Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

 I'll be away for the next few weeks but will be back.    Leigh 💜

Here's a few things I picked up at Primark recently. Beige tote bag - £12 and matching crossbody phone bag £6. I love these giant scrunchies for £3 each. The guazy peach one is my favourite and I will defo be wearing it on holiday this summer. I love the ombre colour of this stainless steel thermal mug for £8. This plastic lunch box comes with 2 different sized pots for food, and a small pot that you can put your dressing in, plus a fork attached to the side. It only cost £4. These stylish sunglasses with UV protection cost £3.50. The gold toned bangles from the Rita Ora collection are attached to each other and cost £3.50. I love that they do different sized bangles now (I got the M/L, so I don't have to force them over my hand). I also picked up a few items from their skincare and beauty range. The Superfood Kimbucha Glow Moisturiser cost £4 for 50ml (I think this might be a dupe for the Elemis Superfood Glow Priming Moisturiser which costs £46 for 60ml) contains Vitamin E &a

I am a big fan of Primark Beauty as its very reasonably priced and they do have a tendency to bring out products that are similar to more high end brands. I recently picked up the 3 shades of Primark Tinted Lip Oil which were very reasonably priced at £3 each. I got the shades Berry, Berry Brown & Blush. Berry is a lovely pink shade, Berry Brown a gorgeous nude shade and weirdly Blush is a slightly darker pink than Berry which I wasn't expecting, but is very nice none the less.  They each give a sheer wash of colour, whilst hydrating my lips. They are not oily or sticky and feel very comfortable on my lips. L to R: Berry, Berry Brown, Blush, Lip Glaze I think that the packaging and product is very similar to Rare Beauty Tinted Lip Oil which is more costly at £20. I own 2 Rare Beauty lip oils and I think they are very good, but it never hurts to have a more affordable option. The Rare Beauty product is slightly wetter and leaves a stain once it wears off. I also bought a Glossy

If any of you are like me and cringe if your bare thighs rub together in a skirt or shorts (or is it just me) then the Primark Seamfree Anti Chafe Shorts are just what you are looking for.  I usually wear a similar version from M&S which I think maybe cost £20 for 2 pairs (I've had them a while so I may not be correct with that figure).  These Anti Chafe Shorts are only £6 and come in a good variety of colours.  They work great and just stop that uncomfortable rubbing of my thighs and don't roll up when you wear them.    They come in XS, S, M, L, XL & 2XL sizes.  I've already bought 3 pairs.  I can't recommend them enough.    Leigh 💜 I purchased this product with my own money

Occasionally, my skin becomes a little sensitive, usually when I have tried a few too many new products. When this happens I reach for KIEHL'S Ultra Facial Advanced Repair Barrier Cream*. Its a balm to cream formula which instantly relieves and repairs skins moisture barrier. Its suitable for dry skin which is prone to distress and discomfort. It contains Colloidal Oatmeal, Niacinamide and Beta-Glucan. Usually when my skin becomes sensitive, it manifests itself as red skin with a rough texture and when that happens I know I have to switch to nourishing, calming products like this one. Its rich and fragrance free and I find that it soothes my skin instantly and within a few days it is back to normal. KIEHL'S Ultra Facial Advanced Repair Barrier Cream  is £36.50 for 50ml, but for my sensitive skin girlies its worth every penny. Kiehl's has a rewards programme, so if you are thinking about buying anything you can join and get points with your purchases. I have a referral link 

I have been going through all my foundations and tinted moisturisers to work out if they still suit me and I have to say that I have found a few that were totally wrong for me, in both colour and for my skin type (Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder foundation cost me £55 and even though I was colour matched in store it ended up being way too dark for me and also not really suitable for my dry skin). Buying the wrong foundation can be costly, so I definitely need to be more careful going forward when I purchase this kind of product. One of the products that was suitable for my skin was the Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint. This product is more like a hydrating tinted moisturiser which gives a blurring effect to the skin. It does state that it is a light to medium coverage, but I didn't try to build it up to medium coverage as I prefer a light coverage that just evens out my skin tone. This product comes in 25 shades and my shade is 5 - Light Medium with Warm Yellow Underton

I have found a great dupe for the Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF30. This product is my absolute favourite SPF as its clear, so its very easy to apply on the go and it doesn't take ages to sink in or leave a greasy residue. It is quite pricey though at £35 for 50ml.  e.l.f. have a similar product called Suntouchable! Invisible Sunscreen SPF30. This costs a bargain £14 for 50ml. It has an identical clear consistency and like the Supergoop! product it is not fragranced. This is a multitasking product that also works as a primer, that blurs the skin and works really great under foundation. It feels hydrating and works on all skin types and contains meadowfoam seed oil and aloe. It does contain dimethicone which is a silicone based polymer, so if you are not keen on the slippery feel of silicone skincare products, then this one is not for you. I would say that the e.l.f. product has a slightly wetter feel to it, whereas the Supergoop! product feels more velvety on the skin at first, b

I remember wearing claw clips in my hair when I was a teenager, so I am happy that they are having a comeback (along with scrunchies it seems). I love these Kitsch Eco-Friendly Chain Claw Clips in Neutral shades from Cult Beauty . At only £8 for 3 they are an absolute bargain and I love the beige and brown shades. They hold my curly hair perfectly, without pulling on it and they are also really useful to use when I am straightening my hair.   Leigh 💜 I purchased these products with my own money

