February Favourites

'Tis the time for monthly favourites again! Sorry I have been a little MIA for the past week, but I had a really important assignment and barely had any time free with preparing for it as well as doing normal lab work (which kept me in the lab from 9 in the morning to 7 at night for 4 days straight)... Not good, people... Not good.

Anyway! I am now back and I'm here with a favourites post! I had quite a lot of fun when I was finding my January favourites and it was the same for this month too!!

MeMeMe Shimmer Stack Illuminating Powder in Bronze - £9.99 (now £7.99)

This is a product which I got for free when I bought a curling wand a couple of months ago... I'd never heard of the brand before, but the product looked very much like the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks and the Revlon Highlighting Palettes, so I was rather excited to try it out! I have the shade "Bronze" and I have found that just by sweeping my brush through all the different coloured layers, I end up with a lovely, slightly shimmery, bronze-y pink colour on my cheeks! I love it!

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in "Transparent" - £3.99

The powder that I had before this one (it was one from a Greek brand called SEVENTEEN) was rather good, but, if I remember correctly I paid a good €15 for it (about £12.50). So, when I saw the price tag on this one I was sooooo excited! This powder is really amazing. It's transparent, so it's just there to set my foundation and keep it in place all day and it does exactly that! I don't wear a lot of makeup on an everyday basis, but I never neglect using powder, purely because it helps with the lasting power of my foundation!

The Body Shop Eye Definer in "Black" - £8.00

This has been my go-to product of the month when I have wanted to add a little bit more definition to my lashes. I tend to add a thin line just above my lashline, as well as fill in my upper waterline just to create the effect that I have thicker lashes! It takes a bit of working it into that particular part of the eye, but I've always found it tricky, so I don't think it's specific to this eye pencil.

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser - £9.95

I bought this when Boots had a 3 for 2 offer going on at the end of January on No7 products. I also had a £5 off voucher, which just made everything super cheap! Yay! Anyway... I seem to be going off on a tangent here, but, needless to say, I have really been loving this cleanser this month! I still prefer my Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser, but this one does a great job of taking off my makeup and I have found that I can also use it around my eyes without irritating them!!

A-Derma Epitheliale A.H. Repairing Cream - £6.25 (now £5.60)

I had this one from back in the day when I was on pills to cure my cystic acne. You really only need the teeny tiniest amount and it just injects moisture back into your skin! I had stopped using this once I was off the pills and my skin started getting back to normal. However, my skin recently decided to start acting up and I got a couple of dry (seriously dry and flaky) patches on my face. I've been using this cream on those areas every night and they've completely disappeared! I find it smells a little funky, but hey! It does the job, so why complain?

Avon Nail Experts Peeling and Brittleness Solver - £5.00 (now £2.50)

I got this one a while ago and I have been using it religiously every single time I paint my nails. I have been a nail biter for many years, which has resulted in some of my nails not being as strong as they should be. This seems to help with the situation, but the reason it's in my favourites is because it has kept my nails from staining and becoming yellow from all the nail varnish I have been putting on them! It really is an amazing product, especially for the price!

Tanya Burr Lip Gloss in "Afternoon Tea" - £6.99

I was also one of those people who just jumped on the bandwagon that is the Tanya Burr Lips and Nails Collection! And I am so glad I did! I love Tanya! I have loved her since the first videos of hers that I watched! She is just such a happy and bubbly person! So, naturally, I also wanted to try out the result of the project she had been working on for more than a year! I chose two nail polishes ("Midnight Sparkles" and "Little Duck") and this one lipgloss. "Afternoon Tea" is definitely one of the nicest lip glosses I have ever, EVER tried! The colour is amazing and suits my skin tone perfectly! The smell is also lovely and I have found that is not too sticky. Yes, hairs will get stuck in it if it's windy (which it frequently is here in Glasgow!), but it doesn't feel as if they have been superglued to your lips when you try to get them out of your face!

