Mini Haul #4

I am trying not to spend as much money on beauty. I have so many lipsticks and so many nail polishes and so many hair care products and so many MUA eye shadow palettes. But can I help myself? No! Everytime I go shopping, I seem to buy more stuff I don't need. I just want them! Being a beauty blogger definitely does not help! I see so many bloggers raving about the latest product and I just have to have it! I don't go shopping as much as I used to, which is a good start. But when I do go shopping, I go shopping! I spend money I don't have and time just passes before my eyes. I can't be the only one! 

Denman Classic Styling Brush  / Denman Dressing Out Brush / Denman Professional Comb

My hair is in very bad condition. Years of heat styling and colouring is not good for anyone's hair especially if it was dry to start with! I have always used cheap brushes and combs for my hair. I don't know why as my mum always has a Denman brush. I just thought I'm not spending that much money on a brush! Considering it's something I use everyday, several times a day, I should have just purchased the above years ago! I'm obviously tight with my money! 

I bought a Tangle Teezer the other month as my hair is always tangled and when using my 'cheap' brush I could actually hear my hair snapping! Not good! I thought what's the point in spending £10.99 on a Tangle Teezer when I continue to use cheap brushes as I'm not going to see the results. So I decided to take the plunge and invest in some good hair tools. I'm sure you're all aware it was 3 for 2 last month in Boots, which I definitely used to my advantage. I purchased a Denman Classic Styling Brush, which was only £6.99. I don't know why I thought they were more expensive. My hair is extremely thick and volume is something I try to avoid, rather than create, so a backcombing brush/comb was the last thing I thought I would buy. After watching a video on PixiwooMadness, I saw one being used to smooth hair rather than create volume or backcombing the hair. I knew I had to get myself one as I always have flyaways and frizzy bits of hair and I hate them! Sam actually said she bought a pink Denman one, obviously I had to have a pink one! So I bought the Denman Dressing Out Brush. I'm really looking forward to testing it out! 

As my hair is long and thick, I tend to always have a wide comb in the shower for when I am washing my hair. Yes, you guessed it, I am currently using a cheap one. It looks disgusting now as most of the paint has come off! It was definitely time for a new one and as it was 3 for 2, it would be rude not to! I stuck with Denman as I wanted quality brushes and combs in my collection. So I bought the Denman Professional Comb. I use my Tangle Teezer on wet hair once I'm out of the shower but the instructions said to keep heat away from it and I have my shower pretty hot so the comb is for in the shower. I usually comb my hair when a conditioner or hair mask is on. 

Tresemme Platinum Strength Deep Conditioning Treatment / Dove Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Spray / VO5 Treat Me Right Deep Conditioning Treatment

I am a little bit obsessed with hair treatments at the moment. I use a mask almost everytime I wash my hair and usually always apply oil before drying my hair. Tresemme Platinum Strength Deep Conditioning Treatment is a fairly new product and many beauty bloggers have shared their love for the range. I caved into the hype and thought I would try the deep conditioning treatment. 

Another product that gets a lot of love is the Dove Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Spray. I love applying oil to my hair and I have really noticed a difference in the texture of my hair. I'm looking forward to using an oil spray as it will leave less mess and I think it will allow for even distribution. The oil is lightweight and claims to defrizz hair - perfect! It can also be used on wet or dry hair. I shall report back on this. 

I have tried a couple of products from VO5 recently that I have really enjoyed using so I thought I would give the VO5 Treat Me Right Deep Conditioning Treatment a try. It claims to intensely condition, strengthen and repair dry, damaged hair and leave hair smooth, silky soft and radiantly shiny. Sounds promising! 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation / Collection Colour Lash Mascara in Clear / MUA Undress Me Too Eyeshadow Palette / Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer / Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss in 16 / Topshop Lipstick in Innocent / Topshop Nail Polish / 17 Doll'd Up Mascara / Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream / Natural Collection Blusher in Peach Melba

To be honest, Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation wasn't a foundation that I was interested in. I prefer a matte finish with my foundation and Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation gives a healthy, radiant glow. There is a lot of hype around the foundation, with many bloggers preferring it over high end foundations, but that still didn't draw me in. Usually this foundation is £8.99 and in the end a special offer drew me in. One week when I was doing the weekly shop in Morrisons, I spotted it on offer for £4.99! It's definitely worth a try for that price.

Collection Colour Lash Mascara in Clear is a repurchase. I use this to set my brows and you can see what I think in more detail here. Mascaras don't have a great shelf life as it is but as I'm using this on my brows, my current one looks disgusting so I had to purchase another one. They're only £1.99 so I plan to repurchase every two to three months. 

I already have three MUA palettes but does that stop me wanting another? No! I already have the Undressed palette, which is a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palette. So when I heard they had brought out a new palette, which was a dupe for the UD Naked 2 palette, I had to have it. I don't own either of the UD palettes but when I look at comparison posts they look so alike. MUA Undress Me Too Eyeshadow Palette looks amazing and I cannot wait to start using it. It's only £4 and all the other MUA palettes are amazing quality. 

Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer have taken the beauty world by storm. They are a hybrid lipstick and lipgloss product and offer a fresh take on lip products. It's taken me awhile to jump on the bandwagon mainly due to not knowing which shade to choose. In the end, I settled for Celestial and Nova. These look like perfect colours for me and from first impressions, I love their texture. 

I have two Rimmel lipsticks by Kate Moss but both are from the matte collection. When I was purchasing the Apocalips, it was 3 for 2 and I spotted Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss in 16. It looks like a beautiful Spring/Summer shade and I'm looking forward to seeing how the formula differs from the matte collection. Another lipstick I have purchased lately is the Topshop Lipstick in Innocent. This is actually a shade I have been wanting for a while but on this particular day, I couldn't resist. It's the third Topshop lipstick I have purchased and I love the others so no doubt I will love Innocent too. 

Whilst browsing the Topshop make up stand and purchasing Innocent, I spotted there was an offer on Topshop Nail Polish - two for £8. They are usually £5 or £6 so it isn't a massive saving but I simply couldn't resist. I love a blue nail polish so AWOL was so appealing to me and High Voltage is a lovely pink shade perfect for Summer. To be honest, I have lots of pink nail polishes but the Topshop formula is lovely and I couldn't resist the polka dot packaging. 

I have to be completely honest here - the only reason I purchased Seventeen Doll'd Up Mascara was because I had a voucher. The mascara is usually £6.29 but I got it for £2. Completely worth a try! Another product that was purchased because of a voucher was the Natural Collection Blusher in Peach Melba. I had a voucher to get extra points on my Boots Advantage card if I purchased something from Natural Collection.   I decided on the Peach Melba Blush as I had seen Lily Pebbles rate it so highly. She usually uses high end products so for a blusher that costs £1.99 to make it onto her face, it must be good!

Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream in Cotton Candy was only £2.99 and I had heard Llymlrs mention it in a few videos. I have already tried it before writing this post and I LOVE it. The formula is amazing - it feels very moisturising and dries matte and the colour is beautiful. It lasts several hours on the lips and for such a cheap product my first impressions are wow!

Which products have you purchased lately? Are there any products on your wish list?

Rachel x

Lost In Lipstick

Real Techniques Lash-Brow Groomer Brush - Review

Real Techniques Lash-Brow Groomer Brush

I'm sure you're all aware how much I love Real Techniques brushes. Almost all of my make up brushes are RT and this is the sixth one in my collection. I also own the Expert Face Brush, the Foundation Brush, the Powder Brush, the Blush Brush and the Setting Brush. I use every single one every day and I couldn't live without a single one. 

I shared my hate of my eyebrows in this post and a lash groomer is an essential tool in my make up routine. You can also read about my eyebrow routine here but basically this brush plays a massive part. The brush is a 2 in 1 lash and brow brush. One side has dense nylon bristles ready to tame my wild brows and the other side consists of a precision comb to separate and define eyelashes. The comb is pretty sharp so it comes with a protective cap to avoid any injuries!

I definitely use the brow side more as I need this every day. I don't necessarily need to use the lash comb all the time but it's great on those days where your eyelashes are not behaving and need a little encouraging in the right direction! Usually, these brushes come with plastic alternatives, which are useless, it's great to see a metal comb instead that actually works!

What's your eyebrow routine? Do you use a brow groomer?

Rachel x
Lost In Lipstick

October Favourites

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush £9.99 - Altogether I own 5 Real Techniques brushes - the Powder Brush, the Foundation Brush, the Blush Brush, the Setting Brush and this one. I love every single one and I completely understand all the hype surrounding them. I bought this brush to use with my liquid foundation, as I wasn't happy with the Foundation Brush. I had read that this brush provides more coverage with liquid foundation, which was exactly what I wanted. I now use the Foundation Brush with my concealer and I love how it blends and reaches in those hard to reach areas.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19 - This concealer is the best drugstore concealer I have ever tried! It is well worth the hype all around the Blogosphere. The price is fantastic and it provides great coverage for quite a few hours. I find it's too heavy for under the eye area. Instead I use Collection Illuminating Touch Brightening Concealer for under the eye area. I 100% recommend this concealer to everyone!

Rimmel Precious Stones Glitter Nail Polish in Diamond Dust £3.99 - I love glitter nail polish, although I hate taking it off! I cannot wait till nearer Christmas when I can get away with pairing it with red. The two negative points are that the polish dries extremely matte but this is nothing that a top coat cannot solve and the fact that it doesn't last very long. Even with a top coat, I got two days wear before it started to chip. But for the price, this is fab and I love the fact that it has different sizes of glitter particles.

Topshop Lipstick in Rumour Has It £8 - This is the second Topshop lipstick that I have purchased. The first was Mink, which I bought about a year and a half ago. I love both of the shades, maybe Rumour Has It a little more as I can wear it more on a daily basis. The texture of the lipstick is creamy and it glides onto the lips smoothly, providing moisture. The lipstick lasts a few hours before it needs reapplying. I definitely want more Topshop lipsticks, which shade do you recommend?

