New Favourite Cleanser | Organic Surge

Although in the UK we have been lucky enough to (somehow) avoid the freezing cold winter weather as we've been experiencing the mildest winter temperatures for years, there is still always a call for a good range of nourishing products to protect your skin from the elements. I'm a big fan of cleansers and have always used them to clean my skin morning and night, ready for bed. Liz Earle cleanse and polish has always been high on my list, although I've tried many others, but until now, there has never been a cleanser to truly open my eyes to the way I care for my skin. 

A few months back, I was lucky enough to be able to try out some fabulous products from a well-known skincare and beauty brand called Organic Surge. I fell in love with the range of products I tried and was thrilled to be able to try out the cleanser. Needless to say I had high hopes, and boy was I right to. 

I suffer with the odd monthly breakout, which at the time is incredibly uncomfortable and painful, not to mention confidence-shattering, and I will do everything in my power to make sure I'm taking good care of my skin so the scars from the spots repair a lot quicker. A cleanser is always a good place to start, and since I discovered I prefer using them regularly to exfoliators, I knew I'd be a fan of this one. It smells lovely and fresh, with a warm, soft undertone and the texture is amazing. It's creamy and light, with a balmy texture that really deep cleans the skin and leaves behind touchable, baby-soft skin. It's fairly obvious that I enjoyed using it from the first go, and along with a sink full of hot, steamy water and a soft muslin cloth, it did the trick for making my skin feel clean and soft. 

I thought I was on to a winner with this product from the first use, but it wasn't until the next day when I realised the fresh new cluster of red, angry spots had shrunk to almost nothing, leaving behind the tiniest little scabs, ready to begin healing. After not even a day of a breakout and only one use of the product, it was powerful enough to deep clean my skin and shrink my spots without drying out the skin or leaving it flaky. For me, this makes it a miracle product and I'm sure for many other people who suffer with the same or similar skin problems, it would be just as perfect. 

This product will definitely become a stable in my bathroom cupboard and I will reach for it daily. If you haven't already, check out Organic Surge for their fantastic range of luxury skincare and beauty products at affordable prices and with the use of organic, trusted ingredients and methods. They're a fantastic brand and definitely worth trying. 

I will be back in the new year with a fresh new look for my blog and lots more post ideas and possibly even a youtube video ??? (nervous giggle). 

Thanks for reading, 

xoxoxo

Organic Surge Product Review

I was recently very lucky enough to be sent some products from the luxury organic skincare brand Organic Surge. The first thing I noticed was how lovely the packaging is, with smooth, soft plastic and a white, red and silver colourway, the packaging alone sold the products for me before I'd even tried them! 

I decided to replace my current skincare routine for a month, and feeling a bit dubious about this decision as I'd been suffering with ugly breakouts, I had high hopes for these products. The product I used the most was the Blissful Daily Moisturiser (which I'm nearly out of! *sobs*). Out of the whole range, it is perhaps my favourite product, as I really can't fault it in any way. 

It's a smooth, velvety formula which glides onto skin like silk, and soaks in almost straight away, leaving no greasy, sticky residue but softening the skin just the right amount. I have quite oily skin and would usually use a super creamy moisturiser at night and a mattifying moisturiser before applying my makeup in the morning. However, with this little beauty I literally only have to use this morning and night. You only need a little bit which is perfect because it makes the product last a lot longer than most moisturisers. The only thing I am not uber keen on is the strong lemon scent, but only because I'm not usually a lemon scent fan! It is definitely bearable though and is very fresh smelling so I can see that many people would be more than happy with it's scent. Overall, it is a four star out of five moisturiser, and I will happily repurchase and continue to use!

My second favourite product (and second most regularly used), was the Tropical Bergamot Skin Perfecting Body Scrub. I use body scrubs very often as I can't stand dry skin, and as a phantom fake tanner, my skin dries out quite quickly and begins to get a bit patchy after a few weeks (ew). I was a bit unsure about the scrub's abrasive power as at first glance it's incredibly creamy. However, once used, it not only buffs away any dull, dry bits without much scrubbing, but it also leaves the skin feeling silky smooth as it's such a creamy consistency. Until using this product, I hadn't found a scrub that leaves my skin silky, as most of them require a moisturiser afterwards straight away. However with this beautiful scrub, you can wait a little while after scrubbing and not worry about dry skin, perfect! 

