Recent Haul - Primark & Superdrug

Along with my recent MAC Lipstick Haul, I also picked up a few other bits from Primark & Superdrug that I thought I'd pop into a post. Last week I went to the Primark in Newcastle which is sooo much bigger than my local Middlesbrough store. Saying that, I think I did quite well as I only picked up a few bits. The first thing I picked up was this gorgeous Monochrome Gingham Scarf (£5). I know it's only August and I felt strange buying a scarf in the Summer but I couldn't resist and to be fair I've probably needed it a few days already! Bloody British Summer!! I grabbed these Hogwarts Knee High Socks just because I love anything Harry Potter related and I do love a good pair of knee highs to chill out in at night. I also picked up some hair clips as now I have a bob I can no longer put my hair up into a messy bun so I need some smaller clips to pin it back out of my face when I'm in one of those moods.  I love the little floral designs on these and for the price I don't care if they break within a week. I was looking all over for the Primark Beauty Blender Sponge but I couldn't see any, but I did find this Foundation Blending Sponge which is a smaller version with a brush handle so I thought I'd give it a go as it looks a good size for concealer. For £1.50 its certainly worth a dabble.

Onto Superdrug, I was just having a little browse as you do, and I noticed their Vitamin E Skincare range was on buy one get one half price. I needed a new exfoliator anyway, so I thought I'd give the Gentle Oatmeal Exfoliator a try, along with the Facial Oil, as I do love a good oil on the owld mush! I then popped over to Barry M as I'd been wanting to try their new Speedy Quick Dry Nail Polishes. They were on 2 for £7 so as it would have been rude to only choose one, I went for the shades Get Set Go - a vibrant, deep pink and Pit Stop - a pastel lilac/grey . Looking forward to giving them a go.

What have you picked up recently?

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The Triple Cleanse

Oh makeup, how I love you, but why are you such a biatch to remove? Seriously though, cleansing is the most important part of any skincare routine, and I've heard a lot of people talking about double cleansing (cleansing twice), but heyyyyy trust me, sometimes a double isn't enough. I go for the triple cleanse to really make sure I've removed not only all traces of makeup, but also all traces of any cleansing residue left behind.

Step 1 - Oil

I like to start by applying a cleansing oil to dry skin to break down my makeup quickly and gently. I've been using the Superfacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil (#whatamouthful) and it works really well. I like it because it's gentle enough to remove eye makeup and it even removes waterproof mascara. Once I've massaged this into the skin I then add water and it emulsifies and turns into a cleansing milk, which feels really moisturising. I then rinse with warm water.

Step 2 - Foam / Deep Cleanse

Because step 1 involves an oil, I absolutely have to go in with another cleanser to make sure that's removed. For step 2 I like to use a cleanser that's gonna deep clean but also brighten my skin so I like to opt for one that includes glycolic acid. I've recently started using the Nip + Fab Glycolic Cleansing Fix and it makes my skin feel so squeaky clean and works really well at removing any traces of the oil, as well as giving my skin a deep clean and gentle exfoliation.

Step 3 - Micellar Water

I know a lot of people use a Micellar Water as their first step to remove makeup, but I've found this is perfect as a step 3 to make sure it removes all traces of makeup, cleansing oil and any other residue ready for hydration. I've just started using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, and I really love how gentle and soothing it is on my skin. I'll be honest though, I've used a few different Micellar Waters in the past and haven't really noticed much difference, so I think any brand would probably do the same job.

How do you cleanse?

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Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Nudist

Lip crayons are everywhere recently, with every brand from Clinique to Collection offering their own  range of shades and formulas. I'm a massive fan of the Revlon and Bourjois offerings, and the newest one to my collection is the Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Nudist from Soap & Glory. I'd heard about this shade in particular from a few Bloggers and Youtubers, so when Boots had a 3 for 2 I obviously had to get my hands on it. 

This is literally my lip colour but better. It matches absolutely perfectly, and the formula feels so moisturising and creamy on the lips. It's a sheer formula and leaves a gorgeous sheen like a gloss (but without the stickiness). Because it's my lip colour, it doesn't really do that much to my overall makeup look, which I actually love as it's great for every day or for when I fancy that 'no makeup' look.

