November 2012 Favourites

I am so happy to be doing my November favourites because that means IT'S NEARLY CHRISTMAS.  So here we go..

Burt's Bees lip Balm- Since I first posted about this here, I have burned my way through it and even bought a second one. I am never using another lip balm again. It applies beautifully and smoothly and seems to melt a little on contact with your skin. It doesn't feel heavy or sticky and after a couple of minutes you can't feel it on your lips at all, but they feel moiturised and nourished. I cannot recommend this enough. They're a bit pricier than your average lip balm at £3.69, but I cannot urge you enough to get this. Skip lunch, rob your Granny, become a drug dealer to buy this if you think it's too much to pay. (OK, please don't do these things, I want to say it's worth doing those things for, but I think your Granny would disagree) HG FO' SHO!

Soap & Glory kick ass concealer- I was bit 'hmmm' about this for a while. I bought it about six months ago, but never used it much. I don' know what changed, but in November I decided to give it another go and WOW. I use the salmony side to conceal dark circles (obviously) and I use the yellowy colour to do my brows. This is such a great colour match for me. Lining this around my brows makes them look so much neater than they really are and my dark circles are GONE. Another HG? Perhaps. (I just noticed while uploading the pics that it looks like I've hit pan on the salmony shade)

St. Moriz tanning mousse in 'Medium'-  I rocked this in the colour 'Dark' during summer, but I thought I'd tone it down a little for winter. I don't actually usually tan in winter, and just rock my natrual ghostly appearance. I'M AN ENGLISH ROSE, DAMMIT. Buuut, the weather's been a bit poopy and I had an urge to inject some colour into my skin (not literally 'inject' like those disturbing tanning injections you can buy online). So I did. I was soo happy with the results of this. It looked natural and faded evenly. It perked me up during the winter blues. LOVE!

L'Oreal night cream-  I love a couple of things about this. One, the packaging is glass. How sophisticated I feel getting my moisturiser out of a glass jar. Luckily I haven't had to travel, but when I fly next week, I'll probably be hating the packaging. And 2, how his makes my skin feel when I wake up. It's very rich, thick heavy. Perfect for a night cream, and you certainly don't want to mistake this for a day cream because you will look like a greasy mess. But by morning my skin has drunk it all up an my skin feels plump and moisturised. I will be sad when this runs out.

Nails Inc. 'James St.'- This is one of the colours which was free in this months Glamour. Shockingly I do not own a classic red, and this is has filled the void very efficiently. What is more elegant than a red nail? I have worn this a couple of times throughout the month, and even if I've been in a jumper and jeans, I've felt a bit classier than usual.

Charles Worthington Intense Rescue Melting Balm- There was a lot of hype around this after Fleur de Force mentioned it a couple of times, so I thought why not give it a go. I like that the first ingredients are ACTUAL OILS. In so many products, the first ingredients are water, silicones, sulphates etc. and that is going to do NOTHING for your hair, except maybe damage it further. I usually use pure oils (Argan, Macadamia, Coconut) over night before I wash, but they've been replaced with this in November. Because it has a selection of different oils, I figure they can all offer my hair different things, rather than just using the one oil. There are some chemical nasties near the end of the ingredients though, so it's not a 100% amazing product. However, this smells delicious and makes my skin feel soft and smooth. 

Miscellaneous favourite:

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. IS IT TOO SOON? I DON'T CARE!!

Primark Angelica Nail Colour in 'Tantrum' | Review

Pictures taken two days after application, with two coats. Excuse my cuticles.

I'm no nail polish snob. But I did once try one from Primark and it was absolutely vile.

The other day though a stand caught my eye, which in my peripheral vision looked like an Essie stand. 

I wanted something a little different and 'Tantrum' stood out to me amongst the billions of other beautiful colours.

I would describe it as a purple/gold oil spill with fine glitter.. If that's an adequate description.

Packaging: 

Really nice. The white top looks a little cheap and I think if it was black it would look a lot nicer. But it still looks good. The writing is directly on the bottle and not just on some cheap sticker so I think it feels and looks like it came from somewhere a bit posher than Primarni.

Formula: 

Very nice. Two coats and it was opaque. It also dried in a reasonably good amount of time.

Brush:

 HORRIBLE! This is the only thing which lets the product down. It's too big and .. 'Floppy' so it's a bit tricky to apply. But it's not unusable.

Colour: 

Luuurve it. I think it's quite unique. It reminds me a little of O.P.I.'s 'The World is Not Enough' but, you know, purple. I've also layered a coat of this on top of some dark nail polishes and it looks rather lovely.

Longevity: 

The same as usual for me. 2-3 days without chipping. So not bad.

