August Favourites

It's favourites time again, I swear, these posts come around way too fast, I can't believe summer is almost over (especially since we haven't really seen a single day of sunshine here in Manchester). It's a bit of a weird bunch this month and not much on the affordable end of things, but never fear, the high-street posts are coming! So here's my favourites from August:

Firstly, I'd not used many eyebrow gels so I was excited to try the Anastasia Clear Brow Gel and it's really nice. I don't have particularly unruly brows, they're quite good and stay where they should be but I always notice the colour I put through them when I do my makeup fades throughout the day and this gel seems to have helped my other products last a little longer in my brows.

Another high-end make-up favourite this month has been the Esteé Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation. I have combination skin and my make-up generally breaks down pretty quickly in my t-zone where I get a bit oily and I've fallen out with my Revlon Colourstay Foundation because it's just been looking a bit heavy lately. The Esteé Lauder has been really nice because it's a relatively light coverage and it doesn't feel too heavy on the skin but it sticks around for a really long time, especially when set with a powder.

I've also been loving the Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel this month, it's really similar to the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel in texture but without the rose scent so if that was something you didn't like about the Oskia you might want to try the Clarins. I've had a mini bottle for ages but just took the plunge and picked up the full size (because if there's anything I need in life, it's another cleanser).

The final two things this month are a couple of products that I've really enjoyed using together: the Maybelline Master Sculpt contouring product and the Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt Brush, which I've been eying up for months now. The Maybelline is nice because I have really pale skin and a good contour shade is something that I've really struggled to find but this one is cool enough to use as a contour and comes in a light enough shade that it doesn't look crazy on me and the Charlotte Tilbury brush makes it really easy to place the product in the right place.

The Friday Review: Eyes To Mesmerise

So I've been having a bit of a cream eyeshadow moment of late, they're just so easy. It all started when I picked up my first By Terry Ombre Blackstar and has become one of those things that I just keep picking up, and I found myself gravitating to this little beauty:

I was actually looking to pick up one of the Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleons, but after spending around 10 minutes trying to decide on a shade (my eyes are that not-quite-blue-not-quite-green colour that was giving me a hard time to decide) I spotted the Eyes to Mesmerise, particularly the shade "Veruschka" and it was love at first swatch. I've really gotten back into khaki-greenish tones on the eyes and this one is lovely.

The texture is slightly whipped-feeling, it's almost a mousse eyeshadow rather than a cream, and I find that it applies best with a slightly fluffy, but firm-bristled, synthetic brush. You have to work at it a little to get the colour intensity to a full colour which makes it difficult to go overboard with but after that little bit of work it looks great. The only thing I'll note is that the lasting power isn't amazing. I'll wear it for work but if I'm going out after work I bring it with me knowing a quick touch-up in the toilets will be needed before I leave for the night, so if that's a deal breaker you might want to steer clear.

All in all if they're all the same formula they might be a tad expensive for what you get but the shade on this one is just wonderful.

My (Somewhat Miniature) MAC Lipstick Collection

I've seen a lot of MAC collection based posts and thought I'd throw in my 2 cents and show you my MAC lipsticks. It's a fairly small collection by comparision to others you may have seen but I'd like to think I picked carefully and there aren't too many more that I have my eye on at the moment.

We'll keep things in colour order and start with "Costa Chic", this is one of MAC's Frost Finish Lipsticks and it's a summery pinky coral. Being quite ight in colour and heavy with the frost, it's one that I sometimes find hard to wear, but patted into the lips in the summer time is my favourite way to wear this one. Not the most comfortable formula either, I usually wear a lipbalm under/over it.

I picked up "Sounds Like Noise" when MAC launched their collaboration with Hayley Williams back in the height of my Paramore obsession, this is another one that I like to wear a balm or a gloss over because it's from their Matte Lipstick range and it's a bright, bold orange. It's probably my least worn MAC lipstick but I love the colour and it's a nice change to a red on a night out with the girls.

The first MAC Lipstick I ever bought was "Lady Danger" it's an orange-y red, again, from their Matte Lipstick Range and I'd probably say it's my most used. It was my signature lip colour for a while in my late teens and there's plenty of pictures of me on nights out donning this shade. Another one that's not super comfortable but the lasting power is better than most of the others.

