Rituals Fresh Fig & Rice Milk Whipped Body Cream...

One of my new years resolutions was to take better care of my body. Get fit, lose weight and look after my skin. I'm pleased to say that I have generally stuck to it! I am eating a lot better, no more snacks or greasy takeaways, I have started up my running again and I treated myself to some luxurious body care products.

This may sound really grim but I never used to moisturise my body. My face, of course but the rest of me, too much effort! I can be extremely lazy at times. But something kept on nagging at me to start doing it and I kept on hearing so many raves about different body creams. There was of course Laura Mercier's offering, Almond Coconut Milk and Fresh Fig Creme both smell amazing! And Soap and Glory also have a great range to offer. But I had first heard about Rituals when Fluer De Force posted a review on her blog about the Honey Touch body cream. Fluer said that she was obsessed by this, her review made me want to buy it instantly.

So I went onto Feel Unique to have a snoop. Bearing in mind I hadn't ever smelt any of Rituals scents I didn't really know which one to go for (they offer quite a variety!) Do I go on Fluer's recommendation or do I try something different? I love the smell of anything that contains fig so when I saw the Touch of Hammam Ultra Rich Whipped Body Cream with Fresh Fig & Rice Milk I thought perfect, that's the one for me. I also nabbed the Hammam Delight Foaming Shower Gel Sensation in Fresh Eucalyptus and Rosemary so I could smell extra delightful!

The cream itself is rather gorgeous, I can see why Fluer became so obsessed with it. The texture is quite thick but when applying in onto the skin it sinks in beautifully. It leaves my skin feeling so soft and the smell, well I just love it. It lingers for ages and when I apply it just after my evening shower I can smell it wafting around my bedroom (and my PJ's smell gorge).

The shower gel is pretty lovely as well. It has a totally different smell, really fresh and minty. I squeeze one big pump onto my hands, it first appears as a gel and then when you rub your hands together it turns into a foam. It really lathers up so a little goes a long way, I can basically scrub my whole body from head to toe with 2 pumps. I actually look forward to my showers now so I get to use these two products.

The whole Rituals range is available from Feel Unique. The body cream is £17 for a 200ml tub and the shower gel is £8.50 for 200ml. Have you ever tried anything from the range? I think I will definitely be buying the Honey Touch body cream once mine is finished.

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm...

So if you have been following my blog for a while now you probably already know how long I have been dying to try the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm, (what a mouthful). I had already been using Clinique's Cleansing Balm for about 6 weeks and was loving that but the Emma Hardie balm was still lingering around in my mind. I convinced myself that I needed to treat myself so I ordered mine from Feel Unique. £34 lighter (I know, big treat for moi) I was happy that I was finally about to try the skin product that everyone loves!

When it arrived I still had over half the tub left of my Clinique balm so I thought I would finish that before trying my new purchase. Overall the Clinique balm lasted around 4 months, which I thought was brilliant and I seriously loved how it removed all of my makeup and how it made my skin feel. At only £21, the Emma Hardie balm had a lot to live up to in my eyes.

First of all this balm has a very different texture. It's much more oily and has quite a strong scent. It's a pleasant smell and reminded me of the type of massage oils you find at Spas. It's seriously relaxing massaging it into the skin and I literally apply it all over my face, even on my eyelashes and lids and haven't experienced any irritation. I then take a wet muslin cloth and wipe everything away. I do find that I need to use more of this than the Clinique balm to remove every single trace. Sometimes I have to repeat the process twice if I have been wearing quite a bit of makeup that day. Something that I didn't have to do with Clinique.

The balm itself contains moringa seed extract, wild sea fennel and vitamin E which helps minimise the appearance of open pores. It also contains orange, neroli and mandarin oils that work to rejuvenate and revitalise the skin. I have very dry skin and it leaves my skin feeling comfortable, clean and fresh. I don't find that it necessarily hydrates my skin so I would recommend moisturising afterwards.

Since using the balm I have had quite a few break-outs on my face, especially around the chin area. I'm normally pretty lucky when it comes to spots, don't get me wrong, there has been the odd occasion where I get a belter but I never seem to have break-outs. I don't know if it's because of the balm but I didn't experience this when I was using my Clinique one. It does an excellent job of removing makeup but that's all I find it does. My skin doesn't look replenished or glowing afterwards (something that a lot of other bloggers have found it does for them) so I personally think it's a little too heavy for my sensitive skin. I have read a lot of reviews on this product and haven't found a bad one yet, apart from the lid breaking and the packaging being generally a bit rubbish. I just don't think this is suited to my skin as well as the Clinique balm. When I'm finished with this I don't think I will be re-purchasing. The Clinique Balm stole my heart and I'm looking forward to buying it again. It's cheaper, doesn't have a scent (which I personally prefer when it comes to skin care), probably lasts longer and I feel is better for my skin. If you would like to read my review on this product click here.

