Skincare Faves.

If you've been a follower of my blog for a while now you'll of realised that skincare products aren't mentioned frequently. This is purely because I'm a bit perplexed by all the different products available and what you really NEED in your routine, rather than what brands what you to believe you need. I have oily/combination skin so I'd say the only issues I have are trying to mattify, without drying and avoiding blackheads, which is a common issue for those with oily skin. My skin isn't sensitive skin and I don't often suffer from breakouts. For many years I just used the Simple face wipes to remove my make up and I still do every now and then but I try to have some kind of routine as I know make up wipes are frowned upon for containing alcohol and stripping the skin of its oils. My job means I work until 10:30/11 pm most nights so I need something quick and easy and this is where the Loreal Skin Perfection Michellar Solution comes in. A few squirts of this on a cotton pad removes all my make up without irritating my eyes and I usually do this twice to make sure all my make up is removed. I know some people use multiple cleansers and perhaps I should but this does the job for me! I then pop on some of the *HealGel Eye Serum which helps to de-puff, brighten and moisturise the eye area and has an instant cooling feeling. Once the eye serum has sunk in to the skin, which is pretty instantly, I've been using a sample of the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair which I'm in love with. I'm secretly hoping someone will buy me a full size bottle for Christmas as it leaves your skin plump and nourished without feeling at all greasy or heavy! And that's all I do in the evening, it's quick and simple - just as I like it. In the morning I just splash my face with cold water and use the No.7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream for normal/oily skin which is a light, refreshing moisturiser that works well underneath make up. I also like to use a face mask every now and then and I chop and change depending on what my skin is like. If my skin's a bit greasy and I have a few blemishes I use the Origins Clear Improvement mask which helps clear pores and mattify, followed by the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo. Dehydrated? I use the Hydraluron before the Estee Lauder serum or the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight mask. This deeply moisturises the skin and leaves it plump and smelling delicious in the morning. I'm also a huge fan of exfoliating and my all time favourite product is the Dermalogicia Daily Microfoliant (also on my Christmas wishlist), although I'm trying out a Mario Badescu version at the moment. I also have a few Ren products to trial out which I purchased recently but haven't got around to trying so perhaps I'll have a few new additions to my skincare routine in the near future!   That is all the skin care products I have to mention at the moment. Recommendations for oily/combo skin are welcomed, feel free to rave in the comments about your favourite products.

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NYX Haul.

Having eyed up products from NYX for the longest time I decided to finally place an order on their website. Like most of my online purchases, the spending spree was spurred on by a photo that I came across on Instagram, this time of their 'Butt Naked' palette. This contains 15 eyeshadows, four blush shades, a contour and two highlighters. I'd not tried any of NYX's powder blushers or eyeshadows before and at £27 I knew it was a slightly risky purchase but I went ahead anyway. I do wish I'd gone for the Wicked Dreams palette instead which comes in at a bargain price of £15 for 24 shadows but that is a slap on the wrist for me for making spur of the moment purchases. Not to say it isn't worth the money as I've yet to try it out properly, I just feel at £27 it's a bit expensive for NYX, am I wrong?

Having already put one potentially overpriced item in my basket I decided there was no point stopping there and proceeded to do what I like to call 'speed swatching' where I speedily search on my IPhone for swatches of colours, etc. I'm turning in to a beauty obsessed monster that justifies every purchase with 'but I'm going to review it on my blog' when 75% of the time, I don't. Shameful.

In a quick run through I treated myself to a Butter Gloss in the shade 'Eclair' after hearing rave reviews, a Wonder Pencil in 'Light' intended for the waterline, two lip liners in the shades 'Pale Pink' and 'Plum', both beautiful colours, two Jumbo pencils in 'Milk' and 'Iced Mocha', which is gorgeous, a loose pearl shadow in 'Nude', powder blushers in 'Peach', which isn't really very peachy at all and 'Taupe' which I'd heard is a coveted product for subtle contouring. My final purchases were a matte bronzer in 'Deep', I know - hardcore bronzing right there, a double pencil sharper, always an essential and their full coverage concealer in 'Beige'.

I could of happily added more to my basket but I think I'd already racked up a £80 virtual shopping basket at this point and I really couldn't justify spending anymore. Not on one brand at least, haha. I intend to have a massive swatchfest either tomorrow or next week so if you're interested in seeing what the colours/shades look like.

What are your must have products from NYX? Are there any products you've been lusting after? Do you find that Instagram leaves you lusting after cosmetics?!

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High End Beauty Haul

A recent visit to a local Department store always starts with an innocent wander, maybe a few swatches, an 'Oh ok, I'll just buy one treat' and then I become an unstoppable shopping monster.
So, what did I pick up?
Estee Lauder's Double Wear Mascara, this came in a set with a moisturiser and make up remover sample, so far it's a winner for the bottom lashes if smudging is an issue!
YSL Touche Eclait which is a cult product with Bloggers and YouTubers alike, I've yet to try this but when I do I'll report back on whether it's worth the splurge.
Ren's Resurfacing AHA Concentrate which exfoliates the skin, leaving you with smoother skin and a more radiant finish - or at least that's what they claim!
Mac 'Style' powder blush, a gorgeous peachy pink with golden shimmer which looks amazing with a tan.
Mac 'Blanc Type' eyeshadow, a matte ivory shade that really opens up the eye, ideal for a neutrals palette.
Mac 'Cherry' lip liner, another hyped product, it's a classic red which works well with most shades of red lipstick, it's creamy, pigmented with a matte finish.
Mac 'Blankety' lipstick, a pretty pale pink, I love nudes and this was a must have when I spotted it on the counter.
Mac Prep and Prime Highlighter in 'Light Boost', similar to the YSL touche eclait, adding radiance to the face and brightening areas.
Mac Zoom Lash mascara - having never tried a mascara from Mac this was a last minute grab at the till, I've yet to try it out but I've heard many good things.

