Beauty favourites!

This was originally supposed to be a March favourites post but I just kept putting off writing it due to the work load at University! So instead, I thought I'd just review some beauty favourites of mine instead, ones that I've been loving for ages and not just the month of March.

Micellar water is brilliant for removing the bits of make-up that removal wipes just can't clear. I love this product! The Garnier micellar water is a brilliant product and it leaves my skin completely clear. I use it after taking my make-up off with a removal wipe but I also use it first thing in the morning to clean my morning face before putting my make-up on. It is so gentle and it doesn't sting my eyes. I was using the simple micellar water before and I didn't get on with that at all, it stung my eyes and burned my skin a little. But each to their own! This bottle isn't too expensive, at the moment you can get 400ml of this in Boots for £3.33, original RRP is £4.99. There are 3 types of the Garnier micellar water that I'm aware of - one for sensitive skin, one for combination to sensitive skin and one for combination to oily & sensitive skin.

I find Avon a bit 'hit and miss', it all depends on the catalogue. But I really do rave about this product! I suffer quite bad with blackheads, particularly on my nose and this does help clear it up and prevent any further break outs. I use it a couple of times in a week, which is what the product suggests to get the best results. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head how much this product is but I don't think it's too pricey - I'm going to give a guestimate and say between £4 - £7?

Now, I love love looooove The Body Shop! I wouldn't class the products from this shop as 'high end' but it isn't cheap and the products definitely don't look/feel/behave (?) cheap! The vitamin C microdermabrasion (around £15) is a lovely skin exfoliator, the shea butter makes my skin feel soft and look somewhat radiant! It helps to tone my skin as well. I don't use it often, I want to try and keep it as long as possible!

The seaweed day cream (I think around £12) is a best seller at the body shop and I completely understand why. I have a combination complexion and this works well on my dry areas and oily areas! I absolutely love wearing this product before putting on my make-up.

Now this is a holy grail primer product! I got this tip from watching Kathleen lights on YouTube as she raved about using this under her foundation. When I tried it out, I absolutely loved it! It made my skin tacky and so my products stuck to my face really well without making it difficult to blend. I would definitely suggest picking this up as a primer. The bottle has 100ml of product and costs around £5, although I picked it up in Tesco for £2.50 so just keep your eyes out for rollbacks!

Unfortunately the bottles are glass. I realised this as I knocked it off the side and it smashed on the floor, the product spilling everywhere. I am still heartbroken about it and it happened a few days ago now.

I got these two products for Christmas (there is absolutely NO way I could afford this product on my student budget) from my boyfriend because I had heard wonderful things about them. Originally, the luminous silk foundation would not get along with my skin. Half way through the day there would be absolutely no coverage on my nose. That was back in the winter though and as the weather has got better and my skin has got better, I couldn't love the foundation more! The price ranges from £33 - £37 depending on what store you buy it in. It is a light/medium coverage foundation but it feels so light on the skin and I conceal the areas that need that little bit more coverage.

I wasn't intending to ask for the fluid sheer (shade 14) for Christmas but when the GA consultant tried the foundation on me, she put this shade of fluid sheer on and I instantly fell in love with it! It has a subtle shimmer so I mix it with my foundation on days I want to feel a bit more 'Spring-y'. Otherwise I put it on areas I would like to bronze. It really does illuminate the skin! Again, this product ranges from £35 to £37 depending on where it's bought.

Too Faced are a brilliant high end make-up brand so I am forever thankful to my boyfriend for buying me this product. It was £39 from Debenhams and it's definitely worth that money! I've never seen eyeshadows so pigmented. And they last all day on my eyes! I love my eyeshadow palettes, I do rave about the Urban Decay Naked palettes but the pigmentation on this particular palette is the best I have EVER seen. From the Chocolate Bar palette, you can make a really subtle brown look for the day or make a smokey purple eye for an evening do up. The best thing about this product? It smells like chocolate! If you don't have it, BUY IT!

Finally, my current favourite lipstick is Cherish by MAC cosmetics (satin finish). It's a lovely soft-peachy nude, which is wonderful for Spring/Summer! It's the perfect day colour. It is so pigmented and lasts for an extremely long time while feeling so light on the lips.

Lipsticks from MAC cost £15.50 and you can get them in MAC stores or department stores, such as Debenhams.










There you have it, my beauty favourites! What do you guys rave about? Until another day when I get around to writing again

My expensive beauty haul!

Well I haven't blogged in a few days, I've been absolutely swamped with my uni work and I've been having mind blanks, finding nothing to write about. This weekend though was student loan weekend and I have spent a lot of money on beauty products and clothes... Oopsy! Here is my beauty haul.

Firstly, I spent a whopping £34.20 on Naked 2 (10% off at Debenhams, yay!).

I haven't used much of it but I did a mild smokey eye for my night out last night and I've got the say the colours are really pigmented! If you've primed your eyes properly, the eye shadow stays on really well (I use L'oreal Color Riche primer). "Tease" is a good shade for the crease and "bootycall" is really good for highlighting your brows. I absolutely love the shade "busted" on the outer v of my eyes and to line the bottom lashes.


It is an expensive purchase but it's definitely well worth it.

Secondly, I spent a lovely £29.50 on Estee Lauder's double wear foundation. I've never really been any good at matching my foundations to my skin tone or buying one that suits my mixed complexion. A friend suggested this brand to me and to try a tester, so I did and I absolutely loved it! The sample from Boots had at least 10 days worth of foundation in the bottle. The texture is like water and in one coat I found I had a medium coverage but it was buildable to full coverage. The only issue I have with this foundation is the fact it has no pump so I'm always very careful pouring it out of the bottle. I'm sure I could invest in a foundation pump if it really bothered me that much.

The shade I bought was in "rattan", a warm tone which is definitely needed as I'm quite pale and I don't want to look like the ice queen now summer is coming!

My final make up purchases were from my all time favourite high street brand - Rimmel! I use their stay matte primer as I have an oily T zone and sometimes oily cheeks. It is really good for minimising my pores and allowing my foundation to set well and not look cakey.

I also invested in a lovely, warm nude from the Kate Moss collection in shade 03. It's a lovely brown nude, not a matte finish but not too glossy fortunately. I would really love to invest in a matte red lipstick so if anybody has any suggestions, please let me know!

As summer is drawing nearer, I decided to invest in a couple of summery clothing items! This first purchase was from Matalan, £8 and as you can see it's a pretty little floral sleeveless blouse. The colours aren't all too bright, I'm not a very "bright" person when it comes to clothes. The blouse is very light so when we have the gorgeous sunshine days, I'll be able to enjoy a bit of the breeze.

This is probably my favourite item of clothing that I have ever bought! My best friend pointed this out to me in Primark, for £5 and as I am a huge, HUGE Lion King fan I just had to buy it! Another sleeveless top for the summer and it's a lovely light pink (the image doesn't do the colour any justice, it's not really very neon like it's showing up).

As well as investing in two pairs of plain black leggings from Primark at £3 each, I made an investment in a pair of white jelly sandals! I saw them and instantly felt nostalgic. It was like I was 3 again on holiday in Spain with my parents! My mother always told me how much I loved my jelly shoes and 18 years later I have bought another pair. They were £4 and they are surprisingly comfy so if you're a jelly shoes fan I would invest in a pair for the cheap price that they are!







It's safe to say that my bank account is definitely crying after the weekend that it had but I think it was totally worth it. I'm already ready for another Primark haul!

I hope you're all well. Until tomorrow (or whenever I have something to write about) x