Top 5 February Favs

Hello, my rays of sunshine! I hope you all are doing fabulous! I can't believe that we are in March! The days are flying by so fast. Can I just begin this blog by saying that 2018 has already been such a massive year for the beauty industry, with so many makeup products being released and collaborations with beauty influencers? I wanted to share some of the products I have been loving during February (most of these have been brought along from January).

1. Pixi Overnight Glow Serum (£26.00)

This is magic in a bottle. I have been using this little product for a few months now and it has changed my skin! I use this stuff only at night as it's best to use this when you're not going to be exposed to sun straight after as this is an exfoliating serum (keep in mind that it is still important to use sunscreen during the course of this product). It contains 10% glycolic acid which removes dead skin cells, revealing fresh, new skin cells; this essentially is what gives you that 'glow'. I love this especially because I do have scarring and pigmentation, and I have seen a reduction in both since involving this product in my skincare routine. It makes your skin looking supple and hydrated thanks to the cucumber and aloe vera extracts. I like to apply this after I have washed, cleansed and toned my face and right before I apply my moisturizer. Some of you may think that the price is a little hefty, but I promise you this stuff works and it is worth the investment.

2. Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer in C10 (£4.00)

This concealer I bought a few weeks ago and I cannot stop wearing this stuff. Can I first start off by applauding Makeup Revolution for their shade range on their concealers, 18 shades everybody! This means whatever skin tone you are, you are able to find a  concealer best fit for your skin tone. I honestly didn't have high hopes for this product when I first got it considering it was only £4.00, but I was wrong. This concealer is high coverage and a little bit goes a long way. The consistency is perfect, it is blendable yet sets very nicely especially when set with powder. The shade is absolutely beautiful with the correct undertone, it adds light and coverage to all the problematic areas. For £4.00 you really can't go wrong, so if you're looking for a good drugstore concealer or a good concealer in general, then I truly recommend this bad boy!

3. NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Mauve (£3.00)

What can I say about this product? Honestly, it just does the job. It stop lipsticks from bleeding and is super long-lasting. The formula of this lip pencil is lovely, it is super creamy and glides on beautifully on the lips. I have a few NYX lip-liners, but this shade in particular has me hooked! It is amazing with every nude lipstick I own (and some may say that I own too many hehe) and also looks stunning by itself with some lipgloss on top! For the £3.00, it is an absolute bargain for the quality and shade range of this product.

4. Collection Velvet Kiss Moisturising Lip Cream in shade Caramel (£2.99)

This lip cream is an absolute dream. I got this a few weeks ago and it turned into my everyday lip colour! I love wearing this by itself or sometimes I add a bit of gloss, just to jazz it up. This shade in particular is the perfect browny-nude colour. I can honestly say this product is a dupe for the NYX lip creams. The pigmentation of this product is good as you can definitely build it up to the intensity you desire. As the name states, this is a super hydrating lip cream and considering it has a matte finish, it is excellent news for someone like me who constantly suffers from dry lips. It is long wearing and perfect to throw in your handbag if you're someone on the go.

5. Anastasia Beverly Hills Duo Brow Brush in 7B (£18.00)

looking back, I really don't know how my life was before I owned this brush. This brush has changed my eyebrow game. It has made shapign and definign my eyebrows so much more precise and easy. This nifty tool has two end which is super useful, one has a spooley to comb through the brows and one angles brush side which is perfct for any brow product to glide on. I personally use my brow promade with this brush and it honestly is the best eyebrow tool ever!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post on the top 5 products I've been loving during Feb. Take care.

Davina

x

Mustard hues

Hello everyone! Hope you all are having a great week. Who's loving Autumn so far? I certainly am! There's something about falling leaves, pumpkin spiced lattes and cold evenings spent watching movies.

So for today's post, I wanted to jazz up an LBD (little black dress) that had been sitting in the back of my wardrobe for quite a while (I'm pretty sure you have one too). 

I was doing some online shopping on Boohoo when I came across this beautiful mustard coloured duster coat. This particular colour was something that was definitely missing from my collection and I thought it would be perfect to throw on over the dress, with a pair of booties, so that's exactly what I did.

This colour will work well with all skin tones and I think it will become very popular this year. You can wear this duster coat over a plain black jumpsuit and even wear it to work over a white shirt and black trousers.

These pair of heeled boots are one of my essentials, and if you don't own a pair like these already, then girl, get them! They work perfectly with any outfit and can be worn during the day as well as night.

I kept the accessories pretty simple, with some plain dainty pieces but off course you can pair this look with some statement earrings or necklace.

