Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge | £5.99 | LINK

Hey beauties! Sorry for the lack of posts last week, I was super busy and couldn't find a spare minute to sit down and write! My boyfriend turned 22 last week (and yes, we have sung said Taylor Swift song many a time) so I was either prepping presents or having a lovely time celebrating with friends and family for his birthday. But today I'm back with a new beauty post about a product I have read lots of reviews on and couldn't wait to try myself!

A few weeks ago I picked up the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge which you may have seen in this haul post. Being an avid fan of brushes, I'd never really tried using a sponge to apply my foundation and was really interested to see what sort of effect it created. I'm someone who loves a dewy, natural finish with my makeup and this little sponge is said to deliver that glowy look, so I was excited to give it a try!

So the idea behind this product is that it's meant to create a flawless yet natural look to the skin, even with heavy duty foundations. I think this is nice for the Summer time when you still want some coverage but at the same time want to allow your skin to breathe and look natural. I've found this sponge does decrease the coverage of my foundations quite a lot, resulting in ones like Rimmel Match Perfection and Revlon Colourstay looking more like a tinted moisturiser/ light weight foundations. It does however apply the product evenly and smoothly so you do get that natural no makeup look which is perfect for Summer.

This little egg shaped sponge feels really dense and is soft and squishy so feels really nice against the skin. The smell of it is a little odd, but after you wash it a couple of times it does start to fade. The different sides to this sponge also have their own functions, such as the pointed side is to get into smaller areas like your nose and under the eyes. I like to mainly use this sort of area of the sponge as I find it gives a nice finish - I don't really tend to use the flat side too much as it can feel like your wiping the product on to your skin as apposed to buffing it in.

With sponges it's also said to be best if you dampen them down before hand (totally up to you though as it can be used dry). At first I was using a bit of water but I found I wasn't loving the results with this. So I went out and picked up The Body Shop's Vitamin E Face Mist to dampen the sponge before use. I've really enjoyed this product as it's so nourishing for the skin but also helps my foundation blend out flawlessly with the sponge - definitely a great little duo!

I've really been enjoying this Miracle Complexion sponge and has now become a staple part of my foundation routine. Of course this is meant to be a dupe of the Beauty Blender, but for just under £6 this product is purse-friendly and does the job really well! A definite necessity for any makeup obsessive!

Have you tried the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge?

Do you prefer brushes or sponges for your makeup?

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Real Techniques Bold Metals Brush Collection

If you have been reading my blog for a while now then I'm sure you're aware that I'm a massive fan of Real Techniques brushes! Pretty much every brush I own is Real Techniques and over the years I have created quite a collection! I just love how affordable they are and for the price you pay, you get such amazing quality brushes that last you a long time.

A while back Real Techniques launched a new collection of brushes called the Bold Metals which included a variety of face and eye brushes with gorgeous metallic handles. Of course, these took the blogger world by storm and everyone wanted to get their hands on these beauties! However, as they came at a much higher price tag (some of which being double the price to the normal range) I did have to restrain myself from purchasing them all.

I was lucky enough to be sent a brush from Real Techniques back when they first came out and since trying the Pointed Crease brush I really wanted to pick up some more! You may have seen in a recent haul that I did finally cave and pick up one of the Bold Metals sets from Look Fantastic, so I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the brushes that I do own from this amazing collection!

All of the Bold Metals brushes are super soft and have long, pointed handles which really add to the "bold" look of these brushes. As the handles are a metal finish, I do find that they can easily get grubby looking with makeup and finger prints, but of course that's nothing a makeup wipe can't fix! I really like the fact they've colour coordinated the brushes too; the rose gold ones are for blush/ contour, silver for eyes and gold for base products. These brushes also wash really well (I just use Johnson's Baby Shampoo) and maintain their shape and softness once dried.

Tapered Blush Brush 300 | £24.00 | LINK

Starting with the prettiest brush of the bunch - who can't love a bit of rose gold?! Their blusher brush from this line is very different to the one from their normal collection. It's much smaller, dense and is tapered to provide a more accurate and sculpted finish. I find this brush pick up a lot more product as well which is great as you can get a better colour pay off with less amount of product! I also think this brush would be great for bronzer and contouring due to it's defined shape.

