Boots Beauty Haul // Recent Purchases #7

I love watching or reading a good haul whether it be beauty or fashion so it's surprising I don't do more of these posts as I have quite the addiction to shopping for make-up and skincare. I've picked up a few things from Boots recently so I thought I'd share those items as well as the things I picked out for Valentines Day.

L'Oreal Micellar Waters // Link - A boring one, yes, however this product is an essential for taking my make-up off and I go through bottles of these like nobody's business!

L'Oreal Elvive Full Restore 60 Second Saviour Intensive Conditioner // Link - Having almost ran out of my L'Oreal Elvive Triple Resist hair mask, I knew I needed to stock up on some sort of hair nourishing treatment. I've had my hair chopped by a couple of inches and now it's back in decent condition and I'd like to keep it that way! I apply this every time I wash my hair, just to the ends. It makes my hair nice and smooth and will hopefully help it grow and keep it in fab condition.

L'Oreal True Match foundation // Link - THIS STUFF. Oh. Lets just say it is my new favourite foundation. This is a big statement as I was in love with the No7 beautifully matte but that has nothing on this. I'm usually more into higher end foundations like Estee Lauder, however this stuff is amazing. The consistency is more watery than I'm used to, which I actually like as it doesn't feel the slightest bit cakey. It goes on like a dream and looks flawless when applied with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush. It's medium, possibly to full, coverage but looks so natural and like second skin. I'll stop raving about it now, yes?

LOreal Lumi Magique Base Primer // Link - I saw this mentioned on a couple of blogs and decided that I needed a primer in my life and this was the one it was going to be. You'd think with me being an oily skinned gal, that I'd go for a pore erasing primer but I find those to be a bit too silicone based for my liking which makes my skin feel greasy. This is great and really brightens up the skin under foundation. I got it in the 2 for £15 deal with the foundation which makes for an amazing bargain!

Boots Botanics Eye Cream // Link  - I know I'm only 19 years old but it's never too young to start thinking about your under eyes. I'm not particularly concerned about wrinkles, but I don't want fine lines or bags and generally, I just want to look bright, awake and fresh.

Boots Smooth Care Sensitive Shave Gel // Link - Before this purchase, I wasn't really using shaving gel... SHOCKER. I knew I should but I was just so lazy that I would apply shower gel first and then razor over that. That isn't particularly good for your skin so I knew it was time to change. This cheap and cheerful product from boots does the job and doesn't irritate my skin.

Valentines Day Gifts ❤

Clarins Liquid Bronze Face Tanner // Link - This has being on my wishlist for a year or two now and I don't know why I actually never bought it. When my boyf asked me what I wanted for v-day, it was a toss up between this and a Chanel lipstick or foundation, but this is the one that I've wanted and probably need more than the other two. You can apply it to your face, neck and chest and it is ever so natural but makes me look less pale and pasty. It gives warmth to the skin and a few applications later, I look slightly tanned.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl liner in 'Nude' // Link - I had this a while back but ran out ever so quick. It's a cheap and cheerful liner that really brightens up the eyes and has such a lovely creamy texture. There really is no point going out spending a lot of money on a nude pencil because this doe s a lovely job.

Bourjois Contour Clubbing Waterproof liner // Link - This was also inspired by a few blogs and was seen as a good long lasting eyeliner. It's a more expensive liner for the 'drugstore' but feels lovely and creamy despite it being waterproof. It's intense colour is great for nights out and clubbing, as the name suggests.

Revlon lipstick in 'Pink in the afternoon' // Link - If I remember correctly, lipstick junkie Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup onced raved about this lipstick and the name has been in my head ever since. It crept itself on to my make-up wishlist on my phone and now I finally have it! I've literally almost worn it every single day since getting it as it's such a lovely pink natural shade that is great for everyday wear.

Anything here you would like to buy? What's on your wishlist?

