My Lanolips Competition Win (and a little giveaway for you!)

Not very long ago I entered a Lanolips Instagram competition where I had to take a fun and interesting picture of a Lanolips Lip Ointment With Colour (I had the shade Rhubarb). My photo entry won the competition and in doing so I won myself the entire Lanolips product range! You can see everything I won in the photos below and you'll see all the very pretty Lanolips packaging.

August Beauty Favourites

Since I've been on a spending ban for the whole of August my favourites this month are items which I've either had for a while and have been long-time loves or they're products that I've finally gotten around to using. Either way, everything I'm going to talk about today deserves a lot of love and attention and I'd highly recommend everything!

Spending Ban: Day 50 Update (Important lessons!)

August 2nd- 25 days

August 27th - 50 days

September 21st- 75 days

October 16th- 100 days

I began my spending ban adventure on July 8th which I have to admit feels like it was ages ago now! In my last update post (which you can read here if you'd like) I hadn't completely committed to the concept of a "100 day spending ban". If I'm totally honest I still thought that the prospect of lasting one hundred days without spending any money on anything 'frivolous' would simply be impossible for me, and I wasn't readily going to set myself up to fail.

In the twenty five days since I published that post quite a lot of things have changed for me. First and foremost I have successfully completed fifty days without buying any make-up, beauty related item, magazine or any clothing. My only 'purchase' was made using some of my Boots reward points which I spent on replacing an anti-perspirant, which I consider as an essential anyway. For me this success has proved that my will power is a lot stronger than I ever considered it to be before - lasting one hundred days is therefore not only genuinely possible for me but for the first time I feel positively confident about achieving the feat. Secondly, in this second quarter of my spending ban I have stopped obsessively compiling my "post spending ban wishlist". Before I wrote my previous spending ban post I spent a lot of my spare time thinking about shopping, stalking #haul on Instagram, desperately wanting to buy things I saw and adding said beauty items to a rather incredible and indulgent list that, as it has been left standing, has a total value of approximately £280. This wishlist, and indeed the idea of any wild spending spree once my spending ban challenge has been completed, has become irrelevant to me now. I've come to realise over the last twenty-five days that this spending ban is about a lot more than not buying stuff for a protracted period of time.

It has taken fifty days of self control to realise that for me my shopping habits were unhealthy. I may not be in debt and I may not have shopped every day but what I had definitely done was forge an emotional connection with spending money. Every time that I was upset I would go shopping. Now, this may not be a revolutionary statement and I am well aware that shopping to make oneself feel better is not entirely abnormal, however, it isn't a healthy coping mechanism. Emotional shopping is different from impulse shopping, it isn't about being enticed by packaging and advertising. Emotional shopping is an attempt to fill an emotional void or soothe an emotional wound with accumulation of things and/or with the thrill of spending money. I personally think people everywhere, unless constantly holding their wits about them, will inevitably be lured into impulse purchases and this isn't always necessarily a bad thing. But I also think that people everywhere don't experience this same 'shopping buzz' or that they necessarily experience the same emotional connection with obtaining new possessions. It is this relationship with shopping that I have identified in myself through the process of giving up shopping for my spending ban.

Removing a coping mechanism inevitably causes issues. For me, these issues presented themselves in my obsessive writing of wishlists and my initial promise to myself of great rewards 'if only I could last out my allotted time'. Now that I have acquired a much greater level of self awareness I realise that these issues and that mind-set is flawed, especially if this spending ban is to have any positive and lasting effect on my life and emotional well-being. I want to confront my emotions directly and deal with them healthily so I am going to endeavour not to return to old, unhealthy patters of behaviour once my spending ban ends. This means no post spending ban 'haul' and a revised attitude towards shopping. The best way to set myself up to succeed (which we should always try to help ourselves to do) is to come up with a couple of rules and tips for once my spending ban ends. I am in the process of constructing just such a plan and hope to share this in my next spending ban update post. 

