Stranger Things and Shiny Lips | April Favourites

This month has been a little bit lacking on the beauty front and there are just a couple of things that I've been obsessed with. I recently declared love for the best matte lipstick I've ever tried (read all about that here) but I've also been going between another lip product which is on the opposite end of the spectrum. It's the Dior Lip Addict in Tout-Paris. It's a bright pink colour that looks quite scary in the bullet but because the formula is so glossy and sheer it just makes the lips look juicy and totally transforms any lipliner it goes on top of. It's so easy to wear, the formula is really moisturising and I just love it. I would definitely get more shades of this because I'm just finding I reach for it all the time day to day. I've also been obsessed with the Body Shop Vitamin C Spray. Is there anything nicer than giving your face a quick spritz? No, I thought not! I've been using it all the time, in a morning when I wake up, in the middle of the day on a weekend to perk myself up and as a toner in the evening before I go in with my full on skincare routine. This one smells amazing too and it is one of those unnecessary products that I don't need but would now be lost without!

Stranger Things. Wow was I an idiot to put off watching this for as long as I did. I've been told time and time again to watch it but it took for me to be physically sat in front of it before I actually did. I'm fully obsessed. I powered through series one and I'm now waiting until I can have a real binging session before I start on series two and I'm so excited to watch it! It's just on the edge of my scary limit, I did find I was hiding behind a pillow for some of it, but then again I am a massive wuss!

I've been listening to a lot of music this month - well lot for me anyway which is basically on the way to and from work. I've started a three month trial with Apple Music and so far I'm totally into it. Whether I'd download enough to get my money's worth is yet to be seen but for free I'm enjoying downloading random songs to listen to on the way to work. My listening list this month has basically consisted of songs with complicated lyrics/fast tunes that I can learn the words to. Alexander Hamilton from the musical Hamilton is literally the most satisfying thing to sing/talk. It's been my go-to car song. if you haven't tried learning the lyrics then do, it's such an achievement to get through the song word for word (wow Abz big life goals there!).

What have you been loving this month?

A whistle stop tour of Brighton's food offerings

Recently I went on a weekend trip to Brighton and had such a good time! I saw the sights, was forced into watching Stranger Things (great decision) and ate some tasty food! I thought it might be quite nice to share some of the delicious things Brighton had to offer - and there was plenty to choose from. Disclaimer: This is just a quick run down of where we went over one afternoon (and the next morning), other than that I'm probably the worst person to give Brighton food suggestions but I just thought it might be nice to share where we went.

Arriving in Brighton after just a sausage sandwich and a latte on the train I was ready for something tasty, preferably with a sea view. And that's just what I got! Now because I'm an idiot I have no idea what the place is called where we ended up but you could see the pier from it. Anyway we sat by the beach with a latte and some of the best chips and garlic aioli that have ever passed my lips. Think of the most garlic-y thing there very was, times it by ten and that's how much garlic was in the dip - it was amazing! Crispy hot chips and creamy sauce sat looking out to the sea in the sunshine, what more could you ask for!

We then fancied some ice cream and after a bit of a Google we made our way to Boho Gelato. It was the end of the day so flavours were a bit limited but still delish. I went for Nutella and vegan vanilla brownie and it was super tasty, especially the Nutella. I mean what's better than hitting a giant lump of chocolate-y goodness! Perfect way to round off a seaside afternoon.

Day two on the Brighton food adventure started with a bang. Two words; Red Roaster. It's literally the thing of Instagram dreams and not only does it look super pretty but the food is also seriously delicious! We went for breakfast after a prosecco fuelled late night in a jacuzzi (long story) so heads and stomachs were a little tender but we were ready for a tasty brunch. I went for a latte and a herb waffle with bacon jam, a fried egg and bits of apple. Oh my god it was amazing. You know when you eat something and it just sings - this was one of those moments. What's not to love about bacon, apple and a whole load of waffle?! I'd love to go back as well for lunch to test out some of the other things on the menu. I was 100% recommend this, it was sensash.

As I said, just a quick little run down of where I went on my tiny travels!

Is Maybelline Tattoo Brow a miracle product?

In a recent blog post where I went through some of my unloved products (read that here) I can across this - the Maybelline Tattoo Brow Long Lasting Tint. I bought this around when it first came out when I was wanting to spend a little less money on my brows. It seemed like a total miracle product. Costing around £10 it would save a decent chunk in the brow tinting department and there are three shades, light, medium and dark brown. I went for medium brown as although I have blonde hair I'm all about a dark eyebrow. The whole idea of this product is that you paint it on, wait for 20 minutes to two hours depending on how long you want it to last and then peel it off.

