The Body Shop Bath and Shower Gels

I was browsing the Body Shop sale online the other day and came across these little beauties for £2. They're part of the 'originals' that TBS bought back from the 90's, so lots of you might remember them. I just couldn't resist the sound of the fragrances, they sounded good enough to eat! From left to right we have Raspberry Ripple, Fuzzy Peach, Green Apple and Dewberry. 

This is what is on the TBS website:

A beauty classic returns. This soap-free bath and shower gel leaves skin clean and fragranced..


+ Soap-free
+ Lather-rich
+ Fruit scented
+ Bottle made from 100% recycled plastic

Aqua (Solvent/Diluent), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (Surfactant), Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Surfactant), Sodium Chloride (Viscosity Modifier), Glycerin (Humectant), Polysorbate 20 (Emulsifier), Parfum (Fragrance), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate (Emulsifier), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Benzophenone-4 (Sunscreen agent, Ultraviolet Light Absorber), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract (Natural Additive), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Skin Conditioning Agent), CI 17200 (Colour), CI 14700 (Colour), CI 42090 (Colour). 

(Ingredients differ for each scent)

The Raspberry Ripple bottle states on the label that it's suitable for all skin types, yet the others do not. But nowhere does the website say anything about skin types for any of these. I've already tried Fuzzy Peach in the bath, and can safely say it did not irritate my skin in any way. It created plenty of bubbles, and my bathroom smelled of it, but I didn't use it to wash myself, so I don't know how it performs as a shower gel as of yet. My favourite smell is Raspberry Ripple, it smells AMAZING! I'm actually a bit disappointed about the other three's smell. They're a bit chemically, and not at all sweet. They may smell better when used in the shower or bath but at the moment I can't say.

I actually found a 20% off code which included sale, making these babies £1.60 for 250ml, and when you spend £5 you get one free, meaning I have 1 litre of shower gel for £4.80, can I say b a r g a i n? I also bought a few other things which I will post about.

These seem to have sold out online (I think?) But you might still be able to get them in store. And I wonder if they're being discontinued now they're in the sale? Who knows! I will say that The Body Shop is a brand who I fall in and out of love with, but with the amount of deal and discounts they have going on everywhere right now is a good reason to love them again! Check the website out for some, including a 40% code off! How generous?!

xo.

Illamasqua Sale

Illamasqua lovers listen up! I just received an email saying that Illamasqua's sale is open to registered members now- a whole 24 hours before the rest of the public! So if you have an online account with them, and I assume if you go and register now and log in you can view it too(?!) I've already placed my order! I had a 20% off code that ran out today and also ordered ANOTHER blush, ohhh sighhh. 

But their sale starts from £5 and they have some AMAZING deals, I really urge you to go check it out now! Go go go!

xo.

Illamasqua blusher in Hussy

 

I've had this for a little while now, and I can safely say Illamasqua's blushes have fast become one of my favourite formulations and I've accumulated quite a few over the past few weeks! Having discount codes doesn't help this.. From the Illamasqua blushes I own, I find them to be very pigmented, wiping one finger across and it picks up so much colour it's unbelievable. I love the packaging aswell, shiny black plastic in a unique shape. Large piece of clear plastic on top so you can easily see which colour it is. It's quite big, but fits perfectly in your hand. It seems like you get lots of product due to the size, but it is 4.5g, which is 1.5g less than MAC, but almost the same price. This is £16.50, and MAC's blushers are currently £17.50. But if you want to switch it up, and love bright colours in your make-up bag, you should give Illamasqua a go.

On Illamasqua's website, they describe Hussy as a matte bright candy pink, which is a pretty accurate description! I haven't really used it as much as I should of been doing, but it does give me a china doll rosy glow, especially with highlighter thrown into the mix. Hussy is probably one of Illamasqua's more popular powder blushes, and I can see why. It's a bright pink which will suit all skin tones, and is a great way to inject some brightness into your beauty routine. If you're afraid of bright lips, give this a go, you can apply lightly for a fresh glow, or really build up for some woooow. A perfect summer colour, bright and pink, need I say any more?

