March favourites

This post has come around way too fast. I know we all say it about every month but March has whizzed by, so of course what would the end/beginning of a new month be without me sharing with you what my most loved beauty products were throughout the month?

March has been a great month for me. This is the month I kicked off all this blogging shizz and I haven't regretted it one bit. It's something I've always intended to do but never quite got my act together in doing until now - so I must say, if you're thinking about doing something that you know you'll enjoy, do it. Don't think twice about it, just get on with it!

That's my advice for the month, time to crack on with these favourites.

Seventeen Cheek Stamp Blush in Made You Look - £4.99

Ah, the product that kicked my backside into blogging. It's special to me for that reason but sentimental stuff aside, I've really enjoyed using this. Applied with no thought, you will look insane and I don't mean that in the 'insane, sick good' way - you will look like Aunt Sal if you don't blend it in properly. However, applied correctly this will give you a delightful pop of colour. I use my Real Techniques Stippling Brush with this and they make an excellent team. I bought three shades of this blush but this shade is my favourite by a country mile. I love the bright pink blush and fair skin pairing. Made You Look certainly lives up to its name. This blush still shows up on my cheeks come the end of the day, which I think is excellent for the price you pay for this. Click here for my for my initial thoughts on the product.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush - £11.99

This isn't just a March favourite, it's a 'until the end of time favourite' but this month in particular it's served me well. I only ever use this for applying blush. As I mentioned previously, this and Seventeen's Cheek Stamp Blush make a good team but this brush works fantastically with all blush products of mine, powder or cream formula. Bright pink blush signifies the beginning of spring for me and this brush has enabled me to create the 'spring bright' look effortlessly.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Subtle Violet Hand Cream (30ml) - £8

This little beauty's habitat is my desk at work. I've been using this for the past month or so and it's really improved the general condition of my hands. The harsh winter months took their toll on my hands, making me look as though I worked outside all day, doing manual labour! This isn't me saying there's anything wrong in undertaking some hard graft by the way but when you're a young woman who doesn't do manual labour, it isn't exactly the look you strive for. Anyway, enough of me rambling on about manual labour stricken hands. Basically, this product is rich and moisturising but without being greasy, plus the scent is lovely. It's not too overbearing at all. Just gotta put this out there: the best hand cream I've ever tried.

Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum - £17*

Since being sent this product for review, it's become a staple part of my skincare regime, providing my skin with a welcome boost of moisture. Post use, my skin is left feeling soft and supple, without feeling greasy. So far this has been a joy to use. Click here for my initial review on the product.

Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation in 71 Abricote Clair - £9.99

This foundation is probably a blast from the past for some. This foundation isn't one that many Bourjois stands stock now but when I stumbled across this a while back something gravitated me towards it. I never got to try it back in the day, so I felt like I'd missed out in some ways I suppose. I've been using this throughout the month, as my previous everyday foundation (Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation) is running low. So far, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It stays on my skin all day, the coverage is quite light, leaving me with a non-cakey looking face. I think this product could revitalise the dullest of complexions. A product that lives up to its name in my opinion - 10 hour sleep effect indeed.


Hope you've all had a wonderful March and have an even better April. I have a feeling April will be a cracking month (no Easter pun intended) but seriously the nights will be lighter and the chocolate eggs will be aplenty - what more could you ask for really?

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February favourites

As we are now well and truly into March, what would the beginning of a new month be without a blogger telling the world what products they enjoyed using and reached for the most during the past month?

My February favourites.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - £37

Usually I get the most wear out of this palette during the evenings. However, during February I used this palette a few times during the day, opting for a subtle daytime look using two extremely pretty shades, 'Sin' - a pale, champagne shadow, and 'Toasted' - a warm, bronze-y, pink(ish) shade. I wore 'Sin' all over the lids and 'Toasted' in the outer crease and I must say, they make a good shadow team! The look wasn't too heavy for the daytime and certainly brightened up my eyes. I adore this palette and I feel that I subconsciously went for the two pinkier shades in this palette because I'm (still) dying to get my hands on the third Naked Palette, which is all about the pinks and rose gold shades.

'Sin' - a pale, champagne shadow. 

