March favourites...

Courtesy of weheartit

This month has been rather hard to find my favourites as I haven't really tried anything new, but here you are...
Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo and Conditioner
This month I had my long hair chopped off. I needed a shampoo and conditioner that would give it a bit of volume, because mine can look a little limp sometimes, so I thought I'd give these two a go. When I had longer hair, Aussie shampoos and conditioners never seemed to agree with it and I'd spend hours de-tangling knots. But with shorter hair, I think its great, plus it smells amazing too.

Nivea Soft
When I got sent the sample of the limited edition pot I was just going to store it away in our beauty cupboard because I didn't think I'd use it. But in fact, it hasn't left my desk! I started using it as a hand cream and its perfect! It sinks in quickly and doesn't leave that greasy residue that most hand creams do and it doesn't turn watery if you wash your hands afterwards. This product soon made it onto my must-have list and I want to thank Nivea for introducing me to it!

Nivea Soft Limited Edition

Nivea Soft is an essential cream for anyone who might suffer with dry, irritable skin. It's deeply nourishing and smells exactly like a moisturiser should - fresh and slightly old-fashioned, the type of creams your mother used when you was a child.

Now Nivea Soft have collaborated with the Spanish fashion designer Josep Font and introduced three different designs, following three very different trends - Estella, Sea and Dreams - all of which, look exceptionally beautiful. Although the outer packaging is different, the formulations inside are exactly the same, deeply nourishing, even on the driest of skin.

The Nivea Soft Limited Edition is priced at £6.59 and available from April to July only.

What's in my make-up bag?

I was inspired to do this post by a number of things, from Youtube videos to posts on how much the make-up in your make-up bag is worth. So I decided to combine the two.

So here's my make-up bag. It's a little bit grubby, but it's big enough for my bits and bobs. It was a Christmas present from Boots.

L-R No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation, Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer, L'Oreal Touch Magique Concealer, Clinique Pore Minimiser, Simple Revitalising Eye Roll-On, bareMinerals Prime Time Brightening Eyelid Primer, Avon Magix Face Perfector
Starting with my base products, I'm not keen on the Rimmel concealer and it's mainly in there for back up for when I run out of my L'Oreal one. This L'Oreal concealer is my absolute favourite. I used to buy YSL Touch Eclat, but got my hands on this one out of the blue and never looked back, plus it's cheaper too. I love the Simple Eye Roll-On, it's really refreshing on your eyes in the morning. I won't go into detail on the primers, as I'm sure you've heard me harp on about these enough.

L-R Benefit Georgia Blush, Avon True Colour Blush in Earthen Rose, LP Skin Therapy Refining Lip Exfoliator
Here are two of the blushers I regularly use and a lip exfoliator, which I will go into more detail in another post because it deserves a seperate one - it's just fab!

L-R Tweezers, lip applicator, Benefit Eyebrow and Eyeliner Brush, Vie at Home Eyeshadow Brush and Blender, Clinique Eyeliner (used as a smudger), Avon Blusher Brush, eyelash curlers, Vie at Home Kabuki Brush, foundation sponge, Avon Lipstick in Pout, No7 Lipstick in Brigette, Bourjois 3D Effect Lipgloss
Lots and lots of tools, all pretty standard and self-explanatory. I'll admit, I dont use all of them on a daily basis - mainly the eyebrow brush, smudger, sponge, eyelash curlers and blusher brush. As for the lip products, I mainly wear the lip gloss and No7 Lipstick. The Avon Lipstick is slightly squashed on the top because my niece wanted to look pretty too.

L-R Bourjois Khol & Colour, Avon Glimmerstick, Avon Supershock, Bourjois Eyeshadow Trio, Laura Geller Lash Varnish and Comb, Avon Enchanted Mascara, Avon Sonic Boost Vibrating Mascara, Rimmel The Max Volume Flash Mascara, Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Liner, Clinique Instant Lift for Brows
I'm a little bit of a hoarder when it comes to eyeliner and mascara, as you can see. My main loves in this little collection are the Avon Supershock Eyeliner and Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Liner. The eyeshadow palette gets used very rarely because I'm still trying to master the smoky eye look - a skill I cannot get my head around! The Laura Geller product is only used to seperate my lashes, but even then it's not that good...and the glitter...not for me thanks.

