<3 Soap and (not so much) Glory <3

Now, both of these products look very similar. However, the one to the left is the Soap and Glory Fab Pore Cleanser and to the right is the Bright Here Bright Now Instant Radiance Energy Balm. I've never really delved into the Soap and Glory world before but thought I'd give it ago when I saw these products reduced, just after Christmas, in Boots. 

Staring with the Fab Pore Cleanser, I can't say I found it very 'fab' at all. The texture and consistency of this product isn't very good. With most cleansers, I find that once I begin to rub them into my face they seem to work with me and massage quite nicely. BUT this just doesn't cooperate at all. It smells a bit like salad, too... (I hate salad).

Next, the Bright Here Bright Now moisturiser is alright! It definitely moisturises, but almost to the point where it makes my skin a greasy mess! However, one thing I like about this product is it's tint. It had a slight creamy/beige hint to it that helps to even out my skin tone in the morning before I apply a primer. Usually, if I use an oil-free primer, then it's fine. But I rarely like to use oil-free primers because I feel they can be rather drying. Ahh well, better luck next time, Katie. 

Do you recommend any Soap and Glory products?

Have you also had bad expereinces with any?

Let me know

xxx Katie xxx

<3 Bare Minerals <3

Ever since I have started wearing more and more different kinds of makeup it has become a necessity to find the perfect makeup removers, moisturisers etc to combat all the bad stuff that comes along with wearing lots of makeup. 

I have here the Bare Minerals Purely Moisturising Moisturiser (for combination skin), BM Eye Makeup Remover, Eye Moisturiser and Facial Cleanser. 

I was going to get the Skin Renewing Trio for £22 near Christmas time from Harvery Nic's but then didn't... However, later on in the day I popped into Debenhams and saw the exact same set for half of the price and picked it up without hesitation! I am so happy I got a bargain as, even though I love the trio, I don't the the size of the products compensates for the full price. On the bright side, the eye cream is dreamy! It goes on smoothly and is lasting the longest out of them all. (10/10!!!) Works great for morning AND night! I have only used the facial cleanser once but it smelled absolutely delicious. The texture is creamy and soft on the skin which is lovely to aid in makeup removing after a long day. Again, nothing bad to say about the moisturiser... does exactly what it says on the bottle! As I have already said, these products would be perfect if they were bigger and/or cheaper. I'll have to think about if I am going to re-purchase or carry on in my hunt for the perfect skin renewers!
To the right of the image, you will see the Bare Minerals Eye-makeup remover! This, too, is going down quickly, although it was purchased separately! I don't know if it works well for people that wear mahoosive amounts of eye makeup, but I only apply a touch of pale primer/shadow and mascara and haven't tried it out on anything more. 

Have you tried any of these products? If so, what did you think of them? 

<3 Thanks for reading <3

xxx Katie xxx

<3 Laura Mercier Secret Concealer <3 

I'd heard about this concealer a lot over the past 6 months and had been debating whether to get it or not because I thought £18.50 was a tad over priced for a teeny tiny pot of concealer! Any how, I decided to buy it the other day in Harvey Nic's and I am really happy with it! I bought the concealer in 'shade 2', as recommended by the sales assistant. Even though I assumed this little pot wouldn't last very long so far I have hardly used any but it still does the job perfectly! It's definitely worth the extra few pounds and much better than cheaper concealers as it has excellent coverage. The creamy texture is smooth and delicate; it's perfect for under-eye use as well. One of my new beauty essentials!

To apply this concealer I just use my Bare Minerals concealer brush and it works like a dream!

<3 Thanks for reading <3

Katie xxx

Oh, It's Easy...

After having had the AA Disco Pants for almost a year I had started to get bored of them while still remaining in love with them though. I wanted something different, but just as flattering and comfortable  I only ever wear high waisted bottoms... and so when AA started to do the Easy Jean I just had to have it.

For anyone thinking of getting them, that already had Disco Pants, I would recommend to buy the same size you already have... even though at lot of people say to buy a size up.

So these are my new babies! I love them to pieces... seriously like unconditional love! My socks are from Topshop and I love love love them too!

Overall I would recommend these jeans to everyone! However, they're about £64 so it might be wise to try them on in store before breaking the bank (just to be on the safe side.) :)

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend! 

Thanks for reading! <3

 So the 6th of November is my birthday, I am now 17!! I thought I'd share with you a few of the bits I got and also threw in a few of the things of been buying myself lately so you can get an idea of what I'll be reviewing the up and coming weeks! 

