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.

Miss Glossybox - May 2013

I am new to beauty boxes but already I love them. I love the surprise, the hype and, of course, the products. So imagine my excitement at the launch of a brand new box. Miss Glossybox is a sister box of Glossybox. It describes itself as 'young beauty' and is for younger beauty lovers or those who like a fresh look and high street brands. Well, I'd hardly call myself a young beauty fan but I do love new, exciting and affordable beauty products. Instantly I signed up!

The only thing about the first box is that it wasn't a surprise. In order to gain subscribers; Miss Glossybox published the contents of the first box online. Having said that, there were still varying scents or colours of some of the products. This blog post is going to be a short one as I have yet to try most of the products so I can't review them just yet.

What I got in my Miss Glossybox May 2013

The first thing I noticed is that the new box isn't in fact in a box. Instead it is in a green drawstring bag with the logo printed allover it. I have to say; I think this is a good move. The bag is a great size and will be really handy for toiletries when packing for a holiday. I think it is going to be more useful to more people and is more likely to be used again.

The product information is printed on a glossy postcard rather than the folded paper version in the original box. This looks much better and far more professional. The information is straight to the point, tells you about the product, where you can buy it and how much it costs. I read this fully whereas I skipped through the Glossybox insert.

Now for the products:

Glossybox Lolly pop:
I've seen these before as they have been in a few boxes now. A cute wee extra and a nice touch.

Stripey Nail File and Clippers Set:
Really cute and a great size for handbags. I will definitely use this.

Eye Rock Eye Tattoo:
This isn't actually listed on the card but these retail at £5.99 in boots! This is a real statement eye tattoo and I can't see myself wearing this unless for fancy dress! That being said; I do love something new and different and if I'm going to try it then best to try it for free!

Popband by Molly Mabel: 
I was delighted to see that my Popband came in leopard print; I'm a huge animal print fan. Not sure what to make of this product though. These bands are supposed to leave your hair kink free but I can't get it to stay in my hair long enough to find out. However I have worn it around my wrist and it makes a cute accessorie and can still be used to secure my hair in an emergency!

Amie Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask:
I love a facemask so I can't wait to try this. The mask feels thick, which I like, and the ingredients are vegetarian friendly. I look forward to a relaxing bath with this mask!

So...? Va Va Volume Dry Shampoo:
Until I received this box, I was unaware that So...? made dry shampoo. I have dark hair and find dry shampoo hard to brush out so I usually use a brown coloured one. This one goes on very white but it smells nice and is a handy size for throwing in your bag.

2True Glitterati Nail Polish Shade 6:
This nail vanish is a gorgeous colour! The glitter has a rose gold effect and there is loads of it, big chunky pieces of glitter. This polish does need a coloured base coat to really show up but would also make a nice accent nail for French manicure.

BeautyUK Line&Define Eye Pencil:
In my opinion, you can never have too many black eye pencils! This one is a nice soft pencil and goes on well. I also love the packaging which is a matte black.

This box impressed me and, at £9.95 all in, is worth the money this month. The box is every second month which will increase the excitement for me! Hopefully the second box will live up to this one.

What did you think of your first Miss GlossyBox?