Hats, checks and oversized t-shirt OOTD….

Simple and laid back is my go-to style of choice lately. This was just a quick thrown together outfit before I left the house for a last minute makeup job this week. Skinny jeans and a black t-shirt will forever be my wardrobe staple. I'm not 100% sure on the hat though, what do we think of hats guys??

Jeans - Vera Moda

T-shirt, boots & watch - ASOS

Shirt - Vintage

Hat - Primark

Loves

xxx

What's new….

I've decided I needed to inject some new and exciting products into my makeup routine. I've come to the end of my trusty The Body Shop mattifying seaweed moisturiser so decided to try a purse friendly version of this day cream from Garnier and so far I'm really enjoying it! I also needed some lashes for a few events coming up, and thought I'd be brave and branch out from my usual Demi Wispies and try the Ardell 117's which are a bit longer (slightly scared at the length of these!) and not quite as, well, wispy! 

My Rimmel Stay Matte is coming to the end of it's life so thought I'd give into the hype and pick up the Soap and Glory Kick Ass powder that I've hear many a beauty guru raving about. It's extremely yellow based but it really suits my skin tone and is such a perfect under eye setting powder. Can anyone say Kim Kardashian?!

I was extremely intrigued by the concept of the L'Oreal Intense Matte Glosses. A matte gloss? Hey? They apply like a really opaque gloss and try to a matte texture (which is my current lip product finish of choice) and I'd heard a lot of mixed reviews on these. They don't wear that well over a long period of time but the colours I picked up (coral denimista and fuchsia flare) and so beautiful. 

I'm not going to go on about this one too much as there's a review coming up on this soon, but I may have found a Benefit They're Real dupe. I know, right? The 17 Falsifeye HD mascara makes promises that it manages to keep, and then some. Stay tuned for more on this. 

Lastly I needed a new liquid liner - I think I eat these in my sleep I get through them so fast. The 17 Tattoo Liner promised semi permanent, up to 48 hour wear. If you intend to wear this for a short period of time, don't bother. It's a royal pain in the ass to apply, it's so thick and gloopy, and if you're a beginner in the winged eyeliner game I'd avoid this at all costs. If you deal with the application process and love a long wearing liner that's really going to put the hours in, go and buy this immediately, if not before. This does NOT move. No flaking, smudging, moving, transferring, or any sort of annoying eyeliner behaviour in sight. When it comes to removal, set aside a little bit of time for this one. 

L'oreal Extraordinaire glosses review….

In previous years, glosses have been way down on my list of makeup loves. Lipstick is my ultimate number one. But recently I've found gloss to be much more convenient for work (hello less touch ups and speedy application sans mirror) so decided to bulk up my gloss collection. I picked these up on an offer in Boots and am physically holding myself back from rushing out and buying the whole damn lot.  

I picked up Rose Symphony, which is a bright rosy pink that looks great with a bronze smokey eye or just as the only pop of colour on the face. My favourite of the two, though, is Nude Vibrato. Oh my this is perfect. The right amount of brown and peach tones combined, I think it's probably my perfect nude. I can see a makeup shopping trip coming on to swatch everything L'Oreal has ever made to find it's lipstick equivalent. 

So in terms of colour, these are perfect. Staying power is quite good, especially got a gloss. But saying that, if you like your glosses non-sticky and super comfortable to wear….these are your boys. I'm interested to see what their darker colours are like (there's a bright orange on the current TV ad that I've got my eye on) and am probably going to pick a few more Autumnal shades up soon for when the weather turns. 

Basically, it's love. Anyone else tried these? Anymore shade recommendations?

Loves

xxx

June favourites...

