New Favourites #05

I've written positive reviews on most of the products above, but realised that they haven't been in a Favourites yet, so here we are!

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil - £10/200ml - review here

I love both this and the Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, but have been reaching for this more often because it's quicker. Instead of unscrewing a lid and scooping, I can just pump. It removes all of my makeup well and leaves my skin feeling really soft. 

The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Body Mist - £7.50/100ml - review here

I have quite a few of The Body Shop body mists, and this is my new favourite. It smells like a fresh, juicy peach. Amazing.

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser - £2.59/5g at Superdrug, £2.63 at Boots

I have yet to mention this on Affordable Treats. Blistex were giving away 500 of these on Facebook a few weeks back, and I was lucky enough to win one. I wasn't expecting it to be anything special, but was blown away when I first used it. It feels like it moisturises your lips right the way through, instead of just the first layer of skin. I apply this at night, let the menthol do its thing, then wake up to moisturised, plump lips. I rarely have chapped lips, so cannot comment on if it helps to that extent, but it seemed to help my sister's. I'll definitely be buying another tube!

NYX Butter Gloss in Peach Cobbler - £5/6.5g - review here

Like I said in my review, I'm not usually one for gloss, but this is something else! It's not as orange as it looks in the tube, and it's not as pink as my swatch suggests, but a beautiful coral. It feels buttery, like the name suggests, but in a good way. It's also pigmented, lasts a few hours, and fades evenly. I also have Apple Strudel, but that shades tends to settle into the lines on my lips. Peach Cobbler doesn't.

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Buttercream - £10.50/300ml - review here

My sister bought me this from eBay for just £4.69 including P&P. It smells like lime cheesecake, absorbs into the skin quickly, and leaves it feeling moisturised. Couldn't ask for more!

Accessorize Daisy Necklace - £6

I normally include my non-beauty favourites in my Currently Loving posts, but thought I'd just include this little item here. I like jewellery, but don't wear a lot of it because I always forget to. I went into Accessorize with my sister the other day because she wanted a ring, and she picked out this for me. I was surprised it wasn't more than it was, and love daisies, so decided to treat myself. It's small and sits perfectly on my collarbone, going with most of my tops. I could have bought a lot more, but will probably wait for their next sale!

What have you been loving recently?

New Favourites #04

Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner - £15.95/225g

An in shower body moisturiser that leaves your skin feeling soft and smelling great. I found the rose scent overwhelming at first, but have gotten used to it now. It's expensive, and I don't think I'd have bought it if I didn't have credit to use, but it's impressed me. I think it'll be going on future birthday/Christmas lists! I'm reviewing this in the next couple of days, so look out for a more in depth review!

Lush Ultrabland Facial Cleanser - £6.95/45g

Removes all of my makeup, doesn't sting my eyes (so I can open them when I'm convinced someone's about to murder me in the shower!), and leaves my skin really moisturised. From other reviews, I was expecting to be left with a heavy film, but this isn't the case. Because I have combination oily skin, I go easy on the moisturiser after, sometimes skipping altogether (don't shoot me!). 

Naked Smooth Silky Conditioner for Straight/Longer Hair - £4.19/250ml

I've mentioned Naked conditioners in a few Empties now, but don't think they've featured in a Favourites before. Anyway, I love them. They seem to condition much better than other conditioners I've tried. I think my hair's becoming too used to them, though, so will stop using for a while, and then return.

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butters in Juicy Papaya and Wild Watermelon - £7.99 each - Wild Watermelon swatch and review here

Love! These are my first Lip Butters, and wish I'd bought them sooner. Juicy Papaya is a peachy shade, and looks surprisingly natural. It goes really well with my colouring. Wild Watermelon is a little more out of my comfort zone, but I've been loving this summery, juicy red. I'll be swatching and reviewing Juicy Papaya soon, so look out for that!

Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Dixie - £18 - Swatch and review here

Creamy, pigmented, and blends well. On the cheeks, this translates as a peachy pink, and gives you a warm glow. It's not quite as creamy as my beloved NYX ones, but it's still up there. I paid £6.75 for this in the sale, and can't wait to pick up a couple more in the next!

What products have entered your Favourites recently?

