Monthly Favourites June 2016 | Holiday Edition

Whilst I was only on holiday for a week, and for just a week at the that my favourites for this month were all from my recent trip. June as a whole was one of those months were I wish I had a YouTube channel as there was so much I could’ve talked about. Instead additional loves such as OrlyScenic Route or mysecond day hair duo were mentioned in their own reviews.

Speaking of hair duos a new one appears in this favourites line up; Bumble& Bumble Surf Spray and AVEDASun Care Protective Hair Veil. Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray is a much talked about favourite for many and I’m surprised that I’ve not shared this in a favourites post before as I’m pretty sure it’s my second bottle as I like to pick up the Bumble & Bumble Surf SprayTravel Set during Summer months. Admittedly my hair requires less assistance from salt sprays currently due to it already being dryer from the colouring process but I still wanted to have it on hand and would spritz a little in before hitting the pool to add some texture to the unruly, post sleep bedhead. My friend who I was holidaying with was glad I had it to hand as he loves a little salt spray and forgot his – beauty blogger to the rescue.

My hair has always been something of an afterthought where sun protection is concerned but with blonder highlighters I wanted to avoid any sun damage and fears that I’d wake one morning with green hair! I had a little search around and stumbled on the AVEDA Hair Veil and thought that’s something new to try. A simple spray bottle that ‘forms an invisible screen’ which protects hair from sun exposure for up to 16 hours and will minimise colour fading, damage and dryness. I was quite surprised that my hair remained in such good condition which I put down in part to AVEDA’s hair veil, wearing a hat and rediscovering Bumbleand Bumble Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner.  

My routine of a morning was to dampen my hair a little with the AVEDA Veil, brush out my hair and spray some salt spray, pop on my hat and then take up residence on a sun lounger – perfect. The AVEDA Veil is a little expensive than what I would usually pay at £21.50 for 100ml – I even thought I’d discovered a travel size when I picked it up in store and was shocked at how much it cost – but it’s hand luggage friendly and a little goes a long way. I’ll be able to use this spray on my forthcoming tips to Italy next month and Las Vegas later in the year.

Another favourite for my friends and I in Menorca was Vichy Ideal Solei Double Usage After Sun Oil* (what a name!). I had been using during the trip and a couple of days in when my friend commented on his peeling skin I passed him the bottle. By the end of the week everyone was stopping by to use it and as you can see from the usage it’s barely made a dent.

As the name suggests you can use one of two ways; apply directly to dry skin or in the shower to wet skin. I used both ways, for speed the shower worked well and stopped that slightly oily slip you get on hands with any oil products but if I wanted to give my skin something of a sheen and had a little more time and was not worried about any oil on clothing then it was post shower.

I mentioned the oily slip although this is not greasy, nor unpleasant, and only a bother on the hands. On the skin itself, legs, arms and the like it gave a lovely finish and skin drank it up after a day in the sun and felt supple and moisturised. Whilst I was using SPFs and I’m not something of a sun worshipper I had a little ‘burn’ from a morning out on the open seas but I can report that I didn’t peel at all nor experience that tingly tight skin which often occurs on holidays. I’ve packed this away ready for my trip to Italy next month.

It’s over two years since Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara appeared in a favourites post and here it is again, my second tube at that, making it fight for ‘holy grail’ status. Back in 2014 I said that this mascara made me want to ‘throw out all others I own’ and I feel no different now. This is the mascara at which I’ll benchmark all other mascara’s. It was the one I chose to pack for my holiday knowing that my lashes would look long, thick and volumised. I love it.

On our first night on holiday my friend commented how nice my make up looked (yay me!) and from that night on would join me to get ready and rummage through my make up bag to try out what I had. The two products she liked in particular were L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush and Mac Extra Dimension Skin Finish in Magnetic Appeal and I agree she made good choices. I jumped on the L’Oreal Infallible hype when it did the blogger rounds and was able to pick up Amber Rush, a US exclusive during one of my trips. It’s had on and off usage and it was only the past couple of months whilst decluttering my make up that I realised how much I loved this make up. My eyelids aren’t my best feature so I need to be careful of heavily glittered lids but the infallible formula is heavily pigmented enough to work for me. I remember wearing to work one day and a colleague walked into find me admiring my eyeshadow as I had forgotten, or at best not fully appreciated how good this looks. Whilst I add some definition to the crease and liner when wearing Amber Rush it works just as well on its own making it a time saving for nights out when you’re in a rush. Amber Rush is a dupe of Mac’s Tan Pigment, and whilst I’ve never used that myself I’d still say buy the high street version. Mac Pigments last forever and they’re not the most travel friendly compared to the L’Oreal pressed pigments. This renewed love means I’m going to have to add a few more of these little beauty’s to my collection.

