My Top 5 Budget Beauty Buys!

Hello Again!

Today's post is going to be some of my favourite Make Up Products - That are so affordable!! As I mentioned in my previous post, I am a Mum so I don't have a lot of money that I can splash out on Make Up, so when I find a bargain I want to share it and tell everyone and their dog! So here are a couple of mine.

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks

You may or may not know this, but I am not a fan of lip sticks, glosses, stains etc. But these little beauties I can make an exception! Let's start with packaging. They are super super dinkie - perfect to throw in your handbag or even a little clutch for a night out. I also like how on the packaging its a mix between matte and shiny plastic - but that is definitely the only matte part. Just like their name - they are super glossy! Even a light application makes your lips look wet! I chose Nudist and Technicoral. Technical is a really pinky coral - something I don't normally go for but I thought to push myself and give it a try, and low and behold I love it! Nudist is definitely one of those 'your lips but better' colours, so it's perfect for everyday! They're so moisturising and leave your lips feeling fantastic so I am totally going to get more shades on pay day from Boots especially seeing as they're only £3.50.

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eye shadows

I saw Lydia (from my favourite twin YouTubers Lucy and Lydia) using this in one of their videos and I loved how much colour she got from just a little bit so I thought I would try it out. They do claim to last 24 hours so I wore a swatch on the back of my hand for at least 5 hours maybe and it was still looking good!! I like my golds and browns so I chose Eternal Gold and On and On Bronze - they are a super Metallic creamy eyeshadow which you can use as a base and then add on top or just wear this on its own. The 2 colours actually work perfectly together with Eternal Gold on the entire lid then work On and on Bronze into the crease - voila - a great metallic smokey eye! I bought these in Boots and they were 2 for £10!!

Garnier Intense Care, for body, hands and face

I have really bad dry and sensitive skin on my hands, so I will honestly try any and every cream that has the promise of Intense Moisturising effects. I just so happened to stumble upon this little guy in Poundland!! That's right, Poundland!! I am very chuffed with this cream as so far, it is keeping my hands very soft also it's a nice handy sized pot so you can pop it in your bag and take it with you wherever you go! Don't have anything else to say on this, it does exactly what it says on the tub! (Just going to be that guy, this was £1 from poundland, just encase, you know, you didn't know).

Makeup Revolution Ultra Blush Palette

I am a massive fan of all Make Up Revolution products so when I saw this I knew I would love it! It's  the Golden Sugar Ultra Blush Palette. There are 8 different shades and they are BEAUTIFUL!! 5 of them are marbled blushes, 1 of them is a shimmery white highlight with gold marbling (perfect for highlighting under your eyebrow) - come on - stunning and the other 2 colours are matte golden/browns which I use for Bronzer and Contour. These palettes are amazing, the colours are very pigmented and they are only £6 in Superdrug. It's such good value for money - you get so much product, such great colour and great pay off! I love Make Up Revolution. Definitely give their blush palettes a try!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Sooo many people rave about this concealer so I had to give it a try. First things first (I'm a realist - couldn't help myself - sorry) I really like how the applicator is like a lip gloss, you can just apply it straight to your face (Ok that's not the most hygienic way - but it's quick and easy). I would say this is light to medium coverage which is good when you've got a few problem areas but don't want a full face of make up. It also is very illuminating so I apply this under my eyes and it's like 'bags be gone'. You can pick this up in most places but right now you can get it from Superdrug for £4.49 - Bargain!! (Also if you like this you should definitely try out the Wake me Up Foundation - I have only started using it the past week - but I'm liking it so far).

So that's just a few of my Budget Beauty buys, have you found any bargains that you want to share?

'Till next time ...

My Very First Glossy Box!

Hello again!

Todays post is going to be all about my very first Glossy Box! What's a Glossy box I hear you ask, through the internet - well everyone - Glossy Box is a monthly, 3 monthly, 6 monthly or yearly subscription to a little goodie box with 5 beauty products in it. My subscription is monthly so I am £10 plus postage and packaging - which is an absolute bargain seeing as this months box is actually worth £58!! See - Bargain. Some of the products are miniatures but some are full size and this month there is 4 full products! I have subscribed to another service like this and I was going to do an unboxing video on my YouTube channel but that one hasn't arrived yet and I just couldn't help myself. So I thought instead I will do a blog post on it - and here we are! I am also going to use all 5 products throughout the month then I will review at the end of the month.

