Top 5: Summer Lipsticks

I thought I would start a new series, listing my favourite 5 of a product. I'm going to start with summer lip colours, because frankly the weather has been so dreary I needed something bright to perk me up!


From L-R
Mac Full Fuchsia (Available at Mac Pro store - £13.50)
17 Lasting Fix Dreamy (Available at Boots – £4.29)
Mac Show Orchid (Available at Mac Pro £13.50)
Mac So Chaud (Available at Mac £13.50)
No7 Brigette (Discontinued)
If you would like to see any of these reviewed/or in FOTD’s, just comment and I’ll try and get it up as soon as possible

Mac Collections: Worth the Hype?

I use Mac make-up on a daily basis, they make a lot of great products, that I can see myself repurchasing and staying faithful to. Their permanant range of make-up is (mostly) up to the right standard for the price.
 The one thing I have never understood is the mass hysteria which follows their L.E Collection launches, with many of them selling out within the day they are released, the elevated website traffic often slowing the checkout system down or grinding it to a halt ( as I believe happened across the pond, with the recent, Bloggers Obsession launch), all this makes me ask are the products really worth it?

A lot of the type the hype surrounding a collection is all surrounding one product, which is either publicised to death or a repromote that is known to sell out, a very good marketing ploy, as lets face it, how many of us leave a store or counter with just the one item we intended to?
This always makes me think, if people are willing to part money to buy a L.E product in bulk, why not just save us all the hassle and make it permanant?
Rant over! Would you go out of your way for that sought after Limited Edition Product? What drives you to part with the cash?

This Weekend I’ve Been…

Shopping- I bought this dress from Dorothy Perkins (£39.50) along with a Black Maxi for £35. I needed some summer dresses for my holiday at the end of the month and I love the colour of this, and the maxi is a great summer staple.

Gigging – I saw Roger Daltrey live at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall on Saturday, he performed The Who’s Tommy from start to finish ( if you haven’t heard it, you NEED to) along with some other Who songs and some solo material. Needless to saw I had a brilliant time.

Eating – My mum’s Strawberry + Rhubarb Flapjack Crumble. As far as desserts go this is pretty high on my list, the flapjack topping made it a bit different to the usual crumble and the sweetness of the strawberries was balanced by the rhubarb’s sourness. Lovely!

Savouring- I visited Hotel Chocolat on Saturday, and picked up a bar of their 70% Orange chocolate. I love dark chocolate and I love orange chocolate even more, so this is my new favourite indulgence.

Products I Wish I Had Never Bought: Clinique Clarifying Lotion

As part of my buying ban, I will be going through my stash and finding products that were definitely not worth parting with cash for. The first products in this is Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion in Type 3: Combination/Oily skin.

Admittedly I was a bit of a skincare noob, when I purchased this and didn’t question anything the white lab-coated SA told me, and walked out of Debenhams, happy in the knowledge that the ‘3 Steps’ would change my oily, acne prone skin, in to radiant, clear and glowing skin. I was so wrong.
This product promises to be a ‘gentle exfoliating lotion’ and the bottle reassures you that ‘the tingle means its working’, it’s not so much a tingle as feeling like you’re face is on fire. This is the single most stripping product I have ever used, although my skin did seem to get used to it. Because of this however, it sent my skin into oil-production overdrive, making my skin oiler than its ever. Not what I was hoping for.
Although it is fragrance free, it smells horrible, like nasty, cheap vodka to be precise, my boyfriend would often ask after I’d used this why my face smelled like alcohol. I do find it hard to believe it contains anything else to be honest.
If you still want to purchase this it can be found here for £24.

My Skincare Routine

Most of the time I double cleanse, as I wear SPF daily and want to make sure it’s not blocking up my pores. My skincare routine starts with the MUJI oil cleanser I mention in my June Favourites post, I use one or two pumps onto dry skin and it dissolves all my make up.
 
After I have rinsed and dried my face I go onto cleanser number two, cult product Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish. I again apply this onto dry skin and remove with a damp muslin cloth (also from Liz Earle) before splashing my face with cold water, to close my pores.

I love Cleanse and Polish, the system works well for me as I find using harsh exfoliants and scrubs make my oily/sensitive skin overproduce oil, breakout and become red and sore . So using a muslin cloth to exfoliate daily works perfectly for me. 
Cleanse and Polish comes in a travel friendly pump bottle (a 200ml squeezy tube is also available), although I do find it frustrating that it is pretty much impossible to know how much product you have left.
I feel using Cleanse and Polish has made a massive improvement to my skin, a vast improvement on the gel cleansers I used to use think harsh chemicals would reduce my acne and skin problems.
 

I then follow this with Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic, an alcohol free toner that I couldn’t live without. It refreshes the skin, smells amazing and can be used for a number of things. I like to carry a spray bottle with some in in my bag to refresh my make-up during the day and it provides a lovely cooling sensation in the warm weather we’re experiencing.

Finally I use Lancome’s Genifique Serum, and if my skin is feeling a bit dehydrated some Clinique Moisture Surge. My favourite eye cream is Clinique All about Eyes Rich, having tried the regular All About Eyes and finding it wasn’t for me, I tried this one and I love it, its so rich you only need a very small amount so a jar lasts me around 6 months.
Liz Earle products are available here. Lancome and Clinique products are available from Debenhams instore and online. 

FOTD: Bronzey Neutrals

I felt like doing something a little different from my usual bright or dark make up today, but still wanted to feel made up enough to go out later, I'm meeting the boyfriend for pizza and cocktails, to celebrate a promotion. Yum!
Face: Estee Lauder Double Wear in Shell, Mac Blot in Medium, Benefit PosieTint, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, No7 Blush in Honey

Eyes: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Mac Shroom, Smut, Brown Down, Wedge and Passionate, Rimmel Flash Eyeliner in Flash Black, No7 Exceptional Definition

Lips: Revlon Matte Lipstick in Nude Attitude

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint, I'm Counting the Days...

When I received an email a few days ago about Liz Earle releasing their three years in the making Sheer Skin Tint, I knew I wanted it. I love Liz Earle's skincare and can't live without Cleanse and Polish or the Instant Boost Skin Tonic.

I'm hoping it will live up to the high expectations I'm sure everyone will have of this product. Liz Earle's skin care has grown to cult status, as it suits most skin types, is in a fairly accessible price bracket and is cruelty free(as well as most of the products being vegan friendly).

On a related note, BB Creams and their European counterparts seem to be a growing in popularity in the UK, with Mac, Estee Lauder, Clinique and Illamasqua all releasing them. And it's no surprise really, with most of them boasting skincare properties, SPF, and good coverage. I'm yet to try one but if anyone had any recommendations of brands or stockists, it would be very much appreciated as I would love to try some out.