These are a few of my favourite things

Seriously, where did October go? Hands up who pressed the fast forward button? The end of another month brings another favourites post! There's quite a lot in here this time around :)

♥ Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Black

This is an amazing liner. Opaque in one swatch. Can be used from the pencil or with a brush, which I prefer. Stays put all day with zero smudging!

♥ Avon Supershock Mascara

At first I wasn't sure about this but I've persevered and now it's a firm favourite. Two to three coats gives me AMAZINGLY full lashes. Love.

♥ Queen Cosmetics Eye Make Up Remover
Loving this for removing the most stubborn of eyeliners and mascara!

♥ No 7 Lash Adapt Mascara

Super impressed with this! I can build a few coats up without clumps and my lashes look fuller, longer and more defined.

♥ Sigma F82 Brush

My new favourite foundation brush

♥ NYX Taupe Blush

Perfect contour shade for me to add a bit of definition

♥ China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
Finally bought a new bottle of this - hello to instant drying, longer lasting, chip resistant manicures!

♥ Topshop Cream Blush in Neon Rose
Beautiful!!!

♥ Illamasqua Lipstick in Fable
Possibly my new favourite lippie, especially teamed with Topshop's Neon Rose blush!

~*~

Which products have you been loving this month?

Saturday Summary

Crikey this has been one busy week! I hope you've all had a lovely and less hectic one!

Source

♥ Dreaming of the future

♥ Country drives

♥ Caring friends and colleagues

♥ Anticipation

♥ Primark shopping sprees

♥ My iPhone 4S arriving!!!!

♥ A successful shopping trip to Nottingham

~*~

Listening to:

Evanescence - Evanescence

Kelly Clarkson - Stronger

Watching:

Frozen Planet

Buying:

PJs and bargain mascara

A few to follow:

001. Charlotte's Obsessions

002. Cheryl's Beauty Blog

003. Click And Make Up!

~*~

How has your week been?

Review: Ahava Dermud Intensive Hand Cream

Ah hand creams, something I am never without on a daily basis. Whether it's on my dresser, laying on the desk at work or tucked in my handbag, you can be sure wherever I go, hand cream is something that I always have to hand. I recently had the opportunity to try this particular cream from Ahava.

Product

Ahava say: Ahava's Dermud Intensive Hand Cream is a leave-on Dead Sea Mud cream with active dead sea minerals formulated specifically for dry and sensitive skin relief. This hand-treating mud-enriched cream deeply nourishes your skin, calming and smoothing dry and rough hands. Approved for sensitive skin. Allergy tested. Paraben free. Cruelty free.

I say: I'll start off by saying how utterly lovely the scent of this product is! It's not overly strong but you certainly notice it and it lingers deliciously on your skin. The cream feels very luxurious and has transformed my hands to the softest, smoothest condition. With the rapid change in the weather recently, I've felt the need to use a heavier duty hand cream as my skin on my hands has shown the tell-tale signs of feeling dry, and with that can come sensitivity, but I've been regularly applying this hand cream and my hands have gone back to being soft and supple with no sensitivity in sight. The fact that it's paraben free is a bonus. As is it being cruelty free. Thumbs up!

Application

Ahava say: Massage into hands whenever needed.

I say: The first thing I noticed about this cream was the texture. It's smooth but feels quite thick yet I've found that is absorbs very quickly and gets to work instantaneously. My hands are left silky smooth and hydrated without being sticky or greasy.

Size: 100ml
Price: £18
Available from: Ahava

Ratings
Product: 10/10
Price: 7/10
Packaging: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
Would I purchase?: Yes

♥

Which hand creams are you using at the moment? Do you tend to use a different cream for different seasons and weather conditions?

*PR Sample - Disclaimer

NOTD: 17 Sulk

Can you believe that I didn't own a metallic green polish before picking up Sulk from 17's current nail collection? Bad beauty blogger! Fear not, all has been remedied :)

Products used

17 Sulk

China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat

♥

This polish is beautiful! A must have methinks :)

Wear It Pink!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this Friday is Wear It Pink day in conjunction with the Breast Cancer Campaign. The idea is that you wear something pink and give £2 to the charity. What better way to channel your inner Barbie girl than helping out a fabulous charity?