The Body Shop Big and Curvy Mascara - £10.00

I have probably only used this mascara throughout the whole month! Whenever I look at my collection, trying to choose one to use, I always seem to grab this one. It has a tapered brush (it becomes more narrow towards the end) and I have found that this shape just helps give my lashes more length, as well as more volume! They just make them look so pretty! I wear glasses sometimes and I always find that this mascara does not go well with them! It just makes them so long that they interfere with my glasses!! (So, I'm not complaining really....!)

Kneipp Deep Sleep Mineral Bath Salt with Valerian and Hops - £7.95

I love using Lush Bath Bombs, but at aprroximately £3 (or more) a pop, they make for quite expensive baths! Which is why I decided to try using some bath salts! On to FeelUnique I went, where I discovered this brand. They manufacture a few different scents of bath salts, but I opted for this one to help me relax and unwind and help me get sleepy! It turns my bath water into a lovely blu colour and the two times I have used it, it has definitely helped me sleep better! Hmmm.... I think I might go and have another bath, now that I am thinking of it....

And that's it!

Sorry for the ridiculously long post, but I just had so much to talk about! Look out for a new post tomorrow and, if you read this far, thank you (and I hope it wasn't too tiring)!

What products have you been enjoying this month?

Benefit The POREfessional Pro Balm Primer

Benefit The POREfessional Pro Balm Primer - £24.50

Up until recently, I had never even heard of Benefit... I think living in Greece (or, at least, not living in Athens) may have played a part in that, to be honest! Regardless of that, though, ever since I started getting more into beauty, it seemed to me that this company was just everywhere!

Anyway.... I'm not here to talk about my lack of beauty knowledge, so let's get to it!

I received a sample of The POREfessional Primer from Birchbox last month (I think it was the one thing that every single one of their subscribers got...), and, as I had been hearing all about if for the last couple of months, I gave it a go.

Now, let's keep in mind that I can't actually see my pores. I used to when I was a teenager, but ever since I went through with my acne treatment, my skin has become very, very sensitive and ridiculously dry (even though it was supposed to go back to being oily after...). So, I can't really comment on how good this product is for minimising pores. However, this primer is amazing for keeping my makeup in place! I've tried it with a couple of foundations that I know don't last me all day and it definitely extends the time they stay on my skin. As I've mentioned before, I am not really big on touching up makeup on the go or when I am at work, so this is a huge plus for me! Just being able to slather on the makeup in the morning and forget about it until you get back home at night! Aaah! Bliss!

The primer itself has a rather balm-y texture and is a light to medium beige colour. I actually thought it would make my skin look darker, but it does nothing of the sort. Just a few little dabs all over the face and a bit of massaging it in, and you are good to go! It makes everything look much more matte and, as I mentioned, I haven't even got oily skin.

I only downside I can find for this product is the price. At £24.50 for a 22ml tube, it feels a bit on the pricey side for me and my budget, while still falling within the price range that Benefit offer. It's one of those products that I wouldn't hesitate to buy, but I would also be on the lookout for something that works just as good as this but for a smaller price tag.

Have you tried The POREfessional Primer? What were your thoughts?

The Look #2: The (Slightly) Red Lip

I was getting ready for a night out last night and decided to go for something a little more bold this time! I am not one for bright lips, especially not red ones! I am usually seen with either just a plain old lip balm, with a nude lipstick or even - just sometimes - with a teeny bit of lipgloss on. But red lips are definitely not my forte!

Nonetheless, I decided it was time for something just a tad different, but not in too obvious a way. 

For this look, I used my Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in the shade "Shell". This is fast becoming one of my favourite foundations I have ever used, but this is a topic for a different blog post. Next, I used my Soap & Glory Trick and Treatment Concealer for under my eyes, blending it in with my fingers, as always. For contouring and on my cheeks, I used the Sleek Face Contour Kit in "Fair". As is probably obvious from the first photo, my contouring skills are abysmal, as - again - there is nothing to be seen in that area of my face. (At least, I can't see it). Regardless, I DID actually apply a bit of the bronzer from this palette just under my cheekbones, as well as a little bit of blush (my face was quite red at the time, as I had the central heating on!) and a tiny bit of highlighter. For my brows, I used a little bit of the Little Mix by Collection Full On Mascara in "Crystal Clear", just to tidy them up a little bit. To set all my makeup, I used the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in "Transparent", which I am also loving!

