April Favourites

Today I am back with my first favourites post since I took a break from blogging. I didn't really try out too many new products in the month of April therefore there are only a few favourites but here they are anyway.

Maybelline Big Eyes Volum'Express Waterproof Mascara

First up we have this mascara I received in my February GlossyBox. I really don't like the side that is meant for your 'upper lashes' because it just doesn't seem to do much for me. It gives hardly any volume or length to the lashes what so ever, nor does it hold a curl very well. The one for the bottom lashes however is really impressive! The brush is super tiny and thin so you can get right into every single lash, even the ones right in the corner! I have used this every single day since I got it, to leave my bottom lashes nice and defined, without any clumping or smudging.

Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot Powder

  

Definitely my favourite discovery so far this year. I had been eyeing up this 'super-translucent mattifying powder' for months, after seeing countless raving reviews of it online. Everyone claimed that it kept their make up in place and their skin shine free all day. And being a sufferer of an oily t-zone myself, I do not know why I held off buying this wonder product for so long! Since buying it at the begining of March I haven't used any of my other setting powders. Before using this, my make up used to disappear from my nose within 3-4 hours of applying, but now it stays put for much longer and I usually don't have to touch up until the late afternoon. If and when I do touch up, this doesn't leave a cakey look mess on my face like many other powders I've tried. Instead it just blots away any shine and my make up looks as good as new. It doesn't cover my open pores, but it doesn't accentuate them either, which I am really happy about. So I am now on the look out for a primer that will give me the smooth, flawless complexion I long for!

Sleek Face Form Palette in Light

 

I bought this palette along with the powder I mentioned above, in one of Boots' many '3 for 2 events'. And it is another product I have been after for a while. I love contouring, and this palette is perfect for achieveing really defined cheekbones. The contour powder is the perfect brown for me, its not too dark or muddy looking and it isn't at all orange. It's completly matte, leaving a nice shadow that gives me great cheekbones! The highlighter is a gorgeous champagne colour, with just enough shimmer to make the skin glow without looking like a disco ball. I like to apply this to the tops of my cheekbones and along my brow bone for a lovely subtle highlight. Lastly the blusher is a beautiful pink with a gold shimmer running through it (apparently very similar to Nars Orgasm blush) that gives cheeks a nice flush of colour. All three powders are extremely pigmented, meaning this palette is going to last me such a long time. Only one or two swirls with a brush is needed in each powder to create a stunning look. This palette is great for travelling also, because everything you need for chiseled cheekbones is althogether in one place big enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Perfect for any girls makeup bag.

 (my first ever swatch photo apologies for quality!!)

Crown Brush Make-Up Brush Cleaner

I have only used this brush cleaner a few times but I really do like it. I used to only ever deep cleanse my brushes every few weeks. But now I like to spot clean them after most uses. This has cleaned my foundation brush like nothing else I have used before. It's  perfect for cleaning eyeshadow brushes too. Once you've created a look just spray a tiny bit of this onto the bristles, wipe it off on a piece of kitchen roll or tissue and it's as good as new. Ready to use the next day for a complete different eye look, without messing it up with colours from previous days. If you are ever in a hurry to use a brush but its dirty, you literally can use it again with in seconds of cleaning with this. It's so quick and easy and dries almost instantly. No more waiting around for brushes to dry over night!!

So there we have it my 4 favourite products from April, hopefully there will be a few more this month.

Thank You so much once again for sticking with my blog while I have been absent. And hi to any new readers that may have stumled upon this. Regular posting will now resume :D

Much Love Gemma xo. 

The Autumn Tag!

  Hi Everyone!! It's been a while!! Unfortunately I'm not here to stay, because I'm still without a laptop! I just thought while this Tag is going round, I'd grab my Dad's iMac for 5 minutes and get something typed up for you all! I've missed blogging sooooo much over these past few months, and I really can't wait to get back to it! I promise I'll try my best to do in the very near future. But for now here's the Autumn Tag to give you something new to read EVENTUALLY and to help settle my craving to blog! I do literally crave it, it's insane!!

For Autumn, what is your...

1.  Favourite thing about it? I love so many things about Autumn, the dark nights mean more cuddling up watching films with my boyfriend, getting all cosy and warm in my onesies, big coats and jumpers! And of course Halloween, one of my all time favourite holidays!!

2.  Favourite drink? In Autumn, just like at Christmas I love the Gingerbread Lattes from Costa :)

3.  Favourite scent/candle? Anything that smells like Cinnamon! 

4.  Best lipstick? Like everyone I like to dig out all my deep dark berry colours at this time of year, my Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 107 made its first outing in months on Saturday! And I'm sure it won't be its last. I really want MAC Rebel this Autumn aswell.

