Black Friday Haul 2018

I'm so excited its already the 3rd of December - I've already been to a Christmas market, wrapped Christmas presents and blasting Christmas. So I'm very much in the Christmas spirit and I love it! I'm also happy to be writing a blog post and festive posts, to start this festive month. I wanted to write a little haul of the products I picked up on Black Friday. Technically some of these are presents for friends and family so hopefully, they don't read this ;)

Boots Mega Brand Box - Was £22.40 Now £44.50

When I saw this one Boots website, I fell in love with the range of products and brands in it. As it's perfect to give as one big present or split up for a few presents. The box contained: 

I thought Missguided just did clothes but the box contained the  Missguided Unicorns Want To Be Me Eyeshadow Palette which is a gorgeous autumnal palette with a range of shades and formulations; matte, shimmer and metallic. The shades are dreamer, goddess, flawless, extra, blaze, sassy, friyay, magical, babe, molten, crushin’ and maneline. 'Dreamer' is probably my favourite shade, lovely pink glitter. 

For a winter glow, the box has the Skinny Dip 'On a High' Highlighter Palette. The palette has 4 shades; Dollar Dollar, Ice Queen, Made You Blush and Gold Dust.'Dollar Dollar' is a champagne shade, 'Ice Queen' is an icy white shade, 'Made You Blush' is a pink blush highlighter and 'Gold Dust' is a golden yellow shade. 

This is probably one of my favourites from the box;  Millie Macktonish Luxe Lip Set: Lip Liner, Lip Lacquer and Lipstick. I've been a fan Millie Macktonish since she was on Made In Chelsea from her fitness, clothing and now beauty. All the shade of this lip kit are lovely and form a natural lip shade. The packaging of the lip kit is also really cute - being gold!

Space themed seems to very big this season, 3 Hype Body Mists in this set has cute cosmic themed packaging. They also have spaced themed names Cosmic Vibes, Galactic Getaway and Fresh Feels. All of the scents are lovely and great for travelling.

I love a pamper evening so a good smelling bath fizzer is a necessity. Niomi Smart is also a youtuber / blogger thatI've been looking up to for the past 4 years. So when she released a beauty brand I was looking forward to trying any of the products! The box contained the Niomi Smart Blueberry Bath Fizzer; it smells so good! I can't wait till I get home from uni to try it.

Benefit 'The Complexionista ' Face Palette - Was £13 Now £26

I love Benefit face products, Hoola Lite is one of my favourites bronzer as it doesn't look orange on my ghostly pale skin. So when I saw it was only £13 I quickly added to my basket as it looks like a great travel palette. The palette contains:

No 1 and 2 Booing Industrial Concealer,
Hoola and Hoola Lite,
Watts up and Dandelion Twinkle Highlighters.
The No 1 concealer is really good under the eyes or on any blemishes, as the coverage is so good. And the formulation is long lasting as well so doesn't crease.
As I've previously mentioned, Hoola Lite is one of my favourite bronzers so I love it's in this palette. I do like using Hoola on nights out as a more defined contour or as a crease shade. 
Dandelion Twinkle has been a product I wanted to try for a while as I love a good highlight The colour and formulation of this highlighter is AMAZING!! I love it - I'm yet to try Watts Up as I'm a powder highlight person but I probably will very soon!

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Archive Lipstick Set - Was £30 Now £60

I'm a massive Charlotte Tilbury makeup; the packaging, formulation, shade - everything! As well as Charlotte Tilbury herself. When I saw this set was £30 which is basically £10 per a CT lipstick I was quickly in checkout. As the lipsticks individually are £24 each I was like a bargain! Basically, all the lipstick I wear is nude pink so I find this set gorgeous, saying that I have decided to keep one and give the other 2 too family and friends as Christmas presents.

The one lipstick I have kept is the Miss Kensington which is a lovely pale rosy pink shade, so basically my version of a perfect nude lipstick. It's the matte revolution formulation is I love as its so long lasting. 

Another matte revolution lipstick in the set is Between the Sheets. This is a lovely pink shade which is slightly brighter than Miss Kensington, quite similar to 'Kidman's Kiss' which is a CT lipstick I already own. This shade looks perfect for the springtime or for a slight pop of colour to an everything look.

Finally, the only K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick in the set is Confession which is a lovely tawny nude shade. As its the K.I.S.S.I.N.G it's a more hydrating formulation, which will be great the upcoming months as especially in England as it's so cold! This is a gorgeous everyday lipstick which will go with most looks.

Hope you like this post, love writing this post after not writing for so long! 

