A Mini Makeup Haul

This is my second post of the day for all you lucky people, and this time around I have a little haul. I've been trying to stay more restrained leading up to Christmas, so there's only a few items, but I thought I should share them with you.

Boots recently had one of their 3 for 2 mix and match across all makeup brands, so of course I had to take advantage of this. I needed a new foundation for the winter months, now that I'm paler. I chose the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation Nude (£7.99) because I loved the Match Perefection, but wanted something slightly higher coverage this time around. I did decide to get the medium coverage nude one rather than the full coverage original as my skin is actually behaving itself at the moment (touch wood).

The next product I decided to get on the deal was this L'oreal Matte Bronzer (£7.99). It's less orange toned than some so I thought it was be good for contouring, but I have found that it still isn't grey toned enough so I may have to save up for Benefit's Hoola as I can't find any grey toned bronzers in the drugstore. However, this is still good for bronzing up my skin, and because it's matte, it still looks really natural.

The final product I got in this deal was the Maybelline Under Eye Concealer (£7.99), which silly old me forgot to photograph. It has a very unique applicator but so far I've been loving it. It has quite a thin consistency but it still has good coverage. I like to have a different concealer for my under eyes to my blemishes as it is much more hygienic so this is great for me.

Lastly, I bought this an Essie nail polish in the shade Toggle to the Top. I have had my eye on this for a while but at £8 I just couldn't justify it. Low and behold, I am browsing in TK Maxx and find it on sale for £3.99! Of course, at this price I just had to pick it up, and so far I am impressed. It is perfectly opaque in two coats, dries relatively quickly, and lasts well on the nails. The only negative is that it is very difficult to remove, but then that applies to all glitter polishes.

And that's it! I'm quite proud of myself because there's a lot on my wishlist at the moment but hopefully after Christmas I'll have a bit of money to spend on a few new beauty products.

emma x

blogmas #2: A Gift Set Guide

This posts was so fun to make and I gained so much inspiration for items that I can add to my own Christmas list, and ones that I can buy for my friends and family. All of these are beauty based but there is a range of prices ranges and types of product. 

1) Nars Lip Pencil Set (£32 - Space NK) - This is clearly quite an expensive set, however it does offer great value for money. You get a wide range of shades, and although the pencils aren't full size, they are only a tiny bit smaller. Considering you couldn't even get two full size pencils for this price, it is a truly amazing offer, and the pencils are amazing quality so you know that they're worth spending your money on.

2) Aromatherapy Bath Oil Mini Collection (£35 - Space NK) - A very sophisticated option here, perfect for slightly older women that still love to indulge in a lovely relaxing bath. You don't get loads of product for your money here, but you do get to try 10 different oils, and the beautiful packaging proves to the receiver that it is a high end present.

3) Benefit Sweet Tintations (£20) - If I didn't already have so many lip products, I would definitely be purchasing this. For your money you get 2 full size lip products, and 2 medium sized tints, which is incredible value. The lip balms usually cost £14.50 each so you can easily see why this set has already been such a great seller this year. The lip and cheek tints are plenty big enough; I actually think that the full size ones are too big, and I know friends who have had them dry up before they finished them because they contain so much product.

4) Smashbox Primer Set (£13) - A slightly cheaper option here, but a great one for someone who wants to try out some higher end primers. Smashbox are well known for their amazing primers so this set is sure to be a hit with whoever you give it to, and the price means that someone who doesn't normally have the opportunity to buy try more expensive products can afford to give them a go.

5) Essie Nail Varnish Duo Kit (£12.99 - Boots) - This set is great for any nail lover as you get two full size Essie polishes. Although there is only one colour option available, the set includes Tart Deco which is one of Essie's most popular shades, so is sure to be a hit with whoever you gift this to. Of course, if you buy it for 3 people, you can take advantage of the Boots 3 for 2 offer, and it becomes even better value.

6) No7 Complete Cleansing Kit and Brush (£25 - Boots) - I am pretty sure that I'm going to end up buying this for myself at some point because I just can't get over the price point. The vast majority of cleansing brushes cost in excess of £100, but for just £25 you get a brush and two full size No7 products. This is a great choice for someone who wants to try a cleansing brush, but doesn't want to pay too much without knowing if it will benefit them significantly.

