November Empties!

This is my first empties post, mainly because it takes me so long to actually use anything up! This is the first month I've managed to accumulate enough empty products to warrant a post, so here we go...

MAKE-UP

Benefit's The Pore-Fessional Primer - This was a sample which came with Glamour Magazine UK. I enjoyed using it, and have already scored some more sample sachets to use. Would I actually buy it? Probably not, and my next empty will explain why...

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer - This is my holy grail of primers. Reduces oil, minimises pores and creates a flawless base for my foundation. I've already repurchased this.

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara in Brown/Black - Again, another holy grail item. This is my favourite mascara. It lengthens, defines and volumises, and I've already repurchased!

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic in Brown/Black - I wasn't overly keen on this, the brush wasn't great for separating or defining eyelashes, I only ever used it over other mascaras to try and add length. I won't be repurchasing this.

SKINCARE

Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash - This was a great little sample I received from Debenhams. I really liked this scrub, felt very cleansing and kept my skin pretty clear. Only reason why I'm not repurchasing right now is because this costs £22, and I can't really justify shelling out that much on skincare in the run-up to Christmas.

Aesop Parsley Seed Antioxidant Serum - This was a fantastic facial serum/oil, which left my skin soft, and clear. Again this is pretty pricey at £43 for 100ml, but maybe one day I will be able to afford it!

Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask - This is another "if only I could afford it" item. I loved using this face mask, it literally solved my oily skin problems for a while, but the only downside is that a full-size jar (50ml) costs £57. Though if Santa brings me Harvey Nichols vouchers, I may hop across the River Forth to Edinburgh and buy it...

Simple Clear Skin Oil-Balancing Moisturiser - I always like Simple products, they do what they say on the tin. This helped keep my skin moisturised without it becoming too oily. It didn't do it particularly well, but it helped. I have other moisturisers to use up, but I would consider repurchasing it.

Rituals Face No.1 Facial Cleanser - This is a sample I received when I visited the Rituals store in Glasgow Airport Duty Free. I didn't realise this is actually a men's face cleanser until... NOW, but it worked pretty well for a sample and it managed to get all my make-up off. I wouldn't repurchase this because it does have a bit of a manly smell to it, and personally I'd rather leave the manliness to my boyfriend :P

BODYCARE

 Soap and Glory Flake Away Scrub. Soap and Glory are my current favourites for body scrubs, and I already have another tub on the go, as well as a gift set as back-up.


Rituals Yogi Flow Shower Foam - I have loved this ever since I received my first bottle in last year's Christmas Glossybox. It has the most beautiful scent of sweetness and roses. Next time I am near a Rituals store or counter I will probably repurchase this. Once I've used up the millions of other shower gels I have too though...

So those are my empties! What have you been using this month? Any particular products that you love or loathe?

Christina xo

How Much is Your Face Worth? Part 1.

I've seen this tag swimming around on blogs for a while now. It's intriguing, because I've seen people who use as much as £300+ worth of make-up... for an everyday look (I know, WTF??). For me that seems a bit OTT, but that's just my opinion. I also read Sophia, a.k.a Tattooed Tea-Lady's version, where she did two looks - one where she used the cheapest but best quality products, and then another where she didn't care about the cost, and the difference in price was amazing! (You can read part 1 of that series here and part 2 here). Sophia's posts inspired me to do a similar version, so today I'm going to do my "work" face. Part 2 will be a "going out" look, and we'll see if there's a big difference... That should be up tomorrow, if not, tweet me and give me a kick up the arse to get it done :P

So... moving on to my face (why does that sound wrong??)

