July Favourites

My favourites are pretty minimal this month, it's been a busy one not giving me much chance to try anything new really. 
My lovely friend, Becca, gifted me the Too Faced Born This Way Naturally Radiant Concealer which recently launched as part of their Fall 2016 collection! I have the shade 'Fair' which is a perfect match for me & my pale complexion. It blends beautifully, instantly hiding my imperfections & dark circles providing me with flawless coverage. 
The L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique Cushion Foundation has not left my face in the whole of July (obviously I've removed it before bedtime though...) it's everything I look for in a base product & more. Cushion Foundations are pretty new to the market but most people seem to be loving them & I certainly do. You literally tap your makeup brush into the 'cushion' which is a sponge filled with product & apply it to your face. The formula is very light but extremely buildable so you can easily achieve the coverage you desire. 
Antipodes Rejoice Light Facial Cream has been my go-to moisturiser of the month. It's light, sinks in quickly & has a lovely sweet Vanilla & Almond fragrance. I'm also obsessed with the packaging, so simple yet really attractive looking - especially in blog photos ;)
Tartelette Tease Clay Palette is another gift from Becca, aren't I a lucky girl! It houses six dreamy eyeshadows, ranging from a light pink to a plum with a couple of shimmer shades as well as matte ones. It's the perfect palette to pop in your travel bag as it's pocket sized & contains enough pretty shades to create a look for every occasion. 
It's a well known fact that I'm pretty damn lazy when it comes to moisturising my body. I mean I wish I wasn't but when I've just hopped out of the shower the last thing I want to be doing is freezing my butt off whilst I rub moisturiser everywhere. I received the Cowshed Wild Cow Invigorating Body Lotion in my July Libbie Box (I'll be popping up a post soon!) & I've actually become a big fan of moisturising thanks to this. It is such a refreshing lotion that as soon as I apply it I want to keep on applying it, I can't get enough of the fresh Lemongrass fragrance & the way it makes my skin feel revitalised.
And, finally I have been loving my Rose Gold Eyelash Curlers from good ol' Primark. At only £1 they're a huge bargain & an Instagrammable bargain at that! These work a treat & give my lashes a perfect curl.
What are your July Favourites?
L x 
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May Favourites

A little later than usual but here we are with my favourite products from the month of May, I've been busy, busy busy recently but it feels good to sit down & blog! I went to stay at Beccas house over the weekend & took advantage of her beautiful set up to shoot some blog photos, which is why they may look a little different from my usual ones. 
I'm a big fan of Antipodes Skincare & have recently really been loving the Juliet Skin-Brightening Gel Cleanser. The formula is unlike any other cleansers I have used before as it's quite thin & as it's a liquid gel rather than a balm or cream but it still removes makeup effortlessly. It gives my skin a really fresh, glowing appearance & the Manuka Honey and Vinanza Grape keeps blemishes to a minimum.
As I mentioned in my Rosie for Autograph blog post, I absolutely loved the Eyeshadow Stick in Feline Fox so theres no surprises here to see it featured in my monthly faves! I'm obsessed with the colour of it & really love that I can use it for a quick wash of colour or layer it up for a more intense look.  If I've got more time on my hands then I've been reaching for Rosie's Eyeshadow Palette in Ballet Slipper instead, or using a combination of both products. It's my perfect everyday palette & I've been travelling quite a bit recently too so it's become my staple travel palette. 
After my NARs Sheer Glow Foundation (review here) ran out I wanted to try a new high end foundation, in the end I chose the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation & I'm so glad I did. It transforms my skin into everything I could wish for in a Foundation, it perfects my skin in a way I've never experienced before. It's weightless yet provides full coverage, hides my imperfections effortlessly & gives me a flawless base. I'm going to have to do a full review on it because there is so much more to tell you about!
Just a few favourites from the month of May, the other beauty items in the photograph were used as props as Becca allowed me to rummage through her insane makeup collection & let me use whatever I fancied! The H&M blush & eyeshadows are beautiful though so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of them around on here. What were your favourite beauty products in May?

