July favourites

Since I had to cut down on my blogging in June and earlier this month I haven't actually done a monthly favourites for a little while although except for the EdT I have a feeling that they would have been pretty much the same in June too. My routines have changed quite a lot over the past few months, partly because of the weather and partly because I'm on the road a lot more than I used to. Because of the sunny weather and since I love to be outdoors as much as possible to catch some rays, my main concern has been to make sure that I've been wearing some great sun lotion, and the product I've used the most is the lovely Hawaiian Tropic Sensitive Face Sun Lotion SPF30 (£12.60). It has just the right consistency for the face; light, silky and sheer without clogging up the pores and since it's for sensitive skin it's also free of oils and fragrance that could potentially cause irritation in the sun. The lotion absorbs quickly into the skin making it feel not only protected from those pesky UVA and UVB, but also moisturised and smooth. The only thing is that I don't think it's water resistant, at least it doesn't feel that way so I would definitely recommend that you re-apply several times a day, especially if you've gone for a cooling dip in the pool.

After a post sun shower to freshen up I've loved to use the Avon Shea Butter and Chocolate Truffle Body Soufflé, First of all it smells absolutely divine of chocolate mousse and even if like me you're not a chocolate lover you might find that you have to really stop yourself from testing it to check if it's as yummy as it smells.... hrmm - did I reveal too much there...? Anyway, this body product has a wonderful whipped, light and creamy texture that feels amazing on the skin, and it absorbs quickly without leaving any sensation of tackiness. What I like most about the soufflé, except for the chocolate scent is that it makes the skin ever so slightly radiant with a rose gold shine, which makes it perfect for summer use to emphasise tanned skin. As far as I know it's not available in the current Avon campaigns, but you can easily find it on eBay (£6.75), and I'll definitely stock up on it when I've finished up this one.

So the skin's looking radiant and bronzed, and since I've been on the go so much these past few months I haven't bothered with foundation or tinted moisturiser - all I've done is sweep my very used MUA Bronzer (£1) in shade 1 over my face for a natural, healthy looking glow. I know I've raved about this ridiculously affordable bronzer before - I need to start testing another brands... but for me it's just brilliant. The product is light and finely milled so it's easy to work with and to build up a stronger bronzed tone if you wish, the shade is sunny and natural without too much orange and it lasts fairly well throughout the day. I would say that you probably do need to buff up the colour after about 5 hrs, but then again considering the price, it's not the end of the world. If you haven't tried any MUA products before, this is the one to get and don't be surprised if you find yourself repurchasing it over and over again - I have, about 4 times...

Sticking with the quick and easy makeup theme, let's have a look at the the products that I have worn every single day without fail in July. I've been on a bad mascara streak, having tested several budget friendly products and not  been impressed with a single one of them, but finally there was a glimmer in the mascara dark with the  Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara (£9.99). It has just the right texture that I like and that usually doesn't come until the mascara is near it's end, i.e. it's liquid enough but a tiny bit sticky, which makes it easy to build up volume and length if you apply several coats. As with every other mascara these days it comes with a special "unique brush with spherical (and straight) bristles to wrap every lash in a 360° motion", I guess that means that the brush is supposed to make sure that you get colour on all sides of your lashes. Even though I'm not too sure about that statement, I do know that the brush is quite wide, firm and great to work with to shape the lashes for a wonderful volumised effect with luscious separated lashes. This was a complete impulse purchase, but I'm so glad that I decided to take a chance on it since it's the best mascara I've tried since I fell in love with L'Oréal's False Lash Flutter Mascara (the butterfly one). Thank you Bourjois for restoring my faith in affordable mascaras!

