September Favourites

I thought that as my schedule of posting on a Friday coincided with the start of a new month, it was only right for me to do a monthly favourites, especially since I haven't done one in a while.

The first favourite is a bit of a random one but I have really been loving this shoe spray. The brand is Kiwi but I just picked this up in Tescos. I mainly bought this for my badminton shoes as I play for my county and recently got a new pair. I really want to try and keep this pair nice so after each training session I leave my shoes to dry overnight (ew I know), and then spray them with this in the morning before putting them away. What I love about this is that you twist the bottom, pop it in your shoes and push down to release the spray. I don't know why but something about this really excites me haha. Oh, and it has a lovely, fresh scent too!

Onto something a bit more normal, the L'oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening Shampoo. It's safe to say that I've tried a thickening shampoo from basically every drugstore brand so I was really excited when a new one was released. What really intrigued me about this is that it claimed to scientifically widen each hair strand, whereas most other shampoos of it's type just give your hair a bit of a boost and texture. I have definitely already noticed a difference after only using this a few times, so with continual use I am confident that I will see a vast improvement in the thickness of my hair.

Now for a makeup item, and something a bit different for me as it's actually high end. For my birthday back in August I was kindly given a MAC Paint Pot in the shade 'Let's Skate', and I have used it nearly everyday since. On a normal day I will just use this and a swipe of liquid liner, but on a more adventurous day I will use it as a base under a more developed eyeshadow look. The shade is a lovely pale pink with gold shimmer. It looks lovely and simple on the lids and adds a lot of brightness to your eyes.

Next up is a bit more a bit more of a general thing and it's statement necklaces. Since being given a ridiculous amount of necklaces for my birthday I have been trying to get into the habit of wearing one everyday, and so far I have really been loving statement necklaces. I wear quite plain clothes for college as I don't want to look too dressy, so these necklaces really help to add a bit of interest to my outfit. The one in the photo is from New Look and is one of my favourites because the cream and gold colouring mean that it goes with everything.

My final favourite is my Amazon Kindle. Having always thought I would be a book person, I was reluctant to try a kindle but I have fallen in love. I love how light it is, making it easy to hold, and I love that it tells you how far through the chapter, or entire book, you are. I also really like that you can look up the definitions of words whilst reading, because it helps to extend your vocabulary, whereas with a normal book I would just move on without finding out what a word meant as it was too much effort to get a dictionary and look it up. Overall, I feel that there are so many positives to using an e-reader, and the cheaper prices of e-books is yet another.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know your favourite products from September in the comments.

emma x

Product Empties #2

This post is incredibly overdue, I actually had so many empty bottles that I couldn't even fit them all in one post, so expect another fairly soon! I had a lot of products half started and they all finished at once, which is good for this as it gives me lots to talk about, but replacing and repurchasing them was not so good for my bank balance haha.

I thought I would begin with shower products seeing as I seem to have gone through a lot of it in the last few months, which can only be seen as a good thing because it means I am very clean! First is a Ted Baker Body Wash Mini, which I wasn't overly impressed with. It didn't lather up that well and I wasn't a massive fan of the scent, however a good point was that the scent remained on my skin for a good day after using it. Next are a couple of shower gels from The Body Shop, one is cranberry, and the other is raspberry. I tend to use cranberry in the winter months, and raspberry in the summer. I love these; they lather up amazingly, they smell great, really fresh and fruity, and because The Body Shop always has offers on, they're dead cheap. Last in this section is the Soap and Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter, which is a very moisturising body wash. It lathered up a lot more than I expected it to considering the texture, and smelt really comforting, making it perfect for autumn.

The next section is skincare, and I'll begin with the Clearasil Overnight Lotion, which I believe they don't actually sell anymore, which is a shame because I really liked it. You just apply it over your face and it acts as a moisturiser but it also helps prevent and reduce the size of spots. The Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream isn't really skincare but there was no other makeup so I slipped it into this group. I wasn't a massive fan of this, because although it's the lightest colour, it's very orange toned, and my skin isn't even that pale. It didn't last well on my oily skin but I've now purchased the one aimed at my skin type (Dream Pure) and can confirm that it performs much better. I purchased the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Moisturiser because it's oil free and I do think it works well and doesn't overload the skin, however I wasn't a big fan of the smell. I think it's because I enjoy drinking pink grapefruit squash and for some reason it made me feel a bit sick putting it on my face. However, I don't think other people would have this problem so I would recommend this, and besides, how can you not love the pink packaging! The Boots Skin Clear Deep Cleansing Lotion is a product that I used in the morning; I just quickly swipe a cotton pad of it over my face and then apply my moisturiser. It quickly cleanses my skin and helps to prevent spots. I've tried lots of these from many different brands and they all perform just as well so I tend to just buy whichever one's on the best offer.

