...And relax!

Hey guys!

First of all I want to say thank you so much for the overwhelming support I received after posting my last post about my smile issues. It was a difficult post for me to write and the responses I received on my blog, Twitter etc have been really touching. 

Secondly, without getting too much into it, I've been having a super stressful time recently with my day job. Everybody has their ups and downs but sometimes things can really get to me, particularly when although I DO enjoy my job part of me feels like it's not what I truly want to be doing. 

Going back to my first post though, Setting Goals and sticking to them, I shan't let it get me down and will keep onwards and upwards to living the dream which means that once in the while I need a bit of "me" time.

So when Jess over at Dungarees & Donuts tweeted to say I had won her Pampering giveaway I was over the moon! I was so excited to receive my surprise package (which Royal Mail decided to hold to ransom the meanies!) and have to say, it couldn't have arrived at a better time. 

My Prizes!

Wow! What a haul. Jess really outdid herself with this giveaway. First things first, was a Lush Bathbomb which was Think Pink. 

I LOVE Lush and am obsessed with their bathbombs. Mr Candy recently redid our bathroom which meant I couldn't have a good soak for ages and this will definitely be enjoyed. 

Think Pink is scented with Tonka and Vanilla. I'd like to say I know what Tonka truly is but all I can say is it smells nice.

Also included was a Shower Smoothie from Radox in Soul Soother. There's a reason it instructs people not to drink it, it smells AMA-ZING. Like berry yoghurts and yummy cranberries and blackberries. Mr Candy has already been caught sniffing this and asking when I'm going to use it again hehe :) Also a gorgeous body puff (I love these things) to make the most of all the foamy goodness.

At this time of year my hands have a tendency to get really sore and dry and I was super chuffed to find a bottle (and a big one at that!) of Possibility Amber & Lavender hand and nail cream. 

This smells really good and I'm normally a big fan of Lavender but this isn't too "old ladyish". The amber balances it brilliantly. This will be popped in my bag to keep me going throughout the cold months!

For a really chillaxed time there are three facemasks which I'm really looking forward to using in chocolate, vanilla mousse and Dead Sea clay and a gorgeous scented candle which, I cannot for the life of me tell you what it smells like, but will go very well with some calming time in the tub. 

Our bathroom has sparkle paint on the ceiling and rainbow sparkle tiles on the floor and kicks out the most amazing patterns in candlelight. SO excited!

Some of these products I've never used before so I shall be indulging and reporting back tout suite!

Thank you SO much to Jess. It was SUCH a welcome surprise to win and your blog is fantastic to read as well :)

Also, not related to Jess' giveaway but I was actually lucky enough to win one of Barry M's new Smokin' Hot Palettes on a Twitter giveaway. I was really pleased because I'd been reading reviews on other beauty blogs and saying I must check it out. Available now at Boots and Superdrug!

Barry M Smokin' Hot Palette

I'm going on a night out next week and will give the smokey eye look a go with this and perhaps a Get Ready With Me video if you fancy it!

The Skincare Tag

So I'm a few days into blogging and in this short, but sweet, amount of time so far I've seen some great beauty blogs out there.

I've been avidly reading, getting tips and feeling my way round and after seeing Gracie Darling's Little Owl Beauty blog I spotted she had a skincare tag. 

Now as an avid YouTube watcher I've always wanted to do a tag! There are so many to pick from; The Boyfriend Tag, The Rainbow Tag but, this being mainly about beauty and all, I thought why not start at the very beginning of beauty with skincare!

So, feel free to pick up the tag yourself and enjoy reading my answers. I'm always looking out for new tips and tricks so leave a comment below!

Describe your skincare routine in five words..

Varied, simple, legacied, hopeful and lax  

What's your skin type?

I've had several different counters give me several different versions. Some say oily, some say dry and some say combination. 

If I were to draw you a map I would say relatively normal with a nose and chin that suffer from blackeads. In addition my friend says I have "The weirdest shaped pores I've ever seen" I usually whack a pore strip on though to get rid of these. Biore Pore Strips - £7.50  

What's your favourite skincare product?

