May Favourites

Sorry I'm coming to you with my May Favourites a week late, everything has been so hectic lately. I can't believe it's June like where has half the year gone? I didn't do anything too exciting during May, I did get around to booking my Manchester trip, I'm glad it's finally all done. Any places you think I should visit while I'm there? During May the weather was pretty good, so I definitely made the most of it.While writing this post it's pouring raining again so it was short lived. I've been loving a mixture of products this month.

I bought No7's Blend & Contour brush ages ago and I wasn't expecting too much from it. This has become my my favourite brush for applying eyeshadow to the crease. I own MAC's 217 brush but I actually prefer this and find myself reaching for it more. It's the perfect size for travelling as it has such a small handle. If you have a No7 voucher this will only cost you in and around €2 which is a bargain. You may be wondering why the brush looks brand new, that's because it is. My other one needs to be cleaned so I thought I'd show you the nice one instead.

My nails have been peeling and breaking alot lately, it bugs me. Earlier in the month, I spotted Sally Hansen's Diamond Strength Cuticle Cream for half price so I thought I'd give it a go. Since I started using this it has done wonders for my nails, it is a bit on the tacky side which means I use it at night. The sickly sweet scent is something I can also look over as it works so well.

There's been much talk about this product throughout the beauty community lately. I bought this at the end of April and I was shocked at the price. €36!!! I've read that this can be used in numerous different ways. When I wake up in the mornings half asleep, I spritz a bit on my face. The smell certainly wakes me up and I feel refreshed. I do this every day without fail so it's definitely made it's way into my morning routine. I will be repurchasing this again but I think I'll get the small bottle off Feel Unique as it's cheaper and better size for travelling.

It took me ages to find this in Boots and I'm so glad I did in the end. The Bourjois Magic Nail polish remover makes taking off nail polish a breeze. I know on the packaging it says it works in 1 second, I'd say more 10. It's simple to use and reasonably priced at €6.99. I heard this shouldn't be used with glitter polish as it will wreck the foam inside. Another few words of wisdom, do not knock this over with the lid off you will get polish remover everywhere. Trust me I know!

This is one of those products I could sit and smell all day. It has a light sweet scent which isn't over powering in the slightest.  I got this in a set with three other body creme, Creme Brulee is my favourite along with Creme de Pistache. They both smell yummy. The product itself is really moisturising and sinks into my skin right away without leaving me sticky. I dread finishing this as I'll want to repurchase it again and boy is the full size pricey.

Last but not least I have a lipstick from MAC. I've been using Syrup on my lips pretty much everyday for the past month. It's such a lovely wearable shade for day and night. I have quite a few MAC lipsticks and this may be my favourite. I always have Syrup in my makeup bag, it has a permanent place there. I'll be buying this again once I run out, I can see that being pretty soon as I've used half already.

Do you have any plans for the Summer? What made it into your May favourites?

Laura<3

Magazine Freebies - July Issue

I'm not one to buy alot of magazines, I have my favourites, Stellar and U but other than that I wouldn't be rushing out to get one. I do feel that certain magazines these days are taken up with more adverts than articles which I find pointless. Saying that I did buy a couple this month as they included some gorgeous freebies which I couldn't resist.

The four magazines I picked up are Marie Claire, Glamour, Instyle and Red. I have to admit the latter two I hardly ever read. In Red magazine, there was a choice between a Jemma Kidd mascara and eyeliner. I went for the I-Glamour Define Eyeliner. This product has gotten good reviews online so I'm looking forward to testing it out. With Instyle, there was a choice between a mascara and eyeliners also. I went for the mascara this time, I've tried The Body Shop's Big & Curvy in the past and I really liked it. I'm going to keep this for my trip to Manchester as I do have alot to use up. I picked up my second Ciate nail polish with Marie Claire. I got my first one with this magazine and I use it all the time. I went for the shade Bon Bon which is a gorgeous for everyday. These polishes have been almost impossible to get in Ireland in the past. They are available here now so I can see myself buying a few more. Last but not least is the Benefit freebie that alot of bloggers are talking about at the moment. I'm sure you've seen enough posts on this to last you a lifetime so I won't go on too much I promise. Glamour magazine was so hard to come by, I spotted it on my lunch break and I went for The Porefessional primer. I bought this when it first came out and I loved it, I just wish it wasn't so expensive. The price of the full sized product is the only problem for me. I was actually going to pick up a few more Glamour magazines to get a few more of these but when I went back to the shop they were gone. Just my luck! I'm going to keep this miniature for my travel bag as it is the perfect size.

