A higher end makeup haul...

I'd like to start off by saying that don't worry, nope, I didn't purchase all this in one go!  It's a collective haul from the last month or so, as I didn't feel that every item warranted an individual post but I still thought it'd be nice to share them with you all...

The first thing I picked up was Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, which is a super dry, high coverage concealer.  It was super pricey, but I've actually gotten quite a bit of use out of it on those no-makeup days where I'd still like a bit of coverage on any scars or blemishes.  It's also great used over foundation, but I've found it's best to powder first and then layer up or you can start to move stuff around a bit!  The best thing is that the lighter shade (I've got the lightest palette, SC-1 if anyone's interested) is actually lighter than my skintone!  It's also yellow toned, so does the redness-cancelling job really well.  The darker shade (which annoyingly is the one you get more of) is pinker toned and is useful to mix in with the other one for when it's just too light.  I use a tiny flat brush to apply it with, and the stiffer bristles mean you can really pack on the product without it looking cakey.  Overall, I'm actually really glad I've got this in my stash, as it covers so much better that liquid concealer!  You also get almost 6 grams of product, and considering how little you need to use it's going to last ages!

Next up was the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara, which is super handy for when you want you lower lashes to look on point.  I do find it a bit of a faff to use though, and often can't be bothered so I might pass it onto my Mum so that it doesn't dry up before it's used up!  I love the cute silver design on the tube, which is probably part of why I was suckered in - but I do think it'd be worth the money if you tend to make a big mess with larger mascara wands.

Soon after, I splurged on my first Burberry Eyeshadow.  I'd been eyeing them up for a while, but they never had the shade I wanted in stock, and then when we actually passed a counter in duty free we had to rush to catch our plane and I didn't have time to stop, sadtimes.  But I got my paws on one eventually, and I'm super happy with it!  I've actually done a proper review of it, which should be the next post up here!

Finally, last week I saw that Escentual had a sale on.  I was picking up some of my usual bits and bobs and then on a whim decided to treat myself to a new lipstick!  I'd been really good up until then, and had been on a bit of a lip product ban but 20 percent off was a too good offer to miss!  I picked out one of the Rouge Dior Lipsticks in the shade 'Rose Bonheur' as I'd heard good things about the range online.  It's the perfect my lips but better shade for me, and although it's quite sheer the colour sticks around for a decent amount of time with no awkward fading.  The scent is also lovely - a more sophisticated version of love hearts sweets!  One that goes with everything, and since I don't have a lot of nude lip products I didn't feel to guilty about picking it up!


xxx

Sephora haul!

A few weeks ago, I visited Rome with my family and to my great excitement whilst in the middle of sightseeing I spotted a Sephora store!  I knew that there were a few stores in Italy, but wasn't sure if there was actually one in central Rome (Google maps claimed the only one was at the station, which is a good hours walk from the city centre) so hadn't really expected to be able to pay one a visit.  However, we happened upon one and I immediately ran in and grabbed a few items whilst my family waited patiently (read: confusedly) outside.  I only picked up a few things because my budget was limited to the few euros I had in my purse - darn you roaming debit card charges!  But I'm really chuffed with what I purchased and thought I'd share my thoughts on them here...

I'd read quite a bit about the Cream Lip Stains, which are a range of beautiful matte liquid lipsticks that are priced somewhere between drugstore and Mac as they're from Sephora's own range (this was my only gripe about Sephora Italy - everything is a few pounds more expensive than in the States or France) but I think they're well worth the £10-ish price tag.  They have a pleasant light floral scent, and apply really easily - much much nicer than the Bourjous Rouge Edition Velvets which are the most similar thing around that price range you can get in the UK.  They also don't budge unless you eat something seriously oily, and even then they fade gently - and you don't even feel them on the lips!  I chose the shades '01 Always Red' which is a true, neutral toned red and '03 Strawberry Kissed' which is a gorgeous dark pink shade.

