Top 10 Spring/Summer Beauty Picks: Natural Collection, Korres, Essie, Models Own, Toni and Guy, L'oreal, Revlon, 17, Marc Jacobs

Hello ladies, apologies to the few gents who won't appreciate this post! Alternatively, stick around and get some inspiration for gifts to surprise your ladyfriend with...As the sun has decided to rear its yellowy head, I thought I'd share my top cheap high street/drug store beauty products for this season. I don't own any high end make-up; I'm quite humble and, to be honest, I believe that there are some great products out there that don't break the bank. Hopefully, you'll be able to grab a few bargains as a result of this post and make me feel less crap about my own spending issue. They're all in no particular order and I apologise for some of the photos - there's either too much sun or not enough! I was also in a bit of a hurry because we were in a public parky bit and I looked a tad strange; oh blogger woes!

1. Natural Collection blush in 'Peach Melba'

This is a holy grail blush product, in my humble opinion. It comes with a very small price tag and the packaging is back to basics but it's a staple in my daily routine and it's one of the few products that other people have picked up on. I get lots of compliments when I wear it and it makes me feel great. Despite its price, it's really nicely pigmented and doesn't feel too chalky once blended into the cheek. You need this in your Spring routine!

2. Korres Lip Butter in 'Quince'

I'm a little lip product mad, so I thought I'd include a range of different types of Spring/Summer lip to suit most tastes. Korres lip butters are particularly good for those that don't like the stickiness of a lipgloss or the heaviness of a lipstick in the summer heat. This balm is great for moisturising and for adding just a sweep of colour to the lips whilst also looking amazing swept over a lipstain.  These are great for an everyday wearable lip and they come in a range of different colours. Go check them out!

3. Essie in 'Mint Candy Apple'

I featured this in my 'Recent Purchases' post not long ago but I couldn't not include it in this post because it's the ideal minty hue for Spring. Lash on a couple of coats of this and you're good to go throughout the summer. I'll hopefully be rockin' this with a crackin' summer tan bit hopeful and some beachy waves. It's amazingly beautiful and I've already had people ask me what shade it is. If you're only planning on buying one shade for this summer, this should be it. 

4. Toni and Guy Texturised Salt Spray

I'm an absolute sucker for beachy waves so I'll be applying this spray to my freshly washed hair before scrunching and topknotting in order to get the nearest to a Californian beachy wave as possible. It's one of the few haircare products that I use so that must be saying something! This has worked for me and if you lack a perfect wave, it may work for you too. 

5. Marc Jacobs, 'Daisy Eau So Fresh'

I cannot stop smelling myself! I've worn this scent a couple of times already, naughty, and it's incredible. I'll be wearing this throughout the summer and I'm sure it'll evoke all manner of memories of sunshine and amazing company. I'm a massive fan of the original Daisy but this version is just as lovely and smells a little less acidic and a little more sophisticated. I adore it and it's well worth the price tag. You can read about the other perfumes in my collection here. 

6. L'oreal Caresse Rouge Lipstick in 'Dating Coral 301'

This is pretty much L'oreal's version of the Revlon Lip Butters. I'd swatched this a few times in the local Boots and eventually took the plunge and bought the bloody thing. It's my first coral shade and I adore it. I'd been on a hunt for the perfect coral but everything came off too orangey. This little beauty combines both peach and dusky pink to create a really flattering and wearable summer hue. The formula is also extremely light and is therefore perfect for days when the sun decides to shine. I'll be wearing this with my beachy waves and summer attire. P.S Abby of ABBBBZZWAAAAA fame complimented me on this lipstick ;)

7. Models Own in 'Lilac Dream'

I picked this up on a whim the other week thanks to Boots 3 for 2 cosmetics offer. It's a really pretty shade and it holds its own as well as looking lovely with other pastel shades. It's only the second nail polish that I own but it's taking pride of place in my spring hue collection. I'm pretty sure it'll compliment my summer style perfectly. I just need to grow my nails a little before I lash it on! 

8. Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in 'Peony'

 Lets face it, lipglosses can be a bit of a pain in the bum but I'm suprisingly taken by this shade. It's a stunning shimmery pink shade with a texture ideal for summer breeze because it's not overly sticky or heavy. I've been wearing this as both a sheer sweep of lipgloss and as a gloss over my lipstick. I can confirm, it looks gorgeous both ways! It's got quite a hefty price tag for a lipgloss but I think it's something that I'll be grabbing for summer day trips.  

9. L'oreal Telescopic False Lash Effect Mascara in 'Black'

This is the best mascara I have ever used! I am head over heels in love with it. It's one of the few products that I've really seen make a drastic difference to my lashes and will forever be in my make-up bag! I can imagine it looking perfect for a summery doe eyed look and I'll be wearing it every friggin' day. Value for money and then some! 

10. 17 Mirror Shine On Lipstick in 'Beehive'

One of my favourite everyday hues and one of my favourite formulas. It's another product that makes me feel amazing and I've also had a ton of compliments when I wear it.  It's such a wearable shade but it also makes a really nice difference to a natural look. It's a lipstick I will forever be repurchasing and I've already encourages mates to go and buy it for themselves too! Everyone should have this lipstick loitering in the bottom of their beach bag. 

I hope you've found some products amongst those that I've featured that you're interested in. If you'd like to see further swatches of these products, please leave your suggestions in the comments! Have you got any of these beauty products? What are your top Spring/Summer beauty products? Thanks! I'm a bit delicate today and really upset so I'm just gunna have a quiet night ♥

My Recent Purchases: Topshop, Boots, Primark, Buyapowa, Ebay and Paperchase.

17's 'Beehive', £4.59; Topshop's 'All About Me', £8.00; Revlon's 'Cherries in the Snow', £5.00 (with 2 for £10 offer); L'oreal False Lash Effect Telescopic Mascara in Black, £10.99; Topshop Make-up Bag, £14.00;  Paperchase Turquoise Noto Journal, £12.00;  'Mint Candy Apple' Essie nailpolish via Ebay, £6.99 (had a £5 off voucher); Daisy 'Eau So Fresh' Perfume via Buyapowa, £36 (not pictured).

Hello everyone! I know it wasn't that long ago that I posted the last of my recent purchases but I've managed to collect some more things over the past fortnight that I thought I'd share with you because, lets face it, we all like to have a nose! If you'd like to see more in depth posts on any of the products featured, pop your request in the comments!


I've been picking up quite a few new beauty purchases lately and some of them have steadily made their way into my must have high street 'drug store' products! I'm now rarely seen without a layer of Beehive on my lips and a flick of my new L'oreal mascara. They're my absolute product raves. and fit my pale complexion/doe eyed tiredness perfectly. As you can see, I'm slowly gearing myself up for Spring and Summer with quite a few nods to the pastel trend and my annual dose of Daisy perfume. I'm dreaming of day trips, lacy summer dresses and beachy waves! Of course, this will all be accompanied by my Mint Candy Apple nails. I recently got rid of my collection of bland dried up polishes so I'm pretty excited to be restarting my collection with this shade.  I have a Kilner jar dedicated to lipsticks and, thanks to these new purchases, I've now filled it up. It's now bursting with pinks, neutral glosses and striking reds but there's a distinct lack of corals; I'm now on a quest for the perfect coral lipsticks to add to my collection! If you've got any ideas, let me know. Naturally, I bought a pretty new coral make-up bag to house all of my everyday products; it matches my coral ballet flats perfectly - I've no idea why that enabled me to buy the bag but it did! Lastly, I bought yet another journal! This one will house more lists and bloggy things. 

Phew! There you have it, my recent purchases from the high street and the world wide web. Do you have any of these items? If so, what do you think of them? What have you been purchasing lately? I hope this has been of interest to you, if you've got any requests for future posts or if you'd like to see any of these purchases featured in their own post then, please, leave your ideas in a comment! It'd be really helpful. I'm off to do some more creative work on poetry, quelle horreur! Have a lovely rest of your day ♥ 

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Cancer: Highlighting Your Natural Beauty

credit goes to Julia Ordodi via this article.

