My Top 5 February Favourites!

1.  Becca Backlight Priming Filter

I always moisturise and prime my skin before applying my foundation and I’ve been using this primer religiously for the past month as I feel like it makes my skin really glow, it is said to ‘be makeup primer to help blur imperfections and impart a radiant glow.’ It definitely does do that! It creates the most gorgeous luminous glow. I have tried this under various liquid foundations and powder foundations and it has worked well with medium and full coverage foundations on my normal-to-dry skin. Even with medium-to-full coverage, the added pearlescent glow of the primer comes through slightly. You could even just apply to bare skin for an all over dewy finish or just use it under your base of choice. Price wise it retails at £32 but it is definitely worth it.

2. Garnier Micellar Water

I was a bit dubious about this product before I tried it, I don’t know why because its brilliant stuff.  I use this every morning on a cotton pad to get rid of grime and dirt from around my eyes and face. It makes my face feel refreshed and gives me a clean base ready for applying moisturiser, primer and make up for the day. I also use this last thing at night after I’ve removed my make up (with my Eve Lom facial cleanser which I blogged about last month) just to get those last tough bits of mascara off from under my eyes. It smells so nice and comes in different combinations, which I can’t wait to try. I wouldn’t recommend this to take off all your make up as when I tried it took me about 5 cotton pads and it still didn’t fully remove it, but its great for removing dirt and grime and small amounts of make up! You can pick this up fairly cheap, I bought this from Superdrug for £3 on offer, bargain! Will definitely be purchasing this again, think I will try the oil infused micellar water next!

3. Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream

I had been on the hunt for a good moisturiser for ages, I kept finding some too thick, too greasy and took ages to soak in, but I had read amazing reviews about this so I bought the 50ml pot to try and see if I liked it, however I now wish I bought the 125ml pot, I’m definitely converted to this, my skin has been so much better since using this. I often get dry skin so this works well for me, the moisturiser is really lightweight and is thin in consistency, which makes it easy to absorb into the skin. I have even converted my boyfriend into using this and his skin is so much better too! It makes my skin feel so soft and plump. It also acts as a great base for under makeup.  I paid £24.50 for the 50ml pot but I recommend buying the 125ml pot as you get more for your money, this is a must in my skincare routine and I will definitely be purchasing this again.

4. Shu Uemura Art of Hair Silk Bloom Shampoo & Conditioner

I have been using this shampoo and conditioner since September last year, but I’ve not yet blogged about it so I thought I would add it to my February fave's because it is a favourite after all. But since using this my hair has grown loads and has been in great condition, it leaves my hair feeling silky smooth and I don’t need to wash my hair half as much as I did. I bleached my hair years ago and it absolutely ruined my hair, so now I’m always really cautious about what I use on my hair and take good care in what I use. This has definitely helped bringing my hair into a healthy state and I’m now converted, the shampoo lasts me 3 months and the conditioner lasts me 5-6 months so its well worth the money, I purchased this from Look Fantastic at £45 for both and will definitely be buying again.

5. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat

This is one of my make up holy grails! This is a must in my make up bag, I currently have the shade ‘iconic nude’ which goes with any pink or nude shades of lipstick. The rich velvety pencil glides on so smoothly, is really pigmented and has a waterproof formula so it doesn’t smudge and it lasts all day, which I love. It gives my lips great shape for the perfect pout and I’m yet to come across another lip pencil as good as this! Its my birthday next month so can’t wait to buy more colours. These pencils are £16 but they are really high quality and last ages so

Have you tried any of these? What do you think and what are your favourites?

If you use Look Fantastic use my friend referral code (AMY-R16S) for £5 off any orders over £25. Exclusions apply.

My Top 5 January Favourites!

I am always on the look out for new beauty products! So I wanted to share with you my top 5 favourites from this month! Obviously I know everyone is different and what works for me may not work for you but I like to find what the best ones are, not just for myself, but so I can share them with all of you. So in no particular order…

1. Eve Lom Facial Cleanser

I have just recently written a blog post on this, as I loved it so much! But this is just incredible and an excellent alternative to face wipes leaving your skin super soft! Check out my last blog post to read more :) 

http://bit.ly/2js55E5

2. Too Faced 'Better Than Sex' Mascara

I have been looking for a good mascara for a while now and this was highly rated in the YouTube and blogging world so I thought I'd give it a try and see what it was like. After eventually getting hold it… (it always seemed to be out of stock!) I really like it! No wonder it sells out quickly! It doesn't smudge as the day goes on and is really black and applies nicely not making my lashes look like spiders legs, it gives my lashes more volume and length! I can highly recommend this and I will definitely be purchasing it again if I can get hold of it! 

