Monthly Favourites | July 2013

I hope that the end of July doesn't bring this beautiful weather to an end, I don't want to have to dig my jeans or tights out for at least another month! When the weather is this humid all I want is a make up free face but working all day everyday that's not possible unless I wanted to give someone the fright of their lives so I've been trying to keep it as light and minimal as I can get away with.

Thank you Selfridges Beauty Box for bringing the Sol De Janeiro Cooling mist into my life at just the right time! I've got through nearly all of this bottle in the past month, it's the the perfect sunbathing companion for when the heat is just too much and when I've not got it with me in the garden it's on my bedside table and I have a spray before I get into bed to help make these sticky nights a bit more bearable. I absolutely love this Topshop Lip Bullet in Covet the shade is the perfect peach and the formula is in a league of it's own, full coverage with one swipe, long lasting and easy to apply, I need to pick up a few more shades! I've been using Origins VitaZing daily since this glorious weather has come around on its own on particularly good skin days (the tint gives surprisingly good, even coverage) or under a thin layer of foundation but even under foundation the radiance this gives is still noticeable. This is SPF 15 which you should probably wear a little higher on your face to be fully protected but any sun protection is better than none! MAC Royal Sunset was part of the All About Orange collection which seems to be sold out online but I'm not sure if you could find one of these at a MAC counter. This is undoubtedly my favourite blusher right now, a beautiful bright pink based peach which brightens my whole complexion and gives a really healthy looking flush to the cheeks, perfection! Another perfect accessory for these summer months are the Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayons (Review here) and my colour of choice is Peach on the Beach, these are glossy, light weight and moisturising and currently on 3 for 2 in Boots so you have an excuse to buy more than one shade! In this months Glossybox I received Alterna Bamboo Style Boohoo Waves which in simple terms is a salt spray. And what makes this spray so special I hear you ask?!  It's the first salt spray that hasn't dried my hair out and made it crispy, it didn't make it overly tangled, it remained soft and manageable, I could even get my fingers through my hair without any trouble and the waves that were left after rough drying my hair and sitting in the garden were smooth and defined. I would definitely recommend this for anyone on the hunt for hair that looks like they've just stepped off the beach! Another step to soft, manageable hair that I've discovered this month is Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner . I literally pop a generous layer from mid length down to the tips of my hair and then make myself busy for 3 minutes until I rinse it off and hello silky soft hair that isn't making my Tangle Teezer work hard enough! I got this from my local Asda and it was 3 Aussie products for £10 so chuck some in your trolley next time you're doing the food shop!

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook

E.l.f Haul | Initial Thoughts and Swatches!

For someone who loves a bargain and a discount code I don't know why this order hadn't been made sooner! I'd had a browse around the E.l.f website a few times and saw some reviews floating around the blogosphere but never got around to actually purchasing anything myself until now, my E.l.f cherry has officially been popped! Here's a peek of what the postman bought me and full reviews will be up in due course when I've had a proper play around with my new toys! 

Cuticle Pushers - Nourishing Cuticle Pen - Lip Brush

My cuticles are never really something I took any notice of or properly took care of - that was until they starting looking an absolute state. The cuticle pen is meant to moisturise them and make them softer so they're easier to manage with my brand spanking new cuticle pusher downers, beautiful nails here I come! A lip brush is something that I was missing from my brush collection but now I've finally got one those pesky lip products in tubes that were giving me grief should apply like a dream!

Mineral Eyeshadows in Celebrity - Elegant - Natural - Eyelid Primer in Champagne

I'm trying to broaden my eyeshadow collection and I'm a sucker for a neutral shade so these three seemed like the perfect pick for me, even I can't go wrong with these basic neutral colours! E.l.f have such an amazing range of shades but I didn't want to go wild before I saw how I got on with them. I prime my face but I've never primed my eyes before and my eyeshadow wasn't really fairing that well 9-5 in this humid weather so anything to lend a helping hand!

Lip Balm in Mellow Melon - Brush Shampoo - Cream blush in Heartbreaker - All Over Colour Stick in Pink Lemonade

If I let slip how long it had been since I'd last given my make up brushes a good clean I would probably have my blogger status revoked so we won't even go there but I am delighted to report that they are now as clean as the day I bought them because of the E.l.f Brush Shampoo. This stuff is AMAZING!!!! If you want the cleanest, softest brushes in the world this is the stuff to do it. You can't go wrong with a lip balm and at this time of year SPF is crucial and if it's going to add a pretty peach tint to my lips in the process who am I to argue? I've been dying to try an All Over Colour Stick ever since I read that it was a dupe for a NARS Multiple which has been on my wishlist for far too long but I might be able to tick it off now if this turns out to be a bargainous alternative. Last but not least in my never ending parcel of beauty goodies is a cream to powder blusher in the shade Heartbreaker which I've already worn everyday since it arrived so a review is on its way! 