7) Benefit Beauty Bonbons Set (£40 - Boots) - A very expensive set here, but one that I think is totally worth it for someone special. You get a full size Hoola Bronzer and High Beam, which alone covers the cost of the set. Then you also get a mini They're Real Mascara and Porefessional Primer, another 2 of their best selling products, as well as a mini Hoola Lipgloss, all packaged beautifully in a little house.

8) No7 Skincare Collection (£16) - This is a really well priced set and the products are suitable for any skin type, making it very universal. You get 4 medium sized products, a muslin cloth and a headband. This is an ideal present for someone that you don't know what to buy because everyone takes care of their skin, whether they wear makeup or not.

Have you found any amazing sets this year? Let me know in the comments.

emma x

Product Empties #3

As I mentioned in my last empties post, I have been using up a lot of products recently, hence why there's another empties post so soon after the last one. I've been loving using up all the products though as it always gives me a sense of satisfaction, and it helps to clear out my cupboards. Also, it means I can move on to using the new products I've bought that I've been waiting to use. Here's what I've used up this time:

All of this post's hair products are actually styling products so I thought I'd start with them. First up is the Toni and Guy Casual Salt Spray, which I actually did a review about here, so I won't go on about it too much, but basically it's a really good salt spray for adding texture and wave, so much so that I've already bought another bottle. Next is the L'oreal Texture Spray which I also mentioned recently in my drugstore favourites and fine hair tips, tricks and products. This is just a great product for adding volume to limp and lifeless hair without the damage of backcomb. Lastly in this section I have the Schwarzkopf Heat Defence Spray. I only bought this because I was in desperate need of one so asked my mum to pick up whatever one she found in Tescos. It was actually pretty good and did it's job of protecting my hair from heat damage, however I have since picked up a bit more of an advanced one that is more suited to my hair type and helps to add volume.

The next section is skincare and I'm pretty sure I actually mentioned all these products in my morning and evening skincare routines so I won't go on about them for too long. The first thing is a Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Face Scrub. I really enjoyed using this because of the fresh scent and how soft it left my skin, however I felt that it wasn't quite abrasive enough for my needs so I have replaced it with a different scrub (which I will be sure to feature soon). Then there is the No7 Soft and Soothed Toner which I have been using for years and just love. With the No7 Vouchers it comes out really cheap, and it just leaves my skin feeling so refreshed and clean. I will continue to repurchase this over and over again. The Clean and Clear Dual Action Moisturiser was just what I was looking for when i purchased it; an all in one product that can be used day and night without breaking me out. I have since moved on to more specialised products, however this is great for someone younger who is just building their first skincare routine. Finally, the Clean and Clear Deep Cleansing Lotion is ideal for people who cherish their sleep and want to have an extra few minutes in bed in the morning. It's a quick, easy and fuss-free way of cleansing your face and I have already repurchased this.

The last couple of products, as usual, didn't fit into any category. The first of these is the Gillette Satin Care Pure and Delicate Shaving Gel. I really like this as it makes a really rich and thick foam, and is only very weakly scented with a lovely fresh aloe vera scent. I find it much easier to shave using a foam because I can see which parts I have been over already, so it is less likely that I miss any patches. To finish, I have yet another Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I just really enjoy using this as it has great coverage, is easy to blend, and is one of the cheapest concealers on the market. I have actually bought a different concealer to try this time (which you will already know if you read my last post), however if it disappoints me I will come straight back to this one.

The end! Hopefully I won't be using up many more products over the next few months as this month proved very costly with all the products that needed replacing hahah. Until next time...

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

Mascara and concealer were the first types of makeup that I ever begun wearing, so it's safe to say that I've tried a fair few mascaras in my time. Yet still, the unique brush that this mascara has was new even to me, but I loved it! Why has no brand ever used a brush like this before? The plastic wand has tiny little balls on the end of some of the spokes to help coat all the lashes in mascara by reaching around and between lashes. This helps to give your lashes a hell of a lot of volume and a fair amount of length too.

I have the waterproof version of this mascara; I always use waterproof as you never know when rain or tears may strike. I find that the formula can make lashes clump together a bit if you're not careful so two sparingly applied coats is generally better than one, more heavily applied, coat. Towards the end of the day my lashes do begin to droop a bit but that is the least of my problems as my oily skin plays havoc with my base. The mascara is a bit stubborn to remove, but not so much so that it puts me off it.

Overall I do really like this mascara, though admittedly it is mainly because of the wand, so if another brand brings out something similar, I'll be straight there! I've heard that the normal version performs exactly the same as the waterproof one so to be honest, unless you really hate waterproof mascaras, you may as well get this one for extra protection against the elements.

