Loving Lately

 A while back, I used to do weekly posts on the products I was loving, products that wouldn't necessarily make it into monthly favourites, but were getting some loving all the same. Since I won't be doing a monthly favourites this month (it's my 2013 favourites instead!) I thought I would bring it back to show you some of the products I've been loving this week.

First up, a lip colour. I spoke this week about the Bobbi Brown Sheer Lip Colour in Tutu, this is from the same line but in the colour Cherry Pink. It looks like a dark berry shades, but it applies as a sheer plummy pink, not as full on as it looks, much more wearable. Since I've been wearing softer pink shades on my eyes, this has been the perfect accompaniment.

Of course the Naked 3 palette was gonna be in here, these shadows are just gorgeous. I did a full post on it here, but this is definitely gonna become a firm favourite.

I've been using the Soap and Glory Archery brow pen for a while now, and it's love. On one end is a really fine felt tip pen liner, that you can use to draw in little hairs, and at the other end there's a waxy pencil that is similar to the Hourglass brow pencil. Sounds strange but creates naturally full looking brows really easily. 

I've had the NARS Blush in Day Dream for a while now, it was part of the Guy Bourdin collection, so I'm pretty sure it's sold out now. I never used it when I first got it since I was too busy fawning over the One Night Stand palette, but I chucked it in my bag to bring home for the holidays, and I've been loving it ever since. It's a gorgeous peachy pink (are you sensing a favourite blush shade yet?) that sits more on the pink side of proceedings. It's got a slight, very slight gold shimmer, but much less than the likes of Orgasm and Deep Throat. It's a gorgeous blush, so flattering and natural, I can see myself reaching for this day after day.

And finally, a nail polish I am obsessed with, Essie's Stroke Of Brilliance, which is basically a blue reflective glitter, very sparkly and very festive, looks amazing paired with After School Boy Blazer.

Have you tried any of these products? What are you loving at the moment?

Loving Lately #3

 As you can probably tell, I've fallen out of the blogging swing, it's been a few weeks since my regular posting went down the drain, and as well as being ill/internet problems, I've been struggling to find the motivation and the inspiration to keep going with the blog. After a weekend up the bum I've given myself a stern talking to and a metaphorical kick up the bum, and I thought, what better way to get back into the swing of things, than some mini reviews of products I've been loving recently.

First up, two skincare products from Origins. Emerging from some very spotty teenage years, I now start to panic at the slightest sign of congestion in my skin. It's taken me years to get my skin better and the idea of going backwards terrifies me. However, I've taken to using the Origins Clear Improvement mask when I feel like my skin is getting a little iffy, and sure enough there has been a clear improvement (sorry, couldn't resist!). I use a hot flannel to open up my pores and then pop a little bit of this on my skin (you don't need much at all). Yes it's pricey, but when I bought this, the lady in the shop gave me a little sample to try first, so if I didn't like it I could exchange it for something else, and that tiny little 7ml sample gave me four and a bit uses, so I can't see me running out of this 100ml bottle any time soon. Also from Origins, I finally caved and bought the matching eye cream to my beloved day cream. The Ginzing Eye Cream is definitely more of a cream product than it's sister day cream which is more of a gel, but it's still super light in texture, and it really brightens up the under eyes.

After seeing lots of hype in the States around the L'Oreal Nude Magique foundation, when I saw it in Boots I had to snap it up and it's safe to say, it's love. If your poison is high coverage, then this is not for you, but I find that this evens out my skintone enough that I just need a little touch of concealer around the nose, on my undereyes and on any blemishes.  I love the way it feels on my skin, it looks totally natural, honestly like there's nothing there, but your skin feels ever so soft and almost matte wearing it. I haven't used anything else since I got this!

Being ill for the last few weeks has left me looking a little, well, dead, so I've been relying on makeup to perk up my complexion and leave me looking less like an extra from a Halloween Movie. The Bourjois Bronzing Primer has been a godsend in mousse form for this. I've just been taking a tiny amount of this on my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and popping it on my temples, and under my cheekbones, for a little colour.

If you follow me on Twitter of Instagram, you may have seen my excitement last week as Lush finally bought back my beloved Let The Good Times Roll Cleanser! You can read my original ramblings here, but really what you need to know is that this will keep your skin clear and glowy, and it smells amazing too.

