Cleansing Line Up

Who'd thought as a former Liz Earle addict I'd let anything touch my skin, I'm still fond of Clean and Polish and have a bottle at my boyfriends house but I've found a couple of things which just go that extra mile. 

First up is Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm, loved by bloggers and editors everywhere. Once I gave into the hype I could see why it's so popular. It melts away even the heaviest eye makeup and I find it super relaxing as I massage it into my face for a few minutes, that being said I only use this at night but my mum loves to use this in the morning so each to their own I guess.

Next is the Decleor Aroma Cleanse cleansing milk, it's lovely with the Clarisonic which I've fallen back in love with. I never really fell out with it, just left it a bit neglected. I use this in the mornings and some nights if my makeup isn't too heavy. It's as the name suggests a creamy milky texture, very light on the skin and cleanses wonderfully, my skin has become less congested around the forehead since using this.
My mum introduced this to me, well she left it in the bathroom and my curiosity got the better of me. It was love at first use so when I saw it in the sale on Feel Unique I had to pick up another bottle. I definitely recommend this if you're looking for a lighter cleanser.

Bronzed Babe

Firstly I'd like to thank Leighton Denny for naming the current shade on my nails, stuck for a name for this post I glanced down and decided to name it after one of my favourite nail varnishes.

I'm a pale girl, vampire pale, most of the time I'm cool with that but sometimes I just need a boost to stop the sun glare off my legs. An old favourite is Dove Summer Glow Gradual Tan, which I build up over a few days making sure to exfloliate as I go along, it's the easy route to glowing skin and if you mess up a bit no-one will really notice.

A newbie to the line up is Rodial Brazilian Tan in Clear which I got free with Elle magazine a few months ago, I'm not sure I'd buy the full price although it is currently in the Space NK sale so maybe, just maybe I'll pick it up. 

My all time favourite self tanner is the Make Believe Little White Lie tanner, it smells bad but the colour is just perfect for me and I'm yet to have a streak when applying it. As I may have said, a hundred times, I'm super pale so it's pretty easy to notice I've fake tanned but this just stops my limbs reflecting the sun and blinding poor passers by. 

For a fast fix I head to St Tropez Instant Glow Lotion, it's scarily dark and you have to work fast but when it works out, the fast application and temporary orange hands are worth it. Although if you aren't a vampire like me I'm not sure of the colour pay-off. 

I've not yet found a tanner I like on my face, so atm I'm simply using Bourjois Bronzing Primer, which I use across my cheekbones, forehead and down my neck applied with a stippling brush.

Planning Ahead

I know, I know it's still Summer and it's currently around 24 degrees outside but I've been looking at AW collections at work a lot over the past weeks, so it's made me wonder about makeup during these colder months. 

Next season I plan on going all out on the jewel tones, I picked up this Sleek Ultra Matts palette a couple of weeks ago for only £3.50 as one of the pans was broken. I find coloured eyeshadow a lot easier to wear during the winter months, probably due to the somewhat moody colours my wardrobe dishes out. I can also see the Smashbox trio in Auto Expose playing a large part in my autumn routine as the cranberry tones are ideal for warming up the face, cranberry shades are also great for Christmas. Winter months also calls for lashings of liner smudged out, my current offering is the Liz Earle Eye Pencil in Black. 

Every autumn I fall back in love with Quite the Thing! by MAC, it's the perfect berry shade for AW and I find myself reaching for it on a daily basis. It can be worn blotted out and muted for daytime for that 'just bitten' look or straight out of the bullet for an intense berry lip. 

Also for the lips I've dragged out my Topshop Lip Glaze I bought on a whim last year as it was a quid but I never really used it but I'm gonna give it another go this year as I love the formula. 

Have any of you been planning ahead to the next season?

Summer Hair Routine

Although I tend to find myself pulling my hair into a bun 95% of the time during the summer, damn pollen getting stuck in my hair, occasionally I find myself risking watery eyes and a runny nose all in the name of looking good. 

Like most people I love a good beach wave during the summer months, I have very fine hair which can look a bit flat so anything to oomph up the volume grabs my attention. At the moment I'm combining Bumble and Bumble Prep Spray with their Thickening Spray and giving it a quick blast with a hairdryer at the roots. I then spray the lengths with Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, a new salt spray addition to my collection and by far the best. 

If starting on day old hair I spray some dry shampoo into my roots, current go to is Klorane Dry Shampoo which gives a great boost of volume as well as making it appear clean. This one is also great for a quick spritz in my fringe on sweaty days if I need a quick freshen up.

Another hair must-have at the moment is the Ojon Dry Recovery Mist, it gives a quick injection of moisture and helps to de-tangle hair, especially good after I've curled my hair and it's looking a bit crazy come morning. 

The Big Smoke

Who doesn't love a good grungey smokey eye? I for one love to channel my inner MKA Olsen on a regular basis and I think I may have finally found my holy grail products to achieve the perfect Olsen twin smokey eye.

My most recent addition to the line-up are the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in the shades Permanent Taupe and On and On Bronze, just a swipe across the eyelid and a gentle smudge on the lower lashline and you're good to go.

