Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

Here's a quick update on how I am getting on with Project Use It Up.  You can read my last update here .  The photo below shows all the products that were included in this project. Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Cologne  30ml - There's less than a quarter left, so this should be really easy to get through.  I love the scent, but I've had it for a while so would like to finish it up so that I can try out a different Jo Malone Fragrance.   Finished 8th December 2015. Would buy again (WBA). MAC Strobe Cream  30ml - there's about half a tube left so I am gonna use this under my foundation for the rest of the year to use it up.  It took me ages to try this out and it didn't smell too good so I've chucked it. Would not buy again (WNBA). Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub  25g - UPDATE - Finished this product in November 2016.  It smells and tastes lush (pardon the pun), but I could easily make a product like this myself, so I would not bother to repurch...

I was lucky enough to win a giveaway on the  Beauty Balm  Blog and the prize was the AA Skincare Essentials Frankincense & Rose Face Toner *.   This toner is for all skin types and is rejuvenating and rehydrating. The toner contains the following active ingredients - Rose Water, Frankincense Water, Witch Hazel, Honey Suckle and Japanese Honeysuckle, White Willow Bark Extract and Oat Kernel Extract.  It's vegan friendly and costs £7.98 for 150ml. It's great for preparing skin for applying moisturiser, but it's also nice for those rare hot days and nights to spray onto my skin for a cool down.  It's very refreshing and smells lovely and floral, although it's not an overpowering scent. AA Skincare is a new natural skincare range from Amphora Aromatics who have 30 years experience sourcing the best quality essential oils and natural ingredients.  Leighlee *I won this product from a blog giveaway

I have shoulder length curly hair and it's always a battle to tame the frizz I can tell you.  So here's some of the products that I love to use on my hair (I have already written about my favorite eye , lip and face products). I try a lot of shampoo and conditioner products and my favourite right now is quite a new purchase.  I am using Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave-In Conditioner. You can read my review here . I also like using Palmer's Olive Oil Formula Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner as it's gentle on my hair and prevents tangles.  It doesn't contain any sulfates or parabens. I like the fact that it's a wash and go product and there is no need for a shampoo and conditioner.  It's £5.99 for 473ml. I like to colour my hair as I have a patch of grey hairs around my parting.  I don't like to commit to a colour right now, so I am using L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss Conditioning Colour as it lasts up ...

I was recently sent some Lord & Berry Seta eyeshadows * and I've loved putting them through their paces. I received the following 4 shades: Deep Ocean is a lovely deep dark blue shade. Espionage is a chocolate brown shade. Victoria is a gorgeous olive green shade and is my favourite. I've not stopped wearing it. Sumptuous is a deep purple shade. From Top Left Clockwise : Sumptuous, Victoria, Espionage &  Deep Ocean From Left :  Deep Ocean, Espionage,  Victoria &  Sumptuous These eyeshadows are highly pigmented and stay put on the eyelid.  They are really easy to build up the colour with, so you can go as light or as dark as you want  and they are easy to blend in.    They are also long lasting which is great. The Seta Eyeshadow is a micronised pressed pure eyeshadow with intense colours to shape your look.  It has perfect hold and excellent payoff. It also has a ECOCHIC refill system which means the po...

I have just subscribed to the Love Lula Beauty Box and I have received the October 2016 box. The Love Lula Beauty Box costs £12.50 within the UK and contains the natural brands sold on the Love Lula website . The October box contained the following products worth around £40: Barefoot SOS Nourishing Cleansing Cream - Full Size - 125ml.  This product is worth £20.  This is a gentle and refreshing cleansing treatment formulated with Rosa Mosqueta Oil, Calendula extract, Cocoa butter and Rosewater.   I have never come across this product, so I can't wait to try it out. PHB Orange & Grapefruit Natural Soap - Full Size - 100g - worth £3.95. This is 100% natural, handmade and palm oil free. John Masters Organics Lip Calm - Full Size - 4g - Worth £6.  This contains olive oil, sunflower oil, jojoba oil and is certified organic. REN Flash Hydro-Boost Instant Plumping Emulsion - 10ml - Worth £8.50. I really like REN products and this is o...

I recently went on a bit of a shopping spree using vouchers I had saved up from completing surveys and a voucher I had received as a reward from work. Here's my Harvey Nichols, Boots & M&S Beauty Haul. I bought the following from Harvey Nichols: Benefit Browvo! Conditioning Primer - £21.50 2 Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks in Secret Salma & Very Victoria   - £23 each In Boots I bought the following (I also used some Boots Advantage points for this purchase as well): Liz Earle Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion - £13.25 Barry M Coconut Infusion Nail Polish in Aloha - £5 3 L'Oreal Sexy Balms in Go Pretty or Go Home, Break The Rules and As If! - £4.99 each.  3 for 2 offer used as well. Sensationail Nail Shield 2in1 solution - £8 In M&S I bought the following (I had a 20% off voucher for this purchase as well): Pixi By Petra LipLift Max Glossy Lip Plumper in Sheer Rose - £12 Mascara Correction Buds - £2.50 I had a great time sho...

