My Favourite Fragrances This Summer

In summer I prefer 'lighter' and floral fragrances to compliment the hot weather (even though this summer has been a washout!).

A few of the fragrances I've been wearing over the past few months include Givenchy Ange Ou Demon Le Secret. It smells completely different to the original ange ou demon. Le Secret is much more floral and feminine and I prefer this to the original as its much easier to wear during the day.

Another 'daytime' fragrance I've been loving is Elizabeth Arden Pretty. I usually find Elizabeth Arden Scents more for the mature lady but 'Pretty' is a very light fruity floral perfume. I wouldn't say its particularly unique or outstanding but its what I describe as a very nice 'work' fragrance as its not overpowering.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh was a bit of a random purchase as it popped up on buyapowa and was such a good price I couldn't resist. I love the original daisy, its possibly my favourite summer fragrance ever. (does it remind anyone else of freshly cut grass?). Eau so fresh is a floral sweet perfume with the cutest bottle ever! I have the travel size version so its also handy to take on the go too.

I got Boss Orange free with a magazine subscription and to be honest I was expecting a synthetic orange perfume, however I am pleasantly surprised as its a very subtle fruity fragrance with vanilla notes that has depth whilst being easy to wear.

Ralph Lauren Romance is one of my absolute favourites that I've been wearing for years. Its my go to evening fragrance as its feminine, romantic, floral fragrance with notes of rose, lotus flower and lily. It holds so many memories of good times that I will continue to repurchase it over and over again!Just Beautiful!

do you have any favourite fragrances?

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Hair Heroes Part 2

over the past few months, I have amassed more haircare products. To be honest I never really bothered that much with hair products but when you read around 200+ blogs regularly you end up with a massive wish list.

I've mentioned a few favourites before (part 1 is here) and here are a few more I have found that work for me.

As I'm blessed with oily roots, I have probably tried every high street shampoo out there that is aimed at oily hair. The one I always end up going back to is Charles Worthington Balancing Act Shampoo. It cleans my hair well without stripping my hair completely (and making it produce more oil) like many do and it doesn't seem to get oily as quickly. Its currently on offer 3 for £10 at Boots

A'Kin Macadamia and Wheat Protein Treatment Conditioner
I got a small sample of this with an order I made and I liked it so much I went and bought the full size bottle. A'kin is a natural brand - chemical and cruelty free. My hair is so much softer when I use this.

When I need a little extra conditioning as my ends are quite dry, I use the John Frieda Full Repair Conditioner*. I use this as an intensive treatment and leave around five to ten minutes before rinsing. Before drying, I spritz a little of the John Frieda Full Repair Sheer Mist* on the ends and blow dry. I have noticed a difference since using these as my hair is much sleeker and shinier without feeling 'weighed down'.

Do you have any favourite haircare products?



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Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme

The Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme (try saying that fast!) has quickly become a new love of mine. I bought the shade Iced Gold. I think it used to be available in rose gold too but I cant find it online so possibly discontinued?

Iced Gold is a very lightweight cream highlighter that's easy to blend but I find its best applied with a stippling/buffing brush. Being super pale, Iced gold really suits my skin tone as its a very pale gold rather than yellow toned. However, I can see this working well on most skin tones.

The creme leaves a subtle radiance that is suitable for wearing during the day or it can be built up for nighttime.

The only thing I'm not too keen on is the matt rubber packaging. It looks nice but it collects dirt so easily *exactly like nars does*.

I purchased mine from Beauty bay where theres currently 20% off *original price £17 for 4.25g* but its also on offer at feel unique too!

Anti-ageing skincare for oily skin

As I'm getting older, I've started using more anti-ageing skincare. At the moment I only have a few fine lines, mainly on my forehead and 'laughter lines' around my mouth.

As my skin is quite oily, I have found a few anti-ageing products are too heavy for my skin and make the oil worse. Luckily I've also found a few items that work really well too.

The Purity Re-generating moisturiser* and Anti-aging moisturiser* are probably the ones I've been using most over the last month.

Purity are an organic, natural skincare brand. The re-generating moisturiser aims to protect against environmental damage and improve health of the skin. The product is really light and soaks into the skin straight away. 

I've been applying this all over my face as its so light. Afterwards I've been applying the anti-aging moisturiser on my lines and neck. Although its not a heavy cream as its a cream/gel formula, I find it doesn't soak into the skin as quickly as the re-generating moisturiser. I find it works a lot better on my oily skin when only applied to my problem areas rather than all over the face.

Murad time release acne cleanser targets both ageing skin and blemishes.

 I tend to get blemishes around the time of the month so this is really the perfect product for my skin. I add a bit of the product to water and splash over my face before rinsing. It really is one of my favourite cleansers at the moment as it leaves my skin looking fresh, bright and clean without that 'tight' feeling that many cleansers leave.