I know this has been a long and serious post but I think that my improved level of self awareness was something worth sharing. Especially when I am regularly asked "what is the point of a spending ban challenge?" Challenges, self imposed goals and tests always have the potential to teach us a lot about ourselves and how we can improve ourselves, we just have to pay attention. I'm not just going through the motions and I try and never do that in any area of my life. For whomever has read this post beginning to end, thank you ever so much for your patience and your interest. I hope you found it worthwhile and I wish you luck with any challenges or goals that you might have set yourself. It's important to remember that at any time we, as individuals, are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. Good luck, and hopefully see you again in twenty five days time!

Follow me via: [Bloglovin] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter] [Facebook]

Does it make a difference? Origins Make A Difference Plus Rejuvenating Treatment

Origins Make A Difference Plus Rejuvenating Treatment £34

I bought Origins Make A Difference Plus Rejuvenating Treatment as a present for myself for my birthday when I saw a couple of my favourite bloggers (EssieButton and GhostParties)  profess their love for it. According to them this little pot of Origins goodness helps with congested skin and breakouts. That was all I needed to hear really as over the last six weeks I have definitely been struggling with congested skin and have definitely had more spots than usual. The big question though is that at the hefty price of £34 does it really make a difference?

So...? Fragrance with Attitude Goody Bag and a Giveaway!

Last week I posted about my time at the So....? Sexy launch  and today I'm going to quickly show you what I was lucky enough to take home with me from the event in the goody bag. Now, I haven't tried many So...? products in the past so even though the brand is definitely more associated with girls a little bit younger than myself I was very happy to be able to try out some of the range. Before I started blogging I'd never tried any So...? products and up until now I've only tried their dry shampoos (which are actually very good - and don't leave  a white cast on the hair). 

While I was at the event I got to smell the entire range of fragrances and my favourite was definitely So...? In Love closely seconded by So...? Enticing* - which I just happened to get in my goody bag! It's a very sweet, girly scent but it isn't overly strong so it's hard to over do it. It doesn't last all day but the packaging is sturdy enough for it to be flung into my handbag. I'll probably use this after gym sessions as my other perfumes aren't really transportable.

Did you know that So...? did lip glosses? Because I didn't! I saw these at the event and I got a pair of them in my goody bag. They smell very sweet but the scents are actually quite nice. The lip glosses are aligned with fragrances and I've only tried the So...? Fab* lip gloss so far but I found that it wasn't sticky at all (thank goodness) and offered a very sheer wash of colour that wasn't sparkly. I haven't opened the So...? In Love* lip gloss tube so I'm going to include that in the little giveaway that I'll go into more detail about below!

Another item in my goody bag was the So...? Exclusive* fragrance that comes in a velvet box! I took it out of the box to take photos but I haven't sprayed any of the perfume. I smelt this at the event and I liked it but it's a little bit strong for me - think statement, evening scent. I love the bottle though! Shaped like a microphone it'll give you something to sing into as you dance around your room (you'll find me doing just that to Taylor Swift pretty much every morning). 

So, now for the fun bit! I'm going to be giving away the bottle of So...? Exclusive fragrance*, the So...? In Love lip gloss* and the So...? Va Va Volume Dry Shampoo*. Three prizes for one lucky winner. The giveaway is only for those who follow my blog via Bloglovin'.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

On My Nails This Week: Essie's We're In It Together

I have to very kindly ask you to forgive me for the discrepancies in lighting between the two photos! I took them on different days and the English weather is thoroughly changeable, and thus so is the light. Lighting aside, this week's nail polish is from Essie again... I swear I do use other brands I'm just on a proper Essie 'trip' at the moment. We're In It Together is a rather unassuming baby pink shade but oh mama this number has the most beautiful shimmer running through it. Wear this on a sunny day and your nails will just light up, and looking at them will undoubtedly improve your day tenfold! 

