3 Recent Beauty Buys

Today I just wanted to share a few of the latest beauty bits that I’ve picked up! I’ve kept it down to 3 for this post, so I can really talk about them. You’ll notice this is different to a ‘haul’ because I tend to have tried some of these bits already and gotten them started, so I can give a little bit of initial feedback on the product. Sometimes I just find a post like this is a good ‘one stop shop’ method, so it saves having a haul, try-on AND then a review. It’s just like an all-in-one post, enjoy these little Autumnal pick-me-ups!

Rimmel 60 Seconds Super Shine Nail Polish in ‘335 Gimme Some of That’, £2.99: I’ve been enjoying the Rimmel formula for a few months now and have been really enjoying it. I’ve found that sometimes the lasting power on it can be great, usually get about 5 days out of them at a time. This one, as you can see in the picture has gotten a few small chips within only 2 days though. The shade is really lovely though, its a deep sophisticated pink that almost looks red in some lights though. It’s a really good one for Autumn and I have a feeling I’ll be reaching for this one a lot!

Revolution Conceal and Define Supersize Concealer in ‘C2’, £7.00: I’ve been using my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer for months non-stop, so I felt like I wanted a change. I have tried this concealer before, but then never got round to re-purchasing it. Unfortunately, I had to settle for the supersize one… which is MASSIVE! I don’t know if they’re still doing the regular sized one, but this one is almost like a foundation stick. I found it harder to shade match me this time, there are literally so so many to choose from even in the pale section- which is a good thing really. I’m looking forward to having a bit of a change up and using this one again.

OGX Purifying and Charcoal Detox Shampoo, £6.99: OGX is a brand that I’ve very recently begun dabbling in and I’m really impressed so far. I like to alternate with my shampoos, so this one and the coconut curls one are the ones I’m currently using. The charcoal one is set to give your head a real deep clean out of any product build up and general dirt. I love a good deep cleaning shampoo, especially as I use serums, so there can often get a build up if not cleansed properly. Love the packaging of these and they’re so big, it will take me a while to finish them off- I usually try and find them on offer too when I can!

Amy

3 Recent Beauty Buys

Today I just wanted to go straight in and show you a few of the recent beauty purchases that I’ve made. I have bought a couple of new things recently but instead of doing a larger haul I thought I would just take the time to share 3 of the ones that I’m most excited about!

Glossier Bubblewrap, £23.00: I love Glossier as a brand and I’m always interested in their new releases, but I can’t always commit to buying them straight away due to the price! I felt like now was a good time to treat myself and my lips have been super dry recently. It says its an ‘eye and lip plumping cream’… which seems like a weird hybrid, I know! I mainly bought this for the ‘lip’ side of things but I will probably have a little experiment with the eye cream side of things. I think it will be something different and I will probably use it as the final step of my nighttime skincare routine, almost like a night lip repair.

Glossier Balm Dotcom in Rose, £10.00: That really annoying thing happened where I had to spend £7 more to get free delivery so I was really suckered into buying this! I really want to love these but when I tried them a couple of years ago I found they started to smell funny and they changed consistency really fast. The rose one is my favourite out of the 3 I’ve tried, although I did consider trying the cherry and mango ones!

OGX Quenching Coconut Curls Shampoo, £6.99: This was actually on sale when I picked this up in Boots for £4.66 which I thought was a pretty good price! I’ve dabbled in OGX before but never purchased a full size product, so I wanted to give them a go. I don’t usually go for a ‘curly’ shampoo because I find they can make my roots a little greasy but I’m looking forward to seeing how this one matches up to the others I’ve tried. The brand in general has lots of options and I think I’m going to pick up another type whilst they’re on offer- as they didn’t have it in stock before. The packaging is lovely and I’m looking forward to giving some new haircare a try!

Amy

3 Recent Beauty Buys

Today I just wanted to share a few of the new beauty bits that I have bought as they are all completely new to my collection! For a while, I have just tended to re-purchase products that I already knew I loved and had used for many years. These are products though that I had been eyeing up for a while and I finally thought- JUST DO IT. This post is not sponsored by Nike. They aren’t enough to officially call this a ‘haul’, but these are a few new purchases that I wanted to share with you!

Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer in Light: I mentioned this recent purchase in my 3 Summer Beauty Must-Haves, but I did make it clear that I hadn’t really tried it… I was just using it as an example of a good bronzer which REALLY is a summer must-have. ANYWAY, this is from America and my sister kindly picked it up for me, as I have heard beauty YouTubers talk about this for YEARS. I was running out of places to look for bronzer in terms of the UK drugstores and didn’t really want to commit to highend prices. I’m hoping this is a great alternative though and I cannot wait to try it!

Benefit’s Cheekleader Pink Squad Palette, £26.00: This little beauty contains one of my MOST FAVOURITE beauty products- the Dandelion Blush! I talk about this product ALL THE TIME on here, especially around the warmer months, and I wear it all the time. So I’m really excited to have it in a little palette now, so that it is easier to take on the go and use with other products. This comes with Benefit’s ‘Galifornia’ and ‘Tickle’ which is an exclusive shade! They are all pink toned with varying degrees of shimmer and can be used as highlighters, brightening powder or just good old blush. Also they are each slightly bigger than the ‘mini’ sizes and is the same price than just ONE boxed powder- so this is a great way to try more products without spending more money!

BareMinerals BareSkin Perfecting Veil in Light to Medium, £23.00: I’ve been wanting to try this finishing powder for a while, as this is a brand that I really feel like fits the bill in terms of my skin type. This is the lightest shade they do, and despite the name, I feel like this does fit with very pale skin. This is a finishing powder that aims to combat excess oil and redness, so I hoping it will work well with my concealer to create a natural base that still gives me coverage!

I’m really looking forward to giving these all a try and I will be sure to update you either through individual reviews, summer beauty posts or monthly favourites- so make sure you’re following if you want to hear more about these after some proper testing!

Amy

Disney Primark Haul

Incase you missed my Disneyland Paris Bucket List post then I wanted to let you know I’M GOING TO DISNEYLAND PARIS. As with any good Disney trip the planning begins months before and the shopping preparations never end. In an attempt to get some bits for my upcoming trip I visited the fairly-newly opened Primark in Birmingham which is the biggest one in the world, I believe! In all honesty, the Disney section is not unbelievable special but it just depends on what your local store is like and how much Disney stuff you’re looking for. I’m not really into Primark for regular fashion or anything really, but I do think they are great when it comes to Disney trips especially if it’s stuff you’re not planning on wearing regularly.

I’ll start off with clothes, as I’ve said I’m not particularly into Primark clothes, but I did pick up a couple of Disney tops that will be perfect for my trip. I just went for the two because I am planning on wearing mostly ‘normal’ clothes when I go, just because that’s what I’m most comfortable in. I went for a Piglet Top (£6.00), its baby pink and simply says ‘Piglet’ across it with an embroiled picture of him for the ‘i’. I also got a Thumper Striped Tee (£5.00) which is simply baby blue stripes with a little Thumper in the corner and says ‘I’m cute and I know it’. I figured these will be good just to throw on with some skinny jeans and converse when I’m away, they don’t take much thought and encompass some of the Disney magic. Lastly, on the clothes front I picked up a Thumper Pajama Set (£10.00) which are SO cute. They’re baby pink and blue, a lovely pattern and they are going to be lovely for holiday. Disney pjs are a MUST when staying on-site especially and they have sooooo many to choose from!

Moving onto to general random Disney goodness, starting with the cute little Minnie Mouse pouch that I’ve pictured above which was £4.00. I thought this would be perfect as a little first aid kit or just to keep all my random bits together when I’m going round the parks. I also grabbed quite a lot of Disney socks, which aren’t necessarily the most exciting things to haul. I’ll just summarise, so you aren’t entirely bored, so I got some trainer socks, normal socks AND bed socks that covered characters from Minnie Mouse, to Aladdin to Toy Story- they ranged in price from £2.50-£3.00. Even I can admit I potentially over-did it with Disney socks… and that is fine. To finish up, I bought an Aurora Face Mask (£3.00), Minnie Mouse Flip-Flops (£2.50) and a cute little Dumbo Comb (£2.00). These are just some cute little extras that make going on holiday extra special, especially walking round in my Minnie flip flops!

