Mini Drugstore/Highstreet Haul

 

Sleek Makeup i-Divine Ultra Mattes V2 Darks Palette

I love matte eyeshadows so I know this will be something I'll get a lot of use out of. Sleek make great quality products at affordable prices and this palette is no exception; it was only £6.99 from Superdrug! The packaging is of good quality and 12 eyeshadows have been fitted in there - very useful for travelling purposes.

There are 2 new palettes available called Ultra Mattes - one has bright colours and one has dark colours. The bright palette isn't really my cup of tea, but the dark palette has some really lovely everyday colours that are right up my street :)

TRESemme Instant Refresh Volumising Dry Shampoo 200ml £4.79 Boots.

For fine to oily hair, removes oil and boosts body, with lemongrass.

Bought to replace the Ojon Full Detox Rub-Out Dry Cleansing Spray which was such a disappointment. I think I had a faulty product because I only used it about twice and it wouldn't spray anymore. I could tell that there was still product left in the bottle but I coudn't use it! It wasn't exactly cheap either - £9.50 for a 83ml bottle, and when I did use it I wasn't that impressed with the result. Plus it had a weird scent to it that I didn't much care for. So it was pretty much a fail on all counts.

But I do need a dry shampoo in my life and I had heard a lot of good things about the Tresemme ones. I got the volumising one – because if there's a volumising option I will always go for it – and I think it's great. It's a lot more effective than the Ojon one, it smells nicer, and it's a lot cheaper! Smiles all round :)

Soap & Glory Hand Food 50ml £2.50 Boots.

Non-greasy hand cream with shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow.

As I have previously said about lip balms, a good hand cream is another essential for me. I don't go anywhere without one and usually have several on the go at any given time. I've been wanting to try this one for a while. I had been using a heavier cream over the winter and I wanted something a bit lighter and fresher for summer. This one seemed to be very popular so I got the mini travel size to give it a try. I've only used it a few times so far but I really like it already. I think it may turn into a handbag staple! Lovely smooth formula that sinks in well, pleasantly scented, with retro girly packaging – what's not to like? :)

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

All day wear felt tip liner for perfectly defined lines. Easy to apply, fast dry formula.

I've always been a bit of a fail when it comes to applying liquid eyeliner and with having slightly hooded eyes it usually means, if it's not a very good formula, that I get an imprint of smudged eyeliner on my upper eyelid. Never a good look, so I don't usually bother. But I thought I would have another go with this one as, with it's felt tip nib, it's much easier to apply and the consistency is not too liquidy so it dosen't go everywhere. It's not waterproof but that just makes it easier to remove of an evening. It also has a semi-matte to matte finish which I personally prefer to a glossy finish :)

I've been getting into lip products more and more recently and ended up getting a few more when I was in Boots the other day. Oops! But they're all colours I know I will get a lot of use out of so that's how I justify it to myself :)

I'd bought the Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in Cotton Candy a few weeks back and I've been loving it so much that I went back and got it in another colour; Fairy Cake, a gorgeous corally pink shade which will be great for summer. These Lip Creams are rather unusual but I love them. They have a matte finish but are still moisturising on the lips. I don't know how they do it but for £2.99 a pop you can't really go wrong :)

Boots 17 Beehive Mirror Shine-On Lipstick

I don't think there's much to be said about this lipstick that hasn't already been said by countless other beauty bloggers. It appealed to me because of it's barely there sheer finish and for apparently being the 'perfect nude.' And they were right. Love it!

Bourjois Effet 3D Lipgloss

Corail idyllic £7.69 Boots.

Apparently rather a good dupe of the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, it is very moisturising on the lips without being too sticky and has a slight gold shimmer to it which I find very flattering. I'm not usually a lipgloss fan but I like this one. It's got a very nice smooth formula and feels almost weighless when applied. It's not particularly long lasting but then lipglosses never are. I'm loving coral shades of everything at the minute so I think I will get plenty of wear out of this over the summer :) 

What are your favourite highstreet/drugstore picks at the moment? :) xx

New Video on my Youtube channel: A Summer Foundation Routine :)

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dBbsJ0t5n8&feature=plcp
A full list of the products used/mentioned is listed in the information bar of the video.

Enjoy! xx

Revlon Strawberry Suede Matte Lipstick

I wanted to do a post dedicated to this particular lipstick because I think it's going to be one of my favourites for Spring/Summer. This is a Revlon lipstick in a matte formula, so it's got matte packaging, which I think is a really nice touch. It's a really bright strawberry red/coral shade, but being matte makes it really wearable, even for everyday. When the sun decides to finally make an appearance (it's constant rain and flooding in the UK right now), I'll be reaching for this lipstick.You can apply it quite heavily, or you can use it more like a stain, depending on the look you're going for. The lasting power is really impressive and even though it's matte it's not drying on the lips. I get very dry lips so always make sure I use some sort of lip treatment before applying any lipstick. My favourite at the moment being the Blistex Lip Medex, but this won't be necessary for everyone. It's just a habit of mine to stop my lips from getting sore and chapped :) 

Unfortunately, this is a discontinued shade (sorry!) so it's quite hard to find. I got mine from Ebay which is probably your best bet if you want this colour for yourself, and will most likely be the cheapest place too. Make sure to have a good hunt through the listings to find the best deal, and also take note of where it's shipping from as you might be waiting a while if it's shipping from abroad.