This lasted okay on my nails (three days completely chip free) but if you pick up an Essie polish full price you'd expect more! This is another item that the lovely Kayleigh from BeautyWish sent me in our beauty swap (you can read about that here if you want) and she really chose splendidly. As I've said before, pinks are some of my favourites when it comes to nail polish - the backbone of manicures as far as I see it! 

Do you like the look of We're In It Together? I'm personally loving the name, haha! What nail polish(es) have you been wearing this week?

Follow me via: [Bloglovin] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter] [Facebook]

L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique BB Blush Universal Rosy Blush

L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique BB Blush  £7.99

Something about a double dose of a letter has made the beauty world go crazy. BB, CC, DD... whatever they are, whatever they stand for, it seems as though people are desperate for them. And you know what, I'm obviously one of those crazy suckers because I bought L'Oreal Paris' Nude Magique BB Blush on a complete whim months and months ago. You know the beauty lurkers I mentioned last month, well this product would very happily sit in that category!

I tried a tester of this blush in the Boots store where I bought it and I absolutely loved the velvety feel of it. You squeeze an amount (the amount will depend on how pink you like your cheeks) of this onto your fingers and it is a gel formula - hopefully you can kind of see that in my photos. However, when you rub this into your skin it doesn't stay a gel it transforms into a velvet-textured powder pretty darn quickly leaving you with a relatively long wearing stain. The 'magic' part of this blush is that the gel that you squeeze out of the tube is clear and when you start working with the product it transforms into a pink shade. This is a massive gimmick and doesn't really help anyone in any way but it is quite a fun aspect of the product and is part of the reason I bought it.

All good so far, until I tell you just how difficult it can be to make this look wearable in the short time it takes for the gel to set into its powdery finish. If you're used to working with products like Benefit's Benetint or other gel products (I know Soap and Glory do one called Cheek Mate) then you will be prepared to deal with L'Oreal Paris' Nude Magique BB Blush. However, make-up newbies and people who rely on their make-up brushes to do all of the hard work  then this is not a product you should pick up! 

The colour that the gel transforms into is supposed to be universally flattering rosy blush. I don't actually know if this changes into a different colour depending on the skin tone that it is applied to it but on me it turns into the exact colour that I think of when someone says the word "rosy". I like the shade a lot and it looks similar to the colour I go naturally when my face flushes, but it's hard to apply lightly and evenly and I feel as though it never looks that natural looking when I wear it.

The jury is honestly still out on this. I know that I like it, the texture is nice and the colour is pretty, but I think it is definitely something which takes a lot of time to get used to using. It definitely won't be suitable for a lot of people who might pick it up thinking that anything with "BB" on it is going to be super easy to work with. I do use this occasionally and I will continue to but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, it might be worth a swatch though because it feels very nice when you apply it to your skin!

Have you tried this? Do you ever use gel cheek products?

Follow me via: [Bloglovin] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter] [Facebook]

Review: Maybelline the Falsies Volum' Express Mascara in Brown

Whenever I saw this product on other blogs my first question was always "but whatever happened to the missing 'e'?" But as silly as the missing vowel is from Maybelline's the Falsies Volum' Express Mascara the product is good enough to overlook it.

I know for many people Maybelline are the be all and end all when it comes to mascaras. However, this is actually my first ever Maybelline mascara, like ever ever - even as a teen I always opted for Rimmel or Bourjois. And do you know what, I'm absurdly impressed. For £7.99 this mascara is a real find (albeit not one of my own as this was sent to me by the wonderful Kayleigh in a beauty swap). The brush is really fantastic at gripping all of your eyelashes and distributing enough product to make an impact but not so much as to make them clumpy. I definitely agree that it adds considerable volume to my lashes! It doesn't lengthen a huge amount though but I personally don't mind this - it lived up to what it claimed to do after all! 