New Favourites

In order to write 'monthly favourites', you need to be trying new products (unless you wish to feature the same products every month!). My favourites usually stay favourites, and I don't buy that many new products, so had a hard time keeping them up! So I started writing 'new favourites' and realised earlier that I hadn't written one in a while. The products above are products that haven't been featured much on Affordable Treats, but I've been using them a lot recently, so thought I'd talk a bit more about them.

A couple months ago, I wanted a face powder with a little coverage, so purchased The Body Shop's All-in-One Face Base in 02. It's £14 full price, but I paid around £8 with a code. The Body Shop always has a great offer on, so you'll never have to pay full price for something! It gives me a little coverage and a soft, matte finish. For areas which need more coverage/mattifying than others, I pat the product on with my finger. I use this technique around my eyes the most because they tend to get quite oily and red. You can apparently apply it wet for even more coverage, too.

Sticking with The Body Shop, I've been loving the Mango Body Mist. I've loved this for months, and am running very low! £7.50 full price, but I've never paid that for my mists (I also have the coconut and berry varieties, which are also great). My sister also loves this and has about 4 bottles stored away!

Another fragrance I've been loving is Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine Edition. I was gifted this from the people at Fragrance Direct, wrote a post about it, and have been wearing it ever since. I've been wearing it even more than usual recently, though, which is odd for me because I'm more of a body mist kind of girl. I've been pairing this with the Mango Body Mist, actually. The light floral and fruity scents go well together. It's a nice, happy medium of the both.

I bought the Organic Surge Blissful Daily and Super Intensive Moisturisers during their sale for just over £2 each, and I'm so glad I did! They're both very moisturising, but light at the same time, and sink into the skin quickly. Even the intense one is suitable for the day, and I have combination skin! It has a light scent of rose, and the daily variety smells of lemon. They're £8.49-£8.99 full price, which is very reasonable, and I'd be happy to pay that.

I use ELF's Small Angled Brush to fill in my eyebrows, but find it too thick to apply eyeliner with eyeshadow. Enter MUA's £1.50 Eyebrow Brush. It's very thin and dense, making it perfect for eyeliner. 

Do you use any of these products? What products have you been loving recently?

Favourite Nail Polishes - Glitters

Choosing just 16 favourite nail polishes in my Favourite Nail Polishes - Rainbow Edition post was incredibly hard, so I bring you part 2: Glitters! I used to dislike glitters, but have come to love them. Fine ones look pretty over every nail, and chunkier ones look great on an accent.

My first favourite glitter is Illamasqua's Creator; a black base with silver glitter. I bought this on ASOS with a £10 voucher, and I'm glad I did, but wouldn't pay the full £14.50. As much as I love bright nail polishes, I also love shades like this.

Sally Hansen's Oxide is more of a shimmer than glitter, but it didn't fit into my Rainbow Edition post! This is similar to Creator, but it's more of a gunmetal shade, and the glitter is much finer.

Models Own Ibiza Mix is a mix of green, blue, purple, gold and bronze glitter. Very unique, in my opinion. I used to hate chunkier glitters, thinking they looked tacky, but this looks very pretty on my ring fingers.

Models Own Party Pieces (exclusive to ASOS) is a mix of larger and smaller glitter chunks, and the colours include red, blue, green, purple, gold and silver. It's very fun and goes with most colour nail polishes.

Barry M's Amethyst Glitter is densely packed with blue, purple, pink and gold glitter pieces. I love this with darker blues!

Barry M's Pink Silver Glitter is so, so pretty. The glitter is very fine, so I don't mind wearing this on every nail. Glitter can be very bold, so I love that the colour is subtle to even this out.

Essie's Beyond Cozy is another fine glitter that I like wearing on every nail. Normally, the combination of gold and glitter screams tacky, but this colour is very cool toned, and can sometimes look silver, so I think it works. I wore this for Christmas 2012, and will probably wear it for Christmas 2013, too!

I also love my flakies nail polishes (Nubar 2010 and Gosh Rainbow), but haven't included them in the photo. They're so beautiful, with the flakes changing colour in the light. They look incredible over dark polishes!

What are your favourite glitter nail polishes? Are there any I absolutely have to have?

Favourite Nail Polishes - Rainbow Edition

I love nail polish, and I love rainbows, so thought I'd combine the two! I was initially going to pick just one polish for each colour, but that was far, far too difficult! So I picked two instead (which was still a challenge, I tell you).

