Sunday Post: Morning Essentials

I've managed to get my morning routine down to a fine art so I can get as much sleep as humanly possible.  Cutting down my skincare routine has really benefited my skin, and knowing exactly which products to use helps speed up my morning routine.

I am still loving La Roche Posay for skincare - I wash my face with the Physiological Cleansing Gel and moisturise using Effaclar Mat.  I pop a dab of Nivea Hydro Care on my lips because it moisturises them and adds a bit of SPF15 protection from the sun.  When I brush my teeth I usually use a toothpaste from Colgate but that's more because it's a habit from living at home than my personal preference.

If I wash my hair, I can't get enough of the Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce shampoo and conditioner at the moment - it smells divine and gets the job done without weighing my hair down or leaving any gross residue.  If I don't wash my hair I use my trusty Batiste, I like most of the scents, but I'm using Blush at the moment.  I haven't included a shower gel or soap because it changes so often, at the moment I'm loving Dirty from Lush.

I know it's lazy, but the only step left is anti-antiperspirant - I love this one from Mitchum.  I am aware that I should moisturise my body, but I don't want to spend the time massaging body butter in or waiting for anything to dry before getting dressed, so I usually skip that step - don't sue me!

What do you use every morning?

Beauty Review: Bourjous Healthy Balance Powder

As an oily-skinned girl, it's quite hard to find products which keep shine away without looking caked-on or powdery, so every time I hear a recommendation for a mattifying powder which isn't cakey I'm in there like swimwear.  My newest one is this little beauty from Bourjois.

Sunday Post: Matte Lips

I'm definitely a matte lip girl.  I love a long-lasting finish which is matte but not chalky or dry.  Over the last few years I've picked up a few tips and tricks for comfortably wearing a matte lipstick and found a few favourites.

When you're wearing matte lips:

• exfoliate your lips - I usually go for a lip scrub from Lush
• choose a matte lip balm to smooth over your lips - I love Nuxe Reve de Miel
• if your eating/drinking, keep your lipstick in your handbag for top ups because they have a tendency to wear off in the middle and leave a ring of colour around the edge of your lips
• if your going for a bold shade, pair it with a lip-liner for a smooth line and use the finger-in-your-mouth trick to make sure you don't have any lipstick on your teeth

My favourites for matte lips are pretty predictable.  I'm not fussy with the format - I love standard bullets, pencils and liquids.  MAC matte lipsticks are a popular favourite - although they can be drying, it's nothing that can't be solved with a dab of lip balm; I'm a sucker for Ruby Woo.  Revlon are a pretty impressive high-street brand for matte lips - their matte lipsticks in bullet form are just as comfortable as MAC's offerings although they don't wear quite as well, they're definitely worth a try!  Revlon's Matte Balm crayons are pretty new to the market, but I love them! My favourite shade is Audacious - a bright orange shade which looks perfect with a tan, I wore this loads on holiday.

When it comes to matte liquid lipsticks, Bourjois are killing it at the moment; the Rouge Edition Velvets are doing the rounds on the blogosphere and I've seen nothing but praise for them.  They've got a range of gorgeous colours, they're comfortable to wear and they're long lasting, all for under a tenner! These next ones are a little harder to get hold of, but Sephora Lip Cremes are a seriously comfortable way of wearing a bold matte lip.  I have shade 01 (the perfect red), but I'm fancying shade 03 too.  They're  a little less comfortable to wear than the Bourjois liquid lipsticks but they last longer - you win some, you lose some!

Are you a matte lip girl? What are your favourite matte lipsticks?

Books I've Loved This Summer

Since I was a little one, I've been a complete bookworm.  Sometimes work or studying gets on top of me and I don't pick up a book for a while, but ever summer I dive head-first into my kindle and lose myself in a range of fictional worlds.  I enjoy a range of genres and writing styles, although I do tend to prefer fiction to non-fiction or autobiographies.  These are the six stories I adored this summer, and 100% recommend.

Lucie Whitehouse - The Bed I Made and Before We Met

This author is a recent discovery for me, but both of these stories had me hooked.  Beware of the creepy element in Lucie's writing which gave me goosebumps and often left me thinking about the story a long time after I'd finished turning the pages.  Without giving too much away, these are gripping thrillers based around not knowing your other half quite as well as you expect which I just couldn't put down.  They are a little far-fetched in places, and they don't quite live up to Gone Girl standard, but they're up there, particularly The Bed I Made.

Nick Louth - Bite

Admittedly, I only downloaded this because it was cheap on the kindle store and I needed something to read while I was waiting for pay day, but I absolutely loved it.  It was fast-paced, filled with twists and turns and incredibly interesting.  Erica has found a cure for a deadly disease, but the night before presenting her findings, she disappears leaving her new boo Max to find her and uncover a lot along the way.

E. Lockhart - We Were Liars

Another book I only bought for the price, but it's a good'un.  The story follows a group of teenagers on their yearly summer visits to their grandfather's island, but there's an unexpected haunting twist that I never saw coming.

Graeme Simsion - The Rosie Project

Although the last three have been thrillers, this is the complete other end of the spectrum - a feel-good read that made me laugh-out-loud.  Don Tillman is stuck in his ways, and is on the lookout for his perfect woman who meets his long list of criteria - the only problem is that she may not exist.  Rosie definitely doesn't fit his criteria, but she does make him happy, and that just might be what he needs to reverse his rut.

David Levithan - Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

If you enjoyed John Green's books or Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park you need to try this.  Instead of looking for the right guy, Lily hides dares in her local bookshop hoping the right guy will find it, Dash won't back down from the challenge and they fall for each other on paper, but they don't know if it'll be the same in real life.  Such a lovely easy read which was perfect lounging by the pool!

I would love to hear your book recommendations - pop them in the comments and I'll give them a shot! 

Beauty Review: Illamasqua Matte Veil

I was part of the crowd that read the hundreds of reviews surrounding Hydra Veil when it was released in 2013; I was sucked in by the unique formula and packaging, I was desperate to get my hands on a little black pot, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  Surely anything with 'Hydra' in the name wasn't going to be a good match for an oily skin? My prayers were answered when earlier this year Illamasqua released their Matte Veil base - I was sold.  Then I read Sarah's review (here); 30 seconds later I had made my order.