February Favourites

This month I've been testing out new products like a mad lady so quite a lot of my usual products have found themselves being neglected. However in light of this, I've found some real gems that I'm incorporating into my routine on a regular basis.

Firstly is the make-up things, I've already spoken about the two base products on here before but I just wanted to touch back and really hammer my love for them home. I picked up the Maxfactor FaceFinity Foundation Primer from Boots a while back and though I've used others in the past and even recently have been trying out some more pricey options, I think this one still comes out on top. It's basically the glue you need to keep your foundation on all day.

With that I've been wearing the Loréal True Match Foundation, I have the shade "N1 Ivory" which is the most perfect colour match for my skin tone I've ever found on the high street. In addition to being a better colour match for me, it's a little lighter in coverage than my usual Revlon Colourstay and it's a little more satin-y in texture which works better over the Maxfactor primer as I was finding that things were looking a bit flat when I wore a matte foundation over a mattifying primer.

I've also stopped being a lazy-bum when it comes to moisturising, the winter in England is getting a bit harsh on my skin and I've been finding that my usual Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter just wasn't cutting it so I've been relying on their The Righteous Butter instead and it's made a world of difference to my skin.

I'm still religiously using and loving the Colorwow One-Minute Transformtion Styling Cream that I talked about in my "The Mother of all Goodie Bags" post. Incase you didn't catch that post it's basically a creamy texturing gel and I put a tiny blob through the ends of my hair to give it a bit more of a lived in look.

Another one from that post is the Jurlique Rosewater Hydrating Mist which has become my go-to evening second toner (so and exfoliating toner and then this) and it's just lovely. I spray around 3-4 sprays onto my skin before eyecream/serum/moisturiser and it's just very calming and hydrating on the skin. Smells lovely and provides a bit of slip for my serum afterwards. Love.

And finally, we have the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel, oh my. The texture is amazing, the smell is amazing, even the packaging is amazing. I just love it. It's slightly smoother on the skin than the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm, although I do still love that one too. The mask from this range is also really nice, but I haven't used it enough to call it a "favourite" just yet. I've been using the cleanser most nights as my second evening cleanse and it really gets on with my skin and has left me eager to try more from the range.

My New Favourite Concealer

So my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer was starting to feel a little dried out, and as much as I loved it, I wanted to try something new and I stumbled across this: the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. First of all, can we talk about the packaging? So sleek, so simple and so pretty. It just looks lovely in my make-up drawer. The texture is lovely, even more liquid than the Nars and just as good at covering.

The applicator is a bit strange. It's a doe foot like most liquid concealers but the nib is very bendy when you apply it to the face, this allows you to spread a thin layer over a bigger surface area if you apply a bit of pressure or for pin-point concealing just use a light hand to dot it onto the areas you need it. Its great. I usually apply it under my eyes and around my nose and then use my finger to blend it out (although you could probably use a brush or sponge). If i'm using it on blemishes I put the product onto my finger from the applicator and then dab it onto the spot for hygiene reasons.

The biggest selling point for this product for me is the shade selection. Being Urban Decay their base products go super pale and that was my main problem with the Nars. On a day where I was wearing a foundation that warmed my complexion up, I could just about get away with their lightest shade "Vanilla" but on a no-foundation day it came up so orange on my skin. I use the Urban Decay in the shade "Fair Neutral" and it's a pretty prefect match for my natural skin tone. Also works really well with my Loréal True Match Foundation, which is anothr one of those rare products that matches my skin tone pretty perfectly.

My Lush Stash

I love a good snoop around in Lush and have a box full of goodies from them on the go at all times really. Their Halloween and Christmas collections are always my favourites but I have developed quite the love for quite a bit of their permanent range as well. I'm always on the look out for more things to try so if you have any favourites that I haven't mentioned here - give me a shout.

So my favourite thing to pick up from Lush is bath products. Their selection is great and they have something to suit everyone. Like your bath full of silky, foamy bubbles? Try a bubble bar or a bubble-roon. Prefer something colourful and/or moisturising? Their bath bombs and bath melts will give you just that. I'm hooked.

