My 10 Makeup Bag Essentials

Essential items... We all have them. Essential items for work, day to day life and for me it's 10 makeup bag essentials! I wanted to share what is holding a spot in my main makeup bag that I reach for daily! That an I am a sucker for a list! So here we are, My 10 makeup bag essentials! 

Origins - Zero Oil - Oil Free Lotion with Saw Palmetto & Mint

I am in love with this moisturiser from Origins. The first thing I fell in love with was the smell, It's smells like a spa in a bottle. I'm always trying oil free moisturisers and so far I'm really impressed with this one. Don't let the size of the bottle put you off, You really don't need a lot of this lotion to cover your face, I only use a pea size amount so expect it to last me some time!

Origins - Super Spot Remover - Blemish Treatment Gel

I have tried so many products that promise to banish spots, reduce the redness caused by breakouts and basically work miracles. This tiny bottle has left me impressed and it now comes everywhere with me. The Origin website says : "Battle breakouts fast! Just a dab of blemish-busting Salicylic Acid instantly helps speed healing. While anti-spot technology helps visibly correct lingering discolouration. Skin-calming Red Algae helps visibly relieve redness. And to help skin stay spotless, super exfoliators eliminate excess oils and pore-clogging debris." I can honestly say that if I feel a spot appearing I just dab the tiniest amount of the gel on it and it either doesn't appear or my reoccurring spots that I always complain about are half the size. I prefer this to other spot treatments as it doesn't just smell like a concoction of chemicals, Other products I have used have literally made my eyes water.

NYX - Total Control Drop Foundation

I am super fussy with my foundations, I like a high coverage to help cover my scarring and uneven skin tone without feeling like my skin is being suffocated and looking cakey. You can adjust the coverage of
this foundation which I love, You just add more drops and you don't have to worry about this foundation becoming cakey. It actually feels like you have nothing on your skin. Another thing I love is the price, It's only £14.00! I have paid more for crappy powders than this amazing foundation costs.

Jouer - Long Wear Lip Creme - Snap Dragon

This was one of the first Jouer items I tried. It wasn't my usual colour I would go for either but I love it. It doesn't feel overly dry on my lips, It doesn't require much touch ups and even though it was part of their fall 17 collection this colour can be used years round and receives lots of compliments.

MAC - Blot Powder

I have used this powder for years, I have tried others but I always gravitate back to this powder. It's great for us oily skin gals, It doesn't add too much colour to your skin. I use it maybe twice a day and it lasts me well over 6 months. Another thing is that this powder doesn't settle into any of my breakouts. There is nothing worse when a powder clogs around any drier spots on your face and just draws attention to them. I always have this in my handbag when I'm out & about.

MAC - Fluidline

I really don't get on with pen style eyeliners, I just really suck at using them! I started using fluidline a few years ago and find this gel eyeliner in a pot so easy to use, it just glides on, it stays on all day and the little pot lasts forever. I like to use this with my 210 eyeliner brush also from MAC. It provides me with thin enough lines so I can slowly thicken it up if I want to and I find it great for creating my winged eyeliner looks.

BH Cosmetics - First Edition 120 Eyeshadow Palette


This magnificent palette of 120 eye shadows is only £20.00! It has a mix of matte, satin and simmer eye shadows. Don't let the price tag fool you, I nearly didn't purchase this because I thought it would suck being so cheap but I eventually decided to go for it and wouldn't turn back. The pigmentation is good, the range of colours I love and for £20.00 this palette rocked my socks! This could be the perfect gift for anyone you know who loves makeup, if you want to move away from you usual shades of eyeshadow but don't want to spend a fortune experimenting with different colours or even for someone you know who's just started taking an interest in makeup. I always take this on my travels because it's easier to pack the one palette than loads of separate eye shadows or multiple palettes where I'm lucky if I use a handful of colours.

NYX - Colour Correcting Concealer Palette

I have purchased and thrown out so many products that promise to help me with colour correction. I purchased this on a whim. This palette only costs £10.50 and personally I find it works better than other products I have purchased that cost me a lot more. It's helped me conceal my skin when it's been at it's worst. I'm not talking a tiny bit of redness I am speaking a face that resembles a tomato with even worse red lumps and bumps! I also need more help concealing my dark circles that appeared when I became a mum. This product doesn't cling to any lines or dry patches, It's a winner and I would really suggest this palette if you are wanting to give colour correcting a try without it costing you a fortune!