L x

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April Favourites

I love a favourites post but I often feel mine are kinda boring because I don't have new products to use each week which is why I just do them whenever instead of religiously every month! Heres my round-up of a few of my most loved products from the month of April...
Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream* has got to be the nicest moisturiser I've used for a long time. My evening skincare routine is quite simple at the moment, I double cleanse, tone & moisturise as my skin is having a bit of a funny spell I don't want to overload it with a million different products. The Avocado Pear night cream is not only nourishing but also soothing, I always wake up with fresh, dewy feeling skin in the morning.  
I'm a big fan of the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer & rarely steer away from it as I swear by it but change is good sometimes & being a beauty blogger I do love to try out new makeup whenever I get the chance. I've been using the Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer* which is a duo creamy concealer with a setting powder. The left side of the pot is the under eye brightening concealer & the right side is to conceal blemishes & imperfections. I can really notice a difference when I use this to hide the dark circles around my eyes, it has a nice consistency which blends easily to conceal the dark tones. I was a little nervous to use it as it's quite orange toned & I'm so pale I was convinced it would be the wrong shade for me.
When I spotted the Essie Retro Revival Collection in Boots, I knew I wouldn't be leaving the stand empty handed, I chose Cabana Boy a beautiful pearl nude shade. This is so pretty on my nails, I've hardly worn any other colours & I've had so many compliments on it too. It's such a dreamy kinda shade with it's pearlescent finish & as you might already know Essie are my all time fave nail polish, they apply so well & resist chips for ages. 
LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub has been my complete life saviour recently. As I mentioned above my skin is being quite strange, it's been quite oily which is new for me as it's usually dry, however my lips have been drier than ever. They have been so chapped & sore, they looked really really awful, I've been applying lip balms more than ever & trying to increase my daily intake of water. The Bubblegum Lip Scrub is so so good, it removes dead skin gently yet efficiently leaving my lips feeling a whole lot better. I can't resist the taste of this either, a little sweet treat for my lips.
Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Blush Eau De Toilette is the newest addition to my Marc Jacobs perfume collection, I'm obsessed with the pretty bottles & lovely fragrances, one day I shall own them all... Blush is the perfect fragrance for Spring, it's fresh, light & slightly floral making it ideal for the warmer weather (ha, it basically snowed here in Liverpool last week but hey we are meant to have a heatwave this weekend!!) as it's not at all overpowering. It's beautifully delicate & feminine & has been the only fragrance I've reached for this month.
What are your April favourites?
L x

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December Favourites

December was the busiest month of my life, working ridiculous hours & getting ready for Christmas meant it flew by faster than ever. It's been so long since I've tried any new makeup items (something that needs to change asap... payday hurry up!) so my favourites this month are fragrance, skincare & a new category... miscellaneous! 
Bobble hats are my most-loved winter accessory, I have many of them stored away in my drawers but the one I'm always wearing at the moment is this cream knitted one with a faux fur pom pom. It goes with pretty much everything in my wardrobe, it's cosy & keeps my lil head warm!
Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish is my favourite cleanser, I'm forever repurchasing it, usually just on it's own but last time I ended up getting the Daily Essentials Kit that included a moisturiser, exfoliator & of course the good old muslin cloths too. Loving C&P so much I had high hopes for the other products, which they do in fact live up to. The Skin Repair Moisturiser is a beautifully light moisturiser with a gentle, fresh fragrance that sinks into the skin almost immediately without leaving behind any sticky residues. It's quickly become my go-to moisturiser now as my skin feels soft & prepped ready for me to apply my makeup. 
Aesop is a brand I'm new too, but one I'm glad to have discovered thanks to fellow beauty bloggers! Over the past few months I've been making more of a conscious effort to take time out & pamper myself. I'd been feeling worse for wear & fed up of how run down I'd let myself get, I knew things had to change & taking an hour out in a busy week has really done wonders for me. With that decision I decided to invest in a nice face mask that I could treat myself to & give my skin that little detox it really needed. The Aesop Parsley Seed Masque is clay based & aims to extract impurities to refresh your skin. It does make your skin feel tight whilst its on & also after removing it but nothing a bit of moisturiser can't fix & it's worth it to achieve that fresh skin feeling!
Soap & Glory body sprays are a handbag essential, I've always loved the original pink fragrance but my absolute fave scent from S&G is the Smoothie Star one! You can imagine how excited I was when I realised it was now available in a body spray & even more excited when I was invited to lunch with Soap & Glory who in fact gifted me this as well as some other amazing goodies too. That was definitely a "is this real life?" moment for me!
I've been wearing my Pandora Birthstone rings non-stop since Dom bought me them, they're such lovely rings & mine are so special to me as they represent my lil Pugs birthdays - yep told ya I'm a crazy Pug lady! 

What are your monthly favourites?

