Haul | Beauty Sale Purchases

Although I already have enough beauty products to stock the shelves of a boots store living in my bedroom, the January sales still managed to get the better of me. Yep, in true beauty addict style, I couldn't resist a cheeky purchase! I always love scoping out the online beauty sales after Christmas as there's usually some total bargains to be found and its a good opportunity to grab a few bits I've had my eye on for a while. I only bought five products which is pretty well restrained for me. Here's a bit more about each of them ...

First up are the Tanya Burr 'Bambi Eyes' lashes and I bought these with the intention of wearing them on NYE. I really love Tanya's Youtube channel and her lashes always look beautiful and fluttery so I thought I'd give these a try to help me achieve the glam look I was going for on New Years Eve. However, after rushing around to get ready, I ended up wearing my trusty Vintage Cosmetics Company eyelashes in the style 'Gracie' as I find them so quick and easy to apply. I did attempt to apply these ones but because they're a fuller lash than I'm used to, I found them more difficult to work with and I just didn't have the time. They were slightly too long for my lash line and needed a trim so before my next night out, I'll make sure I have more time spare to trim them and apply them properly. I really like how the lashes look in the box and I think they'll look fab when I do get to wear them. I picked them up from Superdrug and they were around £4 instead of £5.49!

Another thing I bought for NYE and didn't end up wearing because of timing issues (note to self - be more organised in the future) are the imPress press-on manicure in the shade 'Rated R', a gorgeous burgundy. I didn't have time to get my nails done before NYE and as my natural nails are in a pretty bad state, I thought these would be a better choice. I'm gutted I didn't have time to apply them as I've heard such good things and they supposedly last for a week or more which is pretty impressive for stick on nails. I'll definitely be wearing these along with Tanya's lashes on my next big night out.

I also picked up a few bits in the Feel Unique sale as they're definitely my favourite website for all things beauty and they had some great offers! I bought the Redken Extreme CAT Protein Reconstructing Treatment as my hair has been snapping recently and my hairdresser recommended Redken products to help get it back in good condition. I hadn't actually realised my hair had snapped until he pointed it out as it feels and looks in good condition. However, after a few dodgy dye jobs and over colouring, pieces of my hair have started to snap! Argh! I'm hoping this protein treatment spray which promises to reconstruct, protect and recondition will help get it back in tip top condition and prevent any further damage. The only thing I will say is that this isn't a very convenient product - I thought it was a spray and leave-in treatment when I bought it but it actually needs to be washed out after 3-5 minutes so I think I'll be saving this for the days I'm relaxing in the bath! If you've used this, let me know in the comments below how you use it as there may be other ways around it!

Another hair product I picked up is Ruth Crilly aka blogger and youtuber 'A Model Recommends' COLAB dry shampoo in the scent 'New York'. This isn't something I'd intended on picking up but when I saw it amongst the sale, I thought I'd give it a try as a change from my usual Batiste. I'm a big fan of using dry shampoos on lazy days and I've been really impressed with this one. It smells amazing and it refreshed my hair nicely without weighing it down or leaving any obvious white marks. I've heard mixed reviews on this product but on first impressions, I'm a fan!

Finally, I picked up the Omorovicza Cleansing Mitt as again, it was reduced in price and I naturally thought 'why not?'. Considering I never used to do a 'proper' cleanse (I know, shame on me) and would regularly turn to a pack of face wipes to remove my makeup, times have clearly changed. I'm now buying special cleansing mitts to remove excess cleanser from my face - how fancy of me. To be honest, this definitely isn't an essential product and a regular face cloth will do the exact same job but after watching QVC and seeing them using something similar in one of their Elemis features, I just had to get one for myself. It is a bit of a novelty  item but I like that I can slot my hand in and rub it around my face to remove any leftover cleanser and exfoliate my skin. Its made from a lovely soft cotton fabric and I like having this hanging over my bathroom sink - it makes me feel like I'm having a proper spa facial each time I use it with my beloved Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing balm!

