2012 favourites!

Monday 31 December 2012

2012 has been my 'main chunk of my blogging life', so I have discovered so many lovely products!
It was hard to narrow this down, but the products here are just my absolute favourites from this year!


 2012 make up favourites

This has been my most used eye shadow palette of 2012.
I just love the quality, the lasting time, the shades and the price.
This is a real staple in my make up collection

This has been a recent discovery, but I've found my all time favourite foundation!
My skin is dull, often dry and red from eczema and has a couple blemishes (lovely).
But this foundation covers it all and makes my face look so glowly!

I have loved this blush for a long time.
It's just an easy to wear gorgeous shimmery peach.

Elf tickled pink blush
Another blush favourite, this time from elf (the purse is happy)
I really like the colour of this, just a subtle, everyday, light matte pink.
The quality for the price is unbelievable!

As I mentioned earlier my skin isn't in the best condition.
This concealer covers everything, it's amazing
It's perfect for my handbag, covers dark circles without caking and leaves such a natural finish.

2012 hair care favourites

Only a few hair care favourites from the year, but honestly these are amazing products! 
I've tried a lot of hair products and they have been good, but these are really really good!

I don't even have coloured hair so can't comment on this extending the life of my hair colour.
But, this has given my hair so much shine! 
It's a really quick fix for out of control, dull and frizzy hair!
It's leaves my hair super sleek and full of life!

Aussie take the heat deep treatment
This is the hair mask my hair has been waiting for!
It's just so thick and creamy and really moisturises my hair deeply.
It leaves it really soft and manageable too!

L'oreal elvive extraordinary oil
Quite a recent discovery, but it's my favourite oil!
Even over moroccanoil (something I thought I'd never say)
It just ticks all the right boxes, moisture, shine, smells good, controls frizz, the lot!

2012 everything else favourites

Soap and glory sugar crush body scrub
Probably my nicest 'scent' discovery of 2012!
It just reminds me of lime coke and it's a fab exfoliator!
(I actually only just tired soap and glory for the first time this year, I'm hooked!)

Body shop body butters
In general, I've been loving the body shop body butters!
I use them everyday to moisture and make my skin smell delightful.
Almond and cocoa have been my faves!

Liz earle super skin concentrate
I love liz earle skin care products, they are just so natural.
This oil has sorted out some pretty bad dry phases and even oily ones!
It has a relaxing scent and makes my skin look fresh and plump!

Nuxe reve de miel lip balm
For so long I suffered with dry, chapped and sore lips.
Until I took the plunge this summer and bought this!
It's been on my lips everyday since I got it!

Juicy couture viva la juicy perfume 
I'm a huge fan of very sweet smelling scents.
This is just one of them!
I adore this perfume, it's become one of my favourites!


So there we go, my 2012 favourites!
I'm excited to see what I discover throughout 2013!

My little peanut and pickles

Sunday 16 December 2012


I thought I would share with you two little guys that are a big part of my life.
Peanut and pickles, my two gerbils!

I've only had them since september, but they are just the best pets!
They are very, very, very curious, everything I do, everything I put in their cage they have to explore!
They thump their feet when they get excited and stand up like meerkats to have a little nosey!

They are burrowing animals, so live in a gerbilarium which has a big tank at the bottom for tunnelling.
They chew a lot! Ill spend lots of money on toys, but they would much rather have a cardboard box!

They are very social! Hence why I have two, they get very depressed without a cage mate :(
They also love humans, especially pickles, who loves to climb up my dressing gown sleeve. 

They are like two peas in a pod, they always play, sleep together and groom each other.
They are so cute and I'm so glad I got them! 

Empties 003

Saturday 15 December 2012

(for some odd reason the majority of these products are either from liz earle or dove)

To me a deodorant is a deodorant, it does the job! It did smell lovely though, it's pomegranate and lemon scented. 
Repurchase? - I do regularly

I loved using this! It helped my often irritated and puffy eyes feel  and look normal again!
Repurchase? - It's not an essential so probably not

My favourite cleanser! (as you probably know). However, I feel that I want to try something new as I've been using this for a year now! This may be one of them 'if it isn't broke don't fix it' situations!
Repurchase? - yes in the future

I don't have coloured hair so can't comment on the results of that. But this did leave my hair amazingly feeling soft like the nourishing oil one does
Repurchase? - not this particular one as it's for coloured hair

This was actually a lovely dewy natural foundation, I posted about it here.
Repurchase? - probably not, lasting time wasn't great


This leaves my skin looking fresh, bright and removes any extra make up cleansing missed.
Repurchase - already have

My skin has decided to change it's skin type and now become 'problem skin'. Thanks skin :( This helps to control any excess oil and calm my breakouts.
Repurchase - already have

You know when you go to the dentist and they clean your teeth with that 'gritty stuff'? Well this tasted like that, not good. It didn't whiten my teeth either.
Repurchase - no!

