Thursday 23 November 2017

Origins Overnight Renewal Set


This time of year is when all the Christmas sets start appearing, and it gets more and more difficult to focus on present buying, and not just treating myself. Nothing like a present to me, from me, to kick start the festive period.

I had a temporary moment of weakness when I was Christmas shopping, and I thought, "You know who'd like that? Me." In fairness, the sets are usually great value so it's not like I went out and spent an unnecessary fortune.

When it comes to Origins, I feel like I am late to the party as I have heard loads of people raving about their skin care. I only recently purchased the Ginzing Gel Moisturiser and so far I have really been loving it. This Overnight Renewal Set contains the Ginzing moisturiser, a pot of High Potency Night-A-Mins, a tube of the super hydrating Drink Up Intensive Mask, and a Modern Friction exfoliator.


The Night-A-Mins is a popular product that I had heard so much about, but the supposed richness of the moisturiser always put me off. It's a mineral enriched night cream with time-release resurfacers that replenish skin overnight. It also contains a relaxing orange fragrance that apparently helps with relaxation, thus aiding sleep. I was a bit unsure when I first applied it as it really is quite thick, but you only need the smallest bit and it goes a long way in moisturising and softening your skin. I thought it would sit on my skin and not really absorb at all, but it proved me wrong, as it definitely sunk into my skin and I woke up positively glowing. It's recommended for dry and combination skin, and me having oily areas I was sure I would wake up with a second head on my face, but thankfully no such horror has happened.

I won't spend too much time chatting about the Ginzing Gel Moisturiser, as I have a detailed post on it right here, but I really do enjoy using it. It's great for the morning as it's a light consistency that absorbs rather quickly leaving a nicely hydrated and non-greasy base ready for make up. The scent is also really refreshing!


I hadn't tried the Modern Friction scrub before, and was surprised at how grainy it is. I am still a bit undecided on how much I like it, although it is great for removing dull, dead skin, I got it in my eye by accident the last time I used it, and I am a bit reluctant to use it again. Yes, I know you shouldn't put these kinds of products around the eye area, but it was on the face cloth I was using and one false move left me squealing like a baby.

The Drink Up Intensive Mask is ideal for dry skin, and although I am nowhere near dry, it is nice to use once a week to give my skin a boost especially in the colder weather. You simply apply a reasonable amount to your skin before bed and you wake up looking fresh and glowing. It doesn't leave my skin oily the day after either and it smells delicious. It contains avocado and apricot kernel oils to deliver intense moisture and Japanese seaweed to prevent dehydration and signs of premature ageing. Basically, it's fabulous.

All the products in the set are of a decent size, the Night-A-Mins is a full size pot which usually retails at £36.50. The Drink Up Intensive, Modern Friction, and Ginzing are all 30ml, so the set being priced at £39 is a complete bargain.

You even get a little toiletry bag in the set to stash all your treats in, and they come in a lovely, Christmas inspired box. Origins have so many great value sets available this year that it's hard not to treat yourself, but if you are stuck for a Christmas gift for someone, maybe pop into Debenhams and have a look for yourself.
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Monday 20 November 2017

Bargain Brush Set


I have built up quite an extensive collection of make up brushes and I know what I like when it comes to the blending, highlighting and bronzing tools.

Recently, I spotted these gorgeous, pink handled delights on Instagram and their soft looking bristles really caught my eye. Created by Peaches & Cream, a beauty spot situated in Liverpool, these brushes are not only lovely to look at and fabulously soft, they are also on the more affordable end of the spectrum. Hooray!


You can of course purchase any of their wide range of brushes separately (they range from £4-£7), or you can use the 'Pick 'n' Mix' option, and choose four for £15, total bargain! Also, if you're feeling really quite deserving, and fancy treating yourself you can pick up the full set, 14 brushes for £50? That works out at just over £3 each!

The brushes I chose were the PC17 (highlighter brush), PC10 (blending brush), PC03 (sculpt brush), and the PCO7 (pencil brush). I couldn't wait to use these once they arrived, and truthfully, I was so surprised at the fantastic quality of the bristles. They are so soft, but not overly soft to the point of being useless. They don't feel scratchy on the skin, like some of my Morphe brushes do, and they blend so seamlessly that it really feels like they are doing most of the work.


