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?

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?

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?

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?

Exfoliating Face Masks - LUSH vs. The Body Shop

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I am still a novice when it comes to skin care. It has only been recently that I set myself up fully with a morning and evening cleansing routine, which you can read about – here.

A few months ago, I started trying face masks. My skin was in pretty bad shape, breakouts and clogged pores galore – immediately I reached for the exfoliating masks. I brought two; LUSH ‘Mask of Magnaminty’ and The Body Shop ‘Blue Corn 3-in-1 Deep Cleansing Mask’, both of which claim to give my skin a similar treatment, deep cleanse and unclog pores.

LUSH ‘Mask of Magnaminty’ £9.25

 ‘A multi-purpose mask with a mixture of gentle yet effective ingredients to clean, calm and clear the skin. Easily smoothed over the skin, this mask is made with peppermint oil to stimulate, marigold oil and chlorophyllin to treat the skin; evening primrose seeds and aduki beans to gently exfoliate as you remove it. You can use this mask anywhere.’

The first thing that struck me about this mask was the gorgeous smell. I really enjoy anything with a peppermint smell, and this really came across in the mask. You apply to a dry face, and it was very easy to smooth out and cover. The primrose seeds and aduki beans do mean that the texture is quite course, however I didn’t find that it scratched the skin. When applied, I found there to be a slight heating sensation, often found with mint products, but no irritation. However, if you have sensitive skin I would be careful, my sister tried the mask and found that it stung her.

It is recommended that you leave the mask on for about 10minutes. In that time, the mask dries and becomes crumbly. To remove, wash off with warm water using circular motions, which is where the texture does its job. The ‘Mask of Magnaminty’ was very easy to remove, leaving my skin significantly improved. Afterwards, my skin felt incredibly soft, clean and it did a fantastic job of unclogging my pores.

The Body Shop ‘Blue Corn 3-in-1 Deep Cleansing Mask’ £10.

‘This three-in-one cleansing mask cleanses, exfoliates and moisturises normal to oily skin.

• Gently cleanses the skin
• Removes dead skin cells, excess oil and impurities
• Moisturises, leaving skin feeling soft
• Weekly treatment’

 

What I really like about this mask is the results it produced. I don’t think my face has ever felt as clean as it does after I have used this mask! It unclogged my pores and, as with the LUSH mask, left my skin smooth and soft. This mask is applied to damp skin, and has a smoother texture to the ‘Mask of Magnaminty’ with the exfoliating elements being a lot finer. Once applied, I did feel a slight tingling sensation but it was not so bad that I had to remove the mask straight away. Again, when left for around 15minutes, the mask dries to the skin.

The ‘Blue Corn 3-in-1 Deep Cleansing Mask’ dried a lot faster than the LUSH mask, which made it slightly harder to remove with water, but the results are worth it. One element of the mask which I was not particularly keen on, was the scent. It has a slight musky, floury smell which isn’t offensive, but not as yummy as the peppermint of the ‘Mask of Magnaminty’.

Overall, both of these masks provided great results. When used weekly, they helped to stop breakouts and to clear up my skin! If I had to pick a favourite however, I would definitely have to go for LUSH ‘Mask of Magnaminty’. It was slightly kinder on my skin and that scent! Just perfect!

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think of them?

Jumping on the Beauty Blogging Bandwagon.

One of the hardest things I have found about blogging is finding products to talk about, which other have not already written about. As a blogger, you want to be original but at the same time, if a product is new, good and exciting, then it is inevitable that other people will share your opinions and also want to express them.

So I have given up. I am just going write about what I want to, and enjoy it. Here is my first post, openly jumping on the bandwagon, and giving my opinions on some highly raved about products from the blogging circle.

 

Benefit’s ‘Big Easy’ £27.50

This is Benefit cosmetic’s latest ‘bigger than BB’ cream offering. I have racked my brain all week to try and find the right words to describe this product and failed. This is how Big Easy is described on the website:

‘BIGGER than BB! Why? Two reasons. First, big easy balances moisture & controls oil. Second, the cushiony liquid-to- powder formula melts in like a cream, yet finishes lightweight & velvety like a powder.

