E.L.F.Product Haul-All of this for £26!!

 So I recently went on a bit of a shopping haul on E.L.F. Cosmetics website to try out a few new bits and also to get a new brush holder. Whilst I was on the site I noticed that they were offering a free mystery gift set worth £25 with every order of the same value. I just love a mystery! So of course I spent that teeny bit more than what I needed just to find out what the ‘mystery bag’ contained! 
  
So upon arrival (just over a week later) I grab the box from the postman and ripped it open in anticipation! Let’s start with what I actually ordered first of all; 

  

Large black brush holder- I really needed a new and larger brush holder and loved the matte effect of this one. It also matched my rotating storage mentioned in my previous post. There’s not much to say about this really, it does the job and looks sleek and tidy.

Hydrating under eye primer- If you’ve read many of my previous posts then you will know I have a big problem with dark circles and try all kind of products to banish or disguise them. As I often wear foundation, a colour corrector AND concealer under my eyes, I wanted to try to find a product to help it go on smoothly and stay in place without looking creased or cakey. This is a nice primer, it’s somewhere in between a primer and a moisturiser I would say. It’s nothing amazing so once it’s gone I won’t be rushing out to buy another one although I will continue to use it for now. 

Lip primer and plumper- This is a double ended lipstick, with one end being primer and the other, of course, being a plumper. I am not a fan of either! The primer is so pigmented that some lipsticks just don’t really cover it or it makes them a completely different shade. I also don’t feel it keeps lipstick on any longer. The plumper is cinnamon scented…I HATE cinnamon 😩 it does really sting on your lips but the plumping isn’t enough to make it worth while in my books. 

Lip pencil– The lip pencils are only £2, so I just had to try one! It’s not as pigmented as my more expensive pencils but for £2 it does the job and you can afford to have them dotted around wherever you may need them! 

Now for the Mystery bag!!

Colour correcting mineral infused primer- This is my favourite ‘mystery item’. I have wanted to try this primer for a while and I have to say I really like it. It goes on very smoothly and has a slight mattifying effect. I received the green shade which is for correcting redness in the face. I do have a few broken veins on my cheeks but not too much redness so I don’t find this makes a great difference to colour but maybe if I had rosacea it would be noticeable. All in all a nice lightweight primer that won’t break the bank!

Eye refresh– As mentioned above, suffering with dark circles I always find myself trying new under eye products so I was quite excited to find this in my bag. It is a roll-on solution that is designed to be rolled under the eyes morning and evening to reduce puffiness and dark circles. I have only used this a few times and it feels very cooling and soothing but for me it doesn’t do a great deal for puffiness and nothing at all for dark circles! Such a shame! 

Flawless eyeshadow pallete in ‘Happy Hour’ – this is a cute little compact pallete with 4 very natural and wearable shades. They are nothing fancy or exciting but they are very blendable and pigmented and a great size to keep in your handbag for emergencies or trips away. 

Brightening Eyeliner pencil in ‘Ash’- Like the lip liner, this is a super cheap liner that goes on well and staying power is pretty good for the price. The shade is a dark grey colour which I probably wouldn’t ever have thought to buy but I actually love the shade! It’s subtle and compliments blue eyes very nicely! 
Lip kiss balm in ‘Pucker Pink’– This is a pretty standard lip balm with a pink tint that’s ideal to keep in your bag. Unfortunately the shade is just too pink for me which doesn’t suit me but can’t fault the balm itself. 

All in all, for the price I certainly got a load of products for my buck! I’m sad to admit that most I wouldn’t repurchase but other than the lip balm (which just isn’t my shade) I will continue to use them all. E.L.F is a great affordable brand for those just starting out with make-up or on a budget so do check them out!

Peace out for now!
XOXO
Rachael 

My first ever LUSH haul

Hi beauties!

My quest to find new cruelty-free super products continues! So the other week, after reading so many positive blogs on LUSH products, I headed out to my local store to see what all the fuss is about. 

I have always avoided LUSH as I find the smell of the shop overpowering, seriously, you can smell it half way down the road! As someone who suffers with migraines, this normally has me walking off into the other direction. This time I did my best to ignore it and headed on into the shop. 

Within a couple of minutes of mooching around and obviously looking lost and confused, a lovely assistant came over to help me. I have recently been put on medication for Fibromyalgia and it has caused my skin and hair to become drier than ever. I explained this to the shop assistant and she immediately started pulling bits off the shelves and putting them onto my hands. It’s a weird sensation having a stranger rub shampoos and conditioners into your skin then wash them off! Not how I normally test hair products! 

After trying a few bits, I managed to narrow down the collection that had been smeared over various parts of my body. This is what I ended up with;

  
Let’s break it down.

