The Primark Beauty Blender dupe

I am obsessed with Primark Beauty right now, and seem to have a rapidly growing collection of their beauty sponges! When I saw this pack of four mini sponges my brain automatically screamed mirco mini, as they instantly remained me of their Beauty Bender sisters. The major difference being the massive gap in price, While you can grab two sponges for £14.50 from beauty blender, the Primark alternative offers four sponges for just £2.50! 

While I cant say I've tried the Beauty Blender alternative, I have no need as these are everything I hoped for. I love using these mini blenders to dap my concealer into those hard to reach areas - they are just the ideal size!

If you're tempted by the micro minis, I'd recommend giving these a go! Have you tried anything from Ps..Pro yet?!

Benefit Christmas 2016 | Blushin' Babe

Yes, It's October and yes, I'm hitting you with the 'C word'. Brands seem to have really upped their games this year, and admittedly I've treated myself to far too many gift sets! One of my favourites this year is this lovely Blushin' Babe gift set from benefit. Priced at £29.50 the set contains five bestselling blushes (Sugarbomb, Rockateur,Coralista, Dandelion and Hoola), Watt's up! highlighter, They're real push-up liner and they're real mascara.

Housed in this cute tin, this little set contains pretty much everything you need (minus base products) for a full face of makeup. Personally I think this is a wonderful way to try more of what Benefit have to offer. Individually these blushes sell for over £20, and while the ones in this set may be smaller, I  never come close to finishing products, so am over the moon to be able to try all 5 for under £30!
I've been using this for the past couple of weeks and have been LOVING it! It's nice to be able to switch my blush up everyday!

This would make a wonderful gift set (or even a treat to yourself!) and can be found at selected retailers including Boots - Where you can currently get 10% off premium beauty when you buy two items. 

The £3 Strobing kit you need to try!

When I saw these Ps..Strobe Crayons I had to pop them into my basket because 1. The shades looked lovely and 2. They were a steal at £3 - that's a pound a shade! I have to say, Primark have certainly impressed me with their packaging here! These three come in a handy plastic pouch, which includes a little picture guide on the back for those unaware how they work. The crayons themselves are well designed, twisting up to reveal more product. In addition to this the bottom also corresponds with the shade inside. This means that no matter how you store them, you'll be able to see what shade you're reaching for. A must if your collection is as big as mine.

The product itself glides softly onto the skin, leaving bundles of colour as you can see above Although when blended these are simply stunning on the skin and last well. While personally I don't care too much for sand (the white shade), Rose and Golden are simply beautiful and worth way more than £3, even individually. 

I'm so glad I gave these a go and cant wait to try more from the Ps.. range! Have you tried anything from Primark beauty yet?

LUSH Big Shampoo | Worth the hype?

If there's one product that's always intrigued me from Lush it's this sea salt shampoo. Priced at £12.75 for a 330g tub this is hardly the cheapest shampoo on the market, but here's why its worth all 1275 pennies! On opening the tub you are greeted by the most wonderful clean smell, a smell that remains in my hair all day! As you can see the texture of this shampoo is unlike majority of others on the marketing, somewhat resembling a scrub. While some may find this scary I find that I really enjoy the feeling of the see salt on my scalp. I personally find that it helps exfoliate the scalp without being to harsh and is something you get used to pretty quickly.

I find that with this product less is more, it lathers so well that you only need a tiny amount meaning that this tub has lasted months (and still has around a third left).I was the sort of girl who washed her hair everyday, but this completely changed that allowing me to go two, even three days. Something unheard of with other shampoos. It gives my fine flat hair that extra bit of lift and I have finally embraced  my natural waves!

 While I was sceptical of spending so much on a shampoo, this is well worth the money for me and is something I will continue to use!