To give you some background, the Breast Cancer Campaign aims to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and accounts for nearly one in three of all cancers in women. In the UK, around 48,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year. That's an astounding 130 cases a day.

The Breast Cancer Campaign currently funds 95 projects worth almost £16.5 million in 31 locations across the UK and Ireland.

How to get involved

Organising a wear it pink day is fun and easy. Team up with colleagues, family or friends, wear something pink and donate £2 to Breast Cancer Campaign. It’s a simple way to BE PART OF THE CURE and support the thousands of people affected by breast cancer in the UK today


Check out the fab range of Wear It Pink goodies available at Debenhams including the official Wear It Pink T-shirts as modelled by business woman Michelle Mone:

There's a whole assortment of pink items available whose proceeds, full or partial, are going towards supporting the campaign, so keep an eye out for them :)

How am I getting involved?

Being a beauty blogger, I've amassed an assortment of pink goodies so I'm going to 'Wear It Pink' with pink make up, and of course donate to the Breast Cancer Campaign! Here are some of the items I might be using this Friday:

Cheeks

Anti-Clockwise from left:

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Promise

MAC Powder Blush in Well Dressed
Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink

Illamasqua Powder Blush in Unrequited

Illamasqua Illuminator in Poised

Benefit Posie Tint

Eyes

Anti-Clockwise from left:

MAC Wintersky
Collection 2000 Dazzle Me! in Illusion

GOSH Effect Powder in Meringue

Lips

Anti-Clockwise from centre:
Illamasqua Fable

Topshop Brighton Rock

MAC Creme Cup
YSL Candy Volupte in Pomegranate
L'Oreal Freshly Candy
Barry M 153
MAC Viva Glam Gaga I

Nails

Left to right:

Bourjois Rose Lounge

OPI Princesses Rule!

Avon Strawberry

MUA Shade 15

♥

What will you be sporting make up wise this Friday? Are you taking part in any fundraising activities? Let me know :)

Saturday Summary (on a Sunday)

Gosh, this week has been so busy and hectic! Hence why I'm posting a day late. Does anyone else feel bad when they do that? Eek. Anywho, on to the post :)

Source

♥ Being made to work on a Saturday but pretty much doing nothing all day. Win.

♥ Downton Abbey

♥ My boss being really nice about a potentially awkward situation

♥ Being offered a job!

♥ Lion bars - retro! Who remembers them?

♥ Talking about the work Xmas do - even if it is a little early

♥ Retail therapy, aka raiding Primark!

~*~

Listening to:

Adele 21

Reading:

Estate agent websites

Buying:

Knitwear, Topshop make up and new boots

A few to follow:
001. Blushingloves
002. Buttons, Bows & Brogues
003. Charli...

~*~

How was your week? Anything exciting happened to you? I'm all ears :)

NOTD: Gemstone Fury

I recently picked up a few of the new polishes from 17 in Boots. Two of them instantly screamed out to me 'Ruffian mani'. I haven't done a Ruffian for ages, so here we are!

Products Used

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Base Coat

17 Fast Finish in Fury (bronzed gold)

7 Fast Finish in Gemstone (deep wine purple)

♥

I do love a Ruffian mani and I think they look great for Autumn/Winter. What do you think?

Sigma Brush Order

A couple of weeks ago I made an order with Sigma for a few brushes so I thought I'd show you which ones I bought :)

The brushes

Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki - F80

As pretty much every beauty blogger has told me how good the F80 is, I had to buy one. Designed to buff in liquid foundation, I ordered it to use with this purpose in mind.

I like it for foundation application, it's certainly a step up from my e.l.f. Powder Brush. I find it more densely packed, and lovely and soft. I haven't experienced any shedding. It's a nice brush, but I'm not sure if it lives up to the hype but maybe that's just me?

Round Top Synthetic Kabuki - F82

I really liked the look of the round top on the F82 so I ordered one of these too. It's designed for achieving  flawless coverage with liquid and powder products, especially under the eyes and around the nose.

I started off using this to buff in my foundation and concealer and it gave a beautiful finish. However I've started using this to apply my foundation and I actually prefer it to the F80. It's soft and densely packed and it fits the contours of my face very well. Again, I haven't experienced any shedding with this brush.

