August Beauty Favourites

Loreal Elnett Heat Protectant Spray (Volume) - £5.99 

I'd previously shrugged off using heat protectant on my lions mane, and boy oh boy, could you tell. My hair was insanely damaged at the ends. Excessive colouring and barely visiting the hairdressers also had a big impact on the condition of it, too. But following a well overdue visit to the hairdressers, my hair is significantly shorter now (about 6 inches to be exact) so I've been trying to ensure that my locks don't get into the condition they once were.

The Loreal Elnett Heat Protectant has proven to be quite a necessity in my hair care routine. There's a few different varieties to the spray, dependent on the look you're wanting to achieve - straight, curls and volume (the one I went for). Although I already have a fair amount of volume in my hair, I love a bit of extra oomph. To be honest I can't really say it adds anything extra to my hair in that respect, but maybe that's down to my thick hair. However as a hair protectant, I do think it works. What's also great is that it doesn't feel like you've got a load of product in your hair. It supposedly lasts for three days after applying, which again, I'm a little skeptical on, but I just spritz it on each time I use heat on my hair anyway.For only £5.99 it something I would definitely recommend trying

Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo -  £17

I love me a bit of Bumble and Bumble.

I've tried a few products from the brand now and I've not once been disappointed. The price bracket is a little higher than your average drugstore haircare product, but it's totally worth it. The consistency of the B&B products are much thicker due to them being brilliant quality, so I've actually found that they last me a lot longer than a bottle from say, John Frieda would.

The Sunday Shampoo is recommended as a once a week product (hence the name!). It's designed to remove any excess/build up on your scalp, revitalizing your hair as a result. As well as thoroughly cleaning the hair, I feel it also adds a fair bit of bounce to it, too- which gets a thumbs up from me!

Bioderma Sensibio H2O - £10

I'd been after getting my hands on a bottle of this stuff for yonks, however since Bioderma is a French skincare brand, it's not that easy to track down living in the UK. But on a recent trip to London I managed to track it down (huzzah!)

I've only been using it for a week or so but so far so good. It's incredibly gentle on the skin (and eyes), however the only negative thing I would say about the product is that you really need to make that extra effort to ensure every scrap of makeup is removed,  as it's not what you would describe as a 'deep cleanse'. The first evening I used it, I noticed the next morning there was still a little BB cream on my cotton pad after cleansing. Despite this, I would definitely recommend Bioderma - if you can get your hands on it!

Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning - £18

If I ever bother to apply fake tan, then I make sure I use a separate product on my face from my body. False tan for the body never seems to apply all that well on the face, and I know a lot of people will second me on this. It's also not too great for your skin in general either, so overall it's just a lot better to buy a false tan specific for the area you're applying it to.

After hearing a lot of brilliant things about the Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tan, I decided to try it for myself. I apply this to my face with a cotton pad before I hit the sack so it can work it's magic over night. The next morning I wake up with a natural looking glow which looks as though it had been achieved from an afternoon at the beach. What's more, it's gradual, so you can build up the colour with applications until you reach the tan depth you're wanting. to achieve. I've had the bottle since around April, and although I don't use it all that much, there's still a considerable amount left as you really do only need a small amount (I use around a 10p size each application). This gets two thumbs up from me.

Moroccan Oil - £30

Moroccan Oil is possible on of the most raved about hair products in the beauty world. I already had a couple of hair oils in my collection, so I guess you could say I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. As I mentioned above, I recently had a lot of my hair cut off, so my hair is my natural colour for the first time in several years, and as a result isn't really at all damaged. Therefore I can't really comment on it's damage repairing ability, but it definitely works at nourishing the hair and making it look really shiny.

The bottle I purchased came with a pump lid, which makes it slightly easier (and less messy) to apply. The one thing you need to watch out for is not applying too much, as it can make your hair look a tad greasy. The scent of this stuff is ah-mazing. I suck at describing fragrances, but it really is hair-sniffin' good.

