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.

BnM and Morrison's Haul

Hi Lovies!

Today I'm going to be showing my new haul that I got from BnM, and a product I picked up from Morrisons. 

The first product I picked out was the W7 Legend Foundation. I chose two as I was unsure of what shade I would be and there were no testers available, so I went for shade names that sounded similar to those I have purchased before. In the end I opted for Sand Beige and Natural Beige. These retail for £7.95 here, but I picked them up for a mere £2.99 each at BnM. 

I then spotted the NYX Double Stacked Mascara. Its a two step product consisting of a tube of regular mascara and a smaller tube of brush on fibers, designed to create longer lashes when used together. It can be found on the Boots website (and many other retailers) for £14.00. I picked it up at BnM for £3.99.

Just as I was about to leave, I spotted the Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara. Covergirl is a brand not readily available in the UK, so I knew that when I saw it I just had to buy it. I found it listed on Amazon for £10.25, but I was able to purchase it for £2.99.

Finally, I purchased the Academy of Colours Lip Kit from Morrisons. I know it's not a BnM product, but with the nature of this post being about low-cost products I felt I may as well chuck this one in there. I bought the shade Rosie Posie, costing £2.00.

In total, the retail price of these products (excluding the Academy of Colours Lip kit) would have been £40.15 if bought at full price. By purchasing these products in BnM, I only paid £12.96, saving myself £27.19. If these are the sort of products that interest you, it's definitely worth a trip down to BnM as they had loads of other options in store as well. 

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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

ColourPop Order/ First Impressions

Hi guys! 

So today I'm going to be discussing my first ColourPop order. As I live in the UK, Colourpop is a hard brand to get hold off as you can only order it off their website, meaning you have to pay for shipping and customs. However, they recently held a free international shipping event and because I spent under $19, I didn't get hit with a custom charge, wooo! I ordered my items on the 6th of May, they were dispatched on the 10th of May and they arrived on the 18th of May, meaning the whole process took just under two weeks which considering the amount of orders they will have received is really good. 

I ordered three products which totalled $18. At the time I ordered ColourPop had an offer where you could buy three liquid lipsticks for about $12 (I think), so I saw a few people order these and then another item to bring their total to the $19. However, these people were still stung with a customs charge as the total declared is the products value, not the price you paid, meaning people were being charged for a $20+ order. I was unaware of this at the time so I'm so glad the other lipstick shade I wanted was out of stock! 

Instead I chose to get two liquid lipsticks and a gel eyeliner. I ordered the Ultra Satin Lip in the shade 'Alyssa' which is a collab with Kathleen Lights, and the Ultra Matte Lip in 'Saigon', which is a collab with Karrueche. They eyeliner is a simple black gel eyeliner in the shade 'Swerve'.

Since they arrived, I've tried both the liquid lipsticks and can say that I honestly love them both. I'm always really worried about ordering make-up online as I haven't been able to swatch the products, so I never know if the shade actually suits me. However, I love both of these products. Alyssa ($6) is a gorgeous nude colour that I imagine would go with pretty much anything. Saigon ($6) is a true red and I feel that it suits my skin tone and it compliments my eye colour, something I struggle with when choosing a red normally. I've only worn them for a few hours a day just to test them out so I can't comment on the longevity of the products, but they did feel really comfy to wear and I didn't experience any uncomfortable or tightening sensations.

I have also tried the eyeliner once. However, I've not got too much to say about the eyeliner yet as when I used it, it honestly didn't go too well. However, I'm putting that down to my poor application as opposed to the product, as it's been such a long time since I used a gel eyeliner and brush that I had sort of forgotten how to do it, which has nothing to do with the product or the brand!

Swatches- Saigon on top, Alyssa underneath

Also, as a sidenote Saigon is hard to remove. I tried to do a  pretty, Instagram-worthy swatch on my wrist but I cocked up on the edges., When i went to use my wipes to remove it the product just did not budge. Four hours and a lot of wiping and oils later and there is still a trace of the product on my arm. I'm kind of dreading removing it off my lips now!

Thanks for reading guys, let me know what your favourite ColourPop products are as I'm so down for trying more things from them! Any feedback is appreciated as always xxx

Boots/ Soap and Glory Haul

Hi Guys! 

