A few new purchases...

It was really sunny on sunday, so me & Jack decided to drive to Cardiff for a little mooch/shop.

They have an Illamasqua counter in the Debenhams there, so OBVIOUSLY i was going to check out some of the products as i have been waiting SO patiently to see in the flesh.

But first, i'll go through other things i bought.
The pearl necklaces were both Primarni. One on the left was £3 & the one on the right was £2.
Can't go wrong with pearls..every girl should own some.
:)

Soap & Glory - Feel the KneadThis is, quite possibly, my favourite S&G product to date.
In all honesty, i bought this because it intrigued me.
Ever seen soap shaped like this?
It smells amaaazing. Really fresh smelling.
When i used this, i was pleasantly surprised. It seemed to exfoliate, lather and leave my skin so smooth, as well as massage away all the cellulite.
Haha, okay the cellulite wasn't gone after my bath but its nice to think this might actually budge it if used religiously.
I'm actually looking forward to my next bath so i can use this again.
sad no? haha

Soap & Glory - I-Foam Body washI took one sniff of this and threw it in my basket.
Not alot to say on this one in all honesty, it smells bleddy amazing, lathers amazing & just does everything it says on the bottle.
BUY IT NAAOO

Illamasqua Lipstick - Obey
It's funny because i have my little wishlist on the right of products i most definitely wanted to swatch and see up close,
But when i got to the actual counter, i was so overwhelmed with all the different colours and the girl constantly trying to paint my face i didnt really take it all in properly.
Also Jack was standing with me and i didnt want to take all day haha
So i went straight to the lippies and this one took my fancy. It looks gorgeous on, a colour i definitely dont have and it lasted SO long on my lips.
So far i am very impressed with the Illamasqua Lipsticks.

Illamasqua Cream Blusher - SobThis was the cream blush that really stood out to me.
It is very similar to the powder blush in "Katie" and the MA put both on each of my cheeks and we both agreed that the cream blush looks alot more natural on me.
I LOVE IT.
I wore it the other day, and it lasted me HOURS.
Something the Mac cream blushes FAIL miserably to do on my skin.
I need more of these in my collection. They are so worth the money!
Very generously, Jack bought me both Illamasqua products.
He's always so sneaky, and when i go to pay, he jumps in & shoves his card in the machine.
I love them both thankyou so much Jack :)

Mac Eyeshadow - Style SnobThis eyeshadow is part of the "Love that look" collection in Mac at the moment.
These shadows are amazing, i love the Starflash finish & can only urge you all to check it out.
I want almost all of the shadows, but being very good, i came away with just one.
Might have to sneak back for a few more. ;)

Mac Eyeshadow - Amber Lights
I didn't own this shadow...& i couldnt believe i didn't own it.
It was always one of those shadows i'd swatch on my hand and then just leave the shop over and over and over.
I decided on buying it this time as when i swatched it, Jack loved the colour & really wanted me to wear it.
He probabaly secretly knew i always wanted it, and persuaded me :)
I love this colour, orangey tones compliment blue eyes and all that ;)

So that is my little shopping load.
It's not much, but i thought i'd share my first experiences with Illamasqua up close.
Although, im pretty sure they didn't have the whole range..it didn't seem like they did, unless i was so in ore i totally misjudged the amount.
The girl was really nice, and gave me a mini makeover.
Can't wait to see the stand in Selfridges with the beauty bloggers in a week
:)

♥

Review: 3 face masks I have used recently

Over the last few weeks, i have been on a mission to find something to fix my skin.

I am a very big fan of face masks.
I haven't however, seemed to find the HG face mask that creates miracles...surely i'm not the only one that seeks a lot in a face mask..for it never to deliver?
I love Lush's fresh face masks...but so far none have really made much of a difference to my skin.
That could quite possibly be down to the fact that I haven't used them religiously for weeks on end...but at about £4.50 a pop for 3 weeks of product..i couldn't possibly keep it up.


So, i have recently purchased 3 face masks.
All of which have been tried and tested a numerous amount of times.
Here's my verdict.

1. Simple Deep Cleansing Face mask


Main Ingredients: Natural Clay & Seaweed extract

What it claims to do: Reveal fresher, brighter looking skin with our deep cleansing face mask to draw out deep down dirt and eliminate dead skin cells.

