So I'm going to try doing these favourites posts every month because i really enjoy reading these posts on other blogs (and also watching the favourites videos on YouTube but i ain't that brave yet). So here's my attempt at May favourites. Beauty favourites in case you didn't realise!
1)
Macadamia natural oil deep repair masque
I got this from my one and only Joliebox a few months back and it lay in my box until i decided my dry curly hair needed a pick me up. Oh my gosh it's lush and smells great. After the first use my hair was soft and the colour was brighter too (I have ombred blonde ends). The curls sat better too and were a bit more bouncy. It's been ages since I've put any sort of mask on my hair and this was so good I've done it 3 weekends in a row and repurchased another sachet. Try it. £3.25 for 30ml sachet.
2)
Caudalie beauty elixir spray
Admittedly i wasn't sure what this was for, a toner of sorts i think but i kinda like it a lot. I use it in the morning after my first facial cleanse and then if i need a little pick me up during the day, and best of all i use it after my spin classes. I got to 3-4 per week and i find that after my shower this is quite cooling on my bright pink face. Much has been said about the smell but i actually quite like it and don't mind it at all. This is the small bottle and I'm annoyed i missed the larger sized on Buyapowa when it was on sale! £9.90 for 30ml spray.
3)
Nuxe reve de miel lipbalm
I'm a sucker for all things lip related. I've been a huge fan of the Burt's Bee's lip balm in the little yellow tin but lately I've been trying others out. This came up on someone else's blog and i thought I'd try it. What hooked me was the description was of a matt lip balm. I liked that idea. It is expensive at £9.50 a pot but a little goes a long way (such a cliche) and it will last a long time. The texture is slightly gritty. Not so gritty that it's horrible on the lips though. You scoop a little from the pot with a clean ring finger and rub over the lips. The 'grit' sort of melts away leaving you with a good coating of silky smoothness. I LOVE the smell too. Citrus orangey i think. Whatever it is i just open the pot and take a sniff as required. I like this a lot and it'll take a while for me to use it up and use it up i will.
4)
First Aid Beauty ultra repair cream
First Aid Beauty wasn't a brand I'd heard of before until I'd heard Fleur from Fleur De Force YouTube videos mention it. You can buy this in Boots, Fell Unique and on Beauty Bay. I suffer from really dry/dehydrated skin all over my body including face. It gets worse in winter. I've been using Palmer's coco butter but wanted something a bit more...well something that hydrated my skin better. Believe me over the years i have tried all manner of products of varying price ranges. This was a lovely whipped, fragrance free, non greasy cream. There's no harsh chemicals or parabens. I got it in the squeezy tube (50ml). I think it's meant for the face too but I didn't use it on my face. It gave my legs a good hydration and they felt soooo smooth. The smoothest they've been for a while. The tube is £8 which means that larger tub is knocking on for £20. This is probably too expensive for me to repurchase but i loved this cream. It does help my skin, especially down my shins where i do get scaly patches if I'm not careful. I've repurchased the First Aid Beauty body moisturiser to give it a try. It's cheaper for a larger bottle and I'll let you know how that goes.
5) Real Techniques powder and blush brushes
Now, until about 4 years ago i was never *never* in to make up. And then I started to dabble. I think one of the first things i bought was the Benefit dandelion blusher in the cute little box. I still have it. Anyways, long story short, i never owned a proper make up brush until about a year ago when I bought a few MAC brushes and a couple from Sigma. Then i read all about these Real Techniques brushes from Samantha Chapman of Pixiwoo fame. Again i was late to that party and can confirm that the
Pixiwoo girls' videos are some of the best tutorials I've watched. Being totally make up application-phobic I've learnt a few tricks on there. So, when Boots were doing their 3for2 offer thing a few months back i bought these 2 brushes. They're soft and gentle and the hairs have not yet shed anything to date. A huge bonus. The ends are flat so that you can stand them up which is handy when you're kinda in a rush and doing your face quickly. The
powder brush is HUGE and i use this for bronzer. I've been using it almost every day this past few weeks since the sun has come out. Swirl in the bronzer and dust over the face. Done quick as a flash. Same thing with the
blusher brush. It's smaller and tapered slightly. This gives a more precise application. I love these brushes. I want to buy more but not sure which ones tot go for. Ideally it'd be the buffing brush but that only comes as part of a set at the moment so i;m not sure. Hopefully Boots will do the 3for2 offer again and i can buy more. Really recommend these brushes. Mid-range prices too: powder (orange) £12.99, blusher (pink) £9.99.
6)
MAC melba matt blush
Been using this a lot more lately since the weather has been good. It's a good colour on me and it's really pigmented so you don't need that much. It's a neutral shade, a soft coral peach, that gives my skin a nice glow, even though it's matt. Probably what i mean is it gives my cheeks a nice natural flush of colour. Yes, that's much more like it. It's pretty long lasting on me too which is good if i'm out all day. £17.50
7) MAC tendertone lip balm in tread gently from the Shop Cook collection (top right in picture)
Another lip product! Great for a slick of shiny loveliness on the lips. In the pot it's a yellow colour with a golden shimmer. It translates pretty well on the lips too. Well, not the yellow colour but it gives a nice sheen with added shimmer. Good if your going out and can't be bothered with reapplying lipstick. I actually quite like potted lip products. I know some people don't like it but if it's my fingers only in the pot then for me that's fine. The smell! Great fruity smell here, i believe kiwi? But yeah, love this lip balm. I also have this is Hush, Hush which is more bronze golden toned. Since these were in a limited edition MAC collection I'm not sure they'll be available any more. You can try.
8)
Toni and Guy sea salt spray
My hair is naturally curly and i wear it that way most days. I spray this on after i blow dry my hair and then on day 2 or 3 of i need to spruce it up again. It smells great too so if you've been somewhere smelly, like a chippy (smileyface) then you can give your hair a spritz with this and you'll have nice smelling hair again. It can get a bit tuggy if you spray too much though so be liberal with it. It gives my hair that nice matt textured beachy look and with my ombred colour i just love it...and it's been a year since i've been near a beach! This was the mini sized bottle i got to try out so was only around £2.50.
9)
Boots No 7 exquisite curly mascara
These are amongst my favourite mascaras. I love the Extreme length one too. I got this for £8 since i had a £5 No 7 voucher that they give you when you buy stuff. Some mascara and eye products really irritate my eyes leaving then runny but I find these mascaras to be non irritating which is good. My lashes look good and long when i wear this. It's also easily removed with my Taaj micellar water or Liz Earle cleansers too. It doesn't clog on me or leave me with the end of the day panda eyed looked. A real bonus. I hate that look on people. I've tried lots of other mascara brands but end up back here at No 7 because i know they work for me.
Well i think that's all for now. I've used many other things last month (May) but i wanted to limit the amount i write in these posts. I've already got a June favourite too! See you next time.
Angela x
EDIT: I can't believe i forgot to add in the St Motritz fake tan. £2.99 from Bodycare. Less smelly than my usual Fake Bake and gives me a better glowy tan too. Not very much to say really. It works for me and no longer will i be spending more than £3 on fake tan.