I recently reviewed one of my favourite Charlotte Tilbury products,  Hollywood Flawless Filter  and compared it with a dupe from Primark called Flawless Glow. You can read my review here . I have found another dupe for the CT product, this time from e.l.f. which is called Halo Glow Liquid Filter. This is a glow booster for radiant skin which contains squalane and hyaluronic acid. I got the shade 4 Medium which is a tad too dark for me in the winter to wear by itself, but it will work well in summer and it works well under foundation right now to give my foundation a boost and an added glow. Its got the same large doe foot applicator as the CT product which makes it easy to apply the product to the skin and I just use my fingers to blend it in and my foundation applied well over the top (I used a brush for the foundation). It costs £14 for 31.5ml from e.l.f. and I waited for the Black Friday sale to get 30% off which was a great deal. I think this is very comparable to the CT product,

Primark does a range of garments that look like they are dupes for Skims. They are great value for money and they can be worn under clothing or as lounge wear, they are made of a nice stretchy material (96% nylon / 4% elastane). The brown leggings were especially soft. I bought the black bra top which cost £4, the black long sleeve crop top for £5 and the leggings in the shade mocha for £5. They are all super comfy to wear and have a good amount of stretch in them. They are all machine washable and I love the fact that they have the label printed on the material rather than a label that is attached at the neck or waist. The products are all made using a minimum of 50% recycled nylon. There were other shades available and more styles available in each colour, so I will definitely be picking up some more items from this range.   Leigh 💜 I purchased these products with my own money

I am a big fan of Charlotte Tilbury makeup and one of my favourite products is Hollywood Flawless Filter in shade 3 Fair, which is a glow booster that can be used on its own or under foundation for a beautiful peachy glow. It does cost £39 for 30ml, but its worth it because its super easy to use and just enhances any makeup look. When I happened upon the Primark version, I just had to give it a try.  The  PS Flawless Glow is a radiant glow primer foundation hybrid enriched with squalene and Vitamin E.  I bought two shades - Sun Beige & Honey as I couldn't find an exact match to my  Charlotte Tilbury  shade and wasn't sure which would be the best match. It has the same large doe foot applicator and the consistency looks the same. I don't look at ingredients as I am not a scientist, so I am just comparing how the products look on the skin. L to R: Charlotte Tilbury 3 Fair, Primark Sunbeige and Honey I put the Primark shades on one side of my face (one on my forehead and t

If any of you reading this have those stray flyaway hairs that you struggle to control then Primark Hair Frizz Tamer is the product you are looking for.  Its basically a mascara wand, but instead of mascara it uses transparent gel to hold your hair in place.  Its easy to use but you have to have a light touch if you have frizzy hair like me, as the wand can easily get caught up in your hair and drag it out of place rather than tame it, but once you get used to it, its a doddle to use and best of all it doesn't leave your hair feeling sticky or hard.  It only costs £2.50 for 10ml which is a bargain.  I'm definitely going to stock up on them next time I'm in Primark.    Leigh 💜 I purchased this product with my own money

Its that time of year again where I'm looking to save money or at least not spend as much.   I recently found out that there was an easy way to check if you had any remaining money on old TFL Oyster cards and if its under £10 you can get a refund then and there.     I had no idea that I might still have money on my old Oyster Card. I have got used to using my contactless card to pay for all my Tube trips in London, but for some reason before getting rid of my old Oyster card (as I hadn't used it for ages), I decided to check if I had any credit left on it. Its easy to do, just pop to a ticket machine at a Tube station and touch your Oyster card to the yellow card reader. Pick the option for Oyster Refund and follow the instructions to find out your balance. If its under £10 you can get your refund at the machine in cash. Mine was only £5, but its worth checking if you are in London and still have your Oyster Card. I did try and register online to find out my balance, but

My absolute favourite perfume right now is Tom Ford Bitter Peach. I'm not going to lie, its expensive, so I only use it for special occasions, but whenever I wear it I always get compliments which is nice. I love the peach with a hint of orange fragrance that is not cloyingly sweet, but has spicy notes. It costs from £90 for 10ml, so I would definitely recommend saving up for this one and waiting for the sales to grab it. I can't afford to use this on a daily basis, so for a cheeky dupe I recommend The Essence Vault 948 which is inspired by Bitter Peach. Its sweeter than the real thing, but I like to use this one more regularly. You can pick up a 5ml sample for £4.95, 30ml for £15.95 and 100ml for £26.95. Its not an exact dupe, but its a reasonable alternative. What's your favourite Perfume?   Leigh 💜 I purchased these products with my own money

My skin is getting drier the older I get, so I have switched from foundation, which seems to highlight all the imperfections on my face, to a tinted moisturiser that gives a glowy finish. I have never enjoyed a full coverage foundation, so I am happy with the light coverage of tinted products as they just even out my skin tone. My new favourite product is Hourglass Veil Hydrating Skin Tint. Its pricey at £49 for 35ml, but luckily I waited for the Black Friday discounts to buy it with 25% off and I also had a voucher to use so paid less than £30. Bargain. Its so easy to apply as I just use my fingers for this sort of product and it blends really easily. Whats your favourite tinted moisturiser?   Leigh 💜 I purchased this product with my own money

                                                    Leigh 💜