Essence Haul

I've seen Essence products around on blogs for the longest time and have been dying to try some out but finding them in the UK is pretty difficult. I heard a while ago that they were bringing them to selected Wilkinsons stores but unfortunately none around me.

I checked the website last night and 3 stores not too far from me were listed so I rather excitedly got up early this morning to set off on a bit of a hunt. 
The first store that I tried that was listed had nothing, I was so disappointed. Not a single product. So I rang the next store to find out if they actually had anything, it was 30 miles to the next store and really didn't fancy another wasted journey but to my extreme delight they told me that they did. 

I walked into and the stand was so close to the door I could see it and I walked in and I swear I squealed a little. I really was like a child in a toy shop.
The display was so pretty and colourful, all the nail varnishes were on the top shelf and looked so cute. Everything was in its place and nothing had been opened or tested in store, I shortly found out that they had just put them out that morning so I was so happy I made my journey today.

Anyway on to what I bought, I may have gone a little over the top but the prices were so affordable it was so hard to just pick one of anything, I had to buy a couple in different colours, just to try.

This is everything I bought. It really does make me so happy to just look at 

I only picked up a few nail polishes to try as I don't know what the formula or the brushes are like. I got a jewel effect top coat, some cute summery polishes and a gel top coat.

I just love these colours. Especially the first two, they're just beautiful! 

I'm actually not really into glittery top coats but my son wanted me to pick this up so I did, I think it will look quite cute over the pink shade I got. 

I got a few lip products to try, the glosses look a little cheap but they smell so good, I got mint, mango and strawberry. They smell delicious. I picked up 1 lipstick and 2 liners, these were all super cheap so I can't wait to try them out.

I picked up 6 blushes in total. I got 3 the first time and then went back after we had some lunch and picked up 3 more just because they were super cute and I really liked the colours and I don't think a girl can ever have enough blushes!

I got 4 different mascaras to try, I've heard some pretty good things about their mascaras but I couldn't for the life of me which ones people have mentioned and they had ALOT to choose from. I picked up four because I thought at least one of them has to be decent, right?

I got a primer, concealer and pencil sharpener. Unfortunately I got the concealer in the wrong shade. I picked up 3 instead of 1 so I'm thinking its going to be way too dark for me. I'm excited to try the primer though, I've heard some good things about this one!

Finally I picked up a little nude palette, 6 shadows and 2 eyeliners. These are looked so pretty but they had no testers out to try so I just picked out all the ones I thought were pretty. I'm really excited to try the blue eyeliner, I love do use coloured liners in summer for a pop of colour and this one looks like a really nice colour.

So thats everything I picked up, it came to just over £50 for everything which I think is amazing for everything that I got. 

Have you tried any Essence products? 

Let me know if you would like reviews/swatches of anything and I'll sort that out for you.

Hope you have a great weekend and are enjoying the weather!

May Wishlist

I don't know about you but I spend hours internet window shopping, adding things to my basket and then talking myself out of buying them.  I start of telling myself that I will buy something and then very rarely end up actually going through with it. The main reason is that I'm incredibly impatient and hate to wait for things to arrive. I much prefer to actually pop into town and buy something so I can have it there and then.

Here is my internet wish list for this month. I know I won't buy everything right now as I've made quite a few big purchases this month and my youngest son has grown out of his bike so were having to go bike shopping for him tomorrow.

Eep, I love every single one of these.

1. Nike Womens Free 5.0 Shoes  these are so incredibly cute, and I really like Nike trainers, I've always had Nike and found them to be the most comfortable and long lasting trainers, I recently picked up a pair of Adidas and they just don't compare at all. These are a definite must as a decent pair of trainers are essential for me for everyday and these are a bargain at £72.

2. Cath Kidson Quilted Make Up Bag I have so many make up bags but they are all pretty small, this one is adorable and looks big enough to carry quite a lot of products. It'll be great for me to take away in the summer and I'm really loving polka dots at the moment. This retails for £28.

