Travel Sized

In 3 weeks and 1 day I will be in America, eek! It will be a busy trip as I'm going to Chicago, Memphis, San Diego and LA. I'm trying to pack relatively light, as we will be moving around and I'm sure my Sephora purchases will weigh my case down!

I have bought a few new beauty items for my trip, some of these are things I have wanted to try for a long time but they are all travel sized so won't take up too much space and saves me some money!

Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray - These ridiculously expensive Oribe sprays have got a lot of attention recently and I wanted to jump on that bandwagon!  I really don't do much with my hair, I don't even dry it. I just put some moroccan oil in the ends and leave it to dry naturally as I like to get some kind of natural wave. This is why the Wave and Shine Spray appealed to me, you can use it on dry or wet hair , spray it in and leave. No fuss, which is what I like when it comes to hair.
Now I will confess I have used this once already and I loved the results. It didn't feel like I had anything in my hair, it gave me lovely natural waves and volume and smells like a perfume! I tied my hair up that evening and when I took it down the next morning I really had some serious waves going on, so that would be my top tip to emphasise the results!

Bumble & Bumble The Surf Set - Can you see a running theme with the hair products? ;) I have been intrigued by the new Bumble & Bumble Surf Shampoo and Conditioner and this mini set from Boots seemed the best way to try it. Even better, I got it with my Boots points. I'm not taking any styling tools with me, no hairdryer, no tongs, no GHDs, no nothing! So I'm really hoping these combined with the Oribe spray will give me that wavy Califonia hair I'm hoping for!

Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray - This is a tried and tested product which I love. I think I have got through 3 bottles of this stuff, its amazing keeps my makeup on all day. All you need to do is spray it before you apply your makeup and again afterwards. I have recently just finished a bottle, so instead of buying a full size bottle again I got the travel sized to take away. I found the travel size version quite hard to find and ended up getting it from Debenhams online for £9.00.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir - This is another product which gets a lot of attention, the full size is pricey at £32.00 and I wouldn't pay that, so this 30ml travel size for £11.00 seemed the ideal way to try it. Its basically a hydrating toner spray, with natural ingredients and a whole heap of skin benefit promises. I thought this would be nice to use on the plane as you always feel awful after a long haul flight. I don't expect miracles from this, but if I get them I'll report back!

Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer and Camera Ready BB Cream - I reviewed both of these here
While I don't think they are great value for the money, the actual product is really good and saves a lot of space in my makeup bag. My local Boots is now selling Smashbox products and I cant decide if its a blessing or a curse!

Back to the countdown!

Illamasqua Rare

Illamasqua, Rare. It can brighten up anything.

Smells Like Summer

I am definitely one to change my perfumes in the Summer. I like heavy, quite masculine scents but when it comes to the Summer I want something much lighter. My Summer perfumes are still made up of my favourite notes, amber and vanilla but in a much lighter way.

I am quite picky when it comes to perfumes as I don't want to smell like anyone else! I like to wear a scent that is unique to me and I thought I would share my favourite Summer perfumes.

YSL Saharienne - Out of the four, this is the 'safe' option. I can't imagine that anyone would not like this scent. Saharienne symbolises "a sexy woman with a feline twist, born from the alliance of sand and the sun" I know perfume adverts can be incredibly cringey but that I have to admit I love that description. Makes me think of Khalessi from Game of Thrones! There is some citrus in here, white petals and amber wood. (N.B Pretty much every perfume I like contains amber!)  Sadly this doesn't come with a Khal Drogo of your own.

Acqua Di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Mandorlo di Sicilia - I seriously adore this perfume. If like me you like a more unique scent definitely check out Acqua Di Parma, they are an Italian brand and their scents are beautiful. Mandorlo di Sicilia is a sweet scent with Mediterranean almond, vanilla and white musk. This is a very me scent and if you bottled the Mediterranean I imagine it would smell like this!

Bobbi Brown Almost Bare - This has quickly become my signature scent, I got through a bottle in just over a month! The name of this perfume sums it up perfectly. I imagine this is something Jennifer Aniston would wear, its simple but classic. Funnily enough I get a lot of compliments from men on this perfume, the man in Superdrug even asked me the name of my perfume, which must tell you something.

Maison Martin Margiela Replica Beach Walk - I have mentioned the Replica line in several blog posts so I won't repeat myself but just close your eyes, imagine walking along the beach, the sand between your toes (don't imagine a pebble beach!) this is exactly what this perfume smells like. You couldn't get any more summery if you tried!

July Beauty Favourites

 So Summer is almost over but until I have my holiday in September it wont be for me! I love Autumn/Winter time and I'm definitely not a Summer baby, but I try my best!

Its been ridiculously hot here in the UK so I have been wearing much lighter bases and switched my normal red blushers and lipsticks for more coral toned colours.

Here are the products I have used the most this past month and really loved.

Illamasqua Nail Polish in Rare - I love this nail polish and its pretty much the only colour I wear on my toes in the Summer. I love how bright it is, and it looks even better when your tanned! I just think it looks cool paired with my black Haviana flip flops. Illamasqua is one of my favourite nail polish brands, they are such good quality and I love the colour range. Ive had this for a good few years now and its as good as new.

