February Favourites 2016

This month I have been mixing up my base products a little and attempting to use up the last of my YSL Touche Eclat foundation in an effort to justify buying the new formula that I am really eager to try. Although I failed in finishing the bottle turns out I have a re-kindled love for this beauty. My skin has been so lacking in radiance recently and this has been working far better than my Estee Lauder Double Wear at giving me a glow. I just hope I like the new formula as much. Talking of Double Wear although the foundation has been taking a back seat the past month, the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Concealer has been cracked out nearly every day. I think I will always prefer a more full coverage base, but I am happy for it to be targeted coverage with a concealer and the Double Wear range is the best for coverage, finish and longevity; all the good stuff. 

My last makeup fave this month was the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in shade Opal. I have been trying to get my skin to look healthy and glowing and, used sparingly, this adds a lovely natural sheen to the skin that isn't too much but is a little more than the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders that I mentioned in January's Favourites. My fashion favourite this month has been my new Daniel Wellington Classic Sheffield watch in rose gold and the Classic Glasgow Wristband. I have had the Classic Sheffield watch in silver for about a year and love the style and size if it so I just had to have the rose gold to match the hardware on some of my bags and coats. And although I love the classic black I felt like the Glasgow Wristband was a really nice nautical option for spring and summer. 

My last favourite may seam a little random but anyone who knows me well knows I am obsessed with hand gel, I always have a bottle in my bag and although it can make my hands a little dry I just like to know they are clean. The Aesop Resurrection Rinse Free Hand Wash however does not cause dryness at all and it smells beautiful. It is still alcohol based but it has a lovely scent of lavender and feels nice and gentle on your hands. 

So thats all the stand out things I have been loving this month, I would love to hear what you have been enjoying this month so be sure to leave me comments and links to your blogs, and see you on Wednesday for my next post. xx  

Rodial Dragon's Blood Hyaluronic Night Cream

First of all lets just address the price of this product, at £58 for 50ml this is not in everyones budget. I in fact did not buy this, my sister has a skin condition that she hoped this would work well on, turns out it was not most useful for her but anyone with undiagnosed skin problems will probably know you save all your money and try anything you can. If you do not have problem skin head over to cheaper, but still amazing, brands like my favourite Vichy. If you do have dehydrated skin though that you just can't seem to nourish then this has been working wonders for me in the short time I have been using it. It is one of those products you see a real difference from using after one application and annoyingly I will have to buy this again; so thanks Amanda for introducing me to another expensive product. 

Now lets talk ingredients. Unfortunately this does not contain the blood of an actual dragon, that would be equally awesome and cruel, it in fact it contains active ingredients from the dragon blood tree which is actually pretty awesome for a tree, that helps to soothe and restore skin with anti inflammatory properties. It also contains hyaluronic acid which is what makes this such a good cream in that this helps your skin in locking in water. It also has glycerin which encourages your skin to absorb more water and of course aqua which all make for this being an amazing cream for anyone with dehydrated skin, or anyone wanting a cream with an anti ageing affect. Although a cream will never be a filler of fine lines, boosting your skins moisture will make skin appear more plump and firm and therefore more youthful. Lets be real, I'm 24, aside from a few fine lines on my forehead I don't really have signs of ageing, but it certainly does make my skin feel more plump and less dull. I actually like this as a day cream because it just makes my skin feel pepped up for the day. I think I will next try the Dragon's Blood Moisturiser which contains SPF and is a little cheaper at £49 so I will let you know if it is as good as this Night Cream. But if a good nourishing skin boost with amazing fruity, flowery smells in night cream form is what you are after then head to Space NK or find this online here. It comes with my highest of recommendations. 

Super Facialist Vitamin C+ Cleansing Oil By Una Brennan

Although perfectly happy with The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil I have been using for years, I no longer live close to a Body Shop store and Boots is far more convenient for me to get to. So while I still bulk buy my camomile cleanser I have had to try a couple of cleansing oils more easily available and the Super Facialist Vitamin C Cleansing Oil has been my favourite of the bunch. 
I have dehydrated skin with dry and oily areas, but the reason I go for an oil based cleanser is not really for hydrating purposes, I just find them more gentle on my skin and they tend to break down makeup more easily. I normally use this while in the shower, and always in the evenings as it does leave a slight oily texture on my skin which I am not keen on during the day. For my morning cleanse I use the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish which is great at cleansing my skin but it can't remove makeup like this can. The cleansing oil removes waterproof mascara with ease and you really don't need to rub, just use gentle circular motions on your eyes and rinse under the water and you won't wake up with panda eyes. If only this came with a pump it would be perfect. I also use cleansing oils when shaving sometimes, if you have dry or sensitive skin on your legs this will make the shave much smoother and cause less irritation to your skin. This retails at £10.99 in boots stores and can be purchased online here. 

Alpha H Liquid Gold

Liquid Gold has interested me for so long but after using so many cheap drugstore exfoliants it just seamed like a luxury that I could not necessarily afford, well turns out you can buy the Liquid Gold Try Me 50ml bottles for just £15. The full size 100ml bottle is £33.50 so you're actually better off buying the trial size. Such a small amount of product is needed per cotton pad that these bottles last ages and turns out my skin loves this stuff. I have been using this on my favourite Muji Peelable Cotton Pads, and with just one swipe this all over freshly washed skin my skin feels cleaner and fresher. It does make my skin feel a little dry but I do have dehydrated skin anyway. If you are a little more oily you may find this balances you out, personally I just use my Vichy hydrating Serum and Cream after using this and my skin feels nourished again.
For a full list of ingredients click here, but some ingredients I look out for are Glycerin which will assist your skin in holding water, and Glycolic Acid which is a chemical exfoliator. The glycolic acid will help remove dead skin cells leaving you with healthy looking fresh skin. It is great if you have blemish or acne prone skin or look for products that are anti ageing. I feel like this has really helped my skin look more healthy and less dull. I have been using it two or three times a week as suggested and it has made such a difference I will definitely be keeping stocked up on this. 