I'm going to get around to posting more of Illamasqua's blushes as I'm so impressed with their formulas and I think they're really worth the money.

xo.

Small MAC Haul

Just a small haul I got when I went to Westfield at Stratford. I haven't photographed the mini Fix+ and I forgot to do the crease brush, but if you want any more details or photos on either just ask! :) And sorry the picture is blurry, once again camera troubles :( sad times!

 

I would definately say that Snob is a lot lighter that in the swatch pictures, once again sorry! (really need a new camera now... any donations welcome ;) ) But this is a definate new favourite. I've always shied away from this shade because of it leaning purple/mauve, but I find it doesn't translate as much on my lips. I love it! It's a satin finish, but it's soo creamy and I will sometimes pat it down, and rub it in to my lips, it's almost like a lip paint it's so thick! If you're looking for a more lively creme cup or a more wearable saint germain then try this!

I've wanted this highlighter from MAC for as long as I can remember! Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish is notorious for it's gorgeous appearance in pan, housing multi coloured veining. It's been released in a few collections, and I finally got my hands on it with the Reel Sexy collection. People have complained about its drastic makeover it's recently had, where the coloured veining has being muted right down, especially the blue tones, but unless that affects is overall performance I'm not so fussed!

This has been my go to highlighter for weeks now. It gives a soft diffused glow, not yellow! Like most highlighters seem to be. I think it's beautiful, but I wish it had a bit more punch, as I always have matte foundations because my skin is oily, so I always like to have quite a glowy highlighter to counteract this. So if you could recommend some highlighters, white/silver based which have the wow factor, I would really appreciate it! 

Have you seen the Fall MAC collection coming out? Heavenly Earth Creatures, if not, head to Temptalia to read about it and see the promo images! Christine has the products and is making her way through the reviews of them. Exciting! 

What was your last MAC purchase? 

xo.

Forever 21 Beauty: Blushers (and dupe!)

I think the reason I purchased these was for the packaging of the box... Anyway, these are two blushes I bought from Forever 21 when I went to the Westfield in Stratford. I was browsing round the accessories area, (which is amazing by the way!) when I came across their beauty section. Now I haven't really heard of Forever 21 beauty anywhere, but I was still intrigued. I saw these boxes, with the cute heart print and had to pick one up. Luckily they had some testers, and when I swatched them I was seriously impressed. Really pigmented and not chalky at all. Not bad for £2.40 eh! There was only 2 colours there,  (I've checked the website and they're the only 2 on there as well) and I couldn't decide on which colour to get, so I had to get them both, OBVIOUSLY.

Now, the packaging of the blush itself is really boring, plain black plastic case but then the blush itself is quite small within the palette. It only has 2.8g of product compared to let's say, MAC which is 6g. But then again, the price is worlds apart! But the quality is not... It's the same size as a MAC blush, but has a flat lid, and the plastic is matte rather than a shiny black finish.

These don't have colour names, the box for the pink one says 'pink' and the coral one says 'blush' (?!) but the coral blush is a new favourite of mine, and I've been using it constantly over the past few weeks. It's a gorgeous coral with yellow toned shimmer, but gives me the most gorgeous natural looking flush considering the colour. It's also very similar to a beauty heavyweight, as my swatches will show you :) The pink is brighter in pan than swatched, but it's probably very comparable to other pink blushes around and I probably have similar in my collection. 

Left to Right: Pink, Blush 

Left to Right: Pink, Blush, NARS Orgasm

As you can see, the colour is pretty much the same as NARS Orgasm, it's a tiny less pink and has a lot less shimmer, but it's so similar! It's also very similar to Benefit Bella Bamba, just again a little less pink, and it is the same colour as MAC Fleet Fast that came out with the recent Hey, Sailor! collection, FF has a lot less shimmer, but it's not that noticeable when worn.

