March 2014 Favourites

Here are my favourites for March 2014!

 

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer

 

This is actually a new tube of this, I bought it last weekend and it's actually the first and only concealer i've gone out and re-purchased. It's my favourite one for under the eyes, a real staple in my makeup routine.

LUSH Santa's Lip Scrub - (review)

Yes I know this is a repeat from my February favourites, but I am still really loving this lip scrub, and when I was trying to think of what products I was loving I still kept thinking of this one.

 

Mac Blazing Haute Blush - (review)

 

I've got a review on this blush coming up next week for you guys, but it was a limited edition blush back from last year and i've really enjoyed the peachy cheek look this month.

 

Aveeno Cream - (review)

 

Another staple for me, I use this on my neck eczema and have been using it religiously in March. Just amazing! I've done a full in depth review on this cream if you have eczema and want to know how it's helped me.

 

Batiste Light and Blonde Dry Shampoo - (review)

 

My favourite dry shampoo and i've actually got 5 cans of this stuff stocked up in a drawer, as I always buy two when they are on offer in Superdrug, Boots etc. I have been using it a lot this month as i've needed my hair to look presentable every day for work, so if my hair needs that extra help then i've relied on this. If you have blonde hair this is a must have!

 

Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer - (review)

 

I have been using this primer underneath my makeup everyday for work and it's helped my makeup stay on longer. I've really enjoyed using it and will definitely be buying another one when it runs out.

 

 

Random Favourites!

 

Gogglebox

 

My favourite TV discovery of the month has been Gogglebox. Made by Channel 4, it is basically lots of different groups of people like families, couples, friends etc watching TV and commenting on it. It's so funny but can also make you well up at the same time. It's become hugely popular and if you haven't checked it out yet, then track it down on 4OD.

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

Yankee Candle White Chocolate Bunnies - Easter 2014!

Yankee Candle White Chocolate Bunnies Large Jar - £19.99

I'm finally back with another blog post for you guys, again apologies for the delay but better late than never I say. So I thought i'd kick things off with talking about the Easter offerings that Yankee Candle have brought to the table for 2014, one of the products that they brought out was this, the Yankee Candle Large Jar candle in the scent White Chocolate Bunnies.

First of all the packaging of this candle, well the picture on the front really, is just so very very cute! Anything with bunnies on makes me want it, and it's so very Easter isn't it?

What I really like about the Easter releases is that they've put the date of 2014 in the bottom right hand corner of the jar, so for any real Yankee Candle collectors out there (I know some of you don't even like to burn the Limited Edition ones) this would be a perfect addition to add to your collection. Or when you've eventually finished burning it, if you keep the jar it'll be a nice reminder of when this scent was released.

The scent of this White Chocolate Bunnies candles is not one hundred percent white chocolate. I've previously had a chocolate candle from Yankee Candle before, which my family hated with a passion as it was so strong of chocolate, but as this is white chocolate it is more subtle, and also I think it has a vanilla scent too. I think it is similar to the Yankee Candle Vanilla Cupcake, but with added chocolate notes to it.

I would get this candle again if it was part of the permanent line, but it isn't so I don't know if i'll ever be able to get this scent again. I do wish with the Limited Edition ones that they weren't just avaliable in a Large Jar. I always buy the votive/sampler candles of new releases to try them out, as a Large Jar is not only pretty expensive at almost £20.00, but they take a very long time to burn. A small jar would be very welcomed to the Limited Edition lines for me, personally.

Cannot fault this candle at all, apart from the black mark on the label which I didn't notice until after I had started burning it, but oh well it's not too bad.

If you want to get your hands on this candle, then i'd order it quickly online as it won't be around for much longer!

 

Yankee Candle White Chocolate Bunnies - £19.99

Hoppy Easter!!

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own, product bought myself.

Where Have I Been?

Hi guys!

 

Or should I say hello strangers, I must apologise for my absense on the blogging front. If any of you read my blog update that I did a while ago, you will know that i've recently got a new full time job. I'm in work by 8:30am and I don't get home till nearly 6pm so by the time I get home i'm knackered and the last thing I want to do is ... well anything to be quite honest.

 

I haven't written a blog post in a couple of weeks now, and again all I can do is apologise, but I will try and get back on the bandwagon and write more often.

 

I wanted to check in with you all, just to let you know that i'm still here and want to continue on with my blog.

 

Thank-you again for all your support.

 

Love

Amy

xxx

Simple Day Cream

Simple Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Day Cream - £5.60

 

I think I remember buying this quite a long time ago as part of a 3 for 2 offer that Boots were offering in Superdrug or Boots at one time or another, you know you have those products that you buy just to get the offer then just chuck them in your stash of beauty products and forget about them? Well that's the case with this product.

