Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter

Cocoa Butter Body Butter

For me even the words 'Body Butter' make this product sound absolutely delicious and I have to say it does not disappoint. The Body Shop Body Butters are heavily hyped and I completely understand why. My favourite one that I have been covering my skin in is the 'Cocoa Butter', I love everything about this product.

First of all as soon as you open it you are hit with the gorgeous Cocoa scent, I kind of want to eat it. As its name suggests the consistency is very 'buttery'. You only need a small amount, rub into your skin and you are left with deliciously smelling, amazingly soft buttery skin.

The Cocoa Butter Is suggested to be used on very dry skin, now my skin isn't dry at all but it still loves to drink it up.

I will be taking this with me on my holiday to use in the evenings to make sure my skin is hydrated especially after it has been exposed to a lot of sun all day.

The Body Shop Body Butters retail at £12.50 for 200ml which lasts for ages. The Body Shop also usually have a lot of offers on, I got mine for half price so make sure you keep an eye out because it's definitely a bargain with 50% off!

Have you tried any body butters? Which one is your favourite?

Would you put this on your face?

Eau Thermal Avene Cleanance Purifying Anti-shine Lotion 

A couple of months ago I treated myself to a new skin care set by Avene (which I haven’t reviewed yet) but as I was travelling to my boyfriend’s house the toner leaked into my bag. Luckily there wasn’t too much product lost but it did get on to a few of my things. I took everything out gave it a wipe and left it to dry.

Later on when I came back to put things back in my bag I noticed two 1 pence pieces that were covered in some kind of green coating, I can’t really describe how they feel, the product itself is supposed to reduce oil and mattify the skin and the coin definitely feels matified, and a lot smoother like it had corroded some of the coin.

Since using this it hasn’t caused any problems on my skin that I can see, but after seeing what it has done to the coin I’m confused as to whether it doing things to my skin that I haven’t seen yet or it was just a reaction with the metal of  the coin?

I’d love to know what you guys think. Have you ever used this product before? Or have you seen have this kind of reaction on anything? 

On a lighter note it’s my birthday on Saturday! :D So I won’t be posting much this weekend but I have lots to come next week. Have a good weekend all! 

Outfit Post: Date Night

Top: Asos

Jeans: New Look

Bracelet: Pandora

This weekend I went out for a lovely meal with my boyfriend. I love going as a group with our friends but it's nice to be able to spend a bit of alone time and enjoy a slap up meal.

I Decided to wear this top from Asos which I bought for £25 a few months ago, I can't find the link for it now so 1'm guessing it may have sold out. I love how floaty this is as it can easily hide my 'food baby' once Ive finished and the light material is lovely for summer. I teamed this with black skinnies and black heels for a sophisticated but casual look.

We went to a cute little restaurant in the village next to our town and it had a great offer of 3 courses for £15. I wasn't expecting amazing things from the meal, especially as the bottle of wine we bought cost more than the 3 courses, but I'm please to say I was pleasantly surprised. The quality of the food was fantastic for the price, for my main course I had a Fillet of Beef in a mushroom pink peppercorn sauce, which pretty much just fell apart when I put my fork on it. I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it!

Red Wine ♥ Poached Salmon ♥ Fillet of beef

Apologies as yet a gain I demolished my dessert before taking a photo! When will I learn but to be honest I can't resist a Creme Brulee, and it was damn good!

What did you get up to this weekend?

My Current Top 3 Toners

♥ Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing Toner

This is one of my ‘go to’ toners. It has no perfume, colourants or alcohol and contains water lily extract and Pro-vitamin B5. I use this after cleansing and it removes any last traces of makeup I may have missed. I also use it in the morning to wake my skin up. I get a slight tingling feeling when using this but I quite like it because it makes me feel like it’s working. This retails in Boots for £2.99 and is a product that I will continue to purchase.

♥ Botanics 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz

I picked this up on a whim the other week as I needed a new toner to keep at my boyfriend’s house and this was on offer. I love the fact this is a spray it’s so refreshing and is going to be perfect throughout the summer to keep my skin hydrated, it also smells lovely. Its supposed to help tighten pores but to be honest I haven’t seen much of a difference. The only problem I do have with this is that it contains alcohol and usually I try to avoid it. You can also buy this in Boots for £4.99 but again there are always skincare offers on to look out for.

♥ Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

Ahh the famous Liz Earle. I can happily say I am well and truly on the bandwagon for this product. It supposed soothe and brightens your skin, is gentle and alcohol-free. This has a lovely floral scent and it just makes me skin feel so refreshed and clean, I know I can rely on this to remove any traces of remaining makeup or dirt. I also love the fact it contains all natural ingredients which include organic aloe vera,  chamomile, cucumber and natural source vitamin E so you know nothing nasty is going on your skin at all. This retails for £12.50 for 200ml and is a welcome treat to my skincare rountine.