I should of really swatched all of them together so you could of seen, but because they're all so popular, lots of people will have one or more of the similar shades I've mentioned! I've been using the F21 blush, MAC Fleet Fast, and Benefit BB the most recently, this shade suits me down to the ground. I know that I can just whack this on and it'll look fine, natural and flattering. Which is great as I'm always running late! This kind of shade is flattering on so many skin tones, I'm as pale as a ghost and this puts some life into my cheeks! Another thing, blusher is my current obsession, so be prepared for plenty of blusher posts!

So if you're looking for a cheap blusher and/or a cheaper alternative to NARS, MAC, or Benefit, look no further! :) 

xo.

ps. Just want to apologise for the quality of the pictures, had camera trouble for a while now! Another reason for my lack of posts, but thank you to everyone who reads and comments, they seriously make me smile :)

MAC Lipstick Dupe?

The lipstick I bought from Sleek recently reminded me of a Limited Edition lipstick I got recently... Keep reading.. (And sorry, these pictures have come out a bit blurry! Bad times :( )

Left - Party Parrot, Right - Candy Cane

Yes, that's right, Party Parrot from the Iris Apfel collection, an instant sell-out! When I got home, I realised it was less pink than it looked when I was at the Sleek stand, and I felt like it reminded me of another colour. So I got this out and had a good old swatch up, and I can report that they are pretty much identical! Sleek Candy Cane looks a TINY bit more pink when swatched, and obviously has a sheen finish, whereas MAC Party Parrot is a matte finish. But if you blot it down a bit to take off the sheen you will have a more matte finish! Yay, I love a good dupe, doesn't everyone?

xo.

KIKO Haul

Carrying on the Birthday haul from when I went to Stratford... I found the KIKO store which I was interested in visiting. I have read about KIKO on a few blogs, and wondered if the Italian make-up brand was worth investigating. I've mainly heard about their nail polishes to be honest, and when I walked into their store I could certainly see why. I wish I had taken a photo now! They have hundreds of nail polishes and it stretches along one side of the shop. I've googled it and found a picture, which is from this blog here. 

Just imagine this, but stretched out and housing 200 polishes. W o w. I was like a child in a sweet shop, and it's safe to say that I spent quite some time browsing and swatching, whilst my boyfriend waited (im)patiently, but to be fair he did behave quite well compared to other shopping trips! Something that I will try and remember to take on nail polish hauls in the future is scotch tape. Scotch tape you say? Yes! They had holders which you could pull out some tape and put on the back of your hand and swatch away on there with no mess. Genius! I don't know why nobodys thought of it before! I've used scotch tape for manicures/nail art before, and I know they are good to paint on, but I didn't even think of it either! They also had bins built into the wall, which was another good idea.. ;) 

I came away with about £30 worth of stuff I think? Which was quite good for me, I was trying to save money to hit Forever 21 and MAC aswell! The polishes worked out at £2.50 each, which is BRILLIANT, considering it's 11ml of polish! I think they were on offer though, because there were signs in the shop window? But the website has them on sale for £2.50 aswell, so I'm not sure! I'll show you what I got though :) 

It was so hard to decide on the colours, I wanted colours I hadn't really seen before but I ended up getting colours I just really couldn't take my eyes off. And really, the colours I bought are pretty similar to other colours in my collection! But these are the ones I settled on anyway, aren't they preeeetttyy?! I also picked up my very first magnetic nail polish, a single eyeshadow and a concealer. On to the swatches!

This is colour 300. (They don't have the names in store or on the bottle but they do on the website, so I'll find the names for you aswell!) Pearly Malachite Green. It's a gorgeous pearly blue/green, it's also got shimmer in too. The picture doesn't really express the vibrancy of this colour. 

Colour 319 Light Dove. This is the only colour I haven't worn properly yet, but it's your typical taupe/mink nude. I wasn't going to get it as I think I do have such similar colours, but it's gorgeous, I had to! Looks nicer in person aswell.

