March favourites

I've always wanted to do a monthly favourites post, but never actually got round to doing one, but from now on ill be doing them each month. It was so hard to actually pick a reasonable amount of products to put into this post, as I've just been loving and using so much this month.

I'll start with my favourite hair products of this month. I've been trying to make sure that I use heat protection every time I use straighteners, so I bought the Lee Stafford flat iron protection spray. This spray doesn't make my hair greasy like some others can do, which is why it's a favourite of mine. Another favourite hair product is L'Oreal Mythic oil which makes my hair feel really soft and adds shine whilst nourishing it with avocado and grape seed oil. A similar product, is  a hair oil I received in my February glossy box, the awapuhi wild ginger styling treatment oil. It smells amazing and nothing has ever made my hair so soft and shiny. I would probably purchase the full sized but it costs around £25 for 100ml, which is quite expensive.

Now since the sun has popped out of nowhere in the middle of march, I wanted to start feeling and smelling all summery, so I've been using a lot of orange scented products. First favourite is the body shop satsuma body polish, which is a body exfoliator, it smells so heavily of fresh satsumas and the smell lasts all day. With this I use the satsuma body puree which leaves my skin moisterised and smelling beautiful, will definitly be purchasing the full sized product as this is only a travel size, perfect for my handbag though. Another glossy box product, this one is from this months box and is the bliss blood orange and white pepper body butter, which again smells really orangey and is highly moisturising, perfect for summer!

Now a product which might as well be in every monthy favourite post I ever do, along with the cleanse and polish, is Liz Earles instant skin boost skin tonic. I use this after I've washed my face with the cleanse and polish and it really just refreshes my skin and removes any extra make up that the cleanse and polish didn't. The smell is just by far the best thing about it, such a heavily scented rose smell which reminds me of turkish delight, hmm. Finally, my last favourite of the month has to be the real techniques buffing brush, this just applies my foundation effortlessly leaving such a lovely natural finish, it's the best brush I've ever used!

What's been your favourite products this March?

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Wednesday wishlist 009

Bag, dress, opi coney island cottton candy, NARS super orgasm illuminator, make up bag & revlon lip butter in strawberry shortcake

The sun has decided to start shining early this year, making me want to dig out all my summer dresses and pink make up, as you can probably tell this is what I've been lusting over recently, pink and summer dresses. I especially love the dress from Topshop, the shape just seems so flattering and flirty and it has a lovely summery print. I have a little obsession with bags and just love this one from accessorize,  I actually don't own a nude coloured bag, so this makes me want it even more. Since seeing Revlon lip butters pop up everywhere on people's blog i've been wanting one, especially in strawberry shortcake, such a lovely pink colour. Actually wanted the NARS super orgasm illuminator for ages now, but since the sun has popped out I've wanted it more to add that lovely summery glow to my skin. Hope your all enjoying the sunshine!

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Real techniques: best for foundation application

Left to right: buffing brush, stipping brush and foundation brush

Thought I would do a post to let you know my thoughts on which real techniques brush I prefer to use for foundation and why. I posted about the core collection (here) and the stippling brush (here) if you want to read about them in more detail.

Personally, my favourite brush to use for full foundation application has to be the buffing brush which comes as part of the core collection. The brush bristles of the buffing brush compared to the stipping brush are much more densely packed, which makes application of foundation much quicker. I've found with using both the stippling and buffing brush that I use less foundation, which is great! In terms of finish I feel that both the buffing and the stipping brush provide the same flawless finish, blending  foundation into the skin perfectly, however it just takes longer with the stippling brush which is why I prefer the buffing brush. It's such a shame that the buffing brush isn't sold separately, like the stippling brush is. However I can't recommend the core collection enough for all the brushes, including the buffing brush in particular. 

The foundation brush comes with the core collection, personally I don't use this brush for full application of foundation due to one, it's size, it's very small and would take far to long to apply and two the shape. I really do not like these types of brushes to apply foundation with, I much prefer to use larger round topped brushes, as it makes blending of foundation really easy and you can cover more of your face at once. However, I've found this brush to be perfect for application of foundation to areas which need higher coverage then others and I use it for that.

Which is your favourite for foundation?

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Real techniques core collection

Real techniques core collection £21.99

Brushes from left to right: contour brush, foundation brush, detailer brush and buffing brush

My life is now complete. I've been in desperate need of new brushes and this collection, along with the stipping brush (review here) have been perfect. After hunting high and low in every Boots store, like I did for the stipping brush, I decided to order them online into my local Boots store. The set costs £21.99 for four brushes and a stand, which I think is amazing as the brushes are of such high quality and work out at about £5 each!.

Contour brush
I've found that this brush, along with most, is quite versatile and it can be used for contour and highlight, even blush if you fancy. I've found that this brush is quite small for contouring, especially if your in a hurry. But if your not, it blends bronzer perfectly to create really defined cheekbones.

Foundation brush
Personally I do not use this brush for full application of foundation as it is just to small and takes a while. Also it's hard to blend due to the shape of the brush compared to like the buffing brush or the stippling brush which have a large round flat top. However, I've found this brush is perfect for applying foundation to areas which may need higher coverage then others, so I use it for that and it works a treat!

