March Favourites

So it's the first of April and that can only mean one thing... Monthly Favourites time!
This month for me has been all about getting a more Spring appropriate, fresh-faced look as the sun's started to show itself a little more. I've been reaching for products with a more dewy affect and replaced my powder blush with a cream. Below is a list of my most reached for products for the month of March.

Collection Eyes Uncovered Pallet in Nude 
I picked this up a few weeks ago and have been pairing it with my Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics a lot this month. In fact I actually wrote a blog post comparing the two right here. Whilst it's fine to chose one or the other, I've been loving them together, going with the Collection shimmery shades over the lid and the matte Urban Decay colours in the crease.

Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me
Staying with our "fresh" theme, I've loved going back to that just-bitten look and keeping things less harsh on the lips. This tinted balm is soft and glossy looking but provides a real pop of bright redish pink that I think suits me quite well. I've worn it so often this month and I just love how easy it is.

Rimmel Match Perfection
I mentioned this beauty in My Complete Foundation Collection post, and it even got a sterling ten out of ten rating! This foundation can give skin that's still a bit dried out from Winter that radiance that can be lacking in colder weather; it's great at hiding texture and rough patches on the skin.

Rimmel Stay Blushed
As it's been turning more sunny, (hooray for the clocks going forward!) I've been loving that fresh faced look and have been opting for as many cream products as possible. I love the Rimmel Stay Blushed formulas as they blend so well and end up looking like a real blush from within on the cheeks.

Bath & Body Works Candle in Mahogany Teakwood
My lovely friend Rachel (hey Rach!) brought me this back from her trip to America earlier this month and I've been burning it every evening. Mahogany Teakwood has been a love of mine since 2013 when I first visited Bath & Body Works in Florida. I was so sad when it ran out and I knew it couldn't get it again until I (or fab friends of mine) went over to the states! It smells exactly like an Abercrombie & Fitch store.

Let me know what you've been loving below, especially if you have any cream formula products that you can't live without... I can see myself getting really into them for summer! You can check out last months favourites here, and don't forget to come back next month to see what I'll obsess over for the month of April!

My Dad's 50th Birthday Hamper | Men's Gift Ideas

So I've always found men much harder to buy for than woman, is this just me? Namely, I've always found my Dad hard to buy for. My Dad is the most unmaterialistic person I know (must be where I get it from, no?) and designer clothes, posh aftershave or expensive luxuries are mostly wasted on him. In fact, my Dad so rarely wants for things, that when he does, he usually buys them for himself. This means that he's got the good gear when it comes to walking, music and camping (his biggest hobbies) and doesn't leave me with a lot of scope to "push the boat out" for his 50th birthday.

Hence, the Man Hamper. The Manper, if you will. God bless Wilko for their unnecessarily large collection of random baskets, as I was able to pick this perfectly sized one for a mere £8.50 and proceed to fill it to the brim with manly goodies. I thought I'd share the finished product with you all, in case like me, you struggle with gift inspiration when it comes to the men in your life. I hope it sparks some great ides for you and you find it useful.

Books & DVDs. 
DVDs and books are great for male birthdays. My Dad is a bit of a reader and so this year I've stayed away from DVDs and have two books in his hamper instead. The first one I've gone with is "The Camping Cookbook" which is jam packed with great recipe ideas for when you're camping (something my Dad does a lot of) and starting to get a bit bored of the same old bacon sarnies and burnt sausages... The second one I picked up is The Jungle Book, my Dads absolute favourite Disney film - and one of his favourite films in general - I saw this copy in The Works and thought it had such beautiful cover art, and my Dad will totally appreciate the sentiment here.

Food and Snacks.

A nice easy one here. Why not stock up on his favourite foodie items, or better yet, food that reminds you of him. I've gone with Skittles and Starbursts not because my Dad adores them necessarily, but because we have a tradition of putting these particular sweets out at Christmas. I included random "manly chocolate" like a KitKat chunky, Mars bar, Snickers etc to bulk up the manly element (no Galaxy Ripple here!) and then included some crisps that you're always guaranteed to find at Dad's house and a bottle of Lea & Perrins to smother all over his cheese on toast! I also bought a 10 pack multipack of rainbow drops (another guilty pleasure) to scatter about the hamper and fill in any gaps.

Other Goodies.
Other little bits and pieces I went with included the fail-safe male birthday present of beer, (three whole bottles of it) two bottles of my Dads regular poisons and a third "wild card" for him to try out. Honestly, you can't go wrong with beer. Speaking of which, I also found a quirky little wooden post card with the Adams Ghostship logo printed on the front. I though this was a bit different and only around £2.50 so I popped that in there too. I included two mugs, one with Beach Huts all the way round it (my Dad loves Southwold and had a beautiful British Seaside wedding last year) and one with the brilliant Wallace & Gromit (Dad loves them and bares a striking resemblance to Wallace...) Other goodies included walking socks, razor blades, moisturizer and Olaf themed shower gel. Yep, Dad's a Frozen fan.

