Hello everyone, I'm back with yet another haul post today, ranging from single eyeshadows to interesting new skincare. I have quite a lot to share with you all, so I'll keep this part short and sweet!
FINALLY Anastasia Beverly Hills have a U.K website! Which makes me so happy because before I could only order their single shadows from Sephora and have to deal with customs which was such a headache. Their liquid lipsticks are also not easily available in the U.K, but now we have access to her WHOLE line from their U.K site here. Now although its a .co.uk website, the warehouse is based in Europe, so it takes a little longer for it to arrive I believe around 4-5 days. I had picked up a couple of shadows in a few past hauls and I KNEW ABH single shadows are some of the best on the whole market, totally smitten with them! However individually they cost £10 a pop, which is kinda intense 😦 and also a price I personally am not willing to pay. So when I saw Furnaz sharing her haul on snapchat, I was amazed to hear that when she picked up 8 shadows, not only did the price decrease to £6.25 per shadow but she also got a free sturdy palette too! So I totally found it justifiable to treat myself to a palette too and I am really impressed, especially since the new price for MUG shadows is £6, so basically they're on par - as long as you spend £50 in one go on shadows.
The palette is lovely, it is very sturdy and has a clear plastic window so you can see the exact shades you have in it. I also find it really easy to remove the shadows and its magnetic, so I often pop some of my MUG shades in here and switch it up. I'm currently working on a single shadow series and the first post should be up next week, I want to review every single shade I own for you all, but of course that's gonna take some time because I need a decent testing time for each shadow. So anyways I shall be explaining more about the series when the time comes. The shade selection above doesn't necessarily go well together, but they're all shades I felt were missing from my MUG/ABH collection already.
The shades in this palette from top left: cream, orange soda, birkin, dusty rose, moss, henna, comfort and fudge! The photo above does ZERO justice to the shades and I promise my single shadows series will include photos that are crisp and clear.
Moving on to some exciting new skincare now! Unless you have been living under a cosy rock, you will definitely have heard of the ordinary brand, which is relatively new. It is renowned for providing high quality skincare for a fraction of the price, many of the ingredients that they sell are found in much more luxurious brands such as Sunday Riley. I had seen a number of good reviews popping up around the net, and since that week I had broken out (which I honestly never do, so it was quite a shock), I decided to pick up four products and I've been using them consistently for about a week now. Before I share exactly what I purchased, I will say it is VERY confusing trying to understand which products you should pick up from the line, due to their long scientific names and also because it's not the easiest thing to work out which product works well with which! They do actually have a chart on their site here, which tells you what products clash. This brand is available on a number of sites, I chose ASOS because I got them for slightly cheaper through the use of my student discount ;D.
I found this site here, which has a super helpful person named Shabir, who tells people which products they should incorporate into their own skincare regime. I skimmed through the suggestions and hand picked which ones would work for me hopefully and I am going to try and explain what I have and WHY - though be warned its not going to be very scientific!
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 | £6 | 30ml
This acid is well known for providing hydration to the skin and I have had good results with using products that include this ingredient in small amounts. My skin used to be dry/dehydrated and it was partly due to using hyaluronic acid in my skincare routine, which helped my skin get out of that phase. I picked it up in a stronger form because my cheeks can sometimes be a little dehydrated so I'll literally just use it in the area. So far so good, although the smell is SUPER STRONG. You apply this in the AM and the PM before moisturising the skin.
Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA | £7 | 30ml
This product also has some hyaluronic acid in it, however the main ingredient - alpha arbutin targets hyper-pigmentation and dark spots. I have been using this on my scaring from the breakout and also some older scaring left inbetween my brows and I have noticed a very small difference after a few uses! I will definitely keep you all posted on if it really helps, but previously I was using rosehip seed oil which is my favourite multi-purpose face oil. I've also been using this around my mouth and the side of my face, where I have hyper-pigmentation and honestly I'm impressed with the results so far. My skin feels brighter and more evened toned and I've spent the majority of my half term makeup free, which is SO NOT ME. I love wearing makeup, especially when I have the time, but seeing my skin look more even and brighter just helped me to ditch the makeup and give me skin some real breathing time.
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% | £5.00 | 30ml
The next product I purchased probably has the most trickiest to pronounce name ever! They have described this on the box as a 'high-strength vitamin and mineral blemish formula'. It also says it regulated sebum, so I'm currently using this day and night on my T-zone area which tends to get oily. Plus it says it minimises pores - so where I do have visible pores right near my nose, I've also been putting a little bit on that area, haven't noticed a difference yet but like I said it's only been a week so far. I have also heard that zinc is fantastic at healing the skin and reducing breakouts. If you are acne prone, I highly recommend picking this up and giving it a go.
Advanced Retinoid 2% | £8.00 | 30ml
Now this is the most expensive product I purchased, which is crazy cause its only £8! Retinoid is essential for any anti-ageing regime so to get it for less than a tenner is amazing. This is also the only product I am yet to try, I think I'm a little nervous incase my skin starts peeling. I wanted to inroduce the above products into my skincare routine first and then bring in this stuff. Also whilst I'll be using the other three on a regular basis, I think I'll only be using Retinoid maybe three times a week maximum. It's also known for improving skin texture, reducing the appearance of pores and preventing breakouts so quite a useful product!
And that is the end of my skincare haul from this brand which probably could have a been a whole post on its own. Obviously its early days yet, but I will say that if you're sensitive to smells you might want to research on which ones have a strong scent. They all have fragrance free written on the box, however that is just not the case, I have a poor sense of smell but if I am hit with it then it MUST be strong! Also the bottles are very clinical looking and quite easy to mix up! I have since used my sharpies to write the names on the side and what they are for, which helps when I'm bleary eyed in the morning trying to get ready haha.
I restocked on my beloved Embryolisse (£20.00), which is the best moisturiser and base for makeup I have ever used. I've picked up multiple bottles of this stuff and haven't looked back!
The only hair related product I've purchased lately is the Superdrug hair therapy oil with argan (£3.99), which was on special offer. My hair like my body skin has been suffering lately and I'm sure its correlated with the stress of teacher training and lack of sleep throughout the week. Anyway this oil looked promising and I love how it has a little pump, making it very easy to apply to the hair. Usually I apply this to damp hair after showering and it does a good job at reducing frizz. Nothing ground breaking but it works well.
From ASOS I purchased a gel adhesive to use with my cute little certieye glitter pots - the paintglow glitter me up fix gel (£3.00) is very affordable and pretty easy to use. In the past I've used lash glue or a gel liner as a base, however when I want to put glitter all over the lid this is what I have been using and it does the job nicely!
And finally last but not least, I had to treat myself to the Huda Beauty Liquid Matte minis in nude (£33.00) when it finally came to cult beauty! I've been following Huda's blog for years, but was yet to purchase anything from her growing makeup line. Whilst I saw the rave reviews about this liquid lipstick line, none of the colours screamed at me or stood out massively, plus the individual price is rather expensive AND the liquid lippies are only just now becoming easier to get a hold of. ANYWAY I love the idea of mini liquid lipsticks and I'm so happy to be able to try out her formula. So far I really like two of the shades, though they're not quite as opaque as I prefer. However in terms of feeling weightless on the lips, Huda has nailed that to the T! Look out for an indepth review and swatch post on the blog soon ☺️.
My wrists are aching after all that typing! I hope you found this post useful, especially if you're looking to pick up some gorgeous ABH shadows cause now you can with a handy discount. Also I know a lot of you were wanting to know what I purchased from The Ordinary, do check out that link where Shabir is recommending various products for different skin concerns - he is super helpful!
Thank-you for reading ♥
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