2015 || October Favourites

Hi beauties!

So I know I've been lazy again not sticking to my blogging schedule, but I have many great posts for you guys coming soon!

I know I've bombarded you with monthly favourites last week which I had to catch up on, and they have been rushed, but let's hope you guys enjoy this post!

So, last month favourites are all beauty related. There's the FATHAIR dry shampoo, L'oreal's Sublime Bronze moisturising oil, Superdrug's own brand Tea Tree Skincare, Rimmel's Stay Matte powder, and MAC's Studio Sculpt foundation and Fluidline brow gelcreme.

The first product I am going to talk to you guys about is the FATHAIR dry shampoo. It was a great find as me and my mum found it in Poundworld so quickly grabbed one each to try it out, especially as it retails at £5.99 in superdrug. I was disappointed with this product at first as I didn't think it gave my hair much volume, nor the 'cleaninless' if that's even a word? I thought it was really bad compared to my all time favourite Batiste, however I started using it more to see if maybe it was a bad hair day I experienced, and I was right. This product is amazing, it lifted my roots up and made my hair look 3 times bigger than normal. It also made my hair look less greasy after not washing it for 1-2 days. I highly recommend it, and hope you guys can find it in Poundworld like I have!

The next product is L'oreal's Sublime Bronzing oil. It was also a great find in Poundworld (honestly, it is probably one of my favourite shops now!). It made my skin feel very soft and not at all greasy. It's a great tan enhancer as it moisturises the skin and preps it in order to keep fake tan on for longer. I combined it with my MakeBelieve fake tan and the results were fantastic. I felt really good about how my skin looked, especially as I'm naturally very pale, it was a nice feeling!

I walked into Superdrug to find myself surrounded by lots of offers and I came upon this great Tea Tree range with the products being on offer 2 for £4. I've never tried Superdrug's own brand skincare products so thought I'll give it a go, especially as I was in need of some new spot treatment products. The cleanser/toner is very gentle on my skin and makes it feel soft and fresh - exactly what I was looking for. It cleanses spots and blackheads well getting rid of excess oils, leaving the skin feeling tight and smooth. On the other hand, the foaming facial wash was trickier to use as the foam started evaporating as soon as I put it on my hand and felt quite odd putting it on my face, but the results were unexpectedly good. It made my skin feel very clean and fresh, but I did have to use it twice in one wash in order to get rid of all oils and dead skin cells. I would definitely recommend both of the products to anyone who's suffering with bad skin, as they are affordable and good value for money.

Rimmel's Stay Matte powder was something I wasn't too sure about buying as I've had it before when I first started wearing make-up 5-6 years ago and I didn't like it very much, however I recently repurchased this item as it was on offer in Boots for 3 for 2 and because I needed a spare powder to keep in my bag rather than having to take my huge Chanel loose powder as it goes everywhere if I keep it in my bag! I chose the transparent shade as I don't like high coverage powders and only wanted to use it on my T-zone to reduce the appearance of oil on my skin and it does a pretty good job. It retails at only £3.99 and is totally worth getting as it makes my foundation stay on for longer and reduces the appearance of oil on skin.

I recently ran out of my BrowZings from Benefit and I was really upset! Even though it lasted me for nearly 2 years  and was an amazing product, I decided to go for something new just to try it out. I went into my local MAC store and asked for help with my brows and got told that the shade 'Dirty Blonde' would suit me best. I agreed with them at the time but now that I've changed my hair colour back to grey I don't think it suits me that much so I go over it with an ashy eye shadow. However, It is very easy to apply and lasts forever once it's been applied properly. I do like to go over my eyebrows throughout the day to make them appear slightly darker and neater if I've had the same make-up on for a whole day. I would recommend this product for people who know how to apply gel products with a brush and have a steady hand as I struggled with the application for the first few days of having this products until I watched a couple of YouTube tutorials.

