MAY FAVOURITES

Lets start with the cliché - I'm finding it hard enough to believe that May ever existed, so I haven't quite got my head around how it can possibly be June already but alas, it has come so lets get on with it and enjoy the Summer months. I wanted to do something a little different this month as I didn't really have many beauty items that were standing out to me like normal and I liked doing a more lifestyle type post previously (here), so I thought I'd make this a little more life chatty. So, here are some of the things that I found myself loving throughout May. 

1. Sister Time - Now that I don't live with my sister, Hannah anymore I really miss her, so it's great when we get to spend some time together. We also often work different days but luckily throughout May she had a lot of weekends off which meant that we got to spend more time together which was really nice. We did the usual, shopping, sleep overs, watched films and ate bad stuff. You can read about what we got up to one weekend 'here'.
2. Grand parents time - There doesn't seem to be a weekend that goes by that my boyfriend, Jamie and I don't spend time with at least one of our grand parents. I love spending time with them and hearing their stories, either of how life used to be or just funny little things that have gone on that week. They do so much for us so I love just spending time with them and enjoying their company, especially as you can just tell how happy it makes them, which is so amazing to see. 
3. Game of Thrones - Jamie and I were very late to the party and Hannah was even later; I've only just got her into them and I think she's only just on season 2. Jamie and I started watching them around Easter time so we just about caught up before Season 5 started. It's something that I look forward to every week. When I re-watched the first season with Hannah recently I still really liked it and the last couple of weeks have been especially good and I love when you get stuck into a series like that. 
4. Curly Hair - I had my hair cut really short, to my jaw line back in October and although I did really like it, it wasn't really me and I didn't always feel myself with it. It's now grown to just touch my shoulders and I'm feeling much more myself and more pretty and girly. I've been adding curls to it with my ghd's quite often lately and I really like it. It's quick to do, just curling random sections and adds a good amount of volume to the hair.  
5. Check Shirts - I used to dress up a lot all of the time just to do simply things, like go shopping, but lately I've been loving dressing a little more relaxed and casual. I've been loving checked shirts as they're so easy, casual and comfy but also a little stylish in their own way. They have been useful this time of year when you want something cool if the weather is warmer, but still covered a little as it's just too soon/too chilly to be flashing elbows and shoulders all at once!
6. Tanya Burr Nail polish - I first bought Tanya Burr nail polishes last year and really loved them then. I loved the shade Bright and Early and it's one of my favourite all time colours; it's a bright pink/coral shade. I've really been loving Mischief Managed, New York Night and Peaches and Cream. It was the only nail polish brand I used in May. They last really well, a lot better than other nail polishes that I've tried and I just love the shades and textures.   

Hope you all had a great month and I hope June's another good month!

MARCH FAVOURITES

March has been a pretty exciting month for me as I started my new job and it also marked my 6 year anniversary with my boyfriend. Even so,I'm quite glad March is over now as I couldn't be more ready for the weather to start getting warmer, although ironically as I type this, I've just got in from nearly being blown away by the crazy wind. 

The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter

I've had this cleansing butter for a while now and use it now and again, mostly when my skin is feeling like it needs a bit more nourishment when removing my make up. The next morning my skin felt so much better and this was the only product that I'd changed in my routine. I still don't use it everyday but I have been using it a lot this month. 

L'oreal True Match Foundation 

There is nothing that I don't like about this foundation. It applies well, it's the right amount of medium coverage to still look natural but flawless, it lasts really well throughout the day and you don't need much of it at all.  The shade is still slightly dark for me and it's N2 and I don't exactly have pale skin, so I'm not sure how it works for those with really fair skin but I know there are a lot of shades. 

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer

I had high expectations for this concealer as I had heard a lot of good things about it yet when I first tried it, it didn't wow me. I liked it but it didn't seem anything special. I carried on using it here and there and on one of those days when I looked in the mirror, I thought how well concealed and brightened my under eyes looked. I'm thinking of doing a separate post about this concealer so I wont say too much now! 

