Musicals, glitter and a day at Ascot | June Favourites

Well wasn't June a great month! I don't know about anyone else but I seemed to have a lot of exciting things going on and with this nice weather we've been having it's just been a lovely few weeks. With that being said I've been a bit selective with my favourites this month and although there isn't much to mention, the things that are in this post I am 100% obsessed with.

I think I've mentioned the Stila Magnificent Metals Liquid Eye Shadow before, and for good reason. It's literally like magic in a bottle and it's perfect for when you have a special occasion that could do with a bit of extra sparkle. I have Gold Goddess, a twinkly bright gold that is seriously versatile. I've used this with my Naked Heat palette, Naked 3 and a standard brown smokey eye - it's worked for all of them. No mess as it's in a liquid form and really easy to build up for a super sparkly lid. Such a great product I could recommend this endlessly.

This month I've fallen back in love with the Revlon Colorstay Foundation, specifically in the shade Sand Beige. I've been fake tanning a fair bit over the past few weeks so I've needed a darker foundation shade so my face matches the my body. This formula is amazing for me. Semi matte so it stays put throughout the day but doesn't dry your skin out. Lots of coverage but it can be blended out to something a little lighter if you want. Just an all round good egg that I need to not neglect in the future.

Now, over the past month I have become obsessed with musicals, like seriously obsessed. I've always been a fan of some but it's started taking over my actual life. I listen to soundtracks all the time (we'll get onto those in a minute) and can't stop watching musical YouTubers. Amy Lovatt and Katherine Steele have been playing on repeat for the last month. They both do videos on musicals, songs, actual shows, etc and I cannot get enough. If you want something easy watching then their videos will be just the thing to pass four hours of your life (I've been on some serious video binges recently). It's through these two that I've discovered my new music obsessions - Mean Girls the Musical and Dear Evan Hanson. Yes you saw right, Mean Girls the Musical is an actual thing and the soundtrack is amazing. I think if you're a fan of the movie then you will love this! I love all the songs but my favourites are Revenge Party, Someone Gets Hurt and Sexy. Easy listening and great to sing-a-long to in the car. Dear Evan Hanson has an equally sing-a-long-ish soundtrack. I'm not 100% sure what the plot is but that doesn't matter when listening to the soundtrack. Again, easy listening, some songs more jolly than others but they all make you fell good. Anybody have a map and Good for you are my top picks.

A shout out has to go to the events I've had on this month. A weekend trip for my friend's birthday followed by the best day ever at Royal Ascot! It seems to be becoming an annual thing and I'm so there for it - what's better than a picnic, prosecco and betting with friends? Nothing, that's what.

One week with HD Brows Eyeshadow Palette

The second in my 'One week with...' series is HD Brows Eyeshadow Palette in Foxy. I got this little beauty in my Look Fantastic Advent Calendar at Christmas and although I've used it a couple of times I have never given it a proper rod test so I wanted to spend the week giving it a go to see what I thought of it. There are five shades which are all golds and warm toned browns in a sturdy (but maybe kind of chunky) black packaging with a mirror. The shades are:

Bare - A matte warm toned cream

Golden - A shimmery gold

Honey - A matte light brown

Bronze - A shimmery mid toned brown

Truffle - A cool toned shimmery brown

Now I really like this palette. The shades are totally up my street, golds and browns, and because there are only five it's really easy to decide which ones to use. I love a palette with a cream shade because that's what I use as a base to blend out and to highlight my brow bone (some people like a matte black but I need that highlight). Side note: I love the brush in this palette. A fluffy brush that is a bit too small to blend but is good for applying shades onto the lid and a tiny angled, dense brush which is amazing for the brows and to put a little something something on the lash line. This is the perfect everyday palette for me, I can put Bare all over the lid, Honey in the crease and Bronze in the outer corners and that's me done. I also love that I can use Honey in my brows as it is a great cool toned brown that just beefs them up a little bit.

But, what I love about this palette is also its downfall. The fact it's so easy to wear day to day means that if I want to do something a bit more smokey means it's quite difficult. The shadows aren't the most pigmented so when you want to do something deep it takes four times as long as it would take something like the Naked Palette to do. I tried to do a smokey eye a couple of times over the week and although I liked the look, I wouldn't use it for a night out or an occasion where I would usually go really dark on the eyes. That is the only complaint I have with this though - it really is a special little palette and I'm glad I've taken this week to really test it out because I'd love to start using it more often!

Have you tried this palette? Did you like it?

Are they worth the hype?

When products are hyped up I go one of two ways. Either I'm really not interested and actively don't search them out to not be the same as everyone else, or, I totally can't wait and have to have it RIGHT THIS SECOND. These three products definitely fall in the latter category and once I'd heard the hype, I caved and needed them in my life. But are they worth it?

I've mentioned Isle of Paradise in the last few blog posts so you can probably tell already that I've well and truly fallen for the hype, but there is good reason. Not only do the products look so instagramable you could cry but the one I've tried is pretty damn cracking. I have the Self Tanning Drops which I've used mixed in with my moisturiser to make my face a little more sun kissed. As terrifying as it I thought it would be it's actually really easy to use and looks great when it's on. Blends in with the colour I am when I fake tan and gives me that glow I have been craving during the warmer months. Totally worth the hype - I can't comment on the brand as a whole but this product is definitely a cracker.

I've wanted to try out the Dior Lip Glows for AGES. A lip balm that gives your perfect colour with a bit of a plump thrown in? Sign me up! I think it's not a bad price (£24) and the packaging is gorgeous. But is it worth the hype? A bit. I know I know! I do love this product, a lot, but I thought it was going to be better. Don't get me wrong, I really love this product and it works really well on me - like the perfect barely there lip product - but I think I wanted it to be a bit more glossy than it is. It you're wanting a lip product that needs next to no effort and feels nice on this lips then this is the one for you - but don't be expecting any miracles.