Colour selection: 

Brilliant. They had a great selection of glitters, duochromes etc. and lots of dupes of much expensive brands (I spotted a dupe for Model's Own 'Indian Ocean')

I'm really pleased I picked this up and think I'll be donning my nails with it a lot this Autumn/Winter. Have you tried anything from this line?

Price: £2.50

October 2012 Favourites

L-R: MAC Rubenesque, Revlon 'Crush', Chanel Tan de Soleil.. and a club stamp

My first ever favourites post. I'm so excited. But sad that it's late. I've had quite a few favourites recently, but thought I'd keep it short and sweet to my ABSO FAVES.

-Chanel Tan De Soleil Bronzing Makeup Base: I never really liked the look of this, I'd swatched it a few times at the counter and gasped (gasped!) at how orange it was. For some unknown reason I was possessed to buy it one day. I wanted to use it as a cream contour which it's OK for, but it really does excel at making you looked sun kissed.. and not orange. Perfect for the winter when I can't be bothered to fake tan but don't want to look like I have some sort of deficiency going on. Obviously I don't think it would be ideal for summer in the heat, when I prefer to use a powder (NARS Laguna), but I'm not a huge fan of powders in the colder months, so I think that's when Chanel can step in. Above pictures show it when I initially bought it, and after about 8 uses. INTERESTING FACT: You know the brand UNE in Superdrug and Boots? They are apparently owned by Bourjois (who I believe either own, or are owned by Chanel). UNE do a BB Cream Bronzer for £15 for 7.5g. Chanel's Bronzing make up base is £30 for 30g. Meaning that gram for gram, UNE are charging twice as much as Chanel.

-Revlon Colorstay Foundation in 'Buff' for Dry Skin: First of all, it is just totally ingenious that they do this foundation for different skin types. Every other brand should follow Revlon's lead on this. Secondly, this is my PERFECT COLOUR MATCH. I'm a big blender and bronzer, so I'm never too persnickety (btw, that's my favourite word of the month) about colour match, but it's nice to have an exact match! I was expecting this to feel mask-like and look cakey but I actually find it's perfect for every day use for me. The lack of pump is annoying, but I work my way around it just fine.

-MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot: My first Paint Pot (***cheer***). Probably should have gone for Bare Study, Soft Ochre or Painterly, but they're going on my Christmas list instead. LOVE this colour, but only in a light wash. An opaque layer of this looks like I have pink eye or some other kind of gross eye infection. How ever this simply does not crease on me. After using this and the Mayebelline Color Tattoos, I don't think I'm ever going to go back to eye primers, because cream eyeshadows (not the Illamasqua ones- CREASE CITY) work perfectly for me as a base, and can be used on their own as an eye colour.

-Zara Rose Gold Perfume: I did a review on this little beauty HERE.

-Real Techniques Expert Face Brush: Didn't really need this but it was 3 for 2 in Boots. I use it for my Chanel Bronzing blah blah and I think it's perfect for that. I prefer it to the buffing brush if truth be told, which has no been neglected. Sorry buffing brush.

-Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Crush': Since buying this in September, it's been the only thing on my lips (other than lip balm). However, I don't think it lasts all day, and I do find it drying. So.. I guess as a moisturising stain, it's a fail for me. But I love the colour and it lasts longer than other lip products, I can also just apply my lip balm over the top of it without worrying about ruining it.

Miscellaneous favourite: HALLOWEEN. I have had too much fun doing my makeup this halloween.

Sleek Life's a Peach Blush | Review

Bottom swatch is applied quite heavily, and above it is blended in

Recently, my blush collection has grown out of control, but this is one of my favourites of them all (and that is saying a lot).
Yes, it's a hideous bright orange in the pan. And if you're a fan of Sleek's blushes, you'll know that they're very pigmented. Luckily this blush is incredibly sheer so instead of looking like patches of you are turning into an orange, you'll just have a nice subtle glow about you.
I use a Real Techniques Blush brush to apply it, which is perhaps not ideal. I find the brush brilliant for working with blushes which are very pigmented, because it doesn't pick up too much product, and blends nicely. As this is very sheer however, you have to put a little more effort in. This works for me though, because I use this blush when I want to look like I haven't got any on, but magically have a peachy flush to my cheeks. How sly.

While I think the colour of this would look beautiful on darker skin tones, I don't think the colour pay off is great enough. While this shows up subtly on my pale skin, I think women who are darker would really struggle to have this show up at all, which is a shame because as I said, I think the colour in the pan would look beautiful on darker skin. 

I can't believe this is my first peach blush. While all of my pinks will always have a place in my heart, I think 'Life's a Peach' will have a place on my face for the foreseeable future. 

