Boxing Day Beauty Haul (Just a LITTLE late to the blog(!))

Hello everyone! I hope you're doing really well. Todays blog post is a bit of a continuation from a recent youtube video I filmed...my boxing day beauty haul. I ended up filming a bunch of videos that day which I then posted over the next 5-6 weeks cause...there is such a thing as too many hauls haha. So I've had a GRWM up since this and I've just finished edited the brand new makeup revolution concealer review (yes THAT one which is a dupe for the shape tape!). However I wanted to dedicate a whole blog post to the haul and add some more thoughts behind the products. Some of these things I've used more since then and sometimes it's just nice to sit and type...my fellow bloggers will know exactly what I mean haha. I don't just want to post blog posts with the video embedded, I want to actually blog when I can...and clearly since it is already February I am finding it hard to juggle everything...and that is o.k!

So the first thing I've been loving from my haul is the Brazilian bum bum cream (£18.00), which
was in the majority of youtube videos in 2016/17! I finally gave into the hype on boxing day as this three pack was fantastic value for money, but also because I wanted to step up my body care routine. Since I've opened my first post this month I have been LOVING how hydrating this is. The scent is nice, not as insaaaane as it has been made out to be, lets be honest, but the product works REALLY well. Will I still use up my more affordable moisturisers for the body? Of course, since I hate wasting product in any form. However I can see why this has been so popular, a little goes a long way and my skin drinks it up in the best way. So far, I am a big fan of this cute lil thang which is supposed to be pronounced as I said in the video haha!

Moving on to this adorable little set from Alpha-H, I couldn't resist it. Mainly because it contains a version of my favourite chemical exfoliator - liquid gold, but also because they didn't give ridiculous sizes for their sets. I know some brands are insanely expensive, so getting a mini is usually great value for money, but I noticed that a lot of brands were selling 5ml things and that just doesn't sit right with me. These sets are meant to give you enough product that you can come to a good judgement as to whether it works for you or not....5ml isn't going to cut it for me! I need to be able to use a product for a good 3 weeks - to a month at least in order to come to the important decision of if I should spend my hard earned coins or not. So yeah, anyway, this set ticked a lot of boxes. I'm currently using up a few cleansers and trying out a new moisturiser AND glycolic product, so this will sit in my drawer till the summer time I expect, since I do really want to try all three together as a separate but still consistent, skincare regime.

Moving on to this lil bougie set that I really couldn't resist, bougie for me cause I usually don't splash the cash on perfumes...ever...so this was a bit of a treat. I justified it as the end of my first term as an NQT treat haha. These will most likely last me for agesssss too because I also purchased a bunch of new Zara scents, which are much less expensive and also less strong, so I'll reach for THOSE on a daily basis. A-N-Y-W-A-Y-S all that to say

And finally I couldn't help but share this adorable Bourjois gift with purchase! Honestly to me this is one of the only advantages of actually browsing stores like boots and superdrug. I HATE how most items have been opened and swatched/touched/USED, so I generally avoid purchasing from the stores themselves, but back in uni days, I would always have a proper browse. This time around I was looking at some of the new things and I noticed that bourjois had this really generous gift with purchase offer. The contents are below!

So as you can see I managed to get my hands on FOUR free items! All I had to do was spend £15, so I picked up a beautiful rouge velvet lipstick in the shade flaming rose, the bourjois sculpt light illuminator, a pink gel nail polish and the bourjois volume clubbing mascara (which I remember reading about on a blog AGES ago and really wanting to try!). Can I just say how happy I am that all the colours and items I'm actually going to wear and use?! Bourjois did real good 🙌🏽

Now to be totally honest, the lipstick shade is a LITTLE bright, but I can mix it with deeper shade and make it work...plus the formula is delightful. The packaging is also super luxe for drugstore, I mean I know prices of lipsticks are getting higher and higher, but I feel like they're also upping their overall feel of the products - glass bottles, sturdy packaging etc.

To see EVERYTHING I picked up, have a little watch of the actual video:

And that is about it for this post! I honestly feel really guilty every time I think about my blog, because I've been pouring the majority of my spare time into my youtube channel, but it's always somewhere in the back of my mind haha.

