TK Maxx and Boots Beauty Haul!

Sorry to be psoting another haul so soon, but at the time of writing this I'm running around trying to get everything sorted to leave for Uganda, which is in less than a week now! By the time this goes out I will have been there for over a month and will hopefully be having a great time! Anyway, I've been doing a lot of shopping to get essientals for going away, and I couldnt resist getting a couple of new beauty purchases too!

My friend Charlotte tipped me off that TK Maxx had quite a lot of Stila products, so I went to check it out. They didn't actually have all that many Stila products, only a couple of Lip Glazes and a mascara that had been opened by an inconsiderate shopper. I did manage to get a lipgloss though, a Lip Enamel Luxe Gloss in Euphoria, which is a dark, blue toned pink. These glosses contain 3.8ml of product, which is quite a bit more than cult favourite lip glazes, which only contain 2.4ml.  I think this particular line of glosses may have been discontinued, as I cant find it on the UK website. I was able to find it on the US site though. The TK Maxx price for this was only £3.99, a total bargain compared to its $22 reccomended price, which is about £14.30.

Also at TK Maxx I spotted several different trios of Essie polishes. These are the original formula I think, not the new, slightly cheaper diffusion formula. They were priced at £10 for the set. I have no idea what the colours are though, they are marked as Capri, Tangerine and Tangerine, but having googled these none of them are right! if anybody knows what they might be, let me know! Lastly from TK Maxx I picked up Sally Hansens Healthy Cuticles Now! which was £3.99.

Next I headed over to Boots where I picked up a polish from the new Essie Diffusion line, in Sole Mate (£7.99, here) which is a beautiful blackened plum shade. I also got Shadow Insurance from Too Faced, which I have never tried before, but I am in desperate need of a decent eyeshadow primer! (£14.03, here)

Lastly I popped to H&M where I bought this iPhone 4 case for just £2.99! Ive been looking for a completely plain case that wouldnt break the bank for ages, as I want to cover it in completely offensive glitter and sparkles. I like tacky, so shoot me!

Muji/Travel Haul!

I know that this isn't strictly beauty related, but I love watching travel videos from beauty gurus on youtube, and I'm so excited about my trip that I couldn't resist posting this!

When I'm packing for a trip I love to organise all of my stuff, I'm a bit of an organisation freak! I have loads of different little pouches that I use for all kinds of stuff, from makeup to medicines.

The big white case is a medium Tarpaulin Cosmeic Case from Muji (£3.95, here) which I'm planning to use to transport my shower gel and conditioner just in case they leak in transit, as this is waterproof. It should also be pretty useful for transporting wet clothes/bikinis after trips to the lake and stuff. There is a custom in Uganda of never allowing people to see your underwear (even when you're not wearing it!), so once you have washed your clothes, there is a definite possibility of having to wait a while to dry them. 

These flat pouches are useful for so many things. The mesh ones I will probably use for my first aid and sterile kits, which are pretty huge. The kids at the school I am going to be working in often always have health problems, and trips to hospital with your students are frequent. Last time I was there I was one of the only qualified first aiders, and ended up taking about 10 children to hospital in 7 weeks. Having my kit to treat minor problems in these mesh pouches means that I can see easily what is in there, and makes everything quicker. They are Large Nylon Mesh Cases, also from Muji (£2.95 each, here). The floral pouch was £1.50 from Primark and will probably end up being used to transport my Tangle Teezer and hairbands.

I bought the Large Hanging Travel Washbag (£11.95, here) because I realised that despite having loads of pouches I don't actually own a washbag! We won't actually have bathrooms in Uganda per-se, but there is a little shower cubicle in the corner of each room, with a few nails in the wall, so this should be really useful as I will be able to keep all of my stuff off the floor, and at eye level. this has loads of compartments so I should be able to further organise everything as I pack! 

I learned some good lessons about travelling when I went to Uganda last summer, and many of those lessons related to what you should and shouldn't bring! As I was flying alone for the first time I was very conscious of the fact that I needed to look after my passport and travel documents. I had a little cardboard folder that was provided by the agent I booked my flights through, which I kept everything in. The problem was that it was only really designed to hold a couple of sheets of paper, not a bulky passport and other important documents! This Muji Purple Passport Case (£9.95, here) should be much more suitable, and has enough room for my passport, tickets, cash, cards, even my keys and a pen!

