June Favourites!

Hello! So I have been on a little hiatus for the past couple of weeks. Basically my brother and father  were out in Brazil building an education centre in Curitiba so me and my mum were on our own. We were filling out our time so that we wouldn't feel like we were missing them too much. I thought seeing as it was the end of June I would put together a little Favourite post!

Style
I have been loving this little combo for the past month. Both items are from Topshop. The jeans are tile print Leigh Jean and are so soft and comfortable. These are the third pair of Jeans I have bought from Topshop and they are by far the most well fitted and comfortable jeans that I have owned as they have the perfect amount of strength and are the perfect size and length for me as I am a shorter person who struggles to find jeans!

Movie
My movie favourite for June has to be Maleficent. We went to see it last Saturday and had such a great time! It was completely different from what I was expecting and I loved it! The storyline is based around the evil fairy queen in sleeping beauty and how she is heartbroken which is the main cause of what she does. I also love how they kept the storyline close to the Grimm tale as possible and didn't 'Disney' it up, (don't get me wrong I love Disney!). First of all Angelina Jolie was absolutely AMAZING in it. You could really relate to her character and even when she was being cruel and nasty you didn't feel like you hated her. Also Elle Fanning plays the character of Aurora perfectly. If you haven't seen it then you must go out and see it soon, or get it on DVD when it comes out.

Theatre
This month as well as having a trip to the cinema I paid for my mum and I to go and see Matilda at the theatre. This is another must see show. From start to finish it felt like you were watching a movie and the singing and talent from both the children and the adult actors was excellent. I had read the reviews and knew that it was supposed to be good but it was so much better than I could have imagined. The little girl playing Matilda had the best voice from a young child that I have heard of and you really felt for her character. Miss Trunchball was equally as good and managed to make her character loved as well as hated when she needed to be. Like all theatre shows that are based off books/films there was a little bit of differentiation, but you forgot that it has been a DVD as it is completely different. I have also been singing the songs in my head for the past week! (Also as I write this I am listening to the soundtrack!).

Magazines
I have been subscribed to Elle magazine for the past 2 years and still love reading it every month. I sign up every September at LFWend as it is cheaper and you often get a lovely subscriber present! I love the mixture of celebrity, fashion and beauty that the magazine gives you. Even though there is far too many adverts, you can look past that with the great tips and content that the magazine has. It is by far my favourite 'fashion' magazine to gain inspiration for my fashion design course that I read. I am also subscribed to Glamour magazine which gives me my 'high street' fashion fix! I would recommend reading both or one of these magazines!

Fashion
My final favourite comes in the form of a bag. I have been saving up for months and I have finally been able to afford it. I am of course talking about my first ever designer handbag. It comes in the form of a Michael Kors bag. I am going to go into this bag later on in detail in next sundays post. But I am absolutely in love with the size of it and I got it for a great price!

I hope you enjoyed this different style of post to the favourites that I usually post on my blog!

Have a lovely week! 

Summer beauty edit!

In the UK summer is in full swing. I have already been sunburnt and I have already complained about it being too hot in the night, which are obviously generic things to say and do in the summer. So many great things have happened to me this week that I am so excited to share! First and foremost I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST! I did a first test the other week and failed due to another car pulling out in front of me, (I never will understand why people are impatient when it comes to learners), but alas I put in for another test straight away and 2 weeks later I passed! The second great thing to happen is my brother and father have gone to Brazil to help build orphanages. This is something that they have been working towards for 3 years. They are going with a company called 'Lionsraw' so I truly recommend checking them out online. It is a fantastic reason to go and they are even having a well deserved break watching a couple of matches in the little free time that they have got.

Let me know in the comments how your week has been!

Now onto the post. I am starting to sort through my makeup as I have been less wanting to wear certain products now that the sun has arrived. Foundation being one is definitely out of the question! I bought the Benefit Big and easy BB cream, but still haven't made my mind fully up about that yet. The past week I haven't been putting a base on my face, although if you have any good bb creams then please let me know!. For the evenings I reckon I will still be using my YSL touché éclat foundation, although I reckon I will still use a minimum amount. To set my foundation I will be using my ever favourite Stay Matte powder. I have also been using my Porefessional by Benefit as a base every time that I apply makeup, so that is a must have for my makeup bag still!

Blusher was a difficult one for me as I didn't really know whether I would want to wear blush. In the summer you naturally flush so I have decided to put all of my blushes away for the summer! (A very brave decision for me I know)
I know many people do not bother with bronzer in the summer as usually your skin goes darker , I however do not seem to tan. I either go red or stay the same. So with that in mind I will continue to use bronzer. I have kept out my go to Hoola by benefit as this is my all-time favourite bronzer which never fails to disappoint me!

Recently I have been loving combining my naked 2 and 3 palettes. I feel like they have a great day-night time looks and always make my eyes look brighter. I have decided to keep out my Benefit They're real mascara as well as my Barry M Eye pencil.  

