Monthly Favourites | June

June has absolutely flown by, I have no idea where it went! We are officially in the second half of the year and I can't wait for the summer holidays, and the beginning of autumn to arrive. Right now, we've still got a good 3 months of summer left and even though I've got no exciting plans, I do plan on spending a lot of money on summer essentials, so stay tuned for my future monthly favourites to see those!

This month been loving a lot of new products which I recieved for my birthday, however there will be a separate post about that, so look out for that soon!

The first thing I've been loving this month, which is a bit of a boring one, is the Nivea Stress Protect deodorant. Basically, this is the best deodorant I have ever used in my life, and it lasts all day. It has a very fresh scent which isn't overpowering, but still lasts ages. It does irritate my skin, even if I've just shaved, and I just love it to pieces. I had been using a Vaseline roll on deodorant but repurchased this one after realising how much I missed it. 

Nivea Stress Protect, available here, £3.29

Next up, is something I got for my birthday. This lip tint from Lush is really moisturising and is a great alternative to lipstick and lipgloss. It has a very light shine to it so it makes my lips look super healthy, and I find it so easy to apply as opposed to lipstick, which just doesn't want to work for me. It has a really strong honey scent which can get quite sickly but it's not often that I use honey scented things, so it can be quite refreshing.

It Started With a Kiss Lip Tint, available here, £5.95

I've been using this mascara for a long time now, so I should probably buy a new one. This mascara instantly brightens my face and makes me feel more human, and it makes my lashes look thicker, longer and curlier - basically everything you need in a mascara! This was a pretty cheap mascara, and I'm going to purchase a different one, so if you guys could reccomend your favourite mascaras, I'd really appreciate it!

Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express Mascara, available here, £7.99

The moisturising gel by Etre Belle is something that was featured in my May Glossybox, and although I wasn't completely impressed with it last month, I've been using it a tiny bit at a time before I cleanse, and found it left my skin really soft and bright. I think I just used too much when I tried it last month, but at £15.93 a pop, I thought I'd better use it regardless, and I'm glad I did!

Etre Belle Moisturising Gel, available here, £15.93

So there's my monthly favourites for June, excluding some products that I got for my birthday. I feel like this is quite a small list, but there are quite a lot of things from previous months that I still love, so I thought I would leave them out as I had already mentioned them before.

What have you been loving recently?

See you soon!
Katie xo

P.S  If you haven't already entered my massive giveaway, you can do so here!

June Glossybox

I'll be honest, I wasn't particularly impressed with this month's Glossybox. It was The Festival Edit, and I didn't really feel like any of the products really benefitted me as I'm not going to any festivals this year, and it's rare that I show any skin, winter or summer. 

The products featured in this month's Glossybox include the Monu Spa Rosewood Reviving Mist, a spray to use to set your makeup or keep you refreshed through the day, Glossybox Flash Tattoos, Halo Fragrance Free Facial Wipes, Kueshi Anticellulite Booster, a cream to reduce the look of cellulite, and Essence Gel Nail Polish in a gorgeous bright red.

The first thing I tried was the Monu Spa Rosewood Reviving Mist. I wanted to know how it work as a makeup setter as I'd never used anything except pressed powder to set my makeup, and I was really interested to see if the liquid would ruin my makeup - it did not!

Glossybox says: This skin pick me up never leaves my desk. It's perfect for dull, stressed or flushed skin thanks to the zesty blend of essential oils including lemon, rosewood and geranium. Mist over the face to refresh and set make-up or spray all over to hydrate skin after a bath, shower or swim.
My Review: I was quite intimidated by this product, but was soon overcome with love when I used it. The smell wasn't quite appealing to me as I thought it was too musky, but it stopped my makeup from going cakey and clumpy through the day, kept my face cool and made me feel refreshed. I'm not sure if I love it enough to purchase it, but it's definitely a worth while little product. The full size version of this is £11.95 and is available here.

Next up was the Glossies Flash Tattoos. I haven't actually tried these yet, so what do you guys think of the fake tattoo trend going on at the moment?

