January Sales Haul

Firstly, I apologise for not blogging so much recently, it's been a really busy few months for me but I am excited to be back, and thought what better way to start the year than with some beauty sales bargains!

I love the January sales, but I’ve normally spent all my money over Christmas, which means I can’t afford to go crazy. My new year’s resolution is to save money especially for the Jan sales next year! You really can’t beat the discounts. Despite being all spent up, I did make a few cheeky purchases which I’ll share with you over a couple of posts. The first few things I purchased were in the Debenhams sale.

bareMinerals - An Affair To Remember Palette

This was my biggest deliberation; I must have removed, and then re-added it to my basket about ten times. I have so many eye shadows and palettes, but I eventually gave in as the colours looked so pretty. When I opened the box and saw that the palette was rose gold I was so glad I'd bought it. This product is packaged really well and feels worth every penny of even it's full price. I picked this up for £17.50, which was half price. Can't wait to try these out properly, the shadows have a really nice variation and pigmentation.

Philosophy - Raspberry Glazed  

I love philosophy’s range of products and especially these do-it-all bottles which you can use as shampoo, shower gel or a bubble bath. They all smell amazing but the raspberry scent is one of my favourites. This was half price at £7, which is such a good discount, so I snapped one up.

Benefit - Whole Lotta Lovin' Set

These benefit sets are great, especially for when you’re travelling as they give you a full make up look in one tiny box. This particular box is a Debenhams exclusive and contains some of my favourite Benefit products, including Hoola bronzing powder, They’re Real mascara and the Boi-ing concealer. This was on offer for 33% off the original RRP at £16.66, I considered it a steal!

Elizabeth Arden - Visible Difference Refining Moisture Cream

I actually picked this up for my mum, she has very dry skin and struggles to find creams that work for her. I’m always on the lookout for something new for her to try. I love Elizabeth Arden’s 8 hour skincare line and have been wanting to try other products from the brand for a while. Costing just £15 this was my best find yet, 66% off the RRP! I’ll be waiting for the verdict from my mum once she’s tried and tested this, I have high hopes!  

So that's the first few bits I picked up in this years sales after trawling the internet for the best bargains. Did the sales tempt anyone else? More to come soon!

May Favourites

It’s the beginning of June and time to reflect on products I've been loving for the last month. This month has been super busy for me, and I’ve found myself using the same products, so picking my favourites this month has been quite easy.

Moroccanoil Light

I have been loving using this oil recently. I used to swear by my Damage Reverse Ojon oil, but after trying this I’m torn between the two! I use this on dry hair daily to finish off the styling. It smells amazing and has really made a difference to my hair. I’ve wrote a full review on this product which you can read here.

Yves Saint Laurent Shocking Eyeliner

I couldn't resist picking up this eyeliner recently in duty free, due to the fact I love YSL’s Shocking mascara so much. I absolutely love this eyeliner, the precision and definition it gives on the upper lash line is immaculate. It’s so easy to use and although it doesn’t say it’s waterproof, it doesn’t budge all night. I wrote a full review on this product, which you can read here.

 

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Eye Shadow Duo in Raisins

Again, I picked this duo up in the airport on a recent trip and literally haven’t stopped wearing it since. It’s perfect for daytime or just a subtle look for night. It has a light pearl shade which I use all over the lid, then a dark brown colour which I use through the crease for definition. I was pleasantly surprised with the darker colour as it looks more like a dark plum on me and is a really pretty colour. As always with Estee Lauder, the packing is beautiful and comes complete with a mirror and little two ended applicator.

Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick

I’d not used this product for such a long time until I picked it up again earlier this month, and I’d forgotten just how much I love these stains, and especially this colour. It’s a lovely vibrant fuchsia colour, but is really wearable at the same time. I love how you only have to apply this product once, and it gives you colour all night. I do reapply to get the balmy effect, but you really don’t need to. Great product with fab wearability.

L-R - Revlon Lip Stain in Lovesick and Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple

Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple

Red lipsticks scare me… and I think I’m not alone in the world when I say that. However I’ve found the perfect one for me in the shape of this lip butter from Revlon. I love the lip butters anyway as they’re so moisturising, and give great colour. I usually only wear this particular colour whilst I have a bit of a tan, so have been loving wearing it this month. It’s not a really vibrant red, so I think it’s quite wearable, and if you’re looking for a subtle, slightly glossy red, this is definitely for you.

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush

I only recently starting wearing cream blushers, again whilst I have a bit of a tan. I absolutely love this range from Topshop, they have the prettiest colours and the formula is perfect for easy application. They seem to have got it just right with the amount of pigmentation. I’ve been loving this particular colour this month as it gives a lovely pink flush across the cheek. I definitely want to try other cream blushers, any suggestions?

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

This is something else that I haven’t used in a long time which I’ve rediscovered. I used to apply my foundation with this brush and absolutely loved it, but recently I’ve been favouring the Real Techniques buffing and expert face brushes for this task. I also have a couple of Sephora brushes I enjoy using for foundation application. I picked up the stippling brush again to apply cream blusher, and it works so well. It blends the colour perfectly, and picks up just the right amount of product. Who else loves Real Techniques brushes?

Benefits Total Moisture Facial Cream

I can’t speak highly enough about this cream, it has been an absolute god send this month while my skin has felt dried out from the sun. I’m looking forward to trying other products from the range to see if they’re as good. I wrote a full review on this moisturiser here.

