December Favourites!

Am I the only person who feels like December comes and goes way too fast?

With that being said, I don't have many favourites this month but the ones I do have, I think are pretty great so lets just get into it!


Beauty Favourites

Chi Silk Infusion Hair Serum

Hair serum is a product I have become best friends with over the years and I think any girl with long and or thick hair  can say the same thing.Over the years I have come to find that the more money I spend on a serum, the better the results especially with serums that contain argon, moringa, and Moroccan oils.
Not only do I adore  the results I get from this serum but the smell is so warm and rich it lasts in your hair all day. I continuously get compliments on it which always results in me raving about it for a good half hour but do not worry, I won't keep you here for that long on just this one product! I like to apply a quarter sized amount into towel dried hair, blow dry and then apply a little less than a dime sized amount onto the ends of my hair. I'm sure there is a better way to apply the product to get amazing results but this is what works for me. my hair is shiny, silky, and frizz free which is so amazing when you have long thick hair like me! Now with all the amazing qualities this product has the only downfall I have with it is the price I pay around $32 for the large bottle which is a lot of money to me but the bottle will last me over a year so in the end it's not all that bad. 

Next up we have a Beauty Blender but this is not the original it is just a dupe. but honestly it works just the same! So to help any one who doesn't understand how this works, it's a foundation applicator that works when you get it wet. The Beauty Blender helps anyone achieve perfectly and evenly blended foundation. I Use the Beauty Blender dupe so mine works just a little different that the original, but that is to expected. The dupe holds more water which means adding more foundation to get an even coverage but just like the Beauty Blender it cuts your blending time in half which I really appreciate haha! An original Beauty Blender is about $20 where as my dupe was about $7. I don't mind a little extra work when I save some money especially when the two products are so similar. Cleaning this product is really simple too. I use soap and warm water just like I do for all my make up brushes and it only takes about 2 minutes to clean!

BH Cosmetics automatic eyebrow pencil - Blonde

The photo says black but I use the shade blonde. I've really been loving this brow pencil not only this month but pretty much every month and I've talked about it here on my blog before. The product is angled so you can get precision and its nicely pigmented so you don't have to go over your lines a bunch of times. What I like most about this brow pencil is the fact that it stays where I put it. the formula is so thick that it never runs off your face and even stays when applied over foundation.  A few other things I like about this is not just the staying power on your skin but the longevity of the product itself. I fill in my brows every single day and I am no where close to having to buy a new brow pencil. I've been working with this one for over a year. I would recommend this to pretty much anyone because the price is just as great as the product I paid no more than $8 on the BH Cosmetics website.

Baby Lips - Grapevine
Anyone who knows me and my make up collection knows how much I love Baby Lips and how many I own. They smell good, have a mild taste, last long and moisturize very well, and like always the price is pretty amazing too! these run for about $3-$4 and you can find them at any department store and in any make up isle. I have been wearing the shade Grapevine this month and every time I apply it I cant help but stare at my lips because in the tube the colour looks really dark and pigmented but once applied it's shiny and gives off the same colour as in the tube but with a glossy finish so it's not actually that dark which I love and have never found a lip balm to give off that effect! Baby Lips are perfect for the girls who don't want something heavy on their lips just a sheer bit of colour or shimmer. If I'm not wearing lipstick I'm most likely wearing something from Baby Lips. From scents like tangerine shock to peppermint there is a baby lips for everyone. Try this out if you love simplicity and tasty smelling lip products! haha

Non Beauty Favourites

Tetley Mint Green Tea

As I type this I currently have a cup of this tea beside me. I love green tea and mint tea is my favourite so having them together makes me oddly excited. I have been drinking this non stop all month and I have no plans to stop! What I love most about this tea is the smell. Have you ever had those spearmint leave candies? Well this smells exactly like those. The smell instantly wakes you up and the first sip is always so refreshing. I find that this tea has a perfect balance of the green tea and mint so you can really enjoy both flavours especially when you let the tea steep and leave the bag in while you drink it the flavours never become overwhelming or bitter which I find happens quite a bit with other teas especially if you don't use milk and sugar like me. If you like mint and green tea separately then definitely give this one a try and don't forget to tell me what your thoughts are! 

Elf

One of the funniest and sweetest Christmas movies around and the only movie with Will Ferrell that I actually like (I know, what's wrong with me?) This movie always makes me laugh no mater how many times I watch it. and I really love how positive the movie is. Buddy is always SO happy and I find that his positive energy reaches out to the people watching the movie and makes everyone smile! How can you not love that? If you have yet to watch this movie, go grab a drink and a snack, rent, stream or borrow this movie and thank me later! ;)

Our Collection
So this month I won't be talking about my favourite songs but a new group that has recently started recording and uploading covers to Youtube. Despite the fact they have just recently started sharing their music with the world, these 3 have have all been friends and playing music together for quite sometime. Katie - Singer Jamie - Bass And Jowl - Guitar ( If I'm not mistaken haha)  are Our Collection and create covers of old classics and upload regularly which is pretty fantastic for their viewers. In my opinion Katie's voice puts a modern twist on the songs which makes them not only refreshing to listen to but still brings back the memories each song gave too you while listening to the originals! I say well done Our Collection here are two of their YouTube videos which I think shows off their range of musical talents! I hope you love them just as much as I do, and if you do, don't forget to show them some love by liking, subscribing, and even sharing their music with your friends and family like I'm doing right now!

