The Favourites: Soap & Glory

This isn't really a favorites as such, because I am yet to try something from Soap & Glory that I haven't loved. There is nothing better than amazing smelling bath and body products, and Soap & Glory fits that bill better than any other. They are cruelty free and the vintage branding is right up my street. It isn't the cheapest brand, but it takes me a long long long time to get through the products. I literally have a draw full of unused Soap & Glory products, some still left over from gift sets I received for Christmas 2012! Even though I love them all, I have picked my ultimate favourites to share with you.

Butter Yourself Body Butter £10.50
I love using the shower gel, scrub and body butter in this range before a night out. It has a fruity scent with the main accent being orange.

Sugar Crush Body Scrub £8.00
I feel like getting a spoon and taking a mouthful of this while I'm writing this post, it smells so frickin' good.

The Righteous Butter Body Butter £10.50
This is the infamous scent that comes to mind when you think of Soap & Glory as a brand. I need to repurchase this soon as it is a body butter I couldn't love without.

Sugar Crush Body Wash £6.50
The Sugar Crush scent isn't for everyone, but it is  for me. It's an invigorating sugary lime smell, that will be sure to wake you up on those cold dark mornings.

Pulp Friction Body Scrub £8.00
I honestly wouldn't look anywhere else but Soap & Glory for a body scrub. This scent matches the Butter Yourself body butter. I love to use this on my legs before a night out.

Peaches and Clean Cleanser £8.00
This is one of my favourite cleansers. It smells incredible, like the name says, of peaches and cream. My skin always seems to look clearer and brighter the morning after I use this.

Rich & Foamous Body Wash £6.50

This again isn't a scent for everyone. But I absolutely love to use this at night before bed as I find it super calming. It smells so good you could eat it!

What are your favourite Soap & Glory products and which would you like to try?

The Review: Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm

Clinique Take Off The Day Cleansing Balm £21

I thought it was about time that I put down the face wipes and invest in a good cleansing balm to take off my makeup. I decided to go with the Clinique Take Off The Day Cleansing Balm, as it is a brand renown for being gentle on skin. It looks like a solid wax in the jar, but as soon as the warmth of your fingers touch the surface, it melts into a smooth buttery texture. It was quite strange opening the jar, as it is fragrance-free, and I am used to the fruity scent of my Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean. However, it's free of any nasties and suitable to any skin type. It's slightly pricey at £21, but as you can see, I've barely touched the surface. I would say, I struggled to take off my mascara with this without losing some lashes, but it does work for the bulk of face makeup. I smooth it over my face and gently massage with my finger tips. I then soak a flannel in hot water and remove. Overall, I would recommend this cleanser, it's good value for money and does the job well. Definitely try this if you are in the market for a balm cleanser.

What is your current favourite cleanser?

Haulin' #10: High End Beauty ft Naked 3, Bobbi Brown & Stila

Sorry lovelies, it's yet another beauty haul. I tend to go through phases of wanting to buy either loads of clothes, or loads of beauty bits - as you may have noticed, it's the beauty bit right now. I really don't have that many high-end makeup items that aren't lipsticks, so I am trying to expand my collection. You get what you pay for right? I bought these items from House of Fraser, Beauty Bay and ASOS and got 10% discount on all of them. You may also notice my photos look way way better. I bought a new lens for my Canon - it's the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II lens. I'll be sure to do a little review on it soon!

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Bronze - £35

I was stuck in a rut, whether to buy a Bobbi Brown eye shadow quad or this Bobbi Brown shimmer brick that could double up as eye shadows, a bronzer and a highlighter. I went for the Shimmer Brick, because for £35, I want to get my moneys worth.  

Bobbi Brown Blush in Nectar - £19

I am a bit disappointed in this blush. In real life it looks nothing like the House of Fraser swatches, or the swatches I found online. I thought it would be a warm peachy colour, but it's actually a more cool rose pink. I have a shade exactly like this from Fashionista that cost me £2 which I never use, so I am definitely going to return this one. 