The last thing I bought in my little travel accessories spree is a free standing mirror from good ol' Poundland. Last year the only makeup I took with me was a limited edition Sleek palette that wouldn't be availible when I got back that I bought on the way to the airport. I thought that as I was doing charity work it wasn't a holiday and I wouldnt have any reason to get glammed up. Was I ever wrong! Every friday saw us go out to a local club to dance, and when I was staying with my cousin in the capital I went to some of the most glamorous places I've ever been! I ended up buying eyeliner and mascara while I was there as I didn't want to be walking into casinos and posh restaurants looking like a scruffy backpacker! Anyway, lesson learned. This time, I'm definitely bringing some makeup!! So I bought this mirror as they were in seriously short supply at the lodge, and they were not free standing. For £1, this will do the job nicely! 

Some New Things...

My aforementioned shopping extravaganza did not end with Primark hair accessories, so I thought I'd share.

Sunglasses. I used to have absolutely loads of pairs of sunglasses, and then I went to Tanzania, and then I went to Uganda. The kids there are compleely obsessed with them, so I came back from Tanzania with none of the sunnies that I'd taken with me, but still some left at home. When my trip to Uganda came around the following summer, I took all of my remaining pairs (six in total!) and I came back with only one pair. (see evidence of adorable sunglasses theives below). So, having learned my lesson, I decided tostart stocking up on cheap sunnies from Primark. These were only £2 each and offer full UV protection, which is important. The super pretty Cath Kidston-esque sunglasses case was only £1.50 too!



The two Maybelline Forever Strong nail polishes were impulse buys really, but I really love the colours. they are Ivory Rose and Lilac charm.

Lastly I got a new foundation from Bobbi Brown (review coming soon!). It's a different forula to the one I used to use, and is supposed to be long wearing and is oil free. We shall see!

Primark for Hair Accessories?!

Yesterday I went on a bit of a shopping extravaganza with my friend Leonie. When we left our flats that morning we were planning a day of cluture at the Natural History Museum Bodyworlds exhibit (totally reccomend it!) but we ended up getting round it quicker than we thought we would, and ended up on oxford street until about 8pm!

I had never been to Primark Oxford St before and as it was a weekday we decided that it wouldn't be too busy so we would brave it. I was surprised that I didn't actually buy any clothes, but bought some accessories and quite a bit of hair stuff. I have bought a bun ring from primark before for the bargainous price of just £1, and it was of the same quality as a £5 one from Boots, but they seem to have broadened their selection of hair accessories.

I stupidly chucked all the packaging in the recycling last night when I was in a bit of a cleaning frenzy, so the pictures are without it, sorry! I got the hairbands first, I love these as they come in all sorts of colours, natural and otherwise, and they don't have that annoying metal bit that can catch your hair, and it's only a pound for 30. As someone who is constantly loosing hairbands, that is important!!

The clear and black elastics caught my eye as I like to use the clear ones when I'm doing a more intricate style or when it's important that the band doesn't show. The black ones I probably won't use but I can take them out to Uganda with me where the local women can use them for when they braid their own, or visiting tourists hair. These were also £1 and there are 300 in the pack.

The spiral pins are the thing I was most excited about. I have looked at Goody Spin Pin (£5.50, here) in Boots lots of tims but never bought them because I just couldn't justify spending that much on two glorified hair grips. Enter Primark, with their flagrant copy priced at just £1, and just as good. I'm planning to do a tutorial on these but put simply you pretty much gather your hair in a bun, screw one in from the top and the other from the bottom, and voila, it stays. Much better value and I'm pretty sure the quality is similar.

Swap with Marla!!

hey girls! I'm so sorry I've been so scattered lately, but I've wored myself up into a bit of a blogging frenzy, so you can look forwards to scheduled posts for the next few weeks!

A few weeks ago, I did a swap with the lovely Marla, and here is the long overdue haul from it. I thoroughly reccomend reading her blog if you don't already, her eye looks are amazing!

this is an overall of everything she sent me. (I hope I haven't forgotten anything!!) The pink makeup bag is so cute, though i have no idea where it's from.

