What's In My Bag?

Whenever I see this post title it always reminds me of a song I used to sing with the kids at the nursery I used to work at. I end up humming 'What's in the bag? What's in the bag? Let's have a look and see what's in the bag..' to myself. Oh dear. And annoying!
Anyways!
Here is my bag. I only got this about 2 weeks ago after seeing it in Internationale and buying it on impulse. I had been toting my old bag around for nearly a year so I thought a change would be good. Combined with the fact a half eaten caramel Freddo had somehow leaked into one of the pockets. Nice..
This cost £12.99 and is in the colour 'Mink'. As you can see it is a satchel type bag and has long and short straps.  It's a really good size, not too big or too small and the neutral colour means it will go with anything really.

 

 

At the moment this is what I'm carrying around:-

• A little bag (with a cute hedgehog on it) of plasters. Just in case of blisters or what-not.
• Me To You pack of tissues. Probably strange but I'm a bit paranoid of having a nose bleed when I'm out and not having anything. Which is sort of ridiculous as I haven't had one in years! But you never know!
• Cuticura hand sanitising gel.
• Cute mini kitty hairbrush from Poundland.
• Paracetamol. I always seem to have a headache or backache.
• Spare bobble for my lion's mane.
• Car keys. I have a silver Ford KA is anyone is interested!
• A little note pad in a cute cupcake design and a pen.
• Icebreakers Sours. I got these in Cybercandy in Birmingham recently (love love that shop!) and they're so addictive, I'll have to get more at some point!
• Burts Bees lip balm and 17 Mirrorshine lipstick in Belle. I always have the balm in my bag but the lipsticks change frequently. I often have more than one in my bag at a time too.
• Mirror.
• House keys.
• Glasses case. I always wear my glasses as I'm too blind without them but I hate having dirty glasses so I keep the case with the cloth in to hand.
• My purse. This was a present off my best friend and it's great. Pretty and plenty big enough.
• Not in the picture but my phone goes everywhere with me too. It's a Samsung Galaxy Ace. 
 

Nothing too exciting but a little insight into my life I suppose! :)

 

 

 

Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick

I picked this up the other day in Poundland because I really really needed another lipstick...
But for a mere quid I couldn't resist the chance to try a chubby stick/balm stain copy cat. It's not a stain however and it doesn't make any grand claims other than being a 'juicy lipstick'! It just gives glossy colour, crayola style. The colour I've got is 'Damson' and it's a lovely pinky red. It was easy to apply and was fairly long lasting. You could try blotting it to make it last longer, though I haven't tried this yet. I'll probably be bunging this in my handbag for when I feel the need for a 'pop' of colour.
Ooh I hate that phrase, haha.

 

 

My Eyeshadow Collection

Well my liner, mascara and brush collection also! I'm so so bored today so I thought I'd take lots of pictures to put you to sleep with :p
I'm just having one of those days today where I can't be bothered to do anything. I should be doing my coursework for work but I just can't bear to look at it. Got a feeling it'll be a rushed last minute job!
So here it is, be prepared for a lot of poor quality pictures!

 

 

 

Hello Kitty adorns this box :) I also keep all my liners and some mascaras in this mug as it was getting a little crowded in the box.

 

I have 4 MUA palettes and really these are the only colours I should ever need! I think I've got a load of looks covered here from neutral to smoky to bright. From left to right I have 'Dusk til Dawn', 'Glamour Days', 'Undressed' and 'Starry Night'.

 

 

Sleek 'Storm' palette and Fearne Cotton 'from dusk til dawn eyes' palette. I have posted about both of these before.  

 

 

Here's my nearly new Elf eyeshadow quad which I did a post about here. Next is Soap and Glory Lid Stuff in 'What's Nude'. I really do need to be showing this palette more love! The BeautyUK palette in No 4 is getting on a bit now and I haven't touched it in a year or more probably, but for some reason I don't want to part with it just yet. I think it holds some sentimental value as I used it a lot at Uni.

 

I think I like the appearance of these palettes ('Perfect Pastels' and 'Metallic Nudes')  more than the actual product! They are lovely colours, don't get me wrong, but they are very glittery and subsequently I do experience a far bit of fallout with them. I've yet to try these with a primer though so I'm willing to give them a second chance!

