August & September Favourites!

When I first started blogging I used to make favourites posts every month but I haven't done any in what seems like a year so here is my favourite makeup, skincare and haircare products for August and September!

1. NYX Powder Blush, 'Taupe': I bought this blush after months and months of drooling over it and I bought it from 123hairandbeauty. It was around £5 and I have been using it on and off for about three weeks and I love it. It is a rosy brown blush but it great as a contour because it looks quite ashy on the skin which gives the impression of a shadow. I am going to create a post about my favourite products to contour with (for pale skin) soon!

2. Dr Jart+ BB Beauty Balm 'Platinum': I have wanted to try the Dr Jart BB creams for ages as they are supposed to be nothing like the watered down/light coverage western bb creams. I put of getting one of the BB creams as there are quite a few in the range but I ended up buying the Platinum one which is supposed to be for people over 30 so I thought it would be great for my dry skin as the older you get the more your skin is going to be drier. I have used it about six times now and I really like it. It is the first BB cream that I like! Review coming soon. 

3. Illamasqua Blush Brush: I bought this brush a few months ago and it was part of a collection - it was pretty damn expensive, in my opinion at around £28 for one brush but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I bought it from Asos and even though it is stated as a blush brush I use it for contouring as it is the best shape for contouring the face! I have no idea why they say it is a blush brush, it is very dense and perfect for contouring.

4. Mac Eyebrow Pencil 'Lingering': Love, love, love this eyebrow pencil - it is a bit expensive, although being from Mac you wouldn't expect anything else (it seems like their prices go up daily!). I love this pencil, it is so quick and easy to use and it looks so natural - but there are some flaws with this product. I also love the Loreal Brow Artist Pencil too which I took on holiday with me. 

5. Kielhs Ultimate Strength Hand Salve: I received this as part of my Selfridges Beauty Advent Calendar last year and I have been using it almost constantly - it is a staple product in my handbag. I took this hand cream with me on holiday to Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Estonia and Finland - it is a great hand cream. I have also been loving the Avene hand cream even more which is a very recently favourite. 

6. KMS Free Shape Blowdry Spray: Myself and my sister have been using this on and off for the past couple of weeks and it has honestly cut down the time it takes to blow dry our hair by about 1/3. It is a great little spray and it makes my hair quicker to dry and smoother too. 

7. Murad Recovery Treatment Gel: I received this as part of a prize that I won from Birch Box/Murad. I picked it because I have a lot of redness in my skin and sensitiveity due to eczema and I have been using this on and off for a couple of weeks and I definitely notice a reduction in the redness of my skin and it makes my skin really smooth too. I need to try it out more but so far so good! 

8. Bumble and Bumble Thickening Creme Contour: I have mentioned this in a post or two already and I just love it. I bought it from lookfantastic as I had an offer code so it came to about £17. It is a cream that has a light/medium hold and you can shape your hair with it, tame frizz and add volume - it smells divine too. 

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Most Worn Summer Things 2013

Here are my most worn/used summer things of 2013. I took all of these items on holiday with me and I have been using them for the past couple of weeks while I have been back too. Some of the items are fairly long term favourites and others are new buys.

Firstly, my bag. I took this newlook bag with me on holiday and I used it in almost every country - from Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Finland and also Estonia and it is fantastic. I love Newlook bags, they are really durable and they are fairly cheap too.

Now onto makeup, the makeup brushes I have been using the most during the summer have been two from Real Techniques - the Expert Face Brush and the Pointed Foundation Brush. The expert face brush has been a long term favourite brush for me but especially during the summer as I tend to apply my foundations with brushes during the warmer months and a sponge during the colder months when my skin is super dry. I also loved the pointed foundation brush for powder, it is great for pressing on powder under the eyes and on my T zone.

