Late to the Party

I've bought several new budget eyeshadow palettes recently and they were starting to topple rather dangerously on my growing stack of palettes kept on the side. I already have a box of eyeshadow palettes, so I thought I'd go through that box to see if I could get rid of any (I did - a couple of old MUA palettes and a Primark palette) and to remove some of the lesser-used palettes from the stack on the side into the box. A couple of palettes from the old box caught my eye so I wanted to play with them for a few days to see why they caught my eye in the first place, and why they had been shoved in a box and forgotten about for several months... I can see why I chose both of them colour-wise. The MUA Winter Forest palette (bought last winter but is still in the shops now) has some great wintry colours (mostly the teal and the navy). And the Freedom 'Pro 12 Secret Rose' palette has some of my favourite every-day nudes and rosy-brown tones. Most of my beauty budget ...

I so, so wanted to support this new start-up Beauty Subscription box. I understood and had patience with their shipping delays meaning that the monthly boxes kept being late to arrive. Their communication was very sporadic and this was an issue for many customers. But after a very heartfelt apology email from the founder, I felt even more for them.   And then...silence.   Despite promises of 'email rings' to keep customers in the loop about shipping issues and scheduling problems, the communication was not forthcoming. I realise that I didn't even mention the Ichiko Bento box from August! This was received in September with further delays and although the contents weren't too great for me as one was a massive tub of Aloe Vera (which I have sensitivity issues with) and another was the Innisfree No sebum pact (which I already own), I did get some Cosrx Low PH cleanser (which had been on my wish-list) so I thought that it was a good value box, despite not being ...

I realise that I haven't shared a morning routine since May. But unlike my ever-changing nightly routine, the morning routines do stay relatively simple and I tend to reach for the same products (until they run out).   From L-R: The Body Shop Seaweed Toner, The Ordinary Agireline, Liz Earle Soothing Eyebright Lotion, Scinic Aqua All in One Ampoule, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid, The Ordinary Niacinamide, TonyMoly The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Cream and Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF 50.   I'm still just using a simple toner as my morning cleanse and freshen-up. I'm loving The Body Shop for toners (I have my eye on two new flavours even though I still have yet another unopened toner in my stash!).   It is with much embarrassment at my previous review of the Liz Earle Soothing Eyebright Lotion , to show that this is still used in the morning and evening routines without fail every day! I really didn't give this a chance. When I'd used up the first bot...

Despite my ever-growing skincare stash of The Ordinary products (see Here for a review of my collection), there's always room for more of them! I recently picked up three more products that I felt would fit nicely into my current skincare routines. It's obviously far too early to talk about results so instead these are my initial impressions. I was most excited to try the Agireline Solution 10% (£5.50 for 30ml). Agireline is also referred to as 'Botox in a bottle'! Agireline is actually a trademark owned by Barcelona-based Lipotec. It prevents the formation of expression wrinkles by acting as a muscle inhibitor. I had previously been using the Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG around my eye area but started to realise that dark circles and puffiness were not actually my main concern - it was the fine lines that was making my under-eye concealer look too obvious that were bothering me slightly. I'll still use the Caffeine solution if I'm having puffy eye ...

I do love a good sheet masking session and aim to use at least three masks a week if I can. Sheet masks are probably the first entry for most people into the world of Asian beauty, although they are becoming more popular with western brands too. Recently, through Instagram (where else?!) I heard about two Instagrammers that have set up their own non-subscription mask bundle service. They are called Mask n Chill and their deal seemed too good to be true! Five top quality sheet masks, shipped from Malaysia for free for just $10!   I placed my order late last Tuesday evening and received these masks from Malaysia in under a week! I think their initial collection may well be sold out but I will definitely be ordering from them again - BUY HERE at Mask N Chill   The selection: 1. My Beauty Diary Yoghurt mask 2. VProve Soy Bean Phyto Therapy Mask - I'm guessing the fella on the front is a KPop star! Soy Bean is a great anti-ageing ingredient and promotes colla...

For me, September was a good month for beauty subscription boxes - particularly the Fifth Tili Box and my first ever Look Fantastic Box .   I have an ever-growing wish-list of products that I'd love to try and buy. Every month I have a 'loose' budget and will treat myself to generally one of those products, plus a few subscription boxes and then allow some room for essentials and impulse buys!   At the top of my wish-list this month was to try some Jane Scrivner products. Whereas brands like Deciem have very utilitarian products, Jane's have very much more of a luxurious feel - it's all about the best natural ingredients, full of beautiful scents and sumptuous oils - sensuous and tactile all the way. Using Jane Scrivner products is very much like having a mini pampering spa session at home. Luckily, Jane offers a Discovery Bag which costs just £20 and is full of samples for nearly all of her skincare range.     Included in the kit (comes i...

  There's something slightly embarrassing about the word budget - if you let it, it can make you feel like you're not good enough to buy the best and that you have to settle for the dupes and poorer quality goods. But budget doesn't always equate to poor quality and certainly not poor value. I love the higher end brands but can often feel deflated when I buy higher and realise that brand name aside - there's often not a massive difference in the quality of the product or even in the quality of the packaging. I will almost always suffer some kind of buyer's remorse when I've spent a lot, but never if I buy budget/High Street.   These recent items I've acquired also feel like more of a win as some of them were free or greatly reduced! And that's never a bad thing.   First up this Ultra Contour Palette from Makeup Revolution. I actually won this for a review prize - so it was a freebie.     This is a great little palette. Unlike some...