Older favourites include Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl Kajal in Taupe which I draw along my lashline top and bottom then smudge out with a pencil brush, it's probably the shortest wearing but it's a good daytime option. Another offering from Rimmel is the Scandal Eyes Crayons in Bulletproof Beige and Bad Girl Bronze, I tend to use both of these together, with the beige all over the lid and the bronze smudged into the outer with a fluffy brush but I find the bronze too red toned to use on the lower lashline.

As for powder products, I only look to these when I have a bit more time as I can get carried away with getting the perfectly blended shadow. Smashbox Photo Op Trio in Auto Expose is my current go to, largely due to the stunning dark taupe shade used all over the lid and gently smoked along my lower lid. In order to add more depth to this look I add the cranberry in the outer corners and lightly blend it across the lid.

No matter which option I lean towards when getting ready I always finish the look off with a couple of coats of Benefit's They're Real mascara.

Well Oil Be Damned

I've recently been introduced to Decleor Aromessence Excellence body oil which leaves my skin feeling the best it has in a while, I have pretty dehydrated skin on my arms and legs so I welcome anything helps to get rid of my crocodile skin. I've been a long term lover of their Aromessence Neroli, I use three drops of this across my face and neck as part of my night time routine, so whilst it's a tad pricey it does last a long time. Both leave my skin completely silky soft without a touch of oilyness.

Another favourite for my face is Balance Me Radiance Face Oil, it's probably the most affordable one here coming in at around £15 for 10ml of product, which as it's an oil lasts a pretty long time. I roll a bit onto my fingers then warm it up between my fingertips and pat into my skin.

Lastly hair oils, probably the least scary and most popular of the oils. I've never used Moroccan oil but I've always found Ojon oils to be the best, I've just started the use the Rare Blend Oil but it's working really well so far, I have terribly dry hair at the ends . I alternate between this and a mini bottle of Milk Shake Argan Oil, which smells amazing (Am I the only one who hates the smell of most hair oils?)

Sale Bits

Sales are my weakness, all the things I've loved over the past season suddenly seem so much more appealing with a discount. 

So far this year I've largely stuck to things I have wanted over the past couple of months, the scarf and earrings were impulse buys but the rest have been on my list a little while so that's totally okay right?

My first stop for sale shopping this season was Whistles, where I picked up a much lusted after leather makeup bag, mine is black on the front and a gorgeous lilac on the back. I also picked up this twisted leather cuff and a basic lilac t-shirt. I spent way too much but hopefully these things will be on rotate for quite a while. 

I then dragged my boyfriend into Zara where I finally got my hands on this printed bodycon skirt, I've been after it for a while and when I finally tracked in down in was the sale-perfect. I also grabbed this strange but cute t-shirt with a bat printed on it and the word 'meow', who knows why but I think it's cute and sure to get people talking about your outfit. These nude and bright blue ballet flats also grabbed my eye, not a huge discount but I've seen these styles in many shops for much more so as it was the last pair in my size they came home with me. 

A quick nip into Topshop and I ended up walking out with the green scarf which is really lightweight but still a fighter against the harsh breeze, I imagine I'll be able to work it into my wardrobe during the winter months too. I also picked up this blush stick which is a pretty similar colour to my long lost (but now found in my boyfriend's room) cream blush in Neon Rose so it's gone into the back of my makeup stash to hold out for a little while. These muted neon earrings also grabbed my attention, I like to stock up on Topshop jewellery in the sale as sometimes I feel it's a tad overpriced but still so on trend, these are huge on my little ears but I'll make it work.

Has anyone else picked up any great bargains in the sales this season? 

Nail Must Haves

 I've pretty much bitten my nails my whole but at the beginning of this year I decided I'd had enough of my nails looking horrible and began painting them regularly, treating them nicely and stopped nibbling them. They still need some work as they break pretty easily but this lot is helping them on their way.

My first must have is the Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File, I love this because it shapes my nails gently and quickly. It's pricey but it lasts for ages, I've had mine for about 4 years and there is still no sign of wear. 

The Nails Inc Nail and Cuticle oil pen was a gift from my mum as she used it to strengthen her nails a while back and it quickly settled into my night routine so it has about 8 hours to sink in and do it's magic. Another cuticle product I love is Ciate's Beautiful Cuticles

L'Occitane hand creams are my favourite, although I am dipping into the Soap and Glory Hand Food territory but nothing will come close to the softness L'Occitane  leaves me with. I keep this in my handbag and apply it regularly throughout the day.

As I'm miss clumsy when it comes to nail varnish, always chipping within two days- I bump my nails on everything, I need a good base coat and top coat. My choices atm are Nails Inc Hyde Park basecoat and Ciate Speed Coat top coat, both of them make my nail polish stay on just that bit longer.

I always have a greige colour in rotation when it comes to painting my nails, I'm currently loving bright colours on my nails but I can always rely on a greige to save the day when I'm unsure of what colour to paint them. Fade to  Greige is my current go to but I have plenty of options including Barry M Mushroom and Nails Inc Jermyn Street.