Focus / The Sunday Pamper

Cleanse / The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, Clarisonic Mia 2

Exfoliate / The Sanctuary Radiance Exfoliator

Mask / Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask, Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask 

Hair / Kerastase Masque Force Architecte

I love to have a good pamper and whilst I will squeeze in a mask (or two) mid week I tend to focus all my pampering attention on a Sunday evening. 

To start I will do a proper cleanse with the Camomile Cleansing Butter, this cleanser feels so luxurious and my skin feels totally loved after using it. 

I then like to follow with a good exfoliation using The Sanctuary Radiance Exfoliator with my Clarisonic Mia. I only use my Mia a couple of times a week before I use a treatment on my face when I want a really deep cleanse. This exfoliator is great, it is nice and gentle but leaves my skin glowing. 

After a good cleanse and scrub I like to use cleansing and moisturising masks. My mask of choice for a long pamper is The Origins Clear Improvement Mask it clears out my skin and is not uncomfortable to sit with for half an hour. I then follow it with either the Antipodes Manuka Honey mask which is so lovely, It makes my skin feel super moisturised and helps to calm and blemishes I have, or when my skin is feeling really dehydrated I use the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight mask which is a dry skinned gals best friend. I wake up in the morning feeling like a new person with hydrated plump skin. It is always my go to after a heavy weekend. 

Lastly I slap a bit of Kerastase Masque Force Architecte on my hair. I have coloured hair and it is bleached at the end so I have to take good care of it to keep it in good condition. This mask is great it leaves my hair feeling super moisturised without a frizzy split end in sight!

So thats my Sunday Pamper routine, and a pretty lovely one it is that. I always finish the night off with a slap of body oil and a fresh coat of paint on my nails so I am feeling tip top for the week ahead. 

What is your pamper routine?

May Favourites

So here it is, my first monthly favourites post and I must say it was so hard to choose, but these are some of my stand out products that I have either discovered or been using a lot of this month.

Superfacialist by Una Brennan Rose Brighten and Refine Facial Scrub

I have really been loving this brand since discovering it a couple of months ago. I also use the cleanser from this range and it is brilliant (you can read about it as part of my morning routine here). This scrub is pretty abrasive so I only use it once a week but it is such a nice exfoliation. The scent is really nice, not too overpowering as some rose scented products can be, and it leaves my skin feeling fresh and smooth as a babies bum.

Antipodes Hosanna Intensive Hydrating Serum

This product is my new holy grail. It is one of my first products from Antipodes and I am super impressed with the brand. I have been using this serum at night before (or sometimes instead of) my moisturiser. It is great skin in a bottle, I wake up to the softest skin and it really helps with create plump healthy looking skin. This is definitely going to be a part of my skin routine FOREVER.

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover

This is a product that I have read about on many blogs but never really thought it was something I needed. However I picked it up during Superdrugs 3 for 2 and I love it. It makes the whole removing polish malarky so quick, fuss free and tidy! It is honestly a miracle in a bottle and I can't see myself ever being without it again.

Phyto 7 Hydrating Day Cream

I got this little beaut in my Selfridges Beauty Box (see here) and it is such a great product! I have bleach on my ends and usually just use an oil on them as I have always tended to shy away from using creams as sometimes they feel a bit heavy but not this one! It is so light and makes my ends look so healthy and shiny when I run a tiny blob through them after styling.

Models Own Polish for Tans in Shades

This is the colour that has been gracing my hands the most over the last month. I got it before I went on holiday and wore it on my toes and hands most of the time I was away and when I got back. As you can tell from the name this polish is great with a tan and just seems to make my hands look so much nicer! It is a great wearable neon coral/pink and definitely adds a bit of jazz to my talons.

