Budgeted makeup haul

I took I trip into Boots the other day as I needed a few makeup essentials:

My face is a little more tanned than usual right now due to the gorgeous weather we have been having in the UK, so I was in need of a darker foundation as mine was just too light. Everyone raves about the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation so I felt it was my turn to test it out.

The colour match for this foundation is good, it complimented my skin really nicely and also evened out my skin tone well. It also stayed literally all day! It was 12 hours later and it was still just how I had left it when I put it on. However, I did feel like it was a bit cakey, the formula is very thick and almost sticky, so too much definitely made me look very false, especially as it is a darker colour than I am use to.

Overall I really like the foundation and will continue to use it throughout summer as my tan progresses, however I will try and use it lightly as too much feels very heavy and not ideal for hot weather.

Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation: £8.99 in Boots.

I also picked up the Collection Mosaic Glow Bronzer, which was ridiculously cheap! I actually was recommended this by my sister, as I have been stealing hers every morning for the past month, so I finally bought it for myself.

All I can say about this is that it is wonderful. It gives a really dewy glow, and has a tiny bit of shimmer to it but not so much that you sparkle. It goes on very easily so you have to be careful not to use too much but a small stoke of it up your cheekbones and around your t-zone are perfect for a summery bronzed look.

Collection Shimmering Mosaic Glow: £2.99 from Boots

I also picked up the Maybelline Rocket mascara- I have already purchased this once and it was great! It is good for volume but literally has 0 clumps so is perfect. It is pretty versatile also, I either use 1 or 2 coats for an everyday look or you can use multiple coats for more of a dramatic lash look. I love this product and will probably continue to use it until 1. I have more money to spend on mascara 2. a better mascara comes on the drug store market.     Maybelline Rocket: £7.99 in Boots

Hair rescue! Herbal Essences Bee Strong Intensive Jar (review)

If you have read my other hair post you will know I have pretty badly damaged hair and am forever trying out new products to try and save it. I came across this new intensive mask from Herbal Essences and thought I would give it a try. At the moment it is half price in Tesco for £2.19, with the original price of £4.39, but prices will vary depending on stores. I have used Herbal Essences intensive masks before and was quite happy with the result but not blown away.

Application: This product instructs you to put it on wet hair and leave for 2 minutes, then rinse. However, today is my year 11 prom (junior prom I think for USA) and wanted my hair to be in the best condition partly because I would be using a lot of heat on it. I put it on wet hair, brushed it through and left it for 6 hours just tied up in a pony tail. It was quite slippery putting it on so I would advise doing it in a bathroom if you are intending to wear it longer than 2 minutes (otherwise you'll be in the shower anyway), however after about 3 hours it dried on my hair. When I washed it out I didn't brush again, just stepped in the shower and rinsed it all out, then used conditioner as usual, wrapped my head in a towel for an hour, brushed through and left it to dry naturally. 

Verdict: This product has actually done a lot of good for my hair, from roots to about half way down the shaft of my hair it is very smooth, sleek and shiny. The end have benefited little from the product but they are very damaged and I am due for a trim so didn't expect much. The sides of my head have a lot of damaged baby hairs and they have al been smoothed into submission so I am very pleased about that! Overall I think it is a great product, however not a miracle one, but what did I expect? Oh plus it smells divine! 

Herbal Essences- Bee Strong Intensive Jar: £2.19 sale price, original price around £5.

Naked Palette substitute! (Review)

I have wanted the Urban Decay Naked Palette for so long, however being a student with little income I can't justify spending £36 on it, it is just too much. Maybe one day I will treat myself but for now I will continue to dream.

However, I did want a naturals palette, I personally find that bright, shimmery colours make me look a bit red eyed (think it is due to the blue of my eyes), so wanted something with more matte textures. I came across this on amazon for £3.99 (+£3 postage) and thought seeing as it is so cheap I would buy it.

