Collective Haul: April - June

Looking at the products laid out in front of me, I've not been buying a great deal over the past few months. It felt like I had but a lot of what I purchased were replacement products. I've also been investing more in clothes after havihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifng a mad eBay clear out. I bought the most lovely Nicole Farhi silk top (I used it as a fabric background in this post) which I think I'll wear to death this summer. Also picked up a handful of maxi dresses which I tend to live in during the "warmer" months - whatever that means in the UK . Mostly, I've been saving. Mostly...



A few bits from Space NK. I haven't tried the new cleanser yet, I'm finishing up my Mario Badescu products (which I'll be honest, are not amazing. Stand out products are the buffering lotion and whitening mask. I didn't like the moisturiser at all and the cleansers were alright but quite drying)I also picked up a Nars blush in Deep Throat, Sheer Glow foundation and Shu Uemura Nobara foundation. Both are great and give good coverage while remaining light on the skin. Sheer Glow's coverage really surprised me! If I need to build it up, I use a Beauty Blender sponge (another I-love product) to stipple it on. Perfect.



A handful of things to try from BeautyBay.com. I'm excited about adding a toner to my skincare routine again. I haven't used a toner since Lush's Tea Tree Water and miss the squeaky clean feeling you get afterwards.



After scouring blogs and eBay, I'm 1 (Oh So Special - I didn't include the new Curacao palette as I just bought that today) palette away from completing my Sleek collection. If interested, I'll do a large review/swatch catalogue of all the Sleek palettes past and present.



I broke my nail polish ban and went a little nuts...the two Illamasqua nail polishes were STUNNING and I bought two of each to send to a couple of my friends. Perfect for a vampy night out. The Barry M colours are beautiful summer brights - the coral is by far my favourite. Seche Vite is hands down, amazing. Ah-may-zing. My nail colour lasts a good week without any major chips despite me working with my hands a lot.



I bought a few Soap & Glory products, one of which was the boddy butter seen and the other was a facial scrub and shower gel. LOVE the shower gel, LOVE the body butter, a little unsure about the scrub. It kind of burns my skin when it's meant to give a tingly sensation. The boy loves it so as far as I'm concerned he can have it! I'm giving one of these body butters away soon :)

Check out the adorable mini High Beam and Posie Tints free with Glamour magazine! Didn't get Benetint as I've got the full size, but aw, so cute!

I purchased (IMPULSE) a couple of MAC shadows - Vellum and Beauty Marked. Beauty Marked really stands out to me, it's dark but really brightens up the eyes. Vellum is a fab highlighter on the cheeks and cupids bow.

I'm also giving away a couple of Lord & Berry glosses that I bought a while back. I loved it so much I went back and picked up two. The perfect shade for any skintone, lovely texture and I actually like the smell of them. They're not MAC vanilla scented, but they're not plastic/playdough scented either! The lipstick I am less crazy about (weird considering I'm not much of a gloss girl) The New CID products, I've yet to try out yet but I'm excited about them. I've dangerously fallen in love with Illamasqua eyeshadows. They're dense, apply very well and stay vibrant until you take them off. I recently bought this matte purple called Fallen.





Recently, the fella and I went down to Brighton for a couple of days. We stayed in a beautiful hotel by the beach front and whilst pebble beaches aren't my favourite, I had a wonderful time. While having breakfast on the beach, we had a little debate on whether pebble or sand beaches are better. My argument was that you could build sandcastles on sand beaches...so John made a stone castle which he said was "more realistic" so better. I'd still rather get sand up my butt any day. Pebble beaches hurt right?!



I made some divine (if I may say so myself) lavender and lavender and lemon cupcakes (with my own recipe for lemon curd). So light you don't feel too guilty for eating more than one!

I've got reviews planned: MUFE HD foundation, Mario Badescu (the week-by-week thing didn't work out because honestly...I wasn't getting the results I'd hoped for but there are some great produts within the range) and a new foundation routine. I'm hoping to start pre-writing posts during the weekend as I'm so busy during the week. Though lately my weekends have been pretty crazy too! We'll see...but I miss blogging a lot! Thanks so much for reading!

FOTD: Spidery Lashes, Cherry Cheeks

I've been really ill for the last few days. A combination of an ear infection and the flu. Today, I feel better and since I haven't worn makeup for the last 2 days, decided to break out the Shu Uemura gel blush I won in a giveaway held by the whimsical, beautiful woman behind Worship at the House of Blues. Quite possibly one of my favourite bloggers; I am always inspired when I read her posts not only because they always feature beautiful photography but because they are exquisitely and romantically written. And I like that.



Eyes: Wet n Wild black gel liner all over the lid, sightly winged out, Diorshow Waterproof mascara - lashings of it. No joke, 10+ coats, applied messily (dotted, dragged etc.) & GOSH liner in Bananas along the waterline.
Face: Revlon ColorStay foundation, Shu Uemura Blush Tint in Miracle Cherry.
Lips: MAC Studio Finish Concealer.

Yes, that is a nightie.

