July Favourites

Iconic London Original Illuminator
I am obsessed with the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops. The high shine metallic finish is everything I want in a highlighter. The main downside to them is that they are very expensive. I have them in the light pink shade Celestial but as I have a lot of yellow in my skin I wanted to try them in a slightly warmer colour. Instead of buying another bottle from Cover FX I decided to go for Iconic London's Original Illuminator as they recently had a £10 discount code on their website. The consistency of the Iconic London Illuminator is a bit thinner & the texture is slightly oilier which actually makes it a lot easier to apply & blend out. You still have to work quickly but it's a lot more forgiving. The sheen is just as intense & the glow it gives my skin is breathtaking. The colour isn't quite right for me though. If you look at my face from the side on you just see this blinding highlight but if you look at my face from the front it looks like a dark orange stripe. I can get away with it by blending it out really well & using a white powder highlight on top but it's something to bear in mind if you aren't a tanned goddess like the girls you see using it on Instagram. I still love it & use it despite the orange base because it really does look that good from the side. I just wish one of these companies would come out with a metallic liquid highlight in the exact same colour as theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer because that would be sheer perfection.

L'Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara
This highly anticipated mascara has finally made it's way over here & despite being slightly different to the American version, I really love it! It lacks the pretty pink packaging of the American Lash Paradise Mascara and L'Oreal UK have added castor oil to the formula for smoother application & to keep your lashes feeling soft. Before buying it I had heard rumours that it was a dupe for Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara. The wands do look very similar but personally I think that Better Than Sex is a slightly superior mascara. It curls & fans out my lashes in a really pretty fashion which is something that Paradise Extatic doesn't do. Apart from that issue the Paradise mascara does give my lashes tons of length & volume. Some people have said that one coat is enough for them but I like my mascara to look a bit clumpy so I prefer to use two coats. It clumps up in a nice way so you look like you have thicker, fuller lashes not gross spider legs. My lashes are left looking intensely black & defined. It doesn't transfer or flake on me throughout the day & the addition of castor oil means that it's helping to nourish my lashes too. When it comes to mascara, L'Oreal is my favourite drugstore brand & the Paradise Extatic Mascara certainly doesn't disappoint.

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour in Pink Blink*
I recently signed up for Influenster who sent me some of the new Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colours from Rimmel in one of their complimentary VoxBoxes. I think their website is a great way to try out new products & share your thoughts with fellow beauty lovers. Anyway I have amassed quite the collection of matte liquid lipsticks, Jeffree Star's being my all time favourite formula. One thing I think his lip collection is lacking in is natural pink shades. He comes out with a lot of nudes & crazy colours but every pink I have from him is either very light or very dark. There are fifteen liquid lip colours available from Rimmel, I received five & four of them are gorgeous everyday pinks so I couldn't be more grateful to add these to my makeup stash. My favourite colour at the minute is 200 - Pink Blink. This gorgeous warm toned rosy pink is the perfect MLBB shade. In terms of formula they are almost as good as my Jeffree Star ones. They last such a long time on my lips without any smearing & only fade from the middle of my lips if I eat a big meal. The consistency is quite thin so they are slightly streaky. However the colour is buildable & they layer well without cracking. They are very comfortable to wear & don't dry out my lips. Overall the quality is top notch & these are easily the best drugstore matte liquid lipsticks I've tried.

NAF! Cherry Pie Cuticle Oil Pen
NAF! Salon in Glasgow create some of the coolest nail art around. I love checking out their Instagram for nail inspo & if I lived in Scotland I would visit there in a heartbeat. For those of us who don't live anywhere nearby they also have an online shop where you can purchase some of the items they sell in the salon. The owner of NAF! actually used to own DIY Nails who specialised in water activated nail decals & I featured them on here a few times. She still sells some nailcals on NAF! Stuff but the star products now are definitely the scented cuticle oils. I picked up a few of these as I'm trying to look after my nails more & my cuticles often look worse for wear. I normally use OPI Avoplex but I wanted something more portable that I could chuck in my handbag & the idea of scented cuticle oils was too cute to resist. They were developed by the nail technicians at NAF! & they use these on all the clients in the salon. The cocktail collection smells incredible but my favourite is the Cherry Pie Cuticle Oil Pen. It smells exactly like maraschino cherries & the blend of Vitamin E with Jojoba Oil really helps to nourish your nails.

LQ Liquid Health Supplements Skin, Hair & Nails*
I reviewed these liquid collagen supplements a little while ago after finishing a one month trial of the product. As you need to continue taking the supplement in order to get the best results, Sparkle PR very kindly sent me another month's supply! I'm just finishing off the last few bottles now but the effects have definitely been more noticeable this time around. My skin is looking pretty fantastic if I do say so myself! It looks & feels plumper, I have hardly any fine lines & any blemishes I get are healing in record time. My hair feels stronger & I've had minimal breakage. Bleached hair is generally very fragile & I've really struggled with breakage in the past so I'm glad to see that these collagen drinks are doing my hair good. During the first month's trial I didn't notice a difference in my nails but they're growing like crazy right now & only one has broken in this whole month. I've also noticed that my nails have fewer white spots which may well be down to taking these supplements as I haven't changed the rest of my diet at all. LQ's Skin, Hair & Nails is still working really well for me & if you're looking for a supplement to accompany all your other beauty regimes I'd highly recommend giving these little drinks a go.

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Daily Makeup #3

In celebration of finally finding a drugstore foundation that not only matches my skin tone but actually looks good on me, I decided to do a makeup look using mainly drugstore products. I say mainly because I had to cheat with my powder but everything else I used can be found in Boots or Superdrug & is very affordable. The foundation I'm referring to is none other than the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation which really illuminates the skin whilst giving medium coverage. I use the shade 010 Light Porcelain which is very pale & pink toned. I applied it using an Illamasqua Highlighter Brush which can make any foundation look amazing. For concealer I went with an old favourite, the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. This product works brilliantly both under the eyes & on blemishes so it has earned a permanent place in my makeup bag. To set my base I used Illamasqua Translucent Loose Setting Powder. Obviously it's not a drugstore item but for the price you get a ton of product & it gives you a flawless matte finish. I can't really wear the Rimmel foundation without powder because the staying power isn't that great & it transfers like hell!