I have been after this shade for a while so I'm really glad I managed to track it down :)

What are your favourite matte lippys?

Bioderma Créaline H20 Cleansing Solution 

I have been using Bioderma for a while now and so I thought it was about time I shared my thoughts on it. I mostly use it as a makeup remover on an evening and for a cleanser in the mornings when I'm feeling lazy and I can't be bothered faffing around with sinks and water. I just soak a couple of cotton pads and wipe all over my face. It's really good at removing even the most stubborn makeup including waterproof mascara without stripping or stinging the skin.

Just in case you don't know what I'm talking about, Bioderma is a French pharmacy brand which is really easy to get hold of in France, but really hard to find over here. Why is it that all the good things in the beauty world are hard to find? I guess it makes it worth it when you finally get hold of them :) I found mine on Ebay which always seems to be the best place for 'difficult to get hold of in the UK' and discontinued items. This stuff is a lot cheaper in France so if you’re ever over there, or you know someone who's going, then it might be a good idea to stock up!

I have been using the Créaline micellar solution which is for all skin types but especially those with sensitive skin. It's been getting a lot of hype recently as it's really popular with makeup artists and in the beauty industry in general. And I can see why. It is very good at what it does and I have noticed more and more brands coming out with micellar solutions of their own; La Roche-Posay, Vichy, This Works, to name just a few. I think they're so popular because they're so convenient and a great replacement for cleansing wipes which can often be harsh on the skin, especially if used everyday.

By the way, if you're not sure what a micellar solution is, it's basically a makeup remover which ‘eats-up’ the makeup instead of spreading it around. Without getting too technical, it consists of oils suspended in water in such a way that it has the effectiveness of an oil-based makeup remover but is as gentle as water on the skin. Just making sure we're all on the same page there :)

Bioderma does other versions of it's micellar water for different skin types, but I think most people stick to the sensitive one because it's easier and also because it's least likely to irritate the skin. This stuff is just so gentle I think just about anyone could use it and like it. However, I do think it's worth having a look into some of the other more readily available brands in UK pharmacies as I think they would be just as effective and gentle, and also a lot more convenient to purchase.

Have you tried Bioderma or any other micellar solution? What are your thoughts? :)

NOTD: Nails Inc Porchester Square 

 

 

So my last few NOTD's have been rather colourful what with all the glitters and metallics making an appearance – something which would've never happened a few months back. But now I find I'm branching out a bit with my nail polish picks and my collection is expanding rapidly! However, my first love is still my neutral shades and the other day I picked up a new one - Nails Inc Porchester Square.

Now, I realise that this polish probably won't whip many of you into a frenzy, I know that not everyone get as excited about these kind of shades as I do :) but when I saw this one I just knew I'd love it. Plus I don't have any Nails Inc polishes and I've been wanting to try one for a while, which is good enough of an excuse for me!

Porchester Square is a grey/beige shade, with a slight hint of lavender in there as well, which just lifts it slightly making it a bit different from other more plainer nudes. Comparing it to the other polishes in my collection, Essie’s Lady Like is probably the closest to it, but they're still not exactly the same. It's easy to apply and has a lovely creamy formula, 2 coats and I was away. I'm so pleased with it, it's such a beautiful colour!

What’s your favourite nude nail polish? I already have my eyes on a couple more Essies' – Ballet Slippers and Chinchilly. Any other recommendations?

2 New Videos: Quite a Large Springtime Haul - so large I had to split it into 2 videos!

The other day I decided to gather together all the stuff I had accumulated over the past month or so and do a haul video. I had that much stuff to talk about that I ended up having to make it into 2 videos. It's a mixture of skincare, makeup and a couple of clothing bits. I really like watching hauls and it was really fun filming this one even though by the end of it I was a little croaky!!

Watch part 1 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd2GkMLdqsA&feature=context-chv

Watch part 2 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URlHMmXFJow&feature=plcp

Enjoy!! :) x

NOTD: Fashionista Mystical Dragon

Picked this up the other day from Superdrug. I am not normally a metallic nail polish fan, infact I don't particularly like green nail varnish in general, and I don't really think this is a Springtime colour at all. And yet I was strangely drawn to this rather unusual looking polish.
I have been getting more and more into my glitter nail polishes recently and this is almost a hybrid between a glitter and a metallic. It leaves a foil-like finish on the nail, very reflective with a subtle blue-green duo chrome. I think I was drawn to it simply because it was so unusual and I also just really liked the name. Am I the only one who falls for well-named products? :)