April Favourites

Narrowing down my favourites this month has been pretty hard since I've tried and loved so many new products, although eventually I manged to whittle it down to the products above. One of my most exciting favourites this month is the Real Techniques Core Collection, which I've been waiting such a long time to try - It didn't disappoint and I love using my new brushes everyday! Make up wise I tend not to mention the same product twice but I am still head over heels with this Dainty Doll foundation which I apply with my buffing brush (would you believe I'm in shade medium!) I cant stay loyal to any product yet I'm half way through this foundation. Its going to be a sad day when I run out! Sticking with Dainty Doll I've also been loving this Cream blush in Orange county girl - I just think it looks lovely and natural against my pale skin and applies amazingly with my real techniques contour brush. Last month I had a lot of trouble with mascaras smudging so am over the moon with Max Factors Clump Defy which leaves my lashes feeling great and smudge free all day! As you may be able to tell this month I really got into nails and loved MUA's Bold Blue along with Sinful Colors amazing new range - Pictured above is Mint apple and Timbleberry. Despite owning far too many face masks this month I have loved using Soap & Glory's No Clogs Allowed which I got in the Boots Clearance along with this lovely smelling Nectarine body butter. Another bargain favourite was this Naked hair mask from Poundland which leaves my hair feeling great (the tubs massive too!) Lastly is sample of Taylor Swifts Wonderstruck Enchanted which smells great, I think I prefer it over the original!

What have you been loving this month?

April Empties.

The fact that I'm writing this post scares the hell out of me, Since my exams are fast approaching. You'd think the fact my place at uni would scare me into studying - yet here I am sharing my rubbish with you guys instead of opening that dreaded law book. I actually don't mind revision, I think its the thought of it that stops me . While some put there blogging life on hold for exams that just not me, I may post less during the exam period I refuse to stop posting altogether! And in happier news, next month sees my 18th birthday which just seems crazy! 

This month I finally finished my Neutrogena Multi-Defence daily moisturiser, I liked this product and used it everyday before my make up with no problems - but as always I have lots of these types of products to get through before I think about rebuying. This Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion was amazing! It lasted months too. If you have problem skin Id recommend giving this a go. I found that this MUA primer did the same job at others for a faction of the price, and will buy again once I've gone through all of mine. The Liz Earle cleanse and polish is a good product, although personally I prefer Superdrugs version which is so much  more moisturising. Lastly I tried the Nivea express hydration primer which just didn't work for me - my make up seemed to just flake off! 

I was left impressed with this Herbal Essences duo, they made my hair feel great and seemed to last for a really long time - I'd happily buy again! The Mellor & Russell product was a great find at just a pound, and actually worked too - worth a try if you can find one in your local poundland! Lastly from hair I tried this Loreal oil which did a good job - although mine does the same job and is far cheaper.

I loved this Vaseline Coca radiant lotion  as it left my skin feeling softer than it does with more expensive ones although this Nivea one didn't impress me as much purely because it reminded me far too much of sun cream! I finally finished my big bottle of Clean on me after four whole months which I feel is amazing for the price along with this mini Stawberry Body Butter which smells amazing!

What did you finish this month?

Timbleberry by Sinful Colors

 Until they landed in Boots stores last month, I hadn't heard much about Sinful colors but as soon as I saw the amazing shade range available I had to grab a few to show you guys! One of the three pretty polishes I picked up was Timbleberry which is a beautiful pinky red shade, to be honest I wasn't expecting much because I'm constantly chipping my polish but this one has impressed me! The brush as a joy to use and actually gave me more control than I was expecting, This would have looked great in one coat although I added two (mainly out of habit). The below picture was taken 24 hours after I first applied the polish, there's just one tiny chip on my little finger. I also have a bad habit of picking my polish off normally from the bottom so try and ignore that. After day two my nails still pretty much looked the same and in the end I ended up removing the shade myself because I wanted to try another shade from the line.

Overall I'm very impressed, Its about time the UK saw a good quality nail polish range which doesn't break the bank. At just £1.99 a bottle (and often 3 for 2) I know I'll be going back!

My Summer Make up essentials

After battling with the rain today, It's hard to believe that I took the above picture just two days ago (and even got sunburn doing so!) So I figured to brighten the mood I'd post my five top Summer make up essentials as generally it appears to be getting warmer in the UK meaning my must haves are at the ready! I often find myself changing to BB creams in the summer months and this Dream Fresh one from Maybelline happens to be my favourite. It just leaves the skin with a lovely glowy finish and comes complete with SPF which is always an added bonus! Because BB creams tend to offer less coverage, My collection concealer is perfect for giving me extra help in the areas that need it, so is a must have in my make up bag especially when I'm not wearing a foundation. When it comes to blush I really want something quick and easy and feel this Dainty Doll one is great for that. It offers a lovely natural finish without looking cakey or too much. If there's one thing I cant leave the house without its mascara, in the summer I make sure I wear one which I know will stay put all day. For me Max Factors Clump Defy is perfect for that! Lastly protecting my lips is a big must, I use this Nivea lip balm which like the BB cream offers an SPF - It also has a lovely tint of colour to it too!

