March Favourites

Another month has come and gone, and with the weather turning a bit more bearable, I definitely felt like going to different stores and trying new products. One of my goals this spring is to stick to a well planned out wardrobe and only but what I actually want and need. Make up-wise I definitely didn't limit myself, as so many brands brought out irresistible spring collections!

With the sunnier weather and blooming flowers, I couldn't resist trying lighter formulas and rosier colours. Some things haven't changed from last month, I'm still enjoying my Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons palette, especially pairing the golden-shimmery shades with rosy lips and cheeks. So fresh and happy!

Make up-wise I have really been enjoying Charlotte Tilbury's Light Wonder Foundation. This really reminds me of Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, but the finish of this one is a bit more glowy, I feel. I normally just shake this up and apply with my fingers as the watery formula blends like a dream and gives a very natural, dewy base.

As the weather got warmer, I ditched my contouring products and switched to more of a rosy cheek- look, especially after I purchased this L'Oréal Le Blush in Sandalwood Pink (Shade 120). It's a beautiful fresh colour with the tiniest shimmer in it, and I feel like it gives my make up look a very healthy look.

As I mentioned, in March I enjoyed using some light, golden shimmery shades on my eyes, but nothing too dramatic. Instead of a smoky look, I dialled up my lashes with the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noire Major Volume Mascara. This product is absolutely incredible! It gives my lashes an insane amount of volume, quite a bit of definition and the colour is very intense. I do have to say that this gives you a 60s lash look, and if you can't put up with some minor clamps, this product is probably not for you. I am definitely all about the lashes though!

On my lips I really enjoyed using the Bobbi Brown Art Stick in Dusty Pink. On work days I normally just patted this on very lightly and blended with my fingers for a natural rosy look, but when I felt like going for a bolder lip look, this gave a perfectly muted, but still bright rose colour.

Fashion-wise I invested in these Topshop Hayden Boyfriend Jeans. I have to say, I have not loved a pair of jeans this much before. It's so comfortable and still looks amazing, especially when paired with some ankle boots. My mum almost got a heart attack when she saw me in this, but I absolutely love them and I'm already contemplating buying a second "just in case" pair.

As for shoes, I love the whole white sneakers trend that's going on at the moment, however I'm afraid that if I invest in a more expensive pair, someone is going to step on my feet pretty my right away. With that in mind, I went around in high street shops to find an alternative found this lovely pair in Zara for £25.99! I think that's an absolute bargain and if it doesn't last as long as an expensive pair would, I can still buy another pair and save some money. And they're comfy too!

My absolute favourite purchase of the month was these sunglasses from Michael Kors. I actually got these as a birthday present from my mum, after I fell in love with them in store. I always wanted a pair with reflective lenses, and this one was absolutely perfect! The rims are rosegold (score!) and the temples are white, absolutely stunning colour combination. I love the aviator style and thankfully they're not as delicate as the Ray Ban ones, as I always feel like they would break very easily. The lenses are bright blue in most lightings, sadly this doesn't show on the photo very much. The downside to the reflective lenses is that you can see me struggling to take this photo... how lovely!

As I'm going on a city break at the end of May, I'm already thinking about what summery make up and clothes I should get hold of. I'm thinking about bringing forward my "summer wishlist", but let me know if you have any suggestions.... What do you think would look amazing on a holiday in Rome?

Lots of love xx

February Favourites

It's the end of February and hopefully the end of winter! I thought I would do my first monthly favourites post as I definitely love reading about other people's new discoveries. February has been a busy and stressful month for me and I have to admit, I cannot wait for spring to start. March has always been one of my favourite months, with flowers blooming and the world becoming a bit more colourful and sunny.

Beauty

Living in England means that it's still freezing cold outside for most of March, so I couldn't wear any of the lovely spring clothes I bought over February. They are patiently waiting for their time to come in my wardrobe! Things have been much better on the make up front though. With the days becoming a bit longer, I felt more and more like going out on the weekends or after work, so it was worth putting on nicer clothes and some make up. This also meant trying out new products!

