Latest Beauty Buys

Now everyone loves a good nosy at what people buy. So I thought I would show you a tiny little haul of things that I have purchased recently. If you follow me on instagram (you can find me here) you will know I have decided to take part in #FugalFebruary so this will hopefully be the last one until at least March. If you want to see any #FrugalFebruary content then please comment and let me know. Now on to the haul.... 

I told you it was teeny tiny. So first up is the Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot, this is a repurchase, the last one I had hit pan a long time ago now and I have been meaning to repurchase it so I am glad I finally have. As opposed to a normal powder that provides coverage this is a blotting powder, which just makes sure that oil is kept at bay. It also means that I can apply it as much as I like and it won't cake up on my face. 

Next up is something a little different for me in brand and type of product. I have never bought anything from Miss Sporty before, well I don't think I have. I also don't own anything like this. It is a purple toned eye shadow quad. On the back it says that it is suitable for green eyes, so I don't know if there are different ones for different eye colours but I love experimenting with the colours with this. 

And lastly after coming towards the end of my Lush Christmas Bath Bombs I thought I would treat myself to a new bath bomb. This is Tisty Tosty and I think this might be part of the Valentine's Day range but I am not 100% sure. As I am yet to try it I can't give you any more detail. Sorry. 

So thats the end of my little haul. Let me know what you have bought recently below. 

See you soon. 

Jess
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Pamper Day

So after a not so stressful week (yes, I meant not so) I decided that I deserved a pamper day I don't know why I felt like I needed this seeing as I have had the least stressful week at work since I have started. I just felt like I needed a little bit of a pick me up. 

So first off I went to the beauticians and got my eyebrows done. This is the first time I ever I got them done and I am so happy with them, I feel like my brows don't take over my face and they actually looked tamed for once in their life. I had threading on the top of my brows and waxing on the bottom. If you are like me and were a bit worried about getting your brows done, do not worry it felt fine and if you don't like the feeling you can always ask them to stop and use a different method. 

Once I came home I felt like further pampering was needed, so I painted my toes in Essie Angora Cardi. Not really winter appropriate but who is looking anyway. I would have painted my toes too, but I am trying to strengthen them before I have gels done so I have just put a clear top coat on them for now. 

Lastly, as part of my pamper day I used two face masks, one was Lush's Mask of Magnaminty (review here) and the second was the Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask, this felt so nice on the skin wish it would have stayed warmer for longer but that is just because I am cold all of the time. It also doesn't try down and make your face feel all tight so is perfect for if you have dehydrated skin. 

After all of this pampering I felt like a bit of a princess and all I needed was a lush bath to top it all off. (Was not in the mood to clean the bath though. On a second note why does no one ever mention the fact that you always have to clean the bath after a lush bath bomb. I have not got time for that.) 

Anyway tell me what you do part of your pamper day in the comments section below. 

See you soon. 

Jess
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Review: Lush Mask of Magnaminty Self Preserving

So after reading many different reviews about the Mask of Magnaminty by Lush I decided to buy it as some people have rave reviews about it clearing up there acne and this is definitely what I need right now. Although I have tried some skincare from Lush before I don't think I have tried any of their masks. Anway...here is my review: 

This product is a face and body mask, although I have yet to try it as a body mask (but probably should, who wants bacne) as I find it hard to apply it myself to my back without getting it everywhere. I also bought the self-preserving formula as I didn't know if I would be able to use a fresh mask in the time that it says you have to use it within. I think I am right in saying that you have to keep the fresh ones in the fridge but knowing me I would almost certainly forgot I have it. I purchased the 125g version which is £5.75 but there is also a 315g which is £9.95 but I only wanted to buy the small one just in case I didn't like it or didn't get on with it. This is also a product that is suitable for vegans. 

Now on to the actual product, the first thing you'll notice when you open this up is the overwhelming scent of mint, I know this may seem obvious from the name, but I am actually not a big fan of mint flavoured things, but I will let it slide if I really like a product. 

