SLEEK GIVEAWAY! Blog Anniversary!

Hello my little beauties! 

Happy 1 Year Anniversary Rachel's Beauty Bites! So it's been nearly a year that this blog has been running and the success I've had with it is way more than I expected. This was just a thing to do in my spare time during my Summer holidays but has now become a huge part of my life. I've also met some absolutely wonderful beauty and fashion bloggers on the way who have helped with their tips and tricks so I thank you! 

 I may not be the biggest blog around but I am still unbelievably grateful for all of you who take the time to read my posts, comment or even follow me on Twitter. Thank you all so much for being so supportive! 

So as a thank you and a celebration of my blog being 1 years old, I'm doing a small giveaway! I'm letting you guys have the chance to win a Sleek blush by 3! 

You can win by entering the Rafflecopter below! 

Thank you all so much again! And good luck to you all :) 

Love Rachel

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer shopping sprees!

Summer is on the horizon and already we can see the blazing sunshine! This always gives me the urge to go out and buy some new clothes and usually summer dresses!

So here are my top 3 newest summer dresses that I've purchased.

On the left is a mint coloured dress from Primark. This £13 dress has and under skirt and a chiffon dress over the top. Mint green is definitely a spring and summer trend at the moment so this is perfect to wear! It comes with a brown belt which for Primark isn't that bad. It's knee length and really comfortable to wear. The front has a gorgeous pleated section at the top and the back has a small cutout at the top in a teardrop shape with a button to secure it. At this price, you can't really argue!

In the middle is a dress from H&M. The most recent purchase of them all and also the cheapest! This dress comes in at £7.99! Such a cheap dress but feels way more expensive. This dress is very fitted and has a slight jersey/elastane material which is so comfortable. It also isn't see through which is often a big problem with stretchy material. I absolutely adore this mixed pattern design! It has a mix of floral and animal print which works well without looking cheap or tacky.

Finally is another dress from H&M but slightly more expensive at £14.99 but still highly affordable. This dress is again incredibly fitted with a small zip at the back and is made from a slightly thicker stretchy material. The nautical theme that this dress has is perfect for beach days! The sections on the waist which have the material design going in the opposite way also make you look slimmer which is always a plus!

So there are my top 3 dresses for spring and summer!

What are your favourite summer clothes?

Let me know below!

NYC Color Smooth Skin Pressed Face Powder

Hi everyone!

Today I'm looking at a new (for me) pressed powder. I've never been a lover of loose powder and I always always always use pressed powder! Even on those no make-up days I have to put some on to reduce that damn shine! I'm also very stubborn and get stuck into the same old boring makeup routine. However, I've noticed that people tend to stick to the same brand and avoid brands like NYC. So I was eyeing this powder up ready for a try! 

I bought this powder in the shade "naturally beige" because of my fair skin, I need to inject a bit of colour into my skin to prove to people that I really am not sick.

They also have this powder in translucent so don't fret if you want a different shade!

It has such sturdy packaging! It comes with a little sponge applicator and a small mirror in the the lid which makes it absolutely perfect for travelling or simply having in your handbag! Just what us girls need.

This was such an affordable price at £1.99!  Can't go wrong with a price like that.

I was pleasantly surprised by this powder. I usually expect cheap face powders to be chalky, orange and make you look cakey but this powder is far from that! It's consistency is smooth and it isn't too bright in colour which can lead to you looking like a wotsit! However, if you're heavy handed or really like to lag on the powder, beware because it will  begin to make your makeup look  thick and cakey. If you overload on this and have a fair complexion it can look orange.

On the other hand, it is absolutely brilliant at keeping my shine at bay. I applied my makeup at 8 this morning and by 2 my face had only begun to get it's shine back. My T-zone is extremely oily and the rest of my face is dry but surprisingly this didn't cling to dry patches and got rid of the oil without drawing attention to the peach fuzz!

Overall this product is a big thumbs up from me!

Give it a try!

Recent Purchases #3

So I was naughty and took a revision break...into Superdrug. I know it's bad...but I have to release my stress somehow! (Mainly through retail therapy) So here's a few small things I purchased.

 I'd spoken to a few of you lovely beauty bloggers about cleansing lotions and the fact that for some really stupid reason, I had never laid my hands on a bottle. A few names cropped up: Bioderma, L'Oreal and Garnier! Unable to choose I turned to you bloggers and one of you said to try the Garnier Micellar cleansing water because you got a lot for your money. So for £3.99 I picked up this surprisingly big bottle. This photo really doesn't do the size of the bottle justice- It's huge! It's 400ml which according to the bottle does 200 uses. We'll see how this tries out!