The packaging is really nice, shiny black case which itself comes in black box, so very well packaged and make you feel like you have bought something good quality. There are 88 colours and also some a quite similar there is a huge variety from whites, browns, greys, pinks, blacks. The pigment isn't amazing, but then again you're not paying for a high end product so a bit more product is needed on the brush to get the desired effect but overall I am very pleased.

The colours are beautiful and go on easily, and blend very well to create different looks. I was especially impressed with the matte black (3rd in from the left, bottom row), I used it under my eyes and it came out really pigmented, a coal black rather than grey. The colours stayed on my eye lids all evening and I can't wait to try out the other pigments and experiment with different looks. 

Link to palette (price now £6.89 plus postage)

Sarah x

Argan Gold-Hair Vitality Oil review

One day I will make a post about my horrific hair experience over the last 4 years but for now lets just say my hair has been in really bad condition for a long time and is finally starting to look and feel better! I have naturally wavy/curly hair and the more damaged it gets the more frizz prone it is so I am forever searching for softening/anti-frizz/taming products and have had my eye on the infamous Moroccan Oil for years now but could never justify buying it (it is about £30 a bottle), however I came across this in ASDA for only £4 and thought I would try it out, seeing as it wouldn't be much wasted if it wasn't good. 

It comes in a really sweet little box and the product itself is in a bottle with a pump application. It is a clear thick liquid however I'm not sure I would quite call it an oil (as advertised), it is more of a gel in my opinion. I first tried it out on dry hair as I believe you can get more use out of a product when your hair is dry and I have to say it was really good. 

It wasn't stunning and I wasn't blown over by an amazing difference but then again you get what you pay for. However it did calm a lot of frizz and fly aways and also made my hair more manageable to style and more malleable and A LOT softer! I have used it pretty much every day since on dry hair when styling and also after washing my hair and I am already seeing a massive improvement.  

I use one pump on dry hair and run it over the ends of my hair, concentrating on the ends of my layers where I have most breakage. I didn't put it on my roots to avoid grease. When wet I used 2/3 pumps of put it all over and combed it through. I have noticed the most improvements at the top of my head where my hair wasn't so damaged but have noticed a difference in the end also. It also makes styling my hair a lot easier and I can sometimes use it without the need for any heat products to smooth parts. 

So overall I am very pleased and seeing as it is only £4 and a fraction of the price of Moroccan Oil I am a pleased costumer and will probably repurchase, however I am wanting to try out the Lee Strafford Argan Oil also (which is roughly £12 from Boots) so might try that one out next.

Sarah x

BarryM Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint- Review!

I adore having my nails painted, I like painting them, I like different colours, just overall love it. But I am quite a do-er, I play guitar, I clean a lot, I have a job which involves lifting etc, so my nail varnish tends to chip literally in the first day I put it on, which is really annoying. This also means I am forever removing it, hence damaging my nails with nail polish remover- so yeah not a good experience.  However, my friend was wearing this nail varnish and I noticed it hadn't chipped for 5 days or something stupid like that so asked her which is was and she lead me to the BarryM Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint.

 Right now it is 3 for 2 in Superdrug, and all I can say is seriously go buy it! I got it in:
Pomegrante, Pink and Light Blue, all £3.99 each yet on 3 for 2 only costing me £7.98 in total!

Firstly the colour pigmentation is brilliant, they are really vibrant and dry the same colour they look in the bottle, which is always a plus. They go on really easily, and spread simply to coat the whole nail.
I was a bit skeptical about the lasting time, so thought I would test them a little once they were dry- so I played guitar and went to work and I can honestly say they stayed in tact. The photo below is after a days wear and they look newly painted! I am so pleased and hope they will continue to last for the next few days.

Only problem I can say is: as it is a gel formula it is a bit thicker than usual nail varnish, so take care to only use 1 or 2 coats as anymore than that and it stops drying as well and starts to peel off due to the density.
I have only tried the Light Blue so far but can't wait to try out the others and see how long it lasts altogether!

