Monthly Favourites | October/November

First of all, happy December everyone! I missed out on posting my monthly favourites for October, so I thought I'd add in October's favourites to November's too.

NYC Applelicious Balm in 'Applelicious Pink'
NYC isn't really a brand I've tried out before but when I spotted these in Superdrug, I had to give it a try. This particular shade is a deep-ish pink and, once applied, leaves a smooth glossy finish to your lips. I think these are good for Winter because they come in a few deep shades but also moisturise your lips. So if you're one of those people who feel they can't wear lipsticks in the Winter, due to chapped lips, then these are for you. And lets not forget the price, for £2.49, you can't go wrong.

Barry M Nail Paint in 'Black with Multi Glitter'
When the seasons change, so does my choice in nail colour. In Spring/Summer I'm all about bright, bold and pastel shades but once it's Autumn/Winter I'm all over deep, dark and glittery polishes. Well, of course, the odd pastel shade will sneak in at some point but most of the time, I'll be sporting 'Autumn/Winter' shades. This nail polish is what it says on the tin: black with multi glitter. You only need one coat and I was very pleased with how quickly it dried too. Once it's dried it does have a textured feel and look, which I know some people hate, so I thought I'd mention it. Although, in my opinion, it isn't as bad as their textured nail paint range.

Panda Jumper £14
I have been living in this jumper, from Primark, recently. I've just been finding it too cold for t-shirts at the moment and this jumper has kept me nice and toasty - yes, that is a word - and I'm currently stocking up on them to make sure I survive these cold months, haha!

The Christmas Penguin Bubble Bar 
This isn't in the picture because I've already used it all up but it has been one of my favourite things I used last month. Aside from looking adorable, this smells delicious with Sicilian lemon oil as it's featured fragrance, this is one for lovers of citrus scents! It also smells similar to the olive branch shower gel, which is a permanent lush product.

Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser
This is a thick and creamy cleanser that removes makeup brilliantly. I use this daily and it works wonders for my skin. I like to use a couple of pumps and massage it on my face, then rinse with water and it leaves my face feeling clean and fresh. This is one of my all time favourite face cleansers I've used.

Lady Gaga Perfume
This is one of my favourite perfumes to use in the Winter time. I'd describe it as quite a heavy perfume, which I why I only use it around this time of year. It contains notes of saffron, apricot, jasmine, honey, incense and more. The thing that really attracted me to this perfume, in the first place, is the fact it's actually a black liquid but it doesn't leave a black stain on your skin.

So there's a quick round-up of my favourite things over the past couple of months, what have you been loving recently?

xxx

Monthly Favourites | September

September has been a very busy month for me (hence why I haven't been blogging as much) due to starting back at school, but I'm beginning to get back into a routine now; so hopefully I'll be able to make more time for my blog! Also, I'm thinking of buying an iPad but I'm not completely sure whether I should take the plunge or not. Do you have an iPad? What do you think of it? (Let me know in the comments!)

The first thing I've been using a lot this month is my Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream; which I'm sure I've mentioned on my blog before. This is great for me to use on school days, when I want a little coverage, but nothing cakey or too heavy on my skin. I apply this evenly all over my face and it does a pretty decent job of concealing any redness and slightly covering spots, however, I do still apply a concealer afterwards. I would say this is brilliant for young girls who want to start wearing makeup but they still want it to look natural. The coverage isn't great (of course it's only a BB Cream) but works well for a natural makeup look. This is available for £6.99, which I think is a reasonable price considering how much product you get and how long it lasts.

Secondly, I've been hooked on the Maybelline Baby Lips but in particular: Hydrate. There isn't much to say about this really, apart from the fact it moisturises my lips incredibly well and that the packaging is super cute.

Another thing I've been loving this past month is my Victoria's Secret Body Spray in 'Love Spell'. I own a crazy amount of body sprays but this one has stood out to me the most, because it smells so darn good! It's a mix of; Cherry Blossom and juicy Peach so, as you can imagine, I've been spritzing myself with this all throughout the day.

Now onto more of a recent purchase but I've still been loving it the same, is my Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. If you're a fan of the original Naked Palettes, then you're bound to love this. I am, actually, planning to do a more in-depth review of this, so I'll keep it brief for now but this is the palette I've been reaching for pretty much everyday. Containing six shades -5 of which are matte- it's great because you don't need to spend ages trying to match eyeshadows together because it's all in one palette. My favourite shade out of the palette is Walk Of Shame (or W.O.S for short), a creamy seashell pink shade that looks amazing on its own or paired with Naked 2.

