soap and glory mist you madly body spray

When the weather is as glorious as it has been recently I'm always so afraid of getting sweaty and sticky and horrible, especially living in London where travelling consists of boiling hot and over-packed tubes and buses. Therefore one of my summer essentials, along with a good deodorant, is a nice body spray to be able to have in my bag to easily freshen up throughout the day.

I've had the Soap and Glory Mist You Madly Body Spray for quite a few months now but not used it a great amount until recently. Over the last few days I've absolutely fallen in love with it as it's a fab summer body spray for a few reasons. Firstly, and most importantly, it smells incredible! It's a very sweet and slightly floral scent - the smell reminds me of Love Hearts, vanilla ice cream and flower gardens! The notes are actually bergamot and blackcurrant, magnolia, freesia, vanilla and musk. Perfect for summer. As for how well the scent lasts, I'd say for about two or three hours which I'd say is about average for a body spray.

Another reason that I love this body spray is that it's not in an aerosol can. It's a spray bottle filled with the scented liquid which immediately cools you down when you spray it on you. Obviously when it's this hot, anything that cools you down is a plus so I've been constantly spritzing this all over me!

If you love sweet and girly scents then I'd definitely pick up the Soap and Glory Mist You Madly Body Spray as not only is it a fab product but nice and cheap too! A large 250ml bottle is £6.50 from Boots and I can see this lasting for months as a little goes a long way. However if you're after something a little more travel friendly you can also pick up a 100ml bottle for £3.50.

PS. I had my last exam this morning (yippee!) so I am free for the summer to blog all I want!

xx

face of the day: summer colour

Oh deary me, did you ever imagine a 'face of the day' where I'd be wearing colour on my eyes? I certainly didn't! Don't get too excited though as this is still pretty plain but for me, this is as colourful as it will get in terms of eye make up. I'm just too attached to my neutral eyeshadows.

The past few days this has been my go-to make up look. It's just so summery and fresh looking. I never thought I'd say this but I actually really like the little pop of the light bluey aqua liner on my eyes. The pencil I used was the Jack Wills Tyrell Eye Liner in Aqua. It's such a soft and creamy pencil and a bit of a bargain I think for £6. It's such a unique colour.

I then decided to choose another bright and slightly clashing colour for my lips and went for a bright pinky coral colour which was the 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Peace. Although this is a bright colour, as the finish of these lipsticks is so sheer and shiny and almost like a gloss, I don't think the colour looks too much and still allows the eye liner to remain the main focus. The only thing is about these lipsticks is that as they're so creamy they melt very easily so not the best to carry around in your bag for touch-ups when it's this hot...

Do you like to wear colour in the summer? I still don't think I'll be wearing bright eyeshadows any time soon but I might play around some more with coloured eye liners!

xx

recent happenings #7

sunny Spitalfields church / can't wait for exams to end so I can stop buying 'revision snacks' / a hideous nail combination yuck / York Square looking lovely / Orangina! / a yummy Jerusalem artichoke, beetroot and goats cheese salad / my housemate's new accordion! / the only shoes appropriate for a 6pm-6am shift at work / barbecue time

Hurry up Tuesday! I can't wait for exams to go away so I can do all the things I want to. I feel like I've had no fun for weeks now. It's so hot in London (and everywhere in the else in the UK) at the moment and I hope it doesn't start raining when I'm free - that would be so unfair! Yet again this week has been spent revising so I haven't really got anything exciting to tell you but soon this won't be the case :)

Hope you're all well and enjoying the glorious weather! x

xx

outfit of the day: sun!

When I woke up to a bright and sunny London on Wednesday I really wasn't sure what to wear. I think I've just got so used to wrapping up warm that I feel so unprepared for the summer! I still want to wear black and not have to bare every inch of skin but equally I don't want to feel a sticky mess on the Tube...

So when my boyfriend and I went for a tasty lunch on Wednesday I chose to wear this. I do love this outfit but I have to say that I still was quite hot!

Shoes - New Look
Leggings - H&M
Bag - Zara
Top - Zara
Necklace - H&M
Sunglasses - Brick Lane
Bracelet - Gift from my boyfriend's parents from Kenya

(Well, I think I get the award for the most awkward poser ever!)

I love these black platform wedges. I bought them last year so I doubt they'll be available from New Look any more but there's so many similar ones around at the moment such as these ones from River Island. I have my eye on so many wedges at the moment so I can't wait to maybe treat myself to some more when I get paid.

I'm sure you all recognise the bag as it's been featured on lots of blogs recently. I've had it for a couple of months now and I'm actually surprised by how well it's wearing. The strap is so thin that I thought it would break really quickly but so far so good!

I think my favourite thing about this outfit though has to be the top. I love a good big slouchy tee and this is as big as it comes. It has massive bat wing sleeves and a thin mesh panelled deep v at the back which makes it a bit more interesting. I did try to find it on the Zara website but it doesn't seem to be available any more.

