April Favourites

Josh Wood Colour Renewing Shampoo For Brunette Hair Prone To Frizz
When I dyed my hair back to brown, I needed to get some new products to help maintain the colour. Being brunette is much lower maintenance than platinum blonde but when you use a darker dye over bleached hair, the blonde bits will inevitably start peeking through over time. Using the wrong kind of shampoo & conditioner can make the colour fade even quicker. To keep these chocolate tones looking fresh I picked up some of the Josh Wood Colour products specifically for brunette hair. They contain advanced UV filters to prevent fade as well as saffron & turmeric to keep brunette hair looking glossy & vibrant. The shampoo & conditioner for brunette hair prone to frizz are a dreamy duo that have made my hair look healthier than ever before. They make my hair feel really clean & soft whilst keeping frizz in check. I love how gloriously shiny my hair looks & I'll definitely be picking up some new bottles this week as I've just ran out!

Soap & Glory Bubble In Paradise Refreshing Body Wash
Soap & Glory make some fabulous shower gels with utterly gorgeous scents. I normally go for their Sugar Crush Body Wash because I love the fresh citrusy notes but a couple of months ago I couldn't find it in any Boots store for some reason. In it's absence I decided to try their Bubble In Paradise Body Wash. This product is part of their Call Of Fruity scented range which is their exotic new fragrance with mango, papaya & coconut. It's such a lovely tropical scent that completely fills the bathroom. The formula is really creamy & feels moisturising on the skin. It lathers up well so you only need to use a tiny amount & having a shower with this beaut body wash is a great way to start your day.

Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation
IT Cosmetics are so annoying. They've made one of the most gorgeous looking foundations of all time & yet they refuse to fully expand the shade range. 12 shades is nowhere near comprehensive enough & when drugstore brands like Revolution manage to bring out 50 shades of foundation, it just makes IT Cosmetics seem like they don't care. So when I heard rumours that Maybelline's latest foundation was a dupe for the Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream, I went out & bought it immediately. Maybelline are yet another drugstore brand who have a very inclusive range of foundation colours & 100 Warm Ivory is a perfect match for me. I use their Fit Me Matte & Poreless Foundation in the same colour so I knew it would be a safe choice. The foundation has quite a liquidy formula & it feels very lightweight on the skin but it still delivers in terms of coverage. I wouldn't say it's as full coverage as they claim but it certainly does a excellent job of concealing any redness & hiding the vast majority of my skin imperfections. I love the healthy natural looking radiance it gives to my skin & the smooth satin finish. The foundation provides SPF 50 & is enriched with antioxidants to protect against pollution. This is definitely my base product of choice for this Summer. The extra sun protection is always welcome & it lasts all day long on my skin. I don't think it's a perfect dupe for the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream because it's not as moisturising & gives more coverage but it's still a brilliant foundation.

Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Moisturiser
I used to be really obsessed with Origins skincare products but I kinda fell out of love with them as newer brands such as The Ordinary began to emerge. One product I always meant to try is their GinZing Energy-Boosting Moisturiser & I recently got this little sample bottle from a beauty box. I'm a big fan of gel formulas because they work really well for oily/combination skin types. The lightweight formula provides just the right amount of hydration & sinks in really quickly so you can get on with applying your makeup. It has a gorgeous orange sherbet scent which makes it a joy to use. If your skin is looking a little tired then I'd definitely recommend trying this moisturiser. It's fortified with panax ginseng & coffee bean to instantly energise the skin giving you a healthy looking, vibrant glow. It really perks me up in the morning & has an immediate effect on the brightness of my complexion. I never looked this good without makeup until I tried this moisturiser. For super soft radiant skin, Origins GinZing is a wonderful product.

Nu Skin Nu Colour LightShine Lip Plumping Balm in Pink Tinge
I still haven't 100% decided if I want to get lip fillers or not. I've found a fantastic aesthetic practitioner to perform the procedure but I'm just worried it won't look right on my face. Until I fully make my mind up I've been trying out different lip plumping products to achieve a similar but less permanent effect. One of my favourite products I've discovered is this Lip Plumping Balm from Nu Skin. This lip balm feels silky & deeply moisturising on the lips. Rose hip oil is one of the main ingredients so it's rich in fatty acids. These fatty acids help the lip balm to improve the elasticity & moisture levels of the skin whilst giving your lips a full & even glow. There is a slight tingle when applying the lip balm because it contains menthol which improves blood circulation. It doesn't quite give you Kylie Jenner lips but it adds a more natural plumpness. This makes it a great base for lipsticks because it gives your lips a smoother appearance, so anything you put on top will be less likely to sink into fine lines. It also looks really pretty used by itself because it tints your lips with a soft baby pink hue.

