Happy Easter !!

Hope you all have a really happy holiday 

xoxox

March Favourites

Like last few months March seems to have flown by. I loved the change of season this month even if the weather seems to be forgetting how to complete the whole change element this month. Spring/Summer 2013 trends are full of corals, nudes and light delicate shades combined with natural beauty. I just love browsing all new products and trying one or two. So this month my favourites have been some oldies and some newbie’s which I am now going to share with you.

1.     Rituals Shower Foam in Rice Milk and Cherry Blossom

£ 7.00 or €10 200ml

This shower foam is from the sensations collection. I was first introduced to the whole Rituals brand of products after receiving a trial size body lotion in a recent Glossy Box and now I am addicted. I have gone on to purchase a number of different products (all which I will review and share my experiences as I use them). This shower foam is really great value for money as it the foam pump allocates just enough of the luxurious foam and contact with water turns it in soft relaxing foam. The rice milk is said to leave the skin really soft while the cherry blossom acts as a cleanser.  My skin is definitely enjoying the experience and I will be repurchasing this product.

Want info on Rituals ? Click HERE

2. .    Barry M Gel Like High Shine Polish In Lychee

£3.99 or €4.99

I have always been a massive fan of nude nail polish so you can imagine my excitement when the turn of the seasons brought with it an influx of nude polishes. I have a few favourites but the forerunner in my favourite’s league is definitely Lychee by Barry M. The Hi Shine Gel range is very impressive. It aims to give a gel like finish and is long wearing and both of these are true. It dries really fast and has a really great shine. This shade is perfect for my skin tone. It is a nude shade that is light and fresh and compliments tanned skin or tan free skin (I have tried both). This polish is also a perfect base for nail art or a simple nail jewel or two. I have a few different shades from this collection and I like them all.  My must have nail polish for the coming months.

Want more info on Barry M? Click HERE

3. Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait 

£7.99 or €11.50

I am certainly not the first to love Revlon’s Lip Butter and am sure the fan base for this product will continue to grow.  I have tried a few of shades but at the moment I love Peach Parfait. Lip butter’s are exactly as described they are soft buttery colour burst for the lips. They condition and colour and leave a hint of shine and glamour all at the same time. This shade, peach parfait, is a natural almost nude colour with peach tones and gold flecks. This shade adds a glow to your lips and for me is the perfect summer shade. The only problem I have like so many others is that it does not last a very long time and needs reapplying.

Want more info on Lip Butter's? Click HERE

4.    They’re Real Mascara by Benefit

£18.50 or €23

I absolutely love mascara and I absolutely love this mascara. It is dark, long lasting and gives what only can be described as amazing eyelashes. The wand is plastic which I know some people do not like but I have to say it works wonders. It has a tiny application spikes on the top which allows you to apply the mascara to even the shortest of eyelashes. It is a little expensive as mascara’s go but in my opinion it is defiantly worth the spends. I have tried a lot of mascara’s and I am sure I will continue to try new products but I feel at the moment this product will be hard beaten.

Want more info on Benefit? Click HERE

5.    Cloud Nine The Wide Iron

     £109.95 or €120 (with discount for bringing in an old electrical appliance)

Recently I have had to purchase a new hair iron. I originally had a GHD which had lasted me well over 5 years and I was really happy with it. Due to use, age and wear and tear my iron needed replacing. As I was really happy with my GHD I simply just repurchased. However my experience was less then satisfying. I found the new hair iron simply did not straighten my hair. I would straighten it and within a couple of hours my hair was mess. Long story short I returned my item. On research I decided on a Cloud Nine Wide Irons. End result I absolutely love it. This iron works perfectly. It straightens my hair, ads shine, can be used to add a kink or wave to my hair. The wide iron plates mean you only have to run the iron once or twice through the hair to achieve the desired look (I have long bouncy hair). It has a number of different tempeture settings, comes with a heat mat and has a protective cap. I am extremely happy with my purchase and would recommend highly. I am now saving to treat myself to another Cloud Nice Product – The Wand.

 http://www.cloudninehair.com/irons/the-cloud-nine-wide-iron/

March Products That Disappointed Me !!!

TIGI S-Factor True Lasting Colour Shampoo and Conditioner

£20 or €25 for Shampoo and Conditioner 200ml set

I was recommended to use these products and had to try them out. Unfortunately I was disappointed! The products are rich and this may have been part of the problem for me as the products were a little too rich. The result was my hair was left a little weighed down. This meant that my hair had to be washed more often. I also found that the shape of the bottles meant that it was so difficult to squeeze the product out and either too much came out too fast or it took an age to get it out. Over all I did not like these products.