Colour 290 Dark Magenta. This colour has more purple in it, but the camera hasn't picked it up. It's really creamy, but this is one coat and it's still got a visible nail line. This colour doesn't seem so unique, but I picked it up because in the shop it seemed a bit similar to NARS Ratin Jot, part of the new Thakoon Nail collection. It's not as purple unfortunately, but the NARS polish has been on my list for a while, so this has filled my needs for the time being! And at £2.50 I can't complain! 

Colour 375 Bois De Rose. Gorgeous dusky rose, again I have similar, but it's just so pretty, I love it! Don't really think these sort of shades suit my skin tone, but ah welllllll.

 Colour 341 Cobalt Green. Again, the colour isn't completely accurate in the picture. It leans a bit more turquoise, and in store this totally reminded me of OPI Fly (Nicki Minaj collection), and I L O V E that colour! I only have the mini version of it aswell, so obviously I couldn't put this one down, and I now love this one too :) 

Colour 255 Violet Microglitter. Holographic glitter in a dark purple polish, do I need to say more? I was just mesmerised by the bottle! The tester bottle was SO dried out and used up, I've never seen one like it! Cheekily swatched another bottle and fell in love. When it dries, it dries a bit grainy and bumpy, so I just whack a glossy top coat on top and I'm good to go! Worth a look if you like your sparkle!

Magnetic Nail Polish Colour 703 Wine Red. My first magnetic polish, and I wanted a colour that was a bit different, but when I saw a pink one I couldn't not have it ;) According to the website it looks like they have 8 magnetic polish colours, including a gorgeous light pinky silver colour! I like that you buy the magnets seperate to the polish, so you're not stuck with just one in the cap like other brands. Unfortunately they only offer 2 designs at the moment. The polish is £2.50 and the magnet is £1.90, so hardly bank-breaking at £4.40 in total! 

This was one of my first tries, and I accidently smudged my middle finger by holding the magnet too close, oops! I found that it doesn't seem to be too strong a pattern, maybe it's the colour? But then again maybe the colour/formulation isn't great? But it's not too bad for my first try!

 

Single Eyeshadow Colour 121 Matt Dove Gray- £4.90 This caught my eye just before going to the till, it's a colour I don't think I have, or that I would usually be able to find anywhere. Turns out the colour name is the same of the nude polish I bought! So I assume they're supposed to be the same colour! So it's a taupe/grey, matte finish, that's why I was drawn to it. It's really soft and buttery, but had to swipe it a few times for the swatch. I still haven't worn this yet, so I can't comment on wear time or anything. 

Natural Concealer Colour 04 Green. When I swatched this in the shop I saw how straight away it covered redness and brightened instantly. Really creamy and pigmented, I thought it would be perfect for  me and my stupid redness :( So chucked it in my basket. I've used it a few times, and it definately covers redness, I wouldn't say it lasts all day, I end up putting other concealer on aswell. But I swipe this along the bottom of my face under my foundation to help cover my red cheeks and it does help.  This cost £5.50

This was something I noticed when I had moved on from the nail polishes, the prices rise dramatically. The blushers were £7.50, but when swatching them I found them to be horrible! Chalky and not pigmented at all. I think the only products there that really impressed me were the nail polishes. I've worn them all but one so far and I love them! Coverage is great, drying time is alright, the lid is easy to hold, the brush isn't my favourite sort, but I love bigger brushes like Essie's diffusion line and such. They're all pigmented, and none of the polishes I've picked up are watery or runny, or too thick and gooey. So a massive thumbs up from me. I suggest you have a look on the website or if you do visit Westfield in Stratford I urge you to go and have a look around the shop! There's a bright blue that's very similar to Nails Inc Baker Street, and I'm pretty sure this isn't the only dupe available!

Also, on the website at the moment KIKO have a great offer running, click the picture to go there! They also have a sale running, with a minimum of 30% off products, and they even have nail art brushes in the sale! 

xo.