Eye Liner - E05

For the amount of gel liners I have, I was running out of brushes, so I thought I'd give the Sigma liner brush a go. It's designed for achieving precision and giving fine lines.

The brush is soft but firm with a tapered end and it's perfect for applying gel liner! It's firm but flexible and I haven't had any shedding with this brush either.

Lip - L05

I already own an L05 and I absolutely love it. I had to order another one!

It's the perfect size for filling in my lips with colour. Generally, I don't like lip brushes because they're small, spindly and pathetic. But the Sigma one is amazing. It's soft but firm, perfectly shaped and doesn't shed.

♥

As my order total was over $30 I received a free gift - what a lovely touch :)

Blending - E25 (Travel sized)

Primarily designed for blending and softening lines, the E25 can also be used to apply primer and base shadow colours.

A handy travel sized version of the E25 brush - perfect to add to my handbag for touching up crease work during the day. Beautifully soft and no shedding so far!

♥

I know I must be the last beauty blogger to have tried the Sigma F80. I'm really loving the F82 though, that'll be a definite repurchase for sure! I really like what I've tried so far. What are your favourite Sigma brushes?

Saturday Summary

Morning lovelies

Source

♥ One is slightly disillusioned with the X Factor judges. And it all started off so well...

♥ Car shopping

♥ Regretting :(

♥ Lovely work colleagues

♥ Buying a new family car!

♥ Getting the most amazing news :D

♥ Purchasing an iPhone 4S :D Can't wait for it to arrive!

~*~

Listening to:
001. Birdy - People Help The People
002. Delilah - Go
003. Rihanna - We Found Love

Reading:
Car brochures

Watching:
Strictly Come Dancing
CSI
Grey's Anatomy

Buying:
Avon Supershock Liners
ASOS sale bargains
iPhone 4S :D

A few to follow:
001. Beautylicious Love
002. Beauty's Bad Habit
003. Betwixt Beauty

~*~

How was your week?

Review: VO5 Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixir

I'm sure you know how much I've already raved about the VO5 Miracle Concentrate. Well, I picked up the Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixir to give my hair an extra treat. I am in love!

Product

VO5 say: Reconstructs damaged hair in 1 minute for dry, rebellious hair. Doubles the strength of hair to reduce breakage. Seeks out and binds to weak sites of every strand. Removes 75% more chlorine than shampooing alone.

I say: I had my reservations about using an oil based product on my hair, however I've been incredibly impressed! Since using this I think the condition of my hair has drastically improved. It's certainly noticeably softer and a lot more manageable. No more tangles for me!

Application

VO5 say: Use before shampooing. Wet hair. Using the triangle indicators as a guide, apply one application directly onto the hair and leave for up to 1 minute. Rinse hair, scalp and skin thoroughly, shampoo and rinse. Dry and style as usual. Can be used as often as required without overloading the hair.

I say: You can get about 5 uses out of a bottle of this which isn't bad value for money. Talking of the bottle, you flip the lid and squeeze to get the product out but as it's quite liquid, it can get a bit messy! The product smells quite nice. Reminds me of baby shampoo! I pour it on my scalp, massage it in, taking it down the length of my hair and leave for a minute before rinsing then I carry on with my regular shampoo and conditioning routine. My hair is left beautifully soft, silky and shiny. Thumbs up from me!

Price: The RRP for the newly packaged product is £4.28. For the one pictured, I have seen it at £4.99 and £4.07.

Size: 75ml

Available from: Online at Superdrug and Boots - please note both websites are showing different packaging. VO5 have relaunched this in the pink packaging to match the rest of the range :)

Ratings

Product: 10/10

Price: 10/10

Packaging: 8/10

Overall: 9/10

Repurchase: I'm on my 3rd 4th bottle and counting!

♥

Have you tried the VO5 haircare range?

NOTD: Illamasqua Faux Pas

I just had to show you my new favourite nail polish!

Faux Pas is one of the new rubber finish polishes from the Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless Collection, and it's a beautiful blue-violet shade.

I can't stop looking at my nails! I'm super impressed because it was opaque in one coat! 

♥

What do you think? Have you picked up any of the Theatre of the Nameless polishes?