The Top Recommended US Drugstore Beauty Products- Reviewed!

I find shopping in Sephora and US Drug stores confusing, if I'm honest. Even when I've prepared myself and made a list of things I want, I always find myself feeling a bit overwhelmed; there's just too much beauty stuff.
The gap between what we can't get here and what you can only get in the states has definitely narrowed, but there's still the few items that most Irish gals will be on the lookout for when beauty shopping in America. The last time we were over (November 2017), I knew exactly what I wanted from Sephora but hadn't thought a huge amount about budget beauty so I found myself scrolling through "the top ten drugstore beauty products you need" articles online in our hotel room one night and sure enough, I made my way to a CVS the next day.
These were all recommended by various magazines, I haven't tried them all yet but they didn't cost the earth so I thought they'd be worth a go! (there was also many more products recommended, that either didn't suit me, wrong hair or skin type etc or else products that I already have/have tried).

E.L.F Hydrating Face Primer

This is part of a series of face primers from the budget beauty brand E.L.F (Eyes. Lips, Face). I have dry skin so this seemed a no-brainer and every online magazine raved about this one in particular. If memory serves me correctly, it cost less than $6. It has no fragrance to speak of but I do notice a slightly chemically scent that does wear off as you wear it. It's clear and looks a bit like Vaseline when you pump it out. I've only used this once because I just didn't love it. It is somewhat softening and provides a base in the same way a silicone-heavy primer would. On me, it felt a bit greasy and unpleasant. I'll give it another go but for the moment, I'm not a big fan. I would save your $6 and put it towards this one instead.

Aveeno Positively Radiant 60 Second In-Shower Facial

This was hailed as a new miracle product and one that I sense will take me a good long time to finish. This idea with this is you pop it on your wet face while you're in the shower, leave it on for 60 seconds and gently massage in a circular motion, then wash off. I like to do this while my conditioner is doing its thing. It has a little bit of grit in there (gentle grit, there's no plastic beads in here) but it's mostly the alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that does the exfoliating. I've used this a few times now and have noticed my skin is nicely smooth afterwards and my make-up applies well after using it. I've since found out that Aveeno test on animals so I won't be buying from them again but for now, I'll use this up. It's good.

Almay Healthy Glow Makeup + Gradual Self Tan

This is a medium coverage foundation that supposedly perfects your skin while you wear it; when you take off your make up, you have a natural glow. This has a pump function and two separate chambers that combines the self tan and the make up together when you press down. I got the shade light, which was the lightest there was. There's also an SPF 20 in there, which is good. I've only tried lip products from Almay, which I liked and again, there was great excitement online over this fella. This is a reasonably good colour match for me, if not slightly darker than my own skin tone. It does have that fake tan scent to it, which is never nice but goes fairly fast once it's absorbed. I also quite like the coverage of this; it's buildable but looks natural. So far, I like!

Carmex Daly Care Moisturising Lip Balm 

I love Carmex and didn't need any encouragement to get this three pack of lip balms. I usually use either the tubes or pots of Carmex but I haven't tried the stick version, plus this was only a few dollars. There's a cherry (my fave), strawberry and wintergreen and they all have an spf15.

Covergirl Outlast All-Day Concealer

This is a concealer with a soft-tip applicator, designed to erase the appearance of dark circles and blemishes. It's oil-free and doesn't clog the pores. I got the shade fair. I think this is Covergirl's version of Maybeline's under eye eraser concealer yoke (that I also love and also featured in every top drugstore beauty product article out there). I wouldn't say this is as good as the Maybelline. It's quite a light formula but feels a bit drying. I also don't think it covers my particular dark circles as well as other concealers do. 

CoverGirl Ink It! All-Day Eye Pencil

This is a twist up pencil that glides on like an ink but with the crease and fade-resistance of a kohl pencil. It's also waterproof. I got the shade Charcoal Ink cause I wanted a liquid eyeliner effect. When I opened it I didn't think I'd like it based on how the top of the pencil was packaged but actually, it applies really nicely. I would say; it's not the blackest of the black liners but I can get over that. It's not a super messy liner but you can smudge it if that's your thing (it is mine). Overall, I like!