The lip butter by Revlon in Cherry Tart is absolutely gorgeous, a lovely, moisturising formula and pigmented enoughto show, but not so much that it's scary.

Revlon colour tattoos are something I've been lusting after for ages, it was a pretty funny coincidence that the day my package arrived containing this one, Bad to the Bronze, was the same day that they went on sale in the UK! I've now got five of them and I absolutely love them, they absolutely could replace MAC paintpots, though the texture is slightly different. This is a great shade (called on and on bronze in the UK) which is perfect for simply sweeping over the lid with some liner as a lazy, one colour look.

Maybelline dream bouncy blush is the wirdest formula of blush i have ever come accross, but I love it. You really do have to feel this to understand but it's so strange, a kindof semi cream, semi powder forumla in a squishy dome shape.... So wierd but just so right! I have this in the colour Pink Plum.

Last up for makeup products is the Physicians Formula Magic Mosaic Multi-Coloured Custom Blush (phew!) in soft mocha/mocha. this is a really nice bronzer wth a tiny hint of shimmer but not too much, so its goos for contouring, as well as creating a bit of a sunkissed glow!

Top-Bottom, Revlon lip butter in Cherry Tart, Maybelline colour tattoo in Bad to the Bronze, Dream bouncy blush in Pink Plum, Physicians Formula bronzer. 

Marla also included some sample of Julep hand scrub, brightener and cream, which I'm yet to try, but I'm excited to use the scrub especially!

And finally, she also sent me some cheeto's which we used to be able to get in the UK but sadly they are no longer. Apparently my flatmates missed them more than me as they made off with them as soon as they set eyes on them! 

So thats it for my swap! It was such a great experience, and I'd love to do another one soon! If you could, what products from another contry would you try?

LOOOONG overdue IMATS London haul!!

hey girls!! i'm SO sorry this has taken me so long, but i was super busy with my job and family stuff, so i took a little break from blogging. i have now quit my job (YAY!) and so i' hoping to get back to my regular blogging schedule.

anyway, i promised to do a haul from IMATS which was last month, as i bought quite a lot of stuff! before i go into this i just want to give a little disclaimer, i am in no way trying to brag or show off about how much money i have or how much stuff i have, i saved up for months proir to IMATS to enable me to make some big purchases at reduced prices, which is really a money saving way to buy.

anyway, into the haul!!

when i got home, before i played with or opened anything, i had to take lots and lots of pictures!! these are all of the bags i came back with, i was so excited!!

this is eveything i came back with all laid out. it looks like more than it actually is because i included all of the bags and literature. come on, i love that stuff!!

first of all i got quite a few new tools. crown brush was really well priced and inexpensive, so i picked up a few brushes there. i also got some disposable plastic spatulas. i think this entire bundle cost around £20, so really good value!

i picked up (from left to right) a small fan bush, a tiny little blending brush, a fine detailer brush, a badger (so soft!) flat shader brush, a HUGE natural hair shader brush, a badger crease brush, a tiny synthetic smudger brush, a square liner brush, and a badger anglpenil brush. let me just say that these brushes are LOVELY. i have had zero shedding (unlikemy 3 MAC brushes!!) and they are all super soft.

i really wanted a big flat-topped kabuki brush, and Royal and langnickel were having a big sale on their kabuki's, selling them at only £6 each.  

this brush as been a bit of an obsession of mine! it's so soft, and absoutely brilliant for buffing mineral and powder based products into the skin.

sleek had a big stall shaped like one fo their iconic eyeshadow palettes, and they also had some great discounts!

they were doing pout paints at 3 for £10, and lipsticks at 4 for £10, which was a complete bargain, considering pount paints are usually around the £6 mark and lipsticks aound £5!

the i-Divines were discounted, but only by about 50p individually. you could buy all of them for a bigger discount but i already had most of them, so i just got the PPQ palette, which i haven't seen before.

 as always, the shadows are super pigmented, and are a mixture of shimmery and matte formulas.