Sleek do the best drugstore cheek products in my opinion. I used their Face Contour Kit in Light to add some definition to my cheekbones & highlight the high points of my face. I don't really like the highlighter that much because it's practically invisible on the skin but the contour shade is fab. I also used their Rose Gold Blush which is a beautiful peachy pink with golden shimmer. It's basically the same colour as NARS Orgasm. The pigmentation isn't as good but that often works out well for me because I tend to be quite heavy handed with my blusher. Next I moved onto my eye makeup & I started by using the SEVENTEEN Trio Eyeshadow in Enraged. These colours are a lot warmer than they look in the pan so I don't like them as much as I thought I would. The gold works nicely as a pop colour in the middle of the eye but I'll definitely be avoiding the peachy shade in future. I applied a couple of coats of the L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara to my top & bottom lashes before lining them with the Soap & Glory Supercat Eyeliner Pen. I use those two on a regular basis & I think they make a great combo. It feels weird now to use anything other than Anastasia DipBrow Pomade on my eyebrows but I filled them in with the Collection Eyebrow Kit. These powders are really good quality & can be mixed to create your own custom brow shade.

The bright red lips are the focal point of this look & I thought I would try one of the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipsticks. This is the shade 03 Hot Pepper which is a vibrant orangey red. I've heard so many good things about these matte finish liquid lipsticks so I wanted to see if they lived up to the hype. I love the colour but the formula, not so much. Sure it lasts for hours without requiring reapplication but it was a bit of a faff to apply in the first place. I thought it would be opaque in one swipe but I had to keep layering it up which meant it took forever to dry down. It still feels slightly tacky hours later & transfers if you eat something or kiss someone. I think I just need to be patient & wait for Jeffree Star's Velour Liquid Lipsticks to be restocked. They're completely kissproof & come in some even prettier colours! I do appreciate how long lasting this Bourjois one is though & it's rare for such a bright lipstick to not end up all over my wonky teeth! Are you a fan of any of the products I used?

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Daily Makeup #2

I really liked how my makeup turned out the other night. The style & colours I used complemented my 60s inspired Urban Outfitters dress beautifully. As I was going to a concert I needed to make sure that my foundation would stick around all night long. I can't get enough of the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation at the minute. I sandwiched it between a bit of Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and Illamasqua Translucent Loose Powder. Even after hours of jumping about & dancing my base still looked perfectly matte & in place so I'd recommend getting both of those if your foundation is prone to melting. For concealer I used NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer underneath my eyes & on any blemishes. As always I went for theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer as my highlighter and then applied my favourite ever blusher - NARS Deep Throat - to add a peachy pink glow to my cheeks. Nude lips were all the rage during the 60s but I find it really hard to pull that look off. Pale skin & pale lips just makes you look ill. Instead I went for a lovely peach in the form of MAC Ever Hip Lipstick. I slicked on a bit of Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid* beforehand to soften my lips & add a glossy finish. It also helps to sheer out the lipstick & make it look even prettier.

Moving onto my eye makeup I didn't want to do a full on 60s eye look so I went for smokey grey eyeshadow instead. To make my eyeshadow last all night long without creasing I primed my eyelids using MAC Painterly Paint Pot. I used a couple of shades from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Verve all over my eyelid & then Pistol on the outer corners, blended into the crease & under my bottom lashes. I still really like the Yves Rocher Volume Vertige Mascara* so I layered it up for thick, voluminous lashes. I wanted to do a fairly thin line of liquid eyeliner so I used L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim & added a little flick at the ends. My eyes are pretty tiny so I always use a nude eyeliner on my waterline to make them look a bit bigger. MAC Chromagraphic Pencil in NC15/NW20 is the ultimate. Finally I filled in my eyebrows using Anastasia DipBrow Pomade. This stuff doesn't budge whatsoever & delivers intense definition to your brows. To make them look a bit more natural I used a combo of Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel & MAC Clear Brow Set. These helped to bring out the individual hairs so my brows didn't look completely drawn on. Let me know what you think!

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Mini Boots Haul

L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara / Maybelline Expert Wear Mono Eyeshadow in Iced Fudge
Revlon ColorBurst Lacquer Balm in Demure

Three words. Eleven letters. Say it and I'm yours. Three for two. I have some kind of weird reverse logic when it comes to buying makeup. I'm happy to splash out £50 a time in Space.NK but I never buy makeup from Boots or Superdrug unless there's some kind of offer on. I guess I'm generally a 'quality over quantity' kinda gal. However the three for two deal in Boots is the ultimate enabler. I always take this time to try out a few new things & I'm very pleased with everything I picked up.

I made a beeline for the Revlon stand as I couldn't resist the new ColorBurst Lacquer Balms. I loved the original balm stains, they're some of my most worn lip products. The Matte balms didn't appeal to me that much but the high shine formula of the Lacquers definitely did. I went for the shade Demure which is a soft peachy pink colour. It's a totally gorgeous 'your lips but better' shade. The mix of shea, mango & coconut butter feels lovely on the lips & it has a pleasant minty fragrance. As well as their glossy finish, the Lacquers contain small glittery particles to give the appearance of a plumper pout. Frosty or glittery lip products are not my thing at all but the shimmer is barely visible. It can make it feel slightly gritty but I'm willing to overlook that for the sugary sweet colour.

I've read a lot of reviews about the L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara & it seems to be a very divisive product. Some people love the super voluminous formula whilst others find it rather clumpy. I knew it was something I just had to try out for myself. I love anime & manga so the advertising campaign had already piqued my interest. I assume they're going for a gyaru makeup look though rather than that of an actual cartoon character. If only I weren't so squeamish about putting in circle lenses I'd be rocking gyaru makeup all the time! Anyway, I'm a big fan of fat black voluminous lashes so I had high hopes for this mascara. It makes my lashes look really long, adds a decent amount of volume & holds a curl really well. It can get a little bit spidery as you layer it up but I don't really mind that. The conical shape of the brush allows you to coat every lash & it's easy to do your bottom lashes with too. I can't say I like the flexible wand. I'm used to using more force when applying mascara so it just felt a bit flimsy. I do think it's a good mascara overall but unfortunately it doesn't quite make me look like Sailor Moon.