5.  Go to moisturiser? I don't change my moisturiser when the seasons change. I probably should but I don't!

6.  Go to colours for the eyes? They don't usually change as I'm not that adventerous when it comes to eyeshadows, I have been using bronze and golds a lot recently though. I really want to try out some berry colours aswell, I found this on the beautiful Kayleighs blog from last year and would love to try it out! If I ever get the courage to buy the colours!

7.  Favourite music or band/singer to listen to? This stays the same as well, I listen to all types of music all year round! LOVE Christmas songs as soon as December comes round though! 

 

8.  Favourite outfit to wear (i.e. boots & a scarf combo)? Skinny jeans, boots and a big thick jumper :)

9.  Autumn treat? I usually buy a new coat and pair of boots every year! I'll do the same this year and hopefully buy the MAC items I have mentioned above aswell!

10.  Favourite place to be? Cuddled up in bed or on the settee watch TV and Films with my boyfriend!

There we go then, My first blog post in months. Sorry it was very short and sweet but i hope you enjoyed it non the less! I tag you all to do this, and be sure to tell me if you do! Hopefully I'll be here again soon. Thank You all for your continued support when I haven't been here, every single comment, follow and view means the world to me! 

Much Love Gemma xo.

March Favourites

Hi ladies, Every time I do a favourites post I always say to myself, next month I'll post this before the second week of the month but I just can't seem to do that so here I am on the 8th April eventually telling you the products I was loving in the month of March.

My first favourite product is an extremely popular one from Soap & Glory -

 

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub - I had been after this product for such a long time after hearing so much about it on blogs and falling in love with the scent on a trip to Boots. For months I pondered over weather to buy it or not, but never did! Eventually back in February I bought it, although I didn't use it til last month. I absolutely fell in love with it after the first use. The smell is even more amazing with use, its a gorgeous mix of brown sugar and lime, that for some reason reminds me of Coca Cola. It also does a fantastic job of exfoliating your skin leaving it super soft and smooth.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo - When I bought the Sugar Crush Scrub I also purchased the infamous Effaclar Duo, that has been dubbed as the must have product for problematic skin. I won't go into too much detail, as I am planning on dedicating a full post to this product. But it really did start to work for me last month and has become a staple in my skincare routine.

And finally my favourite makeup items from March

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Lychee - I love the new Gelly Hi-Shine formula from Barry M. They are fully opaque in 1 or 2 coats and are super shiny without the use of a topcoat. Lychee was my first colour from the range and I love it. Whenever I wore nail polish in March (if your a regular reader of my blog you will know that this isn't actually very often) this is the one I chose, its a beautiful beige nude that works well even with my super pale skin tone. You can read my review of this here!

Nivea Raspberry Rose Lip Butter - As you may or may not know I love anything Raspberry flavoured/scented and this is no exception! I bought this on a whim one day and have been using it most days ever since. The smell is gorgeous. And the formula is lovely and creamy that leaves my lips really soft. It isn't as good as my Carmex lip balm but when my lips are slightly dry I apply this to give them back a bit of moisture. It also slighty tints my lips a very light pink which looks really nice on days where I don't want to wear a lipstick.

YSL Volume Effect Faux Clis Mascara - I have been using this mascara constantly since I got it and it's my favourite out of all the mascaras I have tried so far. Although it's on the pricey side it is really good. It gives amazing length and volume to the lashes and looks fantastic on a night out without the need for false eyelashes. If you would like a more in depth review, feel free to ask!

Once again I actually found it really difficult to come up with a decent amount of products to feature in this post. Because I really haven't been finding any new products that really take my fancy. I hope you enjoyed reading about these 5 little gems though.

Sorry for the lateness again.

Much Love Gemma xo.



February Favourites

Hi Beauties, Sorry for the lateness of this favourites post but I just couldn't decide what to feature in it. So here's 5 of my most reached for products in the month of February!

First up a skincare product -

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic - I bought this way back in September (i think) and I have been using it every single day since and I love it. Some people don't use a toner at all and think its a pointless step in their skincare routine. I on the other hand have been using them everyday since doing Beauty Therapy in college. I'm not sure if my skin actually benefits from it, because I haven't stopped using toners at all for the past 5 or 6 years, but I really enjoy using them, they really freshen up the skin and make it feel really clean and clear. I use this after cleansing. I spray it 4 times on a cotton pad and sweep it across my face, to make sure my face is completely clean and make up free. The smell of this toner is absolutely gorgeous and it really wakes my skin up, once I finish this I will definitely be repurchasing it.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Deep Nourishing Intensive Mask - I've been really looking after my hair recently and I think this has really helped. Since using it my hair has been really lovely and smooth. I use this at least once a week and I really like it. I reviewed it here if you would like to take a look.