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo[+] Unifiant

 I've always been keen to try something from La Roche-Posay's impressive line up, so when they added a tint of colour to their infamous Effaclar Duo I knew I had to give it a go. When this came in the post my skin was having a rubbish time (probably induced by my new 50 hour working week) making me the ideal candidate to put this to the test. I don't have time in the mornings, so I love that my Effeclar Duo (+) Unifiant* is just an easy step to giving me a little more of a 'done' look in seconds. I simply apply with my fingers like a moisturiser and I'm good to go. This just gives me a little more coverage, blurring out my imperfections, or acts really nicely under a foundation. I've also noticed a huge change in my skin, within the first week it had calmed down so much, an effect that seems to be lasing!

I've been really impressed by this product and cant wait to try more from La Roche-Posay! You can find this for £16.50/40ml at selected stores including Boots. I promise you wont be disappointed. 

Those Artis dupes | Primark PS...Pro Oval Brushes

After a long search I finally got my hands on these PS..Pro finishing brushes which are currently floating around the blogoshere due to their likeness to the famous Artis toothbrush style brushes. Despite this likeness, these Primark ones have rock bottom prices, with the largest brush being £4.00, the medium brush being £3.00 and the smallest being priced at £2.50.

While the feedback on these brushes has been amazing, a few people have said that they found it hard to get to grips with the application process of this style of brush, as its so different to traditional ones. However, I cant say this was something I experienced and I found the application process really easy! I've used these with a bunch of different products and have to say, they work like a dream! I use the biggest brush to blend my foundation , the medium sized brush for my contour and blush, and the smallest for my under eye concealer. I just love how effortless it all is and how airbrushed the finish looks. Its hard to believe the lot cost me under a tenner, as they are up there with my all time favourite brushes (I've honestly been recommending them to everyone in my personal life this month!).

Whats more is that these wash up so so well! I would say that I found washing harder to get used to than the application process. However, this is well worth the struggle for my love of these brushes. Get searching your local Primark because these are an amazing find! I for one am tempted to go buy another Set!

NYX comes to the UK | Haul

I was so excited when I heard NYX was coming to the UK, and even more excited when I heard Boots would be stocking them (hello advantage card points!). 

The lip section of my local NYX stand is always manic, meaning sadly for me loads of bits that I wanted to try out of stock. Although, I did manage to walk away with four lip beauties! I picked up this Butter Gloss in 'Angel Food Cake' (£5.00), this NYX soft matte lip cream in 'Istanbul' (£5.50), this NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in 'tea & cookies' (£6.50) along with this NYX slide on Lip Pencil in the shade 'Bedrose' (£5.50). As you can tell I love a nude lip and cant wait to share my thoughts!

I've heard amazing things about NYX's line of completion goodies, So I also picked up some face bits including, this NYX Color Correction Liquid primer in green (£9.00), Wonderstick in 'light/medium' (£10.00), Gotcha Covered concealer in 'ivory' (£5.50), and this lovely Rouge Cream blush in 'tea rose' (£6.50). I'm most excited to try the contour stick as its unlike anything else I own!

Please let me know if you have any more suggestions, as I cant wait to try more from the range!

Soap & Glory | Sugar Crush Body Scrub

It's no secret that I adore Soap & Glory, Infact its one of those few brands that I will go back to again and again. One of the things I feel they do rather well at are scrubs. I feel scrubs are hard to get right. While I don't wish for something to be rough on my skin, I want something that I can actually feel working!
Containing what I consider to be the perfect formula,  Sugar crush just delivers and leaves my skin so so smooth after use! Although, I think the thing that draws most people to this product is its super strong scent. If You're a fan of limes, you'll love this sweet scent. If that's not your cup of tea, Soap & Glory have a whole range of scrubs ready to be discovered on the Boots website here. Is it bad that I've tried them all?!

You can pick this up in selected Boots stores for  £8/300ml here. What's your favourote scrub?

New | Real Techniques Miracle Sponges

Being a huge Real Techniques fan, I could not wait to try their latest Miracle sponges. The Real Techniques Miracle Sculpting Sponge (£5.99) in particular is unlike any other sponge I've ever encountered. Designed to Contour with 'a large side for control' and highlight 'with a small side for precision', I expected to love this. I adore the way its shaped and thought it would be a wonderful idea.  

