Real Techniques Core Collection

Real Techniques Core Collection - £16.00 Amazon

After literally weeks of indecisive browsing on the Real Techniques website, I finally decided to cave and buy the Core Collection brush set. I'd literally watched all the tutorials and read about all the brushes, but I was stuck between this and the Travel Essentials set. After a tweet from Real Techniques advising me to start with the Core Collection set, I was sold. I never really thought much to make-up brushes and to be honest I just thought they all did the same thing... oh how wrong I was.

In the Core Collection you receive:

- Pointed foundation brush - best for liquid foundation.

- Contour brush - for applying highlighter or to contour.
- Detailer brush - for applying concealer or lipstick.
- Buffing brush - best for powder or mineral foundation.

No matter how many times I washed my previous foundation brush, I'd still get an awful streaky application of foundation across my face. This resulted in me having to blend the streaks and lines in with my fingers, which to me was the whole point in using a brush? The foundation brush in the Core Collection is admittedly a little small in my opinion, but it kind of glides your foundation on and there are no streaks in sight! To be honest I would like the brush to be a bit bigger, but I am still super impressed all the same.

I haven't really had chance to try the other brushes out in great detail yet, but after a quick play with them I can honestly say that this set is my new favourite thing. I already have near enough the whole Real Techniques collection on my Christmas list. There will definitely be a follow-up on this little beauty soon.

Nivea Daily Essentials Range

Nivea Express Hydration Primer / Eye Make-up Remover / 2 in 1 Cleanser & Toner

I saw an advert on television a few weeks ago for the new Nivea Daily Essentials range, and I couldn't wait to try it. I instantly rushed to my local Tesco Extra and bought the Express Hydration Primer, which I reviewed here, and literally fell in love. I'd been needing both a new moisturiser and primer so this seemed like the perfect product for me. It has literally changed the condition of my skin and I really believe that it has helped to improve my skin overall. Anyway, I decided it would be worth trying some more of their products and yet again Tesco was my hero. They had a buy one get one free offer on a lot of skincare products, so after much deliberation I chose two which I thought I would benefit from.

The first was the Eye Make-up Remover. I usually just use a make up wipe to get rid of my eye make-up but I recently read that they're so bad for your skin. This sort of made me go out and look for a new product, and obviously it had to be Nivea. This one is packed with Provitamin B5, which soothes and refreshes skin, so it isn't too harsh and isn't the slightest bit greasy. I dab a bit of a cotton wool pad and apply it that way, which I find works best to remove my eye make-up.

The second product I bought from the range was the 2 in 1 Cleanser and Toner. I've never really used anything like this before and I definitely don't usually use either of them, so I figured I should probably start. This is said to remove daily impurities and make-up from your skin, while cleansing and toning in a single step. Again I just apply some to a cotton wool pad and wipe it across my skin, then massage it into the areas where I feel the make-up may be harder to remove. This always happens across my nose, so that's the spot where I'd usually apply another layer. It makes your skin feel really fresh and clean and the product itself smells really nice too.

If you haven't already tried anything from the Daily Essentials range I'd definitely recommend all of the three products I use. They really help to remove any leftover make-up and leave your skin feeling amazingly clean.

Which Nivea products have you tried? What are your favourites?

Boughs of Holly Primark Candle

Primark Boughs of Holly Scented Candle - £1.00

At the minute everyone seems to be going totally crazy about candles, whether they're the infamous Yankee candles or the NEOM variety. I'm an absolutely massive lover of candles and recently I've had one on nearly every day... I think I get this from my Mum because she loves them too! I can't use the excuse of being a 'poor student' anymore but still I really cannot afford to spend £15 plus on a candle, even if they do last a while etc etc. I have a really cute birdcage style candle holder that I use a lot but obviously the little tea lights aren't the same as having something amazing in a jar that lasts for weeks.

I spotted this little beauty in Primark yesterday and it went straight into the basket without a second's hesitation. It looked like a lot of people had the same idea as me too, as there weren't a lot of them left on the shelves. For £1.00 I think its a totally amazing buy and yes, maybe its not as amazing as the smell of a Yankee Christmas candle, but I'd say its pretty close. I can't really put my finger on the exact smell of this candle, but it just smells really festive and christmasy. Next time I'm in Primark I'm definitely going to look for different scents and stock up for a few months. I just find it silly that you could literally have £15 candles for the price you'd pay for a single one... does anyone else share this?

Are you a candle lover? What's your favourite?

Missguided Musts - A Few Casuals

I'm one of those people who never ever used to order online from anywhere other than the high-street shops, like Topshop and H&M, just because I absolutely hate the fuss of having to send things back if they're not right. Recently I've started to embrace online fashion brands such as Missguided and Love, and I'm not even too bothered about returning dramas anymore. I always always browse the Missguided website and there are so many things that I absolutely love! I simply couldn't do a post that included all of them, so today I decided to show a few casual items that I'm loving at the minute.

I think the prices on Missguided are really good and I don't think I've seen anything and thought 'Oh god I wouldn't pay that' like I find myself doing a lot in Topshop at the minute. I really love jumpers at the minute and I think they're so easy to wear with jeans now the weather's getting a little chillier. Shirts are my all time love and the studded cross detailing on the front of this one is gorgeous. I just wish it had a bit of collar detailing so I could wear it under a jumper... I think that would make me buy it in one. T-shirts are always a big staple of mine and to be honest, I hated anything Camo at first but this one isn't too in your face for me and I like the change of colours from the big thick greens. 

