Lazy Girl Guide to Skincare

I'm ridiculously lazy when it comes to skin care. My philosophy tends to be the less time the products take me, the happier they make me. So, this is my skincare regime at the moment - or as I'm putting it, my lazy girl's guide.

Morning
So, my alarm goes off, I hit snooze, it goes off again, snooze - this goes on for a while until I drag myself out of bed and grimace at my face in the mirror. O joy! The first thing I do is use my Natio Gentle Cleansing Wipes* to give my fave a quick refresh and cleanse. It's full of natural products such as green tea and chamomile and it just helps to get rid of whatever make up residue may be left from the day before.
Next comes my La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo - I know, it's not on the picture (I left it at the boys like an idiot) but this has become a real staple is spot busting for me. I pop it on everyday in the morning and it works at cleaning my pores as well as minimising the blemishes I do have. Not only that but it works as a fab make up base. Then I moisturise with my Fade Out White Original Moisturising Cream* to replace all moisture that my Effaclar Duo has taken out and to brighten up my face, ready for the war paint.

Evening
Here comes the laborious task of taking my make up off. I hate doing it and it always makes me a bit sad. The best make up remover I have found has to be Bioderma Crealine H20, it's a micellar(?) cleaner, so water based, great for your skin and a genius at removing make up. I use this with a huge baby cotton pad so not to waste pads - one will do my entire face. If I need an extra dose for eye make up I use the usual round pads.
Then comes the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, just to double cleanse and remove all horrible grit and dirt. I don't double cleanse every night, mainly every other otherwise I feel it's a bit harsh on my skin so I try to keep it to a minimum. Again, an all natural cleanser and probably the most hyped in blogger world. Then lastly I pop some more of my Fade Out White Original Moisturising Cream to pop some much needed moisture back into my face. Poor face!

So that is my routine, it's not a huge one and it's definitely not a religious one - hence the lazy girls guide! This tends to be working really well for my skin at the moment. The Natio Cleansing Wipes* are a new addition that have restored my faith in face wipes. They are really gentle and really fab at cleaning your skin and keeping it nice and refreshed. I would definitely recommend them.

I do use other bits and bobs every now and then, for example every two weeks I use Origins Out of Trouble Mask and the weeks I don't use that I use an exfoliator, such as The Body Shops Vitamin C Microdermabrasion. Just for those times my skin needs an extra bit of help.

What's your tips for speedy yet fab skin routine?

Shop my Stash #4 Batiste Dry Shampoo

Batiste Dry Shampoo

I don't know why I have never reviewed this on here before. I have done is as a guest post on Steph's blog before but otherwise I just didn't do it. Bizarre. Everyone has heard of Batiste before (if not where have you been living?) and everyone I know who has used it has loved it.

It's a dry shampoo and basically I spray it in my roots (underneath) and then massage in to create a bigger style. I use this on all days I don't wash my hair as it just gives it bigger lease of life and means you can go that extra day without washing it. Parfait! This is a cute little travel edition I took to New York with me. I have tried Blush and Cherry scents and love them both, I prefer blush though as it's a bit more subtle than cherry.

Overall - GO GET THIS! It's cheap as chips and I cannot live without this! Go go go!

What is your favourite dry shampoo?

War of Concealers

Concealers are a staple in every girls make up bag. Without them we run the risk of dark circles and pesky blemishes. Therefore it's incredibly important to get the right concealer. At the moment there are three in my life that I'm having difficulty choosing between - all three are fab at different things.

First up in a new discovery, please welcome into your life the Natio Natural Cover Concealer*. It's from the land of Australia and it made with all natural ingredients. As you can see it is a little darker than the others, and therefore darker than my natural tone. However, I have found this works really well on really stubborn blemishes, you just need the smallest drop, blend it and voila. It lasts for AGES as well. Probably the longest lasting of the three, just a little off colour.

Secondly, Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory is as fabulous as the rest of the Wake Me Up collection. As you can see this is the lightest of the bunch (middle swatch) so it works ridiculously well as your under eye concealer. I do use this one the most for that, not so fabulous on blemishes as it seems to be a bit too translucent for them, but it was made for dark circles!

Lastly, is the one thats probably raved about all over the blogging world. It is the closest skin match out of the three and is therefore perfect on normal blemishes. This is the one I tend to carry around in my purse for touch ups during the day (hence the state of the packaging) and it is probably still my go to.

All three of these serve a purpose in my make up bag and they all have something amazing to offer. Natio is quite an unknown brand so I would definitely check them out. All their products are natural based and you can get it at Debenhams.

