February Favourites

Well, it's March already! February, thankfully, shot past in the blink of an eye, and I'm so excited for the coming month, as the beginning of Spring is one of my favourite times of year, with all that excitement and promise of new and better things hanging in the air. I do have a few exciting things in the works for the month of March, which I'm sure I will share with you all in due time, and although I'm relieved to have got February out of the way for another year (maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't perpetually single on V-Day), there are a few products that I really enjoyed using. So I thought I'd recap my most loved products of the past month in a February Favourites post.

Lanolips//Lemonaid

I'm constantly battling dry, flaky lips, and in the transition from cold to slightly warmer but still pretty nippy weather, they needed a little extra care and attention than usual. I love Lanolips products for when good ol' Vaseline isn't quite enough. With the lanolin packing a whopping punch of moisture for my overly-parched peckers, this particular product became a permanent fixture in my handbag this month. A thick gloss with a clear, subtle sheen, that has the taste and irresistible smell of Sicilian lemonade, it has left my lips feeling supple and soft all month long.

Eye of Horus//Goddess Mascara

A new discovery for me in February was the brand Eye of Horus, and their beautiful Goddess Mascara. An organic lash enhancer with fantastic separating and lengthening power, packed with vitamins and antioxidants, I've found myself a little obsessed with it this month. In fact, it graced my lashes on pretty much a daily basis. I reviewed it more thoroughly here, if you're curious.

Liz Earle//Skin Repair Moisturiser (Dry/Sensitive)

I love the Liz Earle brand, in fact it featured in my January Favourites too, and this month I've only continued my love affair with her products, this time, with her Skin Repair Moisturiser. It's a much lighter moisturiser than I'm used to, and it's ideal now that the Winter months have almost passed and I no longer need that rich, creamy product to keep my skin plump and lustrous. The thing that I really enjoy about this moisturiser is how little you need and how quickly it melts into the skin. Like most Liz Earle products, it's packed with nourishing ingredients, including avocado oil, echinacea and beta-carotene, which are all essential in keeping skin healthy and beautiful. I only wish it had SPF in it, but I guess you can't have everything, can you?

L'Oreal Paris//True Match Foundation

Again, I reviewed this during the past month here, but I just wanted to reiterate how much I love this foundation. It definitely hasn't ousted my bareMinerals dependency, but I've found myself reaching for this brilliant base on those days when I need a little more coverage, or just when I'm feeling more of a matte vibe. I'm always amazed when I find such a great colour match for my skin too, so I'm sure the novelty of finding an adequate drugstore match will carry me well into March. 

La Roche-Posay//Effeclar Astringent Lotion

I discovered this product relatively late on in February, as you can probably tell from how little I've used, and usually I'd give a product a more thorough test run before including it as a favourite, but I'm so impressed with how quickly it's made a difference to my skin that I had to chuck it into this post. Toners have never been a product that I've been blown away by - they're just the middle man between cleansing and moisturising - but this toner has done an amazing job at making my pores look smaller, something which I'm really quite self-conscious about. It does smell a bit like paint stripper, and the instructions warn against using it around your eye area, but I find it gentle enough on my skin. I've never tried any other La Roche-Posay products before now, so I'm excited to explore the rest of the range. 

Eyeko//Skinny Mini Liquid Eyeliner

After including a L'Oreal liner in my January Favourites post as my new go to liner, it appears I spoke too soon. Eyeko has always been a brand that I've been curious to try, and after receiving it in last months Birchbox, I'm not sure I'll ever look back! It has quite a thin tipped nib and has no give to it whatsoever, making it absolutely amazing for practising my feline flick - a technique I'm determined to conquer. As well as this, it has fantastic pigment, and brilliant lasting power. I'll definitely be investing in the full sized version when my mini runs out. Perfection in eyeliner form. 

So there you have it, my favourite February beauty products! What were your favourite products this month? Have you used any of the products that I've been loving? Let me know!

S.

