Monthly Favourites: February 2014

February; what an eventful month you've been! My boyfriend has moved to the States, which while not as close as I would like at least we're on the same continent now! I got a wee little promotion at work which is why my schedule has become easier to stick to the two a week posting schedule and my sister hosted the most badass DIY Harry Potter Birthday party for my nephew that turned 8; I helped out and was referred to as Mrs. Professor Snape all afternoon which I wasn't too upset by. You can see pictures of my sisters handiwork below. And yes, that is me teaching a spells class to a room full of kids...

Now on to the beauty!!

Skincare

February was a month of discovering new favourites and falling in love with old ones all over again!

Delarom Revitality Cream: This little wonder was one of the items I stockpiled during my trip to Paris, I've been using it for about six weeks now and it's amazing, let's just say NO MORE FOREHEAD WRINKLE! If you'd like to know more about why I love this product so much you can read my recent review of it here.

Etude House Missing U Handcream in Peach Panda: Ok, let's be real here, I only bought this hand cream because of how adorable the packaging is, but can you blame me?! Look at how cute it is!!! The cream itself was alright, great scent and doesn't leave your hands with a greasy residue but not nearly moisturizing enough if you have scaly dry hands like me. So why then did I love it so much? Because of the way the packaging is designed you can easily refill the panda when you've used up all the cream, so once I was out of the hand cream from Etude House I cleaned it out and refilled it with the Body Shop's Vineyard Peach Body Butter.

Clarisonic: I've had my Clarisonic Mia for about a year now and I love it. I know some people that use them daily whenever they cleanse their skin but my sensitive little skin just can't take that. When it was oilier and more acne prone that's exactly what I used to do and it worked wonders for me, but when my skin made the massive switch from oily and acne prone to dry and sensitive using it that much caused me to break out like crazy, so I stopped using. This month I reintroduced it to my skin care regime, only using it 2-3 times a week, when my skin was feeling dull or I had a lot of make up on and I just wanted to feel like my skin could breath again and I'm really happy I kept it around instead of giving into the urge to toss it when my face started to freak out; some times less really is more!

Hair Care

Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Overnight Ultimate Hair Healer: Fleur had mentioned this product in one of her favourites videos so when I was in London I had to pick it up and give it a go; it is truly worthy of the name Ultimate Hair Healer! The last night before my weekly shampoo I coat my hair in this and then throw it up into a bun; first let me point out that there is no messy residue left on your pillow from this which is awesome and after shampooing and conditioning as usual in the morning my hair was so unbelievably soft and shiny. When this runs out I'm going to have to get one of my friends in the UK to hit up Boots for me!

Charles Worthington Strength and Repair Pro-Heat Repair Milk: I picked this up at the same time as the overnight mask above because Boots had them on offer and I love this stuff! It works as a heat protectant for blow drying and straightening so you don't need to use two products- it leaves your hair super shiny and soft and I found it also gave a little added volume to my limp locks. I haven't been able to find anywhere online where I can get the Charles Worthington Spa at Home collection so if you know let me know in the comments below!

Difiaba Luminessence Shine Mist in Hibiscus Formula:  I bought a whole bunch of stuff from this collection online (ie. eBay) about a year ago and absolutely loved everything except for this, to me it was a let down, I felt like it left my hair looking greasy instead of shiny. After watching a YouTube video, can't remember who, about dry shampoo and shine sprays I tried spraying it into my brush and then running the brush through my hair as opposed to spraying it directly into my hair and what a world of difference that makes! I absolutely adore this now, its a combination of aromatherapy and hair care in one. The smell is incredible but not so strong as to be offensive, everything else in the collection also has this wonderful scent and my hair always looks so shiny and healthy when I use it. It pairs great with dry shampoo to bring back some shine instead of the "I didn't wash my hair this morning, or yesterday morning and coated it in powder instead" dull hair look I was previously sporting.

Beauty

L'Oreal's Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara:  I picked this up in Boots back in January because the mascara I'd been using was finished and this one was new and on offer; it boasts uncontrollable volume and it does not leave you disappointed. The wand has a 360 degree flexible cone brush that makes it super easy to apply to even the teensiest lower lashes.