Oval Shadow Brush 200 | £15.00 | LINK

The first out of my 2 eye shadow brushes from this collection is this big fluffy oval shaped brush. This is perfect for applying base eye shadows and buffing them out as it's large, soft and fluffy! I've really enjoyed using this brush since I bought it and have been using it every time I apply my eye shadow. It doesn't pack on as much colour as a flat shader brush would, but for simple everyday looks this is a winner with me!

Pointed Crease Brush 201* | £12.00 | LINK

This was the first brush from the collection I tried around a year ago and as you can see it's kept its pointed shape really well. I love using this brush to apply my crease colour for my eye shadow, so this brush works hand in hand with the Oval Shadow Brush to create a lovely eye look. This is a super dense brush so helps apply lots of shadow but as it's also soft, it does help blend it out slightly. This is also a nice brush to apply shadow under the eye as the tip is small and tapered.

Angled Powder Bush 103 | Exclusive to Spring Collection Set | LINK

The final brush in my Bold Metals collection is exclusive to the Spring Collection set, however there is a very similar brush called the Arched Powder Brush which I'm sure would be almost identical minus the shape. This brush is designed to apply loose powders flawlessly to the skin. Unfortunately I'm not 100% keen on this brush for applying my powder and find my Body Shop Face & Body one much better! I'm planning on using this for bronzer in the Summer as the angled shape should apply this beautifully to my cheeks.

So they're my thoughts on the beautiful Bold Metals collection by Real techniques. If you want to read more on their brushes I have reviews of: the Eye Brush Starter Set, the Travel Essentials Set and my Real Techniques Brush Collection which includes the Core Collection Set!

Have you tried any of the Real Techniques Bold Metals brushes?
What are your favourite makeup brushes?

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Review | Real Techniques Travel Essentials

Real Techniques Travel Essentials Brushes | £20.99 | LINK

Hello my lovelies and happy New Year! Gosh, after my long break it does feel a bit strange writing and putting together a blog post, but finally I'm back and I have decided to blog again! From around November time I've wanted to get back into blogging which is why I wrote my little apology post (which you can read here) explaining that I will be back soon. With the Christmas holidays coming up it was quit hard to find a spare second to even switch on my laptop, so it did take me just that teeny bit longer than I thought to get back to it!

As you may have noticed my blog has undergone a mini make over and is no longer the blue and pink floral theme it once was. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to refresh and revamp my blog being it the beginning of a new year plus me returning after quite a long time. I'm very happy with how it's turned out as it looks much cleaner and hopefully easier to navigate around for you lovely lot! It's not 100% finished yet, so if you have any recommendations on what I should add to it or whether something needs tweaking then do let me know.

To start off the blogging year, I wanted to do a classic beauty blogger post and review a product that I love! Last year I picked up the Real Techniques Travel Essentials Brush set (read the haul post here) and thought that I would review them for you all. After some thorough use and loving over the past few months I thought I would share my views on this Real Techniques set.

In this set you get 3 brushes that are designed to be your "travel essentials" and the only brushes you'll need for that weekend away - plus you get one of the Real Techniques brush cases to pop them all in. I can see how it is possible to get away with just bringing these 3 brushes as you do get: the Essential Foundation Brush, Multi Task Brush and a Domed Shadow Brush - each of which can deal with different areas of your face. I personally wouldn't use just 3 brushes to do my makeup, mainly because that would involve a lot of spot cleaning, but because I like to use different shaped brushes for different looks. However they do make great additions to my makeup brush collection and each of them can be used in different ways.

Essential Foundation Brush

As with many makeup brush sets, they always contain a trusty foundation brush. At first I wasn't too bothered about this brush as I already had the Pointed Foundation Brush that came in the Real Techniques Core Collection set (review here). But in comparison, the Essential Foundation Brush is much more dense and is larger in size which I personally prefer as it distributes liquid foundation much better for me. The bristles on this brush are soft yet have a firmness to them which really helps in makeup application. Whilst I'm still using my Buffing Brush for my everyday foundation, I like to use this brush for applying highlighters or to blend in my concealer if I'm going for a fresher looking face of makeup.

Multi Task Brush

This brush really does do what it says on the tin! The Multi Task Brush is one of those brushes you can pick up and use for almost anything. My personal favourite is for applying bronzer all over my face (as opposed to using my Contor Brush for contouring) to give my skin that healthy glow during the Summer months. But you could easily use this as your blusher, powder foundation or highlighting brush as it's a really good size and isn't overly fluffy and flimsy. Saying that, the Multi Task Brush is extremely soft so it blends in blushers/ bronzers beautifully and as it's slightly tapered, it gives you plenty of control when applying your makeup.

