June Favourites

I can't believe July is already upon us. In my mind it's supposed to be the hottest month of the Summer and if the weather stays the way it is now for the next week or two I'll be happy. June was a pretty busy month for me, it went by unbelievably fast. One of the highlights for me this month was heading over to London, you can read all about my adventures over there here. If you haven't yet read my London posts I had an amazing time and I really want to go back over before the end of the year. There's so much cool things to do in that city, I would need so much more time to see them. The majority of my favourites are ones that I brought along to London with me. When I'm travelling abroad I like to just bring products that I know I'll use. On past trips I went a bit over the top with bringing makeup with me which results in it being untouched for the duration of the holiday. Of course I did pick up a lot of beauty bits over there, thank god I remembered to check in a bag.

I'm not big on tanning products but over the Summer months I've decided to use them a little more to give myself a natural glow. When I seen the new Bourjois Bronzing Range, I immediately wanted to give the primer a go. I always use a primer before I apply my makeup as I have Combination/Oily skin if I didn't use one I get my makeup would just slide off my face. With this product I was killing two birds with the one stone, getting my makeup to stay intact all day and achieving a Summer glow too. Not only have I been using this under makeup, I'm been putting it over my foundation as a cream bronzer and it looks great. For the price, I'll definitely be picking up another soon. I'm not too sure if it's permanent or not, something I'll have to check that out. I'm undecided on trying their new Bronzing BB cream, I have a feeling it could be a little too dark from what I've seen in the shop. Have any of you guys tried it??

I've always been a big fan of MAC makeup, I do agree that some of their limited edition collections can be a bit hyped up though. When I first spotted the Temperature Rising Summer I was immediately drawn to their Bare My Soul eyeshadow quad. First off this palette isn't housed in the usual MAC black packaging but in a nice burnt brown affair. I'm actually digging it, I love when they come out with limited edition packaging it's even better when the product itself performs well too.However when I went to the till to pay for my purchases I was shocked to hear that this was €52.50, I know pricey! I was so glad I took the plunge and got this though as it was the only palette I used while I was in London. Unlike the usual limited edition palettes this one contains ultra wearable shades that are ideal for everyday. I think this palette would be all you need for weekends away as it would talk you from day to night. My two favourite shades are Romantico (shimmery) for all over the lid and Friendly (shimmery chocolate brown) in the crease. If your not big into shimmery shadows this palette won't be for you. As it is unfortun.;ately limited edition I guess it would be unlikely to still be on counters.

A lip product that I've been using a lot this month is from Essence and it's their Stay Matt Lip Cream in  Velvet Rose.  It's a gorgeous dusty pink shade that is perfect for everyday. I actually picked up another shade aswell called Soft Nude and it's really nice too. These both smell amazing like sweet caramel! I'm pretty sure these ring in at €3 each which isn't to bad for a new lip product. If I feel my makeup look needs a little something different I pop on Velvet Rose and it definitely completes the whole look. As this is a matte lip cream it does stay on the lips for a while, however as with all matte lip products I'd recommend using a lip balm before applying. This brand can do no wrong in my eyes, their budget friendly range will forever be favourites of mine. For instant if I was stuck without a concealer or foundation just before Payday, I know I'd be able to pick up some for less than five euro which is amazing!

My last makeup related favourite is Benefit's Hello Flawless powder. I got matched to the shade "I love Me" Ivory at an Benefit launch a couple of months back. At first looking at the shade I thought it was going to be a little bit too dark for me. After I started using it at the beginning of June, I fell in love with it. As always with Benefit the packaging its fun and quirky. Included is a sponge and a little brush but I've been using my own brush and tapping of the excess, a little bit of this goes such a long way. Depending on what kind of coverage you want you can go from sheer to full with this. I find its really good for topping up my makeup during the day and its the perfect size for my handbag too. As this is the lightest shade I don't know how this will suit people that are fairer than me. I'd recommend getting colour matched at one of their counters before purchasing it.

