Recent Buys (Lush, Rimmel, Maybelline and more)

Some recent treats!

CD - Nevermind - Nirvana - I don't think I have to say much about this other than it's a brilliant album, if you haven't listened to it before then make sure you do and it's about time that I added this to my collection.

Lush Ickle Baby Bot bath bomb (left) - I've been wanting to try this bath bomb for so long as I always see it whenever I go into Lush and it also seems quite popular. According to reviews and other blog posts that I've read, it leaves your bath water soft on your skin, smelling of soothing lavendar without being overpowering and the colour that it turns your water looks incredible. It is intended for kids (mainly because it helps you to wind down before bed and drift off to sleep) but why should that stop you!
Lush Secret Garden bath bomb (right) - From the mothers day range, the main thing that drew me to the Secret Garden bath bomb (apart from how sweet it looks) was the smell - fragrant and floral without being too strong. And there's also flower petals inside, so what's not to love? I can't wait to try it!

Maybelline New York Matte Maker Mattifying Powder (10 Classic Ivory) - Seeing as I was running low on matte powder I thought I'd give this one a try! I usually only use matte powder on my t-zone and then a regular coverage powder on the rest of my face. I'm so impressed with the results - it tackles the annoying oily areas without it feeling cake-y or like it's clogging your pores and it's only ‎£3.99! The only negatives I have to point out are that it's only available in 4 shades which are all pretty light (which doesn't affect me but I know it will affect other people) and also it is very hard to open. I know that sounds stupid and I had to look it up online to make sure I wasn't completely incompetent but nope - other people have had the same problem! Something about the packaging just makes it very difficult to open the first time and it wasn't until I gave in and asked my Dad to try (thanks Dad!) that it actually opened.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Concealer (010 Porcelain) - I saw this reviewed on another blog about a month ago and, like with my matte powder, I was running low and thought I'd see how this one fared. What really drew me to it is it seems like a dupe of the Benefit Boing concealer which everybody knows and loves (and I have used for what seems like forever), and I'm always keen to find cheaper alternatives! It does have a very similar texture and cover to Benefit Boing but only just misses the mark. I think if combined with a small amount of any other concealer you own then this would be perfect but, as much as I do like this concealer, I think if you want complete coverage from just one product then you'll have to spend a little bit more money.

What have you bought recently?

Recent buys (Lush, Bleach London, Barry M and more)

Some little treats that I've bought recently:)

Lush "The Kiss" lip scrub - Yes, I am a sheep. Does anyone else feel like they've been bombarded with pictures and videos of this stuff for the last month or so? (That and a certain unicorn horn!) Well, all of the brainwashing has finally paid off as I had to give it a try and see what all of the fuss was about. The lip scrub (Which I'm pretty sure is limited edition? But don't take my word for it) is a cute combination of caster sugar, sea salt, edible heart "confetti" and hundreds and thousands sprinkles. Unlike some lip scrubs, The Kiss isn't harsh or aggressive on your lips and leaves them lovely and soft. That and it smells delicious!

Lush "Catastrophe Cosmetic" face mask - I'd never used a Lush face mask before this one, but I knew to expect good things! After looking through all of the masks on the Lush website and then coming across this one and reading reviews that included claims along the lines of "this helped clear up my acne prone skin"/"my skin has never looked so good" etc. I was pretty set on Catastrophe Cosmetic. I seriously cannot put into words how much of a difference this mask made to my skin even after just one use. My skin has been in a pretty bad state recently for no particular reason (it just has really bad bouts sometimes, which is GREAT) - spots and blackheads galore (not that anyone asked) and after just one use of this my spots were smaller, much less red and some of the smaller ones that were already on their way out had gone completely! And the results for my blackheads were pretty much the same; smaller, less obvious and some of them disappeared altogether. And overall - my skin feels softer, brighter and just generally "better". So I've been using the mask every couple of nights or so after my usual face cleansing routine and with each use my skin just keeps improving! If you haven't already please try a Lush face mask because I have never had skin results as fast as this.

Lush "Granny Takes a Dip" bath bomb - Ooh I've been wanting to try this so badly! There isn't too much to say about this other than it smells amazing and a majority of reviews I've read say that it leaves your skin feeling super soft. I can't wait to use this and turn my bath into a lemon, ginger and pepper scented load of psychedelic loveliness.