'Toasted' - a warm, bronze-y, pink(ish) shade.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque - £18.50

This little beauty served me well during the past month. For those mornings when I woke up having not quite had my solid eight hours of sleep, this worked wonders in tackling a dark under eye. The product has a slight pink tint to it, in order to cancel out any darkness. I feel this product works better than a standard concealer for me as the consistency is so creamy, it blends in extremely well, doesn't crease and really brightens my under eye area.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque.

Sleek Blush in Pixie Pink - £4.49

A monthly favourite it certainly is, but I could go as far as to say this is one of my favourite blushers of all time. That's a big statement, as I LOVE blush. I reached for this pretty much everyday during February. It may look slightly daunting as it is very pigmented but applied with care and the Real Techniques Stippling Brush, it looks lovely on a fair complexion. A gorgeous, soft pink that makes for the perfect springtime shade and an added bonus is it's a great drugstore dupe for Nars' Gaeity, which retails at a pricier £21.50.

Swatch of Sleek's Pixie Pink.

Bourjois Color Edition 24h Eyeshadow - £6.99

Another pink(ish), bronze eyeshadow here. I'm not 100 per cent sure but I think I have the shade 'Petale de Glace'. These are a cream to powder texture, which is what drew me to purchasing it. During a few days in February I wore it and it made for a lovely, neutral daytime eye look. The product is shimmery but not too shimmery for the day. The colour pay off is good and I didn't find it to crease at all. I am tempted to try a few other shades in the range, however they look deeper than this, so will probably work best in the evenings.

(nb -I NEED to say: product is spelt 'color', I haven't made an error :P)

Swatch of Bourjois' Color Edition 24h Eyeshadow.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo - £12

This is my second tube of this stuff and I must say I'm still enjoying it. I stopped using this for about a month but got well and truly back into it during February and if used everyday, does work wonders for my skin. I don't have particularly terrible skin but I find using this everyday does keep my skin pretty clear. You don't need much of it at all. It's a corrective and unclogging treatment that I find to be gentle on the skin. On the back of the tube it says it 'reduces the appearance of imperfections and unclogs sebum-blocked pores', and I think it does. The only downside for me now however, is this product has been discontinued... but fear not, La Roche-Posay have brought out Effaclar Duo [+] Plus. I believe the only difference in the revamped version is that it helps to reduce and prevent scarring, as well as what it already does. (Correct me if I'm incorrect here someone.)

Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask - £22

Wow. Wow. Wow. This stuff. What a superb product. Sorry to sound over the top here but I cannot sing this mask's praises enough. I have never used a product that is so effective in such a short space of time, it makes a real difference right away. I never in a million years would have thought to have picked up this product, however I was perusing the Origins stand in Boots not so long ago and was given this sample by a lovely sales assistant. I didn't really pay it any attention and didn't use it until recently. However, a little while ago my skin was having lets just say 'a bit of a moment' and on reading up on this mask, I decided to take action fast. Many said the active charcoal in the mask draws out impurities right away and that it did! The charcoal acts as a magnet and brings those pesky impurities right to the surface. Prior to application you have to open up your pores with warm water. I apply it fairly thickly to any impurities, which mostly occur on my t-zone, I leave it 10 minutes, then rinse off with warm water. Right away my skin feels very clean and any breakouts are greatly reduced. When I eventually run out of this sample, I will certainly be purchasing the full size product. 

Stella McCartney Lily Eau De Parfum - £43.50

I had a 30ml bottle of Lily for Christmas and it's the only fragrance I've worn this year. My signature scent has been Chance by Chanel for years but I think this may well have stolen that title. I don't want to get the notes incorrect so here is how Ms McCartney herself describes it: "Top notes evoke the rich, mineral freshness of truffle. Heart notes of green and luminous lily of the valley create an irresistible addiction. Base notes reveal the earthy warmth of oak moss." For a woman's fragrance, it has a masculine sort of smell to it but in an extremely pleasant way. I tend to prefer a lot of male scents and this kind of explains that. It's a fresh, earthy yet slightly floral scent. I love it, worn day or night it lasts ages on me. Stunning.

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