All in all I am very impressed! There's quite a few other bits that I had my eye on that were out of stock so I dare say that I'll be making another order in the not so distant future, hopefully it coincides with one of their infamous 50% off weekends! 

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook

Models Own Sunset Chillout

 

 

Models Own, Sunset Chillout £5.00

You know it's summer when Models Own pull some new Hed Kandi shades out of the bag! I fell absolutely head over heels with this collection last year, it included my all time favourite nail varnish in the form of Hedonist and my all time favourite glitter top coat Ibiza Mix. The two new offerings for this year were Bora Bora which I gave a miss and this shade Sunset Chillout.

Sunset Chillout is a glitter topcoat which is very similar in colour to Ibiza Mix, it's a fine glitter mixed in with larger blue pieces that give a kind of polka dot effect. Also in this explosion of sparkle are holographic silver strands. I tend to layer these kind of multicoloured sparkly topcoats over a neutral base to make it stand out a bit more. The only complaint I have about Sunset Chillout is the fact that when applying all of the blue dots seem to bunch together and it can make a bit of a mess of your nail trying to separate them out but other than that another worthy addition to the collection of the summer!

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook

My Top Summer Nail Picks

When the sun is shining there's only a few requirements to abide by, legs out, sunglasses on, cocktail in hand and nails must be bright! Neon nails are by far my favourite, they look amazing with a tan and instantly add a little something to an otherwise plain outfit. These are the nail varnishes that have been gracing my fingers and toes recently.

Tart Deco was my first ever Essie polish and started my love affair with the brand, it's the most perfect bright coral and I can't rave about the formula enough. I received London Calling in last months Birchbox and was a little disappointed because I had my eye on the coral shade in this collection but once I got it on that was long forgotten! It looks almost pastel in the bottle but once this is on it's the most striking neon, I don't own anything else like this it really is a unique shade. Unfortunately you can't purchase this alone, it comes in a set of 4 but the other 3 shades are gorgeous as well so that's just a bonus! In The Cab-ana (Full review here) is on my nails as I type, I seem to lean towards blue shades at this time of year but this is the best one I've come across. It's the colour you'd expect the sea to be at some 5 star honeymoon resort in the Caribbean - beautiful! I had a bit of a Topshop nail splurge around this time last year and this is one that made it into my online basket but I don't think they sell it any more, although on the website at the minute there is a very similar (if not the same but renamed) shade called Carnival. This was my nail colour of choice for my holiday to Ibiza last year so it instantly puts me in a summery mood and maybe a little bit depressed that I'm not by the pool! It looks brighter in the bottle than it actually transpires on to the nail but it's still hardly what you'd call subtle! If you're looking for a nail colour that could blind someone then Big Yellow Taxi is for you, it's a bright, bright, bright sunny yellow and I would wear it a lot more often if it wasn't such a nightmare to apply, you have to be quite patient because it takes a while to make perfect but for a shade this summer bright a little patience isn't a lot to ask! I've saved the best until last - Models Own Hedonist. If I could only wear one nail varnish for the rest of my life then this would be it. It's hard to pin point the actual colour of this, it's a bit red, a bit pink, a bit orange and a bit coral but colour aside once applied this is a true neon, the brightest I own and even when I'm at the palest this highlights any hint of colour I might have, it's the perfect tan accomplice and hands down my number one summer nail pick!

Let me know your favourite summer nail varnishes, there's still room in my collection to add a few more brights! 

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayons | Peach on the Beach and Orange Punch

   

 

Bourjois, Colour Boost Lip Crayons £7.99

When the weather is all hot and humid the last thing I want on my lips is lipstick, god only knows I love the stuff but I just can't bear it! The past few weeks the weather has been gorgeous so my lipstick collection has taken a back seat in favour of my Clarins Lip Perfector and Revlon Lip Butters but now they're being banished alongside them since the Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayons have entered my life!