There you have it my fav's for March. 

What have been your favourites this month? Leave a comment and share some of your fav products......

xoxo 

New Season  means New Looks !

As a lover of all things cosmetics and beauty related I have been glued to many a magazine, article and media sources that have been reporting on all the up and coming looks for Spring/Summer 2013. As a result of my studious efforts I have put together a little go-to guide for my makeup, hair and nails look for the coming seasons. Once again let me tell you I am by no means an expert but I just love to watch the trends and have the greatest of fun attempting to recreate what I see while adding my own little twist to things. In this post I would love to share with you make up guide comprising of the products I am using at the moment.

The Face

Fresh, flawless and effortlessly natural! This is look I am aiming to achieve this season. The words “effortless” and “natural” would lead one to believe that not a whole lot of products are involved. Well unfortunately I find this to be to less than true – or maybe that is just for me.

The aim is to achieve a glow – a healthy looking face with perfect skin that is illuminated. Essentially I want to create a makeup look that does not look like I am wearing makeup!

Cheeks are to display a delicate hint of rose for pink tones or peachy fresh for coral tones, all the time staying true to the objective of captivating the fresh faced look.

Products I am trying to achieve these looks with.

Foundations

·         Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation

·         NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

Concealer

·         The undercover pot by Laura Mercier

This little pot seems to have everything you need to blend away the imperfections. I am new to this product so will follow up with a more comprehensive review in a few weeks.

Blusher

·         Rimmel Wake Me UP Instant Radiant Touch in Radiant Rose or Shimmer Sand

·         Mac Mineralise Blush in Dainty

·         NARS blush in Orgasm

Highlighter

·         DIORSKIN NUDE SHIMMER Instant Illuminating Powder – love this highlighter it is light and really natural looking.

Bronzer

·         NARS Laguna – a classic and a favourite

Brows

The look to achieve with the brows at the moment is a look that is strong and full but also natural. The best way to achieve this (for me anyway) is through the use of an angled brush and an eye shadow or a brow powder.

I am brunette so it is not too difficult to find my shade

·         MAC Omega and Espresso shadow

·         Brow Sculptor by Tom Ford.

Eyes

Soft pastels, light metallic’s and blue aqua’s are the shades being advised. Eyes are to be bright and alive yet delicate all at the same time. I am not a big fan of the blues or aqua’s but I do love the natural nudes.

·         MAC pallet ( I choose these shades myself) omega, expresso, wedge, embark, - love these for my brows also.

·         Naked Pallet by Urban Decay

·         Rose Pigment by MAC

·         Vanilla Pigment by MAC – works also as a fabulous highlighter for under the brow bone or anywhere your heart desires.

Eyelashes are also a favourite and well a must for me to add that bit of extra to any look. Eyelashes that create an extra flutter and fullness are my ambition. Mascara a must!

·         Elyure will to continue to be my go to brand for all things eyelash related

·         They’re Real by Benefit or Flash Lash Flutter Mascara by L’Oreal

The inner eye highlighter is also a must have. I like to use the above mentioned Vanilla Pigment by MAC

Lips

Light shades with a delicate hint of shimmer are really nice to accompany any natural look. Peach, coral, pink or nude are all really nice lip colours and all a blast of colour.

·         Mac’s Archie collections

·         Revlon Lip Butter

I am yet to find my perfect Spring/Summer 2013 must have shade but watch this space!

Well there you have it, my tips on the products I am using at the moment to achieve the natural beauty look of the season. I am always on the lookout for tips, tricks and fabulous products so if you have any of the above please leave me a comment and share!! I love would love to hear them.

Hope you found this post helpful or at least a little interesting.

I am looking forward to following this post up with a similar seasons trends and my attempts for Hair and Nails ........so excited !!

Xoxo

 ****Just to let you know all the products I have mentioned in this post I have bought my self and I am using myself therefore my opinions and/or recommendations are based on my own experience ****

Model Co Fibre Lash Brush On False Lashes

Every body who knows me or even thinks they know me are aware of my slight obsession with all things mascara,eyelashes and eyes in general. Keeping this in mind you can imagine how excited I was to try out Model Co Fibre Lash Brush On Mascara.............

Ok this product claims to provide the user with brush on false lashes in the form of mascara. You are given a black mascara which you apply first. Then you brush on the white fibres which for me resembled a consistency similar to cotton candy. This is followed up by another layer of the black mascara. You repeat this process until you reach the volume and desired looked you want. I followed each step for two cycles.

