Sleek is the Word.

I'm not one to follow catwalk trends, but I must say I've been very curious about the 'sleek' look from time to time. Do I like it? Do I hate it? Is 'sleek' in fact euphemism for 'flat'? With these questions in mind, I did a bit of mind-searching..

.. and I concluded in the end, that for the everyday person, sleek isn't about ridiculously tightly pulled back ponytails and stick-straight locks. It's more about that polished, perhaps slightly conservative look that's rid of fly-aways and frizz. Shiny, collected and controlled, and lightweight - but never dry! In search of this slightly oxymoronic concept, I discovered three fantabulous products..

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Straight Ahead Shampoo & Conditioner - £5.59 each

When something makes me stray from my non-SLS ethos on shampoos and conditioner, it has to be really good - and these are very, very good. I've been using the Frizz Ease duo for smooth and sleek hair, and unlike many haircare products which I feel never actually do what they say on the tin, these really do settle down your frizz and make your hair look shinier. I've really enjoyed this because I'm wearing my hair down more, and I don't really have to straighten it or put hair product in it to keep it together. And when the wind blows I'm looking less like Bridget Jones in a top-down car..

Givoanni 2 Chic Brazilian Keratin & Argan Oil Ultra-Sleek Leave-In Condition & Styling Elixir - £6.39

I'm a massive fan of leave-in conditioner, but I really like this one because in addition to the rich texture, it also doesn't weigh it down or leave any residue, and it just makes everything really smooth. It's great with John Frieda's duo because it adds that nourishment to the otherwise slightly lightweight finish. It's also fantastic because it's vegetarian, the protein in it is plant-based, and it has no phthalates, artificial fragrances, dyes, sulfates, parabens or PEGs. 

Skin Nutrition is a great website for all things natural beauty, and their sister site Nutrition Centre has relaunched for their 40th anniversary and has natural health supplements for those interested :)

Charles Worthington Secrets Collection Intense Rescue Melting Balm - £16.99

This, to me, is a wonder product. It's a solidified balm that turns into an oil when you warm it up with your fingers, and you leave it in your hair for 20 minutes before you take a shower and wash it out. It makes a huge difference - I feel like it smoothed every single hair individually, and the hairs just seemed to just slide off each other once I dried it! Definitely a must-have for people who want a smooth, TV advert hair and my favourite of the bunch.

Are you embracing the sleek?

What's your chosen hair style for the summer?

<3yu

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Tips! Learning to Bronze

In the midst of my day dreaming for the (hopefully) upcoming summer days, I realised something. During my early YouTube fascination days, I got so obsessed with the idea of contouring that.. I never learnt how to bronze. I know, how does that even happen?

As I hastily attempted to catch up by watching Bobbi Brown and Pixi Beauty's video on bronzing, I realised that I'd never used bronzer in the way it was meant to be used, and always just used matte-ish ones as a contour. So I became curious and started some experimentation, and these are the products I've been trying my new found (but not very developed) techniques with, and tips I picked up from the two very talented and successful make-up artists who founded the above brands.

The Physician's Formula Bronze Booster is the bronzer I've been using to contour for a while now, but I found that the shade was a bit too cool to be using it all over my face. It has a nice semi-matte finish so it's quite natural, but being a warm-toned gal and wanting a bit more sheen on the cheeks, this was a no go for bronzing.

MAC's MSF in Comfort, on the other hand, is super warm. Unlike most other MSFs, Comfort is relatively semi-matte with a sliver of sheen and shimmer, so it's actually quite brilliant for bronzing. My only problem is my heavy hand.. it's easy to pick up a lot of product, so until I can ensure I don't look like an oompa loompa, this is for the 'big kids'.

Thirdly, is the Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder *breath in* in Aurora. This powder is a natural-sheen base with the subtlest shimmers, and in retrospect, is probably made for bronzing rather than contouring. Out of the four above, I think this one is the best made-for-purpose bronzer. It's quite light in colour, so not OTT and has two pink/peach sections on the N and the E so it's a great 2 in 1. It also gives a gooooorgeous natural glow, so I've been using this one the most!

I mentioned this on my Tips! on wrong shade base products, and this is the Liz Earle Natural Finish Pressed Powder in Sheer Almond. Because it's a face powder, it has a nice natural sheen with no shimmer to it at all and the colour is super natural - it's only around two shades darker than my skintone. I think face powders with a slight sheen are a great option for those who are just getting into it, or who want a subtle bronze look. Since bronzers don't come in that many shades, face powders are a great option to get your tailor-made bronzing shade.

