Monthly empties....

Another month done and dusted, another bag full of empty lotion and potion pots to go through. Although I don't have as many as last month.

Make up/Perfume:

* Revlon colorstay £12.49 Adore this foundation, I'll always repurchase it

* 'Butterfly' perfume £3.00 Marks and Spencer. Definitely buying the bigger bottle of this when I get paid, such a sweet summer perfume

* Clinique High impact mascara £16.00 I love this mascara, I've gone through 3 sample sizes of it so far. Definitely purchasing a full size when I've used up my other mascaras

Hair:

* Garnier Fructis hair recovery 'repair and shine' shampoo and conditioner £1.00 each I did love these two, until I bought timotei. These do leave my hair soft and shiny, however I find that the timotei works that little bit better

Other:

* Nivea cream £1.00 Always always always buy this cream, absolutely love it

* Mitchum advanced control deodorant £2.00 All I'll say is, 'it does what it says on the tin' 

* Simple babywipes 99p Always buy these because they're unscented and are ideal for removing make up

* Wilkinsons bubble bath in 'sweet vanilla and honey' 99p Smells gorgeous, doesn't give that many bubbels but I'd repurchase

Until next month ;)

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Favourite youtubers....

I'm literally addicted to watching youtube. I get so many tips and ideas from there, and if there's something I have my eye on that I want to buy, I always check youtube for reviews before I go out and buy it. There's so many guru's that I love to watch, but I've *just* managed to narrow own my fave five, and thought I'd share :)

In no particular order here they are:

Grav3yardgirl Bunny


When I first found Bunny's channel, I swear I sat for a whole day watching her videos! The thing I love about her channel, is that it's so varied. There's vlogs (you have to watch them!) fashion, make up and reviews. Most of all she's absolutely hilarious and so down to earth! 'That's how we do it on the swamp' You really have to go and check out her channel, you won't regret it


Sprinkleofglitter and Zoella280390 louise Zoe


Louise and Zoe are actually one of the main reasons I started this blog. I watched so many of their videos  and they'd always say there was swatches and more info on their blogs, so of course I would have a look at their blogs. Boom I was hooked! They're both so funny, down to earth and give honest reviews on products. They also have an online shop that you should check out ;)

MissBudgetBeauty Khila


Looking for honest opinions and great reviews? This channel is for you. I can't say how many products I've actually gone out and bought because of watching a review of it. I also love the fact that the majority of products are actually 'budget beauty' (hence her YT name) There aren't that many guru's on youtube that talk  a whole lot about budget beauty


Pixiwoo Sam and Nic


Sam and Nic were two of the first people I think I ever started watching on youtube, and definitely a huge inspiration to me. There's always amazing tutorials on their channel, which are easy to follow. They're both (amazing) make up artists so always have great tips and tricks. Sam also now has her own brushes out called real techniques , I own the stippling brush, and it's honestly the best brush I think I own

(hate posting a blog without a pic)

Do you have any fave youtube guru's?

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Bargain make up anyone?....

I wanted to write this post for a while now because I haven't ready any blogs about it yet, and I think it's definitely something that might interest people - Poundshop make up. I'm in there whenever I run out of shampoo and conditioner, I mean let's face it why go somewhere else when you can get it for £1.00 right? ;)

Anyway, whilst I'm in there I always have a quick spy at the make up they sell. There's always Rimmel, Collection, Sally Hansen, and even American brands such as Wet and Wild. I'm guessing people miss out the make up section because it's the poundshop and there must be something wrong with it if it's in there right? Well, wrong. I was curious as to why they sold branded make up so I asked a lady that worked there and she told me that the stock (make up wise) is either over stock that the company needs to sell, or it's discontinued stuff.

I've found so many good bargains in there, and what's great is that everything is still sealed so nobody has been able to stick their paws in it. Which is what I usually find when there's only one or two products left in Boots or Superdrug. I've even managed to get stuff for my kit, mainly blush and eyeshadows.


