Stila One Step Colour Corrector

This is actually one of my first Stila products. Gasp. I know, right? But I think this was such a brilliant introduction to them, the Stila One step Colour Corrector is wonderful; it corrects the redness in my cheeks, it helps to lighten the dark circles under my eyes and counteracte the yellowness in my complexion - basically, its evening out my skin tone and providing a really solid, perfect base for my foundation and concealer. Let's admit, having the perfect base makes everything look a lot better, and to me, it gives me that boost of confidence that's always good to have, especially if you're having to prepare for a long day or trying something new. I purchased mine from Marks & Spencer (£24, here) when they had a deal on with Ren, so I ended up buying a skincare bundle and this beauty from Stila; it was a bit of an impulse purchase, as even though I'd read lots about it, I'd never managed to swatch it - so it was a bit of a gamble, but that gamble has certainly paid off.

Three colours are swirled together when applied to your face, and they each have quite the task, especially on my face, as I have everything that they're targeting. Green 'neutralises redness and conceals blemishes', it does help a great deal to reduce the redness in my cheeks as well as helping to conceal any spots or marks on my face, but being me, I still can't do without my concealer - I like to make sure you can't see the major blemishes (there's one currently at the end of my nose), but on a good, lazy day, I'd pare this primer with some concealer and be on my way - I think it's the lazy girls answer to faking really even skin. Huzzah.

The lavender tone 'counteracts sallow undertones for a vibrant, energised look', so if you do suffer from that sallowness that can make you look quite unwell - yepp, I get that too - then this is certainly something to look into. It's that kind of look you get when you have a cold, or the flu - but this colours just brightens you up, and once again plays into my whole lazy girl look, which I love, because spending less time putting my makeup on when i'm in a rush, is always a good thing.

Peach, I think is the universal colour that 'brightens, illuminates and helps to diminish the appearance of sun spots' especially as I get such horrible dark circles under my eyes, so I think anything that lessens them is an easy way to my heart. I'm going to say it again. Lazy girl makeup. I think that has to be a blog post all on its own, but this primer just does it all - it makes me look alive, which is quite a task with the paleness of my skin - it's either ghost/vampire or alive. There isn't really anything in-between for me, but another good thing about this colour correcting primer is that it doesn't discriminate based on skin tone - so whatever problem you have, its got all the bases covered. Go have a cheeky swatch, you won't be sorry. Hooray for lazy girl makeup.

Post #beautystoptober and Christmas Wish List

I think there's something so lovely about a wish list. Even the word 'wish' reminds me of when I was younger and it was all about that 'wish upon a star' business. Now, it's roughly the same concept, except the star is someone's bank account, either mine or the unsuspecting victim who's going to buy me something lovely for Christmas, perhaps balking at how much the price is; but you know what? You can't put a price on good skincare, or good eyebrows. That's just the way it is. I wanted to put all my skincare and lifestyle choices together on one list, as we well know, makeup needs its own post, because my gosh there is so much good makeup out there and I want it all *makes grabby hands*. So these were the following items that I feel like I need to have - get ready to have some serious lust going on.

Let's start with the lifestyle/fashion, and who doesn't like something ridiculously cute and cuddly? The cute being the omg it's a sausage god doorstop and draught excluder from Next (£14 and £18, here) because I have a dachshund obsession and I've always trusted Next for good quality items; and for the cuddly option, I also have a nightshirt obsession, so this Red Check Flannel Shirt (£22, here) is ticking all of the boxes - paired with some thick, snuggly socks and that's me sorted. 

Now, let's get down to it. Lookfantastic, Marks & Spencer, Billion Dollar Brows and Jurlique are where all the magic is happening for me in terms of skincare, so if anyone wants to buy me something *cough*boyfriend*cough* then they'll know where to look. I think that was pretty subtle, so let's get talking about these gorgeous products.

From Lookfantastic we've got the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask (£21.99, here) of which I've heard amazing things and am desperate to try. Then we have Trilogy's Rosehip Oil (£11.06, here) and it's a product I already know that I love because I'm virtually in tears because mine has come to a very noble end... it's done so well, and my skin adores it. Finally, we have Real Techniques Nic's Picks (£21.99, here) and these call to me, like all of the RT brushes do. They're amazing quality and value for money - these are something I will go out and by for myself if I don't get it, they're that appealing to me. 

Next up from Jurlique, are three products that stood out to me as I browsed the website, because I wanted to slip into their skincare before going mad and ordering more things, like moisturisers and oils etc. Ahh, the Rosewater Balancing Mist (£16.50, here), it's a product I always see being mentioned in favourite products post, so it's been grabbing my attention for months - it has to be mine, as well as the Lemon Body Oil (£21.50, here); I have such an incredible love for anything lemon or citrus, it's just one of my favourite scents, so fresh and bouncy - so yes, I want to cover myself in it and basically smell like a lemon all day. Living the dream. Lastly from Jurlique is their Essence of Rose Roll-on Fragrance Oil (£16.50, here) because wow, a Rose oil fragrance sounds divine - something to give up smelling like a lemon for.

