It's the start of July, which can only mean one thing - It's time to go through my June favourites!
Oooh, it's been a while since I last wrote a monthly favourites post, isn't it? So, here are my top five beauty products from January 2016!
So, the obsession with alliteration strikes again. Here are some of the random things I've been loving this week:
♥ Brett Domino on YouTube
I've known about Brett Domino/C Bomb/Rob J. Madin since he had a short TV pilot on BBC Three, but he's totally Internet famous too! He's a really talented musician, with a good dollop of comedy thrown in for good measure. He's also from Derbyshire, just like me. (All the best people are from Derbys. Obvs.)
Pukka Three Mint Tea
If you regularly read my blog, you'll know that I'm a big fan of herbal teas. This is one I recently picked up by chance in Sainsbury's. It contains three different types of mint: Peppermint, Spearmint and field mint. One of the reasons that I was drawn to it is because the packaging is so pretty! When you open the box, there's a lovely design inside too! I'll be honest, I can't remember how much it was, but I don't think it was too pricey. It's definitely worth a try if you want a seriously minty kick to your tea!
The Little Book of Mindfulness
I've been getting quite stressed of late, and this book is great for making me take stock and realise that things aren't quite as bad as they might seem. It's packed full of poignant quotes; as well as breathing and cognitive exercises to help you to be a little more mindful. (Yes, it's technically a self-help book, but let's not get too bogged down in all that...)
It's a really lovely book to read before bed, as I find that it helps to calm my mind down a little and helps me to wind down more easily. You can buy it for a mere £4.79 from Amazon by clicking here.
It's a really lovely book to read before bed, as I find that it helps to calm my mind down a little and helps me to wind down more easily. You can buy it for a mere £4.79 from Amazon by clicking here.
Mango Handbag
My mum very kindly bought me the handbag that I've been eyeing up on ASOS for quite a while. It was supposed to be £24.99, but was reduced to £14.99 and then £10.50! Look how pretty it is!
Google Chromebook
I know I've already mentioned this here, but I'm really happy with my new Google Chromebook from Acer! The startup is immensely fast and, handily, everything is saved onto Google Drive, so that you can access your documents and photos really easily from any other device.
The size is perfect. It could easily fit in some of my bigger handbags, so makes travelling and working away quite easy. The best thing, however, is that it cost less than £200!
Fliqlo
This is a flip clock background that I've downloaded onto my Mac. I've seen quite a few YouTubers with these in the background of their videos. After a bit of searching, I discovered that the one they use is a free background called Fliqlo. You can also download it for Windows too!
You can download it (for free!) from the website by clicking here.
Father Ted
It's the 20th anniversary of the Irish comedy this April and More4 were showing back-to-back episodes, followed by the documentary Small, Far Away. I have to admit that it's one of my favourite comedies.
Here's a clip from probably my favourite episode of all time:
'Take this lump of sugar baby, you know you want it.'
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VERY Belated Favourites time!
Sleek Blush in Rose Gold
I did feature this quite recently in my latest YouTube video (which you can watch here.) I bought it a while back as it's a dupe for a certain NARS blush. The NARS one is £23, whilst the Sleek version is £4.49 and they're really pretty similar!
It's lovely, with a little bit of gold shimmer in it to make you look a little more radiant. It looks quite dark in my photos, but it doesn't look remarkably red once applied. It's actually quite a pink colour when on your cheeks. It's highly pigmented, so you don't even have to apply loads to get a good coverage.
You can buy this online for £4.49 from Superdrug by clicking here.
MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Crosswires
I've been using this lipstick quite a lot lately! It's been described by MAC as "clean pinky orange". Because it's Cremesheen, it's quite moisturising, which is great for this time of year when it's still pretty cold outside!
You can buy this from any MAC store or online for £15.50 by clicking here.
Benefit Roller Lash Mascara
This is an exciting new mascara from Benefit, which I'm sure everybody's already heard of! It came free in a recent edition of Elle Magazine and I'm really happy with it! I prefer it to They're Real and Bad Gal to be honest!
As usual with Benefit mascaras, it's going to cost £19.50 and if you fancy trying it, you can get it directly from Benefit's website by clicking here.
