February Favourites

I often find it hard to compile a list of products to mention in my monthly favourites, as my day to day makeup and skincare routine generally stays the same, but I thought I'd share a few products that really stood out to me last month.

I've used the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask before and while I liked using the product, I never really got how good it is and thought it was just a thick moisturiser... However I was really ill and sick at the beginning of February and my whole body (including my skin) became very dehydrated. My skin was looking very lacklustre and makeup was not sitting well on it. Enter the Origins mask and after a few days use, it left my skin feeling rehydrated and plump. It has a lovely citrusy smell, which reminds me of citrus polos (Does anyone else remember those?!)

I've also been loving the Superfacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil (which is quite possibly the longest name ever!). I'd never used a cleansing oil before, but wanted to give one a whirl and decided to give this Superfacialist one a go after hearing lots of good reviews. It makes makeup removal very simple and leaves my skin feeling nice and clean, without any tightness or greasiness. This also has a nice citrusy smell, which I really like.

Chanel Lotus Rouge is a gorgeous deep raspberry red colour, which I have been sporting on my nails a lot recently. It's perfect for the colder wintery months, but is also versatile enough to be worn all year round as it's not too dark. Although the lasting power of this nail varnish leaves a little to be desired, the brush and application are top notch. I have a NOTD of this here.

I have been experimenting with cheek products this month, as they have been neglected for a long time. The Makeup Academy blush in Cupcake is a lovely matte peachy, pink which adds a natural flush to the cheeks. I find that even though it's a matte blush, it gives your complexion a glow and really perks up the skin. Another great thing about this blush is that it only costs £1! I have also been using the Soap and Glory Solar Powder bronzer from my Christmas Soap and Glory palette (which I plan on doing a post about). It has a darker shade and a lighter shade (which also has a little shimmer), which you can use separately or mixed together. I tend to mix them together and they give a natural looking shade, which isn't too dark or muddy for my pale complexion.

What were you loving throughout February?

Joy xx

January Favourites 2013

Throughout January, I have been enjoying a number of products that have fast become staples in my routine.

This month I have been loving using Wet n Wild Mellow Wine blush. It's a lovely dark pink-red colour, which gives a lovely pop of colour on the cheeks. I have been in love with my MAC 266 and using the centre shade of the top row of the NYX Nude on Nude Natural Look palette. I would not have normally opted for a colour like this, as my hair is darker than the shade, but it somehow works. My lipsticks of choice for the past month have been Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Rivage and Wet n Wild Spiked with Rum. Rivage a pretty pink colour, which gives a natural rosy colour to the lips. While it doesn't last too long on the lips, I love the formula and the glossiness. I love the long-lasting formula of Spiked with Rum and the colour is great for Winter. The Sigma Precision Round P82 has been one of my favourite brushes for packing on and blending out concealer over redness and blemishes. It's bristles are super soft and leaves such a flawless finish.

For skincare, the Emma Hardie Amazing Face cleansing balm has been a dream to use recently, especially as my skin has been a little dry in this cold weather. I am going to do a full review of this soon. I have also had a few pesky blemishes, which the Origins Out of Trouble mask has been a godsend for. I normally use it twice a week, but recently I've been using it on specific big spots and leaving it on overnight. It really helps to minimise the size and redness of the spot. I have used Lush's Mint Julips lip scrub everyday since I got it and it leaves my lips soft and smooth.

My random favourite this month has been this Jasmine candle from ASDA. I don't like to spend too much money on candles, so I was happy that it only cost £4 and I would say it's definitely on par with Yankee Candles. The smell is gorgeous and really radiates around the room. The packaging is fairly simple, but neutral.

What have you been loving this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Top 5 Autumn Nail Polishes

Nails Inc London, Essie Midnight Cami, LA Colors Tropical Storm, Chanel Lotus Rouge, NYC Purple Pizzazz

Clockwise from thumb: Nails Inc London, Essie Midnight Cami, LA Colors Tropical Storm, Chanel Lotus Rouge, NYC Purple Pizzazz

Now that Autumn is firmly upon us and I've dug out my winter coat, scarf and gloves, I thought I'd share the nail polishes that I think I will be reaching for the most over the Autumn and Winter months.

Having a nude polish that suits pale skintones is ideal for an everyday, understated nail look. I love the purple-brown tones of Nails Inc London as I feel they flatter my skintone and don't wash me out. Unfortunately, London was limited edition, so if anyone knows of any dupes, please let me know!

Rich, warm tones are perfect for Autumn and Winter. Even though I don't tend to wear green nail polish, I am lusting after an emerald green nail polish at the moment. Navy is one of my favourite colours to wear on my nails. Essie Midnight Cami is a lovely opaque navy in 1 coat, but generally needs 2 to make it completely even. NYC Purple Pizzazz is a lovely, rich Cadbury purple with a slight duochrome, shimmery finish. I always associate red shades with the wintery months and I can forsee that I will be using the raspberry red hues of Chanel Lotus Rouge a lot in these coming months.