I went for the 100ml bottle which was around £30, however if you're just wanting to try it out, or are someone who travels a lot then there's a 25ml bottle which retails at around £12. A must have.

The White Company Pomegranate Candle - £20

I've tried a few candles in my time, but The White Company really do do the best in my opinion.I'm not one who loves to burn a sickly sweet scent, and instead tend to go for warmer, more soothing fragrances.

My favourite of all time is the White Companies Pomegranate candle. Described as 'luxuriously rich and wonderfully warming' with hints of Pomegranate and Mandarin. Like I said earlier, I'm pretty pants when it comes to describing scents, but this really is delightful.

There are various sizes (and formats) of this candle available - I went for the signature size (again!) which was £20. That might sound a little pricey if you're not that into candles, but the burning time for this is approx 28 hours, which is brilliant, so you definitely do get your money's worth.

Dr Lipp Nipple Balm - £11.50

OK, just to clarify, I don't use this stuff on my nipples...

Instead, I apply this product to my smakers. It's pretty much a dupe for Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream, without the odd scent.

It's one heavy duty lip balm, and definitely does the trick when it comes to repairing sore, cracked lips. The only negative thing I can say about it is it's very sticky. Think lip-gloss x10. I know. Because of this, I tend to apply just before bed then it's not getting stuck in my hair etc, and can do it's thaaang whilst I sleep. A more luxurious alternative to Vaseline and something I am glad to have in my collection.

LUSH Lip Scrub - £5.50

I've actually featured this on my blog a while back but have recently reminded myself how awesome it is. When I was on holiday a couple of weeks back my lips got really sore, and when I returned this baby was included in getting my lips back to their soft selves. That sounds weird...

Anyhow, it totally works. This combination of this with the Dr. Lipp Nipple Balm is magic.

 The scrub itself is pretty much just sugar with a couple of other things added in, so you could really just make it at home but it's only £5.50 and last absolutely ages so it's worth it in my opinion.

There's a few varieties of the scrub to choose from such as Popcorn, however I went for the chocolate scent. The concept is kind of gross - apply to the lips, rub in and then lick it off. So really you're eating the dead skin from your lips, but I just tend to wipe it off with a cloth/tissue anyway.

It smells (and tastes) delicious, and is a brilliant way to quickly get rid of any dry bits on your lips so I would definitely recommend looking into this - or making your own homemade lip scrub! 

Nars Eyeshadow Primer - £19

After (somehow?!!) loosing my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer, and eventually realizing after continuously hunting for it that I would never see it again, I decided I needed to restock. I liked it, and it really did make a difference to the staying power of my eyeshadow but I decided to go for a change. Step in Nars.

The Nars Eyeshadow Primer is not a 'cult' beauty product like that of UD, however I've never been disappointed by the brand, so when browsing Space NK, I thought what the heck. I'm yet to decide which I prefer as both do the job, and boy, do they do it well. I like the Nars packaging visually, as it's more sleek, but the applicator for the UD primer is less messy and more hygienic to apply. The Urban Decay primer is £15 and comes in a variety of shades, whereas the Nars is £19 and is currently only available in one. To conclude, both do what they say on the tin so either would be a positive addition to your makeup bag.

OCC Lip Tar - £11.50

Again another London purchase. I'd been aware of the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars for quite some time now so as soon as I spotted them in Selfridges I ran to the till to buy.

... OK, maybe I didn't run, that would be weird.

After much consideration, I went for a gorgeous deep red shade; Nsfw. Although it looks pretty vibrant on the Selfridges website, it actually appears a fair bit darker in real life, with quite a blue undertone to it. A little definitely goes a long way with this, you really do only need the tiniest amount. I was expecting the application to be pretty messy, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. You squeeze a small amount onto the brush then apply working from the centre outwards. I'm not actually all that impressed with the lasting power, but whenever I've worn it I've then gone out for food/drinks etc so that probably having a huge impact on it. Overall I'm really glad I finally purchased a lip tar and next time I'm down in London I shall definitely be popping into Selfridges to pick up a couple more!