Currently Loving

I'm trying to stay away from the more traditional monthly favourite style posts, so I thought I'd do a currently loving kinda series, with posts as and when I feel like them. I mean, how on earth is one expected to have so many favourites each and every month. Like I mean I only own so many things! It's been a quiet few months for me recently, being confined to four walls for the whole summer (read about that here) has meant I've worn the very basics in the makeup department. I mean I don't really want to be turning up to physiotherapy looking like Ru Paul now do I? 

So face-wise, I've been sticking to light bases like the Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint. It gives quite a medium coverage, but looks and feels so natural - like you're not wearing anything at all! In terms of shade, I have 'Bare' which according to Liz Earle 'suits most alabaster complexions', and I think it's safe to say that it would suit most low maintenance vampires. Speaking of vampire suitable products, I've been setting the skin tint with the NYX HD Studio Finishing Powder. I've not tried a loose powder before and I'm so mad at myself for that! But then you could say I was waiting to meet the man powder of my dreams. And it's safe to say I have! The first time I applied it I just couldn't help but stare at myself in the mirror - it left my skin looking so smooth! In terms of staying power it lasted as long as my usual powder, which has pretty decent longevity fyi. 

After having a massive beauty clearout, I've been expanding my Essie collection because yanno Essie. The last time I was browsing the aisles of Boots I picked up the shades 'Eternal Optimist' (dusty pink shade) and 'In Stitches' (brown toned pink). Both of which have been alternated on my toes since the day I bought them #obsessed. I currently have on 'Eternal Optimist', and it has received compliments from all who have had the pleasure of seeing my feet. 

What have you been loving recently?

Follow

Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Instagram  /  Pinterest

Recent Beauty Buys

I love a good beauty haul, and it's been a rather long time since I last bought anything beauty related. When I noticed I was running a little low on my moisturiser and my everyday perfume was getting dangerously low, I decided to have a little browse through Feelunique, and restocked on my moisturiser, picked up a new perfume, and generally treated myself to a few things (with my student discount obv). As I'm recently getting back into blogging, I thought this post would be nice and simple to ease my way back into things. So here we go!

Firstly, I picked up my beloved Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser for Normal/Combination skin. I've used this nearly everyday for the last 2-3 years, and I can't live without it! I usually purchase the monthly deal from Liz Earle's website, but I was only low on the moisturiser so I just thought I'd pick this up. I know it works out more expensive in the long run, but I've been really trying to use up all my products and just keep what I enjoy using. Speaking of enjoying, I received a little 'try me' sample of the Juicy Couture I Am Juicy Couture perfume a while ago, and I immediately fell in love. I wouldn't usually buy something from a brand like Juicy Couture, but the perfume speaks for itself. Yes the packaging is a little too tacky for my taste, but I'll probably lose the lid in a week anyway. Plus the 30ml bottle was on offer for £18.50 so it was a win win really. 

Since we have started getting the odd few days of sun, I thought it important to pick up an SPF designed specifically for the face. I have recently read Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes, and she says it is vital that you wear a facial SPF, so after consulting with my fave beauty blogs, I picked up the La Roche Posay 50+ Anthelios XL. I have fair skin and burn like crazy, so I thought I'd take better care of my skin this summer to avoid looking like a lobster. If I do end up catching the sun a bit too much I bought the Aveda Botanical Kinetics Toning Mist. I heard Vivianna Does Makeup talk about it in a skincare video or something or other, and I thought it sounded perfect for my skin! I've used it a couple of times already and tbh save your money. It doesn't smell too nice and doesn't have any noticeable effects. #sozaveda

And finally, I caved and bought the Nuxe Réve De Miel lipbalm, and HOLY SMOKES IT'S GOOD. It is some sort of miracle worker that gives you new lips overnight. The price was the only thing that put me off but seriously, put the Vaseline in the bin and buy a pot of this - you will not regret it. I promise! Plus it looks cute on your bedside table, and tastes delicious if you're into eating lipbalm.

