Simple Smokey

Welcome back!

This is a look I created last week quickly to go and visit some family.

I purchased this set in the Boxing Day sales at Boots. If I remember correctly, I got it for £10 reduced from £20. In the set, you get 'Thick and Fast' mascara and 'Supercat' liner, as well as a lovely highlight, a lip laquer and 3 eyeshadows - although, I bought it to try out the mascara and liner.

On my lips I used Mac's lip pencil in 'Soar' and (I think) the lipstick was in the shade 'Please Me' - also by Mac.

I used the supercat liner from the set - and I really love it! For my mascara, I used the Origins Ginzing Mascara. I got this mascara free as part of a promotion on their website. I've got to say, it is one of my all time faves now. 

 For eyeshadow, I used the dark shade from the set mentioned above and also a lovely Mac eyeshadow in the shade "Opalesse" which I bought from an outlet store so I am not sure if it still available.

Have you tried any of these products?

Did you buy anything from Boxing Day sales?

Lots of love

Katie xxx

BEAUTY HAUL

Today, I went shopping around Manchester and picked up a few little bits in Boots. I personally LOVE Boots. Mainly for its great advantage card scheme which gives me offers and free stuff but also because it sells everything beauty related.

Here are a few little things I bought:

Firstly, I picked up a Palmer's product. I have heard such good things about Palmer's and this bottle was on offer for around £2 something. Bargain! Pretty much all the Palmer's products were on offer, too. I decided to try this one out because I have teeny stretch marks on the top of my legs so hopefully this will help!

Next, the Nivea skin care range was on 2 for £4, which I thought was an irresistible offer. I chose an oily skin moisturiser and a tinted moisturiser. 

Next, my impulsive till buy! I have wanted to try out Smashbox for AGES! As I was in the till this pack of three miniature primers caught by eye and I just had to buy it. It was £14 which is still a bit pricey but oh well. The miniatures are realllllly mini, so don't get too excited!

Last, but by no means least, the Garnier BB cream for oily skin. I have read reviews on this and wanted a go for myself. The formula is reallllly runny, bit with a touch of concealer and finishing powder, this looks just as good as a full made up face, but without the caked up horrible feeling you get in summer! Perfect!

THANKS FOR READING

LOVE KATIE

XXX

<3 Beauty Haul Essentials <3

So, I have been bad and not posted in a while! However, this means I have more time to shop so it's not all bad. And I have been working hard elsewhere which makes me feel less guilty! This is just a teeny tiny haul of a few of my fave recent purchases in the beauty side of things! ENJOY! 

Say hello to my new best friend... yes, I am talking about my new Mac Pro Longwear foundation. This is my one true love and just in time for Valentine's day, too! My shade in this is NC15. (Yes, I am as pale as a ghost.) I am always on the search for a new foundation that is 'the one'. I have read so many varied reviews on Mac foundations. It seems that people either love love love them or find that they break them out or irritate their skin. This caused me to panic a bit so I popped into Selfridges and asked for a couple of samples as I didn't fancy paying £24.50 on something that didn't do the job for me! However, this is my new all-time favourite foundation (at the moment.) Out of all the ones I have tried this is by far the best. At this price, it isn't the cheapest but definitely isn't enough to quite break the bank and it is also very worth the money in my case. I have very oily skin and find that throughout the day I have to keep blotting my skin and then by the time I get home my makeup has already ran halfway down my face anyway! BUT this foundation seems to do the trick and really lives up to its 'longwear' title! Definitely worth a purchase or even just picking up a little sample at your nearest Mac counter.

My next beauty crush is this Topshop Lipstick in 'Secret Admirer'. I have wanted to buy a nice, soft, pinky lipstick for a while now. I have also wanted to try a Topshop lippy as I have never bought one before. I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and impulsed by this while waiting in the Topshop queue. It is so soft and really matches up to the quality of my Bobbi Brown Lipsticks. It only costs £8, so at the fraction of the price of higher end lippies but near-enough the same quality I will definitely be looking into wider variety of shades in the future! 

Next in line is my Bare Minerals eyelid primer. I bought this near Christmas time as it came in a set which was on sale. I didn't really even notice it a first but when I got it home I thought I'd give it a try! Usually, when I don't use an eyelid primer, I find my eyeshadow to be really dry on my eyes and even turn a bit flakey (not attractive, I know.) When I use this, it sets a nice base for my eyeshadow or if I leave it on alone it leaves my eyelids with a nice, natural shimmer that lasts all day. Such a nifty little thing!

Another impulse till buy here. I had no idea Primark even did face wipes... up until now that is. These wiped come in scented, unscented and oil balancing versions. I picked up the scented ones because I thought the packet was pretty. These a such a bargain as it is a twin pack with a total of 50 wipes! They don't do anything spectacular but are perfect for sleepovers, weekends away or even just to throw in your bag at a festival!

 Hope you enjoyed reading!

What are you latest beauty essentials?

xxx Katie xxx

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