In terms of makeup, I'm much more of an eyes than a lips person. Lipstick, I can give or take. I only tend to wear it on a night out. But I rarely leave the house without mascara and love going all out with eyeshadow and a liquid eyeliner too. So I thought I'd share some of my current favourites and some new bits I've been trying out over the last month or so. 

Us gals go through a lot in our lives: we put up with monthly periods and all the fun and cramps that come with them; we push babies out of our bodies like some kind of Superwoman; and on top of all that, we go through the pain of trying to take off glitter nail polish that just doesn't want to budge. We've all been there - desperately scrubbing away at a chipped glitter coat with a cotton pad, only for the cotton wool to drag and cling onto the tiny pieces of glitter until your left in a crying heap on the floor and glitter nail varnish STILL on your nails. Okay, this may be an exaggeration, but it's a pain, right? Something we could do without? Well fear not glitter lovers, Leighton Denny has come up with a solution.

I was generously gifted Leighton Denny's NEW Easy-Peel base coat, along with one of their glitter nail polishes called Twinkle Twinkle to try with it. The instructions say to put two layers of the Easy Peel base coat on before topping with your fave glitter polish. The base coat paints on white and then as it dries it turns clear. It dries super quickly and doesn't feel thick or gloopy, so it doesn't take long to do the two base coats. Once they were dry, I put on two layers of Twinkle Twinkle to complete the look. I love the look of a glitter polish and this silver colour goes with most outfits so it was perfect for my Saturday night out. 


Now here is my recommendation: this peel-off base is great if you want to wear a glitter polish for a day or for a particular event, without the trouble of taking it off the next day. It is PERFECT for that. However, don't expect it to last a whole week. The beauty of this product is that it's super convenient if you want to be able to take off your polish really easily. I found that after submersing my nails in water quite a bit during the day (e.g. while showering, washing up dishes) the nails started to come off. In the instructions, it suggests that you gently push at the edges of your nail until the polish comes away from your nail bed. And it really is that easy! And also how satisfying is it peeling off nail varnish? (The answer is VERY). If you peel of shellac or normal nail polish, it often leaves nail beds feeling rough and brittle. With the Leighton Denny Easy Peel base, my nails felt perfectly healthy and smooth after taking them off - bonus!

Happy New Year! We're well and truly gliding into 2018 now, and what better way to celebrate than with a roundup of my favourite products from Soap & Glory. You can find S&G in Boots in the UK and they're particularly popular around Christmas with their fab range of gift sets each year. This blog post was inspired by my giveaway win from Chloe's Youtube channel - you can check her out here (and believe me you should)! I won her 3k subscribers giveaway which consisted of a gorgeous set of Soap & Glory products. I also received a few bits for Christmas so I am well and truly stocked up for the new year! 
I've been using Soap & Glory products for at least the last three or four years, and 2016 was the year I also discovered their makeup range. So in this post I'm going to be including some products that I really love and also some products I'm excited to try out. 


1. Hand Food - £5.50
This is a Soap & Glory classic. It has their Original Pink signature scent and has a luxurious thick texture which leave your hands feeling beautifully hydrated and moisturised. It can be bought in a  full size tube but I also love their travel size option which is perfect for popping into a handbag. 


2. Sugar Crush Body Wash - £6.50
This was the first product I ever tried from S&G and the reason for my continued loyalty to the brand. Although the scent isn't my favourite anymore, I still really enjoy its sweet citrus tones and in-shower moisturising qualities. A full bottle lasts me for months, making it very good value for money. 

3. The Righteous Butter - £2.50 - £10.00
You will rarely find me without one of these in my handbag. For me, this is their stand-out hero product and I'm sure many people will agree! Just like Hand Food, it has their Original Pink scent.  I love using The Righteous Butter all over my body after a shower but particularly on areas that get very dry during this time of year, like my elbows and hands. 


4. Archery Brow Pencil - £8.50
I discovered this product just over a year ago thanks to The Tab who did an interview with me - P.S. if you want to read the interview, just click through to this link. I reviewed the Archery brow pencil as part of the interview and absolutely fell in love with it. A brow pencil has always been my brow product of choice and this one just ticks every single box. I wrote a full review of Archery, so feel free to click here for more thoughts and info.


5. Crazy Sexy Kohl/Smoulder Kohl - £5.50
I believe this was a limited edition kohl liner but they have a similar looking one called Smoulder Kohl - hopefully the formula isn't too different! I don't wear kohl liner on a day-to-day basis, but if I do decide to wear it (usually on a night out) I tend to reach for Soap & Glory. Their kohl liners are soft and glide on effortlessly - just what I look for in a pencil eyeliner!


6. Scrub Of Your Life - £7.00
I've tried S&G's Sugar Crush and Smoothie Star Breakfast scrubs, but I'm yet to try this one. Based on the other two, I have high hopes for this one! The other two were quite abrasive scrubs, making them great for prepping legs for shaving or fake tanning. I'm looking forward to giving this one a go too.