Lush "Space Girl" bath bomb - This is one of those where if you hold it for just a second you'll be finding glitter in random places for the rest of the day. The smell (and look of it I suppose, the lilac parts anyway) reminds me of parma violet sweets and when placed into your bath water, it fizzes like mad - can't wait to use it!

Lush "Butterball" bath bomb - This bath bomb just smells heavenly and, while it may look plain or boring in comparison to the others, it makes the most promises about treating your skin. They claim that "if you have dry, sensitive or irritated skin, this is the bath bomb to replenish it" so I'm looking forward to finding out if this is true.

Bleach London "Swamp Spritz" salt spray - Another one I've wanted to try for quite a while! I've already used their hair dyes "Washed Up Mermaid" and "Violet Skies" and since then have had my eyes set on both this and their reincarnation hair mask. I wasn't sure at first if I should be applying this to my hair when it's wet or dry as the instructions weren't very insightful - "Set the nozzle to spray and apply to hair" - that's literally it. But after trying both I found that it really doesn't matter because they both work just as well. It adds just the right amount of texture without leaving your hair feeling knotted or gross (I've had some bad hair experiences with salt sprays) and there really isn't much to fault. The only thing that I would change about the Swamp Spritz is the amount that comes out with each spray because if you weren't expecting it you could easily ended up soaking one patch of hair and then having to deal with the fun of brushing that out. If it was more of a mist then I think it would be perfect! So hopefully I'll be onto my next Bleach venture soon - the reincarnation mask!

Rimmel London "Match Perfection" foundation - As a ridiculously pale person (I've had to grow up with people always asking me if I'm ill, it's that bad) I've always struggled to find a foundation that really matches my skin and is also affordable (and I'm a skint 17 year old so by "affordable" I mean cheap). So after reading this post on the blog "From Roses" about her favourite foundations I'd found yet another foundation that I was ready to try after being drawn in by the words "I think this line from Rimmel is the best option for us pale girls on the high street" (sold!). So I bought it in the lightest shade '010 Light Porcelain' (it's usually £7 but it was £5 from Asda, yay!) and I just love it so much already. It gives good coverage whilst still managing to be light and hydrating and lasts pretty well throughout the whole day (but, like with most foundations, lasts perfectly when set with powder). So any pale and porcelain people looking for a nice and very reasonably priced foundation, give this one a try! 

Barry M "Gelly Hi - Shine Nail Paint" in Blue Grape/504 - I am so late onto the bandwagon for this one. I've been using Barry M nail polishes for quite a few years now and love them as much as the next person, but had never got round to trying the Gelly Hi-Shine range. So when I saw the vibrant "Blue Grape", I knew that it would be the one to "have a go of". It's bright, very pigmented (even after one coat), super glossy, very chip resistant and I love it - and there's not much else to add!

Topshop Elephant necklace - I'm probably one of the last people on the planet that needs a new necklace, but this teeny tiny elephant necklace from Topshop is so sweet and was only £4.50! It would have been rude not to.

What have you bought recently?

(This is not an advertisement for any of the above products or companies nor am I being paid or sponsored for this post.)

Current favourite Lip Products

I'm a bit of a lipstick obsessive, as this post will prove! And I personally think you can never have enough (I have a problem). So I thought I'd share my current favourite lip products that I love to use. You may notice a running theme colour-wise!

Basics / Lip balms:

Vaseline Lip Therapy - Original & Cocoa Butter

EOS lip balm - Honeysuckle Honeydew

Maybelline New York "Baby Lips Lip Balm" - Cherry Me 

I thought I'd start with the classic that is Vaseline Lip Therapy, with my particular favourites from the collection - Original and Cocoa Butter. (Apologies for how battered the cocoa butter tin is, but it just proves how often it gets used!) These tiny tins are staples in most people's make up bags, or even just their pocket as they're great to have on you at all times. I don't know if you could consider these a make up product, but I certainly consider them an essential. Whether you wear them alone or over your lipstick, these lip balms are perfect for treating and moisturising sore, chapped lips or just adding a subtle extra something to your look.
The EOS Lip Balm is true to it's name (Evolution of Smooth) and my Honeysuckle Honeydew lip balm is now my second EOS purchase as I went through my first one in a flash! These lip balms are just gorgeous; they smell great and do what they promise - keep your lips soft and smooth. And obviously I have to mention the packaging, which is adorable.
And lastly, the Maybelline New York Baby Lips lip balm in the colour Cherry Me. I was sceptical when I first bought this as I was expecting a dark and unflattering pink, which I don't really want from a lip balm. But it actually gives off a shear, rosy pink which is nice and subtle and won't overpower the rest of your face of make up. However, if you were looking to have a darker pink, you would be able to build up the colour with a few added layers. And again, it does what it promises and leaves you with baby soft lips!

