LUSH Rub Rub Rub Scrub

One of my favourite things about LUSH is that if I'm feeling like a little beauty treat they always have something to satisfy my needs! One of my most recent LUSH purchases was their Rub Rub Rub shower scrub. Regular readers will know that my usual body scrub of choice is the Garnier Body Tonic Sugar Scrub  which I usually pay around £3 for. At more than twice that price, Rub Rub Rub was definitely a 'treat' purchase for me. 

LUSH recommend using this scrub on dry skin for intense exfoliation or in the shower for a more gentle polish. They also say that it makes a great volumising shampoo and foot scrub. I've used it on dry skin before showering and as a foot scrub. I find that it works reasonably well as a foot scrub but it really comes into its own when used on dry skin prior to showering. I especially like using this product on my legs. It leaves my skin looking a little brighter and feeling really smooth.

The product itself is blue and deliciously scented with mimosa and orange flower. It's a pleasure to use even if you do have to spend a while rinsing little chunks of blue body scrub down the plughole. The scent was quite unexpected for me; for some reason I expected it to smell very fresh and maybe even a bit masculine. The scent is quite delicate and whilst it does linger a little, it shouldn't interfere too much with any scented body lotions or perfumes.

I'm a fan of this body scrub and although I probably won't repurchase it immediately, it has made it's way on to my LUSH favourites list and it's definitely something I'd buy again at some point.

Rub Rub Rub is available from LUSH stores or online (here). It is priced at £7.95 for 330g.

What's your favourite body scrub?

Stace xx

August Empties

It's empties time again! I didn't get through a lot of products this month but I did use up more make up items than in previous months.

Garnier Body Tonic Sugar Scrub

I mention this body scrub far too much on this blog but it really is my favourite! I've already bought another tube of it.

Sanctuary Mum To Be Shower Oil

I got this as an extra in a swap once and thought it was a bit strange to be sent something meant for pregnant women but I decided to use it up anyway. It's just okay.

The Body Shop Green Apple Shower Gel

I love the scent of this product; it really does smell of apples. It's not the most moisturising shower gel out there but I still like it.

Osmo Berber Oil Rejuvenating Shampoo

I enjoyed using this shampoo. I recently reviewed a trio of products from this line (here) including this shampoo. 

Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturiser

This moisturiser is great if you have blemish prone skin. I apply a thick layer of it before bed when I feel my skin needs it. It also works well under foundation so I sometimes use it in the mornings too. I've already picked up a couple of new tubes of this.

Revlon Lip Butter in Fig Jam

This is/was my favourite lip butter shade. It's a dark brown/plum shade that is a lot more flattering than it sounds! I actually tracked down a MAC lipstick to dupe this because Fig Jam is sadly not available in the UK. 

Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Sample

I mixed this with my Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation sample to help with staying power/oil control and loved the combination but I won't be heading out to pick up the full size of this.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Electric Cherry

These glosses smell delicious and I love the non-sticky formula. This particular shade looks a bit weird on me (according to my boyfriend anyway!) and it was limited edition, I believe, so I'll not be repurchasing it. I am interested in trying other shades from the Pure Color gloss range, though.

Maybelline One by One Mascara

I liked this mascara and reviewed it (here) but I don't think I'll be repurchasing it for a while because there are so many other mascaras I still want to try.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Sample

I used this up by mixing it with the Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid and loved the results but on it's own I wouldn't recommend this foundation. 

Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Sample

I really liked the effect of this mascara but it was so dry and quite difficult to use so I'm not sure if I'd purchase the full size. Besides, I've not managed to find a UK seller which stocks this.

MAC 188 Brush

I want to cry about this one! This isn't an empty as such but I managed to break/ruin my MAC 188 brush. I was washing it and pulled a little too hard on the bristles so the whole brush head popped out. I've had this brush for well over a year and it was my favourite highlighting brush. Let this be a lesson to you all...be nice to your brushes. 

Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat

I've already repurchased this. It's frustrating when I have to get rid of these when they're still half full but they just become too gloopy to use.

Did you use up many products this month?

Stace xx

Wednesday Wish List: Topshop Make Up

When Topshop first launched its make up range I wasn't in a rush to try it but after trying polishes, lipsticks and blushes over the past year or so I can safely say that I'm a fan. I think the products are reasonably priced and I love that their shade range is usually so on trend. I tend to stick to products in the core collection and here are some of the products I've currently got my eye on:

Lipstick in Sartorial

£8

link

Topshop describe this as a bright coral and from the swatches I've seen I'd say that's about right. It's definitely more a red/pink shade than an orange.

