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! 

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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?

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Beauty Things I Don't Like (which I probably should)

Last week I posted about Beauty Things I Like (which I probably shouldn't) and today I'm posting about the flipside and will be talking all about the beauty things that I just don't really like. I'm not slating any of the products in the photo above but each of these products (or collection of products) represent a beauty 'chore' that I really don't like! I'm going to be talking about five examples so I hope you're nice and comfy because this post is going to be on the long side.

My Brow Basics

HD Brow Palette in Foxy and the Real Techniques Brow Brush.

Sometimes the everyday staples can get a little bit overlooked. To me they sometimes don't seem all that exciting because I reach for them everyday, but they are absolute staples and these sorts of products are the bread and butter of my beauty collection. Last year, in probably the best beauty box of my life, I received an Eye Brow kit from HD Brows (in the shade Foxy). I used this every single day for months and months and it is still only one of two eye brow products that I use (I alternate between this and my Body Shop Brow Definer which I use on my very lazy days because it is a pencil).

This post isn't only an ode to HD Brow's Foxy Palette though, it is also an ode to the Real Techniques Brow Brush (part of their Starter Set) which is the brush I use to apply product to my eyebrows. I really love it and the pair come in super handy for travelling with because they are so multi-purpose. First off, the palette has a big mirror in it so more often than not I carry this just for the mirror (dangerous for the powder perhaps). In addition, the HD Brows Palette has a very intimidated black shade that will never in this lifetime grace my eyebrows, but it does make for a great powder liner. I usually use this alone for a softer looking liner look and the Real Techniques Brow Brush actually does a terrific job of applying it!

As to the colour that I do use on my brows, well, the name has long worn off but it is the lighter of the two browns and I've swatched it on my hand so you can get a sense of the colour. It's a good match but sometimes I mix a tiny bit of the darker brown into it when I want a stronger brow look (usually only in the evenings). The other brush in my pictures is from No. 7 and it is just for brushing through your eyebrows in order to shape them. I bought this from a blog sale so can't comment much about it other than to say that it does it's job well enough! 

All in all, if you've ever considered getting an HD Brow Palette I'd strongly support the choice! I'm also a big fan of the Real Techniques Starter Kit, I don't think the eye brushes are as amazing as some of their face brushes but the angled Brow Brush is a big favourite of mine and I do use the others a lot too. Although both of these products are expensive they're definitely investments as they're going to last you years if you look after them, and beauty investments are my favourite sort. 

Do you have any staple eyebrow products?

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