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks retail at £8 and there's currently only 5 shades in the range. 

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MAC Lipstick Haul

This time last year I had just 2 MAC lipsticks in my collection and I desperately needed wanted more. Fast forward a year and I now have 8 in my collection, with the newest 3 making their blog debut today. I'm having a moment with MAC and find myself constantly browsing blogs for lipstick reviews and finding swatches on Pinterest. There's just something oh so special about MAC lipsticks that no other brand can compete with. Anyway, let me show you the newest shades in my collection...

Girl About Town

Amplified Creme

I'd actually picked this up a month or so ago when I went to the Cosmetics Company Outlet (CCO) at the York Designer Outlet. They had a few lipsticks for £10 as opposed to the usual £15.50 and this one in particular stood out to me as I'd heard a lot of people raving about how amazing it is. To be honest I'm still undecided as to whether or not this suits me. I think it's just because of how amazingly bright and pigmented it is, maybe a bright lip is just something I need to get used to.

Costa Chic

Frost

A lipstick I've seen and read so much about! It seems to be THE coral lipstick to have in your collection and I've been lusting over it for quite some time. Given that I don't own any other Frost finishes, I was slightly scared I was gonna have a 90's glitter lip going on. But I was wrong, Costa Chic is a stunning bold, coral that I think will suit most skintones.

Brave

Satin

Another formula that I didn't own in my collection. Brave is a shade I've heard so much about recently, with the whole Kylie Jenner lip trend kicking around. I was stood for ages trying to decide between this and Velvet Teddy, but given that I suffer from really dry lips I thought the Matte finish of Velvet Teddy might not sit right. I'm so glad I chose Brave, it's the perfect dark pink nude that has a slightly matte finish without being drying like a matte. I know I'm gonna get a lot of wear out of this one.

Keep your eyes peeled for full reviews on all 3 of these in the near future...

What's your favourite MAC lipstick?

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July 2015 Favourites

Heeelllooooo August! My favourite month of the year is here (mainly because it's my birthday this month but also because it's Summer and there's always lots going on). Anyway, I didn't do a favourites post last month as I was still using pretty much the same things as the month before, but throughout July I've been using some summery products that I've found myself reaching for pretty much every day. 

The first product I've recently reignited my love for is the Bourjois Bronzing Primer. I'd forgot how much I love this product. It's like a smooth mousse that looks scary and dark when first applied, but once blended into the skin it leaves the most beautiful, natural looking sunkissed glow, and leaves the skin feeling velvety soft. The next product to go alongside the bronzing primer is the MAC Prep+Prime BB Beauty Balm Compact. I recently wrote a review on this (here), and I've been loving it this month as it's perfect for the Summer when you just want something a bit more sheer in coverage and it leaves a healthy, dewy glow. Next up is a product that has become somewhat of a holy grail in my makeup bag. I've used the Soap & Glory Kick Ass Blur & Brighten Concealer Crayon every single day since I got it (review here). Words can't describe how much I love this concealer. The texture is just so unbelievably creamy and blends like a dream, which is perfect for my dry skin. It's so brightening and I can't imagine not using it any time soon. For the brows, I've actually been using the Maybelline Color Tattoo in the shade Permanent Taupe. I know it's meant to be an eyeshadow, but honestly it's fab as a cream brow product. It does run very ashy (verging on grey) but that's great for me as it compliments my blonde hair perfectly. I've been using this with my beloved Real Techniques Eyeliner Brush from the Nic's Picks Collection to gently line the brows and add very light hair like strokes to fill in any sparse areas. Last but not least is the Benefit They're Real Mascara. I'll be honest I was never blown away by this mascara when I'd tried samples in the past, and I definitely preferred their Roller Lash. But when my Mam gave me the full size a few weeks ago I thought I'd give it a second chance and to my surprise I absolutely loved it. I love how this separates and lengthens my lashes without clumping. Sorry I ever doubted you Benefit!

What have you been loving this month?

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