I have been using the Revlon Nearly Naked powder in the shade 'fair' which I adore - as you can see I have hit pan on it a lot! The powder is slightly too dark for me which is the only negative I have about this product. The foundation I have been using with the Revlon powder is the Jemma Kidd Pro Radiance Moisture Tint which has spf which is great for the summer (I don't usually wear any so the fact that it is in my base is great for me). I will have a review of the Jemma Kidd foundation and the Revlon powder in the up coming weeks. The final makeup product I have been loving all summer is the *Loreal Super Liner Brow Artist Pencil in the shade 'brunette' which I was kindly given as part of a set from Loreal and I love this brow pencil. I took it on holiday with me and it is so quick and easy to use.

Now skincare favourites, I have dry/sensitive skin so when I go on holiday I don't try new products, I stick to the products that I know are not going to irritate my skin. For me the cleanser I have been using this summer is the Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleanser which I received in a beauty box a while ago and I really like the product - it is very basic but it doesn't irritate my skin and it leaves my skin smooth and clean. I have been using the Organic Surge Super Intensive Daily Moisturiser as my night cream, while on holiday, and my day or night cream while at home. I bought it on a whim in the sale because it was reduced to about £2.80 so I bought two tubs and I am so glad I did because this product is incredibly moisturising - love it!

My final most used product of summer is the Kiehls Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. I received this product in my Selfridges beauty advent calendar last Christmas (ps. I would definitely recommend the beauty calendars, I am definitely getting another one this year). I adore this hand cream, it is basic in terms of scent and function but it is very moisturising and I just love using it.

There are my summer favourites, what are yours? 

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Selfridges Beauty Advent Calendar: 1-8

Yet another blogmas post and on a different note I just wanted to say thank you to all of my new followers! Two weeks ago I only had 8 followers now I have 33, so thank you! 

Now, my Selfridges advent calendar, it is very expensive and it is definitely the most expensive advent ever! But this was a gift from my parents, I know I am very lucky and I wanted to share my thoughts on the products I received in the days 1 to 8 of the calendar. 

The first product I received was a sample of the gorgeous, and expensive, Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb perfume. I have been looking to buy this perfume for a while now, as whenever I go to duty free I see mini sets of this fragrance although it is really expensive. The sample bottle is just adorable (I'm a sucker for miniature perfume bottles) and the fragrance is so nice - it smells quite sweet, floral and musky too. Maybe it is just me bit I can smell a bit of chocolate in there too! The scent is divine and I recommend that you give it a sniff when you are in a store that stocks this perfume. The second product I received is the Kiehls Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. This hand cream is just gorgeous, it has a very smooth texture, it applies so nicely/easily and it leaves my hands feeling so hydrated, velvety smooth and comfortable. The third item in the advent calendar is the Lancome Renergie Multi-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Cream and as I am only 20 I don't really need this yet but it looks quite expensive. 

 The fourth item is the Lancome Eau Micellaire Water. I am very happy to try any micellar water as they are fantastic makeup removers and I cannot wait to try this product - I haven't yet as I already have the second bottle of my Vichy Micellar solution on the go at the moment. Next I received a sample of the Shu Uemura Skin Purifier Cleansing Oil. I haven't tried a cleansing oil before (although I have a couple of samples) and I am excited to try this one as Shu Uemura make the best cleansing oils apparently. The sixth item I received is a sample of a fragrance I have been wanting to try since it was released, it is Diesel Loverdose perfume. Firstly, the bottle is divine, it looks so gorgeous and the perfume is so nice too. It smells like licorice, musky notes and it smells a bit like Illamasqua Freak. I do really like this fragrance but I don't think I will buy the full size. 

The seventh item I received was the new Lancome fragrance - Lancome La vie est belle. The bottle is adorable and so pretty and the fragrance smells really nice in the bottle but not as nice on the skin. On the skin this perfume smells floral but musky and it has a hint of sweetness - it is really generic though, in my opinion. The last item in the post, is the Kiehls Ultra Facial cream which I haven't tried yet but it looks great and it is a good sized a sample.  

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