Domed Shadow Brush

I've saved my favourite brush until last - who can't say they love a good eye shadow brush to add to the 20 others they have sitting on their dressing table! The Domed Shadow Brush works really well at applying both eye shadow to your lid due to it being flat, plus working as your contour brush as it's dense and perfect for fitting in the crease of your eye lid. To top it all off you could probably use it to blend out your eye shadows too as it is fairly fluffy and soft. I use this brush pretty much every time I do my eye makeup as it's just really good at applying shadows to the lid and is just an all round brilliant brush to have in your collection.

I would definitely recommend any makeup lover to add these brushes to their collection as each brush can be used for many different purposes. I think this would be a great little set for someone who just getting into makeup as you get 2 face brushes and an eye brush in this set which I think is more than enough for a beginner! At the same time, as a Real Techniques fan and some one who's worn makeup for many years, I absolutely love them!

Thank you for reading today's post, I'm really excited to get back into the swing of blogging! I'm going to looking at new cameras this weekend as my current one has a smashed screen, so I think it's time for a bit of an upgrade. I'm looking at getting the Canon EOS 1200d as it's a DSLR for beginners, so will hopefully create beautiful pictures without being too complicated to use! But if you have any other camera suggestions then I would love to know.

Have you tried the Travel Essentials from Real Techniques?

What are your favourite brushes to use on the go?

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Review | Real Techniques Starter Set

Real Techniques Starter Set | £21.99

Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing well and that you're looking forward to your weekend. Today I thought I would finally get a new review up on my blog - my first one of 2014! It's actually been almost 2 months since my last one which is so bad for a beauty blogger, so I thought I would do a much over due review of the Real Techniques Starter Set brushes. I got this set for my birthday last year and lots of you wanted to see my thoughts and opinions on them, so now I've finally gotten round to it! I absolutely love Real Techniques brushes and when it got to a point that I felt that I needed to expand my eye brush collection, it was only natural to pick up their Starter Set.

The Real Techniques Starter Set contains 5 makeup brushes all made from synthetic bristles. They also come in a black brush case that can either store your brushes when your travelling or display them in a stand like in the first photo. All of the brushes have a purple coloured handle that helps define that these are from the eye brush collection from Real Techniques. These brushes are also very light weight and easy to use, which means anyone can have these brushes in their collection - especially if you're just starting out with makeup!

| Deluxe Crease Brush |

The first brush you get in the Starter Set is the Deluxe Crease Brush. This is a big, soft brush that is designed to be used to contour your eyes by applying a shadow into your crease. The bristles are dense which helps pick up plenty of product so that you can create an effortless eye look. I personally think this brush is a bit big for my crease and I much prefer to use this as a base/ lid colour brush. It applies lid colour so smoothly and as it's big, it covers a larger area very quickly. I really like this brush and is one of the brushes from this set I use every time I do my makeup!

| Base Shadow Brush |

The second brush from this set is the Base Shadow Brush and again is a brush that I use every time I do my makeup! This is designed to apply your lid colour and as it's very soft and dense, it does so flawlessly. I also enjoy using this brush as my crease brush - yes I know, I use the first 2 back to front, but for me I find that they work better this way! As the Base Shadow Brush is smaller than the Deluxe Crease Brush, I find that it applies the right thickness of shadow to my crease to create the perfect contoured look. I think if I had to choose to have only 1 eye brush in my collection, then I would definitely choose this one as it is very versatile and works amazingly with powder eye shadows!

| Brow Brush |

The next brush in the Starter Set is the Brow Brush. This angled brush is designed to apply powder to your eye brows to create a softer and more natural brow look. I much prefer applying shadow to my brows compared to a pencil or felt tip brow liner, so I was very happy to have this brush in my set. However, for me this brush is too big and it feels like I can't achieve smaller brush strokes to create the natural look I like. Luckily I do have a smaller angled brush that I use, so now I use the Real Techniques Brow Brush as an angled eye liner brush. When I apply pencil liner to my lash line, I always like to set it with a powder and this is when this brush comes into action. It picks up plenty of product and is slim enough to apply it close to my lash line. This is a nice, dense brush that works really well and is one I do use on a regular basis!

| Accent Brush |

Next up is the one of the smallest brushes in the set, the Accent Brush. This is meant to be the perfect brush for applying inner corner or brow bone highlighters or smudging out shadows or liners. The bristles, like all of the Starter Set brushes, are dense which means it's very good as smudging or smoking out liners. I also think this is a nice brush to apply a lower lash line eye shadow colour as it's small and can blend it out well.

| Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush |

The final brush in the Starter set is the Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush. This is the perfect brush for applying cream and gel eyeliners as it's slim and has a fine tip. This is the brush I use the least as I don't actually use any gel/ cream liners (if you have any recommendations of some I would love to hear them in the comments !). This could also work well as a lip brush as it is small and dense so it will apply the colour smoothly and evenly!

