Mascara’s of the Moment

I thought I would do a post on my favourite mascara’s of the moment because last week I realised that I have been happy with the way that my lashes have looked for ages and had finally settled into a collection of mascara’s that I love. My 6 favourites have a good balance between high-end and high-street!

My ultimate favourite night-out mascara is the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes. This mascara both lengthens and volumises in one stroke. This isn’t exactly cheap at around the £20 mark but it is definitely worth it. Fantastic for a night out dancing on the tiles!

Secondly is my Lancome Hypnose Stars Mascara. This is hands down the prettiest mascara packaging I have ever seen: it’s glittery! The formula is lovely and really elongates your lashes. It is not particularly volumising but makes your lashes look lusciously long!

The last ‘high-end’ mascara in my favourite is the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara. This has a teeny tiny brush which is perfect for getting in to the corners of your eyes. This also lasts really well and will definitely be my must-have for any wedding!

Now on to the drugstore mascara’s.

An old favourite of mine is Maybelline’s One by One. I was addicted to this years ago and then it was discontinues but relaunched last year. The brush in this is one of the hard rubber brushes and lengthens and separates your lashes. Great for day-to-day use!

Another favourite of mine is Rimmel’s ScandalEyes Flex Mascara. This mascara has a really large brush and volumises lashes but in a nice natural way. The formula isn’t too thick so lashes don’t tend to clump together too much.

My newest drugstore discovery is L’oreal’s Volume Million Lashes So Couture. This formula lengthens the lashes fantastically and the rubber brush separates lashes.

I hope that this has given mascara inspiration to all different budgets.

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June Favourites

ESTEE LAUDER BLUSHER IN ELECTRIC PINK I have used this blusher every single day since I purchased it. It is the perfect natural flush of colour which lasts all day

RIMMEL MATCH PERFECTION FOUNDATION IN IVORY This foundation has a lovely consistency and is easily blendable with both fingers or brushes and because it doesn’t have any shimmer it is the perfect day foundation

INDEED LABS EYSILIX EYE CREAM This eye cream has a beautiful creamy texture and is really moisturising but doesn’t leave your under eye feeling tight

YANKEE CANDLE IN PINEAPPLE CILANTRO This is a lovely sweet scent for summer and tastes delectable

REN ROSA CENTIFOLIA HOT CLOTH CLEANSER This is only a sample size but I will definitely be purchasing the full size. This cleanser is creamy and lifts off all makeup including mascara and smells wonderful

DIOR VERNIS IN TRA-LA-LA This polish has a wonderful smooth texture and the colour is absolutely stunning. I have never had so many compliments about my nails before

MAYBELLINE ONE BY ONE MASCARA This was a firm favourite of mine years ago so I was so glad when they reissued it last year. This gives a lovely natural look that lengthens and separates lashes

SOAP AND GLORY ARCHERY BROW TINT AND PENCIL This is the perfect colour for both my hair and skin tone and I tend to use the pencil end more to give a natural brow look, however, the tint end is good for when there is gap in your brow

IT’S A 10 MIRACLE LEAVE-IN PRODUCT This leave in conditioner is amazing. It really nourishes the hair without making it greasy. Baby soft hair after the first use

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May Birchbox

LIZ EARLE CLEANSE & POLISH HOT CLOTH CLEANSER | Full size £13.25 100ml | Sample 30 ml £3.97 | I have used this product before so I know that it is brilliant and I was very pleased to see that they had included the muslin cloth

SOIGNE BOTANIQUE NAIL POLISH IN CREME AU BEURRE | Full size £11 10ml | It was nice to receive a full size nail polish and the colour looks lovely. I have never heard of this brand before so will keep you posted

BENEFIT THEY’RE REAL MASCARA | Full size £19.50 8.5g | Sample 3g £6.88 | This is a fantastic mascara that I have had before so I am glad to have this sample to use it again

BEAUTY PROTECTOR PROTECT SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER | Full size £14 (Doesn’t say size) | This is a birchbox exclusive brand that is all sorts of nasties-free so I am interested to try this out, however it would have been nice to have a more well-known brand

AROMATHERAPY ASSOCIATES REVIVE MORNING BATH & SHOWER OIL | Full size £40 55ml | Sample 3ml £2.18 | I am really glad to have received this product as I have heard amazing things about their bath oils so am excited to try this out

Overall I am pleased with this months box. It is nice to see come popular brands in there. However, some of the sample sizes are a little bit small such as the bath oil. I like to try products out more than once before deciding what I think of them and the small samples don’t allow for that. That being said, I still look forward to receiving my birchbox every single month

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A very naughty haul!

