Recent Drugstore Make Up Purchases!

Hey Beauts,

Sometimes when I haven't spent money in a while, hauls like this happen. It's not necessarily something I am proud of, however most things here are something I have wanted to divulge in for a while now and deep down I am secretly so happy that I have spent the money on these beauts for myself. That is what life is. 

Essence Lip Liner in Cute Pink 07 & Maybelline ColorSensational in Mauve Mania 342
Essence Lip Liner in Femme Fatale 14 & Revlon Ultra HD in Gladiolus 875

Revlon Colorburst in Striking 240 - Vivacious 120 - Crush 005

Bourjois Blush in Golden Lilac 33 - Bourjois Bronzing Powder in 52

It all started one night whilst picking up a few cleaning essentials whilst in Wilkos. I passed the Collection stand and noticed they actually had their fair shade of the lasting perfection concealer in stock. Without hesitation I popped two of them into my basket and one of the cool medium shade as they were on 3 for 2. At £4.18 each, I couldn't complain but these have for sure gotten more expensive over the years. Whilst there I also decided on the two Essence lip liners at a steal of £1 each.

The next day I somehow ended up at Boots and bought the rest of this haul. The Revlon ColorBurst Balms are something I have been lusting over for well over a year now. They always seem to be on 3 for 2 and the two shades 120 & 005 have never been in stock at the same time. So when I found that they were, I was over the moon and at £7.99 each I can definatly say they are well worth the money. I also could not stop staring at the Revlon Ultra HD lipstick (£7.99) in this stunning red shade which smells amazingly of vanilla. 

Still speaking of lipsticks, I wanted to find a lovely mauve/taupe colour to go with my new Essence lip liner and so I decided upon a Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick (£8.99) and whilst there I also couldn't resist picking up a SuperStay 24 Color Lippy (£8.99) as they stay on super well and I just love lipsticks. Plus Maybelline were on 3 for 2 also and I needed a new Lash Sensational (£7.99) In black.

Lastly, I decided to pick up a few face products. I really wanted to try a drugstore bronzer and I've only ever heard great things about the Bourjois bronzing powder (£7.99) and threw it in my basket without hesitation. Still at Bourjois, I spotted this beautiful little round pot blusher (£7.99) and thought it would be a perfect dupe for my beloved (& running out) NARS Orgasm blusher. I then decided this wouldn't be a complete haul without a new foundation so I settled on the Rimmel Match Perfection in 100 Ivory at £7.99. Being there I remembered I actually needed a new Stay Matte Powder in 003 Peach Glow as my current one smashed and so grabbed it at a steal of £3.99.

And that was my haul. What have you been buying lately? Have you tried any of these products? & What do you think of them? I would love to hear all of your thoughts and opinions down in the comments below. Remember if you aren't already and would like to be - You can follow on BlogLovin' and GFC so you don't miss out on any future posts.

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain Review!

Hey Beauts,

Browsing the shelves of Boots is always a bad idea. You find things that you didn't need - especially when you have no money - And for some strange reason you end up taking all of these exciting new finds to the till and pay for them. Despite not needing them. It's a strange world we live in, but nonetheless this is how you find amazing products.

I have no idea why I decided to pick 005 Parisian Paris (£7.99) up when Summer is well and truly well under way. The deepness of the shade is very daring and maybe it's because I want to be confident enough to wear it when Autumn comes around. But for whatever reason, I am sure I will be loving it by November and the colour is beautiful. However, 015 Barcelona Nights is a stunning bright pink that I have been rocking a lot over the past few weeks! When first applied I really am not a fan of this product. The colour is left streaky and I'm not a fan of lip gloss as my hair always gets stuck in it and I end up with lipgloss all up my cheeks. But once the lipgloss has worn off, I am in love with these. A beautiful colour stains the lips (hence the name of the products) and leaves a vibrant colour that stains your lips for a good majority of the working day. The scent of these are quite chemically but it isn't so overpowering that you can smell them whilst applying the stain. 

