Beauty A - Z

Over the next few months, I'm going to be doing an A-Z series on beauty, with everything from H for Hair, A for Avon and so on. The next post (there should be one every 1-2 weeks) will be A for Avon, so I'll be exploring more about the brand and what is has to offer...

El

Empties #1

oh, and err, excuse the hair pin-woops! 

It's that time again when my skincare and beauty saviours start to hit the bucket, and I have to make the hard decision of which to repurchase. I haven't done an empties post before, as really, I don't often encounter them, but since drilling my skincare routine in and using more makeup, I often end up questioning myself about how on earth I could have used up a bottle of something, or why did I finish that so quickly? So what beauty babes and skincare favs I am without now?

I picked up the Colgate MaxWhite One on a whim- nothing new there!- as I feel that having whiter teeth gives you a more 'confident' smile. I didn't use this on a daily basis but in conjunction with another toothpaste as I often misplace the former, so I didn't get the really witness 'amazing' tooth-colour-changing properties! I think this one will be a repurchase though.

These cute Clarins minis from the Daily Energizer range (there's a post on that!) appeared on my skincare shelf after a successful trip to Boots, that included skincare advice from the lady at Clarins. I actually repurchased the Cleansing Gel, but as the other samples lasted me such a long time, I didn't bother buying them. I may do, however, in the future, but at the moment I'm very pleased with my current skincare routine.

Another skincare item is the sample-sized eye cream from Benefit - starting to spot a theme are we? The It's Potent! cream was another product that lasted me a long time, but I won't be buying the big sister to this mini as I still haven't fully used it up. Okay, it's not quite empty...

I couldn't believe it when I ran out of my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer! It seems like I only bought it yesterday. It's not strictly finished, but certainly on it's last legs, and this will definitely be repurchased!

The Boots' Own Eye Makeup Remover is one of those things that every girl needs- a box standard gel that I've mentioned in other posts. It isn't the best eye makeup remover ever, but it's good to have around if you're not too great at liner or bad at blusher...

El
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Mini Shopping Trip to Boots...

As I was down on eye makeup remover, a trip to Boots was in due, which meant that I came home with a small bag of goodies! I didn't go crazy however, and only bought 3 things, but I thought I should show you them all the same.

left to right: Real Techniques Shading Brush, L'oreal Eyeshadow, Boots Eye-makeup Remover

My first purchase was what brought me to Boots in the first place! As eye makeup is the main feature in my everyday makeup look, I needed to buy something to remove it! As mentioned in an earlier post, I like Boots own gel one. It is very inexpensive, and is very good considering the price (£1.50).

Being the eyeshadow lover that I am, I figured it would be time to get a proper eyeshadow brush! Sam Chapman (from Pixiwoo) has a line of brushes, so I thought I'd pick up one of her highly praised Real Techniques brushes. I bought the shading brush, as all of the other eye ones are in a set, and for £8, I think it was worth it! I'm definitely interested in having a look at the other brushes in the range...

And in the spur of the moment, I picked up another whim product. L'Oreal eyeshadows (or any other product really!) have never caught my eye, but when I saw this little baby-165 Golden Rose- I couldn't resist picking it up. Do I really need any more eyeshadows?! At £6, I think it is fairly affordable.

This month's spendings have definitely stocked me up on eye products!

El
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Pick-Me-Up Pamper Evening!

If I'm feeling down or just a little tired, a soak in a warm bath and a relaxing face mask is always a nice experience. Especially at the end of a long hard week, a pamper evening can be a real pick-me-up.

First I like to set the scene with some candles, surrounding the tub. At the same time, I'll be filling up the bath and adding in Soap & Glory's Foam Call for the bubble factor. Then off goes my make up with the Boots Eye Make up remover followed by a face wash to cleanse my skin. With a tub of Body Cream positioned next to the bath along with a couple of neatly folded towels, I'll tie my hair up and relax in the hot steamy water.

