April Favourites

Sorry I'm a bit late on this one. I'm now in my final two weeks of uni ever so it's interview and essay central, busy busy busy! Anyway, most of this month's favourites are goodies from my #NottsBBMeet goody bag because I've been playing with them all and trying them out.

Neal & Wolf Daily Cleansing Shampoo- Neal & Wolf are not a brand I had heard of actually but I have been loving how soft and healthy this has made my hair feel. Also, because it's cleansing I find I can leave my hair unwashed for an extra day and it gets a lot less greasy so I'm very impressed! Available on the Neal & Wolf website for £10.95.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser- If you've read my Battle of the Cleansers part 2 post you'll know how much I rave about this luxurious feeling cleanser. Starter Kit available for £14.95.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic- I have only just started using toner and this is one i'm enjoying, it does freshen and brighten my skin and makes it feel super clean after cleansing. Available here for £13.25.

Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser- I think I have found the perfect moisturiser, I love this because I hate heavy- feeling moisturisers that take a while to sink in. This absorbs instantly and feels like I'm wearing nothing at all but still stops my skin from getting sore and dry. Available here for only £3.79.

Keihl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream- Now I'm new onto the BB cream market but I've been loving using this! It gives great coverage and when I remove my make up I can see that it has actually done my skin good- smaller pores, more even skin-tone. It doesn't smell great but that quickly fades, full review coming soon. Available here for £23.50.

W7 Lashtastic False Liquid Lashes Mascara- I wasn't expecting much from this mascara but I was very impressed! The plastic brush is great for lengthening and separating lashes and the formula is long lasting. Unfortunately, after about a week it started to clump but for the price it is still pretty amazing! Available here for only £1.50. 

Sigma mini Blending brush E25- After wanting a blending brush for ages, this is brilliant and so soft. Full Size available here for £13.99

Sigma mini Eyeliner brush E05- This has literally changed the way I do eyeliner, no more thick lines. This helps me apply a really thin line perfectly. Full Size available here for £13.95.

MUA Undressed Eyeshadow palette- I'm late on the bandwagon for this but I have a new found love for neutrals. There are so many looks I can do with this palette and I'm loving experimenting! Available here for only £4.00..

I still can't believe I was lucky enough to try lots of these things for free!

What have you been loving in April?

Birthday Round Up

 So last week I turned 22 and spent all week celebrating! The night before my best friend came down to visit me at uni and we spent the day shopping in Nottingham in the sunshine, it was lovely.

Breakfast at Patisserie Valerie

Lunch outside at Pret

She spoilt me and bought me the strawberry pandora charm, Thanks Leanne :)

Then a couple of days later another friend came up to visit (Ivy from misadventures of a 22 year old) and I went on my 'S' themed night out with my uni friends!

I was Superwoman!

Me and my sailor friend!

Collectively we had Snow White, Superwoman, Sully from Monsters Inc, a soldier, a scientist, a superhero and a sailor. We also had a scouser (not pictured).

I had an amazing night with everyone and my housemates were lovely enough to buy me another pandora charm! The mouse in the teacup.

Then Ivy drove us both home and I spent the weekend with family which was lovely.

New Car presents from Mum and Dad! Olly Murs CD, Atlas, emergency chocolate and air-freshener.

Got money from my Grandma and bought my Benefit Perfume

Then on Saturday we went to Southport for posh afternoon tea.

Saturday's OOTD, Primark dress bought on my actual birthday!

Traditional Afternoon Tea

The Best Bit- The cake plate! I actually ate most of both plates, loved the Macaroons and Mini Cheesecake.

After the weekend, I took Mum to pick up her new car and drove back in her old car/ my new mini! Overall I had an amazing birthday, thanks to everyone who made it special.

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday as I get ready for my birthday night out after a visit from my best friend and lots of cake and fun times, I have lots to be thankful for.

Friends

Family

Birthday presents and cards

Custard slices

The sunshine

Battle of the Cleansers Part 2

Sorry It's been so long since Battle of the Cleansers: Part 1 but I'm finally here with part 2, 3 more cleansers took a while to test!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser-

Claims: 'A rich, concentrated cream that gently removes daily grime and make up, even stubborn mascara, to leave skin clear, smooth and exceptionally clean. Used with the pure muslin cloth it lifts away dead skin cells, revealing fresh, radiant skin.'

Smell: herby! It has eucalyptus, rosemary and chamomile but I smell tea tree and some lavender, either way I like it more than I thought.

Use: so luxurious! The thick cream feels like it'd doing my skin good and massages make up off well. The whole use feel superior to other to other cheaper cleansers. I find that the muslin cloth actually gets less mucky, it rinses well as if the cleanser is melting the make up away. Skin left feeling soft and clean after using the Instant Boost Skin Tonic too.