La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo
Yes, I know I keep banging on about this, but it's been a bit of a skincare saviour of late. I've been suffering from horrible spots and has been my go-to moisturiser to deal with the zits. I wrote a full review of this last summer, which you can read here, so I won't go into too much detail here.
You can buy this from Boots for £15.50 by clicking here.
Vo5 Smoothly Does It Serum
I'm not normally a big fan of using serums on my hair, but I love this! I picked it up a few months ago when it was on offer in Boots, but only started using it recently. I'm really pleased with how smooth and sleek my hair looks with this.
Seriously, taming my hair is usually a big job... It's normally an arduous battle with the frizz, but it's nowhere near as bad with this. And it's relatively cheap too!
You can pick this up from Boots for £4.19 by clicking here.
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Now, I haven't done a favourites post for quite a while, ashamedly. So here are my favourites from November!
Costa Coffee Orange Hot Chocolate
I'm not normally a regular drinker of hot chocolate, but this is amazing! When you first take a sip of this, it's just like normal hot chocolate but after a couple of seconds you get this whopping orange kick!
So, at just over £3, it's quite expensive... But it's a gorgeous wintery treat!! And it's nearly Christmas, so you're well within your rights to: A.) eat and drink as much chocolate as possible and B.) treat yourself. So there.
You can pick this lovely drink up at Costa Coffee. You can't order it to be delivered to your house, unfortunately...
Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 110
I am really getting into my lipsticks at the moment and this is one that I recently picked up in Boots. I was looking for shade 111, because I read somewhere that it's a fantastic Mac Ruby Woo dupe, but they didn't have it, so I picked this one up instead.
For saying it's a matte lipstick, it's not drying, which makes it perfect for this time of year! It's also so much cheaper than Mac Ruby Woo (about £10 cheaper...) so I would definitely recommend this one for those of you on a budget!
Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick costs £5.49 from Boots; which you can buy by clicking here.
VO5 Nourish My Shine Bedazzling Oil Heat Protector
Oh my goodness, why have I only just discovered this?! It's brilliant! I bought it a few weeks ago and I've used it pretty much every day since. It was a lifesaver when I was on my BBC work placement because I spent quite a lot of time outside, and this stopped my hair from descending into a frizzy mess.
You spray it on your hair before blow drying and it adds shine, but also conditions as well as being a heat protector! It's a jack of all trades, this one.
You spray it on your hair before blow drying and it adds shine, but also conditions as well as being a heat protector! It's a jack of all trades, this one.
This costs £4.99 and you can buy it from Boots by clicking here.
Zoella Beauty Body Lotion
Everybody's been raving about the Zoella Beauty range since it came out in September, and I must admit that I bought a couple of goodies on the day they were released (yes, I'm a saddo, I know...)
I've been meaning to write about them for ages. Literally. Sorry.
I love this body lotion. For starters, it smells wonderful. Secondly, it lasts all day on your skin. It's not overbearing or greasy; but it's still really moisturising. This would also make a brilliant stocking filler for someone!
I've been meaning to write about them for ages. Literally. Sorry.
I love this body lotion. For starters, it smells wonderful. Secondly, it lasts all day on your skin. It's not overbearing or greasy; but it's still really moisturising. This would also make a brilliant stocking filler for someone!
It costs £5 and you can buy it from Feel Unique by clicking here.
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara
I must admit that I didn't like this to begin with (back in those halcyon days where I shunned natural-looking lashes and went around with ones like spider legs instead...) but recently I've been using this as my every day mascara.
It's perfect for creating a fantastic day look. It's not over the top, but it's definitely enough to give your lashes lift and volume. It's nothing too showy, but it's just a great 'traditional' mascara.
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara costs £7.99 from Boots, which you can buy by clicking here!
I am going to be writing about my top 2014 favourites very soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
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So, I've been meaning to make my own video for ages... And here it is!
How exciting!
It's a pretty basic video with a few bits and bobs that I've really liked using recently, and this post is going to go into a little more detail about the products that I've featured!
Paul's Boutique Watch
This is such a bargain! It normally costs £34.99, but is in the H. Samuel sale for £7.99 right now! Get it! Go on! Now! Quickly!Now I'm picky when it comes to watches. I prefer understated, but not something that's going to completely pale into insignificance...
