Five Friday Favourites: Youtubers

Another Friday Faves post with a bit of a difference this week, I've decided to feature some of my favourite Youtubers. I can't remember a time when Youtube wasn't around, despite it only recently celebrating its 10th birthday. It feels like it's been around FOREVER, way longer than 10 years!

I'm yet to dip my foot into the Youtube pool so at this moment in time I've just a lover of watching videos instead of a creator and these are some of the ladies I enjoy watching:

Lily Pebbles & Vivianna Does Makeup
I think Lily and Anna come as a bit of a pair these days. If you love one of them then you'll definitely love the other. Both girls are super friendly, funny and down to earth and feature a great mix of vlogs, hauls, beauty and fashion. I particularly like their Beauty Chats as both of them come across as being very normal and funny, compared to lots of other Youtubers. It's obvious that both are really good friends and that they both absolutely love making videos.

InTheFrow
Compared to the others Victoria is a relatively new watch of mine but I am love, love loving watching her gorgeous fashion videos. I absolutely love the outfits she puts together and how she styles different items and I'm also very jealous of her purple hair too! As well as fashion there's a nice bit of beauty in there as well as the odd vlog, tag and haul!

Fleur De Force
I have been watching Fleur for years now. She's one of my all time favourites and comes across as someone who you could be great friends with. She features a good mix of fashion and beauty at affordable and more high end prices.

I really enjoy her haul posts and love how she has turned 'the force' into her own brand. I also really enjoy her vlogging channel and love watching her daily vlogs. It's always great to switch on when I come back after work and see the exciting behind the scenes world of blogging/Youtubing. Fleur is just a very down to earth, normal person and I love that.

Yoga with Adriene
Adriene's channel is a bit different from all the others as in it doesn't include any beauty, none whatsoever! I actually discovered Adriene's channel through Anna as she raved about it a couple of times. It's dedicated completely to yoga and I am currently in the sweaty midsts of the 30 Days of Yoga challenge.

Before now I had never tried yoga but I bought myself a mat and got stuck right in. Adriene's method of teaching is very calming, very relaxing and helpful, despite her being behind a screen. She's also pretty funny and quick witted and she makes me giggle right in the middle of trying to hold a pose! I'm learning really well and really enjoying the 30 day challenge. I can't wait to get stuck into some more of her videos.

Who are some of your favourite youtubers? Leave me some links in the comments.

Five Friday Favourites - blogs

As my bank account is currently not allowing me to spend…I thought I'd do a bit of a different Five Friday Favourites post and instead of talking about my fave products, I thought I'd talk about some of my current favourite blogs.

It's so important to regularly read other blogs not only to just see what everyone else is up to/what they're loving at the moment but you can also get some great inspiration and find really helpful tips/new blogs/instagram accounts etc etc. So, onto the faves:

Dorkface
I'm not even sure how I discovered this blog, possibly through Twitter, but either way, I'm really glad I did. I am really enjoying reading Jemma's posts at the moment and the vibrant layout and photography is really refreshing.

Jemma writes about a mix of things from beauty and lifestyle to crafts and art and I'm really enjoying the varying content. Her blog is a little pastel wonderland and one I'm thoroughly loving at the moment.

Pint Sized Beauty
When it comes to blogs one of the first things I notice is a nice, clean layout. Lily's blog is very 'me' and her photography is absolutely gorgeous. It's one of those blogs that makes me want to be able to take better photos. Everything is just clean and chic and the content is a good balance of highstreet and high end products too.

Mascara and Maltesers
Annabel's blog is another absolutely gorgeous, clean and chic blog complete with stunning photography. I love reading her make-up/beauty reviews and really enjoy the mix of highstreet and high end too. I'm not surprised there are almost 4,000 followers as this is definitely one of those up and coming blogs that are going to be huge!

Zoe Newlove
I love, love, love Zoe's blog. Surprisingly Zoe's blog is written in her spare time from being a make-up artist and social media manager, but her blog and content is so impressive you'd definitely think it was a full time thing. Reading the blogs of make-up artists is always super interesting as they always really know what they're talking about. Zoe's make-up looks are always completely flawless and she has the best hair too!

