May Favourites | 2016

With each month passing, deciding my monthly favourites has become increasingly difficult. I tend to stick with what I am familiar with and what I like compared to trying new things; therefore, there is never that many favourites to include in my posts. Nevertheless, I have managed a list of nine favourites ranging from Beauty to Film and TV, with some random things in there too. 

Beauty

The first product I have been loving this month is the Bubblegum Jelly Belly Body Wash! I am someone who loves anything with the scent or taste of bubblegum, so when I seen this in my local Home Bargains, I was thrilled! Usually the Jelly Belly products are quite pricey so I was expecting the body wash to be around £6. Much to my delight, Home Bargains was selling the body wash for £1, I definitely picked up a good few at that price! I picked up the Cherry and the Bubblegum ones as I love both of those scents but the Bubblegum one is definitely my favourite of the two. It's smells like you are washing with sweets!

You can probably tell I am a fan of the brand Nivea because I use quite a few of their products; I particularly love their Facial Scrub. However, their Refreshing Facial Gel is the perfect thing to wake you up in the morning. It supports your skin's natural moisture balance and contains vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, provides protection for cells and cell membranes and is also thought to have anti-aging qualities. I have been using this product every morning and it certainly cleanses my skin and wakes me up but still leaves my skin slightly moisturised. You wet your face before applying this gel and as soon as you begin rub it into your face, it becomes a soapy foam, you then rinse off the product with luke warm water. It doesn't have a thick or greasy consistency which is a pet hate of mine so I love this product so far.

The last products I have been loving aren't really brand specific, I do have the Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Tint in the colour Nothing But Nude in the picture above and a Seventeen Lip Stick in the shade Honey Blossom but it is really any lip products in a Coral shade that I have been loving this month. The weather has been really nice, sunny and warm (surprisingly) so I have been reaching for more summery and brighter shades to wear, nothing too harsh or dark for once.

TV & Film

Most of you will know that I am a little bit of a fan of a show on The CW called The 100. Wait, that's a lie. I am a HUGE fan of the show, most people would say I am obsessed with it. If I am being honest with myself, I would have to agree that I have an obsession with The 100. It is AMAZING and I could not recommend it enough! The writers have made some poor choices with killing off certain characters in terrible, badly written ways (including my beloved which left me heartbroken) but, I persevered and continued watching. Despite the lack of certain, amazing characters, the show is still really good and keeps you on edge for the majority of episodes. If you haven't watched it, or are reluctant because of some of the bad press that has accumulated against the show, I would still recommend giving it a go!

I am currently up north in a small village called Kenmore. I mentioned in my previous blog post that my brother, his girlfriend, my mum and I all watched the film Sisters together. The film stars Amy Poehler and Tina Fey and is hilarious! The plot line is two disconnected sisters brought together when their parents decide to sell the childhood home. The girls decide to recapture their youth and throw one last party for them and all their old school mates. The party turns chaotic and very, very messy. I was laughing from start to finish throughout this film. If you like Celebrity Juice or humor similar, then you will find it hard not to like Sisters.


Random

I have three random favourites this month, two are hair related and one is a website. I'll start with the website, Tumblr. I have had Tumblr for years and years and I love it. Yes it has a darker side to it but you will only find it if that is what you are looking for. Other than that, Tumblr is just a great way to express what you are interested in. I am in love with the way mine looks just now, I just think it is incredibly aesthetic. Containing posts from ballet and blog posts to scenic views and television shows (including a significant amount of The 100), there is a lot of variety. I'll leave a link to my Tumblr at the end of the post but for now, here are some sneak peaks.

My last favourites this month are braids and hair accessories. I have naturally curly hair so adding a few braids here and there actually looks quite cool. I did want to add braids into my hair initially because of the hairstyles of the characters on The 100. In my defence, I have always loved braids and used to have my hair in lots of braids all the time when I was younger, The 100 just influenced my decision a tiny, little bit. Along with the braids, I have been adding different hair rings and hair cuffs throughout my hair. I love styling my hair like this and it does make me look a bit like a character from The 100; even more so when I use a certain, favourite Snapchat filter of mine that just happens to be the war paint of my favourite character!

June contains a couple events for me on a First Aid related basis but nothing much on a personal level. I will be planning my 21st birthday party throughout the course of June which is very exciting but also quite stressful! I am blogging each day I spend here, up north, in Kenmore so I'd love for you to read about what I get up to up here. If you watch or try any of the things I've loved this month, let me know and if you want to check out my Tumblr, which I would love you to do, my Tumblr is www.lifewithlauren1012.tumblr.com

xxx

February Favourites | 2016

I have some beauty favourites this month! Normally my favourites consist of YouTuber's and TV programmes because I spend most of the hours of my day watching them. There is still a TV show and a YouTube favourite (there just has to be!) but there is some skincare and random favourites too so there is a bit more variety this month.

Skincare

I have five skincare favourites this month thanks to all the breakouts I've been having. This month just hasn't been a good skin month at all, maybe its the cold weather. I guess I am lucky to rarely have breakouts but when I do, they are bad and always on my chin. One product that I do tend to use on a regular basis but have been using a lot more of recently is the Nivea Daily Essentials Gentle Exfoliating Scrub. I have been using this product for well over a year and because my skin is usually quite good, I normally only use it once a week and use other products in between. Lately, I've been using it three times a week to try and clear my skin. I could definitely feel and see a difference pretty quickly; my breakouts calmed down within a week of increasing my usage of the product. I have been pairing the Exfoliating Scrub with the Nivea 2 in 1 Cleansing Toner just to cleanse my skin that little bit more. I've been using the toner on a daily basis in the morning after I wash my face and after I exfoliate with the scrub, it leaves my skin feeling so clean and nourished. At night, I apply a little bit of the T Zone Spot Zapping Gel and I leave it to work on my spots overnight. 

