A Very Monochrome Summer Wish List

In two weeks time I'll be jetting off to sunny Santorini with my Boyfriend, but there are still a few last minute things I've been lusting after. 

1. Oakley Bikini from Asos (Top and Bottoms sold separately) - I've been on the hunt for a black bikini and this one is just what I've been looking for. It's simple but not too simple. I love the wet look material and how the small metal detailing makes it a bit more interesting. 
2. Leather Backpack from Accessorize - I really want a backpack to take on holiday with me as they're so easy to wear and having one with you means you don't have to carry anything in your hands. This leather one from Accessorize with silver hard wear is just the right size and is perfect for me. Also, it currently has £30 off.
3. '#Girlboss' Book by Sophia Amoruso - I've heard a lot about this book and all the reviews I've read seem to give it high praise so it's definitely on my list of books to purchase. I think I'll be taking my iPad with me on holiday so I'll be downloading it on that to read around the pool.
4. Striped Monochrome Pumps from TU at Sainsbury's - I'm loving the look of monochrome stripes at the moment so when I saw these textured pumps from Sainsbury's I really wanted them. Unfortunately, I went into my local store a few weeks ago but they don't stock them there. I'm hoping if I pop in again they'll have got them in so fingers crossed!
5. 'Cameo Rose' Gypsy Crop Top from New Look - I was out shopping a few days ago and spotted this cute crop top in New Look, I almost tried it on but in the end decided to leave it. However, since then, I've realised I made a mistake and thought of so many different ways to wear it. I think I'll have to take a trip to New Look and see if they still have it in. It also comes in Black so I'm not sure what colour I'll get but, for only £9.99, I could always get both!

I hope you enjoyed having a look at a few things I've been lusting after for my holiday. Are you going on holiday soon? Is there anything you've been wishing for? If so, leave me a comment below, I'd love to know :)

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Becky
XO

Free Your Mind With Birchbox This May

My May Birchbox arrived so thought I'd do a post about what goodies I got inside!

First off, I like the design and concept of the box this month. You can colour it in with the crayons provided, take a picture and enter it into a competition on Birchbox's website where you can win £500 worth of products from the Birchbox shop.

If you aren't familiar with Birchbox, when you first open the box there is a little booklet explaining all the products you have received along with some other info too. 

Underneath the leaflet there is a draw string bag, this is where all your goodies are hiding! 

The first product I pulled out of my box this month is this Moisturising Sea Salt Spray by Parlour. I'm always looking to try new hair products, especially ones for texturising, as many don't seem to work all that well on my hair as it's very VERY straight. I haven't had a chance to use this yet, but it says for an increased hold, spray on damp hair and then use a diffuser hair dryer. I'll probably use this technique and hopefully it will give me some sort of texture. 

Next up is this Stila Lip Glaze in the shade Glow, the image below isn't really an accurate representation of this colour (the lighting was bad, sorry!) it's quite a lot lighter. When applied to the lips it's very sheer and just has a slight pinkish tinge to it. It's quite shimmery so adds dimension to your lips, but the shimmer isn't over the top. It says in the information booklet that this has vitamins A, C and E in it, so should be hydrating on the lips. I'm not a huge fan of lip glosses, as I don't like the stickiness, but I'll give this one a try.

This is the Vinoperfect Radiance Tinted Moisturiser by Caudalie. I don't wear foundation on a daily basis but when I'm wanting a bit more coverage in the day I go for a BB cream or tinted moisturiser, so I was pleased to see this in my box this month. I'm quite pale and am often the lightest or second lightest shade in most products, so the shade Birchbox have sent me is '01 Light', which I'm guessing is the lightest shade they do. It seems to be an alright match for my skin, but I am yet to try it on my face. This has SPF 20 in it and can be used to moisturise and brighten skin as well as cover blemishes.

I am really looking forward to using this next product, it's the RMK Point Make-Up Remover. If you've read my last post you will know I have some favourites when it comes to make-up removers, but I'm always willing to give new ones a try. It states in the booklet that this is an all round make-up remover (face, eyes and lips), but I might just stick use this to remove my eye make-up as the liquid looks like it could be quite oily. 

In this months box we were able to choose which WAH London nail product we wanted from nail varnish, nail art pen and false nails. I chose nail varnish as I barely ever wear false nails (I think I've only worn them about twice in my 22 years) and a nail art pen just didn't seem appealing to me as I was unsure how often I'd actually use it. Anyway, I got the WAH London Nail Polish in the colour Love My Team which is a nice rich red. I've not used any WAH products before so I'm excited to give this a try as I love testing new nail varnish brands.

It says in my little Birchbox booklet that this Number 4 Lumiere d'Hiver Reconstructing Masque is an 'Extra Beauty Bonus'. It's basically like a leave in conditioner and it is supposed to give you smooth, strengthened and shiny hair. I'm always slightly dubious about using leave in conditioners or masques as I have naturally shiny (*ahem* oily) hair so I worry that they'll just make my hair greasy. I might give this a try if I'm feeling brave one day and have a spare 5 minutes after I've washed my hair.