The Ordinary - High Adherence Silicone Primer

You may have heard of the brand The Ordinary. It's been popping up everywhere recently and some of my favourite bloggers had been going on about how great their products are. They are also insanely cheap so I was sceptical. I have actually used this primer and their Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum (what a mouthful!) for over a month now. So how did I find a primer that costs only £3.90? I love it! I am really fussy with primers, Many just don't work with my oily skin (even the ones that claim to be for us oily skin folks!) and some I find make no difference at all to makeup application. This primer helps smooth my skin so my foundation looks 100 times better and actually I have noticed my makeup lasts longer. I have even used it on my non makeup days for the mattifying effect it has on my skin and have converted my own mother into using the stuff.


NYX - Ombre Blush Mauve Me

I rarely stray from MAC blushers and then I discovered this little beauty. Now I have blush that I like to use for day time and night time but I can use this any time of day. You can use the lighter part nearer your cheek bones and keep the darker colour for the apples of your cheeks or mix both the lighter and darker colour. This colour really works on my pale skin and it stays put all day long I rarely have to touch it up. Not bad for only costing me £9.00!



Just a quick note to let you know that if you order from some of the links on this post that I will receive a small payment, I have not been contacted by the brands to promote these certain products they are items I personally use and love! If you do decide to order using my links it's really appreciated as it helps me keep Liner, Lippy, Life up and running!

Tony Moly Sheet Mask Challenge

Hey Liner, Lippy, Life fans! You may have read my previous post about Tony Moly and read that I am doing a 7 day sheet mask challenge using only the Tony Moly I'm Real Face Masks. For anyone not familiar with the brand or anyone who hasn't read my previous post Tony Moly is a South Korean skincare brand and I fell in love with their I'm real Sheet Masks. My skin as usual is my no.1 enemy, you name it my skin curses me with it. Redness, breakouts, Dehydration, Oilyness it's just never ending. I'm no stranger to trying to tackle my skin head on. I've used lotions & potions from doctors, I've seen dermatologists, I've tried different treatments, creams, oils and supplements. Some with huge success but after a while they just stop working. I actually first used a Tony Moly sheet mask as a way to relax, I had some child free time and hadn't pampered myself in a while. Of course there was all the hype about Korean skincare but honestly I didn't have any huge expectations. Many face masks have left me happy directly after removing them giving me false happiness over softer skin but the next day my skin would usually be back to it's usual self... making my life hell. I had heard of other people doing 7 day sheet mask challenges and took it upon myself to do the same only using my Tony Moly Sheet Masks. I will include links to the masks I used at the bottom of this post!

Day 1 - I'm Real Tea Tree Skin Soothing Mask

Tea Tree and myself go way back, not in mask form but usually in face washes. I remember when my skin first started becoming troublesome when I was 11 and everyone threw Tea Tree products at me. Known as an effective anti inflammatory I did grow to love Tea Tree but some products can be quite strong in smell. I was worried this face mask would be strong in odour but was pleasantly surprised. I'm sure most of us as familiar with Sheet Masks, they are dead simple to use. You just apply them to cleansed dry skin and follow the instructions, Tony Moly instructs you to leave the mask on for 20/30 minutes. This mask was really refreshing, most Sheet Masks are.  Tea Tree in fantastic for soothing irritated skin. Once it was time to take this mask off I did notice my face had a slight tacky feel to it afterwards, I personally don't mind this. My skin felt softer, tighter and I was convinced it would help combat the giant lump that had appeared around my chin area. I like to do my masks before bed firstly so any excess serum can be absorbed into my skin and secondly because whenever I do a facemask during the day without fail someone comes to the door and it's like the scene from the film Mrs Doubtfire just slightly scarier with a white sheet over my face. When I woke up in the morning I did notice the breakout on my chin felt less painful, it certainly felt smaller and my chin area in general felt smoother. I also didn't need to use my blotting paper today so  my skin was certainly less oily. The extra boost of lemon, rosemary, thyme, and jasmine extracts in the mask also done my skin the world of good!

