Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

I love metallic nails, so when I heard about Barry M Molten Metal Nail Paint I just knew I had to check them out.  After seeing swatches online I bought them all as they all looked so fantastic. I bought the Barry M Molten Metal Nail Paints from Superdrug as there was a 3 for 2 offer on and also a free tote bag when you purchased 3 products.  The nail polishes were £3.99 each. From L - R: Holographic Lights, Black Diamond, Blue Glacier, Pink Ice & Gold Rush I have never owned a holographic nail polish before so I bought 2 of the Holographic Lights as the colour is so amazing.  This is so pretty I can't even describe it.  It has such a shiny finish and loads of shimmery fine particles and the colour is like a faint oil slick.  I needed to apply 3 coats of this polish for full coverage, but it dried really fast. Black Diamond is metallic black with fine gold and silver shimmery particles.  I don't usually wear dark nail polish as...

I go through a lot of hand cream.  I have dry hands, so I carry hand cream in my bag and also have some with me at work or in the car, so I always like to check out different brands.  The hand cream that I am loving right now is PHB Brightening Hand Cream with Neroli and Ylang Ylang.  PHB stands for Pure. Handmade. British.  It has a strong uplifting fragrance, which is perfect to use throughout the day and the organic butters make it rich and creamy and luxurious.  It sinks into the skin straight away and does not leave a greasy residue behind.  My hands feel instantly softer and look brighter. PHB Brightening Hand Cream is handmade in the UK and is organic.  PHB products are cruelty free and the ingredients have not been tested on animals.  Their products are Certified Natural, Vegan and Halal.  It's free from parabens, artificial fragrances & colours, petrochemicals, formaldehyde, mineral oils and palm oil. PHB E...

I was very happy to be sent some samples from The Hero Project recently.  The Hero Project is a relatively new British company whose mission is to solve our beauty problems and find out what skincare lovers really want in order to produce products that fit that need.  They want to give us consumers products that really work and help us reduce our mega stashes of beauty products.  It's like a capsule wardrobe of skincare.  So far they have only made 6 products and I was sent 3 of them to try. Hyasoft Instant Moisture Boost * - £19 for 30ml This is a clear oil free moisturiser which can be applied morning and night, by itself or before your day and night cream.  It's a gel formula which is fragrance free and absorbs into my skin quickly without leaving a greasy residue.  It leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth with no dry areas.  The active ingredients are m ulti-moleculer Hyaluronic Acid ...

I have heard so much about The Ordinary that I had to order some of their products for myself.  The Ordinary is a Brand from DECIEM that also includes NIOD and Fountain amongst others.  The Ordinary is about clinical formulations with integrity and brings to market effective technologies at honourable prices. All DECIEM products including The Ordinary are free from parabens, sulphates, Mineral Oil and formaldehyde.  They do not test on animals and do not pay others to do so and none of their brands are sold in mainland China (source The Ordinary website ). I bought 5 products from The Ordinary: Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% (with 23% pure L-Ascorbic Acid and 2% Hyaluronic Acid Spheres) - This product visibly targets uneven tone and signs of age and should be applied to face in the morning or evening.  It's fragrance and silicone free.  It's £4.90 for 30ml. Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% .   This is a multifun...

It's always nice to find skincare products that have a purpose other than just caring for our skin, so I was happy to receive a box of My Trusty Skincare* to try out.  It came in a cute metal box with a cross on the front which kind of makes it look like a first aid kit.  My Trusty Skincare is a unique sunflower oil based skincare range that was developed and tested by the Salisbury NHS Foundation, who were dissatisfied with the products that were generally available.  My Trusty is the first NHS skincare range that is now available to buy from supermarkets and pharmacies nationwide.  It's also available at Superdrug .  The best bit is that the profits from every purchase go straight back into the NHS. The natural sunflower oil formula is a rich source of Vitamin E, F and essential fatty acids which intensively moisturise and nourish your skin.  The range is available fragrance free and also there is an essential oil range.  It does not contain...

It's been ages since I have done a Primark haul and then like buses, you don't see any for a while and then 2 turn up at once.  I have done 2 (or maybe 3 whoops) hauls over the last couple of months after not visiting for quite a while.  It's mainly been makeup and bits and bobs rather than clothes and I must say I have been very impressed with their makeup and beauty offerings when I visited recently.  I don't think I have ever bought so much stuff from their makeup range ,but it just seems so great that I couldn't resist.  Here's some of the items I have bought recently. I bought some false nails which have a great marble effect pattern, although I will probably take out my eye as they are so pointy.  They only cost £1.  I have way too many nail polishes, but I couldn't resist this lovely coral colour called Coral Pop for only 90p.  I also bought a brow fixing gel in light brown for £1.  I will be interested to se...

I have been trying out What Skin Needs Hydrating Facial Serum * for a few weeks now and I am really enjoying using it.  What Skin Needs is a company I hadn't heard of before.  It's a natural Australian Skincare brand designed to provide effective solutions for skin problems.  It uses a natural blend of vitamins and plant extracts providing beneficial and effective skincare solutions.  The key ingredient in What Skin Needs is Plantolin which is a patented herbal extract that heals and rejuvenates the skin.  What Skin Needs currently offers 4 products and I was lucky enough to be sent the Hydrating Facial Serum to try out.  The description on the website is below: A perfect blend of vitamins and plant extracts to create a light, non-greasy formula combined together to create an easily absorbed facial serum with superior hydrating and skin cell renewal properties. The potent formula penetrates the skins deeper layers leaving you with hea...

It's been a while since I wrote about my favourite face and eye products, so I thought I would write about my favourite body products.  These are the products that I am loving right now. Lush Snow Fairy - This deliciously sweet smelling shower gel is my absolute favourite, so I always stock up on it in the Boxing Day sales as it's only available at Christmas time (which appears to be from October these days). I stocked up on 2 1kg bottles which were half price in the sales and should last me until I can get my next stash.  Lush products are not tested on animals. Optiat Pick Me Up Coffee Scrub Lemongrass Lifter   - I got this in a You Beauty Box and it's such a great smelling scrub.  It smells of lemons and coffee which is a really refreshing combo and it's great for a morning shower.  It leaves my skin feeling soft and it's not a harsh scrub.  Optiat transform used coffee grounds into scented scrubs as the fine grounds act as a natural exfo...

I have already decluttered my makeup palettes (you can read the post here ), so I decided to start on blushers, highlighters and bronzers next. This is mainly because I really only wear them when I go out, I don't wear them on a day to day basis, so I am sure I can live without some of the products that I own. Here's a photo of all the products that I own right now (this does not include the 2 blush palettes that I already included in my makeup palette declutter post).   I don't have that many bronzers or highlighters, but I have blushers aplenty including, cream & powder formulas.   The only bronzers that I own are The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in the shade Fair Matte and Bourjois Bronzing Primer.  I'm definitely keeping TBS Bronzing Powder as it's a nice light matte shade which is perfect for me.  I was pretty sure that I was going to part with the Bourjois Bronzing Primer as it looks quite dark, but it works pe...