My long standing favourite bubble bar from them is one I've mention on here before, The Comforter. It's a big pink bubblegum scented bar that, depending on the size of your bath, can give you up to 4 bath full of silky bubbles. Another bubble bar I've been using lately is their French Kiss. My boyfriends mum got me one as part of a christmas present and, while it's not a scent I'd normally have picked for myself, I really like it. It's perfect for a bed-time bath as the lavender-y notes really relax me and get me ready to sleep.

A bath melt I love is their You've Been Mango'ed, it's a super citrus-y smelling, oily bar that you drop into your bath. It works like a solid bar of bath oil and as it melts it leaves your bath feeling super moisturising. The scent for me is a little too citrus-y for a relaxing evening bath but for a morning treat i's lovely.

I guess I should also mention their Butterball bath bomb as I have about 5-6 in my collection (trust me, most of those bags in the picture above are Butterball). It's got little chunks of cocoa butter in it and so as it fizzes and dissolves in your bath it leaves the water (again) feeling really moisturising but smelling great too. On it's own I find it can be a little bland sometimes but I mainly like to use it as a moisture boost to other more bubbly bath products.

A more recent addition to my collection is their From Dust Till Dawn massage bar. I got this as a valentines treat for the other half as he was coming to my place for the weekend straight from work. It's a really nice one. The smell is refreshing and slightly citrus-y and it just gives a bit of slip to a massage. One thing to note is that the boyfriend did mention it left his skin feeling a little bit tacky after use, but it also calmed down some of the drier areas on his skin, so I guess it's swings and roundabouts really.

The last few bits I have from Lush are some of their soaps and shower gels. Pictured to the left I have their Snow Fairy shower gel and their Reindeer Rock soap, I'll skip past these as I'm aware that they're limited edition for christmas. Their Twilight shower gel was another one in the box set I got for christmas and it's lovely, it has notes of lavender so it's calming but it also has a bit of comforting spice to it as well. A great winter warmer. Their Rockstar soap is the one I have on the go at the moment I like the scent but I find the actual soap drying on my hands (I definitely don't have the driest of skins either). As Rockstar is almost on it's way out I've got some Godmother as a back up to use next. I haven't used it but the smell is the same as the Snow Fairy shower gel and I really like it.

An Old Favourite Revisited - Loréal True Match Foundation

For the last few years I've been pretty loyal to my Revlon Colourstay Foundation but recently I've been experimenting a little more. On my last trip into Boots I stumbled across an old favourite that I used religiously before my multiple repurchases of Colourstay, the Loréal True Match Foundation.

I use this in shade "N1 Ivory" and it's such a lovely foundation, I can't remember why I gave up on it. It's a a seriously thin liquid thats very water-y to apply and one full pump is more than enough to cover my whole face. The colour match is wonderful and, despite the thin texture, it covers redness and evens out the skin tone nicely. It lasts most of the day and doesn't wear off too badly (although with my long days, I do get a bit shiny in the nose-region halfway through the day - but that's nothing that a quick dab of powder can't fix).

It's not great for flash photography since it has SPF 17, but this is a nice level of sun protection for everyday and I personally love a bit of SPF. It's an in between formula, not too dewy, not too matte, and looks fairly natural on the skin when applied with fingers. I think it's jumped back in to the top spot in my slowly expanding collection of bases.

Also - the shade selection is great, one of the rare foundation formulas that I don't have to take down the neck. A perfect match for us pale folk but also goes quite deep and dark too.

The Mother of All Goodie Bags

So I thought I'd introduce you to the mother of all goodie bags. I was one of the lucky souls that managed to bag a ticket to Anna and Lily's Beauty Chat Live at the Manchester Space NK. The girls were lovely (and much more photogenic than I - see photo opposite for proof) and the Q&A session was really nice, but the goodie bag just sealed the deal. The £15 entry fee was redeemable against any purchases made on the night and on top of that everyone who made a £50 purchase (and lets face it, in Space NK, that's a very easy ask) received a Space NK tote-bag that when emptied, created the picture seen above. So with my haul from Monday in mind, I left with a big black bag full of goodies. From what I can tell the bag contained 25 products (3 full sized and 22 minis) as well as one of the full sized Tangle Teezer brushes, and while it ranged from make-up and skincare to hair and body products, it was rather heavy on the skincare (which I personally enjoyed). While in the week since the event I haven't quite had time to test out everything included, I have managed to test out a few and so I thought it would be a nice way to throw in a few first-impressions and mini reviews.

