September & October Favorites!

Monday, October 29, 2012
Today is a bit of an unusual post as it is a september and october favourites post - and a cheeky August favourites at the end too as firstly, I have been busy and a bit lazy because of university and secondly, I have been using a lot of the same products for the past three months! For example, I have been using the same foundation (almost constantly) for the past three months and the same mascara, foundation brush, moisturiser and eyeshadow quad!
Firstly, base products; I have been loving the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (£9.99) for the past three or so months - I took this brush on holiday with me in August too. I love the brush because it is incredibly smooth and soft on the skin and it applies/blends the majority of my foundations like a dream! The foundation that I have been using the most over the past three months has been my Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation; I bought this foundation in the Illamasqua sale back in July for only £10. I wear the shade LF120 which is a fantastic match for my skin as I am really quite pale at the moment. I took this foundation with me on holiday too back in August and it worked well, although I had to set it with a fair amount of powder to stop it from running off my face! The foundation has light coverage, it makes my skin tone more even and it has a gorgeous finish - it makes my skin look luminous and 'lit from within' but it doesn't make my skin look dewy or greasy! 
Now onto some skincare (and haircare) favourites of mine for the past three months. Firstly, Nuxe Reve De Miel Stick Lip balm (£5.50). During the month of August I was using my Caudalie lip balm then in September I ran out of the Caudalie balm and I started using my Nuxe lip balm - and I have to say it is not as good as the Caudalie version. I like the Nuxe lip balm, it is one of my favourites, but the caudalie balm is richer and more hydrating. A new favourite product which I received at the beginning of October is a lip balm from Rodial - Rodial Glam Balm Lip which is a sample size that I received as part of a kit. This lip balm is just gorgeous and so intensive; I only use it at night because it is a small sample and I don't want to got through it so quickly as the full size is priced at £19! The lip balm is great as a kind of night treatment for my lips and in the morning my lips will be incredibly smooth and soft - ready for lipstick and liner! 

The second favourite skincare product is the Mama Mio Mighty Moisture Moisturiser which is a 15ml sample I received (using a code during August) with a feelunique order. I took this on holiday with me in August and I have been using it on and off ever since! This moisturiser is smooth, rich and it leaves my skin feeling very smooth, soft and hydrated - it doesn't irritate my skin either, even though it does smell of lavender. I have nearly finished this moisturiser and I am considering buying the full size although it is very expensive, I will have to seen if it is on offer anywhere.

Two of the final favourites are from the month of October and include my Lancome Cleansing fluid (£34, 400ml) which is just incredible! The cleansing fluid smells heavily of mens aftershave/cologne but it doesn't irritate my skin at all! In fact when I have a tiny outbreak of eczema I use this and the next day the eczema is so much better (although this works only with my very minor eczema breakouts). So I am very surprised with the results from the Lancome cleansing milk and when this bottle is finished I WILL have to buy another! 

My last favourite product is from my September Jolie Box and it is...Twistbands! Twistbands are hair bands/hair ties/bobbles and they are supposed to be gentle on the hair and not create a kink in the hair. I have been using mine only while in the house as I wouldn't wear those colours outside! With my hair the twistbands actually stay in really well (in a pony or a bun) and they do feel really gentle on my hair - but they don't stay in all day and they can create a kink/line in my hair. 


....and a very late August favourites which may be useful to those of you lucky enough to be somewhere warm now - unlike England where it is freezing and raining with the possibility of snow!
The products that I was using on holiday and through out the month of august have been almost the same as the products that I have been using for the months of September and October - expect the Caudalie body lotion (empty), the Kiko highlighter (£5.20, sale) and the Tweezerman brow mousse (empty). Although the majority of the products have been the same for the past three months but while on holiday I did have to set my Illamasqua Light Liquid foundation with a good amount of powder otherwise it would look really shiny. The Soap and Glory quad in the shade 'Whats nude' has been a favourite product of mine since I bought it early last year! 

What are your favourite products for October/Autumn?

