February Favourites.

Hey Guys,

I cannot believe how quickly February went, I know it's a short month but it just disappeared. Not that I mind too much because March is going to be incredible, I can feel it, but more of that another day!

Anyways as the title suggests this is my February Favourites, I don't have too many favourites because I did a lot of buying new things this month. So I've been trying them out, which I didn't want to put in my favourites until there tried and tested! So here we go..

Neutrogena Spot Stress Control Daily Scrub, NIVEA Oil Free Day Cream, Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation, MAC 206 Brush, Real Techniques Angle Brush, Natural Collection Crushed Walnut Eyeshadow, Next Paradise Perfume. 

First up is some skin care favourites, my skin has been an absolute nightmare the last couple of months, breaking out all over the place yet really dry and oily at the same time. I really cannot keep up. Anyways this daily scrub has been a life saver it gives a deep clean, gets rid of dead skin yet doesn't dry my skin out, perfect. My skin is finally clearing up yet theres a lot of damage which needs all the help it can get. At the moment me skin feels really tight and dry, which is where my second favourite comes in, NIVEA oil free day cream. This cream is so velvety, light and refreshing. It glides on the skin and sinks in beautifully leaving no traces of oil or residue just feeling hydrated and drenched.

I'm quite surprised I like this foundation, because I want full coverage but I don't like my foundation being too thick. However I got this little tester out of my Boots Beauty Advent Calendar (See here) and my god I love it, so I bought the full size. It is thick but because of the mouse consistency it's still fairly light, well as light as a full coverage matte foundation comes. What I really like about this foundation is it's perfect for when you need full coverage for a long period of time, I really like using it when I'm going out or clubbing because I know I don't have to worry about shine or touching up. And whats perfect, it has no SPF so flash photography come at me.

This perfume is quite an odd one because I received it for my birthday years ago, I'm talking like 7-8 years ago, but never really used it that often. However because my staple everyday Calvin Klein ran out and Channel is too much for work I resorted to this whilst deciding what perfume to buy. Well it's safe to say I'm glad I did re-discover this perfume because it smells so fruity and sweet perfect for early spring.

These three favourites are more of an all in one kind of favourite, or a make-up look. What I've been doing all month is instead of my standard liquid eyeliner flicks I've been using this brown shadow or a matte black for my eyeliner, so it's a little smudgy but not heavy like using gel liner. I really like this look for day time because it just frames the eyes without looking too heavy, and it's really quick and easy in the mornings. I've also been using this colour and my MAC 206 brush to fill in my eyebrows, I got his from Alice over at BeautyByAlicee, I love her blog and would definitely recommend checking her out! I love this little combo for filling in my brows so there not harsh but still filled in and framing the face.

The last favourite is my Lush Shampoo bar (full review), this wasn't featured in the main image because it's not looking so new anymore and frankly quite wet and weird. Anyways I love this, it's supposed to stimulate hair grow and I really think it has. I have long hair anyways but it never used to grow past a certain point however since using this bar, since like Xmas, I've found my hair getting longer than it's ever been. This shampoo also makes my hair feel so thick and healthy I love it!

That's it for my favourites this month, I hope you've enjoyed this post and don't forget to follow my on Bloglovin' and leave me a comment of what you've been loving the last month!

January Favourites.

Hey Guys,

I feel like January has gone so quick this year, normally it drags so much but it's flown by! I must say though this January has been so much better than last year due to extreme tonsillitis and my throat closing up, you no casual. So this year has already started pretty darn well!

Right enough of the babble lets get going with my January favourites. This months favourites are pretty much all new bits which I got in and around Christmas but they have pretty much since overtaken my life.

First up is a bronzer from Rimmel, now this bronzer was a bit of a stressful buy. Leading up to this purchase I just could never get my bronzer colour match right and was getting myself quite worked up about the situation. However I stumbled across this when in Superdrug stocking up on my favourite Stay Matte Powder, I picked it up and though meh it's worth a go. I really love the natural glow it gives and how it warms up my skin in the winter months. The powder in the pan itself has a very minimal amount of shimmer which doesn't transfer to the skin at all, it's quite matte. Overall I really love it however I'm still on the hunt for the perfect bronzer.

Whats a favourites without mentioning a Real Techniques Brush eh? So I bring you the stippling brush, I got this for Christmas but didn't start using it until mid Jan and man I'm kicking myself. I love how it applies my foundation giving a flawless but natural look. As I find with the buffing brush it gives a heavier application, so the stippling is perfect for week day foundation.

Soap&Glory is a brand I've always loved but the price tag was always a little high for a student way to into drinking. So when I got a few bits for Christmas I was so happy to get trying and its safe to so I've loved them so much I'm featuring two in this post!

First up is the Righteous Butter, now I know this has already been spoken about this in the #2014bloggerchallenge skincare post (read me) but It needs a special mention here. I simply am in love with this product, it makes my skin so silky smooth for days after use. It also smells incredible, it's so buttery yet with a light texture. Such a perfect product for winter or dry skin.

Second S&G is the Kick Ass Concealer, however specifically one part of it, the setting powder. I'll talk about the concealer as a whole latter in the month but for now the setting powder is my new love. I've always used Rimmel Stay Matte since I care to remember and it's done me fine however this setting powder has changed me. I love how it really locks in my concealer not looking cakey and staying put all day, I'm not really sure how I can explain why I love it I just do!