Now I hate to be a Negative Nancy, especially when things are free, but so we can end on a high note I thought I'd get the dud's out of the way. My biggest disappointment of the bag was that two of the full sized products were things I didn't see myself using all that much if at all. I've since passed the He-Shi Face & Body Tanning Gel on to my mother, I'm really not a tan-lover (case in point above), I'm just that awkward shade of pale that makes tanning products difficult, so the "medium" shade tanner definitely didn't float my boat. The Color Wow One-Minute Transformation Styling Cream also seemed like something I wouldn't use much. That being said I think an apology is necessary since I gave it a try and it's lovely. I think I may even be a hair product convert since I use this at least every time I wash my hair. I use a tiny dot of the creamy product and work it into the ends of blow-dried hair to achieve that "lived-in" look to the hair.

My only other quibble was that the Laura Mercier Eye Basics looked like something that I'd love, a liquid-y eyeshadow base that neutralises your skin tone and prolongs your eye-shadow wear time? All over it. But again the shade ("Tawny") was just so off for me. I have used it a few times and the formula is nice, a light, almost whipped texture that is easily applied using the doe foot applicator, the shade isn't too dark but it definitely leaves an orange-y tone to my lids (although under a cool toned shadow this can actually look lovely). Overall a nice product but if I was to repurchase I'd definitely pick up a lighter shade.

After trying the Sunday Riley Start Over Active Eye Cream I've found that the applicator on the sample is lovely, but the formula isn't my favourite. I like a good moisturising/nourishing eye cream as my early 20's skin just wants something preventative under the eyes, however I think for a more mature skin it might show results. Annoyingly, the applicator that I love so much doesn't actually seem to be present on the full size, but after a quick browse I've find a few alternatives that do like the First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy and the new Benefit Puff Off Eye Cream so I might try one of those next time.

The bag contained a lot of face masks but the one I was most excited about trying was the Oskia Renaissance Mask and it really lived up to my expectations. It doesn't tingle or sting but it leaves the skin incredibly soft and smooth (and the smell, need I say more?). Will definitely be repurchasing. Keeping with the rose-scented theme I have also really been enjoying the Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist, while it is a bit of a princess product I find it hydrating and calming on the skin and it has quickly become a staple in my skincare routine.

I found two oils in the bag and being a lover of facial oils I hopped straight into trying both. The NUDE  ProGenius Treatment Oil was nice on the skin, it sank in quickly and made my face feel lovely and silky smooth the morning after use, but the smell is a bit herbal for me. With the NUDE being a bit on the smelly side I can say that I much prefer the Caudalie Premier Cru L'Elixir which was also in the bag, sinks in just as quickly and feels amazing. It's an serum and oil in one product and so it really looks after your skin. In fact I think it may even make it into my weekly rotation. Now I still love my Sarah Chapman Morning Facial and my MV Organics Rose Plus Booster but this is really good stuff too. It definitely wont replace any of the oils in my collection but it has definitely earned a place along side some of my other favourites in my current skincare stash.

I have also been using the sample size of the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser and it's been working really nicely for me. I have a lot of skincare categories where I have products that I love and can't be without, but I've never really found a moisturiser (day or night) that wows me. At £24 for 125ml or just £34 for the big 250ml bottle it's a super affordable, does the job day cream that I can see myself trying a bigger size of when i've finished the mini. Athough I would say I'm still in the market for a "Holy-Grail" moisturiser to add to my collection.

With all that being said for the other products, the star of the show has to be the Mio Workout Wonder. I started an intense workout class a couple of weeks ago and after my first class I was sore. On week  two I was still aching from the first class, so when I got home I slapped some of this on after my post-gym shower and I'm convinced that it may even be magic. It feels cold and slightly tingly on the skin (think walking in the wind and rain - that cold tingly feeling) which wasn't the nicest feeling ever but the results were amazing. I woke up feeling fine the next day and didn't suffer an ache all week. Amazing.