Clarins Hydra Quench Intensive Serum

I got this a while ago as a free gift with some other Clarins purchases and was excited to use it, I just hadn't got round to trying it for one reason or another. Since starting my new job I've found a use for it in my routine. I now work in an office, which for the first couple of weeks had the heating cranked up, which  left my skin feeling very dehydrated. I've gone from being freezing cold in my old job, to overly hot, but thankfully I think that's sorted now. I loved the Clarins serum as it's really lightweight but feels so hydrating on the skin. It's perfect for people with normal and oily skin types, like myself who need the hydration but don't want the heavy feel. Although I loved it, Clarin's serums are expensive, so I'm not sure I want to purchase the full size just yet. 

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara

I've been using this mascara everyday for the last month maybe and have really enjoyed using it. I particularly love the brush as it's big enough to catch all the lashes easily, yet not too big that you can't control it and it ends up going everywhere. It builds up length and volume pretty quickly too. It does definitely work better with the Subversion primer, but it's still more than good enough for everyday wear alone. It's supposed to contain ultra black pigments, which really do show. When I use the mascara my lashes look so dark, which I really like as I feel like it makes my eyes look more awake and defined. It lasts all day and I've never had a problem with smudging and it also removes easily when I use a cleanser. I would probably repurchase this mascara! 

Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil 

If you've read my 'Everyday Make up' post you'll have seen this eye liner mentioned. I don't normally wear pencil liner and prefer to line my upper lash line with gel liner, yet since toning down my make up, as I mentioned in my 'Everyday Make up' post, I've been really liking using this eye liner and smudging it out across my upper lash line as it's really quick and easy. I can't use this eye liner on my water line as it makes my eyes water, but it's great anywhere else. 

Barry M Olive Nail Paint 

I think I bought this last year and never got around to using it as the green tone slightly scares me on the nails. I finally applied it last week and I really love it. It's a lovely shade, perfect for this time of year, as it's not quite a spring pastel shade, but a kind of just before the spring nails shade... if that makes any sense at all?! I like it because it's a really unique shade and moreover, it lasted on my nails amazingly well, in comparison to my normal nail varnishes. 

L'oreal Eva's Nude

Recently I've been reaching for this lipstick a lot as it's a really pretty and easy to wear nude shade. I like it as I often forget to put anything on my lips, so just having this in my bag is handy as it instantly completes the look and perks up your make up look, yet still looks really pretty and natural. 

There we have another bunch of favourites, all of which I think I'll be enjoying for a long time. 

What products have you been loving this month?

FEBRUARY FAVOURITES

It's about time that I wrote a favourites post; I often feel like there isn't any products that I haven't already spoke about or any that I have particularly liked that month also I haven't bought many new products (until now), so there isn't anything new and exciting to share.

As February was passing by I was noticing that I was particularly liking some of the products  that I was using and I had enough to mention. 

First, my mum bought me The Body Shop Glazed Apple body scrub and body butter for Christmas and I just started using them around the beginning of February. Unfortunately they were a Christmas fragrance, so no longer available but all of The Body Shop scents are amazing anyway! I love the smell of these, I think it's a bit more on the melon smelling side than apple but still just as good. The body butter feels so hydrating and the scrub is just the right consistency to use regularly. The smell of both definitely lingers on the skin and in the room which you apply the products. 

Two products that I rediscovered in February were the MUA Undress  palette and the Revlon Photo ready foundation. I've had the MUA palette for a while now and used to use it all of the time but then it kind of got kicked to the side when I started using MAC and Make up Geek shadows more. I forgot how much I loved the colours in the palette as it's so everyday appropriate and for the price it is pretty darn good! 

My sister gave me the Revlon Photo ready foundation as she hated it. I started using it as I knew it was one of the lighter coloured foundations that I own and as I've been ditching fake tan recently, I needed my light shades! I find that it applies really well, lasts a good amount of time on the skin and doesn't feel heavy or cakey. It's a light medium coverage and pretty lightweight, it gives a natural, to slightly dewy/radiant finish. 

I spoke about the Hoola bronzer by Benefit in my 2014 favourites, as I really like it for contouring. It stayed as my go to contouring product throughout February and I really enjoyed using it. I've just found another product that may have replaced it though, so keep your eyes peeled to find out what that is soon! 

