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Showing posts with label Boots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boots. Show all posts



The other week I nipped into Boots for a few bits and pieces and obviously ended up buying things that I most definitely did not need. But at least it gave me the opportunity to put it into a post and classify it as a haul, right?! Here's to cheap makeup that has outstanding quality... Cheers! *clinks glass of water against wall*
















Natural Collection Solo Eyeshadow in Crushed Walnut - £1.99




Collection Work The Colour Eyebrow Kit - £3.99




Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Neutral x 2 - £1.99 each








Have you been shopping recently?

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France
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Topshop Sleeveless Peter Pan Blouse

About forever and a day ago, I took a trip to Harrogate with Shannon. She's probably the worst person to go shopping with because if I am debating on buying something, she'll respond with, 'Get it!!!!' which is always helpful when you're on an almost-constant spending ban. Despite me ignoring her and instead listening to my willpower, I still caved and bought a few bits and bobs. I'm still Saffron, after all...


H&M Knitwear - £7.99

Soap & Glory Crazy Sexy Kohl - £7 (on sale - RRP £14)


Batiste Medium & Brunette Dry Shampoo x2 - £3.99 each
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in No1 Fair - £4.19
Natural Collection Solo Eyeshadow in Willow & Butterscotch - £1.99 each
Bourjois Happy Light Matte Serum Primer - £8.99 (on offer - RRP £10.99)
Boots Baby Moisturising Bath 500ml - £1.50

I did pretty well for once, actually getting things I needed and only one or two (or five...) things that I didn't. I think that's a cause for celebration! More shopping, anyone?


Have you been shopping lately?

"The awful wrongs and sufferings forced upon the innocent, helpless, faithful animal race, form the blackest chapter in the whole world's history." - Edward Freeman 
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Okay so if you're one of those kinds of people who will read haul posts and then go out and buy everything, you might wanna look away. It's safe to say that after taking the picture below I came to the realisation that I may have a problem... Mum, if you're reading this, you were right. God I hope she doesn't read this. To make my 'little' haul seem less dramatic, all of the products that I'm about to show you were bought on three separate occasions over a period of around 4 months, one of them I paid entirely with advantage points. So it's not that bad...right? I've been keeping all this stuff in their bags and boxes so I could write about them, but admittedly I have used about half of them... oops! Anyways, if you're easily influenced like I said before, you may wanna look away. But for those with a very strong willpower (screw you), carry on...





Skincare


Boots Botanics Micellar 3 in 1 Cleansing Solution Ultra Calm - £3.29 (currently on sale for £2.19)

I wanted to see if I could find a micellar water that would take my eye makeup off as the Superdrug one I was currently using was quite drying and therefore I didn't want to put it on my eyes. It does the job fairly well, it doesn't sting when I use it although you can feel it on your eyes if you use too much. I paid £3.99 for this bottle, it was reduced from £4.99 at the time...looks like they've lowered the price completely!




Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Cleansing & Toning Wipes - £3.39

I think I had a voucher that if you spent so much on the Tea Tree & Witch Hazel range you would get so many points, so I thought these wipes would be worth a try to remove makeup. Plus, they might help my nasty acne-prone skin out!



Tea Tree & Witch Hazel with Active Charcoal Face Mask - £3.59

Same excuse (haha) as above, except I really wanted to try this. I've used their peel-off face mask before and really liked it, so I thought this was worth a shot. I always used to go for peel-off masks over mud masks but recently I've been preferring the latter. Plus, charcoal is meant to be really good for your skin. I used this on Monday, and on first impressions it's lovely! We'll have to see how it goes...

Make-up


Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Light Vanilla x 3 - £9.99 each

When I was about 16 this was my go-to foundation. I loved it at the time, but as I got better at doing make-up I didn't enjoy it as much as it didn't give the coverage I wanted and needed. After a 3-year hiatus I returned to it in a classic 'I've ran out of foundation and if I don't get any now I will die' panic. And to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised. Last time I tried it, I hadn't quite mastered the art of concealer, but now that I have I can see how brilliant this foundation is and why so many people rave about it. I guess that's why I bought three...




Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Foundation in Porcelain - £5.99

Ah, the almost-perfect full coverage foundation. This is my go-to if my skin is acting more annoying than usual as it covers my imperfections (with the aid of the LP concealer) without looking too cakey. Only main problem with this foundation is the lack of shade range, especially for pale-but-warm toned creatures like myself.



