April Favourites

It's the beginning of another month. Which can only mean one thing. Favourites time! I do hope you have all been enjoying the rare occurrence that has been this wonderfully sunshine-y bank holiday! For those of you who are blessed to live in sunnier climes (lucky devils, you), it is simply an unwritten rule that whenever the sun decides to show itself in the UK, everybody, everywhere across the whole country must adorn their summer wardrobes, dust down their flip-flops and herd to the nearest watering hole. And stay there. Even when the sunlight is fading for the day and a mere strip of light on the pavement is all that remains of the excitement of the past few hours, we stay there. Until every last ray that we can possibly squeeze from the day has disappeared.  And even then, by heck are we taking our sunglasses off!? I love it when the sun comes out - it's amazing how much happier it makes you feel and even the simplest things like going for a walk and queueing for a Mr Whippy feel like the most exciting thing you've done since forever.  The pubs are full of bare beer bellys and football shirts galore, and the air is filled with many a whiff of BBQ's from every single garden on the street.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a red-hot summer now (even if red-hot simply means that we remain in decent double figures for more than the one week of nice-ness we usually get..)  Anyway, typical British rambles aside...here are a selection of my monthly loves..

| Moroccan Oil Treatment |

After using my mother's sample size of the Moroccan Oil treatment, it's safe to say I'm hooked. So much so I now have a fuller version.  You may have seen my post a while back on my love for hair oils (here), and my love very much remains the same.  I can't say I can tell a huge difference between this and my Macadamia Oil, but the smell of the Moroccan Oil is just divine. Honestly. I urge you to sneak a little sniff of this beauty if ever you get the chance. It's just what dreams are made of.  Yes, it's pricey. But it's worth every penny and a bottle like this would last you an absolute age! It leaves your hair feeling incredibly soft and nourished and I will never ever wash my hair again without applying some form of oil to the ends. Honestly, trust me on this - never again will conditioner simply be enough.  I really want to try their shampoo and conditioner now - my mum uses them and loves them to bits so I'm definitely on the hunt for some to try for myself now!

| Mac Turquatic Perfume |

The sun came out. So it's only fair that this little beauty came out too. If you have never copped a sniff of this summer-staple, I urge you to do so right away. Seriously, go knock yourself out and drown yourself in it. It's beautiful. Now, I'm no good with describing scents whatsoever, but I shall try to nonetheless. Imagine sitting by a pool somewhere tropical, cocktail firmly in hand and the sound of the sea gracing your ears. It sounds obviously cheesy, I know, but conjure up an image of your ideal sunshine getaway and this perfume is exactly what it would smell like. Right down to the tropical fish swimming around your ankles.

| Benefit High Beam |

I wrote about this product briefly a while back when I reviewed Benefit's Coralista set (here) and I've always enjoyed using it.  Ever since I first sampled 'Sun Beam' a while back it's safe to say I've had great admiration for these highlighters. The past month, I've been using this over all of my powder highlighters (my Nars 'Albatross' has taken a firm backseat for now) and I just love the dewy glow it gives.  You don't need a lot at all, and just a few dots of it along your brow bone and your cheek bones blended into the skin with a small fluffy brush gives such a gorgeous bit of dimension to the face without being glittery.  I find it looks a lot more natural than my powder highlighters and it's perfect for the slightly warmer weather we are having - I love that it looks dewy and glowy without looking false. It looks like your own skin. No glitterball-face in sight!  I even pop a few dabs on my chest area if I'm going out - it's such a versatile product, and one that I guess I didn't realise just how good it was until just recently. I'll definitely be buying the full size bottle once this runs out - and I really want to try Moon Beam now.

| Nyx Cream Blush in 'Natural |

This blush is one of my spring/summer staples (I actually have two pots of it so I have back-up!) and I included it last year in my 'Top 5 Summer Blushes' (you can have a nosey at that here). I have another shade of theirs and absolutely adore the consistency.  I'm really not a fan of cream to powder blushes as I find them drying - so this one is perfect because its moisturising enough to feel silky smooth on your cheeks but not so heavy that it slides off. Nyx have got the creamy texture spot on the mark and I get a good few hours wear out of them before they fade.  They don't go patchy either.  I simply love the shade - it's a perfect pinky-nude shade, making in the perfect summer companion. 

| Loreal Super Liner Perfect Slim Liquid Liner |

OOf. What a mouthful! I'm a big fan of liquid liner. And a big fan of Loreal's.  I usually use their ever-famous Super Liner Carbon Gloss, but on a recent makeup spree I decided to throw this one in the basket instead.  I wasn't instantly fussed but now I find I'm reaching for it quite a bit and I really quite like it! It's different to the Carbon Gloss due to the slightly thinner, and less flexible tip that makes it more of a felt-tip styled liner.  It's slightly less glossy and looks a little more matte in finish. What I love is the the fact that you're able to vary the weight of line effortlessly, and cat-flicks on the outer corners of your eyes are much easier to achieve. I really like it. Stays put all day, a doddle to apply and a offers a little more precision than other liquid liners I've tried.

| Mac Lipstick in 'Freckletone' | 

I've just realised I have no photograph of the lipstick in the bullet, but I've actually taken photos for a compilation of my nude lipstick collection to be posted soon so it will be included there.  This lipstick deserves a lot more recognition. If you're a fan of Shy Girl - then you will love this. It's a beautiful glossy mid-peach/nude shade that looks very flattering on both pale and darker skins. It's also rumoured to be a favourite of Kim Kardashian and Beyonce. Who can argue with that!? It's a lustre finish so wear time can be a little disappointing, however I can overlook this. It's such a gorgeous, glossy shade and one that I've been wearing almost every day since I bought it.

Also, before I tottle off to paint some more pictures for my children's book (the end is in sight!) I thought I'd be a little bit cheeky and mention the Cosmo Blog Awards. If you're a regular reader or somebody that enjoys reading my blog, it would mean one heck of a lot if you hopped over and voted for me here (it only takes a second or too..I promise)! My category is 'Best Established Beauty Blog'. I shall give you the biggest virtual hug ever if you decide to drop little old me a mention :)

What have you been loving in April? Anything here take your fancy!?