2009 favourites- beauty products

Wow, where has this year gone? I can't believe that its going to be the start of a new decade tomorrow!

Instead of doing my usual monthly favourites I thought I would write about some of my favourite products of this year. These are some of the products that I find myself using on an almost daily basis and would consider an essential in my collection of beauty products.

Skincare

- Garnier clean and fresh complete cleansing milk
- No 7 cleanse and care eye make up remover
-Simple hydrating light moisturiser
- Superdrug vitamin E nourishing night cream

Make up

- L'oreal studio secrets smoothing resurfacing primer
- MAC blushbaby and springsheen blusher
- Maxfaxtor false lash effect mascara
- Maybelline line definer liquid eyeliner
- MAC select moisturecover concealer

Hair and body

- Batiste dry shampoo
- Lush seanik shampoo bar
- Lush Christmas eve bubble bar
- Soap and glory the righteous butter body butter

What are your favourite products for 2009?

MAC makeover FOTD

How is everyone? I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

I was given a MAC gift voucher for my birthday in August and yesterday I finally got round to getting my make over.

When I got there the make up artist told me to take a seat as she had a few people to serve. When she finished she came over and we discussed what sort of look I wanted to go for. I've always loved the smoky eye look so we decided to do that using a combination of greys and blacks. She created the look quickly on paper just so we could get an idea of what it would look like. After applying the eye make up she then make up the rest of my face.

Here's the look she created:

(the eyeshadow is much darker in real life but I
couldn't pick up the colour that well on my camera phone)

Face:

Select cover up concealer
Face and body foundation
Prism blush (contour)
Dame blush
Honour blush (highlight)

Eyes:
Painterly paint pot (base)
Scene eyeshadow (over entire lid)
Silver ring eyeshadow (outer half of lid)
Knight devine eyeshadow (socket and corner)
Smolder eye kohl (waterline)
Bitz & glitz fluidline (top liner)
Zoom lash mascara

Lips:
Subculture lip pencil
Plink lipstick

Merry Christmas

(picture from Google images)

Hope everyone has a brilliant day tomorrow
filled with lots love, presents and yummy food!

Merry Christmas xxx

Elite reviews

I was kindly sent some Elite make up by Superdrug to try out and review for my blog. Thank you superdrug for the gorgeously wrapped package and for giving me so many products to try out.


The first product is the illuminating foundation in neutral. Surprisingly this colour is pretty much a perfect match for my skin (I'm a MAC NC25 for reference). I would describe it as a medium coverage foundation that gives a natural look to the skin.


The epice blush is a finely blended matte powder blusher. I found the blusher quite sheer so it was difficult to swatch but when applied to the cheeks it did give a subtle natural flush of colour which is perfect for a everyday look and it can be layered for a deeper colour.


The repulp plumping lipgloss is my favourite product out of the five. It is really pigmented (like a liquid lipstick) and this browny pink shade is the perfect colour for a 'my lips but better' look. The colour doesn't settle into any fine lines and it leaves my lips looking natural and glossy.

I was also sent an eyeshadow quartet and an eyeliner, which I shall be reviewing in another post.

Blog sale goodies and FOTN

I've been wanting to try a cream blush for ages so when I spotted the Maybelline peach satin dream mousse blusher on Pyxie's blog sale I didn't hesitate to buy it. I also brought the Maxfactor false lash effect mascara to try out as I have the shortest straight lashes so need all the help I can get. She very kindly sent me a fruit smoothie face mask as well, which I shall be using to detox my skin over the Xmas holidays.


I've only used powder blusher before so I was worried about how to apply it but its actually very easy to use, I simply get some on my fingertip, dab it onto my cheeks then blend in. As the name suggests the blusher is a gorgeous shimmery peachy colour that adds a really natural hint of blush to the cheeks but can also be layered for a more intense colour.


I used both these products for my make up last night when I went to a friend's house party to celebrate the end of term:

Face:
Loreal studio secrets smoothing resurfacing primer
MAC studio finish concealer
Loreal touche magique
MAC mineralize skinfinish natural
Maybelline dream mousse blush in peach satin

Eyes:
Clinique colour surge eyeshadow duo in victorian pink
ELF brightening eye colour in drama
Maybelline liquid definer liquid eyeliner
Primark black eyeliner
Maxfactor false lash effect mascara

Lips:
Carmex lipbalm
Natural collection clear lipgloss

Soap and glory offer

I've just had an email from moneysavingexpert about a Soap and Glory offer and I thought I'd let you guys know since Soap and Glory is quite popular amongst bloggers.