I actually really like doing 'outfit of the days' so when my exams are over (and my boyfriend's AKA personal photographer) I'll try and do some more. Hopefully I'll be in more suitable summer attire!

xx

back to basics: skincare must-haves

Normally one of the few things I feel really good about is my skin. I very rarely get spots and my skin is usually very normal and is generally very well behaved. I occasionally get some drier patches in certain areas such as around my nose and my eyebrows but they're nothing a little exfoliator and a good moisturiser can't fix. However over the last week or so my skin has gone crazy! I'm beginning to think that perhaps I've had a reaction to something as I also have a few spots on my neck which is unheard of for me. Due to this, I've really tried to keep my skincare as simple as possible and just use some really gentle products that I know and trust.

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser - A while ago now, even before I started my blog, I tried the much loved Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and had the worst allergic reaction imaginable - my skin looked like it was covered in boils. I used it for about a month in total, but this was definitely not a "purging" stage as some people have suggested to me as it was so itchy and uncomfortable and very much unlike normal spots. However, I did really like the whole concept of using a muslin cloth with my cleanser so even after stopping using the C&P I continued to use muslin cloths in my skincare routine. I love the gentle exfoliation of them and how bright and radiant they can make your skin appear. They just generally make your cleansers work a lot harder - simple but brilliant!

Last time Boots did their £5 off No7 vouchers I decided to try the No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser and I definitely prefer it (surely anything is better than a rash all over your face haha). I personally just find it to be so much gentler on the skin. As this is the most gentle cleanser I own it's something that I really trust to clean my skin without aggravating it even more with strong fragrances or exfoliating bits and bobs.

The No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser is £10 and available from Boots or online here.

Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream - Whoever created Sudocrem is my hero at the moment! For me this is the best thing to speedily get rid of spots. I just dab some on any spots before bed and it just dries them up and shrinks them nicely without making them all horrible and flaky. I've tried quite a few spot removing gels and this does the job better than all of them. It's also such a good cream to have lying around as it can also be used on other things such as sunburn, sores and... um... nappy rash.

It's so effective as the main ingredient is Zinc Oxide which has antibacterial properties and can help create a barrier between your skin and the air. If you haven't tried this for treating spots then I really do suggest giving it a go as unlike some more acidic treatments it won't aggravate them and make the area any sorer or redder.

Sudocrem is available everywhere (pharmacies, supermarkets etc) but is £2.69 for a 125g pot from Boots or online here. This will last you forever as you only need such a tiny amount because it's so thick. I've had mine for about a year and I still have about 80% left!

Boots Simply Sensitive Protecting Day Moisturiser - This is the day moisturiser I use for when my skin is playing up. As the name suggests it's so gentle and not too thick so makes a great base for make up. It also contains SPF15 so is fab for protecting your skin too, as well as aloe vera to sooth it. As it's fragrance and colour free, it won't irritate your skin any more. I can't really say enough good things about this moisturiser! It's basic but just what my skin needs when it's unhappy! It's so cheap too.

Boots Simply Sensitive Protecting Day Moisturiser is £2.79 from Boots or online here and is currently on a 3 for 2 offer.

E45 Moisturising Lotion - Night time is when your skin does most of it's healing so I like to use a really good moisturiser at night to help it rehydrate and repair. At the moment I'm going as simple as it gets with moisturiser and using the E45 Moisturising Lotion in place of my usual night cream. Again, it's perfume free and hypoallergenic so is very gentle on the skin. Also, although it's very moisturising it doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy at all. The only reason that I don't use it in the day is that it takes a little longer than the Boots moisturiser to entirely sink in so it isn't so good for under make up.

E45 Moisturising Lotion is £5.99 from Superdrug or online here. This price is for 500ml though whereas my bottle is 250ml so the smaller bottle is probably cheaper!

I hope this helps any of you who are also suffering with your skin at the moment. After all, it is exam period which often means stress, chocolate and late nights = spots!

The only other advice I can give is drink as much water as possible and have as many make up free days as you can. There's no point clogging up your pores even more with layers of thick foundation as that will just cover the problem rather than treat it!

What's your back to basic skincare secret?

xx

five empties #2

I'm really getting in to this whole 'empties' thing - is it only me that finds it satisfying to use things up? You can read my first empties post here but as I've recently finished some more products I'd thought I might as well do another one.

Boots Botanics Skin Brightening Toner

This is my usual go-to toner and I love it! It leaves my skin feeling so clean without that stripped and tight feeling and as is keeps excess oil at bay (not that I have particularly oily skin) it helps the skin stay spot free. At the moment I have another toner to use up but I'll definitely purchase this again.

The Botanics Skin Brightening Toner is £4.07 from Boots or online here and is currently on a 3 for 2 offer.

Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Conditioner

As with the toner, this is a product I revisit time and time again because it's so good. My hair is naturally quite dry but when I use this conditioner it feels so healthy and I very rarely get split ends. I also use the same shampoo from the range to really feel the full effects. I've actually still got a bottle of this to use up but when I run out of that I'll have to get another as it's the best I've tried for my naughty dry hair.

Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Conditioner is £4.69 from Boots or online here.

Boots Essentials Hand Cream: Intensive for Dry Skin

I really didn't expect much of this product when I first bought it but for £1.35 I can't fault it! It might not have fancy packaging or a gorgeous smell but it really does keep your hands moisturised and as it's so cheap and therefore not something I'd mind losing it's great just to throw in your bag when you're out and about. I've actually been through quite a few tubes now but after using up some more hand cream I would more than likely purchase it again.

The Boots Essentials Hand Cream for Dry Skin is £1.35 from Boots or online here and is currently on a 3 for 2 offer.

Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Nose Pore Strips

Um, can you tell I tend to shop in Boots by any chance? I'm not going to say too much about these as I've done a full review (which you can see here) but I really don't think that these do anything. For £4.99 I definitely won't be getting them again.

The Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Nose Pore Strips are £4.99 from Boots or online here and are currently on a 3 for 2 offer - not that I recommend getting them!

Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish (sample)

Yes, I know that this featured in my last empties post but I had another little sample to use up! I can't wait to be able to get this again as I just love how refined (to steal Benefit's word) and fresh it makes my skin feel.

The Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish is £17.50 and can be bought from Benefit counters or online here.

I'm liking these posts - I'm going to try and use up some more things, it's addictive haha!

Have you tried any of these products?

xx

favourite blushers for spring/summer

Left to right: Sleek Flamingo, 17 First Kiss, Topshop High Five, MUA English Rose, eBay Blush Palette Orangey Coral

Clockwise from top left: MUA English Rose, Topshop High Five, Sleek Flamingo, 17 First Kiss, eBay Blush Palette Orangey Coral

I love love love a good blush! They're definitely one of the bits of make up that I get most excited about. I think this might be as I'm so pale I feel that I need to add a bit of colour to my cheeks to make me look a little more alive. Anyway, enough rambling, I thought I'd show you the blushers that I love most for the spring and summer.

Sleek Blush in Flamingo
I know that this looks a terrifying colour in the pan and also on my arm as I've swatched it very heavily but on the cheeks (and used with a very light hand) it just gives such a pretty and feminine flush to the cheeks. I also know that Tanya Burr loves this blusher and I swear by her recommendations!
Sleek Blush in Flamingo is available from Superdrug for £4.30.


17 Blusher in First Kiss
I am OBSESSED with this blush at the moment - I've stopped even trying to restrain myself from using this blush every day - it's just so beautiful! It's a bright pinky coral which finishes with a subtle gold shimmer. It just gives your cheeks such a glowing and healthy look. Now I don't have it to compare, but I have read that this blush is very similar to the infamous Nars Orgasm (but obviously at a fraction of the price). From looking at swatches online it does look very similar hurrah! If you haven't got this blush then I URGE you to pick this up for the summer because I'm obsessed at the moment. I also think it would look brilliant on all skin tones!
17 Blusher in First Kiss is available from Boots for £3.49.


Topshop Cream Blush in High Five
This is a really bright almost neon pink which gives such a natural rosy glow to the cheeks. I love the Topshop cream blushers as they're so easy to blend and dry to a powder finish so your skin doesn't feel tacky all day long. My favourite way to apply these is with a stippling brush as this makes it even easier to evenly distribute the colour. Unfortunately I can't see High Five on the Topshop website any more but I have seen it in some shops still so have a look.
Topshop blushs are £6.00 from Topshop (and now the new John Lewis Beauty Hall on Oxford Street too!)

MUA Mosaic Blush in English Rose
I won't ramble on too much about this blusher as I've mentioned it before here where you can also see it on my cheeks! I think English Rose is such an appropriate name as this just gives you such a naturally pretty healthy glow. I love the shimmer in this blush as well as I feel it highlights my cheekbones so well to. For £2.50 I really can't fault it.
MUA Blush in English Rose is available from Superdrug for £2.50

eBay 10 Colour Blush Palette - shimmery orange coral (fourth on top row)
I picked up this ten piece blusher palette after seeing it on VIPXO (see Victoria's review here) and didn't have particularly high expectations as it was so cheap (it works out 44p a blusher!) However all of the colours are reasonably well pigmented and there's a great range of colours. My favourite at the moment is this bright shimmery coral. Corals and oranges are always so great for the summer and I love that these blushes are a little shimmery as I think that can make you look nice and glowy - and let you skip the highlighter!
This blush palette is available here from eBay for £4.46 - bargain!

What blushers are you loving at the moment?

xx