 

My preferred daily lippy has been Revlon's ColorBurst Matte Balm (£7.99) in Unapologetic which I recently did a review on that you can read here, so I won't go into more details about it except to say that the colour is the most perfect vibrant coral pink, perfect for a one-product look lounging by the pool. As you probably know I tend to wear different perfumes every single day to suit my mood, outfit etc so although I haven't exactly worn this gem every day, it's still a definite favourite this month. Ever since I first stumbled across Thierry Mugler's Alien EdT, I have looked forward to every new edition, and I have never been disappointed, they have all been outstanding! This season's newcomer - Alien Eau Extraordinaire EdT (£68) is no exception. As usual the bottle is very interesting with its beautifully cut angles and pale gold details for a glamorous outer space look and feel. It's a fresh, sparkling, sunny and harmonious fragrance mixing sweet Tunisian neroli, citrusy bergamot, elegant white tiare flower and warm amber. It's a very confident, poised and delightful scent and I always feel happy and pampered wearing it, and for warm sunny days - what could be more fitting than a warm sunny scent? That's the end to almost two month's of favourites... as much as I love them now I have a feeling that they won't be the same in August, but as I always say - it's a girl's prerogative to change her mind!

Unapologetically gorgeous

As much as I love scorching hot summer days, they do prove a challenge from a makeup point of view especially if you're very active, or have a long commute and lately I have literally stripped everything back and my makeup bag has never looked so empty. Not wearing foundation or concealer can seem daunting and bare summer skin can be very unforgiving, but luckily my skin has been well behaved lately and I have a bit of a tan that is quickly highlighted even more with a quick sweep of a bronzer. Apply a fabulous mascara for some long fluttering lashes and the last but most important touch is a punchy, colorful lippy and the past few weeks I've been using one of the amazing Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balms (£7.99). I've mentioned before how much I love this format of lip product and after my first encounter with the beautiful matte effects from Revlon a while back, I've added new colors regularly to my collection.

I love how fuss free and practical the chubbys are with their twist up function, and unlike a lot of lipsticks that have quite a flimsy packaging it's next to impossible to break the stick as it bumps around in the handbag throughout your every day adventures. It has a lovely minty fresh scent that lasts a little while after you've applied it and despite being a matte lip balm the formula is wonderfully creamy, smooth and pleasant to wear thanks to nourishing ingredients like mango, shea and coconut butter, which is perfect for hot summer days when your lips easily get dehydrated and chapped from the sun. With such a buttery consistency you might expect that the stick would melt or break in hot weather, however the balm seems to be very resilient and I haven't noticed any difference to it's consistency even after I'd accidentally left it out in the sun for a few hrs... phew... When you first apply the ColourBurst balm you get a lovely intense and silky but matte effect that fades evenly without those despicable dry patches or contours, however at least on me it doesn't last very long. In cooler temperatures an application lasts a little bit longer than 2 hrs and during these hot summer days it's unfortunately even shorter than that. Even though for me there are lip chubbys from other brands that last much longer, Revlon has the best and most varied range of colors (10 different matte shades) and the color Unapologetic is sheer (or rather matte) perfection! It's a glorious intense sunny coral pink that will make even the palest of skin tones look glowy and radiant - a gorgeous eye catching shade for every occasion, have a look here on my Instagram for a swatch, and I make no excuses for having used it constantly for the past few weeks. 

Manic.Monday: Scentillating nail polishes from Revlon

I don't know why, but when it comes to nail polishes Revlon usually doesn't seem to have a lot that catches my eye - with the exception of Moon Candy, but as soon as I saw the news that they were going to launch a scented range I was literally counting the days to the release date and even signed up to get first dibs on them in Boots. Finally the release day arrived and I quickly bought a few bottles of Revlon's Perfumerie Scented Nail Enamel (£6.49) but with 20 shades to choose between ranging from soft pastels, vibrant shades and darker sophisticated colors it certainly wasn't easy to choose. I have to confess that it's the first time that I've not only let my eyes guide me when I decide on a nail polish shade, but also my nose and after much testing and so much sniffing that I was almost light headed, I decided on Autumn Spice, Wintermint and Fresh Linen. Most of the time a nail polish bottle is just a nail polish bottle, some are more fancy than others but ultimately there's not too much you can say about it, but with the Revlon Perfumerie range I really like how they've made them just a little bit different by having a rounded top, which reminds me of apothecary bottles or old fashioned perfume bottles, it's a very nice attention to detail.

