February Favourites 2018

February Favourites 2018

Wednesday, 7 March 2018

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Unlike January, which felt like it lasted all of 2018 and well into 2019, February just flew by. I don't feel like I've even had the chance to catch my breath, let alone try and form an opinion on new things. But I have, and here they are.

Bourjois Radiance Reveal concealer in Medium - £7.99 at Boots

It's been a really long time since I've talked about a concealer on here, I can't actually remember the last time, it's been that long. But I've completely fallen back in love with Bourjois' Radiance Reveal concealer and had to talk about it. Radiance Reveal is something of a hybrid that is designed to brighten the skin and conceal imperfections. It’s got a nice light texture that blends nicely into the skin while still providing a decent amount of coverage. It's formulated with hyaluronic acid and glacier water, whatever that is, making it very hydrating and it doesn’t have any annoying bad concealer habits, like caking or creasing or oxidising.

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry in Sprint Finish - £3.99 at Boots

When I first started my blog - nearly 5 years ago... what?! - I was completely obsessed with nail polish. To the point where I couldn't go into a Boots or Superdrug without buying at least one. Now it's really rare for me to even paint my nails. In fact I've just got rid of maybe 80 per cent of my 300-strong nail polish collection. Sprint Finish is one of the few that survived the cull, due to the gorgeous  berry red shade and rather fabulous formulation, which is thick, creamy and dries almost instantly. It also has a wide curved brush which is designed for easier application, and really good colour off so you can get away with just one coat. Love it.

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair - £53 at lookfantastic

I've waxed lyrical about my love of this stuff before, but lately, after some very well placed podcast ads, I've found myself obsessed with it. I basically used up this little sample bottle in like two weeks and my parched skin lapped it up. It's formulated with Estée Lauder's exclusive Chronolux CB technology. which is supposedly designed to aid the skin's nightly renewal process and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for 'more beautiful skin everyday.' It also claims to leave the skin feeling smoother, stronger and more hydrated, which is the main reason I've been using it so religiously. It's really lovely stuff, and my skin feels a lot better for it.

Alpha H Clear Skin Daily Moisturiser with Glycolic Acid - £23 at Cult Beauty

I actually got this in the ASOS beauty box back when it first launched, which I think was at the end of November last year maybe, but I've only just got round to trying it... my only excuse is that I have so much skincare. Anyway Alpha H was developed by Michelle Doherty, who designed it specifically to target problem skin, which I have. The Clear Skin Daily Moisturiser is for acne prone skin,  which again I have, and is formulated to moisturise and fight blemishes. It contains 10 per cent glycolic acid and hyaluronic acid to clarify and moisturise the skin, as well as tea tree and aloe vera which have antibacterial properties. It also claims to manage oil production and refine the pores. I've been using it pretty much every day and I really like it. It feels very cooling and refreshing, which is so nice first thing in the morning, and I've noticed an overall improvement in my skin. It's definitely something that I'll be repurchasing once it's all gone. 

Rosie for Autograph Nuit Parfum - £14/£28 for 30/75ml at Marks & Spencer

This is something that I completely forgot I owned until I happened upon it during a clear out. If memory serves I think I got it in a subscription box, but I forget which one. Nuit Parfum is part of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's original collection with M&S from a few years back, and it smells effin' amazing. It's actually a pretty solid dupe for Tom Ford's Velvet Orchid, which you all know I love, but with the added bonus of being less than a third of the price. It's described as being 'infused with vintage femininity'. Now despite the somewhat dubious description it doesn't smell like Grandmas. It's very floral but has a warming sort of spiciness that stops it from being heady and sickly. It has top notes of jasmine and French centifolia rose (?) with base notes of musk. It's floral but definitely more of a winter floral, and it has amazing lasting power. It lasts all day. It's also cruelty free and vegan. Lately I've been more and more interested in where products come from, how they're made, and the impact they have. Without sounding preachy I'm really starting to lean more towards products that are ethical, so it's really nice to know that something I already love is cruelty-free, as well as being suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Plus, and I may have mentioned this already, but it smells bloody gorgeous. 

Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Outlaw - £17 at Debenhams (currently out of stock! Boo!)

I have a feeling that every monthly favourites post from now on is going to feature a Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in one form or another. I love them! They are wonderful. This month's favourite is Outlaw, which is a blue-toned bright red. It's very bold and very, very pretty. I've recently swapped over to Outlaw from Nahz Fur Atoo, which is a deep, rich burgundy, and was the only lipstick I wore for about four months. Anyway Outlaw is more of a spring red, whereas Nahz Fur Atoo is my go to winter lipstick.  At the risk of repeating myself, the formula of these lipsticks is amazing! It doesn't budge, it's so comfortable to wear and it's so easy to apply. I'm obsessed. I love them. I LOVE THEM!

What are your current favourites? xx

February & March 2016 Favourites

February & March 2016 Favourites

Tuesday, 29 March 2016

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I'm not gonna do that whole 'OMG where did *insert relevant month here*?!' thing that I do every month. We all know that time goes scarily fast. Even faster as you get older and as we are rapidly approaching my 25th birthday I may start freaking out little.  Sorry that was a bit of a weird tangent, let's just talk about my favourites from the last 2 months shall we?