Paddy bought me this gorgeous skincare treat a while back and I'm so glad he did. Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask is a product that I have been reading rave reviews about all over the blogosphere. I decanted this into a small travel tub for when I went to London and it did the world of good for my skin. After travelling from East London to West London pretty much over the whole weekend it was nice to get back to the hotel and slap some of this on my face. This stuff smells AMAZING, just like peaches! It's just a lovely treat for my skin and it laps this product up. Paddy even used some when we were in London and he said his skin never felt as good the next day, maybe I have him converted to this product already. The one I got is actually in the Limited Edition 50ml packaging that came out a month or so ago. If you're trying to look for this at Origins counters it comes in a green tube. Even though this is only 50mls it seems to be lasting forever.I'm definitely interested in trying out some more bits from this brand soon as I haven't tried an awful lot from them. If your at all familiar with the brand I'd love to hear your recommendations.

Fleur de Figuier is the latest fragrance from Roger & Gallet and it's perfect for the Summer. I'm already planning on picking up the shower gel in this beautiful floral scent, I'm hoping they have a body lotion to go alongside it too. I definitely agree that fragrance is very personal, I know it's so hard to go into a shop and pick one out for a friend. I'd recommend going into a store that stocks Roger & Gallet to give this one a sniff I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I'm a big fan of their new travel size bottles, this fits in my handbag perfectly without taking up too much space. I do believe their whole fragrance range comes in these travel sizes now so if this scent isn't for you there's a variety of others to choose from.

Another travel size product I used over in London was Bath & Body Works Sweet as Paris body lotion. How I wish we could get this brand in Ireland, I know I for one would keep them in business here. I just love how all their products come in little cute travel sizes. Again this took up hardly any room in my travel makeup bag. I used this every night before I went to bed in London and I still have a significant amount yet which is good for a product of this size. It have a lovely sweet scent but isn't sickly. Sweet As Paris is a really light lotion that sinks into the skin fast whilst leaving it really soft. I hope I get a chance to go to America in the near future as I want to stock up on my favourite scents from this brand.

So that's all my favourites for the month of June, I'd love to hear yours!

Laura<3

June Empties

 I haven't done an empties post in quite a while. I should really be calling this post, April/May/June Empties, the reason for me not doing one of these posts is simply because I didn't have any finished products to show you guys.Even though this is three months worth of empties there's not too much here. It has been taking me ages to use up bits and bobs lately, I really need to put the pedal to the metal and start using more beauty products. I may start doing some Shopping the Stash style posts as I definitely have some products that are being unloved. Sure July is upon us now, hopefully it's a turning of a new leaf and I'll have another empties post next month too.

I'm going to start off with my makeup empties which mostly consists of Rimmel products. The favourites from the brand for me has to be their Wake Me Up Concealer and Stay Matte powder. I've gone through so many of these product, unfortunately this Stay Matte Powder actually smashed whilst it was in my bad. I wasn't too disappointed as it was nearly all used up anyway. I get the shade 001 Transparent which I'm sure will match any skin tone. This is such a brilliant all over powder for the price, I always throw it in my bag for a night out as I know it will be easily replaced if I mislay it. I get about a month or so out of one of these powders, I tend to stock up on them when Boots have their famous 3`for 2 promotion on. I can't stand the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation (the lightest shade was way too dark for me) so I was really surprised to find that I liked the concealer. I mainly use this under the eyes to cover up pesky dark circles and they work really nice. I do tend to set them with a bit of powder too so it sticks around til the end of the day. I definitely prefer this concealer over the much talked about Collection offering. I hate to say it but I have a couple of fine lines under my eyes and I feel that the Collection concealer enhances them resulting in them looking way more noticeable. Not a look I want to go for. A new foundation I tried from the brand was their Match Perfection foundation. Having tried their Wake Me Up foundation I wasn't expecting too much from this one but I actually love it. I got the shade Ivory which for me was a little too dark. I did repurchase it in the shade Light Porcelain which is a tad bit too light for me so I think I may just stick with Ivory next time and possibly use a bit of tan. This foundation contains an SPF18, I apply it using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush and it just gives a lovely light flawless finish. Lastly I have a mascara, it takes me so long to finish these! My friend Sinead picked this up for me when she was in Florida earlier this year. The Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara does exactly what it says on the tin. It gives  volume without the clumps, so you can apply as many coats as you want without leaving your eyes looking like a hot mess. I'm not going to go too much into this product as we can't get the brand here in Ireland. Word on the street is that Max Factor's Clump Defy mascara is the exact same as this. I haven't tried the Max Factor but after seeing it in store the brush is the exact same so I'm guessing they do the same job. The Max Factor alternative is a lot more expensive than this one from Covergirl just bare that in mind if you decide to purchase it.

