Collection Little Mix Eyeshadow Palette

I picked these up the other day and to be honest, I cannot see why other bloggers have been raving about this palette. 

At around £3 for the six shadows, beauty bloggers have been saying that for the price it is pretty impressive. However, at first swatch these weren't that pigmented. 

The colour range is nice and I can see why you would want this palette in your collection (cute, purse-friendly etc.) but it's just not for me.

Collection palette available at Boots and Superdrug. 

Max Factor Excess Shimmer Eyeshadow in Bronze

These are *amazing*!

Max Factor have recently released these Excess Shimmer cream eyeshadows, which has a beautiful mousse-like texture. These are pigmented, creamy and very blendable.

"Excess shimmer" may put some people off, but the shimmer is very subtle and when on the eye the overall look is very sheeny. 

 I love these and cannot wait for other shades to be released, as I'm not too fond of the other pastel shades they offer. 

Bourjois Color Boost Lip Set - Picture Post

3 beautiful moisturising shades are perfect for Christmas and only £11 at ASOS. 

Light pigmentation and not very long lasting when eating and drinking, but would well as a lipgloss over a stain. 

Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette - Cuir Carnage

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this palette...


My Feel Unique order finally came through, what with my £10 off my £50 order I bagged this beauty (along with a Wahl hair dryer but that's not important at the moment).

The palette itself comes in a velvet case - super classy! However, this does mean that as soon as you place your fingers on the packaging smudges evolve all over it in a matter of seconds.

It comes with two mini dual-ended brushes (but no-one ever uses those) and 5 eyeshadows, varying from mattes to shimmers.

The colours are gorgeous, buttery and smooth. I love the detail on the shadow too.

Overall, an amazing and totally worth-it splurge and definitely will be considering getting another one. On a side note, Burberry eyeshadow palettes are also very pretty, but I'll try and have some self control...for a little while at least!

£42 at Boots/Feel Unique.

L x

Barry M Lipliners

So I ventured into Superdrug the other day, in search for some affordable lip liners. After some research I found that the best lip liners that aren't from the likes of MAC are from brands such as Rimmel, Barry M and Avon. 

Currently, I am using the Rimmel Exaggerate lip liners and so far so good, except that I find that I cannot get enough definition when I line my lips, as they are angled and very soft.

So for more precision I opted to try the Barry M lipliners. Firstly, the shade range is pretty good, especially considering that I found a berry-purple colour immediately (I've been desperately needing this all Autumn!). 

The are quite hard but do blend quite well if you use them sideways along your lips and then outlining using the tip. 

Overall, these are a great, cheap buy and i'd definitely recommend them! 

L x

Latest in Beauty BBB Box 2

Such a cool range of minis to try! Everything from shampoo, to eyebrow pencils to pink mascara! 

Unfortunately I missed the first box, but I was so happy when I got the notification that the second box was available for purchase.

You can find the contents online pretty much anywhere (and there's so much to write, not gonna lie) but you can pretty much see what the contents is from the photo. So i'll cut to the chase:

My favourite? The Invisibobbles - amazing hair bands that don't crinkle your hair, however, they do stretch out after multiple uses. 
Least Favourite? Ciate Lash Lights - pink mascara -when could I ever pull that off?!

Possibly the best beauty box I've ever had, and definitely worth the money. Check it out next time at Latest In Beauty.

L x

Laura Mercier Caviar Eyeshadow Sticks

These were given to me as a birthday present from my friends back home (love you guys!). These are super pigmented mini eyeshadow crayons from Laura Mercier. Firstly, I love the colours: nudes and mixture of matte and shimmer. They are creamy and blendable but do wear away without a decent primer.

Overall, very cute handbag favourites and retail at £38 for 6 crayons at John Lewis and SpaceNK. 