Items worn:

- Isabella Turn Up Cuff Duster Coat - £18.00

- Black High Neck Low Black -Bodycon Dress (Similar) - £15.00

- Mid Heeled Chelsea Boots (Similar) - £35.00

April Favourites

This month I have been LOVING these products which I haven't been able to put down. Most of these products I have used in my beauty tutorials but I haven't shared in detail as to why you need these products in your lives right now!!! Last month I didn't have many monthly favourites so I decided to combine last month's favourites into this month. I have been using these products  continuously all month and I have featured them in previous blog posts which just shows how I am super impressed with all the products listed. I hope you try out these products to see how amazing they are for yourselves. Let me know if any of you have tried out any of these favourites through my social media!! xx

1. Superdrug Vitamin E Serum- After being super impressed with the eye cream from the same range (featured in my Winter Skincare post) I wanted to try out the serum. This light-weight formula is an absolute dream to work with and sinks into the skin so fast! This means that I don't need to wait for my serum to sink in which means I can do my skincare routine quicker. It's enriched with Vitamin E which hydrates the skin and makes my skin so soft and supple (what more could you want?)
At £3.99 for a 50ml bottle you definitely can't go wrong in trying it out for yourselves so head to your nearest Superdrug- pick one of these up and I promise you won't regret it!

2.Bourjois Bronzing Powder Medium/Dark- At £7.99 this bronzer is perfect to achieve a natural bronzed face for the warmer months and has become my most-used product this month. I have used this product in my Zendaya Inspired Makeup Tutorial if you want to see how this turns you into a bronzed goddess! I'm in love with the packaging (looks like a chocolate bar) as well as the cocoa powder smell which is heaven!!
This product has become my holy-grail bronzer as it's not too orange and can definitely work on even pale skin as you can build the pigmentation up slowly.

3.. L.A. Girl Pro High Definition Orange Colour Corrector- Being a brown girl, having dark pigmentation around the eyes and the mouth is inevitable (#browngirlproblems) . However my makeup game has changed after discovering that orange colour corrector cancels out dark areas. No more dark circles peeking through your concealer ladies...this bad boy has come to the rescue. It has an in-built brush head so all you have to do is squeeze it and swipe it under your eyes and anywhere else you need it then I blend it in with a beauty blender and then add concealer once it dries.
I purchased this on BeautyBay for £5.00 (bargain!)

4. Milani Baked Blush in Luminso- This peachy blush is absolutely perfect and I've been using it non-stop this month. The peachy tones makes your skin look so healthy as well as the pearlescent finish giving you a lit-from-within look. I love how whenever I use this product I don't feel like I need to wear a highlighter as it acts as a highlight and blush duo and it will amazing on light/medium skin tones. Whenever I'm indecisive on what blush to wear, I always pick this blush as it's a 'safe' choice without being too over-powering.
It's £10.00 which is a bit more than the high street price but I can guarantee you that you'll fall in love with it.

5. Gerard Cosmetics 1995 Lipstick- This is my go-to nude lipstick for everyday wear as it's so comfortable to wear on the lips and hydrates the lips. This lipstick shade is universal and will look great on most skin tones. If you want to see how it looks on and a more in-depth review then check out my Top 5 Nude Lipsticks post. It's priced at £9.95 which is more than high street prices but it's unique shade and gold packaging make it hard to resist.

6. Beautyblender- If you haven't heard about this product then where have you been? This egg-shaped sponge has changed the way I have been applying makeup and has definitely made it's mark in the beauty world. Before using the beauty blender, ALWAYS wet the sponge, never use it dry and I use this to apply foundation in a bouncing motion. It gives you the most flawless base without it looking cakey due to the sponge soaking up excess product if needed.
This sponge needs to be in your makeup bag and you'll never go back!

7. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush- This brush is a magic wand! I use this to apply my foundation and honestly, it gives me medium/ high coverage and gives my face a smooth looking application. I will never go back to any other brush.

8. OGX Renewing  Moroccan Argan oil - This lightweight dry oil not only smells insanely good but conditions and restores moisture to your hair. My hair has been very dry recently, but I found that spritzing some of this good stuff after washing my hair, then blow drying it, really helped to give it that shine and renewal it needed. My hair always feels like I just walked out the salon every time I use this.
It's only £6.99 and helps you maintain healthy, shiny and non-frizzy hair... I say that's a WIN!

*This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own*

February Favourites

So I'm aware that I've skipped favourites for January (not a great start to 2017) but we are into March and here are some of my absolute favourites which I have been loving in February! Most of these are beauty favourites and I've also got a few non-beauty favourites which I've been enjoying last month!