Initially I tried this sponge wet with my bronzer, although I found it tricky to pick up any product from my contour kit, This didn't improve when I tried it the next day wet. In theory I could simply use my fingers to put the product in place but for me that kills the idea of using a makeup tool. Quite frankly, I don't think its worth the extra effort anyway as the sponge didn't blend my contour that well anyway - I'd rather just use a brush!

However, in a surprising twist the smaller side does a rather fab job at picking up and applying my highlighter! I'm not sure that alone was enough to justify £6, and I'm tempted to attempt use for foundation in the future.

After the disappointment of the sculpting sponge, I hoped these 2 Miracle Mini Eraser Sponges  (£5.99) could restore my hope in real techniques. I've been wanting to try some smaller sponges for my under eye area for a while now so was hoping these would get the job done. I have tried these both wet and dry and have found that unlike the sculpting sponge, they do I wonderful job at blending my concealer and clean up well. I also love that you get two for your money! However I will note that I have recently discovered the Primark Mini sponges which essentially do the same job (and are £2.50 for 4!)

So there you have it my thoughts on the Miracle sponges collection from Real techniques, I have to say after loving the original sponge I'm disappointed with this collection!
Have you tried either of these products?

Essence | Soo Glow Cream to Powder Highlighter in 'Bright up your life'

Anyone who has been reading Summers Beauty for a while may know that I'm a huge Essence fan, I was lucky enough to attend the UK launch a couple of years back and have been completely hooked ever since. I was checking out the cream to powder highlighters the other day and loved the look of 'Bright up your life', at just £2.80 I couldn't leave Wilko without it.

Enclosed in clear sturdy packaging, this baby really does offer value for money. I simply swirl my fingers around in the pot then apply directly to my face which leaves a wonderful subtle glow. It blends out nicely and has one of the best cream to powder formula's I have come across. Not only does this last well on the face, I can see this highlighter lasting a long long time.  Especially when I consider how much I've been using this, and how small the current dent in the product is.

I honestly cant fault this product! What's your favourite highlighter?

GOSH | Giant Blush in 'Shy'

As soon as I saw these 'Giant blush' sticks on Gosh's social media pages I knew 'Shy' had to be mine. It's just the perfect subtle shade ready for everyday use, made super easy for on-the-go by the practical packaging. While I love that the packaging makes this easy to apply, I also adore the style of it and love that the twisty bit (very technical term here) corresponds with the shade inside meaning that this blush stick is easy to find in anyone's makeup collection. 

With one quick swipe, this Gosh giant blush stick gives me enough product for my desired look. I simply then take my fingers or my oval blending brush and let the super bendable formula work its magic. The look lasts all day, even in the heat with been experence lately!

As far as cream blushes go this is a fantastic product, and is definitely becoming a fast favourite! You can pick this up for £6.99 from Superdrug here. (although its currently on buy 1 get 2nd half price)

Lush | Shiny Happy People

I received this Shiny Happy People gift set (£16.50) a few months back as a gift from a friend and really wanted to share my thoughts with you guys. The set contains 3 products, which are all shower friendly (and great for those who don't have a bath like myself).

 Layer Cake Soap (£3.50/100g) - In its bar form this is probably one of my favourite scents from Lush as it isn't too overpowering. While it's meant to be quite a fruity scent this actually reminds me of wine gums and because of this expected to fall head over heels for this product. So, its  a shame that this scent doesn't remain while in use. While it does a good job and leaving me squeaky clean, the soap is little drying and with a lack of scent it leaves behind, it essentially does the same job as a supermarket soap.. albeit a lot prettier.

Refresher Shower Jelly (£4.25/100g) - This product is just so much fun! I love the idea of a shower jelly and think it has a great price point when you consider how unique it is! I love how it wiggles, which you can see for yourself if you click the link to the lush website (although personally I'd recommend checking these out in store as they're always on display and fun to play with!). Unlike Layer Cake this has a really strong zesty scent and is perfect for waking you up in the morning. It lathers up nicely and truly is a joy to use! So much so that I cant wait to try another scent!

