My Monthly Favourites - September 2015

The month of September has been a bit of a whirlwind for me! I started my new part-time job and I feel like time has just flown by ever since. Although I haven't tried out too many new products this month, I have discovered a couple of new favourites as well as fallen back in love with a few older items in my stash too. So, let's skip the long intro for a change and jump straight into what I have been loving this month!

Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Moisturiser - £24.00
Some of you may remember that after winning Katie Snooks' Feel Unique competition a few months ago, one of the products I picked up using my voucher code was this moisturiser from Origins. At the beginning, I used it religiously but then I forgot about it for a little while... until now! I love the gel-like consistency of this product because it is not too rich for my oily/combination skin. It has really improved how radiant and clear my skin looks without make-up on too, which is something that I have struggled with in the past. This is the first thing that I have ever tried from Origins because of the hefty price tag but I am super impressed with them as a brand and I will definitely purchase from them again in the future!

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish in Street Flair - £9.99
You may have seen in my recent Boots haul that I picked up a few new nail varnishes this month and ever since then, this Sally Hansen number has constantly been on my nails! It is a gorgeous dusty lilac colour with a hint of grey within it, which makes it absolutely perfect for this time of year. It is a muted and understated shade but it has such an autumn feel to me! The polish itself is fairly chip-resistant, (especially when it's paired with the matching Miracle Gel top coat too,) and it has a gorgeous glossy, gel-like finish.

Invisibobble Clear Hair Bands (3 Pack) - £3.75
I had seen so many people talking about the Invisibobble hair bands and so I decided to take the plunge last week. Once my hair is tied up up, there is nooo way that I can take down again as my hair would then have a permanent dent and kinks in it. This would always upset me because if I had my hair up at work and then wanted to go out at night time, I would have to completely re-wash it in order to then wear it down! However, now that I have started wearing an Invisibobble, (which looks a bit like a clear telephone cord,) my hair is kink free! The bobble is virtually undetectable and it's so comfortable to wear, it never pulls on my hair or snags it in the slightest. This product is so amazing and I'm annoyed that I didn't pick it up sooner to be honest!

Max Factor Colour Collections Lipstick in Rosewood - £6.99
This Max Factor lipstick has been my biggest re-discovery of the month. I have had 'Rosewood' in my lipstick collection for such a long time now but I have found myself reaching for it a lot lately. It is the most gorgeous warm-toned rose shade that leaves a gorgeous sheen on your lips. Although the longevity of this product is not anything to shout home about, I do love how pigmented and comfortable this shade is to wear. It pairs well with so many different make-up looks too. You should definitely give it a swatch next time you're in Boots and Superdrug!

Lush The Comforter Shower Cream (100g) - £4.75
Last but not least is my favourite Lush shower gel of all time, The Comforter! I had always been a big fan of the bubble bar equivalent of this product, so when they brought out a shower cream I was beyond excited. I cannot even explain how in love I am with this sweet blackcurrant scent - it makes me look forward to shower time, even on cold autumn mornings! I love how soft and moisturised it makes me skin feel, plus it lathers up into a gorgeous pink foam too (which is always a bonus!) Even though it will be quite expensive, once this mini bottle runs out, I would like to buy the enormous 1kg verson which is just shy of £28 but in my opinion, it will be soooo worth it!

So guys, I bet you're glad I skipped the long intro now because that was a very in-depth favourites this month (oops!) I hope you enjoyed reading all about the five products that I have been loving and reaching for the most over the past 4 weeks! What have been your favourites this month? Have you used any of my current favourites before? Please let me know popping a comment down below with all of your thoughts and suggestions!

My Favourite Valentines Day Products

Hi guys! Today I thought that I would show you some of my favourite products that are also Valentines Day inspired - aka red and pink makeup! All the products mentioned in this post are ones that I have use all of the time and absolutely adore, I would recommend them to anybody. I will most definitely be wearing some of them tomorrow! I hope that whatever you are up to on February the 14th, whether you are single or taken, you have a lovely day and remember to spoil yourselves rotten! With that in mind, here is a list of some gorgeous Valentines Day Products that are featured above.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Color Rush Lip Crayon in The Redder The Better

A vivid red lip crayon that is super moisturising and lasts for hours.

Yves Saint Lauent Elle Eau De Parfum (50ml)

An ultra feminine, rich perfume with notes of peonies and pink berries.

Max Factor Glossfinity Nail Polish in Red Passion

A classic and opaque red nail varnish.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Pomegranate

A deep pink polish that gives an incredibly shiny, professional finish.

Barry M Ultra Moisturising Lip Paint in 156

A beautiful berry coloured lipstick with great staying power.

Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Color in Cherry Pie

A rich burgundy lip stain that stays put all day long.

