Itty-Bitty Beauty Haul & Reviews

I can't believe it's been over a month, where has the time gone?

About a month ago I took pictures for a blog post haul but decided to wait as I really wanted to review the products as well, so I'm sorry for the wait but I have some great post ideas coming up soon.

 Here is a little overview of what I purchased last month... but let's break it down...

 Skin care:

The Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser at £3.55     ***/*****
I bought this product due to some amazing reviews, and the fact it's pretty cheap. While the concept of not having to moisturise after showering appealed to me as a time and effort saver, I was pretty sceptical weather this would work. I am impressed with the size of the bottle, you certainly get a lot, which I guess is great as I found I needed a lot for each use. This product does work fairly well, not perfect by any means, my skin felt somewhat moisturised afterwards without extra nourishment, however if you suffer from dry bodily skin, I would recommend that you follow up with extra moisturiser afterwards.

Vichy Cleansing Gel at  £9.50 ****/*****
After running out of cleanser, I needed a quick fix, and decided to take a peak at the Vichy counter seeing as i've never bought a product from them before. Although I never normally enjoy gel cleansers due to them being fairly drying, I find that they remove make up better than cream ones, so picked this up on a whim without any research. I surprisingly like this, due to my oily skin this gel doesn't strip my skin of it's natural oils and actually does a great job of removing all make up traces and impurities leaving a clean feel with no residue.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water at £4.99 ****/*****
So, I've never owned a cleansing water, and although contemplating Bioderma for a while, I wasn't sure if I needed one, but when I saw this for half the price I thought i'd give it ago. The reasons for not picking it up before is I always have to cleanse with a fairly strong cleanser so I am sure all my make up is remover. But yes there are those times when you still have a smudge of waterproof mascara on, and this is really perfect for removing that, and I have found I love it so much that I now double cleanse with this, but because it's soothing and fresh and calming. I really recommend it, just try it out.

Vaseline Spray&Go Body Moisturiser at £4.99 *****/*****
Yep. it's easy to use, does the job, smells great, quick to dry, not a huge amount more I can say about this one really, It's just a very very useful spray and in those situations you can't be bothered to wait for a thick cream to soak in and dry. So useful for the holiday season.

 Make Up:

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in 001 Pink Truffle at £7.99 ****/*****
Really loving this lip butter, its fairly sheer but very buildable, a nice soft caramel colour, very very wearable and also nourishing, if you're having a dry lip day but want a splash of colour then this is really fab. Gives of a glossy/satiny finish and is just beautiful. This colour is also great for all year round as an ashy rose.

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in 230 Complex at £7.99 ***/*****
I thought I would like the look of a matte finish more than I actually did. I bought this as I needed a nude colour, and thought the concept of a matte finish would look great, and I guess it does, however the condition of my lips haven't been great, and any matt finish lip product needs to have a perfect base otherwise it will cling too those dry bits for dear life and that isn't a pretty site! I do however love love love the colour, a perfect nude for me, which is something i struggle to find due to my pale skin, It also carries an interesting mint scent, nothing great, but quite fresh.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair at £3.99 *****/*****
Need I really say anything? This is probably my 6th pot. But honestly a great concealer.

Bourjois Cream Blush in 02 Healthy Glow at £7.99 *****/*****
This cream to powder finish blush is so beautiful, I love the shade a peachy, glowy, coral. It applies great due to its good blending power and  looks very natural on the skin, perfect for spring and summer really. It also comes in cute and small packaging. My go to spring cheek, also a perfect blush for people who aren't so confident with blusher as it's pretty hard to go wrong with this, as you can just use your fingers to apply and blend.

From top to bottom: Revlon Lip Butter,  Revlon Matte Lip Balm, Bourjois Cream Blusher.

I then used the Vichy Gel Cleanser to remove the swatches: 

Great right?

Then this is what I bought my Mum for Mothers Day. The Liz Earl Hot Cloth Cleanser, which I will review shortly with other cleansers (btw it's one of my all time favourites). And a nude/clear Revlon nail polish.


Hope you enjoyed this post, I promise there is more to come shortly,
Bye x x x

A Little (but pretty large) Beauty and Fashion Haul!

Hello Everybody,

Despite not having enough time to blog last week, I've found a quiet few hours on a chilled sunday afternoon to sit down and blog. (still, I'm sorry for the wait).

So although it's early February, I'm still pretty low on cash, so here are a few little bits and bobs I purchased pretty cheaply and LOVE this month... 

Starting with Beauty..

