The drugstore selection

Once upon a time I was definitely all about the higher end brands. These days I tend to be a little more savvy and am more likely to splash out on a foundation rather than a lipstick. I was thinking about my everyday essentials recently, and realised that a good chunk were all from the " drugstore". I'm a self proclaimed make up snob, so you can imagine my shock when I realised how often I was using cheaper brands. In my eyes, this is a pretty monumental occasion and thought it was worthy of a post to document my journey to becoming a budget beauty queen. 

The base

Foundation is often a product I don't mind splashing the cash on. I find the base the most important factor of my whole face. Get your base right and everything else falls into place. Of course I know spending money doesn't equate to a better products but when it comes to foundation I have always found this to be the case. However, The Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum is my current favourite foundation. It creates an even base that's not too heavy and lasts a good amount of time. Concealer wise, I can't rave about the Rimmel Wake me up concealer enough. This stuff is amazing and covers my dark circles like nothing else! 

I've had this Rimmel Clear Complexion powder for absolutely ages but never really paid much attention to it. I found this stuffed in a handbag I use for nights out and decided to put it to the test. I wouldn't say this is the best powder in the world but for £3 it does a pretty good job of setting everything in place and preventing oil from seeping through my foundation. 

The Eyes

The Heaven and Earth Palette from MUA is my absolute favourite at the moment, I even reach for this over my MAC shadows. For £4 this palette really did exceed my snobbish expectations. The shadows are buttery, blend well and are extremely pigmented. If the packaging was a bit more stylish, I would happily pay up to £10 for this as the quality of the shadows are really great.

The Cheeks 

Like foundation, blush is something I never found cheaper brands to do well. I have quite an extensive blush collection, in which MAC is the most prominent brand. I'm having a huge love affair which peach blushes at the moment, my favourite is of course MAC Melba but for the days when I fancy a bit of sparkle, Juicy Apricot from Fashionista is my favourite. It's ridiculously pigmented, the point I tend to go quite overboard with it but it's nothing a fluffy brush and hell of a lot of blending won't fix. 

The Nails

Nail varnish is something I always head to Boots for. I would be here all day listing my favourite brands and colours and I believe with nail varnish you don't have to spend a lot of money (of course I would like to own a Chanel nail varnish one day!). At the minute, Rimmel are on fire with their salon pro range. I've been addicted to the colour above, Reggae Splash and they're currently on 3 for 2 in Boots so it's a good excuse to stock up, you can never have too many bottles of nail varnish and don't let anyone tell you anything else! 

Have you tried any of these products? What are your budget star buys?

Escentual Micellar Solution Blind Trial

I was recently invited by Escentual, along with 99 other beauty addicts to join their Micellar blind trial. As a big fan of Micellar solutions, I was more than happy to take part.

We were each sent seven bottles each containing 20ml of a Micellar solution to trial and put to the test. The catch being that we have no idea which solution is which.

Each bottle is labelled from A-G and our task is to see which one we prefer. We will be testing each solution on the following areas:

Cleansing Power- How well does it remove make up 
Pleasure of use- Best texture and scent
Reactivity- Best comfort/ colour
Moisture balance- Best moisturiser
Bottom Line- Would you use it again
Favourite- Best overall sample

Once the two weeks are up, each blogger will log their results in an online survey on the Escentual website. 

I'm really excited about this trial as I love how the products are anonymous. Quite often we have pre conceptions about certain brands etc but the fact that it's a blind trial gives each product an equal chance of being judged purely on how it performs, regardless of the brand. 

The following brands involved are:

La Roche Posay Micellar Solution

Dior Instant Cleansing Water
Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water
Caudalie Makeup Remover Cleansing Water
Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micelle Solution
Vichy Purete Thermale Cleansing Micellar Solution
Avenue Micellar Lotion Cleansing Water 

 I have tried Bioderma before, but I'm incredibly excited to try them all! I'm also interested to see how the Dior Instant Cleaning Water performs as this seems to be the most expensive product and is probably the only time I will get to test a Dior skincare product.

