July Favourites!

It's almost a new month already - I can't quite believe August begins in a few months it seems like we've hardly had any summer AT ALL! I have a new set of monthly favourites to share with you!

1. Favourite beauty item.

Taaj Himalaya Micellar Water - I am absolutely loving using this on my face on a night - it removes my make up with one easy sweep and leaves my skin feeling so soft and clean. I honestly don't think I can find a make up remover that I'll love more than this one. It smells really lovely too - the perfect thing to make you feel ready and fresh for bed!
2. Favourite sort-of-beauty-but-not-really item.
Arm and Hammer Enamel Care Sensitive Toothpaste - Ok, so this is a weird one to include in a favourites post. But, I recently took a trip to the dentist's after suffering with HORRIBLE toothache for a few weeks. He recommended Arm and Hammer toothpaste to me because it contains baking soda which neutralises the acids that fruit and fruit juices contain. My dental downfall is fruit juice, so hopefully cutting back on that and using this toothpaste will get my teeth feeling healthy again in no time. It makes my teeth feel amazingly clean so I 100% recommend this if you're having toothache!
3. Favourite book.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - I am loving this book so much right now! I never knew what it was about before, I kind of ignored it purely because it was a book written in the past. The storyline is quite dark, but it is also lighthearted at the same time. Plath writes completely honestly, with parts of the novel reflecting parts of herself (the main character is writing a novel about herself). I'm still only about half way through so I'll have to see what happens in the end.
4. Favourite song.
You're The One For Me, Fatty by Morrissey - I went to see Morrissey on Saturday and he played this song - I've had it in my head ever since! Queue me and my boyfriend constantly calling each other 'Fatty' and singing this song to each other (don't worry - we don't take offence)!
5. Favourite TV Show.
Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model - Ok, I really couldn't choose which was my favourite TV show so I chose two! BNTM is always my favourite program when it's on. It's the British/Irish version of the very very popular American show, hosted by Elle MacPherson. This season Whitney Port is a guest judge - I love her! I enjoy watching the photoshoots and the styling. I wish I could apply for it.
Hollyoaks - Hollyoaks is sort of a trashy UK teen soap but I have been addicted for around 6 years now. This week is so exciting - there's a murderer on the loose! Ok, it's not brilliant acting but it's something easy to watch when I get in from work, and everybody wears such nice clothes!
I was running a little bit low on favourite this month, sorry!
What have been your favourite things?
Rachael Amy x
6. Favourite blog.
A Thrifty Mrs - I am obsessed with this blog, run by the fabulous Thrifty, it is a blog about charity shops, thrifting and money saving tips. She also gives great tips about organising/keeping your house in order. I particularly love her 'daily housewifery prompts' which I promise I will follow when I get my own home! If you're searching for money saving tips or uses for litres of spare white vinegar you have lying around then this is the blog for you! And if not, go have a look just to see how she styles her charity shop buys. :)

July GlossyBox!

Hey everyone. Just the monthly GlossyBox post - this month: July and a festival special! This box contains beauty essentials to achieve the perfect relaxed summer festival look. I really love this box, it's full of products I find useful and plenty of brands I'd never tried before! My box contains: Clynol Colour & Care Enrich Colour Shampoo, Monu Spa Golden Glow Bronzer, Jelly Pong Pong Irish Cream Pavlova Lip Frosting, Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Skin Balancing Lotion SPF 15 and HD Brows Eye & Brow Palette in Vamp. 

Clynol Colour & Care Enrich Colour Shampoo - 300ml is £7.45

I haven't yet used this shampoo but I'm curious to try it out as it apparently contains 'jewel liquid extract' and a 'UV filter' that resists damage and fading. Apparently, 30 washes later and you've still got 90% colour intensity that's super shiny! Let's see if it lives up to the hype, eh? It smells really fresh with a hint of a floral scent and the shampoo itself is a really pearly white. For some reason I just love shampoos that look super pearly, rather than just white. Is that a bit weird? The price tag is a little hefty for a shampoo but I have yet to see whether it would be worth it or not!

Monu Spa Golden Glow Bronzer - 200ml is £23. Enter GLOSSY1 at checkout to receive 10% discount.

The golden glow bronzer is a moisturising treatment for the face and body that gives a safe, natural looking tan in around 3-5 hours. It's a bright yellow moisturiser that absorbs in to the skin quickly and leaves it feeling soft. It contains products such as shea butter, vitamin E and geranium and petitgrain. I put this on before bed and by the morning there was definitely a little bit of colour on my arms! I did forget to wash it off my hands though so they ended up a little yellow. :( £23 is a little steep for me, I definitely have some fake tans that I prefer over this for a fraction of the price!

