TK Maxx beauty haul

Hey guys

It's been ages since I've done a haul (and not because I haven't been shopping...) so I thought it's about time I did one!

Recently I visited TK Maxx and managed to find some good deals. I know people often rave about the bargains they've bought from TK Maxx but I must admit I'm not really one for TK Maxx. A shop where everything is technically all on sale should be my idea of heaven but I have to be in a particular mood for TK Maxx and even then I normally just make it as far as the beauty and accessories section and then I'm done.

My first buy was a 7 piece bamboo brush set by Japonesque for £12.99. I've never tried this range or heard of it so it's a bit of a risk but I have previously used bamboo brushes and have found them to be good and super soft so I'm hoping these are too. This set contains a powder brush, foundation brush, eye shadow brush, concealer brush, angled liner brush, eye shadow crease brush and a lash & brow comb.

The rest of my buys were (predictably) for my nails. I must admit they aren't really autumn shades but when I was buying them I was in denial. (Yes I'm a beauty blogger who hasn't been excitedly waiting for autumn).

I picked 3 Revlon nail polishes and a Nails Inc polish. 

 These were £2.99 each.

The Revlon polish was £3.99 and the Nails Inc polish was £4.99.

I also then picked up a glossy top coat and a matte top coat. I have heard good things about Orly topcoats but didn't fancy paying £11.50 each for them so when I saw that these were £3.99 each I quickly picked them up. And conveniently, I had run out of both type of topcoats so for once I bought things I actually needed!

I hope you've enjoyed reading my haul. If you've recently splurged as well do let me know! I need people to make me feel less guilty about my buys... haha

Thanks for reading!

Beauty Bay Haul

Hey guys

As I mentioned in my previous posts, I did quite a bit of shopping over my exam period. Online shopping is very therapeutic but it is also very dangerous. I definitely spend more online than when in a shop.

However, it has been ages since I've been shopping so I think I did go a bit overboard but gave myself a limit in each site.

My first haul is from Beauty Bay. I actually came across this site by mistake and now I'm hooked. I came looking for a good top coat that I had been recommended by Claire and Nic and as I was looking for a place to buy it cheaper I stumbled across Beauty Bay. I noticed they had a sale and I was trying to comfort myself after bad exams and since it had been a while since I bought nail polish so I thought I'd give the nail polish section a  quick browse. Big mistake. My basket originally hit about £50-60 and I was fully about to pay it and then quickly calmed down and transferred a few to my save for later basket.

I decided on 3 polishes and a clear coat which is actually a base coat (annoyingly didn't know at the time) but am planning to also use as a top coat and see what happens.

As a self proclaimed nail polish addict I'm ashamed to say I have never bought or tried O.P.I or China Glaze nail polishes but I have heard great things and they had colours perfect for summer that I thought I might as well use this opportunity to try them out.

I'm definitely coming back to buy some more.

The shades are beautiful. I particularly love the China Glaze polishes as they are pastel colours and I love pastels especially during summer. 

The Seche clear top coat was originally £6.99 but is now £5.94

 OPI Aphrodites Pink Nightie was originally £11.95 but is now £6.93 

China Glaze At Vase Value was originally £6.95 but is now £4.38

China Glaze Spring in My Step was originally £6.95 but is now £4.38

I'm in love with these colours and I can't wait to do some summer nail art designs with them which I will share with you.

I highly recommend giving them a visit ( I most definitely will again). They have free shipping and even though my total didn't qualify for next day delivery I still received them the next day! It was such a pleasant surprise and exactly what I needed considering the week I was having.

Have any of you got some great deals from Beauty Bay and do you have any shades/brands nail polish to recommend as I'm trying to widen my nail polish collection.

Thanks for reading!

Miss Luxe Oversized Jumper

Hey guys

Last month I found myself a winner again! This time it was from a twitter competition. I've entered countless of these feeling like I'm never going to win but there's no harm in trying. So there I was getting ready for uni and I received a twitter notification congratulating me on winning Miss Luxe's competition for that week. I was over the moon and after receiving this item I was even happier.

The prize was an oversized jumper RRP at £15.99 and I chose it in cream as I previously didn't own any jumpers in this colour. 

It's a great item of clothing and the kind of thing I would buy anyway.

I love oversized jumpers especially as I haven't quite gotten my body to where I want it to be.

