FEBRUARY FAVOURITES

This month I've discovered some amazing products both from new purchases and from shopping my stash. As always I spent way too much money on make up but hey ho, no regrets! February has seen so many new beauty launches and I’m proud to say I've managed to stay away from all of them... so far. I've decided I’m going to sit back and wait for all the reviews of the products to come up on my bloglovin’ feed and then I can decide which ones are worth the hype.

So first up is unfortunately going to be a bit of a tease as it’s actually a discontinued product but I've been loving it so much I couldn't resist including it in my favourites. The Estee Lauder Raisins eye shadow palette. I first fell in love with this whilst watching one of Zoella’s videos a few years back, it’s a gorgeous palette consisting of one shimmery light pink shade and one deep purple shade. I’m a big fan of pink/purple coloured eye shadows anyway but the shade and formula of this little beauty is incredible.

I've been getting back into MAC recently and discovering lots of gorgeous products along the way. As I’m forever on the hunt for those Kylie Jenner nude lipsticks I decided to pick up the shade Mehr (£15.50) which is a lovely matte shade. I hadn't heard a lot about Mehr before which I find bizarre now as it’s so gorgeous! When applying MAC matte lipsticks I always like to dab them on very lightly and blend with my finger which I think gives a better finish and a lot more lasting power. A second MAC purchase comes in the form of a paint pot, MAC Groundwork (£15.50) is a gorgeous light brown shade which acts as a perfect base for any eye shadow look. I've tried and tested it over the past few weeks and it really does last all day with no creasing!

You always have a month where all your favourite perfumes seem to run out and you’re left with the realisation that you have to spend an excess of £100 to replace them all, yep that was me this month. Even though I’m moaning about having to fork out that much money I will admit that I’m obsessed with perfume and therefore secretly enjoy trying out new ones now and again. I picked up one I've had my eye on for a while, Miss Dior (£49.05 50ml) by Christian Dior. I’m terrible at describing scents and I think this one is especially hard; all I can say is its floral, light but not too light and bloody gorgeous!

With my combination skin I have to powder my T-Zone every day so I’m always on the hunt for a good affordable powder. MAC Mineralize Skin Finish will always be my true love but I have now found one that could potentially knock it off the top spot. The Bourjois Healthy Balance (£8.99) powder in Light was highly recommended by Amelia from AmeliaLilana and lets face it who wouldn't want her skin!? It’s really light, does a fine job at combating oil, comes in a great selection of colours and has an overall beautiful finish.

I shopped my stash and rediscovered the Rimmel Eastend Snob (£3.99) lip pencil. I've been using this as an alternative to my MAC and Charlotte Tilbury lip pencils as they are slightly on the pricey side to use every day. I feel like this just generally makes my lips look better, even if my lipstick has worn off throughout the day the lip liner will always be there to have my back! It’s a perfect shade that pretty much goes with any pink/nude lip colour.

What have been your favourites this month?

Jess  x 

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HIGH END HAULIN

Pay day splurge isn't even the word for how much I bought when I got paid last week - I need controlling. In my defence the two high end products I'm going to talk about today were definitely not a rushed purchase, I had been thinking about getting these two beauties for a while!

Firstly the Tom Ford lipstick in the shade Beau, which is part of the Lips and Boys collection. They are teeny tiny lipsticks in the most amazing shade range, they come slightly cheaper than their regular lipsticks at £26.00 which makes it that little bit easier to part with the cash. Even though I was drawn to the dark vampy shades I decided to go for a nude colour as I don't have many in my collection. I have to say I am kind of regretting that decision now as I find nudes so hard to wear, no matter how much I love them! The pinks and plum shades are flawless in the collection so after writing this post I think I might have to make a sneeky Selfridges order. I have to talk about the consistency, it is absolutely amazing! For me its just the right amount of creamy-ness - not too much that it slips around but just the right amount of moisture. I've never bought anything from Tom Ford before and I now understand just how luxurious their products are.

Secondly a product I've been meaning to purchase for such a long time, the Soleil Tan De Chanel (£32.00). I had my reservations about it and I suppose that's why its taken me so long to get my hands on it, a cream bronzer with only one shade, really? Surprisingly it really does work! Apparently its meant to suit any skin tone and in the pot it looks scarily orange but all I know is that it definitely suits mine. It took me a while to get the hang of how to apply it having never used a cream product to contour before but with my new Real Techniques brushes I got the hang of it in no time. A definite must have.. and the packaging just looks so pretty!

Have you been make up shopping recently?

