April Favourites

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Midnight Cowboy
If you like glittery eye makeup looks but don't want to deal with messy pots of loose glitter then you need to try Urban Decay's Glitter Eyeliners. They do loads of cool bright colours but Midnight Cowboy is my absolute favourite. This liner is made from a clear base with yellow gold glitter particles. You can use it as an eyeliner or all over the eye for a glamourous sparkly look. I used to own this many years ago & it was part of my go-to night out makeup. I would apply gold eyeshadow all over my lid, do some thick black winged eyeliner & then go over the gold eyeshadow with the glitter liner. I just fancied recreating it so I bought a new tube & was soon reminded why I loved this eyeliner so much. It applies very smoothly & builds up well. Once applied it sets into place really quickly & lasts all night long. It's not a struggle to remove all the glitter either. These liners are such a quick & easy way to add a bit of sparkle to your eye makeup. They're so fun to use & look really pretty.

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil
Sunday Riley's Luna Oil is a ridiculously expensive skincare product but I have to say that it was worth every penny I spent on it. I've been so desperate to find something that could fix my congested forehead and have tried countless BHAs, AHAs & retinol products during my search. Most of the things I used did improve the condition of my skin & thanks to them it's rare that I get proper spots anymore. But I still had persistent closed comedones & just a couple of months of using this retinol-infused oil at bedtime has cured all of my texture issues. My pores look smaller, my skin looks smoother & feels softer, my complexion looks bright & even toned and most importantly, my forehead doesn't look like a sheet of brail! Even though my once bumpy forehead is now as smooth as a peach, Luna Oil is something that I will continue to use in my skincare routine to ensure that my skin stays looking this good. Retinol also helps to keep wrinkles at bay so even if you're not prone to blemishes I would highly recommend using this oil as a preventative measure for ageing skin.

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Pearl
Highlighters are probably my favourite makeup item & BECCA's Shimmering Skin Perfectors are some of the very best! I prefer to use powders over liquids & creams so I was keen to get my hands on their Pressed version of Pearl when it finally hit the UK a couple of months ago. Despite having pale skin I rarely go for white highlighters as they look a bit too stark on the skin for my liking. NikkieTutorials & Jeffree Star convinced me otherwise as Pearl looked so bloody fantastic on them. I still think it looks a bit too light on me but I've found that if I layer it on top of something like Anastasia's So Hollywood or theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer then it just adds a bit more oomph to those highlighters. I'm one of those people who wants their highlight to be visible from outer space so this really does the job! I adore the formula of BECCA's Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfectors. The powder feels so buttery & they almost melt into the skin for a truly stunning glow.

Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
Bronzer is something that I've avoided wearing for most of my life. I like being a pale princess & I used to consider bronzer to be one step away from fake tan. Maybe it was just that pretty much all bronzers used to be dark & super orange that put me off them but nowadays I'm not averse to warming up my complexion. I started off with Soap & Glory's fabulous Solar Powder but then I heard so many people going on about the Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer as the perfect bronzer for pale skin. This is the first Too Faced product that I've ever bought & I'm completely obsessed with it. The colour is spot on, the powder has a matte finish & it has a lovely chocolatey scent to boot. It just adds a little bit of definition to my face without looking muddy or dirty. I now use this bronzer every single day without fail & it applies beautifully with the Real Techniques Duo-fibre Face Brush.

Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover
I have been buying an awful lot of matte liquid lipsticks lately. I love how long they last on my lips & that they don't transfer when eating, drinking or kissing. When I want to remove them at the end of the day, my regular oil cleanser does the job perfectly. However I'm currently working on some swatch posts of my Jeffree Star & Kylie Cosmetics lipsticks so I needed something that would allow me to change lip colour quickly without disturbing the rest of my makeup. Micellar water does bugger all here, an oil-based makeup remover is what you need. I decided to go for the Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover & it works so well! It makes light work of removing even super dark colours with minimal staining to your lips. Of course it also works for it's intended purpose of removing waterproof eye makeup. The liquid feels very gentle on the skin & it doesn't sting my eyes either. I regularly use the Isehan Kiss Me Heroine mascaras & although I love them, they are such a nightmare to remove. Now that I have this Clarins product it's so much easier to remove them & I don't have to scrub at my eyelashes with a muslin cloth anymore!

