June Favourites

 

I can't actually believe we're in July already, we're flying through the months. I'm very excited for Christmas already, it's over halfway there! Today, I bring you my June favourites. I've decided to write them down as I go through the month as I always find myself having to look around my room trying to figure out what I've been using a lot.

 

I'll start with my make up favourites of the month, and these are ones I've been really loving. Firstly is my Urban Decay Naked Palette, which has made an appearance quite a few times and is one loved by many. I've used this every single day for all of June, and it's been brought over to July as well. I absolutely love this palette, with the shimmery shadows being my favourites.

 

Another eye product is my favourite eye liner. It's the Avon Super Shock Gel Eyeliner. I'm a big fan of gel eyeliner pencils and this gives a nice thin line and is great for both the top and bottom lash line. It's also really inexpensive and has great lasting power.

 

My favourite lip product of the month is one of the Revlon Lip Butters in Sorbet. This was released a few months ago as part of Revlon's new line of lip butters. As someone who was a huge fan of them when they were released in the UK last year, and couldn't actually wait until they were in stock in Boots and had to order them online, I was super excited when I saw them in store around the same time as they arrived in the US. Sorbet is a beautiful hot pink, and I have a post ready to talk about it in more detail.

 

 

Next is my two favourites moisturisers. The first is the OPI Avo Juice in Jasmine. This line of moisturisers smells glorious. I hadn't actually heard of any lotions by OPI until I saw one in TK Maxx back in May. It was the coconut one and I really regret not buying it at the time as it smelt delicious and reminded me of Summer time. I went back to get it a few weeks later and it was gone, but instead I found this one. I really love the smell of jasmine, and this is such a nice hand cream, and not a scent I often find in moisturisers.

 

For my face, Elemental Herbology Cell Plumping Moisturiser has been the one. I mentioned this in my May Birchbox post as I received it as a sample, and ended up buying the full size product. Again, another product which I have a post prepared for to discuss in full!

 

 

Lush's Rose Jam perfume is one of my all time favourite perfumes as well as my favourite for June, and it greatly depresses me that I have to ration this tiny bottle. If you have ever smelt the Rose Jam bath bombs from Lush then you will know how delicious this smells, good enough to eat! Every time I wear this perfume someone compliments me and asks what I'm wearing, and I really wish I know I could repurchase this so I could wear it more.

 

 

My miscellaneous favourites for June have been my Bath & Body Works Lavender Vanilla candle and my iPad. This candle is one that I would love to have all year around, and it's definitely not one specially for Summer. I'm not a huge fan of vanilla, but with the lavender they compliment each other well. I've been lighting this at night time before I go to bed as I love the smell of lavender before I go to sleep.

 

My iPad has been a huge favourite with me since I bought it. I have the mini and I love that I can carry it around with me as it fits in my bag so easily, and is very light and takes up no room at all. I'm also a bit addicted to playing around with too many apps...

 

That's it for my favourites of the month, and I know it won't be at all long before I'm writing my July favourites, crazy!

 

What have your favourites of the month been?

 

Lush - The Kiss Lip Gloss Review

Of course, a new Lush review for you all! I've been testing this out for a week, and I have to say, I love it. Before I go any further though, I'd like to point out that this is a lip gloss, not a lip balm. When I bought it I thought that it was, and after applying it the same amount as I would any regular lip balm I was very confused as to why my lips have been super dry. I thought I'd came across my first Lush product which wasn't working for me! However, this is not the case.

The Kiss is one of Lush's first lip glosses, and has a new, whipped texture from their balms. I had read about this online, and hadn't actually intended on buying it until I got to the checkout.

Firstly, the texture. It was surprisingly soft and it is super smooth when applied to your lips.

I'm combining the scent, and the taste in one, and they are amazing. The scent is absolutely glorious, and the taste is devine. It tastes like drumsticks lollies, or love hearts sweets. I have to resist licking it off straight away.

The colour is also very pretty and subtle. It is a light shimmery pink, and looks perfect by itself, or over a lip colour if that's what you desire.