My number one make up favourite has to be the Too Faced Chocolate Bonbons eyeshadow palette! I had heard a lot about this before buying it, although I have never owned anything from the brand. The packaging is absolutely adorable, the scent of the palette is delicious, but what actually convinced me to purchase it, was two of the shades: a shimmery beige-gold called Satin Sheets and a shimmery coppery bronze shade called Molasses Chip. Both absolutely mesmerising on the eye and I think they're perfect for a spring-summer look. A huge bonus it that the shade Bordeaux is the best colour for my eyebrows at the moment, as it is really nice medium brown with red undertones. The quality of the product is ten out of ten, it is very blendable, but stays on for the whole day. Absolutely worth the £39!

My second make up favourite the L'Oréal Infallible 24H Stay Fresh Foundation. Because I have dry, eczema prone skin, I have to be very careful with drugstore foundations as most of them cause flare ups on my face. But a few weeks ago I was in London for a couple of days and I forgot my foundation, so I ran down to Boots to get something I can use the next day. I have heard some good reviews of the Infallible foundation so I decided to give it a go. I have to admit, I am not a big fan of the heavy scent and my skin colour is in-between two shades, so the colour match is not perfect. But I was quite surprised at the quality and the staying power of the product! Despite the strong scent, it didn't bring my eczema out and I have been enjoying using this with some added bronzer on top. And it was only £10!

My last beauty item is also from L'Oréal and it's one of their Color Riche nail polishes. I've been really enjoying using this formula for a while, because it dries really quickly. It also doesn't stay on for very long, but I find that I have been changing up my nail colour more because of this. The colour I have been enjoying the most this month is number 851, Nouvelle Vague, a pale lilac-y blue. It reminds me of spring a lot and because I haven't had the chance to wear spring clothes, wearing this colour on my nails just cheered me up a bit!

Fashion

Because the weather has been so chilly, I had to stick with my think and cosy winter clothes but I actually only bought clothes for the spring. So until I can wear those, I can only report on my favourite accessories, that I have actually been obsessed with. I got this gorgeous rosegold Michael Kors watch from my godparents for Christmas and it goes so nicely with this necklace I got from my boyfriend a while back. The necklace is from Pandora's "Pandora Rose" collection that combines the standard silver with a touch of rosegold. I loved this, because I didn't own a lot of rosegold accessories, so this seemed like the only way to wear it without buying a whole rosegold collection. Then I got this fabulous watch for Christmas and I have been wearing this non-stop. It adds such a sporty, but stylish twist to my outfits, and it goes amazingly with both work and casual clothes. An absolute winner combination in my books!

Skincare

During January and the beginning of February I had a really bad eczema flare up on my face and my hands. Obviously the first thing I had to do was to use prescription steroid creams that calmed my skin, but left it really dry, so a few weeks ago I took a trip to Kiehl's to ask for some recommendations and I was actually quite impressed! They tested my skin's moisture content and recommended product based on the results and my condition. The first thing that really made a difference was the Skin Rescuer. This is a stress-minimising daily moisturiser that claims to reduce visible signs of stress, including skin fatigue and redness. This has actually been a life saver for my skin! The formula is very lightweight and it doesn't leave your skin sticky or your pores clogged at all, but it works like a dream on dry and sensitive skin. It absorbs very quickly and it leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated. This has definitely proven to be a holy grail product for me and I will be repurchasing it as soon as this runs out.

The second product they recommended was the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner. This is an alcohol-free toner made with whole flowers and pure extracts, and is actually recommended for a normal-to-oily skin type. Despite this, the lady in Kiehl's recommended it to me so the heavy creams I use due to my eczema don't clog my pores and make me break out. I am not sure if it is due to this product or I just had a lucky few weeks, but my skin has definitely been quite clear. Bonus point: it smells like tea!

This is it from me this month, hopefully next month I can include some more fashion items it the weather allows it. Have you had any favourites this month?