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January Favourites

BECCA Backlight Priming Filter
Strobing is probably the biggest makeup trend at the minute & I couldn't be any happier about it. I am obsessed with glowing skin & practically bathe in highlighter. It makes my face come alive & balances out a matte base. BECCA have truly mastered the highlighter with liquid, cream & powder versions of their incredible Shimmering Skin Perfectors but I've recently been loving their new Backlight Priming Filter. It's a radiance-boosting primer that really gives you that look of being 'lit from within'. It is fairly similar to their original liquid SSP in Moonstone but slightly thicker in texture which makes it a better base for makeup. The sheen this gives the skin is beautifully pearlescent, never glittery & neutral in tone. Used alone it actually balances it out my complexion & gives me that perfect healthy looking glow that only catwalk models seem to have. Often radiance primers can disappear once you apply foundation but this stuff is still clearly visible under light, medium & full coverage base products. It instantly perks up dull skin & provides the ultimate dewy canvas for the rest of your makeup.

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
My skin has been awfully dry lately thanks to a combination of cold weather & central heating. It was clear that I needed to make some minor adjustments to my skincare routine so I bought a couple of things to better nourish my skin. I normally use a cleansing oil followed by a gel cleanser twice a day but that's not really necessary in the morning. I decided to go back to using a balm cleanser & after avoiding the hype that follows this Oskia cleanser for so long I finally cracked. The Renaissance Cleansing Gel is enriched with pumpkin enzymes, vitamins A, C & E, starflower oil & MSM. This wonderful blend of ingredients gently exfoliates, restores & soothes providing all of the things that my skin was crying out for. The texture of this cleanser is unlike any other. It is dispensed as a pink gel, feels like balm, melts into the skin like an oil & then goes full circle, washing off with the ease of a gel cleanser. My skin is left feeling smooth, soft & hydrated without any residue. It also has a gorgeous rose scent that reminds me of Turkish Delight! I only wish I'd given in to the hype sooner.

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate
The other item I bought to sort out my dry/dehydrated skin was the Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate. I was in need of a new facial oil & considered repurchasing either Balance Me's Radiance Oil or Trilogy's Rosehip Oil. I also considered trying something new like Sarah Chapman's Morning Facial or Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. In the end I had a look in my skincare stash & found a tiny vial of this stuff. It's been a long time since I've used any Liz Earle products but when I first started getting into skincare I ordered from them all the time & they always sent out little samples of this oil. My skin absolutely lapped it up so I splashed out on a big bottle because I preferred the pump packaging to the rollerball. The Superskin Concentrate features plenty of skin-friendly oils including avocado, rosehip, argan, lavender, hazelnut, neroli & chamomile plus vitamin E. Massaging this into the skin feels like such a treat. The natural scent is divine & helps send me off to sleep quicker. The oil is really nourishing & whenever I use it I wake up with bright, fresh & dewy looking skin. It's more of a night oil but I do sometimes mix it in with my moisturiser during the day if my skin really needs it. I just love how it feels on my skin & it's a great solution for a dull, dry complexion.

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium/Deep
I put a lot of effort into maintaining & filling in my eyebrows. I'm definitely one of those annoying 'brows on fleek' people & want them to look as good as possible. I adore all of my Anastasia Beverly Hills products but I was drawn to this brow gel from Benefit because the tiny brush seemed ideal for defining the hairs at the front of my brows. It's easy to control & the formula is fairly dry so you don't end up splodging excess product all over the skin which does sometimes happen with the Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel. Just a few strokes deliver fuller, darker brows that still look natural. The water-resistant fibre gel adheres to the tiniest of hairs filling in gaps & keeping everything in place. It really beefs up the hairs so it'd be great for anyone with sparse brows. The Medium/Deep shade is a good match for me. It's cool-toned & not too dark so it doesn't make my brows look fake. It works well on it's own & also looks fab applied alongside my Anastasia products.

