Makeup Haulin'

Some of you may have seen the little Superdug session I posted on Instagram and I also picked up a couple of things from Debenhams, Cult Beauty and MAC, so I thought is there anything better than to share with you all what I got? I did purchase these products all at different times but since then, I have had the chance to use quite a few of them, and so for some products I will give mini reviews for you all!
Starting with all the purchases I made from Superdrug as it's the largest part of the haul, I think it's safe to say I went a little crazy, and I think it's because I've mainly been buying higher products recently and I saw some new things in the drugstore that I decided I need to pick up! There were a couple of products that I knew I wanted to find in store and the first one of these is the Real Techniques Sculpting Kit which I already use every single time I do my makeup! Even if you don't want to buy this set, you need to buy the sculpting brush because it makes contouring so easy! I use this with either my Benefit Hoola bronzer or Sleek Contour palette and it just makes it quicker and easier than it's ever been! I honestly think this would be a good one for beginners in contouring!

I've yet to find someone who doesn't love the Mayeblline Colour Tattoos and I so what would a little haul be without a couple of new shades?! I already have a lot of the shades and so I decided to pick up Immortal Charcoal and Timeless Black, the black shade being more for a base when I'm using darker eyeshadows to make them pop that little bit more and the charcoal colour is so pretty and I think that it will be a good way for me to step out of my eyeshadow comfort zone! But honestly, I can't even fault these cream eyeshadows and if you're looking for alternatives to higher end cream shadows, I wouldn't look much further than these! And for a drugstore product the shade range isn't all that bad so these come highly recommended from a lot of different people!
One of my favourite purple lipsticks is the Collection Little Mix Perrie, and recently Collection have launched the colour Mulberry Burst into their ordinary lipstick line and when I heard this, I was so happy and decided that I needed to pick it up in this version (I don't even know why!) I have yet to try this lipstick out but I'm pretty sure it's the same formulation as the Little Mix ones and if it is, I know I will love it because they aren't too matte nor too glossy but they are very  creamy on the lips meaning that whenever I wear this, it doesn't dry out my lips which is always a bonus!    Something that I think goes unnoticed by most people is the MUA counter in Superdrug's, and in all honestly, I've only ever tried one of their products but after using it, I decided to pick one up in a different colour! And this product is the Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer which I bought in the colour Tranquillity, which is a very neutral brown beige colour, and when swatched really reminds me of Velvet Teddy but just a little bit lighter! As well as this lip product, I also picked up another one of the Maybelline Colour Drama Lipsticks in the shade Red Essential and I probably do have enough red lipsticks but having one in a pencil form seemed so much easier, and everyone loves these so can you ever have too many?
I also picked up a few more things from Maybelline - they did have an offer on and so I took advantage! A product that I had been seeing pop up a lot, is the Lash Sensational Mascara and I picked mine up in the waterproof version, thank you oily eyelids! But so far, I have been loving this mascara and I use it pretty much everyday, the wand on this is small and so I find it's easier to use, and it actually holds my lashes in a curl and makes them look longer which I love! I was a fan of the Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black and Black Chrome, but recently I have been liking the idea of using a brown liner as it's a lot softer and so I picked it up in Brown and so far I really like it! It's a gel liner that's very easy to use and I find that I like to create a liner close to the lashes and then smudge it in, to make it look more rough and undone! The final thing that I got from Maybelline is a newer product, the Master Sculpt and I'm a good fan of contour and highlights so I knew this would be something to pick up! I picked up the lighter shade and the contour shade is really good for my skin tone but I've found that I'm not overly keen on the highlight but if you are just starting out with contouring, this could be a good one to get!

A couple of new things from MAC is never a bad thing, and something that I had wanted for such a long time now is the Fix + and for some reason I just never picked it up, but now that I have it, I'm really questioning why it took me so long! As I'm someone who gets super oily especially now the weather is getting a lot hotter, I find that powder is my best friend but I never want to look cakey, who does? And so, I find that giving my makeup a spray of this after powdering just stops it from looking cakey and keeps it fresher and so I have fallen in love! I'm usually someone who goes for a matte lip but I purchased the lipstick Brave a while ago for one of my friends and since seeing them wear it, I knew I needed it, which led to the purchase of that for myself!
The Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation is something that is highly coveted by a lot of beauty bloggers that I follow, and so I'm someone who can't stay away from a hype even if I don't give in right away and so, this saw me purchase this foundation! I love it already, I've had it for a few weeks now and it really does stay on the skin for a long time, which is a bonus for me! I also found the shade range was pretty good and although I am the lightest shade, there would something for a everyone I think! If you want a new foundation and feel like splurging, I would highly recommend this, but I do find it works best when my face is hydrated and primed properly!