Overall, I would have to say that this product has a lot of pros and cons. Despite the cons though, these are actually a great product. The colour selection available for these I would say is quite small and similar, however I cannot wait to pick up a red and/or coral shade to add the my collection. Do you own any of these Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stains? What do you think of them? Do you agree that the colour is a bit streaky when applied? Let me know in the comments below, I love reading your comments and thoughts. If you aren't already and you'd like to, remember to follow on GFC and BlogLovin' so you don't miss out on future posts.

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Nail Polish Haul!

Hey Beauts,

So I'm not quite sure if every university has this, but at Derby they have little stalls in the main hub of the building and from time to time they have a make-up / nail polish stall. Being a sucker for reduced priced products I always get dragged over and end up with a little something in my hands. So here is a mini haul of what I picked up this time! 

Now there is a slight story behind Mavala nail polish as when I was younger and my mum used to buy them, she would always tell me that I wasn't allowed to use that brand of her nail polish as it was super expensive and a treat for herself. So obviously it is now stuck in my head as being a very high end product. So when I saw Mavala nail polishes on this stand for £2 each I thought 'get in!' and picked up these three shades in 335 Pacific Blue, 176 Racing Green and 202 Music Hall which was especially for my mum as she loves a good red nail polish. I also picked up this beautiful red Revlon nail polish for mummabear too, but unfortunatly the writing had all been rubbed off, so I don't exactly know what colour it is, but when I opened it, there was no nail polish around the lid of the bottle so I could tell it hadn't been used before. It has super fine gold shimmers in though and was especially gorgeous knowing it was only £3!

Next up I picked some Rimmel polishes (from left to right) Space Dust - Shooting Star, 60 Seconds - Out of the Blue, Precious Stones - Diamond Dust and 60 Seconds - Green with Envy. I love anything blue or glittery and sparkling on my finger nails as it is such a pretty colour to look at :) Green with Envy was actually bought for nostalgia purposes as it was the first nail polish I purchased with my own money. These again were £2 each and such a bargain! I just couldn't resist!

I hope you all enjoyed this mini nail polish haul. What kind of colours do you like to wear on your nails and what makes you smile when you glance at them? Comment below to let me know and I will customise future nail polish tutorials to your favourite colours. Remember to follow on GFC and Blog Lovin' so you don't miss out on future posts and I will speak to you again soon! 

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Mid-Month Must Haves January 2014

Hey Beauts,

Usually 'favourite' posts are done at the end of the month and don't get me wrong - I love reading them - It's just by the twentieth one, I usually get a tad bored. So I thought I'd do mine half way through the month to keep you going! 

First off I'll mention my make-up picks. Just because I'm so excited to! I've discovered some great products since Christmas! :D 

Brave Red - MAC Lipstick! (RRP: £15) This is my favourite, favourite, favourite red lipstick by far! I love the creamy-ness it has, I love the shine it gives off and it just applies really well like any other MAC lipstick does. It stays on for quite a while too considering how creamy it is and for that I love it! Perfect for winter time too.

Strawberry Shortcake - Revlon Lip Butter! (RRP:£ 7.99) The Revlon lip butters are a new discovery for me this month. I finally decided to jump on the band wagon. They are great formulas that apply to the lips so well and last a really long time for the price. I don't really like the nude lip and it washes me out so I picked up this colour that has a little bit of pink to it.

Sorbet - Revlon Lip Butter! (RRP: £7.99) Same as before! I wanted to try a bright pink shade and picked up this! I'm working towards being confident enough to wear it on it's own but I do like to add a bit of Strawberry shortcake on top to dull the brightness down slightly and have been loving this combination.

Telescopic - L'oreal Mascara! (RRP: £10.99) This is just an all time favourite. I haven't worn this in easily five years and bought it on a whim for nostalgic reasons a couple of weeks ago and I have been loving it. I've even forgotten about wearing my other mascaras!