Glossybox says: We're always working to ensure our Glossies are a step ahead when it comes to trends, so we've designed these exclusive faux tattoos. Make like the A-listers and wear them stacked around your wrists with a few bangles or apply them somewhere different such as above the ankle. I'm obsessed with mine!
My Review: I think the idea is really cute and I love the designs that were included in them, and I think I'll try a few next week when my summer holidays start! They're worth £6.50, which I think is quite expensive for fake tattoos, but there you go. They're shiny and nice, so who cares!

The Halo Fragrance Free Facial Wipes was one thing that I wasn't particularly excited about, as I'm pretty sure all face wipes essentially do the same thing. I always buy really cheap facial wipes and they always work perfectly for me.

Glossybox says: Perfectly proportioned to tuck anywhere, these facial wipes are fragrance free so they're suitable for anyone with sensitive or sunned-out skin. I keep a pack in my make-up kit, desk drawer, and my handbag!
My Review: This was a travel size product and I don't think there was anything special about these wipes if I'm honest. The packaging was really cute but they do exactly the same as Wilko's own facial wipes, nothing more, nothing less. I found them really handy for wiping little bits of makeup I had missed the night before but I'm not going to purchase them. 50p for 100 in Wilko's does me fine! The travel size is available in Tesco for £1.20.

I was quite intrigued when I saw the Kueshi Anticellulite Booster in this box, as I had never seen anything like it before. 

Glossybox says: This lightweight cream combines a hard-hitting mix of natural ingredients and antioxidants to stimulate blood circulation, in turn toning your skin and fighting off any dimples. Massage into your legs twice a day for summer-ready pins.
My Review: I have no idea if I have cellulite. I mean, I probably do, most people do, but it's not something I fuss about as I never get my skin out. Literally never. It was 29 degrees today and I was wearing black skinny jeans and a sweater. I think I'll keep this handy when I start to become more comfortable with my body, but until then, no review! This was a full size product, which is available for £14.55.

I love nail polish and am constantly after new colours, so I was very happy when I saw the Essense the Gel Nail Polish in my June Glossybox. However, I saw that it was a Gel Polish, which I had never used before, so I was also quite nervous to try it.

Glossybox says: Meet our latest nail obsession, This innovative nail polish has a long-lasting gel formula, for an amazingly shiny manicure that endures all week. Apply it as you would any normal nail polish, and invest in Essence's Gel Nail Polish Top Coat for a pro finish!
My Review: I've never used a gel polish before, but I now LOVE them. The finish was so shiny and gorgeous, and I only needed 2 coats to completely cover my nails. It's been 3 weeks since I painted my nails and most of them still look almost-presentable! I got the red colour as opposed to the green or blue, but I don't think it suits my skin for the summer time, so I'll probably wear it a lot around Christmas time. This was another full sized product which is available here for £1.91, bargain!

All in all, I wasn't amazingly impressed with this box although a few of the products were quite good. I'm excited for next month's box as it has been designed in collaboration with a celebrated fashion illustrator (fancy!), and marries French style with the best of French beauty inspiration. So exciting!

See you soon!
Katie xo

P.S  If you haven't already entered my massive giveaway, you can do so here!

Giveaway! Roller Lash Mascara and Yankee Candles!

So, I'm super excited about this - I'm doing my first ever giveaway!! I don't really have any major reason for this, except that I love you guys and would like to do something nice for you, so here goes.

You will win a Think Pink bath bomb, The Comforter bubble bar and the Mmmelting Marshmallow Moment bath melt from Lush, the Benefit Roller Lash Mascara, an Essie nail polish of your choice, a Starbucks/Costa giftcard, a Soap and Glory Hand Dream, a Yankee Candle of your choice, AND a few little surprises! So exciting!!

This giveaway will be open for 2 months, so you have plenty of time to enter. This is an international giveaway, so it's open to everyone! To win, follow the instructions on the rafflecopter. I will be checking for false entries!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I will be notifying the winner via direct message on Twitter in two months time, and if there's something on the list that you already have/don't like we can arrange something else, so good luck!! 

Katie xo

Lush & Superdrug Haul

So recently, I went shopping with my friend and spent my entire weeks wages on niceness. I went to Lush, Superdrug, Shoe Zone and New Look, as well Costa for lunch. Here's what I bought, along with some mini reviews of each thing.

