February Favourites

For some reason there doesnt appear to much make up in this months favourites, although I'm sure that will all change next month as I've just started using a couple of things that I've been loving! My first favourite is this lovely heat defence styling spray from Tresemme.I always have this worry that spraying my hair when its dry will cause it to look greasy although with this it's not a problem. I also think its really well priced at £3 in Asda considering you get 300ml and it smells great. Another product I've been loving from Tresemme is this spilt remedy serum which I did a full review on here. I had to pick up this Radox shower cream after hearing so much about it and love the smell! My skins also been loving this Almond Body Butter from the Body Shop which sadly featured in my empties yesterday. I haven't used the Biore cleanser long enough to comment on a change in my skin - although it had to be a favourite purely for the warming sensation which is more common in masks. This Japonesque brush was a great find at just £3.50 and I've loved using it this month. Finally I discovered MUA nail polishes! This ones in Pistachio ice cream and I cant wait to try more!

What have you loved this month?

February Empties!

I don't have too many empties this month, although I have noticed that a few of my 'every day' products are near to the end so expect to see way more rubbish next month! As normal I managed to make my way through my favourite Dove Conditioner and even through this Boots heat protection intensive conditioner which I love (and have stocked up on). I also finished two No7 products in the form of their famous wipes which are a steal at £2 with the £5 off vouchers and this Melting Gel Cleanser  that I would happily by again if I didn't have so many to get through.  Despite enjoying this Imperial Leather Skin kind hydrate bath milk I probably wont buy again purely because like the cleanser I have others to get through, I also wont be repurchasing this Ultimate base concealer kit as I feel too much ended up going to waste as one shade was far too orange. Lastly and probably the empty I'm most upset about is this amazing Almond Body Butter which I've loved using!

What products have you used up this month?

Mini Superdrug Haul

I know what you're all thinking, another bloody haul?! Believe me I know and I'm thinking the same thing! But I really wanted to share what I found in Superdrug today because I think the clearance was pretty great! I don't know what it is with the Superdrug nearest to my college but my friend and I always have to have a quick look in there because we find the most amazing deals (I'm talking products for 10p a lot of the time)

Today we went in there in search of the Undressed too palette which I've finally found! I think I've tried about six Superdrug's so It was great to finally see it on the shelf. Like all MUA Palettes this was £4 and I really look forward to trying it. Now for the good part, on the clearance stand was this Good Things Stop That Spot! gel for just 49p! There were a few other Good things Items in this section but the others that I would have wanted to try had already gone. Many Naked Skin care products also happened to be in the same section I picked up the Perfect Getaway Cream Cleanser, up tone Girl toner and Bare faced Cheek face wash - They were all marked at £1.12 but went through at just 45p each making my total spend under £6! This is why I love Superdrug!

Have you guys found any good buys lately?!

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer

Unless you've been living under a rock I'm pretty sure you've seen a review or two on Rimmel's Apocalips. I wasn't originally going to post my own because of that, but since my views on these do seem to differ from many people's I figured I'd get them out there. I searched so many Boots stores back then they had the 3 for 2 deal to find the shades I wanted and ended up settling on Galaxy, Celestial and Eclipse despite really wanting to try Nova. 

I do quite like the packaging of these and love how the applicator goes inwards to collect the product, although I have seen many complain about how they pick up too much and it gets messy! To be honest I'm not a huge fan of the colour range, currently there are eight shades in the collection. I feel like the majority of those are quite bold colours and there are a lack of everyday shades, but that said I am happy with the shades I did pick up. As I'm sure you've all heard these are amazingly pigmented which I definitely feel is one of there strong points and after a while the glossiness transforms to a stain. I think there are a lack of these types of products on the high street so was excited for these, but once the gloss began to fade I just found these drying. 

I figured I'd talk through the shades I own individually, Galaxy is the boldest shade I own by far, But Personally I love purple shades against my pale skin! I tend to wear a toned down version of the way I'm wearing it below overwise I just feel like it gets way too messy. For some reason this is the only one I own with some kind of glitter running through it but I feel like that adds to the shade.

I'm constantly hearing that Celestial is 'so easy to wear' but personally I think its a little bright for that, It's no where near a natural colour but that said I do quite like the shade on my lips!

