April Favourites

Another month gone, another “I can’t believe how fast this year is going”. Really though, I can’t. It seems like only five minutes ago we were celebrating the new year. Cut to May and now we are experiencing snow and a heatwave all in the space of two weeks- seriously what’s up with that England? I tried a lot of new things in April, but here are a few of my favourites.

Yankee Candle- Black Cherry

This featured in the last favourites post I did back in February, but I truly can’t get enough of it. I love lighting candles in the evening to help me relax and this scent is just gorgeous. It smells just like cherry bakewells, which funnily enough I actually don’t like, but I am for sure loving this. After having it lit it lingers in my room for ages- a definite plus! Also, this was the fragrance of the month in Clinton’s so I managed to get this massive one for just £12!

Too Faced Chocolate Bar

You’ve probably heard people talk about this palette a hundred times before but it is my current favourite that I just can’t stop reaching for. This had been on my wishlist for the longest time but I couldn’t justify buying it when I already owned so many other palettes but wow am I glad I caved. This palette is my all time favourite, and has been more or less the only eyeshadows I’ve worn for the whole of April. I’d never really been one to wear a smokey brown eye but this has quickly turned into my go to look since picking this up. I think I’m going to do a blog post on some of my favourite looks using this palette soon so keep an eye out for that! The packaging of this product could be seen my some as a bit gimmicky, but I love it! I really think I helps give this palette a bit of an edge over all the other ones that are out there on the market, and the smell of the eyeshadows are pretty damn good too. I’ve heard a few people say that you can actually eat them but I don’t think I’d go that far!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer

Damn, what a mouthful that is! I’d seen a lot of people raving about this product and after I wasn’t too big a fan of the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer I decided to give this a go. I picked it up in the Oxford Street Debenhams while I was out with my mum back at the start of April and I haven’t used anything else since! This concealer is so creamy and blendable and the shade light neutral suits me perfectly. When I first saw the applicator in the shop I was nearly put off buying it but I’ve actually come to love it- especially for applying it under my eyes. I know you aren’t supposed to use the same concealer for covering blemishes and dark circles but I actually find it does a good job for both! It gives the coverage you need as well as brighting up your complexion. For £17.50, I think this is a steal!

Rosie For Autograph Highlighter Powder

I had heard Emily Rose rave about this product so much over on both her blog and Youtube channel that I just had to go out and get it so I could see what all the fuss was about. I had tried to get it in several different stores and had no such luck until a few weeks ago when I was out with my grandparents and I spotted it whilst I was waiting for my nan to return a top she’d bought. After two weeks of having this highlighter, I can 100% see what all the hype is about. For starters, the packaging is the prettiest thing I have ever seen. As you all probably know, rose gold is all the rage right now and I am just another one of those people who can’t get enough of it. At first, I found it slightly difficult to get used to as it is a loose powder rather than the pressed powder/highlighter sticks I had been using previously but I quickly adjusted. The colour of this highlighter is just so pretty and so subtle. It really brightens up your cheekbones without being too in your face and I just love it so much. I 100% recommend you all try this one out.

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions

All throughout the months of both March and April these products are all I’ve been using as skincare. I did a whole post on these last week, which you can read here, so I’m not going to go into too much detail. Long story short, these products have been my holy-grail this month.

Vans Atwood Shoes 

Firstly, I’m not entirely sure this is what they are called but I couldn’t find them anywhere on the Vans website so apologies. I’m not sure what exactly it is I do to shoes, but I seem to go through one pair after another so I am constantly in need of a new pair. Mostly all I wear are Vans and Converse, alongside trusty Doc Martens in the winter, and this pair might just be my best ever purchase. I bought them in USC about a month ago and I have worn them every single day since. That’s probably a bit gross but I just don’t care- they are that comfy. They were on sale too, I can’t remember exactly how much I paid for them but I don’t think it was more than £30. Since they are black they go with just about everything and when these ones fall apart (which will inevitably be soon, unfortunately) I will definitely be repurchasing!

