Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

*I received this product for free but the opinions are my own. There’s something magical about the moment you sit down to get ready. The quiet hum of anticipation. The soft clink of brushes. The warm glow of light catching your cheekbones just right. The Studio Creator Hollywood Mirror taps into that magic and turns your everyday routine into a mini production set. It’s not just for people filming GRWM content. It’s for anyone who wants to feel a little more fabulous while doing the ordinary. Unboxing the mirror feels like opening a backstage pass. It’s sleek but not bulky, with a clean white frame and a detachable tray that’s perfect for corralling lip glosses, hair clips, or that one rogue mascara you always lose. The real star is the rotating phone holder. It’s a game-changer if you’re filming tutorials, snapping selfies, or just want to watch a video while you do your makeup. The mirror offers three light modes, white, natural, and warm which you can toggle with a simple touch. Mor...

There’s something quietly satisfying about discovering a product that punches well above its price tag  especially when it’s tucked away on a supermarket shelf. Aldi’s Lacura range has built a bit of a cult following for exactly that reason: affordable skincare that doesn’t feel like a compromise and their Scalp and Body Scrub? It’s the kind of multitasker that earns a permanent spot in your shower caddy. The packaging is simple, no-frills but don’t let that fool you. The texture inside is creamy with just the right amount of grit.  There's no overpowering florals or synthetic sweetness here just a subtle scent that makes you feel like you’ve wandered into a spa treatment room rather than the middle aisle at Aldi. Used on the scalp, it’s surprisingly gentle. The exfoliating particles lift product build-up and excess oil without leaving your hair feeling squeaky or stripped. Massage it in after shampooing and you’ll notice your roots feel lighter, your scalp less itchy especi...

Primark is really knocking it out of the park with their beauty products right now. They are all reasonably priced, so its easy to pick up whatever takes your fancy.  Here is a selection of the products that I have bought recently. These serum ampoules are a great idea and they are really useful for taking on holiday as they barely take up any space. I picked up the Retinol serum ampoules with 0.5% Retinol complex with Jojoba oil for skin smoothing, the Hyaluronic Acid serum ampoules with 2% Hyaluronic Acid with Jojoba oil for hydration boosting and moisturising and the 3% Vitamin C serum ampoules for dull and tired skin, brightening, radiance and glow. All of them cost £2.50 each and contain 7 ampoules. I also thought I would give the Peptide moisturiser a try at £5 for 50ml. This product is enriched with a peptide complex and shea butter. I also bought these Magnetic Faux Mink Lashes and Liner. I wanted to give these a try as I am terrible at applying lashes as I am all fingers ...

The Beautylish Original Lucky Bag cost $75 (including tax and delivery to the UK the total was $108, which was approximately £85) and the lucky bag promises to include at least $150 worth of products. Here's what I got in my box: Natasha Denona Zendo Eyeshadow Palette $65 YANO SERIES By Beautylish Make Up Brush 05 $65 Good Molecules Gentle Retinol Cream 30ml $8 DM Colorfix Mattes Waterproof Matte Liquid Pigment in Shade Plum Wine $18 Wayne Goss The Luxury Cream Lipstick in Shade Macadamia $28 Slip Pure Silk Skinny Scrunchie $10 (estimated as I can't find individual ones for sale) The overall value of the items in the box was approximately £145. Contents of my Beautylish Original Lucky Bag 2022 Natasha Denona Zendo Eyeshadow Palette My favourite item was the Natasha Denona palette as I have heard a lot of good things about this brand, but have not tried any of the palettes. This palette has a nice selection of neutrals and greens, blues & coral shades which I cant wait to tr...

    *I received these products for free but the opinions are my own. If you are looking for stocking fillers for anyone that is into b eauty then one option is this great little sanitising set and even better its on offer at the moment.  I love this great little kit of Beauty Hygiene Essentials * from Beauty Hygiene Plus . The set contains 50ml spray bottles of Quick Dry Beauty Tools Sanitising Spray, Quick Dry Brush Cleaning Spray, Quick Dry Makeup Sanitising Mist and Deep Cleanse Sponge & Brush Wash. The kit also comes with a travel size set of makeup brushes which is a nice touch and comes in a zip bag which makes them easy to carry on your travels. I think many of us are guilty of forgetting (being too lazy!) to wash our makeup brushes and tools on a regular basis and I am horrified to admit it, but I have never sanitised my makeup after use, so this little set is perfect for me. Beauty Hygiene Plus is the consumer product arm of Beauty Science UK who are an es...

