A SPRING WISHLIST

There's been a hint of spring in the air this week and flowers have started to pop up everywhere! I've seen some really pretty spring things in store too, in particular I've really been loving Topshop's offerings. These are at the top of my wishlist for spring:

New Look Crochet purse: This little purse is available in black, shell pink, coral, lilac and mint. The mint version is so pretty and although it seems to keep disappearing on the website, I have it saved in my favourites to snap up as soon as it becomes available again!

Olivia Burton Winter Garden Floral Rose Watch: I've been torn between getting an Olivia Burton or a Daniel Wellington watch for quite a while now but this beautiful floral version may just have swayed me. I love the rose gold detailing and the floral print would work well throughout all the seasons.

Topshop Cream Blush in Afternoon tea: I love the cream to powder formula of topshop blushers and this pretty pink shade looks like it would make the perfect spring blush.

ASOS Spring Flowers Hair Garland: Something about spring makes me want to wear flowers in my hair, I feel like this would be great for spring weddings, festivals or for hanging on your dressing table mirror as a pretty decoration.

Topshop crystal V midi ring by Orelia: I love wearing pastel nails with lot's of midi rings in spring, I can imagine wearing this beautiful crystal ring with a pretty lilac nail polish.

Topshop Deco Lace Bralet: This topshop bralet looks like it would be perfect for spring and would work well layered under thin knits or worn with a high wasted skirt.

Topshop iPhone case: I love this honeycomb/bee case, I just need to upgrade to a iPhone 5 or 6 now so that I can justify purchasing it!

What's on your wishlist for spring?

FOUR CORALS FOR SPRING

I'm normally a lot more excited for spring by now but something this year has me holding on to the cosy winter months. In an attempt to get a little bit more in the mood for the warmer seasons I've pulled out four creamy corals to wear. Hopefully the brighter colours, along with buying fresh tulips and daffodils will surely help to make me get more excited for spring!

Topshop Cream Blush in Head Over Heels: This is a beautiful light peach/coral blush that instantly brightens the complexion and gives a pretty glow to your cheeks. The creamy, peachy pink tones in this blusher make it perfect for spring and the cream to powder formula blends so seamlessly onto your skin. The packaging is already brightening up my make up bag, it really is the perfect spring blush!

Sleek Matte Me in Party Pink*: I've been wearing this bright coral pink as a long lasting pop of colour to my lips. Bright lips were seen in fashion week for S/S 2015 and this super pigmented liquid lipstick has been helping me to get in the mood for spring.

Essie Cute as a Button: I've been pairing this pretty coral pink nail polish with silver midi rings for a bright pre-spring mani. This is normally one of my favourite shades to wear in spring as it's not too bright and is such a beautiful creamy coral shade.

Revlon Matte Balm in Unapologetic: A bright warm coral pink that looks great with shimmery champagne eyeshadows, fresh dewy skin and a lash lifting mascara like benefit roller lash. Despite being a matte shade, Unapologetic feels creamy on the lips, it lasts well and is such a flattering shade. You can see it swatched on my lips here.

What makes you excited for spring?

MY FAVOURITE MAKE UP BOOKS

Over the years I've accumulated quite a collection of make up books. When studying make up artistry I bought some for reference and inspiration and i've loved flicking through them ever since! Here are four of my favourites:

Makeup is Art: A great coffee table book full of beautiful and inspirational photos. This is my favourite make up book that I own as the skill, photography and tips are simply amazing. It's great for professionals, to use as reference and for anyone interested in make up.

Favourite parts: Make up brush guide, invaluable industry advice and the incredible avant garde make up.

Rae Morris Makeup The Ultimate Guide: The name pretty much says it all, it really is an ultimate make up guide from one of the worlds most creative make up artists. This book has an amazing, detailed contouring/face map guide and a huge section devoted to eyes, covering every eye shape and type. Rae's make up looks are simply stunning and this comes in at a close second as my one of my favourite make up books.

Favourite parts: Ten minute makeovers, the pinterest worthy photos and the visual eye colour charts.

Jemma Kid Make up Masterclass: This is such a great book for learning the basics of make up. It's full of beauty tips, basic make up looks and colour palettes for your skintone. It also includes a great basic make up section including lip shapes, blusher shapes and how to create different brow shapes.

Favourite parts: Basic make up looks, detailed colour charts and great lip section.

Bobbi Brown Make up Manual: This pretty book covers everything from make up and skincare to diet and health. It gives detailed step by step photo tutorials and provides clear descriptions. The end section of the book is great if you are interested in make up artistry, It provides recommendations for what to include in your professional make up kit and a brief overview of editorial make up, TV and film make up and fashion make up.

Favourite parts: Step by step photo tutorials and the who's who in make up section.

What are your favourite make up books?

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY - SHARE THE LOVE

Happy Valentines Day!

