Mini reviews - Top three loves of this week.

I have been reaching for these three products at every opportunity I get, I adore them all, in a weird, unhealthy obsession sort of way. Nina by Nina Ricci is my all time, hands down favourite perfume like...ever! Its sweet and sexy, the packaging is pretty and this perfume looks and smells fantastic. Some of the notes are red toffee apple, vanilla infusion, apple tree wood and cotton musk. If you don't like sweet smelling perfume, this is not for you, my mum hates this but I however, cannot and will not live without this. Nina by Nina Ricci is defiantly my holy grail, desert island perfume. Following on from that, I think I have found my perfect every day, every occasion nail polish. I have featured it in my monthly favourites here, its the L'oreal colour riche nail polish in 204 Boudoir rose. Like I said in the monthly favourites post, its a sleek and elegant polish that is perfect for any affair. Lastly, La roche -posay Toleriane Riche is a high intensity, non pore clogging moisturiser. Designed for intolerant, sensitive and dry skin, it soothes the stinging that over dry skin can cause, whether that's due to harsh, stripping cleansers or just naturally your skin type. This moisturiser is perfect for anyone who worries about clogging their pores with thick moisturisers but wants relief from dry skin.

Boots Botanics 100% Organic rosewater toner.

I think I need to start this off by saying that this rosewater toner costs only £3.49 for 150ml, its 100% Organic and has become my new life saver. Boots Botanics Organic products have become my new obsession, I have already reviewed the Hot cloth cleanser here and the Facial oil here and adore both...but this is a review of the Rosewater tone so lets get back to that.

This toner is formulated without Parabens, it was not tested on animals and the packaging is recyclable. Now down to the product itself, it contains Glycerin which is a wonder worker for the skin, it promoted natural cell growth so it really helps people with skin disorders, its also a humectant which means it attracts water thus sealing in moisture, perfect for dehydrated and dry skin. This toner also contains rosewater which is widely known for its anti inflammatory benefits as well as helping reduce redness in the skin, whether that be due to break outs or things such as rosacea. Rose helps to sooth and calm the skin, which is great for both oily and dry skin types. There are only 5 ingredients in this toner which means its less likely to irritate the skin, making it great for people with sensitive skin. 

I found this toner really calmed down any break outs I had, and also helped to clear my skin and really revived it. I love to use this pretty much all the time, but mainly after a hot shower, as its really refreshing and cooling. Once again, I have found another product by Boots Botanics Organics range that I love, this one however smells like Turkish Delights which makes me love it even more. 

You must try this! 

Monthly favourites

This month I have found some fantastic products that I really am enjoying using. For me January was defiantly a skincare month, I went a little over the top with buying and trying skincare, but I loved every second of it.....anyway, lets crack on.

Mac strobe cream was a new discovery for me this month, I did however know about it before but never really paid any attention when people would talk about it. This month I did a fairly large Mac purchase and thought I would give this a go. It actually blew me away, I like to use it under foundation for a healthy glow look, or as a highlighter for that 'summer glow' I'm so lusting to have. Please be summer now!

Iv been banging on about Boots Botanics products a lot lately and I'm sure your all fed up hearing about them by now, but this is another product I seem to love from this brand. Its a rose toner and smells like Turkish Delights....need I say more?

Soap and Glory make yourself beautiful eye cream was a product I bought due to the fact Soap and Glory were having a sale, I'm so glad I bought it, it feel like it really helps to brighten and moisturise my under eye area and its inexpensive and super easy to get your hands on.

Elemis softly softly has become possibly my all time favourite morning moisturiser, its really hydrating and leaves your skin looking and feeling amazing. It comes in a pump which is hygienic and smells great. You must all try this!

L'oreal colour riche nail polish in 204 Boudoir rose has become my every day nail polish I reach for all the time. I find this such a simple but classy and elegant polish, its not a bold, garish colour its just subtle but pretty. I make your hands look very polished and tidy, and would be perfect for every occasion. 

Products Iv used up

I try not to start with the generic 'I cant believe a month has gone by already' thing, but seriously, that was a very fast month. For me January is always a month of trying new products, mainly because I receive a lot of new products/ buy a lot of new products in this month as its my birthday month, which means money and spending haha. Having said that, I have used up a fair few products in the last month or so and found some new loves.

The first of which is the Boots Botanics 97% organic cleansing balm, Iv done a full review here. I just love this and have already re-purched it, its perfect for removing make up and ideal for someone with dry skin. Love, love ,love it! ps, its very affordable and easy to get your hands on.

