The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate

It's shocking how crap I am at looking after my skin. I have been using drops of youth since late last year and it has been a saviour for my skin. I have fairly sensitive skin and the product actually irritated my skin the first couple of times I used it. However, I had read that a few other people had experienced this too, so I carried on using it for a little longer to see if my skin could really handle it or not. Luckily, my skin finally got used to the product and now I swear by this little gem. 

Drops of youth concentrate helps tackle fine lines and early stages of ageing, (can never start too early!) 99% of the ingredients are from natural resources and it's also vegan. It's a gel/serum product and is quite thick so it doesn't run everywhere when you squeeze it from the pipette.

I apply around three drops every morning and evening and gently massage into my face and neck and then apply my moisturiser. I definitely noticed the difference in my skin within the first few days of using it. My pores were smaller, my skin tone had evened out and minimised any redness, firmed the skin, made it tighter and smoothed out fine lines under my eyes. It absorbs really quickly and easily into the skin which is great considering I apply my moisturiser straight after.

£26 for 30ml is such a reasonable price for this product, considering a little goes a long way!

Have you ever tried anything from the drops of youth range?

The Body Shop Warming Mineral & Ginger Clay Mask

If you've been following my blog for a while, you would know that The Body Shop is one of my favourite skincare brands. I had been so eager to try this little number out as it states that it's meant to be oil-absorbing. I have tried numerous products to try and settle my oily skin but haven't been completely satisfied. I have used the clay mask once a week for a month and have already noticed great results!

You really have to give this a good shake before squeezing the product out, *note to self* otherwise it will just run out and make a complete mess. It's a thick consistency which makes it so much easier to apply. Once applied to the skin, you can feel the warming effect instantly. It's a relaxing warmth and calms the skin. All you can smell whilst applying it is ginger. If you don't like the smell of ginger, then maybe steer away from this one. I can't wait to use this in the Winter months whilst chilling out in the bath.  

After waiting around five minutes, I rinse it off with warm water and a gentle face cloth. I feel a difference in my skin straight away. The more times I used it, the more I could see my skin improving. My skin had gotten clearer, smoother, my pores appeared smaller and I didn't need to blot my T-zone as frequent throughout the day as I used to. 

Hopefully, the longer I use this mask, my oily skin will eventually settle. For only £11, you can't go wrong!

Have you ever tried a warming clay mask?

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?

The Body Shops Instablur Face Perfector Review

I have always sworn by Maybelline's 'Baby Skin' primer and I think I had mentioned on my blog that I preferred it to Benefits 'Porefessional' a while ago. I recently got The Body Shops Instablur primer for £15, which I had been so excited to try out! I love trying out different face primers to see what difference it makes to my skin and makeup. 

First of all, I love the design of this product. I love the bold, black writing on the white background. The silver, blurred, metallic look with 'Instablur' written on it just finishes the design off. There's not much else to say about it, I just love it!

The consistency of this product is thick and spurts out in lumps when you squeeze the tube. It doesn't come out smoothly like 'Baby Skin' or 'Porefessional'. So, it's very easy to waste product if you're not careful with it. A little goes a long way too, you don't need too much product to cover your face. First placed on the skin, it's hard to blend out as little bits of product just fall whilst blending, which is a waste, yet again.

I've never worn this product just on its own so I'm not certain what that's like. But, my makeup glides on really easily with this product and I've never found it to go patchy. As this product is specifically for oily to combination skin, it definitely does what it should. It controls my oily skin throughout the day, although, the oiliest part of my face is my nose which still gets oily but not as much as it does without the primer. It mattifies my oily skin and makes my huge-ass pores look smaller.

I have also found that it makes my foundation last longer throughout the working days. I usually end up having lines where I smile and it goes patchy on my forehead and chin, but wearing this primer with foundation definitely helps. It doesn't stop the lines completely but the lines show up later on through the day and my foundation isn't patchy. 

Overall, this primer is great! I just wish the consistency was a lot more smooth and would stick to the skin better.

What's your favourite face primer?

The Body Shop - Seaweed Face Wash Review

I have been searching for a fantastic face wash that actually works and that makes a difference to my skin. After seeing this highly recommended product for oily to combination skin on The Body Shops website, I was determined to try it out.

