What's in my Travel Makeup Bag

When I read this kind of posts, I like to see what people take with them on their holidays. What I don't understand is why to do so many people seem to take their entire makeup collection - like do you really need five shades of pink lipsticks?

I've packed lightly for two reasons - the first being that I'm going to America where it's quite hot and the second being that I'm buying quite a lot of make-up out there. I'm also making sure that I'm taking things which have SPF in it as I don't particularly fancy burning my face.

 I bought this make-up bag from Superdrug last year for £2.99. I'm a sucker for leopard print and surprisingly, this fits quite a lot into it with room for more.

17 BB Cream in Medium (SPF 25)

Motives Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation (SPF 15)

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Sandstorm

Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder in Translucent

Collection 2000 Shimmer & Shade in Just Peachy!

Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer

17 Photo Flawless Skin Primer 

VIVO Baked Bronze in Healthy Glow

3 x Maybelline BB Cream in Light (SPF 30)*

3 x Garnier BB Cream in Light*

 Studio 35 Powder Blush

ELF Eyeliner Brush (used for concealer)

ELF Concealer Brush (used for eyebrows)

ELF Eyeshadow Brush

ELF Blush Brush

ELF Stipple Brush

Makeup sponge

ELF Makeup Mist & Set

17 Wild Curls in Wildest Black

ELF Lash & Brow Clear Mascara

Natural Collection Eyeshadow in Crushed Walnut

Carmex

What do you keep in your travel make-up bag?

NELLY.COM

I recently won a competition held by the beautiful Caroline over at All About The Girl courtsey of NELLY.COM to win one of two £50 giftcards to be spent on their website. Like everybody is when they win something, I was so happy. This couldn't have come at a better time - especially when my trip to America is only around the corner.

I had never heard about NELLY.COM before until a few people I follow on Twitter started retweeting a few of their tweets. For those who don't know about them, NELLY.COM is a Swedish business that begun back in 2004 who focus mainly on beauty and fashion. They stock over 750 different brands in their product range which cater for men and women aged between 18 and 35.

 VERO MODA MAROCCO T-SHIRT IN PINK || £19.95*

The first item I came across was this pink dip dyed cropped top which I instantly fell in love with. I just had to have it! It's in that shade of pink which will look good with a tan, which is a bonus as I'll hoping to get very tanned whilst I'm out in America. I didn't know what their sizes are like so I played it safe and got it in size large (14) which I now kind of regret as it's a little too big however I prefer it that way as I'm not showing too much of my stomach.

 VERO MODA MAROCCO T-SHIRT IN YELLOW || £19.95*

I then got the exact same top but in yellow. I don't know why but I think the dip dyed affect of it just made me want it in yellow as well. I have to admit, it does look cute. The only downside/s about this is that once again, I played it safe and ordered it in a large and no doubt I will attract flies whilst wearing this 

(Cause flies love yellow clothing).

 CINE COLLAR || £4.95*

After looking through the rest of their clothing, I couldn't find anything else which made me want to buy it there and then - there were things which I wanted but they were a tad overpriced in my opinion. I decided to get some collar tops as I have a beautiful vintage blouse which would look beautiful with them on. And because I've been wanting some for ages but didn't particularly fancy getting them from Hong Kong.

  MIYO NAILED IT! NAIL POLISH IN GRAPE || £4.95*

The last item that I decided to get was a nail polish as you can never have enough nail varnishes, right? I decided on a nice minty, more green than blue nail polish from MIYO called Grape. Why it's called Grape is beyond me but I don't have a shade like this colour and thought what the heck.

I cannot fault NELLY.COM at all with their fabulous array of products at okay-ish prices however I extremely dislike their shipping supplier UPS. Not for the fact that it took 10 days to get here from Switzerland because I was completely fine with that, it's just the fact that according to UPS, that the end of the day is half 2 which is when they tried to deliver it. And even then, they didn't leave a "We tried to deliver but you were out" note like what Royal Mail does. So I rung them up three times (as their phoning system layout SUCKS) and finally got through to somebody who would arrange for me to pick it up from the UPS centre near me which was only down the road. 

I would just like to thank the wonderful Caroline again for this giveaway and being ever so hopeful when I had problems with the giftcard number.

Have you bought anything from NELLY.COM?

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Stress Control 3-in-1 Daily Cleansing Lotion

Try saying that as fast as you can!

I had bought this in Boots when I was in Great Yarmouth for when I ran out of my current cleanser. I think this was the only cleanser that I could find in that Boots which contained only the word "cleansing" - the rest seemed to tone my skin as well which I didn't particularly fancy.

