My first Mac purchase (and some other bits this month)

Hello again! 

I'm going to start today by talking about my first purchasing experience at Mac as I actually left the store with a product hurrah! I know there's lots of hype around Mac products and I always see them used in tutorials and blogs but I just don't enjoy visiting the store. I have been into the concession in Selfridges a few times and everytime I go it is heaving with people and the staff don't seem to have the time to look at you, let alone help you out with selecting products. Also, I find the layout very confusing and there are so many products, I could really do with some help when I go in there. Needless to say, I usually have a quick browse then leave empty handed. But this time I was on a mission! 

I have a serious blusher addiction and it's been a few weeks since the last purchase, so I decided to visit the Mac stand alone store in Birmingham to get a new pinky blusher. It's a small store but yet again there didn't seem to be enough staff for the people milling around. It was daunting, but I had to go it alone. I managed to find the blushers after a bit of searching and shortlisted a selection of 3 pinky tones. Luckily I had the lovely hubby with me who pointed out that one of the blushers had a shimmer (not what I was after as I like to use a highlighter instead). I finally decided on the Satin Powder Blush in Fleur Power. The colour is pinky but isn't too bright, it almost looks as though it has some orange undertones to give a natural flush. 

I did have to stand in a queue for a while but when I finally got to the counter to ask for my product, the sales assistant was very friendly. She also offered me a primer sample which I jumped at! I got a little pot of the Prep and Prime skin base for combination skin (you are given a choice depending on your skin type which I thought was a nice touch).

I used the primer and blusher for the first time last night and my thoughts so far are good. The primer made my skin feel like velvet, it really smoothed and perfected my skin ready for my foundation and worked well with my Origins moisturiser too. I'm also happy with my choice of blusher. It is quite pigmented so I didn't need too much, but it glided across my cheeks evenly and worked well with my Real Techniques Blush brush. It'll be my go to blusher when my lips are quite natural and I'm focusing on my eyes.

So overall my Mac experience was ok, I think because I knew exactly what I wanted I could go it alone but if I'd have needed help I think I would have left empty handed again. Mac need more staff! Here's the blusher and primer at work.

Another purchase that I made recently and briefly mentioned in a previous post is the Origins Checks and Balances Frothy face wash. 

I love my La Roche Posay cleanser but I fancied trying something different. I decided on Origins after recently purchasing (and loving) the GinZing moisturiser, I thought that it was time that I tried some of their other offerings. I had a great experience at the concession in House of Fraser. I told the sales assistant what I was looking for and how much I wanted to spend and she pointed me in the direction of 2 cleansers. The other cleanser was a GinZing product with exfoliating beads. She tried both products on my hands and I decided, as I still have my Clarins exfoliator, to go for the creamy cleanser. I've been using this cleanser for about 3 weeks and I really like it. It does exactly what it says on the tube, you only need a small amount of product as it is quite rich and when lathered on your face it creates a really creamy froth. It leaves my skin feeling soft and clean and it isn't too harsh, so my skin doesn't feel as tight as it can do with other products. My only gripe is that when I tone afterwards I do sometimes get a small amount of dirt coming off on the cotton pad. It is only a tiny bit but I never had that with my La Roche Posay cleanser. Maybe because it isn't as harsh it doesn't leave my skin quite as squeaky clean. Overall though I do think that this is a good product and I think it has contributed to my skin looking quite clear and soft at the moment (even if I do say so myself!) Oh and it was only £18 which I thought was quite reasonable. 

My final recent purchase is the Sensationail Fuse gel varnish in the colour intens-so-fly (is it me or is that a really random name?) 

I've seen a lot of minty greens around and I think it's a really fresh colour for summer. I also have short nails and ,this might just be me, but I think these quirky colours really suit shorter nails. I will definitely be wearing this colour on my holidays this summer. 

Finally I did say that I would tell you my thoughts on my Origins face mask freebies that I received with my purchase of the GinZing moisturiser a couple of months ago. 

I've used 2 of the pods and I think they're really good. They tighten up nicely on the skin and require a lot effort to remove with a warm flannel but they have left my skin feeling brightened and I've had no unwanted breakouts after using them. It also did a really good job of removing bits of dead skin that tend to hang around my nose (lovely) So another fabulous Origins product! 

I hope this post has been helpful. I'm still thinking of setting up my own YouTube channel too. It would be great to hear if this is something that you'd like to see.

Thanks for reading. 

Becky xx

Why I love shellac/gel nails

I've been meaning to write this post for ages as I'm a total gel nail colour addict. Those of you that know me will know that I am very rarely without colour on my nails and I'm not happy unless they are bright and beautiful!

I first tried shellac a couple of years ago. I heard that it had really good staying power and as I was going on holiday, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try it out. I went to the salon and paid about £15 to have my finger nails painted in a nice bright pink colour. It all took less than an hour and I was impressed because the colour lasted a whole week  of sun, sea and swimming pool action. After that I became a bit of a regular at the salon, paying £15 every few weeks to have my nails done. 

That was until I saw an amazing offer in my favourite shop Boots (is there a post I've written that doesn't have Boots in it?!) they had the Sensationail gel starter kit with a colour and UV lamp on offer for about £50. I thought this was totally bargainous so picked one up and haven't used a normal nail varnish since. You need to set aside about 1hr if you want to do your nails properly but it is so worth it as, if you paint your nails following the instructions, they won't chip and can last for 2 weeks (mine have even lasted for longer than this!) 

The Sensationail colours are about £15 per pot but they will last ages and none have them have clumped like nail varnishes can. I have bought most of my colours from Boots but you can also get cheaper versions from the internet. I have recently tried two of the Bluesky colours which worked out at about £5 each. They're ok but the quality isn't the same as the Sensationail polishes. Excuse the terrible photo but this is my nail kit below. 

My main reason for loving the gel polish so much is that they last, I only need to paint my nails every couple of weeks. Also, with gel there is no waiting around for your nails to dry. You just pop them under the uv lamp to harden for up to 60 seconds at a time and they're done! Because you don't have to wait for your nails to dry, there is also no risk of smudging - there is nothing more frustrating than spending ages on your nails for them to smudge or chip 5 minutes later, argh! My nails also grow very quickly underneath the gel. 

The only problem that I have really noticed is that, if you are a bit naughty like me and don't remove the colour properly by soaking them in nail varnish remover (I pick mine off). You can peel off some of your nail, making them weaker than normal. I don't think that this would be a problem if you followed the instructions though. Oops!

So that is a little review on gel nail varnishes. I know there's lots of kits out there but I would recommend the Sensationail kit for quality and price. Also, if you've never had them done, try it at a salon first to see what you think. 

This is the colour that I will be wearing for the next couple of weeks which is Kitten Heel. 

I hope this post was useful. Thanks for reading!

Becky xx