http://bit.ly/2kdSkKm

3. The Balm Cosmetics - Mary Lou Manizer Luminizer

This seemed to be a favourite amongst other beauty bloggers and YouTuber's so I wanted to see what the hype was all about! I now know why it was so hyped, it is just amazing, if you are looking for a highlighter then look no further! This is so pigmented and glides on the skin beautifully.  I use my Laura Mercier fan brush to beam up my cheek bones, Cupid's bow, brow bones, tip of my nose and the inner corners of my eyes. Definitely holds a secure place in my make up bag!

http://bit.ly/1gZlqVE

4. Marc Jacobs Re(Marc)able Foundation 

I always find it really difficult to find myself a good coverage foundation with having a birthmark on the left side of my face, but I heard that this foundation was really good for full coverage. It is hard to get hold of as they are only in certain stores so I had to buy it online, but I found a website which you type in what shade foundation you are in other brands and it matches you with the right one! Which was a perfect find as I had no idea what shade to get and with it being £37 a bottle I wanted it to be right. The website was https://findation.com/. They matched me up with ‘Ivory Medium’, which was spot-on and went well with my skin tone! This foundation is worth every single penny, it is probably the best full coverage liquid foundation I’ve got now, it goes on really nicely and doesn’t look cakey on my skin! I managed to get it online from John Lewis but they sell it in Harrods too. I will write another blog post about this soon and probably do a YouTube tutorial as its that good it deserves more attention! So keep a look out.

http://bit.ly/2dkmjRe

5. Zoeva Rose Gold Eye Set Volume 2

This year I said to myself I wanted to get better at doing my eye make up. So with that I decided to get myself a set of Zoeva brushes after Christmas. A make up artist said to me a few months ago to apply good eye make up you need a set of decent brushes to help, these brushes definitely proved that. I loved the fact that these were rose gold and looked very pretty too, There are 12 brushes to buff in under-eye concealer; shade and shape the lids; smudge your eyeliner; and blend colour into the smallest creases of the eye – as well as being able to create a gorgeous cat’s eye flick, and take your brows to the next level. I bought these from Cult Beauty and they are very helpful as it lets you know on the product information which brush does what. If you want to invest in a good set of brushes I would highly recommend these!

http://bit.ly/2kdPbtW

What were your January favourites? Leave me a comment and let me know J

Eve Lom Facial Cleanser = A M A Z I N G !

Wow. Just. Wow.

I don't even know where to start with this product it is that good!

I had never really heard of Eve Lom before but I have been trying to find a facial cleanser for a while now to use instead of face wipes, as they are so bad for your skin!

I was looking on Look Fantastic and this was highly rated so I did a bit of research and read up about it before purchasing it, I read that models use it to remove their make up and also acclaimed by vogue as 'probably the best cleanser in the world' so I thought I would give it a go!

I bought the 200ml tub as you got more for your money. It was quite pricey but after reading such amazing reviews I was hoping it would be worth the money. The cleanser comes in pretty packaging with 2 muslin cloths inside. It is formulated with aromatic plant oils to decongest and gently exfoliate the skin.

So here’s how I used it…

♥ Firstly I submerged the muslin cloth in hot water.

♥ Then I massaged a small amount of the cleanser onto my dry face and neck

♥ I then squeezed out the excess water and placed the cloth over my face for 5 seconds - this apparently helps to open the pores allowing the aromatic oils to penetrate the skin better.

♥ Then I used the cloth to wipe away my entire make up from the day.

My face instantly felt smoother, and my complexion radiant and glowing, even the next morning it was just as smooth!

It literally melts away make up and grime as it exfoliates and revitalises. It even melts away foundation and waterproof mascara so easily. The gentle 100% cotton muslin cloth encourages skin cells to regenerate quickly; ensuring skin is flawlessly prepped to benefit from your moisturisers, serums or masks.

Even though this product was pricey retailing at £85 (I managed to get 20% off as Look fantastic usually have a promo code so it actually cost me £66) I would say it was worth the money as it’s (hand on heart) the best cleanser I’ve ever used, I’m so glad I’ve found an amazing alternative to those not so great face wipes!

As far as I know you can buy this product from Look Fantastic, Cult Beauty & Space NK, but have a look about and see what offers are about before purchasing it.

I will definitely buy this product again and I’m looking forward to trying out more Eve Lom creations in the future!

I've Been Spruced!...

