Disappointing Product: Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel

I don't often talk about skincare on my blog for the reason that it's so subjective. Everyone's skin is different so something that works for me may not work for someone else therefore I'm always wary of recommending something too highly. However when you hear something praised repeatedly but you don't feel the same it's hard not to have your say. The Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel has received so much hype from bloggers big and small and, needing a replacement cleanser after running out of my Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm, I decided to give it a try. I used it for a really long time and unfortunately I was left really disappointed. It did absolutely nothing for my skin at first but I continued to use it anyway. About a month ago however things started to go badly wrong. My skin felt so tight and dry after using it and no amount of serums, moisturisers or masks seemed to help the situation. I usually have oily skin so when I've got visibly dry, flaky patches on my cheeks you know something in my skincare routine isn't working. My foundation was going on so horribly and it was starting to get me down as when my skin doesn't look good I feel like the rest of my makeup looks bad too. One thing I will say about this product is that it lasts forever. I thought I'd at least use it until it ran out but no. It just keeps going. So you do get a lot in the bottle but it's expensive and in my opinion not worth the money. I've since switched to a £4 cleanser and I'm so much happier with it (blogpost to come). However, like I said, skincare is so subjective so while this is some people's holy grail cleanser it really didn't work so me. Let me know in the comments if you've tried this and what you thought of it :) Lots of love,

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Repurchase: Essie Bordeaux

Essie Bordeaux

 Over the winter months I become dark red nail varnish obsessed, usually going for colours such as Revlon's Vixen and Essie's Wicked. Around December time I picked up Bordeaux by Essie after hearing it raved about by many bloggers and since then this is the only colour I have been sporting on my nails. It's the perfect deep wine colour beating all others to become my favourite burgundy shade. I've used it so much that I'm now struggling to get the brush to reach the product. Consequently I've had to buy a new one, making it the first nail varnish I have ever repurchased. Every time I go to paint my nails I think I should probably use something else but I can never resist this shade. Sadly there's no photo of it on my nails due to my un-photographable man hands but there is one on my instagram. 

Things may change in the warmer months when the brighter colours make an appearance but for now I want this permanently tattooed on my nails. Have you tried this shade? Let me know in the comments :) Lots of love, 

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Zara Basic City Bag

Zara Basic City Bag

It dawned on me recently that I didn't own a decent sized black bag which seemed ridiculous considering the majority of my wardrobe is black. Thus began the quest. Obviously once I had the idea in my head I couldn't find anything that I liked or fitted what I had in mind, even after trawling through the likes of Asos and Topshop. Zara, however, always seem to have gorgeous bags at really reasonable prices. I have had many bags from there in the past so it should have been the first place I looked.

The Basic City Bag (£29.99) is exactly what I was looking for. It is simple but not boring because of the double flap detail and the inverted 'v' at the front. It's not too big but has enough room for all my daily essentials (and more) and the two pockets at the front are really handy (as well as a zip pocket on the inside). It isn't overly laden with gold hardware either which is nice as it makes more of a feature of the small ball on the front. 

I think £29.99 is a really reasonable price for a bag like this because of how often I use it (i.e everyday). I've definitely already got my moneys worth with this one. If you're in the market for a new bag I definitely recommend checking out the Zara website!

Thanks for stopping by and hopefully see you soon!

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How I use Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm

Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm

 A bit of a beauty blogger favourite comes in the form of the Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip balm which I willingly jumped on the band wagon of. It has a very thick consistency and is matte, which is unusual for a lip balm which tend to leave a slight gloss to the lips. I find this product can be used in a few different ways. 

The first way, and the way I hear most people talking about, is using it as an overnight balm because of it's thick, moisturising nature. It sits on the lips for a long time so lasts all night. However this isn't my favourite use for this lip balm. One way I do like to use it is to put a generous layer on whilst I'm putting my makeup on. Then once I'm done with my makeup I use a tissue to wipe the product off my lips. Not only does this get rid of any foundation or concealer that got on your lips during makeup application it also rids the lips of any dryness so applying lipstick is much nicer. My favourite way to use this product however is to dab the lightest layer over the top of matte lipstick. Because the lip balm is matte it doesn't change the look or the formula of the lipstick. It makes matte lipstick much less drying on the lips but doesn't compromise the longevity of the lipstick. I pretty much only wear matte lipstick and using this trick means I can wear it for work and not worry about getting dry lips. 

Let me know in the comments if you have any other ways of using this product :)

Thanks for stopping by! Lots of love, 

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January Favourites

 Charlotte Tilbury Colour Coded Eyeshadow Palette in Dolce Vita

I got this for Christmas and I have used it almost everyday since. I'm slightly concerned by the large dip already forming in the champagne colour as I use this all over the lid even when I'm not using the other colours in the palette.

Daniel Wellington Classic Sheffield Lady Watch

This was also a Christmas present but I didn't receive it until around mid-January. However it was definitely worth the wait as I am obsessed with this watch. It's so simple and elegant and I love the large face. It's the kind of thing I get excited about putting on every morning.

 Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules (30ml Travel Size Refill)

For some reason I have never really been one for perfume. I can never smell it on myself and rarely on other people so I always decided to give it a miss. However recently I've fallen into the trap and bought Molecule 01. I like the whole smelling different on everyone concept and my sister has it and loves it. My favourite thing about this perfume is how long it lasts. I get whiffs of this on myself literally hours after putting it on which is something I've never experienced with perfume before. It's now a step I refuse to miss out before leaving the house.