L x

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November Favourites

It feels like forever since I've shared a monthly favourites post, but sometimes the products I love the most don't change & it would be pretty boring to keep repeating them over & over. I'm just gonna put it out there as well that I'm not actually happy with the photo but it was the best of a very bad bunch. By the time I came to edit these I realised the lighting hadn't been quite right which has resulted in them being grainy, that will teach me for not uploading them to my MacBook to check them! I almost didn't go ahead with today's post but I love all the products & didn't want to alter my schedule for the rest of Blogmas. After that long intro I'll move on to writing about my actual favourite products now!
I can guarantee that throughout Autumn & Winter 99% of the time I'll be wearing a berry toned nail polish. The one I've been reaching for the most is Essie's Bahama Mama, a warm plum shade which I've received so many compliments on. I use the Essie Gel Setter as a top coat which I can't rave about enough, my manicure has a professional salon finish without the price tag!
Shampoo is a hair care product that takes me a long time to get through, as my hair is thick & frizzy it hardly gets greasy so I can get away with around 5 days in between hair washes. Having said that, I do like to try out new shampoos & conditioners when I get the chance to. I bought the LUSH Lullaby Shampoo Bar when I visited the Oxford Street store purely because the gold glitter caught my eye. The little information stand made it appeal to me even more so as it mentions the calming ingredients like chamomile & lavender. I'm really pleased with this shampoo bar, it lathers up a lot more than I expected it to & it's actually really easy to use. I did imagine it being awkward as it's not your conventional kind of shampoo! The reason I love it so much is the fragrance, it's perfect to use if you're washing your hair in the evening, it's a relaxing scent hence the name lullaby. One thing that did take a while to get used to was the fact it leaves my hair feeling quite 'squeaky' but the lady in LUSH told me to expect that as it contains no nasties such as silicone meaning your hair doesn't get coated in anything. 
LUSH is getting another mention in my favourites this month, it's no surprise really though as I am a bit of an addict! Cup O' Coffee Exfoliating Mask has got to be up there as one of the best exfoliators I've used. I use it on both my face & body, however I don't tend to leave it on as a mask on my body purely because I'm lazy/impatient. Although it contains grains it's not harsh or too 'scrubby' on my skin, it just feels like you're giving your skin a good clean. I genuinely can't stop stroking my skin afterwards because it feels so new & soft! If you're a coffee lover you'll absolutely love this!
I'd been looking to try out a different drugstore foundation for a while now, so when I noticed a little offer on L'Oreal (spend £14.99 & get a free gift!) I decided to pick up the Infallible 24hr Foundation. It's a really similar formula to NARS Sheer Glow, not quite as thick but provides a soft, dewy looking finish to the skin with a decent amount of coverage. I literally get so excited to apply this in a morning, I got really fed up of applying my makeup but I just needed a change & this foundation has really done the trick! It's everything I love in a base product & it doesn't break the bank either. I also bought the Lumi Magique Concealer as it's said to be a dupe for YSL Touché Éclat. The Rose Gold packaging is all of the heart eyed emojis to me, you just can't beat a rose gold beauty product! I like that this is a 2-in-1 as it can be used to conceal but also highlight. It's amazing at covering my panda eyes, my dark circles have been a lot worse over the past few months so anything that hides them is a miracle product to me! Considering the coverage is high it doesn't feel heavy on my skin at all, it's really lightweight & blends easily too. I'll definitely be making sure theres always a tube of this in my handbag!
We all know how much of a chore washing our makeup brushes is, so when I discovered there was brush cleansers out there that required minimal effort I was sold. I was recommend the No.7 Make Up Brush Cleanser by a friend & I've been hooked since. A couple of pumps onto a cotton pad followed by swirling your brush around & ta-da your brush is makeup free! It's great if you're doing an eyeshadow look that requires multiple colours as you can quickly remove any left over product off the brush without needing to do a thorough wash. Plus you don't need to leave your brushes overnight to dry as you can easily blot them dry on a cotton pad & they're good to go again! You can use the £3 off No.7 makeup vouchers that Boots seem to always be handing out too, so instead of £8 it's a bargain at only £5. 
L x