A Space NK Moment

2014 marked the first year ever that I have done a grand total of nothing to celebrate new years, why? Work. I'm a complete grump when I haven't had my 8 hours and so when I heard I was working a 10 hour shift on NYD, I promptly cleared my schedule for the evening before. So when my first-week-of-January pay check my bank, I figured a new-years treat was necessary. So lets take a look in my shopping basket.

So the product I was most excited to try was easily the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel. A blogger-hyped product that per bottle works out a tiny bit cheaper than my beloved Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm? I just had to try it, and it really does live up to my expectations. The thick gel consistency is reminiscent of a balm cleanser as rather than foaming on the skin like most gel cleansers, this one turns almost oily in texture as you work it into the skin, making it easy to massage in for as long as you like. I use it as a second cleanse (so make-up removal, and then this) and work it into dry skin before removing with a damp flannel (wash-cloth - for any Americans wondering what a flannel is) and it leaves my skin clean but not stripped. It's another smells-amazing cleanser that has earned it's place in my cleanser cabinet for the rest of the foreseeable future.

The Caudalie Beauty Elixir is a super hyped product in the beauty-blogging hemisphere so naturally I'd been wanting to try it for a while, along with the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer so when I found the two products packaged up in a set that had ended up in the 50% off sale I had to give it a go. My mother did think I had lost my marbles slightly when she saw the "Best of Space NK" Christmas Cracker Set popping out of my delivery box but it was too good a deal to pass up. Along with the aforementioned products there was a mini Life NK Ultimate Unwind Body Wash, a Rococo Nail Apparel nail polish in "V.I.P Creme", a mini of Oribe's Supershine Nourishing Cream and a Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Gloss in the shade "Cosmo".

Now you'll have already heard about the Lipstick Queen lipgloss in my "Three Ways to Valentines Day: The Dinner Date Edition" post last week, but it really was love at first swatch. With the exception of MAC's Dazzle Glass and Cremeshene Glass forumlas, I've never really been a lipgloss girl. But this was a turning point for me. The texture is smooth and almost balm-like on the lips, and with a sheer, sheeny slighty sparkley finish it makes a good fuss-free lip product that I've been wearing pretty much everyday since I got it.

While I'm a self-confessed non-hair-enthusiast, I surprisingly found the Oribe product lovely as well. It's a low maintenance hair product for the girl who likes some nourishment in her locks. I just work a pea sized amount into towel dried hair, blow dry and I'm done. It give that freshly-dyed shine to my hair and leaves it softer than I thought colour-damaged hair could ever be. It does leave the hair a little bit sleek looking but I think for a casual jeans-and-jumper day it's nice.

The Caudalie spray I'd been so interested in turned out to not be my favourite (check back on Wednesday for more info on that), the bottle produces a lovely fine mist that applies to the face wonderfully but the product didn't seem hydrating enough and was a bit too minty smelling for my taste. I'm not really into nail painting so the Rococo nail product will probably end up being passed on to a friend and the Life NK shower gel is a rather standard product (I still prefer my S&G shower products). I still haven't quite made my mind up about the Laura Mercier primer. It's a lovely formula that I'll definitely be cracking out and using up but for the price difference I think I may end up sticking with my Maxfactor Facefinity Foundation Primer when it's time to repurchase.

So Space NK's UK online store offers free delivery on orders over £60, and since I'd already spent £50+ I figured I'd drop a couple of sale products into my basket since the delivery charge would have taken me up to the £60 limit anyway. With this I picked up a mini of the Daily Fix Bath Soak and the Drift Away Milk Soak (Both form the Life NK range) and the Space NK Smoky Rose Candle, all for half price. The Space NK candle looks lovely on my bedside table, the packaging is lovely and sleek and the scent is exactly what you'd imagine, a rose scent with a hint of smokiness to it. While the burn time is great for a small candle this does mean it's a slow burner so the burn isn't as even and I can imagine that quite a lot of the wax will end up being wasted, but it kicks off a good scent never the less.

