Reviews: Micellar Water and Beautifying Oil

B. Pure Micellar Water

Sorry Soap&Glory, Una Brennan and Philosophy: it's over. There's a new make-up remover in town, and I'm all in love with it. 

I don't go to Superdrug much (I'm a Boots girl) but i be heading there a lot more often now, after sampling their B. Beautiful range. 

I've read all sorts of info about micellar water, as I'm sure you have, and finally got around to trying it. I only used the tiniest bit on a cotton ball and stared at my own face for a few seconds in awe. It normally takes a minute or two for my other cleansers to take off all my foundation (I probably wear too much) but one swipe with B. Pure Micellar Water and it was gone completely. I only had to use a miniscule amount to cleanse all of my face and neck and from that second I was sold. I've used Soap&Glory Peaches and Clean for ages now but I've never really got on board with creamy cleansers, I've always felt like they clogged my pores long after I've rinsed them off. No such problem here. My skin felt super fresh and hydrated, especially with a bit of moisturiser on top. 

- It's super cheap, I swiped it at only £3.50!

- Doesn't dry out skin or leave it oily. 

- Cruelty free!

The Body Shop Beautifying Oil (Pink Grapefruit)

I loooove The Body Shop's pink grapefruit scent. It's really light and fresh and fruity without ring overpowering. Their beautifying oil is another new love of my life. I use it after a shower on damp skin to lock in moisture (I sound like a commercial) but you can use it on dry skin and on your split ends! 

It smells heavenly and at £9 won't break the bank! You only have to use a tiny bit so it will last for ages. 

Ladies, make Superdrug and The Body Shop your next stops!

Louise xo

Fashion and Beauty 'Will Do's

This year I'm making a concerted effort to change up my fashion and beauty regime, since I've been stuck in a rather monotone rut for the last few years. It's time for change! Here's my list for the year:

- Wear more colour, less black and grey. Neons and pastels are slowly creeping into my wardrobe.
- Grow my hair. Stop getting frustrated with it and hacking it all off.
- Leave my hair colour alone for a while. Not sure I can stick to this one, but my hair would like me to!
- Show more leg. I live in jeans and leggings, and it's time my legs saw some sun! Dresses and skirts and shorts, oh my!
- Wear more maxi dresses. So what if I'm 5'2" and look miniature sized? Who cares?
- Branch out in the shoe department, and invest in good quality shoes. I used to buy expensive shoes and they lasted years; now I dip into Primark and wonder why they only last a few months. I only have about 3 pairs that I wear regularly, so it's time to expand the shoe horizons with a few pairs of staple heels and some cute flats. (Must have a look in River Island when I'm next in town, their shoes are lovely.)
- Learn more hairstyles. Currently I've mastered the sock bun, the messy pony, and the 90s topknot and want to add more to that portfolio.
- Learn to plait! OK so I can plait the front section of my hair, but anything beyond that is impossible. I'm eternally jealous when someone walks in with a perfect fishtail that they did themselves.
- Nails, nails, nails. I have gel nails on, and have started having funky colours and stiletto nails rather than plain colours or French and I love it. I once read that when your hands look and feel nice that you feel more confident... seems true!
- Fix that damn tattoo. I have a tattoo that's unfinished that I hate, and it's been sitting untouched for too long now. Time to sort it out.

That'll do for now! What's on your 2014 fashion and beauty list?

Louise xo

Photo from Pinterest

Mini Beauty Buy

The Body Shop | LUSH

A little trip to town today saw me come home with a pile of goodies from LUSH and two gorgeous lipsticks from The Body Shop. 

Brazened Honey is my favourite face mask ever. It smells delicious and is so cooling when it goes on (you have to keep it in the fridge so duh). And it leaves my skin soft, supple and happy in a way that no other face mask has ever done. A close second would be the thermal clay mask from The Body Shop, but as always LUSH takes first prize. 

In the lipstick love department, Body Shop have just won my heart. I got a delicious pale chocolate colour and a baby pinky-red shade that I'm dying to try out. They are more moisturising than the Topshop lipsticks that I adore and while the colour range isn't exceptional it's definitely enough to keep me coming back. 

Louise xo

Lush's Love Locket

You simply cannot go wrong with LUSH bath products, but they have really excelled themselves this time. (Excuse the shades, from a shopping haul on Friday - oops.)

I've never used a locket bath bomb before, so the funky-looking girl behind the counter was happy to explain it to me. Rather like a real locket, if you open it up there's a treat inside. You break it apart (rather like smashing open a chocolate orange) and inside is a smaller heart-shaped bath bomb and a ton of heart confetti! 

It made the bath hot pink with a subtle bit of glitter, and my skin felt lovey and moisturised afterwards. The smell is sweet but not too sugary (a la Snow Fairy); more like a sherbert kind of scent. 

Delicious! And you get 3 baths out of it too, if you open it carefully!

Louise xo

Beauty Wishlist

One thing I plan on doing in Seattle is, naturally, shopping for beauty products! You guys have so many things that either I struggle to find or are significantly more expensive over here so I'm going to be stocking up. I better take an empty suitcase, thinking about it...