Beautiful Shower Gel (£4.95/100g) - I really like Lush Shower Gels although personally find them a little too expensive for everyday use. However I really enjoyed this one! The scent just made it feel so much more 'grown up' than the other products, as there's definitely more of a musk to it. Out of the three products from the box this is the one that lathers up he most, and like the shower jelly it leaves a lovely scent behind.

Overall, I was really happy that I was given this gift box, While the soap was an utter let down I truly loved the other products and have found a firm favourite with the shower jelly!

What are your Lush favourites?

Primark PS..Pro Haul

Recently Primark's new PS..PRO beauty range has been causing a bit of a stir online.When I had the chance to check the range out for myself I was mainly interested in the tools, starting with these PS..Pro blending brushes in Large (£4.00), Medium (£3.00) and small (£2.50). I think like me, many beauty bloggers have had their eyes on these Primark Oval brushes. They are supposedly a dupe for the famous Artis range. I personally cannot wait to put these to the test and will be reviewing as soon as I've had a chance to try them out! 

Next I noticed Primark's impressive range of sponges although I settled for these PS..Pro mini blenders (£2.50 for 4). The market is full of these mini sponges at the moment but as always Primark offers amazing value giving customers double the amount most brands do at a fraction of the price. I cant wait to compare these to the more expensive sponges in my collection! I was also super impressed with the idea of this PS..Pro Eyeliner Corrector Pen (£3.00), I'm a huge eyeliner fan, although I'm still terrible with application and feel like this will be a massive help! Finally I'm what you could call a lip crayon addict so had to add this  PS..Pro Sheer Shine Lip Crayon in Marvellous Mauve (£3.00) to my basket - the shade really caught my eye!

Have you tried anything from the PS..Pro range yet?

Primark Micellar Cleansing water

While stalking the Primark beauty section for Artis dupes, I came across this £2.00 cleansing water which I had to pop into my basket. I love a good micellar water and have tried a wide range of them with varied price points, although  this is the cheapest I have come across for its big 430ml size.

The packing advertises 'Rose & vitamin E',while personally I hate the smell of rose I found the scent of this to be quite pleasant. So does it actually work? yes, really well actually at removing both face and eye make up with ease. I did however suffer some stinging after using this on my eyes (I'm not overly sensitive, but I have this problem with a few cleansers). Despite this, I really like this cleansing water and along side a more sensitive eye make up remover its made my daily cleansing routine.

Have you tried anything from PS Beauty?

Five years of favourites..

So today marks five years of blogging for me, which is bizarre to say the least. I've owned this blog since I had just left school at 16 and now I'm 21 and a fully fledged grown up (kinda of!).

I've reviewed and loved so many products over the years, so I thought it would be nice to share with you ten I thought were the best of the best and truly worth a try! So here are ten of my favourite products from other the years (I tried to do five for five but that was way too hard). If you want to learn more about a product just click the link to take you to the full review.

 1. Rimmel Stay matte Powder - If it wasnt for blogging I'd have no idea about the cult classic. This just gets the job done and makes my makeup last without that caked on look. I hate the packaging though, my lid is currently in around three pieces! 

2.Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation - Whenever I get asked for foundation recommendations I find myself coming back to this. I just love it on my skin and find that it looks so natural on. Although again on a side note I hate the packaging.. I need a pump in the morning!

3. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Another product I discovered thanks to blogger. Why waste money on expensive brands when this beauty covers everything!

4. Soap and Glory Solar Powder - This is without doubt my favourite ever bronzer! Prior to this I found bronzer so scary, I have extremely pale skin so thought they'd make me look terrible, but this beauty just works for me. I would use this daily if it wasnt for the terrible packaging.. Serouisly the lid is no longer attached to the product! Although, I will point out that S&G have since changed the packaging, if only rimmel and Revelon could follow suit!

5. Topshop Cream Blush -  This was the first cream blush I ever tried, and the only one I'm always still reaching for, despite the scary looking shade this looks so so natural on!

6. Younique 3D Fiber Lashes - I feel like this is one of those products everyone rolls there eyes at because its so promoted on social media but it honestly works better than anything I've ever tried (just click the link and look at my results!)