NYX Powder Blush in Taupe
I've been getting back into contouring this year & one contour product that I'd always wanted to try is NYX's Taupe blush. Often hailed as the quintessential contour colour for us pale girls, I'm not quite sure why it's taken me so long to purchase it. Although NYX is now stocked on FeelUnique & Boots I had to order it off eBay as NYX actually changed their powder blush formula. Apparently the HD version of this blush isn't quite as good as the original so I wanted to make sure I got the right one. Taupe is a matte cool-toned brown that mimics the appearance of a natural shadow. The pigment isn't too strong but that works to your advantage when contouring. It blends easily & you can build up the colour where you need to. It's a very flattering, natural shade that never looks muddy on the skin. The price is really affordable so I would recommend this product to contouring beginners & experts alike.

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May Favourites

Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil
My cuticles are one of my most neglected areas & the skin around my nails is always really dry. I can't resist peeling the skin away which in turn makes my fingertips red & sore. I've been trying to take better care of my nails lately & the condition of your cuticles makes a huge difference to the finish of your manicure. Slathering on a bit of the Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil every night has really improved things & has made my fingertips look much healthier. The oil is quite light in texture so it sinks in quickly & doesn't feel too greasy. It nourishes both the skin & nails plus the lovely apricot scent makes it a pleasure to use. It comes with a nail brush applicator so it's really easy to apply & it's something you can quickly do whilst sitting in front of the telly. I'll never neglect my cuticles again, pinky promise!

Illamasqua Rosepout Lipstick
This is one of Illamasqua's newer Glamore lipsticks which have a creamy satin finish. Although I do own and love quite a few of the older Illamasqua lipsticks, they were often very dry, matte & unforgiving on the lips. The Glamore lipsticks are definitely where it's at & I would highly recommend these if you're looking for something that is colour intense, long lasting & comfortable to wear. Within the Glamore range there are seven different nude shades & they even have a guide to choosing the perfect nude lipstick for your skin tone. Rosepout is a gorgeous neutral pinky brown colour & works beautifully with my cool toned pale skin. It has a modern retro feel to it & looks amazing paired with 1960s style eye makeup.

The Library Of Fragrance Mountain Air Cologne Spray*
Having never climbed a mountain before, a perfume inspired by the smell of mountain air was very intriguing to me. It's normally quite easy to imagine what The Library Of Fragrance's fantastic range of single note colognes will actually smell like but Mountain Air is a lot more complex & very unique. This breathtaking cologne spray combines together all the different elements that you would find at the top of a mountain. It's a cool, crisp & clean concoction of snow, water, flowers, trees & soil. This wonderfully refreshing unisex scent is really something quite special.

Alterna Caviar CC Cream
Hair creams have become my weapon of choice when it comes to styling my locks. After a quick blow dry I love running a few pumps of this stuff through the lengths of my hair. It helps to smooth down any flyaways & adds just the right amount of hold. Whilst CC Creams are normally for facial colour correction, the Alterna CC Cream delivers 'complete correction' to the hair. This one product provides 10 different hair benefits which are moisture, shine, smoothness, softness, UV protection, manageability, strength, anti-breakage, heat protection & light hold. It really helps to keep my bleached hair looking healthy & it smells amazing too! The whole Alterna Caviar range is simply incredible & well worth the investment if your hair is looking a little lacklustre.

BECCA Flowerchild Mineral Blush
Peachy pink shimmery blushers are my absolute favourite & this BECCA Mineral Blush is exceptionally pretty. Flowerchild has the most gorgeous golden sheen running through it that really illuminates the cheeks & gives them a fresh Summery glow. The shimmer is extremely subtle with no chunks of glitter so it won't accentuate large pores. The texture of this blusher is silky smooth & it blends like a dream. The colour can be built up without it ever looking cakey or chalky. Flowerchild adds the loveliest flush of colour to my cheeks & really lifts my complexion. It doesn't look like much in the pan but this is a truly stunning product & it would look fabulous on many different skin tones.

