Tuesday 16 June 2015

Bullring, Birmingham, Birthday!

So me and my best friend went shopping in Birmingham, Bullring for her birthday (11th June). Birmingham is about 1h30mins away from where we live, so it was good to get away and have some good shops for a change! We decided to do this a few months ago, basically an excuse to have a look around the shops and spend money unnecessarily. We had such a great day, we have been best friends for 15 years and not once have we been away shopping by ourselves, which is so mad! Anyway, I'm gunna show ya what I got..

Forever 21


Light blue sandal
 When I saw these I instantly fell in love, they are just perfect for summer and I just love the design. I always look for a new pair of sandals in the summer, I normally go for tan ones. However I have been into my pastels recently.  I wasn't too sure on the colour of these ones at first, I'm going to be honest. I did try and find some other colours, but it seemed they only had the blue ones. Which on hindsight I'm happy with. I could just picture myself wearing them with some cute summer dresses or white jeans and a flowery top! I'm very excited to wear these, I just think they are soooo cute!!
rrp: £21.00  
Toenails - Essie: Fiji 

Basic hair bobbles 
I was having a mooch around the hair/jewellery accessories and I spotted these. Which you are probably thinking why have I even included them in this post, they are just basic hair bobbles... and yes they are. The reason being.. is because I normally pick my hair bobbles in Primark for £1 and I thought when I spotted these ones in Forever 21 they would be at least £2 however I was pleasantly surprised because these were only 75p. Therefore I thought what a bargain and brought them straight away. 
rrp: £0.75

Victoria's secret

Push up pink bra
 Firstly Victoria's secret has/had a sale!!! Go check out the website or shop itself, they are so helpful in there and its like 50% off *jumping so happy*
When we were in Birmingham I didn't plan on going in Victoria's secret at all, but when we saw the SALE sign, we had to have a mooch. So I ended up picking this beauty out, I absolutely love the detail and the cute little pink bow at the front. It's unbelievably soft, and such a good quality bra! Highly recommend checking them out, I can't unfortunately tell you the style of this one, because I don't actually know :( sorry!
SALE rrp: was - £49.50 I paid - £24.50 
Nails: Rimmel - Urban Purple 


Boots
No7 - Beautifully Matte Foundation 
There was a few reasons why I wanted to get this foundation.. 
1) I really love my No7 skincare selection (check the blogpost out - first one I ever did http://helenmmx.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/no7-beautiful-skin.html). 
2) I have oily skin, which is very annoying in the summer, because it just seems to slide off my face. Therefore having a foundation tailored to that I thought seemed logical. 
3) I needed to get colour matched without wearing my fake tan, because I don't have a foundation atm for when I'm not fake tanned. Btw: I was calico (the lightest shade - haha) 
4) No7 vouchers are out in Boots, so when you spend £4 in store on anything, you receive a No7 voucher for £3 off makeup and £5 off skincare which is always a bonus.
I have been wearing this foundation for the last two days since I purchased it, I really like it so far, it goes on smoothly and the colour match is great for me - totally recommend getting colour matched! Also, I have noticed I don't need to powder as much too, which is always a good thing. If you have oily skin like me, I would recommend trying this foundation out :) 
rrp: £13.50
voucher applied: £10.50

Nip & Fab skin Serum 
I can't give too much of a review for this serum, because I feel I haven't used it enough to give an honest opinion. So far I have really been enjoying using it, before I got this serum, I never really used a serum (I know that's probably so bad - but I'm only young and I don't think too) don't hate me, haha. But this serum sinks into my skin beautifully, I use it before my moisturiser every morning and night. It claims to plump your skin up, which scares me slightly, however my skin does seem firmer and much more tonned. This one was on offer at Boots as well, me and my friend both picked this one up. 
rrp: £9.97
normally: £19.95

Biore deep cleanser
This was a recommendation to me by my friend that I went shopping with, she said her sister has been using it and it's made a real difference with her skin. My skin has decided to get a few blemishes recently, so I thought I would give this a whirl. Again, I can't give a great review as I haven't been using it for that long. But it's supposed to get rid of all the dirt and grime out of you skin and leave it feeling cleaner and cleansed. I do feel a difference when I put it on, it's one of those products that when you apply it you can feel something happening. You don't need too much of this as well, I normally have 1 pump and a half - very good value for money. This was also on offer at Boots, I believe it was 30% off. 
rrp: £3.49
normally: £4.99

Boots Skin Clear - daily face scrub
This was a repurchase of mine, I have got this many times before. It just works so well with my skin, and it's very good value for money. When I first tried this I got scared by the word "scrub" because my skin is still young and sensitive. But don't be put off by that word, it's the most creamy "scrub" I have ever used. My skin really is clearer when I use this, and like I said before I have been getting some blemishes recently, and I believe it was because I finished my old one of these up!! So I was a must repurchase product! 
On offer as well at Boots. 
rrp: £1.74
normally: £3.49

