Top 12 of 2012 - My favourites

As the year draws to a close, I'm going to jump on the blogging bandwagon and share the products I've loved in 2012. Hope you don't mind, but have a gander and see if you see anything you like!

SKINCARE

Clarins - Water Purify One-Step Cleanser. This is a relatively late entry into my favourites (only bought it at the weekend.) but already really enjoying using this. It has mint so it really freshens the skin as it removes make-up and cleanses.

Superdrug - Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot-Cloth Cleanser. I bought this to see if I could get along with a hot-cloth cleanser without paying out too much for either No.7 or Liz Earle. I never will now because I love this offering from Superdrug too much! My skin feels squeaky clean and I've noticed an improvement in my skin's clarity since I started using this.

Benefit - It's Potent Eye Cream. I got a sample of this a few months back, and have just received the full size at Christmas. This is the only eye-cream (bar Body Shop's Elderflower Eye Gel) that has made a difference to my eyes, and the Benefit is the only one to make a difference to my dark circles, which are sizeable. I'm very impressed with this.

Lush - Cupcake Face Mask. This is another product which has made such a big difference to my skin. This had significantly reduced the oiliness of my skin, and has made my skin look less blotchy too. Plus it's chocolate. This is always awesome!

MAKE-UP

No.7 - Summer of Dreams Bronzer. This was the bronzer that made me realise that even ivory beauties like me can pull off a little bronze. This is light and buildable enough that I never look like I've gone overboard.

Guerlain - Sun in the City Compact. I am so glad I paid for this on holiday. This is a highlighter, body shimmer, eyeshadow all rolled into one beautiful, pearly compact. I love using this, it's so pigmented and full of mother of pearl and the gold shade looks so luxurious. Love love love!

Max Factor - False Lash Effect Mascara - My favourite mascara. Ever. That's pretty much all I can say!

MUA - Lipstick in Shade 12. I love all the MUA lipsticks, but this shimmery pink is the perfect perk-up colour for me. It has the slightest hint of glitter to it, so it's good for day-time glamour.

Estelle and Thild - Raspberry Lip Balm. This has really helped with my chapped lips this year. It has lasted ages, has the lightest hint of raspberry and is very moisturising for the lips.

Chanel - Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in L'Exuberante. This is my holy grail of lipsticks. Its rich colour, creamy texture and matte look means it is unlike any other lipstick I own. I always feel so classy and glamorous wearing it.

Benefit - Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation in Believe in Me Ivory. I thought, until I spoke to my local Bene-babe, that my skin was purely oily, and that I should only use matte bases. After seeing the difference this makes to my skin when I wear it, I wonder how I lived without this. I look glowy and healthy wearing this, and I've never had such a good skin tone match from any base I've ever used. Win!

Urban Decay - Smoked Palette. Another late entry to my top 12, as this was a Christmas present from my lovely boyfriend. So far I haven't used all the shades yet, but they all look divine, and the ones I have used shimmer and accentuate my eyes so well. It's hard to imagine life without this palette now!

So those are my favourites of 2012. I'd love to know your thoughts on my favourites, and what your favourites are too. Have a brilliant and successful 2013 when it arrives! :)

Christina xo

December Empties

It's the end of the month, and now the end of 2012! It's been a busy month and I've actually managed to use up quite a few products, so I shall show you wha I've used up this month, and my thoughts on the product.

SKINCARE

Soap and Glory - The Fab Pore Facial Peel. I've had this particular face mask for quite a while and have now finally finished it. I like it, but I have other face masks to use up first so I'll wait before repurchasing.

Boots Botanics - Moisturising Deep Clean Foam. Another product I've been trying to use up, but not because I liked it. I never felt like this made any improvement to my skin so I wouldn't buy this again.

Body Shop - Seaweed Clarifying Toner. This is the only toner I've used, and I really love it. It feels tingly and refreshing on my skin and I will buy this time and again!

Clinique - All About Eyes cream. This was a sample, and I don't feel it made much difference to my dark circles. No thanks!

Bioeffect - EGF Serum. This was a sample from my Selfridges beauty box which I've finally finished. I did feel like my skin texture and radiance was improved, but this costs £125 for 15ml, so no way am I forking out for that!

Lancome - Genefique serum. I received a 5 day sample set from Kris' mum (she still gets sent beauty products and samples even though she stopped being a Debenhams beauty manager 2 years ago). I love this so much, but right now I can't justify spending around £50 on a serum.