Available at Superdrug for £4.29

Zara Woman Rose Gold Eau de Toilette | Review

I've never reviewed a perfume before, and I don't think I ever will again. My ability to describe scents is none existent. There's some sort of block between my nose, brain and mouth. I simply cannot manage anything beyond 'Sweet', 'Spicy' or.. 'Vanilla.' 

WHY AM I EVEN WRITING THIS?

1) I couldn't see any other review for it

2) It's incredibly cheap

3) I really like it.

I should probably just stop there.

I bought this because I didn't want to use my high end perfumes every single day anymore. It seems like a waste when they sometimes cost over £70 a bottle. I'd heard some good things about Zara perfumes, and when I was in their recently, they caught my eye. After smelling them all, I decided this one was my favourite (and most expensive at £15.99) and off I went.. to pay.

Description from Zara:

Oriental-floral: Magnolia leaves, green notes, orange flower, golden amber and musk.

I won't even try to butcher the description any more. I will say that it's very nice, lasts a good amount of time and is £15.99 for 100ml which is a BARGAIN!! 

I have taken to filling my Travalo with it so I can spritz on the go if I feel like I need a top up. A 100ml glass bottle is NOT an ideal addition to your handbag. Fiiinally, the bottle is so cute. It's Rose Gold (as the name suggests), which I didn't realise until I got it home. I know Rose Gold has been a big thing with people lately, so maybe it will appeal.

Sorry this has been a crap 'review' but to be honest, when I read words on a page describing a perfume, I don't get too excited about it. I definitely need to smell things in real life to get any sort of idea if I'll like it. So basically, if you're in Zara soon, I'd highly recommend checking these out, if you haven't before. They start from £5.99, which is very cheap. At first some of them smell overpoweringly of alcohol, but this does wear off.

Dry Winter Lips | Favourite Products

This will be my fourth winter in Scotland, and it is pretty bloody cold. Like my skin, my lips get destroyed in the weather. But these are the products which I feel save my lips from become chapped horrible messes.

-Blistex Intensive Moisturiser- I apply this at night before I go to bed to hydrate my lips over night. In the morning they feel so smooth and soft. The reason I only apply this at night is because it can leave a bit of white residue, and I don't want to worry about that when I'm reapplying throughout the day. A lot of people dislike the smell of this, but it doesn't really bother me. £2.59

-Burt's Bees Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil- I love three things about this product: 1) It does the job, it keeps my lips moiturised 2) It smells and tastes great and 3) The ingredients. Unlike the other two products here, Aqua isn't near the top of the ingredients, followed by a bunch of chemicals. The first three ingredients in this are Sunflower Seed Oil, Beeswax and Coconut Oil. Good stuff, and great for your lips. £3.69

-Blistex Lip Brilliance Blushing- This isn't exactly a necessity, but I added it to the list because it has a little bit of a tint to it, which sometimes you want. It smells and tastes stronger than the Burt's Bees lip balm, but is equally as nice. I have quite pigmented lips, so the colour doesn't show up brilliantly on me, but if your lips aren't a very strong colour, it would probably show up better. £2.59


If you haven't tried any of these products, I'd highly recommend them. I do have a lot of pot lip balms lying around, from Vaseline, Carmex and Blistex but with long nails, they're just impossible to use, so I'm 100% opting for sticks (is that the right word?) this year.

Haulin'

Because I've been such a crap blogger of late (damn you, dissertation) I thought I'd do a haul. Personally I love checking out other people's hauls, but if you don't, I'm sorry.

As a twist I'm going to show you everything I bought.. even the super boring items (except my salad from M&S, but only because I've eaten it).

-Maybelline Color Tattoo in 'Pink Gold'- First off, I really wish they'd change the name to 'colour tattoo.' Since they go to the effort to changing the shade name from the American one, I'd really like if they'd take the time to add in the 'u'. Am I being unreasonable? Anyway, I own three other colours, so I  picked up this one because it was shiny and new. I love it. It's just like 'Sin' from Urban Decay which is  one of my favourite eyeshadows. Yay! £4.99
-Real Techniques Blush Brush- After reading Fiona's brush post, I decided to grab one too. I've needed a new blush brush for a while, and didn't quite want to spend over £20 on a MAC or Japonesque one. This is so soft. Mmm. £9.99
-Macadamia Natural Oil Masque- I have wanted this for SO long. I don't know why. It's probably no different from cheaper ones which I own. Also.. Argan Oil is above Macadamia Oil in the ingredients. I feel like this is false advertising? Anyway, when I saw it in TK Maxx for £15 I snapped it up. It smells so good. And looks so pretty.
-Rimmel Stay Matte Powder- I've actually gone back to using powders recently, but hesitantly. I know this one is supposed to be amazing, and since it only costs £3.99, I thought why not? In fact, it was free because it's 3 for 2 in Boots.  The colour is 001 Transparent.
-Free BeneFit 'Sun Beam' in InStyle- I don't need this. I've never even wanted to try Moon beam. I'm pale and it's not summer, I don't think it will suit me. So obviously I picked it up. £2.50
-Mitchum Anti-Persperant- Umm.. everybody sweats? But nobody likes to smell... These smell good! 2 for £4
-Johnson's cotton buds- I cannot live without these. I constantly make makeup mistakes and these save my life. I refuse to use anything other than Johnson's because these are so strong and sturdy. I am a cotton bud snob. To me, these are luxury cotton buds. Can you get actual luxury ones? I don't think I'd be willing to buy them. These cost me 55p each, I got two.

