Monthly Favourites

Hi everyone,

Can’t believe its nearly October, I seriously think that this year has absolutely flown by, it doesn’t seem 2 minutes since I turned 18 last December and this year just seems to have been one big blur of partying haha. Anyway, today my post is going to simply be some monthly favourites, I quite like reading these on other blogs, probably because I’m really nosey but I like seeing products that people enjoy using. Actually before I get on to the post I just wanted to say sorry for being missing from my blog for the last week, if I’m honest I kind of had a bit of blogger writing block and couldn’t really think of anything worth posting about, I sometimes think that some bloggers blog for the sake of blogging and I want my blog posts to be quality over quantity, and secondly I’ve had a bit of a mad week, it seems to have gone so quick that I haven’t really had a second to sit down and write, but as I’m watching X - factor now and I’m not up to much I thought this would be the perfect time to buckle on down and do some writing (sorry for the massive ramble there!)

Anyway my monthly favourites this month are a fix of some new products that I’ve been trying out over the last few weeks and a few old staples that could probably feature in my monthly favourites for ever and ever.

1) Simple Rich Moisturiser 2) Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer 3) MUA pressed powder – shade 1 4) Simple soothing facial toner 5) Simple clarifying cleansing lotion 6) Bourjois Bronzer 7) Soap and Glory love at first blush blusher 8) Real Techniques Powder Brush  9) Natural Collection Mascara 10) Revlon Colourstay Foundation

Simple Skincare

The first 3 products I’m going to be talking about are these Simple products, this has changed my skincare routine completely and really cheaply as well, I recently picked up the Simple Rich Moisturiser, the Simple soothing facial toner and the Simple clarifying cleansing lotion as there was a deal in my local Tesco’s store that you could purchase any 3 simple products for £5.00! what a bargain, I decided to stick to what I know and buy products that allowed me to stick to my faithful cleanse, tone, moisturise steps. And wow, do these deliver. The problem I have with some skincare is that I actually feel it is too harsh for my skin, I feel that I’m buying a toner that is literally burning off the top layer of my skin and I don’t like it. Which is probably why I love simple products so much, they have the best ethics of any skincare brand I know, they want to be kind to the skin and they create products that are fragrance and cruelty free so that you’re skin just feels nicer and doesn’t get damaged by using these products, these are also fantastic products for anyone with sensitive skin. Firstly the cleansing lotion is great for making sure your skin is really clean and feels super nice, but I would say that if you’re looking for a product that is going to get rid of all your makeup then this is not really it, I love this product but I have to take my makeup off with a face wipe first and then just use this to deep down clean my face as I feel like it’s not the best at getting rid of tough eye makeup and I’d be using a lot of excess product. The next of the products is the soothing toner and I think this could possibly be my favourite, this product doesn’t dry out your skin or sting like any other toners I’ve ever tried it just cleans and refreshes the skin and I would definitely say it has soothing effects although I don’t know how or why I think this. The last of the Simple products is the rich moisturiser, it goes on to your face completely clear and dries really quickly but lasts such a long time, it claims on the box that it will keep your skin moisturised for up  to 12 hours and I don’t know if I’d agree with that but it definitely keeps my skin moisturised for much longer than other moisturisers I’ve tried and for the price I would say that all of these 3 products are a steal – even when they’re not on offer.

Rimmel Fix and Protect Pro Primer

I’ve spoke about this primer in my last blog post which you can see below so I’m not going to go into huge amounts of detail, but this is a fantastic high street primer, it mattes the skin and makes it smooth and really does work and keep your makeup on for a lot longer. Probably the best primer I’ve ever tried and a primer I will continue to repurchase for a very long time.