Ultrabland Facial Cleanser

  

I decided on this cleanser as I was told it helps hydrate your skin and will remove all make-up. Brilliant! It has a funky smell (not the good kind of funky!) however as it isn’t too strong I overcame this. It has a rich balm texture which feels nice when massaging into your skin. That’s about where the pleasure ends! It feels very greasy on your skin to the point I have to rinse it thoroughly, then use my muslin cloth and then use a toner after to remove it all. Worse still it does not remove your make-up very well at all, particularly eye make up. Pretty disappointed in this, particularly as it is supposedly the favourite cleanser! I may use this up but I wouldn’t repurchase it.👎🏼

  

Bubblegum Lip Scrub

  

I love this lip scrub! I am forever using my lip balms to help my dry lips without out ever really getting the whole ‘lip scrub’ thing. Well I was obviously missing a trick! After using this in the morning my lips feel soft, smooth and plumped. Lipsticks look so much nicer on after using this. The best part is that it is a sugar scrub so tastes amazing too! I chose the bubblegum flavoured one as I love really sweet smelling things. There was also a popcorn flavour and mint flavour which also smelt amazing! It wood be easy to collect all 3. For £5 (or maybe it was £5.50) it is a great product that won’t break the bank! 

Rehab Shampoo 

  

As you can read from the front of this bottle, this shampoo sounds like a cocktail of health for your hair! I was super excited to try this! It hasn’t got a strong scent and leaves hair feeling squeaky clean. The only let down is that this shampoo does contain a lot of sulphates which obviously are really not great for your hair. Since recently having a keratin treatment, I am being extra cautious over sulphates as they can strip the keratin out of your hair. So far however, my hair goes feel smooth and soft since using it.  

American Cream Conditioner

  

This double strength conditioner is supposed to smell like strawberries and cream. I’m not sure that’s exactly how it smells but that’s got a sweet scent to it. It does feel quite rich in your hair and used with the rehab shampoo it does leave your hair feeling soft and healthy. Again it does contain sulphates which is not good but if that’s not an issue for you they these are definately worth trying! 

So that’s my first impressions of my Lush haul!
What are your favourite lush products?

XOXO

Rachael 

Beauty Blog Tag

So I have been nominated by the gorgeous Rhiannon for the Beauty Blog Tag. Make sure you check out her blog!

 

The Rules for this Tag:

Tag the blogger that nominated you
Answer the questions you were given
Nominate 10ish bloggers whose blog is about beauty/lifestyle/fashion
Name 10 questions for your nominees to answer
Inform the bloggers you chose that you nominated them.

 

Rhiannon’s Questions

1. What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve found about blogging?
   How much it genuinely takes over your life! Like seriously, I focus moron blogging than I do work! Oops!
2. What is currently your favourite beauty product?
   Hmmm…. tough one! Currently it would be my Urban Decay Naked Concealer and my Eve Lom Morning Cleanser.
3. What would you say is your biggest beauty faux pais?
   Not setting my under eye make-up most of the time!
4. What is your guilty pleasure TV programme?
   Ok, so this is only a recent thing but has to be the Kardashians, and I mean any of their shows!
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
   Florida!
6. What is your job & do you enjoy it?
   Laser Clinician- I love it but certainly the job rather than my work!
7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
   Hopefully with my own business or in a high paid job somewhere! (Here’s hoping!)
8. What is your favourite splurge item?
   Not a massive splurge but all not the cheapest and that’s the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
9. If you had to wear drug store make-up for a week what brand would you commit to?
   Either NYX or Bourjois
10. If you had to host a celebrity dinner for three guests who would they be? And why!
    Definitely Kevin Hart, he is hilarious! Chris Hemsworth, eye candy! And finally Rebel Wilson, again because she’s hilarious!

 

So I now nominate An Dang,  Aneesa,  Supraja, Chloe, Dianne, Elisabeth, Kerri, and Kristen. Your turn ladies!

 

My questions

1. What is your all time Holy Grail beauty product?
2. Do you work in beauty or is it a hobby?
3. Where is your favourite place you have visited?
4. If you could only shop in one beauty related shop for the rest of your life, where would it be and why?
5. If you could be married to any celebrity, who would it be and why?
6. What is you favourite haircare product or brand?
7. Pretty and broke or ugly and rich?
8. What is your dream job?
9. What is the most expensive beauty item you currently own?
10. What is the cheapest beauty item you currently own?

 

Can’t wait to read your answers!!

 

 

XOXO

 

 

Rachael

Tan-tastic!

