My Monthly Favourites - August 2015

Hey guys, I'm back with another installment of monthly favourites for you! I have to admit I'm pretty sad that August has come to and end and we have now entered into September. This officially means that our summer is officially over! Soon enough, I'm going to have to start thinking about updating my wardrobe for autumn and donning a coat every time I leave the house - boooo! Moaning aside, however, August enabled me to fall in love with some new products and rediscover an old favourite too. So, let's see what I have been loving throughout the past four weeks!

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette - £38.00
It's never been a secret that my favourite UD palette has always been the Naked 2, as cool toned eyeshadows suit me a lot more that warm ones do! However, this month I have been turning to my Naked 3 palette a lot more than usual. Sometimes I just fancy wearing pink hues on my lids instead! A few of my most loved shadows within this gorgeous palette have been 'Limit,' which is a great crease shade, and 'Darkside' or 'Blackheart' for when I have been creating dramatic night time looks. As I'm sure you're all aware by now, these shadows have amazing staying power and pigmentation, which is why this palette has been such a holy grail for me throughout August!

Revlon ColorStay Moisture Lip Stain in LA Exclusive - £8.99
Next up is a bit of a rediscovery for me, as I was raiding my lip product collection the other day and came across this lip stain from Revlon. I used to wear this shade so much back in the day and I'm so happy that I have started using it again. Not only is the formula of the Moisture Stain range incredible due to it's buttery and non-sticky consistency but 'LA Exclusive' is such a flattering colour on my skin tone. The only way I can describe it is as a muted and paler Barbie pink! I highly recommend this shade and the entire range of colours in general, so be sure to give them a little swatch in store next time you're in Boots or Superdrug.

NARS Translucent Loose Setting Powder - £26.50
As some of you may know, my parents got me a little NARS kit with a few products in for my birthday and I absolutely loved it! Although, I was a little dubious of using a loose powder as I had never used one before. However, now I have fallen in love with using this translucent powder to set my under eye concealer. I used to apply my trusty Rimmel Stay Matte all over but using a different powder for under my eye makes me feel so fancy! Now that have become accustomed to this new technique, I really want to buy another loose powder that will brighten up my eye area instead of using this one that has no colour to it.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Lip Pencil in Turn On - £13.50
Of course, lip pencils have become very popular again over the past year or so and I heard that the 24/7 Urban Decay range were top notch. So, this year I have purchased two of them! My favourite shade is 'Turn On,' which i the most stunning blue-toned pink! It certainly packs a punch colour wise but it isn't too over the top and that's why I love it so much. It makes a nice change when I don't want to wear a nude lip during the daytime! I also love the formula of these pencils so much; they are super duper creamy and comfortable to wear. Plus, they have great longevity too!

Garnier Ultimate Blends Shine Revitaliser Shampoo - £2.79
Last but not least, I normally use a shampoo that adds volume or thickness to my fine and lacklustre hair but I feel that can build up a horrible residue in my hair from time to time. So, when I want to use a more lightweight and clarifying shampoo, I have been using this one from Garnier. The whole Ultimate Blends range seems to be very popular right now as it gets the job done and you cannot beat the price point! I love the lemon and green tea scent too as it's so refreshing and uplifting in the mornings. It also adds some shine and life back into my hair when it's feeling dull from my volume shampoo as well! 

So, those are my favourites from the month of August. I have loved using them and would highly recommend them to all of my followers! Now, I cannot wait to see what September brings and what I will enjoy using next. What have been you favourite products this month? Have you used any of my favourites before? Let me know by leaving a comment down below!

My Monthly Favourites - November 2014

Hi guys. I am extremely excited that we have now come to the end of November because we can now well and truly focus on all things Christmas! I cannot wait to put up all of our decorations, wrap up tons of presents and eat too much indulgent food. However, before I can do all of those things, I have the small matter of my monthly favourites to address! I have to admit that I haven't been too adventurous beauty-wise this month as I have had a lot of days indoors or have just been running errands, but I still have a few bits so share with you all. So let's get started!