Glossy lips have been my go-to this month, and I've completely adored Tanya Burrs lipgloss in First Date (and not just because it smells like milkshake, although that helped). I've also discovered the l'Oreal L'Extrodinaire glosses which are super long lasting, beautifully glossy with just the right amount of colour to wear on their own or over a lipstick. I want to pick up more of these they're just gorgeous. For the face I've rediscovered the famous Benefit High Beam dupe by Me Me Me, Beat The Blues liquid highlighter. It's a super subtle, pale pink highlighter that looks great under foundation for a really subtle glow, or over the top of a liquid foundation for a bit more impact. I've loved wearing it teamed with the Borjois Exlusif cream blush - a really interesting product that adapts to your own skin colour and gives a stunning pink glow to the cheeks. Another re-discovery this month has been my brow tastic Illamasqua Brow Cake in Gaze. Holy Grail brow product without a doubt and, as you can see, very well loved! I've been all about the winged liner and lashes for eyes this month, and have been pairing my Kate Moss for Rimmel mascara with the Maybelline Lasting Drama Black Shock gel liner…another Benefit dupe! And lastly for makeup…Essie Blanc has been firmly on my toes for the entire month. Nothing screams SUMMER to me more than white nails!

I've started a new job this month so I've been all about products that make my life that little bit easier. The Batiste XXL dry shampoo has saved my hair through day two, three, and sometimes even four when I've had no time to wash and dry it. The Body Shop Camomile cleaning oil has been a great quick fix to remove my makeup at night before bed, and to save my tired, stressed out skin I've been applying the Avon Clear Skin pore penetrating black mineral mask. It looks a bit odd as it's black, but leaves my skin looking and feeling fantastic, I get a really great glow when I apply makeup the day after I've used this! Another Avon product I've loved is their overnight foot renewal cream…I'm on my feet all day every day at the moment so they've needed a bit of extra attention. Lastly for June, is f course a tan. Again another quick fix product, the well blogged about Cocoa Brown one hour tan. It says one hour, but to be honest I apply this at night and wash off in the morning and get a beautiful, natural, non smelly, non streaky glowing tan that lasts a week on my skin if I keep up with good skincare between applications.

What has everyone else been loving?

Loves

xxx

Spring Empties….

It's pretty much Summer now, right? Here's a bunch of products I used up throughout the Spring (some of these have been ongoing for quite a while!)….. and a couple of thought's on my loves and hates!

I've actually dyed my hair twice this spring, but Berry Red from the Casting Creme Gloss range has been my favourite and I'll be going back to this one next time for sure. The L'Oreal Mythic Oil is my forever holy-grail favourite… this is my second bottle of this and I've already started number 3!

Collection Lasting Perfection concealer…say no more. Love this, and I have 3 back ups ready and waiting for me. I used to love the Bobby Brown corrector for under my eyes but my Body Shop Illuminating pen in shade 1 has overtaken this as my favourite and it's a lot less likely to settle into the fine lines around the eyes.  

My Clean & Clear deep action face wash is a staple in my skincare routine and I'm already half way through my back up! I also really enjoyed the Soap and Glory Scrub Your Nose In It scrub and can see me purchasing this one down the line somewhere. Now I've heard a LOT about the REN skincare line and was excited to have the day cream to test out. You can imagine my disappointment when I hated it with a passion. I found it sticky and the smell was just unbearable. Not a winner, sorry REN!

I can't even begin to talk about how sad I am to have finished the D&G 10 perfume because it's discontinued and will always be known as 'my scent'. I have one bottle left and is getting seriously rationed! Another holy grail product that I actually haven't re-purchased yet (too many others to use up as you can imagine) is the Superdrug Vitamin E body cream. Such a bargain and sinks into the skin perfectly. 

I love reading empties posts because I think you get a really honest, true review of products so hope you guys enjoyed this!

Loves

xxx

The best of The Body Shop...

First up we have skincare - something that I'm quite minimal with as my skin is extremely oily so doesn't need too much fuss and product overload. My most recent purchase is the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. I'd been using cream cleansers previously and found they were a real struggle to take off makeup with. This is an absolute dream; just one pump for eyes, another for skin, massage into dry skin until it turns milky and rinse off. Another night time product I've been loving is the Serum in Oil. I love using both serum AND oil on my face at night time but the combination of the two sometimes freaks my skin out, so finding this really light weight oil that combines the benefits of a serum was a dream! 