L x

Lush Cleanse and Tone haul

I am excited to try these. Firstly, the ultrabland cleanser, which has amazing reviews. When I tried it on my palm in the shop it was a lot heavier than my other option, the 9 to 5 cleansing lotion, which is a lot lighter in texture. The ultrabland cleanser therefore, for me, was the ideal deep, hot-cloth, cleanser and I have a sample that I am currently enjoying!
The Eau Roma Water toner is perfect for removing both of these, especially as I have dry and sensitive skin at the moment.
Along with the Celestial moisturiser, these will be ideal for the coming Winter months.

L x

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

 "I would love to see a blush palette from Hourglass though! Those really do look lovely x" 

Totally called it!

And I just love it! 

I actually prefer this palette to the ambient lighting palette, as these have a subtle highlight built into the blushes - 2 in 1 blush n highlight win!

Each one is beautiful and I'd recommend anyone purchasing this. I actually got £5-10 off this at SpaceNK with an offer back in early November, but it retails at £56. 

L x

An apology...

So sorry for the lack of posts recently- I've been moving house!
What with long hours at work and four peoples' worth of stuff to move to the new house, I haven't had the time or energy to publish any posts. I would rather just leave it a few days, than spew out posts that are half-hearted!

So I hope you all forgive me, some exciting products are coming your way so don't worry I hope to make it up to you.

I aim to be back on track with posts every day, at midday, in a couple of days time!

Thank you for your patience! L x

I'm an Avon lady! | Mini Avon Haul

So I became an Avon lady! It's was a tough few weeks finding customers in my area but I finally met the £80 minimum order mark for Campaign 13 and I'm very pleased to be getting out and about talking about makeup with other ladies in my area (which is a breath of fresh air as I live with three boys!). 

I followed my current obsession of eyeshadow crayons by purchasing the Avon Supershock eyeshadow crayon. This is the standard neutral option with a light shimmery colour and a matte brown. I actually found that the lighter colour faded almost immediately, and the matte brown isn't too bad. Unfortunately, this hasn't got the best staying power, even with a primer.
 

I then added the Forget Me Not Nailwear Pro + nail polish in a shimmery, denim blue colour. £1 (out of the £3 it costs) goes towards domestic violence charities. There is also a cute bracelet available, also for £3, supporting domestic abuse charities. The formula of the nail polish itself is great and I'm pleased with the colour too. 

All in all, I think I will be returning the eye crayon through the Avon Guarantee (which means that you can return items even if they've been used!). However, I'm loving the nail polish and the bonus of supporting a good cause x

(Article)

Wilko's New Make-up Brushes - Picture Post

I have only picked a few from the collection, as they've always been sold-out, but so far I'm loving these brushes, and for only £2-3 each they are a bargain! The face brush is soft yet dense, the eyeshadow brush is a little stiff but would be great for blending harsh edges, and the stippling brush makes a great all-over powder brush.

I've had no complaints so far, but what do you think? x

eBay Make-up Brushes: The Good and The Bad | The Good - Ovonni

Ovonni make-up brushes 18pcs £14.90Ovonni make-up brushes 26pcs £18.95 

I took a risk and tried another eBay make-up brush set from Ovonni. 26pcs: lovely purple colour, fluffy and the images generally appealed to me. These arrived quicker than the other brushes from eBay, as these were stocked in the UK. 

The 26 pieces come in a folding hot pink, faux leather case, with each brush individually wrapped in plastic. They all seemed clean, hygienic and looked very similar, if not identical, to the images on the listing.
I opened them up and tried them out and instantly fell in love!
The face brushes are amazing - soft, dense and pick up the product well. There could have been more choice for the eyes but I was very happy with what I received. A mascara wand, eyebrow wand and two mini retractable handbag applicators too! So cute!

All in all, would definitely recommend these to anyone on a budget looking for a quick, good quality set of brushes x

eBay Make-up Brushes: The Good and The Bad | The Bad

When I first started really getting into makeup, I knew that a good face of makeup required a good set of tools, but when on a tight budget my choices were limited. So I took to eBay and found this amazing value set. 28 days later they arrived and for a good couple of weeks they were functioning pretty well. They were strong handled, brightly coloured, soft and dense brushes (apart from the stippling brush of course). They were Real Techniques knock offs and I knew that, but I was actually surprised at the quality. Occasionally the odd hair would be only my face after application, but I settled on that being a compromise for the price.