The bath products are another nice-but-pricey product, The Daily Fix Bath Soak is my favourite of the two as the scent is more to my taste but for calming sore muscles which is what the product claims to do I much prefer the Radox Muscle Soak Herbal Bath, the scent on the Radox isn't quite as nice but the effect is much better and at £2 for 500ml vs the Life NK's £6 for 150ml, it's a no brainer.

A cheeky add-on to this haul is the Sarah Chapman Skinesis Hydrating Booster, which I did purchase at Space NK, but in store rather than online with the rest of the products mentioned in this post. I went to the Manchester Beauty Chat Live a couple of weeks ago and picked this up as your entry fee was redeemable against purchases made on the night (there was also an epic goodie-bag for anyone who spent £50 or more but, again, more on that in my post on Wednesday). As I've already mentioned, I'm a big fan of Hydraluron and bloggers site the Sarah Chapman as a more sohpisticated, less tacky version. Oddly enough, I actually find it to be more tacky on my skin and, while it's a nice product, I still feel the loyalty to my original hydrating favourite and will definitely be repurchasing that over the Sarah Chapman when I run out.

The Valentines Take-Over Finale - The Girls Night Out

Now I dub this the option for the single girl. I suppose the option could be switched up to suit a date-night, maybe you and your other half are going out for a night on the tiles, but generally when I think clubbing, I think girls night. So dust off your heels (and your emergency flats) and here we go.

Again, a night-out option doesn't call for much on the pamper side (I find the day post-night out becomes all about the pampering) so besides jumping in the shower and washing my hair I focus mainly on the make-up side of things. I'm all about an SPF free base, some sheen to the skin, shimmer on the eyes and a bold lip option to give the look a bit of something.

To keep things in place all night I prep the skin with the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer before going in with a pump of Bourjois' Healthy Mix Foundation in "51 Vanilla", which is a decent match for me but still warms my complexion a little (yes, I'm that pale). I rely on my old faithful Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in "Vanilla" (are we sensing a theme here) to hide all my bags and blemishes and set my base in place with the (you guessed it) Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot setting powder. For a night out I go for more colour on the complexion than I normally would and so go for a triple hit. when it comes to contouring I've gone through multiple of E.L.F's Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder in the original shades, I rarely use the blush in this compact due to it's heavy shimmer but the contour shade is nice when applied with a light hand. For a hint of blush I dip my brush into Benefit's Sugarbomb box blush which swirls peachy, plummy and pinky tones into a subtle cheek colour and I finish with a light dusting of The Balm's Disco Disco highlight (from their Balm Jovi palette) onto the tops of my cheek bones.

With complexion done I move onto eyes with the Urban Decay Primer Potion being the first product I reach for, I'm currently testing out some other eye bases but this one remains on the top spot for now, the dispenser is good for keeping the product clean and it makes most shadows I apply on top of it last a whole day (and I have some long days, trust me). I then carefully pack on one of my Helen E Cosmetics Loose Eyeshadow Pigments in "1" which is a mid-tone taupe-y shade with irresistible shimmer to it. I tight line and line my water line with my usual Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in "Perversion" and the Rimmel Scandaleyes Khol Liner in "Nude" and then apply a generous layer of Urbans Decay's Subversion Lash Primer. While that's drying I tend to unruly brows with the Maybelline Brow Satin in "Mahogany Red" (A brow product for red-heads, finally!) before topping off my lashes with a few lashings of the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara.

A bold lip is my favourite make-up pick-me-up right now and with my light skin and red hair I think a red suits me best so I have three of my favourites with different formulas to choose from. For the lip-pencil lover the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in "Cruella" is a nice, deep red that's matte and lasts a good while without much need for topping up (although if an orange-y red is more your thing "Iberico" and "Red Square" from this line are nice too). A liquid red lip option is the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in "Hot Pepper" a slightly warmer toned red that's a comfortable matte finish and really perks up a pale complexion. And for the girl who loves a glossy finish? MAC's Luster Lipstick in "Lady Bug" is a beaut. A glossy finish that can be layered up to a full-coverage and feels hydrating on the lips. This one is more high maintenance if you want it to last all night as the glossy finish isn't as long lasting as the more matte options, although it should be noted that it fades flatteringly and doesn't leave you with that bright lip-line and bare centre look that other products may leave.

