Pamper Nights & Easter Goals

It's finally Friday and I, for one, could not be happier! It is also the beginning of two weeks off college, again, I could not be happier. This year the holidays have fallen right when I need them most. Does anyone else find that? Since it's been a long term of exams I thought I'd do a pamper post because that is most definitely what I'll be doing tonight! 

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The first thing I do is of course have a long, hot shower to think, relax and also wash my hair. I like to think of my showers as washing the day away, especially if it's been a bad one. When I'm done a light a candle (whichever is my favourite at the time), turn on my fairy lights and dry my hair. 

I actually dried/curled my hair using my brand new 'Big Hair' tool which you can find here. I'll be doing a post about it soon though because I am in love with it. My hair is natural wild and curly but using the big hair tool, the curls are more tame and pretty and my hair feels less dry for some reason... 

sorry for the creased sheets guys, it's amateur photography at its best really... 

So after my shower when I'm in my pjs and dressing gown (ahh bliss), I do a full body moisturise using my S&G Butter Yourself body butter (this stuff is to die for and completely worth £10.50) and usually do a face mask, my favourite at the moment is this one. 

Then I cleanse, tone and apply a night cream to my face (the black tub), use a lip balm, treat my feet to some foot cream and finish with a good hand cream. All products shown above (except the hand cream) can be found at Boots, here. 

Don't you just hate it when a photo that looks great on camera looks horrible on the big screen?

Finally, I paint my nails pretty colours - ooOoohH Spring shades - and drink a hot chocolate while watching Netflix. Now, really, can you think of a better evening? No? I thought not. 

I hope you enjoyed reading how I like to relax, make sure to leave a comment and tell me what you do to wind down. I also have some Easter goals I'd like to share with you because if I publish them publicly then I am more likely to stick to them, right? Yeah probably not but I'm going to try. Here they are:

• Cleanse, Tone & Moisturise - Every day. Twice a day. As the weeks have passed by, my skincare routine has gotten more and more lazy so in the hopes that it'll turn into a habit I'm going to try and cleanse, tone and moisturise each morning and each night. 
• Eat clean - I have been trying to be healthy all year and I don't think I've done too badly but there is much room for improvement! So throughout Easter when I'm not getting lunch in a not so healthy refectory or snacking on the way home from college I'm going to try and make delicious and nutritious meals and also drink more of the detox water I mentioned here. It tastes so good!
• Exercise/Blogilates - I'm going to get back into my routine of 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night on the exercise bike, going for walks and also actually begin my Blogilates calendar because I haven't done that yet. Oops. *hides in shame*
• Don't be lazy - I want to make the most of my days, yes some will probably be spent in bed watching Frozen or whatever else I'm in the mood for watching, but I would mostly like to do productive things, be outside, ride my horse, bake, read - anything that isn't nothing!

They are my four simple goals so ask me in two weeks if they stuck! Do you like setting goals? Do you have any for this month?

Until next time

xx

Revlon For The Win!

In the past I've mentioned that Maybelline or maybe even Rimmel were the best on the high street, never Revlon though. However, it hasn't gone unnoticed that Revlon are catching up quick! They have really upped their game recently with lots of new and amazing products being released. Lets take a look at some. 

Highlighting Palettes - Let's start with the most recent, the most hyped and one that I am yet to get my hands on. The highlighting palettes, said to be a dupe for the Bobbi Brown shimmer bricks, are beautiful, cheap and the perfect addition to your makeup bag this S/S. Buy here. 

Colorburst Matte Balms - I think you either love these or you hate them. I personally like my matte balm, the bright colours are, again, great for S/S and they are nourishing to the lips - unlike most matte finishes. Buy here. 

Photoready Cream Blushes - Another product I'm pretty desperate to get my hands on, these cream blushes are sleek and silky. They claim to be buildable and give a beautiful flush of colour. Buy here.

Lip Butters - One of my favourite products the lip butters came out a while ago but they are still pretty hyped and for a good reason. These are are glossy as a lip gloss, as pigmented as a lipstick and as nourishing and soft as a lip balm. You can't possibly want more from a product. Buy here.

Nail Enamel Electric-Chrome Collection - Brought out for the new Spiderman film, these stunning electric-chrome polishes are a must for those of us who love having fab looking nails. Buy here. 

What do you think of Revlon? Yay or Nay? Have you tried these prodcuts? Also, I hope you don't mind me taking a break from Battle of the brands, there will me more very soon.

Until next time

xx 

Battle of the Brands #3

This week in Battle of the Brands I am comparing eye shadow primers from Smashbox and Urban Decay.

The Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer (full size) retails for £15.00 here. I have the mini version which I got in a set of the photo finish range for wear at my prom last year. I really love all of the products though I must admit of the three, this is my least favourite. 

Don't get me wrong this is a good primer it just dries out so easily and there isn't much product inside the bottle.

It has a doe foot applicator that applies a good amount to the lid which I then blend out. It is much more light weight that the UD primer potion which is a bonus and is also more matches to my skin tone so doesn't make my eye lid look orange before I put on my makeup. 

I swear by the Urban Decay primer potion. I've used it for a coupe of years now and love it but it does have its cons.

Pros include the beautiful packaging, how long one bottle lasts (and I only have the mini) and of course that it keeps eye shadow in place all day.

Cons are that it feels heavy on the lids, you can apply too much and it makes the skin slightly orange which I don't like. 

You can buy the full size Urban Decay primer potion here for £16.00 or travel size for just £8.00 - bargain!

Right: UD primer potion, Left: Smashbox Photo Finish lid primer

My winner is Urban Decay primer potion, despite its cons I love it too much for it to lose and the Smashbox primer just dries out too quick. Have you tried these? Did I make the right choice?

