Products I said I would never buy

There have been a few products that have haunted this blog which I have deemed unworthy of their expensive price tag. Two of these were the Nude Perfect Cleanse Nourishing Oil and the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder. Now, judging from the photo you will guess that I have in fact, now, bought these products. But let me explain. I promise I'm not a hypocrite.

The past two months of blog reading has seen a lot of reviews about the Hourglass Powder. This was then wonderfully peaked in a collab video of Fleur de Force, Hello October and I Covet Thee on their 'Holy Grail High End Products' - great viewing, I really recommend! Then Caroline Hirons featured the Nude Oil on her blog saying (I quote)  'I love this cleanser.' Now how can you say no to the Hirons?! Finally, Space Nk tempted me with £15 off when you spend £60. I took this offer as a sign to finally see what the fuss was about…Now do you understand why I gave in?

One thing I didn't know about Nude was that they are as natural as beauty products can be. This is a quality I always look for when testing new products - I don't like no naaaasties. Infact one of the ingredients in this is broccoli - yes that's right people, broccoli! Now we know I love an oil cleanser due to my regular praise of the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil. However, I have actually tried a high-end oil, mainly because I didn't see the point in the price tag. But after testing I can firmly say that this a beautiful cleanser: a luxurious oil which thorough cleanses my skin and has noticeably helped to regulate the oil on my T-zone.

This product can be used morning or evening as first or second cleanse. The price for the amount of millilitres you get still scares me a little, making me think it would be a waste to use this as a first cleanse. But you can apply the oil straight to dry skin and then emulsify it with warm water to create a very light milk which will then further help to remove all makeup. On a side note, this product just looks beautiful in the bathroom cabinet!

The Hourglass powder I feel is more of an investment - when you think about it you only use a little bit of powder everyday and there is a lot of product here to get through. I went for the shade diffused light after many bloggers said this was their preferred shade. What's so great about this powder is whilst it helps to set your makeup and blot that shiny nose, it adds a delicate touch of shimmer, creating a very natural glow. So far I've found that my oil control is much better after applying this in the morning: I now only need one touch up throughout the day rather than having to consistently blot my nose every time I go to the bathroom!

Whilst both of these products are indeed quite pricey, they definitely have very satisfying results. Never say never kids. 

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Monthly Favourites Update

It seems like a lifetime ago since I did a favourites post. The unglamorous third year life was not very exciting, I rarely changed my routine in terms of skincare and makeup, and being unemployed for a few months left me restrained from Space NK splurges. But there university life is no more and I now have a small part time job which means I can definitely have a splurge or two! Anyhow, there are no more excuses. So here are some of the things I have been loving for the past month…and a bit!

We all know I have been a loyal Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish fan for a very long time. Despite this affection however, the release of their limited edition fragranced cleansers didn't get me excited. I now realise what an idiot I was. The jasmine & osmanthus version is absolutely beautiful and is perfect for a nighttime cleanse due to its relaxing aroma. Exactly the same formula as the original, just with the lovely addition of some floral scents.

The bareMinerals Complexion Rescue has been on my face every day (almost) since I bought it. I am definitely a hoarder of lightweight bases but I think this may be my favourite lightweight base of them all.  No kidding. You can read my full review of it here.

Likewise the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Dim Infusion has not left my makeup bag. It gives my complexion such a radiating boost. I think the best way to describe this is healthy complexion is a box.

The Sarah Chapman Overnight Facial is a hero product in my skincare drawer. When you can't be bothered to do too much with your skin in the evening put this on and wake up feeling like you had a full pre-bed facial. Results from this product are instant and amazing, making it worth its slightly expensive price tag.

Last but certainly not least, I have loved using the Original Source Skin Quench. It was the smell that attracted me to this product - the lime and coconut one. It is so zingy and fresh. But it was the smell of the moisturiser that encouraged me to apply it everyday after showering and my skin really noticed the benefits of a good old moisturise! Goodbye dry elbows and knees.

What have been your recent favourites?

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The Brow Diaries

A large chunk of my life has been dedicated to maintaing my brows. Sad but true. I've had some waxing incidents and some mono-brow horrors, but most importantly, I've never over plucked. My brow obsession led me last year to having a picture of the ultimate Delevigne brow pinned on my uni bedroom wall...but perhaps I shouldn't have admitted that. Anyhow, the point I'm getting at is I've got quiet a few products in my makeup bag dedicated to getting these brows in grooming perfection.

A trusty boy, and the first member to begin the collection was Benefit Brow Zings. This is the ultimate handy brow tool, with wax one side a powder the other, and some mini brushes and tweezers so your brows can be looked after on the go. I now prefer to powder through (obviously with the brow brush of Mac 266) and then apply the wax just a little at the front.

My favourite, or everyday go to I should say, is the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil. With a spooley one end and a lovely creamy wax pencil the other this one is so quick and easy to use. I always get a thick, bold brow with this one. Recently however, my friends bought me the Charlotte Tilbury Brow Lift Pencil and I have to say not only is the colour the perfect match to my brows but it creates an equal if not better brow than the Hourglass...expect big things from this!

The final pencil comes in the shame of Soap and Glory's 2-in-1 Archery Brown Pencil. This is a much smaller pencil and at the moment takes a bit more time for me to use this so I can my brows nice and even and not too scary. However, for the price this is seriously a firm contender with the luxury items of my collection.

And last, but not least, is my Benefit gimme Brow. I blooming love this and thing Benefit should be awarded a brow crown for its creating. Just a simple little mascara like wand that you sweep through the brows to shape and colour. I like to apply this on top on my Hourglass to keep the place nice in shape or on a more natural makeup day when I don't want too much colour in my brows. 

Its a long story when it comes to brows I'm afraid. What are your brow go to's?

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