Next on my list was one of the brushes, from their own brand range again.  I picked out the Pro Airbrush Concealer Brush as I haven't got a brush quite like it, and I'd also seen quite a few rave reviews about it!  I'd previously been using my Real Techniques Setting Brush for undereye concealer, but this has blown it out of the water!  I find that if I start off by applying with fingers, and then blend out with the Pro Airbrush it gives such a smooth, even finish that doesn't look cakey at all.  I also like how the head of the brush isn't too big so you can be precise (i.e. not end up blending product all over the place instead of where it's really needed!) but it's large enough that blending only takes a few seconds.

There wasn't quite an "aisle of doom" in the store I was in, but there was a carousel full of travel minis right by the checkout!  I decided to pick up a little bottle of their Triple Action Cleansing Water (which isn't pictured as I've left it at home, sorry!) I have yet to try it, as I decided to use up my little bottle of Bioderma first but I thought it'd be great for travel and it was only a few euros.  I also grabbed one of their 4 Way Nail Buffers as you don't really seem to see them in UK shops anymore - and my nails can be quite rough sometimes after removing polish so I thought it might be interesting to try out!

I did have a look for the 'Formula X' nail polishes, but they didn't seem to stock them which was a bit disappointing.  There was a Marc Jacobs stand though, which was quite exciting!  All in all, I had a lot of fun shopping in Sephora and am really pleased with the products I picked up!

xxx

Huge drugstore makeup haul!

This time last week, I decided I'd head into town for a little shopping pick-me-up.  And ended up going a little bonkers in the aisles of Boots and Superdrug!  I thought It'd be fun to share them with you, as I don't often purchase this many items in one go - oops...

It's been at least a couple of months since I purchased any lip products, and since I absolutely love the Revlon Balm Stain in 'Honey' I thought I'd try out some other shades from the range.  In a post last week I mentioned I had a gap in my lipstick stash for a bright pink and an orange lip colour - so when I was in Boots I picked out 'Lovesick' and 'Rendezvous'.  They both look gorgeous, so fingers crossed the wear time is just as good as 'Honey'!  I also happened to wander past the Barry M stand, and I ended up grabbing a couple of their polishes - who can resist, right?  'Eat my dust' is a gorgeous pale, pastel blue that pulls a tiny bit lilac, and it's from their Speedy Quick Dry range which I was curious to try.  'Damson' is the most stunning bright blue shade, from the Gelly Hi-Shine range (which I've been super impressed with before).  Plus, they were buy one get one half price, so it was a win-win situation!

In Superdrug, there's also a 3 for 2 on currently but across all brands.  I'd heard a lot about the Max Factor Creme Puff blushes, and how they have a very similar glow-y effect to the Hourglass ones but at a fraction of the price.  Since I love Rimmel 'Santa Rose' as it's the perfect natural blush for my skintone, I thought I'd give '10 Nude Mauve' a go - which is very similar but adds a little more dimension to the face as it's not totally matte (I've already tried this out aswell, and it's super soft with very little fallout so applies like a dream!)  I also decided to try out Rimmel's (relatively new) foundation, which is the Nude version of their Lasting Finish formulation.  As I have a tiny bit more colour in my skin post-holiday, I think '010 Light Porcelain' should be a pretty good shade match - thankyou drugstore brands for finally catering to us super pale people!  Finally, I knew that my Benefit Roller Lash was on it's last legs so I was on the market for a new mascara.  In the end, the lovely counter staff pointed out that Max Factor's False Lash Effect had several pounds off, making it cheaper than the other two products which meant I got it for free!  I'd seen Suzie from Hello October talk about this, and since her lashes always look amazing I thought it was definitely worth a go.  Plus, the packaging is super pretty (I think part of the profits go to the Marie Curie trust, which is awesome too).