On my lips there are only a couple of lipsticks and glosses that I know I am going to be using ALOT. They are Mac Creme cup, Mac bombshell and Maybelline water shine gloss in 'cutie pie'. This is a really old purchase for me and I have loved wearing it more recently over Bombshell by make to add a glossier finish. It also smells lovely! 

My final must have for my makeup kit is this Vanilla body spray from natural collection. This is by far the nicest homely smelling thing that I own. It lingers on your body for ages and smells fresh and summery. I always apply this when I want to freshen up after a long day out and about. It is also super affordable and this one cost me £2 from Boots. 

So that is my little Summer beauty edit/makeup kit. What are your essentials for summer? Let me know down in the comments! Thanks for reading and have a lovely week!

Twitter- @BellamomentoX

Bathroom organisation!

You know you have turned into a hoarder of products when you can't physically fit anymore bottles on your countertop side. This is what my bathroom sides have turned into over the past year. I like trying and testing out the different products and then placing them in a box never to be seen again. I saw a post the other day where they went through all of their lip products and did a HUGE summer clear out. This is what I have decided I needed to do for not only my sanity, but also my brother who shares the bathroom with me! 

I saw these cute boxes in Matalan and thought, 'If the products fit in the box then I can keep them', and I have for sure stuck to this ruling! They were £12 for 2 boxes and I love the vintage feel that these boxes have. 

(Ok so I had a lot of help through this clean out, and only managed to take a picture of the final box including lush products and moisturisers but still.)

These are the after pictures. I love the way that the boxes make it all look so much better. I loved clearing out all of my bits as I love getting rid of stuff that I no longer needed. Also I have found a lot of my Lush bath bombs and soaps that I thought I had already used! 

Let me know if you have had a huge summer clean up! Thanks for reading! 

Twitter- @bellamomentox

Cutagen Skincare*

Throughout my life something I have always suffered with is dry/sensitive skin. I have always struggled to find a hand/body/face cream that actually works in the long run than just for the initial 20 minutes after application, (although Hand food by soap and glory is amazing!). Due to this reoccurring issue I have never really 'stuck' with a moisturiser as I haven't found the one that works perfectly for me, so I am always up for trying new stuff.

Cutagen are a skincare company which are 100 percent British. They base their products on the three different skin care groups. Sensitive, Oily and Combination skin. When Cutagen sent me over some samples to try I wanted to really test out the products before giving my honest review. One thing I do like to do when trying out products is to see what ingredients are included and as you can see from their website, a lot of research from them is definitely shown. http://cutagen.com/shop/welcome (This is their website If you wish to check it out!)

I was given a few different samples of each different skin type and as I have stated above my skin is sensitive so this is what I am going to look at first. The first thing I tried was the Gentle care moisturising creme cleanser hand wash and bath and shower moisturiser. The whole concept of this product is great. When I wash my hands and dry them is usually when my hands are the most sensitive so having a moisturising soap sounds perfect. After many trials of this product I can say it does actually work. The product leaves my hands feeling softer than usual after washing and they feel clean and not sticky. The only issues I have with this product is the liquidness of the wash. It would have been easier to use if it was a little bit more 'sticky' than watery in consistency. Another thing I would add is the soap is scentless. This is probably due down to the fact it is perfume free with no added ingredients. Its such a shame because with the Orange and rosemary oils that are included, it doesn't smell fresh. Overall I think the product does its job and works. 

Another product I tried was their Gentlecare calming moisturiser and hand and body moisturiser. Again I used this on my hands as this is the area I struggle with my skin the most and found that it does work fine, however again there is the scent issue. For being perfume free it smells a little odd, (but then again its a better smell than some medicated creams I have used in the past!). Again the consistency of the product was very watery which is a reoccurring element within their collections. I have given this a few different tests and have had different results each time. I used it after getting out of the shower to find that it leaves my skin feeling soft for the majority of the evening. But then when I reapply this product in the morning It leaves my skin feeling very red and irritable. I don't know whether it is me using the product wrong or what but either way its not a pleasant feeling. 

In conclusion I think the Cutagen brand has done a lot of research into the various skin types and this can be seen in their products. They have noticed how people with dry sensitive skin do not like the added perfume/scent, however I feel like there could be a natural scent added. Also they have done what no other company I have heard of have done and actually tried to match many peoples needs. Their products are relatively cheap with prices starting at £4.49 for a 75ml Moisturiser. I still don't believe that I have found my perfect skincare range, however am willing to give Cutagen more tries! 

Hope you liked this honest review, and let me know whether you have tried any of Cutagen's products in the comments below! If you would like to try out any products for yourself Cutagen have given me a 10% off first online order. Just enter BB10PC when you checkout! This voucher is valid until 31st August 2014! Unfortunately this voucher can only be used on orders to a UK delivery address and can only be redeemed on online orders. One per customer. 

You can check out Cutagen's website here- http://cutagen.com/shop/welcome

Check them out on Twitter- @Cutagen
Check them out on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/Cutagen
Check me out on twitter at @bellamomentox

*The products spoken about in this post were sent to me to review by Cutagen. All opinions stated are honest and written in my own writing. 