Here's some of the goodies I've picked up over the months:

* Rimmel blush, eyeshadows lipgloss, juicy tubes 
* Sally Hansen lipsticks and lipgloss
* Wet and Wild eyeshadows
* Collection highlighter
* Revlon 'vital radiance' blush


I definitely think you should check out your local poundshop and see what bargains you can find!


Thanks for reading :)


S xx

Latest in Beauty....

Another month, another latest in beauty box. I love this company I think it's a great idea, and I never have to wait that long for it to be delivered. I'll link my first post about my first box at the very end. For now, here's what I picked out this month:

First up I chose Yardley perfume sample (I received 2) in the scent 'Peony'

The back of the packet says 'Yardley London's Peony fragrance is a modern, fruity floral with top notes of fresh green leaves,complimented at it's heart by a combination of peony flower, red currant, geranium and heliotrope and undertones of warm amber'

In all honesty I have no idea what any of the things smell like, but I will say that I picked up a slight hint of Rose. This is definitely one for those in favour of a more mature scent, I haven't quite decided it I like it yet.

Next up 'Sun shots' sun protection

I have no idea why I selected this, I mean lets face it the weather ain't been all that sunny has it? I thought that this is the perfect size to stick in my bag when (IF) we finally get some sunnier days over the summer. Suncream is a MUST!! This has an SPF of 25, is water resistant an is 'anti-ageing' All plus's in my book.

Lastly I selected Sasy n Savy rose and lavender hand n nail repair creme:

 The latest in beauty website says 'Skin nourishing evening primrose and macadamia oil work to soften and smooth; Shea butter soothes and heals dry skin; and vitamin C and E defends hard working hands from damage. The crème helps to diminish signs of ageing. Ideal for all skin types and daily use.'

I haven't had the chance to try this out yet (expect a review) but I'm certainly looking forward to giving it a whirl.

Previous post: http://stacey-ajourneyofathousandmiles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/latest-in-beauty-beauty-box.html

Does anyone else order samples for this website?

Thanks for reading :) 

S xx

Products I've hit pan on....

Does anyone else find it hard to finish off make up products, or even hit pan on them? I thought I did until I was going through my make up last night, and found a few things I hit pan on.

No7:

* Blush in 'candy pink' I love this colour, it's a bright candy colour (the name describes it perfectly)

* Eyeshadow in 'Mink' A shimmery champagne colour, perfect for all over the lid

MAC:

* Eyeshadow in 'phloof' Beautiful champagne colour. Perfect for highlight, or all over lid colour

* Eyeshadow in 'blanc type' Cool toned beige, again perfect for highlight or all over lid

* Paint pot in 'bare study' Shimmer champagne base for eyeshadow, works with both matte and shimmer shadows. Can be worn alone as well as a base

Soap and glory:

* Eyeshadow in 'vanilla' Lighter than 'blanc type' I usually wear this all over the lid and as a highlight

The body shop:

* Lip balm in 'passionberry' This smells good enough to eat!! I think this is my third tub of lip balm from the body shop, they're amazing. Always keep my lips soft, not sticky and last on the lips quite a while.

MUA and Collection:

* MUA eyeshadow in shade 1. Yet another highlighting shade. A shimmery cream, this looks great as a highlight, all over the lid and in the inner tear duct area

* Collection shimmer and shade highlighter in 'just peachy' This is my go too highlighter, it's not matte and not too shimmery which I find perfect

All of the products I'd definitely repurchase

Thanks for reading :)

 S xx

Weekly favourites....

How fast has this past week gone?! I think I say that every week to be honest haha Here's this weeks faves (yup I was being fickle yet again.....)