The results were, in my opinion, mixed. First off this product does build volume and it was noticeable. However I did not like the feel of this product in my eyelashes. It did feel heavy and clumpy on my eye lashes and my eye lashes tended to slightly stick together when I blinked! Big eyelashes yes please, stuck together eyes no thanks .

Over all I was disappointed with this product it is relatively expensive for the results. I think I shall stick to my favourite mascara of the moment ( Benefits they're real)

Have you tried a product with excitement but the experience did not love up to expectations ?? Please leave a comment sharing your experience

Xoxo

THIS OR THAT TAG 

While looking at some of my favourite blogs I found this tag on Charlie Eterna’s Blog. Titled THIS OR THAT tag it is a great idea so I decided to follow her lead and do the tag myself,

Charlie offers a fabulous blog with lots of great posts, ideas that will make you want lots of products and fab pics. Have a look by clicking HERE

♥ Makeup:

1. Blush or Bronzer?
- Bronzer

2. Lip Gloss or Lipstick?
- Lipgloss

3. Eyeliner or Mascara?
- Mascara

4. Foundation or Concealer?
- Foundation

5. Neutral or Coloured eye shadow?
- Neutral

6. Pressed or loose eye shadows?
- pressed

7. Brushes or Sponges?
- Brushes

♥ Nails:
8. OPI or Nails Inc?
- Nails Inc

9. Long or short?
- Short and round

10. Acrylic or natural?
- Natural

11. Brights or Dark's?
- Darks

12. Flower or No flower?
- Flower

♥ Body:

13. Perfume or Body Spray?
- Perfume

14. Lotion or Body Butter?
- Body Butter

14. Body wash or soap?
- Body Wash

♥ Fashion:

15. Jeans or Sweatpants?
- Jeans

16. Long sleeve or short?
- Long Sleeve

17. Dresses or skirts?
- Dresses

18. Stripes or Plaid?
- Stripes

19. Flip flops or Sandals?
- Sandals

20. Scarves or Hats?
- Scarves

21. Studs or dangly earrings?
- Studs

22. Necklaces or Bracelets?
- Necklaces

23. Heels or Flats?
- Flats

24. Cowboy boots or Riding boots?
- Cowboy Boots

25. Jacket or Hoodie?
- Hoodie

26. Top Shop or River Island?
- River Island

♥ Hair:

27. Curly or Straight?
- Straight

28. Bun or Ponytail?
- Bun

29. Bobby pins or Butterfly clips?
- Bobby Pins

30. Hair spray or Gel?
-  Hair Spray

31. Long or Short?
- Long

32. Light or Dark?
- Dark

33. Side sweep bangs or Full bangs?
- Side sweep

34. Up or Down?
- Down unless I'm being lazy

♥ Random:

35. Rain or shine?
- Shine

36. Summer or Winter?
- Summer

37. Fall or Spring?
- Spring

38. Chocolate or Vanilla?
- Chocolate

39. Shower or Bath?
- Bath

40. Comedy or Horror?
- Comedy

My Skin Care at the Moment

Every week there seems to be a different skin care product launched with offers so many benefits that I don’t know where to even begin. Traditionally I have been lucky enough to have a minimal amount of skin problems. This was the case until recently that is. Over the last few months my skin has been changing and unfortunately not for the better. I have been getting oily patches (which I never had before) and I have having a few angry break outs. 

My general skin care routine has always involved cleansing by means of a good facial wash and moisturise. The occasional exfoliate and mask and I have always been a lover of professional facial when I could afford it. ....thankfully my boyfriend has found my favourite beauticians and is partial to gifting me a voucher now and again. Anyway, as a result of my recent skin issues I decided to up my game and get serious about skin care. I chose two skin care routines to try, one being regarded commonly as a gentle yet effective range of products and the second a little more proactive on the whole, dare I say it, anti aging front!  I would like to use this blog post to share my experience of these two product ranges.

¬ VICHY  Normaderm AND Vichy Aqualia Thermal Range

I had been advised that VICHY offered an effect range of skin care that was gentle on the skin and cleansing. With this in mind I chose a few products from both the above mentioned range. I choose the normaderm as it offers a solution for people with oilier skin and all the nastier little side effects of such skin like spots and uneven skin tone etc. It is said to be suitable for all skin types but especially the afore mentioned oily prone skin and it aimed at the 10 to 35 age range. Gentle yet effective I was delighted to try it out and was hopeful for a good result! The products I chose where as follows:

1. Normaderm Micellar Solution

This is a clear cleansing solution suitable for all skin types and age ranges. It is said to remove make up and impurities and leave the skin feeling fresh and clean.