3. Bdellium Maestro Blending Brush A fairly low cost item which I'm sure my budget will stretch to this month. I really like Bdellium brushes, they are so cheap and yet work so well. I've never had any issues with shedding and they wash really well. This retails for £7.99 but Love Make Up does have a £3.50 shipping cost for orders under £50 so its worth ordering a few items, well thats my excuse any way.

4. Superdry Zip Through Hoodie This one doesn't really need an explanation, I do love a good comfy hoodie for slouchy days when I can't be bothered to get properly dressed. This one looks lovely and soft and I like the green on the logo and in the hood. This is £49.99 at Asos.

5. Versace Sunglasses I love sunglasses but I find it really hard to find a pair I like, I have spent hours scouring through the internet to find some that I like for summer and this is the only pair that I have just loved as soon as I've seen them. They are fairly pricey at £156 but I think they are an investment piece as they will last for years.

6.  Ted Baker Skinny Bow Bracelet Quite simply I love this and want it for summer, its so simple and pretty. Its also a steal at only £29, its available in green, white and olive.

Well thats it for this month, hope you enjoyed let me know any products that your lusting over this May.

April Favourites

Hi guys,

It feels like forever since I've blogged, my laptop died a while ago so I took the plunge and bought a Macbook which I thought would be the best thing for me to use, I really like it but its certainly going to take some getting used to.

Anyway onto the post, my April favourites. To be honest, there really isn't that many items that i have been really loving this month so this is going to be a short one. 

The first thing I have been loving this month is something I was hoping I wouldn't, as strange as that sounds. Its the Rodial Glamtox Cleansing Balm, this is supposed to gently melt away make-up and cleanse the skin. Rodial claims that this cleanser

Reduces the appearance of age spots
Nourishes and softens skin
Is ideal for jet set/fast paced lives resulting in dehydrated skin
Restores moisture to extremely dehydrated skin
Helps to calm sensitive or irritated skin from cosmetic procedures

Now i'm not sure about the age spots or helping calm irritated skin from cosmetic procedures as these are not something I have problems with but I do know that this bad boy literally gets rid of 99% of my make up, from full face to pretty much nothing in one go. Thats pretty impressive for me as I wear quite a lot of make up on a daily basis.

I'm not overly keen on the packaging, I think it looks a little cheap and the smell isn't great but the product itself is so good. 

Next up another skincare/make up removal product, its the Una Brennan Skin Renew Cleansing Oil. I bought this completely on a whim, I spotted it in Boots and thought I would give it a go. 
I'm really pleasantly surprised, it smells fine and does the job really well. I wouldn't say it gets rid of my make up completely but I do cleanse twice anyway, it probably removes about 90% but my skin feels so soft afterwards and looks glowing without looking or feeling greasy. 
Its cheap compared to some cleansing oils and hasn't broke me out or irritated my skin.

This is a fairly new purchase, I got it at the beginning of April and I'm in love, I've used it everyday and will continue to do so. The colour is perfect for my pale complexion. Its the L'oreal Nude Magique BB Powder.
What I really love about this is that when I apply the powder it completely mattifies my skin but after a few minutes it lets through the tiniest amount of the natural oil in my face come through which leaves my face looking slightly dewy but not oily and lasts a good 6 hours before needing to be reapplied. It looks so natural and doesn't look cakey at all.

I've put a specific colour here but its actually this whole line of lip glosses I love. Its the Revlon Super Lustrous glosses, I love Revlon lip products in general but these glosses are lovely, there is no stickiness at all just super shiny loveliness. The colour pictured below is Super Natural.

The next product I remember seeing so many people raving about a couple of years ago but I never really wanted to try it, its the NYC Bronzer in Sunny. I've never really liked NYC products, I tried an eyeshadow a couple of years ago and it was terrible and it just really put me off the brand. 
I can't remember what made me buy this now but I'm so glad I did, this is my perfect bronzer, I have used it everyday since buying it, I use it as a subtle contour and just a light sweeping over my face just for a bit of a glow. It works perfectly with my pale skin and lasts ALL day! It only costs £1.99 too. I won't be trying any other bronzers any time soon that's for sure.