And finally: my Dove Leave-In Conditioning & Care Spray. I find this is brilliant (especially for long hair) to spray through the ends of your hair, to leave them sleek and soft. As well as smelling divine, it does a fantastic job of keeping my hair smooth and nourished all day long. It's a bargain price too; at £3.59, how can you resist?!

So that's my September Favourites! Thank you for reading and I promise I'll get my next monthly favourites post published earlier!

Monthly Favourites | August

Well I can't quite believe that August is over - It seemed to last ages - so of course that means it's August Favourites time! With the Summer holidays, I've been off school all of August and still haven't returned to school yet (I am dreading the 9th of September) so I've had lots of time to try out new products and see whether I like them or not.

Victoria's Secret Body Mists (review coming soon!) £11
I have quite a large collection of these (5 to be exact) and I can't get enough of them, Victoria's Secret is definitely the place to go if you're looking for a long-lasting body spray and a huge selection to choose from. In the Summer I don't tend to wear much perfume because body sprays are much lighter and more refreshing in my opinion. Even with Autumn/Winter coming up I will still be wearing these because they are just too good (and pretty) to be hidden away at the back of my drawers.

Palmers Cocoa Butter Gradual Tanner (full review here) £5.35
Although I don't find it impossible to get a bit of a tan in the Summer, I always still manage to look a bit pale, so I've been using this gradual tanner everyday to give my skin a glowy and healthy look. I will warn you though, even though it's only a gradual tanner it will leave you with cheesy wotsit fingers if you don't give your hands a wash after application. Yes, I've been there.

Maybelline Baby Lips (full review and swatches here) £2.99
As I'm sure EVERYONE knows by now, Maybelline Baby Lips were finally released here in the UK, Superdrug and Boots were selling out so quickly I found it hard to find them at first. My favourite out of the four I own is 'Peach Kiss' because it's only a little bit tinted so it's great for school and days when you don't feel like wearing too much makeup. They do a great job of keeping your lips moisturised and soft and they're such an affordable price too, because sometimes I think tinted lip balms are a little bit over-priced.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub £4.99
I always like to use a lip scrub before applying any lipstick, to make sure my lips are soft and there aren't any dry patches, that the lipstick could cling to. This bubblegum one from Lush is my favourite because of it's sweet scent, I'm not too keen on the taste of this but I'm willing to overlook that. It smells just like the Snow Fairy shower gel and the Cotton Candy bubble bar too, and this lip scrub is available in different flavours if bubblegum isn't your thing.

Rimmel Blush in 'Santa Rose' £3.99
This has been one of my go-to blushers over August, a light peachy shade that adds just a hint of colour to my cheeks. Perfect for those 'no makeup, makeup days' and it's in the tiniest packaging too. This is such a bargain price and is worth it if you're on the hunt for a neutral blush for school.

And there's my August Favourites! Thanks for reading and tell me in the comments what you've been loving this past month!

Monthly Favourites | July

Yes, another month is come to an end and it's time for me to show you my favourite beauty bits and bobs, that I've been using over the past few weeks. I will warn you though that this months favourites aren't going to be that exciting, because I'm saving up for a shopping trip so I've been using some old favourites recently.

Revlon Lip Butter in "Cotton Candy" £7.99

I have been wearing this stuff on my lips an awful lot recently, a perfect sheeny pink shade that manages to keep your lips hydrated and looking luscious at the same time. I won't ramble on too much about it, as I'm sure everyone of you will have heard about the Lip Butters before but it's a lovely balmy texture and fuss-free to apply. A delightful bubblegum pink shade with a touch of shimmer, perfect.