This last section is just miscellanous products that were left over. First up is the Garnier Curl and Bounce Hair Mousse. I actually meant to get the volume one but got this one instead, however this did actually give my hair lots of volume when applied before blow drying, and to be honest the two products probably aren't much different anyway. I really like this and would definitly repurchase, but as this was my first mousse, I want to try a few others first to check that there isn't anything that's even better. Next is the Sally Hansen Strengthening Nail Varnish Remover. I really like this because I prefer to use nail varnish removers with acetone in as I find them to be so much more effective, but acetone can make your nails quite weak. Therefore I like this because the added vitamins cancel out the effect as they strengthen your nails, meaning your nails aren't damaged, but your nail varnish is quickly and easily removed. The final product is a Ted Baker Body Souffle Mini which has the same scent as the body wash, so I wasn't overly keen. It does it's job of moisturising the skin, however it wasn't as good as other moisturisers I have tried from brands that focus on bodycare.

And that concludes this empties post. Stay tuned for another one in the near future and I hope you enjoyed reading.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Kiko Nail Varnish

Hey guys! This weeks review is another Kiko product, and this time it's one of their nail polishes. I was really excited to try this and it did not disappoint. The formula is really lovely and creamy, and two thin coats was enough to give an opaque colour. I could have got away with one coat if I applied it more generously, however I always prefer to apply two. The wide brush made for an easy application and it dried in no time. I wouldn't say it was particularly glossy, but I always finish with a coat of Seche Vite top coat anyway. The only thing I was slightly disappointed with was that it only lasted a couple of day without chips, and with other nail polishes I can often last a whole week. Other than that I was really impressed with the formula.

I have the shade 363 which is a lovely deep pink. On the nails it comes out slightly darker than in the bottle, making it more suited to winter than summer. I haven't tried any other shades so I can't comment on whether all the other shades perform in the same way,  but I will definitely be trying more, because at just £2.50 per bottle, I can look past the chipping as I don't mind repainting and going through more bottles.

Have you ever tried a Kiko nail varnish? Let me know in the comments.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Kiko Glow Touch

For today's review I wanted to talk about the Kiko Glow Touch because it's a limited edition product so I wanted to get a review out before they stop selling it. I have been using this product for a couple of months now so I feel that I've tried and tested it sufficiently to give you guys an honest opinion about it. I have the shade Wave Hibiscus which is a lovely pinky coral that is perfect for summer. I love this shade for both my cheeks and my lips because, on my cheeks, it gives a bright flush of colour that's a bit more interesting than a boring pink shade, but without looking unnatural, and on the lips it also looks great, especially when wearing the blush at the same time.

In terms of wear time and formula, as a blush I only apply a light layer to even out my natural flush, and it wears for about 6 hours, which isn't bad for a cream product on my oily skin. I apply this with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, after applying my foundation with the same brush, so that the colour is not so intense due to the remaining product on the brush. As a lip colour, it is very sheer and feels like a tinted balm. This also gives it the wear of a balm, meaning it only lasts a couple of hours and comes off easily when eating or drinking. However, it is not a hassle to reapply so I don't mind too much, and the formula is really hydrating so it doesn't cause any damage to my lips to be continually applying product.

I would definitely recommend this product, especially if you are new to Kiko makeup and are wondering what product to try first.

emma x

Disney Paris 2014

For today's post I wanted to do something more lifestyle related to add a bit more variety to my blog. In the Easter holidays me and the fam went on a 5 day trip to Disney Paris. We only planned on going for 3 days but we got a deal where we got another 2 days for free which was amazing. I was beyond excited to go because, having been to Disney Florida 5 years ago, I was desperate to relive the experience.

