November Favourites

It's November Favourites Time! I can't believe it's already the end of November. Where has this year gone? This month I've been loving a few different beauty products to usual and an album that I just can't stop listening to.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in Ivory
My first monthly favourite is this base from Bourjois. This has particles in the formula that helps conceal and disguise any imperfections on the skin such as redness or signs of fatigue. I really like the coverage this base gives. It covers all my redness whilst leaving my skin feeling and looking natural. It can be built up as well in case your not happy with your inital coverage. My only issue is it can oxidise throughout the day and look darker on my skin than it actually went on as. Definitely a base I'm going to get a lot of wear out of.

MUA Skin Define Hydro Powder
I brought this at the beginning of the month and it has quickly become my favourite powder to use. I love the finish this gives to my skin without looking cakey or over the top. And as you can see by the hole in mine I've been a bit of an animal with this. You can literally pile this on and your skin doesn't look cakey or dry. I especially love this for setting the concealer under my eyes, it makes it last longer and doesn't crease either.

MUA Prime And Conceal Colour Corrector Powder
Yes I know another powder favourite. But there has been a few days when I've wanted to get away without doing a full face of make up and this powder has really come in handy. The four colours represent a colour correcting aspect which when applied to the skin disguises any imperfections whilst still looking natural. It's a silk baked powder which means it's ultra fine on the skin and doesn't leave skin looking cakey if you go wild and pile it on. Definitely something I'd recommend checking out.

Superdrug Purifying Witch Hazel Mud Mask
Next up is my one and only skin care love this month. This is the Superdrug Witch Hazel Mud Mask and it's been a saviour to my skin. A couple of months ago I tried a face oil and instead of helping my skin it turned it into a greasy open pored mess. And until I started using this again, nothing was helping my skin one bit. Yes it looks and smells like savlon and it goes tight on the skin very quickly but the results are astounding. One use and my pores looked visibly smaller and the sheen that was constant around the middle of my face was diminished. Not only does it help the look of my skin, it also clears out any crap lingering around my face and with Salicylic Acid as one of it's main ingredients it helps keep skin blemish free. Definitely a mask I'd recommend trying.

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liners
And for my last beauty favourite this month I couldn't choose just one shade. So here are the five shades of Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liners that I've been loving this month. From left to right the shades are Red Diva, Under My Spell, Eastend Snob, Obesession and You're All Mine. I can't get enough of these lip liners. Creamy to apply, long wearing and non drying on the lips these lip liners can be worn on their own or under a lipstick. The two I've been really obsessed with this month are Under My Spell and Obesession, both are dark purple, burgundy shades that look great this time of the year. If you've seen these in store but haven't picked one up then you definitely should.

Storyteller Carrie Underwood
And for my random favourite this month is an album that I love more than an anything other album I've brought. Storyteller by Carrie Underwood is Underwood's fifth studio album and probably her best album. This album is more country than any album Carrie's done before and I can't say that there isn't a song on there I don't like. My favourite is Choctow County Affair, there's just something about the beat that just makes me smile everytime I hear it. For a slower song I'd recommend The Girl You Think I Am. But I love absolutely everyone of the songs on this album and I haven't been able to stop listening to it. I've even loved this more than Adele's Hello and that is a beautiful song.

So that's it for my monthly favourites, let me know what your monthly favourites were in the comments.

Skincare Haul

Recently I've been buying quite a few skincare products and meaning to haul them but never getting round to it. So today when my New In Basket is overflowing I thought it was time to get everything together and haul it. So let's get going,

The first thing I've been picking up recently is the Masque Bar sheet masks. I've been looking to try these for a while now and just haven't gotten around to trying them. So when I saw them on offer in Boots I bit the bullet and picked up three packs. I picked up the Luminizing Charcoal Mask, the Anti Wrinkle Sheet Mask and the Dark Circle Reducer Patches. So far I've tried the luminizing mask and the dark circle reducers and I'd have to say that whilst I like them, they didn't do anything miraculous to my skin. I'm looking forward to trying the anti-wrinkle sheet mask and also the anti-blemish mud mask when I pick up a pack.