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August Favourites

Is anyone else really excited now that September has rolled around it's officially Autumn, or is that just me!? I love how cozy Autumn/Winter is, I'm not a Summer person at all really, give me blankets, candles & hot chocolates over bikinis & ice lollies any day! 
So what beauty products did I love the most during August?
First up is Zoella's Foam Sweet Foam Shower Gel, I like the light fragrance & the pretty pink pearlescent formula, plus it leaves me feeling squeaky clean. I also LOVE the Scrubbing Me Softly Body Scrub but silly me forgot to grab that out of the shower for these photographs. 
Washi Tape is another favourite of mine, I've been using it to hold up artwork until I get round to buying frames but I think I'll end up keeping some of them taped to the wall. These 3 are a little set from Oliver Bonas, a shop that I am obsessed with if you didn't already know that! 
I get very dry skin around my nails so I've been making more of a conscious effort to give them a bit of TLC by using Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. It smells absolutely divine, like Sherbet Lemon sweeties, the scent hangs around for ages too! It has really helped to soften up my cuticles & dry skin, I'm no longer ashamed of the state of my nails. 
I recently had blonde put through my hair which has since turned quite brassy which I was really unhappy with until I remembered I used to use Purple Shampoo when I had my hair ombre'd a few years ago! PROVOKE Touch of Silver Brightening Shampoo has lifted the brassy, harsh tones from my hair & brightened up the colour. It's so cheap too, you can't really go wrong - although I have heard if you leave it on too long or use it regularly you can end up with purple hair but thats never happened to me! 
Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade is my latest makeup obsession, it's finally helped me to achieve eyebrows I'm happy with & thats a big deal for me! I suffer from wonky eyebrows & I know they say eyebrows are 'Sisters not Twins' but I feel like mine are noticeably uneven & that makes me really self conscious. I have the shade Medium Brown which is a perfect match for me, all I do is load my MAC 266 with a small amount of product & apply gentle strokes throughout my brows. They look so much more natural, I'm not really a fan of the bold, overdrawn brows anymore, it just doesn't suit me! 
My last favourite is the L'Oreal True Match Concealer in the shade Vanilla, I happened to pick this up on a whim as my local Boots was out of stock of Collection's Lasting Perfection! When I went to use it my heart sank a little as it looked too dark but I tried it anyway & it is orangey on my skin tone but it's really good at hiding the blue tones I have around my eyes. It blends in easily & you can't tell it's the wrong shade for me once I go over it with my foundation brush! 
Thats it for my August Favourites, what are yours!?
L x

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June Favourites

Sorry to sound like a broken record but I can't believe we are at the end of another month again! June has been busy busy busy because I've had a 90 mile round trip to work almost every day, so I feel like I've hardly had any time to myself, my bank balance has been crying at the amount I've spent on petrol & so actually I'm kinda glad to see the back of June. July should be a bit more chilled as I'm gonna be working closer to home from next week, I've got a trip to London for an event & to hang out with my lil sister! My monthly favourites are pretty minimal, I feel like I've been using the same products over & over and I feel a little bored of my stash so it's definitely time to have a clear out & re-organise. I'm on the hunt for some makeup/beauty storage so I guess once I've got that sorted it will all come together & I might even unearth some golden oldies...!
Onto my first fave, Lee Stafford Frizz Off Keratin Blow Dry Smoothing Spray, I spritz this throughout my hair after I've towel dried it & before I blow dry it. Usually when my hair comes into contact with heat it triples in size & becomes really unmanageable, but with this sweet scented spray added to my hair the frizz is under control & my hair is left feeling really smooth. 
I popped into Asda for some groceries, but ended up purchasing some new skincare items from their own brand NSpa. The Radiant Flash Serum has flecks of shimmer in it, something I'm always a little dubious about but I'm pleased to report it doesn't leave my face full of glitter! It gives my skin a much needed glow that looks natural, no more tired & dull looking skin - yay!
When I heard Topshop were releasing some of their beauty range in rose gold packaging to celebrate its 5th Birthday I knew I had to pick up a couple of pieces! Pastel nail polish seems to be my weakness & I've been wearing this pretty lilac shade in Parma Violet a lot recently. The formula is easy to apply & lasting power is decent too!
My final favourite is the St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion, which at first I was disappointed with, however I'm glad I didn't give up on it as I'm now embracing my very first tan & I'm loving it.  As long as you make sure you rub it in evenly you'll be presented with a subtle golden glow once it has developed. It took me a few goes to get this right as I kept ending up with patches all over but now I've finally got a streak-free tan! It acts as a moisturiser too as it contains sweet almond oil, which gets bonus points from me as it leaves my skin silky soft. 
What are your monthly favourites? L x

