#Haul : Skincare and Mens fashion

Who's still keeping up with their new years resolution? If you are, then keep going and bravo!  Nothing better to knock away any January blue's than a bit of retail therapy. I have to admit I haven't been so eager for the January sales this year. It makes me sad to see all lovely things I had bought a week prior to Christmas at 70% off , so I only snatched a couple of items from the sales. The skincare items included in this blog are mostly Christmas presents though they are things I have wanted to try for a while. 

~ floral hoodie , River island ~

So the first thing I have here to show you is this floral hoodie from River island. No surprise with the run up to spring, floral prints have burst onto the shop floors and I'm loving them. I chose this hoodie as not only did it have a dark floral design but it contrasted well against the light grey in the centre. It allows me to wear a bold floral print without it being like having a bouquet thrown at your face. I'm still on the hunt for a floral back pack but I hope to grab one soon.

~ Beanie and gym T-shirt, New look ~

The next items I bought were from new look. There's a lot of baseball, sports and gym style shirts out in stores at the moment with a vast majority made in mesh. Though I have't got one of those yet, I did pick up this red sleeved sports top which is easy to throw on on days were I just want to chill and lounge around the house. The black beanie also pictured above was £3 so if the price didn't sell itself to me, the accent hash-tag defiantly did. I can't resist a hash-tag!  I love seeing people out in about in town wearing black beanies and white shirts, the contrast of the two colours draws my eye.

~ Skincare~

With a new year and a new start ahead of me , I also got some new skincare.  Majority of the skincare is from superdrug's optimum range. The great thing about when I got these products is that they were on 3 for 2! I have tried the apple skin renewal moisturiser from Iuperdrug and really enjoyed using it so I have now ventured into their overnight skin renewal serum. As well as their apple skin renewal range I received two products from the super grape antioxidant line. The sturdy plastic packaging for both of these looks more expensive than it actually is ( see picture below) . The day cream has an SPF 15, they are both 50ml and both paraben free. I look forward to testing and reviewing these for you.

~ Badger balm , Lip balm set ~ 

 (excuse the chunky thumb). I have something to rival my trusted and beloved Burt's bees lip balms. I'm yet to try this lip balm set but the flavours include tangerine breeze, pink grapefruit, lavender & orange and vanilla Madagascar. errrm yum! With ingredients including beeswax, virgin olive oil and rosehip , I can't wait to tuck into these and smother my smacker with them. Has Burt's bees met it's match ?

~ Clarins , Liquid bronze self tanning ~ 

Clarins liquid bronze self tanner is a product I see and hear continuously in the youtube community. After a small debate with myself, I decided to give it a go. I hear great things about this product and look forward to writing a review about it in the future.You just add a small amount to a cotton pad , wipe it over your face and your done. Simple.Though this retails for around £18 , you do get 125mls of product making it great value in comparison to so many other face self tanners. 

~ Bodyshop, camomile silky cleansing oil ~

The last product I have is a face cleansing oil. It's the fourth bottle pictured above. unfortunately I didn't take a snap of it on it's own. With more and more people becoming more conscious of their skincare and what's in the products they use to clean their faces, cleansing oils have hit the town hard. I've noticed in the youtube community and stores a lot more beauty oils and balms are being favoured so I've decided to try them also. This is the body shop camomile silky cleanse off oil that has a light , clean and slightly sweet scent. I can't wait to slap this on my face and discover the results.

So that is the end of my haul. A little long winded perhaps but I wanted to show you all the things to expect reviews for in the future. Have you tried any of the products mentioned above? I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment or add me on Instagram.

The mint apple :)

December favourites 2013

Happy new year! 2013 has just been swept under the rug for a new polished year , 2014. what are your new year's resolutions ?  As part of my new year's resolutions to myself, I decided to start a blog on products that I adore to share to all the other beauty product junkies. I've really had to kick myself into doing this , not because I see this as a chore, not at all ! In all honesty,  I just feared that me doing a blog on beauty products would be deemed as nonsensical. Nevertheless, here I am! So my first blog to you is my December favourites.  I hope you enjoy and I would love to hear your feedback. ( I am writing this whilst still purging on Christmas goods  and dusting away the biscuit crumbs off my lap. I'm not prepared for January just yet! )

~ simple sun-kissed moisture cream ~

This is a face moisturiser that I wouldn't have thought I would have loved as much as I did. I have really rather dry skin and when I opened the bottle to find that the lotion was quite thin, I didn't have much confidence in that it would satisfy my thirsty face. However, I found that it moisturised my skin throughout the day and the fact that it's a light lotion meant it glided into my skin effortlessly.  I unfortunately threw the bottle away ( sorry) so I couldn't take a snap of it,  but you get 50mls of product for around £5 making it great value. This product lasted me a good two months and the added bonus of it is that is has a gradual tan built in. I never noticed that it gave my skin a "tanned" looking appearance but in time I gave my skin more warmth , an ever so subtle glow. There's no streaks, there's no fake tan biscuit smell . simple!

