A Very Late 13 Best of 2013!

Hey everyone, hope you're all well. You may or may not have noticed I haven't posted for a while which is down to a combination of things. Namely having a bad time at my job and having to quit, being a busy third year university student and some exciting goings on which have meant I haven't been able to blog as much as I'd like. I'm hoping now this will change as I've really missed posting and thought i'd start my return by doing my belated 13 favourites of 2013. As everyone says, it's so hard to narrow it down to just 13 products so I really tried to pick the ones that absolutely stood out over everything else and managed to eventually whittle it down to these!

1) Benefit Porefessional & MAC Refined Zone Primer (not pictured) - This may be cheating a bit but this combination of primers is my absolute favourite. I find the Porefessional is great at hiding any pesky visible pores around my nose whilst the MAC is amazing at reducing shine and mattifying any oily patches of skin for longer lasting make-up.

2) Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation - Sticking along the theme of long lasting make up, I adore this foundation! Not only does it stick around for hours but it contains SPF which is great for daytime, is a perfect colour match and gives great coverage without looking too unnatural. The only downside for me is that it's unavaliable in the UK but if I ever visit the US I'll definitely be stocking up!

3) Loreal Nude Magique BB Powder - I really like this powder for looking really natural whilst helping with any oil control on my face. It photographs nicely and sits well on the skin whilst not being too expensive or clogging my pores. The only negative is that the shade range is limited to around two. They are fairly adaptable but if you have a medium-dark skintone, I'm not 100% sure this could work for you.

4) Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder (White) - This is one of my favourite discoveries of the whole year. The perfect powder for under eyes as it not only sets the area beautifully to allow a crease-free finish but also further brightens any undereye dark circles left after concealer. I will definitely continue to repurchase this throughout 2014!

5) Illamasqua Blush in Tremble - I have to admit, I'm not someone who always wears blush but when I do, this is the one I reach for 90% of the time. It's such a pretty, wearable peachy pink that I can't imagine looking bad on anyone. When my face needs perking up it's the one i'll always choose. I love it because it's the most long lasting brand of blush I own and it's matte so doesn't leave too much shimmer on my face. Highly recommend this!

6) MAC Patisserie Lipstick - This is definitely my all-time favourite everyday shade. It's basically a much easier way of wearing nude as it's a pinky brown shade which doesn't wash me out or look too unnatural. It provides a bit of a sheen and a wash of colour and for someone who finds nudes just don't work for them I find this perfect.

7) MAC Sable Eyeshadow - The perfect plummy toned shimmery brown. It's a hard to describe shade but it's great all over the lid or in the crease and I find it works well with practically any colour I wear. Seriously beautiful and I use it quite a lot!

8) MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow - My favourite all over the lid, everyday colour. This is a colour I will always repurchase and that gets the most love from me! It's a really lovely pinky gold colour that is super flattering.

9) Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner - This year brought about a new love of liquid eyeliner that I'd never had before and it's all because of this baby! It's a really opaque, slightly glossy black and I find the thin nib of the felt tip applicator makes application so much easier. The only negative is it does take a minute or two to dry so I do tend to wait before curling my lashes.

10) Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil & Liner - Another one of my favourite discoveries of the year. I never really heard this talked about but I absolutely love it. I also own the Hourglass Brow Sculpter but find this so much better. You get a felt tip applicator on one end which is great for sparser areas of brow where I need to mimic hairs and then a really pigmented pencil which leaves an amazing finish on the brows. So, so good!

11) YSL Babydoll Mascara - Although expensive, this was definitely my favourite mascara of the year. I'm still not sure if this is 'the one' but it's one of the best ones I've used for creating a slight curl, adding length and volume. It leaves a really nice finish and has left me wanting to try every YSL mascara there is now too.

12) Bumble & Bumble Dryspun Finish Spray - I've gotten through around 3 cans of that this year as I just can't leave without big hair. This stuff is really good at just adding some texture and volume to the roots and ends and creating good bed hair. I'm not 100% sure I prefer this to the Oribe offering but at £17 cheaper it's definitely worth it!