Have you been trying out a new mascara lately? What did you think?

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Kiko Nail Varnish

Hey guys! This weeks review is another Kiko product, and this time it's one of their nail polishes. I was really excited to try this and it did not disappoint. The formula is really lovely and creamy, and two thin coats was enough to give an opaque colour. I could have got away with one coat if I applied it more generously, however I always prefer to apply two. The wide brush made for an easy application and it dried in no time. I wouldn't say it was particularly glossy, but I always finish with a coat of Seche Vite top coat anyway. The only thing I was slightly disappointed with was that it only lasted a couple of day without chips, and with other nail polishes I can often last a whole week. Other than that I was really impressed with the formula.

I have the shade 363 which is a lovely deep pink. On the nails it comes out slightly darker than in the bottle, making it more suited to winter than summer. I haven't tried any other shades so I can't comment on whether all the other shades perform in the same way,  but I will definitely be trying more, because at just £2.50 per bottle, I can look past the chipping as I don't mind repainting and going through more bottles.

Have you ever tried a Kiko nail varnish? Let me know in the comments.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Kiko Glow Touch

For today's review I wanted to talk about the Kiko Glow Touch because it's a limited edition product so I wanted to get a review out before they stop selling it. I have been using this product for a couple of months now so I feel that I've tried and tested it sufficiently to give you guys an honest opinion about it. I have the shade Wave Hibiscus which is a lovely pinky coral that is perfect for summer. I love this shade for both my cheeks and my lips because, on my cheeks, it gives a bright flush of colour that's a bit more interesting than a boring pink shade, but without looking unnatural, and on the lips it also looks great, especially when wearing the blush at the same time.

In terms of wear time and formula, as a blush I only apply a light layer to even out my natural flush, and it wears for about 6 hours, which isn't bad for a cream product on my oily skin. I apply this with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, after applying my foundation with the same brush, so that the colour is not so intense due to the remaining product on the brush. As a lip colour, it is very sheer and feels like a tinted balm. This also gives it the wear of a balm, meaning it only lasts a couple of hours and comes off easily when eating or drinking. However, it is not a hassle to reapply so I don't mind too much, and the formula is really hydrating so it doesn't cause any damage to my lips to be continually applying product.

I would definitely recommend this product, especially if you are new to Kiko makeup and are wondering what product to try first.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Topshop Brow Pencil

Heys guys! For this weeks review I will be talking about one of my current everyday staples, the Topshop Brow Pencil. It is very reasonably priced at just £6, and comes with a really good spoolie on the end for combing through your brows.

I have been using this pencil for just under a year now and have never regretted purchasing it. I have the blonde shade, which is called Vicious Circle, as I have very pale eyebrows. I had been finding it hard to find a pale brow colour in the likes of Boots and Superdrug, but for me this is perfect. It is slightly darker than the colour of my brows, but I like that because I have medium brown hair so I like to make them a bit darker than my natural colour.

I find this pencil really easy to apply and get natural looking brows. First I use the spoolie to tame the hairs, then I use small, light strokes to gradually fill in my brows, focusing on the tail and any other sparse areas. Once I have finished filling them in, I go over with the spoolie again to blend the pencil into my eyebrows to make them even more natural looking.

I love the formula of this product as it is soft enough that you don't have to press hard, but not so soft that you end up with harsh, unblended lines. I also find that this lasts really well, even on my oily skin, and my brows will stay on up until I take my makeup off, even after dealing with rainy weather or intense exercise.

Overall I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a cheaper brow pencil, especially people with lighter eyebrows who are struggling to find a suitable colour match.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Benefit's The Porefessional

Hey guys, I'm back with another review today and this time it's a high end product. This is my second ever high end product, the first being a MAC Mineralize Skin Finish, however I have since bought a couple more items. I didn't buy this product, it came as a sample in a magazine, however I did buy the magazine just so I could get the product as I had been wanting to try it for a long time, but the price had been putting me off.

The primer comes it a squeezy tube which is good for controlling how much product is dispensed. Overall I really like the packaging as the colours and design make it very attractive.

Having only tried one other primer (which was awful) prior to trying this, I don't have a lot to compare it to, however I am really impressed. This has really helped to keep my skin matte for longer and has increased the wear time of my foundation. It does also fill in and blur pores, meaning foundation applies better as it is being applied to a smoother surface. On a day to day basis, I only apply this to the sides of my nose, my forehead, and a little bit on my chin, but when I'm going for a full makeup look that I need to last all day, I will apply it to my entire face. I have been using this tube every day for the last two months and it is showing no signs of running out, so I am really pleased. 