Forget Me Now- Against The Current 

If you’ve never heard of the band Against The Current, then you need to check out their Youtube right now! I discovered them back when lead singer Chrissy did a cover of Beauty And A Beat with Alex Goot which has got to be back in 2012/13. I saw them back in March for the third time on their UK tour for the Gravity EP and each time they just get better and better. The month of May is when their debut album, In Our Bones is released – just 11 days!- and I couldn’t be more excited. They’ve released a handful of songs off the album over on Spotify and I haven’t been able to stop listening to them, especially the song Forget Me Now. This band are going to be the next big thing, I’m telling you now.

Over To You: Have you tried any of these products? What are your April favourites?

February Favourites

It’s that time again when we all sit and wonder, “Where the hell did February go?”. We even got an extra day this year thanks to the Leap Year, and it has still flown by! There are a number of products I’ve been loving this month, so I’m going to kick this post off by talking about my beauty favourites.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you’ll have heard all about the hype surrounding Liz Earle. I’ve been using their Cleanse And Polish on and off for the last 2 years, but back in January I bought some more in their sale and I’ve been loving it! This product makes your face feel so nice and clean and works wonders at removing every last smear of make up. My only gripe with this product is that I feel as though it does nothing for fighting spots, and it becomes a pain to keep having to wash the muslin clothes as they get very dirty very quickly.

A recent addition to my skin care routine is the Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator. I had been looking for a new exfoliator for a while as the one I had been using before just wasn’t cutting it. I have very sensitive skin so have to be careful what I use, and this product is perfect for that. It is so gentle on the skin (as the name would suggest), but also still really works to get rid of any dead skin cells, leaving your face feelings refreshed and clear.

The Body Shop’s Dead Sea Salt Scrub is my next favourite this month. I was reluctant to buy it at first as it is £20 which I thought was a bit steep (the student in me cried as I blew my weeks food shop on a single product) but I’m so glad that I did! This product is lovely, not only does it exfoliate your skin well but leaves it feeling smooth and soft.

Moving onto make up favourites, my newest addition to my collection is the Mac Prep and Prime Fix+. I use this every day to prep my face before I start my make up, to dampen my foundation sponge and to fix my make up once it is finished. It feels so refreshing on the skin and smells great too. I also use it on my eyeshadow brushes to give a better colour pigment.

I got the Mac 217 Brush as a Christmas present but put off using it for a while because it looked so clean and new and I didn’t want to stain it (ridiculous I know). So when I finally got around to using it I felt like my life had been changed. This just blends so beautifully and I love it so much!

The Stila In The Light Palette is a product I’ve had for over a year now but after getting a few Naked and Urban Decay palettes this one had taken a bit of a backseat. This month when I was sorting out my make up I rediscovered it and I haven’t looked back since! This palette is so pigmented, and has great staying power. It has some really beautiful gold and champagne colours (Kitten and Glided Gold), and Sunset is one of my all time favourites. It also comes with a full sized Smudge Stick Eyeliner in the shade Damsel, which works really well alongside each and every shade in this palette.

I have a few song favourites this month;

1. Holding Onto You- Twenty One Pilots
2. Trees- Twenty One Pilots
3. Runaway- Against The Current
4. Runaways- All Time Low

I’ve seen all three bands this month, Twenty One Pilots on the 25th, and All Time Low on the 11th, (with Against The Current supporting) and I haven’t been able to stop listening to them since.

I’m a big lover of candles, and at the start on the month I treated myself to the Black Cherry. I went into the Yankee Candle store in Southampton (actually a place of dreams) and spent the best part of 40 minutes trying to choose one scent! This one reminds me of Cherry Bakewell’s and the scent sticks around for a long while after you’ve blown it out. I think this is going to be something that is going to be repurchased again and again!

My final favourite of the month is Greys’s Anatomy. I started watching it at the start of January and I’m completely hooked. I didn’t expect it to be as emotionally traumatic as it is, and I was devastated for days after (SPOILER ALERT) George died! (Seriously, WHY!?!!?!). I’m just about to start season 8 and I am both terrified and excited.

So they were my February favourites! Have you tried any of these products? What were your favourites this month?