13) Models Own Hedonist, Topshop Celestial & Barry M LE Holographic Silver Glitter - As you may be able to tell, I've massively cheated here. But who realistically can be just one nail polish for the whole year?! It was hard enough to get it to three.. But anyway! These were the three that stood out to me. Hedonist is an incredible neon red shade that I could barely take off all summer. Topshop Celestial is probably my joint favourite shade ever with it as an amazing cornflower blue shade that works any season. Finally, I picked up this Barry M LE Shade (with no name) towards the end of the year and it is THE most amazing glitter - it's like a silver toned rainbow on the nails! I must have stocked up on around five so if you can find it i'd definitely recommend it.

So that's my (sort of) 13 favourites of 2013. I'd love to know what you think of any of these products or what you're favourite products were and i'll hopefully be back soon with another post! Thanks for reading :)

Favourite Spring/Summer Polishes

L-R Models Own Hedonist £5, Topshop AWOL £5, Barry M Pink Flamingo £2.99, Barry M Neon Pink £2.99, Essie Fiji £7.99, Essie Go Ginza £7.99, OPI Gargantuan Green Grape £7-9 & Topshop Celestial £5

Hi everyone, hope you're all well. Today I wanted to share my favourite spring/summer nail polishes. I was looking back through my old posts and one of my first posts was on colours for autumn/winter so I wanted to continue on with the seasonal polish post. Without further ado, here all my bright and pastel picks for this time of year! :)

First up a couple of bright polishes. Hedonist is a gorgeous red/orange neon shade that's particularly eye catching on the nails, I've done a full review here. Then we have Topshop AWOL. I was trying for a while to track this shade down and it was so worth it. It's a beautiful colbalt blue and as with all Topshop polishes, the formula is great. Then we have a couple of old Barry M favourites, Pink Flamingo which is actually a very pretty coral toned pink and neon pink which is exactly as the name suggests, a bright pink with a slightly blue duochrome to it which looks incredible in the sunshine when the light hits!

Then onto the more pastel shades! First is a cult favourite, Essie Fiji. As much work as this polish takes to get perfect (usually around 3 coats) the colour is definitely worth it. It's so unique and so pretty. Also on the off-white theme we have my latest addition, Essie Go Ginza from their new collection. I actually haven't heard anything about this shade from any bloggers but it is absolutely incredible! It's a slightly off white purple and is so stunning, definitely going to pick up some back ups when this collection goes! Next is OPI Gargantuan Green Grape which I find to be the perfect shade of mint green. The formula is really nice, I do find OPI a bit hit and miss but I have absolutely no gripes with this one. Finally, my all time favourite polish Topshop Celestial. The perfect cornflower blue that actually looks flattering against my pale skin and a nice glossy, long lasting finish.

I'd love to know your favourite spring/summer shades as well as whether your team pastels or team brights. I have to say, I'm totally undecided!

Current Favourites!

Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the total lack of posts this last week. As some of you might know I'd been doing work experience at Red Magazine the last two weeks so hadn't had a lot of time to post but from Thursday onwards I will have no uni so will be able to fully commit to posting more! :)

I thought today I'd share some of my current favourites. I have to say, I'm not one for doing monthly favourites myself yet just because I don't feel my favourites change often enough every month so I thought I would do a roundup every now and again when I've had products really stand out to me. 

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray - This was a slighly impulsive purchase I made a few weeks ago. I actually had a Space NK voucher from my birthday to use and really wanted to try this out after seeing so many amazing reviews of it giving voluminous hair. Although pricey this stuff is incredible, I absolutely love it. I've never found a product that gives my hair so much volume and this alongside my Bumble & Bumble Texturizing Cream (which is also a favourite but forgot to take a photo of it!) gives me the perfect beachy, volumised hair.

Laura Mercier Radiance Primer - I got this in the gift with purchase offer Harvey Nicholls were running and oh my gosh, this is my new holy grail primer! I was initially so worried about how it would fare on my skin but with Benefit Porefessional on my oilier nose and this all over the rest of my face, my skin has never ever looked so bright and healthy. My makeup lasts far longer than any other primer I've tried including the Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer so I'd urge anyone to give this a go.. it's incredible!