So, it's safe to say that we all went a little crazy with the launch of Makeup Forever in the UK, and with the ever talked about HD Foundation and Full Cover Concealer I knew that I needed to try them out and so that's what I purchased from Debenhams! I did have high expectations for the foundation and I have to admit I'm not overly in love with it, but I think it's because I prefer a full cover foundation and this gives medium but I feel like it doesn't build up well on my skin, but I will keep trying to use this as it does look nice when first put on! However, the concealer is my new holy grail product over most things, don't get me wrong I still love my Collection concealer but I find that I can really target conceal certain areas of my face because there is no applicator with this and I use a brush for it instead of using a concealer on unnecessary places due to using one with a doe foot applicator!

I have to admit that this purchase was one that I'd wanted to make since the launch of this product and I'm pretty sure that I placed it at like 2am one morning, but I really don't regret the decision! The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit is all kinds of beautiful and I feel like my contour has never been as good as it is now! The Fawn shade I've found actually works pretty well for me even though I am super pale, and I know a lot of people also rave about the Banana shade but I find that for my skin tone, I just can't use it because the under eye area will just look yellow and so out of place instead of looking highlighting so I'm steering away from using that! But what I really love about this palette, is the highlight shade Sand, which I find is really beautiful on my skin and doesn't look like too much! I find that having oily skin can often be a problem when it comes to highlights, but this one doesn't look super sheeny or wet on the skin and actually stays in place for the duration of my makeup which is a bonus! 
Have any of you done some makeup shopping lately, or got some of the products that I've mentioned? Let me know what you think of them, and if you want any in depth reviews of products I've purchased!

A Body Shop Haul

Over the past couple of months, I have been buying a lot of things from The Body Shop and so I thought I'd share with you what I've picked up! I always like to see what other people are buying as I always think it helps towards my own decisions on purchasing a product so I hope that some of you will find this helpful!

I have quite problematic skin and most of the time I'm prone to having a lot of acne, and so I thought that I would try out a couple of things from the Tea Tree range! The first thing that I picked up was the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion and I have just been using this on any seriously problematic areas to see if it will improve the appearance of break outs! To go with this I decided to try out the Tea Tree Night Lotion which I have been using every night since I got it, and it's my night time "serum" as such because I put this on after my toner but before moisturiser. The purpose of this lotion is to help improve the appearance of any breakouts as well as old scars and pigmentation problems, and so hopefully with continuous use of this product, I should see some sort of improvement with my skin!

I'd been looking around for a new serum for a while now after nearly finishing my old one and due to my skin being quite dry recently, I thought that I would try out something that has a lot more moisture in it. So, that's why I decided to pick up the Vitamin E Moisture Serum after trying a couple of things from the Vitamin E line before! And since I've been using this every morning in my routine, I do feel like my skin hasn't been anywhere near as dry and so I'll continue to use this and hope that my skin appreciates the added moisture in my routine!

I'm someone who doesn't really use face masks as often as I should, and because my skin can be quite sensitive, I'm always rather worried about what to use but I decided that I would try out the Warming Mineral Mask and I have been using this weekly, and I love the way it leaves my face feeling so clean! The heat from the mask, opens up the pores and so I feel like it deeply cleanses and cleans, and this is what I like about this mask! I could imagine this being lovely in the winter, when it's cold, as it really does heat up on the skin!

Another line that intrigued me is the Aloe range and this is something that I can use on my sensitive skin without having to worry about it being irritated and so I decided to pick up a couple of things from this range! The first being the Aloe Calming Facial Cleanser and the first thing that I liked about this was that it come in a 200ml bottle and so for me, that's a lot of product as I don't tend to go through cleanser that quickly! However, I love that I can put this on and it feels like it really cleans my skin without irritating it because it has nothing harsh in it (this cleanser doesn't even smell of anything)!! I have been using this almost every day, but I must admit that I still do love my Liz Earle Cleanser! The second product that I purchased from this line was the Aloe Protective Restoring Mask and this is something that I don't use too often, because it's more of a treatment for the skin that provides extra hydration which is what I feel like my skin has been needing! And so I've really been loving this, and this has even helped in the more oily areas of my skin!

I bought one make up item that I had been looking at for quite some time and I think it might be a dupe for the Nars Copacabana Illuminator and this is the Radiant Highlighter the only difference between these two products is that one is slightly pinker than the other! But I have been really enjoying using the highlighter under my foundation to just give that healthy glow to the skin, and this can also be used on top of foundation as a highlighter, but I do prefer it underneath the foundation!

