At Christmas I was treated to lots of lovely beauty products! I also bought lots of lovely beauty products! So I thought instead of a full-on "What I got for Christmas" post, I would opt for a collective beauty haul where I could show everything and also give a few mini reviews.
So without rambling here really are the beauties I received and bought over Christmas...
Ahhh, Lush how I love and also hate you. Yes, I'm female and used the H-word for Lush! You see for me I find most of Lush's products not very natural at all and freaking awful smelling! But then when I really look up products I do find some gems... they're just few and far between for me. So here are 3 products I purchased/received based on recommendation and looking up what the ingredients were and that also smell heavenly! I also wanted to pick up the frequently raved about Cupcake Face Mask but they'd all sold out *insert single tear emoji face*.
Let The Good Times Roll Cleanser
£6.75/100g - Lush here or in-store
This was a cleanser I knew I wanted after I'm sure Miss Budget Beauty mentioned in a video. The idea of actual popcorn being in a product had be intrigued and it being a non SLS/foaming product made it an instant winner for me. I've so far only used this twice but oh lordy, I love it! This truly smells like it could be some kind of popcorn-y cookie dough... a-mazing. It also has a scrub-y element to it which is a nice addition when removing makeup. Quite a unique cleanser that I know I will enjoy using.
Lush Butterfly Gift Set
£8.95 - Lush here on in-store
Contains - Ro's Argan Body Conditioner - 45g, Sultana Of Soap - 100g
First up in this glorious gift set is Ro's Argan Body Conditioner which is an in-shower body conditioner that is packed full of wonderful oils. The smell of this for me is just divine as I already love the smell of Argan Oil but with scents of cocoa oil and rose this is such a rich and dreamy scent. I've used this multiple times already and love it! It's a simple rub over the skin and wash off kind of product but once you step out of the bath/shower you really feel how conditioned and moisturised your skin is with all the oils. This set is also a great way to try out the body conditioner as for the full size it's actually a whooping £16.50!
As for the soap I have yet to try it out as I've been too busy smelling it and ahhh-ing at how amazing it smells (it's smells like a fruit almond cake fyi!). Also unlike most Lush soaps this is free from sulphates (SLS's) meaning it bound to be a more sensitive, non-drying soap and even by just feeling it I can tell how creamy it's going to be. May actually use this as a body soap over plonking it next to the sink.
Sooo much makeup here and exactly the products I love! Again these are a mixed of Christmas presents and a few after Christmas purchases. Just realised I must be going through a lip product addiction because there's a notable amount here!
theBalm Autobalm Palette
£13-15 - ASOS or Feel Unique (when in stock)
This little beauty is possibly my favourite product out of everything! I already love theBalm but overlooked this little palette as it didn't seem anything special. However I failed to realise how multi-purpose and travel friendly it was, with perfect shades - I know this will be a product that goes on all future holidays! This basically can be used as 3 eyeshadows for a lovely smokey eye, as a smokey eyeliner (wet or dry), a brow powder and a face/eye highlight! All the shades are beautiful but the highlighter is just stunning, as is the blusher. A very, very handy palette indeed!
Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in Demure
2 Revlon Products for £10 - Boots or £5 Lip Lacquers - Superdrug
I will admit this was a purchase solely due to the shiny packaging... I just couldn't resist. That and it was a pretty shade of course, but more the latter. There's something I really like about Revlon Lacquer Balms, they're just easy and minty. I just really like them as everyday throw-on lip colours. Demure is a very pretty sheer light pink that has a small amount of sparkle to it. It doesn't really do a lot to the lips but what it does is pretty and feminine. A thumbs up for this impulsive buy.
Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Razzle Dazzle Rose
£18.00 - ASOS here
This was a surprise Christmas present and one I was so pleased with! I'm a fan of Too Faced but hadn't tried out any lip products and if I had it would have been this lipstick range. The beautiful lipstick is a beyond lovely formula that smooths over the lips in one high pigmented swipe and looks super glossy. The shade is also beautiful but one I will be leaving until spring/summer as it's such a pretty pink. As for the packaging it's just so heavy and have a very satisfying slow close. Is it worth £18? Not really. Is it pretty? Hell yes. One to pick up if it's ever on sale!
