I love seeing what everyone got for Christmas and was lucky enough to get a few beauty bits and pieces so thought I would share.
I got a Liz Earle Travel/Try me kit, I have fell in love with Liz Earle products this year, so will definitely be saving this for when I go away. Included was 30ml of Cleanse and Polish which I love and is my holy grail cleanser, 50ml of Instant Boost Skin Tonic which I have also used and reviewed, 15ml of Skin Repair Moisturiser in Dry/Sensitive, a muslin cloth which is always handy, 5g of Superbalm which I have used before but not reviewed and a new product to me, 15ml of Hand Repair which my younger sister raves about so I am looking forward to trying.
Next is the OPI Correct & Clean Up Refillable Corrector pen, which I am in desperate need of. At the moment if I get any polish on my finger or cuticle I scrape it off with another nail!! I can't wait to try this out so hopefully my manicures can look a bit more professional.
Also for my nails I received a little kit by Nails Inc. It comes in a gorgeous silver case which is super handy if you are travelling or even for putting in your handbag. In it is 4ml of Caviar Topcoat which I have used before and love as it makes the polish look super glossy and last longer, there is also a nail buffer, a vitamin e oil pen, a nail file and 4ml of Monmouth Street a bright hot pink colour. I love this kit as is a great way of keeping all your nail essentials together just one niggle well two actually, why isn't there a base coat instead of a colour and why are they so small surely most people have the regular 10ml which they would want to put in the kit when these have ran out.
I also got two Real Technique make up brushes the Blush Brush and Expert Face Brush. I love my Stippling Brush so can't wait to try these out.
I also got a travel set from Rituals, which includes 50ml Yogi Flow Foaming Shower Gel Sensation, I do have the full size in my stash but haven't got round to trying yet, 70ml of Brilliant Bliss Nourishing Ultra-Shine Shampoo which smells lovely but I am a bit concerned it might irritate my very sensitive scalp, 70ml Honey Touch Rich & Nourishing Body Cream and 40g Himalaya Wisdom Deep Cleansing Himalaya Salt Scrub which I can't wait to try as I love scrubs.
Lastly I got a Travelo so I can decant my favourite fragrance for popping in my handbag or when I go away
Talking of going away I am hoping to plan my next summer holiday soon does anyone have any suggestions I love Turkey but thinking of trying somewhere new.
I requested a sample of the Dr. Jart+ Beauty Balm from their facebook page, unfortunately they no longer have any samples available. I have never tried any BB creams before as to be honest didn't really see the point. I am not a massive fan of tinted moisturiser and thought they were just a hyped up tinted moisturisers. I had read quite a few blog posts on the Dr. Jart+ versions and then heard that they were giving away samples so thought why not request one and give it ago. I was sent three of the Regenerating samples.
I was surprised at how thick the product was and thought that it would feel heavy on my skin. Although the product says its moisturises primes and conceals I did put on some moisturiser first as my skin has been very dry this winter. I was really impressed with the coverage as I have a lot of redness which was pretty much gone with one application. I still required concealer on my chin which has had a few breakouts recently and around my eyes but I was very impressed. If I use tinted moisturiser I usually have to use so much concealer to achieve what this did in one layer.
I was dubious about the claim that it self-adjusts for a flawless coverage however with a bit of buffing it really did match my skin tone. The staying power of this is also very impressive even with a cold I went 8-9 hours without needing a touch up, and on my forehead which I usually need to use a primer on, as it is my problem error, looked better then it has for ages, smooth with no dry skin.
Overall I am very impressed with this product and am debating buying, I also have a sample of the Rimmel BB Cream which I want to try before heading to the shops.
You can pick this up at boots.com for £21 for 50ml
After being seriously impressed with Wocka Wocka I decided to try out another nail polish from the same collection and decided on Designer de Better. I absolutely love this polish I will attempt to describe it as best as I can.
At first I thought that this was actually a bronze/gold colour but after wearing for a few days and browsing the internet, it is actually a silver foil with pink/bronze flakes. Unfortunately my camera and photography skills do not do this polish justice.
I think I might have to try out some more OPI as I have been seriously impressed with these. Again I used just two coats and the best thing about this polish is that it looks glittery but is smooth and therefore should (fingers crossed) be nice and easy to remove.
As always I used Kensington Caviar Base Coat and Albert Bridge Top Coat
Does anyone have any OPI recommendations I should try out?
I always get a stocking usually from my mum but this year I was lucky enough to get two! My boyfriend never got a stocking when he was younger so it has become our Christmas tradition to do one for each other (we don't buy each other anything else at Christmas). My mum also got me one as both my sisters live at home and I think that she was concerned I would feel left out.
