May Favourites

It’s the beginning of June and time to reflect on products I've been loving for the last month. This month has been super busy for me, and I’ve found myself using the same products, so picking my favourites this month has been quite easy.

Moroccanoil Light

I have been loving using this oil recently. I used to swear by my Damage Reverse Ojon oil, but after trying this I’m torn between the two! I use this on dry hair daily to finish off the styling. It smells amazing and has really made a difference to my hair. I’ve wrote a full review on this product which you can read here.

Yves Saint Laurent Shocking Eyeliner

I couldn't resist picking up this eyeliner recently in duty free, due to the fact I love YSL’s Shocking mascara so much. I absolutely love this eyeliner, the precision and definition it gives on the upper lash line is immaculate. It’s so easy to use and although it doesn’t say it’s waterproof, it doesn’t budge all night. I wrote a full review on this product, which you can read here.

 

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Eye Shadow Duo in Raisins

Again, I picked this duo up in the airport on a recent trip and literally haven’t stopped wearing it since. It’s perfect for daytime or just a subtle look for night. It has a light pearl shade which I use all over the lid, then a dark brown colour which I use through the crease for definition. I was pleasantly surprised with the darker colour as it looks more like a dark plum on me and is a really pretty colour. As always with Estee Lauder, the packing is beautiful and comes complete with a mirror and little two ended applicator.

Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick

I’d not used this product for such a long time until I picked it up again earlier this month, and I’d forgotten just how much I love these stains, and especially this colour. It’s a lovely vibrant fuchsia colour, but is really wearable at the same time. I love how you only have to apply this product once, and it gives you colour all night. I do reapply to get the balmy effect, but you really don’t need to. Great product with fab wearability.

L-R - Revlon Lip Stain in Lovesick and Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple

Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple

Red lipsticks scare me… and I think I’m not alone in the world when I say that. However I’ve found the perfect one for me in the shape of this lip butter from Revlon. I love the lip butters anyway as they’re so moisturising, and give great colour. I usually only wear this particular colour whilst I have a bit of a tan, so have been loving wearing it this month. It’s not a really vibrant red, so I think it’s quite wearable, and if you’re looking for a subtle, slightly glossy red, this is definitely for you.

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush

I only recently starting wearing cream blushers, again whilst I have a bit of a tan. I absolutely love this range from Topshop, they have the prettiest colours and the formula is perfect for easy application. They seem to have got it just right with the amount of pigmentation. I’ve been loving this particular colour this month as it gives a lovely pink flush across the cheek. I definitely want to try other cream blushers, any suggestions?

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

This is something else that I haven’t used in a long time which I’ve rediscovered. I used to apply my foundation with this brush and absolutely loved it, but recently I’ve been favouring the Real Techniques buffing and expert face brushes for this task. I also have a couple of Sephora brushes I enjoy using for foundation application. I picked up the stippling brush again to apply cream blusher, and it works so well. It blends the colour perfectly, and picks up just the right amount of product. Who else loves Real Techniques brushes?

Benefits Total Moisture Facial Cream

I can’t speak highly enough about this cream, it has been an absolute god send this month while my skin has felt dried out from the sun. I’m looking forward to trying other products from the range to see if they’re as good. I wrote a full review on this moisturiser here.

Soap and Glory's The Righteous Butter

Again this product has been great this month while I’ve been more tanned than usual. We all know when our skins tanned, it’s effectively damaged, and that’s why we have to work so hard at keeping it hydrated when we get home from hols. This body butter does just the job with minimal effect. It feels really thick and luxurious, smells absolutely amazing and sinks in to my skin beautifully.

Daisy by Marc Jacobs

I have been wearing this fragrance for years, and seem to pick it up again every spring. It’s such a pretty floral smell and is perfect for the summer months. I always think it smells so fresh on my skin, and I have received lots of compliments on the scent since wearing it again. The bottle is gorgeous and I love the flower bottle top, it looks lovely on my dressing table. If you like pretty, girly, floral scents, then I would definitely recommend this perfume.

Have you tried any of these products? What have your monthly favourites been?

New Dressing Table

I've recently moved back in to my mum's house, trying to do the adult thing and save for a mortgage. Since moving home I am really missing the space I had in my flat in Manchester, my bedroom was humongous compared to the tiny box room I have at home! :(

I really wanted a dressing table, but my room is so small i needed to browse around. I eventually found one in my catalogue which is designed for small spaces, yay! I spent a FULL Sunday putting it together, (yes I am a DIY genius, not!). Here it is in all it's glory...

I have most of the skincare items I'm using or testing at the moment on top of my dresser, some are in a separate drawer or in the bathroom. I also keep my brushes in front of the mirror for easy access. I try and keep the top as clutter free as possible, anything I'm not using, goes in a separate drawer unit.

As well as skincare, I also keep makeup and eye makeup removers on top as I use them daily. I found this cute heart shaped glass dish at a car boot sale I went to with my mum a while ago for 20p! I think it looks lovely and fits my cosmetic pads in just nicely.

My brush holder is from Elf, it fits perfectly in front of my mirror and is a great size for holding all my brushes with plenty of room for new purchases! :) It has 3 compartments for Eyes, Lips and Face brushes. I also tend to keep things like my eyelash curlers, tweezers and my Duo eyelash glue in here, just for easy picking! For some reason in this picture I have a Pixi eye pencil in there too (not quite sure why, ha).