 

 

Here are my No7 eyeshadow trio's which I got as part of  a gift set last Christmas. These aren't named but my favourite is the first one. The middle colour is just beautiful. I haven't used the other two yet as blues aren't really my favourite shades to use and I don't often do dark/smoky eyes.

 

 

On the left are 4 Front Cover shadows in 'Frosted Almond', 'Copper Coin', 'Pale Gold' and 'Powder Puff'. These were taken from a bigger set and can be popped out when I feel like swapping the colours around. I want to get more use out of Pale Gold in particular as it has an almost green tinge to it, a bit like an antique gold shade. Next to it is my GOSH Smokey Eyes palette in Brown. I like this but I'm not completely bowled over.

 

Here are the other Front Cover shades. A lot of them though are really not my cup of tea!

 

 

Some more MUA shadows. These are shade 11, 4, 9, 17 and 10. Shade 9 is such a stunning colour but I'm not really sure how to wear it as it is quite the statement shadow!

 

 

My other Elf shadows- Brightening Eye Colour set in 'Brownstone', 'Pebble' and 'Mystic Moss' both from the Studio line. Again, I have really neglected the Studio colours and I'm not sure why as they are really quite good. Brownstone I found to be very soft and lacking a bit in pigmentation.

 

 

17 eyeshadows- Starry Eyes trio in 'Neptune' (Love this!), 'Rose Quartz', 'Viva Diva' and 'Spirit'. The last two are very old!

 

 

Some odds and sods- Vivo 'Mink', Loreal 'Metal Plum' Natural Collection 'Lavender', Natural Collection 'Starlight/Midnight', Inika 'Gun Metal', Maybelline 'Silken Taupe', NYC '030', Maybelline '713'.

 

My rather unsophisticated selection of brushes and yes, some sponge applicators! Sorry!

 

 

Mascaras- Avon Supershock Max, Max Factor False Lash Effect, Miss Sporty XX Long, Miss Sporty Fabulous Lash, Elf Mineral Infused mascara, No 7 Extreme Length, Clinique High Impact. My favourites are the Avon and the Clinique (though this one needs chucking now, sads). The Miss Sporty ones are actually really good too! I wasn't impressed with the Max Factor one and I've yet to try the No 7 and Elf ones.

 

 

MUA blonde eyebrow pencil, 4 Fearne liners that I got as part of a set, 2 BeautyUK Metallic Sparks pens. These are very creamy and could possibly make a good eyeshadow base but I don't think I've ever really used them properly!

 

 

2 Body Shop liners in black and navy (Instyle freebies), Rimmel eyebrow pencil, Maybelline Line Definer in Bronze Gleam, Natural Collection black pencil, MUA Intense Glitter liner in Jade Jewel, Miss Sporty brown pencil, Rimmel Exaggerate waterproof eye definer in Perfect Plum, 2 mini No 7 pencils in black and brown and an old Miss Sporty Fabulous Eyes pencil in Peach Punk.

 

 

MUA Professional Eye Primer and Elf eyelash curlers. This primer is excellent but the curlers I'm less impressed with, they don't seem to work very well :/

 

So, TA DAH! You have reached the end! I hope it wasn't too dull! As with my lipstick collection this has made me realise just how many shadows and liners I have that are just not getting any lovin'. I will definitely have to work on this, perhaps by 'shopping my stash' each week as I've always thought that was a good idea.

 

My Lipstick Collection

Today I thought it would be fun to share with you my lipstick collection. I was initially going to include all my lip products including lip glosses and balms but it would have been a giant post. I think it's going to be pretty long as it is- I didn't think I had that many! Anyways I've grouped them up by brand. Well until the end when I started to get a little bored and my arm was getting sore from continually rubbing at it with tissues!
So firstly here's where I keep my lip stuffs. It's part of a little tower of three containers like this. I have one for my face, eye and lip products.

 

Cute Chococat sticker :)

Onwards!..And apologies for the pics, I know they're not the best quality!

 





 17 Mirror Shine lippies in Purple Haze, Flirtini, Nudist Peach, Belle and Beehive.

 



MUA - Shade 7, 11, 3, 8, 16 (Nectar)

 

 

Collection 2000- Cotton Candy Cream Puff lip cream, Mango Tango, Sweet Tart (both Lasting Colour range)

 

 

Revlon- Honey Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, Pink Velvet, Fire & Ice (both Super Lustrous formula)  Berry Smoothie Colourburst Lip Butter.

