August favourites

It's that time once again for a little bit of favourites action. Here are the products I've been using and loving throughout August.

Yankee Candle Concentrated Room Spray in Coconut Bay -  £5.65

I absolutely love this room spray, it's odour eliminating and smells seriously amazing - plus I love me some coconut. If your room needs a quick pick-me-up just give this bad boy a quick squirt. The scent lingers for ages, it might be a tiny can but it really packs a punch. 

Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Foundation

So, I managed to get myself a pretty decent sized sample of YSL's newest foundation a few weeks ago. The sample was enough for me to use everyday for well over a week which was totally long enough for me to fall completely in love with it. 

It claims to last 24 hours. Well I don't know if that's true as I never kept it on that long but after a good ten hours it still looked pretty darn good. It feels like a dream going on, it's pretty lightweight with medium coverage that's really buildable. It made my skin look almost flawless. 

It comes in a good shade selection, 16 in all. I'm the second lightest shade which is a great colour match. On writing this I hadn't picked up my full sized bottle yet but my name's on that waiting list! (Fusion Ink is £30.50) 

L'Occitane Shea Extract Liquid Soap in Sweet Almond - £19

I seriously can't stop washing my hands since I started using this. Yes, for a liquid soap it's pretty pricey but it lasts a long long time and smells soooo good. When visitors use it they always comment on how nice it is. When it's gone I will absolutely buy another - the Lavender one is next on my list. 

Hope Girl 3D Mascara in black 

I got this marvellous mascara in a Memebox this month (check out my box review here). 

Loving this beauty. I use two coats. The first adds length, the second volume. It holds the curl and doesn't flake. The metal tube is lovely too. All round brilliant product. 

(Get the Memebox it came in here).

OPI Pure 18K White Gold & Silver Nail Varnish - £29.99 

This is probably the most luxurious nail varnish I own. It's totally expensive - thankfully I got it in a sale for £15 (which is still a lot!). This clear top coat is an OPI collaboration with Mariah Carey and contains flakes of real 18k white gold & Silver. 

It totally blings up any nail varnish (urgh, I hate the word bling) but it also looks lovely on its own. It takes a few coats to really get the flaked gold effect but it really is beautiful. There's something great about knowing you've got real gold and silver on your nails! 

So that's it for my August favourites. Looking over the list it was a pretty spendy month, whoops. You can check out my budget friendly July faves here. 

What products did you love using throughout August? 

I'm off to wash my hands! 

Love Emma 

XOXO 

A little QVC crush

When you say the letters QVC for the majority of people it conjures up the image of old age pensioners buying useless 'household helpers' with their pension money. Teleshopping has a pretty shoddy reputation. When I say I got something from QVC or even that I regularly watch it I often get a shocked/confused/amazed response. So much so that in my defense I decided to write a little about my love for this TV channel.

I love QVC. Seriously utterly *LOVE* it. And i'm not a pensioner. And I don't buy useless gadgets. I'm a beauty product obsessed mum in her 30's. Of course I love going out shopping but QVC offers a little extra, not just the ability to buy stuff sat in your PJs on a rainy Sunday evening.

They have really competitive prices, especially with their 'Today's Special Value' (one product on a 24 hour super price) but that's not just it - they offer really great brands. Like proper well known and loved big brands.
Yes, they sell random clothes and faux diamond jewelry but they also sell much wanted high-end brands that are often only available in department stores. Even better still they offer products that you want, that you *need*, that are UK exclusives - QVC is the only place to buy them. Really. I heard a lot about Tarte and naturally wanted the whole range. The only place in the UK you can buy it is, yes you've guessed it, QVC. You're starting to see why I like it so, right?

So, apart from Tarte what other brands am I talking about? It would probably be quicker to list the cosmetics and beauty brands that they don't sell. Sat from the comfort of your own sofa you can buy products from:

Benefit, Bobby Brown, Liz Earle, Elemis, bareMinerals, Mally, Nails Inc, Leighton Denny, Eyeko, Josie Maran, Philosopy, Stila, L'Occitane, James Read, Bliss, OPI & Molton Brown to name just a few.

I mostly watch for the beauty products but if you're into your gadgets they have Apple, Bose, Sony, Dyson.... you get my drift.

QVC also provides you with information about the products on screen - they don't ram it down your throat with a hard sell. They give you the info and let you decide whether to make the plunge or not.... and when you do decide to go for something that purchase also comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. A guarantee that lets you take the item out of the box and USE IT. For 30 days. And then if you decide it's not for you, you send it back. Used. For a full refund. No brainer really.

