A Little March 2018 Primark Haul - Clothes, Accessories, And Some Beauty Reviews

Suffering from several chronic illnesses as I do, I've come to rely on online shopping quite a bit, and even more so this year, when I just haven't had the energy to get out there into real shops and enjoy one of my favourite pastimes . Online shopping definitely fills the void but you really can't beat getting out there and getting into a bricks and mortar shop. I've the odd look out but a couple of weeks ago I managed my first trip into Intu Metrocentre since before Christmas and whilst it damn near killed me off, it was well worth the effort, I had my eyebrows waxed and I managed a trip to Primark!!

It's one of those things that just can't be explained, why oh why doesn't  Primark have an online store? My own personal theory is that they would probably get way too many returns thanks to the less that consistent sizing but hey I would take the risk and I'm sure lots of other people would as well, so come on Primark do it and help me save a few spoons!

I'm not going to lie despite the fact that this trip was so long coming and so long awaited I didn't actually buy that much. I stocked up on a few of my Primark essentials including some more oil balancing facial wipes, some blue jeggings and some black leggings, and I picked a few other bits including another one of their basic t-shirts.

As someone who at the moment detests her tummy, and her hips, I need something to cover it up and with a bit of length, and Primark's long length t-shirts do exactly that. As someone who is at the limit of Primarks sizing scale I find these tees pretty generous, they have a lot of stretch in them and they are so so comfy to wear. This is one of the short sleeve versions, and whilst their are various necklines available my favourite is either the crew neck or the scooped neckline like this one. Again there were a few colours to choose from but I decided to switch it up a bit a leave the blues and stripes behind and go for this nice classic khaki green shade. These t-shirts are real staples for me at the moment and for just £3.50 I can really afford to stock up.

I know I've just talked about length, and how I need long line things, but my next purchase though is just a little bit shorter than what I normally go for.

There is no way that you could describe this as a cropped jumper but compared to my usual bum and tum covering numbers this is pretty short for me. I couldn't resist it though, I love the ribbed detail, and the baguette style crystals on the neckline, and grey really is one of those classic colours, that I'm personally learning to love again. There was a huge muck up price wise with this one, this jumper and all of it's sale rail friends in this shade and in a wine colour were tagged as £13 reduced to £5 - Bargain! When I got to the till though they had been a big mistake and they shouldn't have been reduced! Since both the tag and the price on the rail said £5 though that's what they had to give me it for! - abiding by the rules = one happy LouLou.

That was it for clothes but I did pick a jewellery item from a sale rack, and this time there was no argument about the price, this super cute real semi precious stone (amethyst?)  friendship bracelet was just £1 reduced from £3.

Featuring faceted purple and lilac crystal stones, with a clear crystal, silver tone disco hanging from the middle, it fastens with a Chinese knot style fastening, with tiny silver tone hearts on the end of each strand. This bracelet is so pretty and could easily pass for something like Lola Rose, and if you weren't a fan of the circle charm they you could easily remove it with some wire cutters without ruining the rest of the bracelet.

I think I pretty much say it every time I go into Primark now but their beauty range keeps getting better and better!! The selection has improved dramatically and the quality on the majority of things that I've tried has been excellent for the price.

At the moment Primark seems to have a glut of how can I put this? high end dupes, not quite out and out copies, but you know, clearly getting there, does that bother me? no not really, as I've said before I'd rather buy a dupe than an out and out fake product from ebay or from a local buy and sell group, and if it's done well then I'm definitely not complaining. They have quite a few Too Faced inspired lines in at the moment but I thought I'd give one of their Kylie inspired products a go.

I've got to be honest and admit that all of those matte lip kits did nothing for me, I'm not the hugest matte lip fan and I'm definitely not a fan of the butt hole lip look but whilst I've had an indifferent relationship with lip gloss for a while, give me a plump glossy lip, over a dry, lined matte one any day.

I do love a nude / pink lip so I though I'd give this PS Nudes Lip Collection kit a try. This kit in the shade Hypnotise contains a 10ml Lip Gloss, and a 1.5g lip pencil, both in a pink / nude / almost mauve shade.

The gloss is a touch sticky but the pigmentation is excellent, and it wears incredibly well, it comes out a touch darker than it appears in the tube, but it applies really easily with the sponge applicator, and it actually feels quite creamy, and smooth on the lips.

The coordinating lip liner pencil is easy to sharpen and comes in a plastic feel, barrel. It's a touch paler than the gloss and again the pigmentation is excellent. It feels smooth to the touch, but it isn't so creamy that it will end up all over your face.

Apologies that I haven't managed to get a shot of either of these products on my actual face but this is what I'm wearing in the You Tube video that you can see at the end of this. For just £3 I'm so, so impressed with this kit, the pigmentation, and feel of the products and the wear time, easily beats a lot of high end brands. Both of the products work perfectly together but since this is the type of shade that I go for in lipsticks I think I'll get a lot of extra use out of the lip liner, which is pretty similar to the Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner in 063 East End Snob. If this shade isn't for you, there are are several other colour combinations available so you if you're a nude lip fan you're bound to find something you like.

