March Favourites

Where has this month gone? In fact, where is this year going?! Nothing highlights how fast the years begin to go by when you're getting old like a good ol' monthly favourites post. Last week saw the clocks go forward ready for Spring. I must admit, getting an extra hour of daylight each day is a blogger's dream - no longer have I got to get up at the crack of dawn to photograph products like a mad woman! I missed the boat for my monthly favourites last month, so I relished picking out some of my favourites from the past few weeks for March's offering (explains why I have 10 - a little more than usual..apologies!). Here's my mini-reviews and thoughts for you to dip into this month..

Ecotools Bamboo Kabuki Brush | £9.99 | 

I've been wanting a brush for a while that I can apply bronzer to my face with, but one that offers a sheer, even coverage. This one is perfect. I'd never tried Ecotools before but I really like them (I've also picked up an eye brush recently) - the bristles are so soft and smooth and the chunky handle is really good for grip. Also fairly lightweight and small in size, this brush has been my perfect bronzing companion.

Mac 'Plink' Lipstick (lustre) | £14.50

Another Mac lipstick. I swear I adopt a new favourite Mac lipstick every month! A while back I did a collection post on my Mac lippies - but I'm going to have to redo it in Summer as the selection I have seems to have bred slightly... This colour is beautiful for everyday. It's a lovely seashell pink with a little bit of shimmer to it.  It shows up on the lips even though it's a lustre finish, and is a perfect 'your lips but better' colour that brightens the complexion and looks lovely with a natural blush and neutral eyes. I love it.

YSL Rouge Volupte 'Nude Beige (#1)' | £24.50

I bought this a while back whilst on holiday but it's a lipstick I always go back to. I really love the formulation - although it's very soft and can be quite slippery to apply, the colour pay-off is second to none and the colour is really natural and pretty. It's a lovely nude shade with hints of warm, light pink. Very flattering on my paler skin throughout these colder months.

HD Brows Palette in 'Bombshell' | Bought in a blog sale 

I've wanted a HD Brows palette for ages. When I saw this one in a blog sale recently I snapped it up! I had my eyes on the dark version but threw caution to the wind and went for it anyway. I'm so glad I did, as the colours are spot on for me. The powders are wonderful - really silky and smooth and apply really evenly, and the little brush and mirror that come with the palette is really handy. They also last amazingly well and the dark shade, 'Carbon' works very well as an eyeshadow. I might do a more in-depth post for this palette soon which I why I've skipped on the swatches.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Polish in 'Blueberry' | £3.99 

I did a post on these beauties a while back including swatches (you can find that here). I love them even more than the regular Barry M polishes and dashed out to grab more or less the whole spectrum of colours. They apply really nicely (2 coats and you're done) and dry very glossy.  Blue is my favourite colour to wear on my nails so I've been getting a lot of use out of this one (Greenberry is also a current fave!)

Hugo Boss 'Orange' Perfume | £32 (30ml)

One of my lovely colleagues at work bought me this a couple of years ago for Christmas. It's not a fragrance I'd have chosen for myself but when I got a whiff of it I fell in love. I've since bought 2 more bottles and am currently spritzing my way down this one! I'm not one for describing scents, but it smells really fruity - but not in the way you'd expect - very luxurious and a little spicy. I currently have my eye on the summer version,  'Orange Sunset' - definitely one to whack on the summer wish-list!

St Tropez Everyday Moisturiser for Face in 'Medium Dark' 

I'm very loyal to my St Tropez. I love their tanning mousse and very rarely cheat on it with other fake tans. This one I've recently started using again. It's a summer staple for me and I apply it when I want a bit of colour in my face! It's quite thick, so some of you may be put off by this, and it also smells a little more 'tan-like' than the mousse. But it does the job and I never look orange from using this - my skin always looks really smooth and even.

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream (mini)

I got this as a sample ages ago. I've been using this the past few weeks and typically, I've fallen in love with it. I reckon the full-size is about £20 - so it isn't in the bargain bin of all the eye creams available on the market, but it's one that really does what it says on the tin. It's really smooth and has a gel-like consistency that applies like a dream and doesn't leave a sticky residue like a lot of eye creams I've tried. It feels really refreshing and de-puffs your eyeballs in an instant. Result.

Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in Shade 2 - 'Peach' | £6.49

I was so intrigued by the formula of these blushes and when I found out they had a peach shade, I was sold.  It's not exactly mousse-like (definitely not the same as the Dream Matte Mousse formula - if you're wondering!), but it's very smooth and creamy, and really light and silky to the touch. Unlike any other cream blushes I own consistency wise, this one has become a current favourite and It's so easy to apply either with your fingers or with a stippling blush. It looks natural, and feels so light on the skin. It also blends incredibly well. A winner in my books! I wish they'd bring out a couple more shades!

