REVIEW - EFFACLAR MAT

My skin is looking so much better than what it ever has, and I'm thanking that to La Roche-Posay products! One product of theirs that I'm adoring at the moment is the Effaclar Mat.

As you can probably tell by the name, it promises to mattify skin, and it does just that. I suffer from combination skin with an oily T-zone so I'm constantly looking for a product to help.

The Effaclar Mat has a watery texture which blends into the skin easily and creates a semi matte finish, which I prefer most as it doesn't cling to any dry patches. I've definitely noticed a significant difference since using this product and it really has helped to reduced my oily face.

It has a fresh scent which vanishes once it's blended into the skin and is really lightweight upon the skin. Since using a combination of the Effaclar Mat, Effaclar A.I and various other products, my skin has rapidly improved and I'm suffering from barely any breakouts! It's heaven in tubes!

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Effaclar Mat

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JUNE BIRCHBOX

Wow am I impressed with June's birchbox! As you can probably tell it's World Cup themed with products from different parts of the world who are involved in the cup, and I can honestly say I'm excited to try every product this box contains so lets get on with it.

If you want to try the box yourself, you can purchase one off the BIRCHBOX website for £10 plus £2.95 postage and packing a month.

Original BeautyBlender // Full size

I'm really excited to try this product after reading so many good reviews and my RT brushes could use a rest! I'll be letting you guys know what I think about this in the next couple of weeks.

OPI Nail Laquer - Kiss Me I'm Brazilian // Sample size

I really can't fault OPI polishes, so another one to add to my collection is always a bonus. The colour is such a pretty pink with an adorable name.

Silk + Honey Shea Butter Hair Mask // Sample size

Hair masks are my thing so I'm looking forward to giving this one a whirl! It has a very distinct smell, which I'm not sure if I like it yet or not, but it has a rich texture so I'll let you know what I think.

Yves Rocher Sheer Botanical Lipstick Rogue Groseille // Full size

I'm a massive fan of Yves Rocher cosmetics and perfumes so I have high hopes for this product. It's quite sheer, which I normally steer clear of, but there's something about the colour I adore.

Coola Classic Face Sunscreen SPF 30 // Sample size

High SPF for the face is always a must for me so I know I'll be giving it a go. I've tried Coola products in the past, and they've reacted well with my skin, so I'm hoping this will do just as well.

Laura Mercier Ambre Vanillé Soufflé Body Crème // Sample size
In all honestly, I'm lazy when it comes to body moisturising so a spritz of Vaseline Spray&Go does the trick for me, but the smell of this is so gorgeous I know I definitely use it!

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BeautyBlender

Laura Mercier Body Crème

Yves Rocher Lipstick 

Silk + Honey Hair Mask

Coola Sunscreen SPF 30

OPI Nail Laquer - Kiss Me I'm Brazilian

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MENORCA - MY WEEK AWAY

Hey lovelies! For those who follow me on twitter/instagram, you'd know I've spent the past week in Menorca and this is just a post to tell you all what an amazing place Menorca is!

THIS IS A PHOTO HEAVY POST!

This year, my boyfriend and I decided to do something a little different for my birthday and booked a week away in Menorca, somewhere neither of us had been before.
We stayed at the Mar de Menorca hotel in the little town of Es Canutells, just outside the capital of Mahon. This part of the island is extremely isolated, with the nearest town worth visiting a good thirty minute drive away, but it is beyond beautiful. Just five minutes from our hotel there was this beautiful cove which you can see in the pictures above, and it really was perfect. Small and quiet, this little cove was heaven on earth with its breathtaking scenery and clear waters. I haven't edited a single one of these photos (apart from putting them in a collage) so you can see just how amazing it is!

My lovely family had packed all my cards within my luggage. It felt so weird not seeing my mum and dad on my birthday but I had an amazing day nonetheless! We rented a moped for three days as a way of getting out of our isolated hotel and it was the best decision we made! Not many people can say they've spent their 20th birthday riding around Mahon on a moped! We visited Mahon's town centre, just by the port, and it felt like something out of a movies with all the old buildings, cathedrals and pebble roads. 

Whilst we were in Mahon, we decided to take a boat trip around the port and learn some new things. For just over an hour we sat on the top deck of a catamaran boat whilst it took us around the port explaining what all the buildings and islands were there for. For a history geek like me, it was ideal as I loved learning about the English control over Menorca and learning about all their military buildings. It also had a room below deck with glass flooring so you could see the wildlife as we went along.

After spending the majority of our days eating, sunbathing and wondering around the towns, Chris and I would usually spend our evenings having a drink by the bar or visiting the cove. 

Es Canutells is such a peaceful part of Menorca and its waters are truly amazing. As you can see from some of the pictures, the water is literally crystal clear, and there was some many fishes, jellyfish, stingrays etc that you could see! 

I've really had such an amazing week and I wanted to share with you the beauty of Es Canutells, but now it's back to beauty blogging!