1. EX1 Cosmetics Invisiwear Liquid in F400- I discovered this brand from a beauty youtuber and was excited that this line catered to those with olive/medium/Indian skin tones. The shade range is quite diverse and the colour was spot on for my skin tone. The coverage for this foundation is light to medium which is perfect for day wear and its lightweight consistency means it does not feel heavy on the skin. I use my Real Techniques beauty blender damp and I love how it blends so easily with my skin while still getting the coverage I need to cover imperfections. For £12.50 it's definitely worth it for the high-street price and I purchased mine from Topshop in Oxford Street. My skin looks healthy and lit from within (who doesn't want that?) after applying this and is perfect for the warmer weather as it is not cakey.

2. L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Mono Eye shadow in Breaking Nude- This natural shade is an intense eye shadow which I have been using as an overall lid colour. The pigmentation is excellent with no fall out even if it contains pressed pigments. The texture is smooth and creamy when applied and does not crease when I apply it with a brush. My eyelids are naturally pigmented but this helps create a natural base colour for when I'm working with brighter colours and I want them to pop or even by itself. I love wearing this with some black mascara and I'm good to go! It's priced at £5.49 and its quality can be compared with higher end shadows so is a definite buy!

3. Makeup Revolution Pro Fix Fixing Spray- Whenever I need my makeup to last the whole night or day, this is my favourite for making sure my makeup is locked and won't budge. There's been days where I've forgotten to apply for a primer and I've had to solely rely on this product to make sure my makeup stays and it hasn't let me down. At £5.00 this is a beauty bargain and I also love using this to make my eye shadow more intense by spraying the brush with it. Before using it, it is important to shake the bottle and spray it all over your evenly (my favourite part after applying makeup).

4. Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara-  I'm a big fan of Maybelline mascaras and I knew that I wouldn't be let down and this one proved why I love their mascaras. Like the name states it definitely multiplies your lashes and even the small ones in the inner corner which I was super impressed with! The curved wand makes it easier to coat all the lashes as well as curling them without the need to use a lash curler. It coats your lashes evenly without looking clumpy and dries very quickly after applying it. It's priced at £7.99 which is cheaper than other high-street brands such as L'Oreal and Max Factor. If you're looking for a mascara that defines each lash and gives you an amazing curl, then this one will become your favourite!

5. Tanya Burr Individual Lashes- I've tried many lashes including the Ardell Demi Wispies and other brands but I find that individual lashes look more natural and aren't noticeable while still making you look like you have amazing set of lashes (who doesn't want that right?) Tanya Burr who is a beauty youtuber who I'm sure everyone knows released these individual lashes and I am obsessed! There are three different lengths of individual lashes means you can pick and choose and place them where you want. It also comes with a small tube of lash glue which is handy if you're going on holiday or even in your makeup bag.

6. BECCA X Jaclyn Hill Shimmer Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop- All hail to the queen of highlighter Jaclyn Hill! Seriously though, this highlighter is my favourite hands down. With its golden tones and golden shimmer this highlight has changed the game for me in the highlighting world and there has to be something better for me to replace this as my favourite. I bought this highlight from Sephora in New York and I swatched it as soon as I came back to my hotel and fell in love with it! I use a brush to apply this and you only need the tiniest amount and I mean TINY amount to get that glow from within look.  Now this highlighter is priced at £32.00 which is a high-end product but I guarantee, you will not be disappointed. There are no chunks of glitter in this and it has a creamy texture to it even though it's in a powder form. I love how she created a colour which works on a diverse range of skin tones and this POPS on my skin like the name says so.

7. Makeup Revolution Flat Contour Makeup Brush- This has made contouring so much easier for me with its precise dense brush which means I can apply contour in the hollows of my cheekbones easily. With its synthetic hairs means that you can gradually build your contour without it looking muddy. At £9.99 its a great dupe for the Nars Kabuki Ita Brush which is £43.00 which means you don't need to break the bank to get the perfect contour and still achieve the same look.


Non-Beauty Favourites

1. Canova Pure Soy Wax Candle in Oud and Saffron- This light scent is perfect for me as I'm not a fan of heavy scented candles. Inspired by the natural fragrances of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew this scent is relaxing and not over-powering. Made with 100% soy wax means that burning time is extended as well cleaner burning (made without crude oil)

2.The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (book) - This book was first published in 2011 and is a deep fantasy tale. It is a super interesting book that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Definitely worth a read.

3. Shape of you by Ed Sheeran  (song) - This song has been on repeat since the start of the month and I still can't get enough. It is an uplifting and cheerful song, definitely will get you dancing.