This product claims to deeply cleanse your skin, reduce excess oil and shine on your face and helps to clear you face of spots. I have to agree with most of this - I do feel that this deeply cleanses my skin, when I apply this after my exfoliating wash that is. This helps to make my face feel that little bit cleaner, getting rid of the makeup that my exfoliating wash missed. 

It also does help reduce the excess oil and shine on my face as I've noticed a real change in my face since I've started using this. My skin feels softer and doesn't look shiny at all. It sometimes helps to clear spots - this, teamed up with my exfoliating wash and Quinoderm really does the trick when they're all combined together to get rid of spots.

Now, despite all this - I only have one problem with it. No matter how far away from my eyes when I first apply it, they start to sting and water. Perhaps it's the smell or there is something in this which my eyes don't agree with, I honestly don't know. The stinging does go away after a few seconds but it's just every time I use it. Am I the only person who's experienced this?

You can purchase this product as well as most of Neutrogena's range from both Boots and Superdrug for £3.99 I'd be quick though and hurry along to Boots as it's 2 for £5 on selected Neutrogena!

Superdrug Beauty Card Haul

Whenever I make my way to pay for something from Boots or Superdrug, I always make sure that I have my loyalty card for that shop ready as I will appreciate it later on down the line. Fact.

I'm sure many of you own a loyalty card or two and adore spending the points you earn on them - I myself am one of those. I told myself that I would save up my Boots points for the Real Techniques Core Collection - I got up to 700 points and decided to spend them all. It takes a lot of determination and displicine to stop yourself from spending your points if you ask me.

Superdrug released their own loyalty card in May 2011 where you earn one point for every £1 you spend (Two points for every £1 you spend on Superdrug Own Brand items) which is a little stingy when you compare it to Boots who offer four points for every £1.

After having accumulated quite a few points, I decided to spend them all on a few things that I needed wanted in my life.

From L-R

Hand Therapy Intensive Hand Cream

After falling in love with their 3in1 Hand Cream, I decided I would go out and buy the 75ml version so that I could take it on the plane with me but at £1.99 there was no way I was going to buy it. Instead, I settled on this one which I'm sure will help protect my hands whilst I'm out in America at the end of the month. Especially since I've been told I have to help my Grandma milk the cows.. Eek!

£1.39 for 75ml

Superdrug Own Coconut Oil

After reading all about Charlotte's update on how her hair wouldn't grow and how she recommended a few products (Read her amazing post here). I just had to get my hands on some coconut oil but not at £6.99! A blogger said that Superdrug did their own version but cheaper and I just had to get it! I haven't tried this out yet but I'm so eager to and see the results.

£1.99 for 125ml

Coconut & Sweet Almond Intensive Conditioner

After reading Danielle's post on how this product has made her hair full of life, I hoped that my local Superdrug stocked it. Which it did, thank god! I've been using this every time I wash my hair and I seem to leave it in for ten minutes or so rather than the recommended three to five minutes. I've seen my hair honestly change - it gave instant results! A tiny pinch goes a long way with this! You can expect a review of this real soon!

£1.49 for 375ml

 

Raspberry & Macadamia Nut Conditioner

This was most definitely an impulse buy which has persuaded me to use up the rest of my conditioners before I can start on this. It's cheap and cheerful and smells delicious! I could honestly eat it. I like the fact that it has a pump on it instead of you having to squeeze it..

99p for 250ml

Raspberry & Macadamia Nut Shampoo

Just like with the conditioner, this is a impulse buy too. I'm definitely going to use up the many shampoos I have on the go/in backup before I will use this. I wish all shampoo's were pour out of the bottles ones instead of some being that way and the rest you have to squeeze.

99p for 250ml

I would just to quickly apoligize for not blogging as much - I've found myself becomming addicted to Pinterest and spending time with Liam. I've also found that I have't had much to blog about either - perhaps I have writers bloggers block? ;)

June Favourites

I'm finding that my monthly favourites is starting to decrease by one product..That's probably because I'm reaching more for the products that I cannot live because they work well for me and therefore loving them instead of using products that I've bought simply because I had to have it.

 From L-R

Collection 2000 Shimmer & Shade in 3 Just Peachy!

This product has to be the best bargain buy I've ever bought from Poundland - 3 for £1! And I'm so glad that I did buy it when I saw it as it's the best highlighter for my skin. It gives my skin just enough shimmer to not look overdone but it makes my skin look very radiant. I've been reaching for this everytime I do my makeup and I just love how it looks. I can definitely see myself not running out of this anytime soon.