And just as a little add on at the end, whilst I was in Wilko (getting ice cube trays if you must know!) I stopped off at the Essence stand and chose one of their Longlasting Lipsticks in the shade '01 Coral Calling' It's a lovely, bright peachy coral and was only a couple of pounds.  It has a similar scent to their lipliners - slightly chemically woody cherry but isn't strong at all (or that offensive to be honest!)

xxx

Collective haulin' :Beauty

I've been very well behaved the last few weeks, and only picked up a few beauty items!  There was a 3 for 2 offer on in Boots at the time, which I didn't make the most of (rather daftly) as I bought everything on separate occasions - but I'm overall really pleased with everything I purchased...

First of all, there was the Maybelline Colour Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in the shade '310 Berry Much'.  I'm in love with the Nars Lip Pencils, but a) don't have anywhere nearby where I can go swatch them, and b) at £18 a pop they're a bit painful for my budget running up to christmas!  These have been hailed as an awesome drugstore alternative, and although at the time I was looking for the 'Red Essential' this shade caught my eye as it's the perfect plummy, vampy lip.

Continuing on with the bold lip theme, whilst I was picking up decorations in Wilko I spotted that the Essence counter had a bunch of their lip liners in stock.  At only £1 each and having seen fab reviews of them, I grabbed a couple and chucked them in my basket without a second thought!  The shades I picked were '14 Femme Fatale' (a true red) and '15 Honey Berry' (a lovely dark berry) which I thought would be great for layering up under bold lips these holidays.

The final lip product I picked up was the Maybelline Colour Elixir in 'Caramel Infused', which I ran out to get after hearing Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup say it was like the gloss equivalent of Mac Patisserie (my favourite MLBB lipstick!)  I've been wearing it every day for the last week, and am in love.  Although the scent is a little more floral than I'd like, the formula is amazing and the colour really sticks around - there'll be a full review to come soon I'm sure!

And last (and priciest) of all is a tube of Nars Pro Prime Eyeshadow Base.  I ummed-and-ahhed over this and the Urban Decay Primer Potion a while back, but settled on the UD as it was a smidgeon cheaper.  Recently though, it just hadn't been working for me - and with party season around the corner (jks, homebody granny here :P)  I thought I'd take the plunge and replace it with something new.  I'd been really impressed with the longevity of Nars' Creamy Concealer on my oily skin, so had high hopes for this :)  I've used it for the last few days though, and so far am super impressed!

xxx

Collective haulin' :Clothing and accessories

Despite the fact that I know I shouldn't be shopping for clothes etc just before Christmas, I just can't help it when I see an amazing deal on something!  I wanted to share with you a few bits and pieces I picked up over the past few weeks, some of which are from my trip to Manchester last weekend, others from Ebay and also a few items from the Black Friday sales :)

I'd been eyeing up the Whistles sweatshirts for months now, but even with student discount they're ridiculously overpriced for just printed cotton.  I spotted this one on Ebay though, for less than half price, and even better the cute French lettering is not only red and festive - it's also stitched on so should survive the crazy uni laundrette tumble driers much better!  (Just don't tell my mother how much it cost *whoops*)

Another brand on Asos that I recently discovered whilst Xmas shopping was Becksondergaard - a Danish company that makes gorgeous printed scarves.  Full price, they're super duper expensive but I spotted a couple of absoulte bargains that I just couldn't turn down - the starry scarf shown is a wool-silk mix one that I got for myself but I also got a gorgeous snowfall print one for my mum and a super cute peace sign print one for my best friend.  That one in particular was a complete steal - £4 reduced from £30 - so much nicer than the Primark ones and it'll make an awesome stocking filler!

The adorable Christmas pudding leggings shown are from Primark, and are honesttogod the most comfortable things I have ever worn on my legs.  Soft, cosy but not fluff-depositing.  These are gonna be here to stay well after the holidays are over *sod the weird looks I'll get at breakfast* :P

Finally, I spotted these boots in the Topshop sale.  With student discount they were only £18, and arrived the following day with free delivery!  They are the 'Billy Buckle Boot' style, and although I had to loosen the bottom buckle they fit perfectly straight out of the box.  They're also real suede, so a real bargain that I know I'll get masses of use out of!

xxx

Bits and pieces: Stocking up for uni

The little heap that's forming in the spare room...