Okay, so first off is Lush! Now, I'm going to be honest, before this shopping trip, I was a complete Lush virgin. I had never tried a bath bomb or a lip scrub or a bubble bar or anything, but I always wanted to just go in there and really have a look and pick some things up that I think I'd like - so that's what I did! I bought 6 bath bombs and a lip scrub. I absolutely love relaxing in the bath with my laptop watching youtube videos and reading blogs, so I was in desperate need of bath bombs.

The first bath bomb was the Twilight bath bomb. It's a gorgeous pink colour with tiny little stars in it and cost £3.35. This was by far my favourite one. It made the water a gorgeous deep purple colour with light shimmer in it, and was really twilighty. It smelt like a comfort smell which was quite floral and sweety like, and it produced lots of bubbles! The water was so moisturising, I couldn't stop feeling my legs! Definitely going to get this one again.

The next bath bomb was the Dragons Egg bath bomb. I was so excited to find this one because I absolutely love gold and I was told it makes your bath a golden orangey colour. It cost me £3.35 and I think it was worth it. My bath turned a gorgeous sunset orange colour with lots of glittery goodness. It smelt really lovely and fresh and found it left the water feeling smooth and quite moisturising. 

I also picked up the Big Blue bath bomb, which is an absolutely gorgeous blue. It retails for £3.35 and smells divine. It had lots of arame seaweed in it (which is rich in vitamins minerals including iodine which help to regulate the metabolis) which was kind of gross at first, but I got used to it and it made my bath a bit of a novely! I felt like I was sat in the sea on a warm summer morning. Pure bliss. The smell was quite subtle but still strong enough for it to make a difference and make my nose tingle with delight. It didn't stain my bath or my skin, which I was quite scared it would do, although there was lots of seaweed left at the bottom of my bath after the water had drained, not that that's not easy to get rid of. I felt like it made the water really smooth and quite moisturising and my skin felt amazing when I stepped out the bath.

Butterball was another I picked up at £2.65. I've heard a lot of people really liked this one, but honestly, it scared me a little bit. It didn't change the colour of the water, but it left like an oily residue in the bath which was quite moisturising but made me feel a little.. dirty? I don't know. I know oil is good for your skin but it was just a little strange. It smelt really light and fresh which I liked, and it was quite nice to have a break from all the colour explosions! I think I will buy this again, but not very regularly.

Think Pink was an absolutely gorgeous bath bomb at £2.65. It made my bath literally bright pink and smelt really florally and yummy. It felt really moisturising on my skin which is always helpful, and it had tiny confetti hearts inside which made my bath very cute. I will definitely buy this again, just because it's pink to be honest!

Space Girl was one that I've wanted to try for ages, and at £2.35 I couldn't resist. I was really excited to try this one but was actually quite disappointed with it. It made my bath a light purple and it wasn't very glittery at all. It also made me feel quite itchy. I think the only good thing about this was the smell as it reminded me of Palma Violets, but im not too bothered as it was only £2.35

Lastly, I picked up the Bubblegum Lip Scrub for £5.50. My lips are always really dry and quite flaky which makes applying lipstick a tedious job which ends up looking horrible, and a lip balm alone just doesn't work, so I asked about the lip scrubs and was hooked. I didn't like the price very much, but considering everything from Lush isn't tested on animals and is natural, it's worth it. They had two other flavours but I absolutely loved the smell of the bubblegum one so picked it up. I've only actually used this once, but it made my lips so soft that I haven't needed to use it regularly. Everyone says the taste is addicting, but I think the smell is definitely the best bit. You can't use this on the go though because you will look like a loon who has had one-too-many doughnuts.

We then went into New Look as I was in dire need of some new jeans because my last pair had died, so I picked up two pairs of black jeans (I look weird in blue). I got the high waisted super skinny jeans which have rips in the knees. I hadn't really seen the hype in the new ripped jeans trend but I thought I may as well hop of board, and I actually really like them. I feel very confident in them as they're high waisted so they sort of suck my belly in a little bit and gives me a hint of a figure. They were £22.99. The other pair were just a plain black pair of skinny jeans which were £12.99 which are really comfortable and that's all there is to say.