The formula has a nice and easy to work with consistency, and although the brush isn't particularly wide you'll get an even streak free finish with minimum effort, at least with the darker colors although I did have to be a little bit more careful with Fresh Linen, but that's not unusual for lighter shades in general I find. Revlon does recommend that you apply the polish in two coats, and out of the shades that I tried it's really only Autumn Spice that you can get away with wearing only one coat since the pigmentation is that strong, although for maximum impact of both color and scent you definitely need at least two coats with the others. In the photo I've actually used three coat and as you can see the look is lovely and opaque even with the lightest shade, and as the polish is fairly quick drying, I would definitely recommend that you apply more rather than fewer coats. I haven't actually worn these with a top coat, since I wasn't sure what that would do with the scent, but without a top coat and with three coats the colors lasts about 3 days on me before they start to chip, which I think is a pretty average length of wear. The formula contains essential oils that develop throughout the coats and which will come into their own once they have dried, and that scent is quite noticeable for the first day or so and then it gradually fades.

I wouldn't necessarily have bought these three shades if the polish hadn't been scented but I was so intrigued by the whole concept that I wanted to try a little bit of every scent type; Autumn Spice is a sophisticated warm maroon color with a subtle bronze sparkle and with a wonderful and comforting warm cinnamon pumpkin spiced scent. Then we have Wintermint which is a lovely cool pale sea foam green color with light blue glitter which reminds me a lot of Deborah Lippman's Mermaid's Dream. It has an incredible fresh and soft mint scent that smells quite strong, but in a good way. Last but not least we have Fresh Linen which is a nude pale wheat color with a slight pearlescent shimmer and it has a clean, fresh and ever so slightly soapy scent. Out of the shades I tried my favorites is definitely Wintermint, and when I've worn it I feel like a school girl because I can't stop sniffing my nails throughout the day. The Revlon Perfumerie range is a fun concept and I really hope that Revlon plan on introducing more shades and scents, but until then head down to Boots and make use of their 3 for 2 offer, and get yourself some yummy nail polish!

Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm

When it comes to lip products we are certainly spoiled for choice. Not only can we have almost any format we want - lipstick, gloss, balm or stain but now we can also choose between different effects. My favorite format is the humble lip crayon, and it has been ever since my passion was ignited by the Bourjois Lip Crayons and since then I have tested my way through most of the high street options and colors, and most of them are of really good quality. The most recent and talked about addition to the chubby family is the balms from Revlon - available both in a high shine Lacquer effect and a Matte finish, and today we'll look at two gorgeous pink shades of the Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm (£7.99); Elusive and Sultry.

The are so many reasons why I love lip chubbies so much, and I was very curious to see if these Matte Balms would be different from the others that I have tried. First of all the format of the Revlon Balms is identical to most lip crayons, i.e.it's a straight forward, handy twist up chubby and I really like how the different colors of the matte packaging reflects each shade perfectly. The ColourBurst Matte Balm contains Shea, Mango and Coconut Butter that keeps your lips smooth and nourished throughout the day and it also makes the texture of the crayon gorgeously soft, creamy and easy to apply with minimum pressure needed. For some reason I hadn't expected the Matte Balms to have the same lovely moisturising feel as high shine chubbies, but the formula feels so lovely and light to wear.

From top to bottom:

205 Elusive

225 Sultry 

The pigmentation is great, and a quick coat of the balm gives a beautiful, even and non-sticky matte finish. Even though the balm wears quite well and you should be able to have a Starbucks or two without getting strange patches on your lips where the color's worn off, it's not very long lasting and I found that I had to re-apply the color after about 2 hrs and I usually get much longer wear out of other lip crayons. The Matte Balms come in 10 different shades, and since I'm going all out with pastel shades this season, I wanted to try some pink shades. The first one I got is Elusive, a very pretty light rose pink, perfect for a girly soft look or to contrast a heavy smokey eye. The other one is Sultry, a more sophisticated and elegant dusky tea rose pink shade, a classic "grown up" pink.

