Tuesday, 3 March 2015

February Favourites


February hasn't been a particularly eventful month for me. With the exception of a wonderful Valentine's Day I've just been plodding away with University work and becoming far too familiar with the library (and library snacks...oops!) Months like this often end up containing a dangerous amount of procrastination and we all know that always leads to online shopping! I've discovered some lovely new products lately that have been making this dull, dreary month a little more bearable.

Skincare & Beauty
After writing my Beauty Wishlist at the end of January, I've vowed to start taking more care of my skin and instead of splurging on make-up this year I want to invest more into skincare. So, after months of lusting over Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate (£36) I finally took the plunge and parted with my money for this curious, 30ml bottle of face oil. And it definitely lives up to the hype! I've been using 3 drops of this every single night throughout February and every morning I wake up with radiant, hydrated and healthy looking skin. It adds a little luxury into my nighttime routine and the soothing smell of lavender is so comforting when I sleep. I also adore the bottle - it may be childish but I don't think I'll ever stop enjoying squeezing the little pipette and feeling like a chemist! The next item I ticked off my wishlist was the Nuxe Rêve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm (£9.50). Whenever the cold, wintery weather arrives my lips have always suffered terribly but after using this balm every night for a week my lips had completely healed! I would point out that this is a really thick, intensive balm that I can still feel on my lips in the morning so if you're looking for a balm you can wear underneath lipstick I wouldn't recommend this one!

As for makeup, one product has actually managed to find its way into my everyday makeup routine. I've already written a review on bareMinerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener* (£22) that you can read here and I can't stress how much I love this product! It adds a brightness under my eyes that instantly gives the illusion that I've had 10 hours sleep when, in reality, I've probably only had 6! Another favourite of mine from bareMinerals is their Retractable Precision Brush* (£19). Is it weird that I love the feel of this brush on my skin so much I could happily sit and stroke it all day? (yeah that's pretty darn weird Becki...) It's one of the softest brushes I've ever used and I love that it's retractable. I've been keeping this in my bag all month to top up my foundation/powder on the go and it applies my makeup beautifully and deposits the powder evenly and lightly on the skin.

You've probably all seen my previous post where I talk about the Essie polishes I managed to pick for £2.49 from Fragrance Direct. Although I've only had them for two weeks I just had to include Eternal Optimist in this post. Described by Essie as a 'spiced tea rose with a dash of cream' I haven't taken this off all week and I can see this becoming my go-to nail polish when I'm in the mood for something neutral and chic.

Fragrance
If you're wondering what's in the mysterious green box in the picture below then it's my current favourite perfume - Happ & Stahns Perfumers Rose Alba Parfum Tear Catcher (£24). If you click on the link you can see how beautiful the bottle is (I feel like I'm in The Great Gatsby when I use this!) and it has the most elegant, floral rose scent. I usually only use this on special occasions as it only contains 9ml but I adore it so much I think I might have to invest in the full size. If you have an Anthropologie close by you have to pop in and smell this - I can't express in words how amazing the scent is!

Beauty Subscription
You might have noticed, if you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, that this month I received my first ever My Little Box. I had every intention to write a blog post about it but as I didn't order it until the first week of February I only received this at the very end of the month. I'm usually fickle with subscription boxes and only decide to order once I've seen what's inside each box but I loved My Little Box so much I've kept my subscription. This month the My Little Frenchie Box had 4 amazing full sized beauty products (including a £23 By Terry eyeliner!) as well two adorable lifestyle products. Birchbox, I think our on and off relationship is officially over! Everything about My Little Box is perfect - even the design and illustrations are incredible! I cannot wait for my March box and if you were thinking of subscribing you can use this code: FIRSTBOX for free shipping so your box will only be £11!

Everything Else...
TV:  True Blood. Did you know I'm obsessed with shows about Vampires? I'm addicted to The Vampire Diaries but as I'm all caught up on the latest season my boyfriend and I decided to buy the entire box set of True Blood. And oh my god it's so, so good!
Music: Besides having T Swift's Style on repeat all month I've been listening to my boyfriend's spotify playlist whilst I've been working! You can check it out here if you'd like!
Food: Salted Pistachios - I can't stop eating them! Even if they do break my nails every single time I try to get one out of the shell!

