July Haul

I didn't think I bought too many products this month but I guess I was wrong!

I needed a new shampoo so picked up the L'Oreal Ever Strong Reinforcing Vitality shampoo; it's from their new sulphate free range. Having tried (and enjoyed) another (much more expensive) sulphate free shampoo, I've been keen to try another one. The E45 lotion was a necessity because the skin on my back and shoulders has been feeling so irritated recently. It's a decent moisturiser in general and something that's handy to have on hand when scented lotions are too irritating.

I popped into The Body Shop because it's my birthday month so I had a £5 reward plus a £5 reward on my reward card. I needed to replace my African Spa Hand & Foot Butter so I used my £10 of rewards on that.  From the sale I picked up a Raspberry body butter, a Green Apple shower gel and a Passion Fruit cleansing gel. I stupidly thought the Passion Fruit cleansing gel was a body wash, though. I added a Born Lippy balm in Pinkberry at the till and I've been enjoying this lip balm so much. It smells like a strawberry Opal Fruit.

I picked up the famous Rub Rub Rub body scrub from LUSH and have been loving it so far. The scent is really unexpected; because it's blue I was expecting it to smell fresh but it's actually a lot more floral.

I did a little blog sale shopping this month. From a US blog sale I bought a mini Make
Up For Ever Smokey Lash mascara but unfortunately it's very dry looking so I don't think it's usable. I bought two more Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch and Cherry Me. Despite the naff packaging, these are great little tinted balms. I also picked up a Hard Candy 'bronzer' (what?!) in Tiki. It's a lovely highlight powder.

I accidentally bought another highlight powder from Lou's blog sale; this time it was Topshop's Sunbeam. This one is very pigmented and golden. I also bought a mini Burberry lip cover in Rosewood because I didn't get it in my Harrod's Glossybox and felt I was missing out! It's very cute.

I clearly had a thing for honey scented lip balms this month given that I purchased both the Nivea Milk and Honey balm and the Burt's Bees Honey balm. I have to say, I prefer the Nivea one. I picked up a couple of the new-ish Revlon Kissable Balm Stains in Crush and Rendevous. I wanted to try a waterproof mascara so picked up the L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof in Black; I've been enjoying using it so far. I had to replenish my stock of Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Medium, too.

I attended a make up lesson at Urban Decay that I'd won and the make up artist used this concealer on me. I really liked the coverage and texture of it so I picked up the Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer in AFI. Expect to see a review on this sometime soon. The final product in this haul wasn't purchased by me. A lady I babysit for gave me this because she didn't think the colour would suit her. I've been hankering after a NARS Larger Than Life lip gloss for a while so it was a nice surprise. This is in the shade Place Vendome. 

Swatches

Hard Candy Tiki, Topshop Sunbeam, Urban Decay AFI, Collection Medium

Maybelline Cherry Me, Maybelline Pink Punch, Revlon Rendevous, Revlon Crush, Burberry Rosewood, NARS Place Vendome

If you'd like to see reviews of any of these products, please let me know!

Stace xx

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

I've been meaning to blog about this product for a while. I used to be one of those people who refused to use hand cream, never mind a cuticle butter! I received this mini size as part of a set (but also have a full sized pot from another set which has a much bigger dip in it) and it usually lives in one of my handbags. 

It's basically a thick balm that smells gorgeously lemony. If you're not a fan of citrus scents, this probably isn't for you. I use it in conjunction with whatever hand cream I fancy. I take a small amount and massage it into my cuticles; it's pretty simple! It leaves my cuticles feeling nicely hydrated and smelling great (not that my cuticles normally smell bad...)

I think it's really reasonably priced; the full size is £5.99 and you can purchase Burt's Bees products online (link) or in Boots. 

If you use any cuticle moisturising products, let me know in the comments!

Stace xx

What's On My Bedside Table?

We live in a rented flat and the furniture is...interesting. For the past six months I've been using a set of plastic drawers as my bedside table (it's actually where I store all my make up/skincare/hair things). Last week I decided I was sick of it so I moved one of the little tables in the lounge into our bedroom. I did have a tin full of 'essentials' on my old bedside table but this one is a lot smaller so I've had to be a bit more selective. 

The Yankee Candle is in Soft Blanket. It's the first time I've tried this and I have to say I do quite like it. It's subtle but nice for bedtime. I've got a huge Yankee Candle addiction so if you'd like to see any candle posts, do let me know and I'll happily share my thoughts!

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream

This is a smaller tube I received in a swap. I just wanted to try it to see what the fuss was about and I have to say, I'm super impressed. I use this as a lip balm before I go to sleep but I also use it on any irritated skin. This was a godsend when my nose was all sore and flakey from having the cold. This little tube is almost empty now and I will definitely be replacing it.

Bath & Body Works Pocket Bac

I love these little bottles! I usually have one in every handbag and room in the flat however I'm down to my last two so I'm being a bit cautious with them. This particular scent is Jelly Doughnut but I like most of the sweet or fruity scents. 

Burt's Bees Lemon Cuticle Butter

I don't use this every single day but I really should! It smells delicious and it's not as greasy as I expected it to be. 

LUSH Pow Wow Lip Scrub

I purchased this a few months ago and I really liked it initially but I've since found something better (watch out for a comparison post soon!) so I'm trying to use this up. It's dried out quite a lot now. It smells like a lime opal fruit sweet (does anyone else remember when Starburst were Opal Fruits?)

Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector

I reviewed this recently here and it's my lip gloss of choice at the moment. I use this when I'm not using my 8 hour cream. 

The only thing missing is a hand cream because my current one has run out. I know I have another one somewhere in the flat but I've not been able to track it down! The cat probably stole it.

What are your bedside essentials?

Stace xx