I like to wear it with a pair of leggings and some boots, either knee high or ankle.

Boots: New Look

(Excuse the pictures...it's just me and my iphone)

 

 I'm already eying up some jumpers and jeans and will definitely be shopping at Miss Luxe again as soon as my spending ban is over. 
And don't forget to follow them on twitter where you can also have a chance to win the beautiful items they offer every tuesday,

Have you guys shopped at Miss Luxe before and what did you buy? If you haven't I would definitely recommend it as they have some great items and their prices are nice and affordable which is perfect for a student like myself who has a shopping problem...

Thanks for reading!

Shoes I bought in the sales (part 1)

Hey guys

It's time for a fashion post.

I love wearing boots. It almost makes winter bearable (I said almost). In the sales I actually ended up buying 6.

I think I've established I have a major weakness when it comes to shoes as that's what majority of my money went on in the sales.

So I thought I'd share some of what I bought.

The first two I bought from New Look. I love New Look for their shoes.

I had been looking for ankle boots with block heels for a while and I finally found some. I had to restrict myself to 2 pairs: one black and one tan.

These were originally £27.99 but I had a 25% discount code so I ended up paying just about £21.
These are the kind of shoes I had been looking for, for ages!!! The heel isn't too high and it's a block heel so much more comfortable and easier to walk in.
I can wear it to spice up an everyday outfit.

These I got for £16. I can't remember how much they were before.
If I'm being honest, I probably didn't need to buy these. But I justified it as they were black, so can be worn with anything.
It's a bit different to what I usually wear because of the square front. I usually only like shoes with round fronts, I tend to find square shoes weird but I liked these. I didn't own anything like it before, so I didn't feel too bad.

This last pair was not planned at all. I had said no more shoes but I was in Debenhams and these shoes caught my eyes. I made the mistake of trying them on which resulted in me not being able to say no. They used to be £95 but because of the 70% off Debenhams were offering, I got them for £28.50! That's what I call a bargain! On the plus side my old military boots were destroyed so I basically replaced them. That's what I call an investment...

So this concludes shoes part 1 of the shoes I bought in the sales. I didn't want to put them all into one post as I thought it would get long and boring.

What did you get in the sale? I'd love to know as I love a good sale!

Thanks for reading!!

Mani Monday!

Hey guys

It's another short (and hopefully sweet) nail related post!

You may have seen my previous post on my recent Sally Hansen purchase. If not you can get find it (here).

Here's my recent nail art with the sugar coat polishes.

This look can be created using Sellotape which will produce finer edges but I couldn't be bothered with tape as it was a last minute decision to add the black effects right before bed so I used one of my nail brushes. 

What do you guys think? Any of you obsessed with nail art like I am?
Do let me know. I love to see people's designs as mine can be quite basic at times.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!
x x

How much is my face worth tag?

Hey guys

I've been seeing quite a few of these how much is your face worth tag and thought it would be fun to do my own.

Moisturiser

Simple Oil Balancing Moisturiser- £4.25

Primer

MAC Prep+Prime Skin Base Visage- £20.50

MAC Prep+Prime Transparent Finishing Powder- £20.00
 

Foundation 

MAC Studio Fix Fluid- £21.50

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus- £21.50

Concealer

MAC Select Cover-up- £15.00

Eyebrows

Collection eye definer- £2.79

Eyeshadow

MUA Undress me Too- £4.00

Eyeliner 

Collection Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner- £2.99

Helen e Eye Pencil- £8

 Eyelashes

Maybelline Colossal Volum' Cat Eyes Mascara- £7.99

Lips 

Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss- £7.99

That all totals at £136.51!

 That's a lot more than I was expecting but thankfully I don't buy it all in one go!!!

Have you done this tag? Do let me know. I would love to read them and if you haven't I tag you now! It's interesting to see how much you actually spend on your everyday face.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to follow me on bloglovin and twitter!

x x

November favourites

Hey guys

I can't believe its December already! Christmas time soon!!! Super excited. 

While writing this I realise I did a lot of shopping this month. I'm not quite sure why. I think it's because life got super busy for me and I used shopping to relax/procrastinate. Also, the weather became colder so I needed to adjust my wardrobe.

Favourite nail polish

I recently bought a load of Sally Hansen polishes which you can read about here.

