April 2014 Favourites

I usually do my monthly favourites on my YouTube channel, but seeing as I haven't uploaded to there for 2 months, I thought I'd do it on here :) 

I haven't been wearing 'that' much makeup this month, mostly just eye makeup.  If you saw my 'Yes to Cucumbers' review, then you'll know why I haven't been able to wear foundation until the last few days.  Thankfully, even though I still have some dry patches on my cheeks, I'm able to get away with wearing it again.

So, here's whats been on my face :)

Chanel perfection lumiere velvet

A full review will be coming of this in the next couple of weeks, so do not fear!  Either way, I love it! Perfect for oily skin, but be careful if you have lots of dryness as it does highlight dry skin.

Giorgio Armani eyes to kill mascara in 01*

This is a pretty mega-awesome mascara, another one where a full review is imminent.  It thickens, lengthens and helps curl, gives great volume and just generally makes your lashes look pretty sweet.

Yves Rocher volume vertige mascara*

Another awesome mascara, I've already done a full review of it here.  One coat is not so impressive, but 2-3 coats and your lashes will look spectacular!  

Smashbox 24 hr photofinish shadow primer*

This little beauty I reviewed on the blog earlier in the week, I really do prefer it to the Urban Decay primer potions I've been using for the past few years and will 100% replace it when it runs out, it's great if you have really oily lids :)  Review here.

GOSH forever eye shadow pencil

This little beauty (combined with the Smashbox primer) is amazing - put this on top of the primer, then your chosen eye shadow on top and you'll have some serious staying-power.  I get about 12+ hours out of it before any creasing starts to appear, which is unheard of for me :)  Review here.

Dolly Wink liquid eyeliner*

I never thought I'd find a liquid eyeliner that I'd prefer to my Chanel one, but here I am and Dolly Wink has stolen me away!  It has a really fine point on it so you can create a beautiful wing, it lasts all day, doesn't transfer onto my lid and is a great black (not a grey-black), here's my review.

Giorgio Armani eyes to kill silk eye shadow

When I went to the Giorio Armani event, I fell in love with this and just couldn't leave without it.  It was the first piece of makeup I'd bought in ages too, so I didn't feel too guilty about the price :)  It's a beautiful combination of purple with flecks of gold - it's very similar to the L'Oreal infallible shadows in that they're pressed, and come presented in a similar way.  It's long wearing and just beautiful :) Review here :)

On writing this up I'm aware lots of these favourites are items that were PR Samples (as noted by the *) but these are products I genuinely love and recommend.  I'd never review a product stating I liked it, if I didn't, and I certainly haven't been asked to include any of these in my favourites, these are just what I've been reaching for above everything else this month :)

What's been your favourites this past month?

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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My hair saviours from Lush

Just lately my hair has been horrific.  Say I wash it on a Monday morning, by Monday evening it'll be starting to feel a bit lank and weighed down, and by Tuesday afternoon it's feeling and looking pretty horrid, heavy and greasy.  I refuse to wash my hair every day, and if I'm not going anywhere at the weekend, I'll leave it 3 days.

I've tried all sorts of shampoos and conditioners, John Frieda, Tresemme, L'Oreal and ultimately all led to hair in desperate need of a wash on day 2.  

I used to always get my shampoo & conditioner from Lush, but I found them to be quite expensive, you're looking at around £10 a bottle, but they're full of good natural ingredients and not with any rubbish in them.  When I used to use them, I never really had issues this bad.  So I decided to re-invest and see if they could work their magic again.

For shampoo I went back to my trusty I Love Juicy, it has lots of fruits in there and lemon which is great at cutting through the grease.  The great thing about this too, you only need the smallest amount to generate a good lather, I use about half the amount I would with other shampoos.  I can feel that it cleans my hair really well, leaving it ready for conditioner.

For conditioner, I've gone back to my old favourite, Veganese.  I'm not overly in-love with the scent, however, once rinsed off I can't smell it on my hair anymore.  There's lemon in there to help keep your hair shiny, and seaweed to keep it lovely and soft (I think it's the seaweed smell I'm not keen on).  Only real negative is that you need to use more conditioner than you feel you should as it is quite light and doesn't spread over the hair that well - it absorbs in fast!

Now for the important stuff, how it actually makes my hair feel.  Well, I still wash it every other day, but my hair doesn't look and feel awful on the second day.  The day I wash it, it has volume, but is still soft and has lots of movement in it.  Once again I'm not a slave to the horrendous grease that I was getting just 12 hours after washing my hair.

Thanks Lush for making such great shampoo's and conditioners.

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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The Lovely Book for Wonderful Women

If I'm right, I don't think I've ever done a book review on here before, and well, this isn't a normal book review as it's not like a novel or anything, more an inspirational book.

I'm reviewing a book for a publisher over on my mummy blog and they suggested that this could be a nice fit for my beauty blog, and I think they're right :)

This is a great coffee table book, or a gift to inspire someone.  It's full of... I don't want to say quotes, but actions for you to do to make you feel good about yourself (even a naughty suggestion in there!).

The one in the second picture "lie on the grass in the summertime, look up at the blue sky and enjoy the feel of the earth beneath you" is my favourite one in the book, I've already instagrammed it and used it as an image on the mummy blog.  It's something I used to do as a kid all the time, and don't really do anymore, but it's something I loved to do so much.  It reminds me of Saturday mornings in the summer, I'd be lying in the grass in the garden, my cat would be sitting nearby, and there'd be light aircraft flying overhead, maybe someone a few doors down mowing their lawn so the smell of freshly cut grass is in the air.  Moments like that made my childhood so happy, and even now on a sunny day, if we're lying in bed and I can hear light aircraft flying over, it takes me straight back to being a kid again, and makes me feel blissfully happy inside.

It really is some of the most simple things in life that can make us eternally happy.

That's kind of what this book is to me, it's a nostalgia trip paired with inspiration and happy thoughts. Like the one about floating - again, something I used to do lots as a kid when we had trips to the big lake about an hour away (frensham ponds), or to the seaside or local swimming pool.  But how often do we make the time for ourselves to do this when we're older?  This book made me realise how I've let those simple happy-making moments disappear from my life, and about how life should be about taking unadulterated pleasure in the most simple things in life.  Like making a batch of cookies for a friend (for no reason other than making them smile), or gazing at the stars for hours on end in bewilderment.  

These are all things I want my child to experience, and the book has inspired me to make my own list, to create some of those eternally happy memories for Squidge and try to give them the childhood I had.

I know this review is a little odd, more me talking about my memories than the actual book, but it was the book that inspired them all and brought them all back.  It really is a lovely book (just like it says in the title) :)

I hope you've enjoyed this different sort of post, which got quite personal in the end, I really enjoyed writing it :)  If you're interested in buying a copy of this for yourself or a friend, you can find it on the publishers website for £6.99*.

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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