Spring Lip Edit

That time of the year has come. It's time to say goodbye to the dark berry toned lipsticks I've worn since September and time to say hello to those lighter more Spring-esque lip colours that you're seeing everywhere at the moment.

My first lipstick of choice is one that hasn't left my lips since I brought it. It's the Rosie For Autograph Lipstick in the shade Lady Rose. It's a stunning mauvey nude shade that doesn't have too much brown in it or too much pink either. If you're of a fairer complexion like me and have shyed away from nudes because they wash you out, go and give this a swatch. This shade actually adds a warmth to the skin that some nudes don't. It is a sheen finish lipstick but I've found that it dries down to almost a semi matte finish that is comfortable on the lips and long wearing. It's very creamy to apply and is opaque in one coat but you can always layer it up if you really want to make your lips a statement. Whilst it does transfer when you eat and drink, you're not left with that odd looking line around your lips and touching it up is simple and easy. Definitely one I'm going to be getting a lot of wear out of this spring.

The next lipstick of choice is an old favourite of mine and surprisngly it's still going strong. It's the Revlon Colorburst Stain in the shade Honey. This is a perfect level if you're just starting off with lipsticks. It's a very light yet wearable pink shade that goes with most looks and adds just a touch of colour if you don't want a bold lip. It comes in a chubby balm like packaging which makes it easy to travel with and for touch ups. It can taking some building up to get the colour pay off you want but as it's a stain once that initial shines gone you are left with a stain of colour on your lips which stays put for quite a while. Plus it smells like mint and is refreshing on the lips when they're not feeling their best.

Onto the third lipstick and technically it's not a lipstick but a lip liner. But as I wear it like I would lipstick I thought it'd be okay to mention. This is the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob. It's another of those mauvey pink shades that doesn't completely wash out the complexion. Creamy texture this applies nicely to the lips and doesn't budge off the lips. However it can be very drying on the lips and can show all the imperfections on your lips. As it's a mechanical pencil it can be harder to apply than the other lipsticks/lip liners and is very easy to break as you apply it.

Number four is another lipstick from Rimmel. It's the Kate Moss Nude Lipstick in 45. When I first saw this lipstick I considered it to have a mauve undertone but comparing it to my Rosie For Autograph lipstick it looks like it has more of a grey undertone. It may just be me but they certainly don't look similar. However it's still a lovely sheen finish lipstick that doesn't go over the top with the colour but still gives a nice finish to a look. It can be slightly drying on the lips but you can easily pop a bit of lip balm over the colour to make sure lips stay hydrated for longer.

The last lipstick of choice is the only matte lipstick to feature in this edit. It's the Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencil in the shade Keep It Classy. This is a slightly brighter pink than the others but is still neutral enough to wear everyday. It comes in a pencil form similar to the NARS Velvet Lip Pencils which makes application quick and easy. Initially there is a sheen to the finish but it does dry down to a matte finish that lasts all day and isn't ridiculously drying on the lips. I love these pencils as they easy to use, small enough to throw in your handbag and quick for touch ups.

So that's it for my Spring Lip Edit. What are your top 5 lipsticks this spring? Do you have any recommendations for me to try out. Let me know in the comments.

March Favourites

Happy Easter Everyone! I hope you all had a good Easter weekend and enjoyed your Easter Eggs. I know I did. And as Easter comes and goes so does the end of March which means one thing and one thing only. It's March Favourites time! This month has a couple of new discoveries and some old favourites I've found a new love for this month.

 My first favourite this month is a product I've been dying to get my hands on since it launched back at the beginning of the year. However it took a while but that wait was well worth the wait. This is the Rosie For Autograph Lipstick in the shade Lady Rose. Now if you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know that I'm a big fan of bold lips but this lipstick alone has managed to make me love and appreciate nude lips. This shade has more of mauve undertone than most nudes so if you struggle to find a nude that suits you, give this a go. My favourite thing about this lipstick is that it doesn't wash out my fair complexion but actually gives my skin some warmth. When it comes to the finish I'd call it a semi matte as when you apply it there is a gloss to it but as you wear it the shine dies down and you're left with a beautiful colour that doesn't budge off the lips and as you can see I've worn this constantly.

