060 : January Favourites

Can you believe its Febuary already?! The last month flew by and I planned to blog way more than I did last month, but life just got in the way, so much happened last month I feel utterly exhausted. January saw the arrival of my very beautiful niece, Ella Gracie. She was born four weeks early but she's been an amazing way to start the new year. She's super tiny and super cute! Over the last few months there have been so many products that I've loved, it was so tough narrowing them all down to my absolute favourites, hope you enjoy!

(Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm - £36)

I'm definitely a little late to the party with this little beauty, I know its been a favourite of both Zoe (aka Zoella) and Tanya for a really long time now. I bought it on an absolute whim, I spied it in my local Debenhams and having thought I could only get it online, couldn't resist. I absolutely love it. I've been using cleansing balms for a while but this has been my absolute go-to cleansing product, I've used it every day since I bought it and its a product I can see myself buying again and again. It smells beautiful and leaves my skin feeling really soft and refreshed, as well as removing every teeny scrap of make-up. I really like that it comes with a flannel, one side is super soft and the other side is a muslin which gives a really gentle exfoliation. I don't think I've ever loved a cleanser as much as this!

 (Vichy Idealia Life Serum 30ml - £29.50)

I've been using the Vichy Idealia Moisturiser for a while now and it's a product I've really loved, it smells absolutely amazing (even my boyfriend ended up using half of my last jar!) and leaves my skin moisturised all day. I bought the Idealia Life Serum to use under my moisturiser, it's really brightened my skin and tightened up my pores, it's amazing on those days where you don't just feel tired, you look it. It definitely makes me look more awake and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed enough to face the day. Plus, it smells just as good as the moisturiser! 

(Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede Cologne - £82/100ml)

This was actually a Christmas gift from my boyfriend. It's a really beautiful, classic scent, described by Jo Malone as 'Luxurious and Seductive' - it's one of the fragrances that always gets tons of compliments. If you like floral, flirty perfumes, you'll love this. I'm going to be absolutely gutted when this runs out!

 (Chanel Jardin De Chanel Blush Camélia Roseé - £36)

Blush is the one product that I tire of really quickly, I tend to chop and change them quite quickly and regularly. I've been using the Shimmer Bricks by Bobbi Brown and a few different Mac blushers until I picked up this gorgeous little lacquered compact by Chanel. It's the first piece of Chanel make-up I've bought and I'm sure it won't be the last. It features two shades, a soft pink and a deeper hue in a stunning raised classic Camelia motif. It's such a luxurious blush, it looks absolutely stunning on when the two shades are blended together. It lasts all day too, even after tears and post-lunch snoozes, it stayed right in place. And the smell, I cannot get over the scent of this, it smells stunning, its a really floral, feminine scent. It comes with a little brush which I haven't used as its a little too small, but can imagine it'd be great for travelling. It's limited edition too, so snap it up quick!

 (Bare Minerals Lash Domination Mascara - £17)

I bought this mascara on a little bit of a whim and I absolutely love it. It's a really intense black which lengthens, seperates and curls my lashes. It doesn't smudge, clump or stick my eyelashes together, plus it contains nourishing minerals and quinoa to keep lashes healthy and has a spiralled brush for curling around each lash, so you get a nice even coat of product. Two coats of this beauty and I'm ready to go!

 (Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Balm Perfector - Rose/£18)

 I was really excited to see the launch of these new Clarins balms, I really loved the original Lip Perfectors and I think I love these even more. The first one I picked up was Rose, its a gorgeous, neutral shade. I also picked up Coral and My Pink. My Pink has to be my absolute favourite of the three that I bought, its such a pretty, shimmery shade. It's one of those shades that has just enough colour to not look overpowering. They're really plumping and give my lips a beautiful shape. The only down side is they taste so good it's almost impossible not to lick it off!

Have you tried any of the above products? What did you guys think?!

 

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007 What's In My Make-Up Bag?

Every girls make-up bag is a messy haven of our essential, everyday, can't-be-without products. Mine is absolutely no different, I tend to take everything I know I'm going to use during the day out of my bigger make-up bag and throw into one small essential one. I love having a little peep in my friends' make-up bags to see which products they just can't be without!
 
Here's what's in mine: 

 

The make-up bag I use for my essentials is from Cath Kidston, I picked it up in the sale for a teeny £7! Before I bought it I was just chucking my make-up loose into my handbag, I'd end up with foundation all over my diary and eyeliner on my keys, blusher over my purse. You get the idea! It was definitely a well needed investment and the print is so beautiful!

 

I don't tend to carry too much around with me, I can't stand my handbag being too heavy. 
Here's a little overview of what I like to have on me:

- Mac Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage - this was a sample sent to me by Mac, it's absolutely amazing, I'd definitely buy the full size, you pop it on after moisturizing and your foundation just slides on beautifully and gives you a really stunning, flawless look. It's definitely become a staple product for me.

- Mac Studio Fix SPF15 (shade NC15) - Mac is the only foundation I've found that really suits my skin, I was blessed with natural English Rose pale skin, I've found it really hard finding a foundation that suits my skintone and doesn't make me look even slightly orange, for me, the palest shade of Studio Fix works amazingly. I've learned to embrace my pale skin over the years, no fake tan for me!

- Bare Minerals Around the Clock eyeliner (shade 1am) - This eyeliner is amazing, it's a really dark beautiful black with little specks of glitter in, it looks so cute when its on and lasts absolutely ages and ages! It came with the 'Scene Stealer' set, which is half price at just £13 from Debenhams/Asos/Bare Minerals - it's a complete bargain and I'd highly recommend it!

- Bare Minerals Buxom Lips (shade Katie) - Katie was a recent purchase, a little pricey at £18 but it looks stunning on, its a pretty coral-y shade, Buxom Lips creates the look of fuller, voluptuous lips. I couldn't decide between Katie and Trixie, Trixie is a little pinker, but I'm definitely going to go back and buy it!

- Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil (shade Dark Brown) - This has become a real staple for me, I never used to use eyebrow pencils because I just didn't see the point, but having tried it out, my eyebrows do look so much neater, I'd heard really good things about this pencil and I don't use many Rimmel products, but its completely amazing, it lasts ages and the cute little brush on the end of the lid is perfect for taming unkempt brows!

- Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer (fairest shade) - Concealer is definitely essential if my skin isn't looking as great as it should be, sometimes when it gets to the end of the week and I'm feeling a little tired I suffer with the dreaded under eye circles, this helps massively as well as covering any little blemishes that pop up every now and then! It applies just like lipstick and lasts absolutely ages as you only need a tiny amount, it's definitely been a facesaver!

- Mac Fix+ - I bought this a little while ago, I was a little unsure of fixing sprays to begin with but I couldn't be without it now, it keeps your make-up in place all day and is so refreshing on the skin, it feels cool, calming and energizing, it definitely leaves me feeling refreshed during the day.

- Mac Dazzle Lash Mascara - I adore this mascara, I was blessed with naturally long eyelashes but they're quite fair, this is a gorgeous blacker-than-black shade. It's not quite as amazing as Benefit's They're Real but for the price tag it's definitely worth it!

- Mac Blush (shade Well Dressed) - This was a recent purchase of mine, I tend to get bored of blushers quite quickly and change shades pretty often, I love this shade though, its so pretty, it's a really delicate pink which looks beautiful against my pale skin, without leaving me looking embarrassed or overly warm! I tend to apply it quite often during the day, I hate looking washed out and tired because my skins so pale! 

So there's my everyday essentials! I'd love to hear what yours are! 

Blush & Belle x

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