It's simple!

Hello there!   Today, I thought I'd write a blog post of a skincare brand that I rely heavily on, and features in my skincare routine, Simple!   If you've never tried Simple products before, they are pretty much what they say on the tin (bottle, tube etc?), and are a pure, fragrance free product that feels very natural.  As I have sensitive, and combination skin (fun right?!), I find anything that's heavily fragranced makes my skin feel red, looks blotchy and generally isn't great, so I tend to look for things that either have a light fragrance, or are fragrance free.   Simple products feel natural and clean, and you don't feel as if you're loading your face with nasty chemicals and perfumes, these are my favourites from the range!

Simple oil balancing exfoliating wash.  

This is my favourite product in the range, and it targets the oil areas of my skin, and evens out shine, helps blemishes, and tightens pores.  It's an exfoliating wash, so it's gentle enough for daily use, which I tend to use in the morning after I've cleansed my face.   After I've used this, my face looks visibly better, and less shiny, it's a win win product, controlling oil and shine, exfoliating dead cells, and washing your face all at once, fav!

Simple facial wash gel.

I use this face wash in the evening, it's very refreshing as it states, and makes my face feel really clean and fresh. It's just a generally all round, good face wash suitable for all skin types!

Simple soothing facial toner.

I think lots of people underestimate the importance of a toner!  It makes your face feel fresh, and targets pores to make them less visible and and less noticeable on your face. I don't feel the need to use one every day, but perhaps a few times a week, just when I want to tighten my pores.

Simple replenishing rich moisturiser.

As I have combination skin, my forehead tends to be the driest part of my skin, which is unusual as most people tend to say it's the oiliest part of their skin! It's a very light, creamy moisturiser which is suitable for the day and night, and it sinks into your skin perfectly, giving you a good moisturise.

Simple cleansing wipes:

• Oil balancing
• Spotless skin

I love the practicalities of face wipes, as they are such a saviour for emergencies, and when you need to quickly freshen up your face, and these are my favourites due to the sensitivity of my skin.  I use the oil balancing ones the most, as like the oil balancing exfoliating wash, they control the shine on my face, and prevent blemishes.   The Spotless skin wipes I use mainly when I'm having a particularly bad skin day, as they contain Zinc and Chamomile, both known good skin ingredients, with Chamomile being well known for calming properties, which will helps reduce redness.  

I hope that you've enjoyed this, and if you suffer from particular skin types, this post may have helped you find something that would suit your skin type perfectly, simply the best! (excuse the ridiculous pun, ooops haha).  

(I do not own these photos).

Soap and Glory(ous)!

Hello to whoever may be reading.  Right, I've gone a little mad, and I've been splurging on some Soap and Glory make-up, a brand which tends to feature rather heavily in my blog, so I was more than keen to try out a few more of their products.  Boots, the drugstore that sells Soap and Glory, often have a "3 for 2" deal on all things S&G..although actually, that deal seems to be on more often than not, actually...all of the time, but moving on!    I accidentally, on purpose seemed to come away from Boots with two lots of "3 for 2", so I now have six items of S&G make-up, hooray!   This is what I bought, and what I think of them!

Item one: "Trick and Treatment" under eye dark circle concealer.

Now this was a product I didn't initially want, but as I'd picked out two items I wanted, it made sense to have something absolutely free, so after a little deliberation, I settled on this. I must point out, I didn't look like the "before" picture, neither did I look like the "after"(sadly, she's beautiful), but this product really did awaken my eyes, just like a double espresso would!   It comes in one colour, which always makes me skeptical when it comes to face make-up, as I'm soooooooo pale, but it blends in with my skin like any shade of concealer I've used before, and looks completely natural and does what it claims! Overall, a good product.

Items two: "Archery" brow tint and crayon.

This is definitely one of my favourites out of the six products. This is a brow tint and a crayon, so you've got two tools to perfect your brows, Cara brows here we come! (sadly not, but I admire my enthusiasm).  This is a fabulous product, that really makes your brows look good. Firstly, apply the felt tip pen side, which is the tint, and then use the crayon to fill your brows in to how you like them. This product was £10, and sounds a little expensive, but I honestly think it's such a good item.

Item three: "One Heck of a Blot" face powder.

Probably one of my other favourites of the six, this was my main reason for visiting the S&G make-up stall because I wanted this product so badly.  It's perfect for pale skin, but might I add, perhaps ONLY for pale skin, as it's again, one colour, and doesn't really contain any colour, so if you like to add colour/bronze to your face, this would just make you look ghostly white!   But for me, this product is perfect, it complements my "ghostly" skin (it's not QUITE that bad, but you get my point), and gives me a smooth, matte look that I always want to get from a face powder, it eliminates shine (shiny nose, be gone!) and it makes my skin look lovely, thumbs up! The only downside in my opinion, is that the women on the packaging are so beautiful, it gives everyone false hope about what this product achieves, it's a great product, but not quite THAT much of a miracle worker. 