Bronzer in Desert Sun

£12.50

link

How pretty does this look in the pan? Topshop describe this as a peach shade and I think it'll work more like a blush than a bronzer.

Nail Polish in Helter Skelter

£5

link

I'm really drawn to this coral shade; it's odd since summer is almost over (did it ever really begin?) but I'd happily wear a shade like this all year round.

Smokey Eyes Quad in Tawny

£12

link

These colours are all shades I'd wear regularly so I'm interested in swatching this to see what the pigmentation is like. If any of you have tried these shadows, let me know!

Metallic Nails in Crystal Clouds

£6

link

If you've read any of my nail polish posts before you'll know that I'm not a fan of shimmer or metallic polishes at all but there's something about this shade's calling to me! It might be a nice pedicure colour...

Are you a fan of Topshop make up? What's your favourite product?

Stace xx

400 Follower MAC Lipstick Giveaway!

(this is Freckletone, if anyone's wondering...it's a big favourite of mine!)

Hello!

I recently reached a little milestone so I thought it was time for another giveaway! I was finding it really difficult to decide on a prize but figured that everyone has at least one MAC lipstick on their wish list so I've decided to re-use this giveaway idea. I hope that's okay; I just didn't want to have a prize that only a few people would actually want. 

The purpose of the giveaway is to say a big thank you to everyone who has followed and commented on Ace Stace Beauty up to this point. I love reading your comments and thoughts on the products I blog about or the advice I dish out. Whilst I write this blog for my own enjoyment I also see it as a way of sharing beauty knowledge within our lovely blogging community. Without readers like yourselves, that wouldn't be possible.

The Rules

1) The giveaway is open internationally and will run for two weeks from 28/8/12

2) The prize is a regular MAC lipstick from the permanent range.

3) In order to enter the giveaway you must be a GFC follower and leave a comment on this blog post including your email address and the shade you'd like to win.

4) I have included a few other easy ways to gain extra entries on Twitter, Facebook and Hello Cotton.

Good luck everyone!

Stace xx

a Rafflecopter giveaway

August Haul

I had every intention of not buying anything this month and failed miserably! I'm consoling myself with the fact that most of the items weren't too expensive and the priciest item was a birthday present.

Botanics Cleansing Face Wipes

These were under £3 in Boots when I bought them so I thought it was worth giving them a go. I used them when I went back home this month and I've got a review of these coming up soon.

Boots Baby Extra Large Cotton Wool Pads

These were recommended by Zoe from Zoella and they're great! I used to use about eight small cotton pads to remove my make up but I only need two of these.

Boots Baby Shampoo

I use baby shampoo to wash my brushes and I sometimes use it to wash my hair if my scalp's feeling a bit irritated. 

NARS Bronzer in Laguna

This is the first high end bronzer I've ever purchased! It was a bit of a birthday present to myself. 

Elie Saab Le Parfum

This was part of my birthday present from Boyfriend. It smells gorgeous :)

Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturiser x 2

This is one of my favourite moisturisers and I like it especially if and when I get break outs. I've purchased so many tubes of this in the past, I've lost count! They were in a 2 for £5 offer in Boots.

Botanics Microdermabrasion Polish

My favourite scrub, The Body Shop's Vitamin C Microdermabrasion, is running low so I decided to replace it with this cheaper alternative to see how well it compares.

Garnier Body Tonic Sugar Scrub

This is another repurchased product, it's probably my fifth or sixth tube of this scrub!

Cuticura Passion Flower & Mango Anti Bacterial Hand Gel

I love my little Bath & Body Works Pocket Bacs but I'm running low on those so I picked this up to replace those.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation

I've been on the hunt for a nice drugstore foundation which doesn't break me out so I decided to give this one a try.

L'Oreal Color Infallible Shadow in Goldmine

This was a total impulse buy because I knew if I spent more than £15 I'd get a little gift set for free. It's very glittery!

L'Oreal Color Riche Polishes in Dating Coral & Femme Fatale 

These were emergency airport purchases because I didn't like the manicure I'd planned to keep on for a week. I'm addicted to these little bottles of polish.

Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara in Brown/Black

My mum used to use this. In fact, she probably still does! It was on offer so I picked it up to see what it's like. I've never tried a Max Factor mascara before. I went for the brown/black shade because it looks a bit softer and more natural.

