Tag? My 6 Most Repurchased Products

I vaguely remember this being a tag a few years ago but I'm not absolutely sure where I saw it.  The idea is to list the 6 products you would/have repurchased as soon as they run out.  For me this was surprisingly difficult!  I don't really like to stick to the same thing and I'm always on the lookout for something that works better.  These are literally the only beauty products/cosmetics I own that I would always go back to...I'm getting all sentimental now...on with the post!

1. OPI Nail Envy

I have dry, flaky, very thin nails.  It's not pretty.  This literally works wonders on them.  I put 2 coats on as a base under polish and one as a top coat.  After that I apply a thin coat every day for a week (unless I change my nail polish, in which case I repeat the process).  The effects really are amazing, my nails are so much stronger and don't chip or flake at all. At £18 this stuff is a bit pricey but I wouldn't be without it as it has massively improved the condition of my nails.

2. Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions 3 Step

I have a whole separate post on this so I'm not going to go on!

3. Revlon Colorstay Foundation

This is so perfect for my skin type.  This is a full coverage foundation but compared to other long wearing drugstore foundations it doesn't look anywhere near as 'caked on'.  I love the fact that it is designed for oily skin (they make a normal to dry one too) and it really does do what it says on the tin: it stays put!  I really would recommend this to anyone with oily, spot prone skin.  I'm planning a bit of a foray into Chanel foundations this year but there will always be a bottle of this in my make up bag (I'm already on my 5th!)

4. L'oreal Sublime Bronze Tanning Mist

I've used them all: St Tropez, St Moriz, Fake Bake, Xen Tan etc. etc. etc.  This is the most foolproof tan I have ever used.  There's no rubbing it in, no trying to blend around the wrists, elbows etc.  Just spray it on, let it dry and you will have a natural, totally un-orange, tan.  I must say a can doesn't last very long so it does require a fair few repurchases. Also be a bit careful with your carpets! Best to cover the floor with an old towel before use!

5. Too Faced lipstick in Free Love

I love the formulation of this as it's really moisturising. I also love the colour, a beautiful light dusky pink. And lastly I love the packaging. Full marks then!

6. Chanel Chance EDP

Apologies for the stock photo, I left mine at my uni house by mistake :-(

I'm rubbish at describing scents.  The best I can tell you is that it smells 'really nice'.  I  found this description on the Boots website:


'An unpredictable balance that continually surprises. A constellation of scents, warmed up by Absolute of Vanilla, where Absolute of Exotic Jasmine and Iris are more pronounced. A mysterious alchemy accentuated by the intensity of the White Musk note.'

Hopefully this makes sense to someone! I just think it's 'really nice'! If it's a night out or a special occasion this is what I will be wearing without fail.

Well that's it. My 6 most repurchased and most loved products.

What are yours?

:-) xx

Santa was Kind

Well Hello There!

Santa was lovely to me this year so I wanted to show a few pressies!  

Lush 'Lovely Day' Gift Box...That's my evening sorted

Just want to say a massive thank you to 'Santa' for the lovely gifts and I will be having lots of fun playing with them.

:-) xx

FOTD: Christmas Eve

Hello All!

Hope you all had a lovely, lovely Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate).  I thought I'd show you the make up I wore on Christmas Eve.  I usually go for the bog standard variation on browns for lids but you know..since it's Christmas and all..I thought I'd go for...drumroll....pinky brown!  That's right peeps.  I'm just CRAZY like that!  Please note the sarcasm here!  Anyway, now for an awkwardly posed photo...

And a close up of the eyes...

Okay okay so not the most original look in the world but I really enjoyed wearing it and felt all girly and 'less is more'

Products used:

FACE

• Revlon Colourstay foundation in Sand Beige for oily skin
• Benefit Erase Paste in 02
• Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder in 003 Peach Glow
• Bourjois Delice de Soleil bronzing powder for olive/tanned skin
• Bourjois blush in Lilas D'or

EYES

• MAC shadows in Shhh Don't Tell, Rose Potion, Violet Vow (from the mystic cool eye shadow palette about 2 years ago!)
• Sleek The Original palette (bottom row, third from the left-they don't name them!) in inner corner
• Maybelline Lasting Drama gel liner in black
• Clinique High Lengths mascara in 01 Black

LIPS

• Too Faced lipstick in Free Love

:-) xx 

Ins and Outs: December

After rambling about all things Cosmetic this month I thought I'd share what else has been on my mind for the month of December, so here are my 'ins' and 'outs' for the month:

IN

1.  My new niece

Cue cute baby photos...