Which concealers do you swear by? Am I a tad mental for having 3?

Enrapture Encode Totem Styler

Enrapture Encode Totem Hair Styler

I'm rubbish. I bought this MONTHS ago and I still haven't told you guys about it. Yes, rubbish Lisa. So here it is, better late than never - the incredibly hyped, and pretty incredible Encode Totem Hair Styler.

I'm really fussy with curls. I LOVE having gorgeous wavy curls in my hair, I just think they frame my face really well and it's just a nice way to wear your hair. However, I'm not a huge fan of very tight curls or the kinks you get at the bottom of you hair with tongs. So yes, I was dubious about these cause in my head why would these solve my fussy curl problem when no others have? Once upon a time my GHD's gave me the perfect wave, but not anymore (I got news ones and they just aren't the same).

Well, honestly, this is pretty specatular. What's different about this styler is that it has three different sections to the tong, and you're able to control the temperature of each section depending on the type of curl you want - 1 being not very curly, 3 being very. I have discovered that 1,2,2 works best for the type of style I want my hair to have. In the picture above I have used that combination to create this look and I love it!

It does stay curled for a good couple of days afterwards. The day after you curl it, I find mine has dropped really nicely for a more casual, surf girl wavy look and is perfect for mixing up with a bit of salt spray.

Overall I cannot say enough good things about this styler! It's so easy to use and really does cater itself for everyone's favourite type of look.
I got mine from Amazon for around £39 but it looks like it's gone up to £56 here alternative you can get them from Argos as well for £59 here  . It really is worth the price tag from my point of view, I don't know how I could live without these now!

Have you used Enrapture products before?

Tart Deco

Essie Tart Deco £7.99

This is so NOT a winter colour. It's definitely one for the summer. However, Santa left this little pot of joy in my stocking so I was determined to try it before the summer. As with the entire Diffusion range (in Boots) it comes with a thicker brush which makes it easier to apply and has less chance of leaking onto the skin. The formula itself is really creamy and doesn't leave brush streaks (score!). I popped two coats of this on top of my Models Own base coat and I was so please with it.

It came out a lot more neon than I was expecting. I thought it would be a really pale coral, put it's quite a bright, loud coral - which was quite a nice surprise! I have wanted this colour forever and it didn't disappoint, however I might have to save it for the summer to pop it on again (maybe...).

It didn't last as long as a couple of other Essie polishes I have (Snap Happy lasted for aaages), it was a couple of days and then I started noticing chips. But when you work in a retail store what do you expect! Overall, big thumbs up from me!

What's you favourite winter Essie?

Shop my Stash #3 Aussie Miracle Moist

Yes, I know, I've spoken about this set before (a few times) but I've never actually done a proper review on this, so I thought I would add it into my Shop my Stash series.

I first used this when I bought the travel version when I went to Dublin in September. It was love at first lather. It was a mixture of the smell, the amount of lather and just the general feeling of using it in the shower. Which I know, sounds weird, but that's how it felt.

Not only that, but it left my hair feeling really soft and really healthy. My hair hasn't been in the greatest of health since the accidental black incident, but this set made it feel happy and healthy again and it made it look like it had a new lease of life.

I would definitely recommend giving Aussie a go. They have a wide variety of ranges to suit all different hair types. My Mum uses them as well and loves them so it's definitely a brand for all types!

Have you tried Aussie? Which range is your go-to?

The Perfect Bold Lip

Ok, so perfect may be a little strong, but this is basically how I accommodate a bright lip and it seems to work well for me! Up until a few months ago I hated the idea of wearing bold bright lipstick, I just really didn't think it suited me and was never brave enough to wear it. Now I find any excuse to slap on a bright pink, coral or red - and I'm still searching for the perfect berry!

What I find really important when sporting a bold lip is preperation. I get quite dry lips and the last thing I want is to have bold flakes all over my lips. Not attractive. So I always start with an exfoliator, my favourite being Lush's Bubblegum Lip Scrub. It's incredibly yummy and gets rid of all the dead flakes. Scrummy yummy. Then I moisturise and revitalise, the one I am loving at the moment is Nivea's Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose. It's a gorgeous lip balm that softens instantly and tastes amazing.

Then I get my colour on. My two favourite bold lips at the moment are Rimmel's Kate Matte Lipstick in shade 107 (review here) and Rimmel's Moisture Renew in Lily Extase (review here). Both really bold and gorgeous colours that I keep reaching for and both totally different from the other. I love both of these and would highly recommend them both. (Don't ask me why the two pictures are different tones - my camera was obviously doing something weird).