Garnier Body Oil Beauty Nourishing Lotion - £4.99
First up, my skin has gotten very dry all of sudden now that the cold weather is finally upon us. So when I saw this body lotion from Garnier on the shelf, I just had to pick it up. The fact that this particular lotion was oil-infused made me think that it could do wonders for my skin - and I was right! Not only does it nourish and hydrate my skin but the formulation of the lotion is amazing. It's very smooth and easy to rub in, so you don't have to do too much work in that respect. Although it doesn't sink in super fast, it still does it in less time than you would expect for such a rich product. I would highly recommend this to anybody who's skin needs an extra boost of moisture!

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Standout - £7.99
Like most beauty bloggers around this time of year, I love a good red lip! There's something about it that just screams Christmas and I recently rediscovered my Revlon matte balm in amongst my ever-growing lip crayon collection! The main reason that I love this crayon is because even though its matte, it is not at all drying on the lips. As well as this, it has great staying power too. As for the red colour itself, 'Standout' is a gorgeous true red shade that would suit a whole range of different skin tones. It's definitely a must-have product for me right now!

Nivea Sensitive Day Cream - £4.49
As I mentioned earlier, since the bitter cold weather has set in, my skin has gone haywire and in turn it is very dry in places. However, I have also noticed that my skin in the past month or so has a lot of redness too. So, I picked up this sensitive day cream from Nivea because I had already tried the Rich Moisturising version in the past and loved it. This version claims to reduce redness, tightness and dryness - which I totally agree with. I have really been enjoying this moisturiser a lot and so far it has helped with hydrating my dry patches a lot. Plus as it is quite rich in texture, a little goes a long way with this product, so I have a feeling that this tube is going to last me for quite a while.  

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser - £7.25
This cleanser from Lush is an old favourite of mine and I always come back to it! Sometimes I think that its a good idea to go back to basics with skincare and really strip it back, as let's face it, us beauty bloggers use a large concoction of products on our faces! The fact that Lush's skincare is so natural really appeals to me and Ultrabland is the perfect gentle cleanser for me. Its ingredients include almond oil and beeswax, which means that it leaves your skin feeling so soft and supple. As it is a balm cleanser, Ultrabland is also excellent at removing all traces of make-up without leaving a greasy residue like most oil-based cleansers do. Overall, I will always purchase this cleanser time and time again because it's just excellent and gets the job done!

Miss Selfridge Body Mist - £4.00
Last but not least is this gorgeous body mist from Miss Selfridge. I have to admit that this was a bit of an impulse buy whilst out with my Mum in our local Arcadia store. The mist was right at the checkout and I normally dismiss products like that but this time, I couldn't resist. After spritzing it, I realised that the fragrance was an incredible quality seeing as it was made by a high street clothing brand. On their website, the scent is described as being a blend of lemongrass, ginger and rosemary; so as you can imagine, it is a light and fresh smell. I tend to use the mist on days where I am not doing too much and I do not want to reach for some of my more expensive perfumes - and it certainly does the trick. For such a budget friendly product, I am really impressed with it and I highly recommend to all of you!

So, those are my five beauty favourites for the month of November. I hope you enjoyed reading all about them! Which products do you like the sound of? What are your favourites this month? Please let me know by leaving a comment below. As I said earlier on, I am really happy that November is now over because now I can well and truly get into the Christmas spirit. Also, remember to stay tuned to my blog in the up and coming weeks to see lots of festive posts! Thank you :)

My Monthly Favourites - June 2014

Hi guys, it's that time of the month again to talk about the products I have been loving throughout the month of June! I did not do a favourites post last month as I wasn't really enjoying any new products and I decided to do a two part birthday haul instead (you can check out part one here and part two here.) However, since receiving lots of lovely gifts last month, I have been using a ton of new products and I have fallen in love with a lot of them. So, without any further ado, here are my favourite beauty products that I have been using over the last 30 days. Enjoy!

Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion - £5.10
First up is a product that I did a full review of on my blog last week, Garnier's Summer Body Moisturising Lotion. This lotion is a really lightweight gradual tanner which gives your skin the most amazing sun-kissed colour. I have never been into fake tanning too much as I find it quite laborious but this is a great alternative for me. I love the end result that this product gives, plus it is so simple to use. I love how quickly it sinks in, so I do not have to wait ages for it to dry before getting dresses again. I highly recommend Summer Body to tanning novices like myself and what's even better about it is that the lotion smells like apricots instead of your typical fake tan biscuit-y smell too. 

Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer - £22.50 (for full size)
Next is this amazing primer from Benefit. This mini version is part of the 'Do The Bright Thing' beauty kit that my brother bought me for my birthday. That Gal is a brightening primer that gives the most gorgeous glow to the skin. I apply this product underneath my foundation and it just makes my entire face look illuminated and radiant. Whenever I have worn this so far, I have always received compliments on how good my skin looks - which instantly makes it a winner in my books! A little goes a long way with this product but when my tiny tube does run out, I will definitely be purchasing the full-size version of this!

Lush Ultrabland Facial Cleanser - £6.95
After going on a spontaneous trip to Lush last month, I found myself buying the Ultrabland Facial Cleanser. Up until then, I had only ever used bath products from Lush but a lovely assistant showed me this cleanser after I said that I wanted to treat myself to something new. Since then, I have been using Ultrabland every evening on my skin to remove all traces of dirt and make-up - I'm on my second tub now! Although the cleanser itself is very thick, it has very gentle and natural ingredients (such as almond oil and rose water) in it which help to soothe, nourish and soften my skin. It's safe to say that I am not a huge fan of this product and I can see myself using it for a long time to come.

Urban Decay All Nighter Make-Up Setting Spray - £9.00 (travel size)
I have always been a little dubious of make-up setting sprays and thought that they were a little gimmicky. However, after using this one from Urban Decay, I have been converted - this spray is seriously amazing! I purchased the travel size version as I didn't want to buy the full size one in case I didn't like the product but I think this bottle should last me for a long time anyway. I simply spritz a little of it over my face after I have completed my make-up to lock it in place all day. As I have oily/combination skin, my foundation seem to slip off of my face throughout the day but this spray keeps everything where it should be. Even after a long day, my make-up looks like it has just been freshly applied. From time to time I might be a little shiny on my T-zone area but it is very minimal. I would 100% recommend this product to anybody, especially now the weather is heating up!

Lush The Comforter Bubble Bar - £4.50
Last but not least is the amazing smelling bubble bar from Lush, which is another gift that my brother got me for my birthday at the end of last month. The Comforter is one of Lush's largest bubble bars and so you can definitely get quite a few uses out of it. I adore it's blackcurrant scent (it reminds me of Rowntreee's Fruit Pastille ice lollies) and it makes the whole bathroom smell heavenly. Not only this but it turns your bath water a beautiful colour and produces a lot of bubbles so that you can enjoy a nice, long soak in the tub!

I hope you enjoyed reading all about my June favourites and the products that I have been loving lately. Have you used any of the above products before? What are your favourites this month? Please let me know by leaving a comment below. Thank you!

Garnier's Summer Body Moisturising Lotion

Hi guys. I have never really been a fan of fake-tanning before because I find the process so laborious and time-consuming, plus most products that I have used have never lived up to my expectations. Either the end result is too light or too dark, or from time to time, patchy. However, I am a big fan of moisturisers like this one from Garnier, as it builds up a natural colour over time rather than you going from a milk bottle to a bronzed goddess overnight. This product is also a great alternative for beginners or fake tan novices, as it is less daunting to use and gives a more subtle finish. So today, I thought that I would do a little review of this product sharing what I think of it. Let's get started!

Garnier's Summer Body Moisturising Lotion is a mix between a body lotion and a gradual tanner which leaves your skin feeling soft and moisturised for over 12 hours. Summer Body comes in two shades so that it can cater for all different skin tones. The light lotion is suitable for those with pale to fair skin and claims to leave you with a light sunkissed look, whereas the darker version gives a deeper colour and is best suited to those with medium, olive or darker skin tones. The great thing about this product is that you can control how often you use it and therefore, you can control the end result too. Using the lotion for a day or two will enable you to get a noticeable colour and a healthy glow, or alternatively you can use the lotion for longer if you want to build up the intensity of the tan.