What have you been loving in February? Let me know in the comments below!


x
SHARE:

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Wishlist | Beauty #2


This year I've decided to organise myself and my spending habits a little bit more. I've been realising lately that I can buy those products I really want, even if they are a bit pricey, if I save my money instead of buying little things here and there that will probably be forgotten about within a month or two. I could guiltlessly buy myself the Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Balm, for example, if I make my own lunch at home instead of buying a Tesco Meal Deal three days a week when I'm in University over lunch time! No more unsatisfying sandwiches and luxuriously soft lips? That's sounds like a good deal to me!

Skincare
This year I'm getting serious about skincare. It's always been a bit of an unexplored area of beauty for me and recently my skin has been begging for more attention. At 21 I'm not going to get any younger and *gasp* I think I might see a wrinkle forming on my forehead. It's time to take some serious action and hopefully if I can try out one new product every two months my skin should be wonderful before my 22nd birthday! Currently, I'm lusting over:

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+]  - £15.50 (currently £11.62 at Boots)
I've heard wonders about this product and apparently the new, plus version is even better than the original. My friend Fiona, over at Fi's Little Blog, recommended this to me and apparently it does wonders on blemishes and acne marks.

La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray - £8.50 (currently £7.29 at Escentual)
Both Suzie from HelloOctober and Alix from I Covet Thee included this in their 2014 favourites. I've never tried any form of toner before and the Serozinc Spray is a light mist that tackles excess oiliness and blemishes. It only contains only 3 ingredients: Spring Water, healing Zinc Sulphate and astringent Sodium Chloride and apparently it soothes and calms redness which is something my skin definitely needs right now!

Nuxe Rêve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm - £9.50
£9.50 is very expensive for a lip balm but my lips always suffer the most, whether it's winter or summer. Honestly, they're just never happy and I've been dealing with dry lips since I was younger. It's a big favourite among the YouTube and Blogging community and it's something I'm willing to splash out on if it can heal my pesky dry lips!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate - £36.00
I'm sure you've all heard the hype around this product and who doesn't want younger, healthier looking skin in the morning? If this can make my face look radiant after late night library visits then I think I better invest now before dissertation deadlines, essays and exams hit once more. It is super expensive but it should last a long time if only 2-3 drops are required in one use and I love the bottle and the little pipette!

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads - £20.50
I've read a lot of mixed reviews about the Radiance Pads but there are so many bloggers who rave about them so I really want to try them out for myself. They brighten, tone and exfoliate the skin - a little bit like the Effaclar Duo +, so if I do purchase them I probably wouldn't use the two products together!

Haircare
My hair has been feeling limp, dull and just not silky during the winter months. I really want to bring it back to life and have smooth and silky locks again. So my two haircare picks (and hopefully hair heroes) are:

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer 75ml - £15.00
I've tried and loved Philip Kingsley's Daily Damage Defence Spray and as the Elasticizer is the brands most famous product, claiming to deliver elasticity, bounce and shine to the hair, it seems like a good place to start my quest for healthy hair. I really want to start investing more time and care into my hair routine and there are so many positive reviews about this moisturising treatment I'm curious to see if it lives up to the hype!

Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray - £6.99
This product is part of Charles Worthington's Salon at Home range which I'm a big fan of. I've already reviewed his Leave-In Conditioner here and I think the range offers high quality products for a reasonable price. This spray has cropped up in Fleur de Force's 2014 favourites and her hair always looks full of life and voluminous - something my hair is definitely missing. I love the result of texturizing products but I hate that so many of them make the hair stick together. Hopefully this won't have that effect!

Make-Up
Of course there are a thousand make-up items I want (I'm thinking of everything Charlotte Tilbury!) but there's nothing I desperately need right now. I've placed skincare as a priority this year, so I've only chosen one make-up product in my wishlist.

Bourjois 123 Perfect Colour CC Cream - £9.99
In Suzie's (Hello October) latest video she reveals that this CC Cream is a dupe for Dior's Diorskin Nude BB Creme, a product I've been lusting over for a while now. I've never tried a CC cream before and I absolutely love Bourjois' face products so for £9.99 I'm willing to give this a go! My current liquid base is a little too dark for me so I'll be definitely getting the lightest shade of this. Also, Boots are currently offering a free Rouge Edition Lipstick when you spend £12 on Bourjois so I might buy this right now!

What's currently on your wishlist? 

SHARE:
© Beauty and the Brunette. All rights reserved.
BLOGGER TEMPLATE BY pipdig. Edited by Beauty and the Brunette.