November Beauty Haul

I've not posted a haul for quite a while but that doesn't mean I haven't been shopping. I've been totally out of the beauty blogging loop so I've not been overly inspired to buy lots of new make up; if you've tried anything new you think is worth checking out, let me know in the comments!

Lip products were my thing this month; it seems. I picked up one of the recently repackaged 17 Mirror Shine lipsticks in Beehive. I've owned this before and used it up completely because it's such an easy lipstick to wear. I like the look of the new black packaging compared with the old shiny blue tubes but it's a faff to use! It's rectangular and there's a little mirror which slides out; basically it's annoyingly difficult to close. 

I finally purchased a couple of Rimmel's Kate Moss lipsticks and I have to say I'm incredibly impressed. I have the matte lipstick in 107 and the original formula in 19. I've worn 19 a lot already because it's a great every day colour. Both shades/formulas have great staying power and feel very comfortable on the lips. I may need to pick up a few more of these!

The fourth lip product in my haul is the YSL Glossy Stain in #22. This was a bit of an impulse buy but I've been on the hunt for a dark, glossy lip colour for a wee while now and this seemed to fit the bill. I wore it today and it is a bit difficult to work with but it looks amazing. Finally I picked up a medium pencil from Illamasqua in the shade Titivate because the counter assistant was wearing it and it looked awesome on her! I've not worn this one yet so can't share my thoughts on it.

I had a £10 off voucher for LookFantastic so snapped up a bottle of OPI Live and Let Die from their Skyfall collection. It's a gorgeous dark green with gold shimmer running through it. I was really impressed with the formula of this polish too; it was almost a one-coat wonder! Earlier in the month I bought this metallic Bourjois polish in the shade 20. I love the brushes on these polishes but I'm not totally sold on this shade in particular; it's almost like a metallic version of a nude.  

I replaced a couple of my favourite base products this month; Collection's Lasting Perfection concealer in Medium 3 and NARS Sheer Glow foundation in Punjab. I use the concealer almost every time I wear make up and the foundation is my favourite for winter because it offers a bit more coverage. I've not had a bottle of Sheer Glow since spring time so I'm excited to use this again. I picked up the Illamasqua blush in S.O.P.H.I.E because I've had it on my wish list for a while. It's a bright slightly shimmery coral. I've been good and not bought a blush in a long time so I thought it was about time I tried something new. 

What did you buy this month? If you've posted a haul, leave me a link!

Stace xx

Wishlist Wednesday: Purse Friendly Edition!

After last week's wish list full of pricier items, I thought I'd share a few items on my wish list from the other end of the spectrum. Everything is under £10, which suits me in my current jobless state!

Rimmel Stay Matte powder

£3.99

My current face powder has a huge amount of pan showing right now so I'll need to pick up a new one quite soon. I've heard a lot of good things about this powder and it's less than £4! 

Barry M Lip Gloss in Toffee

£4.25

I've owned this before and I used it constantly. I've held off on replacing it because I wanted to use up a few other glosses but I think it's about time it took up its place in my collection again.

Bourjois 10 Day Nail Enamel in Coral Pink

£5.99

I've seen a few reviews on these new-ish polishes from Bourjois and they sound pretty good. I'm not sure how this would compare with the Revlon ColorStay polish I tried and loved, though.

Korres Lip Butter in Guava

£7

I've tried a couple of lip butters before but they were all too pigmented for me to just wear as a balm. I did like the texture so I'm keen to try Guava because it's effectively colourless. 

Bourjois Volume Fast & Perfect Rotating Mascara

£10.00

I'm not going to lie, I only really want to try this because it has a rotating wand. Have any of you tried it? I'd love to know your thoughts.

What's on your wish list this week?

Stace xx

Bourjois Elastic Mascara

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! Ours was very quiet but nice all the same :) 

I got this mascara in a free gift set when I was buying a few other Bourjois products. I'm pretty hard to please when it comes to mascara so I'd initially expected this to be rubbish. However, I've been pleasantly surprised!

Product: Bourjois Elastic Mascara in Black

Price: £9.49 from Boots or Superdrug

Description:

"A mascara that truly lengthens lashes giving them 130% more visible length!"

What's Good About It?

I really like the effect this mascara gives. I tried this on one eye with my HG BeneFit They're Real on the other and my boyfriend couldn't tell the difference. I thought the They're real gave a touch more volume but aside from that they do give a similar look. The wand is pretty small, which I like. 

What's Disappointing?

I find it really difficult to find a mascara which doesn't smudge on me and this one does smudge a little. It's not as bad as most mascaras I've tried though so it will probably work just fine on someone who doesn't struggle with smudging. The packaging feels a little cheap considering the price. 

Overall Score & Comment: 7/10 - If this didn't smudge on me, it would be a firm favourite of mine. I think it's a bit overpriced but aside from that, I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a nice lengthening mascara.