Lastly is my favourite of the bunch nude eclipse - It just so happens to be my perfect nude and I really enjoy wearing it. It's one of those shades that you dont have to think about because its so natural but no where near concealer lips!

Overall I do think these are good products, but as always with hyped up products I feel a little disappointed in them. Saying that I would happily buy more if they extended the colour range and there was a new shade I liked. You can pick these up for £5.99 in Boots.

Weekend Buys..

Over the past few days I may have developed a full blown obsession with the lying game but I did however get pop into town this weekend with the hope of finding some Dainty Doll goodies in TK Maxx. Sadly my local store is rubbish and they had none, but have seen so many posts about Radox's new shower cream so decided to pop into Wilko's and snap it up for just 90p! I also needed to make a run to Asda to pick up some juice, but it was a case of going in for one thing and coming out with everything but that! I've seen the advert for Beautiful Creatures and decided I wanted to read it, Asda had the best price at £3.85 although of course when I got to the till it was it was £5.40 - Is anyone elses Asda one amazing at trying to rip you off?! I also ended up popping Pride and prejudice into my basket as it was £3 and I've never seen it before. Although the beauty isle was the favourite part of my trip since they had a bit of a sale on I picked up; this anatomicals stop cracking lip balm for 50p, Biore Warming Anti-Blackhead Cleanser for £1.50 and A Tresemme heat defence spray for £3.

Is anyone else terrible at trying to get just one thing?!

Youtuber of the week #2

Last week I shared with you guys one of my favourite Youtubers, Mallorylovesmakeup who actually mentioned my next favourite in one of her videos. TheNewGirl007 never fails to make me laugh, and it is her stunning personality which makes me such a big fan of her videos. I'll be honest with you in saying I'm not normally a huge fan of tutorials, but I will happily sit though anything she posts because quite frankly I think she's great and deserves so much more attention.

Who is your favourite youtuber?

Twenty Five Facts About Me

1) I'm a quarter Scottish and instantly feel at home when I'm back there.

2)I've only ever been out of the UK three times to visit France. Twice to Paris where I was lucky enough to go to Disneyland both times. I also went to Le Touquet with my school - It was beautiful.

3)After three years of studying French, I know one sentence 'Can I take my blazer off please?' - I can also say that I'm 12 but I'm not sure that counts anymore.

4)My friend attempted to teach me Spanish, She gave up after a week. On the plus side I can still say 'Let's go party' - Although that knowelege mainly comes from years of babysitting and being made to watch Dora the Explorer..

5)In year five I had a South African teacher - I still know every word to the national anthem.

6) I have five offers to study Law with Criminology at uni next year.

7) I have an A grade GCSE in Maths. My Mum actually didn't believe me when I told her.

8) I'm currently in my second year at college studying Law, Sociology and English.. I show up to a general studies class once a week too.

9)I have a huge passion for law, and its the only thing I can ever see myself doing in the future. My Mum blames my Nan for buying me the Legally Blonde boxset when I was younger.. I loved it!

10) My Grandad has always been like a Dad to me, We're still very close.

11) I'm pretty much addicted to TV right now, It may just be the cold weather but in the last two days I've watched every Girls episode, and  the first seven episodes of the lying game.

12) I've been in the audience of a few TV Shows including Ministry of Mayhem, X factor, Britain's got talent and So you think you can dance. I also spotted myself at T4 on the beach in 2010

13) I've seen Dizze Rascal, Ellie Goulding, Tinie Tempah, Diana Vickers, Tinchy Stryder, Plan B, The Black eyed Peas and Jessie J live. To be honest they're not all people I would choose to see personally, But my friends seem to constantly win tickets and invite me along so I'm a pretty lucky girl!

14) I have such a boys taste in films, I'd happy take action over chick flick any day.

15) I spend way too much time on YouTube.

16) I live with my Mum and three sisters - Yes using the bathroom in the morning is as hard as it sounds. 

17) I embarrass myself - On a daily basis.

18) I'm currently reading Pride & Prejudice, to the surprise of all of my friends I still haven't seen the movie.

19) I'm obsessed with peanut butter cups.

20) I have more lip products than anything else.

21)I cant take tablets..It gets to the point where we have to attempt to crush up paracetamol in public and mix them with a drink . Thankfully I don't take many - Otherwise I'd constantly look like a drug dealer..

