Monthly Favourites | October

I have had one of the best months of the year which you'll see why further in the post. October is one of my favourite months and it's been a very eventful month. We are well into Autumn which I love and I've enjoyed watching the leaves change colours and cover the ground which makes you just want to grab your camera and take pretty photos of those autumnal walks.

So at the start of the month, me and Sam celebrated our 5 years together in one of our favourite city's Manchester. You can read all about this over at my Manchester Haul post here.

I'm sure like most people, liquid lipsticks have all made a place in everyone's makeup collection right now, I have many favourites and continue to be finding new ones but one that I've been using a lot this month is NYX Lingerie in the shade Ruffle Trim, this is a brown/dusty pink which is so on trend with the brown autumn vibes, it goes on the lips like a mousse texture and dries matte which is my favourite formula for A/W. I think this shade is perfect for any occasion as I've worn this to a birthday party, going shopping, out for dinner. It's the kind of shade that you can throw on and it looks like you've made an effort.

I've never really liked the thought of using a cleansing butter to remove my makeup as I found the whole idea a bit messy but The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter has been something I've wanted to try to see if it makes stubborn eye makeup easier. This is probably the gentlest cleanser I have ever come across, I have sensitive dry skin so the ingredient Camomile attracted me to this as any person who suffers from sensitive skin, ingredients such as Aloe Vera and Camomile are something you must take notes for calming down red flare ups. I only use a small amount of this and it completely breaks down my makeup which I just then wipe away and rinse, my face feels so soft afterwards and not tight and has helped purify any signs of blemishes. I've really enjoyed using this.

When Barry M first released the Molton Metal range I knew instantly which shade I needed to buy and of course that has to be 'Copper Mine' this shade is definitely going to be my ultimate A/W shade. It's hints of glitter and chrome effect really makes your nails eye-catching and I always get compliments when wearing this, Barry M nail polishes are really affordable which I love and last a good few days chip free but I find this lasts a lot longer than their other polishes.

So from the age of 11 back in 2004 I discovered the band 'Keane' when my dad brought home the album 'Hopes & Fears' a great listen if you haven't given this a listen. Long story short, I basically became Keane obsessed, fell in love with the lead singer Tom Chaplin, seen them live numerous of times and have always dreamt of meeting my heroes. They inspired me to learn instruments as I can play Piano & Guitar and their music got me through those tough teen years.
Before I start I just want to say Keane have not split up. From following this band for over 10 years as a hardcore fan I've grown up seeing Tom fighting his losing battle with his drug addiction and this leads me on to Tom Chaplin's solo album 'The Wave'. It tells a story of being in a dark place at the start of the album and then moves on to a happier note when he releases he's faced his demons and appreciates the people he loves in his life by ending his addition.
He recently did a small venue tour for the fans which I attended in Nottingham in October, it was so amazing to be at an intermediate gig seeing him live again, hearing that amazing voice and most importantly seeing him happy. After the gig, I waited nervously to finally meet him, my hero. Over 10 years I have been waiting for this moment and there I am nervous, shaking and speechless. I managed to say hello but I was completely lost for words and got my photo taken, my album signed and then went off bursting with happiness, gleaming and kept saying over and over I've just met Tom Chaplin! heck, I wanted to shout it and then I got that overwhelmed I cried with joy. obsession story over.

And this is why it was the best month of my year. my life.

What's been your favourites in October?

Monthly Favourites | March

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

I got this in a set over christmas from my sister and I've been dying to try it out as I love to wear an overnight mask when my skin starts to feel uncomfortable and tight. Origins is a brand that I've only just started exploring as I love brands that use all natural and organic ingredients like Kiehl's & Lush. I like to use this once or twice a week when possible by applying it as the last step in my night time skincare routine. It doesn't feel greasy or have an overpowering smell which I like and leaves my face feeling soft and hydrated by morning.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

I got this as a sample in my goodie bag from the Kiehl's event last month which you can read about here. I'm also near the end of this now and I have been very impressed with how well it's kept my skin feeling hydrated throughout the day as it claims to keep you moisturised for up to 24hrs. I think this is going to work wonders for me during the colder months and is doing a good job now but I have another Kiehl's face cream which I bought last weekend to try out. I've really been converted to Kiehl's now.

Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation

I needed a new foundation that was great for dry skin so I asked on twitter and the lovely EmmyBeautyCave aka the foundation guru recommended me this Max Factor one, I've never really tried Max Factor foundation before and I think I might give this a full review so I won't say too much but, this doesn't dry my skin out and covers redness well but you need to wear this with a primer even though it says it primes.

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

I had enough Birchbox points saved up so I bought This Works Sleep Spray. Sleep sprays aren't new to me and I find them amazing to help you drift off, I use a cheap £4 boots own brand one which don't get me wrong is good but I've always wanted to try a more expensive one and I'm glad I did because the smell is just so much stronger and slightly different. This will last me so long as I don't use it every night but on days where I'm feeling a bit worried and agitated or just not ready to sleep, it helps all those problems and let's me drift off naturally.

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint Blueberry

I saw this colour on Twitter or Instagram and I just fell in love so I went out and bought it as I don't really have many blues in my collection and saw this as the perfect spring manicure. it's very bright on the nails and people at my work even pointed it out.

What's been your monthly favourites in March? leave me some links below

Monthly Favourites | February

Once again I'm back with my monthly favourites and I have had a very expensive spending spree, but this item was much needed.

Let's begin with one of my new favourite hair products 'Max The Volume' hairspray by TRESemme from their Runway collection. TRESemme are a brand that just works really well with my hair and I just love everything they do, so when I get ready for a night out or just when I have my hair down I love it to have a lot of volume. When you pair this hairspray with a backcombing brush it just works wonders and holds well. It also smells amazing and lasts all day, I've had people comment on the fact my hair smells nice when I go out.


Something which I saw on Instagram actually made me go out and purchase this as I have a colour from this collection already but didn't realise that Model's Own Chrome Collection had a copper colour and rose gold colour! god knows how I missed that so I compared the colours and prefered the copper and it's been incorporated into designs on my nails all month. it's slowly becoming a firm spring favourite. The colour doesn't come out like the bottle if you were wondering but it has more of a metallic metal effect/shine to it and two coats is all you need.

A brand I've always wanted to try and not because of Kylie Jenner is Nip + Fab so when I saw this at half price in Superdrug it was perfect timing as I had just just ran out of serum. So I bought the Nip + Fab Dragons Blood  Fix Plumping Serum & I love the packaging and especially if it comes with a pump, I wasn't too keen on the smell of this product for a first impression but it doesn't bother me anymore as I use this every day. I wouldn't say it's the most hydrating serum I've ever used but that's what I use moisturiser for so I use a serum as a boost around winter time. It is very cooling and in a thick gel which sinks in quickly.

The next favourite was more of an impulse buy as it wasn't something I was looking for nor really needed but I just stumbled upon this as I was in the skincare section buying a new lip balm. The packaging caught my eye and I saw different masks suited to all skin care problems, the one that appealed to me the most at the time was the Quick Fix Facials Calming Clay Mask which is for calming sensitive skin and reduce redness. I can't really say too much about this as I've only used it a couple of times but I do notice a difference in my redness fading after useage.

My favourite thing of the month is of course me upgrading my iphone 5 to an iphone 6s. After having my iphone for 4 years I was well needed for a bit of an upgrade as my phone was slowly on the verge of breaking. What I love about iphone 6s is the touch ID, Apple Pay is amazing and the camera has improved so much. I love how long my battery life lasts too!

What have you been loving this month?

Monthly Favourites | January

Some people would say 'wow January's gone already' but for me it hasn't. It feels like a lifetime ago since we had christmas. January has been a very busy month for me but it's been nice to finish it off with my birthday which you can see what I got here.

ARI Ariana Grande Perfume 

This was a gift which I got for Christmas, I am a bit fussy when it comes to perfumes as I like sweet fruity smells, nothing too strong and floral. So when I was wondering around Boots testing perfumes I did not expect to like this but to be honest the bottle is what caught my eye as it's so pretty and girly. If you ever get the chance to give this a sniff as it's so sweet and subtle it's quite hard to describe but it's been my favourite which I've been wearing everyday since.


Sure Maximum Protection Anti Perspirant Deodorant Sensitive

I actually bought this because of a blogger which was featured in one of Amy's post and I just had to try this.

I hate it when I can smell my own BO because then it makes me paranoid other people can and it's just embarrassing so I want a deodorant that I can trust to help work all day and this is just perfect. I haven't smelt my own BO since using this and even when I go to my Zumba classes, it's so good and would highly recommend this if you sweat alot but one thing that did cause a problem is I suffered from some dry skin which annoyed me as it said it was for sensitive skin but nothing a little moisturiser couldn't solve. I've bought a new scent today 'everyday fresh' from the range to see how I get on with that.