the lipsticks i got. they are (L-R) cherry, mystic (matte), candy cane and baby doll. baby doll is FAR too pale for me to actually wear, but it looked nice in the tube!! the colours here are really washed out, but i just couldnt get a true picture. to give you an idea, candy cane (3rd from left) is actually a super bright pink toned red, but it comes out here looking like a pastel pink. and cherry is really dark and vampy, but here looks more like candy cane does in real life. i'll put swatches up eventually, as i really like the formula of these lipsticks.

i also picked up some pout paints, so that i now have the complete collection.

i stopped off at Beatuy So Clean to get some cosmetic sanitiser, as i'm a bit of a germ freak!! the other day i told one of my friends that she coud help herself to use any of my makeup, and then i nearly freaked out when i saw her sticking an eye pencil in her eye! i was very glad for this spray that day.

i cant actually remember what stall i bought this at, i just remember they were selling beauty blenders and BEAUTIFUL foundation palettes which i was sorely tempted by, but it was the nd of the day by then and i'd already gone over my budget! this palette is lovely though, even though the surface of each shade is quite small, they go down quite deep and the coverage is great. i managed to snag this for a cheeky tenner as the show was closing, which i was so excited about!!

i actually bought these at the first stand i visited, i belive it was 3 for £5, and they are super soft because they're human hair.

i also bought some lash adhesive from there, but i havent tried it yet so i can't tell you much about that one!!

NYX had a HUGE line the whole ime i was there, so i went back just before the show closed to get what i wanted. it was slim pickings, so i just got 2 lipliners in dolly pink (front) and pinky (back) 

there was a stand called backstageshop.com which i was SO attracted to. it had the usual cosmetic stuff, but also quite a lot of theatrical and stage makeup too. i bought quite a bit from there and went back several times!!

the pack in th back of this shot was like a special effects starter set, and was a bargain at only £15! it contains: a lip colour/balm, liquid latex, arterial blood, spirit gum, and wound wax, all made by makerm and all in clear plastic cosmetic bag. i think the individual items had about a £35 value, so it was a great price for the bundle. i also picked up from this stand the ben nye mist and set (which unfortunately i had a bad experience with!) a ben nye concealer quad and a lipbalm they gave me for free because i bought so much!

i also picked up at this stall my biggest and most exciting purchase.... an airbrush system!! i decided not to go for one of the big brand systems because A) theyare very expensive compared to generic systems and B) a generic system will be easier to sell on if i decide i want to invest in a branded system, as a generic compessor has more practical uses.

the whole bundle, including 2 types of cleaner, airbrush and compressor cost only £100, compared to the £280 benchmark of the big brand names! so far i'm loving airbrush makeup and application, it just looks so flawless!

after i bought my compressor i was super excited, and went out looking for some makeup to go in it. OCC was my first port of call, and they fulfilled my needs perfectly.

i got a full sized bottle of foundation in my own colour, which is Y0, and then sample packs of all the yellow and red based shades, plus the blush, bronzer and highlight shades.

that about wraps it up for this haul, hope you enjoyed!

whats on YOUR whishlist?

Some New Goodies!

Hey girls! I know I just posted saying that I wasn't going to post but I got a LOAD of work done in not very much time so I thought I could write a post so.....

I went shopping the other day and I went again yesterday, (though I blame my sister for that one) and I got some new stuff, so I thought I’d show you.

Both times I went to the new Westfield centre in Stratford, which I really like. The first place I went to was MAC, which is fast becoming my favourite place, where I checked out the new Glitter and Ice collection. I picked up a paint pot in Morning Frost and an eyeshadow in Satin Taupe from their regular line.

 Top: Satin Taupe, Bottom: Morning Frost

Next I went off to Superdrug where I got most of the other stuff. I got 3 MUA lipglosses in shades 1, 4, and 5. I’m really impressed with the pigmentation of shade number 4, it comes off really opaque and pretty. I actually bought 4 of these, but when I opened the red one I got (can’t remember the shade, sorry!) the lid broke and I had to throw it away, or it would have spewed lipgloss everywhere. Thankfully they were 3 for 2 so I didn’t actually pay anything for that one!