Spruce Moose is a new salon in Harrogate, which is the UK’s first unisex membership beauty salon to be opened; there will also be more Spruce Moose salons to be opened across the UK in 2017. They offer a huge selection of brow, nail, waxing, tanning and massage services all available with or without appointments. The monthly membership is £9.99 a month and that gets you 40% off all treatments, they also offer an express range so you can be in and out within 30 minutes, so if your always having beauty treatments this will work out well for you because it will cost you a lot less than high-street prices. You don’t have to be a member either you can just turn up or book yourself in at any time but you will pay full price. So the key is to become a member to pop in at anytime and receive discounted treatments whenever you like.

So with the busy run up to Christmas I decided to treat myself to a bit of pamper time ready for the festive period. My first impressions of the salon… Fabulous! Everyone was really friendly and helpful and the salon itself is beautiful, clean and really well laid out. My appointment was on a Friday, which meant it was ‘Fizz Friday’ so being offered a free glass of prosecco with my treatment was a lovely surprise! I opted for an ‘Express Facial’ and a ‘Gel Manicure’

I always get really nervous about having a facial, as having a birthmark on my face can make me feel self conscious especially if the beauty therapist has never seen a birthmark before or seems really cautious when touching my face. I didn’t feel the slightest bit uncomfortable and my therapist Claire was really professional and made me feel at ease, she did a skin consultation at the start and was really thorough. The facial itself was so relaxing and my skin felt amazing afterwards, Claire was really knowledgeable when I asked questions about my skin and gave me some great skincare advice.

I’m a dental nurse so I can’t always get my nails done unless I’m off work for a bit to make it worthwhile, but as it was Christmas and New Year coming up it was a must! Katie was the therapist who did my gel manicure and she was brilliant, she had great attention to detail and I felt as though she was doing a really thorough job and I loved my nails once they were done they were pink with glitter sprinkled on the tips. So girly!

I will definitely be back again for more treatments, I can highly recommend Claire and Katie for beauty treatments they were both amazing and a total asset to spruce moose.

Check them out at www.sprucemoose.com        

The Gorgeous Spectrum Collections 4 Piece Contour Face Set

Oh em geeeee! These make up brushes by Spectrum Collections have got to be the most beautiful brushes ever created! They are so soft and lovely to use. They come in all sorts of different colours and sets. They are also made from the highest quality synthetic hair which makes them Vegan and Cruelty free! 

I got the 4 piece contour face set which includes:

B01 - Flat Top Buffer

B02 - Domed Buffer

C03 - Tulip Powder

C04 - Angled Powder

The B01 Flat Top Buffer brush is the best way to start, you can use it to get an even, all-over coverage with cream, liquid or powder foundation. 

Then use the B02 Domed Buffer brush to give an airbrushed finish by lightly buffing the products into the skin for a lovely finish.

The C04 Angled Powder brush can be used to create angles and add depth to cheekbones and the jawline with a darker tone or bronzer for a subtle contour. 

For the finishing touches use the C03 Tulip Powder to set your base with a translucent powder if needed.

I found the all the brushes helped apply my make up evenly and smoothly.

This set retails at £29.99 but if you sign up on their website you get 10% off your first order. www.spectrumcollections.com

I will definitely be purchasing another set soon, I have got my eye on the bomb shell pearly queen set! So gorgeous!

How do you cover your birthmark?

I get lots of people asking me how I cover my birthmark and what I use, so I wrote this step by step routine, so I hope you find this helpful! 

The best base for makeup is healthy skin, so making sure you have a good skincare routine is always helpful. I always start with priming my face, any primer or mosturiser is good, I use 'Bobby Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base' it is quite expensive at £40 but you only need a pea sized amount so it lasts you ages. (I bought mine in October 2015 and I still have plenty left!)

Next I use Veil Cover Cream in shade biscuit, which is a camouflage cream used to cover my birthmark, I use a triangle sponge to apply that as i find that works best and gets into the nooks and crannies! Then I use the Veil Cover Cream Dusk Finishing Powder and apply this with the same sponge to set the powder. 

Once that is set I use the Youngblood Mineral Foundation in shade warm beige with the Youngblood Ultimate Foundation Brush and blend that in all over my face and over my birthmark. This gives me an even look and matches with the rest of my face.

I then add a bit of bronzer to my cheeks and anywhere the sun catches. At the minute I'm using the Laura Geller Baked Bronze-n-Brighten which I use with a big Youngblood kabuki brush then I use my Bobby brown shimmer brick to highlight my cheek bones.

This is just how I do the base of my face on a day-to-day basis! 

Once I have done my base I then move onto my eyes and lips. 

Please send me a message if you there is anything else you would like to know.

I have just set up a YouTube channel so I will have some makeup tutorials coming soon! :) please subscribe...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgidDUYWJZLbhIbh_5yE0SQ