Hopefully you have enjoyed this haul! I know I’m not the best at them because of my poor camera skills- I just can’t get the cute flatlays going on. I’m hoping that this has given you some idea of what is in Primark at the moment in terms of Disney stuff and that you might want to have a look if you’re heading to a Disney park soon! I’ll be sure to do lots more Disney posts- especially ones on Disneyland Paris- including these items probably in some packing posts or something so stick around if you would enjoy those!

Amy

3 Recent Reads

I recently posted my Basic Girls Guide to: Getting into Reading which is something that I have been following myself, in order to make reading a regular habit. I have always enjoyed reading, but in recent years it has taken a back seat especially with my university degree and the rise of Netflix… making it difficult to stop binge-watching and pick up a book. I’ve found myself succeeding with it for about a month now, maybe a little longer and have managed to complete 3 books within that time. I thought I would share those books now, incase you’re looking for some recommendations! These are not necessarily new books and a couple featured in my 4 Autumn Reads but I just never ACTUALLY read them once I bought them. So I thought it would be a good idea to re-visit them and share my thoughts now that I’ve actually read them… enjoy!

‘It Only Happens in the Movies’ by Holly Bourne: This was the first book that really got me back into reading and I really enjoyed it! It’s a little bit of a slow-burner, but I felt that it was a good one to read a couple of chapters of before bed. This will definitely be a good one if you’re looking for a summer book to read by the pool! It’s essentially a girl meets boy YA Romance but he’s a bad boy and she has a very challenging home life. The characters are alright, Harry was a little unlikable, which is not usually how you feel towards the good looking lead. I’m not going to pretend like it was the best book ever AND it is very long, but it was an enjoyable read and I would look at Holly Bourne’s work in the future.

‘Under Rose-Tinted Skies’ by Louise Gornall: Now this is very, very much like Nicola Yoon’s ‘Everything, Everything’ which is one of my favourite books. In this one the girl suffers from agoraphobia, instead of the physical illness that Yoon’s character ‘has’ (spoiler!). I did enjoy this book quite a lot and I really loved the way that the author wrote about mental illness, she made it very immersive as a reader. It felt like we were really in her head and it helped develop a bond with the character. This book went by really quickly and I definitely enjoyed it, would recommend to a friend.

‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ by Heather Morris: Alright, this is very different from the other two books I have read recently. This is definitely not a YA chick-lit, but it does have a key romance element to it. This is a wonderfully written account of Lale and Gita, two characters who found love whilst working in Auschwitz. It’s based off actual, real life events and is such a poignant story. I really, really recommend this book even if it sounds like it will be too ‘heavy’, its the characters that make this story and their enduring love that makes this one that will stay with me long after reading it. I think that learning more about the Holocaust through stories like this allow it to feel very current and raw, because you’re learning through a person rather than a textbook. This is a book that I really feel we should all read.

Let me know any book recommendations below!

Amy

Drugstore Beauty Haul

Today I’m going to be sharing a few of the things I’ve recently picked up from Boots. I was initially just going to call this a ‘Boots Haul’ but then I thought if you’re from outside the UK you might be disappointed with the lack of shoes in this video. I did the usual thing when you go into Boots, just looking for the one thing and then you get sucked into the 3 for 2. Yep, that still happens to me. So I’ve got quite the selection to share, so enjoy…

