28 March 2014

Laura Mercier Ambre Vanille Honey Bath

I am of the persuasion that there is to better way to relax in the evening than with a hot bubble bath full of beautiful products to make you feel completely blissed out. My number one product for these indulgent pamper sessions? The Laura Mercier Ambre Vanille Honey Bath!
This ridiculously beautiful honey bubble bath has a delicate and sophisticated vanilla scent that is enhanced with hints of almond and sandalwood making it so much more special that your average vanilla scent. As anyone who has tried other products from the range will know, it is also amazing for lingering on the skin in a subtle, sexy way that makes you feel a million dollars.
The formula is fairly thick and, indeed, very reminiscent to that of honey so to use it you just swirl the honey stick thingy around the jar and stir straight into the bath which I find pretty fun if I'm honest! You need very little to create lovely fluffy bubbles and release the warming aroma. The honey bath itself as well as containing vanilla and honey extracts also contains shea butter, almond proteins, oat proteins and Pro-vitamin B-5 which help to moisturise and regulate moisture levels in the skin so your skin is left feeling soft, moisturised and refreshed.
I am hopelessly addicted to Laura Mercier products and whilst it's hard to argue that any beauty product is worth as much as they are, if I am going to invest £40 in something for my skin then I would always choose Laura Mercier, they truly are exceptional products. You can pick up a jar from Space NK for £32.00.
Annie xx

26 March 2014

NOTD- Seaside Inspired Shimmers

After a lovely weekend at the seaside enjoying the sunshine in Weymouth I came home and fancied some pretty blue nails to remind me of the beach.
I am loving blue at the moment so there was little excuse required to whip out some of my favourite blue nail polishes and create some shimmering sea nails.
I started off by applying two coats of the lovely lilac toned blue Bluebell polish by Nails Inc which gave a soft and even base colour before topping with one coat of the oh so popular Indian Ocean from Models Own which is formulated to give a shimmer reminiscent of when the sun catches calm, clear sea water as it washes onto the beach. Finally, I created a focal nail using Barry M shade 340 Aqua Glitter which contains various sized glitter chunks and gives a very pretty and glitter packed finish with just one coat.
I had forgotten just what a beautiful finish Indian Ocean gives. In the light you can see that it contains a pink toned glitter which gives any blue polish a lovely depth that looks really special in the sunlight.
I go through stages with painting my nails and recently I've had them painted continually so expect to see more nail art posts in the near future :)
What colours have you been loving recently? Have you tried any of these polishes?
Annie xx

18 March 2014

Bath and Body Works PocketBac Hand Sanitisers

I don't know about you but hand sanitisers are one of my handbag essentials. I like to be able to know that I can quickly disinfect my hands anywhere any time I want to. Bath and Body Works, a beauty cult company from the US make the nicest range by far in my opinion.
The cute and colourful little bottles hold one of 40 different fragrances and they range from the likes of cherry blossom through to ice cream sundae so there's something for everyone to enjoy. The three that I have are Vanilla Berry Sorbet, New York Golden Apple and Pink Vanilla Macaroon and they all smell amazing in addition to killing off germs. There is still a faint alcoholic smell like you get with all hand sanitisers but this is largely disguised by the intended scent.
The sanitiser has a light, liquid gel formula that like any other evaporates away on the skin however like most others do, I haven't found that this dries out my skin or stings like billy-o on scratches, instead I'm just left with hands that feel soft and clean and smell yummy. The little blue balls that are dispersed through the product also vanish on impact with the skin so theres's no worry about being left with grainy hands.

Bath and Body Works isn't readily available in the UK at the moment, but the hand sanitisers are super easy to get hold of on ebay for just £1.99 with free postage. Definitely worth investing and they also make sweet little extra make weight presents. I'm hooked.