The Stila Glitter and Glows. Worth the hype? 100 per cent without a doubt. A liquid glitter that stays on your lids all day without budging, sign me up! There's a reason there's so much hype around this product because they're blumming amazing! I can't comment on the different shades but Gold Goddess could not be any more glittery and shimmery. If you're going to some sort of event then you need these in your life!

Have you tried any of these products? Thoughts?

I didn't need to spend this money | Beauty Bay haul

I can't stop buying beauty products. It's becoming a problem and I need serious help for it. There's no way I'd spend £50 on an item of clothing but I have zero issues with spending that on Beauty Bay - and that's exactly what I've done! I've shopped from Beauty Bay before and they have a great way to get you to spend more money! Great service (ordered it at 10pm on Friday and it arrived at 12pm on Saturday) and tonnes of brands to choose from.

Here's a run down of everything I got:

St Tropez Self Tan Express Starter Kit: This is such a good buy! I got this last year when I first dipped my toes in the tanning pool. It was £8 (on special offer from £12 I think) and you get a mini of the Express Tan, a moisturiser, a scrub and a tanning mitt. The little bottle was great for me, I think I had about ten applications of this over the course of the summer for various outings and special occasions which I think is great for the price. I was expecting to only have a couple of gos at it but it's just the gift that keeps on giving. The scrub is pretty good and does the job and same with the moisturiser. If you don't go ham with your tan and just need something to get you through the summer I would definitely recommend this.

Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops: Such a hyped brand and, in my mind, a bit of a pricy product for what it is. These little tanning drops are to mix with your moisturiser to tan up anything that needs a bit of glow and I got these to use on my face. I've just used this the once so I'll report back when I've given it more of a test and it seemed to work okay. I only used two drops because I was terrified that it was going to turn my face bright orange and be streaky. It didn't give my face much colour (probably because I didn't use enough) but it was just giving me more of a glow.

The Ordinary Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil: I've used an Ordinary oil for the past three months and it's been doing wonderful things for my skin. I fancied trying the rose one this time around because the reviews said it was good for redness and scarring - something I'm in need of. So affordable and hopefully it works for me.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors + HA: I hadn't planned on getting this moisturiser but my Body Shop Drops of Youth one was coming to an end and I thought I might as well pick one up whilst I was shopping. This was such good value for money - just over £6 for 100 ml, margin! I haven't had chance to give it much of a road test but so far, so good. Thick and hydrating but not greasy, ticks all the boxes.

If I spent over £50 I got free next day delivery so I picked up the Jordana Contour Stick. I haven't really heard of this brand before but I've wanted to try a contour stick for a while and I was only £4. We'll see how it works! I also got the Yes to Cucumbers Super Eye Mask. Again, I haven't tried it yet but if I end up loving it I'm sure I'll mention it at some point.

What beauty products have you picked up recently?

Bumper month for TV | May Favourites

I was sitting down, thinking about what I've been loving this month, and it turns out I've been watching a lot of TV this month and most of it has been really good! There are also a couple of products thrown in which I can see being long time favourites, so all in all it's been a great month for favourites!

Glossier. Boy. Brow. Now, will someone please explain to me what magic that is bottled inside this tiny tube? I've seriously never used anything like this. I have it in the shade medium and after just a few swipes my brows are full, plumped up and with no need to any powder or pencil. It works perfectly with my brows when they're tinted and even when the colour has slightly faded, totally natural looking but without making them 'barely there' because believe me they still pack a punch! Literally THE most perfect brow product ever - totally a holy grail.

My Instagram has been full of pictures of the new Body Shop Body Yogurts, and because I am an advertisers dream, I went out and got myself a couple - mango and strawberry. Woah are these things good. Usually I'm all about a thick moisturiser if it's not the consistency of a well whipped meringue then I'm not interested. But during this spell of seriously hot weather, these have been all I've used. I use a lot all at once, so the 15 seconds to sink in tagline that this product has doesn't really apply to me, and I can feel it doing my skin some serious good. Both of the scents stick around for ages afterwards as well, spreading strawberry and mango wherever I go in the house - yummy!

Earlier this month I found myself with a lot of time on my hands and what better way to spend it than binge watching a load of shows! After Stranger Things was ticked off my list (although I still have a few episodes of season two to get through) I gave QueerEye a go on Netflix. WHY HAVE I NOT WATCHED THIS BEFORE! People transforming other people's lives with some sassy comments thrown in, yes please. I think part of the reason I hadn't watched this before is because I'd heard it was emotional and, to be honest, I didn't want to be a sobbing mess. In the end I really didn't care less and I managed to hold it together most of the time, I did find myself ugly crying at one point but I blame the bottle of prosecco I'd enjoyed at home by myself - wow, I really know how to live. Next up on my Netflix spree was The Good Place. I'd heard about this before, can't remember who from, but thought it would be a good 'easy watching' kind of show. Safe to say I got totally sucked in and cannot wait for the third series to come out! If you don't know what it is, it's about  group of people who have died and are in 'The Good Place' - basically heaven - and what they get up to. I don't want to say too much because it'll spoil it, but episodes are only 23 minutes long and it doesn't take much concentration to get what's going on. You'll end up speeding through it.

One I'm currently loving at the minute is Love in the Countryside on BBC. It's basically a dating show for farmers and trust me when I say it will melt your heart. Each 'farmer' has a few prospective candidates to choose from and invites them back to their farm to get to know them a bit better. Not only is it really cute to see people search for their soul mate but there are also some really cute animals! Also, I've been loving the latest season of RuPaul's Drag Race. I'm a massive fan and this year's queens have been ticking all the boxes for me - excited to see who wins!