Follow

Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Instagram  /  Pinterest

November Beauty Favourites

Apologies, as this post is going to be rather short and sweet as I haven't been mixing much up since my last monthly favourites post. There has only been a couple of things I have been loving. I have 'shopped my stash' and had a good rummage through my collection to see what I could use. I've also purchased a couple of new things that I have been loving too - so here we are again! 

Whilst rummaging though my collection, I came across the Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in Candy Apple and thought it would be perfect to wear in the run up to the festive season. It is a gorgeously sheer red that is perfect for everyday wear and I have been loving wearing it to university! I have also been loving all the compliments I've got when I've worn it! Another rediscovery is the Soap and Glory Perfect Ten Eyeshadow Palette - this was a limited edition palette that I bought myself last christmas, and they have it (or an extremely similar one) back in this christmas! It is extremely similar to the original Urban Decay Naked palette, and being from Soap and Glory, the quality of the shadows is incredible! They are so buttery and very well pigmented, so if you're in the market for a cheaper neutral palette, or are simply looking for some christmas gifts - definitely check this one out!

At the end of October I reordered the Liz Earle skin bundle, and the free gift inside the bundle was the Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint. I didn't really think I'd use it, but since my skin has started (and fingers crossed continues) to clear up, I have really enjoyed using this in place of my foundation.  To apply it, I have been using the Crown Brush SS003 Deluxe Medium Oval Foundation Brush* which I am in love with! It gives such a natural finish and is perfect for applying liquid foundation and BB creams! 

What one thing have you been enjoying this month?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

Follow
Facebook |  Twitter |  Instagram | Pinterest | Youtube

___________________

The SS003 Deluxe Medium Oval Foundation Brush (RRP £7.19) was kindly sent to me by Crown Brush UK for the purpose of a review. All thoughts are my own and you can read my full disclaimer policy here. 

Skincare Sunday: Battling Blemishes

Blemishes. The majority of us have them, and if you don't then well I officially hate you (not really, but can I have your skin please?). My skin is notoriously bad 110% of the time and after about 6 years of suffering, I am only just finding products that work for my skin and are helping to make so my skin is only bad about 90% of the time. Often when I read about hyped up products on blogs, I often wonder if beauty bloggers are raving about them because they actually love them. Or purely because products were sent to them by PR companies and brands.

Like I said, it has taken me an extremely long time to find products that make a visible difference to my skin. One of the biggest helpers in my fight against spots and blemishes has to be the Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean 3-in-1 Deep Purifying Cleanser. It is a gentle milk cleanser and I like to use it on a morning instead of my beloved Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. It is great for removing any remnants of makeup although I don't tend to use it on an evening if I have been wearing makeup as I prefer to use my Garnier Micellar Water followed by the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. The Soap and Glory cleanser seems to really help clear up my skin when it's suffering. 

When my skin is suffering, I follow up with a soothing toner - preferably with gentle natural ingredients. The Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic hydrates and balances my complexion perfectly. It adds just enough moisture to keep my skin look healthy and fresh, whilst soothing and calming those troublesome spots. One of the main ingredients is glycerin, which is brilliant for those with dryer/dehydrated skin as it adds moisture lost from harsh spot-fighting products. 

One of my latest rediscoveries are the First Aid Beauty (FAB) Facial Radiance Pads. Last summer I put my absolute faith in the SKINCARE GOD that is Caroline Hirons, and spent quite a little bit more than I would have liked on the toning pads. When I first got them, I couldn't really see any visible differences - but after rediscovering them, they have done a whole host of good to my skin. They contain various acids which help stimulate new skin cell renewal, banishing those horrible marks and scars left behind after a blemish has long since healed. 

