Volume Million Lashes Comparison | Beauty

You may have read my previous post about my love for L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes 

where I literally waffle on about how much I love this mascara. I have been buying this mascara for literally years, ever since it first came out. 

But when I was in Boots recently I thought I would try out the Volume Million Lashes So Couture version, I wanted to see whether there was actually a big difference between the two. 

My Noir Excess one does look a little battered but hey, I did need a new one, but I kinda like the purple and gold colours of So Couture though. I must admit I didn't really know what to expect, I thought that they would be either exactly the same or completely different. The first thing I noticed was that the So Couture brush was so much smaller than my Noir Excess brush.

Noir Excess

So Couture

You can see that not only are they two different lengths but they are two different shapes, the Noir Excess one seems to taper in a little about mid way down the brush where at the So Courture one is more of an arrow headed shape. I've got to be honest, I really don't like the brush as much as the Noir Excess one. Though So Couture has a very tapered tip which means you can really get into the corners of your eyelashes I just felt like I didn't really like the way it applied the mascara over my lashes. 

I love the drama round my eyes, my lashes make a statement, they are quite long but I just feel that So Couture doesn't leave my lashes with a POW that I have come to expect from Noir Excess. I believe that the formula may be the same in both mascaras but So Couture is a bit lack luster compared to what I'm used to. 

If I focus on just the product and not compare it to Noir Excess I think it's still a really lovely mascara, the brush does mean you can reach all of your lashes and It does separate the lashes, you 'll have no clumps. It makes them look good in a more subtle way but if you want eyelashes that make a bold statement then I don't think this is the one for you. 

Great product but I need high impact lashes, I'm going to stick with Noir Excess

Have you tried either of the L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes mascara?

Boots Haul | Beauty

Oh yes, it's that time of the month again, payday has just come and gone in the blink of an eye and of course I've gone running to Boots I needed quite a few essentials so I though I would share with you what I picked up. 

Starting with my most needed things and probably a little boring for you guys but I had to get my shampoo and toothpaste. I only recently bought this Go Blonder shampoo and conditioner but I left it in the bathroom when I went to Brighton for a Hen Weekend, I was gutted because I had only just opened them as well, brand new and I bloody left them behind. I can't wait to start using the John Frieda shampoo and conditioner again. My blonde hair is starting to feel a little lack luster, I need my shine back. 

The Oral B 3D White toothpaste is easily my favourite toothpaste, it tastes great and it actually keeps my teeth really white. I get so paranoid about my teeth and want to keep them, white, white, white. In Boots it was two for £5 or £3.49 each so you know I got two!

Now moving onto my favourite facial scrub, Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub. I have been running dangerously low on this stuff. I think because I have been using my Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix exfoliating pads I haven't been using the face scrub as much, but I do find it's good to have a little exfoliation at least once a week in addition to the NIP+FAB products. I think because I use the NIP+FAB products on concentrated areas of my face there are other parts of my skin that get neglected so this scrub just looks after the rest of my face.

Speaking of NIP+FAB...  

Oh boy am I happy to have these little pads of amazing-ness back in my life! I ran out of them and had to wait until payday before I bought some more but here I am and they are back, my skin instantly just looks brighter and my pores are reduced. Amazing brand.

And finally, it wouldn't quite be a trip to Boots without buying some make up. Of course I had to go in for the necessities such as eye liner and mascara but I thought I would try out the new mascara from L'Oreal. I'm a massive fan of the Volume Million Lashes Noir Excess and I have seen the So Couture one advertised I thought I would give it a go. I have started using it and I think I am going to write a review about the differences between the two mascaras, so watch this space. I'm also a really big fan of the L'Oreal Superliner, it probably isn't the most precise and no one makes a big noise about this eyeliner but I love it. 

I also found out that Boots was running at 3 for 2 offer across all brands (or most at least) of make up so I thought I would pick up something considering I was getting two items anyway. I picked up the Rimmel Glam Eye Shadow Quad, I'm not gonna lie I don't really need another eye shadow but I just loved the colours. I'm going to do a separate post for this eye shadow as well to include swatches. 

And there we have it, my little Boots haul. 

What have you bought from Boots recently?

Looking forward to winter | Lifestyle

I'm going to share with you various different reasons why i'm looking forward to Winter, I'm a massive fan of both Autumn and Winter but I thought I could explain why I love Winter so much. 

Let's start with...

Christmas

I mean this is kind of an obvious one. I used to work in retail for 7 years and had to work all over Christmas and never really used to like it. For us Christmas started in August which meant that by December we were fed up. But now I work somewhere different it actually means I can start to enjoy Christmas and the break and all the lovely things that comes with it. 

Not only that but I absolutely LOVE wrapping presents, I mean I actually love it. The ribbon, the tissue paper, the gift wrap oh I go all out. 

Weather

Yes I must be crazy but I can't help it, I love winter weather and the cold snap, how we have to wrap up all warm. I actually really love waking up in the morning and seeing it all frosty, the trees and the grass just looks stunning. Every year I just wish we would have a white Christmas and always feel cheated if it doesn't snow at least once. 

I know the picture above doesn't really show a winter scene, it's definitely an autumnal one but you get what I mean, in fact I don't think I have any pictures from winter last year. Let's hope I can get some pretty snowy scenes this year. 