No7 Stay Perfect Foundation £14 - You can read my review here. I have been using this foundation every day since I got it. I love it. The shade is perfect for my skin tone as I had it matched. You can also read my views of the Match Made Service on my review of the foundation. It provides great coverage, which means I only need to dab a teeny tiny bit of concealer on my blemishes. I 100% recommend going to boots and having a foundation consultation. It's free!

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic £12.50 -You can read my review here. I love Liz Earle products, I have been using all the products in the Essentials now for several months. They have improved my skin so much. The Skin Tonic works like a toner but it doesn't have any alcohol in it so it won't dry your face out. I use it straight after Cleanse & Polish but before moisturising. I also use it throughout the day, as a spray, if I need refreshing and a quick boost.

Have you tried any of these products? What are you favourite products this month? 

Rachel x

Lost in Lipstick 

Real Techniques Foundation Brush - Review

Real Techniques Foundation Brush £9.99

I actually picked this brush up in September, along with the Powder Brush (review here). I absolutely love the Powder Brush. However, I'm not too keen on the Foundation Brush. I think it's good but it could definitely be better. This brush is part of the 'base' collection and I use it to apply liquid foundation and blend concealer. The Real Techniques brushes are created by Samantha Chapman. Her tutorial video for the Foundation Brush can be found here.

The Foundation Brush has an angled cut, which lets you build the coverage you need for an 'airbrushed' look. This is actually great for reaching those hard to reach areas, like around the nose, and it really gets right under the eye, allowing great coverage of bags! The brush has a lightweight, aluminium handle, which makes it super easy to use and hold. The bristles are made from synthetic taklon and are 100% cruelty free. The bristles are super soft and feel so gentle and luxurious on your face. The base of the brush is flat, meaning it can stand up on its own.

I try to deep clean my brushes once a week, but I feel foundation builds up on the brush. I'm pretty sure this shouldn't happen as the bristles are synthetic, but I'm no expert. I think it would benefit from being cleaned twice a week as the build up means the bristles clump together, creating a stripy effect on my face. There is a lot of hype around the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, part of the Core Collection, and I really want to give this a go with my foundation. Maybe I will use that as my foundation brush and keep the actual Foundation Brush as my concealer brush.

Have you tried the Foundation Brush? What are your opinions? Which brush do you use to apply foundation?

Rachel x
Lost In Lipstick

Wish List #3

Bourjois Volumizer Mascara - I have read fantastic reviews about this online. I desperately want to try it for myself! Is it worth the hype? £10.49

Topshop Nail Polish in Granite - I only have one Topshop Nail Polish at the moment, Pool Party (you can see my review here) but I am impressed with everything about it and this shade looks perfect for Autumn/Winter. £6.50

Real Techniques Core Collection - I mainly want this for the Buffing Brush but the whole collection looks lovely. I am so impressed with Real Techniques brushes. I currently have the Foundation Brush and Powder Brush (you can see my review here). This is a bargain in my opinion as it's only £21.99 and includes 4 full size brushes and a case.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light - This product is everywhere I look at the moment! I have chosen the light version as I suffer from spots and it's oil free. £25 (but you can buy travel sizes to try).

MUA The Artiste Collection - I am in love with MUA. Every single product that I have tried has impressed me and been of fantastic quality for low prices. How do they do it? This is one of the newer products and just looks beautiful! It's another bargain for £6!

What products are on your wish list? Have you used any of these products? Are they worth buying/the hype?

Rachel x
Lost In Lipstick

Everyday Make Up #1

Foundation - Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in 021 Nude

Concealer - Clinique All About Eyes Concealer in 01 Light Neutral

Bronzer - Rimmel Sunshimmer Bronzing Compact Powder in Light Matte

Blusher - Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush in Precious Posy

Eyeliner - Benefit BADgal Liner in Black

Mascara - Rimmel Extra Super Lash Mascara in 101 Black

Lipstick - MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Creme Cup (review here)

Brush - Real Techniques Powder Brush (review here)

This is just make up that I use everyday for work. At the weekends and if I go anywhere in the evenings, I wear slightly different products and a few more products! I have been using Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse for quite a few years now and I actually went along to Boots and had a foundation consultation at the No7 counter with the new Match Made Service. I am currently trying out the foundation and loving it, I will post a review soon about it and the service I received. I don't actually like this concealer, I find it very thick and difficult to blend under my eyes as my skin is so delicate. But it is a good cover up for blemishes. Again, I have been using this bronzer for years. I like that it is matte and doesn't contain any glitter. If you can recommend a good bronzer that doesn't have glitter in please do! I love this blusher, it's easy to apply, a lovely shade and comes with a fantastic angled brush. It also lasts a long time as it's hard wearing. I think I got this eyeliner free from a Glamour Magazine giveaway several years ago! I'm sure I should through it away now! Does anyone know how long ago the giveaway was? They don't even have it on the website any more! Another favourite product of mine is the Rimmel mascara, I always get compliments about my lashes when I'm wearing it (I am lucky though, my eye lashes are naturally long). I have been using it for years and I will continue to repurchase it. This is my first ever MAC purchase and you can read what I think here. This is another new product and you can read what I think here.

What products do you use everyday? What bronzer do you use?

Rachel x
Lost In Lipstick