So.. some exciting (well I think so) things, and some boring things.

I'm going to be popping my empties post cherry next. EXCITED.

Getting my beauty box fix | Debenhams Beauty Favourites for Her (Silky Skin)

I'm alive. I'm back. I have internet.. and I'm back in Scotland!

I've missed the whole writing a blog and reading blogs thing. Weep.

To break myself in gently, here's a quick post about a set I bought at Debenhams yesterday for the bargainous price of £8.10 (weird amount, right? It was reduced from £27, so maybe there are some percentage things going on).

As you may or may not know, I used to be a glossybox subscriber, but decided it was no longer for me- mainly because of the crap items, and the having to pay for said crap items. But I miss getting a box of cute-sized items through my letter box (well, they were handed to me because they don't fit through the letter box) each month. But then I saw this box, and it filled that void perfectly. Not only was it nearly £5 cheaper than a glossybox with delivery, it's also much better (in my opinion)!

It contains (sample sizes of):

-BeneFit Dr Feelgood Complexion Balm (Sample value £1.60)

-Burt's Bees Radiance Day Creme (sample worth £2.40)

-Dead Spa Magik Delicate Boosting Mask (sample worth 50p)

-Dead Sea Magik Rich Moisturiser (sample worth 50p)

-Elemis Pro-Collagen marine Cream (sample worth £23)

-L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Hand Cream (sample worth £3)

-Natio Ageless Illuminating Primer (sample worth £4)

Total value: £35* (not bad!)

So that's seven rather high end-ish samples for a mere eight pounds and ten pence. Obviously I don't know if I'm going to like any of these. But that's the beauty of samples. If I find two or three things which I really like in this set, I think it will be £8.10 well spent.

All in all, I am much happier with this box of nice things than 80% of my glossyboxes.. and my dreadful Illamasqua box. You can read my review of glossybox here, and the Illamasqua Mystery Box here. I think I have learned a valuable lesson; when buying a box which you don't know of the contents of, you will probably be disappointed. I guess I'll be saving my money for gift sets!

If you like the look of this, and fancy one yourself, head to Debenhams!

Oh and the best thing about this package was the booklet inside, which taught me how to pronounce L'OCCITANE, it's 'lox-ee-tan' for any other philistines like myself who struggle!

*pretty accurate total, but some figures had be rounded up or down a few pence.

What's in my (summer*) bag?

  *Summer, where are you?    

                                                
There'll probably be a few of these posts because I change bags/what I carry all the time. But this post is accurate of today!

This bag is a Louis Vuitton Speedy... 35? Or 25? I can't remember. I've had it since I was 18 so the details are missing from my mind. But it's a decent summer bag. It's small and compact. It's quite narrow but deep which sometimes makes finding things difficult and it has no pockets. But other than that, I like using it.

So, in no particular order, because apparently too untidy to assemble the products into some sort of discernible pile, here's a list of what is in my bag:

-Orange Tangle Teezer
-Pink Radley Purse
-Ipod Touch
-Blackberry 8900 (literally had this thing for over three years so definitely upgrading SOON)
-Simple Sun-Kissed Moisture Cream
-Keys
-Miss Dior perfume sample
-Hotel Chocolat leaflet (weird)
-'Ted' cinema ticket
-A.B.S. By Allen Schwarz Sunglasses
-Makeup bag, a waterproof  bag which came in a gift set from 'Sanctuary':
                          -Nail scissors- for cutting nails, not people
                          -Tweezerman Tweezers
                          -L'oreal SPF 50 face/chest/hand cream
                          -Travalo (with 'Flowerbomb' from Viktor and Rolf in)
                          -Blistex lipbalm
                          -Oral B Floss
                          -Neom Organic Hand Cream in Morrocan Blush Rose
                          -Primark hair ties
                          -Boots nail file
                          -Superdrug Deep Action Anti-Blemish Gel
                          -Tester of Estee Lauder's 'Invisible Fluid Makeup' (weird)
                          -Dr Bronner's Organic Hand Sanitizing Spray

The only thing I'm missing is a mirror. Seems like a pretty major thing. And i swear it's usually in there.. eek!