TK Maxx Bargain!

Just a quick little post to share with you the bargain I bagged at the weekend! The bargain being the Nails Inc 'My Polish Diary' set for £14.99 from TK Maxx. I couldn't believe it when I spotted it right at the back on the bottom shelf. Normally I think through any possible purchases but there was no question about this, I had to have it in all it's glittery glory! It contains 12 4ml polishes, all of which are very gorgeous, but the one I am most excited about trying is the popular Baker Street shade. I love blue polishes but didn't really want to shell out £11 for it. I have an addiction but that's a little steep for just one! The other shades included are the Kensington Caviar Top Coat, St Martins Lane, Sloane Avenue, Fulham Palace, Chester, Notting Hill Gate, Fleet Street, Electric Lane, Belgravia Place, South Kensington and Knightsbridge Road. I love that it's a real mix of shades/effects and the mini bottles look so cute. Now I would have been extra chuffed if this had been the set with the full size bottles in, but in reality I have never used up an entire bottle so I really don't mind. 
I can't wait to try these out and I would definitely recommend you check out your local TK Maxx, you never know what gems you may find there!

Weekend Bargains!

I love finding a bargain and so most weekends I'll have a scout about in the discount and pound shops. I also love browsing online for bargains- it's a bit of an addiction really, especially when I should be doing something more productive! This weekend was no different so after a visit to the new Chinese buffet in Wrexham, I was ready to have a mooch about the shops and this is what took my fancy.

In Discount UK I bought the Naked Shine hydrating conditioner for £1.99 and a classic Carmex lip balm stick for a quid. I seem to get on better with Naked's conditioners than their shampoos, and the ones I've tried previously have been lovely so I have high hopes for this one. I got the Carmex as my lips have been feeling quite sore lately and this has worked well in the past. It's also much more convenient and hygienic to use than the ones in pots. I also got a Wet n Wild '3 of a Kind' lips, eyes and cheek stick in the shade By Sunset Strip which is a sort of pinky peach golden shade. I think it'll work best as a blush and would be a good choice for Summer. I've not tested this out properly yet but it seems nice enough, albeit with a slightly weird scent. For a quid though I can't grumble too much.
In Asda I picked up the hair bobbles for a pound, I think. I'm always losing mine and these seem to have the perfect amount of give to them. If you have thick hair then you'll understand how frustrating it is sometimes to find the ones with the right elasticity!
Today I had a look around the Poundland in the town where I live with my boyfriend and was pleased to find some Filthy Gorgeous nail polishes. I remember seeing these in Debenhams a few years back but they were a bit pricey if I remember rightly. I chose the shades Pulp (dark purple) and Air-Kiss ( bright blue). I love the design of the bottles and can't wait to try them out.
I also ordered a Bourjois nail polish from Ebay which arrived on Saturday. It's from the 10 days no chips range, which I think is discontinued, and is in the shade 26. I really wanted to get my hands on this as it's meant to be a dupe for Essie's Splash of Grenadine. I only paid £2.69 for it so it was a much cheaper option! Again, I'm looking forward to giving this a go!
Have you bought any bargains lately?

Primark Volume Boost Mascara

I'm meant to be cutting right back on my spending at the moment as my bank balance is looking extremely unhealthy. It seems that I'm never out of my overdraft at the moment and I'm not exactly extravagant with my spending. I don't smoke, I rarely drink and I don't really go out of an evening. I blame my rubbish teaching assistant wage- the amount of work we do for the pay we get is ridiculous. It really is something that needs to be looked at. I'm grateful I've even got a job at all but it's still disheartening every month when most of it just disappears. Anyways, enough ranting!
 The point I was getting at was that I fancied trying a new mascara but I couldn't  be spending a lot of money on it. So when I was in Primark and saw this volumising mascara for just a quid I thought I would give it a go. For the price the packaging is quite nice in that it isn't tacky or garish looking, but you can definitely tell it's a budget one when you hold it and feel the quality. But none of this really matters of course! The brush is quite small which I really like as I only have short lashes and not very many of them! This manages to grab all my lashes without poking my eyes out in the process- a frequent occurrence with some of the ridiculously huge brushes! It's not instantly volumising but it's easily built up with no clumping. The brush style also means I can really work it into the base of my lashes to get a stronger look. The end result isn't overly dramatic but they do look longer and more defined and curled. I also like that my lashes don't feel crispy in any way, so the effect is much more natural than some volumising mascaras that can feel and look a little heavy. Oh, and another thing, I haven't found it to be irritating, which I was concerned about considering it's very low price!
All in all it's a good everyday mascara that gives me a more natural volumised look, if that makes sense! Especially considering my bare lashes are so underwhelming!
Sorry for the blurry pics, I didn't realise until I was editing them.

