My Years Favourites

Boxing Day Beauty Buys

I have spent this year trying to find some alternatives to some of the more expensive products I have previously used. I have had success with some, others not so much. I think the conclusion I have reached is that sometimes you can find an alternative that is equally as good for half the price, other times it is worth spending that extra bit for a fabulous product! 

So here are my year's finds and favourites...enjoy!

• Dermalogica - Skin smoothing cream and daily microfoliant. However many times I try something new I always return to these two fantastic products. I have been using these for years and nothing compares! I buy them from Look Fantastic when they have a deal on to get them at the best possible price.

•  Soap and Glory make up range.  1. "It's all about Prime" eyeshadow primer - a brilliant little primer that intensifies eye shadows and keeps them in place all day. 2. "Trick and Treatment" concealer to cover those black under eye bags! I've needed that this year!! I get these at Boots.

• Bad Gal Benefit Lash - A superb all round mascara - have repurchased this twice from Boots  and still happy! 

• Orly Top 2 Bottom base and topcoat - This is the best one I have ever tried. It really does help sustain my nail polish for longer. You can get Orly polishes and nail treatments from Cheap Smells.

• Stila bronzer and highlighter - this is a lovely little product that I rely on to bring some winter colour to my very pale face! Look Fantastic stocks Stila products.

• Hydraluron moisture booster - if you haven't tried this yet - do!! It goes under your usual moisturiser and really does improve skin texture over time. Now hooked! This can be purchased at Boots .

• Elvive Extraordinary Oil - best anti frizz, calming, hair product on the market. I love , love , love this product. Easily available at Supermarkets and drugstores.

• Essie nail polishes - the colours of Essie polishes have me capitivated and the fact I can pick them up from Superdrug is even better! Superdrug Essie Polishes

• My most recent discovery - KMS makeover spray. A brilliant styling, revamping tool without buildup! Another staple to be added to my cabinet! Cheap Smells has a great price on this product.

• Bourjois Colour Pots - I have a few of these as alternatives to my Mac eye shadows. They are not the same as Mac by any stretch of the imagination, but with a good primer they are fantastic little shots of colour and at a 3rd of the price a few of these will do thank you very much! Wait for a 3 for 2 offer and get these from Boots.

• Dr Jart BB cream - this is the most gorgeous BB ever! The end!

I could go on ...and on and on ..... but these are probably my top new discoveries or old favourites. I have a list of items I am now itching to try. Thats the problem with reading blogs - you read about so many tempting things!! 

My advice with beauty products is if you are unsure always see if they have a sample size you can buy first or if buying from a counter ask for some samples to try. Always look for money off vouchers and codes and check the prices online to see if it is any cheaper to order your products, taking into consideration the cost of posting compared with petrol and parking etc to drive into town to buy them. Don't rule out buying through cashback sites either. Some sites such as Quidco give up to 8% cashback on purchases at Boots and you still get your points on your card too. It's a win, win! 

What is your favourite Beauty Product of 2012?

What's in my make up bag?

Another round of  "What's in my....." series. This time under the spotlight is my make up bag! 

I don't keep my everyday make up in a cupboard or boxes as I like to be mobile  in the morning when I am in a rush ( Read manic mother, tearing about house trying to dress three children, getting breakfast, making packed lunches, putting  a load of washing on,  helping with last minute homework, finding last minute homework etc etc) . I try and keep in my make up bags just the products that I am using regularly in case I need to grab my bag and put my make up on whilst multi tasking.  I have also been known to throw them in the car and finish my make up at my destination having dropped the kids off at school wearing only rather large sunglasses as a disguise - you know those kind of mornings. Or is that just me?

I should imagine I am no different from the next person in that the contents of my make up bag change on a fairly regular basis. I keep a selection of unused, part used or unwanted at the moment make up items in a large chest of drawers on our landing which I periodically rummage through if I want something. Ikea dividers are great for keeping things organised in drawer. If I need easy access to anything then I do prefer to have things on show that I enjoy looking at, so I also have a few pretty pots to keep make up brushes, lip glosses etc in . I picked these up from a local garden shop - they fit in with the grey theme of our bedroom! 

So What's in my make up bag ( s) ? These are the two bags I have on the go at the moment:

As you can see I keep them together in a small wicker basket. This is on a painted wooden chest at the end of our bed. The chest is an old blanket box that my Grandmother had seen in a shop window and saved up to buy for £15 many years ago when she was a newly wed. She died a couple of years ago at the grand old age of 102. I love this chest . It was mahoghany , but is white now and is shabby chic at it's best!

The larger of the two bags is a floral oil cloth bag .

This smaller bag was part of a 3 for the price of 2 offer from Boots . I love the square shape of it and it is really convenient for carrying the smaller items of make up.

 I am not big on practicality over style! I like things to look beautiful  ( think-  this is what I aim for, not the reality) . I don't like clutter and a load of boxes containing items piled up in corners of bathrooms for storage does not appeal .It would descend into a complete battle zone with me flinging things randomly out across the room as I searched for something! I like the size of the beauty boxes for storage as these fit nicely into drawers. I do tend to pass things on , use things up and generally de clutter as often as possible to avoid a back log of items. Being ruthless is the only answer. What I do have I like to display attractively or store where it can be got at easily, but it is not seen. 

So in my larger bag I have primers, lipsticks, foundations, tinted moisturisers, concealers, eye liners pencils,mascarsa,brow pencils,  eye drops, lip stains and gloss.

In the smaller bag I have my eye shadows and blushers and a couple of eye creams.

Rather than boring you with a list of everything I have picked out a few products I am loving and I think are real winners at the moment. The Revelon Colorstay range is really lovely. Does what it says - stays put! I have a Soap and Glory eye shadow primer as well to maximise colour and help it last. The Soap and Glory range under eye dark shadow concealer is great too. Apparently it has yellow tones that help neutralise the purple tones in those dark shadows - works well and is creamy and moisturising.

                                    

                                     

If you had to pick only one item from your make up bag to wear today what would it be?

Mine would have to be mascara. My favourite Makeup product of all at the moment is Benefits Bad Gal lash mascara - love this chunky brush lash building mascara - best I've had......And I won't leave the house with a dash of mascara!