Late to the Party

  Overall, I had a really great month for using items up (but I also bought quite a few new ones too!).   Here's a reminder of the six items I chose to try and use up in June       And here's what I managed to use up!   Four out of six is not bad! Although one was de-cluttered when I realised that it had expired.   * The Ordinary - Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution  - I'd been using this intermittently on my body as I had found the 7% of Glycolic Acid a bit too harsh on my face. However, after pulling it out again and trying it on my face, I didn't find this quite so harsh this time around. It's not my favourite Glycolic Acid and I won't be repurchasing.   * Nuxe - Reve de Miel Lip Balm - I had several moments of 'Why did I choose this?!' this month as I was reminded just how ultra-rich this lip balm is! I had been using it as a lip sleeping mask but I always woke up feeling greasy-lipped and opted to u...

This post might just seem like an episode of 'Hoarders'! I've been very diligent with my skincare inventory, using up what I have instead of buying more (mostly!) but with makeup - I've not been as restrained! Makeup is the first thing I'll go for if I'm feeling bored, fed-up or just because! There's such a happy (if not fleeting) feeling or pure, unadulterated joy when buying a couple of bits of makeup - but often it's swiftly followed by spending remorse!   Choosing a weekly makeup bag has really helped me keep an eye of what I have in my makeup stash. And I've actually de-cluttered a fair few items. But I've also added a fair few too.   Let's count the damage!   Primers/Setting Spray     Easing in gently here! These are all the primers I have and they were all from sets or beauty boxes. I did buy the e.l.f Setting Spray this year, but I haven't been wowed by it and I'm not convinced that I even need a setti...

    A reasonably pared-back summer weekly makeup bag for me this week!   The sun is shining - which always makes you look a bit better and my skin seems to be in great condition at the moment, meaning that I'm happier to wear less coverage!   * Foundation/CC Cream - It Cosmetics - Your Skin But Better CC+ This was a surprise delivery last week. I'd been on the QVC wait-list for this shade for ages and just assumed that it wasn't going to become available. So it was a lovely surprise when it turned up and it's absolutely perfect for this time of year. Quick and easy to apply; gives a lovely light (although it's supposed to be full) natural coverage and lasts and looks good all day. I also don't need a separate primer with this cream.   * Missha - Under-Eye Brightener I've kept this in from last week as it really worked well for me. Easy to blend and doesn't collect in my lines and creases.   * Powder - Innisfree - No Sebum Min...

      I don't want to jinx it but my skin has been looking pretty okay recently. This is what I have been using in the mornings to achieve that healthy summer natural glow (which means I can stick to wearing BB and CC Creams rather than full-on foundation!)     This is a post-swim, post-cleanse routine:   * The Ordinary - Glycolic Toner I've been using this a lot recently to try and finish it up. I used to think that the 7% Glycolic acid was just a little too harsh for my skin, but this time around, it's not been as irritating.     * May Coop - Morning Dew Mist This was a T.K Maxx bargain find! This mist has the most delicious scent. I can't figure out what it reminds me of, but it's made of Acer Maple Water - maybe that's the scent? It has a nice, reasonably fine spray mister and it absorbs nicely into my skin with minimal tackiness.     * Bielenda Dr Medica - Capillaries Serum The one product that...

Every six months on Instagram, there is a monthly challenge where you photograph your entire skincare stash (a day for each category). And I have been partaking, because it's a great way to account for what you actually have to use up and helps to put the brakes on unnecessary spending and (hopefully) impulse buys!   Since doing the first challenge of the year back in January, I've definitely been a lot more conscious about what I'm buying and have only replaced items rather than bought extras. Obviously, I've been no angel and there have been a couple of impulse buys (plus all the items from Beauty Boxes and review items). But generally, I've been quite pleased with my progress in using up my stash first before buying more.   One major thing it has taught me is that I'm now having to pay for all those impulse buys that I made in the past couple of years as my skincare routine often includes items that I'm not particularly fond of and just need to u...

There's a lot of sales on and deals about at the moment, which makes it very hard not to impulse buy more makeup! Boots is currently offering a 3 for 2 deal (and Superdrug will probably follow soon).   So it's no surprise that I bought a few new bits this week as the offers were too good to refuse!   One place I bought something new, which I didn't expect to find, was actually at a car boot sale! There are often people selling off their makeup and skincare at car boot sales but I don't tend to go for it as you don't know how old it is, plus, it's generally all those awful gift sets that no one really wants anyway! But at York, I came across a girl selling some really nice palettes that were mostly new. She had a couple of Morphe palettes that she explained had come damaged in the post (a couple of smashed pans) and the vendor had just sent her new ones, so she still had the original damaged ones.   I've wanted to try a Morphe palette for a w...

Ohh my nails are trashed!! It's always a struggle for me to keep my nails in great (or even good) condition - mainly because I'm an ex nail-biter and still a nail nibbler. Last week was pretty stressful and I did a lot of driving (I tend to nibble on long drives) so I managed to chew down several of my 'good' nails and ended up filing them all down really short to see if I could try and get them into a good (or reasonable) shape again.   Here's what I have in my nail rescue kit:      Ciate - Knight in Shining Armour - Overnight Nail Mask £12.00 for 13.5ml BUY HERE   Whenever I have completely bare nails (and whenever I remember!) I'll pop a good layer of this nail mask on my nails before bed and then wash it off in the morning. I don't know exactly what it does (if anything)! It's one of those products that doesn't show you instant results but you know that it's working in the long run. This mask is enriched with...

Not much to see here, so feel free to move swiftly along! Usually, after a week of using the same products after a week, I'm champing at the bit to choose the next week's makeup selection. But this week I've kept several main items in the bag from last week as they worked really well for me. I was travelling quite a bit last week and didn't take the large Lorac Mega Pro 3 palette with me so I feel like I'm not done with that yet. It really is the most versatile palette I own.   * Primer - Pixi by Petra - Flawless & Poreless Primer - I hardly used this last week so I'm keeping it in to give it another try. * Foundation - L'Oreal - True Match -  This worked so well for me last week that I didn't want to mess with the formula! I did notice some cakiness around my nose but this does coincide with the introduction of a new retinol serum, which could possibly be causing a little bit of dryness/flakiness. * Undereye Concealer - Inglot - w...