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April Favourites

Here I am yet again wondering where on earth the time has disappeared, another month has left us behind & if I hadn't been organised & jotted down products that stood out to me during April I'd be sat here wondering what my favourite products had been! My mind is failing me at the moment, I've got so much going on I'm not even sure of the day sometimes, I've been using my iPhone more than ever recently to document to-do lists, appointments & other important things, I'd actually be lost without it!
I ended up having my hair cut short last month, I'm now sporting a long bob that I wear curly most days. I'm obsessed with the fact a couple of spritz of Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray over my hair adds texture & gives my hair a beach wave kinda vibe instead of intense curls. I quickly add in some curls with my straighteners, then use the T&G Sea Salt Spray all over & scrunch my hair  I like that it doesn't leave my hair feeling crispy & full of product & it's also got a really nice scent, salty but fresh so it's different but a good different!
Two skincare items I've been loving are the Origins GinZing Moisturiser & the Garnier Express 2-in-1 Eye Makeup Remover. I spotted the GinZing moisturiser at the Cosmetics Company store at Cheshire Oaks when I visited with Stephanie and there was just no way I could leave it sitting on the shelf after wanting to try it for so long. The gel consistency is really refreshing, it makes a great base for my makeup & the chocolate orange fragrance is the best! I'm a huge fan of the Garnier Micellar Water so I bought the Eye Makeup Remover when I noticed it was on offer. Most days I wear liquid eyeliner & quite a lot of mascara & often wake up to panda eyes in the morning even though I cleanse my makeup away. There always seems to be bits of mascara that cling to my lashes or eyeliner thats being stubborn so by adding in another way to remove eye makeup I can feel confident that every single trace has been wiped away! I find the Garnier Eye Makeup Remover to be extra efficient at getting rid of all my eye makeup which is why I love it a lot!
Only one makeup item in this monthly favourites, the MaxFactor Creme Puff Blush in Lovely Pink. It's super pretty & works well as both a highlighter & a blusher. I've also heard these Creme Puff blushes are amazing dupes for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, they certainly look really similar anyway but I've not had the privilege of trying the Hourglass ones! I don't know why I didn't include the other shade I have in Seductive Pink as I've been loving them both in equal measures! 
I couldn't decide which nail polish to include as I've been wearing both Barry M Speedy Quick Dry in  Eat my Dust and Essie Cute as a Button non-stop! Even though they are basically complete opposites, one being a powder blue shade & the other a bright coral colour they both look so nice on my nails that I've been alternating them every few days! 
For a change I've included a couple of non-beauty items, my beautiful marble-esque necklace from Next & a jar of Lucy Bee's Coconut Oil. I've been wearing the necklace to work nearly every day but also on my days off too! It's pretty rare for me to want to wear something I consider part of my Uniform on days that I'm not working, but I've been wearing really simple outfits & adding the necklace for detail! April was the month I really got into Coconut Oil & discovered it's full potential, it was one of those things I was apprehensive to try but I'm glad I ended up giving it a go. I've more than one reason why I love Coconut Oil & I'm planning on doing a full post soon but I like how I can use it for so many different things, even Tilly Pug gets a spoonful on her din dins!
Let me know your April Favourites! (:
L x

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A Few February Favourites

February, the shortest month of the year, you could blink and practically miss the entire month if you weren't careful & I'm almost sure I did blink, where did that month go? Honestly, I never believed my parents/grandparents/adults in general when they told me time goes by too quickly, as a child I always thought 5 minutes felt like forever whilst I waited for my tea to be plated up & brought to the table... whilst I still am impatient waiting for food to be served, (or should I say hangry!?) I am always wishing time would slow down or to be granted a few extra hours in the day. It's official, I am getting old.
Onto my favourites, I was sent the ever so popular Feather Print iPhone* case for my gold 5S from Iconemesis. I used to have a Fifi Lapin one for my old iPhone so I was pretty excited to welcome another Iconemesis case into my life. They're really sturdy plastic, making them less prone to shatter which is great for someone like me who currently has a very smashed up screen from dropping it far too many times. Seeing my phone fall to the floor usually results in my case chipping/cracking too but *touches wood* so far so good with this one!  
I look forward to cleansing my skin at the end of the day so much now that I've got a nice little skincare routine in place. It's such a good feeling going to bed with fresh, clean skin  & waking up in the morning not dreading what my skin looks like after sleeping in makeup! Along with my Liz Earle C&P I've been spritzing the Antipodes Resurrect Toner* afterwards to ensure my pores close before moving onto the next step. It's got a calming, natural scent of Lavender & Sage which makes it perfect to use before bedtime, but also in a morning when I'm running round like crazy trying to get ready quickly. I'm really keen to try out some more Antipodes skincare, especially the Vanilla Pod  Hydrating Day Cream & Manuka Honey Mask. 
Surprise, Surprise, Soap & Glory are featuring in yet another monthly favourites, I just can't get enough of this brand! I've been working my way through the huge box of goodies that was in the Next Big Thing gift set with the Whipped Clean Shower Butter standing out as my most loved. Pistachio, Almond and Sweet Vanilla fragrance the Body Wash/Butter, which lathers up into a creamy foam & leaves my skin feeling suitably soft. I'm obsessed with using this, the smell is delicious & really similar to another of my faves, Smoothie Star, I'll 100% be repurchasing it when I run out! 
Essie Fiji is one of those shades that creates the ideal 'minimal' no fuss nail look. It's a milky pastel pink colour, which does require a couple of coats to be completely opaque but Essie polishes tend to dry reasonably quickly & apply really easily, so thats okay! I've actually reapplied this a few times in a row as I really like how it looks & I know I'll continue to get a lot of wear out of it through the Spring & Summer months. 
February saw a whole lot of fuss surrounding Benefit's latest product launch, Roller Lash, which was  released on February 26th however a sample was included with Elle Magazine so I hunted it down to give it a try. The brush is made up of little hooked bristles which help to curl & lift the lashes, producing a wide eye effect. I love that I can apply one coat & see the results of using this mascara so quickly, it's got quite a wet formula which I don't mind as I find it's easier to apply. I'm tempted to purchase the full size of this on payday!
What are your monthly favourites?
L x 
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January Favourites