Last but not least, MAC's Studio Sculpt foundation in NW15. I have always been a big fan of MAC's foundations and this time I wanted to go for something moisturising rather than mattifying and was advised to go for Studio Sculpt. I was very excited to try this foundation but once I got home I thought I made a terrible decision as it didn't sit well on my face and kept smudging in places and didn't cover any redness etc. I was very disappointed with it until I started using a different technique while applying this product. I use a different foundation brush and then dab powder onto my skin and add a bit of Fix Plus spray to keep my face looking fresh and make-up last longer. I would recommend this foundation for people who have normal to dry skin and mostly with 'perfect' skin aka zero spots as it doesn't look great on my skin (I have many post acne scars).

Have you tried any of these products? What are your October Favourites?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Tanya Burr for Glamour Magazine

Hey guys!

So yesterday I picked up a copy of one of my all time favourite magazines - Glamour. I was so excited when I watched Tanya Burr's video where she announced that she's going to be on the cover of Glamour's December issue. She looks phenomenal. She's always been portrayed as the good girl but now we can see a different side to her - slightly more edgy and sexy. I must say she definitely is my new girl crush!

I think what excited me more than Tanya looking fabulous, was the free gift that came with the mag! Clinique have always been one of my top high-end brands and to find out that they were collaborating with Glamour yet again and this time they included lipsticks was like music to my ears! I quickly grabbed a copy with a gorgeous nude lipstick shade and I instantly fell in love with it. I know there's an another shade which is more reddish - I think it's called Cherry Pop? Either way, it will be mine once I find it!

Did you manage to get a copy for yourself? If so, what free gift did you choose?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2015 || August Favourites

Hi lovelies!

I have actually forgot to post the August Favourites, hence why the September Favourites post has been posted before this one! I don't have a lot to talk about as I don't remember what I used much that month, however I did manage to get hold of Miley Cyrus' new Viva Glam range and were using both her shades throughout that month religiously.

The Viva Glam 1 is an amplified hot pink which looks great on with a smoky eye in the evening or in the day with a bit of black waterproof mascara. The Viva Glam 2 is an orangey-red matte finish which looks fantastic with a classic winged eye liner and false lashes.

Do you own any products from Miley's range? Which one do you prefer?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2015 || September Favourites

Hey guys!

Most of you already know that I am a massive tea drinker and I've previously reviewed Clipper's tea here. As September is such a dreary month, I've been drinking more tea. I'm a big fan of green and herbal teas, especially in the morning while I'm getting ready or at night before bed. 

Lemon green tea are very refreshing to have in the morning and because it has caffeine it will wake you up instantly. If you find green tea a bit bitter, you can always use a sweetener or one teaspoon of sugar for added taste. I would recommend using honey instead of sugar just because it tastes nicer and is healthier. :)

You could also add a slice of lemon or orange for extra taste. I love putting slices of lemon, orange and a couple of mint leaves in filtered water as it's a good cleanser for your system and gets rid of unhealthy toxins!

This tea retails at around £3.00. I bought it on offer for only £1.00 which is a complete bargain for 80 tea bags.

The Snore&Peace tea is very calming and sends you off to sleep. It is especially useful for people who share a room and feel like they are disrupting the other person with their snoring as this tea helps to clear out the nasal cavity, enabling the person to breathe through their nose without snoring. It is very tasty, and I highly recommend it to those who have snoring problems or are just after a peaceful night.

Have you tried any of these teas? If so, what did you think of them?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

BEAUTY || FACE OF THE DAY USING LUXURY AND DRUGSTORE PRODUCTS

Today I wanted to share with you my top beauty products for an every-day look. They are mostly high-end products, however, they can be easily replaced by more affordable alternatives on the high street.

I never thought that I'd find a primer that's nearly half as good as Benefit's Porefessional, however, the Clinique's colour correcting super primer is amazing. It glides onto my face making it look and feel velvet smooth and on top of that it tones down the redness of my cheeks. It's a perfect base for anyone who suffers from rosacea or any type of redness on their face.