Boots Coconut & Almond Intensive Hair mask £1.99

Particularly in the Summer I always need a tad more moisture in the ends of my locks, to avoid the frizzy look. With this being cheap I wasn't expecting a miracle but after a few uses I can tell a difference in the feel of my hair. I apply this to the ends of my hair, leave for a few minutes and rinse out. The next morning your hair will feel super soft.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer £23.50
This is actually one of the very few bronzers I own - surprisingly - and it's been hidden away in my stash for a while, until I decided to give it a go for some contouring and I fell in love, again. It's very pigmented so you don't need too much product on your brush and it's great to contour your face with without looking dirty. I like to apply a small amount using my Real Techniques Contour Brush whilst pulling the 'fishy face' and blend it out to look more natural.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in "Half Baked" £14
Half Baked is a very shimmery golden bronze shade which I've been using on the outer corner of my lids daily this month. I was expecting this to be a pain to apply (because of thee shimmer) but it applies very easily and it has a very smooth texture. The pigmentation is great too, I would definitely getting the Naked 2 palette as all of the shades are fantastic.

Bourjois Bronzing Primer £9.99
I did a full review - here - on this, but I had to include it in my favourites for this month. As all of you in the UK will know, the weather has been very hot this past month so due to this I haven't been wearing a full face of makeup everyday and this primer has come in very handy. I apply this (using my fingers) all over my face, making sure to blend it well and then go ahead and use a BB Cream over the top for a perfect Summer makeup base.


Non-Beauty Favourites

Hay Day (Available from the App Store)
I've been spending so much time on this app - warning it's very addictive! - and it's free too.

Watermelon!
I've been eating Watermelon like crazy at the moment, but at least it's healthy!

Skater Skirts
I never used to be a skirt fan but this Summer I haven't been out of my Skater skirts. I have three in total - note to self: buy more - two from Topshop and one from New Look. They go with EVERYTHING and look so pretty as well.


Phew. That was a long post, what have you been enjoying this last month?

Monthly Favourites | June

Yes, it's that time of the month again where everyone is sharing their favourite beauty products that they've been using the past month, so here goes... This months favourites include some newbies and a few old friends that have made their way back into my routine.

Essie Nail Polish in Fiji- This shade has been gracing  my nails mainly this month. A milky pink shade that I think looks very sophisticated and I don't have any other shades like this in my collection. It suits pale skin tones (i.e-me) but if you had a tan, it would emphasize the colour a lot more. It does go streaky on the first coat but once you've put 2 coats on, there isn't a streak in sight.  As you know I love the brushes and formula of Essie nail polishes and they have never disappointed me yet.

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Conditioner- I'm sure almost everybody will have those days where your hair is so dry or you find it hard to get a bush through, I certainly do (especially after blow-drying my hair). To help get soft and smooth feeling hair, I've been using this Dove leave-in conditioner. First of all the scent of this is just heavenly, I like to spray it mainly on the ends of my hair to make them frizz-free and then go through my hair with a brush afterwards. It can be used on wet or dry hair too, perfect to reduce frizz, tame any flyaways and hydrate your hair.

Juicy Couture, Couture La La- It's described as a sweet blend of Mandarin and white florals on Juicy Couture's website, it's probably more for Spring time but I like to wear this kind of scent any time of year really. The bottle that this comes in is gorgeous, a pink ribbon and diamantés what more could a girl want?

Rimmel Stay Matte Face Powder- Every beauty blogger must have heard about this face powder at some point, Tanya Burr (and many others) swear by it and it's a bargain too. A light dusting of this, concentrating on my t-zone is all I need for shine-free skin - almost - all day.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer- Despite my love for the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, as I came to an end of one of my (many) tubes I decided to try something new. The Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation is one my favourites so I was expecting good things from their concealer. It covers very well leaving no signs of blemishes or under eye circles, it has a slightly thicker consistency when compared to the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer which I think I prefer.

So that concludes my June favourites, what have you been loving recently?

Monthly Favourites | May

Well it's been a busy month, I've had birthdays, holidays and exams to deal with this month so I've been using a lot of multi-tasking products in order to see me through the - long - days. Here's my favourite picks of the past month...

Bourjois Bronzing Primer £9.99
I've been coveting over the Clarins Instant Smooth Self Tanning for long enough, and I was so close to purchasing it until I spotted this in Boots. This primer aims to bronze, smooth and (obviously) prime your skin, which it does brilliantly. It's fantastic to use on a daily basis and it takes no time at all to get a streak-free bronzed complexion.

