Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Hydration Hero's For Dry, Lacklustre Skin

winter skincare
Lately the days have become bitterly cold, frosty mornings and harsh gales have wrecked havoc on my skin - autumn is well upon us with winter closely behind! With my complexion suffering and in serious need of a hydration boost, I've pulled out a few rich, nourishing, picks to put me back on track to plump, radiant skin.

The Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel is ideal for lacklustre skin. With restorative vitamins and cleansing pumpkin enzymes it helps to even out skin tone and leaves skin radiant and smooth. It's my go-to cleanser to combat dull skin, it perks up the complexion and leaves skin so soft!
I've also pulled out the Origins Night-a-mins Oil Free Renewal Cream for a radiance boost. This lightweight, gel moisturiser helps to fade acne scarring and perks up tired skin whilst nourishing and softening the skin - ideal to slather on at night in prep for dark autumn mornings!

For a luxuriously rich cream, the Kiehls Ultra Facial balm is the one. A thick, balmy cream that yields impressive results - skin feels plumper, soothed, smooth and hydrated. I find that this is best applied warmed up slightly between your fingers and dabbing on your forehead, cheeks, chin and neck before smoothing upwards and outwards over the face and neck.

The last pick in my hydrating skincare line up is the Pai BioRegenerate Oil, a divine, nourishing rosehip oil that works to promote clear skin (it's ideal for those tiny under the skin bumps!), fade acne scarring and deeply condition. Rich in omegas and antioxidants it helps to repair and protect the skin, I've been using this for about three weeks now and it's made my skin glow! Paired with the Jade roller it makes a dreamy duo, it's the ideal match to combat lacklustre skin! After applying the oil I sweep the roller (love this affordable face massager too!) in long strokes working away from the nose, it leaves my skin feeling pampered and polished.

What are your hydrating heroes?
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Sunday, November 13, 2016

Lush Christmas Treats

lush christmas 2016
With shimmering snowflake lustre, festive candy sweet and spiced cinnamon scents it's no wonder the Lush Christmas collection is one of the most coveted drops in November. Lush bath's are such a welcome treat on icy wintry days, I save up my pennies for the occasion, having a huge splurge each year to re-stock my stash! Here are my Lush Christmas picks this year...

Ideal for autumn and winter, this luxe pick contains rich cocoa butter to pamper and moisturise parched skin. I just adore this heavenly angel, it's such a pretty pick! Relax and unwind enveloped in the balancing, warming and comforting fragrance as it dissolves into flurries of foam with shimmering golden and silver lustre - bliss!

To be totally honest, I initially picked this up for it's instagram potential! The swirls of pink, mint and purple look fairytale-esque, it's divine! I'm so glad that I snapped this up, the scent is unreal - a soothing, calming but fresh, floral and wintry aroma with jasmine, ylang ylang and vetivert.

I just couldn't resist this skin softening treat, simply slather this dreamy cream over your skin whilst in the shower, rinse and then pat dry and allow the conditioning, nourishing oils to sink in. This pampering treat leaves skin silky soft and the candy sweet scent lingers on for hours -  it's a staple for the colder days!

Swirling this reusable bubble bar through the water transforms it into a gorgeous pink bath with a blanket of soft bubbles. With rippling shimmer and the sweet scent of candyfloss, it's a lovely bath-time treat.

This adorable little star is one of my favourite picks this year. Affordable, simple and understated it transforms the bath into a blue lagoon with snowflake lustre and releases tiny stars as it fizzes and melts away. The scent is gorgeous, earthy, sweet with vanilla and uplifting bergamot, one to lift spirits on gloomy days!

Rose Jam and Snow Fairy Shower Gel
These glorious shower gels are festive staples. With sharp, sweet and floral notes of rose and vanilla and with nourishing argan oil, Rose Jam is a dream! Snow fairy is the perfect in shower treat, pretty, pink and candy sweet, it lingers on the skin and keeps skin soft.

Sleepy
Quite possibly my favourite of the bunch, this twilight scented/malty lavender wintertime cream contains skin softening oats, soothing lavender water and nourishing coco butter. The ideal bedside table accompaniment, it's calming, sinks quickly into the skin and helps you drift off to sleep - I think I'm going to have to invest in the larger pot!






What's your favourite product from the Lush Christmas collection?SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Friday, November 11, 2016

Festive Essie Picks

essie luxe effects
essie glitter
I just can't resist Essie's seasonal glittery picks, they're always released sometime around my birthday and so each year I treat myself to a few shades (there's always a 3 for 2 deal on in Boots or Superdrug too!). This year didn't disappoint, Essie's Luxe picks for 2016 are a dream - glittery, festive and gorgeous hues. I picked up two glitters and a gold from Essie's winter range...

The glitters are divine, tiny micro specks that translate beautifully on the nails - like sparkling stars in glittering night skies. Best applied and dabbed on with the middle of the brush (as is holds and distributes the most glitter!) and paired with a topcoat to smooth over, they last well on the nails and look gorgeous on!

The first shade that I picked up was Essie Glow Your Own Way, a heavenly polish that Christmas dreams are made of! It's sparkly and bronze gold with tiny white specks, reminiscent of falling snow - a little snow globe-esque! Ideal for the party season, this works beautifully scattered over the nails, or layered up as an accent nail. I'm smitten with this polish, it's so pretty!

The next glitter that I reached for was Essie Disco Doll, a delicate silvery pink. This wintry polish is gorgeous, a cool-toned blush rose with micro flecks of silver, again perfect for the party season and for the New Year. It's so flattering on the nails and looks beautiful paired with a mauve polish!