Dior - Skin Boosting Super Serum. I got this sample months ago after buying a Dior foundation. I just used this for the sake of using it. I didn't notice much difference to my skin.

Benefit - Total Moisture Cream. I received this sample after buying Browzings. This is a really rich moisturiser, perfect in the winter months. I've already received a deluxe sample size in one of the sets I received for Christmas and I can't wait to use it!

HAIRCARE

Percy and Reed - Splendidly Silky Moisturising Conditioner. This is the deluxe sample that Glamour gave away months ago. I used this like a hair mask, leaving it in to deep-condition my hair. I loved the fresh blueberry smell this had, but I wouldn't repurchase. It's nice, but I just prefer other brands at the moment.

Dove - Colour Radiance Express Treatment Conditioner. I got this free with a magazine, and it worked nicely when I used temporary dye in my hair at Halloween, but I wouldn't repurchase this.

Aussie - Colour Mate Shampoo. I bought this on offer a few months ago, mainly to use whilst I'd dyed my hair. I love Aussie, but I wouldn't repurchase, purely because I don't need to use colour shampoo.

VO5 - Refresh Me Quick Dry Shampoo. I liked using this, it had a lovely fresh, slightly flowery scent and left very little residue in my hair. I would repurchase this when my current Batiste can runs out :)

MAKE-UP 

Dr Jart - Premium Beauty Balm. I received this sample from Dr Jart's Facebook page after they started giving away samples. This was a little too dark for me, but it did work well. I would buy this is I could afford it.

BODYCARE

Rituals - Wai Lang Exfoliating Body Scrub. I got this sample from the Rituals store. I actually used this as a face scrub, and I loved it. Very scrubby, made my skin feel and smell lovely. I've already received more of this in the Rituals set I got for Christmas, so looking forward to scrubbing up with it!

Ren - Rose Otto Body Wash. This came in my Selfridges Lucky Bag, and it was one of the highlights of the bag. It smelled beautifully of roses, and I love a good rose scent. I would like this again, but I don't know if I would pay £17 just for a shower gel.

So that's all the loveliness I've used up this month :) what products have you used this month? Anything you loved?

Christina xo

Merry Christmas Everyone - Presenting the present haul...

(DISCLAIMER: This will be a picture-heavy post. So... enjoy the pics :P)

Ho ho ho! Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas with their families and friends, I know I certainly did (paying for it now though, my heaaaaad...). Sorry for the distinct absence of blogging from me, I was working pretty continuously in the run-up to Christmas, finishing at 4pm on Christmas Eve before doing a mad dash to Glasgow by bus. But once I arrived at Kris' mum's, drinks were poured,work was forgotten and I had a lovely 2/3 days at home with our families and friends!

The tree at Kris' mum's. Wow! And now the tree at my mum and dad's...

Niice! I love their fibre optic tree, it used to belong to my gran, so it's kinda like a family heirloom in some ways...  and yes that is a bottle of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey peeping out from under the tree :P

Now for the fun part: the presents! I shall preface this by saying I was unbelievably spoiled by pretty much everyone this year. I received so many beautiful and thoughtful gifts I think I would crash this post by trying to include everything! So since I'm trying to be a good beauty blogger, I'll show you all the lovely beuaty related presents I received. First up, my boyfriend Kris wins major man points for getting me...

Two amazing Benefit sets: Passport to Posh eye kit, and Let There be Bright Face Kit and the fabled UD Smoked Palette! I must confess: I squeed opening these. Like the world's biggest child. But if you can't do that on Christmas Day then when can you? I can't wait to share all these goodies with you guys!

Next up, we have...

The Stila All is Bright Lip Glaze set! My friend and fellow blogger Claire gifted me these and they look awesome! So excited to try these on :)

My Auntie Margaret and Uncle Raymond gave me the most beautiful Rituals Shower set! I believe it is called Time Out and it contains a shower foam, body scrub, shampoo and body cream. I do love a good shower, so I will be trying these out soon methinks...

Another person who knows I love a good shower pamper is my little brother (having lived with me for nearly 20 years, he knows I take a day and an age in the bathroom.). He gave me the Soap and Glory Bubbletime set, which comes with the cutest retro alarm clock. I'm hoping Kris will let me use it instead of using our phone alarms...

Finally, from my parents... I wasn't too sure of this at first, because I thought it was going to be more hassle than it was worth, but my mum and dad gave me a gorgeous black quilted cosmetics case!

