Monthly Favourites | February

Hey there lovely ladies! Can you believe we're now in the third month of 2013? That's crazy! Time flies when you're having fun, and I've had a pretty busy month. The highlight of my February was the Professional Beauty exhibition (read my post here) and getting news through that I'll be spending a month in Australia with family at the end of the year which I'm of course super excited about. At the end of each month I love reading what everyone's been loving and also share with you lovely lot what have been my favourite products from the last 30 days (or 28 as were in February!).

Probably my favourite purchase of the year so far was the Urban Decay Naked Palette (read my review here). I still can't believe it took me so long to take the plunge, but it is most definitely my favourite make-up product out of my entire collection. The colours are so versatile and wearable for both day and night and ideal to create the perfect smokey eye. I don't want to bang on too long about this little beauty, so I'll move swiftly onwards. I also got my hands on the Solar Powder bronzer from Soap and Glory, which has meant I can save my MAC 'Give Me Sun' bronzer for special occasions or when I want to glam my face up a bit more than usual. It is a half matte and half shimmer block so leaves the skin with a gorgeous dewy finish on the cheekbones without being orange or going patchy throughout the day. I've also been obsessing over my newest Victoria's Secret lipstick. They've only just introduced these in-store and were previously only sold online, so I took advantage of the situation when I was last there and picked up several shades, my favourite being 'True'. It has a much lighter colour pay off than what it appears as, and the finish is amazing. It's so moisturising - think a MAC Cremesheen mixed with a lip butter and you get the idea.  I couldn't possibly have a monthly favourites post without mentioning some sort of Soap and Glory product! It just so happens that this month I've been loving two of their bath and skincare products, the 'Rich and Foamous' body wash and the 'Feel Good Factor' facial moisturiser. I have a huge thing for almond, vanilla and shea butter scents, and the body wash has all of these combined. I may review this product in full sometime soon, but until then all you need to know is this - it's amazing! I'm not a massive fan of the Sugar Crush products as I don't particularly like the scent, but this is a great alternative. The 'Feel Good Factor' is a lovely consistency, but don't worry I haven't parted ways with my 'For Daily Youth' moisturiser. I mix the two together to get the best of both worlds. Something I've been lusting over for as long as I can remember is the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. This thing is a lifesaver! Out of all of my brushes, this is definitely my favourite. It applies foundation so easily without leaving brush lines, not to mention it washes like a dream too. No more malting brushes! I have an upcoming 'Favourite Make Up Brushes' post, so make sure you check back if you're interested.

What have been your favourite products in February?

Some New Purchases | A Mini Haul

Hello Everyone! I hope you're all well and this sudden burst of rubbish weather isn't getting you down too much. If you follow me on Twitter then you'll know that I took my first trip to Westfield in Stratford this year! I go there quite often but unfortunately didn't make it there to the Boxing Day sales and yesterday was my first chance to pick up some bits I had on my wishlist. Again, if you know me then you'll know how obsessed I am with Victoria's Secret - all of their stock is so beautiful and I just can't get enough of their fragrance and make up line. While I was searching for a new lipgloss, I came across the new 'Secret Garden' collection and noticed how many new body mists they have out. I was in absolute heaven as I love finding new scents, especially with Summer coming up (hopefully!). They retail at £11.00 each which is a bit dear if you ask me - that amount of money does pay for a 350ml product though and the smell of them is absolutely to die for. I picked up Pure Seduction, Love Spell, Pure Daydream, Vanilla Lace and Coconut Passion. I picked up a few others which I'll definitely going back for as they smelt so amazing! Afterwards I took myself to Lush; I only went in last week but I was so determined to find the Popcorn lip scrub so was so excited when I saw a couple standing by the till. Don't get me wrong, I love my Bubblegum one but it's nice to have a bit of a change! I found myself speaking to one of the girls in there, who was absolutely lovely, asking for a recommendation of a new mask I could try. I find that I always opt for 'Cupcake' (read my review here) but wanted to branch out further when I was introduced to 'Mask of Magnaminty'. A mask that has the strongest peppermint scent ever and doubles up as a face scrub. Think Soap and Glory's 'Scrub Your Nose In It' and you get a rough idea what its like, minus the fact it contains 100% natural ingredients and doesn't need to be kept in the fridge like other Lush products! 