A book, magazine or even my phone will usually accompany me during my soak, as I find the bath tub can be a peaceful place to read or watch telly. At this stage I will either wash my hair with Aussie's Shine Shampoo or Mega Instant Conditioner of the same brand, or get out of the bath and wrap myself in a dressing gown.

My Aussie products sit on my hair and skincare shelf along with other beauty favs

Once out of the tub, a face mask is due, Boots' 3 Minute Clay Mask in this case. I really like to massage this in and take my time, because a pamper is supposed to be a long, lovely experience. Whilst the mask is working its magic, Essie's In Stitches polish makes an appearance and my bathroom (or bedroom if I've moved out of my bath's home) will become my nail salon for the night. By the time a couple of coats have dried, my clay mask is ready to go with a splash of warm water followed by a wash with my Clarins cleanser. Then I like to follow up with a moisturizer, pop on my PJs and retire to my bedroom for an episode or two of something on Netflix!

Essie In Stitches

Monday Moisturizers

As I am now posting more frequently, I thought now would be a good time to delve into the world of skincare products. From cleansers to lotions and creams to masks, the skincare category has it all. As my routine is pretty simple, I don't use many products, but apart from the traditional face wash, moisturizers are something that I use, and seem to have a few of...

left to right: Benefit Total Moisture, Simple Kind To Skin Light Moisturizer, Soap & Glory For Daily Youth

My favourite out of the hydrating trio has to be Benefit's Total Moisture. I have, sadly, finished up my little sample pot and am contemplating whether or not to buy the bigger tub for twenty quid (possibly not when there are alternatives for half the price!). The thing that really draws me to this moisturizer besides the pretty packaging is the smell. Understandably, not everyone likes scented products, because if it doesn't smell good, the user may also end up with the not-so-pleasant scent. But Benefit have really wowed me and my nose with the smell of this- it's so nice! The scent is one of a fresh and creamy nature, which pretty much sums up the moisturizer itself. It has a creamy texture and sinks into the skin really nicely.

A tub isn't the easiest or cleanest thing to store a face product in, so for all you hygienic lovers I recommend Soap & Glory's For Daily Youth. The pump makes it easy to apply just the right amount, and the pinky tint gives any dull face a glowy finish. I have been known to mix a pump of this with some of my concealer to make a tinted moisturizer. Sleek and compact, this is a good carry-around product as it isn't too huge for handbags.

For all you jet-setters, Simple Kind To Skin Light Moisturizer may be the answer. I picked up the travel size of this, and although the screw top lid isn't ideal, is it great for taking on planes and in car journeys. As it keeps working for 12 hours, you won't have to worry about dehydrated skin in hot or humid weather. At first the texture may look quite thick, but once applied to the skin, it soons thins out. Note: less is more with this one.

That's my moisturizer round up complete! All the ones that I have chosen are fairly affordable (bar the Benefit one) and all are great for different skin types.

El
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Boots Skincare?

I love Benefit and Clarins skincare products, but when I'm a little down on dosh, Boots' own skincare brand has often caught my eye. What started out as a one-pound whim has now developed into a bit of a collection!

Walking around Boots with only a few quid in your pocket is never a good thing as, quite frankly, there's usually nothing under the £3 mark. I needed a cheap but fairly effective eye make-up remover and this was the first one I spotted. Nothing special, just a box-standard gel to take off your eye make-up, but that's kinda why I like it. It's basic- no ridiculous packaging or a fun name. And for just under £2, I wasn't going to be out of pocket if I bought it. So that's what I did. It's not brilliant, nothing really compared to the Clarins Eye Make-Up Remover that I had been stealing from my Mum's bathroom (that stuff is amazing, but much more expensive than the Boots' own one!) but it gets the job done! Admittedly, you do have to rub at your eyes a little, gently though, but I do find that it takes the bulk of my eyeshadow and mascara off. And yes, I think I will be buying this again!

To be honest, I don't even really remember picking up this product or the reason behind it- it was probably just another 'I'm broke!' buy. This exfoliating face scrub is from the Tea Tree and Witch Hazel range, and if you can get past the slightly overwhelming smell, is quite nice. Again, its another stripped back product, a simple but good face scrub. I try to use this 1-2 times a week, and really like it!