I've really enjoyed wearing these Matte Balms; I absolutely love the creamy delicate moisturising texture, and although it's not as long lasting as other lip chubbies, the amazing elegant matte finish makes up for that little shortcoming in spades. I know that glossy lips are on trend this season, but I'm so glad that Revlon brought out these Matte Balms and I've already decided which shades to get next - Mischievous and Audacious. This could be the start of a beautiful matte friendship! 

November empties

If I may say so myself I have been SOOO good this month, finishing up quite a lot of products. It's not that I don't like the stuff that I already have and want to get rid of it, it's just that I like to try new things more and I can't try those things until I've finished others.... oh dear - it's tough being a beauty junkie.

The first items I've been good to finish are a Shower gel, Body Lotion and a Body Mist from Bath & Body Works' Secret Wonderland range. I've mentioned before that I really like the shower gels and body lotions because they feel so luxurious and gentle on your skin, and since they contain vitamin E and shea butter they also make the skin very smooth and moisturised. Secret Wonderland is a juicy sweet and fruity scent of different sun kissed berries - strawberries, raspberries and goji berries rounded with subtle gardenia, jasmine, creamy vanilla and lovely warm musk. It's a very whimsical and romantic fragrance that makes you think of late summer. I've really enjoyed wearing it and I will definitely get it again when I get the chance.

I love to use serums as part of my skin care routine and this month I finished up Estée Lauder's Perfectionist serum. It's a silky and intense anti-wrinkle repair serum with a slightly lilac tint, that you can use both during the day or evening. Because of it's firming qualities and since it firms up the skin almost immediately I've mainly used a tiny bit under my moisturiser during the day. It's made my skin look really relaxed and plump, and since I'm all about plumping and nourishing when it comes to skin care this has been wonderful to use, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with tendencies towards dehydrated skin for an extra boost in the morning or in the evening before going out.

I also finished up another product to nourish and restore the skin after the time I spent in the sun this summer - Origins Starting Over. This moisturiser is packed with mimosa which is great at stimulating the creation of collagen and protein in the skin cells to keep the skin toned and protected. It has a lovely light consistency, that makes the skin feel supple nourished and refreshed, and the amazing scent of fresh and zesty citrus fruits makes this cream a pleasure to use. Even though Starting Over builds up the skin, for me personally it doesn't give the amount of hydration my skin craves during the autumn and winter, so despite being so lovely I won't be repurchasing this until next Spring.

A few months ago I bought the Revlon Lash Potion Mascara after having read some good reviews of it and to start with I was quite happy with it. The formula was dry already from the start, but I thought that the large brush with triple-grooves gave a good coverage, the lashes looked noticeably thicker, longer and separated. I also found that the mascara lasted well and didn't cause any smudging, so all my first impressions weren't bad. However even though the brush gave good coverage I found that it was a little stiff to work with, and as time went on and the consistency got really gloopy and clumpy it got very difficult to get an even coverage. I know that the consistency of mascaras change throughout their lifetime, but this changed too much for me. What started as a promising mascara, unfortunately ended as a bit of a disappointment and I wont be getting this particular one again.

