JANUARY FAVOURITES

I decided to do a favourites post to share what I've been loving over the past month and a bit. I've not had time to finish this post before now but it's better late than never. During the month of January I tried out new products and items I got for Christmas as well as using items I've loved for a while

Mac's mineralize skinfinish (Lightscapade)
I'd been wanting to try this for ages but just hadn't gone out and got it. I love how subtle this highlighter is as it sits perfectly on the skin. I chose the lightest one (as I'm very pale) so I'm guessing the other shades would show up slightly more. I have Topshop's cream highlighter (Glow) in the shade polish which I feel doesn't blend as well with foundation and sits on top like an extra layer even when blended out. Lightscapade is perfect for everyday make up so you'll definitely get a lot of use out of it. 

Benefit's Brow zings
I wasn't sure this product was worth the money so decided to try a cheaper alternative as I'd never used wax and powder to do my eyebrows. I was running low and luckily received this for christmas. This is definitely worth the money compared to cheaper alternatives. The quality of the product is so good and defines the brows perfectly. The brushes in the set also make application so much easier because they're so small. This product stays in place a lot better than cheaper alternatives and the packaging is also fab. Gimme brow is the perfect combo for this product and I would definitely repurchase both.

Topshop mum jeans
These are so comfy and go with everything! I decided I needed an alternative to my skinny jeans and fell in love with these ever since my sister got some. These are definitely my go to pair of jeans at the moment and they'll be perfect as the weather gets warmer too.

Nike flex 2015 ladies running trainers
My old ones were falling apart and my boyfriend saved the day with these Nike running trainers. These are a teeny bit too big for me as I'm in between sizes which is very annoying but they support my feet perfectly. The arch is slightly raised so adds cushioning and the soles are super flexible so they're comfortable to run in.

My dressing gown and cosy socks
I live in both throughout the year but especially in the winter. I love being cosy as I'm always freezing and these both target that problem straight away.

Nutribullet
I have also been loving my Nutribullet. It's quick, easy and very clean, so making smoothies isn't such a chore. It's so versatile meaning you can make nearly anything you want with it but I tend to just stick to smoothies and milkshakes.

Eastenders
This has been so good recently and I look forward to it every evening, even on wednesdays when I forget it's not on! Stacey's storyline has been so intense and gripping that I've looked forward to every episode.

Craig David
I've never payed attention to his music until recently and I'm now obsessed. His music is really chilled and laid back, perfect for revison. I try to not to listen to the same songs constantly because then I know I'll end up hating them so I'll definitely have to add them to my iTunes and hope they come up on shuffle.

Amy x

August Empties

I do apologise for the lack of posts over the past couple of weeks but our wifi has just decided to stop working.  My next post planned was my holiday lookbook but I haven’t been able to get the pictures so that will be up in the near future.

So lets get on with todays post, My August Empties. It normally takes me ages to finish a product as I use a product until its finished and then replace it with a new alternative. As I’m the only one using them it takes a while so I thought before I forget and throw everything away I best do this post.

The first product I finished was the Superdrug Pro Vitamin silky smooth shampoo (£?). At first this made my hair a little greasier quicker than normal as it has argan oil in it and I rarely use conditioner or any other products because I have THE thinnest hair in the universe. But after a few washes my hair adjusted to the shampoo and it made my hair feel soft and replenished which is definitely what it needed. My hair now looks and feels a lot healthier.

Secondly is the Original Source shower gel (Normally £2.30, Now £1). A little goes a long way so this lasted ages! I love the smell and they have so many different ones there will 100% be one you’ll like.

Then there's the Freederm Daily Complex (£7.30). I love this stuff! I definitely saw a difference after the first use and as my skin cleared up I stopped using it until needed. Time and time again it did its job and reduced the redness and size of spots. If you apply foundation directly after applying this it doesn’t give the best finish. So I suggest you let it sink in properly first. Once it’s sunk in foundation looks beaut. Sometimes mixing it with foundation gave a more natural no make up make up look and lightens foundation.

Another product was the Johnson's make up be gone clear skin wipes (£3.05? from Superdrug). To be honest I didn’t notice they improved my skin but they didn’t cause any breakouts and removed the majority of my make up. They did fairly well to not dry out considering they were in an air conditioned room.

Next is the peroxide solution from Specsavers. I get through so many of these as I wear contacts near enough everyday. The only downfall to this product is that if it doesn't dilute properly. I found this out when I had a faulty pot as every time I put my contacts in my eyes stung and felt like they were burning. But this product does clean them thoroughly so my contacts last the whole month.

My recent foundation empty is Benefits Hello Flawless (£26.50). This is probably one of the best colour matches that I've found as well as the powder so they've done well with that however I'm not a lover of dewey foundation as by the end of the day it's almost dewey anyway so this wasn't the perfect foundation for me.

Last is one of my all time fave products and one of many finished and that is Batiste shampoo (around £3). This is amazing and helps give volume and save my hair for one more day without washing. The mini ones are fab to keep in your bag or take on holiday to save space but these big ones are great to keep at home as they last for ages.