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Oil

I love Burt's Bees so of course, I had to get this. These are supposed to be moisturising and comforting on the lips while providing a shot of natural looking colour. I wanted a more nude shade but they were all sold out, so I got Crimson Breeze instead. I LOVE this and I need more shades!! I was surprised by how much I like this shade too, I was worried it would be too dark but it's more of a flattering pink plus it feels so lovely on! The only flaw I can see is that it wears of fast but I find that happens with all oil-based lip products. But I like that it's a light gloss and the oil means that it's softening on the lips. So good!

CoverGirl Melting Pout Gel Liquid Lipstick

Pretty sure these are a rip off of the Too Faced ones but at a fraction of the price. I got this in the shades Don't be Gelly and Evan-Gel-Ical (I can't find that one to take the photo, it's more than likely in the bottom of a bag somewhere). This has a soft tip for application. The formula of these are nice but the quality of the overall shade application varies according to each colour. I like these but having not tried the Too Faced ones, I can't make a proper comparison. 

That's my take on the top recommended drugstore beauty products. Have you tried any of these? 

Thoughts?

XX

(Possible) New Favourite Beauty Products

There's doubt in that title purely cause some of these have only just come into my life and as yet have to be tried out but there's also new beauty bits in here that I can confirm that I'm loving! 

The make-up pouch (Bath & Bodyworks) is somewhat misleading, is what I'm saying, but isn't it pretty?! 

Yes, you can spot seven lip products there. I am a lip balm/lipstick fiend. 

First up; my thing with these creepy sheet masks doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I will try every brand, as long as it suggests hydration as an outcome. I just finished off a box of Farmacy ones that I got in the states that were fab- more from that brand later. For now, here's a Boscia Deep Hydration Mask I also got in America, which I have yet to use. I'm a beauty horder. We are however just coming to the end of a very cold snap here so I'll be popping this on this week! 

The Ariel one is by a company called Made Beauty, I previously got a Chip and Mrs Potts lip balm set from them, which was frankly, adorable. This mask is infused with cucumber to cool, hydrate and moisturise the skin, which sounds ideal but who knows what it'll actually do. I got this on Asos, where you'll find a selection of Disney Princess masks!

I'm a marketing persons dream. I saw the banana range on The Body Shop's Insta, along with their new lip balms (below), so of course, in I popped to get them for myself. I used the banana shampoo and conditioner way back in the day and guess what?! They still smell the exact same!! Hello nostalgia! 

I went for a hair mask this time, purely to add in a little hydration and it's honesty a divine experience. I put it on this morning after shampooing, put a shower cap over it, left it for five minutes then washed off. My hair has been super soft all day and maybe I'm imagining it, but a little more voluminous too! Plus, that smell! Love it!!

And these are the aforementioned The Body Shop lip balms. These are the Lip Juicers; 100% Vegan, moisture-boosting balms with smoothie-inspired combos. They look a little like the top of a giant pencil and aesthetically, remind me of Eos a bit but other than that, these are far superior from a moisturising perspective. My favourite is the Coconut/Carrot/Passion Fruit, which both smells fantastic and gives the lips a nice colour but they were buy one get one half price, so you know what happened next. I also got Strawberry/Pomegranate/Aloe which I like too but the scent isn't doing it for me as much. 

Anyway, there's three more in the range so who knows what'll happen next (we all know).

In between them is the NYX Turnt Up! Lipstick. I have this in the shade French Kiss, which on the website (this was part of a "I've put my back out, I'm feeling sorry for myself" purchase) didn't look quite this pale a pink, which I'm not sure suits me all that much. Anyway, I've mixed it with other shades which seems to make it work better and it's a lovely moisturising formula.

Ive mentioned this here before and on Insta and Facebook cause it's so damn good. I got a sample of this in Sephora, having never tried anything from Buxom before and fell for it big time. It's a cream gloss that plumps the lips, tingles a little, smells like vanilla/mint and makes my lips look INCREDIBLE. Himself has actually said "that lip thing you have on is really nice on you". SO YOU KNOW IT'S GOOD. I have the shade Rose Julep and I got it in Debenhams. Also worth noting that this is the lip gloss I keep going on about cause it reminds me of the long gone gloss from Pout that came in those vacuum packs and were beloved by all. WHY did they leave and never come back?!!