I have this in Brown which makes it more wearable during the day and also gives me the option for slightly softer eye looks. If you don't have a brown mascara then I'd definitely recommend that you check this one out. Because the mascara really does plump up your lashes even though this is a softer shade compared to traditional black mascaras it still makes a visible difference to your eyes defining them subtly but not too much so. Also it's worth bearing in mind that I'm a waterpoof mascara fan (as mascaras tend to smudge on me) and despite this not being a waterproof formula I haven't seen a single smudge so far (I've been wearing this for about a month now). 

All in all my feelings toward this mascara are wholly positive! I will definitely be purchasing this in the future and would certainly recommend it. You can find this Mascara in Boots and Superdrug stores or online here for £7.99.

Have you tried Maybelline the Falsies Volum' Express Mascara before? Are there any mascaras you'd recommend for me to try out next?

Follow me via: [Bloglovin] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter] [Facebook]

Mini Reviews: Elemental Herbology Samples

If you read my post last week about Naturisimo you'll know that in June I picked up a few (five..) sample sized Elemental Herbology products. Now, I don't usually post whole reviews of sample sized products but these samples are very generously sized at 15ml so they've given me enough usage to form an opinion on them. Elemental Herbology isn't exactly a super affordable brand and even I cringe at the prices so this post won't be of interest to everyone, however, before any of you click away it might put your mind at ease to know that I'm not about to sing the praises of all these products. It might interest you to know which of these four products are actually worth the price tag. 

Cell Plumping Facial Hydrator SPF 8 

This is a fancy name for a day cream. First thing you'll note, SPF 8 is a seriously annoying number; enough to reassure those who know nothing about SPF whilst mocking those who do. Secondly, the smell. Dear lord, this stuff is stinky. It smells like herbs? That's a question because guys, I don't even know. It smells how I imagine alien herbs smell. It isn't basil or rosemary, it's stinky alien herbs. However, in its purpose as day cream it is actually pretty dreamy. It doesn't aggravate my sensitive cheeks and gives my entire face enough moisture to visibly brighten it without clogging my pores of setting of the oil slick (a.k.a. my t-zone). Saying all that, it still isn't worth the smell. Sorry Elemental Herbology, lovely product but a seriously acquired scent. RRP £44!

Facial Souffle Overnight Repair Cream

This is a fancy night cream but could possibly be used as a hydrating face mask for those with normal/oily skin. I used this as a night cream and I think it really helped my skin move a little bit further away from it's dehydrated beginnings. It has a hint of the smell I was talking about earlier but it is much less intense and therefore bearable. I think this is a product worth investing in, especially if you have dry or dehydrated skin. I enjoyed using this and will be keeping my eyes peeled for another sample.

RRP £47!

Facial Detox Purifying Mask

A fantastic mask for sensitive skin because this doesn't dry up like clay masks and therefore doesn't tighten and tug on your skin. Again, this has the herby aroma that I just can't even describe. I don't feel like this did enough for my skin but I do have very clogged pores and congested skin. If you're after a gentle purifying mask then this might perhaps be for you but I personally think they're are nice face masks out there, and they're probably more affordable too. In conclusion, this is not something I'd say no to but I won't be buying it for myself any time soon.

RRP £28

Facial Glow Radiance Peel

 This is a skin brightening exfoliating peel that I liked so much I dedicated an entire post to it. You can check that out if you want lots of info, but in short this is the knockout product of the bunch. I loved it because it worked so well and made my skin visibly nicer. I can't, however, afford to buy this at the full price so I'm on the hunt for a more affordable dupe!

RRP £40 :(

Some of these samples are still available on Naturisimo for the affordable price of £2.25, a great way of trying them out! Did you find mini reviews helpful?

Follow me via: [Bloglovin] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter] [Facebook]

An Ode to Mac's Lustre Lipsticks (Syrup, Plumful and Lovelorn)

Now, I appreciate not everyone will know about Mac's Lustre lipsticks so we're going to cover that base first. Mac has a whole host of different lipstick formulas, each of which have a different finish when applied to the lips. I would argue that Lustres are the second 'lightest' feeling (Glazes would come first). They aren't heavy or opaque, instead they give a slick of shiny, glossy colour that works alongside the colour of your lips - you'll be able to see that they aren't totally opaque in my swatches below.

