I have been using this mascara for five months now so thought it was time to review it. This claims to help your lashes 'grow stronger' with each use. I have used pretty much daily and I haven't noticed any long term difference in my lashes. I am not really sure how you can measure whether your lashes are stronger, but I assumed that they might grow longer.
The other thing about this product that I don't really love is the wand. It is massive and I find that as well as coating my eye lashes I also get my lids.
If the wand wasn't a massive fibre one this review might be different. I just think that the wand is too big. The mascara itself is a good everyday mascara, it doesn't smudge or flake. It also adds a nice amount of length and is easy to remove. I just can't get over the wand.
This hasn't put me off Revlon mascara and am tempted to try their Lash Potion, as it appears to have a smaller wand. But if anyone has any recommendations for a great mascara please let me know
This is available from boots.com for £9.99
This post has been hanging around in my drafts for ages. The reason being that my camera or probably more likely, my photography skills just don't capture this shade correctly. As you can see it looks pretty much neon orange but it is actually a pinky coral. I have taken tonnes of photographs in all sorts of different lighting but this is the best I can do. The best swatches I have found are from thepolishaholic.com so if you haven't seen this shade pop on over to her blog.
This is from the same collection as Full Steamahead, which I reviewed here and Naughty Neautical which you can check out here. I have to say that this is my favourite, out of the three. It is a gorgeous summer shade, and I love the hint of shimmer in it. I have worn this loads and it even came away with me to Bulgaria.
I really do love Essie after trying out these polishes. The brush is amazing and it makes application so much easier. The formulation I also love, opaque in two coats and dries quickly. I would still always use a topcoat for longevity.
One last thing is that this is very similar to Nails Inc Mayfair Mews which I reviewed last year. The only difference is that this has a shimmer running through it. I also prefer the formulation of this as I found Mayfair Mews to be very sheer.
Although this is part of the summer collection this is still available from boots.com for £7.99 for the full size.
I got this at the beginning of the year, you can read the post I hauled it in here. I had high hopes for this after falling in love with their Advanced Night Repair, but to be honest have been a bit underwhelmed by this.
There are some definite good things about this.
Firstly the packaging is gorgeous but for the price it should be. The second thing I like is that this is not heavily scented and is lightweight in texture. It is more of a gel then a cream and sinks in very quickly. You also don't need a lot so this 15ml size has lasted a lot longer then I expected. I only used at night and lasted a good couple of months.
Onto the things I didn't like, I just don't feel that it did anything. As I said I only used this in the evening, as I preferred to use the Caudalie Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet in the morning, you can read my full post on that here. When I woke up my skin didn't feel noticeably different. I like my skin to feel softer and more hydrated in the morning after using a night cream but this just didn't do anything. It is marketed for Dry skin so did think that it would leave my skin more hydrated, but honestly products a fraction of the price offer more hydration in my opinion.
That leads me to the subject of price, 50ml of this will set you back £58. I know the Advanced Night Repair is expensive but hand on heart I notice a difference in my skin, this I don't.
This is obviously an anti-aging product and I am not sure what age you are 'meant' to start using these, but I still thought I would have noticed a difference. I don't think 28 is too young to be starting to worry about wrinkles and what not.
This is available from johnlewis.com for £58 for 50ml.
I am sure everyone has tried this, I think along with Nars Sheer Glow this has to be one of the most talked about foundations. I got this last year when I went to York, and can't believe that I haven't written a post on this sooner.
As I am sure you know, you have to shake this before applying. If you don't shake it enough this is very watery and runny. On a side note about the shaking this is not a foundation to use if you are getting ready early and your boyfriend is still asleep.
As the name suggests this is very light, however a little goes a long way. I find the best way to apply is with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I apply a thin layer all over and then dab and blend a tiny bit extra on any redness. Obviously I still need concealer under my eyes and on any blemishes, but otherwise this really does provide enough coverage.
I like to use with a primer as I find foundations look and sit better on my skin with one. I personally don't have an issue with foundation lasting on my skin but other reviews have said that this could be better. Another thing to note about this is that this is scented, so if you are sensitive it might be worth testing before hand.
The best things about this foundation for me are the colour match. I am shade B10 which I believe is the lightest shade, but honestly I have never found anything which matches so well.
The second is, this makes your skin look great without feeling like you are wearing anything. I hate it when you touch your face, and you can feel a layer of foundation. This feels like nothing but really perfects your skin.
The only thing I am not keen on is the packaging. I know a lot of people like the packaging, yes its lightweight and good for travel. But I don't travel that much and think that a brand such as Chanel could do a bit better. Another small thing with the packaging would be that it would be great to see how much of this is left.