The next skin care item I adore is the Liz earle cleanse and Polish,  Its a cult product that everyone seems to use and love. I would defiantly buy this again, once iv used up the millions of other cleansers I own.

Grease Lightening by Lush is a spot treatment that I have bought about 4 times now, I love it and think it works really well at naturally healing spots without leaving scares behind, plus its natural and chemical free which is great.

Soap and Glory sugar crush body scrub is another cult favourite, in all honestly, now iv used it all up I highly doubt Ill buy it again, It was nothing ground breaking and I have tried better and more affordable scrubs.

Garnier hands was another mediocre product, L'Occitane dry skin hand cream trumped it and I would highly recommend it to anyone searching for a good, highly moisturising hand cream.

Another Lush products Iv used up (I have a Lush addiction) is the Happy Hippy shower gel, great for early mornings when you need help waking up. I really enjoy using Lush products and this shower gel is no exception.

Last but by no means least are the Bed head Urban-antidotes shampoo and conditioner, my god are these good. The only issue I have with them is the smell, I cant stand it.  But for anyone with seriously dry or damaged hair, you need these in your life....trust me. 

Elemis fresh skin

Elemis fresh skin (*) is a rang Elemis has designed especially for young skin. It consists of 10 products that were created to prevent premature ageing, and promote healthier, glowing skin. Each product is formulated with naturally active ingredients, specially chosen for their ability to help cleanse, exfoliate, prevent damage, moisturise and boost skin’s elasticity to keep it youthful for longer.

Peachy perfect face wash - this is a foaming face wash that you apply in the generic way, to wet skin and lather. I find this especially good for in the mornings or days when your feeling tired and in my case lazy. Its a no fuss face wash that doesn't take much time to use at all. It leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh, it doesn't dry it out my skin like a lot of foaming face washes can and overall works really well.

It cost £12 for 100ml

Softly softly daily moisturiser - Now this was the creme de la creme of this line for me, its such a lovely, hydrating moisturiser. I found that even several hours after applying this, my skin still felt soft, hydrated and looked dewy and glowing. It really kept my skin moisturised and was perfect for my pre make up routine. It was the right balance for me, not to greasy and not to matte. My make up applied really smoothly over the top and it didn't cause my face to look greasy after a few hours of wearing make up like some heavier moisturisers do. I would highly recommend this to anyone, It feels like such a luxurious product to use and I cant rave about it enough. Good job Elemis! 

It costs £20 for 50ml

Avene soothing moisture mask.

As we are all fully aware, its winter, and for me winter means really, really dry skin. Iv been looking for a moisturising face mask that wont clog my pores for a while now and I think iv found the perfect one. 

Avene is a brand I have loved for a long time, Im a huge fan of their TriAcneal emulsion and gentle cleanser, so I naturally gravitated towards this brand when looking for skincare. I didn't know Avene did this soothing moisture mask until I was browsing their stand and spotted it, so I automatically had to buy it. 

This a very gentle mask, that you apply in a thick layer to the skin, leave for 10-15 minutes and wipe the excess away, you don't wash this mask off. This mask is designed for dry, sore and sensitive skin that is dehydrated, tight and red. As its aimed at sensitive skin It doesn't sting or irritate the skin/eyes at all. Its paraben free but does however contain Mineral oil which Im not a huge fan off. That aside, its a very soothing and moisturising mask, It leaves my skin feeling soft and looking more plump. 

It didn't cause break outs or clog my pores, which is amazing and it really helped to sooth any chapped skin I had. 

It is £11.50 for 50ml from boots, I do wish this came in a bigger tube but I guess I can live with it. 

MAC cosmetics - My little bit of heaven

It was recently my 21st birthday, so due to that I received some money as presents off people, automatically I decided to make a MAC order.  There are a few things I have been eyeing up from MAC for a while now and never really had the money to buy them (I'm a poor student). So when I finally had the money I jumped at the opportunity to purchase them. 

The first things I added to my online basket were these two products below. One is a cream blend blush in Something special and the other is a cream colour base in Shell. Something special is a light peach blush, the texture of it makes it easy to blend and looks natural and dewy on the skin. While Shell is a pinky beige colour with shimmer running through it. A Cream colour base is a multi-purpose product, It can be applied under or over foundation, on top or under powder products and on the cheeks, eyes and lips. They can be applied with a sponge, brush, figures, anything really. The main purpose I will use it for is as a cheeks colour. 

The next three things I ordered were eye shadows. Omega and charcoal brown are both Matt browns that I intend to use as eye brow colours, to help fill and define my brows, while Trax is a velvet finish, its a purpleish, red colour with shimmer. The MAC eye shadows retail for £12 each, are highly pigmented and really worth every penny.