My favourite pick of the bunch at the moment is "Lady Bug", a slightly deeper, true red from their Lustre Lipstick selection. It's a lovely day-time red that's comfortable and glossy. The lasting power isn't really there so it's one that needs reapplying throughout the day but it's good to brighten up your face without making you look too night-out.

And then finally, "Rebel". I love it because it's such a versatile shade, you can wear it full colour and it's quite purpley and vampy or can be patted into the lips lightly and it gives more of a berry stain to the lips. This one has found it's way to the back of the drawer for now but I always come back to it in autumn.

The Baby Beauty Blender (and How it Compares to the Original)

A few of you may remember a post I put up a while ago about how I'd finally managed to get myself a Beauty Blender (about time too!). After the success of that particular purchase, and because I just can't help myself (the Beauty Ban is over, yay!) I decided to pick up the mini version to see how that one works, and here's my thoughts.

Okay, so my first though, honestly, was "light green? seriously" because from the very first use, my cute little makeup sponge has looked hideous. While the original Beauty Blender got the colour pretty good with the pink, I think the orange colour that Real Techniques picked for their Miracle Complexion Sponge is the best colour for a makeup sponge I've seen, just because it doesn't make you feel like you're dabbing yesterdays makeup all over your face. Also, the Beauty Blender Micro Mini is about 1/4 the size of the original and is marketed for concealing and highlighting.

So other than the aesthetics, my feelings are pretty mixed, while the small size does make the mini one really nice for concealing under the eyes because the shape fits nicely under the eye, I think for highlighting it's too small as it doesn't diffuse the product the way I'd normally apply my highlight. The small size also doesn't help the ease of application, as the Beauty Blender sponges are very soft, the small size feels a bit flimsy to hold and it makes the application a bit clumsy at times.

So all in all, not my favourite. I will continue to try it out to see if there's a way I really like to use it, but for now, it's just not something that I'm reaching for. If you've found a way that this is amazing for you I'm all ears.

REN Glycolatic Radiance Renewal Mask

This is one of those posts that has been in the wings for ages now, I picked this mask up well over a month ago but it'd been out for a while and I had other things that I'd been blogging about and it just got pushed to the side a bit.

so my absolute first impressions of this mask was "feels like thin jelly, smells like herbal tea", which isn't exactly the best first impression I've ever had about a product. So I must admit as excited as I'd been to try this product, I had my doubts from the second I put it on my face. It's one of those gel consistency masks that feel a tiny bit like you're spreading lipgloss all over your face. I'm more of a standard clay mask type of girl when it comes to problem fixers but I love the Oskia Renaissance Mask so I persisted. 

It left my skin feeling soft and smooth if ever so slightly dry, however I'm happy to overlook the slight dryness on the grounds that I always go in with an oil after I've done a mask. The killer for this product is the smell. It's the kind of mask that I could only use when I'm laying in a particularly fragrant bath as it offends my nostrils. I'm aware that the effect that a product has on your skin is the bottom line but if it can smell nice it should.

My final verdict is: I'll finish it. It's not my favourite but it's nice enough for me to use until I finish it but I can't see a repurchase on the horizon. If you're fussed about scent like I am and you're happy to invest a little more money into a mask of this type the Oskia is similar in effect but smells amazing and I'd go for that over the REN.

Brows on a Budget

This is a post that I've been working on for months. Mainly because brow products are kind of on the same level as mascara in that there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to the brow product problem. Everyone seems to like something different and the selection on the high-street is notoriously sparse. So I've tried to pick things that are a little bit different in the hopes that there's a bit of something for everyone. So here we go:

Firstly, if you like a classic, non-waxy pencil, I have 2 picks for you: the Soap & Glory Archery Eyebrow Pencil has reined supreme on this blog for a while now. It's an automatic pencil and the spool-y on the other end is lovely and it really is my personal favourite and I suggest you pick one up if you can find a Boots that has it in stock. However the one annoying thing about the S&G is that it only comes in 2 shades, so if there isn't a shade that suits you in that range I'd recommend the Kiko Precision Eyebrow Pencil. A little bit harder to find but you can pick it up online if you're struggling and they often have offers on their international shipping which is nice. This one isn't automatic and the brush on the end isn't a nice as the S&G, but the texture is lovely, it's a really fine nib and theres a decent shade selection.

