A week in photographs #3

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). 

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Favourite Autumnal Shades: Lips!

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. 

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Christmas Gift Ideas: Boots

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. 

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September Empties: Bath, Body and Candle Products!

This post will feature all of the bath and body products that I have used up over the month of September and I have thrown in a couple of used candles in this post too. On to the empties!

So many empties so little time, I have only just got round to writing this blog post as I have started uni again (I'm now in my third and final year which will no doubt kill me!). Anyway on to the empties, starting with the body moisturisers. I have been trying to use up my body lotions, body butters and body creams (of which I have very many) and during the month of September I managed to use up three! Firstly, the Body Shop Body Butter in the scent Moringa (£13, 200ml). I really like the scent of this product, although it does smell very artificial, in my opinion. This fresh floral scent makes a change from the fruity/nutty scented body butters I have, although the scent doesn't last too long. The body butter is the thickest/heaviest of all of the body shop body butters I have tried therefore it makes my skin feel quite heavy and greasy. Overall, it is a nice scent, it really moisturises my skin but it also leaves my skin feeling heavy and almost sticky! 

Another body moisturiser I have used up is the Vaseline Clean Feeling Body Lotion (£2-4, 200ml). I have a sample bottle of this product and while it did sink in quickly it also made my skin feel too clean...allow me to explain. This body lotion is designed so that it does not feel heavy on the skin and that it makes your skin feel moisturised but clean. Although I find this lotion to be no where near moisturising enough for me and it makes my skin feel squeaky clean, not moisturised. Overall, I do not like this lotion and I would not recommend it. The final body moisturiser I have used up is the Boots Fairtrade Mango Body Butter (£7.95, 200ml). I received a sample set of five body butters from this range so they are only 50ml each. This mango scented body butter is just gorgeous! I love the scent although it is really sweet and fruity so others may not like the scent. The body butter absorbs quickly but it hydrates well and the scent lasts for a good period of time too - overall a great product! 

Now a couple of shower products, firstly the Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm (£17.55, 150ml). I received a 75ml tube of this product in a Glossy Box a while ago and I have tried it on my hair and it is awful in my hair! Although I did find that it works well on the body; I applied this product onto dry skin before showering and it made my skin very smooth and moisturised afterwards - I didn't need to use a body lotion. Overall, a nice balm for the body (although it isn't actually a balm) but it awful when used on the hair and it is very overpriced, in my opinion. I will not be buying the full size, I don't like the scent but the packaging is gorgeous! A Very mixed bag of results with this product! The last shower/body product is The Sanctuary Spa Bath Float (£10.25, 400ml). I have been using Sanctuary Spa products for years now and I do like them although I find this shower gel to be very average, overall I would not purchase it again. 

Lastly, two candle empties! Firstly, the Rodial Rehab Candle (£35, 210g). I did not buy this candle for £35/40 as it was on sale on the Debenhams website for only £10, so naturally I had to buy it! I adore the packaging of this candle and the scent is quite unusual but very nice. Although that it where the positiveness ends with this product as the candle doesn't melt evenly - it does not reach the sides of the tumbler so the candle melts straight down leaving the sides of the candle wasted. Also the strength of the scent i not great and the throw (the scent dispersion) is average. Overall, a nice candle with an extortionate price tag - this is a very good example of style of substance, in my opinion. Secondly, a mini candle from Bath and Body Works (link here to the site where you can buy bath and body works products in the UK). The mini candle is in the scent 'Vanilla Bean Noel' which is gorgeous and the candle actually lasts a while and it is quite strong despite its small size. Overall, bath and body works candles have to be my favourite out of all of the other candles/brands I have tried but unfortunately they are a little bit expensive and not widely available in the UK. 

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September Empties: Skincare & Makeup

This post will include all of the skincare and makeup products I have used up in September with mini reviews of all the products featured.I have managed to use up quite a few skincare products during the month of September, a couple of which I am definitely going to repurchase.

Firstly, one of my favourite products - the Boots Botanics Ultra Calm Skin Relief Serum (£5.33-£7.99, 30ml). I showed this product in a haul when I bought it in July (link to the haul post here). I have been using this facial serum twice a day since I bought it and I just adore this serum. I find that it makes my skin smoother, softer and it doesn't clog my pores or cause any irritation/spots/redness. I also found that this serum did reduce my skins sensitivity but it is not a major change. I definitely recommend this serum and I am going to purchase another tube after I have finished a couple of serum samples I have.