On to the eyes. 

I have to begin by saying that my makeup skills do not really extend to doing my eyes. Though I love seeing a good smoky eye on other people, a) I don't think I would be able to do it myself and b) even if I got someone else to do it for me, I would probably hate it... For this look, I used my little Maybelline Silk Glam by EyeStudio Palette in the shade "Coral Drama". It has 4 lovely, shimmery nude shades that are perfect for creating a very understated look. I also used the Avon ExtraLasting Liquid Eye Liner in "Brown" along my upper lashline, as well as the Seventeen Super Smooth Eye Liner Pencil in the shade "Illumination" on my lower waterline, to get rid of any redness. To finish it all of, I used the Clinique High Impact Mascara in "Black".

I left the lip for last... I own a few red (or reddish) lipsticks, but for my first foray out into the world actually wearing one, I decided to go with the Revlon Lip Butter in "Candy Apple", as I could make it as sheer as I possibly could! As you can see, my lips didn't turn out overtly red, but it did feel nice wearing a little splash of colour for a change!

How do you feel about red lipsticks? Do you find them easy to wear?

Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette

Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette - £9.99

Sleek was one of those brands I had never heard about before I started watching videos on YouTube and following beauty blogs, probably because its reach hasn't expanded to Greece yet. But over the last summer, when I moved to the UK, I was excited to finally try a product from this company!

The first (and only, so far) product I've tried from them is the Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette. I thought it was a very good idea having three different things in one small, very compact palette. I actually took this back to Greece with me over the Christmas holiday season, as it had everything I needed and, I must say, it served me very well indeed!

The palette actually comes in a few different shades, but I opted for the "Fair" one, as it suited my colouring more. This version comes with a rather dark bronzer for contouring, a pearly-pink highlighter and a lovely rose/coral blush. Let's look at each one separately...

The Bronzer: Rather dark in the pan, but doesn't seem to show up too dark on my face. Especially since my contouring skills are awful, this is probably a good thing! What I love about it is that it is completely matte. No shimmery particles in sight!

The Highlighter: This has a pearly-pink look in the pan, with a rather pronounced silver shimmer to it, but it doesn't look too shimmery when applied. I tend to use it just above where I usually apply my blusher, just to give my face a more glowy, healthy look

The Blusher: I am not very good at describing colours, but this one seems to me like a mix between rose pink and coral pink. This, just like the highlighter, has shimmer in it, though it seems to be more of a rose gold colour, as opposed to silver. Once applied, it doesn't look too shimmery, which is a definite bonus!

This is definitely a product I would recommend to anyone looking for something handy to travel with, or even just because they like the colours! The palette also comes with a substantially sized mirror, which is always a plus!

Have you ever tried any makeup products from Sleek? Anything you would recommend?

The Look #1 : Eveyday Makeup

I thought I'd start a little series to do every now and then on this blog, showing a look I have worn, either on a day-to-day basis, or even, on an evening out! I haven't thought about it much... So maybe it will be makeup, maybe it will be an outfit, or maybe both! Let's just see how it goes, shall we? 

I decided to start it off with something that I wear on a regular basis. This kind-of neutral look is very much up my alley, as I don't really like to feel as if I am wearing a lot of makeup (or look like it, either). Especially for work days. I work at a research lab at the University, so I pretty much wear a lab coat all day long and I am just running up and down doing experiments and other science-y stuff. Meaning I don't want to be wearing a lot of stuff on my face that could potentially smudge left, right and centre.

For this look, I have washed and moisturised my face, before coming in with any makeup products. So, first of all, I applied the Bourjois Happy Light Base Serum Matte (I have the Normal to Combination Skin version) using my fingers and then, came in with the No7 Essentially Natural Foundation in "Calico" using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I have never been one for using too many products on my face, but I have found that the No7 foundation feels much better on my skin when I have applied a primer beforehand.