Everyone loves a good old face mask, and I particularly like mud or clay ones. I tend to stick to the one application sachet, especially if I'm trying something new, but this 3 minute Clay Mask caught my eye. And at £2, its not really breaking the bank. 

I think that Boots' own brand(s) are often underrated. People dismiss shops own brands in favour for more expensive and supposedly better quality products. Don't forget that brands such as No7 which isn't exactly cheap, and 17 Cosmetics are both owned by Boots, so next time you're in there, take a look and see what you think!

El

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Budget Buys

left to right: Soap & Glory Lid Stuff in What's Nude, Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, Barry M Kohl Pencils in Bronze and White, Collection [2000] Lasting Perfection Concealer

As much as I do love to splash out on cute products from the much adored brand Benefit, drugstore and highstreet brands are something that I love buying, and I think my purse appreciates it too.

Soap & Glory is a brand more commonly known for their amazing skincare and bath and body products, so I was all for trying out a piece or two from their cosmetics line. I picked up Lid Stuff in What's Nude, a palette of mainly mattes with one brown-purple shimmer. Colour pay-off isn't great, and at a tenner I probably won't buy it again, but it is fab for a subtle hint of colour-you won't be worrying about garish looking eyes with this as even the slightly more whacky colours don't come out overly bright.

After hearing many a rave and review, I just had to try the infamous Maybelline Colour Tattoos and jump on the ever-growing bandwagon of popular products. And I wasn't disappointed. In comparison to other cream eyeshadows that I have tried, I would say that it's just as good as the high end ones and even without the premium price tag, there's no compromise on quality.

Barry M is one of the cheaper brands in Boots that I tend to veer towards when out of pocket. Having heard neither a good nor bad thing about the kohl pencil liners, I picked them up for a couple of quid each. They can be easily blended into the lashes, however in the waterline they don't fare quite so well- lasting power isn't covered by the small cost of them. I do love them though, and at such a little amount of money, another one wouldn't go amiss in my make-up bag.

I love a good trip down to Boots, so I'll be keeping my eyes open for any other budget buys!

El
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Pocket-Sized Pals

If I'm on the go or travelling, pocket-sized make up products are a must have. Over the past few months, I've developed a bit of a collection of Baby Benefit products that can be easily slipped into a pocket or thrown in a purse, because, not many people want to be carrying around massive eyeshadow palettes or full size bottles of things!

Benefit is one of my favourite make up brands, no points for getting that right! The main thing that draws me in is the pretty packaging, and the smaller samples sizes make it all the cuter.

As I don't wear any foundation, a primer certainly wasn't at the top of my list, but after trying out a sample size of Benefit's silky smooth pore-reducing balm, I realized that an extra layer of coverage wasn't needed. The POREfessional, apart from having gorgeous packaging, just evens out my skintone a little. With less coverage than even a tinted moisturizer, it doesn't cover up anything, but mattifies any oily patches.

After hearing them being raved about, I was thinking about fully embracing the up and coming cream eyeshadow trend. At the same time, I had just bought Benefit's Most Glamorous Nudes Ever, which fortunately came with two of their best-selling cream shadows. The perfect size for dipping in a finger or a brush, the creamy little things are easy to apply and blend with other products.

When travelling, multitasking products can be a life saver. No searching in your purse or bag in the hope that there's a blush or lipstick- just pull this baby out your pocket and you're good to go! Posietint is great for this, as I can whip it out wherever I am and simply dab a little of the rosy liquid on my cheeks and lips for an instant glow.

Sample-sized mascaras are becoming somewhat of a cult favourite in my beauty bag; first Benefit's They're Real and now BADgal Lash Mascara. I prefer my lashes to look full and feathery rather to resemble spiders legs which is why I prefer the latter of the two products. There's no compromise on brush size or formula, and this BADgal ain't moving from my make up bag.

I love all of these cute little products, and having mini versions of things are great for touching up your make up!

El
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