 



 



Elf- Mineral Moisturising Lip Tint in Blush, Nicely Nude (Mineral). Sleek- Liqueur, Barely There (both Sheen formula).

 

 

 

Rimmel- Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses lip tint in Perpetual Plum, Red Fever (Colour Show Off). Maybelline- Pink Brown (Color Sensational). W7 Matte lipstick In The Pink. Sally Hansen- Pink Blossom (Natural Beauty Color Comfort Lip Color). Beauty UK- In The Buff. Natural Collection- Rose Bud (Moisture Shine).

 

 

 

So there you have it! My lippie collection. If anything doing this has made me realise that I need to be showing a lot of them some more love! I've got some gorgeous colours but I just don't reach for them as often as I should. I do think some colours however look better swatched than they do on my lips, strangely. I'm going to be on a mission now to mix things up a bit instead of always going for the same ones.  Maybe I'll do a week of wearing a different lipstick each day, no excuses! 

 



 



Essie Bangle Jangle

I couldn't wait to try out one of my new Essie polishes from Fragrance Direct (£1.99 btw!) and it was tough deciding between the two of the them but in the end I chose 770 Bangle Jangle , a beautiful purple/grey. The colour seems to change in different lightings.  Application was a breeze and the narrow brush meant it gave me better control around the cuticles. It needed two coats which is pretty standard and dried quickly. No complaints here! I do love these type of soft hazy shades :)

 

 

August Joliebox

My box arrived this morning and I couldn't wait to open it but I was actually quite disappointed in the end! The products included are meant to be 'summer saviours' but I think the makeup items feel quite cheap.  I am pleased with the dry shampoo and soaps though and will use them.
Here's the 'Menu' for August. Sorry it's not very clear!

 

To start with the box is very pretty- the lid is done in a sort of 'gradient' fashion and I will definitely be finding a use for it. I always need storage!

 

On to the products, included was a So Susan 'Wide Awake' palette which is 'a palette of skin-enhancing colour tools to brighten & illuminate complexions.' Inside is an illuminating cream, a highlighting cream and a set of three eyebrow sculptor powders. It also comes with tweezers, a little brush and a mirror included. Whilst the packaging is pretty it still somehow feels a little cheap. It reminds me a bit of the cardboardy palette's they used to give away with Shout and Bliss magazine (ah good times!). Just tested these on the back of my hand and wow. Crapola. It says on the back that the illuminating cream can be used under the eyes to hide dark circles. I don't actually have dark circles but I image this section at least could be useful to someone. The highlighting cream though  doesn't highlight at all. There's no sight of any sort of light reflecting particles- it's more like a cream foundation. Disappointing. Now I've saved the worst til last. The eyeshadow sculptors. These colours are ridic. The first one has an almost purple/burgundy tone to it, the middle one, which initially looked promising, has hardly any colour pay off- it was so so hard to get any product on my finger for a swatch! and the last one has an attractive green tone to it. Why? They also all have some shimmer to them which I can't say I would want on my brows.

There was also a So Susan Lip Cushion included. Now again the box was cute but the actual product reminds me of a magazine freebie. A bad one at that. It smells so cheap, like plastic strawberries.  The balm/gloss itself is ok. It's nothing special. It basically goes on clear with some sparkle. In the pot it's a bright pink-the shade is Crush-but it's very very sheer. Just checked the box and it does actually say it's a translucent tint-they're not wrong! I'd give this to my little sister if I had one. I also looked up the brand online as I've never heard of it and the website given on the palette sent me to the Jelly Pong Pong site. A bit confusing as it's not their branding on the packaging. I dunno!

 

  

Next up is Phil Smith Dry Clean Revitalising dry shampoo. I've actually been quite tempted to get this when I've seen this in Sainsbury's so I'm pleased I can try it at last, even though it is often on offer so it's not like the price was holding me back. It's not very exciting or special though is it?  I've not tried it yet but no doubt it will do a fine job. I've tried other products in the Phil Smith line and have been impressed so I do have high hopes.

 

 





I really like this next lot and it's something I doubt I would have tried if it hadn't been included. It's three Dr Bronner's Pure-Castile Soap 'pillows' in citrus orange, peppermint and unscented baby-mild. I've heard good things about these soaps so I can't wait to try them out and look up all the different uses for them. Handy to have!