Price: £8.50- £26.25 from lizearle.com for variety of sizes and starter packs with muslin cloths.

Overall: 9/10

Perk: Starter pack comes with muslin cloths which are a nice texture and work to exfoliate the skin so no face scrub needed!

Thanks to Liz Earle for the cleanser, I received this in my #NottsBBMeet goody bag.

Soap&Glory Peaches and Clean 4-in-1 Wash Off Deep Cleansing Milk-

Claims: 'Special clogged T-zone formula, skin soothing peach extract, jojaba oil skin softener, Detoxyboost to help purify and deep clean and Poreshrink  for fresher, clearer, brighter complextion'

Smell: It reminded me of toilet air freshener, It wasn't unpleasant but a false peach smell.

Use: Pretty good, I liked using this. It removed make up well and spread well as it was a runny 'milk' consistency. I wouldn't say it 'melted' make up away as the muslin cloth was left pretty filthy, although it did remove it. I can't say I felt any benefits in terms of breaking out and still ended up using a separate face scrub. Unfortunately, this wasn't brilliant for use on the eyes as it did make them sting occasionally, but it was bearable. This did leave my skin feeling really soft though, maybe even softer than Liz Earle Cleanse &Polish.

Price: £7.00 from Soap & Glory

Overall: 7/10
Packaging: The pump on my bottle broke so I've had to waste the last of the product because I can no longer use it conveniently.

Body Shop Cucumber cleansing milk-

Claims: 'feel as good as a cucumber with a cleanser hat refreshes and lightly moisturises.'

Smell: I quite like the smell of cucumber, It's fresh and doesn't linger.

Use: Again, my skin felt clean and soft after using this. The milky texture was easy to use to remove make up, it stung a little on the eyes but was bearable. A simple product that works as a cleanser and does what it claims, good value for money too.

Price: Not available anymore but Body shop cleansers available here from £3-£10. I got this in the January sales for £2!

Overall: 8/10

So my clear favourite is the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish for it's gentle-ness and the luxury of using it. However, there are lots of cheaper alternatives that are good value.

What's your favourite cleanser?

Happy Birthday to me :)

Today is my 22nd Birthday so no review/post today! Birthday recap/ haul coming next week as I'm not heading home to celebrate with my family until the weekend. Today I'm shopping with my best friend who's come to stay. Hope everyone has a lovely day :)

Manicure Monday: Topshop Peel Off Polish

I picked this up at the #NottsBBMeet in the shade 'on the blink'. I was intrigued to try it as sometimes when I pick my nail varnish off it leaves my nails damaged underneath and I hoped this wouldn't. I've actually found  that models own polish with a base and top coat peels off pretty easily but still leaves damage.

after one coat

after second coat

When applying it, it needed two coats but was quite easy to apply and left a gel like finish which didn't need a top coat.

I was worried that it would peel off when I didn't want it to but that wasn't an issue, it lasted like any other polish.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It wasn't actually that easy to peel off and left my nails looking very dry and damaged. This wasn't the base coat, it was my nails!

look at the damage to my nails!

once removed, my nails were sore and really dry.

I used nail varnish remover to remove it from the other hand and you can see that they were left in much better condition! It was pretty difficult to remove though.

I might try and use this again without a base coat, but so far I'm unimpressed! It's a shame because I like the colour.

Have you tried 'peel off polish'?

Review: Make Believe enhance luminize skin highlighter

I got this highlighter from the giveaway I won (see here) and I think it is actually my first highlighter!It's a 'celestial pink' colour, similar to a champagne colour.

At first I thought it was a powder highlighter, which I think I would prefer. It's actually a cream highlighter so I find I have to use my finger instead of a brush. I find applying it hard actually as I find it doesn't glide well onto the cheeks. 

It's a shame because it actually leaves a really nice finish and has a goldy shimmer to it. Wearing this, I have enjoyed wearing highlighter but personally would prefer to try a powder (I have my eye on Nars Albatross).

Make Believe enhance luminize skin highlighter is available from Boots for £6.89.

Have you tried any Make Believe products (I have a bronzer review coming soon)?

Birthday Wishlist

I hadn't actually thought about doing a birthday wishlist until now because I haven't had the usual problem of people asking me what I want and me not knowing! This is because I have asked for money this year so I'll be able to make the decision on what to spend it on myself!
You'll notice I don't have any make up or skincare products because I still have so much to play with from the goody bag at the #NottsBBMeet that I really shouldn't be buying any for a while!

Ted Baker orchid ipad mini case: You'll see a theme here! I love the Ted Baker orchid print a lot!

ipad mini: I've been wanting one of these to play with for a while. I just love apple and want a mini to read books on too!

Ted Baker Orchid Purse: I've had my eye on Ted Baker purses for a while and again, I love this print!

