MAY EDIT: KICK-ASS SKINCARE, SURVIVING THE HEATWAVE & 2ND BLOGOVERSARY

May flew past me so quickly. I was fairly busy with work, a couple of exciting events and planning Beauty Drama Queen's second birthday. It always makes me wonder that with every product I test (and that's a lot) I am still able to come up with many, many favourites each & every month. There are so many incredible formulas out there and I discovered a few again that I'm sharing with you today. From aiming for a dewy base whilst surviving the blasting heat through a quick look at recent events, May's been an eventful month for many reasons.

Skincare heroes

The Ordinary 30% AHA + 2% BHA Peeling Solution | £6.30 for 30ml

Simply the best at home exfoliation treatment. 10 minutes with this peel renews my complexion and reveals smoother and glowing skin. It looks murderous when applied (the shade and consistency of blood...) but after 10 minutes my skin isn't even a little irritated. With  30% AHA concentration of  Glycolic Lactic, Tartaric and Citric acids as well as 2% Salicylic Acid (BHA) idecongestsst the pores, kickstart cell regeneration and peels away any dead cells to reveal a glowing younger complexion. With the addition of Hyaluronic Acid Crosspolymer it alsdeeplyly hudrates to avoid skin peeling after such high acid concentration. Formulated with Tasmanian Pepperberry which helps reduce irritation common with acid use and Vitamin B5 and Black Carrot that help healing process of the skin and act as strong antioxidant. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone below 30 years old and even then I'd only use it once a week or even fortnight. I'd stick to lower concentration of acids, as you simply don't need anything quite this strong yet. However if you battle any skin damage, discolouration and uneven surface - give this new treatment from Ordinary a go, you shouldn't be dissapointed! 

Omorovicza Copper Peel | £90 for 8 sets (16 tubes of 10ml each)

A couple of peels this month and I'm not even sorry. Omorovicza Copper Peel is a 2-step resurfacing facial. I apply half of ampule of Copper Paste to my face and neck first and then activate it with half an ampule of Lactic Acid Activator. Once applied, I massage the treatment in circular motions concentrating on my forehead, around nose, cheeks and chin for around 2-3 minutes. Great for mid week facial, when you don't have the time or the energy for long haul treatments but want to revive your complexion. Active ingredients such as copper gluconate, sodium bicarbonate and Lactic Acid work together to decongest your pores, regulate sebum production, smoothing the texture of your skin and unifying uneven tones. Your lines and wrinkles appear plumped out after use too, so it makes a great midweek skincare treat. It's definitely not the cheapest. However one set will last for 2 (even 3 if only face is being treated) applications.

Sukin Facial Moisturiser* | £7.49 for 125 ml | POST

Given my love for exfoliating peels, I tend to stick to gentle moisturisers. I discovered this gem from Sukin recently and I can't get enough. I love the scent: it's gentle and sweet but doesn't linger for too long. I love natural skincare and this lightweight cream packed with natural oils have been a favourite of mine lately. Packed with soothing aloe vera, horsetail, nettle and burdock as well as healing rosehip seed, wheat germ, jojoba and avocado oil. It's paraben free and should work for even the most sensitive types. I love the combination of Wheat Germ and Rosehip Seed oils as they have ultra brightening properties and in long run can lighten the complexion and even fight age spots! I use it mostly in the morning or in the evening after a chemical peel to deeply nourish and hydrate my skin. It sinks in almost instantly and huge bottle means it'll last for ages. 

From top to bottom 

Style Freedom Curl Angel* | £7.99 for 100ml 

I fell in love with this lightweight curl defining cream. It doesn't weight my hair down which is a first for me in this category of styling products. What originally attracted me was the packaging. I didn't have high hopes as styling products rarely work for me. With my new shorter hairdo, I find that curls don't last or form as well as when I had a super long hair. Enter Curl Angel. I use it on damp hair and just brush two pumps of the products through the lengths. It gives my natural waves some life and bounce. However, it's best used after curling. I apply again 1-2 pumps of the products while I separate my curls with the fingers. The definition it gives is brilliant but also give my curls a little longer lasting power. As I mentioned before it doesn't weight it down either which is always a plus. I love this stuff! 

Blossom & Blossom Revitalising Foot & Leg Spray | £14.00 for 100ml

I love discovering great products in my Latest in Beauty subscription! This Blossom & Blossom Foot & Leg Spray works as well as I hoped it would. I have a tired leg syndrome post my hormone therapy and my feet and legs react badly to heat and long days, which is why I wanted to try this in the first place! And it works!! I now have it in my everyday bag and carry it everywhere. 2-3 sprays per feet/leg are enough to quickly reduce swelling, cool & revitalise at the same time. 5 minutes is all it needs to start working & I'm glad for it. If you suffer fromsimilar conditions, I highly recommend you try it. I'll be buying the full size for sure! 

Sweat resistant makeup & going nude

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear | £30.00 for 30ml | POST

The new foundation by Lancome promises ultra long wear and boy, does it deliver! It's by far THE BEST foundation I have ever used. If you're dry or combination with tendencies to dehydration and look for a matte foundation that won't make you look like a caked up mess - here's your holy grail and you can thank me later! Even after hours and hours of wear, this foundation holds the shine at bay, it's actually crazy how well it lasts! I love using it Monday-Friday when I need my base to last long hours and in the evening if I'm going out with friends. I didn't experience too bad of flashback with it, however, I'm super pale so I rarely can tell lol! I plan on starting foundation series where I do live hourly updates so you can see how different foundations wear throughout the day on me. Let me know if you'd be interested in that type of posts! 