One of my favourite products that I've bough just recently is the Vitamin C Eye Reviver Duo which I have used every day since I've had it! I love that one end has a roller ball with a liquid and the cooling sensation is used to help reduce any puffiness around the eye area and the other end has a cream that's applied with a die foot applicator and this is a yellow toned cream that I think helps counteract with the dark colours in the under eye area! This is a product that is packed with vitamin C and so it's really goof for the skin and since having this product, I've really wanted to try more from the Vitamin C range.

My most recent purchase from The Body Shop has been the Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask and this is a mask that has been designed to be left on overnight and it helps to improve the look of skin, making it bouncier and more youthful and I'll be using this every night to see if I can see any signs of improvement! This product is something that is a little more pricey but you do get 90ml of product and the texture of this product is almost like memory foam and so I feel like this would take a very long time to get through, and so if it does work, it is well worth the investment!

Have any of you tried these products? As I'm sure I will be leaving some in depth reviews once I've had the chance to try out all of these products for a while! But in the meantime, have any of you got any other recommendations from The Body Shop?

Abigail
xo

Chi Chi Cosmetics

I posted a photo on Instagram towards the end of January of a few things I ordered from Chi Chi Cosmetics and after being able to try out the products, I thought I'd do a little haul for you all!

Now firstly, this was an expensive package because living in the UK, I ended up paying custom charges on this when it arrived but I have to admit, I would probably do it again purely for the quality of these products (and the fact that Australians/New Zealanders rave about this brand! 

The one thing I really want to order was unfortunately out of stock, and that was the Fabulous and Flawless foundation (good reason to place another order though, right?) However since receiving the package I have a new found favourite product from everything that I bought and that is the 3D Magic Lash mascara, I have pretty crappy lashes when it comes to volume and holding a curl but thismmascars does what it says! It really does give you more of a 3D lash, it enhances them and I feel like I need to make another order even if it's to stock up on this one product!

I also ordered two of the Glamourous Palette Duo, one in Bronzes and the other in Naturals and I'm pretty sure everyone has seen at least one version of these palettes on Instagram at some point! The pigmentation is incredible for the price and I can see why they are highly coveted for something that is pretty much drugstore price! I wouldn't say I use them on a daily basis but if I didn't have palettes such as the Urban Decay Nakeds or the Too Faced Chocolate Bar then I would probably use these a lot more! And I have to admit the colours in the bronze palette are beautiful, you get a mixture of red and orange tones, along with more burgundy and purple tones! Along with these palettes, I also got one of the Baked Eyeshadows in the shade Call Me, and this I like to use all over the lid with nothing else, or as a highlight both on the eye and the face, because it has the nice sheen that comes with baked products!

Something that I had wanted to try ever since hearing about the brand was the Eyebrow Pencil in the shade Taupe, and this comes highly recommended but YouTuber Shaaanxo and although I do like this product, it's not one that I reach for all the time, and I feel like it's one that needs sharpening after a few used to be able to create hair like strokes in the brow! 

As I wanting to try a variety of products, I also decided to order a Viva la Diva Lipstick and I have to admit going by the shades of the website was pretty hard, but I found one that was a matte formula - which is what I tend to wear, and also in a burgundy, purple shade (Lady Bump) and I have only worn this a few times, but it lasts so well on the lips and the colour is to die for, but it's one of those lipsticks you can't wear on a daily basis unless you want really dry lips! 

Have you bought any products from Chi Chi Cosmetics before? Would you buy anything based off my reccomendstions?

Abigail

xo

A Mini MAC Haul

I'm not sure what classifies as a 'mini' haul but for the purpose of the title, we will say that this is a mini haul! Just recently, I've fallen in love with MAC all over again (not that anybody doesn't love it) and this saw me purchasing some new things that I've had my eye on for some time and other things that were rather spontaneous! 

When I was recently browsing the MAC website, I found myself adding lot's of new products to my favourites but there was one product that I had been thinking of purchasing for quite some time now! And this product is the MAC Mineralize SkinFinish Natural which I have seen so many bloggers rave about at the moment and I think this is what finally made me decide to buy it, unfortunately I couldn't order from the website (as it was out of stock) but I managed to pick up from the nearest counter! However, I did end up ordering more products from the website and I've been waiting to try out these products because I wanted to get this post up! Which means I'll probably be back with some kind of review of the products mentioned!

