Spring/Summer Beauty and Skincare Superdrug Haul

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Hey Sweeties,

I haven’t done a beauty/skincare haul in forever, I’ve run out of things, sure, but those items haven’t really been repurchased in bulk…. until now. I’d run out of serum, concealer, micellar water, my favourite Stila mascara had dried up, so it was time to get my act together and hit up Superdrug. Usually I would go to Boots, but Superdrug had a couple of offers on that made it more worthwhile to do a little bit of a haul there for a change. So here is what I got… some repurchases and a couple of new treats… and something for my husband (the razors FYI).

My Spring/Summer Beauty & Skincare Superdrug haul-

Superdrug Haul

Garnier Micellar Water

A staple in my evening skincare routine, I use it to remove eye makeup before using the Soap & Glory Peaches n’ Clean 3-in-1 Purifying Cleanser or The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter, to remove the rest of my makeup. I’ve reviewed this product here previously.

Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion

Confession: I have NEVER used fake tan, had a spray tan, or used a sun bed. Why? Because I don’t have a problem being a little pale sometimes and to be honest, when the sun is out it doesn’t take me too long to catch some colour. However, following a gloomy winter and not getting a chance to catch any pre-honeymoon sunshine, I fancied giving this gradual tan moisturiser a go.

As first impressions go, it has scored incredibly highly -it smells lovely, easy to apply, absorbs/dries quickly and results can be seen quickly. So far, I would definitely recommend it to others.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara, Intense Black

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, my favourite mascara to date is the Huge Extreme Lash mascara from Stila (review here) which if you like big thick lashes, you must check it out. However, it is £18 (prices may vary) and sometimes I just can’t spend that on a mascara and this is one of those times. In these situations, I return to the high street’s best mascara -the Maybelline Lash Sensational and I like it in ‘intense black’. Does anyone hate this mascara? I don’t think so.

Superdrug Haul

Superdrug Haul

Oral-B Precision Clean Heads

I purchased an electric toothbrush a couple of years ago but for whatever reason, it until recently remained untouched in its box. I was about to look into selling it on but decided to use it instead and oh my word, why didn’t I use it sooner?! As an ex-dental nurse, I know first-hand that a simple manual toothbrush works perfectly fine, but an electric toothbrush achieves a deeper, stronger clean and arguably can enable better oral health. I purchased some replacement heads so that my husband can use the brush too, and that we have some spare for the cupboard.

Vitamin E Nourishing Eye Cream

My 30th birthday is now on the horizon and with that I know that my skincare needs to be upped to ensure my skin is looked after and get what it needs. One of those steps I recognise I should look into introducing into my routine is an eye cream. I thought I would give this very affordable product a go and so far, so good.

Simply Pure Hydrating Serum

I love serums and I really hate being without one in my skincare routine. I have tried a few so far over the last couple of years and this one I heard beauty journalist, Sali Hughes recommend. It’s an incredibly affordable product (less than £3, I’m not lying!) so I thought I would give it a go myself. So far, it just proves that you don’t need to always spend a lot to get/find good quality skincare.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer 

I am sure I have spoken about this product before on here in previous beauty hauls and posts. This is a great concealer and one I just always have in my drawer available to use. I have also recently been using the Bourjouis Radiance Reveal concealer which I will also repurchase when I run out.

 

What are your must have skincare and beauty products? And do you prefer Boots or Superdrug?

Until next time x

Beauty and skincare favourites 2016: A roundup

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Blogmas day 22. Here’s a roundup of all my 2016 beauty and skincare favourites!

Also, I really tried hard to capture Christmas in the photography –it’s an aspect of my blog I am always looking to improve and develop, and I am so envious of people that can assemble stunning flat lays. I always try to ask myself when taking product shots, “how can I make this photo better” and sometimes I get it, sometimes I don’t.

My 2016 beauty and skincare favourites

beauty and skincare favourites 2016

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Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water Review

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Garnier cleansing water review

Hey Sweeties,

This year my skincare routine has had a massive overhaul replacing basic products that’s let’s be honest, existed because they were simple and cheap. Now I have abandoned things like face wipes and replaced them with much better quality cleansers, moisturisers and the like with room for more and by making these product changes my skin has never felt better… and I haven’t had to brake the bank in the process.

My most recent change was replacing my ‘eye makeup remover lotion’ from the Boots basic skincare range, with the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. This for me has been a long time coming but I am pleased I have made the swap.

Firstly, there is/was nothing wrong with the original eye makeup remover lotion that I was using, it’s a decent enough product and does the job and some of you will never feel the need to change it and that is fine with me. But, when you try a cleansing water for the first time, you notice how much nicer it is. Lotion, when you apply slightly too much and it goes in your eye it can sting like hell so I find that I have to (once applied to a cotton pad), just dab it on my cheek to remove the excess before placing the pad across my eye to remove my makeup. With cleansing water, you don’t need to do this. Once you have applied the product to the cotton pad you can remove your eye makeup straight away without worrying about excess product making you sting.

