Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

Here's an update to my Use it or Lose it September post here .  As a reminder I choose 8 products from my stash to use in September in order to decide whether I liked it enough to keep it, or if I should get rid of it.  Here are the results: Mac Warmth of Coral Blush  - this blush is not my colour at all its just too orange.  I will sell this on eBay.   Max Factor Ageless Elixir 2 in 1 Foundation Plus Serum  - I like the colour and coverage of this foundation and it works on my dry skin, so I will aim to use this along with my tinted moisturisers and BB creams.   Smashbox Photo Finish Oil Free Primer - this is too drying for my skin and did not work under my foundation - I have already sold this on eBay.   Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Eye Shadow in Emerveille - I think the reason that I didn't use this is because its a cream based shadow and I have very oily eyelids.  With a little bit of primer this stays on well and it a lovely golden colour with bronze u

I know its a little bit late but I thought that I would still review the September Birchbox.  I really can't fault Birchbox, they present their boxes so well and there are always interesting products included.  I have been subscribed for well over a year and I can't remember being disappointed with any box that I have received, which is pretty good going.  Here's a photo of the contents. First up is Reverence de Bastien Nail Polish I think the shade is called No8 and its a bright bubblegum pink (its brighter than the photo above) which is quite nice although more suited to summer I guess.  I haven't tried this out yet but it says it needs 2 coats.  This is a full size product and costs £16.00.   Next is a mini bottle of Bioderma H2O - 20ml.  I think its great that a beauty box has finally included a cult product like this.  I already have a couple of bottles in my stash, but its a great product and I will take this with me when I go away for the weekend.  

I am going on holiday later this year, so I thought I would do a wish list of the things that I want to pick up at the airport.    I definitely want to pick up a new perfume at the airport to take advantage of the duty free prices.  I really want another Chanel perfume and the one at the top of my list at the moment is Chanel Coco Noir.  I also want to pick up a few Mac items as the duty free price seems pretty similar to the US price.  I want to buy an eyeshadow called Sumptuous Olive (a gorgeous golden olive colour) and a lipstick called Plumful which is a lovely medium pink colour.  I also want to try the Mac Face & Body foundation, so if I can find a suitable match for my skintone then I will pick some up. I think I will also pick up a Chanel eyeshadow (Illusion D'Ombre Epatant) and some nail polish (Taboo or Bel-Argus).                           I will do a haul post after I have been on holiday.  It will be interesting to compare my

As Victoria's Secret has recently opened stores in Leeds and Sheffield I thought it would be a great time to do a post on some body sprays that I bought from one of their US stores.  I have been buying Victoria's Secret products for a while as I always pop into the store when I'm in America.  Ive always loved the beauty products there and they sell them for  reasonable prices.  I was happy when I heard that they were opening stores in Leeds and Sheffield although I was worried that the prices would be high after getting used to the US prices.  I bought this lot in a gift set (I cant remember how much they cost maybe around $18 which is approximately £12).     VS Fantasies Range of Fragrance Mists       Amber Romance Fragrance Mist 60ml.  This is my absolute favourite Victoria's Secret scent, its subtle but lingers on the skin nicely.  The info on the US site describes it as follows: A seductive, warm fragrance. Ignite an Amber Romance, a sensual embrac

I love testing and reviewing products, so I thought I would list some websites that I have signed up to.  I have received products to review from all the below sites, ranging from high end products that are just being launched, to products that are blind tested, where you don't find out the brand, you just find out what type of product it is: Testing & Reviewing Bzzagent - I have received a wide variety of products to test.  You sometimes receive coupons and extra samples to pass on to friends and family. Boots Volunteers - they send out products that are not named, just a general description of the product. Beauty Bible - keep an eye on their facebook page to find out when they are launching another phase of testing for the Beauty Bible books.  The last lot of testing was for over 35s.  You usually receive 10 products (high end and drug store) for a cost of £30.  This may sound a high price but the value of products that I have received in the past have ranged

I was lucky enough to be picked to test and review Lancome DreamTone Ultimate Dark Spot Corrector prior to its UK release.  Lancome claims that this product gives amazing results on: Uneven Skin Tone Dark Spots Colour Irregularities It also says that it is so powerful that more than 2 out of 3 women would dare to bare their skin.  To be honest I am happy to go out without makeup, so I don't consider that a selling point. Lancome DreamTone is a luxurious pink serum that has an instant brightening and illuminating effect on my skin. It helps even out my skin tone and has a blurring effect on the pores on my cheeks and nose. It also provides a great base on which to apply foundation adding an attractive glow. I didn't notice any change to the dark spots on my skin, but I have only used it for 6 weeks and it takes up to 8 weeks for results to show. I love the packaging with the easy to use twist top that dispenses the small amount of product that is need

I did really well finishing up products in August.  I made a concerted effort to only use products that had already been opened and were half empty and heres the results.       Obviously, there is quite a lot, so I think I will highlight the products that really impressed me and some of the ones that just did not do it for me at all.   Tidmans Soothing Seasalt Bathing Crystals - This is great to use when you have sensitive skin   Bath & Body Works Fragrance Mist  in Twilight Woods - Top Notes: Juicy Berry, Sparkling Mandarin, Coconut - I love this frangrance and will pick up more next time I am in America   S5 Nourish Cleanser - gentle oil-based balm for normal to dry skin - this works really well at removing my makeup and cleansing my skin   Clinique Moisture Surge Gel - I love this gel as it really keeps my skin moisturised and works really well under foundation.  I got this free with Glamour Magazine and it was worth £18 so a great bargain.  

Coconut oil has been all over the place recently and I think I first heard about it on Pinksofoxys You Tube channel.  There are so many uses for this oil and since I have been suffering from sensitive skin of late I definitely wanted to try it.  Its quite expensive so I took advantage of the recent Holland & Barrett Penny Sale.  This is where you buy one product and get any other product included in the penny sale for 1p.  You just pay for the most expensive product.  I bought 2 jars of coconut oil for a total of £15 as my sister wanted a jar as well, so we split the cost.   Some of the things that you can use this oil for include:   Cleanser Hair serum Hair treatment Cuticle oil & hand cream Shaving legs Bath Oil Makeup remover Use to make a body scrub Face & body moisturiser You can even use it as cooking oil, although since I can't cook very well I don't think that I will be testing this out Th

I just wanted to post a quick update on my 1st giveaway.  The winner Claire has posted a review on her blog Penny for Them here . Look out for another giveaway later in the year. Leighlee