May Favourites

 It's crazy to think that tomorrow is the first day of June! I'm off laptop shopping which I'm looking forward to (mainly because I haven't gotten dressed in two whole days - gotta love revision!). Over the past week I've been treated to a lot of new goodies, So I'll expect that Junes post will be jammed packed although as it stands I havent had a chance to try many of them. I brought this Origins Vitazing in a blog sale recently and have really enjoyed using it before my make up. I'll probably have a post up on it eventually although I expect it wont be too soon due to my exams, I don't think I'd pay full price for it - But for now it's a lovely treat. I got Benefits They're real in Elle magazine and have really enjoyed it, I'm even tempted to buy a full sized tube! I was sent a sample of Taylor Swift's Wonderstuck Enchanted and loved it so much my Mum brought me a 50ml bottle - I'm rubbish with scents so I wont even try but if you are a fan of sweet smells I'd go and give this a sniff.

This Kate Moss Lasting finish lipstick in shade 19 was also a gift from my Mum which I'll hopefully get around to reviewing soon, Its a lovely shade which lasts all day and isn't drying on the lips - what more can you ask for? I loved the cream version of this Dainty Doll blush so much that I had to get the powder version too - You are my sunshine gives such a lovely glow the cheeks, I adore it topped with MUA's highlighter!

May Empties

May has probably been the most hectic month of the year so far, In between leaving college and studying for exams I some how ended up turning the grand old age of 18 and shopping way too much. With no signs of life slowing down anytime soon I've been going flash card crazy today in an attempt to study on the go for my exams (which start monday!) Next month also sees me flying back to Scotland literally the day after my exams finish. As you can imagine I'm really looking forward to the break, I've been collecting travel minis for months!

Lately I've been trying to use the same products over and over again until I finish them up, although I liked both the Good things Deep Clean and the Neutrogena Black head eliminating scrub, I just didn't feel like they were doing much for me. Next I finished up this Body Shop Cucumber Freshening water which I believe TBS has now stopped selling which was a same as I found this really useful to get my make up off.

I really liked the Tresemme Platinum Strength deep conditioning treatment and would probably buy it again if I saw it on offer as it leaves my hair feeling soft. I'm a big fan if Vo5 and find myself going back to their shampoos and conditioners a lot, as I find they make a real difference to my hair and you can always find them pretty cheap. I made a real effort this month to try and use up my other hair products which have been abandoned by my love of oils, I think the Aussie treatment is great although I'm not so keen on the herbal essences product.

I loved using this Boots Extracts nectarine body butter, normally I go for more less sweet smelling ones although this jut blew me away! I also finished Soap & Glory's Scrub 'Em and Leave 'Em which I thought has a great consistency, I also love the scent so It's a winner in my book. The Miss Sporty's Nail expert manicure base coat was great, I dont think Ill ever splash out on an expensive one again! Lastly I loved this sample of Taylor Swifts new perfume so much that I actually got a 50ml bottle for my birthday!

What have you finished this month?

Free Elemis beauty balm in Red

Just a quick post on an offer I spotted in Tesco this morning. This months July edition of Red Magazine includes a free 15ml sample of Elemis' Pro-radiance illuminating Flash Balm. The magazine itself is £4, although Its half the price if you pick it up at Tesco so I'd recommend trying there first. 

Will you be buying a copy?

Selfridges Summer Beauty Box

When I saw Selfridges' latest offering I thought about it for a while before deciding I deserved a treat so placed an order. Since I had plans to be in around Oxford Street yesterday anyway I decided I'd make the most of the free click and collect service. Other stores should seriously take note! Once I'd shown the man my confirmation email I was offered a seat which I thought was great as in other stores I find myself awkwardly standing around while I wait for someone to find my order. My name was then called and I was offered a bag to place the box - Again other stores (mainly Boots) take note, Why you sent me away with a massive box for a brush and a mascara I'll never know! My feet killed after a long day shopping (expect a huge haul soon) but it was worth it!

The box itself was packed with goodies (which you would hope for at £25!) including; Aqua Splash Tangle Teezer, Models Own Neon Nail Varnish, Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, Molton Brown Blissful Templetree Shower Gel, Caudalie Beauty Elixir, St. Tropez Instant Glow Face Lotion, Jane Tran Hair Clips, Erborian BB Cream, Lancaster After Sun and St. Tropez exclusive in-store offer card. 

Even though this is more than I would normally spend on a beauty box, It was my birthday on Monday which enabled me to have the extra money to spend and I've wanted a Tangle teaser for ages anyway which retails at around half the box price. Along with that I think I'm most excited for the BB cream, Surf Spary, and beauty elixir. The other products are just an added bonus and I know I can get use of them all which is always good news.On a side note I haven't seen anyone else explain what the In-store offer card actually is so I figured I'd just drop in that it's free limited edition beach bag with any spray tan treatment. The Summer box is still available here.