~Vita liberata - Tinted self tan lotion ( light/ Rich) ~

A tinted self tan lotion ( in light). To add  more warmth to my complexion in the dark dreary winter months , I have been  mixing a small amount of this gradual tan with my face moisturiser. Now, I feared at first slapping a gradual tan that has a guiding colour onto my face ,  I would look like Magda from " there's something about Mary" . Though, when blending a small amount of this tan with my moisturiser , not only did this add a more caramel and warmer tone to my face instantly , but it was slowly building a gradual tan. WIN! There's no funky smell with this tanner and it dries instantly . I shall be looking into more products by the vita libereta range.

~ Clear mascara from MUA ~

 Ahh yes, clear mascara, my trusty friend.  Now this has become more of a staple to me than just a monthly favourite. I don't use this product for my eyelashes though, but for my brows. With brows being more on topic in media , with thanks to those fabulous feathers above Cara delevignes eyes, I too had become more conscious of my brows. Clear mascara not only allows me to brush my brows into the place but the gel fixes them slightly. The best part is I paid a squid (£1, for those who don't understand me yet) , from MUA in Superdrug! Gentlemen, if wish to to tame those lion manes on your foreheads, then clear mascara is a subtle, cheap and easy way to do so.

~ Liz Earle - Cleanse & polish, Hot cloth cleanser ~

A staple amongst the beauty lovers community.  A gentle yet effective face cleanser with a fresh botanical smell that makes me feel I'm in spa. I always enjoy using Liz Earle products and I'm yet to find a product I haven't liked. This product is a thick cream ,  that's  gentle enough to go over the eye area. There's just two simple steps ; smother your face in the cleanser  and then gently buff it off the cloth provided using warm water. My skin doesn't feel like sandpaper afterwards , ( like some foaming cleansers), but dewy and ready for the rest of my skincare routine. I enjoy using this product so much that I even bought it for family for Christmas this year.

~  Soap and Glory -  Hand food ~

who doesn't love this ?! like seriously, find me one person who doesn't enjoy this. It's not rare for me to pop into a friends or colleagues car to then see one of these cheeky pink tubes poking it's face from the side car door or glove department. This hand cream is thick,  leaving hands feeling moisturised and supple, but not greasy at all. ( I really can't stand a greasy hand cream, unless i use it before bed). It has a delicious fruit and floral smell, that's signature to the soap and glory product line and I am unaware of anyone who doesn't enjoy the scent. A 50ml size tube is great to throw in a bag and will only cost a couple of pounds. I find this product also makes a lovely small gift or gesture for those who's hands need some TLC. ( like busy mums)!

~ Woodwick candle in " Spiced Eggnog" ~

The name alone indicates how festive and warming this smells , though you need to take the lid off to give justice to it's magnificent scent.  when lit, my room is filled with a rich and creamy spicy scent, that warms the soul on the dark winter nights. A bonus to the Woodwick candles is that it's wick, (are you ready),  is wood. ( the name gave it away didn't it )?  The crossed wooden wick creates  a crackling and whispering sound like a small fire which I find soothing when it's on whilst I read a book ( or blog of course).

~ YouTube of the month  - Ben Green ~ 

This segment goes to Ben green , also to be known as" DivaDarlingChic". Ben greens videos vary from Vlogs to hauls, fashion , beauty favourites and make-up tutorials.  His most popular video on Youtube titled " YES, I am a boy", has over 4 million views! What makes Ben green my favourite youtuber of the month ,  is not only do I enjoy his sense of humour in his videos but his small movie entitled " substance" moved me.  I was uncertain how I felt about the clip at first but at the end it all clicked and I was reduced to my eyes even welling up. BRAVO BEN! You can find his youtube channel here.

~ Blogger of the month :  MANFACE ~

 I love flicking through this Gentleman's blog with a cup of tea on a lazy afternoon and catching up on all the beauty goss with his impeccable reviews. The blog has been created by Thom who is an accredited skincare specialist.  I have been reading this blog for about two years now and not only does he execute a product review well but it's done in style on his neat and sleek website. I hope to write product reviews as good as him and in my opinion his sites targets a broad audience, making him a great site to recommend to friends.