Jess  x 

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BUDGET FACE MASK DUO

I've really into masks recently and they've been having a really positive affect on my skin. I think I've realised that my skin reacts better when I give it lots of attention, regular masks and pampering puts it in good shape in no time. The only problem is when you’re using masks so often you need to be concious of your spending because believe me, Aesop doesn't come cheap! You can find some amazing skincare brands in Boots and I’m a huge advocate of budget skincare so I thought I would share with you my favourite budget face mask duo.

The Una Brennan Super Facialist Anti Blemish Clay Mask (£8.99) is incredible and I've been using it for a year or so now. It’s a thick dark coloured mud mask that clears all of the dirt out of your pores and deeply cleanses your skin. I use this as an alternative to the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask (£23.00) which is a holy grail product for me but is a little on the pricey side to use as much as I would like. Even though it’s more than half the price cheaper the differences in quality are minimal, of course the product itself doesn't feel as luxurious but the overall result is pretty much exactly the same.

After I've applied a clay mask I always feel like I need to moisturise my skin with some sort of hydrating mask. I absolutely love the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (£23.00) but a budget alternative that works just as well is the Una Brennan Super Facialist Rose Intense Moisture Mask (£8.99). I'm a big fan of rose scented products however I am aware that many people aren't so fond so that's something to bare in mind. The consistency is really unique as its very thick with little lumps, its even got marshmallow extract in! Your skin feels so soft and hydrated after you've used it and the two masks together work wonders.

Do you have any purse friendly face masks to recommend?

Jess  x 

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JANUARY SKINCARE FAVOURITES

I thought I'd do something different this month and talk about my January skincare favourites instead of a general favourites post. It’s always nice to mix things up but mainly I wanted to focus on skincare because of how good its actually been recently, down to what I can only put down to the products I've been using. Since the New Year I've been making a conscious effort to maintain a strict skincare routine/give my skin some TLC and I've seriously been noticing a difference.

I've never really been fussed about moisturiser as my skin has never been overly dry and I've just never found the right one, until now. The Clarins Hydra-Matte Lotion (£26.99) for combination skin has been a miracle worker for me these last few months. I've always heard great things about Clarins skincare and I've tried some gorgeous products from them so when I was on the hunt for a new moisturiser I thought I would give them a go. The lady at the counter suggested the Hydra-Matte and gave me lots of testers of various other types to try out, she was lovely! I've been using it every morning for around 2 months now; it provides just the right amount of moisture without looking greasy and doesn't break me out at all. 

I’ve been getting into masks a lot more and with my Vogue subscription I received a free gift of the REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial (£32.00), at first I was sceptical of how much difference it would actually make in 1 minute but I don’t think I could live without it now! It basically acts as a mask/exfoliator and has the strangest consistency and smell ever. Apparently the metallic smell is the Vitamin C particles being activated when you splash your face with water. It just makes my skin feel smooth and radiant, bye bye dull skin!

We all have those days when you get in from work and all you want to do is get into bed without the faff of having to take your make up off with a million different products. So for these days I have found a new love, the Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Wipes (£3.99). Yes I admit it, I occasionally use face wipes! They are pretty bog standard, what can you really say about a face wipe? I like them especially for their soothing properties, they feel so cooling on your face and your skin actually feels very clean afterwards (even though we know it definitely isn’t!). 

For the days when I'm looking for a more thorough cleanse I've gone back to my old favourite, the Liz Earle Cleanse Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (£14.00). One of my friends got me a gorgeous Liz Earle gift set for Christmas which included a bottle of this, very handy as mine had just run out! Its an amazing cleanser that I always go back to when my skin is in need of a little TLC, it does the job perfectly and leaves you skin feeling/looking beautiful! 

My final favourite is a complete new discovery for me and one which I didn't expect to love as much as I do. Hydraluron (£24.99) from Indeed Labs is a well talked about product and something which for years I didn't really know what the fuss was about. I always go for Serums that are blemish busting and have been known to forget what other ones could be on the market. After hearing so much about it (and it being on offer in Boots) I decided to give it a try. Its basically a moisture boosting serum which holds up to 1000 times its weight in water so it helps you to get even more hydration from your moisturiser! Its made my skin so plump and glowing and because its made from pure ingredients its perfect for my problematic skin! 

What have been your skincare faves this month?

