January favourites 2014

Hi Beauts.

Time for my very first favourites for 2014! How weird is that? Let's just hope this year doesn't go quite so fast, I have lots of fun planned and I don't want it to fly by!

Most of these products are new to me, but are things I've been using and loving literally the whole month.

Skincare:

* Nspa hot cloth cleanser - I use this as my second cleanse and just find that it leaves my skin feeling so soft, looking fresh and the biggy it doesn't break me out

* Lush Grease Lightning - This is, in my opinion, the best spot treatment on the market. Literally hours after applying this to a spot, the size had reduced and the redness had pretty much disappeared  

* Nspa Deep hydrating facial oil - I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to use an oil as I have oily skin, but a lot of you lovelies told me to give one a try. This has no become my nighttime 'moisturiser' and I love using it. Each morning, my skin feels SO soft and looks pretty damn flawless, I've also noticed that my scaring on my chin is starting to fade too

Make up:

NYX matte finishing spray - I've tried a couple of setting sprays before and loved using them, so knew if had to try this one too. It's fab!! It definitely keeps my make up on all day and keeps my face looking 100% matte

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer - This was a Christmas present from my sister and something that I've had my eye on forever. It's the perfect neutral champagne highlighter

Along came Betty Starlight shine highlighter in 'Glow' - Yup another highlighter! This is a cream one and it is stunning. Again it's a neutral champagne shade, and I think it gives the perfect glow

Along came Betty All concealed concealer kit in Light/Medium - I absolutely love this concealer, and now don't think I could be without it. It's full coverage, lasts all day and doesn't cake up at all. I tend to mix the light and medium shades to match my skin for any scars or blemishes I want to hide

Along came Betty Double whammy in 'Poochy' - Another product from the Along came Betty range. This is a lipstick and lipgloss duo, and the shade is right up my street. It's a pinky mauve kind of colour and looks absolutely gorgeous.

(Lots of reviews on the above products coming soon)

Which products have made it to your favourites this month? 

Stacey x

Wet and Wild H20 proof liquid liner

Hi Beauts.

I dug my hand into the goody bag of make up I bought whilst in NYC and picked out the wet and wild H20 liquid liner. 

Liquid liner is always a must for my everyday make up look and I'm always on the hunt for new ones to try, so chucked this in my basket as soon as I spied it. 

For around 9 months maybe even a year, I've been using eyeliner pens so I was pretty excited to crack this open and see how I'd get on with it. 

The first thing I checked before using it was the applicator, I can't use bendy brushes/applicators they need to be firm (that's what she said) And thankfully that is what this one is. There's a tiny amount of flexibility to it which allows an easier application, but for the most part it's pretty firm and sturdy which I feel creates a steady line. 

The applicator itself is made from a spongy felt tip type material which I prefer. The only downside to it, I feel, is that it's rather thick so I find it difficult to apply a really thin line. If you're not used to using liquid liner, I'm not sure how much you'd enjoy using this. 

Now onto actual product. I found this to be quite a thin liquid consistency, not too watery but it was thin enough that I found myself needing to reapply in certain areas so that there weren't any patches. The good thing is the staying power. As the label states it's H20 so you'd expect it to be budge and waterproof, and that it is. It stayed put all day and when it came to removing my eye make up, this was the last thing that would come off. 

So as you can see, this has good points and bad. The good being: Waterproof, long lasting and a firm applicator. The bad being: Quite watery, a thick applicator and a need to reapply to get an opaque colour. I will continue to use it, because I do like the applicator and the longevity of it. I just wish the applicator wasn't so chunky.

What's your favourite liquid liner?

Stacey x

Wish List #1

Hi Beauts.

There are a billion and one products that I want to buy, ok probably not actually a billion and one, but pretty close to that. So I decided today to share with you my little wishlist 

* Nspa oil free moisture gel

* Nspa melting cleansing gel

* Sleek Garden of Eden palette

* Soap and Glory Trick and Treat treatment
* MUA Ever after matte palette
* Soap and Glory One heck of a blot powder

* Real Techniques setting brush
* Real Techniques Miracle complexion sponge

* Real Techniques powder brush

What's on your wish list?