As you can see above I've used up quite a deodorants, I always carry around one in my bag with. These are the new compressed bottles that have hit the shelves, apparently their fazing out all the larger bottles in the the coming months. I for one think it's a great idea as it's way better for the environment. They do state on the cans that one of these has the same amount of product as the old school big cans. I'm not a 100% sure myself as I haven't done a whole lot of research behind but I take their word for it. I do really like the new packaging, it's great for throwing in my bag as it doesn't take up a vast amount of space like the old ones did. My favourite scent out of those pictured above is the Sure Women Bright Fragrance. I've used this particular one for ages and I always come back to it, I just love the scent.

Lastly I have my skincare empties which consists of two micellar solutions and two moisturisers. I've been a big fan of Liz Earle for a while now, I adore their Skin Repair Light Moisturiser. When my Mom went away last year she brought me back a Liz Earle Travel Kit that she got on the plane. The moisturiser isn't the one that I'd usually use from the brand so I've been using it before I go to bed. I did enjoy using it but I probably wouldn't repurchase it. However I probably will be taking a trip to Wilde & Green soon to pick up a new Skin Repair Light moisturiser. My other moisturiser empty is from La Roche Posay, another skincare brand that I'm very fond of. I really like this moisturiser as it mattifies the skin, leaving the perfect base for makeup application. My brother also uses this moisturiser aswell, he's a big fan! Two Micellar solutions I've used up out these two offerings from No7 and Loreal Paris. Having given up using wipes in favour of these I can see such a big difference in my skin. Both of these products are available in Boots and remove all my makeup effortlessly. I would repurchase both of them again, I've actually already bought a new No7 Cleansing Water. It is expensive but I usually buy a couple when Boots bring out the No7 vouchers, that reminds me I really want to try their new mascara. It sounds really good and sure I can never have too many mascaras.

Do you enjoy reading empties posts? Have you used any of the products I featured?

Laura<3

Flora Mini Marathon Update #1

If you read my last Slimming World update you'll probably already know that I've decided to take part in the Flora Women's Mini Marathon in June. It will be my first so of course I'm a little nervous. Both my Mum and Sister have taken part in previous years, they both really enjoyed the experience and said it was so much fun. I've opted to jog the marathon which is huge for me, it's 10km which is a lot so I hope I'm cut out for it. This time last year I couldn't have even imagined walking it let alone jog it. I just hope we have good weather on the day, it can be so unpredictable in Ireland I wouldn't be surprised if it rained.

I've started jogging daily with one of my work buddies with one of my work buddies Alison, who is also taking part in the Marathon with me. I'm not going to lie for someone who isn't the fittest person out there it has been difficult so far. I've been training for nearly two weeks now but I know I have so much more work to do. I feel jogging has really helped out how I'm doing at Slimming World each week too. I'm not going to give up though as at this stage I'm determined to jog it, for me it would be such a huge accomplishment and would be the cherry on top of the wonderful year I've had. I have just about 40 days (countdown has officially started) to train for the marathon, so I'm trying to put every free second I have into it which is extremely hard with studying for college exams and work. I believe that I can do it though. I'm collecting my race number at the end of the month at the Woman's Day show in the RDS which I'm looking forward to, I'm going to bring my Mum along with me on the day.

The charity that I've chosen to jog for is St Luke's Hospital. A close family member of mine passed away ten years ago from a terminal illness. She spent her last months being cared for in this hospice. I can't remember too much of this though time but I've been told how kind and nice the staff were. I'm hoping to raise a good sum for my chosen charity. I feel like I'd be helping more people get brilliant support during the hard times they face. I know I'll have a wonderful guardian angel on the day cheering me on.