7. Face Soap and Clarity - £8.00
I'm yet to try any of Soap & Glory's skincare range, but I've heard lots of great things particularly about this facial wash. Hopefully 2018 will be the year I try out more of S&G's skincare products - their face masks are already on my list. I've tried a lot of Vitamin C products over the years so it'll be interesting to see how I get on with this one too.


8. Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss - £9.00
The last product I'm excited to try is from their Sexy Mother Pucker range. I'm generally not much of a lip gloss wearer, but S&G's lip products are notorious for their lip plumping qualities, so I'm really interested to see if they live up to their name!  
Let me know in the comments if you have any favourite Soap & Glory products, or whether this blog post has inspired any future purchases! 

If you're local to Exeter or the surrounding areas, there's no doubt you'll have heard of Darts Farm. It's a beautiful farm shop boasting local produce and so much more. A hidden gem around the back of Darts Farm is its spa & beauty facilities, including the likes of Energy Hair.
I was kindly invited to receive a wash, cut and blow dry with Luke, one of Energy's newest recruits. He finished his training with Sassoon in London earlier this year, and his enthusiasm and talent for hairdressing really showed. He also makes a pretty good cup of tea!

The process began with the hair wash - quite possibly my favourite bit! A relaxing head massage was exactly what I needed after the stressful weekend I'd had at work. The massage chair they provide at the basins definitely helped too! These little touches just go to show how luxurious and relaxing Energy Hair is - it's not just a place to get your seasonal haircut, but somewhere you can unwind and enjoy.


Post-wash, Luke asked how I'd like my hair cut. I wasn't looking for a drastic hair change - just a couple of inches off and some subtle layers cut back in. Luke listened well and did a great job. He cut and blow dried my hair exactly how I like it and I couldn't have been happier with it. It was great to see Nathan, the owner of Energy Hair, checking in on Luke and I during the process. Luke is still learning of course, but it was clear that Nathan had full confidence in Luke's abilities - as did I! The whole staff team seem really friendly and were a joy to be around. 


Overall, I would really recommend Energy Hair at Darts Farm to anyone in the market for a new do or just a touch up. The salon is perfect if you're looking for a luxurious retreat and an hour or so's escape from reality while the team work their magic on your locks. And don't underestimate the talent and abilities of a newly trained hairdresser - Luke did a better job than a lot of more experienced hairdressers I've been to in the past! Definitely worth a visit! For more information, visit http://www.energyhair.com

Hi all! Today's post is all about one of my favourite things to talk about - lipsticks! I tend to stick to a select few lip products that I love and best of all, most of these are high street bargains. I'd love your recommendations for your favourite lip products in the comments below - I'm always on the lookout to add to my holy grail products. Let's get onto the faves:

1. MAC - Velvet Teddy

This is a stereotypical blogger favourite, but it's a favourite for a reason! For me, Velvet Teddy is the perfect deep nude and goes with pretty much any outfit and any makeup look. This lipstick is the most expensive of the bunch, coming in at £16.50 from most retailers. However, MAC lipsticks are notorious for their creamy texture and lengthy staying power, making this product a staple in my handbag. I received this as a gift for my birthday last year, and it has fast become one of my favourite colours to wear.



2. Rimmel The Only One Matte in Trendsetter

If you're on the market for a MAC Velvet Teddy dupe, Trendsetter by Rimmel is "the only one" for you (please excuse the god-awful pun). I didn't realise until I took these photos how similar the two are! I picked this lipstick from Rimmel earlier this year when they were released because I'd heard a lot about them amongst the beauty blogging community. They were right to be hyped about because the formula and colour of these are beautiful. In terms of a dupe, I'd say the formula of this Rimmel lipstick is slightly dryer than that of MAC's Velvet Teddy but the colour is pretty bang-on. I would say the Rimmel lipstick has a slightly more rosy tint to it, while Velvet Teddy is more brown in its undertone. I'll leave a swatch photo of the two side by side below so you can see what I mean. This lipstick comes in at only £6.99 - less than half the price of MAC. It has a pretty good staying power too and I usually just top it up once during the day.



3. Topshop Lips in Black Widow (left) & Champion (right)
4. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Rome

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are quickly becoming one of my favourite formulas of lip product. The creamy, mousse-like texture makes it comfortable to wear but it actually lasts really well and gives a gorgeous satin finish. I wouldn't say it's completely matte, but in my experiences matte lip products tend to be much more uncomfortable to wear so I'm not mad! This colour is a gorgeous deep pink-toned brown and looks great for a night out.



5. Essence Long Lasting Lip Pencil in A Girl's Dream (left) & Lovely Frappucino (right)

I don't often use lip liners, but these were recommended to me and they're amazing! The twist-up style is so easy to use and the formula is super creamy. It's great for overlining your lips and making them look fuller and plumper. I use Lovely Frappucino with the Rome NYX soft matte lip cream above - it's the perfect combo. AND they retail for just £1.50 at Wilko stores - bargain!