If you like a pencil that's a bit waxier, again I have 2 picks. The Bourjois Sourcil Précision Eyebrow Pencil is my favourite waxier pencil, it's a manual pencil with a manageable nib but again, the brush is a bit pants. It's automatic partner would be the No7 Beautiful Eyebrow Sculpting Pencil. It has an angled nib which makes for a speedy application and the consistancy helps hold the brows in place so, again, a nice pick for those in a hurry.

For those in need of a brow gel, I like the ModelCo More Brows. It's a tinted gel that adds a nice hint of colour and holds the brows into shape. It also seems to have some of those fine fibres that the Benefit Gimme Brow has so it plumps up a sparse brow a little. Also, it plays nice with other products, I can layer this over a pencil product on days where I need my makeup to last without looking like I've gone overboard.

And the hardest thing to offer a review on when it comes to brows: a brow kit. Personally, I'm not a fan of them. The need for layering product is time consuming for me and I never really feel like I can achieve a natural looking brow from a brow kit. That being said, the L'Oreal Brow Artist Genius Kit is very comparable to the Benefit brow kit and so I think it must be a winner. The way I like to use this is to use an angled brush with the powder to fill in the brow, and then I roll the spool-y in the wax and brush them through to set and it's a look I can work with.

Empties Two

So it's been a while since I did an empties post and with my month of no buying and trying to use up my stuff I'd noticed that my empties box was looking more than a little bit full. (clicky link here) if you want to know more about those ones. There's some repeats in this post that were in my previous empties post so I'll skip over those pretty quickly and you can check that one.

The repeats from last time are the Dove Invisible Dry Deodorant and the Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder. They're just a couple of those products that I always use and usually you'll find back-ups of in my stash as I just can't be without them.

There's quite a large selection of hair/bath/body bits in this months empties so I'll touch on those. I'm not sure where I picked up some products from the Amouage bath and body range but the scent on these is great, I have the Bath and Shower Gel and the Conditioner and they smelled lovely. I didn't pick up the shampoo as it has SLS in it but the other two were nice. The shower gel lathered nicely and the conditioner was moisturising but not too heavy.

I also used up a mini of the Bumble and Bumble Hairdressers Invisible Oil Conditioner which I've mentioned on the blog before (clicky link here) and it's not really my favourite from the range. The shampoo would be in here too but I'm rationing the tiny bit I have left because it's trés expensive but I love it. And finally for conditioners, I also used up the last of my VO5 Nourish My Shine Conditioner, which was a repurchased favourite until I discovered the OGX Argan Oil Conditioner.

I've finished 2 minis of the Weleda Replenishing Shampoo. It's SLS free so I tried it but it doesn't lather as nicely as some other sulphate-free formulas and I much prefer the L'Oreal EverPure Colour Care & Volume Shampoo, which I've also managed to use up recently. It's sulphate-free but has a really nice lather to it and it leaves your hair feeling really clean.

Finally for hair I have an empty can of the Ojon Full Detox Dry Shampoo, now I'm on the fence about this one. On one hand, it's a great dry shampoo that doesn't leave your hair feeling too product-y and doesn't leave a white cast. On the other? It's £10+ for a tiny can and you have to use so much that it doesn't really last long enough for me to justify a repurchase. I wish they'd bring back the Batiste Hint of Red, but for now I'm trying the Bumble and Bumble Prêt a Powder.

I finally managed to finish off the Soap & Glory Orangeasm Body Wash. It's a nice shower gel but for me the scent was just not for me and it's something that came in a christmas set. I much prefer their Sugar Crush and original scent ranges and will stick to those in future. And for scent I've also finished a Soap & Glory Glam-A-Lot Body Spray which is my favourite of their body sprays an I will pick up another bottle once I've finished the ones I currently have on rotation.

I won't dwell too long on this one as it's a bit of a random beauty empty, but the Boots Cotton Wool Double Faced Round Pads are my favourite cotton pads ever and I've gone through a whole pack of those.

And now for some skincare. I finished off a tiny trial size of the Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm. The scent on this does put me off as it's very herbal-y but if you like those types of scents the actual texture of this cleanser is lovely. Despite it being a tiny sample I actually got quite a few uses from it so I can imagine the full size would last you ages.

