A very late Birthday haul and other stuff....

Firstly sorry for the lack of posts lately, although i do have good reason for going blog awol for a month. I've been busy moving to a new place, and now i've got my internet sorted and i'm (mostly) unpacked i thought i'd start with a birthday/collective haul type thing.

It was my Birthday on August the 8th, and i turned 25...eek! I got some lovely things, and there may be a long time until the next haul, seeing as im spending all my spare cash on household things lately (I did really need that hot pink bin, and matching washing up bowl!).
So here goes...


First up this really cute Me & Zena necklace

This is the Clinique gift that came with the below face wash and high impact mascara.

A load of Sleek pout paints, i love these and plan to post a review soon.

Some pressed powder from Mac, as well as beauty marked eyeshadow, and a lipgloss.

Some goodies from a trip to Superdrug.

A Tokidoki for Smashbox eyeshadow quad, and Benefit concealer set, and a perfume from M&S called Butterfly that smells of watermelon yum!

Shower gels from The Body Shop- as you can see i can't get enough of these. My favourite is satsuma.

And how could i call this a haul without some Hello Kitty!?

And, finally a Paul's Boutique bag called 'Jackie'. It is absolutely huge, and very lovely.

Thanks for reading (^_^)

Most used: July

Here are the things i've been using like mad lately:

• Mac Studio Fix powder in NC20. This Summer weather is far to hot for foundation, but this controls my oily skin nicely.
• No.7 Bronzer. This is matte, which i love.
• Benefit Eyebright. Perfect for giving me a wide eyed healthy look.
• M&S lip & cheek tint in coral. This was a complete bargain- i love it.
• Clinique gel liner in bronze. lovely and creamy formula.
• Mac light as air liner. To add a bit of colour to the waterline.
  

In the hot weather i tend to wear more on the lips. These are the go to products i've been using:

• Benefit Benetint lip balm. Smells or roses :)
• Dior lipglow. My fave Summer lip balm
• Gosh jumbo lipgloss pencil in Flamenco Coral. Such a lovely colour.
• Mac Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick. A wearable rosey red.
• 17 Mirror shine lipstick in Beehive. A nice soft neutral colour.
• 17 Mirror shine lipstick in Hollywood. I love this! A buildable pillarbox red.
• Jemma Kidd lipcare lipstick in Apricot. Lovely soft colour and spf.
• Rimmel Vinyl Bronze lipgloss in Sunset. I mainly love it because it smells of oranges!

And that's about it! (^_^)

New Things

Just some new things....

Well firstly, like everyone i took advantage of Glamour magazines offer which had 1 of 3 different Benefit eye pencils and bought all 3 issues. I'm not one for celebrity magazines, but when there is a freebie then i'm straight in there ;)

Which is why i also got More magazine that had a voucher inside that can be exchanged at Superdrug for a Barry M dazzle dust. I chose Kingfisher which is a lovely blue with a gold edge to it.

The Summer collection from No.7 has really caught my eye. I love the 70's esque packaging, it's a lot more sleek and slimline than previous LE packaging they've released. As it was 3 for 2 i picked up the Sun Drenched Bronzer which is matte, and i've been really looking forward to trying. From the collection i also got a Sun Drenched lipgloss pot in Golden Peach that has 22ct gold flakes in (which are actually really annoying!), and a blush tint in Rosebud- which is really nice as a lip stain.

At M&S i picked up an absolute bargain! This lip and cheek tint in coral that costs £3, and is a really lovely product-i've been using it constantly.

H&M had a sale going on so i picked up a cute Hello Kitty mirror and 3 lipglosses all for a £1 each. I also got a HK lip balm in coconut and lime, which i've later found smells really weird, and a very hand lint roller.

And lastly, i got this supercute Hello Kitty keyring (^_^)

Spend Vs Steal: A Mascara Overview!

Mascara is one of my favourite and most used make up item. In fact if i could only have one make up item to use for the rest of my life, would certainly be mascara. I'm always on the look out for a good one, and have tried many, so here's my views on a few of them....