My favourite face mask of all time, in the history of face masks, is the Warming Mineral Clay mask. This warms up as you apply it and doesn't dry hard like a lot of clay masks tend to do, so there's non of that dry, tight feeling after you've taken this off. I've been through about 4 tubes of the Vitamin E eye cream (which I have a review on here), I love this stuff! It doesn't try to do everything, it just keeps the area hydrated and makes eye makeup apply so much smoother. Finally, another much re-purchased product is the Mattifying Seaweed Day Cream. Oh lord I love this stuff. I can sometimes even just use this without a primer and my makeup just sits so much better. Any oily skinned girls out there… you need this one in your life!

For makeup, I recently caved in to the hype and bought the Honey Bronzer in shade 03 medium matte. I love it almost as much as Benefit Hoola, and lord knows I'm a big fan of that bad boy! It doesn't have any shimmer, and is a very natural bronze colour - you won't see any nasty orange face streaks with this one! I also love that they come in such light shades, perfect for the paler ones among us! My Nan picked up the Body Shop Shimmer Waves highlighter in Blush for me as a present when I came back from Australia and, whenever I've been sporting a pale to mid toned pink blush, I'm also wearing this without fail. It's a gorgeous subtle shimmery highlighter that can be built up to look quite dramatic, and can even be worn without a blush underneath if you take the colour from the top of the palette. The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes are a bit of a cult product and for very good reason. I mentioned them in my recent shopping my stash post and have used them almost every day since - especially the copper colour all over the lid and underneath the lower lash line. 

Lastly are the Body Shop Lightening Touch pens; an absolute gem of a products and one that I think should be talked about a lot more. I have shade 03 which is perfect as a highlighter anywhere on the face, and my new discover in 01 which is a peach colour that I find counteracts my dark eye circles like a dream. 

What other products should I try from The Body Shop? Any other cult products or underdogs that I need to get my hands on?

Loves

xxx 

Bourjois Blush Exclusif...

I've always been fairly sceptical of those 'colour changing' products to be honest. Remember that green Barry M lipstick? No I'm sorry I'd just rather pick the colour I want rather than trusting the judgement of a funny coloured lipstick…who knows what you're going to get?? When Bourjois re-launched their cult Java Rice Powder they bought out a few other products alongside that seemed to get overlooked, including this little beauty. I loved the formula of Bourjois cream blushers when they originally launched last year (or quite possibly the year before…who knows now!). The Blush Exclusif version is a cute pink cream blush that transforms to an individual pink shade based on the person putting it on. Don't quote me on this but I think it's something to do with skin temperatures. On my hand it appeared on the lilac side but on the cheeks came out a very subtle, pale rose coloured pink. 

Like the original cream blushers in the line, the formula is perfect…not too sticky, tries to a powder finish and lasts really well. Also, the packaging is so damn cute and tiny you can afford to home the whole collection!

Anyone else tried this? What did you think?

Loves

xxx

Holy Grail Skincare picks...

I don't tend to talk about skincare on here much, mainly because I'm really a budget skincare kind of gal, and I feel like a bad blogger not loving brands like Oskia, Kiehl's and Eve Lom. But realistically my view is that, if something works, why change it? So here's just a quick sneak peak into some of my holy grail skin care items, that I've been repurchasing since the dawn of time in some cases….

Bioderma. Not much needs to be said about this really let's face it; it's a cult favourite for a reason. I do quite like the Garnier offering and when I finish this (which won't be any time soon) I may pick that up again but really, my heart lies with Bioderma. 

The Body Shop Warming Mineral Mask. Any mask that warms up on contact with the skin has a place in my heart, and on my bathroom shelf. Clay masks are a firm favourite with me and my oily skin, and this one really draws all the impurities out and makes my skin feel tingly clean. 