I got the Emma Hardie amazing face serum in a beauty box earlier this year. Its a lightweight serum that can be used after cleansing or used instead of moisturiser. I absolutely love this as my lines are smoothed, my skin looks luminous and plumped. The full size is £44 which is usually out of my price range but I will make an exception for this as it works so well.

I bought the Liz Earle line smoothing serum in a random liz earle haul. Its an oil free serum that can be used on face and eyes. I mainly use this on my eyes in the evening. It helps to firm the skin and smooth the under eye area.

As its lightweight it soaks in quite quickly. I have a bit of milia under my eyes so I'm careful not to use anything that will accentuate it and so far this has done a great job of improving my eye area without making the milia look any worse.

If anyone knows of any milia remedies please let me know in the comment below. I've tried some things from paulas choice but they didn't really work so I'm on the lookout for something else!

Zoe x

Inglot Freedom System Palette

After lusting over Inglot shadows for ages, I finally took the plunge a few months ago and purchased a palette and ten pans.

Inglot isn't really widely available in the UK. There is a store in London and possibly Scotland (I may be wrong there) so not living anywhere near I purchased online. (It cost £6 *ahem* for delivery which I personally think is a rip off but as I wanted the shadows I bought them anyway!)

The Freedom system allows you to buy a palette separately and then fill with shadows, concealer, lips etc. The ten palette I purchased was £10 and is pretty sturdy.

The top is thick frosted plastic with the Inglot logo and is detachable with four magnets (one in each corner) to fasten the lid onto the base. I find its not that easy to open the palette once closed but in that sense its pretty good for travelling as it wont fall apart in your bag.

The shadows I bought are the pearl formula. The pans are £4.50 each and contain 2.7g of product.

Annoyingly they don't have names, only numbers and the shades on the website are rubbish. I had to look online for swatches. However, the shadows are butter soft, extremely pigmented and long wearing.

I wear these with a primer and they don't crease at all. The only shade that was slightly problematic was 446 which I found a little chalky compared to the others.

Even though I love MAC eyeshadows, I will hands down say that Inglot shadows overall are better quality and better value for money. They are my most used eye shadows and I will definitely be buying more - I have my eye on the matte shadows next!

Have you ever tried Inglot?

Zoe xx

Blog Love and Giveaway Winner

I've decided to do a slightly different post today in sharing some love to a few blogs I read. I follow a lot of blogs and I'm always finding new ones to so I think this will be a monthly feature as I have so many to share.

In no particular order, here are some blogs I've been loving this month!

Clouds and Cuticle Oil

Natasha's blog is one of the first ones I followed and features a mixture of helpful reviews, news and NOTD's. I'm loving todays post on DIY masks which I will have to give a go!

Tattooed Tea Lady

Sophia's blog features beauty reviews, giveaways and helpful articles. Sophia also co-writes bloggers go skinny and writes the roundups on the bbloggers chat. She's also a really lovely girl too!

Dainty Desires

Anastasia's blog features beauty and lifestyle. I love the layout of her blog and she's also a northwest girl like me!I'm going to be guest posting over there soon too!

I also want to say a quick thank you to everyone who entered my recent giveaway. The winner of the real techniques brush is Jo who I have already emailed. Congratulations!!

*fingers crossed* I should have another giveaway up this week with a lovely prize up for grabs!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Zoe xoxo

17 Blemish BB Cream

17 Blemish BB Cream - All in one magic makeup is 17's second bb cream. This is the first bb cream I've tried so I really have nothing to compare it too.

First impressions are that its not a million miles away from a foundation in terms of texture and coverage. I love the coverage. I need only a little concealer as it really does even out the skin and cover most imperfections. As you can tell from the swatch, Light is a shade too dark for my skintone. Once blended I can just about make it work for me. The first day I wore this, it averaged around 8 hours before starting to slip on my oily t-zone. The cream has a dewy finish which isnt my favourite but with powder its fine. The second day it didnt last as long on my skin so I would say the oil control is pretty average.

The bb cream claims to improve skin tone in four weeks which I can't comment on as I've only been wearing it for a few days. The bb cream is currently on offer for £5.99 with a free gift with purchase reviewed here!

Pros

coverage, price

Cons

shade, average oil control

Best suited for

medium skintones, dry/normal/combination with slight imperfections.

Have you tried any bb creams?

A Shade of Grey

dress: primark

necklace: primark

bangles: primark

lips: benefit life on the a list gloss

I have a real love/hate relationship with dresses. I'll see a pretty dress and know straight away it will look awful on me (thanks pear shape body!). Surprisingly when it comes to flattering dresses I've had the best luck at Primark. If you've read my previous posts it probably seems like I buy everything from primark but its really only the past few months that I've started spending more money there.