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Boxing Day Beauty Haul (Just a LITTLE late to the blog(!))

Hello everyone! I hope you're doing really well. Todays blog post is a bit of a continuation from a recent youtube video I filmed...my boxing day beauty haul. I ended up filming a bunch of videos that day which I then posted over the next 5-6 weeks cause...there is such a thing as too many hauls haha. So I've had a GRWM up since this and I've just finished edited the brand new makeup revolution concealer review (yes THAT one which is a dupe for the shape tape!). However I wanted to dedicate a whole blog post to the haul and add some more thoughts behind the products. Some of these things I've used more since then and sometimes it's just nice to sit and type...my fellow bloggers will know exactly what I mean haha. I don't just want to post blog posts with the video embedded, I want to actually blog when I can...and clearly since it is already February I am finding it hard to juggle everything...and that is o.k!

So the first thing I've been loving from my haul is the Brazilian bum bum cream (£18.00), which

Best Skincare Purchases 2016

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well. I was really hoping to get this post up a few days ago, but I've been having a break in London with the family, so it's a little late! Anyway, the second part of my 'best of 2016' is focusing on skincare, and its been a good year for it! I have a lot of products to share with you all so I won't ramble on in the intro, on to the goodies.

Una Brennan Super Facialist Vitamin C Oil Cleanser 200ml | £11.00

An oldie but a goodie on my blog, this is my absolute favourite way to remove my makeup because it quite literally melts it away. Although its kinda pricy for an oil, I find a little bit goes a long way and it really helps to hydrate the skin, whilst removing the majority of my makeup. Plus I only pick it up when its on special offer (which it is right now). Occasionally in the past few weeks I've been too tired to go through my proper cleansing routine, so I've resorted to using face wipes and my skin has really felt the difference. Without fail I have woken up with dry, tight skin that lacks any sort of hydration or glow. Honestly switching to a double cleanse routine was the best thing I have done and this oil plays a big part in that. I did recently pick up a cheaper oil cleanser though and if its as good, you'll be hearing about it soon, but for 2016 Una Brennan kept her crown!

Vanity Planet Spin For Perfect Skin Brush | £80 £25!

This brush has changed my skincare routine for the better, it is wonderful! I first saw it on youtube and so many vloggers were talking about it that I decided to give it a go - especially at the discounted price. I have the cheaper set, which includes 4 attachments, a cleansing, exfoliating, pumice stone and body brush. For the price that is fantastic and the depth of cleanse you get from this brush is EVERYTHING. Seriously its a game changer and I recommend for you all to purchase this, its worth twice or three times the price. I am currently not an affiliate for them so I can't offer you a discount code, however I believe in the brush so much that I've got in contact with them to hopefully become one, which speaks volumes cause I only back brands I am truly impressed by. Also luckily for you all they have a sale on right now, so no need to hunt down a code ^_^ Also cleansers that work best with this are cream and gel, my favourite to use is the manuka honey one, which I have raved about plenty of times so refrained from really including it haha.

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser 100g | £12.95

A well loved product that I finally decided to try at a Bloggers event this year. Now at first I wasn't mad about this, because its not your typical cleanser. It has a balm like texture, which is pretty waxy to touch and due to this whenever I tried to remove it, I always felt like there was a light layer left which would really annoy me. It also doesn't work very well with the skin brush, another thing that put me off a little! However if you use a warm flannel or soft cloth and gently remove it in circular motions, the skin is left feeling so incredibly soft, smooth and hydrated! The cleanser is created from lovely natural ingredients such as almond oil, rose water and honey too. I totally see the appeal now and tend to use it twice a week when I'm not using the facial brush, if you have sensitive skin I highly recommend it.