Disney Wonder Linen Spray: I have a dumbo teddy that is scented with this and I love it, I'd love the linen spray to fill my room with the lovely smell.

Ted Baker Orchid iPhone case: yes maybe I'm a little obsessed! But you want your apple products to match! Unfortunately this is for the iphone 5 and I have a 4S *sobs*

Pandora heart safety chain: They have just bought this out and it's actually the only safety chain I like.

Pandora bird cage charm: I love this because it's two tone and I have a few charms like that. I love the new fairytale charms.

Pandora frog prince charm: How cute is he? He's two tone too which I love.

Benefit So Hooked On Carmella perfume: I had this on my last birthday and ran out last week, I'm really missing it!

Of course, I am not expecting any of the things on my wishlist as I have asked for money. I also might not actually buy anything with the money as I have lots to save for, but it's nice to dream!

What's on your wishlist?

Facemask Friday: Good Things 5 minute facial mask

I'm starting another series, Facemask Friday. I got the idea from Lisette but thought I'd try some new bought facemasks or samples that I have.

This week I tried 'Good Things', they are a brand I haven't tried before and I have three of their products:

I got the Total Wipe Out Cleansing Wipes in my #NottsBBMeet goodie bag and used them before my face mask today. I also purchased the Five Minute Facial Mask and the Stop That Spot! Clearing gel myself on the day of the #NottsBBMeet.

I used the spot clearing gel after the face mask today and have been using it every night.I will review this in full soon but so far I'm loving it! 

First of all, something I have to say about Good Things as a brand is that the packaging is beautiful and they all smell amazing! I'm funny with smells and love anything fruity, the spot clearing gel is my favourite out of the three, Acai berry and Papaya smells yummy!

On to the mask, I'd been looking for a mask in a tube for a while as I knew it would be cheaper in the long run. This one appealed to me as I love avacodos and the fruity smell sounded nice for a clay based mask.

On application, I found it very easy and a lot less messy using the tube as apposed to a sachet mask. I found I could apply it thinner because I wasn't worried about waste. As soon as I put the mask on it felt tingly, I like this as I feel it's working! 

As it started to dry up it got tighter on my face, another feature that I like! I found that even with a thin layer I felt the benefit of the mask, as this mask is intended to be used for five minutes I can see why it dried up quicker than expected, as apposed to a 15 minute mask.

The mask continued to tingle on my skin. As I took it off with warm water I used it as a face wash using my fingers in circular motions, before removing it with a muslin cloth. My skin was quite red and sore afterwards, this is probably because I have sensitive skin, I applied moisturiser afterwards to sooth it. As the mask is probably quite strong I wouldn't use it for more than five minutes but that makes it convenient when I haven't got a lot of time.

I want to give this another go when I haven't used a mask in a while and maybe my skin won't be so sensitive.

Pros:

-love the smell

-quick to use

-easy application

-it will last as only a thin layer is needed

-easy removal with hot water

Cons:

-not great for sensitive skin

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

Homemade Jaffa Cakes

New goodies to try from the #NottsBBMeet

Getting invited to a teaching interview

The sun shining

friends

What are you thankful for this Thursday:?

Review: Lush Buffy Body Butter

At the Lush Nottingham Bloggers Event I picked up a Buffy body butter after hearing about all the body butters and how they had exfoliating properties. I decided on Buffy as it was a mild exfolient so I thought it would be better for my sensitive skin.

Picture from Lush.co.uk as I'm a bad blogger who didn't photograph it before I used it!

The interesting thing about Lush body butters is you use them in the shower and the hot water helps to melt them so they can easily be spread around the body. I liked the idea of this as applying body butter after a shower can be quite time consuming and then you have to wait to get past that 'sticky' stage.

what the bar looks like after two uses

Using the bar was super easy as the hot water made it the perfect  consistency to massage it into the skin with the little bits of ground rice, almonds and aduki beans to exfolient. It wasn't a harsh sensation as an oily rich feeling was left on the skin when the bits were washed away, similar to that of the Soap and Glory scrubs I've tried but more luxurious and rich!

When I got out of the shower, I dried myself as normal but it took a little a longer due to the moisture in my skin.but when it was dry my skin was lovely and soft and didn't have the usual sore, dry, itchy skin that I seem to get from the water in my uni house!

This is a super easy way to moisturise and means that I don't have to always spend a while using products after my shower. This also combines using a scrub and a body lotion or butter. As far as the smell, It's pretty natural and neutral. I don't love it but it doesn't linger on the skin through the day so it's definitely not a problem.

Lush body butters are available from the Lush website and range from £5.25- £10.25 for 200g. There is also different levels of exfolients in each one so where you want a 'proper polish' or just the benefits of shea and cocoa butter, there is something for everyone!