Makeup Haul - Collection, Estée Lauder, Barry M

This is my first makeup haul post, and it's a fairly small haul to start off with but I popped into town for foundation and ended up with a few more items ....! The items listed are just the makeup that I bought. I also purchased hair bands, hair grips and some cream but they were too boring to mention! Most of the items came from Boots and Superdrug and one thing was from Semi-Chem on the way home.

Random Selection of Brushes:
Ok so not their official name but what better way to describe them. These are 3 random, cheap brushes. 2 from Superdrug and 1 from Semi-Chem. First up the Semi-Chem brush, an absolute bargain at £1.09. This is a basic blusher brush, fairly soft but a great shape and thin enough for me to use for my contouring. The bristles are all very secure and the handle has a nice, gripped texture. The 2 Superdrug brushes are not showing on the website although I only bought them in store today. Both brushes are super soft and good quality feeling. One is a powder brush and the other an eyeshadow brush. The eyeshadow is a really great size, perfect for applying dark corners as it is a small, delicate brush. I can't remember the exact prices and can't find the pricing online but I think the power brush was £2.99 and the eyeshadow one £2.49. All in all these are 3 great additions to my brush collection and great basics at a great price.

MUA Clear Mascara and Iced Glitter Eyeliner:
For a bargain brand I really like the MUA products. The two that I bought were £1 each so you really can't go wrong! Clear mascara is something I haven't had for a while but I like it as a base for my mascara and I also like a wee bit in my brows to keep them in place. The glitter eyeliner is something I've never used but I've been experimenting with eye makeup recently and thought it might be cool for a night out!

beautyuk Eye Shadow & Eye Liner Collection - Smoke Screen:

This brand featured in Miss Glossybox this month and, until then, I had never heard of it. I think it is a Superdrug brand and, although not quite as cheap as MUA, is definitely a bargain brand. This particular palette cost £3.99 and was available in 2 other colour schemes. If I like this one then I'll be buying the brown one as the colours in it were really nice. This collection contains 6 eye shadows, 2 gel liners and a 2-ended brush. I am unlikely to use the liner or brush but bought it for the eyeshadow colours alone. Really decent price and a nice addition to my makeup collection.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint, Dragon and Nail Art Pen, Silver:

I get my nails done fortnightly with either gel extension or Shellac so I rarely wear nail varnish. However, the colour of this polish was one that I couldn't resist so I had to buy it. I haven't worn it yet but have tried it out on my toenails and the colour is gorgeous. I love Barry M polishes and they are a really great price at £3.99 each. The nail art pen however, has disappointed me. I watched lots of You Tube tutorials before buying this and, maybe mine is faulty, but this does not dispense the way I expected. I find this really hard to use, almost as if it is clogged up. Safe to say that at £4.99, I will not be buying this again! 

Collection Shimmer Shades, Blushalicious and Lasting Colour Lipstick, Pink Shock:

Collection 2000 seems to have dropped the 2000 without me even noticing and their products have gone a bit more upmarket too! I love both these products. The first is the blush which, at £4.99 is not one of their cheaper items but is definitely worth the money. The blusher is 4 different shades which can be used on their own or blended together to make a lovely peachy-pink colour. I love this and might go and buy the bronzer version now. The lipstick is also a great product. The colour is so bright! I wore a full coat of if with lipcote over the top and it really is a shocking pink! I have also used a brush to dab it on which makes a lovely light pink, better if you are not looking to make a statement. Great colour and great price at £2.99.

Collection Smokey Eyes:

I love love love this! I'm not sure if this is available in other colour schemes but if it is, I will be buying them all! The palette contains 9 eye shadows, one of which is a cream, and a double ended applicator. The shadows are labelled medium, dark and light and on the reverse of the packaging there are suggestions on how to wear the shades together. I have used most of the shades and I love them all. A great product, great packaging and a great price - £4.99!

Rimmel VolumeFlash Scadaleyes Mascara:

I have had eyelash extensions for 3 months now and I am very out of the mascara loop! It is time to have the extensions off and let my eyes breath a bit and so I am back on the lookout for a good mascara that doesn't leave my eyes feeling bald! Normally I use Thick and Fast by Soap&Glory but I like to layer my mascara so I needed another to go with it. There is nothing particularly special about this product but I do like the brush which is a nice big, bushy one. £6.99 which is a decent price for a mascara but I think there is a promotion on just now where you can get this for free if other things are bought.

Estée Lauder Double Wear, Rattan (and sample of Tawny):

Finally we come to the highlight of the lot - Double Wear. I have heard nothing but good things about this product and I am really looking forward to trying it for myself. Taking the leap was difficult. This product is £27.50 which is far more than I would normally pay for a foundation. If it does what it promises and lasts as long as expected then the price tag can be forgiven! When colour matched in Boots she showed me Rattan, which I bought, and Tawny. Tawny is slightly darker and I decided to take a free sample of it so that I can try it on days that I have self tanned and need a darker face.