Before I get into showing you the products and telling you all about them can I just say how beautifully presented the box is! The packaging is gorgeous, so elegant! I felt like a child at Christmas opening up a present! I also love the fact that they have included a card that explains what each product is for and how much the full size costs.

So the first product that I picked up was the SASS Intimate purifying Cleanser. They have said that its a gentle formula that ensures you stay shower-fresh all day. Sounds good already! On the tube it says to use two pumps and then to rinse with water. I am looking forward to using this as I am trying to build up good skincare products - also it smells very fresh! This is a miniature product and the full size is worth £7.

The next thing that I picked up is the MeMeMe Lipglide in Playful Peach - love the name!
It's got a beautiful coral hue and its matte - which I prefer! It's a lip crayon and it easy to apply and is very hydrating. Now if I saw this in a shop I would definitely swatch it but it's not a colour I would buy - purely just because I'm not brave enough to wear such a bright colour but now that I have it I will try it out. This is a full size product and it costs £6.95. There is a swatch of it below.

I then picked up the Naobay Calming Face Toner. The packing of this is lovely - I really like the wooden lid. Very simple yet effective. The Social and Digital Manager of Glossy Box has said that this is a citrus-scented liquid toner from the Spanish Brand Naobay that ticks four requirements, removing traces of makeup while also cleansing, calming and hydrating the skin. Sounds good! It is also 99.13% natural - two thumbs up from me! This is also full size and it is worth £10.65 - almost the entire cost of my monthly subscription.

Next up is the Emite Artist Colour Powder Blush. They have said that in May they asked the subscribers Blush or Brush. So here it is - the winner. It is in the shade 108 and it is quite a dark colour for me - I am like a milk bottle though - But the team at Glossy Box have branded it a 'blunzer' a blush/bronzer hybrid! I am still going to give it a try though - it does blend really well onto the back of my hand so fingers crossed it blends well on my face! This is a full size and is worth £ 20.59 - just, wow! You can see the colour in the picture below along with the MeMeMe lipglide.

Lash but not least (see what I did there, lash last, no ok) is the Manna Kadar Lash Primer. This is the product that has me interested the most as I've never used a Lash Primer - so I'm very excited to use this! It is meant to nourish your lashes as well as make them voluminous. So I will be putting this on before I apply my mascara to enhance the final look! In my review of all the products I will include a photo of my eyes if I find it to have made a difference. This is again a full size product and it's worth £14.55.

I most definitely think that the monthly subscription is worth it - it is also cheaper for the other month options so I would recommend to check that out. I already can't wait for my September box! I'm going to sign off here and try of few if not all of these out!

'Till next time ...

A little Family Day!

Hello Again,

Now this post is not going to be beauty related as I had a 'day off'. Instead this is going to be a post about Family Time! We have actually had some good weather of late so we thought we'd take full advantage. April loves spending time outdoors, from looking for snails (she's fascinated) to going on a walk to the park, she's game. So we put on some shades and went to the park! April will be 3 in October, I honestly don't know where the time has gone! She's so independent and she's sprouted like crazy, my little girl isn't so little anymore! Walking along the farm road on the way to the park she marched off, showing me the way - shouting, 'Come on Mummy, it's this way'. I'm so proud of the little girl that she is -  she doesn't just light up a room - she lights up my entire world!

On our way home from the park we didn't want to go indoors, we really did want to take advantage of the sun so Sam made a little phone call to his sister Meghan and after a quick camera battery charge, we were in the car on the way to Stonehaven for a cheeky chipper and an Ice-Cream.  Now Stonehaven honestly has one of the best Ice-Cream shops Ever! Aunty Betty's, their Ice-Cream is amazing! So many different flavours and now typing this I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo of all of them but to be fair it's always jam packed (but it does give me an excuse to go back soon to get a photo - like I really need an excuse to go there!) I went for a generous 3 scoop tub - with all the toppings!! My mouth is literally watering as I type! Spearmint, Bubblegum and Easy tiger - which is Chocolatey Honeycomb - that's right - Chocolatey Honeycomb!! 