October Empties: Candles & Fragrance Samples

Sunday, October 28, 2012
As the nights have been getting darker sooner, the leaves are falling from the trees like autumnal hued confetti I have been using a lot more candles as at this time of year it is nice and homely to have candles burning, in my opinion anyway. I have five Yankee Candle Samplers that I have burned fully to share with you and I also have a couple of perfume/fragrance samples that I have used up too. Firstly, the Yankee candle samplers:
 
I have been loving candles right now, especially Yankee candle samplers but some of them have been a lot better than others. The first scent is ‘Greek Fig and Blackcurrant’ which is not very widely available and I bought this scent some time last year. I like the scent but it is far too subtle! The scent is almost undetectable and in turn the scent throw/dispersion is very poor also. Another Yankee candle scent that I have been disappointed with is ‘Autumn Leaves’ which sounds nice but to me this sampler just smells like generic potpourri and the scent strength/dispersion are quite average. Yet another Yankee Candle disappointment is the scent ‘Country Lemonade’ which again sounds nice but the scent is really subtle, it is not noticeable at all really which is really quite disappointing. The scent strength/dispersion is really poor, in my opinion, although it does looking nice when it is burning.
Now onto the two Yankee candle samplers that I was very impressed with; first is the Yankee Candle sampler in the scent ‘Creamy Caramel’. This scent is just gorgeous, it smells like toffee, butterscotch and caramel and it smells really quite similar to the Yankee Candle Danish Butter Cookie candle that I love. Overall, this scent is divine; the scent strength is good and it has a great scent dispersion/throw. The second candle from Yankee candle that was quite impressive is ‘Café Au Lait’ which I didn’t know if I was going to like as I do like the scent of coffee but not bitter coffee. This scent is not bitter at all though, it smells like a creamy latte with a sprinkling of chocolate onto. The scent is amazing, the scent strength/dispersion is good but it could be better – overall a great candle!
Now onto the two fragrance/perfume samples I have used up include: Taylor Swifts Wonderstruck perfume and the new fragrance from Hugo Boss ‘Boss Nuit’. Firstly, wonderstruck by Taylor swift is not a fragrance I would have wanted to try given the disgusting bottle design and the fact that I don’t  like her music (disgusted faces from some people right now at aimed at me I know). Although I really like her perfume; it is a lot more unique than I thought it was going to be and it is quite sweet but musky as well. Overall, it is really nice but the longevity on me was not great; it lasted about four to five hours on me. Secondly, Hugo Boss Nuit; I received this as a free sample with and online order and I have mixed opinions about this fragrance. I like it because it is a sophisticated evening fragrance but I find that it is too musky for me personally and as with the wonderstruck perfume, this didn’t last very long on me either – this fragrance lasted three to four hours on my skin.
Glossy Box: October Overview

Glossy Box: October Overview

Monday, October 22, 2012
I received my October Glossy Box a few days ago (even though I have been trying to cancel my subscription for the past couple of weeks) and I have to say I am disappointed yet again my Glossy Box - although there are one/two products that I like in the box. 
The items I received in my Glossy Box are as follows: Dermalogica three step skincare set (£12), which I have had before and I think it was in a Glossy Box. I also received the Skinetica spot treatment (£9.99 - £31). A body product I received is a nice body scrub from Anatomicals called 'don't just clean it woman, scrub it' (£3.49) which smells really nice. 
Lastly, I got a lipstick from Yves Rocher and I have tried a few things from the french brand before but never any of their makeup so I was excited to see this in the box - although I would have liked a more rosy, wearable shade.The lipstick applies really smoothly and it has great pigmentation.  
A week in photographs #3