What's In My Bag: The Night Out Edit

First of all a little love for the Whistles Suede Chain Pouch, everything looks better in black and gold and the suede just makes this feel like such a luxury clutch. At £75 I realise it is rather expensive, but it has such a classic style and I like to invest a bit into my bags and get ones that will last me years. We are all aloud one vice, and mine mine is bags and make up and skincare and shoes and clothes... 

Inside I actually have another Whistles clutch which I featured in my last WIMB post, which I use for all of my make up bits. I tend to go for my more high end makeup as I so rarely go out I may as well use the good stuff. I went for all chanel products with the Eclat Lumiere  to touch up my foundation that my face seams to drink when I go anywhere vaguely warm, the Les Beiges powder in shade 10 to get rid of any excess shine, and Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in Adrienne, a natural lip shade with a touch of shimmer.

Purse wise I just take a card holder with a bit of cash, my cash card and my proof of age. This one is one I picked up a while ago from Oliver Bonas. Of course I always like to smell my best, so my handbag staple is the Muji Atomiser, this time filled with Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf a beautiful musky flowery scent that has really good staying power. Aside from my phone, keys and chewing gum there is not really room for much else, but I love this bag and its sturdiness, it may not fit the kitchen sink but it is perfect for nights out. 

Ambient Lighting Makeup Look

I love makeup, and I don't really go a day without it but honestly for a normal day I just do not have more than 20mins to apply my face paint so I don't really get up to much experimenting with looks. I do however love using different products, and at the moment I am loving the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders.

I have been wearing Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation almost everyday *review. My skin has been dehydrated recently no matter what I do skincare wise, and this foundation with just a touch of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light is stopping it looking so dry. The Ambient Lighting Edit palette has really made me love the powders, I just find it so easy them all being bundled together but the two powders I have particularly liked in the palette, Dim Light and Diffused Light I am sure I will have to purchase separately soon. Here I have Dim Light on the tops of my cheeks, into my hairline and crease of my eyes. Diffused Light I use as a shimmer free highlight to blend out the powder on my eyes, down my nose and on my lower cheeks, to make the Dim Light work as a contour whilst not looking as harsh as a regular contour powder. 

On my brows I always use the Soap and Glory Brow Archery Pencil in shade Hot Chocolate.  To finish off my eyes I just do a simple flick of liner using Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner *review which I can only apply using the Lancome Liner Brush, and on my lashes of course the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara *review. I tend to just wear lip balm on a daily basis and Elizabeth Arden Lip Repair Balm is saving my lips at the moment from this dry weather.

January Favourites 2016

I wasn't really sure if I would would be switching over from the seasonal favourites to monthly favourites, but as I enjoyed so many things in January I figure we can give this monthly thing a go. And fist up for January has to be my new Macbook Air. I have been lusting after one for so long and although they are ridiculously expensive, they are also ridiculously beautiful; priorities on point!

Makeup wise I have been loving the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit, but as you can no longer purchase this, more specifically the Dim Light and Diffused Light powders. These give a lovely light from within finish that my skin has really been lacking, I am so ready to have spring time skin I will just have to fake it for a little while. Of course the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation was going to get a mention. It may have hit stores mid January but I have been using this every day since and loving what it is doing for my skin. On my lips I have been wearing Mac's Lip Pencil in Soar which my sister kindly got me for christmas and on days when my lips are dryer I have been loving the Soap and Glory Lip Stick Satin in Naked Beige.  
My favourite fragrance is actually the perfume oil of my all time favourite fragrance; Dior J'adore Touch de Parfum. This smell is so intense and a much deeper smell than the J'adore Eau de Parfum, I just use a drop of the oil and and it lasts on my skin all day and night. For my nails I have been wearing Berlin There Done That OPI Nail Polish, and my only hair favourite has been the Sleep-In Rollers not particularly to add any curl, but just to up the volume a little. My last favourite this month is my beloved Oliver Bonas Alphabet Mug which is just that bit bigger than regular mugs so perfect for this never ending winter we seem to be having in the UK.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Cream

When it comes to skincare most of us start the year saying we want to invest more into it, that we should spend more on skincare than we do on make up. Well that may be how I felt last year, but when it comes to serums and creams, the things I use daily, I don't want my products to have a massive price tag. Honestly I think that just makes us use products sparingly when how long we want a product to last should not come into play when looking after your skin. Some of my favourite brands like Estee Lauder and Lancome retail their face creams at silly prices and whilst this may not be the cheapest product from the drugstore this is an amazing cream that you can happily use without having to save up to re-purchase. 

So on with the review; if you have dehydrated or dry to combination skin like myself then this is really worth a try. It has a non-greasy formula that sinks instantly into the skin that means you can apply this just before your make up and it will not affect the finish of you foundation, or look like you have applied a hydrating product at all. This actually seams to target the dryer areas of the skin balancing them to achieve an all over normal skin type. I like to use this in combination with the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum *review. Both products contain glycerin, which will encourage your skin to absorb more water, so applying the serum before the cream will really help to keep your skin hydrated.

If you are not prone to dryness there is also an Aqualia Thermal Light Hydration cream available, this will still keep your skin hydrated but the lighter cream will be more suitable if you have combination to oily skin. Both creams retail from £17.00 and can be purchased in most larger Boots stores and online here, but as most British retailers have neglected to list them, head over to vichyusa.com for a full list of ingredients.