Micellar waters.

Every beauty blogger will have heard of Bioderma, at some point, but since it's not available to buy so easily in the UK many drugstore brands are creating their own versions. I've picked up two versions, one from Garnier and one from L'Oreal.

 Both of these micellar waters claim to cleanse, smooth and be suitable for sensitive skin. They're both suitable to use on your eyes, lips and face and are described in pretty much the same way, on the back of the packaging. I like to use one of these in the evening to remove my makeup with a large cotton pad and my face always feels cleansed and fresh. At first I thought I would have to wash my face after using it but they both do a great job of removing my makeup, even mascara and eyeliner. I usually use 2-3 large cotton pads just to ensure my face is completely free of makeup, so I'd advise you buy some of the large cotton pads or some facial cloths to avoid having to use an excessive amount of tiny cotton pads.

 So, which one should you buy? Well, strictly speaking, I don't think there is a whole lot of difference between the two, which isn't surprising as L'Oreal and Garnier are actually owned by the same company. If someone handed me two cotton pads with them on I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference. However, if you're wanting the one that's best value for money then go for Garnier's offering, as you get 400ml for £4.99 whereas with L'Oreal you only get 200ml for the same price. Overall, I think these are both worth the money as they both do a satisfying job.

What do you think of micellar waters? 

L'Oreal colour riche extraodinaire liquid lipsticks | New in

L'Oreal is probably one of the last drugstore brands I'd expect to buy a lipstick from but after seeing these new liquid lipsticks, I just couldn't resist. They're very similar to the glam shine stain splashes which came out at about the same time last year but I think they're slightly more pigmented.

 The name liquid lipsticks could confuse you as they're not really anything like lipsticks. L'Oreal describe them as having the 1) colour intensity of a lipstick, 2) magnifying shine of a gloss and 3) softness of a balm. They're formulated with oils, designed to catch the light. They're enriched with lotus flower, argan, camelia seed and rose canina fruit oils which help to give the formula a nourishing feeling and silky soft finish.

 I picked one up in the shade 'Rose Melody' which is just my kind of colour. A rosy pink that's natural enough for everyday wear. Although I think the formula is quite gloopy, it applies easily and really does last a long time before I need to re-apply. It isn't too sticky and has a creamy texture that, once applied, makes your lips feel lovely and smooth. If you find lipsticks too high maintenance but don't get on with glosses then try these, as I think they sit perfectly between the two.Another thing I love about these is their smell, I don't quite know how to explain it but it's quite sweet and a bit fruity. These retail for £8.99 in Boots and come in an assortment of shades. I've noticed some brighter shades too, which I might have to pick up for Spring and Summer.

What do you think of these new liquid lipsticks?

The Makeup: Beauty On A Budget

If you're like me, you end up spending a small fortune on makeup and skincare bits in Boots, (even though you only popped in for one thing) it's crucial to know the best and worst items in the drugstore. So here's a heads up of the products that should be entering your basket next time you pop in for ''lunch'', all under a tenner.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine nail polishes £3.99
Priced at £3.99 these beauties are too good to miss out on. Barry M are releasing shade after shade, after shade and they're all glossy and easy to work with. Blue Grape (pictured) is one of their newest shades, a stunning royal blue.


V05 Give Me Texture spray £3.49
Freshly washed hair can be hard to work with, so sometimes you need a bit of texture and grip in your hair in order to style it. For me, this V05 texture spray works well and is super cheap too.


Bourjois Rouge Edition lipstick £7.99
These have been talked about a lot in the ''beauty community'' and I think just about everybody loves them. Available in a variety of shades, from nudes to bolder colours, smooth and incredibly pigmented.


Dove Firming Nourishing lotion £4.99
I'm currently on the countdown to shorts weather, so any product that helps firm the skin is a godsend. This particular one contains white tea extract for an invigorating effect, so apply this daily to keep your limbs firm and ready for the Summer.


L'Oreal CC cream £9.99
These CC creams contain clever little pigment capsules to help reduce red, dull or yellow looking skin. It aims to provide you with lightweight coverage for a fresh and natural makeup look. A much cheaper alternative to the new Clinique CC creams.

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Coeur De Perle | Review

L'Oreal is one of my favourite high-street brands and when I noticed these new shades of the Rouge Caresse   lipsticks I just had to have one. I picked up the shade nude & cute, which is a gorgeous nude pink/hue shade. These are different though to the original Rouge Caresse lipsticks, these have metallic pink packaging rather than the original silver packaging and a white (with a hefty amount of shimmer), balmy-texture circle in the middle going all the way through the centre of the bullet. If it wasn't for that alluring aspect, then I would of most likely never noticed they were new.

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Couer De Perle £7.99

These don't last an awfully long time on the lips, but with them being so balm-like and easy to apply (without a mirror too) you can easily top up throughout the day. It's glossy and isn't going to dry your lips out. However I would recommend using a small blob of lip balm beforehand just to make sure the lipstick applies nice and evenly.

There are four shades; nude & cute, cute & floral, pink & angelic and creamy & lacy. The next one I want to get my mitts on is cute & floral, a dainty coral shade.

It's very sheer, but it's marvellous for those days were you don't want to go without lipstick, but you don't want a colour that's too in your face. I think these are great for Spring/Summer and I'm glad to have it in my stash, and I will no doubt be using this on a daily basis from now on. At £7.99 each these are a steal and there's no need to worry about breaking the bank either. Boots are currently having a huge (and I mean huge) 3 for 2 offer across all makeup and beauty related products, so now is your time to invest in one (or four) of these babies. 

What do you think of these?

