Everyday makeup

A couple of new products have snuck their way into my makeup bag recently, so I thought I would share the things I've been reaching for lately. As I've mentioned about a thousand times; I adore my Mac Studio Fix Fluid Foundation. Perfect coverage, especially lately as I've had a terrible breakout of giant, red, angry, under-the-skin spots so I have needed something to make my skin look flawless! I am almost out of my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and have got it on my birthday list so I ordered the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer to tide me over until I get a new one, I usually have lots of backups of it! I definitely prefer the Nars Concealer as I just cannot fault it at all. The Mac one is okay..not amazing but it does the job. I'm still using my never-ending Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder which I have had for ages now, it's a really lovely non-cakey powder that makes you skin look pore less and flawless. To contour I've been loving the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder, this is perfect as it isn't too red on the skin but more grey so it is more natural on the skin.

On my brows, I still use my Anastasia Brow Wiz and Benefit Gimme Brow, I recently repurchased the Benefit Gimme Brow, I love how tiny the brush is so it is very easy to use and doesn't get any product anywhere you don't need it. I recently purchased two Mac Paint Pots, Indianwood and Groundwork. The Mac Paint Pots are not as creamy as other ones I've tried but they dry very quickly and stay in place all day, both these shades are neutral, everyday, wearable ones; I especially love Indianwood! On my eyes, I bought the Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes Contour Kit, this is a great neutral eye palette, perfect for travelling as it's small and compact. I then finish with the Soap and Glory Supercat Liner and Maybelline The Rocket Mascara!

Night time routine

Sleep is incredibly important for many reasons, it means you don't kill anyone who asks why you look so tired (although tempting..) and also works wonders for your skin. I thought I would share a few things I do in order to get a good night sleep and wake up refreshed. Firstly, pillow sprays; these are wonderful products! I love the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray* and The Body Shop Dreamy Body Mist. I spray the This Works one on my pillow about 10 minutes before I go to bed and I spray the Body Shop one around my room and on my pajamas, these contain great ingredients like Camomile and Lavender which help you drift off and relax. Candles are also a great way to calm and destress, this one from BeeFayre is brilliant as it has lots of essential oils like lavender and ylang ylang so like the pillow sprays, will help you have a good nights sleep. Another favourite candle of mine is the L'occitane Arlésienne candle. Keeping your skin in good condition also means you need to take care of it, using a night cream protects your skin and makes sure it isn't dry or dehydrated, I am loving the Six Rever Redensifying Night Cream*, it is really rich and moisturising but doesn't feel greasy on the skin, it sinks in really quickly and makes skin feel so soft; it's also super affordable! Another way to calm down is to listen to music, I just type in "yoga" on Spotify and it comes up with lots of different songs which are very relaxing (the other day I fell asleep on my floor listening to this during yoga..) Sleep definitely affects my skin, especially as I am prone to acne and bad breakouts. I also find that when I am tired, I tend to eat bad food which has a negative effect on skin so getting at least eight hours a night is crucial!

You can read lots of information about stress and sleep here and find out other tips for relaxing and de-stressing! Do you have any tips for sleeping well and looking after your skin?

Products I've Backed Up

There's a few products that have become staples in my makeup collection; so I make sure I always have backups ready to use. My favourite foundation is the Mac Studio Fix Fluid, this is medium to full coverage which is perfect for me as I prefer more coverage to even my skin tone, cover redness and just generally make my skin look a lot better than it actually is! I use the shade NC15, I think Mac are a great brand to try if you struggle with others brand's shade ranges as they cater for cool, warm and neutral skin tones as well as very dark and very pale shades. The Mineralize Skin Finish Natural, also from Mac is something I have used so many times. This is a very light power but is still long lasting and doesn't make skin look cakey or overly powdery. My all time favourite concealer is the Nars Creamy Concealer, it is also a biaaatch to get hold of in my shade; it is constantly out of stock! This means I often buy a few, so that I always have one to use! The problem I usually have with concealer is that they accentuate dry patches on my skin, especially on blemishes and redness. This is a concealer with great coverage however it doesn't dry out or feel overly heavy on the skin! Whenever I order from Cult Beauty, I always add an Anastasia Brow Wiz to my basket! I can't see myself using any other brow product, the product is very fine so it looks very natural. I would recommend any of the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow products as they are all amazing!

Wednesday Wishlist

Ted Baker Cristabel Bead Necklace 

I've had my eye on this necklace for a while, it comes in three different colours but I really like the black version. I've been looking for a statement necklace for ages and love this one!

Charlotte Tilbury 'Bitch Perfect' Lipstick and 'Pillow Talk' Liner
I have heard so much about this lip combination, I pretty much only wear nude/pink lip colours at the moment as they are less fussy then brighter ones and this combo looks very subtle but pretty.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette 
Slightly tacky packaging aside, I think this looks like a very versatile palette, while it has lots of neutrals there are a couple of pops of colour too and from reviews I have read, the shadows look very pigmented.

