Friday, 18 April 2014

Boots & Superdrug Haul

Last Sunday I went to White Rose with my mum and whilst I was there I picked up a few essentials (and treats) from my ever-growing beauty shopping list. Now, I only actually bought one product from Superdrug, so this is more of a Boots haul but I thought I'd include it as it fits with the theme.




If you're a regular reader, you'll probably know about my sliiiiight obsession with Natural Collection's Pressed Powder. It's £1.99 but usually on offer so it's even cheaper, and instantly you'll think that it's probably just cheap rubbish. I disagree. Yes it offers little coverage but it sets my foundation brilliantly and for £1.99 it's definitely worth a try! I go through them pretty quickly so I always like to stock up whenever I go to Boots, and that's why I got four. I would've bought more but that's all they had left...plus my mum was telling me off haha!





A few weeks back I bought a Sealing Gel from Illamasqua (you can read about the haul here) for my birthday. Sealing Gel basically turns powder into a budge-proof liquid liner and because I had never used it before and didn't really understand how it works I didn't want to use it on my expensive black powders and ruin them. That's why I bought this Natural Collection Eyeshadow in Midnight. Sadly, they didn't have a jet-black shade but I didn't mind settling for this dark navy-black seen as it was so cheap.





I prefer to use clear mascara to brush my brows as it sets them too. The mascara I was using before had gone a lovely light browny-orange shade (cute) and was in desperate need of a new one for a loooong time, and as Natural Collection had the 3 for £5 offer, I decided to get their LashCare Mascara.





Barry M's Gelly Nail Paints...by far my favourite nail polishes of all time. Recently, Barry M released three new Spring shades to their Gelly line and I just had to get my hands on them. Sadly, they only had Huckleberry in stock but I'm super excited to get the other two soon enough!





I'd been using No7's Base Coat and Top Coat polishes but I was never too satisfied with them, as they were kinda expensive but did hardly anything to help my polish stay on longer. Because I'm a huge fan of Barry M Nail Paints I thought I'd give their base and top coat polishes a try, and excitedly I found out that they did an all-in-one (including a nail hardener) for just £2.99, what a bargain!





I used to shampoo my hair every day and because my shampoo is kinda pricey I've been wanting to cut down to doing it every other day or every two days. Because my hair is so used to being washed regularly it gets greasy quite quickly, and that's where dry shampoo comes in! I'm trying to not get too dependant on it though as I don't like to use too many products on my hair, but I'm happy that Batiste have a dry shampoo for brunettes as I know that so many people struggle with the regular ones making their hair look grey. I've used this product quite a few times before and I do adore it!





I'd been needing a nail polish remover and I was going to get the Bourjois 1 Second Magic Nail Polish Remover as my second bottle had started to get a little mucky but I wasn't really willing to pay the slightly expensive price for one, especially seen as I've been painting my nails almost three times a week now (I'm addicted) and it would run out fast. After spending around 15 minutes searching for Boots' own nail polish remover, it was nowhere to be found. Eventually, we found it at the end of an aisle, nowhere near the nail care aisle. So logical. I've had this remover before and it smelt soooo strong and I'll probably end up wishing I'd just bought the Bourjois one but I need to save my pennies.





Instead of spending a ridiculous amount of money on brush cleanser to clean my brushes, I use baby shampoo. Don't get me wrong, I do like brush cleanser for spot cleaning but it doesn't deep clean like baby shampoo does. Plus, it doesn't smell as nice. Plus, it's £1.50 for a 500ml bottle. So next time you're gonna spend £20-odd on brush cleanser, get some baby shampoo!




I was gonna get some more Soap & Glory Calm One Calm All Bubble Bath but, like I said before, I'm on a budget. So, whilst I was looking at baby shampoo my Mum spotted the Boots Baby Moisturising Bath. There was a regular one too but I thought I might as well just get the moisturising one as it would be better for my skin. It smells soooo good too!




I'd been wanting a Bioderma Micellar Water for quite a while but after finding out they tested on animals I came across a blog post (that I sadly can't remember, sorry!) that compared the two. She wrote that they were pretty similar, with the biggest difference being the price. So when I popped into Superdrug to try and get a setting spray, I came across the B. Pure Micellar Water, and it was on sale!



It felt weird being back in Boots seen as I haven't been in in aaaaages, I've been trying to save up money for my future car y'see. So although I did enjoy picking up these (almost all) essentials, I did feel a little guilty. I deserve a pat on the back for not buying more! Priorities, priorities...

What have you purchased recently?