Finally is the Seventeen Blush in First Flush, this is a super bright pink and you need a really light hand to apply otherwise it can look a little clown like but if you can just add the right amount it really does just leave a gorgeous pinky flush to your cheeks, gorgeous for Spring. Its completely matt too which I find is really rare in high street brands. 

So thats it for my April favourites. I'm sure it won't be too long until my May favourites is up, the year just seems to be flying by so fast. 

What are your April favourites? Leave your links below, I'd love to check them out.

Skincare Haul

I recently realized that my skincare routine needed a complete revamp. This is the first winter  that my skin has become really blah and affected by the weather, I think it may be down to getting older although I don't like to admit it.
I can't afford to spend hundreds on a face cream and my skin doesn't agree with cheaper products so I'm a middle of the road kinda girl. I wanted a brand that I have used before, has a good reputation and wont break the bank (especially at this time of year) a lot to ask I know.
I ended up looking at Gatineau, I've used a few samples from them recently and they had some really stand out products so I decided to give them a go. Their sets and collections work out such good value for money so I got 3. The three sets came to just over £100 which may seem alot but the actual value if purchased separately is close to £300 so a bit of a bargain really, who could resist that?

The first set I got was the Aquamemory Moisture Infusion Collection, this is £37.00 (over £99 if bought separately)  and contains the following


- Gatineau Aquamemory Moisture Replenish Eye Roll-On 15ml
- Gatineau Aquamemory Moisture Replenish Mask 15ml
- Gatineau Aquamemory Moisture Replenish Cream 15ml
- Gatineau Aquamemory Moisture Replenish Concentrate 30ml
- Gatineau Tweed Pouch   

The next set was the Gatineau Activ Eclat Bright & Radiant Skincare Collection, this is £49 (£141 if bought separately) this contains


- Gatineau Activ Eclat Radiance Enhancing Gommage 75ml
- Gatineau Strategie Jeunesse Collagen Eye Compresses x 2 sachets
- Gatineau Activ Eclat Flash Radiance 15ml
- Gatineau Activ Eclat Radiance Energising Cream-Gel 50ml
 - Gatineau DefiLIFT 3D Perfect Design Revolumising Lip Care 10ml
- Gatineau Tweed Bucket Bag

The final set was the Rebalancing Cleansing Collection, this is the cheapest set at £27 (£53 if bought separately) this set contains

- Gatineau Purifying Primrose Gel Cleanser 200ml
- Gatineau Purifying Nasturtium Toner 200ml
- Gatineau Floracil Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover 50ml
- Gatineau Peeling Expert Microdermabrasion Cream 30ml        
- Gatineau Gatineau Muslin Cloth
- Gatineau Tweed Bucket Bag  

I'm really looking forward to trying all of these and hoping to get some good results. I'll be doing reviews on each items once I have given them a good trial and can give a good opinion. There are a few of the above that I have already tried and love ( particularly the Activ Eclat Radiance Enhancing Gommage) so those reviews will come slightly sooner. 

Whats your winter skincare routine like?


Have a great day and don't forget to keep smiling!

Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_beauty.html#QsZpYAvkmcC3IMca.99

 "Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Shine Dupe?

I recently bought the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine lipstick from Feel Unique, after much deliberation I decided to go for number 6 Pink in Devotion after looking at swatches online. It looked like the perfect pink for me so I quickly added to my basket and checked out.
When it arrived I was in awe of the beautiful gold packaging and after putting it on my lips I fell in love with the buttery texture. It gives off a gorgeous shine and feels so creamy on the lips. There is a slight watermelon taste/flavour which is by no means unpleasant but does fade after a few minutes if you don't like that type of thing. 
Anyhoo onto the actual point of the post, after admiring the beautiful colour for a while I did start to think that I was sure I had seen this colour on my lips before. So after looking through my collection I realized it was the Revlon Lip Butter in Sorbet. I quickly swatched it and although not an exact match its pretty darn close and for me the Revlon lasts slightly longer on the lips (this is my one negative of the YSL, it needs to be reapplied alot and due to the soft, creamy texture it does mean that you use quite alot of product) 

Below we have both products on the lips, to the left is the Revlon and to the right YSL.

