Beauty Bay Haul

So for my first blog post in a very long time, I thought what better than to post my most recent haul from Beauty Bay. It's been such a long time since I treated my self to new make-up and skincare products, and I'm so excited to use these products.

First up, skincare bits.

Mario Badescu- Enzyme Cleansing Gel and Glycolic Acid Toner. 

Truthfully, I ordered the Glycolic Toner as I couldn't get my hands on my usual brand, and this was highly rated on BB. However, I'm really looking forward to using this to see how it compares to other brands and the benefits for my skin. I have used the Enzyme Gel before as part of their 50th Birthday set, so I already know I really like this.

The Ordinary- Squalane Cleanser, Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 and Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

I have used both the Hyaluronic Acid and the Niacinamide before, so I know these both work really well for my skin and are a useful part of my routine. I'm really looking forward to incorporating the Squalane Cleanser in my routine, as some of the reviews I have read say how good it is at removing make-up. Time will tell! 

Also included in this is the Revolution Caffeine Essence Spray- I just haven't got a photo of this! I'm still not 100% sure I'm convinced facial mists really do make a massive difference in a skincare routine like what they say they do on the bottle, but I really enjoy using a mist as if nothing else, it helps to make my face feel refreshed. Hopefully, the caffeine in this will actually help brighten up my complexion.

Next up... Make up bits!

The Ordinary Coverage Foundation (2.1P)

I know I love love love this foundation. I've used it before and it seems to really suit my skin type (oily but dehydrated) and lasts for a really long time when I'm wearing it. The only trouble with this is getting hold of it in the right shade- most places that sell this foundation always seem to be out of stock, especially in my shade so I was very happy to find this!

Florence by Mills- Like a Light Skin Tint (M090)

I'm really excited to try this skin tint- it's part of the new range by Millie Bobby Brown which seems to be aimed at a slightly younger audience than me, but while I was looking for something a little bit more lightweight than a normal foundation, this really stood out to me.

Revolution Conceal and Define Supersize Concealer (C6/ 13)

Now I have used the Conceal and Define concealer in the past and really liked it, which is what drove me to repurchase it. I hadn't initially realised I'd ordered the supersized versions, but I'm really glad I did as they run out pretty quickly. I also ordered the shade C13 as a contour shade, as this is something I've never really experimented with before. 

Nabla Brow Divine (Uranus)

This is a brand I'd never heard of before this haul. I was initially looking for a different brow product and struggled massively to find anything darker than dark blonde. When I checked this out, it had really good reviews and it being a micro pencil was a massive bonus. It was a bit of guess work trying to find the right shade, but on first impression I think I got it right.

wet and wild Mega Protein Mascara (Very Black)

So this is the first wet and wild product I've ordered. Initially I was very surprised at the size of this mascara- it is tiny! At £2.50 I wasn't expecting the world, but even so it does seem very small. I've had sample mascaras the same size as this. However, I'm not going to write it off based off size, I'll wait until I've worn it for a whole day before forming an opinion.

Overall,I'm really looking forward to using these products. There are some old favourites couples in with some brand new items and after being so disinterested in make up for so long, this was exactly what I needed to kick myself up the bum and try again.

Mario Badescu Essentials Review

Hi Lovelies! 

So today I'm going to be reviewing the Mario Badescu 50th Anniversary Edition set. I've had this set for a while now and wanted to sit down and do a proper review on all the products now I've had time to test them all.  

I ordered the Anniversary Set from Beauty Bay for £32 (It is currently out of stock on their website though).  

It arrived in the box pictured above, with some cardboard separators between the products.  According to Beauty Bay, the set contains "Mario Badescu's bestselling and award winning essentials". Which are:
Drying Lotion,
Enzyme Cleansing Gel,
 Facial Spray with Aloe,
 Herbs and Rosewater,
Flower Tonic Mask
Silver Powder.
The set is rated as four and a half stars on Beauty Bay.

My hands down favourite product in the set is the Drying Lotion. Designed as a spot treatment, I really do feel like this helps to fight them. I wouldn't say it's an overnight cure for spots, but with a few nights of application I definitely notice my spots going away. My method of applying this is to dip a (clean) sponge tip eyeshadow applicator into the pink sediment at the bottom and then dab over any spots. The bottle clearly states to not shake the product, so I don't  know what happens when you actually do, or why you shouldn't do so.

My next favourite item in the set is the Facial spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. I use this every morning and night, and I also use this on a Thursday after I've been swimming. I find that it helps calm my skin down, especially after being in a swimming pool, and my skin just feels brighter and more refreshed after using it.

