July Favourites

The last monthly favourites post I wrote was in March. I say it every month but honestly... where has the year gone? It won't be long till I'm on a countdown until Halloween and Christmas. As if I just mentioned those two events in a July favourites post.

No pair of sunglasses EVER suit me. But, after years of searching, I finally found the perfect pair from River Island. I love everything about them; the colour, they're so comfortable and I don't look like a fly. For only £10, I'm glad I found these! Hopefully they last me foreverrrr.

When I heard about the new Pinita Colada range in the body shop, I was beyond excited. I personally love pina coladas and I thought it would be perfect to add to my bathroom shelf. It's such a sweet summery smell, I just can't get over it. It's only £5!!

Ok, this month was the first time I've ever tried the Garnier micellar water. I know what you're thinking... "you have a beauty blog, how have you not tried it?" or "you've missed out!" I know. I don't have a clue why I hadn't tried this sooner, it's AMAZING! I won't go into too much detail about this product as you've probably read hundreds of reviews. It's gentle on my sensitive skin, it doesn't irritate my eyes and I find it quicker than using makeup wipes. I only bought the 125ml to see what it was like and because it was £1 in Boots.

I have never tried the Urban Decay setting spray before, although I have been eyeing it up for over a year. On nights out, my best friend always let me borrow her UD setting spray and I was completely satisfied every time. So I took the plunge and splashed out £22 on this setting spray. It's better than Makeup Revolutions, to be honest, you and I would be surprised if it wasn't. It has been fantastic in the hot weather that the UK has recently had. When I thought that my makeup was melting off, it didn't budge once! I'm so pleased with this and I will definitely be buying a second one.

Next is my favourite contour kit from Sleek. It's the perfect contour shade for pale skin, it blends easy and stays on all day long. The highlighter is very pigmented and illuminating. This duo compact is my fave and it's travel friendly! I have used this every single day since I've purchased it and I've had quite a few compliments on my highlight. I have written a separate post on this product (here) if you would like to read a bit more about it.

I recently bought Lee Staffords Coconut Spritz from his Coco Loco range. If you love coconuts then I guarantee that you'll love this! It's a quick and easy moisturising spray that you spray before blow-drying your hair. And, I also spray it in my hair throughout the day if my hair looks a little dull and dry. I use this all the time, I literally smell of coconuts. I'm so tempted to just buy the whole Coco Loco range.

What have been your favourites for this month?

Keeping Your Hair Alive This Summer

We have officially hit Summer here in the UK, terrible weather or not. I find that taking care of your hair in the Summer months is especially important as your hair can become dry and the sun can even change the colour of it. Going abroad to warmer countries whilst relaxing on a sun lounger or the chlorine in swimming pools can also damage your hair. So, I've put together a list of affordable products you can use to keep your hair alive this Summer.

Yes, the ground is wet as it was raining before I took these photos. So much for our British Summer ay?

L'Oréal Elnett Satin Heat Protector -
It's like any other heat protector - it protects your hair from heat damage up to 230 degrees. It also smells AMAZING. When there is a breeze outside I can always smell this product and I also get so many compliments on how good my hair smells. Heat protector is obviously a must, not just for heated equipment but it's also great to mist in your hair whilst in the sun/hot weather.

Garnier Ultimate Blends -
This product is specifically for dried out hair. Every now and then I like to give my hair a deep conditioning treatment, I usually like to do this more in the Summer as my hair is a lot more dry and brittle. I use this twice a week and leave it on for five minutes after shampooing. My hair instantly looks brighter, softer and it smells FABULOUS. I do go through this product quite quickly so luckily it's sold at such a reasonable price.

Lee Stafford Coco Loco Coconut Spritz -
I like to spray this before drying my hair and let me tell you, I'm surprised I haven't yet ran out of product. It smells so good that I keep spraying and spraying just to keep smelling coconut. This is also great to give your mid-lengths and ends a quick refresh in the day if your hairs feeling and looking a little dry. It softens my hair straight away and it smells lush. You can't go wrong with this product.

Lush Marilyn Hair Treatment -
This product is very similar to the Garnier Ultimate Blends. I got this treatment a while back and I do love it. You simply coat your hair with the hair treatment and leave it to condition for 20 minutes. Then, you go in with your usual shampoo and conditioning routine. It has made my blonde locks look brighter, shinier and softer. Those three things are a must for this season. Marilyn is made for blonde hair to get rid of any unwanted orange tones. I do believe that you can buy other hair treatments for certain hair types from Lush stores.

Are you using certain products to look after your hair this Summer?

My Holy Grail Drugstore Contour

When I was searching for a new contour kit, I really wanted to give the Sleek cream contours a try but I thought that I'd stick with powder for now just because my contouring skills aren't exactly brilliant. I love the little duo compact which includes the matte contour powder, a highlighter and also a mirror inside (which is always handy). It's lightweight, simple to open and easy to carry around with you on a day to day basis.

 I chose the shade 'light' because of my insanely pale skin. I have had problems with contour shades before being too dark and my face just looked dirty, mega lol! But this one isn't too light or too dark for my skin tone which is great. The contour powder is very easy to blend in. I use my contour brush from Real Techniques to apply both the contour and highlighter. To blend my contour, I use my Makeup Revolution Pro F105 contour brush. A little goes a long way with this contour powder, my brush picks up a fair amount of product. I can't see myself running out of this anytime soon. I'm not complaining.

The highlighter looks quite pink in the compact but once it's on the skin, it doesn't look pink and it's illuminating. The highlight isn't too much or too shimmery unlike other branded highlighters, so it's great for an everyday natural look as well as looking glam on a night out. Both the contour and highlighter are highly pigmented which is always a good thing, the product lasts all day and it's affordable.  