Bourjois just keep banging out the gems this summer and this is their drug store offering of a Chubby Stick Alternative. I'm uncontrollable when it comes to buying lip products but I seem to have skipped this type of product all together, I'm not really a Glossy lip kind of girl and prefer a bold colour to something sheer but Peach on the Beach how could I resist you?! There's currently four shades available and I picked up 2 of them while taking advantage of a Boots 3 for 2 offer. Peach on the Beach is my typical pink peach shade that makes up 80% of my current lip collection and Orange Punch is a red toned orange. For saying how glossy they are the colour pay off is amazing and the formula goes on smoothly leaving your lips looking perfect, there's no sticking to dry patches here or gathering in the creases of the lips, the coverage couldn't be more even. It goes without saying that this is extremely moisturising and I wasn't expecting great things for the lasting time as it''s such a glossy finish but they were still going strong after a good couple of hours. To top it all off they're SPF 15 which is a bonus because our lips need protection too! The lovely weather might be fleeting (it's thundering and lightening as I type) so snap these up while the suns still shining! 

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook

Acrylic Lipstick Storage

  

  

 

 

Acrylic Lipstick Storage, eBay £2.98

It's no secret that us bloggers love a bit of see through make up storage and if it's good enough for Kim K it is certainly more than good enough for me but who needs Muji when eBay are offering up £2.98 gems like this?! Before I moved out all of my lipsticks were in a little plastic Ikea tub in my dressing table drawer and you know what they say - out of sight out of mind! I needed a better solution so I'd stop wearing the same lip products day in day out just because they were most handy to grab and go and after a little eBay search, voila! The speed of delivery was amazing for saying this came from Hong Kong, it was delivered just over a week after I'd placed my order. It's a really sturdy little thing that has enough compartments for up to 24 lipsticks, each row is a little higher than the last so there's nowhere to hide! I keep all of my MAC lipsticks in here along with a few of my other favourites and since it's been sitting on my shelf I've had a different coloured lip everyday because now they're so easy to keep track of. If you need to organise your lip collection for £2.98 you can't go wrong, it's almost a justification to buy a new lipstick for your shiny new storage!

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook

Hello Summer, You Beautiful Thing!

1-2-3-4-5-6

My plans for today consisted of a lie in and then lounging around in the garden in my bikini with a Malibu and Coke in hand but the sun hasn't shown it's face today yet (which is typical, the one day that I'm not spending 9-5 inside!) so I'm going to appease my need for some sun on my bones with a Summer wish list and hope that these pesky clouds disappear in the meantime!

We all need a good pair of sandals for the Summer months and I have fallen head over heels for these gold studded pair, a jelly shoe sandal hybrid I just love them! They're simple enough to wear in the day but detailed enough to be the talking point of a simple outfit, it's pay day on Monday and I don't doubt for a second that these will be coming home with me. An absolute summer staple is a pair of denim shorts, until I found this Topshop pair I'd been struggling to find a pair that weren't too bum cheek skimming but these are just that little bit longer and I feel a lot more comfortable wearing them out of the garden, I think that I'll be living in these while this little heat wave continues! I've been on the hunt for the perfect white summer dress, I definitely couldn't pull this dress off any other time of the year because I would be the same colour as the dress so I need to find one quick while I've got a bit of colour to me. I don't think anyone could say that Sunglasses weren't a summer staple, as soon as the sun comes out the sunnies go on, my eyes don't need any more damage so I've always got a pair in my bag to chuck on when it gets bright. I've got quite a round face so my go to style are cat eye which seems to flatter it the most and the high street have some amazing pairs out there at the minute. I definitely don't feel summer ready without some bright nails going on, the brighter the better! Especially when the sandals are on there's two sets of nails to make neon, this orange Topshop nail varnish ticks all the boxes but my most used colour at this time of year has to be Models own Hedonist. Swing dresses are having a bit of a moment right now and I overlooked them to start with because sometimes oversized clothing doesn't mix with my boobs and makes me look bigger than I am, do you feel my pain well endowed ladies?! But they look absolutely heavenly for these sticky days, loose and cool, one step up from wearing nothing at all! 

The sun is still in hiding so my Malibu and Coke is on hold, boohoo!

What is your summer wardrobe staple?

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook

July Glossybox 2013

 

 

Glossybox, £10 plus p&p

Firstly I must apologise for my appalling blogging skills of late, this new job of mine is draining all my resources (time and energy!) but hopefully it'll get less of a nightmare the more we get used to all of the changes. So here I am trying to get back into the swing of things bringing you a peek inside of the July Glossybox and after last months disappointing box this is what I call a summer box! They even pulled a special edition box out of the bag which is perfect for the summery theme of the box and would make brilliant bathroom storage! 

Essie Sleek Sticks in 02 Croc 'n Chic

I've seen these in different variations in Boots quite a few times and they seem to be out of stock more than they are in stock so they must be quite popular. Nail wraps are a bit too fiddly for me, I like to paint and go! I do want to give these a go even though croc effect nails really aren't my cup of tea but maybe in the winter when I prefer a more vampy nail these will come in use! 