Item four : "Supercat" black eyeliner.

As a massive fan of black liquid eyeliner, I love trying out new brands. This has a felt tip pen, rather than actually liquid, so I began to use and was initially skeptical.  I like the fact I can draw a line with the liquid, but the felt pen also felt really easy to use, plus was able to give the winged look I love, with much less than effort!  I love the "cat" eye look. so this allowed me to create the look I love easily.  It's jet black, which is a must when it comes to statement eyes, and it lasted all day, which I was also skeptical about, as I was worried it would just rub off.

Item five: "Hocus Focus" flaw softening illuminator.

I'd been eyeing this product up for a while, and reading the reviews on Boots website, wondering if this product was worth buying, and would I find it value for money. It's rather pricey for a small bottle, but might I add you only need minimal amounts upon use, so I assume this is going to last me some time.  I applied this to my cheekbones and nose, do not ask me what possessed me to apply this to my nose, as I HATE a shiny/highlighted nose, as I like everything matte and powdered looking, so after I applied I literally said to myself, "Why?" but managed to blot over it with blotting powder.  HOWEVER, after that, before you think this is a negative sounding review, I found it highlighted my cheekbones, and made my face look a lot more awake, it also states on the bottle that it can be mixed with your foundation or used as a highlighter, so I'm going to try it next time with my foundation, so hopefully I can create an awake looking, yet matte face!   

Item six: "Fabulipstick" powdercoat matte, in shade "Pom Pom matte"

This shade of lipstick is gorgeous, it's a dark pink/purple berry lipstick, looks so striking, yet so flattering.  This lipstick is right up my street, as it contains a powdercoat which basically gives your lips the matte finish (I didn't realise until I started writing this, how obsessed with matte I was) as if you've blotted your lips with a face powder afterwards. Matte lipsticks are my favourite, and this colour, texture and appearance was no exception.   It's a shade probably more suited to going out/evening, as it's very striking, but you can work it however you want I guess, love it!

I hope you've enjoyed my S&G makeup haul review, my favourites probably being the blotting powder, eyebrow pencil and lipstick, but all the products are of good quality and will be used to create different looks, and if you've been contemplating buying any of these products, I hope this has helped :D

(I do not own these photos).

Fruity.

As a massive fan of Soap and Glory, I have been using both of these products recently, "Pulp Friction" being a body scrub, and "Butter yourself" being a body moisturiser.    They both have the same scent, which is GORGEOUS might I add, it's highly fruity, and lingers on your skin for hours afterwards, so I would recommend if you love the smell!

Pulp Friction: Firstly, I love the title, it's fun and playful.  This is a body scrub, but it's probably my favourite to date, as it foams up like a wash, but gives your skin a perfect exfoliation, leaving you smooth and feeling very clean! I use this about twice a week and I honestly notice a difference after I've used it. It's definitely the best body scrub, once you try it, you'll know what I mean.

Butter yourself: Follow with this after, this is a thick, rich, body butter that leaves you feeling moisturised. I'm not a fan of lotions, as I find them runny and sticky, generally opting for a body butter or cream. This sinks in immediately, after along with the scrub, you smell amazing and feel really soft.  

Definitely worth purchasing!

(I do not own these pictures)  

Pitch perfect!

I watched this film last night, I had this as a gift for my birthday a few months ago, as my mother knew especially that I wanted to see it, but I only just got round to seeing it, and I L-O-V-E-D it! I'm a sucker for feel good, high energy films with the right level of cheese (Glee is too far, but I do love a little cheese), the storyline was refreshing, fun and enjoyable. Plus, added brownie point for The Breakfast Club which is my all time favourite movie, and the rendition of "Don't you forget about me" by Simple Minds, 5\5!

This is one of my favourite fragrances, I've owned it for about a year now, and it's gorgeous, fresh and light, perfect for Summer.  The notes are honeysuckle, red berries, coconut, orange blossom, Jasmine, Vanilla and musk, and they work perfectly together, giving a light, fresh scent that lingers on you for hours.   Also I think it helps (also may have been the main reason I wanted this...) that the bottle is absolutely GORGEOUS and that I am obsessed with polka dots!

Baby soft lips.

After waiting and waiting for these to launch in the UK, a few weeks ago I got my hands on the cherry baby lips, which is the one with the red tint, my favourite!  I love the light red sheen it gives, nice and subtle but still enough to not make your lips look bare.  I have been trying mine since I bought it, and after a little use, I can confirm I totally get the hype, it's so good!  I really want to try to the minty version, and at £2.99, they're a bargain!

New mini haul favourites.

Hi!  Recently, I've been very busy buying loads of new beauty products (that I don't even need, help!), but as I just love make-up, skincare etc, I find it hard to resist trying new things, even if I don't even need anything new at the moment.  I find myself going to my local drugstore and coming back with several bits of make-up, hair products etc, I love it so much! Here are a few things I've picked up recently that I've been enjoying :)

MUA "Pro- Base" eye primer.