Another rediscovery I have made recently is Sudocrem! I haven't used Sudocrem as a way of battling blemishes since I was about 14. I seem to remember it working really well, but wasn't a fan of buying it as it wasn't branded as a spot treatment and I felt awkward going out to buy 'nappy cream'. But with the launch of the new Sudocrem Skin Care Cream*, I now deem it socially exceptable to go out and buy some. It is a product aimed at every single skin type you can imagine. Whether you have combination, oily, dry, sensitive skin or everything in-between - it works wonders on blemishes! I like to apply it directly to my blemishes or as an overnight face mask. It can also be used as a moisturiser, but I ended up looking paler than I already am if thats possible, so decided this didn't work for me. The Sudocrem Skin Care Cream is incredible for soothing blemishes and when used overnight, you wake up with the softest and glowiest (is that even a word?) looking skin! Plus at only £2.11 per tube, IT IS AN ABSOLUTE BARGAIN. 

Have you got any skincare saviours that you want to share?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

Follow
Facebook |  Twitter |  Instagram | Pinterest

______

The Sudocrem Skincare Cream was kindly gifted to me by Sudocrem for the purpose of a review. If you have any queries or questions you can read my disclaimer or email me on the email on my contact page. 

Liz Earle Skincare Haul

A while ago, my skin had a major freakout. Going crazy, spots appearing left right and centre. I was even getting them on my nose which never ever ever happens. Ever. The only thing that seemed to help was the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic which was an absolute saviour! I started running low and that meant that a little order was on the cards. They have some great offers on at the moment, so its worth checking out the website!

Whilst repurchasing the Instant Boost Skin Tonic, I decided to repurchase the famous Cleanse and Polish which I have had in the past and loved completely! Once I saw I had a few things piling up in my shopping basket, I decided to get one of the monthly offers/bundles which contained pretty much everything I wanted to buy. 

The bundle included the large tube of Cleanse and Polish, the full size Instant Boost Skin Tonic, the Eyebright Eye Lotion, the Skin Repair Moisturiser and the Superskin Concentrate facial oil rollerball. With my order, Liz Earle also threw in the travel size Instant Boost Skin Tonic, travel size Cleanse and Polish and a sample of the Superskin Concentrate. I got such a lot for the money I spent. I got over £100 worth of products for just over £50!

I am a big lover of all things Liz Earle, so if you lovely readers have any product recommendations for me give me a shoutout!

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

Like this post? Follow me on Bloglovin' to keep up to date with all my posts! Link in the sidebar!

January Beauty Favourites

Hello! Heres my favourites for the first month the year. I hope you have all started off 2015 well and are making the best of the new start it has offered. 

Quite early on in December my skin had a major crisis. I don't tend to have the best skin anyway but I just broke out with dozens (no overstatement there) of those massive under the skin spots that hurt like crazy! Anyway, I decided to strip right back to basis using a cleanser, a toner and a moisturiser. And it was the toner that I feel really helped calm my skin down. I used the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic which I had owned for quite a while but it had been sat in the back of a drawer gathering dust. I was looking through the ingredients in pretty much every product I own watching out for things that would help soothe my poor skin. This one seemed to check all the boxes being made up of natural ingredients such as cucumber and aloe vera. Along with the toner, I also decided to give into the hype around the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo  and give that a whirl. I mean, I was getting pretty desperate at this point and would have done absolutely anything. I really liked this and wish I had tried it earlier. I just helped protect against scars and felt nice and soothing upon application. 

I have been really trying to mix up what makeup I use and try to step out of my comfort zone. I've been opting for a nude lip over the trusty old Vaseline and one of my recent go to lipsticks has been the Clinique Long Last Soft Matte Lipstick in Matte Beauty. It is a gorgeous rosy pink colour and I think it would look great on almost any skin tone. For a matte lipstick it is so creamy and hydrating and feels just like you're wearing a lip balm. 
I like to pair it with the No7 Skin Illuminator Radiance Boosting Beauty Fluid as the gold tones in it compliment the undertones of the lipstick perfectly! These two products combined make the perfect recipe for glowing complexion.

Finally, I've been loving the little bottle of Chanel No5 Eau de Premiere that I treated myself to at the start of the month. It smells so light and fresh yet musky at the same time. It is the perfect scent and I can see why Marylin Monroe wore it to bed!

What are your current favourites?
Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

Like this post? Follow me on Bloglovin' to keep up to date with all my posts! Link in the sidebar!