The last item I bought was the Maybelline Expert Wear Mono Eyeshadow in Iced Fudge. I have a plethora of shimmery brown eyeshadows in my collection but there was just something special about this shade. It almost gives a metallic wet look to your eyes. If you're into one eyeshadow makeup looks then this would be a great product to buy. The colour is quite similar to MAC Satin Taupe but with a slight rosy tone. It wouldn't look out of place in the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. The shadow is a bit glittery but it applies very smoothly without a great deal of fallout. It's an easily dupable eyeshadow & I'd be surprised if you didn't already own something similar but that doesn't stop it from being incredibly lovely.

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August Favourites

Elemental Herbology Cell Food
I've been trying to simplify down my skincare routine lately and I've managed to remain faithful to this serum for the past couple of months. This is a gorgeously scented thick white liquid that can really boost the appearance of your skin. It feels very light & fresh on the skin, providing the right level of hydration without any shine or greasiness. This is a serum that you can use both in the morning & evening and at night you don't even need to follow it up with a moisturiser. It's nice to let your skin breathe once in a while if you're accustomed to using heavy night creams. The radiance it brings to my face is just lovely & it has definitely helped to make my complexion look healthier and more even toned. Full review here.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light
These powders are pretty much the only makeup product I've been truly excited about in a long while. Every review I read & every YouTube video I watched made them seem amazing and that's exactly what they are. I put off buying one for ages because I wanted to swatch them for myself first but my nearest Space.NK carrying Hourglass products is way up in Harrogate. The lovely ladies at Space.NK in Leeds gave me a code to get free shipping on their website (enablers!) so after much deliberation I went for Luminous Light. I love nothing more than glowing skin so this was the perfect one for me. It makes me look really healthy and gives my skin a flawless airbrushed appearance without the normal cakeyness associated with powders. My skin isn't very oily so it does set my makeup really well & makes my CC cream last all day without any primer. Love love love this powder!!

Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Here's a weird one. I originally bought this to make the Meta-D/Bombshell Spell metabolism boosting drinks from the Tone It Up Diet. However they taste absolutely foul no matter how much apple/pineapple juice & honey you sweeten it with! I fell off the dieting wagon a while ago but I'm gonna try again soon now that I have time for the gym. Anyways this stuff has so many different uses. You can dilute it with water and make it into a toner. It contains a high level of Alpha Hydroxy Acid so it's great for spots & scarring. My daughter got stung by a wasp the other day and I used this on a cotton pad to neutralise the sting. What I used it for last week is totally freaky. I used it to get rid of a flesh coloured mole on the side of my nose. I did something stupid and tried to squeeze it because it was annoying me but that just made it red. So after my usual skincare routine I dipped a cotton bud in the vinegar and held it against the mole for a few minutes. It burned a little but otherwise was fine. After a few days of doing this, the mole turned into a manky brown scab. I looked like I had a huge zit on my nose for a couple of days but then the scab fell off. The mole was also gone. I had a small red dot left over but that soon healed up with the use of some Trilogy Rosehip Oil. Now my nose is smooth yay! So yeah that was really weird and I don't suggest you do this on your moles without getting them checked by a doctor first but it's so crazy to think you can actually burn off moles with vinegar! You can get apple cider vinegar from loads of different supermarkets but if you ask any health fanatic, they'll tell you that Bragg's is the best one you can buy.

L'Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Mist For Fine Hair
I had just ran out of my bottle of Moroccanoil when I spotted this new spray oil in Boots. I have very damaged hair from excessive bleaching but it is also quite fine so if I overload it with oils or other hair products it can start to look rather greasy. I tend to only wash my hair once a week so this can be a bit of a problem. However this stuff is utterly perfect for those of us with fine hair. It's a lightweight dry oil enriched with lotus flower oil that absorbs really quickly and makes your hair look healthy & shiny without being heavy. I normally spray some in my hair before & after blowdrying and it doesn't weigh my hair down at all. I can even get away with a couple of spritzes in my hair every day. It has such a beautiful scent and it really lingers in your hair. It's great for getting rid of frizz & flyaways. I love that it comes with a spray too because it makes it easier to distribute the product evenly.

Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash
This stuff is simply amazing. It's a really gentle cleanser that feels very creamy on the skin and foams up just the right amount. The lactic acid found in fruit enzymes is used to slough away dead skin cells without irritation and it leaves my skin extremely clear & smooth. Since I started using this cleanser I've found that I don't need an exfoliating toner anymore because this does it all in one step. I really recommend trying this if you have blemish prone skin as it has worked wonders for me and it has fast become my favourite cleanser ever! Full review here.

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July Favourites

L'Oreal EverRiche Perfect Elixir Masque Spray
Whenever I go to the hairdressers I always get a Kerastase spray treatment mask done because it makes my hair feel amazing post-bleaching. It costs me £10 a time but it's so worth the money. I've always wished I could buy them for home use but unfortunately I can't seem to find them anywhere in the UK. Over here they're sold exclusively as in-salon treatments but if you're in America you can get them quite easily from Amazon. Kerastase are actually a L'Oreal brand and I think that this spray mask in their new EverRiche range is a pretty good dupe for those expensive little vials of hair magic. You simply spray this liberally all over your hair after shampoo & conditioner (after shampoo if you have fine hair) and then rinse it out a few minutes later. This stuff makes my hair feel like silk and my hairbrush glides through my hair afterwards. This product is designed for people with dry or very dry hair so it's perfect for me. It doesn't make my hair feel greasy at all, just incredibly well conditioned. I really like the whole EverRiche range but this is definitely the star product.