What are your summer must haves?

My top five Pastel Nail Polishes

If you live in the UK you will have noticed that lately the weather has been oddly lovely. The beauty blogger in me took this rare opportunity to walk to the park armed with my favourite pastel polishes to snap some pictures (I will stress they were in my bag - for some reason that last sentence just gives me images of a mad woman literally walking to the park with five nail polishes in her hand!).There's something about pastels which just screams spring! So here are my favourites modelled my best friend - who I WILL convert into a blogger (she just doesn't know it yet).

Firstly is the lovely Blue Moon from Barry M, while I personally find the brands polishes a little hit and miss this one is wonderful to the point that I've actually worn it a few times unlike most of the polishes I buy, wear once and automatically forget about. So for that reason alone its a winner in my book! Secondly is this gorgeous polish  from M&S appropriately named mint which I love, It actually belongs to my friend who is nice enough to let me borrow it - although I'm considering picking up my own as its so lovely! Next is a Revlon top speed polish in the shade cloud, this is just a really pretty lilac which looks great on - and best of all only cost a pound from Poundland! The most expensive of the bunch is this pretty pink Nails Inc polish - although this particular one was exclusive to Instyle magazine so worked out a lot cheaper. It's just a beautiful colour which quality reflects the brand as a whole, I'd say if you spot a nails inc freebie anytime soon make a run for the tills! Lastly is Revlons Sunshine Sparkle, a pretty yellow with specks of gold running though it, again another Poundland find which I love!

What are you favourite pastel polishes?

Real Techniques Core Collection

 For a while now I've really wanted to invest in some good make up brushes, but the thought of parting with £20 which could be used to buy actual make up really put me off. While I know many bloggers see these brushes as amazing value for money (which I actually do ) many people are content with simply using cheaper tools. I myself was pretty happy with my £3.75 ELF brush and Avon blusher brush - Although when you consider the fact that these brushes work out £5 each, It's simply worth paying that £1.25 more to get some really nice quality brushes for your money.

The Core collection comes complete with a buffing, contour, angled foundation and detailer brush along with a lovely Panoramic case. I travel a lot so it's great to know that my brushes will be well protected when I'm on the go - I also love the fact that this case folds into a stand, perfect for those who wish to display their new brushes. I can honestly say I've used every one of these brushes since I got them and I'm completely in love. So I figured I'd share with you guys what I use each brush for (I'll do this in order of the below picture to avoid confusion)

The Buffing brush - This is raved about by so many bloggers, and while normally I'm left so disappointed by blogger hype I've really loved using this brush! It's a lot smaller than I expected but I find this works so well with my favourite dainty doll liquid foundation and leaves my skin looking so much more 'flawless'.  Its a shame you cant buy this on it's own as this seems to be everyones favourite, but to be honest I'm really happy I brought the whole set as they all have many uses.

The Contour brush - This does what it says in the tin really and works really well with my current choice of contour - Dainty Doll's Million Dollar Babies Cream Blush. I've found this is brilliant at applying cream products as it gives you so much control and have also used it a few times with my MUA cream blush.

The Angled Foundation brush - This is brush is so overlooked by many because of the hype surrounding the buffing brush but I've found it is the perfect size for applying my under eye concealer. Normally with smaller brushes I struggle to blend but with this my eyes are sorted with just a few swipes!

The Detailer brush - This little brush is prefect for applying my cream concealer as it's small enough to allow you to reach all of your target areas. It would also work great as a lip brush too!

As you can tell, I'm so pleased I finally picked these brushes up - they are worth every penny! 

Do you own any real techniques brushes?

A small Poundland haul.

I know it was only a couple of days ago that I posted my last haul, but I figured with Poundland the faster you post the better as the stock is constantly changing. I was so pleased to spot these Sally Hansen real nail polish strips in check it out and laced up, both still retail for £7.99 in boots! I'm really looking forward to trying these out because nail polish seems to automatically chip on me and I'm so lazy with my nails. Lastly I spotted Maybelline's 'High heel' mascara which I'm guessing is just this Lash stiletto mascara from their website - I haven't heard much about this but have found some pretty amazing reviews while trying to find out more about it. This is the third mascara I've brought in the last few days which is a little concerning. Hopefully I'll find my HG in those three!

