Bargain Of The Fortnight #4: Boxing Day Haul

It seems like this feature had an unintended break. Oops! Now the festive season is nearly over normal schedule will return.
On Boxing Day I got up bright and early to go to the sales. It was so hectic but worth it because I'm very happy with all the bargains I got. Here they are!

Soap and Glory Glow Business Set £30 £15:

This includes the Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser (£10), You Wont Believe Your Eyes Serum (£10.50) and Bright Here Bright Now Radiance Balm (£11). I'm very happy with this purchase as I needed a new eye cream and a hot cloth cleanser. Considering how much these products cost each and how pretty the tub will look in my room it was an amazing bargain. I can't way to see if it perks up my dull skin!

Sanctuary Spa Gift Set £20 £10:

I picked up this gift set for my Mum because she loves Sanctuary products. It contains a body wash, body scrub, bath soak, body lotion  body butter and hand cream. The body wash and body butter are full size and the rest are minis.

                                                               

Vera Wang Princess Eau De Toilette Gift Set £34 £22:

Sorry for the stock photo! I ordered this online from Boots on Christmas Eve (ridiculous I know) for store pick up so I have to wait until New Years Eve to pick it up. I got a sample of this in the Manchester meet up goody bag and  have been using it almost everyday. I love that it lasts literally all day which is pretty rare for a perfume never mind an Eau De Toilette. Normally I'd never have considered this but that's the beauty of samples.

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel, Party Popper Bath Bomb and Golden Wonder Bath Bomb

All this came to £6.24! All the Christmas products were half price and as soon as I payed at the till I wished I'd gotten more.  Zoella has raved about Snow Fairy shower gel before so I decided to pick it up. It smells like pear drops! I love Lush but this is the first time I've tried their bath bombs because I thought they are expensive and I  thought I wouldn't like bath bombs . Last night I used the Party Popper and I am converted. This could be the start of an obsession!

Topshop Cut Out Cross Dress £38 £15

It was so hard to photograph this dress! It is a silver grey colour with a gorgeous gold metallic sheen.The photo is the back of the dress otherwise it would be very revealing! It has a gorgeous cut out cross detail on the back. I may do an outfit post because it looks so much better on.

Topshop Checked Shirt £32 £18

To be honest £18 isn't really a bargain but I've been wanting a checked shirt for ages and the colour and fit of this is perfect. It has cute gem like studs on the shoulders and it is soft material. Perfect for a comfy college outfit.

Did you get any good bargains in the sales?

Thanks for reading!x

What I Got For Christmas!

As I'm a very nosey person I love seeing what everyone else got for Christmas. This year I was lucky enough to be treated to some lovely presents from family and friends. Of course this is in no way bragging and I am extremely grateful for everything I have received.

Lush Moustache Bubble bar, Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly

Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion Mascara

Elf Eyeshadow Brush, Foundation Brush, Mist and Set Spray

Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch, Grape Vine and Cherry Me

Topshop Oh La La Lipstick

Stila Lipgloss Set

Benefit Erase Paste

Elle Make Up Bags

Bohoo Slimfit Onzie and Amazon Goat Hot Water Bottle

FUJIFILM FinePix HS30 Bridge Digital Camera

The camera was my main present of my parents and I'm over the moon with it. I had to pay £150 towards it which I got from College for the voluntary work I do. This is the most expensive portable thing I own!

What did you get for Christmas?

Thanks for reading!x

Festive(ish) Nails Of The Week

Recently lots of bloggers have been posting pictures of amazing Christmas nail art and I wish I had the patience or the skill to do that but I really don't. Instead I used Essie All Tied up which I was lucky enough to win in a giveaway from Lauren. Its a lovely brown toned pink with some slight gold shimmer but to make the nails more festive I added a lot of a H&M gold glitter top coat. You can never have too much glitter at Christmas time!

Sorry for not posting for so long! I've been really busy with festive things and it's so hard to find time in day light to take pictures.

Thanks for reading & Merry Christmas!x

Nivea Express Hydration Primer Review

When it first came out there was a massive hype about the Nivea Express Hydration Primer in the blogging sphere. Conveniently my moisturiser ran out at the same time so I picked it up instead of a normal moisturiser and after a month of use I have pretty mixed feelings about it.