Anyway on to this outfit. I think the dress was around £8. Visually its nothing spectacular but its possibly one of the comfiest things I own. Not clingy. Hides any unflattering areas (hello untoned belly) and helps to balance out my shape.

So moral of the story - always have a look in good ol' primarni! xoxo

How to create a topknot!

If you're like me and struggle to style your hair without looking like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards then fear not as John Frieda have come to the rescue and created four tutorials of step-by-step guides, with celebrity hair stylists Jake Davis and Giles Robinson.

Featuring products from John Frieda including the Full Repair range, my favourite tutorial is how to create a topknot. I'll be attempting this myself (I may post my attempt on here!)

You can view how to create a topknot below and their youtube channel is here. Let me know if you'll be giving this a try!

*sponsored content

Boots 17 Free GWP

This lovely get bronzed trio is currently available free at Boots when you spend £5.99 on 17 products. I bought the new BB cream (review to follow) as I couldn't resist this offer.

The free gift comprises of a cream bronzer/blush, eyeshadow (statuesque) and ultimate volume lipgloss (in the nude). Both the lipgloss and eyeshadow are full size with the eyeshadow worth £3.89 and lipgloss £3.99. The cream bronzer blush is limited edition. I'm not sure if its exclusive to this set as I cant see it online.

You can probably tell from the swatches that the bronzer is too dark for my skin. It does sheer out but i found it a little oily. However the lipgloss and eyeshadow are gorgeous - the shadow is super soft and really pigmented. I haven't tested the wear yet but I love neutrals and its a shade that will suit most.

Overall this is a nice little gift with purchase, especially if you're looking to stock up on any 17 products!

What I've been buying...

Dress £5

Belt £1

Bracelets £4 for 8

Cardigan £6

Lounge cropped pants £5

17 BB cream £5.99

Impress Nails £7.99

EcoTools Brush £3.29 - ebay

Rimmel Powder £3.99

Daisy Eau so fresh - Buyapowa

Boss Orange - free gift with magazine subscription

This post isn't meant to be braggy. Just to clarify. I like reading haul posts so that's why I'm posting my recent purchases.

Anyway yesterday I took a quick detour to primark and boots. I only went to buy tights and powder but I came away with a few more things. The navy dress looks so much nicer in real life. I couldn't believe it when it went through the till at £5! I also couldn't resist the cute lounge pants!

I finally bought a bb cream as it was on offer with a free gift (review to come) and the impress nails - although I've read mixed reviews but I'll see how they fare.

The daisy perfume was on buyapowa last week and I caved in - I think it was around £17 including delivery so a pretty good deal. The Boss orange was free with a 12 month instyle subscription. I rarely read magazines but it cost £12 for 12 issues and a free 50ml perfume - too good to pass up!I think the offer has finished now but I really reccomend having a shop around for magazine offers as there are often some fab free gifts. Strangely my magazine hasn't turned up yet but I'm not too fussed. The boss orange is gorgeous and well worth the £12 on its own!

What have you been buying recently? xoxo

Heads Up!17 Wild Curls Mascara for £1

I have literally just seen this on facebook and wanted to share as its a fab deal!As the title says 17 are offering their wild curls mascara for £1. You have to go to their facebook page here, and print the voucher out (from the picture) and present the voucher at checkout in store. I havent tried the mascara yet but for £1 its worth a look. xoxo

*the voucher is valid until August 22nd 2012*

MAC for Marilyn Promo Pics

Source

Lipstick
Deeply Adored - Deep scarlet (Matte)

Charmed I'm Sure - Dark true red (Matte)

Pure Zen - Warm nude (Cremesheen)

Love Goddess - Mid-tone pink red (Satin)

Scarlet Ibis - Bright orange red (Matte)

Dazzleglass

Phiff! - Sheer yellow peach

Little Rock - Soft sheer white with pearlized pigments

Lip Pencil

Beet - Vivid reddish-pink

Redd - Clearly red

Cherry - Vivid bright blue/red

Eyeshadow

How to Marry - Soft White (Veluxe Pearl)

Preferred Blonde - Pale champagne beige (Veluxe Pearl)

Silver Screen - True silver (Veluxe Pearl)

Showgirl - Dark blue grey (Veluxe Pearl)

Eye Kohl

Smolder - Intense black

Fascinating - Intense matte white

Penultimate Eye Liner

Rapidblack - Rich deep carbon black

Penultimate Brow Marker

Universal - Natural warm taupe-brown

Brow Finisher

Clear - Sheer

False Lashes

Extreme Black - Carbon black

Beauty Powder

Forever Marilyn - Sheer pale peach highlighter

Powder Blush

Legendary - Pale soft coral (Satin)

The Perfect Cheek - Neutral pink beige (Matte)

Nail Lacquer

Vintage Vamp - Rich deep retro wine (Cream)

Stage Red - Dark berry red (Cream)

Flaming Rose - True red (Cream)

Kid Orange - Coral (Cream)

Rich, Rich, Rich - Glittery gold (Pearl)

Lash

35 Lash - Dramatic lash with emphasis on the centre of the lash

I haven't been too impressed with the MAC collections that have been released this year but I'm really looking forward to this one.