Maybelline Babylips in Peppermint - I love this stuff for days where I don't feel like wearing anything too heavy as it gives a sheer wash of colour that slightly lightens my lips whilst making them baby soft. It's also great to pop on before a lipstick to help my lips stay a lot more moisturized and I honestly adore these so much for really hydrating my lips as well as the minty scent and cannot wait for them to arrive in the UK. I've done a full review of them here.

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer & YSL Touche Eclat Foundation - I won't talk about these too too much as they were both in my last post but I've loved these whilst I've been having a lot of early mornings for brightening up my skin and have worn them together everyday for the last three or so weeks.

MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl - You may have seen in my last post that I really wanted a non-glittery more sheeny highlighter and this one is incredible. It is exactly what I was looking for, it's pretty subtle but that's exactly what I like for everyday use if I'm honest and I really, really love it. Next on my list is Luna as like Pearl it's a sheen finish but more intense which I think will be ideal for evening wear. Thank you to Megan for suggesting I try these out!

Stella Summer Rose Perfume - I mentioned this in my perfume collection I did months ago but I have really loved using this perfume lately, it's definitely going to be my summer scent! As the name suggests it's pretty floral which isn't usually my taste but it's a lovely and such a beautiful bottle.

MAC Malt Eyeshadow - I've had this for a couple of months now and it's quickly become one of my top three favourite MAC eyeshadows. It's perfect for in the crease, a light cool toned brown with a bit of pinkness to it and great all over the lid for a neutral matte eye. I haven't found a single colour or makeup look it doesn't work with as of yet.

Topshop AWOL - I am totally obsessed with anything cobalt blue at the moment and this polish is no different. The shade is similar to Essie Butler Please that was in a haul of mine a little while ago which I mainly got as I couldn't find this shade online and presumed it had been discontinued. I then managed to find it in store a while ago and had to get it. The reason this beats the Essie is totally due to formula, it lasted around four/five days on my nails whilst the Essie only lasted a day without chipping. A lovely shade all year round I'd say.

Models Own Polish in Hedonist - Finally, another bright nail polish and this is Hedonist from the Headkandi collection. Again, Models Own aren't my favourite formula but this one actually lasts better on me than other ones I've tried and the shade is totally worth it. It's a neon red and it's so, so bright on the nails that it's definitely one of my all time favourite colours of my collection.

What have been your favourites lately? Also please let me know if you'd like to see a full review on any of these products or if there's any others posts you'd like to see from me!

My Valentine's Day Inspired Nails

I'm not a massive fan of Valentine's Day myself but I do like to get in the spirit of holidays slightly and this is often done through nail art! I've done these nails before and just think they look so cute, i'm really terrible at anything too fiddly so if you're like me and like easy to do but nice looking nails then look no further!

So like I mentioned before, I don't have the most steady hand hense the slight wobbly heart here and there! However, even if you're the same as me, they are so easy to do! For this nail art, I used Essie's Fiji which as you may have guessed from my post on overhyped beauty products I'm not in love with due to the formula but the colour is beautiful after the required effort, Topshop Helter Skelter which is like MAC Impassioned in a polish and dotting tools which my housemates got me from Ebay!

After painting on three layers of Fiji and letting it fully dry, I then took some of the Topshop polish and dabbed it onto a piece of paper. From that amount, I then dipped the dotting tool into the product and drew on two lines diagonally opposite eachother to create a heart shape. You can do them either to face you or away from you, but I chose to do them so they would face other people for this! Then all there's is to do is add a top coat and you're good to go :)

Hope this was helpful for any amateurs like me and have a lovely day Thursday whatever you're doing!

Favourite products under £5!

I wanted to do something a bit different today and speak about my favourite bargain products. My blog has covered a lot of my most loved expensive items so it's easy for the cheaper repurchases to get overlooked. These are all things I've either already repurchased or would repurchase when they run out and thought it would be a bit of a different, hopefully interesting post! 

Radox Spa Smoothie Bath Soak Fig and Neroli Oil (£2.20) - This is a bit of a random one but this product is something I always pick up as soon as it runs out. The scent is absolutely incredible and it leaves my skin soft after use.