And there's everything I purchased on my shopping spree and my lame excuses as to why I needed each item, isn't there always a reason why? haha. Let me know if you'd like any of these products reviewed!

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A normal cupcake wont do, I want a GIANT cupcake.

Whilst perusing the shelves of TKMaxx recently in search of a bargain, my eye was caught by a giant cupcake tin. I've wanted to pick one up for a while now as everyone loves cupcakes, so who wouldn't love a GIANT cupcake?! I can't recall the exact price but I think it cost me around £10 and today was its first test trial and it went incredibly successfully! Even though it may look a difficult project for baking novices, it's actually pretty easy and quick to make and you can decorate it however you please! I made this on my day off so I decided to speed up the process by purchasing a few quick fix products like the Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake Mix, which just needs eggs, oil and water and the Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Icing. Having used the Betty Crocker products before I knew the cake mix would produce a light, fluffy sponge that remains moist even after being in the fridge for a few days and the icing has a perfect consistency for spreading. I used the Dr.Oetker Cake Release Spray, poured in the cake mix 3/4 full - you want to start by just putting the mix in the base and cooking for 10 minutes before adding the remainder of the mix to the top and placing back in the oven.  Once out the oven and cooled I neatened up the sponge by trimming off any excess that came above the mould and left to cool. I cut the base in half and filled it with the Fudge Icing and a layer of whipped cream then put it back together, iced the outside and stuck on chocolate fingers, securing it all in place with a lace ribbon. A little more icing on top of the base section was needed to stick the base and top together and then we piped whipped cream in a swirl and scattered Malteasers and Cadbury Snow Balls.    So if you're ever in need of a quick fix Birthday cake or just want to treat friends or family try your hand at a Giant Cupcake, make your mix and icing from scratch or use packet mixes - shh, no one will know any difference! And then you just need to decide on your flavours - red velvet, lemon, chocolate, vanilla? the decorations and enjoy demolishing your cake after!   Here's a link to a similar Giant Cupcake tin if you're on the lookout! 

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Benefit World Famous Neutrals - Most Glamorous Nudes Ever

 Benefit World Famous Neutrals, £23.50   Benefit are well known for their adorable packaging and handy travel kits. Quite a few of their sets have caught my eye but I was never drawn enough to actually make a purchase, however when the World Famous Neutral palettes launched it was lust at first sight. The Most Glamorous Nudes Ever version caught my eye immediately with its beautiful, subtle colours. Each palette contains a mixture of satin and shimmery shadows in four complimentary shades along with two cream eyeshadows that can be used alone, or as a base. Most Glamorous Nudes Ever contains a satin ivory shade (call my buff), a pale pink with golden shimmer (it's complicated), a golden bronze (gilt-y pleasure) and a deep chocolate brown (kiss me, I'm tipsy), all three contain shimmer. The cream shadows are in the shades 'my two cents' - a gorgeous, coppery bronze and 'birthday suit' - a taupe, again with shimmer, both of which are available in full size. I adore both of these shades but do find that they crease a little which is always disappointing. All four of the eyeshadows work well to create a range of natural, femine looks and they remind me of Victoria's Secret and glowing Grecian Goddesses with the pale pink, gold and bronze shades. They're not the most pigmented eyeshadows you'll ever come across, but the colour pay off is good and they're soft, which means they blend easily. Packaged securely inside cardboard packaging, which can take a few hard knocks, this acts as a nice all rounder for quick makeovers or travels. Improvements could be made, but overall I really like this little kit.   Currently, there's 10% off in Debenhams, you know - if you're tempted! ;)   If I could make my own compact eye kit, it would consist of Mac's 'Soft Ocre' and 'Constructavist' Paint Pots, 'All That Glitters', 'Bronze' and 'Blanc Type' eyeshadow, 'Half Baked' from Urban Decay and a cheeky travel size Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Mascara and Loreal Super Liner wouldn't go amiss. We can dream hey?! What would your perfect compact eye kit consist of?

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Dr.Lipp Nipple Balm

*Dr. Lipp Nipple Balm, £11.   I never imagined I'd be rubbing a product on my lips initially intended for dry or cracked nipples, but hey ho, all in the name of beauty - I'll try anything once. Not only can you use this on your lips, but any dry areas of the body that need a quick, intense treatment and also on burns, ecezma and a variety of other problem areas. Made of 100% Medical Grade Lanolin, obtained from Sheeps wool it's completely natural and hypoallergenic and deeply moisturises as it contains oils and waxes.  Unlike other lip balms I've previously tried, this has a very thick consistency which requires a firm squeeze to get product out of the tube. Its texture is between a gel and a wax, it's quite tacky, bright yellow in colour and feels quite thick on the lips on first application until it sinks in. For this reason, I tend to use this in the evenings and leave it overnight so I wake up with plump, softened lips ready for lipstick application. Although more expensive than most lip balms, this is a multi use product that I'd imagine will last me months and you only need to use a small amount. Have you tried the Dr.Lipp Nipple Balm?

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