Seventeen Stay Time Foundation in Porcelain - £6.49

To be honest I'm not too sure why I got this, I guess I was having a foundation-related identity crisis. The reviews on the boots website were brilliant so I thought I might as well have a try. Plus, it's full coverage!



Seventeen BB Magic Blemish Balm in Light - £6.99

Before this purchase, I only had one BB cream from the Body Shop that turned me electric orange. Not a good look. Therefore, I decided to try and find one that doesn't make me look like I've been tangoed as I was going on holiday and wanted a lighter alternative to my usual full coverage foundations.



Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair x 3 - £4.19 each

The classic Lasting Perfection concealer that everyone and their dog seems to be raving about just had to be included, didn't it? It's fab for the price, and it was on 3 for 2!



Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Neutral x 8 - £1.99 each

I bet you're all getting tired of me banging on about this powder...but it's just so good! You wouldn't think it was good cause it's so cheap, but it seriously is brilliant. If you haven't yet tried it, get one! Or make like me and get 8!


left to right - personne ne rouge & grand cru


I know I'm super-late on the bandwagon for this one, but that's mainly due to the fact that I've been banning myself from buying unnecessary make-up products for what feels like forever. When I went on this Boots binge I decided to treat myself to one, seen as I've been so good for so long. After much deliberation, I decided to go for Personne ne Rouge - a classic red. Very Taylor Swift. As for Grand Cru, that's Jenny's (more of a sister than best friend) fault. I told her about my purchase of PNR and she fell in love and just had to have it. Therefore, when she got Grand Cru, I just had to get one as well. We are non-biological twin sisters, after all.



Collection Supersize Fat Lash Mascara in Ultra Black - £2.99

Because I'd spent so much on Collection products, I got this lil freebie. I never seem to buy mascara as I always get them free like this, or in sets. I honestly can't even remember when I last paid money for one!



Seventeen Backlash Mascara in Brown Black - £6.49

Like with the Collection mascara, this was a freebie. Not bad for a freebie to say it's worth over £6! I'm looking forward to seeing how these two work out though, although that may be in a year or so. I have a LOT of mascara...



Other Stuff That I Can't Categorise Because There Isn't Enough Stuff...Stuff



Batiste Dry Shampoo in Medium & Brunette x 2 - £3.99 each (on sale for £2.66)

I used to wash my hair every day and now that my hair is down past the bottom of my back, I can't really be bothered anymore. Plus, if I'm straigtening it, it's always better on the second day. Although it's always starting to get greasy at this point, and that's where my trusty Batiste comes in! I always stayed away from Batiste as it was never suitable for brown hair, until they bought this beauty out! I swear by this stuff, it's fab.



Boots Baby Shampoo (500ml) - £1.50

Boots often have a 2 for £2.50 deal on the shampoo and the baby bath below amongst other baby products, and although they're a bargain anyway, I always like to take advantage of the offer. Why not! I use this shampoo to clean my makeup brushes with, and it does a great job! It's brilliant that it's so cheap as I go through the stuff super fast. It keeps my brushes and my purse happy!




Boots Baby Moisturising Bath (500ml) - £1.50

I love a good bath, me. The smell of this stuff just reminds me of being a little kid, and the massive bottle means plenty of super bubbly baths for just over a quid. Yes it's meant to be for babies but don't knock it until you've tried it!



Have you bought way too much in Boots recently?
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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?
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I often get asked my favourite skincare products from many different people. Now, I'm all for telling you guys, as it is my job as a beauty blogger after all, but sometimes I can't help but wonder that what if you have dry skin, and your copying my skincare regime and then surprised when it's making your skin worse. I don't want do that! So instead, I've written this 'guide' if you will, to help you understand your skin type and discover the products that will make it look - and feel - fabulous.

First of all, I have oily, acne-prone skin. It sucks. A lot. I've been to the doctors about it, been put on antibiotics which made me very ill, a cream that brought me out in a rash so bad that I was 99% sure my face was on fire and then of course, I tried it my own way with various lotions and potions that promised the world to no avail.