Isabelle Eve was born on the 1st December, 2 weeks early and she may possibly be the cutest little thing I've ever seen!  I love, love, LOVE her! I plan to spend my entire Christmas just staring at her. Expect the occasional pretty baby dress haul...

2. Baking.

No joke. The plan was to bake my Christmas presents this year.  Me and the housemate headed down to Tesco for a bumper shop of ingredients.  Mayhem then ensued...

Ten hours later(!) as if by magic...

3. Tinsel, fairy lights, baubles etc.

Why can't the house look like this all year?!

I will be taking some fairy lights back to uni with me. Everyone needs fairy lights right?

Well done Mum!

4. My Blog

From weheartit.com

I've only been blogging for a month but already I'm addicted. My blog has given me a bit of light relief from all the rubbish Uni work I've been doing...or not doing (see 'outs').  I loves it!! :-)

OUT

1. Uni Work 

I'm in my third year. I should be revising. I'm not, I'm blogging. That's all I have to say about that.

2. Missing housemates

From weheartit.com

Coming home for Christmas means I'm not going to see the housemate till January.  It's well sad.  It's like Ant without Dec, Bert without Ernie, Jelly without Ice Cream. Sob. (Also I really want my hair to look like this).

Anyways, that's what I've been up to this month.

Thanks for reading!

xxx

Latest In Beauty: The £1 Beauty Box

The box didn't arrive ripped: I had to take off my address and then got a bit over excited trying to get into it!

Before the likes of Glossybox, Boudoir Prive etc there was the little box by Latest in Beauty.  The whole thing works a lot differently to the aforementioned boxes.  For a start, the samples are much, much smaller (think of the free stuff you'd get in a magazine).  Secondly, the box only costs £1!  What you do is log in and choose 3 products from the lists you're given.  You then send a text to the company (this is how you pay the pound, it will be added to your phone bill at the end of the month), enter the code they give you and Bob's your uncle!  The box is shipped in a few days (it's usually pretty fast).

I've been receiving these for a couple of years now.  There's no monthly subscription and you can order your box as and when you want it, providing you only order one a month.  Sometimes I'll go on the website and not find anything I fancy so won't bother that month.  Also, anything you can get free at the department store counter is not really worth paying to try.

Anyway, this month I found 3 products I fancied trying, so here they are...

I've heard some good things about the Moa 'Green Balm' and really wanted to give it a try.  It came in a teeny tiny little pot but a little goes a long way so it'll last a while.  I have to say this is my favorite product from the box and will definitely be looking into getting the full size.

The only problem I have is that the site isn't the easiest to navigate and some of the products seem a bit old fashioned.  Also, it's not all that easy to find out the prices of the full size products which is blimmin annoying to be honest.

Despite all that, it's definitely a company to try if you're into the whole beauty box idea but don't want to be to spending £12.95 a month. If you want to have a look, click here

xxx

p.s. Once again, I haven't been sponsored for this post and I paid the whole £1 for the box myself :-)

December Glossybox Goodies: A Couple of Reviews

Since my Glossybox arrived a few days ago, I've had a bit of a chance to play with the products.  So here are my thoughts...

The first thing I did on receiving my box was to slap on (I literally mean 'slap on' as you will see) the Deborah Lippmann 'Razzle Dazzle' nail varnish...

Please excuse the extreme lack of skill exhibited here!

First let me say that the colour of this is absolutely beautiful.  It's perfect for Christmas as it is just festive enough but still sophisticated (not that I'm adverse to pillar box sparkly red at this time of year).  In some lights it looks red, red and in others (like above) it is a beautiful plummy colour.

All great so far right?  My problem?  This stuff retails at £16....SIXTEEN WHOLE POUNDS!  For that i would have expected the formula to be top notch: quick drying, easy to apply, no chips etc...sod it, for that price, I'd expect the brush to literally jump out of the pot and apply itself to my nails whilst I sleep.  Alas, no.  I found that it took ages to dry and after an hour it was still a bit tacky.  If this was say a Barry M product it would be fine but from such a high end brand I would expect so much more.

All in all I do like the product and will enjoy wearing it over Christmas although if I had spent my own money on a full size, I'd have been a bit disappointed.

Anyhoo, on to a product I honestly only have good things to say about...