Have you taken part in a Marathon? I'd love to hear your tips!

Laura<3

June Favourites

During the month of June I've been on a spending ban, with Manchester only a little while away I'm trying to save as much as I can. My boyfriend and I have planned to do so much over our 10 day trip so of course money is a necessity. All month I haven't bought any beauty products (par one or two essentials) so alot of my June favourites are rediscoveries.

I wish this brand was easily available in Ireland. If it was I'd definitely stock up on more bits from the Pink Chiffon range. The scent is heavenly, a mixture between sweet and fruitly. I got this as a birthday gift from a fellow beauty blogger Chie, who knows how much I love Bath and Body Works. This body lotion has quickly become one of my favourites. I'm half way through the bottle and I'll be so disappointed when I run out. The size of this product is also perfect for travelling, it will certainly find it's way into my Manchester travel bag.

My lashes have been looking a complete mess lately, lets just say I won't be using false lashes for a long time. My Nana surprised me with this at the beginning of June and it has been a complete lifesaver. The mascara adds so much volume to my lashes, it doesn't even miss the teeny tiny ones. The brush is different to others as it has a mixture of short and long bristles but this mascara is amazing, I can't find a fault with it. Fanomenal Lashes is definitely my favourite mascara from No7, I love it!!

I've been trying to lay off my straighteners for a while in favour of my natural wavey look which is going quite well. I'm not going to lie now and again I do revolve back to using my straigheners. I always use heat protectant though and this month I ran out mine, luckily I came across VO5's offering while I was going through my haircare products. I like this as it's more of a light spritzs and doesn't drown my hair like some sprays can. This is one of the better heat protectants I've used in a while. From what I can remember it wasn't too expensive I think I bought it in Superdrug. This also has a really nice scent which can be said for alot of  VO5's productsThere's alot of decent products in their styling range, I love Give Me Texture which enhances my waves.

I hate talking about feet they creep me out but this is a product I've been using alot this month. Seeing as the weather has been gorgeous, my boyfriend and I have been going on long walks anytime we can. When I get home I'm always wrecked but so have my feet and sometimes I think we tend to neglect them. So I've been using the Liz Earle Foot Spritzer, I spray both feet twice and pop on a pair of fluffy socks.  It contains menthol so it has an instant cooling which is really nice on my feet after a good long walk or a hard days work. I can't remember for the life of me how much this was but I'll definitely be repurchasing this when I run out.

My Mom got Too Faced's Natural Eye palette for me when she went to New York the Christmas before last. I love this palette, it contains nine neutral shades that all make the perfect natural eye look. As you can see Push Up is my favourite, I use it all over the lid with Erotica in the socket everyday and I love it! If I was going away for a weekend away I'd bring this with me as it has the perfect selection of shadows to get me from day to night.

I actually tried the Nuxe Reve de Miel hand cream at their event and I instantly fell in love with the stuff. I went to my local pharmacy the next day and picked one up. It is rather price at €12.30 but it comes in a nice size tube which is ideal for my handbag. This handcream has a really unique scent which I love, I could sit around smelling it all day. It's a thick hand cream but it sinks into the skin instantly. I've been using this alot especially after work as it leaves my hands nice and soft.

Last but not least I have another haircare product that I've been loving this month. I straighten my hair quite a bit so my hair does go quite flat and lifeless. I'm not the biggest fan of dry shampoos so when I first tried John Frieda's Luxurious Volume Anytime Volume Refresher* I was a bit sceptical of it. I had no reason to worry as this stuff is brilliant. Firstly the product doesn't have the stronge nasty scent that some dry shampoos have which is a plus. It gives my hair a much needed lift and adds I nice bit of volume. This product absorbs oil so it would be classed a dry shampoo but I use it just to get a nice bit of body in my hair. I lift up bits of my hair and spray this at the roots, it does leave a light powder but it's easily blended in. One of the many things I like most about Anytime Volume Refresher is that it doesn't leave your hair looking ashy which alot of dry shampoos can. It also comes in a skinny can which does come in handy as it's the perfect size for my handbag.