Three offerings from Marks & Spencer caught my eye - mainly because I was in there today, drooling over all the Nuxe and Ren products *dreamy sigh*. Something I didn't spot in store however, was GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment (£45, here) which is meant to be ridiculously good, I couldn't not add it to my wish list. Then we have Ren's Cleansing Balm (£23, here), a product I swatched on my hand, and was really impressed with, texture wise - I'm loving my hot cloth cleanser from them, so this was a wise addition. Nuxe's Star Set (£20, here) is a duo of their best selling Huile Prodigieuse oil and Prodigieux le Parfum, which I've not yet smelt, but it sounds wonderful.

Lastly, but certainly not at all least, is Billion Dollar Brows' Universal Brow Pencil (£17, here) from some serious brow game, and you know me, my selfies are all about the brows. A good brow is the key to a good day, I feel - a bad brow is something I don't even want to think about; it has the ability to brighten up and give structure to your face, and this product is designed for all skin tones and hair colours. It's a total win. What products are you lusting over for Christmas? Let me know if you fancy any of these. 

Balance Me Beauty Event and Goody Bag.

This event, was awesome. Skin scanning, testing out loads of products, having a darn good chat with one of the founders of BalanceMe and let's not forget; rose wine and macaroons. I think that says it all. It was a rather intimate event, with only a good dozen bloggers or so, and it was really lovely - with lots of products laid out, and ladies on hand to talk to us about all of our skincare problems, which was really wonderful as it's always good to pick their brains, as they know their products inside and out. Balance Me are one of those all natural brands that spend years designing and making products, so you know it's gonna be good.

One of the founders of Balance Me was at the event, and welcomed us, talking to us about the ethos of Balance Me, and made the rounds talking to each blogger about whatever they wanted, not just skincare, but advice about jobs and the beauty industry. I think my favourite part, was the skin scanning, which at first was the thing that scared me the most, as it reveals all the sins that you hide behind makeup - but I needn't have worried, as the lady who was taking me through was very lovely even though I was considerably nervous about the entire thing. It turns out, that me using 50+ on my face and wearing a hat whenever in the sun has done wonders for my skin, as the only comments she made was slight dehydration in my under eye area, my nose was oily and that I had sensitive skin on my chin. All in all, not at all bad as I was expecting; I was actually quite pleasantly surprised at what she told me - I suppose it all comes to show that a good SPF is always a solid base for a skincare routine. 

There were some fabulous products in the goody bag that I'm going to run through, as some are going to get reviews all on their own, because I just adore them that much. Two different sizes of their Moisture Rich face cream, A Super Moisturising Hand Cream, A Super Toning Body Wash, A Facial Expression Filler and my two favourites so far, the Wonder Eye Cream and the Cleanse and Smooth face balm. Ugh, they're both so wonderful that I cannot wait to have a single review to rave about them - they're some of the best samples I have ever been given, but more on that later. If you ever get the chance to sample them, then please do, as you will not regret it - I promise you. Please let me know what your favourite Balance Me products are, because I'd love to try more from them. 

I walked away from the event with not just a goody bag, but some Christmas presents and some wonderful knowledge about the naturally sourced and scientifically made products - it really was a wonderful evening, and when combined with the Lush event the next night, I had a fabulous two days with my fellow blogger Katie. I'd definitely love to go to more blog events - hopefully more will emerge in Cardiff. 

Bee Good Intensive Hand Cream and Vanilla Honey Lip Balm

Now, here was a little something that brightened up my otherwise dull Thursday afternoon. A cute little package from Bee Good that I had won from the wonderful Sarah at Temporary:Secretary (it's one of my favourite blogs, so definitely go have a good nose at it) through her Twitter giveaway. I was so chuffed to win, as I'd been very eager to try some Bee Good products, as let's face it, it's made by British Bees, so it's gotta be good. My first impression of it was 'wow omg so cute!' because not only were they fabulously packaged inside a box wrapped in ribbon, but there were wonderful biscuits.. sorry to say that they didn't make it to the photography session ... but uh, I can report that they were amazingly yummy and beautiful to look at. You can see them on my Instagram post here, aren't they glorious? They were made by Little Bee Bakery, and they can be found on Facebook here, because they were delicious and adorable - total double whammy!