VO5 Dry Texturising Spray £3.49
Sometimes my hair just feels so limp and lifeless and I feel like I need to add a bit of 'texture' and 'rough-ness' into my hair in order to style it how I want. This product does thee job perfectly and, in my opinion, sits perfectly between a dry shampoo and a hairspray.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation £25
This foundation provides excellent high coverage - perfect for covering any stress-related spots - and I've been reaching for it a lot this month. A light-weight powder that leaves your skin looking makeup free butt also flawless. I seriously don't know what I'd do without this.

Original Source Lemon & Tea Tree Shower Gel £2.30
This refreshing blend of zesty lemon and tea tree helps to waken me up in the mornings, and it contains pure and natural essential oils to help keep your skin nourished and supple. Can you believe it that 10 lemons go into one bottle of this!

Bourjois Cream Blush £7.99
As soon as I heard about these on a few blogs and read a couple of reviews, I knew I HAD to have one. I went for the lightest (and most neutral) shade. Nude Velvet (01) will add a touch of colour to your cheeks and I've completely fallen for their cream-to-powder formula.

Have you tried any of these products?

Monthly Favourites | April

This month has been jam packed with new releases and I found it quite hard to keep up, but I've managed to whittle my favourites down to a few items I've been using non-stop. I've been breaking out some more Spring-appropriate choices so here's what I been loving...

Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya. (also mentioned here) If you haven't already heard that Revlon have released some NEW lip butter shades, then where have you been?
Juicy Papaya is a peachy coral shade and it leaves my lips with an even wash of colour. Their new shades don't contain any glitter, which is a bonus for me as I'm not too keen on lipsticks with glitter, and there are some brighter options if you prefer a more bold lip.

Natural Collection Blush in Peach Melba. This stunning peachy shade will add a nice subtle colour to your cheeks, and I've been finding myself reaching for this recently. As cheap as chips and good quality as well, some people might avoid the Natural Collection stand and head straight for the higher-end brands, but believe me, you need this in your stash

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh. (also mentioned here)
A captivating light scent that's perfect for this time of year. Very fresh and feminine with notes of

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Polish in Lychee. (full review here)
Nudes are what everyone's talking about, and Barry M's Gelly nail polishes are some of my favourite ones to choose from. Lychee is the perfect nude that will suit a lot of different skin tones. I am very pale at the moment and it surprisingly looks okay. I'd uuhhmed and ahhedd in the shop about purchasing this particular shade, but as I loved the formula for their gelly nail polishes I thought I may as well give it a go. I am very happy with this and it's been featured on my nails a lot this past month.

Soap and Glory Face Massage Mini Mitt. I bought this a while back and never got round to mentioning it on my blog! How?, I don't know... I love to use this handy little 'gadget' in the evenings with a dollop of cleanser to give my skin a nifty 'deep clean'. It's made of soft silicone, so it would be suitable for people with sensitive skin. I massage my face in circular motions which will help to cleanse my skin and remove any dirt from my pores too. It'll remove any dead skin cells and leave your skin feeling instantly refreshed and squeaky clean! And the best part is, it's only £4 from Boots! So if you fancy a little pamper without spa prices, this is for you.

So that concludes my April Favourites, I've also been loving my Stila Convertible Colour in Lilium, but as I mentioned it in my last favourites post, I thought I better not ramble on about it too much! (If you'd like to hear my thoughts on the Stila Convertible Colour then click here)

March Favourites

So here's a quick post to show you what I've been loving using this month, it's been a while since my last favourites post (November to be precise..whoops!) but I'm back on track with now, thank goodness!