Skin Food Good Afternoon BB Cream in Peach Green Tea: When BB Creams first became popular in North America I steered clear because I had super oily acne prone skin and was busy applying full coverage mattifying foundation with a spackle, the thought of a more natural looking finish with a built in moisturizer was blasphemy to me. So when I started ordering Asian cosmetics and received billions of little samples of different BB Creams I figured maybe it was time to give them a try. I tried 12, yes 12, different samples and this one was my favourite; now that I have dry skin the moisturizing properties of a BB cream aren't up to par with what my skin needs so this one is nice in that the green tea provides oil control so I can layer over my normal cream without looking shiny and it gives great natural coverage.

MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish in Perfect Topping: I'm obsessed. Some days I feel like bathing in this and get a little carried away and suddenly what started out as a highlight has moved onto my collar bones and shoulders because I just can't be shimmery enough! This is a gorgeous rose gold colour that came out with the Fantasy of Flowers collection, I swatched it in a previous post that you can see here.

Random Bits and Bobs

Nigel the Dachshund Necklace from Cat-a-Cake Creations: I stumbled into a cute little boutique shop in Brighton and immediately fell in love with this necklace. I've previously owned two little dachshund and they're probably one of my favourite breeds and will always have a soft spot in my heart so when I saw this necklace I knew I needed it in my life, plus the cute little description that reads " Nigel is one cute little sausage dog looking for a loving home! He has 3 beautiful stars engraved on his back. He loves walks on the beach and dislikes Justin Beiber."stole my heart. While I was paying for the necklace I got a change to meet Nigel the cute little sausage the necklace was modeled after and I heard the heart warming story of how he was given as a 30th birthday gift to cheer up the designer who was a little upset about turning 30. You can find Nigel and many other cute designs here. That adorable little Jammie Dodgers necklace is next on my list!

Tea of the Month:  I was going to give it to Wanderlust Green Tea by Yumchaa Tea but since I already mentioned it in my What's in My Bag post I thought that I would give it to Choconut Oolong by David's Tea because it's like dessert in a cup and I've been indulging all month long!

Blog of the Month: She's quickly become one of my favourite blogger/vloggers, could it be that it's because she's a Canadian living in England with fantastic taste in beauty and skin care.... most likely. That or because she's freaking adorable. Check out Essiebutton here and on YouTube here.

Let me know what you guys were loving this month in the comments below!

Brighton. Beauty. Bliss. - A Collection of Favourites from January 2014

Wow! January has been crazy for sure; I started this lovely little blog you're currently reading, worked my butt off, went on vacation and fell even further into my skin care addiction! I've always loved monthly favourites on other blogs because you just know you're going to find some treasures, so here is a small collection of my essentials, why I love them and why I just can't get enough of them!

Let's start with why most of you are here; skincare!

MAC's Lightful Marine Bright Cleanser and Softening Lotion

These two aren't just January favourites I've been using and loving on these guys for a while now; I tried the entire Lightful collection including the essence and the moisture creme and to be honest I really liked the entire line. With continued use I saw an increase in the overall clarity of my skin, old scars from blemishes have drastically lightened in colour, it's reduced the frequency of spots cropping up and left my skin glowing. I traded out the essence and moisturizer for other products but the cleanser and softening lotion have become a permanent fixture. The cleanser leaves your skin squeaky clean, I will say though that if you are normal to dry definitely make sure you're using a moisturizer as I do find my skin tends to feel a bit tight after cleansing. As for the softening lotion I use it religiously myself and put it on every client that sits down in my chair, it's a liquid moisturizer that softens the skin and removes dead surface cells giving you instant gratification! You can feel an improvement in texture after a single use!!

Rocky Mountain Soap Company Body Butter

Not only are the winters in Alberta murder on your skins moisture barrier but if you're like me you're constantly having to wash your hands, apply hand sanitizer and your hands wind up all dry, cracked and beyond painful. This body butter was my absolute SAVIOUR this winter. I got the unscented version as my hands were so bad they stung if you even looked at them the wrong way. The little twist up bars are super convenient for stashing in your hand bag, night stand, even the glove box of your car; I will say though I got more than one strange look while applying this in public as it does look like you're smearing deodorant all over your hands. I love the body butter for my elbows, the backs of my hands and any other super dry spots that creep up but I did find it left a little bit of an oily residue on my palms that I did not like.