For just £6.99, buy the Sleek contour kit here.

L'Oréal Pure Clay Review

I spent ages trying to think of a catchy title for this post but as you can see, I failed. I'm not very good at thinking of 'drawing you in' post titles. That is something I definitely need to improve on! Anyway, todays post is a review of the L'Oréal pure clay purity mask. L'Oréal has brought out three clay masks; purity, glow and detox. I was so tempted to buy all three but I settled with this one because my oily skin needs mattifying and a good refresh.

The Pure Clay Range:

Purity (the green mask) - Works deep into the pores leaving the skin purified and matte looking.

Glow (the orangey/brown mask) - Brightens and exfoliates the skin.

Detox (the black mask) - Acts like a magnet to draw out impurities and works deep into the pores leaving the skin looking clarified.

Each clay mask is for different problem areas of the skin. What I love is that you can put all three masks on different problem areas of your face. How creative is that!? (More creative than my title). The product smells so good, it's not an overpowering smell. The application wasn't messy as the product is a thick consistency so it was very easy to manage with my mask brush. Following the instructions, I applied the mask onto clean skin and left it for 10 minutes. Like any other face mask through the process, my face turned solid. After 10 minutes was up, I washed it off with warm water and a flannel.

After washing the mask off, my skin instantly looked brighter, cleaner and my pores didn't dare to make an appearance. My skin wasn't as soft as I was expecting it to be but it was still softer and smoother than before. I am super happy with how mattified and fresh I looked and felt after. L'Oréal recommends to use this mask 2-3 times a week. Overall, I love how great this is for my oily skin and it doesn't dry out the skin either. I recommend this mask to anyone that has oily skin and wants to give it a go. Have you tried the other masks? Let me know what they're like.

The Perfect Summer Accessory

How is everyone enjoying the British 'Summer' weather at the moment? You wouldn't think we're in July. Yesterday, the weather was beautiful and by midday it decided to lash it down. Today is Summer weather... can anyone tell me where it's been hiding!? Due to this lovely sunshine, I've decided to write up this post all about the perfect Summer accessory you need.

You can add an Iral* onto your bikini, flip flops or even bags or the straps of your favourite holiday dress. Irals are exclusively designed and made in Brazil which makes them even more interesting. I decided on the silver butterfly just because it's so dainty and easy to wear with any colour. I love how pretty and different it is. As you can see, you have to twist the accessory around the strap to fit it on. After wearing it all day, I didn't once feel that it was there.

 It's so easy to just put on and take off your clothing when you want, it's perfect to add a little something extra to an outfit. Also, I am obsessed with how the accessory shimmers in the sunlight, I tried my very best to get a photo of it sparkling and I think I succeeded. You can get your Summer accessory from the Irals website.

*This post features an item which I was sent for a review. As always, my review and opinions are completely honest and my own.

Summer Beauty Must-Haves

I remember writing up a 'Winter Beauty Must-Haves' blog post which doesn't seem that long ago. But, it's almost been a year and woah has that year flown! It is one of my all time popular blog posts so here I am with my Summer beauty must haves! Lets actually hope that the UK has good Summer weather this year. If you live somewhere where sun and warm weather exists for the majority of the year, I'm jealous and please share it with us Brits.

NYX Matte Blotting Paper - £3.50 - As I suffer from very oily skin (especially in the Summer months), these are a must! Although I've never tried these, I've heard great things. Nobody likes that 'shiny' look.

Fleur De Force 'Fleur Loves Lashes' - £5.25 - Thanks to the random girl for recommending these whilst standing next to me in an aisle in Boots, I am in love with these lashes. They add fullness to the outer corners which makes any makeup look stand out. These are perfect for both nights out and during the day.

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash - £6.50 - This is one of my all time favourite body washes. This is perfect for Summer as its citrus scent makes you feel and smell so fresh. You honestly need this.

Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter - £3.00 - I don't know about you but my hair is always dry in the Summer and the majority of the time, I have to give it a good deep conditioning treatment. This treatment is for dry or damaged hair that needs softening up and getting the moisture back in. The body shop sells this at a bargain price of only £3.00 for 50ml.

Rimmel Super Shine by Rita Ora 'Bestival Blue' - £2.99 - Ok, so who loves the name of this polish? I think it's great for this time of the year. It's such a summery colour too so why not splash out £2.99 for pretty nails?

Makeup Revolution Highlighter 'Golden Lights' - £3.00 - I have heard many great things about this highlighter and for just £3.00, why not give it a whirl? Of course you need that extra glow in the Summer.

Clarins Sun Care Cream High Protection UVB/UVA 30 - £20.00 - This product is more on the expensive side but Clarins is always a winning brand for me. Everyone needs suncream in the Summer. Yes, even in Britain. Can you believe that I actually burn in Summer in the UK? Anyway, this suncream is perfect for all skin types including sensitive skin.

Lush Rosy Cheeks Fresh Face Mask - £6.95 - I love the ingredients in this face mask which I believe makes your skin super soft. It smells lush too... see what I did there? I think this is definitely a must have for the skin.

Urban Decay 'Chill' Cooling and Hydrating Setting Spray - £22.00 - I don't actually know anyone that doesn't like Urban Decays setting spray. I'm a huge lover of the 'All Nighter' but I decided to choose this one especially for the Summer. It still lasts all day without moving. As said by Urban Decay, 'Chill' features cooling time-release temperature control technology that chills the surface of your makeup. This is perfect for the warmer weather and if your face is feeling a little dry and you need a little hydration.

What are your must-haves this Summer?