Lipsticks and glosses:

No.7 "Stay Perfect" - Love Red

No. 7 "Stay Perfect" - Claret

Maybelline New York "Colour Sensational" - '530' Fatal Red

Rimmel London "Lasting Finish" - '264' Coffee Shimmer

Barry M "Ultra Moisturising lip paint" - '160' Black Cherry

Topshop "Matte Lip Bullet" - Get Me Bodied

Seventeen Make Up "Lip Lustre" - Wild One 

(The lipsticks in the image and the swatches are all in the same order as the above list from left to right) As you can see, I love my reds, wines and purples! I use all of these lipsticks regularly individually but also like to mix and match with them all and create different shades. The No. 7 Stay Perfect lipsticks are the shades Love Red and Claret and both are creamy and smooth, incredibly moisturising and incredibly pigmented - I can't recommend these enough! I rarely use Claret on it's own as it's quite a deep brown, but it's great for adding to the other colours to create all sorts of shades.
The Maybelline New York Colour Sensational lip stick in the shade 530 - Fatal Red is also a smooth, moisturising and pigmented lipstick which when applied straight onto the lip (as opposed to with a lip brush) can actually look almost like a lip gloss. Another great red lipstick which I can't recommend enough.
The Rimmel London Lasting Finish lipstick in the shade 264 - Coffee Shimmer is another one I mainly use on top of other colours to give it a different type of finish. I prefer to apply this one with a lip brush so I have better control of how much of a golden brown sheen I add to my lips.
The Barry M Ultra Moisturising Lip Paint in the shade 160 - Black Cherry is a shade that I have used for years and is a firm favourite of mine. The deep cherry colour is great to wear on its own or to mix with reds to create a great wine colour and is one that I always turn to whether I'm just doing casual make up or aiming for a more formal look.
The Topshop Matte Lip Bullet in the shade Get Me Bodied is another one that I use for all occasions. Despite being a matte lipstick, it still applies smoothly and doesn't look dry or cracked on the lip as matte lipsticks sometimes can.
And the last one, the only lip gloss of the bunch, is Seventeen Make Up Lip Lustre in Wild One which was in my Christmas of a Thousand Swatches post which is a lovely deep red lip gloss which has some pinky undertones. Like I said in my other post, it's rare if not unheard of for me to like a lip gloss so this one surprised me. While I did like the whole collection of lip glosses that this came in, the red shade Wild One was my favourite by far. Again, it's great to use by itself or to add an extra something to a lipstick base

Lip crayons and liners:

Fearne "Kiss and Tell" lip crayons - Purple, Deep Red & Lighter Red

No. 7 "High Shine" lip crayons - Delicate Pink & Daydreamer

Barry M "Lip Liner Pencil" - Red / 3 

(For the crayon and liner swatches - the top three are the Fearne crayons, the middle two are the No.7 crayons and the bottom one is the Barry M liner) The Fearne 'Kiss and Tell' lip crayons, annoyingly don't actually have shade names or numbers, so I'll just refer to them as Purple, Pink Red and Deep Red. These matte lip crayons are just gorgeous and a combination of the three is a favourite of mine to wear daily. Again, like with the matte lip bullet, despite being matte they still apply very smoothly and don't make your lips appear dry. They are also smooth enough to be applied with a lip brush for when you want to get a more defined matte lip. All round winners!

The No. 7 High Shine lip crayons in the shades Delicate Pink and Daydreamer also featured in my Christmas of a Thousand Swatches post and are silky lip crayons which have a similar consistency to lip balms and give off both subtle colour and subtle shine. They both look very natural and are great for when you want a more toned down make up look.

And finally, the Barry M Lip Liner Pencil in the shade Red / 3 which is one of my all time favourite lip liners. This liner plus a combination of the No. 7 Love Red and either the Maybelline Fatal Red or the Deep Red Fearne pencil is how I like to create the "perfect" red lip. Extremely pigmented, a gorgeous colour and also an excellent price at £2.99!

What are your favourite lip products? 

(This is not an advertisement for any of the above products or companies nor am I being paid or sponsored for this post.)