Cute, non-makeup related makeup storage

My ever expanding makeup collection seems to be encroaching on other rooms in the house… I figure that I definitely don’t have too much makeup (pfft, can such a thing exist?!) as long as I’m able to squash it into my existing storage units and drawers so a lot of my goodies is put in non-makeup related containers to give me a little extra room. Sneaky, no? :)
I seem to have amassed a lot of new eye liners recently; nothing to do with me you understand, they just, ahem, appeared in my room or something. Honest. So I had to clear out a couple of my teensy makeup drawers to squeeze them in. Which resulted in me using an old M&S biscuit tin for my lip blams. This seems like a such a bloody brilliant idea I cant believe I didn’t think of it sooner; I’ve been going through the cupboards for spare boxes, containers etc that I can fill with more makeup, which seems like a much more sensible idea that buying less
These are all non-essentials that I'm not using at the min so I'm happy to pop the lid on and hide them out of the road till their needed again...

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you've been having a lovely week so far ♥

My favourite June goodies

Happy Sunday! Hope you’ve had a fantastic weekend :) I had a couple of seriously relaxing days; went out for dinner, went to see Transformers (bit pants and about an hour longer than it needs to be) then spent half my day at the park with the pooches

Adryen and I just finished watching Tango and Cash – has to be one of the most incredibly cheesy awesome action films from the 80s – and I should be heading to bed but I wanted to do a little post on a few new (and old!) goodies that I’ve been enjoying a great deal over the last month or so

I’ve been loving the nice warm weather we’ve been having but my skin and hair aren’t quite so keen so I’ve been using lots more volumising products on my hair cos the weather has left it looking fairly limp and my shiny t zone has forced me to dig out some mattifying products that I haven’t used in a while…
Miss Sporty So Matte Perfect Stay foundation
N.Y.C Ultra Moist lipstick in Peach Ice
AVON nail experts vitamin C cuticle gel
L'Oreal Volumising Mousse
Benefit High Beam (the little mini one that was free with Glamour magazine)
Boots hard skin remover (unpleasant but essential for me at this time of year!)
Natural Collection CoverUp Cream
L'Oreal Blush Minerals
Primark Ball Games mascara

Thanks for stopping by - hope you have a great week! ♥

Eye Wardrobe

Accessorize Eye Wardrobe from Superdrug

This is one of those palettes that had been shoved – unused - to the back of my drawer for months and I only pulled it out recently when I was after a nice chocolate brown eyeshadow. It’s a perfect example of the quality of the Accessorize products because all the shadows feel as smooth and blendable as the Lancome and Estee Lauder shadows but cost a fraction of the price
One of my favourite things about this is that it can be used to create so many different looks – from seriously bright 80s style eyes to nice nude every day looks. Oh and I have to mention the really light pink in the top left (which looks oddly peachy in my pics - stupid camera) because I think it’s a fantastic dupe for Magic Mushroom by Too Faced, which I absolutely love using but hate paying for! :)
...The black is great for using as a liner...
...I don't think there's such a thing as too many green eye shadows and have thoroughly enjoyed using these ones...

I literally cant fault this because the packaging is gorgeous, the mirror is huge so you aren’t using an iddy biddy one that only shows one eye at a time (those have gotta be the worst design ever!) the colours are beautiful, extremely pigmented and there’s a fab variety, all of which last ages even without a primer. And the whole thing only costs £6. There are a couple of other versions of this palette available in Superdrug so I think I’ll have to pick them up and play around with them this weekend
Figured I'd include a pic of the box this comes in cos it's rather cute so I think this makes a really nice little gift

Apparently Accessorize are launching a primer sometime soon so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it's even half as good as the rest of their range!

Thanks for stopping by ♥

Really odd blush that I cant help but like

Daniel Sandler Watercolour blush in Flush

This has to be one of the oddest blushes I've ever come across… I'd seen it in a few magazines and then saw Daniel Sandler demonstrate it on QVC and figured it was definitely worth a go. I read a few reviews online all of which suggested ordering a darker shade than you'd normally opt for because the colour payoff isnt great. This is great advice cos I ended up ordering Flush which looked way too dark in the bottle but is the perfect shade when applied!
I found the colour a tad scary when I first tried it on the back of my hand...
...This is all I need to do both cheeks...
...I love how a light application gives a light, creamy, peachy hint of colour...
...but a second layer just makes it that little more intense

This comes in a teensy plastic squeezy bottle with a little nozzle at the top and a screw on lid. It says on the bottle that this has to be shaken before use and it's easy to see why - the water in the mixture seems to completely separate from the actual colour so you end up with a really runny liquid at the bottom and a dark gloopy ring around the top of the bottle. Nothing a vigorous shake cant rectify though

I'd like to be able to say that I absolutely love this product because it's so different to all the other blushes I use but unfortunately every good point is overshadowed by the one (HUGE!) bad one

Pros :
Colour is beautiful and really natural
Texture gives a pretty, dewy finish
You only need the smallest amount so it'll last ages

