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

April Favourites

Hi everyone!

I can’t believe how quickly this year is going. April has flown by and now my birthday is just around the corner and I only have 4 more weeks left of my degree. In April I discovered a few new pieces which I’ve really been enjoying using. So here’s everything I’ve enjoyed this month:

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

While Boots were having their 3 for 2 offer I picked up quite a few of these brushes. This is definitely one of the stars and makes applying foundation so much easier to create such a flawless base. It is also super soft and feels amazing against the skin. I love it and can’t imaging using anything else for applying my foundation now.

Revlon Lip Butters in Sugar Frosting and Candy Apple

I’ve never really been a lip product person, but these have definitely sparked an interest. I love the feel of these on the lips and the colour pay off these have. I’ve been reaching for Sugar Frosting on an almost daily basis to add a pretty pearly sheen.

No 7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter Power

Highlighter is one of those products which I’ve never owned until now as I’ve never had the desire to. However I had a No 7 voucher and this looked so pretty so I thought I would give it a shot. I’m a complete highlighter convert now and love the natural glow this gives so much that I’ve been reaching for this every day.

The Balm Frat Boy Blush

I received this is my first Carmine box back in October. I had used it every now and again but it wasn’t until this month that I’ve been reaching for it on a regular basis. This blush is beautifully pigmented, giving a matte pinky coral flush to the cheeks, and lasts really well too. Plus the retro packaging is really fun.

Nature Republic By Flower BB Cream

Jeannette sent this to me after her trip to Korea and I was so excited to receive this in my package. This BB cream has a gorgeous rose scent, applies wonderfully with a fairly good amount of coverage. I’ve been reaching for this a lot, particularly on days when I don’t want a full face of makeup. I think I will reaching for this when (or if) the warmer weather appears over standard foundation.

Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner

I have a whole new skincare routine thanks to the lovely ladies in Lush and I have been so impressed with this toner. I love this toner, it leaves my skin feeling refreshed without drying it out. I’ll keep my comments short as I’m planning on doing a full review of this soon so look out for that!

The Body Shop Jasmine and Frangipani Body, Room and Linen Spray

I’m a bit obsessed with scented candles, room sprays, incense sticks, basically anything that will leave my room smelling good. This is the newest spray I’ve added to my collection and has such a fresh floral scent. I love spraying it on my bed sheets before I go to bed at night.

So here is everything that I’ve loved in the month of April. Do you share any of my favourites or have any suggestions for products for me to try out in May?

Love R xxx

International Goodies and Makeup Swap with Jeanette No. 2

I really enjoyed my first swap with Jeanette back in February. Not only have I discovered some really great makeup products but I feel like I’ve made a new friend as well. Cheesy I know, but true. She took a trip to South Korea and kindly got me a few pieces while she was out there. I had been picking up a few pieces for her too whenever I saw something I thought she would like and so sent her a small package too. If you would like to see what I sent Jeanette then do go and check out her blog post. This wasn’t a makeup swap as such as neither of us requested anything and there was no arranged shipping date or budget, it was more of a care package full of I-saw-this-and-thought-of-you items.

My parcel arrived a few weeks ago now and I’ve had a chance to try a few pieces out. Jeanette shared with me a few samples she received. I love getting samples and so I’m really excited to try all of these out. Here is everything she sent me:

Nature Republic By Flower BB Cream

I really loved the sample of Skin 79 BB cream I received in the last swap and so was so happy to get this full sized bottle of BB cream. I’ve been wearing this a lot and I’m definitely starting to reach for it over foundation. It has a slight rose scent to it, which is quite subtle but lovely.

Cezanne Eyeshadow Quad

This is such a pretty quad and I really love the colours. The formulation is so soft and buttery. I haven’t used this one yet but I can’t wait to try it.

The Face Shop Lovely Me:ex Auto Eyeliner in 02 Black Brown

This is a lovely eyeliner which glides on smoothly, smudges out well and stays on all day. I love the deep brown colour, which is great for everyday use. 

The Face Shop Lovely Me:ex Nail Polish in WH003

This nail varnish is so cute, with pink glitter and pink shimmery hearts. I have really been enjoying glitter nail varnishes recently and so I was so happy to see this in my parcel.

Etude House Nail Varnish in Shade No 6

I was looking for a peach coloured nail varnish and it was as if Jeanette read my mind when she sent this to me! It is a matte nail varnish which I had never tried before so this was doubly exciting for me. 

Etude House Apricot Stick in Shade No 3

I think the best way to describe this is as a lip butter. It is so soft, buttery and hydrating like a lip balm but had great pigmentation like a lipstick. Plus it smells so good, just like apricots. The colour is great too, an everyday pink colour.

Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart

When Jeanette said she had sent me a Revlon Lip Butter I was so happy. They had just been released over here yet I couldn’t find them anywhere and with all the hype surrounding them I had such an urge to try them. This is one of the more popular colours from what I can tell – it seems to be sold out in many of the Boots Stores I’ve been in. I really like the Lip Butters and there will be more in a blog post soon.

Green Tea, Avocado and Caviar Sheet Masks

I was very pleased to see some more Sheet Masks as these are great and I have no idea where to get these in the UK. I’m rationing out my sheet masks at the moment for that reason.

The samples I were sent are as follows:

The Face Shop Natural Sun Power Long Lasting Sun Cream in SPF 45

Holika Holika HD Skinny Primer Base

Holika Holika Aquah Splash Emulsion

The Saem Ylang Ylang Multi Cleanser

Face It Power Perfection BB Cream

Tony Moly Tomato Magic White Massage Pack

Baviphat Apple Sample (I’m not quite sure what this one is as the packet is entirely in Korean but some googling seems to show it could be a Peeling Gel Mask??)

Finally Jeanette also sent me a bookmark which is so beautiful. I love receiving little tokens which tell you something about the place they come from and so I really appreciated this!

So there is everything that came in my parcel. There will definitely be doing so more indepth reviews of some of the items so look out for those. A big thank you to Jeanette for sending me everything :). Have you taken part in a makeup swap? How did you find the experience?

Love Rae xxx