Jelly Pong Pong Irish Cream Pavlova Lip Frosting - 15ml is £10.

Let me start by just saying how amazingly mouthwatering this lip gloss tastes, oh my God it's amazing. I could actually eat it all up it's that good! Apparently, it's scented with homemade pavlova! It can be used on the lips or the cheeks for a flush of colour. It's a lovely deep pink that is a sort of "my lips but better" colour. It doesn't feel sticky on the lips but makes them feel so soft. The packaging does make it a little hard to apply as the hole is to wide so lots of product comes out at once, and it makes it hard to spread evenly. Jelly Pong Pong are a cruelty free brand!

Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Skin Balancing Lotion SPF 15 - 1.7 oz is $39.50

This lotion is a moisturiser/sunscreen in one! This lotion helps to maintain your skin's natural moisture level, whilst the SPF 15 helps to protect against the sun's rays. This lotion is oil-free and suitable for combination skin. I was glad I received the combination lotion as my skin weirdly can't decide whether it's normal/dry/oily recently! It's a really light lotion that sinks in to the skin so easily, and makes it feel soo silky. I'll have to see how it handles my confused skin. It's a little pricey, but we'll have to wait and see if it's worth it.

HD Brows Eye & Brow Palette in Vamp - £19.96

I have heard huge things about this eyebrow palette so I was incredibly excited to find it inside my box! I tried it straight away as I always love filling in my eyebrows and giving them more shape. I used the bottom left colour but I think I ought to mix it with the cream to make it pale or the bottom right shade. The colour palette I received was Vamp, which is suited to dark brunettes. I used to be really dark haired when I filled in my beauty profile, so this would be why I got the darkest shade! It was really easy to apply and it lasted all day without any touch ups - definitely impressed!

Overall, GlossyBox has really impressed me this month! It's taken a few items from my beauty profile and customised them to my needs. The box featured a good mixture of make up and skin care and the samples were all quite big samples! Thanks GlossyBox!

Rachael Amy x

Sunday Summary 1

Follow me on Instagram: rachaelamyy

Strangely, this week has been heavily sports related - so weird for me seeing as I am the laziest person ever! My best friend and me decided it was finally time to stop feeling lazy and unfit so we decided to join our local gym, I can't wait to get rid of my big belly and start feeling fit and not be guilty for eating unhealthy food!

I've also had a little bit of excitement in the form of my dad becoming a minor local celebrity - his photo was spotted on the side of a bus in Leeds! I've also really been enjoing reading Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, I never thought it would be a book I could enjoy but I never really knew what it was about and when I found out I had to read it right away.
Last weekend my family and my sister's boyfriend's family met up for a small dinner party, I took it as a good photo op to take photos of myself and every member of my family - that's my dad up there! I am a huge football fan if you didn't know, and my team is the underestimated Doncaster Rovers - my first ever season ticket arrived and I went to see them play away at Rotherham United (they lost). This weekend I went to visit my boyfriend in Sandbach and we went to see Morrissey at MCR Arena! He was amazing and I can't stop re-watching the videos I filmed on my phone.

Payday Wishlist!

L-R, Top-Bottom: Rock 'N Rose Sofia Vintage Pyramid Earrings, Street Scene Skirt, ASOS SCALA High Heels, Fringe Tassel Kimono Mint Oriental Print, Cream Oversized Jacket, Heartbeats, YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation. 

Review: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains

Top: Lovesick / Bottom: Cherish

 Top: Lovesick / Bottom: Cherish

 Lovesick

Cherish

When I visited my local Boots store I decided to finally pick up some of the new Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains (honestly, do Revlon love to choose the longest product names ever)?! I'd heard a lot about them and absolutely loved their Lip Butters when they were launched in the UK a few months ago!

The balm stain is essentially a lip balm fused with a lip stain, all in a cute chubby crayon form! In the UK this lip balm is available in 8 shades but the lucky people living in the USA get to choose from 12 shades!
The lip stains are very easy to apply, just like a lipstick but more like colouring your lips in! As it's in a crayon form I expected it to be very thick and hard to apply but it just glides on to your lips and you can feel how soft it is straight away. It feels so moisturising and tastes/smells so pepperminty, you can also feel it tingling on your lips a little bit. If you don't like mint or tingling sensations I'm afraid these stains won't be for you! They are heavily pigmented and just takes one layer to achieve an opaque colour. In terms of staying power, I applied this at around 11, ate a huuuge roast dinner, looked at my face at around 6   and it had only just rubbed off at the part where my lips touch! Crazy.
I would honestly recommend these, unless you hate peppermint and tingly lips, but at £8 a crayon you can't really go wrong, can you? I feel like Revlon really has upped their game in terms of drugstore lip products recently!
How did you get on with these?
Rachael Amy x

July JolieBox!