7. Rimmel Kate matte Lipstick - Shade 103 will always be my go to shade, I've actually nearly used this up which is unheard of for me and my far too many products!

8. Maybelline Babylips - To clarify I don't think these are the best product ever, but they're so easy to wear and fun! It's because of this I end up wearing these most so I thought they deserved a mention. If you're less confident with lip colours these are well worth a try!

9. Real Techniques Buffing Brush - Real Techniques had to be mentioned in this post! I was new to brushes before my blog and now I have more then I care to count! This is my most reached for brush and does a lovely job!

10. Superdrug Hot Cloth Cleanser - I thought I should mention a skincare favourite and this has been one of my favourites over the years. I love this more than the Liz Earle alternative everyone raves about!

So there you have it, the best of the best products I've featured over these five years! What would your top ten be?!

Free Benefit in Elle magazine!

 I've had my eye on Benefit's Dew the Hoola (£22.50/30ml)  for a while now, so when I found out there was a mini in this months issue of Elle Magazine (£4.10) I went on a mission to try and find a copy! The magazine contains a 5ml mini, which is a lovely way to give this a try without committing to the price tag. 

This is quite possibly my favourite ever magazine freebie - and there have been a fair few other the years! What's been your favourite ever freebie?

Sleek Cream Contour Kit in Light

I've always been a huge fan of a cream contour, so when I saw that this Sleek Cream Contour Kit was on offer it fell straight into my basket!  Like the majority of Sleek products this comes in their classic black plastic casing and is complete with a huge black mirror which is extremely handy for on the go application.

Available in 3 different shades( light, medium and dark) each kit is filled with 6 different pans, all designed to do a different job. The handy guide pictured demonstrates this, to be completely honest I thought this was a lovely addition. As a beauty blogger its so easy to forget not everyone's aware of how to apply makeup trends, and there are people out there who would look at this kit without these instructions and want to run a mile.

Following the directions given using my Real Techniques Contour brush, I loved my overall look. I find that cream kits always make the application process a breeze and everything looks so natural! While I dont have time to do this routine on a daily basis I find that I can quickly contour my cheeks with the darkest shade for a quicker solution.  If unlike me, you are going to be using your fingers for the application process you almost have to warm the cream up to get it out of the pan,although once on the heat of the skin the cream moves and bends effortlessly.

I also find that the results last all day, so there's no need for this to be taking up space in your handbag.

At £10.99 for six shades this is a complete bargain. Although even more amazingly, This is currently in the 2 for £12 deal at Boots.

Loreal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation

If there's one foundation i've been loving lately it's this Loreal offering. I'm a huge fan of glowing skin, so when I saw that this Nude Magique Cushion Foundation promised a 'dewy glow' I knew I had to pop it into my basket. As far as I know, this is one of the only cushion style foundations on the UK market, and I for one am happy it can be found on the high street. Now, If we're being completely honest at £14.99, this isn't the cheapest foundation out there. However Loreal are one of those brands which you can always find on offer - and I bagged mine for under a tenner!

I adore the packaging of this! Having always favoured pump style foundations in the past, I wasn't sure how much I'd like this compact style one, however it's definitely grown on me. Firstly you have everything you need for application on the go in this small compact, including a generously sized mirror and sponge applicator. I also really appreciate the fact that the lid covering the foundation opens to the side, meaning you can still use the mirror as you apply!

With that said, I've never actually used the sponge supplied - I'm a little obsessed with keeping my make up in prime condition. I do however apply this with cheap sponges that you can find in Boots and Superdrug and find that they do a wonderful job. I also do this to keep things as hygienic as I can as you are repeatedly dipping this into the cushion.

I of course own the lightest shade porcelain, and find that it blends into the skin effortlessly. While I find that initially this gives a sheer finish, you can really build the coverage and easily take this from day to night! Regardless of the look you desire, I find the foundation lasts all day without feeling heavy on the skin - And what's more it has a SPF 29 - Perfect for the weather we've been having recently!

So there you have it, my review of one of the best foundations on the highstreet. This is currently £14.99(and on 3 for 2) at Boots and Superdrug or you can find it for £10.49 at ASOS.