To conceal the dark circles beneath my eyes (damn you internet for keeping me up late!), I used the Soap & Glory Trick and Treatment Dark Circle Concealer. I have found that this blends in much better using my fingers than it does with any brush I've tried it with!

Next, I applied just a teensy weensy bit of bronzer just underneath my cheekbones (at which I feel as if I've failed spectacularly, as I can't see it at all in the photo!). The one I have used is the Rimmer SunShimmer Bronzing Compact Powder in "Light Matte". I got this in a very light shade on purpose, as I still don't think I've grasped the concept of contouring and thought that this would be a good way to start (as it's so light coloured). On my cheeks, I have used the Collection Blush in the shade "Bashful", which is my favourite blush at the moment! It gives me just the right amount of colour to work with and it looks very natural!

To seal everything in, I used the Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder in "Transparent". This one is a relatively new purchase for me and I have to say, I am loving it!

To finish off the look, I decided to use a little bit of mascara and some lipstick. For mascara, the one I've used here is the Body Shop Big and Curvy Mascara in "Black", which is quickly turning into a favourite! I have naturally long eyelashes and this mascara does an amazing job of lengthening them just the right amount, as well as separating them! On my lips, I have used another Body Shop product: their Colourglide Lip Colour in "Pink Ginger".

So, that's it for my first "look" post! Whew!

Do let me know if you've tried any of the products I used for this look...!

January Favourites

Hi there!

It is the first day of February and that means that it's time for a January favourites post! I've never done anything like this before so I hope it goes down well! I've never had to look back to the month that went past and think about the stuff that I loved using the most!

So here is what made the cut:

Lush Helping Hands Hand Cream: This is my absolute favourite this month! I tend to get very dry hands all year round, but they seem to become much worse during the winter months. Seeing as I lived in Greece before moving to Scotland (and it didn't really get very cold where I lived), I have attributed it to a tendency to have eczema, with it becoming worse when it is humid outside. This hand cream I find to be very oily and leave a layer of greasiness on my hands (even though the guy at Lush told me it's not supposed to be oily), but it has saved me from having seriously cracked hands this past month! I only use it at night and I always wake up with my hands feeling soft and nourished.

Liz Earle "Cleanse and Polish" Hot Cloth Cleanser: I bought this in December and it has been my go-to cleanser since day one! I try to mix it in with some other cleansers, just so that they get some use, but it's the one I always go back to. It leaves my face wonderfully clean, with absolutely NO makeup residue and it's very hydrating, too!

No7 "Soft and Soothed" Gentle Toner: I love, love this product! It is very gentle, just as the name suggests and adds an extra layer of hydration to my skin just before I go in with my moisturiser.

Clinique High Impact Mascara: My Grandma has been giving me samples of this for years and years (she is a religious user of Clinique products and gets loads of freebies). However, it's not until recently that I finally appreciated what an amazing product it is. It adds length to my lashes without making them too long (I have naturally long eyelashes and making them very much longer creeps me out a little!), while also keeping them seperated! Definitely something I would purchase full size!

Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rosé: I apply this every night before I go to bed and it has made a huge difference! No more chapped lips!

Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait: As I mentioned in my Revlon Lip Butter post, this is my favourite of the three colours I own and is such an easy to wear everyday colour! And so, so soft on the lips!

The Body Shop Moringa Body Mist: As you might be able to see from the picture, I am nearly at the end of the bottle and I shall be sad to see it go! I've had it for about a year now and actually went through a stage when I forgot about it and started using other perfumes/body mists. But now, I'm back to loving it! It has such a lovely light and fresh scent of jasmine and it reminds me of summer nights back in Greece...!

TRESemmé Salon Smooth Serum with Argan Oil: This one was a bit of an impulse buy. They had it on offer at Boots and I was looking for a hair oil to try out, which is how I ended up with it. Turned out to be a wonderful purchase! It leaves my hair feeling silky smooth and in the best condition it has EVER been!

That's all for my first favourites post!

What are your thoughts on any of these products? Anything similar I should try out?