Hair Care Routine

 I feel like all I ever do lately is post my hair care routine, but as the products I use seem to change so often I figured it's better to update you guys as often as I can before they change all over agian. I've probably mentioned before that my hairs naturally blonde and round waist length although the shade seems to differ depending on the season. Its naturally wavy and quite fizzy so I find myself using heat way too much! 

Toni & Guy Shampoo for advanced detox - I use this around once a week to get rid of any product which has built up. I find it really effective on my hair leaving it feeling squeaky clean, the bottle also lasts a good while too so its great value for money.

V05 Give me Moisture Shampoo and Nourish me truly Conditioner -  I find VO5 products work great on my hair. This pair leave my hair feeling healthy, You can pick them up for around a pound too which is always a huge bonus!

Naked Shine Glossing Hair Treatment - I don't think I can give this enough praise, this leaves my hair feeling amazing and unlike most masks I can actually see a difference too. I like to use this once or twice a week, it's lasted me a good while and I still have loads left (It was just a pound too!)

Fudge Urban Iced Raspberry & Vanilla Hair spray - I picked this up on offer a few months ago and fell inlove, not only does it smell great it gives a great amount of hold too.

Batiste Dry Shampoo (light & blonde) - I've raved about this product so much over the past year, Its great to find a dry shampoo which works for me for those hair emergency's - I highly recommend the 'hint of colour' range!

Dr Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Hair Treatment - I got this in a beauty box and haven't used another product on my wet hair since it leaves my hair feeling so soft and smells pretty great too.

Tresemme Keratin smooth heat protection - I picked this up because I had run out of my previous heat protection spray, to be honest I wasn't expecting much but this really surprised me. Before this I never really found my heat protection to do anything else but its main purpose although after using this my hair feels so much smoother!

What products are in your hair care routine?

Everyday make up

With revision in full swing make up is probably the last thing on my mind (although I did make a sneaky Selfridges order today - I couldn't say no to that beauty box!). I haven't had to chance to play around with new things so over the past week I've found myself reaching for those products that require little fuss and work for me every time. The latest addition to this is my Origins Vitazing which I brought recently in a blog sale, I didn't expect it to be quite so orange but have loved using it as a primer to give me that glowy look. I top this with my favourite foundation from Dainty Doll with my buffing brush. I cant believe I'm so close to finishing this bottle although I love this stuff so much that I have a back up bottle ready! Taking my MUA Pro-Base kit which looks so grubby I'm almost ashamed to show you guys I use the pink toned shade under my eyes to brighten. I really need to pick up a new one of these although the product itself is fine, I just find that MUA's packaging doesn't seem to last me two seconds anymore, the lid on this has completely snapped off and the packaging design itself has seriously faded! To insure that 'Flawless' look I cover any blemishes with my Collection 2000 concealer - Again this is a product I need to replace when I get the change next week as its nearing the end I just haven't had the time recently! I haven't been bothering with a contour or blush lately although I find that by sweeping a little of this across my cheekbones helps with the whole glowy look. I've been loving They're Real lately which I got with this months copy of Elle, Surprisingly I'm tempted to rebuy! Lastly I insure my lips stay moisturised with this Loreal Caresse in the shade sweet berry.

So much for budget beauty, Lately more and more expensive items are creeping into my make up bag! Beauty bloggers are such bad influences! 

MUA undress your skin Highlighter

I was really excited to see Superdrug were having a 3 for 2 deal last week as they stock some of my favourite brands including MUA. I spent just £6 and walked away with two Maybelline polka dot polishes and this highlighter from MUA. I'll be honest in saying that I only own one other 'drugstore' highlighter as generally I find a lack of them on the highstreet - although other the years a couple of more high end ones have made their way into my handbag so this budget friendly highlighter had some heavy competition.

Firstly I have to comment on how lovely this looks in the pan, I think MUA have done a great job at competing with similar products which retail for around ten times the price in terms of looks. While some may argue that the plastic packaging cheapens the look of the highlighter, I think its sturdy enough and therefore does its job. I didn't really know what to expect from the product itself, but I was pleasantly surprised. Using my Real Techniques Contour brush I apply this to the top of my cheekbones and find it leaves a lovely subtle glow with lasts most of the day.

Overall I think this is a lovely product which would make a great addition to anyone's make up bag - retailing at just £3 its a steal!

My Birthday Wishlist!

You may have noticed by my inconstant posts, that May has been a rather hectic month so far and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon with two exams next week and my birthday the following one. So I figured I'd so you guys a few of the beauty things I'm hoping for. I love the Dainty Doll blushes I have, but am  determined to own every shade - they're just great quality and look great with my pale skin. Despite the terrible reviews I've read on the Revlon Baby stick I love a sheer wash of colour and would love to try this out! Earlier today I picked up  couple of Sally Hansen polishes on a market stall for just £2 each - The brush is just amazing and the polish dried so quickly, I need more in my life! After completing a sample size of Wonderstruck Enchanted, I would love to own a bottle (plus it just looks so pretty). Lastly my friend and I have been looking into a trip to France during the summer - I think I need to know if to stock up on Bioderma so think a trip to John Bell & Croyden is in order.