Cancer.

That individual word resonates with so many. I look to family members and family friends and see the battle that they have faced/are facing. I beam at their grace, courage and almighty strength in the face of Cancer. My beautiful grandmother is a survivor and, aside from my mother, is the most beautiful, elegant and strong woman I know. Luke's grandmother is currently facing yet another battle but she's still lighting up the room with her smile and is still as beautiful as ever and is forever in my thoughts at this moment in time. I was approached recently by Jackie, with a request to post an article about Cancer with a beauty twist. I wanted to post this to raise awareness, to give people something to think about and to promote beauty in every individual - not just the conventional beauties that the media exposes. 

As Jackie states in this piece, beauty in no way cures cancer or makes you a better person but the positive feeling behind it may just help to make yours, or a person you hold dear's day a little better whilst also improving confidence and strength. I think we all know just how much make-up can affect our personal image, confidence and inspiration. With this in mind, please don't leave any nasty comments. It's simply offering advice on how to accentuate natural beauty, it isn't saying it is the be all and end all or advocating it as a way to get the all clear. I'll pass you over to Jackie...

'A cancer diagnosis does not have to be a death sentence for a strong and resilient woman. Many women will be liable to give up once they hear 'leukemia', 'mesothelioma' or any one of the unhappy sounding words associated with cancer. However, for your health and your survival you cannot give up. You cannot let yourself lose your personal power and your natural beauty and grace. Staying beautiful in the face of cancer can help you defeat cancer in ways you would never have imagined. Of course, you cannot use staying beautiful as a cure and fashion is not a treatment for cancer. However, they can help your physical and mental health in ways that cannot be done by a simple cancer treatment.

1. Start by picking out a great wardrobe. Choose clothes that go well together and which highlight your natural beauty. You know what you like to wear, so pick clothes that suit your personality and your taste. Make sure to choose outfits that are formal and outfits that are casual. This kind of diversity helps you look beautiful in any situation.

2. Choose great accessories such as necklaces, bracelets, watches and earrings. These accessories are essential to your plan. They help highlight your outfit and catch the eye of your friends, family and loved ones and even strangers on the street. The effect of your change may seem small at first but you have to be persistent with looking beautiful. 

Persistence into confidence...

You have to wake up every morning and make yourself look beautiful. However, once you have a beautiful woman staring at you every day, you'll start to regain some of your confidence and composure. You'll start to hold your head higher and exude a natural confidence, especially if you pair your positive attitude with a great fragrance. People will begin to notice how beautiful you look and smell! You will see others attentive look towards you and gain even more confidence. It may even take your mind off your disease and your treatments for a while. Looking beautiful in the face of cancer may attract positive reinforcement from those around you. They may praise your beauty, your grace, your confidence and courage in the face of your disease. These feelings will help boost your confidence, improve your mood and give you the energy and desire to beat your disease. It can also give you hope. Having the confidence, focus and hope to succeed helps to make it that much easier to completely beat cancer'.

You can read some more of Jackie's beauty related cancer posts HERE. Pixiwoo are also currently running a great series of Youtube videos on cancer and beauty which you can find HERE. I hope this has proved to be an interesting read. It's something that I fully understand and support. When I was going through a particularly rough patch with my Crohns Disease, a chronic bowel disease, my appearance was one of the things that affected me the most. Yes, I was seriously ill but, at the same time, my whole body shape changed and I found that, surprisingly, this affected my whole outlook on my illness. I found that by brushing my hair or applying a little make-up really helped me feel better and inspired me to face up to my illness with confidence. Let me know if you've ever experienced the same thing in the comments...