So really, my main tip for a bold lip is preparation! Make sure your lips are in the best condition as bold colours highlight everything. And make sure you're confident in the colour you're wearing, otherwise it'll be completely lost in a face of uncertainty.

Hope you liked this post! Little bit different but definitely something I want to keep doing so let me know if you'd like any more how to's etc.!

What's your tip for the perfect bold lip?

Shop My Stash #2 L'Oreal Caresse

 

L'Oreal Caresse Lipstick in Rebel Red and Dating Coral £7.99 each

Yes, I am fully aware I have reviewed L'Oreal Caresse before, but not these colours - and these are the two I probably use the most. I bought these two about four or so months ago after falling in love with my initial Caresse purchases. I won't bore you again with a review on the product, you can see that here, but let's talk about the colours!

Dating Coral was the first of these two as it was when I was still on my hunt for the perfect summer coral lip colour. It's not my perfect coral lipstick, but I do like the colour. It's a really nice everyday colour that is easy to top up without a mirror and still gives that hint of colour.

Rebel Red is a really nice subtle sheer red. I love this and is one of my most used lipsticks when I'm not in work (much to Adam's dismay!). It's a really nice shade of red for those who aren't quite brave enough to do a proper red lip. This is definitely my favourite Caresse at the moment!

I do love the Caresse lipsticks, I think they are just the perfect alternative to lipsticks if you're not a big lipstick person. I would definitely recommend them!

What's your lipstick alternative? Are there any you've found when you've shopped your stash?

Wishlist: Tarte

This little brand wishlist is probably aimed more for my readers over the pond than those in the UK. Tarte is a brand I had read about on essiebutton where she raved about their blushes, so when I was in New York I picked one up and it is honestly the best product I own. My Dad actually went to Seattle last week and I sent him on a hunt to get me some Tarte bits as well so! It's just such a shame we can't get it here - devastated doesn't even cover it!
So, if you are in the States - take my advice and get some of Tarte's products, you will NOT regret it - and if you're feeling super generous send some over? Ta!

1  |  Glamazon Pure Performance 12 Hour Lipstick in Bold $26.00
I saw this on a haul video from essiebutton and fell in love with the colour. It's a gorgeous red berry colour and I just love the packaging. It's all wooden with super cute patterns on the lid. The product itself is infused with its clay properties and if it's anything like it's clay blush it'll be there for 12 hours easily!

2  |  LipSurgence Lip Luster Tint in Glisten $24.00
This is kind of like the Clinique Chubby Sticks and Revlons Just Bitten Balm Stains and the luster in the name makes me think it will have the same glisteny finish of the Mac lustre lip sticks. The colour itself looks to be a nice pinky coral, perfect for spring and I just love these types of lip products.

3  |  Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Frisky $25
I have this is Dollface and it's honestly the best purchase I've ever made. The colour is really gorgeous and buildable and the product stays on for hours - much longer than anything I have ever used before. And I just love the packaging, each case is a different colours depending on which shade you choose. Frisky looks like a gorgeous orangey red that could give you that classic snow white look.

4  |  Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Mineral Powder Bronzer $29
Again, if their bronzer is anything like their blusher than this is definitely a must have buy. I love bronzers in the summer teamed with blush and I've started using them in the winter as well for a bit of colour, but am still to find the perfect one - who knows, this could be the answer to my bronzer questions. I just need to fly to the US to get it...

5  |  Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow in Slate $19
My Dad has actually bought me back a couple of these from Seattle so there will be a review up soon about these. What drew me to them is, again, that it's the same amazonian clay as the blush, and i've gotten really into eyeshadows lately and I loved this colour. I'm hoping it lives up to my expectations - I will keep you informed!

This is where I wish I had moved to New York when I'd finished Uni, but I made my choose and it made me Tarte-less. Sad sad times! I hope those over the pond have enjoyed this! I love that I have American readers so thanks for taking the time to look! And for all those everywhere else, if you ever go to the States - keep an eye out for Tarte!

What American brands do you love? Does anyone know where we might get Tarte in the UK?

What's in my Shower

Okay, so I know this could be seen as a little weird but I wanted to just give you guys an insight into what I am currently using when I pop into that little box called a shower. Products I use in there seems to change on a monthly basis - it basically depends on what I have in my cupboard at the time or what I have to use. So without furthur ado - here is my shower routine.

