BEAUTY FAVES 2014

Hello my lovelies. I thought it would be good to remind myself and share with you my favourite beauty products of 2014. Here they are with links to reviews so that you can see why I loved them :)

MAX FACTOR SKIN LUMINIZER FOUNDATION

REVIEW

FCUK CONNECT FOR HER EAU DE TOILETTE

REVIEW

VASELINE SPRAY & GO BODY MOISTURISER COCOA RADIANT

REVIEW

IMPULSE BODY FRAGRANCE SWEET SMILE

REVIEW

I love loads of the fragrances in this range, but this was my fave for 2014.

NIVEA POWDER TOUCH ANTI-PERSPIRANT DEODORANT

REVIEW

NIVEA SUN PROTECT & REFRESH INVISIBLE COOLING MIST

REVIEW

SOAP & GLORY GLAD HAIR DAY SHAMPOO

REVIEW

PURE EXFOLIATING COMPLETE CLEANSING WIPES

REVIEW

CRYSTAL CLEAR LIFT AWAY THE YEARS

REVIEW

Let me know your favourite beauty products from 2014 in the comments below.

Images not my own.

Love to you all

Vicky xx

BLOGLOVIN' | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TBP

FASHION, BEAUTY & MAKE-UP FAVOURITES

Hello again beauties. My last post for today is one I have been meaning to write for a while which is a suggestion to retailers. 

Have you ever bought a fashion, beauty or make-up item loving it so much that you would call it a favourite or a must have staple? I know I have. 

There are items in my wardrobe as well in my beauty and make-up collections that I have eeked out beyond their life expectancy. This is because I knew I couldn't go back and repurchase them as they had been simply discontinued. There are some items that make comebacks from time to time, but not very often. 

My suggestion to fashion and beauty stores and websites is this. How about offering a voting system that if enough customers add a product to their favourites/staples list then those retailers would consider keeping it as a permanent product. Obviously there would need to be a minimum number of voters. 

A subscription service for those wanting a guaranteed back up of those products could also be offered.

I think it would not only educate retailers in what their customers really want, but also keep them coming back for more instead of looking at similar items elsewhere. 

Retailers would be able to view your favourites list and suggest other items that you might like. Alerting you when those items are on offer.

I know for a fact that I would be one happy customer if I knew my favourite products were always there for me.

I would also like to know which are your favourite and not so favourite posts that I write with reasons why. If you have any suggestions for types of posts that I have not yet written I would consider those too. 

Please let me know your thoughts for future blog posts and also any comments you have on this post in the comments below.

Love to you all

Vicky xx

Favourites: 2013 Skincare & Nail Product

Hi there sweeties and happy Thursday! Today I have the last of my 2013 favourites posts for you. Here are my favourite 2013 skincare products with a nail product included.

I don't have all of the products at the moment so this photo only includes the ones I do. I will however include links to posts where I have previously reviewed and shown the products.

Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm For Lips

I usually prefer twist up tube lip balms as they are easy to use on the go and less messy. This product however was my top 2013 lip saviour. My lips are prone to drying, cracking, peeling, splitting etc. To see my full review check out this link.

RANA Argan Oil

I love using facial oils at night. They really feel like they moisturise and pamper my skin more deeply than most creams, but are too slippery for the day when I apply my make-up. My full review is in this link.

DHC Bio Cellulose Mask

This was the weirdest and funniest mask I have ever used. You can see why in my review here. A great treatment for renewed facial skincare at home.

Poundland Pure Exfoliating Complete Cleansing Wipes

These are so worth the price. Poundland always have these at two packs of 20 wipes for just £1.00. See my full review here.

balance Me. Super Moisturising Hand Cream

A deeply moisturising hand cream with such a therapeutic scent. My full review is in this link.

Crystal Clear Skincare Stay Young Intense Anti-Ageing Serum Moisturiser & Lift Away The Years Wand

This moisturiser combined with the Lift Away The Years magical wand are amazing. If you want more toned, defined and slimmer facial features that lessen the need for make-up contouring check out these products. Available now at Your Beauty M&S. For my Crystal Clear Skincare full reviews check out this post!

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

These two when used together sent me to cleansed heaven. My skin felt so clean as all of the dirt and make-up residue had been completely removed without being harsh on my skin. To see my review of both products check out this link!

99p Store Cussons Shower Creams & Shower Gels

First of all total bargains at 99p for these 500ml bottles. The scents are great, especially the wild fruit burst. I am using that one currently. Check out my review on those here!

Elegant Touch Rapid Dry For Nails

A quick drying spray that you simply mist over your painted nails when you can't be bothered with a top coat or are just in a rush. Perfect when you have applied nail art that you don't want to smudge with a top coat too. See my review here!