Removal of impurities which lead to break outs and eliminates excess oil yes please!  I use this lotion after I wash my face to remove any thing that may be left over after a good wash and to act as a light toner. I like it. It is refreshing and does leave skin feeling extra clean. I don’t know how effective it would be if used on its own as I do like a really good cleanses but for my purpose I really like it.

 

2. Normaderm Cleansing Gel

 

I use this handy pump bottle in the shower to wash my face. It is really gentle and does cleanse really well. It is fragrance free and clear in colour. This gel is for men and women with shine-prone skin. Eliminates impurities and sebum excess and unclogs pores. I do like it.

 

3. Normaderm Triple Action 3 in 1 Cleanser

I have named this little gem as one of my favourites in a monthly favourites post recently. It is a deep cleaning product that can be used in 3 ways, as a deep cleaning exfoliant, a mask or a general cleansing wash. The combination of Salicylic acid, Glycolic acid and Clay with a soothing agent. Salicylic acid works to remove impurities and excess sebum, Glycolic acid smoothes and evens the skin, while the Clay mortifies the skin for a clear complexion. I have used mine all up now so I do think I will be repurchasing it very soon.

 

4. Normaderm Active Concentrate

 

This product is used as a spot treatment. It is said to reduce sudden local breakouts and soothe discomforts. Of all the products I purchased this is my least favourite and if I am being really honest I do not find it very effective. You apply a small amount on to the affected area. I found the consistency of the product made it hard to use. It sits on the skin and does not seem to melt or soak in at all. It is also blue in colour so as you can imagine its messy when it falls off your face and onto your clothes! So not one for me!

5. AQUALIA THERMAL LIGHT

Feeling that my skin was dehydrated and probably a little clogged I decided on this moisturising cream.  It is suited to any one with sensitive, dehydrated, normal to combination skin who wants long-lasting soothing and fortifying hydration for their skin. I like this product it is light and soaks in to your skin so quickly leaving your skin so soft and smooth. I am about half way through this pot and I use every morning and maybe every 3^rd night at the moment. If you like light and gentle this is the one for you.

************************************************************

The second skin care range I have been using is by Elemis. Tri Enzyme Resurfacing by Elemis has been raved about on so many fronts so I was eager to give it a go. As much as I genuinely hate to admit it time it is a ticking and as I have always been told prevention is better than cure so this range of products really interested me. I bought the starter kit to give it a try. In addition to the products below a really handy face flannel mitt comes with this set great for removing the wash or the mask.

ELEMIS TRI-ENZYME RESURFACING FACIAL WASH

This is the first product in the pack, a facial wash. I am loving this wash. I stopped using the above mentioned Vichy products to try this out. In one week my skin genuinely improved. This wash gives your face a really great cleanse and as the name suggests the enzymes present in the wash clears  the skin and my skin did appear brighter, fresher and over all improved. As I only got a small bottle of cleanser I will defiantly repurchase it. You do only need a small amount so a little goes a long way.

ELEMIS TRI-ENZYME RESURFACING gEL mask

This mask is in a gel form and is really lightweight. Again you only need a little and a little amount has great coverage. You are advised to put this mask on 2 to 3 times a week for the first week. I used it 3 times. It is very potent and you can feel it reacting with your skin the minute you put it on due to the slight tingle you feel on your skin. The result of use was simple – my skin was soft, clear and revitalised. I claim to be no science buff but those little enzymes do their job well. I love this mask and will continue to use it.

ELEMIS TRI-ENZYME RESURFACING NIGHT CREAM

This night cream is seriously expensive in full size so it was no surprise that in my starter pack I received only a small version. Like the rest of the range a little goes a long way. This cream is thick in consistency and has an extremely luxurious feel to it on the skin. This nightly treatment stimulates the skin's natural cell renewal cycle, actively smoothing and leaving your skin feeling so lovely in the morning. I use this cream at night and the Vichy light moisturiser in the morning as I do not want to overload my skin. I would love to repurchase this cream but it is extremely expensive so maybe I will repurchase the whole set instead.

Overall I am really impressed by this range of products from Elemis. I feel the products have genuinely improved my skin and is continuing to do so. It is rich and potent meaning you only need a small amount of each product. The only negative aspect of this range is the price of the products. The range is expensive for full size individual items but if you really want to try the range I would highly recommend the starter kit I have used.

So these are my skin care products in use at the moment. With a little luck my skin will continue improve. As I hope I have shown the Vichy range is gentle and great for everyday use but I have to admit the little “chemical” or “enzyme” element of the Elemis range really does it for me.

I am always on the luck out for new cleansing or skin care products that are effective and helpful for my skin. Do you have any recommendations? I would love to hear them so please leave a comment below.

Xoxo