Left to Right: Plumful, Lovelorn & Syrup (swatches are two swipes of each lipstick)

Lustre lipsticks are wonderful summer lipsticks because you won't feel them on your lips. They have the lightness of a lip gloss or balm whilst still giving you noticeable and relatively long lasting colour. On me they last from between an one hour and three depending on if I'm drinking or rubbing my lips together lots (I can't be the only person who does that).

I also love that because they aren't completely opaque they look a little bit different on everyone who wears them. I've done a Mac Lipstick Collection post where I've posted lip swatches of my entire collection so you can see what each of these look like on my lips if you click here. If you were to compare these colours to other lip swatches they wouldn't be the same. This makes it a little bit more risky buying them without trying them on first but it also makes them a little bit more personal. 

I wear my Mac's Lustres when I don't want to have to worry about exfoliating my lips or using lip liner. For this reason they're perfect for lipstick newbies or those of you who want a lip gloss/lipstick hybrid because lustres are still really lovely and glossy. If you're going - on a date, to the cinema (where you'll probably eat and drink and can't touch up in the dark), to school or lectures or seminars or if you just love fuss free make-up then Lustre lipsticks are the ones for you. 

When I first got into Mac lipsticks I thought Cremesheens were the be-all-and-end-all and although I still love them (they're delightfully creamy, as the name suggests) but their place in my heart has been usurped by the Lustre formula. I have yet to come across any great drugstore dupes of how the formula feels on the lips but a similar looking effect can be attained from 17's Mirror Shine Lipsticks which at £4.19 are a lot more affordable but sadly not perfect dupes (they're just a little bit glossier than Lustre lipsticks).

Thus this week's lipstick post is concluded, but I don't think my love affair with Lustres will ever end! Have you tried any of Mac's Lustre Lipsticks? Do you have a favourite finish of Mac Lipstick?

So...? With Attitude's So...? Sexy Launch at The Penthouse

On the Thursday just gone I popped over to Leicester Square where I met up with two of my favourite bloggers Rosie from RosieLouiseLove and Ellis from Elrbx. Together the three of us headed over to The Penthouse and made our way up to the sixth floor where So...? had very kindly invited us to an event they were hosting to celebrate the launch of their new So...? Sexy fragrance. 

 Rosie, Ellis and I helped ourselves to our complimentary cocktails, oggled the cupcakes and sweet-trees before checking out the displays hosting the entire So...? Fragrance with Attitude range. My favourite scent of the collection is called So...? In Love (one of their body sprays I think) and I came away from the event with a couple of their other fragrances to try out. Rosie won a special giveaway and got to choose a scent of her choice to try and Ellis won the big giveaway which is a spa break for her and 8 friends - I was in very lucky company!

There was also a hair styling station where some of So...?'s hair styling products were being put to use. I saw the lovely Ellie from Ellie's Ramblings who'd had her hair done and it looked pretty lovely! I've used some of So...?'s dry shampoos before (I've featured them in a couple of my empties posts before) and really rate them. Also, I didn't know this but So...? have a range of lip glosses. I got two in my goodie bag and although I've only tried one of them I thought it was pretty nice and it certainly smelled gorgeous (which you'd expect from a range specializing in fragrance).

 All in all I had a really nice evening and it was great to learn more about So...? Fragrance With Attitude's range. A big thank you to everyone involved in organising the event, and to Rosie and Ellis whose company made the evening even more enjoyable. I'll be doing a post or two on the products I very kindly received in the event goodie bag and I'll definitely have to do lip swatches of the two lip glosses because before Thursday I didn't know anything at all about them so they're a lovely surprise. 

