Spring Beauty Edit

September signals the start of Spring in New Zealand which I know could be difficult to get your head around if you live in the northern hemisphere. Spring is probably my favourite season; flowers blossom and the sun’s out more minus the summer temperatures. You still get cooler, wet days so it’s a nice balance. I went through my stash and selected a handful of products to use over the coming months that give me a spring feeling.

Lips

L – R: Dainty Doll – Material World, Revlon – Peach Parfait and Revlon – Softsilver Rose

Spring is all about peachy pinks. They aren’t strictly the only shades I wear but I do reach for them more. I have reserved my bold shades since starting at the library, I wanted to ease the other staff in! Over the past few weeks I have been loving the warm tones of Material World and Peach Parfait. Softsilver Rose is a shade I’ve had for more than a year but only recently started enjoying. It has a slight frost finish and a formula that’s super comfortable on the lips. In fact, these formulas are all lovely and creamy to wear.

Nails

L – R: Glow Your Own Way, Ladylike and Romper Room.

Coincidentally these are all Essie polishes. Over the past two years I have become an Essieaholic and purchased a number of polishes from the brand. Glow Your Own Way is a beautiful bronze-gold glitter. The sparkles make me think of spring and I plan on wearing it a lot over the coming months. Glow Your Own Way also has a dedicated blog post of it’s own. To read it, CLICK HERE. Ladylike was one of the first Essie polishes I bought and it is one of my favourites. This elegant, soft mauve is the ideal shade for any situation and applies like a dream! (At the time of writing this post I had it on my nails). I associate spring with pastels and Romper Room is the perfect example of that. This pale tea rose pink can be a little streaky to apply but three coats achieves an opaque finish.

Skincare

I use numerous products from The Body Shop on a regular basis and one of my latest favourites is the Honey & Oat 3 in 1 Mask. The face mask smells good enough to eat and I tend to use this if my skin is feeling drier than usual or is in need of extra care. The moisturising ingredients make for a gentle mask and honey and oats do wonders for the skin. A little goes a long way so this 100ml pot will last a while.

Prior to using the Vitamin C Face Mist I was using the Vitamin E version but I much prefer the Vitamin C. The scent is citrus fresh and I love how the mist feels on the skin.

Body

Unlike most people, I don’t have a weakness for coconut. I’m not a fan of the scent, I don’t like eating it and I would never buy a coconut product for myself. I did however receive a travel sized Waikiki Beach Coconut Fragrance Mist from Stashy in her giveaway and I like it. There isn’t a strong coconut scent and there’s a hint of beach/sea air mixed in. I’ve never tried anything from Bath & Body Works before but I’ve heard other bloggers rave about their products.

Every morning before I dress I apply body lotion to my arms. One of the lotions on the go at the moment is the Cocoa Butter Body Lotion from The Body Shop. The Body Shop lotions are my favourite as they are super moisturising, last for ages and smell divine! This doesn’t smell as good as the body butter – it’s less chocolately – but the scent isn’t unpleasant enough to put me off using the product. This particular range is known for keeping skin soft and supple and it certainly delivers.

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Do you associate products with certain seasons? Let me know in the comments what you have been enjoying recently!

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Spring Hair!

Happy Friday lovely readers! Last week I booked an appointment at the hair salon and on Tuesday I got my hair cut. It’s been about four months since I got my hair cut, the last time was at the end of May. I thought with it being Spring, now would be a good time to get it done again.

As usual, I didn’t have anything extreme done to my hair. It’s still long (ish), red and I just wanted a trim, the weight of my hair to be thinned out and my fringe cut. I also decided to get a face framing layer cut into the front again. I first got this done last June (see HERE) and I wanted to try it again to see whether I prefer my hair with the face framing or all the same length.

I asked for 5cm to be taken off the length but it certainly seems like a lot more was cut. I like to think of myself as the girl with the long, red hair and when I was walking out of the salon and saw a huge chunk of my hair on the floor, I felt a little sad. I know it’s only hair and it will grow but it will take some time to get used to. To put things into perspective, prior to Tuesday my hair would have been down to my waist/hips and now it’s just past my shoulders. I feel almost naked without my long hair and while it is lighter in weight, I will be more careful describing what I want done next time. (Either that or I’ll find a new hairdresser :P)

Now for some pictures!

I’m sorry I don’t have any before but if you follow me on Instagram you’ll be used to seeing my face/hair regularly over there.

Let me know what you think of my new hair! When was the last time you got yours done?

Spring Makeup | Collaboration with Drifting Lexi

Back in April, Lauren from Drifting Lexi and I did a Spring/Autumn makeup collaboration. We each came up with a look to represent the season we were going into as we live on opposite sides of the world! Six months later, and it’s time for a role reversal – it’s my turn to showcase a Spring inspired look. I wanted it to be bright and fresh and I definitely achieved that!