Now again if you follow me on Twitter then you'll know how rude I found the staff in MAC when I went to pick up a lipstick while I was there. I don't like to put a downer on posts but I know it isn't just me who found this to be true as a few fellow MAC fans agreed with the fact that the customer service in there is awful. For the first time ever I found myself feeling slightly uncomfortable around make-up and found the staff to be quite unpleasant. I asked one of the girls to help me out with finding a lipstick and she put her finger up at me as if to say 'one minute' - how rude! I then asked someone else who wasn't busy to help out and she was so blunt and rude, asking questions like "Have you even tried a lipstick from here before?". I don't think I'll be going into that MAC store again anytime soon, I reckon I'll be taking my money to Brent Cross where the staff are absolutely lovely and happy to help. Anyway, rant over, I picked up a Cremesheen lipstick in Sunny Seoul which I saw featured on Rebecca's blog at AutumnLeaves. It's a gorgeous pink coral shade which is quite opaque so needs 3 or 4 swipes to get some colour pay off. It's perfect for Summer so I'll definitely be cracking it out of its box when June rolls around! I also went to Topshop to buy one of their legendary highlighters as my other one shattered inside the compact. I hate it when that happens! I picked up the shade 'Sunbeam' and it's a beautiful deep gold shade with the most amazing pigmentation ever. It looks stunning on the brow bone and lasts forever, and for a measly £10.00 I practically made money on it! 

During the #bbloggers chat on Wednesday night, I asked for opinions on Benefit's 'They're Real' mascara and I got a mixed response. Not one to be put off I decided to take the plunge and purchase the smaller size to try out before splurging on the full size version. Needless to say the girl on the Benefit counter was so nice and really helpful too! I haven't yet tried it but am hoping for high things as I love the look of the brush. I also picked up Soap and Glory's 'Feel Good Factor' moisturiser to complete my skincare collection from that brand (read about my collection here) and after using the tester while I was there I'm really looking forward to trying it. It's a lovely sheer consistency and not greasy in the slightest while offering SPF25 protection. The last thing I picked up while I was in Boots was the Collection 2000 Smokey Eyes palette for a bargain of only £3.99. I know it was launched over a year ago but it's just never caught my eye before! It has a selection of 8 shadows along with an eye brightening cream and I'm looking forward to trying out a new selection of shades for an evening out. I bought some clothes too, however when I attempted to photograph them it went horribly wrong; I think I need some practice before I do any OOTD posts, put it that way! 

All in all, I had a great day shopping and spent the best part of 4 hours looking around Westfield. If you haven't been before I'd definitely recommend either Westfield centre, but I personally prefer Stratford as it has more high street chains. Don't get me wrong, I love the Shepherds Bush centre too, but Stratford gives me that little bit more of a buzz (is that slightly weird?) 

Have you picked up any great products recently?

Victoria's Secret Treats - Mini Haul

Hello you gorgeous lot, hope you're well and this awful rain if you live in the UK isn't affecting you (or your hair) too badly. I don't know about you but I for one am a huge fan of the brand Victoria's Secret. I remember watching my first fashion show on TV when I was about 11 years old and could not believe how gorgeous the likes of Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrossio were. Ever since then I've been hooked! It was only last year that they decided to open up a store in the Stratford Westfield (which I went to on the first day it opened. I am a Victoria's Secret geek!) and they only recently opened up on on Bond Street. This is why I love living in London! Up until then I bought things online which would cost a fortune as they had to be imported from the US, but now I'm only 30 minutes away from their stores. Amazing.

I met up with my sister last Friday and we had a bit of lunch and went for some much needed retail therapy on Oxford Street and Bond Street which was great as we haven't seen each other in over two years! As she'd never been to the Victoria's Secret store on Bond Street I decided to take her as it's a bit of a struggle to find if you don't know where you're going and they had all of their new stock out which of course was heaven! As I'd just been paid and still had a gift card from my birthday (yes, really! I completely forgot about it!) I bought a few things. It can be a bit pricey in there compared to the US so I was careful not to spend too much. 

