July Favourites: Benefit, flowers and Simple skincare

Hello, lovelies! 

Once again it is favourites time, and this month includes beauty and non-beauty, little mix up there! Also, I forgot to take a main picture for the heading of this blog, so you have to scroll down to see what my favourites are, instead of cheating and seeing them all in a little banner (sneaky).

Starting this post off with a lovely bunch of flowers. Last weekend I went to visit my friend, Kim in Leeds. When we went for lunch there was a lady with a beautiful bunch of sunflowers, and naturally myself and Kim really wanted flowers! So after lunch we walked down to Sainsburys and found these little precious pink rose buds for only £3.50 and they also came in other colours such as yellow roses and orange. I put these straight into a vase which is actually my mothers, but they small beautiful and also bring a bit more colour to my room. So flowers have definitely been a favourite of mine this month, bringing colour to every dull day.

Now down to business with the beauty stuff! 

First up, Erase Paste from Benefit, and I cannot speak more highly about this amazing brightening concealer! This little friend of mine has helped me through stress skin, travel skin, dull skin, dry skin, you name it ! I recommend this concealer to all of my friends, and I do not think there is a concealer to date as good as this. I have also had this since September last year and no matter how much I use, and I would say I use this quite a lot, it still looks hardly used, because you need only a little bit every time. You are meant to warm your fingers and rub it with them, but I use a concealer brush from Real Techniques. Last comment on this, as well as the fact that if you don't own this you should really get up and go buy some RIGHT NOW, but I have had comments that my skin looks flawless whilst wearing this.

Next beauty product comes along with a lot of summer loving and sunshine. If you live in England you will understand how lovely and warm it has been these past few weeks, if you do not live in England, i'm pretty jealous you get sunshine a lot more than we do! basically, my skins looks 0.09% more tanned than it usually would, so i'm making the most of this tiny little tan and using lovely pale and nude coloured lips to match the tiny tan. Obviously if you have a good tan this will look even better. But this little blend of Peach Blossom from MAC and A-Lister from Benefit have done me well over the last month. I cannot get over how amazing and natural this little combination creates. 

Skincare this month I have kept to a minimum, just because it's been a lot warmer, and less makeup needed to be used, I wanted to stick to products I knew worked well on my skin to avoid breakouts. However, a few new products I tried didn't fail me, and when it came to rating them out of ten this next product definitely gets a strong 9.5. These Johnson's face care gentle eye make-up removal pads work a dream. You take a pad out, place it over your eye, with very gentle pressure, and sweep away the mascara and any other makeup in seconds! I know there has been quite expensive eye make-up removers released last month such as Benefits They're Real eye make-up remover, but I was looking for a very good drug store alternative because I do not think I can handle splashing the cash on even more Benefit skincare, it's a little pricey. However, these removal pads are only £3.25 and definitely did not break my bank account. 

This skincare product I over used last month and still has a really good amount of liquid left in the bottle. This is Simple kind to skin Moisture Boost Hydrating Mist. Again this did not break the bank, it was only £5.99. This little hydrating mist is for when it's really hot and muggy and your makeup starts to slip or your face is just really hot, you give your face a few sprays of this and there you have it. A cool, sweat free, moisturised and hydrated face in a few sprays! The spray also includes lotus flower to work on tired and dull skin so it can be used over or under, or even without makeup.

Then back to non-beauty favourites, I have visited Kim quite a few times last month and every time we go out for lunch. Although my favourite place has to be a new cafe that has just opened in Headingley, Leeds called Munch and it's run by two lovely ladies. We've tried out a lot of cute and quirky cafe's but this one is at the top of our list. So on Sunday morning we woke up and decided to go out for breakfast (little did we know it was something like national friendship day). We scanned the breakfast menu and both chose very quickly, the prices were very affordable, considering the cafe is in a student village anyway. The food was amazing and I think we will definitely be spending a lot of mornings there dining with breakfast. 

Lastly, I'm still jogging, and i've still kept up all the healthy eating and exercise (round of applause) even though it has been quite hard whilst attending children's birthday parties, travelling and going out for lunches/picnics. However, I've made a few little friends along a new jogging route I found, it's a very quiet jogging route because it's behind some factories so there is only ever the odd car the drives down the path I jog on. There is a training field for horses and there are two adults and two ponies. i see these most mornings and evenings when I go for a jog, and have definitely become my new little friends.

I hope you had an amazing July, until next time lovelies x

May Favourite

I realise its the middle of June, and too late to do a May favourites, but keeping on top of the favourites game means blogging them very month right?

First item on my May favourite list is a book, and a very popular book at that! The Fault in our Stars is an extremely popular book for teens and young adults, based on a girl (Hazel-Grace) who is suffering a terminal illness, also known as Cancer. This novel is actually a breath-taking and emotional roller coaster for all readers, a love story, a life problem, a travelling experience and teenage life all crushed between a paperback cover. On a serious note though, if you have not read this, you ARE missing out, and you need to go to your local waterstones, WHSMITHS or book store and purchase it quickly! Side Note: I purchased mine for £2.99 from Sainsburys)

I started reading this last summer but never really got into it, then picked it up again a few weeks ago and became instantly hooked (also the little matter that i prefer to read books before watching the movies). Big high-five for John Green here!

Next up, the little pink trio of beauty products. And yes, a Benefit product is included (surprise, surprise). The Rimmel London Match Perfection blush is an old make up item that I came across when clearing through my dressing table, I was never a big fan of this, and the thin plastic case would always crack and I was scared of the product smashing and crumbling when I travelled. However, I've given it a second chance and it was the best choice I've made in a while. It includes three different shades of pink, and blended together give a little shimmer, and pink pop to the apples of your cheeks, definitely a 'must try' if you've never had this before.