Mini shoutout to pink lip products - I seriously cannot get enough, it's all I've been wearing over the past month!

What have you been loving this month?

One week with Urban Decay Naked Heat

One of my favourite blog posts that I've written over the past however many years I've been writing on this thing is the 'A week with the Naked Smoky Palette'. I spent a week where the only thing I used was that one palette to see if I could make it work for a variety of different looks. So, I thought, two years on' that I'd do the same with the Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette. I bought this last year and although I used it a heck of a lot when I bought it, over the past few months it's been a bit neglected. So I used this palette everyday for a week, different looks for different occasions, and gave it a proper test.

So, how did the week go?

I started off with a makeup look that I used to wear all the time. Back in the day when I was at university I used to do a smoky eye situation everyday. I mean why I didn't want those extra precious minutes in bed I don't know! I do love the way it looks though especially with the warm tones of this palette. Basically, Ounce all over the lid (shimmery cream), Chaser through the crease (light matte brown) followed by Low Blow (matte brown) and Lumbre (shimmery peach) all over the lid. Finishing touches are Cayenne (dark warm toned matte brown) on the outer corner and Ashes smudged into my lash line. Loved this look and it wasn't too hard to do - the eyeshadows are so easy to blend that they're not hard to work with in the slightest.

Recently I've been all about the one stop eyeshadow. Basically a one swipe wonder that I can put on in the morning and not have to think about for the rest of the day. This palette has got a lot that can work for this. I love Sauced for everyday, a warm toned brown that is way on the reddy side but I'm totally in love with it. A couple of swipes blended out into the crease and I'm all set. The same with Lumbre and Scorched except they're a bit more jazzy as they have plenty of shimmer in them.

I went out on a big hurrah with another old favourite - a bit of shadow with some winged liner. I realised when I wore it how much a love it but boy does it take a lot of maintaining. The basic shadows I used were Ounce (the shimmery cream) all over the lid with a mixture of Low Blow and Chaser in the crease (matte browns) and then on the outer corner. Easy and simple because, let's face it, doing winged liner is traumatising enough without having it mess up a load of shadows underneath!

By forcing myself to use this for a week I've totally fallen back in love with the palette. I never didn't like it anymore but I got out of the habit of using it and every time I went back to it - the warm tones scared me a bit. But after getting back into the swing it's a yes, yes, yes from me. This will be my go to for a smoky eye situation and my one swipe wonders, in fact pretty much anything!

Go to guys: Sauced, Lumbre, Low Blow, Scorched, En Fuego, Ashes

Take them or leave them: Ounce, Chaser, He Devil, Dirty Talk, Cayenne

No thanks: Ember

Spring makeup shake up

Although winter is my favourite season, I love it when Spring rolls around and I can switch up my makeup stash and bring a bit more life to my face. From pink on the lips to a fresh and sunny scent I'm all over making myself feel bright to fit the brighter weather. When it comes to other months, I don't seem to have much of a drastic change when it comes to what makeup I use. For example, in autumn the cold starts sneaking in and my lips start to gradually get darker and my foundation becomes more high coverage. But in spring I feel like it's a fresh start and I need to clear out my winter weather products and make way for the fresh bases and lighter tones. So, here are a few of the products I've brought into my everyday rotation that scream SPRING!


I've fallen back in love with the Nina Ricci Nina perfume. I bought it last year in Lanzarote and it's the perfect spring/summer scent. Sweet and a little bit floral it's really been hitting the spot in this hot weather we've been having recently. The Revolution Stick Foundation is the best everyday base for when you're in a hurry - and is just the right amount of coverage for the warmer weather. I put a few stripes on my face after letting my skincare routine sink in for a few minutes and then I go in with my big blending brush (I think it's from Look Fantastic) and blend it in. It literally takes less than a minute to do which is amazing for me in the morning because anything that gives me longer in bed is a winner. The coverage is literally whatever you want it to be. I can make it really light with just a few swipes or layer it up for when I need a little more coverage. I lasts a descent amount of time - most of the working day - before sliding off my face and in this hot weather it's been a dream because I have been a sweaty mess lately!

Every year when spring rolls around my trust Mac Blush in Immortal Flower comes out to play. A peachy pink that is impossible to over do it's been an annual staple in my collection since I was given it by my friend Fiona in our first year of uni. It goes with pretty much any look and although it looks like a nothing colour, I love the warmth it brings to my face. A pinky lipstick is always a spring/summer staple for me. I have a new liquid lipstick coming very soon (seriously excited) which will fill this slot for me but for now the Tanya Burr Lipstick in Sunday Walk wild nicely. If there's anything that gives my face a bit more life it's a pinky nude and this one is great to just slap on in a hurry, safe in the knowledge that it's not going to end up all over your face at the end of the day. Other pinky lip products I love are the Tanya Burr Liquid Lipstick in Rhubarb and Custard (slightly brighter but I lived in this last year) and my favourite lip product of all time at the moment, the Dior Addict Lipstick in Tout-Paris, a sheer pink that is so comfortable...I've already expressed my love for this enough so I'll spare you it again...it's amazing.

What's your favourite product to bring out for spring?

If I could only wear three lipsticks

Maven | Tout-Paris | Pink Cocoa

I love all makeup products, from foundation to eyebrow gel I'm literally obsessed. The same is said for lip products but unlike all of the others where I chop and change what I use on the daily, I tend to stick to the same sort of thing. I think it's out of habit and because I know that my favourites feel comfortable and have my go-to shade. Although I do test out new ones and new friends come into rotation, over the last few months these have been what I had on my lips.

