May 2014 Favourites!

It honestly felt like just yesterday that I was putting together my April favourites post. Now a month later it is time to share the things that have been worth my money this month! Enjoy.

Beauty/ Makeup:
Barry M Hi-Shine Jelly Nail Polish in Guava
It is no secret that I adore the nail polishes by Barry M. A few months back I actually bought a few more shades after noticing  that Barry M had added some new colours to their Gelly Hi-Shine collection. One of these was the shade 'Guava' and it has been by far my favourite nail polish this month. The colour is an incredible teal/blue colour and it lasts ages! Costing only £3.99 this product is worth every penny.
 I've found that like with the other polishes in this  collection that two coats of this stuff is plenty and the dry time is also really good.

 

 

 

 

Real Techniques Brushes

For Christmas I was lucky enough to receive a collection of the Real Techniques brushes from my sister. Although I was really excited about trying them I thought it would be a good idea to wait until I had built my collection a little more and to be honest I didn't want them to get dirty! However this month I realised that this was a ridiculous thought and started to use them religiously to apply my makeup. I particularly love the contour brush, as it blends product really well and gives me a really defined look. Next I would like to buy the set of eye brushes which would help me to apply my eye shadow better especially because I have been a bit more experimental this month.  

Sleek Blush in Flushed
My final beauty favourite this month has been a blush from Sleek. After discovering Sleek blushes in the middle of last year and having loved the shade Flamingo so much I decided it was time to try out the other shades in the collection.
  This month I have really enjoyed using the shade 'Flushed.' Unlike Flamingo this is a much darker shade but is still a beautiful pinky shade. It gives my complexion a really healthy glow and looks so natural on my face. Although I find myself having to apply more of this than with Flamingo, I think it is because Flamingo is so much brighter than this. I like that the colour isn't as bright though because it means that you can gradually build it up depending on your skin tone and the look you are achieving. This shade is also a lot more matt than Flamingo but it still contains the slightest bit of shimmer in it as well. The price of these blushes are also a huge plus point costing only £4.49 each.



Fashion:
Kimonos
Up until this month, I had never owned a Kimono. I'm not sure why, but they just didn't appeal to me and I never thought that I could pull one off and was worried that they wouldn't flatter my shape or that I would feel too self conscious in one. However, whilst I was shopping this month a came across one in New Look. The print instantly attracted me because it was full of greens and purples and was a gorgeous Hawaiian floral style. The material was also really soft to touch and as my friend was going to be trying on some stuff I decided to try this out. When I tried it on I really liked it and so bought it for £12.99.
  Since then I have been back into New Look and bought another kimono because I loved my first one so much. My second kimono is more of a sheer material, but is once again a floral print combining cream, a pinky/nude tone and also a beautiful royal blue too. This one was a little more expensive at £24.99 but it's been perfect for Spring. 
Forever 21 Vest
Up until now I have been obsessed with wearing a printed vest from Pull & Bear because it has been so comfortable and easy to wear. Whilst shopping with friends this month I found a new vest which I have fallen in love with from Forever 21. I think it cost around £10 and I really like the print and think it will be perfect for summer. It is cut quite low at the sides so I have been experimenting with bandeau tops underneath to add something different too.
Statement Jewellery
My final fashion related favourite product this month has been statement necklaces. I have never been a jewellery person really in terms of necklaces but after discovering this wing necklace from River Island this month I have been converted. Although it isn't the biggest statement necklace in the world I think it still makes an impact on a simple outfit and I love the detailing on it too. It cost me only £7 and I can't wait to start buying more necklaces.



Music:
The 1975
How has it taken me this long to discover the genius that is the 1975's self titled album? This album has been out in the UK now for ages, yet this month I started to listen to it for the first time. It only took a few songs to realise that I would love this album and I have been listening to it on repeat throughout the month alongside my other music favourites. Some of my favourite songs from the album are 'Robbers' and 'Girls' although I have liked almost every song!
Mr Probz: Waves
I am a huge fan of songs that you love the moment that you first hear them. Although I do eventually like songs even if I haven't when they were first played it was not the case with the release of Waves. I really liked this song as soon as I first heard it and although now I have started to over play it a bit I have been listening to it a lot throughout May.
Sam Smith: Stay With Me
I will be the first to admit that I wasn't overly keen on 'Money On My Mind' by Sam Smith. I didn't think the verses were too bad but along with the chorus which I didn't like and the radio station over playing the song up to 7 times a day everyday for 3 weeks I dreaded to hear it. However, this month I discovered the song 'Stay With Me' and I have been listening to it on repeat ever since. It is so much different to MOMM and I think it is really beautiful to listen to.
The Vamps: Meet The Vamps
Although The Vamps featured in my April favourites I couldn't resist putting them into my May Favourites as well. Last month I was raving about their performance in Radio 1's Live Lounge but since then their debut album has been released in the UK. I bought this album alongside The 1975's and although they are both completely different I have been enjoying these a lot. The Vamps album is really fun with a mix of upbeat and slightly more serious songs. For a band so young I think their album is incredible and there hasn't been a 'bad' song that I've listened to. Big favourites of mine have been 'Somebody to You', 'Shout About It', 'Dangerous' and 'Lovestruck.'