Annie xx

10 March 2014

March You Beauty Discovery Box

My monthly dose of beauty newbies arrived today in the form of the You Beauty Discovery Box! The March box is a lovely, spring ready box and you could choose from lots of "Best of British" goodies this month all chosen to make sure that your skin and hair is looking and feeling refreshed and ready for some sunshine.
Like I've mentioned before, one of the things I love about this box is that it is made up from a mix of pre-chosen products and two that you choose yourself from the You Beauty short list.
The first of the products all members got to try this month are sachets of Dragon Fly tea in various flavours. I got Swirling Mist which is a light and delicate white tea and Cape Malay Chai which is an organic spiced rooibos that smells beautiful. I'm not exactly a big tea fan but I'm always happy to give new blends a try so I'm looking forward to trying these.
The other pre-chosen product was one of three possibles from The Vintage Cosmetics Company, a brand that is great quality but I am a little sick of due to its presence in almost every beauty box out there nearly every month... I got a pair of tweezers which I'm pleased about as the other options would have been toe separators or false lashes and at least these I can pop in my handbag for any brow related emergencies.
 When it came to choosing my two products this month it was a tough choice, there were some great products to pick from coming from brands including Dr Lipp, Paul Mitchell and The Body Shop but in the end I went for the Inner Strength bath and shower oil from Aromatherapy Associates and the Beauty Lab Glyco Wash.
Having reviewed a product from Aromatherapy Associates in the lead up to Christmas and falling in love with the...somewhat pricey...brand I jumped at the chance to try this blend of clary sage, frankincense and cardamom which is designed to leave skin feeling beautiful and your mind revitalised and uplifted.
Beauty Lab is a brand that I've heard some great reviews of from other bloggers and as I'm all about loving my skin at the moment I thought the Glyco Wash seemed worth a try. The multifunctional wash is designed to increase cell renewal, unclog pores and wash away all impurities resulting in radiant, youthful looking skin. I'll be giving this one a full review after a couple of weeks use.

Over all, this is another month of being very happy with the You Beauty Discovery box and it remains the only box I subscribe to. For £6.95 including postage I just can't fault it.

Annie xx

4 March 2014

February Favourites 2014!

February has felt like a month of recovering from winter and getting excited about spring this year and I've found myself reaching for spring ready makeup more and more in the last couple of weeks and I think this months favourite products really reflect that.
I love a nice flawless base and I find that the lovely fresh weather we've been having lately suits the Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation perfectly. It is a good coverage for building up a medium level of coverage with the smallest amount and where the formula has been whipped into a light mousse it still lets skin breath. I've been pairing it with a beautiful coral pink baked blush from Accessorize for a glowing, light flush of colour. The small amount of shimmer hits the light and gives a sheen that enhances cheekbones.
I've also been focusing on bold eye makeup lately, giving some less tried out products a trial so lips have been kept nice and simple. I've found myself reaching regularly for my Brave lipstick from MAC which was actually the first MAC lipstick I ever owned. It is a pinky nude shade that is barely there but gives lips a beautiful definition and lasts for hours. On drier lip days I've been whipping out a little piece of Lush history in the form of the Snow Fairy Lip Tint which combines the benefits of a lip balm with a slight wash of colour. It also tastes just like their Bubblegum Lip Scrub. I'd say that whilst this is no longer available to buy it is very comparable to the Maybelline Baby Lips products.
To complete my spring ready vibe I've been dousing myself in my all time favourite perfume; Moschino Funny which has been my signature summer scent for years now. Its full of beautifully bold fruity notes and to me just sums up so many happy years.
Finally, because no matter how much I try to deny it, it is still kind of winter out there and so my skin is still annoyingly dry I've been treating it to a daily helping of the rich and deeply moisturising Ambre Vanille Souffle Body Cream. I cannot get enogh of this stuff! It works wonders on my skin and smells completely out of this world. It's such a sophisticated, sensual smell- nothing like your average vanilla scent.

What products have you been loving during February? Have you tried any of these before? What did you think?
Annie xx

3 March 2014

Decor: Bunny Jewellery Dish

If I have one passion alongside makeup and beauty it is home decor and interior design. I can sit for hours and drool over decor inspiration and as far as how my surroundings look, I like to keep things, light, bright and full of cute, quirky character.
On  recent trip to Home Bargains I spotted this adorable little bunny ring dish for just £2.99 and just had to bring it home.

Previously, all my rings were piled up on the ears of another bunny ring holder that I was given a couple of years ago and he looked a bit messy and overloaded so now, instead they are scattered around the dish of this holder looking much prettier as well as being easier to pick out and wear.

Little practical ornaments such as ring dishes are a great way to keep things organised at the same time as looking beautiful and showing off your collections rather than hiding them away in a drawer and by keeping them in-keeping with the decor of the room they just blend in an compliment the look rather of the room.
Sass and Belle also sell a bunny ring holder very similar indeed (I'm wondering whether mine might be a slight second of one of theirs which is why it was in Home Bargains!) which you can pick up *here* for £9.25.

What do you think? Do you like my little dish as much as I do?
Annie xx