Note: This look also doubled as the makeup I wore to Ellie Goulding’s concert at the weekend.

Products Used:

As usual, I began by applying my trusty Simple moisturiser.

• Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 002 Hazel
• Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation in 101 Ivory Beige – This foundation gives skin a lovely, natural appearance whilst still making the skin look flawless. This is due to the medium-high coverage of the foundation. (I also used this foundation because it is more travel friendly than Rimmel’s Match Perfection which comes in a glass bottle).
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer – 1 Fair
• Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Barely Branded – I applied this shade as a base to my eyelids, making it easier for eyeshadow to stick to.
• Maybelline ‘The Nudes’ Palette – I patted the gold shade all over my lids on top of Barely Branded.
• Rimmel Day 2 Night Mascara – I applied one coat of lengthening mascara before going in with one coat of volume mascara a couple of minutes later.
  
• Dainty Doll Powder Blush 004 You Are My Sunshine – The flecks of gold in this blush make it perfect to highlight my cheekbones. It also teams so well with the gold eye look.
• MAC Without Your Love – This lipstick is a beautiful pop of light pink and I love wearing this shade with the eye look above. Without Your Love brings the look together and makes everything look fresh and bright!
• Rimmel Oh My Gloss! #150 Glossaholic – Without Your Love is quite a pale shade and I find adding a lick of gloss over it tops everything off nicely and completes the look.

The Finished Look:

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Don’t forget to check out Lauren’s post and let us know what you think of each look!

Be sure to check out our previous collaboration posts from March (HERE) and (HERE) too!

The Spring/Summer Nail Edit

Hey lovelies, happy Friday! Like most ladies, one of my favourite beauty rituals is painting my nails. There’s something about having painted nails that fills me with confidence. Nails are a great way to express yourself with colour, and show off your creative side. We’re well into spring in the southern hemisphere and I’ve compiled a list of five polishes which I think are perfect for spring/summer. If you’re looking for neutrals, pastels, brights or even glitter I’ve got you covered!

The Lineup:

Left To Right: OPI – Pink Yet Lavender, Essie – Ladylike, Essie – Take It Outside, Revlon – Bubblegum and Rimmel – Breakfast In Bed.

1. OPI – Pink Yet Lavender

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this polish on my blog before and it is hands down one of my most worn. I purchased this beauty back in 2013 at a makeup sale and I’m still in love. Pink Yet Lavender comes from OPI’s Mariah Carey collection and can be worn on it’s own or as a top coat to give your manicure a bit of extra sparkle. What’s interesting about this polish is that the colour is not completely clear and has a pinky-lavender tinge to it, hence the name. This is the perfect polish if you’re going out and need to do your nails in a hurry, it dries so quickly.

Chanelle’s Tip: One coat of this better than two. I find with one the polish lasts longer and doesn’t chip as quick.

2. Essie – Ladylike

This polish is one of my most recent purchases but it has found it’s way onto the list with it’s gorgeous mauve-y tones. Ladylike is one of those shades that can be worn all year round in reality so if you’re a minimalist when it comes to nail colours or prefer to invest in polishes you know you can wear throughout the year this is one to consider.

Chanelle’s Tip: This polish would look even more stunning against a tan.

3. Essie – Take It Outside

If you have a lot of dark clothes in your wardrobe or like to wear black on your nails this shade is a great alternative. Take It Outside is a lovely fresh shade that I feel would suit everyone and has hints of lilac in the grey which makes it the perfect warm shade for summer but also the perfect cool shade for winter.

Chanelle’s Tip: Pair this polish with monochrome and leather to create a badass rock chick look!

4. Revlon – Bubblegum

If you’re a girly girl and brights are your thing, this is the shade for you! As the name suggests, this polish is a bright, bubblegum pink and is part of Revlon’s scented nail polish range. This colour screams summer to me and would look perfect teamed with a white bikini to really make the pink pop.

Chanelle’s Tip: The brush on this polish is quite small so don’t wipe too much excess off when applying otherwise you won’t have enough to cover the nail.

5. Rimmel – Breakfast In Bed

Pastel colours are especially lovely in the summertime, they’re so calming and relaxing. Breakfast In Bed claims to have a 60 second drying time and for the most part this is true. I usually wait 5-10 minutes between coats just to be on the safe side. This shade also has a subtle shimmer running through it which really shines through once a top coat is applied.

Chanelle’s Tip: Try Rimmel’s Breakfast In Bed if you’re looking for a dupe and cheaper alternative to Essie’s famous Mint Candy Apple.

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There you have it, my top five polishes for spring/summer. What are your favourite shades to wear in summer?