How well it performed: Hmm..i am a big fan of simple skincare, i love most of their products, mainly their amazing face wipes (also a staple in Cheryl Cole's skincare regime) and i do like the fact they specialise in sensitive skin.
However, i didn't really like the consistency of this. It wasn't very thick..almost like a watery yogurt, making it harder to apply.
It also didn't really feel like it was doing anything. I like a face mask where you can almost feel it working, this, again...just felt like i'd smeared a petit filous all over my face.
When washing it off, i didn't notice any major differences to my skin...
So, overall, i was pretty disappointed in this face mask, but then again, it might work better for someone with a different skin type to me.

2. Botanics Intensive Moisture Mask


Main Ingredients: Honey & "Natural Extracts"

What it claims to do: Deeply hydrating, this luxurious mask quenches and rejuvenates, leaving skin feeling smooth, soft and supple.

How well it performed: My skin, as most of you will know by now, is mainly dry/combination. So i really did like the idea of this, and honey is meant to be a good ingredient for sorting out dryness.
The consistency of this one is a bit like the simple one, but the only reason i can put up with that in this case, is because this actually works.
After using this, my skin felt amazing, and not a dry patch in sight.
It also refreshed my skin and i did look a lot more radiant.
I can't wait to use this more during the winter as my skin gets so dehydrated!
Would really recommend this mask to those of you who struggle with horrible dry patches.


3. Soap & Glory "Fab Pore" Face mask


Main Ingredients: Mushroom extract, Salicylic acid, Kaolin, Vitamins E & C

What it claims to do: Loosen dead skin cells that contribute to pore clogging. Sops up extra oils on the skin and smoothes the skin's surface. Vitamins are antioxidants for skin boost.

How well it performed: This was by far, my favourite of the three. The texture is perfect, a thick creamy white paste which is so easy to apply to the face and easy still to remove.
You can use this mask as a 5 minutes refresh, or a 15 minute treatment.
I have used this both ways, and both have left my skin feeling refreshed, soft, hydrated but more importantly, looking healthy!
I can't express how much i love this mask. I'm most definitely buying this again.
The smell is amazing, the packaging is amazing, and for once, the results are amazing.
A million thumbs up!

♥

Land of Soap & Glory.

I am ever a fan of gimmicky/pretty packaging...and yes..shallowly..it sucks me right in.

This is what happened to me & my mum (She is now a super fan of Soap & Glory).
In Boots at the moment, there is an offer on with all Soap & Glory products, so if you haven't tried anything from this fabulous range, i suggest now would be the perfect time to!
I was in a smaller local boots when i came across alot more of the range i hadn't ever seen before (Alot only stock the the more general items such as the shower gels..body lotions and the more popular things like the hand food)
So...of course i thought i had to try some.


First is the Wipes. Honestly, i just got these because they are adorable. & claim to tighten pores, cleanse & tone and remove makeup. Thumbs up!
They also smell AMAZING!
I will definitely be getting some more of these. They look pretty on my dressing table :)

The Eye Gel

This claims to immediately tighten and heighten the skin under the eyes, and leave it nicely moisturised.
It includes depuffing caffeine, pro- vitamin panthenol & soothing aloe vera juice!


If you look at it in the light, it has purpley/pink/green reflexs in it. And looks SO pretty. It also feels so nice under your eyes, not your usual cooling effect but more a tingly warming one. I really cant say anything more than that as i havent been using it for long. But so i far i really like it.

Glow Job (snigger)
Yes..im immature, this name is bordering rude...thankfully it's not. :)
The box says : Squeeze a pea sized measure of glow job onto your fingerstips, then rub together to release the bronze from inside the beads and blend. Apply to your face in upward circular motions then just get up and glow!


Freshly squeezed...


You can see the bronze beads here..


You can see the final result here. A nice faux tan effect. It's also nice and dewy. I don't own any face products to give a "washable tan effect". And this one has fab results, good for nights out and on days were you're feeling particularly pale and pasty. Which is most days for me...as i find it almost impossible to tan my face...must be because i have dry skin!? who knows. :)

The Fab Pore Intense Action Pore-Refining Facial Peel
[Mouthful much?]

