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