I thought that Valentines day would be the perfect day for me to share the love for my current favourite bloggers, vloggers and instagram accounts. I've been watching youtube and reading blogs for quite a few years now and so I follow a lot of accounts that I love but these are my current absolute favourites:

Instagram

Instagram is my favourite social media app, I can spend ages scrolling through my instagram feed and I also love styling and editing my own photos. Here are some of my favourite Instagram accounts:

nishaantishu: Freya's photography is absolutely stunning, her travel and lifestyle photos on instagram are always so beautiful and inspirational.

wishwishwish: Full of calligraphy, flowers, beautiful sceneries and food, Carrie's photo's are just so pretty.

icovetthee - Alix's dreamy photos of make up, food and ootd's are always clear, crisp and beautiful.

cremedelachic: Kelly's photos are so bright and colourful. With macaroons, flowers and pretty skies, its one of my all time favourite feeds.

Youtube

I'm currently obsessed with watching vlogs, these are a few of my favourite vloggers:

Fleurdevlog: Forever my favourite vlogger, I love watching Fleur's snippets of everyday life in the English countryside with her three puppies and her husband Mike.

ciderwithrosie: Rosie's lovely vlogs are full of amazing home cooked food, countryside walks and city day trips.

hellooctober: Suzie vlogs from her beautiful Brighton home, I love watching her little hauls and seeing Nala, her gorgeous little pup!

lilypebbles: I loved Lily's vlogmas videos and Lily's weekly vlogs are so beautifully edited. I love to see her snapshots of london life, beauty launches and finding new great places to eat out!

essiebuttonvlogs: Estee and Aslan's vlogs are full of amazing travels, delicious food, london markets and their lovable pet greyhound Reggie.

Blogs

I read and love so many blogs, these are a few of my current favourites, you can see a full list of my favourite reads on my blogroll!

takecourage / ciderwithrosie / viviannadoesmakeup / daisybutter / deliciouslyella / nishaantishu / wishwishwish / dizzybrunette3 / sailboat / BonjourLuce / chalkkids

Who are your current favourites? I always love to find new reads!

BENEFIT ROLLER LASH MASCARA

I rushed out to buy this month's Elle magazine when I heard that it came with a sample of Benefit Roller Lash mascara. After hearing whispers of how amazing roller lash was, not to mention seeing photos of the new 'hook and roll' brush design I was so excited to test it out.

I took to twitter to see whether I needed to use eyelash curlers before using benefit roller lash mascara and the result was a resounding no. My lashes usually need to be curled and I'm not normally without my well loved Shu Uemura eyelash curlers. I've previously tried mascaras without curling first and my lashes fall flat and tend to stick straight out so I was hesitant to use Roller Lash just on it's own.

I'm so impressed with this mascara, I wiggled the brush at the base of my lashes and coated them with 2-3 coats to get the above effect. There is definitely no need for an eyelash curler as this mascara completely lifts, lengthens and curls the lashes. The brush combs and lifts your lashes to give a wide eyed, Bambi effect.

This is quite a wet mascara which is something that I'm not usually a fan of, however, apart from leaving a few clumps that can be combed out, this formula works so well for me. I'm also normally a bit wary of mascaras that deliver such great results as they can make my lashes suffer in the long term but benefit roller lash contains lash conditioners such as provitamin b5 and serin. It's also water resistant and lasts a full day on me without smudging.

The only downside to benefit roller lash mascara for me is that I find it quite difficult to take off, I've tried make up wipes and micellar water but it takes me a little longer to remove than my normal mascara. Other than that, this is definitely my new favourite high end mascara!

Have you tried Benefit Roller Lash?

VALENTINES DAY NAILS

With Valentines day fast approaching I thought that I would share my four Essie nail polish options for the day. I love Essie nail polishes because the formula is so great, they last well on my nails without chipping and the brush makes application so quick and easy. Although I don't usually celebrate Valentines day too much (normally me and Alex just exchange cards and cook a meal together), I do like to paint my nails in honour of the occasion. Here are my four picks this year:

Essie Bordeaux: This is a sophisticated burgundy, wine red that looks glossy on the nails and lasts me for days without chipping. The more coats you add the more vampy the colour, you can see me wearing two coats on my nail here.

Essie Peach Daiquiri: For a bold, bright alternative for Valentines day, this peachy pink nail polish fits the bill. It's a hot pink with hint of coral that works well with bright lips and is opaque in just 1-2 coats.

Essie A Cut Above: I've been so obsessed with this pretty pink glitter recently. I love wearing it as an ombre accent nail for a lustrous sparkle to my nails.

Essie Vanity Fairest: I really love this shimmery, classy pastel pink nail polish. It looks so pretty as part of a french manicure or worn on it's own. It really makes my engagement ring stand out and so I think this may be my choice this year!

THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY THIS WEEK #8

Monday: Finally getting my hands on a copy of Elle Magazine so that I can test out Benefit's Roller Lash mascara. Ive read so many amazing reviews, I really hope that it lives up to the hype!