Motives by Loren Ridinger Vitamin C Lip Treatment

I was sent this lovely product (Read all about the Motives By Loren Makeup here) and I've found myself using this daily as a base for my lipstick. I like to use this after I've applied Carmex and rubbed it off as I've found it helps keep my lips moisturised throughout the day. I also like to keep this in my handbag and reapply it as and when my lips feel slightly dry.

Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer in Medium

I bought this at the start of June when I was in Great Yarmouth with Liam, purely because Sophia kept on going on about it and raving about how good it is. I'm glad that you made me buy this Sophia! It's a simple 3 step concealer - You apply the under eye brightening concealer first followed by the superwear face concealer and then finishing with the concealer sealing powder. I like to use this under my eyes as it definitely does hide bags very well. This product is definitely worth investing in!

Superdrug Hand Therapy 2 in 1 Hand & Nail Cream

Okay, so I bought this on the last day of June but it's that good, that it has to be included in my June Favourites. This hand cream honestly has done wonders - it makes your hands feel softer and more moisturised and it helps out your nails as well. It has a sweeter version of sun tan lotion smell to it which does go after a while. I love this that much that I'm definitely going to buy the smaller version to go to America with.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Gentle Exfoliating Wash

I never used to use a face wash until I bought this. I cannot live without this! It contains soft micobeads which helps to exfoliate dead skin cells whilst helping to cleanse your face when massaged in. It has this weird scent to it which all I can describe as is chemical nice-ness. You can definitely tell the difference after you've used this as your skin looks brighter and just looks so clean.

What products have you been loving throughout June?

June Empties

One of my favourite posts to read is monthly empties posts - I like to see which products people have used up and just their general thoughts on them. I've discovered so many products this way, whether I should buy them or miss them altogether.

June has been a pretty busy month for myself, I've been rushing about everywhere and doing everything so it's not surprising the amount of products I've gotten through this month! This is probably because I haven't been chopping and changing as much and have finally gotten through many half full products!

 001. Tresemme Colour Thrive Blonde Shampoo: I bought a few of these in bulk when I first went blonde and have been slowly making my way through them. Since having gone back to blonde from red, I've noticed that this shampoo does nothing to make my hair keep its blondeness - it only makes it feel softer.

Would I repurchase? Nope - As I have more than enough in backup.

002. Tresemme Colour Thrive Blonde Conditioner: Just like with the shampoo, I bought quite a few in bulk. The only difference with this is that I've noticed that if I use too much, it's impossible to make sure that it's all washed out; if I use too little, I feel as if my hair isn't clean enough therefore I have a love hate relationship of this as I honestly have to get the right amount between the two for it to be silky smooth.

Would I repurchase? Nope - As I have more than enough in backup.

003.Tresemme Heat Defence Styling Spray: I've been using this product constanstly for the past five years and I swear by it. I find that this does the trick and is also the perfect nozzle shaped spray as well to get a decent amount sprayed onto your hair.

Would I repurchase? Yes - when I've finally used up my back-ups.

004. Loreal Matte Morphose Foundation Sample in Creamy Natural 140: I don't think you can get this product in the shops anymore which is a good thing as I think this is the product to blame for my little break up which I've just overcome. It's medium to full coverage which I quite liked as well long-lasting but it just wasn't for me.

Would I repurchase? Nope.

005. Loreal True Match Foundation in N4 Beige: This is the liquid version of the Roll on Foundation which I swore by. Despite it not being my exact colour, it worked perfectly with my skin. It blended in nicely, was light coverage - overall I rather enjoyed it.

Would I repurchase? Probably not.

006. Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in 200 Soft Beige: This foundation claims to last for 25 hours yet it only lasted 8 which is still not bad. It felt lightweight on my skin and was medium coverage.

Would I repurchase? Maybe

007. Salon System Individual Lashes in Ultra Black Medium: This is what beauty salons use for eyelash extensions and I cannot fault these at all. They look so natural and I already have a pack waiting to be used.

Would I repurchase? Definitely! Again and again!

008. Imperial Leather Sensuous Silk with Orchid & Jasmine Bath Cream: I picked this up from Poundland and a little goes a long way with this! It made tons of bubbles which lasted for ages and it smelt devine. A truly good bubble bath cream!

Would I repurchase? Yes.

009. Allura Nail Polish Remover: Near enough all cheap nail varnishes are the same, just with different packaging. It does the trick so I cannot complain.

Would I repurchase? Yes.

010. Charlie Pink: This is pretty much one of my favourite Charlie sprays. I just love how it smells and it lasts for a very modest 2 - 3 hours which is not that bad for a body spray. It's cheap and cheerful and that's how I like it.

Would I repurchase? Yes.

