December Empties

I didn't think I'd got through a lot of products this month but it turns out I did! 

Liz Earle Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash

This body wash is okay - I don't think it's anything special though. I prefer fruity or sweet scents so that probably explains why I didn't love this!

L'Oreal HiP Jelly Balm in Ripe

I love these little balms - I have about six others waiting in the wings! This shade is my favourite; it's a nice peachy colour. On the lips it's very sheer, glossy and moisturising.

Bath & Body Works Pocket Bac in Guava Grapefruit

I use these little guys a lot - I have one in every room! This scent is fruity and fresh.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in Natural Beige 
I'm so sad that I've used this up! This has been my most used foundation this year.  Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on another in the future. I wish they sold it here in the UK.

Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume in Brown
This has dried up now and whilst I did enjoy using it, I've been so impressed with my BeneFit They're Real that this made me feel a little 'blah' when I applied this for the last time. 

Clinique Turnaround Concentrate Serum
This little tube has lasted me forever. I think it's okay - when I first started using it, I did notice some improvement but over time I don't think it's done that much for my skin so I'll be on the lookout for a new serum now! Any recommendations?

Soap & Glory Pulp Friction Body Scrub
I reviewed this recently here. I've really enjoyed using this product and will probably pick up another once I've worked my way through all the other body scrubs I own!

Bath & Body Works Pocket Bac in Sour Drop
I wasn't super keen on this scent but I love these handy little pocket bacs. I've been through my stash and I'm horrified to see I only have two left!

Caudalie 1st Wrinkle Serum Eye Cream Smaple
I quite liked this eye cream, actually - I may have to pick up a full size.

Clarins Moisture Rich Body Lotion
This was a generous freebie when I picked up some Clarins products. It's absolutely lovely! It's very rich and a bit greasy so definitely not one to use in the mornings. It's very moisturising and smells delicious. The full size is £29 though...

Clarins Smoothing Body Scrub
This is another freebie (well, I got both together) and I really like this too. It's not as nice as the body lotion, though.

Tresemme Instant Refresh Volumising Dry Shampoo
This is my favourite dry shampoo and I will continue to repurchase it until I find something better. It doesn't give me the grey cast most other dry shampoos do.

Boots Essentials Nail Varnish Remover
I prefer this to the Superdrug one - it removes polish better. I don't get any peeling or brittle nails from using this. 

The Body Shop Papaya Body Butter
These body butters are my absolute favourite and I still have about three more to get through. This scent would probably be nicer in the summer but I love fruity scents all year round. 

Caudalie Quenching Sorbet Creme
I've not actually finished this but the pump has stopped working which is annoying since there's 1/3 of the product left. I've tried opening it but the texture looks a bit odd so I'm going to bin this. It's a nice face cream, shame about the packaging.






Did you get through a lot of products this month?


Stace xx

My Top Five: US Drugstore Products

I'm writing this post to help out anyone who's wanting to do a swap with someone in the US. I've done several trans-atlantic swaps over the last year or so and I've discovered some great products which I don't want to be without. This list is by no means exhaustive, these are just my personal favourites. 

You've probably seen these products mentioned lots of times before whether on this blog or elsewhere but there's a reason for that; they're great products!

(image from Makeupalley)

1 - Milani Liquif'Eye Metallic Eyeliner Pencils

I think these are brilliant. I have the black and brown but they also come in silver, gold and aqua. These glide on like a dream and their staying power is great, even in the waterline. They are very soft so it's hard to get a very precise line but that's rarely what you want from a pencil liner anyway. 

(image from the Neutrogena website)

2 - Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Make Up

I've been using this foundation since the summer and it's my go to foundation at the moment. The coverage is good - sort of medium, I'd say. They have a great shade range and you can check Temptalia's Foundation Matrix to find your match. It's one of those foundations I think everyone needs to try as it should suit a variety of skin types. I'd avoid it if you have very oily skin, though.

(image from the Cover Girl website)

3 - Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume Mascara

This is my new favourite mascaras. It's the first drugstore mascara I've tried which doesn't smudge or flake. I like how you can get a nice natural, volumized look after one coat and a more dramatic look with two. Again, I think this is one of those products everyone should try at least once. I've tried the standard formula in brown and the waterproof version in very black.

(image from the Milani website)

4 - Milani Baked Blushes

I have these in several shades. My favourites are Rose D'Oro and Luminoso. They are amazing quality and very comparable to MAC Mineralize blushes. They're easy to apply, the shades are very nice and they last quite a long time on the skin. The packaging is a bit naff so if you're a packaging snob, these may not be for you. Some of them have a bit too much chunky glitter for my liking (Corallina, for example). Otherwise, these are lovely blushes and definitely worth a try.