After these two items, I would say the other three have had around the same level of impact on me. 

I enjoy using the Enzyme Cleansing Gel as my daily cleanser as it seems gentle on my skin and my skin does generally feel clean after using it. 

I also like using the Flower and Tonic Mask. Straight after wiping it off my skin honestly feels amazing. It feels so clean and smooth, like I've really got the crap out of my skin. However, these results never last for a long time on me, and its a fine line between using a mask like this regularly and overloading your skin, possibly drying it out. 

Finally, there's the Drying Powder. This is such an odd product! I'll start of by saying that I actually love the results of this. I find that it really helps to clear my skin and it reduces the appearance of my pores. I don't really have blackheads so I can't comment on that aspect of the product. However, its such a messy, hard product to use. I followed the instructions on the pot, only for it to go horrendously wrong. I then found the best way to use it was to pretend it was icing sugar, and to add water to the powder in very tiny stages until the desired consistency was reached.

Overall, I was very impressed with the set. It was my first experience of using Mario Badescu products and I would definitely be up for going back and trying more.

Thanks for reading guys, and as always if you have any comments or any suggestions on what I should try next feel free to leave a comment!xxx

Beauty Bay Haul

Hi Lovelies, welcome back!

So I recently treated myself and bought some items of Beauty Bay that I've been dying to try for aaaaages. I have been testing the skincare products out so there will be a full review coming up of those, but for now I thought I'd show the haul as a preview. 

The delivery of the package was pretty quick from what I can remember, although it was delivered by Hermes, who actually left a £50 package in my wheelie bin (eye-roll).

The Mario Badescu Essentials 50th Anniversary Edition cost me £32 and contains the Enzyme cleansing gel, the Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rose Water, the Drying Lotion, Silver Powder and a Flower and Tonic Mask. I've now tried everything  from the set so will do a full review in a couple of days. 

The Small Magnetic Z palette cost me £8.50 and can fit up to 9 shadow pans inside. There not a lot more I can really say about a z palette other than it holds the shadows nicely to be honest...

To go with the Z palette I bought my very first Make-Up Geek eyeshadows. I got the shade 'Bitten' as I had seen this shade recommended by a few people, and then I got the shade 'Peacock' as I don't own any blues and I wanted something a bit more interesting than my normal neutral look. I'm yet to really create any looks with these but will post when I do!

Thanks for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed this post, and keep your eyes peeled for future uploads! Any feedback is welcome xxx

Review: Milani Conceal and Perfect Foundation

Hi Guys!
 So today I'm going to be reviewing my current foundation, the Milani Conceal and Perfect 2 in 1 Foundation and Concealer. So if that is something that interests you, buckle up and enjoy! 

I purchased this foundation from the Beauty Bay website (here)  for £13.00. The website claims that the foundation is a "A full coverage concealer and liquid foundation in one ideal for creating an even, faultless base". I ordered the shade 00- Light Natural as all the reviews I had seen mentioned how the colour was off and orange, so I felt that ordering the lightest shade would be my best bet. 

Let me just say now that me and this foundation had a very rocky start. This was the first time I'd ordered a foundation online, as normally I prefer to go out into the shops and test out different shades. When it arrived, I realised that it was actually a shade too light for me so I'd have been better off ordering the next shade up. The first few times I used this, it went on okay but I wasn't wowed by it. Going of other reviews I had read/watched I was honestly expecting miracles, but this product seemed to go from average to awful very quickly, It clung to dry patches I didn't even know I had and it would separate in weird places around my face. Throw in the fact that it was a shade too light for me and you'd think I would hate this foundation. 

However...
I now love it. I changed the moisturiser and  primer I was using at the time as I felt that they were having a negative impact on my skin. I also started mixing in my W7 Genius Featherlight Foundation in the shade True Beige, as this was a shade or two too dark for me. I stuck to using a damp beauty sponge and straight away I noticed the foundation looked so much better on my skin. It's got decent coverage but I do still use concealer to cover my under eyes, as they are dark. I do find that 
I have to touch up with power throughout the day, but that could be because my skin is so oily anyway. Overall, after a rocky start and a lot of perseverance, this foundation has now become my favourite foundation and one that I use both daily and for nights out.  

My W7 foundation- I use this to match the Milani Foundation to my own skin tone (Apparently I'm darker than I tonight I was)

And here's the foundation spread out! 
Please let me know your thoughts and views on this product as I'd love the hear them! Thank you so much as always xxx