Taking Off The Day

Scrub Love "Mint Temptation" £12.95* & Clinique Anti-Blemish Clearing Treatment £18

Helloooo! I hope you have had a good week, I am so tired.. I can't even explain.. I've had a chest infection and pleurisy the past 2/3 weeks and it's still lingering in my lungs and making me so exhausted all the time. But on the plus side I ordered myself a shiny new mountain bike this week which I'm so excited to get out on when I'm 100% better, the area I live in has the most perfect, scenic trails to buzz (slowly) round in all weathers, wooo, expect some posts about that when it all arrives and I get back into the swing of things! 

Anyway, here's my favourite products to take off my makeup and start to wind down for the evening,

Step 1: Cleanse

Firstly I remove all my makeup using Simple eye makeup remover and Clean & Clear deep cleansing lotion on soft makeup pads, I've been using these 2 products since I was about 14, they are so good and take everything off with ease and leave my face feeling squeaky clean. 

Step 2:  Exfoliate

Next I move onto exfoliating, recently I have been trying out the new coffee scrub craze from the company Scrub Love*, all their scrubs are 100% natural and I can definitely say I now understand what the hype is all about because this stuff actually does work! The scrub I am currently using is the "Mint Temptation" one, here is what Scrub Love have to say about it "The perfect blend of organic ingredients with a mint kick will leave anyone tempted.. Tea tree mixed with amazing argan oil will cool and moisturise. While more than a hint of mint will stimulare circulation with this organic scrub - leaving you polished to perfection.." Firstly I wet my face with warm water and then apply a handful of lovely, SUPER fresh smelling mint flavoured coffee granules and rub it all over my face, focusing mostly on my cheeks, rubbing it all in, in small circular motions, I must admit it does look like I have a bit of a stubble going on when I am using it, but who cares! It really cools my face down and feels really nice on my skin, I've noticed it has completely got rid of the little bumps I've had on my cheeks for a while now! I leave it on for about 10 minutes or so and then rinse it all off with warm water then pat my skin dry with a towel. My skin feels so soft and nourished afterwards. I am really pleased with this product so far, it can be used all over your body, in the bath or in the shower which is great because I don't always have baths as I much prefer showers.

Step 3: Moisturise

Lastly I use Clinique anti-blemish solutions all-over clearing treatment which keeps my skin moisturised and totally clear of blemishes, I absolutely love this product, it works so well and my skin has never looked better since using it. I have been pretty lucky with my skin in general, however, I would tend to get the odd spot now and again but now I very very rarely get spots since using this cream. 

I hope you will try out some if not all of these products, they're all excellent! Thanks for reading! :) x

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara ♥

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara Blackest Black- £4.99
I have a problem with buying mascara, I buy about 2 new bottles a month which ends up with me having an entire drawer full of half used mascara's. Not ideal. However, I thought this was a mascara worth mentioning.
I don't usually use just one mascara on it's own when I do my makeup, so I have been enjoying using this mascara as a 'base', it separates and lengthens all of my eyelashes to a perfect length, top and bottom. I could get away with using it on its own for a basic look but because my eyelashes are long I like to use a bit more mascara to emphasise them even more on a day to day basis.
When used on its own it is a true dark black colour which I really like. It can be built up to make my eyelashes thicker. It dries really quickly and it doesn't flake off through the day either which is brilliant. This is an amazing budget mascara, I can't believe it is only £4.99, I highly recommend it to you all!

Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder ♥

Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder 28g - Escentual £17.00 RRP (Currently £11.33!)*

Hello! What do you think of my new blog name(click here to read about my new blog name) and design from Pipdig?! It's exciting, I'm so happy with it! let me know your thoughts in the comments (: 

I was recently sent this translucent loose powder to review from Escentual, it came to me at the perfect time as I have bought a lot of new powders recently, none of which quite match this one! I absolutely love it. The first time I used it, I applied it first thing in the morning at 7am, it lasted the whole day without going patchy or letting my face get oily, which is excellent. I have never had such a good result from a face powder before. It doesn't matter how much I rub my face or scratch my nose, it doesn't budge, it has a smudge and water/perspiration resistant finish for up to 16 hours. 