Stacey x

My Favourite.......eye and lip products

Hi Beauts.

I've previously written post about my favourite skincare and hair , and face products, and wanted to sure the final post with you all - My favourite eye and lip products:

Eyeshadow: Soap and Glory quad in 'What's nude' and Urban Decay naked 2 and naked basics palettes. I couldn't choose just one, whoops. I love me some nude eyeshadows, and these are the palettes that I always reach for. All three have great pigmentation and. Blend like a dream.

Pencil liner: Urban Decay 24/7 liners. I can't narrow it down to just one shade, but these are the best liners in general. They're soft to apply, last all day/night and don't smudge (unless you want them to)

Liquid liner: elf waterproof liner pen and MUA extreme felt liner. Again I couldn't narrow it down, these are both super long lasting and smudge/budge proof, not to mention extremely black.

Eyebrows: MUA eyebrow kit. This is a great product for everyone, it contains three eyebrow shades and a wax to keep your blows in place.

Lip liner: Prestige in Silk. I actuall have 4 or 5 of these bad boys floating around. This shade is a nudey pink and looks amazing on its own as well as under other lipsticks.

Lipstick: MUA Shade 2 and elf 'Classy'. Both of these lipsticks are highly pigmented, last for hours and aren't in the least bit drying.

Lipgloss: NYX mega shine lipgloss in Tea Rose. These are the best glosses I've tried. They're super pigmented, super glossy, last for ages and aren't sticky at all.

Well that's them all listed. I just thought that these little posts might be helping for those of you that also use cruelty free products, as it's quite difficult to find brands that are against animal testing.

Previous post listing brands that are against animal testing Here

Stacey x

Marks and Spencer nail polish review

Hi beauts. 

After hunting down every brand I could that doesn't test on animals, I discovered that M&S are a brand that are cruelty free. I already have a lipstick from their 'Limited' range so decided to try out their nail polish too, the two shades I picked up are Lilac GD and Aubergine. 

Let's talk product first. For £3.50 You get 8 ml of polish which I think is pretty good, nobody gets through a big bottle before it gets old do they? They're the same consistency as any other polish I've used, and the application was smooth and quick. The great thing about these is how fast they dry, literally within 40 seconds! With Lilac GD I did notice that I needed to apply 3 coats, where as with Aubergine I only needed 2, I'm not sure if this is the case with all of the lighter shades in the range. 
Now for staying power, the big test. I applied the colour on a Monday evening and by.....it showed signs of wear and chipping.

I picked these two shades because purple is one of my favourite colours, and I think that Lilac GD is a very unique colour. It's a lilac and gold monochrome shade with tiny specks of gold glitter, the glitter isn't chunky but it is a bit of a pain to remove. The aubergine shade is exactly that, a deep reddy purple that is great for these winter months.

All in all I'm pretty impressed with these nail polishes so far, and can't wait to try more shades.

Have you tried anything from the M&S make up line?

Stacey x 

My favourite.......Face products

Hi Beauts.

A couple of posts back, I shared all of my current skin and hair care products with you all. Today I wanted to do a little post on all of my current favourite face products, please bare in mind I have oily skin so these won't be loved by everyone. Using all of these products together seems to really work well, and I've been loving the staying power and finish a lot.

Foundation: Barry M flawless matte foundation. I usually go for a full coverage foundation or a buildable medium at the least, but I'd say this was a light to medium coverage. However I love using it none the less. I wouldn't say it was a matte finish, but it does keep me shine free

Concealer: Along came Betty all concealed in Light/Medium and Gosh Click 'N conceal in Light. I mix the light and medium shades together in the Along Came Betty concealer kit to hide any scars or blemishes and use the Gosh concealer as an under eye concealer. Full reviews on both coming soon, but I will say they last all day, conceal great and don't cake up or crease at all

