April Favourites

April has been the first real month of Spring here in the UK, and with the warmer, sunny weather, I've felt the need to shake things up and change things around. I've also been trying out a few new things and rediscovering some old favourites. Of course, this wouldn't be a monthly favourites post without the good old cliché, I can't believe the month is over already! That aside, we'll jump into my faves.

First of all, a new nail polish discovery; my perfect nude nail. If you follow my blog regularly, you'll have seen my post on this already, if you haven't seen it yet, go check it out here. Seeing as I've already written about the Collection Hot Looks Nail Polish in Milkshake, I won't go on about it too much, but I love it. I've been repainting my nails constantly with this shade and I'm sure I will continue to do so throughout May.

Next up is an old favourite/re-discovery. The Nivea Daily Essentials Tinted Moisturising Day Cream (blimey, that's a long name). It only comes in one shade, Natural, but somehow seems to work for many a skin tone. I use about a pea-sized amount (Don't go overboard here, you WILL look like you've been Tango-ed). I then use a flat foundation brush and blend the tinted moisturiser all over. It leaves a nice fresh feeling on the skin and just covers what needs to be covered. For me, whilst I can sometimes see the value in spending a lot on a good foundation, I prefer going for a budget option for my tinted moisturisers, and with this one I don't feel like it's necessary to shell out for something expensive.

Moving on to something that definitely isn't a budget offering, the Estee Lauder Even Skintone Illuminator. This is PERFECT for the time of year. Essentially, it's a radiance boosting base that you can apply under makeup or wear just on its own if you fancy. It's a white lotion, with a sort of gel texture with a fine gold shimmer running throughout. Again, I use about a pea sized amount all over the face. Don't be alarmed; you won't look like Edward Cullen, it gives the skin a subtle sheen and really looks like you're glowing from within. Of course, it's from a luxury brand so it is expensive, but there are alternatives. 

Another Estee Lauder product that I've really been enjoying using recently is the Bronze Goddess Matte Bronzer. I just take a little of this on my Kanebo Blush Brush and do the classic "3E" motion. It just gives a slight hint of warmth to the complexion without looking orange or muddy. 

After receiving the NAKED 2 Palette for my birthday, which was last month, I've completely fallen in love with it. It definitely leans towards the cooler end of the spectrum, and just like the original NAKED Palette, it's the complete package. My favourite shades right now are Bootycall which is a very very pale peach shimmery shade which is stunning for highlighting under the brow and in the inner corner and YDK which is a great shade for either blending all over the lid for a quick wash of colour or used through the crease to deepen up a look. I also adore Chopper which is a striking mix between a warm gold and a copper. It looks fantastic against blue eyes.

And last but certainly not least, my final beauty favourite for the month of April is the Model&Co Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Striptease. Glamour magazine were recently giving away Model&Co products a few months ago so I snapped this up quickly. It's the perfect sheer peachy-nude gloss with a hint of a blue toned shimmer running throughout. The gloss is the perfect consistency, not too thick and sticky but it lasts well on the lips and the blue tones in it help to whiten the appearance of your teeth. I've just been pairing this with a fairly nude lipstick all month long for an effortless goes with any kind of makeup lip.

Right, I think that's all for my round up of April favourites. Let me know what you've been loving this month!

xoxo

Dealing with insomnia...

Whilst this isn't beauty related at all, insomnia and other sleeping disorders can have a massive impact on general well being, including the state of your face.

I've struggled with insomnia for the last six months and thought I'd let you in a few ways to make it more manageable and also I thought it would help some of you that aren't in the know understand what insomnia really is.

There is a common misconception that if someone is an insomniac they never sleep. Last time I checked, I wasn't a zombie. Insomnia, affects the amount of sleep you get, it doesn't completely deprive you of sleep, you just don't get anywhere near the right and healthy amount a normal person should have (which can be anywhere between 6-9 hours). Whilst insomnia is one of the most common sleeping issues, it's not one single disorder in itself, it's usually linked to one of a number of different things, Anything from drinking too much caffeine throughout the day, being stressed about work or it could be linked to something more complex like an underlying medical condition.