Dior Addict Lipstick in Tout-Paris

To say I'm obsessed with this lipstick is an understatement because I am OBSESSED with it. I bought it in an airport when I was on my way home from Lanzarote last year because 1. I love the packaging and 2. I wanted to finally have a seriously posh lipstick in my collection. Picking a shade was hard because I wanted something a bit different to what I already have but one that I would wear on an everyday basis. Tout-Paris is a sheer bright pink that I've been wearing non-stop, like seriously. I usually layer it over the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk and it is my lips but pinker and glossier. Feels comfortable and easy to through in my bag if I'm out and about to just whack on if needed. Next on my list of things to buy is one of the Dior Lip Glows because if I love this as much as I do I'm sure I'll be just as obsessed with that one!

Powerlips in Maven

One that's relatively new to my collection but my mind still boggles with how amazing this formula is. Picture this, a matte liquid lipstick which is pretty easy to apply, stays on through thick and thin BUT doesn't make your lips feel as dry as a desert. I mean it sounds like a fantasy but trust me, this is what it's like. The shade is a dark nude on my skin which I love but it can be a bit much for everyday but I'm going to get another one which is a bit more nude-y (see, obsessed) and I can see that never leaving my lips.

Tanya Burr Lipstick in Pink Cocoa

This is my no nonsense, shove it on nude that is a fail safe for me. Like all of the lipsticks in the range it's moisturising and comfortable to wear which is what I'm all about, especially when it's a nude. If I have a warm toned eyeshadow on, like something from the Urban Decay Naked Heat palette, this is the lip option I do for and it always works. What I also really like about this is the packaging is so reflective that it can be used as a mirror, win, win, win!

What's your go-to lipstick?

First impressions and test driving Revolution

After having a cheeky purchase of a few Revolution products I thought I'd give them a little road test over one day and give my thoughts! I've started to slowly work my way down my friend Rachel's foundation recommendation list and the Revolution Fast Base Stick Foundation was the first one to give a go. I haven't tried any stick foundations before but the whole swipe, blend and go situation really appealed to me. Anything to make getting ready in the morning that little bit quicker. Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer - other than the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer has any high street concealer been as hyped up? I think not. But they've never had it in my shade! So when I saw there was one left I practically lunged at the stand in case anyone got in my way and took it (there was literally no one else there). Then I saw the Revolution Liquid Highlighter Drops. I've never tried this kind of highlight before but always admired the Cover FX drops from afar. Although the shade Unicorn Elixir was the most appealing sounding, it was purple and I don't think I'd have got much wear out of it. So instead I went for Liquid Starlight, a pink shimmer.

I can't tell you how fun it was to draw this foundation on my face. It was like colouring in! I did a few swipes and then blended it with a brush, it took no time at all and gave some pretty good coverage. There were a few areas that I just wanted a bit more but it was nothing a few more swipes and blending couldn't fix. The concealer has THE biggest applicator I've ever used, and that was perfect for under my eyes. Again a few swipes and I blended it in with a mini real techniques sponge which I also picked up recently. I loved this for concealer, it could really get to places I struggle to with my normal one such as around my nose and on the inner corners of my eyes. Back to the concealer, good coverage, not massively full but good enough, and C3 was a great shade match for me. Last but not least the highlighter. YOU DO NOT NEED A LOT OF THIS. I put a single tiny blob on the back of my hand and I used two taps of it. This spreads like wildfire, but looks stunning. So sheeny and metallic I don't own anything like this already. I blended it out with the same tiny sponge and it worked really well.

But how will it last throughout the day?

10.30am

My first thoughts were 'oh my god what has happened to this highlighter?!'. My nose and cupids bow had both kind of set and were no longer glowy but pink blobs of glitter, it looked stupid. I rubbed it in and it was fine but I think I might avoid putting it on these places in the future. It wasn't too bad on my cheekbones but it had gone a bit chunky on one side - nothing that a little dabbing couldn't sort out! Foundation and concealer still look great. Nothing to report other than that my skin shows no signs of getting oily just yet - an amazing sign.

12pm

Starting to get a little bit oily but not so much I was in serious need of a blot. Other than that my base is still looking good. As for the highlighter it's shining bright on my cheekbones but after dispursing the mess earlier it's totally gone from my nose and cupids bow. But to be fair I don't think my usual powder highlight lasts long there anyway.

2.15pm

Not much more oily than I was earlier but I gave myself a bit of a blot to take off some of the shine. Everything still looks okay but I don't think I properly blended one side of my highlight because I've ended up with a really harsh line by my eye where it begins.

4pm

Exactly the same as 2.15pm

8pm

After going out for a meal I came back to take my makeup off and was very impressed with what I found! Everything looked exactly the same from when I last did a blot and check at 2.15pm. Foundation was still sticking around as was the concealer and although it was a little chunky, the highlighter was still shining bright. If I had one complaint it's that my skin was going a bit dry (which never happens!) but it didn't feel like all the moisture was sucked out of it, just not oily.

Overall, I really liked all three of the products. my least favourite was the highlighter just because it went a bit weird but that being said it might have been my application. The foundation was the star of the show I think 

My recent hand cream obsession

Hello, I'm Abz, and I'm obsessed with hand cream.

Now that may be a bit over dramatic but I've gone from zero to 100 when it comes to hand cream. I used it in the evenings after doing my skincare but that was about it. If it was there to use in a restaurant toilet, I wouldn't use it, free mini hand creams in hotel rooms, wouldn't take them, I just wasn't interested. What changed was when I started to use them at work. In the Look Fantastic Advent Calendar I had last year (That's one of the best things I've ever bought, I go on about it all the time!) I got a deluxe mini of the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. Already having a hand cream on the go at home but desperate to use something from a brand I've wanted to try out for so long, I took it to work. I got into the habit of using it every time I left the room and now here I'm am, three hand creams down in five months and in need of a fourth.