When it comes to skincare of the face, I'm never really sure where to turn to give my skin the best care. Many different companies will tell you different things to avoid spots, such as micellar waters, cleansers, toners, buffers and serums. But to get rid of dead skin cells, even out skin tones and prevent spots, everyone knows that the best thing to do for your skin is to exfoliate with a good, natural product and a hot flannel. This (Perfecting Face Polish) is by far the best exfoliator I have ever used, with a creamy, smooth texture and only tiny, grainy beads which don't stick to your face for ages afterwards. I found that when I was having a particularly bad breakout, if I washed my face with this morning and night, the spots would shrink almost immediately and feel a lot calmer and cleaner. Without harsh chemicals, you know that when using this, your skin is thanking you for giving it nutrients and not pumping it full of things it doesn't need.

If I didn't have enough time to exfoliate or cleanse, and my skin wasn't particularly very bad, I found this face wash very useful. It has the illusion of being a runny, difficult to apply soap but when you rub it into your hands it lathers up perfectly, almost sticky to the touch but foaming when it is warmed up. It's brilliant for on-the-go, in-a-rush application, and leaves the skin feeling silky smooth and perfectly cleansed. This product will last me a long time, as I've used it quite a lot in a month and I still have nearly all of it remaining!

Next up is the Gentle Cleansing Lotion which is great when you follow it up after the exfoliator. It's smooth and creamy, and easy to apply, again, just like the others, leaving the skin clean and clear and smooth to the touch. I used it with cotton pads and followed up with the moisturiser before bed, as it's a perfect night-time product. It's not particularly light, so I would rather use it at night but if you're a fan of super nourished skin in the daytime (perhaps if you have naturally dry skin or don't really wear much makeup), it's perfect. Again, like the other products, you don't need to use too much, which means it will last you a long long time, even if you do use it daily!

Last, and certainly not least is the Deep Cleansing Face Mask. There is absolutely no reason why I have reviewed this one last, as I believe it was one of my favourites. When you fancy a pamper, it's nice to be able to pop on a face mask and look forward to seeing the benefits afterwards, and the easiest way to use a face mask is to get it from a bottle, meaning it will be a long long time until you run out and there's no need for any fiddly little packets! I left this on for ten minutes but I believe you could leave it on longer as it doesn't go dry and crackly like other face masks do. It settles on the skin and dries out a little, but it almost goes invisible as it sinks into your skin so well, so you can tell you skin is really getting the benefits. After washing off with warm water you can instantly see how much brighter your complexion looks and I can 100% confirm it is worth every penny. 

Overall, I was really impressed with the Organic Surge product range and I can definitely confirm I will be purchasing more products as they have an abundance more on their website. I have my eye on the Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser and the Reviving Eye Gel. They have a huge range, from creams and lotions to shampoos and shower gels, so there's plenty to choose from for all types of customer. The prices are reasonable and they are undoubtedly worth every penny. I urge anybody who is interested in skincare products with no nasty chemicals and humble, honest labels and values to check out Organic Surge, as I can assure you won't be disappointed!

xoxo

H&M Beauty Haul & Review

So just a few days ago I shared a post about the production of the very new Beauty department at H&M Norwich. As a member of staff (and a beauty fanatic) I thought it was only right I delve in and buy a few bits to try out and share my thoughts on. Clearly I went a little overboard, but never mind, you only live once! There are many different products, ranging from nail polishes, lipsticks, eyeshadows and bases (foundation, concealers and primers), to body and hair products and tools such as creams, lotions, shampoos and brushes. There was so much to chose from that I thought I'd begin with colours, as I find they're the most exciting products to try out! I stuck religiously to nail polishes, lipsticks and eyeshadows, and I can honestly say they didn't disappoint! 

So the first products I spied were the pallets, which are so so beautiful. There's about six different pallets, each with an incredibly pretty and different colourway. I chose one to begin with which was difficult as I was toying between this one (Ready, Set, Glow) which is mainly golds and bronzes, and a khaki toned pallet. I wanted to go for something I wouldn't normally wear but which would compliment my eyes. Golds always look good with blue eyes, and as I don't have many, I thought this would be easy to start with. The pigment is fantastic, with no need to pack loads on the brush before you see a drastic change of colour. I favour the glitters more than I do the matte colours, as I feel they're a lot richer in colour. My favourite colours so far are the two golds on the bottom left and the mauve-toned matte brown in the middle of the top row. At £9.99 a pallet, you really can't go wrong, and I'll definitely be grabbing another one! 