The gunmetal silvery LA Colors Tropical Storm polish is a nice twist on a simple grey, as it is a little more interesting than a grey creme while still remaining neutral.

I have linked to the NOTD posts to some of the polishes, as it gives an idea of what the polish looks like on all the nails and the posts generally have a bit more information on the formula and wear of the polishes, in case you're interested.

What nail polish colours will you be reaching for this Autumn/Winter?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #17

Every month I manage to finish a fair amount of products as I have a tonne of half full products hanging around, waiting to be used. However, my skincare and beauty drawers never seem to get any emptier! One day I will have a normal amount of products... One day...

Nivea Anti Cellulite
Review: Long story short... This made no difference what so ever.
Would I repurchase? NO

Garnier Body Tonic Sugar Scrub
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Yes

Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo
Review: I absolutely love this shampoo. It gives a nice amount of bounce to the hair and leaves my hair looking especially voluminous if I blow dry my hair. It never left it feeling dried out and smells gorgeous.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Batiste Dry Shampoo (Original)
Review: This had a lemony smell, which wasn't particularly pleasant, however it did leave my hair smelling clean. This definitely helped to revive my second day hair and added a nice amount of volume and texture when required. This would occasionally leave my hair looking a little grey if I didn't brush it all away, however I think it is just this version as I have since started using the tropical one and I don't have this problem.
Would I repurchase? Not this version

Soap & Glory Hand Food
Review: I love this hand cream. It smells gorgeous and isn't greasy on the hands. Also the packaging it adorable and easy to spot in your handbag.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Yes

Superdrug Rehydrating Cleansing Gel
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Maybe

I seem to hoard foundation samples as I want to try the foundations, but the samples are always too dark for me. Recently I've been fake tanning more frequently, so even though they weren't perfect matches, they worked a little bit better with my skintone. All three foundations were quite light coverage, which is something that I don't usually opt for but I've been wanting to venture that way for a while. I really liked the Rimmel Wake Me Up on the first application as it left my skin looking glowy, but when I used the sample again, it didn't sit right... I have been lusting after the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua for ages and I think I will have to bite the bullet and purchase the full size sometime soon. The Liz Earle foundation sample was lovely too. It looked really nice on the skin, however it didn't last too well.

What have you finished this month?

By the way, I recently found out about this 'Pin it to Win it' competition open to London ladies where you can win laser hair removal at EF Medispa. I know there's a few of you out there that are from London and use Pinterest, so I thought it would be interesting to share this competition with you! The pin and instructions can be found at EF Medispa's Pinterest here. All words and opinions are my own. I am not being compensated for this post.

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

NOTD: Lotus Rouge

1 coat of Chanel nail colour in 'Lotus Rouge'

I found this Chanel nail polish at a boot sale for a bank breaking 50pence! It didn't come with the square cap, but I didn't mind as it was only 50pence. You can't really buy much nowadays for 50pence.

The colour is a lovely deep raspberry red, which kind of reminds me of mix of Nails Inc Victoria and Nails Inc Piccadily Circus. This will be perfect for the upcoming Autumn and Winter months. The polish was really nice and easy to apply. It has a very opaque formula and only required 1 coat. The brush was flat and easy to use and control. I experienced a little tip wear on the nails after 1 day and eventually it started chipping after a few days.

xoxo, Joy

July Favourites 2012

Today I thought I would share my favourites from July with you:

Haha, Youtube always choose such unfortunate thumbnails

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

December Favourites 2011

I know this a little bit late, but Happy New Year! I hope 2012 is an amazing year for you!

Today I have a quick December favourites for you (also a bit late, sorry). I haven't done a 'Favourites of 2011' post, as I'm at home at the moment and I only have my travel make-up bag with me and wasn't organised enough to take pictures before I left uni. I might do one when I go back next week, if anyone would be interested in seeing one.

Clockwise from left: NARS Laguna, MAC Her Blooming Cheek, TIGI Cherry Almond Leave-In Conditioner, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and Max Factor Nailfinity in 'Red Passion'

I've been using NARS Laguna a tonne this month to contour and add colour to my face. It is a lovely brown (not orange) shade, which I've never found to be too dark for my pale skin tone. It has a tiny hint of sparkle, which gives a nice glow, rather than a disco ball appearance and isn't too obvious.

I mentioned this blush in my Current Favourites video and I have been alternating this with NARS Laguna all month. It's a bright blue tone pink blush, which looks petrifying in the pan, but leaves you with a pretty pink flush (as if you've just come back in from the cold).

I have been loving the TIGI Leave-In Conditioner all month. I've recently stopped using standard conditioner, as it has been leaving my hair feeling weighed down or greasy. So I have been shampooing and then applying this to my hair when it is approximately 80% dry. Since I'm leaving my hair to dry naturally, it helps my hair form nice waves, tames frizz and leaves it feeling so soft. Also it smells amazing!

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle has been my scent of choice since the weather has changed colder. I'm terrible at describing scents, so I'm not going to attempt it... Sorry! Although the perfume was rather pricey, I can see it lasting a long time as I have the eau de parfum and I find I only need 1-2 spritzes and the scent lasts all day.