La Roche-Posay Serozinc
This Caroline Hirons approved toner is incredibly hard to find in the UK. Currently La Roche-Posay only sell it in France. I was desperate to try it out so I ordered some off a French website only for my order to be cancelled a few days later, boo! Luckily a few eBay sellers have caught onto the hype and have started importing them, much like they did with Bioderma a couple of years ago. I ordered two bottles for £25 including postage which is a little more than I would've paid to order them from France but French customs are notoriously dodgy so I'm happy to pay a little extra to order them from UK sellers. This stuff is really fantastic. It's basically a zinc sulphate solution in an aerosol can. It works as a toner for oily skin, on razor burn, on nappy rash - so it's great for soothing loads of different skin irritations. I use it as a hydrating toner either on it's own or after an exfoliating toner. It feels really moisturising for a toner and has been a lifesaver during the recent heatwave. It has reduced the redness in my face and helps to calm blemishes. If you're not planning on visiting France anytime soon, then I suggest you order one of these off eBay ASAP!

Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Spray & Go Body Moisturiser
I think I've moaned on here about how lazy I am with moisturising my body quite a few times now. As someone who is prone to eczema I really should do it more so when I saw this in Boots it instantly caught my attention. This product is a spray can moisturiser (been loving my sprays this month!) which makes the onerous task of moisturising a complete doddle. This moisturiser is instantly hydrating and penetrates deeply into the skin. It makes my skin feel amazingly silky & soft. It is quick to absorb so there's no waiting around to get dressed afterwards. This is a Summer essential for perfect pins. As it's in a can it feels very cooling so it's great for hot, tired legs. There are two other scents available but I couldn't resist the chocolateyness of this one.

Artdeco Eyeshadow Base
I received this in the July BeautecoBox and have used it every day since I got it. This is the best eye primer I've ever tried. It keeps my eyeshadow on all day long with no creasing whatsoever. Eyeshadow and pigments seem to blend better over this too. It contains Vitamin E so it's a good choice if you have sensitive eyes or eczema. It is also formulated with Bisabolol which helps to neutralise redness. The pot it comes in seems quite small but I've barely made a dent in mine. I like the packaging too as I prefer to apply my eye base using a brush.

Crabtree & Evelyn Lily Hand Therapy
My friend got me this as a present and I absolutely love it. The scent is the most gorgeous thing with extracts of lily of the valley, peony, ylang ylang, magnolia and elderflower. It's made from shea butter & macadamia oil and it leaves my hands feeling super silky soft. It is formulated without any nasties and contains myrrh extract to condition nails & cuticles. Crabtree & Evelyn make the most amazing hand creams & scrubs. I was obsessed with their Gardeners Hand Scrub a few years ago. I keep this in my handbag so I can have it with me all the time, lovely stuff!

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Current Haircare Routine

When it comes to haircare my main concern is trying to stop my hair from looking dry and straw like. I've been bleaching my hair this colour since 2006 with a one year break in 2009 so I've tried a fair few treatments in my time. I've noticed the last few times I've washed & styled my hair its been looking better & healthier than ever, even more so than when I sported my natural hair colour. I think I've finally got my haircare routine locked down to these few products so this might be helpful to anyone with dry or damaged hair.

L'Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Shampoo / Tigi Bed Head Urban Antidotes Resurrection Shampoo & Conditioner / Neal & Wolf Harmony Intensive Care Treatment*

I've used an absolute ton of different purple shampoos but the L'Oreal silver shampoo is the best one if you just want to eliminate all signs of brassyness. I found that many others would leave my hair tinted rather than just white blonde. Clairol Shimmer Lights often left my hair with blue tones & Lee Stafford's offering made my hair really pinky. Purple shampoos are normally quite drying too but the L'Oreal one keeps my hair feeling soft. I picked up the Tigi Urban Antidotes duo in TK Maxx but you can find them just as cheaply online. I really like all the Tigi duos because the bottles are so big they last for months. I used to use the Dumb Blonde ones but switched to Urban Antidotes as these are specialised towards extremely damaged hair. Over time this duo has definitely helped to strengthen my hair and reduce breakage. They also have the most amazing bubblegum scent. A product I recently introduced into my haircare routine is the Neal & Wolf Harmony Intensive Care Treatment. I received this at a blogger meetup and when I tried it I couldn't believe the difference it made! It has worked so much better than every other conditioning treatment I've tried including those expensive Kerastase ones. This is a must buy product if you have dry or damaged hair. It just makes my hair look so healthy & glossy. Neal & Wolf are a brand I definitely need to investigate more because if the rest of their products are as good as this I am converted!

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

I am rather lazy when it comes to my hair so I don't use this product very often but when I do, the difference is just incredible. Elasticizer is a pre-shampoo treatment so it is a bit of a faff to use. You have to wet your hair, apply it, put on a shower cap and then leave it in for ages before shampooing it off. You can leave it in for just 20 minutes or overnight if you prefer. I like to apply it to the ends of my hair and leave it overnight before washing it out in the morning. It restores your hair to almost virgin condition making it feel silky & sleek. This product can also help with hair growth if you use it often enough as one of the main ingredients is castor oil. It is very expensive for a hair treatment but worth every penny.

Kérastase Ciment Thermique / Moroccanoil / Bumble & Bumble Brilliantine / Alterna Caviar Rapid Repair Spray

I'm still using my Ciment Thermique & Moroccanoil combo as my blow dry base products. Together they give me the perfect amount of heat protection & moisture. A couple of months ago I added Bumble & Bumble Brilliantine to the mix and this stuff is basically a good hair day in a tube. You can use it on wet or dry hair to add definition and lots of shine. I've started to use this through the lengths and ends of my hair before blow drying and it just completely renews my hair. It makes my ends look super healthy, like I've just had a trim even though my last hair appointment was a few months ago. So much love for this product! After I've finished drying my hair I like to use a bit of the Alterna Caviar Rapid Repair Spray to add even more shine & get rid of any fluffyness. I've never come across a finishing spray as lovely as this one & it smells divine to boot!