I apply it with the soft powder puff applicator which is included in the tub, I find this gives a lovely soft all over finish without removing any of my foundation underneath. I am really pleased with the size of the tub too, it has loads of powder in it, I only need a tiny amount of powder to do my face which means this tub will last me a long time. I can't recommend this enough to you all, especially if your face gets oily through the day. This is definitely one of my new staple makeup products!

Catseye London ♥

Makeup Bag £10.50* Pocket Mirror £7.50*

 I was recently sent these beautiful accessories from Catseye London, which is a website full of beautiful accessories, stationary, gifts and miscellaneous bits and bobs for your home. Of course I fell in love with the kitty cats collection. The quality of these pieces are brilliant and each item comes with its own little dust bag, which is great for keeping things neat and tidy in my room after I have received my accessories! 

The makeup bag has a wipe clean inner and outer shell, great for when foundation brushes & sponges smear all over the inside (just me this happens to?), it also has a divider inside to keep your makeup more organised. I absolutely love the vibrant big blue eyes on this little kitty cat, the picture quality is brilliant! It is the perfect size for my handbag, it's not too big but yet it manages to hold so much! I can fit my every day makeup & palettes in here with plenty of space left over, I am so impressed! 

The little pocket mirror is so handy and SO cute! I need a tabby kitten, NEED. This mirror is the perfect size for a quick touch up or a hair check. There's a normal side and a magnified side which is handy. I love the pattern on the back, it is very Aztec, right up my street. 

I am so impressed with Catseye London, I hope to review more of their products for you all in the future, there is so much to choose from, you won't be disappointed, so go have a look for yourself, they have also just set up a Twitter account(click here), so give them a follow to keep up to date with all the latest offers and collections! (Thanks again Rosanna for the goodies!) x

Veet Facial Hair Removal Cream Review (eyebrows!) ♥

Veet Facial Hair Removal Cream - £3.99 (Was £5.49)

As you read this I will be in Brighton enjoying the last day of my trip in London! I will have a blog post up soon all about my trip! Keep your eyes peeled :)

I absolutely hate plucking the hairs between my eyebrows and whenever I do I always end up with massive sore lumps which eventually turn into spots. I have tried waxing too but that didn't make much difference, however, I have finally found the perfect product for me! I didn't think this hair removal kit would work on stubborn eyebrow hairs but trust me it does! I found out the hard way, the first time I used it I accidentally rubbed the product onto my actual eyebrow and when I removed the hair after 10 minutes I took away about a 1/3 of my eyebrow ha ha (thank goodness for full fringes!). I have mastered the proper way to use this product now, so no more mishaps! This hair removal cream is directed at sensitive skin which is great, it can be used for upper lip, chin or cheek hair. It doesn't directly mention it is to be used for eyebrows but I have used it that way and found no problems at all.
The only thing I don't like about this product is the same thing I hate about all hair removal creams, they smell horrible! However I am willing to look past that as it is a really good product otherwise. I apply a small amount of cream onto my skin and wait about 10 minutes, there's a very slight sting to my skin every now and again but nothing too drastic. I then take the spatula which is provided in the kit and start to rub away the cream and the excess hair. I then wash away the rest of the cream with warm water from the desired area until all the hairs are gone and I can't feel the product anymore. My skin is usually a bit red after all the product and hairs are removed, so don't use this just as you are about to go out the door on a night out! I finally apply the gentle finishing cream.
If you are looking for a hair removal kit for stubborn facial hair or eyebrows then I highly recommend you try this one out!