This stuff smells FAB! That's one thing i truley love about all Soap & Glory products and its the way they smell. My HG body scrub is from Soap & Glory...and to be honest..i have attempted to eat some. It smelt good but i wouldnt advise munching any. :)
I think even the fact it's called "facial peel" is exciting as you truley imagine it to peel off the layers of skin which are no good. I have yet to try this mask, but i can tell you that the consistency on my hand was just as a facemask should be, and when i washed it off, the skin on my hand felt SO soft.
I don't have very visible pores on my face, but i do have a few. So i can report back for those of you who are self conscious about pores, and are looking for a solution for minimizing them.

Heel Genius Soak-In Foot Mask
Now i don't know about you, but my favourite foot mask's are those that you slather all over your tootsies before bed, whack on some cotton socks, let it do it's magic, wake up to reveal soft feet?
Let's be honest, it is the easier option to getting the footspa out.
Again, a massive thumbs up for the scent. It has a sortof sunlotion smell. & i do love that, reminds me of summer. (not that we're really experiencing any summer at the moment)
It's also got a really silky consitency and melts into the skin so easily. When i washed this off my hand i was shocked at how soft it was. *Smoothes back of hand over cheek*
Can't wait to treat my feet with this :)

I really can't reccommend Soap & Glory products highly enough. The packaging is genius & they apply a sense of humour to their products aswell.
Gimmicky names, FAB scents, Amazing packaging (i can't really bring myself to throw the boxes away) & they even put beauty tips on the boxes too...
I like this one..
"Wear sunscreen on your face everyday, or in 20 years you could be wearing it as a belt"

Give Soap & Glory a go! I have yet to be let down by any of their products.
www.soapandglorycosmetics.com

♥

Saturday Shopping.

Yikes..I went shopping again. Almost all from Boots or superdrug though so it's not too bad.

♥

First, I went into Mac and got the pink fish lip conditioner. I like this, although i did think it would be a bit more "conditioning". Then in Superdrug whilst i was purchasing items for my lucky charm swap, i also picked up the 101 lipstick and a dazzle dust in 88 (Wild berry). In Barry M at the mo, it's buy any 2 items and get an eye kohl free..so as i bought 4 barry m items (including my dd's for the swap) i got 2 free pencils, one in grey and one in white.

♥

Everything in the neutrogena visibly clear range is by 2 for £5 so i picked up this face wash/mask as i'd previously seen lollipop26 talk about it and wanted to try it out. I also picked up a moisturiser for my boyfriend, but that isn't very exciting. I get him good gifts (?!) Then everything in the AUSSIE range was buy 2 for £6 so i got curl definition serum and a deep conditioning treatment. The treatment smells vile...I hope it works.

♥

This was the most exciting. Everything in the soap & glory range was reduced by as much as £5 on some items! So as u can see, i took advantage slightly? Top left is a body scrub..this smells SO nice, i can't quite put my finger on the smell, Fruity..kindof.. but nice none the less. :) Second is a body butter, I think my mum is going to steal this as she loved it so much. This is my favourite smell of all the items. It smells fresh. Theeennn i got a facial scrub (I know..another one?) I can't help it, i just want to try everything.

The two things at the front are an underye concealer (I'm ALWAYS trying these, and i had no idea soap and glory did one?) and a motherpucker lipgloss set which was reduced by £5 and there was one left. It was practically screaming at me. I'm so glad i bought these, i had forgotten how amazing they were. My mum had one years ago and i stole it (and lost it..oops) They taste like chocolate and i put some on my lips about 3 hours ago...and its still going strong,even through munching and drinking. Look at the packaging...It's worth buying just for that!

From Top to bottom: Half Naked, Baby Doll, Plum Juice.

From Lef to Right: Plum Juice, Baby Doll, Half Naked.

♥

O.P.I

Almost forgot, my O.P.I (Sally's) purchases.

From Left to Right: "I'm Indi-a mood for love", "Feelin' Hot-hot-hot!", "Aphrodite's pink nightie", "Done out in Deco" and a boring old black. :)

I will post colour swatches when i apply each colour to my nails, apart from the black, because we all know what that looks like.

Let me know if you want any reviews guys.

x