(image from the Wet'n'Wild website)

5 - Wet'n'Wild Palettes

I couldn't talk about US drugstore products and not include these. I really like the trios and the 8-pan palettes. The 6-pan palettes are half matte and I'm not a fan of mattes so that's why they're at the bottom of my list but if you like mattes, they're definitely worth a shot. The shimmer shades in those palettes are nice too. Three of the most popular palettes are Comfort Zone (an 8-pan of neutrals and some greens), Vanity (a 6-pan palette in neutral golds and browns) and Silent Treatment (a trio of cooler toned shades). I will admit that not every shade in every palette is brilliant but the pigmentation of most of these shadows is excellent and definitely comparable to higher end shadows. These palettes should not be missed!

I hope this was helpful to some of you! Let me know what your US drugstore favourites are if you have any!

Stace xx

US Swap Haul!

I did a post way back in July about a swap I did with a lovely girl from Makeupalley. It went really well so we decided we'd do another and I just got my package! Once again she went overboard with really thoughtful extras. She's a very sweet girl (I hope she's reading this and blushing!). I sent her a list of things I was looking for but told me to just send a random selection of products on that list and not to tell me what they were. It felt a bit as though Make Up Santa had been!

Face:

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer

Milani Baked Bronzer in Soleil

Sonia Kashuk Creme Blush in Rosey

Lips:

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Smokey Look

Palladio Herbal Tinted Lip Balms in Orange and Rosey (I've heard EmilyNoel83 rave about these on YT)

EOS Lip Spheres in Strawberry Sorbet and Sweet Mint (this one smells delicious even in the wrapper!)

Eyes:

Milani Liquif'Eye Eyeliners in Black and Brown

CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Mascara in Brown

Wet'n'Wild 8 Pan Palette in Petal Pusher

Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Top Multipurpose Brush

Bath & Body Works Pocket Bacs in Sour Drop, Vampire Blood, Guava Grapefruit, Passionfruit Colada and Jelly Jam Donut

I was going to open everything to swatch it and show you all but I've been trying really hard not to open things unless I'm going to use them. I have a drawer of new things just now so when I feel the urge to shop, I go and look in there! Some of these items are things I will be trying soon but others may take me a while to get too. Let me know if there's anything you'd really like to see a review on or swatches of and I'll happily oblige.

I hope she gets my parcel soon!

Stace xx

American Swap Goodies & Swatches!

I just got back from a trip back home to Northern Ireland and waiting for me was a huge box of goodies from the lovely Michele. She's from the US and we arranged to do a swap. I sent her some UK things she was after and she sent me things from the US that we can't get here. She was really generous and sent lots of cute extras (including some cute little toys for our cat!). The whole experience was great and I'm sure we'll swap again in the future! 


So, to the fun bit! Here are some photos and swatches of what I received:

Bath & Body Works Pocket Bacs

I love these! They all smell amazing and the formula of these anti bacterial gels isn't as drying as other similar products.

Corallina

Rose D'Oro

L-R: Corallina, Rose D'Oro

L-R: Rose D'Oro, Corallina

L-R: Rose D'Oro, Corallina

Milani Baked Blushes in Rose D'Oro & Corallina

I've been lemming these ever since I swapped for another blush in this range called Luminoso. The pigmentation is lovely! I think Rose D'Oro is my new favourite. 

Milani HD Advanced Concealer in Medium

I've been wanting to try this for a long time too after hearing some good reviews on YouTube. I think I'll only be using this as an under eye concealer as it's quite pink-toned so it wouldn't work on my yellow-toned skin. It's a nice texture though. I've only tried it once and it worked pretty well - I do prefer concealers with a more liquid texture for the under eye texture so this is great as it covers well but doesn't look cakey.

Honeysuckle Honeydew

Top L-R: Honeysuckle Honeydew, Lemon Drop

Bottom L-R: Lemon Drop, Summer Fruit

Summer Fruit

EOS Lip Balms

I love these! The Lemon Drop is my favourite so I'm glad I have two of them! They are easy to apply and pretty moisturizing. I love the packaging!

NYC Blushable Creme Stick in South St Sea Shell

I initially wasn't going to request this but now I'm so glad I did! It's a lovely colour and the texture is really nice. It's easy to apply and dries down to a powder finish so it's not sticky at all.

NYX Soft Matte Cream in San Paulo

This was another product I was unsure of but I really like it! The colour is nothing like how it's shown on the NYX site but that's what I love most about it: it's a vibrant deep pink. The texture is also much nicer than I expected. It feels like velvet and lasts forever. I tried putting a gloss on top too and that didn't effect the product already on my lips. I want more of these now!

Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof in Very Black

I can't wait to try this once I've gotten through all the other open mascaras I have! I've heard good things. I'm sure there will be a review in the future!

NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose

I used to own this but swapped it away and then regretted it! I love these lipsticks and this colour is very pretty. It's a nice natural looking lipstick which goes well with lots of different looks.

That's everything! As I said, she sent lots of lovely extras too.

Have you done any swapping recently? Do you have any recommendations for great US drugstore products?

Stace xx