Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadows

L-R: Tough as Taupe, Barely Branded, Bad to the Bronze

 Tough as Taupe

Barely Branded

Bad to the Bronze

 L-R: Tough as Taupe, Bad to the Bronze, Barely Branded

I have been so impressed with the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadows over the past few months. I bought Tough as Taupe and Barely Branded whilst in the US and Bad to the Bronze a couple of weeks ago. 

They are cream eyeshadows and can either be used as a base or just as a sweep of colour over your eyelid. I have mostly been using them on their own and just apply with my finger- they are so easy to blend and can be easily built up for a more dramatic colour. They also don't crease on my eyelids which is a big plus for me! I seem to have used Tough as Taupe the most and like teaming it with either patina or satin taupe for an evening look. 

The Color Tattoos are £4.99 and are currently on a buy one, get one half price offer at Boots.

Haircare Heroes

These three products are my current haircare heroes. They are all absolutely fantastic. I have used and tried so many hair products over the past few years and am constantly changing my shampoo and conditioner but these three are products that make a noticeable different to my locks.

The Touch of Silver Twice a Week Brightening Shampoo is formulated for blonde hair (and grey and white) to actively neutralise brassiness in blonde hair. It does exactly what it says. You massage the purple shampoo into your hair and then leave it for 5 minutes to work its magic, and then simply rinse. You have to be careful not to get purple everywhere and also not to leave it in your hair too long as I've heard of it turning blonde a bit grey/purple. Luckily I've never had that issue. My hair is always so much brighter after using it, and recently I've had comments from people asking if I have had my hair highlighted again- the sign of a great hair product!

I have also been loving the L'Oreal Paris EverRiche Nourishing Hair Mask*. I have tried the whole range (read my post here) but have been really impressed with the mask after using it a few times. It smells incredible and makes my hair so smooth and soft. You have to be careful not to use too much as it can make hair greasy but I've found that a walnut size amount is perfect. 

My final stand out product is something I've had for a while but have never really used properly. It's the Pureology SuperSmooth Smoothing Elixir and claims to replenish and smooth highly sensitized hair (I had to look up what highly sensitized means and I believe it is hair that is exposed to high heat and hair dyes). You simply apply evenly through damp hair and then dry it. This is very similar to the EverRiche Nourishing Mask in that it makes your hair really silky and smooth. I am really keen to try more Pureology products now as have been so impressed with this.

What are your haircare heroes at the moment?

Organic Surge Citrus Mint Shower Gel

Organic Surge are constantly bringing out great new products and the latest is no exception- a citrus mint shower gel which is perfect for spring.

The shower gel blends purifying and stimulating organic essential oils of peppermint, lemon and sweet orange with natural moisturisers of glycerine and aloe vera. It also includes vitamin E which helps to soothe skin irritations or blemishes. It's a really zingy scent and extremely minty so if you don't like those sort of 'awakening' shower gels then it may be a bit too much.

As with all Organic Surge products it is untouched by harsh chemicals and it foams completely naturally. The shower gel costs £4.07 and you can buy it from www.organicsurge.com.

BeautecoBox - June

I introduced you to BeautecoxBox in April - a new beauty box where you can choose from three different menus of products each month. Above is the contents of one of their June boxes*- menu one to be precise. I was impressed with the size of the products in this box- there are at least three products which look full-size and make it worth the £10 each month. You also receive two discount codes for 15% off Balance Me products and 20% off Organic Surge.

I haven't had a proper play with these products yet but here is what I received:

♥ Organic Surge Kiss and Makeup Cleansing Wipes - 'Kiss and Makeup Wipes combine convenience and care, effectively sweeping away makeup, dirt and impurities. The soft fabric wipes are enriched with skin soothing chamomile and natural moisturisers.'

♥ Headline Colors - 'Poolside Party Nail Polish'

♥ Amie New Leaf Skin Exfoliating Polish - 'New Leaf Skin Exfoliating Polish' is a moisturising exfoliating cream wash containing natural bamboo beads and jojoba beads that gently yet effectively cleanse deep into pores whilst smoothing away the dead surfact cells that can dull the complexion.'