I adore the smooth, sleek packaging and it simply tells you what the product is and what it's for - right up my street! It's oil free and soap free which is perfect for oily and sensitive skin. I use this face wash with my spin for perfect skin spin brush, unless I'm sleeping somewhere other than home, I just use my hands. It is a very gentle product and it smells absolutely amazing.

This gel makes it super easy to cleanse the skin and you can definitely see the difference before and after. It instantly leaves you shine-free, yay! Your skin also looks perfectly mattified and it doesn't dry out your face or give you that tight feeling like other face wash products.

Overall, it cleanses the skin so well, which is just what I need. £7 is such a good price for such a good product.

Currently On The Bathroom Shelf...

It was so hard to take decent photos for this post due to the lighting being behind my products. How annoying! Anyway let's ignore that, I'm going to mention what's currently on my bathroom shelf and maybe I'll make a series out of it.

First on the shelf is my body lotion from Ted Baker which I got for Christmas. Yep, I still haven't used it up! Mainly because it smells amazing and I just don't want to part with it. Let's hope to get some more this Christmas. Next is my No7 body exfoliator, I only use this prior to fake tanning. This is very gentle for my sensitive skin and it smells absolutely wonderful. I feel so refreshed and brighter after... until I slap on my tan.

When I saw the Pinita Colada range come out at The Body Shop early this Summer, I just had to get something. All of their new range smells gorgeous and Summery. I have been using this every time I have a shower/bath. I just can't get enough of it, I will definitely be buying some more.

Soap & Glory's Sugar Crush is another Summery body wash. If you love citrus scents, then you will need to buy yourself one of these. It's such a strong smell but it's not too much. Honestly, the bathroom smells of limes afterwards.
I'm usually a sucker for Herbal Essences but since my sister has been using these Tresemmé hair products, I couldn't resist giving them a go myself. With coconut milk and aloe vera included, I bet you can already smell the goodness of my hair. They simply do the job.

I have recently come across Garnier Ultimate Blends. When my hair is feeling a little dried out, I will use it as a deep conditioning treatment to get the moisture back. I use this twice a week after shampooing my hair and leave it to work for five minutes and then rinse it off. I have gone through this very quickly so I'm glad that this is sold at such a reasonable price.

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?

Winter Beauty Must Haves

As winter is on its way I decided to put together a list of winter beauty must haves! I always feel like I need some winter must haves each year.
(Starting from the top left going across)

Snow Melt - £2.00 - Lush 

When I saw this bath melt on the Lush website I just had to look more into it. It's got a bit of glitter and shimmer in it. It's just so wintery and makes me feel cosy! Plus, it's only £2! How good is that!?

Vitamin E Moisture Cream - £12.00 - Best Seller - The Body Shop 

I think most peoples skin get quite dry in the winter months so I found this hydrating vitamin E moisture cream in The Body Shop. I can see that it's a best seller too, so that's also a heads up. 

Max Factor Colour Collections Lipstick (894 Raisin) - £6.99 - Boots

I love a nice A/W lipstick in the winter months. I've heard such good things about this certain lipstick and it's got so many great reviews. I love it in the colour 'Raisin' as it would suit me perfectly.

Benefit ooh la lift under eye brightener -  £17.50 - Debenhams 

This is meant to perk up tired eyes. I find that my eyes and eye make-up is always quite dull in the winter mornings so I when I came across this, I was so excited to read more about it. I've never heard of this before until I went onto the Debenhams website.  

OPI Polka.com - £12.50 - Debenhams

I love OPI nail polishes but when I came across this one, I loved it even more! It reminds me of Christmas and parties. Love it!

Baby Lips Vitamin Peach Punch - £2.99 - Maybelline 

I've heard so many good things about Baby Lips. Whether it's winter or not, my lips are dry all the time. I usually put on vaseline but it's nice having a hint of colour now and then.

Magic Wand - £5.25 - Lush

Everyone raves about this certain product from Lush and I can see why. It just looks so magical and it reminds me of fairies.

Eyelure Cheryl Lashes First Date - £6.00 - Boots

I absolutely love Eyelure lashes and these just look perfect for Christmas parties and New Years Eve etc.

What are your winter beauty must haves?