I opted for the lighter version as my skin tone is fair and even after one application, I got amazing results. My skin had a noticeable light tanned colour to it which was not overly orange (something that I know a lot of people worry about!) The colour was perfect for me and so I decided that I did not need to bother with a second application the following night! Although you would usually use your hands to apply lotion, I would suggest using a tanning mitt instead like you would if you were applying a proper fake tan product. Not only will this give you a much more even result, you will also avoid getting orange hands. The only thing you will need to bear in mind is that the lotion does go on clear, so take care not to miss any patches!

The other great thing about this product is that it does not have your typical fake tan smell, which can often have a 'biscuit-y' scent. Summer Body contains natural apricot extracts which means that the lotion is fruity and a lot more pleasant to apply than the likes of St Moritz and so on. Even though the moisturiser has a fast absorption and drying time, I still like to wait a little while before I get dressed just to be on the safe side. I usually apply this at night time too, so that I can then throw on some loose pyjamas to go to bed in. I have also applied this to my face (mixed in with a bit of my normal moisturiser) and have never encountered any problems whether it be clinging to dry patches or clogging up my pores/causing spots. I know that there are tanning products that particularly targeted to tanning your face but this method does the trick for me - and it's cheaper!

Overall, this is a great product to use if you want to gradually build up colour until you are happy with its intensity. It is both moisturising and simple to use, which means it is fuss free and does not take too long to apply. Plus, it smells divine so this lotion is an absolute winner in my books and I would highly recommend it! What do you think of this product? Have you tried it before? Please let me know by leaving a comment below!

Garnier Summer Body retails at around £5.10 for a 250ml bottle and is widely available from drugstores and supermarkets.

L'Oréal vs Garnier Micellar Cleansing Waters Review

Hi guys. Today I am going to be talking about two of the most talked about micellar waters on the high street at the moment; Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water and L'Oréal's Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution. Micellar waters have become a huge craze in the beauty world over the past few years with the French brand Bioderma leading the way. So, it's only natural that this trend has filtered through onto the high street and into drugstores such as Boots and Superdrug. Both Garnier and L'Oréal are two of the most well-known brands that have jumped on this bandwagon to create more inexpensive alternatives to Bioderma and other higher end brands like Caudalie, which are not as easy to track down.

Both brands ultimately promise the same things; a water that removes make-up, cleanses and soothes the skin. Both retail at a very affordable £4.99, although they always seem to be on offer for around the £3 something mark. The solutions can be used on all three of the areas that you would usually apply your make-up - face, eyes and lips. Both are also hypo-allergenic and, therefore, are suitable for those with sensitive skin as well. In addition this, after reading the back of the bottles, their ingredient lists are exactly the same. However, despite having countless similarities, the two products do have one noticeable difference which definitely favours Garnier's version as being the better product.

The main difference between the two brands is the amount of product you actually get. L'Oréal contains a measly 200ml of product compared to Garnier, which offers double that amount with 400ml in each bottle. So, seeing as both bottles at the same price (as mentioned above,) Garnier clearly gives you a lot more value for your money. Also, one thing that the brand have included on their label which L'Oréal haven't is how many uses you can get out of the product. Garnier claim that you can get 200 uses out of the 400ml bottle, which means that each time you should be using 2ml of product. However, I feel that is a pretty tiny amount and I'm positive that I will probably use a little more than that per use. 

As for the products themselves, both solutions dissolve my make-up really well even when I have lashings of mascara and eyeliner on. I really like using both products to initially cleanse my face but I then go in with either No7 Foaming Cleanser or Soap & Glory Peaches And Clean to a second cleanse. I like to do this to ensure that every scrap of make-up has been removed and that my skin has had a thorough, deep clean. Overall, although the products do the exact same job to the exact same standard, I would obviously repurchase the Garnier version over L'Oréal's purely due to the fact that there is twice the amount of product in the bottle. 

