Giveaway Winner!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my giveaway - I definitely didn't think I would have that many people entering! 

After many hours spent sorting and moderating the entries, the winner has been revealed:

Clara S

I have just emailed you to find out your lipstick of choice which will be posted to you along with my personal favourite, Viva Glam Nicki! 

If there is no response from Clara after 15 days, I will be selecting a second winner so make sure to check back for any updates! 

Thank you again to everyone who entered, I'm pleased that I can offer a reader two lovely MAC lipsticks :)

Film Review | Safe Haven

If you've read my book review of Safe Haven, you will know how much and for how long I have been wanting to watch the film and when I finally did, it was everything I expected and more. Nicholas Sparks writes the most beautiful stories but if you want a film with fast-paced action, this definitely isn't for you. As with all Spark's novels, this film was packed with beautiful music, soppy speeches and water views in a small American town.

I don't want to re-write the storyline here so I will paste what I wrote in my book review. "The very quiet and mysterious Katie (Julianne Hough) moves to Southport and her surprising arrival raises questions about why she is there and what has happened in her life before she moved. Due to a past abusive relationship, Katie finds it hard to trust and doesn't want to get close to anybody. Until she meets Alex (Josh Duhamel). Alex is a widowed store owner in the little town and has two young kids who Katie instantly bonds with. Despite her reservations, Katie soon begins to let her guard down and become closer to Alex and his family." 

The film was very similar to the book, with a few extra bits changed/added to add a bit of on-screen drama. One aspect that was different was that in both the film and the book, there is a twist at the end. In the film, little hints about this twist were revealed throughout the film, whereas it's left a complete surprise in the book. The twist was revealed in a very different way in the movie - a more obvious way, which I suppose was necessary as it could have easily been missed if it was presented exactly as it is in the book. I'm not saying this is a negative thing, it's just something I picked up on when watching.

I would definitely recommend watching Safe Haven if you're looking for a nice, romantic drama that is easy to watch. There are dramatic and tense bits but they aren't over the top and it makes for a perfect Friday-night film. 

Beauty Review | Helen E Lipstick

I have to admit, this shade is extremely difficult to pull off and even more difficult to take an accurate photograph of. The shade seems a bit more brown-toned than the camera shows above, but I tried a lot of photos in different types of lights and this was the closest match. The lipstick is a very dark, almost brown, red and although me being a natural redhead and having very pale skin, this shade didn't really suit my complexion and I'm not sure which skintones this shade would look good on. The texture of the lipstick was gorgeous, it was extremely moisturizing (as you can see from the image above, I didn't use any balm or gloss on my lips, only the lipstick.) I didn't feel like my lips had a lot of sticky product on, but more like I had a soft moisturizing balm.

Simply because of the texture, I would try this product again - in a different shade. The shades I've been eyeing up here are 'Marshmallow' and 'Hollywood Red' and you can try them for yourself for £8. 

Have you ever tried any Helen E products?

April Favourites

I know this is a huge pet peeve of many people but I would like to apologize for being a bad blogger. I know, I know - it's my blog and I can post as often as I like and I can post what I like, but I prefer continuity and I have a strict editorial schedule that I haven't been sticking to, so I just wanted to apologize before getting into my April favourites post. I would also like to say that my camera has broken, so unfortunately, I have no pictures for this months favourites other than ones I could take on my iPhone but the quality is almost always awful! Hopefully, it should be up and running soon and I will upload the pictures as soon as possible!

I don't have too many beauty favourites this month as I've been using what I usually use and not really experimenting. I still wanted to post my favourites though as it's a series I'm hoping to get into the habit of doing!

Steam Cream - Steam Cream £13 approx.
I love steam creams. Firstly, the designs on the packaging are beautiful (click the link above to see for yourself) and they are so unique - I'm trying to collect quite a few! The creams use steam to ensure that the skin absorbs it efficiently. Each cream is made with handmade with natural ingredients - and they all smell incredible. You can use these creams on face, body or hands & feet. My favourite at the moment is 'happiness.' 

Clearasil Ultra Blemish & Marks Scrub - Boots £5.79
I am a face scrub junkie. I love trying different scrubs as I honestly think there is no better feeling than clearing out your pores and being left with gorgeously smooth, clean skin. This scrub is the perfect everyday scrub that doesn't irritate the skin too much but leaves it polished. It doesn't deep clean my skin like the St. Ives, but I feel that scrub is too much to use everyday as it's very harsh and gets deep into my pores, whereas this one I can use often and know that it isn't irritating my skin. There will be a full review of this product coming on my blog soon!

MAC Viva Glam Nicki Lipstick - MAC £14
It's no secret that this is by far my favourite MAC lipstick at the moment and this month has been no different. It's the perfect bright pink shade and has a moisturizing texture. I've even included this as part of my giveaway (which ends in 2 days so if you haven't already - go and check it out) as I think everyone should try this gorgeous shade. 

Nails inc. in 'You're a Peach' - In Style Magazine
I got this full-sized nail polish in June's InStyle magazine and fell in love. The magazine is giving away 3 different polishes but 'you're a peach' was definitely my favourite of the three (you can see the shade on the image above). It's a gorgeous nude peach shade that is perfect to wear from Spring to Summer. To check out this shade for yourself, it's not too late to get your copy of InStyle! 

Music I've been loving this month:
Bastille - Flaws
Bastille ft. Ella - No Angels
Lovable Rogues - What A Night
Miley Cyrus & Will.I.Am - Fall Down
Passenger - Let Her Go
Sean Kingston, Chris Brown & Wiz Khalifa - Beat It

What are your favourites for April?

Beauty Review | Temple Spa Purification Mask

I've been using Temple Spa products for just over a year now, before then - I didn't even know the brand existed, now I can't live without it. Temple Spa was created with the idea of a healthy mind and a healthy body - your temple. 

"Our passion is professional-standard skin care and body care, aromatherapy and spa treatments that replenish, revive, renew and love to treat people very well." This particular section of the website explains the brand's philosophy perfectly. 

I have the entire skincare range for oily skin but my favourite product, by far, is the Purification Deep Cleansing Mask. This product is literally a vacuum for all the junk and oil that gets trapped inside your skin and I often use a tiny amount on a spot just to dry it out and suck out all of the impurities. After using this mask, my skin feels deeply clean and refreshed but not dried out, as some masks for oily skin can sometimes do. Using land and marine mud, this mask is perfect for unblocking clogged pores. You can buy the mask here for £22. 

What's your favourite face mask?