SUMMER ESSENTIALS

Summer has to be one of my favourite times of the year, the warmer weather, sunshine and longer days all help to uplift my mood, particularly the longer days which means there is more time to take blogpost photos. During the Summer I tend to stick to light products that don't feel too heavy on my skin, the same way you opt for lighter clothes and generally I change up my routine, so I thought this called for a blogpost, I warn you, it's a lengthy one!

SKIN PREPARATION:

During the warmer months I much prefer having showers over baths and I like to use the oh so famous Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash. I adore the scent, a sugary sweet lime aroma fills the bathroom and makes me feel refreshed and ready to start my day. 

As we start to reveal more skin at this time of year therefore having a good exfoliate helps to remove any dead skin cells and will make your skin nice and smooth for the gorgeous weather. One of my current favourites is The Body Shop Honeymania Body Scrub as it is very gentle on the skin and doesn't leave behind any residue. I love the scent too, it's subtle and sweet but not too overpowering. I aim to use this once or twice a week and follow up by moisturising with the Vaseline Cocoa Butter Moisture Spray. This is a great alternative thick body moisturiser for example the Soap and Glory Righteous Butter which has a very rich consistency and takes a while to sink into the skin, and as much as I enjoy using the Righteous Butter, the Vaseline Spray is much better for this time of year. The 'Spray and Go' element makes the product simple and easy to use, spray it on dry skin, rub in with your hands and it sinks in easily with no fuss.

MAKE-UP PRODUCTS:

When it's humid there is nothing worse than the feeling of your foundation melting off your face, particularly when you're not at home and forgot to bring make-up wipes with you to work... If like me you are close to giving up on wearing foundation at this time of year, then look no further, meet the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation*. A medium coverage foundation which feels lightweight and looks effortless on the skin. I apply half a pump onto the back of my hand and blend using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush. If you're not in the market for a new foundation, I would recommend halving the amount you use on a daily basis and although the coverage may not be as good, it may not feel as heavy on the skin.

The Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Pink Quartz is my new favourite highlighter. One of the reasons I love it is because of the gorgeous glow it creates on the cheekbones, but also due to how versatile it is. In the pan there are strips of both pink and bronze, that can be used as blush, bronzer, highlighter or eyeshadows.  

One of my all time favourite products is the Soap and Glory Solar Powder and you can tell by looking at it, a huge dip in the middle of the pan. I love the glow and warmth it gives to my pale complexion and for just over a ten pounds you can't go wrong. I swirl my brush in both sides and apply it just under my cheekbones, around my hairline and under my jawbone. 

You've got to have a peach lipgloss by your side at this time of year and mine will be the Accessorize Light Me Up Lipgloss in the shade 'Nude'. If you missed it, a few weeks ago Accessorize launched their new cosmetics collection and in my opinion, it rocks. You can find a blogpost all about the launch here. What I love about their new Lipgloss range is not only the gorgeous shades, but the packaging. Each lipgloss has a screw able lid and when opened lights up. Perfect if you're in a night club and can't see what you're doing as there is a mirror on the side of the lipgloss too, bonus! 

ON THE NAILS:

It's safe to say I own way too many nail polishes thanks to a phase I went through last summer when I got into nail art, most of which now never get used and I should probably re-home. I do have a few favourites though that sit on my windowsill, from Barry M, Essie and Accessorize*. Barry M's Gelly High Shine Nail Polishes have great longevity on the nails, I absolutely despise painting my toe nails, so anything that lasts longer on my nails than a week is a winner in my eyes. My favourite shade is 'Rosehip' a muted pink. 

Another nail polish I will be rotating this Summer is 'Bikini So Teeny' by Essie, a gorgeous blue shade with purple undertones and who can forget about the slight shimmer in the formula. 

Last but not least, if you read my Accessorize launch blogpost you will know that I came home with many products to try, including a handful of their nail polishes, two of which I adore. The shades 'In the Nude' a pretty pale peach and a blue, green and orange glitter 'Mermaid'. When paired together they look stunning and I have never seen a glitter like that before!

This post is a collaboration with my good friend Emma who has also written a post outlining her Summer Essentials-link over on her blog, Have a Cup Of Tea. I adore her blog as it is a place where you can find advice, beauty posts, music features and so much more!

What are your Summer Essentials?

Lauren

*This post contains products that were given to me for review purposes, to view my full disclaimer, click here.