Make up:

* Vivo eyeshadow trio in 'sugar plum' I rediscovered this the other day and have fallen back in love with it, especially shades 1 and 2. These are available at larger tesco stores and online for £2.50

* Rimmel blush in '031 Berry' Gives a natural flush to the cheeks £1.00 from the poundshop

* e.l.f eyebrow kit in 'Medium' I bought this a while back,fell in love and then for some reason went back to my Rimmel pencil. I have now been addicted to using this, and have been getting quite a few compliments on my eyebrows, thanks e.l.f! £3.75 from e.l.f 

* MAC lip conditioner. I bought this so long ago and really didn't think it was worth the money. But recently I had really dry lips and was all out of Blistex, so started using this and it's made my lips so soft (still think it's over priced!) £11.00 from MAC 

Swatches:

* Vivo shade 1 - baby pink
* Vivo shade 2 - Mid tone purple
* Rimmel 'Berry' blush

Hair:

* Timotei Shimmer shine shampoo and conditioner. As much as I've been loving fructis repair and shine, these two are so much better! They've left my hair so sort and shiny, even after the first wash. They were on offer for £1.00 each at asda

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

*

Holy grail item #6....

Time for my sixth Holy grail item, this time it's skincare:

Nivea cream:

This is now part of my everyday routine. I apply this to my legs and arms every night, and it leaves them so soft. It's really think which some people don't like, but I love it. During the (very few) hot days we had previously, I quite stupidly burnt my legs and didn't have any aftersun in. The only unscented cream/moisturiser I had in my cupboard was this, so I slapped it all over my legs and within 5 minutes the soreness had gone never to return! I started to peel not that long after (maybe 3 days) and again I slapped this all over and it smoothed the dry skin. The best part about this, apart from it's multi-purposes, is that I buy mine from the poundshop! I'd say I go through maybe a tub and a half a month, but for £1.00 a go that ain't bad.

The lowdown:

* Cost £1.00

* 50ml

* multi purpose

* Thick consistency

* Doesn't take too long to dry

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Holy grail item #5....

Next holy grail item is one that I think everyone knows about and has more than likely tried:

Collection lasting perfection concealer:


I originally bought this because there was so much hype on Youtube, that was around this time (maybe a little later) last year and I haven't bought and loved another concealer since. I've bought concealers previously to try out and review, and haven't enjoyed them at all. This is definitely the only concealer that I'll use! The staying power is amazing and it is a full coverage concealer. Some people find it too thick to use under their eyes, I think it's great.

The lowdown


* Cost £4.19
* Lasts all day
* Blends out easily
* Full coverage
* Doesn't crease under the eyes

Where to buy:
* Boots: http://www.boots.com/en/Collection-2000-Lasting-Perfection-Concealer_984434/

* Superdrug: http://www.superdrug.com/make-up/face/icat/mu-face/?sort=name&sort=release&order=asc&order=desc&q=*&perpage=24&parentCategoryRef=mu-face&brand=Collection+2000

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Holy grail item #4....

Yet another Holy grail item :)

This one....

Soap and glory lid stuff ' what's nude':


This is my 'go to' palette! Whenever I can't decide what look I want to do, or I don't have much time to get ready I stick with this. You can do so many looks with it, I usually use 'vanilla' all over, 'pink T' in my crease and 'Mudhoney' in my outer V. Or I'll just use 'vanilla' all over and 'pink T' in the crease.

Each eyeshadow is so silky, extremely pigmented and blends great. The palette is so compact which make it great for travelling, and I think this would work well with everyone's skintone. Another product I've picked up for my kit, I think this would work for bridal work.

The lowdown:


* Cost £10.00
* Small and compact
* Blend easily
* Very pigmented
* Works with everyone's skintone

Where to buy:

* Boots: http://www.boots.com/en/Soap-Glory-8482-Lid-Stuff-8482-Flawless-Finish-Eyeshadow_1243290/

* Online: http://www.soapandglory.com/products/cosmetics/eyes/lid-stuff

Previous blog post:
http://stacey-ajourneyofathousandmiles.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/review-soap-and-glory-lid-stuff.html

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Review: Kleenex shine absorbing sheets....

