Haul

Five Under £5 For March 2017

- Vicki 6 Comments
Five Under £5 For March 2017

Five Under £5 For March 2017

I haven’t joined in with the Five Under £5 tag since last November, a combination of being busy and also I forgot all about it a couple of times too.So I got my butt in gear this month because I really missed taking part and there is nothing I like more that hunting out a bargain.

If you want to get involved and link up your monthly 5 Under £5 finds then head over to Julia’s blog at Rainbeaubelle and join in. It’s a lot of fun & you get to see all of the cute bargains that everyone finds, I always end up purchasing so many things from everyone else’s roundups.

The Little Paris Book Shop

The Little Paris Bookshop £4.49

One of my goals this year was to read more and 2 months into 2017 I have read 5 books, which is decent for me. I read The Little Paris Book Shop last month, I purchased it on Amazon for my Kindle and thoroughly enjoyed it and finished it super quickly. It is a story about love, loss and friendship. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures and if you have a romantic soul like me then you will love this story. It is mostly set on board a book barge in the centre of Paris and that in itself was enough to make me purchase this book. I love that the main character Jean Perdu doesn’t let people pick their own books, he chooses their books for them almost like a prescription from a doctor. It follows his journey to try and mend his broken heart and you’re taken along for the very scenic ride. I 100% recommend adding this to your reading list for 2017.

Primark Wild Orchid & Honey Room Diffuser £1

I use these in my small downstairs toilet, there is no window and I don’t like to leave a candle burning in there as I am worried I’ll forget its lit. So a diffuser is a great way of giving the room a lovely subtle scent. These Primark ones are so affordable and this scent isn’t too overpowering or synthetic.

Aldi Fairy Lights

Aldi Rattan Ball Fairy Lights £2.99

My friend Hayley bought these for me and I adore them. I like the colours and just how sweet they look in the evening when it’s gone dark outside. I like to have fairy lights around my house and my motto is you can never have too many! So thank you so much Hayley, these are going to get a lot of love. I’m not too sure if Aldi will still have these in stock as they’re Special Buys seem to sell out pretty quickly.

Essence Make Me Brow £2.50

I am super lazy when it comes to my brows and I like to use products that are quick and fuss free. I love the Benefit Gimme Brow but I don’t like spending when there are such decent dupes out there. This tinted brow gel from Essence is a fantastic dupe, I get the darkest shade and that is a very good match for my bows. It provides a good amount of colour and covers any sparse areas and I like that it keeps those unruly brow hairs in place too. The brush is small and helps you to be precise with the product and only £2.50 everyone should add this to their makeup bag. If you haven’t tried Essence Cosmetics yet you really need too, it is available in Wilko Stores.
Essence Make Me Brow

Lidl Star Washi Tape 3 Rolls £1.99

Yes, yes we all know that I’m a washi tape hoarder but in my defence I have actually found a few uses for it and have started to use it in my Bullet Journal and also when decorating envelopes when writing to my lovely niece. So it is useful as well as pretty. I bought this pack from Lidl and they had a good selection of patterns and colours, I was quite restrained and only bought one pack, I liked the star patterns and bright colours so I am chuffed with this bargain.

Five Under £5 March 2017

Poundland Creative Colouring Book £1

This is an Easter gift for my niece. I bought her one from Amazon for Christmas and she really enjoyed it, so I was pleased to come across this more affordable one in the Poundshop. The pictures are really beautiful and the paper is good quality. I think there were 3 options to pick from and because she gets so much chocolate for Easter I thought I would be a little different and buy her something creative to do. I might have to colour in a page before I send it.

Let me know if you join in this month.

  • This post contains affiliate links

Blogger Influenced Purchases 2

- Vicki 3 Comments
Blogger Influenced Beauty Purchases

Blogger Influenced Beauty Purchases

I did a similar post last year about a few purchases that were 100% influenced by other bloggers & so I thought it was time I did another. Blogs and YouTube are my favourite ways to access content, I have my favourite people to read / watch and I trust their opinions so when they recommend products more often than not I want to try them.

Black Cotton Buds from Tiger

I saw these all black cotton buds in a Rachel Aust video, she is my minimalist guru (if you don’t already watch her videos you must check her out!) & I have been trying to find some of these for a while. I actually stumbled upon them in Tiger of all places, I love the weird mix of things you get in that shop. I think they were only £2 and they’re just simple cotton buds but I like that they’re a little different and they look cool too. Its all about the aesthetics.