Do you have any budget mascara reccomendations? I'm always on the look out for new ones! 

Manhattan Intense Effect Eyeshadow- Dim Brown

This eyeshadow is just gorgeous! I haven't been this impressed with an eyeshadow for a while now, in fact I don't even really wear much nowadays, but this gem has made me keen to wear it again-the shade and formula is just what I look for. It's a baked eyeshadow and sometimes these can feel a bit dry and lack decent pigmentation but this one really wowed me when I first swatched it. It's super soft and just one swipe gives intense colour. Finally a product that lives up to it's name! The shade is quite hard to describe. It's a sort of cool toned bronze shade. Not dissimilar to Maybelline's On and On Bronze but more cooler. I think it also has some olivey/antique gold tones in it- like I said describing it is tricky!  It's shimmery but not glittery which is perfect for me- I hate getting glittery cheeks! It's quite multidimensional as the shade changes depending on the lighting, appearing more light or darker in tone. As a result this makes a great all over colour to use and is perfect for lazy days, or days when you are pushed for time but want to look like you've made some effort. I've saved the best til last though as this only cost me a mere £1.99 from Xtras. With free delivery I think it's a steal!

As you can probably guess I'd really recommend this shade, especially for the price!

Eco Tools Bargain!

I popped into Home Bargains after work yesterday and I couldn't believe it when I spotted a couple of Eco Tools Four Piece Touch-Up Sets. The price labels weren't very clear as it didn't specify Eco Tools it just said something like 'nail & makeup accessories' but it did say 99p so I hoped that it would scan at that price too! Thankfully it did and now I have a lovely little set of good quality brushes that I'm sure will come in handy! The set contains a finishing brush, an eye shading brush, a lash & brow groomer and a detailer/lip brush. I've never owned anything from Eco Tools before but I've read many positive reviews. I've not used them yet but they definitely feel of a very good quality and the bristles are so so soft.
This was such a bargain as they are currently being sold on Amazon for £11.51! Bargainous!

Have you nabbed any bargains recently? 

Reuniting With Johnson's Classic Lip Balm!

I used to love my Johnson's Classic lip balm a good few years ago- largely due to the fact that it smelt like Milkybar, yum! I then stopped seeing it in stores and presumed it had gotten discontinued. Why??!! I had forgotten all about this balm until a while back, when I remembered how nice it was, and wondered if I could still buy it online. After a lot of browsing and investigating I ended up on Ebay buying a three pack of Bebe Young Care 'Klasyczna' lip balm in the hopes that it would be the same product just with a different name. Polish packaging I believe and sent from Hungary! It was a bit pricey at around £8 but that is including shipping. Plus I did get three after all! As you can see I was able to justify it- I really wanted Milkybar lips again!
Well it arrived fairly quickly and as you can guess they are exactly the same and just like how I remembered. As well as smelling gorgeous it works well at keeping my lips soft and smooth and doesn't feel too greasy or waxy. Overall a very lovely lip balm.
I've had a nosey on Ebay and it would appear that it is no longer being sold but it is worth checking every now and then to see if they turn up again.
Excuse the poor lighting, I just really wanted to do a blog post tonight.

Have you tried this? What is your most yummiest balm? 

Primark Make Up Sponge

Unfortunate pic here- it makes it look like a tiny balloon in a bag. Anyways this is Primark's version of a beauty blender - or as they call it 'Egg Make Up Sponge.' I was keen to try this as at £1.50 it is much cheaper than the Cosmopolitan sponge which I usually buy, so this week I have been putting it to the test to see how it compares. Firstly, it is firmer than the Cosmopolitan one and is not as comfortable to use. I've had quite sore sinuses this week and this really hasn't helped matters! I also find that it takes longer to cover my face using this one due to it's smaller size. The pointy part though has been great at getting good coverage around my nose. Overall, for the price it's really not bad at all and I will continue to use it in rotation with my beloved Cosmo blender.

Haver you tried this? What are your thoughts?