Here are a few symptoms to look out for that could point to possible insomnia....

Difficulty falling asleep despite being tired

Relying on sleeping pills to get to sleep

Waking up too early in the morning

Fatigue or irritability during the day

Difficulty concentrating

Waking up frequently throughout the night

Trouble getting back to sleep

Useless sleep (Waking up without feeling refreshed in any way)

On average, I get around 4 hours of sleep a night. This is very rarely a solid 4 hours...I usually get to sleep at a reasonable time (around 11-ish) but I then continually wake up throughout the night. When insomnia first strikes it's an absolute pain in the bum. It used to take me HOURS of tossing and turn to finally get a few, very unsatisfying, hours of sleep. However, along the road I've learnt a few tips and tricks that help me relax into the bizarre sleeping pattern that I now have.

My first piece of advice would be to avoid the lure of sleeping pills. Even though the immediate promise of guaranteed, uninterrupted sleep sounds great, when you find yourself hooked and not being able to sleep without popping a pill, then you're in real trouble..You've just made the problem worse for yourself. This probably won't sound nearly as effective, but try something far more natural such as chamomile or peppermint tea..Both are soothing and the warmth really helps to calm you- just make sure you avoid caffeine in your pre-bedtime drink!

Try and get into a routine. Your body is a diva and it reacts to change. Where possible, try to do the same acticvities every night before bed. If you like to watch TV or a bit of Netflix before bed make sure you turn of around half and hour or an hour before you plan to sleep. Television and surfing the web keeps your mind extremely active. Before sleep a calm and inactive mind is pretty essential. Try reading (an actual book, not an iPad or Kindle etc...keep away from technology..avoid texting too) or listening to some chilled music to get you ready for sleep. 

Make sure your bedroom is an environment that you associate with sleep. This can be difficult, especially if you're a student (such as myself)..our bedrooms tend to become our caves where we do everything, but this is seriously bad for sleep. Work in another room if you can, or go to the library. Don't eat in your room and where possible avoid watching TV in bed too. Your bedroom is for sleeping, remember that. Make sure your bedroom is the optimum place for sleep too. What works for you differs from person to person, but avoid light either with heavy curtains or an eye mask and try sleeping with your window open. A constant supply of fresh air is good for the body and it makes you sleepy. If noise is an issue, invest in some ear plugs- they work wonders.

Along with the point I mentioned earlier about having a routine, try and keep your rise and sleep time roughly the same, including weekends, even if you're too tired. Everybody hates Monday's because after a weekend of not getting up till 10, you suddenly have to rise at the crack of dawn. Avoid this feeling by keeping your biological clock balanced. Your body WILL thank you for it, eventually. 

And last but certainly not least, please avoid naps during the day. It's terrible for your sleeping pattern as your body gets confused about when you should sleep AND you feel worse when you wake up from a nap. Power naps can work for some lucky people, but in the long run they're trouble! If you're really desperate for a bit of kip limit yourself to a max of 30 minutes before 3p.m. and set an alarm so you don't go over the time.

Just quickly, even though you're supposed to stay away from technology, I thought I'd mention two apps that don't require contact and that have genuinely helped me. The first is Sleep Time. This is free on the App Store and logs your sleep. It also has a built in alarm which wakes you up at the optimum time i.e only during Light Sleep rather than Deep or REM. Knowing your sleep is extremely important for your body, the more REM the better, it's the seriously good stuff.

The next one is Calm. Again this is free on the App Store. Calm is essentially for pre-sleep meditation, it's also great if you struggle with anxiety. You can set your time- anything from 2 minutes to 30 minutes and the soothing voice will take you through the stages of totally relaxing your body (I usually fall asleep even before my session is finished, that's how good it is!)

Hopefully I've covered everything here!