Now, I'll start with the positives. The applicator is a small brush making it easy to draw on the shape you want, it isn't at all messy and takes next to no time to apply. When it's on I can't feel it and, although it makes me look like I have sharpie brows, having it on for two hours isn't an issue. Peeling it off may seem like it's going to take all of the brow hairs with it but other than a few casualties it's totally fine. Overall it's an easy to use product for something that usually requires getting a professional in.

There is one main problem with this and it's quite a big one - it's orange. Like, the colour is orange. And I have no idea why. It's a perfectly normal colour when you go to bed the day of application but I've woken up to find two cheesy wotsits above my eyes. Not good. And that's the only thing stopping this product from being amazing because it has everything else going for it. The way I've been using it is as a guide for filling in my brows. Because I have such fair hair when I have no tint on my brows it can take quite a while to fill them in so by using this I already have a bit of a head start which is good. But I wouldn't go out with just this on my brows because, as I said, it turns them orange!

I will keep using this because I want to use it all up and I can just about get away with making it work - but there won't be a repurchase on the horizon.

Have you used this product? Did you get on with it?

Taking a trip down makeup memory lane

I was sat looking at my makeup the other day (you know, like normal people do) and I suddenly thought that a lot of it relates to a special time or has a significant moment attached to it. Even the most random and 'boring' of products reminds me of something that has happened. So, I thought it would be nice to look back at the makeup that give me my favourite memories and it might encourage me to get the products out of the drawer and use them a bit more!

Back in my early days of blog reading and Youtube watching the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes were big news. But being in the UK and no plans of visiting America on the horizon I just had to sit back and watch everyone rave about how amazing they were. So when we hopped on a plane to Florida in 2015, this was top of my Sephora shopping list. Obviously I bought the shade Tipsy (it was either that or Exposed - the go-to shades) and I still crack this out every Summer. Whenever I wear it I think of wandering around the Sephora in Florida (my first time in an American Sephora), filling my basket with vlogger recommendations. This product will always hold a special place in my heart.

The first non-stationary highlighter I bought was a great day. It was around this time two years ago after I'd been for an interview at the job I currently have, hooray! It was in Leeds and my mum went with me so afterwards we went out for lunch and popped along to Debenhams for a cheeky purchase to celebrate a job well done. The Urban Decay Afterglow Highlighter had just come out and it had received good reviews all round so I thought it would be a good one to give a go (up until this point I'd been using glittery champagne eyeshadows as highlight - it was very questionable behaviour!) The were three shades and I went for Aura, a pink/purple shade which I'd heard was good for people with pale skin. It's a good product but this colour is just not me. It's preety much purple and isn't the vibe I usually go for but this product gives me such fond memories of that day that I don't think I'll be able to part with it anytime soon.

Kinda Sexy - to this day one of my favourite birthday presents. It was the first Mac (and only) Mac lipstick I'd been gifted and I was given it in La Tasca in Nottingham on my 20th birthday from my friends. Up until then I'd spent so long searching for the perfect nude and then this magically turned up in my lap. It's a warm toned nude with a matte finish that looks cracking over the top of any nude-y lip liner. This was my go-to for ages and  reminds me so much of my second year at uni. It's still probably my most worn lipstick.

The Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. If ever there was maybe too much hype around a product this was it. I'd waited for so long before I took the plunge and bought one. It was with money I'd got from my 21st birthday and I had some time to kill before I was meeting my friends for a birthday surprise (afternoon tea at Browns, yes, yes, yes!) and I bobbed into town to splash the cash. I'd heard so many good things about this product; it's the perfect gloss, the most moisturising thing you'll ever have on your lips, etc. But I have to say I was pretty disappointed - I just found it too thick and sticky. Even though I wasn't a fan of this product, I had the best time that day so I like to keep it as a littl reminder.

A couple of years ago for my 21st birthday, my mum, dad and me went to London. We had the best time there seeing the sights and having a wander round. One disaster that happened when we were there was that we only just made our slot to go up the Shard by minutes (you're allowed 30 minutes over your booked time, we were 25). The reason we were running late and had to run from St Paul's Cathedral to the Shard (it feels like miles) was that I was desperate to get my hands on the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation. I'd been to every department store and shop possible to get my hands on this but they were sold out of my shade everywhere, it was a joke, But finally a very helpful House of Fraser answered all of my prayers! That was such a memorable day and there was so much hunting for a foundation which, I'm sad to say, I can't get on with. I just find it too thick and hard to blend but it gave us a great story to tell!