A Little Boat Sailing
I absolutely love Amy's blog and it is one of my daily reads. What really catches my eye about Amy's blog is her photography and how she dresses a product. Her photos definitely inspire me to improve my own skills.

I also really enjoy the fact that there's lots to read in Amy's posts. Lots of blogs are either all about the photography with not many words but Amy has both and her posts are always really interesting to read!

What are your favourite blogs to read at the moment? Let me know in the comments.

Five Friday Favourites

I don't know if you've noticed but all of this week's posts have featured products photographed in my bathroom…and this is no exception. It's a good job I cleaned it at the weekend isn't it?! I've actually discovered it's a great place for product photos because it's white and it gets a lot of light through the window. Will have to remember this for the future!

Graham's Natural Shampoo with Manuka Honey*

I don't tend to try a lot of natural/organic product for my hair but I guess these are probably the best types of products to use. I was recently sent this shampoo and the conditioner and thought it couldn't hurt to give them a little try. The shampoo contains natural ingredients suitable for all hair types and it also contains zero parabens. All good.

It's also great for people with sensitive scalps. I have pretty sensitive skin so I would imagine my scalp is pretty sensitive too. I have suffered in the past with my scalp and while I've not really noticed much different with my scalp after use, I do notice that my hair is left lovely and soft as well as smelling great thanks to the manuka honey! The shampoo is a bit pricey at £14.99 but if you're into your natural products then I'd definitely recommend giving this a go.

Aussie Shower Gel Fresh Mate with Eucalyptus

I have been looking for the new Aussie shower gels for ages. I'm a huge fan of the shampoos and picked up the Eucalptyus gel as well as the Ginseng one and both are perfect for giving you a zesty wake-up call in the mornings.

Sometimes with scented shower gels they can leave my skin feeling a bit itchy due to the non-natural chemicals/ingredients but these were absolutely fine and the scent definitely lingers long after you've left the shower.

Soap & Glory Drama Clean 5-in-1 Magnetizing Micellar Makeup Remover

I haven't used a Soap & Glory product in ages but I was looking to repurchase my No7 Make-up remover, which is half the size of this and comes in at £8. The S&G one costs just £6 and is double the size so it was a no brainer really. I've yet to use this as I still have a tiny bit of my No7 one to finish up but I did give it a quick sniff and it smells amazing, of cucumber and peach. Delicious. Will definitely be dedicating a full post to this so keep your eyes open for that one.

Trevor Sorbie Volume Shampoo

Stupidly I realised I've featured this already in my favourites post so I'll keep this short and sweet. It leaves hair soft and with a bit of bounce, pretty much what it says on the tin!

Phil Smith 'Big It Up' Shampoo

I finally found the Big It Up shampoo in Sainsburys of all places! This gives my hair great waves of volume and leaves it feeling lovely and soft too. It contains soy proteins which are ideal for fine/flat/flyaway hair, which is everything my hair is. Would highly recommend!

What products are you loving at the moment? Let me know in the comments.

*Hey, guess what! This post contains a PR sample...

Five Friday Favourites

After a two week break I'm back with one of my favourite posts to write! I've been on a right old shopping spree recently and my bank account certainly isn't thanking me for it. Oh well! As long as my rent and bills are paid…then why not buy the things I want/like?

Real Techniques Bold Metal Pointed Crease brush
I finally gave in to the Real Techniques hype. I've been really into doing my eyeshadow recently and I'm enjoying blending lots of different shades to create something a bit more interesting. Since I've been doing this I've had a couple of compliments on my eyeshadow, one from my eyebrow waxer and one from my 3 year old niece, but I'll take it!

I actually cheated with this and bought it with my Boots points as £12 to me, is rather expensive for a brush. I do like it though and used it yesterday for some more eyeshadow blending. It blended into the crease really nicely and the day I used it was the day my niece said she liked my eyeshadow so I must have done something right with it!

The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Body Sorbet
It's been a while since I bought anything from The Body Shop but I recently saw it had launched a range of Green Tea products so I popped in and picked up this body sorbet. Sorbet sounds kinda fancy doesn't it? It's basically a cross between a cream/moisturiser/gel with a lovely green tea scent. I'm rather liking using it as it leaves my skin smelling great for a few hours after showering.