I bought this polish ages ago and completely forgot about it! I wore this shade on my nails for Christmas and I loved it. I like that it's a blue toned red polish, rather than an orange toned red polish (like many on the market are) and it kind of reminds me of what Revlon's 'Cherries in the Snow' lipstick would look like as a nail varnish (even though Revlon has a 'Cherries in the Snow' nail varnish). This is part of Max Factor's Nailfinity line, so it's designed to last for a week or so. The picture of my nails shows the tipwear after about 6 days, so I have to say I'm mighty impressed! I'll definitely be checking out more colours in this range in the future.

I just wanted to throw one more favourite into the mix and it's my new iPhone 4S! I've only had it since Christmas, but it's love :) I have downloaded a number of apps already, but I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations?

What products have been your favourites this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

August Favourites 2011

I can't believe it's the end of August already! This means I need to start repacking for university soon, as I go back to Birmingham on the 10th (and start on the 12th). Argh! Packing is so stressful, lol. This month, I haven't really been doing anything exciting with my make-up. To be honest, I've been using the same products every day and I haven't bought anything new as I'm trying to be good and use up the make-up I have, before buying more.

MAC Lustre Drops in Sun Rush - I bought this from a blog sale a couple of months ago and didn't ever use it, because I didn't really know what to do with it! This month I have been adding a tiny drop to my foundation and it gives a lovely glowy and fresh bronzed look. It gives the right amount of glow, without making it look like you've gone overboard with shimmery bronzer. It also looks pretty as a highlighter, especially underneath W7 Africa (mentioned below).

W7 Africa Bronzing Powder - W7 market this as a bronzing powder, which baffles me as I can't see any bronze when I watch it! When swirled together, it's a beautiful peachy-pink colour, which I use this as a highlighter. It doesn't have massive chunks of glitter, like some powder highlighters do and it makes you look really glowy. Another great thing about this? It only costs £1.99!


Garnier Anti-Dark Circles Concealer in Fair - I absolutely love this! I know it's designed primarily for use under your eyes, but I also use it on areas with redness or discolouration (e.g. under my nose, on acne scars, etc.). It's a perfect lightweight concealer, which does not crease and lasts all day. The colour 'fair' is a perfect match for me, which is lucky! I always thought the roller ball was a bit of a gimmick, but I have to admit it is nice and cooling under the eyes and great in the morning when you're still half dead.


Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Rivage - This is my current favourite lipstick and have used it non stop all month. This lipstick is so beautiful and it's my perfect 'lips-but-better' colour. I love the colour, the formula, the packaging, everything about it! (Thanks again to Tine, as I won it in her giveaway!)

Missguided Nail Splash in Missbehave - I've been wearing this colour on my fingers and toes for the whole of August. It's a pretty, mid-tone pink, which is described perfectly on the Missguided website as cotton candy pink. The application was easy and the colour was opaque in two coats. This nail polish has great wear and only chipped at the tips after about 3/4 days.


Babyliss Big Hair - I only bought this in the middle of August, but I love it! It gives me big hair and I have big love for it! (I will have a detailed review of this coming soon)

What were your favourite products this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

N.B. Everything was bought with my own money, apart from the Chanel lipstick which I won in Tine's giveaway and the Missguided Nail Splash, which I was given at the Brum Blogger Meet. All my opinions are 100% honest regardless of where I got the product.

Winning

I was so excited to find out that I had won the lovely Tine of Beautyholics Anonymous' 4th birthday giveaway a week or so ago. When the doorbell rang this morning, I pretty much squeed when I saw the big 'AIR MAIL' sticker on the front! He must think I'm a complete loon. Oh well. I'm surprised how quickly the parcel arrived - Approximately a week - since Australia is pretty much the other side of the world!

I received:

'Lessons of a Lipstick Queen' by Poppy King
A lovely card from Tine and her business card
Anna Sui Face Color Accent in 301
Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Rivage
NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna
Kink Lip Lustre in Bella
Kink Lip Jewel in Pink Fling
Kink Eye Defining Pencil in Black
Calvin Klein Brow Definition Pencil in 204 Brunette
Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Rejuvenating Hand Therapy
A $50 gift voucher from Sweet Contemplation Accessories (Not pictured)

From L-R: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Rivage, CK Brow Pencil in Brunette, NARS Laguna, Anna Sui Face Color Accent in 301, Kink Eye Defining Pencil in Black, Kink Lip Jewel in Pink Fling and Kink Lip Lustre in Bella.

I'm so grateful and excited to be able to try out all the products! The Chanel lipstick is definitely going to be my new go-to lipstick, the Anna Sui blush is such a beautiful colour and smells amazing and Nars Laguna is my first dip into the Nars pool... And definitely not my last!

Thank you so much again Tine!! If you guys don't follow Tine, I suggest you click on over and do so! Her blog is lovely and full of all sorts of good stuff!

xoxo, Joy