I've also made my way through a mini of the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish which was nice but probably not something I'll be running out to repurchase, it's a nice cream cleanser that I like for an AM cleanse. And I've managed to make my way through a full sized Clarins Cleansing Milk with Gentian which is the one for oily skin and I love it. It's a simple milk cleanser that again I like for morning use and it's just very gentle and refreshing, I did try to repurchase but picked up a slightly different one from the range but I like that one too.

Finally for cleanser I have a Cailyn Dizzolv'It Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm which I have a whole post about here. It's a good first cleanse for the evening but I prefer to remove my makeup with an oil cleanser and the Superfacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C Brighten Cleansing Oil has my heart where a first cleanse is concerned and so while I did enjoy the Cailyn, I won't be repurchasing.

I've used up another bottle of the Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser but I've since moved on to using facial oils for my morning hit of hydration and so I haven't picked up a new one, but it's a nice moisturiser for those with an oily skin type and it smells nice too.

A face mask I've finished up recently is the Soap & Glory Fab Pore Facial Peel. I'm not sure why they call it a peel as it's not really a peel and you don't peel it off. I'm not sure if they've reformulated as I know they've repackaged a lot of their skincare range recently but I wasn't really keen on this mask. It took ages to use up because it didn't really do much of anything for my skin.

And finally, the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads, I'm currently working my way through the Nip & Fab equivalent of these and really enjoying them but I can see myself going back for another pot of the FAB because they're great. I also have my eye on the new radiance pads from Pixi but I'll keep you posted on those.

Treat Week - Other High-End Beauty Favourites

So once again, I'm bundling all of the other beauty bumf together, and this time with very good reason, because I didn't want to just be recommending any old product for the sake of getting this up to 10, so I've actually cut it down to just five products. My top five must-have, use-all-the-time high-end hair, bath and body bits.

Firstly, the Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser Invisible Oil Shampoo. I never got the hype around high end shampoo, until I tried this one. It's sulphate free, moisturising without making my oily hair go greasy quicker, and leaves my colour-damaged locks feeling silky-smooth and shiny. Love.

Another hair pick that you can pick up in Space NK is the Color Wow 1 Minute Transformation. I'm not sure what you're actually supposed to do with this, but I use it as a styling cream after I've blow-dried and straightened my hair to give it a bit of bounce and movement. I very rarely bother with hair products so the fact that I'm making a serious dent in this product just shows that it's something I'm loving.

Now I have two options for bathing, for the girl (or guy) that loves a luxury bubble bath, you can do no better than the Laura Mercier Honey Bath. I personally love the "Ambre Vanille" scent but it's just such a luxury product. Soft silky bubbles and a slightly moisturising feeling to the water in the bath, and the scent lingers, I've woken up the morning after a bath with this stuff and can still smell it on my skin.

And for those opposed to bubbles: the Aromatherapy Associates Bath Oils. I don't use these as often as some other bathing products but they come in very handy when I need to really relax. The "Relax Deep" scent is lovely for calming you down and these leave that lovely silky smooth feeling to the bath water that some other products of a similar type don't seem to give.

Finally, a fragrance. Now this was a tough pick between the one I picked and the Vitor & Rolf BonBon fragrance, but I had to give it to Diptique Do Son because it's just so unusual. It's really not the type of scent I normally gravitate towards but I'm addicted.

Treat Week - High End Skincare Favourites

Part 2 of the Treat Week will be focused on my favourite beauty category: skincare. For me, skincare is the area of beauty that really gets me going and I do think it's really worth investing in your skincare routine. That being said, if you're looking for products on a budget I do have a post with my top 15 low-cost skincare products as well (clicky link here).

So firstly, lets get this one out of the way because regular readers will have seen this one coming a mile off: the Oskia Renaissance Cleasning Gel. I've been testing out a lot of products lately and trying to use up other things so this hasn't had as much use lately, but it's still an amazing cleanser that I will rush out to repurchase once I finish it.

Another cleanser that get mentioned quite a bit on here is the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm. I don't like this quite as much as the Oskia but it's still nice. It has a lovely fresh citrus-y scent to it and it's a tiny bit bitty on the skin compared to the Oskia, but it works well as a first, second or morning cleanse.

