April Favourites

Hello everyone! 

Where did the last month go?! I swear I only started March a couple of days ago. Well, never mind let’s get cracking with what I was loving through April. Let’s split it into hair, body, makeup and general life :-) 

Since I’ve been in Paris I have been going out more in the evenings to explore and meet new friends. It has been fabulous! However, the last thing you need on an evening out is flat hair. My favourite remedy for this is a good old texturising spray. Usually I like a sea salt spray, but this time I’ve been trying a mineral powder fixing spray on fluffed up hair. The L’Oréal Wild Stylers spray by Tecni.art is so lovely! I flip my head upside down, brush back my hair and then spray this in and I’m good to go. It doesn’t make my hair sticky or dry, but it lasts for hours! 

For body there are two products I have been really loving. The first is a new one to the Body Shop, they have out a new range of spa type products called Spa Of The World. They have three different scents, of the three I prefer the Hawaiian Kukui Cream smell as it is so heady and luxurious! The body lotion is so creamy and buttery on my skin. It applies super smoothly and soaks in incredibly quickly. My skin feels so soft and hydrated since I started using it. 

The second product is a kind of a group really. I have never seen the Ushuaia shower gels in the UK so I have been making the most of trying different scents while I’m here. So far I have tried three, but this pomegranate hydrating gel is my favourite. Pomegranate is my favourite fruit, so of course I would love it! The products have a neutral pH and have no parabens, making them very gentle on the skin. I feel so refreshed and awake after using these. 

Now onto makeup, that classic red lip from Charlotte Tilbury has to make an appearance! So Marilyn is a repeated favourite. It is so wearable, for both day and night, and the creamy texture makes it a joy to wear! I have featured this many times, so I won’t waffle on any more about it. 

Lately I have been doing a lot of night shifts and working very long hours. I think my eyes would have been suffering a lot more if I hadn’t been using Benefit’s Puff Off before I apply my makeup in the morning. The smooth gel and cooling iron tip have had such a soothing effect, reducing any soreness or puffiness just as the name suggests! 

Finally, I have been loving spending free time outside in the sun either reading or listening to music. If you were wondering about my deeply fabulous sunglasses…they are vintage, I picked them up in a little store in Bastille called Tilt Vintage a couple of months ago! 

What have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) P.S. Check out my Facebook here.

xoxo

Chasing Away Chapped Lips

Hello everyone,

Whose life is a constant battle against chapped lips from November to April? Mine certainly is, I am so sensitive to the cold. I always delve deep into the realms of lip care at this time of year. I’m sure you were all getting sick of me commenting on this in various posts, so I thought I’d give it it’s very own post and be done with it. 

There is a plethora of lip comfort products out there, some work, some don’t and some just taste so good that they would work if you didn’t lick them off every 5 seconds! Here is my little guide to products that work for me and which are my top rated. 

First off let’s do the balms. I am a sucker for tinted lip balm and I have yet to find one as creamy as the Benefit Benebalm. I like to use the traditional red colour, but they have a whole set ranging from a rosy nude to a deep coral, something for everyone and all that. For me this is a routine buy every autumn. One which my Mam swears by and really got me into is the Clinique range of chubby lipsticks. I am using the colour Whoppin’ Watermelon at the minute, but to be honest I like all of them and buy a different colour every time. They don’t taste amazing, it’s just a standard lipstick flavour, but they do have brilliant colour pay off and feel very soothing on the lips. No matter how much I love the colour, there is a downside, it doesn't last very long and I find myself reapplying multiple times in the day, not ideal! For something more recent, Lush just brought out the gloss The Kiss in their Valentines Day range. I would class this as a balm rather than a gloss as it is quite faint in terms of colour and isn’t really a gloss texture. It feels quite grainy when you first apply it, but the balls soon melt into your lips as they warm up and it does taste amazing! This is one of the ones that gets licked off a lot...