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 'Soft Beige' | £6.99

I won't say too much about this, as I'm planning a full review soon. But my goodness, is this a good drugstore foundation.  As much as I love my YSL Touche Eclat (review here), I wanted an alternative for days when I wasn't going to be out long or just needed a quick fix. I've been wearing this for a good month now and have to say I really, really like it.  It's knocked 'Wake Me Up' out of the water for me and I much prefer the consistency of this one. It's less dewy, and gives a semi-matte/satin finish on the skin.  It can show up dry patches but I haven't really had many problems with this, and I currently have dry skin! A really good all-rounder that is worth a try if you're in the market for a good, medium coverage and lasting foundation that doesn't look overly dewy or overly matte.

What have you been loving this month? Anything here that tickles your fancy?

 ♥

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Polishes

Barry M 'Gelly Hi Shine' nail polishes | £3.99 each

When it comes to nail polishes, Barry M have to be unbeatable for getting quality and price bang on the mark. Being a complete sucker for anything that has the word 'new' on the packaging, I treated myself to some of Barry M's Gel polishes a while back now. I remember wishing they would bring out more colours as I was instantly sold on the glossy finish and faultless application and really fancied adding a few more to my collection. Well, I can tell you it was a very exciting day when I heard of the Spring Collection being released and I dashed into Superdrug at the next given opportunity.  I just couldn't decide on which one I liked best.. so i adopted the whole 'buy it in every colour' motto and ended up with a my hands full of all four colours, doing a little balancing act at the till with all my other beauty-related goods before almost tipping them over the poor lady about to zap them through. Standard shopping trip for me. She did have a little giggle with me at my 'forgot to pick up a basket but I shall battle on through' skills though..

As you can probably tell, I love a good pastel polish, me. Don't get me wrong, I adore my reds and classy darker colours, but pastels always look nice and fresh on the nails and cover up all matter of nail sins.  With Spring coming up, I will definitely be bringing out the brighter colours in my collection and I can't wait until I can pair these beauties with my summery outfits! 

The Spring Collection consists of 4 colours - 
'Lychee' being a lovely classic nude shade which is perfect for those understated days or for work/job interviews, and also not dissimilar to Models Own 'Utopia' (which I've wanted for ages!).
'Papaya' is a gorgeous bright peachy orange - which I'm saving until the sun comes out as I can only imagine how amazing it will look with a tan!  
'Dragon' is an adorable pastel pink that is a must-have for any polish collection - it looks lovely any time of the year and I've been wearing this quite a bit recently as it's so versatile!
'Greenberry' - Last but not least is my favourite of the Spring collection,  a beautiful pastel sea-green with a certain brightness to it that just looks so amazing when on the nails (if you liked Topshop's 'Green Room' then you need this in your collection!)

Application is faultless, and they apply smoothly and evenly from the first coat - they only require 2 coats for full opaque colour and don't show up any 'gritty bits'.  They also dry amazingly shiny - the swatches on the nail wheel above were left without a top coat just so you can see how perfect these polishes apply! I personally add a top coat afterwards just because I like to seal in the colour for prolonged wear time.. but if you're a bit of a lazy nail-painter, these will be right up your street!

Superdrug currently have a little offer on these polishes so if you have your eye on any of them I suggest you head on over to grab yourself a deal ASAP..

Have you tried the Gel polishes by Barry M? Love them as much as me? What's your favourite shade?

Lilac & Gold Glitter Nails | Barry M

Barry M 'Prickly Pear' | Barry M 'Yellow Topaz Glitter'

I'm a massive fan of pastel nails, but often find that in the Autumn/Winter time they can look a little out of place. Just recently, the cold weather has meant a lot of breakage for my poor little talons, and I sometimes feel like dark colours show up the 'dodgy bits'. So, I figured I would attempt to put a spin on a simple pastel shade, and make it a little more festive. I popped into Boots before work and picked up Barry M's 'Prickly Pear' alongside their gold glitter polish as I thought they looked rather pretty together, and took it upon myself to create a really simple look that's both effective and quick to create. I decided on a glitter gradient effect that looks fabulous when it catches the light and I seriously can't wait to 'christmas' this look up even more and maybe paint some snowflakes on there too as soon as the first of December rolls around!

I have to say, the 'Gelly Hi-Shine' polishes are fabulous and I can't wait to pick up the other shades within the range. I've had this polish on for almost a week now with minimal chipping, and the finish is amazingly glossy even without a topcoat.

What are your favourite winter-pastels at the moment?

 ♥