Lastly I opted for Essie Getting Groovy, a metallic palladium gold. This opulent polish is unreal, under a light or in sunlight it glitters and sparkles a dazzling gold. I bought this for gilded tips, but it's so beautiful worn alone too - it's a must-have for December!

I'm so in love with these luxe picks, I may have to go back for the third glittery shade, Essie In The Mood Ring, a glittery onyx and gold!

Have you spotted the new range yet?

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Birthday Snapshots

2017 agenda
and they lived happily ever after print
flowers wallpaper
starbucks christmas
lush the experimenter
This weekend I had a long, glorious break full of birthday celebrations - family visits with Christmas-worthy roasts, indulgent shopping spree's and cakes and doughnuts galore! I had the time of my life celebrating this year, after a mini meltdown in the months leading up to the day, I'm surprisingly feeling positive about turning 30 - more focused, determined and inspired.

I thought that I would share a few snippets of my day, a little haul of my 'treat yo-self' orders and snapshots of the weekend. This dreamy Agenda was on the top of my wishlist this year, with hopes to be a bit more organised and to fill next year with wonderful plans, it's ideal! I also received a gorgeous jade facial roller to help me in my bid to take better care of my skin, it's perfect to massage and tone, remove toxin build up and even out my skin tone!

Whilst on a spree, I picked up these beautiful decorations from H&M home, they're silver tipped, glittery and so so festive! I also treated myself to a few of the new Essie glitters and had a huge Lush splurge (the experimenter is in the snap above), I'll pop up a post with my Christmas picks later this week! Lastly, I spotted this adorable Starbucks cup, It's what tumblr dreams are made of - with a gold glitter wrap and a peach/pink lid it was love at first sight!

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Champagne & Berries

champagne make up
November has finally swept in with silvered frosty mornings and bitter cold nights. Whisper's of Christmas and the bustle of festive shopping has started as pumpkins are tidied away and the leaves drift from the tree's. I've pulled out one of my favourite colour combinations for the chilly days - champagne and berry, my go-to November colour palette!

First up is the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerise in Jean, a divine pick. This shimmery champagne cream eyeshadow brightens up tired eyes with light reflecting pigments and gives a heavenly soft sheen to the lids. Also, it's enriched with vitamin e to keep the eye area hydrated - ideal for the colder days!

For a dreamy glow, the Topshop Glow Highlighter in Polish is the one. Creamy, iridescent and almost ethereal, the slight pink peach tones in this pearlescent champagne highlighter perks up tired skin - it's SO flattering! I like to dab this on my cheekbones, cupids bow and down the centre of my nose for dewy skin, it blends seamlessly and gives a gorgeous runway glow!

The last of my champagne picks is MAC Soft and Gentle, a gorgeous golden champagne highlighter with subtle sparkles. A light dusting of this mineralised highlighter awakens and brightens the skin with luminous, shimmery pigments. It doubles up as a eyeshadow too!

Moving onto berry tones, Mac Plumful is a beautiful pick for every day wear. As a lustre finish it's light and comfortable on the lips and the mauve pink tones are soft and subtle - it's so pretty on.
For a bold, saturated pick, the NYX Soft Matte Lip cream in Copenhagen is divine. A glorious deep matte burgundy it packs a punch and lasts for hours and hours. Plus, it smells like vanilla buttercream - heavenly!

Lastly, Essie Sole Mate, a glossy berry is ideal for a quick, fuss free mani. A staple for autumn, it looks chic worn alone or can be paired with a glitter accent nail for a festive touch!

What are your favourite champagne and berry tones?

Friday, November 4, 2016

A Wintry Home Wishlist

Lately I've been pining for wintry picks for my new home, there's something about an upcoming move that just makes me want to invest in new pieces! M&S currently have some incredible Anthropologie/West Elm style decor for just a fraction of the price and the Anthropologie Christmas collection is a dream! Here's a little round up of my current favourite picks...

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

A November To Do List

beauty blogger
November's quite possibly my favourite month - silver frosted morning's, glittering skies and the lead up to Christmas, plus it's my birthday month! With a lot of life admin, a move and Christmas shopping on the agenda this month, I'm still planning on squeezing this list into November's busy days...

1. Take a peek at the new Essie Luxe 2016 collection - they're such festive glittery picks!

2. Find a pleated midi skirt to pair with a slouchy knit and ankle boots. I love this mauve pick, this pink satin finish skirt also this pink Topshop velvet number is the dream, it's SO pretty!

3. Crack out Michael Buble's Christmas album. 

4. Revel in the incredible TV/Film picks this month - Gilmore Girls (Nov 25th), Fantastic Beasts (Nov 18th) and GOT (S6 on DVD, finally!)

5. Give Thanks. I know it's not really the norm to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK, but considering that UK brands have jumped on the Black Friday bandwagon, I think It's nice to embrace Thanksgiving too! 

6. Spice up my hot chocolates with cinnamon, praline, gingerbread or toffee nut syrups!

7. Catch a glimpse of the supermoon on Nov 14th, it's the largest and closest to the earth the moon has been for a long time!

8. Check out the calm.com app - as I'm moving home, things are bound to get a little stressful this month!

9. Grab a Lindt advent calendar, last year I missed out as they flew off the shelves!

10. Invest in new trinkets and decor for the home. There's so many irresistible, cute pieces in stores right now!

What's on your to do list for November?