Favourite Fragrances

As well as looking good it's important that us girls smell good too! So in my opinion it's worth investing in some good 'high end' scents as unfortunately for me budget fragrances just don't cut it! I don't have a huge collection of perfumes hanging around all at once (I don't see the point as you can only wear one at a time!?) but I normally have at least two different ones to choose from which makes sense to me as one can be your day scent and other an evening or more 'special scent'.

The two perfumes I am currently in love with (I say currently as again I'm not one that has a certain perfume that I constantly repurchase I like to play the field so to speak and try different ones!) are Stella McCartney -The Print Collection (3) and Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum.

The Print Collection by Stella McCartney is the scent I am currently using as my day time perfume. It is a limited edition version of the coveted Stella eau de Parfum and has a light floral & fruity scent, not too overpowering but scented enough to linger after you have left the room. The bottle only contains 30ml of product - so I don't expect it will last long however it is handbag friendly (due to the small size of the bottle - it does only come in one size booo!) so perfect to wear and carry during the day!

Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum is the ultimate luxury scent, I got handed a sample of this perfume walking through Debenhams one day and didn't take much notice of the perfume at all just shoved the sample in my bag and kept walking. When I finally dug into the depths of my pockets and gave it a whiff I was practically sprinting back to the shop to pick myself up a bottle.It smells amazing, I don't even want to attempt to put into words what the smell is as nothing I can say will do this justice - go and smell for yourself at your local fragrance counter!

p.s just look at the packaging I don't think it could get any more glamorous, sexy, appealing, luxurious if it tried LOVE LOVE LOVE!

BotN xx

2013 Beauty Wishlist

As much as I have and love my staple make up products from 2012 that I will be carrying through into 2013 (see previous blog posts on Products of 2012) I am excited for the new year to try some new products, I don't mean products that are necessarily new to the market but products that I currently don't have and that are new to me so I thought I would share with you what is on my make up shopping list for 2013 (at the minute!). Once I purchase these products I will do a full review of them for you here on my blog!

1) Soleil Tan de Chanel - being a massive fan of Chanel products and a lover of tan I am excited and intrigued to try this highly talked about product in 2013! I can't wait to get my hands on one!

2) Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers - as mentioned in my previous blog post I'm not a lover of my eye lashes (short, dumpy, thin to describe them in 3 words!) and I've heard so many good things about this tool that I have to give it a go and hopefully it will change my habit of not curling my eyelashes (maybe i should it make it a new years resolution to start curling them more hmmm...)

3) Sally Hansen - Salon Gel Polish Starter Kit - I am a huge nail freak and I love getting a gel manicure done however I find that the illusive "3 week manicures" I pay good money for in many local salons only actually lasts at least half that time on my nails. It's crazy  and frustrating so I am going to invest in an at home gel kit, I'll let you know how this goes because if I could do it anyone could!

So there you have it the top three items on my shopping list (for now anyway...)

BotN xx

Products of 2012 - Tanning

The more you get to know me the more it will become obvious that I love my tan, I always have and I expect I always will. So naturally (or more like un-naturally!) tanning is something I take very seriously, I've never been a sunbed kinda girl and therefore always reach for the bottle to achieve that golden glow.  I've tried out many different tans over my short life so far so it may surprise you that for such a tanning freak like me my favourite tanning product of 2012 is budget buys!

Garnier Summerbody Moisturising Lotion in 'Deep Sun kissed Look' is my go to tan of the year and probably will be for years to come!

I've tried out many of these gradual moisturiser tan lotions (Dove, Johnston's etc..) and this is definitely the best of the best. On a general basis I apply this tan every other day after I have showered, I'll simply rub it in the top half of my body (arms, chest & neck) go and blow dry my hair or whatever else I need to do, get dressed and off I pop. There's no waiting about for it to dry, no overpowering smell which means you can leave the house and it develops over a few hours. If I have something going on at the weekend or an event to go to I'll apply this stuff everyday for a few days leading up to it and you really can achieve a gorgeous deep tan (which isn't orange in the slightest hooray!). Another thing which makes this product amazing is the fact that it doesn't fade like a patchy horrendous mess, in fact quite the opposite it actually fades like a real tan, so real in fact that sometimes I think 'Oh I can get away with not putting it on today...and the next day...and the next day and before I know it I'm back to my pasty self *sighs*.