 



Finally we have a leather hair styling lace. The menu says it can be used to create 'endless updo's' but for one, I'm very cack handed, and two, I'm boring with my hairstyle choices so I don't know how much use I'll get out of it! I shall research it though and give it a try.

 

So overall not a very exciting box- I had hoped for better. This is only my second box but if the September one doesn't impress then I think I'll stop my subscription as I think I could be spending the money more wisely!

Superdrug Natural High Radiance Balm

I bought this last week as I felt I needed something to help bring my lacklustre skin back to life! I was looking for something I could wear under my makeup and this seemed to fit the bill. This 'balm' (which is more of a cream really) contains organic olive oil, witch hazel and elderberry, which apparently nourishes and tones. It also contains light reflective particles to illuminate the skin. At first, when I tested it out on my hand, I couldn't see any particles but when you look in the light they are definitely there. Thankfully it is not shimmer overload but saying that I'm not sure I would wear this by itself without some foundation or powder over the top. I can say though that it does seem to brighten my skin and I thought it looked particularly good with my mineral powder foundation over the top. Another plus is that the cream is very light-not heavy at all and sinks in immediately. The tube also states that as a special treat it can be applied in a thick layer then removed 15 minutes later. This seems a bit wasteful to me but it could be worth a go. It wasn't expensive either at £2.49 for 50ml. This was at half price though and it normally goes for £4.99.
All in all I'm happy with this and would recommend it if you're looking to add some radiance to your face :)

New Skincare Stuffs

My skin is looking awful at the minute- I'm breaking out all over the place, especially my chin with those hard, sore, under the skin lovelies :( 
It's also in need of a good scrub as it's feeling a bit rough in places and not as smooth as I'd like! Basically it's really not behaving itself so I've bought a few new items to try and help it get back to some sort of semi decent state!

Firstly I've bought a St Ives blemish fighting apricot scrub. I really like St Ives scrubs as they are just gritty enough and work well. I chose the blemish fighting one as boy do I need it and I'm hoping the added salicyclic acid will help clear my skin. It was also a bargain from Superdrug as it was half price at £1.99.
I also got some new face wipes as although I realise they are not the best for your skin there are times when I just can't summon the energy to cleanse properly. I tried the Elf ones I got fairly recently but I didn't really like them so I got these Skin System sensitive ones from Asda and so far I am really pleased with them. They were also very cheap- can't remember the exact price.

 



I've also been on a bit of a mission lately to find a good light moisturiser as although my skin is oily it can also get dry in places and feel a bit tight after washing. I first got the Superdrug Simply Pure Oil Balancing moisturiser for combination skin but I found it to be too heavy and didn't seem to sink in. I actually had to go and wash my face again after a while because I was just hating the tacky feeling it was leaving. I may give it another go but so far I'm not convinced. I then got the Skin System Young Skin matt finish moisturiser from Asda as I thought for just 90p it was worth a go. Now this one I'm much more impressed with. It sinks in fast and doesn't leave me shiny looking, though I wouldn't say I'm left completely matt either. I've also found it works well under my makeup- I've been using it with my new favourite Maybelline BB cream to help prevent it catching on any dry bits.

I also got this chocolate orange self heating facemask from Superdrug as I adore that combo and love a good self heating mask, they feel so nice. I haven't tried this out yet but I can't wait. Hope it smells as yummy as it sounds! My nose isn't really in dire need of deep cleansing but I just like the novelty of using pore strips. They didn't really take out much but I don't think my pores were that clogged in the first place. Removal did hurt a bit I have to say and my snoot was rather red afterwards! I definately won't be using these regularly but they were only a pound from Pound World so worth a go!

Fingers crossed my skin starts looking better soon. I'm also planning on eating healthier as I think my diet is having a big effect on my skin- I'm just eating junk so more fruits, vegetables and water it is!

My attempt at galaxy nails!

 

I was inspired to do these after seeing them on Midnight Violets. Whilst not as good looking as Hannah's I'm still really chuffed with them and it was so easy to do, and fun for a change, as I usually get quite frustrated trying to do some designs! I think it would look better if my nails were longer but I can't at the moment because of my job. Well I could but they would break off no doubt! I used a black MUA polish, Tesco's All About Nails in Blueberry Pie, George at Asda Buttercup Shine (so pleased to have found a use for this as it's crap on its own!), Color Club Coral Cascade,Color Club clear topcoat and a Miss Sporty glitter polish. These are not the best pics unfortunately but hey ho.