So these are my thoughts on the Real Techniques Starter Set! I absolutely love this set and highly recommend it if you're looking to expand your makeup brush collection. They're amazing quality and I think the price is really reasonable as it works out as just over £4 a brush! These are the perfect everyday eye brushes and I always find they apply my makeup beautifully. If you're interested in seeing what I think of the rest of my Real Techniques brush collection, including the Core Collection, then click here for the post!

Have you tried the Real Techniques Starter Set brushes?

What is your favourite Real Techniques brush?

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Real Techniques Brush Collection

Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a lovely start to you weekend. Today I thought I would make a post all about my Real Techniques makeup brush collection. The first time I tried Real Techniques was last Christmas when I asked for the Core Collection for a present. Ever since then I've fallen in love with these gorgeous brushes and I've constantly been on the hunt for new ones to add to my collection. There are still a few more I would like to add to my mini collection, but right now I'm really happy with what I have!

Core Collection | £21.99 | LINK

So like I said, these were the first brushes I tried by Real Techniques and it is definitely a set worth picking up. In this collection you get: a Buffing Brush, a Contour Brush, a Pointed Foundation Brush and a Detailer Brush plus a little brush holder to keep them all safe whilst travelling. 

Buffing Brush - This is the brush I use to apply my everyday foundations or BB creams. I find it gives a natural and flawless finish to the skin and is probably the best brush I've tried to apply my foundation. It's not a very dense brush (compared to the ever so similar Expert Face Brush) but it is extremely soft. I wish they sold this brush separately because I would love to have another one in my collection.

Contour Brush - This brush does exactly what it says, allows you to contour your cheeks, jaw line and any other areas you wish to define. I used to use this brush all the time for contouring but now I use it to apply powder highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones. It buffs out the highlighter really well to give a natural glow to my cheeks. The brush I currently use to contour will be mentioned later!

Pointed Foundation Brush - I hardly ever use this brush which kind of frustrates me because it's not a bad brush, I just can't find a use for it! It's meant for applying liquid foundations, but for me it's just too small and leaves my skin looking a bit patchy. Many people use this as a concealer brush but I prefer to apply my concealer with my fingers and then buff it in with the Buffing Brush. If you have found a great way to use the Pointed Foundation Brush, please tell me in the comments below!

Detailer Brush - This brush is designed to apply small amounts of makeup to create a flawless finish. I actually prefer to use this brush to apply an inner corner highlighters to my eye. It's the perfect shape and size to apply the right amount of product to make you look more awake.

Brushes Sold Separately

As well as brush collections, Real Techniques also sells a wide range of brushes you can buy on their own. I only have a few of these as they do range from around £6.99 to £12.99 so can become expensive very quickly. However, they are amazing quality so do work out good value for money.

Blush Brush | £9.99 | LINK - This is another brush that says exactly what it does! I use this to apply my powder blushers to the apples of my cheeks and I find it blends them out beautifully. It's a very soft brush so allows your blusher to blend into your makeup seamlessly.

Stippling Brush | £11.99 | LINK - The stippling brush is a versatile brush that can either be used for liquid foundations or applying cream blushers. As I love my Buffing Brush for my foundation, I use this brush to apply my cream blushers and I have to say, it does it so well! The bristles are so soft but at the same time dense which allows your makeup to apply smoothly and look amazing.

Expert Face Brush | £9.99 | LINK - The final brush in my collection is my newest edition and it is the Expert Face Brush. I had been eyeing this brush up for such a long time after hearing it was pretty much the best brush in the range! I was very lucky to win this in a giveaway recently and now I'm so glad to be able to use it! This is the brush I like to contour and apply powder bronzer with. It's very dense and again, like all the Real Techniques brushes, it is also soft. I'm not a fan of using this brush to apply foundation, but it is amazing to contour with and I absolutely love it!