I posted recently about the Kiehl's Family Rewards loyalty scheme  here .  One of the benefits is that you receive a birthday gift.  Depending on your tier (amount of points you have collected) there are 3 different birthday gift options - Fan, Friend or family treat.  My sister and I received different gifts as I have enough points for the Friend tier and she is on the Fan tier. Fan Tier Birthday Gift Includes the following: - Midnight Recovery Concentrate Sample 4ml - Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate Sample 5ml - Ultra Facial Cream Sample 7ml Friend Tier Birthday Gift Includes the following: - Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate Sample 5ml - Ultra Light Daily UV Defence Aqua Gel Sample  5ml - Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter 15ml - Ultra Facial Cream Sample 7ml - Facial Fuel Energizing Moisture Treatment For Men Sample 15ml I think both of these birthday gifts make joining Kiehl's Family Rewards well worth it.  If...

   *I received these products for free but the opinions are my own. I had not heard anything about The Hair Boss before I received the products, so I was really interested to try them out. This is a brand developed and manufactured in the UK, by Lisa Shepherd who has been in the hair industry for over 30 years. You can read more about the brand here  and there is a useful hair consultation page which helps you select the right products for your hair type. The first product that I tried out was The Clear Shine Gloss * which is a semi-permanent treatment that helps to revitalise all hair colours without changing the tone. It helps to transform dull lack-lustre locks and works by smoothing the cuticle of the hair.  As someone with curly hair that regularly straightens it, I cannot tell you how much my hair needs a product like this. It definitely helped to give my hair a just out of the salon shine.  You wash your hair as normal and then apply a generous amount of...

I recently took advantage of the Cult Beauty goody bag offer when you spent £170.  I don't know about you but I always save up my big purchases for times when there is a goody bag offer, because I get to try out loads of new products for free with my purchase.  First of all I will show you what I purchased and then show you the free goody bag that came with it. I stocked up on some more Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 30.  I bought the limited edition 73.9ml supersize.  This cost £40  This is my holy grail sunscreen because it goes on clear and does not leave my skin looking or feeling greasy. Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Shea Hydrating Co Wash.  I have tried and loved some other Briogeo products so I thought that I would give this one a try.  I have curly hair that gets so knotty if I use shampoo, so I tend to use products like this one which leaves my hair easy to brush through and with frizz free curls.  This is a new purchase for me, ...

I recently picked up my birthday gift from Space NK and I just wanted to share it with you.  Space NK is one of my favourite beauty stores and I can't resist browsing their website and stores.  I am a member of their loyalty programme NDULGE which has a number of perks, one of which is a free birthday gift.  The gift this year included 4 deluxe size samples and is a great little freebie.   The gift included: Darphin Intral Daily Rescue Serum - 5ml KIEHL'S Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum - 4ml Malin+Goetz Peppermint Shampoo & Cilantro Hair Conditioner - 10ml each As a member of NDULGE you also receive points for your purchases which is currently 1 point for every £1 spent. You receive a £5 voucher for every 100 points.  You can also top up your points balance by reviewing the products that you buy, for which you will receive 10 points per review (up to a maximum of 10 reviews a month). You may also be invited to exclusive brand events and ga...

I occasionally visit the The York Designer Outlet   to grab a few bargains.  Here's a recent haul from The Cosmetics Company Store. Clinique ID Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly (includes the hydrating jelly base 115ml and the active cartridge concentrate for uneven skin tone) 10ml - RRP £38 usual price in store £28.50 I bought it on offer for £15.  Bargain. Clinique ID Dramatically Different Moisturising BB-Gel (includes the moisturising BB-gel 115ml and the active cartridge concentrate for pores and uneven texture) 10ml - RRP £38 paid £28.50 (there was an offer on in store, I think it was if you spent over a certain amount on Clinique that you received a free product I can't remember if it was spend over £30 or £40). Clinique Moisture Surge 72-hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator 30ml.  I received this free for purchasing the 2 items above. I couldn't find an exact match but there was something similar costing £25 on Boots website (I'm presuming the item I r...

I have recently made my first few purchases on Etsy and I wanted to show you what I purchased. I am loving the idea of supporting small businesses and Etsy is a great way of doing just that. My first purchase was a couple of face masks and I decided to purchase from FlowerLouCreations because they had some Disney prints that I wanted (the Epcot Spaceship Earth pattern and the purple wall at Magic Kingdom).  They also offered a deal where you could get a face mask and hair accessory (I chose a scrunchie) in the same print for £9 (individually the face mask is £7 and the scrunchie is £3). The deal included any hair accessory from a choice of 3.  Delivery  was free.  It was easy to set up an account on Etsy and pay with Paypal. Delivery was fast and the products that I ordered were just what I wanted.  I definitely recommend this seller.  Next I was looking for some Liquorice Allsorts for a Mothers Day present and I chose SpoonfulOfSweetsUK because they had ...

