Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

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 £36.50 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...

If you are looking for a reasonably priced face primer suitable for dry skin then look no further than the e.l.f. Hydrating Face Primer.  This primer is infused with grape, vitamins A, C & E which helps boost the complexion and hydrate your skin. This is a silicone based primer (it contains dimethicone), so there is a lot of slip to it, which is perfect for me. When I wear foundation without this primer, every dry area on my face is highlighted as the foundation just sticks to those places and I find this primer helps the foundation to glide over my skin and sits nicely without sinking into my pores. You can purchase this online here . The small size is £7.50 and the large is £12.50 (it does not state the size of the products on the website or bottle). You can also buy e.l.f. products instore or online at Superdrug . At the moment there are gift with purchase offers on both sites which I find happens pretty regularly with e.l.f. e.l.f. is an affordable skincare and m...

I haven't tried any elf products for ages, but they had a few offers on recently which meant that I couldn't resist putting in an order or two. I really wanted to try out a few of their skincare and primer products, which I have never tried before.  The Pore Toner Balm  (£7.50) caught my eye as I have never used toner in a balm form before.  Have you? This is kind of a lazy girls product as I don't even have to dampen a cotton pad. Result.  It has a lovely cooling effect which I really like. The Natural Glow Lotion (£9) with Aloe in Brightening Rose is one of those "YouTube Made Me Buy It" products (I think it was Jessica Braun ( JAM Beauty89 ).  It gives a lovely glow to my skin when used under foundation and gave me a lovely dewy look.  The Hydrating Face Primer (£7.50) is great to use on my dry skin to keep my skin feeling moisturised under foundation.  This is a silicone primer.  Finally, the Prep & Hydrate Balm (£9) is another stick...

Here is my first Use it or Lose it Challenge of 2014.  If you haven't read my previous posts on this subject them check out my first post here .  I basically pick out some products that I haven't used either ever or for quite some time and try them out and decide if I want to keep them or if I can part with them, as I will probably never get round to using them. First off are 3 mineral eyeshadows from MAC.  They all look very similar so I am going to try them all out and see if they are actually the same or if they are different enough to keep.  They are called Cloudy Afternoon, Snow Season & Mineral Mode. Next on the list is an Illamasqua Powder blush.  Its a coral colour called Lover and I just want to check if it suits my skin tone and also whether its similar to any of the blushes I use regularly. I picked a NARS nail polish called Purple Rain.  I really like the colour but I find it difficult to apply really dark colours to my shor...

Its a bit late but I wanted to provide an update on the October Use it or Lose it Challenge.  This time I chose 11 products to try, to see if I liked them enough to keep or if I should get rid of them.   The products I decided to use or lose in October were: Here are the results: Vanitas Versace Perfume 4.5ml - I like this perfume so I will definitely be keeping it.  It has a light floral smell that is not too overpowering so can be worn through the day. Avon Glimmerstick Diamonds Eye Liner in Smokey Diamond - This one was easy to apply and gave my eyes definition so I will keep this one.  Its a smokey grey with a bit of shimmer in it. Elf Shimmer Eye Liner Pencil - This worked well so I will keep this one.  Its pretty similar to the one above but has a softer tip so is easier to apply. Avon Super Shock Gel Eye Liner in Black - This was too thick and too dark and it looked like I had a black eye when I applied it even with a l...

After the success of Septembers Use it or Lose it Challenge, where I chose 8 products to try to see if I liked them or not (I decided to get rid of 3 and keep 5),  I thought I would pick another set of products to use in October.  For anyone that missed Septembers challenge update the link is here . The products I have decided to use or lose in October are: Vanitas Versace Perfume  4.5ml - I received a trial size in a beauty box ages ago and never got around to using it.  I did a post on my perfumes awhile ago and promised that I would use more of my perfumes. Avon Glimmerstick Diamonds Eye Liner in Smokey Diamond - Another product Ive had ages and not used.  I must admit I have hooded eyelids so I'm not sure eyeliner works for me but I'm going to try a few of my eyeliners in October and see if they are worth keeping.  The other eye liners I will try are: Elf Shimmer Eye Liner Pencil - I cant find a name on the pencil but its a smokey gre...