As the days are getting darker and I'm getting more and more into cozy evenings in front of the TV-with hot chocolate mood I have really sped up my "consumption" of candles. I go through them at lightening speed, which is why I have three empty ones this month. I'll start with some from my favourite candle makers Lily-Flame. By now I must have bought and used about 15 different candles from Lily-Flame and they've never disappointed me. They have a super range of scents with everything from floral to citrus, from fresh clean and natural to foodie inspired and they burn really well. I've mentioned before that this year I'm doing something I've never done before - I'm changing the scents that I wear and  surround me with, to fit the season. With Halloween coming up I can't think of anything more appropriate than a candle called Spook which has adorable little bats on the tin. It's a mix of fudge and toffee apples, which sounds really yummy but unfortunately this candle didn't work for me at all. The scent of the fudge and the toffee was far too buttery, and it completely overtook any crisp freshness from the apples which would have balanced it out - ultimately, for me the scent is almost sickly sweet. But to end on a positive note, the second candle from Lily-Flame amongst the empties is the wonderful Mellow Figs & Garden Mint. It's a mix of mellow earthy fig and crisp cool mint that creates a very welcoming piquant and fresh scent - gorgeous, and I look forward to getting it again! 

The last product in this months empties is a Yankee Candle in Black Cherry. It's a great mix of the sweet and sour from cherries that makes a lovely rich and delicious scent - it smells exactly like real cherries taste. When I got this candle it smelt so strongly before it had even been lit, that you could get months and months scent out of it even without burning it. If like me you like cherries, this is a must have candle and you won't find anything else like it.

Well, that's that for this month, and by the end of this week I'll have the first two empties for December's batch - I really AM doing well and my reward is that I can finally start using some of the products that I have been saving for months!

Could it be magic? Revlon Lash Potion Mascara

If I was only allowed to have one single beauty product, it would without a nano second of a doubt be a mascara! I am a complete mascara girl - I've lost count of how many brands I've tried, I've tried different colors, effects (volume, length etc) and I am VERY fickle. Even if I do actually like a product, it's unusual for me to repurchase it straight away since there are so many other products to choose from that promise the perfect look, and the only time I've ever actually done that was with L'Oréal's False Lash Telescopic mascara. Don't actually have it anymore - see I told you so, fickle! Even though I have blonde eyelashes, they are pretty long, slightly curved and of good quality which is why I'm always on the hunt for the perfect mascara to emphasize their shape. There are two types of mascaras that will inevitably get my attention: the first one is if they play on the flared look and the other one is if it promises ridiculously long lashes, and when I first heard about Revlon's Lash Potion Grow Luscious Mascara I thought it sounded just like something I should try.

This mascara claims to have almost magical effects through "spellbinding volume and supernatural length" with the help of the formula which is packed with strengthening proteins that will create volume. The whole witches brew theme is of course also played at in the name of the product, and the beautiful prismatic packaging - all very cute!

I bought the Blackest Black shade (not waterproof) and I find that it's quite a dry mascara, but at the same time it's still fluid enough for you to get enough product on the brush in one go for one coat, which will give you great coverage. Another good thing is that it doesn't clump or flake in any way and at least on me, it stays put all through the day without any smudging. 

The brush is very large and bristly and it comes with triple-grooves that comb through the lashes preventing the spider leg effect. It does cover your lashes very well with a few sweeps and it's also nifty enough to reach the shorter eye lashes closest to your nose. For me however, the brush feels a little stiff and I would have preferred it to be more flexible and bendy to better follow the fanned shape of the lashes and to easier build up volume from the root of the lashes.

 

After only one coat, you can't help but notice the volumising effect and the lashes look thick and dreamy. If you add just a thin second coat on the end of the lashes you'll also get that ridiculous length that you can sometimes only get with falsies. 

This is definitely a very good mascara for this price range, that will create a volumised look and give good coverage with minimal effort, although for me the magic isn't all there mainly because of the brush. Have you tried this mascara, and did you think it was out of this world?

The green edition

Out of all the colors in the spectrum green is the one most closely associated with nature - fertility, growth and ultimately life. But green is also supposed to have a calming, relaxing effect and to symbolise balance. I know that autumn is more or less here, but the trees haven't quite shifted to gold and red yet so there's still a memory of green summer left so a great time for me to share some of my favourite green products that help me feeling balanced and harmonious.

