Summer Beauty Essentials you can’t live without

Summer Beauty Essentials including dr Dennis gross dark spot sun defines, ultra violet skin screen and cool refreshing mist with spf 15
Summer Beauty Essentials you can’t live without

With a change of season, comes a change in beauty routine. Long gone are the cold nights, cloudy days and lack of sunlight, which brought dry and dull skin. New obstacles have arisen with hotter weather, plenty of sun rays, and a ton of humidity. Thankfully this year we are fully prepared.

From innovative sunscreen to easy solutions, I’ve introduced quite a few new brands to my beauty routine recently, which I’m really excited to share with you. I’ll be spending this Summer focusing on the basics; SPF, moisture and glow. I’ve taken a bit of a break from makeup recently, so clear skin is a must. This means taking care of my skin before and after going out in the sun and making sure I top up my sunscreen on the go.

Without further ado, here are my Summer beauty essentials.

Summer Beauty Essentials for 2021

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I’ve always been an advocate for taking care of your skin first, and I think that’s pretty apparent with this list. I can’t stress enough how important it is to transition to wearing a higher SPF during Summer, even if you’re not going outside. It may not be groundbreaking, but it is practical, and it goes a long way to taking care of your skin… now and in the future!

Don’t forget to check out more of my beauty recommendations and let me know in the comments which products you’ll be coveting this Summer.

Summer Beauty Essentials including caudalie tan prolonging after sun lotion, supergroup unseen sunscreen and Maison margiela replica perfume samples
Summer Beauty Essentials including Dermalogica smart response serum and moisture masque

Spring Beauty Essentials | My 2019 Recommendations

Spring Beauty EssentialsMy Spring Beauty Essentials | 2019 Recommendations

With a change of season, comes a change in my beauty routine. Long gone are the cold winter nights, cloudy days and lack of sunlight which brought dry and dull skin. New obstacles arise, with hotter days and more time spent outside. Thankfully I am fully prepared this year. My recent trip to Japan helped a lot, as it meant I was able to stock up on some old favourites, as well as some new products I researched before/during my visit. That said, in 2019 I’ve continued to keep my beauty routine pretty varied in terms of origins & brands – with items coming from UK, Japan, Korea and France (amongst others).

I’ll be spending this spring focusing on the basics; healthy skin and hair, fresh scents and a fully prepped base with minimal make-up. So without further ado, here are my spring beauty essentials for 2019.

My Spring Beauty Essentials

I’ve always been an advocate for taking care of your skin first, and I think that’s pretty apparent with this list, as you can see I haven’t added any new make-up products to my cupboard. But I think the most obvious change from my winter beauty products, is the addition of lighter creams and stronger SPFs. It may not be groundbreaking, but it is practical, and it works.

Don’t forget to check out more of my beauty recommendations and let me know in the comments which products you’ll be coveting in spring 2019.

Spring Beauty EssentialsSpring Beauty Essentials Spring Beauty Essentials Spring Beauty Essentials Spring Beauty Essentials

Review: Shanghai Tang Gold Lily Perfume

shanghai-tang-gold-lily-perfume-silk-road-fragrance-review-2Shanghai Tang Gold Lily Perfume*

I don’t often do perfume reviews – mainly because it’s a very personal subject. Everyone has their favourite type of scent. Some people prefer floral, some musky, others sickly sweet. There are such a variety of options when it comes to perfume. I used to buy 5-7 of bottles a year. After a while I realised that having a signature scent made far more sense than dousing myself in a different perfume every day. The real question is, would Shanghai Tang Gold Lily perfume become just that?