Pros: 

• Taste, scent, taste, scent!
• Subtle colour for those who like to remain natural.
• Not overly expensive for a lip gloss, £5.50 for the tin.
• Appearance, really cute and simple.
• Easy to carry around as it is such a small tin it fits easily into your pocket.

Cons:

• For me, not overly moisturising. This may be however because I've went the last week thinking it was a balm....
• Depending on you, it's a bit unhygienic for me. I have to wash my hands before I can use it.

Overall, such a lovely product which I would buy again despite my confusion. I'm going to keep mentioning this as it has literally taken me to open up this post to realise that it was a lip gloss, I still can't believe it!

If you'd like to try this product, you can buy it in store or online for £5.50 by clicking here.

Have you tried any of Lush's lipbalms before, or this product? If so, what did you think?

Lush - Grease Lightning Review

Another Lush review for you all. I've been saving this for a while so I could give it a few uses to see how I really felt about it. I bought this product just after Christmas, around the same time as I picked up my Lush Breath of Fresh Air which I have reviewed here.

Grease Lightning is one of Lush's spot treatments, and I'd been wanting to try this for a while. I have never tried a spot treatment before, so I can't compare this to any other products. I've always just left my skin alone in that way, but decided I should just give it a try and see if it helped.

To use, simply clean your face as normal, following your normal skin routine. Then using just one pump (I actually try just to use a half one) apply to affected areas. I usually apply the pump to the back of my hand and then put it where I think it's needed. I also apply it to any areas where I think a spot might pop up, just to try and stop it in advance.

For ingredients, it has some great ones for tackling problem skin. There is tea tree oil which is a great antiseptic to clean out any infection. Witch hazel is included which helps in shrinking any spots so they are less visible. Another big ingredient is Aloe Vera, which is very soothing for the skin.

I've really loved this product as I've found it's really helped in getting rid of spots, and stopping me from getting anymore. I apply this quite sparingly over my skin, and it hasn't dried it out at all, which was one of my biggest concerns.

Pros : 

• Not too expensive, £5.95 for a 45g bottle.
• Long lasting.
• Doesn't dry out skin.
• Instantly calming.
• Helps combat spots in advance.

Cons :

• None

I highly recommend this product, so you should definitely check it out! A little question for you all, do you apply your spot treatment before or after moisturising? I've been doing it before, but I just wanted to check if anyone does this differently.

If you'd like to buy this product, you can do so online by clicking here.

Have you tried Grease Lightning? What are your thoughts?

Lush - Breath Of Fresh Air Review

As I've been promising for the past week or so, here is my review on one of my latest Lush purchases, Breath of Fresh Air. I bought this in their Boxing Day sale as it was 50% off, so I ended up paying around £3.70 for it instead of the usual £7.25. I will admit, if it wasn't on sale, I probably never would have bought it. However, I'm very glad I did!

Breath of Fresh Air is a toner water, but is also good at giving your skin a little refresher if you need it. It contains Aloe Vera which makes it great for locking in moisture, and helping if you have suffered from sunburn (not that you would in this weather, but maybe if we actually get some sun in the Summer!). The bottle also states that it's perfect if you travel a lot, or on a long haul flight, as it gives your skin some life again.

To use, you can either spray directly on to your skin, and then wipe off with a cotton pad. Or, you can spritz on to the cotton pad and and then gently wipe it across your face. I personally, do the second. I use about three sprays, but my sister only uses two, so it's really up to you. This should follow your normal make up removal, as it helps to remove any excess make up and dirt.

Pros :

• Inexpensive, only £3.95 for the smallest bottle, or £7.25 for the 250g bottle.
• Excellent at removing any dirt or make up left on skin.
• Doesn't remove any moisture from the skin, and instead, locks it in.
• Soothes sunburn.
• Can be transferred to a smaller bottle for travel purposes.
• Can be used as a pick me up at any time of the day.

Cons :

• Honestly, I still haven't came across any!

I really love this product, and I will most definitely be repurchasing once mine runs out. I've used this since I bought it on boxing day, which means it's been a month tomorrow, and it doesn't seem to have went down much. Once you see the excess make up that comes off your face, you won't want to be without it! I'd hate to think how much I leave on my face when I think it's clean.