Have you found any good bargains lately?

Bold Blue from MUA

Given that this is my second nail post in the past week, you may have noticed that I have recently got back into painting my nails (and made up for lost time by buying lots of new polishes!). I only own one other MUA nail polish, so when I saw that they'd undergone a bit of a revamp I had to pick up another! This time I went for the shade Bold Blue. Personally I don't feel as if the formula has changed, it still appears to dry fast and give an opaque finish in two coats although I love how much more control you have with the new brush (I would have included a compassion but I'm terrible and loosing things - maybe i'll save that for another post)

 Overall I think this polish is an amazing buy at just a pound - I love the new bottle too!

Boots Clearance Haul #2

Last time I posted a Boots Clearance haul it gathered a great response so I figured I'd share with you guys my latest bargains! This time my lovely friend went on my behalf and phoned me to let me know what goodies they had in stock to save me a long journey home, lets just say she knows me way too well and picked up some great finds. One of the most exciting products here has to be Soap & Glory's No Clogs Allowed mask which was a priced greatly at just £3.50, This still retails at £11 in stores and my bottle was perfectly intact so I don't quite know how this found its way to the clearance store, but I'm happy it did because I'm really looking forward to trying it out! There seemed to be a load of 17 make up in the store (my guess is because of their rebrand) for just a pound I got a wild curls mascara along with two Berry Crush lip stains (Cherry berry & Pinkini) I love them both although Cherry Berry surprised me the most so expect a full review soon. Both of these 17 nail polishes seemed to have a unique take on the crackle polish and they were just 50p each! Lastly is this lovely Boots Extracts nectarine body butter which smells lovely and feels even better was just £1.80!

I thought I'd include a quick snap of the lip stains in action, the top is Pinkini and the bottom is Cherry Berry. You can see my last Boots Clearance Haul here or click here to find more details about the Boots Clearance store. Why arent there more? It's definitely the something I will miss about London when I move away for uni, maybe I'll have to send my friend on lots of trips! 

NOTD (with Marie Claire Freebie!)

I figured Id post a quick NOTD since the polish I'm currently loving is still free with this months Marie Claire magazine! My bottle of Ciate's Sand dune looks completely battered as it was smashed when I brought it although it still works perfectly fine. I find Ciate polishes dry really fast and last a good while without chiping (these pictures are from a day after applying which is pretty good for me!) I finished the look with this lovely 17 nail xtra's polish that my friend found for 50p in a Boots clearance store - It's a lovely black crackle with gold glitter running through it (she knows me well!)

What's on your nails?

May Magazine Freebies

I know these deals aren't exactly breaking news but I figured I'd write a quick blog post in case you had missed some of the wonderful freebies offered in this months magazines. This month you can find a full sized Ciate polish (worth £9) inside Marie Claire (£3.80) along with a sample of Jergens. There's a choice of two shades; Sand Dune, a shimmery gold and Pocket Money, a dark nude. I couldn't find Pocket Money anywhere so picked up Sand Dune which looks lovely on. I will warn you too look closely at the polish - as mine has a big crack and I've seen many others complain of the same issue! Next I picked up Red (£4) which offers a whole range of Aromatherapy freebies including;  the Hydrating Triple Rose Renewing Moisturiser (worth £29) a Hydrating Rose Face Mask (worth £17) and a Hydrating Renewing Rose Cleanser (worth £3.50). Personally I went for the face mask which I'm really looking foward to trying! You can also find a Cowshed Body Butter (worth £7) in Instyle (£3.80) or even a Phil Smith Argan Oil Cream (worth £5.50) in Cosmopolitan (£3.60)

Remember Sainsbury's are offering a buy two get £2 off on selected magazines! Have you picked any up this month?

My updated hair care routine.

At the start of the year I posted my hair cure routine which you guys really seemed to like, so I figured today I'd update it since the products I've been using have changed a lot since then. If you want to know the back ground of my hair click here to go to that post where I went more in-depth, but for reference I have naturally blonde hair which suffers a lot of heat damage. First up is my shampoo and conditioner, I'm currently using Herbal essences since they were half price when my others ran out. The seductively straight range promises that the 'lush formula' will 'smooth your strands into a pin-straight line' which really isn't the case but they smell lovely and leave my hair manageable so I'd recommend them based on that. Once a week (sometimes fortnight) I will swap my Herbal essences for Toni & Guy's shampoo for advanced detox, which just gets rid of any product build up and leaves my hair really cleansed. I will  also  do the same with my  Tresemme's platinum strength deep conditioning treatment which I will insure to use one a week to keep my hair extra soft. Although If my hair starts to feel like it needs that extra help I love Mellor & Russell's Miracle moisture hair repair mask which is a complete bargain at just a pound (full review here) I use my Tresemme liquid gold restorative complex  everytime I wash my hair and after months I still have over half the bottle left - talk about impressive this leaves my hair feeling so smooth, a must have for me! On those lazy days I make a run for Batiste's light and blonde dry shampoo its a just life saver which I will always continue to buy. Lastly I use a heat defense spray everytime I straighten my hair, Currently using one by Tresemme which does a wonderful job.

