I'm going away for a conference day with work this week so I though I'd take the advantage while packing my bag to show you a few of the products that I take with me when travelling. Instead of bringing my entire skincare collection which in itself needs a whole suitcase, I whittle it down to a few essentials.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir: The beauty product of the moment and something I've come love. Its a great multitasking product which I can use as a toner/serum/makeup freshener, perfect to perk you up after a long groggy car journey. I'm on the last drops of my second bottle now and will say that the one down side of this product is that it doesn't last very long. I probably use about 3-5 sprays of this a day and I'm getting through a bottle every three weeks at the moment. Might have to invest in the full size!

This Works Clean Skin Daily Wash: I usually double cleanse with a hot cloth cleanser then a foaming one but to save space I take something I know is going to remove all my make up and clean my skin in one go. I have so many miniature products from various beauty boxes and free samples that I'm always trying to use up and at the moment I've been trying the This Works Clean Skin Wash. It's a bit of a hybrid between a creamy cleanser and one that foams up. Gentle enough to use on the eyes and it has a lovely lavender herbal smell that's very soothing if you're trying to fall asleep in a noisy hotel room.

Clinique All About Eyes Serum: For some reason I always get puffy eyes in the morning when I sleep somewhere that isn't my own bed so a cooling rollerball is essential if I'm gong to look presentable. This little one from Clinique has an almost instant effect that you can feel de-puffing right away.

Benefit Total Moisture: I'm still scraping out the last little bits of this mini tub of whats fast becoming my favourite moisturiser. I got this in one of Benefit's miniature skincare packs and have been lusting after it ever since. This is quite heavily scented which I thought would be a problem for my sensitive skin, but its lovely and rich and really keeps my skin moisturised right through to the morning.

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate: I had to get at least one Liz Earle product in here! I started to regret buying the Superskin Concentrate Oil in the rollerball but its actually perfect to take away without the fear of opening your bag to find a gloopy mess. How many times have we all been through that? Skin oils never fail to leave my skin feeling super soft looking fresh in the morning!

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector: As you can see this ones pretty battered as it gets taken everywhere in the bottom of my bag. It may have a funny smell but I don't think any other hand cream could compare!

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream: I'm not sure theres anything 8 hour cream can't do. Perfect for lips, cuticles, dry skin patches, eyebrows, cuts, burns and even as a moisturiser this is one thing I'm never without anywhere I go.

Something a little different this week as I thought I'd show you a few little bits from around the flat before everything is packed away ready to move. I've turned a bit furniture mad this month and have an Ikea wish list as long as my arm. Can't wait to get myself one of these beauties! I'm so tempted to get a few storage bits from Muji as well after seeing them on nearly every makeup storage video out there.

Also, thank you to everyone who entered the Glossy Box giveaway and well done to Charlotte who was the winner!


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A day late as last night I got way too involved with a Chinese and The Voice. I do have some pretty big news actually as me and Darren are moving into a new flat at the beginning of next month. I finally get a spare/blogging/wardrobe room which I can't wait for! Unfortunately knowing Sky and their inability to do anything in less than 3-5 working days I don't think I'm going to have internet for a while. Hopefully though normal blogging should be able to run okay-ish but this is just a heads up! I've had a lot of requests for a room tour/makeup storage video on YouTube so I'm going to do that once my new rooms all unpacked and decorated properly!


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Philosophy Purity Cleanser, Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation, Benefit High Beam, O.P.I Nail Envy, Essie Absolutely Shore, Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover, Caudalie Beauty Elixir
It's monthly favourites time again and my regular video is up! This month seems to have featured quite a few beauty blogger favourites and I can tell you, they really do all live up to the hype. Click here to watch!

Caudalie Vinsource SOS Thirst-Quenching Serum, Monu Professional Hand & Nail Cream, Philip B Styling Gel, Figs & Rouge Peppermint and Tea Tree Lip Balm, Inika Certified Organic Lip Liner via Glossy Box*
It seems that Glossy Box have cottoned onto the success of their limited edition boxes that we've now been seeing since January and bought out another themed selection. This month its natural beauty with 'ethical goodies' all packaged into a 100% biodegradable box. Now, to be honest I don't really think to much about things being organic or eco-friendly when it comes to beauty products, but its nice to know that there are some brands out there that cater to those who do!

My skin has felt awfully dry at the moment, partly due to the central heating at work I'm sure, so the Caudalie Thirst-Quenching Serum has come at exactly the right time. A little goes a long way with this one and although it sinks into the skin immediately it gives an instant hydration. It also boasts to be 100% paraben and nasties free and I think this one was definitely my favourite of all the products.

I seem to have a pile of hand creams all received through sample boxes waiting to be thrown into my bag and lost at some point! The Monu Spa hand & nail cream smells very herbal and I've actually been putting it on my feet (strange?) as its got a really refreshing feeling to it.