Heres to hoping my friends and family can take a hint! Last I made the above wishlist on Beauty Sets if you're wondering - I just couldn't work out how to get rid of the white space I didn't use so sniped it to my pictures in the end!

Montagne Jeunesse Fruit Smoothie

Over the past week I've developed what feels like the worlds worst cold, meaning my skin isn't at its best so I figured I'd try a little pick me up. Montagne Jeunesse take me back to sleepovers in my early teens, although with so many more brands now offering face masks its been a while since I've found myself trying any of their products - this didn't let me down. The smell is amazing! It is very strong and as my nose was blocked when I tried this I cant comment on if its too overpowering - but in the packet it smells amazing and quite frankly I imagine it would be a joy to wear for a good 10-15 minutes! 

 I really liked the consistency of this, I found it easy to spread without being too messy and a little goes a long way. After 15 minutes I found that the mask had hardened and washed it off with ease leaving my skin soft, smooth and clean! 

 At around a pound I think this face mask is a complete steal, especially when you consider you can get around 2-3 uses from it! 

Soap & Glory's Perfect Day

In the January sales I picked up a six shade Soap & Glory lip palette for just £6, I felt it would be pointless to review the palette now, So figured Id give the shades their own reviews over the coming months. Todays lipstick of choice is 'Perfect Day', To apply I simply use my fingers for a sheer wash of colour or with a brush for a more pigmented look.

Perfect day is a beautiful almost natural shade which gives a lovey flush of colour while still being really wearable. It's a lovely 'every day shade'. I love that these are so pigmented on the lips yet feel so moisturising! They also last around four hours on the lips which is always a plus.

Have you tried any make up from Soap & Glory?

Mint Apple by Sinful Colors

Sinful Colors is very quickly becoming my favourite nail polish brand, offering a huge range of good quailty polishes for just £1.99 a bottle. My latest pick was this pretty green shimmer called 'Mint Apple'. I love that the shimmer adds a twist to the whole mint nail trend but is still really subtle on the nails. I find that you need just two coats to achieve the look below which doesn't take to long since the polish dries pretty quickly. Amazingly Sinful Color nail polishes last around four days on my nails, whereas normally I cant go one without chips.

What do you think of Mint Apple? Also I want to give a shout out to my lovely hand model in this post, who I made sit over the park with me so I could make the most of the sunlight for blog pictures. She's just started a blog so go give her some love here.

Free 'They're Real' with ELLE

 If you've been reading this blog a while you may have noticed I'm a sucker for a good magazine freebie and this one I just had to share! This month Elle magazine are offering readers a free travel sized They're Real mascara which normally retails at £9.50.

Elle isn't the cheapest magazine around retailing at £4 a copy, although I love the idea of being able to try such a talked about product at a more reasonable price.

Will you be buying a copy of Elle?

Latest in Beauty discovery Box

I love latest a beauty and feel they offer such better value for money than normal beauty box subscriptions, So when I saw their CEW 2013 Beauty Awards Finalists Discovery Box I jumped at the chance to buy!

The box itself was overflowing with products! There's a few I wont get the use out of such as the male samples and the anti- ageing skin care - But I'll be passing them on to a new home who will enjoy them so much more than I can. A 20% off Elemis products along with free delivery voucher was also included. 

Both the Balance Me and Elemis creams will be passed along to my mum, as at seventeen I feel I'm a little too young to get any use out of them. Although I was left impressed this my hair treatment which looks so expensive complete with a glass bottle and pump, I hope the product itself matches up to the packaging! The Ellie Saab sample is nice, but a little too orangey for my liking. I wont be buying full size but will be enjoying this over the summer months. 

I love purpley toned lipsticks so was excited to see this essential care lip liner in the shade pink rose I cant say I own much organic make up so I'm looking forward to trying this. I'm not a a huge fan of rose but I love these spray on toner type products so am looking forward trying this eau florale de rose from Melvita (I also love that it's in a handy travel size!). I really like nails inc so was over the moon to see this bright orange shade, It's literally going on my nails the moment I finish this post! Lastly I've heard so much about Weleda so was happy to see a mini body lotion from them as these come in handy when I'm staying somewhere for the night.

Overall I'm very happy with this box! Have you ever used Latest in Beauty?

Pound Buys (including Wet n Wild, Bourjois, Rimmel, Naked and more)

Sorry if your not a fan of these posts but I seem to be addicted to my bargain buys lately! Can you believe my total spend for this haul was just £7? As normal I made a stop in Poundand where I found this amazing Glossing Hair treatment from Naked, a Rimmel concealer in the shade soft ivory along with a Skittles candle (which smells lovely) Next I made a stop in Poundworld (which is basically the same shop, only mine is far bigger than Poundland and stocks so much more) The make up section here was amazing and I walked away with a Wet n Wild pressed powder, Bourjois eyeshadow, Perfect Stay lip tint, and to tutti Fruity lip glosses. They also had a bunch on Fish hair products which I'll be going back for.

Have you had any good pound buys lately?