3 Autumn Nail Favourites

Today I wanted to share a few of my favourite nail polish colours for Autumn! I’ve spoken on here many times about my love of the colder months, so I’m happy to be sharing some darker shades with you. I find these shades always look good with a high gloss overcoat- my favourite one is from Nails Inc.

Rimmel 60 Seconds Super Shine Nail Polish in ‘335 Gimme Some of That’, £2.99: I wrote about this nail polish a couple of weeks ago, as part of my 3 Recent Beauty Buys. This is a lovely deep pink shade, that looks really classy- which is something that I often struggle to find when it comes to pink nail polish! It’s not like any of the colours in my collection and it often looks different in different lights, sometimes it has brighter hints of red and others more plum.

Rimmel 60 Seconds Super Shine Nail Polish in ‘310 Double Decker Red’, £2.99: It’s clear to say that I have been LOVING Rimmel nail polish recently and I struggle to go into Boots without picking up a new shade right now! They’re such a great price and I love the formula, it often lasts for AT LEAST 5 days on me which makes it perfect to wear for the week. This is more of a true red, its a little deeper though which makes it the perfect transitional shade for these early Autumn days.

Barry M Hi Shine Gelly Nail Paint in ‘Ginger’, £3.99: I actually featured this one in my Autumn nail favourites from last year and it’s really stood the test of time! I really love this unique shade that has a rusty red, burnt orange kind of colour to it. It basically matches the Autumn leaves! This formula has long been a favourite of mine, with its built in glossy finish, this is definitely a winner.

Amy

3 Recent Beauty Buys

Today I just wanted to share a few of the latest beauty bits that I’ve picked up! I’ve kept it down to 3 for this post, so I can really talk about them. You’ll notice this is different to a ‘haul’ because I tend to have tried some of these bits already and gotten them started, so I can give a little bit of initial feedback on the product. Sometimes I just find a post like this is a good ‘one stop shop’ method, so it saves having a haul, try-on AND then a review. It’s just like an all-in-one post, enjoy these little Autumnal pick-me-ups!

Rimmel 60 Seconds Super Shine Nail Polish in ‘335 Gimme Some of That’, £2.99: I’ve been enjoying the Rimmel formula for a few months now and have been really enjoying it. I’ve found that sometimes the lasting power on it can be great, usually get about 5 days out of them at a time. This one, as you can see in the picture has gotten a few small chips within only 2 days though. The shade is really lovely though, its a deep sophisticated pink that almost looks red in some lights though. It’s a really good one for Autumn and I have a feeling I’ll be reaching for this one a lot!

Revolution Conceal and Define Supersize Concealer in ‘C2’, £7.00: I’ve been using my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer for months non-stop, so I felt like I wanted a change. I have tried this concealer before, but then never got round to re-purchasing it. Unfortunately, I had to settle for the supersize one… which is MASSIVE! I don’t know if they’re still doing the regular sized one, but this one is almost like a foundation stick. I found it harder to shade match me this time, there are literally so so many to choose from even in the pale section- which is a good thing really. I’m looking forward to having a bit of a change up and using this one again.

OGX Purifying and Charcoal Detox Shampoo, £6.99: OGX is a brand that I’ve very recently begun dabbling in and I’m really impressed so far. I like to alternate with my shampoos, so this one and the coconut curls one are the ones I’m currently using. The charcoal one is set to give your head a real deep clean out of any product build up and general dirt. I love a good deep cleaning shampoo, especially as I use serums, so there can often get a build up if not cleansed properly. Love the packaging of these and they’re so big, it will take me a while to finish them off- I usually try and find them on offer too when I can!

Amy

Summer Favourites 2019

I know I’m all about that Autumn (and CHRISTMAS!) life, but I did just want to do one little post sharing some of my favourites from July and August. I didn’t get the chance to share them monthly, which is something I love doing! I didn’t want to completely just leave those months out, so I thought I would mash them together and share them now!

Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer, $15: This product has been my absolute fave all summer long. I’ve literally just been wearing this with some concealer and that’s it for most days. It’s a really great bronzer for pale skin and gives just enough bronzing to make me feel more confident. I tend to dust it pretty much all over my face to be honest, it’s not too pigmented, but mainly around the outline of my face and on the nose. It’s pretty matte but I think it has a slight sheen to it- making it look very natural.

