So it’s been a while since my materialistic retail therapy side paid a visit to the blog, indeed since the contents of my makeup bag did. January was a fairly, let’s say, sparse month for new things but between a payday flurry at the end of the month (who lets me loose in Boots??) and some stuff I got for Christmas but waited to try out, there have been some new additions crying out for attention.
Nails
As anyone who follows my Instagram and has read some of my previous posts will know, I am a tad obsessed in the last while with false nails. As a chronic nail biter I started picking these up to try get myself out of what I know is a horrific habit, but found myself getting slightly addicted to picking up new designs and enjoying the fact that my nails were perfect every time (I am crap at nail varnish. Fact.) My latest finds are my favourite to date; two in particular, one from Penneys (cheap! Cheerful! Yay!) and one from Elegant Touch which I picked up in Boots.
The Elegant Touch ones are a limited edition for springtime, entitled “Speckled Egg” and come in five colours, purple, pink, green, yellow and white as well as in ten different shades. Due to colour matching I wound up with two different sizes on my thumbs but aside from that, all was happy with them. They’re cute, colourful and definitely are currently making me smile. They were 9.99 in Boots and even happier for me, I managed to get them on the points I accrued on nappies and wipes, bonus!
The Penneys ones are of a nautical theme and honestly I was surprised at the quality, they lasted longer and looked a lot more polished than I had given them credit for. Definitely a bargain, though I did find that they bent and broke easier than the Elegant Touch ones (that said, you can buy twice as many for the same price, so what do you expect?). Definitely good for a cheap pick-me-up, because Penney’s is definitely one of those shops that you feel drawn to the tills every time you enter (this can’t just be me…).
Eyes
This one has definitely been from the Christmas present pile. While my love affair with Smashbox Full Exposure and Benefit’s They’re Real continues, I’ve also found a real contender for a much cheaper (yay) drugstore mascara which does the same trick. The lovely people at Rimmel who introduced me to the land of not smearing lipstick all over my coffee cups also developed a dual-purpose mascara, their Day 2 Night mascara, both lengthening and adding volume to my crappier-than-my-10-month-olds eyelashes. The lengthening is definitely noticeable, and while the volume enhancing isn’t quite as good as the Smashbox Full Exposure, it definitely does the trick at a fraction of the price. Given that you’re meant to replace mascara every three months, the tenner Rimmel version is a whole lot more likely to re-enter my makeup bag than the Smashbox alternative (sob!).
Aside from mascara, I’ve also found a wonderful dupe for the Naked palette which I’ve lusted after but found impossible to justify when I know I’d only use a few shades. I got a present of the Soap and Glory Perfect Ten, their limited edition eyeshadow neutrals palette and it.is.amazing. I’m madly in love with a few of their shades but seem to be getting the most use out of Vanilla, Aubersheen and Taupe Cat. I’m quite a fan of Brownie, but find it too much for day time use, so on the rare occasion I have use for a night time look it gets an outing! If you manage to get your hands on this one I definitely recommend it! The shades can also be found in their “Lid Stuff” palettes, also available in Boots.
Base
I was looking for a replacement for my Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation as the bottle had run dry, and it being January, I wasn’t feeling like forking out that amount on a base which I’d realised was now a tiny bit too pale for me. During one of my many sojourns to Boots (a wet-wipe run, I swear), I decided to give the No 7 match Made foundation a try – I’d previously tried this with their lipsticks and loved the results, and for about half of what the EL foundation was costing (especially with the No 7 vouchers I get handed every time I buy something in there), it was worth a try. It’s got good coverage and the shade I’d been advised (Cool Vanilla) works perfectly with my skin tone. Well worth a try if you’re looking for something new and decent quality without costing the earth.
Primer-wise, I’m a bit sketchy on using them. I know I should, I know it makes the look last longer but normally I remember half way through putting on my makeup when it is too late. However, as I received the Best of Benefit box for Christmas, I have gotten to try the Porefessional Primer and am a bit of a convert – it just makes my skin feel smoother and gives it a dewier look. I did notice they’ve got mini versions on sale for 12 euros in Boots at the moment, not sure what they are elsewhere, so handy for picking up without forking out for the big one if you just want to try it.
So those are my recent discoveries; I’m still raving mad about the Rimmel Provocalips (currently the shade Little Minx which is a hot pink) but I’ve raved about that before here, so I’ll leave it there.
What have you been discovering as new and amazing in the beauty world lately? Let me know in the comments below!
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This is not a sponsored post, I quite literally just spend far too much time in Boots and so wind up having too many impulse buys from there to talk about 🙂 All thoughts my own, and not asked for 🙂
Love the Porefessional Primer – also the 15 hour primer from Benefit is amazing. Though perhaps not quite lasting 15 hours 🙂