NC20 - MAC Prolongwear Concealer! (RRP: £15.50) I'd heard so many great reviews on this product online so I just popped into a MAC store, asked them to pair me up and somehow I ended up walking out with this. I don't know how it happened, but it did...And now my bank balance hates me. It applies so well, it covers blemishes easily and it hides the bags under my eyes!

Coconut - The Body Shop Lip Butter! (RRP: £4.00) I've loved this product forever and ever and I rediscovered it this month. It soaks into your lips so easily, tastes good, smells good and leaves my lips soft.

Stippling Brush - Real Techniques! (RRP :£11.99) So I splurged on some real techniques brushes this month and this has been by far my favourite to apply foundation. It leaves foundation looking natural and smooth and I just think it's great

So now we move on to face, body and hair products! 

BIG Seat Salt Shampoo - LUSH! (RRP: £11.50) Review here I do have a full review on this product, but I really am in love with it. I don't have to wash my hair for four days when using this and it smells of sweets. It does tangle and dry my hair out quite a bit but when it's dry it is so soft and silky. Miracle product. 

Korres Pomegranate Moisturising Cream Gel! (RRP: £19.00) Review here Again I have done a full review on this too. It leaves my skin feeling fresh and hydrated without leaving my skin oily!

Coconut Body Butter - The Body Shop! (RRP: £13.00) I was given this as a Christmas present a couple of years ago and never used it as I don't really like the feeling that cream leaves on your skin. So the other night I just decided to try it! I didn't leave the creamy feeling on my skin at all and my skin soaked it all up lovely. The smell lingered for quite a while too which is very pleasant when I'm wearing coconut body spray that day too! 

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Ceanser Starter Kit! (RRP: £14.75) This stuff is amazing. Seriously. I was sceptical after the buzz that surrounds this product online and within the blogging community and one day I took the plunge and purchased it. I do not regret it. It makes my skin feel lovely and clean, it doesn't sting my eyes at all (and I have quite sensitive eyes), it foams up lovely, doesn't dry my skin out, reduces redness, reduces break outs and cleans up blackheads quite well. Miracle product indeed! 

Agadir Argan Oil! (RRP: £17.50) It makes my hair shiney and soft and just smells nice! Not much to say except that!

Soap & Glory Smoothie Star The Breakfast Scrub! (RRP: £8.00) My mouth waters every time I open this product. It just smells like maple syrup and pancakes, it's gorgeous! I don't have to use much either and it goes a long way! My skin is left beautifully soft and my mouth waters every time I use it. Did I mention that my mouth waters every time I use it? Well it does! Yum!

How about some fun random little Mid-Month Must Haves?

Favourite Song: Pitbull Ft. Ke$ha - Timber! This song just gives me energy and makes me happy! I love how it's got a hoedown feel to it too! It really does make me happy though! Great song!

Favourite Film: Iron Man 3! I watched the whole Iron Man series a week ago and I love it! He's the best super hero by far and I really love the third one in the series - Although I think the first one maybe my all time favourite Iron Man film.

Favourite App: Tiny Tower! I'm addicted. Currently on floor 136. You can get it on iPhone and Android. It's addictive. But get it, it's awesome! 

Favourite Blog: Chelsea Leigh Beauty! I'm really loving this girls blog! She started back in 2012 and deserves a lot more followers so check her out! Her posts are really easy to read and I get that added excitement when a new blog post pops up from her on Bloglovin'.

If you like the idea of 'Mid-Month Must Haves' leave your opinions down below! I thought It was a good idea but we know I'm crazy! Are there any products here that you are in love with too? Or any that you really don't get along with? Tell me! I love to hear your opinions and remember to follow on GFC so you don't miss out on anything!