I was lucky enough to get the Blink + Go eyeshadow and blush palette in 02.  Sorry it looks a bit dusty, I have been playing with it a lot since I got it.  This really is such good quality and the colours are all very wearable.

Also, I managed to get my camera to photograph swatches semi-decently:

Without flash

With flash

As you can see these are all shimmery and super pigmented.  My faves are the first four and I've worn them on my eyes every day since getting them.

And the blushes?

Without flash

With flash

These are bright, bright, bright!  The best advice is to use sparingly and apply lightly with a fluffy brush to avoid looking a bit 'aunt sally' (if you weren't born in the UK before the 90s you may not get the reference).

In summary, I love the Blink + Go palette and am a bit meh about the Deborah Lippmann polish.  That's why I love Glossybox, I now know what I would and (would not) buy if I had a spare £16 knocking about :-)

xxx

December Glossybox

Finally it has arrived!!

I've been subscribed to Glossybox since November so this is my second box.  For those of you that don't know how Glossybox works you basically pay £10 per month (plus £2.95 p&p) and you get a lovely box of beauty samples delivered to your door every month.  Sometimes the samples are on the small side, sometimes they are actually full sizes.  They are also mostly high end products.  It's a bit hit and miss (more often 'hit' I must say) but that's all part of the fun!  The best part is that you get to try out brands either you haven't heard of or that are not readily accessible on the High Street.

This month's box was a special Christmas edition (hence the red box) and contained some lovely, lovely things.

From left to right: Deborah Lippman 'Razzle Dazzle' nail varnish with 'Stripped to Go' sachet, Cargo Cosmetics Classic lip gloss in 'Paris', Blink + Go eyeshadow & blush palette in 02(?), Bionova eye Wrinkle Treatment, and Rituals foaming shower gel in 'Yogi Flow'.

All in all, for £12.95, this is nothing short of amazing.  All of these products are things I would use (and have been for the past 2 days). Obviously it is going to be difficult for Glossybox to maintain this kind of standard all year and I think this is probably a bit of a one-off treat for Christmas but even so, I am very, very impressed.

If you subscribe to Glossybox before 19th December (tomorrow!!) you can still receive this box.  For more info click here

Since I've already tried the palette and nail polish there will be reviews, swatches etc. to follow.

Also, I thought I should mention that I am a paying subscriber, my Glossyboxes are not sent to me for free, nor was I in any way sponsored.

xxx

It's On The Way...The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygod!

I didn't get the Naked palette first time around.  It featured a couple of 'bluey' colours that really didn't match my skin tone so instead I opted for the Too Faced Natural Eyes Kit (which I absolutely love).  This time around, the darker blues seemed to have been switched out for more purple tones, which will suit me so much more.  The only problem?  Not yet released in the UK.  COME ON URBAN DECAY!  I would move to the U.S. for this reason alone (and Sephora, obviously!)

Oh well.  At least I have time to mentally prepare myself for the inevitable waiting list/scramble for my life in House of Fraser.

Bring it on.

xxx

Review: Collection 2000 Smokey Eyes Eye Palette

So a few weeks ago I was mooching around Boots, looking for birthday present ideas for my housemate when I came across this little lovely.  Now to be honest, I've never been a huge fan of Collection 2000.  I feel that there are other affordable brands that just seem to do it better (Sleek anyone?).  Unfortunately I live in the middle of nowhere and you have to pretty much make do with what you can get on the high street in my town!  The girl I was buying for doesn't tend to wear a lot of make up (she's one of those annoying people that doesn't really need it).  So I was looking for an affordable palette for beginners that contained colours that were wearable and not intimidating.  This seemed to tick all those boxes, plus it comes with a handy set of instructions for application.  All that and it retails for £4.19, meaning I could buy her lots of other pretty things to go with it.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  I had high hopes...

The palette comes with 3 medium shades, 3 dark, 2 light shades and a cream highlighter.  Cue swatches...

Top Row

Middle Row

Bottom Row

I couldn't get a swatch of the highlighter to show on camera, maybe it's my camera, maybe it was the lighting. It was probably both!

The colours themselves are very wearable and (unlike many shadow sets) there is no 'dodgy color' that will never get worn.  The shimmery shades tend to be stronger and feel better quality.  The main drawback is that the texture is a little chalky leading to quite a bit of fallout.  I'm also a bit confused by the cream highlighter...the instructions suggest putting it in the inner corners however it's texture is...well...a bit greasy(!?) I'm just not sure I'd want that anywhere near my eyes.  From looking at it, it seems to be intended as a dupe for Benefit's Eye Bright and I didn't like that either so maybe it's just me.