In the shower I tend to use exfoliating gloves on my body which I generally pick up in pound shops unless I receive body exfoliating products for Xmas, birthdays or in my GlossyBox.

I have been trying to make myself moisturise my body every day and I haven't done too bad with that. I usually use a spray oil if I really can't be bothered when I am at home as I think they tend to sometimes take longer to sink into the skin and may stain clothes if I am in a rush to get dressed and go out. I have used many body creams and lotions throughout the year though which you can find reviews of on my blog in the tags section.

I hope that this post and all of my other 2013 favourites posts have helped you discover some products that you might enjoy. If you do try them please let me know how they work for you.

Love to you all

Favourites: 2013 Lip Glosses & Lipsticks

Hi my lovelies. I hope you are all super fab today. You are closer to the weekend now so just keep going. For you I have a wee post on my favourite 2013 lip products. So without further ado these were my most used in 2013.

L-R: NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss Dolly Pink, Fearne Glossy Lips (shade unknown), NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss Perfect Red, NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss Nude Pink & NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss Beige.

As you can see I am a massive fan of the NYX Mega Shine Lip Glosses. I have swatches of these shades and many others in this post! I am not sure if all the NYX Mega Shine Lip Glosses smell the same, but these ones certainly smell like cherries which I really like. The colour you see in the tube is the colour you truly get with these. They feel really nice on the lips and have a cute bow on top of the black lids. NYX is a brand which I always think of as a favourite in general. I would totally recommend these to lip gloss lovers. 

Dolly Pink is a very bold barbie pink. 

Perfect Red is exactly that. Bold and sultry for va va voom lips.

Nude Pink is a milky cool toned peach.

Beige is not beige at all. Every time this product is mentioned on blogs and by YouTuber's the same thing is said. It's a very natural lip colour. A subtle rose pink.

The Fearne Cotton lip gloss came in a set which you may be able to find on Ebay or Amazon, but as it was a 2011 Xmas gift that may not be possible sorry. I hate showing products that you may not be able to get hold of, but it was a favourite last year. The shade is not named or numbered, but I described it as a pinky brown in this post where you can find all of my Fearne Cotton lip and nail product swatches.

Left: Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick Apple Blossom

This is a very easy to wear pale peach nude. I think it would suit most complexions as it is so light. You can find swatches of my Natural Collection lipsticks here. These lipsticks are available at Boots. The site seems to be down at the moment so I can't tell you their price, but I think they are around £1.99.

Right: NYX Round Lipstick Fire

You can find a swatch of this shade and many others in this haul post. I picked up this lipstick at IMATS some time ago, but I have purchased many NYX products from cherryculture.com too. I would definitely say if the shipping works out to be worth it for you and you want to find lots of make-up brands at very affordable prices then you should check out this site. There are brands such as Jordana and Milani on their too which we don't really see in the UK. This NYX shade I described as a very punchy red. The NYX Round Lipsticks feel so buttery on the lips.

So these were my most worn lip products of 2013, but believe me I have used many different brands and shades throughout the year. I would also recommend checking out the MUA range at Superdrug for very affordable lipsticks at just £1.00 each. I for one want to check out their new matte lipstick line. Here is a link to some of their lipstick products.

What were your favourite lip products of 2013? Let me know with your reasons in the comments below.

Love to you all

Make-Up Eye Palette 2013 Favourites

Hi once again beauties. Today I am eager to share with you the 2nd part to my eye make-up 2013 favourites which are my most used eye palettes of the past year. I have been trying to make a real effort to use them more often as I sometimes find it easier to pick out my singular shades when I know the colours I want to use. This is because I have too many palettes (yes I said it) and sometimes I forget which shades are in them (shock horror)!

Sleek MakeUP I-Divine Palettes

I have many more than these four from the Sleek MakeUP I-Divine collection, but I found that I used these four palettes the most from the Sleek MakeUp line last year. There is such a great array of soft, light and nude shades here as well as much deeper tones for smokey eye looks. I love the Sleek MakeUP I-Divine palettes so much because they have great pigmentation, well thought out palette colour combinations and are great quality at just £7.99 per palette. That's 12 shades for less than a pound per colour. 

The Nude Collection Au Naturel palette (top left) I previously spoke about, including swatches and a brief description of each shade. I think this palette is great for those who prefer simple eye looks that can be smoked up when the mood strikes. A great everyday palette.

The Oh So Special palette (bottom right) I believed was limited edition at the time of my previous post, but it is still available to purchase now. This palette has some gorgeous pink and peach tones on the left with more smokey shades to its right.

The Bad Girl palette (top right) is definitely not for the faint hearted. When I pick up this palette I know I want dark, smokey impact eyes. It's a well named palette for you vixens out there.