What products are you using on your hair?

Emergency Make up bag!

This week has been rather hectic and I have often found myself doing my make up on the go, because of this I've reached for those mess free products in my stash which require the minimum tools. They've all ended up in this lovely bag which held a Toni & Guy gift set, I love that it's big enough to hold everything yet can still be shoved in my handbag.

No matter how much of a rush I'm in, I have a big thing about preparing the skin correctly and always to insure I cleanse the skin when I wake up. I love following this up with this Botanics Day cream which sinks in quickly and is perfect on the go, I probably don't need to add a primer but I add this MUA one anyway - I think its great and for just £4 it does the same as the expensive ones! I follow this up with my Dainty Doll foundation which I find is best for on the go as its very close to my skintone and involves less blending than most.  Late nights mean tried eyes and this Pro-base palette just helps to brighten them up, I then use my Collection 2000 concealer on any blemishes I may have. I may be on the go but I always have time to curl my lashes, I think this Primark one is great and its only a pound! Next I coat my lashes in this lovely Jemma Kidd mascara its a little messy but it lasts all day so I always have cotton buds on hand. I don't do much to my eyebrows but using an clear mascra such as this MUA one makes a huge difference.

If I feel like a contour I'll add my Million Dollar babies cream blush  followed by orange county girl, I love these both as they require little fuss and you can just apply with your fingers. To insure my make up stays put I set it with this MUA powder which I apply down my T-Zone with my EcoTools brush. I then finish the look with this I love... lipgloss which I don't think is particularly special it just keeps the lips from looking bare.

Youtuber of the week #7

I wasn't sure who I wanted to feature this week, although when I saw Beautycrush's latest video I knew it was about time I shared her channel with you guys. The channel consists of a great mixture of videos involving beauty, fashion and even advise. Being on a budget myself I was a huge fan of  'MAC Dupes' which showcased some wonderful dupes - I also loved the way in with she showed swatches against each other in comparison.

Who is your favourite youtuber? Do you know any good MAC dupes?

Dainty Doll's Orange County Girl

If there was one thing I really wanted to try from Nicola Robert's Dainty Doll line, It was this cream blush in the shade 'Orange County Girl'. I've seen so many others compare this to the famous Orgasm blush from Nars only in cream form. They also do this shade in powder form (You are my sunshine) although personally I went for Orange County Girl over this powder version as I just find cream blushes to be so effortless, something I really look for in a product.

I loved the packaging of this, Its just one of those products you can throw in your bag without fear of it smashing because its really sturdy. Athough I wasn't a fan of the fact the 'Dainty doll' label completely wore off, I get that packaging isn't everything but for its original retail price I'd expect a bit more quality.

The blusher itself is a gorgeous peachy pink with gold shimmer running though it, while it looks pretty bright in the pan it gives a lovely subtle glow to the cheeks which is perfect for everyday use. It lasts all day long and I can honestly say I haven't reached for another blusher since. I love that its so easy to wear and apply, in that you don't need to bother with brushes you can achieve a finished look with just your fingers.

Right now you can find Dainty Doll products for cheap all over the internet, I found it for £1.70 here.

The bargain hair repair mask.

I've never heard of Mellor & Russell before, but their products really stood out to me while I was wondering around Poundland the other day. I feel like the miracle moisture range is really well designed especially when you consider they're budget products retailing at just a pound each. I decided to pick up just the hair repair mask rather buying a whole range which may not work for me. The mask promises 'soft and shiny hair' something I'm sure many strive for with the added use of 'argan oil' which I'm pretty sure this doesn't have at all. This seems to be a massive trend, and to be honest I'm a little fed up with brands labelling their products with this in the hope that consumers will buy. But I'm not going to penalise the product over that as I actually did enjoy using it.