So this is my Real Techniques brush collection plus a mini review on each of the brushes. Real Techniques is definitely one of my favourite makeup brush brands as they're amazing quality and at such a good price. I hope you enjoyed this post and that you now what to try out some of these makeup brushes!

What are your thoughts on Real Techniques brushes?

What is your favourite Real Techniques brush?

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June Favourite's

Hello lovelies, I hope you've all had a great weekend! So once again, we've come to the end of another month and it's time for me to show you the products I've been loving. It's crazy how fast this year is going, but I'm so happy it's finally July because it means I'm going on holiday this month! I really can't wait to have a relaxing week in the sun, drinking cocktails and sitting by the beach - it's going to be amazing! Anyway, before I get myself completely distracted and start holiday clothes shopping again (it's been a regular occurrence recently I must say), let's get on with the post.

Bourjois Cream Blush in 02 Healthy Glow | LINK
If you've been reading my blog recently you would know that I do enjoy a good cream blusher for Summer. I find that they look a lot more natural and sit better on my skin during the warmer months. One that I've been reaching for a lot this month is my Bourjois Cream Blush in 02 Healthy Glow and I have to say, it's one of the nicest blushers I own! It gives a gorgeous orange glow to my cheeks which is perfect for the Summer time. I'm actually quite annoyed that I like the Bourjois Cream Blushers so much because I think they're just so expensive for the size they are! I would love to try Rose Tender which looks like a pretty rosy pink, but I don't think I could spend another £7.99 on a tiny pot of blusher! These blushers are definitely worth trying, but I'd recommend picking them up when they're on offer.

Sleek Face Form Palette in Light | LINK
Next up is my Sleek Face Form Palette in the shade Light that I picked up last month. This palette has a powder bronzer, highlighter and blusher all in one which together to help contour your face. I've been using this everyday, especially the bronzer, to give my face a bit more definition and shape. I love how easy to blend out all of the powders are and it's such a lovely palette to work with. I'm going to review this palette soon so if you're interested, do keep an eye out!

Benefit The Porefessional | LINK
When I first tried Benefit's The Porefessional, I didn't really see what the big deal was. But a few weeks ago I decided to give it another go and now I have fallen in love with how it leaves my makeup and skin looking and feeling! I apply this mainly in the centre of my face (such as my nose, forehead and chin) and then blend it outwards. Once I have applied my makeup, my skin look so smooth and soft, I just love it! Luckily I have a few of these little sample sized tubes, so I don't have to rush out and buy the full size just yet!

Essie Nail Lacquer in Bikini So Teeny [Review] | LINK
My favourite nail polish this month has to be Essie's Bikini So Teeny! Any time that my nails have been painted, it's been this gorgeous cornflower blue shade that is perfect for Summer. I picked this up recently from Fragrance Direct for just £1.99 which is an amazing deal, especially as it's been a shade that's been on my wish list for ages!

Real Techniques Contour Brush | LINK

Finally, my last favourite this month is the brush I use to apply the contour shade from my Sleek Face Form Palette, which is the Real Techniques Contour brush. This brush fits perfectly into the hollows of my cheeks which makes contouring a lot easier. It also blends out the bronzer very well making it look much more natural. All of the brushes I've tried by Real Techniques are amazing quality and are by favourite makeup brushes by far!

So these are a few of the products I've been really enjoying this month. I hope you enjoyed this post and I would love to know if you have been liking any of these products as well!

What are your June favourite's?

 
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May Favourite's

Hello lovelies, I hope you all had a great weekend! I know everyone says this in every monthly favourite's post, but I really can't believe it's June already - in fact, I can't believe we're half way through the year! 2013 is going so fast and I bet before we know it, it'll be Christmas again haha!
This month I've tried a lot of new products and there have been quite a few I've enjoyed, but I like to whittle it down to about 5 absolute favourites for this type of post.

Topshop Cream Blusher in "Head Over Heels" | LINK
I have been trying out quite a few new blushers this month, but this cream formula one by Topshop has definitely stood out to me. "Head Over Heels" is a gorgeous coral colour that gives a healthy flush to the cheeks. The formula is very creamy, pigmented and easy to blend out so is a dream to apply! This is the perfect little blush to add to your Summer makeup collection and I've been loving wearing it this month!

Topshop Lips Lipstick in "Ditsy" | LINK
Again another piece of makeup from Topshop - I'm just loving their products recently! Their lipsticks are so creamy, easy to apply and last really well on the lips. "Ditsy" is a hot coral shade looks amazing on and has completely taken over my love affair with "Infrared". It's a lot easier to wear than "Infrared" and if you're scared of wearing bright orange shades, this is definitely the shade you need to go for!