If you'd like to purchase this product, you can do so by clicking here.

Have you tried this before or any of the other toner waters? What are your thoughts?

The Best Of 2012

Finally, it's here! My beauty favourites of 2012. I attempted to upload this post yesterday but blogger and I were having issues adding my photographs, and we all know a post isn't as fun without something nice to look at!

I'll start with my hair favourites first. I've been loving this for a few years now, so it's definitely making an appearance. It's the Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush. I do like some of the other scents, and I usually stand and sniff them all to see which one I fancy, but recently I've always been going for this scent. I'd really like to try a few other brands of dry shampoo this year, just so I can see which is best, so I'd love for you all to let me know which is your favourite!

Next is another firm favourite in the beauty world, Moroccan Oil. I purchased this from BuyaPowa during the Summer and have used it every single time I've washed my hair and I love it. It makes my hair so silky smooth  and it smells delicious.

Although not featured in my photograph, you're all probably wondering where my Lush shampoo is. That's because I currently have no shampoo bars as I'm using my bottle of Fair Trade Honey from Lush. It's another shampoo I love, but the solid shampoo bars are my favourite, and it's a toss up between Karma and Jumping Juniper.

Shock horror! It's Urban Decay's Naked Palette. I absolutely adore this and I think I'll probably repurchase it once I finish up my favourite colours. I used this every day for months, and it's worked it's way back into my daily routine again.

Urban Decay's Ink For Eyes has been my favourite eyeliner for the year, and I don't actually think they sell it anymore as I haven't seen it in a while. This is a gel eyeliner which comes with a little brush to apply it to your eyes, and it's literally lasted me all year.

This mascara has it's own post because I love it so much, and you can read it by clicking here. FAIRYDROPS has been my favourite mascara since I got the little trial size version in my LashStash collection from Sephora last Christmas. It makes my short, invisible eyelashes super long and it's perfect for me.

One of my absolute favourites of the whole year has been my Mac Pro Longwear Concealer. I thought I'd already written a review on this, but a quick skim through my blog suggests otherwise. I will definitely put one of these up! I'm currently on my third bottle of this since discovering it during the Summer. It gives excellent coverage and I almost use it as a foundation.

Speaking of foundation, after trying a few throughout the year, my favourite has been Chanel's Perfection Lumiere. I had been wanting to try one of the Chanel foundations for months before I finally decided to give it a chance and this is my second bottle. It's the exact same colour as my skin and gives great buildable coverage. If anyone wants a review on this, just let me know!

I literally finished this last week and loved it. It's my Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream. I got this as a present during the Summer and have used it every day, and it lasted me such a long time for such a small bottle. This helped smooth my skin before applying my foundation and after using it once, I couldn't go back to applying make up without it.

Another item I loved so much, it got it's own review which you can read here. I don't know how I ever applied my make up without my Real Techniques Stippling Brush. I really could never go back to not using it as it applies my foundation so well and leaves such a nice finish.

I was very careful to keep my lip favourites down, as I could really go overboard with this.

Firstly is my Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub. I think I'm currently on my third tub of this, and I love it so much that sometimes I just like to eat it. Obviously it has it's own blog post if you want a proper review. Click here!

The Revlon Lip Butter's where a huge hit this year, and I got my hands on quite a few, especially with numerous visits into Boots waiting patiently for them to appear on the shelves. I love all of them, but my favourite has to be Berry Smoothie. They're super moisturising and come in some lovely colours.

This was a hard choice with the EOS lipbalms giving some stiff competition, but I decided that the Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm's where my favourite lip balms of the year. Pictured is a brand new one which I haven't tried yet, but I'm currently on my third one and I still can't decide which colour I like best.

For lipstick, I'm choosing Mac Creme Cup which is another product I've reviewed separately. You can read that by clicking here. It's such a nice nude/peachy pink colour and it's also quite moisturising too which is a big bonus!

None of you will be surprised when you see my top three choices in nail polishes, and of course they're American brands.