This multi-balancing complexion perfector gives light-to-medium natural coverage to even out skintone and conceal imperfections. Even better, it contains ingredients known to soothe & comfort the skin and help fight free radicals. One & done…big easy saves the day! Non-comedogenic. Oil-free.’

Personally, I think that makes some very bold statements. The coverage, yes, is light to medium. However, I found it to be more on the light side, with the option to build the product up to more of a medium coverage. I have ‘Normal to Dry’ skin, and I have found that a decent amount of moisturiser underneath helps the product to blend in. It can also be used with a primer. I put Benefit’s ‘That Gal’ brightening primer underneath and loved the dewy look it gave. Big Easy definitely evened out my skin tone and banished redness, but it did not really cover my imperfections. There was still a need for concealer over spots.

Overall, I loved the product. I have never tried any of the Benefit foundations before, but this is exactly what you need for Spring/Summer time. Big Easy also makes for a great everyday product you can apply with your fingers, and rush out the door. I was very happy with the coverage it gave me, and it wore off nicely throughout the day. This product is a keeper!

Garnier ‘Micellar Cleansing Water’ £4.99

Ever since I first heard about the miracle product that is the Bioderma Micellar Water, I have been itching for a drugstore brand to make a dupe. Personally, I have found that this Garnier version does not disappoint. It removes ALL make up, even a bold red lipstick. Granted, those harder to budge products such as gel eyeliner do need a little rub, but there is still minimal effort needed.

This Micellar Cleansing Water is powerful, you only need a small amount, and you get a lot of product for your money. Another positive for me is the fact that although the product is oil based, there is little oily residue left on the eye. At the modest price of £4.99, you cannot go wrong.

Have you tried any of these products? What do you think?

A Beauty Blogging Bookworm.

I thought I would shake things up a bit on the blog this week, and instead of talking about beauty products, tell you about another love of mine - books.

I am an avid reader, always have been and probably always will. I love everything about books, the feel of the pages as they are run through your fingers, and the sound of the spine bending for the very first time. My favourite books are so precious to me, that I reluctantly lend them out, even to family!

This month I have read two books which I have loved, and have blown me away. I am drawn to books which tell the tales of the character’s lives, following them as their paths cross and merge with others. Both of these books tell such a story.

 

 

The Book Thief – Marcus Zusak.

Wow, what a novel. I have to start with issuing a warning – at the end of the book I was a big pile of howling mess. Literally shaking with tears. It is that emotive and incredibly breath-taking.

‘The Book Thief’ tells the story of Liesel Meminger, taking place in the middle of Nazi Germany. We meet Liesel at the beginning of her journey. She is being taken to live with foster parents, and follows her every-day life under Hitler’s rule, finding her power through books. Narrating this story is death personified, a man with a job.

This book is beautifully written, the personification of ‘death’ is pure brilliance. He begins as a cynical and a-political figure, but by the end of the book is changed through his experiences with Liesel. I was hooked from the first chapter and found myself engrossed by the characters and their experiences through the war time years. This is certainly a must-read and will firmly have a place on my bookshelf for years to come.

The Secret Keeper – Kate Morton.

This is another page-turner which is partly set during the war. The story starts with 16 year old Laurel, who witnesses her mother, Dorothy, murder a man in the garden, on her baby brother’s birthday. Fast forward to 2011. Laurel’s mother is dying in hospital and with the memory of that day still haunting her, Laurel determines to find the truth.

The narration in this book changes between the past and present, and the different characters in the book. Personally, I love this style of writing, as you can see the same events but through the eyes of the different characters. You can also be more observant as to where, when and why their thoughts and opinions change. You can also discover their motives.

I became completely immersed in ‘The Secret Keeper’. I was reading at super speed, because I wanted to find out what happened and changed my mind on a few of the characters several times. I just could not work out the mystery of the characters and how they were all linked, yet at the end it all became obvious!

I would highly recommend either of these books to anyone! Have you read any of these? What did you think? Let me know your thoughts and opinions.