22) I have a fear of blood. And I don't mean a small fear, I will literally faint.

23) I've never been to the hairdressers, I'm quite lucky in that my Mum knows quite a few and my aunt is also trained.

24) I've been on the London Eye.

25) I have a thing for flat shoes. I don't care if its snowing!

MUA Pressed Powder.

Lately I've been loving using pressed powders to set my make up, although when the one I was using run out I didn't fancy spending another £8 on it. So I figured I'd try this one from MUA as they are yet to disappoint me.

Considering this is such a cheap product the packaging is great, The powder comes in a clear case which allows you to see the shade - Its also sturdy enough to take a beating or two in your handbag! I even love that the MUA logo is branded into the product!

Shade one itself works great on my pale skin tone, I don't find that It adds any extra colour or cakey at all. I just think this is a great powder to set your make up with - especially if you're on a budget!

You can pick this up for just £1 in selected Superdrug stores or online here.

The Beauty Bloggers Tag.

Why did you start blogging and how long have you been blogging for?

Before prom my prom in 2011 I was looking around for reviews since I had no idea what I wanted to wear make up wise, I never left the world of beauty blogging and started 'Beauty on a Budget' that August.

Whose blog did you fall in love with first?

I don't really remember since I was just browsing at the time, although I know one of the first blogs that really stuck out to me was The Sunday Girl - I still admire the way she shoots her blog pictures.

What was the first blogosphere hyped about product you bought and was it worth the hype?

The Revlon Lip Butters and controversially no, I just didn't get along with them at all!

What are your favourite five things about blogging and being a beauty blogger?

1)The other bloggers are probably my favourite thing about blogging. It's like you automatically have a huge support network of friends ready to help you if you need it, I know if I ever had a problem they'd always be someone there whether it be through #bbloggers or just sending a simple email.

2)The opportunities that come from being a blogger are pretty amazing no matter how big or small they may be.

3)I also love the skills set blogging has given me, Before I started this I had no idea how to take a half descent picture or place a bit of html. Now I just feel so much more confident in the blogging community knowing that I know a thing or two about the internet.

4) I love being able to write about the things I love everyday and even hear your opinions on it too.

5) Finally I love that bloggers always keep each other in the know sharing amazing discounts and deals with one another - I'm on a budget you know!

What have you learnt from being a beauty blogger?

I'm not alone in owning a silly amount of make up! But on a serious note, as mentioned before this whole experience has been a huge learning curve and I have gained so many new skills.

Have you changed anything since being a beauty blogger?

I own so much more make up, but I think being in the know with new releases has done that to me! Before I'd just wonder into Boots and see if anything had changed..

What advice would you give to a beauty blogger just starting out?

The same advise I gave one of my closest friends - Just go for it! No one expects you to have perfect posts overnight, Its all about finding your feet.

Name your top five brands!

It took me ages to narrow down just five! But in the end I went with MUA for their amazingy priced goodies. Rimmel because I love their lipsticks and eyeliners - My current foundation is also from them! Look Beauty for their amazing packaging which really competes with higher end brands. Maybelline who offer an amazing mascaras, and Soap and Glory who are just amazing all round. I don't know what I'd do without their body products! 

Recommend your top five favourite beauty products!

Rimmel's Kate Lipstick, Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB cream, Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer, MUA's eye primer and The Body Shop's Coconut Body Butter.

Tag other beauty bloggers to do this tag!

Sarah from Entirely-Sarah

Lauren  from Raving Beauty

Laura from The Lardy Grub

And anyone else that hasn't already!

Pistachio Ice Cream.

Over the past few months I haven't found myself painting my nails as often as I used to, but that all changed when I spotted this baby for just a pound in Superdrug. Despite declaring my love for MUA many times on my blog, I'd never actually tried any of their nail polishes before and I was left pleasantly Surprised with this one.

Although this takes a couple of coats to get an even and opaque coverage, the drying time is amazing. It also lasts a good couple of days which is pretty good for me. You can pick this up in selected Superdrug's or online over at MUA for just £1 you cant go wrong! 

Japonesque Angled Foundation Brush

I've been wanting to try an angled foundation brush for some time now, So when I saw this Japonesque one in the Boots Clearance for just £3.50 I had to pick it up!  After some research I discovered that this was part of Japonesque's travel range - Which explains the small handle. At first I thought I would find the brush hard to use because of the lack of length, although after a few weeks I've realised that because the handle is so small the brush is easier to control. 