It's got a white strap and coloured triangles on it. One thing that struck me is that the second hand is a lightning bolt. (Get it... 'Struck me'? Ha. I'm here all week)...
PG Tips Green Teas
I know I've mentioned the Mandarin Orange flavour tea in my May Favourites. However, I've recently stumbled across their Lemon flavour too!I'm not going to bang on about the benefits of green tea... However, they're good value and they taste lovely, refreshing and fruity. You can pick them up in most supermarkets for around £2.30.
EcoHydra Hand Sanitiser
It's getting to that time of year where everyone is getting ill and germs seem to be everywhere. Urgh. If you're a bit of a Germaphobe (fearful of germs, not Germans...) then this is a wonderful product!It's foamy, like the ones that you get in hospitals. This particular hand sanitiser boasts about being effective against Norovirus, which is simply brilliant... Isn't it, fellow Mysophobes?
If you've got dry or sensitive skin, this won't aggravate it, as it contains aloe vera to soothe; and it has no alcohol in it either.
The Fault In Our Stars - John Green
I know I'm incredibly late to the party here, but I've only just finished reading this book! Yes, it's Yes, it's sad. Yes, it's technically aimed at teenagers. No, it's not got a happy ending... But I'm sure you'll be glad that you've read it. If you haven't already, that is!
Primark Makeup Bag
This lovely Cath-Kidston-Esque makeup bag only costs £3. £3, everybody! It's simply a bargain of the highest order.
It's also huge! Which is perfect if you like to take everything but the kitchen sink out and about with you!
I reckon that this would also make a fantastic Christmas gift, if you're into buying presents this early.
I reckon that this would also make a fantastic Christmas gift, if you're into buying presents this early.
*Shameless Plug*
If you really liked this post and video, then why not subscribe on YouTube or follow me?
Ooooh. How exciting is this? Not very, you could argue... But please don't. I'm going to take you through my top five all time favourite products! Surely you're at least a little excited now...?
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
I buy the lightest shade which is 1 Fair. I mainly use it to conceal the dark circles under my eyes, and I'll let you into a secret: The older I get, the more of this I seem to get through. It's quite depressing really.
This miracle product retails for £4.19, but Boots have it on offer every now and again. The fact that it's quite often out of stock is a testament to how good this is (and how much everybody already knows about it...)
It also covers up spots wonderfully and seems to last pretty much all day. I don't know where I'd be without it.
Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara
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| I'm getting better at balancing mascara, aren't I? |
I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I love this mascara. It gives my eyelashes a dramatic lift and volume to make my eyes noticeable, without making them look too 'spidery'. I normally use Black/Brown because I have blue eyes and I don't want to emphasise them too much for daytime wear. However, the Black is great too.
Granted, at £10.99, it's quite expensive for a high street mascara. However, I'll also let you into another secret, Fragrance Direct are selling it for £7.99... You can thank me later...
Max Factor also offer waterproof and 24 hour versions* of this mascara, but I still tend to opt for the bog-standard one.
*Who's wearing mascara for 24 hours in one go anyway?
Vitapointe Leave-In Conditioner
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| I really need to buy some more, don't I? |
It costs £2.09 or £2.29, depending on where you shop. You can use this during the day, but I prefer to use it at night as a 'hair mask'. It's a white cream that smells quite 'soapy' to me and it just makes your hair look a lot healthier whilst making it feel softer too.
If you suffer from frizzy hair, this is such a great product to tame it with! It's so understated, but it's honestly a brilliant product and it won't break the bank either!
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Body Lotion
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| Yellow, gooey bliss in a bottle. |
It's bright yellow, super-nourishing and smells gorgeous; quite chocolatey. As someone who's quite picky when it comes to body lotion, I'm always after a good all-round product and this is probably my favourite 'cheaper' one. One problem is that it's quite difficult to get out of the bottle towards the end, because it's just so gloopy.
It's also supposed to be quite good at reducing the appearance of stretch marks and it's much cheaper than other alternatives which boast about having mark-reducing qualities.
The price normally ranges from about £4-£6, depending on what size bottle you buy.
Anatomicals Body Washes
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| Sud the Lot of You... |
I'm a huge fan of Anatomicals. With their tagline: 'We only want you for your body', they're a comical brand who don't really take themselves too seriously.