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle

I got this powder only a week ago and it is already in my favourites, that is how much I love it! I managed to pick it up from House of Fraser in Guildford who had just got a delivery in of the new packaging and I was so excited to get it after it being sold out everywhere for so long!! I toyed with getting it a while ago but went for Lightscapade instead as I thought it was more me but I immediately regretted not getting this (as well!) It is such a lovely highlighting shade with the coral blushes that I tend to lean towards in the warmer months. And it looks great with the tiny bit of colour I have on my face post holiday. The only thing I will say is I really don't like the new packaging :( Mac what have you done!!!!

Bare Minerals Ready Eyeshadow Palette in Truth

One of my friends got me this palette a couple of months ago and it has been one I have been reaching for a lot recently to create a day to day neutral eye. I love all the shades in the palette and the formula is super creamy and stays put for the whole day.

Nars Blush in Deep Throat

I mentioned this blush the other day in my Selfridges Beauty Box which I received it in. The colour and formula are perfect. It is absolute perfection. Plus it is in a diddy little compact which I love. I would honestly buy this size over full size purely because it is so adorable.

So there are my favourites for May. I hope you enjoyed reading :)

What have been your favourite products this month?

Current Loves

1 / Yves Saint Laurent Rogue Volupte Shine in Shade 8 Pink In Confidence

I am not really a lip product lover, I usually just wear lip balm or a tiny bit of a balmy gloss on my lips but this YSL lipstick has converted me. I love it so much, I am actually obsessed. Its such a great colour the perfect my lips but better shade, has such a lovely shine that isn't too glossy and it smells great. Great news for my lips but bad news for my purse as I already have my eye on two other shades....

2 / Lush Tea Tree Water

This is such a great affordable product. I tend to use it in the morning to freshen up my skin especially if I have a couple of blemishes. It makes my skin feel refreshed and clean. It is also great for a refreshing spritz during a hot day.

3 / Nars Sheer Glow in Shade Deauville

I cannot honestly believe that I have gone so long without this foundation in my life. It is the one. I have found it after all these years of searching. The perfect buildable coverage with the right amount of glow. This is good skin in a bottle and my soulmate.

4 / Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia Cologne

I got this fragrance for Christmas from my mum, I chose it when we were shopping in Selfridges because I wanted a more 'grown up' fresh floral fragrance and this is just that. The perfect spring/summer scent (although I wear it all year round) it is the one from my collection that I reach for on date night and always get comments about.

5 / Le Blanc De Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base

I picked this little beauty up from Duty Free a couple of weeks ago and it is love. It goes beautifully with Nars sheer glow and basically makes me look like I have the skin of a godly creature. (Well not quite but you get where I am going...I LOVE IT)

What products are in your current top five?

Selfridges Beauty Project Beauty Box

I was super excited to receive the Selfridges Beauty Project Beauty Box at the end of last week. I think it is such a great idea and the products are amazing!

The following products were included in the box

• An exclusive Selfridges Limited Edition Make Up Bag
• Nars Mini Deep Throat Blusher
• Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
• Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser
• Percy and Reed Dry Shampoo
• Lancaster Silky Milk Tanning Lotion
• Tangle Teezer
• Eyeko Mini Black Magic Mascara
• Paul and Joe Blotting Paper
• Limited Edition Carmex
• Phyto 7 Hair Cream
• EOS Berry Hand cream
• Ole Henricksen Truth To Go Wipes

It is a pretty spectacular selection of products I think you will agree. I have already tried out a couple of things and the products I am already in love with include the Phyto 7 Hair Cream which makes my hair feel amazing, the EOS Hand Cream which smells like Strawberry Chewits and of course the mini Nars blusher which is so tiny and cute it kills me.

Did you get one of these boxes? Do you love it all as much as me?

The Spring Face Edit

In honor of a sunny week and hopefully a sunny bank holiday here are my favourite product picks for a spring face. Warning this is going to be LONG.

Base // Manuka Doctor Apirefine Flawless, Revlon Photoready Skinlights in Bare Light, Bourjois Happy Light Foundation in Porcelain, Estée Lauder Double Wear Light in Intensity One, and Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzer in Nude.