I've had the Make up Geek Immortal black gel liner for quite some time now but I don't religiously use black liner. It's an amazing gel liner when I do use it, but It's not always in my routine. In February however, I noticed how much I enjoy using it and how I prefer my eyes when I do use it. I've been loving using it to create a nice winged out look, by also blended black eye shadow into the liner to make it more of a smoky line, instead of a stark black line. I've included the Sigma E05 as it's my favourite brush to apply the gel liner with, as it makes eye liner really easy to apply. 

February was a pretty good month, that seemed to just fly by. I'm excited and also a little apprensive about March, as I have something new happening which I will probably mention in one of my next posts. I hope you all had a great February and have a happy March!

What products have you been loving?

FAVOURITE BODY PRODUCTS OF 2014

Looking back over the selection of products that I have chosen, they do seem pretty random but they are the products that most stood out to me and the ones that I most enjoyed using in 2014. Most of these products were also discovered in 2014 - I think! 

Laura Mercier ambre vanille 

I first discovered how amazing the ambre vanille range smelt when my sister and I went to London to see Taylor Swift. We stopped off in Covent Garden to do some shopping and obviously found our way to Space NK. I sprayed the ambre vanille fragrance on my wrist and for the rest of the day I was sniffing my wrist non stop, like some crazed addict. It's such a gorgeous and unique scent. My mum and sister kindly bought me the fragrance and body cream as graduation presents. The only issue is I use the body cream so sparingly as it's so ridiculously expensive, but then I don't want it to just go off, so I better start slapping it on! 

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream

I didn't think something so simple as a hand cream could be so luxurious. I've tried using cheaper hand creams, as lets face it, it's just hand cream. The Clarins cream leaves your hands so much softer and hydrated and also helps to keep your nail bed area from getting dry. As an added bonus, it has that classic Clarins scent to it. 

Xen Tan Moroccan oil 

I've had a bit of a love/hate relationship with all fake tan products; even the most hyped about products do not seem to work for me. I often apply the darkest shades, spend the next 8 + hours looking and smelling like 'biscuit girl,' as my dear boyfriend likes to call me. I then wash it off and have a slight golden glow to show for my hours of trying to achieve a dark tan. The Xen Tan Moroccan oil is definitely one of my favourites to use, as it gives the best colour, lasts well and I feel that the moroccan oil element to it really helps the skin, as a lot of fake tans can be quite drying. I also loved the Lauren's Way Rapid tan, for it's obvious speed, but like I said, the Xen Tan wins for me as it gave the best results overall. 

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub

The Sugar Crush range has an absolutely amazing scent to it; it's so fresh, fruity, zingy and just so invigorating. The scrub elements are tough enough to leave your skin really smooth, yet not too rough and harsh. 

I've just realised that I seem obsessed with scents, which is probably true, but I just can't get into products that don't smell lovely too. What were your favourite body products of 2014?

2014 MAKE UP FAVOURITES

Better late than never, right?

I don't often do monthly favourites posts as I've been pretty good lately and not bought that much make up, so I end up just using the same old products over and over. For my year favourites it was a lot easier to chose products as I have only included products that were my absolute favourites to use and not necessarily just the products that I used most regularly. I haven't included make up from every category as for some like blushers, I don't particularly have a favourite.  

My first favourite is probably the best make up item that I have ever used! The Bare Minerals Ready foundation has been my favourite foundation since the start of 2014. It has the best staying power, looks very glowy, fresh and radiant on the skin, gives a great amount of coverage which can be built to a high coverage and yet doesn't look or feel heavy. I always get so many compliments when I wear this foundation. My shade right now is R250 as I've ended my relationship with fake tan, but when I did fake tan it was R330. 

The MAC Give Me Sun bronzer, is such a great bronzer as it's so pigmented that you don't need to use much at all - this is my second purchase of the bronzer and the first must have lasted me about a year and a half. It's a gorgeous warm colour, which isn't too orange but gives a really healthy and natural glow to the skin. It still works just as well on my skin now that I'm fairer as it did with tanned skin. 

As Give Me Sun is quite warm toned, I like to use Benefit's Hoola bronzer to contour. It's such a great contour shade and really makes your contour look so much more defined. 

One of my most favourite products that I discovered in 2014 was MAC's Emphasize powder. It brightens up the under eye area so well and sets the concealer. I feel like my make up looks so much more complete and flawless when I use this powder. 

