February Favorites 2015

This month has been a bit of a pamper month and I've been doing loads of at home spa days and having a really relaxed month. A lot of the beauty products are quite basic and I've been loving a lot more of none beauty related items so it's a bit of a mixed bag this month, enjoy!

Candles have been a bit hit this month as it's been quite a cold one I've been lighting and using up loads of my Yankee Candles which I adore I have re brought Orange Splash quite a few times already and I've nearly burnt my latest one. I've been really enjoying citrus and berry scent which are reminding me off autumn with hints of spring, I also find them really relaxing and quite nice to burn in the evening to fill my room with a lovely scent before drifting off to sleep.

Body butter has been a bit must for this month as my skin has been so sensitive and dry that I've had to use it pretty much every night before going to bed, I prefer using it in the evening as it's easier to put clothes on as I normally wear pj's and I find it relaxes me and makes me quite sleepy. I always go for a really strong scented one like The Body Shop's Satsuma or H&M's Pink Macaroon which are really sweet and strong scented products which have helped me loads over the last month when my skin has been far to dry.

I have been over wearing my lip balms this month as my lips have had the same affect as my legs and have gone all dry and sore, so I have opted with a really basic but great lip balm Nivea Essential Care. I picked this up after forgetting my own at home and placed it into my bag and after that it has been used all day and none stop as it works really well to help soothe lips and make them look kissable again.

Vaseline Healthy Hands and Stronger Nails Cream has been my lifesaver this last month as it's a great handbag friendly sized product that I put into my bag and use each morning when going to work but it helps my hand stay nice and protected again the horrid dry cold weather by leaving them soft and nourished they look lovely. I haven't noticed an improvement in my nails but they haven't been bad over the last month so I couldn't really test that part out with the product, but it has a lovely scent and soaks in nicely.

Lastly I have been loving some headphones as I broke my headphones earlier in the month I went into HMV and found a great pair which are perfect for anyone who wants in ear headphones. They are a great purple colour which matches my ipod and has a really long wire with a cute gold tip, I added the little clip but they work really well. The in ear buds seem to fit really snuggle and don't fall out they also seem to block out any noise which I really like, but best off all there only £5.99 which is a great price to pay! They are called sqsh+ and I would really recommend them to anyone who loves in ear buds!

So that's it for my favorites what have you been loving this month?

WLW February Update

This month fitness wise I've done quite well I've started to do a Davina dvd and I've been getting up early each morning to do a quick 20 minutes routine. But i've been struggling with my eating habits still as I have a good few days before slipping up and having something unhealthy so it's defiantly shown in my weigh in as well as this month being really short so it's not to good but I don't mind to much as I have made a loss!

The Davina workout dvd is great if you want to lose weight as she really pushes you but in the nicest way, I find I can't get bored as in total you get three workouts per dvd and if you mix them up you have something new each time. They are quite long at an hour each time but that is with the right warm up and a great cool down sections. I normally do one a week but at a push if I have a quiet week at work I will do two and have found myself getting a little fitter with how I feel on the inside, so I would really recommend this dvd for anyone who fancy's working out.

Weight 25.02.15 - 13 Stone 10 pounds 

Dress Size - 18

Weight loss of 4 pounds

Which is roughly a pound a week which isn't to bad, next month I'm going to really push myself and aim to loose 10 pounds to get to 13 stone, wish me luck it's going to be a tough month!!

At Home Spa Experience

It's no secret that I love a good pamper and when I can I have a lovely at home spa experience I jump at the chance so today I wanted to update you on what products I use and why I love to do an at home spa rather then going to a proper spa. The main reason I like home spas is that you can stay in your pj's and be all comfy rather then having to be in your costume and robe in front of loads of people you can just lounge about at home, but I also love how cheap it is as you will normally pay around £70 for a half hour treatment and then you are left to use a pool and gym, I would rather pay to stay at home and do the pamper essentials myself and the £6 swimming price to go to my local pool. But don't get me wrong when I'm in the mood I love a good spa as much as the next girl but for me at the moment it's home spas all the way!

I normally start my having a really deep and over hot bath my using one of my favorite Lush bath bombs this helps to relax me and also to open all my pores and to off course make me squeaky clean. In the bath I start with a cleanse of my face by using my cleansing stone and a face cleanser I scrub away until my face is make up and dirt free while feeling soft and pampered. Next up I like to cleanse my body so I use my scratchy gloves and use a nice body exfoliatar to cleanse my skin until really soft and healthy, at the moment I'm loving the mango one from The Body Shop as it's so strong smelling and works a treat on tired skin. Next up it's hair mask time, I tend to use my conditioner or if I have a hair mask at home I'll pop one on but I ignore the time it states on the packet and leave it on most of the time I'm in the bath, this leave my hair looking so well nourished and in great condition. Lastly I normal give my feet a scrub with a stone to remove any nasty hard skin, I use one from The Body Shop and love it as it works so well!

When I jump out of the bath I will normally paste on a lot of body butter to help my skin stay soft and nourished, I'm loving any strong scented ones at the moment as they always leave my room stinking after which is fab for me. I will apply a mask at this point to help my skin look it's best for the morning, for oily skin I find a sensitive clay mask works well and doesn't leave my skin feeling dry or irritated after use. When I'm looking a little zombiefied with heavy body butter on and a face mask on I take 10 minutes to sit in a quiet room and close my eyes to just relax, sometimes I put cucumber on my eyes and other times I listen to music but I find this really relaxes me and makes me feel happy after a hard day.

