June Favourites

It has now come to the end of June and I thought I would share with you the products that I have been loving this month. In the summer I don't like to wear to much make up and try to wear as little as I can, that is why I have been reaching for these products the most.

Maybelline Dream Touch Blush
This cream blush melts onto your skin making applying easy. I have really loved this blush as it stays on the skin longer than powder and doesn't melt away, which is great for warm days when you are out and doing things. It has a lovely colour and slight shimmer to it which I love.

Benefit The POREfessional
This tube is the sample size and I got given this with a purchase that I made. I really love to use this with and without foundation. On warmer days or days when I don't want to wear much make up I just put this on and it makes my skin look so much better. 

Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer
I like using this concealer on days when I don't wear much make up as it covers any blemishes, under eyes circles and other imperfections and blends in well with my skin. I have been using this on days that I don't wear foundation or BB cream.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
I have recently bought this brush as so many people rave about it, and I can see why. I love using this brush to apply my foundation as it gives a lovely finish and I don't need to go back and blend in with my fingertips. I also like that I can apply my BB cream. With my other foundation brush it just soaks into it and I have always just used my fingertips to apply it. But now with the expert face brush I can apply my BB cream without all the mess, hooray!

Simple Kind To Skin Eye Make-up Remover
I used to use this eye make up remover but then I just used make up wipes as I found it easier to just use one wipe for my whole face. However I have decided that I will go back to using it and I am so glad I did. It is so much gentler on my eyes and it removes my eye make up so much quicker! I only have to wipe over my eye a few times and the make up is gone, this is also the same with even waterproof mascara. Whereas with the make up wipes I had to rub my eye a lot to get the make up off, which is not good as the eye area is very delicate. 

Boots Pocket Tissues
Tissues may seem like a strange thing to choose as a favourite but as I have hay fever they are a must have item. I like to make sure that I have tissues with me when I am out so these pocket tissues packs are so useful. Tissues can be used in so many ways as well. These packets are so handy to have, for a start it keeps the tissues clean and together so that you don't have to hunt around for them. The tissues are also very strong and don't easily brake up. They are also great to have in your travel make up bag.

So there are my June favourites. What are your favourites from this month? Feel free to comment below about any products that you have loved this month or any that you think I should try.
Love Bella x

So Elixir Purple Perfume

I got this sample sized perfume in Aprils Glossybox. This little sample size is 5ml (with the normal size being 50ml). I really love how small and cute it is. For me it is a lovely size as I tend not to wear too much perfume as I have sensitive skin and don't want to upset it. Also the scent is strong enough to only need to use a little. I haven't tried any of Yves Rocher products before and didn't know what to expect.
It is described as a floral-woody scent, and it is exactly that. As it is a slightly heavier scent I would say that it is more an adult perfume. However I also think that for older teens to young adults it would be a good evening or formal event perfume. It would also make a lovely gift to female relatives and friends.
On the glossybox site there are so many good reviews on this perfume rated with 4-5 stars. As for buying it in full size I am not quite sure on. I do like it but I will wait until I have finished the sample size and see if I still like it and go from there. 
The full sized product 50ml is £44, and the smaller size 30ml is £29.

I hope that this has given you an idea about this product, if you have any Yves Rocher products I would love to know what you think about them.
Love Bella x

(At the moment Yves Rocher have an offer on the 50ml size with 50% off so it is now £22)

Simple day cream

I love using the simple hydrating light moisturiser, I also like using the vital vitamin night cream so when I saw this day cream I thought I would give it a try. I was also drawn to it as it has sunscreens so thought it would be good summer product. This cream is thicker than the hydrating light moisturiser and takes a bit longer to blend in but after it has soaked in it doesn't feel heavy on the skin. I love to use this product in the warmer months as if I am in a rush or forget to put sun protectant on my face I know that with this product I am covered. (This product was also featured in my summer essentials post)

I have used this day cream under make up, but I prefer to use it on its own or just with a bit of concealer. I sometimes use this day cream along with the hydrating light moisturiser. I will use the moisturiser on my face and then put make up on, I would then use the day cream on my neck.

Do you like using simple products? If so what are your favourites, and if not what other brands/ creams do you love using? Feel free to comment below about them.

Love Bella x

Tag - Why do you wear make up?

I have seen this tag post crop up on other beauty blogs and thought that it would be a nice post to do. Make up is a big part in many girls lives, this is why I thought that this would be a good post for me to share with you why I wear make up.