Have you tried any of these? What are your 'go to' toners?

Payday Wishlist #4

Cath Kidston Wash Bag  ♥ Neon Mesh Jumper  ♥ Rose Gold Diamante Watch

Dipped Hem Studded Tunic  ♥ Models Own Beetle Juice  ♥ Gold Tone Peace Necklace

Next Wednesday is payday and these are a few little bits I have had my eye on.

Will you be treating yourself on payday?

3 Minute Miracle

'There's more to life than hair but it's a good place to start.'

Aussie has to be one of my top hair care brands at the moment, their products are such high quality for the price and each product smells amazingly delicious.

The little beauties that I have especially been loving are the 3 Minute Miracle Deep Treatments. One of the main reasons I love these is because they only take 3 minutes. I am extremely impatient and get distracted easily so anything that’s longer just makes me lose interest or I just cannot be bothered to even start. The design of the bottle is great, easy to grab while you’re in the shower and easy to squeeze the perfect amount of product out.

My two favourites are Luscious Long and Take the Heat. Both smell divine.

♥ Luscious Long is especially designed for long hair, it moisturises ends without weighing down roots. This is absolutely perfect for my hair. My ends tend to get quite dry so using this really is a treat for my hair it makes it feel so silky and soft.

♥ Take the Heat is for heat damaged hair. I know I am definitely guilty of using too many hot tools on my hair and while I am trying to cut down this just gives me that extra help and the care that my hair needs. Oh and did I mention it smells great?

I can definitely see improvements in my hair when using these products, you cant beat the feeling of soft, healthy hair. Will I be repurchasing these? Hell yeah!

These retail in Boots for £4.99 for 250ml which I think is great value as they last for ages. They are also on 3 for 2 offer a lot which is even better!

Have you used any Aussie products? Do you have any treatments you would recommend?

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser

This perfectly balanced moisturiser softens, smoothes and conditions skin for a naturally healthy-looking glow.

Every blogger and their dog have heard of Liz Earle and it's very rare you will come across a bad review of their products. For Christmas my sister bought me the Skin essential kit which also includes the famous Cleanse and Polish and Instant Boost Skin Tonic.

I loved all 3 products but for me the Skin Repair Moisturiser was the standout product (controversial I know as most people would say cleanse and polish!). I love everything about this moisturiser, It smells gorgeous and the consistency feels so creamy and luxurious it just skins into the skin leaving it feeling incredibly soft and smooth.

Its recommended you massage into face and neck, morning and night, after Instant Boost Skin Tonic. I usually use this at night as a treat for my skin and to help it repair through the night.

My skin is combination/ oily but find this works perfectly and isn't too heavy at all.

The moisturiser retails at £18.75 for a 50ml jar which really isn't bad compared to some skincare brands. It also come is a handy 15ml tube for £7.25 if you wanted a little try.

I will definitely be repurchasing this product when I run out.

Have you tried any Liz Earle Products? What's your favourite?

No7 Make up

Oh How I love those No7 Vouchers. It was the last day to use them this weekend so it would be rude not to use my last one. I'm going on holiday at the beginning of August so I decided to go for the Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser in Medium as this would be perfect to wear instead of my foundation. Now I was a bit of a wally because as I was paying I was so busy chatting away to my friend I forgot to pay with my voucher and paid full price of £12 (gutted!)

So this gave me an excuse to have another Boots trip on Sunday so I could get something else haha. Easy choice as I spotted the free gift, I went for the new Fanomenal Lashes Mascara in Black. I'm a bit of a mascara addict so I'm really looking forward to using this. It usually retails at £12.95. The eyeshadow palette came free with this, I think its really cute and has some lovely colours in it.

Did you use up your vouchers this weekend? Hopefully they will be back again soon!

Charlie's Diary #6

 

Nails in Dreamy ♥ Hazelnut Latte ♥ Night in with the boy ♥ Posing

Napkin making with kitchen roll ♥ Cava ♥ New Products ♥ Hangover cure 

So I've been doing a lot of socialising lately. I love going out for a coffee and had a great catch up with one of my friends over a latte. The boy and I had a night in and indulged in some pizza and warm breads while watching films. My housemate hosted a dinner party and I was in charge of place settings, no napkins available so I had to improvise! A few too many wines resulted in me needing a carb heavy breakfast. turkey dinosaur and waffle sandwich, win! 