Follow me via: [Bloglovin] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter] [Facebook]

Guest Post: A Back To School FOTD by Shona from FreshBeautyXOX

Hello to all of Angelica's followers! I'm Shona from freshbeautyxox, my blog is a mix of beauty, fashion and lifestyle posts but today I'm here on One Little Vice talking to you about Back2School Makeup! To most people the thought of going Back to School is not exciting but it happens so it's a good idea to look towards it with a positive attitude! I know a lot of my followers are still in school so I thought it might be helpful to share the makeup products I'll be reaching for in September to create a fresh faced look!

I wouldn't say I'm a morning person but at the same time I don't hate waking up early. One thing I do know though is that I don't want to be spending that much time doing my makeup, I'd rather spend longer on my hair I think! For me products like mascara and concealer are vital to make me look more awake and ready for the day. However if I want to wear a little more makeup I still want to keep it natural and fresh, also age appropriate so these are the products I can see myself reaching for!

My trusty Collection Concealer is going to be well used whilst I'm back to school, I find it covers everything including redness, blemishes and dark under eye circles. It lasts all day on me as well so I don't have to worry about touching up at school. If you already follow my blog you'll know that my favourite long lasting mascara is the MUA Every Lash so this is definitely what I'll be using 90% of the time! I don't want to be worrying about my mascara flaking and smudging and I can't imagine you do either so always pick something long lasting or even waterproof for school.

On the days where I want to wear more makeup I'll be reaching for my Urban Decay Primer Potion and Naked2 Palette for a simple eyeshadow look. I can see myself reaching for the shades Foxy and Tease a lot. I personally don't plan on wearing eyeliner to school apart from the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Eye liner in Nude to brighten my eyes a bit more, it makes me look more awake!

If you want to wear blush I'd recommend going for a tint like Benefit's Posietint which will give your cheeks a natural flush of pink and it will stay all day, you can use it on your lips as well! If you want to set your concealer/foundation in place use a powder like Rimmel's Stay Matte which will keep shine at bay and make your base products stay on longer.

Finally if you want to make your lips stand out a little for school I'd recommend the new Maybelline Baby Lips, especially if you are in Year 10-11. I think these are perfect for teenagers who are starting out with makeup and I'll be reaching for them a lot! If you are going into Sixth Form like me though you may want something a little bolder, I'll be grabbing my MAC Lipstick in Creme Cup which I actually won here on Angelica's blog! It is a really nice pink-y nude and it would suit a lot of people.

So, they are the products I'll be reaching for! Let me know below what year you are going into if you are still at school and if you plan to wear makeup! I'd love to know! Thanks for reading!

What make-up do you reach for when you want a natural, fresh faced look?

You can follow Shona on Twitter, Bloglovin', Instagram and SheSaidBeauty

On My Nails This Week: Essie's Orange It's Obvious

After last week's super girly purple option  this week I decided to revert back to the wholesome satisfaction of the thick Essie brush and apply a bright dash of orange. Essie's Orange It's Obvious is a gorgeous shade and I think it is something that looks great year round. Whether it's clashed against a wintry black ensemble or thrown in among a colourful summer outfit it is a colour that I never fail to enjoy wearing. It's bright without being very hard to wear and I find the formula lasts a bit better on my nails than some of Essie's other polishes (namely Rosebowl, which is gorgeous but chips very quickly). 

Orange It's Obvious is a pleasure to wear and surprisingly it has slowly earnt a place in the list of my most worn nail polishes. You can vaguely see how much I've used of it in the top photo, vaguely, and I'm kind of sad to admit that using that much of a nail polish is kind of good going for me! Even when I've had a nail polish for six months... 

Do you like orange nails? What do you think of Orange It's Obvious?

Follow me via: [Bloglovin] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter] [Facebook]

Texturising Salt Sprays: The Good and The Bad

Toni & Guy Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray £7.19 and James Brown London's Photo Fabulous Wave Spray £7.19.