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment* [Review] | LINK
I've been using this hair oil for a few weeks now and I cannot believe how healthy and shiny it has left my hair! As my hair is ombre it's prone to going dry and brittle, so a hair oil in my hair care routine is essential. The Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment has left my hair so soft and manageable, even on days when I haven't used it! I highly recommend the Macadamia range and if you're thinking of trying some of their products out, go for it - they won't let you down!

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette* [Review] | LINK
I've always been a fan of this little palette, but this month I have been reaching for it a lot more frequently than before! I've really been into doing a soft, simple eye look with a bright lip this month and the shades in the Naked Basics palette are perfect for this! I use "Walk Of Shame" all over the lid to even the skin tone out, then I apply "Naked 2" into the crease and then "Faint" into the outer corner. Finally I put a bit of "Venus" into the inner corners of my eyes and to my brow bone. This gives me a very natural yet defined eye look that is perfect for everyday!

Real Techniques Stippling Brush | LINK

My final favourite this month is one of my new brushes by Real Techniques which is the Stippling Brush. As I've been trying quite a few cream blushers recently, I was on the hunt for the perfect brush to apply them with. I've had amazing experiences with Real Techniques before and I knew I wanted to try a brush from their range! The Stippling Brush applies my cream blusher so evenly and it gives my cheeks an air brushed appearance. The bristles are soft, dense and the brush overall is amazing quality! I was thinking about doing a brush collection post soon which will feature all my Real Techniques brushes, so if you're interested in reading that then please let me know in the comments!

So these were my monthly favourites for May, I hope you enjoyed this post and hopefully found some new products you'd like to try!

What are your May favourite's?

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Haul | A Day Of Bargains

Hello everyone, I hope you're all having a lovely week! I have to say I'm really disappointed with the weather recently, I can't believe it's almost June and it's constantly raining - bring on my holiday that's all I can say! Last weekend I did a little bit of shopping and I was so surprised with the bargains I found that I had to show you all with a haul post. My Fragrance Direct order also came through the day before so I thought I would pop that in this post too! Everything I've bought in this post was reduced, so I will include original prices as well as how much I bought it for.

Topshop Black Suede & Leather Studded Purse [£22 reduced to £10]

I remember spotting this purse ages ago in Topshop and thinking it would be perfect for a night out or to simply pop in my handbag, however at £22 it was way out of my budget for a purse. Luckily, I found it again in a different store and couldn't believe that it was reduced to just £10! The quality is amazing, I absolutely love the gold stud detailing and the suede/ leather is extremely soft. It has lots room for cards and change which is great as my current purse is a coin purse and is quite a pain for storing cards neatly. It's such a simple yet edgy piece and I know I'm going to get a lot of use out of it!

Batiste Dry Shampoo Wild Party Trio [£4.99 reduced to £1.50]

 I've wanted to pick up some smaller cans of Batiste to keep in my handbag and to take on holiday, but I couldn't justify spending £1.50 on a tiny can when I could buy a huge one for just a pound more! I found this trio pack in the Boots clearance section and thought it was perfect as it comes with a little travel bag as well as 3 cans of dry shampoo. I haven't tried these Batiste scents yet, but I'm sure they'll do a fine job of keeping my hair looking and feeling fresh!

Real Techniques Blush Brush [£9.99 reduced to £2.50] LINK

 This was probably my absolute bargain of the day! I was thinking of picking up some more Real Techniques brushes as they are amazing quality and my favourite brand for applying makeup. I decided to go for the Blush Brush which retails at £9.99 as I thought it would be perfect for applying and blending out my powder blushers. But when I was looking through the Boots clearance section (this section is an amazing place for bargains!) I just happened to find another one but for an amazing price of just £2.50 - it had to be fate haha! I also bought this brush and the dry shampoos with my Boots points, so they were both technically free as well!

St Tropez Naturals Self Tan Body Lotion [£26 reduced to £7.80] LINK

 I've never tried St Tropez fake tan before but I have seen and heard so many great things about it! I spotted this Self Tan Lotion in the Debenhams sale and decided to try it out. This gradual self tan is from the Naturals range so is meant to be suitable for sensitive skin as it contains natural ingredients, which is perfect for me. I'm yet to try this fake tan, but if you would like to see a review then please do leave a comment below!

