Beauty Haul

I have changed quite a lot over the last few years, I no longer go to Superdrug on a Saturday and buy a crazy amount of make-up on a whim that I will never use again or that will cause my skin to hate me so much it makes me look like a 14 year old with severe acne! I prefer to buy things that I have researched well and that I know I will get my use out of. Sometimes this will be slightly more expensive than I would have spent a few years ago but I tend to know I will love.

 

Over the last month I have picked up a few bits, either when I have popped into town or Christmas presents. I thought I would show you what I got and if I really like them I will do some reviews over the coming months. So lets get on with it:

 

Skincare

 

With the wedding in 6 months I really wanted to make sure my skin is in the best condition possible so as well as drinking my 2 litres of water a day, I wanted to get some high end skin care. I have  typical combination skin but it is quite sensitive so I have to be quite careful when choosing my skin care. Whilst in my local Debenhams last week I went to the Clarin's counter and had a consultation with their skin care consultant. She gave me lots of great advice and I walked away with the HydraQuench Moisturising Lotion and the Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream as well as samples of their Cleanser and Toner which I am already considering buying the full size of.

 

I also picked up some more of my favourite eye make-up remover from Clinique. This is oil based remover and it is the best at removing mascara and heavy eye make-up. This may be my 3rd bottle of this and I still love it.

 

Make-up

 

Whilst at the Clarin's stand I also picked up a new foundation. I am a bit of a foundation junkie and I am yet to find one that does everything I need it to do. I got the Skin Illusion Natural Radiance Foundation in the colour Nude which is the perfect match for me.

 

For Christmas my best friend brought me this contour pallet from Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette which has 8 beautiful shades in to suit a mixture of skin tones. 2 of the colours are beautiful shimmery baked highlights that I cannot wait to use.

 

As a little mid-January treat to myself last week I picked up something which I have wanted for such a long time but couldn't really justify as I have so many red lipsticks but this is the L'Oreal Colour Riche Collection in the Blake red. It is so beautiful and anything that might make me slightly more Blake Livelyesque is good with me. Turns out it is different to my 2 MAC reds as well so that's my justification.

 

Perfume

 

If you are anything like me then perfume is one of those things that you get a few bottles of your favourite ones for Christmas and then never buy any for yourself throughout the year. I love perfume and have got quite a few favourites now so my family tend to pick and chose which ones they get me and there is always a new one thrown in for good measure just to try out. This year I received 3 bottles for Christmas.

 

The first is one of my all time favourites Vera Wang - Lovestruck. I have been wearing this for about 4 years now and it holds so many memories for me that just a quick spray and I feel like I am 21 again.

 

The second was meant to be another favourite of mine but my grandma got the 2 confused so instead of Prada Candy L'eau she picked up the original Prada Candy. This is not an issue for me as after I smelt it I think I actually prefer it.

 

Finally my newbie for the year was the original Jimmy Choo perfume. I really like this scent and think it will be one of those everyday work perfumes as it isn't too strong which is what I like for everyday.

 

So I think February might need to be a month where I don't buy any beauty products as I have spent far too much over the last few months and have lots of lovely new products to use first.

 

Have a great day

 

xx

My Scent of January

I thought I would do a new series of posts on this blog called 'My scent of...' and every month I will tell you all about a perfume I am loving. I don't buy new perfumes every month but I do love going into Boots or Debenhams and smelling the different perfumes, so if I smell one that I think is really different or nice I will make it my scent of the month.

This months scent is actually one that I brought at the beginning of January and it is Vera Wang's 'Princess Night'. Now I love Vera Wang and especially her perfumes, I own 'Princess' and 'LoveStruck' and the thing that always draws me in is the packaging. 'Princess Night' is no different, the packaging for this perfume is stunning, it is in the same bottle as the original 'Princess' but is covered in black glitter. I was worried that it would cover my hands every time I picked it up but so far it hasn't come off at all.

Sorry the picture is not my own, having problems with my camera atm.

I am no good at describing scents so I will just tell you that it has heart notes of Jasmine Petals, Spicy Orange Blossom, Passion Rose, top notes of Wild Berries, Watermelon, Sweet Raspberry and base notes of Crushed Sugar, Sensual Musk, Vanilla. And I think it smells delicious.


