April favourites.

Where is this year going? I still feel like I'm in February - not May!! 

Here's some of the things I was enjoying throughout April. 

I finally bit the bullet and got myself a gel nail kit!

I've wanted one of these for SO long but never felt the need to actually get one...until now. I decided to get one because I never really splurge any money on myself. My partner paid half towards this so it wasn't a huge chunk out of my first wage from my new job (starting halfway through the month, not a full months wage!). I'm so impressed with how easy these are...I had gel nails a very long time ago when my sister had bought her own kit, I instantly fell in love with how they looked and lasted. It's taken me a year to get my own and I'm so happy I have done! 

During a visit to my local Superdrug, I noticed their range on dry shampoos had changed and managed to pick myself up a right little gem. 

What really drew me to this was the bright red packaging (although you can't see it on this picture from my Instagram!), I didn't even notice the name. Oh good lord this smells SO good. I've nearly used this can, but I do find the Superdrug dry shampoos work best on my hair. They don't leave it feeling...gritty? They also don't leave a powdery residue in my hair, like I find the Batiste range leaves. I bought this whilst it was on offer, either being 3 for 2 or 3 for £3.00..I can't remember! They're dead cheap and really effective. 

Talking a little more about shampoos, I recently changed my shampoo bar from Lush. 

I don't even need to say how much I love Lush...if you've read my previous posts, you'll already know! I picked this Copperhead shampoo bar up in February but I've only just gotten round to using it. I decided to switch from Godiva as I wanted something a little lighter feeling in my hair throughout the summer months. Now I'm going to be honest, this doesn't smell the greatest when sniffing it as a dry bar. However, this lathers up something beautiful when it is rubbed under water, the smell then turns into something I really..really like! I picked this up because I had previously used the Lush henna and loved how it left my hair feeling and the colour it left it - I can honestly say this shampoo bar has made my hair a little more orange and I actually like it! I'm even tempted to ditch the red hair and go back to my natural ginger locks. It's also leaving my hair feeling very soft and silky, not heavy which is what I was looking for. I remember buying this for around £4.00 when it was released, however I've noticed the price has increase to £5.75.

Netflix, every month you never fail to get me hooked on something, and this month it's Luther. 

This is something my Dad watched whilst I still lived with my parents, he was forever asking me to sit down and watch it because it was really good. Me being me, I instantly thought "...it's a Dad thing, I won't like it" but it eventually got the better of me and I'm not even kidding you, I have watched every series twice over. I love it! The story line is just...gah. I can't even describe it, seriously, go watch it. And Idris Elba? Mmm. 

Aaaand last but not least - I bought myself a new car! 

Okay okay, I said I never splurge money on myself. But..gah, I just couldn't help it. I'd been in the market for a new car for a couple of months as my old trusty K.A was slowly but surely eating all my money on petrol (despite me not going any further than I normally do!). I saw this car on the internet, fell in love, went to test drive it the same day and yeh. Need I say any more? I love my little Peggy! 

I'm still in shock that we're in May. Although, the weather seems to say otherwise...

♥

What's in my makeup bag - March 2015.

I've not done one of these posts since August last year and I thought I'd just do a quick update. (Link to previous post) I'm still using the same makeup bag (Cath Kidston) but some of my makeup items have changed. 

Let's jump right in to it! 

1. Nivea Pearl Beauty roll on deodorant. This was in my previous post however this is actually a new tin as I use this daily. Again, I repurchased this for £1.00 from Lidl which is where I tend to get my toiletries from nowadays! 

2. Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Foundation in Light Porcelain. I've been swapping between two foundations recently as my skin cannot decide whether it wants to be dry, oily or a bit of both. This is a perfect colour match for my skin and although my face does get greasy after about 6 hours, it is still a very good foundation. I actually picked this up from B&M bargains for about £2.00! 

3. MUA kohl eyeliner in jet black. I finally replaced my eyeliner a couple of months ago!! This is just your standard black eyeliner. This lid actually has a sharpener built in which is SO handy. Not particularly long lasting, but then again no eyeliner is on me! It's a very creamy eyeliner so is great for smudging. This was only £1.00 from Superdrug, so I'm pleased! 

4. I Heart Makeup Lip Lava in Forgiven. Oh my god I LOVE THESE THINGS. I've wanted these since they were released but only just got round to purchasing them. These are so pigmented, long lasting and such great quality for the price. This is such a handy sized tube, I keep this in my makeup bag all the time now. I purchased this off the MUR website for £2.99. 

5. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I should really get a new one of these as my cat got hold of it...it now has tiny little teeth marks in it! I love this sponge, I was really against the whole beauty blender hype but now I would never go back. I have been switching between this and my duo fiber brush this month because I found that some days a brush just does not want to work on my skin. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what this does...I bought it from Superdrug for around the £6.00 mark. 

6. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in translucent. This has been a staple in my makeup bag for years. It's the powder that I keep going back to time and time again but it just works on my skin so well. I very rarely have to top my powder up when I'm using this, it really does keep me matte! This powder has been around for years, I remember using it when I was about 16 years old! You can purchase this from Rimmel stockists for around £4.00.

7. Essence Get Big Lashes Vol Curl Mascara. If you've read through my top mascara post, you'll know that this is my firm favourite. I picked this up a couple of months ago when my local Wilkinsons store started stocking Essence. Now I'm really picky over my mascaras...they have to make my lashes look false, full and pretty much never flake off. This mascara does all 3 and for the price, I think that's pretty friggen amazing. I picked this up from Wilkinsons for £2.30. 

8.  Essence all about matt! oil control makeup base. I've never been a huge fan of primers however as soon as I hit my 20's, my skin has gone a little bit crazy. I suffered with acne in my teenage years but lately I've been suffering with oily skin. It's weird, one day I will have really dry skin, the next will be oily. I picked this up from Wilkinsons and really didn't know what to expect, however I was quite impressed. I wouldn't say it makes my makeup any more matte than it normally would be but it definitely keeps in it place longer! I notice if I ever forget to put in on before my foundation. For some reason I can't find a link to this on Wilkinsons but I'm pretty sure it was only about £2.00. 

9. Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in dark brown. Good god I've had this for as long as I can remember...I've actually got a new one waiting to be used in my makeup stash and to be honest I think I'll swap this over pretty soon. I've used this eyebrow pencil right from the point of when I started filling my eyebrows in as I find it really easy to create definition with this. I do find, however, that when I use the brush it tends to actually wipe this product off? I don't know if it's because it's old but I do have to go back over with a powder. I picked this up from Superdrug for £2.99 but you can also get it from good Rimmel stockists. 

10. Makeup Revolution Foc & Fix Eyebrow Shaping Kit in medium/dark. Okay I know I'm not the only person that's head over heels in love with Makeup Revolution but seeeeriously this brand has me hooked. I love this mini palette, it's the perfect match for the eyebrow pencil I use but it just creates that little bit more definition which I need. It comes with 3 shades varying from light brown to dark brown. I have to say, I haven't actually used the wax as of yet because I find the powder has such good staying power in my eyebrows anyway. I picked this up from Superdrug for £2.50 but you can also pick it up directly from the Makeup Revolution website. 

11. Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Combination/Oily skin in Ivory 110. This foundation is one that I just keep coming back to. I previously used the Normal/Dry skin formula in my teens and found it was literally a perfect match for me. Now I've got more oily skin, I've opted for the combi/oily formula and I have to say I'm in love with this foundation again. I love the finish this leaves on my face, it's almost powdery? I know some people won't like that but I very rarely get oily skin from this foundation. The only time I do is if I put too much primer/powder on with it. This foundation has serious staying power on my skin, I can wear it for a good 14+ hours without it budging (yes, I really wear my makeup for that long!). Needless to say, I will repurchase this foundation time and time again for as long as it's made. I picked this up from Superdrug for £12.45 but you can also get it from Boots for the same price. 

12. Superdrug Compact Puff. These come in a pack of 3 and I've always used these to apply my powder. I have never found a technique as of yet that's more effective in applying my powder. Again, these were from Superdrug for £1.89 but you can pick them up from almost anywhere that stocks makeup sponges/tools. 

13. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in shade Fair. Who in the beauty universe doesn't like the concealer? I'm going to admit, I've literally only started using it this month and it's safe to say I'm yet another person that loves it. It really does live up to the hype, however I find it a little too thick to use under my eyes as it can feel quite heavy if not blended out enough. I get extremely high coverage off this concealer and yes, it has incredible staying power. I picked this up from Boots for around £4.00 however you can also pick it up from Collection stockists such as Superdrug. 

14. Primark hair bobble. A statement in my makeup bag, alongside bobby pins. I'm forever searching for something to tie my hair up with as it really irritates me sometimes! I picked up a huge pack of these for £1.00. 

15. Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner in Black 1. This is another product I keep coming back to time and time again, I even have a stash of these waiting to be used! I don't use as much liquid eyeliner any more as I tend to opt for a toned down look however this is one that I find works the best for me. Some people say this burns their skin but I have never found it to have done that on mine. It lasts all day on my skin until I take my makeup off. I picked this up for around £2.00 from Superdrug. 

16. Primark compact mirror. I've had this in my makeup bag for a while now, I find it really helpful to keep in there in case I have any issues with my contact lenses or if I need to have a quick look at something. Considering this was only £1.00, this has lasted so well! It seems pretty robust and doesn't seem like it's going to break any time soon. 

17. Boots Precision Grip Straight Tweezers. I actually keep two pairs of tweezers in my makeup bag purely for the fact I always lose one. I love the feel of these, they have a slightly rubberised texture to the grip so they're really easy to hold. Also, I find the straight edge helpful when taming my brows! I picked these up from Boots for £3.80. The second pair I keep in my makeup bag are from Superdrug for £1.80. 

18. Superdrug Eyebrow brush and comb. I only recently purchased this as the brush on the end of my eyebrow pencil has gotten a bit grubby. It's a basic eyebrow comb, but it does the job. I picked this up for £1.99. 

19. Wilko Premium Stippler Found Brush. I actually really like Wilkinsons when it comes to makeup accessories because even though they're quite cheap in price, the quality doesn't lack. I've used this brush so many times and washed it out time and time again, I'm yet to see one bristle fall out. Seriously, this has to be the only brush I've had where the bristles haven't fallen out! I didn't want to spend a lot on a duo fiber brush as I wasn't sure if I'd like one or not but I was pleasantly surprised. I purchased this for £4.00. 

My god, this makes me realise just how much I carry around with me, no wonder I get backache so often! I hope this has been an interesting post to read! 

♥

Lush Tiny Hands

It comes to no surprise that I'm addicted to shopping at Lush. I'm going to blame my older sisters for getting me into it! I love the whole Lush ethos, their attractive store layouts and the smell...oh the smell. To me, Lush is like heaven.

I recently decided to spend a bit of money in my local store as I hadn't shopped there since I purchased their Caca henna range (which I did review...I'll have to dig it out, I was highly impressed!). I needed a pick me up, and this was totally the right place to go. It was tipping down with rain yesterday which gave me a reason to properly browse the store and have a chat with the lady about their haircare range (I'll do a separate review for those).

I purchased a couple of items (Godiva shampoo bar, Jungle conditioner bar, tiny hands hand moisturiser and tins to keep them in.) so I ended up spending around £20. Oh, and the kind lady gave me a sample of R&B to try! 

This review is for the Tiny Hands moisturiser bar which I've used before. I love this product and I don't know why. I don't know if its the shape, smell or texture but it suits my skin perfectly. It's really simple, all you do is literally rub it on your hands so the product deposits some onto your skin. To begin with it feels SO oily but when you've rubbed it in, it's so moisturising and softening, I just can't even explain it. It takes a while to soak in but it's really effective as it almost instantly relieves dry skin and sore spots, even from the first use. My line of work means I'm constantly lifting heavy items so I'm forever scraping my hands. This is the perfect product to give them a little TLC.

The list of ingredients:

• Cocoa Butter, 
• Talc, 
• Fair Trade Shea Butter, 
• Extract of Marigold petals in Argan Oil, 
• Sago and Safflower Petals, Decoction, 
• Perfume, 
• Aloe Vera Extract, 
• Vanilla Extract, 
• Chamomile Blue Oil, 
• Chamomile Oil, 
• African Marigold Oil, 
• Citral*
• Coumarin*, 
• Geraniol, 
• Lilial, 
• Linalool*, 
• Limonene*, 
• Talc

From previous experience with this product, it lasts absolutely ages. You barely use any even when you think you've used loads. The smell lasts quite a while on your skin which you'd presume means its heavily perfumed. It doesn't irritate my skin like most perfumed products I've used which is such a relief because I hate the feeling of itchy skin from overly perfumed moisturisers! I'm just so impressed with this little hand shaped bar. And for £4.25, I really do think it's cost effective.

If you've never used anything from Lush before, please do. It seems expensive from the first view but when you understand the ethics of Lush and see how much work goes into their products, you'd understand. I feel better for using these products knowing they're not tested on animals and the natural ingredients used should suit most people's skin. The staff in Lush are so helpful and will make sure a product will suit you before purchasing it (eg shampoo bars, specialist skin care). I like how personalised the shopping experience is with Lush which is why I return time and time again. Basically, go and check it out and I'm sure you'll find something you love! 

♥