Payday Haul: Skin Care, Make-Up & Hair

There's nothing better than payday and Friday and a well deserved trip to the beauty haven that is Selfridges. Naturally what started off as a trip to stock up on thermal water and foundation ended in several pretty things being purchased. Here's what I picked up...

SKIN CARE

Everyone who follows my blog will know that La Roche-Posay is slowly becoming my favourite skin care brand - its Thermal Spring Water has been a staple product in my morning and evening routines for a good few months now and I've repurchased it many times, so I did it again! 

As I love a lot of the products from the brand, I also thought I would try its micellar water for oily and sensitive skin. It's a little pricey at over £10, so I'll probably stick to my highstreet fave - L'Oreal Skin Perfection - in the future.

MAKE-UP

I don't know what's more shocking - the fact I bought an eye palette, which I never thought I would do anytime soon, or the fact I paid £39.50 for it. Either way, the Bobbi Brown Rich Chocolate Eye Palette is full of stunning nude eyeshadows, a dark brown liner and a double-ended brush. It says a lot that I wanted it so much when I rarely buy eye make-up, so I was pretty impressed with it.

Then I bought one of my all time favourite foundations - Guerlain's Parure De Lumiere Cream Foundation. I've repurchased this about 3 or 4 times, but haven't bought it since my spending ban started or finished. I love everything about this foundation from the packaging through to the colour and texture - it's expensive but its also real winner.

One of my most exciting purchases was the OCC Lip Tar in Black Metal Dahlia - it's like a dark metallic red, which is so on trend right now and exactly what I was looking for.

HAIR

My final purchase was the Bumble & Bumble Creme De Coco Masque, which I've been wanting to try for a while. I really loved using the mending mask on my distressed tresses, so I'm hoping this one lives up to my high expectations.

Did you buy anything this payday? xxx

Payday Weekend Haul: Champneys, Vichy, MAC, Body Shop & Rimmel

When payday comes around, it doesn't take long for me to pay a visit to the likes of Boots, Superdrug and Selfridges - you name it, I'll be there with my debit card burning a hole through my handbag.

This weekend, I popped over to Boots to take advantage of the Champneys offer (free Distant Shores body scrub when you spend £10 or over) and bought the invigorating Energising Lime Foaming Body Scrub. I also grabbed the Vichy Thermal Water (my skincare essential) and added the Golden Bronze Scandaleyes Shadow Paint to my collection.

Then I got the gorgeous Ruby Woo Retro Matte Lipstick at MAC. I nearly bought Cyber too, but I think it looked a little too gothic on me - wish it was a little bit lighter!

Finally I shot into the Body Shop to buy my new skin care favourite - the Camomile Cleansing Butter. I got a sample of this a couple of days before and it's so lovely to use - it melts into your skin and leaves it clean and soft. If you love skin care, it's well worth a try.

I'll be back later this week with my Feel Unique purchase...

What did you buy this weekend? xxx

Boots & Superdrug Haul: Face, Eyes, Body & Hair

Yes, I've been shopping again. And I'm very happy about it.

Like many shopping trips, this one was totally spontaneous. I went in wanting one thing in particular, but every beauty lover knows that the 'just one thing' rule never applies once you start scouring the shelves. Or ever. 

FACE

How cute are these 99p wash flannels? Such a bargain! In my experience, it really makes a difference to use a fresh flannel when cleansing to minimise the skin's exposure to bacteria. And let's be honest - who could say no to the cotton candy colour and sky blue shade?

EYES

Moving swiftly on to eye products, I've been eyeing up the new Scandaleyes Shadow Paints for a while, so decided to give the beautiful bronze Rich Russet a go. I've also never bought an eye primer, even though I have tonnes of gorgeous shadows to take advantage of, so I picked up Revlon's Photoready Eye Primer & Brightener and will have a review up as soon as possible. 

BODY

I know that dry body brushing is good for cellulite reduction and keeping your skin smooth and buffed, so I picked up the Botanics Detox Brush, which has a lovely organic feel to it. I will use this a couple of times a week and see if it makes any difference. Watch this space!

HAIR

Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Colour range is my go-to product for dyeing my hair at home, and it's time to top my roots again. I bought the Iced Chocolate shade, which is a lovely deep, shiny brown. I highly recommend Olia to anyone who regularly colours their hair at home.

