HERE SHE IS...

I havent blogged since the 8th August - slap my wrists!

Its been a busy week or so, since my last post I've turned 20(!) I spent the day at Bicester Village near Oxford. I didn't really pick much up, just a few Origins and Mac goodies for about half the price! The day after was my mom's birthday so we spend a lovely day in Worchester, about a 50 min train journey from where I live in Birmingham. It was such a great day, the sun was blazing and the town itself is so quaint and filled with stunning little boutiques. 

Since then I've been super busy at work and catching up with my friends before we all jet of on holiday and head back to uni in the coming months - sad face.

I jet of on holiday a week today, to the sunny island of Cape Verde! If any of you have been please let me know what you thought of it :) So between now and then I have so much blogging to catch up on and a to-do list longer than my arm.

In the mean time, please follow me on twitter and instagram (@tillybeautique)

Follow @tillybeautique

Speak soon!

xx

A LITTLE LOVE AFFAIR

Over the years I've developed a little love affair with Champneys since my mom became obsessed with their spa resorts. The products where first available to buy in Sainsbury's and have since made their ways to the shelves of most Boots stores across the country.

I've acquired a pretty big collection of their products ranging from skincare to nail polishes. The photos above show about a fifth of the products I have stacked up in my cupboards!

My favourites have to be the Skin Comforting Shower Cream and the Bathing Milk, they are so yummy and luxurious. I reach for these when I fancy a bit of pampering - amazing in a winter bath with some candles and Birdy playing in the background :-)

I wouldn't say they are the cheapest of products - it just depends how much you wish to stretch your budget to for a luxury brand. A typical shower gel will set you back between £6-8. The products aren't available online at Boots at this time but you can check them out on the Champneys website here! I haven't actually purchased any of these products since the Christmas sales, the gift sets go half price after christmas so its a great opportunity to stock up without paying top whack, so keep your eyes peeled! Gotta' love a bargain!

I hope this has been an enjoyable post to read - when I mention this brand to my friends they think of it as a mumsy brand but I am a really big fan and hope some of you out there agree with me - go check them out!

Natalie xxx

ALL USED UP #1

My first empties post, woo! I love reading these posts, you get to see those products that people have seen through and give a more reasonable review. 

Apart from the Gosh Velvet Touch Line Perfection Primer, I would repurchase each and every one of these items. This primer is nice, nothing amazing and doesn't really deserve its £14 price tag which I think is quite pricey for a high street primer. 

My top 3 would have to be Benefit they're real mascara, No7 Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator and Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment Mask (tricky top 3 I must admit). I'm on my 13th tub of the hair growth treatment and as you can probably guess, I love it! It works an absolute treat, in the last 4 months I've noticed an amazing difference in the overall health and length of my barnet.

Benefit They're Real and No7 Exeptional Definition mascaras are my fave of all time. I'm currently using the No7 Fanomenal Lashes but I have no doubt I will repurchase these two again in the near future. Garnier Body Soothing Lotion and Dove Summer Glow are two body lotions I use during warmer weather. The soothing lotion is amazing after a day in the sun after a light covering of after sun, it does exactly what it says on the bottle.

Last but not least there's the Colgate Icy Blast, a really nice deep clean toothpaste; the Batiste XXL Volume Spray which just gives a really nice bit of oomph towards the end of the day and the Champneys Shower Gel which is a really refreshing, silky and luxurious feel good shower gel - can't really say more than that!

I hope you've enjoyed this post, please leave your comments below I'd love to hear your thoughts :-)

Natalie xxx

CLARINS LIQUID BRONZE

Clarins - £17.50

Possibly the best face tanner I've ever used. A cream/liquid formula that dries quickly and gives you a gorgeous hint of radiance.

I don't particularly go for tanners that are untinted - I like to see where I'm putting something that's going to make my face darker! Just a 10p sized amount onto a cotton pad and sweeped over the face is enough to give you a lovely healthy glow. You get a whoppin' 125ml of product which will honestly last you a lifetime. I've been using this every other night for about 3 months and i'm not even a 1/4 of the way through!

This is honestly the most perfect face tanner I've come across. I've recommended this to even my very pale friends and they love it too!

Best thing about it - no biscuit smell! WINNER

Do you recommend any facial tanners? I'd love to here from you

Natalie xx

VO5 HOT OIL

Boots - £4.29 

Just for reference, I have thick, shoulder length bleached hair. Washing my hair sometimes feels like such a chore, it gets so notty and feels like it takes an age to dry just for me to end up looking like I have put my fingers in a plug socket. I've heard good things about other VO5 oil related products so I thought Id give these individual treatments a try - and what a bloody good choice it was!

