Beauty Buys

I find I buy beauty products on quite a regular basis. so, I thought I would keep you updated on my beauty picks. This way you get to see what I'm trying out, what colours look like via swatches and perhaps what I may be reviewing later on. (Sneak peeks!) Not all the products I show with be reviewed on this blog, but if there is something in particular that you would like to see more of, leave me a comment below.
On to the beauty buys.

Click to Enlarge

Barry M - Flawless Matte Finish Foundation.
I picked up two shades, Ivory and Nude, I tend to pick up one that matches my skin tone in the Winter months and one that will match me in the Summer months, when I get a little bit of a tan.
Matte finish, med/ full coverage, blends easily and seamlessly. Thumbs up on the hand swatch, fingers crossed for the same on face application.

Philosophy - Divine Satin Finish Illuminating Powder.
I chose the shade deep, as I thought this would perhaps make a brilliant bronzer. I loved the packaging, esp the mirror - which includes a 'Philosophy' Statement. Too cute! It comes in a lovely compact with a brush included, handy for on the move.

MUA Luxe - Velvet Lip Lacquer.
I picked up the shade Reckless, which is a deep ruby red. It's very pigmented, one swipe and opaque loveliness occurs. The gloss is quite dense and thick, not sure on lasting power as of yet but does have a great finish, it's between a matte and a gloss, I personally enjoy the finish.

Click to Enlarge

 Maybelline - Colour Tattoo, Cream Eyeshadow.
I opted for 65 - Pink Gold.
A light pink shadow with gold flecks running through it, I loved the colour as it reminded me of one of my favourite MAC eyeshadows. It's a lovely creamy texture, very pigmented and easily blendable.

Click to Enlarge

 NARS - Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil.
In the shade - Baroque.
Having not tried the Velvet Gloss pencil before, I thought I would pick one up and have a little test. A beautiful colour, a great finish. Not the most opaque but the colour is buildable. Easy to apply, soft and no drying out on the lips (Brownie points for soft, nourished lips).

Maybelline - Great Lash Mascara.
I get this in Blackest Black, I have this in both my kit and personal makeup stash. I use this everyday on the bottom lashes. The wand is the perfect tiny size to reach all those hard angles and teeny lashes that tend to hide. Just brilliant.

Superdrug - B. Rich Lipstick.
I was so impressed with the last one I featured on 'Beauty Buys' that I went back for another, this time in the shade 'Carmen'. A deeper red than the Marilyn.
They have brilliant staying power, you can blot and sheer these out to a natural stain effect or pop on the rich, creamy opaque lipstick for a bold and beautiful look.
Perfect for all day or night. Thumbs up for these, and affordable too.

Barry M - Silk Nail Paint.
This is in the shade - Pearl.
A soft, velvety pearl white colour in two thin coats. Easy to apply, give a beautiful finish and last for a good week, with a top coat applied. (For the silk effect with no top coat it lasts 4 days). I really liked this polish on swatch and I did go back and purchase another two shades.

Collection - Naturally Matt Foundation.
In the shade - 3 Beige.
I was told this stays matte all day long until removal and I was curious. Not as easy to blend out, limited colour range - will form a true opinion once I have tested this fully. Who knows this could be a wonder product?

I hope you enjoyed 'beauty buys', if you would a full review of an item or would like to see more of this type of blog post comment below and I will keep you updated with purchases I make and full product reviews!

Winter Skin - Rescue Products

This winter my skin decided that it was going to allow the weather to win. From chapped hands, heels and lips; to dry, itchy, flaky legs. My skin had gone mad... So I bought a whole bunch of winter treats to remedy the madness and tested them all. After a little trial and error, I finally found the products that helped repair, smooth and soothe my skin the best. Hopefully, these could be useful and beneficial to you too!