Lots of Love,

Alice

♥

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My Make-Up Collection & Storage ♥

I've put off doing this kind of post as my collection constantly grows and grows and there's new things I always want to show. Since taking the pictures for this post, I've already gained a product or two! Note that my everyday make-up products are in my make-up bag so not featured in this post. The photos were taken at my home but I now live back at uni however the set up is exactly the same. I love seeing people's make-up collections because I'm soooo nosy and always want new recommendations or things to add to my never ending wishlist. Enjoy!

Overview

On top of my acrylic Muji drawers, I have my acrylic lipstick holder and my white plant pot from Ikea to hold my make-up brushes in. Awkwardly placed on my make-up brush holder is my Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler. I also have a couple of Revlon foundations that don't fit in the drawers behind the lipsticks. My favourite serum and moisturiser by Origins is also placed on the top too.

This is the base drawer where I have a couple of foundations like the Rimmel Wake Me Up, Estee Lauder's Double Wear, Clinique Superbalanced make-up as well as the L'Oreal CC cream and Laura Mercier's Powder Foundation (which is amazing!) I have a Collection 2000 concealer, a MAC de-potted concealer and an Avon illuminating concealer. I also have a couple of primers and my MAC cream colour base in Pearl!

This is my 'cheeks drawer' that has a couple of powders, blushers and bronzers in. MAC's Harmony blush and the Bourjois chocolate bronzer have to be my faves. MUA's mosaic blush is also a really nice one for blush and highlight all in one.

Next is my single eye shadows drawer with a couple of extra liners and my amazing GOSH brow pen. I love the Maybelline 24 hour colour tattoo's in there as well as my 2 MAC eyeshadows in 'All That Glitters' and 'Sumptuous Olive'. The Loreal Pressed golden eyeshadow is also gorgeous. I have some NYX jumbo pencils in there which I bought on Essie Button's blog sale quite a while back. 

This is my mascara drawer alonsigde a couple of primers and make-up setting sprays. My favourite mascara's by Rimmel and Benefit (They're Real) are actually in my make-up bag so aren't featured here. I love L'Oreals Volume Million lashes in extra black and that is now firmly in my make-up bag. I also have eyelash curler pads in there too (exciting...).

This is just an overflow of the lipsticks that I don't really use that much. I also have the Sleek Matte Me Lip colour as well as a Rimmel Apocalips. I have my lip liners in here, a gorgeous red by Max Factor, a beautiful nude by MAC and a couple of pinks and reds by Rimmel. Lipcote is also in there, as it makes lipstick last a lot longer.

This is my lipgloss drawer which features a couple of chubby lip crayons from MUA and Revlon. My favourite lipgloss in here is the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfecter. So natural and subtle. The Sally Hansen Lip Inflation lip glosses are great if you want a full glossy pout.

This is the lip balm drawer but doesn't include all of my lipbalms like the Nuxe Reve De Miel that lies by my bed. I love the Maybelline Baby Lips and the Korres Lip Butter in 'Guava'. The Nivea Pearly Shine and Sleek's pout polish in 'Bare Minimum' are great for nude moisturised lips. I love the MUA 1D lip polish by Niall as it adds a nice tint of pink to the lips without being overpowering.

The last drawer includes eyeshadow palettes. I have 4 MUA palettes in here alongside the Sleek Sunset palette. I have a little urban decay quad as well as my beloved NARS 'At First Sight' eyes and cheek palette which includes the famous Laguna bronzer and Deep throat blush.

My Urban Decay Naked palette has got to be my all time favourite eyeshadow palette so I have it to hand at the side of my make-up drawers. (It also won't fit in my drawers.) The same goes for my Urban Decay Vice 2 palette.. I don't love it as much as the Naked palette but it has some more 'out there' shades which are amazing for playing about and creating night out looks with.

So there we have my current make-up collection! I've recently bought quite a bit of make-up to add to my collection so let me know if you'd like to see a haul/recent purchases post.