I love a good serum and one that I always come back to when my skin is going through a rough time is the Esteé Lauder Advanced Night Repair. It's a thin jelly-like texture that spreads well on the skin and it's basically good skin in a bottle. I like it for when I maybe have a few break-outs forming or some serious redness going on.

I think I'm getting myself a reputation as a collector of facial oils and I have 3 from the high end that I love and would repurchase until the cows came home. Firstly, my morning-in, pamper routine facial oil is the Sarah Chapman Morning Facial. This is a lovely citrus-y oil that's very nourishing on the skin and while it can be used under makeup, I prefer to use this on mornings where I won't be doing anything and apply quite a decent layer and let my skin absorb it slowly throughout the morning.

My second facial oil pick is also an AM oil: the Clarins Lotus Face Oil. As this oil is specifically formulated for oily skin this is the one I wear under makeup quite a lot of the time. It seems to have some oil-controlling properties to it and I do notice that my makeup doesn't break down as quickly when I use this as my morning hit of hydration.

And then the oil that regular readers might have known was coming: the MV Organics Rose Plus Booster. I'll prefix this mini-review with a quick disclaimer: this product is trés expensive, and if it's out of your budget, try one of the other 2 I've recommended (or actually, the Sarah Chapman Overnight Facial is a goodie too, this one just pipped it to the post in my opinion). It's a real treat and I use it sparingly because it's eye-wateringly expensive for such a tiny vial of product. That being said, it is actually twice the amount of product as you get in the Sarah Chapman range for less than double the price, so if you do some girly maths, it works out a good deal *scrambles to justify a repurchase*.

I wasn't really sure if Indeed Labs Hydralyron counted as a "high-end" product, after all it is something you can buy off the shelf in Boots, but it was outside my £15 budget for my high-street post and I wanted to make sure I hammered home my love for this product. I've already repurchased this once despite having other serums in my rotation to use up but it's just a good'en. Very hydrating, again a slightly jelly-ish texture. Much love, and much better than the Sarah Chapman Intense Hydrating Booster if you ask me.

A couple of mask picks now, for an overnight hit of hydration, the well known blogger hyped Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask is a good'en. It's essentially a really intensive PM moisturiser that smells delightful, (even the boyfriend likes the smell of this one). It's not one I reach for all the time at the moment but it's something I crack out a lot in the colder months.

My absolute favourite mask at the moment is the REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial. It's just so quick. I put a light layer on in the evening, brush my teeth and then remove,it's such an easy one and it leaves the skin silky smooth and not stripped at all. A real hero product in my stash.

And hen finally, a surprise product that's relatively new to me: the Skyn Iceland Glacial Cleansing Wipes. Now don't get me wrong, I am definitely not saying that you could use these as your main source of cleansing for the rest of forever and you'd have amazing skin, and generally, I'm anti-face-wipe. But there's a time and a place. I take these with me when I'm camping or staying somewhere where hogging the bathroom for a double cleanse routine isn't an option and they're lovely. They're very saturated wipes and they're actually a little bit bubbly, I think these are the closest I've come to actually cleansing with a face wipe.

Treat Week - High End Makeup Favourites

After finishing a whole week of high-street beauty product posts, I figured the high-end heros needed some love too, so this week is all about those high-end products that are worth the price tag. However since some of these are really pricey products, I've limited myself to 10 so I only mention the ones that I love.

Something that I've posted a review on before that was neither here-nor-there is the By Terry Ombré Blackstars. I have them in "Misty Rock" and "Brown Perfection" and when I first got these I didn't think they were all that, and formula wise, while they're good, they're no better than the Bourjois Colour-Band 2-in-1 Shadow and Liner pencils. The thing that made them qualify for a space in this line up is the shade selection, while "Brown Perfection" is a fairly dupe-able shade, "Misty Rock" is very unique and I think the fact that you can't get the exact colour elsewhere makes it worth the money.

Another product that is definitely more of a luxury than a necessity is the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. I also like the satin finish pencils from Nars but the matte ones are just lovely, not too uncomfortable for a matte and a really long-wearing finish on the lips and again, the shade selection is lovely. They're a bit different from the matte pencils available on the high-street as they aren't a twist up which I like, since you can keep the nib nice and pointy which makes for easier application.