To go with Charcoal brown and Omega I bought this small angled brush to fill in my eye brows with, I also decided on purchasing Strobe cream, which is a highlighter that can be used under foundation as a base or over foundation as a high light. I thought this would be great to beat the dull winter skin I have right now.

What MAC products do you like? 

Boots Botanics hot cloth cleansing balm, 97% Organic.

Yet again this is another Boots Botanics organic product that has impressed me. I have a previous post on the Boots Botanics facial oil 100% Organic here

This is a 97% organic cleansing balm that  

contains shea butter, rosehip, beeswax, almond oil and jojoba oil, which are really hydrating and nourishing on the skin, helping to leave your face smooth, soft and moisturised. You use it just like any other cleansing balm, over the top of a full face of make up or on bare skin. It works a dream at removing make up, doesn't sting the eyes and leaves your skin clean and soft. This is a solid balm that melts to an oily consistency once massaged in, which means it lifts make up easily of the face. Its very gentle and even thought I don't have sensitive skin, I can see this being great for someone who does. It is a rich formula which would be great for someone with dry skin also, and comes with a muslin cloth to buff and wipe away make up and dead skin cells. The light exfoliating effect of the muslin cloth means your skin is left looking glowing and radiant, and pores thoroughly unclogged. 

I find high street cleansing balms can be very hit or miss, but you cant really go wrong with this one. The fact it has such a high percentage of organic and natural ingredients means you wont be clogging pores with any nasty chemicals and its safe to remove eye make up with. There are no parabens in it and it was not tested on animals...which is always nice.

If im wearing make up, I tend to double cleanse, first, to remove my make up and second, to cleanse the skin. This balm left my skin unbelievably soft and really hydrated, which is what I need in this weather. Did not cause a break out and really enhanced my over all complexion. 

It costs £7.99 and comes with a muslin cloth. 

Beauty sleep.

Sleeping beauty just got more beautiful! 

Sleep is crucial to looking and feeling good, when your sleeping your body produces extra protein molecules to help repair your body. This helps boost your immune system, de-stress you and of course, repair skin, hair and nails. 

Weight- Sleep helps regulate the hormones that control your appetite. When your sleep deprived, your hormone balance is interrupted and this causes your appetite to increase, which may lead to weight gain and no one really wants that do they.

Skin- when your tired your blood doesn't flow efficiently which may lead to dull looking skin, while your sleeping your body produces growth hormones which can repair the skin and aid collagen production which can keep your skin looking youthful and radiant, and repair damage done by free radicals. Furthermore while your sleeping, your body isn't spending as much time looking after your organs and making sure everything is functioning correctly, which means it has more time to focus on the skin, so any skincare you apply at night will work much more effectively than in the day. 

Eyes- most of us know the effects lack of sleep can have on eyes, they can look puffy and bloodshot with dark circles, your eyes can also look slightly yellow from lack of sleep. A top tip to help reduce these is of course sleeping, but to further reduce puffiness, sleep more on your back than front, with your head elevated so fluid can drain more easily. 

Hair - Like I said earlier, growth hormones are released while you sleep, so naturally your hair grows more while your sleeping. 

The suggested number of hours sleep your meant to get in one night is between 7-9 hours. But if your like my, a really bad sleeper, getting this amount of hours may be hard. Here are a few tips I have picked up over the years that may help you get that much needed and beneficial rest.

1. Laptops and tvs give off artificial light which can trick your brain into thinking its day time and thus keeping you awake. So the best idea is to turn them off a few hours before bed and switch to something like reading.
   
   
2. I have been trying the Elemis quite mind room mist which is a combination of aromatic oils to calm the mind and help you relax. I find this really does aid a peaceful nights sleep, I also find it helps me to nod off faster which is great. I strongly suggest this for anyone who suffers with sleeping problems. They also have other products in this rang that I'm dying to get my hands on. 
   
   
3. A hot drink before bed can really relax you, a lot of people go for a warm mug of milk which is fine, but you can also try Horlicks which is pretty much like warm milk but with added wheat and malted barley. 
   
   
4. Hot bath/shower before bed is known to aid people in sleep as it can warm you up and put you in a more relaxed mood, especially baths. You can also add essential oils to a bath such as lavender which will really help with sleep.
   
   
5. Noise and light really effect sleep. Much the same as the first point, light keeps you awake. So if you don't already, try and sleep in total darkness. An eye mask might help you with this, and if you live in a noisy house/area you can try ear plugs to block out the sound.