The first thing I use in the shower is the VO5 Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixir. I basically use the suggested amount and smooth it into wet hair, mainly in the lengths and the ends. I try to avoid my roots as I don't want them to get too greasy and oily but it works really well in the tips of my hair. I leave this is for a minute to really absorb and whilst I am doing this I use my Body Shop Strawberry Body Polish to exfoliate. What I really like about this is that it isn't too scratchy, I hate really scratchy exfoliators. This has walnut pieces and kiwi seeds in it to really get rid of all the dry skin and dirt and it just smells incredible.

Moving onto shampoo, I have about three different types that I may use. The first is Bumble & Bumble BB Sunday Shampoo which is my main clarifying shampoo. I use this about once a week to really give my hair a good wash. I also have DGJ Organics Hangover Shampoo, which is another clarifying one, that I tend to use on really special occassions or when I've used way too much product on it the night before. My normal shampoo and conditioner combo is Aussie Miracle Moist, which I use once a week when I don't use a clarifying one. It's just a really nice normal moisturising set that I cannot get enough of.

Finally, when I have my conditioner in my hair and I'm leaving it to soak it up, I use Soap & Glory's Whipped Clean Shower Cream to give me an extra clean and I also use it as my shower cream. It's so moisturising, really smooth and smells great. Pricey but so worth it!

So basically this is how I stay nice and clean and not smelly! I hope you liked it, a bit different from the usual reviews I do, but I've enjoyed doing it so I hope you've enjoyed reading it!

What products do you swear by in the shower?

My Winter Outfit

I wear:

Coat: Topshop  |  Jumper: H&M  |  Scarf: Lola Rose  |  Skirt: Topshop  |  Boots: H&M  |  Nails: Essie Snap Happy

OMG IT'S AN OUTFIT PHOTO! I know, it's been a while. But I finally got some done yay! It's pretty much been my typical outfit this winter. My comfy new coat is my everyday winter coat. It's toasty warm and kept me nice and comfy during New York as well.

Underneath is a comfy H&M jumper with my skater skirt. Sometimes I swap the skirt for jeans, depending on my mood, but the general outfit has been the same.

Now, moving on to my favourite part of the outfit - my gorgeous Lola Rose scarf. One of my favourite Christmas presents. It's grey hearts with zebra print pattern, so definitely unique and another fab product from Lola Rose.

So yes, this is my usual winter look at the moment and yes it is finally a outfit photo after about 2 months of none (opps!). Hopefully I can keep it up!

What's your winter outfit?

Shop my Stash #1 Sheer Blonde Go Blonder

So, this is the first in a new series of reviews I will be doing that is completely based on products I have had floating around in my bathroom for months, waiting to be used and reviewed. As I am no longer allowed to shop (hello house deposit) I thought this was the perfect way to keep my reviews coming!
Yes, I know, I'm not blonde. But my hair does go quite light, especially when it's in the sun. I bought this spray months and months ago and have decided to finally review it as part of my new "shop my stash" resolution.

Basically, I bought this spray because when I went to Australia in summer 2011 I came home with gorgeous naturally highlighted hair and I loved it. So I was hoping this spray might try and recreate this. I think I was a bit naive. Okay, very naive.

You spray this into wet hair, comb it through and then dry as normal. If I'm honest, I didn't really notice a difference. My hair did seem a little bit brighter I guess, if I looked at it closely and really wanted it to look brighter, but overall no. I don't know if it's just because I'm not actually blonde - it probably works quite well on blondes! Not only that, but it made my hair feel very hay like and a bit sticky.

Overall, I wouldn't repurchase this. I think I had hopes of grandeur ... But maybe I just need to go back to Australia...

Have you tried this? Did it work for you?

Essie Winter 2012 Collection

Essie Winter 2012 Collection £9.99

I have fallen completely in love with Essie this year. Rewind one year ago and I didn't have a clue - hadn't heard of Essie, now I own a few too many! This gorgeous set is part of their winter collection and is three of shades from that collection, Leading Lady

My lovely Mum bought me this set when she came in and saw me at work and I was having a "want to kill everyone" day and she knows I'm trying to be good and not buy anything at the moment. So she treated me, what a lovely Mummy I have.

I have wanted Leading Lady for aaaaages. It just looks like Christmas perfection, and yes, I did notice Christmas has gone BUT it still remains one of my favourite nail varnishes now. Its a gorgeous deep red with subtle flecks of glitter. I have two coats on here, but to be honest you probably only need about one for depth of colour. I always do 2 just in case though. It last's really well - in the photo above I'd been wearing it for around 5 days so super super lasting power!

