April Favourites.

This one took a lot of thinking about! It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was doing my March favourites!! You know the drill by now, so here we go!

Dark Angels Cleanser by LUSH – It’s no secret that I have become a HUGE fan of LUSH and I always have a stock of their bubble bars. My ‘go to’ cleanser is their Angels on Bare Skin which can only be described as divine and I always have a fresh face mask in my fridge for when I need a pick me up. I have always had a problem with blackheads on my nose and nothing seems to shift them – even pore strips are useless! But this month I purchased Dark Angels, which was recommended to me by my sister. Now, I have previously avoided this cleanser because it is supposed to be used by people with more oily skin, which I thankfully do not suffer with but it’ such a good exfoliant that I decided to try it just on my nose and chin. AND ITS AMAZING!!! It really made a huge difference to my nose and lots of those pesky blackheads disappeared. The surface of my nose is a lot smoother and although you can still see some blackheads, the difference is immense. And I am super happy with the result! So now I use a mixture of both Angels to help me get the perfect combination for my skin!

I used to be a big Soap&Glory fan but I started to stop using their products when I discovered LUSH. But then I saw this in Boots recently and just had to get it! It’s the (wait for it….) Total Drama Clean, 5-in-1 ‘Magnetizing’ Micellar Make Up Remover. It’s promises to cleanse, tone and smooth skin and remove make up with ‘no rubbing required’. And it doesn’t lie. Micellar water is supposed to be one of the best things to remove make-up and I have tried several types in the past. But this one is by far the best. It takes very little effort to get rid of even the blackest smoky eyes and the natural cucumber juice and peach fruit extracts make it smell amazing! Literally good enough to drink! I think this one is going to stay in my skincare routine for a long time!

So I have to make-up products for you now and they have both been used lots over the past month. The first is Bourjois’ Colour Boost Lip Crayon in Red Sunrise. It has a lovely glossy finish and is a great colour to wear now it’s getting sunny. What I like most about this product is that it is really easy to work with and can literally be swiped across your lips with little thought and without the bother of using a lip brush which you tend to need to use when working with red lipstick. I throw it in my bag and use it to brighten up my look as and when I feel like it. A true winner!

I am not a fan of the matte look at all and always prefer my foundation to have a dewy finish. When I came across Revolution’s Radiance Palette I just couldn’t resist. It’s honestly beautiful! With three different powdered highlighters, there is something both day and night time looks and the darker colour works great with bronzer. The colours are pigmented but not too glittery and really help add definition to your face. I got mine from Superdrug for a really reasonable price and I will repurchase this in the future without a doubt!

Lastly, I have got back into reading and am making more time to delve into some books! I absolutely loved The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North and thought her story about a man who lives multiple lives was a brilliant concept. It was truly gripping and it’s been a long time since I found a book I simply could not put down – but this is certainly one of them! I’ve also been getting back into my magazines and found myself flicking through Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health and Health and Fitness this month!

What have you been reading recently? Would love to get some books together for my summer reading list! As always, please leave a comment with a link to your favourites post – I love to eye-spy new products to try myself!

Thanks for reading,

Lx

March Favourites.

There are quite a few things I have been loving this month so let’s get straight to it!

1. Orange is the New Black

I recently downloaded Netflix and have been watching this non-stop this month. I have finished both seasons and can’t wait for the third! It’s hilarious, heart-warming, well-written and there isn’t a character whom I don’t love. It’s so real and such a good watch – I would recommend it to anyone!

2. New Nike Trainers

I have been wanting to get a new pair of trainers for a while now and I am always dazzled by the bright neon colours which are popular at the moment. I tend to stick with Nike because I just love their designs and I always go to sportsdirect to see if they have any bargains. Towards the beginning of the month I got lucky and managed to pick up these trainers for only £36. They add a pop of colour to my workout look and I they always make me smile when I catch a glimpse of them on my feet! 

3. Naked 3 Eye Palette

I’m not going to go on and on about this one because reviews have been done to death. If you haven’t been living under a rock then you will know all about how amazing this eye-shadow palette is! The colours are super pigmented and creamy and they make any eye make-up look fabulous. I do use this all year round but I have to say that the colours in it are really suitable for this time of year and are great to make some lovely natural springtime looks.

4. Lanolips Lip Products

This is another beauty one. Despite the warmer weather, I have still been suffering from dry lips. These Lanolips tubes have lasted me all winter and I just adore them – especially the lemonade one. They are creamy, glossy and really soothe cracked dry lips. They are super hydrating and contain SPF which is always a bonus!