Also this weekend my blog reached 100 GFC followers and I'm so unbelieveable happy! It really means a lot and I just want to thank each and everyone of you and hope you enjoy reading my rambles :)

What have you been up to lately?

 

No7 Beautiful Skin Purifying Mask

You know when people say ‘My skin feels as soft as a baby’s behind’, well for me, this product does just that. I picked up the No7Beautiful Skin Purifying Mask a couple of weeks ago with a good old £5 off voucher and I’m so glad I did!

I love the Beautiful Skin range and this is a welcome addition to my collection. It’s like no product I have ever used before, it’s marketed as a mask that draws out impurities but it also exfoliates the skin too.

The product itself comes out in a thick gloop (ha, gloop, not sure how else to describe it!) and you can feel the exfoliating beads inside. The cream warms in your hands then you massage it in to your skin for 1-2 minutes. Leave it on your skin for a further 2 minutes and then rinse off with warm water. I used this once or twice a week to give my skin a good clean.

I cannot describe how soft this leaves my skin. It’s incredible, the first time I used it I told my house mate to stroke my face (weird I know) and she was just as amazed as me at how it felt.

I cannot recommend this product enough, It,s available from Boots it retails at £12.50 for 75ml (only £7.50 with a boots voucher which are available now!). I will most certainly be repurchasing.

Have you tried this? Do you use a face mask? Any recommendations?

£100 ASOS Blogger Challenge

Bold Striped Jumper £35 ♥ Rose Gold Sandals £25 ♥ Interchangeabe Boyfriend Watch £30 ♥ High Waist Denim Coral Shorts £10

This challenge drove me absolutely crazy! I thought I would enter the £100 ASOS Blogger Challenge for a bit of fun but now I have so many pretty things 'saved for later' for when I get paid. They have so many amazing pieces at the moment and there are some great discounts in the sale so if, unlike me, you have some money spare I'd head over there.

I had so much fun doing this, every time I found an item I loved, I then found another which completely didn't go so I started from scratch again. Any way this is the look I finally went for.

You might now have realised yet but it is actually supposed to be summer (I can't remember the last time the sun was out here) so I decided to go for a casual look which is perfect for a day out to the park, a trip shopping or a lunch trip with the girls in the 'summery' weather. First of all I love pastel colours at the moment and I think a pair of coloured shorts can really brighten up any outfit, these coral ones are only a tenner! I've teamed this with a pale grey slouchy jumper which will keep you a bit warmer when the sun will undoubtedly hide behind the clouds. Another trend I'm loving is Rose Gold, it's everywhere and is so gorgeous and girly and great for summer. The sandals are perfect for when you want your feet to look good but not have the pain of high heels. To finish off the look, I used a nice big chunky watch. I would wear this tomorrow if I had the money!

What do you think of this look? Have you entered the competition? What have you got to lose!

Skin Oils and Serums

Before discovering the world of beauty blogging I had never really thought about putting an oil on my face. I have combination/oily skin so the thought of adding more oil seemed a bit ridiculous; no one wants an oil slick on their face.

Thankfully I have seen the light, so thought I would show you a couple of the products that have been a treat for my face.

♥ LizEarle Superskin Concentrate: I got this for Christmas as part of the Skincare Essentials kit.  It helps to soften dry skin and balance combination or oily skin so perfect for me. I usually use this 2/3 times a week at night after I have cleansed and toned instead of a moisturiser. I also use this on blemishes as I have found it really helps reduce redness. In the morning my skin feels soft, doesn’t seem so oily and my blemishes are reduced. What more could I ask for? This comes in a 28ml bottle for £40.25 or £5.75 for 2ml.

♥ YSL Forever Youth Liberator Serum: This came as part of a GlossyBox a couple of months ago and I was thrilled to see it. It is designed to help increase youthful activity in skin cells. The packaging is lovely and the pipette gives you the right amount of product you need. It smells great and in the morning my skin definitely looks more luminous. I haven’t noticed if it’s made my skin more youthful, but then again I’m only young and I hope I’ve got a couple more years before I start worrying about wrinkles and signs of ageing.  This retails at a whopping £60 for 30ml so I will not be purchasing this full size, but you never know if I win the lottery I might purchase some.

♥Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Oil: The cheapest of the 3 at £2.99 and I love it. I am a big fan of the Vitamin E range in general and think this product is an absolute gem. This oil is supposed to help keep skin feeling, soft, smooth and young looking. Again I can’t really comment on the ‘young looking’ part, maybe in a few years time I will give you my opinion on that. This also is for use at night after cleansing. It smells gorgeous, almost like cocoa butter, you only need a tiny amount and when I use this my skin feels so soft and smooth in the morning. For the price it’s definitely worth a try and I will definitely repurchase.