Wild Horses 

 Zombie

There you have it guys! December Favourites! I Hope you enjoyed this post and if you try or listened any of the products/ videos above make sure to let me know what you thought.

I hope each and everyone of you have a great holiday season with your families and enjoy any celebration you have coming up. I'll see you all in the new year!!  


                                                  Xoxo - Katie

My Top Five Favourite Bath Recipes!!

I love baths, It's a great way to relax, warm up and have a few minutes to yourself, Another great thing about baths is the endless list of ingredients you can add to your water to enhance your relaxation, and skin. So here's a list of the ones I love most. I hope you like them too! 

Milk and Honey

This bath is so soothing. There’s nothing quite like it. I love to dip into this bath on a lazy afternoon with the sun shining in through the window! This bath is so moisturising to your skin and leaves it lightly scented. I found that the best milk to use is 2% it makes my skin so much softer than when I use skim milk. The higher the percent, the better it gently exfoliates. The honey is such a wonderful addition to this bath, not only because honey is antibacterial and a natural anti-inflammatory but it also smells beautiful and simple. While I'm preparing this bath I like to start off with really hot water and I add in the honey. (I use raw honey because it’s better for you and your skin. So try to avoid the honey in a squeeze bottle if you can.) After adding a few scoops of honey into the hot water, I swish the water around with my hand to make sure the honey has completely melted. Then I turn on the cold water. I personally like this bath on the cooler side, unlike the other baths I’ll be talking about a little bit later. So once the bath is filled, I add the milk, about two cups worth. Swirl it around and hop right in! I also hear that Cleopatra used to take her baths like this, and I believe it. My skin is always glowing after this bath and she had amazing skin! This is such a great bath. If you try it out, let me know how you liked it in the comments below!

Oatmeal

Okay. I love the simplicity of this bath and I know you’re going to love it too! So to start just run yourself a bath. Next get yourself some oatmeal. Not the instant stuff. Real Oatmeal! Now all you have to do is take a cups worth and pour it into either nylon sock or regular sock. Tie the top and pop that thing right in the bath. Squeeze the sock every now and then to release the goodness =D Oatmeal is so good to restore moisture in any skin type. So give this bath a try and let me know what you thought!

Red Wine and Honey

I found this one online a few months ago and was kind of sceptical about the wine. I also didn't want to waste it on a bath. But it was well worth it. So, same thing goes with the honey, I use the raw honey and add it into the hot water, and help it melt by swishing the water around. Next is the wine. I added two glasses to my bath. I think it was more than enough. But you can judge accordingly. Wine is made from fruits which are full of antioxidants. Antioxidants are so great for your skin. Red wine also contains tartaric acid which acts as an exfoliate to the skin. It takes away all the dead skin cells and leaves you with perfectly soft skin! A little trick to this bath I learned is to pour a third glass of wine, sit it on the edge of the tub and have a few sips every now and then! Haha =D

Tea Bags

That’s right, I wrote tea bags. Seriously along with wine, tea is jam packed with antioxidants, which means great things! Tea is also really soothing and relaxing so this bath is perfect for those stressful days at school or work. For this bath I dropped about 5 to 7 tea bags into my bath. I chose an assortment of teas, like peppermint, chamomile, green tea, and rooibos. I try to always choose teas that will smell nice together. It’s usually a hit and miss until you find the right combination but always worth it. So if you need to relax, and desensitize, this bath is for you

Epsom Salts

Well there’s not much that Epsom salts can’t do. It helps reduce inflammation, flushes toxins, eases migraines and headaches, and can even clear body acne. You can even purchase Epsom salts that are scented which is really nice. Purchasing Epsom salts without any scent is a good option too because you can always add your favorite essential to it and create your own scent. I’ve done this with some oils from the body shop. I Like the Vanilla and Strawberry oils. But I tend to buy the eucalyptus scented one since I no longer live near a body shop. I especially like the eucalyptus scent one when I have a headache, cramps or a cold. For this bath I like to add a generous cup of the salts into my bath while the water is running. If you’re sick or need to relax. Try out Epsom salts!

I Hope you all enjoyed this blog post. Remember to subscribe to my blog to be notified when I add a new post. I’ll also be posting announcements about my blog on my twitter account @KatieLauren18 so go over, follow and send me tweets about what you thought of the blog and give me some suggestions on new posts! 

                                                                Xxoo-Katie