1. Avon- Supershock (£10, often £5 on offer)
The brush for this one is plastic, and massive. Because the 'bristles' are so short i find this one quite awkward to use. The effect is nothing special, and certainly not as the name suggests, but i do find this a good one for the lower lashes. Overall nothing special. 4/10

2. Boots 17 Va Va Voom (£5.99)
This mascara is kind of marketed as the cheap dupe for Benefits BadGal Lash with the oversized bristle brush. I actually prefer this to BadGal! Althought it's nothing amazing, i quite like this as a reliable daytime mascara. It gives a nice amount of volume without being too obvious. 5/10

3. Boots No.7 Intense Volume(£10.50)

I have fond feelings for this one, as it was my hg mascara for a long time when i was younger. I think this is a good all rounder- giving a nice bit of volume and curl and a lovely intense colour. The brush is a nice classic size and shape, a good one if you don't want to go for the expense of high end. 7/10

4.Lancome Hypnose (£20)

Put simply, this is my favourite mascara i have ever tried! The way it transforms my lashes is amazing, massive volume, a nice curl, and the right amount of seperation. It really gives lashes the wow factor. The formula gives an intense colour, and doesn't dry out all crispy like most mascaras do. The brush is just the right size, and the bristles are the perfect length, so as to stop the liquid going all gloopy. Love it! 10/10

5. Benefit BadGal Lash (£14.50 Boots, ASOS £15.50 Debenhams)

I know this is a really popular one, but i just can't get on with this myself. I must admit to not being a huge fan of Benefit make up, but i really did try. I find the brush to be crazily big, and it just doesn't really do much for me... 2/10

6. Sleek Volume & Curl (£3.70)

Amazingly good value, and a great daytime mascara. Nice and subtle, it does a great job at giving a nice pretty curl, and a little bit of volume. I really like the brush on this one-very easy to apply. Great for everyday. 6/10

7. Rimmel Sexy Curves (£4.99 Superdrug. Prices vary)

This was another one i've heard a lot of good stuff about, but i was really disappointed. I must admit to preferring the bristle brushes to the plasic ones like these. The brush is useful for getting right to the root of the lashes, but i have naturally long lashes so the brush was rubbish for coating the length. It didn't deliver on volume or curl for me, and the result was underwhelming. I tend to only reach for this for my lower lashes, as the brush is very good for that. 3/10

8. Clinique High Impact (£14.50).

This one is another favourite. A nice classic brush, with a lovely formula that can be layered to create a pretty daytime look or vampy dramatic night time lash. Great all rounder but particulary good for volume. 9/10

9. Chanel Exceptionnel De Chanel (£20)

This was the first mascara to combine the bristle and plastic brush into one. I really like this one, as you can use the plastic part to get to the roots for seperation and use the brush part for volume and curl. Really nice dramatic effect. This is a favourite night time mascara for me. The downside is it is on the pricey side, and tends to go gloopy fairly quick. 8/10

So that's my humble opinion on the mascaras i've most recently tried. Any good ones i've missed out on?

(^_^)

My Wish List

I have been doing pretty well with my self imposed spending ban, but i'm getting increasingly frustrated not being able to buy anything and especially watching the Style Black collection come and go. So to cheer myself up i thought i'd create a wish list.

If someone gave me a couple of grand and said i had to spend it instantly (i wish) this is perhaps what i'd buy:

MAC lipglass set from the soon to be released holiday collection
MAC Baroque Boudoir collection (it all looks beatiful)

AOFM Make Up is Art book

Chanel necklace

Eyeko nail polish

Estee Lauder Ulitimate Red Collection (particularly that lovely highlight compact)

Dior Addict 2

Chanel bag

Chanel 'double c' earrings

Benefit Georgia blush

Urban Decay 24/7 super stash liners

That was almost as fun as shopping... kind of. (^_^)