All in all, the quality is not the best.  It's not going to be rivaling anything by MAC anytime soon, but at £4.19 with such a wearable colour range and nifty instructions on the back, it's perfect for anyone just starting with make-up or that wants to experiment with smokey eyes.

xxx

Tag: 30 Beauty Questions

From weheartit.com

I felt like I was on a roll after my last post so here's another.  The questions were found on a lovely blog called Beauty Comes from Within.  So lets get started...

Skincare

1. How many times do you wash your face daily? I try for twice but sometimes fail L.

2. What skin type do you have? Oily.

3. What is your current facial wash? Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions.

4. Do you exfoliate? What brand do you use? Yes but with Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions clarifying lotion.

5. What moisturiser do you use? Yep, you guessed it; Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions (see a trend developing?).

6. Do you have freckles? Yes but only when I see the sun.  They make me happy.

7. Do you use eye cream? Yep.  No7. Protect and Perfect intense.

8. Do you or did you have acne prone skin? ‘Acne Prone’ may be an understatement.

9. Did you ever have to use Pro-activ? Nope

Makeup

From weheartit.com

1. What foundation do you use? Revlon Colourstay for oily skin-180 Sand Beige

2. How about concealer? Boi-ing by Benefit shade 01

3. Do you know your undertone colour? Pink maybe…?

4. What do you think of fake eyelashes? I wear individual press on lashes.  They look great but are a bit of a faff so only for special occasions

 5. Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months? Yep and by then I’m usually bored with my mascara anyway

6. What brand of mascara do you use? Right now Loreal but also Maybelline, Rimmel and GOSH

7. Sephora or MAC? Don’t get me started on the lack of Sephora in the UK.  It’s just upsetting.  For this reason, MAC but neither are in the price range of a Uni student.

8. Do you have a MAC Pro-card? Nope.

9. What makeup tools do you use in makeup application? Brushes, unless I’m in a hurry then clean fingers will have to do!

 10. Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes? Confession: I should, I know this, but I don’t

11. Primer for the face? I really don’t need it with my skin type.

 12. What is your favourite eyeshadow? Erotica from the Too Faced Natural Eye palette

13. How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil? Almost daily.  I think ‘less haste more speed’ is the moral of this.

14. What do you think of pigment eyeshadows? Brilliant for a night out.

15. Do you use mineral makeup? I love Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation for when my skin’s clear

16. What is your favourite lipstick? Too Faced in Free Love. Rimmel Lasting Finish in 206  Nude Pink

17. How about lipgloss? Revlon Super Lusterous in Peach Petal

18. What is your favourite blush to use? Bourjois in Lilas D’or or Me Me Me in Coral

19. Do you buy makeup on eBay? No

20. Do you like drugstore makeup? Yep, the excitement of finding a good drugstore product is way better than high end shopping.  Also I’m a student…’nuff said.

21. Do you go to CCO's (cosmetic company outlets)? Maybe one day…

22. Did you ever consider taking make-up classes? I would love, love, love to!

23. Are you clumsy in putting on makeup? Apart from stabbing myself in the eye with eyeliner rather often, I tend to be quite precise when putting the rest of my face on!

24. Name a makeup crime you hate? Black eyebrows with hair that is not black. Yuck.

25. Colourful or neutral makeup? Neutral most of the time but I love an excuse to do crazy colourful make up.

 26. Which celebrity always has great makeup? Blake Lively, Leighon Meester, Nina Dobrev, Jennifer Aniston

27. If you could leave the house using just ONE makeup item, what would you use? Foundation

28. Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on? Yeah if I have to. Everyone has things they would cover and nobody is ever truly confident but life is too short to stay in the house until every blemish is covered.  

29. In your opinion, what is the best makeup line? I don’t really have a favourite, I like to pick and choose from them all.

30. What do you think of makeup? As long as you don’t use it to hide behind, but to look like the best version of yourself, or as self expression, I think it’s bloody brilliant.