Then we move onto NYC. I've never tried an NYC Colour product either so when I saw that Superdrug had a 3 for 2 offer on, I grabbed at the chance! I've always loved the look of their nail polishes so I picked up 2 pastel shades which I think will be perfect for Spring and Summer (A lilac/purple and a turquoise shade). The nail polishes were £1.79 each which I really can't complain about! So affordable

I've been looking for a new drugstore/high street brand pressed powder for a while now and I miraculously came across NYC's. It cost me £1.99 and when I swatched it, it seemed pretty good! Can't wait to give this a whirl! 

What bargains have you tried recently?

Let me know in the comments :)

Simple's Kind To Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes

I know a lot of you girlies hate face wipes. But there are still a fair few of you who use them regularly so I thought I'd give a review on some face wipes which I think are the best to use!

Simple by far are my favourite skin care brand! My everyday skincare routine is completely dedicated to the brand. If you want an affordable, sensitive skin friendly skincare line then Simple is the one to go to. 

These wipes come in a pack of 25 which I think is a relatively decent amount for you money. They're incredibly gentle on the skin- I often found that cheap makeup wipes sting your face and irritate your skin whereas Simple don't  do that! If you're a sensitive skin person like me, then these face wipes are brilliant! They are also great at taking off that first layer of makeup as the wipes have a bumpy texture to them to help exfoliate.

 I use them to initially take off all of my makeup but I don't use them on their own because face wipes only take off what is on the surface of your skin. So I'd recommend that you should use some other products to remove the rest of your makeup and remaining dirt etc. If you want to use so other products in conjunction with the face wipes then I strongly suggest you take a look at the rest of the Simple brand! You can take a look at my brand focus post on Simple right here!

Give them a try!

Dove Intensive Nourishing Lotion

Are you like me, constantly searching the internet and the beauty aisles for the perfect moisturiser to finally solve that awful dry skin? No, this isn't an advert for the telly, this is my way of trying to help you dry skin sufferers like me!

There's nothing worse than dry skin. The way it looks. The way it feels. Especially now that Summer is on the horizon and us girls (and guys) are ready to bare our pale pins (legs) we need that moisture in our skin.

I've always been a lover of Dove since I was young, but this has been my holy grail for the past few months. It has a thick consistency, almost like the feel of a suncream. You can feel the moisture! When it says intense, it really is! It does the job like no other body lotion or moisturiser has done for me before. It's affordable- this 250ml bottle was only £1.99! You really can't complain at that! I've never had my legs feel so smooth in my whole entire life. I swear.

So ladies, grab your purse and dash to the nearest Boots! This is amazing, I can't rave about how amazingly well this product works!

Let me know if this has worked for you or if you have a holy grail body moisturiser.

Give it a try.

Lush's Jumping Juniper Solid Shampoo with tin

"Perfect for when hair needs a really deep clean. Juniperberry gets to work regulating sebum production, clearing the scalp. We've also used calming lavender and antibacterial rosemary essential oils to soothe and cleanse the scalp. Lemon and lime oils give shine, as they help the cuticles on your hair lie flat, enabling them to reflect more light." -Lush

So for those of you like me whose hair gets greasy incredibly quickly, finding a shampoo perfect for your hair can be an ongoing struggle. If also like me you have long thick hair that requires a lot of shampoo, it wages a war with your wallet! So I decided to take a trip into Lush to try out one of their solid shampoos. This little beauty caught my eye from all the colourful solid shampoos and after smelling it, I had to try it. It also comes at a great price at £5.50! Some of you may think this is expensive but it does an amazing amount of washes-way more than that bottle of shampoo! It also means being better for the environment because of the lack of plastic packaging. Another bonus is that the majority of the product's ingredients are natural!

This shampoo for me was great! It lathers surprisingly well and gets rid of that grease that clings to your hair! I was pleasantly shocked to find out how well it worked with my long hair. The smell is gorgeous and fresh- who doesn't love lavender?! These bars are perfect for travelling and going on holiday or if you want to de-clutter your bathroom! I found it left my hair feeling unbelievably soft and shiny which is the perfect shampoo!

I also bought this tin that it goes in to protect it in the shower which I thought was incredibly clever and handy! This was only £2.50 and is obviously reusable which is brilliant if you are planning on repurchasing these!

Give it a try!

Have you tried any of Lush's solid shampoos before?

Let me know in the comments :)

Get Kate Moss' Rimmel Lipstick in the shade 01 for 180p!

Rimmel's picture on their Twitter
https://twitter.com/rimmellondonuk

Rimmel have teamed up with Superdrug today to celebrate 180 years of Rimmel!

From 12-3pm (180 minutes) Superdrug are selling the Kate Moss lipstick in the shade 01 for 180p (or £1.80)

Could you ask for a better bargain?! This is an exclusive online offer so it won't be in the shops!

I've got mine, have you got yours?