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June Favourites

Maybelline Master Contour V-Shape Duo Stick in Light*
Cream contouring is something that I've avoided for so long. I hate cream highlighters & blushers because they never sit right on top of my base so surely contour products would be the same? Well I finally tried a cream contour product & I absolutely love it! Maybelline came out with this V-Shape Contour Stick & not only is the colour perfect on me, the formula is lovely too. It works well whether I use it before or after powdering my skin & blends out really well without disappearing completely. The stick format is easy to use & stops you from applying too much. It looks like a natural shadow on the skin but is still precise enough to really cut those cheekbones. I'm not as keen on the highlight side as it's not any lighter than my skintone & I prefer a shimmery blinding highlight anyway. Unless you're a professional makeup artist, no one really needs a full cream contour palette in their collection. This stick does it all.

The Ordinary Serum Foundation in 1.0N
As soon as they went on sale I snapped up both of the new foundations from The Ordinary. Their skincare is revolutionary so I had high hopes for their base products. I normally prefer high coverage foundations, no matter how well my skin is behaving so I was surprised to find that I actually prefer the Serum Foundation which has a much lighter formula. The thin watery consistency is very similar to Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua but a little goes a long way & the coverage is much better than I was expecting. On the face it definitely reminds me of Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk as it gives the skin a beautifully smooth & radiant finish. Colourwise 1.0N is slightly peachier than my HG NARS Siberia but it's just as light so it does work well on my skintone. Unless you're significantly yellow or pink toned, this shade will suit a lot of pale people. If you can get your hands on it, this foundation is definitely worth trying.

Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Hyaluronic Acid Lotion
One thing that asian skincare brands do better than anyone else is hydration. I've learned to love sheet masks, snail secretions & essences as they bring a comfort to my skin unlike anything else. My latest skincare discovery is this Hyaluronic Acid Lotion from Japanese brand Hada Labo. The original Gokujyun Lotion is one of the best selling asian beauty products of all time. I put off buying it for ages because I was using the CosRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence but when that ran out I wanted to try something new. I decided to buy the Premium version of this lotion because it has five different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid instead of the three found in the original. That means it's incredibly hydrating & far more potent than most hyaluronic acid serums as it can penetrate deeper into the skin. This lotion makes my skin so unbelievably soft & plump. It fills out any fine lines & gives you a natural dewy glow. If you like using hyaluronic acid serums in your skincare routine, you need to buy this lotion. It's probably the best hyaluronic acid product I've ever used!

Shadow Shields
I've been working on my eyeshadow skills a lot lately. I'm normally fairly lazy & either sweep one colour over my entire eyelid or just blend a transition colour into my crease. I finally have an eyeshadow collection to be proud of & I want to put all those beautiful colours to good use instead of letting them rot on my dressing table. I've started spending quite a bit of time trying out detailed eye looks & I especially like to angle the shadows upwards at the outer corners. There's quite a few ways to clean up your eyeshadow so it fits that angle but my preferred method is to use these Shadow Shields. You just pop them on under your eyes & they really help you to achieve that cat eye shape. They're also great for catching fallout which is inevitable when working with darker colours. They won't disturb your foundation underneath & are gentle on the eye area too. They're such a simple product but have really helped to up my eyeshadow game.

Essence The Cushion Eyeliner
Another innovation that asian beauty brands have brought us is cushion cosmetics. I've tried cushion foundations & cushion blushers and I really enjoy the finish they give & the application process. I tend to mainly buy asian skincare products as I have enough makeup already but when I heard that Essence were coming out with a cushion eyeliner I couldn't resist picking one up. I think Banila Co & Tony Moly also do one but when you can buy something from Wilkos for a mere £3, sometimes it's better to stick with the UK high street! From the outside it looks very similar to a gel eyeliner pot. However inside there's a small round sponge saturated with black liquid liner. When you apply pressure with an eyeliner brush, the liquid starts to ooze out & you can use the product. The liquid is quite runny but I find it far less messy to use than gel eyeliner. It's extremely pigmented & dries down very quickly with a glossy finish. It lasts all day long on me without crumbling or transferring onto my upper eyelid. Liquid liners tend to come in a pen format but with this pot you can apply it however you want, even with something like the Vamp Stamp. If you like the ease of a gel formulation but prefer the finish of liquid liner, this product is for you. It's such a fantastic eyeliner & at this price you'd be silly not to buy one!