17 Blemish BB Balm in Medium

I don't know what possessed me to buy this because I know I don't like western BB creams but I always want to try new ones just in case they're not rubbish! I've tried this a few times already and I don't hate it, which is a good sign. I'll probably be reviewing this in a few weeks.

MAC Select Moisture Cover Concealer in NC20

I picked this up on a blog sale for around a fiver. It's a couple of shades lighter than my skintone but I'm planning to use it on my under eye area.

I had a coupon for £5 off a Feel Unique so I made a little order!

Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Lotion

I needed a new moisturiser to use when I don't need to use the Clean & Clear Dual Action so I picked this up on a whim. I was a bit disappointed when it arrived as it's only 30ml rather than the 50ml I expected; I should have read the description more carefully!

Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat

I needed a new bottle of this and it was under £5 on Feel Unique so I popped it in my basket. 

NUXE Reve de Miel Lip Balm

I'm a lip balm junkie so I knew I'd have to get around to trying this at some point. I'll be posting a review of this soon!

Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Body Lotion

When I buy clothes from ASOS I always end up with at least one beauty item in my basket and this body lotion is what made it into my most recent order.

Boots Nail Polish Remover

This was another product repurchase!

Essie Fiji

I've been wanting this colour for such a long time and Boots were running a points event where you would receive 10 points per £1 if you spent over £15 so I added this to my basket in order to take advantage of the extra points. At least, that's what I'm telling myself!

LUSH BB Seaweed & Brazened Honey Fresh Face Masks

I was after a new face mask but after looking in Boots several times, nothing took my fancy so I popped into LUSH and picked up a couple of their fresh face masks. I've tried Brazened Honey before and it wasn't my favourite mask but I was given it by accident instead of Love Lettuce this time so I'm interested to see if my opinion has changed. Expect to see reviews of these quite soon. I should also mention that Rachel, the girl who helped me in store was absolutely lovely. All the staff in LUSH on Buchanan Street in Glasgow are great so if you're in the area I'd highly recommend popping in!

If you'd like to see reviews of anything I purchased please let me know in the comments. 

Did you buy anything nice this month? If you have a haul post or video, leave me a link!

Stace xx

NOTD: L'Oreal Color Riche in Femme Fatale

My love for L'Oreal Color Riche polishes knows no bounds, it seems! When I went home for a week this month I painted my nails with a Revlon ColorStay polish before leaving because I find those wear really well on my nails. However, I didn't have much time to do my manicure and by the time I got to the airport my polish was looking a bit smudged. I knew it'd bother me for the whole week so I picked up a couple Color Riche polishes in duty free and Femme Fatale was one of them.

It's a true red shade with a creme finish. I'm a bit fussy with reds but this one managed to pass the test because it's not too cool toned. Application-wise I find this particular polish relatively easy to work with; I used two coats in the picture below. I've used the Sally Hansen Insta Dri top coat in the photo but when I was at home I didn't have that with me. I was surprised by how quickly this polish dried and by how shiny it looked without a top coat. L'Oreal do claim that these polishes don't require a top coat so it definitely lives up to that claim in my experience. 

What do you think? What's your favourite red polish?

Stace xx

Worth The Hype? MAC Satin Taupe

When I first started watching YouTube videos and reading blogs this eyeshadow was being touted as one of the best eyeshadows. Ever. So, of course, I bought it and used it every day for a month because I thought it was the best eyeshadow I owned. 

Satin Taupe is a brown-ish taupe shade and the finish has a subtle sheen. On my eyes it seems to pull more brown but I've noticed that it can pull more taupe, or even purple, on others. I've worn this shade on it's own all over the lid by itself or with a darker shade in the crease or as a crease colour with a lighter shade on the lid so it's quite versatile in that respect. I like to wear it on it's own with lots of mascara if I'm wearing a bold lip colour. 

Texture-wise it's not as buttery soft as something from Urban Decay, for example, but it is well pigmented and applies relatively smoothly. If I want it to look more like a sheer wash of colour I'll use a fluffier brush. I've always worn Satin Taupe over an eyeshadow base; my two favourites are the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow base and Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I don't get any creasing and find that the colour doesn't fade very much (or at all) throughout the day. 

So, is MAC Satin Taupe worth the hype?

Maybe. It's a nice eyeshadow and one I'd recommend to most people . However, I don't think it's exceptionally unique and I'm sure it's possible to find a similar shade which is cheaper. 