Now on to the ingredients, I am actually extremely fussy with which ingredients I will put on my skin, even with Lush products. I have one too many bad experiences to not afford to look at the ingredients. My main ingredient that I tend to avoid is perfumes, I have had some horrible outbreaks from them. And although this product does contain perfume it is the second to last ingredient and so is not very concentrated. The last one I tried it was in the top five ingredients. 

The top ingredient is honey which is antiseptic, next is kaolin which is a type of clay deeply cleanses and draws out any impurities. And the third ingredient is Bentonite Gel which deeply cleanses and gently tones the skin. 

I have used this mask a couple of times now on my face. All I do is cleanse my skin, dry it with towel and then apply the mask. Leave it for five to ten minutes (or if you are me the length of a YouTube video) and then wash it off with a flannel. 

When you are applying this to the skin you will notice that there are little exfoliating beads inside of it which are evening primrose seeds and aduki beans which helps to exfoliate the skin whilst you are taking it off. I applied quite a thin layer to my skin as I did not want to try it out too much. Just to warn you too, this mask is a little messy. 

One thing I found that with taking the mask off is that it actually left my skin rather red, although it felt great. I think as I usually use an acid toner instead of a manual exfoliator my skin is not used to the abrasiveness of it. It did however bring some of spots to a head which is a good thing. I will have to see if with repetitive use whether it gets rid of them completely like some people claim it does or just keeps bringing spots up. 

All in all, I have not made my mind up on this yet, I am going to carry on using it and will have to get back to you on whether my skin has improved or not. 

See you soon. 

Jess
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On My Wish List Right Now

So at this time of year there is a lot of spending to be done on other people for Christmas presents, so buying for myself has to take a back seat so here is my wishlist. This is mostly for me so I can remember what I want when I can buy for myself but I thought you might be interested too. 

Karen Millen Crystal Sprinkle Bangle, Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic Mask, Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation, Collection Blush and Glow Blush Palette, Miss KG Spider Chelsea Ankle Boots, Miss Dior Perfume, Ugg Slippers, SockShop Christmas Socks

So thats what is on my wishlist, think I might need to get round to buying those Christmas socks soon. What is on your wishlist? 

See you on Monday. 

Jess

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Dark Lip Essentials

Hi,

Now that it starts to get dark at like 5pm and all the Christmas stuff is in the shops it is officially dark lip season. Here are my essentials for getting the perfect dark lip.

Lip Scrub 

A good lip scrub is essential to any dark lip. You don't want your lips covered in dry skin as otherwise whatever you put over the top will not look very good as it will all stick. My favourites are both from Lush the Mint Julips and the Santa's lip scrub, they are fantastic for getting the dead skin off and they also taste delicious. 

Lip Balm 

After scrubbing your lips, a good lip balm is an essential to make sure that your lips will take to the colour well. I usually put it on before I start putting my make up on and by the time I get round to doing my lips, it has sunk in. My faves are from Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm in either the original or coconut and pear scent the as they have no colour to them so don't interfere with the colour of the lip and they are nice and moisturising. 

Lip Liner

To get a good dark lip I feel a lip liner is essential, I usually outline my lips with the colour and then fill them I find that doing this makes the lip colour last a bit longer and when it starts to fade it doesn't look patchy. I really like the Maybelline Colour Sensational in Midnight Plum and Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil in Wicked, although the Urban Decay one is not a extremely dark it does go well with the lighter berry colours. They are both good at making your lipstick last just that little bit longer.

Lip Stick

Now for the most important part of a dark lip, the lip stick. Obviously there are thousands of different dark lips on the market but these two are my faves. From the drugstore is the Maybelline Colour Sensational Mattes in Divine Wine  this is a true dark lip colour and being a matte formulation means that it does not budge from the lips, deffo one to look into if you don't want to splash out a lot on a dark lipstick. Another one of my faves is a Mac lipstick in Plumful, this is what I would call an everyday sort of dark lip as it is not too dark but can be built if you want to, say if you are going out in the evening. 

What are you dark lip essentials? Tell me in the comments what your favourite dark lip is. 

See you tomorrow!

Jess 

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