From Friday the Big thrill hat box will be on offer for £20 in Boots instead of the usual price of £50!


The box contains:
  • A limited edition Sexy Mother™ Pucker Lip Gloss 7ml
  • The Daily Smooth™ Body Butter 250ml
  • Clean On Me™ Body Wash 75ml
  • Flake Away™ Body Buff 50ml
  • Girligo™ Moisturising Mist 100ml
  • Hair Supply™ Hair Mask 50ml
  • Hand Food™ Hand Cream 50ml
  • The Greatest Scrub of All™ Facial Smoother 125ml
  • Clean Mary™ Facial Cleansing Milk 75ml
  • I-Foam™ Body Wash 200ml
  • Butter Up™ Body Butter 200ml
  • A super sized Sudsy Puff
  • A beautiful striped drawstring bag
I love soap and glory so will definitely be paying a visit to Boots on Fri to take advantage of this offer.

Hope you guys found this post useful.

Giveaway winner

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway. This morning I numbered all the valid entries then used random.org to generate a winner:
And the winner is Jo! Well done! Could you please email me (peoniesandwaterlilies@gmail.com) your address asap and I'll get your prize posted to you.

Thanks again to everyone who entered and hopefully I'll be doing more giveaways in the future :)

Watch help please :)

Hope everyone had a good weekend, what did you think of the Xfactor? I thought it was quite boring as a whole this year but between Joe and Olly I'm glad Joe won.

I've not worn a watch for years but the other day I realised how impractical it was to always be rooting around in my bag for my phone just to see what the time is, and also I'll need one for uni next year, so I was thinking of either asking for a watch for Xmas or treating myself to one.

Watch no1- Square face with metal straps
Watch no 2- Round face with white leather straps
Watch no 3- Round face with metal straps
After a weekend of browsing I've managed to narrow it down to these 3 but I can't decide between them so I'd really appreciate some opinions from you guys, especially as I have no idea when it comes to watches. Thanks in advance x

Tiffany & Co advert

I was flicking through a magazine yesterday on the tube when I came across this Tiffany & Co advert which I thought was so beautiful and powerful.

Sorry about the quality, I had to take a photo with my phone as I couldn't find the advert online. It shows a couple in the snow outside a Tiffany store. The couple are hugging and the woman is holding the iconic Tiffany box in her hand and the advert simply says 'Give voice to your heart'.

As I sat on the tube I tried to work out why I liked the advert so much (besides it being Tiffany) and I realised that its the only advert I've seen where they don't actually show the item being advertised.

I love that it shows a scene that is simple, beautiful and romantic, which for me sums up what I love about the brand.

Have you seen any adverts that have stood out recently?

Review- Lush Christmas eve bubble bar

Whilst browsing Lush a while ago I decided to get this limited edition bar to try. I'm not normally a bath person but I was in a shopping mood so I thought why not, and I'm so glad I did, here's my review:


Product: Lush Christmas eve bubble bar

Price: £2.50 for 100g

What they say: Escape from seasonal stresses with a soothing, deep blue, floral bubble bath. Perfect for Christmas Eve


What I think: I really like this, its got a really nice jasmine and ylang ylang fragrance that's not too overpowering but is very relaxing in the bath. I used just over a third of a bar and simply crumbled it under running water. It didn't dissolve straight away and I was left with quite a few pieces which I needed to break up more but it lathers up really well and as you can see from the photo there were lots of bubbles. The bubbles only lasts about 10 mins though and afterwards you're left with a bluey purple bath. It also helps to moisturize the skin and despite using sexy peel soap (which normally leaves my skin dry) I didn't feel the need to moisturize afterwards.

Rating: 9/10

Would I repurchase: Definitely, I will be stocking up on this as its a Limited edition one. Lush please make it permanent :)

Five good things

I've been feeling quite stressed out with work and negative recently so thought I'd make a list of 5 things that are good or that I'm looking forward to in my life to make me feel better and be more positive.

1. Lots of new clothes and make up to play with. I've been visiting Wesfield far too much recently but as a result I've got loads of gorgeous new clothes to wear and a few new bits of make up to play with. Also Superdrug have kindly sent me a few items of make up which I will be using and reviewing soon.