The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Bath Tea
Now this is something a bit different! I recently saw Fleur de Force talking about this and it sounded really interesting so I just had to pick it up. Basically, it's bath salts mixed with green tea…yes, actual green tea leaves. I bought what I can only describe as a tea strainer to go with this and you simply pop the mixture into the strainer and pop it in your bath. The strainer allows the goodness out but keeps the tea leaves in so you don't end up with them floating in your bath. I've yet to try this but will definitely be reporting back on it soon.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Pot
I've been having a bit of a nightmare with my skin lately. I've been applying foundation in order to take blog photos but the foundation has been looking absolutely awful thanks to my ridiculously dry skin. I literally cannot wear foundation anymore because my skin just dries underneath it, leaving it looking patchy and creasing. It's horrible!

I tried going back to a few other moisturisers but felt like I needed something with a bit more oomfph. I'd seen a couple of bloggers raving about the new Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Pot and serum so I went and picked one up. For £16, it's a bit pricy for a moisturiser but it's super duper rich and leaves my skin feeling fully hydrated. Foundation is looking much better already!

Lush Happy Hippy Shower Gel
I haven't been into Lush for so long. I have quite a collection of shower gels from Lush but I've grown a bit bored of them now so felt like I needed a new one! I picked up Happy Hippy, which is packed full of pink grapefruit and bergamot, so is the perfect zesty pick-me-up in the mornings. Love it!

What are your favourite products this week? Let me know in the comments.

Five Friday Favourites

This time last week I was on my way home from Bristol with a Boots bag full of goodies. This post contains the majority of those goodies, which I stopped myself from using until I had got a good shot of them. Blogger problems…

Maybelline The Smokes
Now I don't know if this is a new release or an old one but as I was browsing the make-up counters in Boots this palette screamed out to me. I couldn't see a price on it but I popped it in my basket anyway. It was £9.99, which isn't too bad for a palette that can create the perfect smokey eyel

Having done my research, I've found there's also a nude/blush version of the palette, which is extremely pretty, but The Smokes is definitely more me. I'm wearing a couple of the shades as I'm writing this!

Collection Field Day Nail Polish
I've been trying to get my hands on these for ages. My local Boots only had two of the three so I waited until my trip to Bristol to pick them up. For £1.99 they're such a bargain and the colours are perfect for spring. I can't wait to try them out all together, watch this space…

Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer
I was definitely in need of a new primer before picking this one up. I don't wear foundation all that much so I only had a really old primer that looked almost like jelly. That went swiftly into the bin and I picked this up as it seemed to be 'new in' on the shelves. Underneath my foundation it seemed to hold out pretty well, giving me a good base to work with! Definitely one to keep in my stash for the future.

Trevor Sorbie Volume Shampoo
The reason I picked this up was because I was looking for a new volumising shampoo and wanted to give the Phil Smith 'Big it Up' shampoo a try but couldn't find it! Most of all I just love the yellow packaging on this one and while it's not giving my hair loads of volume, it is leaving it super soft feeling, which I'm loving!

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeliner
I am no good with liquid eyeliner, but I am a bit better with these types of liners that aren't liquid but aren't pencil either. They're kind of a soft inbetween, which make it really easy to use. I'm loving popping this over a brown smokey eye and it has a great nib on the other end, which can be used for blending.

Also, have you noticed the sneaky sixth favourite in the form of the 90's throwback Primark duvet? Super soft and cosy!

What are your five favourites this week?

Five Friday Favourites

I can't believe it's Friday again! I've had this week off work and it has gone SO fast but I've spent the week doing lots of bloggy stuff so have been surrounded by products. Here are a few of my new favourites…

Bourjois Colourband 2-in-1 Eyeshadow and Eyeliner pencils
Bloggers across the land have been raving about these things and because I absolutely needed another brown/nude eyeshadow pencil, I picked some up. I kind of wish I'd picked up the pink and grey shades as well as the entire collection is actually really pretty looking.

These are super soft and lovely to apply and leave a really shimmery finish. They're great for using as a single eyeshadow colour or blend them with other shades/use as a highlighter AND they can be used as eyeliners as well. They're very versatile and definitely something I think everyone needs in their make-up stash.