Have you tried any of the products I bought? Leave your review links below! xxx

Post-Holiday Haul: Nails & Face

Shock horror - I've been shopping again! Although, I have to admit that being on a spending ban has really made me think about what I'm buying. I stopped myself buying two gorgeous blushers during the week - I think you'll find that's dedication.

But of course I found the time to invest in some gorgeous beauty buys at Boots and Superdrug. A lot of it was on offer, which I feel justifies my spending! I know you will agree.

NAILS

Firstly we have the two Revlon nail products I bought from Boots, which both had £2 off the normal price (#bargain). I wanted the Essie cuticle oil, but as it wasn't in the store I went to I opted for the gorgeous blue Revlon Cuticle Softener, which I can't wait to try. Next to that is the Valentine nail lacquer - a gorgeous all-year-round deep red.

My existing Models Own nail buffery thingy is a bit tattered, so I decided to get this one - it's so cute and is the perfect size for my handbag. I also got another set of Quickies nail polish remover pads, which I think are great and a total bargain at under £3. Each pad goes a long way, so you only need to use a maximum of 4 for both hands.

FACE

My final Boots purchase was the Real Techniques Powder Brush. I can't fault the Stippling Brush for my foundation and the Blush Brush, so I thought I would add this one to my collection. Exciting.

Then I popped into Superdrug to get a new bottle of micellar water, as mine had run out during the week! I love the Skin Perfection 3-in-1 Water by L'Oreal and it was on offer for half price, so I had to grab one. 

What do you think of my latest haul? xxx

The #JulyLondonMeetUp Haul Post

I'm so excited about this haul post! Yesterday, I was one of 30 beauty, fashion and lifestyle bloggers at the #julylondonmeetup and what a lovely day it was (thanks to Helen). It was even more amazing because it finally marked the end of the the two-month spending ban I'd been on with Sasha, Poppy and Rachel, so we could all treat ourselves to some sweet beauty treats. I clearly took advantage of this momentous day and bought a lot of pretty things. I'll go from left to right, as always.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Sorbet

I've been using the Candy Apple lip butter for a while now and I love that its moisturising and has great colour pay-off too. I got Sorbet as it always looks lovely when people blog about it and it's a gorgeous raspberry shade. Perfect for this time of year.

MAC Powder Blush in Full Fuschia

I've been wanting a fuschia blusher for yonks, so took the plunge and tried this one out at the MAC Pro Shop. You literally need the tiniest dot of this per cheek - it's such a pretty colour if you've got slightly darker than fair skin. I'm going to love applying this with my Real Techniques blush brush. 

Mavala Nail Polishes in Bali and Milano

Mavala's range of colours is really something - I was drawn to Bali after seeing a picture of it on Twitter and Milano reminded me of the Grape Clinique nail polish I've been lusting over.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

It's no secret that this is the best top coat around - I just hadn't got round to buying one yet. I'm really looking forward to trying this bad boy out. 

La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water

This was a repurchase - it's currently my skin care essential and I won't be without it.

Bumble and Bumble Mending Masque

Since having a quick browse in Boots, I've been lusting over a Bumble and Bumble hair mask. Poppy and I went a bit crazy and wanted everything - but I managed to choose the best mask for what my hair needs right now. At a price of £22.50, it better be good stuff!

Topshop Nail Polishes in Aurora and Suffuse 

I've got the Mermaid Topshop Nail Polish, which is like a silver version of Suffuse, and I absolutely adore it. I've had my eye on Aurora for ages and Suffuse was so stunning that I just had to have it.

Topshop Highlighter in Sunbeam

This is such a pretty highlighter! It's like Benefit's Sun Beam in powder form (which I prefer for blushers and highlighters) and it's gold and shimmery but subtle too. This will be a firm favourite for Summer.

What have you bought recently? xxx

Two-month spending ban & pre-ban purchases

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I am actually going on a spending ban. That means no new nail polishes, no MAC Baking Beauties collection, and no pretty blushers for me for 2 months.

But it will all end on the 5th July, which will be a few weeks before the exciting London bbloggers meet up. It also helps matters that I am doing the ban with three lovely, supportive bloggers who are as addicted to all things make-up as much as I am.