Over the last few months I've had chance to test out a few of the skin saviours and the ones I've loved have been:

Being by Sanctuary Spa - Chilli Mango and Tonka Bean: It has a really strong smell of mango (sometimes it is a bit too much) and for summer I feel like this will be the one. You just need a small amount otherwise it can get a bit greasy but an all round good egg.

Soap and Glory Hand Food - Sugar Crush: This scent is one of my favourites, like sherbet. it's really thick so it might be a bit much when the weather gets hotter, but for right now, it's cracking.

The Body Shop - Coconut: I love the Body Shop hand creams, all scents are amazing and they're the perfect size. I think the coconut one is my favourite though, it's the one I keep going back to.

I have one hand cream that's on my wishlist - the L'Occitane Almond Delicious Hand Cream. I've heard good things about it and I'd quite like to give it a go. (look at me getting excited about hand cream!)

What are you obsessed with at the minute?

A Little Pay Day Treat | Glossier Haul

I placed my first Glossier order when it launched in the UK last year. It was a modest collection of products, the Milky Jelly Cleanser and two Balm Dotcoms, to see what the deal was and if I wanted to test anything else out. Six months later I needed to repurchase a new cleanser and took it as an opportunity to go wild (well wild for me) and pick up a few extra bits. Anyone wanting a bit of a discount then here is my link, go nuts!

I'm in love with the Balm Dotcoms, like it's a serious bond. I have the Birthday one which I keep on my desk at work and the Coconut one that's in my skincare stash. I fancied another one to either go in my bag or next to my bed and the Mint one seemed like a good shout. I love this flavour so much. Not only does it taste and smell amazing (like all the Balm Dotcoms I've tried) but it makes your lips feel cold and tingling, a bit like a plumping gloss. If anything gives my bit of extra juice then I'm all for it! I think this is my new favourite out of the three I've tried.

Glossier Boy Brow. Has there ever been a more hyped brow gel (except maybe Gimme Brow)? I nearly added it to my basket in my last order but I'd recently bought a new Eylure one and, to be honest, I thought that £14 seemed a bit pricy for the size. But I took the plunge this time and went for Medium Brown shade. So far I am quite impressed. The colour is spot on for what I usually go for, dark but not verging on black.

The whole reason for this order was to repurchase the Milky Jelly Cleanser, my go-to second cleanse that is a dream to apply and seems to be working for my skin. There’s no way this is going to take makeup off, at all but after taking my makeup off with another cleanser I go in with this to get the remaining bits that might have been left behind. I feel like it moisturises my skin but doesn’t leave it feeling greasy and after getting used to the slightly strange smell (kind of floral) I don’t think I could live without it. 

Because I was ordering the Milky Jelly Cleanser I thought I’d take the chance to try the Priming Moisturiser and buy the Phase One Set. I’d heard that if you had dry skin then it’s not that great but as I have oily dehydrated skin I thought I’d give it a go. I’ve only been using it for about a week but I have to say I’m really liking it. It reminds me a bit of the This Works Camera Close Up Primer which I really enjoyed using but was just a bit expensive when I went to buy the full size. It’s moisturising but leaves skin tacky as well and makeup has been going nicely over the top. I did a blog test a few days ago and it got to about 1pm before I had to dab down my oily face which for me is pretty impressive. I’m looking forward to giving this more of a test. 

I’ve been meaning to buy an SPF for a while now but I’ve just been too lazy. I’d heard Lily Pebbles rate the one from Glossier, the Invisible Shield, so (like most of these products) I just added it to the pile. First off, I think it smells like a chocolate orange, anyone else? I'm totally into it and could whiff it all day. The packaging is great, one pump gives the right amount of product for me. And the consistency is spot on, not tacky like the Priming Moisturiser but it's not matte like a mattifying primer. This has really made me interested in trying out other SPF's to see how they do but for now I'm really liking how this one is working.

As I've discovered that although my skin is oily, it's also very dehydrated, I've developed a need for a moisturising mask. As my tester of the Oskia Renaissance Mask has come to an end, and is a bit too pricy to replace, I thought I'd give the Moisturising Moon Mask a try. I've only used it once so I can't give my full thoughts on it but it's a thick gel like cream that felt really ice when I applied it and gave my skin the plumping up it needed.

Is there anything else from Glossier that I should give a try?

Instagram shoutout to myself: Why not give my insta @abzisfabz a follow? 

Stranger Things and Shiny Lips | April Favourites

This month has been a little bit lacking on the beauty front and there are just a couple of things that I've been obsessed with. I recently declared love for the best matte lipstick I've ever tried (read all about that here) but I've also been going between another lip product which is on the opposite end of the spectrum. It's the Dior Lip Addict in Tout-Paris. It's a bright pink colour that looks quite scary in the bullet but because the formula is so glossy and sheer it just makes the lips look juicy and totally transforms any lipliner it goes on top of. It's so easy to wear, the formula is really moisturising and I just love it. I would definitely get more shades of this because I'm just finding I reach for it all the time day to day. I've also been obsessed with the Body Shop Vitamin C Spray. Is there anything nicer than giving your face a quick spritz? No, I thought not! I've been using it all the time, in a morning when I wake up, in the middle of the day on a weekend to perk myself up and as a toner in the evening before I go in with my full on skincare routine. This one smells amazing too and it is one of those unnecessary products that I don't need but would now be lost without!