Tuesday: Waking up early to a white winter wonderland. It felt so quiet and peaceful with everything covered in a blanket of fresh white snow. Then as the world woke up, I stood at my window eating cinnamon and maple porridge watching people shriek with glee as they hurled snowballs around and built mini Olaf's.

Wednesday: Getting a huge ASOS order. I ordered one pair of shoes and three dresses to try on as a potential wedding guest outfit. The dresses were a bargain in the sale, I'm torn between the nude and black version of this closet skater dress. I ordered these shoes in a size 2, I really love them but they're too big!

Thursday: Watching a little robin ruffle up its feathers in the snow whilst gobbling up birdseed that I left out, painting my nails with Essie Sole Mate and feeling so grateful to have my engagement ring back.

Friday: Writing a long shopping list that included the basics, valentines day cards, a yoga mat, candyfloss grapes and gifts for my brother. We're planning on spending the weekend with family eating homemade brownies and pizza to celebrate my brothers birthday!

What made you happy this week?

TRANSITIONAL LIPSTICKS

I'm not quite ready for spring peaches and pinks yet, or to let go of plums, berries and reds but I have slowly started to add a few brighter tones to my lipsticks ready for spring.

I love wearing berry shades throughout winter and Revlon Balm Stain in Crush is great to wear as a pretty stain on your lips. I like dab a small amount of this on before rubbing it in with my finger to leave a subtle stain. This way it lets me hold on to berry shades without it looking too bold and autumnal.

I'm still reaching for wintry reds and I think L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusives Lipstick in Blake will continue to make an appearance on my lips all throughout the year as I love it so much. This lipstick is a flattering matte pure red that contains jojoba oil to keep lips feeling soft, it works so well with shimmery brown lids and lasts well on the lips.

Bright fuchsia pinks are slowly creeping their way back into my make up bag, Revlon Lip Butter in Lollipop and Revlon Balm Stain in Lovesick are great for brightening the gloomy winter days and for transitioning into spring. Revlon Lip Butter in Lollipop is a bright fuchsia pink and Revlon Balm Stain in Lovesick is a slightly softer pink with a hint of purple.

Lastly I've been gravitating towards softer pinks and MAC Please Me has been the perfect muted pink for the transition into spring. It's great to wear as a girly matte pink when you want to wear a bolder eye look.

What lipsticks are you currently wearing?

JANUARY'S PINK FAVOURITES

January's gloomy, stormy days were spent packing away the festive decor and finishing off the Christmas chocolates in an attempt to start the new year a-fresh. A few of my lifestyle favourites included buying fresh pink tulips to brighten up the home, throwing my hair up with a velvet pink scrunchie and spending the evenings feeling young again by colouring in sheets of pages, playing 4 in a row hearts with Alex and enjoying hot blueberry and blackcurrant drinks.

My favourite pink beauty products this month have been:

Sleek Blusher in Pixie Pink: Sleek blushers are my favourite highstreet blushers. The shade range is so pretty, they're highly pigmented, long lasting and you only need to use a small amount for great colour payoff. Sleek Pixie Pink is a vibrant pink blusher that's really brightening for the complexion and gives a pretty flush of pink to your cheeks.

Lush FUN Pink: I really enjoyed taking long baths this month and Lush always wins for me when it comes to exciting bath products. Lush Fun is a new discovery for me, you only need to crumble such a small amount of the bar under running water for a bath full of soft bubbles. It smells amazing, like sweets and vanilla with a hint of caramel and leaves my skin feeling really smooth.

Lush Snow Fairy: This sweet, candy pink shower gel is one of my favourite products from Lush. Snow Fairy contains skin softening seaweed and so is perfect to use during the cold winter months, it keeps your skin feeling silky soft and leaves a sweet lingering scent. I always try to stock up on Snow Fairy at Christmas to last me through the year.

Lip Products: I love wearing a hint of colour on my lips and Korres lip butter in Quince has been keeping my lips moisturised this month whilst adding a tint of pink to my lips. I've also really enjoyed wearing Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart which is a pretty, barbie pink that has really brightened up January's rainy days.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush: This duo-fiber brush makes applying cream blushers a dream, it picks up just the right amount of product and helps to blend blusher so seamlessly onto your skin.

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter: Im pretty bad at remembering to moisturise my skin and so in January I kept a pot of this Soap and Glory body butter on my bedside table to make sure I moisturised. It contains shea butter, aloe vera and coconut oil and keeps my skin feeling soft and hydrated.

Essie A Cut Above: As you may have seen in my recent 'Whats in my bag' post, I've been carrying this chunky pink glitter with me for quick application on the go. It looks great either layered up on its own, over another colour or as an accent nail.

I decided to carry on with my colour favourites series this month as I really enjoyed writing them last year. I may not have enough new colour favourites to do them every month but hopefully I can continue posting them throughout the year!

What were your favourite products this month?