So I think I'm going to have to say my favourite range for November is the Sally Hansen sugar coat polishes.

Favourite app

It has to be a toss up between the Move app and Zumba dance app. 

You can check out my post about them here.

Favourite item of clothing

I've been buying quite a number of shoes lately but favourite of this month has got to be these pair of black heels from ASOS. 

Image- Asos.com

I'm a massive fan of ASOS but I haven't actually ordered from them for ages as I'm trying to be better with my money habits so I end up having a lot of save for later items.

But I couldn't resist when it came to these shoes.

I've been looking for closed back heels for ages and these were on sale from £42 to £12!! How could I say no? And they have a little nude stripe making it a bit more interesting than your average black heels but still being able to go with any outfit!

Favourite book

I heart London by Lindsey Kelk.

I love this series and this is the newest book in this series. I was meant to read this book over the summer but life got in the way and resulted in me reading it this month. It's a great, funny book and you can find my review of it here.

Favourite miscellaneous item

Striping tape! If you're a regular reader you'll be aware of my obsession with nail polish and nail art. This item has helped me create great designs! It does require patience and time but it's a lot of fun and the results make it worth it and it's so cheap! You can find out more about it here.

What have been your favourites? I'd love to know. I'm always looking for new things to buy.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to follow me on twitter and bloglovin!

x x

Sally Hansen Stash

Hey guys 

I've heard a lot about Sally Hansen nail polishes but as I'm trying to save money I wasn't keen on buying them from Superdrug or Boots as it's a bit more than I wanted to spend.

So I went to eBay and found a UK seller who was selling a few Sally Hansen polishes for £2. Of course it wasn't the full range Boots and Superdrug offer but they had a few and for £2 and £2.50 so I can't really complain.

I bought 6...

Four of them are the sugar coat effect (at £2.49) which is different to any kind of nail polishes I own which is why I felt the need to buy 4...

I'm not sure if you can truly see the effect from the picture and I'm not quite sure how to describe what it looks like. It's a bit like pavement and it does look a bit sugary; hence its name.

The salon manicure polishes (at £2) aren't textured or have any special effects but they're good quality and don't require many coats. 

So far I'm impressed with these polishes. They last and haven't chipped or peeled and the bottle is a decent size so I'm happy to say it was a great purchase. To be totally honest they probably are worth the money drugstores sell them but I like to save money where I can (whilst still spending money... I have a problem I know and I'm working on it...)

Have any of you tried these polishes?

What do you think of them?

Thanks for reading and don't forget to follow me on twitter and bloglovin!

x x

You just got lit up!

Hey guys

I thought its about time I reviewed a product. It's been a while and this time I chose a non beauty product.

Unfortunately, here in the UK, it's autumn/winter time so it's freezing so I don't particularly like leaving my house unless it's necessary. I have to contemplate if lectures are necessary and going to the gym seems like a myth at the moment... Although I did manage to go today!

I've been wanting a scented candle for ages! I really wanted to buy a Yankee candle but I can't quite justify spending that much on a candle. Maybe when I finish uni and find my own place.

I saw one in tk maxx that I almost bought. It was called Copenhagen candle and the scent was Christmas spice. It smelt amazing but then I had to stop myself as it's not a necessity for me and even though it was a lot cheaper than a Yankee candle, as somebody who's trying to save money (haven't even done my Christmas shopping yet...), it wasn't needed.  

Anyway, I got into Tesco and came across candles they had on offer. They had candles my Glade, for £2!

I got the scent 'honey and chocolate'.

I was a bit hesitant as to whether it was going to be rubbish but I thought £2 wouldn't hurt me if it was.

I'm happy to say it wasn't! Despite burning it over 24 hours ago for like 20 minutes and sitting quite far from the candle I can still smell it's fragrance!

Unfortunately this is my first personal experience with scented candles so I don't really have anything to compare it to but for £2 I really can't complain. 

I highly recommend it!

It's such a pretty candle and smells great!

Prefect for staying cosy at home with a great book (or textbook...) or watching tv or something.

I don't know if it's a range out for Christmas but I need to get some more just in case!

Has anybody tried these candles? Or have you got any recommendations of scented candles that won't break the bank? Do let me know!

Thanks for reading! (And sorry if anybody is a Suits fan and because of the title thought it would be a Suits related post. I love Suits and thought this phrase was an appropriate lol- just me? Ok lol )

Don't forget to follow me on twitter and bloglovin!

x x

My first giveaway!!!