Please follow and comment if you picked up anything in the Black Friday Sales.

Hope you have a lovely day!

Sarah X

Beauty Advent Calendars 2018

Long time no see, well write and read technically but still! As I mentioned in my previous post finding time for blogging has been a struggle recently but I have finally managed to sit and write. This week I attended the Christmas light switch which has definitely got me in the Christmas mood. So I wanted to share my favourite 5 beauty advent calendars I have seen this year as there are so many!

M&S Beauty Advent Calendar
Well, after my years of asking I have got this calendar this year which I feel very lucky about. The calendar contains so many nice, and so affordable (well for beauty advent calendar)  as its £280 for £35. The main products which shone for me were Pixi Glow Tonic, the Ren night cream and the Stila Eyeliner as there are all brands I haven't tried before but would love too. I also really like the packaging this year, apart from its fairly big so I'm not sure where I'm going to put it in my small uni room ;). 

ASOS Face and Body Advent Calendar
To be honest, you can't go too wrong with Asos, I really like the look of this calendar as it does have a range of lovely brands. For example a mini Bobbi Brown mascara, Iconic Illuminator and a Spectrum brush. This calendar is in the middle price range at £55 which is quite good, the only downside I would like is the packaging but it's not a big one! 

Glossybox 
The first thing I love about this calendar is the packaging, it has all my favourite colours with the pinks and rose golds. So I think it looks gorgeous, and the products look very nice as well. It contains a range of brands from Real Techniques, Huda Beauty, Nars and Yankee Candle, so looks perfect for any beauty lover! 

Charlotte Tilbury 

CT is one of my beauty favourites and my go-to for any makeup treats. Therefore this calendar definitely caught my eye, as the packaging is stunning and has a nice range of products. Even though it's only 12 days, it does have some full sized products as well as minis. It does contain the classics like Pillow Talk lipstick, Magic Cream as well as a Colour Camelion. This is definitely I would love to purchase to treat myself one Christmas, as it's more expensive at £150.

Liberty Advent Calendar 

Last, but no means least the Liberty calendar, the advent calendar which is a piece of art as well as containing beautiful products. The favourite ones are the Diptique candle, Laura Mercier powder and Hourglass Mascara. This one is the most expensive at £195 but is a great way to try a range of luxury brands.  

There are so many gorgeous beauty advent calendars this year, I love that they all have a range of gorgeous brands. They are a great way to try new products and new brands, so I can't wait for the 1st of December to start to open my M&S one.

Hope you like this post and are getting into the Christmas spirit. Please follow and comment if you have got or planning to get a beauty advent calendar.

Hope you have a lovely week.

Sarah X   

October 2018 - A Month Of New Beginnings

WOW - this past month has been such a whirlwind! After 14 years of being in the same routine of going to school, after-school clubs, seeing the same people regularly as well as living at my family home. I've moved 4 hours away - to go to university, to study chemistry, and to start a new chapter of my life!

This past month has taught me a lot of things to start with going to university is tiring!!! :) Especially in the first few weeks with the work as well as meeting new people, socialising, partying and trying new things. To be honest, I know more tired people as I'm not much of a partier so I haven't had a 9am lecture feeling hungover - well not yet?! But the first few weeks also a good memory test - new faces, names, matching the person with their course and any other info they have said. On the whole, I've been surprisingly quite good at remembering things. 

One thing also you learn quickly is that homesickness is normal and you aren't alone. I've only been slightly homesick, as facetime does really help. But I have friends who seem to be fine but they have mentioned they've been crying in their rooms and missing home. You do get past it and though it, well for me I was okay when I made friends and work kicks in therefore you are busy so don't really think about it.

Living independently is something you learn; how to cook, wash clothes etc. For some, you may be used to it but others don't so much. As I love to cook so I love meal planning, buying ingredients and cooking new dishes. Which has always meant learning how to live on a budget ~ so quite a lot of supermarket own brand foods compared to name brands.

Finally, time management; walking up early enough for lectures, writing notes, mind maps, spending time with friends, societies, exercise, food shopping etc. This is one thing I'm still getting used to as every day is different, which is why my blog posts have been very irregularly recently; hopefully, that will improve as I love blogging and everything that comes with it.    

I hope you like this post, even though it's slightly different to my normal posts.

Please follow or comment if you have been or at a university.

Sarah X   

Skincare Routine Using Dermalogica

One of my new year's resolutions for 2018 was to improve my skincare routine and I've always wanted to be one of those people who double cleanse. I was lucky enough to receive a range of Dermalogica products to try - which I'm very grateful for. 