Not necessarily a product as such but nothing makes my skin better than a damned good holiday. Getting away from it all, the pollution, the stress, add in a sunny climate, swimming in the sea and a better diet and I remain spot free. Failing that I can never go wrong with Clinique's 7-Day Scrub - £18.50. It's pricey but I really love the smell and the granules feel so good on tired skin.

Top blemish zapper? 

My mum, when I was a teenager, said don't waste your time on spot zappers and miracle creams and would get me to dab perfume (Yes! PERFUME) onto my spots. Till this day I still do, I think the alcohol in the perfume soaks up the gunk or something but that and a good face steam always seems to do the trick for me! I'm probably giving super bad advice right now!

Face wipes, yay or nay? 

I love face wipes. I have hoards of them and whilst they will never replace cleansing, toning and moisturising. Sometimes though my skin gets a bit aggravated with the fussing and they do the trick. Ideal for removing a heavy night out's make up though.

Toner, yay or nay? 

Toner is great. I tend to use Clinique's 3 Step - (Varied Prices) (in 2) and the toner, as much as I hate it, really reveals all the gunk and dirt on my face. It's half fascinating to use and half horrifying!

High end skincare or high end makeup?

High end make up. Skin is pretty resilient and I like to think that in all the time us humans have been about we've found one way or another to look after our skin. Whether it's through diet, good hygiene, even things like banana and oatmeal face masks it's pretty easy to even out. Just look at Lush Cosmetics, they've built their entire business around using things in nature to care for your skin and body.

Creating colours and textures of what you then put on your canvas (I mean face!) is a little more scientific and if you are going to put it on, it may as well be very good quality!

What's the most unusual skincare product you've tried?

Well apart from the perfume I mentioned previously, probably any of Lush's products. There are things in them like kaoline, chocolate and vodka! Ocean Salt which I mentioned in my August favourites smells like margaritas. I know of some people who've had Vampire Facials, Bull Semen and all sort of weird stuff put on their faces but unless they are some sort of miracle cure (or free :)) then I'll stick to my slightly middle of the road stuff!

You're in a French pharmacy and can only pick one item - what is it?

This is the question that realllly intrigued me about this skin tag. I'm a bit of a Francophile, in fact I'm off for a weekend in Paris in 2 weeks (EXCITED!) and I've been thinking about what I want to pick up whilst I'm over there.

I've heard great things about the facial sprays but. at the same time, we probably need those maybe two weeks out of fifty two here... so one thing I've heard good things about is Cattier Masque L'Argile Rose - £4.40 which I'll try and give a whirl whilst I'm over there.  

Tell us your top skincare tip.

I would normally say drink loads of water, as this is what we are all nagged to do but instead I would suggest don't fuss too much with your skin. It's good to try out new things and improve trouble areas but if you chop and change too much your skin will end up not knowing what's hitting it and so will your purse. In addition remember what works now or doesn't work may change over time. In the last couple of years my skin has changed so drastically products that were once my Holy Grails I can no longer use, whereas stuff that brought me out in a rash is now a staple!

Thanks so much for reading and I tag you! Let me know if you do the tag as I'd love to see your answers!

August 2013 Favourites

So September is upon us again. The days draw shorter and it gets a bit colder and we start thinking about what we've done this year so far... or in the world of beauty blogs we think about what we have loved this month. This is my first ever favourites post and I've thought about what products I should include. I've tried to give a good selection of which I've been using over the month of August, plus one extra non make-up item. I would love to hear what your thoughts are on the things I've picked, any recommendations of things you think I might like or perhaps you've not enjoyed them. Please leave me a comment and blog url. I'd love to hear from you

Lush's Ocean Salt Facial Scrub - £7.25 for 100g

I love Lush. In fact the first time I became aware of a lot of the blogosphere was when I became obsessed with Lush hauls on YouTube. I have tried many of their cleansers but always end up coming back to Ocean Salt time and again.