I went a bit shopping mad this past week and ended up with this little lot!

First of all the scarf…….. I love the contrast of the grey and bright pink…….. absolutely perfect for spring! I picked this up in Primark for £4!

Next up is this beautiful nude lipstick. I have been looking for the perfect nude lip but all the ones I have tried haven’t hit the mark, whereas this colour is perfect. This is from L’Oreal Paris’ Color Riche Collection Privee in the colour Doutzen’s Nude. It is the perfect nude that is not too brown but not too pink!

Boots had 3 for 2 so I also picked up this Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Mascara! I accidentally picked up the waterproof version and I am so disappointed with this mascara. After I had applied two coats my lashes barely looked different to having no mascara on. Maybe the non-waterproof one would be better!

The last item I picked up from Boots 3 for 2 offer was this L’Oreal Paris Lumi Magique concealer in Light. I didn’t think that this concealer had very good coverage but I like it for applying over another concealer to highlight the under-eye.

I have always wanted to try Physicians Formula but it is not normally available in the UK. However, I discovered this in TKMaxx. It was the only product they had by this brand but I am so glad that I found it. The bronzer is lovely and surprisingly it isn’t too orange for my pale skin and the blusher is a lovely coral colour. This product also has the added benefit of having a mirror and small brush underneath. I am definitely looking forward to trying more products from this brand!

I picked up some more Invisibobble hair bands. I have these in the yellow and they are amazing. They do not dent your hair and they prevent getting tight hairs when your hair is up! If you wear your hair up often then definitely check these out!

Beautybay had an extra 10% off over easter weekend so I picked up these two summer colours. The pink is from the Brazil Collection and is ‘Kiss Me I’m Brazilian’. The purple is ‘You’re such a Budapest’ from the Euro Centrale collection! These are both must have colours for spring/summer and have a fantastic formula!

Last but definitely not least, Nails Inc had an 8 piece special collection for only £20……. I couldn’t resist!

From L – R (Top) : Hay Hill, Weighhouse Street, Providence Court, Adam’s Row

From L – R (Bottom) : Palace Gate, Beaufort Street, Kensington Square, St Catherine’s Dock

There is not one colour in this collection that I am not in love with! They are all beautiful colours with fantastic formulas so keep your eyes peeled for some NOTD’s using these beauties!

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A very pink basket!

I went in to boots to grab the new Garnier Miceller Water as my L’oreal one is almost empty, but of course I was tempted by a couple of other products.

So I picked up the Garnier Miceller Water which was the reason that I went in to Boots. It comes in a 400ml size and has much nicer packaging that the L’oreal version. It was fairly effective at removing my makeup but I have only used it a couple of times so cannot tell what effect it has on my skin yet. I can already tell you that it is not os good as Bioderma but then it is half the price and much easier to get in the UK.

No7 had an offer where you get a free gift if you buy any two products, so I picked up 2 new blushes.

The first blush I picked up was one of there Pop & Glow Cream Blushes in the colour Rose Blossom. This is a beautiful bright pink which really looks fresh on my porcelain skin. I thought that this product might be quite hard to blend but it was surprisingly easy.

The second blusher I picked up was a limited edition powder blush palette in Peony Petals.

This is such a beautiful product and the packaging is really nice as well. This blush has quite a bit of shimmer in it, which I wouldn’t usually go for, but the colour is so delicate and beautiful that I think it will be beautiful for summer. This colour is really easy to apply and has good colour payoff like all No7 blushes.

Because I purchased 2 No7 products I got their spring free gift.

