Top 5: Current Beauty Favourites

Hi everyone. I have decided to post about some of my favourite beauty products that I am loving at the moment. I am a complete novice when it comes to make up and beauty but I have given my honest opinion on these products.

Superdrug Aloe Vera Deep Cleansing Mud Mask - £2.59

First up, is the Aloe Vera Mud Face Mask from Superdrug. There are several different types that you can buy but I bought the Aloe Vera deep cleansing one because Aloe Vera is meant to be really good for you skin, especially for sensitive skin and it has many health benefits.

I started using this product about a month ago and I really recommend it. I use it once a week and the difference it makes to my complexion is amazing – it really brightens my skins and leaves my face feeling really fresh and relaxed. It is such a bargain at just £2.59 and I think it is going to last a while because you don’t need a huge amount.

It has a slight fresh fragrance and it dries fairly quickly, making your face feel quite tight. It is really easy to wash off too.

I feel it really does do what it says and for that reason I fully recommend it to you all.

Simple Kind to Eyes Nourishing Eye Make-Up Remover Cream - £3.25

I’m a big fan of Simple skin care products because I have quite sensitive skin and find that their products really help and also because of their very reasonable prices.

This eye make up remover is a cream which is applied with a cotton wool pad after normal cleansing of the face. You only need a tiny amount of cream to get off your eye make up which means it is going to last a long time. It feels so soft and moisturising and doesn’t irritate my eyes, as some removers have done in the past.

Benefit Boi-ing Industrial Strength Concealer - £16.50

I have tried many concealers in my time as I suffer from dark circles under the eye and used to have quite bad blemishes on my chin. No concealers have been half as good as this Benefit one.

It’s quite expensive for the size of it and I wouldn’t normally want to pay that much for a concealer but I am so glad that I did. It is amazing at covering up my blemishes and my dark circles.

Even though it is quite a small pot, I have used it every day since September and I still have a fair bit left so even though it is fairly expensive, it does last a long time.

I bought the 02 shade which I think is the medium shade and it suits my skin tone perfectly. I find it lasts all day and it blends really well too on top of my primer.

Clinique High Impact Mascara - £16

I got this mascara as a free sample from the Clinique counter in boots when I took an old mascara in. I’ve used samples of this mascara before and absolutely love it.

Like concealers, I have used many different mascaras, usually buying a different one when one’s finished. But now I have found my ideal one! I have such dark eye lashes anyway that I don’t always apply mascara, and don’t always see a huge difference when I do. But with this mascara it really does thicken my lashes, makes me look like I have loads more and slightly curls them up without the use of eyelash curlers which is amazing.

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer - £6.99

I had never used a primer until about September 2011 but now I would not dream of applying my make up without it. I don’t know why it took me so long to start using one!

This is the first primer that I have used but it is so perfect that I don’t think I need to try any others. The Rimmer primer states that it offers 5 in 1 results:

·        Smoothes

·        Resurfaces

·        Brightens

·        Mattifies

·        Protects

It really does do all of the above things. I have found that since using this primer my make up has stayed for a lot longer and my foundation goes on a lot easier. I have also found that it brightens my face too and as I have quite oily skin my face can sometimes look oily after a while of wearing make up but with this product it no longer does. It really matifies my skin.

I apply it to my face about 10 minutes after moisturising and then leaving it to dry/set into the skin for a further 5 or 10 minutes before apply foundation. You only need a very small amount and so the product does last a long time. It has a lovely fresh smell and a very silky feel.

Again, I have found this product to be excellent value and would definitely recommend it to everyone!

Hope everyone has had a great week and have a fun packed weekend planned!

What are your favourite beauty products?

xo Hannah xo

Today's Nails - Barry M Red Glitter Nail Varnish

I popped into Boots today before work to grab a few essentials but was drawn to the make up area as usual. Noticed this gorgeous glitter red nail varnish by Barry M and I couldn’t resist. I wish I had bought it before Christmas because it would have been perfect for the festive period but I think it looks great for every day of the year!

Barry M Red Glitter - £2.99, Boots

I really like the Barry M nail varnishes and think they are well worth their £2.99 price tag. This red glitter one certainly didn’t let me down. It is very red and very glittery, which I love. I applied two coats of this polish to really allow the vibrant colour to come through. I seriously can’t stop staring at my nails now!

It seemed to dry really quickly which is perfect for me as I always seem to smudge my nails before they are fully dry. I applied the Barry M top coat too, which I fully recommend as my polish stays on for a lot longer when I use this product.

I have loved the glitter nail trend for a while now and I am on the hunt for some more gorgeous colours so if anybody has any recommendations for me then please do share!

xo Hannah xo

Today's Nails - Polka dots and Florals

After this nail art inspiration post I did in November, I vowed to try some out, however ever since I did that post I have been so busy, that I just haven’t had the time. But today, having not much to do, I decided to try out a simple nail art - polka dots and flowers.

Ring - £3.50 A Wardrobe Full of Dreams Shop

Polka dots are so simple to do and always look cute with so many colour combinations but I always do polka dots on my nails and so I mixed it up a bit by drawing on little flowers on a couple of nails. 

For this I used Boots 17 Fast Finish Nail Polish in Catwalk Couture as the base colour. For the polka dots and flower details, I used my nail art pens that I bought from Ebay, which I have found to be very good for the price I paid (about £10 for 24 colours).

For the flowers I used the dark pink pen to put several large dots on the nail followed by a smaller dot in the middle with the light pink pen. I then used the dark green pen to draw on little lines to look like leaves. I know they don’t look brilliant, but for a first go I don’t think I’ve done that bad!

I hope everyone’s having a great weekend. Mine has been fairly lazy but managed to plan a few blog posts for next week.

xo Hannah xo

P.S. Don’t forget my Arty Inspired Rings are now just £3 (ending Monday 9th Jan)

My Favourite Nail Art Inspirations

I very rarely see my nails nude, always paintinig my nails at least twice a week. However, I always tend to play it safe and go for just one block colour and I have always wanted to be more a bit more creative and experimental. After my nude polka dot nail art which I photographed in this post, I decided to gain some inspiration for my next nail art project.

Here are some of my favourite nail art inspirations.

Leopard

Probably one of my favourite nail arts! Ever since I saw the lovely Lauren Conrad with leopard print nails probably about a year ago, I have wanted to try them out. They are meant to be quite simple to do, which is perfect for me!

Vintage Florals

Maybe its because I work at Cath Kidston but I love floral prints on just about anything! Floral prints have been everywhere recently from dresses to trousers and now I really want them on my nails too! Vintage floral is probably my favourite nail art and these are some of my favourite floral designs which I think will be tricky to do and certainly a step up from my simple polka dots, but they are so pretty and look fabulous!

Ombre

Very simple and quick to do with no little fiddly details but still very effective is my kind of nail art!

Spots and Stripes

Again, fairly simple to do but oh so effective with so many variations and colour combinations to be used.

Christmas

Of course, with the festive season fast approaching, I found some cute Christmas inspired nail arts to share with you and its the perfect excuse to get creative. Absolutely love the glittery green one in particular!

Miscellaneous

All photos from WeHeartIt.com

What are your favourite nail designs?

xo Hannah xo