SO, the main product I went to re-purchase was the Umberto Gianni No More Frizz Curl Serum (£8.00). As you know, this recently featured in my Beauty Product Empties post and is pretty much the only one that I was keen on getting again. It’s one of my favourite haircare products and I find that scrunching it in after a wash really helps define the curls. This is when I was sucked into the 3 for 2… it was actually difficult to choose because I would love to try SO much of their products. They do ranges that aren’t just focused on curly hair too but I don’t hear much about the brand online. I picked up the Umberto Gianni Coily Curls Moisture Conditioner (£8.00) which looks LOVELY and has a pump… this is not a drill. I feel super fancy with the pump conditioner and I’m excited to try a new one! Last of the bunch is Umberto Gianni Curl Scrunching Jelly (£7.00), I am unsure on how similar this is to the serum because from what I gather they do very similar things but just in a different way. I LOVE the smell of this whole range, it smells like a good looking man. They have basically bottled up, what I imagine, Chris Hemsworth smells like.

The last couple of bits I got were some new skincare to try! I went for a very well-loved product, that I am yet to give a proper go- the Pixi Glow Tonic, I went for the smaller size which was £10.00 but they do a bigger size for £18.00. I’ve recently finished up my Glossier Solution and I just didn’t feel like re-purchasing it, so I thought this looked like a good alternative and a reasonable price. I also got the Neurtogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Moisturiser that was on offer for £3.50, but is usually priced at £5.25. One of my besties recommended this range and I thought I would give the moisturiser a try. I love that its good for spots AND is pink AND fruity scented… usually we are stuck with ugly green or smelly tea tree- ugh. I’m really looking forward to giving this a try!

Hopefully you have enjoyed reading about some of my recent beauty purchases. I’m still unsure on the best way to translate hauls onto the blog in the best format… it’s a work in progress! If you want to see my future thoughts on these products I’ll either do an updated skincare routine, individual reviews or just always keep an eye on my monthly favourites!

Amy

Christmas Lush Haul 2018

LUSH is Christmas bath heaven. The shop becomes a hub for all things Christmas and it has such a nostalgic feel to it. To try and limit myself when it comes to Lush and Christmas I do the ‘4 Baths of Advent’- I know, I’m THAT girl. So every Sunday in Christmas you will find me in the most festive bath possible, listening to Christmas music and just being SOOO excited. I always have this in mind when I am buying from LUSH, so here are my supplies for my Christmas baths this year! This year I went into LUSH and NO- ONE helped me or spoke to me, it was unbelievable… so unlike them. Also I LOVE Snow Fairy- sweet bubblegum- scents, so that is something I really focus on when picking these products and a good festive design, which there weren’t many of this year.

Cherry Christmas Bath Bomb, £3.95: I am pretty sure this is a new one, and the only new one that really caught my eye to be honest. The new Christmas products haven’t done much for me and were a little disappointing, I prefer some of the older classics and less of the double bath bombs and jelly bombs- have you tried them? This one looked simple and has a nice snowflake design. It has a similar scent to the Comforter, which is a great year-round bubble bar, and is a gorgeous plum colour. I’m looking forward to giving this a go!

Shoot for the Stars Bath Bomb, £4.95: I feel like this one is a little underrated online, but it is SUCH a great one. If you like the year-round bath bomb called ‘Intergalactic’ then you’ll enjoy this because it has a less minty scent but creates a similar look in the water. It has stars in that are made of a body butter that float around in your bath and moisturise your skin too, which is appreciated during the wintertime. I know these bath bombs are expensive to just throw in, but I think they’re a nice Christmas treat.

Luxury Lush Pud Bath Bomb, £4.95: This has to be one of the prettiest Christmas bath bombs and I really only get this for the looks. I am not crazy about the scent, it is a little too fruity for me. Overall though I think the bright colours and festive design of this one really make it a worthwhile purchase. I really enjoyed using it last year and it makes a great rainbow effect in the bath.

Candy Mountain Yule Log Bubble Bar, £3.95: This is my absolute FAVOURITE Lush Christmas product. I have been buying it for years, and stock up on the shower gel ready for the year ahead. This year they have changed the design of this, I’m not a huge fan of the change, it is less festive and a bit more sophisticated. This is the only bubble bar I’ve gone for because I really like to treat myself to bath bombs over Christmas and add some plain bubble bath. I’m looking forward to seeing whether it creates as many bubbles though.

