Tuesday 31 July 2012

Ebay blush pallet



So I bought a blush pallet of ebay here for £3.89! I was very sceptical but thought It was worth a shot anyway, and for £3.89 even if it turned out to be the worst thing ever, its not much of a loss.

I was dying to swatch this pallet but wanted to take photos for this post first and as it was night, I had to wait until morning to get a good photo and then swatch. I was so exited by morning to see what the blushes would swatch like, I expected them to not be very pigmented at all but, as you can see from the photo above, I was very wrong. They have great colour pay off for the most part, especially the bright orange. There are some pearly, shimmer shades that look gorgeous as well as some matte shades. The only problem I find with this pallet is that the blushes can be a little powdery when dipping your brush in them, but they apply on the face nice and don't make your face look cakey. 

This pallet is ideal for someone who wants to try out what sort of blushes suit their face or want to just try out lots of beautiful shades without having to spend a fortune on loads of blushes. It would be great for someone starting a make up kit or for someone who just wants some more variety in the blush department like me. I could also see this working well for people with darker skin tones as the pigmentation is good, but people with fair skin could also use this with a light hand. 

Monday 30 July 2012

Philosophy



A couple of days ago I was walking through Debenhams when I got stopped by a lady who worked at the philosophy counter, she asked me if id like to try some of their skincare and naturally I said yes. We had a little chat about my current skin care routine, my skin type and what I do to my skin. She then matched me with some products she thought I would like and would suit my combination to oily skin. I was given Purity made simple face cleanser, Hope in a jar moisturiser and The microdelivery exfoliating face wash. She also recommended me their retonol cream called help me but she was all out of samples for it and asked me to come back another day to get one (which I did) 

I have tried and used up all three samples, my favorite by far was The microdelivery exfoliating face wash. It wasn't to abrasive like some exfoliates can be, but really did a good job at removing all the dead skin cells. It is enriched with borage oil and vitamin E which really helps to hydrate and soften the skin, as some exfoliates can cause your face to become a little dry and tight, which this one did not. So i am very pleased with this and very tempted to buy the full size bottle of this which is £22 for 240 ml. 

The purity made simple face wash was also lovely, its a 3 in 1 cleanser for the face and eyes that removes makeup while gently cleansing the face, as well as toning and hydrating. I found this fantastic at removing my make up and it didn't irritate my eyes at all, like a lot of cleansers can, even the Avene gentle cleanser hurts my eyes when removing my make up, so it says a lot for this cleanser as Id didnt irritate them one bit. It left my face feeling very clean but not  tight and dry like some can. My skin felt soft and hydrated without feeling over greasy. I will 100% be buying this once my Avene cleanser has run out. 

Hope in a jar is philosophys best selling moisteriser. Its claims to help reduce uneven skin tone and texture as well as hydrating the skin. It also contains lactic acid which causes a light exfoliation effect. I'm quite undecided with this moisteriser. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad by any means, but i'm not sure I love it enough to spend £34 on it. I think id like to try it out a little longer before I make the plunge into buying the full size. 


Philosophy is a skincare brand I always tend to over look, and im not sure why. After talking to the lovely women at the counter and doing my own research I have come to realise they have some amazing products. I will defiantly be trying out their retonol cream as well as their cleansers. 



Sunday 29 July 2012

Collection 2000 'Colour lash'



I was browsing through boots trying to find a mascara to buy when I spotted this clear mascara by collection 2000. I instantly thought this would be perfect to use as an eyebrow setting gel due to the fact its clear. It only cost around £3 and works like a dream! 

It doesn't come out to thick and wet, the brush allows for just the right amount of product to be applied to the brows and leaves them looking natural and not like I have gelled them down. 

for the price im very pleased with this, its just what I wanted and was really cheap. It keeps my brows in place, doesn't smudge my eyebrows after iv filled them in and doesn't dry crusty and flake.

I would recommend this to someone who wants a setting gel without the heavy price tag. 

The Body Shop coconut body mist




Iv been trying to find a body mist that I really like the smell off for a while now, I tend to find that body mists can smell to much of alcohol and over power the actual nice smell of the mist. This one from The body shop has a lovely fragrance with no hint of an alcohol in the smell at all. It costs £7 for 100ml and comes in a glass bottle. Its light and fresh, ideal for use after the gym, by the pool or just for a freshen up when you feel like you need it. The body shop has 8 different scents of body mist and the packaging is simple and clean. I love the smell of coconut and this mist has it spot on, its ideal for summer and would be great to take on holiday.

Collection 2000 'Multiplier mascara'



Iv heard a lot about Collection 2000 mascaras, I know the pixiwoo sisters rate the 'Big fake false lash effect mascara' and Louise from a sprinkle of glitter likes the 'sky lash mascara'. So I thought why not try one of their mascaras for myself. I chose the multiplier because I liked the look of the brush. Its a plastic wand that aims to coat every single lash. 