Next I repurchased two of my all time favourite skincare products. They are the Clearly Youthful Retexturising Glycolic Peel Off Mask and the Hydrating Day Serum. The Clearly Youthful Range is one of my favourite ranges on the high street and I've lost count of how many times I purchased products from it. The Hydrating Day Serum is the only serum I'll use as it's light enough to use in the morning as well as in the evening and soon as it's applied, it leaves skin feeling super hydrated and soft. The Glycolic Mask is one of my favourites out there as it completely changes the texture of my skin after every use. I plan on doing a full review of the mask but I have done a mini review over on the full review of this range here.

Soap And Glory have recently released a new scent in both their hand gel and hand food and it smells amazing. If you're a fan of the Sugar Crush Range then these new releases are going to be right up your street. There is nothing different about either of these products except the smell. Hand Food is my favourite hand cream out there as it leaves skin feeling ultra smooth but isn't greasy and doesn't leave skin feeling all slippy. The same goes for the hand gel, it's not one of those formulas that leaves hands feeling sticky for ages afterwards and you can get on with your day quicker than others.

Next up I've picked up a couple of things from Simple and before everyone screams at me, I do not use the face wipes all over my face, I just use them to take my lipstick off at the end of the day. I find no other wipe will remove all traces of my lipstick better than the Simple wipes and if (it's a big if) use these on my face they don't break me out which makes me feel happier about using them. Also I picked another Revitalising Age Resisting Face Wash. This contains Green Tea and is really soothing on my skin when I use it. I like to use this mid week instead of my Olay exfoliating face wash as it's gentler on the skin whilst giving the same results.

I also picked up another shampoo and conditioner. Yes I know it's not technically skincare but it happened to be in my pile as I photographing everything. This is the Garnier Ultimate Blends The Strength Restorer Shampoo and Conditioner. I absolutely love this combo when I wash my hair. It leaves my hair feeling soft and stronger than before. I also like the leave in mask but don't use it as much as I have so many hair masks to get through.

I actually brought this next product on my birthday which was nearly two weeks ago and I still haven't used it as I wanted to photograph it first. I've been wanting to try the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm for so long and when I was looking for gift ideas for my Gift Guides and spotted this, I knew I had to get one. In this stocking filler sized set you get one 15ml cleansing and a free muslin cloth as well. I can't wait to try this out as I've heard so many good things about it.

Another repurchase, another holy grail item. The Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream is my favourite night cream and actually does what it says on the box. A thick bouncy formula this cream doesn't take long to sink into the skin, leaving it feel soft and hydrated. And the next morning skin looks refreshed, dark circles are diminished and skin still feels as hydrated as it does when applied the night before. If you want a full review, you can find one here.

And finally two things I picked up today. The first is not a skincare item but I didn't take a picture of it seperately so I thought I'd put them together. I picked up the B Powder Brush as I've had my eye on it for a while now and it was reduced so I couldn't resist. It's so big and fluffy and I can't wait to use it to set my make up. And secondly I picked up the Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Treatment Pads. These are another thing I've had my eye on for a while and just haven't got round to picking them up. I hope these are as good as they say as I really love how my skin feels after I use products that contain Glycolic Acid.

So that's it for this haul. On Tuesday I'll be hauling all the make up I've brought recently so until then have a nice weekend.

What I Got For My Birthday

So last week was my 23rd birthday and thanks to my lovely friends and family, I was thoroughly spoilt. So I thought I'd share what I got for my birthday with you. Maybe it'll give you some ideas for any upcoming birthdays you have. But before I start telling you about my presents I just want to say that this is not me bragging in any way about what I got. This is me just wanting to show everyone what my family got me as this year I was lucky to recieve some products I've been dying to try and one very sentimental gift.