 Day 2 - I'm Real Rice Clear Skin Mask

I don't think I've ever used a rice mask before. This is a gentler mask so anyone with more sensitive skin this could be the one for you to try first. Scent wise I can only describe it as a creamy soothing smell. This mask also contains avocado essence which helps provide nutrients deep within your skin and the natural oils claim to help brighten and boost elasticity of the skin. I'm always looking for something that is going to flood my skin with nutrients after all well cared for skin means it can heal quicker and that means these lumps and bumps shouldn't take too long to dissapear. Now I only turned 26 a couple of days ago so elasticity isn't a huge concern right not but I think it's good to start early. I was sad when it was time to remove this mask, the smell is amazing possibly one of my favourite smelling masks. My skin felt super moisturised, really soft and slightly plumper. In need to keep remind myself to stop touching my face! Touching is bad!

Day 3 - I'm Real Skin Purifying Makgeolli Mask

Now I had never heard of Makgeolli, I also have zero idea how to even pronounce the word! So this one needed some research. When you first open this mask the essence is rather milky so I assumed Makgeolli would be milk related but nope! It is infact a Korean fermented alcoholic beverage. So what exactly could I expect Makgeolli to do to my skin? Usually after enjoying one to many cocktails my skin despises me even more than usual but apparently the fermented rice in Makgeolli means this mask packs amino acids, vitamins b2 and b6 can promote skin regeneration and whitening. I already look like Casper only with red blotches so perhaps this mask could help even out my skin tone if I continued to use this mask. I will be honest when I first applied this mask my skin did feel slightly tingly and I panicked a little. The last thing I want is to have some sort of reaction but all seemed fine and it soon stopped. The smell is actually nice, rather creamy and I thought it was a lovely smell for before bedtime. 

Day 4 - I'm Real Nutrition Avocado Mask

I can't believe I'm day four into my personal sheet mask challenge. I will be honest I really couldn't be bothered doing a mask but I'm too stubborn to give up. I decided to go for the avocado mask. Avocado has been all the rage, you can eat it with toast, blend it in smoothies and now use it in sheet face mask form! This is a great choice if your looking to moisturise your skin, it's very fresh and clean smelling I think all Tony Moly Sheet Masks are. Again it feels very refreshing when you pop it on your face. Many products that say they will moisturise your skin infact only make the surface of your skin feel nice and soft. Avocado can penetrate the skin so for anyone with drier skin Avocado could be just what your looking for. It also contains vitamins A & E both contain antioxidants and can help heal skin by locking that moisture in! I have heard some people swearing that avocado products helped with acne & scarring but I would need to try and use this specific mask for longer to comment on that side of things. I did however find the morning after a couple of tiny white heads on my face. Although by the end of the day they had disappeared. Usually when I have a small pimple show up my skin can be sore and angry for days but there isn't much evidence of them ever appearing on my skin... Could I be on to something?

Day 5 - I'm Real Skin Purifying Seaweed Mask

I sometimes to this day struggle with the idea of a sheet mask being purifying. Purifying to me is when you wash your face and it has that super clean feeling or a mask that feels like it's drawing all the rubbish from your skin. This mask feels super cooling on the face. I did notice that my skin wasn't as red as usual, this surprised me as I honestly think redness just goes hand in hand with my lovely pale Scottish skin.  My face also had an almost squeaky clean feeling and generally felt refreshed. When I woke up in the morning my skin still felt lovely and fresh. I think this mask would be lovely to use after a day in the sun or even a nice pick me up after a workout!

Day 6 - I'm Real Pore Care Red Wine Sheet Mask

I can't believe tomorrow will be my last face mask of my challenge. My skin is feeling pretty great apart from two stubborn zits that keep threatening to ruin it for me. One just below my right eye - this is a weird one for me I've never had anything breakout in this area before so I'm hoping it's perhaps the Masks helping clear everything from my skin? And one on the left side of my jawline but that specific spot has forever been an issue, usually it gets very sore and red & angry really quickly but it seems to just be chilling out and not doing much so definitely an improvement. I decided I would save my red wine mask for a Saturday night whilst I sip wine! First of all the smell of the mask, it's not wine or grape scented so you won't smell like a bar after using this. I actually think it's the least scented mask of the ones I have used so far. So what does this mask claim to do? It claims to help tighten your skin and minimise pores. Did it do that? To a certain extent yes! I know that no mask will rid me 100% of my large pores but I did see a slight change across my cheek area. My skin felt tacky after pressing the remaining essence into my face so I would say this could be another great mask to use before makeup application. 