B. Revealed Glycolic Cleansing peel 125ml | £7.99  £3.95

This product is pretty new to my skincare routine, but it just about made it to my 2016 faves because I really do love it! A 2-in-1 product which contains glycolic acid, I find this cleanser really works well at brightening my complexion and leaving my skin looking fresh and feeling smooth. Mostly I'll use it as a typical cleanser, with either the face brush mentioned above, or a flannel (it comes with a muslin cloth by the way). However if my skin is looking particularly dull and tired, which has been the case when teaching and working long hours, I'll keep it one for the recommended three minutes as a quick mask. Don't leave it on for longer because I did once by accident and felt my skin start to sting. A fantastic budget cleanser (especially when theres an offer on!) which I recommend everyone to pick up and incorporate into their skincare routine a couple of times a week.

Good Things Manuka Honey Refining Scrub | £5.00 £3.33

Again another product which is relatively new to my skincare routine, but I love it! I wasn't actually surprised in the slightest that I would end up loving this because you might know that the cleanser in this line is a firm favourite. This scrub is gentle enough for sensitive skin, but it really does leave my skin feeling smooth. Although cleansing is an important step, using a softer scrub like this is what leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean. It really gets into the skin and removes impurities, plus the magic ingredient - manuka honey has so many skincare benefits, as well as the sweet almond oil and oats! Also this brand is usually on special offer, so not only is it effective and free from nasty stuff like mineral oils and parabens - its very very affordable too!

Alpha-H liquid gold 100ml | £33.50

Well 2016 was definitely the year that I discovered the benefits of using AHAs in my skincare routine! I picked this up as part of a special offer and instantly saw results after a couple of uses. I do think this is worth the hype, although I will say that there are affordable options out there now on the highstreet. However nothing has given my skin the same results as liquid gold, it evens out the skintone and makes my face look brighter. I did stop using it when I was using my IPL machine on my face, but recently I broke out quite badly (for me), so I'm excited to get back to using it and hopefully seeing my dark marks fade away.

Caudalie instant detox mask 75ml | £22.00

My favourite 'easy' clay mask by far! This was a recommendation by a lovely friend and reader of mine, and I'm sooo glad she let me know about it, because its the good stuff.  Although its a clay mask, its very comfortable on the skin and I love how detoxed my skin feels after using it! One of those masks that definitely do something great with one use and I will be repuraching this as soon as its empty, its just that good.

Embryolisse Lair Creme Concentrate 75ml | £20.00

Back to products I use everyday, I have fallen head over heels with this moisturiser. Initially I purchased the 30ml because I didn't want to spend such a large amount on a base, however I soon realised that it is worth all the hype and more! Nothing prepares and hydrates my skin better and a little goes a long way, so one tube will last me months on end. I have tried other moisturisers here and there, but always come back to this. Theres a reason why makeup artists swear by the stuff!

Mario Badescu Facial Spray 118ml | £7.50 | Review

I've written a whole review dedicated to this, so I won't go on and on but in short: ESSENTIAL. I spray my face with this every day, makeup or not. The past few days I spent in London with my family and I was recommending it to everyone, aswell as giving their faces a healthy spritz too. Not only does it hydrate and add a subtle glow, but it gets rid of all powderyness too! Yes its way better than MAC Fix+, but anyway I have properly reviewed it linked above, so have a read if you want to find out more.

What have been your standout skincare products from 2016?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Best Skincare Purchases 2016

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well. I was really hoping to get this post up a few days ago, but I've been having a break in London with the family, so it's a little late! Anyway, the second part of my 'best of 2016' is focusing on skincare, and its been a good year for it! I have a lot of products to share with you all so I won't ramble on in the intro, on to the goodies.

February Favourites

Hello lovely people, I hope you're having a great start to the weekend so far. Today I'm going to be sharing the products I loved during the month of February, a real mix of skincare and makeup. I definitely got back into eyeshadow this month, thanks to my giftcard and new additions which have been very exciting, so lets get started!