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been stocking up on 'beauty bits' ready to leave for uni.  Almost all of these were repurchases, so I thought I'd share them with you (as they must be pretty good to be worth having a backup of!)


Neutrogena 2-in-1 Visibly Clear Wash Mask £2.33, Tesco

This is (and has been all through the summer months) my go-to face wash.  A little too stripping perhaps to use as a mask, but works a treat at getting the skin squeaky clean.  (Full review in my morning skincare post here.)


Soap and Glory 'Peaches and Clean' £8, Boots

I love to use this to take off my face makeup in the evenings, as its gentle and creamy and doesn't make my eyes sting if I accidentally splodge some in them.  The scent is amazing - like minty peaches - and I feel that the fruit extracts help with gently controlling oil and tightening up my pores.  Soap and Glory skincare is also buy one get one half price in Boots at the moment, hence the two products featuring here!


Soap and Glory 'Scrubatomic' £9, Boots

One of my first blog posts was a review of this product, and I still love it just as much!  Doesn't irritate my sensitive skin, and my skin just seems to glow when I wake up the morning after having used this.
(Original review here.)


Boots Essentials Nail Polish Remover £1

Cheap and cheerful.  Not acetone free, but does the job.  The main reason this was a repurchase was that the scent doesn't give me a thumping headache - but I do need to take care to use plenty of almond oil on my nails to stop them drying out after using this.


Oral-B 3D Luxe White 'Healthy Shine' £1.99, Boots

Seriously impressed by this stuff - it has the same effect over time as using the Crest Whitening Strips (which are a pain in the butt to source in the UK) - and it doesn't leave your teeth super sensitive.  I do tend to interchange this with an enamel protect toothpaste though, as I feel that I don't want to be bleaching them constantly.


Cuticura Hand Sanitiser £1.50, Tesco

I always carry a little bottle of this around in my handbag, and since I am moving into a probably-not-very-clean uni room I thought this would come in extremely useful.  It has a pleasant fresh scent (described as cucumber), and is completely clear and residue free.


No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream for Normal/Oily Skin £12.50, Boots

I've already chatted about this aswell in the aforementioned morning skincare post.  It's creamy, but not at all heavy on my combination skin and is also great value for money when you use a No 7 voucher.  I'd previously been using the Nick Lowe equivalent, and feel this is much better.


Dr Nick Lowe Anti-Blemish Spot Gel £11, Feel Unique

The tube I have of this is nearly finished and quite old.  I always tend to have one or two blemishes (or healing scars) so have to rotate my treatment routine so the bacteria don't become resistant.  Therefore, when I saw Feel Unique had a sale a few weeks back I popped this in my basket as it did the trick nicely when I used it a while back.  A great cheap alternative to this is the Bonjela that contains Salicylic Acid, as something to cover up sore spots overnight.  During the day though, this is much better as it stays put and doesn't peel off but still prevents reinfection.


Invisibobble Hair Ties £3.75, Boots

These hair bobbles are like magic!  I always use them when I want to put my hair up in a bun as they're near invisible (as the name suggests) and they help you create the perfect bun without pins.  There's an entire post dedicated to them here.


Benefit They're Real Mascara Mini £9.99, Boots

Since my Clinique mascara is on it's last legs, it was high time I found a replacement.  To be honest, unless it's reasonably priced, I'm loathed to buy any full sized mascaras as they always seem to dry out/get clumpy around the two-to-three month mark.  Therefore, when I spotted this mini 'They're Real' I couldn't resist as I've wanted to try it for ages!  I also loved their 'Bad Gal Lash' formula back when I was in secondary school, so I'm really looking forward to testing this out.  I could't find a link anywhere for this online, other than for multipacks with other mini products.  However, they have it in abundance on the shelves of my local Boots, for just under a tenner.


And there we go, that's the lot!  I'm pretty sure I'll remember a few more things come next week, so stay tuned for another post along the same lines :)

xxx