Babyliss Pro Speed 2100W Hair Dryer / Babyliss Big Hair Rotating Styler

I always have to blow dry my hair as I cannot stand having wet hair. Air drying would just make my hair stringy and lifeless anyway. I don't really like to use a curler or straightener so blow drying allows me to get the shape I desire. I know its not the best thing to do to your hair but I only wash my hair once a week and use heat protection products every time so I guess its not too bad. First of all I blast my hair with my hair dryer and run through it with my fingers. I use a Babyliss Pro Speed hair dryer which is really brilliant. I'm pretty loyal to Babyliss when it comes to hair dryers, they always last me years. Theres a newer model of this now but this one is still going strong. When my hair is almost dry but still a bit damp I switch over to my Babyliss Big Hair styler to add volume and shape. I couldn't live without this styler. It just gives you a perfect blow dry without all the effort of sectioning your hair and drying it against a round bristle brush which can be quite tricky to do by yourself. I never used to be able to do it as well as my hairdresser but Big Hair really does help to give you that professional blow dry at home look.

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Favourite Products Of 2012

My monthly favourite posts are probably the ones I enjoy writing the most. Lots of you have told me that they're the ones you enjoy reading the most too. So today I bring you my yearly roundup of the products that I've loved using. It was really difficult to narrow the list down this year. There were so many new things that I tried & that have quickly become an essential part of my beauty regime. I'm surprised to see what things have changed & whats stayed the same from my last yearly favourites post. One thing's for sure, 2012 was a very expensive year in beauty!

Skincare
Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift & Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm / Alpha-H Liquid Gold
REN Invisible Pores Detox Mask / Hydraluron / Caudalie Beauty Elixir / Bioderma Créaline H2O

I definitely spent the most amount of money on new skincare products. I fell in love with this Emma Hardie cleanser from the moment I tried it. It removes makeup like nothing else & leaves your skin feeling so soft. I'm sure you could tell that Liquid Gold would be on my list. This glycolic acid based chemical exfoliant is something of a miracle potion for me. It resurfaces your skin getting rid of blemishes, fine lines & reducing scarring. Hands down, it is my favourite product of the year. The REN Invisible Pores is such a wonderful clay face mask. It draws out all the impurities in my skin & tightens every pore. Hydraluron is my favourite product for injecting a quick hit of moisture to the skin as its basically a super power up serum for your moisturiser. It rehydrates skin & helps keep spots at bay. I still love the Caudalie Beauty Elixir and spray it on my face twice a day. Its just so refreshing on the skin & I couldn't go without it now. Bioderma is the best thing you can use if you're feeling too lazy to actually wash your face. It just dissolves makeup so well & doesn't irritate my skin or eyes whatsoever.

Haircare
Moroccanoil / Percy & Reed Finishing Polish / Kerastase Ciment Thermique / Redken Real Control Overnight Treat
Bumble & Bumble Texture Hair (Un) Dressing Creme / Denman Dressing Out Hairbrush

I use Moroccanoil every time I wash my hair & it has definitely helped with its overall condition. I really like the Percy & Reed Finishing Polish as it gives my hairstyle great hold & successfully tames my frizz without weighing down my hair. Nothing beats Ciment Thermique when it comes to heat protection. It also makes your hair softer & has a lovely grapefruit scent. The Redken Overnight Treat is my favourite leave in product as you really do wake up with better looking hair. Bumble & Bumble products are amazing, I only wish they weren't quite so expensive. One thing from them that you should definitely splurge on is this Hair (Un) Dressing Creme. A tiny blob of this stuff ran through your roots before blow drying will give you just the right amount of texture & volume. To give my roots even more volume I use this Dressing Out brush. It is the best backcombing brush ever & can even be used to brush through wigs & hair extensions.

Base
Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch Primer / Bobbi Brown Corrector / Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray / theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer / Laura Mercier Mineral Powder
Illamasqua Translucent Loose Setting Powder

Clarins Instant Smooth is my new favourite primer. It gives you such a flawless base & basically airbrushes out your pores. Nothing manages to cover my hideous dark circles quite like my Bobbi Brown Corrector. It really brightens up the under eye area and makes you look a lot more awake. For most of 2012 I stuck with Estee Lauder Double Wear because I do love the coverage & staying power. Then Estee Lauder did something stupid & got rid of their palest shade. Enter Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation. Soft Ivory is such a perfect colour for me. You only need the tiniest blob for flawless skin and I find I don't need to use concealer on my blemishes when I use this foundation. I love the Urban Decay Setting Spray as it keeps your face in place all day & stops powder from looking powdery. I have a ridiculous obsession with highlighters and I couldn't stop myself from buying new ones in my search for the perfect glow. Look no further, theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer is the ultimate highlighter! I bought this back in May and haven't used or purchased another one since. I use this every single day as nothing else can deliver such a powerful shine. For days when I'm running late I go for a quick bit of concealer under my eyes and a good dusting of this Laura Mercier Mineral Powder. It has great coverage & gives a natural glow. I'd recommend this one over the pressed mineral powder as the pressed ones give a more matte finish. My favourite product for setting my makeup & taking away shine from my t-zone is this Illamasqua powder. I'm paranoid about my mascara running & concealer creasing under my eyes. This powder sets them perfectly & doesn't look cakey at all.

Eyes
Lancome Doll Eyes Mascara / L'Oreal Carbon Gloss Superliner / Anastasia Granite Tinted Brow Gel
Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara / Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette / MAC NC15/NW20 Pencil
Maybelline On And On Bronze Colour Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow / MAC Omega Eyeshadow

My mascara & eyeliner choices are the same as last year. I just love this combo for long, thick, voluminous lashes & that perfect black flick. Anastasia are a brand I've been excited to try for a while & their Tinted Brow Gel certainly didn't disappoint. This is such a great product for when you need your brows done fast. Something I've used for a long time is the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara. The tiny brush is fab for getting all those little bottom lashes & as it is a tubing mascara you don't have to worry about it running. The Naked 2 palette really is the best eyeshadow palette I own with shades & textures for all occasions. My eyes don't look right if I forget to use my MAC NC15/NW20 eye pencil. It really opens them up and takes away any redness. I've bought quite a few cream eyeshadows this year but Maybelline's On And On Bronze tops the list. Its such a nice colour & works well on its own as well as under other eye shadows without any creasing. At the beginning of last year I was using the HD Brows palette but I found the shades were just too dark & it was easy to overdo it. Omega is the perfect eyebrow colour. Its dark enough to match my eyebrow hairs & cool enough to look right with my blonde hair.