Secondly, Barry M Gelly High Shine Nail Paint in the colour Rose Hip. I've never been one for Barry M until I tried this product, still not a fan of the normal nail polishes in this collection, but i'm a sucker for the Gelly High Shines! It literally stays on for so long, at least a good 7 days, no chips, no cracks, no smudges.

Lastly, Benefit colour Collection ultra-plush lip gloss in the shade A-Lister (Bubblegum Pink), this is just a perfect colour for the spring/summer little glowing bronzed tan everyone been catching from the little tiny bit of English weather this past few weeks.

And then the strange one, I suffer from migraines quite badly, and have for such a long time, but recently the doctors gave me a new medication to try and reduce these migraines. This is Propanolol, and seriously works wonders! All you migraine sufferers out there, try this little working wonder!

Until next time x

April favourites

Two days early, but who can go wrong with a favourites post! 

This months favourites include beauty, decor and even food!!

First up, I relieved a promo letter from yankee candle the week before Easter. This letter stated I was entitled to a FREE candle!! So myself and my mum went into Peter Jones. I chose a 'Beach Walk' scent, with a jar entitled 'Best Friend' for my best friends birthday this week, along with a 'Sweet Pea' scent my mum purchased! We were then given a free 'Loves Me, Loves Me Not', and I can honestly say I have lot this candle every day since!!its a perfect spring/summer scent, it really does smell like daisies!! We were also give a free car air freshner and a reward card (BONUS). 

My second favourite this month has been my new glasses! Marc by Marc Jacobs tortoise shell, with a small gold bird clipped into the side. My old glasses would always slip off my face so I never wore them, these however, I just cannot be parted with!

Easter treat this year was a dressing table, and what a beautiful dressing table it is. This is from Dunelm, and there was also 20% Easter discount! This made the dressing table only £119, and what better to cover it with then all my favourite benefit cosmetics.

Next up, my beauty favourites, including A-Lister benefit lipgloss, a beautifully perfect, hydrating and head turning spring colour, I cannot part with this! 

Refined finished benefit cleanser has worked wonders for my dry skin these last few weeks, and I seriously can't wait to buy the full product when student loan goes in (everyone has a cheeky little loan purchase). And finally Fake Up, the best concealer I have, and I think I will ever experience, it is definitely a product I will purchase over and over again. 

Last but certainly not least, a candy floss frappaccino, a vanilla cream with a few pumps of raspberry syrup, heaven in the mouth! 

Until next time lovelies x

Benefit 'Nice Package' Review

During November, Benefit Cosmetics produced an offer to create your own makeup kit, known as the 'Nice Package'. 

This handy asset to the website allows you to choose 3 makeup items, one for complexion (primers, foundations, powders), another for cheeks (tints, blushers, highlighters) and the last item would be for the eyes (concealer, eye shadow, mascara). After picking your 3 items, you then get to choose a free item including eye shadows, lipsticks or lip gloss, all of which are in the new Benefit collection. Then all of these chosen items would be packaged in a beautiful pick make up bag, wrapped in lots of girly pink tissue paper, and sent directly to your door for £62!

In the package I chose Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation, Watts Up highlighter, Fake Up concealer and a free Ultra Plush lipgloss.

The first item was Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation with SPF 25. This is a brightening foundation, and I have used it before this foundation before and I personally think it is amazing quality! The foundation is so soft and easy to apply, it comes in a pump bottle, and a small amount will cover the entire face. It is a thin foundation, with medium coverage when applied with fingers and only a light coverage when applied with a brush, but it builds up pretty easily if you want a thicker foundation, or by personal choice, I use the Stay Flawless 15-hour Primer under my foundation which makes the base a little thicker, and this keeps the foundation on for a very long time!

The next item in the kit was a Watts Up face highlighter which comes in only one shade, a beautiful champagne colour. This highlighter glides on the top of your cheek bone, brow bones, down the centre of the nose, and the upper bow of the lip either with the applicator or using your finger, and again blend with the sponge on the opposite end of the highlighter or use your finger.

It is a soft focus highlighter and can be put on top of makeup, or underneath, and either way create a stunning glow to the skin. This product works even if you are having a 'no make up' day, because it brings a glow to the face, applied on top of moisturiser,  and does not dry out the skin under your eyes.

 

The third item is a Fake Up concealer which is a hydrating crease controlling concealer in the colour medium (02). This concealer comes in 3 shades: light (01), medium (02) and dark (03). This concealer, along with Erase Paste are my two most favourite Benefit concealers! This concealer hydrates the skin for a very long period of time; it includes vitamin E that protects and repairs skin, and apple seed extracts which nourish, soften and protect skin as well as reducing dark circles over time. It's a very natural looking coverage even though the application is quite thick, which makes the product an absolute must have! Nothing is worse than having dark patchy areas on your face where concealed areas stand out.

The last product in the set was the free Ultra-Plush lipgloss that I chose in the colour A-Lister (bubblegum pink). It has a very smooth applicator and when applied is a pretty natural pink colour with a little kick. I'm not the biggest fan of lip glosses, especially in windy weather when all your hair blows around and sticks to your lips, but this lipgloss is far from sticky! It's smooth and soft and just feels like a moisturising lip balm.

I recommend Nice Package because the products are quite delightful, they all come in beautiful packaging and at only £62 it saves you a lot of money, each product is usually between £19.50-£25.50. I also chose the most expensive items for my package to make sure I got the most out of the offer, as well as products I have been eager to try!