UPDATE!
The blue colour only lasted about 24 hours before chipping so I wasn't too impressed, however it could be that I had too many coats so will try it again soon.

I have also now tried out the colour Pomegrante and I love it! It so super shiny and such an intense colour yet not as deep as some reds, perfect for lighter skin tones. Again I am interested to see if this one lasts any longer although I only put 2 coats on of this one rather than 3 so I am hopeful for better result.

Bath time!

I am not really a long bath person because I get bored but today I got out some nice products and had a long bath whilst revising.

Products used: 
Lush Spacegirl bath bomb (gift from friend) (£2.00)
Lush facepack Catastrophe Cosmetic (gift from friend) (£5.95)
Neutrogena gentle exfoliating wash (£4.79)
Neutrogena visibly clear 2in1 (£3.99)

I have never really used bath bombs before and wow, this was amazing, I loved it. It smelt gorgeous and the colour of the bathwater was pretty fantastic. The colour in the water didn't fade either which was nice. It left my skin feeling really slippery and soft, which was especially nice once I shaved as I don't need nearly as must moisturiser now. Would love to buy myself more of these when I have more money, it was lovely.

I have always liked face washes, but I have really sensitive skin so it's hard to find one that doesn't irritate my skin. I used to use both Neutrogena products everyday, but I have found that ever since I went to applying them once a week my skin has improved dramatically. So I used the exfoliater first and after washing that off I apply the 2in1 face wash, leave it for 5 minutes to dry and wash it off with a warm flannel or sponge.

I rarely use facepacks, maybe once every few months but I found this lurking in the back of my cupboard and though I would use it up (as you can see it is basically finished). I adore this facemask, it smells of fresh blueberries and goes on really thickly and dries quickly. Only problem is that once it has dried it starts to flake off but that isn't so much of a problem when you're in the bath so doesn't bother me. They are also pretty expensive so I don't think I would buy these for myself, but they are nice as a gift.

My morning skin makeup routine

Note: This is not my skin care routine, this is just what I put on as my makeup. I might make a skin care post in the future though however.

Personally when I look at other peoples beauty blogs, I love them, but they are always use really expensive products. So I thought I would make mine a bit different by including affordable, high street products. I myself can rarely afford brands such as Mac, Urban Decay etc and although I have a few items of theirs they were mostly presents or from a lot of saving. So I am doing beauty on a budget!

So this is my everyday makeup for my skin. I use:
Boots own Essentials moisturising cream in cucumber (£1.50)
Loreal Paris Nude Magique CC cream (£9.99)
Loreal Paris Lumi Magique light infusing foundation (£10.99)
Natural collection stick concealer in fair (£1.99)
The Body Shop liquid foundation brush (optional) (£12.00)

I start with the Boots own moisturiser, getting a large pea sized amount, dotting it on my face and then rubbing it in. I use more of it on my forehead as this is my driest patch.

 I then go on to use the Loreal Paris Nude Magique CC cream, which basically evens up any redness on your skin. It comes out as a green liquid and once applied to skin changes colour to match your skin tone. I have to say, it does come out quite orange initially and a little goes a long way, but once your foundation is put over the top it acts as a really good base and evens out your skin tone really well.

 So after the CC cream I use the Loreal Paris Lumi Magique foundation. One of the first things people notice about me is how pale I am, so finding foundation which doesn't turn me into a cheesy wotsite is a challenge but I actually had this one tested on me for free at Boots and it is a really good match. I apply it with my Body Shop brush and it gives good coverage and an even complection.

Finally I add a little Natural Collection concealer under my eyes (I sleep terribly and always have dark circles) and also around the edges of my nose and this is where I get most red patched.  I then dab that in with my fingers and voila! I will also use either a bronzer or a blusher but the brand I use changes daily so have note added that in. I do not use any powder as it dries my skin out further and I prefer a more dewy look than matte.

Any question about my makeup skin routine or anything else please contact me!