Now I'm going to reveal how much my make-up bag is actually worth. Here goes...

£200.06*
* Not including make-up tools

Bad blogger

I have been rather bad on the blogging front lately - to a point where I've actually got a pile full of products I want to share with you guys. So here's a quick round up of a few new products I've managed to get my hands on...

Champneys Spa collection at Boots

The two brands have teamed up to bring you a luxurious selection of body and skincare products, allowing you to enjoy the spa experience in the comfort of your own home and at a fraction of the price!

There are plenty of products available, from a Thai Royale Beauty Oil to a Relaxing Pillow Mist and an Illuminating Beauty Balm all starting from as little as £5.

I managed to have a quick test of the Spa Treatment Watermint Lotion Spritz - a light milky moisturiser with an amazing peppermint smell. Also the Spa Indulgence Mediterranean Bliss Body Hydrator, which has a gorgeous floral smell to it and deeply moisturises too. The whole collection looks amazing and is reasonably priced too. Available to buy in Boots, from April.

Daly Legs Invisible Stockings
Now I know this isn't new on the beauty scene, but I was handed it at the M&S press show last week. First impressions...I wasn't too impressed. It's quite orange and when applied it’s not that noticeable and only adds a subtle shimmer. Although one good point is that it doesn't have that fake tan, biscuit smell, which is great. Apart from that, I'm not a huge fan...I'd rather stick to my Sally Hansen anyday.

Avon Anew Regimen Kits


And last but not least is the new Avon Anew Regimen Mini Kits. I heard about these quite a few weeks back when I was asked to attend the launch, hosted by the gorgeous Yasmin Le Bon and Nicky Hambleton Jones.

I’m a huge fan of these little kits and think they are a fantastic idea. There’s one for each of the Anew anti-ageing ranges – Rejuvenate if you’re 30+, Reversalist for 40+, Ultimate for 50+ and Platinum for 60+ - and they come with cute little travel sized versions of four of the skincare products in those ranges. The Regimen kits are perfect if you want to try out an anti-ageing skincare routine for the first time or if you want to try a whole range, without it costing the earth – can you believe it’s only £10!

I can’t quite remember when these are available to buy, but I’m sure it’s pretty soon!

Maybelline Forever Strong in Rosy Sand

Following on from Thursday's post my NOTD is this cute cappuccino colour from Maybelline. I have been wearing this since Saturday and it hasn't yet chipped, which is absolutely fab because I chip my polish after a couple of hours usually.

Please ignore the state of my nails, I'm having huge problem with them breaking at the moment, so if you have any tips they'd be much appreciated!

Maybelline Forever Strong Pro Nudes

l-r Ivory Rose, Nude Rose, Rose Poudre, Rosy Sand and Taupe Couture
If you know me well, then you know I love a good nude/pink nail polish. You only have to look at my collection and you'll spot a running trend. Therefore how excited was I to see that Maybelline were introducing a nude collection of nail polishes just in time for spring.

There are five colours in the collection ranging from a light pale pink to a dark brown, with each one individually chosen by nail expert David Barton.

I had a go at all five and each of the colours are absolutely gorgeous. To make them fully opaque you will definitely need two coats on each and possibly even three with Taupe Couture.

Each polish is £4.09 and the whole range will be available to buy from March

Fearne Cotton's range at Boots

New to Boots from the 9th March is Fearne Cotton's brand new self-selected make-up range. There are five products in the range - four chunky eye pencils (£5), Made You Look Made You Stare eye compact (£10), five eye shimmers (£5), four lip kits (£10) and six nail polishes (£5.50). I'm not usually a fan of celebrity endorsed products, but thought I would share them with you anyway, so here goes...


Starting with the chunky eye pencil in peacock. I was really impressed with the vibrancy of the colour and it even works if you want it a little smudged too.


Next is the eye shimmer in silver. I don't think the colour would last very long, but a little goes a long way. So, I guess you get what you pay for. The sparkle didnt over power the colour either, but then again this is a darker shade. I'm intreged to see what the green and turquoise colours come out like, so if you get to have a look, let me know.


Lastly, you can see the lip kit. I will be completely honest and say these three products don't match up to the others. But this is from only trying them out on the back of my hand. The idea, however is great, but I'm not completely sold.

What do you think?