Benefit Porefessional review!

Hello! 

More recently I have been really enjoying the whole process of applying and trying out different kinds of makeup. Over the past year I have started to buy more and more and have forgotten about some of my old favourites which have been pushed to the side a little. Last Tuesday my family and I went out to a curry evening to support my great aunt who was raising money for charity. I decided that I was going to do a natural evening makeup look.

I have had a lot of problems more recently with my liquid foundation appearing 'patchy', and due to my pale skin I find foundations hard to really blend in to my skin without this 'chalky' look. My favourite YSL foundation has also been giving me these problems. Last week I posted about buying the Benefit 'Porefessional' makeup primer. I have always been a little sceptical about how primers work. I don't want to be too over the top, but seriously this product has changed my whole makeup look. The box says that you can use it by applying before or after makeup application. I put moisturiser on my skin beforehand and then apply the primer afterwards. Immediately after applying this product you can feel the difference it does to your skin. It turns the touch of your skin to silk and feels really lightweight.

I am really impressed with how much longer your makeup looks without budging after using this product. I was also really worried about how it would feel after everything has been applied on the skin as the primer is another layer, this is not a problem as once blended into the skin it is unnoticeable.

Here is the makeup look that I did on the evening of the curry night. I used the Porefessional primer first then used my YSL foundation on top. I applied this using the KIKO 106 face brush. This is a brush that I haven't had much joy with and was actually giving it a 'last try' on the night I used it. I have since then decided that I LOVE the brush and want to use it everyday! I then applied a little bit of Rimmel London wake me up concealer underneath my eyes. I then used Revlon photo ready concealer on any blemishes/redness that I had. I set this with the Stay Matte powder. For bronzer I used Hoola by benefit and applied that in the high points of my face as well as contouring with it. For my brows I used Maybelline brow drama. The brows is something that I have often left out from doing as I didn't know how to do them properly, and I didn't want to ruin them. This brow gel is in the form of a wand so applies nice and evenly without looking to dramatic or over the top. For my eyes I used the NYC Individual eyes for brown eyes palette's primer and applied that all over the lid up to the brow. I then used a Benefit creaseless shadow pot in 'samba-dy loves me' with 'Buzz' from the naked 3 palette in the crease. Afterwards I applied my They're real mascara from Benefit. This was another favourite that I had completely forgotten about and rediscovered in my collection. I also applied a little bit of gold eyeliner in the waterline as it opened the eyes a little and made them look a little brighter. I used a Barry M double ended one, however it was a limited edition eyeliner and I got it many years ago and have never used it or opened it until now!

I finished my look by using Tanya Burr's lipgloss in Aurora. This is a product I have been absolutely loving for my lips recently as it adds colour as well as being moisturising and smelling AMAZING!

That is all I have to talk about these products..for now. But I am really looking forward to seeing if the primer carries on working as well as it is at the moment!

Let me know in the comments whether you have used the Porefessional primer and what you thought of it!

Have a lovely week!

Manicure Monday!

Happy Monday!

Hope you are all having a lovely morning (so far!). Earlier on in my blogging days I used to post frequently with a 'Nail of the Day' every monday. This was something I enjoyed doing as I had more time painting my nails. Since uni started I have found less and less time to change up my nails! Seeing as Uni is coming to an end I am going to get back into these posts and I can't wait to share some designs with you!

I took this picture as soon as I had painted my nails so the edges hadn't been cleaned yet! 

This design is pretty simple. I used Essie polishes in 'bikini so teeny' and 'beyond cosy'. To get the zig zag shape I used pinking shears (Textile scissors) and cut strips from some masking tape and placed it over my dry colour. When I had the design I liked I sealed it with Essie's topcoat.

Hope you like this design and have a lovely week!

Benefit Makeup Haul!

Good Afternoon! 

On Wednesday I went to my local shopping centre to attend a 'student lock in' with my cousin. We had a lovely shopping trip although I didn't buy anything except for these two little splurges! 

 The first thing I bought was the 'porefessional' from the Benefit counter in Debenhams. I had been looking for a makeup primer for a long time and after reading loads of reviews online I decided to treat myself to this. To begin with the packaging is so cute! I like how the box opens to look like a 'doll'. I will give this a try and let you know how I get on with it!

 Whilst I was browsing around the counter I also spotted this big easy better than BB cream and picked it up. I had also seen lots of reviews online about this and seeing as it is relatively new out on the market I wanted to give it a try also. I haven't tried a BB cream but am excited to try this out. This is another Liquid to Powder formula so I am excited to see how it works.

When checking out the lady gave me this fake up concealer to try. This is a hydrating crease control concealer. I am also going to be trying this out and will hopefully have a review of it up soon if it all works well!

Benefit is a makeup brand that has really improved with its products over the past couple of years so I am excited to try some full sized products that I have heard great things about.

Hope you enjoyed this post and let me know what Benefit products I need to try!

Twitter- @bellamomentox

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