I'll be back soon with my week in photos post ♥

Zalando: Burt's Bees' Essential Burts Bees Kit - Lip Care

Burts Bees Essential Burts Bees Kit - Lip Care £15 c/o Zalando

Before they contacted me, I presumed that Zalando only sold shoes, however, to my surprise they have a whole beauty section on their website that stocks products from brands such as Clarins, Elizabeth Arden, Cowshed and L'Occitane. I thought I'd use the opportunity that Zalando gave me to try out a brand that I'd yet to explore, Burt's Bees'. In order for you to get a better picture of the products, I thought I'd review each one individually, so get your mugs of tea at the ready! Before I start, I'd also like to apologise for the changing in lighting - blame the window, not me!

Burt's Bees' Beeswax Lip Balm 4.25g
I'd heard a lot about Burt's Bees lip balms and had forever seen them in various 'What's in my bag' style posts over the blogosphere so I was sure that I would be pretty happy with this particular product. It's one of the soothing balms that gives you that slightly scary oh-my-god-are-my-lips-swelling feeling. Thankfully, my lips didn't swell and they were left feeling minty fresh!  My lips felt lovely and moisturised so it certainly did its job. You get a nice amount of product and it's a great handbag size so all in all it's a pretty good beauty essential. The downfall? I think I would've preferred it as a bullet rather than a rounded substance because it makes it a little more difficult to apply but this is just a minor complaint. 


+ softens lips 
+ handbag size but also has a lot of product
+ it's refreshing and smells lovely and minty
- rounded instead of a bullet, harder to apply

Burt's Bees' Hand Salve 8.5g
I had quite a lot of trouble with this product if I'm perfectly honest. It might just be me with my massive shovel hands/lack of nails but I found it incredibly difficult to open. Once I'd coaxed Luke into opening it, I was greeted by quite a strong smell from the product, not Luke - quite botanical and herby and, if I'm honest, not really me! I wasn't really convinced by this product; I much prefer hand creams because they seem more moisturising but having said that my hand did feel smooth once I'd applied enough of the product. This one was difficult to apply a nice amount with and, whilst it made my hands soft, it kind of gave them a weird sheen. I think I might use this product for moisturising eyelids or taming brows but, otherwise, I may give it away to a friend. Overall, I'm not convinced by this and wouldn't purchase this individual product again opting for one of their hand cremes instead. 


+ could be suited to taming brows and hydrating small areas of skin
- hard to get a lot of product 
- difficult to open  
- strong smell

Burt's Bees' Naturally Nourishing Milk and Honey Body Lotion 25g

This product glided on my skin nicely and quickly began nourishing my skin. Its a different consistency to what I usually moisturise with because it was quite waxy compared to the other lotions I've used. Having said that, it didn't leave my skin feeling greasy and I did feel rather smooth. The smell was quite sweet but it didn't bother me too much. With regards to whether I'd repurchase or not, I'd say maybe not, purely because I'm much more of a body butter girl and prefer thicker consistencies. Overall though, it's not a bad product!

+ glides nicely

+ feels smooth

+ doesn't look greasy

- bit waxy

- not as good as my current product

Burt's Bees' Coconut Foot Cream 20g

I'm not usually one for coconutty scents but I quite like this. I wouldn't really call it a 'cream', I'd say it's more of a gel but it glides on easily and really refreshed my foot because of the peppermint oil. Once the product had soaked in, my feet felt nice and soft without feeling too oily. I don't actually own any footcare products at the moment so I think I'll get a good amount of use out of this. I think I'd give this a re-purchase! The only thing I was a bit unsure of, at first, was the consistency when I was rubbing the product in but once it was on it felt lovely and the greasiness disappeared. Overall, I quite liked this product. 

+ smooth feet

+ nice consistency

+ refreshing
- feels a bit strange at first

Burt's Bees' Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream 20g
For some reason, this smells like a cross between Swizzels Matlow Fizzer sweets and Refresher's. To be honest, anything that smells like sweets is a winner, in my books! This cleanser lathered really nicely and smelt really nice and fresh on my skin. I used it with cotton pads and it managed to remove quite a lot of make-up; there was only a little bit of mascara left when I did the follow up sweep with a make-up wipe. My skin felt smooth after use but I had to slather on tons of moisturiser because, once dried, it picked up on my drier patches but that is usually the issue with my skin anyway. The only other little problem is that I quite like the way my Liz Earle cleanser leaves my skin feeling really refreshed and zingy and this didn't really do it for me. Overall, this is a nice product and I know I'll be getting through the whole tube! Would I buy it again? Probably, yes. 