Soap and Glory's The Righteous Butter

Again this product has been great this month while I’ve been more tanned than usual. We all know when our skins tanned, it’s effectively damaged, and that’s why we have to work so hard at keeping it hydrated when we get home from hols. This body butter does just the job with minimal effect. It feels really thick and luxurious, smells absolutely amazing and sinks in to my skin beautifully.

Daisy by Marc Jacobs

I have been wearing this fragrance for years, and seem to pick it up again every spring. It’s such a pretty floral smell and is perfect for the summer months. I always think it smells so fresh on my skin, and I have received lots of compliments on the scent since wearing it again. The bottle is gorgeous and I love the flower bottle top, it looks lovely on my dressing table. If you like pretty, girly, floral scents, then I would definitely recommend this perfume.

Have you tried any of these products? What have your monthly favourites been?

Benefit's Total Moisture Range

I've been trialling this face cream from Benefit for a couple of weeks now, and am so impressed I felt it deserved its own review. I'm not normally a fan of using day and night creams, I usually stick to my Embryolisse lait creme moisturiser, and that's me done. However, as I've been on holiday recently my skin has felt very dry, so I decided to give this a go.

This cream feels so thick and luxurious, and sinks in to the skin beautifully. It's water based, so hydrates perfectly. It has banished the dry areas on my skin within a week. The packaging is really lovely, and I think it warrants the price a little more.

 Overall, I have really enjoyed using this face cream, and it has enticed me to try other products from the range. You can pick this up from Feel Unique for £27.50. 

Anyone already tried this cream? Any suggestions on the rest of the range?

November Favourites

So I'm a bit late of the mark for this post but once again, time has just flown by this month!

So here are the products that I really enjoyed using throughout the month of November.

 It was difficult this month to condense the number down to a few faves as there were so many I enjoyed using this month. November sees the beginning of the 'party season' which normally means lots of outings and different make up looks.

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation

I used to be quite loyal to my foundation, using Mac's Pro Longwear as a staple part of my daily make up. But in the last couple of months I have enjoyed trying new foundations, and seeing what works best for me. When I heard about Maybelline's new Fit Me range, including a gel foundation, I had to try it. At £7.99, it's an absolute bargain and has several colours so you get the perfect match for your skin tone. I got mine in number 210 which is Sandy Beige. It wears really well and last all day. 

Bobbi Brown's Creamy Corrector

I've wanted this corrector for such a long time, so I bought it in duty free when I went on holiday recently. I absolutely love this product. It absolutely does what it says on the tin, covering all blue tones from under the eye and leaves that area looking so fresh and bright. I use this along with the Bobbi Brown concealer, and the two together are an unbeatable combination.

Benefit They're Real Mascara

I'd heard a lot about this mascara so when I found it on offer on Look Fantastic's website for £13.60, I snapped it up! I have not stopped using this mascara since. It's amazing! It really separates the lashes and if you curl them as well, gives amazing length. For a fuller look I still reach for my YSL Shocking mascara, normally when I'm going out. I love this product, it's great and I'll definitely be repurchasing.

Unite 7 Seconds Detangler

This product is literally a hair miracle, I can't live without it. Please Unite, never discontinue it! :) I use this product after washing my hair. It just takes a few sprays on to towel dried damp hair, leave for 7 seconds, and then brush through. My hair gets really tangled, and it used to be a nightmare to brush. This spray makes it so much easier.

Dove Summer Glow Nourishing Body Lotion

I think most of us are depressed when winter sets in and our summer tans are slowly evaporating. It means we have to work so much harder to look bronzed and drag out all our fake tanning products. I love using this moisturiser but I usually just use it in summer to top up my existing tan. This winter I've been using this as a base daily tan and I love it. It gives a subtle glow which can then be built to a deeper intensive tan for a night out.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter

It's no secret that the Revlon lip butters are an absolute fave of mine. My lips get quite dry and I love how moisturising these are! I have them in several colours, but I have been loving wearing their red shade called 'Candy Apple'. It's a lighter red and has a slight gloss to it. It lasts so well on the lips and looks especially great with a tan. I couldn't stop wearing this while I was on holiday.


Top: Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple /  Bottom: Mac Lustreglass in Flusterose


MAC Lustreglass

I’m normally not a big gloss fan, I usually only use a lipstick on my lips. I saw a swatch of this gloss and thought it looked absolutely gorgeous. It is a light pink gloss with glitter and sparkles in it and really does shine on the lips. It isn’t sticky at all which is great as I hate that with lip glosses. I wore this recently over Mac’s Creme Cup lipstick and they looked so pretty together. Definitely a big fan of this gloss.   

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish

This is another purchase I picked up in Duty Free recently. I actually wanted the Dior Amber Diamond highlighter, but it was out of stock so I picked this up instead. I am SO glad I did, I love it. I use the shade Soft and Gentle which is perfect with just the right amount of shimmer. I use this as a cheek highlight and it gives the makeup look a gorgeous finish. I can’t stop using this, it’s great.

Essie Nail Varnish

I am loving this colour by Essie at the moment, it’s quite an opaque grey colour, and only needs one coat to look great. It’s in the colour Miss Fancy Pants and even though Essie can be a little more expensive that other varnishes they are so worth it. I find these nail colours really last on my nails and rarely chip. I’ve been wearing this colour so much recently as it’s so wintry and goes with anything.  

So there are my November favourites. Sorry they’re so late, it won’t be long till we’re discussing Decembers, and I have so many already! J Have you tried any of these products? What are your current beauty faves?