The Valentines Take-Over Part II - The Dinner Date

So whether your other half is treating you to a luxe meal at that restaurant you've been eyeing up for ages, or it's just you and your best mate going for a cheeky Nando's (My best friend and I just so happen to be frequenters of the cheeky Nando's). I've come prepared with a line up that's fool-proof.

When it comes to a night-out option, it's less about the pampering and all about the make-up for me really. I want to enjoy applying a night-out face, so this routine may contain more products than usual but it's a winner every time. While I would normally gravitate towards a bold lip, when it comes to food things can get a bit messy, and so I play up eyes with a dusting of something dark and shimmery, and lashings of mascara. Here's a typical dinner-date stash.



I'll kick things off with a primer and right now I'm all about the MaxFactor FaceFinity Foundation Primer, it' basically glue for your face and works well under the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation which will give you that my-skin-but-better glow. To amp up that glow a little more I add a tiny bit of Benefit High Beam highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones and then set everything in place with Soap & Glory's One Heck Of A Blot powder. With it still being cold outside (it's been snowing in Manchester *sigh*) I skip blush and just add a good dusting of Soap & Glory's Solar Powder to the cheeks for a winter glow.

With complexion done, we'll move to the main event, eyes. To prep I sweep a dot of the Urban Decay Primer Potion across my lids and then gravitate to something grey, bronze-y or slightly plum-y on the eye. My go-to's of late have been "Smog" (From the Urban Decay Naked Palette), "DTF" or "Angel" (Both from the Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette). I tight-line with Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in "Perversion" and line my water-line with Rimmel Scandeleyes Liner in "Nude". For an indulgent mascara option I'd go for Urban Decay Perversion Mascara but for something more budget I love the MaxFactor 200 Calroie Curved Brush Mascara and then fill my brows in with "Buck" eyeshadow from the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

For lips I'm keeping it simple but a girl's got to have options, I have 3 neutral-lip favourites in a format to suit everyone. For the lip-pencil-lover I'd say the Soap & Glory Sex Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in "Nudist", for a traditional bullet lipstick the Esteé Lauder Pure Colour Envy Lipstick in  "Dynamic" is great slightly deeper neutral. A new-to-me gloss option that I'm currently loving is the Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Gloss in "Creation" - and for those saying "Lipgloss? On a date?" yes. Though this gloss is shiny and shimmery, it's not sticky at all and feels almost balm-like on the lips, wears off nicely and won't leave you in a mess.

3 Ways to Valentines Day - The Night In

So with Valentines day being just around the corner, I thought I'd indulge the holiday of romance with a 3-post-feast with three ideas for how you may choose to spend your Valentines, whether you're attached or indifferent. Round one? The Night In.

I thought I'd kick this Valentines series off with my personal favourite option (and the option that me and my other half will be enjoying this year) the night in. The night in is a versatile one, and can be enjoyed equally with or without company (but we'll not mention that to the boyfriend of course) simply by switching out a few things.

The night alone is an easy one. A hot bath, a good book, an indulgent skincare routine and maybe a film before bed and you can consider yourself a very lucky lady. I'd personally kick things off by running a hot bath and adding in a few drops of the Aromatherapy Associates Relax Deep Bath and Shower Oil, I got the miniatures set for Christmas (thanks mum!) and it is seriously lush. If you're a bubble-bath girl Lush's French Kiss is nice for an early night and their The Comforter is always a goodie. I'll cleanse pre-bath and then slap on the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask.

Once I've dried off I give myself a good coating in Laura Mercier Ambre Vanillé Soufflé Body Créme (which smells seriously stunning) and give my feet some love with Heel Genius by Soap & Glory before moving on to skin. Since I've already cleansed and rinsed off my mask, I give myself a quick spritz with Omoravicza Queen of Hungary Mist (a pricey product that I have a mini of and use fairly sparingly as a treat) and massage in some MV Organics Rose Plus Booster (which you can pick up at a slightly less ridiculous price on Cult Beauty if you wait for the offers).