The Limited Edition Paraguaya palette (bottom left) is no longer available on the Sleek MakeUP website, but you may be able to find it on Ebay or Amazon. This palette's collection of colours are real peach and rose tones. This is one of Sleek MakeUP's more lighter palettes with only one real dark shade. Applied carefully these shades can look amazing, but be careful if you do pick up this palette as some of these shades if applied to heavily, especially under the eyes can make you look a little hungover.

Each of these palettes has a mixture of matte and shimmer shades. They all have a really good sized mirror and very slimline packaging that stays shut when needed so great for carrying around if necessary. I just wish that there was some indication on the back of the shades included like colour swatches so that when I scramble through my make-up deciding what to use I can see the shade range at a glance.

Sleek MakeUp Molten Metal In Gold Leaf & Pewter

Oh my god let me just say that if you want bold metallic eyes that are easy to apply then this is a duo not to miss. As you can see I have used the shade on the right more, but OMG once again they are both beautiful gleaming cream shades. I love to use my fingers to apply the right shade to my eyelids and then smoke them up on the outer corners. Instant look at me eyes with sexy smoulder. These do not crease on me either, even without a primer and last all day.

Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette

Now this palette was the first in the Urban Decay Naked line. There was so much hype around blogs at the time about it that you kind of felt like you must have it or you weren't part of the IT crowd. Maybe that sounds a bit OTT, but after oohing and ahhing over it for so long I took the plunge handed over my cash and here we are. I must say that I am so glad I did. These shadows are without doubt an investment. They are so smooth and creamy. I feel like I am treating myself still when I pull this out to decorate my eyes. Although this is a very neutral palette there are lots of glitter and shimmer shades in here and just two matte. I do think there are some great shades to just make your eyes pop using only one of the colours looking like you have made more effort than you actually have. Great for last minute invites! This came with the Urban Decay Primer Potion which was great, but I will still purchase my E.L.F. Eyelid Primer that works better and is a lot cheaper. I have the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Zero & Whiskey too that came with the palette. At the time I remember these palettes were selling out so fast that they had to bring out more, but with an eyeshadow brush instead of the pencils. My only negative towards this palette is the casing which is a velvet texture. Mine is very clean compared to what I have seen on a lot of blogs because I still keep it in the original plastic packaging otherwise make-up and dust would have covered it by now. I would therefore say it's not as travel friendly as the Urban Decay Naked 2 and Naked 3 palettes which have a tin design that should keep a lot more clean. There are 12 shades (including 7 best sellers) in this palette which works out to be just over £3.00 per shade. I really don't think that's bad for such a high quality product. I have been tempted by the Urban Decay Naked 2 & 3 palettes, but at the time I just couldn't justify spending the money on them. Obviously we have just had Xmas and I have 3 birthdays to pay for this month so I can't see me buying them any time soon.

So that's all for my most used eye palettes of 2013. Please let me know your favourites in the comments below along with any requests for make up looks from any of these palettes or swatches that are not linked in this post.

Love to you all   

Make-Up For The Eyes 2013 Favourites

Hi there cherubs. How are you doing today? I am sure bored of this rain now, but hey ho there are worse things than bad weather right? I have the second part of my 2013 make-up favourites for you today. This post is focused on eye make-up.

E.L.F. Eyelid Primer

I have used the E.L.F. sheer eye primer for so long because it works so well as a base for eyeshadow to cling to and last longer on the eyes. It works as good as if not better in my opinion than the Urban Decay Primer Potion. I have linked here an E.L.F. haul including swatches where I purchased both of these E.L.F. primers. The thinner tube is the regular sheer which is a bargain at just £1.50. It also comes in shades of Champagne, Pearl & Golden. The thicker tube shown in this photo and also linked in my E.L.F. haul I purchased at the time as part of a trio including Nude, Pearl & Champagne. My nude tube however says sheer? To me they work the same and I will just continue to buy the sheer thinner tube. To view my comparison post testing out the E.L.F. Eyelid Primer in sheer alongside the Urban Decay Primer Potion please see this link!

DreamWeave Lash Construct Mascara Black

For a full review on this mascara please check out this post! This is the mascara I am currently using. The formula still works fantastically. It lengthens, separates, volumises and adds a very black pigment to my lashes.

E.L.F. Mineral Eye Liner Black

This eyeliner is the first I always go to for a simple kohl liner look. This is a twist up pen that is rounded rather than pointed at the end so unless you are using in the waterline this will give you a smudgy rather than precise liner look. The pigmentation is very black, but the more it is smudged out it gives a slightly less harsh appearance. For a quick no fuss defined eye I recommend this product. I sometimes just add a little on the outer corners of my eyes to make them look more wing shaped. This is also a bargain at £3.00.

