April Favourites

Oh my, I haven't written a monthly favourites post up for around a year, probably. The past couple of months, I have tried out a lot of new products and there has been five products in particular that I have been absolutely loving!

As I have been using self tan a lot more, especially throughout this month, I have been using The Body Shops coconut body butter to moisturise with. I love almost every product from The Body Shop anyway but this just smells heavenly and it has helped out my dry skin and prevented patchy tans, so I'm happy! I should be stocking up on more of their body butters as I am due to run out of this one soon.

I had first tried this bath oil around two years ago when Dr Botanicals PR sent it to me for a review, and I really loved it but the price of it put me off for the amount of oil you actually get. Around Christmas time, I finally gave in and bought it again - I think they've actually lowered the prices now. But this month, I have really been loving taking baths with this. There has been times I couldn't wait to get home from work and soak in this bath oil. It smells amazing, I can't even describe how it smells. It leaves a sweet, rose aroma scent in the bathroom and on your skin. It also makes your skin incredibly soft. It's safe to say I'll be using this forever more. 

You may not be able to tell, but this is empty! This is the second one I've owned since February. I spent the second week of April scraping the sides of this concealer. Fair enough, it's £4 and it's amazing but it runs out ever so quickly! I put out a tweet to see if anyone else had experienced the same thing or whether I was just using shit loads of it. But lots of other gals agreed. It's the best concealer I've ever used, it's full coverage and lasts all day and it has been my best friend for long shifts this month - I wrote a review on this concealer if you want to know a little more, here.

THIS STUFF. I will be writing a separate review on this at some point because this stuff is just PERFECTION. I had recently tried out the Bondi Sands dark foam tan and I loved it! So, I had decided to buy their everyday liquid gold dry oil to keep my tan topped up and looking fresh. It's perfect for feet, hands and your face. It gives you a natural glowy tan and doesn't go patchy at all. Everyday liquid gold also dries super quickly so you don't have to prance around the room waiting for it to dry.

This is the first time I have ever used loose powder and I am loving it! Why did I stick to using pressed powder for so long? The Max Factor professional loose powder is translucent so it's perfect for when I self tan and for when I'm my pale little self. It tries its best to prevent my oily skin showing through my makeup throughout the day. Although after around 5-6 hours, I need to get my blotting paper out. But, it blends out so easily and it's really easy to apply. It has also lasted me ages and probably much longer than a pressed powder would.

What products have you been loving throughout April?

Lush H'Suan Wen Hua Hair Treatment Review

First of all, just don't ask me how to pronounce the name of this product. I was in need of a product that could work a miracle for my dry hair and I had heard great things about this little number. My hair is bleached and I have been having it bleached for almost six years. I'm very lucky to say that my hair is in perfect condition although, I am now noticing my hair starting to break off and I can visually see it getting more and more damaged every so often. 

Lush states:

"Want to replenish your roots and strengthen your lengths? This restorative herbal hair and scalp treatment is the answer to your prayers.  Work into the scalp and allow fresh bay leaf infusion to stimulate your roots, fresh watercress to soothe the skin and spicy cinnamon leaf to boost circulation to the hair follicles, encouraging healthy hair growth. Stroke through the ends to saturate your locks in fibrous bananas and protein-rich, free range eggs, both of which will strengthen, protect and deeply condition. Moisturising fresh avocado and shine-enhancing balsamic vinegar are a match made in heaven for locks seeking repair, vibrancy and great combability - just don't let the effects go to your head."

I only got four uses out of the h'suan wen hua hair treatment - twice a week for two weeks. Which really isn't that long considering the tub of hair treatment is £9.95 a go and lasts me only two weeks! I have a lot of hair, it's long and thick so I have a lot of hair to treat. 

I absolutely hated the smell of this at first but it really grew on me and I didn't mind it so much in the end. Although, after shampooing and conditioning your hair, the smell lingers in your hair and of course, people around you can smell your 'fresh' but 'smelly' hair. Even though the smell grew on me, people around me weren't too keen.

Lush advises to leave the hair treatment on for twenty minutes but I left it on for about thirty-forty minutes at a time - what harm can it do? When the treatment was on, I also clipped my hair up and tied a plastic bag on my head. Obviously, leave your face out haha - please don't suffocate yourself. This just keeps the heat in and works more effectively. 

After the second time I used it, I could definitely see a difference. My hair was a lot softer and more shiny. It was also a lot brighter too. To be honest, I couldn't really tell if the treatment repaired the breakages in my hair or not. Maybe I would need to use it long term for a good repair treatment but then I don't want to spend a tenner every two weeks.

Have you tried H'Suan Wen Hua or any other Lush hair treatments?

Bondi Sands Dark Tanning Foam Review

 A couple of months ago, I decided to give in and purchase the Bondi Sands tan for £15. I'm so used to just paying a fiver for my all time fave, St Moriz. But, I had seen so many amazing before and after results on insta and so many great reviews on YouTube so I just had to give it a go. I have been using this tan for about two months now and I'm very impressed!

The application of Bondi Sands is the easiest I've ever come across with fake tanning. There hasn't been one time where I've been streaky with this tan. Sometimes I get a few lines from where I've rubbed the tan in with the mitt and it leaves a line where I had stopped. But, I simply just pat over the lines with my mitt and they disappear straight away. I also love that you can see where you've applied the tan onto your body so you can see which areas you've missed.