Clarins - Hand and Nail Treatment Cream.
I am a self confessed hand cream junkie. I have a hand cream in every draw and every hand bag and this is only a fragment of my hand cream addiction. I have eczema that is mainly on my hands, I try anything and everything to keep them moisturised, so that it has no excuse to flare up.
Clarins products have never let me down, I saw the hand cream and bought it. As with the rest of the Clarins range it was brilliant and did exactly what it said on the tube. It nourished, soothed and replenished. Everything that I needed, the winter weather didn't stand a chance against this miracle worker! On a side note this is also great for targeting any age spots and strengthens nails all at the same time. I also adore the scent of this cream, it's a beautiful subtle floral aroma.

Dr. Lipp - SOS Balm.
I have a draw full of balms, every brand you can imagine, some taste great, some tint the lips whilst nourishing, some just sit on the lips and don't work. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with a draw like this. Mine has all been forgotten about because of Dr. Lipp, it was originally a nipple balm but mothers soon found an alternate use for the balm and it has become a staple for dry, chapped, cracked lips as well a many other uses. It works wonders. I won't lie, by January my lips were a disgrace; lip colours were out of the question, nothing seemed to be working and I was making my lips sore by sugar scrubbing them constantly. Then Dr. Lipp saved me! After just 1 day and three applications in that day my lips looked amazing and I was breaking out the brightest lipstick I had. I can't explain how it works, as it only consists of one ingredient, but it works and works stunningly well. I had to buy another tube, my boyfriend has started sharing mine and I am afraid to be without it now.

Soap & Glory - Heel Genius.
I don't usually buy anything for my feet, I tend to abandon them for some reason. Perhaps it's I don't see them too much, or it's just that I am lazy when it comes to caring for the skin there.
However, this winter my feet did need a little attention. They looked like something from a horror movie, I didn't even want to look at them myself; it was time to give them some TLC.
This cream was recommended to me by another beauty blogger, I popped this on after a bath just before bed and added a pair of socks to keep everything on and help the cream absorb. Each morning I grew to admire this product more, my feet felt smoother and rough, dry patches were disappearing day after day. Now my feet are baby soft all over and I actually like my feet. I will definitely continue using this cream, my feet seem to approve and I like the soft, new supple skin I have.

Organix - Brazilian Keratin Therapy, Anti-breakage Serum.
I have long, fine hair that loves to knot up in the wind. Combing the knots out I seem to comb out half my hair, I was shedding hair like a cat. I was sad when my hair felt, dry, brittle and thin. After several oils and treatments I found this serum, it promotes strength, moisture and softness, and it was the only one that seemed to work for my hair. It felt stronger and thicker after the first use, but it felt even more amazing after a couple of weeks of using this product. My hair also doesn't break off as easily when brushing it. Amazing serum, massive thumbs up for giving me beautiful hair.

The Body Shop - Cocoa Butter, Body Butter.
Pretty self explanatory, raved about by beauty bloggers and loved by many. The Body Shop do amazing body butters, I think this is the most famed product from the company. It's because the butters are beautifully scented, thick and creamy in texture, last for ages and do an amazing job of nourishing, replenishing and softening skin. My skin was dry, flaking, itching and felt like sand paper. This product banished these and gave me luxuriously soft, supple, glowing skin. Simply the best body butter on the market in my opinion, a true skin saviour.

Philosophy - 'When Hope Is Not Enough', Hydrating Antioxidant Serum.
My face really got the worst of the weather this year; the harsh cold and big blasts of icy wind on my skin made it dry, itchy, flaky, chapped and sore. I didn't want to exfoliate too much and make it worse and I didn't know what to use that could combat all the different areas at once. At first I was using around seven different products targeted for different problem areas. After a while I knew this was extreme and tried several products on their own. These seemed to make no difference.
Then I bought this and instantly knew I had found the miracle in a bottle I had been looking for. It is brilliant - it nourished, replenished, soothed, healed and didn't break me out. (I have oily, blemish prone skin) The scent has a lot to be desired but I wasn't after a face perfume, it wasn't oily at all, the serum soaked straight into the skin with no residue. My skin now looks the best it has ever been, my acne has started to clear up too. I personally think that this is a miracle worker. It has become a repurchase, must have!