Turn Around...

Obsessed with this song right now!!! :) Yeah I replayed it like 8973 times...

Happy listening :)

Where have you been? + A Very Late August Loves

 

I keep disappearing and I am trying my best to keep my blog up to date, but the last month and a half have been MANIC, to say the least. My brother got married and preparing for it was hectic, crazy and very tiring, but the wedding day itself was amazing. Everyone looked amazing and we had a crazy reception party with everyone drunk (including me, first time in my life getting dunk- I drank everything under the sun). I also did a speech for my brother where I ripped him to shreds, which he deserves, haha! :)

 

Excuse the very poor pic, I took it from my Dad's iPad (the second one) and I did not know how poor the camera was, or is it just mine?

 

My favourites for this month are pretty simple.

 

1) La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo- After hearing alot of positives from this I decided to give it a go. I think it was around £13 from Boots and I really like it. It has helped with blemishes and helps to control my skin. When I bought it I thought 40ml is really small for  £13, but I have used for a month and a bit, but there is quite a bit left. I just apply it to the areas of my face that I am most prone to blemishes.

 

2) Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Body Oil- This stuff is sooo nice, I have been using this on and off for around 3 years and I rediscovered it. Apply this after a shower and it moisturises the skin so well and you look glowy *BONUS*

 

3) Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser for Normal/Combination skin- Even though my skin can break out, it is very dry, so I use this cream at night to inject some moisture in my skin. I love this cream, my skin is soft and looks healthy when I get up.

 

4) MAC 239- I have been wanting this for ages. It works at packing on the colour of eye shadows and even paint pots. I used to use my fingers to apply paint pots, which I didn't like because I thought it looked poo on me. This brush is something you have to own (along with the 217) they are amazing.

 

5) Real Techniques Stippling Brush- I use this to apply my blush (current choice- MAC Margin), and it gives control and stops me from looking like a extra from Geordie Shore. Funny enough, the RT blush brush is HUGE to apply blush, so I use it for bronzer or setting my make up.

 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! :)

Devia xoxo

Beauty Loves of July 2012

I always forget to do these types of posts so here is my *first* loves of the month of July and its slightly late (oops!).

 Here is the list of stuff I have been loving this month:  

Kiehls midnight recovery eye cream

I only picked this up in July but it has made it on to this list. I tried a sample of it before and I was amazed at how lovely it was. I can't say if it has sorted out my wrinkles, BUT my eye area is much more nourished and looks nicer in the morning.

balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve

This was free in this month's Glamour mag and after one application I shot out and got another one. It claims to: 'plump, smooth and hydrate' which is most definitely does.
This is such a beautiful lip product, it has even replaced my Carmex (and that is saying something).  Its a 100% natural, which is something I am becoming more and more interested/concerned about in terms of skincare.
I love the applicator and it smells good (very rosy). I apply it for bed and my lips have thanked me for it.

Real Techniques Detailer Brush
This is part of the Core Collection which I got as I never had any proper make up brushes. I never really wore foundation but I am beginning to and love this set of brushes. I hear a huge hype around the buffing brush (which is understandable, it is truly remarkable) but I personally love the detailer brush for concealing blemishes or small areas of the face, it does such a good job in concealing blemishes and redness around my nose.

CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara

One of my all time favourite products. My aunt from Canada originally bought this for me when she visited last and have been holding onto this one for about a year (unopend, of course). This is my last one, sad times, but I managed to ask her to send me some over, so I felt it was the right time to open it ;) I seriously love this mascara, it is the only mascara that I get compliments on. My eyelashes are straight but slant down a bit, so I need something that will hold a curl fairly well and this works for me and plus it adds tonnes of volume.

MAC Eye Kohl in Phone Number

This is one of my long lost products and I rediscovered it this month. I actually hated this when I originally bought it, but then again I never gave it a chance.

Its like a charcoal grey with a silver sheen running through it, the glitter particles are really fine. I use this on the days where I don't want a heavy look but still want some definition. This does smudge but I found that when I applied it to my waterline it stayed in place and it is quite pigmented.

So there you have it, my favourites of July 2012.