Pros:
+ Beautiful packaging
+ Subtle fragrance; floral & musk

Cons:
– Very heavy bottle

Notes:
Some beauty products are practical. Some are innovative. Others are so beautiful you can’t bare to use them. But what happens when you find a product that matches all three of these? You weep a little. The first thing I noticed when I opened my Shanghai Tang parcel was the packaging. The box and bottle are exquisite; simple, yet also somehow opulent. I couldn’t contain my joy – something those who follow me on Snapchat may have noticed. One thing I did notice was that the bottle is incredibly heavy. Oddly enough this is due to the ornate lid. However I was hoping that it was the perfume inside the bottle that would steal the show. According to the site “the precious Lily flower is wrapped with accents of Jasmine, Orange flower, patchouli and musk creating a mysterious and sensual composition.” And since I’m nowhere near articulate enough I’m going to leave you with that description, because it sums it up perfectly. This is a subtle floral fragrance with a hint of musk. Whilst wearing it I feel equal parts feminine, powerful and elegant. Yes a perfume really can do that to your confidence! Is this my new signature scent? I think it could be! Would I purchase it? At £100 this isn’t pocket change. On the other hand, if I only bought one perfume a year (because they honestly last me that long), then that’s just over £8 a month. I really think this is a scent worth saving for…or popping on your Christmas wish list.

The Silk Road Fragrance collection is available to purchase in Shanghai Tang‘s Hong Kong, Macau and London boutiques.

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Wishlist: Beauty Base Perfumes

I’ve always been a sucker for a good perfume. It wasn’t until I moved away to university though that I realised just how big my problem was. I placed each beautifully bottled scent on my shelf, until there was no more space. It was then that I decided I would slim my collection down, only buying a select few perfumes, the kind that I would want to wear everyday. In recent years I’ve done pretty well at keeping that promise to myself. Instead I buy one or two perfumes during the year, whilst trying out mini sample size scents to determine my next purchase. Once a perfume has run out I buy my favourite of the samples. However that doesn’t mean I can’t dream a little, so I’ve put together a wishlist of some old and new favourites from Beauty Base
Vivienne Westwood has some great perfumes, but Boudoir has to be my favourite. Marc Jacobs is another sensible choice, and if the beautifully adorned bottle doesn’t sell it to you, maybe the fruity, floral fragrance will. Speaking of beautiful bottles, I do like my perfumes to look as good as they smell. That’s why Salvatore Ferragamo’s Signorina Eleganza is on the list. Two samples that I’ve almost used up completely in recent months are Dolce by Dolce & Gabanna, and Prada Candy Florale. Both scents are perfectly suited to me and my perfume collection. I may have resigned myself to only buying a couple of bottles of perfume a year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t ask for the others as gifts. 
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This post is in collaboration with Beauty Base, however all views and words are my own.

Review: Viktor & Rolf Bonbon Perfume

Viktor & Rolf Bonbon Perfume*

This is a different kind of review for me. I’ve not reviewed a perfume before, purely for how difficult it is. All perfumes smell different to each individual, but I thought I’d do my best. I really love this perfume so I wanted to share it with you all too. So here’s a short and sweet review of the fragrance. Viktor & Rolf are back again with another effortlessly enchanting fragrance.  At first glance the playfully pink box looks like it’s hiding something sweet, however what it actually hides is an elegantly gorgeous bottle. Bonbon is a subtly sweet scent with hints of caramel, mandarin and peach. For me it is reminiscent of sunny Spring afternoons spent cavorting around London cafes, browsing the endless selection of delicious cakes on offer. This is perfectly suited to those who enjoy a young, fun perfume. I also had a little fun and made a video about what the perfume feels like to me. It features me messing around in the park, with lots of blossoms and baby ducks. Yep, it is as random as it sounds. You can check it out on my Youtube channel.

Viktor & Rolf’s Bonbon retails at around £50-£94, depending on size.
You can purchase it at Debenhams and The Perfume Shop.

Video: A Date with Viktor & Rolf Bonbon

I was sent the new Viktor & Rolf Bonbon perfume, and I fell in love with it! So I decided to make a little video about our first date together. I will also be posting a review on the blog soon!
You can purchase Viktor & Rolf Bonbon at Debenhams.
Check out more of my videos and subscribe to my Youtube channel – if you like.