Blusher
Stila Petunia Convertible Colour / Illamasqua Sophie / NARS Deep Throat

I adore the Stila Convertible Colours! I used to be quite wary of cream blushers but the formula of these is just spot on. All the colours are gorgeous but Petunia is the one I reach for most. Its a bright rosy pink & looks fab on both cheeks & lips. I love love love Illamasqua's blushers & this is one of their newer shimmer blushers. Sophie is such a gorgeous bright golden coral colour and adds a nice bit of warmth to my complexion. NARS Deep Throat is a colour I reach for on an everyday basis. Its just the perfect colour for me & I can't get enough of it. This is actually the only NARS blusher I own, I'd love to get my hands on Douceur next.

Lip Products
NUXE Reve De Miel Lip Balm / Revlon Strawberry Shortcake Lip Butter
Revlon Rendezvous Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain / Look Beauty Citrus Kick Double Hit Lip
MAC Subculture Lip Pencil

The only lip balm capable of saving my lips from death this year has been this lovely NUXE one. I really like the pot & the stick but the pot definitely wins when you need an intense hit of moisture as its a bit thicker. I'd never tried any Revlon products before this year & I truly loved their two very hyped products - the Lip Butters & Balm Stains. Strawberry Shortcake is a lovely everyday pink whereas Rendezvous is sexy orange number. I also really like the Look Beauty Double Hit Lips. One end is a lipstick & the other is a lipgloss. Citrus Kick is another orange but it turns into a very pretty coral when it combines with the natural pink of my lips. The scent is absolutely delicious too. MAC's Subculture lip pencil is great nudey pink shade for emphasising the shape of your lips. It works well under a variety of lip colours & gives you super pouty lips.

Nail Polishes
Essie Cute As A Button / Essie Lilacism / Essie Fiji / Models Own Disco Inferno / Louise Gray For Topshop Junk Yard

I've been loving Essie polishes this year. The new brush makes them so easy to apply & they dry fairly quickly. They don't chip much either with a good coat of Seche Vite on top. Lilacism is probably my favourite one as I just love purple colours! I've also gotten into glitter polishes this year. The whole Models Own Mirrorball collection was amazing but as a gold lover Disco Inferno is the one I reach for most often. This Louise Gray for Topshop glitter nail polish is so stunning & I can't stop staring at my nails whenever I wear it.

Tools
Real Techniques Brushes / Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers / Tweezerman Tweezers

Most of my makeup brush collection has been replaced with Real Techniques brushes since they launched in the UK. I think they're amazing quality with super soft bristles that dry quickly after washing & don't shed at all. My makeup looks so much better since I invested in some of these. I use these three on a daily basis. I apply my foundation using the Buffing Brush, my blusher using the Contour Brush and loose powder with the setting brush. I can't recommend these enough and wish these were around before I wasted loads of money on overhyped MAC brushes which used to just shed all over my face. I use these Shu Uemura eyelash curlers every day without fail. They make my lashes look so much better & open up my eyes. They make such a difference. I've used these tweezers for years as you can pluck out the tiniest hairs with them. They last forever so they're definitely worth the investment.

Favourite Products Of 2011

I have probably spent more on makeup in the last 12 months than in any other year of my life. It sure is expensive work being a beauty blogger! Luckily it means that I've found some products that I really love and can see myself using for a long time to come. Here are some of my favourite things that I used last year. I liked a lot more stuff than what I've listed here but these are the products that really stood out to me.


Skincare
Clarisonic Mia / Liz Earle Eyebright / Dermalogica Active Moist
The best thing that I invested in last year was my Clarisonic Mia. There is no other skincare product or treatment out there that compares to what this will do for your skin. I love how it makes my skin look, almost like I've had a spa facial every time I wash my face. I love all the Liz Earle products that I've tried so far. I use Cleanse & Polish with my Clarisonic & follow up with their Skin Tonic too. Eyebright is a bit of a wonder product as it instantly cools & refreshes your eyes. Its brilliant if you've had too many late nights or need to look & feel more awake. Active Moist has been my favourite moisturiser for a while now. Its perfect on my normal/combination skin type. I haven't really liked any of the moisturisers I tried last year so I'll be sticking with this one for the foreseeable future.


Haircare
Tangle Teezer / Kerastase Ciment Thermique / Batiste XXL Volume Dry Shampoo / Frédéric Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream
For anyone still wondering if Tangle Teezers work, yes they do & mine has saved me from some pretty horrific knots. I still really like the Kerastase Ciment Thermique & I don't think that any other heat protection product compares to this one. The grapefruit scent lingers on your hair & its absolutely beautiful. I only recently managed to purchase the XXL Volume Batiste as its been really hard to track it down. Its literally always sold out. I'm so glad I got this as although it does make your hair feel like utter crap, it does give you lots of volume. Just whack some serum on afterwards and you're good to go. The Brilliant Glossing Cream is kinda like a cream version of Moroccanoil so it helps to weigh down your hair more. Some people won't like that but I do as it means less flyaways & a more polished looking hairdo.


Base
Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation / Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer / Bobbi Brown Corrector / MAC Pearl Cream Colour Base / Illamasqua Hollow Cream Pigment / MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural / Dior Amber Diamond
Last year I became obsessed with finding the perfect base products. I bought a ton of different products but these are my favourites and I use all of these every day. Illamasqua's Skin Base Foundation has been a revelation. I finally have a foundation that matches my exact skintone and has no SPF in which stops the 'ghost face' that Estee Lauder Double Wear used to inflict upon me. Like everyone else I love that Collection 2000 concealer. Its practically opaque & covers pretty much everything. I couldn't live without my Bobbi Brown Corrector as although the Collection 2000 concealer is really good, this product colour corrects my dark circles making me look really awake & like I've slept for 12 hours each night. MAC MSF Natural has been my fave powder for ages, I just wear this with some concealer if I have no time at all to get ready. When I use the Illamasqua foundation I just use this to powder under my eyes because otherwise my mascara ends up all over my face. Pearl Cream Colour Base & Amber Diamond are the perfect highlighting duo. I've bought more highlighters than I can count in 2011 and these are the best of the best. I like a lot of glow so using a cream under the powder makes my cheeks look super shiny & it lasts all day. Hollow Cream Pigment is something I only bought recently but it is the best contour product ever.