I'm so excited (& probably a little too eager!) to type up this post today, not only because it's the first monthly favourites of 2015 but because it contains products I've lusted after for so long that I finally got my hands on over Christmas which well & truly live up to the hype around them!  Lets start from the top of the photo, the first item being the Rose Gold Zoeva 102 Silk Finish brush (which is slightly out of focus, apologies but I'm still getting to grips with my shiny new camera!) I am completely obsessed with using this brush to apply my foundation. It's quite dense with a rounded head which makes blending & buffing a complete dream. It makes my foundation appear seamless & I just love it so much! In fact the whole set is amazing, so keep an eye out for a full review soon! Next is a skincare item from Soap & Glory, my favourite drugstore brand when it comes to both skincare & bath products. I picked the Fab Pore 2-in-1 Facial Pore Purifying Mask & Peel on a complete whim when I was feeling really fed up of my skin & in desperate need of a 'quick fix'. I haven't read any reviews on this but I think it deserves so much more recognition! Soap & Glory state that this is going to be your new favourite mask & it's true, it's definitely mine! I've been using it once a week to shrink my pores & improve the general appearance of my skin. It gives my skin a new lease of life, it feels a million times better, my pores are virtually invisible & my blemishes seem a lot calmer. Its £10 a pot but theres always offers on S&G stuff so I got it for about £8, it's well worth it! NARS Sheer Glow Foundation is a base product that I have wanted to try out for SO long, but I was always put off by the price tag so when my Mum offered to get it me for Christmas I jumped at the chance. Honestly, I wish I hadn't waited so long to try it! I've had so many compliments when I've been wearing it & it's completely rekindled my love with applying makeup. You know when you have those 'meh' days because your skin is looking blah & you can just tell your makeup isn't going to sit right? Well this completely transforms my skin, it's a miracle in a bottle & is definitely up there with my other fave foundation, YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat. I'm always so nervous to splurge on high end makeup incase I don't like it, but sometimes it's worth the risk!  Another product from Soap & Glory has made it's way into my January Favourites, this time something from their makeup range. I feel like I've been waiting forever to buy the Archery 2-in-1 Brow Filling Pencil & Brush, literally every time I went into my local Boots it was always out of stock... I even sneakily opened the drawer underneath the stand to see if any were hidden but to my disappointment there wasn't! Last week I ended up going over to Liverpool where I got drawn in to the huge Boots & to my delight the S&G stand was fully stocked so I grabbed the archery pencil in the shade 'Hot Chocolate' & trotted of to pay for it without even thinking twice! Even though this has only been in my life for a short while it's changed my eyebrow routine for the better, quick short strokes, a brush through with the spoolie & my brows are filled within a minute or so. The colour is a perfect match too & my brows don't seem to disintegrate throughout the day either! My most-loved fragrance of the month is Daisy Dream by Marc Jacobs. I have a couple of MJ perfumes plus some mini handbag versions so when Daisy Dream was released I knew it would eventually end up in my collection. Everything from the bottle adorned with daisies & the light, fruity, floral scent is lovely & right up my street. I've been spritzing it ever since Doms parents kindly surprised it with me (love that my "in laws" know me so well!) & I can't get enough of it! It's such a Spring/Summer kinda scent, as are most of the MJ fragrances, so it's nice to spray this when the days are dull & be reminded of the warm Summer days that are ahead of us, hopefully! I always have what seems like a 101 lip balms on the go at once & usually just grab whatever is closest to me but this month I've been choosing the Burts Bees Peppermint Beeswax Lip Balm more often than not. I find Burts Bees to be one of the most nourishing lip balms, they're filled with natural ingredients such as Coconut & Sunflower oils plus lots of vitamins & essential fatty acids to condition, soften & hydrate. The Peppermint flavour is really refreshing & tingles a little bit, which to me is a sign it's working! Tigi Catwalk Oatmeal & Honey Nourishing Shampoo* & Conditioner* have been my hair washing products of choice this month. If you've read my blog for a while you'll probably be fed up of me mentioning how dry my hair can be but seriously it's getting to the stage that it now forms dreadlocks if I don't brush it straight away after washing!! I'm forever soaking it in Moroccan Oil & using various other products that lock in moisture, whilst I still love all of the previous products I've used it's good to switch up your haircare routine every now & again! It's a nice change to have a shampoo/conditioner that doesn't have a fruity scent, the Honey & Oatmeal provide a comforting kinda smell, think breakfast & porridge & you're on the right tracks and the best thing is that the scent lingers around, I love it when you get wafts of a scent all day long! It definitely helps to tame my hair as it always feels silky soft during & after I've washed it, I hate shampoos that make your hair have that weird squeaky clean feeling whilst you're rinsing out the product. The gift pack is currently only £14.50 which is pretty good considering individually they would normally retail between £24-£30. What are your January Favourites? L x