Two nail things, firstly I picked up the Stylefile nail file after breaking my nail and not being able to find a nail file in my room back home. It comes in at around the five pound mark but is worth every penny. It's much more resiliant than your average file, the curved shape makes getting an even nail shape easier, and it has two sides, a rougher side for shaping and a smoother side for finishing. My nail polish pick of late has been from the new Barry M Texture polishes that are somewhat Reminiscent of OPI Liquid Sands. I'm not really a fan of Barry M Nail polishes but I love this, a sparkly polish that is easy to remove, long lasting and so pretty! It makes me feel all wintery! This is the shade Countess which is my favourite, but I've been loving Duchess too.

And lastly, my Maybelline Baby Lips in Intense Care has been getting hourly love from me this week. When I have a cold I always get super dry lips, and as much as I love my Nuxe Reve De Miel, it's more of a nighttime thing, and not massively practical for in the day, so I've been reaching for this. I find this way more hydrating than Cherry Me, Pink Punch and Peach Kiss. It's apparently got a Cherry Almond scent but to me it just smells just like Battenburg Cake. I tend to go into a bit of a daze when applying this since it smells so good!

And that's it! If you've made it to the end of this post, I salute you! 

What have you been loving recently? 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win an Urban Decay Lipstick here!

The Weekly Roundup #20

Space Girl bath bomb for a Rockett Girl // Shopping oops! // Free mini cans of coke on Oxford street! // My new favourite nail pick // Dior Samples to try // Skincare of the night // Starter, main and dessert at Wahaca!

Gorgeous Scents at Victoria's Secret // Soap and Glory's latest hand cream offering // Mint for Life // My beverage of choice // Not one but two bunches of flowers from the boy! // Lift selfie // A mini Muji haul // Superdrug purchases // Yummy lunch at Pizza Express with the girls at work

Highlight of the week: was definitely an impromptu dinner at Westfield Stratford with my dad and my boyfriend, at Wahaca. There was Corona, wine, an abundance of mexican food, glorious sunshine, and the evening ended with the boys challenging each other to a chilli plant growing competition...

Lowlight of the week: not realising it was going to rain so much yesterday, and having to throw out my much loved Primark suede mustache flats.

Skincare rotation: I've been loving using my Trilogy Rosehip Oil this week so much this week, it feels so luxurious on the skin and has made a noticeable improvement in the condition of my skin too! There will be a review soon! Also, Lush's Grease Lightening made a few appearances too, to solve a too many chocolate bars breakout.

In the Beauty Bag: I've rekindled my love for my Max Factor Facefinity foundation (thank you Sophie!) when I've been after a little more coverage. New loves have included the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl mascara and my Bourjois Colour Boost in Red Sunrise which I've already penned odes too on this here blog. 

Added to the wishlist: I can't avoid the beauty of those Chanel cream blushers, and I think I may just have to buy one at duty free! 

What have you been loving this week?

Loving Lately #2

Halfway through another month, where is all this time going?! I'll be married and popping out kids before you know it at this rate...

Just like last month, I've decided to do another Loving Lately post, just to bridge the gap between monthly favourites, and show you what products have been in my rotation.

Vichy Pureté Thermale Cleanser: I picked up this cleanser at the beginning of the month, as I needed something to suit a more 'normal' skin type, which my skin seems to have become. It's hydrating, and quite refreshing considering it's a milk. It hasn't broken my skin out at all, my skin is actually pretty clear at the moment. It's also paraben free which is a bonus.

Tresemmé Platinum Strength Deep Conditioning Treatment: My go to hair mask at the moment. My hair is pretty damaged so I use this every time I wash my hair (every two days) to help strengthen it. I've definitely noticed an improvement, my hair is a lot healthier these days! 

Organic Argan Oil with Liquid Gold: A little drop of this rubbed into the ends of hair after blow drying, helps keep my hair soft, and is strengthening it too. Every now and then I coat my hair in this for twenty minutes before I get in the shower, like a quick treatment, and it seems to be working!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Paints: In this boiling hot weather, my makeup is just melting off my face, but not these bad boys. These stay put all day, and I've been reaching for them every morning. Read my full review here.

Urban Fudge Iced Raspberry and Vanilla Hair Spray: The best hold of any hair spray I've ever used. I've been wearing my hair up a lot because of the heat and this ensures my hair stays put all day (and all night if I forget to take the 4000 grips out). If I'm wearing my hair down, I spritz my brush with this and then brush my hair through with it, to prevent static and frizz, and to make my hair smell good, because this stuff smells heavenly. 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush: I've been using this to apply my base, since it gives better coverage than the buffing brush, and I've been using lighter coverage foundations. This brush is also great for blending in concealer, and using bronzer to contour your face, since the shape of the brush means it sits perfectly in the hollows of my cheeks. I could probably go away and take just this brush for base, bronzer, concealer, blush & highlighter. Yes I know it needs a wash.