So next time there's nothing on the telly give it a go. I think you'll be surprised.

I got my Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil from QVC - check out my Tried & Tested review here.

Do you watch QVC? What's been your faveourite purchase?

I'm off to watch some telly!
Love Emma
XOXO

Five simple steps for fabulous feet

We all love us some sunshine, right? Sunshine means sandals, strappy shoes and flip-flops. It also means an abundance of feet that really would be better off hidden in boots (not mine I hasten to add!).

There is possibly nothing worse than catching a glimpse of someone's foot that resembles a decaying dinosaur. Hard, dry, nasty, grey, cracked skin is *not* a good look. 

I really don't have much spare time being a mum of two, but it only takes minutes, a few times a week, to keep your feet baby soft and totally presentable. Once your feet are good to go keeping them like that is easy. 

Here are 5 steps I love to follow to get the perfect pinkies.

Whilst soaking my feet in the bath, or in a bowl of soapy hot water I love using a purpose made foot scrub. The grains are much bigger/more scrubby than body exfoliators so get to work much better on the thicker skin on your feet.

The Sanctuary Spa Pumice Foot Scrub feels lovely and is cooling and refreshing. Get yourself a foot scrub and, well, give your feet a good old scrub. 

Next it's time to remove that dry skin! I enjoy using the Micro Pedi. This is basically an electric foot file with a rotating abrasive 'mineral' roller that removes dry skin like a dream, no elbow grease required. Just hold it on and slowly move it across any rough or hard patches.

I find this much more effective than a traditional manual foot file or Ped-egg (besides who can actually be bothered to do all that filing?).

The first time you use it really take your time to remove every last bit of dry skin. Once you've done that you'll only need to use it for a minute or so in future uses to maintain the softness. 

Once my feet have been buffed to an inch of their lives I like to follow up with a moisturiser. Again, those made specifically for feet are the best as they tend to be thicker and heavier. Two of my faves are the Avon Foot Works Beautiful deep moisture cream and Palmer's Foot Magic. 

Avon Foot Works contains glycerine and cocoa butter but the best bit is the massager applicator. You squeeze a little out and use the bumpy base to rub and massage it in. It sinks in fast so great for daytime use. Plus it feels goooood. 

The Palmer's Foot Magic is definitely a nighttime only treat. It contains vitamin E, peppermint oil and mango butter but it's as slippery as a seal. (Are seals slippery?!).

The first time I used this I didn't like it, in fact I absolutely hated it. This isn't a cream, it's a very thick, extremely greasy, balm. (Yes, I used too much and nearly went bum-over-boobie when I stood up on my wooden floor). I ended up having to wipe it off so that I could walk.

See what I mean about the greasy balm? Saying that I didn't give up on it. The back of the tube says "especially effective when applied to feet at night then covered with cotton socks". 

The next time I used it I did as I was told. Low and behold when I woke my feet resembled those of a new born baby. If you can bare going to sleep in socks this really is worth it. If that sounds like too much effort use the smallest amount, literally a pinhead amount and rub, rub, rub. 

Next I like using a drop or two of cuticle oil a few days a week. I like the ones with little brushes the best as you can just quickly slap it on around your nails and just leave it if you so wish. You're supposed to rub it in but if you haven't got time then don't! I just apply it and leave it. I like the Avon Lavender cuticle oil, the Sanctuary Spa Nail & Cuticle oil and OPI Avoplex. 

Finally is good old nail polish. It's an obvious but an oh-so-necessary step. Nail varnish on my toes always lasts so much longer than on my finger nails, thank gawd. If you've got the time use a base coat and top coat for super staying power. 

You can always get away with wearing a much brighter colour on your toes I think, even if you're a fan of nudes on your fingernails. Don't be shy. Experiment with some colour! 

I love me some pink, it's a colour I reach for the most. (Top tip, if you've used a foot cream and/or cuticle oil swipe a cotton pad soaked with nail varnish remover over your nails before you paint them). 

The polishes in the picture are: OPI in Kiss me on my tulips', Barry M Gelly Hi Shine nail paint in 'Dragon', Sally Hansen Hi-Definition in '09 Byte' & Marks and Spencer's Autograph Ultimate Wear in 'Purple'. 

So there you go. No excuse for ork-feet now. If you think still think those 5 simple steps are too much faff go with just the filing, a bit of cream and a splash of colour. Trust me, it's so worth it! 

Keep your foot cream and cuticle oil by your bed. For some reason keeping it here reminds me to use it. I pop some on before bed time a good few times a week. 

What's your favourite foot product or nail colour? 

Love Emma

XOXO