Hey guys!!!

I mentioned on Twitter that when I reached 500 page views I was going to do a giveaway and now that I have reached over 500 I have to keep my promise!

It may seem like a small achievement but for me who started my blog last month, as a little hobby it's a huge achievement!

The prize is a surprise but it will be beauty related. Some of my favourite items :)

The giveaway runs for a month

The instructions are as follows:

Follow me on twitter and bloglovin'.

Tweet about the giveaway

Comment on this post and one other random one.

Entries will be checked for validity.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Thanks for reading and entering and good luck!

x x

Prep+Prime

Hey guys

Hope you're having a great day

I thought I'd review the two products I have from MAC's Prep+Prime range.

I've been using the skin base visage for a while.

I was recommended it after visiting the MAC counter to buy a new foundation and I told them I had oily skin. I was slightly hesitant but I thought what have I got to lose (except like £18).

It's supposed to keep the face shine-free and matte.

It can be worn on its own or under make up to help set the foundation and leave it looking matte.

I have to say it's not bad. My face is super oily so doesn't remain shine-free all day but it helps my face for a couple of hours. It's the best I've tried so far. For those of you who don't have super oily skin like me if think it would work greatly.

The second item is a transparent loose powder.

This is a relatively new addition to my collection. I've been looking for a transparent powder for ages but have always been hesitant as I've heard some can leave the face looking ashy and as I'm quite a dark skinned girl that's a massive concern for me. After reading many reviews I finally gave in and bought it.

I'm quite impressed with this product. You don't have to use a lot to get a result.

It can either be used to set your face or after foundation.

Since I already use a primer to set my face I use it after my foundation. I use it when my face is getting a little oily. I blot and then use minimal amount to make it look matte again.

Have any of you guys used these products or could recommend anymore products from this range?

Do let me know and don't forget to follow me on Twitter and bloglovin'!

Thanks for reading!

x

Beauty favourites

Hey guys

I thought I'd write about a few of my favourite beauty products. I do have quite a few but I thought it best to limit it to 3.

(Please do mind the quality of the pictures- all I have is my iPhone camera and the lighting in my room sucks)

First product is MUA's Undress Me Too Eyeshadow palette. 

At the time of this purchase I hadn't started blogging but I had read so many reviews for this product and I have to say they didn't let me down! It's meant to be a dupe for Urban Decay's naked too palette. I don't wear eyeshadows often- just when I feel like making an extra effort like for dinner or something so didn't feel like paying the amount for Urban Decay's as it would be a waste of my money. MUA didn't let me down- it's a great dupe! The colours are vibrant, it's great for creating smoky eyes and last for ages! Even better if you use it with the MUA eye primer (I'm an MUA fan- can you tell? Lol)

The palette is at a bargain of £4! And if you have an NUS card like I do you can even get student discount on it bringing it to just over £3.50!  You can't go wrong. One of my favourite beauty purchases ever! As you can see- well used lol.

Second product is Maybelline's colossal volume express mascara- the cat eyes one. 

I did try others in this range but the cat eyes one did it for me. I already have pretty long curly eyelashes so this mascara just accentuates them making them even longer and fuller without clumps. I've been so happy with this mascara that I'm very hesitant to try any new ones (even though the blogger within me tells me to try new ones). I have tried and they've all failed in comparison to this one.

Third product is Collection 2000 extreme felt tip liner.

 I got this for free after spending a certain amount on collection 2000. It was new at the time so I think they were trying to promote it. I'm a sucker for offers and I love eyeliner so obviously I spent enough to get it. At first I wasn't convinced. I think it was due to me switching from eye pencil to something different but after a few times I began to love it. It's bold and you can create thin and think lines with it and great for the 'eye flick' we all know and probably love. It has lasted me quite a while and doesn't dry out. There have been a couple of times when I haven't put the lid on properly by mistake and I thought that was it but weirdly no, it hasn't dried out!

That's it's for now. What are your favourite products? Do any of them include these? Do comment and let me know!

Thanks for reading and don't forget to follow me on Twitter and bloglovin'

x 

October beauty wishlist

Hey guys

So I'm on a spending ban again so thought I'd write a list of what I would have bought if I wasn't on one.