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser in St. Moritz | £29.50

This has been my go-to base of choice in February, mainly because its so quick to apply with just the tips of my fingers and it works really well at evening out the skin-tone too. For an everyday base this is ideal, it covers up discolouration, brightens and leaves a dewy and radiant finish to the skin. Although at first St. Moritz looks a little dark, I find the colour lightens slightly once I'm done applying my makeup. I will say however that as my skin is normal/combo now, with an oily nose, I do always have to apply powder to my nose area if I don't want to look super shiny a few hours later! So for oily skinned girls I feel like face powder would be necessary if you use this as it'll increase  longevity too. I love that this base contains SPF of 30, it means I can skip that step in the morning, so if you're usually in a rush when doing makeup and you want a dewy base which evens out the skin, you should definitely try this out!

L.A Girl Pro Conceal Concealer in Creamy Beige | £2.98

I have definitely re-discovered the L.A girl concealer which took the makeup world by storm last year and I am so glad that I have! It is one of my all time favourites and this particular shade is so perfect for my under-eyes. I find that the slight orange tone when you first apply it, really brightens up the area when blended out. I always have to go in with a corrector shade first (I'll link the review to my current favourite below), however this is one of the only concealers that doesn't crease, shade wise it matches really well and best of all is really affordable! Most of you will know that I love beautyjoint.com for U.S beauty, however you can now order them for a similar price from Amazon which I've linked above, so if you don't want to order internationally there are more options available which is great.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer | £23.50

I've owned this bronzer for months now, but it's never really been one I've reached for on a daily basis. At first I was obsessed with the Too Faced chocolate soleil, then NARS Laguna and then of course the Kat Von D contour kit. You may be able to tell I love me some bronzer! Of course all of those mentioned products are much loved, but this month I wanted less of a focus on proper contouring and a product which would add warmth and a subtle amount of definition. I totally forgot that Hoola is quite unique, although it looks almost orange in the pan, it actually applies slightly grey toned and it's also buildable! Especially for adding a natural looking nose contour, but also a great all rounder - Hoola is brilliant and works great for light to medium skintones.

Topshop Beauty Highlighter in Horizon | £10.00

If there is one thing Topshop do fantastically, it's highlighters! You may know that I adore their glow pots, one of the best cream highlighers I have ever tried (reviewed already). I have had Horizon for a few months, but I was saving it for the summer time as it looks super bronzy in the pan. However it's quite deceiving because although it appears as if it could be a bronzer, it's the most gorgeous rose gold tone highlight with a silver/bronzy mix too. Wow, that has to be the worst description I have ever written of a product ._. If you're Stromboli or darker in skintone, you need to try this out! Don't be alarmed that it isn't the typical champagne/brighter gold colour, because on olive/medium skintones this looks gorgeous and when the light hits there is a slight silver tone which is super flattering. At the same time it's not an in your face kind of highlighter which means I've been wearing it every single day that I've applied makeup and it is BEAUTIFUL.

Inglot Freedom System Eyeshadow Palette | Review

I made this eyeshadow palette months ago and since ordering some MUG shades I have really gotten back into experimenting with shadows again! If you read my haul you will know that I ordered a lot of crease and transition shades, as well as a few base shades. I didn't pick up a highlight/ base colour or my absolute favourite shade of eyeshadows (gold tones) because I already have the perfect ones in this Inglot palette ^_^ The light yellow shadow (313) is literally perfection for every single day because I use a concealer to cover the darkness on my eyelids and I need a bright powder to set it in place. The cooler gold shadow in 155 is probably my most favourite gold I own, it is beautiful and the formula of these shadows are wonderful. They last all day long, the pigmentation doesn't fade and I am so glad that I've put this back into my daily rotation again.

Make Up Geek Eyeshadow in Creme Brulee | £4.95

I have been enjoying many of these beautiful eyeshadows, yes they are totally worth the hype! However the shade Creme Brulee has been my all time favourite and the one I opted for everyday, along side Inglot's 313. I have heard countless beauty gurus rave about this shade and I always wondered why...well, let me share this wisdom with you all today!  It is a MAGICAL shade, sure it looks pretty boring in the pan, but it literally pulls together any eyeshadow look you create. Adding this to the crease, then popping a couple of other shades on, then using this shade again to blend the whole crease area together...et voila you have an eyeshadow look which appears to have taken a lot longer than it seemed!