 Let's start with confectionary. My friend Lee-Ann got me this really cute Lindt Bear. I haven't eaten it yet as it's just too darn cute to eat. My mum also got me a pack of Ferrero Roche which are my favourite chocolates of all time and I've been saving them for a rainy day.

Next from my friend Lee-Ann I got not one but three Butterbear's from Lush. I absolutely love Butterbear/Butterball so she made sure I was stocked up for a while. They smell absolutely delicious and all I can smell when I open up my skincare drawer.

And finally also from Lee-Ann I got this beautiful lipstick I've been lusting over for ages. It's the Too Faced Melted Longwear Lipstick in Melted Berry. I'm in love with this lipstick and can't wait to wear it over and over again.

Out of all my birthday cards, this has to be my favourite. This is from my best friend Jasmin and I'm not sure who's who on the front but we're definitely partners in crime for life.

My first present from Jasmin was another one I'd been lusting over for a while now. It's the Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick in Bad Blood. I'd had my eye on this for ages as it just screamed me. Matte, Red and named after one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs, it's me to a T. Can't wait to break this out.

My next present from Jasmin was a notebook which I don't want to write in because it's just so gorgeous. It's a simple notebook with Okay let's blog some shit written on it. It's brilliant as it describes how I approach blogging to a t and plus Jasmin knows how organised I like to be for the blog.

And my last present from Jasmin is actually my favourite present of all. I haven't mentioned it on the blog before but this August just gone my beautiful cat Percy had to be put down after falling ill. He was fifteen years old and had a good life but it was still heartbreaking to say goodbye. My mum and me were planning on getting a picture done of him to put in the living room but Jasmin beat us to it. It's beautiful and she actually made me cry when I opened it as it meant so much to me. It means that I can see my beautiful boy everyday and we've decided I'm going to put it in the living room so everyone can see him.

From my mum I got the second season of my favourite show ever, Chicago PD. Packed with action, drama and emotion, this is a show I could watch all day everyday. Plus it has one of my ultimate girl crushes in it so it was the perfect present from my mum.

From my nan and my stepdad I got money and New Look so I could go and pick something out for myself. With the money from my nan I think I'm going to pick up another Rosie For Autograph Bra and my New Look Vouchers are going to go towards a new purse. 

Christmas Gift Ideas: Under £50

HO! HO! HO! Welcome back to part three of my Christmas Gift Idea Guide. Today we're leaning towards more luxury products and the more expensive sets out there. So without futher ado, let's get started.

Stila Whole Lot Of Love  £49.00
This is the most expensive product in this guide but one look at it and you can immediately tell why. This Stila palette contains four blushes, a deluxe size huge extreme mascara and twenty eyeshadows. Each shadow is highly pigmented with a wide range of shades and finishes, including matte and pearl finishes. The blushes are suitable for all skin tones and a good size for this kind of palette. If you know someone who loves make up then I highly recommend you checking this palette out, yes it's pricey but one look at the inside and price will no longer matter.

Emma Hardie Moringa Balm Set £38.00
Next up is this gorgeous trio from Emma Hardie. Inside you get three travel sized Moringe Cleansing Balms totaling up to 150ml of product. If you're a long time fan of this brand or want to try it for the first time, this set is perfect. Each jar is small enough to take travelling but is also suitable for testing the product out. I personally would love this set myself as a trial of the brand. Definitely one I'm going to be putting on my list this year.

Ole Henriksen Lift And Glow Set £29.00
Next up is another set that is perfect for someone who is always on the go or is really interested in trying out the brand. This set is the Ole Henriksen Lift and Glow Set where you get two full sized products and three travel sized products. The sets includes the Pure Truth Melting Cleanser (30ml), Truth Serum Collagen Booster (15ml), Sheer Transformation Creme (30ml), Ultimate Lift Eye Creme (7ml) and the Ultimate Lift Eye Gel (7ml). This Christmas Set is £29.00 which is brilliant value for money when one product alone from Ole Henriksen can cost up to and more than £41 a product.