Clean and Clear Deep Action Cream Wash. Speaking of tingly clean, this is one of those products that you KNOW has worked because you're face tingles and feels cold. I never feel like this is actually doing anything, until I stop using it. And then all facial hell breaks loose. So I've learnt to just keep this in my everyday routine, which is where it's been for about 8 years. 

The Body Shop Vitamin E eye cream. Nothing crazily special but this is light enough to apply makeup on top of, unscented and there fore my eyes don't swell up at the sight of it (which is what usually happens between me and eye creams). 

Nivea Daily Essentials Regenerating Night Cream. It's thick, it's moisturising, it feels like it's doing something. It doesn't smell offensive, it sinks in nicely, and it doesn't break me out. Add to that the fact that it's less than £5 and really….why would I spend upwards of £30 on a night cream that isn't guaranteed to work like this one??

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo +. This is another one of those that doesn't seem to do anything magical when I use it, but when I stop is when I see the true extent to it's fabulousness. This is my third tube of this and it's my absolute dream skincare product. On a side note….I can't see a difference between the original and the + formula. 

What are everyone else's skincare holy grail products?

Loves

xxx

Soap & Glory Archery brow tint and pencil…

I've recently fallen completely out of love with my eyebrows, and all my eyebrow products I have in my stash. I just can't seem to get them even, nothing is the right colour, and I can't get an arch to save my life. So when I needed a few bits in Boots the other day I took advantage of the 3 for 2 on (as you do) and picked up the much talked about Soap & Glory Archery brow tint and precision shaping pencil. I got mine in the shade Brownie Points, which is a really natural taupe brown shade that actually matched my brow colour perfectly, although I usually like to darken my brows up to match my hair. 

left - felt tip, right - crayon

I'm not too in love with the felt pen end as I don't get anywhere near enough colour out of it, but if you prefer a more natural brow then I think you'll love that part. The pencil, however, is an absolute dream. Just the right amount of waxiness, the perfect thickness to get a nice tapered end to the brows, and just generally really easy to use. 

This was the only shade on the shelves in Boots and I don't know if they do another, darker shade? If they do I think this would be beyond perfect for me, but for now I'm using this in conduction with a brow shaping gel with a tint and I've got the brows I've been looking for!

What other brow products does everyone recommend?

Loves

xxx

April favourites….

Unsurprisingly, my April favourites is fairly lip product heavy. April also saw some resurrections from makeup favourites past…. one good thing about being on a budget is being more aware of raiding old makeup and digging into the long forgotten stash!

Bright lips have been the order of the day, particularly in shades of orange. First up is the Mac Pro Longwear lip pencil in What A Blast…I love this under almost every orange lip I wear, it makes it super long wearing and the colour so vivid. On top of this I've either been wearing my Napolian Perdis Set lipstick in Noosa. I don't actually think this is available in the UK but for any Aussie readers I have on here…..if you don't own this then WHY NOT? If I want something less matte and with a bit of sheen for the day time I'll pop on the Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in In Love With Ginger. If you saw my last post you'll see my other favourite lip colour is purple, so of course my favourite (and cheapest!) purple lipstick of the month has to be the Collection Little Mix lipstick in the shade Perrie. Lastly for lips, my neutral lip shade of choice has been the Benefit lip gloss in Sugarbomb, a beautiful pink with some shimmer running through it. 

Eye favourites have been all about the old faithfuls. You'll almost definitely have seen me talk about The Balm What's Your Type Volumising mascara over the past 18 months and it's still up there as one of the best mascara's I've ever used. I've been going back to basics on eyes with just a sweep of the Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeshadow stick in Bulletproof Beige over my eyes with loads of mascara, or a sweep of neutral shadow from my very old and very faithful Sleek Oh So Special palette. I love the pink shades in here for spring/summer, and the black is one of the best I've tried. As my eyelids are, and will forever be, particularly oily, I've re-discovered Benefit Stay Don't Stray eyelid primer which, I'll admit, I was not a fan of to start with. I still think the pump dispenser is wasteful but I've learnt that less is more with this one and I've really been loving it. 