W7 The Naughty Nine Mid Summer Nights Palette

I recently reviewed this palette after seeing it on Miss Makeup Magpie blog, I bought it immediately from eBay and I am so pleased I did because they’re like gold dust. It is being held up as a pretty good dupe for the MAC Burgundy Times Nine Palette, I don’t have that palette but what I can say is if you get chance to buy this affordable dupe I would snap it right up. The colour selection is beautifully Autumnal which I love and all the colours are extremely pigmented. If you want to read a little more about it and see swatches then you can do so here —> W7 Mid Summer Nights Palette

NYX Vivid Brights Eyeliner

I love this violet shade and it is the only purple eyeliner I have and have ever owned, it isn’t as bright as I hoped but never the less the shade is still pretty and very pigmented. It is a liquid liner and has a precise brush applicator which gives you complete control. It is so smooth to apply and very long wearing. For me they’re more of a Summer makeup, as in the colder months I tend to opt for more brown, black eyeliner but I like that this adds something a little different and its not too out there. I saw these liners on one of Gabbie’s Vlogs and I’m tempted to pop back and get the green shade too.

A Few Blogger Influenced Beauty Purchases

MUA LUXE Glow Beam Liquid Highlight Cushion

This is a drugstore take on a cushion highlighter & I am sold, its super pretty. I also saw this product on the same Fleur video as the Cream Eyeshadow Stick and as soon as Fleur swatched this I fell in love. This is a peachy gold highlight and it can look quite subtle or if you want more on an intense look you can build up the colour & effect to be more intense. I use it on the tops of my cheeks and under my brow bone and it applies so well to the skin, it doesn’t accentuate my fine lines and when it catches the light it looks so pretty. This is a must for the Christmas Party Season, I think you’d get so much use out of it and the white and gold compact comes with a small puff and a mirror for touching up. The packaging feels just like the Lancome Cushion Foundation that I reviewed a couple of months ago and its lovely to pop in your handbag. I am very, very impressed with this and I want to try a few more products from this LUXE range.

Superdrug Shaving Gel for Sensitive Skin

I saw this on Jessica Beauticians Superdrug Haul and when I popped into my local store it was on buy 1 get 1 free so I knew I had to get it. I bought the one for sensitive skin with soothing slow vera and I have used it so much since purchasing it. My razor glides over my skin and I find I get a much closer shave using this. I also think it leaves my skin feeling less stripped and dry. I am pretty pleased with this purchase, and although its not a super exciting one I have found it’s become a product thats made a real difference to my skin. Jessica has so many Superdrug product recomendations in that video so you much check it out.

Blogger Influenced Purchases Swatches

Ignore the two bottom swatches they were from a previous swatching session.

Rosie For Autograph Cream Eyeshadow Stick

I saw this on Fleur’s Autumn Makeup Bag Edit Video and I am a huge fan of cream eyeshadow sticks, they’re such just so fuss free and once they dry down they stay put all day / night. They also make a really good base if you want to create a more intense eye look using your powder shadows on top. The most annoying thing with these ones from M&S is they so not have shade names on the packaging, so I think I have the shade Feline Fox which is a gorgeous metallic mauve bronze. Its a stunning shade and I love the metallic finish. This is so creamy to apply and you get a good couple of minutes to blend it out before it dries down. I have quite a few Bobbi Brown & Laura Mercier Cream Shadow Sticks and these M&S ones are very comparable but a much more affordable price point.

I’d love to know what products bloggers have inspired you to buy.

Five Under £5 for November

- Vicki 5 Comments
Five Under 5 For November

Five Under 5 For November

If you want to get involved and link up your monthly 5 Under £5 finds then head over to Julia’s blog at Rainbeaubelle and join in. It’s a lot of fun & you get to see all of the cute bargains that everyone finds, I always end up purchasing so many things from everyone else’s roundups.

So a few weeks ago I went to Amsterdam for my birthday (which was magical) I have been to this lovely City on many an occasion. One of my favourite things to do is visit HEMA, which is an affordable, very cool shop and they sell a little bit of everything. I tend to stock up on stationery, mainly because its easy to get home in my suitcase. If you’re not heading to Amsterdam anytime soon fear not, there are a few HEMA stores in the UK & you can order online (yipeeee).

HEMA Happiness Planner Notebook

New Planner Notebook

Happiness Planner

I know they have spelt it Happyness but lets just ignore that. I am going to use this for notes, lists and blog ideas, I can’t see me using it to record my ‘good things about today’. It has a sturdy hard pink and gold cover, which I really like and the pages are nice quality too. I am terrible at keeping up to date with a journal or a planner so this is somewhere in-between and if I keep it on my desk it should prompt me to use it.

HEMA Planner Sticker Sets

Planner Stickers

HEMA do to the best selection of stickers, I bought 2 packs and you get 2 sheets of stickers in each pack. I am thinking of using these in my notebook to make it look a little more colourful and give it more of a planner feel. I am a sucker for stickers and could have purchased so many more sets but I am trying to use the the massive stash I already have so I limited my self to 2.