Bourjois Delice De Poudre Peaux Bronzer

The next product I’m going to be talking about is the Bourjois Bronzer, I can’t actually say enough good things about this, this could be in my monthly favorites forever, I absolutely adore it. I’ve had this exact same product for years, I think I brought it when I was in year 10?! To aid my foundation and make me look even more orange than I was haha, but I always loved how amazing this product was and I still use it today, it smells gorgeous, almost has a chocolately smell and it gives you such a nice bronzed glow but you never look over the top, it’s just a gentle sun kissed glow, it’s just such a beautiful product, it’s light but gives you just enough product to make a slight difference, it has an almost sheen to it which means that it makes your skin look absolutely divine. Ahhh I’m in love with it, this product is so affordable and is the best bronzer I’ve ever tried, in actual fact I haven’t really tried that many more because I don’t feel the need too. It’s ace and it’s lasted me literally for years with every day use, it’s actually lasted me a good 3 years?! What the hell! So affordable and so ace, I haven’t hit pan after all this time and I do love the sunkissed glow, perfect for all seasons and for all skin tones, it’s just great! Seriously all time favorite product right here.

Soap and Glory – Love at First Blush

This is a product that I’ve had for quite a while now, I’ve kind of had a love/hate relationship with it but now I’ve got used to it and found the best way to use it, it gets a massive thumbs up for me. This blusher has quite a lot of sheen to it, but the color is gorgeous, you have to swirl your brush in all of the colors and this then leaves you with a  pretty pink color that is just to die for, but when the color hits the light it has quite a lot of sheen to it and a tad too much shine for me, I have quite oily skin and large pores on my cheeks and too much of this product just seemed to exaggerate this but now I use this on good skin days or I use it to highlight the top of my cheekbones or use it over my bronzer and it works amazingly as that. I love how individual the colour is and how pretty this looks in the packaging.

Real Techniques Powder Brush

I also recently did a review on this powder brush about 2 posts ago so you can go and check that out below so I’m not going to go into massive amount of details but one of the best brushes I’ve ever used in my life. It’s big, it’s fluffy and it’s soooo soft, it’s ace, It really does work for me and I can’t imagine ever needing another powder brush after using this one. My only nig would be that it is slightly big for powder, but then again that’s probably what makes my powder look more natural and helps me get such a light dusting.

Natural Collection Lash Curl Mascara

This is another bargain find which is great for those people on a budget, I picked this mascara up on a whim a few months ago and I actually really enjoy it, I think the reason for this is simply due to the fact that it’s a really nice color, I picked it up in brown/black by accident and I love it! I have brown eyes and therefore this shade actually really suits them and brings them out, I like the fact that this holds a great curl within my lashes, lengthens them and is also quite a wet formula so therefore doesn’t ever get clumpy no matter how much I put on. Such a great product and for so cheap too.

MUA pressed powder

The next thing that I have been loving for quite a while now actually is the MUA pressed powder in shade one, I think this is such a great product, I’ve tried quite a few powders in my time some high end and some drug store and to be honest this is one of the best I’ve tried and it’s only £1.00?! crazy, the shade selection is quite rubbish though I think there’s only 3 or 4 shades but for the price what can you expect, I love this, it keeps my makeup in place but doesn’t go cakey and always looks super natural, the packaging is fairly good too and perfect for on the go touch up’s. Seriously ace product and so cheap it’s almost unbelievable!

Revlon Colorstay Foundation

This is another product I’ve had my up’s and down’s with, when I had quite clear skin when I first brought this foundation I really didn’t like it, it looked cakey and over the top and it didn’t make my skin look flawless at all, but now that my skins got drier as it’s colder outside and I’ve needed more coverage I actually really like this foundation, this is a foundation that really needs to be buffed into the skin so I find the Real Techniques Stippling Brush does a great job of blending this in and making it look less cakey. I love how this foundation covers blemishes when built up and also lasts a really long time. Great foundation for the winter months.

Hope you enjoyed this post, thanks for reading

What are your monthly favourites?

Lots of Love - Gem xxx

Sunday Shopping Haul

Hi Lovely Ladies!

Today I’ve got a little haul for you, on Sunday I had a day of work and so me and my mum decided to hit the shops to do a bit of shopping and browsing. On Monday it was 2 of my best friends birthday’s, so I was going out clubbing and therefore I wanted to get an outfit for that and in the end I picked up a few beauty bits too. Everything I brought was a fair bargain though so I thought I’d show you what I picked up.