In fact, Petra, the creator for Pixi Beauty, mentioned in the video that her bronzers aren't very dark precisely for this reason. I remembered I had the gorgeous Early Bird Palette (see link for swatches) from the winter collection so dug it out and had a look. She's right! I was using the top shade for blusher, but actually, it's a gorgeous peachy light bronze that would mimic the sun so well. These all have a sheen and a bit of a shimmer so it gives a really nice highlighting effect too, and I'm really quite excited to be using them in the way they are meant to be used!

Something else I picked up on my research was Bobbi Brown's tip on using a really bright blusher just on your apples to bring a bit of colour after you bronze. It's all well and good to look like you've been on holiday but sometimes, some colour looks more natural than just the bronze. One of the brightest blushers I own is this Down Boy Blusher from TheBalm, which is this gorgeous bright baby pink. I use it subtly on my inner cheeks and it's just enough to give a pop of colour and brighten my face.

What are your top tips for bronzing?

Do you bronze or contour?

<3yu

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Some New Skincare Friends..

After settling onto a nice skincare routine, I seem to have.. run out?! As much as running out is a rare occurrence for me, it's also given me the opportunity to try out some new skincare bits. Now I usually don't like the vast majority of skincare products I try, but this time, I've been pleasantly surprised.. perhaps a skincare routine coming up soon? Perhaps indeed!

Ahava Time to Clear Refreshing Cleansing Gel - £14
Wary of the fact I was quickly running out of my favourite Elemis Peachy Perfect Face Wash, I thought to try something similar but from a different brand and I landed on this one. I've been super impressed with how it keeps my hormonal spots at bay, like Elemis, and doesn't strip the face of oils, so it's perfect for spotty combination skin like mine. However, the lack of nasties is significantly more obvious than in Elemis - it's much less foamy and you need a lot more product. But there's no question about the quality of this - super duper impressed!

Yon-Ka Lotion Yon-Ka PS - £33
After hyperventilating heavily at the thought of not being able to repurchase the NUXE 3 Roses Toner (they don't seem to stock it in the UK!), Yon-Ka came to the rescue with a non-alcoholic toner for dry skin, with healing and sanitising properties.. oh it's gorgeous. Not to mention the large, luxurious frosted glass and the pretty pink liquid, it's SUCH a hydrating product and has really helped to reduce some of my dehydration lines on my forehead that can sometimes look like wrinkles! I love to spray this for hydration (it's a bit big for carrying around though) and wipe away like most people do with a toner, but it works amazingly when I use it like Japanese people use toners - by pressing it into my skin. This is a step I like to do instead of the traditional Western method of wiping when I need some extra hydration.

L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3-in-1 Purifying Micellar Solution - £4.99
While I liked the Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water, I didn't love it enough to pay quite a lot of money for it because it's not something I'd use everyday. I wanted to give this cheaper alternative a go and I've been in love. Aside from the given that it's easy to use, it's effective and doesn't leave your skin greasy or dry either. What's more, it doesn't sting your eyes when you're removing eye make-up - score! It's a must-try considering how cheap it is and how good it is!

L'Oreal Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil - £7.99 (£6.79 at FeelUnique)
Oil cleansers are my favourite. So when I heard about this drugstore oil cleanser, I was super intrigued, and now I'm super impressed. L'Oreal are really stepping up their skincare, I must say (needless to say a few years ago, I was heavily unimpressed by their scrublet facewashes..). This is a really light oil, so it's great for oil-cleanser converts, and it really works. It even gets rid of most of my waterproof mascara, and there's no fears of greasy residue - it'll leave your skin squeaky clean! You can't go wrong for the price-quality ratio!

DHC Cleansing Oil - (available from £4.50)
Leaning slightly more to the high end of the spectrum, the DHC Cleansing Oil is a cult status beauty product and I have no reason to dispute that. It's a nice, thick oil that smells like olive oil, and it removes every single trace of make-up. I'm talking waterproof mascara coming off to the point there's NOTHING between your eyelashes. Nothing. So it's a bit more effective than L'Oreal, and you also use less of this. So you can see the reason for the price difference!