In this post I'm gonna help you discover your skin type and how to care for it. I'm not a dermatologist and don't have any professional knowledge in the field, but I'm going to tell you what I know from experience and compile as much as I can from the internet. I've tried to include many skincare essentials like toners, moisturisers and scrubs, but I've also added masks, oils and facial peels as I thought that it would be good to recommend products that you may have never tried before but may work wonders on your skin! Also, I tried to aim for different budgets, whether they be little or big. Please note that skincare products usually are fairly pricey, but often that is the case for the more promising products.

The one thing that I will recommend to all skin types is Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (£13.25 for 100ml pump). It's brilliant, and when teamed with the muslin cloth it gives gentle daily exfoliation. To be honest, I've used countless LE products and not one of them has disappointed, it's by far my favourite skin care brand, and although there are plenty of LE recommendations below, I've included other brands' popular products too.

Sensitive

Your skin can react easily to products. They may bring you out in a rash, cause flaky skin or general inflammation. All skin types can have this.

Now, I haven't compiled a list of products for sensitive skin. Instead, I labelled the products for each of the skin types if they were suitable for sensitive skin. That way, if you're combination-sensitive, for example, you know which products you would be able to use. If that makes sense...


Normal

You're the luckiest of them all, obviously. You have no 'extreme' signs like the others but your skin can sometimes feel tight and your t-zone a little shiny. Generally you have no problems with your skin. Just because you have good skin doesn't mean you shouldn't look after it though!




- philosophy the microdelivery peel in-home vitamin c/peptide peel (2pc) - £59 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator (70ml) - £14
- Trilogy Very Gentle Calming Serum (30ml) - £28.50 (suitable for sensitive skin)

Oily

Your skin is shiny all over and are prone to breakouts, more-so on the t-zone but can get them anywhere. Also likely to have large pores and blackheads.

- Nose pore strips. Now these are pretty amazing, they get out all the dirt and gunk (cute) outta your nose, leaving it clean and less-prone to blackheads. The only thing about the strips is that you should never over-use them otherwise you can be left with massive pores. Not a good look. I generally use them once a fortnight, or longer if my nose is looking blackhead-free. I use Marks & Spencer's Nose Pore Strips (£3 for a pack of 6). On the back of the box it says you're meant to use them twice a week but DON'T. Three days doesn't allow enough time for your skin to rejuvenate, and that's how you can end up with large pores. Always make sure you moisturise after using them, too.
- Don't do what I used to do and strip your face of oil by just applying toner and leaving it. It makes your oil levels sky-rocket as your skin detects that there is none there. Therefore, you end up with even oilier skin, which means whenever you apply a toner, always apply moisturiser afterwards.




- Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Exfoliating Face Scrub (150ml) - £3.79
- The Body Shop Seaweed Day Cream (50ml) - £10
- Molton Brown Pink Toronja Refining Toner (200ml) - £25
- Montagne Jeunesse Shine Control Face Mask (sachet) - £1.49
- philosophy when hope is not enough hydrating antioxidant serum (30ml) - £34 (suitable for sensitive skin)

Combination

Similar to normal, but more extreme. Your skin can be tight and flaky but around your t-zone it's fairly oily. You're prone to breakouts, too.

- With combination skin, you have to be careful. You can't use products for oily skin, as it dries out the outer half of your face, and you can't use products for dry skin, as it puts your oil production on your t-zone into overdrive. It's like you're fighting a losing battle. That's why you always need to go for products specially designed for combination skin. There are loads, I promise.




(I know a lot of you will be wondering why I recommended aftersun. Basically, when my skin gets a little dry, I use the Soltan Aftersun and it works wonders. Plus, the aloe vera in it helps clear spots. It's amazing, and well worth a try for the price!)

- Boots Soltan Aftersun Hydrating Lotion (400ml) - £8 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- Montagne Jeunesse Strawberry Souffle Face Mask (sachet) - £1 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ (30ml) - £26.50
- Soap & Glory The Fab Pore 2-in-1 Facial Pore Purifying Mask & Peel (50ml) - £10
- Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner (100ml) - £17.50

Dry

Your skin often feels tight and can be flaky. It's likely that your pores are on the smaller side, too.

- Moisturise. Moisturise. Moisturise. I can't stress this enough. Being lazy on a night-time and not using any can mean that you wake up with skin that feels tight and possibly painful. It's not worth it! Get into a routine of washing your face, using toner and then applying moisturiser.
- If you have especially dry skin, try a facial oil, like the philosophy one recommended below. They not only put moisture back into the skin but they also plump the skin out, helping to smooth fine lines and wrinkles. They're sometimes dubbed miracle-workers, and it makes sense why...