I also went to Shoe Zone as my work shoes that I got from Primark at Christmas are completely dead, so I picked up a pair of plimsole type shoes, which are honestly the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. They're better than fluffy socks and slippers. I also picked up some simple lace up shoes as it was 2 for £8. I'm quite impressed with both of them considering how cheap Shoe Zone is.

I didn't intend on buying anything in Superdrug, but I honestly just couldn't resist picking up Zoella's Fizz Bar for £5. I've wanted to try it since I saw it on the shelf, and I finally convinced myself to buy it. Yay! I haven't used this yet as I've been trying all the lush bath bombs, what do you guys think of it?

I also picked up 3 face masks. I really want to get a nicer face mask, but as I was tight on money by the end of this shopping trip, I picked these up as they were 3 for 2. I got the Yoghurt Smoothie Mask, the Manuka Honey Peel-Off Mask, and the Superfruits Exfoliating Mask.

I used the yoghurt smoothie mask first, which had cocoa butter, vanilla and honey in it and is for normal to dry skin. It smelt just like vanilla yoghurt which I think is really lovely, and was very thick. I had no idea if you're meant to use the whole packet but I did so I had quite a lot on my face. You leave it on for 10-15 minutes but I left mine on longer because it felt so nice and my nails were wet as I had just painted them. It left my face feeling so soft and clean, which I think it lovely, considering they were so cheap. I recently used the Manuke Honey Peel-Off Mask, which was really weird. You literally peel it off. I felt like someone out of a film who is dressed up as someone and has like a rubber mask on, if you know what I mean? I haven't used the Superfruits one yet, but I'm excited to!

For lunch we went into Costa on the second floor of Waterstones (ahhh, books <3) and I had the mango and passionfruit fruit cooler, the mozerella and pesto sandwich panini thing and a chocolate twist. So delicious.

Have you guys tried any of these things? Let me know!

See you soon!
Katie xo

The Versatile Blogger Award

I was literally so so excited when I got nominated to do this by Erin over at Orchids and Tea, which is an absolutely adorable name if I do say so myself! I've never done anything like this before and I think it's a lovely way for the blogging community to find new blogs and discover who their favourite bloggers like as well. Here's a simple rundown of the rules of the award:

• Thank the person who gave you this award.
•  Include a link to their blog.
•  Select 15 blogs/bloggers that you've recently discovered or follow regularly.
•  Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.
•  Tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

7 things about me!

1. I really love rose gold, pink and white. I recently redecorated my bedroom and got new bedsheets and the whole shibang. I love love love it.
2. I love diet coke. Not because it's healthier (it's not healthy at all) but because I seem to find it less fizzy than regular coke. Weird.
3. I cannot put lipstick on to save my life. It always goes wonky and makes my lips look weird, which is a massive shame because I think lipstick is amazing. I should probably invest in some good lip liners or just get someone to teach me.
4. I started my blog as a way to keep myself busy so I didn't just sit in my bedroom all day wasting time. My blog keeps me productive and motivates me to try new things and talk to new people and I'm really enjoying it.
5. I had my ear pierced at the top, and I accidently let it heal over. Whenever it's cold outside, the place where the piercing used to be is always the coldest. I feel like Harry Potter when Voldemort is around.
6. I have been published in Young Writers, a competition for young people to share their short stories and poetry, 6 times. I love writing poems and feel like I can really spill my emotions on a page. I have a notebook full of them.
7. I buy a lot of candles but can rarely bring myself to burn them because a) they're so pretty and b) i'm literally burning money. At the moment I have a little peach and mandarin one on the go but it was only from poundland so I'm not bothered.

I nominate, in no particular order:

According to Alyssa

Annie Writes Beauty

Couture Girl

Emily Bashforth

Milk Bubble Tea 

Niki27x

Nivii's Diary

Pint Sized Beauty

Rosanna's Palette 

Becoming Esther

A Drugstore Addiction

Vintage Over Chic

Tess Isabella Beauty

Ruby Red Roses

So there we have it, my first ever blogger award! I thought this was really fun, and I nominate any of you guys who want to do this too (if that's allowed!). 

See you soon!

Katie xo