I have two high-end mascaras that I love but my favourite of the two is Urban Decays Perversion Mascara, especially with a black liner look because this mascara is the blackest of black and helps my lashes not to get lost in the liner. It adds a lot of volume and just enough length and is even better when you use it over their Subversion Lash Primer.

Another Urban Decay product that I've fallen in love with recently is their Naked Skin Concealer, there is another concealer in this line up that I love but the Urban Decay one is a perfect skin-tone match for me. This is the only concealer I've found that I can wear without applying foundation because it's just that good a match which is rare for me because I'm deathly pale and lots of brands don't stock shades that are quite light enough for me (I find myself having to use the blend-it-down-your-neck-so-it-doesn't-look-so-bad technique on the daily).

I've never been much of a lipgloss girl but I have a couple of high-end ones that I love: The Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Gloss. It feels so nice on the lips because it's such a thin balm-y texture that adds the right amount of glitter, shine and colour on the lips. The shade "Cosmo" is a perfect your-lips-but-better shade for me and I reach for it constantly. It's become one of those lip products that just lives in my handbag.

The second concealer that I love is the Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer. This was my oringinal high-end concealer love. If the shade selection had been better when I first bought it I doubt I'd have ever strayed to the aforementioned Urban Decay option. I think since I purchased they've released a shade light than "Vanilla" that is the one I picked up so I might have to check it out again. It's just a great concealer that's dry enough to use on blemishes but creamy enough to use under the eyes too.

The first high-end make-up product to become a staple in my collection was the Urban Decay Primer Potion, and even though since I found that one I've tried a couple of others, this is still the one I go back to every time. The packaging is none-offensive and easy to use and the formula is great, it makes any eyeshadow formula last longer on the lids and it doesn't separate out in the tube, even when you haven't used it for a while which I love.

A high-end product that I have moments with is the Benefit High Beam highlighting liquid. I just think it's brilliant and if I was always in a highlighting mood I can imagine this would find a permanent home in my daily makeup bag. I generally gravitate to highlights in the summer and winter but not really in spring or autumn so this product switches from my makeup bag to my stash and vice-verse quite a lot, but it's always a product I come back to.

A long-time make-up love for me has been Urban Decays 24/7 Eyeliner Pencils. When I first fell in love with these "Zero" was their black shade and I still love that one but since they've released "Perversion" I've struggled to find a comparable product for cheaper. They also do an amazing range of colours which makes them hard to dupe. While the Rimmel Scandleyes Eyeliner Pencils have a similar formula, the Urban Decay colours are just unrivalled for me.

And finally, a product that, again, I always go back to: Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation. This is my go to foundation for a night out or a day where i'm going to be out for a long time and I really want to look flawless all day. It covers like nothing else but in a natural way and has excellent oil-control for such a comfortable foundation. Also, the shade selection is amazing.

NudeSTIX For Lips & Cheeks

I'm a sucker for a gift with purchase so it'll come as no surprise that I'm first in line to make an order with Cult Beauty when their seemingly season gift-bag is available, and the summer one was especially good. One of the products in the bag that I was super excited to try was the NudeSTIX ip and Cheek Pencil in the shade "Love" so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

So with it being a lip and cheek product, I pretty much immediately slapped it on my lips when I got it (self confessed lipstick addict right here). It's one of those no-fuss lip products that you can apply without a mirror, so it's a really easy option to go for when you're on the go (which is basically me most days). I really like this shade for work as it's not an in-your-face shade so it's appropriate but it's also something you can reapply throughout the day without having to leave your desk. Also the formula is super comfortable on the lips on application although it does seem to dry down eventually and becomes less comfortable throughout the day. The staying power for the lips isn't great but as it's a lighter shad I don't have a problem with that.

That being said, Im not sure how I feel about it for the cheeks. With the shade being quite a light one it doesn't offer much in the way of colour for the cheeks and I generally like more of a pinky/peachy shade for my apples. Also the formula doesn't really seem to set entirely on the cheeks, so it remains slightly tacky on the skin even if you apply a setting powder over the top. If you're a fan of a dewy look on the skin this might work for you as the lack of setting does give a lovely, healthy sheen to the cheeks but for me it just felt a bit too sticky.

