How to | Manicure ♡

Hello  ♡

When it gets to Autumn (which is my favourite season), the cosy weather makes me want to pamper myself so for once, I actually want to spend time giving myself a 'proper' manicure. 

Making your nails look as though you've spent £30 in a salon is easier than you may think and there are just a few steps to ensure a perfect manicure that will last a lot longer than just painting your nails quickly. Doing this process allows my manicure to last a minimum of 2 weeks, and who wouldn't want that?!

♡Step 1- Exfoliate. Wash your hands using an exfoliating hand wash, or if you don't have one then simply use any body scrub to remove any dead skin from your hands, making them soft before you've even really started! I used the Aesop- 'Reverence Aromatique Hand Wash' -£27 which contains finely ground pumice which leaves your hands feeling really refreshed.

 ♡Step 2- Moisturise. After washing, use a nourishing hand cream to lock in the moisture you've created by washing your hands. Some say to moisturise at the end of your manicure, however I always find this risky because it's so annoying when you smudge your nail varnish! I used the Aesop- Reverence Aromatique Hand Balm - £69

♡Step 3a- Clip. Use nail clippers to cut your nails if you want them significantly shorter. I personally skip this step and go straight to filing however if you've let your nails grow for a longer period of time then this step is vital. 

♡Step 3b- Clip. Not only can we use clippers to cut our nails, but using the end of clippers comes in handy to remove the dead and hard skin from around the nail edge which just makes your nails have a neater end result!

♡Step 4- File & Buff. File your nails into the shape you like (I like my square) and then buff and shine to remove any ridges and create an even layer for the nail varnish to sit on.

♡Step 5- Prepare cuticles. Push back your cuticles to achieve an even nail base shape and then apply a cuticle cream to prevent your cuticles from becoming dry, I used the Burts Bees- Lemon Cuticle Cream £5.99

♡Step 6- Base Coat. Most base coats are also top coats meaning you can save money on buying 2! Apply a layer of your base coat and allow to dry. I used the Sally Hansen- Double Duty Base & Top coat- £5.25

♡Step 7- Colour. Apply as many layers of your coloured varnish as needed to create the colour you want. I went for a french manicure base colour giving me a french manicure without the noticeable white tips! I used the ElegantTouch-Rapid Dry Pink French Manicure £6.65  (Comes in a pack of three to create a full french manicure).

♡Step 8- Top Coat. When the colour coat has dried, apply 1 layer of your top coat and allow to dry.

Voila! You have the perfect manicure that will not only make you feel pampered, but will also last meaning no chips for at least a week!

Thanks for reading,

Claire xox

Nyx Butter Gloss ♡

Hello, ♡
Here are my two favourite Butter Glosses from Nyx!

♡Creme Brulee- Creme Brulee is a pink toned nude. One layer leaves your lips with a soft baby pink glow, however when more layers are applied a strong pink colour can be achieved.

♡Tiramisu- Although the two shades are very similar (I'm a nude lip wearer hehe), Tiramisu is more of a brown toned nude that creates the perfect nude gloss.

These glosses are the creamiest, most moisturising glosses I've tried and I can't wait to try more shades! Also, the smell is DELICIOUS! Like sweets and desserts and all things yum!

You can grab these glosses here for £5 (an amazing price for such a good product), and they are also available in some Next stores around the UK!

Hope you enjoyed!
Claire xo

Liz Earle | The Skin Saviour ♡

Hello & Welcome Back ♡

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's day can be completely ruined when having a bad skin day? It's got to be the most annoying and frustrating thing when you go through a little spurt of having a few spots that just wont budge!

I went through this a couple of weeks ago, where my skin was the worst it's been for years! I have relatively good skin with the occasional break out (girls you know what I mean) but never how it was through this strange phase. My chin and forehead broke out and nothing I tried worked until I made a Liz Earle order online.

I'd already used the 'Cleanse & Polish' and loved it so decided that I need to splurge on Liz Earle skin care in order to get my skin back to normal. It just so happened that on the day I ordered there was a special offer on skincare named 'Superskin' for £45 +pp which came with:

ღHot Cloth, Cleanse & Polish

ღInstant Boost Skin Tonic

ღInstant Boost Skin Tonic Mini Spritz

ღGentle Face Exfoliator

ღSkin Repair Moisturiser

The parcel was beautifully packaged making the whole shopping experience more enjoyable, and it makes you feel valued as a customer. It also came with a little book about everything they sell at Liz Earle.

