Wednesday Wants #19

Evening all! 

Bit later in the day than I had planned to post this, but better late than never ay?!

Here's what I'm after this week...

 Firstly, this beautiful Marc B Amelia bag. This is a doctor bag, with leopard lining, and both a short and long (detachable) strap. I think quilted bags always look so classic and elegant, and the gold accents on this set it off perfectly. It's also available in Camel, which is also lovely. This is slightly pricy at £49, but I never mind spending a little bit more on bags, as I never go off them, and will use them to death.

Marc B Amelia bag- £49 from Topshop.com.

Next, something which has taken the Blogging world by storm, the MUA Undressed palette. I already own the MUA Heaven and Earth palette, which is such good quality, and I can't wait to add this to my collection! Supposedly a very good dupe or the infamous UD Naked palette, this is a fraction of the price at £4.

MUA Undressed palette- £4 (currently £3) Superdrug.

Lastly on my mind this week, is a Lush face mask, specifically Cosmetic Warrior. Designed to fight spots, but not be harsh and attack your skin, I think this is just what my spotty-but-still-very-dry-skin needs! Even though I've heard rave reviews about Lush face masks, I never bought one, so this is going to be one of the first things I buy once my spending ban is over! 

Lush Cosmetic Warrior- £5.95 for 75g

So, that's what I'm dreaming of this week! 

What's everyone else wanting? Thanks for reading! Feel free to link me to any wishlist style posts :)

Empties #2

Morning chicas!

So, I didn't actually do a post for my last empties,  but you can watch it here if you would like :)

This is my second lot of empties, there's quite a lot, and this is going to be a pretty lengthy, picture heavy post! Apologies in advance ;)


Little bubble co vanilla biscuit, Philosophy snow angel, Britney Spears cosmic radiance

1- I go through these allll the time! The little bubble co are my HG bath foam/shower gels, but I can't decide on  my number 1 fave out of vanilla biscuit, mint candy or ginger bread. Yum :)
Highly recommend, will repurchase.
2- My first ever Philosophy product! Expensive for what it is, but smelt divine. Very cool, crisp but also sweet. Not so great as a bubble bath, but lovely as a shower gel :)
Would recommend, and repurchase, but probably a bigger size.
3-Britney never fails me, in terms of music or perfume! With top notes of mandarin, litchi and pear, middle notes of peony and tuberose,  and base notes of amber and vanilla, this is a lovely daytime fragrance. To me, it smells comforting, and even homely?! 
Would recommend, and repurchase,  but I'm not in a rush to do so.
 

 Superdrug shampoo and conditioner, Superdrug dry shampoo
1, 2 & 3- Superdrug own brand shampoos and conditioners in Coconut and sweet almond, Tea tree and peppermint and Cherry and fig, These are amazing. Super cheap, and work just as well as any more expensive brand. They all smell amazing, and my whole family loves them :)
Would highly recommend, would repurchase, and I always have backups!
4&5-  For me, this is better than Batiste. It refreshes my hair, disguises grease, and gives it volume. 
Would recommend, and have repurchased many times!


Organix coconut serum, Percy and Reed hair mask, Lush Mint julips, Body Shop chocomania lip butter 
1- I've been through two bottles of this, and love it. Smells delicious, leaves hair soft and smooth, isn't expensive and lasts a long time. 
Would recommend, and repurchase.
2- Percy and Reed hydrating mask- This also smelt amazing, like fruit salad sweets!This left my hair smooth and silky, and smelling nice, but wasn't amazing, or better than any other mask. Full size is £20.
Wouldn't really recommend, and wouldn't repurchase at £20!
3-  Beautiful product! Smells (and tastes!) like after eight mints, leaves lips smooth and free of dry patches. The only down side is that I find it doesn't last very long.
Would recommend, and repurchase (but I am going to attempt to make my own first!)
4- Body shop chocomania lip butter- This is another fabulously smelling product! Really enjoyed using this, but it didn't give me the long term hydration that my dry lips need. Also, left a white cast on my lips.
Would recommend to those who don't have really dry lips, wouldn't repurchase but did enjoy.