I know face wipes are a controversial topic, and I am all for a deep cleanse and really purifying the skin due to my unlucky spot prone complexion, however, after a cleanse, all that eye make up can be smudged under the eye, so for a quick fix, I don't have a problem with a gentle run under the eyes with a wipe. For cheap wipes, Simple will always be my favourite, and asking my dad to pick me up some, he chose the oil balancing ones, which I think are designed for a cleansing wipe, and that is something I am against. Using only wipes is not enough to remove skin make up, you're pores will get blocked, so I really recommend only using wipes for removing execs make up after cleansing. However because these are designed for cleansing wipes they take a bit more of a rub to remove left over eye make up, which isn't great for the delicate skin under your eyes, however, they are gentle with no harsh chemicals and it states they control shine, and at only £3.20 from Boots, you can't really go wrong. 

Next, is my absolute favourite under eye concealer at the moment, the Phwoarr PAINT by SEVENTEEN. Like it says on the tub, it really is a heavy duty concealer, covering absolutely everything. Creamy, easily, blendable, not a great colour range, but perfect for me with pale skin, this is just really full coverage and then some! Yes the pot gets messy quickly as (pretty unhygienically) you need to use your fingers to get the product, however at £5.50, this is just fabulous and I love it. Also the little compact mirror is so handy, and packaging is neat and firm, so there won't be spillages and messiness getting out that pot. 

Recently I have been using a matte foundation, the Esteè Lauder Double Wear Light in the colour 01, and I have noticed that this sits in my rather large pores after a few hours of wearing it, which isn't the look I am ever going for. Never mind though, a primer will fix the job, and after finishing my incredible POREfessional tester from Benefit, I decided however brilliant it was, I wasn't able to let myself fish out £25 for the product.

I had been hearing some great things from the Body Shop's TEA TREE Pore Minimiser primer, which is made to suit blemished skin, win-win really, blemished skin? (check) large pores? (check) so  £7.50 seemed to make my purse and myself very happy. This is brilliant. All I can say really, smooth to apply, creates a lovely base for foundation, but doesn't make the foundation slip off, and does really fill my pores. It also smells fresh and clean, that typical tea tree smell and feel, I am converted, and a small amount goes a long long way. 

As you may know Illamasqua recently had a fantastic sale on, which I thought I would have to take advantage of, for only £5 I picked up the PRECISION INK eyeliner liquid in Havoc, a beautiful aubergine-black colour, which really compliments my blue eyes. Such a good stay put eyeliner, which   gets really close to the lash line and does a great winged look.

Im in shoe heaven, bought two completely different pairs recently, the first is the gorgeous orange cut out pump with an ankle strap with a gold twist fastening. I love the strap to make it different and cute with trousers and skirts (more of a spring/summer shoe) These being only £14.00 from ASOS was an absolute bargain, although they are not the comfiest shoes, I am trying to wear them in ready for warmer weather. The next being a heeled chelsea boot from H&M at only £25.00, absolutely love love love these boots, haven't taken them off, comfortable with a rubber heel to stop the annoying clip clop sound, can be dressed up or down, looks great with frilly socks and turned up jeans, leggings, trousers and I just can't fault them. Very happy with those beauties. 

Finally my bargain jumpers. Loving the monochrome, Firstly my cute chunky knit from ASOS at only £20.00, so warm, so comfortable, a great chunky fit, but not too unflattering which i find a lot of chunky clothes are, and I wear this with my petrol jeans and the H&M boots for a sophisticated (and warm) but easy outfit, and I'm loving it. The pattern is different but not too in your face, so its an easy wear and just makes an outfit a bit more interesting. 

And lastly, my simple black knit jumper from H&M at only £15.00, can't go wrong. a lovely sloughy hanging fit, slightly shorter at the front to complement the trousers you're wearing, really love the shape and fit of this, and the cute pocket detail finishes it off nicely, a simple and can wear a statement necklace to brighten the outfit, or some bright shoes (like the orange ones) or an interesting bag or jacket. There is nothing wrong with staple pieces, and a simple thin black jumper is just so useful.

So I hope you've enjoyed this post, a few bits and bobs I've purchased cheaply and absolutely love.

See you soon,

Zoe xx

My Cosy Night In Natural MakeUp Look

Wow, what a crazy week!
Had such a busy time, with loads of exams and other bits and bobs on too, so I've only just found time to sit down and blog!