They also sell the most gorgeous Ice-Cream Cakes! Anything from Wedding cakes, to pirate boats, to lad cakes - a 2 tiered Ice-Cream cake with a Lad's Magazine sticking out of the top with a beer on the side. Brilliant! But this one did catch my eye, it's called The Tutu Cake - perfect for little girls it's even topped off with a crown! April was more interested in the Pirate one which I suppose is good seeing as I'm already planning her mermaid Pirate 3rd Birthday Party!

I love days like this when we just all get to spend time together. Sam and I both work full-time but our days off are different so we don't get to spend a lot of time just the three of us - but when we do it's lovely! 

'Till next time ...

My Review on my Favourite Real Technique Brushes.

Hello Again, I told you I'd be back! (Sorry this is late - next week my posts will be Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, promise).

Todays post is going to be my personal review on some of the Real Techniques brushes. The brushes I am going to be featuring are by all accords my favourite go to brushes. This consists on The Core Collection Set Brushes and the 301 Flat Contour Brush from their beautiful Bold metals Collection (literally obsessed with these brushes).

These are actually the very first make up brushes I have ever owned. I have always been the girl who applies all her base make up with her fingers then used the little applicator that comes with the eyeshadow. These brushes have literally changed my life - I now know about contouring because of these brushes, that there is a certain brush for your eyeshadow base along with a different one for your crease (my mind literally exploded a little bit).

But anyway I am going to start with the Core Collection Set as that was what I purchased first. In this set you get 4 brushes, the Detailer Brush, The Contour Brush, The Buffing Brush and the Pointed Foundation Brush along with a little handy travel case. My favourite brush out of the set is hands down the Buffing Brush. This is a brush that the angels made, I apply my MAC Mineralise Foundation with it and it gives such an air brushed effect - who doesn't want to look airbrushed?? I don't have a bad word to say about it!!

The next brush I'm going to be talking about is the Pointed Foundation Brush - now I do not use this to apply foundation. I much prefer a bigger brush as I feel it covers more surface area than a little brush - but this brush is amazing for applying concealer - especially on the chin area and under the eyes. I just dip it into my MAC prolongwear concealer and dab it onto my little problem areas. It helps apply it perfectly!

Next up is the Detailer brush - now this brush is meant for concealer touch ups but I actually use it for those pernickety eyeshadow details, either applying a line of eyeshadow along my lash line or for colour in the tear duct area. The size of this brush is perfect for exactly that.

The last brush (but certainly not the least) in the Core Collection is the contour brush - this is probably the brush I have used the most. It does exactly what is says on the brush. It has been shaped to fit into your cheekbones perfectly. It holds a lot of product and its super soft as are all of the Core Collection Brushes. Another thing I use this brush for is for Concealer Touch Up - if any eyeshadow powder has fallen while being applied this is super for gently sweeping away any excess.

Phew, lets take a breath - I can't help myself - these brushes are damn amazing!

The last brush I am going to mention is hands down my favourite brush that I own. The 301 Flat Contour Brush from the Bold metals Collection. Lets just take a minute to appreciate how beautiful this brush is! From the colour to the shape to the length! B-E-A-UTIFUL. The handle on the brush is actually in a diamond shape which is so nice to hold! The brush itself is completely flat - perfect for applying your bronzer in your temples along with obviously your cheek bones. I love the entire Bold Metals collection and one day I will own the entire collection - don't tell Sam!

I will recommend these brushes to everyone and anyone until I don't like them anymore - which I can probably say 99% won't happen!! So thank you to Real Techniques - keep doing amazing things - which all in all makes people like me happy!!

I have said perfect way too much in this post but if you have used any Real Techniques brush then you will understand. Also want to say thank you again to my good friend Eilidh who bought me the 301 brush for my birthday - she knows me so well!!

'Till next time ...