 Shades 4,5,1

Clockwise from top: 4,5,1

I also got a new foundation, powder and concealer. I have been wanting to try a highstreet foundation for a while now, as currently I’m using Bobbi Brown, which is pretty pricey! I got Rimmel Stay Matte as I’m also wanting something with a bit more coverage and shine. I haven’t tried it yet, but when swatched it feels really creamy and nice, which is a plus. I’ll post again soon and let you know how I’m getting on with it. I got their Clear Complexion powder in transparent to go with it, which I’m loving so far. I also picked up a Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer which is so worth the hype, and I picked up the Barry M Lash Modelling mascara, which is a great and cheaper alternative to Maxfactor False Lash Effect fusion, which is what I was previously using.

Lastly I went to Boots where I got a set of 3 jumbo lip balms, which I thought I could break up and give to my sisters as little extra Christmas presents.

And that’s my haul! Have YOU finished your Christmas shopping yet?

No longer a MAC virgin!

hey girls!

lat week i made a little trek to the MAC store in Westfield Stratford city, and this is what i came away with. i haven't actually had anything from MAC before, (post detailing how  NEARLY but not quite got my hands on some here) thankfully this time i basically avoided the staff and looked after myself, though they did seem freindlier than on my previous experience!

there was a half hour wait for a consultation, so based on what i've heard on youtube and what i liked the look of, i chose on my own.

in all of it's packaging...

out of its packaging...

the first thing i got was Rubenesque paint pot, which i'm completely in love with. it's such a beautiful colour, and look great on the lid with a bit of matte brown in the crease. this picture doesn't really do it justice, it really is lovely, and if you havent seen it in person, i'd reccomend giving it a swatch next time you're at a MAC counter. it lasts all day (and then some) as well and doesn't crease at all, which is great for a cream product.

next up i got a small duo fibre 188 brush. i actually meant to pick up a 130 brush, which is shorter, like a mini kabuki, and the white fibres stick out much less, but having got this home and used it, i'm glad i went for this one. i've been using it for cream blushes mainly, but i have also used it for foundation, which it's brilliant for, though it's more time consuming than using my trusty ecotools duo fibre kabuki brush.

the last thing i got was a MAC brush cleanser. this was something of an impulse buy, the lay at the checkout sad i should get some to go with my brush, and normally that wouldn'ttempt me in the slightest, but for some reason, this time it did! it wasn't too expensive and i was previously using baby shampoo as brush cleaner, so i decided i should get some proper stuff!

i have used it a few times now and i like it, much simpler than having to deep clean every time!!

what were the first things you got from MAC? xxx

Judy's affordable vintage fair

hey ladies, last saturday me and my flatmate rhianna went to Judy's affordable vintage fair which was being held in york hall at bethnal green.

i've never been to an event like this and it was a lot of fun, though i felt a bit out of place in my jeans and crew jumper, most people there looked like they'd walked straight out of the 40's!

i was after some jewlery, mainly a vintage ring, a scarf that i could tie around my head or onto my bag, and a big chunky knit jumper.

sadly, i didn't find many rings at all, and those that i did find tended to be modern, but it did find a pair of very pretty earrings.

a lot fo the clothes seemed to be quite expensive, especially given that they were second hand. i feel this about a lot of places that sell clothes with the 'vintage' tag attached. some of the stuff we found was dinfintely NOT vintage, like a dress from last year from primark! i've wanted for ages a chunky fair isle or cable knit jumper to wear with leggings, and this one that i fell in love with had a starting price of £20! thats a lot for a second hand jumper...

i didnt buy a jumper owning to the prices, but there were lots of lovely denim shorts on offer too, but i didnt find any that fitted.

what i DID get was a pair of lovely vintage scarves, which i love as headscarves at the moment.

here are a couple of shots of them on....

these actually were pretty good value, and most stalls were offereing one for £3 or 2 for £5, whish is what i got mine for.

towards the back of the fair were a couple of stalls selling vintage items that werent clothes, and i snapped up some lovely antique photographs, and some interesting old keys, which i want to hang from my celing at home (dont judge me, it looks cool!) and which also look nice on a long ribbon or chain as a pendant. i did get one other thing which i was excited to show you guys but i cant because it's a christmas present for someone in my family, and i know they have been looking at my blog recently, so i cant show you!

the keys and one of the photographs i bought.

i would reccomend going to a Judy's event if there is one near you, its fun even if you don't buy anything, and there are definitely some bargains to be found! you can find details of their upcoming events here

what do you think of vintage clothes?