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Brows On A Budget

Barry M Brow Kit / Collection Eyebrow Kit / Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Eyeshadow in Permanent Taupe

I'm so glad that brows are currently having a bit of a renaissance. I've always had an obsession with them & must have spent loads on tools, regrowth products & cosmetics for those two furry lines. Admittedly I've always been into high-end brow products because drugstore brands never seemed to realise that not everyone has really dark warm toned eyebrows. During my teenage goth phase I used to draw on my eyebrows with a black Rimmel eyeliner. It was not a good look, especially when the pencil started to smudge! There just weren't many other options in Boots at the time. Luckily things have improved a bit these days & most brands have cottoned onto the fact that people want groom their brows to perfection. To be totally honest I don't think I'd ever give up my precious Anastasia products in favour of these but it's good to know that more makeup brands are starting to take brows seriously.





The Barry M Brow Kit comes complete with everything you need to groom & define your eyebrows. It contains a creamy brown wax, a dark brown powder, a highlighter, tweezers & a double ended applicator. It reminds me of Benefit Brow Zings with the added bonus of a highlight powder. The tweezers are okay for plucking one or two strays but I wouldn't shape your whole eyebrow with them. The brush is surprisingly good. Normally I automatically dismiss brushes in makeup kits but the angled side is perfect for shaping your brows with the tinted wax. After applying the wax you then use the blending brush to build up your brows with the dark powder. Both the wax & powder are very easy to work with. The trouble is this kit only comes in one shade which is horrendously dark & warm toned. I tried using the wax & powder alone as well as together but either way they look horrible on me. The highlight shade is incredibly subtle & I found it hard to get it show up on my skin. I wish there were a few other colours available as this has the potential to be a truly fantastic kit. Hopefully Barry M will bring out a few more versions soon.






I much prefer the Collection Eyebrow Kit. Instead of a wax & a highlight, it comes with three brow powders. Used alone none of the colours suit me but they can easily be mixed & matched to create your own custom brow shade. The colours lean slightly warm but they're nowhere near as red toned as the Barry M colours. The dark brown powder is extremely dark but the texture is creamy with absolutely no fallout. It's easy to achieve whatever eyebrow shape you desire with this kit as the formula of the powders is really lovely. I find that a mix of the light brown with a little bit of the medium brown shade works well for me. The angled brush is exactly the same as the one in the Barry M kit & applies the powders well. I love that the kit comes with it's own mini brow gel. The formula isn't the best at keeping stray hairs in place but the plastic brush helps to neaten up your brows by pushing everything in the right direction. It also includes a fab little mirror which is the exactly the right size for doing your brows.




If you've ever wanted to try the Anastasia DipBrow Pomades but don't want to shell out £15 when you have no idea which colour to get, then give the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Eyeshadow in Permanent Taupe a go. Everyone went mental for these last year so chances are you probably already have this in your stash. Not only is it a wonderful cream eyeshadow but applied with an angled brush it's a decent drugstore dupe for Anastasia Beverly Hills' most innovative product. The formula isn't quite as creamy or natural looking so a very light hand is needed here but otherwise it works in a fairly similar way. You can really sculpt your brows with this, creating a clean but bold look. The taupe colour is buildable & would work well for anyone with cool-toned medium or dark brown eyebrows.

What's your favourite budget brow product?

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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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January Favourites

Arran Aromatics Feel Good Formulas Sea Salt Scrub*
I do love a good body scrub! I feel like a shower isn't complete without some hardcore exfoliation. I've tried so many that just did nothing at all. It seems like many brands are afraid to put some real grit in their scrubs. So I was amazed when I tried this one from Arran Aromatics. This is a lovely sea salt scrub packed full of seaweed, mint and plenty of moisturising oils. It's exfoliating & moisturising at the same time. It leaves my whole body feeling soft & fresh. I wish it had a bit more fragrance to it but otherwise it does it's job incredibly well. Full review here.

Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray
Oh Oribe, your products are so damn expensive. Sadly for my bank account, they are well worth the money. If your locks are on the thin or fine side then this thickening spray could be the answer to all your hair woes. A few spritzes of this heat-activated body builder before blowdrying is all you need for thicker, fuller, more voluminous hair. It's so light you can use it all over your hair to plump up your ends as well as your roots. This product also acts as a heat protectant spray which is a bit of a Brucey bonus! The effects seem to last in my hair for about two days. It adds so much volume & you can see a huge difference in thickness after using it. I like to combine it with a smoothing creme for big, bouncy hair that still looks sleek & healthy.

Bleach London Silver Shampoo
After my total hair disaster with one of the Bleach London dyes, the brand lost a whole lotta respect from me. I didn't really want to give them another penny of my money. I was in need of a new bottle of purple shampoo though & as I had enough Boots points for it, I figured that I may as well try out their Silver Shampoo. It is a surprisingly good shampoo that manages to knock out all the yellow tones without being too drying. All too often when I use purple shampoos I end up with purple, grey, blue or pink tones left in my hair. This one doesn't leave any kind of tint. It just gives me really bright pure white hair. My roots end up a bit yellow again after about a week so I find that I need to use it every time I wash my hair instead of every other time. There's plenty of product in the bottle though so I'd say it's very good value for money. I've tried a LOT of purple shampoos in my time as a blondie & as much as I am loath to say it, this ranks as one of the best.

Maybelline Color Show Brocades Nail Polish in Knitted Gold
I never used to be a huge fan of glitter polishes but they're such a foolproof way of creating some cool nail art. Who doesn't like to spend hours staring at their sparkly nails?! I recently fell in love with the amazing range of top coats from the Maybelline Color Show collection. Brocades was the name of their limited edition Christmas polishes & I'm obsessed with this beautiful glittery colour. Knitted Gold is a clear base packed full of golden shimmer particles. It also contains two sizes of pink hex glitter. It looks incredible as it shines in the light. The combination of gold & pink gives a gorgeous glittery rose gold glow to your nails. Full review here.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer
There's been tons of blogger hype about these lip balms for years & I am probably the last person to jump on the bandwagon. I finally got round to buying one of them a couple of months ago & I ended up with a beautiful baby pink shade called Rose Shimmer. This Lip Perfector is very moisturising & isn't sticky at all. It contains shea butter, wild mango & vitamin E to nourish and repair the lips. The gel formula makes your lips look plumper & feel kissably soft. I absolutely love it! Full review here.

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New Nails: Maybelline Color Show Brocades

Maybelline Color Show Brocades - £3.99

I normally try not to post about limited edition drugstore products because once they're gone, they tend to stay gone. However I'm making an exception for these gorgeous glittery polishes from Maybelline. I received these for Christmas & I think they're some of the loveliest glitters I've come across. Maybelline brought four of the colours over to the UK & here I have Rosy Rosettes, Woven Skyline & Knitted Gold. All three are packed full of glitter & have a subtle golden iridescent sheen to them. Rosy Rosettes is a reddish pink jelly with small gold hex glitter & medium red hex glitter. Woven Skyline is a charcoal jelly with small silver, black & gold glitter particles and larger gold hex pieces. Knitted Gold is a clear base with lots of golden shimmer & two sizes of pink hex glitter. They all look great either on their own or as a top coat. My favourite is easily Knitted Gold. Those rose gold glitter particles are just way too beautiful to resist.

On my nails I'm wearing the classic Essie Mint Candy Apple topped off with one coat of Knitted Gold. The golden pink shimmer & glitter particles reminded me of mermaid scales so I figured they would go well together. I don't think the picture truly captures how pretty this looks. The subtle shimmer makes them really sparkle & shine. Just call me Ariel! I seldom look at nail polishes that aren't located on the Essie stand these days but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on Maybelline's latest collections. I spotted their Street Artist top coats on my last visit to Boots & they look pretty awesome too.

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Christmas Presents

Polar FT4 Watch
2014 is gonna be the year that I get properly fit. I know I say that every year but I actually have time to go to the gym now that Chloe's at preschool. I'll be able to do the 30 Day Shred without having a toddler trying to sit on me or pick up my hand weights! I was using my Fitbit to track my calorie burn but it broke a few months ago. So for my main present this year I asked for a Polar watch. They're a lot more accurate because they measure your heart rate. I know a lot of people rave about these so I figured it'd be a good piece of fitness equipment to get. Can't wait to get back to doing regular exercise & lose all those pesky Christmas pounds.