The first thing I bought is rather boring but I feel it's going to become a staple for me as I'm doing a lot of travelling to London in the upcoming weeks and this is the Pro Palette Eye Shadow x 4 and this just means that I can pop my eyebrow colour in there along with three other shadows and that's all I have to take with me instead of taking any of my larger palettes with me! But even for home use, I can keep the colours I use most in this palette which is easier for access. Speaking of eyeshadows, I decided to order another pan for my current palette and decided on the shade Shroom which is a very neutral shade that I will most likely wear all over my lid with a brown shade going through the crease! I like this shade though as it's one of those that isn't too matte nor too frosty, a win win situation!

There's seems to be a running theme with my online purchases so far, because yet again I have something that is for the eyes. Now this product is a holy grail for most but I have seen some people who don't like it, but it's something I've wanted since I first started buying from MAC and this is the 217 Blending Brush and finally I have it! It is the brush that is able to blend eyeshadow even if it's owner can't, or so it's been said! I am very excited to use this and see whether to the hype has been worth it and maybe buy more..!

I'm one of these unfortunate ones that has very obvious dark circles under my eyes so I'm always searching for a concealer that not only hides the circles but keeps them concealed for quite a while! And after searching through endless reviews on different concealers, I ended up ordering a blogger favourite and that is the Pro Longwear Concealer. And I have to admit that I was so eager to try this, that I did end up using it the day it arrived and then I placed it back in the box ready for writing this post! It did impress me though, covered up what I needed covering and looked very natural and not at all cakey on top of my foundation, I think I've found a winner!

Along with these purchases, when I opened the box, I also found two samples and these were the Zoom Fast Black Lash Mascara and the Prep + Prime Skin, and I haven't thought about ordering either of these products before, so I will give them a go and see how I get on with them!

Recent Purchases

When Boots have a 3 for 2 offer on, how can a girl resist a few new items? Now, I have to admit some of these items I didn’t even need, but if they are on the shelf, I'm probably going to end up taking them to the counter! I will point out though that not everything was bought from Boots, nor was everything bought on the one shopping trip; it was spread out over the course of three or four different occasions.

A few things I've had my eye on for a while (probably due to beauty bloggers raving about the items) and that seems to be why I buy half the stuff I don’t really need, but I do end up using it so I can’t complain! To make things a little easier because the list is quite long, I will group together items from the same brand.

REVLON

From Revlon I've picked up a few things recently and this isn’t usually a brand I go to often and I'm not sure why, because some of their products are pretty unbeatable and so I decided to go and stock up on the Revlon cosmetics. Everyone has raved about the Nearly Naked collection and instead of buying the foundation, I decided to buy the Nearly Naked Pressed Powder in the shade 010 Fair and from the few times I've used this (on top of foundation) the outcome has been incredible! I'm obviously not getting the “nearly naked” effect because the layer of foundation but it really does set the foundation while still giving me that natural colour from the powder itself. I've mainly used this as a powder that I use to touch up during the day because the packaging comes with a mirror and a foamy applicator, so it saves me carrying more than I need to! I also picked up the Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator in the shade 100 Bare Light, and this is also something that everyone is beginning to go and buy so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and after the couple of times using this, it’s safe to say I think this will become a staple in the routine! Following in with the highlighting products, I got the Highlighting Palette in the shade 002 Rose Glow and as you would expect there is a variety of pale of pinks and shimmery whites that can act as a highlighter and blush all in one (what more could you need?!)

MAYBELLINE

Now, this brand used to be my go to, if I was in a drugstore, you would probably find me browsing this stand but just recently nothing has jumped out at me from this brand and so I haven picked up too many things from them. However what I have purchased is the Master Smoky Shadow Pencil in the shade Smoky Black and thinking back I have no idea why I picked this up but I am so glad I did! I get lazy when it comes to eyeliner and so this shadow pencil acts as my eyeliner and because it comes with a smudge applicator at one end, the shadow can be smudged out to create desired smoky or non-smoky look! Along with this, I also got The Falsies Volum’ Express mascara in Black Drama, and so far I haven’t been too fussed over this product and would probably choose to use other Maybelline mascaras over this one, but I will continue to use it and see if my opinion changes!

BOURJOIS

The only product I have ever owned from Bourjois is the Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder in 51 because it was always a brand I skipped when hunting for makeup. Alas I have loved this product so much that I am back for more from this brand! First off, I had to pick up another one of the bronzers, so I did that, and I think this product speaks for itself and I don't know of many beauty bloggers who haven't give this a try! Knowing that the bronzing powder was so good, I took it upon myself to look at a few reviews for the bronzing primer and I saw a lot of good things and so ultimately I went and picked one up. While having a browse at the Bourjois stand, I spied a foundation that intrigued me and it was the 123 Perfect Foundation in the shade 51 and this foundation supposedly has three correcting pigments to reduce dark circles, dull complexion and redness but we'll see if this really does match up to what it says and also what others have said in reviews about this product!