During the summer months, like many other people, I've reached for salt sprays to add a little bit of texture to my hair. This summer I've used two in particular, James Brown London's Photo Fabulous Wave Spray and Toni & Guy's Causal Sea Salt Texturising Spray. One of these salt sprays has been far from fabulous and the other has been pretty darn lovely!

The first one I tried was James Brown London's Photo Fabulous Wave Spray and to be honest it put me off salt sprays for ages! I actually bought this last winter, used it a few times and then just gave up because it was infuriating. I'd seen what salt sprays could do to people's hair and this one, it just has no redeeming features. It sprays one thick line of product and if you're unfortunate enough to have aimed this spray at your hair (from any angle or distance) you end up with one hell of a soggy, wet head. In other words it doesn't spray a fine mist. Worse still, once you realise this is the state of affairs and you try and work around the problem by spraying this into your hand to then apply it evenly it dawns on you that this product is thick, sticky and just too heavy. Even when I apply this over my hair evenly after spraying the deathray into the palm of my hand it is just way too heavy for my fine hair. It ends up looking lank, weighed down and a little bit greasy. It's safe to say that I don't reach for this at all any more.

In a moment of pity upon the salt spray nation I decided to give them a second try. This time I picked up Toni & Guy's Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray in a small travel size bottle (because I still didn't trust it). Anyway, turns out not all salt sprays are nasty. Toni & Guy's offering has a nice fine spray and the product itself is a lot, lot lighter making it not only possible to use but actually quite nice. I use this on the day that I was my hair to give it a little bit more grit and body, otherwise it can get a little bit boring and awash with fly-aways. As a budget salt spray I think it's very good and I'd definitely recommend it but I can imagine that more expensive varieties will be even better. 

To summarise, steer clear of the James Brown London Photo Fabulous Wave Spray - it will leave your hair soggy, sad and weighed down. And if you want to try a "drugstore" salt spray then Toni & Guy isn't a bad place to start!

Do you use salt spray?

Follow me via: [Bloglovin] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter] [Facebook]

Super Affordable Body Bits

So, last Wednesday I posted my 'Mid Week Remedy' which was all about my mid-week pamper routine. Although I'd recommend them all some of the products I included were a little on the expensive side and there was no mention of any body bits. This week, I'm posting about some more products that I'd recommend, both as part of a mid-week pamper but also just generally. I have used, am using and will continue to use all the products that I'm going to mention and a couple of them are seriously holy grail, "I use this everyday", bits. With everything coming in under £5 everything I'm going to mention I would definitely class all these items as affordable (super affordable even, and thus the title of this post).

My Picks: Naturisimo

Naturisimo is one of my favourite websites to browse when I'm in a shopping sort of mood - it's an online shop that sells natural and organic skincare and make-up (which you should know by now that I'm very partial to). Now, I know I'm on a spending ban but I thought I would show you the items that I either really want to buy from Naturismo or that I've already bought and would definitely recommend! This isn't a sponsored post, I just wanted to share Naturisimo.com with any of you who haven't already stumbled across it.

The first brand you should check out if you head on to Naturismo is Antipodes. If you haven't tried any Antipodes products then I'm sorry to say it but you are definitely missing out! Antipodes make some of the most gorgeous natural and organic products and I've found  them incredibly helpful when dealing with my many, many skin concerns. I currently use their Divine Face Oil (you can read my review here) and I rotate the Aura Manuka Honey Mask into my pamper routine whenever I feel like my skin needs it. Another product I'd highly recommend is the Antipodes Rejoice Light Facial Day Cream, I've used a sample of this before and it is absolutely wonderful. It's sitting on my wishlist right now and hopefully after my spending ban (only 64 days to go!) I will be able to pick this up. 