MAC Girl About Town - This was my first MAC lipstick that I bought back in January. It's a gorgeous bright fuscia pink and I fell in love with it as soon as I laid eyes on it. Whenever I go out I use either this or the Rimmel Apocalips I'm about to talk about.

Rimmel Apocalips Big Bang - As you may know from reading this review I went out and bought 2 Rimmel Apocalips' the day they came out. I thought the bright pink I bought would be my favourite but in actual fact Big Bang is, this bright true red has been my most reached for since purchasing them. I've never owned such a red before, its really lovely and bright. The Apocalips themselves are really good too. They feel like a gloss when applied but dry to a beautiful matte finish. With the amazing pigmentation of a high end lipstick. I'm sure a well be extending my collection of colours very soon.

MUA Blusher Shade 2 -  I've been using MUA's blusher in shade 2 everyday I've wore make up in February. Its a lovely light dusky pink colour with ever so slight shimmer in it. The pigmentation is actually rather good for a product costing just £1, one quick swirl in the pan is enough to give my cheeks a lovely flush of colour. For only £1 I will definitely pick this up again, I have 3 of the 6 shades but this one is the one I use most. (As you may be able to tell the blusher in the very first picture in this post isn't actually shade 2, because the writing on the front of the packaging has completely faded and I wanted you to be able to see what the blushes look like, so I used another one of the colours in my collection so sorry if that causes confusion, also apologies for the messy packaging, I forgot to clean it before photographing)

Hope you enjoyed this most, and maybe have a few ideas of new products you would like to try out. What were your most reached for products in February? Be sure to let me know.

Much Love Gemma xo. 

January Favourites

Hi Everyone, As promised, my January Favourites at long last! Better late than never though ey? Lets get started..

 First up the make up I have been using on a daily basis this month.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - Ever since I bought 2 sets of Real Techniques brushes sometime last year, I have been absolutely loving them. I use this brush every single time I apply my make up. I will usually apply my foundation with my fingers then blend it in with this to give me a flawless finish, Then I will use it again to apply my powder over the top to set my foundation. I really do adore this brush, its the softest brush I have ever owned and I don't know how I managed without it!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - I have been using this concealer for well over a year now and have repurchased it countless times. I haven't even tried anything else because I like this so much. There's always been a huge hype on the blogosphere about this product and I 100% agree with it. This concealer does an amazing job at covering blemishes and dark circles and lasts all day. At less than £5 you really can't go wrong, I use the lightest shade, 01 Fair.

Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Eyeliner - As with all the other make up items in my favourites I love this and use it every single day. I got this not long after it first came out and haven't used any other pencil eyeliner since! The pigmentation of this is amazing and it doesn't budge all day. I have the black and nude versions and am extremely tempted to buy the other shades because I love them so much.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - Lastly for make up is the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, I can't honestly say when I first got this but since first buying it there has been alot of hype around it and again I can see why. It does a really good job at setting your make up and holding it in place. And also combats any shine through out the day. I really like a matte finish to my make up so this is perfect for me. I even swapped this for MAC's blotting powder but once that ran out I went straight back to this as I much preferred it to the MAC powder!

L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil - Now onto haircare. Last year I purchased this hair oil and didn't really use it that much. This month however I have been using it religiously and I really like it. It smells lovely and makes my hair really soft and shiny. And I also feel it has done my hair a world of good since using it. For more info check out my review of it in this blog post.

Enrapture Totem Styler -  I came across this in November time after reading loads of reviews on it and really wanted to buy it for myself. So as you can imagine I was over the moon when I found it on offer in Argos and my brother said he would get it for me as a Christmas present. One of the first things I did on Christmas morning was try these out. You can heat the different sections of the styler to different temperatures to create a variety of looks. So far I have only tried out a few different temperature combinations but I love all of the styles I have managed to create. The curls/waves hold really well and look beautiful. All throughout January I have been picking these up in favour of my beloved GHD's for super quick and easy looks whenever I go out. Review and pictures coming soon!

Finally a miscellaneous favourite of this month has been Temple Run 2. As my iPhone 4s is long dead :( my boyfriend has this on his Kindle Fire HD and I have been playing it whenever I can prise it away from his hands. I was over the moon when I eventually hit 1million points for the very first time, sad I know! But I just had to tweet a picture - 

So that's it for my January Favourites, hope you enjoyed it and if you have done one please feel free to leave me a link to it below because I love reading them :) Hopefully the next one will appear before the 8th of the month!

Much Love Gemma xo.