Dermalogica is a gorgeous brand and it's all cruelty-free and vegetarian as well as some products being vegan, gluten-free, paraben free and fragance free. Therefore anyone can find a product they can try and enjoy! 

Precleanse*

This is a deep-cleansing oil which melts impurities and makeup from skin.I'm a big fan of the formulation as contains Rise Bran and Vitamin E Oil to help cleanse the skin as well as makes my skin feel so soft. The oils help to clear any pores and to nourish skin.
I apply 2 pumps of this for my whole face and eyes and apply it in small circular movements. It's really quick to take off my makeup, then I apply some water which creates a milky emulsion which then I just wash off with a Liz Earle cloth. 

Special Cleansing Gel*

For the second stage of my cleanse, I apply a small amount of the cleansing gel onto my PMD Clean* or to my hands. I apply it with a bit of water to create a lather all over my face.  The cleanser contains calming Balm Mint and lavender extracts which soothes the skin, as well as, natural Quillaja Saponaria which gently foams away toxins and debris. 

Honestly, my skin has never felt so clean after using these two products. It feels especially good on the days when I wear more makeup!  

Daily Microfoliant*

This was probably the product I found the most interesting and intriguing. I'm not a frequent exfoliant used as they've always been too harsh on my skin. Therefore I felt like a tomato after or I've damaged my skins surface more than helped. But this one has a unique Rice-based powder formula which activated with water, releasing Papain, Salicylic Acid and Rice Enzymes that micro-exfoliate dead cells, instantly leaving skin smoother and brighter. It also has a Skin Brightening Complex which helps to balance uneven skin pigmentation while a super-soothing blend of Green Tea, Ginkgo and Colloidal Oatmeal helps to calm the skin. Because of all these lovely ingredients, it's effective but not at all harsh on your skin. AMAZING!!

Skin Smoothing Cream*

The final step of my skincare routine is a moisturiser; one of chose is the skin smoothing cream - which has actually just been reformulated and looks amazing! But I love the formulation of the old formulation also. It's a medium weight formula which means its great for day and night - this also means that it sinks in really easily and non-greasy. The moisturiser contains a mixture of Aloe Gel, Cucumber and Arnica which helps to nourish, soothe and hydrates your skin.

I love all of these products, all gorgeous formulations and packaging. It makes your skin feel so soft, nourished and clean.

I do apologise for the lack of posts in the past few weeks, I've just started university and its been quite busy with the work, making friends and overall settling into a schedule. So hopefully in the next few weeks, I will get into a better time schedule which will leave time for me to write this blog. As I love my blog and I  can't wait to see what's next!    

Hope you like this post, please follow and comment.

Sarah X

September Favourites 2018

Sorry that I've been a little week this past week, it's been my first week of university so I haven't had much of a chance to sit down and write! I honestly can't believe it's October - Christmas is in 2 and a bit months, time for autumnal leaves and jumpers!! The beginning of a new month means reflecting on the last; especially on produts I've reached most for etc.

Beauty Favourites

One of my favourite new purchasing is the NYX Pro Contour Palette - it's got 8 gorgeous shades which are great for everyday. So the palette has 1 highlighter, 3 powders and 4 bronzers/contour shades. The formualtion is pigmentated but belndable which creates a nature sculpt and lovely glow.

I've recently been lucky enough to try some Dermologica products, probably my favourite is the Dermalogica Precleanse. It's oil based and literally takes off your skin. I apply two pumps to palms then message in the oil in circles across my face. Leaves your skin so soft and so clean! 

Technially this one is a constant favourite; Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. Lovely pigmentation and formualtion - gorgeous coverage, covering up any blemishes or undereye circles.

As it's now autumnal, I've start to reach for some of my more fall shades so I've been loving Maybelline Rosewood Lipstick. It's a dark nude lipstick with red tones which is really nice and I love the gold packaging. 

Other Favourites 

I love binging shows, so recently (well over the last month) I've been loving Gilmore Girls. It's a great comfort show which you can watch whatever your mood! 

This month I overall I havent had too many favourites, as I've been packing and getting ready for university! Hope you all had a lovely September!

Hope you like this post, please comment what favourites from this past month and follow.

Have a lovely day.

Sarah X

NYX Highlighter and Contour Pro Palette

Since my Benefit Hoola Lite hit pan, I've been looking for a nice contour palette. Which has a nice formulation, pigmentation as well as compact for travel. And I found this gorgeous NYX Contour palette!

To start with the packaging is quite basic with the plastic lid which can be seen as a bit cheap. But I do like that the pans can be removable or changeable. Which will be cheap when you run out, you can just replace it so hopefully it will last a long time.