I initially didn't like this mascara because I felt that it didn't do anything for my lashes, but I kept using it and after a week or two I realised that my lashes once I applied the mascara looked longer, so much longer! Im not sure if its because the formula dried a bit slightly or if my own eyelashes just grew a bit during the time. It gave me great length and really separated my lashes. It doesn't do much for fullness of lashes but if I combine this mascara with a volumising mascara, I get the perfect combination and the nicest lashes iv ever had. It dries pretty fast and don't smudge on me at all and has a very black finish to it.  I really do like this mascara and I think ill try more of collection 2000s' mascaras once this one has dried out. 

The Body shop Chocomania body lotion


I bought this a while ago when browsing online, The body shop were doing an offer so I thought Id take full advantage of it. I have tried many of their body butters, my favorite being the strawberry one, but I really wanted to try one of their lotions, as I new their lotions were a lighter moisturiser which made them ideal for me during the summer months.

This one instantly jumped out at me, I mean a chocolate smelling body lotion, who doesn't want that! When it arrived I was so exited to try it, straight away I just opened the bottle and took a great big sniff of it, the smell is just amazing, even my mum loves the smell. It reminds me of either chocolate cake or chocolate and coffee. Both things I love, so obviously I just adore the smell of this lotion. Its a much thinner consistency than the body butters, which is to be expected and It also has a pump which makes is really easy to use and mess free. (Just as an example of the consistency I use 3 pumps for one leg). It dries fast which Is great because I don't like sitting around feeling tacky and damp from a body moisturiser. I apply it at night and by the morning my skin feels so soft and hydrated. I also love applying it before bed and laying there smelling like chocolate.

It costs £8 for 250ml, which for The body shop is not a bad price. The only down side I can see is that some people who are sensitive to smells might find this to over powering or sickly. But as with most of The body shop products they are heavily scented, which is one of the things I enjoy the most with The body shop products. I love things that smell nice and this product really satisfies my sweet tooth. Ill happily try more body lotions by The body shop and I will also be trying more of the chocomania line such as the shower cream and body scrub because I just cant get enough of this smell. 

Thursday 26 July 2012

Bourjois 'chocolate bronzer'



Shade 51


I recently bought the Bourjois Delice de poudre bronzer also known as the 'chocolate bronzer', due to its chocolate bar design. Some people also say that It smells like chocolate but I disagree, I dont think it has a chocolate smell at all.... Anyway, this bronzer costs £6.99 and can be bought at Boots, Superdrug and on their own website, so easily accessible. 

It gives a lovely natural bronzed look, without leaving you looking orange or looking like you have applied a fake bronzing power. It gives your face a beautiful tanned glow which is perfect for summer time. For the most part this powder is matte, with possibly the smallest amount of shimmer in it, hardly noticeable to the eye. It has a soft texture and applies really easy and even. It gives your complexion a great finish without the cakeyness and powdery look. It is ideal for contorting or  all over face bronzing due to the fact it has hardly any to no shimmer. It comes in two shades so It covers a fairly wide range of skin colours. However I dont think it would work well for those with very pale skin or very dark skin. 

I think this is an excellent bronzer for the price tag, its highly rated in the beauty world and I can see why.  Bourjois never fails to impress me and this bronzer is no exception


Wednesday 25 July 2012

Mini haul





As I'm a huge fan of the Trever Sorbie beautiful blonde shampoo I thought it was only right that I tried the conditioner as well. Both the shampoo and conditioner cost around £5, which I think is a great price for a product so good. I then needed a new mascara and personally I hate spending about £10 on a mascara, so I opted for a collection aka collection 2000 mascara as they are generally decent mascaras and only cost around £3, while I was there I spotted this clear mascara for around £2 and thought it would be ideal as a brow gel, so I also picked that up as well. Now I have been testing these for a while now (this post is late) and there will be a full review of all three coming soon but ill let have a sneak peak as to my opinion and tell you I really like 2 out of the 3. Which ones I like, you will have to just wait and see :P 


Tuesday 24 July 2012

Empties




Hi guys, so I know its been a while since iv blogged but I had a laptop issue. Basically It over heated and broke then It had to be sent away to be repaired and all that jazz. Anyway I'm going to kick things of with an empties blog.