Zoeva Cocoa Blend Eyeshadow Palette | £15.50

THIS PALETTE IS WORTH ALL THE HYPE IT GETS. It is officially my favourite neutrals palette, you only need one swipe because the pigmentation is so fantastic. The formula is creamy and each shade is super blendable too. I've swatched a couple of my favourite shades below to show how beautiful they are ^_^ If you've been umming and ahhing about this, trust me and just pick it up, you'll thank me later because the hype is totally real.

Essence I Love Extreme Volume Mascara | £2.80

I cannot sing this mascara's praises enough, it is ahhhhhmazing. Pretty much the perfect voluminising mascara and it costs less than £3 which makes it even more brilliant. Granted it does give slightly clumpy lashes, but that's nothing a decent lengthening mascara can't sort out. I've said before that I'm not really a mascara kind of girl, because it is such a hassle to remove. However I've had this particular one for a good couple of weeks now and it's showing no signs of drying out...so I thought I should get a couple more uses out of it before I throw it away - and this month I've fallen for it all over again. A real must have in my collection for sure.

L-R: Inglot 313, Inglot 155, Zoeva cocoa blend 4 swatches, one swipe of creme brulee at the end!

Alpha H Liquid Gold | £33.50

I purchased a duo pack of this back in the X-mas sales for an insane price, literally 2for1 and after hearing about this for a few months I couldn't resist that deal! Liquid gold is a chemical exfoliator which has been designed for the treatment and reduction of skin issues such as hyper-pigmentation, age spots, sun damage and scarring. The magic ingredients are the glycolic acid and the liquorice root extract. The very next morning after I apply this, my skin looks brighter and feels smoother too. It also dries out spots considerably and I have noticed a difference in the hyper-pigmentation around my mouth. I need to continue using it consistently for a few more weeks before I write an in-depth review, but I simply had to give it a mention in this post because it has evened out my skintone more than I had expected. (Not quite as much as I want, but I shall keep using it regularly!). Also two weeks ago I discovered a great budget product which has SIMILAR results..watch this space, I may have stumbled across a wonderful alternative!

Nuxe Creme Fraiche Serum | £27.50

Another bargain from the sales, this serum by one of my favourite skincare brands ever has been a skincare game changer. To be honest for the full price, I would expect nothing less because almost £30 for a serum is pricey for my student budget. The serum claims to provide 24 hour moisturisation, as well as soothe the skin. It is super lightweight, absorbs into my skin easily and it really does make my moisturiser sink deeper/better into my skin, rather than sit on the surface. The weather has been so much colder in February than December/January (so typical *rolls eyes*) and with that my skin has been freaking out a little. This serum went a long way in balancing it out and taking away that horrid tight dehydrated feeling almost instantly. I'm not sure if I would repurchase unless it was on a similar sale, but whilst it's in my collection I will be using it daily.

Antipodes Moisture Boost Minis | £12.99

Antipodes is another skincare brand favourite of mine, so when I saw this duo I simply had to pick it up. Like I mentioned in the above paragraph, my skin has been pretty dehydrated so I started using the Divine Face Oil  from the start of February. The blend of avocado oil and rosehip oil really do work to hydrate the skin without making it feel greasy at all. I have also been using it now and again to mix with the EX1 foundation which is just a little too thick for my liking. A tiny bit of this oil makes the absolute world of difference, it helps the base blend so much easier and takes away any cakeyness as well as adding a subtle glow! The Vanilla Pod hyrating day cream smells wonderful and a little bit goes a long way too. Again like the oil, it feels light on the skin yet still manages to add a boost of hydration. The size of the products are great too, so I'd highly recommend picking up this kit as the full sized products can be rather expensive.

Phew, that post felt like it took an age to write! I'm sure I'm the last person to share my February favourites, so please link your post below if you've written one OR let me know you favourite product from the last month!

Thank-you for reading ♥

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February Favourites

Hello lovely people, I hope you're having a great start to the weekend so far. Today I'm going to be sharing the products I loved during the month of February, a real mix of skincare and makeup. I definitely got back into eyeshadow this month, thanks to my giftcard and new additions which have been very exciting, so lets get started!