I went out on friday night, so this saturday I just had a quiet night in at the boyfriends house, so I thought I'd show you how I did my very natural, quick, not a lot of effort needed make up look

ENJOY 

So first off I prepped my skin with my all time favourite moisturiser, the AVEDA botanical kinetics hydrating lotion 

I then used the SEVENTEEN phwoarr paint in the colour fair and applied this under my eyes and on any blemishes, also over my cheeks as they were very red, so it evened the colour, and i blended this out with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, which I absolutely love for concealer and foundation.

I then used a small amount of my Estèe Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation in the colour INTENSITY 1, and used the same Real Techniques brush to buff this in... I spent a long time buffing to really get a natural finish. This foundation is great medium, buildable coverage, so I just blended for a while to get a natural finish.

Here you can see that my under eye bags are nicely covered and my colour has been nicely evened out and blemishes covered. 

I then moved onto brows, one of the most important steps for me, as I am naturally blonde, I have very very light eyebrows so I tint them this colour you see above or they would be invisible. To fill in any sparse areas I use my very well loved Urban Decay Naked Palette. For the brows i use the colour 'NAKED', the brush I use is the Urban Decay 'Good Karma' brush as I find this applies the product on really naturally, I use a spoolie to comb through then first, then push the product up rather than across to get a bolder effect.

As you can see this palette is very messy, and well loved...

I then took my MAC eyeshadow in 'SHROOM' which is a gorgeous pale creamy colour, absolutely wonderful at highlighting brow bones, and took this on a fluffy brush and applied all over my lid to even out and discolouration and on my brow bone to highlight.

I then took DARKHORSE from the same Urban Decay palette and on an angled brush applies a thin layer to the top of my lash line, I used a pressing technique to make sure the shadow would stay, this was to produce a natural eyeliner without the harshness of a black liquid liner.

After curling my eyelashes with my NO.7 curlers, I applied my Elizabeth Arden Maximum Volume Mascara in Black. It gives a full but not too overpowering look, keeping the lashes separate and looking longer.

Next onto Blusher, I wanted a natural flush so used my NARS Blush in DEEP THROAT, for that natural winter pinched look. I applied a small amount with the Real Techniques Blush Brush.

After I used my extremely old Dream Terra Sun by Maybelline, because it's great for contouring subtly, and then I dust it over the whole of my face for more of a glow. However it isn't very well pigmented, so even with extremely pale skin its very subtle! 

Then I used the same Blush Brush to apply a minimal amount of the Laura Mercier Translucent powder which i absolutely love for setting my make up!

Then possibly my favourite step is highlighting, on cosy nights in I just wanted a minimal highlight, so used one of my favourite products, the Yves Saint Laurent Touche èclait radiant touch in shade 2.

I apply this under my eye to cover any fall down and brighten and on the tops of my cheek bone, and down the centre of my nose. I JUST LOVE IT.

Lastly I wanted a simple colour and moisturising lip product so went for my Clinique Chubby Stick in 04 mega melon, which gives a lovely colour while being really hydrating for the winter time. 

and here is the finished look...

So I took some photos in different lights so you could see properly!

I really hope you like this look, I thought it was just right for a cosy night in, I apologise for the comfy hoody and terrible hair, I forgot to fix those before... oops

See you soon

Love Zoe xx

NO CLOGS ALLOWED! SOAP&GLORY FACE-MASK REVIEW

In my stocking this year, I was lucky enough to receive this SUPER SELF HEATING DEEP PORE DETOX MASK by SOAP&GLORY. 

Now I love a good face mask, for my spot prone, oily-combination skin. I like the feeling of a deep cleanse, knowing I've done my best to rid the pores of any 'clogs'... excuse the pun.

For 100ml, and only needing a small amount, I'm pretty certain that this mask would last you a while, so even though the price isn't ridiculous, (although a lot more than those £1.00 masks) it is definitely worth the money. 

This mask is originally £11.50, but you can get it on offer for £8.50 here. This will last a limited time only, but Boots always have great deals on. 

So as you can see, this is a weekly mask, and gives you easy directions to follow.
And even though it says use a 'grape sized dab', I recommend about 3 'grape sized dabs' for a fairly thick coverage all over the skin.
When you start massaging this product into your skin with dry hands, you really do feel a super heating effect, it's not at all painful, but you can really feel the heat. There is also small, soft grains t help exfoliate while you rub, to get rid of dead cells, and help clean.
Then you slightly wet your hands and rub further, the product will then turn a pale blue colour and you know the mask has been activated.
Even though it says keep on for 5 minutes, I lost track of time and probably had it on for 10.

No this is not an alien, this is a delightful picture of my face. Please excuse the red eyes due to a sleepless night, sob.
I used this mask when I had just woken up to refresh my face.
I really enjoyed it as well. Because I have only used it once, I haven't noticed a great difference in skin condition, but it did feel soft and deeply cleansed.