Firstly is my Jag-u-are nail polish from Essie. This was used largely in the winter months, and you'll have seen it in a few of my Nail of the Day posts around Christmas time.

Another Essie polish, and this time it's Fun in the Gondola. I think I would choose this as my number one nail polish for the year, and I actually have it on my nails right now. It's the exact same colour in the bottle as my Creme Cup lipstick!

Finally, it's Rainbow in the S-Kylie from OPI's Kardashian Collection. I bought this at the start of last year and ended up buying a second bottle during the year just in case I ran out because I loved it that much. I said in a previous post I loved it that much I would give it it's own post, and that is still to come!

That's it for my 2012 favourites, 21 days late, but it's finally up! I'm so excited to try lots of new products throughout this year so if you have any recommendations for me please, please let me know!

Lush - Christmas & Boxing Day Haul

As promised, here's my Lush haul, this includes the gifts I received for Christmas, and also what I bought myself during their big sale (which was amazing!) Although I already mentioned it in my Christmas gift post, I'll say it again. I'm extremely grateful for all my gifts, and I'm not trying to show off in any way.

I'll start first with what I got for Christmas. I received pretty much all of these from my boyfriend for Christmas, because he let me pick my gifts, and as this is my favourite shop, I wanted quite a lot!

I decided I wanted to choose one of the gift boxes, and as it's my favourite, I decided on Snow Fairy. I love the soap and the shower gel already, and I haven't used one of the Shimmy Shimmy Glitter Bar's in years, so I was really happy that I got to try one out again.

One of my friends also got me a bottle of Snow Fairy which I'm very happy about, you can never have too much, ever! I then got the Popcorn lip scrub, because every person and their dog has raved about it and I needed to have it!

Something I've been lusting after for actual months, was the Imogen Rose solid perfume. They sell it in a bottle as well, but it was the solid perfume that I wanted, which is surprising as I've never owned one before. This smells so amazing, and smells even after after it's been on your skin for a while. I'll be doing a review on this very soon! You can buy it by clicking here.

The first bar of soap (at the top) is Angels Delight, there will be more on that further down as I bought this myself.

Karma is the second bar, and I've always wanted to buy this, but for some weird reason, I never have. I adore this scent in the shampoo bar, so I'm glad I finally have my hands on the soap. You can buy it by clicking here.

Finally, the last soap I received with Rock Star. The label has came off this, but you can definitely tell from the scent which soap it is. This has always been a favourite of mine, and is the one I always choose for a present for people as it just smells so good. You can buy it by clicking here.

I got some really good bargains in the Lush sale, and I was so happy afterwards (it's like a shopping high). They had 50% off all their Christmas products, and also off some regular priced products. When I went into the store, every single inch had a person in it, and it was nearly impossible to move. Everyone was going for all the gift boxes so naturally I went there first as I knew they were great value.

The one I ended up with (after much thought, and swapping about) was Jolly Hollydays. It cost me only £12.75!

One of my friends got me the Sandy Santa for Christmas (I somehow forgot to put this in my overall photo), but I also got one in this box. I decided on this one in the end as it had three products which I hadn't tried before. I already love the smell of the Karma shampoo so I know I'll love the soap. I can't wait to try all my new things!

I love the Fair Trade Honey Shampoo (you can read a review by clicking here) so I was delighted when I saw it on sale for half price. I ended up getting the 300g bottle for £7 and I had ran out so this was a great bargain. You can buy it full price by clicking here.

My boyfriend got me a large version of the Twilight shower gel, and I love the smell so much that I bought a mini bottle just for whenever I run out.

I love trying new cleansers, so as it was half price I decided to try the Buche De Noel one which I found as I was checking out at the till. Hopefully it's good (although nothing can beat Angels on Bare Skin).

Next was the Angels Delight soap. I bought this last year and hadn't restocked at all this year, so since it was half price I thought I might as well. It smells so lovely and sweet!

You all know already that I love Full of Grace, there's a review if you click here. Half price? Why not!? I paid £3.90, but you can buy it full price by clicking here.

