Golden Bronze & A Pink Flush

The first signs of spring are here; it's light at 7am, the first flowers are sprouting in the parks and you feel a tad warm in your thick winter parka. Your daring to dream of sandals, dresses, suntan's; and while it might be too soon for that particular seasonal shift, it's not too soon to let the tantalising signs of warmer weather inspire what you put on your face.

I have been really in love with a bronzed face and eyes with flushed cheeks and lips this month.
The L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation has been my go too base this year. I picked it up in a shade slightly more golden than my true skin colour but it's close enough that it works, but gives my albino esq complexion a bit more colour. It's such a nice foundation, really natural and has great coverage!
Perfect for when it's not warm enough to break out the really light BB creams or tinted moisturisers but you still need to cover your sunshine deprived skin.

For more warmth, and a lazy girl's contour all in one, I always reach for The Body Shop Honey Bronzer. It's a perfect warm bronze and great for a paler complexion like mine. Sweeping just under the cheek bones and around the edge of the face adds colour and slims everything down, perfect!

I'm truly addicted to the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette this year after receiving it for Christmas. For a girl who has never really worn eye shadow in her life, I have very hooded eyes and lids on the greasy side, I now wear it almost every day. Many an inappropriately heavy eye looks for everyday this year with this palette to blame! Chopper is a great bronze/copper colour that really makes any eye colour pop. It can be a bit dramatic for every day but recently I've been running it along the edge of my lid like an eye liner or over something like Suspect on the outer corner to intensify the crease.

Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blushes are hands down my favourite blushes; and I only own 2! They are perfectly pigmented, last all day and there really is a colour for everyone. Blissful is the perfect every day flush colour. A natural warm peach with just a hint of shimmer that gives a subtle glow.

Finally the Topshop Lipstick in Macaroon is the quintessential spring pink lippy colour. Apply for a beautiful peachy pop of pink or sweep lightly for a 'your lips but better' tint with some lipbalm.

What are you embracing on your face this first day of Spring??

Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub

I'm definitely a bit behind on the whole Lush Lip Scrubs thing; but last week I stopped by the enticingly scented heavenly store that is Lush and picked up their Popcorn flavoured one. Oooh my sweet, sweet, Christ on a bike! This scrub smells, tastes and is all round amazing!
With caster sugar and sea salt to scrub away any dead skin; then coconut and jojoba oils moisturise your lips leaving them feeling so soft and smooth. I've always had dry lips, especially at this time of year and I can slip into the habit of nibbling at the dead skin! (Yepp, gross! I know)
Using this scrub, followed by a bit of what ever lip balm I have to hand, has greatly improved the application of lipsticks. Bold, matt lips look 100x better on smooth moisturised lips. I'm excited to rock some of my lip products with more confidence now I know they won't be exaggerating any dry patches.
£5.50 might seem a lot for a 'little lip scrub' but it is honestly worth it! The product works wonders and you only need the tiniest amount to see results so it's going to last you a while.
What's your favourite Lush product?

The Body Shop Skincare Diagnosis

One of my goals for 2015 is to start taking better care of my skin, by building an efficient skincare routine. But my trouble has always been, where do I start?? How do I know what my skin needs and what will work with my skin type??

I was really excited to see on The Body Shop's website their Skincare Diagnostic Tool which with a few quick questions puts together your ideal skincare routine.

The questions identifying your skin type, what aspects you'd like to tackle, if ageing is a concern and what hardships your skin goes through on a daily basis. For me, I have combination skin and want to tackle; dull complexion, hydration and preventative measures for ageing. Here's what my advised skincare regime includes:

First off, the Nutriganics Softening Cleansing Gel Oil to remove impurities and even waterproof mascara. Next the Seaweed Clarifying Toner for removing any remaining traces of make up. For a targeted treatment the Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate claims to instantly refresh the eye area; smoothing out the appearance of lines, bags and fatigue. For a daily moisturiser the Seaweed Day Cream which moisturises dry areas, balances excess sebum and gives a matt shine free complexion.

For another special treatment the best selling Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask for drawing out impurities, clarifying and refreshing. Finally something for before bed, the Nutriganics Smoothing Night Cream. This will hydrate skin for up to 12 hours; help skin feel plumper and more tones and reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

I'd be least interested in trying the Cleansing Gel and Clarifying Toner. Honestly, the cleansing part is the one part I think I've got down. I'm just so faithful to my Johnsons's Face Care Moisturising Wipes followed by a cleansing/exfoliating wash of my choice, it works for my student budget! I am intrigued by the gel to oil aspect of this product and the ingredients to tackle those first signs of ageing though so it's going on the wish list.

I'm definitely most keen to try the Night Cream. I feel like it would be the best investment and although I don't have major lines and wrinkles just yet, I would hope that this would work in a preventative manner. I'm really lucky that my skin doesn't really have any trouble with blemishes but i do have some blackheads on my nose I'd love to clean out; so the Ionic Clay mask is going on my wish list!