I didn't post about June's JolieBox because it was delivered very late and there were already tonnes of reviews up, I had nothing else to add really! This month, receiving my JolieBox was a complete surprise - in fact it even arrived a day before I received my "Your JolieBox has been dispatched" email! Such a difference compared to last month when I didn't even receive it until July anyway, haha! This month's box was absolutely jam-packed with amazing products - I think it was actually my favourite box I've ever received. In it their were 7 items (or 6 if you count the nail polishes as 1 - which I don't)! JolieBox added in a few special extras due to the mix up with the postage last month which I thought was extremely generous of them - especially how one of the items was one I'd been planning on buying when payday came around again! Anyway, the items I received were: Wen Sweet Almond & Mint Cleansing Conditioner, Nailgirls Mini Medal Collection Nail Polishes, Taaj Himalaya Micellar Water Makeup Remover, Jane Iredale Tantasia Self Tanner, Etat Pur Pure Active A22- Salicylic Acid 300 and a JolieBox toe separater (is that what they're called)?

Wen Sweet Almond & Mint Cleansing Conditioner - 480ml - £24.95

I love a good conditioner, and I'm guilty of slathering on a thick layer of the stuff every time I wash my hair, so the idea of a thick cleansing conditioner is just amazing to me! This is the sort of treatment that you'd use once a week for a really deep condition, and it even says you can apply a small amount and use it as a leave in conditioner which I will be trying. It smells amazingly fresh and clean and it felt so so soft when I tried a little on my skin. I'm so excited to try this on my hair later today! £25 sounds a little overpriced for a conditioner but 480ml is quite a lot and if you're only using it as a deep treatment I'm sure it will last a long time - just have to see the results first!

Nailgirls Mini Medal Collection Nail Polishes - 15ml - £10.50

These mini nail polishes are so cute and perfect to get me in to the Olympic spirit, I was impressed with how they applied and the bronze in the picture only has one coat - I'd say that was opaque wouldn't you? The gold needed two coats but that's perfectly fine. I applied these colours on Thursday, it's Sunday now and they're still there but the tips of my nails have rubbed off and did after a few hours so a top coat would be needed. £10.50 isn't too bad considering OPI polishes are around that price too. I wouldn't repurchase these specific shades but I'd be interested in trying out other colours from this brand!

Taaj Himalaya Micellar Water Makeup Remover - 500ml - £16

This was the product I'd been wanting to buy when payday came around, I'd seen Zoella mention it in one of her blog posts and knew I needed to try it. My Liz Earle C&P is great but it feels so strange just rubbing that on a fully made-up face! I absolutely love this make up remover. It doesn't feel harsh on the skin, smells lovely and removes make up so easily with one wipe. It left my skin feeling soft and it's just the perfect addition to my skin care routine. I will be repurchasing this again. £16 is a great price for a 500ml bottle! 

Jane Iredale Tantasia Self Tanner - 124ml - £24

This self tanner is suitable for the face or body, and apparently requires no moisturiser too. You apply it everyday to build up a natural, healthy tan. It is very moisturising, as it's such a small tube I've been testing it on my hand and it feels so soft. It smells like oranges too! I have noticed that my hand's been looking a little bit more tanned but maybe not as tanned as with other self tanning products I've tried. I would't purchase this again even though it smells lovely because I just think it's not doing as much as it could with that price tag!

Etat Pur Pure Active A22- Salicylic Acid 300 - 15ml - £12.20

Now, I have not tried this on my skin because at the minute I don't have any spots or blemishes. This product is designed to reduce any spots or blemishes on the face or body, it contains purifying and exfoliant properties to normalise the complexion and reduce any blemishes! If it works, I'll let you know. I actually plan on giving this to my sister as she does suffer with a little bit of acne and this might help!

Rachael Amyy x

20% Off at Motel Rocks

Hey everyone! I recently became a member of Motel Rocks' Street Team, in which I can offer a 20% discount on your order, in return for a small commission. It's a win/win situation! All you simply need to do is enter the discount code rachaelamyy1 at the checkout!

Motel are mostly known for selling amazing styles of dresses in incredible prints, here are a few of my favourites:

Motel Jet Plunge Neck Playsuit in Navy - £48

Motel Cleo Plunge Neck Dress in Feather Print - £48

Motel Dixie High Waisted Shorts in Red Ditsy Floral Print - £10

Motel Skinny Jordan Jean in Black and White Tiger Life Print - £48

I hope this discount code comes in handy for any of you!