Read More

January Favourites

Ok, so I'm aware that my January favourites are a little on the late side, but I've been so excited to  share these products that I thought I'd rather write this post a little late than not at all. January was quite a busy month for me, and has been as up and down as the banks of the Thames. For starters, I passed my driving test! First attempt, I might add! :) It's something I'm immensely proud of, and I'm so glad that it's now ticked off my to do list. However, due to the diabolical weather conditions, I've not been able to do much driving with my shiny new licence, and on top of that we've been treated to power cuts and floods all over the place. As a result, most of the back end of the month was spend literally holding down the fort through fear that it might blow away, and, the icing on the miserable cake, I had a stinker of a cold. Things are finally starting to resemble normality here, however, despite the fact that one more inch of rain will mean I may have to swim to work. And although I cannot wait to see the back of this abysmal weather, here are a few of the beauty products that I'm happy to have stick around.

Liz Earle//Blend & Contour Brush

I discovered Liz Earle's Colour collection at the end of last year, and as a result, this little blending dream crept into my brush collection. It's quite a long, tapered brush with a definite point to it, which I find absolutely amazing for blending eyeshadow on my slightly hooded eyes. You literally place the tip in your socket and move it backwards and forwards - no skill required - and you're left with perfectly blended shadows. It's revolutionised the way I apply my make up, so much so that I actually struggle to use my old blending brushes now without making a terrible mess of things. I'm not a huge fan of the clear handles, I feel it's more childish than stylish, but I can definitely deal with the less than pleasing aesthetic when the results are so good!

MAC//Mulch Eyeshadow

Ever a lover of MAC eyeshadows, I've been pining after this particular colour for a while. I finally caved and added it to my collection last month, and I was right to want it so badly. A dark shimmery reddish brown, it looks fantastic on blue eyes. I've been loving coupling it with MACs Patina, (the pair blend together seamlessly) blending it through my crease for a beautifully smoky daytime look. 

Jo Malone//Pomegranate Noir

This beautiful fragrance was a Christmas present, and let me tell you, I cannot get enough of it. Fruity and quite spicy at the same time, it has that perfect rich wintery undertone, whilst still packing that delicious juicy punch.

Soap & Glory//Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Nudist

I've never been one for nude lips, and I think I'm only just realising that this is because I hadn't yet found the right nude colour for me. That is, until now! I've recently dipped my toes into the realms of Soap & Glory makeup, and found rather a few gems, but this gloss stick is by far my favourite. Quite a pinky nude with a beautiful shine,  this glossy pencil is the perfect 'your lips but better' shade for me.

Maybelline//Dream Touch Blush in 07 Plum

Now, I don't usually go for pink on my cheeks, but I've been having a bit of a moment with this blush over the past month. I love the texture of the Maybelline mousses, and I'm a massive fan of this blush's peach counterpart, which I reviewed last summer. These blushes have quite a bit of sheen to them, making them the perfect pick me up in these dreary Winter months. Didn't want my complexion to mirror the dullness of my mood now, did I?

Fresh//Sugar Coral Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15

I often suffer from awfully dry lips, and am constantly searching for the best products for keeping them soft and supple. This beautiful balm has done an amazing job of keeping my parched peckers in ship shape this winter. Not only that, it's the most wonderful coral shade which is a lot more than just 'tinted', like a lot of the sheer lip treatments on offer. Although not as long lasting, it's as pigmented as lipstick, and I love wearing it as one when I want that pop of colour, but my lips are feeling oh so dry. This product comes in quite a range of colours, so I'm absolutely going to be expanding my collection. Plus, it has an SPF of 15 built in: always a bonus in my mind. 

L'Oreal Paris//Black Laquer Super Liner

Eyeliner is definitely not my forte. I can never get a straight line, I always end up messing something up and don't even get me started on feline flicks. As a result, I've always got my badly lined eyes peeled for a product that's really easy to use, as well as being really pigmented and having some stick. This month I found it, in the form of L'Oreal's Black Laquer Super Liner. It's got a very narrow sponge applicator which, as well as being fine, is quite sturdy, making it so easy to use. It dries to a kind of vinyl finish, which I love, and it's made my make up routine just that little bit easier this January. 

NARS//Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

I used to use Urban Decay Primer Potion religiously, but when mine ran out, I fancied a bit of a change, and I'm really loving the alternative I chose. I found that the Urban Decay primer left my lids looking a bit dry and patchy as I got through more and more of the product, but I haven't had that issue with NARS (yet - it is still early days). Additionally, my eyeshadows blend a lot better on top of this product, and I love the doe foot applicator, as I find it very difficult to waste product this way. So far it's a winner in my books.

What were your favourite products this January? Were you loving any of the same things that I was? Let me know!

S.

Read More