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november favourites

Day two of #blogmas is a post dedicated to my most loved items throughout November!

My favourite products this month are a mixture of makeup, bath & body and skincare. I’ve not really bought many new beauty products for months now, simply because firstly, I don’t need anymore and secondly I stopped being so frivolous when Dom & I decided to buy a house together. It’s a huge step for us, but something we are SO excited about & I can’t wait to document our journey on my blog. We’ve had a bit of bad luck with the process so far, with our dream house being sold right in front of our eyes but that’s okay, it’s all a learning game & hopefully something better will come along!

Anyway, that’s not what this post is all about, my first favourite is LUSH Snow Fairy Shower Gel of course! If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now then you’ll know I’m pretty obsessed with this stuff. I can’t resist the sweet candy scent that lingers in the bathroom & on your skin for ages after using it!

I ran out of my Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Moisturiser so had a hunt around in my collection & I've been using the Creighton's Squeaky Clean Body Better Body Lotion* to keep my skin soft & hydrated. I'm usually a big fan of cocoa butter & vanilla scents but this one has a fresh clean smell, similar to baby powder & it's a thin formula so theres no waiting around for it to soak in. 

The only new beauty purchase of the month was a foundation, Rimmel have added another one to their product range & I've been meaning to test it out for a while! Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude Foundation is formulated to last all day without being a thick and cakey. I seriously love this foundation so so much, my work hours are long & whilst I've not worn it for 25 hours I can confirm it lasts the whole day for me without requiring touch ups. It makes my skin look smooth, covers most imperfections & blends in really easily. Rimmel are a firm favourite of mine when it comes to drugstore foundations!

This months issue of Glamour Magazine had a free Nails Inc Polish, I chose 'Marylebone Mews' a lilac grey shade. It's a really chic looking colour & is super chip resistant, I wore it for 8 days without a single chip occurring which is kind of a miracle considering I spend most of my life working in retail or tapping away on my keyboard! The finish of this polish reminds me of a gel manicure, it's so shiny & looks as though I've had a professional do my nails, I'm terrible at painting nails so this polish really is a miracle worker haha. 

I'm so impressed with how good it makes my nails look when I wear it! (excuse the pug hair all over my scarf...)

When I attended the Lush Blogger Event at the beginning of November, Dani gave me some skin care advice & provided me with a few little samples to take home with me. I've really been suffering with my skin recently, along with it being dull & tired looking I've also had quite bad breakouts. One of the products I've been using is the Dark Angels Cleanser to give my skin a good scrub to waken it up basically! It's filled with black sugar, charcoal & rhassoul mud to exfoliate & cleanse the skin but it also contains avocado oil & vegetable glycerine which soften & moisturise the skin after scrubbing. I've used this quite a lot but still got loads left, a tiny pea sized amount is all thats needed as you add water to it which turns it to a paste that can be applied all over your face. It smells really natural & feels like it's fixing my skin, as my skin feels so much better after I use it!

Last but definitely not least is the Makeup Revolution One Blush Stick in 'Rush'*, the rose gold blush thats almost certainly a dupe for Nars Orgasm! I haven't used any other blush product since receiving these, I love the shimmery finish & the colour really suits my complexion, in fact I think it would suit anybody!

What are your November favourites?

L x

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august favourites

Another month has come to an end meaning another monthly favourites post is due! With a lot of my beauty products still stuck in boxes (the joys of going from living in my own flat to being back in my old room at my parents!) I've been limited to a certain selection of items until we move again & I have space to store everything properly. When I packed up the flat I made sure I kept my most loved products in a separate box from my stash of all things beauty to try & make my life a little easier. 

