FIVE AUTUMN BEAUTY FAVOURITES - OCTOBER 2014

As the the nights are getting colder and darker my beauty routine has started to change to suit the Season. Last week I was in 30+ degree weather on holiday and now I'm back in rainy England, so my skin and shade preferences have adjusted dramatically and my skin needs more looking after. I have started to bring out the heavier scents as I wear lighter fragrances in the Summer. One of my favourite to wear during the day or evening is the Thierry Mugler Alien Essence Absolue. I love the original Alien fragrance, but this one is more musky, woody and just reminds me of Autumn. The scent is intense and deep, it's main notes are Jasmine, Vanilla and White Amber. The fragrance stays around for hours and I love the shape of the bottle and liquid amber colour.
My skin starts to get drier as the weather gets colder and one of the main product I reach for it the Origins Make A Difference Rejuvenating Hand Treatment. This is a sample size I got in a Christmas set and it does wonders for your hands! It's not too thick a formula and doesn't leave a greasy film on your hands either. The scent is a nice light, orange blossom scent and I like to use this on my hands as well as any other dry areas like my elbows and knees. This is a handy sized bottle to throw in my handbag and I think this would make a great gift for Christmas!
I like to wear a higher coverage foundation in the colder months. My favourite higher end foundation has to be the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, which I have loved for a few years now. This gives a lovely, flawless base which looks natural but can be built up to a full satin coverage. It has light-reflective properties which cause fine lines and wrinkles to optically vanish. I like that this foundation stays around all day and the shade Soft Ivory matches my fair skin tone perfectly as my tan fades.
My make-up preferences have also changes to darker, vampy shades instead of the bright lips and nails I was sporting in Summer. The Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stains have fast become one of my favourite lip products to apply. I currently have three shades, but this is my Autumn favourite in Parisian Passion which I mostly like to wear in the evenings. They're easy to apply, create bold colour and lasts on the lips for hours. I have done a full blog post on these here. My nails have also been painted in berry shades, I especially like this Butter London Nail Lacquer in Shambolic which is a lovely sparkly, glitter purple. I bought this in a set which comes with a matching lip gloss. I think this lip and nail combo would look great together!

What are your favourite products this Autumn?

NEW LIP FAVOURITE - REVLON COLORSTAY MOISTURE STAINS

Revlon create some of my favourite lip products from the High Street, Lip Butters being one of the best products I've tried. Revlon's most recent offering are these Colorstay Moisture Lip Stains. They come in 12 different shades inspired by the most fashionable global destinations. Not disappointed by Revlon's lip products before, I decided to pick up three shades, Milan Moment, Parisian Passion and London Posh. I love the names, very clever and it gives the consumer the chance to enjoy a slice of beauty from their favourite places around the world. Milan Moment is a peachy orange, Parisian Passion a dark plum and London Posh a shimmery nude, Parisian Passion has to be my favourite. I have posted a picture on Instagram of me wearing it here.
This formulation applies like a lipgloss, looks glossy but are not sticky at all. They are pigmented, lightweight, moisturising and build-able  The wide doe foot applicator means its easy to apply the formula and re-apply when needed throughout the day. I really like to work the formula into my lips and reapply to build the colour and create a shiny finish. The stains come in a great range of bright colours as well as nudes, so there is something for everyone. They last for ages on the lips, the stain remains but I do like to top up the gloss. The concept reminds me of the YSL glossy stains (which I haven't tried) but at a much more affordable price point. The packaging is really sleek, stylish and makes the product look more expensive than it actually is. Boots currently have a 2 for £10 offer on selected Revlon Cosmetics, priced at £7.99 each. No doubt I will be picking up more of these, I have my eye on Cannes Crush next. 
Asos are currently giving you the chance to win the whole collection, all you have to do is create a city look on Pinterest inspired by your favourite shade, see my board here.

Have you tried Revlon's newest lip product?

REVLON LIP BUTTER SWEET BOUTIQUE - AUTUMN BERRY SWATCHES

I posted last week that the Revlon Sweet Boutique is back! I thought I would remind you all that the last day to try and win a Lip Butter on the Revlon Facebook page is tomorrow (the 4th December). Today's shade that is up for grabs is 'Lollipop' a lovely bright pink colour. I'm a big fan of the Lip Butters in general and think they are one of my favourite product discoveries from 2012. They are great quality, come in gorgeous shades and are so easy to apply!