 

I don't know why I neglected this product for so long as I am a big fan of Simple products, they were the only skin products I would use for my eczema for a long time until I discovered other things, and their Simple Wipes were my favourite for many years until I grew out of that phase of using wipes.

 

I am now about halfway through this tub of moisturiser and I can honestly say I wish I had started using it sooner.

 

 

It is labelled as a Day Cream so it is a very thin and light cream, it's almost like it's been whipped or something it is so smooth and has the distinct Simple smell to it, not that is has any fragrance in it at all of course with it being a Simple product.

 

I use this on my face, on areas that aren't my eczema as it makes my eczema flare up if I use this cream on it, but it works great for the rest of my normal to dry skin on the rest of my face. I have even used this on dry patches like my elbows and on the rare occassions on my feet and it works great. It sinks in nice and quickly and my face feels and looks much more healthy and moisturised.

 

Since i've bought this cream they seem to have added sun protection into it, which I think is a great addition especially for the summer. I will definitely be picking up another one of these tubs of this day cream when this runs out, especially for the summer too.

 

If you have normal or dry skin I think this moisturiser will work great for you, if you have very dry skin I don't think the cream is thick enough to do the job. Maybe the Simple Rich Moisturiser would suit better.

 

 

Simple Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Day Cream - £5.60

 

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own, product bought myself.

Blog Update!

Hi Guys!

 

I just wanted to write a quick update about my blog, I currently post one blog post everyday. But from Monday onwards I will be posting every other day, so i'll be posting on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and this is due to the fact that when I started this blog I was unemployed and so I had a lot of time on my hands, but now I have recently got a full time job and so I don't have all the time to write as many posts as I used to.

This does make me sad as I really love writing posts for my blog but unfortunately time is against me, but i'm sure I can try and do the occassional extra post here and there as I really don't feel like three a week is enough it may go up to five, we'll see.

I will blog as much as I can, but if I happen to miss a few days sometimes then I do apologise but I will try to keep on top of things.

 

I hope you can all understand and thanks once again for taking the time for reading my blog :)

 

Love

Amy

xxx

Clinique High Impact Mascara (sample size)

Clinique High Impact Mascara (sample size)

I remember getting this mascara sample in a giftset that Clinique were doing when you spend a set amount at Clinique, I always love the giftsets that Clinique offer us from time to time as they are beautifully packaged and it's always great to try out new products.

This sample of Clinique High Impact Mascara being one of them. I always try to have an open mind when it comes to mascaras, they are such a personal choice and it is difficult to find ones you truly love and I really enjoy trying new ones to see if it could become my new favourite.

 

When I first opened this mascara I was pleased to see a bristle style brush, they are my personal preference compared to the plastic brushes that come with some mascaras. At first I found the formula of this mascara to be quite wet and so it easily smudged and takes a tad longer to dry, but this sometimes happens with new mascaras and after a few uses it settles down to be much more usable, which this one did.

 

I was very happy with the results it gave, it didn't make my eyelashes feel hard and clumpy like some volumising mascaras do. I didn't notice too much difference in the length of my lashes with this mascara, but it did add great volume and my lashes were well separated.

 

 For a high end mascara I really liked this one, however I doubt I would repurchase it as I don't fork out my money for high end mascaras as they are the makeup product that I tend to use up the quickest and don't last as long. But if I were to purchase one I would seriously consider getting this.

 

 



Full size of this mascara is avaliable.

 

Clinique High Impact Mascara - £14.85

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own, product free as part of a giftset.

Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss - Hot Pink

Revlon Colorburt Lipgloss 'Hot Pink' - £7.99

 

Revlon really are the cream of the crop when it comes to drugstore/highstreet lip products in my opinion, they have their balm/crayons lipsticks and their ever popular Lip Butters and even their lipsticks are very good quality and the same can be said for their lipglosses.

 

The Hot Pink colour of this Colorburst range of lipglosses is one of only two colours that I own from this range and it is such a gorgeous shade! I bought this because I wanted a bright pink lipgloss, when I got it I wore it a few times and then forgot about it. Having recently had a bit of a clear out, and finding products I wanted to use up I discovered this again and whilst wanting to use this up I actually find myself not wanting to finish it as I really do like it.

 

It is a bright pink colour with silver shimmer/glitter. It does contain very small particles of glitter and they can be seen on the lips but it looks amazing out in the daylight. So if you don't like glittery lipglosses then you may not like this too much.

