500 products of summer (almost!) part 1: colours

Summer is here. I have officially decided.. The sun is out and so is the fake tan, as are the guns ;)

So I have cracked out a whole load of goodies and started using them regularly in my summer routine. This first part of a cracking summer two parter is filled with my picks for summer make up and colours including tan and my new favourite thing... scrunchies!

Let's start with the scrunchies as I know you are all dying to know...

Originally discovered my floral pink scrunchie is so pretty I fell in love, having wanted a velvet black one for so long you can imagine my excitement when I found the beautiful scrunchie range in Topshop. Like a child in a sweet shop. (or just me in a sweet shop) I have a scrunchie for every outfit now, black, red, pink, green you name it. But these two are my favourite for the summer - the green velvet one is to match up with my purple eye shimmer that is featured below and is from Boots.

Eyes are the window the soul...

...or so they say. I have a adapted a couple of new favourites recently for my eyes that are perfect for summer. They are the GOSH Forever Eyeshadow's in Beige & Grey they last all day and are waterproof so perfect for looking glittery by the pool! They have a gorgeous sheen that glows in the sun, and I have to say they bring the glittery girly girl out in me. I love the beige for day to day and the grey for evening with precise eyeliner for a perfect long lasting smoky eye.

The other product I am loving for my eyes at the minute is the B. Stunning Eye Shimmer in Royal - having raved about it previously you may recognise it - it is so soft and light you can apply as little or as much as you want. Purple eyeshadow was seen on catwalks by Holly Fulton and PPQ  for Spring/Summer 2014 - it is one of the top make-up trends for the summer. Up against the green shadows of Giorgio Armani (I need to invest in) and bright blues of Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Getting lippie...

Now red lipstick.. I won't get into it because I could go on for hours and I had to pick one red for this post and honestly I use more than that but this one is kind of perfect for summer. The new GOSH Lip Lacquers are lovely and girls with more tanned skin can go for the pinker shades however for us pale gingers, the best bet is the red shades, my personal favourite being the Dangerous Lips shade. They are pretty good for during the day when lipstick upkeep becomes a little boring - this is sleek and easy to apply, instant colour.

When I'm not feeling the red lippy which is rare to be honest but it does happen - during the day when work stops me re-applying (how dare it!) - I need something lighter and moisturising. Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour is PERFECT for that. The lanolin (which most people have pre-conceived ideas about) is the purest of pure so it nourishes the lips and keeps them lovely and smooth for when the red lipstick does come out. The ointments with colour are so pretty and available in a range of shades, Rose being my current favourite and it is soft and summery - I dab a tad of red lipstick in so the pinkness doesn't drown out my pale skin. And it has SPF 15 in - holiday must have I think!

Nailed it...

As an admirer of all things glitter I have quite a few GOSH Glitter Matt Finish Polishes as they are so cool! I couldn't get my head around them when I first discovered them, I had a new matt glitter feature nail every week. My new discovery and one I find completely perfect for summer (not just because it matches my pools of blue eyes) is the Frosted Blue shade. They are really good to do gradient glitter with, just apply to a sponge and dab at the bottom or top of your nail.

My two most featured nail brands seem to be Maybelline and GOSH so it is only natural that my summer picks fall into those brands. I have discovered the Super Stay Gel Nail Colour polishes, on my quest to find an amazing clear top coat I picked up Crystal Clear which so far is my favourite ever! I also got myself a colour with Berry Stain which is a rich purple that I adore! (It even matches my handbag). The polishes really do stay for much longer than your everyday polish and the shine on them is lovely - so far so great!

Matching my skin to my wardrobe..

Is hard for me sometimes. I like wearing black now and again as it falls nicely with my hair, but I can end up looking gothic, then pale colours and whites tend to be a no go for me - and that is where I am struggling so far this summer. I haven't even been summer shopping yet (due to a lack of funds) and I am panicking about how much white and pastels are out there and look gorgeous yet I fear I can't wear them. HOWEVER.. I have my bottle of St Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse (where one shade fits all - I love the way they show it on the site, click the link to see!) to hand now and have really gotten into the routine of application. I am feeling a lot more confident in my skin and may even venture into wearing something white soon! It goes on so evenly and perfectly (moisturising and exfoliation help here) with a mitt, and builds up over 4 hours so do not apply too much thinking it isn't dark enough (a mistake I have made before).