Avene Eau Thermale: Since going on the underground these days is like getting into a bath with Satan, this has been my best friend. My boyfriend thinks I'm ridiculous but I honestly wouldn't get on the tube without this at the moment. It's instant cool refreshment and it doesn't ruin your makeup. Perfect.

Sleek Sweet Cheeks Blush By 3: I haven't been wearing a ton of makeup, but this has made the cut quite a lot. I really love this blush palette, you can read my full ramblings on it here.

Revenge Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger: Lastly, I love nothing more than a trashy chic lit book to read when it's hot, and this ticks all my boxes. Fashion, drama, relationships, the lot. Anyone who loved the first book should pick this up.

That was longer than I expected it to be! What have you been loving recently?

Loving Lately #1

 I feel like although the months seem to fly, monthly favourites posts just aren't enough to tell you all what I'm loving. There are a lot of products that I love using in the month, but they just don't necessarily make the cut for monthly favourites, so I think I'm going to bring these posts in in the middle of the month, so you can see what is making the rounds in my beauty bag.

First up, I'm loving the Kleenex Facial Cloths for taking off my makeup. These can be on the pricey side, but they are often on offer and are currently available in Poundland. It's basically an oversized cotton pad, but thinner and more gentle. They're made from ecoform natural fibres, and are incredibly soft. I use one of these with my Bioderma, cleanser and toner, and I also use them to dry my face after washing, since they are much more hygenic than using a towel. I really like these!

A recent MAC purchase with my holiday in mind has been getting a lot of love, in fact I think I've worn it every day since I bought it, and that's the Paint Pot in Rubenesque. I'm not a fan of Bare Study, it's too glittery and pale for me, where as this is a more natural shimmer, with a bit of gold. It looks quite orangey in the pot but it wears as a gentle golden shimmer. It looks lovely worn alone, with a slick of black eyeliner, or with a darker colour smudged into the outer corner.

A nail polish that's doing the rounds in the blogosphere at the moment is Rimmel's 60 Second polish in Rose Libertine, and this blogger is no exception. This is a beautiful dusky baby pink that just looks great against pale skin like mine. It's very glossy, and even more so when paired with Seche Vite. I just think it's a very pretty, girly, summery shade.

A bit of an odd one, but I wanted to mention Dove's Go Fresh 48 hour Cucumber and Green Tea deodorant. I very rarely buy the same bottle of deodorant twice, but I think I'm on my fourth bottle of this one, and I have a bottle at my boyfriends, and a spare in my handbag. It's a very refreshing scent, and it's the only deodorant I've ever found that I can still smell on my skin at the end of the day, and I quite often get asked what deodorant I'm wearing. You can usually pick this up on offer for about a pound too!

I'm not really a Revlon Lip Butter kind of girl, I never really understood the hype. I thought they were okay, but nothing special. This particular shade however, Wild Watermelon, has been getting a lot of love recently. I like it because it's pretty versatile, you can slide it over your lips once for a sheer pink gloss, build it up to a bold pink toned red, or pat it into the lips for a pinky red stain. My one problem with these however, is that the formula is a little too soft and they melt whenever the temperature is above about 15 degrees. Not so handy.

Another lip product, I picked up my first Balmi lip balm a couple of weeks ago. I'm not really a fan of the EOS ones, I think they're pretty pricey and not all that hydrating, but I really love this one. I love the strawberry scent, the moisturisation, and the cute little pot. I put this on in the mornings once I've done all my skincare but before I've done my makeup, to prep my lips for colour and it works a treat. I've since picked up a second one for my keyring!

Last beauty product and it's a shout out to my L'Oreal Matt and Messy spray. I'm pretty fickle when it comes to hair products, my bathroom is full of products that I've started using and lost interest in after a couple of weeks. However, I bought this probably around two months ago, and I'm now half way through the bottle having used it every day since. It's basically a salt spray but it doesn't smell, make your hair crispy, or clumpy. I use it after I've straightened my hair to add texture to the ends, or after I've blow dried to define the waves. A big thumbs up from me!

Lastly, I wanted to mention my new favourite notebook, this cute pink leather one from the Martha Stewart range at Staples. I picked up a few a while back, this is my journal, and I have a cute light green spirally one that I use for organising blog posts. They're pretty pricey normally, ringing in at around the £10 mark, but they've recently been buy one get one free! To any stationery lovers out there like me, they've got thick, good quality pages! I love them!

What have you been loving recently?