Stranger Things. Wow was I an idiot to put off watching this for as long as I did. I've been told time and time again to watch it but it took for me to be physically sat in front of it before I actually did. I'm fully obsessed. I powered through series one and I'm now waiting until I can have a real binging session before I start on series two and I'm so excited to watch it! It's just on the edge of my scary limit, I did find I was hiding behind a pillow for some of it, but then again I am a massive wuss!

I've been listening to a lot of music this month - well lot for me anyway which is basically on the way to and from work. I've started a three month trial with Apple Music and so far I'm totally into it. Whether I'd download enough to get my money's worth is yet to be seen but for free I'm enjoying downloading random songs to listen to on the way to work. My listening list this month has basically consisted of songs with complicated lyrics/fast tunes that I can learn the words to. Alexander Hamilton from the musical Hamilton is literally the most satisfying thing to sing/talk. It's been my go-to car song. if you haven't tried learning the lyrics then do, it's such an achievement to get through the song word for word (wow Abz big life goals there!).

What have you been loving this month?

Is Maybelline Tattoo Brow a miracle product?

In a recent blog post where I went through some of my unloved products (read that here) I can across this - the Maybelline Tattoo Brow Long Lasting Tint. I bought this around when it first came out when I was wanting to spend a little less money on my brows. It seemed like a total miracle product. Costing around £10 it would save a decent chunk in the brow tinting department and there are three shades, light, medium and dark brown. I went for medium brown as although I have blonde hair I'm all about a dark eyebrow. The whole idea of this product is that you paint it on, wait for 20 minutes to two hours depending on how long you want it to last and then peel it off.

Now, I'll start with the positives. The applicator is a small brush making it easy to draw on the shape you want, it isn't at all messy and takes next to no time to apply. When it's on I can't feel it and, although it makes me look like I have sharpie brows, having it on for two hours isn't an issue. Peeling it off may seem like it's going to take all of the brow hairs with it but other than a few casualties it's totally fine. Overall it's an easy to use product for something that usually requires getting a professional in.

There is one main problem with this and it's quite a big one - it's orange. Like, the colour is orange. And I have no idea why. It's a perfectly normal colour when you go to bed the day of application but I've woken up to find two cheesy wotsits above my eyes. Not good. And that's the only thing stopping this product from being amazing because it has everything else going for it. The way I've been using it is as a guide for filling in my brows. Because I have such fair hair when I have no tint on my brows it can take quite a while to fill them in so by using this I already have a bit of a head start which is good. But I wouldn't go out with just this on my brows because, as I said, it turns them orange!

I will keep using this because I want to use it all up and I can just about get away with making it work - but there won't be a repurchase on the horizon.

Have you used this product? Did you get on with it?

Taking a trip down makeup memory lane

I was sat looking at my makeup the other day (you know, like normal people do) and I suddenly thought that a lot of it relates to a special time or has a significant moment attached to it. Even the most random and 'boring' of products reminds me of something that has happened. So, I thought it would be nice to look back at the makeup that give me my favourite memories and it might encourage me to get the products out of the drawer and use them a bit more!

Back in my early days of blog reading and Youtube watching the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes were big news. But being in the UK and no plans of visiting America on the horizon I just had to sit back and watch everyone rave about how amazing they were. So when we hopped on a plane to Florida in 2015, this was top of my Sephora shopping list. Obviously I bought the shade Tipsy (it was either that or Exposed - the go-to shades) and I still crack this out every Summer. Whenever I wear it I think of wandering around the Sephora in Florida (my first time in an American Sephora), filling my basket with vlogger recommendations. This product will always hold a special place in my heart.

The first non-stationary highlighter I bought was a great day. It was around this time two years ago after I'd been for an interview at the job I currently have, hooray! It was in Leeds and my mum went with me so afterwards we went out for lunch and popped along to Debenhams for a cheeky purchase to celebrate a job well done. The Urban Decay Afterglow Highlighter had just come out and it had received good reviews all round so I thought it would be a good one to give a go (up until this point I'd been using glittery champagne eyeshadows as highlight - it was very questionable behaviour!) The were three shades and I went for Aura, a pink/purple shade which I'd heard was good for people with pale skin. It's a good product but this colour is just not me. It's preety much purple and isn't the vibe I usually go for but this product gives me such fond memories of that day that I don't think I'll be able to part with it anytime soon.

Kinda Sexy - to this day one of my favourite birthday presents. It was the first Mac (and only) Mac lipstick I'd been gifted and I was given it in La Tasca in Nottingham on my 20th birthday from my friends. Up until then I'd spent so long searching for the perfect nude and then this magically turned up in my lap. It's a warm toned nude with a matte finish that looks cracking over the top of any nude-y lip liner. This was my go-to for ages and  reminds me so much of my second year at uni. It's still probably my most worn lipstick.

The Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. If ever there was maybe too much hype around a product this was it. I'd waited for so long before I took the plunge and bought one. It was with money I'd got from my 21st birthday and I had some time to kill before I was meeting my friends for a birthday surprise (afternoon tea at Browns, yes, yes, yes!) and I bobbed into town to splash the cash. I'd heard so many good things about this product; it's the perfect gloss, the most moisturising thing you'll ever have on your lips, etc. But I have to say I was pretty disappointed - I just found it too thick and sticky. Even though I wasn't a fan of this product, I had the best time that day so I like to keep it as a littl reminder.

A couple of years ago for my 21st birthday, my mum, dad and me went to London. We had the best time there seeing the sights and having a wander round. One disaster that happened when we were there was that we only just made our slot to go up the Shard by minutes (you're allowed 30 minutes over your booked time, we were 25). The reason we were running late and had to run from St Paul's Cathedral to the Shard (it feels like miles) was that I was desperate to get my hands on the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation. I'd been to every department store and shop possible to get my hands on this but they were sold out of my shade everywhere, it was a joke, But finally a very helpful House of Fraser answered all of my prayers! That was such a memorable day and there was so much hunting for a foundation which, I'm sad to say, I can't get on with. I just find it too thick and hard to blend but it gave us a great story to tell!