Magnetic Appeal is a limited edition product from the Magnetic Nude Collection that I picked up on something of a whim after seeing Jaclyn Hill raving about it way back in 2013. It was more ‘I love the look of that’ rather than knowing exactly how or when I would wear it and it has had sporadic use over the years. When it does come into its own is when I’m holidaying and I’m offering a darker skintone that lends itself better to the product. Like Mac Mineralise Skinfinishes this can be used as a highlight, blusher or bronzer depending on your skintone and Magnetic Appeal is certainly on the bronzer side for me. I use this as something of a do it all on my cheeks when on holiday and whilst it initially scared me using a lighter hand and blending it does look fantastic and will really make the skin glow which is just what we’re looking for on holiday.

Finally another unloved MAC product, Girl About Town Amplified lipstick. I’m pretty sure this was one of my first MAC lipstick purchases but I’ve been off bright pinks, this is a ‘bright fuchsia’, and it’s sat in my draw for I don’t know how long. Yes, yes it’s probably well past its use by date. It was Stacey I think I saw wearing this on Snapchat and thought that looks great, I have that and dug it out. I decided to take it on holiday knowing that much of my clothing for the trip would lend itself well to the colour. If you apply heavily this is very pigmented as the finish suggests but there’s a nice sheen to each which makes a change from the matte lipsticks everyone is tending to favour these days. I don’t normally bother with make up ‘round the pool’ but on the odd day where I wanted to liven my face up or perhaps we were heading to lunch I’d press this on to create a more muted stain which worked perfectly.

Well that wasn't quite the 'shorter' post I had intended, top marks if you reached the end!

*this post contains press samples and affiliate links

HEMA Beauty Range Review

As high street beauty ranges creep up in price I'm always keen to seek out alternatives for a more affordable price point and see whether there are some hidden gems beyond the usual suspects. HEMA Beauty might be one of those brands worth exploring more.

I hadn't heard of HEMA until they got in touch and invited me to an event which unfortunately I was unable to make. They kindly sent me a few products to try which I can share with you today. HEMA reminds me of Tiger with only six stores across the UK, including Stanstead Airport, a branch I'll be checking out in August when I head off on my next trip. Take a look at their website and I'm sure you'll have one or two 'oooh I need that moments'. They even sell acrylic storage.

So let's talk make up and how my experience with HEMA Beauty was. The first two products I dismissed quickly, although as is often the case my initial thoughts were unfair. Foundation Brush No 13* is the 'old style' flat paint brush which we don't see anyone using, myself included. Instead I found this is perfect for applying face masks and made the whole process so much easier and less messy. It now sits in my bathroom to reach for with ease. Next was the Clear Eyebrow Gel No 31 something I just expected not to have any need for it as I like my coloured brow products. I threw it in my holiday make up bag nonetheless and found it handy to tidy my unruly brows for a day at the beach. It doesn't leave brows crispy so I'll definitely be trying when I'm just using eyebrow pencils.

Disappointing was the Coverstick in Shade 05* as for me it is too drying and stiff to work with. I have given it some good use and on initial application it covers nicely but after some time it starts to settle. I'm not giving up completely and may play around a little more but I think I prefer a more liquid formula.

Blushers and Bronzers have always been my favourite beauty products and at the moment I'm loving a lazy approach with using more natural, 'shimmery' shades as blush that both warm up the skin and highlight in one swipe. If it's shimmer you're after than the Wet and Dry Blusher Powder in 54* is gorgeous. A warmer version of Milani Luminoso this gives a lovely glow to the skin. The shimmer is not chunky and I'm reaching for this often especially now I have a tan. My favourite blush of all time is Mac Peaches and Cream from the Osbournes Collection which has a satin sheen to it so I'm always looking for similar products, would HEMA's Satin Blush Powder* be it? Shade 01 I have is perhaps a little light for a replication but it's a nice subtle blush if you're wearing heavy eyes or lips and want to keep cheeks neutral. I'm definitely keen to experiment with some more colours.

Moving on to lip products and these were a great success and even when I shared an Instagram post on the brand a friend commented how she loved the Soft Matt Lip Balms* and found them better than Mac. And I'm inclined to agree. The first thing I love about these products is their twist up design. I will always choose the product I don't have to sharpen, especially when holidaying. I have shades No 8 and No 11 which are both lovely, No 8 a pinky berry that will be great when we transition from Summer to Autumn (assuming we have a Summer!) and 11 gives that 90s brown nude lip that I'm still clinging on to. Nice but nothing special is the Fabulous Fluid Lipstick in 01*. The shade is a little too peach to suit me although it works dabbed on with nude lip colours. As for the formula it's a little chalky for my taste whilst being creamy and feels comfortable.

