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 Tans...

It's coming into summer over here in Australia and, unfortunately, I'm stuck inside working everyday rather than working on my tan on the beach. But that's life. And that's why, I believe, they invented fake tan. I need to get bronzed somehow so I've turned to the bottle...

The Palmers Natural Bronze gradual tanning moisturizer is holy grail in my eyes. Yes it smells a bit strong (my poor boyfriend hates it) but the colour is so natural and wears the best out of any gradual tanners I've tried. I apply this twice a week (say Sunday and Wednesday night) with lots of moisturising and a gentle exfoliation on the days in-between. 

I can't believe I'm about to admit this but this is the first St.Tropez item I've ever tried. I know, I know, call yourself a beauty blogger.... I wouldn't say I was completely blown away with this considering the price tag (although I did get it on the Feel Unique sale) but it's a really subtle colour if I'm not wanting anything too dramatic. I actual find that if I apply this after I've been in the sun, it enhances my real tan while giving me a bit of extra colour in a super natural way. Also...smells really inoffensive for a tan!

Le Tan instant Fast Tan in Deep Bronze isn't so much 'Instant' but it's definitely 'Deep Bronze'. If I apply one layer of this at lunch time, by the evening I look like I've done two weeks in the sun and then some! It does transfer onto clothes a bit so probably avoid white but for a quick fix I adore this. If you shower then moisturise the next day, you're still left with a light bronze colour that looks perfect with a sun dress and sandals for the daytime.

What's everyone else's tan recommendations?

Loves

xxx

Feel Unique sale haul...

When Feel Unique  had a sale a few weeks ago there was a few things I thought I just had to pick up....

It's spring over in Australia so I thought it was time to add a bit of a glow to my skin, so I picked up my first ever St Tropez products and gave their gradual tanner a go.

I love me some lashes, and got extremely over excited when I saw the Millie Mackintosh lashes on the site, so I added the Portobello set to my basket, along with a natural, daytime pair from The Vintage Cosmetics Company.

I am missing my Lush lip scrub far too much but don't have access to a Lush where I live, so thought I'd give the Bliss Fabulips a try instead.

Lastly, my two favourite buys, The Balm's Bahama Mama and Mary Lou-Manizer... a perfect matte bronzer for contouring and adding some warmth to the face as the weather gets warmer, and a seriously shimmery highlighter that I'm now completely head over heels in love with.

Did anyone else pick anything else up in the sale?

Loves

xxx