Boots and Superdrug Haul #2 June 2015

Oops I did it again…I sometimes think I should have called this blog Danielle’s Beauty Hauls because of the amount I buy but anyhoo here’s what I picked up last week when Boots had their infamous 3 for 2 on Maybelline, 2 for £10 on Revlon and spend £15 on Bourjois and get a free gift!

Maybelline The Nudes palette

I swatched this in store and thought the pigmentation was amazing for a highstreet palette. While I still think the pigmentation is brilliant the lasting power of these shadows is not there for me! I always use either Too Faced Shadow Insurance or Benefit Stay don’t Stray as a primer and compared to the lasting power of something like Urban Decay eye shadows these don’t last a full day! Great if you are starting out with eye shadows though!

Maybelline Master Sculpt in 02 Medium/Dark

I jumped on board the bandwagon with this one, I had seen it all over blogs and wanted some of the action for myself! I originally ordered the Light/Medium shade then swatched instore before picking up my delivery and exchanged for the darker one. The light is a little more warm toned and orange in colour than I first though while the Medium/Dark is more cool toned and brown! I didn’t get on with this the first few times I tried it, I thought it wasn’t picking up enough colour so I changed brushes and its working a lot better for me now! To be honest I never really highlight my face so I haven’t used the highlighter section of this yet but I like the contour now!

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24 Hour Leather Effect in Creamy Beige

I thought this would be a great base for eye shadows and that it would be lighter in colour than it is. I’ve only used it once and used it on its own but found it to be very warm toned with a red/orange undertone which I didn’t like! If you have a better way of using this please let me know!

Bourjois 12 hour Aqua Blush in 01 Inge-nude

I loved the concept and texture of these however it does not show up on my face! Like at all, and believe me I have tried, it also smells of yoghurt! I've been using it with a Real Techniques stippling brush so I might try again with my fingers to see if than makes a difference! Maybe it’s the shade I have!

Bourjois Brow Beauty Touch Eye Illuminating Pencil

I thought this would be great for quickly highlighting under the brow bone but the pencil is so hard I can get hardly any payoff! Really disappointed with this!

Bourjois Free Gift including a Kabuki brush, Colourboost lip crayon in Peach on the Beach and Maxi Delight bronzer

This is a really great free gift, everything is full size, Peach in the beach is lovely and bright and perfect for Summer and while I haven’t tried the bronzer on my face yet it will look lovely with a tan because of the golden shimmer in it!

Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in Rose

I've been meaning to pick up one of these for ages and finally settled on the colour Rose which is a lovely moisturising pink colour that’s not too in your face! All the reviews I read said the packaging of these was awful and so easy to ruin the lipstick when putting the cap back on and I have to agree, I took a chunk out of it the other day but otherwise it’s a great colour and I want to pick up a few more! Bit of a weird smell though!

Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm in Elusive

Speaking of in your face colours this is just that! Although it says its matte I find it to be very hydrating and it doesn’t cling to any dry patches on my lips but this colour is a lot more noticeable on the lips than Rose!

MUA Lipstick in the shade Juicy

I saw a FOTD a few weeks ago (I can’t remember who’s sorry :()and I loved the lip colour so called into Superdrug and couldn’t say no the this £1 lipstick! It’s really pigmented and seems to go on quite thick so I like to put some on my lips then even it out with my finger for a more natural finish!

So that’s my latest Boots Haul, hope you enjoyed! If you want to see my last Boots Haul which is also the first post I ever did then click here!

Let me know what you’ve bought recently so I can add to my ever growing list :)

P.S. I just edited this to make the pictures bigger so hopefully you can see them better! I think the writing in the sidebar is over a few of them but I will work on that another day haha! Thanks to Sam @ Beautydetour for explaining how to do it :) 

My Manicure Essentials

Giving myself a manicure is a weekly must for me, I like my nails to look neat and clean and most of all – shiny!! I’m not a massive wearer of coloured nail polish on my fingernails (toe nails are a different story – I have to have them painted!) but I always have a clear coat of nail polish on. Here are the steps I take when I’m giving myself a manicure at home!

I usually do this after a shower or bath because your nails are softest after being in the water! I’ll take a few cotton tail cotton pads to remove my nail polish along with Cutex Ultra Cleansing Nail polish remover which I have went through countless bottles of because it my favourite! I then take my Leighton Denny Glass Nail File and file my nails, making sure to only file in one direction so as not to cause breakages! I love glass nails files so much, they make the edge of the nail so smooth and file so quickly! They are a bit dearer than standard files or emery boards but so worth it!