There wasn't a single product that I didn't love and my skin cleared up instantly! I honestly can't express how impressed I am but I will be buying Liz Earle forever more (no exaggerations here!)

The products where gentle and soothing and showed an instant difference. The tonic's smell fresh and natural and the spritz really refreshes the skin when you need a boost. Also the moisturiser is creamy and thick yet sinks into the skin without hassle.

Although the same superskin range is not longer available, they have a new superskin range available here and honestly if you know whats good then you must go and buy it now! 

My absolute skin saviour! ♡

Thanks for reading, Claire xox

Top 5 MAC Lipsticks | Nude ♡

Hello  ♡
Who doesn't love a nude lippy ay'?!

I'm very much a nude lipstick wearer, and always lean towards neutral shades when doing my makeup ( and of course, who doesn't love MAC?). I find that when it comes to MAC lipsticks, there are staple shades that everyone has heard of especially when it comes to nudes. My top 5 are hope fully a little different to the usual 'Angel', 'Creme Cup, 'Fleshpot' shades that we all know and love!

My favourite finish of MAC lipsticks are the 'Cremesheen' (as is most people's), but the glossy finish is just irresistible and seems to last longer than the other finishes. Enjoy my top 5 below!

1. Pure Zen
Pure Zen is a peach toned nude that really flatters most skin tones as it is a little darker than most of the fleshy nudes. This shade looks great with a smokey eye or even subtle brown shadows. A winner for everyone in my opinion.

2. Creme d'nude
Most people have heard of this shade, but I had to include it because its like the acceptable/lipstick version of 'foundation lips' (bringing back the '09 makeup disasters there) but i love it! This colour is a really light fleshy colour that is so versatile to any look you want to wear!

3. Patisserie
This lipstick is one of the 'Lustre' finishes meaning its more sheer than the other lipsticks but means you can build the colour to the intensity you want. The shade is a 'your lips but better' pinky nude with a gloss, making it really flattering. So gutted my went through the wash because I've had to de-pot it and apply it with a brush, but i was not ready to throw it away!

4. Shanghai Spice
Although a nude shade, this is much darker and more brown toned than the other, maybe a little orangey too! Also the name is perfect because it suits the shade to a tee!

5. Japanese Maple
This is my favourite ever MAC lipstick,  I just find it the perfect shade! A little fleshy, but a little pinky and a little peachy all at the same time, what more can you ask for!?

All MAC lipsticks are £15.50 and you can purchase them here ♡
Hope you have enjoyed this post. Let me know if I should try some different shades!
See you soon!♡

FOTD| Face Of The Day- High End ♡

Welcome back! ♡

In my previous post, I showed you my 'face of the day' using drugstore products, which is the sort of makeup I would wear on a daily basis. This post is going to be the higher end version. Although the products I've used are higher end, I would still wear this as a daily look however would also wear it out for dinner or simple outings with friends and family.

I found prepping my skin was really important to get the final glowy finish I wanted without using a highlighter. I've tried to centre this look around the eyes by adding a small amount of shadow, highlighting my tear duct, adding liner and adding volume to my lashes. To compliment the eyes I simple created a light flush to my cheeks, and a 'your lips but better' shade to my lips. Here are the products I used:

♡ Perricone- Blue Plasma £79
I use this to prep my skin before my moisturiser. The smallest drop goes a long way and after smoothing on, my skin instantly looks 100 times better! It contains the same ingredients as some skin peels but obviously without making my skin fall off which gives my skin a fresh glow before I've even started with make-up. Once you've used it, you can definitely understand the price.

♡ Aesop- Control £15
Another prep product! I apply this before my makeup to any blemishes i have, which keeps them from becoming any worse! It also reduces redness, so an overall must have product.

♡ Laura Mercier- Silk Creme Foundation £34
My favourite ever foundation! Honestly a holy grail in my collection, it smoothes on so evenly and you need the smallest bit each time meaning the tube lasts a long time. The finish is silky (as the name suggests, duuuh) and leaves a flawless and dewy look which is personally my favourite finish.

♡Arbonne- Got You Covered £29
I have the shade bronze in this powder and although its a finishing powder/foundation, I use this as a bronzer to contour and generally bronze my face. The finish is silky like the Laura Mercier foundation so the duo really compliment each other.