If you've ever bought the track bottoms then you'll know how soft and cosy they are. They literally feel like heaven on my legs. Is that weird? I bought two pairs one in pink and the other in white and they both don the signature PINK logo. Although they aren't colours which go with much, tracksuit bottoms are a staple in my wardrobe. I'm not a chav, I just love wearing them during Winter and around the house. They are a little pricey but something that will last forever. I had my eye on a navy blue pair which I may treat myself to after Christmas. I also picked up the 'Wild & Breezy' body mist and matching body lotion. You may have seen me feature these in a monthly favourites post, but as they ran out I needed more. It smells absolutely delicious. So fresh and fruity, probably more of a Summer scent, but I love it. I find when I use the body lotion and the mist together the scent lasts so much longer. I may do a full review of these sometime in the future and tell you all how great they really are. These were on offer for £18 for the pair so I picked myself up a bargain and a saving of £750. 

I caved in back in September and bought the iPhone 5, and I absolutely adore it. My Blackberry had really had its day and what a difference it's made to everything. The only irritating thing is the fact there are a very small range of phone cases out which fit! You can imagine I was jumping for joy when I saw they were selling this white rubber logo case for the iPhone 5 model and I just went ahead and grabbed it. At £13.50 for a phonecase it seems a bit of a waste of money, but the rubber is so thick that one little drop won't harm the edges or corner of my phone. I love that it's really understated but girly at the same time. 

I think the make-up bag was my favourite thing I picked up It's just plain black silk with an aluminium rose gold bar across the front which says Victoria's Secret and it's a perfect size to store all of my day to day make-up. The only thing I'm worried about is getting make-up marks on the inside of the bag, so I'm going to be one cautious lady and close everything properly. I may sound a little odd to a few of you but I collect nice bags from shops. I think one of the best thing about Victoria's Secret is the way they bag up purchases. I love the candy colours they use on the bag and the scented pink tissue paper inside is such a nice little touch. They only just brought out the polka dot paper bag and inside each of them is a little message saying 'Thank You'. I think that's such a cute little touch and makes queuing all worth while. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll have a great sale on in the New Year so I can pick up some bits I had my eye on!

Have you been to Victoria's Secret in Bond Street or Stratford Westfield? Do you love it as much as me? 

♥

October Favourites

(From L to R: Yves Rocher Rouge Lipstick - Dove Firming Body Lotion - MAC Pro Longwear Foundation - Victoria's Secret Wild & Breezy Body Lotion - OPI Nail Polish in Bubblegum - Anatomical Pink Grapefruit Body Scrub)

♥ Yves Rocher Lipstick in 'Rouge' - I received this lipstick in the latest Glossybox and have been hooked ever since. It's great to wear for an evening out and adds a touch of Hollywood glamour to your look. What I love the most about this is that it is probably one of the most hydrating lipsticks I have ever come across, like ever. 

♥ Dove Firming Body Lotion - Okay, I admit it. My diet which I done oh so well on has gone kaput, but Monday is always diet day! Although I'm sceptical as to whether this genuinely tones the skin in 'problem areas', it is so moisturising and makes my skin feel amazing afterwards. 

♥ MAC Pro Longwear Foundation NC30 - I decided to part ways with my trusty MAC Studio Fix as it just wasn't working with my skin type any longer. And I'm so glad I did! This stays put all day and isn't an oily formula which keeps me shine free all day. I'll be doing a more detailed review on this sometime soon, so check back!

♥ Victoria's Secret PINK Wild & Breezy Body Lotion - Who doesn't love a bit of Victoria's Secret?! Ever since the two stores opened in London I've been hooked. I picked up this body lotion wit the matching body mist and always get a compliment how fresh and fruity I smell. Winning!

♥ OPI Nail Lacquer in Bubblegum - I love a pale pink nail polish! After my beloved Pale Pink by Models Own ran out I decided to treat myself to an OPI polish. They real are the Rolls Royce of the nail polish world! So pigmented and the brush is a bigger size which makes application a dream. 

♥ Anatomical Pink Grapefruit Body Scrub - Again, I received this in last months Glossybox and I have been hooked. I recently swapped sunbeds for St Moritz and this preps my skin so well. I may even say better than Soap and Glory's 'Flake Away', which if you know the product, is so hard to beat.

What have been your favourite products from October?

♥