I then use Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover and put a small amount around each cuticle, leave for 15 seconds then push the cuticles back with my new Leighton Denny Hoof Stick, I was using wooden orange sticks before this but I far prefer the Leighton Denny one! After rinsing this off, I then take my favourite clear coat which is OPI Nail Envy. This stuff makes my nails so shiny and doesn’t flake or peel off like other clear polishes I’ve tried in the past. I couldn’t be without this stuff now, I usually buy mine from Ebay as its much cheaper, just make sure you get a genuine one from a top rated seller!

If I’m in a rush I sometimes use either Avon Nail Experts Liquid Freeze or Bourjois Instant Dry Nail Enamel Dryer to quickly dry my nails or if I’m in an even bigger rush I run them under the cold water tap as this sets the nail polish and stops them from smudging! Last but not least, to keep my hands feeling as good as my nails look I use a hand cream. I’m currently using the Soap and Glory Super Cream Hand Cream. This smells amazing, moisturises really well and dries in quickly so you can get back to what you were doing :)

What are your manicure essentials?

Nyx and Wet n Wild Haul

I went a little mad. A lot mad. I had actually only got half of this then went back for more that's why there's a dirty great fingerprint in the bronzer/blushers! A spending ban is long overdue. Anyway here's what I got!

Nyx Bronzer and Blusher combo in BBC02 Ibiza and BBC03 Marbella

In a perfect world I would have bought one with a matte blusher and matte bronzer but they didn’t have one like that hence why I bought two! I’ll use the shimmery blush and bronzer more in the summer but matte shades are my favourite!

Nyx powder blush in PB01 Mocha

I have one of these blushers and I LOVE it, it’s in the shade Dusty Rose which is a bit lighter than this and both are matte! It gives a lovely flush of colour to the face and is pigmented but not too pigmented!

Nyx Round Lipstick in 628 Tea Rose

This is fast becoming my new favourite lipstick; it gives a lovely pink colour to the lips, is nicely pigmented and lasts a decent amount of time without touch ups!

Nyx Eye and Eyebrow Pencil in Black Brown

I haven’t tried this in my brows but it’s nice and soft for using to line my eyes and a nice dark brown colour.

Coloricon Brow and Eye Liner in Bark Brown

Again I haven’t tried this in my brows but it’s pigmented and doesn’t drag when I line my upper eyelid! It also has a long pencil/handle which I find good for controlling where you put the liner!

Wet n Wild MegaLast Lip Colour in Just Peachy, Rose-bud and Mauve Outta Here

I love the colours of these lipsticks and they are so pigmented on the lips too! However they are really drying and even after using a lip scrub they show up any dry skin on the lips! I’ve taken to putting a light layer on then go over this with a clear lip balm like Carmex to give a little extra moisture and gloss!

Wet n Wild Comfort Zone

This palette is so pigmented and so cheap! I hope you can see that from the swatches I’ve done! 

I would have loved for there to be a few matte shades to use through the crease but I can’t complain too much as the quality of the shadows is amazing!

The bottom right shade is so different to anything else I own, it’s quite duo chrome!

MegaLast Salon Nail Colour in Through the Grapevine

Nice bright colour that lasts ages on my toenails and gives a really high shine finish! It’s also opaque in one layer and has a handy wide brush that coats the nails quickly!

I have a few other bits and pieces from both these brands that I’ve had for longer so if you’d like to see what else I have let me know :)

What’s your favourite Nyx or Wet n Wild product or what would you most like to try from the brands? 

The Versatile Blogger Award

Hey Guys, a bit of a different post for me today, I was nominated by both Olivia and Ky to do the Versatile Blogger Award so here it is :)

The Rules

1.      Thank the person who gave you this award

2.      Include a link to their blog

3.      Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly

4.      Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger award – you might include a link back to the post on your site announcing their nomination

5.      And of course, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself

So, 7 things about me -

1.      I am terrified of dogs – like screaming, jumping, crying scared of dogs!

2.      I did Psychology at university and hated it!

3.      Some of my favourite TV shows include, Game of Thrones, The Vampire Diaries and American Horror Story. I also have an unhealthy addiction to Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant!

4.      One of my favourite series of books growing up was the Princess Diaries so I can’t wait to read the new one due out in July!

5.      I would love to travel and live in Australia or Canada (or both) for a while!

6.      I hate having my photo taken so you will probably never see a full face photo on my blog (but my favourite beauty blogs are the ones that show you what the makeup actually looks like on their face!)