This is the Volume Million Lashes Mascara by L'oreal. I've not used it enough yet to have much of an opinion but I absolutely love the container it comes in, so chic! 

Next is the Out of This World Lush bath set. I really cannot wait to use this as I'm sure it will not disappoint as lush always exceeds my expectations. Review coming soon. :)

This is the L'oreal black Contour Kohl Eyeliner. I'm not big on black eyeliners but I shall give it a go!














Gloves, gloves, gloves... Needless to say they are essential if, like me, you have to endure the freezing cold temperatires that come with living in the UK. Anyway, Primark have a wide range of different coloured and different material gloves in store now and all at really cheap prices too! So, I picked up a double pack of two plain black gloves for £1 to last me through the winter months that lie ahead. Brrrrr....













These are my new flatform shoes from River Island. I've wanted a nice smart pair of black shoes that still have a youthful edge and I think these are perfect  they have a lacey lining on the outside, a faux suede flatform and a slightly pointed toe. LOVE!

p.s just an update, I returned these shoes. After some thought, as much as I love them, the backs are really hard and I don't think they will be too comfy. :(

These socks were £2.50 which I view to be quite pricey for Primark. However, these are such cute socks with speckles of glitter in and will look adorable with cropped jeans, disco pants or a nice pair of shoes.











Last, but by no means least, my glittery velvet Topshop dress. I have wanted this for a while and finally got it today! The fit is really flattering and the skater skirt bottom is super girly. However, the glitter is a bit annoying and keeps flaking off everywhere  BUT I still love it and for around £41 (with student discount) I think I found a good bargain.

Thanks for reading!! <3

MUA Mini Make-up Haul

Again, apologies for the poor camera quality!

MUA Makeup Academy, which you can delve into more detail right here, is a recent new makeup brand I have found. Pretty much all of their makeup is under £4... that's right, I didn't make a typo. That includes primers, foundations and palettes

The other day when I was in Superdrug and stumbled across MUA I decided to pick up a few things from their collection.

 1. This is the MUA Shade 1 Bronzer (£1.00). I particularly like the shimmer in this bronzer which you can see on the image to the left. I find that I have to be careful with this bronzer and really have to try to not make myself look a tad too orange. I really like it though! The colour isn't too dark for my skin tone and it looks great instead of using blusher. In my opinion it is just as good as any other bronzer I have ever used.

 2. This is the Intense Colour Snow White Eye Liner. I've been wanting to try a white eyeliner to make my eyes look bigger and more bright and was even planning on spending around £20 on one from Selfridges. Luckily, I found this one for £1.00. It's great. Does the job just fine and goes on really smoothly. Plus, it comes with it's own sharpener on the lid which is even more convenient. I'll do a solo review of this once I get my camera up and running again!

 3. These are the MUA Lispticks in Shade 1 and Shade 2. Both are rather wintery colours and are very warming on the face.

Shade 1 is a bright red berry kind of colour. Shade 2 is more of a gothic purple (which I love). Both come in at only £1.00. The texture of the lipsticks isn't as nice and as soft as brands like Rimmel and Bobbi Brown but the result in my opinion isn't anything bad. Great if you just want a random wild colour for just one night.

Top - Shade 2
Bottom - Shade 1

Thanks for reading!

Tan Tan Tan

Around £12.99 - Superdrug (currently half price at £6.19)

This is just a short post! Right, I really don't like being pale. It makes me look like a ghost in photos or it really makes me look ill. I wish I was one of them people that just suited being pale... but I'm not. 

Anyway... I'm always up for trying new products and as you may have read here, the other day I bought the L'oreal Sublime Bronze Gel in a "natural" tone as it says on the back. Everyone I knew had pretty much raved about it! Considering that when I tried this product I was in a bit of a rush and didn't take much care when doing it, I was pleasantly surprised. 

Obviously, as much as we all wish it would be true, I doubt that any self-tan product (that isn't ridiculously overpriced) will ever leave you with a PERFECT tan. But this was pretty close. There are no real obvious streaks, just a couple of pale patches from when I washed the palms of my hands and the water splashed back... but I guess that was my fault! 

What I like with this product is that you can build up to the tan you desire. Also, I have found with other tanning products, like L'oreal Sublime Mousse, it looked a bit of a bright orange in daylight. However, I do find the tone of this one really nice and natural. Thumbs up from me, L'oreal! 

Thanks for reading! <3

Skin Care Reviews!

These are the 4 skincare products that I use on a daily basis! I usually can't be bothered to go through skin care routines, especially in the morning, but over the past few months I've made an effort to stick to my routine! Yay, I'm proud!