I shall be taking notes throughout this challenge and after I've completed the survey I shall be reporting back to you all about which I liked and disliked the most.

Have you ever tried any of these micellar waters?

A Rediscovered Favourite

When the Caudalie Beauty Elixir first hit the blogging scene last year I was full on addicted to it! I went through two bottles of the stuff and for some reason, once my third arrived it was thrown to the back of a drawer and forgotten about. In my never ending quest to downsize my collection I've been on a mission to use up a lot of stuff that has been gathering dust. Somehow I've ended up falling completely back in love with this and I feel a repurchase may be in order once this bottle bites the dust.

I've mentioned the Caudalie Beauty Elixir before so I won't spend too much time singing it's praises. I use this multiple times a day and my skin seems to be addicted to this wonderful mix of herbal goodness.
As a hybrid between a toner and serum, containing extracts of grape, orange blossom, rose, myrrh and organic balm mint this has been sat on my desk and used daily to pep up my skin multiple times throughout the day. I also enjoy spritzing this on my bare face before moisturising in the morning and evening. It feels like I'm giving my skin a good old pamper which can never be a bad thing!!

What products have you rediscovered lately?

Philosophy 3 in 1 foaming cleanser..

Apart from putting it on, taking my make up has to be one my favourite parts of the day. After a long day my face can often feel suffocated and as soon as I step through the door I look forward to taking it all off to let my skin breathe. I like my skin to feel squeeky clean, I put a lot of stuff on my face through the course of the day and I like to know every last drop has been removed. 

I like to try different cleansers and I think I have only ever repurchased a few that I know my skin likes. I was kindly sent the Philosophy Purity 3 in 1 foaming cleanser to try and thought I'd share my thoughts with you.

The Philosophy 3 in 1 cleanser is a gel which immediately got my attention. I've never tried a gel cleanser before and have always stuck to cream versions. As this is a gel it emulsifies upon coming into contact with water. It lathers up a treat and melts away even the most stubborn types of mascara and leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean.

My skin seems to be going through a rather sensitive stage at the moment, naturally I was worried that adding a new product into my routine would upset things but I needn't of worried as this caused no irritation to my skin what so ever.

Overall, this is a lovely cleanser that removes everything you would want a cleanser too, my skin feels refreshed and most importantly clean, a little goes a long way and my skin seems happy with it.

This is my first experience with Philosophy products and I'd definitely be interested to try other products from the brand,especially the shower gels!

Have you ever tried anything from Philosophy before?

Summer days are coming..get ready!

Today is officially noted down as a monumental day as I finally ditched my winter jacket and wore a blazer to work...Summer is coming people! After months of hiding under jumpers and covering every part of flesh up to keep warm it's now time to reveal a bit of flesh...but is your body summer ready? I for one can confirm there will be a lot of beauty prep happening in order to flutter about in summer dresses with confidence..without tights! That thought might be rather daunting but follow my steps and you'll soon be ready to ditch the million layers.

Step 1: Hair Removal

Hair removal is not usually a topic you seen be featured on beauty blogs, but it's an important step and one that probably all of us do daily, so why not discuss the options.

I feel pretty old school admitting to using hair removal cream...I can't be the only one who swears by this? Hair Removal cream is probably my favourite method in summer, I find shaving to be quite drying on my skin no matter what I use. Hair Removal is the bane of my life and I was actually offered a course of hair removal treatments last year but being a wuss I declined. I actually can't imagine a lifetime of being a slave to hair removal so as soon as I can afford to put a little extra aside I will definitely look into Laser Hair Removal and man up! Like any procedure there are so many places that offer this but one of them is sk:n clinics.The pricing is quite reasonable and I'm sure the effects and ease of life would make up for splashing the cash. If you've had laser removal let me know as I would seriously look into this!