Setting Spray: NYX matte finish. I absolutely LOVE this setting spray (Again full review to follow) I've used the Urban Decay De slick and I have to say, this is just as good in my opinion. It helps my make up last all day, and definitely keeps me matte

Blush: Along with highlights, blush is one of my favourite things, and I have so many I love. Flushed by Sleek is one that I probably love using the most. I also love MUA cream blushes too, they work surprisingly well with my skin type

Bronzer: Bourjois chocolate bronzer. I never used to bronze up on a daily basis, just on nights out, but had this sitting in my drawer feeling unloved so decided to start using it. I use it every day now, and love the nice glow it gives to my cheeks

Highlight: The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer. I'm a complete highlight junkie, I just can't get enough of them. This one from The Balm has been my favourite since the day I got it and for a cream highlight, I've been loving Along Came Betty's starlight shine highlighter in glow. It gives such a beautiful glowy sheen to my cheekbones

I'm still on the hunt for a cruelty free setting powder if anyone has any recommendations?

What are your favourite face products? 

Stacey x

Along Came Betty haul

Hi Beauts.

If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen the little stash of Along Came Betty goodies I bought. I wanted to do a little haul post and show you what I picked up, because I've been using them pretty much all week, and I LOVE them. If you have a a Tesco near you, definitly check them out.

Every item was only.....£1.50 each!! How crazy is that?!

* All concealed concealer kit in Light/Medium

* Fix me quick mattifying stick

* Starlight Shine highlighter in Glow

* Br-wow brow kit in Fair/Brown

* Wow lashes mascara in Black

* Double whammy lipstick and lipgloss duo in Poochy

Have you bought anything from the Along Came Betty range before?

Have Tumblr? Come say Hi

Stacey x

Nspa Hot cloth polish

Hi Beauts.

As face washes go, I've never been too fussed about which one I put in my basket. I did always try to reach for ones aimed at oily skin, however there's never been one that really stood out to me. 

As you may know, I no longer buy products that have been tested on animals so the hunt was on for a new cruelty free face wash. 

One thing I've always heard great things about is the Nspa hot cloth polish, so I decided it was time to give it a bash. 

Asda had a 2 for £8.00 offer on so I picked up the deep hydrating facial oil too (review coming soon) I've tried the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser about 2 years ago and must be the only person that really didn't like it because it broke me out. However because this was on offer and I really wanted to love a hot cloth cleanser (I think they're a fab idea) I picked this one up. 

If you're unsure as to what a hot cloth cleanser/polish is, it's basically a cream (Sometimes a gel or oil I think too) that you apply to a dry face, rub into your skin then run a muslin cloth under hot water and wipe away the product. I didn't know until I started using this one from Nspa that you're actually supposed to remove your make up and then do this step, maybe that's where I was going wrong the first time around?

I use one pump of this every evening (after removing my make up) and it leaves my skin so smooth, fresh feeling and brighter looking. And unlike the Liz Earle this didn't break me out. It has a slight scent to it which doesn't bother me, but for those of you who don't like scented products it isn't too off putting. 

For £7.00 you get 150ml of product and a muslin cloth, hello bargain, and I'm pretty sure asda often have a 2 for £8.00 on Nspa products. I've been using this now for around 2 weeks and have to say I won't be using any other product, my skin is in amazing condition now.

Have you tried this yet?

Stacey x

My favourite.......skin and hair products

Hi Beauts.

Today I wanted to share with you all my favourite skincare and hair products. For a while now, I've been using and buying products that haven't been tested on animals so I've completely changed everything that I use. I've actually come across some amazing things products that have been working wonders for my skin.

Face wipes: Superdrug facial cleansing wipes. I usually use these to remove my make up before doing a full cleanse, just to make sure I remove everything.

Face wash: NSPA hot cloth cleanser. I absolutely love this (full review coming soon) It's such an easy and quick product to use, and leaves my skin feeling so soft.

Toner: Lush Tea tree water. I bought this in the Boxing Day sale, and I'm so glad I did. It's very refreshing on the skin and I think has helped keep any spots at bay.