Berry Smoothie, Macaroon, Raspberry Pie £7.99 each*

These Autumn/Winter berry shades are always in my make-up bag at the moment, my favourite being 'Berry Smoothie', a dusky pink with a hint of shimmer. 'Raspberry Pie' is a great shade for the evening and would look great at a Christmas party! The formula of these are so creamy and the lasting power is really surprising. I have also been wearing vampy, gothic shades on my nails and love Vixen from Revlon (6.49*) the perfect Autumn shade and bang of trend this season. The only downside to these nail enamels is that they do seem to take a while to dry on my nails. 

Berry Smoothie, Macaroon, Raspberry Pie

If you haven't tried these Autumn/Winter shades already I would really recommend giving them a try. If you would like the chance to win a Revlon Lip Butter head over to the Revlon Facebook page now. Good Luck! What is your favourite Lip Butter shade?

*PR Samples 

REVLON LIP BUTTER SWEET BOUTIQUE

The Revlon Lip Butter Sweet Boutique is back, for your chance to win head over to the Revlon UK Facebook page here. They are giving away 100x Lip Butters every day before 11pm until the 4th of December. With the chance to win a different shade every day, so you could complete your lip butter collection by entering. Today's shade is Peach Parfait, which is probably my favourite lip butter that I have tried so far. I have been very impressed by these Lip Butters and they are one of my favourite lip products of 2012. So if you haven't tried these already, get yourself over to the Facebook page to enter - just in time for Christmas. Good Luck! 

JULY BEAUTY FAVOURITES 2012

I have quite a few favourites this month, July went fast so quickly! but there sure are some products I just can't get enough of...
Clarisonic Mia, Lavender £120.00 - I have been using my Clarisonic Mia for over a month or so now. This tool has become my new best friend, which I have integrated into my night time skincare routine. I have really seen results with using this religiously, my skin has become a lot clearer and seems to glow once I have used it. I am prone to blemishes around the chin area, but they have really calmed down, which I think has been helped by using this and my pores have become visible smaller. I am really glad I caved and bought this item, I don't know what I'd do without it now.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, 100ml £92.00 - I received this as a birthday present at the end of June, and have been loving it ever since. The scent is described as oriental-fresh, with a floral jasmine-rose blend of intense freshness. I find the scent really light and sophisticated and great for every day use. I haven't stopped using it, it was such a nice present to receive and the bottle looks lovely on my dressing table.
V05 Refresh Me Quick Dry Shampoo, 200ml £3.49 - I am a true Batiste dry shampoo girl, but I have recently been enjoying using Vo5 products so was really excited they had bought out two new dry shampoos to there range. Refresh me quick smells divine, it really reminds me of TIGI Bed Head - Head Rush. A great product for second day hair. I will definitely be trying out the 'Plump me up' version that Vo5 do.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream, Light £6.99 - I featured this product in my monthly empties as I had used up a few sample sachets I had received with an Asos order. I then went out and bought the full size because I loved the coverage so much. It's the best coverage BB cream that I have used and does last a good while on my skin. It has replaced my foundations this month.
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, Honey and Darling £5.99 each - I was so excited for these products to come to the UK, after the hype of the lip butters. They haven't disappointed, read my full review on the shade 'Honey' here. After using Honey for a few days, I knew I had to purchase another shade, so went for 'Darling' such a lovely, unusual shade of lilac. These products are great to just chuck in your handbag and use on the go, as they are so easy to apply.
REN No1 Purity Cleansing Balm, 100ml £23.00 - I bought this product to use with my Clarisonic, see my full post here. I had heard so many good things about REN and I got such a good deal on there website. I have really been enjoying using this cleanser, it is a lot thicker than I first thought it would be, but it foams up just the right amount with my clarisonic. I will be putting this as my favourite product on my REN account, so I can receive 10% of it for life. It does manage to take off all my make-up, including waterproof mascara.