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Face of the Day! 15/01/2014

Hey Beauts,

So today I'm bringing you another little FOTD! I did an all-nighter last night so hopefully you can't tell with this make-up.

On my skin I have used MAC Mineralize foundation SPF15 in NW15, MAC Prolongwear concealer in NW20, Rimmel Stay Matte powder in 003 Peach Glow and 17 Blusher in First Kiss.

On my eyes I primed with Urban Decay's Primer potion and the eyeshadows are all from the Naked 3 palette. Strange as an inner corner and brow bone highlight, Burnout on the lid, A dash of Dust on the middle of the lid, Nooner in the crease and factory in the outer corner. I also used factory to smudge across the bottom lash line, BeautyUK's White shadow stick to line the water line and L'oreal's Telescopic mascara on both top and bottom lashes.

On my lips is A mix of Revlon Lip Butters in 053 - Sorbet with 080 - Strawberry Shortcake on top.

Finally my hair is just straightened from last night.

It's not the best, but this is what happens when I'm in a rush to get ready! :)]

So here are the mandatory 'LOL I'M TAKING PHOTO'S OF MYSELF, LET'S GET CARRIED AWAY HAHAHAHA......' Photo's that really do make me smile! 

So yeah! I'm really bad at applying blush so If you have any tips or tricks please tell me down below or link me to your blog posts explaining easy techniques! I can never get it right! If you enjoyed this post and would like to read more, remember to follow on GFC! :)

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Recent Nail Polishes - Review!

Hey Beauts,

Yesterday I posted a 'Nails of the Day' post and today I thought I'd give you a little review of the polishes that I used. I have used all of these polishes quite a bit over the past few weeks so I've definatly had enough time to formulate my opinions on these formulas.

From left to right we have Revlon nail enamel in 761 Scandalous, No7 Stay Perfect in Totally Teal, Barry M Nail Paint in 347, No7 Stay perfect in Vivid Violet and finally Sally Hansen complete salon manicure in 675 Mermaid's tale.

So first up is No7 Stay Perfect. I absolutely love this line of nail polishes and truly think that they are completely underrated! The formula is not to thick and glides onto the nails effortlessly, full opacity is achieved in two coats which is pretty much the same as any other nail polish these days and the colours are absolutely gorgeous! Here you can see Totally Teal to the left and Vivid Violet on the right. I was given these two shades in a miniatures gift set for Christmas but I owned Totally Teal in full size previously and used it up completely. The only thing I don't like about these polishes is that the brushes are thinner in the miniatures than in the full size bottles. However, the brushes are perfect in the full size (RRP: £7 EA)

Next up is Sally Hansen complete salon manicure in Mermaid's Tale (RRP: £6.99). In my opinion this nail polish has the best name out of my complete collection of nail polishes and is one of the most gorgeous shades in my collection. Let's face it, this is my most favourite nail polish I own. The formula is perfect, the glitter shows perfectly and the brush is lovely and big! This polish works best with a similar colour painted down first with this on top, however full opacity can be achieved with just this colour but it does take about 5 coats. I really love that this isn't just a blue coloured polish and contains lots of green specks to break up the blue and add a bit of dimension to the nail. Revlon nail enamel in 761 Scandalous (RRP: £6.49) is a very similar nail polish but in all purple. Although this polish contains a lot more finer glitter and more of it is put on the nail in one stroke. Full opacity with this colour can be achieve in only 3 coats but I personally like it better when on top of a similar purple shade. The only down side to this polish is that it leaves a very dull finish to your nails but a mega-shine top coat fixed that easily.