St Tropez Natural Radiance Self Tan For Face [£21 reduced to £6.30] LINK

Again from the same range, I picked up a St Tropez self tan for the face. I've always been pretty nervous about using fake tan that's designed for the body on my face, so this was exactly what I needed to try! As it's suitable for sensitive skin I'm hoping that it won't break me out or make me look orange, so I'm very excited to give this a try!

Dainty Doll Powder Blusher in "My Girl" [£13.50 reduced to £1.99] LINK

The final product I bought was another Dainty Doll blusher from Fragrance Direct. This is "My Girl" which is a pink blush with a little bit of shimmer. I've been meaning to pick up some more of these blushers before they go out of stock as the quality and pigmentation is amazing! This blush leaves a soft pink glow to my cheeks and will be perfect for every day wear in the Summer.

So that's my haul, I've done way too much shopping recently so I may have to go a few weeks without buying anything haha! But, I know I've picked up some really good pieces and I'm happy with everything I've bought. I hope you enjoyed this post, I do love reading about what bargains people have found recently so I hope this was useful to you too!

Have you found any beauty or fashion bargains recently?

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Haul | Makeup & Nail Polish

Hello everyone! If you read my latest post or follow me on Twitter, then you would know that there have been a few bits and pieces of makeup that I have wanted to try out. This is a bit of a collective haul as there are some products that I picked up a couple weeks ago as well as some that I bought last weekend. Some of the main pieces I wanted to try were couple of blushers and the Sleek Face Form Palette, so I'm very happy to have found them and can't wait to try them out!

InStyle - Nails inc Polishes in "It's Red, Babez" and "You're A Peach" [£3.90 each]

Now, if you read my blog on a regular basis then you would know I'm obsessed with Nails inc polishes! I think they're brilliant quality, the colour range is amazing and they're definitely my favourite brand of nail polish! With this month's InStyle magazine, there is a choice of 3 Nails inc freebies. I chose the red and peach shades as I have far too many pinks in my collection to need another one! So far I'm really liking these polishes, especially "You're A Peach" - a definite must have colour for Summer!

Elle - Benefit They're Real! Mascara [£4.00] LINK

I'm pretty sure every blogger and their dog either own this magazine freebie or have at least heard about it. I have tried the They're Real! mascara before and wasn't 100% sure whether I liked it or not. It felt quite dry and uncomfortable on my eyes, but I loved the way it made my lashes look. I thought that for just £4, I may as well give it another try; hopefully it'll work better this time!

Marie Claire - Avon Super Shock Gel Eye Liner in "Black" [£3.90]

Believe it or not, I have never tried a gel eye liner before despite hearing so many good things about them. I spotted this liner in Marie Claire and thought for around £4, it was worth a try. I'm so impressed with this liner! It's incredibly pigmented and black and literally stays on your eyes all day! If you're in need of a new black liner, definitely give this a go!

Sleek Face Form Palette in "Light" [£9.99] LINK

I have been searching for a contouring kit for a while now and had my heart set on trying this little palette. The Face Form Palette comes with a matte bronzer, a shimmery highlighter and a blusher in "Rose Gold". I thought this kit would be perfect for travelling with, especially on holiday, as it's so compact and contains everything you need for contouring. The 3 shades are very pigmented and I cannot wait to try this out! 

Also, a few people said to me that the original Contour Kit is discontinued - it's not! When I asked the lady in Superdrug to help me find this palette in "Fair" I actually saw a load of the Contour Kits in the drawers underneath the stand. I asked why they weren't out and apparently it's because they didn't have enough display space! So if you want to try the Contour Kit (£6.49) and can't find it, just ask someone in Superdrug to have a look for you!

Topshop Cream Blush in "Head Over Heels" [£6.00] LINK

Finally, I have dipped my toes into the world of Topshop blushers and I have to say, I love them! This is a gorgeous bright coral shade and looks beautiful once blended out into the skin. I can see this being perfect for Summer as it gives my cheeks a pretty, natural orange glow. I have now added the shade "Flush" on my to wish list (will this list ever end haha?) which is a very pretty rose pink.

Bourjois Cream Blush in "Healthy Glow" [£7.99] LINK

After reading way too many raving reviews, I finally caved and picked up one of the new cream blushers by Bourjois. At first I thought these were way too small to be worth £7.99 and that I didn't want to waste my money. However, I was able to pick it up for free in the Superdrug 3 for 2 sale so I wasn't too fussed. I haven't tried this blusher yet, but I can't wait to see how it looks on my cheeks! I don't think I'll be picking up any of the other shades as at the moment because I think they're quite over priced, but you never know, I could change my mind!