After use, I followed up with my favourite moisturiser, the AVEDA botanical kinetics hydrating lotion, and then my skin was fully prepped for the day.

So, all in all I really liked the mask, I will continue to use it weekly, and in a month or so, I think I will blog a 'MY FAVOURITE FACE MASKS' blog, to compare what has worked best for me.

I really recommend this mask if you want a quick, but deep fix, leaving your skin with a nice refreshed and replenished finish.

I hope this was useful
See you soon,
Zoe xx

Resolutions... Hmmm

'ELLO 'ELLO 'ELLO,

Every year I give myself 4/5 resolutions, stick with them for 4/5 days and then give up.
Brilliant.

BUT 2014 WILL BE DIFFERENT I CAN FEEL THE MOTIVATION INSIDE ME

Lets get to it then:

Numero 1 ~ Be healthy. This includes trying to gym 3 times a week, juicing daily (WHICH I HAVE BEEN DOING GUYS), cutting carbs down, eating less chocolate because the amount i ate over christmas is literally unbelievable... I want to physically get fitter, not lose weight, but really tone up for that - ergh - ''summer bod'' (however I am the palest ghostly person so I look like a glowing milk bottle in summer and should be shipped off to the North Pole which is just fabulous as I hate the cold)

Numero 2 ~ Be cleaner. NOT MYSELF BTW, I am very together on the personal hygiene, just want to make that clear! What I mean is keep my room in a better state, get all my make up, clothes organised. Get college work and revision notes organised and yeah... we'll see about that one.

Numero 3 ~ Start a blog. Tah-Dah... I've been ready blogs, watching vlogs pretty much addicted to youtube vids as well for years and just really wanted to do it. So here we are.

I thought these three were enough to keep me going, they are actually do-able so I'll probably get back to you in February and tell you how I'm doing (gahh)...

See you soon,
Love Zoe xx

JUICE JUICE JUICY JUICE and bronchitis *weep*

HELLO!

Yes, another lazy day due to the fact I have have developed bronchitis *insert many sad faces here*

I AM HOUSEBOUND and this really frustrates me! No gym pics today unfortunately.

And even though I woke up to a delicious fruit salad I have to confess, I did tuck into some chocolates, can you really blame me though?

Anyway, I have tried to make up for it by making myself a juice so here we go...

WACK OUT THE JUICER

GET YOUR VEG OUT 

WAZ IT ALL UP

For my juice today I used: 

Kale

Watercress

Cabbage

1/2 Cucumber

2x Celery

4x Carrots

An Aubergine 

An Apple

A Lime

And then my Dad came along and added a whole ginger ( I DO NOT RECOMMEND. ADD A THUMB SIZED PORTION. THUMB SIZED)

So thanks for that Dad...

Anyway, I will sip on that killer tonight after my very exiting veg dinner... CANNOT WAIT, er...

FYI, I will be adding some beauty, skin care and more fashion blogs soon, when I feel a tad better.

See you soon,
Love Zoe xx

1st day of cleanse... poorly girly

Hey guys,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So, I entered 2014 pretty sick and coldy (boohoo) and tissues have become my new best friend, which is not exactly how I planned to start the new year, ooh well

CONFESSION: So my first day of cleansing didn't go to well on the 1st, I woke up feeling pretty rough due to my cold and had a camomile tea and two eggs (without bread) which was a good start, however I spent most of my day in bed and when I got home from my boyfriends, my mum wanted all the left over Christmas food eaten, so Dad (who is also 'dieting') and I decided to delay until the 2nd, and we finished off the meats, chocolate, and other unhealthy festive treats.. oops

ANYWAY, today is the 2nd, and I hoped to get down to the gym this morning however i'm really not feeling up for it, so i'm really trying to rest today and get some work done so I can head down tomorrow when/if I feel better.
I started the day with a sweet juice to get me ready for the daily (horrible) drinks. For my juices I use my Sage Juicer by Heston Blumenthal and this is a really fast and efficient juicer which I really recommend.

The juice I went for this morning: (for one person)

2x medium apples

1x orange (peeled although you don't need to on this juicer)

2x medium bunches of grapes

2x celery sticks

1x chunk (around 6'') of cucumber 

and half a lemon

... It turned out like this 

This is green drink is very sweet so I wouldn't recommend for any other meal other than breakfast, and I think next time I would substitute the grapes and one apple for some kale.

TIP: For a more savoury juice, try adding an apple/lemon/ginger to make the juice more palatable.