Review: Lush Skincare

Last night, John ordered a bunch of Mario Badescu products from beautybay.com for me so I'll be finishing off my Lush skincare soon. I've been using these products for about a year and a half now and I've been really pleased with how well they've worked for me, but think it's time for a change! My skin seems to have gotten used to the products so fingers crossed, Mario will pull through.





First up is my cleanser. I use Fresh Farmacy both morning and night and find it does an excellent job of calming any redness in my skin and drying up breakouts. If you have mild to moderate acne or rosacea, I'd say give this product a try and see how it goes. It's inexpensive and Lush are excellent for giving samples. It doesn't smell amazing, but isn't unpleasant. It can leave the skin feeling tight but a dab of moisturizer fixes that problem easily. If you like a squeaky clean feel when you wash your face, Fresh Farmacy will do that. Another Lush cleanser I can recommend for oily skin is CoalFace. My boyfriend uses it daily and it has helped his skin immensely. Another inexpensive item we both use is the Body Shop's Facial Buffer to gently exfoliate each day which means I don't need to use a separate exfoliator!



Tea Tree Water is essentially a toner. It's very gentle, it doesn't sting when you apply it like many alcohol based toners can be and it cleans any cleanser or makeup residue from your face. Again, I use this morning and night and it's great for picking up any makeup your makeup remover and/or cleanser may have missed. You'd be surprised!



Grease Lightning is a blemish treatment but I use it as if it were a serum - especially when I'm breaking out. It does a wonderful job of gently calming and healing any spots you might have. I had a monster coming up just under my nose (ouch) on Tuesday. Today, it's gone. There's the slightest bump when I run my finger over it but it's no longer painful or red.

I use my Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/o to remove my makeup and Cetaphil moisturizer and find they work well in harmony with each of the Lush products. It's a great routine and it has worked for me but like I said; time for a change! I've tried other products in between and found some winners (Shu oil!) but I've never changed my entire routine like this.

I'll be keeping a diary and photographing my progress with the Mario Badescu products. To some, they're quite an investment (myself included) so it's always nice to see how well they work (or not) before purchasing.

Are there any products you use that you wouldn't change for the world? I thought Fresh Farmacy was mine, but it turns out...it's my Shu oil!

Photo credits: Lush.co.uk

(Mostly) A Brush Haul

I picked up a few brushes today as well as an adorable pair of earrings and Grease Lightning from Lush.



Serious breakout going on in the chin area and I'd given the last of my beloved Grease Lightning to John's little brother to try out so I layered on the slap and headed out to buy some more. I really do feel this works. Within one day my blemishes are significantly reduced in size and day two leaves a colourless bump on my skin - much easier to conceal than a huge red beast.



The earrings...are lovely. I like cute little things like this. On top of that, they were cheeeap! A couple quid at Primark. They have a ton of statement jewellery in at the moment so go and have a look, fill your basket and play dress up when you get home!



These two Shu Uemura brushes are lovely and soft. The number 14 (synthetic) brush is like many Shu brushes; multi purpose. It's described as being a foundation brush. It's a little small for me as a foundation brush but is the perfect size for concealing large areas or getting into the little nooks and crannies of your face with foundation. The number 17 (pony/squirrel hair) brush is the perfect brush for highlighting. It distributes product beautifully and diffuses it for a natural glow. I haven't used it for any cream products yet but I'm sure I'll get round to it.

The MAC 189 is a large foundation brush with synthetic fibers. I have the 190 and it's too small for me. I like a quick application and this allows me to do that. Flawlessly. As you'd expect, it's soft and perfectly formed for both powder and cream/liquid application. I'm really looking forward to using this more.



The eos lip balm that I got sent in my swap - in love! Couldn't have come at a more perfect time either as I've just lost my Lush lip balm and my Lizzy Arden 8 Hour Cream is a little heavy considering the humidity at the moment.



This is how NOT to bake cookies. Thanks John.

I also picked up a bunch of gifts so I won't show those but I put in an e.l.f. order today so I'll be posting that as soon as it arrives!

A Day On Oxford Street

And I bought next to nothing! More because I'm broke as hell than because I couldn't find anything. I'm still proud of myself though.

I got to catch up with a couple old friends Joanna and Alex.



I look like such a creep in this picture. Like...I'm not even meant to be in it. Please excuse my face.



Look at all the goodies Joanna bought for me! I feel like such a jackass because all I got her was a lousy mascara (actually...a great mascara), a nail polish, an eyeshadow palette and single eyeshadow. That's it, our budget was blown! Money really doesn't go as far here. I freaked out and threw in a palette I got for free and headed out the door to meet her feeling terrible. I'll have to pick up a few more things. She bought me an Armani palette, a really cute Skin Food nail polish, a Fiberwig mascara (which I really wanted!) and a ton of Shu Uemura samples!



The pigmentation is crazy! Very soft too.



She also got me a few boxes of my favourite treats from Hong Kong. I grew up on these things thinking eating Colon was perfectly acceptable. And it is. Because it's tasty. Especially chocolate colon. Is Collon even pronounced the same as colon? Whatever.