When Fleur de Force released her makeup collection on Feel Unique I was there with the items in my basket and checked out before you could even say'good god get a grip girl'. I went for her Cosmic Bronze palette and one of her glosses. I ended up getting so much wear out of the palette and it reminds me of my third year at uni because it's pretty much all I wore with some winged liner and a questionably strong brow. The thing that I remember most about this product is that I ordered it on a Thursday, it didn't come until the Thursday after at which point I'd gone back to uni (on that day - how annoying!) and had to wait for it to be posted from home to Nottingham which took nearly another week so by the time it reached me I was desperate for it. No wonder I ended up loving it so much!

What's your favourite makeup memory?

Is this the best matte lipstick ever?

This time last month if you's have told me I would fall in love with a matte lipstick to a point of obsession then I'd have probably laughed in your face. I was all about the glossy lip, slathering on the lip gloss, cracking out my sheeny lipsticks and generally having a great time moisturising in general. That was until this landed on my doorstep - The Powerlips Fluid. Big shout out to my mate Amy for hooking me up with this cracking beauty!

This is the shade Maven which I'd say is a nude which is slightly darker than what I usually go for. I have to say when I first saw the shade I was a bit concerned at how dark it was. I expected it to be more of a easy to wear nude but leans more to the vampy side. I have to say though now I've had a chance to wear it I'm completely in love. The shade also is bang in the middle of warm and cool which for me is bang on! The picture above is pretty true to life and it really pops and stands out against my little pale face.

With matte lipsticks I always feel like you need to compromise - something won't be quite right but you put up with it because that's just the way it goes. Like they're not matte enough so end up all over your face or they're so dry your mouth feels like the desert or it gathers on the inside of your mouth. You get it, nothing is ever quite right. But I've had zero problems with this one. It dries down totally matte in quick time but never gets to the point where it sucks the life out of your lips. One thing which is a big plus for me as well is that you don't need to be careful when applying to not go over the same spot - you can over the same space loads of times and it doesn't get clumpy and thick. This also gives it big plus points when reapplying as it just glides on top of what was there with no issues.

Overall I would love to get more of these because the other shades look incredible! If you're starting to lose your faith in matte lip products and think you'll never find the perfect one, think again!

What's your favourite matte lip product? 

Products that smell out of this world

I love good smelling products and scent can have a big impact on whether I like a product or love it. Something may be the best thing since sliced bread and do a great job but if it has a smell I'm not that into it's not going to be one of my go-tos. I just want to pre-warn that I am hopeless at describing smells, seriously bad at it, but my favourite scents are fruity or quite sickly sweet so that's what I tend to steer towards.

As far as dry shampoos go, Colab is my ultimate favourite. Not only are the names and bottles the cutest thing you may have ever seen, the product inside is actually pretty good too! At the minute I'm using the Unicorn one (obviously, unicorns are literally my life) and it has such a nostalgic smell to me! I don't know what it is but it leans more florally but with a bit more of something that isn't too perfume-y. I was also a fan of the Tropical one and I can't wait to try out more of the other scents!

Soap and Glory have some amazing scents across their different products. The Smoothie Star range gives me life, especially in the winter, but one that will always have a special place in my heart is the Sugar Crush scent. Like fruit and sugar, this is a great 'pick me up' scent. If you're ever feeling down, give this a whiff and it will transport you off to a summer's day on a beach with a good book in one hand and a glass of prosecco in the other. At the minute I'm loving the Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Hand Cream. I find myself sniffing my hands all the time and looking like someone to avoid in the streets, I don't care, it smells too good not to.

Please can someone tell me - why do new Mac lipsticks smell the best? There's just something about them that makes them irresistible to sniff! It's a strict procedure whenever anyone shows you a new Mac lipstick, take the lid off, look at the colour, smell it. I don't know why! It's sort of a vanilla situation that also reminds me a bit of a tic tac but it's definitely the best thing about a new lipstick. (Sad news is the one in this picture - Kinda Sexy which is my all time favourite - now smells like a crayon. Breaks my little heart).

Pretty much any scent The Body Shop do I'm into. Everyone is just spot on but recently there's one that I've been slightly obsessed with, the argan oil scent. I've never been that interested in it and to be honest when I've smelt it in the shop I've just thought it was like their shea range but not as nutty. I was totally wrong. I got the argan oil body butter for my birthday and on my little dry legs this smells amazing. Kind of a cross between summer and winter it makes you want the sun to shine but isn't like a fruity scent because it makes you kind of feel cosy and warm as well. If you haven't tried anything from the range I would definitely recommend it!

I'd like to give a final mention to the Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. Obviously the whole point of it is to smell like chocolate and the long and short of it is that it doesn't. BUT it does still smell great! Think The Body Shop Cocoa Butter in powder form I can't help but give it a little sniff before putting it on my face.

What's your favourite scented product?

What's on my product wishlist

I could easily spend so much money on all things beauty it's actually now beyond a joke. So in an attempt to stop my spending I thought I'd list all of the products that are on my wishlist which is mainly made up of things which are a little on the pricy side which I'd buy for/on a special occasion.

One thing that I've always wanted to try (and I should really get myself down to a counter) is the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. It's one of those products that everyone and their dog raves about but it's so darn expensive that I don't want to get my purse out and take the plunge in case it's not quite right for me. One day I'll go to a counter and get myself a tester but until then I'll admire from afar!

