August Beauty Buys

So here's what I bought last month and what I think of each purchase so far...

Real Technique brushes

I know these are loved in the blogging world and I don't really need to say too much. I love them and can completely see why they are raved about so much. They are great value (I snapped these up in the Boots 'buy one get one half price' offer so even better) and worth every penny. The brushes are super soft and I honesty think my make up looks better when using these to apply it. I bought the stippling brush, expert face brush, blush brush and the setting brush (which I'm using for highlighting). After getting on so great with these brushes I've added some of the Real Techniques eye make up brushes to my list of things to get. Definitely worth the hype in my opinion.

Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette

I didn't plan on buying this product, in fact before I saw it I hadn't heard of it but I was browsing the Urban Decay make up section and came across it. The palette contains bronzer, highlighter and blush. I hadn't really tried blush before and was looking to try it as I have read a lot of posts from other people that have previously stuck to bronzer but then tried blush and loved it. I also wanted a palette that was easy for contouring and highlighting so this was perfect. If I'm honest I was really indecisive before going to the till as I was thinking about getting the Sleek palette which I've heard good things about and is much cheaper however I had a voucher to use and so thought why not treat myself. So glad I did as I love it. I love the packaging (as with most Urban Decay products) and I love the quality of the product. A firm favourite in my make up bag this month.

Rimmel Salon Pro with Lycra nail varnishes

I love Rimmel nail varnishes but hadn't tried any from this range until I bought these. I picked 'Jazz Funk' which is a pink, 'Disco Fever' a purple and 'Punk Rock' which is a grey colour. I do love my bright nail colours but with autumn approaching I thought I'd try something a bit different so opted for a darker purple and a grey along with a 'safe' pink colour. Usually £4.49 each but I picked these up on a 3 for 2 offer so even better value. As they contain Lycra the Salon Pro range are supposed to be long lasting with gel like finish. I love the colours in this range so will hopefully pick a few more up soon.

Soap & Glory 'It's About Prime' eyeshadow underbase

I've been looking at getting an eyeshadow primer for a while now as my eyeshadow just doesn't last and what is still on my lids is just creased. Although this does do a pretty good job I just can't help but feel that there is something a little bit better out there. I've heard good things about Benefit's Stay Don't Stray and Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion but these are quite a bit more expensive and wasn't sure how good they'd be to take the gamble. Do let me know your recommendations. I will keep using this but I think I'll look to replace it with something else in my search for perfect eye makeup that lasts all day.

Soap & Glory 'Marvelips' Double ended colour and plump lip crayon

I didn't need this really as I have lots of lip colours in my make up collection but as the 3 for 2 offer was on (the other S&G product was a present for someone so not included in this post) I couldn't resist giving this a try. I do like the colour its very pigmented and really lasts, the downside is that there isn't any other colours to choose from at the moment. I think the highlighting end of the crayon does really plump up the lips, when applied to the centre top and bottom as instructed but I'm not sure if that lasted. I would definitely buy a few more of these if they brought out more colours because even as just a lip crayon with out the plumping effect they are worth it.

Palmer's Natural Bronzer

I'm not one for using tanning products that much. It was one of those things, like false eyelashes, that I didn't try enough when I was younger so that by now I would have perfected the look. So, I feel at 26 its a bit too old to be walking around with badly applied tan but these gradual tanning moisturisers are something I can work with. I've tried a few in the past and they've been ok, no complaints. However, this one does seem a lot more natural looking and I've had people make comment on how I've caught a nice tan from the sun. Of course I went along with it, little did they know I spent the weekend inside hungover and the 'natural tan' was in fact from this bottle. Result! 

Have you tried any of these products yet and do you like or dislike them?

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Gettin' Lippy....

I love my lipsticks and glosses, probably the makeup I love buying the most. I have far more than I will ever need but of course that doesn’t stop me from buying more. Unfortunately I’ve always suffered from dry lips, summer and winter.

In the summer although they aren’t really dry and sore I still get dry skin showing through my lipstick if I don’t moisturise them and cracks in your lipstick is never attractive! In the winter when I was younger I would keep licking them because they were so dry but that would just make them worse and crack, it was a vicious circle. I had no clue what to do other than use Vaseline. Which don’t get me wrong did help and I still use it occasionally now but I have one or two other items that I love for my lip care.

Lush Lip Scrub - Bubblegum £5.25 (25g)

I have to admit I've newly found lip scrubs and thank goodness as my lips are in better condition because of it. To use it you just put a little on your lips and rub it in. The only downside I find is that the consistency isn't great as its quite dry and can be messy when applying. This aside though I love it for leaving my lips soft and smooth. It's great for getting rid of any dry skin or flaky bits on your lips. Lush do 3 different flavours, Bubblegum, Popcorn and Mint Julips. I know these are big within the beauty blogging world but if you haven't already tried them and suffer from dry flaky lips I'd recommend giving them a try. They are also great for just giving you a nice smooth base before applying a lip colour. As I suffer from dry lips I like to apply a lip balm before a lipstick or gloss....

Palmer's Moisturizing Lip Balm £1.89 (4g)

I have used many lip balms over the years and I love this Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Moisturizing Lip Balm (quite the mouthful). Its one of my favourites because my lips feel moisturised for quite some time after applying so I don’t feel like I have to constantly reapply which is great when I want to put a lip stick over top. It really locks in the moisture and lasts. Its enriched with Vitamin E and has the added benefit of SPF 15. This is always in my bag and I'm not sure if I'll find one i prefer. There are definitely prettier lip balms out there but for me this does the job best.


Now I've discussed a couple of my favourite lip care products heres a lipstick and lipgloss i've been loving recently...

Sleek True Colour Lipstick - Fuchsia £4.99 (from Superdrug)

I bought this for Wireless Festival as I wanted a nice bright colour. I'd never tried any Sleek Make up before but I can honestly say that after trying this lipstick I'm eager to try other products that they do (just waiting for pay day)! The packaging is lovely and sleek (I see what they did there) and it makes the range look high end and a lot more expensive than it is. 

The colour is nice and vibrant and I find that its quite lasting so doesn't require lots of re-applying. It's also quite moisturising which is a bonus for me. I have high hopes for the rest of their products.

DiorKiss Lipgloss - Berry Smoothie 

Ok so this isn't exactly new but I still love it! Its great on its own or over lighter pink lipsticks. It does have a bit of shimmer in it so great if you want to sparkle up a matt lipstick. I know Dior lip glosses aren't cheap but I do love them. They always look cute and they do some great colours. I'll be upset when this one runs out.

Have you tried any of these? What did you think?

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