But a few months into using them I found that the hairs were coming out when I was washing them. The glue was almost fading and the hairs were coming out in bunches. They were all falling apart in my hands so they had to be thrown away.

Long story short- don't even bother! They may be cheap, and you may be on a budget, but I would strongly recommend waiting a little longer to save that little bit extra in order to invest in some brushes that will last you for years to come. My posts over the next few days will show you some other affordable brands to choose from! x

Batiste Dry Shampoo and Conditioning Mist

Firstly, I had no idea what I had been doing for years actually came in a bottle! Let me explain...

Have you ever heard of Johnsons baby powder? Well I essentially used this as a dry shampoo powder overnight, and my hair would be less greasy than before, without any of the white powdery marks left behind. So when I heard about dry shampoos actually being a thing, I was eager to try them out! This was mainly due to the fact that with my method you had to leave it on overnight, whereas dry shampoo sprays are a more convenient, quick method to applying dry shampoo.

My first dry shampoo was the Batiste original spray, and I loved it. However, problems arose when I delved into new flavours, and in particular, Tropical. It's such a sickening scent that leaves the room over-perfumed and requires you to re-enter the room later on when it's all dissipated away. So I wasn't too pleased with this.
However, I recently bought the conditioning mist, with Argan Oil, and I with a generous coating my hair is slightly more softer and shinier. Plus, this doesn't smell too bad! But beware, if your bedroom is reasonably small like mine, all these sprays can become quite overwhelming, so make sure your room is well ventilated!

So overall, Batiste Original, or Batiste Conditioning Mist, but not Tropical!
I've also heard that the new Aussie dry shampoo is good and smells amazing - have you tried it? Tell me what you think in the comments below! x

Better late than never...Supermarket Haul!

 I picked up a Maybelline Superstay 7 day nail polish in Rose for £2.50 on offer at Morrisons. The colour, brush and wear is actually as good as others have claimed,  including Amelia Liana who pretty much is obsessed with them, so thanks to her for recommending them! I also like the because they're a gel formula but aren't as thick and hard to apply as the Barry M counterparts.

I also picked up two Collection eyeshadow pencils, after loving the idea from experiencing the Rimmel eye crayon range. I can't remember if this was on offer, but they were only £3 each I believe, so bargain! Super pigmented and good wear, moreso than the Rimmel versions which were too creamy and less pigmented, but that means that the Collection crayons are slightly too hard too blend.

In Sainsbury's the Good Things range (amongst others) were on offer, with this face mask at around £4.99. It smells amazing and the ingredients sound promising. I've only used it the once but I'm very pleased with it so far!

Sorry it's a late one today, been super busy but posts will be coming back at midday from tomorrow, thanks x 

Feel Unique | Caudalie Moisture Cleanser and Toner

£8.55 each but reduced to £7.27 with discount code.

Items: 

Gentle Cleansing Milk and Moisturising Toner

I found these after searching for a cleansing and toning set on FeelUnique.com. I've heard great things about Caudalie and didn't want to pay the expensive price for the Decleor Cleanser and Toner duo set, so I decided to purchase these. I have quite dry skin, especially during the Winter. I have a feeling that our Summer is drawing to an end and so I thought I should start looking at more moisturising skincare products that will be kind and gentle on my skin. Having never tried a Caudalie product before I thought this was a a little gamble, as I usually opt for the Body Shop Vitamin E cleanser-toner duo and have never tested any Caudalie products on my skin. However I am excited to try these and believe that they will be a good duo for everyday use.
I will post an update below once I've tested these out for a little longer x

Pre-Wedding Haul at Wilkinsons & New Look | Rimmel, L'oreal Paris, Revlon, New Look

(New Look Clutch and Wilkinsons hair clasps)