I have a bit of an obsession with their body washes, which I use every day. I've built up quite a collection of them over the past year or so, from 'Sud the Lot of You' and 'You Should Be So Mucky (Mucky, Mucky, Mucky)' to 'Shower to the People'.
They put a great deal of effort in to ensure that the names are funny and the packaging is littered with jokes too. All of the body washes that I've tried smell amazing and they also lather up really well too.
A little goes a long way and a bottle costs between £2 and £3. You can buy them from ASOS, Superdrug and selected Morrisons stores, I believe.
Have you tried any of the above products? Do you love them as much as I do?
Thanks for reading!
Katie
x
*Yes, I know we're in June now, but I thought I'd let you all know about the products that I loved using in May anyway...**Links for all the products are available if you click on the store names.
L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara - Boots - £10.99
By chance, Glossybox sent this product to me last month...
It really reminds me of Max Factor False Lash Effect, which is probably my favourite mascara ever, if I'm honest. It's not quite the same, the brush is shaped differently and the formula tends to have a little fragrance to it; but luckily, it doesn't aggravate my eyes.
As you can see, the brush is a plastic one rather than a fibre one. It is great at combing through your lashes, but if you use too much it can potentially look a bit 'spider-lashy'.
I would still say that I just favour Max Factor False Lash Effect, but I do really like this mascara too.
Toni and Guy Leave-In Conditioner - Boots - £5.49
It's in a squeezy tube. I'm only on my second tube, so, surprisingly, a little goes quite a long way, even though I always use a generous dollop on my hair each day.
I don't really know what else to say about this, other than it's suddenly become one of my staple hair products. I'm normally quite experimental with my hair products, but this is one that I'm smitten with. I think that speaks volumes about how good this is.
My hair's quite prone to frizz and it often takes an array of a hair products to tame it. This significantly reduces the frizz nearly every time I use it. I do still have the odd bad hair day, but since I've been using this, teamed with VO5 Smoothly Does It Straightening Cream, my hair's much more managable.
Garnier Hand Intensive 7 Days Hand Cream - Superdrug - £2.99
This boasts that you can still feel the benefit after washing your hands and I genuinely agree with it. It seems to keep my hands in much better condition, even if I only use it once or twice a day.
I can't wait to use this through winter, in full knowledge that the skin on my hands will probably fare much better than it normally does. I normally get dermatitis in between my fingers and where my hands and wrists meet, this is one hand cream that seems to help eradicate that problem.
Some hand creams make my hands sting because my skin's sensitive to the strong perfumes. This, however, isn't too heavily perfumed. It smells fresh and... hand-creamy.
Elf Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 - EyesLipsFace.co.uk - £1.95!
I don't know about you, but when the weather's quite hot, foundation can feel a bit too heavy on my skin. Instead, I opt for this really cheap tinted moisturiser, and I am definitely impressed. Costing less than £2, (Yes, £2!), this tinted moisturiser is perfect for those days where you can't really be bothered with foundation. It must be said that I use this on top of my usual moisturiser, or mixed in with it. I pop a little concealer and pressed powder on top and I'm ready to go. It's great. The tint isn't that strong, and the colour is genuinely pale enough for me!The smell's quite unusual to begin with. It's orangey, which strikes me as a little odd for cosmetics. I soon got used to it though, and now I actually quite like the orangey-ness!
Lacoste Joy of Pink Perfume - The Perfume Shop - £41.50
I'll be honest, I bought this last July when I went to London. I was in Harrods and it was in the sale. I managed to get a full sized bottle and a smaller, travel sized bottle for about £25-30.I used to use Touch of Pink by Lacoste when I was at University, so I was intrigued as to whether I'd like Joy of Pink just as much. I really like Lacoste perfumes because they're not too pricey and they're not too cheap either. They certainly don't smell cheap (at least, I hope they don't...)
I like wearing perfume and I do wear it every day, but I don't like spending too much money on it. Lacoste perfumes are brilliant for me, because they smell lovely, feel expensive but aren't actually too pricey.
I hadn't used this perfume for quite a while, but I saw it lying around in my room a few weeks ago and decided to try it again. It smells really lovely and I've been wearing it every day since!
Thanks for reading!
Katie
x
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