What do you think?

You can pick this shadow up from MAC for £12.00 (link)

Stace xx

FOTN: A Friendly Birthday Tea

We went out for tea a few days ago for a friend's birthday and I managed to snap a few photos of my make up before we left so I thought I'd share! I used a couple of products that I've not used in a while 

Reckon I look a bit cross-eyed in this one?!

I used a little Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach under my eyes and blended it in with my fingers. I then dotted some Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Medium 3 on any blemishes (I have a few right now, grr!) or redness and buffed it in with my Real Techniques Buffing brush. I applied a layer of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B40 and buffed it in with the same brush. I put a little Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer under my eyes and used my fingers again to blend that in. I set everything with my Clarins Ever Matte powder in Translucent/Medium on an ELF Studio Powder brush before adding a tiny bit of NARS Laguna bronzer (I'm still learning to use this!) with a MAC 168. I used the same brush to apply MAC Warm Soul mineralize blush to the applies of my cheeks and used an Illamasqua Highlighter brush to add some of theBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer to the high points of my face.

On my eyes I used some NARS Smudgeproof Eye Shadow Base before filling in my brows with my Smashbox Brow Tech. I've lost my favourite brow brush so had to use a random small brush that I had. I then ran a little MUA Clear mascara through my brows. I applied Urban Decay's Half Baked eyeshadow on my lids and used more of the Mary Lou-Manizer on my brow bone and inner corner. I added some Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel eyeliner in Black Ink with a bent eyeliner brush (I love this sort of brush for applying liner) along my upper lash line and on the outer corner of my water line. I curled my lashes and my mascara of choice was the L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof. I applied two coats. 

I exfoliated my lips with Pow Wow lip scrub from LUSH and applied a little Nivea Milk & Honey lip balm before starting the rest of my make up. The lipstick I wore was MAC Freckletone. 

That's it! That sounds like a lot of products, doesn't it?!

Stace xx

Origins Super Spot Remover

I posted recently about some of the things I do in an attempt to prevent breakouts (read that post here) but when I do get a pimple I always reach for my Origins Super Spot Remover. I purchased this around Christmas time and have used it countless times since then. 

I've tried several other spot treatments from a range of price points and I have to say that this one is by far my favourite. I don't know much about the science behind it but it just seems to do what it promises to. Origins claim that it will heal the blemish, calm any redness and help to fade any scarring. 

The product itself is a clear gel which I dab on a blemish as soon as it rears it's ugly head. I apply it several times a day both under and over make up; I apply a thick layer at night before bed. When I first apply the gel I can feel a bit of a tingle but it isn't painful at all and once the gel dries it is no longer visible on the skin. 

I find that it does reduce redness and helps the spot to heal more quickly. I can't comment too much on how the Super Spot Remover helps with scarring because I tend to stop using it once the spot has gone but I will say that the mark left behind usually isn't as dark. 

My only gripe with this product is the packaging. Yes, it looks very cute but it's not particularly practical for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I always end up squeezing out too much product because it's so difficult to control that. Secondly, when I can no longer get any product out of the little bottle, there'll still be lots left. Basically the packaging results in a lot of wasted product which is frustrating considering the price. 

The Origins Super Spot remover is priced at £13.00 and available online (link) and from Origins stores and counters. I think it's worth the money but I wish they'd alter the packaging to cut down on the amount of wasted product. 

Have you tried this products? What's your favourite spot treatment?

Stace xx

Wishlist Wednesday: Illamasqua Generation Q Collection

The new Illamasqua collection, Generation Q, is available to preview online and it looks great so I decided to dedicate this week's wish list to the products I'm after from the collection. Illamasqua are offering customers to vote for their three favourite products from Generation Q and the most popular three items will go on sale online on the 28th of August. Here are the products that will be getting my vote:

(link)

First up is the lipstick in Magnetism. This seems to be the most coveted item in the collection and I can see why. Illamasqua describe it as a deep raspberry pink and since I don't really have a shade similar in my collection I feel as though I need it in my life!

(link)

The second item that I'm keen to try is the Empower palette. It's a palette with three powder shadows and a liquid metal (the black shade). I don't know how much I'd use the pink toned shade but the other three look like great neutral shades that I could use all the time.

(link)

Allure blush is described as a dusky rose pink shimmer. These are the only pink shades I feel I can wear as most typical pink blushes look odd on me. I've never tried a powder blush from Illamasqua but I'm keen to have a look at this one.