Amie Radiant Dawn Exfoliating Wash - £4.95
You may know I love my industrial face scrub, LUSH Ocean Salt. But the idea of a daily exfoliator intrigued me. I started by using it as a morning thing and didn't really see effects and it didn't have the balancing and spot-preventing features of Ahava above. However, I started using it at night, and it really helps for the toner, oil/serum and moisturiser to sink in and do its work overnight! It does brighten your face nicely but for me, it's more the fact that it reveals fresh skin that will take in the hydration!

What new skincare products have you been trying?

Have you tried any of these?

<3yu

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I Need You. Twice.

After two or three years of obsessing over make-up and skincare, I suppose it's about time that you start settling on products that you really love. These past few months, I've gotten slightly tired of trying new things that continue to disappoint, so I thought to myself - I should just spend my money on things I KNOW I love.

This feature is slightly different from repurchases, because these aren't finished products. No no, these are products that are still remaining but in shades that I can't wear currently. That's right, these are products I'm dying to use all. year. long.

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation 210 & 220
This is my favourite light to medium coverage foundation, and I love the smooth texture and the natural/dewy finish that you get. It works fantastically with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush (the combo of which I wrote about here), and it's also super affordable at only £7.99 from Boots and £6.79 from Feel Unique. I think the price had a lot to do with my purchase of a lighter shade, but I think the finish of this foundation is something that rivals high-end products. The lasting power is about what you would expect from a reasonable foundation - not too short, not especially long.

MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC30 & NC35
I realised I loved this concealer when I had a dabble around others and just didn't feel like it measured up. For someone that battles against spots on a daily basis, I need something that doesn't slide down from the little hill that is my spot. This clings to wherever you place it, and it stays there. It's also pigmented and comes in a really handy packaging, and super easy to use with your fingers.  You can get this from Debenhams for £14.50.

Dior Diorskin Forever 020 & 030
This holy grail foundation, unfortunately, was reformulated to not include warm tones. However, I loved it so much that I wanted a lighter shade to mix it up with so I can wear it all year long. It's the only foundation that has the right longevity, medium-full pigmentation, smooth blendability and natural yet lightweight finish. What's more, it has amazing skincare effects that improve my skin over time. I honestly have not come across anything like it. Despite being stubbornly anal about foundation shades matching, this is one I'll let the subtleties of this one slide because the formula is just perfect! These are £32 from Debenhams or Feel Unique. I have a review of the old formula, which as far as I can tell, is quite similar to the new one.

14/5/2013: Debenham's are currently holding 10% off of beauty items ;)

I definitely didn't appreciate how amazing these products were until I tried other products and realised many don't measure up to these. I think other products I'd want another shade of is the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte, MAC Studio Fix Fluid and the MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundations.. all absolutely gorgeous!

Which products do you want to use all year round and purchase different shades of? 

<3yu

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Why I Bombard You With Nail Instagrams

Yes, we've found a culprit for my incessant nail polish instagramming. Hooray!

The Maybelline Express Remover has been a joyous addition to my nail routine. I used to shy away from these because I thought they'd sting my fingers, which are always dry and therefore, cut. While this does sting on fresh wounds, they generally don't affect cuts otherwise. It's also great because it has a few nourishing ingredients including avocado oil which will have moisturising effects on your fingertips, and it's also free from parabens and acetone.

I also like that the inside sponge is grey, which means they aren't forever stained once you use an orange nail polish in them. I also really like the smell - I can't put my finger on what it is, but I think it's like the Clarins Hydramatte Moisturiser - that kind of cucumber + floral scent. There's really not much of a hint of the typical nailpolish remover scent which is great - so your finger tips smell gorgeous too ;)

Not only have I saved loads of cotton pads, removing nailpolish is so easy that even if I end up not feeling like a shade after finishing up, I don't have to think about the wasted cotton pads or time. It's also super useful if I want to show you guys a quick swatch of a nail polish I've been loving, but can't wear for the whole day because it clashes or I have to wear something a bit more conservative for the next day. Either way, it's given me a lot more freedom to swap my nail polish whenever I want to - that's always a plus with me!

Now I do apologise for those who are sick of knowing my nail shapes as well as myself.. but don't let that count against this product, it's brilliant ;) On the other hand, if you do love a bit of nail in your life, do follow me on Instagram here!

This will be available in Boots for £4.99.

<3yu

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