Garnier 2 in 1 makeup remover, Soap and Glory peaches and clean, Boots double faced oval pads.
1-  My  HG eye makeup remover! Doesn't sting at all, takes of waterproof makeup really quickly and is just amazing! 
Would really recommend, and will definitely repurchase!
2-  Used this to take of my makeup before my cleanser, but didn't find it took off all my foundation easily. This smell was overpowering, sometimes I liked it, but mostly I found it too much. This can also cause photo-sensitivity, which isn't great!
Wouldn't recommend, wouldn't repurchase.
3- Boots oval pads- Not much to say on these! They're really big, and I find one is enough for both of my eyes. They never fall apart like some cotton pads!
Would recommend, and repurchase, have 3 backup packets at the moment! 


Effaclar duo, Freederm fast track, Revlon colorstay, St Ives scrub.
1- La Roche Posay Effaclar duo. This is basically a fancy spot cream. It's pretty expensive, I didn't notice it to stop any spots or unclog my pores. It also felt quite uncomfortable on my skin, and balled up underneath foundation or moisturiser. 
Wouldn't recommend (but everyone's skin is different!), and I wouldn't repurchase.
2-  Didn't notice this took away redness, reduced my spots or unclogged my pores. This wasn't expensive though.
Wouldn't recommend (but everyone's skin is different!), and wouldn't repurchase.
3- Revlon colorstay foundation in Ivory. This is my dream foundation. Flawless coverage, matte but not mask like, and lasts alllll day! Unfortunately, this is nowhere near pale enough for me: :(
Would recommend for those not as pale as me, wouldn't repurchase unless they brought out lighter shades!
4- I tried this out recently, as I remembered loving it when I was a teen. I'm not sure if my skin has changed, or if the formula has changed, but this is way too harsh for my skin now. Smells nice though.
Would recommend if you want a heavy duty scrub, but wouldn't repurchase.

Feel free to link to me to empties posts, anyone use any of these up?
Thanks for reading! :)

Haulin' #7

Aloha!

So, I did post about my spending ban recently, buuut these things were bought before then, so I haven't failed already! :)

Here is the video:

Another highly  attractive thumbnail, naaat!

Or, if you'd prefer, you can read on :)

 

In Boots, it was two for £8 on Models Own, so I got the white nail art pen (I've not been getting on with the Ebay one!), and the Hed Kandi polish in Ibiza Mix, which I loooove.

The Eau Roma Toner water was something I picked up in Lush whilst looking for Fathers day presents (he likes soap!). It's a lovely, enjoyable product, but I think it has broken me out which is a real shame. 

 

I had ran out of my beloved Chocomania lip butter, so went into Body Shop to repurchase. I am thinking about using it in a giveaway instead though, as I have so many lipbalms!

Whilst in the Body shop, I accidentally purchased the Fuzzy Peach bath and shower gel, and Watermelon body lotion, which were both on offer for £2. The fuzzy peach is the most amazing, nostalgic smell (my mum used it about ten years ago!), and the watermelon lotion smells like sherbert. Lovely :)

Last Body shop purchase was the Japanese Cherry Blossom set, with EDT and shower gel, reduced from £20, to £10.

I made an order on Illamasqua.com as I had a 15% off code. After seeing all the beautiful pictures of it in action, I bought the lipstick in Apocalips (teal). Then, a similar accident happened, and I somehow managed to buy Sonnet lipstick (peachy nude) and powder blusher in Thrust (Chicken Run, anyone?).

I haven't worn Apocalips yet, Thrust is a surprisingly wearable blusher, but Sonnet has broken my heart! It's the most beautiful shade, but it clings to dry patches sooo badly :( I am now on a lip perfecting mission, I am determined to be able to wear it!

Illamasqua Sonnet, Apocalips and Thrust.

I also bought some clothes, but didn't manage to get a decent pic of them :(

What's everyone else been buying recently? Thanks for reading! :)

If you could check out my Youtube channel, (and maybe subscribe!), I will love you forever!

Wednesday Wants #13

Hey guys!

Here is what I'm lusting after this week :) 

First up, this amazingly cute dress from Topshop. I've seen this on a few different blogs, and I think it's so cute and fun! It's on the pricier side at £48, but it's very unique!