I have also been eyeing up the Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum after seeing some great reviews. Have you tried this? I would love some more recommendations.

Have you tried any of these products? Do you use a serum/oil for your skin?

The Weekend Face

I went out on Saturday night for a meal with my friends and this is the make up I used, I still like to keep it quite natural looking. I curled my hair using the Babyliss Curling Wand. 

Face

Benefit The POREfessional Primer

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation 53

Collection 2000 Concealer, Medium

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder 003 Peach Glow

Cheeks

Accessorize Blush Scandal

MeMeMe SunBeam Highligher

Eyes

MUA Heaven and Earth Palette

Maybelline Gel Eyeliner

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Luminizer marcara for Hazel Eyes

Elf Eyebrow Palette

Lips

Revlon Lip Bitter Creme Brulee

Food Porn: Spanish Night

This weekend I went to a Spanish taster evening. 5 courses with 5 wines, lovely. I love Spanish food, and I could sit and eat chorizo all day long so this was right up my street.

The food:

 

Fennel and merguez sausage soup 

 

Orange salt cod with onion and black olive salad 

Monkfish and scallop brochette with butternut squash, chorizo sausage and broad beans

Spicy lamb meatballs with potato crisp

Dessert was Lemon Tart, unfortunately it got eaten before a photo was taken haha, but once you have seen one lemon tart you have seen them all.

For me the stand out dish was definitely the Monkfish it was so well cooked and full of flavour. This meal wasn't as good as the others I have been too but the wine was great, the company was great and I woke up with a banging headache so that can only mean it was a successful night.

Back to the holiday diet today.

What did you get up to this weekend?

Mini Boots Haul

It's actually not possible for me to go into town and not buy anything from Boots. I have a problem. So here are the bits I picked up this week:

Botanics Rosewater Toning Spritz ♥ Mattifying Gel Cream Shine Away ♥ Cleansing Face Wipes

Adding to my ever growing skincare collection, the Botanics range was on 3 for 2. They have recently repackaged their products and I'm a sucker for an offer. I got these to keep at my boyfriends house so I don't have to keep taking every thing but the kitchen sink when I stay at his.

Revlon Lip butter in Creme Brulee ♥  Barry M Nail Polish Peach Melba

 

I'm a big fan of the Revlon Lip Butters and this is a gorgeous nude colour which is perfect for the daytime. Peach Melba makes my nails feel all summery, I'm loving pastel colours at the moment.

I also received another No7 voucher and I can't decide what to buy with it!

What did you pick up this weekend?

Benefit POREfessional

Benefit POREfessional

'Quickly minimise the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother-than-smooth skin! Apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skintones and helps makeup stay put.'

This is a product that I have been tempted by for a long time. It's heavily hyped in the beauty blog world but comes with a hefty price tag at £23.50 so as soon as I found out a sample size was going to be in Glamour Magazine I was straight down to WHSmiths. I hate my pores so anything that will reduce them sounds like a good thing in my book. 

First of all I love the packaging, it's so girly and bright which really attracted me to it. 

The product itself is very lightweight and glides onto the skin very easily. As soon as I put this on my pores are instantly reduced, the balm sinks into my pores leaving my skin lovely and smooth. Good Start. I wait a few seconds and then apply my foundation on top (which at the moment is Bourjois Healthy Mix) and it really does give a lovely finish.

However, this does not help my make up stay in place all day. I'm not sure if it's because I have Combination/Oily skin but by lunch time my make up has started to slide, especially around my T-zone which disappointed me. Maybe it's better at holding make up on more Normal/Dry skin.

I really wanted to love this, I like the way my make up looks in the morning but I don't think I could justify spending the money when it's pretty much worn off by midday. It does say that you can apply this on top of your make up but for me it didn't really make much difference. 

Would I purchase the full size version? No, but I would gladly welcome it as a present haha.

Have you tried the POREfessional? What's your Primer of Choice?

Charlie's Diary #5

What I have been getting up to...

Tea Time ♥ Wagamama, the Firecracker mmm ♥ New Face Mask ♥ Summer Dress ♥ Friday Night in ♥ Peach Melba Nails ♥ Pretty Shirt ♥ Special Delivery

As usual I have been eating shopping and pampering myself. I cannot get enough of peanut M&M's they are my new weakness, not great with my holiday fast approaching. Lunch at Wagamamas was awesome my mouth was on fire but it was totally worth it. I've also been using this No7 mask, review coming soon.

What have you been up to lately?