Moving on to lunch now, and I was so very very exited to crack into a gorgeous smelling Moroccan soup that my Mum had bought, however I went to the fridge to find that my old father dear had eaten it... cheers Dad. Anyway, i made myself a simple green salad and as a substitute for dressing (Pizza Express House Dressing is a god send, honestly I could bathe in that stuff, well probably not but you get what I mean) but unfortunately it is very calorific, so instead I drizzled some balsamic vinegar, you could also add lemon too or instead.

Yes, I do realise that it looks pretty bland and rubbish, but I really couldn't be bothered to spend a lot of time on a quick snacky lunch, I promise to make some more exiting lunches soon. Just incase you're wondering, I simply used a packet of mixed salad leaves, chopped some celery and cucumber and that was it!

As I am still feeling very under the whether, I thought I would run a nice bubble bath and watch David Blaine's 'Real or Magic' on 4od, if you're into magic, or love being wowed by magic, I highly recommend! 

So I ran a beautiful bath and I'm very annoyed at myself for forgetting to take a picture of it before, dang! Anyway I used my favourite Badedas bubble bath, lit a candle and relaxed for a while.

Although I hadn't been wearing make up all day, I still wanted to use my Liz Earl Hot Cloth Cleanser, as I've been using this product for over two years now, after my Mum took me to a Liz Earl skin meeting in London and I've been hooked ever since. It removes make up instantly, even tough eye make up, and has a fresh scent too, you actually can notice the change in your skin after a week or so, and I love the muslin cloth to scrub at any problematic areas of skin. I would say it's my favourite every day skin cleanser.

I shampooed my hair with the Aussie awesome volume shampoo, which I purchased because I generally love Aussie products, I think they mostly have the most wonderful scents and make my hair feel fresh and cleaned without causing build up. However this scent of 'Australian Hops' really isn't for me. It smelt like a bar of soap, and left my hair feeling dry in my hair, so I won't be repurchasing that particular type again, though it really hasn't put me off the other Aussie products. I then used a Herbal Essences conditioner which is really nourishing and leaves my hair soft and silky, and it smells good too. When the ends of my hair are feeling particularly dry, I add a few squirts of the L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil, this ones for coloured hair even though mine isn't, but still works really nicely, giving a soft shiny finish without looking or feeling at all greasy.

P.S that bar of soap is the L'occitaine grapefruit soap, which I think has now been discontinued (sorry) but it smells literally like heaven.

Using one of my personal favourite body scrub, the St Ives apricot invigorating scrub to quickly buff my skin, an absolute winner for dull looking skin, however you do need to clean out the tub after as it leaves sand grains on the bottom; and then my Satin Care radiant apricot shave gell to shave my legs, this gell is a pretty colour, nice smell and does what it says on the tin... bottle.

After that well needed bath my dinner was ready and well...

You cannot go wrong with an M&S steak now. I like mine medium rare, and i'm glad mum cooked a to of veg as well. 

The rather interesting looking sauce is a mustard and pepper ready sauce and was actually lovely! 

This has turned out to be a rather long blog, I'm hoping to blog twice a week, but as college work builds up it may be just the once, but i wanted to let you all see my first cleansing day, so there you go, hope you enjoyed

See you soon

Love Zoe xx

A Little Warm Welcome

Hello everyone,
My names Zoe and I've decided as my new years resolution is to do a big 'ole cleanse. What I mean by that is too... juice daily (at least two meals... maybe just one), eat more healthily in general, no more Mcdonnalds and selection boxes and to get down the gym at least 3 times a week.
Not only that but I will be cleansing the boring stuff too (like a huge room clean and sort out, college notes and revision, but I'm sure you don't want to hear about all that).

BUT, because of this new change I thought I'd start up a blog, so that you guys can get some inspiration, encouragement and also to motivate me, as I am quite easily distracted (and yes I will tell you if I make a few slip ups)...
I will be taking you through what I have done to get into shape and just make me a more healthy person by uploading pictures, juice and meal recipes and other bits and bobs too.

A little side note: I am a beauty blog obsessor, those who idolise Zoella, Tanya, Fleur, Ingrid, Claudia, Louise etc will understand where I'm coming from, so I thought it was only fair to let me beauty blog along the way. As it has just been christmas I have received some luxurious skin care and make up, and I'll review and show you how to use/wear the products and we'll see how this all goes...

So, as a little summery, I will be posting on beauty, skincare, health, fashion and just a little of everything you need.

See you in 2014! Have a happy new year!

Zoe xx