              

The palette comes with 8 shades : 1 highlighter, 3 powders and 4 contour/bronzers.

Ice Queen – Pearly White toned powder with shimmer 

Soft Light – Nude toned matte powder 

Cream – Matte Banana powder 

Nectar – Peach toned powder with shimmer 

Tan – Soft Brown satin finish powder with reddish undertones 

Toffee – Warm Neutral Brown powder with satin 

Sculpt – True Matte Taupe 

Hollow – Deep Matte Brown 

So I use 'Cream' under the eyes to set any concealer, then soft light over my whole face. Then 'Tan' and Sculpt' as a contour and bronzer (or sometimes a mixture of all). Then for my cheekbones I use 'Ice Queen'. 

You can see a tiny bit of fall out but it might be due to it being so pigmented but its not too bad! It also is such a fine powder meaning they blend really nice and they do also have pigment! 

 

The formulation is really nice and pigmneted which is great! The formulation is also blendable and can create really natural shadow on the cheekbones. As the highlighter is white it looks really nice on my pale skin as well as adding a nice glow.

Overall I really like this palette, pigmented shades and lovely packaging!

Hope you like this post - please follow and comment your favourite palette.

Sarah X

First Impressions: Dermalogica Ultimate Masque Kit

I do love a good face mask, especially one that actually helps your skin. So I was lucky enough to be went the Dermalogica Ultimate Masque Kit , which is ideal for multimasking. I love the concept of multimasking as you target specific areas with masks which targets them.

The kit contains 4 different face masks: 

• Gentle Cream Exfoliant
• Skin Hydrating Masque
• MultiVitamin Power Recovery Masque
• Stress Positive Eye Lift

The start with the packaging is really cute, the ones in the set are minis so will be perfect for travel. But also its a great opportunity to try them. I think the packaging is so nice and clean and does feel quite luxourious.

Gentle Cream Exfoliant 

I do love a verstaile product so I love that this is a mask and a exfoliant in one. The masque contains lactic and hydroxy acid which is for skin smoothing. The exfoliate treatment helps stimulate cell renewal as natural fruit enzymes detach dead skin cells to improve skin texture, as well as aloe vera to help calm and soothe. This mixture of ingredients really interested me and actually works! The next morning my skin felt so soft. I used the masque on my T-zone to help purify the skin and prevent blemishes. 

Skin Hydrating Masque

This masque sounded great as my skin is quite dehydrated at the moment especially one cheek. The masque helps 'stimulate skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor while lycopene-rich Tomato Seed lipids help restore skin's protective barrier, enhancing moisture levels for healthier, smoother skin.' So I used this masque on both cheeks and my makeup applied really nicely the next day. It also adds a lovely glow to the skin.

Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque

This masque helps rescue basically all of your skin. It contains 'concentrated vitamins A, C, E and F help skin recover from damage. Vitamin A helps increase elasticity and moisture content while antioxidant vitamins C and E help shield skin from Reactive Oxygen Species . Nutrient-rich Algae Extract helps moisturize and soften skin, Pro-Vitamin B5 helps nourish damaged skin while botanical extracts of Licorice, Comfrey and Burdock soothe, calm and help decrease sensitivity.' But it also has age smart technology which is an added bonus especially on any fine lines. The masque is great for your whole face, I don't know if layering masks is a thing but I put it on top of the other mask I applied.

Stress Positive Eye Lift 

I do love an eye cream, but I have never actually tried a eye mask before (I would love to try the tissue eye mask!). This one feels so nice and refreshing under the eye especially when you are tired. 

The 'cooling cream-gel masque energizes skin to reduce visible signs of stress.' The formulation 'minimizes the appearance of puffiness and dark circles, lifts the eye area and helps restore skin barrier integrity'. It also contains a mixture of Wild Indigo Seed, Sea Water Extract and Arctic Algae to help counter the look of puffiness and tired eyes. When trying this mask I felt a real change, especially in the application of makeup as well as helping puffiness and my dark circles. 

For all these masks you can leave the mask fro 10-15 mins before washing it with warm water. You can either multimask them or use them all over your face or just in targeted areas. 

From my first impression these masques are love these masks - the formulations are gorgeous and your skin feels soft and refreshed! And I can't wait to try them again.

All of these masks are able to buy separately, but this set is available at checkout when you are spent £70 on Dermalogica - link

Hope you have a lovely weekend!!

Please follow and comment your favourite mask.

Sarah X

What's In My September Makeup Bag

Hope you are having a lovely day! In today's post I wanted to share 'What's In My September Makeup Bag', as I have been loving/trying some new things as well as some old favourites.