I love the nourishing oil deep conditioner so had high expectations of these. They are not bad products at all, just nothing special. They left my hair feeling clean and conditioned.
Repurchase - probably not

A loved concealer by many! I've bought this a couple times not. It's my go to concealer for blemishes.
But I'm after something lighter for under my eyes, which can be quite dry at times!
Repurchase - yes as it's amazing at covering spots!

Do you have any under eye concealer and cleanser recommendations?

Christmas beauty wishlist

Wednesday 12 December 2012



Balance me wonder eye cream - I still haven't got round to buying this beauty of a product! It just ticked all the boxes for me, brightens, tightens, intensely moisturises and de-puffs!

Models own winter wonderland collection - I tend to wear a glitter nail polish over everything! This is just the perfect set, especially in winter!

NYX blushers in taupe and dusty rose - I've heard a lot about taupe being the perfect contour shade for pale girls! For that reason I really want to try this product! Dusty rose also looks like a lovely shade, I don't own many blushes that shade!

Origins ginzing mascara - From reading blog posts this mascara does wonders for your eye lashes! I'm always trying new mascara's and this one seems like a good one to try! It also claims to brighten your eyes too!

Antipodes divine face oil - Since falling in love with the liz earle super skin concentrate I've wanted to try a couple more face oils! Especially as it's winter and my skin is quite dry at the moment!

Sugar crush body buttercream - I'm a huge sugar crush body scrub fan, just because it simply smells amazing! I therefore want to constantly smell like this so I need this body cream! They also have it in a body wash too!

Antipodes vanilla pod day cream - As much as I love my liz earle skin care routine which I've sworn by for a year now, I feel like a change. There has been a lot of hype around antipodes skin care and we all know I'm a sucker for a hype! It sounds like it would smell delicious too!

What are you wishing for?

Liz earle super skin concentrate

Wednesday 5 December 2012


I've never really been that interested in skin oils, mainly because I've never tried any. But I received Liz Earles super skin concentrate free with their monthly skin care packages and had to go give it a go!  The oil claims to soften dry or mature skin and balance oily skin, so it's pretty much suitable for anyone! It does have a strong smell and at first I wasn't that keen on it. But it's bearable and has become quite a relaxing scent now.

I apply this after cleaning and toning, but before moisturising. I find that moisturiser helps to sink this product in. However, it does sit on the skin a little, so I always wear my hair up to avoid getting oily hair. By morning my skin is soft and plump and I find my make up applies so smoothly! This really does balance my oily skin, more so than any oil controlling masks I use!

What's your favourite skin oil?

November favourites

Saturday 1 December 2012


I was certainly late to the party with this! But oh my I'm in love! The shades are just perfect for me, the quality of the eye shadows are lovely too, really buttery, gliding on really smoothly. You can just create so many looks with this palette. Although I like to save this for best, Mua eye shadow palettes are a much cheaper option for day time wear! 

This is just my perfect winter lipstick shade! As with all Revlon lip butters, the quality is amazing, they are very moisturising and have great pigmentation! I find due to it's dark shade that this lipstick stains the lips a little, in a good way, which makes the lipstick last much longer!

Winter always results in very dry and often chapped lips! But luckily this year I have this beauty to help fight this and make my lips lovely and smooth! This has been one of my favourite buys this year!


This beauty is my skins saviour! Whenever my skin is feeling dry I just roll some of this oil onto my face and by morning my skin feels softer, looks plumper and is full of moisture! I have oily skin and I actually find that this helps to control it in some strange way! It's also very relaxing, can see this lasting a long time!


What have been your favourites?

Highlighters

Saturday 24 November 2012


Swatches from left to right
Topshop prism, Nars albatross, sleek contour kit highlight and technic highlights

I do love a good highlighter, they just add that extra sparkle to your make up and on nights out and in pictures it really catches the light and makes your make up look really fresh and glowy!