Sorry about the ghost-face, the best light I can find at the moment is the natural light from my living room window! So let's break down what I've used and how much:

FACE: 

L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer - £14.29
Stila One-Step Correct Serum - £24 * (Although I got this in the Selfridges box, still counting it, as the question is how much it is worth, NOT how much you paid.)
GOSH BB Cream - £9.99
Vichy Dermablend Concealer - Free Sample
Benefit Hervana Blusher - £23.50
ELF Studio Complexion Perfection - £3.75

EYES:

MUA Eye Primer - £2.50
MUA Dusk til Dawn Palette - £4.00
MUA Eye Pencil in Brown - £1.00
MUA EveryLash Mascara in Brown - £3.00
Eyeko Eyeliner in Pink - £9.50*
Benefit They're Real Mascara - £18.50
ELF Eyebrow Treat and Tame in Light - £3.75

LIPS:

Estelle and Thild Lip Balm - £14.00. * I normally would wear some sort of neutral lippie here too but my lips are still playing up a bit and I didn't want to inflict the horror on you lovely people!

Total worth: £131.78

Good Lord! I had no idea my face was worth so much. Out of fairness I've starred the products that came in beauty boxes and have mentioned where samples were used, but that still seems like so much! Kinda dreading doing a going-out face now, it'll seem crazily expensive compared to this now!! This is my usual work make-up look, very un-fussy, and very much about make-up being able to stay put on my face, as well as not clogging up the pores too much.

What are your thoughts? Do you think your daily make-up would add up to more, less or about the same? Let me know what you think!

Christina xo

The Mascara Maven

Yeah...

I said a while ago that I wouldn't get drawn into the world of beauty blogging. However, the more make-up I buy, the more I wanna talk about it. Normally, most folks would chat to their gal pals about make-up and their preferences, but I live at least 60 miles away from the rest of my close friends, which makes chatting and playing with make-up a bit tricky! So I figured I'd try blogging about it for a while and see how I go...

The first thing I've noticed is that I have rather a lot of mascara, 12 to be precise (I know that some more seasoned beauty bloggers might think "Is that all?" but it feels like a lot). One of my favourite things about my face is that I have naturally longish lashes, so I like to make a feature of them. So here they all are, in order of price:

L-R: MUA eXtreme Volume Mascara in Brown/Black (£2)
Collection Extreme Coloured Lengthening Mascara in Blue(£2.99)
17 Peep Show in Brown/Black (£4 on offer)
17 Photo Flawless in Black/Copper (£5.99)
No.7 Exceptional Definition in Brown/Black (£7.50 with £5 Voucher)
Max Factor False Lash Effect in Brown/Black (£7.99 with £3 voucher)
L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic in Brown/Black (£10.99)
Benefit They're Real in Black (£11.50 with £7 Debenhams gift card)
Beautee/Relian Mascara in black (with fibres) (around £20 at a Girls Day Out show)

And the samples at the bottom: Max Factor Masterpiece in Black, MAC Zoom Lashes in Black and Lancome Hypnose Drama in Black.

My go-to mascara is usually the Max Factor False Lash effect, but recently I've been trying to use more of my mascaras and I've found a few that work pretty well. The MUA mascara is bargainous at £2 but my only issue with it is that it doesn't put a lot of mascara onto the lashes, but it does create a fair bit of volume, so I tend to use this in conjunction with something else to build up the lashes.
The Beautee/Relian Mascara was something I picked up at a Girls Day out (kinda like a beauty, fashion, chocolate, booze paradise for women) and it's lasted me at least 18 months, which is pretty impressive. You basically paint on the "transplanting gel", i.e. the mascara, then paint on the fibres, then repeat if necessary. It really does give you a false-lash look, with very little fibre fallout. AWESOME!

I have no real major dislikes with any of these TBH. The only let-down I have is the Benefit. They're Real is apparently the No.1 mascara in the U.K., if not the World and it's supposed to give you these amazing falsie-like lashes. Well I may have been applying it wrong, but my lashes ended up looking like Clump-Central. Not cool considering it's normally £18.50. However, I have found that if I use it over another mascara, it does add some good length. 

What mascaras do you guys use? If you want to know my thoughts on any of the other mascaras, just comment and let me know :) Generally let me know what you think of this post, it's my first proper beauty post and I like to get feedback!

Christina xo