Top 5 beauty products

So I finished all my exams ages ago now and I know I vowed to do loads of posts when I'd finished but I've had so many post-exam parties and gathering's that I've been mistreating my blog and not posting! However, here's my first post-exam post. I got lots of products from North Meet Up, all of which I tried before exams but didn't have time to review or write about so I thought I'd let you know my favourites now!

#1 - Dr Hauschka Powder Duo (02 Warm Breeze) 

My family is a huge Dr Hauschka fan because (as it says on their website)...

• The vast majority of their ingredients are 100% natural and the skin care products are grown biodynamically and organically, or ethically wild-harvested
• They only use natural botanical preservatives (without chemical additives) coupled with appropriate packaging to keep products fresh
• Not a single ingredient in any of their products comes from an organization involved in animal testing

 And so I was so excited to try this bronzer, since I've never actually tried any of the Powder Duo's even though I've always wanted to! This is due to the only downside of this product, in my opinion, THE PRICE. Being 17 I can't afford to spend £33.50 on a bronzer! So I need to make this one last! 

The colours can be used together or separately depending on what effect you want to have. The shimmering colours which come in 'Warm Breeze' are deep peach and light brown. They are perfect for my skin tone and so I'll be using this non stop during the not-so-summery summer we have here in England to give myself a glow! The brush is really soft and I'd really recommend it because it lasts for hours, which I find doesn't happen which a lot of cheaper bronzers and also the smell is absolutely divine (as with all my Dr Hauschka products) 

It can be purchased at Harvey Nichols 

#2 - Elemis FreshSkin Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash

I have loved all the Elemis products that I have ever tried and this one was no exception! This exfoliator 'contains cherry powder and jojoba beads to gently polish and refine skin texture' and 'aniseed to soften and condition' and in my opinion it does! I find that with some facial exfoliators the beads are so small, to avoid harsh contact, that my skin doesn't really benefit, or alternatively, too large and my skin begins to burn, however this product has good sized beads! 

I feel the need to exfoliate quite regularly because I naturally have quite a few spots and also dry skin so it's quite a necessity and I really feel like this exfoliator does the job. Another bonus: this product is free of all the evil things found in lots of products now so there's no excuse not to buy it! Available from most beauty retailers for £11.99

#3 - 2 in 1 Conditioning Mascara by Cailyn

This mascara instantly increases length, thickness and density without giving that horrible fake look! The mascara includes Nano-Peptide Technology conditioning serum adding curling and volumising and lengthening instantly to your lashes! However, for £15 it's extremely expensive for me, especially  considering my usual is about £8 However, it's waterproof, doesn't smear or flake very easily and lasts a reasonably long time! 

The packaging is also really professional which I love! 

#4 - Arbonne Lipstick (Rose Petal)

(I had previously opened it, it's packaging didn't get given to me messy)

I had never tried any Arbonne before I received some incredible products at North Meet Up, how silly of me! I've not stopped using any of the products including the moisturiser which I previously reviewed (only reason it's not on my top 5!) and especially this lipstick! It's conditioning, not drying and covers easily, which I find is a problem with many lipsticks! I absolutely adore this colour because it's lighter and pinker than my natural lip colour but still manages to look reasonably natural so it's a shade you can wear with anything! The only thing that's wrong with this lipstick is that I found it to start drying quite quickly and began to clump but it wasn't a problem to just reapply, just keep checking it if you've had it on for a while! Also, I've used it so much that the silver writing on the side has rubbed off which has slightly ruined the professional feel of the packaging! But overall, love this product, and you can get it for £18 from here  

#5 - Fillast High Perfection Lips 

'Active Hydrating and Plumping Lip Balm'

Short and simple, does what it says on the tin. It's extremely cute and pretty packaging attracted me to the lip balm instantly! Fillast High Perfection Lips uses Hyaluronic Acid Technology in order to moisturise and to undo the ageing process because it keep the skin's maximum moisture levels. If you're a science-fiend, check it out here. Most reviews I have seen of this product claim that this lip balm doesn't 'plump' the lips but I feel as if it does, only for a short period of time, but it doesn't claim to plump them for a long period of time so I think this product is better than other products I have tried that claim to 'plump' up lips. After the first few minutes after applying, your lips tingle and feel slightly larger and as a lip balm, it's brilliant. Completely hydrating and I am using it constantly! It is applied white and then turns clear with a glossy, no-stick quality so can be used whenever! 
The only issue with this product is that it costs £36 for a small tube and although it's one of my top beauty products purely for the amazing hydrating feeling that it gives your lips, I would never buy this product for £36 because I'm so skint! 

Have any of you tried any of these products?

G xxx

ps. lots of outfit posts coming soon! YEY 

Battle of the hand creme

At the North Meet Up, I was lucky enough to receive 2 different hand creme's. I love hand creme's and they both looked brilliant so I wasn't stuck at which one to open first. Me, being me, opened them both and thought I would see which one was better so that I can help you guys if you're choosing a new hand creme! 

Nourish's Protect Smoothing Hand Lotion smells divine but it's slightly too strong for my liking. I like a subtle fragrance so that I can also wear my favourite perfume without the smell being masked by the hand creme whereas, the citrus smell of orange and mandarin from the Nourish hand creme dominates over other smells. When you apply it to your skin, it sinks in very quickly and the creme is not greasy at all, which can often be a problem I find with moisturisers so that's very good. However, if I'm being honest, for about 10 minutes afterwards my hands felt slightly sticky and uncomfortable, which was weird, even though the hand creme had been absorbed already. Other than that, I can tell you my skin feels softer and more hydrated after use! Another good point about this hand creme which may appeal to some people (especially my family) is that it's 94% organic and has another 1% natural minerals!

Out of them both, I feel that I prefer Arbonne's FC5 Ultra-Hydrating Hand Creme mainly due to the fact that I favour the subtle smell of it (I would describe it as refreshing and tropical) and also it doesn't leave a sticky feel after applying. A video on the Arbonne website explains that this hand creme works with 'fresh cell technology' and 'extracts the vital cell nutrients' which are 'preserved naturally' within the hand creme in order to 'protect and preserve the skin' (see video here for more information). The vital cell nutrients come from natural products such as fruit and vegetables and this product has no sight of parabons and other nasty products! This hand creme instantly makes my skin feeling fresh and smooth and hydrated after quickly being absorbed by my skin therefore it does exactly what it says on the tin! And just like the Nourish product, it isn't greasy. This product also comes in a little travel size - perfect! This product is slightly more expensive than other hand creams that I have bought in the past, which is my only down side to this product! But who can put a price on young-looking skin?

My hands aren't particularly dry so I wouldn't be able to tell you how well they work if you have a serious problem with dry skin but for someone with 'normal' skin (not trying to sound rude, but they describe them as dry, normal or oily), they certainly do what it says on the packet. I didn't feel like I needed to reapply either of the hand cremes soon after I applied it the first time.

Nourish's Protect Smoothing Hand Lotion* - 12.95 (can be bought here)

Arbonne's Ultra-Hydrating Hand Creme* - £19 (can be bought here)

Hope this helped, 

G xxx

ps. have you ever used either of these products before?