To cover up the breakouts I've been applying the Dr J's Skin Revive Spot Treatment to my skin before my make up to reduce and balance any redness I may have and to keep my breakout area as clean as possible throughout the day. Once I've applied that, it's time to cover those problem areas. I have recently changed my foundation to the Rimmel Match Perfection Light Perfecting Radiance Foundation (the one with the blue lid) and I am never looking back. This foundation is incredible, it doesn't turn cakey or fade throughout the day, it doesn't dry up and it provides a medium to high coverage; what more could you ask for?! I don't feel like I'm wearing any foundation when I have it on, it blends nicely into the skin and it's been doing a great job at hiding my breakouts this month. I will definitely be keeping this foundation around for a good while.

Television

Surprisingly, I only have one TV favourite this month and that is The 100. If you haven't heard of or started watching The 100 then rearrange your priorities and get watching because it is an amazing, gripping show. To me it is like The Walking Dead meets The Hunger Games with a little bit of The Vampire Diaries thrown in there too; hence why I love it. The 100 is a post-apocalyptic drama set 97 years after a nuclear war supposedly killed off Earth's entire population. The show follows a group of teenagers who become the first humans to return to Earth having lived amongst the 2400 other survivors in a space station known as The Ark. When they arrive on Earth they face numerous challenges to survive and soon discover that they were not the only survivors. The 100 grips you from the very first episode and has very strong lead characters that are very likable. I guarantee if you give The 100 a chance, you will not regret it. 

YouTube

My YouTube favourite this month has without a doubt got to be Ingrid Nilsen. I have been watching her videos constantly. Whether they are new videos or three years old, I've been watching and re-watching them all month long. Ingrid was actually one of the first ever YouTuber's I started watching years and years ago. I just love Ingrid's personality and how honest she is in her videos, she films what she wants and doesn't care what people think and I admire that.

Random

I have three completely random favourites for February which include porridge, P!nk and Pugs. What can I say, I told you they were random. Every single morning I've been having the same breakfast: Oats So Simple Maple and Pecan Porridge and it tastes amazing. It has just the right amount of sweetness and when combined with Coconut and Almond milk, it's mouth watering and perfect to have when it's a cold morning. I would go as far to say that I'd happily live off the stuff. Unfortunately I finished all the packets and have four other boxes of porridge to eat before I can go back to the Maple and Pecan. So, it'll be a while until I have it back in my life.

When I was younger I listened to a lot P!nk. Recently I have found myself listening to her again. Her songs are just so catchy, timeless and remind me of my childhood, so she has made her way into my monthly favourites. The songs I've been listening to mostly are 'Who Knew', 'Funhouse', 'Raise Your Glass', 'Leave me Alone I'm Lonely' and 'Just Like a Pill' (one of my all time favourite songs in general). P!nk songs bring back all the good memories of singing 'Just Like a Pill' constantly on SingStar Party on the PS2 (showing my age) at After-School Care or giggling with my brother at the fact that 'Leave me Alone I'm Lonely' swears and how rebellious we felt singing it.

Pugs. They are adorable little dogs and I would love to have one, two actually, I have it all planned out. Unfortunately I don't think two Labradors and two Pugs would get on very well so I'll make do with Pug pyjamas, Pug bedding, a microwavable Beanie Pug and more. It may be a bit over the top but I don't care because I love it and I think my bedding looks adorable.

Another month done already?! That was quick! I hope you enjoyed reading my February Favourites and maybe I've persuaded you to try a new product or to watch a new show. What have been some of your favourites this month? I'd love to know what you have been loving or even if you have anything exciting planned for next month. March has a couple of exciting things planned for me and they cannot come soon enough, there will be blog posts about all of them so just wait and see what I get up too.

xxx

Beauty Bits :)

My mum's birthday was this week so I'd been gradually picking up little gifts for her. So, naturally, when picking up beauty things for her, I picked up a few things for myself as well.

As you can see, I picked up quite a few beauty bits from various places. 

Nicky Clarke - SmoothSilk Frizz Calm Treatment

Nivea - Pearl & Beauty Deodorant

Along Came Betty - Pore Goodness Sake, Hot Cloth Cleansing Kit

Along Came Betty - Oat Extract Radiance Moisturiser

Nivea - Pearly Shine

W7 - Cover Stick (with tea tree oil)

Collection - Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer (shade - Fair)

Collection - Colour Pout Lasting Lip Stain (shade - 2 Kiss)

Technic - Volumising Mascara

Technic - Lengthening Mascara

W7 - Lip Twister 

Nivea - Raspberry Rose Lip Butter

Nivea - Blueberry Blush Lip Butter

Max Factor - Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint (shade - 07 Coral Crush)

Max Factor - Weightless Foundation (shade - 30 Porcelain)

I'm excited to try all of these products out, especially the Pore Goodness Sake Cleansing Kit because my skin has been quite bad recently with dryness and breakouts. Some of these products may even appear at the end of the month in my May Favourites, you'll just need to wait and see xxx