 Rosie For Autograph Nuit Parfum Fragrance Collection £25.00
Up next is a set that I needed in my life as soon as I set my eyes on it. This is the Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Nuit Parfum fragrance set. In this set you get a 30ml bottle of eau de parfum, 100ml of body lotion and 15ml of bath and body oil. This is the second perfume Rosie has released in collaboration with Mark and Spencers. This perfume still has the base rose scent of the first fragrance but with deeper hints of jasmine and musk.

Rosie For Autograph Fragrance Gift Set £25.00
Finally I have the first fragrance from Rosie For Autograph in a gift set. If you're not into the deeper muskier scent of the Nuit perfume but still like rose based scent then this is for you. Inside you get a 30ml eau de parfum, a 100ml body lotion and a mini candle. Both this set and the Nuit set have exclusive body lotions inside and the products inside add up to more than the price of the set. If you're looking for a new perfume or this is an old favourite then I reckon getting your hands on this as I can bet this will sell out quickly.

So that's it for my Christmas Gift Idea Guide today.

Christmas Gift Ideas: Under £20

HO! HO! HO! Welcome back to my second part of my Christmas Gift Ideas Guide Under £20. So without further ado lets get into the guide.

Pixi Mattelustre Lipstick Quartette £18.00
This is probably one of the favourite things I've seen when I've been looking at Christmas sets. Pixi is a fairly new brand to Marks And Spencers and if you're not already a fan of this brand then this set is a good way to get to know it. Four plum toned lipsticks with a rich moisturising demi matte formula, that are the perfect size for travelling. Containing Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C and E this are perfect for people who love both skincare and beauty and want to give Pixi a go.

Ole Hendriksen 3 Little Wonder Gift Set £18.00
Talking of skincare my next pick for this guide is from another brand that whilst popular in the beauty world isn't easy to find. The Ole Hendriksen 3 Little Wonders Gift Set contains three travel sized products and one full sized product. The products in here are the truth serum collagen booster (30ml), sheer transformation creme (30ml), invigorating night gel (30ml) and ART foaming cleanser (100ml). If you know somebody who's into their high end skincare and has wanted to try this brand for a while then this set would be right up their street. Retailing at £18 on Debenhams website, it's actually on offer at the moment for £14.40 and the other Ole Hendriksen sets have money off as well. Definitely some to check out.

Too Faced Long Lasting Nude Lipstick Gift Set £12.00
Now onto another make up set that caught my eye immediately. Not only is this set beyond beautiful and Too Faced have created a set to suit everyone, it's the size of the set that hooked me. Neither the Liquified Long Wear Lipstick or the Love Flush Blush are tiny in size, in fact they're both deluxe size samples with a ridiculously low price tag. Definitely one to pick up for any make up lovers in your life.

Stila Sealed With A Kiss Lipstick Set £18.00
Next up is another lipstick set that I can see selling out very quickly. This is the Stila Sealed With A Kiss Lipstick Set which contains three deluxe liquid lipsticks. It comes with three very different colours and there is something in there to suit everyone. The palest shade looks a lot like Patina which is one of Stila's most popular shades. Defintiely a product I'd get my hands on quickly before it goes. And for £18 it's really a steal.

Rosie For Autograph Mini Fragrance Set £19.50
And finally for this guide I thought I'd show you a set that will probably not recieve as much love as it should this Christmas. This is the Rosie For Autograph Mini Fragrance which contains two minature sized perfumes and a bath and body oil. Now this is a set I'm dying to get my hands on as the Rosie For Autograph fragrance is my all time favourite fragrance. A rose based scent that lasts all day long, this set screams elegance and class and will satisfy even the biggest scent lovers.

And that's it for my second Christmas Gift Idea Guide. On Thursday I'll be posting my next guide and here's a link to my first guide in case you missed it.

Review: Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet

Happy Monday! It's that time of the week where I review a new product for you guys and this week it's the turn of the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet's Autumn Releases. And lets just say now I had high hopes for these.