When Fleur de Force released her makeup collection on Feel Unique I was there with the items in my basket and checked out before you could even say'good god get a grip girl'. I went for her Cosmic Bronze palette and one of her glosses. I ended up getting so much wear out of the palette and it reminds me of my third year at uni because it's pretty much all I wore with some winged liner and a questionably strong brow. The thing that I remember most about this product is that I ordered it on a Thursday, it didn't come until the Thursday after at which point I'd gone back to uni (on that day - how annoying!) and had to wait for it to be posted from home to Nottingham which took nearly another week so by the time it reached me I was desperate for it. No wonder I ended up loving it so much!

What's your favourite makeup memory?

Is this the best matte lipstick ever?

This time last month if you's have told me I would fall in love with a matte lipstick to a point of obsession then I'd have probably laughed in your face. I was all about the glossy lip, slathering on the lip gloss, cracking out my sheeny lipsticks and generally having a great time moisturising in general. That was until this landed on my doorstep - The Powerlips Fluid. Big shout out to my mate Amy for hooking me up with this cracking beauty!

This is the shade Maven which I'd say is a nude which is slightly darker than what I usually go for. I have to say when I first saw the shade I was a bit concerned at how dark it was. I expected it to be more of a easy to wear nude but leans more to the vampy side. I have to say though now I've had a chance to wear it I'm completely in love. The shade also is bang in the middle of warm and cool which for me is bang on! The picture above is pretty true to life and it really pops and stands out against my little pale face.

With matte lipsticks I always feel like you need to compromise - something won't be quite right but you put up with it because that's just the way it goes. Like they're not matte enough so end up all over your face or they're so dry your mouth feels like the desert or it gathers on the inside of your mouth. You get it, nothing is ever quite right. But I've had zero problems with this one. It dries down totally matte in quick time but never gets to the point where it sucks the life out of your lips. One thing which is a big plus for me as well is that you don't need to be careful when applying to not go over the same spot - you can over the same space loads of times and it doesn't get clumpy and thick. This also gives it big plus points when reapplying as it just glides on top of what was there with no issues.

Overall I would love to get more of these because the other shades look incredible! If you're starting to lose your faith in matte lip products and think you'll never find the perfect one, think again!

What's your favourite matte lip product? 

Products that smell out of this world

I love good smelling products and scent can have a big impact on whether I like a product or love it. Something may be the best thing since sliced bread and do a great job but if it has a smell I'm not that into it's not going to be one of my go-tos. I just want to pre-warn that I am hopeless at describing smells, seriously bad at it, but my favourite scents are fruity or quite sickly sweet so that's what I tend to steer towards.

As far as dry shampoos go, Colab is my ultimate favourite. Not only are the names and bottles the cutest thing you may have ever seen, the product inside is actually pretty good too! At the minute I'm using the Unicorn one (obviously, unicorns are literally my life) and it has such a nostalgic smell to me! I don't know what it is but it leans more florally but with a bit more of something that isn't too perfume-y. I was also a fan of the Tropical one and I can't wait to try out more of the other scents!

Soap and Glory have some amazing scents across their different products. The Smoothie Star range gives me life, especially in the winter, but one that will always have a special place in my heart is the Sugar Crush scent. Like fruit and sugar, this is a great 'pick me up' scent. If you're ever feeling down, give this a whiff and it will transport you off to a summer's day on a beach with a good book in one hand and a glass of prosecco in the other. At the minute I'm loving the Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Hand Cream. I find myself sniffing my hands all the time and looking like someone to avoid in the streets, I don't care, it smells too good not to.

Please can someone tell me - why do new Mac lipsticks smell the best? There's just something about them that makes them irresistible to sniff! It's a strict procedure whenever anyone shows you a new Mac lipstick, take the lid off, look at the colour, smell it. I don't know why! It's sort of a vanilla situation that also reminds me a bit of a tic tac but it's definitely the best thing about a new lipstick. (Sad news is the one in this picture - Kinda Sexy which is my all time favourite - now smells like a crayon. Breaks my little heart).

Pretty much any scent The Body Shop do I'm into. Everyone is just spot on but recently there's one that I've been slightly obsessed with, the argan oil scent. I've never been that interested in it and to be honest when I've smelt it in the shop I've just thought it was like their shea range but not as nutty. I was totally wrong. I got the argan oil body butter for my birthday and on my little dry legs this smells amazing. Kind of a cross between summer and winter it makes you want the sun to shine but isn't like a fruity scent because it makes you kind of feel cosy and warm as well. If you haven't tried anything from the range I would definitely recommend it!

I'd like to give a final mention to the Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. Obviously the whole point of it is to smell like chocolate and the long and short of it is that it doesn't. BUT it does still smell great! Think The Body Shop Cocoa Butter in powder form I can't help but give it a little sniff before putting it on my face.