After setting up the polishes for what felt like a lifetime only a few days ago, I felt I needed a little treat to thank myself for working so hard on them! I could have gone so overboard with the polishes, as they are my true weakness, but I stuck to my guns and only bought two to try out. I love both of them so much, they're fantastic. Like I said in my previous blogpost, I have always been a fan of H&M nail polishes and I genuinely didn't think they could get any better! They are so easy and smooth to apply, and don't chip for days! The colour is rich and strong and they dry so quickly, there's no need for smudges! I chose a rust brown with the name 'Brickwork', and a very pale french-tip style pink in 'Sunlit Snapdragon'. I have made it my mission since I very first started painting my nails to find a subtle, pretty pink just like the extortionately expensive celeb manis you see in magazines. No pink I have found has ever sufficed, until this one. Both the polishes require about two layers, no more and no less. They're £4.99 and worth every penny! Plus, they come in almost any colour you could possibly think of! 

I bought two single eyeshadows, because these colours weren't featured in any pallets and I thought they were far too pretty not to buy! The far left is called 'Gala Gown', and it's just a really pretty silver-toned gold, very light and quite sheer, but perfect for highlighting or for applying to your tearducts. The second is 'Sahara Dawn', a brown-toned purple with a slight hint of shimmer. It's much less glittery than the other, but heavier in colour and much more pigmented. It actually looks lighter in the packaging than it does when applied, but don't let this put you off, when applied correctly it makes a blue or even dark brown eye look smouldering and beautiful! 

 (Left: Hayday, Middle: Penny Red, Right: Ember Glow) 

So now onto my favourite products, the lipsticks! There are many different lip products, such as lip stains, lip velvets and vinyls which all start off as lipglosses and have different finishes, but as more of a lipstick girl, I thought it made more sense to start off with these. Since talking to people who've also bought the lipsticks, it seems they have been the most favourable product of all the ranges. They're super creamy and incredibly pigmented, but I will say that the staying power isn't great simply because of how creamy they are. As someone who is very used to matte lipsticks and the staying power they provide, it's hard to get used to them, but as the colour is so amazing with each one, I will conform to change!

My favourite of the three is 'Hayday', which is a very creamy soft brown, very similar to MAC 'Velvet Teddy'. 'Penny Red' is much more of a deep purple than a red, which is confusing as the name doesn't seem to match at all, but it's still beautiful all the same. 'Ember Glow' looks like a rusty red, which is a colour I don't have at all, part of the reason I wanted it, and I was quite surprised when I swatched it and it was more of a bright-toned red, with no hint of rust-orange what-so-ever! But never mind, it's still a lovely colour, and all three lipsticks are great quality, you just need to be a little more optimistic with your colour choice! 

Overall, I'm really pleased with the beauty range and I will definitely continue to use it and try out new products. Next on my list will be the body range to try, with items such as shampoos and body sprays being first in line! 

xoxo 

H&M Norwich Beauty Launch

As I work for H&M as a Sales Advisor, I am lucky enough to be involved in every new venture our ever-growing Norwich store achieves. As most beauty addicts would be aware, H&M have recently launched their worldwide new beauty range, which stands pillars above the cheap-as-chips, grab-a-lipstick-to-go-with-your-top makeup range they have sold for years. Don't get me wrong, I was a fan of this makeup, particularly the nail polishes, but there is always room for improvement, so when I heard that the store I work in has the privilege of becoming one of only a few stores in the UK to sell the new beauty range, I couldn't wait. 

I was asked to partake in the night shift last night, which included working from 6PM to the following 6AM. The thought of doing such a long, gruelling shift wasn't too appealing, but with the promise of being one of the first in the store to see and touch the wonderful new products, and to set them up to perfection, I got stuck in.

Myself and a team of eleven other people worked incredibly hard ensuring the makeup was set up to it's advantage, showing just how beautiful the products really are. After the long, hard work was completed, it was only right to take a few snaps, and they look so beautiful, I just had to share them on here. 

As it was my job to line up and colour coordinate every nail polish in the wall, as well as paint a little tester nail for each one (which, needless to say, took hours), I think it's only fair to buy as many of them as I can, right? I feel like a proud mother seeing it all set up so so perfectly! 

I haven't purchased anything yet but I've written myself a list of everything I want already, and let's face it, it's not going to be a small list! If you're lucky enough to be near a store with the new beauty department, absolutely go and see it, it's worth every look! 

xoxo

Current Favourites | Beauty

(WARNING: This post will be a long one!)