Clothes

I just love jumpers and scarfs and all things fluffy in the winter. It's nice to get all cosy, I love wearing boots as well. I do like the heat in the summer, but my wardrobe tends to lean towards more Autumn/Winter, a lot of black, a lot of long sleeves and a lot of pashminas and scarfs. 

I also get to wear my favourite coat that I got last year from Next, plain black but it also has leather sleeves which I definitely think is going to be coming back this year as well. 

Festive Baking

Oh yes, I am a massive fan of baking and when Christmas rolls around I love to bake and use a hell of a lot of icing, mainly in the festive green and red colours. It's a shame because the last couple of years, I really haven't baked anything for Chritsmas. I have been working like a crazy lady lately but this year I am so excited because I have booked some time off which means I will be baking cookies and muffins and I'm gonna do some mulled wine! Why not!? 

Are you looking forward to Winter? If so, tell me what you love about the season.

Products I have been loving | Beauty

For today's post I thought I would share with you a list of products I've found myself reaching for more and more lately. Of course love new product and trying new things out but sometimes you just find yourself reaching for the same things all the time.

Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation

To be fair I have been using the Rimmel Wake me Up Foundation for several months now, but this time I got the wrong shade so it was a fraction darker than what I wanted but actually I have found this works really well. The shade I currently have is Ivory (which it's definitely not) but the foundation has little bits of shimmer in it and I find with the lighter shade the shimmer really comes through however in Ivory its much less noticeable. I do mix it with my Maxfactor foundation to create a better shade for me but I actually really love this product. 

It smells really lovely and lasts well, I think this is a really good base and tends to cover most blemishes and evens out my complexion nicely.

Rimmel Scandaleyes

Now this is another Rimmel product, I'm definitely a fan of the brand! But this Scanaleyes product in Rich Russet is just SO easy to use. I do love a bit of shimmer and eye make up but in the mornings if I'm rushing about a bit this is my go to product. I literally take two swipes on each eye lid, blend with a brush and its done. You can layer it up a little and play with it more, but just for my everyday look, this is the one.  

Check out my Rimmel Scanadleyes Review  

NIP+FAB Glycolic Fix serum 

NIP+FAB are fast becoming my favourite skincare brand I must admit. As you will know from previous reviews I think the Glycolic Fix pads are bloody flippin' amazing and do exactly what they say on the tub which is why I thought I would try out the Glycolic Fix Serum. 

This is an over night serum, which I must admit I'm struggling to remember to use every night, but when I do, I notice a difference literally the next morning. This contains a higher percentage of Glycolic Acid than the pads, it has 4%. It also claims to have visible results after 2 weeks if used every night. So I'm definitely going to get myself into a proper routine and will report back with a full review because I feel like this product will definitely deserve it's own post. 

Essie - Fiji

I literally cannot get enough of this nail polish. I mean it just goes with everything and always makes my nails look really nice, even when they are short.I have used other colours recently but I always end up going back to this one, it's just so pretty. They also almost look like gel nails when first done which is always a massive bonus. I know we are heading into the winter months but I refuse to give up this pretty shade for something darker...well not yet at least.

There we have it, just a couple of things I'm absolutely loving right now. 

What brand/products are you loving at the moment?

Cattier Pink Clay Mask | Review

I thought I would do a little review on a product I recieved in this month's Birchbox which was two samples of the Cattier Pink Clay mask. 

I must admit I don't often use a lot of face masks and if I do it's always the Simple clay mask, but I'm always excited to recieve products like this in my box because it is perfect for a pamper session.  

Cattier isn't actually a brand I've heard before but when I was doing a bit of research about them I found out that they do a variety of different clay masks. It turns out the pink clay mask is for sensitive skin which is why it includes Aloe Vera in it, but they also have a yellow clay mask for dry skin with Jojoba Oil and white clay for allskin types. I was really happy to see that I recieved the one for sensitive skin, it doesn't take much to upset my skin.

I must admit, I kinda love the fact it's pink but as samples go, this is quite a good size and you do get a lot of product in it. If I wanted to be a little tight I could definitely squeeze two uses out of one sachet. 

It smelled great, it had a lovely aloe vera scent with menthol/minty undertones, in fact it reminded me of a Murray Mint which I know is an odd thing to say but it really did. Very pleasant. It's a lovely thick consistency and I used a whole sachet on my face and neck, I was not stingy at all. However what I did find was that the areas which had less product dried very quickly which I hate in a face mask it always feels really weird and it tends to leave my face feeling a little dry after I wash it off.

After 10 mintues, I removed the mask with my Liz Earle muslin cloth which wasn't the greatest idea, as it definitely turned the thing a lovely pinky/orange colour but to be fair it will probably wash out of the cloth. 

I'm actually really happy with the Cattier Pink Clay mask, I found my skin was very soft afterwards and it seemed to draw out some imperfections/spots so that the next day my skin was looking fresh. My skin is actually pretty bad at the moment which I put down to stress but I feel like this product really helped. I'd even go as far to say I would consider buying the full sized Cattier tube. 

Have you tried the Pink Clay mask or anything from Cattier?