Lookit, I know, it's another lip balm but this one was bought last November and I was waiting 'til I finished my Elizabeth Arden one, which is almost gone so it's time for this fella to shine. I love Fresh products, especially the lip balms, which are really soothing. I normally get the Sugar Rose one but this Sugar Lip Caramel Hydrating Balm was new and I'm also a sucker for new products, so here we are. And yes, it smells unbelievably good.

I was harping on about spending the end of a Brown Thomas gift voucher on a 30ml size of Jo Malone's Peony & Pink Suede Blush, when lo and behold, the loveliest gal by the name of Samantha pm'd me on instagram and told me she had a bottle she wasn't going to use and would I like it?

Of course I said yes and in the end we resurrected the old Beaut. i.e Swap Siopa just for the two of us, which was lovely. Anyway, this is a truly beautiful fragrance. It's delicate but not sweet, powdery and floral and an utter classic. I adore it! Thank you again Samantha!

I got a set of these Darkness eyelashes in Korea town in LA for $4 and I wish I had bought more. They're quite natural on so they don't look overly dramatic but they still add a little sumthin' sumthin' to your eye make up. Plus, and this is very shallow but, I like the packaging rather a lot.

I got a gorgeous Rifle Paper Co. set from L'Occitane, free with a sale order just after Christmas and I'm getting around to using the contents now. There's a Shea shower oil, a micellar water and a few other bits as well as this Light Comforting Cream. This is designed to be a non-greasy and comforting face cream with 5% Shea to moisturise for up to 48 hours. I just started using this a couple of days ago but I think the scent is possibly too strong for use on my face. It's a nice face cream though, so I'll give it another go. 

This was a mini freebie with the points I built up on my Sephora card and is from the previously mentioned Farmacy, known for cultivating their own ingredients, for a "farm-to-face" philosophy. I've liked anything I've tried from them and my sister is a big fan so I was looking forward to trying Honey Potion; a warming antioxidant hydration mask with echinacea greenenvy (their star ingredient) honey. You apply this after cleansing, massage it with your fingers to warm it up and then leave it for ten minutes. This really does warm up, and gets a little tingly. Once you've washed it off it's supposed to restore moisture levels and repair stressed complexions. I've only used this once and I'm still not really sure how I feel about it, or if it made a difference. I'll keep testing! 

These aren't anything new but Himself bought me the full Crayola box set of the Clinique chubby sticks last year (I couldn't get them anywhere and he presented them to me on anniversary. He's kind of a legend) and I've been using these two a little more than the others of late. Red Violet is a plummy shade while Mauvelous is a perfect nude pink for daytime. These are both nicely moisturising with a slick of colour, if you don't like a full-on lipstick, these are perfect for you. 

Have you tried any of these?

Any personal favourites amongst this lot?

XX

Clarins SOS Primers | New Release!

One of the nicest things about the new year is all the lovely Spring beauty releases.
Pastel nail polish, floral notes in perfumes and peachy lip shades all make a reappearance and it starts to feel like there might just be an end in sight to the misery of Winter.

I've been lucky enough to try out one such lovely new release; the SOS Primers from Clarins. You will by now have heard of these if you're a beauty fiend. They've been all over Instagram and I'm mostly talking about my own instastories there- I love this primer!

A quick description of these fellas: there's six in the range with each one taking care of a different skin issue. I have two to try out; Universal Light to boost radiance for dull skin, and Lavender for brightening sallow skin. 

Also in the range is Rose, which minimises signs of fatigue (I kinda feel like I could do with this one too if I'm honest!), Peach, which blurs imperfections for a flawless finish, Coral, which minimises dark spots and Green, which diminishes redness (a good one for anyone dealing with Rosacea).

So as well as doing what primers are meant to do, i.e provide a good base for your foundation, they have the added bonus of tackling whatever skin issue you've been struggling with.
Thus, killing two birds with the one, smoothing stone. Hurrah!