 The idea behind this was that my mum and dad know I always bring a ridiculous amount of make-up and skin-care with me whenever we stay with them in Glasgow. So they decided that if I had a case of make-up there, I wouldn't need to bring so much every time! At first I panicked and thought: "Oh no, I don't want to choose what stays and what goes!", but having gone through my make-up, I realised I was being an idiot (It's not like me that. Honest...), and that it was a brilliant idea.

This isn't even everything. I also received some lovely nail polishes and make-up bag from my friends Sara and Fraser, Kris' mum gave me an Avon eye-palette and blush, Kris' little brother gave me a Bev Ridge hand care set (which smells AMAZING and comes in the nicest tin, which I plan to re-use as a lunch box.). I got loads of awesome presents in general, so if people would be interested in seeing some of my non-beauty related gifts I received, feel free to tell me :)

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your Christmas holidays, and have a fabulous New Year and 2013 when it arrives!

Christina xo

November Empties!

This is my first empties post, mainly because it takes me so long to actually use anything up! This is the first month I've managed to accumulate enough empty products to warrant a post, so here we go...

MAKE-UP

Benefit's The Pore-Fessional Primer - This was a sample which came with Glamour Magazine UK. I enjoyed using it, and have already scored some more sample sachets to use. Would I actually buy it? Probably not, and my next empty will explain why...

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer - This is my holy grail of primers. Reduces oil, minimises pores and creates a flawless base for my foundation. I've already repurchased this.

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara in Brown/Black - Again, another holy grail item. This is my favourite mascara. It lengthens, defines and volumises, and I've already repurchased!

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic in Brown/Black - I wasn't overly keen on this, the brush wasn't great for separating or defining eyelashes, I only ever used it over other mascaras to try and add length. I won't be repurchasing this.

SKINCARE

Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash - This was a great little sample I received from Debenhams. I really liked this scrub, felt very cleansing and kept my skin pretty clear. Only reason why I'm not repurchasing right now is because this costs £22, and I can't really justify shelling out that much on skincare in the run-up to Christmas.

Aesop Parsley Seed Antioxidant Serum - This was a fantastic facial serum/oil, which left my skin soft, and clear. Again this is pretty pricey at £43 for 100ml, but maybe one day I will be able to afford it!

Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask - This is another "if only I could afford it" item. I loved using this face mask, it literally solved my oily skin problems for a while, but the only downside is that a full-size jar (50ml) costs £57. Though if Santa brings me Harvey Nichols vouchers, I may hop across the River Forth to Edinburgh and buy it...

Simple Clear Skin Oil-Balancing Moisturiser - I always like Simple products, they do what they say on the tin. This helped keep my skin moisturised without it becoming too oily. It didn't do it particularly well, but it helped. I have other moisturisers to use up, but I would consider repurchasing it.

Rituals Face No.1 Facial Cleanser - This is a sample I received when I visited the Rituals store in Glasgow Airport Duty Free. I didn't realise this is actually a men's face cleanser until... NOW, but it worked pretty well for a sample and it managed to get all my make-up off. I wouldn't repurchase this because it does have a bit of a manly smell to it, and personally I'd rather leave the manliness to my boyfriend :P

BODYCARE

 Soap and Glory Flake Away Scrub. Soap and Glory are my current favourites for body scrubs, and I already have another tub on the go, as well as a gift set as back-up.


Rituals Yogi Flow Shower Foam - I have loved this ever since I received my first bottle in last year's Christmas Glossybox. It has the most beautiful scent of sweetness and roses. Next time I am near a Rituals store or counter I will probably repurchase this. Once I've used up the millions of other shower gels I have too though...

So those are my empties! What have you been using this month? Any particular products that you love or loathe?

Christina xo

How Much is Your Face Worth? Part 1.

I've seen this tag swimming around on blogs for a while now. It's intriguing, because I've seen people who use as much as £300+ worth of make-up... for an everyday look (I know, WTF??). For me that seems a bit OTT, but that's just my opinion. I also read Sophia, a.k.a Tattooed Tea-Lady's version, where she did two looks - one where she used the cheapest but best quality products, and then another where she didn't care about the cost, and the difference in price was amazing! (You can read part 1 of that series here and part 2 here). Sophia's posts inspired me to do a similar version, so today I'm going to do my "work" face. Part 2 will be a "going out" look, and we'll see if there's a big difference... That should be up tomorrow, if not, tweet me and give me a kick up the arse to get it done :P

So... moving on to my face (why does that sound wrong??)