So there we have part one of the summer episodes on curiosity.. think before you colour ladies x

Oh and remember to click the names of the products to buy them or see more online info from stockists :) 

going balm'y

I was quite impressed with my pun today - It took a sleepy warm tube ride (one of the ones where you fall asleep and fall off the curb - you know the one!), that combined with a rummage through my bag looking for my new favourite lip balm to realise I have too many lips balms/glosses/ointments/scrubs/sticks in my Mandy (Mandy is from Mango, she is my handbag, and I love her). Seeing as I've shown you all my lipsticks here in my red lippy post I thought I would stick to all the other lip products Mandy has been hoarding for me.

So these aren't in any real kind of order but the Pocket Balm by Bakewell & Vaseline with Cocoa Butter I alternate because I love them both so much. I would recommend all of them -that's why they all made the cut into Mandy's infinite depths. 

Prepping - Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

When I need it a love a good exfoliation, I never thought of doing this to my lips until my best friend turned up to my hole in Uni and showed me this product. It is basically sugar in a pot to be honest and I do eat it (even though I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to) but it's so nice! - It's actual purpose is to exfoliate the lips and prep them to be balmed and lipsticked. And it really does work, even if it is just a jar of sugar goodness.

 It's The Bakewell Soap Company Multi-Purpose Pocket Balm in May Chang Citrus

This balm isn't just for lips, I've used it on my cuticles to soften and keep them in shape and my elbows when they got oddly dry the other week. It smells lush though I suspect there is hemp in the ingredients (they aren't stated on the tin!). It's very strong in smell and in action, it works absolute wonders. I swear by my Vaseline normally but I started with this product last month when it came in my Love Me Beauty box - I will be sure to invest in it in the future as I recommend you do too!

The obvious runner up is my Vaseline Lip Therapy with Cocoa Butter

Need I go into detail with this product? It speaks for itself in reputation, the cocoa butter smell is my favourite. I have all sorts of cocoa butter products (inspiration for a post) because it's really good for dry skin and soothes my itchy arms and legs (post shaving!) so I knew I would love this version of the magical Vaseline tin of miracle balm. All I need say is, try it - it lives up to reputation.

The hydrator or also known as Nivea Hydro Care Lip Balm

This one is normally found under my pillow, especially when I have a cold as that's when my lips get driest. It does what it says on the tin - hydrates your lips to the maximum, definitley a must if you tend to get dry lips/bite your lips (I have a really bad habit of this, hence the amount of lip balms I own)

Love this one for the taste... DuWop Iced Tea Treatment in Strawberry Kiwi

This is one of the products I have had for 5 years, I remember how much I love the fragrance (and taste), use it for a week and then lose it again until I move house/flat! I have no idea where I got it from but it always finds its way back into my life, and I am glad because it is lush - the smell keeps me coming back for more. All I remember about getting this lip treatment is having really bad lips and being sat rubbing it on my chops for a good hour before realising it wasn't really helping.. This means I wouldn't call a treatment, I use it as a gloss because it gives a lovely sheen.

The last two products are what I use for a bit of colour when I'm not quite in the mood for the bright red look I love to go for!

When I'm all pretty in pink and girly it's got to be Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour in Rose 

This product is from a long line of lip ointments and lanolin products. Lanolin is a miracle working thing that makes you all soft and healed (at least thats my version of it). This ointment has a lovely pinky colour that I love to use when I'm not going for my usual lipstick choices. And it has SPF 15 which is always a plus to this pale skinned red head.

Another one that I couldn't pinpoint it's entry into my collection - Pretty:Smile Pearl Shine Lip Gloss

Pretty sure this one came from my mum when she decided the roller didn't work for her - but it works for me fine, and I love a roller (I haven't the foggiest why). But this product, more importantly, glosses a lovely lovely sheen onto your lips, it's really light (makes it perfect for summer) and has Q10 in it (which is apparently good for cell growth - so another goodie for those biters out there).

BIG post for you all today, but I hope you enjoyed it because I do own this many lip glosses and have been this way for as long as I can remember - and I KNOW I'm not the only one ;)

Try as many of these as you can because they are all favourites of mine, determined after years of research and lip application! - And believe it or not this is not ALL of the lip products I own, it's just the ones in my handbag!

PS - don't forget to click the names as they are links to see/buy the products!

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