I've been using Universal Light for the last three weeks. I wear it under Isadora's Cover Up Foundation & Concealer. That particular product is medium to full coverage, which I don't normally wear thanks to my dry skin but, if you add it to an illuminating primer you balance the two out perfectly. I liked that foundation anyway but I love it with this primer. Rarely does a day go by when I wear the two together that I don't get complimented on my face, which is always enjoyable! :D

I've tried out Lavender and can see the pigments in it, clearly, but as I don't have sallow skin, I'm not the best person to trial it! It has the same consistency though, which is a wonderful base for your foundation- leaving you with a smooth and prepped surface that'll help your make up last longer. 

It's a good'un.

The SOS Primers are available now and are €31 each.

XX

Clarins Everlasting Compact | Foundation Review

This is a brand new release for Clarins; a long wearing, matte powder foundation in a compact to take with you on the go. This is also a new one for me! 

I'm not sure I've ever actually used a powder foundation. Feel free to gasp in horror at this stage of the proceedings but bear in mind that I have dry skin so I've pretty much always been about the dewier liquid foundations, a powder feels counter-intuitive for dry skin. Add to that, I've always wondered how well a powder foundation can actually apply. Does it cover what you want to cover?

Well, Clarins describe this as an "a timeless compact powder foundation to achieve an ultra matte complexion that goes anywhere with you and minimises dark spots, imperfections and redness, as well as signs of stress". 

Clarins also suggest it provides 15 hours of matte coverage with no need for touch ups and that it won't create a "mask" effect. This is all good news for me, I don't like a very heavy foundation look but I guess the repeated use of the word "matte" did ring some alarm bells for my dry skin! 

I haven't tried the 15 hours of coverage as I pretty much never have make up on my face for that length of time, but I can say it stayed on well for 8 hours. It's a super soft and finely milled powder and it applies like a dream. Having said that, I don't have dry patches but I would worry it might catch on them if you did, in spite of how lovely it is to apply. It is still a powder, after all.

Packaging wise, it's beautifully sleek and lightweight with a mirror and an application sponge that makes it supremely handy for travel, or indeed touch ups, if you found you needed to do so. Other good news is that it has an SPF of 9, not so bad for Winter time and it comes in 13 shades. The shade I have, 108 Sand, is slightly too dark for me normally but works well when I have tan on. 

So, on to the application itself. I prepped for this foundation as I do all of them; cleanse, serum, moisturiser, primer. I used the given sponge for some of my face and a powder foundation brush for the rest and it applied very well with both. 

It definitely has a matte finish and I have to say, it felt weird to me the first time I wore it- I'm just so not used to that sensation! The more I've used it since though, I've found it to actually sit quite comfortably on my skin and furthermore, I absolutely love that you can only apply a small amount and still feel like you've put on your make up. Liquid foundations can be tedious to apply and can take time you might not necessarily have but this is really easy. If I'm doing something or going out for the evening, I'll put on a bit more (see photo below) and build it up. Yesterday though I was just popping out for breakfast in a local cafe and couldn't be bothered with much so I just applied a light layer of this and it gave me a nice glow, without looking overdone. 

If you're still not sure, take a look at the before and after!

I promise that even though they look completely different, neither photo is filtered! Both photos were taken in natural daylight, at the same time of day. No filter, no photoshop. Look how healthy I look in the second one! In the first photo, I'm wearing eye make up and have filled in my brows only, in the second I've added Clarins Everlasting foundation, concealer, bronzer on my neck to even things out and Charlotte Tilbury lipstick in Pillow Talk.

This for me, goes to show that it's always worth breaking out of your comfort zone. With blogging, I've certainly done that but even at my old age blogger status (five years and counting) I can do with mixing things up a bit and trying new formulas, new shades and new ideas, basically! 

If you haven't tried powder foundation but are keen to give it a go, I think this is an ideal option. It's so convenient- pop it in your bag and top it up later in the day if needed, no mess, no fuss. 

If you have dry skin and are worried about powder, bear in mind that you will need to prep your skin properly beforehand and if you suffer from dry patches, you may want to avoid. 

Have you a fan of powder foundations?

Which is your favourite?

To the comments!