Manuka Doctore Apirefine Flawless - This is a great base. It is a very light cream with a slight tint which evens the skin tone out. It is made with Manuka Honey (shock) and Bee venom and does have a slightly weird sweet smell when you put it on but it fades almost instantly. Oh and apparently I Millie Macintosh uses it (enough said.)

Revlon Skinlights -  Such a great multi-tasking product. I either use it mixed into my foundation or as a light layer between my primer and foundation to add some extra oomph.

Bourjois Happy Light Foundation - I am usually a full coverage girl but thanks to some TLC my skin has cleared up a little bit and I felt confident enough to go for this medium coverage foundation. The colour isn't perfect on me but hopefully with a little bit of sun it will be. It doesn't dry my skin out and has pretty good staying power with a light natural slightly dewy finish.

Estée Lauder Double Wear Light - Double wear is my all time favourite foundation, it really suits my skin and gives me the build-able coverage that I need on not so great skin days. The colour is perfect for my pale post winter skin and I just LOVE it, I have no doubt I will be repurchasing this for the rest of my days.

Guerlain Terracotta 4 seasons Bronzer - I bought this during a Selfridges make up splurge last summer and although the price tag is super high it is so worth it in my eyes. Thanks to my pale skin I find it difficult to find bronzers that look natural on me but this does it all, I can use it all year round by using different blends of the four shades and it is just BEAUTIFUL. I just hope it never runs out because I will have to get drunk before spending the money on it again.

Cheeks // Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Fearless, Topshop Blush in Do It Again, NYX Powder Blush in Angel, Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade and MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter

Tarte Blush in Fearless - This is a total tease as I have linked the US site BUT fear not this is one of the shades available through QVC they just don't have it on there at the moment...my guess is everyone went Tarte crazy (myself included) and they have sold out for now. Anyway I LOVE THIS BLUSHER. I can totally see why everyone raves about them, they are so beautiful. The pigmentation is lovely and build-able and the texture...just wow. On top of that the packaging is just beaut as well. Fearless is such a great spring/summer colour a pinky coral (my fave!) which you can just add a little of for a slight flush or build up for a more powerful look. Needless to say this is one of my favourite products ever and I have asked my friend who is in the States to get me two more.....

Topshop Blush in Do It Again - A beautiful peachy coral this blush is perfect for summery days it has a slight shimmer in it which is so so pretty, definitely a go to for garden BBQ season and great quality for the price too.

NYX Blush in Angel - This is my go to blush for my barely there make up days when I just want a touch of natural colour in my cheeks. It is such a pretty warm pink that would suit everyone.

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade - I wear a really light dusting of this all over my face after my bronzer and blush just to add some illuminating particles to my face, it makes my skin look super healthy and glowy without the disco ball look that we all want to acvoid.

MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter - Since I picked this up a few months ago I cannot get enough of it. For three pounds this highlighter is incredible, I wear it on the top of my cheek bones, down my nose and cupids bow and it stays put all day long. Such a great budget product. My only whinge about it is I wish they would bring out different tones, this is a very cool pink which is nice but I would love a peachy tone too :)

Eyes and Lips // Bourjois Color Edition 24H Cream Eyeshadow in Oh Desir, L'oréal Color Riche Le Khol in Pure Espresso, Clarins Instant Light Perfector in Apricot Shimmer, Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain in Honey Douce, Topshop Lipstick in Macaroon, and Topshop Lipstick in Innocent

Bourjois Cream Eyeshadow in Oh Desir - This is my first ever cream shadow (whaaaaaa?!) and I love it! It is such a great neutral colour and perfect for the days when I don't have the time/can't be bothered to faff about with eyeshadows. I just use my fingers to pop a bit on a VOILA its done.

L'oréal Color Riche Le Khol in Pure Espresso - Up until recently I have been a die hard black liquid liner fan but I have been trying a more muted soft look recently and this eyeliner is doing me well. It is smudgey enough to blend when you put it on but not too smudgey that you look like a panda an hour later. Plus Pure Epresso and Oh Desir go together like strawberries and cream....perfectly.