Have you picked up any of these magazines?

Laura<3

May Empties

My mission this month was to finish a few makeup products. I've been doing empties posts a while now and I never seem to use up any at all. I finished three makeup products this month which is an achievement in my eyes. Makeup products aside, I've used up a ridiculous amount of stuff throughout May. To save you from being bombarded with loads of pictures, I've decided to split all the products into groups.  So there's only five in total which seems a bit easier on the eye.

I'm going start off with the makeup products I've used up. It seems to take me forever to use up mascaras for some reason so this is a monumental moment. The One by One Volume Express mascara is definitely my favourite Maybelline mascara. I was a big fan of their Falsies mascara when it first came out but when I tried this I changed my mind completely. The oval shaped brush captures every lash and gives my lashes that extra bit of volume without clumping. Another small detail I love about this mascara is the packaging who wouldn't like that colour. I can see myself repurchasing this again after I finish some more mascaras. Another eye product I finished up this month is MAC's Fluidline in Blacktrack. I've had this for ages so I couldn't wait to finish it. I never leave the house without a bit of liner and mascara on so I was surprised with how long it took me to use this use. I do think Fluidline is a bit overpriced seeing as there is so many cheaper alternatives out there. The last of my makeup products is Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua, I've used every last morsel of this foundation and I can't wait to repurchase it. I use the shade B20 and it's the perfect match for skin tone. I love how it gives a nice natural looking finish. I've tried this foundation in the new compact form, I can't say I'm too gone on it yet. I much prefer the liquid foundation it's easier to apply, for me anyway. I will be repurchasing this before my Manchester trip as I don't think I could go two months without it.

I've only tried a few product from Redken in the past as I do find their products expensive. All Soft wouldn't be my favourite shampoo and conditioner, it does leave your hair moisturised and looking silky but I much prefer the Extreme range. I have heat damaged hair so I feel the latter works for me much better. I love Soap & Glory's Pulp Friction, it's such a lovely scrub that has a gorgeous fruity scent. I got this in a set at Christmas time so I'm not sure on the price but nothing from this brand is usually too expensive. I actually rushed out and bought a refill of the next product  as I love it so much. I first spotted L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil on Vivianna's blog, she raved about how good it was. I'm glad I tried this as it's such a lovely product and smells amazing. I'm going to try and pop up a review soon.

Here are all the smellies I used up. I'm not going to go into much detail about the body sprays as I'm sure alot of you have tried them already. I always have a Impulse spray in my bag, my favourite scents are Goddess and Tease. Very Very Pink isn't my favourite scent so I doubt I'll buy it again. Attract for Her, the first women's deoderant from LYNX was nothing to special in my opinion. I really didn't like the packaging as it does look rather masculine and it didn't have a unique scent. You can read my full Attract For Her review here. The perfumes I finished this month were two of my favourites. Both were presents from my Mom and Sister and I've has them for ages. Lola is my favourite Marc Jacobs fragrance, I know this is a refill but I've repurchased this a tonne of times. My Mom got me the handbag size which came with a purchase as well as another refill. It's good to know I'm not all out of this yet. Viva La Juicy is such a nice Summer scent it smells gorgeous. Isn't the bottle beautiful? I'll be hanging on to it as it's just so pretty. I didn't like the original Juicy Couture but this is something different. I may not repurchase for a while as it is expensive. I may try to pick it up in duty free in July.

I love Vichy's Calming Cleansing Micellar Solution, this size comes with a pump which I prefer as I feel like I'm not wasting any product. I went down to my local shop to repurchase it only to see that this was a promotional size so it's not available any more which was pretty disappointing. It was such a bargain too and lasted ages. I'm on a look out for a new Micellar Solution to try so if you have any recommendations let me know! The next skincare product is a small one but I do enjoy using it. I haven't tried too many sheet masks as there not available in Ireland. I got a couple of these in a swap and I really like them. They do make me look like Mike Myers from Halloween H2O but I can deal with the cause there great. The Aloe Mask left my skin feeling so refreshed and it does smell quite nice too.

My empties post wouldn't be complete without a few miscellaneous products thrown in. I always carry hand sanitisers in my bag, these ones from Bath & Body Works are great. I received these as part of my swap with Chie. There such a handy size and don't take up whole lot of space at all.  My favourite out of the two is Lunchbox, it has a really nice fruity scent. I wish Bath & Body Works products were more easily available in Ireland as I'd definitely pick up a few more of these.

Have you tried any of these products? 

Laura<3