 This is the Visibly Clear Oil-free Facial Wash by Neutrogena. I really like this product as I think the colour is just so bright and feels so soft on my skin. I use this one in the morning as a refresher before applying my primer. However, even though I like the smell and appearance I'd say, as far as facial washes go, this is nothing special. It does the trick and does no harm. 

From Boots, 2 for £5 on Neutrogena products. 

 This is product no.2 from Boots; Visibly Clear Gentle Exfoliating Wash, again by Neutrogena. I really do love this one! I use it at night as it is an exfoliating wash so really helps to remove my make-up. It leaves my skin feeling soft and removes any dry bits. I'd definitely recommend! 

This is the Blackhead Clearing Cleanser by Clean & Clear. I can;t remember the exact price but I know it was quite cheap. (less than £5) This is GREAT for removing my make-up. I've not used it for long, but usually after using my face wash at night I'd just assume all of my make-up was off! BUT it isn't! After using this product at night I noticed all of the excess make-up it removed that I didn't even know was still on there! SO THIS IS MY FAVOURITE PRODUCT OF THE LOT!!

This is the Fix & Perfect Rimmel Primer, from Boots at £6.99. I wasn't happy with the cost, but wanted to try it out. It did set my skin nicely and soften it for make-up application... but didn't make much of a difference once I'd done my make-up... and I expected it to be different just because of the price. One tiny thing is that it helped to mattify my skin. But I wouldn't recommend it as i think it is overpriced and does't have much effect.
Thanks for reading! <3
 

What's inside my make-up bag?

Firstly, my make-up bag was only £1 in Primark, so if you're looking for a cheap one then go there. It's also an easy wipe-clean material so perfect for holding your make-up.




This is my Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara... and I love it! I always buy Rimmel Mascaras as I think they are the best for giving volume and length compared to others I have tried such as, Elizabeth Arden, No.7 etc. Also, Rimmel's products are generally really reasonably priced too! 

This is my Silky Loose Face Powder also by Rimmel. It is a good touch-up for throughout the day to just blot your skins and keep your make-up in place. It is only around £7 and I got it as part of a 3 for 2 offer on at Superdrug which is still on now!  

I don't use this often as I don't think I suit eye-liner. However, when I do use this I think it is great! It lasts a really long time and is so hard wearing that I don't feel the need to touch it up through the day/night. It's pricey at £18 but is definitively worth it. 

This was £18 too and is by FAR my most favourite lipstick in the world! NO JOKE! It is so soft and such a nice "soft coral" colour and really warms up my fair skin tone. I would completely recommend!  

 My cover-up concealer stick by Collection 2000 is only £1.99! It works really well and is great value for money! it had such great coverage and doesn't break the bank. It's really compact too so will fit nicely in your handbag for touch ups. However, I never usually need to touch it up when I use the product. 

I only bought this Maybelline Stain Liquid foundation yesterday but so far, so good! I decided to buy a lightly darker shade than I usually choose in foundations and was worried it would make me look orange or leave me with foundation lines on my neck. As far as I can see it blends really well and I like it! It was only £8 too! Cheap as chipsssss...

Thanks for reading! <3

Bargain Hairspray <3
The other day I was thinking I needed a new hairspray that was good quality! Luckily, the first one I picked up and tried is absolutely amazing! 

This hairspray is only £1.62 and it is such a big bottle! You get 450ml and you can choose different sizes, for a cheaper price, if you don't need too much. There is also a choice between perfumed and unperfumed scents. I bought the perfumed because it just smells so sweet and refreshing! 

Also if you have Boots Advantage Card this product will give you extra points on it that you can put towards buying other goodies! I would recommend this hairspray because of it's great value for money! It's light on you hair so doesn't drag you down but it still the perfect balance that it locks in your hairstyle for the day! 

 Thanks for reading <3

Bourjois Touche Healthy Mix Brush Concealer - Review 

I got this product for around £8 from Boots. At first I liked the look 0f the concealer and assumed it would be good from looking at my other Bourjois purchases. The container is small and easy to fit in your purse. However, I found that it didn't last very long at all and wasn't good value for the money. The coverage was thin and took a lot to get it how I wanted it to look. I would recommend this product to people with already a very good complexion and perhaps just some dark circles but for people with more blemishes I suggest you try another concealer! I much prefer my £1.99 concealer from the Collection 2000! It has a great coverage and is perfect for hiding any blemishes in no time at all! 

My cheap and cheerful alternative.