XX

U.S Drugstore Buys

So we were in the states over Halloween and I of course had to stop at both a Sephora and several pharmacies for make-up. Drugstores over there (CVS, Walgreens etc) are not like our own; they sell everything from painkillers to ice cream with children's toys and random touristy crap in between.

There are also, of course, several make-up brands that we don't have in Ireland and ones that we do but with products we can't get here. 

Hence, a little splurge:

I had plenty of other things on my to-buy list, including the It Cosmetics CC cream, as recommended by the lovely @AinePrendo (on Snapchat) but I couldn't find a nearby Ulta so that was out. I did get plenty of other things however, including this super pretty Milani Rose Powder Blush.

I haven't tried anything from Milani but I knew I had to get a blush- what they're best known for. I had a baked blush in my basket but then I saw this beauty and sure it was too aesthetically pleasing to leave behind. I got the shade Tea Rose and it really is the perfect pink hue. It's ideal for pale Irish skin tones, although I will admit to being tempted by Coral Cove, also lovely but way too bright for me. This was around the $7 mark.

I had originally put a couple of Milani lipsticks into the basket but then I saw this Katy Perry collaboration with CoverGirl and I had to try them out.

While I'm not the biggest Katy fan in the world, I have danced my socks off to plenty of her hits and I enjoyed her movie on Netflix, especially the part where we were introduced to her cat; Kitty Purry. Granted, that is, somewhat egomaniacal but it's also quite cute so obviously I got that shade, which is a mauve and Cat Call, a brighter pop of coral. 

These are matte, which is good news for me as that's my current favourite type of lipstick finish.

These were, strangely also $7 each (I swear I didn't just buy things that were $7. My Sephora receipt will attest to that) but I thought these were great value for the price.

This was also an Áine/snapchat recommendation and although I've yet to try it, I am excited by the concept of a product that contains moisturiser, primer, foundation, SPF, colour correction and pore blurring. I'll be honest, I always thought that last one was pure nonsense but apparently, my pores don't agree with me. I know we have Physicians Formula in Ireland now but to be honest, I can never find a stand and if I do it's been ravaged by youths. 

This was an @SkinnyDoll (again, snapchat!) recommendation and I'm loving it! There were actually three variations in the Maybelline Master Primer range- one for oily skin and a colour corrector I think but I have dry skin and tend to always go for the illuminating primers. This fella also has that blurring property and an SPF 30. This works. My foundation has a healthy glow-from-within look to it with this underneath and it provides a nice base. I'd liken this to Benefit's That Gal except that this is way cheaper, obvs. This was $9.

These Kylie for Sinful Colours polishes were only $1.49 each, so I couldn't leave them behind. The cobalt blue shade, Kosmos (bloody K's everywhere) and the pale blue, Magik Touch are both colours I love and Sinful Colours are generally great quality so I could get over the Kardashian-isation for that alone.

This lot are far less exciting but due to our bags not arriving from JFK to New Orleans with us, we had to pick up a few essentials. I can't shower and not apply moisturiser afterwards so this massive yoke of Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Soothe lotion was a must and worked well in the stifling heat. I couldn't have imagined lashing on a body butter in that humidity so this was ideal. Back in an Irish Winter however, and this loses some of its attraction so I'll be bringing it out again next Summer instead. 

Speaking of heat, SPF was a must and this one from Banana Boat was super handy; it sprays on clear and absorbs practically instantly plus it's factor 50. Perfect!

The Burt's Bees Ultimate Care Body Lotion for Very Dry Skin was purchased towards the end of the holiday. I love this brand and couldn't resist browsing the shelves for them at a slightly reduced price! I'm hoping this particular product is available here cause I am nearly finished and I love it! Containing Baobab Oil, Pumpkin Seed Oil and Green Tea extract, this both smells incredible and leaves my super parched skin softer than anything I've used before. Big thumbs up!

As I didn't have any hair products for a couple of days, I had to get the smart girls best friend; dry shampoo. I didn't know much about a lot of the brands they had on this shelf so I went for Pantene; ye olde reliable. Anyway, this works grand. It smells pleasant enough and does the job. Having said that, my scalp felt slightly itchy (not sure if that was down to the glaring sun also) and I think we have better options on this side of the water.

