March Favourites

Its that time again already! Where does time go?! So this month I have been desperately trying (and failing) to adhere to a spending ban. Needless to say I found this soooo hard! Some of this months favourite products are ones I have found whilst 'Shopping my stash',  but there is one that was a naughty purchase this month. 

Soap and Glory 'Butter Yourself' Body cream £ 10.50

This is one of my favourite body butters (well the 'Soap and Glory' ones are generally). I love the scent, texture, packaging...everything basically!! This leaves my skin feeling super soft and hydrated. 

M.A.C Teddy Eye Kohl £14.00

This is my second Teddy pencil, it has to be my all time favourite eye liner from any brand. Its a gorgeous brown with some slight shimmer running through it. I tend to blend it up from my lash line and it blends like a dream, but sets really well afterwards. 

Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in 04 £18.00

I have 2 of these in 02 and 04. They are moisturising, give a natural tint and and wear off beautifully! I keep both of mine in my handbag and they are most defiantly my go to lip product. 

M.A.C Creme Cup lipstick £15.00 (I swear these keep going up)

This never used to be a lipstick which appealed to me, but after seeing my friend wear it on her wedding day it is most defiantly a new fave! I haven't worn lipstick much this month, but when I have  this is the one I have reached for! Its a gorgeous nude pink with a slightly glossy finish. It doesn't dry my lips out and it lasts well on my lips, although not as long as matte lipsticks. 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in 10 Beige £32

I always used to think this foundation would provide too little coverage for me. However after trying a sample of it, I realised that it provides the most gorgeous finish and with a little concealer, my skin looks flawless! This is a beautiful foundation with a slightly dewy finish. This has been my go to foundation all month! 

Jo Malone Blackberry and Bay perfume sample size. 30 ml £39, 100ml £78

I am most defiantly buying this perfume in a full size. This scent sums up the winter/ spring transition perfectly for me. Its floral scent lasts all day and my skin. I have had so many compliments when wearing this. A full review can be found on this blog!

Vitage Natural Skin glow vitality £18

This is a stunning 'glow' power which creates a naturally highlighted face without the crazy shimmer. Although there is a small amount of glitter in this powder, it is almost untraceable on the skin. This is a mineral based highlighter, which on the downside means it can be slightly messy, but it is totally worth it. This is possibly one of the best day time highlighters. 

Urban decay Naked 3 palette £37

This was my naughty little purchase this month....I totally caved. I have done a full review on this as it is simply too beautiful to put into a few words. Its range of matte and shimmer shades mixed with the stunning pink undertones makes for a truly unique and gorgeous palette! I have used this pretty much every day since I purchased it. The range of looks both day and night are endless. 

What have your favourites been this month?! Have you tried any of my favourites, if so which one?! I would love to hear your comments and suggestions for products to try!  

I would love it if you would follow me on bloglovin! It truly would make my day!  

xx

Giving into the hype...Urban Decay Naked 3

I have finally caved and purchased the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette! For the longest time I refused to buy into all the hype and excitement surrounding this stunning palette but alas to no avail. I am an avid user of the original Naked palette but I never brought the Naked 2 for the simple reason that it just didn't grab me! It all seemed a bit 'samey' and nothing particularly new. However this beautiful palette is like nothing I already own. 

This palette leans much more towards the pink side of the neutral scale but without reminding me of the horrible barbie pinks I wore as a young teenager (unfortunately this did happen)! The shade buzz reminds me ever so slightly of a shade from my Clinque 'Pink Chocolate' quad. However 'Buzz' comes off a lot deeper and is a much warmer tone. 

The palette itself contains 12 eye shadows, 3 of which are matte shades. 'Nooner' is a really lovely crease colour, which I have been wearing blended down into 'Liar' with 'Factory' on the outside corner. The only downside to these shadows is they do need a primer underneath as I find otherwise they tend to slide about throughout the day. This palette does come with some of the Urban Decay primer samples, but I think for the price a good mini sized primer potion would have been a better choice. It also comes with a dual ended brush, which I really like. One end is really flat and is so ideal to pack colour onto the lid, whilst the other end is slightly fluffier and brilliant for blending. 

It has defiantly been giving my original Naked palette a run for its money. This palette retails for £37 in the UK. 

Which of the Urban Decay Naked palettes is your most loved? I would love to know!

xx

Empties: The first edition

So I have decide to take the plunge into the strange world of writing all about empty bottles! To begin with I never really understood this craze, but now I secretly love it. I have been quite good at remembering to 'keep my rubbish', which to begin with was harder than I thought.  Its actually quite therapeutic as I can now see that although I buy a lot of products, I also get through more than I think I do.  So here goes.....