Accessorize Summer Sale

I absolutely adore Accessorise, I would say the majority of my jewellery comes from the Accessorize sale which is always full of wonderful gems! Recently I visited my local store and really didn't hold back, as their 70% off sale was in full swing! Here's what I picked up!

I love a good bracelet! This daisy clasp bracelet (£2.40, was £8.00) really caught my eye, I love the mix of green and blue so had to pop it into my basket! I also loved the simplicity of this gold plated clap bracelet (£3.00, was £12.00).

There's something about this necklace (£3.60, was £12.00) that I love, I had my eye on it when it was full price, so when it had an incredible 70% off it had to be mine! I can see myself wearing this lots over the summer months!

The star of the show has to be this leather strap watch (£9.00 was £30.00), I really needed a watch for work and adore this one on! Finally I picked up this Prime time (£2.70, was £9.00) offering from Accessorize's makeup line, It looks amazing so I cant wait to give it ago!

I think we can both agree I got some fabulous bargains! What's been your favourite summer sale find?

My Love Me Beauty Experience

 While I don't really do the whole beauty box thing anymore, this month has been a massive exception, as there have been some wonderful offerings floating about! One of these would have to be this months 'Love Me Beauty' offering, which is slightly different from your average beauty box bundle. Rather than giving you a selection 'of products matched to you' - which lets face it, never really are, Love me beauty let you choose the products for you. For £10 a month, you get 60 credits to spend in their very own boutique, where prices range from 10-30 credits. While I love the idea that you can add to these credits if you wish by spending more money, I found this to be a little on the pricey side (£5 for 20 credits, £10 for 50 credits etc).

This month, I felt truly spoilt for choice between all of the Pixi and OPI offerings. Although in the end I went for two Pixi picks I hope will help hide my serious lack of sleep in the form of this Beauty Sleep Cream (worth £24) and this correction concentrate (worth £14). They were both 25 credits each, so popped these 'yes to blueberries' wipes (worth £1.99) in my basket to spend the remaining 10 credits. 

Overall I had a pretty good experience and love my new items, however was left disappointed at the state that my Pixi bits arrived in (the boxes were crushed!). I did take to twitter to demonstrate this although sadly no one got back to me. It didn't give me the best impression of Love Me Beauty as a whole. although I would consider ordering if a few items took my fancy.

Have you tried Love Me Beauty before?

Origins Mix & Mask Box

Apologises, but a few of you are about to experience some serious beauty box envy! When I picked this up I knew I had to feature a post on the amazing (and very much sold out) Origins Mix & Mask box, brought to you by Latest in Beauty and British Beauty Blogger.

 Despite being a budget girl, I have a huge soft spot for both Origins and their masks, so this £20 box made perfect sense to me! Not only does it feature products that I haven't had the chance to try before it was a huge bargain! Here's what could be found in each box;

 Vitazing Energy-Boosting Moisturiser (£29.00/50ml) - I love this stuff and was super happy to see a bottle featured in my box. This is just something I love wearing under foundation to give that added glow! On top of that, this is worth more than the cost of the whole box put together!

Maskimizer Skin Optimizing Mask Primer (£18.50/95ml) - To be honest I was surprised to see such a new launch featured in this box! This is essentially a primer for face masks and I'm really curious to see how this works!

By All Greens Foaming Deep Cleansing Mask (£11.42/25ml) - Before this box this product had completely escaped me, This claims to be a foaming mask so I cant wait to try!

Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (£6.90/30ml) - This is one of my favourite masks so I'm glad to have a travel sized version handy! It leaves the skin feeling lovely!

Ginzing Peel-Off Mask (£4.80/15ml) - This is again a product I have never tried so I cant wait to give it a go!

4 x Mask Pods (£2.50/10ml) - Last but by no means least were these 4 lovely mask pods containing old favourites Clear Improvement, Out of trouble and Drink up. There is also one of Original skin which I look forward to trying. These pods tend to be quite generous so I expect I'll get a few uses out of each!

Did you manage to grab one of these boxes before they vanished?