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LAUNCH OF ACCESSORIZE BEAUTY

I'm not usually the person that receives many emails, so my inbox isn't the most exciting of places. However, on my walk back to work on Tuesday last week, my phone buzzed and the words Press Office: Launch Of Accessorize Cosmetics printed up on my screen. I opened the email to find that Monsoon, yes you read that right, were inviting me to visit Jar Kitchen, a very swish cafe on Drury Lane might I add, to celebrate the launch of their new cosmetics line.  

My friend Alex and I set off early on Friday morning, jumped on the tube at our local station and headed for Holborn. When we arrived at the cafe we were greeted with many excited bloggers, journalists and of course some of the lovely staff from Accessorize, the people that made the wonderful event happen. As we walked through the door, beside us was a table showcasing all of their new products encased in glass sweet jars, alongside jars of marshmallows, wrapped sherbet sweets and flying saucers. After being told about the line and a little bit about each of the new exciting products we were guided to a table to have a manicure. From a selection of their new nail polishes I chose to have the shade 'In the nude', a very pretty pale muted peach, on every nail apart from my ring finger on which I had painted with the shade 'Mermaid' a gorgeous turquoise glitter with flecks of green and orange. Alex on the other hand chose to have her nails painted with Deep Sea, a metallic navy blue and then the shade 'Party Dress' on her ring fingers. 'Party Dress' is a stunning pink and turquoise chunky glitter with flecks of green. 

We were also kindly given a goody bag each with the pick and mix theme, we could choose any products from the sweet jars and take them home to try, which I think was a fantastic idea. I chose lots of products which I am sure you will see in upcoming blogposts. We were immediately attracted to the nail polishes, encased in geometric bottles with a vast colour range and also their Light Me Up Gloss collection. 

If you love rose gold, polka dots and pastel coloured packaging as much as I do, I am sure you will love their new line!

Have you heard about Accessorize's new collection? Is there anything you want to try?

Lauren

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5 TIPS: DEALING WITH TEENAGE SKIN

However hard you try, it is very difficult to avoid spots during the period that you are a teenager. They appear for many reasons, diet, stress level, hormones, pollution, the list goes on and there are lots of ways you can choose to deal with them. Some people ignore them, others squeeze them (not the best option and it is very gross) and then there are the people like me who try to minimise them and then find a prevention method. The question is, which person are you? More to the point, during the few years that I have been a teenager I have had to deal with my fair share of spots (as I type, there are a few on my face right now) and sometimes it can feel like you will never have clear skin again. Here are a few tips on how to deal with and prevent them...

BEAUTY LOVES: MAY AND JUNE

Monthly favourite used to be my least favourite posts to both write and read but over time I have gradually started to enjoy them more, and seeing as I have been away for just over a month, what better way to kick things off than with Beauty Loves for May and June. 

As it's been exam season I haven't had the opportunity to try many new products but on the days I had exams I would reach for some concealer for under my eyes (hide the fact that I hadn't had much sleep) and to cover any stress spots. Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer has been my best friend and hides anything you don't want to be seen. Due to it's high coverage and consistency it does have the tendency to build up in certain areas but I find the best way to avoid this is to make sure you blend really well and set with a light dusting of powder. 

Another concealer I have been alternating using is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Concealer. This is another high coverage concealer, can you tell my skin hasn't been that great recently? After experimenting with this many times, I find the best way to apply is to pick up the product with your brush from the pan and then apply to the area. I like to use this as a second layer on certain spots which I am finding difficult to cover. I have found that it doesn't work very well under my eyes but that's just my personal preference. 

On days where I felt like wearing more make-up, I have been using my Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette for a neutral and simple eyeshadow look. I go in phases with using this and every time I pick it back up again to use it I realise what a great palette it is. It may only contain a few simple colours but I find that you can easily create a wearable look for everyday easily with them in only a few minutes. My favourite shade is Naked 2, a muted warm brown which I sweep across the lid with a hint of Faint in the crease and Venus in the inner corner of my eye.

I get quite nervous when going into school for an exam and I found the best way to calm me down was to wear some of my favourite perfume. I would definitely recommend this technique if you are an anxious person like me and are need of a little bit of reassurance when entering the exam hall. I received the Prada Candy Eau de Toilette for my birthday and I have fallen in love with it. Usually when I sat in the exam hall apprehensive about what the paper in front of me may contain smelling a hint of the perfume on my shirt calmed me down. 

I also received the Bobbi Brown Sheer Powder brush for my birthday and I cannot explain how much I love it. Despite the fact that it does have the tendency to shed hairs on my face every once in a while, it is the perfect brush for powder, blush, highlighter and contouring. I find that it picks up just enough product and blends everything easily together.

What products have you been loving during May and June?

Lauren

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