Tan, tan and more tan! It’s a known beauty fact that having a tan can make you feel more confident, look slimmer and for some reason, seems to help make-up look better. 
I have to admit, in my college years I was maybe a little too addicted and often walked around with a tangerine hue to my skin, not the best look now I look back on it! 😳 I was also so so bad and used to use sunbeds!! Eek!!! I have severely learned my lesson there after having 2 cancerous moles removed a couple of years ago. The fact I now have ‘freckles’ on my shoulders is also a sign of the damage I have done to my skin and I would never be tempted to use them again! Please stay away from sunbeds!!

Since then, I have tried and tested soooo many different brands to disipher the zebra to the all over glow, from the oompah loompah to the dipped in chocolate and all that falls in between. A good thing with tan is that a lot of the larger and cult brands actually are cruelty free which is great!! 
So here are a few of my favourites; 
   

 The skin prep– Fake Bake Skin Smoothie Special Dry Oil Spray– Skin prep is key when it comes to fake tanning. I always use a good exfoliator such as the Jan Marini Bioglycolic body scrub as mentioned in my previous post.I found this spray whilst rummaging through the beauty section in TK MAXX. It was only £4 so I thought I’d give it a go. The spray is designed to spray onto dry areas of skin whilst it still wet from the shower. You dab away the excess when towelling yourself off and then apply the tan. I always find my elbows and ankles go 3 shades darker than anywhere else and this spray does actually seem to help! It acts as a slight barrier and moisturiser to deter the tan from seeping in to the dry areas. The downside to this is that it stinks!! For a non tanning product I don’t know why it smells so strongly off cheap fake tan! It’s awful! If you don’t mind the smell however then this is a good product. You can also use it as a moisturiser between tan applications to hydrate skin. 

The day to day tanner- St Tropez Gradual Tan- The cult brand! This is my current go-to tanner for weeks when I don’t have a lot on but don’t want to look like Casper! This moisturiser with added gradual tan is actually pretty dark from just one application. I have the medium/dark version so those of you who have very fair skin or prefer to build colour more subtlety then I would go for the light/medium shade. The only down side to this is that it doesn’t haven’t a tint to see where you have applied it so you have to be thorough. This is also one of the reasons I like it for mid-week use as it means I can apply it after my shower before bed and not have to worry about showering it off in the morning because who really wants to get up earlier just to do that?! 

  
The airbrush style- Rodial Brazillian Tan Airbrush- This aerosol style tan is great! It gives a deep tan and is super quickly to applying, no rubbing in and dried quickly. However, it is so hard to use this on yourself! To get the right angles and all areas you need a lot of practice otherwise you end up liking like a zebra! The other downside is that it make so much mess!!!! Seriously, this stuff gets everywhere!! I stand in the bath to apply mine and at the end it looks like I redecorated my bathroom in an unsightly burnt orange colour! If you are used to airbrush style tans or have someone to do it for you then it’s definately a good end result!!

  
The long- lasting one- Vita Liberata pHenomenol Tan- If you’re anything like me, you can’t be bothered to re-apply tan every few days to maintain it. So when I first saw this product I had to buy it there and then! It claims to be a fairly natural based tan that doesn’t dry out the skin and lasts 2-3 weeks before fading. Better still, it states it has odour lock to stop the horrible fake tan smell! Now this is a mousse verifiable although you can also get it as a lotion if you prefer. It isn’t cheap at around £30 although in theory you shouldn’t have to apply it so much and therefore it will last.  The mousse is easy to apply and dries very quickly which is a bonus! It does not leave you feeling sticky so it’s good if you want to apply it in the morning ready for an evening out. The tan is a gorgeous colour and does last quite a while. I would say it last 10-12 days in total before it started to fade off. The mousse claims it will fade evenly and not go patchy, although it was better than others I tried, my chest did still go a bit patchy. All in all it is a good tan long product for those with busy lifestyles. 

  
The new product- Skinny Tan Mousse- This brand is relatively new on the market but have just launched their range in Superdrug. I first saw this brand online being endorsed by Lucy Watson who has become a bit of a celebrity cheerleader for all things cruelty free. The tan states it is all natural, moisturising, helps reduce cellulite and guaranteed streak free! This was something I just had to try!! Superdrug are offering 3 for 2 on the range, however the item I was most interested in-the mousse- hasn’t yet been launched in store. Instead I bought it on their website. At the time they had an offer on which I couldn’t reguse! Buy one mousse get one free plus a tanning mitt and a free mystery gift. Not one to refuse a free gift, I quickly typed in my bank details and a few days later my package arrived in the post. I used the mousse that night. Firstly it smells amazing on application! The coconut oil in it really gives a pleasant scent although the typical fake tan smell did start to seep through after a couple of hours. The mousse is tinted to you can see where you’ve applied it and again it dries fairly quickly. Now my colour guide was streaked everywhere no matter what I did and so I was apprehensive as to what the tan would turn out like. After 6 hours I washed it off and couldn’t believe a) how dark I was and b) I really didn’t have any streaks! Amazing! This is probably the tan that has made me look the darkest and least orange out of all that I have tried. I believe this may be my new holy grail fake tan! 👌🏽

  
I must say also that the tanning mitt that came free is also a must have. Instead of the foamy type material most are made from, this feels like it is coated in velvet and really slides over your skin smoothly. 