Stila Eye Shadow Trio in Gilded - £13

I am really into little eye shadow trios at the moment. It takes the fussing of what shades to choose, and gives you perfectly compatible lid, crease and brow bone colours.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette - £37

This purchase was just a no brainer. Who doesn't want the Naked 3 Palette right now? I am so excited to try this because the shades are so different from the previous palettes and different from anything I have ever tried. It is a very warm toned palette so should suit my skin tone nicely.

Urban Decay Naked 24/7 Double Ended Glide-On Pencil - £12

I'm not a huge eyeliner user, mainly because apart from the Topshop khol liners, I am yet to find one that actually stays on my waterline. I recently saw Rachel's review of the Urban Decay 24/7 eye liners and was pretty much sold on them. Rather than buy one shade for £14, I thought because I probably won't use it daily, I would go for the double ended in Zero and Whiskey.

January Fashion Wishlist

January approaching means not only the New Year, but also my student loan arriving in my bank account, which also means a massive splurge on myself. I'll have to pay it back one day, but we'll forget about that for now... These are the fashion items I'm loving at the moment:

1. Dorothy Perkins Tartan Dress £35

2. Marc by Marc Jacobs iPhone 5 case £24

3. Burberry Scarf £295

4. Topshop Croc Clutch £25
5. Topshop ALL YOURS Ankle Boots £80
6. Topshop Petite Velvet Skirt £32
7. Missguided Umaiza Dress £22.99
8. Topshop Jacquard Treggings £28
9. Marc by Marc Jacobs Watch £155
10. Topshop Croc Purse £16

What fashion items are you dying to purchase at the moment?

January Beauty Wishlist

Here are just a few beauty items that I am lusting over at the moment...

1. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette £37
2. NARS Blush in Gina £21.50
3. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation £31.50
4. Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Perfume £34.50
5. Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer in 03 £34
6. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush £9.99
7. Lancome Doll Eyes Mascara £21
8. Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer £24.50
9. Dior Creme De Rose Lip Balm £22

I was kindly given a hell of a lot of money from various family members/family friends this Christmas, so I will probably be buying all of this in January!

What is on your beauty wishlist for the New Year?

Battle of the: Red Lipsticks

Left - MAC: Russian Red - NYX: Electra - Rimmel Kate: 01 - Revlon Lip Butter: Candy Apple - Bourjois Color Boost: Red Island - Rimmel Kate: 12 - Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids: Neon Red - MAC: Lady Danger - Rimmel Apocalips: Big Bang - MUA: Shade 1 - Right 

I love a red lip. It's the one colour lipstick that I don't feel guilty having so many variations of. So I decided to pick my top 10 favourite red lipsticks:

MAC Lipstick in Russian Red: Blue-toned vivid red, matte finish. 

NYX Round Lipstick in Electra: Blue-toned red, creme finish.  

Rimmel Kate Lipstick in 01: Dark vampy red, matte finish.

Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple: Sheer warm-toned red, glossy finish. 

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon in Red Island: Classic pillar box red, sheer glossy finish.

Rimmel Kate Lipstick in 12: Pastel coral-red, matte/creme finish. 

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Neon Red: Bright orange-red, matte/creme finish. 

MAC Lipstick in Lady Danger: Vivid orange-red, matte finish.

Rimmer Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Big Bang: Vivid classic red, glossy finish.  

MUA Lipstick in Shade 1: Bright warm-toned red, glossy finish.

What is your favourite red lipstick?

November Favourites

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 402 Bronze: 

I've been going for some sun beds (naughty me) in preparation for some parties I'm going to over Christmas, so the only foundation that matches me is my MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC40 which I no longer like. My skin isn't perfect, but I only get the occasional spot which I can easily cover up with concealer, so I've been recently drawn to lighter coverage foundations. I've seen Youtubers like Tanya Burr and Fleur De Force mention the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in recent videos so I thought I'd give it a go. Luckily, the Asda that I work in has a Rimmel counter and it is only £4.98 which is £2-3 cheaper than in Boots or Superdrug, plus I got my staff discount which took it down to about £4.50. It claims to be a 'Light Perfecting Radiance Foundation' which I definitely agree with - it matches my skin tone perfectly and gives me a glowy finish. 