So, which products from the Generation Q collection get your vote?

Stace xx

*all images from Illamasqua.com

New ways to follow Ace Stace Beauty

Hello!

How are you all?

Today's post is just a quick one to let you know that you can now follow Ace Stace Beauty on Hello Cotton. I don't know why it took me so long to set up a page on there; it's a great site. If you have a page for your blog on Hello Cotton please leave me a link to it below. It doesn't have to be a beauty blog, I like reading all sorts of blogs!

I've also set up a Facebook page for my blog. I plan on posting links to new blog posts and information about giveaways, beauty sales and discount codes. If you prefer Facebook to Twitter (my social network of choice!) I thought it'd be a nice way to keep in touch with followers. If you have a blog with a Facebook page, leave me a link too.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Stace xx

Free Gifts at Boots from 17 and L'Oreal

I popped into Boots today so pick up a few essentials and several other items; watch out for them in my haul post at the end of the month! I already knew that L'Oreal were offering a gift with purchase and planned on picking up some L'Oreal items anyway so I got that and another little free gift from 17. I'm not sure how long these will be available as the L'Oreal set has been in store for at least a week. I thought I'd better blog about them immediately so that anyone who wants to pick up the free gifts can do so.

The L'Oreal set is the larger of the two and you have to spend more to get your hands on it; £15 to be exact.  You may have noticed that recently I've been enjoying several L'Oreal products so it wasn't difficult for me to spend £15. I bought a foundation and an eyeshadow, if anyone's wondering!

The kit has 'Nail It, Wing It, Gloss It' written on the packaging so as you'd imagine the contents includes nail polishes, a liquid liner and a gloss. The polishes are from the Color Riche range and the shades are You Are Worth It (blue-grey) and Opulent Pink (hot pink). The kit also includes nail stencils. The polishes are a welcome addition for me; just yesterday I posted about another Color Riche polish that I've been enjoying so I can't wait to try these two. The liner is the Superliner Luminizer in Black Diamond/Brown Eyes. I don't wear eyeliner often so this isn't something I'd have purchased myself but I'll give it a try. The fourth full sized product is a Glam Shine gloss in Magnetic Nude Glow. It's a very metallic nude shade and again, not something I'd have purchased myself but I'm interested to see how it looks over certain lipstick shades. There are also samples of the Nude Magique BB cream and True Match foundation. 

If you're not in the market to spend £15 on L'Oreal, how about £5.99 on 17? I purchased the newly reformulated 17 BB cream which was conveniently priced at £5.99 and got this little bronzing set for free. 

This set contains an eyeshadow called Statuesque which is a metallic taupe shade. Texture-wise it reminds me of the MUA shadows; it's very pigmented and almost creamy. There is a little pot of a cream blush/bronzer which seems to be quite sheer but buildable. I'm interested to see how this works on my face. The third product in the set is an Ultimate Volume gloss in the shade In The Nude which is another metallic nude gloss.

So there you have it. I spent £21 and got ten products between both kits and the items I purchased. That's a pretty good deal if you ask me, even if I have ended up with two slightly scary looking lip glosses!

Are you going to be picking up either of these little sets?

Stace xx

NOTD: L'Oreal Color Riche in Beige Countess

I seem to be really into L'Oreal products at the moment and my collection of Color Riche polishes has been growing steadily as a result! I like these polishes because they're only 5ml so I stand a chance of actually using them up before they become too gloopy to use. They are £4.99 each but as with most drugstore products they are on offer quite regularly. I don't think I've paid full price for any of mine. 

Beige Countess is a neutral beige shade with a hint of pink. In some lights it looks very beige and in others it looks almost like a mauve-pink. It reminds me a little of Essie's Lady Like. It has a glossy cream finish; it's definitely shiny enough on it's own not to require a top coat for added shine. I always use a fast drying top coat, though.

I like the shape of the brush because it's wide and flat. Since these polishes are quite small I was anticipating a tiny brush so I was pleasantly surprised. My only issue with the brush is that the bristles are quite coarse which means the polish can look streaky. I find I have to apply three coats of almost all of the Color Riche polishes for this reason.  

In the photo above I used the Revlon ColorStay base coat, three coats of Beige Countess and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat. I think it's a nice neutral shade that I can see myself reaching for quite often.

What do you think?

Stace xx