If, like me, anyone is unsure about where to start with building a skincare routine; I'd highly recommend using this tool from The Body Shop. Even if the products are a little out of your price range it's a great way to learn what types of products could work best for your skin.

If anyone had tried any of these products I'd love to know what you thought of them!

Keep an eye out for possible hauls ...

Autumn Nails | Natural Collection Cosmic Crush

Autumn is well ant truly here, in fact the festive season is looming; only a few weeks away and I haven't even started my Christmas shopping! I've not really been in the mood so far to paint my nails in an obligatory dark autumnal shade yet. But yesterday I decided I needed to see something of the outside world ... and I wanted cake! (Check out my Instagram for the DElish Costa gingerbread muffin I tried - foodgasm!) So I swung by Boot's, just to browse and see if I could make use of the current 3 for 2 offer ... again!
Being a student my money is mostly budgeted for the important things; food, bills, train tickets home. Make up, nail polish and clothes don't really feature prominently on any kind of essentials list, I need a job asap guys. When I do decide that I need something outside of the essentials spectrum, the cheaper the better! At £1.99, the Natural Collection polishes are a massive tick in that box! I've never tried any of these before but when Cosmic Crush caught my eye I decided it would be a chance to rectify that.
This polish is a beautiful iridescent purple; transitioning from quite a warm plum tone through to a midnight navy/purple with a lovely sheen and the most subtle shimmer. I urge you to have a nosy at this shade when your next on a trip to Boot's because photo's of this polish (especially mine taken on my iPhone) will never quite do it justice as seeing it in real life will.
The price is of course amazing, but for £1.99 I was already anticipating that it wasn't going to be the easiest to apply. I actually was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the polish it's self. The tricky part for me was the brush ... Oh dear the brush, it might just have been a bad one that I had but there were bristles sticking out in any which direction. It was a bit of a pain so I ended up trimming some of them off. I found that the polish came up very streaky when trying to apply a thin layer, I don't think the brush was much help here. But when applying a thicker layer it evened its self out nicely and actually dried pretty quickly!
I used it with my Barry M clear top and base coat so I'm hoping that will give the polish some longevity. But overall I'm really in love with this polish! I adore the colour and, as you can see, I love how it look's with my khaki parker. It's the most affordable polish in the drugstore and if you've got the patience when applying it I think it pays off. Thumbs up from me!
Has anyone else tried these little polishes?? I'd love to know what you think ...

Oh, and another highlight of my day - finding out I have £8 worth of points on my Boot's card!
Has anyone ever had that happen to them?? Best feeling in the world!

Autumn Beauty Wishlist

Being a student who loves to read fashion and beauty blogs can be a little frustrating; when people are talking about all the wonderful products you can't afford. I've got plans to get myself a job in the new year so hopefully I won't have to be quite so mindful of my pennies in 2015. Until then anything that catches my eye will just have to shimmy on over to my Christmas list. But I thought I'd share some of those bit's while I've got a Saturday evening with not a lot to do.

I've seen a couple of people mention the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick's which were released recently and they sound right up my alley, but it wasn't until Vivianna Does Makeup mentioned and swatched the colour Sexy Sienna that I really sat up and paid attention!
I'm a very peachy pink kind of gal when it comes to my everyday lipstick, and especially blush; but this colour I think will be outside of that spectrum, with it's more apricot tone, enough to be also outside my comfort zone ... but not  too much!
On the theme of peachy pink, I've been thinking how much my make up bag could use the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful. I already own the blush in Captivating, and it's no doubt, hands down, one of my favourite blushes. I loooove the peachy colour but I think having something that was leaning more down the pink hue would add some versatility to my repertoire. Oh, who am I kidding?? I can back myself up till the cows come home! Honestly it's a really pretty colour and I need it in my life, I'm officially hooked on the Tarte band wagon, okay??
Someone that I haven't tried any products from if Bourjois! Of the drug store brands they aren't the cheapest. Always a smidge outside my justifiable budget for make up. But the Happy Light Foundation has caught my eye of late. Or the qualities it boasts have caught my ear and they sound like something new for me that I'd like to try out. Luminous, glowing, natural, undetectable, moisturising and breathable ... mmm yes please Bourjois!

This week I went into one of the best smelling shops on the high street with a friend on my course. Where she had a nice tasty sized budget to play with, I had to just make do with getting high on sniffing all the products three times over and covering myself in glitter (I swear it's just impossible to leave Lush not looking like some kind of mythical fairy!)
But, you see I was making a mental note on what I would or will be buying when I have some dosh to spend! I know the Christmas line is all anyone is B lining towards this month but I can't say no to my favourite smelling Bath Bomb of the whole shop, drum roll please, the Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb! It's a classic and it's got everything my heart desires from a Bath Bomb; a fresh, invigorating fruity scent and lots and lots of fun fizzing. Yay!
From their new range, however, I'm rather set on trying the So White Shower Gel. I was pondering the other day how The Body Shop don't have an apple scented range of products and how, if they did, I would probably be in love with them! But Lush heard my musings. This shower gel smells lovely and fresh, I just love the light crisp apple scent. It claims to leave your skin soft and fresh, and who doesn't want that??

