Bedtime Beauty Essentials

Ahhh bedtime! My absolute favourite time of day. Sounds dull doesn't it? I've always been a lover of my bed and my sleep, and even more so now I have 2 babies. I've got a list of products that I keep by my bed that I couldn't do without. Firstly, I know it's not a beauty item, but the most important thing I keep by my bed is definitely a glass of water. I wake up through the night most nights needing a little drink so if I don't have fresh water by my side each night I'm lost. My night time skincare routine is usually done a few hours before bed when I've had my bath, and lately I've been loving using the No7 Beautiful Skin Overnight Radiance Boost, a hydrating serum which mildly exfoliates the skin, working overnight to renew the skin and leave it looking healthier and more radiant. After this I usually just go in with my good old faithful Nivea Cream. It's so thick and heavy and I know a lot of people don't like it for that reason, but for my dry skin it's an absolute dream. Once I get to bed, I have my little ritual. I like to apply an overnight mask a few times a week, and at the moment I'm using the Nuxe Creme Fraiche Mask. It's so hydrating and fresh and make my skin feel super soft in the morning. I then like to go in with my all time favourite lip balm; Nuxe Reve De Miel. Hands down the best lip balm I've ever tried, and it's perfect for overnight as I can still feel it on my lips when I wake up the next morning. Lastly, I like to go in with a hand cream, and my current choice is Soap & Glory's Hand Dream Super Cream. Super moisturising with Soap & Glory's classic scent. Yummy!

What are your bedtime beauty essentials?

Twitter--Bloglovin'--Instagram--Facebook--Pinterest

* = Press Sample

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadows | Review & Swatches

I'm sure you've all heard of the highstreet's answer to MAC Paint Pots, but if you haven't - where have you been? When I picked up my 4th Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow, I realised I'd never done a post on them and thought I'd better rectify the problem pronto! These little pots of prettiness are a busy girl's best friend as they're so quick and easy to apply using just your finger or a brush. Maybelline say; 

"Dare to shine 24/7.Ink technology creates 24HR wear shadow for our most intense, long-lasting color saturation. Cream formula glides on without creasing and keeps color vibrant".

There's currently 12 shades available in the UK, with the US having even more dreamy shades. If you're listening Maybelline... bring us some more shades pleaseee! The 4 shades I currently own are;

35 - On and On Bronze - Metallic, neutral bronze.

40 - Permanent Taupe - Matte, very cool brown.

65 - Pink Gold - Metallic pink with gold shimmer.

70 - Metallic Pomegranate - Metallic reddish plum.

The most wearable shade out of the 4 for me is definitely On and On Bronze. It's so easy it literally takes about 5 seconds to apply and blend, and it looks as if I've made so much more effort than I actually have - great for when I've got a toddler raiding through my makeup bag and a baby crying to be picked up, lol. The pigmentation and creaminess of all 4 of these shades it absolutely spot on. Permanent Taupe is a shade I would never have chosen for my eyes as it's a bit too cool, but I actually use it on my eyebrows and find it works so well. It's been said it's a dupe for the Anastasia Dip Brown Pomade, but I've never actually tried that so couldn't say for definite. I grab my Real Techniques Eyeliner Brush (from the Nic's Picks set), and line my brows, filling in any sparce areas and giving them a really crisp line. It's so creamy and lasts all day without smudging. If you need an ashy brown for your brows, be sure to give this a go. It's really, really ashy (verging on grey) though, so probably only good for those with blonde hair to be honest. It looks REALLY grey in the swatch above actually, but it doesn't apply to the brows that grey I promise. Metallic Pomegranate hasn't had much use yet, but I can see it being a firm favourite in Autumn/Winter. It's a stunning metallic plum with hints of red which will look amazing teamed with a tartan scarf in the cold months. Pink Gold is the newest of my stash and so, so pretty. I'm looking forward to using this through the spring/summer months. I've found it looks gorgeous on it's own, but even more so teamed with some of the pink and gold's from my Naked 3 palette.

For £4.99, these beauties are a must-have for any makeup bag, and I'm looking forward to trying more shades in the range. I just wish they'd bring out some matte, skin tone shades similar to MAC's Soft Ochre or Painterly Paint Pots to use as a base as I reckon they'd go down a storm.

Have you tried any of Maybelline's creamy pots of goodness?

Twitter--Bloglovin'--Instagram--Facebook--Pinterest * = Press Sample

MAC Peach Blossom Lipstick

That's right. I'm back with another MAC lippie review, this time in the form of Peach Blossom. A shade that is seriously underrated and one that I hardly ever see mentioned. A cremesheen formula, it's a hard one to pinpoint, but I'd say it's a peachier, slightly warmer toned and even cremier version of Creme Cup (which was my favourite until I found this). They both look very similar side by side, but once on the lips it's a different story. The pigmentation is spot on with this shade, and it's the perfect 'my lips but better' colour - great for everyday and absolutely amazing when teamed with a smokey eye. I'd say this would look fantastic on just about every skintone, but especially on those with a lovely summer glow.

