Blogmas - Day Two: November Favourites'

Hi guys.

Its been a while since I did a favorites blogpost...in fact I have only ever done one favourites' post before and that was almost 12 months ago!  So as it is Blogmas and November has left us for another year I am going to show you what I have been loving for the month.

November was a big month for me trying what I already had as well as trying a couple of new products which I received from a few Birchboxes.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish: Let me start by saying this product is amazing!  I cannot believe I have never thought of trying this.  I received this sample in a Birchbox earlier in the year and I have used this ever since.  I have two samples and am almost out of my second sample.  Safe to say I will be purchasing the full size soon as my skin has never looked better while using this.  It is a thick cream which when applied to the skin, makes my skin tingle due to the eucalyptus oil which smells like heaven in a bottle.  I just squeeze a bit onto my hands and rub it onto my skin and with the muslin cloth that came with it, I wipe it off with hot water and my skin feels refreshed and clean.  It does remove make up but I tend to use this once I have taken off my make up and any residual make up left comes off with it.  I will have to go to my local Boots soon and pick the full size up.  You can purchase this at Boots.

Bioderma: I have mentioned this in my skincare routine earlier this year (you can find that blogpost here)  and during November I have been using this almost every day and night as I find it cleanses my face beautifully and gets rid of make up and impurities without causing stinging to the eyes and face.  I am about half way through the bottle and will be repurchasing when it is nearly empty.  You can buy the 250ml bottle at Boots but I bought this through Amazon 

Parlor Smoothing Blowout Spray: I don't normally use a lot of products in my hair but as I received this sample in a Birchbox, I decided to try this out and boy am I impressed.  This product smells fantastic and smooths and give my hair a shiney finish. I don't exactly know where to purchase this but I'm sure you can purchase this at Birchbox. 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in 10 Beige: I have recently done a blogpost on this foundation which you can see here.  This foundation gives me a full coverage without it feeling and looking cakey.  The scent is pleasant and doesn't linger once applied.  You can purchase this at Boots or Debenhams.

Chanel LE BLANC DE CHANEL Multi-use Illuminating Base: This base is one of the best I have ever tried.  It is so silky to apply yet is quite a thick feeling (I know that sounds weird but it is the only way  I can describe it)  The scent is so nice, it smells kind of fruity.  It gives the skin a nice glow while priming the face.  You can either use it mixed into your foundation or alone under it.  I have only used it alone but I will have to try it mixed into my foundation,  You can also pick this up from Boots and Debenhams.

Nuxe Reve De Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm:  Again I have reviewed this on my blog which I will link here.  I have started using this more this month as my lips have become so dry and  I know that it helps with dry, cracked lips.  My lips are still dry but not as cracked and sore.  I think this has become my holy grail lip balm!  You can purchase this from Marks and Spencer's or SpaceNK.

Real Techniques Brushes:  I have only shown three of my Real Techniques brushes to show them in my favourites' post but I am loving the range as a whole.  They are soft yet stiff when it comes to applying make up to the face.  You can purchase them from Boots and Superdrug.

Superdrug Eyelash Curler: Lastly is a boring product but a useful one.  I have been trying to use eyelash curlers more often and I didn't want to spend a fortune on them if I didn't use them often enough so I bought these from Superdrug which you can purchase in store or online here.  They help curl my lashes especially my left eyelashes as they seem to be all over the place and mascara can't seem to straighten them up unless I have curled them before hand.

That's it for my favourites' this month.  I will be doing a December favourites' post instead of a yearly one as I cannot remember what I have been loving this year (I really need to write this down or do a regular favourites' post, which I will try to accomplish in 2016).

What have you been loving this month?  Any recommendations?

Bye for now.

Jess. X

My Lip Balm Collection

Hi Guys.  It's been a while since I last did a post like this (I may be a bit rusty).  I thought today I would show you all my ever expanding lip balm collection.  I feel that I have a few different brands and some of them are my favourite lip balms.

From L-R: Nivea Pearly Shine, Nivea Fruity Shine in Peach, Nuxe Reve de Meil, EOS in Blueberry  Acai, Nivea Lip Butter in Coconut, Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla Macadamia, Pixi by Petra Shea Butter Lip Balm in Ripe Raspberry, Nivea Lip Butter in Blueberry Blush, Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose, Nivea Sun Protect & Dove Shimmer lip balm.

Above is  my entire collection.  It is not the biggest or the fanciest but putting them all together shows that I like a certain brand.  Nivea for me is one of the best drugstore lip balms I have come across but the one that outshines them all is the Nuxe Reve de Meil (which I have a full review on here)

From L-R: Nivea Pearly Shine, Nivea Fruity Shine in Peach, Nivea Sun Protect, Dove Shimmer Lip Balm & Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in Ripe Raspberry. 

The stick lip balm are very handy when I am out and about and need some form of lip balm on so grabbing one of these out of my bag is great for on the go.  The Nivea Pearly Shine, Nivea Fruity Shine and the Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm all have a slight tint to them so I use them if I want a wash of colour but don't want a full opaque lipstick.  The Nivea Sun Protect and the Dove Shimmer Lip Balm I only use during the summer months when I need that extra protection (Although I do only grab the Sun Protect lip balm mostly)

From L-R: Nivea Lip Butters in Coconut, Vanilla Macadamia, Blueberry Blush & Raspberry Rose.

As you can now tell, Nivea is my favourite brand of lip balm and when they released the lip butters, I was all over them.  As you can probably see from the photo that the Raspberry Rose and the Vanilla Macadamia are the most used ones as I have had them longer and I love the smell of them (in fact I love the smell of them all and don't have a particular favourite scent.)  The formulation of these are amazing...they aren't too greasy and they glide on like a dream.  They don't really have a tint to them although the raspberry one has a slight pale pink tint but it isn't really that noticeable.

Overall, like I said above my favourite lip balm has to be the Nuxe Reve de meil as this is the ultimate lip balm which saves my lips through the harshest winters.  

Which brand is your favourite?  Have you got a lip balm that you cannot live without?

Bye for now.

Jess. X

Nuxe Reve de Meil Lip Balm

This little gem right here may have found it's way into being my holy grail product.  I first heard about this lip balm from Estee from EssieButton where she raved about how good this little pot of heaven is.  I wanted to try it for the longest time but could never find it anywhere so I was browsing on Amazon back in January and found this little treasure.  It cost me £9.50 and soon this was in my hands.  Unfortunately, I was already reviewing a lip balm for #30DaysTested so I couldn't use it for the moment but then my lip balm I was using wasn't helping my very dry and very cracked lips so I had to stop using that and I started using this and within a few days, my lips felt softer and didn't hurt as much.  I was amazed!  

My first thoughts when I held the pot for the first time was how luxurious and expensive it is and yes at £9.50 is quite steep for a lip balm but I say it is worth it as you only need a small amount to cover your lips and for it to work and repair your damaged lips.  As you can see, I have had this since January and I haven't made much of a dint into the pot.  I do try to use this every day but sometimes I forget...I am human after all.  I loved this so much, I bought a second one for my handbag and it is now a permanent fixture in my bag.  This lip balm has a smooth consistency and also smells amazing.  Many different reviews of this explains how it smells different to them but to be it smells like chocolate orange and once the product is on your lips, the scent does not linger.

I honestly think that this is my holy grail lip balm and will continue to repurchase this until it is no longer available, which will be a very sad day for those who love this product.

What lip balm to do you like?  Have you found any holy grail products?

Bye for now.

Jess. X