Even better news is that this product retails for only £5.29 in Boots and lasts for an age! Yippee!

BotN xx

Twitter

Hi Guys,

Unfortunately something has happened to my old twitter account so I've had to set up a new one today!

Give me a follow :)

@Beauty_North

BotN xx

Products of 2012 - Lips

Lipstick

2012 was definitely the year I discovered the coloured lip....well maybe not discovered more like was brave enough to wear one! Since that fateful day when I first left the house with a bold lip colour I've been like a kid in a candy shop spending endless hours at make up counters swatching lots of different colours and expanding my lipstick collection. Now I have a nice little collection and don't think twice about wearing a bold colour day or night but there definitely is one colour that has stood out from all the rest, my 'go to' coloured lipstick and that my friends is MAC Girl About Town. I find that it is just such a beautiful colour that really gives a  fun pop colour to any make up look. Granted it does look bright and scary in the bullet however it translates so beautifully on the lips, if your thinking about trying out a coloured lip and are not sure give this one a try - it was the very first one I bought and it has literally changed my life (maybe a bit dramatic but you know what I mean!)

Lipgloss

If a coloured lip is not your cup of tea and you prefer more of a neutral lip then this next product is definitely for you. Clairns Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector is a product that I had heard alot about and finally caved in 2012 and I'm so happy I did. I wear this lipgloss (if you can even call it that as when I think of lipgloss I think sticky, shiny mess however this brakes the mould!) everyday! Its such an easy lipgloss to apply and is not sticky in the slightest, it comes in three shades pink, peach or nude (I have the nude one) however there is only a tiny hint of colour in them overall they are sheer and colourless. I don't know the science behind this product or how it does what it does but it seems to just draw light to your lips making them look shiny, full and oh so healthy!

BotN xx

Products of 2012 - Cheeks

As it's the last day of 2012 today I thought it would be a good time (i.e the last time) to finish my products of 2012 series and this post is dedicated to cheeks! For me the two cheek products I use the most is blusher and highlighter, I contour on the odd occasion but not enough for any contouring products to make it as a staple product in my make up bag.

Blusher

If any of you read my previous blog post on disappointing products you'll already know that I'm not a fan of MAC blushers as I find they give me little to no pigmentation so my search for the perfect blusher has been far and wide as I've been trying to find one which not only looks beautiful in the packaging but also on the skin and 2012 was the year i finally found 'the one' - Chanel Blush De Horizon. The down side to this product is that it was a limited edition product for their Spring Summer Collection 2012 so if I want to continue using it I'm going to have to do some research to where I can repurchase it - maybe a search on Ebay will do the trick! As you can see from the picture it looks absolutely stunning in the packaging something which immediately caught my attention but the real magic happened when I swatched this beauty on my skin and it looked just as pretty! RESULT! The blush is the perfect combination of pink & peach and even provides a bit of a highlight too (Yes that's what the white stripe is!). It is a bit on the pricey side (as are all Chanel products) however I find that they last really really well, I bought my Blush de Horizon back in March and I still haven't hit pan! Overall I ADORE this product and if your lucky enough to come across one in 2013 I'd definitely recommend grabbing it with both hands!

Highlighter

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle. Not much to say about this, it's not a new product to me, I've repurchased about a zillion times, it's a staple in my make up bag, I loved it throughout 2012 and I'm definitely taking with me throughout 2013!

BotN xx

Sale Shopping

I must confess I am a bit of a shopaholic, I go shopping every single weekend at least twice, you just can't keep me back, so when it comes to sale time I just thrive off trying to find a good bargain, well my shopping trip this weekend did not disappoint as I picked up a skirt from New Look that I had tried on a while ago but for some reason never purchased (must of been fate making me wait cause it was going in the sale £22 - £9 BARGAIN!)

Just look at how beautiful it is!! It is so appropriate for this festive / new year season as it has a sparkly gold look to it and who doesn't love a bit of leopard print?! I think this skirt could be dressed up with heels and a nice top or worn casually with some boots or flat pumps.

I'm thinking of wearing it tonight to a family meal with a Burgundy (fav colour at the moment!) high neck top (Topshop) and one of my statement necklaces, undecided between boots or heels but either way I'm excited to wear it!Love putting new outfits together!!

BotN xx