One of my favourite reds, and Winter favourite, is Barry M's Raspberry. It's dark yet vibrant at the same time, and has just enough pink in it. Models Own Hedonist is amazing! It's a neon coral/red, and the photo really doesn't do it justice.

Sinful Colours Orange Cream is one of the most recent additions to my collection (look at the post before this to see it on!). It's the most beautiful peach shade. I initially had Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Papaya in place of this, but swapped them. The second orange I chose was Models Own Beach Party. This is the brightest yellow toned orange I've ever seen! 

Etude House Ice Cream Nail Polish in Banana is another polish I've recently blogged about (go to the search bar on your left to look for swatches). I bought this for the cute packaging, but it's actually a really nice polish. It takes 2-3 coats, which is good for a yellow! Models Own Luis Lemon, on the other hand, is rather sheer, but it's a neon, so I'm not surprised. I just wear a white base coat underneath! It's probably the brightest nail polish I own, and that's why I love it.

I don't own many greens, so it was easy picking my favourites. Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Greenberry is beautiful! I've also blogged about this. The next green I chose was Sinful Colours Rise & Shine. This shade is so hard to photograph! The photo really doesn't do it justice. It's not a muted teal like above, but a... green (I don't know how to describe it!) with blue and green shimmer.

For blue, I didn't choose a sky blue, but shades at different ends of the spectrum. You have Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Guava, one of the new Summer shades, and then Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Blueberry. Guava is a turquoise, whereas Blueberry is a cornflower blue (incredibly pretty).

Indigo... I only have one indigo polish! And that's the fourth shade in the photo - Barry M's Indigo. Another Winter favourite of mine. It's not just a navy, like the photo suggests, but a vibrant indigo with lots of purple tones, too. The polish before it is Astor's 070 (A Spanish brand that I found on Fragrance Direct). I know it's not indigo, but it's close enough!

Violet/lilac/purple was a category with lots of possibilities. I ended up choosing a cool lilac and a warm lilac. The cool toned variety is Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Prickly Pear, and the warmer one is OPI's Lucky Lucky Lavender. 

Pink isn't a colour of the rainbow, but you can't leave out pink when it comes to beauty! I love most shades of pink, cool or warm toned, so chose the Barry M Gelly Nail Paints in Dragon Fruit and Grapefruit to represent this. I think they're the epitome of pink shades.

Because choosing 16 favourite nail polish shades was too hard, I'm also going to be showing you my favourite glitters and extras in another post soon. It's hard to narrow down my favourites because I only buy shades I love (of course!). 

I also took photos for five other posts earlier, so look out for them!

New Favourites

Once a product becomes a favourite, it most likely stays a favourite, so I prefer to write New Favourites posts rather than Monthly Favourites. So, what have I been loving recently?

NYX Cream Blush in Natural (Review and swatch can be found here). This blush is so creamy and pigmented! I only need a light dab with the stipple brush. And the colour is beautiful. It looks so, wait for it, natural. You didn't see that coming, did you? ;)

Moving onto the brush I apply the cream blush with: ELF's Studio Stipple Brush. Before this, I used a normal blush brush, but it would pick up far too much product. This, however, picks up just enough. I've read that some people find it too flimsy, but I haven't had that problem.

I've also been loving Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey. I'll be reviewing and lip swatching this, along with the other shades I have, soon. I have a few blemishes around my mouth at the moment, so am waiting for them to clear up! I held off buying this shade for months because I thought it would be too brown, but it's not at all. I usually dab my lip products on because I'm not comfortable wearing them fully applied, and prefer a natural looking stain. I've been applying this full on though because it's a natural lip shade and suits me well. I've never worn a lip product fully applied out of the house before, so that goes to show how much I love this.

The last two products I've been wearing every single day are the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Eyeliners in Taupe and Nude (Review and swatches can be found here). They're creamy, pigmented and last well. The nude shade has changed how my eyes look for the better. My red waterline is no more, and my eyes appear brighter.

What products have you been loving recently?

New Favourites

I thought I'd start writing 'New Favourites' posts instead of 'Current Favourites' or 'Monthly Favourites' because my favourites stay the same. These products are the products that have entered my 'favourite products' category. If you would like to see my other current favourites or monthly favourites, just read my previous posts :)

Treacle Moon - One Ginger Morning Shower Gel 500ml - £2.99 from Tesco

This smells like lime Starbursts! I love it so much. So much so that it's up there with the Original Source Lime Shower Gel - My all time favourite.