Just a couple of face products, both from one of my favourite brands, NYX. First off is something that I'm sure has been in the last 3 months favourites and I'm almost certain everyone is fed up of hearing me harp on about; the NYX matte bronzing powder in light. And for a splash of colour I've been loving the NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Hot Pink blended (VERY lightly….this product has some serious pigment to it) into the apples of my cheeks and up lightly onto the cheekbones.

What are everyone else's favourites from April?

Loves

xxx

Purple is the new black….

First off, how hard is it to photograph the colour purple? Girls, please feel my pain. So it appears that purple, and it's many varying shades and tones, is my spring lip colour of choice. A little unorthodox but I'll roll with it. I counted up my purple lip product collection and I have an (unnecessarily large) grand total of 10. And this doesn't even include all of my lilac lipsticks, of which I only included one in this post as it's probably the most wearable. 

Left row, from bottom: 

Clinique Chubby Stick in Voluptuous Purple - a very sheer wash of purple that's perfect if the very thought of a purple gloss terrifies you. This one actually sticks around for quite a while too.

L'Oreal Caress 402 Milady - This is one of the most long lasting lip products I've ever used. Ever. Two layers of this stuck around for a full 10 hours, including a tasty roast dinner and upwards of 4 cups of tea. 

Sleek Eau La La liner in Raisin - This is quite a berry purple shade but goes well under some of the lighter shades for when I want to create an ombre lip. These liners are so long wearing and come in some great colours. 

Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Gangster Rap - Unfortunately you can only get this bad boy in Australia but it's such a vivid purple and, again, a good one for a long lasting lip.

Maybelline Colour Whisper in Oh La Lilac - such a wearable lilac shade, these remind me of the Revlon Lip Butters and are more of a tinted lip balm/lipstick hybrid. I've got quite the collection of these!

Maybelline Colour Sensational vivid in 906 Hot Plum - quite a standard purple shade, not the most long lasting but very easy to get hold of and a really great suit all shade.

Right row, from bottom:

Mac Up The Amp - please excuse the melted lipstick smeared all over the packaging! This is a very well loved lipstick and the perfect purple for pairing with a subtle smokey eye and big lashes for a night out.

17 Supreme Shine Lipstick in Pink Posey - another really wearable formula that edges towards the gloss/balm side of things.

Collection Little Mix lipstick in Perrie - my current favourite purple lipstick and the latest addition to my collection. I popped a picture of this up on my instagram and it got a lot of love. If you're feeling brave and want to try a purple lipstick, this one is super affordable so nothing lost if it's not for you!

Sportsgirl Violet Crumble - another Australia based lipstick, I've actually never worn this one but it's a very similar shade to the Maybelline Hot Plum!

Are there any other purple lipsticks I need to try??

What colour lips are you guys loving right now?

Loves

xxx

March Favourites...

So with me being in London studying at the beauty and makeup academy, I've barely worn makeup and it's been such a chaotic few weeks living out of a suitcase! Which leaves my favourites a bit sparse this month but here we go anyway…

The hype around the L'Oreal Elvive Fibreology shampoo and conditioners is extremely well deserved. I am lucky enough to have naturally very thick hair to start with but this just makes my natural curls so thick and full which means much less time wielding a pair of straighteners. In my attempt to find a more readily available Bioderma alternative I have really started to love the Garnier Micellar water, and I've even decanted it into a smaller bottle for my kit to use on clients! Putting makeup on, taking it off, putting it on again, and then taking it off. While I was at the academy we were practicing on each other and my skin really suffered, so I turned to the duo of the St Ives apricot scrub followed by a long standing favourite, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, only this time it's the new improved '+' version. I don't know what's changed exactly, but it still works just the same so thats fine by me!