I really hope you have enjoyed this festive Lush haul and it has given you some inspiration for your Christmas lists or some gift ideas. They obviously have a much larger Christmas collection, these are just the ones that I really enjoy. I LOVE reading and watching Christmas Lush Hauls so do leave yours below- I would love a read. What is your favourite Lush Christmas scent and what festive bath bomb do you miss?! It has to be Snow Fairy and the Yog Nog  and Father Christmas bath bomb for me- they have bought Yog Nog back in a weird bubble bar/ soap kind of form, still has the gorgeous toffee scent though!

Amy

 

 

4 Autumn Reads

This is kind of a ‘books I’ve bought recently’/ TBR list post. I’m basically going to be sharing a few of the books that I am hoping to read throughout Autumn and they might give you some inspiration if you’re looking to get back into some good books. Obviously I can’t say if these books are good, but I have looked into them a little bit and I’m hoping that I will be able to recommend them in the future. These are mainly YA but there is a mix of romance, thriller and fantasy so I’m sure one of these will take your fancy. Autumn is a great time to get into reading, as the nights draw in and the weather gets cosier- there is no better way to get lost in a story.

Glass Sword, Victoria Aveyard: This is the second instalment of the ‘Red Queen’ series. It is a fantasy, Hunger Games-esque series and there are four in total. I am quite far into this book already but it has taken a while. It’s very complex with lots of different characters so I often have to re-read bits if I’ve missed it for a couple of days. I do like the series once I get into it, but it does take some time.

There’s Someone Inside your House, Stephanie Perkins: This book looks quite different to the normal  books I pick up as I am not usually into the thriller genre. I mean it is YA, so I’m hoping it can’t be too scary. This has been on my TBR list for ages so I’m really pleased to have finally picked it up!

It Only Happens in the Movies, Holly Bourne: I’ve heard quite a lot about this author as I think she is quite popular in the YA world. The cover of this book really sold me and the plot seems like the perfect rom-com, easy read. This is the type of thing I want to pick  up on the train and just get lost in for a while. I’m really looking forward to giving this a read!

Under Rose-tinted Skies, Louise Gornall: I hadn’t really seen much about this book but when I picked it up in Waterstones- I know I went to an actual bookshop, I hadn’t done that for AGES but I loved it. The pretty pink cover really drew me in- classic. When reading the blurb it reminded me of one of my favourite books- Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. If it is half as good as that then I’m in for a treat!

I know this post is a bit of an mixture of ‘book’ things but I’m hoping that it gave you some inspiration for your own TBR lists! The best way I’ll share my thoughts on these books is probably in my monthly favourite posts on the last Thursday of each month. So be sure to check them out to see my thoughts on them!

Amy

 

Beauty and Skincare Haul

I absolutely LOVE a haul! Throughout September that urge to shop just gets unbearable and I definitely caved throughout the last couple of weeks. I’ve tried to limit myself to a few little bits and thought I would share them in this little post. The make-up bits are from Boots and the skincare is from The Body Shop- both have got some great bits in at the moment! I’m sure I’ll be picking more bits up throughout Autumn, it’s a great time for shopping!

When looking for make-up I did that classic thing, going in for one thing and realising there is a 3 for 2 on… I’m sure they make you spend more than save! The main thing I went in to buy was a new blusher, the Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Gorgeous Berries, £8.99. It is a product I have had my eye on for AGES but I was always a bit sceptical about the product for the price- I could have spent a bit more money for a higher end blush. Anyway it is a really pretty, deeper shade and I am hoping to get a lot of wear out of it throughout Autumn. I also picked up the Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Rhubarb, £3.99… another nail polish, what a surprise! I hadn’t seen this shade before but it was almost like a muted plum- looks better than it sounds! I love the Gelly range and am always on the eye out for new additions that take my fancy. The last make-up product I picked up was my trusty Collection Lasting Perfection in Fair, £4.19. There isn’t much I can say about this one but you can never have enough of them- it’s a classic.