Sanctuary Spa White Lily and Damask Rose Body Scrub, £6.50: Throughout the summer I experimented with ‘proper’ fake tan, it was an experience that you can read about in my 3 Fake Tanning Lessons. This was my exfoliator of choice, turns out that’s a pretty big part of at-home tan. I really enjoyed using this one, it really feels like it is working without being too harsh or abrasive on your skin. The scent is lovely, fresh and floral- I just love how clean this makes you feel!

Hamilton: This month I was lucky enough to see Hamilton on the West End stage. WOW. What a show. I know it has a lot of hype around it, but it is worth it. I find it a difficult show to describe because ‘hip hop American history’ doesn’t sound appealing to me, I’m very much pop music and rom-com. I really, really enjoyed it though and even if you think like I did, that it isn’t for you, I would highly suggest you give it a try. It does have a bit of romance and comedy, it has something for everyone.

Taylor Swift ‘Speak Now’ Album: I know this is a really old school album and we’re all moving onto Lover, but I have been LOVING IT. I literally listened to it throughout the entire summer and it’s just wonderful. I never listened to it the first time round, so it’s been like a new album completely to me. My favourite songs are ‘Speak Now’, ‘Dear John’, ‘Never Grow Up’ and ‘Mine’. Each song tells its own story and I just cannot recommend it enough, just have a listen.

Amy

 

 

3 Fake Tanning Lessons

Every summer I attempt fake tan. I’ve been trying it for years and I’ve never been confident with it. Due to my general inexperience and inability to do beauty ‘stuff’ well- I feel like it’s impressive to be as bad, yet enthusiastic, as I am! I tend to go for a tinted body moisturiser that will gradually develop a tan with each application. This year I thought I’d give a ‘proper’ tan a try… and lets just say I LEARNT SOME STUFF. That stuff is what I’ll be sharing today, so that you might be able to save yourself from the embarrassment of being tangoed.

RESEARCH: The fake tanning world, it’s a mess. I feel like I was FOOLED by pretty instagram posts and ‘online influencer’ reviews. I went for Isle of Paradise and I was left MAJORLY disappointed, I have contacted their customer services twice but with no response. Anyway I think that doing yourself some proper research is a great idea. Look at numerous reviews, tutorials on YouTube and discuss with your fake tanning friends to see what their favourite products are! The more information you have, the better informed you can be to get yourself a great product… that won’t leave you the same shade as Tangy Cheese Doritos.

Exfoliate: Oh exfoliation is KEY. It’s probably the golden rule in terms of fake tanning as it will allow you to create an even tan and will help it to come off in a natural way. I really like this one from Sanctuary Spa, but Soap and Glory is another good brand to check out! It will just help rid any dead skin, making your skin silky smooth and ready to be bronzed up. I think I’ll try and keep up with the exfoliation into the winter months, especially as its a nice extra step in my shower routine. I love a good exfoliation followed by some moisturiser to make me feel v fancy.

Make sure the BASE is READY: This is one step that I really should have listened to myself. I basically fake tanned on top of my peeling skin- always wear suncream. Incase you were wondering, the fake tan just clings to the peeling skin, creating a line around the new skin- which remains pale. Turns out that is not a good look. Another good way to make sure your base skin is ready is to moisturise areas where tan builds up. This tends to be areas like the wrists, elbows, ankles and sometimes the knees… It’s all a learning experience!

Amy

3 Recent Beauty Buys

Today I just wanted to go straight in and show you a few of the recent beauty purchases that I’ve made. I have bought a couple of new things recently but instead of doing a larger haul I thought I would just take the time to share 3 of the ones that I’m most excited about!

Glossier Bubblewrap, £23.00: I love Glossier as a brand and I’m always interested in their new releases, but I can’t always commit to buying them straight away due to the price! I felt like now was a good time to treat myself and my lips have been super dry recently. It says its an ‘eye and lip plumping cream’… which seems like a weird hybrid, I know! I mainly bought this for the ‘lip’ side of things but I will probably have a little experiment with the eye cream side of things. I think it will be something different and I will probably use it as the final step of my nighttime skincare routine, almost like a night lip repair.

Glossier Balm Dotcom in Rose, £10.00: That really annoying thing happened where I had to spend £7 more to get free delivery so I was really suckered into buying this! I really want to love these but when I tried them a couple of years ago I found they started to smell funny and they changed consistency really fast. The rose one is my favourite out of the 3 I’ve tried, although I did consider trying the cherry and mango ones!