Moisturiser: Lush Enzymion. I don't have the full size of this at the ment, but have had a sample in the past. This is without a doubt the best moisturiser for oily skin. It mattifies straight away, and helps keep my make up in place all day. For my evening moisturiser, I'm loving NSPA's Deep hydrating facial oil (another review coming your way soon)

Spot treatment: Lush grease Lightning. Another goodie I picked up in the Boxing Day sale, and one I've been loving (yet another review coming at ya soon) This is hands down the best spot treatment I've used so far!

Eye cream: Superdrug vitamin E cream. As I'm getting older I'm becomming more aware that I need to protect my skin from signs of aging, eye wrinkles being one of those signs. I haven't noticed a big difference since using this, but I like to think it's helping.

Lip balm: Burt's Bees lip balm with Pink grapefruit. This has kept my lips so smooth and soft, and it smells amazing! 

Hand cream: Superdrug intensive hand cream. I always suffer from dry hands and this has worked a treat, especially in the colder months. I'm also a huge fan of Lush's Lemony flutter cuticle butter.

Body wash: Soap and Glory's clean on me. Again I don't have this to hand but it's one of my all time favourites. It smells amazing and leaves my skin super soft.

Body lotion: Molton Brown Paradisiac pink pepperpod. I absolutely adore this scent, it's so fruity and fresh. And the lotion itself soaks into the skin pretty quickly. I also LOVE soap and Glory's Righteous butter too.

Hair treatment: Superdrug's coconut oil. I've never been one for putting treatments and the such on my hair, but for the past few months I've been using this once a week and it's left my hair so silky and more manageable. I love it.

Well, that's my current skincare loves. I'm sure as the months go on I'll find others to add. What are you loving at the minute?

Stacey x

Review - NYC applelicious lip balm in Red Gala

Hi Beauts.

Today I bring to you another review of a product I've wanted to try put for a while: NYC applelicious lip balm in Red Gala

I won't lie, the packaging is the thing that most attracted me, how cute is the apple in the centre of the product? Speaking of the apple, that is actually the balm and the outside is the colour.

I wasn't expecting this to be as pigmented as it was because it's a tinted lip balm, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's such a pretty red shade, it gives that 'Just bitten' look. Is that even an actual thing? It is now ;) 

As with most lip balm products, this was smooth to apply and left a glossy finish as well as a high pigment behind. The colour on my lips lasted around 2 hours before  wearing off, but my lips felt soft for a few hours after the full product had worn off. This is definitely a product worth trying if you're looking for a tinted lip balm, with great pigmentation as well as something to keep your pout perfect. This smells as you'd expect it to, like apples. It smells good enough to eat, although I wouldn't recommend chomping on it! 

There are 4 (as far as I know) shades available in Superdrug and on Fragrance direct. 

Have you tried these Beauts?

Stacey x

I've been shopping....

Hi Beauts.

Over the past week I've picked up a few bits in town, most are things I've never tried before, and I thought I'd do a little post to show you what I've bought.

I've had one or two things for a week now and can already say, they're going to be in my faves post this month.

Let's haul shall we?

Skin Care

Nspa Hot cloth polish and Deep hydrating facial oil 2 for £8.00 in Asda

B.Pure Miceller water £3.66 in Superdrug

Tesco sensitive antiperspirant (cruelty free) £1.00

Superdrug Crystal roll on (cruelty free & for Paris) 88p

Skin therapy cotton wool pads 70p in Wilkinsons

Lush Butterball bath bomb £2.50

Lush Ickle baby bot bath bomb £1.95 (for my niece) 

Make Up

Models own Pukka Purple £5.00

Gosh Click 'N conceal in Light £4.99 

MUA Extreme felt liner £2.00 (Holy grail eyeliner)

What have you been buying lately? 

Stacey x

Brands that are against animal testing

Hi Beauts. 

You probably all already know by now, that I've stopped buying products that have been tested on animals. It's something that's actually hit me pretty hard after seeing a picture online (by accident) and it's something that I feel really strongly about.