2. Xmas holidays. I only have one more week of uni left before we break up for the Xmas hols and on that last week I get quite a few days off so lots of time to go shopping for Xmas presents, hang out with friends and to do Christmassy things like cooking roasts :)

3. Am going for Dim sum later on in the week with my boyfriend, which I'm really looking forward to. I love Dim sum, lots of delicious dumplings, buns and fried goodies to share with plenty of chilli sauce, yummy!


4. Finding out yesterday that I got a 2.1 for both pieces of in-course assessment from the last module.

5. Novels, as you know I love reading and I've got a few new books and some spare time this week so will definitely be snuggling up in bed with a mug of hot chocolate and a girly novel.

Doing this list has definitely made me feel happier and more positive. Would love to know what your five good things are so link me to your post or leave me a comment below x

My winter 'Ins'

I was tagged to do this by the lovely Lauren (sorry its taken me so long to actually do it). Also I want to say a big thank you to Lauren for organising the Secret Santa.

UggsIts so cold at the moment and my feet are always frozen, especially when wearing pretty flats so Uggs are essential. I love the whole skinny jeans/leggings and Uggs look, so warm and cosy.

BathsI've always been a shower girl but I've recently discovered how nice and relaxing it is to lie in a hot bath full of bubbles and Lush bubble bars are my favourite atm.

Snuggling up in bed with a novel and a hot water bottle
Reading has always been a favourite pastime of mine and in the winter its so cosy snuggle up in bed with a hot water bottle to keep warm and a good novel to read.

Hot chocolateThe perfect winter drink to warm you up. Mint chocolate is the best!

Movie nightsAs the weather gets colder we tend to go out less and I love chilling out in PJs with a good movie to watch.

ChristmasWhats not to love?


I hope you enjoyed reading about my Winter 'Ins'. I'm going to tag all my readers who want to do this tag. Let me know if you do it as I'd love to read it :)

Bargain buys and a voucher

My favourite hand cream, TBS hemp hand protector (check out my review here) is currently on offer at half price and originally I was going to order online because there's usually a discount code but I got an email telling me about the pass the parcel promotion where you can get up to 30% off purchases.

I wasn't lucky enough to get that but did get a 20% off voucher so can't really complain. The voucher can be used in store or online so I went back the next day and picked a few up. So pleased that I manage to stock up on the hand cream for £3.90 instead of the usual price of £9.75!

I also popped into Poundland and picked up a mini chest of drawers for storing my make up in. It came in a few different colours and I stood around for ages trying to decide but eventually settled on the pink one as the colours (navy, black and white) were quite boring.

If you want to get a money off voucher for The Body Shop voucher simply go to www.passthexmasparcel.co.uk and the voucher is valid until 24th December. Happy shopping!

November favourites

These are some of my favourite products this month:

Soap and glory the righteous butter

The colder weather means that I've been taking longer and hotter showers which can leave my skin dry. This yummy smelling body butter has done a fantastic job of moisturising my skin leaving it soft and smooth. It sinks in really easily (more so than The Body shop coconut body butter) so there is no horrible greasy afterfeel.

Lush Christmas eve bubble bar

I'm loving Lush products recently and this bubble bar was no exception. It deserves its own review but I love it for giving me a much needed relaxing bath at the weekend.

Superdrug natural high anti-ageing eye cream

As you know I suffer from really bad dark circles so a good eye cream is essential. This light cream has definitely improved the appearance of puffiness around my eye area and I think I can see a slight improvement in my dark circles. Its really easily absorbed and is the perfect base for make up.

L'oreal studio secrets smoothing resurfacing primer

This mousse primer does a great job of minimising the look of pores. Whenever I use this my skin looks and feels so smooth and any make up that I apply looks 10 times better as a result.

MAC selectmoisturecover concealer

This month I've found myself reaching for this almost everyday. It helps to conceal and brighten my dark circles and because its a liquid concealer its easier to apply and doesn't settle into any of my fine lines.

I'd love to know what your favourites of the month are so link me to your blogpost or leave me a comment below.

Using everything up- November

This month has gone by so fast, I can't believe that it'll be December tomorrow! But on a happier note not long until Xmas now :)

This month I've finished:

Asda essential care soft white handwash

Toni and guy detox shampoo

No 7 cleanse and care eye make up remover

Lush grease lightning sample

B Natural energising facial scrub

Qtica hand repair balm


This has been another slow month for using up products, and I'm getting really tempted by all the exciting new products in the shops, especially Lush but I'm determined to stick with it and I love that feeling of satisfaction when I do finally finish something. And spending less on toiletries means more money to spend on clothes and make up!