Thanks for reading! :)

Devia 

Loving: Topshop and Miss Selfridge

I went shopping and this is what happened:

Topshop

I don't usually shop in Topshop, but that has all changed now...

I went to the Oxford Street store and it is like heaven for any girl. Their current season stuff is really nice and one of my obsessions, jewellery, especially statement jewellery- were amazing. I had to control myself, but I only bought two rings and a cuff bracelet.

The cuff is beautiful and it is one of those pieces where you can get away with wearing that and that alone. You can also cross over the bracelet, so the loops intertwine.

With the rings, I would personally wear them day or night. I especially love the scandi eye ring, I don't own anything like it. Its unique. Love it. 

Scandi Eye Ring- £10

Mesh Clamp Wristwear- £12.50

(link is to the silver version)

Luminescent Stone Ring- £8.50

Miss Selfridge

I spotted this clutch and I had hearts in my eyes. It is really well made, the only thing I hate is the strap, it is a weird colour of gold, but I am not intending on using it. The 'V' part of the purse has faux snake print, which adds a nice touch.

It is really spacious (for those who have an iPhone, you know a small clutch is no longer applicable). This can fit everything, from face powders to compacts to even a MAC palette (just in case). I prefer black bags, as they go with everything. Can't wait to wear this!

The second item I bought was this ring, which is just beautiful. It reminds of the film Gladiators, it looks like the body armour they wore, very Roman times-esque.

 Black Faux Snake Front Clutch- £22.00

Ring- £8.50 (couldn't find the link online)

Anyone else loving anything from Topshop or Miss Selfridge?

Devia xoxo



Hair Hero: Macadamia Deep Repair Masque

Firstly, some sun in the UK! I need some vitamin D, was starting to feel like a zombie, so hurray for that. Secondly, sorry for being naff with posting but I want to start doing different types of posts, I'm sure its getting boring with me reviewing products almost all the time. 

This post is a review AGAIN! Hahaha!!! But I am having a really difficult time in trying to grow my hair, I have no idea why it doesn't grow. My hairdresser told me that hair can stop growing when it gets to a certain length and sure hope this is not me :( To help the situation along, I am trying to not cut it and decided the best way is to use a good conditioner to keep my ends in tip top condition.

FYI: I did cut my own hair and failed miserably. It looked shit and was uneven, so that was a huge fail. Lesson: leave it to the professionals.

As there was so much hype around the Macadamia hair range, I obviously jumped on the bandwagon and I wanted to add my two pennies ;) The product that got the most hype was the Deep Repair Masque and I totally see why. Macadamia say:

"Our Macadamia and Argan oils combine with tea tree and chamomile oils, aloe and algae extracts to produce miracle-like hair rejuvenation"

It does nothing but good things for the ends of my hair (dare I agree and say it is a miracle product, a bit too far maybe, but not far off!). This is perfect with people who have really dry ends or use a lot of heat in their hair.
I use this in the shower, apply it to the ends of my hair and leave it for around 10 minutes (during which I exfoliate and warm up my vocal cords). When I wash it out, my hair is left feeling soft, smooth and very nourished! The texture is as expected: very thick, therefore, you need a small amount, but it is still really nice to apply to the hair.

It smells good and the scent stays in my hair. I expected the smell to be nutty or a chocolate/vanilla scent but it smells like a hair product (that is not even helpful, ha!), just quite feminine, clean and reminds me of the hairdressers.

I have been using it for 5 months and this stuff is seriously amazing!!! I use it sparingly (once a week) because it is such a moisturising product, I think twice would be a bit too much, plus, my hair can get greasy really easy (but I have dry ends?...WEIRD!) I was lucky and managed to get mine off CheapSmells when it was £10.

The dodgy hair cut I gave myself did help hack off the split ends and the Dove conditioner I blogged about here and this hair masque has helped to condition the ends of my hair. My hair is naturally wavy/frizzy/bird's nest, with my Dad even questionning if I own a brush, but with this, I feel my hair is slightly more tame and it doesn't weigh my hair down. I also struggle with dry ends because of my hair type and the more I have used this masque, the better my ends are and so makes my hair look healthier overall. I also use a hair oil once every two weeks, which helps as well.