Lastly then is a packet of Burt's Bees Cucumber Face Wipes. 

I know, I know. Face wipes; the devils own beauty spawn but needs must and these worked a treat for the couple of days. After that I ended up using them up for perfecting our Day of the Dead face paint for Halloween. These were surprisingly non-abrasive on my skin.

And that is the lot!

I will go into further detail about my Sephora purchases at a later date but for now, have you tried any of these?

Anything there that you'd like to see a more in-depth review on?

To the comments!

XX

Korean Beauty; Tony Moly & Skin79

A while back I showed you some bits from Korean beauty brand, Tony Moly that I picked up while in New York. When we were in Barcelona, I managed to find a Sephora (it's a unique honing ability that I have. That and using the internet) and found to my delight that there was a Tony Moly section there too!

I had been looking for the Bunny Bars for aaaaaages and was unwilling to part with cold hard cash over the internet for fear of being duped and sent nothing in return (I fear eBay). This is a Petit Bunny Gloss Bar in the shade Juicy Cherry. I particularly love the disdainful expression on his face. He hates you and he's letting you know all about it. If I can find more of these in the New Orleans Sephora, you'd best believe I'll be stocking up. It's just far too kitsch for me to not spend all my money on (and to be fair, they're not actually pricey).

Speaking of kitsch, is this Mini Green Apple lip balm. I already have the cherry and peach versions of these and at the time when I wrote the blog post about them, I said they weren't the best lip balms for moisturising, and granted that is still true but I grew to become practically dependant on the peach one when I was last an inpatient in hospital, in spite of several people pointing out to me that it looked like a nipple (Lads, I'm a midwife, that doesn't bother me in the slightest). This one smells more like a perfumed apple…like what I imagine those DKNY apple shaped perfume bottles smell like. It's not overly glossy but has a nice smack to it and seems to settle in quickly and moisturise. I like.

Lastly, from Skin79 this time, is an Intensive Moisturiser Animal Mask for Dry Monkey Skin. Apparently there was not a mistake in the translation.
I have dry skin so I thought this was a great idea and as you know, I love a sheet mask for it's serial killer-style aesthetics. The description of "Hilarious Monkey Mask containing Hyaluronic Acid makes your skin moisturised" also appealed to me and Skin79 are renowned for their good quality skincare. I bought one of these for my friend's birthday too so hopefully she wasn't too horrified by it…

I just had a shower so my hair was wet, in case you were wondering.

Yeah. It's really more "creepy clown" than monkey mask but sure look, if you can't rock a terrifying face mask coming up to Halloween, when can you, am I right?

That aside, it smells lovely and my skin felt great afterwards, plus my make-up went on nicely the next day.

Have you tried anything from Tony Moly or Skin79 before?

XX

Benefit Do The Hoola!

Don't you just love receiving an unexpected gift of make-up? It happens so rarely but when it does my eyes do that light-up thing, like the heart-eyed emoji.
Recently my in-laws were away and they brought me this fella back. If I were going to treat myself, make-up wise, I probably wouldn't reach for Benefit, purely because it's a bit pricey for a splurge- it's Boots all the way and a stop at a Rimmel or a Bourjois stand for me and my nurses salary.
Benefit, though, lends itself well to gifting purposes; it's all so goddamn fancy. These style of sets are so fun too; I love all the mini sizes and compartments in the book look-a-like box.

Do The Hoola is the Beyond Bronze kit for complexion, lips and eyes and is perfect for Summer.

Inside the lid there's a mirror and a tips and tricks booklet showing you how to get the most out of the set, which is always handy.

The products themselves correspond with the booklet, numbering 1-4 for the order in which you use them.

Number one is a brand new product and one I've been super eager to try. Dew the Hoola is a sheer, soft-matte, liquid face bronzer. You get 7mls in a pump-action bottle with a faintly floral scent. I feel like this is slightly too dark for my skin tone when I'm going au natural. If I have tan on, then it works well. Although it claims to have a sheer formula, I find it to be quite pigmented and it also mattifies pretty fast. Because of this it needs to be quickly blended nut seems to add more of a natural glow than a powder bronzer does.