What made it into your favourites for June??

Laura<3

June Empties

Another month has just flown by ridiculously fast. If you think about it half the year is gone already which I find hard to believe. Seeing as it is July I thought I'd start off with my June Empties post, I'll follow on with my favourites during the week. I didn't finish too much this month but it's enough to justify doing a empties post I think. Like last month I'm going to seperate the products into categories again as I feel it reads and looks better.

Firstly I'm going to start with shower products I've used up. Two of the products come from The Body Shop and Lush, my favourite shops for shower products, everything smells so yummy. I've had this pot of Lush's Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie since Christmas, I've been trying to make it last as it got discontinued. I really don't know why it was as I do believe it was pretty popular. They replaced it with Ro's Argan Body Conditioner which honestly doesn't compare at all and smells horrible in my opinion. Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie had a amazing gorgeous scent and left my skin feeling so soft. I don't think there's anything like it in Lush at the moment which is disappointing. Another product I finished during June and loved is The Body Shop's Chocomania Body Scrub. If your not eating chocolate like me for whatever reason you should definitely give this a sniff. It's an amazing scrub too and this size product lasted me a two months or so. For me the only downside is the price, it's the price €18.95 which is rather pricey for a scrub. I know Hollister's Laguna Beach Body Mist isn't necessarily a shower product but I thought I'd squeeze it in here. I tend to use this straight after I have a shower so it makes sense to be included. I've this bottle forever probably a year now and I love this scent. It stays on the skin much longger then some body sprays I've tried. I didn't particularly like the body lotion in the same scent so I gave that to a friend. The next time I'm in Hollister I'm going to pick up another spray maybe in a different scent, I think there's two others to choose from.

Another Lush product I finished last month is the Brazened Honey face mask. I really like how this product leaves my skin looking fresh and bright. The way this mask looked kind of put me off to start with. If you've used this before you'll know what I mean but if you haven't I'll just warn you and let you know it's not the most attractive colour. After trying this I really want to try some more Lush masks. Let me know your favourites. I've been ditching the wipes lately in favour  of cleansing waters.  I feel like my skin has definitely improved since I stopped using them. This month I finished up No7's Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water for Normal/ Oily skin. I love this stuff and I've already done a post here. The only problem I had with this product is that the bottle isn't big enough. I tend to fly through cleansing waters for some reason and run out in no time. I had a few No7 vouchers floating around and I repurchased this yesterday, I can see this being a welcome addition to my skincare routine. The last skincare product I finished during June is Origins GinZing Eyecream. I've only started using eyecreams lately, I just never thought I needed them before now. After a closer inspection in the mirror  I realised I did and I bought this. Origins GinZing Eyecream doesn't do much for fine lines but it definitely brightens up the under eye area. This is actually a good little product when I remember to use. Again the only thing stopping me repurchasing this anytime soon is the price. I think there's so many alternative products out there at the moment.


I only finished two makeup products this month, the first of which is MAC's Lingering Eyebrow pencil.  The shade, Lingering is the perfect shade for my brows and it fills them in nicely. This reminds me of the electronical windup pencils you use to get in school and it snaps the exact same too which really annoyed me. I think I finished it up so soon because it just kept breaking. I want to repurchase this eyebrow pencil again so I'm hoping this one was just a part of a bad batch. I think for the price it shouldn't be breaking all the time. Did anyone have the same problem with it? Another makeup product I ran out off is my favourite eyeliner, Loreal's Super Liner Carbon Gloss. I saw such a amazing review on this product and I wanted to try it for ages. A couple of months ago I finally bought it and I love this eyeliner. It quickly became a part of my everyday makeup routine. It has such a nice applicator which applies the liner beautiful. I was so disappointed when I ran out this so I'll be definitely popping into Boots the next time I'm out shopping.

 Do you do monthly empties post? Have you tried any of the products I've finished this month?

Laura<3