Elf Wet Gloss and Brow Clear Mascara (£1.50) - I already spoke about this in my 2012 favourites but I absolutely adore this stuff. It is so so cheap (but do bare in mind I have to order this online so always do in bulk to save in postage costs!) and I honestly feel it does a just as good if not better job than any more expensive brow product and sets my brows all day. I use this purely for brow setting so can't comment on it as a mascara but a definite staple in my makeup bag I'd never, ever be without. 

Sally Hansen Cuticle Massage Cream (£4.35) - Another apricot scented product! I only started using this a few months ago and it's just amazing. It makes the process of sorting out any dryness or cuticles around my nails so easy and works within a couple of minutes. It's also not too drying on my skin. You can get this cheaper if you look around but I did mine for the price I bought it for in Boots!

St Ives Apricot Scrub Invigorating (£4.29 but currently £2.86 from Boots!) - This scrub is really good and such a good price for the results it gives. I have to be honest and say I'm not mad on the apricot scent as it is very strong, something to be aware of if you like unscented products but it does a lovely job of leaving my skin soft, smooth and brightened. They also do a sensitive one and a blemish prone but I find this one fine for my sensitive, oilyish skin.

Rimmel Stronger Base Coat (£4.59) - I've used this for years and it's a really great base coat. Dries quickly, stops my nails from breaking and does the job perfectly. I've never felt the need to try any other base coat, though I do sometimes use Nail Envy if my nails are particularly weak.

Barry M Polishes (Coral Pictured) (£2.99) - I'm sure everyone is getting sick to death of my raving about these polishes so all I will say is they last ages, have an amazing colour range and are super easy to apply. They're on offer a lot too! My favourite nail polish brand.

Topshop Polishes (£5.00) - Another amazing makeup/nail brand is Topshop. Their nail varnish is really glossy, opaque and long lasting and I'd really recommend this also. They also do my all time favourite polish, Topshop Celestial!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude (£3.99) - This stuff is the best for making your eyes instantly brightened and awake. I use this most days, particularly on those early mornings and wouldn't be without it now. I'll be honest and say something controversial though! For me personally, this is the only one I've tried that I love.. the Taupe shade did not show up on my waterline however much I tried and the black one really smudged under my eyes!

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipliners (Indian Pink pictured) (£2.99) - These and the Topshop lip liners are the only ones I will use. I've never felt the need to buy a high end lip liner as I find these work so well and have a great range of colours. They don't drag, they aren't too drying considering they're a lip liner and do the job perfectly.

No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadows (£7.00) - Right, this is a cheat one because these are £7.00 if you buy them full price but I always get mine when I get the £5 off vouchers, making them £2.00 so please forgive me! These are something I recently tried and I have the shades Wheatsheaf and Yellowshine. I'm so so impressed with these, they are buttery soft and lovely shades that definitely rival my MAC shadows, my favourite drugstore eyeshadows for sure.

Soap and Glory Hand Food (£5.00) - Aah my favourite hand cream. It smells of marshmellows, moisturizes without being greasy and is super cheap for the results it gives. I use this so much in Winter and it works wonderfully.

So there you have it! Just an honorable mention, Collection's Lasting Perfection is an amazing concealer but I don't really use it as I find it a bit too much under the eyes. However, if ever my skin gets a rash from a product or if I've had dairy I love it for more coverage!

What's your favourite product for under £5?

Review: Topshop Celestial - the most beautiful nail polish ever?

Topshop Celestial may just be my all time favourite nail polish. When I first set eyes upon Celestial, I was sure it would be another blue shade far too bright for my pale skin, especially since I've never found a blue that looks nice. However, I was ecstatic to discover that this one is absolutely perfect! A cornflower blue, this is not as harsh as some brighter shades due to the purpley undertone and stands out in the right way.

I've also found the application and finish of Topshop nail polishes to be really great. This particular shade only takes 2 coats to be opaque and leaves a lovely shine to the nails. It lasts around 4 days on my nails (this picture being taken on day 4, hence the slight chip on my thumb!) which I think is a great wear time and at £5, it is definitely worth trying out for yourself! 

Which Topshop polishes do you love? :)