OGX Quenching Coconut Curls Shampoo, £6.99: This was actually on sale when I picked this up in Boots for £4.66 which I thought was a pretty good price! I’ve dabbled in OGX before but never purchased a full size product, so I wanted to give them a go. I don’t usually go for a ‘curly’ shampoo because I find they can make my roots a little greasy but I’m looking forward to seeing how this one matches up to the others I’ve tried. The brand in general has lots of options and I think I’m going to pick up another type whilst they’re on offer- as they didn’t have it in stock before. The packaging is lovely and I’m looking forward to giving some new haircare a try!

Amy

Summer 3 Product Face

I love a good ‘3 product face’ post because honestly thats what I’m all about when it comes to beauty right now. I don’t want to have to endure 10-steps just to do my eyebrows which also means waking up earlier in the morning… that is not really what I am looking for. I would rather have 3 products that I can rely on to give me that summer glow in mere seconds and help me feel put-together for the day. That is basically what I’m planning sharing with you today- these are the staples that I use- but using your own versions of these products is a great way to create a no-make-up make-up look perfect for summer days!

Collection Lasting Perfection CONCEALER, £4.19: A fuller coverage concealer, that blends well, is key for creating a one-stop base for the summer. I basically just put this over any blemishes and give it a good blend and that’s all I do to achieve a base for any further products. I trust that this product will conceal the blemish for the day and it won’t go cakey or slide off immediately. There are a lot of options in terms of a lighter base like the alphabet creams or a tinted moisturiser but a little bit of this can be just as effective, especially if you have acne in specific areas like me- a bit on the chin and I feel good to go!

Physicians Formula Butter BRONZER, $15.00: Bronzer has got to be a key product when it comes to summer, I barely use it throughout the winter! I just love it to feel all summery and glowy when the  warmer months come around. There aren’t too many in the drugstore that I have tried, but there are lots to choose from. My preferences when it comes to bronzer is a slight sheen, not sparkly not matte, and it has to be a good shade for pale skin- not too grey or orange! I feel like this kind of ticks those boxes, I would like a little more shimmer but it’s such a fine line!

Pinky-toned HIGHLIGHTER- ‘Twinkle’ in Benefits Cheekleader Palette (£26.00) OR the discontinued Tanya Burr Cosmetics Illuminating Powder in Peonies Please (£7.99): So not the catchiest intro for this one BUT I love a pinky-toned blush highlighter hybrid. These are the two that I have found and loved using, so they are the only ones I can recommend! I just think this is SO summer. Once you’ve concealed and bronzed it up then going in with a highlighter is the perfect way to finish off the look. I go under the eyebrows and above the cheekbone really, but just go crazy if you want! The pink-tone works for me because I am naturally very pinky, but don’t be scared of it- it can really give a healthy glow even if it looks a little bright in the pan!

Amy

3 Favourite Summer Nail Polishes

Summer is a GREAT time to treat yourself to a mani-pedi. If you’re looking at your nail polish stash and feeling a bit uninspired then let me be of assistance! I wanted to share 3 of my favourite summer nail polishes- including a top coat that will CHANGE your nail painting game. I’ve gone with a couple of classic summer shades that I think are some of the best out there in terms of formula and durability!

Rimmel London 60 Seconds Super Shine Nail Polish in ‘Lovey Dovey’, £2.99: It’s been a while since I’ve tried a new nail brand but its a colour that I couldn’t find with my usual brands. It’s a lovely true purple. I’ve found it difficult to find a real purple, they can usually be too berry, lilac or blue. This colour goes perfectly with the Purple Potion ears at Disney- if you LOVE Disney too definitely check out my DLP posts! I wore this nail colour the entire trip and it wore really well- about 5 days in total. I was really impressed, especially for a great price, and I have already tried more from this collection!

Nails Inc London Kensington Cavier Gel Top Coat, £15.00: I would actually recommend checking Amazon for this one as when I re-purchased it I found it was discounted to £12! Yes, I actually RE-PURCHASED a nail polish. I feel like that is quite rare, especially with a top coat as usually I would just pick a new one up when I needed it. This is different though and I LOVE it, it’s by far the best top coat I’ve found. It is super forgiving, it evens out messy nails and gives the glossiest and most-professional looking finish. I have had a few people think that I have paid for shellac and I’m sure that is all down to this gorgeous polish! I have been used my first one since Christmas and I am only just having to re-purchase which I think is pretty impressive considering the amount I am using it. It’s obviously pricer than most of my nail options but if you are serious about wanting professional looking manicures from home then I would consider this a must-have.