I love the fact that the brush itself is angled, It makes getting all of the awkward curves of the face so easy. You can then use the flat side to smooth over your foundation. I haven't touched my beloved stippling brush since! I found this complements my Rimmel match perfection really well - But my tinted moisturiser not so much (But then again it doesn't claim to do so and it is a lot thicker in texture)

Overall I really like this, and would consider paying £17.50 for it as its something you can go on using for a really long time. You can find it on the Boots website here.

Things to do this week..

Since I'm in my last year at college, I still get half term which is always a welcomed break. I always feel like I waste the week, and while I still plan to catch up with everyone I've neglected while I've had deadlines and exams - I think there's things that I 'need' to get done so I've set myself a list:

1/ Although I've only just started my new units, The terms only get shorter from here and I have around 10 college weeks until exams - This means only 50 days  or even 40 lessons for each subject before I sit my exams. I may have just panicked myself there. But my aim is to get the work done this time before it builds up, Okay I say that every time I get time off. But I will this time because I've written it here and that makes it official!

2/ Start a new series. I don't quite understand why I've picked this goal after the panic I've just given myself. But I do have extra time this half term and deserve a break! I don't know how I've managed to keep this Gossip Girl DVD sealed since December (Serious will power I'm guessing) I'm debating rewatching this, or starting a new TV show altogether  I currently love Pretty Little Lairs, Revenge, and Vampire Diaries - Any recommendations? 

3/ Have a pamper day! I got the above mask as part of a Christmas gift from a friend and have been dying to try it, Perhaps this day will do along well with with watching a new TV Show - Either way I'm looking forward to it!

4/ Experiment with make up. I find this hard to do during term time, just because whenever I'm indoors in the morning and evening its dark and the lighting in my house is rubbish so I cant see what I'm doing anyway. Because of this I just end up playing it safe and end up opting for the same make up everyday, which isn't ideal for someone who has so much make up to get through!

5/ Do something different with my hair. All of my friends will be pleased by this one since they always seem to be begging me to keep my hair wavy It's not that I don't want to try something different - Its just I have around 45 minutes to get myself ready every morning and it just makes sense for it to remain in a style that takes 10-15 minutes away from my day.  

So that's my plan for the week, although in between meeting up with the girls and attempting to get this list done, I'm pretty sure it will be over before I know it! Are you guys off this week too, What are you planning to do?

Youtuber of the week #1

Over the past few months Youtube has become quite an obsession of mine, Although I love blogging and It is a big aspect of my life I find myself often watching Youtube videos in my spare time. So I figured I'd share some of my favourite channels with you guys over the coming weeks. The first channel I wanted to share is a personal favourite of mine - Mallorylovesmakeup. I think you guys will see why I love her videos so much once you get a chance to watch her for yourself. I generally find myself pleased to see whenever she has uploaded a new video and have a feeling you guys may feel the same.

Who is your favourite youtuber?

Revlon Balm Stain in Honey

Despite everyone seeming to own one of these it took me a while to actually go out and get one for myself. Blogging has taught me not to automatically give into the hype like I did with the lip butters, which to the horror of many other bloggers I ended up not liking at all . But this rather longly named 'Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain' is nothing like the those. While I found the lip butters too drying, This applies like a dream and leaves my lips feeling so moisturised. But what amazes me about this is the long lasting stain it leaves behind (Which I didnt feel drying either). Its safe to say I love this product and look forward to trying more shades!

You can pick this up for £7.99 in Boots (Currently 3 for 2!)

Scub 'Em and Leave 'Em.

I've mentioned before that I'm a big fan of the mist you madly's scent by S&G, So as you can imagine I was really excited about trying the 'body buff' in the range and as predicted it smells amazing! As always I'm rubbish with scents but heres what the Boot's website has to say 'Body Buff is scented with Mist You Madly' beautiful notes of bergamot, blackcurrant, magnolia, freesia, vanilla and musk.  Contains babassu oil, sea salt and moisturising jojoba and mandarin oils.'