Essie Luxe Effects Nail Polish in A Cut Above

A stunning rose gold glitter polish.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish in Scarlet Fever

A chip resistant berry coloured polish that is incredibly opaque.

Benefit Posie Tint Lip & Cheek Tint

A liquid rosy pink tint for both lips and cheeks.

Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick in Shocking Pink

A vibrant pink lipstick which also smells like watermelon.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and even though it is rather short, I really enjoyed making it. Again, whatever you are doing on Valentines Day, I hope that you have a fabulous time. Thank you :)

My Top 5 Favourite Lipsticks

Hi guys! I have always been a big lover of lipstick and over the past few years, I have built up quite the collection. So, I thought it was only fitting that I wrote a blog post about my top five favourite lipsticks. I really think that lipstick can take your make-up to the next level and give your face that extra pop of colour. I have come across many people who think that wearing lipstick during the day can make you look a little overdone, however in my eyes - the brighter the better! So, with that in mind, let's just dive right straight in and begin.

Max Factor Colour Collection Lipstick in Rosewood - £6.99
I love this lipstick because it is a 'your lips but better' colour, which means it is really natural-looking and would no doubt suit a wide range of skin tones. This is definitely my go to lipstick on days where I want to achieve a more understated makeup look but still want to feel polished at the same time. 

Barry M Lip Paint in 156 - £4.49
This lipstick is a gorgeous, berry colour and will most likely be the colour I wear most during autumn and winter. It looks really vampy on the lips and is long-lasting without being drying on the lips. Barry M tend to focus more on their nail products (and undoubtedly so because they are amazing,) so their lip colours seem to be overlooked, however, this shade is fantastic.

Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstick in 12 - £5.49
This super bright orangey-red colour creates a very bold, statement lip and I adore it. The formulation is moderately long-lasting but I do find myself having to re-apply it a few times during the day to keep it's brightness up. The only bad thing I have to say about this lipstick is that it quite drying and so, it does not look too good on cracked, un-conditioned lips.

Avon Color Trend Kiss 'n' Go Lipstick in Lucky Kiss - £3.75
Whilst I was an Avon representative last year, I bought a few products myself and this lipstick is definitely my favourite purchase - and not just because it's friendly on the purse strings! On the lips, this product is a very deep red/burgandy shade with lots of flecks of glitter in it, which in my opinion makes it really unique. Although a little drying, I love wearing it and always get compliments on it!

Mac Cremesheen Lipstick in Crosswires - £15.00
Last but not least is this beautiful coral colour from MAC. I have had this lipstick for around two years now and it is one of my favourite products to wear during the summer months. I will probably not reach for this lipstick much during the colder months but it is still a firm favourite of mine. Surprisingly, I only own one MAC lipstick and the only qualm I have about it is that it really shows the cracks in my lips if they are a little dry.

Here are some swatches of the lipsticks which are in the same order as they have been mentioned above, going from left to right.

I hope that you have all enjoy reading about my top five favourite lipsticks. As always, I would love to know what your favourite lipstick are as I love reading fellow bloggers opinions of different products. So, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below because I love reading them. Thank you!

Nifty Nails!

Hi guys. Earlier on this week, I had a major beauty spring clean - throwing out lots of make-up and nail varnishes that were either used up or old/broken and organising them in to various cosmetic bags and boxes. Whilst doing this, I came across my extensive nail varnish collection which has every colour and brand that you could ever think of. I think it's safe to say that I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to nail products! I have so many favourites and I thought that I should definitely do a review on some of my varnishes. Consequently, I went on to eBay in search of a nail varnish wheel and I picked up a pack of two for £1.99 and with free packaging - what a bargain! On each wheel is 18 individual nails which you can paint colours and designs on to. I realise that 18 polishes is a lot to review in one post, so I am only going to do a very brief overview of each one. I have also decided to break things down into colour categories to make it easier to read.

Reds, Pinks and Oranges

Jessica Custom Nail Colour in Company Vamp - My Mum picked up this polish at work a while back and we both love it. I had never heard of the brand 'Jessica' until Mum bought this home either. This deep red, shimmery colour is perfect for a vampy evening look. Plus, it is pretty chip resistant. I have a lipstick from Avon which is this exact colour and I love wearing both products together!

Max Factor Nailfinity in Red Passion - I bought this little nail varnish quite a while back, it is a classic bright red shade and looks great with a statement red lip too. The varnish tends to look a little pink upon first application but applying a second coat will cause the finish to look completely red. The name of this nail varnish on Max Factor's website has since been changed to 'Glossfinity' instead of 'Nailfinity.'

Nails Inc in It's Red, Babez - I absolutely love this colour. Again, it came free in In Style magazine and this colour is a really striking red with orange undertones and is the ultimate summer shade. The only down side to Nails Inc products is that the brushes are not great for painting with precision, so I always tidy up the edges with a cotton bud dipped in polish remover afterwards.