Beautylish Lucky Bags are mystery boxes full of beauty products including makeup and skincare.  I don't purchase any subscription boxes nowadays as I was just overloaded with products that I never use but I can't resist the Beautylish Lucky Bags.  They  are on offer once a year and it's nice to get a box full of surprises especially from America as a lot of the products are either brands we can't get over here or brands I haven't tried before.    The Original Lucky Bag costs $75 (approx £55) and includes at least $150 worth of products which is a good deal.  Obviously you don't know what you are getting but getting double the amount of surprise products is ok with me.    There is a Jeffree Star Lucky Bag as well but I'm not a big fan as there are a lot of outlandish colours in his collection and that's just not for me as I can't carry those colours off.  Beautylish also offer an XL Lucky Bag (and a Jeffree Star option) which costs $150 for ...

*I received this product for free but the opinions are my own. This stocking filler is for the guys so if you have a partner, brother, son or male friend and you aren't sure what to buy them for Christmas then this product might be the one for you.  I was sent a tin of Solid Cologne UK (SCUK) solid fragrance Sikandar to review.  I hadn't heard of this brand before and although I have seen solid fragrances for women, I haven't seen them for men.  You can read more about Solid Cologne UK  here.    Sikandar has fresh and citrusy top notes, followed by warm and spicy middle notes including geranium, cinnamon and cloves.  Base notes include sandalwood, vetiver, cedarwood and musk.  The ingredients are all natural and include Beeswax, Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil.  Overall it is a great scent, it smells amazing when you wear it and to be honest I would be tempted to buy it for myself not just as a gift for a guy.   The solid fragrance co...

After 20+ years and numerous samples I think that I have finally found my ideal foundation.  It's the right shade (no yellow undertones), it's the right consistency and it's the right coverage.  It ticks all the boxes and although it's a little more than I would usually spend (£36 for 35ml), considering all the foundations that I have purchased in the past and never used up, I think it's worth spending a little extra when you have found the one. My ideal foundation is (drumroll please): Estee Lauder  Futurist Hydra Rescue Moisturizing Makeup in the shade Fresco (2C3). Funnily enough even though I have now found my HG foundation, I haven't even bought a full size product yet as due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I just haven't bothered wearing any makeup. I took the opportunity whilst on lockdown to go through all the makeup samples I have accumulated and whilst doing so happened upon this foundation that was an instant win for me as soon as I tried it.  M...

I think I have found the cutest beauty product of this summer.  I was browsing in Harvey Nichols this week and I couldn't help but find myself in the MAC section and came across the limited edition range of their great Prep + Prime Fix+ Setting Spray in 5 different Summer scents including a Watermelon version. Now anyone that knows me knows my favourite scent is Watermelon Lemonade see my post here , so there was no way I was leaving the Watermelon version behind, I also picked up the pineapple version as well as it's such a lovely scent.   I think they have only recently come out with this range and as soon as I passed the stand in Harvey Nichols I zeroed in on this range.   The scents are so fruity and smell so lovely and fresh.  There all come in fantastic packaging as well and as they are minis they are great for on the go.   I use these not only to set my makeup but also as a face mist to freshen up and cool down throughout the day and night. There...

If you're wondering why I bought these products, then I will totally admit it was because of the unusual packaging.  It's so weird, like a coffee cup with a lid in the shape of a babies face with what looks like a straw coming out of it's mouth.  I mean come on how can you resist that sort of weird and wonderful packaging.  Well I can't anyway.  I picked up these 2 face masks in Sephora when I was in Florida recently.  They were $12 each and come in 4 varieties.  I bought the brightening and soothing masks (you can also get hydro and firming masks).  You can buy them on online at ASOS  for £8 in the UK. So yeah, I like the packaging, but what about the actual product.  Well you have to do a little bit of work to get to applying the mask on your face, but that's part of the fun (admittedly,  I will probably get bored of it soon).  In each cup (which is the mixing cup), you get 2 sachets.  Step 1 is the Super Booster and ...

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of highlighters as I think they can look too in your face for my taste, so when I am going for a full on glam look (which isn't often I might add), then I just want a lit from within subtle glow.  I think that I have found the perfect product from Charlotte Tilbury  the Hollywood Flawless Filter which promises a superstar youth glow.   Charlotte Tilbury is one of my favourite makeup and beauty brands, so I always take advantage of goody bag offers from Cult Beauty to stock up on CTs latest products.  The Hollywood Flawless Filter is £30 for 30ml and comes in 7 shades.  It has a doe-foot applicator which makes it easy to dot the product onto your skin and I find it blends just as well with fingers as with a beauty blender.  I picked shade 3 Light/Medium and although it looks a bit dark and orange in the bottle, it doesn't come out that way and it is the perfect shade for me. You can apply it all over the...