Although I'm not a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe I do love the whole old Hollywood look. and the packaging for this collection is gorgeous. 

I'm excited to see the lipsticks (although I'm going to buy pure zen next month as its part of the new cremesheen lipsticks) and the blushes and shadows. I just hope they perform well as some of the recent limited editions have been underwhelming.

I think this collection is released around end of september/october xoxo

W7 Nail Polishes//Nail Inc Sprinkle Dupes

I've never bought any W7 products before but after spotting these on Jo's blog I figured I'd give them a go. All these are fairly new releases from W7 with salt & pepper a dupe of Nails Inc Sugar House Lane and Mosaic a dupe of Pudding Lane.

These are priced £1.95 each (Nails Inc are £11) - I bought mine from Nails Polish Direct with free delivery and they arrived super quick. I really cant complain about these polishes for the price. They are easy to apply and definitely well worth a look, especially as there is a big price difference between the two brands! xoxo

Autumn Beauty Wishlist

1. Urban Decay Naked Foundation

2. Shu Uemura Ultime8 Cleansing Oil

3. Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette

4. GHD Cherry Blossom Styler

5. Clarins Ombre Minerale Face Palette

6. Benefit How To Look The Best at Everything Kit

7. Lancome La Vie Est Belle Fragrance

8. Urban Decay Smoked Palette

Primark Autumn/Winter 2012 Update

Some more images from Primark Autumn/Winter 2012 to share with you today. You can see the first two parts here and here. I guess as Primarks turnaround is pretty fast compared to other retailers they will keep releasing more images as the colder months approach. I'm loving the faux leather look and metallic tops this time around xoxo.

Beauty Storage: The Ikea Helmer

I first saw the Ikea Helmer over on Lipglossiping and have lusted after it for the past few months. I finally caved in last week as my beauty products started to take over my bedroom.

The Helmer is a filing system with six drawers. The drawers aren't that deep but large enough to store your beauty items in. The Helmer also has coasters so its easy to move around.

Its available to buy in three colours - red, white & silver and is priced £25 which I think is pretty reasonable. I bought mine online which took a week to arrive and cost £7.50 for delivery - totally overpriced in my opinion but as I don't drive I didn't really have much choice.

The Helmer is flat packed. I roped in my Dad to assemble it as I really don't have a clue about putting things like this together. *I think it was pretty straightforward though*

It looks sleek and is great for beauty storage in but its better to go to the store and pick it up yourself rather than paying for OTT delivery charges!

how do you store your beauty products? xoxo

My Liz Earle Secret Weapon

Liz Earle products are widely spoken about in the blogging world, particularly the cleanse and polish. However, one of my favourite liz earle products is the superbalm (a moisturising balm) which I don't see talked about that often.
I purchased this a while back when I made a little liz earle haul and I was hoping this would be a good alternative to Elizabeth Ardens eight hour cream.
For me, the superbalm beats the eight hour cream hands down. Firstly the smell is much more appealing. If you've ever tried the eight hour cream you'll know that it has a strong medicinal type smell which isn't that pleasant. The liz earle superbalm smells quite herbal which fits in with the rest of their skincare products.
The consistency is completely different to eight cream - its much lighter but like eight hour you can use the superbalm on any dry skin. I use it on lips, elbows, feet, cuticles usually overnight as its an oily balm and it really does help to restore moisture!

I have the £5 travel size version but its also available in in a 30g jar for £16.25.

Its definitely a skin saviour and a great item to have in your skincare stash! xoxo

When hard work pays off

Top: Topshop

Necklace: Primark

Lipstick: MAC Ever Hip

A semi outfit post as the leggings Im wearing look see-through on camera so I had to crop them out!I'm not really a fan of Topshop knitwear - its overpriced for the quality and doesnt wash very well but I like the colour of this jumper and it was on sale. I'm also wearing my favourite MAC lipstick - Ever Hip. I think it was limited edition and sold out pretty quickly but I'm sure it still available somewhere on Ebay. Its the perfect lippy for adding a pop of colour without being too bright!

Anyway back to the title of this post - I finally got my degree this week! I was disappointed at first as my final module score wasnt as good as I'd hoped but I'm still really proud that after three years of hard work (and overcoming several hurdles) I can say I have a degree. Its always been one of my goals and it goes to show that if you put the work in you can achieve something you've always wanted! xoxo