Have you tried any good mascaras recently?

Stace xx

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

***UPDATE: This was breaking me out so I've had to stop using it :( ***


I tried a sample of this several months ago; I did a swap with someone from France around the time it was released there. I thought I'd really like it as I had found the original Healthy Mix to be a bit too dewy (and break out inducing) for me. I hated the sample so I didn't consider buying the Serum version when it was released here in the UK. 

I'd read/seen quite a few good reviews on this foundation, though, so I decided to give it another go and I'm pleased that I did! I've been using this most days over the past fortnight so I thought it was time to share my review.

Product: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

Price: £10.99 from Boots or Superdrug

Description:

"16 hour radiance booster Instant anti-fatigue result! Give your skin a boost of radiance with Bourjois’ Healthy Mix Serum Gel foundation with a vitamin-rich fruit therapy formula for an even complexion and an instant anti-fatigue result!"

What's Good About It?

It's easy to apply with fingers but I sometimes use my E.L.F. Powder Brush if I want a bit more coverage. I like the finish - it's not totally matte but it's not too dewy either. It does give that 'anti-fatigue' effect. I think this will work well on most skin types. The wear is pretty good considering it doesn't feel heavy. I wouldn't say it lasts 16 hours, though. Some people have compared this to the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation but I actually think this is more like the Make Up Forever HD. The price is reasonable - I think it's a lot better than some others I've tried in the same price range. 

What's Disappointing?

I need to use a lot more product than I typically would - usually about three pumps and sometimes more if I'm using my fingers. The shade range is pretty poor, too. This foundation comes in fewer shades than the Healthy Mix which is confusing. I was a 54 in the original formula but I had to pick this up in a 53 because they don't make this in a 54. I think it skips to 55 or 56. I think this might be breaking me out. I'm not 100% sure; the blemishes are only on my chin and I normally get spots there anyway but these are very similar to the spots I got when using the original Healthy Mix. I'll keep using it unless I start getting blemishes elsewhere on my face.

Overall Score & Comment: 7/10 - I do like this, there are a few niggles but I think this will be quite a crowd pleaser. If you thought the original Healthy Mix was too dewy, I think you should try this.

 Blended out 

Have you tried this foundation? What's your current favourite?

Stace xx

My Top Five: Face Products Under £10

Following on from my favourite eye and lip products under £10, here are my favourite face products. Drugstore/high street make up seems so much more expensive now so you may notice I've not included a foundation. I do like Revlon PhotoReady but that is more than £10 so I couldn't add it in here!

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19

I started using this a month or so ago and have a review here, if you're interested! It covers well and lasts all day. It is a little drying but that works well on blemishes for me. I use this under my eyes on top of my corrector too.

Rimmel Match Perfection Fix & Perfect Pro Primer - £6.99

This is currently my go to primer and I have a review here. I really, really like this. I was struggling to find something which worked on my combination skin - creamy primers make my t-zone too greasy and mattifying primers make my cheeks too dry and dull. If you try anything from this top five, this would be my recommendation!

Sleek Blushes - £4.30

I've tried several of these. My absolute favourite is Suede; it was part of the Nude collection which launched a while ago. Luckily, it's a permanent shade! Suede is my favourite because it's pretty much fool proof to use (I never end up looking like Aunt Sally). Lots of the Sleek blushes are super pigmented so a light hand is usually required. 

Fashionista Blushes - £4

These are another new discovery for me but I like the idea of them. I have Juicy Apricot which is a lovely peachy pink shade. I'm planning on picking up three more and getting the quad to put them in but I had a hard time deciding on just three others! Some of the shades are a bit too sparkly for my liking but there are matte shades in the range too.

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer - £6.99

This is the only bronzer I own...yes, I only have one bronzer! I don't use this as a contour as much as I use it to warm up my complexion and to blend down my neck and chest if I want to look a bit less pasty. It smells yummy too.

Do you have any favourites from this category? Let me know in the comments!

Stace xx

Products I Regret Buying: Foundations & Concealers

I don't own most of these anymore as I've either swapped them away or given them to a friend so I don't have actual photos but here's a list of the foundations and concealers I regret buying! It's not that these are all awful products, they just didn't work for me.

Revlon ColorStay: I bought this for oily/combination skin and in the shade 330 Natural Tan. The shade ended up being too dark for me; damn those bright lights in Boots! I decided to give it a go anyway as it was only a couple of shades too dark and I wanted to see if I liked it, in which case I'd have purchased a lighter shade. However, I hated the way this applied - it looked horribly patchy even when I blended it furiously. It oxidized which didn't help the fact it was already too dark for me and it didn't really last particularly long on my slightly oily T-zone. I don't understand why so many people love this! I guess I should have known I wouldn't like it as I do prefer a light feeling foundation. To the graveyard of foundations it goes!

