NOTD - Essie in Super Bossa Nova

Super Bossa Nova was one of the four nail polishes I received from the lovely Christine in our make-up swap. I have to say straight away, I think Essie is possibly my favourite nail polish brand. I currently own 6 of them but I cannot wait to get more :D

I'm not very good at describing colours but I would say Super Bossa Nova is a hot Purple-y Pink with amazing pink, purple and maybe a little blue shimmer. I think if you would like a better description you are best off checking out this post from scrangie, my favourite nail polish blogger or this post by Temptalia. I find it only needs two coats which is impressive for Essie as most of their polishes are known for being quite sheer.

This is my very poor attempt and try to capture the amazing shimmer in this polish. It is just such a beautiful colour and so perfect for summer. However I think for my this is the kind of colour I would prefer to wear on my toes rather than my fingers, but taking pictures of my feet just feels strange :P

International Swap goodies from Christine :)

Remember this post, where I was desperate to get my hands on a new tube of CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara? Well the super awesome Christine came to my rescue and this was the result of our little international swap :)

She packaged it in a super cute Luxe Box container which I believe is the Canadian version of the Glossy Box

The Goodies:

• OPI Nail Lacquer in Skull & Glossbones
• OPI Nail Lacquer in Mod About You
• Essie Nail Polish in Braziliant
• Essie Nail Polish in Super Bossa Nova
• NYX Single Shadow in Champagne
• CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara

Skull & Glossbones - Mod About You

Super Bossa Nova - Braziliant

I honestly cannot thank Christine enough for agreeing to do this swap with me :) Everything was packaged so amazingly and all arrived without any problems. She also included a super sweet card which I stupidly forgot to photograph :(

You may remember if you have been a follower of mine for a while now that last February I did a swap with the lovely Emily and I think it is swaps like these that remind you how much fun Blogging can be. It is far too easy to be sucked into drama or the benefits of being contacted by PR companies when swaps like these show how we are all part of a community of people who have a genuine interest in beauty products are are always ready to help each other out when we want to get out hands on a product.

Over the next few weeks I will try and post some reviews/NOTD's of my lovely new polishes or you all to see :)

THANK YOU CHRISTINE!

Fake Tan Shopping - I need your help!

Not that long ago, I posted that my current fake tan routine consisted of the super affordable St. Moriz, topped with the Maybelline SunGlow. However, I think it is time for a change.

You see, I have always been pale. For years, I pretty much just embraced it and the only tanning products I would use were perhaps a sweep of bronzer or a little Johnsons Holiday Skin. Then I bought St. Moriz and I think an addiction started. I loved the colour it gave to my skin and how much more confident it made me feel in my clothes.

However, there is always a down side. St. Moriz is horribly patchy when it is time for it to come off. The worst effected areas for me are my arms and my neck, which means I've been wearing a lot of long sleeved tops and scarves recently because no matter how much you scrub, this stuff does not come off until it is ready to itself.

This hasn't however put me off fake tan. I'm desperate to put a little bit of colour back into my skin but I have no idea what to try out next. Here are some of the products I have been tempted by.

• XenTan Mousse Intense
• St. Tropez Instant Mousse
• Superdrug Solait Mousse

I would love to know your opinions on any of these products, or perhaps leave me a link to a review you have done/seen.

As you can see, my preferred formulation is mousse so if you have any other mousse fake tanners you think I should look into, please let me know :)

June Favourites

As always, this favourites post is a little late, but I hope you still get something from it :)

Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Daily Scrub

Clearasil Ultra Overnight Lotion

Nars Sheer Glow Foundaton

St. Moriz Mousse Fake Tan

Benefit High Beam

Urban Decay Eye Shadow in Sin

Mac MSF in Soft & Gentle

Mac Bronzer in Golden

Tag - Summer Besties

I've seen a few people on YouTube do this tag so I thought I would give it a go to show you the kind of products I have been wearing during the slightly warmer weather :)

Best Lip Product - Any Lip Balm

To be honest, any lip balm will do in the summer. I don't really bother with lipsticks or lipglosses because they just seems little too fussy when it is hot. The ones pictured are from Mac and The Body Shop but I also really like Vaseline, Carmex, and, well just anything that keeps my lips moisturizer really :)

Best Blush - Mac Well Dressed

Although many people will say cream blush is the best product to use during the summer, the one ones I own are the Topshop ones which are a cream to powder formula, so they don't really make much difference. However Mac Well Dressed was the first Mac product I ever bought and I think it is perfect for both summer and winter :)

Best Liquid Face Product - Nars Sheer Glow

Although I would love to say "oh, in the summer I love this tinted moisturiser" it's sadly just not true. I don't feel confident enough with my skin to wear something light and sheer so I stick with my Sheer Glow to provide me with a pretty medium coverage and a really nice glow to the skin :)

Best Powder Face Product - Soft & Gentle MSF and Bronzer in Golden

Ok so I may have slightly cheated but these two products looks amazing together. I don't like to wear fake tan on my face so the bronzer helps to match my face to the rest of my body and the MSF just adds a lovely sheen over areas like cheek bones, brow bones and along the nose.

Best Nail Polish - Essie in Sand Tropez

I only recently got this nail polish but the second I applied it, I fell in love with it! It is such a lovely neutral that goes with just about every outfit for every occasion (I even wore it to my prom this year). I think if I get the chance when the weather is nice I will try to post a NOTD post of this polish in natural sunlight. But if you are interested in purchasing it, it is currently on sale at ASOS at the minute here

Best Tanning Product - St Moriz & Maybelline Gradual Tanner

Ok another cheat but I just cant help myself. I like to apply St Moriz every two or three days,and then in between I like the apply the gradual tanner to keep my skin soft and to maintain the colour. And the best thing about these products is that the mousse only cost me £2.99 and the Moisturizer cost me £2.49 :)

Best Eye Product - CoverGirl Lash Blast

This is honestly one of my all time favourite mascara's. I actually prefer the waterproof one during the summer but I have completely ran out of that now :( I am however currently in the process of a swap with the lovely Christine to get my hands on another tube of this mascara before it runs out :)

Best Accessories - Toms

I only got these a few weeks ago but I absolutely love them and practically live in them! I can't want to get them in loads of other colours like white, black and navy (adventurous i know :P) And I also really like the look of the crochet ones for the summer :)

Best Clothing - Denim Shorts

I just think they are really easy to wear with everything and can either be dressed down in the daytime with like toms or converse and a casual t-shirt, or dressed up at night with heels (or wedges in my case because heels are just a no go) and a nice top.

I actually forgot to take a picture of the Best Hair Products, but during the summer it just has to be Batiste :) My favourite scent is the tropical one :)

Turn that receipt over

So, you've just been into Superdrug, picked up the essentials and maybe a little make-up treat because you deserve it ;) but what did you do with the receipt? If you still have it floating around in the carrier bag or somewhere in your purse then whip it out and prepare to save some pennies next time you're in there!

All you have to do is log onto www.superdrugfeedback.com and fill in a little survey about your shopping experience last time you were in Superdrug. It honestly takes no longer than about 5 minutes and at the end you get a little code to write in the space provided on the back. Then next time you're shopping, if you spend over £10 you can save 25% off Superdrug own brand products and 10% of branded products.