November Boots Haul

Boots is such a dangerous shop for me to go into that I try not to go in unless I know that I have things to buy.  The amount of times I've gone into a store to buy a bottle of water and come out with £50 worth of shopping is crazy.

For this trip I needed to get some hair dye and some deodorant and £48.87 later I left with a lot more than what was needed! Oops, I blame their Multi-Save offers which always draw me in like a magnet, this time it was buy 1 and get one half price!

1. Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Colour in 4.15 Iced Chocolate - £6.99
The advert for this hair dye is annoying, so long and it seems to be on the TV all the time.  However, I have to say that this hair dye is amazing.  I bought it in 3.0 Soft Black last time and the colour was a little too dark for me, however my hair feels amazing and I've had loads of compliments on how healthy it looks.  The dye has natural flower oils in it as well as the usual dye bumpf, however it doesn't have any ammonia in it and covers my nasty greys really well.  The conditioner that comes with the hair dye is really nice as well and there is enough for at least 3/4 applications.

I went for a lighter shade this time and look forward to seeing the results.

2. TRESemme Texture Style Tousled Wave Spray - £5.50
This product is meant to create high definition waves in an random and undone way!  I've seen a few blog posts about this new TRESemme texture range and most of the feedback has been positive so I'm looking forward to giving this a go.

3. Rimmel Glam Eyes Eyeshadow in 100 Glam Ice - £4.49
I bought this to replace a similar eye shadow from Maybelline which doesn't appear to be available anymore. The colour I chose is a slightly shimmery off white and I use this on my brow to help define my brow line a little.  I always mix it with a nude eye shadow to make sure that it doesn't look clowny!

4. Maybelline New York Fit Me! in 220 Natural Beige - £7.19
This is Maybelline's first foray into the world of gel foundations.  I'm a big fan of gel foundations after trying Bourjois' Healthy Mix Serum Foundation, they tend to glide on a lot easier and have a more natural finish.  The only thing is that you have to wait for the foundation to set for a short minute, but I don't find this to be a problem as it gives me time to spread it really thinly.  The packaging for the Fit Me! foundation is much nicer than the Bourjois version which started to leak all over the place and is annoying as you get bits of foundation everywhere.  The actual foundation feels very light on, blends in like a dream and the finish is very natural.

5 + 6. Bourjois Queen Attitude Mascara in Noir - £9.49 Khol Kajal - £6.99
The mascara is a volumising and lengthening mascara with a brush that is supposed to help you get a good sideways sweep..  I haven't used Bourjois mascaras for a while as I really love the Maybelline Volum' Express Lift-Up Volume & Lift Mascara which gives my eyelashes a really good lift, however I saw this new Bourjois mascara and thought it was worth a punt. First impressions are OK, I like the effect it gives me but disappointed that the brush collects a splodge of mascara at the end which means that you have to be careful how you apply it.  The Maybelline brush is definitely better suited to my eyelashes which are quite long and thick but straight.

The Khol Kajal is a very soft, paraben free eyeliner.  Its great for a soft smudgy finish.  I like the 'retro' design and found the kajal really easy to apply.  The only downside is that it doesn't seem to 'set' so you might need to be careful about it smudging too much or melting.

7. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 3 - £4.19
I don't think that I need to say much about this product.  The concealer is amazing.  The only issue I have is that I think that they need to bring out more shades for darker skin as it only comes in 4 colours and we all know that's just not enough to cater for everyone.

8. Maybelline New York Color Sensational in 540 Hollywood Red - £7.19
Now, this isn't a red lipstick as the name suggests, instead its a warm pink with a slight red tone that I love.  The colour is true and doesn't smudge or bleed which is always a bonus.

9. Sure Long Lasting Protection in Linen Dry - £3.29
I only got this because it was half price (£1.64), no other reason at all!

10. Boots False Lashes in Natural Fan - £4.00
I'm lucky enough not to need false eyelashes as mine are pretty long and abundant.  However, we have a 20's themed birthday party coming up and I figured these would work perfectly with my costume. I'm a bit nervous about putting them on as the idea of putting glue near my eye worries me, but as women up and down the country are doing it I'm sure that I will be fine :)

What do you think of the products above?

Are there any that you love or hate?

*prices as at Boots on 12th November 2012 before discounts.

September Superdrugs Haul

I put my hands up, this post is coming out a little late as I didn't have the chance to write it up before now.  I went in looking for the Sleek contour palette after seeing it on so many blogs and then was intimidated by the TOWIE colour combo and ended up with a basketful of other stuff (I may go back for the Sleek contour palette when I'm feeling braver!!).