Firstly from my boyfriend I got three mini Soap & Glory products. The Scrub of Your Life is a product I haven't tried before but I do love giving my skin a good old scrub so looking forward to trying this out. I also got Clean on Me which I have used before and absolutely love. I think I will save this for our next summer holiday. I have also used Flake Away before which is a shea butter sugar and peach seed body polish.
He also got me a set of five face masques from Montagne Jennesse they are Red Hot Earth Sauna Masque, Dead Sea Mud Pac, Fruit Smoothie Masque, Cucumber Peel-Off Masque and Passion Peel Off. I really love doing a face masks especially on a Sunday evening and cant wait to give these a go.
The next gift was actually also a present I bought and after some heavy hinting my boyfriend got for me. I couldn't think what to get my dad's girlfriend I know she loves Liz Earle and L'Occitane and when I was browsing feelunique.com came across this little set. Dad's girlfriend also travels a lot with her job so thought this would be perfect. It includes Cleansing Water, Moisturising Sorbet, Shower Gel, Shampoo and Body Lotion. I can't wait to try out the cleansing water and the brand in general. This set is currently in the feelunique.com sale.
The last gift I got from my boyfriend is Just Go With It, this has to be one of my favourite Adam Sandler films obviously not as good as The Wedding Singer but still very good.
The first thing in my mum's stocking was a massive tub of sweets, I always get sweets in my stocking I am going to try and not eat this too quickly this year.
My mum also got me a set of four highlighters packaged to look like nail polish (my mum knows me too well)
Just look how cute they are
I also got a mini massager which can be used in the bath or shower, it has an attachment which can also be used for scrubbing. I hold a lot of tension in my shoulder so hoping that this might help.
Every year I always get a novelty Christmas pen and this year I got a punching reindeer.
Lastly I got some shower gel in a little plastic Christmas Tree
I love getting a stocking some of my favourite gifts in the past have been from stockings and this year I think both my mum and boyfriend did very well.
Did anyone else get a stocking?
As well as my blog my poor nails have been rather neglected recently. I think that there was a period of about 3 weeks which they were naked , the poor things! After my exam I had to show them some love and attention and also decided it was time to get into the festive spirit. I went through my polish collection and came across this little gem which was given to me last Christmas. It is Wocka Wocka from the OPI Mini Muppets Collection. Unfortunately this was a limited edition collection and I can't find any UK retailers selling it but I still wanted to share.
To me this is the perfect red for Christmas, it has a gorgeous sheen to it and changes colour slightly in different lights which unfortunately I couldn't pick up on my camera.
I was also really impressed with the coverage as the polish, I felt was thinner then the Nails Inc formulation yet still only required two coats. It also lasted 4-5 days without any chips or wear.
As always I used Kensington Caviar Base Coat and Albert Bridge Top Coat
I know I haven't posted anything for well over a month but have done a bit of shopping in that time.
The best thing about this time of year (other then Christmas day itself) is all the festive celebrations. I went into Norwich to find the perfect party dress and found this beauty from tfnc London in Topshop. This dress is quite short but with the high neck line I think it can still look classy, I also love the colour as I tend to wear a lot of black or dark purple on nights out. I got this from Topshop for £42 but I can only find on tfnclondon.com and it doesn't appear to be in the same colour.
To go with the dress I picked up some navy platform shoes from Barratts I paid £15 but they are now £10. I didn't end up wearing them, as they are a sort of suede material and the night I went out it was pouring with rain. On the plus side I doubt that I would have been able to stay on my feet as long as I did, as they are not overly comfortable but look gorgeous.
At the beginning of December I went to Manchester to see Elbow as an early birthday present, for my boyfriend whilst there I popped into Selfridges and bought Laguna bronzer by Nars. I have been lusting after this for ages and decided to treat myself, I can't wait to try this out.
Another product I have been waiting to try out and recently bought is Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I know many beauty bloggers have raved about this product so wanted to try for myself. I picked up shade 2 Light from Boots for £4.19.
I also picked up Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturiser from Boots after watching some of missbudgetbeauty videos. My chin has been very spotty recently and have tried numerous spot treatments so was hopeful that this would get rid of them. I will let you know how I get on.
Lastly I picked up Super Facialist by Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Cleanser also from Boots. I still love my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish but I get through a bottle a month and at £12.75 it would mean spending over £150 a year on cleanser which I just can't justify. I am therefore testing out cheaper options.
Has anyone got any cleanser recommendations for me?
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