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer | RPR £19.00 | POST 

I keep singing praises but it's the best concealer ever, simples. It covers well, it's still lightweight enough to use under eyes, light enough in tone for me to light contour with and most importantly doesn't cake up or crease. I always set my concealer with RCMA No-Color Powder so it's always a joint effort but I've been absolutely loving using it every single day since I bought it! It's so expensive here in the UK but I think I'll have to brace custom charges and order it from Tarte directly next time, I'll just order a couple as I don't envision using any other concealer ever again! Also available from QVC UK here

Bourjois Rouge Lacque Liquid Lipstick | £8.99 each

I have been keeping it cool with my lips lately. Yes, I still enjoy my statement lip and wear it a lot, but I've also been loving muted rose shades, just like this Toute Nude from the new Bourjois Liquid Lipstick line. I haven't been the biggest fan of their original formula but colour me impressed with Rouge Lacque now!  Toute Nude looks like a medium rose shade on me, with light purple tones mixed in. The finish is also quite interesting, the first coat goes on sheer, then the second makes it opaque with a light gloss to the finish. I've been preferring non-matte finish recently and I need to pick up more shades from this collection. The lipstick wears well, around 4 hours, sometimes even better depending what you're snacking on and most importantly doesn't dry out my lips like the original matte formula did. I hope this is an evolution in liquid lipstick formula and I look forward to other brands following the suit.  

Too Faced Sweet Peach Lipgloss | £16.00 each | POST

It's probably the first time in years I've been wearing a gloss, true gloss and it's all thanks to the amazing formula of Too Faced Lip Oils. Firstly it's the scent and taste of peaches, then the creamy oily formula that keeps my lips moisturised all day. Lastly, it's the shade (Peach-sickle) that makes my 'paler than white wall' self look like I've been in the sun , it compliments my bronzer so well! I won't be buying anymore shades as I can use this one over many lipstick and lip liner shades and given I've been into nudes lately, this one's perfect. I don't wear gloss every day but when I do, it's Too Faced as it's the only gloss I own... Yep LOL! 

Scent of the month

Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb Bloom | £44.00 - £79.00

To end this favourites post on a sweet tune, I present to you the best thing to happen to Flowerbomb since the original Flowerbomb. Victor & Rolf has done it again and Flowerbomb Bloom is just perfect. If you're into sweet but feminine floral scents I dare you to give it a whiff and walk away... I knew I needed it from a first whiff and I just can't get enough. The original Flowerbomb is still here, just fresher, more fruity and fun updated with citrus and 'liquid air' notes. I wish I knew what 'liquid air' was! Top notes are definitely fruity with pomegranate and mandarin (love!!!) with the heart still very flowery with freesia, damask rose, jasmine and addition of 'liquid air' which according to Victor & Rolf immitates the freshness of the air at the top of the mountain. Whatever it is, it gives the perfume a new fresher note and I'm loving it. Base notes are quite woody, giving this fragrance more masculine feel after 6-8 hours. It lasts well over 10 hours on me and I most love it at the beginning with top fruity notes and after 2-4 hours when heart notes hit. The original bottle was redesigned here and appears longer and taller. The perfume itself was designed by Domitille Bertier. 

Lifestyle bits <3

Beauty Drama Queen turns 2

I can't believe it's been two whole years that I've been sharing a little insight into my world with you. Yes, I mainly post about beauty, but within these posts, you can always find some personal snippets. I'm very socially awkward, so being here and hearing your feedback has been life changing. You have kept me going when life got to be too much at times, so thank you! I thank you from the bottom of my heart that you believe in me and stuck with me since the beginning. To all my new followers, I welcome you and I hope you stick around as I'm not yet done. I think I've grown up so much, since the start. I see it in my makeup looks, my tastes, my photography and little in my writing style. I changed and evolved and I hope to continue to do so for many years to come. I am not done, that's for sure!

So many events, so little time.

This Morning Live Show with Panasonic Beauty and creme de la creme of Birmingham bloggers

Facial with Panasonic Beauty

I am most certainly not complaining and wish life wasn't so busy so I could be attending many more events, as they're always so much fun and a chance to catch up with some friends and meet new people. In May I was invited to This Morning Live show with Panasonic Beauty. I had such an amazing time with the group of Brum Bloggers and Charlotte & Sophie who organised the event. I was treated to a facial using Panasonic newest beauty electricals, their 3-in-1 Micro-Foaming Cleansing Brush* (POST) & 3-in-1 Microcurrent Enhancer using some amazing DHC skincare products.

During BeautyUK show I was also representing a great brand and their UK distributors The Straight From Nature. Together with the team, we showcased Nacomi's natural facial and body skincare during the show, which was tiring but a total blast.  Thanks for having me guys :)

I met an incredible team behind Merumaya with Maleka herself plus Rosie, whom I've only ever met via email before. It was so much fun to chat skincare, life goals and simply just goof around. If you don't know Merumaya yet, I've written about their products many times over. Check out my posts below:

30 GOING ON 60: WE'VE USED MERUMAYA LIP RESTORATION TREATMENT FOR 30 DAYS & HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED

MY GUIDE TO 30+ ANTI-AGEING EVENING SKINCARE FOR DRY, DEHYDRATED & SENSITIVE SKIN

BUSY GIRL'S MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE: SPRING UPDATE

* pr sample
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Win Balance Active Formula Dragon's Blood skincare range HERE

Thank You For Reading,

Love