Last beauty product of the batch is the L'oréal Line Studio #TXT volume texture spray. This is a fairly new edition to my hair products, over the last year I have been hunting for a good volume spray. Now I love using the Schwarz got2be volume mouse however if my hair gets wet my hair gets very matted and it's not great for if you don't wash your hair everyday. So When I found the L'oréal spray it solved my problems! This is such a good spray and go to product which gives instant lift to the roots and makes bed hair that little more tamed. Again I'll do a lengthy review on this later in the month, but bottom line you will not regret buying this product.

Lastly in this favourites post is a song, I know I never really include things like this but I am really really loving Clean Bandits 'rather be'. It's such a uplifting end of winter song and it's been stuck in my head all week! Love it! 

So that's it for my favourites, I feel this was quite a quick job done post, if you know what I mean. I hope you've enjoyed seeing my favourites, what have you been loving last month? let me know in the comments!  

Review Thursday: Lush Shampoo Bar

Hey Guys,

I can't believe it's Thursday again! They come and go so quick. Todays review is going to be about the Lush Shampoo Bar. Now I bought this for my friend for Christmas and really wanted it for myself, so then much to my surprise I received this off my other friend! Yay.

Now Lush describes the bar as:

"A solid bar with cinnamon, clove and nettle to stimulate and reset your hair to its former glory. We've jammed this unpreserved, unpackaged shampoo bar with as many stimulating ingredients as we can find to get the blood flowing, balance the scalp, and boost hair growth."

If you don't like cinnamon this definitely isn't for you because the smell is strong and it lingers in your hair, if like me, you don't use much conditioner the smell stays put. I personally like cinnamon so I quite like the spicy scent.

When I first saw this I found the concept of essentially using a bar of soap on your hair as shampoo very odd, however when using this it's not as strange as you'd think. You can either lather it up in your hands and then apply it to the roots or wet it and rub straight onto your hair. I find just lathering it up in my hands does the trick fine. It lathers up really well and easy to distribute all over the hair just like a liquid shampoo.

Theres also no tingle to the scalp, which I thought there may be as it's suppose to stimulate the roots, but I'm quite glad theres not.

What does the shampoo actually do? Yes it cleans the hair leaving no residue, so it does the shampoo job, but does it do what it claims? Now my hair grows fairly quick using normal shampoo but I really do feel like this has accelerated my hair growth. I've also noticed that after use my hair feels thicker and more lively, even with naturally thick hair this product make it's feel healthier. However the one thing I have noticed is it leaves my hair feeling a little dry but because I use a leave in conditioner after washing the moisture locks back in.

I wash my hair every other day so I only use this product once or twice a week because I also use purple shampoo before going out on the weekends.

The only downfall I can think of is when it comes to storing this product in between washes it is a little tricky. I found you can't leave it in the shower because the product will just wash away and you can't put it into a air tight container because the outside dries into a thick gel..its strange. So I've found a old conditioner mask pot which has a flip lid so I can protect it from running water but not keep it air tight.

Anyways thats about it for my review, I hope it was useful. I really like this product and would definitely recommend it. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin' for updates and come back at the weekend for the next instalment of the #2014bloggerchallenge!

Review Thursday: Coconut Oil

Hey Guys,

Today I'm going to give my review on Coconut Oil. Now this isn't brand specific because the one above was quite expensive at £6.99 from Holland & Barrett which you can find here.  Although recently I found a cheaper one from TESCO which is primarily for cooking but makes me think if it's good enough to eat it must be good enough for my other needs.

I have been using coconut oil for about a month now for cooking, hair and skin. For cooking I use it for everything instead of Vegetable or Olive oil and it's great and makes food taste that little bit better. It's good and safe for fast high heat cooking, apparently it's better for you but I need to do more research on that.

Onto my beauty uses, I use it on my hair and skin. Coconut oil is suppose to be very hydrating for dry skin and hair but it can also promote hair growth.

I'll point out now I have very sensitive skin and after many wild diagnosis I have this rare form of 'folliculitis' (the doctors think!) which I've had for over 5 years, so I am very wary of what I can use on my skin. The oil is in a solid form but melts beautifully in the palms of your hands which just sinks into the skin. It can feel a little greasy when you use too much so it's trial and error of how much you need, but a little goes a long way.

When using Coconut oil on my skin, mostly on my legs and especially my shins. I started using the product after a shower to keep the moisture in my skin and really deeply hydrate it. After one use I was amazed my skin felt so soft and considering it is so dry and tight before I was amazed, since then I have used it everyday before going to bed. My skin is ultra soft and for the first time in years my skin condition seems to be improving! Absolute miracle! I'm not going to say it will work for everyone but give it a go and you may be happily surprised like me.

The third use is on my hair. I've been using this as a mask to try and hydrate my hair, my hair is very long and very thick so sometimes feels a bit worn. I got a small amount in my hands and gently melted it in my palms then smothered my hair, I also massaged it into my scalp. I then put it up in a towel and left it for several hours, I was going to leave it over night but I didn't have time the next day to wash it out. Although when I washed the oil out my hair instantly felt thicker, it was a little bit flat until the second wash but now it's feels so healthy and nourished. I have also read on the web that it promotes hair growth but that could be on regular use, so I'll have to update this if it has but I don't plan to use it everyday just weekly or every two weeks as a mask.

After reading more uses for Coconut oil I was amazed at how many useful beauty and medical tips there are. I strongly recommend getting your hands on some, for me it's amazing and it's quickly becoming my best friend.

I hope you've enjoyed reading how I use/ review on coconut oil and it's come in use for you. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions which I may have missed or if you've used it and have any helpful tips for me?