I wanted to give a quick first impression of these two items, before reporting back with more in-depth reviews later on - and my reaction to the hand cream was that it was thick and luxurious feeling, with a soft, sweet natural scent - a gentle honey esc smell, which I love so much. My hands didn't feel greasy or oily, which I think is an essential if you're going to be applying this in the day, trying to keep your hands moisturised whilst doing other things. Multi-tasking as its best. The packaging is simple and lightweight, showcasing that it's all about the Bees - which it quite rightly should be. The pastel packaging has cute little bees buzzing around the bottle, and the same can be said for the lip balm, as the packaging is mirrored on the little tube. There's just something so quaint and lovely about it, but something quintessentially British, which I really like - maybe it's the use of the Union Jack (obvious choice, I know) or maybe it's just the bees, or it could be the entirety of it. It just seems like a wonderfully British product to me and that makes me happy. Naturally sourced, made in Britain and good for the skin, can't ask for more, really.

The lip balm, much like the hand cream, feels luxurious, and not oily, as it applies quite thick before melting into the skin, making lips feel smooth and nourished, not leaving them parched afterwards when the balm has rubbed off. Which I think is something very important to consider when using a lip balm; it's all well and good whilst you're using it, but once you stop, your lips are even worse. It's totally not the case with this one though, so I'm super excited to have won it, and I can't wait to try more from Bee Good, as surely, it's all going to be naturally amazing? Have you tried any products from Bee Good? Which ones would you recommend? 

My #beautystoptober Update: Week #2

Week #2, and no makeup or skincare for myself has been purchased. I'm quite proud of myself, but I feel like I'm missing the rush and excitement of walking into Boots and picking up a new mascara - okay, I'm not the kind of person that can only buy one mascara on the high street. I'll need an additional three lipsticks, two blushes and an eyeshadow palette, and that's just because they caught my eye in the store, not because I thought it through, or made a list. I get drawn in by the prettiness of it all, and I used to spend so much money in my local Boots that the girls know me by name. It's not a good habit, especially when I want to save for things, i.e. a cute little flat, boyfriend and sausage dog. So I think this challenge has opened my eyes to the impulse purchasing that I used to do - maybe it's a female thing, or maybe it's not, but if it's by the tills and I've been looking at it for a few weeks, then I'll buy it. That's how I ended up with the Bumble & Bumble Surf Set in my possession - a decision which I don't necessarily regret, but did I really need it? Nope. I just wanted it, mainly to say that I own something by that brand. I think Beauty Blogging can be a slippery slope; trying to keep up with new releases and to be seen as blogger who keeps up with trends, it can be expensive as well as exhausting. 

I've spent the money I would have spent on myself/my face, and put it towards Christmas presents and my little jar of funds for Cancer Research UK - but I think I need to do even more. I want that cute little flat with a cute little dog, with the boyfriend, and there'll be cookery books, posters of Casablanca and Senna, cosy throws and that feeling of it being home. I'm a beauty blogger, no mistaking that, but can I be one when I'm not purchasing that much beauty products? I think I can be, but maybe a little lifestyle post or two wouldn't hurt now and again? I didn't think that not buying any makeup/skincare for me would cause this kind realisation, and maybe I'll get that flat and Sausage dog sometime soon. Let's keep our fingers crossed, and start putting a little bit aside each month. Rainy day money, but it always rains here, so, I'll call it my little dream fund. Or to be more realistic, my growing up/adult fund. Are you saving for a little something?

Lush Event Cardiff and Goody Bag

Ah, Lush. Are you with me? If you're a fan, then you know that feeling. That comfortable warmth when you're familiar with a brand and you're there, experiencing new things. It's exciting, but lovely, you know? I remember my first Lush experience. I walked away with a chunk of Honey I washed the Kids and it was amazing, but years later, my interest dimmed over time - but I'd like to thank the blogging community for bringing Lush back into my life. Thank you, my dears. 

They had a rather fabulous Event in Cardiff, and the wonderful Katie from Katiedoesbeauty invited me as her plus one - so off we went, and we even attended a BalanceMe event the night before, which will be up on the blog soon. The Lush store was abuzz with excitement and wonderful girls who were eager to show us everything fabulous that Lush does, which is, y'know, a lot. There were so many brilliant products that I couldn't help but have the widest eyes, trying to take everything in and photograph it all - it was a truly glorious event, those Lush girls sure know how to throw a good party. From Halloween to Christmas treats, Lush had them all - from amazing smells to being covered in glitter, it was a totally new type of event as we all basically photographed everything whilst cooing over the beauty of all the products. Lush totally brings it in terms of colour and excitement with their products. 