To be honest I didn't expect much from this, It has a really thin consistency which made me think it wouldn't do much for my hair. But after my first application my hair felt so soft, like most hair masks you simply leave on for 3-5 minutes after washing your hair as normal then rinse. The night that I used this I realised that I'd actually forgot to add my oil to my hair after getting out of the shower like I normally do, so the fact that my hair felt better than normal amazed me as normally I find my hair can be very dry without them. I've used this twice and would say I have 1-2 uses left, not bad considering my hair is practically down to my waist now.

You can pick up Mellor & Russell products in poundland, have you tried anything from this range?

My Make Up Collection: Lips

I've been wanting to start this series for a while now, but I have a tendency to be very disorganised so gathering my collection has been a task in itself! Finally I had a little spare time over Easter to locate the majority of my collection (It's an exciting life, I know) and today I figured I'd start my make up collection series off with which is probably my favourite make up item of the moment lipstick/gloss. Because I do have a lot of them I've attempted to break the shades down by colour (Pinks, Nudes, Oranges, Reds and Purples) although many of the shades could overlap into more than one section for example a pinky nude so I've just picked the section which I felt was more appropriate for the shade.

L-R: Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial, Rimmel lasting finish lipstick in 101, NYC Snowcome, Look Beauty Babydoll, Look Beauty Double hit lip Lipstick & Gloss in rose riot, Avon in the pink, Revlon Balm Stain in Honey, Revlon Lip butter in peach parfiat, Natural Collection's sorbet, Revlon lipgloss in peony.

Clearly I love a good pink shade! To my surprise I've actually reviewed pretty much all of the above, as normal just click the product name to read the review (Warning some of these reviews are very old so try not to laugh!). My favourites here are definitely the Lasting finish lipstick by Rimmel, the Revlon balm stain and their lipgloss. The brightest pink shade I own is Look's Babydoll which is actually quite pretty - I think I'll be digging it out this summer (if we ever get one!)

L-R: Look Beauty Petal nude, Look beauty Toffee cup, Natural Collection Rose petal, Rimmel Apocalips Nude eclipse, MUA Bare, Natural Collection Lotus,  Soap & Glory Mighty mouth, Natural Collection Fondat, Soap & Glory Sexy Motherpucker, Barry M limited edition gloss

Nude lips are my go to when I'm stuck for ideas, I just think they look so elegant and are perfect at completing most make up looks! If you're starting out with nude shades and don't want to waste too much money I'd  recommend MUA's bare - At just a pound its wonderful to see how these sort of shades work for you. Alternatively Natural collection also offer a who range of sheer shades at £1.99 (Which are normally on 3 for 2) I'm also a massive fan of both my look beauty nudes which both look so lovely on the lips! 

L-R: Revlon Smoked Peach, ColorTrend Flirt, Look Beauty Tangerine Cream, NYC Peach Fizz, MUA Juicy, Gosh Lipgloss in 0084 ,Gap lipgloss

I'll be the first to admit orange/peach lipsticks really don't suit me, but apparently I'm desperate to make them work judging by the amount I own! I think the most wearable shades here are the Gosh lipgloss and Look lipstick. Somehow in the swatching process I left out MUA's Nectar although its very similar to Colortrend's Flirt in colour (only cheaper!)

L-R: Sleek's Stiletto, Avon's Pink Peach, Chit Chat Damson, MUA Shade 3, Loreal Aphrodite Scarlet

I don't have many reds, So I decided to talk about all the red/berry shades in one go.  I love Sleek's Stiletto which I got in Decembers Glossybox although it looks way too messy on me (I need to buy a lipliner and brush before I even think of wearing it!) Meanwhile Pink peach and Aphrodite Scarlet are safer more subtle reds for the less daring of us. Finally Shade 3 and Damson aren't so much red shades, but still very bold for someone who likes to play it quite safe with lips like myself..

L-R: Rimmel Apocalips in Galaxy, No7 Poppy king lipgloss, Maxfactor lip tint, Loreal Sweet berry, No7 Poppy King lipgloss

Despite loving a nude lip, for me nothing beats a lipstick with a purple tone to it and I just love these sorts of shades against my pale skin! Again quite a few berry shades here, although these happen to be my favourite! I also love both the No7 lipglosses although these were both in a Christmas gift and sadly have no shade names.

So there you have it my whole lip collection! Do you own any of these shades?!

Youtuber of the week #6

Happy Easter Monday Guys! This weeks youtube favourite, the lovely Dfashion100  comes all the way from Germany, although her English is amazing and she seems like such a sweet girl! Like many of my featured youtubers she does favourites and tutorials, but I think her videos are really unique in that you can see the amount of time and effort which she puts into them. Above is one of my favourite videos that she's made, I think it may have even been the first one of hers I watched! She also has a wonderful blog too which you can find here.

Who is your favourite youtuber?