Beyond Crazy is like a super duper glitter polish. As you can see, it is an incredibly glittery polish and doesn't need a colour underneath it. The picture above is just one coat so you can see just how dense the sparkle is. It's a silvery gold, so it will very easily go with everything.

Snap Happy is a kind of orangey red. More red than orange, but it's not like a super dupey "tramp" red (as my old manager used to call it). It's more of a subtle red. You do need a couple of coats with this (I feel you do anyway) just to make sure you get the most out of this gorgeous colour. I think this will be amazing in the summer months as well as a great Christmas colour.

Overall, loving this collection and the polishes. Leading Lady is my favourite, I think it is just a gorgeous polish and I've had so many compliments over the past few days about it, it will definitely be a repurchase when I run out (if they still do it!).

Which do you prefer?

How I Style: Baroque

Baroque seems to be everywhere this winter, and I'm not surprised. I didn't actually realise how much I had in this style until I sorted my stuff out the other day and voila! Lots of baroque! Who knew! Anyway, it's been forever since I've done anything fashion related and it's a nightmare to try and do an OOTD at the mo, so I decided to go a "How I Style" post instead... Hope you enjoy!

Birthday Outfit
I actually have this outfit... well, the skirt and top and books just like it. The top is a basic black peplum which is a must have it any girls wardrobe nowaways and the skirt is a jersey pencil skirt, black with a bronze/gold design from New Look (unforutantely not available anymore). Team together and it's the perfect match. Sometimes I have tucked the top into the skirt and hidden the peplum (Adam prefers it like this) and it's great both ways. Just team with a chunky gold necklace and some black ankle boots and you have my birthday outfit!

Shopping Trip
You can't really go wrong with a blazer and jeans and this cute little peplum is the perfect example of how to jazz up the baroque trend - it doesn't all have to be black and gold! Not only that but it's only £12 in Dorothy Perkins - bargain! Jeans and blazer are from Toppers. I've tried to bring the purple out with these gorgeous slipper-esk pumps from BooHoo and then a basic black bag from H&M to carry all your credit cards in!

Lunch with the Girls
I love teaming cute dresses with chunky knits at this time of years. It's a way of looking cute and smart, but staying warm n chic. I fell in love with this Oasis dress, fitted and in the sale in House of Fraser. Pop it with some classic black tights for a timeless feel and this gorgeous tan cardigan to bring out the golds in the dress. Finally top it off with some cowboy ankle boots to keep your feet comfy.


How would you style these items?

Lily Extase

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Lily Extase £6.29

This is another lipstick I've recently found buried within my bathroom. I bought this and another called Coral Queen (to be reviewed soon!) from Asos when they were having a Rimmel sale and they really are lovely lipsticks.

Colour
It speaks for itself really, you can see how loud and proud it is and it did scare me a bit. However, it actually worked out really well. It's a gorgeously rich colour that actually works really well with my skin tone and just livens up my usual routine.

Quality
It actually feels like a really good lipstick. It feels quite soft and glides on smoothly with even coverage that lasts for a good couple of hours. The gloss fades but the colour remains which is the important bit. A really good quality lipstick I feel.

Price
Not expensive, it's actually a really good price for what it is and I think I managed to get it in the ASOS sale for £3 which isn't too bad at all!

Overall, I am really happy with this product. It's such a good quality with a low price tag and the colour is gorgeous - definitely not one for a shy one though!

Have you tried Rimmel's Moisture Renew? Which shades do you love?

Easy Meals by Rachel Allen

Yes I know, a completely different kind of post from me today. With the plan of moving in with the boy this year I thought it was probably about time I got a couple of cook books so I could do some lovely home made meals. His Mum is probably the best cook I know so he has been spoilt for life - something I now have to live up to! So, I had a look through some of them in WHSmith with the view of finding meals Adam will actually eat (he is very picky!)

Eventually I stumbled across Easy Meals by Rachel Allen, it's a mix of different types of recipes ranging from mussels to oreo sundaes. It is full of original recipes that are easy to make and scrummy to eat. So far I have tried one recipe, chicken and chorizo rice, and it was so good. Ridiculously easy to make with minimal ingredients and incredibly tasty.

I really want to try Spanish Mussles. I love mussels and if they are in a restaurant I will usually pick them. I love that with this recipe it's mixed with something other than white wine and garlic - I can't wait to give it a go!

Overall, fab first cook book for the little house girlfriend (bit soon to say wife) and I'm so excited to try everything out... Orea Sunday anyone?

What recipe books couldn't you live without?