Superdrug get the look competition

Superdrug are currently running a competition where you create your favourite party look for the festive season using up to 6 products from superdrug.com.


The winner will win a variety of prizes including 2 tickets to the UK elite model final, a hair and make up shoot, a Revlon cosmetic box and lots of Gosh products. The second and third prize consists of the Revlon cosmetic box, lots of make up and other goodies. There are also prizes for the 5 favourite customer looks, with each winning £25 worth of Gosh make up and 3 Barry M nail paints.


For more information about the competition and the prizes click here. Good luck!

Review - Lush seanik shampoo bar

Product: Lush seanik shampoo bar


Price: £4.53 for 55g

What they say: Softening sea salt shampoo with jasmine, mimosa and orange blossom. Many of our planet's most potent nutrients come from the deep blue sea. Lush has them brought ashore to create an ocean blue Shampoo Bar with protein-rich, softening Irish moss seaweed, Japanese nori seaweed and sea salt to leave your hair soft, nourished and full of body. We could have left it at that, but that's just not our way. We added lemon oil for extra shine, and the exotic far eastern fragrance of mimosa and jasmine to bathe you in the heady scent of tropical flora.

What I think: Another great product from Lush. I got this as part of the Freshers box and I love it.

I simply rub the bar about 5 times around my head and it lathers up beautifully. It leaves my hair feeling clean, soft and shiny and it isn't drying at all, although I always condition my hair after shampooing. My hair didn't feel like it had more volume after using this but I do have very fine hair and I've yet to find a product that gives it more volume. Like all lush products it smells gorgeous and this has a fresh oceany scent although I wish the scent was stronger so that it would linger in my hair after rinsing.

Lush claims that shampoo bars can last as long as 3 bottles of liquid shampoo and having used this I can definitely see why. You only need to use a little bit each time so the bar will last for ages as long as you dry it properly.

Rating: 9/10

Would I repurchase: Definitely

Blog awards

I've recently been nominated for 2 awards by some lovely bloggers (sorry its taken me so long to do this post).

xcharleymOox and Sinead both nominated me for the I love your blog award:


And Lisa-Jane has tagged me for the Kreative bloggers award:

Thank you so much girls, I really appreciate you nominating me for the awards. Please check out their fab blogs if you haven't already done so.

Instead of nominating some bloggers for these awards, I'm going to pass this onto all of my beautiful readers as a thank you for reading and commenting on my posts.

Also don't forget to enter my Xmas giveaway here if you haven't already done so x

Wonderbra ultimate strapless party

A while ago I came across a competition to win tickets to the Wonderbra ultimate strapless party, so I entered then completely forgot about it. So imagine my surprise and delight when I got an email telling me that I'd won 2 tickets!


The actual party was at Punk in Soho on Thursday and on Wednesday wonderbra kindly send us 2 bras to wear to the party as well as the actual invite. I had a mini panic about what to wear as I don't own any strapless dresses but I realised I could just hide the straps on my coral dress and wear that.



On arrival we were greeted with 2 cocktails (the passion fruit one was yummy) and throughout the night we were treated to a marvelous selection of finger food including salmon bites, filo wrapped prawns and Krispy Kremes as well as free drinks.


After we'd had a chance to relax they put on a fashion show with lots of gorgeous strapless outfits from Asos, and I've included photos of some of my favourite ones. There was also two lovely ladies who were offering makeovers to the guests.


On the invite they promised us special mystery guests who turned out to be no other than Miss Frank from this year's Xfactor!


All in all it was an amazing night and wonderbra did everything to make us feel glamorous and spoiled. They even gave each of us a fab goody bag to take away at the end.

My make up for the night:
Face:
Loreal studio secrets smoothing resurfacing primer
MAC select moisturecover concealer
Loreal touche magique
MAC mineralize skinfinish natural
MAC blushbaby and springsheen blush

Eyes:
Clinique colour surge eyeshadow duo in victorian pink
ELF brightening eye colour in drama
Maybelline liquid definer liquid eyeliner
Chanel inimitable mascara

Lips:
Carmex lipbalm
Natural collection clear lipgloss
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