+ smells of sweets
+ removes make-up well
+ feels fresh on the skin
+ lathers well
- once dried, it emphasised my dry patches
- hasn't got any ingredients that leave you feeling 100% refreshed


Overall, there's some nice products in this essentials kit which could make a good gift for a friend. Whilst I wasn't swayed by some of the products, it hasn't put me off the company as a whole and I'm sure I'll be buying other Burt's Bees' products at some point. Thank you to Zalando for the opportunity, you can visit their website HERE. Meanwhile, my other uni friend (yes, I have two) has created a beauty blog, go and show her some love for me HERE. I'm off to have a movie night avec my face mask and an extensive amount of chocolate! Have a nice evening! ♥

My Recent Puchases: Primark, LUSH, Paperchase & Zalando.

LUSH Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask, £5.75; LUSH Dream Cream Tester, (free!); Korres Lip Butter in 'Quince' via ASOS, £5.40 (with student discount); Burts Bees Essential Kit (review to come!), c/o Zalando; Primark Blusher Brush and Foundation/Concealer Brush, £1.50 each; Primark Lingerie, £3.00 each; Primark Floral Bra, £7.00; Primark Blue Lace Bra, £7.00; New Look friendship bracelets, £5.99; New Look parrot bracelets, free (with BOGOF offer); Primark Floral Wire Headband, £1.50; Primark Oversized Peachy Scarf, £4.00; Paperchase Large Prairie Rose Box, £4.72. 

Hello, ladies and gents! I'm finally back from essay hell and I cannot be happier for it. As soon as I'd handed them in, I headed into town and threw my piece of plastic at unsuspecting shop assistants. As you can tell from these items, I live on a rather limited budget but, sometimes, it's nice to spoil yourself a little - regardless of whether or not they're little things! As ever, I picked up a couple of bits from LUSH. I explained to the lady in the store that I was hoping for a pamper night so she kindly threw in a sample of Dream Cream because I sang its praises as I wandered around with her. The Korres lip butter is a staple in my handbag because I'm still fighting off the last of the wintery dry skin. A review of the Burts Bees kit will be up as soon as I've had the time to test drive the products a little more so keep your eyes peeled!


My Paperchase box is now housing all of my skincare/bodycare products and is also looking rather aesthetically pleasing on my Ikea bookcase. New Look are having a BOGOF offer on jewellery at the moment so I thought I'd take advantage and stock up on a couple of bracelets that'd bring my arm candy up to date with S/S. I'm pretty smitten with them already. I'm also rather taken with my cheap wire headband from Primark; It's going to take pride of place around my topknot this spring - I can sense it!


For some reason, I couldn't find any clothes I liked the look of in the couple of shops that I ventured in to - they're either not me or not suitable for my weird ass shape :/ Someone, help! I wouldn't normally share the contents of my underwear drawer with the viewing public but I thought these bras/undies were too pretty not to show. Primark is your best bet if, like me, you can't afford to spend too much money on housing your ladies but want styles that are still rather pretty. There were plenty of other styles that I would have loved to have picked up if they didn't come with a matching thong; I may be in the minority but I just don't get thongs. There's 'look at my bouncing buttocks' and then there's dental-floss-between-my-cheeks pain....


Anyway, enough of the over-share of info! If you'd like to see a more in depth review of any of the items featured then please request them in the comments! If you've got any requests for future posts, please feel free to leave them in the comments, also. I hope you all have a lovely rest of your lazy Sundays. I'm off to clean my bomb site of a flat, cook some dinner and attempt to do some uni work. Oh, snore! ♥