Sanoflore Nourishing Honey Smooth Hand and Nail Cream

Now this is a more recent addiction; my lovely boyfriend took me to Paris for a weekend a couple weeks ago and waited patiently while I went skin care crazy in the pharmacies, I fell in love with the Sanoflore brand and I'm a complete sucker for anything with honey so when I saw this I had to give it a try! I swear this is the hand cream of the gods; it is so moisturizing, has an incredible scent that isn't overpowering but lingers on for hours. My co-workers have dubbed it "hand crack" because I use it non-stop and won't stop talking about how amazing it is, seriously, if you can get your little hands on some, DO IT, you'll thank me later. On another note; if you're in France, walk into a pharmacy and ask for help, the ladies that work there know their products inside and out and will help you find things you didn't even know you needed. I was trying to explain this to the customs officer in London when he saw €300 worth of skin care from a two day trip...

Now on to a quick note about what's been keeping my tresses happy this month...

While in London I was in Boots on one of many shopping trips and saw the Tangle Teezer I've heard so much about and decided to give it a go, let's just say this thing is a miracle worker. I am able to brush my damaged, fragile hair wet  without any breakage and it seems to just slide through the knots effortlessly which has made brushing my hair enjoyable as opposed to bracing myself for the battle of the scalp that I've come to associate brushing my hair with for the last two decades.

The other favourite is something you'll recognize from here which is the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse which I'm sure you're sick of hearing me talk about by now so let me just say this - put a couple drops in your palms and run it through wet hair, or use it to finish styling your hair to tame fly aways and make dry crispy ends looks so much healthier. Give it a go and let me know what you think in the comments below!

And finally for a couple of my staple beauty picks as this is a beauty blog after all...

 Urban Decay Anti-Aging Eyeshadow Primer Potion

I've had the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion for ages now and I don't know why I wasn't using it! I bought it at Sephora a life time ago and it's just been sitting in my make up bag collecting dust. Well, at the end of December I decided to give it another chance and I've never looked back. I get so many compliments on my eye make up, especially how smooth and flawless some of the chunkier, sparkly shadows appear when worn over this, and hey, anything with anti-aging benefits is a winner in my book!

 MAC's Double Happiness Cremesheen Glass

Let me just start with saying that the co-worker that brought this into my life has forever changed my life, this is the perfect lipgloss; I know that's a bold statement to make. It looks great over a wide variety of lipsticks and liners but looks amazing on it's on when you don't have the time or energy to perfectly sculpt your lips. Go here and get yourself one now. Heck while you're at it get one of every cremesheen glass, they all rock. It's like lipstick and lip gloss had a baby and it's not a huge sticky disaster!

And now for a few odds and ends that I just couldn't get enough of this month...

 Brighton, England 

Forget Disneyland, Brighton is the happiest place on Earth! From cute independent boutiques, to thrift shops and kitschy little tea rooms; this little seaside town is a must do if you're in England. It's under an hour from London by train and makes for an amazing afternoon of wandering in and out of the historic lanes, shopping and games in the arcade on the pier. With all the fun you'll be having you'll probably work up quite the appetite, in which case I highly recommend heading to the Black Lion Pub for some food, with an extensive menu and lots of vegetarian friendly options this place makes for the perfect end to a perfect afternoon before you grab the train back to London.

A Quick List of Bits and Bobs You Can't Live Without:

•  Coffe Cake Tea from David's Tea - served with Stevia and a splash of Almond Milk and you'll feel like you're having dessert before breakfast!
• Downton Abbey - a British period drama that when paired with the tea listed above makes for the perfect lazy afternoon
• Intellectulights - hands down some of the best candles I've ever owned

Blog of the Month: Fleur de Force whom I absolutely adore and you can find her super cute vlogs here 

Have you tried any of these things? What did you think? What are some of your must haves? Let me know in the comments below!