Another fantastic brand who are available on Naturismo is Weleda. Long time readers of my blog will know that I love Weleda's skincare products and their Almond Cleansing Lotion is one of my favourites (it smells like doughnuts, how could you not love it). Another great product that I've bought and fallen in love with is the Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil, quite possibly one of the most luxurious feeling products I've ever tried. It's honestly remarkable and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who has dry skin and/or likes body oils. Last on my recommendation list is Weleda's Skin Food (you can read my review here) which I use on any and all of my dry skin - think elbows and knees, or knuckles in my case because my hands are seriously dry! It does a wonderful job and lasts for a really long time.

 Last up, and this is something people tend to not know about Naturisimo, with any full-size product purchase you make from Naturismo you have the chance to purchase up to five samples. Now, these samples aren't just any samples, some of the samples are of luxury brands and they can be pretty darn generous! My most notable find are the Elemental Herbology Samples which I featured in this haul post. For between £1 and£2.25 you can get your hands on a variety of generous sized samples of some of their wonderful skincare products. I couldn't afford to trial lots of Elemental Herbology products if I had to purchase them full size but Naturisimo's samples have allowed me to try quite a few and I've fallen in love with the Facial Glow Radiance Peel (you can read my rave review here).  But if Elemental Herbology samples don't float your boat they also have samples from Caudalie, Pai, Pukka, Bodhi, Suti etc.

So, those are my picks from Naturisimo- I'd love to know if this post helps you stumble across any new brands or if you take advantage of their amazing array of samples! 

Follow me via: [Bloglovin] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter] [Facebook]

My Topshop Lipstick Collection: Desert, Whimsical, Innocent & Idol

I don't have a vast Topshop lipstick collection (and three of these lipsticks I picked up in blog sales) but I do really like the formula of Topshop lipsticks so I thought I'd write a post on the ones I own. I personally don't think that the formula is always the same across all of the lipsticks but the all the ones I own feel like Satin finishes- meaning they have a matte look and feel to them but they aren't as drying as matte lipsticks.

The good think about a Satin finish  in a lipstick is that is stays put, as a semi-matte lipstick it has lasting power. The downside is that it isn't shiny, it isn't glossy and although it isn't super drying it isn't moisturising either. I don't like to wear any sort of matte-feeling lipsticks every day because the feel of them just isn't my favourite. However, I don't have a problem wearing them occasionally (especially when I don't want to worry about smudging, flaking etc.) and this is when I reach for my Topshop lipsticks.

My shade selection isn't the best. I absolutely love Desert, it's my favourite of the four, and although it can suit me it is very dependent on how I'm wearing my make-up and what blush I'm wearing. It's a nude that leans very orange so if I wear a pink blush it just looks weird! 

Whimsical is the only one that I bought new (and at full price) and it is a serious peach shade that packs a lot of punch. I feel self-conscious wearing this because I own nothing like it but I do think that it looks insanely pretty, and very girly! I definitely need to wear this one more often while I can because I don't think that this will look great with my alabaster white winter skin. If you're pale but are rocking a tan during the summertime then I'd recommend giving this one a try. 

Innocent transforms when it goes on the lips, it becomes a lot more starkly blue based and a little barbie-esque. I find this one very hard to wear during the day because it looks so obvious and "unnatural". It does, however, look very nice with slightly more glamazonian make-up and I've gotten compliments on this shade when I've worn it after dark. 

Idol is just, full on. It is bright and it packs a punk and I'm really enjoying it! I like bright shades in long lasting finishes (like Satin or Matte) because I can wear them without constantly worrying about transfer and smudging!

Some people have struggled with Topshop lipsticks but I honestly don't have a problem with them. They last very well on me and I think that at £8 each they're excellent value for money! My only word of warning is that the colours can look very different person to person, skin tone is key. If you like the look of one of my swatches that's great but I would urge you to swatch them yourself in store before buying them. I don't know what it is about Topshop's lipsticks in particular but I really do think that they are transformative colours. But anyway! I hope you enjoyed a peek into my small collection, I have some of their darker more vampy shades on my radar for the autumn months.

Do you own any Topshop lipsticks? Do you like any of the colours that I own?

Follow me via: [Bloglovin] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter] [Facebook]