Even though they are all highlighters, they are all quite different. Topshop's prism (which I'm not sure is sold anymore), is a more bronzey toned highlighter and is a cream product. I find, due to it's bronze shimmer, that it blends really well with a bronzer, especially benefits holla. 

Nars albatross is probably the prettiest highlighter, but it's the most difficult to work with! I find that it's very easy to go a little over the top with this product. It's a very golden shimmery product, which it certainly doesn't look like in the pan! Applied gently and with a shimmery blush such as Nars orgasm it's beautiful! Perfect for summer!

My most used highlighter is definitely the one in sleeks light contour kit! Like topshop's prism it's a  bronzey shade, but this time a powder product and more pearly! It's just a really easy everyday, not so in your face highlighter! It goes perfectly with the bronzer sat next to it too, which is great for travelling!

Last but not least is technic's highlights, probably the cheapest out of the bunch! It's been compared by other bloggers to benefits high beam, but I haven't tried this myself to be able to comment! It's a liquid highlighter, so I like to apply this using a real techniques stippling brush. Out of all of them this one is the most shimmery and is more sliver toned, but still lovely!

What's your favourite highlighter?

Berry shades for autumn with Revlon & competition

Wednesday 21 November 2012


I've always been a huge fan of Revlon lip butters, in fact, they are my favourite lipsticks! I own three other shades, which I posted about here! What makes them my favourite lipsticks is the quality of them, the lovely creamy formula and the colour pay off (as well as having a great shade range!).

As we all know dark red and berry lips are all the rage this autumn and winter, brightening up any miserable day! I think raspberry pie is the perfect shade for people who may not want to go full out with the whole 'vampy' red shades this autumn, but still want a flush of deep colour! It's perfect for me, I'm yet to feel fully confident wearing a very dark lip, so this lipstick is the perfect inbetween for me! This particular shade lasts really well on the lips, as it sightly stains the lips also, so top up's aren't needed as often compared to if you were wearing a lighter shade.

Berry smoothie has the perfect shade name as it really describes the colour of the product, just like a berry smoothie. This isn't as bold as raspberry pie, but it's still a lovely shade to wear this autumn winter! It's a great everyday colour and it's really moisturising too!


Now for the competition! Revlon's sweet boutique will be back on their facebook page starting from today and until the 4th of December, which will give you a chance to win a lip butter everyday! 
One hundred will be given away in total each day! 
So make sure you enter!

Good luck!

Recently

Sunday 18 November 2012

Over the past couple of weeks I have really been enjoying life. No idea why, but you know when you just start to feel really content. I think it's blogging, it's given me so much confidence and something to spend some time on other than my uni work, and I talk to so many lovely people too. Not forgetting the lovely people who actually take time to read my posts! Plus my hair has been nice and grown!

I also am extremely happy that I now own a naked 2 palette, enrapture totem styler and ysl touche eclat foundation! It wouldn't be an understatement if I was to say that my life is now complete (until I discover something else I want!) That reminds me, my ipad mini still hasn't been sent to me (I'll be even happier when that arrives!)

Also, my little gerbils peanut and pickles have bought me lots of happiness! Most people may think they are a pet for children and that's fair enough. But they are so funny and really hyperactive. One of them, whenever I open the cage, crawls up my arm and sits on my shoulder and they both sit at the top of their tank begging to be played with and fed seeds like two little dogs!

A little bit of a random post, but in summary, I'm one happy lady :)

Moroccanoil

Saturday 17 November 2012


I can't even remember how many months I thought about getting this and changed my mind again. But I took the plunge! (an expensive plunge indeed). But my hair, as you can see is curly and normally quite dry and frizzy, so I'm willing to spend quite a bit on my hair because of this.

You have probably read quite a few reviews of this product so I won't rabble on for too long. But I do really, really like this product. I bought it back in april, so have given it a proper run for it's money and it's only just starting to run out and I use it a couple times a day. It does add a lot of moisture to my hair, without it feeling greasy and helps to control frizz, even through humidity.

However, it does contain silicones (booo!) I'm not anti silicones or anything, but long term they can cause more damage then good to your hair. You can buy 100% pure argan oil for a fraction of the price, which I'm sure would be much better for your hair, that's what ill be doing when this runs out. I make sure I clarify my hair about once a week in order to remove any build up of silicones.

Overall, it's a good product for a quick fix on a bad hair day or for a special occasion. I do love it, it's amazing, but I need to put my sensible hat on and realise that long term it may not be the best option for my hair.

What do you think about this product?

