I do love a good round-up post of beauty products, random thoughts and non-beauty items so I thought it was about time I did a post including just that!
From what I have been currently loving, buying and even disliking. Hopefully if you like this post I will make it a monthly feature from now on.
Loving...
I recently got back in to using Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks after buying a few new shades from Fragrance Direct and since then I have rekindled my love for their pigmented but hydrating formulas. From pale to bold shades the range has something for everyone and if you don't want to splash out £6+ per lipstick you only need to do a quick search on the internet to find them for £1-2 each! Not only do I love the formula of these which stays quite well on the lips but I love the scent and packaging of them. I personally cannot fault them!
Shades from left to right -Tulip Pink, Notting Hill Nude, Sweetheart Tulips, Berry Queen.
Cadbury Dairy Milk with Oreo
120g bar - £1.00-£1.40 Any supermarket
I know, I know, I should be showing you Chia Seeds or some equally healthy super food that can be purchased from Holland & Barrett... but I'm not going to do that, you can get your fix and more on Instagram. I am currently trying to be healthy but this, along with my weakness for pizza, is my treat. This is the best Dairy Milk variation I have tried so far! I wasn't totally sure I'd like this as I don't love crunchy pieces in chocolate but I didn't need to worry as the Oreo filling is soft and not crunchy at all. A must try if you have a sweet tooth!
Game of Thrones
It has taken me the longest time to give Game of Thrones a chance, as I was adamant it wouldn't be for me due to disliking any sort of medieval type film/show and not enjoying watching anything dark or gory. But recently due to the buzz online surrounding the end of Season 3 I thought I would give it a go, though still in my head the idea I'd hate it. And I'm sure as you can guess... I'm now totally hooked on it! Yes, you have to watch more than the first episode and then you will get it. Yes, you will have to turn away at the gore. And yes, you will hate some of the fictional characters more than you have with any other show. But this grown-up fantasy drama is one that is the most realistic and detailed things I have ever watched.
Due to the well cast characters and the detailed storylines this will totally absorbs you into the Game of Thrones. I'm already on to season 2 and can't get enough of it. I really didn't think I would enjoy it which is why I urge anyone that loves a good series to give at least the first two episodes a go.
Impressed by...
Real Techniques Core Brush Kit
£17.85 - Amazon UK here
£17.85 - Amazon UK here
I purchased these of a bit of a whim because the set was so cheap on Amazon (I really didn't need any more makeup brushes!). And now I'm so glad I did as they are fantastic value for money due to the amazing quality. I've been mainly loving the buffing brush and the contour brush the most. The buffing brush just works so well with foundation and gives a flawless finish, much more than just using your fingers or even a foundation brush. As for the contour brush this just fit perfectly under the cheekbones and up around the temples, really perfect for the job of contouring. Also I have witnessed no shedding of the brushes which is great and they are just so soft! Very impressed.
Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover
£4.99 - Boots here
£4.99 - Boots here
Having tried quite a few sponge-in-a-pot style nail polish removers and been a bit disappointed I imagined the Bourjois to be fairly similar, but how wrong was I! The thing that normally didn't work for me was the soft sponge inside the pot, it just didn't remover nail polish that well. However the Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover contains a much better quality of sponge that is quite firm and when you place your nail inside of the pot you can feel how snug against your nail it is, meaning it removes nail polish within seconds. My suggestion is ignore all the others and try this one out if you haven't already.
Spending on...
The Body Shop Sale Purchases
You can find the sale here and the code to receive 40% off is 'EXTRATREAT'. A little tip would be to add something to your basket before shopping and enter the code, which will then show all the prices at 40% off.... much easier!
A few days ago I mentioned the amazing 40% off sale The Body Shop are doing online and in-store (though more bargains can be found online due to the 40% off applying to sale items as well). You can find my post on the best picks from the sale and the price of everything I purchased above - here. So as you can see everything arrived... which is pretty speedy free delivery if you ask me, and I'm pleased with everything! Everything here came to under £10.00 which is amazing and it's all such good quality. Really looking forward to trying out the washing grains and the Cranberry Joy lip balm. Also the Cranberry Joy body mist is such a lovely scent and doesn't make me think of Christmas at all.
You can find the sale here and the code to receive 40% off is 'EXTRATREAT'. A little tip would be to add something to your basket before shopping and enter the code, which will then show all the prices at 40% off.... much easier!
Reading...
Marie Claire and Oprah Magazine
I go through phases of reading lots of books then not having time to read and at the moment it's a 'I haven't got time to read' phase, so my reading material is magazines. I do love reading blogs more than magazines but I'm still a magazine junkie... though I tend to read more online or have a yearly subscription than purchase them every month as a lot of magazines are at £4.00 now which is frankly ridiculous. Mini rant aside, the magazines I have been really liking this month have been Marie Claire (both UK & U.S) and Oprah Magazine (I'm subscribed to it but you can buy it in WH Smith). For the past few years I have felt Marie Claire has been going down hill a bit, but recently it's changed - more interesting features again, being on special offer, free gifts etc and I'm back to enjoying it. I do prefer the U.S version of it though as it's more uplifting and has more intellectual topics. As for Oprah magazine I actually subscribed to it by mistake online (long story) and then didn't get round to cancelling it.... so I decided to give it ago. Yes, it's aimed at a older age group but I still really like it, what I find with America magazine is they are very positive and all about the feel good factor, which is what Oprah magazine is all about.
Rae Morris: Makeup The Ultimate Guide
£11.51 - Amazon here
£11.51 - Amazon here
After reading an interview with Rae Morris in Heart Beauty Magazine (review here) I decided to have a bit of a re-read though the Rae Morris makeup book I own as I hadn't looked at it in quite some time. After a few pages I was reminded how much of a good book this is and actually my favourite makeup book. The photos are amazing, the tutorials are useful and the book doesn't scrimp on text to read which I'm pleased about. I think I may have to do a full review on this soon.
Disliking...
Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser
Currently £2.56 (£1 off) - Boots here
Currently £2.56 (£1 off) - Boots here
I have seen quite a few reviews of this online recently as it's a new product and even planned to write a review on it.... but if I'm honest it's just not that great. You see the idea behind the product is that you can use this in the shower to moisturiser (you apply it then just wash it off) and so you don't need to moisturiser after your shower. But the problem I have with it is it's such a superficial way to feel like you have moisturised your skin and it definitely would be good for anyone with dry skin. I say superficial as it leaves this silky feeling to the skin as soon as you wash it off and step out of the shower and then you are like 'ooooo this doesn't actually work' but is your skin actually moisturised? No. Without a matter of hours that feeling has disappeared and you see that your skin hasn't been moisturised at all. Cheap enough to buy and great if you want silky feeling legs/arms etc but this definitely isn't a moisturiser.
Facial Sun Cream
Hope you enjoyed this post even though it was a little longer than I thought it would be!
Fee xo.
I'm still struggling with how I can apply a sun cream to my face without my face turning in to one massive grease ball and my makeup sliding off. For someone with oily skin I can't just whack on any old sun screen so I go for a specific one from La Roche Posay that is SPF 50 and not that sticky. It is a bit pricey but it works and I'm pleased with it. But that is before applying makeup at the start of the day. But what do you do when you are out in the sun for hours... do you reapply and then your makeup just melts/slides off? That seems to be the only option as there isn't a powder SPF that you can apply throughout the day to soak up any excess oil and protect the skin from UV rays. But the thing is there are SPF powders available in Korea... so why is there nothing similar on the UK market? We really do need transparent SPF powders on the high street!
Hope you enjoyed this post even though it was a little longer than I thought it would be!
Fee xo.