MAC Peach Blossom...

Over the last few years I have accumulated quite a lot of MAC lipsticks. I think it's safe to say that they are probably my favourite, the variety of shades is second to none. My first ever purchase was Speed Dial, a really girly pink shade that I still wear a lot. Then I started to play with some colour, Vegas Volt, a bright coral colour with a tinge of orange, looks great with a tan and Rebel, a gorgeous deep berry colour. Then I started to go through a phase of more nude colours, Cherish, Hue, Snob and Viva Glam V were all added to my collection.

So what could I possibly get my hands on next? Anna over at Vivianna Does Makeup recently blogged about her new favourite MAC lipstick, Peach Blossom. I have been following Anna's blog for a few years now and I really trust her judgement and recommendations. It's a cremesheen formula, which is my favourite of all the textures. It gives the right amount of moisture and shine to lips. It's very much a my lips but better shade and it's fast becoming my go to lipstick on a daily basis. I love pairing it with natural makeup, a touch of foundation, a slick of mascara, a pop of blush on the cheeks and Peach Blossom smeared on the lips. Definitely my kind of makeup style. 

After wearing Vegas Volt throughout last summer and Rebel nearly through the entire winter it's nice to swap to a more neutral shade. I also love popping the Laura Mercier lip glace over the top in Bare Peach to give a little more colour and shine, my review on that can be found here. You can also check out Anna's review of the lipstick here.

Charles Worthington's Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray...

So you may have heard every beauty blogger rave about the Oribe Dry Texturising Spray over the last few months. There is only so much a gal can take before indulging in a hair product that, quite frankly, is supposed to transform flat, lifeless hair and boy do I need transforming!

The only problem I was faced with was the price! £38 for the 300ml spray and £18 for the 75ml. Now I  enjoy spending money on beauty products, both high end and drug store but I can't justify that kind of money on a spray. I thought there must be something similar out there that I can try for under £10. And yes, yes there is. The lovely Amelia Liana did a review on the Charles Worthington's Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray and actually said that this is just that tiny bit better. So how much does this one cost? At only £6.99 from Boots I jumped straight onto this band-wagon and purchased two.

I don't have anything to compare this spray to but I don't think I need to. This just ticks all the boxes. It adds volume, height, texture and long lasting hold. Everything that the Oribe spray does but at a fraction of the price. It's a brilliant alternative to dry shampoo but it doesn't leave roots looking grey. It's an invisible spray that gives full on glamorous hair. And at only £6.99 I don't feel guilty for using it on an every day basis. 

The lasting power of this spray is pretty incredible, it's so good that when I wake up the next day it's still in my hair. It is a bit of a nightmare to brush out so a few quick sprays go a long way. So I wouldn't recommend using it like a hairspray. A few sprays at the roots to add volume and a few sprays quickly through the ends to add some sexy texture. Anyone would think you have just walked out of the salon with a freshly blow-dryed bouffant.

Kevyn Aucoin the Iconic Eye Set...

The Kevyn Aucoin Iconic Eye Set is a beautiful nude palette containing 5 custom hero products. The palette includes 2 iconic Kevyn Aucoin essentials, the Sculpting Powder in Medium and the Celestial Powder in Candlelight. It also comes with 3 gorgeous eye shadows, the Shimmer Shadow in Rose Quartz and matte shadows in Light Bone and Taupey Gray. It's the perfect palette to create timeless looks that will never date. 

The Celestial Powder in Candlelight, this sheer, champagne coloured powder works beautifully as a highlight. It is designed to blur out any imperfections. Apply over foundations or on bare skin to highlight cheekbones, brow bone or as an all-over glow.

The Sculpting Powder in Medium, something that you may have spotted in my last post! This powder combines the perfect pigments that help recreate natural shading on the face. It's great as a contour through the eye socket to create definition and also through the cheekbones to easily enhance features. Kate Moss eat your heart out!

The Shimmer Shadow in Rose Quartz, a gorgeous shade that will suit every eye colour. This iridescent shadow creates dimension and light. It's a great colour I often use alone, sweep over the lid and add lashings of mascara. 

The Matte Shadows in Light Bone and Taupey Gray. These staple shades are designed to be used as an all-over base shadow or as a crease contour for real definition. They are colours that will help transform any look.

Basic Black full-sized Eye Pencil, this waterproof eye pencil is 'perfection'. The smooth creamy formula is smudge-proof free and delivers a silky carbon black colour. The palette also comes with a small angled brush that is great for applying any of the shadows onto the upper and lower lash lines.

Overall it's a gorgeous palette that I am sure I will be getting a lot of use from. It seems to have the perfect colours for bridal makeup so I am really excited to use this on my next job.