What's your favourite scented product?

What's in my travel skincare bag?

As you read this I'll be living it up in Brighton on a little weekend trip for my friends birthday and to say I'm excited is an understatement - I'm literally bursting! I wanted to see if I could streamline my packing for this trip, especially makeup and skincare-wise, not for any particular reason just because I tend to overpack. A Glossier much seemed like the perfect size, big enough but also quite thin. The bag is pretty much filled with my usual skincare routine but with some cute minis thrown in, so here is what I'm taking skincare-wise on my mini break to Brighton.

I constantly need Micellar Water in my life and these little Garnier ones are the best for when you're out and about. You don't even really need to get this for the product inside (although this is my favourite Micellar Water) but the bottle is great, relatively flat and there's no fear of a massive explosion all over your bag. Also, cotton pads, because I'm sorry but toilet paper and kitchen roll are not the same. For when I need to really cleanse my face during this weekend (say on Sunday morning when I feel like absolute death) then I have this sample size of the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser to use. It's my favourite product for a second cleanse and although it isn't very good at removing makeup, once I've gone over my face with the micellar water it really gets in and cleans out any gunk left on my face and leaves it feeling a little bit happier. It seems like quite a decent sample and I might even get two uses out of it (woo I know how to live life!).

At the minute my skincare routine is very much 'get in all the moisture to stop the skin shriveling up like a little raisin' but this isn't very travel friendly. Enter the Look Fantastic Advent Calendar I had last year. Possibly the best purchase I've ever made it's provided me with new favourites and, most importantly, minis. After using up the serum that you got in the run up to Christmas (which I loved but was SO EXPENSIVE) I can now use the bottle for my serum of choice when I'm out on my travels. The one I'm using at the minute is The Ordinary 100% Plant Derived Squalane (see my early thoughts on it here). I'm so glad that I can still keep up my current skincare routine without it taking up half the room in my bag.

This mini of the Body Shop Vitamin E moisturiser is something I've trying to use up. Again an advent calendar present it's quite similar to my current moisturiser (the Body Shop Drops of Youth) and I've used it before so I know my skin likes it. It just saves me taking a massive pot or trying to scrape the product I'm using into a tiny tub, everyone's a winner! 

Three things that I already use that are the perfect travel sizes are my Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream, the Coconut Glossier Balm Dotcom and my Body Shop Coconut Hand Cream. Three great products that I'm glad can come with me without taking up much space. Also my toothbrush and toothpaste will be coming with me - nothing special but very essential (get me, such a poet).

What's your cutest mini?

What's on my product wishlist

I could easily spend so much money on all things beauty it's actually now beyond a joke. So in an attempt to stop my spending I thought I'd list all of the products that are on my wishlist which is mainly made up of things which are a little on the pricy side which I'd buy for/on a special occasion.

One thing that I've always wanted to try (and I should really get myself down to a counter) is the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. It's one of those products that everyone and their dog raves about but it's so darn expensive that I don't want to get my purse out and take the plunge in case it's not quite right for me. One day I'll go to a counter and get myself a tester but until then I'll admire from afar!

Over the last couple of years there have been a few Nars eyeshadow palettes that I eyed up and very nearly bought but for one reason or another it wasn't meant to be. The Nars Unwanted Palette literally looks like a thing of dreams, mattes, shimmers and glitters in warm shades, I mean can we not. That's my idea of heaven. But it came out after I bought the Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette and I couldn't justify the purchase of another warm toned palette. But everyone raves about Nars eyeshadows and I feel like one day I will take the plunge and add one of their palettes to my collection. (Side note: They all look like quite a petite size which would be good to travel around with - I might be wrong but that's the vibe I'm getting).

Last year I achieved one of my goals (small goals) and bought a Dior lipstick (which I cannot get enough of) and another thing I'd love is a Chanel Lipstick. Not only do the bullets look amazing but the product inside is pretty good too. I think one day when something exciting happens I'll buy one for myself as a little treat but for now I'll just look at swatches and dream.

Glossier You. Oh what a dream it would be to have this perfume in my stash. I got a mini sample with a Glossier order I made months ago and to be honest I haven't stopped thinking about how nice it smells. It's what I'd call a natural smell, kind of florally but it could be mistaken for your usual smell (side note: the bottle is really pretty). I usually wait until I've finished one perfume before buying another and only have two on the go at once so when I'm in the market for another perfume to fill the gap I think that this would be the one!

What's on your product wishlist?

Just going to give a mini shoutout to my instagram @abzisfabz - why not give it a follow!