Shop my Stash #1

We all know that time in the month when the purse strings need to get tighter, this for me is usually the time when I am walking around the shops and I want to buy everything within my reach! I decided to try and stop this urge and make myself feel better I would give 'shopping my stash' a go. This is essentially where you go through your make up and beauty collection and find things that you haven't used in a long time, things that you have forgotten about about or even lost! This apparently be just as satisfying and exciting as real shopping so I thought I would give it a try for myself.

The first couple of things I discovered were strangely both primers. I feel like I've never really given primers much of a chance so I thought now could be the time. The first one I picked out was the Paul & Joe Pearl Foundation Primer, this is quite possibly the most beautiful beauty product I have ever seen in all my life! From the box it comes in to the little pearls inside the bottle it just looks amazing and it kind of makes me sad that it has been tucked away in a drawer all this time. I remember when I brought this I was so excited and I thought I will use it sparingly, for best occasions but this has then lead to me forgetting about it. I have to say I'm really excited to use this again, maybe you'll see it in a Friday Favourites soon.

The other primer I picked up was the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, I got this for my birthday in February and completely forgot about it. I have heard a lot of good things about this primer and so many people love it and hopefully I will too. I think this primer will probably go more into my day to day rotation and the Paul & Joe primer will be for evening looks. Next up was another product from Laura Mercier, the Fresh Fig Body Butter. I received this in a Birchbox quite some time ago and as anyone who gets Birchbox or Glossybox will know the products do start to pile up and you tend to forget about them. I'm really glad I found this again though, it smells absolutely phenomenal so I'm excited to see how it is on the skin.

Finally I picked out a few make-up bits, this consisted of Benefits Fine One One and Ava Lip Collision Lila'lli. Again I got the Benefit Fine One One for my birthday in February, I remember being quite scared of this product and not really knowing what to do with it. To be honest I still really don't know what to do with it but now I'm determined to find out and give it a try. If anyone already knows then make sure to leave a comment below and let me know! The Ava Lip Collision was from a Birchbox if I remember rightly, on one end it has a lipstick and on the other is the matching gloss. This is a really clever idea and I have to say I'm intrigued to use it, it's a pretty pink colour that I would definitely wear I'm just not usually a fan of a gloss but I will give it a go.

So that was me 'shopping my stash' and I can quite safely say it is quite exciting! You will be surprised how many products you completely forget about. Have you ever 'shopped your own stash'? How did you find it?

Yasmin xoxo

Daily Make-Up Routine

I try and keep my daily make-up routine as minimal and quick as possible, this is mostly because I would really rather that extra 10 minutes in bed than spending it on an overly complicated facial routine. I do use quite a few products but I stick to a no faff rule with them all.

1. Rimmel Match Perfection Light Perfecting Radiance Foundation - I simply apply one pump of this onto the back of my hand and then use my fingers to blend it into the skin. This gives a medium coverage but it can be built up.

2. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer & Benefit Fake Up - I first use the collection lasting perfection concealer on any blemishes (usually around my chin) and also around my nose where I tend to get a bit of redness. I then again blend this with my fingers. I then go in under the eyes with Benefits Fake Up which is a moisturising concealer an blend that in with my ring finger.

3. Elf Pressed Powder, Elf Professional Total Face Brush, Bourjois Bronzing Powder & Real Techniques Buffing Brush - I have been finding that due to my full fringe I can get a very oily t-zone so this is where the Elf Pressed Powder comes in, it just gives a more matte finish that I know will stay that way. I apply it using the corresponding Elf Professional Total Face Brush, not the best brush i have ever used but it does the job. Once I have done a once over with the pressed powder I go in with my Bourjois Bronzing powder and just add a touch to my temples, jaw line and the hollows of my cheeks to give a bit of definition. I do this using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, unlike the Elf Brush this is the best brush I have ever used!