Finally are two products I'm still yet to try; the Metallic Eyeshadow in 06* (which is more purple than it appears online) and the Long Lasting Nail Polish in Shade 814*. Swatching the eyeshadow I didn't find the 'metallic high gloss' finish they mention on the website and it did appear patchy but I will hold of judgement until I've tested properly. Likewise I need to find out if the nail polish deserves it's 'long lasting' name.

Final mention goes to this little travel pouch* which I used on my recent holiday. It's one of those papery pouches or pencil case as HEMA calls it and was ideal for storing my work iPhone and portable charger whilst travelling or hitting the beach. My friends were frequently borrowing it whenever their batteries were waning so it was perfect to reach in and know where to find it whilst ensuring it wasn't covered in sand.

Have you heard of HEMA before?

*this post contains press samples

HEMPZ | The Perfect Summer Body Lotion

Moisturising my body is the one aspect of my beauty routine I'm lacking, although I think that's often the case for most of us. That said I tend to up my game when I have a pump dispenser as it seems to make things easier for me. As one of my Roger & Gallet Body Sorbets reached it's end enter Hempz Triple Moisturiser Body Creme*.

Hempz is a brand I had not heard about nor seen on the shelves but one sniff of the Grapefruit and Peach scent and I was sold. It's a large 500ml size bottle which thanks to a pleasing minty blue colour looks pleasing on the dressing table. And of course there's the pump.

Rich in Vitamin E, C, B1, B2, B3 and B6, Hemp Seed Oil is in all Hempz products - there's everything from body scrubs to tanning lotions - to maintain healthy skin and help give skin a radiant glow and I certainly know, especially with my light holiday tan that using body lotion helps maintain that just stepped out of the sun look.

It's not a sticky body lotion, the worst trait in warmer months, especially for us in the UK that seem to be subjected to limited sunshine but humid temperatures. I can pop this on as I'm getting ready in the morning and add clothes soon after.

You'll also find that Hempz products are Gluten and Paraben Free and 100% Vegan something I note is becoming more and more important.

What body lotion are you enjoying at the moment?

*this post contains press samples

JANJIRA Marine Radiant White Range

Janjira is a brand I've had some exposure too with their gorgeous massage therapy candle and eye cream (which may I add comes in the largest pot it lasts for ever). They have just released their Marine Radiant White collection and I was able to try a few products from this aesthetically pleasing range.

All products in the collection contain a unique ingredient called Aglowhite, an extract from brown algae. Enriched with antioxidants that have a triple action on the skin by brightening, exfoliating and protecting. Skin is left looking more luminous your complexion clear.

Marine Brightening Radiant White Brightening Cleanser* is a creamy cleanser that I prefer for morning use although it works perfectly for removing make up of an evening. Whilst this is gentle on the skin I do find it causes a slight irritation around my eyes so I'm cautious when applying and most definitely a little goes a long way I can see this tube lasting some time.

My next step is the Marine Radiant White Brightening Toner* which comes in a fabulous pump dispenser. This is a refreshing toner that my skin enjoys looking hydrated and bright after use. Whilst I always go in with serums and moisturisers there's no urgency after using this as skin feels so hydrated.

Another product in the range, with the added ingredient of Sorghum Bicolor Stalk Juice to rejuvenate the skin is the Marine Radiant White Brightening Booster Serum*. Just a drop or two of this serum works to instantly make my skin look clearer and smoother. Of course as with all the other products in the range there is Algowhite and Vitamin C for its anti-ageing properties.

Finally is my favourite product from the range, Marine Radiant White Illuminating Day Cream*. As the name suggest it really does leave skin illuminated and is so light that wearing make up on top sits comfortably. Protecting against sun damage, pollution and other irritants this is a fantastic addition to my skincare line up.

The Janjira Marine Radiant Range is an affordable high end range, if there is such a thing and depending on your needs will help you make your choice as to what you think is affordable, for example I'd happily spend £24 on the moisturiser but perhaps less reluctant to spend £20 on the toner... although that packaging tempts me alone.

Have you tried Janjira skincare?

*this post contains press samples

Personalised Gifts from I Just Love It

Following on from my review of I Just Love It gift range I was offered an opportunity to try some items from their personalised offering. I chose the personalised children's toiletry bag* as it was perfect for my friends son. I consider myself to be lucky enough to have some wonderful holidays but this little man is particularly well travelled for a three year old. 

After a chat with his mum who told me he was in need of a little toiletry bag for their next trip I was on the case. Available in blue or pink whatever your preference and personalised with the name of your choice its ideal for little ones heading off on school trips or to ensure that they can easily identify their bags.

Large enough to house all the products little ones might need such as toothbrushes and toothpaste it's certain to make bath time easier for mum or dad whilst on bathing duties in what can often be cramped hotel bathrooms. A handy hook ensures that you can hang all the essentials in easy reach.

Let's hope Charlie enjoys his next holiday.

*this post contains press samples