Monthly Favourites // April

Hi Ladies! This is my second time writing this post tonight so I'm really hoping you enjoy it. I wrote the whole thing earlier and when I came back to publish it just now, it had gone. Its safe to say I'm not a happy bunny! However, I guess theres no point dwelling on these things, so here I am writing it again. I hope you're all having a wonderful bank holiday weekend - I've had such a lovely time, although the weekend has gone a tad too quickly for my liking. In fact, the whole month has gone pretty quickly, it only feels like five minutes ago I was sitting down to write my March Favourties, madness! I've been using and loving a lot of products this past month so I struggled whittling it down. However, the selection I finally chose are products I've been using all the time and absolutely adore - lets call it the ultimate monthly favourites haha! Here's a little bit more about each of them ...

[MAC Strobe Cream (Sample Size)]

MAC Strobe Cream is one of those products I often hear raved about on other blogs but one I've never fancied trying myself. I think its mainly down to my love for powder highlighters and the fact I've not been blown away by any cream and liquid highlighters I've tried in the past. However, when I recently repurchased my Smolder eye pencil from the MAC website, they threw in this little Strobe Cream sample with my order. I decided to give it a go to see what all the fuss is about and I have to say, I can see why its such a popular and well-loved product. I've been applying it on my cheekbones and down the centre of my nose and it gives my skin the most beautiful iridescent glow. It isn't shimmery (more of a pearly sheen) and it gives my skin some much needed radiance. I've been suffering with a lot of dry patches and dullness lately so this has been a real pick me up product for my skin. 

I actually find it looks more natural than my powder highlighters too and it can even be mixed in with moisturiser or foundation for all-over dewy-ness. If you're after that Millie Macintosh glow - this product is for you! Also, even though the cute sample I received is teeny tiny, I've been using it regularly for a few weeks now and there's still loads left. I imagine the full size would last a long, long time and as soon as I have some spare cash I'll be purchasing it. Oh MAC and your clever marketing tactics - don't give me free samples anymore, its not good for my bank balance!

[NYX Medium Matte Bronzer*]

If you didn't already know, I was chosen to be NYX Cosmetics April Blogger of the Month which meant I had the opportunity to test and review four of their lovely products here on my blog. One of those products was the Matte Bronzer and I absolutely love it. My beloved NARS Laguna is slowly but surely running out so I've been saving that for special occasions and using this NYX bronzer on a daily basis instead. I have to be honest, its very similar to Laguna but costs a quarter of the price at only £8.00 - I know, bargain! I find the shade 'Medium' perfect for my skin tone, it doesn't look too orange or 'dirty' and instead adds a nice sun kissed glow to my skin. The matte finish is great for contouring too and the texture is buttery soft meaning it blends like a dream. You can read my full review of it here if you want to know a little bit more about it. 

[Macadamia Deep Repair Hair Masque*]

I'm going to review this in full soon along with another Macadamia's products so I won't say too much about it other than its a great hair mask that I've been thoroughly enjoying using. Apart from smelling absolutely divine, it really nourishes my hair and leaves it soft, shiny and manageable. A big thumbs up from me!

[MAC Turquatic Perfeume]

If you've never had a sniff of MAC Turquatic perfume - I urge you to do so, NOW! I remember when I first smelt this perfume whilst browsing the MAC counter a couple of years ago and let me tell you, it was love at first whiff. I actually got this bottle as a Christmas gift from my boyfriends mum and dad but as its more of a Spring/Summer scent, I've been saving it for the warmer weather.  Well, as soon as the sun decided to rear its head a few weeks ago, I've been spritzing this fragrance every day. It smells so refreshing, clean and energizing - its absolutely perfect for this time of year. I'm not one for describing scents but if you're passing a MAC counter anytime soon, make sure you give this a sniff. Its beautiful!

[Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation]

I bought this Bourjois 123 Perfect foundation on a whim while Boots had a 3 for 2 offer on and I was on a quest to find the perfect high street (or drugstore as you guys across the pond call it) foundation. I bought this one along with a couple more and this has been my favourite of the bunch. I find it an amazing dupe for my beloved NARS Sheer Glow foundation as it has the same medium but buildable coverage, easy to blend formula and natural radiant finish.

 As I said earlier, my skin has been lacking in the radiance department lately but this foundation has helped to conceal the dullness and add some brightness to my face. It contains colour correcting particles in it to combat dark circles, dullness and redness and I have to say, I agree. I don't usually believe these 'too good to be true' claims but this one really does all three of those things. I'm going to do a post on four drugstore foundations I've been trying soon, this one included, so keep your eyes peeled for that if you want to know a little bit more about it.

[NARS Gina Blush]

As you all know, I absolutely adore my NARS Laguna Bronzer so I thought it was about time I added one of their blushes to my collection to see if it'd wow me as much as the bronzer. After deciding I wanted a peach toned blush and doing a bit of research online, I decided 'Gina' was the exact shade I'd been looking for. Its the most beautiful muted peach with a slight gold shimmer running through it and seriously, its the nicest blush I've ever used. I've been wearing it none-stop since I ordered it as it instantly brightens up my face and gives my cheeks some definition and a healthy glow. Paired with Laguna or the NYX matte bronzer mentioned above, it looks beautiful. Much like Laguna, the formula is buttery soft, highly pigmented and easy to blend. A total dream. 