I've made it my mission to find out as many brands as I can that don't actually use animal testing, and wanted to post a list of the brands I've found. A couple of lovely girls actually sent me links to online lists, so I shall link those too at the end.

Not everyone has the same opinions on animal testing, and that's fine. I'm not going to bang on about it in every post I write, but I just wanted to give my two cents in this post. Anywhoo, for those that are interested here is said list I have compiled: (I've tried to link as many as I could)

A

Ardell

Along came Betty (Sold at Tesco)

B

Burt's Bees

B. Skincare and make up

Barry M

Balm Balm

Butter London

Beauty UK

Balance Me

Bourjois 

Batiste

Balmi

Baylis and Harding

C

Ciate

Carmex

China glaze

CoverFX

D

Deborah Lippmann

Dermalogica 

E

E.O.S

elf

Essence (Can be found in some Wilkinsons stores)

Eyeko

Eco Tools

F

Fake Bake

FashionistA

Famous Cosmetics

G

Gosh

H

Hard Candy

I

I love.......

Illamasqua 

Inglot

J

Jergens

John Frieda

Josie Maran Cosmetics

K

Kat Von D

L

Lush

L.A Colors

Lime Crime

Liz Earle

Lee Stafford

Lavera

L.A Girl

Look Beauty

M

Miners

Marks and Spencer (Own Brand)

MUA

Molton Brown

Melvita

Models Own

Model Co

Murad

Milani

Mavala

N

NSPA

NYX

Nars

Nails inc

Nubar

Next (Own brand)

Neals Yard

O

O.C.C

Orly

Organic Surge

P

Paul Mitchell

Physicians Formula

Prestige

Pixi

Q

R

REN

S

Superdrug (Own branded products)

Stila

Sugarpill

Soap and Glory

Sainsburys (Own branded products)

Sally Hansen

Soft Lips

Sleek

T

Too Faced

2 True

The Balm

Tesco (Own branded products)

Tarte

The Body Shop 

U

Urban Decay

V

Vivo (Stocked in larger Tesco stores)

W

Wet and Wild

X

Y

Z

Zoya

* The Body Shop and Urban Decay are both owned by L'oreal, however both brands are PETA/Leaping Bunny approved

If you know of any other brands I've missed out, please feel feel to leave them in the comments and I'll be sure to add them in. 

For more brands, PETA has an endless list of others too.

Another great site with a more extensive list is HERE and HERE

Hope this is helpful to some of you.

Stacey x

e.l.f Wish list

Hi Beauts.

Time for another wishlist, and today it is the wonderful elf's turn! Roll on Payday.........

Face:

Pressed powder in Porclain - £3.75

Blush in Gotta Glow - £3.75

HD blush in Headliner - £3.75

All over colour stick in Spotlight - £1.50

Eyes:

Glitter primer in Sheer - £2.50

Single eyeshadow in Amethyst - £3.75

Eyebrow lift and filler in Medium - £3.75

Mineral eye brighter - £3.75

Lips:

Lip exfoliator - £3.75

Long wear lip liners in Natural Blush and Mauve Luxe £1.50 each

Lip balm tint in Berry - £2.50

What's on your wishlist?

You can also find me on Tumblr :)

Stacey x

My Barry M nail paint collection

Hi Beauts.

One of the best brands on the hight street, in my opinion, is Barry M. The first thing I ever bought from their range was a dazzle dust, which lead me to an addiction and my collection kept growing and growing.

A while later I decided to try out their nail paint, which then lead to another addiction (I guess I have a pretty addictive personality....in a good way!) and that addiction has left me with 20 of their nail paints.

I always find swatches sway the decision making for me when I'm shopping online, so I thought I'd share the shades I currently have and hope that it can help out some of you too.

Barry M nail paints are probably the best on the market. They're pigmented (2 coats and you're good to go), smooth to apply, dry quite quickly and last for almost a week.

What are your favourite shades?

You can also find me on Tumblr too :)

Stacey x