Sleep tight!

xoxo

The Nude Nail

Personally, I've never really been a fan of nude nails on myself. On others they look effortlessly chic and naked, on me, I've always felt like they look like I have freakish hands without nails. Probably due to the fact that I usually wear very dark colours on my nails, I'm a Linkin' Park After Dark (OPI) kinda gal.

However, on Thursday whilst raiding the beauty aisles in my local Boots I stumbled across quite possibly, my perfect nude shade. And here's the thing... it ain't even nude. Nor is it any kind of skin colour. It's actually a very dusky pink and comes in the form of "Milkshake" from Collection's Hot Looks line (they dry in 60 seconds, which is perfect for me as I'm so impatient!) For some reason, perhaps because I have a warm undertone to my skin, it just blends into my hands and makes then look well manicured and healthy. I think I'm converted!

Now I've made the scary move into paler nail polishes I feel like experimenting...Maybe a white polish will be next on my list?

What are your favourite shades to wear on your nails? 

xoxo

It's all about Radiant Orchid

Pantone have named Radiant Orchid as the "Colour of the Year". They say..."Radiant Orchid blooms with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination. It is an expressive, creative and embracing purple-one that draws you in with it beguiling charm. A captivating harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid emanates great joy, love and health" Quite the claim, no?

So in the spirit of all things purple I've been hunting through the beauty stash and my wardrobe to bring to you the best of Radiant Orchid for 2014. Let's do it.

Oh my, I'm in love with this dress- it's the Alicia from French Connection, I've managed to get my hands on one, honestly its just beautiful. A demure, conservative body-con dress from the front, with the unexpected lace panel in the back. Nothing says conservatively sexy like flashing a bit of back. What I really want to talk about, obviously, is the colour. Now, this dress could be in black, and it would be predictable. It could be in red, but then it could potentially look a little Pretty Woman-esque, before the transformation. But no, it's in a bright, colourful Radiant Orchid hue that just screams Spring. I think it's beautiful, I have to resist from wearing it every day.

Two nail polishes that stand out to be are Butter London's Molly Coddled and Illamasqua's Jo'mina. Both are very wearable but still add that hint of bright purple to your tips to keep you looking put together! If you're after a more purse friendly option, go for Maybellines Color Show Nail Polish in Purple Gem.

Another great way to wear the shade is on your lips or eyes. My personal favourites are Sloane Square by Rimmel for the lips- this one is great as you can wear it with a balm to keep it quite sheer, or you can really build it up for maximum colour on the lips. For the eyes, an old favourite of mine is the 17 Trio in Purple Heart- it has the PERFECT Radiant Orchid shade in there, with two lighter lilac hues to keep the whole thing balanced and not looking too pink.

Those are my picks, for now, of my personal favourite Radiant Orchid bits and bobs.

Let me know what your favourites are

xoxo

Top 5...Concealers

The time has come to talk concealers. My top five, I'll save you the rambly intro and just skip right into it...

Coming in at #5 we have the well-loved, cult classic.. Collection Lasting Perfection 

Concealer. For a "drug store" concealer, it's great. It effectively covers under-eye circles and blemishes- its suitable for both as it has a matte, not radiant, finish. It also last extremely well. Oh yeah, and it's under £5!!

Estee Lauder Lauder Double Wear grabs the #4 spot right now. This is an old favourite for me. It's creamy, so works well under eyes and on the face and blends away to leave a beautifully natural finish, despite the full coverage. It claims to last 15 hours...I'd probably debate that, but it does have great lasting power when powdered down (as do most base products). There's a heavier price tag on this one, but you do get great quality for your money, so that justifies it (just about).

#3  Make Up Forever Full Cover- Another cult product, and for very good reason! It's tricky to get hold of if you're in the UK, but if you do get the chance, grab a tube! It really is full cover. This bad boy can literally cover up EVERYTHING! One word of advice, when you think you know how much you need, use half the amount- a tiny amount goes a long way, which again, means you're getting great value for your money.