Clarins Instant Light Perfector in Apricot Shimmer - I am a balm girl more than a lipgloss girl (I find them too sticky) and this product is perfect the comfort of a balm but the kissable look of a gloss.

Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain in Honey Douce - This is my 'my lips but better' shade, its so moisturising and the perfect nudey pink for me. Plus it smells minty. Score.

Topshop Lipstick in Macaroon - This was such a whim buy for me, by the time I got it home I was convinced I would never wear it but lo and behold a few days later I had it on to go to a BBQ and I really loved it, I paired it with a balm so it had more of a stain look instead of a velvet lipstick but it was great - definitely a great spring evening shade.

Topshop Lipstick in Innocent - This is another 'my lips but better' shade for me (infact the colour is super similar to honey douce from revlon) a super easy shade to slap on to make my lips that little bit more kissable.... :)

So, there you have it my top picks for the next few months super easy shades to wear in the warm days and balmy evenings. Lets just hope this weather is here to stay!

What do you think of my Spring Picks? Do you see anything you have on my list?

PS/ Apologies my photos are a bit weird there was some weird lighting going on when I was taking them....

Boots Haul

A couple of days ago I made a quick stop by my big local(ish) Boots. There seems to be absolutely no correlation between the amount of time I have to spend in there and how much I buy. Yesterday was a prime example of a 'I have five minutes I'll just pop in for one thing' and coming out with six new products. Oops. A third off of skincare is just too big of a temptation.

A couple of the products I got were things I have seen online and been wanting to try out (I have a LONG wish list on my phone) and then a couple were just…you know….things that look nice.

First up, The Sanctuary 5 minute Thermal Mask.
I LOVE this mask, I bought it for my sister for christmas and used it when I was at my parents in January. Its such a nice feeling when it warms up and my skin looked vibrant and clearer after. A five minute mask is a must have for those times when you just need a quick fix. With a third off it was just too good of an offer to not pick one up to add to my own pamper routine.

Secondly, the first of two exfoliators. The Sanctuary Radiance Exfoliator.The Thermal Mask mentioned above is actually the only product I have used from The Sanctuary before and after just one use I was sold so as I was in the market for a new exfoliator (as part of my never ending search for the perfect one) I picked up this one to try. I am also totally sold on any product with the word Radiance in it (I am so desperate to be Radiant).

And then onto another exfoliator. The Superfacialist Rose Brighten & Refine Facial Scrub.
Superfacialist is not a brand that I have used before but I have read good reviews of their products, I was particularly drawn towards the Vitamin C range but it smells of oranges and I have a citric acid allergy and I always worry about putting products like this on my skin. So I went for the Rose facial scrub, again sucked in by the 'Brighten & Refine' label. I love rose skin care, I use rose water as a toner on my face daily and find it so soothing so I have high expectations for this scrub.

Next I thought it was about time to dabble in the oil cleansing world so I grabbed the L'Oréal Paris Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil.I haven't tried cleansing oil before and although I have my eye on the Origins one but thought to start I would go for the L'oreal one which I have read great things about. I have really congested skin and lots of stubborn blackheads on my nose and I am hoping that using an oil with give me a deeper cleanse. Fingers crossed!

After all the love I was planning on giving my face it seemed unfair to leave my hair out of the love in so I grabbed the Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray.
I have read about this on various blogs and thought it was about time I gave it a try. My hair is pretty flat at times so hopefully this will give it a boost on those flat hair days.

Annnnnnd last but not least I grabbed the Collection work the colour nude eyeshadow.I have seen this budget palette on a few different blogs and for less than four pounds I just had to throw it in my basket. I am not keen on the packaging but for the price you really cant ask for much. I have read that the formulas are good so I cant wait to try these out!

So thats the ins and outs of my boots haul. I am looking forward to trying all these new products, and will hopefully be back with rave reviews soon!

What do you think of my purchases? Have you tried any of these things?