My base has been all about Nars this month, and on the rare occasion I've done my own makeup I've gone for the classic Nars Sheer Glow and Nars Creamy concealer paring which I have reviews on here and here. Another well hyped product has been the L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara which I wasn't expecting to love quite as much as I do…it's super thickening and makes my lashes look so black and full! My Nan bought me the Body Shop Illuminator in pink when I got back from Australia and it's such a perfect pinky shade as a blush or on the tops of the cheekbones for a glow in the evenings. 

Finally my favourite lip offering this month is my newest addition to my ever growing lipstick collection - Mac Pure Zen. It's a peachy nude shade and perfect for the sunny weather we've been having these past few weeks!

What's everyone been loving this month?

Loves

xxx

Lip lovers....read this....

Lashes, lips, and brows is my go-to makeup look, and I think I probably have enough lip products to rival my local Boots. Oh the perils of being a beauty blogger....

So when on holiday recently and I saw a load of Sephora products in a shop (the owner was American and imported Buxom, Tarte, Sephora etc...joy!) I was instantly drawn to this lip set...

Yes you're right I DON'T need any more lip products but with the likes of Bite, Tarte, Kat Von D and Buxom in here that aren't readily available in the UK, I was carrying this out of the shop looking like the cat that got the cream. 

First are the nudes...

Swatches l-r: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Dolce, Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Nylon Nude, Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Bare Naked, Buxom Full On Lip Cream in White Russian.

I love the consistency of the Stila liquid lipstick but HATE the colour on me so this will go straight into my pro kit. The Smashbox lipstick is a full size and I know I'll get loads of wear out of it, and I'm so in love with wearing the Laura Mercier gloss over the top of it. The standout in the nude section is the Buxom lip cream....Americans I'm so jealous that you can just pick these up easily...so creamy, make my lips tingle but in a great, fresh way, and last crazily long for a gloss!

Next the pinks...

Swatches l-r: Too Faced La Creme Colour Drenched Lip Cream in Marshmallow Bunny, Smashbox Lip Gloss in Pout, Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Never Say Never, Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Backstage Bambi

Two full size products here, the Bare Minerals lipstick which I love the consistency of, and the Two Faced lipstick which is probably my favourite product in the whole set; my perfect shade by far (and super cute name). The Kat Von D liquid lipstick is a great colour but Hello cheap packaging! The colour of the Smashbox gloss isn't really that wearable but maybe over a darker lipstick I can work with it!

Anyone for some reds...

Swatches l-r: Kat Von D Foiled Love Lipstick in Adora, Hourglass Opaque ROuge Liquid Lipstick in Icon, Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Natural N45, Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate

Firstly I hated the MUF lipstick, which actually snapped off when I did this swatch. Also wasn't a fan of the Kat Von D lipstick, it's very frosty which is not my style at all. I think the Bite lip crayon is a full size and I love that I've been able to try this, so pigmented and lasts ages! I've wanted to try the Opaque Rouge for SO long so I'm really happy I got a mini sample in here, love the shade and will definitely pick some more of these up!

Lastly, darker pinks...

Swatches l-r: Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12 Hour Lipstick in Inspired, OCC Lip Tar in Strumpet, Buxom Full Bodied Lipstick in Menace, Stila Colour Balm Lipstick in Sonya.

OK so I'm just a little bit (OK a LOT) in love with this Tarte lipstick. The formula, the colour, the lasting power...just wow. Another full size product from OCC, the first thing I've tried from them and probably the longest lasting lip product I've ever applied. The Buxom lipstick is creamy and a gorgeous colour and I'll get lots of wear out of this when I get back to wintery England! The Stila lipstick is OK, don't love it but I'm sure I'll wear it!

Such a great sample box, I got to try so many products I'd never tried but really wanted to, plus 5 full sized products!

What do you guys think?