My next favourite a skincare product that I'd had my eye for a while but wasn't sure if it was worth adding to my skincare routine. I was very wrong and I can't do my skincare routine without it now. It's the B Refreshed Essence Lotion. Containing Allatonin, Red Algae and Hyaluronic Acid, this essence lotion has perfected my skin and has become an essential product after every cleanse. Don't worry if you're not sure what an essence is, I will be doing a full review of this product very soon. For now though I'll just say that this has helped with the feel and look and of my skin. You can't see it here but I've used quite a bit of it in the last month both in the morning and the evening.

Up next is a product that I'm surprised hasn't already appeared in my favourites before. These are the NipFab Glycolic Fix Night Pads Extreme. These are another essential part of my skincare routine and combined with my essence lotion, my skin has never looked better. These are round cotton discs that are soaked in a combination of glycolic acid, salicylic acid and lactic acid. This combination is aimed to help exfoliate, retexturise and soften skin as a twice weekly treatment. I use these after I've cleansed my face twice a week and love the tingly feeling that it gives my skin afterwards. Immediately skin feels softer and somewhat smoother but it's really the next morning you'll see a difference. Not only will you skin look smoother and softer but make up applies beautifully afterwards. And I know it's a good product as skincare queen Caroline Hirons likes them as well.

My penultimate favourite is a rediscovery for me this month. Now I'm all about hydration especially after I've taken my make up off. Yes I have my essence, toner and a serum but I found my skin was lacking something. So I thought I'd pull out an old favourite and give it a go. And I'm so glad I did. This Garnier Moisture Restore + Night Cream is a gel cream that's jam packed with hydrating ingredients that leave skin feeling softer, smoother and hydrated longer than most creams do. After my serum I've been popping this on, giving my skin a chance to drink this up before I put on my Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream.

The last favourite this month is a haircare product and normally you don't see me talk about haircare products. But this one has seriously changed my hair for the better. This the Garnier Ulitmate Blends, The Sleek Restorer Balm. It's a hair treatment that is supposed to smooth and nourish dry, frizzy hair. Something my hair understands well. As someone who has long thick hair that happens to get frizzy after every wash I've found this a god send. A little bit of this goes a long way, I apply it to the ends of my hair and leave it in longer than the allotted five minutes. Once I've deemed in long enough I wash it out and let my hair air dry for a while before I blow dry it. And when I do blow dry it, I'm blown away. Gone are my frizzy fly away locks and I have smooth sleek looking ends that don't attract every little bit of static it can find. I also like the Honey treatment but the results with that one weren't so bam in your face.

So that's it for my March Favourites. What were your favourite this last month? Let me know in the comments.

Review: Barry M Daylight Curing Nail Paints Spring 16

Just after Barry M released their spring relaases in their Gelly Hi Shine and Speedy Quick Dry Ranges, they released four new shades with in their Daylight Curing range as well. I only picked up two as the other two didn't suit my style. And as I've reviewed the other new releases, I thought it only fair I reviewed these as well.

The two shades I brought are Bug A Blue and Empire State of Mint. One of my favourite things about these polishes are that they are all named after different popular songs. The other two in the range are called Pinking Out Loud and All The Things She Red. As you can see from the bottles, Bug A Blue is a brightish blue shade and Empire State of Mint is a stunning mint shade. They both appealed to me as I'm a big fan of pastel/bright nails from spring onwards, choosing to keep my darker polishes for the colder months.

If you don't know how these polishes work, all you have to do is put two coats of the colour on your nails and then add the special top coat they released. After that the polish is supposed to harden and add shine when it's exposed to daylight. Now I know it sounds very far fetched but it actually does work, especially with colours like these. These polishes come with a flat square ended brush that makes application quicker and the brush covers the nail in one sweep. When the process is explained it does sound quite long winded but because of the brush and the fact that these polishes dry quickly, it takes as long as doing your nails normally would.