 

These lipglosses are very glossy and give a pure opaque colour pay off. Not at all sticky which is my real pet hate when it comes to lipgloss. These are easily one of my favourite types of lipgloss across all spectrums of beauty from cheaper brands to high end. They are that good!

 

I actually really really love this colour and I need to find a lipstick in this colour, as I don't actually think I own a lipstick similar to this and I find that it suits me well.

 

I noticed when researching this lipgloss that Revlon have added more shades to this range, i'm intrigued so I may go out and look at the newer colours and see if there are any that take my fancy.

 

 

Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss - Hot Pink - £7.99

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own, product bought myself.

LUSH It's Raining Men Shower Gel

 

LUSH It's Raining Men Shower Gel - £4.50

 

Looking at this picture now it really looks like this shower gel has been in the wars, it's a bit battered about on the label but this came in a giftset box so it must've been a bit bashed about. But never mind it doesn't affect anything really.

 

I've been so excited waiting to blog about this, i've had this very bottle of shower gel since I got it for Christmas in a giftset like I mentioned, and i've been using up a couple of other half emptied shower gels before I let myself actually use this in the shower. I've been using it for about two weeks now and i'm back in love with it!

 

Cards on the table, hand on heart, if I was a millionaire and I could only ever use one shower gel then it would be this one without question! It is literally heaven in a bottle, I have to stop myself from drinking it it's too scrummy to put down.

 

If you like caramel, toffee, honey, sweet gooey scents then you'll love this! It's almost like the inside of a Dairy Milk Caramel chocolate bar in a bottle. It's made of honey and a bit of lotus flower and even a bit of sweet wild orange oil which surprised me as I can't smell any orange in it at all. The scent of this shower gel is all total win for me and the shower gel itself doesn't irritate my skin and my eczema at all which is what I look for in my shower products.

 

 It's a rather tiny bottle but i've found it lasts ages! For example I got the same size of this shower gel for Christmas 2012 and I used it on Boxing Day and it lasted me until February easily, I find a little goes a long way with this shower gel and it lathers up great.

 

I do find it is not the most moisturising of shower gels, i've found others than provide just a tad more hydration but it doesn't dry my skin out really. But I use body lotions/body butters when I get out of the shower anyway so I don't notice much difference anyway.

 

Apart from that the only other problem I have with this is the price, it is mad to spend £4.50 on such a small bottle of shower gel and it really is a treat product as I don't normally like spending £2.00 on a shower gel, I just don't see the point. But I make an exception at Christmas, I will go and get one for a treat (unless someone gets it for me like i've been lucky to recieve in the past).

 

Just go in to your nearest LUSH shop and have a smell of this shower gel, i'm sure you'll fall head over heels in love with it like I have.

 

 

LUSH It's Raining Men Shower Gel - 100g - £4.50

 

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own,

product gifted to me for Christmas

Maybelline Color Show Brocades 'Knitted Gold' Nail Polish

Maybelline Color Show Brocades 'Knitted Gold' Nail Polish -  £3.99

 

I don't normally get involved in hype over a certain colour of nail polish, even when certain brands are hyped I don't typically gravitate towards them when new colours come out for limited edition collections for example, this was even this case for this very nail polish that i'm going to talk about today and that is the Maybelline Color Show Brocades Nail Polish in the colour Knitted Gold.

 

I remember, I think it was essiebutton, talking about this colour and I think one or two other youtubers and bloggers talked about it and at the time I wasn't really that interested. As nail polish isn't my favourite type of beauty product I didn't think much of it but I did think it was pretty from what I had seen of it.

 

 When purusing the Boots makeup stands at the end of January I saw the Color Show Brocades nail polishes in the middle of the Maybelline stand, highlighting them as new products and I spotted this one and looked at it and realised just how pretty this actually is. In the light is just looks gorgeous with the gold and rose gold flecks of glitter coming through. I liked it enough in Boots that I got it, and for under a fiver it was hardly going to break the bank.

 

I quite like the packaging of the bottles, they are very similar to Models Own but just a bit slimmer and I like it a lot. The actual formula surprised me too, it went on very smoothly and the brush is very decent! I've never tried a Maybelline nail polish before so I didn't know what to expect when it came to the brush, the brush of a nail polish can make it or break it for me when it comes to the whole nail polish as a whole and this brush gets a big thumbs up from me.

 

 Apologies for my very short nails, they look so awful!

 

Using my usual top and base coat, this nail polish lasted a week without chipping and the 

colour pay off was great, it wasn't an opaque glitter but not far off. I got the desired look in two coats, easily.

