Blogger Christmas Swap

This Christmas i took part in a beauty swap which was hosted by Clare from The Love of All Things Beauty and I'm really glad that I took part in it. I was paired with Natalie from Your Almost Alice and after a few emails back and forth we set a budget of £20 and gave each other a list of likes and dislikes and I have to say Natalie put together one amazing package, I was totally chuffed and this is what was inside - Santa said I could open it!

So In this box I have myself a really lovely litter pamper session waiting to happen! Lush Butterbear and I am so chuffed that I have finally got my hands on some Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish which I cannot wait to start using and it will also be my first time using Balmi lip balm too!  Plus the Collection Lip Butter shade is totally amazing and I cannot wait to use that as well! 

Thank you Natalie for my amazing box, it was so much fun to put yours together and I absolutely love mine! 

What do you think to my Christmas Swap?

My Lipstick Collection

So I asked on Twitter if anyone wanted to see a post on my lipstick collection and I got a resounding YES to do it, so this is that post.  Before I entered into the world of blogging, I owned no lipsticks, it wasn’t anything I was bothered about because I had a lip balm addition instead.  Overtime I have read lord knows how many posts on lipsticks and have found myself hankering after one or two, okay lots of them and have purchased one or two myself, so here is my collection.

So far you can see from my photo, there are 8 lipsticks of which two are the same, it does happen to be my favourite lipstick and it was a bargain, but anyway, this is what they are

Miners Cosmetics - Dreamer. I got this as part of my February Glossbox 2013 and it is quite a dusky pink colour, not a shade I like that much, but with a bit of gloss it looks okay.  

Cargo Cosmetics - Bermuda.  I got this lipstick from the Debenhams Beauty Event I went too and it is described as being a nude pink, but I think it is more of a warm pink and it is really pigmented, not that you can see from the photo above.  

Oriflame 3D Lipstick - I got this from a blogger meetup last year and it is reviewed HERE on my blog.  Again, it is described as being a nude peach but with the way it is designed it is said to create an optical illusion effect giving you fuller lips. In one single swatch you can create the effect due to the contour, volume and colour.

Vivo Pink Sweetie - I never ever wear this shade because I find it too pink.  It does however glide onto your lips effortlessly and is quite moisturising, just a shame about the colour.

Rimmel Kate Moss No.8 - I picked this up a few weeks ago quite by accident and I love it.  Said to last for up to 8 hours and formulated with black diamonds.  Now it doesn't last for 8 hours, it lasts for 2-3 if you are lucky but I really like the shade and I would describe it as being a dusky pink.

Rimmel Moisture Renew - Latino 200. Now this little beauty has an SPF20 and vitamin A, C and E as well anti-oxidants to protect the lips. It also contains three Super Moisturisers - Collagen, Polypeptides and Hyaluronic Acid which help to keep your lips soft and smooth. Colourwise it is descirbed as being Mid Rose Pink and it looks fantastic on my lips.  I am a huge fan.

Oriflame Hollywood Red - Part of the Demi Moore range for Oriflame, I reviewed this product HERE and whilst it would not be my colour of choice, it is a super lipstick and is really pigmented.

Dior - Rouge Dior 649 - My favourite of all the lipsticks I have and it has been reviewed HERE. I first came across this lipstick at the Debenhams beauty event when I had a mini make-over at the Dior stand and this was the colour chosen for my lips and I loved it.  Then I happened to be in my local pharcmacy and found this lipstick on offer and decided I needed to have it, it was fate and bought two.  The colour is Mythical Pink and it is so lovely, lasts for hours, much longer than any of the others mentioned in this post and is one I would repurchase time and time again.

The one lipstick missing from the photo is my Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in 005 which is called sugar Frosting which you can see reviewed HERE and this is one product that stays in my desk drawer at work as an emergency.  This lipstick gives a very subtle nudey pink colour to your lips and is described as being a 'sheen lipstick', which it most certainly is.

In the next week or so there will be a review on my lip crayon collection which is growing quite rapidly.

So there you have my collection.  Do you think I am missing a brand, should try a certain lipstick or have any recommendations for me?

Skincare bargains

Don't you just love it when you come across a real gem of a website and more so one that saves you a bit of money in the process?  Well let me introduce you to Mistrys Pharmacy who have got a rather good skincare sale on currently and there are bargains to be had.

Mistrys is the online version of Mistrys Pharmacy, which is a large High Street Pharmacy based in Market Harborough in Leicestershire. Started in 1977 by Shantilal Mistry and his wife, Jasumati Mistry they allow you to order products online and delivered to your home.

I came across this site when searching Google for the name of a product I really wanted to try and as ever looking for a good price rather than paying out for the first website which came up. Mistrys stocks all kinds products within the beauty, skincare, bath and body sections of their website and many of brands you will have heard of such as Aveeno, Burts Bees, Avene, Eucerin, Weleda, Lancome and a few more besides.  Here are some of those bargains:

Weleda Skin Food is a product I have seen talked about a lot on the blogs and it is a brand I havent really tried out.  On Mistrys you can buy this 75ml version for just £9.15.

Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisture is one of my favourite products from the range and it usually retails for around £4.70 but on Mistrys it is just £2.69

Upper Canada Lip butter is another product I have seen mentioned and compared to Korres and it has me intrigued.  I haven't been able to find in any of my usual shopping haunts, but it is online and usually for around £5 for a 10ml pot but here it is half the price at £2.50

Burts Bees Pore Refining Scrub with Willow Bark is the product I switched to using after I got bored of St Ives Apricot Scrub and I remember thinking how pricey it was at £10 a tube, here you can save a few pounds and pay just £8.69.

Nivea Visage Refreshing Facial Cleansing Wipes usually cost around £5 for a pack of 20 which is quite expensive I think, but at £1.99 I am rather tempted to buy some because they do come in handy at times of need.

The final product that caught my attention was the Evian Facial Spray.  I am a bit of a facial spray convert and have been using one from La Roche-Posay but this costs just £3.49 for a trial sized 50ml and elsewhere I have seen it priced as high as £7.

I hope you agree there are some real bargains to be had and it definitely makes me think twice about just ordering from the first website I come across. 

Do look scour websites before you buy?

My favourite products of 2013 - Part one!

It has taken me quite a long time to do this post, sorting products out into groups and categories hasn't been easy, but I have done it and these are my products of 2013, though they have been split into categories to make the posts a little shorter.

Lip care

Lips are an important part of my beauty regime and I am always trying to ensure they are in good condition and don't look dry, flaking and chapped because for me there is nothing worse.  Your lips are such an important feature and you do so much with them whether it is eating food, having a drink, kissing someone or even talking, your lips are one of your main features and should be as cared for as every other part of your body.

I have a bit of an obsession with lip products as you can see HERE and I am never without a lip balm, lip cream or lip something and these are my all time favourite lip products.  Starting with:

Dr Lipp - I got this product in a Glossybox and wrote a post about it which you can read HERE.  Quite a few people have compared it to the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream and I disagree, I cannot stand the 8 hour cream at all.  Dr Lipp is brilliant and I use when my lips are really dry and put it on before I go to bed and I wear it during the daytime especially if the weather is really cold.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub - One of the first items I wrote about on my blog which you can see HERE, this product is an absolute lifesaver and the best lip scrub I have ever used.  For those of you who are fans of Snow Fairy (like me) this scrub smells exactly like the shower gel.  So what is the point of it?  Well like any piece of skin on your body, it gets old and tired, dries out a bit and falls off, so Bubblegum is an exfoliator for your lips which, with a gentle massaging action, helps to remove that dead skin leaving your lips feeling soft and smooth.

Bach Rescue Balm - This is another one of my go to lip products when they are particularly when my lips look like they are dry and chapped and this is another product I usually slather my lips in over night and it works wonders.  It smells of lemons and is both Paraben and lanolin free and can also be used on your temples for relaxation purposes - something I am yet to try.

Korres Lip Butter - I am a huge fan of the Korres range, whether it is a shower gel, a lip balm or a lip butter, I love them and this particular lip butter, Guava is my favourite from the range and I posted about it HERE.  As a lip butter it is really lovely to apply and it smells divine, really moisturising and long lasting once on your lips.

So there you have it.  My first favourites of 2013 post and there are 4 more to come in my little series of posts - Hair and Body, Make-up and Perfume are to follow.

Do you have a favourite lip product? 

Would or do any of my favourites feature in your favourites?

Korres Guava Lip Butter

I finally have my hands on a Korres lip Butter.  I have seen a lot of bloggers blog about them and I really wanted to try them.  So today whilst in Waitrose getting some Strawberries (random I know but they were on offer), I remembered we needed some hand wash at work, so off I went down to the toiletries section when I came across as the Korres Lip Butters and they were on offer at £4.66 each instead of £7 – BARGAIN!!  So I stood there for about 20 minutes debating whether to buy Guava, Quince or Wild Rose and ended up with Guava.

I really like the packaging of this lip butter, it is like a maze of boxes that you have to work your way through until you come to your little pot.  The pot itself is a 6g tub and has a cream coloured lid which is similar to the lip butter you find inside the tub.  Korres say the following about this product:

“This buttery Korres Guava Lip Butter melts into your dry chapped lips & leaves a natural colour and scent, perfect to wear alone or underneath your favourite lip gloss for extra moisture.

The shea butter and rice wax in Korres Guava Lip Butter provides your lips with deep, long-lasting moisture and protects from the elements, leaving you with perfectly soft and conditioned lips that are good enough to kiss!

Guava is a natural vanilla shade that leaves your lips shiny and delicious.”

Well as soon as you put it onto your lips it absorbs itself with no problem and instead of clinging to your lips like Vaseline does, instead it does leave behind a shiny glint to your lips, totally naturally and it looks really nice, the texture is slightly thicker than your usual lip balm might be, but for me this just adds to how much it moisturises.  My lips feel lovely and soft when I put this on and hopefully in a week or two, with the help of Lush Bubblegum, my lips will be back to their usual kissable selves, the joys of having a cough and cold and the havoc and it plays on your skin.

The thing I like most about this lip butter is the fruity smell, really lovely and if you have tried the shower gel in the same flavour, it is just as wonderful.

Korres Lip Butters are widely available at places like Waitrose and online through Feel Unique, Look Fantastic and independent pharmacies.

Have you Tried a Korres Lip Butter? Do you have a favourite flavour?