[Collection 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner]

I think I've featured this product in a monthly favourites before but its so good, its getting another mention. I've been using this Collection 'felt tip liner' for years now and its exactly what it says it is, a liquid eyeliner of the felt tip variety. If like me you struggle perfecting the winged liner effect with your standard 'nib' or brush applicators then you must give this Collection version a try. I find the felt tip style applicator gives me so much more control over the application of the eye liner and creating perfect flicks has never been easier. I use this most days to add a subtle cat-eye and a bit of definition to my top lash line and it really is absolutely fool-proof to use. 

As well as being exceptionally easy to use, it applies really smoothly, is a really deep black shade and has great staying power too. I'm not sure it lives up to its 24 hour claims but who wears eye liner for that length of time anyway? Overall though, this is a fabulous product and for the cheap price tag, its 100% worth picking up when you're next in Superdrug. I have a lot of love for it - can you tell?

So there we have it guys, the products I've been loving lately. What have you been loving recently? Have you tried any of my April favourites?

Lots of Love,

Monthly Favourites | February

Hi Lovelies! I hope you're all well and are having a fantastic weekend. I've had the best weekend ever as I went to pick up my new Mini Cooper on Saturday and I absolutely LOVE it. I can't drive it yet as I still need to past my test but its definitely given me the motivation I need to get my bum into gear and learn to drive again. I've also been to Ikea today to buy a new dressing table and  storage so keep you're eyes peeled if you're interested in seeing it as I'll definitely be doing a post when its all set up. 

Also, can you believe its March? February seemed to pass us by in a flash. I didn't write a monthly favourites post last month purely because there wasn't many things I was loving. However, fast forward a month and theres lots of new bits and pieces that I'd like to share with you all so sit back, grab yourself a cup of tea and enjoy reading!

Rimmel Apocalips

Okay so I'm sure you've all heard about the new Rimmel Lip Lacquers since every man and his blog have been talking about them 8). I of course couldn't resist temptation and placed an order from Boots the day they were released and on a 3 for 2 offer. I've blogged about the ones I bought here including swatches if you want to know more about them. Since then I've added another two to my collection and I love them all. The shades I currently own are Celestical, Apocaliptic, Big Bang, Stellar and Galaxy. My favourite of the bunch is Stellar - a gorgeous brink orange/pink that will be perfect for the upcoming summer months. The pigmentation of these bad boys is just insane which is why I love them so much. If you haven't tried them already, I urge you to!

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash

I've already blogged about and expressed my love for this body wash here so I don't think I really need to explain why this is in my favourites. I'll give you three words though - IT SMELLS AMAZING!

Macadamia Nourishing Leave-in Cream*

I was recently sent a couple of Macadamia products to try out (full reviews to come soon) but this one has been the stand out product for me. The idea is to pop this through the mid to ends of towel dried hair and leave it to work its magic. I won't say too much as like I say, I'll be doing a full review soon but it leaves my hair feeling super soft and it smells incredible.

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

I've recently blogged about this little gem here and I absolutely love it. I've never really got along with gel eyeliners in the past (even Bobbi Brown was a no-no for me) but this one is super creamy, pigmented, long lasting and easy to use. I've been loving using this on my top lash line and I find I can get a much more precise 'flick' with this than I can with a liquid eye liner. I really don't have any complaints about it. The frosted jar looks cute too!

MAC 'Smolder' Eye Kohl

Another eyeliner I've been loving this month is MAC's 'Smolder' which I recently re-purchased after my 'Feline' liner ran out. I usually switch between the two of them and as Feline wasn't in stock, I decided to go for Smolder again. I'm glad I did as its a lovely creamy and pigmented eye pencil. I use this everyday in my water line and I really can't fault it. It's humongous too so even though its a bit pricier than your standard eye liner, in my opinion, its worth it.

Rimmel Stay Glossy 'All Day Seduction' Lipgloss

I actually reviewed this lip gloss here earlier this week if you want to read why I love it so much in a bit more detail. Its basically just a fabulous lip gloss thats not sticky and makes my lips look plump and glossy. Perfect!

Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm*

I've been really enjoying cleansing with this product at the moment and will be reviewing it in full soon. Due to the cold winter weather my skin has been very dry and sore but this has helped sort that right out. It's a oil based balm thats applied to dry skin to exfoliate and then mixed with a touch of water to cleanse. It contains small grains of oatmeal which gently exfoliate the skin and sweet almond oil to cleanse and melt away makeup. I'll go into more detail in my full review but its a fantastic product and a real treat to use. It also smells yummy!

MAC 'Porcelain Pink' Mineralize Skinfinish

I bought this on a whim from a recent MAC collection (I have no idea which one it was, possibly Apres Chic?) as I was feeling in a 'why not treat myself' kind of mood and wanted a new skinfinish. I absolutely adore the MSF in 'Soft and Gentle' and this one looked quite similar so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Although it isn't quite as pigmented as Soft and Gentle, the effect it gives my skin is fairly similair. Its a beautiful soft pink with gold running through it and it adds a lovely 'candlelight' glow to my skin. I don't like it quite as much as Soft and Gentle but I've thoroughly enjoyed using it this month.

Origins Clear Improvement Face Mask

I received this face mask in a set of three for Christmas and I've been absolutely loving it for the past few weeks. Its a charcoal mask meaning its great for extracting excess oil and impurities from the skin. I suffer with an oily t-zone so I can often get clogged pores and a few pimples around that area. However, as soon as I use this mask my skin looks crystal clear and feels amazingly soft. I'm going to review it in full soon but I'd definitely recommend it if you suffer with excess oil or large pores.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the products I've been loving this month! Do we have any of the same favourites? Have you tried any of these products?

Lots of Love,