 

I'd consider buying more Maybelline polishes again, maybe not anymore Brocades shades as none of the others caught my eye but as far as formula, price and wear time on these were concerned it's a winner for me from Maybelline.

 

 

Maybelline Knitted Gold Nail Polish - £3.99

 

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own,

product bought myself.

Discount Outlet - Mini Haul!

 

 This is the first haul i've written about on my blog, it's not a particularly big haul at all, in fact it is rather on the small side with just three items (well a lot more if you count the second one as not just one product, which it isn't really), but I wanted to share the great deals that i've found for you guys!

 

First of all I must say this shopping spree was rather impromptu, and my sister and I only wanted to go to the Yankee Candle shop in the outlet as we know how much of a good deal the offers in the shop can be, so we headed to the Bridgend Designer Outlet which is about a 40 minute drive from where we live and also had some lunch and browsed around the shops and spent more than I was even contemplating buying when we went there.

 

1.) Yankee Candle Sun and Sand Medium Pillar Candle - £7.50

 

When going to a discount shop for Yankee Candles you never know what candles you are going to find, and this time round I found a load of the Sun and Sand medium pillar candles. I already love this scent and it has now been discontinued so I thought i'd get another one. Also the main draw point to it was that these medium pillar candles normally retail for £14.99 but this was discounted to £7.50, which is an amazing price for the amount of wax you get! As I said this is discontinued and I can't find it online so I can't link it for you, sadly.

 

2.) The Body Shop - Coconut set - £14.50

 

This was my largest buy of the day, and I don't even know what this set is called and you can't buy this online at The Body Shop so I couldn't link it on this post (I have linked the Coconut range as a whole). But this set contains the Coconut Eau de toilette, Coconut Shower Creme, Coconut Body Milk Lotion, Coconut Soap and the Strawberry Lipbalm. I initially wanted to just get the Body Milk but that was £8.00 and when I spotted this for £14.50 I thought for value for money for all those products I had to pick it up. It normally retails for £24.50 so that saves me a tenner!

 

3.) The Body Shop - Vineyard Peach Shower Gel - £3.00

 

This was a complete impulse purchase, as I was in the clearance section of the same Body Shop store and I smelt this and I instantly wanted it, it's just a pure peach scent! I'm going to really enjoy using this I can tell. I'm not sure if the Vineyard Peach line is limited edition, or it's new and it's selling out fast, but it's not in stock online at the moment. Anyone please feel free to let me know on that one. I really hope it's not limited edition, it smells so good!

 

 

I will do a more indepth review on each of these products, including individual reviews on the coconut products within the set, in the coming weeks.

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own,

products bought myself.

Sleek Rose Gold Blush

Sleek Makeup Blush - Rose Gold - £4.49

 

I think it's fair to say, and potentially a rather bold statement to make, but this has got to be one of the most talked about drugstore/high street blushes in the UK market right now. Yep, i've said it and i'm proud to. The evidence is there, you always hear bloggers and youtubers stating that it has taken them forever to track this blush down in their local Superdrug stores. It really is a nightmare to get hold of it seems due to it's popularity.

 

Luckily I managed to find mine on the second time of looking for it almost two years ago now. I vividely remember finding it days before I went on holiday during the summer of 2012, and I then took this blush with me and wore no other one for the entire 10 days I was away. I was addicted to it. And to this day I still am.

 

If you don't know what i'm talking about, and don't understand the fuss around this blush,  then let me bring you up to speed. This is a coral pink blush with gold shimmer, and don't worry there is no hint of glitter in sight. This is supposedly a dupe for the infamous cult favourite Nars Orgasm, and I must say I have recently purchased that blush and I have to admit they are incredibly similar.

 

This blush is extremely good quality for the price, as expected as Sleek blushes are well loved by all for their quality and pigmentation. You get 8g of product for the very good price of £4.49, which is a brilliant deal in my opinion, and the colour pay off is just brilliant. The packaging is very small and handy for travelling, and it has a mirror too which is always appreciated.

 

As you can see I have worn this blush quite a bit and the swatch is more true to colour of the actual blush itself, I don't know why the camera makes it look more orange that it is.

 

Also just to note, Sleek have slightly changed the logo of Sleek on the front of this blush, it is now smaller, but apart from that everything looks the same now. Feel free to let me know otherwise. It is my favourite blush from the highstreet/drugstore without question, I wish I could critise this blush in some way but I just can't.

If you can track down this blush yourself, and you don't want to fork out for Nars Orgasm, then this is a perfect alternative.

 

Sleek Rose Gold Blush - £4.49

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own, product bought myself.

