Beauty Haul

 Hi everyone,

On Sunday my boyfriend and I decided to make a trip to the Trafford Centre and even though I'm supposed to be saving for when we go to Paris, I must admit I did buy a few makeup bits and bobs. Some of these I have been meaning to get for a while now and some of them I just bought on a whim but they are mostly high street products so didn't cost too much :S

Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer (£5.49)

I have heard such good things about the Wake Me Up range by Rimmel so I thought I'd give the concealer a try. I think this is one that I'd use more under the eyes as it doesn't provide quite enough coverage for blemishes but it does give a lovely glow to your skin and make your eyes look more awake!

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Matte lipstick in colour 101 (£5.49)

I have been in the market for a true, bright red lipstick for a while and Rimmel had an offer on where you get a free mascara when you spend £10 so I thought I'd go for this one. I haven't actually tried any of the Kate Moss lipsticks before so I'm a bit behind on the hype with this product but I’m really looking forward to giving it a go.

 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Light Beige (£3.99)

I am currently using Clinique Almost Powder Makeup which I absolutely love but it's also a bit on the pricey side so I’m always open to try cheaper options. I have seen this mentioned on a few blogs recently and even though I’ve only used it a couple of times so far, I’m already really impressed with it.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Lycra Flex mascara (free!)

This is the mascara I got free for spending £10 on Rimmel products :) I've collected quite a few mascaras recently that I need to use up but I thought this was a fab offer so I definitely couldn't turn it down!

Barry M Nail Art Pen, White (£4.99)

I have seen some amazing nail art recently of different blogs, Pinterest, Instagram etc and quite a few of them mentioned that they had used the Barry M Nail Art Pens to achieve the look.

 Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Spray (£4.79)

If you saw my last post you will have seen that I have been trying to cut down on straightening my hair and leaving it curly instead. This product has been amazing for taming the frizz and making the curls more defined and this is now the second bottle I have bought. I also got another bottle of the Simple toner which is great if you have sensitive skin :)

Topshop Crescent Moon highlighter (£10)

I wasn’t planning on buying another highlighter but when I saw how lovely this one from Topshop was I just couldn’t resist! I’ll do a full review of this product once I’ve had a chance to use it a bit more.

Topshop Matte nail polish (£6)

I really don’t need any more nail polishes as I have been getting gel manicures but I really loved the look of this colour and I haven’t tried a matte polish before. I also got a free lipgloss for spending over £15 :)

Victoria’s Secret Love Spell body spray (£11)

Victoria’s Secret has just opened at the Trafford Centre and I was in there for ages spraying all the different body sprays and trying to decide which one to get! In the end I went for Love Spell which is a gorgeous Peach and Cherry Blossom scent.

Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation (£28)

This is about my 5^th bottle of Estee Lauder foundation and I’ve never stuck with a foundation for so long before. I absolutely love this product as it is one of the few foundations that I have found that I can rely on to stay put throughout my long days at work.

So that’s everything! I got a couple of freebies in there which I am chuffed with but I definitely won’t be buying much makeup for a while now as I am well and truly stocked up!

Have you guys tried any of the products I bought? Which products have you bought recently that you would recommend or say to avoid?

Thanks for reading :) xx

Ditching the Straighteners! And Umberto Giannini Curl Friends

Hi everyone :)

Recently I have been trying really hard to improve the condition of my hair and get it looking healthier. Years of straightening and dying it have played a huge part in thinning my hair out and it just doesn't seem to want to grow at all either. So I have decided to put myself on a straightening ban until the condition of my hair improves and it grows!

I have been using the Milkshake Hair Treatment (£14.95) twice a week in order to keep my hair hydrated and also to help protect my colour so hopefully I won’t have to get it done as often. To use the treatment you simply apply to wet hair after shampooing and conditioning, leave for 3-5 minutes and rinse out. Once I'm out of the shower I have then been applying Moroccan Oil (£30ish) to the ends of my hair as this is where it is driest and the most damaged.

After I have applied some Moroccan Oil and brushed through I then get a small amount of the Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Scrunching Jelly (£4.79) and scrunch it into my hair and then leave it to dry naturally. I usually tie my hair up in bed but I’ve found that the curls stay a lot nicer if I leave my hair down whilst I’m asleep. When I wake up in the morning I simply spritz my hair with some of the Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Natural Styling spray which can be used on dry hair, scrunch again and go!

I have found a lot of products for curly hair leave it really crispy and wet looking but the Umberto Giannini products don’t do that unless you go overboard with them. They have been an absolute saviour to me whilst I’ve been having my hair curly and I would definitely recommend them :)

It has been really difficult for me to ditch the straighteners and I do still find myself reaching for them now and again. However, I was straightening my hair up to twice a day (I know I know it’s terrible!) and I’ve now cut down to just two or three times a week. I have seen an improvement in the condition of my hair since cutting back but I am now challenging myself to go two full weeks without straightening it all. On the positive side it is a lot quicker to do my hair in the morning now!

Have any of you guys been trying to ditch the straighteners? I’d love any tips on ways to style curly hair as well as I am fed up of just having it down!

Thanks for reading :) xx

Boots No7 BB Beauty Lip Balm

Hi everyone :)

I have to say even though they were all the rage, I wasn't a huge fan of BB creams and CC creams and the only one I have really liked is the L'oreal Nude Magique BB cream. However, when I saw these new BB lip balms from Boots No7 I just had to give them a try and see how they faired in comparison.

There are six shades to choose from, ranging from pale nude colours to bright berry, but as usual I went for a girly pink shade called Blink Pink. These balms are more of a lip gloss and promise to provide nourishment, UV protection as well as a flick of glossy colour. I did think that they would perhaps have more benefits to them being a BB balm (I don't really class the colour as one) but I suppose there aren't loads of properties a lip gloss can have.

I really like the subtle hint of colour this lip gloss gives and the texture of it is lovely and smooth and not at all sticky. It has good staying power and feels much more nourishing and hydrating than a regular lip gloss. Having said that it hasn't had any lasting effect on my lips like a balm would and therefore the main benefit to this product is probably the UV protection.

 Overall I would pick this lip gloss over any other in my collection if my lips were feeling a bit on the dry side and I wanted something with a bit of shine. For this reason I'd say its a great everyday product and definitely worth a try but it won't provide any lasting improvement to the condition of your lips.

Have any of you tried the Boots No7 BB Balms? What were your thoughts?

Thanks for reading :) xx