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February Favourites

Bioderma Crealine H2O Cleansing Solution
This makeup remover is something that I've been after for absolutely ages. My beloved Lancome Eau Micellaire Douceur finally ran out so I decided to give the Bioderma one a go. This cleanser tends to be highly regarded within the beauty community as it is the makeup remover of choice for many professional makeup artists. Sadly its almost impossible to find it in the UK so I had to purchase my bottle from ebay. Its such a simple cleanser to use as you just put some on a cotton pad & wipe your face. Theres no rinsing off involved. It is really gentle and feels as though you're just wiping your face with water. It cleanses brilliantly and removes even waterproof mascara with the utmost of ease. It leaves my face feeling really fresh and cool which is lovely after a long day. I prefer micellar formulas as they actually cleanse your face of makeup rather than spreading it around first. La Roche Posay also do one of these cleansers but the Bioderma one works out as the most amount product for your money even though you do have to order it online.

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector
Lisa Eldridge is solely responsible for my purchase of this product. I own a stupid amount of highlighters that I've bought in my never ending quest for perfect glowing skin. But this is one highlighting product that has always intrigued me. When Lisa uses this in her videos it imparts the loveliest sheen to her face that looks really natural yet obvious enough to be noticed. I was so excited to see this in the shade Pearl on BuyaPowa because it meant I could get it for £30 including delivery. Thats not actually a very big discount but BuyaPowa is such an enabler! Think I might have to ban myself from that site. Anyway I've tried using this mixed into my foundation and just blended on top of my cheekbones. Either way it makes my skin look pretty fab! I can't recommend this enough if you want glowing skin as it really is a brilliant highlighter.

Super by Dr. Nicholas Perricone Lush Lips
I also got this product from BuyaPowa which brought the price down to £10.50. I own a ton of lip balms but I'm always up for trying something new. As I really love coconut oil products this seemed like it would be a good thing to purchase. At first I wasn't sure if it was doing anything even though it made my lips feel really soft as soon as I applied it. Within a few days I found that at the times when I hadn't applied it my lips still felt a lot softer than they did previously. The balm doesn't feel heavy or greasy at all and I love the subtle taste & smell of coconut this has. Even though there are plenty of other lip balms out there, this is the one I just keep on reaching for.

By Terry Blush Terrybly
This is quite possibly the loveliest blusher that I own. I thought that nothing would ever topple my love for NARS Deep Throat but this really is the most perfect pink blusher ever. It adds a wonderful healthy glow to my cheeks that looks really natural. This shade is called Cheek To Cheek Rose and is quite pale and sheer. It will probably work best on people with very fair skin colours but By Terry do six other shades as well. Apparently this blusher has the ability to help slow down the ageing process by renewing the skin and features something called freshtone technology which detoxifies the skin as well as plumping it up by stimulating collagen. The powder itself feels silky smooth and blends beautifully into my cheeks. I love the packaging of it too as the silver compact feels very sturdy & high quality. I received this as a Christmas present but I just checked the price on Space.NK and it actually costs £53?! I don't think thats something I would ever pay for a blusher myself but it is something that I properly love and have been using every day this month. If you're feeling flush or have a birthday coming up then this is a beautiful product to get.

Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel
Philosophy is a brand that I've been really loving lately. I'm obsessed with their Purity cleanser, Cinnamon Buns shower gel, The Present primer & now I'm obsessed with this too. I always thought that these acidic peel type products were only really meant for older people with tons of wrinkles. However this one works absolute wonders on my skin. I didn't think it was possible for my skin to feel any smoother or look any better than it does after using my Clarisonic Mia with Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish but I was very wrong. This kit comes in two parts. First of all you take some of the Vitamin C crystals and massage them over your face for one minute. Then you massage some of the activating gel, which contains lactic & salicylic acid, on top of the crystals. This creates a warming & foaming effect to show that the crystals have been activated. After two minutes you wash this off and you're left with super soft, glowing skin. I think this is something I'm gonna review in more detail because it really is one of the best skincare products I've tried.