My e.l.f Haul

As a little graduation present to myself, I recently decided to take advantage of a generous offer from cult makeup brand Eyes Lips Face (e.l.f). The offer was spend £20, and receive a mystery goodie bag made up from the 'e.l.f loves' collection as a free gift. As I'd been dying to try out some of the most raved about elf products for some time, I thought it would be rude not to have a bit of a splurge.

Below is a picture of all of the products I received. Looking at them all now, I can barely remember which I ordered and which came as part of the free gift!

I thought I'd feature a few of the first impression stand out products in more detail, so here are a few of my favourites so far....

1. e.l.f Lipstick in 'Fantasy'

This was one of the products I received in the mystery bag, and when I first unwrapped it I wasn't too sold on the colour - it's a brick-brown colour and I just wasn't sure. However, when applied to my lips it comes out a beautiful nudey colour, smells and tastes delicious, is moisturising AND long lasting - winning!

2. e.l.f All Over Colour Stick

Again, this was a mystery bag gem. My first impression was pretty much...why? It seemed to me to be a messier alternative to bronzer, I couldn't be bothered to even try it. I can't remember what it was that made me eventually pick it up and give it a go, but I'm SO glad I did - this is a beaut little product! I use it mostly for contouring my face, by running it over my cheekbones, temples and jawline. It's absolutely perfect for this cause as it can be easily applied with precision and is very blendable. It's not too dark, not too shimmery and easier to use on the go than bronzer as there's no need to use a brush...I love it.

3. e.l.f Makeup Mist & Set

This was a product that I chose myself when placing my order. I'd been after a fixing spray for some time and found myself tempted my MUA's offering until I decided to do a haul with e.l.f. This spray does what it says on the tin - I've definitely noticed a difference in the staying power of my makeup since using this spray, perfect for all day events like my graduation last week. It feels a little wet when you first spray it, but it dries quickly and you can't feel it once it's dried. I would definitely repurchase this product.



4. e.l.f Liquid Eyeliner in 'Navy'

Not a particularly revolutionary product, but it does the job and does it well. I'd been after a navy eyeliner for a while so jumped at the opportunity to include one in my haul, and I've been pretty addicted to it ever since. I find it easy to create feline flicks with the applicator, it stays put all day, what more could you want?

Have you tried any e.l.f products? Are you a fan of the brand, and if so which amazing products am I missing out on?

Five under a Fiver

Hello! I thought I'd do a quick post to share my five favourite products of the moment that cost under £5, so here they are:

Top row: Superdrug Coconut oil - Nivea Express Hydration Primer - St. Moritz Tanning Mousse. Bottom row: Model's Own Kohl Eyeliner Pencil - MUA Shimmer Highlighter

I know I keep bannging on about the Superdrug Coconut oil so I'm not going to waffle on about it agian here, but if you want to know more about my current favourite beauty bargain then you can read my original review here. As for the other four.....

Nivea Express Hydration Primer, £4.99

I love this primer,  and it's a brilliant steal at £4.99. It creates a lovely smooth base for your makeup, and if you have normal to dry skin then it will provide a lovely burst of moisture too. The only thing I would say about this product is to wait a minute or two after applying it before adding foundation on top, or it may start to peel and it won't be attractive.

Model's Own Kohn Eyeliner Pencil, £4

These pencils are great because they glide on smoothly, are easily smudgable (is smudgable even a word? If not then it is now) with the attached tool at the end of the pencil, and last throughout the entire day. It also comes with a sharpener built into the lid which you may not be able to see too clearly in this picture, but it works perfectly and means that you will always have a beautifully sharp pencil. Also available in white, pink, blue and brown. 

MUA 'Undress Your Skin' Shimmer Highlighter, £3

This is an ideal budget highlighter. The picture doesn't really do justice to how big it is, so you're getting plenty of product for not a lot of money. Sweep a little product across the top of your cheekbones or smudge a teeny bit into the corners of your eyes for a fresh-faced look.









St. Moritz Instant Self Tanning Mousse, £2.99

This fake tan is probably one of the worst kept secrets in beauty, but since we've actually had a little taster of summer this week with some sunnier weather I thought it was definitely worth a mention to refresh your memories. St. Moritz is a brilliant dupe for St. Tropez tanning mousse, and at a tiny wee fraction of the price - what's not to love? Wait for the tan to dry and then whack a small amount of Coconut oil on top for lovely supple-looking legs.





Have you tried any of these products? Or are there any bargains you think I should have included on this list? Let me know! :) xx

Bargain Alert - Seventeen Doll'd Up mascara & 3-way Liquid Eyeliner

I'm thoroughly ashamed of how long it's been since I updated this blog - unfortunately, Chritsmas and my dissertation have had to take priority! That said, I want to make everybody aware of a great offer going in Boots at the moment when you buy their brand new 'Doll'd Up' mascara by Seventeen.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I'm a massive fan of Seventee's 'Wild Curls' mascara - it's by far the best value budget mascara I've found to date. Interestingly, the 'Doll'd Up' mascara is also being marketed as a curling mascara, which made me curious to try it out to see if it matched up to my old favourite. Boots is currently selling the mascara at the introductory price of £5.29, which will go up to £6.29 after this period. However, the thing that sealed the deal for me was the added incentive of a free gift - for a limited time, when you buy this mascara you receive Seventeen's 'Doll'd Up' 3-way liquid eyeliner free of charge. Both of these products (particularly the mascara) are packaged beautifully, and having had some very positive experience of Seventeen in the past, I couldn't wait to try these babies out.


As you can see from the photo (excuse the shoddy quality - in order to speed up the process of blogging I've been lazy and used my iPhone camera) the eyeliner has three prongs, which allows you to create graphic lines simply and without fuss. The pen can also be used to create a dotted effect, which is great when applied to the upper lash line in order to give a little added thickness to the look of lashes without committing to full eyeliner. I tend to use this pen when I want winged eyeliner - with a normal liquid or gel liner I am HOPELESS at creating neat, matching flicks, but this tool makes it easy. The liner does not smudge or fade throughout the day, and is easily applied over eyeshadow. This is by far the most pain-free experience I have ever had when it comes to winged applying winged eyeliner - result!

The mascara has not impressed me quite as much - although it's perfectly adequate for shoving on for days when I'm not really doing anything, I find it to be a little too lacking in volume for everyday use. To remedy this problem I simply add a top coat of 'Wild Curls' for a fuller effect. When this amazing offer ends, the 'Doll'd up' mascara will be the same price as 'Wild Curls', and there's no doubt in my mind as to which one I'll be buying. (Oh, and it doesn't curl my lashes either. Neither of them do. Do curling mascaras simply not work, or do I have the most poker-straight lashes known to man?)

I'm unsure how Seventeen will price the eyeliner once the offer ends, but based on the liquid eyeliners that they currently sell I don't imagine it will cost more than a fiver, which is OUTSTANDING value. In the mean time, I urge everyone to get down to Boots and snap up the offer while it lasts - think of it as paying £5.29 for a fantastic eyeliner, with a free mascara to stick in your handbag as a spare.

Seventeen 'Doll'd Up' Mascara - 2.5/5
Seventeen 'Doll'd Up' 3-way Graphic Liner - 5/5