I'd been wanting to try one of these toners for a while, so I picked up Breath of Fresh Air and I've been using it every day since. I can't believe how much make up there is still left on my skin after I take it off at night. I'll definitely be repurchasing this! It cost me £3.95 but you can buy it full price by clicking here.

I have it included in the photograph, but it wasn't half price, but I also bought Grease Lightning because I'd been wanting to try it. I'll be doing a review on it soon, but if you want to go ahead and buy it anyway, click here.

There you have it, my long list of Lush products. I really won't need to buy anymore for a while, but well, I probably will.... Although I definitely don't think I need any shower gel or soap for a good few months, or even until next Christmas. I love them though.

As mentioned, I''ll be reviewing most of these products in the near future. I'd like to know though, is there any particular products you want to hear about first?

Did you receive any Lush products this year? I love to know!

Blogmas Day 22 - Lush Angels On Bare Skin Review

Another review from my favourite brand, Lush. I've been meaning to write this review for a while now but keep forgetting somehow. This is the Angels on Bare Skin cleanser and I absolutely love it. It's perfect for sensitive skin like mine.

I done a bit of research before I choose this cleanser. I have quite red skin and its quite uneven so this seemed to be perfect. I try to use this every night if I can after I've taken my make up off and I've noticed the redness on my skin goes down straight away after using.

To use, I just pinch a small amount out of the tub and place in the palm of my hand. I'd say you only need product the size of your big finger nail and that should be sufficient. I then turn on the tap very slightly so only a small amount comes out and put that over the top. I then mix this around in my hand to form a paste. Next just apply all over your face, using circular motions. It's also quite good if you want to exfoliate as well.

Pros :

• Inexpensive, £6.25 for a 100g tub.
• Long lasting, this has done me a while now.
• Great for sensitive skin.
• Reduces redness (and actually works)
• Helps to even out skin tone.

Cons :

• Honestly, nothing. I can't think of a single thing wrong with this product.

Another great thing about this product is that if you bring back 5 clean tubs like this, you'll get a free fresh face mask.

Have you tried this product before, if so what do you think? If not, have you any other cleansers you would recommend for sensitive skin?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogmas Day 16 - Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub Review

If you are a fellow lover of Lush then I'm sure you will have tried one of these lip scrubs. If not, you need one of these in your life.

I have went through a few of these, but strangely, only in the one flavour. The bubblegum one just smells so good that I find it hard to try anything nice. I am getting the popcorn one for Christmas though so maybe ill convert.

To use, simply put a small amount on your finger and rub your lips in a circular movement. Continue doing this until you feel as if your lips have been sufficiently scrubbed. Then you can either lick the remaining sugar off, or wipe it off, the decision is up to you. I personally always lick it off as it tastes so good.

This one little pot should last you a good few months, although I'd make sure to store it in a cool, dry place as I noticed one of mine started to evaporate!

Also available in Mint Julips and Popcorn.

Pros :

• Tastes delicious
• Removes dry skin
• Leaves lips feeling super soft
• Inexpensive at £5.25 compared to other lip scrubs
• Long lasting

Cons :

• Possibly tastes too good, and isn't sugar bad for your teeth?! I say this as I literally just tasted it on looking at it for this blog.

Have you used any of the lip scrubs from Lush? If so, what's your favourite flavour?

 

 

 

 

Blogmas Day 14 - Christmas Gift Guide For Her

I thought I'd do a little Christmas gift guide for everyone, for gifts to buy your friend, your girlfriend, your mum, your sister, any of the girls/women in your life. I'll try not to pick things that are too expensive so that there's a range to choose from, no matter what your price range. Since I have a range of followers from the UK and US, I'll also try to choose items from both so that one isn't left out.

The first item I'm going to choose is this jewellery holder that is from Paperchase. It's very cute, and is also available in purple. It has a little tray at the base to store loose jewellery in, such as earrings or rings.

Price : £6.00

Link : click me!

Another item from Paperchase (I love this store), a recipe binder. Perfect for any keen bakers who need somewhere to store all their recipes. It also contains stickers so you can label everything, and a dinner party planner.

Price : £13.75

Link : click me!