I've tried a few scrubs from S&G and  have found that this is the least 'rough' but that in mind it isn't marketed as one and the label clearly says 'Body Buff'. Despite being a big fan of scrubs you can really feel getting to work, I loved this and found it to be really effective on my skin.

I found this product leaves my skin feeling soft and smelling amazing which is all you can ever ask for in a scrub really. (Plus It's pink!)

You can pick this up in Boots for £7.50 - Not bad for a 300ml tub!

Tresemme Split Remedy Serum

I'm not a huge fan of going to the hairdressers so pretty much try to delay the trip for as long as possible. This means I always have some sort of serum on the go because other wise I find my ends give into heat damage way too easily. Over the past few weeks I've been putting this 'Split remedy' sealing serum to the test because I previously loved the mask from this range. (and they're 2 for £5!) Before using this I'd started to spot a few split ends and although I know this can't 'fix' them, I've found certainly makes them less visible and leaves it feeling so smooth with just one pump on my wet hair,  It also has a lovely smell to it which is always a bonus.

You can pick this up for around £5.69 but as I've already mentioned Tresemme is still 2 for £5 in Boots.

Insta-This by Color Club

I wasn't actually going to blog about this product as it was a Color Club and Birchbox collaboration for the December JoileBox. I just figured what was the point in telling you guys about it if you couldn't go out and try it for yourself. However since then I've discovered you can order it directly from the BirchBox website which I'm so pleased about as this has quickly become one of my favourite nail polishes.

Insta-This is amazing bright blue shade which always seems to gather lots of attention whenever I wear it. I found the polish dried quickly and looked great in two coats - However I did find one big down side when it came to wear time, It seemed to chip so much after just a day! But with that in mind I still adore it purely for the colour.

For £10.00 you can get a lovely 15ml of product from the UK Birchbox website or the same product for $8.00 if you're based in the US. What do you think of Insta-This?

Boots Clearance Haul!

I think by now most you guys will have noticed that I love a good bargain , so ever since my friend told me about the Boots Clearance store based in Beckton I've been begging her to take me. Last night we finally made the trip  and I thought you guys may be interested in what I brought while I was there. What surprises me most about this place is that I've only ever seen this one post on it - I don't know if that's because its too out of the way for most people or that people are just unaware of it, but I think it's something everyone should have in their city because its amazing!

They seemed to have loads of these Coconut & hibiscus scrub's and since I love everything that it coconut I had to pick one up! At just £2 for a great 400ml of product I thought this was great, although I could only find it online on the US Boots website where it retailed at $9.99. Next up I found a couple of Soap and Glory bits in the form of Slimwear and Return to Slender Body Contouring Gel, I don't really buy in to these types of products but when you see S&G for just a pound each you make a run for the tills with no questions asked. Lastly for body products I found this Sanctuary Body Milk Spray for just £1 (spot a theme here yet?!) I hear a lot about this brand but have never really put there products to the test so I look forward to doing so. 

Again Umberto Giannini is one of those brands I've heard about but have never tried for myself so I couldn't resist picking up the Umberto Giannini overnight magic hair repair for just £1, I've only been using it a night but I love the idea behind it and the 'no rinse' remedy - Perfect for me as I prefer to wash my hair of an evening rather than waking up earlier in the morning. These Boots Expert heat protection intensive conditioner's were 2 for £1, I'm passing one on to my mum but look forward to trying it since my hair suffers so much heat damage!

This Loreal Perfect clean Foaming gel wash normally retails for around £5 so I was happy to see it for just £1 as I love the idea behind it - I got to try it out last night and really liked it. Down the same isle of random products I found the Witch Anit-blemish redness relief moisturiser, liquid concealer and tinted moisturiser all for £1.00 each - I love this line from Witch so was so happy to see it, although I really hope this doesn't mean Boots is stopping to stock it.

I'm a big fan of Neutrogena so was happy to see their Norwegian formula intense repair lip balm  for £1, The Vaseline was a bit of an impulse buy at the till but how could I turn down something limited edition that I wanted to try for just 50p?! I didnt find too much in the make up section since most if it involved bright shades of blue, purple and even green we did however find this No7 Eyeshadow in innocence for of course just a £1 and this lovely 17 Blush for just 75p. Saving the best till last I stumbled across this Japonesque Angled Foundation Brush for just £3.50, amazing considering it retails at £17.50 normally and I've been wanting to try an angled foundation brush for some time now. 