I hope you enjoyed seeing which beauty bits I bought myself in the sales - I'm looking forward to giving everything a proper try and I'll be sure to report back with my thoughts soon. I've also got a a 'none beauty' haul coming your way very soon too!

Did you treat yourself in the sales too? Have you tried any of these products?

Lots of love,

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ELF 50% Off Sale - Haul Time

When I spotted Elf were having an extremely generous 50% off sale across their whole website as a thank you for hitting 20,000 twitter followers, I knew it wouldn't be long until my online basket had a few treats sitting in it. I clearly know myself well because as soon as the discount code was released, I headed straight over to the elf website and began browsing their huge range of products. To be honest, I didn't really need anything but as a beauty blogger and someone obsessed with trying new makeup, not needing anything isn't going to stop me. There's a difference between need and want after all and I imagine no matter how much makeup I have, I'll always want more. We all have our weaknesses in life and I guess buying makeup is mine - it could be worse.

So after having a browse, I popped a selection of products I liked the sound/look of into my basket. The choice was totally random as there wasn't any specific products I was looking for but on reflection there was actually so much I wanted to try! However, I think I was pretty well restrained and only ended up buying six products. I realise that still sounds like quite a lot but due to the 50% discount, I only spent around £13.00. Such a bargain! Since receiving the products I haven't actually had chance to try them all yet so this post is going to be more of a first impressions post than actual reviews so do let me know if you'd like in-depth reviews on any of these products when I've had chance to give them a thorough test.

Complete Coverage Concealer Kit | Light | £3.75 | Link

I've been on the hunt for a good under-eye concealer for such a long time now and although I've tried various products that claim to cover dark circles, I've been left pretty disappointed with them all. With this being said, I decided I'd try this cute little kit from elf. I went for the 'light' kit from the three options available (light, medium and dark) and am pretty pleased with the range of shades - they all match my skin tone and can be used for different purposes. The two light shades (left) are great for brightening the under eye area while the salmon toned shade (second from the right) works well at counteracting dark circles. The darkest shade on the far right works well at covering blemishes. Overall I'm seriously impressed with this little kit - the concealers are creamy, very pigmented and cover dark circles and blemishes effortlessly.

Powder Blush | Twinkle Pink | £3.75 | Link

To be honest, I have no idea why I bought this product as I never really wear pink on my cheeks. I think I was having a brave 'why not step out of my comfort zone' kind of moment and this shade of pink is quite subtle so I'm hoping it will look nice against my pale skin in the winter months and give me a nice natural flush of colour. I haven't tried it yet but the colour is very pretty when swatched - I'm just slightly concerned that its too glittery for my liking but we'll see.

Mineral Glow | Shimmer | £7.00 | Link

Again, another random purchase but the description of this product on the elf website sucked me in and I couldn't leave without purchasing. This mineral powder is available in two shades (bronzer and shimmer) and is said to add a glow to your skin. I went for the shade 'Shimmer' as I wanted something fairly natural that would give my skin some radiance but on first impressions, I'm just not sure about this. I haven't tried it on my face yet so I can't judge it fairly yet but when swatched on my hand there is quite noticeable chunks of glitter within it which is a big no-no if I'm going to be dusting this all over my face. Disco ball face is not a good look. I'm hoping this will prove me wrong once I've tried it properly thought so I'll keep you posted. Also, apologies that there's no swatch of this product - it didn't show up when I tried to photograph it!

All Over Colour Stick | Spotlight | £1.50 | Link

When I spotted this product, it instantly reminded me of a NARS multiple which is a high end product I've had my eye on for quite some time now. I hear the multiples are great for giving the skin a radiant glow but before I splurge on one of those, I thought I'd try this little elf dupe to see if I enjoy the 'stick' style application. I also love a good multi-use product so the fact this can be used on the cheeks, lips or eyes gets a big thumbs up from me. I went for the shade Spotlight which I believe is the lightest of the shades as the main way I intend to use it is along the top of my cheekbones and potentially under my brow bone and in the inner corners of my eyes. I can't seen this product working well on my lips due to it being so light but I'm not too bothered about that. On first impressions it isn't as creamy as I'd hoped but the champagne shade is very pretty and I think it'll work well at adding a subtle radiance to my face.