Let's talk Oils and glosses. I chose my three top favourites for this one! I am deeply in love with the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort products. I have the oil in 02 Raspberry (mmmm so yummy!) and the Eclat Minute natural lip perfecter in 01. These two are actually my top rated of all the products in this post, they are so soft and moisturising. Even though one is a gloss and one is an oil they feel very similar, but don't be alarmed they do have their differences. The Eclat Minute is more moisturising and the oil gives you instant protection from the elements. A good product to have by your bed is the L'Occitane shea butter lip balm, it has hardly any fragrance or flavour which is ideal to apply just before bed. It is quite sticky and feels very vaseline-like! It does have some serious moisturising effect though. 

Finally, those dreaded dip your fingers and get very sticky type products. Oh my God I used to hate these, all I could think of were the dirty fingers dipping in and out of the pots. Actually, even now I still always wash my hands before I use them, but some products are worth it. I love the Nivea Vanilla and Macadamia balm, it smells so tasty! It's quite a staple product and most people know and love it, but hey it's one of my favs so it's in the post. I adore this red balm by Lou Lesage, the colour I have is called Loved and that is how I feel about this. I love to rock a classic red lip, but I worry about using lipsticks that will dry out my lips. This is the perfect compromise, the colour pay off is lovely to wear by itself or to add over the top of a lipstick to give a little moisture if you really need that deep pop of colour. This product is a win win in my mind! 

I hope this has helped you find inspiration to make your lips feel the love! What is your top pick for lip care? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

Charlotte Tilbury Review

Hello everyone, 

Charlotte Tilbury is a brand that kind of popped out of nowhere a few years ago, suddenly everyone was raving about her products, especially the lipsticks. Glastonberry is a very deep plum/berry tone that most people seem to go mad for, sadly I couldn’t justify this to myself as I have a very close shade to this from MAC. Instead my Mam and I treated ourselves to the Magic Foundation each and a red lipstick for me…naughty I know! 

The foundation packaging is a real winner for me, it looks very sleek and luxe. The bronze top and frosted glass make it look like a very high quality product. Do beware the lid falling off in your handbag, it can be quite loose if you don’t push it on properly. I picked the number 2 Pale shade as I am quite fair, I also love that it is SPF 15, always good to have some protection from the sun. 

The pump applicator means it is super easy to blob the right amount onto the back of your hand ready to apply with your foundation brush. My Mam tried it first and isn’t really a fan, she thinks the yellow tones aren’t really a good match for her winter skin so she is planning on trialling it again in the summer when she has more of a glow. 

I have to say I’m not wowed by the coverage and texture of this. It’s quite dewy and needs quite a lot of powder to set it properly. If I have it on without powder it doesn’t last very well throughout the day. I’d definitely recommend wearing a setting spray with this as it doesn’t last so well on a long day! If lighter foundation is your favourite choice then I think this is the foundation for you, the texture reminds me of a BB cream. I’m not a big fan of dewy skin really, I like to have a glow. In case you were wondering: 

• Dewy = looks moist on your skin, perfect for people with dryer skin. This should look almost airbrushed as though the light is hitting your skin and lighting it up from outside. 
• Glowing = lit from within, an ethereal tone to your skin as thought the light is shining outwards from beneath your skin. 

Onto the lipstick, I went for the K.I.S.S.I.N.G fallen from the lipstick tree in So Marilyn. I love love love the packaging! Rose gold is so beautiful and it’s quite weighty, a substantial lipstick bullet always feels more high end. I like the CT entwined initials on the lid, discreet, but a good reminder of who designed your fab new lippy.  The colour is a deep red, and does what it says in the name, it makes your lips pop as much as Marilyn’s. It looks like it should be quite matte, I found it’s shinier than expected, but I love it, it doesn’t dry out my lips the way some matte colours can. I think I may form a new addiction to these lipsticks, there are so many colours in the range. It’s so easy to find one to suit you and the staff are always willing to help out, seriously, they were super friendly. 

Do you like Charlotte Tilbury? Let me know which products you’ve tried in the comments below :-) 

xoxo