Next, the Enrapture Encode totem hair style. Long name! This did the blogging rounds a few months ago, and was a real hit with lots of people! You can create lots of different looks with this (volumised curls, beachy loose curls, tight ringlets), as you can set each section to a different heat setting. Curls tend to be my go to look, but recently I've found I can't be bothered to faff around with my heated rollers, so I think this would be a great investment. Available at Argos for £59.99 ( Usually £74.99!).

Last up, Lush's Eau Roma water. Recently I've been loving the smell of rose (I'm secretly an old woman!), so it's mainly the smell that is attracting me to this! I've not had much luck with toners, I've found they dry out my face, and I'm not really convinced that you need them, but this one doesn't contain alcohol, so I think I'm going to try it and see if I become a toner convert :) I've also heard it's really nice to 'refresh' makeup, or just spray on during a hot day! £3.75 for 100g.

Thanks for reading :) Hope everyone is well!

Skincare Routine

Aloha! 

I've finally got round to doing a skincare routine post! I'll warn you now, this is likely to be pretty long, so grab yourself a cuppa (or something stronger if you fancy, it is a bank holiday weekend after all!), and prepare to be in this for the long haul....

Makeup Removal 

These products, I use purely to get the makeup off my face.

Garnier Simply Essential Soothing 2 in 1 Makeup Remover is absolutely amazing. It's one of those oil/water combo's that you have to shake and then put on a cotton pad. I use this to take off any eye makeup, and lipstick. It doesn't sting at all, is really quick to use, and the only negative thing I can think off is that it does leave your eyes slightly oily. That doesn't actually bug me at all, and is definitely preferable to stinging eyes!

Superdrug Vitamin E Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. I haven't actually used this for it's intended purpose, so I can't comment on how it takes off eye makeup! I use this to get off my face makeup, like a wash except it doesn't lather!  I usually rub this all over my dry face, rinse it off with water and then go over my face once again to make sure every scrap of makeup is off! This is gentle, affordable, smells nice, doesn't break me out or dry out my skin, and takes the makeup off. What more could I ask for?! I know it's a bit of a strange way to use it, but I figure if it's gentle enough for my eyes, it will be more than gentle for my face!

Washing/Cleansing

These are two of my holy grail products. I will usually use these both twice a day.

I have raved about Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash before here, so I wont get into it too much, but it's a fabulous product! This doesn't dry out my skin, but manages to clear up my skin quite impressively. It doesn't get rid off all my spots completely (I think I'm stuck with them for life!), but when I stopped using it recently I realised what a big difference this stuff does make!

Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser- My definite holy grail cleanser! This is thick and luxurious, but doesn't break me out at all, and if I stray away from this, use something different and my skin freaks out, as soon as I come back to this it calms it down! Obviously any hot cloth cleanser will get compared to the infamous Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser, but I haven't tried it, and am perfectly happy with this!  A little goes a really long way, and the 200ml tube lasts forever.

Exfoliation/Mask

Soap and Glory the Greatest Scrub Of All- this little tube has lasted me so long! Smells lush, isn't too abravise, but leaves skin feeling so, so smooth and soft, I love it! I tend to use this about three times a week. 

Body shop facial brush- when I first bought this, I didn't want to irritate my skin by using it too much, now I use it most days! I find once a day, usually with the Boots tea tree and witch hazel wash, really thoroughly cleans my skins. I've also noticed that it tends to bring spots to the surface (sorry, gross I know!), which is good as it means you can tackle them, although this probably isn't the best product to use just before a big date/event for that reason! 

Soap and Glory the Fab Pore Facial Peel- Firstly, I have no idea why this is called a facial peel. This is a mask with little beads that dissolve as you rub them in. This also smells amazing, doesn't dry out my skin, but makes a really visible difference to the way my skin looks. This mask feels really comfortable on the skin as it doesn't dry like a clay mask and make your face feel all tight. I use this once a week, maybe twice if my skin is bad! 

Moisturising

These are the moisturisers I am using at the moment. They're both from Marks and Spencers, and part of the Formula range. I use the day cream in the morning, giving in ten mins to sink in before I put on my makeup, and the nourishing night cream at night (obviously!). They're both good, but the nourishing night cream is the best overnight moisturiser I've tried, and I've tried Elizabeth Arden, Steamcream, Clarins and many others! This has the bect consistency, really thick, but easy to apply and not heavy on the skin. Unfortunately I think these have been discontinued, but if I ever see the night cream in M&S, I'm going to stock up!