Final Ideas & Tips.
So my final tips when buying for boys are to keep it easy with guilty pleasures, or find out their hobbies and then try to think outside of the box. If they enjoy film, why not get them a cinema voucher so they can see a film you know they haven't already got on DVD. Or if they like cars, why not get them a subscription to a monthly car magazine? As for guilty pleasures, these are easy because people can enjoy them again and again. Are they partial to a packet of Pork Scratchings? Do they routinely munch on Maltesters? Family sized treat bags and a bottle of beer keep things nice and simple if you're just not sure.

Let me know your manly birthday ideas below - I could always use more. And as you've had a selfie of me and my Mum already, it only seems fair to include one of me and my Dad too! Here's a very blurry (unflattering) shot of us at Dad's gorgeous wedding last year. See what I mean about Wallace?

My Complete Foundation Collection | Makeup Showdown

You know you have too many foundations when trying to take a photo of them all is like arranging a class photograph. "Come then everyone, tall ones at the back, little guys at the front - you too Revlon Colour Stay, we don't have all day!" With ten foundations to compare, I'm not even going to attempt to go into great detail on each one. Instead, I've got another Makeup Showdown for you where I’ve divided the judging process into “need to know categories” with an overall rating out of ten. Please note however, that my skin type is extremely dry, and I suffer from redness, large pores and a few fine lines (sad face) so the overall rating is based on how effective each foundation is on me, and what I look for in a base.

Bourjois CC Cream
Coverage: Light, but better than you expect!
Finish: Matte-ish Satin
Lasting power: A full day out in the sunshine, it'll fade only slightly
Final Thoughts: For such a runny, barely there formula, this covers and lasts brilliantly. In the summer it's light enough to work on my very pale skin, and is by far the best CC/BB/tinted moisturiser product I've come across.
Overall Rating: 10/10

Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Matte/Satin
Lasting power: Easily enough to get you through work and after work drinks
Final Thoughts: Definitely a fab foundation, it ticks every box and I wear it a lot but it's slightly behind Rimmel Match Perfection, which is just that bit better on dry skin.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Illamasqua Skin Base
Coverage: Very Full
Finish: Very Matte
Lasting power: Ages (probably)
Final Thoughts: No matter what I do, I cannot get this foundation to look passable. Some people love it but I find I look like a cake-face clown in a mask of heavy makeup and I've worn it out in public maybe twice? Thorough disappointment as it's the most expensive I currently own!
Overall Rating: 2/10

Revlon ColourStay
Coverage: Very Full
Finish: Very Matte
Lasting power: Good, but it does begin to settle
Final Thoughts: These days I find ColourStay to settle in my smile lines and around my nose after four/five hours, no matter how I apply it. It can also look cakey and heavy on the skin sometimes but is a holy grail for a lot of oily skinned girls - I loved this in my oily teenage years!
Overall Rating: 6/10

Rimmel Match Perfection
Coverage: Lightish Medium
Finish: Fresh, Dewy
Lasting power: It'll do you proud for a full working day
Final Thoughts: For once, dewy does not mean greasy! I love this guy mostly for the finish and blendibility. Perfect for dry skin and bad skin days as it glides over imperfections and texture and doesn't highlight them.
Overall Rating: 10/10

L'Oreal Infallible
Coverage: High Medium - Full
Finish: Fresh Satin/Matte
Lasting power: Till the cows come home
Final Thoughts: This would be another 10 pointer, and probably my favourite if it wasn't for the fact that regular use breaks me out. On special occasions though I wouldn't wear anything else.
Overall Rating: 9/10

Revlon Photo Ready BB Cream
Coverage: Very Light
Finish: Dewy/Shiny
Lasting power: An hour or two before greasiness kicks in
Final Thoughts: Another disappointment. This guy oxidises as the day goes on and looks greasy after a short amount of time. It also just doesn't seem to sink into the skin and transfers a fair bit.
Overall Rating: 3/10

L'Oreal True Match
Coverage: High Medium
Finish: Fresh Satin
Lasting power: Enough to last you a serious Saturday shopping spree
Final Thoughts: I can see that this guy would be a great contender, but it loses serious points for colour! It's called "True Match" yet doesn't have a shade light enough for me, and the closest one oxidises to the point where I can no longer 'get away with it' after around four hours.
Overall Rating: 5/10

Rimmel Lasting Finish
Coverage: High Medium - Full
Finish: Matte/Satin
Lasting power: Through the party, the after party and the walk of shame
Final Thoughts: It's good, but I just don't reach for this one often because I rarely need the coverage and if I do, L'Oreal Infallible looks better and lasts just as long. But hey, at least Rimmel doesn't break me out.
Overall Rating: 7/10

Bourjois Healthy Mix
Coverage: Lightish Medium
Finish: Dewy
Lasting power: Will get you through a school day
Final Thoughts: A real teenage cult classic, this foundation performs well on younger skin as it's not too heavy but gives good coverage, lasts around six hours and blends well.
Overall Rating: 8/10


Let me know if there's any foundations missing that you think I should try. I still don't feel like I've found that Holy Grail base yet so I'd love to hear your suggestions!