I have loved Make up Geek eye shadows since before 2014 and have slowly been building up my collection. There are so many shades to choose from and many are quite unique. They have great pigmentation and blend so easily. The only annoying issue is that you have to order them from America, so customs charges are a bit off putting. 

Another Make up Geek product that I have been loving is the Immortal black gel liner. It  is so black and literally does not come off, which can be a little annoying if you're trying to be quick with removing make up but it's worth it. I've had mine I think since last February and it still works just as well and hasn't dried out at all. 

I enjoyed using the Urban Decay Chill setting spray as I do think it helps prolong your make up. It became a favourite product when I travelled to Corfu and after a very hot few hours in the sun it was so great at cooling you down and making you look pretty decent when you go to lunch. 

In 2014 I really got into using a pink toned under eye brightener to help hide dark circles and make the under eye look more awake. I tried MAC's Prep and Prime highlighter in Radiant Rose and Bare Minerals Stroke of Light in Luminous 1. Both were very good and I couldn't tell much difference, apart from that the MAC concealer lasted so much longer than the Bare Minerals, so I chose to repurchase the MAC one, plus it's also cheaper! 

A new find of 2014 was the Urban Decay's Subversion lash primer. I hate applying a lot of mascaras as many take so long to build up any length and volume. This primer helps shape the lashes and really makes them a lot longer and helps build the volume much quicker. It may seem like you're taking more time by using an extra step but it's so easy and quick to apply that it's actually a lot quicker than building up your mascara alone. 

Before the Suberverion primer was released I started using Bare Minerals Lash Domination. At first I didn't really like the mascara as it's a very big brush, with quite a wet formula, which I do like but it can be pretty messy. I didn't like the mascara as it seemed good with volume once you had carefully applied it, but it left my lashes quite stumpy and didn't do anything for the length. Once it had dried out a little I started to like it more and more. It is now my go to mascara and I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure I used this for most of 2014 and it's only just drying out to the point where I can't get much from it. 

I think the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette is such a great little palette. I had to include it as although it looks pretty boring, it is such a handy and easy to use palette. You can get so many eye looks out of it; I love that you can do a really basic eye look if you want something natural but you can also go really heavy and dramatic too, with the amazingly pigmented black shade. I don't think you can beat a good matte smokey eye. As the palette is matte it's perfect for your eyebrows too. 

My last favourite is a little less of a favourite than the others as it wasn't something that I used often, but it was my favourite lipstick to throw on when I wanted to wear a bright lip. MAC's Lady Danger is definitely a classic favourite. I loved wearing it when I didn't want to do a heavy eye or when I was short for time and needed something to make it look like I had made a lot of make up effort, when really I had just put some lipstick on. 

And... finally we are done! I am also going to be posting my 2014 Body  product favourites, so keep an eye out for that. I hope you're all having a good start to 2015 and keeping all those new years resolutions - yeah right!

JULY FAVOURITES

My best friend text me earlier, saying, "3 months today until you are a bridesmaid for me." That was pretty exciting until I realised that she is getting married in November - how the hell is November only 3 months away!? I can't contemplate that at the moment so lets stick with it being just about the start of August and therefore time for July favourites, which doesn't even seem possible, but a tiny bit better than the thought of November! 

I've always focused more on make up than hair, but this month my friend who is an amazing hairdresser, cut my hair and completely changed the way I look at it. I've never been loyal to a hairdresser and therefore, not really been a regular, so I was very glad when she offered! I never know what will actually work for my hair and the hairdressers never really seem to do that great of a job. As it was my friend cutting my hair, I trusted her opinions and she actually offered so much in put as to what would work best. She was telling me that I should use a mousse as it helps fine hair have more body and also controls any fly aways. The Vo5 mousse does just that, yet doesn't hold down my hair or make it feel sticky or hard at all. Once I've blow dried my hair and styled it, I use the L'oreal volume supersizing spray to add some extra body and texture. It smells so good and really seems to help lift my hair.

I've owned the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette since last December, however, I haven't paid it much attention at all until now. The black is amazing, the browns are great for the crease area and the lighter shades make great highlights or lid colours. I've also been using Faint and a tiny amount of Crave for my brows, which seem to be working great! 