HEMA Hand Cream

Hand Lotion £2

I 100% bought this because I loved the packaging, I haven’t used the hand cream itself yet but I am not expecting it to be amazing, but the HEMA beauty and toiletries are pretty good quality.  I have very dry hands, especially in the colder months and I’m THAT person with one on my desk, in my handbag and by my bed. Otherwise I forget to apply it, this one is going on my desk.

HEMA Writing Set

6 Pack Letter Writing Set With Envelopes £1 

This is for my 8 year old niece, I buy her one each year. We write letters to each other as she lives in Scotland (600 miles from me) and its a lovely way to keep in touch. Of course I call her and we facetime but writing a letter is more exciting and its nice to keep the letters to look back on, also we use technology so much now that letter writing is something that feels more special and keeps us connected in a slower, more whimsical way. It also worries me that Alyvia won’t have ever known a world without technology, crazy.

HEMA Festive Washi Tape Pack

Gold Festive Themed WASHI Tape

I know I do not need any more washi tape but I just can’t resist and hear me out, I have every intention of using these lovely selection to wrap my Christmas gifts. Its really great quality and the gold sparkly one is super pretty and textured. I may have already started wrapping my Christmas gifts already, that is me trying to be organised, so far so good.

I feel I was quite restrained, especially if you take a look at my HEMA Haul from a couple of years ago.

New P.S Love Primark Makeup

- Vicki 2 Comments

Primark Makeup Haul

Its been a pretty long time since my last review of the Primark Makeup range which is called P.S Love (click here for my previous review). They have added quite a few new products to the selection and I was overwhelmed by the choice so I tried to get a selection of different products. So many of the products had been opened & used which wasn’t cool so I had a hard time finding products that were still sealed. I haven’t had much time to play around with everything but I thought I would just initially show you what I bought & put up another post in a couple of weeks letting you know how well it lasted & if I would recommend anything.

PS Love Primark Makeup

PS Love Velvet Matte Lipstick Crayon £1.00

This lip crayon is such a perfect colour for me its in a lovely deep plum shade and it is very pigmented oh & its a matte finish. I wore it for an hour or so and it felt quite comfortable on my lips and the colour looked beautiful. It doesn’t seem to have a scent which is good as often the cheaper options have a waxy scent. I think the shade I bought is perfect for Winter and I am already planning to get a couple more of these, I’m sure I saw a red shade.

Primark Bronzer

PS Love Bronzer £2.50

This looks like a shimmer brick and I do like wearing this kind of bronzer because you get that soft colour from swirling your brush though all the shades and it also acts as a highlighter. It looks quite pretty in the pan and It doesn’t seem to have glitter in which is great news – just a pretty hint of iridescent shimmer. Although when I swatched this not all the colours were intensely pigmented but I am hoping it looks ok on and it might be more subtle which isn’t a bad thing.

PS Love Primark Bronzer

PS Love High Coverage Concealer For Blemishes £1.50

This comes in a sweet little pot & they did have a few shades to pick from, I have the shade ghsdfgh and it feels very creamy and I was surprised at how good the coverage is. I haven’t tested it out for a whole day. I would have to powder over this because it is creamy and I have oily skin but I am excited to see how well this does after a proper day.

PS Love Lift & Curl Mascara £2.00

How cute is the purple packaging? Also the wand is quite similar to the Benefit Roller Lash. I always like testing mascaras that promise to keep a curl because I think thats quite a claim. The formula is quite wet & I don’t think it separates my lashes very well but we will see how well is wears throughout the day. I am hoping I don’t end up with mascara all down my face.

Primark PS Love Makeup Haul

PS Love Liquid Concealer for Undereyes £1.00

This comes in the standard doe foot applicator which I like & find easy to apply under my eyes. It’s a very creamy consistency but not too thick. It was easy to blend out and didn’t look too heavy, I picked quite a light colour and it worked well for my skin. So far I really like this and was surprised at how good the coverage was. I only wore it for a couple of hours and it lasted well. Next time I will apply a little setting powder and see how it fairs over a whole day.

Primark Concealer Swatches

PS Love Eyeshadow Quad £2.50

The last eyeshadows I tried from Primark were not great but these colours looked really pretty so I thought I would give them a go. All four shades have a frosted finish. They look wearable and not overly sparkly but they are quite powdery. I like the both the more bronze shades they are 100% my kind of shades. I am not holding out much hope of them being great but we shall see.

PS Love Eyeshadow Quad

Off the bat I like the concealers and the lip crayon they seem to be good quality. I will have to properly test everything and I think use a primer with the eyeshadows. Let me know if you have tried anything from the Primark Makeup range and what you would recommend.