The big problem I had was with the drawers. Because its a slimline dresser, the drawers are much smaller, so no storage solutions would actually fit. As you can see at the moment I am using little boxes to separate my makeup, but eventually I would like to get some proper storage for it all. In my left hand drawer, I tend to keep all my lipsticks, lipglosses, powders, mascaras, eyeliners and my palettes. I tend to keep the products I use most often in my drawers and store the others elsewhere.

 

In the right hand drawer I tend to store my foundations, single eye shadows, bronzers, blushes, eyelashes, brow palettes and brush bags.

I try to keep it as tidy as possible, but it's hard when your trying to use different products and test different things out.

 So that's it for my dressing table, and once I get my storage solutions sorted it will be fab! I love having somewhere to sit down and do my make up and skincare.

Do you have a dressing table? Or do you have a different makeup storage idea?

August Favourites

So I realllly had to think about my monthly favourites, because to be honest, there's been so many! With the weather being so up and down, and I've had quite a busy month, which means I've been using and loving a lot of products. But I picked my essentials that I haven't been without this month to share with you. 

And here they are...

Origins Super Spot Remover

As I said, it's been a busy month, which means I've been breaking out more than usual, but this little bottle has been a saviour. You basically apply this on any blemishes or even on red areas left by blemishes and it helps to dry them out so they heal quicker. You can apply it as many times as needed, and I really do notice the difference after a couple of applications. It's pricey for a spot treatment, but the bottle lasts for ages!

Maybelline Falsies Flared Mascara

I bought this mascara a few weeks ago after watching Tanya Burr (pixi2woo on You Tube) use it in a tutorial. I have quite long eyelashes anyway, but this mascara really accentuates them. The wand is perfect to work with and it doesn't clog or clump my lashes as some mascaras do. I don't think anything will beat YSL's Shocking mascara which is my all time fave, but I'm enjoying using this at the moment. 

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Now, this is certainly one of my most expensive skincare items, but I just can't be without it. I apply this nightly as part of my skincare routine before moisturising. It comes with a handy pipette and the lady on the Estee Lauder counter in Selfridges suggested 3 drops would suffice daily. I find it really helps lock in moisture, smooth and even out my skin tone. This product also helps if you have any scars or discolouration of this skin.

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre

I love this moisturiser, it is a staple favourite of mine and I don't think I'll ever change. For a while I couldn't find anywhere online that shipped this product to the UK. This product is only available for purchase in France as far as I am aware. Then I hit jackpot and found it on a website called Love Make Up, I was so excited I purchased it straight away. Their delivery was excellent, arriving the next day!! I often use this moisturiser in place of a primer. 

Elizabeth Arden's Pure Finish Bronze Powder

This bronzer is part of Elizabeth Arden's Rose Aurora make up range, in which all the products are lovely. I have this bronzer in the shade, Soft Radiance. I've really enjoyed using this bronzer this month as I've been slightly paler than usual and it gives the most gorgeous hint of colour when contouring through the cheeks. I also love the packaging to this product, it really screams premium beauty and I love my bronzers to have a mirror. 

MAC's Pressed Blot Powder

When the weather is as warm as it has been (humidity wise, obviously we've had no sunshine), this product is my saviour! I literally cannot leave the house without this on, or else a few hours later my foundation will look oily and my face will feel awful. I powder this all over my face after applying all my face make up, especially when using liquid foundations and/or cream bronzers, blushers etc. This is a sheer powder, literally just to take that shine off the skin, although I think MAC say there is a small hint of colour. Mine is in the colour Medium/Dark.

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss

I have been wearing this lipgloss so much recently. It's so pretty, and glides over so many lipstick colours. This is in the shade Negligee Pink, which is a really light pink colour. It's so glossy and the packaging is gorgeous. The only thing I'm not 100% on is the applicator which is like a little brush, and can sometimes mean you get gloss overload on your lips. Regardless of that, I am a big fan of this product.

Maybelline Baby Lips

I wasn't sure whether to include this in my monthly favourite or not as it's not available in the UK, but I had to leave it in as I love it so much. This product is basically a coloured lip balm, but it is so moisturising, smells amazing and glides on so easily. This colour is Pink Punch and is a perfect 'every day' colour. This product is perfect for dry lips and really locks in moisture while giving off a gorgeous colour. Come on Maybelline, sort it out and release these in the UK! I want to buy more! :)

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

This is definitely my 'go to' foundation at the moment for day to day wear. I normally don't use pharmacy or drugstore foundations at all, but after trying this foundation I was pleasantly surprised. It's so cheap, and I actually got it even cheaper in Savers for £4.99! Cannot believe the value. This foundation promises anti fatigue and radiant glow and I honestly think it does what it says on the tin. When I started wearing this foundation I had so many compliments on how awake and fresh my skin looked. It has a slight shimmer to it, but you can't see this once it's on the skin. It also smells amazing, (is that strange?). I have this foundation in Soft Beige and have just repurchased a new one. No doubt I'll be back to my MAC Pro Longwear for the winter months, but for now, I LOVE this! 

So that's it for my August Favourites. I tried to keep the amount of products as low as I possibly could, but there are so many more I could talk about. Have you tried any of these products, what are your thoughts?