Bourjois Healthy Mix: This one breaks my heart. I've bought two of these now - one in 56 which ended up being too dark and one in 55. I used 56 a few times and found that I did get spots although I loved the foundation so much that I put it down to the fact I was trying out a new cleansing system and primer too. I bought 55 a few weeks ago and used it around 7/8 times. Everything was going great until...BOOM!...spots...everywhere! I rarely breakout anywhere other than my chin (hormonal, apparently!) but I had spots on my forehead, cheeks and even on my earlobe! It was nasty. I'm so annoyed because this time I know for sure it was the foundation. I really like it, my only regret is that my skin does not!

E.L.F. Studio Tinted Moisturiser: I bought this on a whim when I made an E.L.F. order almost weekly due to their free shipping and other offers (add them on Facebook here to make the most of these yourself!). I got it in Almond and tried it once on the back of my hand. It was the wrong colour although that didn't matter much because it seemed to just blend away into nothing. Now, I know tinted moisturisers are by nature extremely sheer but this was beyond that - it was non-existant. This isn't a huge regret as it was only £3.50 but I don't use it so it was still a waste of £3.50.

MAC Select: This was the first product I ever bought from MAC when I was about 16. I thought I was the coolest...we didn't have a MAC counter where I lived so I used to get it when I went to visit friends in Belfast. I used this religiously but looking back it was pretty awful! It used to oxidize lots on me and it would sink into my pores; making them really obvious. I would never buy this again. I stopped using it when I was 18.

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse: I'm pretty sure almost everyone has tried this foundation at some point! At the tender age of 14, this foundation (in a shade about 5 shades too light for me) was a staple of mine. It really has to be the most horrible thing I've ever put on my face. I'd slather it on in the mornings and again at the end of the school day (for the bus journey home!). It was so cakey and unflattering.

BeneFit Boi-ing: I used this along with my MAC Select foundation for during my last few years of school. I liked it because it did a great job of covering my blemishes and lasting all day but it was so cakey on me. Perhaps if I'd had a MAC 224 at the time, I could have blended it better but even so I think this concealer would only work if you have really oily skin.

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer: Aside from the issues with the packaging resulting in a lot of product being wasted (the pump gives out far too much) and the fact this product ruined every brush I tried to use it with, it wasn't worth the effort. I found this to be cakey too, not as much as Boi-ing, though. It oxidized on my skin so any areas I'd concealed looked even more obvious! It did last well on my skin but that's the only thing it had going for it with me.

So there you go! I hope this was useful. If you like any of these and have tips on how to use them, let me know!

Stace xx

Haul & Swatches: China Glaze, Sleek & Bourjois

I saw the MAC Semi Precious collection was online a few days ago and wanted to spend a fortune but in the end I decided to pass; I'd been reading the Temptalia posts about the collection and had thought I'd want a few items but when it came down to it, I already had similar shades in my collection. I avoided the store when I went to town today just in case I was tempted! I've been trying not to spend too much recently so this is only a little haul!


I realised that there's a Sally's right round the corner from me. I've never been there before but I knew they stocked China Glaze so decided to pop in today. Here's what I came out with:

Ruby Pumps - £6.49

Aztec Orange - £6.49

Ruby Pumps had been on my wish list for some time. I probably won't be wearing it until later in the year, though. I've swatched it and I like how even though it's glittery, it's not really gritty on the nail. I hate that feeling! I spotted Aztec Orange because I've been looking for a coral/orange/red shade for ages! I'm waiting on a swap parcel which includes Essie's Chubby Cheeks but it is much more orange. I might be putting this one on straight away! I'm a bit concerned that the formula seems a bit thin so I'll get back to you on that!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in shade 55 - £9.99

I tried this in 56 a few months ago and it was super dark. I thought I'd need 54 but when I swatched both in store and 54 seemed a little too light. I've not tried this on my face yet so I'm not sure it will work but I think it will! I love the smell of this and the formula is lovely and lightweight. I can't wait to wear it!

Sleek Oh So Special Palette - £6.49

I managed to pick up the last one on the shelf. This was a bit of an impulse buy but I did have it on my wish list. I do prefer neutrals so I thought I was sure to like this one.

My favourites are the shimmery shades, especially Gift Basket, Organza and Glitz. I'm not a huge fan of matte eyeshadows in general and had to swatch some of these quite heavily to get them to show up. Wrapped Up was the best matte shade in terms of pigmentation but all the mattes do have a smooth texture. I'm sure I will use this but it's not as great as I was expecting it to be; I think the Storm Palette will always be my favourite!

That's all folks!

Have you picked up Oh So Special? Or do you own any of the other items I purchased? What do you think of them?

Stace xx