Finally we have Barry M Nail Paint in 347 (RRP: £2.99). Now I'm just going to say that it really let's me down when companies don't come up with inventive names for their nail polishes. If a nail polish has a beautiful name, I am definatly more inclined to buy it. For example, this could be called 'Innocent Fantasy' or 'Shimmering Lights', But it's not, it's called 347 (Okay, rant over).  This polish was limited edition, but I do love it. It applies a perfect amount of glitter to the nail in one coat which is perfect to add to an accent nail. It is quite a 'gloopy' polish but still applies to the nail evenly and the brush is average, a bit on the smaller side but again, dispenses a perfect amount of polish to the nail. For £2.99, I am not complaining and as this is the first Barry M Nail Paint I have owned, I am completely won over and will have to purchase more of these in the near future! 

Again Beauts, I cannot express how happy it makes me - Seeing the amount of followers I have on GFC and Bloglovin' really makes me happy - I think my boyfriend is getting annoyed with me saying 'look, LOOK, another one!' So thank you, really! I Love you guys! <3 

  Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Nails of the day! 07/01/2014

Hey Beauts!

I've not got much free time today so I thought I'd post a quick nails of the day post for you!
So something that you won't really know about me so far (unless you already follow me on Tumblr, Instagram or Twitter) Is that I really, really, really love to paint my finger nails! It's so calming and relaxing, mostly because you have to go so slow to achieve such a beautiful polished look (Haha, did you see what I did there?). Today I have Blue on one hand and purple on the other! I love, love, love painting my nails - Even more than make-up! 

On the thumbs and pinky fingers I have the No7 polishes with the chunky glitter on top respectively and then on the ring fingers I have the same, with the silver glitter on top. On the pointer finger I just have the chunky glitter polishes on their own - which took a few extra coats for full opacity and on the middle fingers are just the No7 polishes. Of course I have used base and top coats - Collection 2000 2in1 base coat (I found it in the back of my chest so I thought I'd give it some life) and then Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat! 

Hope you enjoyed this quick post - I really do love painting my nails so there will definatly be more posts like this in the future and reviews! :)

I'd just like to say also that I am very, very, very happy that you take the time out of your day to read, comment and follow this blog on GFC (&BlogLovin') Sometimes I just sit there clicking refresh to watch the numbers go up. Thanks Beauts! <3

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Beauty haulin'

Hey Beauts, 

So today I've got all the  beauty bits of the haul from yesterday's post. Seen as how I'm quite new to this blogging sphere I thought I would pick up a few cult favourites that I've seen quite a few reviews on! So first up, I headed to the best place to have fun - Boots! 

I went in specifically to get the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. I think I've only ever read one bad review about this product and that was because it made their skin dry, but she had dry skin anyway so this cleanser wouldn't be useful for her. Every other review has been fantastic, so why not pick it up? It came with two muslin cloths all in a cute little bag which could easily be used as a travel make-up bag (RRP: £14.75). Whilst there I needed some heat spray so I picked up the one I always buy, the TRESemme heat defence! I Love this stuff. After using is, my hair is always so soft and protected from all the heat tools I put my hair through. It was on offer 'Two TRESemme products for £7' I would have got another heat defence spray excepft this was the last one and there wasn't much choice left on the shelve, so I just picked up this mousse. I've used it once already and to be honest with you, I'm not really a fan of it. So following this, I went to check out the make-up.

The reason I picked up the Telescopic mascara (RRP: £10.99) was pretty much for nostalgic purposes. This was the first ever mascara I 'borrowed' off of my mummabear on a daily basis before school. I absolutely loved this stuff, so I bought it again to see if it is still as good as I remember it being.

I then decided to jump on the bandwagon (very late I might add) and purchase a few Revlon lip butters. These are great! On offer at 2 for £10 I bought the shades 080 - Strawberry Shortcake which is a beautiful soft pink shade and 053 - Sorbet which is a bright pink shade. The best thing about these is because they are so creamy they don't go on as bright as they look. If you are a little timid towards brighter shades, you think you're wearing a brighter shade than what it looks like on your lips, slowly helping you on your way to brighter lip confidence! As for the nail polishes, they were £5.99 on offer for buy one get one half price. The beige one is in the shade 60 - Midnight Bronze and the pink one is in the shade 105 - Dusky Rose. I haven't tried these out yet so I can't give a proper review, but the shades are stunning in the bottle and I really hope the colour transfers well to the nail.