Until next time

xx

6 Lipsticks: I should wear more

This week I thought I'd share with you six lipsticks from my collection I think I should wear more. You will probably notice that they are all light natural shades of pink - that's all I wear day to day really. 

The first one is MUA shade 1, this is a deep matte red that suits all skin shades. I especially like it on me because most reds are really hard to wear and make my teeth look so yellow, this one is more flattering and isn't it just a stunning lipstick? All the better at £1!

MUA shade 7 (although looking a little worse for wear) is a great pink nude that I enjoy wearing. 

I got this lipstick 'Very Pink' from Marks & Spencer some time last year when they first began stocking cosmetics in store, it is a beautiful bright pink. I actually wore it to prom so it is very special, though when I wear it my uncle likes to refer to me as Miss Piggy (muppets reference) - not a nickname I can say I enjoy greatly. 

Wet N Wild Silk Finish lipstick in shade 40 is my favourite lipstick! I wear it almost every day and it is the perfect 'your lips but better' colour for me - how cliche? It really is silky and very moisturising. As you can see the packaging is getting a little damaged and fading - I use it a lot.

Another of my favourite lipsticks, particularly in Summer and even Autumn is my Calvin Klein lisptick in Mesmerize. If you've been reading my blog since last year you will know just how much I love it! It's a deep pink that I'm told looks very bright on the lips - I get comments like 'oh that's very bright for you'.

Finally, one last lipstick, a beautiful pale pink in the form of Calvin Klein 'Etheral'. I really do like the lipstick and definitely need to wear it more often! It's great for Spring. 

There are the lipsticks I think I should give more love, how about you? Do you have a favourite lip product you think you should wear more?

Until next time

xx

Tag Tuesday | The Makeup Mishaps Tag

Becca from Becca's Fashion and Life created this tag not too long ago and I have since wanted to give it a go. Here are my answers... 

You're going to a high end beauty event - would you rather:

Have really thick, dark, sharpie eyebrows or a major neck/foundation line?

Thankfully this is a theoretical question because I don't think I could cope with either! haha I am going to say major foundation line because it's easiest to hide and I'm really self conscious about my brows. 

Have chipped nail polish or horribly faded lipstick?

I really hate horribly faded lipstick and my nails often go days, even a week being chipped before I  do them again so I pick chipped nail polish.

Have smudged all your eye make up or have lipstick on your teeth?

Without a doubt lipstick on my teeth because I usually wear lighter lipsticks that would be harder to notice on the teeth than smudged eye makeup. Eughh. Panda eyes!

Over highlight - a la disco ball - or over pluck those brows and look constantly surprised?

As much as I like a dewy finish I have to say over pluck those brows. Constantly looking surprised is better than looking like a disco ball any day, and I could fill them in to a nicer shape.

It's a typical working/school day, and unfortunately your beauty products have gone missing. You can only find a few things hidden at the bottom of your makeup bag, and have to use what you can find. What do you choose?

OTT unsubtle fake lashes or clear mascara?

I've never worn fake lashes. Can you believe it? I've often worn clear mascara though so I'll go with that. 

A foundation five shades too dark or five shades too light?

Five shades too light I think because I hate looking orange or dark especially if it doesn't match the rest of my body and I can make it look better with other products and a lotta concealer. 

Hair-gloss (a beautifully sticky gloss: perfect for getting your hair stuck to in the wind) or gorgeous concealer lips?

I hate the sound of both of these but I hate concealer lips most of all (even though I used to think it looked nice, oh dear) so I'm going with hair-gloss! I always have my hair tied back so it would be ok. 

Finally, it's the middle of summer - you can have either a manicure or a pedicure. However, the other set of nails have to be bare - what do you pick?

Manicure of course! I hate my feet so rarely ever have them on display however I love having my nails painted so definitely manicure. 

I really enjoyed doing this tag and encourage everyone else to give it ago. Specifically though, I tag Sophie, Jessica, Corinne and Rachel. 

Until next time

xx

Face Masks

Something I've been enjoying a lot lately is face masks. I've especially loved putting one on in the morning, letting it dry while I get dressed and potter about my room and then finsihing my normal skin care routine before putting on minimal if any makeup - my skin is really feeling the benefits. I obviously don't do this every day but I've been doing it a few times a week with various masks (mostly THIS one) and my skin is SO soft throughout the day, my pores are visibly smaller and feel cleaner and it just makes me feel skin confidient. Like everybody, look at my face! 

My favourite one and the one linked above is the Dr.Organic Rose Otto face mask. I bought it from Holland and Barrett for £7.39. It is a white clay mask of a very thick consistency. It claims to be deep cleansing (yep), anti aging (not sure) and restoring (yep). When I use this it instantly makes me feel relaxed, it smells lovely and it leaves my skin so clean and soft. 

Another from Dr.Organic is the Dead Sea Mineral mud mask, again from Holland and Barrett for £7.99. This one is rather soothing but it takes an age to dry and it annoyingly hard to wash off! I don't notice any particular skin benefits though it is good for a pamper evening. It claims to be detoxifying (not so sure), rejuvenating (yep) and anti-aging (we'll have to wait and see).

The Borghese Fango Active Mud Mask is one I have reviewed before and I didn't give it a good one at that. Now though, I have completely changed my mind and there will be a new review soon so look out for that!

Finally the Superdrug cleansing face mask is a really nice gentle cleanser that you can use regularly (not just once a week) and I like to include it in my skin care routine if I'm feeling like I have clogged pores or just oily skin then I'll go for this because it makes me feel clean. 

I'd really like to try some higher end masks and some from Lush (I've only ever tried one). Are there any you recommend? Which is your favourite face mask?

Until next time

xx