Eyes
Lancome Doll Eyes Mascara / L'Oreal Carbon Gloss Superliner / HD Brows Palette / MAC Shroom & Patina Eyeshadows / MAC NC15/NW20 Pencil
The mascara that I've most recently fallen in love with is the Lancome Doll Eyes one. When I first got it the formula was a lot more fluid and didn't really give me the volume I wanted. But as it dried up a bit it got thicker and it is everything I could want in a mascara. It makes my lashes super long, thick & black. I use the L'Oreal eyeliner on a daily basis as I think I look weird without it. This one is really black, long lasting and pretty cheap too which makes it the best eyeliner I've bought this year. I love the eyebrow powders in the HD Brows Palette, they're so pigmented and just brilliant. I only use the one in the bottom right corner as the others don't suit me but I use the others as eyeshadows so its a fab product. The eyeshadows I've reached for most are Shroom & Patina by MAC. I don't really wear eyeshadow much but these are subtle enough for everyday wear. I love this MAC eyeliner pencil as it makes my eyes look bigger & brighter without being a really obvious white line.


Blusher
Illamasqua Katie / Illamasqua Thrust / NARS Deep Throat / Topshop Head Over Heels
I like to wear a lot of blush as it adds some pretty colour to my deathly pallor which saves me from bronzing my whole face to an unnatural colour. My fave blusher at the moment is NARS Deep Throat, I think its the perfect colour for me with just the right amount of sparkle. I adore Illamasqua's powder blushers. Katie is a lovely pastel pink & Thrust is a bright magenta. It looks so scary in the pan but its a gorgeous colour if you apply it with a light hand & blend it properly. I want to try some of Illamasqua's cream blushers next as they seem really good too. The only cream blushers I own are from Topshop but they are great quality for the price. I like the shade Head Over Heels best as its a very pretty peachy colour thats perfect for Summer.


Lip Products
Philosophy Kiss Me Tonight / Beaute Wanted Weightless Lip Creme / MAC Hue Lipstick / MAC Enchantée Kissable Lip Colour
I bought a lot of lipsticks this year. In order to keep my lips lovely & smooth I use Philosophy's Kiss Me Tonight lip treatment. Its a balm that you put on before you go to bed and you wake up with beautifully soft lips. I also put some on before I do my makeup then blot it off when I'm ready to apply my lipstick. I bought the Beaute Weightless Lip Creme in Wanted after I heard that Kristen Stewart loves it. Its a lovely nude thats halfway between a lipstick and gloss. The MAC Kissable Lip Colours from their Peacocky collection use a similar formula. I love the colour Enchantée which is a cool toned bright pink. My fave everyday lipstick is MAC Hue. Its the most perfect pinky nude that looks brilliant on everyone.


Nail Polishes
Illamasqua Jo'Mina / Models Own Utopia / Models Own Pink Punch / Barry M Peach Melba
This was such a hard decision as I adore all the nail polishes I bought last year and believe me, I bought a lot! These ones stood out to me as unique colours that I always get complimented on. They all apply really well and don't chip too badly with some Seche Vite on top.

September Favourites

HD Brows Kit
As everyone knows these babies were sent out in the September GlossyBox. I was so happy to receive this item as I've wanted to get an HD Brows treatment for ages now. I got sent Foxy which is meant for brunettes but as my eyebrows are naturally so dark I can just about get away with using the ash shade in the bottom right corner. The other colours in the palette are far too warm for me. I would've preferred the one for blondes but oh wells. The powders are highly pigmented and last all day. You need a light hand to apply this as its so easy to overdo your brows. I don't really rate the little brush that came with the kit as I think a firmer brush is required to really do your eyebrows properly. This really is a great little kit though, well worth the GlossyBox subscription fee. As long as you get the right set of shades for you then it'll work perfectly and if you don't, they double up as some rather lovely matte eyeshadows.

Sigma F80
I'm sure everyone has already read about a million reviews of this brush, after all thats what made me want to purchase one myself. I bought it mainly to apply my Illamasqua Skin Base foundation with as I wanted to see if there was anything that would blend it better than the MAC 187 brush. This certainly makes the application a lot quicker and makes it look even more flawless than usual. I love dense the bristles are which makes it really good for buffing in makeup. A great partner for a great foundation.

Aveeno Cream
Finally cracked what was causing my eczema to flare up: our leather sofas! Apparently there was some kind of spray used on certain leather sofas which can cause eczema & rashes in lots of people. So I've made sure theres always a throw on top to protect my legs with & as well as using my Neal's Yard Stellaria cream I started using this Aveeno Cream. It contains Collodial Oatmeal which is really good for moisturising anywhere on your body. It has also helped to fade the scarring of where the rash was. I love the smell of it too.

L'Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Shampoo
I try a hell of a lot of different silver shampoos in order to keep my hair as white as possible. I always find that if I leave them on for too long they end up toning my hair pink or purple. This one is the holy grail of silver shampoos. It doesn't make my hair turn any colour other than proper silver. It costs about a tenner so its a bit more expensive than some of them out there but it works so much better. If you want really white hair, this is the one to get.

Charles Worthington Salon At Home Strength & Repair Kit
I only bought this because Boots were selling it for £13 instead of the RRP of £20. My hair has been coming out loads lately & its starting to feel a bit fine. I think its because the bleach is starting to take its toll. I figured that maybe this could help. It contains some hair repair oil, 4 shower caps, shampoo & conditioner, so theres enough there for 4 applications. You cover your hair with the oil & put a shower cap on top. Then leave it for about 10 mins or more if you want it to penetrate deeper. You then wash your hair with the shampoo & conditioner which you leave on for 5 mins. It leaves my hair feeling really soft, strong & thicker too. The amount of hair I lose each day has noticeably decreased since I started using this treatment. I think once my pack runs out I'll be buying another box but I'll probably buy it now while its still on offer.



