Make up haul!

Over the past couple of months or so ( I think its been roughly that long since my last post...) I've been picking up bits and bobs to make my skin look better and also to add to my make up bag.
I thought I'd give I run through of the products that I've bought along with a short review to let you know if it's worth spending your dosh!

I'm going to begin with skincare:

L'occitane Comforting Cream Light
I bought this cream after Clinique's 3 step system didn't really help me when I'd had a breakout. It is a very light yet moisturising cream and so far, so good. I can use it twice a day and my skin finally seems to be clearing up. Hurray! I think I've finally found a face cream that I will stick with.

Pixi Glow Tonic
I've been after this toner for ages but because you can only buy it online, I have been putting it off (I much prefer going to the shops to buy and try products). I was running out of my Clinique Step 2 which was beginning to sting my skin (there is a serious amount of alcohol in there!) So I finally went for it and I'm so glad I did. I use the tonic twice a day after cleansing and it feels nourishing but also cleansing. I like to use toners that actually feel like they're doing something and Pixi Glow definitely does, well worth the £18!

Soap and Glory Dr Spot 
It's no secret that I've been battling with some serious spots just lately. So I decided to buy a dab on product to help clear them up. I can proudly say that since using this and my other new skincare products, my forehead has completely cleared up. I have however, developed some new mountains on my cheek which seem to be taking longer to shift... I'm on the fence about this product, it might be totally psychological but I'm going to keep using it twice a day until I run out, or a miracle occurs and I wake up with no spots!

Now onto make up:

Benefit Roller Lash
It's early days in our relationship as I only bought this very  recently but I have been quite impressed so far. The wand is plastic - my favourite - and usually it takes a while for me to warm to a mascara but this I liked instantly. I still use my eyelash curlers and Dior Maximiser with this mascara but it did lift and lengthen my lashes amazingly well. Definitely worth a try.

Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser
In addition to spotty skin, I have also been suffering with dry, flaky patches (probably because I have been squeezing a LOT) which has resulted in my usual foundation looking cakey and drawing attention to the gross bits. Because of this problem and as the weather is finally getting better, I decided it was time to try a lighter coverage to hopefully help my skin recover and keep it looking more natural. I tried this tinted mosituriser in Space NK after reading lots of reviews and also the Nars one. I'm glad I finally went for this one. It gives enough coverage to give your skin an improved natural look and even though it's oil free, it gives a dewy glow and doesn't dry my skin out. I love this so much, I think everyone needs to try it!

Nars  Creamy Concealer
This is a new concealer for the dark circles that no amount of sleep can get rid of. The assistant in Space NK chose quite a light shade for me which I was unsure of at first but it does seem to lighten up the area without looking unnatural. This concealer gives good coverage without being too thick of drying either. Well worth the investment.

Nars Lip Gloss in Priscilla
I love bright pink lips and own a Nars lipstick but wanted a more daytime friendly gloss that I could build up. This gloss is perfect, not too sticky, just the right amount of colour and I love, love, love it! I will definitely be wearing this day and night.

YSL Lip Oil
I bought this product impulsively and still haven't made up my mind. Its basically an oil- looks like a gloss when you first put it on- that stains your lips. So, when the oil wears off - which it does quite quickly- you're left with the stain. I thought this would be a nourishing product as I do suffer with dry lips but have found that is is quite drying. I also like a shine, so I am constantly reapplying. That said, I do like the colour but I think I'm more of a traditional gloss girl.

The final section is perfume:

L'Occitane Neroli and Orchidee
I fell in love with this scent when after purchasing my face cream, the assistant sprayed it on my bag. I was walking around the shops and this beautiful scent kept floating out from the bag. I went back to the shop and bought the gift set for £32 ( I'm such a sucker). I do still love this perfume but I am a tad disappointed. I should have known when it said Eau de toilette on the bottle because even when I layer the soap, body lotion and perfume, the scent doesn't linger for very long so I'm constantly having to reapply a regular problem with toilettes. I'm really sad about this because the scent is beautiful, I wouldn't even mind paying a bit more for a stronger version, eau de parfum maybe? Sort it out L'Occitane!

