October Favourites

Without stating the obvious 'I'm late' with Octobers' favourites posts in unofficial blogging laws but I'm happy with 'better late than never' and you get a post on a Saturday seen as I've neglected things lately. Enough rambling, let's dive in before I hit publish on Novembers favourites.

I'd read about the Sophia Webster collaboration with Toni & Guy in a magazine and whilst I can't justify the cost of these fabulous flamingo shoes from Ms Webster, I can justify the cost of a bottle of shampoo. I actually happened across these products when I went to order my new sofa. I took a wrong turn at the retail park and found myself in front of a branch of Boots I didn't know existed. Clearly it was meant to be so I took advantage and treated myself. There was a 3 for 2 offer on at the time so I also picked up the 3D volumiser which alas wasn't a favourite and just made my hair a weird combination of crispy and greasy so that was passed over but the shampoo and conditioner were a hit. With Sophia Websters limited edition packagine and designed for fine hair this isn't a shampoo and conditioner that gives a lot of volume but makes hair look fresh and clean without weighing it down. It's my every day shampoo if you like.

Another product I picked up on my serendipitous Boots trip was the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in East End Snob. This lip liner has done the rounds on blogs and YouTube and again was in the back of my mind to purchase. I like Dervish from Mac as my 'goes with anything' liner but it's always great to have an alternative. I can't speak to it's claims as a dupe for Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Cheat Liner but I can say I bloody love the Rimmel one. It's become a staple and every day go to as I embrace nuder lip shades. The shade is lovely whether worn alone all over the lips or just to line. I can't say I'm giving Kylie Jenner a run for her money but I do find lipstick is looking a little more polished these days.

Following on from last months pinky nude lip favourite, another oldie but goodie has made an appearance. Hot Gossip from Mac is the slightly shimmery sister to Syrups cloudiness. Sometimes I prefer a nude lip to have a gloss to it but when you don't actually like wearing gloss a shimmer and slight frostiness can have a more wearable effect. Step in Hot Gossip. I've actually broke the bullet of this so I'm having to use a careful hand as I'm not prepared to cast it aside just yet and I'm loving wearing it with a darker eye at the moment.

Make Up Revolution's Iconic Dreams Palette* is fast becoming a staple in my make up routine and one I reach for when I don't want to think too much about my eye make up. I featured it in my Going for Gold post last month and was amazed at the quality and pigmentation of such a cheap product. I know if I use these eye shadows I'll create a great look and one that will last from day to night. I'm very tempted with the Make Up Revolution 144 eyeshadow palette currently only £8 until midnight on Tuesday. I'm picked one up today for a young lady I know will like it for Christmas and whose mum wants her to have well performing affordable products.

As mentioned above the Toni & Guy shampoo didn't provide much volume so I've been reaching for Batiste Oomph My Locks XXL Volume Spray* on an almost daily basis to add a little more. We all know and love Batiste for their dry shampoo range, especially me and their new line of styling products is working a treat too. Dubbed 'backcomb in a bottle' just spray in your roots and give a rub and away you go. I'm going to have to pick up the texturising spray next time I hit Boots.

Finally is the Laura Mercier Hydrating Foundation Primer which was a surprise favourite. Early last year I spoke of my first dabble with Laura Mercier primers and how it didn't work for me so when a friend passed this version over to try I had limited expectations. If ever there was proof that it's often a case of just trying the right product, even from the same brand this is it. Where the original was too sticky for me, this is a lovely cream and feels like applying a lighter moisturiser to the skin. With now of the stickiness and adding a hit of hydration without going overboard this is perfect. I've been using this a lot with a foundation I've been testing lately (more of that later in the week) and it was the perfect first step to accompany some of the more flatter foundations we wear. So much so is my love for this product that I apply simply this after my skincare regime for days when I'm sitting around at home or just popping to the local supermarket.

Have you tried any of my favourite products?

*this post contains press samples

June Favourites

Well it looks like my posting schedule went awry towards the end of last week due to exploits with family and friends although hopefully normal service should resume. That said I have a rather busy Summer ahead to please bear with me should things become a little sporadic. 

Enough with the excuses, let's talk favourites….

Laura Mercier Ambre Vanille Hand Crème link

You all know I love a good hand cream and go through the stuff with abandon and one I had my eye on was from Laura Mercier. This was a slightly extravagant purchase priced at £13 for a small tube but it was one I wanted to have and why not treat yourself occasionally (or too frequently in my case!)

I initially asked for Almond Coconut but in the time it took for the sales assistant to find a tube for me the scent had settled on my hands and I wasn’t a fan so tried Ambre Vanille and we had a hit on hands, pun intended. The scent of Ambre Vanille is amazing and heavily perfumed in such a good way. Colleagues at work frequently tell me I smell nice when I’ve applied this and are shocked when I tell them it’s ‘just a hand cream’. The hand cream formula works well, non-greasy, absorbs into the skin whilst nourishing. I’m dreadful at describing scents so I will leave the description to Laura Mercier herself “Ambre Vanillé is a modern fragrance of comfortable sensuality. The quiet sensuality of Amber blends with the warmth of Vanilla, and are enhanced with fresh notes of Tangerine and Tiger Orchid, delicious notes of Almond and Brown Sugar and a final hint of musky Sandalwood for a finish that is soft, intimate and absolutely addictive”.

Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo link
A few of my nights out recently have involved visits from the hairdresser, lot's of product and lots of backcombing so Bumble & Bumble's shampoo has been great for providing the deep clean needed  to get rid of any nasties still residing in my hair (hmmm that doesn't sound too pleasant a thought does it!). I enjoy my Sunday evening pamper routine before the week ahead and the aptly named Sunday Shampoo is the perfect addition.

Mac Osbournes Duchess Palette and Peaches and Cream Blush
Since purchasing the Duchess eyeshadow palette and blush from Sharon Osbournes Mac collection it has become a regular staple in my make up bag and I've had to consciously remove it so other items in my make up drawer don't become offended! The eyeshadow palette is easy for date to night and the blush adds the right flush of colour to the cheeks for the warm summer evenings we've been experience. You can read more and see swatches in this post.

What have been your favourites this month?

Products that didn't work for me #1

It stands to reason that in the course of buying, testing and using all manner of beauty products that some things just won't work for me even though they do for someone else. I'm lucky that I don't have sensitive skin so I rarely suffer from any bad reactions and there's such variety of products that if one doesn't work there's another that will and life's just too short to use something that I don't enjoy using. Here are a few things that have been passed on to friends and family as they have no place in my routine.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer link

The Elasticizer is such a cult product that it's sold in supersize bottles on QVC and the majority of people have great things to say about it. I may have got to grips with my skincare regime but hair is something I'm still struggling with. I picked up this tube from Marks & Spencer's beauty hall months ago and expected great things and I was sorely disappointed. I used as a treatment, tried leaving overnight but nothing worked for me. There was either little difference to my hair or it looked work. Let me tell you I was annoyed, this is not a cheap product and worse free samples were given out with a magazine about a week after I'd purchased it. This has now gone on to my friend who loves and uses this product so don't let my bad experiences sway you but beware it won't work for all.

L'Occitane Lavande Lavender Hand Cream link

I love hand cream, especially those from L'Occitane but not in this instance. I loved the idea of a relaxing bath with my Ragdale Hall Bath Essence (read about that here), climbing into bed and applying soothing hand cream and falling into a deep slumber but I just couldn't bear the scent of this. I don't mind a little lavender in my products but in this case it was just too overwhelming and I found it distracting. In a world with so many hand creams on offer despite persevering I had to add this to the 'bin it' pile.

No 7 Pore Vacuum Mask link

I reviewed this mask in my 'What to buy with No 7 vouchers posts' here so I won't repeat myself too much but in short this mask is messy, hard to remove and generally an unpleasant experience. I used twice in the spirit of thorough testing but wouldn't put my skin through any more. 

Crabtree & Evelyn Gardners Hand Therapy link

I was given a gift set containing four Crabtree & Evelyn hand creams and loved them all, apart from the Gardners Hand Therapy. The formula itself is lovely but the scent described as 'herbaceous freshness of green clover, sage, thyme and rosemary' it's no surprise the smell didn't appeal. It literally smelt like a garden on my hands and I'm certainly not green fingered.

Clinque High Impact Mascara link

I received Clinque's High Impact Mascara with a bonus time collection and simply I suffer from fall out with it. By lunchtime my mascara is sitting under my eyes and that is not a good look for anyone. I have an abundance of mascara's in my drawer that the results just weren't worth putting up with tidying up throughout the day

Revlon Lash Potion link 

I picked up this mascara when I was in Las Vegas last year and was completely led by it's attractive packaging and tag line 'for spellbinding volume and supernatural length' - I'm a marketers dream. I didn't have high expectations for it's 'potion' which strengthens lashes that was just an added extra and I can't comment on them further as I didn't use it for any length of time. What did disappoint was it promised to 'magically transform' lashes to be long and lustrous which I didn't find at all. It was what I'd refer to as a day mascara, you know the ones, it makes lashes look nice and prominent but certainly not anything special and I wouldn't reach for it on a night out. I would've maintained using this mascara if it hadn't been like Clinque's offering about the fall out. I can forgive a product if the look is right but in this instance it was out of the make up bag for me. I've since seen one or two reviews that this works better once it's started to dry out but the impatient soul I am, I have no time for that when there are bigger and better mascara's to use.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer link

And we end on possibly the most disappointing of all, Laura Mercier's highly spoke of foundation primer. This was one of those products I first brought when I entered into the beauty blogging world. Every blogger and YouTuber was talking about this in favourites, I was new to Laura Mercier, loved a wonder product that would mean minimal effort from me to touch up my make up throughout the day so I added a tube of this to my shopping basket. Firstly I wish I'd researched more as I would've gone for the smaller, cheaper tube I didn't know existed. I'm not a fan of the formula of this as I found it quite heavy and sticky when applying. I always apply my primer well in advance of my foundation to allow it time to sink in but this always felt like it needed extra time. I also didn't see any longevity with my make up after using this and as I'm not a big primer user I needed to see something positive to add the extra step into my routines. I've recently been testing my primers for a post to come next week and gave this another whirl and it's just not for me compared to others I own.

So there you have it, some surprising and disappointing products in that list which I'm sure some of you will say 'but I love that' and other's I hope I'm not alone with. Let me know any of your experiences with these products or anything I should stay away from.