Maybelline 7 Day Superstay Gel Nail Polish in ‘Magenta Surge’, £4.49: This is a real summer shade and one that I reach for as soon as the sun is out. It’s a bright pinky coral shade and is basically on my toes from June- August. I really like this formula from Maybelline but I do feel like the shade range is a little limited. This specific shade is a good one though and paired up with the Nails Inc top coat, has real staying power.

Amy

Travel Make-up Bag 2019

Summer holidays are almost here and whether you are jet setting abroad, living the Disney dream or having a cosy stay-cation, then I got your travel make-up bag covered! This is basically all the make-up that I’ll be taking with me on my summer holiday this year- I’ve tried to keep it minimal but also given myself room to create different looks. There are some noticeable things that I leave out such as eyeshadow palettes, fancy lipsticks or mascara, just because I don’t often wear these in real life (sometimes mascara I do!) so I don’t see the point in taking them with me. For summer I love to keep things really light and easy on the face, just due to sweat issues and sunburn- can’t wait for Christmas haha… anyway, enjoy!

BASE:

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair, £4.19: Shall I say anymore? My go-to concealer that is pretty heavy coverage and good for covering blemishes and redness. It doesn’t go cakey and blends well, but I don’t use it under my eyes so cannot really recommend it for that. Great price, re-purchase it regularly and it hasn’t let me down yet.

Bare Minerals BareSkin Perfecting Veil in Light/Medium, £23.00: I haven’t really spoken about this much on here yet but its a product that I am enjoying trying since I bought it around a month ago. It is a slightly fuller coverage setting powder that works well with my concealer to create a lighter base for summer. I haven’t completely trialled it in warm weather yet so I can’t say how much it works in terms of preventing shine and excess oil but so far using it at home I’ve felt like it calms the redness and evens skin tone. I love Bare Minerals and it’s always exciting to try more of their products!

CHEEKS:

Benefit Cheekleader Pink Squad Palette, £26.00: Last week I shared a full review here about this lovely new purchase of mine, so give that read if you want some more details! I find this PERFECT for summer travel because it is compact, has a mirror and has a good mixture of shades that means you can create different looks constantly. If you want something light for the daytime then a little bit of Dandelion blush is good, then go in slightly heavier with the Galifornia shade for the evening. I think that ‘Twinkle’ is an exclusive to this palette so its nice to have that pinky-highlighter option that gives you a lovely summer, healthy glow.

Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer in Light, $15: I always feel like this seems very random just having an American product in here! I used my Seventeen bronzer for YEARS, sadly it was time to move on. This is quite different as it is all one shade, a light brown but isn’t too orange. It has a LOVELY summery scent to it and I just lightly dust it all over my face, mainly the top of the forehead into the hairline, to give myself a bronze boost. I’m really enjoying using it so far!

Glossier Haloscope Highlighter in Quartz, £18.00: Alright, I know I’ve talked about this one a LOT. Sorry not sorry! I have written more about this classic product in my My ULTIMATE Favourite Highlighter post, so you can read a more detailed review there. To summarise, this gives a natural healthy glow in one easy step, and I use my fingers to blend it, so it is perfect for summer holidays!

OTHER:

Glossier Boy Brow in Clear, £14.00: This is a staple for me that I have been using for a quite a while now and have talked about on here a lot. It’s a really good one for the heat because it keeps your eyebrows in place instead of going all over the place. It’s also super small and a compact product that is easy to travel with.

Real Techniques Make-up Brushes: It’s been a while since I’ve talked about make-up brushes on here but that’s because my Real Technique ones are still going strong! I’m obviously not taking all of these, but any excuse to show you my Kim K mug- I love it! The ones I’m taking are the Powder Brush, Blush Brush, Setting Brush and Buffing Brush- these are very versatile brushes and can be used for different products from powder to liquid. I love the way these buff the make-up into the skin and they’ve really maintained their softness and shape after years of use!