The PC17 highlighting brush, is the perfect size to swish on products without spreading them too much over the face. The PC10 blending brush is a tapered, fluffy brush that gets right into the socket to blend out crease colour and diffuse any harsh lines. I'm rather picky when it comes to pencil brushes, as I like them to smudge liner out but not be too hard, and this PC07 is just perfect. It smudges out my pencil liner perfectly and softens it without removing any product in the process. I also really like the PC03 brush for buffing out powder contour and it would even be great for adding highlighter to the high points of the face.

I am really impressed with these brushes and have been using them daily since they arrived. There are so many more to choose from too and I'm sure they are all really fluffy and soft, but deliver top quality performance. If you are stuck for Christmas gift ideas, definitely check out the Peaches & Cream website, they make amazing, sparkly pigments, lipglosses and highlighting powders to name a few. They even have some great sets at the minute that any make up loving girl would be grateful to find in their stocking.

Click here at your peril, you might spend a small fortune.
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Sunday 12 November 2017

November Glossybox: Time To Unsubscribe?


I know everyone is saying this, but how fast is the year going? It only seems like a week ago that I was on holiday, and now we're hurtling towards Christmas. It also definitely doesn't feel like a month since I posted about my last Glossybox!

I managed to avoid the spoilers this month, so when the box arrived I had absolutely no idea what its contents were. If I am being honest, I feel like this month's was a bit of a letdown, and I think I have only had a couple of good boxes over the last year, so I am in two minds about continuing on with my subscription.


First of all, I didn't receive the card in my box that tells you a bit more about each product, including the price, and sometimes there's also a sneak peek at the following month's box. This means I don't know the prices nor what is full size and what isn't, so that is a bit disappointing.

Anyway, the box contains a Boots Sheet Face Mask in Charcoal & Willow Bark. I have seen this before and although I am not the biggest fan of sheet masks, I am quite interested in trying it. One issue I do have is that it contains methylparaben, which I try to stay away from, but it's a one use product so it's not too big of a deal for me.


There's also a natural shower gel from Greenfrog Botanic. This is in the scent geranium and peppermint, and it does smell quite nice. It is also apparently good for eczema prone skin, and contains aloe vera to moisturise and cleanse. I like receiving shower gels in beauty boxes, as I love trying new ones and rarely repurchase the same brands, it's also great to get one from a brand I have never heard of before.


Collection have a brow product in this month's box, their Define & Perfect Eyebrow Powder. This is quite interesting in that it has a fine tip on the end much like a liquid eyeliner, and it distributes powder to fill in gaps and accentuate the shape of the brows. I'm unsure of how easy this will be to use but I'm willing to give it a try. It is also a great shade for me, 'Brunette 2', so that is off to a good start.


A few month's ago, Glossybox had a double ended pencil eyeliner in the box from the brand Sport FX which is available in Primark. This time it's a candy floss flavoured lip balm in a dome shape that you simply rub across your lips. I feel like I'm about 7 years old when I use it, as I grew out of sweet flavoured lipbalms years ago. It's a pinky colour but it's not too pigmented and gives my lips a subtle sheen. It would be handy to toss into my handbag for the colder weather, although I don't know how often I would reach for it over my other balms.

Finally, this month we were all treated to a Beauty UK contour/powder brush. I know Beauty UK isn't exactly a luxury brand, but they do make some great products, their nail polishes being one. This brush really surprised me because it looks far too dense to do anything with, but it's actually really soft and would be great for buffing in cream products. I'm thinking it may be good for my Chanel cream bronzer, or to buff in cream highlighters. I think this may be my favourite product from this month's box.

Overall, I feel like this month's Glossybox is a bit of a letdown. The contents usually have a theme, and complement each other, but these products feel a bit thrown together and like they just picked the products leftover in the warehouse to get rid of them before the year is out. Yes, there are a couple of satisfactory products, but I was most definitely not blown away. Maybe it's time to switch to another monthly box. Any suggestions?

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Monday 6 November 2017

Autumn Favourites


Now that Hallowe'en is basically over, I'm ready to deck the halls. Now that we are hurtling towards winter and the festive period, I thought I'd share some of my most recent favourite products that I have been really loving over the last few months. The majority are quite affordable too, so you won't feel guilty about treating yourself!


I have become more a lipgloss fan in recent months, after the liquid lipstick obsession I had going on. I bought a £2.00 lipgloss in Primark a few weeks ago and instantly fell in love. It was a nude shade, surprise surprise, and it applied really smoothly without going streaky. I then got one from their 'Peach' collection which I love even more, it's a nice peachy nude that doesn't dry out my lips. Primark lipglosses all seem to have a really nice, flat applicator that packs on the gloss and makes it easy for precise application. They have great staying power for not being sticky at all, and I would really recommend you give them a go if you love a glossy lip.