So today I'm going to be discussing my latest Boots/Soap and Glory buys. I bought these a few weeks ago, when Boots had offers on most of the Soap and Glory products. Anyone who knows me will know how much I love this brand. It's my go to brand for good moisturisers and skincare products, and for every birthday and Christmas present I was end up with some form of Soap and Glory Product, so I was so excited when this arrived!

I'm so awful and didn't write down how much I paid for everything, and I can't get back to the emails from when I ordered it (thanks technology), so I wont be able to list how much I paid. Sorry! 

So as well as there being offers on the products, I do remember at the time there was a special offer where if you spent £15(?) on make-up, you received a free gift which I was so down for. I already knew I loved the Thick and Fast Mascara and the Supercat Eyeliner, and was so excited to try the Pillow Plumper XL. I can honestly say I love everything that came in this gift and I use the products nearly every day.

Who doesn't love a free gift?

For skincare I bought the Speed Plump All Day Moisturiser. I received a Soap and Glory gift set for Christmas just gone, and this moisturiser was in the set so I knew I liked using this product based on past experience. I'd used it for a while before it ran out, and after I stopped using it I definitely noticed a different to my skin and the reappearance of dry patches, which has since gone away since using it again. Also, this product works really well as a primer as it makes your face feel quite tacky after application, making your foundation stick to it which I found very interesting! 

I also bought the One Heck of a Blot Primer after hearing good things about it. When I first started using this primer, I was impressed with how my foundation looked when applied. However, part of me is now thinking that I wanted this product to work so much I fooled myself into believing it was amazing, as after a few hours my oils are breaking through my foundation. This primer would probably work a lot better for someone who's skin isn't as oily as mine!

And finally, I bought the Smoulder Kohl Waterproof eyeliner in a dark brown. Again I had high hopes for this as I'm a big fan of the Supercat eyeliner as was expecting another great eyeliner. While it is a really nice shade of brown, nothing about this eyeliner wows me as it is literally just an eyeliner. However, I can'r fault it and maybe I should just lower my expectations. 

Oh and lovely lovely Boots sent a free sample of the Black Opium perfume from Yves Saint Laurent. I had never tried this perfume before, but now I'm absolutely in love with this and I will treasure the sample forever as there is no way I'd be able to afford a full bottle for myself :(

So there was my Boots/ Soap and Glory Haul. Thank you guys so much for reading if you made it this far, and as always any comments are appreciated. I would absolutely love to know what your favourite Soap and Glory products are! Thanks 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

Birthday Haul

Hi Guys!

So I know  I haven't done a post in a while, real life just became crazy and I've struggled to even find the time to sit and relax, never mind typing an entire post out! However, it was my 21st birthday a couple of weeks ago so my boyfriend took me to Merry Hill (hell) for a shopping day. I spent a lot of money and bought loads of new goodies which I wanted to share.

So this is all the make-up bits I brought! I ended up going into so many shops throughout the day by the end I needed a looong rest (and so did Ollie). I brought loads of clothes as well, but I didn't take any photos of those. I apologize for some of the flash in the photos, all my photos are currently taken using my Note 4 so if I have limited daylight the flash has to come out!

So I got this from the Kiko shop in Merry Hill. Online, it's priced up as £9.90 on their website, but i found it for a lot less in the shops. I think it was around £4.00, but am unsure. You can find this product here. I will include a full review of this mascara on my blog soon so keep your eyes peeled!

I have an issue with mascaras. I purchased this Models Own mascara from Superdrug, and it can also be found on their website (here). It's displayed as £6.99 for the mascara and £1.99 for the wand, but again I know I paid a lot less for this in store. I love the idea of being able to customise your own mascara so was so happy when Ollie pointed this out to me! Full review to follow soon.

I also picked this Revolution kit up in Superdrug. This is listed as £6.00 on their website. I chose the shade Echelon, and am so in love with this shade. However, I'm not as over struck on the product in general. I will post a full review of this product soon where i share all my thoughts on this. 

And finally... I love a good false nail, but they're not always practical in my job, so I prefer using stick on nails for when it's the school holidays. 

