A Major Glossier Haul

A Major Glossier Haul

Wednesday, 23 May 2018

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Glossier has been creating a major stir in the beauty industry ever since it launched a couple of years ago. Created by Emily Weiss, CEO and founder of renowned beauty blog Into the Gloss, Glossier aims to deliver simple, easy-to-use and effective products. 

The brand has gone from strength to strength and has received reviews so glowing that I'm tempted to ask exactly where they got their highlighter.  So when it finally became available in the UK I was online and punching my debit card details into the checkout faster than you could say overdraft. And naturally, I went a bit overboard, for research purposes of course. How else am I supposed to properly dip my toes in and get a real feel for the brand if I don't try almost everything? I mean really, I'm just being a responsible blogger. 

Milky Jelly Cleanser - £15

The Milky Jelly Cleanser has become something of a cult favourite ever since it launched, and it was one of the first things I added to my basket.  Essentially the MJC is a gel cleanser that emulsifies into a milk on contact with water. It's designed to cleanse, soothe and purify the skin, whilst being very gentle,  and features some amazing ingredients including rosewater, comfrey root extract and pro-vitamin B5 to calm, heal and moisturise. Now full disclosure time I haven't actually tried it yet - I'm currently using the Skin Regimen Anti-pollution Cleansing Cream, which is very nice by the way, thanks for asking - but based on the ingredients, the reviews I've seen and the kind of cleanser it is.,  I think we're going to get along famously, and I can't wait to get stuck in. 

Priming Moisturiser - £18

The Priming Moisturiser is exactly that, a light and buildable priming moisturiser that promises to deliver soft, smooth and dewy skin, primed and ready for make up. It contains hyaluronic acid and mushroom extract to plump and hydrate the skin, and an anti-redness complex featuring tea extracts and honey to calm the skin and reduce the appearance of redness. I've actually been using this for about a week now, and I like it. It has a really nice, light texture and it does leave my skin feeling hydrated and smooth. Would I buy it again? I don't know, I don't love it. 

Birthday Balm Dotcom - £10

Balm Dotcom is a universal lip skin salve designed to nourish and repair dry and chaffed skin. It contains bees wax, extracts of rice bran and rosemary leaf and castor seed oil to protect from free radical damage and seal in moisture. I chose the Birthday balm, because I thought it would smell amazing, and I was right. 

Generation G in Zip - £14

 Generation G is a super lightweight sheer matte lipstick which features less pigment to create a diffused 'just blotted' effect on the lips. Interestingly, they're designed to adapt to the wearer's natural lip colour so it'll look different on everyone who wears it. I chose Zip, which is a poppy red shade, but I was torn between that and Crush, a raspberry pink which is also very pretty. I'll be honest , when I first tried this I wasn't all that impressed, I like my mattes super-pigmented, Kat Von D pigmented. However, since wrapping my head around the concept I actually quite like it. It has an amazing texture that's so comfortable to wear, and it's a nice lipstick on those days when I want to make an effort but don't want to look too 'done'. I like it. 

Boy Brow - £14

Since having a fringe cut two months ago there's been no need for me to do anything to my brows because you can't see them anymore, so I haven't tried this yet. Having said that it is known for being one of Glossier's hero products and is something of a must have for anyone with visible eyebrows. Boy Brow is a styling pomade that is designed to fill and shape the brows. It has a teeny tiny brush that is really good for combing through without getting any product on your forehead, and it contains natural waxes: beeswax and carnauba, that are designed to hold the brows in place without making them stiff or crunchy. To be honest I might end up giving this to my sister, purely because my fringe ain't going nowhere, and I don't need it. 

Priming Moisturiser Rich - £29

First of all I cannot stress how amazing this smells! The scent is incredible. Second of all it's sooo nice! The Priming Moisturiser Rich is essentially the Priming Moisturiser kicked up a gear, and I like it so much because of it. It contains a blend of murumuru and shea butters, to give the cream a non-greasy, meltable texture that is quickly absorbed into the skin. Other ingredients include: lavender oil (which is probably responsible for the beautiful scent), red algae and fatty acids to lock in moisture, comfort and soothe. I love this. 

Super Pure Serum - £24 

I love a good serum! Serums and facial oils are my favourite skin care items, so when I spotted this during my Glossier frenzy I couldn't leave without it. My skin, as we all know, is shit, hormonal and shit. And I am always looking for some miracle product that will rid me of my imperfections. Could this be the one? Well, realistically, no... I'm pretty sure no such product exists. Having said that, this seems to come pretty darn close. Designed for problem skin types the Super Pure serum is formulated with Vitamin B3 and Zinc to fight blemishes, rid the skin of impurities and excess sebum, reduce redness and soothe irritation. And can we talk about that dinky packaging, tho? Adorable!