So there you have it, a little rumaging at £17.75 later there are all the amazing products I found at the Boots Clearence store. I'd reccomend stoping by if you're in the area - I found a link with all the details here

Almond Body Butter.

A few weeks ago the Body Shop website had a tone of discounts, With my friends body shop card she picked me this up for just over £4 which I thought was a pretty amazing deal. I've used a lot of Body butters from the range including the fruity and even floral ones, although I have to say for me personally nothing beats their coconut body butter. I had high hopes for this one as I've heard a lot about it and it didn't let me down. Texture wise TBS' Almond body butter is thicker than (for example) the cherry body butter but not quite as thick as my beloved Coconut. I've found that with all these body butters, a little goes a long way and they sink into the skin almost effortlessly while leaving your skin feeling amazing. As for the smell - I love it! So it isnt as in your face as some of the other scents in the line, But I love that its more subtle. In fact this really reminds me of the almond croissants I used to eat all the time when I was younger.

This retails at £13/200ml over on the Body Shops website, although there always seems to be a deal on so its worth looking out for one.

My Bargain Bag..

If you saw my last haul post, You'll know I literally brought a new bag a few days ago. But my current black bag is on its last legs and I thought this was a great offer so brought another one anyway. Although I rarely shop at Matalan I think their rewards for existing costumers are great. It's not that I have anything against the shop - My local store just happens to be out of the way with nothing else around. But when I saw this rewards cards leaflet I borrowed my mums Matalan card and made a run for the store. Along with so many amazing deals for card holders, Matalan are offering this bag (which comes in four different shades) for just £5 down from £12 until the 12th of February. 

Have you taken Matalan up on their offer?

MUA Conceal & Brighten Kit

'Perfectly bendable camouflage for almost any skin imperfection including blemishes, scares, birthmarks ad under eye circles. Also contains highlighting cream to transform your complexion with luminescent shimmer.' 

I was excited to hear about MUA's Pro-base Conceal & Brighten kit as I feel cream concealers are seriously lacking on the high street and they tend to be my favourites to use. The kit comes complete with two shades of concealer (left and middle) along with a highlighter (right)  - Not bad at all for the price. 

I found both the concealers and highlight to be so so creamy and an absolute dream to blend.  I love using the pinky toned shade on concealer under my eyes for some light coverage, and the highlighter on my cheekbones. Although Personally I just don't find the coverage great enough for concealing blemishes which is a shame, and I do feel like the colour range is lacking.

I think if you're looking to try a cheap cream concealer this may be one to start off with - at just £3.50 online and selected Superdrug stores.

Friday Night Shopping..

Just a quick post for you tonight as I'm currently babysitting four children, and clearly doing a rather good job of it by taking time away to blog! Last night I headed to one of my local shopping centres after hearing about the new Forever 21. I already have one in my area although it involves a stupidly long bus ride so was so excited to hear they've built one a little nearer to home as I actually really like the shop. Although I do find its a little hit and miss, and that while some items are really reasonably priced and bordering on Primark prices others (mainly there bags) just seem out of place in comparison to everything else.

I ended up with the above stripy jumper which I thought was great at just £12 along with this white and black top for £11.50. I also picked up three bits of jewelry which is odd for me, as I felt that they were lovely subtle pieces as apposed to the in your face pieces I often see on the highstreet. The bow necklace was £1.50 and the Triangle one and Bracelet were £3.15.

The Bag was from New Look at £17.99, I think it was a bit much for what it is - But I'd looked everywhere for a new bag and this was just the style I like and big enough for my books and folders. A little bit of an odd buy was the Indian Jewel candle from WHSmith, While looking for college books (which I wont bore you with here) my friend spotted this in the clearance section for just £1.49 down from around £6 - it smells amazing! Boots had a 2 for £5 deal on Tresemme so I picked up the Split Remedy serum and Liquid Gold - saving nearly £8! I've also thrown what I brought with my No7 vouchers last week in the first picture; a pack of my favourite wipes along with a cleansing water. 

Finally I picked up the product everyones gone mad for! Rimmel's Apocalips in Galaxy, Celestial and nude eclipse. Expect a review soon! As always with these posts, just let me know if you'd like to hear about a product sooner rather than later.