When did you begin loving make up?
Over the last year or so my interest in make up has grown. I love to find out about new make up I haven't tried and what works for me and what doesn't. My interest in make up started with eyeshadows, blush and concealer. At first I was a bit intimidated by all the different types of make up, but now I know a lot more and love to look at all the different products there are and can't wait to try out everything I see!

How do you feel without make up?
I feel fine when I am not wearing make up. I don't wear make up everyday and some days I only wear a little. When I do wear make up it can make me feel more confident as it can hide things you don't like, for example blemishes or imperfections. 

What do you like about make up?
I like that with make up you can be the best version of you. Wearing the right make up can highlight your features and hide imperfections. I also like that make up is something fun, from make overs to getting ready for an event, it is something that you can enjoy doing. It also shows that you want to look nice and have made an effort (for example if you go to an event etc).

Three 'Holy Grail' items:

• Maybelline BB Cream
• Bourjois smokey eye trios
• Nail polish

I enjoyed doing this tag and I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you have also done this tag or would like to, please feel free to leave your link in the comments below as I would love to have a read of it. 
Love Bella x

Bourjois 1 second Nail Polish Remover

I love to paint my nails and try out lots of nail polish colours and different designs, however I do not enjoy removing my nail polish. For a long time I have just used a cotton pad and nail polish remover. That is why I was very excited to try this nail polish remover. 

I have found both pros and cons with this product and have put them into lists below:

Pros:

• It is a much quicker way to remove polish
• It is a much easier way to remove polish
• Can easily remove polish from one nail if a mistake is made without the worry of cotton wool sticking to all your other nails
• It is acetone free
• Makes removing polish less of a chore

Cons:

• Does not remove in 1 second (although this wasn't much of a con for me as I didn't think it would, but it still shouldn't promise something it doesn't actually do)
• You have to have it upright as remover can spill out 

I would say that the smell of the product is both a pro and con as it doesn't have a great smell but I do find it nicer than other removers.

I would really recommend this product if you are like me and don't want to spend a long time removing nail polish. One tip I have is after I have used the remover I like to wash my hands focusing on the nail area as doing this helps to remove the smell of the product.

I hope this has helped and given you an idea of what this product is like. If it has, or if you also own this product or another one like it feel free to comment below.

Love Bella x 

Exfoliating

Exfoliating is a very important part of any beauty routine. Many people don't exfoliate at all and others exfoliate too much. When exfoliating we remove the dead skin from our body and face. Doing this gives us lovely smooth skin, as well as this it also means that the products we use on our skin isn't being used on the dead skin, meaning that the product is doing its job were it is needed. However exfoliating too much is very bad for your skin. If you are constantly scrubbing away your skin it will irritate it and become dry, which is not what you want.

There are loads of exfoliating products to choose from. I personally like to use the simple range as I have sensitive skin and want something that is more gentle on my skin. I used to use the facial wipes once a week on my face until I started using the facial scrub. I now use the wipes when I want to quickly exfoliate. I only exfoliate my face once a week as the skin on your face is more delicate. For my body I exfoliate 1-2 times a week as I have sensitive skin but you can also exfoliate 2-3 times a week. 

Some exfoliating tips:

• Don't scrub too hard as you only want to remove the dead skin sitting on the top.
• Use products that suit you. Whether that be a body scrub or loofah and body wash, etc.
• Remember to use a moisturiser as exfoliating drys out the skin.
• Use facial exfoliating products on the face. Don't use body scrubs on your face as it isn't gentle enough for the delicate skin on your face.
•  Remember that you should do what is right for your skin. 

I hope that this post has helped you. If you have any tips or products that you love please leave them in the comments below as I would love to hear about them.

Love Bella x

Nails inc Glitter polish

I have recently purchased a nails inc special effects 3D glitter polish. This one is called marylebone and has a pinky/purple glitter mixed with a silver glitter. 

When I first saw this polish I loved it and wanted to get one myself. I love glitter polishes as well as pink ones so this was my two favourites mixed together. 

When I put it on it dried much faster than any other ones I have used. It also had a great coverage as I applied it like a normal nail polish instead of dabbing it on like other glitter polishes. You could just leave it with one coat but it does looks a lot better with two. I also applied a top coat. 

One thing I did find with this polish is that it does chip and peal off a lot easier than other glitter polishes, and that after a few days I needed to take it off. However it would be a great polish for an event or something more formal as you wouldn't need to wear it for a longer period of time.

Do you have this polish too? If not what's your favourite one? I would love to hear about it from you!

Love Bella x  

My Summer Beauty Essentials

As you may know I have already covered the beauty basics, however as it is now the start of summer I thought I would share with you my favourite products that I like to use in the summer months. 