Boots tea tree & witch hazel face mask 
I purely picked this up because it was about 50p on offer at Boots and I thought I would give it a go. I have already used this. Some packet face masks they either put too much product in and then you have loads spare and you feel as if you have wasted it, or then don't put enough in and you can only do one side of your face! However with this one, it was the perfect amount for my face, and I've never had that before! My skin felt like it had a really good deep cleanse with this mask, it did feel tighter after using it as well. When I purchased this one I didn't realise it was a peel off mask, I just threw it in my basket. I'm not a big fan of peel off face masks, I'm not really sure why but I wish it wasn't a peel off one, that's my only personal complaint with this product.
rrp: £0.49
normally: £0.99

 Neutrogena - Hand and nail cream
I picked this hand and nail cream up because my soap and glory hand food had run out, however I have been using this for the past few days, and I love it! It makes my hands super soft, I suffer with dry hands practically all year round, which sucks. So I need a hand cream all the time, this one is great and would highly recommend. I probably will repurchase my soap and glory hand food again, just because I love it. But I would also repurchase this one again.. hmm, I can't decide which one I prefer!?!?!
rrp: £2.09
normally: £4.19

Extra & Randoms

Soap and Glory - whipped clean shower butter
Basically yano it was my best friends birthday, she gave me this.. because she is just the best. On her birthday, she gives ME something?!? whaaa, haha. Anyway, the story is she doesn't like this at all, I think it's the smell she doesn't like, which yano everyone to there own and all that. On the other hand, I absolutely love this, the scent it just amazing, if you have never smelt this, go and smell it!! I love the perception of a shower butter as well, I use it to shave my legs mainly. You can pick it up in Boots and supermarkets I guess.

Samples and fragrances we tried
Kiehls - midnight recovery treatment (haven't used yet) 
Tom Ford fragrance - sorry I don't know what one it is, they just passed it to me. Smells amazing though, I love love love it! Apologies for the cheeky lipstick on there too, haha. 
Jo Malone - Blackberry and Bay fragrance.. we weren't actually too sure on this one. Wanted to smell it because loads of other beauty bloggers rave about it. 

Chanel - Coco Mademosielle
I didn't actually get this fragrance when we went to Birmingham, I ordered it online at Boots. But I thought I would include it as it arrived literally the day before we went on our shopping adventure. I love this perfume, and I always think Chanel means treat yourself, it wasn't a cheap perfume, but it is very luxurious and beautiful. Like everyone else, I won't be able to explain the smell of this perfume.. but all I can say is it's amazing and I looooove it. 
rrp: £67.50 (50ml) 







SHARE:

Tuesday 9 June 2015

My new holy grail foundation from the Drugstore/highstreet - Review

You always find the unexpected when you aren't looking, right?
Well I was just looking around new bits in Boots, and there was a new foundation in the Rimmel stand (it's not new now - well I would say a few months) obviously when I got it, it was a new one out. It's the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Full Coverage Foundation. It was on offer when I got it, £4.99. I guess that was the introductory price, that was part of the reason I got it because it was cheap. Who doesn't love a bargain?!


Honestly I love this foundation, it's gorgeous and just suits my skin perfectly. I have oily skin, which makes foundation hard because they just move around my face and I feel like I need to powder so much, then my foundation looks cakey.. it's just a bloody nightmare to be quite honest! Anywho, with this foundation I don't need to powder as much, on some days I don't powder at all (when I'm wanting that dewy/glowy look - which is probably the only good thing about having naturally oily skin).

There are two different types of coverage with this Rimmel foundation. The one I got is the full coverage version. The other version is one I would be very willing to try! It's the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Nude Foundation, which is a medium coverage.


The difference?

 Rimmel London Lasting Finish Full Coverage Foundation - Is obviously full coverage, I would say it's quite build-able. I use one layer on my skin, then on areas that need more coverage, I add a bit more. The packaging is a red top.

 Rimmel London Lasting Finish Nude Foundation - I haven't tried this one, therefore I don't have any opinions on it. Only that I would love to try it it and it appeals to me. The packaging of this one is that it's got a white top. Therefore that's the difference between the full coverage and medium coverage.

Key points as to why I love this foundation so much..

  1. It's cheap, its amazing to have a good drugstore foundation because you don't have to spend £20+ on a foundation that is high-end. 
  2. It has a comfort serum in, which I believe is the reason that I love it so much. It goes on so smooth and blends in lovely to my skin.
  3. The foundation lasts all day on me! It does claim to last 25 hours, but I do think that is ridiculous. I have never worn a foundation for that length on time in my life. But it does last on me around 9 hours, that's about how long I wear my foundation/makeup. 
  4. It comes in a glass bottle - for some this is not good. However for me, it feels like an expensive foundation, but it's not. When it's in a glass bottle, it just looks nice and the packaging is good, I like the packaging. The reason others might think it's not good.. is because of travelling, you don't really want a glass bottle for travelling. 
  5. It has a pump!!!! Some of you might be thinking, and?? It has a pump, don't all foundations have a pump?! Unfortunately not, I have my M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid and Nars Sheer Glow which do not come with a pump, which is such a nightmare and a money making idea in my opinion. You can buy the pump separately, but when you spend £20+ for a foundation, you expect a pump, well I do. I will just leave you to imagine the mess I have with foundations without a pump.. 
I am in the shade "100 Ivory" which is the lightest in the full coverage foundation, and sometimes is a bit dark for me, but is perfect for when I fake tan and I can then bronze up my skin some more. However the medium coverage version there is a "light porcelain" shade. Not sure why both versions don't have the same shades, but yano! I would say that is the only down side to the foundation. It could do with some more shades. 