Balance Me Cleanse & Smooth Face Balm ♥

Balance Me Cleanse & Smooth Face Balm 125ml - £20 

I recently got this face balm in this months Marie Claire magazine, I thought I would share my opinions on it as I love Balance Me products and this one is just as good as all the others I have tried. The first thing I noticed about this balm is the amazing fragrance it has, it has a fresh citrus/floral smell to it and I can't get enough of it! I have been using the same facial cleansers for the past few months as my skin took a horrible "u" turn and had a breakout of really sore spots due to trying out new products, so this was the first cleanser I have tried in over a month. I can safely say it has not broke out my skin and it has actually helped improve my skins appearance.

The texture and the way this product glides onto my skin so effortlessly reminds me of the Emma Harde amazing face cleansing balm, however, this one has very small oatmeal powder grains in it which softly exfoliate and polish my skin. I gently massage this cleanser all over my face, leave it for a couple of minutes to do its work, then wet my face with warm water and remove the product with a muslin cloth, I then pat my face dry. After using this product my skin looks bright & clear and feels fresh and clean, I will definitely be purchasing a full size product once this 40ml bottle runs out! 

Amazing Advertisers - June

Hey! Another month is over.. SO glad it is July now because I am going to London on the 26th, eeeek! I'm so excited! I hope you have had a good month, here are my lovely advertisers this month, I hope you enjoy looking through their blogs as much as I do :). 

Exclusive Advertiser

Blog|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook|Bloglovin'

"On a dark night last September, I was finally convinced to set up a blog. A long-term pal of mine had been saying for ages, 'ooooh Bean' you need to write about all these lovely/and not so lovely things you try.  You see I had quite a stash of products, it was more like a small shop, certainly not an every day makeup bag.  It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I'm documenting life, sharing products I love and don't love so much, meeting wonderful bloggers and enjoying the whole community spirit. Plus I'm hopefully looking a little better (after all that testing).

If you want to join my journey and 'full of Bean's' blog, please subscribe it would mean the world to this ditzy, fun-loving, blonde Bean."

Large Advertisers

Blog|Twitter|Instagram|Bloglovin'

"Hey guys! My name is Alex and I have a blog named "Prettythoughtsx". I currently work as a Retail Apprentice at Next and hope to go into Visual Merchandising! I've not been blogging for very long, only a few months but I really do love it. It's mainly Beauty and Fashion related - however I do the odd post on fun things I do aka travelling! Come say Hi sometime :-)" 

Blog|Twitter|Instagram|Bloglovin'

"Hi, my name is Sophiia (yes I spelt it right, don't judge!) and my little blog is Beauty By Sophiia. Its not a very original title, I know, but I'm heavily pregnant so blame it on the baby-brain. I blog about anything beauty related that catches my eye, and sometimes I like to dabble in a bit of fashion. I also post about my pregnancy and will be featuring more of my son in the coming months, so keep an eye out if you love photos of adorably dressed toddlers! I like to write honest reviews, so you'll never get a load of mindless twaddle from me - brownie promise. Speaking of which I'm also getting into posting recipes soon, once I've cracked my ultimate cupcake. So that's what I'm all about, take a look at my blog if you like the sounds of it, and comment too! I love reading and replying comments, I like new friends :) Much love, Sophiia x"

You can book advertising slots by following the instructions here 

Natalie x

Eucerin Dermo Purifyer Cleanser Review ♥

Eucerin DermoPURIFYER Cleanser 200ml - £9 Escentual*

Hello, I hope you are looking forward to the week ahead, I am full of the cold and I have no energy to do anything, reading blogs and drinking plenty of tea is definitely on the cards! I will hopefully be getting my new laptop today, yeeey, I'm excited! I hope you like today's product review, let me know what you think!

I was recently sent this cleanser from Escentual, when I first used this product, my skin was in the middle of a horrible breakout, I hardly ever get spots but if I do I only get one at a time, this time I had about 4/5, one of which lasted an entire month (it was so sore and horrible!). So I was a bit dubious about trying out a new product on my sensitive skin,especially from a brand I had never used before, however, I am so glad I did! I was pleased to read on the back of the bottle that this product has 'Excellent skin tolerability and efficacy proven on patients with blemish and acne prone skin' so I felt confident that my skin was being looked after and it wouldn't get any worse than it already was. This product is soap and fragrance free which is great for sensitive skin. It removes any dirt, makeup & excess sebum (excess oil) from your skin.