Smythson Places To Remember Notebook
My mum also bought me this Smythson notebook for writing down places to visit. It'll be good to take on holiday to note down all the shops & restaurants I want to go to. I remember making a mega list when we went to New York. If only we could go back again!



Nail Art Bits & Shimmer Sprays
My sister bought me some sparkly Maybelline nail polishes & Barry M nail art pens. I'm excited to try out the nail polish corrector pen because I always mess up my nails. I really like these shimmer powder sprays she got me from The Body Shop too. They puff out a fine pink glitter that you can use on your face, hair & body and have a slightly sweet scent.



Boux Avenue Lingerie
I literally always ask my boyfriend for lingerie and Boux Avenue's stuff is just the best. Everything in there is so comfortable & flattering. He got me this gorgeous hot pink underwear set & I really love what he chose. I'm still tempted to raid their sale though!



Flamingo Candles
I'm obsessed with their Cheesecake Crunch candle so I made sure I popped a few more onto my Christmas list. I got Toasted Almonds & Plum Crumble, Tropical Coconut Milk & Honey and Pink Lemonade. They all smell insanely good and they're made from soy wax so you get a nice clean burn with these.



The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
My pink 3DS XL is probably the best thing I've bought this year. I play on it constantly! The Legend Of Zelda series is one of my favourites so I really wanted A Link Between Worlds. It's a sequel to A Link To The Past on the SNES and it's such a good game. Link gets turned into a painting so you gain the ability to move flat along walls. It definitely makes the game mechanics more interesting & I've really enjoyed playing it so far.



Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette & MAC Goodies
I got money & gift vouchers from most of my relatives so with those I simply had to buy myself the Naked 3 Palette. I love pink eyeshadows so I thought this was a great set to buy. Plus I needed to complete my Naked Palette family of course ;) I also made a cheeky MAC order where I got Groundwork Paint Pot and a 214 brush. The shape of the 214 is really cool & perfect for smudging colour under your lashline. I got a sample tube of Strobe Cream with my order which is another product I love.







Epic Space.NK Haul
All of this was a Christmas gift to myself. Sometimes you just gotta treat yo'self! I wouldn't have spent so much but Space.NK had an amazing offer last month where if you spent £150 you got a goodie bag with loads of stuff in it including a Diptyque candle & a £50 gift voucher. Way too good to pass up, right? I decided to buy a fullsize bottle of the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, their Arch Eyebrow Pencil and another one of the Ambient Lighting Powders in Diffused Light. I also got the Diptyque Mimosa room spray because it smells incredible. With the £50 voucher in the goodie bag I bought the By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder, Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray and some of the Bumble & Bumble Thickening products. Everything else here was in the goodie bag. The only thing I let myself play with before Christmas was the Hourglass Arch Eyebrow Pencil which took a lot of willpower. I love it all though, I'm in beauty product heaven right now. I've had to ban myself from Space.NK because this was really really naughty!

I'm so grateful for everything I received this year. I got some really lovely bits & bobs. It's more important to give than receive when you're a parent though. It was far more satisfying watching Chloe open all her new toys & seeing the joy on her face. Kids really make Christmas special again. I hope you all had a brilliant Christmas & got some nice presents too. Feel free to link me to your posts because I love seeing what other people got for Christmas!

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April Favourites

Real Techniques Kabuki Brush
I own pretty much all the Real Techniques brushes now but the Kabuki Brush was missing from my collection. I prefer this to the huge Powder Brush as it is a much better size & shape for powdering the skin. The bristles feel really silky & it works well with both mineral foundation & setting powders. It's a joy to use as it's just so soft and simply glides over my face without disturbing my foundation or blusher. The design of this brush is pretty cool as you can also flip it out so it almost resembles a fan brush. I love using my Louise Young Super Fan Brush for contouring so this is like a more travel friendly version of that one & much cheaper too!