I would seriously give this foundation a go though, it's amazing and works perfectly for my skin. It doesn't break me out, and I think I've rambled on enough as to why I love this foundation, haha. I have already got myself a back up of this foundation, I just love it!


Available - Boots/Superdrug.
Price, rrp - £7.99
Full Coverage and Medium Coverage options. 





SHARE:

Wednesday 3 June 2015

Fashion - New Look

It's June, it's summertime, it's holiday season, it's CLOTHES SHOPPING TIME! Soooo Lately, I have been loving New Look, I think it is blimmin' fantastic! I normally always pop into Topshop and want everything, and I probably still do.. but I just haven't been bothered to go in, I haven't needed to. I have just been loving the bits in New Look. If you haven't been into New Look for a while, go in, its great!!!

"Cute stripe tee"
This was the cheapest item that I picked up, I got this one in the sale. There was only a size 12 when I was on the website, but I don't mind it being a bit baggy for me. This is pretty much a bog standard top, its longer than a crop top, however its still perfect for highwaisted items. It's pink with grey stripes. It's that nice stretchy material that is nice for summer because it's quite a cool material. 
**SALE** was £6.99 down to £3.00

 "Bar back cami"
I picked these two up because I did have a white one I got a while ago and I loved it, wore it all the time and was just soooo comfy and easy to pair with items. So I got two more, one black and the other purple. There's so many colours to pick from with these. Also, there was an offer online, 2 for £8.00 or one was £5.99, so obviously I got 2. They are basically strappy vest tops, I always want items like this for summer because they are just so easy to throw on and they are comfy. They are V-Neck and do actually come down quite low, but you aren't showing all your boobies, don't worry. 
rrp: £5.99 each or 2 for £8.00

"Aztec floral joggers"
 This was the purchase I was most excited about to arrive. Just because they are wacky and out there for me. I just wouldn't picture myself wearing these. However I have been looking for something like this for a while, just to wear on plane journeys or just travelling in general. I've only tired these on, I haven't worn them properly, but they are so comfy and just perfect for summer. They are that cool material again, perfect for summer. These appealed to me as well, because I hate my legs, and wearing jeans in the summer months isn't always the best so these are a great alternative that you can get away with. They have a stretchy waist band as well, also these were in the petite section which if I'm quite honest I didn't know they had. But because I'm so short it's always hard finding trousers to fit me, but these are perfect. If you are like me though, I would recommend "try before you buy" however I didn't.. rebel.
£17.99

"Bardot camel"
The reason I got this purchase was because I've wanted an off the shoulder top for a while, I'm just not too sure about the colour of this one. However I think it's growing on me. It's just I don't own anything this camel colour. This one was in the sale as well from £9.99 to £5.00
**SALE**rrp: £5.00

 "Floral top"
This is defiantly a purchase I didn't need to make, I have too many things floral. I just love floral things, anything with a cute flower pattern on, I'm there. I'm a sucker for floral, and this one just made me buy her. Yes, its a female, I've decided. I know I'm going to wear this one lots, it's just a must have for summer. The back of this one is buttoned up with a lacey edge around the top, which is just so cute and pretty.
rrp: £12.99

"Fringe border kimono"

This is gorgeous, perfect for summer just an absolute must have! It's a cardigan/kimono, it's lace so it has cut out bits in, I can just see me wear the living day out of this, I'm never going to get out of it! I just want to throw on some highwaisted shorts a white top and this cardigan with some vans - outfit for the summer right there.. It's gorgeous, and if you are looking for a cardigan, have a look at this one. I originally saw this cardigan on a manikin in the outside window of my local New Look store, I asked inside about it and they had all sold out :( so I got the code, and ordered it online along with all this other stuff.. haha. 
rpp: £19.99

"Real Leather black loafers" 
I got these for work and because they are cute and pretty. I just absolutely love them, they are real leather which is a bonus and always good! They did these in a tan colour as well as black. But I got black because of work, I will wear them out and about as well, not just to boring work. 
rrp: £24.99

So that's all the bits I picked up recently in New Look, comment below your favourtie item that I purchased. Thanks for reading, hope you are having a fantastic day :) 





SHARE:
© Helen Marie. All rights reserved.
BLOGGER TEMPLATE BY pipdig