Moan about the packaging over, I honestly love this foundation. Everytime I use it I remember why I love it so much. It is definitely worth the hype and is now my Holy Grail foundation. It's not cheap but I do think if you get your base right your more then half way there.
You can pick this up from debenhams.com for £32 for 30ml.
I got this when I went to Bicester Village absolutely ages ago. Before I lost weight I would go shopping and end up buying mostly body products and nail polish. I didn't want to buy clothes until I lost weight. This went on for quite sometime until I bite the bullet and joined Slimming World. Long story short, I have a lot of shower gels, bubble baths, scrubs and nail polish.
I had always wanted to try L'Occitance as had spent many happy hour coveting the products on QVC. I never bought any as lets face it you can buy shower gel and moisturiser cheaper elsewhere. After walking around Bicester for a few hours and finding very little for under £100 which is still tasteful and in your size, L'Occitane and Molton Brown seem like bargains.
Enough about how this ended up in my possession, what is the actual product like?
This has the same scent as the Ultra Rich Body Lotion, which I have written a full post on here. I am not overly enamored with the scent, to me it just smells like soap. That said it isn't offensive and would be great for the whole family as both men and children could use. I just feel that a shower product in this price range should have a more luxurious smell.
The scent isn't the only other thing about this which lets its down, this really doesn't lather well. I am not sure whether it is because it is detergent free, but to get a good lather out of it you need to use a lot with a shower puff.
Although this doesn't lather all that well it does feel lovely on the skin. It doesn't dry the skin out or irritate it. Again I imagine this would be good for children, although do children shower? I always had a bath as a kid.
Overall this is an none offensive product, I don't think many could take a real dislike to it. I just feel that I would rather save my money and put it towards a real luxury.
I got the 500ml size which I can't find anywhere but you can buy 250ml for £13 from feelunique.com
I decided that instead of lugging a large bottle of fragrance with me on holiday I would take a sample. I opted for Miss Dior. I assumed it would be the Dior version of Coco Mademoiselle, which I will write a full ode to one day.
This apparently has been 'created for an elegant and spirited young woman in love' however I personally think it has quite a sophisticated and mature scent as its quite musky. Maybe I am not 'elegant and spirited' but I wouldn't describe this as a young scent.
It has notes of Italian Mandarin, Jasmine and Patchouli, and this definitely has staying power. Unlike my beloved Coco Mademoiselle I can smell this for hours.
I don't think that this is a very me scent and although my boyfriend said he liked it, he does prefer my trusty Chanel. That said as soon as I smell this I think of my holiday so quite tempted to get it. If I did repurchase I think I would save for nights out as I think it might be a bit much for everyday.
One last thing is that I did notice that when I wore this I got bitten by god knows what regardless of whether I had any anti mosquito stuff on, so be warned.
This is available from feelunique.com for £47 for 30ml
I have bought a couple of things since my last haul. I was hoping to treat myself at Duty Free. But my local airport however is tiny and the one in Bulgaria wasn't much better, so I ended up buying nothing.
Just before my holiday I had a last minute panic that I wouldn't have enough bikinis so needed, yes needed, to do a last minute asos order. I ordered several bikinis (but only kept one) but needed to spend £100 to get free next day delivery. I was only a couple of quid short so spotted a Rimmel London Salon Pro nail polish for £3. I haven't tried any of the Rimmel nail polishes for years, but have heard good things about the Kate Moss range, so thought why not. The colour I got was 347 Disco Fever. This is still available from asos.com for £3.
Whilst spending the day in Norwich with my mum I picked up a couple of bits from Superdrug. The first is the MUA Undress Your Skin Illuminating Foundation. I have wanted this since it featured on missbudgetbeauty.co.uk. I have never really tipped my toe into the drugstore foundations as I am so pale, I worry I will end up looking like an oompa loompa. I think that there are only three shades available, which is a bit poor. But I swatched two and they both looked pretty similar. I did go for porcelain to decrease the chance of looking orange. This was an absolute bargain as was on offer so was £3 for 35ml and it still appears to be on offer here.
The last thing I picked up from Superdrug was the MUA Pro-Base Fixing Mist. I have always wanted to try one of the Urban Decay ones but couldn't really justify the price tag on a product I wasn't really sure I needed. I recently read a rave review on this, although annoyingly can't remember whose blog it was on. My mum also picked this up as she mentioned she has noticed that now she is getting older her makeup doesn't last as long. This is available from superdrug.com for £5 for 60ml.