Never underestimate the importance of an eyeshadow primer! Until now, I never understood the fuss, probably because I'd never tried one, but now I am completely sold and is now a beauty staple. This particular little number is made by "MUA" which is available at my local drugstore Superdrug, and I actually find I am a huge fan of this range, I never really thought about it much before, but I've come to the conclusion that they have great quality products that actually work, and at a very low cost, win win!

HOW TO USE:   After applying my face make-up, I apply this to my eyelids before any shadow, liner, mascara etc, it looks like a concealer consistency, but it feels lighter and blends seamlessly into my eyelids.  I then apply the eyeshadow of my choice, which is usually a neutral shade, and then apply my eyeliner and mascara as normal.  Even though it may sound like it's defeating the purpose of being an eyeshadow primer, I also find that if you don't want to wear any eyeshadow, apply this, then your eyeliner and mascara, and this just wakes your eyes up drastically, sounds odd, trust me it works! This cost a bargain price of £2.50.

Maybelline Colour Show, in shade "Mauve"

A nude nail, another love of mine!  Yet again, this beauty product I have found is high quality, yet it at a low cost! This cost £2.99, leaves a brilliant, glossy finish and leaves your nails like you've had a gel manicure! (Okay, maybe not if you're me, and finds it difficult to paint my nails neatly, and not like a five year old!).  Nude is a perfect colour as it looks great as a daytime, off duty look, yet can be worn in the night, and in both Winter and Summer, it's the perfect shade!

Herbal Essence "Bee Strong" hair collection.

Oh my god, this is my newest love!   This is a god sent product, and I absolutely love it!   As I colour my hair red, I've always be skeptical to use anything other than a colour shampoo and conditioner, although after someone recommended this to me, I was curious, and luckily a sampler sachet of the shampoo and conditioner came in a magazine, so I used it and was then convinced I needed to own it. 

I purchased the shampoo, conditioner and deep conditioning mask (the one in the tub), and I use these every other wash, using a colour the other time, just to keep my colour strong!   I don't own the leave in conditioner, which is the spray bottle, but that will definitely be my next purchase and I'll be blogging about it, but back to the other stuff I have tried! The smell is UHHH-MAZ-ING, it smells of honey and apricots, making it really rich and luxurious, leaving your hair incredibly soft but bouncy, shiny and just generally well conditioned.  I use the mask about once a week, and don't use the conditioner on the day I use it, as a deep conditioning mask provides loads of moisture, and over conditioned hair turns into limp, lifeless hair, not good!    I would recommend this to all hair types, even coloured,  but perhaps follow my tip of using it every other wash, using a colour the other times!  Bee Strong is amazing, and I can't wait to try the leave in conditioner. 

Rimmel "Apocalips" lip laquer in "Celestial".

If you've read one of my previous blogs, you'll know I've been experimenting with different lipsticks shades instead of sticking to my trusty red, and this is one of my favourite pinky colours for the day.  It's a lacquer, so a rather thick consistency that needs to be applied whilst using a mirror, and it's the perfect shade. I've always been hesitant to try different lipstick shades other than red, as I actually HATE that foundation lip/shiny pink lip look, ugh! But I find that a nice subtle pink can really make a difference to your daytime look, rather than just bare lips!   This cost £5.99 from my local drugstore, and I also have this is my trusty red, in the shade "Big Bang" and I find it is a great product, looks lovely, and is decent value.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection foundation, in "Light".

I impulsively/randomly bought this product, after recently purchasing the concealer from the same Lasting Perfection range and loving it, and also after hearing pretty good things about this little number. I heard it was excellent value for money, gave great coverage and was a product that many relied on, so I took the plunge and bought it to try myself.  Being incredibly pale, the light shade suited me perfectly, and matched perfectly with the concealer, and gave me a great coverage all day. It's oil free, which is brilliant, as I do tend to get rather oily skin, so added oil wouldn't be ideal, and the best part is, it feels so luxurious and expensive, almost as a good as my MAC foundation, which cost triple the price!  

Burt's Bees, Miracle Salve.

I bought this little beauty for an absolute bargain at the drugstore Boots, for the price of £2!!!  The pot is actually a decent size, as from the picture it looks like it would be small, but I was so glad I snapped this bargain up, especially as the full price is now £10!   This is an all over body salve, used to treat most things, chapped lips, dry elbows, dry skin on face, hands, anywhere! It also can be used as a hair serum for flyaway hair, just simply rub some in between your palms to heat it, and then smooth on your hair as desired, it's brilliant! I like Burt's Bees products anyway, so when I saw this bargain, I had to snap it up!

I hope you've enjoyed my favourites from my mini hauls, and there'll be more to come! :D

(I do not own any of these pictures).