Alterna Haircare Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist

I absolutely love the sound of this and I can't wait to try it out the next time I wash my hair. It's meant to give effortlessly tousled beachy waves and add texture, volume and a healthy shine. What more does a girl want from her hair at this time of year?!

Sleek Makeup Pout Paint in Minx & Mauve Over

After a bit of research on these I can see that they're our version of an OCC Lip Tar which I've wanted to try for ages but found hard to get hold of. The shades I got in my box were minx which is a peachy pink (oh Glossbox you know me so well!) and Mauve Over which is a scary vibrant purple if you mix the two together it does tone the purple down to a more manageable fushia shade. I'm yet to try these out for lasting time but I have still got a mark on my hand from swatching a good couple of hours ago even after a good scrubbing so I have high hopes!

Anatomicals Spray Misty For Me Facial Spritz

What a handy little spray for these hot days and nights, containing lavender to calm and peppermint to refresh. It's suitable for all skin types and rehydrates and calms, I've been using this after I take my makeup off at night and before I put it on in the morning, you do need to leave it a good minute or two to dry before you can put anything else on your face though.

Coola Organic Suncare Collection Mineral Face SPF 20

Well, what doesn't this do?! Not only is it sun protection it also soothes, tones and minimizes pores while also reducing inflammation and balancing moisture and fighting signs of ageing! No wonder it comes in at £29.99 for a full size! 

Glossybox have definitely got it right this month with their summer themed box lets just hope the weather stays long enough for me to try out my new goodies while it actually feels summery! 

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook

Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Rude

 

 

 

 

Illamasqua, Cream Blusher in Rude £18.00

My life is finally complete now that I have this in my sweaty little paws! It took me month and months of torturing myself with Google image searches of swatches and reading rave reviews before this came back in stock and I finally had my hands on it. 

Rude is a another addition to my peachy cheek product rampage, it leans more towards an orangey peach than a 'warm peach pink' as it's described in the pan but once applied and blended out on my pale complexion the pink does show. I don't know how suitable this would be for someone with oily skin as the formula is very, very creamy (I know it's a cream blusher so that goes without saying!) fortunately my skin is more dry than anything so once applied it leaves a lovely dewy finish but I could see that on oily skin this could look more greasy than glowy. I dab this on my cheeks with my fingertips and then blend it out with the Real Techniques stippling brush, the colour can be as subtle or as bright as you like it because it's very buildable and blends like a dream. I don't know if because it is so creamy it slides off my face but I didn't find the lasting time to be amazing although it might just be this beautiful weather because my make up never seems to fair very well in hot weather but please Mr Sun, don't leave us, I can take one for the team and carry the burden of my make up moving off my face! 

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook

Sale Haul | Zara, Topshop, Debenhams, Feel Unique & Selfridges

Image from Weheartit and edited by me

It doesn't count if it was bought in a sale, with a discount code or from Primark...right?! All of the summer sales coincided very nicely with pay day this year which you could call lucky or dangerous, the state of my poor bank balance now shows that it's the latter. I don't know about you but as soon as a few quid has been knocked off a price tag, I don't just want it, I NEED it. With that mindset here is the damage that has been done...

Zara Jumpsuit £19.99

I've wanted this jumpsuit for a couple of months now but just couldn't justify the £39.99 price tag when there were place mats and cushions to buy. When I was browsing the Zara sale and saw this and the fact that you'd get change from £20 and all the home wares had been bought well, come to mama! This is actually my second purchase of this jumpsuit as when the first one was delivered and I tried it on there was a massive frayed rip all the way down one leg, I was gutted! This is a really nice thin material which is quite see through but I can imagine it to be good to chuck on when the sun has surprised us all and come out but you haven't shaved your legs. The shoulder embroidery is so pretty, it's such a lovely touch. I ordered this in a small and that was more than enough room to fit the twins in, for all you bigger boobed ladies out there, the crossover neckline is so flattering and it keeps them nice and covered up with no shelf effect! 

Zara Striped Dress £19.99

I was meant to stop at the jumpsuit but what can I say, I'm a sucker for anything stripey! I absolutely love this dress, it's t shirt material and quite tight (not very forgiving for any lumps and bumps) There are so many ways to wear this, in the summer with sandals, in the winter with tights and a leather jacket, in that annoying transitional period between summer and autumn tightless with ankle boots and a trench coat, even for a night out with sky scraper heels and a bright bag. I need to remember all of those for when I'm having a wardrobe nightmare! 