Last but not least in May's box are the crayons needed to colour the box! If and when I finish colouring in my box, I'll most likely upload a picture of it to my Instagram (@Becee) as that's where I post most of my life, if I'm being totally honest. 

Hope you enjoyed having a look in my Birchbox this month! If you want to find out more about Birchbox you can check out their website and subscribe here.

You can now follow me on Bloglovin' by clicking either here or on the '+Bloglovin'' button to the right of this post :)

Becky
XO

Skin Care For Oily/Blemish Prone Skin

I've been debating with myself for a while what my first blog post should be about. I finally decided on skin care as in the past I've found it hard to find products that worked for my skin so thought I could give people, who have similar skin issues, some advice and suggestions of products to try out.

In this post I will showing you which products I use to remove my make up every night and also two of my favourite scrubs/masks.

Below are all the products that will be mentioned in this post and links to where you can buy them:

Soap & Glory's The Fab Pore / La Roche-Posay Effacler Duo [+] / La Roche-Posay Micellar Solution 

Simply Pure Eye Make-Up Remover  / Garnier Pure Active Gel Scrub  / Johnson's Face Wipes

Products Used Daily:

These are the products I use to remove my make-up at night. First I start by removing any eye make-up with the Simply Pure Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover, to do this I use an oval cotton pad. This is the best eye make-up remover I have ever used, it doesn't sting my eyes and removes every bit of make-up and, to make it even better, it isn't tested on animals!

Next I reach for my Johnson's 'Make-Up Be Gone' Wipes. There are two types of these that I find work well for my skin, the ones in the purple packet are 'for all skin types' and the green packet is 'for combination skin'. I'm not going to lie, I basically use these because I'm lazy and can't be bothered to wash my face every night but these do really get most of your make up off and are the only wipes that don't make me break out. There are also three other types of these; dry, sensitive and normal skin, I'm sure they used to sell one for oily skin but I can't seem to find them anymore.

I then go on to using my La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution, I apply some of this to an oval cotton wool pad then gently use it to remove any last morsels of make-up. I really like this micellar solution, it feels light on the skin and really does seem to clean your face. This does a good job of combatting any oils, but I wouldn't suggest using it after washing your face as it can then tend to dry the skin out too much. It says on the bottle that you can use this on the eyes as well as the face but I prefer to use a separate product for that.

Finally I use my faithful La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+]. I saw this mentioned in a lot of blogs and in YouTube videos a few years ago so after all the rave reviews it was getting I just had to give it a try. I have to say it is an amazing product! It does exactly what it says on the tube, it has evened out my skin tone and dramatically reduced the appearance of dark spots/marks on my skin. Also, it has stopped my skin from being over oily without ever drying it out. I apply this after taking my make-up off and also after being in the shower. The image below shows the consistency of this moisturiser, it is very light and a little goes a long way.

From Left to Right:

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] / Soap & Glory The Fab Pore / Garnier Pure Active Gel Scrub

Scrubs/Masks:

These two products are ones that I use when I feel I am 

having a bad skin day or my skin needs a deep clean

Garnier Pure Active Gel Scrub For Oily Skin Prone To Imperfections:

As stated on the tube, this scrub is specifically for oily skin and as it includes extracts of grapefruit, pomegranate and vitamin C it not only does your skin good but it also smells divine! I use this in the shower around 2 times a week as sometimes I feel my skin can start to look a little bit dull. This is described as an 'Energising Gel Scrub' and certainly makes my skin look fresh and 'awake'. As you can see on the image of the swatches above, the consistency is just as described, like a gel, which has really small little beads in it to help gently scrub the skin. This would be gentle enough to be used daily.

Soap & Glory The Fab Pore:

This is literally the best face mask I have ever used. Whenever I get a break out, I pop this on for 10-15 minutes and the next day my blemishes have started to dry up, it's a miracle mask in my eyes. This can also be used just as a face scrub but I prefer it as a mask as I feel it works best this way. It is suggested to use this no more than twice a week as it may dry the skin out too much. The image of the swatches above shows the consistency and colour of the mask. It is mint green in colour and has medium sizes beads in there to help really clean the skin and minimise pores. After washing this off, my skin feels extremely clean and very fresh, it's a strange feeling as it's like you can feel all the air on your skin. I know that sounds really odd but you'll just have to try it to see what I mean!

So they are all my basic skin care favourites for Oily/Blemish Prone skin, what are your favourites? If you have any recommendations for me please leave them in the comments below, I love trying out new products :)

You can now follow me on Bloglovin' by clicking either here or the '+Bloglovin'' button to the right of this post.

Becky
XO