REVIEW - LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR A.I.

Ladies (and gentleman) I introduce to you the little sister of the Effaclar Duo, the Effaclar A.I. Unlike the duo, this product is very rarely talked about in the blogging world but I think it needs more credit! 

If like me, you suffer from the occasional spot, this it the product for you.

In general, I have pretty good skin but of course I get the odd spot here and there, so the I introduced this product into my routine as a way of getting rid of them. And my gosh does it help!

Only a tiny amount is needed on the breakout area, and the product works best if you apply it in the mornings to the area to reduce and prevent breakouts. The product has a watery texture and blends easily into the affected area and gets to work straight away. Within an hour of using the product, the redness was minimal and the spot had gone down dramatically. 

I'm usually affected in my T-Zone, where my pores are most noticeable, but since using this product it has helped reduce my breakouts and minimise my pores. I couldn't love this product more if I tried!

Have you tried La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I?

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Effaclar A.I

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MAY FAVOURITES

A little late I know, but these past couple of weeks I've had to sort out so many birthdays and my holiday!
This month I've been liking all the normal stuff, but I thought these guys deserve a special mention, so here comes my May Favourites 2014-

Nivea Daily Essentials Exfoliating Scrub:
If you read my post 'My love affair with Nivea', you'll already know why I love this product, but if you haven't I'll let you know why. This scrub really is gentle, which is ideal for me as most scrubs are too harsh for my skin and cause me to break out. It smells refreshing and leaves my skins feeling so soft so I really couldn't ask for more (plus if you're on a budget it's ideal).

The Body Shop Vitamin E Hand and Nail Treatment:
Even though my nails are hidden under acrylics, I seem to prefer hand creams that claim to help the nails. Why? I really don't know! But anyways, this cream is so moisturising, sinks in quickly meaning there's no greasy hand business, and has helped the overall appearance of the skin on my hands. It's been my handbag staple and I've already had to go and repurchase a few more tubes!

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - 010 Light Porcelain:
As I've said a thousand times before, I looooooove this foundation. It feels so nice on my skin, has a medium coverage which is build-able, matches my skin p e r f e c t l y and lasts a good five to eight hours! I really can't rave about it enough!

MAC Blush - Cubic:
This is in fact the only MAC blush I have ever repurchased! This month I've been loving using it as a contour, especially for my cheekbones. Because the colour is such a warm browny/pink shade, it can easy be worn as both a blush and contour. Like all MAC blushes, it has a lovely texture, long wearing and is true to the colour you see in the pot.

Maybelline Cream Blush - 02 Peach:
As a norm, I don't like cream blushes so I usually don't buy them. I actually received this in a goody bag and I'm so glad I did. The shade is an ideal peachy pink and adds enough colour to the face for these spring summer months, and it has such a lovely texture which blends out like a dream.

Benefit's POREfessional sample:
Unlike every other blogger and their mum, I didn't jump on the porefessional bandwagon but I'm so glad I finally have! This reminds me so much of the Beautiful Movements Prime & Create mixing medium in terms of how my skin feels once it's applied. It feels lovely, really does keep my foundation put all day and minimises my horrible pores - so it's a win win win here!

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The Body Shop Hand and Nail Treatment

Nivea Gentle Exfoliating Scrub

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

MAC Cubic

Maybelline Cream Blush

Benefit POREfessional

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MAY BIRCHBOX (WHICH I RECEIVED IN JUNE)

I'm usually a faithful lover of the Glossybox's, but lately they've been a bit pants so this month I decided to give Birchbox ago, and I was pleasantly surprised!

What I like about Birchbox is how they tailor the box to your beauty profile, meaning you'll only receive samples that you want to try and I found with Glossybox, the boxes were so generic and I wasn't trying half of the products I was getting. Oh and Birchbox are on fire right now, look how pretty this box is!

Benefit They're Real Mascara // Sample size

As you all well know, I love this mascara so this sample size will be perfect just to keep in my bag or my upcoming holiday!

Soigné Nail Lacquer - Persimmon // Full size

The colour of this shade is a shade I would definitely have picked, so that a bonus! After searching through some google pages, I've seen some really good review so I'm excited to give this ago.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser // Sample size

I've heard so many good things about this cleanser, but I've never ventured out to try this and now I've got the sample, I can't exactly refuse. I like how they've supplied a Muslin Cloth with the cleanser too!

Beauty Protecter Protect Shampoo and Conditioner // Sample size

This duo promises to recuse my damaged hair so I've got high hopes and I'm excited to try these out! They also smell sooooo nice!

Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Bath and Shower Oil // Sample size

I'm not usually a fan of any bath oils but this smells really refreshing so it should be interesting to try. All the reviews I've read rave about this product so I'll let you guys know in a few days of what I think about it.

What do you think about May's Birchbox?

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Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Benefit They're Real Mascara

Soigné Nail Lacquer - Persimmon

Beauty Protecter Shampoo and Conditioner

Aromatherapy Associates Oil

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