Loves

xxx

January favourites...

(insert generic 'I can't believe it's the end of January!' exclamation here)

So aside from the usual comments about how fast the years going already, I also wanted to say that this is the last favourites post coming to you from over in Aus! I'm writing this on the 1st of February which means this month I'll be heading back to the UK for the foreseeable future! So let's get cracking...

Kicking off with hair, my poor locks have been so de-hydrated that the only thing I've managed to get them to do is sit in a top-knot until next wash day. Roll on a mop chop. And for this I've been loving the Garnier Fructis Volume Flex and Hold hairspray to keep strays in place. 

Just one skincare product this month but it's completely revolutionised my skin care routine, and that's my much loved Rosehip Oil which you can read my review on here. 

My Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum has made it into yet another favourites post. I've been trying to use up almost empty products so I don't have to lug them home with me and it's made me fall back in love with this yet again. Follow that with my new Nars Creamy Concealer blended in with the Real Techniques contour brush and I have the perfect base. To add a bit of lift and glow to my skin I've been reaching for the NYX Illuminator for face and body which I reviewed here. 

It's been a month of no effort when it comes to makeup (it's too hot) so my lips have been fairly neutral...just a quick layer of my Nivea lip butter in vanilla and macadamia and I'm good to go. On the days where I need a splash of colour, I've picked up my Illamasqua Colouring Pencil in Indecent (review coming soon). 

Eyes have been kept simple too....a slick of the new Maybelline Hyper Glossy liquid liner, followed by lashings of Rimmel Lash Accelerator which I raved about in a post earlier in January. If I have needed some colour on the lids of I've felt like experimenting with some neutral tones for day-time smokey looks, I've gone straight to my Urban Decay Naked 3. Predictable, but for good reason!

What's everyone else been loving in the month of January?

Loves

xxx

NYX takes on Illuminators....

My last makeup purchases in Australia (I promise) was, quite predictably, from the NYX stand in my local Target. I've heard on the grape vine that you can buy NYX in some Next stores in the UK but as I'm unsure how true this is I'm taking no chances and stocking up while I can! I've only really got into highlighter and illuminators in the past 6 months but now even my usual oily skin is loving it!

Usually one for powder highlighters I picked the Born To Glow Illuminator (mine is shade 01 Sunbeam) up a bit unsure what to expect. It's very glittery so calls for a matte face to begin with, and I would recommend to keep this one purely on the tops of the cheek bones to avoid the dreaded disco-ball face. It blends to a beautiful pink sheen on the cheeks which is my preferred illuminator/cheek colour so I love pairing this with Sleek Pixie Pink type shades. I would say this is a soft highlight that doesn't really build to well but for something sheeny and pretty on the cheek bones this one is your winner.

I picked the powder Illuminator for Face and Body up in the shade Narcissistic after seeing a few reviews floating around on the blogs, and immediately fell for it. It's a powder, which I prefer, despite it being a peachy golden colour which is a bit of an unusual pick in my collection. It can be applied lightly all over the high points of the face and on the body (as the name suggests) with a duo fibre brush   or built up for a more obvious, stronger highlight for the evening. It has some glitters in this but most of them seem to disappear when blended. 

Personally I think I'll be getting more use out of the powder illuminator but I think, for dryer skin, the liquid illuminator is still absolutely beautiful. All in all...NYX can do highlighters!

Has anyone else tried these? 

Loves

xxx

Top 13 of 2013... the beauty edition...

Bioderma was a new discovery for me this year and I know it will forever be part of my skincare routine. I found my dream day cream and night cream this year, the Seaweed mattifying day cream from The Body Shop and the Nivea regenerating night cream.

To treat my skin I found a new love for clay masks, particularly the Body Shop warming mineral mask, which is great for really clearing out congested pores. My favourite cleanser of 2013 was a later discovery but it would be criminal not to include it; Let the Good Times Roll from Lush. For the smell alone this is a winner, but it also really helped me to steer away from harsh scrub cleansers and be a bit more gentle to my skin. 