Having had a really good experience with this primer, with no breakouts or side effects, I would consider purchasing the full size version of this product when mine runs out. However, I would like to try some cheaper alternatives first because, although I would deem this to be worth the money, if there's a drugstore dupe, I may as well buy that instead.

Have you tried The Porefessional? What do you think about it? Let me know in the comments.

emma x

Kiko Haul

For today's post I wanted to share with you what I bought on my first ever trip to Kiko, which, for those of you that don't know, is a cosmetics brand that can't be purchased in other retailers such as Boots. I was very excited to have a browse around the store as I had heard a lot of amazing things about the brand, and I was overwhelmed with the amazing range of products. There was so much more makeup than I thought there would be, a surprisingly large skincare range, and a good selection of brushes. I went to the flagship store on Regent Street (it's basically on Oxford Street though as it's on the corner where they meet), so there may not be as greater selection in other Kiko stores, but I was truly spoiled for choice. It's a miracle that I didn't buy more than I did, but I managed to restrain myself, and tried to pick the cheaper products rather than the 'pro' versions.

The prices in Kiko are really good and are equivalent to the middle range of the drugstore, with most everyday products ranging from £3 to £8. Some products, such as setting sprays and complete brow kits were more expensive, but that's the case with most brands. For the price you get excellent quality packaging, and a lot of the products came inside boxes which makes the products, and store as a whole, seem more luxurious.

The first product I got was an eyeshadow in the shade 143 which is a really nice pale pink shade with a little glitter in it. This is a good colour for a quick wash over the lids when I don't have time to do anything special. From the couple of times I've used it, I've found that it applies really nicely. It creases slightly throughout the day but because it's not a bold shade you don't really notice. For £2.90 I think this is a good eyeshadow and is perfect for travel if you only want to take a shade or two.

The next product is a nail varnish in the shade 363, which is a dark reddish pink. I really like this colour as I think it's good for summer because it's bright, but the deepness of the shade makes it suitable for winter too. The brush is quite wide, which I like as it makes application easier. I haven't used it yet so I can't comment on the formula, but I'm really excited to use it. These nail polishes are £2.50 which I think is a good price for a nail varnish.

The next thing I bought was an eyeliner from the Smart Eye Pencil range. It is a lovely turquoise blue colour in the shade 813. I thought this was perfect for summer to add a pop of colour to my eyes. From swatching it on my hand, I found that it was a little on the solid side, but for £2.50 I can't really complain, and I will only be using it on odd occasions. They do have similar shades in their other eyeliner ranges though, if you are interested in a slightly softer pencil from the brand.

I also bought a lip liner from the Smart Lip Pencil range as whenever I go for a bold lip, it's nearly always a bright pink, so I knew it would be worth it as it will be a shade I use often. The shade in question is 708, which as I said, is a bright pink. Because I will be wearing it under lipsticks and glosses, the exact tone of the shade doesn't matter to me too much but I do really like the colour so I could potentially wear it alone.

Lastly, I picked up the Glow Touch Lip and Cheek Colour in the shade 102 Wave Hibiscus, which is a lovely peachy coral colour. I have been wanting to try a cream blush for a while but wasn't sure if they would be for me, so I figured that this would be a good solution because even if I didn't like it on my cheeks, I could use it on my lips. What really lured me towards this product is the gorgeous packaging which is unique to their summer collection. This was on sale for £4 so I would hurry if you want to try it as they won't be around much longer.

I hope you enjoyed this haul as I haven't posted one in a while. I will be sure to review most (or maybe even all) of these products after I have tested them for a couple of weeks. Be sure to leave a comment telling me whether you've tried anything from Kiko and what you thought of it.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Garnier Skin Naturals

Hey guys! As you can see from the title of this post, I've decided to add a new weekly feature to my blog called 'The Tuesday Review'. This is for two reasons; 1, I'm hoping that it will keep me motivated to blog more regularly as I will post one review per week, in addition to another post every Friday, and 2, I have bought a lot of new products over the last few months while I haven't been blogging as much, and I want to share my thoughts about them with you. So without further ado, on with the review... (see what I did there?)