You do need two coats of this polish no matter what colour your using but especially with these. As with other pastel shades these are thinner in formula and can go streaky if not applied properly but once the two coats are on, these polishes have a high shine finish and you'll find the colours will attract your attention and other's to your nails.

When it comes to chipping these polishes can last a good three to four days without chipping but if you apply these polishes wrong or you rush it then they can actually peel off before they chip. However patience and attention to detail and they'll give you a stunning manicure that everyone will love.

Have any of you tried these? What did you think of them? Do you like any of the other shades in the range? Let me know in the comments below.

My Top 5 Barry M Polishes: Spring Edition

Now this post was originally going to be called my Spring Nail Edit but when I was looking for the polishes to put in this post I realised that I was only choosing Barry M polishes. And as I only use Barry M polishes I thought I'd change it to my Top 5 Barry M Polishes for Spring. I will probably do this for each season from now on as I very rarely use anything but Barry M on my nails.

My first choice is the latest addition to my collection. It's their Speedy Quick Dry polish in the shade Freestyle. It's a muted pink shade that doesn't look to pale or to bright on the nail. You know you're wearing it but it doesn't stand out like some of the other pink shades. As it's part of the Speedy Quick Dry Range it means it's the quickest to dry out of the four of them. One coat takes only seconds to dry and it makes it perfect for people who like me can get quite impatient waiting for their nails to dry. Plus it has a flat square brush that covers the entire nail in one sweep. Definitely my favourite out of Barry M's Spring Releases this year.

Up next is an older favourite of mine. This is the Gelly Hi Shine polish in Prickly Pear. It's that perfect lavendery purple shade that's not too cool in tone and not too warm either. This is slightly thinner in formula than some of the other shades but two coats of this give the colour a pop and you'll be certain people will compliment you on your nails. The brush isn't the greatest on this polish but it's still something you can work with. Angle it just right and you'll get that same effect you'd get if you were using a flatter brush.

Another Gelly Hi Shine polish I like during Spring is the shade Blueberry. It's a stunning cornflower blue shade that again isn't too cool in tone nor too warm. It makes a nice choice on nails after months of wearing the darker, more winter appropriate colours. As with the shade Prickly Pear it has one of the thinner brushes but I'm sure if you pick a bottle up now then they will have the newer flatter brush. Two coats of this is all you need to get a bright pop of colour, that you're bound to be complimented on.

My next choice is another Gelly finish polish. This one is in the shade Rose Hip, a gorgeous off white shade that has a hint of pink through it. If you're scared of trying white nails or you don't like the look of them, then this polish is perfect for you. If you like the look of Essie's Fiji then this is pretty much an exact dupe except it has more of a white undertone than Fiji. My bottles of the Gelly Hi Shine polishes mainly come with a thinner, more rounded brush but if you pick them up these days I'm sure you will get a flatter square brush. This is a polish that can go wrong if you apply too many coats but if you only do two or three thin coats you should be okay, it's when you do thicker coats you run into problems.

And the last choice for this Top 5 is another newer addition to the collection. This is the shade Cream Soda, Barry M's Spring Release in the Gelly Hi Shine Range. Now this another nod towards the white nail trend that comes and goes every summer. Yet this is a slightly off white, almost cream colour that will work the same as Rose Hip if you're not entirely convinced by white nails. My favourite thing about these Gelly polishes is the finish. You get such a stunning shine to the nail after using these polishes and that shine doesn't disappear the longer you wear it. Now you may think that means you don't need a top coat for these but you still do. The top coat will not only prolong the shine these polishes give but will also lengthen the life of your manicure.

So that's it for my new Spring Nail Edit. What are your go to Spring Polishes? Are any of them the same as mine? Let me know in the comments.