5. Rose Gold Journal

My eye is immediately drawn to anything rose-gold and when I spotted this journal in Tesco, I almost squealed with excitement. It’s just beautiful. Being a teacher, I have to admit that cute stationary is one of my weaknesses!  It was an absolute bargain at only £2.50 and it is the perfect size to slip into my bag and use to jot down ideas and notes for my blog. Plus – it looks great with my pen!

6. The List: My Year of Sexual Adventures

I have just finished reading this book and I really did enjoy it. It couldn’t have come at a better time in my life and I do feel somewhat inspired by this memoir (of sorts!). Although I don’t intend to make my own list of sexual encounters to try, I do think I need to be more assertive and take control of my time as a single lady. I want to have fun and look back on this time of my life with a smile on my face, not with a list of regrets in mind. This book has helped me realise this and I really enjoyed switching off after a stressful day and laughing out loud at the funny moments!

7. Bourjois Highlighter and Bronzer Duo

This is my last beauty pick and it was an obvious choice for my March favourites. It’s easy to use, smells lovely and is the perfect colour for my complexion. Enough said!

Hope you liked my March favourites – what products have you been loving this month? Leave you opinions in the comments!

L x

February Favourites.

I can’t believe it is already time to do another favourites post! The second month of 2015 has already disappeared and my living/loving/social situation is still no different! Time I knuckled down to sort that out I think! Anyway… there are few things I have been loving this month. I actually began putting this post together on the 16th because I already knew some of the things I wanted to include :)

First up is my lovely tortoise shell Michael Kors Watch and my leather Pandora Charm Bracelet. I got both of these at Christmas and they have been on my wrist everyday since. I absolutely love them and think they look gorgeous together. They complete every outfit I wear and I often keep them on for a night out rather than switching up my jewellery – I’m that obsessed with them. So yeah, I would probably feature these in every monthly favourites for a long time to come if I could!

Now here are some words that 6 months ago I would never have said (or believed I would ever say!) but I have been LOVING the gym this month. I know it’s crazy but I have actually been looking forward to going and working out. Now it might be something to do with the so-gorgeous-it’s-dangerous instructor who works there but it also as much to do with the fact that exercise is really helping me at the moment. I don’t just mean with my figure but mentally too. It’s probably the only time in my day that I switch off and just focus on me and what I want to do. I stop thinking about work and the things I don’t like about my life at the moment and I can just let go of everything. I am going through a rough patch and 2014 brought lots of horrible moments which I had to deal with and I’m still getting through a lot of that Quite often a trip to the gym can mean the difference between tears or smiles at bedtime. So yeah, it’s a big part of my day at the moment. Plus, I get so excited that I can now shop for (and fit into!) cute workout gear to my hearts content!

This one should be classed as a Guilty Pleasure. Coffee. Before I became a teacher I hardly drank the stuff. In fact I don’t like tea (I know I shouldn’t be allowed to call myself British!) so hot drinks were pretty much off limits. But I think the social element of having a brew in a meeting or grabbing a quick one in the staff room means that I have begun to drink it on a daily basis. I do look forward to getting to work and having my morning coffee and I quite often have one after the children have left too. I can’t deny that it’s been a god-send for those early mornings after the half term holiday and I just have to be grateful that I don’t work near Starbucks! I have made a promise to myself that I will have no more than 2 a day and so far, so good on that one!

 

I cannot get enough of the soundtrack for Fifty Shades of Grey. I’m not going to get into a discussion about the film. It seems to be one of those love/hate things. I am actually not that bothered about it, Being a big reader, I bought the books before they became famous and didn’t think anything of them, they weren’t the first book of their kind I had read and I didn’t think they were very well put together – an easy holiday read. But then along came the hype so I saw the film and came out with pretty much the same opinion. But what I will rave about is the soundtrack. I JUST LOVE IT. Ellie Goulding’s Love me like you do is my current favourite song and one which, if a wedding ever decides to make an appearance in my life – this would probably be a choice for my first dance. I tend to play it when I am in the gym and listening to it just makes me feel confident and sexy and I tend to push myself a little further when I’m on the treadmill.

So those are my favourites for this month. I want to lay these sorts of posts out a bit better – maybe with one large picture of everything at the top with my writing underneath? What do you think? Would love to hear your opinion below – feel free to link me to your own favourites posts!!

Lots of Love, L xx