Firstly I went to New Look, because I was looking for a new dress to hit the town in, I’m really into the “Skater Dress” trend and therefore I picked up this really cute blue skater dress, I really like it because the colour is so bright and I think this is one of the styles of dress that literally just flatters everyone, plus for a night out it is nice to have a massive pop of colour, it helps you to stand out. The best thing about this dress is the fact that I actually picked it up for a bargain price of £14.99 which is actually really cheap for New Look and I would expect them to be selling out quite quickly, so if you want one go online or run to your store sometime fast, they also have this dress in red and black, and I’m quite tempted to get the other 2 after loving the fit, plus it came with a nice studded belt, which is a nice accessory, this dress is perfect to be worn down during the day and then dressed up with lots of glittery accessories for the night and therefore for me it is such a great buy.

The next thing I needed for my perfect going out outfit was some shoes, I mooched around New Look looking for some but if I’m honest I couldn’t find any that I really fell in love with and I always think that some of the New Look shoes are quite overpriced so therefore I decided against it. I was in Primark looking around for some cute but cheap accessories (later to come girls) and I found the nicest pair of black platform shoes, they were literally to die for. The shoes are so so so high with a little black platform at the front and a massive heel, but the thing that drew me most to them was the fact that they came with some straps, I have a massive hard time managing to keep heels on my feet so for ease of a steady walk I decided that these shoes would be really good. I liked how good quality these shoes actually looked, especially as they were from Primark and on the night several girls came up to me and asked me where I got them (score) so I know that I wasn’t the only one who thought they looked good. The best thing about Primark shoes is Primark prices and I got this lovely pair of shoes for a bargain £15.99 which I was really happy with. The only thing I would say about these shoes is that they absolutely murdered my feet and I swear that even now 3 days later my feet are still suffering haha, I’m worried that they’ll never recover, but in the name of all things fashion I will power on.

Next in Primark I wanted to get some accessories that I could wear with my dress, I wanted to go quite simple with my accessories simply due to the fact that I’m the kind of girl who normally ends up looking like a glitter ball, I love bling and anything sparkly way to much, and it’s not until I look back at photo’s that I realise how much of a Christmas tree I look like and therefore my aim this time was to keep very low clear, with only a little bit of sparkle allowed. This is when I found a lovely set of earrings and a matching bracelet, for a bargain price and therefore had to have them. First I picked up these gold studs, they’re pretty big and quite sparkly but because they’re studs I think they kind of work. These cost me either 2 or 3 pounds, I can’t remember the exact price but they’re bound to be no more than that because Primark don’t charge much for their earrings, I thought these would look great with pinned up hair. Next I found the matching gold bangle/bracelet, I love this bracelet, it clips as you put it around your wrist meaning it was so secure, which I love because when I’ve had one to many I’m always scared of loosing my jewellery but this fitted really well, also it gave me a matching bit of sparkle without looking over the top at all, this bracelet was actually £4.00 which is slightly  more expensive but still quite cheap. The last thing I picked up at Primark were some of their fake lashes, I’ve read a few blog posts where people seem to rave about these lashes and seeming as they were so cheap when I saw them lined up at the till I thought I’d give them a go, because for £1.00 why not? So far they look good quality and I think they will look really nice on the eye. I didn’t actually wear these on Monday because frankly I was way to scared to ruin my eye makeup, especially when it was looking so nice, but I’ll do a face of the day post soon and I’ll definitely feature these if you want to see them!

The last place I went to after my bank balance had received a massive hit was the Revlon Colour Stay foundation from boots, this foundation set me back around £12.49 which is quite a lot of money. I brought this foundation around a year ago and remember really liking it but it ran out super quick because unfortunately Revlon don’t provide a pump with this foundation (such a pet hate of mine) and therefore I kept wasting lots of product. Recently I’ve been wanting to try it again because I remember really loving it and I don’t ever know why I didn’t really go and repurchase it. But actually this time it’s been a foundation that’s really disappointed me, but this may be because I picked up a different formula this time, switching to try the oily to combination skin type, which is my skin type but this time it is just not working for me. I’ll give a full review and swatches over the next few days if anyone wants to read it though?

Anyway thanks for reading my small haul & thanks for your continued support

Lots of Love

Gem xxx