It also smells amazing too. I usually don't mind that 'biscuit' smell that everyone talks about when they fake tan anyway but this one doesn't smell of that at all. It still smells like fake tan but it also smells like coconut which is lush. 

I usually apply my tan just before I go to bed and sling on some baggy, comfy pjs. The amount of tan that comes off onto your clothes is ridiculous! There's literally no chance you can wear those pjs a second night. The tan can also leave a reddish stain on your pillowcase - although, it easily comes out with that good ol' Vanish Gold.

So after around 8 hours, I jump into the shower to rinse it off. A lot of colour washes off and it did make me panic the first time I used this. But once you're all dry, you have the most even, natural bronzed looking tan ever. This tan lasts around six days for me along with the correct ways to maintain it.

So many people have commented on my tan and says how I'm glowing and that it really suits me. Bondi Sands states that their self tanning foam has a green undertone to prevent the orange colour which is a lifesaver! I'm so pale and always struggle with fake tan brands - I normally turn an orangey colour which really isn't a good look. But with this, it looks like I have been sitting out in the sun for a few hours and haven't burnt haha. This tan is most definitely worth every penny and I recommend to everyone. I won't be going back to St Moriz anytime soon. 

Have you ever tried Bondi Sands?

High End vs Drugstore Highlighters for Pale Skin

Makeup Obsession - Moon // Louise Young - Owls

As I have pale skin, I have tried out many highlighters to find one that best suits my skin tone. I have been using high-end Louise Youngs 'owls' highlighter for a good few years now as it's always been perfect for me. Owls is a slightly shimmered, pale pink highlighter. It's incredibly pigmented but it's also subtle. Even when the light hits it, it pops like you'd expect it to but it's not too vigorous. That's why I use it on a day to day basis.

Owls is super soft on the skin and so easy to blend. You can easily apply this highlighter with one stroke of the brush and the pigmentation is just booming! As well as using this in the day, I also use it in the evenings - I just layer up the highlighter a couple of times to make it more excessive than it usually would be. As for how long it lasts - it literally lasts all day without going patchy/cakey. 

Makeup Obsession - Moon // Louise Young - Owls

As for the drugstore Makeup Obsession highlighter, WOW. I had seen a recommendation on YouTube for this highlighter in the specific shade 'moon', so I thought why not give it a go for just £3? Moon is a very shimmery, white/lilac highlighter. Like owls, moon is also incredibly pigmented although you couldn't get away with it being subtle. This highlighter is more in your face compared to the other one. 

The texture of moon is soft and silk like and again, blends really easily. My reaction to applying this compared to the other highlighter is completely different. Since owning this, I wear it pretty much every single time I go clubbing or just nights out in general. You can also wear this during the day too, I have done before. It just depends how I feel on the day I'm doing my makeup on what products to use, ha! This highlighter lasts and keeps its pigmentation for absolutely ages. I have gone to bed with my makeup on and woken up with the highlighter looking as fresh as I done it the night before. 

Both of these highlighters are perfect and light enough for pale skin. You can buy Louise Youngs highlighter here for £14. Or Makeup Obsessions highlighter here for £3. 

Which one would you rather buy?

Makeup Obsession - Moon // Louise Young - Owls

L'Oréal Magic Retouch Review

I have been looking for this root concealer for absolutely ages! They never had it in stock in several of my local Boots stores and they never had my colour in stock online either. So, when I recently went to London, I kept an eye out for it and I finally got my hands on it! To be honest, I was fairly disappointed when I saw the size of this product, it's quite a small can for £8.99. I bought it anyway as I had been wanting to try it out for ages and you never know, a little could go a super long way. 

My hair always grows extremely quickly which means I get those dreaded roots quickly too. I am naturally ginger and I have a full head of loads of blonde highlights. Luckily, the blonde and the ginger blend quite nicely when it grows out but I always leave my hair so long before I get my roots touched up again and that's when I need a miracle product to hide the contrast. 

Magic retouch has a decent smell, it's very similar to the smell of hairsprays. Due to the size of the nozzle and the huge amount of product that sprays out, it is extremely hard to apply and see where you've been. Although, it is very quick at drying so you can then spray more product on once it's dry. I think it's just my ginger roots, but this didn't work for me at all. It lightened my hair a little bit but it never camouflaged my roots to blend in with the blonde. I have seen people with darker hair using it and it works amazingly for them and it also covers up their grey hairs. 

I had been using dry shampoo before I got my hands on this, not only for when it needed washing but to blend my roots in and that worked an absolute treat! And, it was also cheaper. For now, I'm sticking to using my dry shampoo as a root concealer.

Have you tried L'Oréal's magic retouch?

NYX Shine Killer Primer Review

 I have noticed that my oily skin has been showing through my makeup a lot sooner during the day than usual. That's when I realised that I needed a new primer.

 I actually thought that this primer was fairly expensive due to it being £11 and the product itself being only 20ml. However, a little goes a long way! I only needed a pea sized amount to cover my T-zone and chin area. The product applies really smoothly and gives a matte finish, which is perfect if you'd like to wear it on its own. When I apply my makeup on top, it glides on smoothly and doesn't gather up and leave patches like you'd expect it would. My face remains oil-free for the majority of the day, I'd say probably after six hours, you'd need your blotting paper.

If you have oily/combination skin, I recommend this primer. It does a really good job for £11 compared to high-end primers out there that are a little more on the expensive side. Have you ever tried any NYX primers?