November Favourites

OK guys, a week into December already (WTF!) and I'm doing my favourites again. I've got some beauty, homeware & motherhood bits. Oh and two instagram accounts that I've loved in the last month.

I'll start with homeware. The Jo Malone dupe candles by Aldi. My sister Courtenay picked this Blackberry and Bay one up for me weeks ago, it was £3.99 - so cheap! It has burnt quite well, and I am impressed by how much scent fills the room. I find after a while (I'm talking a good few hours here) the smell starts to annoy me a bit, it becomes more herb like than fruity but that is just personal preference. For the price, it is fantastic! If you've not already seen the collection, there is also a Lime, Basil & Mandarin one and Pomegranate Noir - just like Jo Malone.

Next is my beauty favourites and it is two lip colours that I've been reaching for constantly over the past month, The Younique Matte Liquid Lipstick in Stellar, and the Younique Lipstain in sultry.

Stellar

Sultry

Now I am terrible at applying lipsticks, so apologies for the rubbish applications above but I wanted to show the colours on. Both are great for this time of year, ideal Winter colours and go with loads of outfits too! 

Now you all know I am a lover of fake tan. For most people, it is a summer essential. For me, it is even more essential in Winter! My skin is so drab and pasty, I need a bit of colour. I've raved about the Bondi Sands dry oil before on Instagram but just to recap - it dries instantly, smells divine and gives a gorgeous natural colour. Fantastic.

Motherhood wise, it is this wonderful book. Matilda received this for her birthday in April and even though we read it once or twice around then, she was more interested in other books (we always let her choose what she wants to read) but she has recently become obsessed with this book and I can see why. The story is about a little girl trying to find her name, she goes on adventure meeting creatures and animals that start with the letters in the child's name. So for example, M is for Mermaid, A is for Aardvark and so on. It is perfectly whimsical and wonderful and I just adore the fact it is personalised. It makes a fantastic gift for Christmas!

Also motherhood/Christmas related is the beautiful handmade garland my friend Sarah made for us.

How stunning! It is all handstitched and then personalised with my daughters names. I absolutely love it and you can find Sarah's work on her Instagram page here.

Finally it is two of my favourite instagram accounts that I've been obsessed with this month.

Jess @ thelayoverlife_ for her stunning travel pictures (I love a travel based account) She also blogs and Youtubes too.

Emma @ emmahill is one of my fave fashion accounts and has been for ages. I love her style, basic but with high end accessories and her instastories are hilarious. Emma youtubes as well and her vlogs are brilliant so go and take a look.

Hope you enjoyed this post, leave me a comment below with the things you've been loving and if there is anything you'd like to see in the future.

Thanks for reading,

Chloe x

Sephora Haul

As promised, my Sephora haul for you guys! I'll tell you what I purchased and what I think of each product.

I'm going to list them in the order I put them on, so firstly it is the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in shade Sunlight. They are so pigmented a little goes a really long way so I think these are going to last ages. I use these on the areas where I would usually highlight, so cheekbones, brow bone, cupids bow and down my nose. Because the glow on these is so luminous, I use it under my foundation. You can buy these in the UK, all shades are available on Beauty Bay for £34. 

I'd been wanting to try the Giorgio Armani Power Fabric foundation for ages. I bought the Luminous Silk last summer and loved that so couldn't wait to try this. I've purchased it in the same shade I used in the Luminous Silk, which is 4.5, more yellow toned than pink. With foundation, try before you buy and check it in natural light too. This foundation is gorgeous, one pump covers the entire face it is a longwear full coverage finish with SPF 25. If you prefer a more dewy finish, try the Luminous Silk.

I'd read up on brands to buy in the US before we went to Vegas, and Milk Makeup kept coming up. I got their Flex concealer in shade light - again more yellowy which suits my skin tone - and this has excellent coverage. Their ethos is eco-concious and innovative using the best ingredients, and is also vegan, cruelty & gluten free! The concealer doesn't flake or crack and blends really well. You can buy from Sephora online.

Whilst in Vegas I smashed my Younique bronzer! I was so gutted as I'd only had it about a month and there was so much left. So, I obviously had to buy a new one. A friend had recommended me either Tarte or Too Faced so I tried both in Sephora to see what I liked more. The Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer won it for me, because it smells of chocolate. All the heart eyes for this amazing bronzer! I went for the medium/dark shade, which is just right. It is a matte bronzer that blends beautifully.

Also on my list of products to buy was a new liquid liner. For this I headed straight to the Kat Von D counter to try the Tattoo Ink Liner. I prefer brown to black for a softer look, so purchased the shade Hemingway. This stuff goes on like a dream and is easy to create flicks and wings with. It is also really long lasting. You can buy all shades from Debenhams.

Finally, the most incredible setting spray by Make Up Forever, called the Mist and Fix. I only bought the 30ml size bottle as it was glaring at me whilst I queued up to pay for my other items so I just grabbed it quickly. Wow, this stuff keeps everything in place all day, I am so impressed by this and will definitely be purchasing the 125ml next time. I can highly recommend this stuff, I do personally find it works better than the Urban Decay setting spray and is cheaper.

So there is my Sephora Haul from you, this all came to around $250. And I could have easily spent triple that!!

Let me know if you've tried any of these and what you think.

Thanks for reading,

Chloe x

New In: Beauty

I'm the crappiest blogger going, I know.

I've got a mini beauty haul of products I am loving currently and which seem to be working wonders for my pregnant body!

First are two products from Garnier's SkinActive range - the tissue mask which I like to use once a week for a complete hydration injection to my face! I don't feel like my face has suffered this pregnancy, it can look dull at times but nothing a good mask can't sort! These were reduced to 99p a mask in Superdrug recently, so I stocked up. The night cream here is (I think anyway) a total wonder product! It was about £6, it has a wonderfully light texture so it is perfect for using every night. I wake up in the morning and can really tell the difference, my skin feels plump and looks dewy, it's a great drugstore night cream.

My hair is driving me mad at the moment! Ever since I made the terrible decision to have a full scalp bleach 18 months ago, my hair has never been the same. It breaks when I brush it, my scalp itself is much drier than it used to be and it looks as dull as bloody dishwater frankly! In comes this wonder mask, I'd seen Victoria from Inthefrow recommend this in one of her YouTube videos and Look Fantastic were offering Redken products at 20% off so I got this for £17.49 at the time. I use this once a week and I must say my hair feels a lot softer, doesn't break as much as it used to and has a nice smell to it. I think I probably need to use this for longer to get my hair back to it's old form!

Bit of a theme here now with all of these masks! This Body Shop mask is fab, has a lovely light fragrance perfect for sleeping in and is not greasy at all. When I wake, I have a slight residue which once washed off, makes my skin look radiant and feel so soft! I only use this once or twice a week, in between my other creams and masks! I've enjoyed a few products from the Vitamin E range so far as they aren't heavy on my skin. This isn't too thick, the pot says to apply a generous amount all over your face, rub in gently then leave it to sink in overnight - heaven.

Finally, a cult product some may say, the This Works pillow spray. Excuse the travel size spray! This has been helping me drift off to sleep throughout the final weeks of my pregnancy. I'm getting to the stage now where sleep is an issue, just because of the extra weight and the aching hips (I'm really not moaning here though, I've had the best pregnancy and will be sad for it to end!) 

A few sprays of this on my pillow before settling down for the night really helps me relax. So many people recommend this product, if you're someone that struggles to drift off at night why not give it a try?

Chloe x