When it comes to lip balm there could be only one winner...a real love it or hate it product from Nuxe, their Reve de Miel conditioning lip balm. Never again to I want to feel a sticky residue on my lips. 

For body I've been trying to combat pesky mosquito bite scars on my legs and Bio Oil has not only been a saviour for that, but it and will remain one of my life long holy grail products.

I've not done much tanning this year as I've been blessed living in the sunshine of Australia but for those in between days when I feel like I need a bit more colour, I've been loving the St Tropez gradual tanner. Top points for the bearable fake tan smell too! Of course no girl can fake tan on top of flakey skin so I discovered the Organi lychee salt scrub which not only smells delicious, but is an oil free scrub so won't interfere with any tanning products. 

2013 was a year I fell in love with hair products in a big way. I discovered the three products I'd been searching for. First the V05 dry texturising spray which is such a bargain but adds a really nice 'undone' look to straight hair. Then one of Lush's cult products Big shampoo, a sea salt shampoo that really adds some grit to the hair, and my newest discovery the Fudge Root Juice. The strangest product I've ever tried, but if you lust after volumised roots you need this in your life. 

The last hair product is an oil from Shwartzkoft, Daily Oil Elixer. This baby doesn't way down your hair but manages to keep my frizzy mane tamed and soft for the whole day.

What are everyone else's beauty favourites of 2013?

Loves

xxx 

Top 13 of 2013...the makeup edition...

Top foundation has to be, without a doubt, Revlon Nearly Naked. Third bottle of this bad boy and the love affair is still continuing. 

The concealer that has kept creeping back into my life (well, makeup bag) in 2013 was the Body Shop Illuminating Touch in the shade 3. Great for achieving Kim K style cheekbones.

The only bronzer to grace my face was Benefit Hoola, which I'd probably award as my top product of all time award. Big news.

Favourite blushers go to Sleek in general but, not to be called a cheater, I'd pick Pixie Pink if I was going to single one out. 

Highlighter could only be The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer, used sparingly, for a beautiful daily glow.

For eyeshadow the only thing I regularly reach for, and my one 'take away with me everywhere' was my Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. For day looks, eye looks, and brows this was my saviour. 

I couldn't let eyeliner slip by without throwing a huge mention out to the Rimmel Scandaleyes pencils, especially in the taupe and nude shades, and my trusty Topshop liquid liner in black. 

Again, mascara is a two parter as big lashes were my favourite look of 2013. My stand out winners were Benefit They're Real and Makeup Forever Smokey Lash. 

For the nude/pink lipstick offerings I turned to the NYX matte lipsticks towards the later part of the year, but my favourite lip discovery of 2013 were hands down the Maybelline vivids, of which I own and love every single one. 

Lastly my Urban Decay de-slick setting spray has been a life saver on these hot Australian days.

Honorable mentions go to the Real Techniques brushes, Rimmel Apocolips (especially Big Bang), the Maybelline colour tattoos and the new Revlon lip glosses. Sorry, I cheated. 

What has everyone else loved in 2013??

Loves

xxx

NYX haul....

Words can't describe my excitement when I first saw the NYX stand in my local Target, and I whipped my 'Things I Need From NYX If I Ever Get Around To Placing An Order' list sharpish. 

I admit I've since been back and bought heaps more lip products and their famous Milk pencil (how have I called myself a beauty blogger and not owned this until now??)

Stand out products for me were their Matte Lipsticks (I'm now the proud owner of over half their collection), the Butter Gloss (not too keen on the darker shades of these but the pinks and peach's are incredible) and their Rouge Cream Blush in Boho Chic. The only disappointing product was the eyebrow pencil....nice consistency but far to red toned to look anything near natural on me.

What else should I try from NYX? I really want to get involved in some of their shadows but not sure on the quality of the palettes?

Loves

xxx