Step 2: Prep your skin

Buff away  and moisturise the skin that's been hiding away for so long. This is definitely a step I neglect in the colder months and will hold my hands up and admit I have to really commit myself to moisturising and exfoliating.

I am in love with this Coconut Body Scrub from Dirty Works which I picked up in Sainsburys of all places. It lathers up a treat, smells amazing and removes all the dead skin leaving my skin feeling polished. 

As I have been "blessed" with uber pale skin, I find it necessary to add a hint of colour artificially as you can never count on the UK sun to get a tan. I find this Palmers one the most natural and extremely moisturising. I don't get on with fake tan at all so this is a happy medium and gives me a sunkissed look without being too obvious.

Step 3: Dig out the summer cosmetics

I tend to save some products especially for spring/summer as I find them more suited to this time of year. At this time of year I'm all about fresh scents, bright nails and a coral lip.

My favourite scent for this time of year is Miss Dior Cherie and my absolute favourite nail polish is Essie Mint Candy Apple. Both hold lovely memories of chilling in a beer garden with the sun beaming down!

What are you're top tips for getting ready for summer? Have you tried anything I mentioned?

*This post does contain a sponsored link but all the content is entirely my own

April Favourites...

I didn't actually think I would have that much to show you for my April Favourites, then I sat down to think about it and realised April has been a month for discoveries, whether these be old or new. So grab a cuppa and settle down because I have a feeling this could be a long one...

I have been loyal to the infamous Bioderma for about a year now, I get it from the same seller on ebay for a reasonable price so no complaints in how accessible it is. I have seen various different micellar solutions popping up in Boots etc, I spotted this for £3 so thought it would be rude not too. I have extremely sensative eyes at the minute and was worried this would aggravate them. I needn't of worried as this is extremely gentle while also removing my stubborn mascara. I find it takes a little longer to remove my eye make up than with Bioderma but for £3 you can't complain and I'd definitely repurchase.

I can't say too much about this yet as I have a review coming up tomorrow. I was kindly sent the Philosophy 3 in 1 foaming cleanser* and I can't enough of it. All you need to know right now is I've been loving it.

My favourite cheek combo this month has been Mac Melba Blush and my beloved Dior Nude Highlighter. A real match made in heaven, I'm surprised it took me this long to realise just how well these work together. It wasn't love at first sight for me and Melba. I've had it for ages as loads of bloggers always rave about it and I never fully understood what was so special about it, it's just a peach matte blush afterall. As always I'm late to the party and now I can't imagine being with out this blush ( a bit over the top for a blush I know).

I was really surprised by this product, I'm Tresemme's biggest cynic as I don't normally get along with their products but this has totally changed my perception of the brand. I have a few hair masks to get through but when I do I shall be buying the full version of this. This shot of goodness left my hair shiny and feeling amazing.

I could rave all day about the Revlon LipButters, I was totally hooked when they first came out and went through about 4 of the shade strawberry cheescake, it was my ultimate go to colour. I recently found this shade, sweet tart in an old handbag and it reignited my love for the lipbutters. A beautiful bright pink suitable for everyday wear, it just injects a feel of spring to my face ( if that's possible?).

Phew! That's everything I've been loving for the month of April.

Have you tried any of these?

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...

I have lived by the sea pretty much all my life, born in Blackpool and eventually ended up here.. in Scarborough. It's not the most happening place and there is definitely a shortage of shops and bars but it's home. We rarely seem to go down to the beach, I know this sounds wrong seen as, as a town we are dependent on tourism, but I can't stand going down to the beach in the summer as you can barely move for the tourists.Anyway, we popped down the other weekend and thought I'd share some photos to take a break from posting about lipsticks and foundations:

I feel like shaking things up on my blog and posting a different variety of posts and not just cosmetics. If you have any ideas or requests then let me know :)

Are you a city person or seaside person like me?