Stretch Concealer - £15

Last but not least, and well done if you've made it this far, is the Stretch Concealer, a buildable concealer that offers flexible coverage. This nifty little concealer has an elastic consistency, due to the presence of beeswax and crystalline wax in the formula, which allows the concealer to move with the face, rather than sitting on the surface. It doesn't cake, bunch, crease or clump and offers a nice level of coverage that, like I said, can be built up something more full. I'm a big fan of this! 

What are your Glossier recommendations? xxx

May Goals

May Goals

Wednesday, 9 May 2018

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How is it May, already?! How?! Normally I hate starting posts like this, because it's such a bloody blogger cliche - and one I'm very guilty of - but the rate at which this year is moving at is terrifying me. Where has the time gone?! It's frightening! Anyway - existential crises aside - it's been a while since I last set any goals, and now seems as good a time as any for me to make some changes.

Stop procrastinating

I'm a terrible time waster! Seriously, my powers of procrastination are second to none. As I write this I'm also watching old episodes of Bake Off on Netflix and paying way more attention to Mary Berry than what I'm actually typing. I know full well that I'd get this post done quicker, and would do a much better job, if I was giving it my undivided attention but I just can't help myself. I also just took a five minute break from this sentence to scroll through instagram. I have a problem!

Make better use of my free time

I'm always working. Always. I'm either actually at work, or I'm editing videos or working on my blog. I don't stop, and I always have something to do. I really don't have a lot of free time, and usually I'm so knackered that I don't make the most of the free time I do have. I either want to take a little nap, that lasts a whole weekend, or crash in front of Netflix. There's nothing wrong with either of those things, in fact they're both splendid ways to spend some time, but I've recently realised that my time is limited. And I don't mean day to day, although it is, I mean that one day I won't exist anymore. Now, while I'm fully prepared to admit that I am definitely in the throes of a quarter life crisis, it's a very scary thought, and there is so much I want to do. Like learning to play the piano, or reading everything Bryony Gordon has ever written, or getting really, really good at guitar. So I'd better get to doing it really, hadn't I? On that note I'm off to learn the guitar riff from Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight. 

What are your goals this month? xx

March & April Favourites

March & April Favourites

Wednesday, 2 May 2018

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This was originally meant to be my March Favourites and then my April Favourites but it's May now, which means this post is desperately late, but I suppose it's better late than never. March and April both went so quickly, and I've been running ragged trying to keep on top of everything lately, and sadly that has meant my blog has suffered. Normally, I would've just scrapped this post but I did have some cracking favourites  that are definitely worth talking about. So, let’s talk about them. 

Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol Free Lavender Toner - £6.43 at iHerb.com

Thayers' Witch Hazel Toner has been around in the US for about a thousand years, but recently it's gained quite the online following and us UK peeps have been cottoning on to its wonders. Designed to soothe and revitalise sensitive, acne-prone skin this toner is formulated with Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera to soothe the skin, while Lavender has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties to prevent breakouts. I've been using it for a couple of months now and I really like it. It's very gentle plus it smells amazing. It's not widely available in the UK yet, I picked mine up on my last trip to Florida on one of my many, many trips to Target - I super love Target - after having heard some very good things,  but can be found quite easily with some tactical googling. 

Murad City Skin Age Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 PA * - £55 at lookfantastic

When I was younger and stupider I never ever wore SPF. I've got very pale skin that doesn't tan, and I rarely burn, so I didn't think SPF was all that important. Now that I'm a grown up it's a whole different story and I'll be the first person to tell you what a fucking idiot I was! Putting photo and premature ageing aside, skin cancer is a very real concern, and literally everyone should be wearing some kind of SPF everyday. I've gone through quite a few SPF loves in the past couple of year - La Roche Posay's Antihelios XL and The Body Shop's Skin Defence are firm favourites - but Murad's latest sun care launch has been giving them a run for their money. This fast absorbing sunscreen is very light but packs a punch in the protection stakes. It's designed to offer protection from five major causes of premature ageing, including UVA and UVB rays, pollution, infrared rays, pollution, and, interestingly, blue light from phones and other devices. I like it because its very lightweight, sinks in really quickly, and makes a good base for make up. 

Vincent Longo Water Canvas Blush in Terra Dew* - £19.95 at lookfantastic

I was gifted this blush at Vincent Longo's UK launch event last year - I know I can't believe I just typed that either! - but I've only recently started using it, and I love it. Firstly, because it's a beautiful colour, a deep raspberry shade, secondly because it has an amazing cream-to-powder formula that just melts into the skin. It contains Microwater, a Vincent Longo exclusive, an active ingredient that intensely hydrates the skin and seals in moisture. It's a really lovely product. 