Makeup Academy Mosaic Bronzer in "Sunkissed Glow" [£2.50] LINK

This is another product that I've read a lot of reviews about and thought I should finally add one to my collection. I don't own many bronzers so I thought this would be a nice one to try out, especially that it has pinks and lighter shades in. "Sunkissed Glow" gives a really healthy glow to my skin and works well as both a bronzer and blusher!

Real Techniques Stippling Brush [£10.99] LINK

Real Techniques brushes are amazing, I already own the Core Collection set and thought I should branch into the other brushes they have to offer. As I've been wearing and buying cream blushers recently, I thought the best option was to go for the Stippling brush. The bristles are very soft and apply my cream blushers like a dream! I'm so glad to finally have this brush in my collection and think it was well worth investing into.

Milani Eye Shadow Quad in "04 Earthly Delights" [£1.00]

 I have never tried the brand Milani before but I've heard some good things from American bloggers. I found this little eye shadow quad in my local Poundland and thought I would give it a go. The shades are all very neutral, earthy colours and I think they all work very well together. The shadows are nicely pigmented so this will be a handy little palette to have in my collection.

Topshop Lips Lipsticks in "Ditsy" and "Crystal" [£8.00 - £9.00 each] LINK | LINK

  My two final products I picked up are my new Topshop lipsticks in "Ditsy" and "Crystal". You may have already seen "Crystal" (right) in my What's inside my beauty bag post, but I thought I would include it in this haul too. This lipstick is a glittery pink shade reacts to the PH of your lips to create a unique shade of pink that suits you. This is a gorgeous lipstick and looks amazing in the tube! "Ditsy" (left) is a lipstick that I haven't seen or heard much about but I decided to give it a go. It's a beautiful hot coral shade that applies so smoothly to the lips. I can't get enough of this lipstick, it's just so lovely to wear! I highly recommend you to pick up both of these shades for this Summer, I think they're going to look amazing!

So this is all the makeup and nail polish that I have bought recently. I hope that you enjoyed this post, sorry that it was super long! As usual, if you have written a haul post recently please do leave the link the comments below, I love reading them!

Have you bought anything the same as me? What are your thoughts on it?

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December Favourite's

December is one of my favourite months of the year. I love all the Christmas and New Year celebrations, spending time with family and justifying chocolate as breakfast. I can't believe how quick the last year has gone and now going into 2013, I want to show you what products I was loving in the final month of 2012.

♥ Topshop Lip lipstick in Ohh La La - I'm slowly becoming a huge fan of Topshop's lipsticks and decided I wanted to add to my mini collection. "Ohh La La" is a pretty coral blush colour. I love these sort of colours and wore this paired with the lip gloss on Christmas (see the look HERE). The pigmentation of these lipsticks is great and the apply really well. You can see a full review of the Topshop lipsticks HERE.

♥ Barry M Nail Paint in Rose Quartz Glitter - this is one of the prettiest nail polishes I have ever seen! It has small and large pieces of silver and pink glitter and looks beautiful as a top coat over a nude pink nail polish, especially Nails Inc's Elizabeth Street.

♥ Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Body Lotion - I got this in the Soap & Glory 'The Best Of All' gift set (which itself is well worth picking up if you see one) for Christmas and I have used this every evening before bed. The smell is lovely, with: almond, cocoa, yogurt, oats and honey, it's literally my favourite scent at the moment. It leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth and the scent lingers on the skin for a good amount of time. I also like how it has a pump applicator so you don't end up wasting lots of product.

♥ Real Techniques Buffing Brush - I received the Real Techniques Core Collection brush set for Christmas which I was really excited about. The brushes are soft and are great for applying makeup. The one that stood out for my was the Buffing Brush and I think it's great to apply liquid foundation. It leaves my makeup smooth, streak free and almost gives my skin an 'air-brushed' affect. I'm so glad I finally got my hands on this brush set!

♥ Barry M Lip Gloss in Coral 11 - I can't get enough of Barry M's lip glosses. I featured one in my last favourites post and now I have a new one I've fallen in love with! This gloss is a coral colour with no shimmer and I think it goes perfectly with the Oh La La lipstick. The smell is, as always, amazing as it smells like the fruit salad sweets!

What are your December favourite's?

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