Lots of Love,

Alice

♥

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TK Maxx Beauty Gems

The only section of TK Maxx that interests me is the beauty one as I don't think the clothes are 'all that'. They have a great range of nail polishes (OPI, Orly, Sally Hansen, Essie) as well as hair products (TIGI etc). I saw they were stocking Percy and Reed hair products and I was super excited as they have salons in London and are seen as a high end brand. I've tried the voluminous 'no oil' oil that was a sample in Glamour magazine and instantly fell in love. At TK Maxx, they sell volumising mousse but the two products I went for were the Texturising Spray and the Heat Protect Styling Mist.

I've always wanted to try the famous Oribe Texturising Spray but the price tag severely puts me off. The RRP of this one is £14 but TK Maxx are selling it for £4.99! CThe Heat Protect Styling Mist was supposed to be £18 and, again, I bought it for £4.99. Complete bargain! It's a super fine mist that protects your hair from the heat and is a nice change to the sticky sprays and heat defence creams you get. 

I also saw two Eco tools brushes laying around and I was instantly drawn as I bought this brush for £12.99 in Boots a few months ago for my sisters birthday! £5.99 is such an amazing price for such a good quality brush. It's the domed bronzer brush and is incredibly soft! It's a nice brush to use for powder or bronzer and probably blush too.

Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know of the great things I found in TK Maxx and next time you go past a store, pop in and see what gems you can find!

Lots of Love,

Alice

♥

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Healthy Smoothie & Health Benefits!

The moment I got my Kenwood Smoothie Maker for Christmas was a significant one. I have not stopped making health smoothies since. And I feel good!! Eating healthily really does change the way you feel and I feel so much more energised and happier when I consume a lot of fruit and vegetables. Smoothies are the easiest ways to consume these and taste so much nicer than eating the individual fruits and vegetables themselves. I've tried various smoothies involving Kale and Yoghurt etc, but this fruit one is definitely my favourite.

You will need: Half a lemon, a satsuma, a handful of blueberries, a handful of purple grapes, some blackberries, half a banana and some ice. 

(I sometimes put raspberries in but I didn't have any this day.)

So I put the ice in the jug...

Shove all the fruit in apart from the lemon...

If your lemon has a lot of pips in it, squeeze the lemon juice into a cup first then get the pips out and pour it into your jug.

 Start blending on the low setting to get it going...

This is the final smoothie. There's no artificial sugars or anything unnatural at all - it's literally fruit and ice. It is DELICIOUS and sooooo healthy!

Health Benefits:

• Lemon: Detoxes the liver (great after a night out!). It also such a good benefit for your skin. The alkaline nature kills some types of bacteria known to cause acne and the citric acid is effective in treating acne too. It contains Vitamin C which is vital for healthy glowing skin. 
• Blueberries: Full of antioxidants! They are good for memory and lots of cognitive processes. They contain vital vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin K and Manganese.
• Satsuma/Orange: The obvious benefit here is Vitamin C. This is great for eye health, your skin and much much more!
• Banana: This makes the smoothie abit creamier and less bitter but most importantly, makes this smoothie super energizing! Banana's contain Potassium which is necessary for good nerve and muscle function as well as maintaining a healthy balance of fluids in the body.
• Blackberries: Contain anthocyanins which give them their distinct colour. This is known to be cancer preventing! Blackberries also contain Vitamin K and one cup of them has 30% of our daily Fiber intake.
• Raspberries: If you'd like to incorporate some raspberries into your smoothie, much a like blueberries, you'll be gaining extra antioxidants. These berries have anti cancer and anti ageing properties alongside anthocyanins which help prevent cardiovascular disease.

As you can see, these smoothies are super nutritious and give you the energy you need! I have one most mornings and it really makes me feel energised and ready for the day. Do you like smoothies? If so, which ones?

Lots of Love,

Alice

♥

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