All of the skincare bits are from The Body Shop as they have had some great offers on recently, I bought these with 35% off. I had to re-purchase a Vitamin E Night Cream, £14.00 as it recently found its way into my Beauty Products: Empties. I couldn’t be without it for long, it is a really lovely moisturiser and I find my skin a lot plumper in the morning. I did pick up something new too, the Tea Tree Squeaky-Clean Scrub £7.50. I felt like my skincare routine was missing out on a proper exfoliant that really, really worked. I wanted one that I could really massage into my face and feel like it was cleaning my clogged pores- so I thought I would give this a try! The last thing I got was the Wild Argan Solid Oil Lips, £4.50. I aren’t tried this before but I was looking for a more ‘heavy duty’ lip cream to put on as a night treatment. I’m hoping this is as good as my KIKO night lip treatment as they’ve discontinued it!

One little extra thing I did pick up was the KIKO Lip Scrub Stick, £5.90. I recently talked about how I didn’t like the ‘pot’ lip scrubs from LUSH in my Beauty Products I Regret Buying post. Since then I have been on the hunt for one in stick form, it just saves the mess and I was hoping for a nicer scent. I found this one in KIKO, a really great beauty store, and am looking forward to seeing how this one works out!

Hopefully you enjoyed reading about some of the bits I have picked up recently- there was quite a mix. I am on such a shopping-hype at the moment, it’s kind of annoying because I tried my best to have some self-control throughout summer! Anyway, I’m sure these products will be worth it and I will definitely share my thoughts on them. The best way to see how these products work out is through my monthly favourites or sometimes I’ll do specific reviews- so give the blog a follow if you want to read some follow-up posts!

Amy

 

Drugstore Beauty Haul

Today I just thought I would share a good ol’ drugstore beauty haul and by ‘drugstore’ I just mean Boots. Hauls are some of my favourite things to watch on YouTube, I find them a little different in blog form. So I might do a couple more to try and find a format that I enjoy and think works best- let me know what you think too! This isn’t the biggest haul to start of with but I just wanted to share some of these recent purchases and test out this style. It’s also mainly basics because these are things I picked up before my holiday but hopefully it will give you some ideas for your own shopping lists!

One of the first things I picked up was the Imperial Leather Love Hearts Shower Cream (£1.00)… I know we are starting with a BANG! Seriously though I absolutely LOVE these shower gels and the scents are delicious. I’ve previously tried some of the other flavours so I’m looking forward to giving this a go- it’s a very pretty lilac too which helps when making the groundbreaking decisions about which shower gel to use! A couple of other essentials I picked up were two completely new ones for me and I’m really looking forward to giving them a go. They are the Lee Stafford Here Come the Curls Shampoo and Conditioner (£6.99)– pictured below. Honestly I picked these up on a bit of a whim and I wouldn’t typically do that for these slightly more pricey hair products- especially when I literally go through conditioner so quickly. I haven’t really heard anything about these products but I’m really looking forward to giving this new stuff a try!

Keeping on the hair theme I also picked up a new one of my favourite hair serum, that does its best to tame my curly frizzy mane! It’s the Umberto Gianni Anti-Frizz Curl Serum (£8.00) and this is actually my second one. I’ve done an in-depth review of this in my Frizz Fighting Saviour post where I discuss how I use it and why I love it. I know you probably don’t really want to hear about the other basics I bought like hair grips, nail polish remover and blister plasters- it’s got to be Compeed. So I’ll finish off with the Maybelline SuperStay 7 Days Gel Nail Polish in Magenta Surge (£4.49). I’ve tried two other Maybelline polishes in the past and I really like them, they’re both quite neutral shades so it will be interesting seeing how the formula works with a brighter pink.

I really hope you have enjoyed reading this post and seeing some of the recent things I have picked up in Boots. I know they’re not the most exciting things ever but I think it’s nice seeing what people have picked up… just because I’m nosey. If you want to see my further thoughts on any of these products once I’ve used them then I will tend to write reviews or include them in my monthly favourites- so stick around if you want to see whether I’ve enjoyed using them!

Amy