And that's a wrap! I hope these faves might give you a bit of lippy inspiration and maybe my favourites will become your favourites too! If you think I've missed out on any gems, do let me know in the comments below - I'd love to know what you love too!

You know when it just happens that all of your fave products get used up at the same time? Yep that's happened to me this month which means it's been an expensive few weeks replacing everything! However I thought I'd turn it into a positive and give you a review of all the products I've used up recently. These are one of my favourite posts to read as it gives you a great overview of what someone has been loving enough to finish the whole thing and I get a lot of recommendations from these kind of posts and YouTube videos. Being a blogger, I get sent quite a few things and so using up a full product generally means I really love it!

Boots Botanics Micellar Water - RRP £4.49 I always use a micellar water to take my make up off (or if I'm feeling really fancy I'll use it as a second cleanse before I go to bed). I think I picked this one up on a whim as it was on offer and I was actually really impressed. It took off all my make up without any fuss, including eye make up. I didn't realise how good it was until I started using my current one, which is the Garnier Oil-Infused Micellar Water - I thought I'd love it but I don't think it's as good as this one for taking off hard-to-budge eye make up. So yes, Botanics micellar water gets a big thumbs up from me.

L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Clay shampoo and conditioner - RRP £3.50 each I've spoken about these multiple times on my blog - I've always been a big fan of L'Oreal haircare and these are no exception. I haven't repurchased these as I just fancied a change but I'd definitely recommend them for leaving your hair silky and soft. If you're interested in reading more about them, see my previous post here.

Olay Essentials Multiradiance Moisturising Cream - RRP £9.99 I've had this moisturiser hanging around for a while - although my skin isn't particularly dry, this moisturiser with SPF15 is a lovely day cream. I love the scent of Olay products which is what I think drew me towards it in the first place. I'm not totally sold on its claims of radiance but perhaps that's because it doesn't quite fit my skin type. I've enjoyed using this moisturiser but I probably wouldn't repurchase it in a hurry.

I'm one of those people who love buying gifts for other people - I'll put a lot of thought into it and love seeing the recipient's face when they open their present. It can be hard though, especially if perhaps you don't know the person you're buying for very well. Or maybe you just dread the thought of getting someone a gift that they're not going to like! In this post, which is written in collaboration with L'Occitane, I'll be giving you a few gift ideas for women, whatever your budget may be. Moreover, with Mother's Day just a month away, this post could be a lifesaver!

SKINCARE High budget: With their beautiful packaging and luxurious products, L'Occitane skincare items are guaranteed to make a great gift. It may be hard to know what a person's skin type is, and so my recommendation would be something like their almond oil for skin. The Almond Supple Skin Oil is light on the skin, smells amazing and leaves you feeling pampered with little effort. Perfect for anyone who deserves a treat. Low budget: For lower budgets (less than £15) you can't really go wrong with The Body Shop. Their body butters are infamous - and for good reason. One of my favourite ones is the Shea Nourishing Body Butter - the larger sized 200ml tub retails for £15, but you can get a 50ml tub for £6. They often do discount codes for 25-40% off as well, so keep an eye out for that too.


BEAUTY High budget: If you've got a bit more to spend, a make-up piece that the recipient wouldn't usually treat themselves to can be a really nice gift idea. For example, Yves Saint Laurent is a luxury brand that do some amazing make-up - treat them to a high-end mascara such as Yves Saint Laurents' Baby Doll. Or if you know they're a make-up connoisseur, a high-end eyeshadow palette is the perfect gift, such as Urban Decay's Naked Smoky palette. Low budget: Guess what - high street make-up can be great presents too! Sleek is a really affordable brand but still look gorgeous and are of a high quality. You can get some great eyeshadow palettes from them, or their blogger-favourite highlighting palettes. Even better, they all retail for £10 or less!

FASHION High budget: a simple piece of high-end jewellery can make the perfect gift. You don't have to spend hundreds to find the one - places like Swarovski and Beaverbrooks do beautiful jewellery for under £100. The necklace in the photo below is one of the first gifts I received from my boyfriend (over 2 years ago) and is from Swarovski. It's simple and goes with everything, and I still wear it now. The earrings are from Beaverbrooks and were a graduation present from my parents. I only wear them on special occasions, but I feel like I'm wearing something super luxurious when I do put them in.  Low budget: Buying fashion items as gifts can be really hard. However, something like a scarf from a high street retailer such as Topshop or River Island is a pretty safe option as its universally loved. You can spend just £10-£15 on a scarf and it can be something that really makes an outfit, and so it can make a great gift option.


Of course these are just a few options for gifts for her - I'd love to know if you have any fab gift ideas that I haven't mentioned! Let me know what you'll be buying for your mum for Mother's Day too!