Topshop Nail Polish in Celestial - I still cant stop wearing this on my fingers, its beyond a problem now!

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Foundation - I love this foundation and it gets a lot more use than some of my more expensive ones. Its a light to medium coverage and I love the consistency of it. Its quite thin so blends beautifully into your skin and leaves a natural but slightly glowy finish. I would highly recommend this.

Chanel Moisturising Bronzing Powder in Terre Epice - Did you know this is Lauren Conrad's favourite bronzer, oh yeah she has good taste ;) I got this in duty free years ago and for some reason had never used it. Like the Jouer bronzer I just blogged about, this is a very warm toned bronzer and I love the warmth it brings to my face.
Very shallow I know, but I also love the packaging, the compact looks so nice and makes you feel all fancy taking it out of your bag. Plus the mirror is huge so you can see your whole face in it and the brush that comes with it isn't half bad and is good for touch ups. If you have got your holiday coming up and fancy treating yourself try this.

 Lucas Papaw Ointment - I will share you with a story and its not pretty. One day I had a rash under my arm after shaving, for some reason I decided it would be a good idea to put sudocrem on the rash overnight. About 4 hours later I woke up in agony, the sudocrem had dried and my under arm was basically stuck together! I couldn't even raise my arm without feeling like my skin was ripping. Honestly it was horrendous, I even cried. The only thing that made it better and healed it was this little miracle and I have never been without it since. Lucas Papaw ointment is an all purpose balm, along the lines of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream. I put this on dry patches, bites, rashes, scabs anything and they heal within a couple of days. I don't know if its the pawpaw fruit in it, but honestly this has been a miracle worker for me. Its imported from Australia and I buy mine from here http://www.pawpawshop.co.uk/

MAC Blusher in Peaches - This is the best blush colour for summer, I love the peachy/coral tone and that it still looks natural enough for minimal make up. Its also the perfect accompaniment to my next favourite!

Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya - Revlon Lip Butters are another one of my obsessions and Juicy Papaya has been my current go to. Its a sheer coral that goes perfectly with MAC Peaches blush and is one of those lipsticks you can throw on without a mirror (my favourite kind of lipstick!)

Jouer Sunswept Mattifying Powder Bronzer

Jouer is an American brand that I have been eager to explore for a while. If you are a fan of natural looking makeup in neutral, wearable colours then you should definitely check them out.

As I had finally used up my bronzer, I decided to try their new mattifying powder bronzer in Sunswept. 

I love the Jouer packaging its very sleek and compact and all of Jouer's products clip together like little lego bricks, so you can build your own palette.

 This is definitely a more orange toned bronzer compared with others such as Too Faced's Chocolate Soileil, which I was using previously. In the picture above I am wearing it all over and also on my eyes in my crease as an eyeshadow. It gives a lovely, warm glow to the skin and as its not too dark its great for fairer skin tones. It has great lasting power and lasts all day on my skin without wearing off.

At £22.00 its not cheap but if you are on the look out for a new bronzer and want to try something different I would highly recommend this.

Jouer is exclusive to Cult Beauty

A Tale of Disappointment - Revlon Lash Potion By Grow Luscious

That moment when your mum says "I'm not angry, just disappointed", the time when you paid £12.00 to see the pile of utter wank that is Breaking Dawn Part 2, the moment your phone lights up and the thoughts that run through your head in those brief seconds, before you see the text message from Dominos.....

Disappointment

It was a disappointment that led me to find this mascara in the first place, 3 Boots and 1 Superdrug later and still no Maybelline Baby Lips! But just as that familiar feeling set in, I saw this sparkly little tube and I thought I had hit the jackpot!

This mascara is relatively new in America so I was surprised to see it released in the UK so soon. I really wanted to try it and it had been on my wish list for when I go to America in September. Plus Superdrug had an offer on, buy 2 Revlon items for £10.00. This mascara was £9.99 so basically buy one get one free, oh I thought all my Christmases had come at once.....

I bought this in waterproof as I am prone to getting panda eyes. Now onto the review....

This mascara is so dry! You know when your mascara is running out but you think it will do one more time, its like that....except its brand new! It took me quite a few coats to get much of anything on my lashes and by this point I was panicking. 

As well as the formula not being great, the brush was also pretty useless. Its a bristle brush but there are so many bristles on the thing that none of them grab your lashes. If you want a visual, imagine brushing your hair with a toothbrush. 

I don't know if its just the waterproof version that is rubbish but I wont be picking up the normal version to compare. After what felt like the tenth coat and 5 minutes of of faffing around it didn't look too bad but I would definitely not recommend this. 

I had given the other one to my mum and when I asked her what she thought she said 

"It's not bad....once you manage to get something on the brush"

Before:

After

The Beauty Graveyard

For a beauty addict like me, one of the best feelings is using up a product. The sense of achievement I feel is far too sad to even begin to describe on the Internet. Put it this way, it makes me want to play Heather Small, Proud really loud.

Anyway, I have used up quite a few makeup and beauty items these past few months, so before I recycle them here's my mini reviews.