If it wasn't for beauty boxes...

Thursday 15 November 2012

I've been subscribed to beauty boxes for just under a year now.
But recently I unsubscribed due to no longer feeling like I was getting my monies worth.
However, I have found some lovely products which I would happily repurchase and wouldn't have discovered if it wasn't for beauty boxes!

Skin care products

These were probably my favourite items to receive in a beauty box!

This is just the perfect product for dehydrated skin!
Admittedly my skin doesn't get that dehydrated but when it does this sort it out!
It's so light too, perfect for my oily skin!

This has become my perfect on the go lip product!
It's really hydrating, sorts out chapped lips and smells heavenly.

I don't know how this does it but it just clears breakouts so fast!
I normally use this after my liz earle cleanse and polish on certain areas of my face.

Hands down the best exfoliator ever.
It has no beads, no grains, nothing. Yet it clears every pore!

Pretty packaging, hydrating and smells lovely!
I really like the formula too, it's very light on the lips.


Make up

To be honest I haven't found that many make up items in beauty boxes that I've been excited about
However, I do really like these two products!

This leaves my face feeling super soft and makes my make up go on really smoothly.
It also helps a little with the appearance of my pores!

This was a great find!
It gives me such defined, voluminous, long lashes without any clumps!

Hair products

I have quite difficult hair to manage, so I'm always hunting for hair products to make my life easier!

Quite possibly my favourite beauty box item ever!
This little beauty controls frizz, adds shine, moisture and makes my hair look so healthy!

Possibly the nicest smelling hair product ever!
I really like how soft and manageable this makes my hair feel!
It's a shame it's difficult to get hold of!

This has so many benefits for your hair and it really shows!
It protects from heat damage, de-tangles, adds shine and controls frizz (and more!)

What's been your favourite beauty box finds?

Wednesday wishlist 016

Wednesday 7 November 2012


It's been far too long since I posted a wishlist and because of that this wishlist could have been ten pages long. But because I don't have unlimited money (boo) I've stuck to just a couple of items I've been wanting recently.

I've realised that my wardrobe isn't winter ready in the slightest so I need to stock up on the jumpers. There's something that I really like about this one, it just looks super cosy. How perfect is that Benefit kit to try out some of their products? That would make an awesome christmas present. I would love the clarins odyssey palette, mainly because it's super pretty, I hope it's still available! Last but not least that topshop nail polish caught my eye simply because I don't own any black glitter nail polishes!

What have you been wishing for?

October favourites

Saturday 3 November 2012


Just a couple favourites for this month, well for last month. But these products are and have become firm favourites of mine and products I can certainly imagine having in my collection for a very long time.

YSl touche eclat foundation - I think I've found my holy grail foundation. The coverage is perfect for me, the colour is perfect, it actually lasts for hours and just makes my skin so fresh and radiant looking.

Elf tickled pink blush - I posted about my love for this here. It's just such a lovely blusher which adds a light flush of colour to the cheeks, it's really natural and pretty. 

Technic highlights - I've recently really gotten into highlighters, I'll be doing a post about them soon and this one is one of my favourites. Admittedly the liquid application isn't my favourite but I just love the colour. It's a really shimmery sliver toned highlighter, which really defines my cheek bones and it's super cheap!

Eco tools blusher brush - I never used to wear that much blusher so I never invested in a decent blusher brush. But since buying this I completely regret that! This applies blusher so easily, leaving it look really natural with no harsh lines.

Technic carnival nail polish - I've wanted opi rainbow connection for a very long time, but the price just isn't what i'm prepared to pay for a nail polish! Even though I haven't tried it technic's carnival makes a pretty good dupe (as you probably all know) and it looks great paired with any nail polish!

What have you been loving recently?

Happy birthday dear blog & giveaway!

Wednesday 31 October 2012


So if you haven't guessed from the title it's my little blog's first birthday! I can't believe it's been a year since I sat down and (nervously) posted a post to zero followers, with no clue if I was ever going to post on here again!

But here I am, a year later, with what is possibly one of the best thing's I have ever done (and there's the bucket of cheese). But honestly I've met so many lovely people, even if not in person and loved and appreciated every new follower or comment I receive more than anything! So I just wanted to say a huge thank you for reading my little space on the internet!

Giveaway
To celebrate my blog's first birthday and to say a huge thank you I've decided to give you guys the chance to win some make up goodies :)

Rules:
1. Uk and Ireland only
2. You must be a follower of my blog through GFC
3. The giveaway will run for two weeks!
4. Fill out the rafflecopter form below


Good luck!