Sorry about the ghost-face, the best light I can find at the moment is the natural light from my living room window! So let's break down what I've used and how much:

FACE: 

L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer - £14.29
Stila One-Step Correct Serum - £24 * (Although I got this in the Selfridges box, still counting it, as the question is how much it is worth, NOT how much you paid.)
GOSH BB Cream - £9.99
Vichy Dermablend Concealer - Free Sample
Benefit Hervana Blusher - £23.50
ELF Studio Complexion Perfection - £3.75

EYES:

MUA Eye Primer - £2.50
MUA Dusk til Dawn Palette - £4.00
MUA Eye Pencil in Brown - £1.00
MUA EveryLash Mascara in Brown - £3.00
Eyeko Eyeliner in Pink - £9.50*
Benefit They're Real Mascara - £18.50
ELF Eyebrow Treat and Tame in Light - £3.75

LIPS:

Estelle and Thild Lip Balm - £14.00. * I normally would wear some sort of neutral lippie here too but my lips are still playing up a bit and I didn't want to inflict the horror on you lovely people!

Total worth: £131.78

Good Lord! I had no idea my face was worth so much. Out of fairness I've starred the products that came in beauty boxes and have mentioned where samples were used, but that still seems like so much! Kinda dreading doing a going-out face now, it'll seem crazily expensive compared to this now!! This is my usual work make-up look, very un-fussy, and very much about make-up being able to stay put on my face, as well as not clogging up the pores too much.

What are your thoughts? Do you think your daily make-up would add up to more, less or about the same? Let me know what you think!

Christina xo

The Mascara Maven

Yeah...

I said a while ago that I wouldn't get drawn into the world of beauty blogging. However, the more make-up I buy, the more I wanna talk about it. Normally, most folks would chat to their gal pals about make-up and their preferences, but I live at least 60 miles away from the rest of my close friends, which makes chatting and playing with make-up a bit tricky! So I figured I'd try blogging about it for a while and see how I go...

The first thing I've noticed is that I have rather a lot of mascara, 12 to be precise (I know that some more seasoned beauty bloggers might think "Is that all?" but it feels like a lot). One of my favourite things about my face is that I have naturally longish lashes, so I like to make a feature of them. So here they all are, in order of price:

L-R: MUA eXtreme Volume Mascara in Brown/Black (£2)
Collection Extreme Coloured Lengthening Mascara in Blue(£2.99)
17 Peep Show in Brown/Black (£4 on offer)
17 Photo Flawless in Black/Copper (£5.99)
No.7 Exceptional Definition in Brown/Black (£7.50 with £5 Voucher)
Max Factor False Lash Effect in Brown/Black (£7.99 with £3 voucher)
L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic in Brown/Black (£10.99)
Benefit They're Real in Black (£11.50 with £7 Debenhams gift card)
Beautee/Relian Mascara in black (with fibres) (around £20 at a Girls Day Out show)

And the samples at the bottom: Max Factor Masterpiece in Black, MAC Zoom Lashes in Black and Lancome Hypnose Drama in Black.

My go-to mascara is usually the Max Factor False Lash effect, but recently I've been trying to use more of my mascaras and I've found a few that work pretty well. The MUA mascara is bargainous at £2 but my only issue with it is that it doesn't put a lot of mascara onto the lashes, but it does create a fair bit of volume, so I tend to use this in conjunction with something else to build up the lashes.
The Beautee/Relian Mascara was something I picked up at a Girls Day out (kinda like a beauty, fashion, chocolate, booze paradise for women) and it's lasted me at least 18 months, which is pretty impressive. You basically paint on the "transplanting gel", i.e. the mascara, then paint on the fibres, then repeat if necessary. It really does give you a false-lash look, with very little fibre fallout. AWESOME!

I have no real major dislikes with any of these TBH. The only let-down I have is the Benefit. They're Real is apparently the No.1 mascara in the U.K., if not the World and it's supposed to give you these amazing falsie-like lashes. Well I may have been applying it wrong, but my lashes ended up looking like Clump-Central. Not cool considering it's normally £18.50. However, I have found that if I use it over another mascara, it does add some good length. 

What mascaras do you guys use? If you want to know my thoughts on any of the other mascaras, just comment and let me know :) Generally let me know what you think of this post, it's my first proper beauty post and I like to get feedback!

Christina xo