Films/TV:
Bad Neighbours
I don't go to the cinema very often and so when I do it is because I am going to see a film that I really wanted to see. At the start of the month Bad Neighbours starring Zac Efron and Seth Rogen came out and so my friends and I went to watch it. I won't give too much away apart from the fact that it is hilarious and you should go watch it!
Modern Family
My final TV/Film favourite is a program which is regularly shown on Sky 1 and Sky 2. Modern family is a show which follows three families which are all related in one way or another it follows their lives and choices. It is hilarious and unique in that one as the storyline is played out the characters narrate and comment on their thoughts and actions. My sister has been watching this program for years and I can't believe it has taken me this long to give it a chance. I think it is brilliant. 

First Purchases of 2014 (Makeup Haul)

 

So with Christmas over for another year and having received my bank statement for December (ouch!) it's that time of year where you decide that you really need to save some money after spending so much during the festive season.

Apparently I didn't get that memo and I've been out shopping over the past few weeks and have brought some amazing cosmetics which I'm going to share today.

 

The first thing that I've purchased were these makeup wipes from Superdrug. Recently I've been using some Sainsbury's own branded wipes just because they are cheap and easy to pick up, but I decided I should probably invest in some wipes that are actually designed to be used to take off makeup. These were also a complete bargain at only about £1.50 and although I have never used them before I thought that they would be worth the risk.

 

My obsession with nail polish continues. Barry M have recently released a new collection of matte polishes in a variety of colours. Their new polishes always intrigue me and after buying loads of their standard as well as jelly polishes I just needed to try this one. I picked up the shade 'Vanilla' costing me £3.99 from Superdrug.   

 

As Superdrug were having a 3 for 2 offer on all their Barry M products, it would be rude for me not to buy two more polishes. For my second polish I decided on this gorgeous burgundy shade called 'crush' from the new matte collection, which also retails at £3.99.

 

To complete the three for two offer, I needed to decide on one final polish. On the Barry M stand they had a picture of a model showing off one particular shade. I fell in love with it and decided that this would be the final shade that I would buy. This polish is part of the Hi-Shine jelly collection and is called 'Guava', also priced at £3.99 in Superdrug.

 

I actually brought another nail polish from Barry M a few weeks ago whilst I was shopping in Cambridge and totally forgot about it. At the time Superdrug were doing a 2 for £6 deal on all their nail polishes and so my friend and I got one each. I picked up this shade called 'blackberry' from the jelly range, saving myself 0.99p!

 

Living in a small town means that my local Superdrug doesn't sell any sleek products. After buying a blush and the contour kit online, I was desperate to get my hands on some of their other products, but wanted to be able to see what I was buying first. Luckily Cambridge had a whole stand of Sleek products, and it's fair to say that I went a little crazy.

 

The first thing that I picked up from Sleek was this gorgeous lipstick in the shade 'barely there.' Although I haven't used this product yet it claims to be a highly pigmented non drying and conditioning lipstick, which sounds pretty good to me! Costing only £4.99 it is also a bit cheaper than some of the other drugstore lipsticks out there so thought it would be worth a try.

 

After buying and falling in love with the Sleek blush in the shade 'flamingo' I decided that I would definitely need to expand my collection. With 11 shades in the collection it wasn't easy to pick just one so I brought two on this occasion, but could have easily brought them all! Oops.

 

I decided to go for two more pink shades, but these are no way near as bright as 'flamingo.' The blush pictured above is a lovely dark pink almost red shade with the slightest bit of shimmer in called 'flushed.' I can't wait to start using it and with it being priced at only £4.49 it is a serious bargain in my eyes.

 

The other blush I picked up for £4.49 was the shade in 'rose gold.' I've seen so many other beauty bloggers and vloggers rave about this shade of product and thought it was about time I got my hands on it too. It contains more shimmer than the other two blushes I have, yet will be a welcome addition to my collection.

 

This is where I think I got a little bit over the top and went a bit crazy with the sleek products. But whilst I was there I decided to pick up one of Sleek's eyeshadow palettes.

 

Typically of Sleek, the have kept their gorgeous black packaging for the palette and I'm so excited to try it out. They have a variety of palettes available but I got the 'Au Naturel 601' palette as I thought it would be one that I'd use the most.

 

Although I haven't used this product yet, I am seriously impressed with it at first glance. The colours inside look absolutely gorgeous and I love the mixture of both matte and shimmery shades in there. I also love the fact that each shade has it's own name and that there isn't one colour in the palette that I don't like. Perhaps the biggest bonus is that this cost only £7.99!

 

 

My final purchase over the past few weeks have been some new make-up brushes. I've had my eye on real-techniques brushes for ages and after receiving some for Christmas I decided to expand my collection. This resulted in a trip to Boots!

 

I decided to purchase the core collection, costing me £21.99. Working out at only about £5 a brush, they are seriously good value for money and even the woman in Boots told me that they are amazing!

Featuring a foundation brush, a brush for concealer, powder and contouring, I'm super excited about using these brushes alongside my new and old purchases, although I don't want to get them dirty! Haha.

Wow, it seems as though I've gone a bit overboard recently on products. One day I will learn to resist. (I hope)