I don't think I've ever left an event smelling so wonderful, and completely covered in glitter from the golden pumpkins, which looks so beautiful, (I'd keep it out all year, just to admire) and the Christmas puddings, which I think were putting us all in the festive mood. I think the mood of the entire event was something I enjoyed the most; it was just fun and energetic, something encouraged by the Lush girls, who'd be carrying around big bowls of warm water with bath bombs fizzing away in them, always demonstrating how colourful and bright everything in the shop was. They certainly didn't disappoint. 

I walked away from the event with three cheeky hair purchases, as you know, for me skincare/makeup are off limits - so, why not sort my hair out? With some wonderful advice, some indulgent swatching and very soft feeling skin, I made my way to the tills to do some purchasing, after which I was given a bright pink goody bag, to say thank you for attending. It was an absolute blast, and I couldn't believe that an hour went by so quickly - everything was energetic and bright, which I think sums up Lush quite well, as long as you throw in a few mentions of their policy of no animal testing and all natural products. Walking through Cardiff, toting a few shopping bags and smelling divine, the night was chilly, but Katie and I were still buzzing from the event - and we continued to chat all about it on the way home, even though we were both completely knackered. 

A quick special mention to their face mask area, which was kept on ice (how awesome) to keep everything fresh and cold (keep on scrolling down to the end of the post to see what I mean) with dishes perched on crushed ice, fruit and vegetables placed on top of the face masks, so you know exactly what's in them - so you know right away what to go for, or steer away from. It was pretty much one of the coolest (no pun intended) and most creative ways to store products that I'd ever seen, and it certainly grabbed the attention of most of us at the event. As for my goody bag, I've yet to try out the festive looking Lush Pud, but I'm saving that for a cold evening when I need a good soak - it has tempted me a few times, but I feel like I'm going to need it after a long day in retail in the upcoming weeks. Christmas whilst working retail, you feel me? Also, there was So White shower gel and Candy Mountain Bubble Bar - both of which I have used, so you'll be getting a cheeky little review of those. Keep those eyes pealed. Are there any Lush products that have taken your fancy? I know I've certainly gone back and done some serious Christmas shopping in there. 

Autumnal Nail polish Choices

Who doesn't like a good Autumnal nail? And since everyone is posting little nail selfies (nelfie? manfie? no idea.) I thought I'd join in with the selection I'll be reaching for this season and let's kick it off with some offerings from Ciate, which I spoke about here, in more detail. They're from the Haute House collection, and I think they're perfect for what's coming up, so my two main choices are Knee Highs and Can Can, a glorious deep navy blue and a perfect seasonal burgundy. These two selections are cute little mini's, something to keep in your makeup bag for a quick ten minute manicure, as when applied in thin layers, these dried very quickly and offered that pop of Autumn that I was looking for.

Next up, Butter London. Perhaps some of the most fancy polishes, and they're from a fabulous brand, with amazing packaging - they make my heart have a little flutter with their gloriousness. Two glitter, shimmer polishes and one classic colour, the colour I think of as quintessentially British. Lillibet's Jubilee, a soft lilac shimmer that ugh, looks brilliant on the nails - it's that kind of pastel that is the opposite of what I'd usually choose for Autumn, but it just spoke to me. Next up, is the black, chrome esc glitter named Gobsmacked which is amazing, it was basically all I wore last Winter - It looks quite at home on short and long nails, so no matter what you're rocking, this would look good. Now for British Racing Green, the colour that reminds me of old Jaguar cars and vintage movies. It's the kinda colour that would make red lipstick pop and give you that retro feel without a great deal of effort.

The offerings from Essie are wonderfully seasonal, Avenue Maintain, what I imagine to be a somewhat Parisian blue, a creamy colour that was brought out for Spring - but I've skipped that and fast forwarded two seasons. Stroke of Brilliance, a glitter polish from the Luxe Collection - hard to remove from the nail, like all glitter polishes, but totally worth it, you can read more about it here. Who doesn't love and adore a red glitter polish, especially that small glittery shimmer that gets you in the mood for the upcoming festive season? Enter Leading Lady. 

Honourable mentions for Autumn polishes are three choices from Revlon; two Spiderman releases, Spidey Sense and Super-powered (review fully here) and an offering from the scented nail enamel collection, called Moonlit Woods, another lilac offering - a sheer wash that is easing me into purples this season. Speaking of purples, next up is Vampsterdam by OPI, a deep shimmering plum that looks just right on the nails whenever you wear it. Three more choices are Rosy Rosettes by Maybelline, a gorgeous glitter that is basically Christmas nails in a glass bottle - absolutely gorgeous and as festive as you want - it's the perfect polish for an accent nail; and the last are two from Barry M, Gelly Hi-Shine in Lychee, that pale, shiny nude that leaves fingers looking longer and Crush from the Matte collection, a striking red that is an essential for this time of year - dark, but not so much as to feel too Wintery just yet.

What are your Autumanl nail choices? Any here that are taking your fancy?