This is all I picked up.



I included the shower cream because it's my favourite. It doesn't mess with my skin, it smells amazing...it smells like happy would smell...if happy had a scent. AND it's cheap. I also picked up an adorable sun dress from Topshop - in the sale of course, one of the Topshop blushes in Nutmeg and a No7 eyeshadow brush using one of my vouchers.



It's a cream formula that sits well on the skin and a beautiful colour. Top swatch is blended, bottom is not.



Managed to find more Creme Eggs for Jackie!

Reggie is due for his flea and worming treatments so I had to shell out for those too...probably won't show those though...

Despite the fact that it rained and it was busy and you know...it's Oxford Street...we all had a really good time. The boys talked about games while we shopped, we managed to miss the rain while actually walking around so didn't have to deal with rude tourists - and locals - bashing their umbrellas around. I'm happy! Like the shower cream.

Review: Shu Uemura Skin Purifier

Shu Uemura Skin Purifier Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/O Advanced Formula

What it claims to be/do:

"A potent antioxidant cleanser infused with green tea extract that provides strong antioxidant protection against the environmental stresses associated with ageing while leaving the skin thoroughly clean.

Suitable for all skin types.
Two-in-one cleanser and makeup remover.
Removes waterproof makeup."

It's all true.

I could end this review here, but this blog would then lack any credibility whatsoever, so I'll give you lot a few reasons why I love this product and why you should go and buy it.

I bought this at Duty Free on my way back from Hong Kong. I decided to get the smaller bottle for two reasons. 1) I was literally HKD$4 (about 30p) short of getting the huge bottle and b) I have very picky skin and didn't want to shell out for something that was only going to break me out. Now I don't tend to spend a lot of money on skincare, but this is so, so worth it!

I've been using it for the past 3 weeks which has given me enough time to figure out how it has affected my skin and how effective it is in fulfilling its claims.

This is how it works:



Remove from box. Yes, I said it.



The box says 3-4 pumps, I use one if I'm just wearing day makeup, 2 if I'm in full slap. It's more than enough.



Work it into the skin, massaging over eyes (as if you were gently shampooing your lashes) and down the neck. I'm wearing a tinted moisturiser, concealer and waterproof mascara - see how it melts it away?



Emulsify the oil with damp hands, continue to work the product into the skin.



Rinse well with warm water, pat dry with a clean towel.

You're left with soft (NOT greasy), smooth and clean skin. Excuse the red eyes (and stupid facial expressions). It's not easy to wash your face and operate a camera at the same time. Lesson learned.

Occasionally, I'll wash my face afterwards with my Fresh Farmacy, but that's if I have a particularly bad breakout - which seem to be coming less often since I've been using this stuff! I do still have a lot of acne scarring, and a few spots still healing but none on the go at the moment. My skin texture has improved dramatically and I'm finding myself using tinted moisturisers in place of my heavy Colorstay foundation! It has also calmed down my rosacea and any other bumps my face previously had all over it.

It was only in the last couple of years that I was told, and believed that oily skin needed moisture too. If you do everything you can to strip the oils from your skin, it'll go into overdrive and produce even more oil, so feed it moisture and stay matte or even better; dewy! I'm so happy I decided to try this after months of hesitation because let's face it - why would you put oil on you face when it produces enough of it to supply Britain's greasy spoons? But it works. Very, very well.

Oh yeah, it smells gorgeous too.

My Valentine's Day Eyes

I'm really undecided on whether or not I'll make a video for this - not sure the Youtube video making world is for me yet. I'd love to be able to get the guts up to do it! I just don't think I'm in any place to teach anyone anything!





Yeah, that's a mole on my eye. It's gross.

So this is the red smokey eye I'm wearing for Valentine's Day with John. I've been seeing a ton of cute gorgeous pinks - really light and flirty looks...but no sultry reds (as far as Valentine's tutorials on YT go). So I figured I'd try one out with the Sleek Sunset palette. ME Brown by Shu Uemura is also thrown on there. It's a beautiful metallic rust coloured shadow. Shu shadows are divine to work with. They blend well and the pigmentation is incredible. I'm really excited to pick up more when I head back to Hong Kong because as it stands I only have 4 colours and that makes me sad.

I started out with UDPP and put a light base of ME Brown over the lid, pulled it up to just past my crease and winged it out slightly. I lightly swept In Awe by MAC (a lovely black with gold pearl) into my crease and patted a bright red from the Sleek palette onto the centre of my lids. I used Young Thing by MAC as a highlight and dotted it on my inner corners to lift my eyes a little. After a few (hundred) coats of mascara and a slick of black liner and this is what I got. I'll probably finish the look with neutral lips and a light dusting of bronzer on my cheeks and temples.

In the past I've been afraid of wearing red on my eyes as it has made me look tired. The same story with pink. The way I make it work for me is to use shimmery or frosty shadows and to have a "barrier" of black or brown liner between the red and my waterline or lashline to stop that horrible tired look.