Maybe it'll help me from getting sidetracked when my ban is lifted and stop spending unnecessarily.

Lips

MAC lipsticks: Girl About Town, Up the Amp and Ruby Woo

I love these shades and have wanted them for ages but for some reason I've never gotten round to buying them 

I currently own 2 MAC lipsticks (Lady Danger and Quite the Thing) which I got from the cosmetics store so they were cheaper so maybe that's why I haven't bought these 3 shades. But I think I'm just going to close my eyes and buy them. (Not at the same time I hope...)

Maybelline Color Elixirs 

I saw them on the American Maybelline website and I don't think they're out here in England yet but they look amazing. It's a combination of a lipstick and a lipgloss which I think is perfect for those days when lipsticks may seem too much but still need some colour on the lips. I love Maybelline so I'm sure the pigmentation will be great. I'll be keeping an eye out for when and where I can get that from.

Eyes

L'oreal blackbuster super liner in black. 

I love a good eyeliner and after seeing adverts for this I knew I had to have it. Eyeliner is a staple part of my face when I want to make even just a little bit of an effort (my usual face is foundation and concealer) and this eyeliner looks perfect to create dramatic eyes which I do sometimes like to do. Make my eyes POP! Lol 

Fragrance

Escada cherry in the air 

This perfume smells amazing. Perfect if you like perfumes with a fruity smell. It does cost quite a bit which is why I haven't bought it yet as I haven't thought it a priority but I'm definitely thinking of treating myself with it soon or a family member/friend would be nice enough to buy it for me... I'll start dropping hints.

Clothing

Parka

These were pretty big last year but I couldn't find one I liked or in my size so I'm still on the hunt for one. Perfect for these cold days that seem to be descending upon us.

Fluffy jumpers

I have a few but you can never have more that enough I believe...

Well I think that's all that's on my list for now.

What's on your wishlist? Any of these items or do you already have these items?

Do let me know

Thanks for reading and don't forget to follow me on Twitter and bloglovin'

 x  

September favourites

Hey guys

My last post was me having a bit of a complain so why not do the exact opposite and celebrate what purchases I made last month that I'm happy with!

September marked the lift of my spending ban. (I'm currently on another one now lol- watch out for October favourites).

Yes I did just plug one of my future posts lol

My first favourite is from body shop. I normally go to body shop for stuff for my face but this time I went in for the free hand cream they were offering and of course I came out with a purchase.

It wasn't my fault. They had a deal when spending over £5 you get their membership card free. Of course I wasn't going to say no. I did however restrict myself to just one purchase. 

I got the new strawberry body mist smells gorgeous. I could sniff it all day! 

My other September favourites have got to be my Revlon lip butters and lipgloss. I've previously talked about them here so I'm not going to go into details here but basically you should check them out.

Anyway that sums up my September favourites.

Like I said watch out for October favourites!

What were your September favourites? Have any of you used these products?

Comment below! And follow me on twitter and bloglovin'!

Thanks for reading and have a great day! x x

Clinique disappointment

Hey guys!

Long time no blog! Super busy week at uni. I defo need a holiday again

Thought I'd write a post about my latest dissappointment.

Those that have read previous posts would know I battle with super oily skin so I'm always on the hunt for products to help me remain shine free for as long as possible.

I've heard many people rave about Clinique so I thought I'd visit their counter at debenhams and ask for their help.

The lovely lady helped me and recommended me the Pore Refining Solutions- Stay-matte hydrator hydratant matifiant. It's supposed to absorb any oil produced during the day and last up to 8 hours.

This cost me £32!!!

I was hesitant and had to leave and think about it. I read reviews and all I saw were positive and great reviews so I was sold. I closed my eyes and bought it as I thought it would be an investment.

It comes out like a cream. A bit like a primer. Can be worn alone as it has no colour or can be work under make up.

This item seemed to make my face seem even more oilier and shinier than ever!!!

Just after 1 or 2 hours and I would be blotting for ages!!! 

I was so annoyed. 

Has anybody used this item and found the same thing? Or used it and loved it? Maybe I'm using it wrong? Who knows. But all I know is that I'm not rushing to the Clinique counter any time soon.

This has got to be my worst beauty buy that I can remember to date.

Just had to air my frustrations!

Thanks for reading and have a nice day!

Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions and please follow me on Bloglovin' and Twitter!

x x