Wishing for Treats #2

Here we go, ding ding, round 2 of Wishing for Treats!

These are the products that i've been longing for over the month of February 2014.

1.) Yankee Candle White Chocolate Bunnies Large Jar - £19.99

 

When I first heard this was being released for Easter 2014 I got very excited! The picture itself on the candle is ridiculously cute and also just the scent of white chocolate is divine, i've actually gone into my local Yankee Candle place and they have this candle and I really like the scent, so i'm tempted to treat myself to this ready for Easter.

 

2.) Yankee Candle Bunny Tealight Holder & Yankee Candle Bunny Illumalid

 

Yes more Yankee Candle things, and yes there is a definite rabbit/easter theme going on here. But these three things are all part of their Easter line and they released the candle before these two accessories so i've only just in the last few days found out about them. I love rabbits and to have two candle accessories to do with rabbits I instantly want them, they are so cute!  The tealight holder (Left) retails for £5.99 and the Illumalid (Right) retails for £6.99.

 

3.) L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Mist - £9.99

 

I have forgotten how much I like using hair serums/oils on my hair after i've blow dried my hair, and I recently began using the oil version of the Extraordinary Oil again after discovering it in my drawer. Once i've used that up I really fancy giving this a go, as it looks almost identical but in mist form and i'm intrigued to see how it compares to the original.

 

 

 

4.) Silver Glitter Round Mid Court Heels - Dorothy Perkins - £27.00

 

I am a bridesmaids for my best friend at the end of this year and we have to wear silver shoes with our dresses, and i've been searching high and low for months for the perfect pair and I may have found them with these. I want quite a low heel and these don't look too bad, I need to go and look at them in person and try them on and then i'll know for sure. But they do look rather snazzy!

 

Mac Mineralize Blush 'Petal Power' - £20.00

 

Just how gorgeous is that blush in the picture! Like seriously beautiful! My favourite kinds of blush are pink coral blushes with gold shimmer and this is that in a nutshell. This blush is a mineralize blush, so more expensive than the standard blushes from Mac, and also this is a limited edition blush as part of the Fantasy of Flowers collection for Spring 2014, so I need to run out and grab this from Debenhams or House of Fraser at the end of March.

 

 

What treats are you wishing for this month?

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

Happy St. David's Day - Clogau Jewellery!

 

(picture source)

 

Happy St. David's Day everyone, I was born and brought up in South Wales and i'm still here now, I don't think i'll ever move to be honest. I absolutely adore Wales and am very proud to be Welsh. I wanted to do a St. David's Day themed post but it has taken me weeks to try and decide what to do a post on, so I researched some welsh products and my favourite discovery was the (very well known, and rather exquisite I must say!) Welsh jewellery company, Clogau.

 

Clogau is a jewellery company that specialises in gold jewellery mined from North Wales itself in the heart of the Snowdonia mountains. Just that thought alone sounds very magical to me, I don't know why. It's a very successful company and has been in production since 1992 but they were mining gold from the Clogau mines (hence the name of the brand) since 1989. This mine has now since been closed and the gold from this mine is now very rare and hard to come by, hence why they only use a very very small amount in each piece of jewellery they make. This all just makes it sound so special when you know you are wearing a piece that is made of something that is so rare.

 

Clogau jewellery is even worn and created for royalty including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I even read that the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) has some of it in her wedding ring. You know a company has done well when royalty is involved.

 

I will never be able to afford Clogau jewellery, it's easily hundreds of pounds per piece and some of them go into the thousands, but I can see why. When browsing their website I was in awe at the jewellery, it looks so unlike normal jewellery you see in jewellers shop windows. It's almost got a fairy fantasy twist to it, and the rose gold items to me are of particular interest and it just makes me want them so much! But I thought i'd give you that little bit of history behind Clogau and show you a couple of my favourites that have caught my eye.

 

 

 

(From Left to Right)

 

Heart Affinity Stacking Ring - £229

Lovespoons Ring - £250

Fairy Locket - £250

Kensington Pendant - £109

Fairy Locket - £1000

 

The Fairy Locket (£1000 version - the last one in the picture) in particular is potentially the most beautiful piece of jewellery i've ever seen! Oh gosh it almost makes me tear up thinking about it, just look at how intricate and beautiful that is, it is inspired by Welsh fairy tales from the 17th century. I think i'll just have to stare at it for a while. Oh if only I could win the lottery!

 

To gaze upon the gorgeousness that is Clogau jewellery for yourself, you can have a browse of their website

 

HERE

 

 

Happy St. David's Day!!

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own,

not a sponsored post!