Recent Purchases

Hello! Prepare for a big’un…

I thought I’d share with you what I’ve bought recently, a few of which are repurchases and some are total game changers that I’ll DEFINITELY be buying again! Let’s do this!

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24hr

I bought this from Boots for £7.99. I’m not the best at liquid liner – I can do it well enough, but it never looks perfect and my eyes NEVER look even which bugs the hell out of me! However…..! This gel eyeliner may well have solved those uneven woes. Using a brush is somehow much easier than a liquid liner tip so hopefully my winged liner will look much much better from now on! Love it so far!

Kallo Organic Belgian Chocolate Rice Cake Thins

These are £1.99 from Holland & Barratt and soooo tasty! I’ve only ever eaten dry rice cakes – like snackajacks or the ones that taste like marmite – so these chocolate coated rice thins were something I was intrigued by. They’re 56 calories and 2.6g of fat (if you’re interested in that kinda thing) per thin, which by Rosemary Conley standards is perfectly acceptable! I really like them for a tasty, healthier treat. They still have that delightful polystyrene texture that other rice cakes have, but the chocolate makes them pretty yummy. I probably won’t buy them again, but for this pack, they’ll do nicely.

Passion Peel Off and Very Berry Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks

These were on offer in Boots – 4 for £3 – and I loved the Passion Peel Off mask last time I tried it, so ideally just wanted 4 of those. Alas, there were only 3 left so I bought the Very Berry on a whim. I’ll see how it is, but I prefer face masks that do something witchy. By witchy I mean like a magic trick – peeling off, warming your face, changing colour – something interesting and fun. Yep, it’s definitely the little things with this chick.

The Porefessional and Stay Flawless by Benefit

These two are definite game changing products; my beauty prayers have been answered! I was getting so sick of visible pores which are probably an after effect of suffering from bad skin (post here) and I didn’t know what to do to get rid of them. Whilst I continue to find the cure, I’ve definite found the product to at least hide them and minimize their appearance – The Porefessional! It’s brilliant stuff. It’s very lightweight and leaves the area feel silky smooth. I bought it from Debenhams for £24.50 which IS expensive, but like with all Benefit cosmetics, they last a really long time so they’re great value for money in my humble opinion.

After using up a tube of face primer from 17, I was looking for something slightly more sophisticated and long lasting. I had tried this primer back in Spring after I was given a promotional sample before its release and I fell in love with it there and then. It’s not greasy and really does help my slap to stay put. Whether it lasts 15hrs or not is another matter – I’m rarely awake for 15hrs in a day so I wouldn’t know, haha! This was also £24.50 from Debenhams.

Botanics Essential 100% Tea Tree Oil and Studex After Piercing Lotion

So, I unfortunately got the dreaded nose piercing bump last week – NIGHTMARE. I needed something to get rid of it pronto and my sister recommended tea tree oil and the Studex solution. I ordered the Studex from amazon.co.uk for about £4.99 and then bought the tea tree from Boots for about £3 maybe… I can’t find it online so that’s a total guess, apologies for any misinformation. Cleaning the bump with these two consecutively twice a day has really done the trick. If you try this too, just be careful with the tea tree as it can irritate and dry out your skin.

OPI and Nails Inc Nail Polishes

After seeing Tanya Burr wearing OPI’s “A Grape Fit”, I HAD to buy it! Such a beautiful colour and only requires 2 coats for a really even finish. I got this on amazon.co.uk for £8.99.

I also got a Nails Inc polish free with Elle Magazine this month in the shade New York Noir which is part of the Kate Spade New York range. Haven’t tried it yet but it’s a great moody autumn/winter colour. It will be perfect for the days my inner Goth girl creeps out.

Eucerin Aquaphor, Benefit Hoola Lipgloss, Rimmel London Apocolips Lip Lacquer and Carmex Moisture Plus

Aquaphor is a GOD SEND for anyone who suffers from very dry or perhaps cracked skin. I use this mostly on chapped lips, but also on my hands at night if they start to crack during the colder months. It’s thicker than Vaseline, but much less greasy. I got this on amazon.co.uk for £8.20. A tube of this goes a reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaally long way though as you only need a tiny amount which lasts hours.

The Benefit Hoola Liplgoss was another magazine freebie, this time for Glamour. I get so excited when Glamour has their Benefit giveaways, being a really big fan. I chose Hoola because I don’t have it yet. It’s very balmy, not sticky like other lipglosses can be and it’s a really lovely coppery nude colour.

I’ve already reviewed the Rimmel Apocolips – you can find that post here.

I’m a big fan of Carmex lipbalms, especially at this time of year when my lips get really dry and flaky (such a sexy little image for you all!) so I tend to have one these in my bag whenever I go out. This is a new product I decided to try though as it has a sheer pink hue to it, which is very subtle but pretty. Same moisturising lipbalm, just a little bit more girly! This was £4.49 in Boots.

Garnier Eye Roll-On, No7 Calm Skin Balm and Rimmel London Hide the Blemish Concealer

Like visible pores, I had also had enough of dark circles and a red face! Being so fair, blemishes and redness seem to show up like beacons on my face. Last time I had my eyebrows waxed the technician kept asking if I was ok because it went so red, very embarrassing particularly as I was COMPLETELY FINE! A friend I met during my brief stint at uni bought a caffeine roll on for dark circles so I thought I give one a try. This Garnier one was around £10.99 and to be honest, I don’t think it was worth the money. I can’t notice much of a difference, but hey ho, I’ll persevere but probably won’t repurchase.

I was going to buy the No7 balm myself, but it was £18 and my wonderful mother had some she didn’t use so kindly gave it to me. Again, can’t see a huge difference so I’m glad I didn’t pay for it myself, haha.

I am happy with the concealer though - £3.99. It’s very creamy and blends really well, covering not only my dark circles but acne scarring also. Mine is in the shade Albino… Only kidding! It’s Soft Honey/103.

Thanks for reading – I know this one was hefty! But at least it’ll tide you over for the next 10 years until I remember to update this blog…

COTD – Anjelica Huston (I’ve been re-watching series 1 of Smash and this lady is just fabulous!)

SOTD – Light Me Up by Birdy