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in Medium:

My second monthly favourite is also a base. I have been eyeing this BB cream up for months, after seeing Youtuber Carli Bybel rave about it in one of her videos. But the one thing that put me off was the £27 price tag. Boots were having one of their points events where you got £12 worth of points for every £50 you spent, so I thought it would be an ideal time to purchase it. I was matched to both Light/Medium and Medium, but I opted for the darker so I could wear it with a tan. It's supposed to be a 5-in-1 BB cream able to prime, perfect, protect, hydrate and control oil. One big plus to the product is that it has Smashbox's primer in it which is supposed to be amazing. The first time I wore this product I knew it was going to be one of my all time favourite products. It really does control oil - no matter how much powder I use with other foundations, I normally find myself with an oil slick down my nose throughout the day - but not with this BB cream! After wearing it for over 8 hours, it still looked as good as it did when I first applied it. Yes it is expensive, but I believe it is worth every penny and will definitely repurchase.

Maybelline New York Brow Drama in Dark Brown: 

I've never bothered that much with my eyebrows, accept from filling them in with an Estee Lauder eyeshadow. I find that brow sets are mostly always fairly expensive so I have just stuck to the same thing. However, on a trip to Boots I came across this and for £4 something, I couldn't say no. I still use the eyeshadow to fill in my brows, I just use this product to set them in place and it works wonders. 

L'Oreal Lash Architect Mascara in Midnight Black:

I am definitely guilty of mascara hoarding. Apart from my L'Oreal Telescopic mascara, I rarely repurchase the same one twice in a row. I thought I would give this one a go, and have fallen in love with it. It's very volumising and does give some length too, plus I think it's quite comparable to the finish of Lancome Hypnose Drama. L'Oreal mascaras do seem to be the best for me, they are more on the expensive side of the highstreet range being £10+, but I do think you get what you pay for. 

L'Oreal Color Riche Lipstick in 461 Scarlett Creme:

Around the Christmas period, Boots start doing gift with purchase for certain brands. If you spent over £15 on L'Oreal you received a gift box worth £28. Normally they fill these boxes with absolute rubbish, but for the most part the one I received was really good! In it I received this Color Riche Lipstick in Scarlett Creme which is the perfect festive red colour. It has a really creamy texture and a slight glossy finish to it. It has good longevity, but failed to remain on my lips after I ate a huge amount at Wagamamas on a Christmas shopping trip. It's definitely one of my favourite red lipsticks, and the fact that it was free makes it even better.   

L'Oreal Color Riche Nail Polish in 401 Rouge Pin Up:

This was also included in my L'Oreal gift with purchase. It's also a lovely pillar box red colour ideal for Christmas, plus it applies really well only taking 2 coats for a nice opaque finish. 

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette:

After my 'Shopping My Stash' blog post I have managed to get so much use out of this palette. I'm training myself to wear more eye shadow in the day time, plus I have had a few nights out where I've created some lovely looks with the palette. After seeing some reviews on the recently released Naked 3 palette, I will no doubt be purchasing that too with Christmas money in the New Year. 

Love Ruby.

Trend Guide: Totally Tartan

Whether it be a skirt, a scarf or a shirt around your waist, tartan is a must have in the wardrobes of the fashion-savvy this A/W. The high-street has gone crazy for the punk inspired print, featuring in Topshop, Primark and Newlook to name but a few. It's the perfect way to inject that bit of Rihanna 'bad girl' vibe and even a hint of Scotland into a look. Try pairing a tartan skirt or trousers with a plain boyfriend tee. Or if you're going for something less daring throw on a tartan scarf with a khaki military jacket and some Chelsea boots. Tartan seems to be the print that gets me in the mood for wintry walks and the 'C' word - Christmas! Dressed up or down, tartan is here to stay for the cold days ahead...  

Here are a few of my tartan picks for this A/W: 

Totally Tartan by ruby-frampton featuring smocked dresses

ASOS smocked dress
£28 - asos.com

Missguided plaid shirt
missguided.co.uk

Leather skater skirt
newlook.com


(Scarf - Primark & Tartan T-shirt - Topshop)

Love Ruby.