A week in photographs #3

Sunday, October 21, 2012
My week has consisted of four main things: University, Candles, Christmas gifts and disappointing nail products! What an exciting life I lead! Firstly, I have just finished my first term of my third year of university (I am studying psychology if you are interested) and I have a lot of assignments to do and a dissertation to start! Also as it is getting colder and the leaves are floating down from the trees with their wonderful autumnal hues (which I love) I have been burning candles a lot more - as I am typing this I have a Yankee Candle sampler burning in the scent 'Creamy Caramel' which smells a bit like the Yankee Candle Danish Butter Cookie Tumbler that I love so much! Also I as I have been busy with uni and assignments (and reviews) I have been drinking more coffee *drools* in particular the Nescafe Latte sachets which are divine. 
As it is autumn (and not really Christmas yet) Boots have their Christmas things in stores (I have a blog post with the Boots Christmas presents I bought here). I have been wrapping all of my family and friends Christmas presents already - I think I am a little bit too organised. Another thing I love about autumn are the dark burgundy/autumnal nail polish shades. I bought a few including: Rimmel's 'Caramel Cupcake', Topshop's 'Moving House', Maybelline's 'Really Rosy' and Essie's 'Very Structured' which is a gorgeous colour (pictured above) but it doesn't last well.

*On a side note* I have been a little bit obsessed with gel eyeliner this week; my cousin had a party for her 21st birthday yesterday (and a surprise engagement!) and I wore a nude pinky lip with winged gel eyeliner - a look I must wear more often! I use my Clinique Brush On Cream Eyeliner which is just fantastic and I used my Real Techniques Pixel Point Brush which is also fantastic. (The two photographs of me show my hair for the party, curled loosely, and my gel eyeliner). 
Favourite Autumnal Shades: Lips!

Favourite Autumnal Shades: Lips!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012
One of the first and the most worn of my autumnal lipsticks is from the brand ELF (eyeslipsface.co.uk). This lipstick is from the mineral lipstick line from ELF in the shade Ripe Rose (£5). I love this shade as it is a gorgeous rosy pink shade which looks fairly natural and it has an English rose quality to it. This shade is a great everyday shade, it is creamy and it applies/blends very smoothly. This shade works really well with black gel liner or a brown/natural smokey eye. *On another note, it is just me or have the prices for all ELF products increased?*
Another great product is the Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in the shade 'Crush' (£7.99) which is not my favourite shade (my favourite shade is 'honey'). Crush is a really nice plum pink shade which is a bit bright on my lips in some lights. The formula of the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains is fantastic; they are very smooth, glossy and they do last for a really good amount of time, in my opinion. 
Lastly, a typical autumn/fall lipstick shade is a red plum. I have a gorgeous red plum lipstick by Revlon in the shade 'Fabulous Fig' from the Revlon Matte Lipstick range (£7.49). I love this shade, it just screams chilly autumn days with crisp rusty coloured leaves covering the ground. This lipstick applies really smoothly and the shade is divine but the matte formula does make my lips look dry if I don't exfoliate and moisturise my lips really well beforehand. 
Christmas Gift Ideas: Boots

Christmas Gift Ideas: Boots

Wednesday, October 10, 2012
It's (not) nearly Christmas so you know what that means...Boots Christmas gifts! This year I found some gorgeous gifts, some of which are not just re-promotes or variations from last year. I bought some gifts from FCUK, Boots own brand, Baylis and Harding/beauticology and Dior. Firstly, I bought a couple of things from the Boots own brand Christmas collection the Boots Gadget Travel Mug (£7) for my dad and the Boots Cosy Supersoft Polar Fluff Socks (£5) for my sister. Both gifts look/feel very good quality and they were great value too. I also bought a couple of gorgeous gifts sets from the Baylis and Harding (beauticology) range and I have to say that this range and packaging just screams Philosophy at me! The packaging and products is so similar looking to the Philosophy shower gels which are really quite expensive and these sets were less than £5 each! First is the Baylis and Harding Gingerbread Socks and Foot Treatment Set (£5) I bought this for myself and I am not disappointed! It is a gorgeous gift set, the packaging is very cute and the products are great. The second Baylis and Harding set is the Baylis and Harding Gingerbread Mini Bath and Body Trio (£4) I think these sets are such amazing value and they look great! 
Lastly, I bought this amazing value set from Dior - Diorshow Christmas New Look Mascara Gift Set (£23). I bought this set because I wanted the mini eyeshadow palette (which is gorgeous) and I think I am going to give the boxed mascara to a friend. Overall, a gorgeous and great value set as the mascara would be around £23 on its own.