4. Rimmel Scandal Eyes Precision Micro Eyeliner, Rimmel Glam'Eyes Day 2 Night Mascara & Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara - For eyes I just go in with a super fine line on my upper lases nothing to crazy that could potentially go wrong. It's every girls worst nightmare to be re-applying complex eyeliner 20 times over! I then put a coat of the Rimmel Day 2 Night mascara on my top lashes. This mascara has two applicators in one, the first is for lengthening and the second is for volume. I tend to just use the lengthening applicator for day to day wear as i find it is all i need. Then for my bttom lashes I use the Clinique Bottom Lash mascara, this is a complete novalty item that is not really needed at all as a normal mascara does the same job but it is fun and novel to use!

5. Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Blusher in Berry Jamm & Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush in 110 Make Me Blush - I always love to have a nice bright pink on my cheek for the daytime I find it gives you a nice natural flushed look. For this I use the Sexy Mother Blusher by just dabbing it onto my cheeks and then blending with my fingers, the trick with this product is to go in small and then build it up. Then finally on the lips I just use a swipe of Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush lip crayon. This can be built up for a more opaque look but I find just a swipe give you a your lips but better look.

So that is my day to day routine, extremely simple yet very effective! I would love to know the products you guys use on a daily basis and how you apply them. Let me know in the comments below. Have you used any of the products I mentioned but applied them in a different way for a different look? 

Yasmin xoxo

Bedside Table Essentials

I thought that seen as my favourite place in the world and probably where I spend most of my time was my bed it would be appropriate for me to do a post about my bedside table essentials. I like to keep a good amount of things on top of my bed side table mostly so I don't need to move when I'm all cosy and snuggled up.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Lip Balm
If you read my Friday Favourites post you will know how much of a fan I am in general of the original eight hour cream. The lip balm came as part of a set when I brought the eight hour cream and I absolutely love it! I know a lot of people say that the eight hour cream is amazing for the lips but I find the lip balm is even better, it's so smooth and moisturising and it also doesn't have such a potent scent like the cream. I use this every night, hence why it is on my bedside table and will stay there until there is no more!

Hairbands & Bobby Pins
Every night before I go to bed I have to put my hair up. It's not like I have particularly long or thick hair or anything I just cannot seem to sleep with my hair down, I find it really irritating. Just before I go to sleep I like to scrape my hair up into a really high ponytail and then bobby pin my fringe and any stray hairs at the back of my head. I always think it's all very secure and then I wake up and I find my hairband and both bobby pins in random places in my bed. This still doesn't stop me doing the same thing every night #girlproblems.

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream
As a girl with ridiculously dry skin I can never be without a multitude of different lotions and potions to help moisturise my skin and a hand cream is just one of them. Currently on my bedside table I have the Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream. I got given this by my mum as she had accumulated about ten and just wasn't getting through them! As hand creams go it is very luxurious and has a very nice scent, it is great on my dry skin too. I would say though if you don't have extreme dry skin this might just be a bit too oily for you.

Kindle
I always have my kindle on my bedside table in the hopes that it will motivate me to get off of twitter and read a good book! I'm not going to lie this doesn't often happen, the last book I read on here was called 'Room' by Emma Donoghue and I could not put it down. The book is through the eyes of five year old who has never set foot into the outside world. I won't say any more as I don't want to ruin it for anyone who wants to read it. All I will say is it kept me away from twitter for a good week!

Yankee Candle
I absolutely love having a candle on my bedside table, not just for the beautiful scents but also for the atmosphere they create. It makes me feel so relaxed to have my bedroom lit by candles instead of having it lit by the harsh ceiling light. At the moment I am burning the last of my Yankee Candle in Sun & Sand, it's a musky natural scent that fills the whole room. It's not a scent that I would usually go for but I have to say that I have really enjoyed burning this over the past month.