Whilst I was walking down the aisles at Tesco I saw some Ardell Demi Wispies and knew I had to get them. I don't know if before I discovered YouTube I had been living under a rock but I had never heard of this brand before. I have attempted to wear false lashes before with little success, but I am sure paired with some tweezers and some tutorials I will be fine. These were in the bargain end of the makeup aisle and I can't find them online at tesco.com but are available from superdrug.com.
The last product is Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair II I loved the original and now that the new version has the stamp of approval from carolinehirons.com getting the new improved version was a must. I picked this up from my local Boots and realize that I may have paid over the odds as I paid £48 however on boots.com it is £44. I have sent Boots an email asking if there has been a mistake. I always blindly assumed that the prices were the same, the response I got back was
I can confirm that prices of items that we stock online and in store can vary. This is due to the fact that Boots.com and Boots Stores are two separate businesses and have their own respective Marketing teams.
So there you have it, before you buy instore get out your phone and check you can't buy cheaper online.
Anyway I know I say this after every haul but must stop spending
This month the magazines have some good freebies, so I picked up a copy of Red, InStyle and Cosmopolitan.
With Red there is 50ml of thisworks really rich firming lotion. Other then some of their deep sleep range I haven't tried anything from this brand. I know it well loved by bloggers so I am looking forward to trying this out. I am also hoping that it might firm up my thighs for my next holiday which is at the beginning of December. I will keep you updated.
InStyle have three minis from Ren, the Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream, Vita Mineral Active 7 Eye Gel and Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk. The only products I have from Ren is a similar pack I got with Red a few months ago, which you can see here. I still haven't used but will keep if I go away for a few nights.
Cosmopolitan had 50ml of St. Tropez Instant Tan Wash Off Face & Body Lotion. I have tried the Rimmel instant tan a couple of times to vary degrees of failure but am determined to master fake tan. I feel that it is an important life skill to master. Hopefully I will get along with this.
I haven't been able to find Marie Claire yet who usually have good freebies, but have I missed any good freebies?
A bit late, but better late then never - right! I thought I was going to use up a lot of products in September as I went on holiday to Sunny Beach in Bulgaria but actually ended up using up very little whilst I was away.
Philip Kingsley Flaky/Itchy Scalp Shampoo which regular readers will know is the only shampoo I use. I honestly can't say anything bad about this, other than it is a bit pricey, but it is worth it. A 1000ml seems to last me about 6 months and I do wash my hair everyday and my boyfriend does use this too occasionally. I always buy mine from feelunique.com due to the free p&p and also these always tend to be quite well discounted in the sale.
Rituals Yogi Flow Foaming Shower Gel although I have two full sizes of these I hadn't actually tried this until last month. I actually brought this as I thought it could double up as shaving gel - it doesn't. This smells amazing but is not thick enough to really double up. It also runs out mega fast although this only a 50ml size. I will be interested to see how I get on with the 200ml. You can buy the 200ml from .feelunique.com for £8.50.
Mark Hill Holiday Hair Cover Up Protection Spray I fell in love with this product last year after going to Turkey so knew I had to bring away with me again. I did manage to burn my scalp this time but it was only a tiny patch right in my hairline which I obviously missed. This does make my hair very greasy looking which is alright if you are going to be round the pool or the beach but not really great for sight seeing. I did do a full post on this last year which you can read here. I will definitely repurchase and take with me when I go to Lanzarote.
Mark Hill Sunset Smoother Aftersun Conditioner another product I now won't travel without. This smells just like holiday in a bottle to me and I find is great for restoring my frazzled locks, after a day in the sun. This is actually the same bottle I took to Turkey as my hair really can't handle too much conditioner. I take ages to get through even a small bottle. I have repurchased this already and would do again and again. I did a full post here on this.
Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet I really loved this, this is so lightweight but so hydrating at the same time. It has a nice fresh scent to it which is not over powering and it just makes your skin feel better. If you want to read me wax lyrical about this some more then I did a full review here. I will definitely get this again as I have really missed using it.
Radox Bath Smoothies Tropical Tranquility last month was obviously the month I used up some of my favourite products, as I loved this stuff. It smells gorgeous like a tropical drink and being Radox produces lots of bubbles. This is definitely a brilliant budget bath time treat as was only £3.15. I have struggled to find this at Boots or supermarkets since falling in love with it but it is still on superdrug.com. If you want to read my full review you can find it here.
I am not really sure how regular my posts will be at the moment. I am currently trying to finish off one unit of my AAT course and we have already started another so free time is a bit thin on the ground at the moment.
