June (and May) Favourites

The past two months have been pretty hectic with exams and preparing to move so sorry my monthly favourites post is so late. However I really wanted to get it out there and share everything I’ve enjoyed as I’ve found some real gems. I missed out on telling you about my May monthly favourites and so June’s is a bumper issue for you. 

The past few months have been fairly low maintenance when it comes to hair and makeup with lots of neutral, easy eye makeup and beach wavey hair. I’ve found my Nature Republic by Rose BB cream has been wonderful for those hot humid days we had here in the UK at the end of both May and June. It’s perfect for those easy days when you just can’t be bothered with the old primer, foundation routine and want something a bit lighter and a bit fuss free. To add a bit of extra colour to the cheeks I’ve been reaching for NYX blush in angel which is the perfect natural dusky pink colour.

 At the end of May I purchased the Louise Young LY24A fine eyeliner brush. This brush is amazing and makes putting on gel eyeliner a dream! I’ve toned down my eyeliner a bit going back to brown for summer and so have been using my Elizabeth Arden gel eyeliner. When I’m not reaching for the gel liner I’ve been using my Stila Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in Moray which adds a touch of colour to my eyes without smudging throughout the day. 

On the lids I’ve been reaching for my Soap and Glory Lid Stuff palette in What’s Nude pretty much constantly after leaving it neglected in the stash for quite a few months. I’ve developed a bit of an obsession for matte eyeshadows and this palette really hits the spot, especially for a neutrals lover like me! To complete my eyes I’ve been reaching for the Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara which stays put all day and makes my lashes look so thick and long. 

At the end of the day I like nothing more than removing my makeup with a Kleenex cleansing tissue soaked in Bioderma. The tissues are so soft and the Bioderma removes my makeup so well that I’m sure I will never be returning to face wipes again. I’ve also been loving using sheet masks every couple of weeks which leave my skin feeling very refreshed and hydrated, and making me look rather ghastly in the process!

I’ve developed a deep love for Steam Cream. So much so that I’ve used an entire little tin of this super nourishing, super hydrating moisturiser for face body and hands. It’s currently on sale on ASOS for £9 and I’m tempted to pick some up. Especially as the packaging is so pretty!

After watching Anna’s video on her favourite spring polishes I had to pick up Essie's Absolutely Shore and I’m so glad I did. It’s such a beautiful mint green colour and Essie polishes have such great formulation so this is a definite winner for me. Unfortnately this is not pictured above as I left it at my parents but I think it’s going to get its own little post very soon! I also love my Oriental Princess cuticle cream which has really helped to transform my dry cuticles over the past few months. 

For my hair I’ve been loving the beachy look which I’ve been achieving by running a 10p sized piece of Schwarzkopf Osis Loopy Form Curl Cream through the ends of my hair when wet and then plaiting my hair into pigtails. I leave this for a few hours then undo the pigtails et voila beachy hair which lasts until my next wash.

So that’s everything I’ve been loving the past couple of months.  What have been your favourites recently?

Love 

R xxx

Question Wednesday: Hair

So it's that time of the week again for the Question Wednesday Blog hop hosted by Nykki. This weeks questions are all about hair and come from the lovely Miss L from Beauty by Miss L. I have a love hate relationship with my hair. Some days it behaves and others it just sticks up everywhere and doesn't do what I want it to. 

- What is your natural hair colour? Are you happy with it?

My natural hair colour is light ginger. I do like it but I wish that it was a more intense colour at times, especially in the summer when the colour washes out from being bleached by the sun.

- Do you dye your hair? If yes then do you do it yourself or go to a salon?

I dye my hair when I fancy a change. This is probably only around one a year and usually done at home with my mum. I have a lot of fun doing it this way and it doesn't break the bank as much. I have had highlights done at the hairdressers but nothing more than that.

- What is your must have hair care product? 

Heat protectant. I blow dry my hair at least twice a week and would hate to think the damage it would cause if I didn't. My favourite is the GHD heat protectant as it smells so good and really stops my hair drying out.

- What is the worst hair care product that you have ever used?

Tresemme foam dry shampoo. I bought it as it looked such an interesting product and it just makes my hair more greasy rather than less. I've tried using less product, more product, towel drying, hair drying and no matter what I do my hair ends up a sticky mess :(

- Do you have any good tips or homemade recipes for long and pretty hair?

Make sure you get it cut regularly and eat a balanced diet. If I'm having an off week with my diet then I definitely notice my hair is less shiny and gets greasier more quickly. I also use a Wonder Oil, a nourishing hair oil, which I picked up at Holland and Barratt as an overnight hair treatment every couple of weeks.

So that's the round up of questions for this week. If you want to join in the hop over to Nykki's blog. What are your hair care secrets?

Love Rae x

Review: Lush Skincare Part 2

I recently put up a post on my Lush skincare experience, which mainly focused on the Angels in Bare Skin Cleanser. This is the follow up post on the Breath of Fresh Air Toner and Imperialis Moisturiser. If you haven’t read it already I strongly recommend you do so as it contains all the (slightly gross) details on the nature of my skin.

Many of the toners I have tried in the past have been targeted towards combination/blemish prone skin. However even toners that are targeted toward more normal skin I find strip my skin leaving it feeling cleansed but quite tight and dry. My skin decides to counteract this by producing an excess of oil. Fun. The Breath of Fresh Air Toner I picked up in Lush is probably the first toner I have used which doesn’t do this. This toner is actually formulated towards dry skin and so after applying the toner to my skin it feels cleansed but not stripped or dry, just like how I imagine normal skin should feel like. The product contains sea water instead of alcohol which I feel helps make the product less stripping and drying.

Breath of Fresh air comes in a handy spray bottle which dispenses the product in a fine mist. When we had the brief heat wave over here in the UK at the end of May I reached for this as a cooling spray. It really helped in the heat, cooling down my skin and feeling me refreshed. It’s definitely my Holy Grail toner and I will be running to repurchase this the moment it runs out, which thankfully doesn’t look to be anytime soon!

Lastly I received a sample of the Imperialis Moisturiser. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of the product but I can assure you that it looks very similar to that seen on the Lush website here. While the moisturiser is supposed to contain the same balancing products as those found in the cleanser and toner, I found it to be too rich to use as a day cream. Throughout the day I found my skin became very shiny and a little too hydrated. I then switched to use this at night and found the rich formula to be more appropriate. While this product was an effective moisturiser I don’t think I will be purchasing it again.

So that’s the round up of the Lush skin care items I have tried out. I’m pleased to say that the two products I purchased were definitely worth it and while the sample of the moisturiser wasn’t for me, I’m glad I had the chance to try it out. The service I received in Lush was amazing and if you have any skincare problems I would definitely recommend talking to one of the very knowledgeable staff in your local Lush store.

You can get hold of the Breath of Fresh Air Toner in store or from the Lush Website for £3.75 for 100g or £7.00 for 250g as well as the  Imperialis Moisturiser for £11.95 for 45g.

Love Rae

xxx