Elf studio blushers

Tuesday 30 October 2012

(sorry the swatches aren't too clear)

Now I do love a good Nars blusher, but my student bank account doesn't! So I like to keep my blushers cheap and cheerful. After falling out with an elf studio blusher in the past, I wanted to give them a second chance so I bought peachy keen, a peach toned blusher with a small amount of golden shimmer and tickled pink, a light pink matte shade.

Now both blushes are lovely! But tickled pink has become one of my all time favourite blushers (yes even over Nars orgasm!) It's just the perfect natural looking blush which gives the skin such a lovely delicate flush of colour. I honestly can't describe how much I love this shade!

Both blushes have pretty good wear time, are fab value for money, come in sturdy packaging with a mirror and aren't chalky in the slightest! My faith has been restored in elf studio blushers!

Have you tried these?

Empties 002

Sunday 21 October 2012

Hair care

This has to be one of my all time favourite deep conditioners!
It just makes my hair so manageable, especially when it's super knotty!
It smells lovely and adds so much shine!
Repurchase - already have!

Another amazing deep conditioner!
This is just so thick and super nourishing for my hair!
It leaves my hair so soft and healthy looking!
Repurchase - definitely!

This does exactly what it says on the bottle!
It removes all the nasties from your hair!
Leaving it super clean and greasy free!
Repurchase - yes

Sometimes this did still leave a grey colour to my hair, despite it being dark brown coloured.
However, it takes significantly less time to rub this product in compared to the 'white' versions.
I will never buy a 'white' dry shampoo again!
Repurchase - yup!


Skin care

Do I even need to comment on how amazing this product is?
Probably not, I rabble on about it enough!
Repurchase - forever and always!

One of my favourite eye make up removers ever!
It literally removes every trace and leaves my eye area so soft!
Repurchase - definitely! 

This smells beautiful, just so fruity and fresh!
It's very gentle, so great for every day use!
Repurchase - probably!

This eye cream works wonders!
It brightens, moisturises and tightens!
When this ran out my eyes became so sore and dry!
Repurchase - yes Kelly, you need it! (even if it is £20)

Jergens cherry almond beauty lotion & competition!

Saturday 20 October 2012

 Jergens has always been a brand I've heard of but never tried before!
So I was delighted to be given the opportunity to try their new re-launched original body moisturiser! 

This beauty lotion is famous for it's classic cherry almond scent!
Which I must admit is beautiful, it smells just like cherry bakewells! 
And this smell doesn't fade off the skin either!


The moisturiser is very light weight and non-greasy! So no sticky feeling is left on the skin!
It claims to moisturise the skin for 24hrs and I can definitely say it lives up to these claims!
Not only has it improved my dry skin it's made my skin much softer and smoother!
I love it!

Competition
To celebrate the launch of this product Jergens are giving people a chance to win....
a designer handbag by Michael Kors, a scarf by Mulberry, a pair of designer shoes and the complete range of Jergens moisturisers!

Runners up could also win the full range of Jergens moisturisers and a year subscription to Marie-Claire.

To be in for a change of winning like the Jergens facebook page and fill out the form!
Good luck!

Favourite skin care samples

Monday 15 October 2012


Breakout? No problem! This little beauty solves that problem straight away!
It dramatically reduces the size of spots and clears up breakouts so fast it's crazy!
I can imagine that with continued use it will prevent breakouts from occurring.
Repurchase full size - maybe, it's quite expensive.

I love this product!
It feels and smells so luxurious and intensively moisturises the skin overnight!
It leaves my skin feeling softer and firmer by morning.
Repurchase full size - I wish, too expensive.

I can get quite dehydrated skin, which isn't dry but feels tight and looks dull.
This sorts out that problem!
It's such a light weight/non-greasy serum and it sinks in so fast leaving no residue.
Repurchase full size - yes!

Probably my favourite skin care sample yet!
I've never experienced anything like it!
It's an exfoliator, that contains no beads whatsoever. 
It leaves my skin so fresh and radiant, the results are amazing!
Repurchase full size - yes, yes, yes, yes!

With having oily skin oils were always avoided by me.
But I was brave and tried this product out and I'm glad I did.
This product effortlessly removes my make up without making my skin feel greasy.
Repurchase full size - probably!

What's your favourite skin care sample/product?

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