I seem to have got through a lot of bath products so far this year. The cold weather has obviously made me gravitate towards a bath instead of a shower.  In my Christmas stocking this year I got given the Soap and Glory 'The Daily Soothe' £8, which is basically a bit like a bubble bath. The idea is that you put a handful under the running tap and watch the bubbles appear. Although I liked it, I wasn't blown away by it, so probably wouldn't repurchase. A bath product I love (and that is crazy cheap) is my Morrisons 'Relax' bubble bath (I think this is around £1). Its a standard bubble bath but the lavender and chamomile really helps me to relax and just so happen to my 2 of my most loved scents.  My final 'bath' product is my Boots 'Epsom salts' £1.49. This was recommended to me to help my body relax and de-stress. As you may know I have suffered with bad skin in the past and sometimes it can be down to my body being stressed out. I find using these really helps my body calm down and provides me with some of the minerals my body needs to be calmer. This was my 4th pot of these and I already have another in my bath room....they are a total lifesaver!!
Going back to 'Soap and Glory' I recently finished my 'Sugar Crush fresh and foamy body wash' £6.50. This is my second bottle of this and I simply love the scent. It always leaves me smelling really good and makes me feel incredibly clean. I would most defiantly buy this again. I have tried a few of their scents and am currently using the 'Rich and foamous' body wash.  Another shower gel I used up was the Palmolive Aroma therapy shower gel £2.09. For some reason I hated this shower gel, it took all my effort to use the whole bottle. I found it quite drying and just a bit 'blah' really. I will not be buying this again.  In January I was on the hunt for a new body scrub when I spotted this Champneys 'Exotic retreat body glow'  £10 (It was on offer for £5) in Boots. I had never tried anything from this brand before and had heard mixed reviews. However I was pleasantly surprised. This isn't a harsh body scrub and so doesn't feel rough on my skin. It is incredibly moisturising and leaves my skin feeling super soft and lovely. Considering it is a drugstore product, it feels very luxurious. If this was on offer I would buy it again but for some reason I feel £10 may be a little too much to spend on a body scrub!??
Now onto non- bath related products. 'Clean and Clear deep cleansing lotion' £2.99', is one of those products I really enjoy, but am not sure why. I think its that moment where I have cleansed my face with a wash and just want to check everything is off. Looking at that clean cotton pad (or slightly dirty one, depending how badly I cleansed) is incredibly satisfying. I find this helps to keep my spots at bay and have already got through 3 bottles! I love it! For my evening eye cream I have been using 'Estee Lauder Advanced Night repair eye'  £38. I have been using this for years and its fair to say I will continue to do so. Its a brilliant, moisturing eye cream that I have become slightly dependant on. It stops my eyes looking puffy and tired and is an all round wonder product.
As you all know I love PRIORI and Vitage products so it will come as no surprise that there is one of their empty bottles in this post. Usually I use my PRIORI cleanser but for some reason I changed it up and used the 'Vitage Reveitalising daily cleanse' £24. I really enjoyed using this product. It cleansed my skin incredibly well and left it feeling super soft. I really felt like my skin was getting a deep clean from this, which for me is a sign of a really good cleanser. I simply can't choose between that and my PRIORI one, so I may well have to keep swapping.
Last but not least I used up my favourite deodorant 'Dove invisible dry roll on' £2.30. The reason I always use this is because it doesn't leave white marks on my clothes and it keeps me smelling fresh all day!! Its a lifesaver!
Wow this was a lonnnggggg post!! If you are still reading then well done. So do you like posts like these? Have you tried any of these products? Would you like to see more posts like this? I would love to know. Please leave me a comment and don't forget to follow me on bloglovin.

Thanks for reading xxx

Jo Malone

Norwich was recently lucky enough to get a Jo Malone store and having heard so much about it, I had to pick some bits up! Over Christmas I purchased the Peony and Blush Suede perfume. This perfume has a beautifully strong floral scent and was one of the first ones I had tried in store. One of the first things I noticed about their perfumes was the quality, they are very strong and have wonderful lasting power on my skin, unlike some of the cheaper brands. The prices are fairly steep but I am an avid believer that with somethings you get what you pay for. This 30ml bottle retails at £39 in the UK and the 100ml retails at £78.