Everyone loves slippers, no matter what your age! These ones look super comfy and soft and are from Urban Outfitters. I personally love slipper boots as they look much more cosy than normal slippers. These ones have a fairisle print on them so they look nice and festive.

Price : £14.00 (normally £24.00)

Link : click me!

 

Another gift from Urban Outfitters, these beautiful photo frames. They come in black, white, lilac and blue. My personal favourites are the black and the white, but the other colours are nice too.

Price : £5.00

Link : click me!

A perfect present for any lover of beauty, the brand new Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. A present I would love to receive, or even buy myself as I'm very excited to ry it.

Price : $27.00/£20.00

Link : US or UK

 

This is exclusively from Sephora, so unfortunately none of my UK followers can buy this, and it's a great gift. This is the Lash Stash collection and contains 10 mascaras, eyelash primer, eyelash glue, and a set of false eyelashes. I bought this for myself on my recent trip, and I also bought it last year, and it lasted me all year so it'a a great find.

Price : $45.00

Link : click me!

You had to be expecting it, my Lush gift. I'm choosing only one, because I would happily suggest them all, but this is my favourite. This contains the products shown in the photograph, all which smell delicious. The UK receive the popcorn lip scrub however, and the US get bubblegum. I choose this as a present from my boyfriend for Christmas so I can't wait to get it!

Price : $39.95/£19.95

Link : US or UK

Hope you all liked my gift guide for her. Stay tuned for my christmas gift guide for him!

What did you think of my choice of gifts? Would you have preferred more expensive gifts to choose from? What are you buying the women in your life for the holidays this year? Let me know!

Blogmas Day 13 - It's Here! Lush Rose Jam Review

If you read my Blogmas Day 7 - Lush Fragrance Party Exclusive! post, then you'll know I've been patiently waiting on my parcel from Lush. Well, today, at 8.10am, it finally arrived! As soon as I heard the postman I leapt out of bed to get my parcel. However, I decided to wait until I got home from work to open it, as I knew I would be so distracted by what was inside that I would be late. I'm home now, and it's time to open my parcel...

I love that once I cut open the side of the box, and began to open it, I found this little note printed inside. So cute, and company's don't usually do things like this, so it was a nice touch.

Another lovely thing I noticed, was that when I looked at the invoice which was at the top of the box, there was a signature from handy, which I could tell was hand signed, and not just printed on, to say that he had personally hand picked my items for me. Not really a big deal to many people, but I just thought it was a nice thing to add to a boring piece of paper.

Now to the good part...

Nicely packaged and padded, to protect my lovely products. By this point I was so excited and couldn't wait to tear into it to see what I'd got, but of course I had to take my photographs first. A spicy scent reached my nose as soon as the box was open, and I knew this must be my soap.

At the last minute, I decided to throw in a bar of soap from the Limited Edition section of the website, as these are the products which aren't available instore, and I thought I might as well while I was placing an order. I had a quick look and decided on this bar of Spice Mountain soap. I've just checked and this is now no longer available to buy online, so I can't link you to a place to buy it, but it smells like Christmas. It is a combination of clove, lime and cinnamon, and is a spicy scent which I think is perfect for this time of year. I'll be using it very soon and I'll have a review up for you very soon!

Now, on to what you read this post for... the Rose Jam perfume! My first thoughts when I saw the bottle was on how small it was, it's only 27ml, and I'm really sad that they only have bottles this size, as I don't want it to run out! I'm smelling it on my wrists right now, and it just smells ah-mazing. It's exactly the same scent as the Rose Jam Bubbleroon (yes, this is what Lush calls them, I didn't make this word up). I just want to eat it up. I can't even describe it in any other way than to say it smells like roses, jam, and a hint of lemon!

I've seen posts and tweets from other people talking about the Lush fragrances and I'm assuming they may be coming over to the US sometime soon? Hopefully they are, as you all need to experience this. To the UK, please bring this as a permanent item, as I'm going to have to ration this until you do!

Did anyone else manage to get a hold of any of these exclusive fragrances? Link me to your blog post if you did so I can read all about it!