I really fancy a few items from ELF so hopefully my next makeup shopping can be from there! Let me know what you think of any of these things if you have them.

My Favourite Five

As a brand new blogger faced with a blank page before me; I have been searching for a topic to begin with. My blog will be a beauty one and so I have landed on the idea of highlighting my favourite products to you. What better way to introduce myself than to introduce the products that I cannot live without. So here they are, my favourite five! Please note that these are photos of my own products and are therefore used and not quite as shiny as they would be when first purchased (product 1 - I'm looking at you!).

1. Lauren's Way Glam Tan

I am an avid tanner and have tried many brands. I used to flit about between tans; buying offers or listening to recommendations. However, 18 months ago I found Lauren's Way and my experimenting days are over! I am Lauren's Way, all the way! This tan gives me everything I want from a tan. It's a gorgeous colour, goes on well and lasts. As an added bonus it doesn't go scaly when fading and it isn't overly drying on the skin.

The Glam Tan is a liquid spray which allows for even coverage without too much of the product being used. One layer gives me a nice tan; not too dark or matte but a lovely bronzing glow. It is possible to build up layers of this tan but I do find a less even coverage when I do this. My personal tip for application would be to avoid the mitt that comes with this product. On several occasions I have received a free mitt but have found that it is too thin and not absorbent enough so it causes the product to be smeary. Instead I buy a tanning mitt from Home Bargains. At 99p it is a bargain and makes this tan go on a dream!

At £18.95 for 250ml this tan is not one of the cheaper ones on the market but I can safely say it is worth every penny. I tan on a weekly basis and get 3-4 months use out of one bottle so the cost per tan is really decent.

If you like a tan I cannot recommend this product enough. I haven't found a better product on the market.

2. Heel Genius by Soap&Glory

Are feet the least attractive part of the body? I think so but I'm always on the lookout for a product to help the cause. Heel Genius is a foot cream by the fantastic Soap&Glory and as a Soap&Glory product, it has all the high quality features that we have come to expect from them. Firstly the packaging is gorgeous and the moisture socks that accompany the cream are in a cute pink gingham pattern. Secondly, the cream itself is a gorgeous smelling, thick moisturiser. The difference it makes to the rough skin on my feet is visible and they feel soft and smooth.

This product retails at £5.50 for 125ml and can come with or without the moisture socks. Personally I don't use the moisture socks as I find them uncomfortable and too warm to sleep in however, even without the socks I get great results from this cream.

3. Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer 002

I have to admit that I am fairly new to primer and have only tried a couple. The 001 shade of this primer is tinted and, with so many BB creams on the market at the moment, I decided to opt for a clear coloured product. The texture of this primer is not dissimilar to moisturiser. It is smooth and creamy but slightly more tacky than a lotion which stops it from soaking too much into your skin. I love the way this product feels on my skin and how smooth it makes my face. I find my makeup stays put considerably longer with this primer than it would on its own. I also find that the amount of foundation I need to use has been halved.

At £6.99 for 30ml this is not as affordable as Rimmel products usually are. I also don't find it very long lasting. I apply makeup everyday and this bottle doesn't last the month. Having said that, until I find a cheaper alternative, I will continue to buy this product as it really does do a great job.

4. Rimmel Exaggerate Automatic Waterproof Eye Definer

There are so many types of eye liner out there just now and I have tried all of them! By far my favourite is this Eye Definer by Rimmel. It is a pencil liner but a softer lead that winds up rather than sharpens. I use this on my waterline and on my eyelid. The texture of it allows a smooth line across the eyelid while the fact that it is a pencil allows for precision when applying. The pencil also has a smudging tool on the other end which I occasionally use when going for a smokey eye effect. At £3.99 this is a bargain, must-have product. It is available in 5 shades but I use good old black (Noir). The only downside is that the soft texture means it isn't as long-lasting as the traditional pencils. However, at that price, this doesn't affect me too much.

5. Smoothie Star Moisture Body Milk by Soap&Glory

As a daily body lotion - you cannot beat this! Firstly, the packing. I have the large, 500ml bottle which has a pump dispenser on the top. This is great because I don't get too much and I don't get the bottle all greasy if I decide to take more! This cream smells really nice but not so overwhelming that it becomes sickly. I use this cream every morning and evening on any parts of my body that need some smoothing. It leaves my skin really soft and the affect lasts for the whole day.

This cream retails as £10 for 500ml which is pricey for a body lotion, however I have never needed to pay full price as Soap&Glory products are frequently on offer or in good value gift sets.