- philosophy when hope is not enough omega 3.6.9 replenishing oil (0.85oz) - £34 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- No7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Face Exfoliator (75ml) - £11 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- The Body Shop Hemp Face Protector (50ml) - £8 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask (50ml) - £14 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- Molton Brown Tamarind Fruit Refining Toner (200ml) - £25


What's your skin type?
~requested~
♥
Yes I know it's Tuesday not Monday but I'm having a pampering day today because it's CHRISTMAS EEEEEVVVVVEEEEE! Despite how excited I sounded then I'm actually not excited at all. I'm a firm believer that without snow, you just can't feel Christmassy. It was the same as last year, we didn't get snow in Leeds until January and it was heeeeavy! So last year I wasn't in the Christmas spirit either, and that makes me sad because I love Christmas so much.

Although I'm not feeling Christmassy, Christmas is around the corner (one more sleep!!) and I thought I'd go all festive and opt for a cherry red polish in the form of No7s Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Devils Delight and then Barry M's Limited Edition Christmas Gold Nail Paint on my ring finger to add a touch of sparkle.





Oh, and I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas!

What's your nail colour this week?
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Around Christmas time Boots always chuck a bunch of vouchers (not literally) at their Advantage Card holders and therefore I decided to pop along to Boots in Leeds City Centre and cash a few in!

I know this isn't really post related, but I found my camera earlier and I got all over-excited because now you're getting 10 mega-pixels (omg amaze) worth of image quality, WAHOO!



Eau De Soap & Glory Formula 2 Perfume Spray - £16.50
If you've read my (first-ever!) post on my top 5 perfumes you'd know that I adore this perfume - it came in at No5 and has always been one of my faves. So when I got a Soap & Glory points voucher I thought 'what the hell' and bought a bottle seen as my other one ran out about a year ago and I missed it.



Barry M Lip Liner in 3 - £2.95 (got mine free)
I only have 5 lipliners, three of which are very similar nude coral shades and the other two are dark pinks. Apart from nude coral lipsticks, my most popular used lipsticks are red. Therefore, I needed a red lipliner and Barry M came to the rescue!



Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Cool x3 - £1.99 each (got two free)
Ah Natural Collection, a brand that I find is seriously underestimated. I adore their pressed powders and at £1.99 they're worth a try. I originally put six in my basket but my friend said that I looked ridiculous and would be better off getting other products - harsh, but right.



Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks (L-R) in Pink Cloud & Sweet Cheeks - £1.99 each
Because i'm a huge fan of their powders I thought i'd give their blushers a go, and bought one in Pink Cloud and one in Sweet Cheeks. I hope they impress!



Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair 1 - £4.19
I have heard almost every beauty blogger rave about this concealer to the moon and back. I'm a huge fan of Zoe Sugg's (Zoella) and she can't stop going on about it, so I decided to get it and see what all the fuss was about! P.S. ignore the smudged packaging - it's well loved hehe.



Boots Botanicals Moisturising Gloves - £4
Because I work in a hair salon I have dermatitis which flares up the most during these colder months. I've always hated putting the cream on my hands at night because it's pretty oily and didn't want my hair to get greasy, and I used to wear normal gloves but they made my hands itchy and come out in heat rashes - not cute. Therefore, I decided to grab some of these gloves that are specifically designed to wear over moisturiser. Baby soft hands here I come!



Natural Collection Lip Lines in Mulberry - £1.99
Due to there being a 3 for 2 on I needed (yes, needed) to get something around the £2 mark to make it work out evenly and what not. As I told you before that I was lacking lip liners, I thought i'd visit Natural Collection again and bag this deep pink shade. I kinda wished i'd got a different shade now but for £1.99 I can't really complain.



Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Exfoliating Face Scrub - £3.79
I got another points voucher but this time it was for the Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel range. I'd used this scrub before and I wouldn't scream and shout about it but I can't say much bad about it either, so I got another one haha!



Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in 1 Black - £2.99
I'm a huge fan of felt tip liners because I find liquid eyeliner too tricky and pencil eyeliner seems to tug too much and not give me the finish I desire. I already own one by No7 but have always been unsure of it and thought I might as well compare it to this one!

Have you been to Boots recently?
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