You can buy it here
Hope your all okay

Have a great day

xx

Whats that smell...?

To me perfume is a daily essential and I tend to stick to the same few everyday. I know some people have loads of different bottles but I love having a signature scent that if people smell it reminds them of me, for example a friend of mine went on holiday last year with his girlfriend and she asked him to smell Vera Wang's Princess and straight away he knew it smelt like me which is impressive for a guy!
I tend to have four perfumes that I wear all the time and just alternate them. I have two what I'd call daytime scents and two evening scents.


 The first daytime scent is one I have been wearing for probably 4 years now and it is as mentioned above, Vera Wang's Princess and I prefer the original although I know there is a selection now. This scent is just me and it is the one everyone I know associates with me. The bottle is beautiful and the scent lasts a really long time on my skin. Debenhams describe the scent as 'Radiant and whimsical, Vera Wang Princess is a sheer, fruity floral rich with vanilla and brimming with exotic flowers and succulent fruits. The scent sparkles with the captivating, sweet, tart aroma of delicate lady apples and dreamy water lily kissed.' You really can smell the vanilla in it but as it says the floral notes are also present and overall I just really love how girly and fresh it makes you smell. For a 100ml bottle in Debenhams this is £60.

My other favourite daytime scent is one that I don't currently have but will be buying when I go on holiday from Duty Free and it is Nina by Nina Ricci. This has similar scents as 'Princess' with both vanilla and floral notes in them however this also has middle notes of red toffee apple which in my opinion is a great smell to have in a perfume. I believe this is slightly sweeter than 'Princess' and some may find it a bit sickly but I really like it. I currently have Nina L'Elixir which I do like but its not as nice as the original in my opinion and I can't wait to get another bottle of Nina. Cheapsmells.com describes the perfume as 'A modern fairy tale. For all young women searching for surprise and fantasy… in a wonderland where dreams dress reality. Her magical perfume is a promise of charm, enchantment and seductive femininity.Top Notes: Calabrese Lemon and Lime Caipirinha. Middle Notes: Red Toffee Apple, Vanilla Infusion, Moonflower and Peony Petals.Base Notes: Apple Tree Wood, Cotton Musk and White Cedar. ' For 80mls on Cheapsmells.com this is £36.75.

Moving on to evening scents and I like my evening scents to be quite strong but still girly and sweet so with that in mind I have two favourites again. The first being Joop Thrill which to me smells like a garden on a summers night. Its floral still but much has a stronger vanilla scent than the daytime perfumes I like which I think is what makes it maybe a bit more dark and sexy than the previous two. Amazon describes the scent as 'Joop! Thrill captures the highvoltage roller-coaster ride of a nightly foray into themetropolis. Thrill for Her embodies the innocence of a sexy floral bouquet,with notes of sparkling bergamot, peach juice and rich, preciousiris infused with seductive vanilla.Top Notes: Peach Juice, Lily. Heart Notes: Mimosa, Iris. Base Notes: Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood' . After reading this and then smelling the perfume I can actually smell the peach scent as well so overall its just a gorgeous scent that I love wearing on a night out as it lasts for hours and I like that I can smell it on myself as with some perfumes I find that I can't actually smell them on me. Amazon is selling Joop Thrill at £37.24 for 50ml.

And finally we come to my newest addition to the perfume collection and I am already in love with it, it is 'Play Intense' by Givenchy. The first thing that drew me to this perfume was the bottle as 1) Its purple which is my favourite colour and 2) It looks like a very sleek MP3 player with crystals! Once I smelt it though I was even more in love, the smell of this is just my ideal scent and I have been wearing it every night for the last 3 months. The Perfume Shop describes the scent as 'Captures the senses through irresistible enchantment. The fragrance opens on a fresh caress imagined around orange blossom, and Pink pepper. The enriched persona of the fragrance is enhanced by the warmth of Sandalwood, Tonka bean, Patchouli and Benzoin.' So the scents are quite similar in this and Joop so I guess that's why I like them both so much. The Perfume shop is selling 'Play Intense' for £64.99 for 75ml.



I know this has been a long post but I hope it hasn't been too boring and I would love to know what your favourite perfumes are or if you have tried any of the ones mentioned then please let me know what you think of them.

Hope your having a great weekend girls.
xx