If you haven't had a swatch of Peach Blossom I suggest you run along to your nearest MAC counter and see for yourself just how pretty this is. Thank me later.

Twitter--Bloglovin'--Instagram--Facebook--Pinterest

* = Press Sample

The Fight Against Stretchmarks

It is said that 9/10 women in Britain are affected by stretchmarks, whether it be from growing, pregnancy or weight loss/gain. They can really affect confidence, especially when it comes to the summer months when we all like to have a bit more flesh on show. When I was pregnant with George back in 2012 I managed to escape with just a few stretchmarks which weren't so noticeable so I thought I'd get away with it again the second time around, but I was wrong. I got so many more with Freddie and it's really affected my confidence to the point where I think I'll probably never wear a bikini again. After hearing about my recent birth, the lovely PR team behind Remescar & Pure Potions offered to send me some products to help me in my fight against the dreaded and downright horrible stretchmarks.  The amount of products out there which claim to help 'reduce the appearance' of scars and stretchmarks has gone through the roof so it's hard to find the ones which actually do work. I tried loads of different oils and creams, including Bio Oil back when I was pregnant and it didn't prevent them, but to be honest I think 'prevention' is damn near impossible to do. If you're gonna get them, you will, and then the hard task is reducing the appearance of them once they're there. I have 3 products in different formulas to show you today, depending on which you prefer. I can't really say if any of them really, truly work as of yet, as I haven't been using them for long enough, simply testing the 3 of them out to see which one I like best.

Pure Potions Scar Oil with Rosehip* £18.99

Ooooh I love a good Rosehip Oil. Pure Potions Scar Oil is rich in Vitamin A & C, aswell as essential fatty acids Omega 3 & 6. It aims to reduce the appearance of scars, stretchmarks, dehydrated skin, ageing skin and uneven skin tone. There's also powerful moisturising qualities in the oil, which can help reduce wrinkles, making it great for dry or mature skin.

Remescar Silione Scar Stick* £19.99
My favourite of the 3 formulas, purely because of the ease of application and how there's absolutely no mess. The Silicone Scar Stick from Remescar has been hailed as a revolutionary treatment in the fight against stretchmarks. Housed in a deodorant style twist up stick, it works by covering the scars in an invisible film of silicone. With the areas being protected by the silicone, it gives the skin a chance to heal in it's own 'micro environment', sealing in moisture and stimulating the production of collagen. In clinical trials, users who applied it twice a day said they noticed a 50 per cent reduction in the appearance of their stretch marks in only 28 days. I'm looking forward to giving this a true trial and seeing how I go.

Remescar Silicone Stretch Marks Scar Cream* £24.99
For those who prefer a traditional cream, Remescar also do a 100ml cream version of the scar stick. The most expensive of the 3, it's specifically formulated for the treatment of stretchmarks. Aimed for use on the abdomen, thighs and breasts, this cream works the same as the scar stick, by covering the affected areas in a layer of silicone, whilst the moisturising properties get to work to heal the skin.

LET'S DO THIS!

Twitter--Bloglovin'--Instagram--Facebook--Pinterest

* = Press Sample

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Lovely Pink

The beauty world went crazy for these little beauties recently, after being dubbed as dupes of the ever so popular (but crazily expensive) Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes. I'd spied these on a few blogs when they were first released and recently got my hands on one of them in the Boots 3 for 2. 

Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes (£8.99) are baked with a marble effect finish and come in 6 stunning shades: Lovely Pink 05, Nude Mauve Pink 10, Seductive Pink 15, Lavish Mauve 20, Alluring Rose 25, and Gorgeous Berries 30. I chose the shade Lovely Pink which is the lightest of the 6. As ever, Max Factor certainly don't let us down with the packaging. These little blushes are housed in the cutest little round black and gold pot with a clear lid so you can see the shade inside. The formula is to die for. It feels so velvety soft on the cheeks and not powdery or gritty in the slightest. For a light blush it's still really pigmented and leaves a subtle flush with a lovely glow on my light/medium skintone. Having said that, I'm not super fair so I kind of wish I'd chosen the darker pink as I think it would show up on my skin a bit more. Looks like I'll have to get myself back down to Boots (any excuse). I still get plenty of use out of this though, as I find it lovely on a day to day basis when I don't want to wear much makeup but just want to give my skin a healthy glow.

I think, for the price of £8.99, these blushes are fantastic value and certainly a welcome addition to any makeup bag.

Twitter--Bloglovin'--Instagram--Facebook--Pinterest

* = Press Sample