Superfacialist By Una Brennan Rose Miracle Makeover Facial Oil
This is hands down one of the best cleansers I've ever used. I really like all the Superfacialist cleansers I bought but this one stands out as it hydrates, cleans off makeup & clears out blocked pores. I love the rose scent & it isn't overpowering at all. I look forward to cleaning my face with this day and night. It feels so good massaging this into my face before washing it off with a muslin cloth. I think it's really helped clear up my recent breakout. The only problem with this product is that I seem to be going through the bottle rather quickly! I'll definitely have to stock up while it's still on offer in Boots. Read more about some of the brilliant Superfacialist cleansers here.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo
I bought this product quite a few months ago when there was just tons of hype around it. I still get acne at 24 years old so I'm willing to try anything that is heralded as a brilliant spot treatment. It didn't really do anything for me so I just shoved it to the back of my skincare drawer and forgot about it. I recently had an awful reaction to a REN exfoliating product which resulted in a million spots all over my face. I figured I would give it another go as my skin was in such a sorry state & I'm so glad I did. The rest of my skincare routine helped to clear up my face but this product in particular has unclogged a lot of the red spots on my cheeks. My skin feels a lot smoother & I've had less new spots since I started using it again. I think there is some confusion as to how to use this treatment but what I do is apply it only on the congested areas of my face before moisturising at night. This method seems to be working rather well as Effaclar Duo is definitely not moisturising enough for my skin on it's own. I know a lot of people have differing opinions about this product. Some people say it's ruined their skin, others say it's saved it and for some it does nothing at all. So it's definitely one you need to try out for yourself.

Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil
I have well and truly been loving face oils this month! I've spoken about this oil a few times now but I haven't been using it for a few months. It feels so lovely to massage this into your face at night, very soothing & calming. The blend of rosewood, geranium & lotus oils in it smells divine too. This is a great choice for anyone with combination/oily yet dehydrated skin as it balances the natural oils in your skin as well as unclogging pores. I've found it also helps with scarring & redness. Think I need to try the Trilogy Rosehip oil next as treatment oils are definitely my fave thing at the moment.

Maybelline Ceramic Blue Forever Strong Professional Nail Polish
This gorgeous pastel blue has been gracing my fingers a lot lately. It's such a nice colour and has a really subtle yet pretty baby blue shimmer running through it. It has also lasted surprisingly well on my nails! I've never tried any Maybelline polishes before but colour me impressed. If the Forever Strong polishes live up to their name then it's helping to strengthen my nails too so it's win win with this product.

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March Favourites

John Frieda Full Repair Heat-Activated Styling Spray
I recently invested in the whole of the new John Frieda Full Repair range as I've read so many good reviews about it. Plus it was 3 for 2 in Boots so it would've been rude not to! I love the deep conditioner as it makes my hair feel amazing but the real star of the show has to be the styling spray. You basically spray this all over your hair after towel drying and after using heat tools on it your hair is left feeling very soft & looking very shiny. It really helps to keep your style in place all day. I blow dry my hair & use my Babyliss Big Hair styler every time I wash my hair so using heat activated products means I can still use these tools without having to worry about excessive heat damage. I highly recommend the whole range.

Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Cleanser
I read about this product on Jennie's blog and I immediately went out and bought it. Its kind of a hybrid cleanser/toner product. This stuff smells absolutely incredible which makes it a real pleasure to apply. I like my toners to have a bit of oomph to them and my Liz Earle one didn't seem to be doing much to my skin anymore other than refreshing it. I really like using this because its pretty much a lazy girl's cleanser. When I can't be bothered with washing my face properly at night I remove the bulk of my makeup using Bioderma then I use this afterwards. You just put some on a cotton pad and wipe it on your face. You can see all the dirt coming off in the cotton pad so its easy to tell when all the makeup has gone. I find this has really helped to clear up my skin and although it might seem a bit harsher than other toners it doesn't dry out my skin at all.

Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré
I only got this stuff a week ago but it was love at first application. I felt that my Dermalogica Active Moist wasn't doing as much to my skin anymore as I still had dry patches if I didn't use a primer or serum under my foundation. I've heard a lot about this product and Sam from Pixiwoo always uses it so I figured it must be good. It hydrates my skin beautifully, evening out my dry and oily patches. Its very comforting & soothing on my skin and leaves you with a perfect base for makeup. I got mine from Screenface where it was £20 for 75ml including shipping.