First Impressions: Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor

When I first heard that Revlon were release a liquid lip colour I was excited. But then there were the less than good reviews of it and my hopes were dashed. However I did what I always do with new release products and ignored the reviews. So today I bring to you my first impressions of the new Revlon Ultra HD Lipcolor.

There are seven shades in all and I picked up the shade Addiction, a beautiful berry shade. But apart from the colour, I'm not very impressed with anything else. Upon opening, the wand is quite hard to remove from the tube and when it does so it leaves quite a lot of product on the rim of the tube instead of on the applicator. And that creates the first major problem with this product. As there isn't a lot of product left on the applicator after your struggle to remove it, it doesn't apply nicely to the lips. Instead of being smooth and opaque, it's quite patchy and the applicator drags along the lips.

 As you can see the applicator is a standard doe foot applicator but unlike others doesn't work well with lips. I don't know if it's the material it's made with or if it's just because of the consistency of the product but it doesn't feel nice against the lips and if you go over lips a second or third time it starts to drag and remove the product. And as it applies in only a thin layer it leaves streaks that you'll have a hard time trying to cover. Once you've dipped you're applicator back into the tube I found it does apply more evenly but you have to make sure everything is even with that first initial swipe.

And then you have the finish. It says on the tube and is advertised a matte finish lipcolor but really it is far from it. Once I finally managed to get it to look even on my lips, I found my lips were left with a glossy finish instead of a matte finish. And it didn't even feel like it was going to dry down on the lips. It felt very slippy on the lips and like it wouldn't last very long if you took a drink or ate something. The known dryness of a matte lipstick is missing from this product and isn't like the standard liquid lipsticks that are so popular these days.

Overall my first impressions of this product are very disappointing. I expected a dry matte formula lipstick that gave a pop of colour and all day wear. What I seem to have brought is a glossy finish lipstick that comes in liquid form that at the very best could dry down to a stain. I am going to try it with a lip liner underneath or pop a matte lipstick on beforehand but already I think that these aren't going to help it at all. If what I've described is something you like in a lipstick then definitely try these out but if you're a matte or liquid lipstick lover then these aren't for you.

Have any of you tried these? Did you like them? Or did you find these as disappointing as I did? Let me know in the comments. 

Body Butter Vs Body Lotion

When it comes to keeping my body moisturised, I find myself unable to stay loyal to one brand or formula. And with some many different products on the market I find myself constantly asking what's better Body Butter or Body Lotion? And what is the difference between the two. So today I'd thought I'd compare my body butters against my body lotions and see which ones make a difference and if the difference in formula is noticeable or not.

If like me you get confused between the two, I'm going to explain it for you. Body Butters come in tubs instead of bottles and are thicker in consistency than a lotion. It's the main reason they don't come in tubes or bottles; they're just to thick to pump/squeeze out. And whilst it's no different to a using a lotion the fact that you have to put your fingers inside the pot to get it out can be quite annoying. It's annoying not because we're lazy but because it means we get it all up our nails and once it's there it's ridiculously hard to get rid. You can gurantee that you'll still be scraping it out from under your nails a good couple of hours afterwards.

Now Body Lotions are a lot thinner in consistency and do come in tubes or bottles more often than not. Because they are thinner, a lot of people think they don't give the skin as much moisture as a body butter does. They do, you just need to know when your skin needs a body butter or a lotion. I always use a butter in the autumn/winter months as that's when my skin gets drier and you may notice this as well. A lot of it is the weather but other factors include extra clothing, lack of sunshine and central heating. That's why when it gets to September, I break out the body butters. And then in the spring/summer I move onto to lotions as they are lighter and my skin doesn't need them as much as my skin has improved.

Now when it comes to choosing the right body butter, it's all about your skins needs. If you have dry skin, look for one aimed at dry skin. If you have sensitive skin then a sensitive one is what you need. Or if you're like me and just want skin to be moisturised then you can use most. My two favourites are the Soap and Glory's The Righteous Butter and Superdrug's Own Brand Cherry and Macdamia Butter. I always thought the Righteous Butter was quite thick in consistency but the Superdrug Body Butter is even thicker, almost solid in the tub. They both take quite a while to soak into the skin which is why I only use it when I feel my skin needs it the most. If you don't like the idea of using something like this in the morning then I'd recommend a lotion in the morning and a butter just before you're getting into bed as it gives it a good chance of soaking in and not transferring everything.