Lancôme Art Liner - £21.15 at feelunique

Every time I write about eyeliner I tend to mention two things; 1. that I’m something of a liquid liner connoisseur - it’s because I am! - 2. Stile’s Stay All Day Liquid Liner which has become the yardstick which I use to measure, and pass judgment on all other liquid liners because it is effin’ marvellous. So if I favourably compare an eyeliner to Stay All Day it means I really bloody like it, and I really bloody like this liner. It has a fine foam point that makes for really easy yet precise application, and a highly-pigmented formula that lasts for days. Seriously, I wore it when I saw Hamilton so I can tell you with absolute certainty that this stuff is both incredibly waterproof - seriously, I cried four times! - and incredibly long lasting.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Madrid - exclusive to Kat Von D Everlasting Mini Liquid Lipstick set £37.80 at Debenhams (currently out of stock online, may still be available in store) 

Now it just wouldn't be one of my monthly favourites posts without a new Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick obsession now would it? Like all the others this has a beaut formula that stays in place all day while still being ridiculously comfortable to wear. Annoyingly, Madrid is exclusive to the Kat Von D Everlasting Mini Liquid Lipstick set - which I got for Christmas...it was gift from me to me - and isn't sold as a standalone lipstick. Madrid is a warm-toned plum shade, which on me is actually more of a nude - I have very pigmented lips - it's my go to everyday lipstick, because it is so pretty and so effortless. The only problem I have with it is that when it runs out I won't be able to repurchase it, and I really love it! 

Elemis Life Elixir Fortitude Perfume Oil Rollerball* - £28 from Elemis

Last year Elemis launched Life Elixirs, an aromatherapy collection designed as an antidote for modern life. I was lucky enough to be sent a few things, including a yummy smelling candle and some shower oils, but the perfume rollerballs are my favourite. Life Elixirs is made up of five mini collections: Sleep, Calm, Clarity, Fortitude and Embrace. I was originally sent the Calm rollerball, which I loved but lost in Disney's Animal Kingdom, I was then lucky enough to be gifted the Fortitude rollerball to try at this year's Professional Beauty show. Fortitude is my favourite of the five elixirs. It is formulated with 16 essential oils, including geranium, ylang yang and cedarwood, and is designed to make the wearer feel grounded, empowered and strong. Now I don't know if it actually works but it smells gorgeous! 

What are your beauty favourites? Let me know xx

*Disclaimer* products marked with an asterisk * have been sent to me to review. All thoughts and opinions remain my own. 

All about that base - foundation routine

All about that base - foundation routine

Monday, 2 April 2018

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In 2014 Meghan Trainor sang that it was all about that bass, bout that bass, no treble, and, even though that song is terrible, when it comes to make up I’m inclined to agree. Honestly, for me a good base forms the foundation (badum chhh... I’m not even sorry!) of my make up.

Four lovely facial oils

Four lovely facial oils

Wednesday, 14 March 2018

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Yesterday, 13th March, was my fifth blogaversary, and, as is time honoured tradition, I completely forgot all about it. I promise one year I will remember and make a big ol' song and dance about the whole thing, but this year ain't that year. I did put up a very emotional instagram post though, you can see that here.

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

March Goals 2018

March Goals 2018

Monday, 5 March 2018

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I can’t believe I’m already setting my goals for March! The passage of time honestly terrifies me!  Seriously, in my head 2006 was only two weeks ago. Nevertheless here we are and my goals aren’t going to set themselves now are they?

The Five Podcasts You Need To Be Listening To

The Five Podcasts You Need To Be Listening To

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

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Once upon a time I thought podcasts were... not lame, lame’s not the word I’m looking for, but I can’t think of the word I am looking for so we’ll go with lame. Then when I started my job I realised that I can’t do anything, and I mean anything, in silence. I have what I like to refer to as a hyper active brain, and by that I mean I’m very easily distracted - I can be doing something and then BAM! I just have to know what David Hassellhoff has been up to - and my internal monologue is so fricking loud and almost impossible to ignore. It’s why I always did so badly in exams but my coursework was always lit. 

(Belated) February Goals 2018

(Belated) February Goals 2018

Monday, 19 February 2018

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So it's very late in the day to be setting my monthly goals, maybe even too late, what can I say -  a total lack of motivation and organisation has been my downfall this month. Having said that I still have nine days to make a difference and put some of these goals into action. If nothing else it will leave me in a really good position for the next month.