In case you don't know this is basically a primer and moisturiser in one. It is fantastic for using in the morning when you are in a rush because it absorbs instantly. I love the fact I don't have to wait for moisturiser to sink in because I'm always running late. It's very moisturising and leaves a nice smooth base for make up but I can't tell if it makes my make up last longer. However it has a thick gel texture so when it is first applied to the face and rubbed in it feels very greasy but this doesn't last for too long. It still makes the application pretty unpleasant in my opinion.

The fact it is a tub rather than a tube makes it much easier to get the exact amount out and avoid waste. But the glass tub is very heavy which means it isn't great for travel. It seems a bit daft because surely a two in one products is meant to be perfect for saving space when travelling! It does only costs £5 which is cheap especially considering you're saving money not buying a primer too.

Overall I think this product is okay but it does have disadvantages. When it runs out I don't think I will repurchase it mainly because it feels so greasy when I first put it on. I really want to love it but its not quite there yet Nivea!

Have you tried this? What do you think?

 Thanks for reading!x

Oxfam Charity Gifts

Today's post is a bit different from the usual because it isn't fashion or beauty related. I wanted to tell you about Oxfam's Charity Gift schemes.

The idea behind this is instead of buying someone a Christmas present that they don't really need you buy people in poverty a present instead. This can range from a share in a farm yard, a goat or safe drinking water. The prices range from as little as £5 to £100 with lots of prices in-between so it is suitable no matter your budget.  When you have bought the gift you get a card with more information and it can be personalised. This can be sent directly to their house or to you to put under the Christmas tree so they still get a present to open on Christmas day.

During Christmas it is so easy to get consumed by materialistic desires for things we don't really want or need. Your money can make a huge difference to peoples lives and after all it is the Christmas spirit to help others. This is the perfect present for the person who has everything or the person that is famously hard to buy for (Dads I am looking at you). Plus it is pretty impressive to tell people you got someone a goat for Christmas!

To see the full range of presents and prices click here for the Oxfam website.

What do you think of this scheme? Have you bough anything from it before?

Thanks for reading!x

Mac Lipstick Collection

Today I am doing a Mac Lipstick collection post because I love seeing what colours everyone else has. There is such a huge colour range it can be over whelming when you're at the counter. Back when I was a young whipper-snapper  I was so scared to get a Mac lipstick for the first time because all the formula's and colours confused me. Aww bless. I only own four Mac lipsticks which is nothing compared to some people who have a ridiculous amount.  Four is enough to call it a collection at least!

Creme Cup was my first ever Mac lipstick. The colour is a wearable everyday pink with blue tones which makes your teeth look whiter. It is a cremesheen which is my favourite. It's so creamy and glossy looking but it only lasts a couple of hours. In the bullet it has a gorgeous sweet almost fudge smell! When it runs out, which properly wont be too long as I use it so much, I will definitely repurchase it.

Next up is Please Me which is a matte finish. I love the way matte lipsticks look. It still as a creamy texture and it isn't drying. Out of all of them this is properly my least favourite. It is a lovely colour but it doesn't have the same wow factor. If you're on a budget Pink Pout from Revlon is a great dupe for it.

Russian Red is another matte lipstick. I once worse this for a night out and didn't even need to touch it up the whole night. Impressive! I love the berry tone to this that stops it from being a super harsh colour. Like any red lipstick it definitely needs to be applied with a lip brush first to stop it looking messy. This lipstick is a sort of special to me because I got it to celebrate getting my braces off!

Last but not least is Full Speed. It is part of the sheen supreme range hence the different packaging which I hate because the lid is a bugger to get off! The formulation isn't quite as smooth as a cremesheen but it lasts for much longer. The bright coral colour is gorgeous and very pigmented.

Do you own any Mac lipsticks? What is your favourite?

Thanks for reading!x

The Perfect Contour

Finding the perfect contour products can be difficult. But I have found the best contour powder for only £5! Let me introduce you to the NYX Blush in Taupe.

I've been using this for a while now after seeing EssieButton rave about it. It has an ashy colouring which makes it perfect for less harsh contour. Using bronzer can cause an orange look particularly for people as pale as me. I apply this with the Real Techniques contour brush underneath my cheek bones, up to my temple and just below my jawline.The blush blends like a dream. It has good pigmentation without being so pigmented it is difficult to work with. The only down side to it is the packaging is pretty awful. It looks cheap, the writing is fading off and it's a nail chipper to open. It only costs £5.50 from the NYX UK website or $6 in the US which is an absolute bargain. If you are on the hunt for the perfect contour powder for pale skin then this is it. 

Do you like to contour? What do you use?

Thanks for reading!x