Detailer brush
Such a teny tiny brush which I probably won't be getting much use out of. The brush is still very good quality and would be perfect for applying concealer and lipstick, it's just not for me as I apply concealer with my fingers and rarely wear lipstick on a daily basis. It's still lovely to add to my collection.

Buffing brush
My utter favourite out of the collection. I bought the set mainly to get my hands on this brush, so it's a shame that it's not sold separately. It makes foundation application quick, easy and flawless and buffs foundation into the skin effortlessly. The bristles are quite densely packaged and super soft which is why I love this for foundation. This brush can be used for powder application and mineral foundation too.

Would love to know your thoughts on this collection

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Real techniques stippling brush

Real Techniques stippling brush £11.99

After reading many reviews on this brush, I had to get my hands on one, however after many failed trips to Boots which had either sold out of them or didn't sell them at all, I managed to find one. As you may know these brushes are made by Samantha Chapman who is a professional make up artist and one half of pixiwoo, so I knew that this brush would be good quality. All her brushes are colour coded to ease finding them and knowing their purpose, gold is for face, purple for eyes and pink for finish and they just look generally quite pretty because of this. 

Well, for starters the price of this brush is amazing, never in a million years could I justify paying £30 pounds for a make up brush, so this really appealed to me price wise at £11.99. The fact that this brush is such a good price doesn't mean that quality is not of a high standard, as the quality is fantastic. The bristles are supper soft and not one single hair has shed! The brush has quite a large handle with a flat base, so you can self stand the brush. I just keep mine in a pot with my other brushes and the handle doesn't take up to much space.

The brush applies foundation flawlessly, blending into the skin with ease. It also works a treat when applying cream blusher. However, I've found with foundation that it does take a while to blend the foundation into the skin and sometimes if I'm in a rush I prefer to choose a different brush, which I'll tell you about in another blog post!

Overall I fantastic brush to have and to use daily making foundation application simple and leaving flawless results. I'd recommend this to anyone!

Have you tried this brush before? What are your thoughts?
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When you think something is empty

I've been squeezing the life out of this little tube of Liz Earle cleanse and polish until no more product was left and was just about to throw it into the bin and then I thought to myself lets see how much is actually left inside. So I cut the top of the tube off and was actually shocked at how much product was left inside a tube which I thought was completely empty. I was expecting a tiny amount around the edge but not this much.

There is literally loads of product left and I was about to throw it into the bin. I was truly shocked as to why all this product inside was not coming out no matter how hard I tried. So there we have it a little tip to make the most out of your products. The top of the tube now becomes the new lid and what you thought was empty probably is not.

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Glossy box catch up: february and march

February box

Quite late with these posts and you have probably already seen what's inside, but I wanted to post my thoughts on my boxes and besides I quite enjoy doing these posts anyway. I love both boxes and I honestly can't pick a favourite between them, they are both my top two favourite boxes so far.

Dr Bronner lavender hand sanitiser - admittedly I got a little excited seeing this, hand sanitiser is a handbag must for me and the bottle and the fact it was lavender scented was very appealing. However I really don't like the smell, I did for a second when it smelt of lavender, but then it went into a liquorice smell for some strange reason, and I hate liquorice!

Becca beach tint in watermelon - this smells so beautiful and not like a 'cheap' smelling watermelon product. It leaves long lasting colour to both the checks and lips, love it! Swatch below.

BM beauty eye shadow - never heard of this brand before but quite like the colour I got and it's suitable for vegetarians and vegans so perfect for me as I am one. Swatch below.

Como Shambhala shower gel - smells gorgeous and foams really well, a little goes along way too.

Awapuhi wild ginger treatment oil - I'm a sucker for hair products, especially hair oils and this left my hair feeling lovely.

March Harrods edition box

Was extremely excited when I heard about this box and it has definitely lived up to the high standards  I was expecting. I will be, and am getting use out of every product in here.

Bliss blood orange and white pepper body butter - at first I thought this sounds awful and what an earth is a blood orange and most of all that I hate pepper. However, I was wrong, this smells beautiful and has such a strong fresh orange scent, and the size of the product is great. I love the packaging too, this is one for the handbag.

Vanitas Versace - I was not expecting to open the box and find a mini bottle of this, this made such a difference from just getting a sachet of perfume or a little tube and it's a lovely scent.

Clarins extra firming body cream - another lovely product however I can't really comment on the claims to restore youth and skins elasticity due to my age and not really needing these products just yet.

Lancome Juicy tubes in toffee - oh my gosh, amazing. The second you open it the smell just fills the air, such a sweet smelling toffee. It's a beautiful golden shimmery colour too and the toffee smell lasts for as long as it's on. This is definitely without a doubt going to be a repurchase of mine, swatch below.

Revive intensite creame lustre - another product for ageing skin, however it's actually a nice moisturiser which leaves the skin soft, so I will be using this.

Swatches from both boxes
Left to right - Lancome juicy tube, Becca beach tint & BM beauty eye shadow.