I've been away from the blogging game for quite a few weeks now as I've had problems with my camera and its' ability to upload onto my shoddy laptop! But now I've got it all sorted out, I'm back and feeling more inspirational than ever. I'm going to put much more time and effort into my blog so expect many more posts from me and more updates to the layout and design of my blog as the weeks go by. 
In my attempt to pop my head back into the blogging game, I thought the best way to do this is to introduce to you my favourite current beauty obsessions of the past few months. 
As summer is approaching, I find more products being used, typically those with incredible scents, and you'll see through this post that scent has been very important to me whilst picking these items to review! 

A few weeks ago, after months of anxiously waiting for my Boots Advantage points to rack up and my then current makeup bag to eventually fall to pieces, I finally took the plunge and purchased this pretty little makeup bag. It wasn't particularly expensive (£10), but I own so many makeup bags that I felt I wanted to wait until I could more or less get it for free, so it was more of a gift than a purchase (logic). I love the colour nude and paired with black and gold you just can't go wrong. It has plenty of space but isn't too big that I can't fit it into my handbag, it is literally the perfect size. It's sturdy and made from a lovely faux leather material and looks much more expensive than it is. Although it's fashioning a few makeup smudges in this picture (sorry), I've had it for a couple of months now and it's still looking pretty fresh! I definitely recommend it if you, like me, are incredibly close to your makeup and just need to carry it around with you everywhere. 

This is a slightly odd review, as makeup wipes are usually just a staple in a beauty routine and are never particularly raved about. However, as someone who suffers from sensitive skin and can never be bothered to go to the effort of cleansing and toning every night, a quick wipe with these Boots own make 'Botanics' makeup wipes leaves my skin feeling so soft and fresh that it's hard to remember to moisturize! Unlike normal makeup wipes, they're less like a baby wipe and more like a tough, stretchy but ultra-thin towel, so you can really feel the material scraping all the dirt and grime from the top layer of your skin. 

When it comes to fake tan, I would immodestly call myself a fake tan genius, as I have built up about four years of knowledge on it since I became a little bit addicted to it at 16. I began with gradual tanners and then took the plunge into full on fake tan as I loved the confidence I had when carrying a little colour. I'm not extreme with it, and only tend to fake tan my entire body once or twice a week, but I do like to apply a little bit to my upper body (arms and chest) every day, as well as on my face so I match my foundation. I've tried nearly every fake tan out there, from expensive to super cheap, and I can fundamentally say this is my favourite. Xen-Tan are a little over your usual price range for fake tan and are considered a luxury tan brand, but they have many amazing reasons why they're so well-loved, especially by me. The tan itself is a creamy consistency, softening the skin and feeling as though it is actually nourishing the skin while colouring it. The guide colour is very dark but sinks in enough so that when you wash it off, it still leaves a rich, golden colour, depending on how much you initially applied. Many fake tans I've tried before have an amazing guide colour but when washed off appear quite pale and barely noticeable. I tend to chop and change between this particular Xen-Tan product, and their slightly cheaper 'Moroccan Tan', which gives a slightly deeper, more olive glow. Both are equally as good as each other, but this one has an amazing almond scent, leaving me smelling like a bakewell tart after application. I know the smell isn't too important when it comes to fake tan but it definitely means a lot to me not to have that biscuity smell!

Sticking with the 'smell' theme, this is a very odd item to have in a current favourites post, and I'm sure not many people would think to review a hand sanitizer, but I am crazy about this little Body Shop number! I received it as a free gift with a recent purchase I made with The Body Shop (If you didn't know already, as a registered customer of The Body Shop, you will regularly receive emails letting you know that they're hosting 20%/25% or even sometimes 40% off all their range of products along with offers such as free shipping or even the odd free gift). I love to use hand sanitizers anyway as I am a hygiene freak, but this one really trumps every other one I've tried. With most run-of-the-mill sanitizers, they come with the usual cucumber or aloe vera scent (a scent I'm not a huge fan of), so when I saw that this one was coconut scented, I got a little excited. Since using it, not only does it leave my hands soft and smelling great, but I actually receive compliments on it all the time! I've had so many people saying "Ooh, you smell nice, are you wearing a coconut perfume?", I've even had mentions about it while being served in shops. It's a little odd to rave about a hand sanitizer, I know, but go out and grab a bottle if, like me, you love to have nice smelling hands! 

This is a product I have been using for quite a while, and one that never seems to run out. It's a Lee Stafford heat defence spray from his line of luxury hair products. I use it just after I've washed my hair, before I blow-dry it, and before I ever straighten or curl my hair. But as well as this, I also like to use it even when I'm not using any heat on my hair, when I'm having a no-hair-wash day and my hair looks, feels and smells a little lack-lustre. It has an amazing scent (again, following the smell theme), which will stay in your hair and on your clothes all day long *sprays on clothes while typing just to enjoy the smell*. Overall, it not only protects your hair, it nourishes and cares, and brings dull, frizzy hair back to life when you're not due for a wash. Definitely a must-have product!