Studio Matte Lip Colour | Rich Red | £3.75 | Link

When it comes to makeup, my ultimate weakness is all things lip related  so I clearly couldn't leave the elf website without treating myself to some lip goodness. I've already tried a couple of elf's mineral lipsticks which are absolutely lovely so I decided to try one of their Matte Lip Colours as a bit of a change from a standard lipstick. I've been looking for a deep red lip colour as I think that's a beautiful shade to wear in the winter months and 'Rich Red' looked like a the perfect deep red shade on the elf website. However, in reality this is actually more pink than red so that's a bit disappointing. Don't get me wrong I'll still use it as its still a lovely colour and the formula is great but its always a bit annoying when something isn't what you expected it to be.

Eye Shadow Brush | £1.50 | Link

Makeup brushes are something I use to apply my makeup every single day so one more can't hurt, can it? I've heard good things about elf brushes so I decided it was about time I tried one for myself. I opted for this eye shadow brush as I though it looked like a good all-rounder for packing on eyeshadow, blending in the crease or applying shadow underneath the waterline. On first impressions it isn't as soft as the other eye brushes I'm used to using but considering I only paid 75 pence with the 50% discount code, I'm not expecting miracles.

Overall I've got mixed opinions on this bunch of products. On first impressions I'm highly impressed with the concealer kit and matte lip colour but I'm going to have to give the others a proper try before deciding if they're a hit or a miss.

Did you treat yourself to something from elf's 50% sale? Have you tried any of these products? 

Lots of Love,

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Boots 'Holiday Essentials' Haul

Every time I go on my holibobs, there's always a few beauty essentials that come along with me. I hate being unorganised when I go on holiday and being the beauty obsessor that I am, the thought of forgetting to take along said essentials sends me straight into panic mode. With this being said, a trip to Boots before going away on holiday is one of my top priorities. With this being said, on Saturday my boyfriend and I made our way to Boots and rummaged around the isles like mad people looking for all things holiday. Here's what went straight into my basket ...

Hair

Batiste Cherry Dry Shampoo

If like me you wash your hair everyday on holiday (a days worth of chlorine or sea water sends my hair wild) you're probably wondering why I'm taking along a dry shampoo. Now although I won't be using it to refresh any oily roots between washes, I will be using it for volume and texture and to give my freshly washed hair a bit of body instead. Plus it smells like cherries, yum!

VO5 Give Me Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner

I've used the volume version of these vo5 shampoo and conditioners in the past and absolutely loved them. I found the shampoo lathers up really nicely and the conditioner makes my hair much more manageable and tangle-free. However, as I'm going to a hot destination, I decided to try the moisture range instead. My hair is prone to drying out and sitting in the sun all day will only add to that so I'm hoping this will help my locks remain healthy and glossy. I also thought these bottles were an ideal size for a weeks worth of use too - not too big and not too small.

Boots Extra Firm Hairspray

I can't say this is hairspray of choice but it was the cheapest mini I could find. I don't use hairspray a great deal so I wasn't willing to splash out on a mini bottle for one week away when I have humongous bottles of the stuff at home. This one is Boots own and has an extra firm hold so I'm sure it will do its job.

Toni & Guy Salt Spray

When I'm on holiday, I'm very lazy with my hair. When its hot outside and there's humidity in the air, the last thing I want to do is use heat on it. I tend to go for quick and easy styles like natural beach waves or top knots instead. Thats where a Sea Salt spray like this one from Toni & Guy comes in very handy. Just a quick spritz over the hair transforms locks from frizzy to 'messy chic'. I'm sure I'll be using this most evenings and the super cute mini bottle means its travel friendly too.

Sun Protection

Piz Buin After Sun

After a long day of baking myself in the sun, I love nothing more than slathering on a cooling After Sun. Not only does After Sun sooth the skin and heal any burnt bits faster, it also moisturises and leaves the skin feeling supple and soft. As well as all that goodness, this one from Piz Buin also contains a 'tan intensifying' plant extract. Oooh, golden glowy skin, here I come.