 Shop Dixi Crux Garnet Ring and Xena Triple Ball Wishbone Ring

When it comes to jewellery, rings are probably my biggest weakness. I was lusting after everything on Shop Dixi for weeks as their rings are unlike any I've seen in any shops or on any other websites. I finally took the plunge with the Crux Garnet ring. I was also buying one for my Mum for her birthday and then added the Xena ring to get free delivery. I think the rings really complement each other when worn next to each other but I also love that I could buy any other ring off the website and know it would look good with the ones I already have. Something to note however is that the garnet in the Crux ring is very dark, and only looks red in certain lights.

Mango Geometric Pendant Necklace

This is one of the only things I bought from the January sales and it's from Mango, a shop I rarely go in but I was pleasantly surprised by their sale. It's a rose gold pendant on a gold chain and I love the simplicity of it but it's still interesting to look at. It's now only £3.99 and is still available on the website. 

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Nude-ist

I know everyone has talked about these including myself but I honestly can't get enough of this particular shade. It's the perfect pink because it's not too bright but makes a feature of the lips. I find it goes with every eye look and I absolutely love the matte formula. 

I could have picked so many favourites this month but I've hopefully kept it to a decent size. I hope you enjoyed seeing my top picks for January!

 Thanks for stopping by, lots of love,

Nars Audacious Lipstick in Olivia

Nars Audacious Lipstick in Olivia

It's a new year but my obsession with Nars continues. My latest addition is a gorgeous Christmas present from my sister (one of those wishlists finally came in handy) and it's one of their Audacious lipsticks in the shade Olivia. It's a stunning dark red shade with no hints of plum so it's exactly what I was after. It has a satin finish so isn't drying but I like to work it in to the lips with a brush to make it more matte meaning it lasts a really long time. The packaging is super sleek, the magnetic lid is absolutely addictive and the 'Nars' embossing makes it feel even more luxury. I wear this for every occasion including going to work and I know it will still look good at the end of a shift. I absolutely love this lipstick and have been wearing it with every eye look under the sun and almost everyday since Christmas. Let me know in the comments if you've tried any of the Audacious lipsticks! 

Thanks for stopping by, lots of love,

2014 Favourites!

Hello and welcome to my 2014 favourites! I'm worried that this is going to be slightly boring as my favourites are so obvious. There's no surprises in here so I'll try to be brief! I'm also going to link relevant blog posts where I go in to more detail about the products. I hope you enjoy my favourites of 2014! :)

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Deauville- Since getting this in August I have used nothing else. Literally. I've mentioned it a million times but it's my absolute holy grail foundation. 

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla- The last half of this year was all about Nars for me and I love the radiant creamy concealer. It's the perfect shade for under my eyes and blends perfectly with the foundation. 

Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow- I have looked through the archives and I bought this in April and I still use it everyday without fail and even though I've hit pan massively I can see it lasting me another few months because you hardly need any to give the illusion of cheek bones. 

Nars Laguna Bronzer- That's right, more Nars. I got this in October and I've already hit major pan which means a repurchase will soon be on the cards (which is worrying considering it is now £27). It's the perfect mixture of warm and cool tones so it can be used for contouring or an all over bronze. Bronzer was never a big deal for me until this came in to my life. 

 Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder- This is a product that is always in my bag no matter what. My oily skin needs a good powder and although it doesn't give me 10 hours of mattified skin like it claims it's better than any other powder I've tried and I will be buying my fourth one of these very soon (why does all makeup run out at the same time??).

NYX Powder Blush in Mauve- Not much to say about this one, I use it in almost all of my FOTDs and this has remained part of my everyday makeup since I got it last Christmas. It goes with every eye look and every lipstick no matter how bold and it's a great natural flush of colour.

Soap & Glory Archery 2-in-1 Brow Filling Pencil & Brush in Hot Chocolate- I think my brows are the best they've ever been at the moment (until I look back at pictures in a few months time and wonder what I was thinking). I love the pencil end because the colour is a really ashy brown so looks really natural. It's also a really skinny pencil so it mimics natural hairs while the brush tames the hairs and also helps to blend out the pencil and make them look even more natural.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner- I don't wear winged liner everyday but when I do this is always the one I go for. I got it in August so it's reaching the end of it's time with me now and I'm really sad because I can't get it in the UK. 

 My Mac Quad: Amber Lights, Sable, Saddle and Satin Taupe- I have so many eyeshadows and eyeshadow palettes that I love but when I had to think of my favourite I realised how often I reach for this little quad. I love Sable and Saddle in particular and I'm so glad I got my money's worth as they aren't cheap.
L'Oreal Color Riche Mono Eyeshadows - These are one of my favourite drugstore discoveries of the year. I did a rave review of them here and I still feel the same way. I don't use them everyday obviously but when I do I absolutely love the look they give and would definitely recommend them to anyone. The amazing shade range also means there is something to suit everyone's tastes.

Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencils- My last makeup favourite is a lipstick. I am a lipstick girl but I found this category the hardest to think of. I use so many different ones and I am not faithful to any one lipstick in particular so I decided to go for another of my favourite drugstore discoveries which was the Maybelline Color Drama Lipsticks. They are super long lasting without being drying and the colours are gorgeous. I reviewed the shade Berry Much here. Honorable mentions go to Mac Rebel and Twig which I've been loving for the last few months of 2014. 

Boots Build Up Removal Shampoo- This is my favourite shampoo of 2014. I wash my hair everyday and like to use volumising products at the roots so a shampoo like this is essential for getting rid of impurities from my hair. It's super cheap but it feels like I've used something much more expensive. 

Gum Hair Oil- I think my hair prefers cheaper products because this is about £2.99 from Home Bargains and it is the only treatment I can rely on to sort out whatever hair issue I'm having. If I could recommend one hair product it would be this.

 Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly- Quelle Surprise! I'm just going to leave this review here  so I don't have to bore you with more about this product. 

WOW that was long! Thanks for stopping by and let me know your 2014 favourites in the comments. Happy New Year!

Lots of love,