Day 7 - I'm Real Aloe Moisturising Mask

I can't believe I'm at Day 7! I've enjoyed 7 lovely mini pamper sessions and for the final mask I decided it had to be Tony Moly's Aloe sheet mask. So I did wake up to the odd tiny spot. Like I've said before my usual breakouts are huge, painful and angry looking but these ones are just little white heads that are pretty tiny in size and for me they are easy to live with compared to the huge red lumps I get. I'm really hoping the little breakouts are just my skin trying to rid itself of any blockages within my pores. Anyway back to the Aloe sheet mask, Aloe is known to be moisturising but also soothing and it contains anti-inflammatory properties. I also read that Aloe contains 75 nutrients and that it's good for treating acne so I may have to look into some Aloe skincare to review! This mask has a light fresh smell and as can be expected of a sheet mask feels extremely cooling on the skin, I honestly think these would be fantastic for taking away on holiday and popping on after a day in the sun and would even store some in the fridge incase of dreaded sunburn. I did have a slight shine after removing this mask and my skin did feel slightly greasy in the morning but after a quick cleanse I was just left with rather glowy soft skin.

The Results

Here is what we have all been waiting for! Myself included. I wasn't sure if doing one sheet mask per day over 7 days would make a huge difference to my skin. My skin is so much softer than it was when I began, I can actually notice a huge improvement on the redness of my skin. Breakouts, they are still happening but they are easier to live with. They are smaller, don't hang around as long as they did previously and aren't painful huge lumps. My skin feels brighter and smoother which is fantastic for applying makeup! Before the challenge I was having problems with foundation clinging to areas where I had spots and it looked awful. The pores across the area just under my eyes also seem to be slightly smaller, not 100% gone but I never expected that to happen but certainly less visable when I apply my makeup. Personally I think this mini challenge has been a success, Anything that makes my skin feel less sore and helps problem areas heal quicker is a bonus for me. So what do you think? Would you try a face mask challenge? I still have a couple of the masks left so keep your eyes peeled for individual reviews of those. I'm also running a competition where you can win 11 of the Tony Moly Sheet Masks so make sure you check that out here!

Links

11 Tony Moly Sheet Masks - Amazon - £11.80

I will recieve a small payment if you order via this link, This is the exact same link I ordered my own masks through as it was the best value for money I could find - Some retailers cost around £4/£5 per mask! 

Tony Moly Sheet Mask + Give Away

Hey hey readers! Hope you are all doing well and behaving. Today's post is going to be about a Korean skincare brand, Tony Moly. Specifically their I'm real sheet mask range and there is even going to be a special little give away where you have three chances to win 11 Tony Moly Sheet Masks! Now I will be honest it took me a while to get into the whole sheet mask thing that people are going crazy over. For me a face mask was only enjoyable when I was painting it on my skin and laying back for 20/30 minutes relaxation. It felt bizarre when I tried my first ever sheet mask. I couldn't tell you what brand it was, All I know is I picked it up without realising that it was in fact a sheet and I remember opening it up and being slightly creeped out by this slimy wet white sheet with holes for my eyes, nose and mouth. They weren't as popular as they are now when I first tried a sheet mask but as the buzz started being created I decided to give them a second chance.

That second chance happened after I had a microdermabrasion treatment done. I would say that day is the day I got hooked on sheet face masks. It felt refreshing, I loved that they weren't as messy and the fact I could just massage in whatever serum that was left on my skin felt like I was getting just that tiny bit more from my face mask. I started trying to track down sheet masks that I could use at home. They had to be good quality, affordable and I wanted to make sure they were highly recommended. Almost a year later and I am still hooked and I found a range of sheet face masks that I love.