EOS Lip Balms have become a bit of a cult product here in the UK, probably because they were so hard to get hold of over here for quite some time.  We all stocked up whenever we were lucky enough to travel to the USA.  Now they are much easier to buy over here, so I was happy to be given the opportunity to review one of the EOS Lip Balms*.  I chose the pomegranate raspberry version. The lip balm contains shea butter and jojoba oil and is 100% natural and 95% organic and also paraben and petrolatum free.  It has a lovely fruity smell and leaves lips feeling instantly moisturised.  Above all, it's the cutest packaging for a lip balm ever and it's great that the actual product is just a good as the packaging. Learn more about EOS lip balm on Facebook . EOS Lip Balms can be purchased at Boots, Topshop, Cult Beauty, Urban Outfitters, Beauty Bay, Naturisimo & Superdrug from £5.99. EOS stands for Evolution of Smooth, just in case you were wonderi...

I am pretty new to QVC, but I do love a bargain beauty box, so I couldn't resist the Tili Beauty Box Second Edition.   It costs £20 including postage and packing and it's worth over £100.  The Tili Beauty Box contains some great brands that I can't wait to try out. The box contains the following: NIOD Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex (15ml worth £19) Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara - black (7ml worth £18) Laura Geller Spackle Tinted Under Make-up Primer - Bronze (59ml worth £25) Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen - Black (0.8g worth £8) Percy and Reed Abundantly Bouncy Volumising Mousse (200ml worth £12) Caudalie Resveratrol Face Lifting Moisturiser (15ml worth £14.63) OPI Nail Polish - Russian Navy (15ml worth £7.95) Philosophy Amazing Grace Shampoo, Bath and Shower Gel (30ml  £1.19) Overall this is a great box and the only item that I won't use is the Percy and Reed Abundantly Bouncy Volumising Mousse as I have curly hair that does not lack volume.  ...

I recently took advantage of the free international postage to place yet another Colourpop order (check out my previous Colourpop hauls here and here ). Here's what I bought: I bought 3 Ultra Metallic Lips which were not available when I placed my first order. From Left to Right: 3-Way, Kween & Man Eater I bought 4 Ultra Glossy Lips and 1 Ultra Satin Lip and again these were not available at the time I placed my first order. From Left to Right: Wolfie, Casino, Master Plan, Finders Keepers and Molly I also bought 2 more Lippie Stix in the shade Lumiere as I really liked this from my first order so I wanted a couple of backups.  I really like the metallic and glossy lips as they are much easier to wear than the matte lips that I previously bought. The total cost of my order was $58 which is approximately £40.  I also had to pay a customs charge of £8.75 and £8 Royal Mail International handling fee which I was expecting, but you do need to factor in cu...

I was fortunate to be sent a box of goodies from Kypris recently and I have really enjoyed trying out all the products.  I thought that I would review the 2 full size products that I was sent. Named after the goddess Aphrodite (Kypris is the name given to her by Cypriots, as legend tells that she rose from the water off the coast of Cyprus). Kypris was founded by Chase Polan based upon the principle that feeling beautiful is a birthright.   The products are made in Scottsdale, Arizona in the USA. Kypris is luxurious, holistic skincare made with organic, wild-crafted and sustainably grown ingredients.  All formulations are 100% natural and never tested on animals. The first product that I tried out was Kypris Cleanser Concentrate * which contains co-op grown moringa, wild-crafted prickly pear and probiotics (the full ingredients list can be found on the Kypris website ).  Simply apply a pearl sized amount of the cleanser over dry or damp face and...

There are so many new products entering the beauty market all the time that it's hard to keep up.  I love buying makeup, but unlike some I don't collect makeup, so I have been meaning to have a little clearout so that I can get rid of the things that I don't use to make room for all the new goodies that are on my wishlist.  I thought I would start with quite an easy category for me - makeup palettes.  I don't really have that many, but I would like to go through everything to declutter the palettes that I never reach for.  Here's a photo of all the palettes that I own. Urban Decay Naked Smoky (cost £38.50) – this is a really nice palette with a mixture of nude and dark shades (matte & satin) and it comes with a useful double ended brush.  As much as I would love to rock a smoky eye, my hooded eyelids just won’t have it, so I am happy to give this away to one of my sisters who I know will make use of it. Urban Decay Naked (cost £38.50) - This is ...