Palmers - Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion 200ml - £3.77 from Boots

I don't regularly moisturise my body, but when I do, I like an intense moisturiser. I normally prefer body butters, but this lotion is thick and moisturises just as well. The scent may be too sweet and heavy for the Summer months, but I still love it.

Exfoliating gloves - Mine were a couple of pounds from Superdrug, but you can get these from any Supermarket.

I've been using these to exfoliate my face a couple times a week and my face has never been so smooth and soft. Then, at night, I use an intense moisturiser or balm. It's doing wonders for my skin.

The Body Shop - Hand Cleanse Gels 60ml - £2.50 each

I've reviewed these here. Beautiful, true to name scents that are not alcoholic. Love them!

Lush - Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder 50g - £4.50

I've reviewed this here. I've mainly been using this as a dry shampoo, and it works brilliantly. The powder is fine, so it doesn't leave you with grey hair, and the scent is of a 'grown up' vanilla.

The Body Shop - Vitamin E Moisture Cream 50ml - £9

Every morning, before I apply my concealer, I use this under my eyes. It's light and sinks in well. I prefer using pots of moisturiser for some reason.

The Body Shop - Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream 50ml - £11

I've reviewed this here. You know I said I use an intense moisturiser just now? This is the one I've been using. It feels like silk, absorbs well and leaves your skin incredibly soft.

ELF - Small Mineral Booster 5.1g - £5

I've just checked their website and this has increased in price! The small pot used to be £3.50 and the large pot was £5, but now the small pot is £5 and the large pot is £7. This leaves my skin looking matte and feeling soft, but I don't know if I'm going to repurchase it now. I think I'll repurchase it when they have a code floating around.

Figs & Rouge Balms - Pomegranate 17ml and Rambling Rose 8ml - £4.95 and £3.50 from Super Smoocher (Feel Unique and Boots also sell them)

I've reviewed these here. Beautiful packaging, delicious scents and very moisturising. They are also 100% natural and organic.

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know!

June Favourites!

I haven't done one of these posts in a while! I rarely change my routine so don't see the need in showing you the same products every month. I don't think the products below have been featured in a monthly favourites though, so it's all good!

Sleek Rose Gold Blush and Bloom Shadow Liner in Soft Taupe

ELF Eyelash Curlers - £1.50

Recently, my eyelashes have lost their curl so these have been part of my morning routine. If you're looking for a pair of eyelash curlers, I'd definitely recommend these.

Carex Grapefruit & Lime Hand Gel - £1 something

This smells so refreshing and makes a necessity that little bit more interesting.

Sleek Rose Gold Blush - £4.30

I didn't expect to like this as much as I do. In the pan and swatched, it's nice, but doesn't blow me away. On the cheeks however, it gives a beautiful glow. It also lasts all day.

Boots Extracts Mango and Brazil Nut Body Butters (post here) - £2.55 for 50ml

These smell ah-maz-ing! The mango one smells like, well, mango! and the brazil nut one smells sweet, like fudge. They are also very moisturising. I would definitely recommend these over The Body Shop ones.

Bloom Shadow Liner in Soft Taupe - $25

I've been wearing this literally everyday for months! I don't like wearing black eyeliner anymore because it can look too harsh. This colour is perfect at defining your eyes and looking natural at the same time. However, this brand is hard to get hold of in the UK and is fairly expensive.

Bourjois Volume Fast & Perfect Mascara - £11.99

 The rotating wand works surprisingly well! However, it works just as well without the wand rotating. This gives your lashes volume and length. A review of this will be up soon :)

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November Favourites

I rarely write 'monthly favourites' posts because I tend to stick to the same products so every month would be very similar!

• TRESemmé Smooth Silk Shine Finishing Spray (Post here)
• TRESemmé No Frizz Smoothing Serum (Post here)

^ These two products have made my hair unbelievably smooth and shiny. My hair has always been in good condition and now it's in the best condition of my life!

• Nubar 2010 (Post here)

^ This is just beautiful. Reflective glitter flakes. It looks best over dark colours, the other week I put it over Barry M's Indigo and it looked stunning. Unfortunately I couldn't get any photos because of the dark evenings we are getting and it doesn't show up well with a flash on.

• Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Mystic Mauve (Post here)

^ I never thought I'd like a Mauve lipstick. This is a cooled toned pink with mauve undertones and is perfect for everyday wear.

• Sleek Original Palette (Post here)
• First Light Cosmetics Mineral Blush in Kohilo (Post here)

^ I don't change the products I use very often, boring I know! and I've been using these products daily for quite some time.

I don't wear eyeshadow on my lids much but I wear it on my lower lash line. I've been using this palette everyday and as eyeliner, they stay put all day. I tend to combine the navy, blue and purple.

I've been using the Kohilo blush everyday for a month and a half haha! The shimmer is so fine, it doubles up as a highlighter and gives the most beautiful glow.

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July Favourites

1. Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash - Review can be found here. Pink, smells of pink grapefruit and removes my eye make-up well.

2. Pantene Shampoo. I was using Tesco's shampoo for a while and when I changed to this I could certainly feel a difference. My hair feels much healthier and conditioner does not have to be used with this because it makes your hair soft on its own :)

3. Simple Exfoliating Body Wash. Has just enough scrubby bits :)

4. The Body Shop Raspberry Body Butter. This moisturises well but the reason why it has made my July favourites is the smell - Raspberry jam! It can be smelt from every corner of the house when I use it haha.

5. Barry M Intense Eyeliner Pen in Royal Blue - Review can be found here. Great pigmentation, waterproof, smudgeproof and lasts all day!

6. Barry M Lip Paint in Pinkie Gold Sparkle 132 - Review can be found here. Simply a gorgeous colour. This product, along with the one above are both fairly new and I have only used in the last week but I love them so much they had to be included.

7. Bloom Mineral Plus Lipstick in Ragtime - Review can be found here. Moisturising, light on the lips, great pigmentation, smells like vanilla, lasts for a reasonable time and the packaging is super cute.

8. Bloom Shadow Liner in Soft Taupe - Review can be found here. I use this over my black eyeliner to blend it out. It also gives a shine and another dimension to the black, making my eyes look more awake.

9. The Body Shop hair brushes. These are great quality and love that they're made out of wood.

10. Aveeno Hand Cream. A non greasy hand cream is essential as we all need to get on with our daily tasks and this certainly absorbs quickly leaving your hands feel refreshed and soft :)

I have been accepted on to the AVEENO^® Discoverer Programme, helping to spread the word about AVEENO® products. I get sent free AVEENO^® samples and have the possibility of being rewarded with additional benefits.

June Favourites!

My first favourites post! I know you're excited ;)

• Barry M Dazzle Dusts (Mushroom and Teal pictured above). Normal price £4.50 but I got these free with the vouchers More were giving away in their magazine. They are extremely pigmented and beaaautttiful!

• The Body Shop's Vitamin E Cleansing Bar. The best cleanser I have ever used; lathers well, literally leaves your face squeaky clean and your skin feeling soft. Review can be found here!

• ELF's All Over Color Stick. I've had these since last year but rarely used them. Well in the month of June I've been wearing them every day, especially Lilac Petal (Which I think is a better highlighter than Spotlight). They give my cheek bones the most beautiful glow! Review can be found here.

• Natural Collection's Blush in Pink Cloud - The perfect everyday pink blush. Looks natural and is very pigmented, all for the grand total of £1.95.

• Natural Collection's Mascara's (Lash Length which is pictured above and Waterguard). Again these are just £1.95 and surprisingly good. I think they work just as well as Maybelline mascara's. Review can be found here for Lash Length Mascara and the Waterguard does what it says on the tube :)

• Moisturising in general - I'm not one to moisturise, bad I know and in the winter months I didn't feel the need because my legs were covered away and getting fury ;) but now the sun is out (Well was) I've been shaving my legs a lot and wearing shorts, resulting in me moisturising. But now I have actually got into it and moisturise every night! Cannot wait to buy a few body butters which I'll actually use!

• Nail varnish - This changes every month depending on how short my nails are but recently they have been growing nicely so I've had the chance to wear many beautiful colours :D

Thank you for reading :)

Oh and I would like to say Hello to Joshie poooos!

(He's a friend who recently found out about my blog and now stalks my every move :P)

x