1. Of course, Naked3.

2. Philosophy everything.

3. Anastasia Beverly Hills eyebrow kits. 

4. Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse

NYX Review

When it comes to make-up, I've always been loyal to a few brands and never ventured much further. MAC, Topshop, and Benefit tend to get most of my money with the occasional visit to Maybelline for their awesome Baby Lips and Baby Skin products. But I've heard a lot about NYX and have been in need of a couple of lip liners for a while so I thought I'd give them a shot.

I ordered a gorgeous inky, glittery purple eyeshadow, a slim black eye pencil and two lip liners and now I am a NYX convert! The eyeliner goes on super easy, is pretty smudge-proof and is fine enough to do a cat eye but can also be blended into smokey lines if desired. The eyeshadow goes on well and is highly pigmented so you don't need to use a lot to get the intended effect. And both lip liners are smear-proof and the colours are great! I got  Deep Purple and Cabaret, both awesome! A hot pink is next on my list.

I also got two free nail polishes, one which I put on my toes that evening, and I love it! It goes on well and doesn't gloop or streak and so far it's pretty chip-resistant.

Verdict: NYX, you have a new regular customer!! I can't wait for payday!

Boots Haul

I have no money at all after an expensive Christmas, and should be saving for my upcoming trip to the USA next month but I accidentally wandered into Boots and shopping ensued. I shouldn't be allowed out without a minder.

In order, these are my new favourite products by a light year:

1. The Greatest Scrub of All by Soap and Glory. Great face scrub, one you can use daily.
2. Popcorn Lip Scrub by LUSH - delish!
3. Super Facialist Vitamin C Micro Polish Face Wash by Una Brennan.
4. Super Facialist Vitamin C Glow Boost Serum by Una Brennan.
5. Kabuki brush by Topshop - super soft!
6. New hair brush by Denman, now I understand the hype about these brushes. Go and get one!
7. Foundation brush by Topshop, again this is super soft!
8. L'Oreal Paris Studio Line #TXT Matte texture spray for people who like BIG HAIR.
9. L'Oreal Paris Studio Line Hot & Smooth heat serum.
10. My favourite faithful hair product, a Tangle Teezer!

Stroke of Midnight Part II

This product is a gift for someone for Christmas, but I couldn't resist a sneaky peek!

This is the Stroke of Midnight Face Palette in Cool. It's for someone who has very recently started wearing make-up, and the cool tones suit her colouring perfectly. The shadows and pressed powder can be built up to give darker tones or used sparingly for a hint of colour. 

I hope she likes it!

Stroke of Midnight Part I

I've been gawking over the MAC Holiday collection for way too long, and decided the other day to splurge on a couple of my favourites! Tomorrow is my designated Christmas shopping day so watch out MAC Leeds - I'll probably be back!

First up is the Stroke of Midnight Eye Bag in Nude, which includes In Extreme Dimension Lash mascara, Past Twilight Fluidline, Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Utterly Becoming (both pictured below), a double ended eyeliner/eye shader brush and a gorgeous limited edition (two words which always give me palpitations) make up bag.

Utterly Becoming is the most perfect shade for my skin tone, I am utterly in love! It's creamy texture makes it go on really smoothy and it stays put all day. I've been using it with the iridescent powder from the Antonio Lopez face palette and it gives it a gorgeous shimmer which is perfect for night time and not too much for day time! Fluidline is my ultimate favourite when it comes to eyeliner, and this shade is a deep, rich, inky purple which adds just a hint of colour and it's a gorgeous alternative to my traditional black.

I've been wearing these products every day since I got them; the mascara is divine and makes my lashes look thick and full in a way that my high-street brands haven't done for a while. I remember now why I used to splash out on MAC so frequently! 

Candy Mountain Review

Warning: LUSH love ahead!

If you love Snow Fairy, then this has to be your next purchase. Anything called Candy Mountain is guaranteed to have me gravitating towards it. And this gorgeous pink bubble bar is no exception! It smells like a sweet shop, and reminds me so so much of of Snow Fairy - which is my favourite LUSH product ever - so I absolutely loved it!

It turned the bath water a lovely shade of pink, and don't be put off by the glitter! Unlike Sunnyside it doesn't leave you looking like a reject from Twilight, but it does leave a subtle shimmer on your skin which lasts for a while. My skin was deliciously soft and I smelled great all evening. With their bubble crumble mix it can last forever as you can use as little or as much as you like. It's vegan, and uses Fair Trade vanilla absolute, so it ticks all the boxes for me!

Candy Mountains are only £2.65 and are selling super quick, so get down to LUSH and pick one up ASAP!

Winter Wishlist

1. thisworks deep sleep heavenly candle | 2. Topshop lipstick in Beguiled | 3. Soap and Glory 'Great Kisser' lip balm |

4. The Body Shop Ginger Sparkle body and moisture collection |5. Antonio Lopez for MAC blusher brush | 6. Lush Snow Fairy gift set.

Christmas isn't far away, so that means it's almost time to write that list to Santa. I've collected my favourite wintry products this year, I hope you love them all just as much as I do!