Next up; Superdrug

I went in specifically to pick up a sleek blush. Doing just that, I picked up 923 - Pomegranate (RRP: £4.49), A beautiful dusky rose colour which would be perfect for the Autumn/Winter months. It's a bit late now so hopefully I can get some use out of it before winters over. Whilst in Boots I was suppose to pick up a nail buffer but forgot so I just picked this one up instead. And lastly I thought I'd try the BeautyUK eye liner and shadow in black and white because I'm on the hunt for some drugstore eye liners that work really well! 

Here are some swatches from left to right;

BeautyUK eye liner in Black

BeautyUK eye shadow in White

Revlon lip butter in 053 Sorbet

Revlon lip butter in 080 Strawberry Shortcake

Sleek blush in 923 Pomegranate

Following this I thought I'd check out the Victoria's Secret body Sprays. 3 for £24 or 5 for £30. Being a sucker for scents I chose the 5 for £30 option! 

Pure Seduction! 

A fruity, floral fragrance. Entice in Pure Seduction, a passionate romance of succulent red plum and sweet freesia.

Vanilla Lace! 

A seductive warm fragrance. Feel sensual in Vanilla Lace, a seductive veil of warm vanilla and sultry musk

Midnight Dare! 

Be bold in Midnight Dare, A vivacious blend of juicy raspberry and tempting sandalwood. 

Coconut Passion! 

A seductive warm fragrance. Seduce with Coconut Passion, a rendezvous of rich vanilla and warm coconut.

Mango Temptation! 

Now this fragrance is by far my favourite scent.

A tempting, fuity fragrance. Tease in Mango Temptation, an exotic kiss of mango nectar and sexy hibiscus.

Some little treats there if I do say so myself. I recommenced these fully based on the wide range on scents Victoria's Secret do, there is something for everyone! 

I went into TK MAXX next to see if I could stumble upon any little treasures and I think I did! I picked up the staple Agadir Argan oil hair treatment for £10 and a pot of Korres Pomegranate Moisturising Cream-Gel for £9.99! 

Now for my favourite part of the trip (After lunch at Nando's) I went into LUSH! I love LUSH, the scent, the products, the scent (and did I mention the scent?). I Picked up these four things after originally only going in to pick up Ocean Salt. The people in the shop weren't that helpful for once so I just sauntered around picking up everything and trying it out for myself. The bee (Named Fred) was the first thing I picked up. He was £8.55 and contains a bar of Honey I Washed the Kids soap (the best soap) and a Honey Bee Bath Ballstic which I've never tried before but only heard good things about! I then went over and picked up the Ocean Salt seen as though that's what I went in for when a sales assistant tried to talk me into something cheaper! Following the salty theme I picked up BIG. My hair is quite limp at the moment and doesn't really hold much volume so I thought why not? And popped it into my basket. On the way to the till I picked up Whoosh, smelt it and popped that to into my basket without knowing how much it was. Afterwards I was thinking 'why did I pay £6,95 for some shower gel' But I used it last night and hardly any was used, so I think that will take ages to use up and will definatly be worth the money, especially with the beautiful citrusy scent it gives off! 

Now for the final part of the trip. MAC.

This for me was an absolute achievement. I actually asked one of the ladies to match my skin to a foundation shade (Hallelujah!) I'm always so nervous in MAC. I ended up being NC15 in the mineralize foundation (RRP: £27) and NC20 in the pro longwear concealer (RRP: £15.50).

I'm so happy with the purchases I made, as I never go out and shop like this. My student loan came in this day and that's how I managed to pay for all this. Living at home has it's advantages sometimes!

In the next few weeks I will bring you reviews of some of these products if I discover that there worth mentioning! Untill next time,

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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