I can't use it all the time because with the salt it's obviously quite drying. I suffer from quite a stubborn blackheady nose and this just gives me the extra push that clears them up. I guess it's kind of in the same way that your skin clears up whenever you go on holiday. It can be picked up from www.lush.co.uk

Essie - Bikini So Teeny - £7.50

Essie - Bikini So Teeny painted on

Please excuse a) my horrific lighting set-up and b) the state of my nail/painting. I've only recently got into doing my nails and, again, I've only just discovered Essie. But oh my goodness, Essie (along with OPI) is hands down one of my favourite nail brands. For cackhanded fools like myself this goes on beautifully and this shade, Bikini So Teeny, is the perfect pastel lilac for Summer into Autumn. 

In particular I've been layering with OPI's Anniversary to give this wonderful shimmery colour. You can pick them both up from Amazon from the links below. 

Essie - Bikini So Teeny  - £7.50

OPI Happy Anniversary Nail Polish - - £7.89

Avon Super Extend Eyeliner - Black - £4

Avon Super Extend Eyeliner - Felt Tip

Avon Super Extend Eyeliner - Swatched in thin and thick

Ahhh Avon! Ding dong and all that stuff. I actually tried to sell Avon earlier this year and I was pretty good at it. My current job is in sales and marketing so it was quite natural for me to pick up a bit of extra cash and a bit of extra make-up. However in the end it just ended up taking up too much of my time and the thought of roaming around the streets picking up soggy catalogues did not appeal so I stopped. However it did leave me with a legacy of some good products.

Case in point is their Super Extend eyeliner. It's a felt tip eyeliner which has a couple of different thicknesses possible dependant on how you use them. I've worn this a lot as my kohls have been melting recently and sometimes full on liquid eyeliner can be too much.

Best thing as well, it's on sale now and is only £4! Check it out at the Avon Shop by clicking here 

LipCote - £3.50

Many people's mums teach them how to use make-up. My mum never did this. She only wore lipstick, mascara and her eyebrow pencil. The one thing she ALWAYS wore was Lipcote. This has recently had a bit of a revival and a strong marketing campaign and too right. This stuff is amazing. It goes with me everywhere.

My lipsticks are bold and my routine is simple, apply, blot, LipCote. It keeps my lipstick on for hours and is great for all the weddings and events I've been to over the last few months.

Pick it up from Amazon for just £3.50 

Lipcote - £3.50

Urban Decay - Naked Skin Foundation - £24

I love Urban Decay. Along with MAC, I think it is one of my favourite make-up brands. From the moment I went to Harrods and, despite being a student, was treated to a full makeover and samples I've been hooked. 

I don't normally wear a foundation unless I'm going out and because my skin colour changes so easily I've never had much luck matching one, however earlier this month for the my birthday I promised myself I would buy myself a new foundation. Urban Decay's Naked Skin was the one I picked.

It's not cheap (£24) and I do think you have to use quite a lot. I've been using mine over a base of Stila's One Step and using a proper brush. The effect I've had has been amazing. I have OKish skin but this just makes me look really good in photos and I feel like it lasts all night. Watch out when matching it though because it can be a bit cakey. There are something like 40 different types as well so although I've linked below I would suggest finding your nearest counter and getting a few testers done.

Urban Decay - Naked Skin - 6.5 - £24
Stila One Step Correcting Serum - £21.50

And last, but by no means least, I have a piece of jewelery. I've always really liked Tatty Devine and I've got a few pieces by them. I was recently lusting over the Radiance Necklace which, although beautiful, was an eye watering £100+ for a perspex necklace. Then, whilst at the Metro Centre in Gateshead earlier this month, I spotted this. A diddy version, on sale reduced from £35 to £17.50. Obviously I snatched it up fast and I LOVE it. It's shimmery and reflects in the light and has a very long chain (Unusual for Tatty Devine necklaces) but I can honestly say that it's beautiful and I've been wearing it every chance I get.

Currently lusting over their A/W Head In The Cloud necklace now... 

I think it might be sold out now but check out Tatty Devine and for slightly cheaper on Amazon too Tatty Devine

Till next time,

FluffyCandy

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