The next product which I am obsessed with is the Esteé Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover foundation in shade 'Creamy Vanilla'. The current price of this product is £29.50 from what I can remember, but I have actually bought it for just under £15 on feelunique.com back in March when it was on offer. It is very thick and creamy in consistency but very easy to blend. You also don't need a lot of product for your whole face which is always a plus as it will last you longer. The only downside of this product is that it doesn't come in a lot of shades and the one that I use is the lightest shade that I usually wear when I fake tan or mix it with another product.

MAC's Studio Fix seems to be everyone's favourite foundation, however, I am not the biggest fan of it myself. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good foundation and it is affordable as it can last up to a year for only £21.50 that's only £1.80 per month, however, I find it too mattifying and drying for my skin type. BUT when I mix it with my Esteé Lauder foundation to create a lighter shade it works perfectly well and gives my skin a flawless finish. This way my face doesn't appear dry nor oily. I use the shade NW10 which I find slightly too pale for myself, however last time I purchased the NW15 and that was too warm for my skin tone! Maybe next time I will try the NW13 or continue to mix two shades together.

After applying the base I set it with a Chanel loose powder for extra coverage and to make my make-up last longer. I swear by this product and it lasts forever, I have over half of it left and I've already had it for over a year. I'd love to recommend this product to you all but sadly it was a limited edition item and is no longer available to buy.

So, the next step I applied my Bourjois bronzer. Loads of people boast about this product saying how good it is - I won't disagree with them as I do really like it but I wouldn't call it my favourite just yet (I haven't found my favourite bronzer yet, so if you have any suggestions please note them in the comment section below!). I usually apply bronzer under my cheek bones to make them look slimmer and when I've acquired my desired look I then apply some bronzer to the sides of my forehead to further contour my face. I then apply my favourite highlighter to the apple of my cheeks for a nice natural glow.  The product I have used to highlight is by MUA and I think the shade is called 'Iridescent Glow'.

For my eye look, I used MAC's Brûlée, Era and Naked Lunch. Firstly, I applied Brûlée across my eyelid and under my brow, then I blended in Era in my crease to add a bit of colour to my eyes. Era is an earthy brown shade which makes blue eyes pop out more, hence why it's one of my favourite colours! After I've blended in Era with Brûlée in my crease, I applied Naked Lunch across the to give my shadow that extra shimmer and make it look more glamorous! This is definitely one of my favourite looks to do as it is super simple and only takes a couple of minutes.

Of course for my eyebrows, I used one of my favourite compacts from Benefit. I have been using this product for nearly two years now and I still have plenty left. It is one of the best beauty purchases I have made and I must say that Benefit have smashed it with this product! I have tried a few different types of brow powders, but this one is my ultimate favourite.

I received a sample of MAC's new mascara with my recent order and I am in love with it! It's the False Lash Mascara in Extreme Black (Sadly it is not discontinued). It covers my lashes perfectly well, and as most of you know I have really fair lashes so it makes my eyes look bigger and there's no need for falsies as you can actually see the definition on my real lashes which look super long and thick! When I went into MAC's pro store in Nottingham last week to pick up a few things, the full-size mascara was on my list and I was very upset to find out that it was out of stock! :( To add more volume I applied a coat of Zoom Lash (also by MAC) which I wasn't so keen on when I first got it but it's grown on me a bit now.

I don't really like this eyeliner but it was the only one I had at the time - it's the Loreal's Super Liner Blackbuster. The brush applicator is too thick to handle with ease, which makes it harder to draw flicks to suit my eye shape. However, it's a good product but not my favourite. It's long-lasting, so would be perfect if it had a slimmer applicator.

For my lips, I used MAC's Cremesheen lip liner in shade 80% (discontinued) and Brave lipstick on top for an ombré nude lip. This is my favourite lip look which I find looks really good with most eye looks. I recommend this combo to everyone who loves a 90's lip - a darker liner with a pale middle. 

Do you own any of these products? What is your daily go-to makeup look?

*This post contains affiliate links.

Lots of love,

Maya xo