I did pick up some other bits which you can see in the first photo, but did not take separate photos of these items. I should be posting some full reviews of these items once I've had time to full test them out.

And if you have made it to the end, well done and thank you so much! As always any comments are appreciated, and I would love to hear your thoughts below!xx 

New Makeup Brushes

Hi Guys! 

Today I'm going to be discussing my new purchase from Amazon, which as you can probably guess by the title is a new set of brushes. Recently I've developed a new love for make up brushes and my collection is growing very quickly, but I just couldn't resist buying these!

The set includes a total of 12 different eye shadow brushes, ranging from fluffy blending brushes to a fine eyeliner brush. They are sold by a Chinese brand called Tonsee, and they cost me £2.88 with £1.50 delivery charge, so they are super affordable! I have purchased a few things now from the brand Tonsee, and overall I've been really impressed with the things I've bought. 

So the brushes arrived in a padded envelope. Inside the envelope was this plastic packaging which stopped them from rolling around.

Aaaaand they come with a free pair of cute cat earrings!

And this is the brushes out of the packet! Recently I have been loving the rose gold look on eeeverything,so these brushes definitely appealed to me! They also had the option of white handles with a rose gold ferrule, but I loved the look of the black handle against the rose gold.

So these are the blending brushes from the set. There are four white bristle blending brushes, which have a range of size and density, and then one sort of duo-fiber blending brush. Can I just say now that the duo-fiber brush is absolutely huge! This is definitely one of my favourite brushes to use, as its great for not only blending out shadows but for setting primers quickly as well as adding  large dusting of colours on simple make up days.

These four little guys can be used to pack on eyeshadow, and are really good for placing shimmery shadows on the lid. The first two brushes in the picture are very dense, where as the other two are flatter and thinner (if that makes any sense... it makes sense in my head). I already own loads of these types of brushes, so at the moment they are not wowing me. However, with further use I may change my mind about them!

So these brushes are the 'Others'... There is a fine eyeliner brush, an angled brush and a pencil brush. The pencil brush is my absolute favourite in the whole set. I've owned both the other brushes previously but I've never had a pencil brush and I've fallen in love with it! 

However...

On to the negatives. Thankfully, the list of negatives is very short. Out of a set of 12 brushes, two brushes came with visible imperfections. 

One of the blending brushes came with a few hairs (bristles? Not sure of the correct terminology here) sticking out away from the rest of the brush. However, this is easily fixable by trimming these hairs out of place, and this will not affect the performance of the brush in my opinion.

Now they eyeliner brush came with the little plastic cap on. It seems like at some point the cap has been forced on with a few of the bristles bent in the wrong direction, which has separated from the rest of the bristles. I feel like this could affect the usage of the brush, as it's going to affect the way eyeliner is applied. 

The final negative is that the brushes do have a faint smell of glue, which isn't that unusual for cheaper brushes (in my experience).

My overall thoughts on these brushes are that I'm really happy with the set, especially for the price I paid! I can't remember the exact wait for delivery but it wasn't too long which makes it even better. Apart from the few minor negatives I've mentioned, I am actually really impressed with these brushes and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them! 

Okay so this turned out to be a really long post! If you have made it to the end thank you so much for reading! Please leave your thoughts and comments below, as always it is appreciated! xx

Welcome

Hi everybody!

So as this is my first blog post, I thought I would do a little introduction about myself and what I want my blog to be about. My name is Layla, I'm 20 years old and am from Worcester, England. I've had a love for make up for years and years, but I've recently started to spend more time on my make up and beauty routines, as well as developing my skills and trying out different brands. I wanted to start this blog as a way for me share with others my love for make up and to hopefully chat to others to find out more about make up.

I am in no way an expert at make up and would never claim to be and I'm still learning new ways to apply my make up and I'm still discovering new brands, so I'm hoping that this blog is a way to share that discovery with others and to learn new tips from others.

Most of the products I use are drugstore items, or are cheap items I have ordered online from Amazon or Ebay, so if that sort of thing interests you, please keep checking out my blog!

Aaaaand this is my face.

Thank you so much for reading guys! xx