Garnier Golden Protect Factor 20

I bought this factor 20 Garnier oil to use on my arms and legs. You're probably wondering whey I'm only going to be using this on those areas but I'll get onto that in the next product summary. I really like the fact this is an oil SPF as I find them much easier to use than white lotions that seem to take forever and a day to absorb into the skin. I'm hoping it does what it says on the tin and helps me achieve a golden tan whilst preventing sunburn.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL 50+ Nutritive Oil & Gel-Cream*

Okay this is a little bit of a cheat as I was sent these products and didn't buy them myself. However, they are from Boots and they are a holiday essential so it made sense for me to include them. This new range of tanning products from La Roche-Posay are aimed at those who have very sensitive skin and need a high protection, hence the factor 50+. Now you might be thinking, "who in their right mind would wear factor 50, you won't get a tan". However, as someone with exceptionally sensitive skin and someone who once got so sunburnt they ended up getting an injection in hospital, wearing a high factor is hugely important to me. I'm planning on using the nutritive oil on my chest and stomach as they're both prone to sun burn and the gel-cream on my face which again, is very prone to getting burnt. 

Vichy 50+ Capital Soleil Velvety Cream*

Again, this is a bit of a cheat as it was sent to me along with the La Roche-Posay products and again its a high factor 50+ sun protection. Specifically designed for the face this SPF also contains hyaluronic acid and light silicone to instantly plump the skin and provide water resistance. I've tried it out as a normal moisturising cream and like most Vichy products, its absolutely lovely. It sinks in effortlessly and I imagine this will be a great one to slather all over my face without it clogging up my skin and making me look greasy.

Body & Miscellaneous

Boots Cucumber Cleansing Wipes

Yes I bought some face wipes, don't judge me. I know face wipes aren't the best things to use on the skin and they certainly aren't ideal to use instead of a cleanser but for a week away, they're handy to have. I decided to get these cucumber ones from Boots own range as the cucumber should have a nice cooling effect on my skin after long days in the sun. Also, when I go on holiday, the last thing I want to do is faff around with a laborious skincare routine. If I want to trade my expensive cleansers for some cheap face wipes for a few days, I bloomin' well will. I am going on holiday to relax after all.

Original Source Lime Shower Gel

Shower gel - a boring yet essential beauty product. After long sweaty days in the sun, this Original Source shower gel with its zesty lime scent is sure to leave me feeling refreshed and clean.

Sure Cotton Deodorant

Another boring yet essential product this time in the form of a Sure deodorant. I'm sure you all know why I bought this. Other than the fresh cotton scent, nobody wants to risk ruining their favourite holiday outfit with pesky sweat patches.

Venus Pro Skin Razor

I don't know why but every time I go away on holiday, I buy a new razor. I've got no idea why the one currently sat in my shower just doesn't cut it (no pun intended) but it just doesn't. Does anyone else do this or is that just me and my strange habits? Anyway, this one from Venus comes with 3 blades and shower gel shave bars. This means theres no need to use a shaving gel as the nifty little gel shave bars help to protect the skin and provide a smooth shave. Oh, now I can't that "Ooh baby she's got it" song from the Venus advert out of my head. Damn! 

Hair Ties & Grips

Another thing I buy before every holiday, hair ties and girps. As I mentioned earlier, I tend to throw my hair up in messy buns and what not when I'm away so these essential for helping me achieve that. I bought them both in blonde shades so they should go undetected in my hair. There's nothing worse than blonde hair with loads of black hair pins everywhere. No no no!

So there we have it, a few holiday essentials I picked up on a recent trip to Boots. Of course this isn't everything I'll be taking with me - I already had most of the other essentials like toothpaste, plug adaptors and insect repellent at home. You can't forget about insect repellent - those damn mossies!

Have I missed anything? What are your holiday essentials?

Lots of Love,