Microcell Cuticle Care Pen* I was recently sent a range of nail care products and the cuticle care pen from Microcell is one that I've been using for a couple of days now. I sometimes suffer with dry skin around my cuticles so I'm hoping this little pen works some kind of magic and leaves my cuticle area lovely and soft instead of sore.

Scruples Complete Recovery Intense Repair Masque*
I haven't used a hair mask in SO long, which is quite bad. I don't use conditioner on my hair as it makes it too greasy so a good mask every once in a while really does it the world of good.

I use heat on my hair pretty much every day before going to work so a mask like this is great for damaged hair like mine as well as chemically treated hair. It helps to nourish and soften the hair as well as adding strength and shine. It is a bit of a pain to apply as you need to apply to wet hair, wait a few minutes and then rinse so you either need to hang around in the shower freezing your bits off or mooch around the house with drippy, wet hair while you wait for it to do it's thang.

Bourjois Smokey Eye Quad
I don't know how many times I picked this up off the shelves in Boots and put it back again. I don't know why it took me so long to actually purchase but I'm really pleased that I have. Bourjois have released a few great eye products recently and this is another that I'm really enjoying, along with the Colourband 2-in-1 Eyeshadow and Eyeliner pencils.

I've gone for my usual brown shades but I love the fact that this has a really pretty shimmer shade in the middle. This can be used to just finish a look off or just inside the eye to really make your look pop. Great!

Collection Eyes Uncovered palette in Nude
I have quite the collection of nude/brown palettes and here is another one I've added to my stash. It took me absolutely ages to actually realise there are three different palettes available, nude, bronze and grey. The shades are actually all very similar but they're great for creating every day looks. The bronze palette is great if you want to add a bit of sparkle and I guess the grey one would be great for creating a smokey eye.

Have you tried any of my favourite products? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains some PR samples.

Five Friday Favourites

So I thought I'd start a new little series on the blog…Five Friday Favourites! I'm aiming to write about new products so you can get a feel of what's new on the market and also write some more indepth posts once I've trialled the products for a little while.

Nella Milano Spring/Summer 2015*
I thought I'd start off with a new brand that I recently discovered. Nella Milano is an independent brand, which takes inspiration from the Italian fashion capital, Milan.

I was recently sent a couple of colours from the new spring/summer 2015 collection, which I have to say is really fun, bright and full of popping colours. Each polish is £8.95 each, which is a bit on the pricier side than your normal highstreet polishes but cheaper than the likes of Nails Inc. The polishes are pretty perfect for cheering yourself up when it's still cold and they have great staying power too.

Kiko Cosmetics - Generation Next Cool Touch Eyeshadow*
I don't know about you but I'm seriously impressed with the new Generation Next collection from Kiko Cosmetics. Much like the Nella Milano polishes, the products in this range are seriously bright and colourful, just look at the turquoise eyeshadow, it's insane. I probably wouldn't wear this all over the lid, I'd perhaps use it just to add a pop of colour on the outside lid or use it as a soft eyeliner.

The eyeshadow pot comes with a protective film to keep the eyeshadow fresh on every use. Whoever heard of keeping an eyeshadow fresh, that's a new one! The product itself is really smooth and velvety to apply and comes with a nifty applicator tool too.

Kiko Cosmetics - Generation Next Crystal Eyeliner* Another product from the new Generation Next range and this one doesn't hold back on eyepopping colour either. On application the eyeliner has a really pretty metallic finish and is great for creating a more precise line.

Makeup Revolution Black Velvet Palette*
When the new Black Velet palette from Makeup Revolution came through my postbox I was seriously impressed. The outer packaging is actual beautiful, black velvet with a jewel heart on the front and the shades inside are seriously me. Matte nudes and neutrals galore with a few select shimmers, gorgeous.

Makeup Revolution Obsession Palettes in Paris* and Pure Cult*
More Makeup Revolutionary goodness, this time in the form of its new Obsession palettes, which I'm rather enjoying at the moment. I don't think Makeup Revolution ever stop production of new palettes. Pure Cult is a lovely nude/smokey palette, perfect for creating a 'night out' eye look while Paris is a more pinky/cream based palette, perfect for every day looks.

Keep an eye out for most indepth posts on these products in future.

*This post contains PR samples - infact they're all PR samples. I promise I didn't plan it!