A week or so my parents had been out shopping, and came back with some Kleenex samples that they had been given. Knowing my 'obsession' for all things beauty related, they gave them to me to try out. For the past few days I've been trying out the 'shine absorbing sheets' and actually think they're pretty amazing.

I've only ever tried one other brand of shine control/absorbing sheers which were from superdrug (superdrug's own make) and I think I used about 4 then threw them out because they were full of powder and left my make up all blotchy. That kind of put me off buying any more, but when I got given these sample packs to try I thought I may as well have a go.

The instructions are written on the pack, all you do is use the plain purple side of the sheet and blot. The thing I love about these is that they're powder free so they don't leave anything behind on your face. They're small and compact so fit nicely in your make up bag, or good just to stick in your bag. I find they work really well, they don't remove any make up from your face so there's no need to re-powder once you've used a sheet. Which is pretty much the whole point in blotting sheets right?

Another thing I really like about these are the way they're packaged. First off, the sheets are purple, my favourite colour! I also love the way the you're able to take each sheet out.

On the inside of the flap where the diagram is, there's a little tab that says 'peel off', when you peel it off it reveals a sticky strip. Once you close the packet, the sticky strip sticks to the top sheet, so that when you reopen the packet the sheet at the top sticks to the strip pulling it out for you ready to use. Now I personally think that's pretty cool!! Once I've used up the sample packs I have, I'll be heading straight out and buying the full size.

The lowdown:

* £1.99 - £2.99 (depends where you buy)

* 50 sheets

* Powder free

* Small and compact

* Simple to use

* No need to touch up with powder

* Absorb oil/shine straight away

Kleenex website: http://www.kleenex.co.uk/beauty/Beauty.aspx

Where to buy:

* Superdrug: http://www.superdrug.com/search?q=kleenex+shine+absorbing+sheets&searchsubmit=Search 

I also have 1 or 2 other kleenex products to try out, I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Holy grail item #3....

Time for my third holy grail product, I think I may end up going reaching #100!! (joking..... maybe #99)

Urban decay de slick setting spray:


This is another new product, and another one that I've raved about already so don't have all that much more to add other than I love this! I debated about buying this for so long, because I'm a total budget make up kinda gal and didn't think I could justify spending £23 on one product. But I figured it would last me ages ao went ahead and bought it, and I'm so pleased I did.

My revlon colorstay foundation works so well with my oily skin, but I still have to re-powder my T-zone (mainly my chin) throughout the day, mostly just once a day. When I use this I don't have to re-powder at all!! My make up looks just as fresh at the end of the day as it did at the beginning. £23.00 well spent!

The lowdown:


* Cost £23.00 (think this is just a special offer)
* 177ml
* Keeps make up looking fresh all day
* No need to re-powder throughout the day
* Only using a tiny amount, so bottle will last ages

Where to buy:

* Debenhams: http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_123932006399_-1?breadcrumb=Home~Beauty

* House of fraiser: http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Urban+Decay+De-Slick+Oil+Control+Setting+XL+Spray/165541494,default,pd.html

* Online USA: http://www.urbandecay.com/makeup-setting-spray/4_500,default,sc.html

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Smokey eyes....

Time for another look, this time a grey smokey eye:

* First I primed my eyes using MUA eye primer

* Then I used MAC's 'blanc type' and placed this all over my lid

* I then took MUA eyeshadow in shade 3, which is like a gun metal silver, and packed it onto the outer half of my lid. Then took a clean blending brush, and blended it all over the lid

* Next I took MAC's 'silver ring' and place that again, on the outer half then blended. This time I just blended it in the outer half, and crease. Not onto inner half of my lid

* Next up I used MUA shade 15 which is a black pearl shadow, and created a V shape in the outer V and blended well

* Time for liner. I used MUA liquid liner, but didn't create a flick at the end. Then used MUA pencil liner in 'jet black' and lined my water line and tightline

* Lastly I applied Clinique high impact mascara, and the look is complete

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Product rave: Ciate nail varnish....