Viktor and Rolf Flower Bomb Perfume 
I've wanted this perfume for ages, every time I see it in a store I spray it on myself and weep and the price tag. So pricey but so so lovely.

Hobbs Alderley Bag 

I work opposite a Hobbs store and they had this bag in the window, I think I stared at it for about half an hour. I have wanted a pastel yellow bag for ages and I really love the shape and design of this one! I am very very close to purchasing it.

March Birchbox

Birchbox £12.95*

Phillip Kinglsey Smooth Cream £18

TanOrganic Self Tanning Oil £24.99

Janjira Pomegranate and Acai Facial Scrub Cleanser £29

Benefit Roller Lash £19.50

Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris Perfume £50

Chapter of A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi £5.34

Habitati for Birchbox Notepad

This month's Birchbox is in partnership with Habitat, hence the lovely box! There is also a chance for you to pick which Benefit mascara you would like to try! You can choose between the new Roller Lash (my personal favourite!) which is great for fluttery, feminine lashes! The Bad Gal lash which is perfect for creating dramatic, volumised lashes and the They're Real mascara which makes lashes look ultra defined and give them lots of length! I love the new Roller Lash, if you are undecided you can have a look here to see my thoughts and which one other bloggers love! I think there is a good mix of different things this month which is nice, as mentioned, I love the mascara and was so glad to have it in my box as I had used up my previous sample of it! The Catherine Malandrino perfume is lovely! Such a sophisticated scent that lasts all day, I really love it! You also receive a little notepad (not pictured) which I think is great for taking on the go and writing down blog posts ideas as it doesn't take up too much space in my bag! 

What do you think of this months box?

Skincare Routine

I've changed a couple of things in my skincare routine lately which has really improved my skin, I'm gradually getting rid of my acne scarring! Firstly, I have got rid of makeup wipes, I've heard so many times that they dry out your skin and aren't great for it so I bought the L'oreal Micellar Water. I use this with cotton pads to break down my makeup, it works so much better than wipes as I don't need to rub or pull at my eyes or skin and it's a lot quicker than using wipes. Next I use the Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm, I had always used my Origins Mega Mushroom Cleanser but ran out and decided to try something new. This is great if you have sensitive skin as it has no perfume and is very gentle on the skin, it has a lard-like consistency which is odd to put on your face but it works so well. It retails for £22 and you get a massive tub so it will definitely last a long time! Once I've rubbed that into my skin a little bit I use my Rio Sonicleanse Pure*, I was apprehensive about trying this as I had previously used the NO7 Cleansing Brush from Boots and it completely drained my skin of all the oils and made it SO dry, it was terrible. However this brush is amazing, it doesn't dry my skin out at all, it is so gentle on the skin so it is great for sensitive skin and it makes sure the cleanser is thoroughly cleaning my skin. I just use it on my forehead, cheeks and chin for 20 seconds each, it stops by itself so you only use it for 60 seconds. It retails for only £99.99 which is great compared to the price of a Clarisonic and it is such a great item to have! It isn't out yet but will be on the market very soon!

Next I use the St Ives Scrub, this has been a staple in my skincare routine for years. It is brilliant to get rid of dead skin cells and makes my skin feel incredibly soft. I use the blemish fighting version as it is great for keeping them at bay but there are lots of different versions for different skin types. There are two masks that I use most often, the first is the Glamglow mask, I use this mainly for blemishes and blackheads but it is also great for adding radiance to your skin, it really draws out impurities. The other mask is the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, I've spoken about this too many times as I love it. I use this at night before I go to bed and when I wake up in the morning my skin feels so hydrated and any dry patches are completely gone!

Magnolia Restrepo Ring From Jewel Street

Magnolia Restrepo Solitaire Ring £95*

I absolutely love jewellery, I'm obsessed with it; rings in particular are something I wear pretty much everyday. I was asked by JewelStreet if I wanted to pick something from their website so immediately I headed straight towards the rings! I spotted this beauty from Magnolia Restrepo and fell in love immediately, I love simple rings like this but it would also be perfect to stack with others. Magnolia Restrepo is based in Leeds and is run by a lady called Magnolia who makes the jewellery by hand, meaning each piece is unique, so no ring will be exactly the same as someone else's. The ring is made of sterling silver and my ring holds a cubic zirconia stone, although it also comes in Blue Topaz, Pink Tourmaline and Peridot so there's plenty of choice! I'm completely in love with this ring and have worn it every day since I received it, I love the simplicity but stunning beauty of it! It retails for £95 which I think is very reasonable considering how lovely it is! 

The JewelStreet website is like Not on the Highstreet but for jewellery! There is so much choice, simple, dainty jewellery but also statement piece to choose from. I think it's nice to have lots of different jewellery boutiques in one place, you are able to discover new and exciting brands! I am completely in love with the whole of the Magnolia Restrepo jewellery line and am so glad to have discovered it!

You can find the ring and explore the website, here!