Monday 4 May 2015

Monthly Favourites : April Edition






How time flies when you're having fun!  Another month and it is time for another monthly favourites post. 

I would usually be doing a monthly favourites video but unfortunately, for the time being YouTube is going to have to be put on hold.  I have been suffering most of the month with an issue with my jaw joint and therefore talking is on a necessary only basis at the moment so for the foreseeable future until I am feeling well enough again I do not have any videos planned.

Getting back to the task in hand, I have a few products I have been really loving recently.  


I recently spoke about the La Roche Posay Serozinc(*) and how I could not bare to be without at least one can of this.  After kindly being sent this by La Roche Posay, I wonder how I ever lived without it and before I had even run out of my first can I had already purchased my second and third!  

If like me you suffer from acne cysts then this is a great product for helping to manage your skin's troublesome times.  It is specifically formulated to mattify oily and blemish prone skin and this mist toner contains a small amount of zinc sulphate (which has wound healing properties) meaning that any angry acne blemishes will benefit from being bathed in this soothing mist.


I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads; at first, I did not get on with these at all but I have started using these slightly differently and now I see really great results.

I had wanted to try this brand for a little while and whilst making a Feel Unique order I thought I would try the FAB Faves to Go Kit which contained these pads as well as a the Face Cleanser and Ultra Repair Cream so I thought it was good value for money (at £22.00).  

These pre-soaked double sided pads are designed to be a chemical exfoliant which are supposed to improve the tone of skin and help brighten complexion.  They contain a safe amount of lactic and glycolic acid for every day use and are suitable for sensitive skin so I set about using these every night after cleansing and before moisturising.  Although I was met with really nice results for two mornings after use, by the third my skin had completely broken out and I found it very difficult to get it back under control.  It is only when I picked up the Serozinc (above) that I found a way to get my skin back to normality.  After being scared off for a couple of months, I decided to picked these up again as I was noticing the tone of my skin was not looking too great (redness on the cheeks). However, this time round instead of using these to exfoliate daily (which I don't actually do in my normal routine) I started to use this on and off throughout the week with no more than 3 times a week.  

I have now noticed such a difference in the tone of my skin and clarity of my complexion.  I am still using these after cleansing, however instead of using a moisturiser over the top I avoid putting any product on afterwards and just spray the Serozinc over the top which I find really effective.  I use one side of these pads and I just wipe round once, not going over the same area twice and upon application this gives my skin just the gentlest of tingles.  

The next morning the results are clear; where I have always suffered from a redness to my cheeks, I now find I have a much clearer complexion.  I have also found this to be quite effective in the battle with post-acne scarring and this has much reduced.  This product also leaves my skin really smooth to the touch and over all I just really enjoy using this product now I have found a way to make them work for my skin.  


I recently mentioned the Bourjois Rouge Edition Aqua Laque in 04 Viens Si Tu Roses in a post all about which lip products I will be wearing the most in Spring (includes swatches).  

I love this lip product and although it has been getting some bad press due to it not being as long lasting or pigmented as its cousin the 'velvet', I still love it for everyday use.  It's a great wash of colour being it part stain and part gloss but with none of the stickiness.  No, it does not last as long but I actually prefer the shade range of these and I find them just a nice, easy product to wear which is not too heavy and goes great in my everyday make up.  Right now, this is a make-up bag essential and I cannot wait to try some other shades.  


I was once very afraid to try out oils of any kind on my hair which tends to get quite oily but after falling love with the Hair Xpertise Argan Oil I really wanted to try more.  I saw the OGX (formally known as Organix) Coconut Oil Weightless Hydrating Mist on special offer in Boots some time ago and decided on a whim to pick it up as I love the smell of coconut and I liked the idea of a spray rather than a pump.  

This oil is more of a 'dry oil' which one sprayed into wet hair absorbs really easily; I actually use this all over my hair with special care given to the ends unlike my argan oil which I just tend to run through the ends.  Although I find my experience with the argan oil and this oil near on the same I actually prefer the coconut oil as I like the smell more and I find my hair feels just slightly softer.  I also enjoy the added benefit of being able to use this oil all over my hair (including roots) instead of just through the ends; I find when using the argan oil through the lengths it feels too heavy and I feel like I have still product in my hair after I have styled it.  

This is definitely going to be a repurchase once I'm through with this first bottle!


My Mum actually bought me Mhairi McFarlane's It's Not Me It's You for Christmas but it was hard back and I find these difficult to read on the train and I do not need the added weight in my already heavy handbag!  So I thought I would purchase this for my Kindle as it was not particularly expensive.  I had heard of this author before I even went to purchase another one of her books You Had Me At Hello but for some reason never actually bothered!  I am really glad my Mum introduced  me to this author whom she had previously read as I really enjoyed this book.  It's an excellent and easy read with a good story line and enough humour to keep you going.  

Delia is not happy in her job and when she finds out the night she proposes to her long-term boyfriend that he has been cheating on her with a younger woman, she ups and leaves her home up North and heads for the Big Smoke to live with her old friend Emma.  She settles down in London with a job working for a PR firm and meets Adam West a cock sure journalist who blackmails Delia into giving him information about her boss when she leaves behind her new company's all important client list.  The ex-boyfriend she leaves behind, Paul, continues to pursue Delia and hopes to win her back based on their history and eventually Delia needs to make a decision - go back to her old life with Paul or be brave and continue with her new life in London with Emma and Adam who is really beginning to grow on her.  What will she decide?  You will need to read to find out!

If you like smart chick-lit with a bit a more humour than your normal romance book then Mhairi McFarlane's books are for you.

What products and other random things have you been loving this month?  I'd love to hear from you!

Emma xx

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