July's BirchBox

Birchbox is one of my favourite monthly beauty boxes, it comes in neat yet no fuss packaging. The tie bags are incredibly useful and are a prize in itself. 

This month features:

Models Own glitter nail polish, to use on just one nail for a little drama or on all 10 for a lotta' drama! 

Whish - lavender body butter, this will fit perfectly in my gym bag!

Benefit - Pore professional - a cult beauty must have.

Laqa & Co lip crayon in a gorgeous Menatour (purple)

Balance me wonder eye cream - Eye greens are essential for your daily routine, this is the most sensitive part of your face, it makes sense to take care of it.

Filosofille nail buffer. - with many BBQs and the need for a perfect manicure all the time this is so handy when it is impossible to go for professional manicures weekly. 

A great collection of essentials.

Sign up for +Birchbox here from £10 per month. 

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In the nude

A nude lip is everyone woman's failsafe, a comfort blanket in the form a lipstick. 

Here are my current fave nude shades, 

Illamasqua in rose pout (1) full of colour, perfect to make that nude lip impact, that's less skin coloured with a deeper pink pigment, MAC myth - which is a pale nude, lighter than hue (2) with a more of a yellow undertone, Body Shop colour crush 310 (3) a slightly darker nude, perfect for warm skin tones, Autograph at M&S - Nude (4) an almost sheer tone with a gloss effect and Kiko - 131 Shiny Lipstick (5) with golden undertones, this colour is perfect for beachy days and adds a bit more shimmer and blends with a natural lip colour and becomes almost sheer. 

Each of these nudes are colour rich so the colour you see is the colour you get, rather than it being overly sheer and the colour disappearing . Mixing any of these with a foundation base really brings out the colours. 

Available from Marks & Spencers, Selfridges and Body Shop, Kiko Stores.

From £6.90 to £18.50 

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Glamour Beauty Edit

You've got to love a collaborative beauty box, The Glamour Beauty Edit is my FAVE! When a box is curated by Glamour's beauty editor Alessandra Steinherr you know it's going to include some absolute must have products.  

This edit features

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

Oil isn't just for dry skin, and cleansing oil is a must have for summer. Longer days, sunshine, this nourishing oil removes make up and traces of the day whilst hydrating the skin,

Illamasaqua Glamore Lipstick

Nude lips are PERFECT for summery days if you don't feel like a bright colour. I got Rosepout which is gorgeous colour with a pink undertone. 

Magnifibres brush on false lashes.

An ongoing industry fave for those of us (including myself) who don't have fabulous fluttery lashes a gentle pre coat to mascara. 

C&E Nail Lacquer 

You can never have enough shades of red or pink and in a world were we can never have enough nail colours. A non-toxic, long lasting high pigmented colour from Crabtree & Evenlyn.

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan

A favourite amongst many for the quick fix tan for unexpected sunshine days, without the 8hr commitment and it easily washes off.

Velvotan - The Original Tanning Mitt

Orange hands are nobody's aim when tnaning, but we've all been there, using our hand to blend or apply tan to a small area in a hurry and ending up with orange streaky hands. The Velvotan mitt avoids a streaky, uneven tan and is the perfect match for Rimmel's Sun shimmer.

+BourjoisUK Cream Blush

Small, Compact and light. Perfect for travelling, and fits perfect into a daily make up bag. 

+Toni Guy  Pumping Whip.

I LOVE a hair product, and i also love a bit of bounce, the whip helps give an boost whilst maintaining a sleek 'do.

Hawaiian Tropic SPF 30

Handy Handbag sized perfect for taking with you to impromptu beach trips, park visits and BBQs. 

A perfect combination of prodcuts to ensure a perfect summer on the go, whatever you may be planning, and for the adventurous. +Latest in Beauty do the best beauty boxes, head to www.latestinbeauty.com to get your hands on the most sort after beauty box collaborations! 

It also comes packed with with a selection of offers from Maginfibres, Illamasqua, Rimmel, Hawaiian Trop, Crabtree & Evelyn and Strip wax bars! So not only do you get a taste of the brands, you also get a card of offers to help you save a little more over the summer!

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*This was a gift. 

Original Beauty Blender

If you wear foundation, you NEED one of these!

This Latex free little miracle leaves you airbrushed and line free when applying foundation, making it almost effortless to blend, and to over up any blemishes should you want to. I have always used my pinky finger to blend in the past until using the beauty blender. It also comes with a handy little Solid Cleanser for easy cleaning. I'm a bit of freak when it comes to brush cleansing (I keep my beauty blender still in the tube it came in). The Lavender scent of the cleanser is so much nicer, some cleansers can smell a bit to clinical or overly perfumed, a calming lavender is always pleasant. 

I would recommend getting the sponge / soild cleanser combo just purely for ease, its much easier and you can use the solid cleanser with other make up brushes too. With it being summer as well, if you needed to take your Beauty Blender on holiday, the solid cleanser would be one less liquid in your case! 

The blender allows you to really get the best of your foundation, I had never really considered that it was the tools and not the method or product that was not right with my made up face, (4 foundations later, I've discovered they're all perfect, it was just the brush that needed to be changed). You are able to blend the corners of your nose without going to cakey and even gently go quite close to the eye without causing future wrinkle damage as it really is gentle. Product wise you SAVE product, using less foundation per application because it really helps cover a large surface area with such a small amount - we're talking pea sized rather than 50p sized. 

A worth while beauty investment. Available on Beauty Bay RRP £26 (for the sponge and cleanser duo) HERE

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This Week's Handbag Hero

Ooo look sun, no wait rain and... sun... maybe? Is that a cloud?

I cannot keep up with this weather, which is why this little beaut is my handbag hero this week, a spritz of this, a ruffle of the fingers and you would of never guessed I've just battled 4 seasons on route to work. Do you ever feel that way? 

Introducing Philip Kinglsey One More Day

I have this a mini size so its perfect to just carry about and it doesn't weigh a thing, or clog up space in my bag, in fact over the summer months I wouldn't be caught without this. You never know when post-work drinks might pop up, or an impromptu dinner get together with the girls after a particularly stressful start to the week. This makes you feel all brand new and ready to take on the rest of the day or the night. No white dust give away on the routes either. Fresh smelling and a little really does go along way. 

Available HERE RRP £6.00 

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A Daily SPF

My favourite words when looking at a day cream with SPF are "UVA" " UVB" "Broad Spectrum" "Protection". Once a product has all of these, i am pretty much SOLD. 

When we live in a place where the weather is indecisive and gloomy for the majority, we have all been guilty of not applying our daily spf, but the truth is that even on the gloomiest of days UVA is still present and can still cause damage, damage that builds up over time and can take up to 10 years to show. 

Using products daily that have built in SPF is SO important, all of my go to daily moisurisers have it in them, my current faves are 

This Works In Transit Skin Defence SPF 30

Perfect for those hotter days, or even days out abroad, with UVA & UVB protection this broad spectrumed multitasker also adds a natural antioxidant skin boost and keeps your skin hydrated through a long work day and into the evening without being greasy.

Skin Defence is available HERE from their website £29 per 40ml

Dr Nick Lowe Super Charged SPF 15 Day Cream

A long term favourite of mine, packed with Vitamins, Ferulic Acid, Raspberry &  Pomegranate to aid natural sun protection, keep you youthful. The creamy texture is perfect for every day use even on hot days when a SPF daily can be quite sticky. This remains soft, comfortable and wearable. 

Dr Nick Lowe available HERE on their website£19 per 50ml, why not join the loyalty program while your there!!

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