On the skincare side of things; I'm really lucky that my skin behaves itself in terms of blemishes, although I do have my fair share of black heads, and I'd say I've got combination skin with dry patches in the winter and an oily T zone. I tend to opt for washes and skincare that have deep cleansing or brightening qualities. Just to keep me looking fresh and mildly awake!
Una Brennan is a skincare range I've been keen to try for a while (I'm being a good girl and using up the washes I've got in my stash) they are only just outside my range of 'student affordable' but from the fabulous things I hear about their products I think I can stretch!
For my first dabble I've got my eye out for the Superfacialist Tea Flower Purifying Cleansing Wash. Purifying and cleansing? Ticks my boxes!
Another skincare selection I'm intrigued to try is The Body Shop Seaweed range. It is recommended for combination skin, that's me, to 'restore balance and control excess oil' with a 'shine free and matt finish' which all sounds great! Oh, and it smell's lovely! Again I'd probably pick up the Cleansing Facial Wash to try first and go from there.
Finally on my radar is First Aid Beauty. Popping up in a lot of beauty Bloggers and Youtubers video's the last couple of months. This brand is definitely outside of 'student affordable' but I've been considering recently how I should probably have an eye cream in my skincare routine, prevention and all that, and the First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Eye Cream might be a worthy investment. Just a pricey one ... hmm, this one might be for the Christmas list!

What beauty products are you day dreaming about atm??

Today I Love | Kat Von D Tattoo Liner Pen

Who hasn't heard good things about the famous Kat Von D liner?? Well I am here to tell you that those good things are all true! This liner is just fabulous ...

Oh the nib, so sleek and precise! Until now I've only used the pots of gel with the little brush and the definition you can achieve with this pen in comparison just blows the gel pot out of the water.

I also have quite hooded eye lids, so I've always had to keep any eye liner really thin to avoid it rubbing off on my upper lid but I'd still manage to get a smudgy line appearing as the day went on. It was just unavoidable with any liner in the tiniest line but no more! The Kat Von D Liner dries perfectly, quickly and lasts all day! I've been having so much fun creating thicker liner shapes without the worry of any smudging, or any random line in the middle of my eye lid.

The amount of times I accidentally start to rub my eye during the day, forgetting my mascara and liner! But with this fabulous liner I'm always pleasantly surprised, after I've fumbled in my bag for a mirror expecting to see black smeared across my face, it's always looking as perfect as it did when I applied it.

Next time I have the opportunity to get to a Sephora, or someone can on my behalf, I'm going to be buying a lifetime supply of this beautiful liner! I anticipate never using another liner again!

Today I Love | Bath & Body Works Lemon Hand & Body Cream

In fitting with the name of my blog, I bring you the 'Today I Love' series. Just whenever I come across something I really love, I'll be letting you guys know about it!

To kick start it all I've got this Hand and Body Cream from Bath & Body Works in Meyer Lemon ... 

I just adore the scent of Lemon's. The Meyer Lemon Candle is one of my all time favorites; so this cream is right up my alley, I just can't stop sniffing it!
It's a Hard Working Cream that contains 7 intensely moisturizing ingredients that leaves skin feeling beautifully soft and it smells beautiful! I've been applying a little bit to my arms, elbows and knees in the morning after the shower.  It's great on those patches of stubborn dry skin and the fresh citrus smell lingers while I'm putting on my make up. Extra bonus, it's not sticky or greasy! So I don't feel like I have to stand around drip drying before I can get dressed!

The Body Shop Haul

I always used to love going into The Body Shop with my Mum when I was a kid. I used to run around smelling all the different soaps and bottles. It's taken till now for me to really shop for myself in their beautiful, heavenly, fruit bowl scented, wonderland of a shop!

This pay day I decided to go and treat myself to some things ...

Topshop Makeup: Highlighter & Cream Blush

Topshop has been my favourite high street store since I was about 13! I won't buy jeans from anywhere else, and probably 90% of the clothes in my wardrobe when you look in the back feature the familiar black Topshop label. Yet, I've not yet tried anything from their make up range. A horrible confession for a self confessed Topshop addict! Immediate rectification required ...

Soap & Glory: One Heck of a Blot

My new handbag staple is the 'Soap&Glory: One Heck of a Blot' Translucent Powder, and I am just in LOVE with this product! I'm going to pit it out there that I am pretty much a novice on make up and beauty. I'm hoping however to expand my knowledge and my collection of make up and I'm starting by tracking down those most highly recommended and loved products out in the beauty blogger world. This powder comes very high on the list of high street products so I knew I had to try it out, and I'm not disappointed!