Number two is a benefit best-seller; Hoola bronzer. I've previously only ever had a mini of this but I love it. It's a super soft, finely-milled, flattering powder that can be built up from glowing to bronzed in a matter of seconds. Would you just look at that dinky little brush too! Squee!

Number three is They're Real, this is the best selling mascara in the UK and it's easy to see why. I previously had a full size of this and the only thing that stopped me from repurchasing was how stubborn it was to take off. I have a pretty decent eye make-up remover on the go at the minute though so I'm hoping for good things.

Number three is Bene balm, a rose tinted, hydrating lip balm. I love the Benetint balms and this one is particularly flattering, plus mini size!!! Cuteness!!

Lastly, there's Hoola extra plush lip gloss. This smells like Summer; kind of like a Pina Colada. It feels super comforting on the lips; there's a good slip there and it's not sticky- more like a glossy balm than anything. It goes on clear but there's a peachy/golden shimmer in there that adds a subtle and flattering extra dimension to the gloss. This is one you need to try for yourself, cause I know if I heard of a peach/gold shimmered gloss, I'd run a mile. Not with this though, it's very nice indeed. The combination of this and the Bene Tint underneath is lovely too.

Have you tried the new liquid bronzer from Benefit? 

XX

An "It's Almost Summer" Haul

There was a strong hint of Summer there one of the days recently and as I sweltered in my Winter coat and sunglasses (cause you can never be too well-prepared in Ireland), I was lured into a Boots by an offer of buy-one-get-one-half-price on every make-up brand and sure you can imagine what happened next. 

(I bought all of this stuff, is what happened next.)

First up is this very pretty bronzer/blusher from Maybelline in 09, Sun Tropics. Dream Sun features two matte products in one to provide your skin with a nice warm glow. So far I'm really loving the bronzing part- it's subtle enough that you won't look like you've been tangoed but can be built up for extra contouring. I love that it's shimmer-free cause I do prefer a more natural looking glow. That pinky/coral is a very pretty design but the colour pay-off isn't fantastic. You definitely need to really work your brush in there to get a good result but either way, I quite like this one and I do think it's handy for travel etc. 

Bourjois recently brought out City Radiance; a foundation with SPF30, radiance boosting pigments and an anti-polution screen. This is actually my second tube! I haven't even finished the first one but I love it so much I said I'd get it, plus it worked out nicely with the offer that was on (the concealer, below!). I'll do a proper review on this soon cause I need more space to rave about it but for now, if you have somewhat dry skin, need a light daytime foundation that makes you look really well, then, look no further!

The offer on Barry M could only for me, be used on their nail polishes, which I love and tend to stock up on every Summer, thanks to their fab range of pastels, neons and nudes, all of which look great with a tan! 

So, these two are both new; Coconut infusion contains a blend of Coconut water and oils to hydrate and nourish nails, as well as leave a glossy finish. I got the shade Flamingo, because I couldn't not get a shade that tropical with that name! I've so far only worn this on my toe nails and it's holding up well there. The colour is a lovely smooth, creamy pastel and is indeed nicely shiny. 

Mani Mask is a major favourite though. I've again, only worn this once but it held up well on my fingernails and leaves such a gorgeous finish; semi-matte that takes care of your nails and makes them look super healthy and classy too! Two of my friends that saw my nails immediately wanted to buy a bottle for themselves! I got the shade Birthday Suit, which is a nude but there's also Bashful; a baby pink that I may need to pick up too...

I was actually originally just looking for this newbie from Bourjois; Radiance Reveal Concealer and then of course, I bought ALL the things. This is really good. It's designed to correct, illuminate and provide 24hour hydration so from that you can decipher that it's ideal for under the eye. It's a similar product to the Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer except that this is much lighter. If you liked the Nars but felt it settled in fine lines, this may be a good alternative for you. You may find yourself compromising slightly on coverage (I think nothing really beats the Nars) but this is a very good alternative and well worth trying- I really like it so far.

The Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser Eye is a repurchase. I'm just finished one of these bad boys and would recommend buying the light one whenever you see it as they tend to sell out pretty quickly! I will do a proper review on this one too because it's really excellent for concealing under-eye dark circles. 

Have you tried any of these? 

Anything catching your eye?

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