Estée Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher
I've recently become really interested in serums as I felt my skin could do with a bit of a boost. I'm a big fan of Estée Lauder products so I figured I'd give their Idealist serum a go. You apply a couple of pumps of this to your skin before your moisturiser in the morning. This works as a primer for your foundation as well as making your skin feel really nice. It does minimise my pores and helps to get rid of any dry patches because it aims to resurface your face. It has also helped to fade acne scars I have. Its really expensive so I don't know if I would repurchase it but I do really like using it. It has definitely helped my skin out a lot but I think I might just stick to putting some Advanced Night Repair into my moisturiser instead.

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair
This stuff is simply amazing. I often buy Estée Lauder products so I've always had tons of samples of this floating about the house from those gift with purchase deals. I kinda dismissed this product as I only bothered using it once before and I didn't really notice a difference then. Recently my skin has been a little bit on the dry side so I went through my drawers looking for samples of serums to mix into my moisturiser at night. I used this every night for about a week and it made my skin feel really soft & look even toned. It has also helped to get rid of any spots I had as well as stopping the appearance of new ones. I think this serum is mainly meant for anti-aging properties so thats an added bonus, hopefully I won't get any wrinkles if I keep using it! I've since gone through two of the little samples bottles and I purchased a 30ml bottle from BuyaPowa. I heard that theres a small amount of this stuff mixed into the new Estée Lauder Invisible Fluid foundation (which I am also loving) so if you use that you can keep on reaping the benefits throughout the day. Either that or mix a couple of drops in with your moisturiser before you apply any foundation. This stuff is definitely worth its price tag and I don't think I could go without it now. I'd recommend getting this over Idealist but they do work brilliantly together if you're wanting a different serum for day and night.

Revlon Lip Butters
I've gone a bit mad with the current 3 for 2 offer in Boots. The hype won me over and I finally managed to grab some of the Revlon Lip Butters. I have never bought any makeup from Revlon before, their products just never appealed to me. But these are something else! They're more like a moisturising lipstick than a lip balm. They all have excellent colour payoff and give my lips a lovely sheen. They wear really nicely & fade evenly leaving a subtle stain on my lips. I picked up Strawberry Shortcake, Peach Parfait & Sweet Tart. None of the other colours really appealed to me so I can't imagine myself buying any more of these but I really love the colours I got. I've not worn anything else on my lips since I got these and for someone with a rather extensive lipstick collection thats quite an achievement.

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour Eyeshadows
Another extremely hyped product. These cream eyeshadows are great worn on their own or as an eyeshadow base. They don't crease on my eyelids at all and last until I take my makeup off at night. I picked up the colours Eternal Gold, On And On Bronze & Permanent Taupe. My fave is definitely the bronze one, it looks so lovely on its own. I would definitely get some more of these. I really want the white or silver to use as an inner corner highlight but all the point of sale stands I've seen only have four slots which have these three colours and then either the grey, blue or purple. Hopefully they'll release the rest of the colours soon.

Twinings Green Tea*
In my kitchen I have a whole cupboard filled with loads of different varieties of tea. Most people seem to think I'm a bit odd for preferring herbal teas over a regular cuppa. I think its mainly down to the health benefits they provide plus they taste great and only contain like 1 calorie. I remember chugging down raspberry tea to help bring on labour when I was nearing the end of my pregnancy and I always have copious amounts of echinacea tea whenever I'm poorly. My all time favourite herbal tea is Twinings Pure Peppermint. Its just so refreshing and it really helps to calm my stomach. I've had at least one cup of it every day for the past five years.

I was recently contacted by Twinings to see if I'd be interested in trying out some of their new green tea range. I'm already a big fan of green tea, I love the taste and its no secret that it can help to boost your metabolism. Its also full of natural antioxidants. I'd only ever had plain green tea so I was really interested to try some of the new flavours. My local Sainsbury's only had a few of the new range but I decided to try the Pomegranate Green Tea & Jasmine Green Tea. Both have a definite green tea taste but are very different. The pomegranate smells divine and tastes slightly fruity whereas the jasmine is a lot more delicate and floral. I think I prefer the jasmine one because it tastes exactly like the wonderful jasmine tea you get in Chinese restaurants. I'd love to try some of the other flavours. The mango & lychee and pineapple & grapefruit green teas sound especially nice.

If you want to try some Twinings tea for free then you can get two free samples by 'liking' the Twinings Facebook page. I'd suggest picking the Pure Peppermint & Pure Camomile, they are definitely my teas of choice.