Monday, 14 April 2014

Modern-Day Disney Princess Prom Inspiration

Back in April 2011, I had my Year 11 Prom. It was by far my favourite night of my life. I was in a beautiful ballroom in a hotel in the centre of Leeds, surrounded by my closest friends and most importantly of all - I was in the perfect dress. It was controversial, some people said it was 'over-the-top' whereas others said I looked 'like a princess'... I took them both as a compliment. After all, out of all the days in your teenage years, prom is usually the only day in which you can go over the top. It wasn't that I felt over-dressed, it was that everyone else was under-dressed. I was extremely lucky that my parents payed for my dress & jewellery, they helped me achieve my dream of a perfect outfit and I am still so grateful to them for that. On the other hand, some girls weren't as lucky and had to pay for their outfits themselves. Many came in simple off-the-rack dresses from high-street shops, so you can imagine what I looked like in comparison. I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was expecting everyone else to come in dresses just like mine to the point where I was terrified that another girl would wear the same dress as me. Turns out, only one other girl wore a 'princess dress' like mine. But, I loved it. Ever since I can remember it has been a dream of mine to be a princess, and on that day I truly felt like one. It was amazing.

I want you guys to feel like princesses too at your proms, so I thought what better way to draw inspiration from the Disney Princesses themselves?! I've gathered pictures of all 13 Disney princesses in their classic gowns and found modern-day alternatives so you can be your favourite princess at your prom!




















Attractive Sweetheart Beading Long Prom/Ball Gown Dress in The Same As Picture - £73.56 (on sale!)


































I'd like to say a huuuuuuge thankyou to my friend Ella who helped me find some of these dresses, it was a hell of a lot harder than I thought. So thank you Ella! (ps everyone go follow her on twitter she's fab)


Who's your favourite Disney Princess?

Friday, 4 April 2014

January/February Empties


So this is my first ever empties post and I've been meaning to do one for aaages. My main concern is that I don't finish enough products to do one, but it wasn't until I started putting all my empties in a box for this post did I realise that I actually do! Me being me wrote this a little late, mainly because I had other posts planned but I've finally got around to it. Now I can't remember which order they were used up in so I'll just do them at random.


Lee Stafford Hair Growth Shampoo & Conditioner
By far my favourite shampoo and conditioner, ever. This stuff is absolutely fabulous and I can see myself using it for years to come. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you may know that I'm a huge fan of Lee Stafford's hair care and styling range, I can't get enough! I rave about his products to anyone that'll listen, they're the best and I ain't just saying that. I go through these two products so quickly though because my hair is so long and I have so much of it, and as the products aren't exactly cheap my mum kindly gets them for me (hi mum!) as I can't afford them myself. Sigh.



The Body Shop Earth Lovers Apricot & Basil 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel
A friend of my mum's bought me a bunch of these Earth Lovers shower gels a couple years ago in different scents for my birthday and I just got around to using them, and I must say, they smell soooooo good. You wouldn't think that apricot and basil would work, but it really does. It's hard to explain the scent but it smells a little like them fruit salad chewy sweets. Consistency-wise, it's not as thick as average shower gels, it's actually pretty watery. But because I use all shower gels with one of them scrunchy, net-like thingymajigys (I am so good at explaining stuff) it doesn't bother me, although I have noticed that this one has lathered more than average shower gels. I would've happily bought it again if they hadn't have been discontinued *sad face*.




Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic
Ah, Liz Earle. My favourite skincare brand by far. This is the first tonic that I haven't found to make my skin drying or tight, which just shows how good it is for my skin. It leaves my skin silky-soft and it smells so clean and slightly floral...a bit like a meadow on an early morning in spring, but not overpowering. The perfect toner for all skin types!



Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray
This is the kind of product that I love, but would prefer to find a cheaper alternative to. It's good n'all, and I have bought a replacement, but at £20 for 118ml, I'm debating whether it's worth it. It makes my make-up look more 'skin like' after I've applied powder and the bottle lasts ages, which are both a plus but it just doesn't seem to keep oil at bay as much as I would like it to. I'm gonna search around for a cheaper alternative to compare it to, as I feel for the price it should have a lot more going for it.



No7 Stay Perfect Smoothing & Brightening Eye Base
I do like this product, and I could see myself buying it again as it keeps my eyeshadow in place, but it creases. It's annoying because I find it so much easier to use than Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion, and to be honest creasing doesn't actually bother me that much but it is £7 for a little pot so if I needed a cheap(ish) eye base, I'd probably go for this one.




Soap & Glory Trick & Treatment Concealer
I got this about 4 years ago and only just found it again, and no, I didn't use it...not after I'd smelt it anyway. I used to absolutely adore this concealer, I'm so annoyed at myself for letting it go off as I used to swear by it. I can't remember if it's actually as good as I thought it was, but I'll definitely be buying it again! I know it's not empty but I was gonna throw it away anyway and wanted to share that with you all because I'm strange.



I'm gonna start doing empties posts more if you guys are interested in them, as I quite enjoyed going through the stuff I've used up. Plus, I'm trying harder to use up older products before new ones, and this is a good incentive to help me!


What have you used up recently?