Knowing about my new love for Jo Malone, my parents brought me their limited edition 'Christmas Cracker'. In it was this Blackberry and Bay mini perfume, a mini Grapefruit body creme and a mini Lime, Basil and Mandarin body and hand wash. I'm not entirely sure how much this cost but I have a feeling it was around the £30 mark. This was a brilliant way to get to know some of their other scents and experience how they wear on my skin. I have to say the Blackberry and Bay perfume is gorgeous and I will most defiantly be purchasing a full size of this when this runs out. The other two scents are beautiful but I'm not sure they are the sorts of scents I would wear as a perfume. The body creme and body wash were so luxurious and a real treat to use! The full size body and hand wash retails at £32 for 250ml and the body creme retails at £50 for 175ml.

Whats your favourite Jo Malone product? I would love any recommendations to try! 

xx

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February Favourites!

The speed that this year is going by is totally mind boggling! How is it already March?! Anyway this month I have been trying lots of new things and some of them I totally LOVE!! So here goes...

Dior Skin NUDE in shade 010- £32.00

This is such an incredible foundation. It has amazing lasting power, a good selection of colours, and provides light to medium (buildable) coverage. This foundation looks beautiful on the skin, providing a slightly natural glow, making me look like I have had a really good night sleep!! I have worn this pretty much every day since I purchased it (which is a major rarity for me). 

Vitage Age Defence Power Skin repair- £53 

For those of you who have followed me for a while, you will know I am a massive fan of PRIORI and Vitage skin care. These two companies make incredible products that work beautifully together. I have been using their products on and off for the last 2 years and its fair to say I will never stray from them again. This is my 5th tub of this moisturiser and I adore it. This doesn't break me out, doesn't contain any nasties, is a super- antioxidant and is anti ageing! Its a total miracle worker and I adore it! Although it has a big price tag, it is totally worth it. I get mine from Louise Thomas Minns (if your in the Norwich area) who owns the amazing skin lounge U and your skin www.uandyourskin.co.uk. Although she doesn't sell it online, you should pay her website and youtube channel a visit, she is my skin guru!!! 

PRIORI Daily Defence protector spf 30- £17

This is my daily, everyday sunscreen. It is non- greasy and has a gorgeous soft feel to it. It is a broad spectrum sunscreen so it protects against both UVA and UVB rays, which is turn stops sun damage and ageing. I really like this product and it has lasted me ages. It sits beautifully under makeup and has no nasties in it!! YAY.

Dior Rosy Glow- £30.50

Im not going to say too much about this as I did a blog post on it recently!! All I'm going to say is I LOVE it!!! It is such a clever product.

Rimmel Scandaleyes shadow paint in 'Rich Russet'- £4.99

This is my go to eye shadow for my manic work days. It is so easy to blend, lasts all day and looks beautiful. This product really surprised me as usually drugstore eye shadows don't last particularly well on me. However this super offering from Rimmel is giving my beloved Maybelline colour tattoo and run for its money. It must be good!

Chanel Illusion D Ombre in 82 Emerveille- £24

I first came across this eyeshadow when I did the Pixiwoo course last summer. As soon as I tried it I went out an purchased it and love it so much I have now hit pan (or glass as its a glass pot, but you get the idea). This is my go to no makeup, makeup eyeshadow. It is slightly shimmery but not in an overpowering sense. I usually tend to put it all over my eye and blend some bronzer through the crease to create a simple but effective eye look. This lasts really, really well and looks beautiful over the course of the day. I have been on the hunt for a drugstore dupe but as of yet I have had no luck! 

Rimmel Stay Matte Primer- £5.99

I did a blog post all about this beauty! It is an incredible drugstore primer, which I use every single day!! I love it so much I have just re-purchased it (the sign of true love)!!

Sleek Brow Stylist in Light- £5.99

This is a new offering from Sleek, which I picked up on a recent visit to Superdrug. This product is quite waxy, but is really easy to use. It has a slanted tip, which is brilliant for shaping the wider and thinner parts of your brows with the thicker and thinner sides. This also has a spooly on the other end to help create that natural look. 

Illamasqua Freak Eau De Parfum 75ml- £59

I first tried this perfume as a sample when it first came out. I have been desperate to get the full size ever since. So when it went into their sale over Christmas, I jumped at the chance to get it. I ended up paying £25 for this 75ml bottle, which is now back up to £59 (what a bargain). This has quite a dark, floral, night time scent, which lasts really well on my skin. I have had so many compliments on this when I have been wearing it. 

What have you been loving this month?! I would truly love to know! Please don't forget to follow!

xx