All in all? A love for the lips but a leave for the cheeks for me. I'd be interested in trying a slightly darker shade from the range to see how it compares.

Bathing With Therapie

I wrote a post a few weeks back about some skincare products I'd picked up from Therapie (clicky link here) and in that post I mentioned having a review on a few of their bath and body products coming up, so to stick to my word, here's that post. I picked up their discovery set from Cult Beauty a few weeks back and just need enough time to actually try all the products and it made sense to split them into a skincare post and a bath/body post as I could try the skincare pretty quickly but the bathing products for me needed a bit more time.

So the product that I was desperate to try was the much blogger-hyped Therapie pick: The Himalayan Detox Salts. They have a lovely calming scent to them in the pot and the crystals dissolve really well in a warm bath but my main issue with them is to do with the luxury factor. When the salts dissolve in the bath, they leave no silky-smoothness or bubbles in the water and the smell isn't very potent in the water at all. It's kind of like bathing in a regular bath that you haven't added any product to. So when I first used them I was quite disappointed. That being said, after use I could feel the tiredness seeping in as soon as I started draining the water and the next morning I woke up feeling refreshed like I'd had a really good sleep. So while they're not a real luxury experience, they do seem to really work for helping with sleep.

My opinion on the Equlibrium Bath & Shower Essence is very much the same. I acutally prefer this to the bath salts as this does leave the water feeling smooth and soft like a regular bath oil in addition to having the sleeping benefits, so for me this does seem like more of a luxury product and it's definitely the format I'd choose of the two.

The final bath/body product I've tried from Therapie is their Boost Hair & Body Wash, and again, it didn't really hit the mark for me. I like to take baths in the evening and showers in the morning (not both everyday obviously) so I thought I'd really like this product as it has one of those amazing zingy citrus scents to it that can really wake you up in those early morning showers, but the formula is just not my favourite. It's quite a liquid-y body wash so it doesn't really lather up all that well. The packaging does suggest to use an exfoliating glove to work the product in but I prefer the puff type shower scrubbies and I just couldn't get the product to work the way I wanted it to. I did try this with an exfoliating body brush to see if that would give more of a lather but even then it didn't seem to do much for me, which is a shame because the scent is amazing.

For me when it comes to high-end bathing, I love Aromatherapy Associates and Laura Mercier and unfortunately the Therapie products don' really do it for me but their skincare range is lovely.

July Favourites

So it's that time of month again, where I relay info on my favourite beauty products of the last month and July has been a pretty non-eventful month for me this year. Lots of time at work and nights in spent marathoning Daredevil with the boyfriend and it's been a month of no beauty buying for me so this one is more of a rediscovered favourites post. But without further a-due.

It's been a month of easy goes-with-everything makeup and so I've been gravitating to No7's Stay Perfect Lip Crayon in the shade "Delicate Pink". I've been loving the your-lips-but-better pinks this month and this one is just so comfortable and I don't need a mirror to reapply.

My go-to blush for the month has been Benefit SugarBomb which is one of their boxed blushes, this is a pink, coral and purple that you swirl your brush in and sweep onto the cheeks. Mine shattered a while back but I've been trying to get some use out of it anyway because it's so pretty. I'm currently on the look out for a similar shade since this is the second of these Ive had that broken on me.

My final pink make-up must-have for the month has been the Bourjois ColorBand Eyeshadow Stick in the shade "05 Mauve Baroque". I originally picked it up hoping it might be a dupe for the By Terry Ombre Blackstar in "Misty Rock" and while, sadly, it's nothing like the By Terry shade, the colour is still nice and the formula is lovely.

For the odd night that I've stayed away from home I've been loving the Skyn Iceland Glacial Facial Cleansing Cloths. While I wouldn't use these every night, they're fine for the odd night here and there and these are brilliant. Very refreshing on the skin and they don't seem to dry out at all. At £13 for 30 they aren't the cheapest in the world, but I've found them to be the nicest one I've used.

And finally, the REN Clarimatte Clarifying Toner has made it's way back into my skincare routine. A few hard days at work have resulted in a few breakouts around my chin and cheeks and so I've been applying this with a cotton bud morning and night to try to keep my skin relatively clear and it always seems to bring my skin back to normality when it's had a bit of a moment.