I know what you’re thibking, so what was the free gift?! Well I revived w full size 24 hour tanner which is a wash off tan. This is perfect for a fancy dress party I have in 2 weeks, especially as I am going as a red Indian/Native American! Will let you know how I get on! 

  
So that’s all for now! What are your holy grail tanning products?

XOXO

Rachael

Follow me on Instagram

The big 100!!

  
So yesterday I hit 100 followers!!! Yey!! This may be a very tiny amount compared to some of you but I am truely amazed and humbled that so many people have taken the time to read a post (or 2!) and choose to follow me. You guys are awesome!!! Hopefully my numbers will continue to grow and I hope in the future I will be able to run a giveaway!! As who doesn’t like a giveaway?! 

So again, MASSIVE thank you to everyone that’s following me so far and a big HELLO to any new followers! 

If anyone has any feedback or tips, they are greatly appreciated! What kind of posts would you like to see? 

XOXO

Rach 

Eye Love Cargo!

Hey beauties! ❤️

I recently decided I needed some more eyeshadow shades and fancied some more mauve and purple toned shades for spring. On browsing in TK Maxx, I stumbled upon the most beautiful Cargo Cosmetics pallete. The pallete is called Summer in the city and contains a range of purple, pink and brown tones. Exactly what I was looking for! 

  
With 12 shades of shadows, an eye liner pencil and a double ended shadow brush all for £9.99, this was a true bargain! 

The packaging is a beautiful crocodile skin textured, gold casing with a magnetic closing. It looks really luxurious and high-end. Inside it has a nice big mirror and some of the prettiest shadow shades I have seen! They are so pigmented and blendable! Some of the nicest quality shadows I have come across. 

  
 
Here are the swatches from the pallete;

 
Left to right; Rooftop, Sunset, Bike Ride and Breeze.

  
Left to right; Rosé, Summer Love, Heat Wave and Gelato.

  
Left to right; Sizzle, Sidewalk, Pool Party and Chill. 

And a look a wore from this pallete the other evening;

  

This is the first time I have tried anything from Cargo Cosmetics and I am certainly impressed. Now I just need to decide what to buy from them next! 

Have you tried Cargo Cosmetics products? What’s your favorite Spring time pallete?

XOXO

Rachael 

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Going Cray-Cray Over Contour!

Get your purses out ladies because you will want to head to your nearest store or online to pick up this beautiful bargain! I recently made a lunchtime trip to Superdrug as I had heard our local store had introduced a ton of new brands and I wanted to have a nose at the newly available goodies! As expected I was not disappointed! Browsing around the stands one in particular caught my eye…the Makeup Revolution stand.

The stand had more palletes than you could shake a stick at! They seemed to have every shade of shadow, blush, concealer that you could ask for and more! All the palletes were packaged in very simple but elegant black and gold casing, not too disimilar to some of the Anastasia Beverley Hills packaging. One particular pallete caught my eye and I just had to snatch it up! It was the Ultra Contour Pallete.

As you can see, this pallete has a whole 8 shades of powders, all of which beautifully pigmented and smooth. The thing that most shocked me with this was that it was only £8!!

Here are all the shades in natural daylight with no edit or filter. They are simply gorgeous and great for a wide range of skin tones. They do only have the one pallete that I am aware of so not light/dark skin tone specific palletes which may not be great for some people however.

My favourite two powders have the be the two shimmer illuminator shades. They are amazing! I tried to capture just how sparkly and reflective they are but the photo does not do them justice! I just can’t enough of them!! 😍

So here are some swatches of the shades so you can see;

This is the top line of powders in reverse (blonde moment!) so you have all your highlight shades. Left to right; white shimmer illuminator, peachy highlight, banana powder, light pink (they have no real names of the shades!)

Bottom row of powders; the bronze shades. In order as they are in the pallete above.
I have used this pallete every day since purchasing and truely feel it is on par with a lot of the higher end palletes. I cannot wait to go back and buy some more products from the brand to try them out!

Have you tried products from Makeup Revolution? What did you think? What should I try next?!

R

XOXO

 

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