Chai Tea Lattes
I am a total Starbucks addict & find it hard to walk past one without going in for my usual grande caramel macchiato. If I eat in I always get a cinnamon roll & an equally sweet chai tea latte. However there are no Starbucks in Huddersfield (I know right, what fresh hell is this?!) so I have to get my fix at home. Pretty much every supermarket sells Drink Me Chai's Spiced Chai Latte and it is amazing. If you've never had a Chai Latte before its basically like normal tea but with sweet spices to give it a nice kick. Its so similar to the one Starbucks do but super cheap. I like mine in a massive spotty Emma Bridgewater mug.

May Favourites

Bobbi Brown Corrector
Sometimes when I apply concealer I notice that my dark circles are still really noticeable. This is because concealers tend to cover up just one colour shade. In order to really eradicate dark circles you need a different coloured corrector underneath. This product is the perfect dark circle corrector. It blends easily, doesn't cake under the eyes and it really does help to brighten your whole face. I would suggest getting matched at a counter as the colour of your dark circles will define whether you need a bisque or peach shade rather than your skin tone. I use Light Bisque and find that it is the perfect colour for me. You only need the tiniest amount too as you pat it directly onto the discolouration rather than underneath your whole eye. It works amazingly well with the Collection 2000 concealer.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer
I had to see for myself why this concealer was getting so much hype. It really does its job well. The quality of this product is pretty much on par with the Estee Lauder Doublewear Concealer so its definitely worth the miniscule price tag. I prefer this to the Doublewear one as the Fair shade I use is actually a bit lighter, meaning that my under eye circles are barely visible & any imperfections are pretty much eradicated from sight. I like to use my Bobbi Brown corrector, apply my Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua with a MAC 187 brush and then blend this into my skin with the same brush. Flawless skin in a flash.

Liz Earle Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion
Although every Liz Earle product is perfectly lovely, my favourite would have to be Eyebright. This was especially welcome on my eyes this morning after getting drunk last night. Its so cooling and refreshing on my skin. This is the perfect cure for tired, puffy eyes and it really helps to wake me up in the morning. It works even better if you keep it in the fridge.

L'Oreal Renewal Lash Serum
I posted about it when I first bought this product and now I've had a chance to trial it properly I can safely say its worked wonders for my lashes. All the gaps in my eyelashes have filled in and its helped my eyebrows to grow a lot too. I still don't like the applicator as I don't think it fits around my lashes properly making it really cumbersome to actually put on. The actual serum however works really well and is a lot cheaper than the likes of RapidLash.

Beaute Luminous Volume Gloss
I have a lot of Beaute lip products as I love the colours, the application, the feel and the longevity. The only thing I dislike about them is the price tag which is quite frankly ludicrous. This lipgloss cost a whopping £21! If you're willing to pay that however you're left with a magical product. It plumps up your lips slightly giving you really lovely kissable lips. The formula is a bit on the sticky side but I think that helps the lipgloss to last. This shade is called Medusa and its a gorgeous creamy pink beige. Its all I've worn on my lips lately. It photographs beautifully which I think is probably why all the Beaute lip products are favourites of many celebrities. I also love love love the Weightless Lip Cremes.



Ben & Jerry's Fairly Nuts Ice Cream
Mmm this is the best ice cream I've tasted in ages. Got this by accident as Asda didn't have any Cookie Dough left. Its caramel ice cream with praline almond clusters & caramel swirls. I could sit here right now and eat a whole tub. Yum.



Bones
I harp on a lot about how much I love Bones on Twitter but this show has been my life for the past month. Every night before bed I watch a couple of episodes and have almost made my way through the whole box set. I'm halfway through season 5 at the moment. Seriously its so good. If you like crime solving shows with amazing character development & interaction then you need to watch Bones. Apparently the 6th season isn't as good but I'll still download it. Dreading the inevitable drain that will be on my bandwidth allowance! Now that I've nearly finished watching this, I'm looking for some new TV shows to watch. Any recommendations? Pretty much all the good shows have finished for the Summer and the only thing to look forward to now is True Blood. Tell me your faves!

New Nails: Utopia

I went to Boots the other day and took advantage of their 3 for 2 offers on most of their stuff. I bought 3 Model's Own nail polishes - Utopia, Pastel Pink & Lemon Meringue. Today I'm wearing Utopia. It is a beautiful ever so slightly pink toned white colour. The formula of this one is really creamy and lovely to apply. I'm wearing two coats with Seche Vite on top. Its such a unique colour, even the girls serving me commented on how nice it looked. This is the perfect alternative to plain white nail polishes as it definitely doesn't look like you've just put Tipp-Ex on your nails!


I also got some stuff from L'Oreal. I bought the Carbon Gloss Super Liner as my Illamasqua one is running out, Volume Million Lashes mascara in Extra Black and their Renewal Lash Serum. I made the mistake of buying the Clinique Bottom Lash mascara last month, don't get me wrong, its a great product but I didn't know it was a tubing mascara. As I tend to pick off my mascara whenever I'm stressed/tired/bored, I picked off the Bottom Lash mascara and loads of my lashes came out with it! I normally use Talika Lipocils to mend my lashes but I thought I'd give this Loreal one a try. I find the spoon applicator a bit weird to use but otherwise it seems ok so far. Still think I prefer the Talika one though.


Along with some boring make up wipes, my last 3 for 2 item was The Fab Pore from Soap & Glory. My skin has been looking a bit crappy lately. We've still not finished unpacking all of our stuff and I can't find my beloved Mario Badescu Special Cucumber Lotion anywhere :( So I'm hoping that this product will be the quick pick me up my skin so badly needs.

Has anyone tried any of these products? What are your thoughts on them? Any other great 3 for 2 items in Boots?