After rubbing in the rest of my body butter and washing the mask off I will normally paint my nails and do a at home manicure which I find to be the perfect end to a good pamper and a perfect way to wind down. I've been loving fresh spring colours at the moment and have been having some fun painting my nails loads of new colours. When I'm feeling sleepy and relaxed I put some cream on my hand and feet before putting on some cotton socks and going to bed, this is a great way to pamper over night as in the morning my feet and hands look and feel fab.

So that's my basic pamper and at home spa experience, is there anything I'm missing out on and need to start doing let me know!

Benefit Roller Lash Review

I'm pretty sure by now every Blogger has gone to there local stores to pick up a copy of Elle Magazine which had the new release from Benefit attached and that was Roller Lash. It came out in stores on the 12th February and retails at £19.50.

The packaging for the sample is chic and cute with a lovely rose gold lid and cute little black pot, you can't go wrong. The packaging for the full sized product is pretty similar but instead of the lovely rose gold lid you get a pale pink patterned lid, both are rather nice designs.

The brush is sturdy and curved making it easy to get every lash and to create a nice full looking lash, it did however clump a little which was rather annoying but it did curve and hold the lash easily and nicely. It has a really nice deep dark black colour and doesn't fade or fall out during the day. I found removing the product was easy with my Bioderma and it didn't damage my lashes which is always good.

I found this mascara to be a really good everyday mascara which I wouldn't really wear out on a night out as it didn't really give me the wow factor but it does work well and has a great long lasting colour. Will you be purchasing the Benefit Roller Lash Mascara?

Once You Go MAC You Can't Go Back

MAC is a brand I'm sure everyone has heard off, they are a upmarket high street brand that sell make up and a few skincare products with price starting from around the £10 mark. It was always a brand I was scared off as they are normally found in departments stores with the bitchy sales assistants standing there and judging you, but after finding a small branch in Oxford which I have grown to love I am now able to shop all things MAC and not have a care in the world.

I want to share with you today the products I use with my everyday make up routine in which I use the powder, foundation and concealer. I have had a lot of trouble in the past with trying to find the right shade of pale for my skin tone so after searching the high street and after many failed attempts I decided to go into the MAC counter. I came out with Studio Fix in shade NW10 which is the lightest shade of foundation in the store, it's a full coverage and long lasting foundation that I can not get enough off. It covers my blemishes and hides my skin if I'm having a bad day and I have no worries off it looking dull or coming off during the day which I love.

I also use the concealer in shade NW15 which is the lightest shade they do in concealers but I find it cover the dark circles and any massive spots nicely while being a nice creamy texture that glides nicely onto the skin., it isn't to dark and matches the foundation nicely which was my main concern when they didn't have the right matching shade. To go over the top of my foundation and concealer I use the Studio Fix powder in shade NW13 again not a matching shade to the foundation but I only use it to stop shine and to add a more matte look to my skin and it goes over the top off the foundation with no dramas so I have no problem with using a power a shade darker then my foundation.

When using the three products together I get a lovely glowing fresh make up look that I'm proud to show off, it matches my skin type (oily) well and it also blends so nicely onto my skin that I can't go wrong. The only downside is the price for all three products it's around the £70 mark which is rather a lot to spend on make up but when they work this well I can't say no. The set lasts around three months when using it daily which is great as you only need a small amount off each product a little goes a long way.

What is your go to foundation and which ones would you recommend for a pale face like mine?

Lady Danger by MAC

I'm a sucker for bright lipsticks and seeing MAC's Lady Danger my immediate thought was I need it! so I asked for it for Christmas and have been loving it ever since. MAC is a high street store but a bit more pricey then most shops, the lipstick's cost £15.50 but there 100% worth it.

Lady Danger is a matte shade of a vivid pop coral red which looks fab on the lips, I feel it's one of those shades that any girl can pull off. As it is a matte lipstick it is a little odd to put onto the lips and I feel it goes on a little better if you have a basic lip balm underneath to create a nice soft approach to placing the lipstick on, but once on it looks fab.

It last's for ages on my lips and I've worn it both on a night out and a throughout the day, the long lasting formula took a good few hours and a few drinks before getting to that stage I needed to reapply. They do say in MAC you should use a lip liner with the lipsticks but I find with this one it doesn't bleed out or smudge so I don't really find I need to use it with this particular shade of lipstick.

The lovely pigmentation and long lasting formula makes this lipstick a winner in my books and I'm having a lot of fun wearing it, what is your favorite red lipstick?

Miss Punky Mascara by Loreal Paris*

Loreal Paris is a great beauty brand with loads of products to choose from which are affordable and great quality, they stock beauty to skincare and tanning products to hair care. I've had the chance to review the Miss Punky Mascara which is the new release from the Manga range and I couldn't wait to give it a whirl.

The 360 degree comb effect brush has a great texturising formula to create full and punk looking lashes, the mascara wand is hard and seems to get each lash with each stroke which impressed me a lot. In order to create the punk eyed look you need to then turn the brush vertically and twirl the tip to create a stuck together lash look, I found this easy to do and it create a rather edgy look to my lashes. Lastly to create that really edgy punk look you can use tweezers to carefully stick the lashes together which means your lashes look even more thicker and fuller with the oh so desired look.

The packaging is simple yet effective as the bold bright attractive colours are simple enough yet it draws you into the product, I really liked the yellow toned gold lid which has the name of the mascara on but then the bottle is black with the edgy gold toned writing with the simple statement mega volume which I thought was a really great yet simple description of the product.

I found the mascara to be a really nice rich thick black shade which went on nicely not to thick but not to watery. It lasted a good while on my lashes and I found I didn't need to top up or correct any of the lashes throughout the day which I liked a lot. I used the mascara on a normal day and then also on a night out and I found it lasted just as good which I liked a lot.

*This product was sent to me to review and all the words in the review are my own.