I previously blogged about getting a free Ciate nail varnish with Marie Claire magazine, and have only just gotten around to trying it out. I only heard about this brand because of youtube and then spotted Marie Claire at the supermarket with a free nail varnish, so I had to pick it up.

I got mine in the shade 'bon bon' (love the name) which I'd say is a purple toned nude. I absolutely adore the colour! The application is SO smooth, the brush isn't too big or too small an it dries pretty quick.

(excuse the state of my cuticles)

I applied 2 coats of this and it lasted 5 days!

After wearing this colour and loving it, I spotted that my local supermarket still had some copies of the magazine left. Purple is my favourite colour, and although I have a billion and one purple nail varnishes, I love the application of this brand so much I couldn't resist buying another.

The second colour I got is 'purple sherbet' which is a gorgeous lilac. I did find that it was quite sheer when applied, so had to apply 3 coats. I thought it reminded me slightly of Barry M nail paint in '308 pale purple', but the ciate is more of a cool tone lilac, and the Barry M more warm toned.

I didn't find that I needed to wear a base or top coat with either of these, and they lasted 5 days before they started to chip.

Think I may have found a new favourite brand of nail varnish ;)

Where to buy:

* Ciate website: http://www.ciate.co.uk/

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Purple smokey eyes....

I was in the mood to have a play about with some shadow again, this time purple. I bought the vivo trio in 'sugar plum' a few months back and completely forgot I had it! This will be coming out more often because I adore it!

The colours are actually darker then they're showing - Rubbish camera! Sorry

* Firstly I primed my eyes with MUA eye primer

* Next I applied the baby pink all over my lid, going just above the crease

* I then took the middle purple and applied to the outer half of my lid and again, into the crease

* Next I applied the darker purple in to the outer 'V' and blended in to the outer half of the crease. I also applied this along my lower lashline

* Last I applied MAC's 'blanc type' as a hightlight, and used Clinique high impact mascara

My previous review on this vivo trio: http://stacey-ajourneyofathousandmiles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/review-vivo-eyeshadow-trio.html

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Weekly favourites....

Favourites time again! I'm so glad I don't actually do this monthly now, my list would be never ending!! I've also noticed that pretty much every week, I have a different lipstick and blush....... I'm so fickle :P

I'll start with nails because everything else is make up:

* Ciate paint pot in 'bon bon' I got this free with Marie Claire magazine (usual price £9.00) and love it! It glides on like butter, dries fairly quickly and lasts days before starting to chip. I think I may need to purchase a few of these.

Next up, make up:

Lipstick on top, blush underneath

* Sally Hansen natural beauty color comfort lip color in 'soft orchid' £1.00 from the poundshop. I adore this colour, it's kind of a mauve/berry colour which seems to be the colour I always gravitate towards now. The colour doesn't last all that long on the lips, but for £1.00 I can't complain.

* e.l.f blush in 'mellow mauve' £3.50 from the elf website. Surprise surprise it's a mauve :P I find these blushes quite powdery and not overly pigmented, but I find this helps when I'm in a hurry because I don't need to worry about being heavy handed and end up walking out the door looking like a clown.

Eye eye:

Excuse the redness, I'd just wiped off the lippy and blush

* MAC eyeshadow in 'vex' £10.00 from MAC My sister gave me this eyeshadow because she never wore it, and I didn't until this week. I never knew what to pair it with because it's such an unusual colour. It's a mix of purple tones, pink tones and green tones. I watched coleyyyful's video and she paired it with 'shale' I don't have shale so used 'scene' and it looked really nice. So that's what I've been wearing every day since!

* MAC eyeshadow in 'scene' £10.00 from MAC. This is a cool toned medium grey, and probably one of my fave MAC eyeshadow's. It goes great with 'vex' and can be worn all over the lid with a black/darker grey in the crease or outer 'V' for nights out. It's definitely one of my go-to eyeshadow's when I sport a grey smokey eye.


Thanks for reading :)

 S xx