Rachael Amy x

eBay UK: Items For Sale!

This is a shameful plug to advertise some clothes I am currently selling on eBay. They're currently have around 24 hours left each so if you see something you like be quick!

I'm such a clothes hoarder so every few months I like to have a huge clear out of clothes I've hardly worn. I keep my clothes in really good condition and make sure they're perfect, clean and smell nice before I post them! I only sell to the UK though, unfortunately - it's too much of a faff selling abroad and have had a few bad experiences before.

If you see anything you like, feel free to message me on eBay here.

ASOS Size UK 8 Purple & White Playsuit

Topshop Size UK 8 Tie Back Bat Wing Blouse Tunic

Miso Republic Size 10 Aztec Waterfall Style Cardigan

New Look Size 8 Blue/Grey Lacey Crop Top with Embroidered Flowers

Topshop Size 8 Black Top With Cream Lace Sleeves

River Island Size 8 Floral Print Maxi T-Shirt Dress

And lots more..
Thanks for looking!

Rachael Amy x

Oasis: London Love Letters

Tower Bridge T-Shirt - £40

Street Scene Skirt - £50

Floral Postcard Dress - £80

Oasis has never been one of the stores that I've felt I've needed to visit on a shopping trip, and I hardly ever used to go on their website. I recently visited their concession inside Selfridge's and was really impressed with the clothes on sale and the service from the staff! After browsing their website I was intrigued by a collection named "London Love Letters" which has a romantic and vintage feel to it. The collection aims to showcase certain illustrated London landmarks in a vintage postcard style  combined with classic fashion pieces that make you look feminine and glamorous. All the illustrations are drawn by amazing artist Lizzie Presst.
I honestly want to buy the whole collection, it's a shame it's a tad on the more expensive side - I don't think I can resist the Street Scene Skirt though! Oasis are offering a chance to win the whole collection though - all you need to do is take a photograph of your favourite place (maybe with you in the photo too) and submit it to their Facebook page - simple!
Is Oasis one of your must go to shops?
Rachael Amy x

OOTD: Floral Trousers

Another outfit post! I wore this just to relax around the house in, I usually just relax in some good old pjs but sometimes I just love feeling dressed and made up. I bought these trousers from River Island very recently. I was on a clothes/make-up spending ban but I somehow ended up looking through their sale after work and found these amazing trousers for only £15! I also bought another pair in a different print and a beautiful skirt for £10 each. Bargain! I paired it with an over-sized yellow chiffon t-shirt that I bought from ARK ages ago but don't know what brand it is, my trusty Zara fake leather jacket and some nude pumps! I also wore my brand new Michael Kors watch and my Marc Jacobs bangle! The lipstick I'm wearing is Whimsical by Topshop.

Rachael Amy x

Review: Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick

After serving me well since I was about 16, my eyelash curlers recently gave up and decided to snap in half. To be honest, I was surprised they'd lasted this long to say they were made by Cosmopolitan and cost me only a few pounds! Anyway, I decided it was probably time to invest in a really good quality pair of eyelash curlers seeing as I need them to make my pathetic eyelashes look half decent! After some research I decided to order the Shu Uemura pair as I'd heard a lot of great things about them. Whilst ordering from their website I decided to peruse their make-up selection. I finally decided that I should try out one of their lipsticks, for no reason at all other than I love lipsticks!

Their Rough Unlimited lipsticks come in a massive 44 shades, ranging from pinks to purples and blacks! I decided to purchase shade 340 which is a pale baby pink, but is subtle enough to be worn during the day time. I actually wish they named their colours - it gives it more of a personality and remembering numbers is a lot harder than names.

The lipstick is very pigmented - I was actually surprised that with one coat the colour was opaque on my lips. The formula is very creamy, it feels moisturising on the lips and reminds me of the Revlon Lip Butters.

The price is a little steep at £19, definitely an item you'd buy on a splurge! But, I think it's worth it. It's everything you'd ask for in a lipstick and the packaging is very space age and modern!

Shu Uemura is available online.

Have you tried many Shu Uemura products?

Rachael Amy x

June Glossy Box!

So here it is again - the monthly Glossy Box post! If you're sick of these I apologise but I love being able to sample new products and then post about them!

After all the excitement with the themed & birthday Glossy Boxes they've now gone back to their usual format - the pale pink box and black tissue paper! In this box I received five items: BM Beauty Summer Warmth Bronzer, Agent Provocateur Eau Provocateur Perfume, Vichy Dermablend Ultra-Corrective Foundation Cream Stick, Yves Rocher France Sexy Pulp Mini Mascara and a Serie Exclusiv Pro Beauty Glossy Box blusher brush.