Another product I have used up that I have already repurchased is the Simple Rich Replenishing Moisturiser (£3.89, 125ml). I love this moisturiser, I have repurchased about six or more bottles because it doesn't irritate my skin and it moisturises well - very highly recommended and it is really cheap too (always a good thing!).

Another couple of skincare products that I used up were from a set that I received in a Glossy Box - Dermalogica. I have been wanting to try some skincare products from Dermalogica for a while but they are expensive and I have sensitive skin so I was unsure whether they would irritate my skin. Although these two Dermalogica products that I have used up did not irritate my skin but I would only repurchase one of them. Firstly, the Dermalogica Clean Start Wash Off Foaming Cleanser (£12-£14, 180ml). I was surprised by how much I actually liked this cleanser as due to the scent I thought that it may irritate my skin but it doesn't and it lathers up like no other facial cleanser I have tried before. When I use this cleanser with my Clarisonic Mia it produces so much lather and this cleanser makes my skin feel really clean and clear. It also reduces the number of spots I get during a certain time of the month (cough, cough). Overall, a fantastic cleanser but I need to work my way through the mountain of cleansers I have to be able to purchase the full size version of this cleanser - recommended, especially if you have a clarisonic.

Secondly from dermalogica, the Clean Start All Over Clear Purifying Toner (£12-10, Ebay). I did get along with this toner fairly well although the main negative point about this product for me is the scent; this product smells like cleaning fluid! The scent is horrible, in my opinion, and it is also really strong; so much so that it makes my eyes water slightly. This toner worked well but I did find it slightly drying and because of the negative points concerning the scent I would not buy this product nor do I recommend it.

Now another favourite product of mine, the Caudalie Lip Conditioner (£4.95, 4g). This lip balm is quite simply the best lip balm I have ever used and I have tried a lot of lip balms! This lip balm makes my lips feel so smooth and hydrated - very highly recommended. 

Finally a couple of make up items I have used up! Firstly, the Diorshow waterproof mascara in the shade black/noir (£23). I love this mascara, it was the very first high end makeup product I bought for myself! I have had this mascara for a criminally long time, about two years! This mascara has a massive brush which gives my volumised, black thick lashes - love it!

The second make up item is a foundation, the Bourjois Brush Foundation in the shade 'beige clair' (£6-12, online, ebay). I bought this foundation for about £4 from a discount store in Manchester arndale which I think has closed down now. This foundation is really nice, it applies well although the brush applicator is not very hygienic so I dispense the foundation onto the back of my hand then apply with a clean Real techniques Expert Face Brush. This foundation gives a nice radiant (not dewy) finish but it can look a bit patchy throughout the day and I would not recommend this for people with flaky skin or oily/combination skin. 

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Rimmel 60 Second Nail Polish: Swatches & Review

My Rimmel London 60 second nail polish collection is not very big, I have many other nail polishes but I am not faithful to one brand. Here are the swatches and mini reviews of the Rimmel 60 second nail polishes that I have. All swatches show are just one coat with no top coat.

Firstly, 320 Rapid Ruby. I love a good red nail polish (my favourite red is from Bourjois but it chips like nothing else). I love the bright red (almost orange red) shade of this polish and it applies really nicely. This shade is not streaky and with a good top coat (such as the infamous Seche Vite quick dry top coat) this polish lasts for a couple of days on me before wearing at the tips of my nails. Overall, the longevity of this shade is good but not great as it only lasts for me for about five days before chipping and it would show definite wear at the tips after five days. 

Secondly, 285 Style Hunter. I bought this shade from asos, so I didn't see it in person and if I saw this shade in a store I may have bough it. Although unfortunately this shade looks nicer in the bottle than it does on my nails. This shade is very generic and unoriginal in my opinion and it is a little bit too girly for me as it does have shimmer in it which is not massively noticeable in the bottle. Overall, this shade applies nicely, it is not very streaky and it has good longevity - five to six days before I have to remove it. 

Thirdly, 600 Deliciously Dark. This shade looks nice in the bottle but on the nails it is incredibly streaky - one of the streakiest nail polishes I own. The streakiness is a major negative point against this product but it does dry quickly (as do most of the other 60 second polishes). Overall, this polish is very streaky, it dries quickly and it has average longevity (about three days before chipping and wearing at the tips). 

Lastly, 405 Rose Libertine. This shade is currently a free product when you buy something from the Rimmel Facebook store. I bought this shade from Asos and if I saw it in a store I wouldn't have bough it. This shade is too light and girly for me! Although despite the barbie look of this polish it actually applies nicely, it dries fairly quickly and it is not streaky, in my opinion. Overall, a great polish with good longevity but the shade is not really for me. 

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