As for the rest, because this is turning out to be more of an essay in length, I received two Barry M Cor Balmy Lip Balms that I'm quite excited to try out, a lovely Patisserie De Bain Lemon Bon-Bon Lip Balm (I have the Violet one and love it!), an interest looking novelty cereal lip balm, a Revlon Perfumerie Nail Polish in Italian Leather (perfect for winter) and L'Oreal Colour Infaillible in Coconut Shake.
Onto fragrance now as Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a new perfume or two. Especially with Boxing Day sales when reduced fragrance gift sets are aplenty!
Guerlain Insolence Eau De Parfum
£29.99/30ml - Boots here
Insolence is my signature fragrance, it's wonderful sweet violet scent is just perfect and something I never tire of wearing all year round. So as I'd just come to the end of a bottle I was very please to see this from my santa! This is one high end fragrance that can often be found reduced so a 30ml bottle won't break the bank, unlike a lot of other high end scents!
Philosophy Amazing Grace Fragrance Layering Set
WAS £35.00 Reduced £17.50 - Boots in-store
This was a little after Christmas sales buy that I was lucky enough to snap up! I'd previously tried the Amazing Grace fragrance and found it to be a lovely light and fresh scent but the £32.00 price tag did put me off. So as you can imagine I was more than happy to spot this trio of products for only £17.50! This will definitely be a spring time/summer scent for me as it's so light and clean smelling and for once I think I will actually use the additional whipped body cream. However I have major dislike of the Philosophy Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel as to quote the back of the bottle, it's "prolonged exposure may cause irritation to skin and urinary tract".... yes, pretty shocking! So I will be avoiding using that!
Essence heaven here! I was utterly spoilt with Essence goodies and I couldn't be more pleased. Essence are a brand I love but sadly I've yet to find a stand in any Wilko stores I've visited, so this stash will definitely keep me going.
Essence Eyeshadows
Essence know how to do good neutral shades, in fact I have a Quattro eyeshadow palette that is one of my most used palettes. The two above Quattro eyeshadow palettes are 'Most Wanted' (the bottom two shades are so so stunning) and 'To Die For' (a great everyday palette). As for the larger eyeshadow palette, which I didn't seem to capture how stunning it is, includes some beautiful rose toned nude shades, I've already been enjoying this so much.
Essence Blushers
Another favourite from Essence is their blushers, their choice of colours is amazing and so cheap! Above I have two beautiful Blush Up blushers that I can't wait to try out - I have a feeling these will be my favourites comes summer. I also have a lovely little Silky Touch Blush in 'Sweetheart' that's perfect for pale skin with just a touch of colour.
I've also been totally loving Essence XXXL Longlasting Lipglos Matt Effect in Velvet Rose, which is the nicest matt lip cream I've tried in both formula and texture. The scent is also the most amazing caramel which I can't get enough of. Also very impressed with the All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder as it's finally milled and gives such a natural look over foundation.
Dr. Bronner Almond Soap
Reduced £3.00 - ASOS here
This was another SLS-free buy that I thought I'd try out. Not only does this smell incredible but it has so many different uses, you can even clean makeup brushes with it! I already love the liquid soaps that Dr. Bronner offer so I'm keen to see how this fares. Also very tempted with the Orange soap now.
Tigi Bed Head Mini Small Talk
This is another budget product I thought I'd give a try. I love so many Tigi hair products and I'm sure this will be the same as it claims to add volume whilst also taming frizz, plus it smells amazing... think a fruity yoghurt! Also the 125ml size really isn't that small and I predict will last quite a long time.
Yes To Blueberries Cleansing Facial Wipes
£4.00 - ASOS here
The Yes To Grapefruit Exfoliating Facial Wipes made my '14 Beauty Favourites of 2014' post so I was happy to receive these as a little extra present. I will admit these do smell incredibly similar to the Grapefruit wipes but that's fine with me as I love the sugary slightly zingy scent. These are just as refreshing and gentle to the skin. Perfect to prep up the skin and for occasional lazy cleansing.
This was a much longer post than I anticipated but hopefully you enjoyed seeing what I received and bought over Christmas. I definitely have enough new products to last me the next few months!
Fee xo.