Primark Eye Liner Pen Black

In this November Outfit Post you can see my make-up close up where I have used this pen. This is so black and has a great pointed nib for easy of control. A great tool for precision eye liner looks. This was £1.50 so great value for money.

E.L.F. Studio Mascara Primer

This product does make a difference to my mascara. It definitely acts as a base for the mascara to cling to and thickens the lashes before my regular mascara is applied. The formula is white and almost creamy, but covers easily when regular mascara is applied over the top. I will repurchase this when this one runs out. At £3.75 you can't go wrong.

Emite Make Up Eyelash Curler

I received these curlers in my August GlossyBox. I was hesitant to include these in this post because I am not sure that they are that easy to get hold of. They do make such a difference to my lashes though so I have to tell you why. These are really easy to hold and I have never pinched my eyes with them. That being said I am very careful and take my time when using them as I don't fancy ripping any lashes or layers of skin off. I squeeze my lashes in them them a few times at the lash root, then move up half way and do the same and finally the same near the end of the lashes. I coat my lashes with my mascara primer, then regular mascara and I am left with wide open eyes that are long, thick, separated, curled and very black. Perfect!

So that's today's post. I have another post on my favourite eye palettes coming up so keep an eye out for that. Let me know what have been your favourite eye products in 2013 in the comments below.

Love to you all

Make-Up Face Product Favourites For 2013

Hi lovelies and Happy Thursday! Today I am going to do my first ever favourites post. I know it's rare for a blogger not to have favourites posts, but I just tend to review products as I use them. The end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014 however has got me thinking about products that I continue to use frequently. So here is my pick of favourite make-up face products for 2013.

Milani Glimmer Stripes All-Over Colour 05 Honey Glimmer

I picked up this multitasking product at Poundland in the summer. You can find that post here. I use the lightest 2 shades together or separately as a highlighter on my brow bone, cupids bow and tops of my cheeks. The darker shades I swirl together to use as a bronze blush. Swirling all of the palettes shades together gives lovely luminous bronzed glow to the cheeks so no need for a separate bronzer and highlight. I am just careful when using it in this way to make sure not to apply the product far below my cheekbones or too high. I can also create simple or smokey eye looks with this palette. I usually use 1, 2 or 3 of the shades. I think this palette may be discontinued, but I have seen it on Ebay and Amazon. I just wish I had picked up the other shaded palettes from this collection when they had them in Poundland. 

Chit Chat Foundation Oatmeal

This foundation I picked up in the same haul post mentioned above. This has a very light to medium coverage depending on how heavily you apply it. I love to use my fingers with this product. It's not runny or stiff. The formula is a cream texture that is very easy to work with. It has a clean and fresh scent when I sniff the bottle, but I don't feel that I notice any scent when applying it. I have never had any streaking or clinging to dry patches with this product. It actually feels quite moisturising. This shade is oatmeal which matches my pale skin very well. It's quite yellow toned. At the time I noticed another shade which was more pink toned, but I don't actually know the shade name. I would certainly pick this up again as it's so inexpensive and great for everyday wear. This 30ml tube I would say has lasted about 4 months as I have tried other products too.

Illamasqua Powder Blusher Expose

This is a gorgeous warm toned blush that works well both with my pale skin and with fake tan. It is quite pigmented so it's best to add a little at a time and build it up as desired. It gives a very natural, healthy glow. I have worn this shade through all seasons. I would definitely say it's an all skin tone shade. I am not sure if Illamasqua are discontinuing this blusher, but it is showing on the Debenhams website linked above. It has sold out, but hopefully you can pick it up in store. It is more on the expensive side of £18.00, but I will never get bored of using this blush and it is unmistakable in quality by the way it feels and looks on the skin.

E.L.F. Studio High Definition Powder Translucent

In my January 2013 E.L.F. Haul I picked up this product even though I still hadn't finished my previous tub because I love it that much and at 50% off I just couldn't resist. I have very dry skin and for a long time I didn't think that powder on my face was a good idea, but trust me with good skincare and the right products you can wear it. In the above haul link you will see my full review, but for flawless skin this product is magic. The only downside is that the tub does look messy, but as it's translucent it won't leave colour pigment wherever you are applying it so don't worry :) This tub is £6.00, but E.L.F. always have great sales so keep an eye out for those!

I have used a few face primers and concealers too, but I didn't feel that I loved them enough to put them into a yearly favourite. I will however let you know if I find exceptional products of this nature in 2014.

I am writing other favourites posts too including other make-up products and skincare so keep an eye out for those.

If you would like make-up looks using any or all of these products please let me know in the comments below along with any questions about them you may have.

Love to you all