So first of all I used up the catastrophe cosmetics face mask by Lush, I really enjoyed this. I had it for free with their whole 'bring back five clean pots and get a free face mask' deal that they have, which makes it even better! Its ideal for my skin, especially during times when I have break outs. Iv done a full review of this face mask here

The next thing I finished was my figs and rouge lip balm that I had in one of my glossy boxs'. I actually loved this, it really did nourish my lips, unlike vasaline and those types of lip treatments that just, coat the lips and don't do much else. It has a great smell and texture and left my lips feeling so soft. I really am going to buy some more of these, they have so many different scents and flavors, I'm spoiled for choice. Review here of my figs and rouge balm.

This month I have really gotten into body lotions and I managed to use up a whole bottle of Palmer's cocoa butter lotion. This product I sort of like, iv tried better, but its not a bad product at all. For the money its well worth it but Id say I love the body shops body butter far more. And again I have a full review right here

Iv gone through two shampoos, I liked the Trever Sorbie shampoo much more than the L'oreal one. Purely because I felt like it was doing a lot more for my hair, so naturally I will enjoy that one more. Its slightly more pricey but none the less, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. In fact iv just bought the shampoo and the conditioner in a full size bottle and a full review of the condition will be on its way. Until them you can read my L'oreal review here and my Trever sorbie review here 


I then finally finished a collection 2000 or just collection as its now known mascara that Iv had for what seems like years. This I loved and I'm pretty sure dried up a long, long time ago but I kept it just for the brush as it seemed to really separate and enhance my lashes. Its also pretty cheap and easy so get hold of, so an all round great mascara. As well at the mascara I also used up a collection 'extreme 24 hour felt tip liner' which I cant say I loved, the pigmentation wasn't so great and it was hard to get a strong line. 

I had a sample of zoom lash mascara by MAC that I also used up. I know this might be a bit controversial but I really didn't like it that much. I didn't do much for my lashes at all.  


Then the final thing I used up, isn't very exiting at all but never mind. Its the Garnier Mineral deodorant. I has become my favourite deodorant of all time and I keep rebuying it ever time I run out. I don't know what it is about it that I love, it just seems to work so well for me. 

The Body Shop - Unboxing




Today I received my order from The Body Shop and im so exited to use them all. I bought a chocomania body lotion, which can not be more ideal for me right now, as the sun has come out in the UK which means, lots of sun protection/exposure that causes me skin to dry out. So i'm really looking forward to using this tonight before bed. I then bought a coconut body mist which is under the 'New' section on The Body Shop website. While I was browsing online I realised they were doing a promotion that If you spent over £25 you got £10 off. So I then decided to buy their new 'drops of youth' serum to try. Unfortunately their promotion has ended now but they are doing half price body butters which is also great! They are also doing a promotion that if you spend over £5 you get a free 60ml shampoo of your choice, so I chose the rainforest moisture shampoo for dry hair. All in all i'm really happy with my order, The Body Shop do great discounts and promotions, I also had free shipping and it arrived within around 2 days of my order. Ill keep you all posted and Ill defiantly be doing a review. 

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Dior perfume set



I had this set given to me at Christmas time, It was bought from boots when they have their 3 for 2 offers at that time of the year. I love little perfume sets like these as they allow you to try lots of different perfume samples out, that you may not have ever thought about trying before. It also gives you a taste for the brand and allows you to see what sort of notes you prefer in a perfume. This set was around £20 and comes with 4 sample size bottles of Dior perfume. My personal favourite is Miss Dior Cherie. I'm also a big lover of Pure poison by Dior (but that perfume is not in this set). Dior is a fairly expensive brand that I tend to over look when it comes to perfumes purely because I feel they are either out of my price range or a bit to 'grown up' for my taste. But I think this gift set has converted me over to the dark side haha I realise its not Christmas or even close but you can pick sets up like this one from perfume shops/counters at any time of the year. They make great gifts not just for christmas but birthdays, mothers day and even fathers day as they do mens sets just like these. The majority of them come in very nice, pretty packaging like this Dior one so you wont even need to wrap it up! 

Mini haul

Picture heavy post!

So as some of you may know, the sales are kicking off in the high street right now. I was already there so I thought the dreaded, 'why not just have a quick look' (even thought I cant really afford to be spending money right now and its never just have a 'look', and its never quick come to think of it)

The first place I popped in was H&M, now their sale as been on for a while now so I wasn't expecting to find anything I really liked...... How wrong was I! I feel in love with this floral dress and for £7 I couldn't resist it!

 I then stopped off at new look, now they don't really have a sale on right now. I'm not sure if its been and gone, if its due soon or if they arnt even having one but I had a look around none the less and saw the most amazing earnings ever. They are right up my street, slightly girly but edgy with the spikes and the diamond/pyramid studs.

 I then stopped off at boots and had to hold myself back from buying everything, eventually after what seems like forever of looking and trying to pick which things I wanted the most, I decided to get a French manicure 'set', with the white and pink polish from natural collection. They arnt really a set but you generally done buy one without the other.