Love, Lucy xxx

Uni Life and fashion haul

hello ladies, i'm SO sorry i've been neglecting you!

i have been so busy with moving to uni and settling in that i've barely had time to even think about blogging, and i had no internet untill last week!

anyway, since i am now living in london, one of the world's shopping capitals, i have been getting down to some serious retail therapy!!

one of my favourite things i bought was a beautiful floorsweeper dress from H&M @ selfridges, but when i tried to photograph it it looks horrible, so i might save it for when i wear it and do an OOTD.

this is an overview of everything i got, the dress is the black bit at the top of the photo!

all of this apart from the dress and the Uggs were purchased at the new westfield stratford city mall, which is conveniently located just 10 minutes away from where i have my lectures!!

so, starting with the shoes, i got these lovely chelsea boots from topshop. they were £62 i believe but i used my student discount, making them a little cheaper. they don't look very new, but i did intentionally scuff them up a bit beofre i wore them, they look much better distresed! they had a little bit of distressing to them already, with the dark patches around the toes, but i much prefer them like this. irritatingly i am going to have to return them as the elastic is coming away already, but when i get my new pair hey should hopefully last a long time, as they are really leather and seem to be nice quality.

i have been needing a new pair of uggs since about January when mine got a hole in the toe. i have been considering getting the 'ultra' style for a while, as they have a rugged sole and toecap, and they do look like they will last a lot longer than classics, which is what i've always had before, but have never had one pair for longer than a year! i finally bit the bullet and bought these from office, at the grand price of £265. i nearly cried with shock but they SHOULD last a lot longer than my old ones.

moving on from shoes onto the clothes!

the first place we hit was Oxford street so i'll show you what i got in Selfridges first, which is the dress, please excuse the photos!

its got a structured top with underwire and then ribbons that look like bones but arent in the bodice, and then flows out to a long chiffon skirt. i promise it's not as grannyish as it looks here!

after Oxford street we headed to westrfield (the next day), where i had trouble breathing in the enormous Forever 21 they have there, i was so excited! as far as i know F21 is only in london and Birmingham, but if you dont have one in your city, they are online, but i would definitely reccomend trekking to a store if you are ever in the vicinity.   if you dont know about F21 it's basically America's answer to primark. the prices arent quite as low as primark, more like H&M, but the clothes are lovely, much nicer than most primark finds, and whereas in primark there is the odd sensational piece, in F21 everything is nice, and there arent really any items that you would look at and walk quickly away from!

so from the top, working left to right, i got a blueish slightly green hued lace top, which i absolutely love. it looks beautiful over a pink vest top. i actually bought this because of FleurDeForce, who featured it in one of her youtube videos, so if you want to see someone wearing it then head over there.

next thing down is my absolute bargain piece which was a genuine suede jacket which was a steal at £42. it looks so nice with the sleeves pushed up thrown over basically anything

next thing over is my mustar jeans which were another bargain at £18! mustard is set to be a key colour for autumn and i abolutely love them, they have basically replaced my blue jeans, and while i first thought they would be difficult to pair with stuff, they go with everything.

next up is a lace jacket which i' not sure about, and i may actaully give to one of my sisters. its peachy and pretty but the waterfall front i feel adds pounds to me and i haven't yet worn it, and the tags are still attached.

lastly is a cropped orange striped jumper which i absolutely love, it looks so pretty work off the shoulder and is perfect for autumn.

i also picked up 2 rings from new look, which i think are just gorgeous, i love big rings but i always worry they make my fingers look fat, so i hardly ever buy them. i really liked these ones though so i just went for it.

the stone is actually purple, but it looks black in the picture.

the very last thing i got was nail polish. in the new westfield is a beautybase store which has discounted perfume and makeup, and when i saw that they had LA colours polishes for 99p, i just had to get some, and then i later went back another day to buy more!

i've been really impressed with the formula of these, and i'm sure it wont be long before i'm tempted to go in and buy more!!

hope you all enjoyed this haul lovelies, and i hope my sporadic posting hasn't been too annoying for you!!

love, lucy xx