♥ 

What's inside my make up bag

Make up bag - Primark

Personally I love these types of posts along with the classic 'what's in my handbag' posts, basically because I'm a little nosey, but mainly because it gives an idea into what people use everyday. I got the make up bag from Primark for around £3.50 and I adore the print, I have a thing for floral prints. The make up bag has too separate compartments, so if your super organised you can section different types of make up, however I did do this at first and after one day it all got messed up again, so I just throw everything in now. So what's inside?

Face products

MAC studio sculpt foundation 

Loreal studio secrets primer

Murad skin perfecting primer from a glossy box

Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer

MAC studio finish concealer

MAC studio sculpt concealer

Cheek products

Benefit hervana

Sleek face contour kit

Topshop highlighter in prism 

NARS Orgasm and Laguna mini duo, from Nars Wicked attraction

Elf natural radiance blusher in glow

Eyes

MUA heaven and earth pallet

Sleek brow kit

Elf cream eyeliner

Nars mini smudge proof eyeshadow base

Maybelline the colossal volum' express mascara

No7 exquisite curl masscara

Other

Cosmopolitan blush brush

Ted Baker tweezers

Maybelline eye liner brush (included in the gel liner)

I have provided links to the products which I have reviewed on my blog if you want a read more about them. If you want a review of any of the products which I have not reviewed yet just comment below. May do a 'what's in my handbag' post soon too! Turning twenty tomorrow, ahhh!

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Maybelline gel liner

I've worn eye liner everyday now for a few years and have always stuck to my beloved Maybelline line definer liquid eye liner, until it recently ran out and Superdrug had none left. So I decided to give the Maybeline gel liner a try, as it was on offer and I had recently bought the elf cream eye liner (review here), which I love and it's a similar concept expect this is a gel, rather than a cream. 

The packaging is lovely, a frosted glass pot with a sliver screw on lid, great for something from the high street. It also comes with a brush which is quite decent, it does get a little hard when the eye liner is dried in but nothing a quick wipe can't sort out. The brush makes application really easy and smooth and the product goes onto the brush really easily too. 

When swatched the eyeliner is a jet black colour, however when on it does not resemble this at all, it's much more faded and quite matt. It claims to last for 24hours, well I never believe these dramatic claims anyway, as they are a bit drastic and I've never personally found anything that lasts that long. Honestly, the product doesn't even last a few hours without transferring onto your lid and fading. A primer really does help it stay in place though, but if you have oily skin you may have a few problems, even if it does claim not to transfer.

If I was to compare this with the elf cream eye liner, i'd definitely say I prefer the elf one, it just lasts so much longer and achieves a really dramatic look. Overall though it is a decent eye liner if worn with a primer and you can achieve a darker black by just adding two coats. However this doesn't live up to my beloved Maybelline line definer and elf cream eye liner. I'm currently searching high and low for this product though, as after taking pictures of it it decided to disappear on me, don't you just hate that!

Read a few mix reviews on this product, would love to know your thoughts
♥

Minty

Polishes from top to bottom
17 mint choc chip
Barry M mint green

Rimmel London Pro peppermint

Pastels are definitely my favourite nail colour, mint and lilac being my favourite ones to wear. Out of these three mint colours 17 mint choc chip polish has to be my favourite, it's quite a paler mint colour and I just love all 17 polishes in general. The Barry M polish is the darkest out of the three and to be honest I don't wear it all that much, it's just not the mint green that I'm after. The Rimmel polish is lovely too and is quite similar to the 17 one, but this one is a little brighter, the only thing I don't like about this polish is the brush. It's so big and if you have small nails your'l probably end up painting more of your finger than your actual nail. 

♥

Wednesday wishlist 008

dress, eye shadow, nail polish, make up bag & lipstick

Feeling very pink at the moment! I love the polka dot make up bag, although my make up never tends to stay in a bag, it usually ends up thrown into a basket. The dress is beautiful too, comes in red for anyone more daring, perfect for summer. Sorry I've not been posting much, been so busy with uni that I've not had the chance, but I'm still here! 

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Current favourite blusher: Benefit sugarbomb

This has definitely been my go to blusher for all of February and I can see myself using this everyday until it no longer exists. The blusher contains 4 separate shades of rose, pink, peach and plum and when swirled together creates a perfect peachy pink shade with the right amount of shimmer. Recently I've started to prefer peach coloured blushers to pink, so this is perfect if your the same as me. Usually I prefer matt blushers but I just love this as it's not over shimmery, it blends really well with a highlighter too. I really do love Benefit blushers, even though they are quite pricey, I find that they are so long lasting and have the nicest packaging, although mine is starting to take a little beating. When this runs out I'll be re-purchasing, although I'm sure by then ill have my eye on another blusher. 

Just like to say a huge thank you to all my new followers and for all the lovely comments you have been leaving, I wasn't expecting this many people to read my blog and I'm truely grateful! Incase you have switched to reading blog's on a different platform such as hellocotton or bloglovin' you can find my links for them in the sidebar. 

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