* Indicates how many times a product has been featured in a beauty graveyard post. So if you see a lot of stars it must be good ;)

 Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation - A medium coverage foundation, with a really pretty radiant finish. I really enjoyed using this foundation and loved how it looked on my skin. This is reportedly the foundation Kate Middleton wore for her wedding day, but I'm still not any closer to Harry.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation * - After finishing my second bottle of this I am tempted to say its my favourite foundation, but I'm not quite ready to make such a sweeping statement! If you want a light coverage, long lasting and natural looking foundation try this. I have already purchased my third bottle with my Boots points (woohoo)

MAC Lingering Eyebrow Pencil *** - Another must have item for me, one of the best eyebrow pencils. If you don't want your eyebrows to look like you coloured them in with a felt tip please try this. This pencil is so small that you can draw individual hairs, making your brows look a lot more natural. Although my love for Lingering has recently been overshadowed by the Hourglass Brow Sculpting Pencil!

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer - I think they should re-name this the never ending bronzer. Honestly its taken me about 2 years to finally finish this thing! If you want a good, matte bronzer I would highly recommend this. Its quite dark though, so if you are pale it might not work as well for you. I loved using this instead of eyeshadow, defines your eyes with minimal effort!

Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Magic Lip and Cheek Balm - My favourite ever lip balm, I have already bought another one because I cant be without it! I would never have tried this if it hadn't been recommended to me by the Beauty Team at Cosmopolitan magazine, so for that I thank them!

Benefit They're Real Mascara - This little diddy tube was free with Elle magazine, normally I'm not a fan of magazine freebies but I was intrigued to try this mascara and I'm glad I did. I love it, have since bought another 2 tubes! Its pricey but I love how it makes my lashes look, as the little torture ball wand really wings out my outer lashes and elongates my eyes.

Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel - My new favourite cleanser. I use this every night, rub it all over my face and wipe off with a warm, damp, washcloth. Removes all my makeup and feels so nice on my skin.

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner - I was having a bit of a Clarins moment! Equally love the toner, doesn't leave my skin feeling stripped at all. Only downside is this bottle didn't seem to last long at all!

Origins Make A Difference Plus Rejuvenating Treatment - I used this at night as a moisturiser. This feels so hydrating and moisturising on your skin but I don't think it actually did much. I didn't notice any difference in my skin but it sure felt nice putting it on!

Yes to Carrots Nourishing Rich Moisture Day Cream - I have raved about my love for Yes to before for their amazing range of natural products. I have tried the Cucumber and Tomato moisturisers as well and I love them all. I like that these moisturisers are quite light, so if you have oilier skin and like to use products with natural ingredients I would really recommend trying out on of their moisturisers.

E45 Moisturising Lotion ****** - It wouldn't be right if I did a Beauty Graveyard post without a bottle of E45! I do really love this stuff as it doesn't feel sticky at all and drys quickly, but I do want to try a more natural body moisturiser so my E45 love affair might be coming to an end (only might though!)

Yes to Cucumbers Calming Shower Gel - I discovered this shower gel on my quest to use more natual products and I havent used anything else since. Its pricey for a shower gel at £8.00 but its a massive 500ml bottle so lasts you months and theres no nasty chemicals in it.

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion - I liked this body moisturiser, wasn't too keen on the smell but not really a big deal. Just didn't last me long at all, I tend to slap on my moisturiser, hence why I love my gigantic bottles of E45.

Clarins Eau des Jardins Smoothing Body Cream - This was a freebie and thank God because it was the strongest smelling cream I have ever come across in my 26 years on this planet. Honestly it was so overpowering and really not in a good way, more of a nauseous headache inducing way. I couldn't even bear to wear any perfume after using this.

Zoya Remove + ** - When you change your nail polish as much as I do your nails need a little bit of extra TLC. This is my favourite nail polish remover, if I use a cheap standard removed my nails literally dry out and break. This makes my nail varnish last a good week and doesn't damage my nails at all. I get mine from eBay or Amazon, its £10 which is expensive but I find it lasts me a good few months.

Lush Big Shampoo ** - I hate the smell of Lush, I hold my breath as I walk past but their Big Sea Salt Shampoo smells divine! This shampoo has little bits of sea salt in to really clean your hair and add volume, I really like using this as I have quite greasy hair and this makes it feel so clean.

Moroccanoil ** - Apart from shampoo and conditioner, this is pretty much the only other thing I use in my hair. I use it every time I wash my hair, I just run 2 pumps through the ends. I swear this completely transformed my damaged, frizzy ends and I would never be without it now.

Aussie Mega Shampoo * - Can you tell I have a new favourite shampoo and conditioner? Recommended to me by my sister after moaning that my hair always felt greasy, I have not used anything since trying these and as you can see have got through countless bottles. I love it, my hair feels so clean and healthy after using it and its cheap too!

Aussie Mega Instant Conditioner - This is the conditioner from the same line and I love it equally. Leaves my hair smooth and soft but doesn't leave it feeling weighed down or greasy. I think I will be using these for a long time to come!

If you have any recommendations I would love to hear them, as you can see I discovered some of my all time favourite products through people's recommendations, so I always want more!