And that leads me onto body lotions. As I said during the warmer months I love using the lotions as they are thinner in consistency and don't take forever to sink into the skin. As with butters you can buy ones to help with specific skin needs but as they are thinner these special formulas aren't always necessary. My two favourite lotions are the Garnier Ultimate Blends Honey Treasures Lotion and The Palmer's Coconut Spray Lotion. The Garnier lotion is slightly thicker in consistency to some other lotions I've tried but then it's aimed at dry skin so a thicker formula is sometimes necessary. It smells absolutely divine but does take longer to sink into the skin yet again because it's aimed a drier skin. The Palmer's on the other hand is thin in consistency, sinks in quickly and smells like heaven. Plus it comes in a spray so it's definitely a quicker way to moisturise.

I find the Palmer's is best to use on my arms and the Garnier is better for my legs. I think it's because I'm always rubbing excess facial product on my hands/arms and occasionally excess hand cream. Whereas my legs are always covered whether I'm at work or at home and I think that dries them out quicker. The Garnier being thicker means that my legs get some proper nourishment and I always use this before bed so nothing gets wasted on trousers. The Palmer's being thinner means it sinks in quicker and is perfect for a quick spritz as you're getting ready in the morning.

Overall they're all good products and all do the same thing in the long run but have different consistency's and the occasional extra ingredient. And when it comes to purchasing one it's all about what you're body needs and personal preference.

Have any of you tried any of these? Do you have any recommendations? Let me know in the comments.

Review: MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour

When I heard that MAC were bringing out liquid lipsticks, I knew I'd at least have to go and swatch them. And swatching them turned into me buying one and immediately feeling guilty on spending so much money on a lipstick I wasn't sure I was going to like. Luckily for me though I wasn't disappointed by this liquid lip colour.

Out of the many shades MAC had to offer, I went for the shade Dance With Me which is a deep almost burgundy red shade. This shade will suit a host of skintones but if you have a fair complexion like me then this would make a stunning stand out shade.

The applicator looks like a standard doe foot applicator but unlike others it has a more of a point at the end. It makes it a lot easier to apply as the point gives the edges a straight line and makes lining your lips easy.  It isn't any wider but application is still easy and one swipe of the wand and lips are covered in a layer of opaque colour.

A little bit of this lipcolour goes a long way but I'd advise dipping your wand back in after you've done either you top or bottom lip as it can go streaky when you go to finish the other one. The formula of these though isn't thick or sticky. It glides onto the lips and dries down quickly, by the time I've finished my top lip, my bottom lip is dry. And once they've dried down there is no budging them.

That's where the problems could start. On first application this dries down to a matte finish that you can feel on your lips but doesn't instantly suck up any moisture on your lips. Yes it does dry lips out the longer you wear it but then that happens with pretty much any liquid lip or matte lip colour you wear. However a couple of times I've worn it, it's started to flake off my lips and ball in the corners of my mouth, and once it even transferred from lips to reveal the skin underneath even though it was completely dry. I guess what I'm trying to say is go careful with this lip colour. Yes it's stunning, it looks nice on and it's long wearing but if there's even the slightest thing wrong with your lips then it's all over. Although this is my only problem with this product and I have to say that I'm impressed, usually I manage to find two or three faults I don't like but this time there's only one and it can be worked around.

Overall I like this product. Sure I don't like it as much as I like the Stila Liquid Lipsticks but if you don't have access to Stila then this is a good alternative. It comes in a range of shades and actually does what it says on the tin so you can't go wrong really. At £21 a pop they are pricey but if you're a fan of high end lipsticks then this is definitely up your street.

Have any of you tried these? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.