BM Beauty Summer Warmth Bronzer - Full Size is £8.

I'm really getting into trying different bronzers and contouring my cheeks so I was happy to see this little product inside my box, and it's such a finely milled powder that you almost can't feel it! It's so shimmery and golden but unfortunately after applying it I felt it was slightly too dark for my skin tone. If it was paler it would be wonderful but it's just not my colour! The full size price is decent too considering how much NARS' Laguna bronzer is! I'm not sure if this bronzer does come in other shades but if it did I'd definitely purchase some in a lighter shade!

Agent Provocateur Eau Provocateur Perfume - Full Size 50ml is £39.

The sample I received contained three mini perfumes: Agent Provocateur Maitresse, Agent Provocateur L'Agent and Agent Provocateur Signature. Let me first say that I already owned these samples - I'd ordered them for free direct from the Agent Provocateur website! Tut tut Glossy Box, sending out free samples in a box that people have paid for! I was incredibly disappointed to see these in my box. I am rubbish at describing scents so I'll let their website do the talking: 

Agent Provocateur Maitresse: "Here lie fragrant accords of Rose, Jasmin Sambac and Iris with delightfully light, green notes of Acacia (a thorny shrub). A green note of Granny Smith Apples makes this lingering scent so fresh and floral. A delectable base of Amber, Sandalwood, Tonka and gourmande elements complete this floral feast." This is my favourite of the three - it's very floral and is actually quite subtle. It smells more youthful than the Signature scent and I can see myself wearing it to work!

Agent Provocateur L'Agent: "Subtle citrus accords of Bergamot, Leaf Accord (fresh cut green leaves), Mandarin, Apple, Melon and Peach are the opening salvo which gives way to a seductive heart full of Rose, Jasmin, Tuberose, Magnolia, Freesia and Ylang. The base is delicately caressed with the finest ingredients including Musk, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Amber Crystals." This is a more grown up scent than Maitresse but doesn't smell as granny-ish as the Signature - I also really like this one! It sort of reminds me of my Nina Ricci perfume which I love so much.

Agent Provocateur Signature: "This vibrant accord of citrus notes teamed with red fruit is truly exquisite. At its heart lies an array of fresh new florals such as Muguet and Orange Flower to provide lift and diversity. Gentle base notes of Myrrh, Vanilla and Tonka Bean add softness and sensuality". The scent actually reminds me of talcum powder - so it actually smells like it would suit an older person better than a younger one. I don't think it's a scent that would suit me.

Vichy Dermablend Ultra-Corrective Foundation Cream Stick - Full Size is £19.

I'd heard a lot about Vichy Dermablend products but only in the context of covering up scarring, acne and other skin flaws - I never thought it would be a product suitable for me. After looking at the packaging, I saw that it can be used to cover up minor flaws such as dark circles around the eyes which I definitely suffer with! I used the lightest shade - 11 Porcelain and warmed it up between my fingers, lightly rubbing it into skin with my ring finger. It really covered up my circles but I couldn't see myself wearing it as a foundation rather than a concealer - it's so thick and gives a very thick coverage.

Yves Rocher France Sexy Pulp Mini Mascara - Full size is £16.90 £8.45.

I really struggled trying to get a picture of the packaging but it was honestly way too frustrating so I hope a picture of the brush will suffice! I love the brush, the bristles aren't plastic and are just so huge! It's really easy to apply and I love how it makes my eyelashes look. The picture above isn't great but trust me it's a great improvement! I was happy to be sent a black coloured mascara as I just don't like any other colour. I was honestly impressed with this mascara so I might have to repurchase if the discounted price is still on!

Serie Exclusiv Pro Beauty Glossy Box Blusher Brush - £15.

I have received brushes with beauty boxes before, but usually as an extra - I was disappointed to see that this was one of the five items included in the box. I was expecting it to be really soft, dense and for the bristles not to shed. Boy, was I wrong! Who pays £15 for this? I can't even find anywhere that stocks it! It's the scratchiest brush ever and it's made from goat's hair too which is not good if you're vegan or against animal cruelty! I will not be using this brush and I don't even recommend anyone buying it from me! Very disappointed.

Overall, a fairly disappointing Glossy Box once again - I did plan on cancelling my subscription but forgot before they charged me for it. Oops! So this won't be the last Glossy Box post just yet!

Do you subscribe? Did you like your items?

Rachael Amy x