I use it by wetting my face with warm water, I then squeeze a 50 pence piece size of product onto the blue rubber exfoliator (pictured above, which I got free in a recent Avon order), I rub the soapy gel into my skin for about a minute, then I run warm water over a muslin cloth and wash my face with it, I gradually remove the cleanser by rinsing and repeating this step with the muslin cloth until my face is fresh and clean, finally I pat my face dry.

My skin is so refreshed and clear once I have used this product, I am so impressed, I have absolutely no oily areas and my skin feels so soft and supple. My skin has completely cleared up now and I am definitely going to give this product some credit for that! If you are struggling with your skin at the moment and you want to try out a new soap free cleanser then honestly try this one, it is currently on offer for £6 too on the Escentual website. x

Let's Get Social ♥

Hello! I thought I would write a different kind of post today, I would say this is another blogging tip post, one of the more exciting and productive tips I could give any blogger, two words.. SOCIAL MEDIA! I have had so many brilliant opportunities arise from social media, such as Twitter, Instagram and Lookbook. 

Twitter

In my opinion Twitter should be every Blogger's wing man (or wing woman?... whatever). Personally, it has been the best way of getting myself noticed and getting some credit for my blog posts, even from the brands I am writing about. If you don't have a Twitter account for your blog then I highly recommend you create one, it takes seconds to set up and once you get going it is so easy to keep on top of. Even if you just post general day to day tweets, witty tweets or just about your latest blog posts, it is a great way to widen your audience and show off your personality to everyone. Since having twitter I have won competitions by simply retweeting and favouriting companies tweets. I have even had companies contact me and tell me how much they have loved my latest blog posts about their products and offered me to review some products for them. 

Just remember to keep a border line, nobody likes it when people keep tweeting and demanding attention to their blog every 5 minutes, if your tweet gets noticed, great, if not, don't give up just keep doing what your doing, you'll get noticed eventually! Another great thing about Twitter is you meet so many lovely people through it, I have become friends with quite a few bloggers recently, it's great, everyone has the same interests and ideas.

Instagram

I don't use my Instagram as much for my blog, I don't have my blog linked in it as nobody from my town knows it exists, however, I still put up most of my blog pictures and have it linked on my blog page. I love it for following my favourite fashion and beauty bloggers and letting you all see parts of my life which aren't just beauty products.

Here are all my social media links, don't forget to add yours in the comments below, I love seeing all your Instagram's and Tumblr's!

Twitter ♥ @shabbychicndtea

Instagram ♥ click here

Tumblr ♥ graveyardsitting

Lookbook ♥ click here

Bloglovin ♥ shabbychicandtea

Daniel Sandler Eyeliner 'Velvet Grey' ♥

Daniel Sandler Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner* £9.25 c/o HQ Hair

Hello (: I hope you had a good weekend, I was working all weekend so I didn't do much (I'm off from next Sunday for a week so I can't wait!).

I took my eye picture with my new Samsung Galaxy S4 which I got last week, I am loving it, it's the best phone I have had! It has a 13 mega pixel camera which is great, I think this picture is pretty good quality. I hope you like today's review, let me know what you think in the comments! 

I have been using this eyeliner a lot. I think this soft grey shade is such a lovely change from my usual dark, bold, black shades of eyeliner and it matches my blue eyes perfectly. I have been using it on my waterline and on my eyelid as an eyeliner or blended out into eye shadow to create a soft smokey look. It applies so smoothly and it can be built up to achieve a stronger grey colour. 

I love the packaging, it is so effortless, no sharpening a pencil, all you have to do is twist it up. I find this makes it easier and a little less scary to apply it to my waterline as I'm not afraid of the wooden part of an eyeliner pencil scratching my eye. If you are looking for a new grey eyeliner then I definitely recommend this one!