Jess  x 

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INSTAGRAM ROUNDUP

This month has been great for my blog, I've managed to stick to a schedule of posting twice a week (Wednesday and Sunday) and I'm now planning posts weeks in advance which means I'm so much more on top of it. I've been getting to grips with my new DSLR and I absolutely love it. I will admit its a lot harder than I expected, especially in these Winter months when natural light is somewhat lacking e.g. its light for what seems like 2 hours a day. I've been buying lots of new make up bits (hauls to follow) and rediscovering old loves. Really excited for February, even though I can't believe how fast its come round! One step closer to summer! I've been wondering what I can add to this monthly post to make it a little more interesting as I love sharing all my Instagram photos and doing a little monthly round up but I thought it needed something more. So I've decided I'm going to add in a list of my favourite Instagram accounts each month so you can see where I get my inspiration from.

Follow me on Instagram - @jessicatabinor

My 2014 favourites post | MUA blushes (absolutely obsessed!) | Added some voiles to my window, been meaning to do this for ages | The Early Rise make up look | I <3 Coffee | Sunday mornings with Vivianna & Lilly | My gorgeous Olivia Burton watch | Been stalking dizzybrunette's Pinterest a little too much lately | 3 for 2 on eyelashes is always a good idea | My 21st Birthday - wish I could go back to that day! | New read, looks amazing so far | Bargain eye shadow palette |

CURRENT FAVES:

- catherine.mw; only recently found Catherine's Instagram and I think I've liked every one of her pictures since!

- kittwills; gorgeous photos, constantly swooning over all her beautiful make up

- caramellablog; only very recently discovered Jess's account too, gorgeous gorgeous photography

- latashaadore; been following for a while and envy her backgrounds!

- dizzybrunette3; what can I say, Corrie's Instagram is gorgeous and you need to follow her purely for her love       for Blair Waldorf 

Hope you all have a great February, let me know which Instagram accounts you've been loving recently! 

Jess  x 
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NARS HAULIN

I told myself I would be curbing my spending throughout January and trying to use up/rediscover old products, surprise surprise, I caved and went Selfridges shopping which we all know is never a good idea. In my defence I feel I was quite constrained and only had a quick browse of the Chanel and Tom Ford counters and then proceeded to purchase a few items from Nars. Looking back I’m thinking the browse was actually a bad idea because now I’m lusting over those Tom Ford Lipsticks and the Soleil Tan De Chanel.

So from Nars I picked up the very popular Radiant Creamy Concealer which is massively hyped, hopefully with good reason. I thought the shade selection was pretty good however I went in knowing pretty much what shade I wanted anyway. I think in the summer months or when I’m wearing tan I might need to pick up Custard but for now Vanilla seems to be the perfect match. I've been testing this out wearing it almost every day and so far so good! I like to trial things out for a few weeks before I give a full review but on first impressions the coverage is good, the shade works well with my skin tone and I’m yet to see any creasing!

Secondly, and for me the most exciting purchase the Satin Lip Pencil in the shade Biscayne Park. I cannot tell you how long I've wanted to try one of these lip pencils and I don’t really know why it’s taken me so long to get my hands on one. I chose a gorgeous peachy pink shade for my first one but I really want to try some of the darker colours too. I love how pigmented they are with just the right amount of gloss, so far I'm completely in love!

Have you been buying any new make up recently?

Jess  x 

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CHARLOTTE TILBURY LOVIN'

I posted my first review on a Charlotte Tilbury product a few months ago, my first purchase was the Cheek to Chic in Love Glow and I confessed my love for her products from the word go. Since then my obsession has only grown and I'm pretty much lusting over every single one of her products along with what seems like every other beauty blogger out there. However I've been controlling myself and I’m quite proud to say I've only picked up two more items (well three if you include the brush but shhhh).

All hail the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow, this was by far the most exciting purchase I made in 2014 and the only reason it didn't quite make my yearly favourites was because I didn't buy it until really late in the year. Its truly a beautiful product, the packaging, the shades, the consistency and the quality are all flawless and I can’t imagine finding a better contour kit. I also purchased the contour brush because obviously you can’t have one without the other. This is equally as luxurious and makes applying the contour (for dummies like me) so easy!

After purchasing the Lip Cheat in the shade Pillow Talk and absolutely loving it I was on the hunt for the lipstick to match so I when I went to Manchester I decided to quickly pop in to Selfridges. The girls recommended two shades and I chose Penelope Pink. It’s a gorgeous pinky/brown nude – the perfect Kylie Jenner shade which looks gorgeous with a smokey eye. The formula is of course flawless and I'm dying to get my hands on some darker shades!

What are your favourites from CT?

Jess  x 

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