I had the most amazing holiday, spending five whole days going on rides, meeting characters, eating amazing food (including a meal at the Rainforest Cafe), and watching the parades. I felt so free and like I was young again, with no stress or cares in the world. I don't want to write too much because I think that the photos I took speak a thousand words, so I'm going to share some of my favourites with you.

 

  

I hope you enjoyed reading (or just looking at the photos!). Be sure to let me know in the comments if you've ever been to Disney.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Topshop Brow Pencil

Heys guys! For this weeks review I will be talking about one of my current everyday staples, the Topshop Brow Pencil. It is very reasonably priced at just £6, and comes with a really good spoolie on the end for combing through your brows.

I have been using this pencil for just under a year now and have never regretted purchasing it. I have the blonde shade, which is called Vicious Circle, as I have very pale eyebrows. I had been finding it hard to find a pale brow colour in the likes of Boots and Superdrug, but for me this is perfect. It is slightly darker than the colour of my brows, but I like that because I have medium brown hair so I like to make them a bit darker than my natural colour.

I find this pencil really easy to apply and get natural looking brows. First I use the spoolie to tame the hairs, then I use small, light strokes to gradually fill in my brows, focusing on the tail and any other sparse areas. Once I have finished filling them in, I go over with the spoolie again to blend the pencil into my eyebrows to make them even more natural looking.

I love the formula of this product as it is soft enough that you don't have to press hard, but not so soft that you end up with harsh, unblended lines. I also find that this lasts really well, even on my oily skin, and my brows will stay on up until I take my makeup off, even after dealing with rainy weather or intense exercise.

Overall I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a cheaper brow pencil, especially people with lighter eyebrows who are struggling to find a suitable colour match.

emma x

April Favourites

Hey guys! So today I have my first ever favourites post which I am really excited about as these are my favourite types of post to read. I've really loved lots of products this month, but these are the main ones that were relatively new to me, and I now feel like I couldn't live without.

The first product is The Righteous Butter by Soap and Glory. I have always loved this product but this month I really loved it. I love the unique whipped texture which is so rich and luxurious yet sinks really quickly into the skin. I enjoy using this during my weekly pamper sessions; I would use it after every shower but I just don't want it to run out! Find it here for £10.50.

Next up is the Topshop Brow Pencil in Vicious Circle. I only really started filling in my brows in the last month of so (shocker I know) but the main reason for this is that I could never find a product that was the right colour for me. However, this pencil is revolutionary! The colour is so perfect for my pale brows, and this means that even though using a pencil can sometimes look too harsh, it actually looks really natural as it is the perfect colour match. Another good point is the spoolie which really latches on to every brow hair to allow me to shape them how I want and to blend in the colour a little bit. Find it here for £6.50.

Onto what are arguably the prettiest eyelash curlers on the market, and they're available from good old Primark! I absolutely love these eyelash curlers. I am blessed with quite naturally curled lashes, so I never used to see the point in using curlers, however I picked these up on a whim and haven't looked back. They make my eyelashes look so much more voluminous, and make it really easy to apply mascara. What's more, they're only £1 from Primark (who annoyingly still don't have a website ergh).

Another product from Primark now, which is these little hair grips. I used tie back the front section of my hair in a hair band and push it forwards a little to make it slightly quiffed (gosh, it's so hard to explain hairstyles!), but when I took it out, my hair was always getting stuck and I had to rip (or even cut) it out, which is so bad for your hair. However, these little saviours are so perfect; I can do exactly the same hairstyle but I just clip my hair in place instead and it's not at all damaging. And anyway, who can resist the adorable pastel colours for only £1.50!

Lastly, I have my specs! I got glasses for the first time in January and I didn't wear them very much as I felt quite self conscious about them. However, I have now learned how to style them so that they 'blend in' with my outfits and have therefore been wearing them a lot more. The reason why they are in my favourites is that I have been loving being able to see the world in HD when I wear them! Hahahah. Everything is so much clearer and brighter, and although they are only very weak glasses, it makes such a difference! If you take anything from this post, I really urge you to go and get your eyes tested because seriously, you may be missing out on seeing a lot of things! My glasses were from Vision Express, I can't find a link to them on the website but I know someone that got the same frame last week so they must still be available.

I hope you enjoyed this favourites posts, and let me know in the comments if you would like to see more in the future. 

emma x