How close is that for a match? and looking at the whopping price difference (£24 for YSL and £7.99 for Revlon) I know which one I will be repurchasing.

What do you think, a good dupe? Which would you choose?

Have a great day and don't forget to keep smiling!

“Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the world.”  - Marilyn Monroe

Make Up Collection/Storage

I thought for my first post I would do my little make up area, hopefully this gives you a little insight as to what types of make up I like. You can see that I’m no make up snob. I have the cheapest of cheap make up right up to make expensive brands. If I like it I like it regardless of price or brand.

Anyway onto the post

Here is my dressing table


It fits into the space between my bed and my wall perfectly, I measured it up myself and was rather impressed with myself getting it right. There has been many occasions when furniture I’ve bought just doesn’t fit.

The clear storage boxes on top of my table are from Muji, they are so useful and it just makes everything easy to see which is perfect for me when I’m in a rush in the morning.

The box on the right hand side of the table contains lip product, most used foundations and most used eye products.



 

And in the left hand side Muji stack we have my YSL products, a random face drawer (face powders, bronzers and highlighters), a highlighter drawer, a blush drawer and the final drawer has eyeliners and brow products.


On top of my dressing table its just random skincare bits, deodorant, brushes and daily perfume


Now onto the drawers, this is the most unorganized area as I haven’t found the best way to separate the compartments, these are just some plastic drawer dividers that I got from Ikea for my helmer. They don’t fit perfectly and it also means I can’t reach right to the back without a bit of a struggle. If anyone has any ideas on what I can use they would be greatly appreciated!

 

This drawer has ELF blush/bronzer duos, mascaras, cream and liquid blushes, powder blushes lesser used bronzers, Sleek items and then a couple of random bits tucked in at the side (LUSH lip scrub, Too Faced Palette, Naked 2 and a boxed NYX mascara)


This drawer has another selection of random items down the side, 2 x spare ECO Tools foundation brushes, Mr Mascara eyelash curlers, Laura Gellar eyeshadow trio, Bourjois bronzer and cotton buds. Then we have eyeshadow singles or smaller palettes, in the back there is face primers, below this is foundations that I like but don’t use as much and to the right we have concealers. Up in the back is square bronzers and blushers that don’t fit or don’t look right anywhere else.

 

I also keep a little bag on top with all my miniatures and samples.I try and keep a couple out on my dressing table to make sure I use them.
Underneath my table I have this box which I keep make up that I very rarely use. Basically some eyeshadow palettes, single shadows and foundations that I don’t tend to reach for. I do occasionally use them and this is why I keep them around.




I hope you enjoyed taking a look around, if you see anything you would like a review or demo on please let me know, all suggestions are welcome.

Have a great day and don’t forget to keep smiling!

“If you’re gonna be two-faced at least make one of them pretty.”  – Marilyn Monroe

And so it begins.

Hello to anyone reading,

Let me start by introducing myself, my name is Stephanie, nice to meet you!

I’ve been reading blogs and watching Youtube videos for years and decided to take the leap into writing my own little blog. I’m not a expert on skincare nor am I a professional make up artist, I’m just a twenty something year old girl with a passion for all things beauty related and just figured this would be a good place to share my own thoughts on products I’ve used and give tips on things that I have picked up playing around with make up over the years. I really hope you enjoy my blog and would love for you to comment as to whether you enjoy or dislike any of my future posts. All constructive criticism welcome! 

Hope you have a great day and don’t forget to keep smiling!

“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” – Marilyn Monroe