Joining me will be:
Sasha from Ramblings of a Beauty Bird
Poppy from Let's Drive Far Away
Rachel from Beauty Queen UK

And part of the reason I'll be doing this ban is because I have so many products to test and review. This includes all of the gorgeous bits and bobs pictured above, which I've written more about below.

MAKE-UP

First up we have the make-up purchases, which I got from House of Fraser (in the sale!), Escentual (not in the sale...) and Space.NK (definitely not in the sale...).

On the left is the truly gorgeous NARS & Pierre Hardy tangerine and gold blusher in Boys Don't Cry (£30). Then sitting next to that is everyone's high-end go-to bronzer Laguna by NARS (£23.40), which I have used a few times now and can confirm it is really lovely to apply and gives a natural, golden glow to my face.

Below that is my first NARS Thakoon nail lacquer in Ratin Jot (£12.60), which is such a pretty pink. I couldn't resist investing in that one!

And finally I bought the Guerlain refillable Noir mascara (£32.40) because I just love Guerlain make-up and skin care.

SKIN CARE

Then we have my favourite type of products - skin care - which I bought from Escentual, Dermacare Direct and House of Fraser.

On the left is Effaclar H by La Roche-Posay (£8.05), which is a fab hydrating moisturiser. I got a few samples of this after having my laser and chemical peel procedure done last month and fell in love with it. However, Boots weirdly doesn't stock it! But I got my fix from the trusty Escentual.

Then in the middle is a repurchase of the SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Cleansing Gel (£32), which I absolutely love. I've never been so pleased with a cleanser and this one works its magic every day, especially with the VisaPure electronic cleansing brush. I think I've really converted to gel cleansers now - they feel lovely on the skin and I always finish up refreshed and clean.

Finally in the skin care bunch we have the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (£18), which smells incredible!

FRAGRANCE

Finally we have the stunning fragrance Le Petite Robe Noire from Guerlain (£37.80), which I also got from the sale at House of Fraser. I fell in love with this immediately when I got a sample with my first purchase at a Guerlain counter - it's just such a classic 'smell me now' fragrance. I've only worn it twice so far and I'm seriously addicted.

What do you think of my pre-ban purchases? xxx

Pay Day Haul: Westfield London

Friday was the best day ever. It was pay day, it was pub lunch day, and it was shopping day!

As some of you may know, I am (attempting) to go on a spending ban for 2 months starting on the 5th of May, so I thought I would treat myself to a final splurge. And I brought the lovely Saskia with me so we could talk about make-up and skin care for hours without anyone saying 'I can't believe you like that stuff'.

BOOTS: REAL TECHNIQUES & LA ROCHE-POSAY

The first stop was Boots, where I got myself two Real Techniques brushes to go with my stippling brush. I got Blush Brush (£9.99) and Shading Brush (£7.99) so I could freely mix and match face and eye looks.  

Then I bought a new can of my current go-to skin care product - La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water (£7.50). This does wonders to moisturise the skin and is really refreshing to spray onto your face before going to bed or in the morning to wake you up.

DEBENHAMS: CLARINS (INC GIFT WITH PURCHASE)

Then we went to Debenhams, where Saskia dragged me to the Clarins counter so I could buy a Pure Melt Cleansing Gel. But of course I ended up buying more than that - especially as there was a gift with purchase promotion going on, plus a 10% discount.

If you bought two full-size products, including one skin care product, you got a large beauty bag and four mini skin care products to go with it. And if you bought three full-size products, you also got a smaller bag with body care bits and bobs.

So after being sold by several pitches and Saskia's love for the products, I bought a Pure Melt Cleansing Gel (£17.55) and a Face Treatment Oil (£27) (Lotus - for oily/combination skin), and Saskia got a Pure Melt Cleansing Gel so we could step up to the next gift.

I used the cleanser the night I bought it and I am definitely impressed. The marula oil is nourishing and the gel it's so soft and warming. It's like a skin care special treat. 

Then we have gift one - four products and a large Clarins by John Rocha beauty bag. I chose the Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch, Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser and Super Restorative Night Wear cream. 

Gift two included a Moisture-Rich Body Lotion and a Tonic Bath & Shower Concentrate.

I think you'll agree that's pretty damn amazing!