7.      The “A” key on my laptop is currently broken so I have to hit it really hard to get it to show up which is not productive when trying to write posts!

My Nominations

Iris Larisa     

Faces by Cait  

Suitcases and Smoothies  

Katie Goodluck 

Pretty Mad Things  

Chasing Belle  

Makeup-by-Meggy  

Kate Elizabeth 

Emma Beauty Hauls 

The Fashion Way 

Lizzy Fresh 

Fran’s Beauty Blog  

Blushhx  

Diamonds of Sugar 

Young Dotty 

Apologies if I have nominated anyone who has already done it/been nominated but leave your link in the comments if I have :)

Thanks again to Olivia and Ky for nominating me and to everyone for following and commenting :)

The Latest in Beauty Glamour Summer Edit

I don’t subscribe to any beauty boxes because I don’t like surprises; I like to see what I’m getting for my money! The only ones I’ve purchased in the past are the Latest in Beauty offerings and the odd one from Look Fantastic. As soon as I saw the newest Glamour collaboration with Latest in Beauty I didn’t waste any time checking out with it. For £17.99 you get 11 different items all must haves for the summer! Here’s what’s in the box:

Nails Inc Gel Effect Nail Polish (3 variations)

I got the shade Kensington Passage, a bright coral shade that will look amazing with a tan over the summer months!

Vita Liberata Trystal Minerals and Kabuki brush

This is described as a self-tanning bronzer that develops and lasts for up to five days. I’m excited to try it and the kabuki brush that comes with it is so soft!

Pixi Glow Tonic

I already have and love the full size of this so I’m glad I now have a mini for any trips away!

L’Occitane Shampoo and Conditioner

I have never tried anything from L’Occitane but I’ve heard a lot of good things so I can’t wait to see how this shampoo and conditioner fare!

Caudalie Divine Oil

If you saw my last post, I recently bought a few other bits from Caudalie so I’m looking forward to trying this multitasking oil now too!

Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayon (3 variations)

I got the shade Peach on the Beach which unfortunately I already own buuuut my mum also bought one of these boxes so I’m hoping if she receives a different colour she will swap with me :) 

Balance Me Super Toning Body Polish

Again, I haven’t tried anything from Balance Me before but I love scrubs so I have high hopes for this with its promise to tone!

Eucerin Sun Care (4 variations)

I got the SPF 30 Sun Crème for face which I haven’t tried out yet but I’m hoping it won’t be too greasy as I want to put make up over it! SPF is so important all year round but especially now in the Summer so I’m glad I have this!

Seekers of the Sun Luxury Temporary Tattoos

Not going to lie I will never use these haha I will probably give them to a younger cousin who will have a field day with them!

Overall, a great box! Looking closer at the variations available for the Eucerin sun cream I would have preferred the Mattifying Sun Fluid for face as I have quite oily skin but I’m so happy with the contents! If you fancy treating yourself you can get a hold of the Glamour Latest in Beauty Summer Edit here!

What do you think of the products in the box? 

Look Fantastic Haul #1

Short one today with a few bits I bought a few weeks ago! I've been trying to invest in my skincare a bit more recently and here’s what I picked up when a few bits were on offer and some others had free gifts! Anyone else not able to resist a free gift?

For reference I have oily/combination skin that is very prone to spots and can get quite dehydrated – fun times! Here’s what I got:

Nuxe Gentle Toning Lotion and Caudalie Moisturising Toner

Toning is a big part of my skincare routine and recently I've felt the one I was using was stripping my skin a little too much so I wanted to try some that don’t have such a high alcohol content. I also got the Pixi Glow Tonic and La Roche Posay Serozinc a few months ago so haven’t actually tried the Nuxe and Caudalie ones I've bought yet!

Caudalie Grape Water

I saw Caroline Hirons include this in a blog post a while back so in the bag it went!

Caudalie Must Have Set

This set includes the Beauty Elixir, Lip Conditioner, Hand and Nail Cream, Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet and Gentle Cleansing Milk. The only thing I had tried from Caudalie before was the Beauty Elixir and I liked it but it’s so expensive so I thought this set worked out better value!

I then got two Caudalie face masks as part of the gift with purchase they were offering included the Glycolic Peel and Instant Detox Mask! Only used them once but I like them so far!

Leighton Denny Hoof stick

Obviously not skincare but I was getting sick of using wooden orange sticks and wanted something a bit more permanent! Loving it so far and I am working on a post on my must haves for an at home manicure!

Have you tried anything I've mentioned? I’d love to know what you thought of it!