Inika are a brand that create ethical, cruelty free and environmentally concious beauty products and one I've been wanting to try for a while now. I got their certified organic lip liner in the colour Moroccan Rose and its really unlike any other I've used before. It's got a pearlescent sheen to it which is almost multi-tonal in different lights. Not my usual colour, but one I think would look great worn just on its own all over the lip.

I'm already a huge fan of Figs & Rouge Lip Balms and own pretty much the whole collection. The nearest thing I could think to compare these too are Vaseline but so much better. They have the same think slick texture but feel no way near as oily and actually penetrate the lips to give them moisture instead of sitting on top not doing a whole lot. Sorry Vaseline!

I don't usually like doing these Beauty Box reviews without using everything properly but I'm afraid to say I couldn't see myself benefiting from a styling gel! I've heard a lot about Philip B and would love to try some other products from the range but this one was swiftly given to Darren. He said it was 'alright' as gels go (typical infuriating man response) but I don't see him paying £13.00 for the full size. I'm sure this would be great for anyone with a cute little pixi crop or shorter hair though!

All in all I think this has been one of the better boxes. Although there's no stand out product, I actually see myself using the majority of these on a daily basis and the serum especially has now been added into my skincare routine. Luckily for you readers, this month I've found myself with two of these boxes so I'm giving one away! I'm sure the majority of people are signed up to Glossy Box now, but I think I'd be a great way for those of you who aren't to try out the service for a month. All the boxes vary slightly so the products inside wont be exactly the same as mine, but I've had a sneaky peak and they're all good, trust me!

Rules:
- To enter, comment below leaving your name and email so I can contact you
- You must be a follower of this blog
- Open to all UK readers
- There will be one winner chosen by random.org
- Giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday 20th May
- Winner will be notified the day after

Extra entries:
- Write a separate comment below linking me to either:
- A tweet about this giveaway
- A mention in a blog post
- (or both!)

01. Gross webcam photo today instead of my weekly pictures that I really need to get round to doing again. Trouble is all I seem to be using these days is instagram instead of an actual camera and I don't want to bore those of you that already follow me by putting the same photos on here!

02. Today was a pretty standard Sunday. Woke up at midday, had a mooch around the shops and ate far too much. Thanks to the bank holiday tomorrow I've managed to get myself a whole three days off of work. Those of you who work full time, especially in retail will know how rare that is so I'm pretty ecstatic! Hopefully I'll be able to catch up on a few product reviews I've been meaning to do and finally get some new outfit posts out!

03. I already mentioned this in my last post but my poor little Dell is on its last legs so I've ordered myself a shiny new iMac. Hopefully blogging standards should be a little higher now once I've figured out how to use it. I'm currently writing this on my Mum's macbook and just don't understand it at all!

04. I've already run out of things to say so heres a few blogs that I'm loving at the moment: Lily, Emma and Amy's!


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Collar Tips £3.99
I'm a bit late on the bandwagon here but I've been wanting to get my hands on a pair of collar tips for ages and saw these perfect ones on ebay the other day! I've been lusting after the majority of Zara's studed/tipped collar shirts at the moment and thought I'd try making my own. Probably still going to 'invest' in this gold studded one though as it's beautiful!

Sorry for the pretty sporadic/boring posting at the moment. Last week I did something very silly and bought myself an iMac and therefore have absolutely no money to buy anything that would be remotely interesting to you! Hopefully when that arrives and my bank account has recovered I should be back to unwisely splurging on everything and also making more videos to add to my poor little youtube channel that's been temporarily abandoned until I get myself a computer that I can actually edit properly on!

Essie Absolutely Shore £8.50 & Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme £5.99
Despite having a multitude of neon bright nail colours in my collection, I've been wearing nothing but nudes and pastels recently. Essie Topless and Barefoot and Ballet Slippers have litterally been the only things gracing my nails for the last few months which is rare for me seeing as I barely ever take a colour off only to put it on again!

I mentioned Absolutley Shore in a wishlist a few weeks ago and I'd shamelessly bought it pretty much minutes after that was posted. Its a pale pastel green, a lot less blue and in your face than Mint Candy Apple which was my first Essie purchase years ago. I think this one's going to be my go to for spring nails.

The one problem I have with Essie is that the thin brushes make it hard to get the colours on quickly and evenly. Thankfully though, Boots and Superdrug have just started selling a small collection of Essie's best sellers with a much thicker and easier to use brush. I might have to re-purchase Mint Candy Apple because of this as it's one of my all time favourites, but unfortunately Absolutely Shore hasn't been released in stores as of yet!

Working on a beauty counter, I was my hands a lot and my cuticles get pretty dry and ragged so recently I've making an effort to take better care of them. I've been smothering on Burt's Bees Cuticle Creme, a product that I've already fallen in love with despite only buying it less than a week ago. Its the perfect not-too-waxy balm that moisturises but doesn't leave a lot of residue and it smells amazing. Just like fresh lemons, a scent which I think I'm going to be very into this summer. I've already been eyeing up The Body Shop's new Sweet Lemon Beautifying Oil and we all know I love a good oil product!

This has been a bit of a mixed post but let me know what your favourite Spring nail colours are!