If you haven't tried it, you need to, it is an amazing product, but £25 is a bit much, having said that it does last me quite a while. If you check BuyaPowa, they had a deal recently where it was around the £8ish mark, so it is worth shopping around.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend ;)

Devia xoxo

ATTENTION: Kiehl's Sale

I know what you are thinking, Kiehl's don't do sales (thought the exact same), but I went in to the Westfield in Stratford and they had 20% OFF!!!

You might want to check if your local store has the offer because I am not sure how long they are doing this sale and I couldn't see the sale online. FAIL!

As usual, I wanted to buy everything but I controlled myself and got the one product I wanted to try for ages (this was the perfect time, with 20% off and all).

I ended up buying the Midnight Recovery Eye Cream, which I tried a sample of a while ago and I really loved it.

RRP: £24.50

Sale price: £19.60



Excuse the poor picture, took it quickly on my phone, was excited to tell you all ;)

I am off to watch Revenge, my favourite show at the moment, so addicted.

Devia

xoxo

My Top 5 Body Exfoliators

I do love to exfoliate my body, it makes it easier for my moisturiser to be absorbed and no more crocodile skin ;) But I'm not really fussed about the type of scrub, the only thing I ask for to do what it says on the tub/bottle (don't we all?!)

Now that summer has arrived (now and again, when it feels like it) in the UK, I think exfoliators, shavers, wax and definitely SPF are selling QUICK! So I thought I would let you know which exfoliators I love.

A quick heads up, I cannot for the life of me describe scents, so sorry in advance :)

1) L'Oreal Exfotonic

This is one that I have been using for ages, but I have a problem finding it in my local Boots and Superdrug. Any-hoo, it's a great foaming exfoliator which really slough's off any flakiness. But when using this product, you will need to ensure you use SPF as it contains AHA's, which I try to look for in both my facial and body exfoliators, as it makes it easier to remove dead skin.

The smell is fresh, clean- I want to say ocean like(?!)

What I like about this one is that does quite a few things: tones the skin, smoothes rough patches, encourages cellular renewal and cleanses and clarifies the skin (very well copied from the packaging) but I can truly say I found it to do all those, except tone, but that is because this product is part of the 'Body Expertise' routine, where you 'need to use all the products to see an effect', but I didn't follow that, did my own thanggg, so didn't see any toning- I rely on Jillian for that, when bothered.

2) The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Scrub

This smells like the body butter which I love. The grains are not small and I think this is the most abrasive. The creamy texture and smell is what made it on to this list. It is not moisturising, but instead leaves your skin soft and my moisturiser sinks in a bit quicker.

3) Soap and Glory Sugar Crush

(not pictured because I used it up and chucked away the packaging- (a normal non-blogger thing to do) )

This one is my favourite for when I need a good scrub (or when I haven't exfoliated in ages). The smell. The consistency. The ingredients (brown sugar, almond oil and lime- all things I love). Everything. I just cannot fault it. It exfoliates really well, leaves my skin smooth and smelling good (the citrus scent is different to the "normal" S&G scent of products). It is however slightly abrasive, so if you have sensitive skin, a defo no-go.

4) The Sanctuary Body Scrub Orange Blossom

I quite like scrubs that leave a little moisture film after, I find that it helps my skin to stay a bit more softer for longer, especially in winter when my skin is drier.

This is one of those- it has natural pumice, patchouli and orange oil. It smells fresh and makes me want to eat it, I can't really describe the smell, it smells like all the other Sanctuary products. A really nice luxurious product.

It contains small exfoliating grains, so it is not as abrasive as some of the other ones. I only use this when I have been regularly exfoliating and do not need anything close to a sander. It doesn't leave my skin irritated or red.

5) Soap and Glory Flake Away

This was introduced to me by my sister around 5 years ago and since I have tried it I have loved it :) It smells amazing, melts into my skin and is moisturising. It doesn't leave that much of a film after the exfoliator is washed off and is perfect for getting my skin ready for summer.

Hope this was helpful. What are your favourite exfoliators?

Devia

xoxo