Naked Spoil Me Coco De Mer Bath Foam, 300ml £3.99 - I would pick a bath over a shower any day, so you can imagine I am obsessed with my bath products for a little pamper. I picked up this product to try because of it's scent 'Coco de mer'. I love anything coconut scented and this creates such a lovely scent which lingers on the skin and takes over the whole bathroom. I also love how Naked products are 97% natural and has nothing but goodness in it's bottles. 
Barry M Nail Paint, 324 Silvery Lilac £2.99 - This is such a lovely shade, and nothing like I have seen before. I really reminds me of summer and holidays. I have been applying this to my toes this month and just love the colour. Barry M is so affordable and the colour range is so big, you really can't beat it.
OPI Sensitive and Peeling Nail Envy £18.55 - This is another product I received for my birthday. I know there is a lot of blogger hype over the original version of this. As I am not able to wear nail vanish every day due to my job, this is great for just wearing for a light sheen of coverage. I have seen a big improvement with the quality of my nails, they have become a lot stronger. This formula is rich in vitamin E and Kukai nut oil, while also offering the soothing qualities of Aloe Vera.

What products have you been loving this month?

PRODUCT REVIEW - REVLON JUST BITTEN KISSABLE BALM STAIN - 001 HONEY

I knew I had to get my hands on one of these Revlon Balm Stains when I saw they were coming to the UK. They were also on my June Beauty Wishlist, so on one of my Boots shopping trips, I spotted them and had to pick one up. I saw they had a choice of four colours, but on the website there are a few more shade, so I'm curious to see if they are all coming into stores. They are so alike to the Clinique Chubby Sticks and much more affordable. I picked the lightest shade which was available to me in '001 Honey'- a pinky nude, a great everyday shade. I would say 'Honey' is a little darker in the tube than the packaging may seem, so definitely swatch the colours to find what best suits you.

The formula to these are really moisturising and so easy to apply with the crayon like applicator. These differ from the Revlon Lip Butters as they last so well on the lips. The sheen doesn't last so long, but the stain in left after eating and drinking. The crayon itself is retractable, so there is no need for sharpening. They are really build able, in the swatch below I have layered two coats on to create a more pigmented shade, but you could just apply lightly for a more subtle look. They smell minty which I like, but I know some people would prefer them not to smell of anything. 

Revlon have been my favourite high street/drug store make-up brand of this year so far, and it seems they are just getting better. I will definitely pick up another shade in these Balm Stains whilst they are still on offer. I think I'm lusting over the shade 'Darling' a lovely lilac shade. These are currently £5.99 at Boots and Superdrug, (normal price £7.99.)

Have you tried the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains yet?

BEAUTY WISHLIST - JUNE 2012 MUST HAVES

My birthday is coming up next week, so I might treat myself to the things I have been lusting over for ages. And thought I would share...
Stila In the Light Palette £25.00 - I have wanted this palette for a while now, probably since christmas time. I haven't bought it because I have been using the Naked 2 palette instead. But after reading Zoella's blog post about it, I think I might have to go out and buy it. Shade - Kitten looks too pretty. A great alternative to the Naked palette at a cheaper price.
Origins Brightening Musts Gift Set £26.00 - This set contains VitaZing 50ml, Modern Friction 30ml and GinZing 5ml. I have wanted to try these products for a while now, and I think this set is a great price to try them all out and see if I like them. I have other Origins products including the drink up intensive mask, and absolutely love that, so if they are anything like that I know they will become firm favourites in my skincare routine.
Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream £7.99 - I have tried and nearly used up the Garnier BB cream and love that. But want to mix it up a bit and try another brand. I have heard good things about this, so that might have to be my next purchase. I have also sent away for samples, so hopefully they will arrive soon.
L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil 250ml £16.00 - I much prefer to have baths than showers. After reading Viviannadoesmakeup's blog post about this I knew it was a product that I had to try. If it smells anything like the Soap & Glory Almond body wash (my post here) then I know I'll love it. For the price, I think it's a bit of a bath time treat but I guess it will last a while, so to me it's worth it.
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains £7.99 - I loved watching Essiebutton's video and reading her blog post on these lip stains. They look like great dupes for the Clinique Chubby Sticks. Really good colour pay off, as well as being moisturising to the lips. I don't know if these are the right ones on the Boots website, as I thought they weren't available till July. But can't wait to try one!
Real Techniques Starter Kit £21.99 - I own the core collection, the blush brush and the stippling brush from Real Techniques and think they are the best brushes I have tried. So, this kit is next on my list, I know they are great for concealer too.
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer 150ml £22.30 - I got a sample of this when it was in the Glossybox a few months ago. I used it all up and loved the stuff. It defiantly did my hair some good. I'm currently using the Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque, but I think once all that is used up, I will change it up a bit and purchase this.
What's on your wishlist? Have you tried any of these products?