Another Urban Decay product, is their new Perversion mascara. I currently only have a sample size but will definitely be buying the full sized version. It's probably the best mascara that I've tried; it applies so easily, so quick, it's so black, gives great length and volume and doesn't clump or flake off at all. 

On to Bare Minerals. My skin was doing very well, until it had a random break out recently, I applied the Blemish Remedy and by the next morning the spots had considerably gone down, after a couple more uses they were completely gone. If you've read my 'skincare saviours' post, you'll already know that this is one of my go to products as it is just amazing! 

Finally, I've been really enjoying wearing bright coral lipsticks this month and one of my favourites and easiest to wear is the Bare Minerals lipstick in Go the Distance, with the lip liner in Energized. The lip liner can be worn alone or under the lipstick to prolong the wear, which is already amazing! The colour of the lipstick isn't too bright so it's great for when you want a great summer colour but you're not feeling brave enough for such a bright shade. It's also more day time appropriate if you ever feel conscious about wearing a bright lip. 

So, that's all of my favourite products from the month of July. I hope you've all had a great July and that August is also kind to you, especially if you're an A - level student awaiting results! 

MAY FAVOURITES

 May is the month that I always dread most, as it means one thing and one thing only for students, exam season! This month saw my last ever university exams completed and fingers crossed, passed with good marks! I now cannot wait to enjoy all of the future Aprils and Mays, as they're normally so sunny and being stuck inside revising really puts a damper on things.  Although make-up wasn't worn as much as I would have liked and shopping definitely didn't take place, I've still managed to collect together a few products that I really enjoyed last month.

First, a month of essay writing and revision tends to lead to a lack of sleep, so I've been really packing on the under eye brighteners! First I use the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, then the Bare Minerals Stroke of Light to brighten and then set with MAC's emphasize powder. The concealer covers any darkness and then the pink toned Stroke of Light helps counteract any left over darkness while also brightening, with that duo and emphasize to set, I looked like I'd had my 8 hours every night! 

The Bare Minerals Ready foundation has been a new favourite of mine for the last few months; it's so quick and easy to apply and far more long wearing than any of my liquid foundations so it worked great when I just couldn't face no make up and also on exam days. It provides medium to full coverage, which is very surprising coming from a powder product. Peaches blush has been my go to lately; it's a gorgeous peach colour...obviously, but easy to wear. To add to the quickness of May's make up, you could call it laziness or I'd prefer smart thinking... I've been multi tasking the Real Techniques Blush brush. I've been using it for foundation, powder, bronzer and blush and it works great. The tapered top makes it ideal for blush and bronzer but it's still big and round enough for buffing in foundation and powder. 

The Urban Decay Chill setting spray has finally made an appearance this month. I got it for my birthday or Christmas last year, I can't remember which - they're only 2 weeks apart! As it started to get warmer and I needed my make up to last longer, as my drive to uni is 2 hours, plus exams being 3 hours and then 4 hours ahead of the exam to cram and a further 2 to drive home, I wanted my make up to last. The spray seemed to do a good job at helping the staying power of my make up but it's also really nice just to spray to refresh, especially as it has a cooling effect which has been great with the heat and my skin has been playing up lately and feeling a lot drier than usual. 

Finally, the Laura Mercier ambre vanille fragrance. I first smelt this scent from heaven in February when my sister and I went to see Taylor Swift in London. I couldn't stop smelling my wrist all day and knew I needed it! My sister Hannah kindly bought it for me at the beginning of May as an early finishing uni present and I've worn it everyday since! It's quite strong, as in a little goes a long way - which my boyfriend and Hannah frequently told me, after I'd been spraying quite freely. 

I hope you've all had an enjoyable May and I will now be back to regular posting - yeyey! :)

GEORGIA'S AUGUST FAVOURITES

Last month none of my beauty products were really standing out to me at all. I'd also not been buying anything new due to my 'spending ban'/ trying to use up what I already own. However, during August, I found that I was reaching for particular products over and over again and really enjoyed using what I was choosing. 

Apart from the Baby Lips, all of these products are products that I already owned prior to the start of the month, but this month they really stood out to me.