I debated whether or not to pick up one of the Too Faced inspired cheek kits but in the end I decided to try out this highlighting palette, which may or may not be inspired by various products including the Anastasia Sugar Glow palette ;)

The PS Pure Glow Highlighting Palette comes in very on trend, and blogger friendly rose gold, and marble print cardboard packaging. I'm not the biggest fan of cardboard packaging because after a while I think it can look a little grubby but in this case again I'll make an exception. It feels sturdy enough and it fastens with a magnet so your highlighters will be kept safe and secure.

The palette itself contains a little section, which tells you where to put your highlighters (just in case you don't know), and four good sized, round pans crammed full of beautiful metallic and shimmery loveliness.

On the top row you have Desert, a gorgeous shimmery, metallic white, and Glimmer, a beautiful, metallic gold

and underneath you have a Eden a shimmery, nude pink, and Firefly, a rich metallic copper, bronze.

As you can see the pigmentation is excellent, and all of these shade are beautifully soft and buttery. Again no face shots but I am wearing a lot of this palette in the accompanying You Tube video. There is probably no wear on earth that you'll be able to see the shades on my face but I actually did virtually a full face look with this palette, I used Glimmer, and Firefly to create a rich metallic golden bronze eye look, with just a hint of Desert under the brow, and I used Eden on my cheeks, for a pale shimmery blush look. This is beautiful and super versatile and well worth the £5 that I paid for it. Yes you could probably get some sort of highlighting palette for less but would it be as good as this and would you be getting 4 x 7g, smooth and high pigmented colours for your money? I doubt it and I'm so glad that I picked this up. I've been so, so impressed with both of these items, and I'm definitely going to be heading straight to the beauty section next time I'm in Primark which will probably be next week because my mum needs to take something back :)

I know I've already mentioned it a few times but just in case it hasn't clicked yet, I've made a video to accompany this haul which you can see below or via this link.



If you like haul videos then definitely make sure that your subscribed to my You Tube channel, because I've got a few exclusive hauls coming up ever the next few days, including one that you won't want to miss x In the meantime if you've bought anything exciting in Primark recently or if you have any Primark beauty recommendations then please leave me a comment and let me know, or link me up to your blog post, or You Tube video x Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon with my March beauty empties post x

Benefit They're Real Big Sexy Lip Kit And On Being A Quirky Girl

I was fortunate enough to spend yesterday aka Mother's Day with two of my favourite people, my mam and my Godmother. Over the last 12 months or so I've realised just how important family time actually is, and unfortunately, in this day and age, I think it's something that we all take for granted. We spent a lot of yesterday reminiscing and talking about people and times gone by, and we spent a lot of time talking, strangely enough, about ourselves and how other people see us.

Over the years I've been described as a lot of things, someone once described me as the most scarily intelligent person that they'd ever met, whilst some else described me as funny, in a weird way, we came to the conclusion, that probably the best way to describe both myself and my mum was quirky, and to be honest I'm okay with that. I've never wanted to be a sheep, and I'm never going to be one of those people that everybody loves, or that fits in anywhere like a jigsaw, I'm an individual and I'm proud of that.

It goes with saying therefore, that my outlook on life is also pretty quirky, I love anything just that little bit out of the ordinary, and anything that's just that little bit different. I'm obsessed with David Lynch, one of my favourite TV programmes at the moment is Finding Bigfoot, I love daisies, and psychedelic prints, and eventually getting back on point, I love make up brands that stand out from the rest of the crowd

Although they've been widely copied, and imitated, with their quirky, vintage style, and their often tongue and cheek humour, if you want something just that little bit different make up wise then Benefit is a good place to start.

I'm a Bene Babe and I'm proud of that, take away the fun exterior, and your usually left with a quality product that does exactly what it promises. I've tried so many of their products over the years, and so many of them have become permanent additions in my make up bag. It's hard to believe that they've been around since the 1970's, and whilst so many products in their line have become real classics, they aren't one of those brands that rests on their laurels, and their constantly developing new products and trying to please a new generation of fans.

So far in 2017, we've seen several new additions to their popular boxed blusher range, with an entirely new shade Galifornia, and with some new incarnations of some old favourites, Hoola Lite and Dandelion Twinkle. All of these on now on my wishlist, but today I'm going to talk about another relatively new Benefit addition, their new They're Real lipsticks.

Late last year, Benefit released two new kits just in time for the Christmas rush, both under their ever popular They're Real banner.  These kits, an eye and a lip kit, were just taster of what was to come, when at the beginning of this year they released a whole new range of eyeshadows and lipsticks.
The whole point of every product in the They're Real line is to take the stress and the hassle out of make up, every product is an innovation and is designed to make us all into make up artists without the years of practise and training. Since I have the enthusiasm but not always the skill, this line is right up my street, so as a little Autumn and Winter treat I picked up both of the kits, the They're Real Big Sexy Eye Kit, which I'm going to talk about in a future post, and the They're Real Big Sexy Lip Kit.

This beautiful metal tin which make the perfect gift contains, 4 half size, 0.75g lipsticks from the new They're Real Double The Lip Beyond Sexy Lipstick & Liner In One range.

