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?

A beginners guide to semi-successful tanning

I've never been a big tanner. When I was at uni I didn't fake tan for a night out and tinted Garnier moisturiser was as adventurous as I got. But last year I decided to give the bronze glow a go and fell head over heels in love with the new tanned me. I've not got to the point where I crack out the tan for a random Wednesday at work but if I'm going out (not very often) or heading somewhere fancy (also not very often) then I get my tan on. I thought I'd take this opportunity to share my love for the products that make my glow possible, and trust me when I say they are beginner friendly - because I am very much a tanning beginner.

I mentioned in a post last week about the St Tropez Express Tan kit which I think is pretty amazing for the price and is perfect for someone like me who doesn't tan very often and wouldn't go through an entire bottle over the summer. It comes with an exfoliator, a moisturiser, a mini bottle of the Express Tan and a mitt. I exfoliate 24 hours before I tan (because that's what the instructions say and as I'm always terrified it's going to go wrong, I stick to the steps) and I like the exfoliator because it's gritty but it's a fine grit and doesn't feel like I'm ripping half of my skin off. On D-Day I usually have a quick shower to make sure I'm clean and moisturise my arms, elbows, knees and heels (as I said I go a bit OTT with the instructions). Now, when I apply this tan I literally go over the same areas about five times with my mitt to rub it in to make sure I have no lines and I don't miss anything. It's pretty easy to see where you've been already with this tan which is why it's quite a full proof option for beginners. I also like this tan because you don't have to sleep in it, I just wait three hours for it to get to its darkest and then wash it off, pop a bit of the moisturiser from the kit on and I'm done! By the next morning you look like you've spent a few days soaking up some sun and not sitting in a dark bedroom catching up on Love Island...not that I'm speaking from experience.

When I began my tanning journey last year I didn't tan my face but after there was the whole hype surrounding Isle of Paradise I really wanted to give the Self Tanning Drops a go. I really love this product. Don't get me wrong, I do find it terrifying to use because I imagine if it went wrong it would go terrible but it's like magic. I've used it a few times and three drops gets me the same colour as my freshly tanned body which is going from pasty white to slightly sun kissed. I just drop it into my moisturiser, really rub it in to my face, including up to my hairline and down my neck, and then wash my hands. Wake up (after sleeping on my back in a desperate attempt to not make it patchy) and my face now matches my body. Hooray!

Are you a serial tanner or a fake bake beginner?

The products that have 'saved' my skin

I've been getting more and more into skincare recently, any post that pops up on my Bloglovin feed that is about moisturisers, toners and summer skincare I've been there! Since the start of the year I've been trying to get my skin into a better place. It's never been totally horrendous but there have been times where every time I woke up there was a new spot that took FOREVER to leave. So after researching various products and giving my skincare a bit of a shakeup I'm finally in a place where I'm happy with things! So I thought I'd share the products which I feel have helped my skin get to where it is in a big way.

Let's start off with the product that got the ball rolling, a serious serum. I've been using The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane for the past three months and it's been doing wonders for my dehydrated skin.  I think that having a product that gets right down into the skin and hydrate the heck out of it. I use this every night after I've taken my makeup off and put some eye cream on. I leave it in to sink in for a couple of hours (it's quite thick and oily so needs a long time to sink in) and then go in with some moisturiser for an extra moisture boost.

Mask wise there are two that I think are essential for me to keep my skin in check. The first is the Epoch Glacial Mud Mask, something that works wonders when I'm having a bit of a moment and can feel a load of spots coming. It does a great job at pulling all the badness out but not sucking my skin of all life and moisture. I try to use this once a week, especially when I feel a bit meh. It can be a bit messy but it definitely gets the job done and is the best detoxifying type mask I've tried. On the other end of the mask scale is the Glossier Moisturising Moon Mask. This thick cream is so intensely moisturising that you can feel it working for the 20 minutes it's on. If my skin is textured then this is my go-to. Together these are the dream team and can combat pretty much any issue I'm having.

Last but not least is the Glossier Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen. Despite hearing "wearing an SPF daily is super important" I've never really paid attention to that (slaps wrist). BUT I do think that this has made a massive difference to my skin because since I've been using it my face has been pretty good. It's so lightweight and now I'm in the routine of putting it on everyday, it doesn't feel like a chore. As I said, I think this has made a big difference to the way my skin is acting nowadays and I will now continue to wear SPF everyday, promise!

What are you go-to skincare products?

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?