Model Co Lipstick 'Kitty'

This is a brand I've never tried before which is something I love about birchbox. It's a pretty nude pink colour which is just perfect for everyday wear, it's moisturising and non-drying which is long lasting and I've been wearing it loads last month.

Benefit They're Real Tinted Eyelash Primer

I've got this in a sample size and planning on writing a full review so I won't say too much about it but first application I fell in love and knew I had to get this full size. It's so soft and gentle on the lashes and really does help boost the length but it's nice to wear alone which I do sometimes.

Fitbit Charge HR

I got this for Christmas and it's one of my favourite things, It's a fitness tracker but with some perks. You can track your steps, miles, floors climbed, heart/sleep monitor and it has a silent alarm which I like, it's all synced up on your phone through an app and it even notifies me when someone is calling which is great for when I'm at work. You can add friends and do challenges which gets a little competitive and track minutes for going to the gym, running, riding a bike, anything which is fitness to focus on the workout session which gives you a report on your progress. I absolutely love it.

What have you been loving in January?

Monthly Favourites | September

Well September has been an eventful month. First I went on holiday with my family to Greece which was lovely and my favourite person from work left this month to go traveling so that was a bit emotional, but we are finally on my favourite month October and I'm planning a giveaway soon so look out for that.

Boots Fresh Coconut Conditioner

I needed some haircare to take away with me on holiday and this packaging was the one that stood out to me as I am a typography nerd and all. I've heard coconut does wonders for your hair so I thought I'd give it a try, they come in other scents too. This conditioner makes my hair soft and shiny which is perfect when you're on a budget as these are Boots own brand costing only 75p.

Nail Inc Gel Effect Polish*

I received this polish in a July Nailbox, a beauty subscription box full of nail products. Nail Inc is a brand that I've always wanted to try so I took this summery shade 'Soho Place' away on my holidays and I was very impressed as it lasted a week without any chips. This leaves your nails so shiny with that salon finish, I would definitely get some more shades. If you're interested in this Nailbox then click here to find out more about it.

Pixi Glow Tonic Toner

I absolutely love this toner and can see why everyone raves about this, with ingredients of Aloe Vera and Ginseng making it calming for sensitive skin and radiant, the appearance and texture of my skin is so much better and this is great at reducing blemish scars. I can see me repurchasing this a lot.

Benefit Ka Brow

I was lucky enough to sample some of Benefit's brow products before the release which you can read about here. I feel in love with the Ka Brow and bought it as soon as it's released, I've been using this almost everyday since and the brush is very easy to work with making them brows on point. What I love about this product is, it lasts all day and it's buildable so you can make it subtle for day wear and then layer it for bold brows at night.

That's all I have for my September favourites. I did have more than four products to share with you but decided it was too long. So I'll save these for October.

What have you been loving in September?

Lush Christmas Favourites

 

I haven't tried everything in the Christmas Lush range this year but these have been a few favourites which I have been repurchasing over the weeks into Christmas.

Snow Fairy Shower Gel

This seems to be a bestseller for Lush every year so I thought I would give this a try as I thought the colour looked quite pretty and girly, the smell of this has a strong sweet candy floss smell as it lathers up into foam.

Rose Jam Shower Gel

This is a new product to this year's range as a 'Hot Teddy' replacement I think and I quite like it, the scent is a roses with a hint of sweetness. I can't quite decide which one is my favourite out of the two as I've been taking them in turns.

Bar Humbug Bubble Bar

I love bubble bars, every one I've tried is just amazing and I particularly like this one the most because it makes my bath water purple which really lightens my mood. These bubble bars are so foamy and work much better than cheap bubble foam liquid as the bubbles last alot longer in my opinion.

Candy Mountain Bubble Bar

This bubble bar goes great with Snow Fairy as it will leave your bath water a nice light pink colour which smells very simular to the shower gel. I have gotten a lot of uses out of this which manys it worth the money and only a little goes a long way.

Santa Lip Scrub

For a long time I've needed to a lip scrub and with all my dark matte lipsticks making a scene I thought I'd try out the newest lip scrub Lush has to offer. It's basically sugar but it tastes of cola bottles and has little dissolvable love hearts in.