I had purchased the odd Tony Moly face mask here and there. Firstly I fell in love with the packaging it was definitely what got my attention and made me research their products further. By the way I am currently writing this wearing the Tea Tree Skin Soothing Mask but I will get into that soon because I'm trying a little skincare experiment. Recently I purchased 11 of the Tony Moly I'm Real Sheet Masks. Like I mentioned before I had been purchasing the odd one here and there costing me roughly £5.00 per mask. No I did not spend £55 on 11 masks... I managed to get them on Amazon for £11.79. That is what I get for not being a savvy shopper! There is literally a mask for everything. Included in my 11 were:

• Makgeolli Skin Purifying Sheet
• Rice Mask Clear Skin Sheet
• Avocado Nutrition Sheet
• Seaweeds Skin Purifying Sheet
• Red Wine Pore Care Sheet
• Broccoli Vitality Sheet
• Pomegranate Elasticity Sheet
• Aloe Moisturizing Sheet
• Lemon Brightening Sheet
• Tea Tree Skin Soothing Sheet
• Tomato Radiance Sheet

Tony Moly I'm Real Sheet Face Masks - Amazon - £11.79

So my mini experiment I mentioned. I have mentioned before how my skin is my worst enemy. It has been since I was around 11 years old. Recently I have been super oily, breaking out, red and my makeup no matter what brand I use has been sliding around and off my face. Not exactly how anyone wants their skin to look. I randomly found another blogger who done a 7 day sheet mask course, If I stumble across the blog again I will update this post but it was during one of my 2:30am random browsing sessions. This blogger used a package that is sold as a 7 day challenge type plan but it got me thinking why cant I do the same but using Tony Moly masks that I know I already love. What difference would they make to my skin if I used a different one, once a day for seven days. Challenge accepted and can I just say thank you Amazon, I saved a good amount of money compared to if I had went and sourced 7 masks separately. You can read how my seven day challenge went here!

I decided my 26th birthday was the day to put these masks to the real test. The 31st July came round and here I am sat with my tea tree mask!  Mask one down and only six left to go. Throughout the week I will post updates including daily photo updates of my skin and reviews of each mask. I have already used the Tomato Radiance Sheet, I was going out for an early birthday treat with my boyfriend and had been travelling. I will do a more in depth review but this mask made my makeup glide on and my makeup stayed pretty flawless all night. I'm super excited to share the next 7 days with my readers! Hopefully I notice an improvement in my skin and I'm positive I will and I'm also looking forward to a good excuse to kick back and relax for 30 minutes a day. Now what about that give away I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post?

I decided I wanted to share my love of Tony Moly I'm Real Sheet Masks and give you the chance to win all 11 face masks I purchased. There are three ways to enter, you can do one, two or all three it's up to yourself. 

Instagram - All you have to do is like this post, follow my blog's insta page. Nice and easy! You can even tell me what mask you want to try the most!

Facebook - Simply like and comment on this post when you are done. Sharing is appreciated but not essential and a little like on my facebook page would very much be appreciated but again not essential only if your feeling the love!

Blog - Simply comment below what mask you want to try the most!

If you order via the links on this post I may recieve a small payment, I was not paid by Tony Moly for this article I done it out of pure love for the products!

Summer Skincare

Summer skincare, believe it or not our skin can have a wide range of different needs in summer than it does in winter. We spend more time out and about, enjoying the sun if your lucky enough, I know I'm personally more likely to sit back and relax with a cocktail or ten whilst trying to catch some rays. If you are spending time in warmer temperatures you may notice you're suffering from more breakouts, an increase in oiliness and you may perhaps even notice some darker areas appear on your skin. So what can you do to keep your skin glowing, happy & healthy over summer? Keep on reading my summer skincare guide to find out!

Hydration

Now of course the obvious solution to stay hydrated is to drink plenty water and I couldn't agree more. There are also extra steps you can take to help boost your skins hydration. When your skin is hydrated not only will it feel plumper, glow and look healthier if like me and suffer with acne you may notice well hydrated skin can help this. You may find your acne is less aggravated. Again if you are like myself you could also notice your skin produces less oil, when your skin is dehydrated your body tries to boost oil production to protect it and as much as I want to thank my skin for trying to protect itself it also drives me crazy because I don't want to wonder around looking like I dipped my face in a deep fat fryer! 