Brows and Eyes

After I used my trusty TB Brow palette, I've been using the Rimmel Brow This Way Fill & Sculpt Eyebrow Definer Pencil. The pencil is so good with the triangular brow definer and a spoolie on the other. The formulation is really nice and a good colour match.

For my eyes, I've been using the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette as it's a range of lovely shades. Mainly neutral shades as this month have been quite lazy so far. So brown in the crease with pink shimmer over the lid creates a gorgeous but simple eye. Then using the Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara on my lashes is my eyes complete!

Face

Even though I've been wearing more simple makeup this month I still love a full coverage foundation. To cover up any decolorisation, espeically my red cheeks as well as any blemishes. So I love the mix of the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation and the L'Oreal Infallible Full Coverage Foundation. The formulations of the foundations are really nice - long lasting and full coverage!

For the rest of my face, I've been trying and loving the NYX Highlighting and Contouring Light Kit. So the banana powder (cream) under my eyes and the 'Soft Light' on the rest of my face. Then for bronzing and contouring I use a mixture of the first 3 powders on the bottom row (Tan, Toffee and Sculpt). The powders have a mixture of warm and cool tones, which create a sculpted look. Then for highlighter I use the 'Ice Queen' shade on brow bone, inner corner and top of the cheekbones -this adds a lovely glow to your skin .

Lips

As I've been loving more natural makeup this month, so a clear gloss has been my go-to. So I've been reaching for the Tanya Burr 'Champagne Toast' Lipgloss was it has some glitter in it. It makes your lips look plump and the packaging is cute. 

I hope you like this post, please follow and comment on what products you've been loving this month.

Sarah X

L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Coconut Hair Mask

I have previously written about the L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Coconut Hair Mask in my My Summer Hair Saviours. But as I love the product so much, I wanted to write a more detailed post.

To start with the packaging - it's simple but effective. With the orange lid and the white tub. It's also so affordable for the maount of product you get. It's only £5 and does last so look - I purchased this at the earlier this year (easter time, i think) and I'm onyl half way through the pot.

I have previously mentioned that I'm a big fan of oil based hair products as I have dry, frizzy hair. So any sort of product that doesn't make my hair frizzy / big is AMAZING! This product also has the added bonus that it smells gorgeous, with the hints of coconut -summery.

At the moment I love using after washing my hair as a leave conditioner but it's a verstaile product so can be used;
> In shower: after shampooing, leave in hair for 2 to 3 minutes before rinsing for easy detangling.
> As a finishing touch: apply a small amount on dry hair to calm frizz and tame flyaways. 

> Overnight: apply to dry hair and leave on overnight for intense nourishment, or for 5 minutes before washing.

The formualtion is really nice - rich but soaks into your hair really easily. Leaving your hair feeling so soft and sleek; or for my hair soft wavey curl.

Hope you have had a lovely weekend and hope you like this post.

Please follow and comment your favourite hair products.

Sarah X

What I've Been Watching, Reading and Listening To Lately September 2018

 Happy Friday!! Over the past few months, I have started watching some new shows (as I've got Netflix),  reading some new magazine issues and listen to new music. I'm one of those people who binge watching/listening things on repeat for a while.

Watching 

I finally got Netflix this month so I might have binged watched Gilmore Girls. I love it, I started it 3 weeks ago and I'm already on Season 7 (oops!!). It's one of those comforts shows that you can watch whenever and whatever your mood. Another show I've been watching is Suits; which is the show I was watching before Gilmore Girls. I do love a detective show and this one is so good!

Youtube is also a constant thing I watch; these few months I love watching Cimorelli. The music covers are so good; my favourite is 'Symphony' or 'Too Good At Goodbyes'

Reading

I don't actually read much, well I don't read books, but I do love to read magazine My favourite magazine this month was Vogue as it was the 'The Big Fashion Issue'. I love reading the articles, photography and I seem to have written a rather long wishlist ;) I also love the mini freebies that they also have in the magazine! 

Listening

Technically this one is listening/watching as I saw Hamilton last week, which was AMAZING!! This was the first musical I have gone to that I hadn't heard the full soundtrack about 20 times before had -which was actually a really nice change. The music is so good, my personal favourite song is 'Burn' or 'My Shot'. Since watching it, I have listened to the soundtrack quite a bit. It's actually a hard soundtrack to sing along to as there's quite a bit of very fast rap which I can't do ;)

Hope you like this post and have a lovely day! 

Please follow and comment on what you've been watching, reading and listening to lately.

Sarah X