You have to warm the oil before you use it, so I put a glass of boiled water in the bathroom and leave the tube in there whilst I wet my hair. You use the treatment BEFORE shampooing and should only leave it on for 1 minute, and don't go near your roots either!

 I must be honest, when I first used this I thought it wouldn't make much difference to my hair, as the tube itself seems small and there wouldn't be enough product for my hair, but after I washed it out my hair felt rather smooth - not as much as my conditioner makes my hair feel, but a noticeable difference.

The best thing about this, is that it makes the tangles in my hair seem to disappear completely - yay! After using my Babyliss Big Hair Roller to dry my hair, my hair feels so soft to the touch and gives it a lovely shine. I've been using these once a week for 3 weeks now, I haven't noticed any long term changes to the condition of my hair but your hair instantly looks healthier after use.

A long term solution? Maybe not; But its nice to use once a week to make your hair happy.

Natalie xx

Music to my Ears #3

I don't know about you, but this last week has seemed to fly by. All I can say I've really done is soaked up the sun most of the week and neglected my blog. Since it was raining today, I guess the typical British weather will force me back inside and i'll find the time to get back to writing some posts!

I re-discovered an old album this week - Songs about Jane by Maroon 5. I was still in Primary school when this album was released (OMG!) back in 2002.

This song woke me up on the radio the other morning and has rekindled my love for Adam Levine and that husky voice of his...

I give you, Sunday Morning - ultimate chill out music, Enjoy!!

PS. I've had the first of my followers subscribe to my blog this week and Id like to say a little thank you for the lovely comments you have left me on my recent posts. Its so overwhelming when someone tells you that they are a fan of your blog - especially when its so young!! 

Love xx

Just a thought...

(source: tumblr)

Natalie x

Music To My Ears #2

I'm thinking of making this music post a weekly regular, so here goes week 2!

This week I've been travelling a lot for work purposes (more on that in a 'get to know me' post!) so who better to keep me company on the road than Lana Del Ray. Stunning voice and oozing with beauty this lady is a big big favourite of mine. 

Thanks to Spotify PlayButton, I bring you National Anthem, possibly the best song on her album Born to Die.

If your new to Spotify, I totally recommend it. Its free to download the software/app to your computer/ipad/iphone and you can upgrade to a premium account which costs £10 per month (£5 for nus cardholders) which gives you access to unlimited music, wahoo! The free version allows you upto approximately 100 plays per track and you can listen to these posts via the app too which gets a biggggg thumbs up!
Happy listening, and I hope you have a great start to the week.
'Till next time, Natalie xx

RIMMEL KATE LIPSTICK COLLECTION

 Shade 16

 Shade 26

I've never really been a lippy kinda girl, no thanks to my permanently dry lips :( But after reading some positive reviews on Rimmel lipsticks I thought why not as they were on offer for 2 for £7 at Boots. They retail for £5.49 at Boots and Superdrug.

I love the formula of these lippys, really soft, not too heavy and quite long wearing. The range of colours weren't spectacular but I did play it quite safe with the two i purchased - 16 being my favorite.

I think this might be the start of a secret lipstick love affair!

Have you tried this range by Rimmel, what did you think? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Natalie xx

ST IVES DAILY MICRODERMABRASION

As I ran through Asda the other day I spotted this bottle of St Ives Daily Microdermabrasion in the skincare isle for what I would call a 'bargain price' of £3. It didn't state the previous price on the tag (naughty asda) but I would guess it retails for maybe £5/6.

I've always been a fan of the Invigorating Apricot Scrub which is a staple item in my bathroom cupboard, but  I had never come across the daily microdermabrasion scrub so I was intrigued and it fell into my basket.

The particles in this scrub are much finer that the Apricot Scrub making it a very gentle exfoliator. It looks pretty clear on first inspection but you can feel the particles once you start working this into your skin. I used this last night and this morning and both times it has left me with a fair bit of redness that I don't get with the Apricot Scrub. But it definitely leaves you with that ultra clean skin feeling, so maybe I will just use this on the night rather than in the morning. However I am very prone to redness so I guess time will tell with this product.

The scrub itself is what my mum would say is a 'healthy' product. 100% natural, paraben free and no animal related ingredients. Their recent re-branding has left the packaging a lot more 'youthful' - I always associated St Ives with products that my Nan used to use(!) I'm definitely interested to try out some of their other products from the Timeless Skin range, if you have any suggestions please feel free to leave me a comment below!

PS: A little heads up - the Apricot Scrub is also on offer at Asda for £2!


Natalie x

Music To My Ears #1

So I thought that I would share with you some music that I have been loving recently - thanks to this Spotify PlayButton.

On nights when I'm not working to silly o'clock in the morning, I love to jump into bed, have a cup of tea, light a candle (or two) and indulge in a good book. Most recently though, I have had Birdy's album playing in the background. This is one of those albums that I can hand on my heart say that I can listen to over and over again and not get bored.