Have any of you tried these products out? Which one do you prefer? Please let me know in the comments below :)

An Assortment Of High Street Skincare

Hi guys. Over the years I have tried a a wide variety of skincare products, some of which I have loved and some that haven't been so great. It is often the case that I read a few positive reviews about a product and I buy it hoping that it will do wonders for my skin and sometimes it does, but I am often left disappointed and then I end up having a hoard of products in my toiletries cupboard in the bathroom that I never touch again. On the other hand, I have also found quite a few skincare products that I really enjoy using and make such a difference to my skin. Today I have decided to pick five products to review and give my honest opinion about. So, lets get started!

1. Boots Botanics Ultra Calm Gentle Cleansing Cream - £4.49
I absolutely love this cleansing cream! Despite being low in price and Boots own brand, the product feels so luxurious on my skin. I use this product by applying it directly on to a cotton pad and swiping it across my face to remove any make-up and impurities that I have left on my skin. The products is very gentle which great for those with sensitive skin. In addition, I really like the scent of this cleanser as it contains marshmallow. I also find that my skin is super soft after using this cream, which is great if you want to then apply make-up instantly after using the product as your foundation will glide on really easily.

2. Simple Spotless Skin Triple Action Face Wash - £3.99
I only ever use this face wash if I have had a serious spot or blemish breakout. This is because I find the product rather drying on my skin, which is never a good look! The face wash is a gel consistency with a few little beads in it that can help gently exfoliate your skin. The wash claims to 'deeply cleanse, purify and tone' the skin as well as removing hidden dirt and unclogging pores. I would like to say that I enjoy using this product and it works effectively but I have never seen a real improvement in my skin from using it and so, I would say that this face wash is mediocre at best.

3. Clearasil Ultra Blemish + Marks Treatment Cream - £6.79
I bought this product a few months ago because whenever I get blemishes, my skin is always left with dark marks where the blemish once was. I have been using this cream of a night time before I go to sleep, however when I wake up in the mornings, my skin is left with a strange flaky residue on my face which is really drying. I tried to look past this but after a week of using the product and not seeing any noticeable difference in the condition of my skin, I unfortunately gave up on this products as it just had too many cons as opposed to pros. The only positive thing I have to say about this product is that the smell of the cream is really quite lovely! Instead of using this product to eliminate blemish marks, I have now started using Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil (as I recently reviewed here) and so far it is proving much more effective! 

4. Garnier Pure Active Intensive Charcoal Scrub - £4.99
I have already mentioned this product in a previous post, My Recent Beauty Buys, back in May but I had only started to use the product and so I could not give a full and accurate review. Since using the product several times, I have actually been a little disappointed with the results. The scrub claims to help fight spots and fade marks, yet I feel that the product does neither of these things. In addition, the little charcoal beads are very abrasive and rough on my skin and can cause my face to feel very tights and dry afterwards. The only plus side to this product is that when I use it before I go to bed, my skin is noticeably less oily in the mornings - which is great for my annoying, combination skin.

5. Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips - £7.99
Last but not least are the infamous nose strips from Bioré. After hearing great things about these strips from a friend, I decided to give them a go because I am rather prone to blackheads around my nose due to the fact that I have oily, combination skin. The first time I used these strips, I followed the instructions carefully and left the product on for roughly 10-15 minutes. I found removing the strip quite painful as it felt like I was ripping my skin off (ouch!) and much to my dismay, when I looked at the strip after its removal, none of my blackheads had been removed at all. Furthermore, I gave the product one last try a few weeks later to have the same thing happen again. Considering the price of this product is quite steep in my opinion for a mere six strips, I am thoroughly disappointed with this product and I am definitely going to be trying other more effective ways to remove my blackheads from now on.

I hope that these five mini and rather mixed reviews have given all of you an insight into which high street skincare products really work and which ones are a little disappointing. If any of you have tried any of the products that I have mentioned in this post, I would love to know how you go on with them so please do not hesitate to leave a comment below. Thank you :) 

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 :)