These are the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet liquid lipsticks. Highly pigmented matte lip colours that are advertised to last all day on the lips, these are a budget alternative to all the liquid lipsticks on the market these days. I've tried some of the original shades they released and loved them so when they released these autumnal shades I knew they were right up my street. I got the shades 14 Plum Plum Girl and 15 Red-volution. Plum Plum Girl was the one I was looking forward to trying the most but unfortunately I was disappointed.

When I tried these lip colours I was hoping for highly pigmented, opaque matte colour. What I got was thin, overly liquidy, non matte colour that transferred from my lips almost as quickly as it had been applied. Red-voultion wasn't as bad a Plum Plum Girl and lasted longer out of the two but it didn't have the same feeling as the earlier shades. Nothing has changed about the formula of the product or the application, they both have doe foot applicators that cover the lips nicely as you apply the product.

However whilst the applicators apply the product nicely, it's the actual formula of the lipstick that lets them down. As I said Plum Plum Girl was the worst of the two shades, one coat was streaky in finish but when a second coat was added, it removed exsisting product in places which left it looking patchier than before.

However Red-volution was better in application. Slightly thicker than Plum Plum Girl, Red-volution was opaque in one coat and even when I did go over it to make sure everything was even there was no streakiness or patchiness anywhere. I also put the better application of Red-volution down to the fact that I lined my lips first before I applied the product, hoping the matte finish of the lip liner would cling on to the lipstick. Lining the whole lip would give a brilliant matte finish to the lip look as a whole as it would definitely help the Bourjois lipstick stick to the lips more.

I am disappointed that these lipsticks didn't work out as well as I was hoping but I have noticed that with the newer shades of these lipsticks. If I were you, I'd go for the earlier shades as there haven't been any problems with them. However if you have the patience to work with them some more than I say check them out.

Available from Boots and Superdrug

Christmas Gift Ideas: Under £10

HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas Everyone! Yes I know I'm early with the well wishes but we have not officially gotten to that time of the year where the shops are filled with tons upon tons of Christmas gifts so I thought I'd put together a few Christmas Gift Ideas posts for you all. Today's I'm starting at the budget friendly end and working my way up as the week goes on. So here's part one of my Christmas Gift Ideas Guide: Under £10

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter Drum £5.00
I thought I'd start with a cute little stocking filler and as alway Soap and Glory have the perfect stocking fillers. This is a 200ml Righteous Butter that you can hang on your tree. This is perfect if somebody wants to try the Righteous Butter for the first time or if they are a massive Soap and Glory fan. This gift is also perfect for teenagers who are working on a budget or if you're doing a Secret Santa.

Soap And Glory Winter Wonderhand £8.00
My next gift is another adorable gift from Soap And Glory. The Winter Wonderhand Hand Cream Collection is a set of three travel sized Hand Food hand creams. In the set you get the Original Pink Scent, the Smoothie Star scent and the newly released Sugar Crush scent. A great gift for someone who's just getting into skincare or even Soap and Glory as a brand but also brilliant for someone who travels a lot and likes to look after themselves. This is one I'll definitely be putting on my Christmas list.

Royal Jelly Jar Stacker £8.50
This next gift idea is perfect for all the mums out there This is the Royal Jelly Jar Stacker set. It consist of three 150ml jars, one containing their body scrub, one containing their hand and nail cream and another containing a light body cream. Now if you're mum is anything like mine she'll go mad for this. This is the original Royal Jelly, not that new stuff they sell in Boots with Honey but the real original deal. It smells like heaven and from experience leaves skin feeling amazing. Any teens reading this who are on a budget yet still want to treat their mum, I suggest checking this out in your local Marks And Spencers.

Nuxe Holiday Cracker £10.00
We're moving onto more luxury products with this next gift idea yet remaining budget friendly. This is the Nuxe Holiday Cracker which contains four travel size products in a festive designed cracker. Inside the cracker you get the Rose Micellar Cleansing Water, Anti-fatigue Moisturising Cream, Hand And Nail Cream and Multi Purpose Dry Oil. I for one would love this cracker as a gift as it's a brilliant way to try out the Nuxe range without spending a lot. Definitely will be putting this on my Christmas list.