So with skin all seen to, I hop into bed, put on a film (for a romance I'd recommend The Fault in Our Stars or if you're more of an action girl and you haven't seen Guardians of the Galaxy, you're seriously missing out). When I'm ready to actually sleep, I give my bed a few sprays with the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray and drift off in minutes.

Company doesn't mean you can't have a pamper though, my boyfriend for one knows that I'm going to be a good 5-10 minutes in the bathroom in the evening and would interrupt my sacred skincare routine at his own risk. A quick alteration for a night-in for two would be to do your skincare early. Either before you meet-up with your other half or shortly after they arrive (I'm sure they can entertain themselves for 10 minutes), go for a quick mask option like Ren's Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, or an overnight offering like the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, order take-out (we're having domino's), and either go for a film option or, if you're in for the long haul and you're anything like my partner and I, go for a TV-snowball-session option - we've recently finished season two of Hannibal and are coming up to the end of American Horror Story - Freakshow.

The Winter Skin Saviours - My Top 3 Facial Oils

While I may be an oily-skin-sufferer, I find my skin is almost always dehydrated (must drink more water) especially in winter. So with that in mind I've been gravitating to something a little out of the ordinary for my skin this season. Oils. And Here's the 3 I've been getting a lot of use out of.

Left to right: Sarah Chapman Morning Facial, B. Replenished Antioxidant Facial Oil, MV Organics Rose Plus Booster

For a morning oil, I'm all over the Sarah Chapman Morning Facial, just as hydrating as it's overnight equivalent, sinks in a little quicker and (in my opinion) smells even better. It's got that citrus-y fresh wake-me-up scent that I love. While it sinks in quickly it hangs around long enough to really massage in and give yourself a treat with and works really well under make-up. It also happens to be the lazy girls perfect morning skincare option, when I use this I just cleanse, acid tone, eye-cream and this, no extra serums or moisturisers necessary. Amazing.

In the evening, I find myself pulling out the MV Organics Rose Plus Booster, I find that just 2-3 drops added in to my usual skincare routine leaves my skin happy and hydrated. While it's eye-wateringly expensive per bottle, per ml it actually works out cheaper than the Sarah Chapman options, and it's a real treat so I can live with it. Again, smells amazing, sinks in well and can be used to give yourself a facial massage. While it's not specifically for evening (and I have been known to add a drop to my regular morning moisturiser on a dry day) I find that this is the time when I like to use it as I have more time to really enjoy using it in the evening.

Finally, the budget option. The B. Replenished Antioxidant Boost Facial Oil, you can pick this up from Superdrug and at around £14 for 30ml, it's a steal. You can occasionally get it on offer too so even more affordable. This skincare range does offer recommended age ranges, and while this oil is recommended for skins ages 30-40, my 22-year-old skin loves it. In between days using the previous mentions, I'll add 1-2 drops of this to my morning moisturiser to add some glow, or 2-3 drops before my evening moisturiser, instead of a serum step. Again, sinks in nicely and with a scent reminiscent of the MV offering, I can't say no.

Also - I know I go on about smells a lot - but it's totally part of the relaxation process for me, sorry not sorry.

See you next week for a 3-post feast special. - Jodie

A Boots Moment

So I had a bit of a moment in boots the other day. I had points boosters, there were offers on, it was dangerous territory and some serious spending may have happened. After wandering into the isles looking for a tube of my old favourite mascara, I ended up having to go back for a basket, and the contents of the final purchase looked like this:

Left to right, from top left corner: MaxFactor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara, Maybelline Colour Tattoo in "Eternal Gold", Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in "Frambourjoise", MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in "Soft Pink", Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in "No. 51", Maybelline Colour Tatto in "Vintage Plum", Bourjois Rouge Edition Velver in "Hot Pepper", MaxFactor Facefinity Foundation Primer

So I was a tad indulgent, but as I said there were offers on and most of these are products that I've been eyeing up for ages, and with my points boosters enabling me greatly I gave in to temptation.

My first base product purchase of the day was the MaxFactor FaceFinity Foundation Primer, and as mentioned in previous posts, I'm an oily-skin sufferer. This primer is intended to extend the wear of your foundation and claims to be an "all day" primer. I wouldn't say the "all day" claim is quite lived up to (at least not on my face) but I should say I can have some lengthy days, I can spend anywhere up to 11 hours in the office some days and I have a good 1.5 hour commute each way, so I didn't really expect it to last until I got home, but it definitely gets me through the bulk of the day. It smells a bit funny, slightly glue-esque, but since it pretty much glues your foundation to your face I guess that's slightly appropriate.