RIMMEL

I love this brand, there is no other way to say it, and so when I see a Boots 3 for 2, I'm obviously going to come home with something from Rimmel! The Stay Matte Primer was a must have for me because I prefer a matte finish to my face most of time and also I have been looking for a new primer, and the few times I've used this, I have to say, this is definitely a keeper! I also picked up too foundations and they are ones that I have previously used and so I knew that I would be getting my money's worth out of them! The first one is the Stay Matte Perfection Foundation in the shade Ivory and the second one is the Match Perfection Foundation in the shade Ivory, and I have to admit the only reason I had to repurchase these foundation was because I got one that was a shade too light in the Match Perfection and one that was a shade too dark in the Stay Matte... As you can see, I am no good at swatch testing in drugstores, I always seem to come home and realise I've bought the wrong colour!

SEVENTEEN

How did I only find out about this brand last year? No exaggeration. So, since finding out about this brand, I haven't actually bought anything from them, and then there was something that caught my eye and I'd been debating on getting it for a while! Guess what? I bit the bullet, and got it! Well actually, I got two, and they are the Blush Stamps and I got one in Made You Look and another in Blushin'. I am so excited to use these, they look so easy to use and the colours that I have chosen also look amazing (especially in time for spring!)

OTHER

Now, the rest of the products that I bought, I only purchased one thing from the brand, and so I will group these all together. First off, who doesn't like Soap and Glory? No one, that's what I thought and as I was innocently looking at the stand for Soap and Glory, I spotted the Sugar Crush Body Wash and can I just say if you haven't smelt this scent, you need to! It is like heaven in a bottle! But obviously I had to pick one of these up to go with the Scrub and Body Butter I already have that are in the same scent!

Something that everyone has raved about for a few years now is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and it wasn't until now that I owned one of these because for so long I have used the Clinique Airbrush Concealer and I thought I would try out the Collection concealer because for the price even if I don't like it, I can't complain! I picked up the concealer in the shade Fair but I have yet to try this out!

Besides having lipsticks from Topshop, I've never thought to pick up any other make up items from them, but when I was in London a few weeks ago, I decided to try out of one of there blushers which I got in Afternoon Tea (which is one I had heard lots of good things about) and so far I love it, the colour is so pigmented and is a great pink shade ready for spring. The creamy texture is something I've never tried with a blush but I seem to be doing okay with it!

Okay, so one of the most talked about foundation for spring at the moment is the L'Oreal True Match which I got in the shade W1 Golden Ivory. I've never really tried out any L'Oreal foundations but if it's being talked about so much, I had to buy it, right? I've only used this a couple of times, and it is a little dark on my skin (but it'll be great for Summer) but it does what it says, it really does a give a finish look that matches your skin, and would look pretty flawless on people who don't have such problematic skin.

Another foundation that I'd been putting off buying for a long time now is the NARS Sheer Glow in Mont Blanc but I was browsing online and finally took the plunge and decided to order it because sadly I do not have a NARS Counter anywhere close to me. I was afraid the colour would suit me, but luckily I didn't waste my money, and I don't think it gets much better than this foundation especially for the brighter months! I can't pick out any fault in this, it gives that finish that is enough glow that is doesn't overpower, and you still use shimmers either on top or underneath! I honestly don't think I've stopped using this since it arrived in the post!

Something that got suggested to me a while back now are the egg shaped sponges you can get to apply many products and I went in the search of the Models Own ones knowing that you get two and if I didnt like them it wouldn't be too much of a waste however I came up empty handed and turned to the much loved Real Techniques and ended up buying the Miracle Sponge which I have yet to use but I'm sure I will love it because everything else from Real Techniques is brilliant!

The last thing I have to talk about is Effaclar Duo+ which I have seen a few beauty bloggers use in the past and I knew that I needed to get something to try and help out with my skin, because I have a lot of scars from previous acne problems and I also get redness and this cream is supposedly to help unclog blocked pores, correct the appearance of blemishes, refine skin texture, controls the appearance of shine and fight against the appearance of marks! I've been using this every night underneath my moistoriser since I bought this and I have noticed that the shininess that I had on my face has reduced cnsiderably as well as the appearance of some marks that I really wanted to be concealed! Hopefully with continues use, this cream will work wonders!