March Favourites

So here's a quick post to show you what I've been loving using this month, it's been a while since my last favourites post (November to be precise..whoops!) but I'm back on track with now, thank goodness!

First up is L'Oreal's GlamShine Stain Splash (shade Romy). This has been in my makeup bag ever since I purchased it and I won't blabber on too much about this product because I did a review of this here. It applies smoothly and evenly, leaving a subtle gloss. Unfortunately the gloss doesn't last very long but the staining power in this product is fantastic, so even when the gloss has worn off your lips aren't completely bare. For £7.99 each these certainly won't break the bank and they come in a variety of different shades from lilac pinks to intrepid reds these are most definitely worth the price. Next up is Benefit's Creaseless Cream eyeshadow in R.S.V.P, I love how natural this looks on my eyes, it's shimmery but not OTT and these NEVER CREASE! I use this on its own and as a base for other eye shadows, it's creamy and glides straight on your eyelids with no bother at all and you don't need to tug on your eyelid to blend it in either. R.S.V.P is a dreamy champagne shade which is easy to build up too. You can also use these as eye liners, and there are darker shades available. Oh and I forgot to mention, these are only £7 on the Benefit website at the moment, such a bargain! They are so buttery and a delight to use and I'm so glad to have one of these in my collection.
Rimmel London Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in shade 101, has been my go-to lipstick this month. It's creamy and velvet texture makes them easy to apply and they are astonishingly moisturising, which isn't what you would expect from a drugstore matte lipstick. It's a dusky blue-toned pink and looks quite mauve on my lips and also gives the appearance of whiter teeth.
I'm a huge fan of bright natural eye makeup (especially for Spring), so this Rimmel Scandal Eyes eyeliner is fantastic for brightening up your eyes. I use this on my waterline and as these are water-proof, it lasts all day long. Their divine rich, silky consistency makes these the easiest to utilize.
Bare Minerals aren't really a brand I look at that much, but when I heard about their foundation (ages ago) I knew I would have to try it out for myself. It's high coverage and long lasting, which I would of never expected from a powder. This is actually a mini version of the foundation but you can buy it here for £25, which I believe is a pretty acceptable price, seen as you only need a tiny amount of this to cover any blemishes, scars or un-even skintone you may have.
And last but not least is my Stila Convertible Colour in shade Lilium, as I'm sure most of you beauty addicts out there will know how much these have been raved about previously, but as I was rummaging through my makeup drawers I came across this and decided to give it another go. Lilium is a stunning soft rosy pink shade, great for Spring, I like to use this on my cheeks but do occasionally use it on my lips at the same time if I'm going for a matchy-matchy look. I was impressed with how fuss-free this was to use because I usually end up looking like a clown when I use cream blushers but after a few practices I found a way that's suitable for me.

What have you been loving this month?

L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash | Review

I've been eyeing this beauty up since it first arrived in my local Boots and I've been putting it off for a little while now, but today I finally caved and ended up buying one.

I've heard these are a drugstore dupe for the YSL Glossy Stains (which I have still yet to try) and because I've been lusting after the YSL ones for ages now, so I thought these would be good to try to see if I'm a fan or not.

They feel quite watery but also creamy at the same time, and apply on your lips evenly too. Even with just one application they leave a subtle gloss that stains your lips at the same time, so even when the gloss has worn off, your lips still won't be bare. (And just to point out the gloss doesn't last long.)

These retail for £7.99 which I personally think is a little over priced considering they aren't incredibly pigmented, however their ability to stain is great. They have a slight berry scent which I find quite nice as opposed to the sickly plastic smell that some lip products acquire.

I think the packaging is quite elegant-looking and I think it looks a lot more expensive than it actually is. Overall, I really enjoy using this product and will most likely be buying more very soon...

What do you think of these? Will you be trying any soon?

xxx

The Wishlist | March

As most beauty-bloggers out there will know how dangerous these kind of blog post's can be, especially to your bank balance, but I have promised I am going to save my money up now for a big shopping spree. Anyway here's a selection of products I've been lusting over.


 
        


       

Topshop Burnout Tee

I am and always will be a lover of Topshop clothing, every time I go in I can never seem to resist the urge and usually end up leaving with a bag or two... But I'm trying to save more so unfortunately I had to resist and put this top back the other day. ARghh I want it soo much!

Zara Shopper With Braided Handles

Believe it or not, I actually don't own a handbag from Zara, in fact I haven't bought a new handbag since..well I really can't remember. So when I was flitting through their website I came across this lovely and at £39.99 I wouldn't say no.

Burts Bee's Almond Milk Hand Cream

I've had my eye on this ever since EssieButton mentioned it in one of her videos and it hasn't left my wishlist since then, the only thing thats been putting me off is the price, £10 for hand cream, I just can't seem to spend that much money just on hand cream, but it would be marvellous if someone bought it for me though..hint hint.

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick

My lip product drawer is overfull as I speak but one can never have enough lipsticks..ever. Enough said.

Vera Wang Lovestruck Floral Rush Perfume

The original Lovestruck fragrance was never really my cup of tea, I went through stages of liking it but it never made it's way into my shopping basket somehow. The design of the bottle is really pretty, not very handbag-friendly but it would look nice on my dressing table. I really do prefer the scent of this one compared to the original though.

Maybelline Rocket Volume Express Mascara

I almost bought this at the weekend but whenever I get close to picking it up a voice in my head keeps saying 'no Amy, you have enough mascara already' so I end up re-placing it on the stand and walk away. And yes I do have too many mascara's on the go at the moment so once I've got some used up I may just buy this.

What products are you craving for?

xxx