Snatching the #2 spot is a drug store favourite of mine...Rimmel Match Perfection Illuminating Concealer. Not surprising seeing as I love the foundation too, which was featured in my  top 5 foundations. This once is glowy and radiant and gorgeous. Definitely one for paler skin tones- the only downside about this product in the colour range, please branch out Rimmel!!) I'd keep this one away from blemishes too. For the under eye area it's perfect. Once again, a little goes a long way so be careful and blend well!

Aaaaannndd a drum roll please...... *does a drum roll*

The number one, star of the show, super product is........

MAC Studio Finish Concealer. Yet another cult concealer, this is certainly an "oldie but a goodie". Not to mention the fact that it's like a never ending pot of concealing magic. You can't deny that MAC really do smash it when it comes to base products, so it's hardly surprising that this little gem has nabbed the top spot. Some struggle with this as an under eye concealer and prefer to just use this to cover blemishes and redness but I personally love it for everything. The tiniest amount covers flawlessly and the colour range, of course, is absolutely brilliant. Hats off to MAC, may they never discontinue my absolute fave.

Next up in my series of Top Fives is blush...so stay tuned!

xoxo

My Top 5...Foundations

So, on my previous blog Beauty By Lottie I'd started a little series of my Top 5 products in various categories..I've decided to move it over here so you don't have to hop from one blog to another..Let's kick off with my current Top 5 foundations... 

At #5 we have the well loved Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation- This promises to be a radiance boosting foundation full of fruity goodness. Apricot for radiance, melon for hydration, ginger for energy and the apple acts as an anti-oxidant. Upon application there is a mild fruity scent which does wear down very quickly, so no need to worry; you won't be smelling like a fruit bowl all day long. Over all I do like this foundation, it isn't quite as radiant as I would want it to be, it can stick to dry patches and doesn't have the greatest lasting power ever. Despite that, it has a comfortable light texture, with medium to buildable coverage and works. At around the £10 mark, this is a pretty good deal from the high street.

#4 Maybelline Dream Fresh- A lighter alternative to foundation, the Maybelline Dream Fresh is effectively a BB cream. It's lightweight, moisturising and actually covers pretty well. Considering it's a BB cream it has impressive lasting power which can also be prolonged by setting with powder. The shade range at the moment is pretty poor, but I'm hoping Maybelline will expand the range. Really great for weekend/ "no make-up" make-up days. It gets a thumbs up from me.

#3 Rimmel Match Perfection-If this were a "drug store only" post, this would have to be my number one. Very comparable to my actual number one (keep reading, you'll see it in a minute), it's light but covers well, the light reflecting particles in it add radiance to the skin and it blends completely seamlessly. Once applied I'm left with glowy beautifully fresh skin that looks completely clear of any makeup. It's beautiful. Go try it!

#2 Dior Diorskin Nude -Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. There's just something about luxury makeup that feels special and amazing on the skin. Another radiance boosting foundation- I think you can probably gather I'm not a matte kinda gal. Dior claim that Nude is enriched with skincare to naturally boost the skin's radiance whilst leaving the skin with a subtle velvet finish. It's beautiful skin in a lovely glass bottle! Eye wateringly expensive, let's face it, but totally worth it.

And finally the champion of champions.....

#1Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua -Fresh, light & clean is probably the best way I can describe this little beauty. No matter how much I rave, it just won't suffice. Essentially, it's a second, perfected, glowing skin in a bottle. So easy and quick to apply, blends away to become completely invisible and has impressive staying power considering the formula is so light-weight. This is my all time favourite foundation, nothing else can beat it and I'd recommend it till the cows come home!

Stay tuned for more "Top 5s"

xoxo

Welcome!

Welcome to Charlie's Beauty and Fashion!I decided to re-launch myself with a brand new blog as my previous blog Beauty by Lottie was purely based around beauty products, after just under a year of blogging I decided I wanted to branch out and start afresh.Stay tuned for all sorts of lovely beauty and fashion related bits from me
xoxo