 I had a wedding to attend on Friday last week and I did a little run around my local shops to get a few last minute items like cards and toiletries. However, as per usual, I became a little distracted and found a few bargains...
Firstly, I needed a clutch for the wedding. I know, a girl without a stash of clutches already? Luckily I have a new look just around the corner from me, so with my student card ready I picked up this simple black clutch for around £8 with a 10% student discount. It's roomy and will suit most outfits.
I bought some toiletries from Wilkinsons, but I wanted to mention the hair grips, as they are great for pinning hair when you're straightening sections. At a £1 for 4 clips they are super affordable and really useful to have around.
Wilkinsons also had 3 for 2 across all cosmetics, which is where I found a few Rimmel products I wanted to try and Boots had 2 for £10 on Revlon, so I just had to buy some of the new moisture stains that I had swatched in a previous post...

L'oreal Color Riche Eyeshadows £5.49 at Boots
Quartz Fume and Gold Mania 

 Everyone seems to be raving about these eyeshadows and now I know why! These are incredible pigmented and look even more so when wet. I picked up two shades and wore them to the wedding. They lasted all evening!

Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeshadows stick in Bad Girl Bronze
Rimmel Kate eyeshadow stick in 100 Rose Gold
(3 for 2 at Wilkinsons)

These Rimmel eyeshadow sticks are super creamy and actually look better without a primer. I wore these the evening before the wedding and these also last for hours. I'm slowly falling in love with eye crayons as I find them easier to apply and blend. Would definitely recommend giving these a try! 

Rimmel Scandaleyes waterproof kohl in 005 Nude
(3 for 2 at Wilkinsons)

 Rimmel eyeliner in Nude is a staple eye pencil to use as a inner corner or waterline eye brightener.

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stains in 015 Barcelona Nights and 005 Parisian Passion
2 for £10 at Boots

 I've worn the Revlon moisture stain in Barcelona nights and weirdly found the consistency a bit sticky, but I think these are best applied on dry lips, and I think I was wearing a lip balm underneath, so that's something to bear in mind. However, these lip stains are great for a medium gloss and good staying power, as the colour remains once the gloss is gone.

I love Rimmel eyeliners, especially the thin liquid eyeliner pen in the Scandaleyes range. I wanted to find a thicker nibbed pen for when I attempt a bolder eye look, so I found this: the Scandaleyes Thick and Thin liner in Black. Closer up you can see that it's slightly angled so that you can reposition the pen to either draw a thin or thick line. I'm hoping, like the Benefit gel liner, that this angle will also help me draw cat flicks - we'll see! 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Thick and Thin eyeliner in 001 Black (waterproof)
(3 for 2 at Wilkinsons)

Cosmetics Company Outlet Store, Portsmouth | Bobbi Brown Luminous Moisture Foundation

#04 Natural

So I found this mega bargain in the Portsmouth's Cosmetics Company outlet store! I recently picked up the Bobbi Brown stick foundation at a John Lewis and wish I had known about this store before I paid full price for it.
This foundation is hands down the best foundation I have ever used! It's moisturising, silky and blends unbelievably well and matches my skin tone perfectly, and you only need one pump of product!
So now my base routine is to use the liquid foundation all over my face and then the stick foundation to blend over blemishes as a concealer.
What do you think of the Bobbi Brown foundation range - any recommendations for my next product to try?x

Bargain!

Portsmouth Gunwharf Quays Haul | Cosmetics Company Store, Whittards, Body Shop, Cadbury!

The past few days have been spent down in Portsmouth for a wedding, but of course there was time for some shopping the day before so I went down to Gunwharf quays to see what bargains I could find.

I popped into the Body Shop outlet and bought four bodywashes for £9.60 - which is a huge saving! Plus I haven't tried any of these "flavours" which is a bonus!
I also found a Whittards of Chelsea outlet, where I bought huge tubs of hot chocolate (choosing two from a huge selection of flavours available), some coffee and vanilla  syrup. This was great as I then found a Cadbury outlet store and bought some chocolate misshapes to have with my hot chocolate that evening!

There was also a Cosmetics Company Outlet store, where I must have spent hours browsing the huge selection of high end makeup and skincare! I managed to control myself and bought just one item....see what it was in tomorrow's blog post! x