Emma Hardie Moringa Balm with Mini Cloth £10.00
And finally this has to be my favourite pick of the guide. This is the Emma Hardie Moringa Balm Bauble. Inside you get a 15g tub of her famous Moringa Cleansing Balm and a mini cloth. Now if you're a fan of Caroline Hirons and have heard her rave about this cleansing balm then you'll also know how expensive this can be. So this tiny trial sized balm is perfect if you want to try the range but don't want to pay the earth. Perfect for anyone who's into their higher end skincare or for people like me that have the expensive taste but not always the funds. I'll be picking myself one of these up before Christmas.

So that's my first Christmas Gift Idea Guide. I hope you all enjoyed it and that this helped inspire you when you're shopping. My Under £20 Gift Idea Guide is going to be live on Tuesday (my birthday) and the Under £50 Gift Idea Guide will be up on Thursday so get yor pens and papers ready to make note.

All pictures come from the respective websites. marksandspencers.com and boots.com

How I Change My Make Up For The Season Winter Edition

So it's come to that time of the year where I put away my BB Creams and lighter finish foundations in favour of something heavier coverage. So today I thought I'd share what I do to my make up going into the winter months.

The first thing I do is change up my foundation. I put away my lighter coverage foundations and opt for something heavier in finish. Two of my favourites are the Loreal Infallible Foundation in Porcelain and the Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Buff. Both are medium to full coverage foundations that can be easily built up without looking cakey. If I was to recommend one it would be the Colorstay as it isn't so hard to work with whereas the Loreal can have days when it just doesn't work with my skin. Of course with both of these you can go in with a concealer to give extra coverage if needed.

The next thing I do is go in with more heavy duty concealers. In the summer when my skin is clearer I steer clear of these two but when the weather turns colder and my skin loses that summer glow I dig them out again. The Rimmel Lasting Finish Concealer is very thick in consistency and can tend to need so warming before being applied to the skin, however it does give a nice coverage and doesn't look cakey on even the driest of skin. And of course I love the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair. This is perfect for when I get any redness on my face as it's pale enough to blend in with my foundation but still heavy enough to conceal what I need it to.

 Another thing I change in the Winter is my powder. During the Summer I go for a slightly heavier finish powder as I don't want to look sweaty but when the weather turns colder I go for something lighter. At the moment I'm loving the MUA Pro-Base Prime and Conceal Powder to set everything into place without looking cakey. It's a finely milled silk finish powder that is made up of four colour correcting shades. Each shade can be used on it's own but I just like to get a big fluffy brush and swirl across the whole thing. As it's so finely milled it doesn't look cakey on the skin even if you happen to put to much on and you still have a slight dewy glow to the skin afterwards.

And of course as Winter draws in I change all my lipsticks around. Out go my hot pinks and nudes and in their place comes the berry tones and standout reds. At the moment I have four that I'm rotating whilst every now and again giving something new a go. And with these colour lipsticks I always go for a matte formula. I find that not only is it long lasting but it look more defined and even classier than gloss. From top to bottom the lipsticks are New Look Pure Colour Liquid Lipstick in Burgundy, MAC Russian Red, Maybelline Creamy Matte in Divine Wine and Rimmel's Kate Moss 107. Apart from Russian Red they all have berry tones which I think work perfectly with fairer skintones. I will be doing my Winter Lip Edit next week so keep an eye out for that.

And for days when I'm not wearing any lipstick I make sure I smother my lips in the Classic Carmex pot. I love how moisturising this is and how long lasting the effect of this is. I always apply a layer of this before bed and when I wake in the morning my lips are still moisturised and ready for the day's lipsticks. It tingles on the lips when applied but to me it's not noticeable anymore but if you don't like that feeling then I suggest trying something different.

So that's how I change my make up for Winter. What do you guys do? Let me know in the comments.