Well that's that.  Hope you enjoyed.  

xxx

So I Cried at Clinique....Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions 3 Step Review

Firstly, I’d better explain the reason for all the crying, namely: My face.  I’ve always had a problem with spots but as soon as I hit my 20s…wowzers!  My skin went mad!  Basically I have very oily skin and tend to get blackheads aroung my T-zone and the big red angry kind of spots everywhere else.  Add the fact that I’ve recently given up smoking, leading to some sort of stress- related skin reaction and Double Wowzers!  It was not a pretty sight I can assure you.

Well that was it, I’d decided that at 26, enough was enough!  After marching into Boots’ skincare section and realising that I’d tried most of these drugstore level products before to no avail, I plonked myself down, red faced and teary eyed at the Clinique counter.  Yes, I cried.  I CRIED AT CLINIQUE!!

Luckily a lovely consultant sat down with me, and after a (very thorough) consultation, recommended a course of the Anti Blemish Solutions range.  I was a bit apprehensive as, having tried 3-step at levels 3 and 4 and breaking out even more, what on earth was this stuff going to do to my face?!?  The consultant used the products on my face at the counter and I couldn’t have been more wrong, the products are so much milder than the higher level 3-step products and I was sold.

Moving on to the products (please excuse the dodgy photos, daylight didn't really happen today!)…

Here’s what Clinique has to say:

“The Clear Skin System wastes no time in giving blemishes the boot. Does it without the dryness and irritation that generally gets skin into trouble. It's simple, scientific. Gentle exfoliation opens clogged pores, evicts blemish-causing agents. Targeted ingredients rush in to accelerate treatment. Keeps skin clearer, longer, too.”

Step 1: Cleanse

Cleansing Bar for Face and Body and Cleansing Foam: Both £13

I’ve been using 2-3 pumps of the cleansing foam on its own in the morning.  At night I wash my face with the cleansing bar first and then follow with the foam.  All you do is massage into the skin and rinse.  The reason for the double-cleansing at night was explained really well by the consultant:

            “You wouldn’t clean your body with your clothes on, so don’t cleanse your face without taking your make-up off first!”  Fair enough.

As the bar cleanser goes further, I use that to take off my make-up as opposed to the foam.  Otherwise the cleansing foam would run out really quickly, it’s just more cost-effective.  They are the same product but just in different form.  On reflection I think I actually prefer the cleansing bar as it has a more creamy texture.  I’m really enjoying using these cleansers.  They’re surprisingly gentle and my skin feels completely clean but without that uncomfortable tightness after use.  The only downside is that the foam smells a bit ‘chemically’ although it is supposed to be fragrance free.  The smell is not overpowering and really, I can live with it-I’m not one of those people that needs my face wash to smell of roses!

Step 2: Exfoliate

Clarifying Lotion: £16

After cleansing I use the clarifying lotion.  Because of my breakout, I was advised never to exfoliate using a ‘beady’ exfoliator as all this does is transfer bacteria from one pore to another and you can actually damage your pores scrubbing them like this…Eek!  You need to shake this well to mix in the sediment that sits at the bottom of the bottle, use one tip of the bottle on a cotton ball and then sweep all over your face.  You literally only need one tip of the bottle.  This is powerful stuff and the main reason that people find clarifying lotion irritating is that they tend to soak the cotton ball and are using too much product.  Also, a cotton ball is better than a cotton pad as it is fluffier and gets deeper into the pores.  This stuff is brilliant, it may sound gross but you can literally see the dead skin on the cotton pad after use!  Another pro to the product is that it will probably last me forever as you are only using a small amount each time.

Step 3: Moisturise

Clearing Moisturizer: £16.50

Finally, I use a 5p sized blob of the Clearing moisturiser.  This has to be the best moisturiser I have ever used.  I’ve always found that oil-free moisturisers tend to leave my skin a bit too dry but this stuff strikes a really good balance between controlling the shine and hydrating my skin.  It’s in a gel form which is kind of strange to get used to at first but goes on really smoothly and really calms my skin after using the Clarifying Lotion whilst still feeling really light.  It was designed to act as a barrier to protect the skin from any blemish-causing bacteria.

Final Thoughts and Did it Work…?

Indeedy it did!  Any active acne started to clear up after about 2 weeks and it seemed to prevent any future breakouts after that.  My skin was all glowy, soft, and clear and all was right with the world again…until…I slept in my make up….FOR 2 NIGHTS IN A ROW!  Well done me and cue the inevitable flurry of spots.  I really am my own worst enemy.  Luckily I have my stash of Clinique to sort me out and will no longer be crying at poor unsuspecting department store skincare consultants!!