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters

Having read so many blog posts and watched so many YouTube videos about them, I decided to jump on the Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter bandwagon! I was in Boots one day and I noticed that they had an offer on some Revlon products, including the Lip Butters, where you could get 2 for £10. So, as these usually retail for £7.99 each, I thought this was a pretty good offer. I bought two on that day and the third one on a separate trip, when they had a "3 for 2" offer on!

The three colours I have ended up with are (from left to right) Candy Apple (035), Juicy Papaya (027) and Peach Parfait (025). Candy Apple is a lovely red colour, not too dark on the lips, but still red enough to be noticeable. I am not one for statement colours on my lips and this one is perfect to push me just a little out of my comfort zone. Juicy Papaya is not really that noticeable on my lips, but it does give them a slightly bright pink/orange-y lovely sheen. Peach Parfait is probably my favourite of the lot, as it is a lovely nude colour (a "my lips but better" kind of shade) which is really convenient to wear at any time of the day.

The main thing about these products, though, is how moisturising they are on the lips and the amount of time they last for. I am not the kind of person who bothers much with retouching makeup during the day and I have found that I can get a full 5-6 hours of colour on my lips when I am using them!

Are there any other products like this one that you have used? Any other colours from this range that you particularly love?

Body Shop Haul

Hello there!

Thought I'd kick off this blog with a little haul post! Last weekend I happened to be browsing the internet, when, somehow, I came across this fantastic offer from the Body Shop, who were offering 40% off everything, including their sale items! To which I said, yes please!

So, on we go!

First up, I purchased two shower gels and two hand washes in the scents Vanilla Bliss and Cranberry Joy. They really do smell lovely and I am definitely looking forward to using them! I know I might not have needed them all at the same time, but as they were an absolute bargain, there's no harm in stocking up!

Next are a few lip products. I used to have one of those "Born Lippy" lip balms back in the day and I remember loving it so much I actually finished two pots of the stuff! This time around I decided to try a few different things out. First, there is the Coconut Lip Butter, seeing as it's winter and I am in the mood for something that is a little bit more nourishing on the lips and a little less glossy. Next, the Hemp Lip Protector I bought purely because it is in stick form and I absolutely hate applying lip balms from pots when I am not at home. I also got two of their Colourglide Lip Colour lipsticks, as they were only £3.60 and I wanted to try out some new ones anyway. The ones I went with were Clover Pink (06) and Pink Ginger (14), which are both lovely nude-y colours, with Pink Ginger being the slightly darker of the two.

One product I have been wanting to try for ages but have been putting off purely because of the fact that my stingy genes kicked in is the Vitamin E Moisture Cream. I am trying to finish up my current day moisturiser, just so that I can start using this one!

Another thing that I am very excited to try is the new Camomile range. I opted for the Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Make Up Remover, as I am running out of the one I am currently using, as well as the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter. I have recently started using the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser (having only used face washes and cleansing waters before that) and I can really see a difference, which is why I decided to give this cleanser a go. To go with this, I also bought a couple of The Body Shop muslin cloths.

Last but not least, I also popped a few odd bits and bobs into my shopping basket. The Almond Nail and Cuticle Oil had that cuticle pusher tip that just shouted "you need meeeee!"! The Monoi Miracle Oil I bought because I thought the smell would be nice and spa-like, while also being multi-purpose. Apparently, you can use this on your body, your cuticles and your hair! Impressive! The Africa Ximenia and Salt Scrub was a product that I saw in Estée's (essiebutton) video for the Body Shop website and I will admit to it being a completely impulsive buy, purely because of that lovely packaging! And finally, I bought an eye shimmer in Copper (04), which really is just a lovely illuminating eyeshadow!

I also signed up to the Love Your Body club and they also sent me a great big tube of their Warming Mineral Mask! I have to admit, I was fully prepared to receive a small sample-size tube of this, so it was a rather pleasant surprise!

And that's it!

As far as I am aware of, The Body Shop have the same offer on this weekend! Click on the link to go to their website and enjoy a little discount shopping!

Have you got any favourite products from the Body Shop?