011. Lynx Attract For Her: I remember looking everywhere for this back in January and bought four when I finally did find it. This can lasted for five months which is pretty darn good. It does the trick, smells nice and I love it.

Would I repurchase? Definitely.

012. Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash Sample: This has such a nice scent to it - it's unbelievable! I used one of my three samples of this and it did the trick. My face felt cleaner and softer which is what I like my facial washes to do.

Would I repurchase? Already have but in full size.

013. Witch Cleanaway Cleanser: I had a love hate relationship with this cleanser - Some days it made my face feel really clean and refreshed and on other days I really detested it. That's probably because it stunk a little too much of witch hazel but none the less, it did do the trick.

Would I repurchase? No as I'm currently trying out other cleansers.

014. Simple Purifying Toner: This is the first ever toner that I've tried. It made my skin feel fresh and soft and I knew that it was puryifying my skin. I'm sad to see it all used up but I shall keep the bottle to fill up with my new toner for when I go away to America at the end of the month.

Would I repurchase? Yes - if it wasn't discontinued.

015. Australian Bodycare Argan Cream w/ Vitamin E: This is my favourite moisturiser and I will always keep on using it! I always seem to use a jar a month so I'm glad that I have a lot in back up. This leaves my skin feeling really moisturized as well as nourished.

Would I repurchase? Definitely! Time and time again!

016. Allura 125 Soft White Cotton Balls: I like to use these for mainly removing nail polish and sometimes make up. They do the trick so I cannot complain. And - they're only £1 from Poundland which means that I'm not breaking the bank.

Would I repurchase? Yes.

017. Allura 75 Cotton Pads: I've recently found out that the texture of these varies from store to store which is kinda odd. None the less, these are perfecting for cleansing and toning my skin with and they do the trick. Complete and utter bargain for £1 for two.

Would I repurchase? Definitely 

018. Pure 3in1 Make Up Removal 25 Complete Cleansing Wipes: I like to use these for everything and not just for removing my makeup. They're so handy and I always make sure that I have a load in back up. 

Would I repurchase? Of course.

019. x2 Pure Exfoliating 20 Complete Cleansing Wipes: Just like with the 3in1 wipes, I use these for everything. I definitely did find that these exfoliated my skin but I can't understand why there's only 20 in a pack. None the less, they're a bargain when it's 2 for £1

Would I repurchase? Of course.

Phew! That was quite a lot of products! I'm glad that I finally have some space in my drawers and can now go buy new products to replace the ones in back up. My July Empties Post will be slightly earlier as I'm going away to America on the 25th so look out for that!

How many products have you used up?

Whats In My Handbag: Percy & Reed Dry Conditioner

What's In My Handbag (WIMH) is an online website which allows you to discover the beauty products that everybody loves. It's kind of like an online beauty cabinet - you browse through handbags or upload your own, if there is something that you have, you press Have This or if there is something that you want, you press Want This; However, you're only allowed 10 Wants a month. It's pretty straight forward really.

Every week, they allow their users to try the beauty products that everybody loves. It varies from week to week. If that week, the try is something that you've always wanted to try - you simply fill in your address and complete their little questionaire. Fingers crossed and you may be chosen.

Last week's try was Percy & Reed "No Fuss Flawlessness" Dry Conditioner which I dutifully wanted and thus I completed the questionaire and completely forgot about it. That was until the postman knocked on the door on Saturday with a little black box and I jumped for joy.

I was honestly not expecting it to be presented like that at all - It looks so professional looking, being in a little black box, and the product wrapped up in black tissue paper with a simple yet elegant sticker. 

The product states "Give your hair healthy softness and shine, without the H2o. Our fab conditioning formula reduces damage caused by brushing as well as adding gorgeous, glossy shine to even very dry hair. Result!"

I bet you've already heard of Dry Shampoo's and probably have one in your drawer but I completely agree with you on the whole I've never heard of a dry conditioner before.

Being eager to try it out, I attempted to spray it in my hair which was literally impossible! I had to press down pretty hard just to get it to start spraying. Now, this product honestly smells like hairspray - not the dry shampoo spray scent I was expecting despite it being dry conditioner. I only sprayed the teeniest amount on my hair and I must admit, it did make my hair feel softer but I can't see any shine in it. 

Overall, I can't see myself using this product on a daily basis however I'll be taking it away with me to America at the end of the month where I'm sure that I'll use it up with all the heat and stuff.

Don't take my word on it though as I'm sure it works for other people just I personally found the pressing down on the first attempt and almost choking on it a little too much which has made me dislike the product.

Percy & Reed No-fuss Flawlessness Dry Conditioner is £12 for 150ml and can be bought from here, here or here