Another gloss I've been loving is from Buxom. It's in the shade Blushing Margarita, and again, it's a nude (I just love nude, sorry). I had never tried anything from Buxom before until I was in Newcastle and spotted a set with three glosses and three lip liners for quite a reasonable price. The lip liners are also great as they're quite chubby so they cover your whole lip quite quickly. The lipglosses have a minty scent that makes your lips tingle, and although they felt huge I don't think there was any visible difference in their size. I just love the feeling of wearing it and the shades are all really pretty. I do find my lips become quite dry later on in the day if I have been wearing it though and that's probably because of the plumping ingredients.


I love skincare, especially cleansers and this has been a staple in my night time routine ever since I discovered it. I used to love cleansers that contained some form of scrub but I now prefer those that feel thick. luxurious and melt off make up without any stinging or rubbing. This is a hot cloth cleanser from Superdrug's Vitamin E range, and the quality is amazing. It contains cocoa seed butter which must help to remove make up and dirt, and it just feels heavenly. I always double cleanse anyway, but if there happens to be any remaining mascara on my lashes, this removes it really easily as well as cleansing my skin. I'm nearly sure it came with a muslin cloth which is great for gentle exfoliation too, but I just use it with a normal face cloth and it does the trick. It is recommended for dry-normal skin, and although I am more oily, I have had no issues with it. I will definitely be repurchasing it when this big tube is done.


As well as fabulous lipglosses, Primark have a really great range of 'Insta Girl' nail polishes. I have quite a few and they really surprised me. They stay put for days without chipping and there's quite an extensive collection of shades. My most recent favourite is this violet shade called 'Slay.' I have had so many people asking what it is when I have been wearing it, and although it does take about three coats to build up a good, even coverage, the colour is so worth it. It's great for brightening up any autumnal outfit.

Primark's 'Insta Girl' brushes are also fantastic. This is supposed to be a concealer brush, but I use it to blend colour into my crease and it does the job just as well as my Morphe brushes. I think it was around two or three pounds, and it's quite nice to look at too.


I am quite fussy with primers and when I finished my Smashbox Photo Finish I didn't feel like rushing to buy it again as it didn't do anything spectacular for my skin. I bought this L'Oreal Infallible Mattifying Primer instead, and it's quite a generous 35ml size. It is a silicone primer but it does look more watery or oily than most. You can't feel it when it is on though and it does a good job at helping make up stay put. I wouldn't say it does anything to control my oily areas, but I haven't found anything that does. I just use blotting papers to absorb excess oil and then apply a light dusting of powder. It is a great every day primer, as it doesn't feel heavy or like it's suffocating your skin.

I purchased this KIKO Skin Tone Concealer in Newcastle and it's a really flattering yellow tone. I use it under my eyes to brighten and I would say it would be good for covering any redness from blemishes as it's a great neutralising colour. This is shade 5 but it's still quite light, but not ghostly pale. It blends out nicely and doesn't dry cakey under the eyes, so it's a thumbs up from me!

Lancome recently launched their Monsieur Big Mascara and I have a small sample size from Feel Unique's Pick 'n' Mix service which you can read about here. This mascara is great for days when I'm not wearing any eyeshadow but want to define my lashes, as it lengthens and makes them black without being spidery or clumpy. It also held the curl I created with my eyelash curler for most of the day, which is impressive considering I find only waterproof mascaras do this.


Setting powders are another product I am quite picky with, because I like them to set my make up without looking super matte or changing the colour of my foundation. This Kat Von D Lock It Powder is so finely milled and translucent and it does exactly what I want it to. I don't look dry or caked up, it simply sets foundation and leaves a smooth base to apply blusher and bronzer. It doesn't keep me shine free all day, but I really don't mind.

On the subject of bases, I got this Maybelline Superstay Foundation in the shade Sun Beige which is slightly too dark for me, but I've been mixing it with my light shade of Too Faced Born This Way, and it looks lovely. It claims 24 hour wear, which I obviously haven't put to the test, but for the length of time I do be wearing it, it stays on and looks fresh and natural without being too matte. I will probably buy a lighter shade at some stage to mix it with. If you would like a cheap(ish) foundation to wear during the day, have a look at this!

So that's a small round up of the products I have been loving using recently. If you have any great finds you feel like sharing with the world, leave a comment below. I am always open to recommendations!



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