1. Garnier Skin Naturals Dark Spot Corrector - £7.49
On the box: Fades discolourations for even skintone, this includes dark spots, age spots and blemish marks.
I bought this in the hope that it would compare favourably to Philosophy Miracle Worker, which I have been using on my old acne scars, but which is much more expensive.  I love Miracle Worker, but if this does the job too, I would be over the moon and have more money in my pocket to boot!

So far I've really liked using it, its really light and absorbs very quickly and it has a much more pleasant smell than the Miracle Worker.  Will use it for a few more weeks to get an idea if it does the job with the dark spots.

2. Collection 2000 Shimmer Shades Blush in 1. Way to Glow - £4.19
On the box: 4 complementary, shimmering shades for a subtle, radiant glow.
Very similar in finish to Clinique Fresh Bloom in 03 Almond Blossom which is way prettier to look at, however,  the Collection 2000 is a tiny bit more sparkly and a little more flyaway so you have to be that little bit more careful putting it on.

3. St Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub - £1.99*
On the box: Effectively lifts away surface oil and dirt that can lead to blackheads and blemishes.
I used to use this years ago when I was at university and thought that I would try it out again.  It is very coarse so you need to go easy on how much 'scrubbing' you do.  However, it does leave your skin lovely and soft.

4. Bourgois Healthy Mix Serum, Gel Foundation in 56 - £10.99*
On the box: 16 hours radiance boosting even revived complexion.  Vitamin rich fruit therapy.
This product is genius, it does take a minute to sink in properly, but I really like this as it means that it gives me a chance to spread it across my face in a really thin layer.  Once set, the final finish is really soft and natural.  I'm a big fan already.

5.L'Oreal Paris Lumi Magique Base Pure Light Primer - £9.99
I'm using this as a highlighter  its a little too bright for my Indian skin but soon tones down with a bit of powder on top.  Have had a couple of people comment favourably on it when I'm wearing it so will definitely keep using it.  I definitely prefer it to something like Moonbeam by Benefit which is similar but almost florescent on my skin.

6. Sure Long Lasting Protection Mineral Fresh with Natural Mineral 48 hour anti-perspirant.- £1.63*
No alcohol and the smell isn't offensive, nor does it linger.  I've been using this for a while and will continue to do so.  The only bug bear I have with it is that if you don't shake it like crazy before application you WILL get white powder everywhere.

7. Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Deep Pore Treatment Toner - £4.35*
On the box: Visibly clearer skin in as little as 12 hours.
I haven't had a chance to try this yet but will let you know what I think.  I've bought it more as a toner than anything else as my skin does feel a little congested at the moment.

8. Garnier Nutrisse Permanent Hair Dye - £5.10*
I love this hair dye, I've only come back to dying my hair myself for the past few months (I had white hair from the age of 14) and so far I love this dye as the smell isn't too offensive and it leaves my hair lovely and soft.

9. VO5 Plump Me Up Dry Shampoo - £1.69*
On the box: boost body and grip whilst refreshing your style.
I bought this as I wanted to try something different from the usual Batiste Dry Shampoo which I like but I find the smell just too strong.  So far this has been a hit, giving my hair that extra bit of grip that I need to keep my hair in place when I pin it up.

10. Maybelline New York Volum' Express Lift-Up Volume & Lift Mascara in Black - £6.19*
This is the only mascara I come back to time and time again. I have quite long eyelashes anyway so its easy for them to look a bit OTT with some mascaras, this product is perfect as it pushes my eyelashes up and gives then just enough curl.  There is hardly any clumping, even towards the end of the tube and the brush is just the right shape for my eye.

11. Maybelline New York Dream Fresh 8 in 1 BB Cream with SPF 30 in Dark - £7.99*
I shouldn't have bothered with this, I couldn't find the exact right shade and ended up going for dark which is too dark and orangey (?),  The consistency of the product is a little runny and it streaks.  Not a fan!

and finally...

12. Nivea Daily Essentials Facial Cleansing Wipes - £1.49*
I bought these just to try them more than anything.  I usually use Simple wipes, but as these were on offer I thought it would be a good time to give them a go.  They do feel a little more 'cleansing' then Simple wipes but as I tend to use wipes as back up rather than my usual cleaners I haven't had a chance to use more than one for now so more on these later!

What do you think of the products above?

Are there any that you love or hate?

*prices as at Superdrugs on 13th September 2012