MUA Undress Me Palette & Sleek Ultra Mattes

The MUA Undress Me palette is my 'back up' version of the palette as the current one that I use has been very well loved and isn't looking as immaculate as the one pictured. I've been really liking the two matte shades (3rd & 5th in the top row) and the gold shade (6th in the top row). I've really liked using shade 5 in the crease, the gold shade 6 all over the lid and then the black or brown shades in the Sleek palette in the outer corner of the eye and slightly through the crease. I've also liked using shade 7 all over the lid, with the red/brown shade (2nd shade from the left, on the bottom row),  from the Sleek palette through the crease. I've loved the Sleek palette ever since I bought it and will definitely be repurchasing when this one runs out. I've also liked the MUA palette, however I've been neglecting it lately, until the month of August when we were brought together again and completely reconnected. 

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Shampoo & Conditioner

When I bought these a few months ago, I thought, oh lets just chuck these on the blog... I'm not sure anyone will be too attracted to the review but anyway...

I couldn't have been more wrong. My review of the Bee Strong range has been our most viewed post, by an insane amount and I genuinely cannot believe how many views it has actually got. It's no surprise that these are amazing products. If you want to read the full review, you can check it out 'here.'  I coloured my hair back to my natural brunette shade at the beginning of August and although I adore the colour, it left my hair feeling pretty damaged and tired. I was using another shampoo and conditioner but my hair didn't seem to be improving. I used the Bee Strong shampoo and conditioner one night and the next day my hair felt amazing; so soft, shiny and lightweight. I've been using it ever since and really love it. 

L'oreal True Match Foundation

Once again, I'd been too busy using other foundations that I had ignored the True Match foundation for a while. I started using it one day and fell back in love. I love that you don't need much product; one pump will cover the whole face really well. It's definitely a really good medium coverage foundation that can be built up if necessary. It's a great match for my skin (golden beige) and seems to last really well. I've been using this everyday before work, I drive for about 40 minutes in the car, then walk into work and then work and walk back to the car and the same journey home. It's also been really warm lately, but still by the time that I get home from work, my foundation still looks great and I wouldn't need to retouch if I was to then go out after work. 

Maybelline The Eraser Concealer

I've previously reviewed this product, so if you would like to read the full review, you can 'here.' 

I think this concealer must have got lost under my numerous others as I'd totally forgot about it and had instead been using the famous Collection concealer. I decided to hunt for it specifically during August and I loved it even more than before. It's so creamy and gives great coverage. I also really love the sponge aplicator as it feels extra soothing when you apply it under your eyes. 

Benefit They're Real Mascara 

I didn't start using this mascara until August as I'd been saving it until I'd used up my others. I'm not sure it's worth its huge hype, as I equally love some of the L'oreal mascaras that I have previously tried, however, it is an amazing mascara. What I love most about this mascara is how quickly you can build up length and volume. I love heavy impact lashes that do stand out and look really volumized, but without the clump, which this mascara does amazingly. It's definitely my favourite out of all of the mascaras that I have recently tried. 

MUA Eye Shadow Shade 19

This is a matte eye shadow and I've been using it on my brows and sometimes under my lash line and through the crease. It's so pigmented, builds colour amazingly and lasts all day. It's only £1 and it's great! It's probably as easily to blend, or at least very close to MAC eye shadows. 

MAC Lustering Lipstick

This has been one of my favourite summer lipstick colours this year and I've been wearing it a lot this month. It's so easy to wear and really brightens up your look. I've found two dupes for this lipstick which I wrote a post on 'here,'if you don't fancy forking out £15!!! for a MAC lipstick. MAC, just stop! It's not funny. 

Baby Lips Pink Punch

Pink Punch has lived in my hand bag all month and I've really loved wearing it while I'm at work as it's so easy to quickly apply and gives a great, quite strong hint of colour to the lips. The colour makes it look like you've applied a lipstick, when actually it's only a lip balm and it's nourishing on the lips. Another great feature is that the colour seems to stain the lips so over time the glossy look fades away, however the strong colour remains evenly. 

Hope you've enjoyed reading my favourites from August as much as I've enjoyed using them! Are any of my favourites the same as yours?