The gift contains:

• Skin Illuminator Radiance Boosting Beauty Fluid in Peach – this is fairly shimmery and I don’t think it would work well with a camera flash
• High Shine Lip Crayon in Delicate Pink – this is a lovely natural pink BUT it has glitter particles in it which is very strange
• Stay Perfect Eye Shadow in Cappuccino Trio (I don’t know why it is called trio when there is only one colour)
• Exceptional Definition Mascara in Black – I haven’t tested this yet because I’m saving it to try when I go skiing next week

The last thing I picked up was a box of Strawberry & Cream Lindt. These are the best chocolates EVER!! Boots is the only shop that I can find them in so I can’t resist picking up a box whenever I’m shopping!

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Mini Bicester Haul and NOTD

Me and my mom went to Bicester Village Outlet yesterday

I was very restrained and only purchased three items

The first item was a yellow and pink Ted Baker pencil case. The usual retail price on these is £19 and I paid £12 for this one so roughly a third off. They also had a black one with pale pink bow for the same price

I bought two items from ‘The Cosmetics Company’

I purchased the Clinique bottom lash mascara in 01 black

The brush is tiny so perfect for getting the lashes in the corners of your eyes. I used it this morning and was impressed with it but only time will tell if its a new must have

This retails at £12 and I paid £8.50 so a discount of £3.50

I also purchased a MAC nail polish in Soiree which is a light rose gold colour. This retails for £11 and I paid £7.75 so a discount of £3.25. This product is still available on maccosmetics.co.uk. It applied nicely and was full coverage in two coats so I will definitely be purchasing some other MAC colours

So in total if I had paid full price for these three items it would have cost me £42, however through shopping at Bicester Village I only paid £28.25 for the three items so I made a saving of £13.75

One thing to note about Biscester Village is that many of the brands are high end brands such as Prada, Jimmy Choo, Kate Spade, Mulberry, but there are still bargains to be had for someone with a more modest budget from shops such as The Cosmetics Company, Cath Kidston, Links London and The North Face

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3 for 2 Beauty Haul

GOSH NATURAL BLUSH IN FLOWER POWER | £6.99 Superdrug | This blusher is the best blusher I have ever tried. A little definitely goes a long way with this product. The colour is a beautiful pink which gives a natural flush. Looks very scary in the packaging but beautiful when applied. The texture is lovely also. I will definitely be trying more of the colours in this range

L’OREAL PARIS NUDE MAGIQUE BB BLUSH | £7.99 Boots | When i tested this in the shop it was an interesting product. It comes out of the tube almost clear, but on contact with skin it transforms into a beautiful pink. I thought that this would be a new must-have product especially in the summer. However, the colour stains the skin. After applying it I was left with pink fingertips that no makeup remover would remove. An intriguing but disappointing product.

  From L-R | Loreal BB Blush, Gosh Flower Power

BOURJOIS ANTICERNE POUR PETITS MATINS CONCEALER | £6.50 Boots | I have tried bourgeois concealers in the past so thought that I would try this one. I really like the brush applicator, however, this does mean that you get less product than other types of concealer. This concealer has good coverage and lasts pretty well. The only disappointing thing is that it does not have any sort of highlighting effect, however, this does make it good for covering blemishes.

SLEEK I-DIVINE PALETTE IN AU NATURALE | £7.99 Superdrug | This has become a cult beauty product so I finally caved in and bought this. I went for the natural option because I don’t wear much colour on my eyes. These shadows are so pigmented and easy to apply. The best thing about this palette is that there is a mix of matte and shimmer shades which enables you to create a whole variety of looks.

Top L-R | Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast, Taupe

Bottom L-R | Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir

MAYBELLINE ONE BY ONE MASCARA | £8.49 Superdrug | My one peace is that this is advertised as new yet this was my favourite mascara a couple of years ago. Don’t just re-launch products Maybelline but claim that they’re new. Rant over, this is a fantastic mascara. I usually don’t like plastic brushes but this is just fabulous. It really does separate each lash with no clumps at all. If you did not try it first time round then definitely give it a go.

REAL TECHNIQUES MIRACLE COMPLEXION SPONGE | £5.99 Boots | I had heard fantastic things about this especially for blending in concealer. This lives up to its expectations. It really does give a flawless coverage when used with concealer, both under the eyes and on blemishes.  Definitely worth a try especially when it’s on the 3for2 offer at boots.