French Pharmacy Haul | Effaclar Duo and Reve de Miel

When most people think of France, they think of croissants, red wine and the Eiffel Tower. Maybe the Louvre and a little escargot if you're feeling particularly cultured. Well, bloggers aren't most people and for us, it's all about the pharmacy. From La Roche-Posay to Nuxe and the infamous Bioderma, it's a dream come true.

If you haven't heard of La Roche-Posay, they're a pharmaceutical brand that deals primarily with sensitive skin. The Effaclar Duo +, their most popular product, is marketed as an anti-blemish cream. I don't know about you but that didn't exactly make a lot of sense to me at first. Essentially it works to minimize the appearance of pores and leave you with super smooth skin. I've been using this cream as part of my everyday skincare routine for the past couple of weeks and have already noticed a real difference. I've also been trying out the Hydreane Riche Moisturizing Cream from La Roche-Posay, it goes so perfectly with the Effaclar Duo +, I can't recommend it enough!

Now, the lip balm to end all lip balms. Reve de Miel is a seriously nourishing balm with great, natural ingredients like honey, shea butter and grapefruit extract. I use it every night and can honestly say it's the best lip product I've ever used. The texture is so smooth and creamy, it's just gorgeous!

What are your favourite pharmacy products?

Primark Holiday Haul | Summer Series

Primark, Primark, Primark. Basically, I love Primark! Do I need another reason to do a haul?



The first thing I picked up was this gorgeous patterned playsuit, with a halter neck and that bright pop of colour it's the perfect summer slip-on. I can't stop imaging what this beauty is going to look like with a tan! The embellished neckline reminds me of the statement necklaces that are so in fashion at the moment and for only £10 you can't really go wrong. This playsuit actually comes in various different colours and patterns but this is my favourite by far.

Considering I'm spending the next two weeks in the South of France, sweet summer dresses are essential. Primark have a huge collection of dresses in different colours and styles all for only £5, obviously I bought two. Bright blue is something that I would never usually go for but this dress is so pretty that I couldn't resist. The crochet bodice creates a little texture in the otherwise simple dress but I really love the way that it comes in at the waist to create a gorgeous silhouette.



White is a colour that I love to wear but find quite difficult, especially when you throw in the added horror of suncream stains! But I can't go to Cannes without a perfect, white number. This gorgeous sun dress has a tie at the waist to create a great shape, it's perfect! I couldn't recommend Primark's dress selection more, especially if you're about to go away on a budget.

Patterned shorts are a wardrobe staple for me at the moment and this daisy print is so exception. It's not something I would usually go for but I've seen quite a few bloggers wearing these and they just look so amazing that I had to have them. I thought they'd work really well with a plain white tee tucked in and maybe these white sandals...



If you're familiar with my May Favourites then you might recognise these gorgeous sandals. They're honestly the comfiest shoes I've ever worn, not to mention they're only £8! So obviously, I had to have them in white too. To be fair, I love anything with gold details.

Something that Primark always do really well is make up bags and check out this bad boy. It's a great size, I've already taken it for a test run and managed to fit everything including my hair products in here for a weekend away. It's a gorgeous pattern and the little jewel detail is so cute.



What are your summer staples for this year?

Top Tips For Painting Your Nails

If there's one thing I can do, it's paint my nails. Here's how I do it.

1. Trim them down. Although long nails look gorgeous, they're very difficult to maintain and quite prone to breaking. I don't need to tell you how quickly something like this can ruin your manicure. Keeping your nails short and sweet is the easiest way to avoid accidents. After all, it's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it. (I'm still talking about nails!)

2. Use a file to keep them neat, these blocks are very inexpensive and available almost anywhere. Not only do they have everything you need in one place but they have handy instructions on how best to use the different sections. For me, it's so important to smooth down the ridges of the nail to avoid an uneven manicure.

3. My favourite polish at the moment is Essie's Fiji. I am absolutely obsessed with this gorgeous off-white nude, it's everything I could possibly want in a summer shade. I've written a full blog post about it here. Make sure when choosing a polish that you consider the formula and even the brush shape - everything makes a difference! I find that building up the colour using multiple, thin layers is the best way to achieve the perfect look. If you find you're prone to flaking, wiping a little remover over the nail before application can make all the difference.

4. A good top coat is everything for me. Not only does it make your manicure last that little bit longer but it actively prevents chipping. I'm using Seche Vite's Dry Fast Top Coat and loving it, having instantly dry nails is an absolute godsend. Bringing your top coat right over the end of your nail is essential to keep your nails looking perfect. If you're using a bright colour make sure to use a base coat in order to avoid staining your nails.

5. Using a good quality hand cream regularly is a great way of making sure your hands are always super soft and looking lovely. I'm into Laura Mercier's Ambre Vanille Souffle Body Creme is a gorgeous product that I love to use, it's so luxurious and smells like sweets! To be honest, any hand cream will do. It's hard to go wrong with such a simple product. Just make sure you keep those hands hydrates, just like you do the rest of your skin.

If you struggle to do a good manicure, there are a few ways you can cheat. You can get all kinds of false nails which are great quality and often look better than polish does, press on nails are particularly popular at the moment. Always remember, there's nothing a cotton bud dipped in nail varnish remover can't fix. (Quite the catchy saying, don't you think?)

Hopefully this has been helpful, if you'd like to know anything else feel free to leave a question in the comments below. What are your top tips for painting your nails?

Collection Mardi Gras Lip Balms | Limited Edition

With summer just around the corner, Collection have released a range of carnival inspired products including trios of fruity lip balms and bright nail varnishes. Aside from the sweet scents reminiscent of cocktails on the beach and bold, eye-catching packaging, the balms are also extremely hydrating. The Mardi Gras Lip Balms are unsurprisingly similar to Maybelline's Baby Lips but cheaper at £1.99 and in my opinion even better. They come in three gorgeous flavours, Green Apple, Strawberry and Orange and despite being coloured accordingly they apply sheer without transferring. Essentially, the perfect low-budget lip balm.

These vibrant limited edition balms have been criticised for their cheap packaging but really, what more do you need? At only £1.99, they hardly break the bank and you don't feel too naughty buying the whole collection - like I did. In Superdrug, you get one of these tropical flavours when you spend £3.99 or more on Collection products. At those prices, it would be rude not to. Although it is worth noting that the deal does not applying when you're buying the Mardi Gras balms, worth a try!





Whether you're at home or on holiday, these balms are perfect for slipping into your beach bag. Throw in a cocktail and a bikini and you're good to go. What are your summer essentials this year?

500 Follower Giveaway | SKINSWEET

It goes without saying that I never imagined my little blog would come so far. I starting blogging as something to do without realising that it would be so much more than that. I've made friends and had opportunities that I never would have done without starting this. As a little thank you for that, I wanted to give something back. What better way to do that than a giveaway! So, to avoid any more mush - let's get on with it. I've included a few of my summer favourites that I've featured recently (there is a theme here, I'll give you three guesses), hopefully you'll like them as much as I have!

L'Oreal Color Riche in 201 Rose Paradis 
Maybelline Color Show Bleached Neons in 242 Coral Heat
Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in Pink Punch 
Bourjois Color Boost Glossy Finish Lipstick in 04 Peach on the Beach
Maybelline Great Lash in Blackest Black

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
This giveaway is open internationally and will run for two weeks before the winner is announced and the prize shipped off to you! Good luck to everyone who enters and thank you again for making my experience so great.