Amy x

Dubai Haul

I wouldn't say I went overboard on my holiday shopping, my boyfriend definitely did. I was actually surprised with how little I came home with but as always it was a struggle to repack my case as much as it was to actually pack it in the first place. Yes I am that person who has to pack an outfit for each day of the holiday and especially if it's going to be 50 degrees. Everything I bought was in dirhams but I'll tell you the prices anyway incase you're visiting.

The picture above contains all of the items I bought for my room as I've recently moved rooms because we had an extension built. I chose to paint it light grey and have white furniture so I can jazz it up with decorations and it doesn't matter what colour they are. At the top is a piece of art made out of leather (60AED). I picked this up when we went to the heritage museum which was really interesting, containing information about the history of Dubai. The seven camels represent the seven sheikhs of the UAE. I am currently on the look out for a frame to put it up on my wall.  I chose this cushion (44AED) above from Fakih collections Antiques Museum because I think it's beautiful. If you're ever in Dubai this is the place to go and get all your souvenirs as everything is in one place. Finally just on the right is a metal postcard, I have an obsession with collecting postcards wherever I go. I never send them but I like to put them in my scrapbook. In this case I can't so this is another piece to decorate the wall with.

Next are a few bits and bobs. I got the two pouches as I thought they'd be useful to put in my bag and keep small things together so like chewing gum or make up etc. The camel one was from the textile suke (4AED) I think? and the pink one along with the keyring were from the Fakih Collections Antique Museum.

I bought the saucepan and frying pan from Daiso (9AED each) because one they're mini, two they're pink and three they're cute and I couldn't leave them there. I'm not sure how much food I'll exactly get in them but at least I can make mini pancakes. I then got the giraffe salad scoop things (10AED) from Fakih Collections Antique Museum because giraffes are my favourite animal and I find it hard to resist anything with a giraffe on so I just had to pick them up. Lastly there's the car air freshener (19AED) from lifestyle. I currently can't drive and don't have a car but as my test isn't far away I thought I'd prepare for the future somehow. These do smell amazing though, my mum's got one in the car and it's really strong so does what it's there to do. I've got mine in Vanilla but there are loads of other scents to choose from.

So moving on to my toiletries/cosmetics. I can't stress how many times I've been into Bath and Body Works. It is one of my all time faves. I have about 10 of their mini hand sanitisers but  haven't ever walked out with anything else. Both my mum and nan love them as they're so handy and come in every scent so I guess it runs in the family. This time I set out to buy matching shower gel and hand soap to look cute in my en suite but they didn't do the hand soap of my favourite shower gel scent (Amber blush 70 AED) which messed that one up a little so I ended up with these two above. They're fresh and the hand soap (Midnight pomegranate 40 AED) is a little fruity which is all you want when you leave the bathroom smelling your hands. That kind of sounds weird but everyone does it if the soap smells good. Hiding up the top there is my first ever NYX purchase from Lifestyle. I love this product! It's so nourishing for your lips but buildable for a more pigmented colour. It doesn't last all day but it's similar to a lib balm, once it sinks in it's gone but I like that it does two in one. 

How can you expect me to go into the worlds biggest sweetshop and come out with nothing. You're right, you can't. I could literally spend all day in Candylicious. Every time I go I bring back a bag of jelly beans that I've never tried before so I thought I'd carry on that tradition and this time thought I would try some more things out. I got the birthday cake m&ms (9AED) to try but I'm not too sure what they're going to be like, I guess I'll find out soon. As goes with the desserts flavoured skittles (9AED). I have never ever seen these before. Unless I'm blind I don't think we have these in the UK either. We're so boring when it comes to food really. And last but no means least are the two Airhead bars (9AED each) at the back. I've only ever tried raspberry and cherry ones I think before and they were nice so I thought I'd try some other flavours but the ones I found were no normal ones, they have 2 in 1 bar! I have one strawberry & watermelon and a pink lemonade & orange to try so I'll find out soon if they're good enough to repurchase 

Amy x

MUA Matte Lipstick Review

Wild Berry  £1.00

I was looking for a dark berry lipstick a few months ago and decided to pick this up in Superdrug. This is the perfect colour, exactly what I was on the hunt for and a pound!! My mum loves MUA's number 9 and uses it all the time so I thought I'd give this a try.

This shade on the internet is purple and the picture shows it as a brown but it's more of a burgundy red colour.

These lipsticks are great as they're so affordable and perfect for someone who's experimenting with lipstick. It enables people to find a colour to suit them without splashing the cash. I've used this over the past couple of months and have continued to love the colour but the matte consistency made it hard to apply as it didn't just glide on at first (as described on the website). This therefore make it look a bit like a lip tint but if you layer it up it does become bolder and the more you use it the more it does glide on.  Due to the fact it is a matte lipstick I thought it would dry out my lips but it didn't at all, it felt really moisturising. I did however tend to use a lip gloss over the top or mix it with another lipstick (thats probably against beauty rules) so the colour was more pigmented.  I wouldn't say it lasted all day but it does smell amazing and I would definitely recommend!

Amy x