Models Own in Raspberry Crush - This raspberry pink shade really looks great with any skin tone; it is very bright and eye-catching, I always get compliments when I am wearing this particular varnish. I think that Models Own bottles are quite big, so they are excellent value for money. Unfortunately, this is the only Models Own product I own but I really want to try some of the neon Hed Kandi shades soon.

Sinful Colors Professional in Daredevil - I picked up this amazing neon shade in Superdrug the other day. I could not believe that this bottle was a mere £1.99! I believe that this nail varnish would look great with a tan, this is definitely the best neon varnish I have ever tried.

Avon Colortrend in Bikini - I seem to have purchased a lot of clothing with coral on lately, so this polish is perfect when I want my nails co-ordinated with my outfit. The bottle is rather small so I do not use this colour very often and I sometimes use a Barry M dupe instead.

Nails Inc in Atomic - I have never owned a bright orange nail varnish before and I am obsessed with this particular shade! I love Nails Inc's formulas as you can sometimes get away with only applying one coat depending on the colour that you are using, which is handy if you are in a rush or are impatient with letting multiple coats dry!

Barry M Nail Paint in Peach Melba - This neutral peach shade is really pretty and very feminine. Obviously, pastels are a great pick for summer and I recommend this shade to anybody that doesn't want a nail varnish colour that is too 'out there.'

Blues and Greens

L'Oreal Paris  Color Riche in Perle De Jade - I bought this product the other day after I bought an adorable mint-coloured cropped jumper from New Look and I wanted a varnish to match. I saw this L'Oreal one on special and the colour was spot on, yet another great pastel shade to add to my ever-growing collection!

Rimmel London 60 Seconds in Green With Envy - As mentioned in a previous post, I am in love with this varnish and it is probably one of my favourites of all time. The greeny-blue colour reminds me of the sea and mermaids. Every time I wear this colour, I always get compliments on it.

Rimmel London Lycra Pro in Aqua Cool - Rimmel's Lycra Pro formula is amazing. The varnish is just the right consistency with great colour pigmentation, meaning that you only need to apply one coat. This blue is really pretty and also matches my eyes (weird thing to notice, I know!)

Barry M Nail Paint in Cyan Blue - This cyan blue is one of the best Barry M shades I own. Due to it's strong pigmentation, you need only apply one coat of this gorgeous colour. I think that this varnish dries slightly darker than expected but nonetheless, I still love it!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Blueberry - I recently purchased this gorgeous dark navy polish to go with a tie-dye dress I bought in New Look. I had never tried the hi-shine formulas until now but they are amazing. My nails looked so glossy, however, after one night out they were pretty chipped the next morning, so I might add a top coat next time anyway.

Purples and Glitters

Rimmel London Lycra Pro in Ultra Violet - This über pretty lilac shade looks great with my skin tone. Purple is my favourite colour and I love wearing this polish. As I've already mentioned, I love Rimmel's brushes as they are flatter than other brands which makes for a quick and usually a mistake-free paint job. 

Max Factor Max Effect in Fantasy Fire - This is yet another recent purchase of mine. I was browsing in Boots one day and this colour really intrigued me. As mentioned in a previous post, this purple varnish has a blue, metallic undertone with it and some pretty glitter too. The only downside to this product is that it is so thin and to get a bold colour, I had to apply a whopping total of FIVE coats (which was rather time consuming waiting for each layer to dry.)

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Scarlet Fever - This lovely magenta-like colour is one of the latest editions to my collection. I had never tried any Sally Hansen varnishes before but I can honestly say it is the best brand I have ever used. The wide brush allows for perfect application and it is just the right consistency. I will definitely be purchasing a few other colours asap. 

Nails Inc in Berwick Street - One Christmas, my Mum bought me a Nails Inc set that included this glittery silver colour. This varnish is perfect for parties and nights out, however, its texture is pretty rough so applying a top coat is definitely necessary. I usually apply two coats of this polish to ensure that it really stands out.

Rimmel London Precious Stones in Diamond Dust - Last but certainly not least, this deep silver/grey nail varnish is so eye-catching. I bought this at Christmas time to match a pair of glittery hotpants that I wanted to wear on a night out. There are only two problems with this polish; after a few uses, the remaining polish in the bottle starts to go a little gloopy. Secondly, the finish of this polish is rather disappointing. The glitter is really rough and so a really thick top coat needs to be applied so that specks of glitter do not flake off or chip.

I hope that you all enjoyed reading about my favourite nail varnishes in my ever-growing collection. As always, I would love to know your opinions if any of you have used these products yourself. I love reading your comments and getting feedback on my posts. Thank you for reading :)

My Recent Beauty Buys

Hi guys, I thought I would share with you all a few of the beauty products that I have bought lately and give you a brief review on what I think of them so far. So, let's get started...