Also dare I say cleansing water feels cleaner? Lotion I think is just too thick for eyes, it should be used more for moisturising as it has that creamy thickness that skin just loves to soak up.  Whereas cleansing water is that right consistency for eyes and for the job at hand. I don’t expect you all to agree with me but I think those that have tried both product types will appreciate the difference I have outlined.

There are of course other cleansing waters out there but for me, for my first time using the product, Garnier was where I headed first and I bought this 400ml bottle from Boots for about £4.99 I think and it should last me a fair while.

Once again it’s a Sweetie thumbs up!

Let me know if any of you have tried cleansing water and what you think!

 

Until next time x

Boots Haul

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Hey Sweeties,

It’s that favourite time when a trip to Boots is required, a chance to stock up on staples and pick up something new… here’s what I put in my basket!

 

Boots Haul

 

  1. Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation 

Yes Sweeties, I finally succumbed to this massively blogged about foundation, despite feeling a tremendous disloyalty to my routine L’Oreal True Match foundation, I have to admit I am not disappointed nor do I regret my decision! I debated dedicating a whole blog post to it but let’s be honest, I am not the first to mention/review it and definitely not the last so does it really warrant a whole post? No. However, what I will say is that I really love the bottle, it’s a beautiful shape and it has a good strong pump, ideal for decanting the correct amount for application. I was to begin with though a little concerned that it wouldn’t last very long as when you hold the bottle up to the light; it looks as though not a lot is in it. But, I’m a good 3-4 weeks down the line and we’re still going! I am also not totally convinced by the shades, my usual L’Oreal foundation I think has about 30 to choose from so you can get a pretty accurate match to your skin tone, with Rimmel, just 4 (I think) and I was standing at the counter a while trying to work out which one to go for. Overall, I will definitely carry on using it over the summer as it is light on application and while my skin has a bit of colour to it, the foundation suits it well.

 

  1. Garnier Ultimate Blends –The Sleek Restorer

I saw this product range advertised prior to a YouTube video and usually I skip them at the earliest opportunity but the bloke mentioned split ends and a solution without going to the hairdresser and my ears pricked! Unfortunately when going into Boots it wasn’t all that clear which of the products was the one I saw advertised but I picked up this product anyway and I am glad I did. My hair has definitely been screaming out for more, quality products lately but I struggle with some of the products requiring to be left in my wet hair for 10 minutes or more. This is fine but I can’t stay in the shower that long and nor do I feel like getting back in once I have got out –you see what I mean? The Sleek Restorer however is ideal, it requires a mere 1 minute to works its magic, about the time it takes to properly lather up in shower gel! Perfect! I have only used it a couple of times so far and already noticing a difference to my hair; considering it usually doesn’t react well to the heat I can confirm my hair is definitely… sleeker! I will most definitely be exploring more of the Garnier hair care range.

 

  1. Cleansing wipes (Cucumber)

These are one of my skin care staples, I love these! I have tried other cleansing wipes from supermarkets etc. and although they still ultimately do the same job, these ones from Boots are just that bit better. The wipe itself is larger, stronger and I like the cucumber smell! For removing my make-up and freshening up my face, they are the best!

 

  1. Nivea Soft moisturiser

In a recent post I outlined my want for a good moisturiser and I think this is it! Of course there are much more high end products out there but I unfortunately at the moment cannot expense the luxury. But there is nothing wrong this Nivea moisturiser, it does exactly what I need it to and I can tell the tub will last me months! Happy Customer!

 

  1. Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion

Again another skin care staple, in coordination with the cleansing wipes, these two products remove my make-up before I tone and moisturise. I have found that supermarket equivalents lack that edge of quality which is why I find myself returning to this Boots version time and time again.

 

  1. Tangle Teaser

How have I lasted so long without this?! My comb finally lost too many of its teeth which made room for the Tangle Teaser. I have heard so many people mention these and I can totally understand why. I have long thick hair and it knots easily after the shower yet the Tangle Teaser glides through. I will never go back to the humble comb ever again.

 

  1. TRESemmé Heat Defence Styling Spray

I currently use a heat defence serum by Alberto Vo5 which I run through my hair once towel dried before drying, but what about when I straighten my hair between washes? That was the problem I had and conscious my hair hates how poorly I treat it, I sought a spray and you can’t go wrong with TRESemmé! (Yes, I very almost made a rhyme there!)

 

  1. Rimmel London Lipstick -500 Diva Red

This was a bit of an impulse buy, what can I say? I have at least three Rimmel lipsticks now; I love the packaging and the product, the range has some really gorgeous colours and at the moment I am drawn to the darker shades. The problem I have though is keeping my lips moisturised and not too dry in order to maximise wearing the lipstick. I would welcome any tips!

Boots Haul

 

  1. Baptiste

Does this really need an explanation? Thought not.

At the end of the day, when you go to buy a new product, you can watch all the YouTube videos and read all the blog reviews but when it comes down to it, product decisions are you own. I for one look to be influenced by recommendations but sometimes you just have to be prepared to go out and do the legwork yourself!

Until next time x

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