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream: This is my favourite product to use for full face coverage. I prefer to use BB creams in the summer as they have a nice light coverage, and in the summer you don't really want the heavy feel of make up on your face. I also like that it has SPF 30 as well as UV protection so that I know my face is protected from the sun without having to apply sun cream then foundation. I love this product and would highly recommend it, I am not a big foundation person as I don't like the feel of it on my skin, but I don't even notice this when I have it on and even sometimes forget that I am wearing it!

Benefit fakeup concealer: This is one of benefits newer products. As soon as I heard about fakeup I wanted to try it, so when it launched in stores I went in and bought myself one. I wasn't disappointed by it and have used it a lot. I like to use this under my eyes to brighten them up. It blends well and doesn't go cakey which I have found many other concealers do. I also like to use it over the top of another concealer when I want a bit more coverage.

Boots essentials lip salve: I always like to make sure I have my lip salve with me, whether it be summer or winter as your lips need protecting all year round. I especially like using this one as it has SPF 15 to protect my lips from the sun and being burned (yep you can also get sun burn on your lips!)

Simple kind to skin day cream: I like this day cream as it has sunscreens in it. So on summer days it is reassuring to know that if I do forget to put on sun protectant that my day cream has got me covered. It does have a heavier feel to it when you first put it on but after it doesn't feel any different to other moisturisers.

Simple kind to skin moisture boost hydro mist: I have only recently purchased this but each time I have used it I really liked it. You can use it over make up to refresh your face though out the day. I also like that it has a lovely fresh and clean feel on my skin and would be great for the summer on hot days.

Vaseline healthy hands + UV protection hand cream: I have also recently purchased this hand cream as I tried out a different Vaseline hand cream and loved that so I decided to try this one as well and I am glad that I did as it is so nice to use. I got a smaller size so that I could fit it in my bag. Again it has SPF 15 so it will protect my hands from the sun. It also has a lovely fresh scent to it.

Batiste dry shampoo in blush: The one that I have pictured is the small travel size but I do also own it in full size. I have shown the smaller size as it is easier to carry around with you in your bag if you want to freshen up your hair during the day. I know that in the summer I sometimes don't want to be washing my hair all the time so I find that using this really freshens up my hair as well as having a lovely floral scent.

Impulse body spray tease: When it gets hot you want to make sure that you are smelling nice and fresh. This is why I like to use a pretty smelling body spray. I like Impulse as there are so many different fragrances to choose from. At the moment I am using 'tease'.

So there are my summer essentials that I like to make sure I have around. I hope that you have found this interesting or helpful and maybe got you thinking about your own summer essentials or favourites. If you have any other products that you love to use or think that others should know about please share them in the comments below.

Love Bella x

Skin Types

Everyone has their own skin type. Some of you may know what your skin type is whereas others of you may not. If you don't know what yours is, or you do but don't know where to go from there, then fear not as I will cover the 5 different skin types as well as how to find out which one you are. 

You may wonder why you need to know this, well knowing what skin type you are is very useful when choosing your beauty products. If for example you had sensitive skin but didn't use a product designed for your skin type then you will find that your skin will react, or the product just won't seem to work well at all. The same goes for buying make up, if you use something that isn't suited you won't get as good of an outcome compared to if you used products that are suited.

So here are the 5 different skin types:

• Normal 

Normal skin has the least problems and isn't as common as the other skin types. If feels soft and smooth and has a healthy, flawless look.

• Oily

Oily skin looks shiny and is also wet to touch. Pores may also be visible. With oily skin use water based products instead of oil based.

• Dry skin

Dry skin can look flaky or scaly. This skin type can also give the appearance of premature fine lines. Keep the skin hydrated and drink lots of water and use a moisturiser twice a day.

• Sensitive

Sensitive skin is easily irritated. It can also appear scaly. Make sure to use products made for sensitive skin and if your skin reacts to a product stop using it. 

• Combination

Combination skin tends to have two different skin types in one. There are oily areas on the nose and forehead (the T-zone) and either normal, dry, or sensitive or the rest of the face. For this skin type there are products designed to cover both areas, but it can be more effective using two different products, one for the T-zone and one for the rest of the face. 

Finding your skin type:
After washing your face look and see how your skin feels and looks.

Normal           Oily                 Dry                   Sensitive             Combination
> in good        > clean but       > feels tight       > a little red        > slightly shiny
condition        shiny after       and a little         and may sting       in T-zone
                    20 minutes        stretched     

I hope that this has helped you find your skin type or just to know a little more about it. Feel free to leave a comment below if this has been helpful.
Love Bella x