1. Garnier Pure Active Intensive Charcoal Scrub - £4.99

I haven’t been using the scrub for too long but I have already noticed that my skin is nowhere near as oily in the mornings if I use this product before I go to bed. On the other hand, I do find the little charcoal beads quite abrasive and rough on my skin, which does make it feel a bit sore afterwards. I also found that applying moisturiser straight after using the scrub can cause your skin to sting a little, which is worrying. Apart from that slight problem, I really like this product so far. As for a reduced number in blemishes and faded blemish marks, I do not think I have been using the scrub for long enough to notice a real difference yet, but I am hoping I will do soon.

2. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Pink Blossom - £5.99

After watching many of Tanya Burr’s YouTube videos, she always seems to use this powder to set her make-up and so I thought I would give it a go. I have to say compared to the awful, cheap powder that I was using before (17’s Pressed Powder in Nicely Natural - £3.99,) I am impressed. This powder banished all of the shine, especially from my T-zone which can get quite oily throughout the day. I highly recommend this product to all of my readers!

3. Bourjois Little Round Pot Blush in Love-Struck Rose - £7.99

After dealing with my cracked Rimmel blusher for quite a while, I decided it was about time that I got a new blusher and everybody I know speaks highly about Bourjois’ range. Consequently, I went into Superdrug this week to get some new make-up as there is currently 3 for 2 Mix & Match offer in there, which is amazing as you can mix and match with all of the different brands in store. I swatched this colour on my hand and thought it was gorgeous, but when I got home and applied it to my cheeks I found that the colour was too bright for me. I am definitely not going to keep on using this blusher as it is just too vibrant on my skin tone, but I will definitely be willing to go back and buy a subtler colour instead.

4. Benefit They’re Real! Mascara in Black – usually £19.50

I got the mini version of this mascara for free by purchasing Elle magazine this month, which features Miley Cyrus looking amazing on the front cover. Considering that this mini mascara costs around the £9 mark (£19.50 for the full-size product,) it was a complete bargain seeing as the magazine only costs a few pounds. I used the mascara for the first time this morning and I love it! It added a lot of length to my fine and sparse eyelashes, however, it gave me absolutely no volume. Hence, I then applied another mascara of mine over the top to make my lashes appear thicker. Overall, this mascara is definitely worth the money but the only problem that I found with it is that it takes quite a long while to dry, which can be slightly annoying.

5. Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Fantasy Fire - £3.99

I also purchased this nail varnish whilst in Superdrug as part of the 3 for 2 Mix and Match offer. I have never, ever had a nail colour like this before and I love it. Although the varnish itself is quite runny and a few coats of it is required for the colour to live up to how great it looks in the bottle, it is definitely worth it. The iridescent, purple colour has little flecks of gold glitter within it – as well as a slight blue/green hue mixed in with the purple too. I was debating between whether buying this colour or ‘Intense Plum’ as I could only afford one at the time, but I am definitely going to purchase the other at some point in the near future because it is just as gorgeous.

6. Nails Inc Nail Varnish in It's Red, Babez - usually £11.00

My Mum came back from work the other week with In Style magazine, as they were giving away a free Nails Inc nail varnish in three colour variations. I think that the other two colours to choose from were either a nude or a pale pink, but I am glad that Mum picked this colour instead. The nail varnish itself goes by the name 'It's Red, Babez,' however, the colour is more of a pinky-red. It is so eye-catching and very appropriate now that we are getting into spring/summer. I think that a bright nail can really finish off an outfit and this colour is no exception! The varnish is rather thick, which is great as you will only need to apply one coat. Nails Inc varnishes dry extremely fast, which is also an added bonus. I have had a little look on their website and I cannot seem to find this shade, so it may have been an exclusive colour in In Style, however, there are similar colours available so I urge you to have a look on their website!

7. L’Oréal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution - £4.99

After hearing rave reviews about micellar solutions in various magazine and online articles, I definitely wanted to try it out for myself. I know that most people use the Bioderma product, but that is definitely out of my price range. However, after using L’Oréal’s more affordable version for a couple of nights now, I am impressed. My make-up is dissolved and removed so easily, just by splashing a bit of this solution on to a cotton wool pad. In addition, my skin feels lovely and clean afterwards without any sort of residue – which is a bonus! I would definitely recommend this product as it is effective and a complete bargain! 

I hope that you all enjoyed this brief beauty review and as always, if you have any opinions on the products that I have mentioned above, please do not hesitate to leave me a comment below. I love reading all of your comments and always respond to them, as I love getting feedback on my posts. Thank you :)