I'm not normally a girl to change things up foundation-wise, I have my Revlon Colourstay for everyday, Illamasqua's Skin Base for when I feel like something a bit more luxe, and I rarely buy any other foundations. That being said the Bourjois counter had an offer on so I picked up a bottle of their Healthy Mix Foundation in the original formula. It's more glow-y than I'm used to, but I was finding that layering a matte powder over a matte foundation with a mattifying primer underneathe, everything was just looking a bit flat, so the glow is definitely welcomed. It smells delightful when applying and when worn over a primer it lasts most of the day and adds a bit of life to the skin. And best of all? Even though I'm ungodly pale, they have a colour that matches my skin fairly well (the lightest one, surprise surprise).

A final complexion Product I picked up is the MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in "Soft Pink". This is kind of a blogger-classic product these days, so I figured I had to try it. I've tried it once to give it a test run and it's pretty, a sheer, sheeny, healthy pink on the cheeks. I personally apply it after foundation and then use my normal face powder all over my face to set everything in place. While I can't see it being something I'll reach for much in winter, come spring and sumer I think this might even make it into the makeup bag.

So while I did get distracted, I managed to pick up the product I was intending to get, the MaxFactor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara. While I love my Urban Decay Perversion, it is pricey, and for day-to day use, I wanted something a little more on the purse-friendly side of things. This one is an oldie but a goodie, I used it back in my poor-student uni days and it's definitely something I'm happy to have back in my collection. It's very black, holds a curl well and adds length as well as thickness.

Again a product that's so hyped here in the online beauty world, the Maybelline Colour Tattoos. They were buy-one-get-one-half-price so I picked up two shades, "Eternal Gold" and "Vintage Plum" and I can finally see what all the fuss is about. "Eternal Gold" is one of the standard more metallic finishes and blends in beautifully on the eyes, and while the leather-effect-finish "Vintage Plum" is slightly more sheer and requires a little more work to get the desired finish, I can say it's also a good'en.

So finally, we have my favourite category, lip products. I love a good bold and have heard a lot about the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets, so I thought I'd pick a couple up and see for myself. I picked up shades "Hot Pepper" (a statement orange-y red) and "Frambourjoise" (a slightly deeper bright pink). They're comfortable to apply and set down to a a lush matte texture (that, admittedly, can be a bit drying after a few hours) and haven't got any nasty smell going on. And while they're not quite as long lasting as I'd hoped (lets face it, I don't think the bold, all-day lipstick will ever exist - but a a girl can dream), they stick around for a good few hours and I find that only the centre of the lip ever needs touching up. If you're looking for an affordable, long-wearing bold, they're definitely worth a go.

Next post coming up on Friday - A Winter Skin Saviour. Hope you enjoy! - Jodie

The Nail Product For Girls Who "Don't Do Nails"

Although my mother is a nail technician, my nails are nothing short of awful. They're flakey, brittle and generally, I try to forget about them. It's probably my fault, I've been a nail-biter as long as I can remember (nervous habit - TMI?).

I'm not supposed to wear nail polish for work (although clear and french-manicure styles are acceptable) and my previous attempts with colour on the nails haven't gone too well. If I manage to apply a coat without getting the polish all over my fingers, the polish often chips off before the day is over. So generally speaking, I don't do nails.

Orly Color Care Nail Strong

I'd just about given up on my nails entirely when I found the Orly Colour Care Nail Strong in Boots. It's a clear nail polish, looks a lot like a simple top coat when applied, but it's really lovely.

This clear polish leaves weak or brittle nails feeling stronger and healthier, and best of all, looking nice and shiny too. The lack of colour means that chipping isn't such an issue either. At £10 a bottle, it's not the most purse-friendly product out there, but if your nails are in need, it's the best help I've found.

Just a short and sweet one today I'm afraid, check back on Wednesday! - Jodie

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