Lip Balm: Now I’ve gone very non-brand specific here because I don’t currently have a favourite lip balm. I’ve always enjoyed the Nivea Essentials range but according to the reviews on Boots, they have gone dramatically downhill since they were re-formulated. This has caused me to try Carmex, which makes your lips tingle like crazy! I don’t like the scent- I picked up original but it seems very minty, is that normal? A lip balm is key for me during the summer but I don’t have a good one to recommend and I’ll probably end up taking my old Nivea one with me. If you have any recommendations for a drugstore trusty lip balm, preferably with no colour but with SPF in, then please leave them below!

Amy

Benefit Cheekleader Palette

Today I wanted to share a review of my favourite new make-up product, its full name is: Benefit’s Cheekleader Mini Pink Squad Palette, £26.00.

It’s only been part of my beauty collection for about a month and its already featured in a monthly favourites… so I feel like that is a little spoiler into how much I have been LOVING it. This is a great product if you want to try some Benefit blushes without having to commit to buying them individually because they are £26.00 for one individual full size one! I really feel like getting 3 slightly smaller ones, and they’re not exactly a mini, is a GREAT deal especially for the price.

Benefit’s powder products can really be trusted, they last a long time and they are just the right amount of pigmented. In the palette you can see there is Galifornia which is a rose-gold, coral blush that is really brightening. In the middle you’ve got Twinkle which is an exclusive shade to this palette and is a lovely highlighter, with a pink sheen. Then last, but definitely not least, is one of my favourite products EVER the Dandelion blush… which I have already discussed A LOT on my blog. It’s a lovely baby pink blush that brightens your cheeks and has a sheen to it, that gives you that healthy inner-glow! You can pick and choose what powder you want to use and where, I love the different looks you can make with this palette depending on what you fancy!

Right so to summarise, I love this product because: I LOVE pink blush, its perfect for travelling, it has a mirror, its a good way of trying new products, its diverse AND its great for giving yourself that summer glow.

Amy

 

June Favourites 2019

WE ARE HALFWAY TO CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Does anyone else see June as the halfway to Christmas mark, or just me? June has been a pretty special month for me as I got to visit Disneyland Paris and just had THE most magical time EVER. I cannot explain… but I will be trying to throughout a few blog posts coming your way in July! June hasn’t actually felt that summery yet back home, but I’m hoping that the weather will pick up from now! Here’s a couple of my favourite things from June- enjoy!

Benefit’s Cheekleader Pink Squad Palette, £26.00: I recently featured this in my 3 Recent Beauty Buys, so I know its a little soon to be putting this in my favourites. BUT, I have been using this SOOOO much since I bought it. Some days I’ve just lightly glowed up with the ‘Twinkle’ shade, which is exclusive to the palette. I will probably write a review on this product, because I think its a great way to try new Benefit products in a cost effective way but also is PERFECT from travelling this summer. It also includes one of my long-term favourite products the Dandelion blush!

Rimmel 60 Seconds Super Shine Nail Polish in ‘Lovey Dovey’, £2.99: This is a real, true purple. I have been looking specifically for this shade for a while and after exhausting my usual brands I decided to give Rimmel’s nail polish a try! I really wanted this shade for my trip to Disneyland Paris, as it matches my Purple Potion eats perfectly, and it lasted the WHOLE trip. It looked like a professional manicure and I was really, really impressed with the durability and quality especially considering the price.

Aladdin: I have enjoyed EVERY aspect of the new live-action Aladdin this month. I really, REALLY enjoyed the film and I thought it was hilarious. I’ve always loved the live-action films because I feel like they just make it feel very current and modern. Don’t get me wrong, the originals are PERFECT but I kind of see them as separate entities. I have been playing the soundtrack of the new movie constantly throughout June. I really love the new version of ‘Friend Like Me’ and ‘Prince Ali’, the brand new song ‘Speechless’ is just incredible too. Special shoutout to Zayn’s version of ‘A Whole New World’ on there too- it’s gorgeous. One Direction and Disney- it’s almost too much for me to handle.

Jane the Virgin: June brought with it lots more free time and with the rainy weather I have been LOVING indulging in a good Netflix binge- Jane is PERFECT for this! I am already on season 3 and I cannot believe it finishes for good in July. I have really, really enjoyed the show and its perfect for someone who enjoys a light hearted, funny show that highlights themes of intergenerational families and romantic relationships. I am SO in love with this show and time completely flies when I watch this- definitely watch this, if you haven’t already!

Amy