Lancome Miracle
I picked up the gift set for £28.14 reduced from £42,from House of Fraser the other day and in it you get a 30ml Eau de parfum, body lotion and shower gel. I really like the scent, its light, fresh and summery and even though it is quite light it lasts on my skin. I'm not madly in love with it but it's a good day time fragrance that was a bit of a bargain.

Oh dear, seeing this long list of purchases is a bit scary but I hope you found this post interesting and helpful in some way. I am planning on writing another post this weekend on a new natural make up look I've been using, so please come back to read it!

Thanks for reading
Becky xx

New Products!

Hello! 

Well I'm not technically sure if these are new, new products but they are new for me so I thought I'd do some little reviews for you. 

1. Indeed Facial Powdered Exfoliator

My face was getting a little bit flakey and I'm not a huge fan of the exfoliant scrubs so I was on the hunt for either a chemical toner/exfoliator in one or something a little different. I found this in Boots and wow, wow, wow I love it! Basically it's a powdered exfoliator so you just wash your face as usual, then pour some of the powder into your hand, add a spot of water and foam up. You then massage it all over your face for about a minute before rinsing off. I use this about twice a week as part of my evening routine and my skin feels so much smoother and brighter since I've been using it. I bought this on offer at I think about £12 and I think it'll last me a good few months. 

2. Aveda Beautifying Set

I recently went for the best massage I've ever had- a chakra balancing massage. It isn't the type of massage I'd usually go for but my local spa was offering a massive 50% off so I went for it. Anyway, to cut a long story short they used some Aveda products on me and I found them to be really relaxing and luxurious with the most amazing scents. I decided to buy this set in my relaxed state but I'm so glad that I did! The set contains a creme cleansing oil which I use as a normal face wash with a muslin cloth. It's gentler than my favourite La Roche Posay cleanser but it's also very effective at cleaning off ALL make up. It also smells of lavender which is one of my favourite scents. 

The other large tube is a body moisturiser which again has a lavender scent and is the perfect texture for me. It's not too greasy yet soaks into the skin quickly leaving a beautiful scent and super soft skin. 

The third product is the beautifying composition which is an oil. You can use this in the bath but I don't often have baths so I've mainly added a few drops to the body moisturiser for an extra boost. Even though it's an oil, it's still not greasy. This set was a little pricey at just under £50 but you do get full sized, luxury products. I will definitely be trying Aveda products again. 

3. Soap and Glory Archery Brow Pencil

You may have read my recent eyebrow blog post and noticed that I have a difficult relationship with my eyebrows. Because of this, I'm always on the hunt for new products that are going to make my life easier when it comes to taming them. I picked up this brow pencil from Boots and I haven't used anything else in the last few weeks. It's a really thin brown pencil that allows you to build up your eyebrows bit by bit resulting in a very natural look. There is a brush on the other end to shape the brows and it's I nice sturdy plastic packaging. I also prefer this to my No7 brow pencil because it doesn't require sharpening so it's always ready to use. This was relatively inexpensive too so if you're on the hunt for a new brow pencil you won't go wrong with this one. 

4. Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick

I've been eyeing up eye shadow sticks for a while and decided to go with this Bobbi Brown version because I love the colour which is Golden Pink. I tend to put a primer underneath and then apply the eyeshadow straight onto my eyelid before blending with a soft brush. This is blummin fab! It doesn't crease, lasts all day and is a fabulous colour. It's also great for a quick daytime look or you can apply with a crease colour to make it more dramatic for the evening. I shall be purchasing some more of these! 

5. Benefit Advent Calender

My lovely husband bought this Advent Calender for me and I've been blown away by the wonderful products that it contains. I'm planning to write a separate post on this Calender but if you get the chance to pick one of these up next year is recommend that you do!

Thanks for reading my post. Feel free to leave any comments! 

Becky xx