Sunday 29 June 2014

My June 2014 Favourites!

On this bright and sunny weekend, I thought I would bring you a ‘favourites’ post. I had a few random bits and pieces that I really wanted to share, so I pulled them all together to write about at once.


The first item I want to talk about is this gorgeous scented candle from Lily Flame, in ‘Party Time’ (£12). This is going to sound a bit strange, but the first thing I loved about this candle was the fact it was white. When I buy candles, they have to be the same colour as the colour scheme of the room – resulting in me, more often than not, putting down a lovely scent for the sole reason that it is not the right colour. The fragrance is musky, without being over powering, with zesty undertones. It has a masculine feel that is perfect for me! I have put this candle in my bedroom and the smell fills the room! I will definitely be buying more from Lily Flame!

It will come as no surprise to see that my beauty favourites today come from MAC. I featured both of these in my last post (Lazy weekend makeup) and I have found myself reaching for these frequently this month. The first is MAC’s Bronzing Powder in the shade ‘Golden’ (£20). I am quite a fair skinned lady, and I have found this powder gives the perfect hint of warmth, without looking dirty or orange. In the pan, there are visible flakes of shimmer, but once applied they blend out into the skin giving a sought-after dewy effect.

The lipstick comes in the form of MAC’s ‘Sunny Seoul’ (£15). The fabulous (on-off) weather that we have been experiencing of late, has drawn my eye to the coral shades in my make up collection. I have particularly been reaching for this Cremesheen lipstick. It is the perfect coral with pink undertones. It is bright and summery and matches perfectly to both pink and coral blushes. This lipstick is a great all-rounder. Even if the weather is looking a little dull, ‘Sunny Seoul’ does the job at brightening everything up.

My final favourite is another book. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I absolutely adore books and I have been lucky enough to have lots of time to read lately. This one is ‘The Luminaries’ by Eleanor Catton. Not only was this novel the longest to ever win the Man Booker Prize (2013), but Catton was also the youngest author to ever receive the prize. The book is set in New Zealand in the 1800’s in a town during the height of the gold rush. It is based around 12 men whose lives are intertwined by woman, fraud, thievery and murder. The style of the language is written in keeping with the time it was set, which did take a bit of getting used to. However, once I got over and used to it, I found myself sailing through the book – I just could not put it down!

So there you have it, my June favourites. Have you tried any of these? What have you been loving in the month of June?

Sunday 22 June 2014

Lazy Weekend Make-up


Waking up on Saturday morning to a clear sky and bright sun left my boyfriend and I yearning for a garden and a BBQ. So we packed up our things and headed to sunny Kent, where we decided to spend the weekend with his parents (in their garden, eating their BBQ).

Now this heat leaves me with all sorts of problems. No, I am not going to be doing much, but I would still like to look semi decent for any kind of pub gardening which might be going on. These are the products I chose to take with me and use when I was soaking up the rays, and getting sunburnt.

 
Benefit Big Easy in the shade ‘Light: I grabbed this product because not only is it light wearing, but it also has an SPF 35 which I found very useful.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in the shade ‘Vanilla: It’s been a long week; I don’t think I need to say any more.

MAC Mineralise Skin Finish in ‘Light Plus’: I put this over top of the Big Easy to set it in place, and also used it for touch ups during the day.

MAC Eyebrows in ‘Fling: Even when sunbathing, one needs their eyebrows  J       

MAC Bronzing Powder in ‘Golden: I have really gotten into my bronzing recently, and I find this gives me just the right amount of coverage, without looking dirty. It is also slightly shimmery which creates a lovely sun-kissed glow.

MAC Mineralise Blush in ‘Dainty: This colour is a gorgeous pale pink, giving me a light flush of colour, perfect for a lazy day.

No7 Intense Volume Mascara: Normally, I do not go a day without using one of my beloved Urban Decay Naked palettes, but this weekend I just could not be bothered. I found that a few coats of this lovely mascara was enough to define my eyes and work wonders on my lashes.

Maybelline Baby Lips: Extra hydration out in the sun J

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in ‘Sunny Seoul’: Don’t be silly, I did not wear this lipstick just in the garden, but it did come in handy when we went out to the pub. It is a perfect pinky-coraly shade, which went really well with the blush and bronzer I chose. Look out for a more detailed post on this lipstick in the near future!

Have you tried any of these products? What do you recommend for a hot, sunny afternoon?

Sunday 8 June 2014

My Secret to Flawless Foundation.

Over the last few years I have tried many different combinations of bases, with a variety of application techniques. Everything from creams, liquids, powders with brushes, fingers and cosmetic sponges.

That is until I found these three miracle products. I have found that when I use this combination, my foundation looks simply flawless, and it is so easy! If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that simplicity is a must for me!


I begin the routine by priming my already moisturised skin. For this look, which I would normally save for evening or a special event, I use my Benefit ‘The Porefessional’ primer. I take a pea-sized amount and press it into the skin, starting with my chin and t-zone, then blend the product out to the cheeks. ‘The Porefessional’ is a favourite with many of the bloggers I read, and it deserves all the praise it gets. My pores are not particularly large, but I do find the primer blurs imperfections and provides a great base to easily blend in the foundation.

Now for the foundation. These next two items are probably some of my greatest purchases. The NARS Sheer Glow foundation and Beauty Blender may not be the cheapest items on the market, but boy are they worth the money! NARS Sheer Glow is also infamous in the blogging world. It is a medium to full coverage foundation and is easy to build up over problem areas. I have also found it covers a multitude of skin sins, such as redness or breakouts. A couple of pumps on the back of the hand is all I need, so I find a bottle lasts a long time. When using the Beauty Blender I find it works better damp. I wring it out under the tap and squeeze until the sponge has almost doubled in size. Using a hand towel, I dry the blender off until it is just slightly damp. Then I pick the product up with the Beauty Blender and dab it over my face, working the product into the skin.

Viola! The flawless foundation look is complete! I do like to set with a dusting of my MAC Mineralise Skinfinish, and obviously copious amounts of my concealer is also required to cover my bags!

Have you tried any of these products? How do you create your flawless foundation look?

Sunday 1 June 2014

First Aid Beauty - Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay

First Aid Beauty is a company that I have been dying to try out for a long time, so I was very excited to make my first order recently. I was actually recommended the Skin Rescue range by the lovely people at First Aid Beauty, after I tweeted my desire to try their products. I bought the Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay from the Feel Unique website – here.



I have used the Deep Cleanser with Red Clay twice a day for the last few weeks, and I can safely say that I have been really enjoying it. I have normal/combination skin, dry patches on the cheeks but oily t-zone and this formula has worked a treat at balancing it out. You apply to damp skin, massaging the gel into the skin creating a slight foam. It is then washed off, leaving the skin feeling clean and fresh.

The price of the product did put me off slightly. At £18 it is the most I have paid for skincare before, but the Deep Cleanser with Red Clay has really proved itself worth the bucks. You only need a small amount of the product too, so I would expect it to last a long time! I cannot wait to try some other First Aid Beauty products after sampling this one!

Have you tried any First Aid Beauty Products? What did you think?