Cons :
It takes a while for this to set so regardless of how thin a layer you apply this can end up running and leaving a horrid patchy finish. I definitely recommend applying this at least 5 minutes before leaving the house so you can ensure it's set and wont start heading south the minute you leave the house. Also if you want to build the colour it's definitely best to do this in thin layers, allowing each one to dry before moving to the next :)
Costs £14.50 so it’s not exactly a bargain, esp if it’s not a product you get along with

Yucky, spot inducing cleanser

L'Oreal Paris Perfect Clean Refreshing Foaming Gel Wash

When I first started using a cleanser as a teenager I'd basically grab the brightest coloured, nicest smelling, cheapest option in the chemist and didn't give any consideration whatsoever to the ingredients or whether or not it was suitable for my skin

Annoyingly that was when my skin looked and felt its best and no matter what I used it didn't upset my face at all. These days it’s a completely different story! I spend hours agonising over the right cleanser and if I use one that my skin isn't keen on it makes its feelings known within a few days

I've been watching the pennies recently and trying to buy really economical products at every opportunity so when I ran out of cleanser I opted for this L'Oreal Perfect Clean Refreshing Foaming Gel Wash (er, in short, it’s the blue one!) After using this morning and evening for 4 days I had 2 pretty severe spots on my chin… I hadn’t changed any other products in my routine but decided to carry on using this in the hopes that it was just a matter of getting used to a new product

After 10 days I had a pretty gross selection of spots and little bumps (you know those little skin coloured bumpy bits that aren't quite spots but still look awful and feel like congested areas of skin?) all over my chin and right cheek. I wasn't best pleased because my skin has been pretty kind to me recently!
I decided to admit defeat and picked up one of my all time favourite cleansers - Johnsons clean and clear. After using this for only a few days almost all of the spots have disappeared and I only have 3 very small blemishes which are easily hidden under some concealer

Obviously every product will work differently for different people but; the Purifying version of this cleanser (the white one) wasn't exactly terrific but I was able to use it with no bother at all, but this shall be making its way to the bin, never to be repurchased again
P.S. I adore the little scrublets that come with these cleansers because they work incredibly well! Kinda hate the thought of buying a whole bottle of cleanser each time I need a new scrublet so if you have any idea where I can buy these things separately please let me know!! ♥

Free Pure Gloss Lipglosses

Collection 2000 Pure Gloss lipglosses in Honey, Candyfloss and Cupcake

Oh oh oh!!! I nearly forgot to mention the awesome offer I spotted in Boots! I got a bath last night, noticed my feet aren’t really looking their best (in fact they look so bad I think it would be illegal for me to wear sandals in public) so I basically bought a tonne of products from the foot care section in Boots and shall start looking after my feet properly, starting now!

Hmmm, I seem to have gone off track… Oh yes! The offer in Boots… It’s from the Collection 2000 range and you get a free Pure Gloss with any 2 purchases I’ve been a fan of these glosses for ages and I like the simple, subtle sheen they give to the lips. The perfect everyday gloss that looks pretty, feels nice and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Though they’re a bit like Lancomes Juicy Tubes in that they separate if they haven’t been used for a while so if mine have been lying in a drawer for a while I always give ‘em a good shake before using them again
There isn't a lot of pigment in these and the colour is really sheer but I couldn't resist picking uo a few different shades...

The key to perfect natural(ish) brows

GOSH eyebrow kit - 3 shades of powder, wax cream, brush/sponge tip applicator

I’ve been on the lookout for a nice brow powder for ages so was well pleased when I spotted this little beauty in Superdrug… The GOSH stand seems to have something new n gorgeous every time I walk past so in order to avoid temptation I’m just gonna shut my eyes and run past it from now on
Anywho… A couple of years ago I treated myself to some Clinique goodies and they gave me one of their awesome GWPs. It came with a little eyeshadow duo which I fell in love with immediately! The pale colour is a great highlighter/base shade and the brown matches my brows perfectly so I’ve been using it as my every day powder (on and off cos I’m always trying new stuff) for about 18 months. I haven’t even hit pan on the brown shade but I’m sick using the same one… no particular reason other than I’d rather have something prettier and newer :)
...My perfectly functional but drab Clinique eyeshadow duo
My backup (Urban Decays Brow Box) has come in handy when I just fancy using something different but I dropped it about a fortnight ago and the dark shade, which was the colour that suited me best, shattered and ended up everywhere :(

Which is why I simply had to pick up this little GOSH quad. I’ve been using the colour on the top left during the day and the one on the top right if I’m heading out somewhere nice in the evening and am going for a pale skin/dark eye look. The little brush/sponge applicator is awesome and the quality is exactly what I’ve come to expect from the GOSH accessories – it’s soft, extremely precise, easy to use and easy to wash
Oh and if I hadn’t been won over by the fantabulous powders then the little paper insert would’ve done the trick cos it says “It is important not to pluck the brows too much or draw them too dark – they must be well shaped and look natural” and that kind of advice would’ve been invaluable when I was younger and just starting to wear makeup. Ok, so I probably would’ve just ignored it but I like to think I’d have learned my lesson sooner!

Thanks for stopping by ♥