Aveeno Skin Relief
The final thing I have to hand on my bedside table is a huge bottle of Aveeno Skin Relief. This is just perfect for me to pump out and then slather all over my skin before bed, it sinks into my skin so quickly I don't have that annoying damp feeling for an hour after I have applied it. It's just easy to throw on and jump into bed.

That is everything that you can see on my bedside table (apart from the giant alarm clock and before you ask no is does not have any batteries in it so is not functioning thankfully!). What do you keep at arms reach when you're in bed?

Yasmin xoxo

Beauty Empties #1

So I thought that today would be a good day to empty out my little box of empties that I have been collecting up before I actually forget what I thought of them! This is sometimes the risk you run when writing an empties post I guess seen as it generally takes a long time to finish most beauty products. Keeping a bunch of empty bottles was starting to bug me too so I thought there is no time like the present so here they are ... 

Yes to Grapefruit Correct & Repair Brightening Facial Wipes 
First up we have some facial wipes. I usually go by the rule of thumb that I don't really use facial wipes for anything other than make-up smudges or getting off pesky bottom lash mascara, other than that I try to steer clear. When I saw these face wipes in boots though I was very intrigued. I had already heard lots of good things about the yes to carrots range so I thought I would give these a go especially as they said they were exfoliating and brightening. I have to say though I wasn't overly keen on them, I found that they were very dry for face wipes so even if I was going to use them to remove make-up they wouldn't have done very well. The sent was nice, it was very sweet grapefruit scent that I found very pleasant. I can't really say I noticed my face looking any brighter either, in all i don't think these wipes were for me but I would still be intrigued to try some other things from the range before I rule them out completely. 

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm 
This is a product that I have used up several times and always repurchased, maybe not straight away but I always go back to it. I honestly don't think you could ever find a better cleanser out there (although if you do find one I am always open to new things!). Everything from the scent to the application to how easy it is to use, I really don't think I have a bad thing to say about it. I normally find cleansing my skin before I go to bed a bit of a chore but when I am using this I'm excited to go and take my make-up off, nothing about it is hard work. I think I've probably said quite enough about this now! If I haven't sold it to you I don't know what will! 

L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil 
Now this is one of those products that I find I can just live without. There was nothing bad about it but there was noting especially outstanding about it that would make me want to repurchase it. It probably did protect my hair quite well but other than that I didn't notice that my hair was shinier or more manageable, it does come in a pretty bottle though so is quite nice to have on the dressing table. 

Clinique Clarifying Moisture Lotion 
I brought this as a part of a three step skin care routine from clinique. I have to say they are three of the longest lasting products I have ever brought. I have always liked the brand and never used any of there skin care products. As far as skin care products go they haven't been my favourites but they definitely did the job, I won't be rushing out to repurchase them though but I'm glad I gave them a go. 

Anatomicals - You need a bloomin good shower - Rose and Jasmine Body Cleanser 
I've tried a few things from Anatomicals over the years and I have never been blown away by them but I have always liked them. This cleanser was completely different though, I brought it for around £2.00 on fragrancedirect.co.uk and was absolutely blown away by it. It smells absolutely delicious and it was so soft on my sensitive skin. It really did feel like a high end product for a fraction of the price, the only bad thing I have to say about it is that it didn't last long enough!  

Benefit Fake Up 
This product isn't actually completely finished but it is definitely coming to the end. I could not be more upset that this product is nearly finished, I have loved using it. It has been a staple part of my daily routine for the past six months without fail. I have carried it around with me everywhere, the packaging is beautiful and it is so compact. I will definitely be repurchasing this before it runs out completely so I don't have to spend one day without it. 

What are the products that you just couldn't live without and rush out to repurchase as soon as it has run out? 

Yasmin xoxo

Friday Favourites #1

Hello again! I thought I would end this week with a few favourites that have saved me this week while I have been away in the wilderness that is Centre Parcs. Without further or do I will jump straight in with my first absolute life saver of the week. 

Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast Lip Balm

Although it has not been the coldest of Octobers i have found that my skin and in particular my lips have started to get extremely dry. I'm not sure if it's the weather or the excessive amount of chlorine that I have been in contact with (for any of you who have ever been to Centre Parcs you will know you spend a hell of a lot of time in the water). I brought the Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast lip balm a couple of weeks ago but I completely forgot about it until I was packing to leave on Monday. I threw it in my vanity case and I could not be more glad, not only is the scent just delightful but it kept my lips nourished for hours without feeling too waxy or coated. 

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

As everyone knows this is an absolute cult classic in the beauty world. Everyone loves the stuff from make-up artists to mothers and I am no different. I am never ever without mine, to the point that I don't know what I did before it. I am a great believer that it really does heal in eight hours and it didn't let me down. Any scrape or graze I got from my awful bike riding experiences and rapid run ins the eight hour cream was straight out! I was even putting it in the ends of my hair to help out with the chlorine abuse, it is the best multipurpose product ever. 

Montagne Jeunesse Ultra Deep Cleansing Masque  

While I had a very active week away there was also quite a lot of time for relaxing and I cannot think of anything better than a face mask, a glass of prosecco and my onesie! My face mask of choice this week was the Montagne Jeunesse Ultra Deep Cleansing Masque. When I first applied it to my face I wasn't sure about it, it felt quite drying but I thought I would give it a chance. I am very glad I did, when I took it off my skin although it felt slightly dry, felt and looked so much better than it did before the mask. 

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 22

As I said this was quite an active holiday and I am not normally one for anything very active at all, I'm more of a lounge around and eat until I can eat no more kind of girl. So as you can imagine by the time we got back to our lodge I was exhausted and starving, the last thing I wanted to do was spend hours applying my make-up before we went out but I still wanted to look like I'd made some sort of effort. Most nights I found myself reaching for my trusty Kate Moss red lipstick in shade 22 and it instantly made me feel glamorous without all the effort. What's not to love about that?! 

Lush Dream Cream 

Last but certainly not least I couldn't finish this blog post without a mention of the miracle cream that is Dream Cream. I cannot say enough good things about this stuff as you can tell from my last blog post but I have to say it did not disappoint me this week at all. I would slather it on in the morning, after I had been in the pool, after I had been for a bike ride, when I got out of the shower, before bed, pretty much every chance I got. I kept my skin from getting in some pretty bad states. 

What have been your Friday Favourites? 

Yasmin xoxo 

Lush: Dream Cream

I have been on a mission to find a cream to keep my unruly dry skin at bay  for as long as I can remember and I had nearly given up until I found Dream Cream. It has been a long search and I have had to overcome some shocking sights and smells on my mission for soft skin but it is finally over. Hurrah!! 

People have recommended Dream Cream to me before but I had just shrugged them off thinking 'you have absolutely no idea what I'm dealing with here!!' I always thought there was no way that anything in Lush would ever work on my overly sensitive, dry as the dessert skin.  From past experience anything that smells absolutely sensational would just send my skin into some crazy tropical diseased melt down and from what I knew of Lush everything in there smelt and looked absolutely sensational so you can see where my skepticism came from. 

It wasn't until one of my friends told me that she had brought it recently and they had told her if it didn't work on her it would be great on her baby's nappy rash. As soon as I heard that I was sold! Anything that is sensitive enough to  on a baby's bum was good enough for my skin.

I went into Lush on my lunch break and thought I would just pick up the Dream Cream and be out of there. This was not the case, I actually started chatting to the lovely lady that worked there and she also recommended me Dream Wash (great up selling!). She even tried it out on my hands and as soon as she dried them off I was sold on this too! I have never felt such a difference in my skin after just one use. 

It has now been a week of using both the Dream Cream and the Dream Wash and I could not be happier with the results that I have got from both. I have never got this kind of results from any cream or wash that was not medicated. 

I have to say this is a huge win for both me and Lush.It is quite safe to say that I will now be spending a lot of time and money in Lush!