Extras

I alternate between two spot creams, I am trying to use them up even though they haven't really worked for me! Lush's Grease Lightening leaves my skin feeling tight, which isn't great, but it doesn't 'ball up' underneath foundation like Freederm's Fast Track does. For this reason, I tend to favour Grease Lightning in the morning, and Freederm at night.

As a lip stick fan, I like to try and keep my lips in good condition, and my current fave for that is the Body Shop Chocomania lip butter. Thick and hydrating, but not greasy or sticky.

So there you have it, my skincare routine! Congrats if you got this far ;)

You may have noticed that I don't use a toner. I have used some before which just dried out my skin, and I seem to be doing okay withouth it, so I'm not sure if I really need it? Let me know if you use and like toner! :)

Thanks for reading, hope you are all well!

Wednesday Wants #6

Aloha guys!

Here's a few more bits that I am itching to get my grubby little hands on!

First up, this Mineral Foundation from Lilylolo.co.uk. I've heard so many good things about mineral foundation- that it gives a flawless, builable coverage, but also lets skin breathe and doesn't cause spots. This is the perfect price for me to dip my toe into the mineral foundation idea, at £12.49 from Lilylolo.co.uk.

This foundation also comes in an impressive 18 shades, with the palest actually looking pretty pale! Lily Lolo is a BUAV approved, cruelty free brand.  Thumbs up.

Next up, the Lush lip scrub Mint Julips. As you may already know, I have used (and loved) this before. My lips are really dry and gross at the moment, and it's showing up really badly under my lipstick! When I was using this, my lips were always silky smooth! As I am on my spending ban, I am not letting myself buy this! I am thinking of making my own version with things I've already got? Apparently all you need is sugar and honey! Yum. 

The Lush lip scrubs are £4.95 from Lush.co.uk and in store.

Sorry for the rubbish pic!

Lastly, the Real Techniques Core Collection. After being so impressed with the Real Techniques Stippling brush that I bought (post coming soon!) I'm really wanting to branch out and try more from the range! I've heard really great reviews about the buffing brush, which is the furthest right brush. Pretty much every review I have read has said that it is fantastic at buffing in foundation, and I wanna try! 

The Real Techniques Core Collection is £21.99 (bargain for four brushes!), and is available from Boots.com and in store.

Anyone got any wishlists to link me to? Or have any of these products?

Thanks for reading! :)

Small Collective Haul..

Hey Guys,

I've bought a few little bits over the last couple of days, and thought I would share them with you! 

My loot!

S.O.S.

Actually, S.M.S would probably be a more apt title for this post, Save My Skin!

To give you a bit of background info, when I was about 10/11, I developed serious acne. As anyone who's experienced acne will tell you, it was absolutely devastating. I became cripplingly shy and really hated myself for a while. I refused to go to the doctors out of embarrassment, even though it had gotten so bad that there wasn't a spot free patch on my entire face. Looking back now, i'm thankful I wasn't bullied, or picked on because of it, and my heart goes out to people who are/were, because that must make it about a million times worse.

Two genius Lush products..

I popped into lush recently to have a look around, and stumbled across these two products. The first is Grease Lightening, a spot gel I'd heard lots of good things about. It costs £5.65 for 45g and is definitely worth it! It wont work miracles on your skin, but what it will do is take away a lot of the redness in any spots, and ,with repeated use,  get rid of them. The only draw back to this product is that it can leave your skin a bit dry if you put too much on, but that can be said of most spot treatments. 

The next product is something I have been lusting after for a while! In winter I always find I get chapped lips, so a lip scrub is a must! The lush lip scrub is £4.95 for 25g and comes in three amazing flavours! I chose the Mint Julips but there is also Sweet Lips, which tastes like chocolate and vanilla, and Bubblegum (self explanatory!). The best thing, they're edible! If you follow the lip scrub with a balm, you'll have smooth, soft lips in no time! I think I may have to go back for the other two flavours...