This heart-stoppingly beautiful pink number from Sleek Cosmetics is an absolute must-have for every fan of the pinched pink cheek. It's a reasonable price, (currently retailing on their site for £4.49) and well worth every penny! The shade is 'Pixie Pink', and believe me, this picture does not do justice to just how bright and beautiful it is in real life. As it is so bright, it is also VERY pigmented, so a little goes a long way. It's perfect for summer and adds a lovely glow to any skin-tone/colour. I'm currently eyeing up a few more of their shades, and may have to make a cheeky purchase soon, because with 10 more shades on their website, I don't want to miss out. 

I definitely saved the best 'til last with this lipstick. If you've read any of my other posts, you'll know I recently became a big fan of Kiko Cosmetics following a visit to Cambridge not too long ago. I visited a friend just a few weeks ago and we went on a little shopping spree to Cambridge (I say little, I probably spent more than I even earn). We popped into Kiko with the intention to follow up with the Mac store as I was in the market for a bright orange/red Mac lipstick called 'Good to go' which is part of their 'Pro-longwear' range. My friend is a Mac virgin and was very excited to pop her Mac cherry. However, after visiting Kiko, there was no need to. They were holding a little sale on all their lipsticks, and she ended up buying three for the price of one Mac lipstick and was more than happy with her purchases. I found just what I was looking for with this one, labelled shade 604, it is an extremely bright orange/red and compliments my skin-tone and bright blue eyes perfectly. As I've said before, Kiko's products are extremely pigmented and build-able, which is especially great for this lipstick. It's creamy and nourishing and has everything I wanted when I bought it. Although I'm madly in love with it, that's not to say I won't purchase the Mac version....

So there you have it, all my current favourites. If you've read this far, well done, I'm quite a rambler! I hope I've encouraged some of you to give these fab products a try and I'll be back very soon with a brand new post, it might even be a fashion one this time! 

xoxo

Kiko Milano lip product review

So recently myself and my boyfriend took a trip to Cambridge on a spa break which I can definitely say was much needed. We stayed in a beautiful hotel in which we spent most of the three days chilling in the pool, relaxing in our room and being treated to the most amazing massages! If you don't know already, I happen to be a bit of a shopping addict and any opportunity to shop in another city other than the one I live in is so exciting for me! On our second day we took a trip to the city centre of Cambridge and browsed the shops in the Grand Arcade. We popped into shops such as Fossil and Ted Baker which was torture enough for me as I'm not supposed to be spending money! I hadn't spent any money on makeup products (a big thing for me!), and as we passed the Kiko Milano shop, Will encouraged me to pop in and have a look. I'm a Kiko virgin and I hadn't ever been terribly excited about their products as they don't have many shops in the UK and they're not heavily advertised. 

I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of products they had to offer, and not only that but their prices were incredible! There were rows upon rows of colourful single pallet eyeshadows and creamy lipsticks. I spent a good half an hour browsing and eventually settled on two lipsticks and a lip liner. (I could have bought so much more but with my boyfriend next to me, I had to restrain myself!). 

I chose a dark matte nude to start with - number 601, with high hopes it would provide the perfect Kylie Jenner lip (something I've been obsessed with recently). I then picked an orange-toned red which is number 605, both of which were from one of the collections, called 'Velvet Mat'. The different lipstick collections were varying prices and this particular one was £6.90 a lipstick. I believe the cheapest collection is the 'Smart Lipstick' which is £3.90. I picked up a dark red lip pencil too as I seem to have misplaced mine and it looked like a good shade to match my lipsticks. 

The lipsticks are incredibly pigmented (as you can see in the swatch picture), you barely need to apply any product to get a bright colour. They're also incredibly creamy and moisturising. The only thing I was slightly disappointed about was that they weren't particularly matte effect, especially if you're used to MAC's retro matte collection! The red lipstick is my favourite as it compliments my blue eyes (the last picture isn't the best quality but I like the way it makes my eyes pop!) and it tends to hold it's colour longer than the nude, but I would wear the nude more in the summer when I want a moisturising colour without wearing anything too striking. 

I definitely think they are worth the money and the cool packaging makes it so much better, they look so pretty on my dressing table! I would definitely pop back when I'm next near a store, and hope and pray they bring a store to Norwich some time soon. 

xoxo