What's currently on your Missguided wishlist? 

Redken Smooth Lock Shampoo and Conditioner

Redken Smooth Lock Shampoo and Conditioner - (RRP £9.00-£12.00)

I received these little sample sachets in this month's edition of the She Said Beauty Box, which I did a post about here. Shampoo and conditioner samples always go down well in my books because I'm always looking for something new to try on my hair. I tend to usually go for a shampoo and conditioner that offer protection for coloured hair, as my hair colour still fades from previously being bleach-blonde. This Redken duo is formulated to provide thermal care for hair, so I was very interested in trying something new. 

The Smooth Lock shampoo is said to cleanse, replenish and smooth heat-damaged hair with almond oil and thermo-activated polymer, while helping hair to keep its shine for longer. I did expect a lot after doing a little research about the products, and a lot of bloggers had said they love Redken products. When I first applied the shampoo to my hair and rinsed, I felt so disappointed with the quality of my hair. It felt so gritty and I literally couldn't run my fingers through it, which really surprised me from a really high-quality brand. With any other duo this would have left me to completely scrap the conditioner and go at it with my normal Aussie saviour, but I decided to not judge and applied the conditioner.

The Smooth Lock conditioner is said to do the same as the shampoo, but help to detangle your hair. This filled me with a bit of confidence and I'm actually really glad I went ahead and tried the conditioner. I left it on for about two minutes instead of rinsing straight away and after my hair felt amazing. There wasn't one knot in my hair and it was so silky and smooth... I actually felt a bit bad for doubting the shampoo in the first place. After blow-drying the condition stayed and my hair has a shine that I've literally never had before.

All in all, even though I only had one wash from each sample, I was really impressed with the overall quality of both products. I know I was ready to scrap them altogether but it really does show that you shouldn't always judge something straight away. I'm not sure if I would actually buy the products, as I can't bare to part with my Aussie routine at the minute, but it was nice to try something new.

Have you tried Redken products before? What is your favourite?

She Said Beauty - November Box

She Said Beauty November Box - £9.00 (plus p+p)

It seems like I've been waiting forever to get my next box after I subscribed last month. When I received my first month's box I was so impressed and really happy that I'd actually plucked up the courage to change from Glossy Box. I wasn't sure if I would grow to love the She Said Beauty boxes, but after receiving my second box I can honestly say that I am yet again impressed! This month I yet again received six samples in my beauty box, of which a massive four were full sized. I love that this happens with the She Said Beauty boxes, as it just makes me feel like my monthly money isn't being wasted on tiny little sachets.

This month I received:
Makebelieve Luminize Skin Highlighter, Murrays Manicure Nail Files,
Collection Primed & Ready Primer, Weleda Wild Rose Night Cream,
Redken Shampoo & Conditioner, Yardley Royal English Daisy EDT
and finally So...? Brit Body Spray.

I don't think there's a sample that I don't love from this month's box... AGAIN! There are a few brands that I haven't heard of, such as Redken and Weleda, but I can't wait to try them out to see what they're like. I'm also really excited to try the Makebelieve Highlighter. I've been eyeing up the Topshop one that everyone seems to be loving at the minute, but seeing as this little beauty has popped up I've decided to resist temptation. I think that this month's samples are again a really good mix and I know that I'll definitely be able to (and actually want to) try them all.

There will no doubt be reviews on my blog in the next couple of weeks, depending of which samples I decided to try first, so watch this space.

What do you think of November's She Said Beauty box?

Vichy Idealia Smoothing and Illuminating Cream

Vichy Idealia Smoothing and Illuminating Cream - RRP. £22.00

I received this little Vichy sample in the Glossy Box September box, which I reviewed here. Admittedly Vichy was a brand that I had never heard of, and to be honest I hadn't even seen it around a lot in the blogging world. As I usually do, I got straight onto the internet and did a little research on this new little beauty... but to be honest I didn't actually find a lot about it. I decided just to try it out for myself without any background information and just see how I got in from scratch, and I was extremely impressed!

The cream is quite thick, which normally would totally put me off, but when applied to your skin it actually doesn't feel too horrible at all. I usually hate thick creams but it rubs in really easily and it doesn't even feel like there's anything on your skin. It leaves your skin feeling instantly soft and smooth, which I absolutely loved! The smell is really good too, which is always a bonus for me, and it almost felt like my skin felt a plumper. I've been using it for about two weeks now and I can honestly say that I absolutely love it, it is definitely a favourite product of mine.

Overall my skin feels amazingly soft, and in some ways I do think it has made it feel a lot healthier. I've also found that my make-up tends to look a lot better throughout the day too, which is always a plus in my books. I only use it in a morning after I've cleansed and done my usual skin care routine because the pot is so tiny, but I think it would be really good to use at night too. I'll definitely be purchasing a new pot when I've ran out of this. You can order a 50ml pot online from Boots for £22.00, which to be honest I really wouldn't mind paying because I really do like it.

Have you used this or any Vichy products before? How have you found them?