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase UV Intense

I love La Roche-Posay products! In fact I love the hydraphase line and it's the first I turn to when I notice my skin is looking dull or I've been naughty and not drank enough water. I couldn't think of a better product to include. This moisturiser comes in two options, light for normal to combination skin or intense if your skin type is dry. UV Intense also includes SPF 20, Is paraben free, 100% hypoallergenic and non- comedogenic. I really recommend checking out all of the Hydraphase products!

Pixi, H20 Skindrink

The name says it all really. Why do I love it? It doesn't clog pores, Is perfect for my oily skin and the combination of green tea, aloe vera and rosemary helps put a stop to the bacteria that causes breakouts and soothes my awkward skin! If you prefer a gel like texture this is the product for you. It's going to quench your skin and leave your face so soft you will want to touch it all day long... but don't that's bad! 

Sun Protection

In general we are becoming more aware of how important a good SPF is for protecting our skin for the rays we all love to enjoy in the warmer months. I'm sure I don't need to go into the details of why it is important to use an SPF ideally daily and thankfully many of our makeup products now include an SPF. What about the days we just don't want to wear makeup because it's too hot? Or we want a higher SPF? General sun creams can be quite thick and leave you feeling sticky so we don't usually want to slap them onto our face. Thankfully more brands are making SPF creams specifically for our beautiful faces!

Vichy Ideal Soleil Mattifying Face Dry Touch SPF 30

You need to try this mattifying dry touch face cream from Vichy! I've tried a few Vichy products and never been left disappointed. Not only is this SPF face cream paraben free but it will protect you from both UVA & UVB which is important. For a matte, non sticky cream that's going to protect that face of yours it has to be Vichy! 

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser SPF 30

Kiehl's is another fantastic moisturiser that provides you with protection against both UVA and UVB rays. It's light weight and leaves your skin super soft. One of Kiehl's signature ingredients is a thing called Squalane. Without getting too technical squalane is easily absorbed into your skin and helps restore your skins natural moisture balance. Think soft and supple skin!

After Sun Care

After sun is readily available in most stores from supermarkets to pharmacies. The only issue is most are meant for your body. I love to treat my skin to a good moisturiser after being out in the sun. Your skin will thank you for adding in lots of goodness especially if your one who likes to soak in the rays! 

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser

This comes in three options, one for combination/oily, one for normal/combination skin and one for dry/sensitive skin. I would actually recommend using this morning and night but if your like myself sometimes putting cream upon cream on your face during the day just leaves your skin feeling sticky and horrible. Why do I love the Skin Repair Moisturiser from Liz Earle? It packs quite a few things into it! Let me try and break some of it down and not ramble on too much. 

Vitamin E - Protects the skin from environmental damage, Helps your skin absorb other compounds, Is an anti-inflammatory, helps protect against water loss from your skin and proven to be effective in reducing wrinkles caused by the sun. 

Borage Oil - Never heard of it? It's a great source of GLA! What the hell is GLA? Gamma-linolenic acid!  Sounds scary? It's not! GLA can work wonders on your skin. People who used or took GLA  found it helped with skin conditions such as acne, dermatitis, psoriasis, dermatitis and it helps prevent moisture loss. It helps reduce inflammation in the skin and worked wonders for people with dry skin. 

Beta-Carotene - This is the stuff that makes carrots orange, nope it won't turn you orange. Now when you take Beta-carotene it's either turned into vitamin A or it acts as an antioxidant helping protect and rid your body of damage caused by free radicals.  So good bye nasty things caught up in our pores and hello beautiful skin! 

Tonymoly, I'm Real Mask - Aloe

I'm sure we all know that Aloe is fantastic for skin that has been playing in the sun for too long. One thing my Mum would always do when we went on holiday was keep a bottle of usually Aloe gel in the fridge. It is super refreshing, soothing and helps bring down redness. These handy sheet masks are only £5! Just pop the sheet mask on a cleansed face, relax for 20/30 minutes and I promise your skin will thank you. These are also perfect for taking away if you are off on holiday and you could even store them in the fridge for an extra refreshing pamper session. 

Bed Time Treat

When I worked in the beauty industry and asked people about their skincare routines I was surprised by how many people don't have a night time routine. Most people would remove their makeup usually with a makeup wipe and that was them finished. Some people didn't even wash their face if they hadn't worn makeup during the day. I personally love a little pamper before I head to the land of nod! I think it's super important to cleanse and moisturise our faces before bed and even if you have been makeup free throughout the day you will be surprised how much dirt and oil will have gathered on your face throughout the day. I also enjoy using a good night cream, why wouldn't I want a cream that works it's magic whilst i'm catching some zzz's!? They can come with a hefty price tag so what if you want something more affordable?

Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream

This seaweed night cream only costs £18.50 compared to others that can come in at the £80/£90 mark. It's oil free, The Seaweed extract contains nourishing trace minerals and has the ability to form a protective barrier on the skin, With collagen and hyaluronic acid to soften and hydrate the skin minus the pore clogging and is the perfect bedtime cream for everyone. 

Alpha-H, Liquid Gold Intensive Night Repair Serum

Alpha-H products are incredible! This is on the pricier side for most people at £51 but as the name suggests it's worth it. It works while you sleep to reduce the appearance of age spots, redness and inflammation which are all things that can be caused by exposure to the sun. It promises to banish dull skin, increase firmness of the skin and to gently resurface your skin and minimise pores and scarring. Basically its packed with goodness and deserves to be called Liquid Gold! 

I am not affiliated with any of the mentioned brands above, these are simply my opinions and preferences. 

False Nails

Nails... I've always had a love/hate relationship with mines. They never really grow long enough for me to love them, I'm trained in acrylic and gel nails but can only do one hand well much to my pain and misery! Also now I'm a mum boring mum alert! it's just easier for them to be short and I don't have the time to go for infills and I just don't want to drag a three year old diva into a salon. So what about when I do have the rare chance to go out? I love having my nails done when I'm being set free upon Aberdeen and getting to sip on a cosmo or ten! I've always been a fan of statement nails and I started using false nails/press on nails. These have come a long way in the last few years in term of quality, design and choices and they may just be what you're looking for to pretty up your hands for a day or two! Remember when glue on nails only came in french or a ridiculously plastic looking red? Well that is no longer the case. Anyway enough babbling from me, here are some of the nails I have purchased or that I'm crushing on!

Sarah's Sparkle Nails

Sarah started making nails as a hobby whilst she practised new nail art techniques on false nails, She started selling on Ebay and now Sarah works on nails full time! In two years shes turned nails from a hobby to a full time career where she runs her own website, an Etsy store and her Ebay store. I love her designs and I also love the fact you have nine options of which nail shape you would like! Her designs are stunning and I'm officially in nail heaven! 

Pink Iridescent Unicorn Chrome Nails With Crystals

Water Marble Nails With Swarovski® Crystals

Holographic Stiletto Nails With Swarovski® Cystals

Neon Matte Nails With Swarovski® Crystals

Visit Sarah's Sparkle Nails

FifeFantasiNails

I can't begin to explain how excited I was when I came across this Fife Fantasi Nails. You are spoiled for choice and the hand painted nails are coated in gel to extra durability. I have had to restrain myself from literally sharing every design on their website because I am obsessed! I have a slight obsession with marble and the fact I can apply my obsession to my nails is perfection.

Grey & Pink Stiletto Nails

Red Mermaid Nails

Purple Holographic Nails

Kylie Jenner Inspired Stiletto Nails

Visit Fife Fantasi Nails

The Little Nail Box

The Little Nail Box has amazing designs. Ran by Sophie her hand painted designs are created using top products such as CND Shellac and all crystals used on her nails are Swarovski. Sophie paints all of the nails you see on her store and you can even contact her if you have a custom design in mind. The Little Nail Box is well worth a visit! I'm not usually into floral designs but The Little Nail Box may have just changed that.

Hand Painted Grey & Blue Nails

Hand Painted Summer Flowers Nails

Hand Painted Stripped Nails

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House of Holland

I first stumbled across House of Holland a few years ago in Boots. I was blown away by the designs at the time so I naturally couldn't walk away and somehow ended up with loads in my basket. These nails are good quality, Most recently I wore some for a wedding I attended and everyone kept asking who did my nails and couldn't believe it when I told them they were glue on nails. These nails tend to range from around £7.99 - £14.99 for their Luxe range. They do keep pretty well though so I have been able to reuse them. Of course I will always encourage you to purchase with an individual seller but if you need nails last minute and don't have time to order then this is my go to brand.

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