Zara Perspex Clutch £15.99

Something else that I'd had my eye on for a while! I knew that Zara had a range of brightly coloured versions of these perspex bags but I had my heart set on a clear one, after a week long online hunt and even Ebay not coming up with anything reasonably priced I gave up and forgot about them until I saw that this little baby was in the sale, it didn't take much persuasion for me to add to basket believe me! It's a lot smaller than the usual clutch bags I go for, you won't be fitting your flats in here but it's big enough for the essentials, there's a detachable chain so you could wear it as a shoulder bag and the yellow pouch inside is detachable too. Unfortunately I think that the rest of the Zara sale shoppers had a perspex bag urge as well as I can't find it on there any more to link back too, sorry!

Topshop Ditsy Origami Skirt £20.00

You know one of those things that you know you're not going to buy because you don't need it and can't spare the cash but every time you go into the shop you actively look for it and give it a little stroke, maybe hold it against you (yep, it still looks amazing), check the price tag again (yep, it's still too expensive). This has been mine for the past few months every time I've stepped foot in Topshop, the amount of times I've nearly bought this and then talked myself out of it, thank you sensible side because I've now nabbed it for half price! The print on this skirt is so lovely, I love the colours and the style of it, I don't own anything else like it but it is SHORT, I would say it's about half an inch off getting arrested for indecent exposure and that's coming from a 5"2 midget!!

What haul would be complete without a few beauty bits?! Technically the Topshop Lip Bullet in Covet and Cream Blusher in Head Over Heels weren't sales purchases but I needed to make my order up to get free delivery, come on we all do it! I'm on a peachy blusher frenzy at the minute, I need to be restrained!! The MAC All About Orange collection hasn't just been my favourite collection of the year, it has been my favourite collection of my life, that is a bold statement to make but all these peachy orangey colours are right up my street, I'd already purchased two lipsticks but missed out on Sweet and Sour so to ease my pain I made a cheeky little Selfridges order of Royal Sunset which seems to have now sold out on there but you could maybe still get it from a MAC counter. My peachy cheeked rampage was not over there as when Debenhams had 10% off beauty going on I also picked up immortal flower (which is also now out of stock but not at Selfridges) and an In Sync lip pencil. Just as my bank account thought it was safe I got an email from Feel Unique with a 15% discount code and these Limited Edition Real Techniques Duo Fiber Brushes were mine! 

What was your best buy from the summer sales?

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook

Monthly Favourites | June 2013

I didn't even realise that the end of June was looming until I saw a few monthly favourites popping up! This month has gone by in such a blur, new house, new job and a couple of messy nights in between is enough to frazzle any girls brain! The end of June also means that we're on the downwards slope towards Christmas, I need a few more sunny months before that thought starts to be less depressing though.

I think that I've spent the last 90% of this month doused in Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess (full review here) I absolutely love it, it's a holiday in a bottle and if you love a coconutty scent like me then this is perfect for you. It's limited edition though so you either have to stock up or be sparing! I really like bright blue nails when the sun is shining and Essie in the Cab-ana (full review here) is the perfect cloudless sky, swimming pool coloured blue. Good Application and long lasting, what more can a girl ask for?! I love lip products and I would go as far as saying that I'm a lipstick hoarder, out of my stash these two have been the stars of July. MAC Chatterbox (full review here) is an amplified finish in a really nice muted rosey pink colour, definitely worth looking into if you're after something that stands out but isn't too bright. MAC Flamingo (full review here) is from the All About Orange collection that did my bank account a lot of damage this June! At first I was a little bit disappointed that the colour pay off was quite weak but I've got over that hurdle now! It's just a really nice subtle pinky coral and the application is fail proof, you could do it with your eyes closed and it would still look great. I've been on a bit of a blusher binge recently and I've wanted Illamasqua Rude for ages now but it always seems to be out of stock on the website, I finally managed to get my hands on it and now I realise why it's always out of stock! It's a cream blush in a peachy colour and it has such a radiant finish, this really is the perfect summery cheek colour. I've really neglected my poor skin recently and the only thing that I've applied daily is this NUXE Huile Prodigieuse OR Dry Oil from the June Glossybox it has a golden shimmer running through it which is perfect for this time of year when we're all a little bit bronzed (real or from a bottle!) it can be used for your body, face and hair but I've only used it on my face because it's only a small sample, I think that the 50ml bottle comes as a spray which would be a lot easier to use. I'm definitely going to have to invest in a full size of this because I am nowhere near ready to part with my baby soft skin just yet!

Follow me on Twitter | Bloglovin' | Like me on Facebook