One product I knew I absolutely couldn't live without was the YSL Touche Eclat Foundation. Whenever I'm feeling unhappy with my skin I always use it to perk up my complexion, it illuminates my skin in all the right place & is everything I look for in a base product. The next two products are both from MAC, Satin Taupe Eyeshadow & the 217 Blending Brush, together these two are a dream duo. Satin Taupe is a shade that really compliments my eye colour, I find it wearable for everyday as a wash of colour all over my lids but I also like using it to create a smokey eye look too. The 217 is a tool every girl needs in their brush collection, I don't know how I ever applied eyeshadow without it, all I know is it must have looked an absolute mess! It's pricey, but so so worth it! I never really stay loyal to a mascara, until Soap & Glory's Thick & Fast Mascara made it's way into my life a couple of Christmas's ago. I usually pick up whatever is on offer but I've really noticed a difference whenever I've used this one. It defines my eyelashes without the effort of having to apply layers upon layers & it doesn't flake or crumble away during the day either. Another Soap & Glory product has made it's way into my favourites this month, the Scrub Of Your Life, the reason I like this so much is because not only does it exfoliate my skin really well, I find it very convenient! Most scrubs are stored in a pot with a screw lid & I find it annoying to use them in the shower as they fill up with water so easily. I like that I can simply squirt a blob of this out & scrub it all over my legs etc without having to try put a lid back & worry about water getting in & ruining the product! My final favourite is the EOS Lemon Drop Lip Balm which my lovely friend Abi gave me when she came to stay at my flat in June! I have 100's of lip balms (not literally but you know what I mean!) & I'm forever chucking different ones into my handbag & changing them about but this one has found itself stuck in my handbag makeup bag. The best thing about it is the flavour, it tastes exactly like Sherbet Lemon sweeties & the taste actually stays on your lips for quite a while! I want to pick up the Sweet Mint flavour next time, I saw them displayed in Selfridges the other week & had to resist buying them all simply because I thought they looked so cute next to each other!

What are your August favourites?

L x 

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july favourites

I say this on almost every monthly favourites posts, but I genuinely can't believe another month has passed by. When I was younger I never used to understand it when adults said time goes too fast, but it really does! We've been living back in the North for a month now but it literally feels like we've only been here 2 minutes!

Let's get onto my favourite products from the month of July... I feel like I tried SO many different thing & I've found some products that I know I'll be sticking with for a long time! 

The first product I'm going to mention is Palmer's Cocoa Butter, which I've actually used for years but rekindled my love for it recently. Cocoa Butter has always been one of my go to moisturisers but then Soap & Glory came along & Cocoa Butter kinda got forgotten about. I found a stash of it when I was packing up the flat & decided to use it again. I'm one of those people that HAS to moisturise after my shower, even though it's effort my skin gets mad at me if I don't!

The second product I've loved using is the Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation, I'm actually annoyed I haven't tried it sooner! My Sister let me try some of it & I've been wearing it everyday since. The reason why I love it so much is because it provides high coverage without feeling heavy or thick on my skin. It seems to melt into my skin when I apply it, hiding my imperfections & under eye circles but doesn't make me look like I'm caked in makeup. It's a decent price too at less than £9 for a bottle!

Up next is the L'Oreal Eye & Lip Makeup Remover which has been a lifesaver on days when I've worn heavy eye makeup. It feels more like a gel consistency rather than a liquid & removes makeup in a few seconds. It doesn't sting or irritate my eyes, theres nothing worse than removing makeup with a product that leaves your eyes feeling sore. 

Slightly embarassing to admit this but I love Britney Spears Fantasy perfume! It's a really sweet scent & lasts all day, I always get asked what I'm wearing if I have it on & it's also dead cheap. I know a lot of people think it's a teenager's perfume but oh well haha!

Nars Lipgloss in Tasmania* is probably the prettiest lip product I own, it's a warm toned pink that I find suitable for everyday wear. Usually lip glosses annoy me because they're so sticky & my hair gets stuck to my lips but it's not the case with this one. It still leaves a glossy shine to my lips but isn't too gloopy which means I can wear it without having to worry about it ending up all over my face (I've had bad experience with lipgloss being swiped all over my cheeks after my hair stuck to it!! awks)

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion is another product that has made it's way back into my life after years of me going without it. This is the free sample that came with Glamour Magazine but I definitely want to pick up the full sized version of it when I get paid. I used this as a teenager as my skin used to be terribly dry, I don't really suffer from that anymore but I love velvety soft feeling it gives to my skin & my makeup always applies amazingly well on top of it.

My final favourite of the month is Pond's Eye Contour Cream* which is the newest addition to my skincare routine. I've been using it both morning & night to soothe my puffy eyes & to keep the skin smooth & hydrated. It feels so cool & refreshing around my eye area, it's such a treat to apply it in an evening after I've taken off all my makeup!

What have been your favourite products this month?

L x 
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