First up is L'Oreal's GlamShine Stain Splash (shade Romy). This has been in my makeup bag ever since I purchased it and I won't blabber on too much about this product because I did a review of this here. It applies smoothly and evenly, leaving a subtle gloss. Unfortunately the gloss doesn't last very long but the staining power in this product is fantastic, so even when the gloss has worn off your lips aren't completely bare. For £7.99 each these certainly won't break the bank and they come in a variety of different shades from lilac pinks to intrepid reds these are most definitely worth the price. Next up is Benefit's Creaseless Cream eyeshadow in R.S.V.P, I love how natural this looks on my eyes, it's shimmery but not OTT and these NEVER CREASE! I use this on its own and as a base for other eye shadows, it's creamy and glides straight on your eyelids with no bother at all and you don't need to tug on your eyelid to blend it in either. R.S.V.P is a dreamy champagne shade which is easy to build up too. You can also use these as eye liners, and there are darker shades available. Oh and I forgot to mention, these are only £7 on the Benefit website at the moment, such a bargain! They are so buttery and a delight to use and I'm so glad to have one of these in my collection.
Rimmel London Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in shade 101, has been my go-to lipstick this month. It's creamy and velvet texture makes them easy to apply and they are astonishingly moisturising, which isn't what you would expect from a drugstore matte lipstick. It's a dusky blue-toned pink and looks quite mauve on my lips and also gives the appearance of whiter teeth.
I'm a huge fan of bright natural eye makeup (especially for Spring), so this Rimmel Scandal Eyes eyeliner is fantastic for brightening up your eyes. I use this on my waterline and as these are water-proof, it lasts all day long. Their divine rich, silky consistency makes these the easiest to utilize.
Bare Minerals aren't really a brand I look at that much, but when I heard about their foundation (ages ago) I knew I would have to try it out for myself. It's high coverage and long lasting, which I would of never expected from a powder. This is actually a mini version of the foundation but you can buy it here for £25, which I believe is a pretty acceptable price, seen as you only need a tiny amount of this to cover any blemishes, scars or un-even skintone you may have.
And last but not least is my Stila Convertible Colour in shade Lilium, as I'm sure most of you beauty addicts out there will know how much these have been raved about previously, but as I was rummaging through my makeup drawers I came across this and decided to give it another go. Lilium is a stunning soft rosy pink shade, great for Spring, I like to use this on my cheeks but do occasionally use it on my lips at the same time if I'm going for a matchy-matchy look. I was impressed with how fuss-free this was to use because I usually end up looking like a clown when I use cream blushers but after a few practices I found a way that's suitable for me.

What have you been loving this month?

November Favourites

Hi everyone! How is it December already, I can't wait till Christmas! Anyway on with the favourites..

Garnier Soothing Body Lotion (Calming Honey) £2.99 from Boots

This is the moisturiser I have been using for the past couple of months now, as I realised I had too many body butters/lotions and decided to use them all up. When I first bought this it had only just been released and I saw people were liking it so I thought I'd give it a go, well I bought it and used it a few times but since then its never seen daylight. But I'm really glad I decided to buy this because it does and amazing job of moisturising. On the front it claims ''skin feels intensely hydrated for up to 7 days*'' (after twice daily application for up to 4 weeks) I wouldn't agree with that statement though even though I only use this once every 2 days however it is a good moisturiser and works well.

Clarins Gloss Prodige (Candy 04) £15.50 (for full size) from Boots

I got this from the 'All About Lips' gift set when it first arrived in Boots and at first I thought it was just going to be a usual lipgloss and nothing much exciting about it. How wrong was I? Well...

The moment this touches your lips it immediately soothes and softens them, it feels like heaven on your lips and looks gorgeous too. This colour is perfect for the Autumn/Winter season and I think is a must-have. It would make a great Christmas present for any beauty junkies you know out there.

L'Oreal Heat Protect Styling Spray (straight) £5.99 from Boots

This stuff smells gorgeous! And also does a fantastic job of protecting your hair from the heat, because to me, one of the worst things ever is having heat-damaged hair. I think its quite pricey though considering your only getting 170ml but I got this when it was on offer for £3.99 so its not too bad. Its lightweight and doesn't feel sticky and after using this it makes my hair feel soft and luxurious. 

17 Dazzle The Night Shimmer Rocks £4.99 (sorry couldn't find them on a website so I can't leave a link)

When I spotted these in Boots I stopped and was like 'omg I need those!' (yes I get very excited when I find out new products have been brought out).

Anyway..These shimmer rocks are beautiful and will work well on pretty much any skin colour too. I have quite pale skin but they still look fabulous. Basically there are two types of the rocks (a pink and a white) the white are very shimmery and the pink ones are more natural. I just dab my brush into the container and sweep it over the tops of my cheekbones. It looks great and I just can't stop using these.

Newlook Spike Bracelet £3.50 (sorry I couldn't find it on the website so I couldn't leave a link)

Well there isn't really much I can say about this apart from 'I've really loved wearing this and will carry on doing so'

Songs I've been listening to:

Bruno Mars- Locked Out Of Heaven

Alicia Keys- Girl On Fire

Mariah Carey- All I Want For Christmas     

Bye!

xoxo