Over the last couple of years there have been a few Nars eyeshadow palettes that I eyed up and very nearly bought but for one reason or another it wasn't meant to be. The Nars Unwanted Palette literally looks like a thing of dreams, mattes, shimmers and glitters in warm shades, I mean can we not. That's my idea of heaven. But it came out after I bought the Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette and I couldn't justify the purchase of another warm toned palette. But everyone raves about Nars eyeshadows and I feel like one day I will take the plunge and add one of their palettes to my collection. (Side note: They all look like quite a petite size which would be good to travel around with - I might be wrong but that's the vibe I'm getting).

Last year I achieved one of my goals (small goals) and bought a Dior lipstick (which I cannot get enough of) and another thing I'd love is a Chanel Lipstick. Not only do the bullets look amazing but the product inside is pretty good too. I think one day when something exciting happens I'll buy one for myself as a little treat but for now I'll just look at swatches and dream.

Glossier You. Oh what a dream it would be to have this perfume in my stash. I got a mini sample with a Glossier order I made months ago and to be honest I haven't stopped thinking about how nice it smells. It's what I'd call a natural smell, kind of florally but it could be mistaken for your usual smell (side note: the bottle is really pretty). I usually wait until I've finished one perfume before buying another and only have two on the go at once so when I'm in the market for another perfume to fill the gap I think that this would be the one!

What's on your product wishlist?

Just going to give a mini shoutout to my instagram @abzisfabz - why not give it a follow! 

The best brush and on the gin craze | March Favourites

Get ready for a bit of a bumper favourites this month as this is a loves of February and top picks of March rolled into one post. We have a mixture of everything - makeup, an instagram account and the best drink you'll probably ever taste!

I've mentioned my sudden love for gloss a fair few times recently but there's one that has been head and shoulders above all the rest - NYX Butter Gloss in Angel Food Cake. Not only is the shade totally up my street, a pinky nude that is a bit darker than my usual lip colour, but the formula is legit magic. Not sticky but so high shine it's blinding. I think I'm going to have to pick up a few more shades of these because I'm obsessed.

I think I may have mentioned a couple of months back but when I went to Edinburgh last year we went on a gin tasting and it totally opened my eyes to this gin-mania that's going on at the minute. Although I'm still a prosecco girl at heart I am partial to a bit of rhubarb and over the last couple of months I've found myself thinking about having a rhubarb gin with lemonade at least twice a day. My favourite (and to be honest one of the only ones I've tried) is the Edinburgh Gin Rhurbarb and Ginger Gin Liquor. It's less gin and more a sweet sort of syrup but that means that it really hits you in the face with rhubarb and I'm all about that! 

My dad would say I have too many brushes, I say you can never have too many. So you can imagine my excitement when for my birthday my friends bought me a set of eyeshadow brushes that were multicoloured and sparkly. DREAM. For the past month I've been giving each of them a little go but there's one that I love so much, I honestly don't know how I've ever lived without it. It's got long-ish hairs (hairs?) and they're flexible with a flat top and it makes the perfect highlight brush. It may be a tenth of the size of previous highlight brush but I prefer it ten times more. It means I can just brush it onto my cheekbones in a sort of swirling motion, take it up to my brow bone and onto my cupids bow with no problems and no worries that it's going to end up spreading onto the middle of my cheek, which has been known to happen.

I'd like to give a quick shout out to Kate La Vie's instagram. It is so stunning and looking at it makes me instantly happy. Also I have an instagram album full of home inspo and 99 per cent of it are posts of hers.

Products that are seriously under hyped

There's always talk about hyped up products, how great they are or even if they are worth all the ranting and raving in the first place. So today I thought I'd give a special mention to those products that don't have much time in the limelight but are great and need to be shouted about.

Last year I delved into the world of NYX eyeshadows and I was seriously impressed. Their palettes get a lot of air time but I had heard next to nothing about their single shadows and I have no idea why. They're around £4 each, come in a ton of different colours and finishes and can fit nicely into magnetic palettes. I bought four shades last year that I thought would be quite versatile and then a shimmery red to make things a bit more interesting. I think they're so good for the price point and I have no idea why they don't get the kind of credit they deserve.

Back when they were released around 18 months ago there was a bit of hype around the Mac Liptensity Lipsticks but after a few weeks it all quietened off and hasn't really picked back up since. I am a total lover of this formula, creamy and comfortable on the lips but the pigment really packs a punch. I only have one of these (I'm much more of an eye shadow hoarder than a lipstick collector) in Smoked Almond and it's my go to autumn lipstick - a warm nude that verges on brown. There's a wide range of shades so why not give it a go.

Something which is slightly newer in my stash is the NYX blush in Mauve N' Out. Why has no one piped up about these blushes before! If you have and I've totally ignored it I apologise but I am well and truly on board with this product. It is pigmented, which can be an issue if I'm not concentrating and decide to slap a load on my face, but when used correctly it gives a rosy flush to my face which perks it up in all the right ways. It feels very similar to my usual blush colour so I feel like it will go with any kind of makeup look. Small and compact, I'm looking forward to travelling with this!

If you've read a few of my posts recently you might have noticed my sudden love for lip gloss. I'm all about that plumped vibe and I've been cracking out the creamy finishes and the glossy products left, right and centre. The thing that made me come to my gloss loving realisation was the Pixi Lip Lift Max in Honey Sheen. It's so good and I've heard next to no one share my enthusiasm for it. It has a subtle peachy shimmer so works great over the top of other lip products and it gives a great plump and tingling feeling without making it feel like someone is stabbing me in the lips with tiny knives. Such a great 'throw in your bag' product.

What is your favourite 'underhyped' product?