Starting with the packaging, both of these products have very similar packaging, only the micellar water has a larger bottle. Both of them have good lids that seal completely shut, which is great for travel, and when opened, it is easy to control how much product is dispensed, meaning minimal wastage. I like the labels on the products too, simple yet still attractive, with the perfect amount of colour.

The Garnier Skin Naturals Eye Make-up Remover costs just £3.49 and is a biphase product. This means it has the addition of oils to make it even easier to remove waterproof mascara and other stubborn eye makeup. Having previously raved about the Johnson's Eye Make-up Remover, this had a lot to live up to, but for me this is even better! It removes my eye makeup super efficiently and the skin around my eyes feels really fresh after using it, with no sign of any residue. I've also noticed that I've lost less eyelashes since using this, a strange observation I know, but important to me nonetheless. I'm so pleased that I picked up this product because it is so much better than the one I was using, and I thought that was amazing!

The Garnier Skin Naturals Micellar Water costs £4.99 which is an amazing price when you look at the size of the bottle. For the same price as many other products of its type, you get 400ml of product, whereas most are only 200ml. This is the first micellar water I've tried so I can't say its better than any of the others, however for me this has been a complete game changer. I use this as a quick initial cleanse to remove the majority of my face makeup before I use a face scrub, and it is perfect for this use. One cotton pad of this and nearly all of my makeup is removed. It's just so effective. Another great use that I've found for this is as a quick freshen up on no makeup days. When I'm having a lazy day and not wearing any makeup, my skin gets oily very quickly, so about halfway through the day I like to give my face a quick swipe of this so I feel fresh and clean again. On garden days when I'm sunbathing I'll use this when I come in to quickly remove the residue of any suncream before I apply my makeup for the evening.

Overall, I'm so impressed with both of these products and would definitely repurchase them. Whether I will or not is a different matter though because I love trying new things haha. But I will know in the future that these are a safe bet if I need to pick something up in a hurry.

emma x

April Favourites

Hey guys! So today I have my first ever favourites post which I am really excited about as these are my favourite types of post to read. I've really loved lots of products this month, but these are the main ones that were relatively new to me, and I now feel like I couldn't live without.

The first product is The Righteous Butter by Soap and Glory. I have always loved this product but this month I really loved it. I love the unique whipped texture which is so rich and luxurious yet sinks really quickly into the skin. I enjoy using this during my weekly pamper sessions; I would use it after every shower but I just don't want it to run out! Find it here for £10.50.

Next up is the Topshop Brow Pencil in Vicious Circle. I only really started filling in my brows in the last month of so (shocker I know) but the main reason for this is that I could never find a product that was the right colour for me. However, this pencil is revolutionary! The colour is so perfect for my pale brows, and this means that even though using a pencil can sometimes look too harsh, it actually looks really natural as it is the perfect colour match. Another good point is the spoolie which really latches on to every brow hair to allow me to shape them how I want and to blend in the colour a little bit. Find it here for £6.50.

Onto what are arguably the prettiest eyelash curlers on the market, and they're available from good old Primark! I absolutely love these eyelash curlers. I am blessed with quite naturally curled lashes, so I never used to see the point in using curlers, however I picked these up on a whim and haven't looked back. They make my eyelashes look so much more voluminous, and make it really easy to apply mascara. What's more, they're only £1 from Primark (who annoyingly still don't have a website ergh).

Another product from Primark now, which is these little hair grips. I used tie back the front section of my hair in a hair band and push it forwards a little to make it slightly quiffed (gosh, it's so hard to explain hairstyles!), but when I took it out, my hair was always getting stuck and I had to rip (or even cut) it out, which is so bad for your hair. However, these little saviours are so perfect; I can do exactly the same hairstyle but I just clip my hair in place instead and it's not at all damaging. And anyway, who can resist the adorable pastel colours for only £1.50!

Lastly, I have my specs! I got glasses for the first time in January and I didn't wear them very much as I felt quite self conscious about them. However, I have now learned how to style them so that they 'blend in' with my outfits and have therefore been wearing them a lot more. The reason why they are in my favourites is that I have been loving being able to see the world in HD when I wear them! Hahahah. Everything is so much clearer and brighter, and although they are only very weak glasses, it makes such a difference! If you take anything from this post, I really urge you to go and get your eyes tested because seriously, you may be missing out on seeing a lot of things! My glasses were from Vision Express, I can't find a link to them on the website but I know someone that got the same frame last week so they must still be available.

I hope you enjoyed this favourites posts, and let me know in the comments if you would like to see more in the future. 

emma x