♡Chanel- Joues Contrast Powder Blush £31
I use the shade 'Rose Initiale' which is a soft pink colour that creates a slight flush of colour to the cheeks. Not too much but not too little! The perfect shade (and also it smells divine).

♡ Urban Decay- Naked 3 £37
I simply used the shade 'Trick' all over the lid after priming with the urban decay primer potion, followed by the shade 'Nooner' throughout the crease, and then 'Dust' on the inner corner.
This palette is the perfect palette to take you from day to night, it has a wide range of colours so you're never short on a different look!

♡Dior- Dior Addict Lipstick 'Tailleur Bar' £24
Obviously Dior lipsticks are going to be good but I can't get over how much I love this! It is the perfect shade, which is very similar to my natural lip colour but with shimmer and gloss. Adaptable to any look you're trying to create.

♡ Dior- Dior Addict Gloss 'Spring Ball' £22

Such a pretty pink gloss and thats all I can really say!

What do you think of this look and what are you favourite high end products?
Thanks for reading,
Claire xo

FOTD | Face Of The Day- Drugstore ♡

Don't you love having a 'go-to' make-up look that you can apply effortlessly each day? I think we all must!

I have pretty much always used drugstore make-up over high end make-up for an everyday look simply because you can still get a flawless finish for less money (I know my bank would be thanking me if it knew how much damage would be done if I was using high end make-up everyday). For an everyday look I like to keep it simple with minimal eye makeup and mainly focusing on bronzed and dewy skin with a nude lip. Although wearing higher end makeup makes you feel good I think that for everyday use and a schedule including work and typical daily activities a cheap and cheerful drugstore look like this is totally acceptable!
Especially now it's summer here in England, I have been loving more moisturising and cream products, so here are a list of the products I have been using daily for my 'go-to daily look':

♡ Soap and Glory- Glow Job £7.33
     I use this as a base for my skin and love it! Not only does it act as a moisturiser, it also gives my face a lovely golden glow before I've even started to apply any make-up!
♡ Maybelline- Dream Fresh BB Cream £7.99
    I blend this in using my fingers, a bit like i would a moisturiser which evens out my skin tone    whilst giving me a reasonable amount of coverage. I love this BB Cream for its dewy texture and i love the finish it gives!
♡ Rimmel- Wake Me Up Concealer £5.49
     As the name suggests, this concealer definitely makes me look awake! I apply this under my eyes to brighten them up (it works) and dot a minimal amount on any imperfections that I feel need covering.
♡ Soap and Glory- Archery Brow and Tint Pencil £10.00
     Although quite pricey for what it is, this double ended eyebrow pencil makes filling in brows so much easier and enjoyable to do! I like a think and full brow and am really enjoying the look this creates!
♡ Nyx- Blusher in Taupe £6.00
    A taupe shade blush is the perfect colour for contouring. I simply take a bit on a brush a sweep across the top of my forehead and through the (non-existent) hollow of my cheeks to try and define my face.
♡ Bourjois Cream Blush in Shade 3 £7.99
   Although this applies as a cream blush, the finish is very matte and looks like a natural flush of colour to the cheeks. I find this perfect to apply over the bb cream, a dream combo!
♡ Maybelline- Rocket Volume Mascara £7.99
    I use this as the first coat of mascara to my lashes, I love the plastic brush which allows each lash to be evenly coated and it really does add volume :)
♡ Rimmel ScandalEyes Rocking Curves Mascara £7.99
    As the second coat to my mascara regime, this mascara is essential is adding the curl to my eyelashes. I am very fortunate to have naturally long and curled eyelashes so I never have to use an eyelash curler, however just for satisfaction I use this mascara as a little cheat!
♡ Rimmel- Moisture Renew Lipstick in 'Nude Delight' £6.49
    This is the perfect orange toned nude! Not drying and has good lasting power, this is my ideal drugstore nude! I highly recommend if nude's are your go-to colour.
     

What are your favourite everyday drugstore products? Anything I should try throughout the summer?
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed ♡
Claire xox

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/clairebodily" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="”_blank”"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEn0-4V-ju66VwNGWLQhGu3XQbl2LYgnL-G5MsKFAx43dXJ8-7wh2rVyP1Ydt1YCoIUaXj5HZy6b94tTMA47FquQLb6MuVclU1BVLKJPqmQ6OJV1OgrFn79SgJBzc48FeLhypfFyKG9wM/s1600/bloglovin.jpg" height="182" width="200" /></a></div>