Luxury Lush Pud Bath Bomb

This is such a magical bath bomb to use around this time of year as it's like a disco ball exploding in your bath with the mixture of rainbow colours swirling together. I've been loving using this on my pamper days as it makes my skin feel nice and the lavender scent makes it so relaxing.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and I'll be back with some posts to round up the end of 2015 which I have planned.

What's been your favourite Christmas Lush picks?

Current May Favourites

I feel like I've left it a bit late to talk about my April Favourites so that's why I've decided to do a current favourites instead.

So I got this little sample of the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil in a Birchbox which I was so happy about as it's something I've always wanted to try. It's a multi use oil that can be used for the face, hair and body. I've really enjoyed using this, it smells so nice too which is an added bonus and really helps to add moisture in my skin as I've been applying this as an overnight oil. I love using it for my hair as it adds shine and keeps my hair feeling healthy. You can even use this in the bath too which I'm going to give a try tonight.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer this is my first ever NARS product and I think I've made a good decision in picking this up as it's been a lifesaver recently as I've been breaking out a lot, getting so many spots on my chin. I've heard this is down to hormones but if any skincare experts want to correct me on that feel free. This concealer is high coverage and creamy which helps to not dry my skin out over blemishes, it's also worked wonders under the eyes to help brighten as it lasts for hours. I have the lightest shade Chantilly.

Nyx Soft Matte lip cream lipsticks are just everywhere and until you've tried one you'll get why, they are so pigmented and creamy which makes them easy to apply and even though they are matte, they aren't too drying, I'm not gonna say they are hydrating because what matte lipstick is, so still keep a lip balm handy when you wear these for top ups throughout the day. I have the shade 06 Istanbul.

On to my all time favourite product. It's even going as far as a possible holy grail which is the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner. I repurchased this from a designer outlet and got it for half the price which is a bargain. This liquid eyeliner will do exactly as it says 'stay on all day' and it's waterproof, you can wet your face and there will be no streaks, trust me I've tried. You can create thin to thick lines with the felt tip liner and one stroke is all you need because the pigmentation is insane. The best thing about this product is what makes me choose this over any drugstore liners is the fact that this liner will not dry out in 3-6 months time, this lasts me for about a year until it starts to dry out as you can give this a little shake to make the product reach the tip.

What's been your current favourites?

Monthly Favourites | November

We have finally approached December which can only mean things can start to get a bit festive around here. If you are stuck for ideas then click here

So November was a very eventful month for me as I went to two gigs which you can read about here and I became very ill that I had to take my first ever sick day off work as I lost my voice completely for two days which was very frustrating.

My first favourites of November has to be I'm A Celebrity. This is one of my favourite things to watch and I look forward to it every November. Now I'm not normally a person to watch reality TV shows but I find this one very entertaining, watching celebrities do horrible challenges covered in snakes, insects and all sorts from whatever lives in Australia which makes me cringe every time they show a disgusting spider I couldn't do it. I'm not sure who I want to win yet but I'm not a fan of Lady C, although she does get me fired up with her stupid arguments, she does make the entertainment, after the hosts Ant and Dec of course! they make the show for me my favs.

Another two things which I have been loving seem to be quite Christmassy already and that is Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel. I never got round to trying this last year so I'm glad it's come back as it's the most sweet scented girliest shower gel I've ever bought. The second is Yankee Candle Red Apple Wreath as this isn't like your average strong cinnamon scent, it's more of a warm sweet apple scent mixed with a bit of anise which has been filling my room.

The next favourites are fashion and skincare pieces. This dark grey turtleneck long sleeve top was introduced to me by my sister whilst shopping in Primark and I loved how cheap but good quality they are. They come in a few colours so I bought a white and grey one as these would go nicely with any colour which I've been wearing a lot since buying them.

I used to remove my makeup at night using water and a face wash which ran out so I needed something new, when I came across this Garnier Simply Essentials Make Up Remover suitable for sensitive skin which was on offer at the time for £1.69 which is a bargain if you ask me, I thought I'll give this a try. I've used Garnier Micellar Water before and was impressed with that so I knew this stuff would be similar, the only difference with this one is it's oil based and has that two toned blue liquid which you get for eye makeup remover, which is great for removing gel eyeliner but it can make your skin feel a bit greasy if you apply too much, so make sure you get a clean cotton pad to soak that away.

What's been your November favourites?