We all try to live life a little greener, and one of the best beauty brands founded on 100% natural ingredients and with a strong commitment to the environment is Caudalie. If you have read some of my earlier posts you'll know that I use quite a lot of products from the Caudalie range and also reward myself with the occasional treatment. It was during one such pampering session that I was introduced to the Caudalie's Fleur De Vigne Shower Gel. It's a lovely, gentle and soap free shower gel that cleans well without stripping your skin back or making it feel dry, but what I REALLY like about it is the scent (surprise, surprise) that stays on your skin for quite a long time afterwards. It's an unexpected delicate mix of subtle florals like rose with fresh melon and leafy vines. It's a very green but aquatic scent that helps you to unwind after a tough day - to me it's pure bliss!

I liked the shower gel so much that I went straight to buy the matching fragrance Fleur De Vigne Eaux Fraiches. Of course it has the same mild scent combination as the shower gel, but it also has an extra touch of a very noticeable citrus air from grapefruit and tangerine together with woody cedar. This makes the fragrance very sparkly and exhilarating but also grassy and modern. To sum it up: it has got to be the greenest scent I've ever tried, and if you're looking for a balancing and harmonious scent - you should definitely try this one.

Since I have long hair and work out a lot, I go through bottle loads of shampoos. And because I use so much, I usually don't want to spend too much money on hair products and tend to go for more affordable products, but I will occasionally invest in the odd high end product as a treatment for my hair. This is exactly what I did a good few months ago when my hair felt very dehydrated and damaged and I wanted something to boost my hair, so I invested in the Kérastase Bain Force Architecte Reconstructing Shampoo. This shampoo is supposed to be used daily, but instead I actually limited my hair washes to no more than 3 times/week (thank goodness for Batiste Dry Shampoo) and also only used this shampoo, no other. You only need a little dollop of it to get a really nice lather and it cleans your hair in a very gentle way, with a lovely fruity salon scent that lingers. I know that this has a higher price point, but for me this shampoo really worked - my hair felt stronger and I didn't notice as many brittle strands as I had before. Since you don't need much the bottle actually lasted me well over 2 months, which is probably unheard of for me when it comes to shampoo. You can of course get this in salons all around the country, or why not check out the fabulous Feelunique.com, and get yourself another little something since you're there anyway. 

I've mentioned before that I've mainly been using coral and bronzed eye makeup this summer, but often added a stronger color on my lower waterline for effect, and one of my most used eyeliner shades has been the Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner Emerald Green. It's a beautiful, intense and  smooth emerald green with blue undertones that I've really enjoyed wearing and that's worked well with my blue eyes. The formula is so pleasant to wear and work with since it goes on so easily, it's waterproof and it lasts a long time - so it's been perfect for summer wear. There are other wonderful shades available in this formula as well e.g. plum and black, and I've already decided to get the plum one for the A/W makeup.

Emerald Green

Being a polish-aholic I obviously wanted to include a nice green polish in this post and despite having quite a few nice greens in my collection I knew straight away which one I wanted to show. When the Revlon Moon Candy nail polishes were released I was completely taken in by the idea - you probably all know it: first you use the dark base shade and then you add the lustrous top coat for a great 3D look. I've tried many of them, but the shade I was instantly drawn to was Meteor which for me is perfect for this time of year. It combines the summery, lush, dark forest green with autumn golden and coral speckles and I really love the finish of it.

Meteor

I usually apply 2 coats of both the base and the top coat since I quite like having an even spread of the little opalescent fragments across the nail. On me the finished look lasts 3-4 days before it starts to chip away, which is pretty good. I wish I could say that it's easy to remove this polish, but it is unfortunately a little trickier than normal ones, but to make it a little easier I would recommend using 3 coats of the base color to thicken it up since it won't effect the final finish. This particular product may not be new anymore, but my fascination for different effect top coats and formulas stays on, and although I've already picked up some of the A/W releases, I know I'll continue to sport my Moon Candy look every now and then.

This collection of product definitely makes it easy being green!