things are still crazy busy for me at the moment as i'm trying to juggle work, life and revising and it's starting to take it's toll as I've felt under the weather the past few days.  Also, my wisdom teeth have decided to try and make an appearance all at the same time so it's pretty painful!

Anyway, enough rambling from me and onto today's blog post.  Today's review is on the L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Smoky Eye Liners.

I love the L'Oreal brand, in fact it is actually one of my favourite high street brands as their products are always a high quality and the packaging is gorgeous.  The Le Smoky eye liners are no exception.   The packaging is a simple double ended pencil with a gold trim which is simple yet sophisticated.  One end is the eye liner and the opposite end has a small hard sponge which is pretty good at smudging out the eyeliner to create a more smokey look.

These eye liners are available in a small variety of colours including:

• Brown Fusion - A dark chocolate brown
• Mystic Grey - A dark charcoal grey
• Black Velour - A deep black
• Purple Dream - A dark purple

I have the first three above  and regularly use all of them.  I really love that this range includes an alternative to black as I often don't want such an intense eye for a day time look and therefore using a brown or grey eyeliner is perfect.  I go through phases of loving pencil eyeliner or liquid/gel and at the moment it is definitely the former.  The Le Smoky eye liners are definitely my 'go to' eye liner for this look.

The formulation of the L'Oreal eye liners are very soft and creamy so they are very easy to apply, even in the water line and are perfect to create a smokey look as they are easy to blend.  I often find that creamy eye liners are a nightmare to sharpen as they just melt away but somehow the Le Smokey ones stay perfectly formed so are super easy to sharpen. This is great because you have as little product wastage as possible. However, if you ever do find you struggle with sharpening, then pop your eye liner into the fridge or freezer and it will stiffen the product a little.

I also often find pencil eye liners can easily smudge after application and are not very long wearing but this isn't the case for the L'Oreal Colour Riche range. My eye liner easily lasts all day without any touch ups and doesn't move at all. This is perfect because I don't want to be worrying about my makeup moving and looking a mess.

Please ignore the state of my eyebrows.  The last time I got them threaded they made them uneven so I've been growing them out so when I got them done again it was easier to get them the same shape.  They look much better now, hurrah!

I love these eye liners and definitely think they are brilliant value for money.  This product is a permanent feature in my make-up bag!

You can buy the L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Smoky eye liners from Boots for £4.99.

What do you think of these eye liners?

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L'Oreal Elvive Nutri Gloss Shine Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and are having a good week.  Today's post is a review on the Elvive Nutri Gloss Shine shampoo and conditioner by L'Oreal Paris.

The packaging is slim line and a mixture of baby pink and hot pink.  This is probably what first made me pick up this product, you all know I love a bit of pink.. I just can't resist!

These products are most suited to mid to long dull hair.  I wouldn't necessarily describe my hair as being 'dull' but I do love to add an extra bit of shine and these products promise that through their mirror shine which is enriched with pearl (sounds gorgeous, right?!) .  This formula is said to illuminate and smooth the hair's surface for better light reflection and mesmerising shine.  I wouldn't go quite as far as saying these products achieve 'mesmerising shine' but they certainly leave my hair feeling silky soft, smooth and glossy. A number of people have even commented on how healthy my hair looks after using these products. This is also due to the 'cashmere touch' of the formulation which is concentrated with protein to help nourish every hair fibre for glossy, irresistible cashmere softness from root to tip.

I love the way L'Oreal have described the effects of this shampoo and conditioner, it sounds fun and more appealing than simply saying 'it adds shine'. I also love the finish it gives my hair and the floral, perfumed scent that lingers throughout the day is amazing!  My hair is pretty fussy when it comes to shampoo's and conditioners so it means it can be very prone to frizzing if it doesn't 'like' a certain product or if I use it too regularly and it gets used to it. So, overall, i'm very impressed with this shampoo and conditioner combination and I would definitely buy them again.

What is your favourite shampoo and conditioner at the moment? Does you hair ever get 'fed up' of your shampoo and conditioner like mine does?

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L'Oreal True Match Powder Review

 

Today I will be posting a review on L'Oreal Paris the powder True Match.  This is a super blendable, finely milled product which claims to match skin, colour and texture. It comes in a small, perfectly sized compact which has a thin sponge (I never use this to apply my powder) and also a mirror that opens up on the other side (see picture at the bottom of this post).

I can't remember when I first started using this powder as it was so long ago but to give you some idea I must easily be on my third or fourth by now.  What I really love about this product is that it doesn't give you the cakey, powdery, orange look.  It blends in naturally with your skin.  It is also brilliant at absorbing oil.  I have combination skin and the only area I really suffer from with oil is my nose.  This powder definitely helps, but I do need to re-apply it a few times throughout the day.  For me that is something that I have to do with high end powders too, though.

I have noticed that the performance of this powder really does depend on the state of my skin.  If I do have any dry patches then without doubt it will cling.. although from personal experience I have found this is the case for any powders.  If you make sure you exfoliate and moisturise your face regularly, this shouldn't be a problem for you.

People have often commented on how natural my skin looks after using this and that you can't tell I have any powder on.  This product isn't cakey and it buffs really nicely into your skin.

Overall, I really like this powder and it is a product I will continue to buy. The results are impressive and it's great value for money - it lasts me around 7 months and I use it several times a day.  This is my favourite drugstore powder. 

You can get this from Boots for £8.19.

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