Her voice is so angelic and heavenly to listen to. What a musical artist! Definitely the most serene playlist I have on Spotify!

As a treat, I have included one of my favourite tracks from the album, enjoy! x

BUTTER ME UP!

I think i'm in love.

For ages I've wondered whats been making my mum smell so amazing every time she has a bath, so I took a trip into her bathroom and had a little rummage and eventually found this little baby.

I've never really dabbled with body butters, I seem to think that everything I put on my skin will leave a greasy residue and that thought makes me steer clear. However this Sanctuary Body Butter has swayed me and ohmygod i'm addicted. The smell is pure luxe and quite relaxing, especially when I use this just before I hop into bed.

Its jam packed with a mix of cocoa butter, shea butter almond oil, macadamia oil and good old vitamin E - lucky skin!
I'm excited to try other products from this range now and at £9.20 for 300ml I will definitely be repurchasing at some point in the future!

Have you been to the spa itself? What products tickle your fancy?

Love x

VICHY DERMABLEND CORRECTIVE FLUID

I was SO excited to purchase this from Boots yesterday after watching this video by the lovely Lisa Eldridge. The woman is a genius!

Anyway, this has got to be my #1 holy grail product. I have quite severe scarring on my face from teenage acne and an accident involving fireworks when I was younger, the majority of it being on the left hand side of my face along my hairline and by my ear. I'm currently testing out some products including Silkia Camellia Oil to try and reduce the appearance of them.

Like Lisa says in her tutorial, you do really only need a small amount of this as it really does go along way. Im only using it as a concealer rather than an all-over foundation as I use the Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer (which I have in Shade 2) as a base on which to apply the Dermablend. This combination doesn't lay heavy on my skin whatsoever and with an SPF 35, this will be a great little addition to my holiday make-up routine!

Unfortunately there aren't many shades available - I think i saw 4 on the boots counter? But I have the lightest shade which is 15 Opal and I'm lucky as it is a really good match for my skin tone. The above photo makes it look a lot darker than it is, but that's down to my tragic lack of a decent camera at this point in time - apologies!!

At £15.50 I would definitely say that it is worth the money, even if your just using this as a concealer. It will last a pretty long time I'm sure!

Have you tried the stick version of this? Or the setting powder? Let me know your thoughts!

Love x

VITA LIBERATA TAN

When it comes to tanning, its got to be natural looking. There's nothing worse than an unsightly streak or a blotch and not to mention looking like a wotsit! I've tried many tanning products over the years and I must admit - this is by far the best I've ever used, ever ever ever. Period.

I picked this up from Boots a few months ago when it had just been brought out for an introductory '1/3 of' price of £16, currently retailing at £22.49. I had never heard of this brand before I brought - I must have good instincts! There are 3 shades to choose from - light, medium and dark, as well as gels, mousses, untinted, long lasting and wash of varieties. I went for the dark mousse, even though i'm naturally very pale I find that darker shades look better in general, and last longer on my skin.


1 application of this lasts the best part of a week - bonus! It claims to have no smell whatsoever, which is true AFTER you have washed this off your skin. When you first apply it, it leaves a not so appealing green tint to your skin but after 2-3 hours its beautifully golden with no streaks. Iv had so many good complements about this tan I really cannot recommend it enough! 


Also, if your a savvy shopper like me its currently on offer for double points at Boots. - Winner!


Have you used this brand at all? Any other recommendations?

#1

A little introduction...I'm Natalie, from the Midlands, UK (i wish I could say something that sounds a bit more exotic but hey-ho, home's home!!) My career is the furthest thing from beauty blogging as I am infact a primary school teacher! I love working with the children, and moreover I love the fact that I'm providing them with an education. My motto - If you can read this, then thank a teacher! My aims in life are to be successful, travel as far and as wide as I possibly can and quite frankly have a bloody good time while I'm at it!


Since the beginning of the year i've found myself engrossed in the blogging world and my bedtime reading now consists of flicking through inspirational beauty and fashion blogs and I love it! Iv always loved swatching everything possible in Boots, and drooling over the fashion trends in magazines, but I've always had a low confidence when it comes to my own. As a young teen I was struck with the dreaded acne and was always the tallest with a natural skinny frame (still am at 6ft!), so the name 'lanky' got thrown about quite a bit too. But I've come to terms with the fact that this is who I am, this is the skin I am in and there is nothing I can do about that but embrace who I am!

I want to use this blog as a kind of journal, my internet moleskin shall we say. So, tillybeautique is where I shall give home to some of the opinions, thoughts and ideas that I have whizzing around in my overactive brain and gain other opinions, tips and inspiration from you fellow bloggers.

Speak soon
Natalie x