♥ Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream - 'A triple action eye cream to help revitalise weary eyes, smooth away dark shadows and reduce the appearance of fine lines with super hydrating hyaluronic acid to help brighten and smooth and delicate skin around the eyes.'

♥ Eve of St Agnes Hydrating Facial Silk - 'A face cream that can not only revive the sense with the exotic and uplifting blend of essential oils frangipani, champaca, blood orange and yland yland, but the anti-ageing ingredients also help provide the skin with a renewed glow and silky softness.'

My initial thoughts are that the Balance Me Eye Cream is great as I have already got it in my collection and I like it- it's a gel like formula so very refreshing. The nail polish is a gorgeous blue so will definitely be trying once my nails have grown a bit more! I tried the face wipes last night as we were staying at friend's for the weekend and they are so handy for weekends away- they did the job but my skin never looks so great after using any kind of facewipes. I will be trying the exfoliator and facial silk and am most excited about the facial silk as I adore frangipani (a common ingredient in Elemis products).

You can find out more about the BeautecoBox here.

My Skincare Routine

The above is what I am using on my face on a daily basis. There aren't many products, it's very simple and it has been working an absolute treat.

I use one of the large cotton pads from the Boots baby section (here) with some Bioderma Crealine H20 to remove my eye and face make-up - a first cleanse of my skin. Once I've taken off as much as I can I use the Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash - I simply massage it into my skin with some water and then rinse off. It smells of apricots which is always lovely.

After cleansing I use my Organic Surge Blissful Daily Moisturiser which I have been using for some time now and can't say enough good things. It is one of those very basic moisturisers in that it doesn't have a scent and is a very typical formula but that is what I like. It absorbs into my skin quickly but I can tell I've had a moisture injection. 

Finally I apply my Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair with my ring finger under my eyes. This has nearly run out which makes me sad as I really like it. I always find it hard to differentiate between eye creams but this is more of a cream and you only need the tiniest amount.

I have always been good about cleansing but moisturising and using eye cream has been more of an irregular part of my routine. I used to moisturise about 5 days a week but for the past year I have been making sure I do it every night, followed by applying my eye cream. This routine has become ingrained and I feel weird if I don't do these two steps. I've found that moisturising every day without fail has really helped the red marks left my spots and has helped them fade.

I have also been drinking far more water over the past few months as we had a bit of a health kick at work and decided to log how much we were drinking. I have been making a real effort to drink lots of water every day and I think this is the biggest reason why my skin has been so good lately. A real sign was when I had a busy couple of days at work and only had one glass a day- three spots popped up almost straightaway. Water is so key to good skin.

Instagram - May

Enjoying a Costa hot chocolate (with marshmallows and cream of course)// Lovely Blackheath// Magnum Double Caramel on the hot bank holiday weekend// Sleeping pup//  Bleeding Hearts// Sushi snack from Wasabi// New Primark pumps// Throwback Thursday - Chris and I in Lyon on our interrailing trip in 2008// Charlie missing Mum and Dad// New Graze porridge box// Cocktails in Las Iguanas// Another hot chocolate in John Lewis Home cafe// Snoozing friends// Reading in the garden// Walking the pooch// A Daisy in a field of daisies      

May Favourites: My Top Three

♥ Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - I can't speak highly enough of this foundation. It is a dream and all of the hype is justified! The colour was a tad dark for me during winter but has been perfect since my Florida holiday. It blends so well, has a lovely glowy finish and lasts on my skin. Even better is that it is often on offer in Boots or Superdrug, and even at full price is so worth it. I will be repurchasing as soon as it runs out!

♥ Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe -  I bought a couple of these in the States and think this shade is called 'Permanent Taupe' in the UK. I have been really impressed with this- it is such a perfect shade and so easy to just swipe on my eyelids in the morning with my finger. It doesn't last 24 hours (who wears eyeshadow for that long anyway?) or even all day but I adore the shade and the fact that it doesn't crease at all which is often common with cream shadows.

♥ Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful - I wish I had bought more of these when in Florida as they are perfectly pigmented (ie. not too crazy, not too little) and the shades are gorgeous. This shade was recommended to me as suits every skin tone and it is a gorgeous pinky/coral colour. It is long-lasting and a great summer colour.