Primark PS Concealer in Light - £0.80 from Primark

This concealer cost 80 pence and it is freaking amazing. If you've been reading me for a while you'll know how much I love Seventeen's Phwoarr Pain under eye concealer, however I've found that it can be quite waxy and feel heavy on the skin. Primark's PS Concealer is really similar except it comes in stick form. It is just as creamy, covering and long lasting as my Seventeen fave but has a less weighty texture and feels a lot lighter on the skin whilst giving the same level of coverage. I. Love. It.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation in 1C Rose Ivory - £9.99 from Boots

I'd been really reluctant to try the new formulation of L'Oreal's True Match because I am such a huge fan of the original, once I even crowned it my favouritest foundation ever. But after some umming and ahhing I decided to try it,  and then wear it throughout the majority of March. And I have to say I really like it. It's very similar to the original formulation except it feels more comfortable to wear. It still has a lovely satin finish that looks really natural on the skin but gives excellent coverage. I'll be going into more detail in a post next week, so keep your eyes peeled. All I'll say for now is that it's still my favourite high street/drug store foundation, reformulation and all.

Avon Gel Finish Nail Enamel in Moon Dust - £3.50 (on offer, usually £7.00) from Avon

The Avon Gel Finish Nail Enamels are extraordinary! They have such an amazing formulation; they apply really evenly and smoothly. They're creamy, thick yet easy to work with and opaque in only one coat, this includes the really pale shades too. Plus the wear time is amazing, with the gel shine top coat they can last up to two weeks before chipping, without the top coat you can get a good 6 days out of them. Out of all the ones I've bought so far, and it's a lot, Moon Dust is my favourite. It's a springtime appropriate pale grey and it has been gracing my nails pretty much constantly. It is gorgeous. 

Urban Decay Naked Pallet - £38.50 from Urban Decay

I have used this every day since I bought it, which annoys me a little bit because it took me so long to buy it and I love it so much. The colour pay off is amazing, there is very little fall out and the shadows are beautiful. 

Real Techniques Stippling Brush - £7.95 from Amazon

Until recently the Real Techniques Stippling Brush was probably my least used make up brush. But then I started using it to apply foundation and it was a total revelation. It doesn't absorb any product and being quite small it allows me to buff/stipple foundation into the skin really quickly, leaving a flawless airbrushed finish. I really like it, so much so that I bought another one and now have two. 

Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani Blush Pallet - £35.00 from Urban Decay

I picked this up in a recent High End Haul and have used it pretty much everyday since. It's so versatile and the powders are lovely, really finely milled and super pigmented. You really need to use a light touch or risk looking a bit like a clown but other than that it's amazing. 

Eve Snow London Nail Lacquer in Skyler - £14.00 from Eve Snow, currently out of stock

I'd never tried Eve Snow before until I found this in the beauty aisle at T.K. Maxx. Now I have approximately a million blue polishes, but it never hurts to add one more to the collection. That and it only £2.99, which is a massive reduction from it's original £14 price tag. Eve Snow's polishes are formulated with 3 added ingredients to really nourish the nails and are free of several toxic ingredients, including formaldehyde, that are found in other polishes. It applies beautifully, it has a thick brush that does the nail in two strokes, but not in a clumsy way, and the colour is beautiful. It lasts well on the nails and only takes two coats to achieve opacity, which is super impressive with a colour this pale. Plus the bottle is absolutely gorgeous. I will definitely be adding more to my collection.

Avon Ultra Colour Lip Crayon in Raspberry Rush - £5.00 from Avon

Berry lips are my jam! They're my favourite lips to wear all year round, and this spring time appropriate offering from Avon has become a firm favourite (I went a bit mad with an Avon Haul read it here) It's a lovely colour, a rich pink, with a satin finish and a creamy but wearable formula. It's not the most long lasting but it applies nicely. I really like it. 

DW Home Richly Scented Candle in White Rose -  £6.99, Unavailable online but may be available in store at T.K. Maxx

I found this candle in T.K. Maxx for £6.99 and just had to have it. It smells BEAUTIFUL! I'm not usually a fan of rose scene, sometimes they can be a bit grannyish and sickly. This is the complete opposite of that. It's really fresh and floral. It's quite subtle but noticeable. I've been burning it constantly because it smells like springtime. It also burns really evenly, which I find is an important quality in a candle. I love it. 

Finding Neverland Original Cast Recording - £8.99 from iTunes

So you might know this, you might not, but Musicals are pretty much my favouritest thing ever. Have been since I was about 13. If I could sing constantly then I think I would be a significantly happier person. My current musical obsession is the original cast recording of Finding Neverland. It's lovely and features some amazing people: Laura Michelle Kelly, Matthew Morrison & Kelsey Grammar to name but a few. My favourite tracks are All That Matters & Circus of your Mind. If your a musical fan it's definitely worth listening too. 

Jenna Marbles and Jenna & Julien's Podcast

Sometimes I feel like I am super behind the times. Relevancy is kind of everything these days and sometimes I feel like I have my finger right on the pulse and I know EVERYTHING. And then I discover someone like Jenna Marbles, who has been a YouTube sensation for years, and then I realise that I've barely scratched the surface. Like I said Jenna has been around for years but I came across her videos maybe two weeks ago, and already I'm sporting a major girl crush. Firstly because her videos are brilliant and really funny. Secondly because she's very relatable and honest and has the magical rainbow hair of a mermaid/unicorn, which gives me hair goals for days! I've been binge watching her videos and she is awesome. I also really like the podcast she does with her boyfriend Julien Solomita it's really funny and clever.  Love her.

Buzzfeed's The Try Guys

Again The Try Guys have been around forever. I had seen a couple of their videos, my favourite is The Try Guys Try Wedding Dresses, but recently I've really got into their videos and may have watched all 57 in one sitting. They're hilarious and utterly ridiculous and clever and cool and stupid and all that good stuff. I really like them, but Eugene's my fave.

What were you loving throughout February & March? Let me know in the comments below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.