MODEL'S OWN

Then I was totally tempted by the Model's Own bottle shop offer of 6 polishes for £20. Saskia and I got 3 polishes each and I opted for Luis Lemon (Ice Neon), Hedonist (Hed Kandi) and Banana Split (Fruit Pastel), which only cost me £10.

What do you think of my haul buys? xxx

Bomb Cosmetics Haul Part 1: Bath Blasters

If you are thinking 'why on earth has she taken a picture of four doughnuts', then I wouldn't blame you.  But rest assured, as much as these four beautiful goodies look like ring-shaped cakes, they are bath blasters from one of my favourite bath/body retailers - Bomb Cosmetics.

I'm like a kid in a candy shop with bath bombs - every single colour, shape and smell appeals to me. So when I saw the Spring products on Bomb Cosmetics' website, I went a little bit crazy. Not to mention the more than half decent price tags. Who wouldn't indulge?!

Appleberry Butter Burst Bath Blaster (£2.29)

The first product I added to my shopping bag was the Appleberry Butter Burst Blaster. I was drawn firstly to the green, blue and purple colours, and secondly to the fruity fragrance.The Appleberry blaster has a blackberry scent and is infused with cocoa butter to moisturise, and pure grapefruit and black pepper oils to invigorate. The green part of the blaster smells of apple and has notes of caramel and vanilla to add an element of sweetness.

Pink Rhubarb Princess Whoopie Blaster (£2.99)

I'm so in love with the creative design of this 'whoopie' blaster, and that's definitely why I bought it. The Pink Rhubarb Pricess blaster has been inspired by the classic English rhubarb and blackberry crumble. It has been made with pure cocoa and shea butters, and is also infused with pure cedarwood and geranium oil.

Blackberry Sour Whoopie Blaster (£2.99)

Again I love the design of this one - it's basically the same as the Pink Rhubarb Princess blaster but has a stronger blackberry fragrance. Blackberry Sour is made with softening cocoa and shea butters, and is also infused with pure bergamot and chamomile oils.

Cranberry and Lime Blaster (£2.29)

This is a perfect bath blaster for Spring - it has such a fresh sweet but sharp fragrance and I love that it has fresh cranberry seeds in it. It's made with energising pure lime and marjoram oils and is supported by notes of raspberry, plum, peach, apple and white flowers.

What do you think of my new bath blasters? xxx

Mini Boots Haul

DISCLAIMER: It's official, I have no self-control. At all

But now I'm done with the post-haul guilt trip - YAY BOOTS 3 FOR 2! Come on guys - there's only so many haul posts a girl can read before she sticks on her best lippy and hits the town.

It would be rude not to get involved, so let's start with the bits I got in the 3 for 2 offer.

Cutipen Cuticle Remover (£4.35)

Cutipen is an affordable cuticle-removing pen that delivers a softening cream through the nib. This was the free product I got as part of the mix and match offer, and it's also the riskiest purchase as I've never bought anything like this before. But as it was only priced at around £4, compared to the nail and cuticle oils starting at around £6 and going up to about £12, I didn't really have much to lose.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer (£7.49)

I know a fantastic concealer when I see it, and I've been resisting the temptation to buy this Healthy Mix one from Bourjois for quite some time now! So I finally succumbed.

I bought the Healthy Mix concealer in Eclat Clair, which was the lightest shade of three as I always like to start light and build up with bronzer and blusher later on in my make-up routine. After seeing the product on my skin, I am pretty confident that I'll love it dearly. But will it replace my beloved Benefit Erase Paste? That is the question my friends...

Bourjois Queen Attitude Kohl Kajal (£6.99)

I don't even think I have the words to describe how beautiful this kohl eyeliner is from Bourjois. Ever since I clocked eyes on it on Tales Of A Pale Face, I've needed it in my life. I particularly love that it's a chunky eyeliner and has been designed almost like a lipstick. I really can't wait to try this! Watch this space for an EOTD on twitter :)

Now on to my additional purchase...I'm a bad person!

Boots Face Cloth White (£1.99 each)

Because one obviously is never enough, I bought two of Boots' own 100% cotton white face cloths. I've heard so many times that you shouldn't use the same towel for your face as you do for your body, and I really need to start looking after my skin in that respect. This would be perfect for use after a face mask or post cleansing with Philips' VisaPure electronic brush.

What have you bought from Boots lately? Do you like these products? xxx