Packaged in metallic, plastic tubes, that resemble Benefit's famous They're Real Mascara, these products are probably one of most unique lip products that I've seen in a long time.

Lets face it, a lipstick in most cases is just that a lipstick, they can be short and chubby, or they can be long and slim, but however they're shaped, take away the packaging be it classy or simple, and in most cases, unless you're a real beauty junkie, you probably couldn't distinguish one pink lipstick from another one. Occasionally now you'll see the odd one that looks different say with a gel core or a coating but the majority of lipsticks on the market today look pretty similar. These ones though are just that little bit different and they're different for a very good reason.

Open these beauties up and your probably expecting to see just a thin, boring ish lipstick but these lipstick or should I say lipsticks and liners in one, have two things that make them unique. As you can see from the photograph above these lipsticks not only have a distinctive teardrop shaped tip, but each lipstick also contains two colours in one. The dual colour thing isn't that new really but the shape is, because what this product enables you to do is to both line and fill in your lips, in one swipe. All you do is apply the lipstick like you normally would only making sure that the pointed tip is positioned along your upper lip line, and that you turn the lipstick upside down to fill in your lower lip.

There are 8 shades to choose from in the full 1.5g size, but this kit gives you the opportunity to try 4 of the most popular shades in a handbag friendly, half size.

The shades are from left to right, Flame Game, a fiery orange, red, Pink Thrills, a classic, bright pink, Revved-Up Red, a cherry, pink red shade, and Lusty Rose, a lovely neutral rose pink.

Apologies that the swatches aren't that neat but what I was trying to show you, was the slight colour variations between the lipstick and the liner shades. In the bullet I think the differences look a lot more pronounced, and in some cases quite scary. I wish the obsession with darker or different coloured lip liners to lipsticks would crawl under a rock and die - I'm not a fan at all, and despite looking in some cases like they could give you that sort of look, the difference on the lips with these ones is actually quite subtle.

In every single one that I tried, the lip liner shade didn't look obvious, the colours just complimented each other perfectly and in my experience the slight colour variation actually gives the lips a slightly plumper, and fuller appearance. I think that's really the whole point of these lipsticks to actually make your lips look fuller, and as though you've spent ages applying lipstick and liner, and by and large Benefit's consumer testing appears to say exactly that, with 91% of participants saying that there lips looked visibly fuller and sexier. I definitely like how they look on my lips and since I personally received several compliments when I wore them, I think I have to agree with them - what do you think?

Flame Game 

Pink Thrills

Revved-Up Red

Lusty Rose

I've really enjoyed wearing these lipsticks, and this kit has even taken me out of my comfort zone with shades like Flame Game. As you can see the pigmentation is superb, and whilst the semi matte formula, isn't the most hydrating, it doesn't leave your lips dry and parched. I guess the formulation also helps with the illusion of fullness, and it also aids the wear time, I didn't quite get the 8 hours that Benefit claim but I easily managed a few hours out of each one which considering the amount of water I drink, is pretty amazing in my book.

Although 95% of testers that Benefit surveyed claim that these lipsticks are super easy to apply, I personally think that you need a little bit of practise just to get your technique on point. I found them pretty easy to apply on my top lip, but I struggled at first when I had to flip the bullet to do my bottom lip - I was all fingers and thumbs for some reason. The bullet itself is ergonomically designed so it's pretty easy to hold and practise as they say makes perfect.

So do I like these? In it's simplest terms yes I do, I have to say when I first swatched them I wasn't sure but once I started using them, I got it, I love the coverage, and the wear time, and my pout definitely looks a little bit fuller when I wear them. Any drawbacks? well if you love really moisturising, and really creamy lipsticks then these probably aren't for you, and they do have a slightly weird, almost TCP like smell, and taste, but that soon disappears, and the positives for me firmly outweigh any negatives. 

The Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Big Sexy Lip Kit, retails at around £25.50 and is currently available from various retailers including,  the official Benefit Cosmetics website, as well as Boots, Debenhams, John Lewis, House Of Fraser, and QVC UK. This kit is great for travel or for trying out some new colours, or for anyone who wants to try out this new concept but if you like what you see, you can also buy the individual lipstick in the full size, in these four shades, and in additional four shades, for around £16.50 each. My favourite colours in this kit are definitely the pinks, Pink Thrills and Lusty Rose, so even though I did get another mini in a recent Birchbox, I can definitely see myself picking up the full sizes in the near future, and I'm definitely going to add the shade Nude Scandal to my ever increasing beauty wishlist? What do you think about these lipsticks? Have you tried them yet? Let me know your thoughts below x

Illamasqua Extinct "Go Nude" Lip Kit And Birthday Giveaway - CLOSED

Bar a brief affair with dark, vampy lips when I was in my teens and my current obsession with pink lipstick, I've always been a nude girl at heart. When I first started blogging the trend was for those blank out, dead looking nudes like Barry M 101 and GOSH Darling. They were were dry, cakey and unflattering yet we still bought them in droves and thought we looked like the bees knees! Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Thankfully though the nude lip has moved on and whilst you can still pick up a concealer like nude if that's your thing, you can now find a multitude of nude lip shades, with warmer and more flattering undertones, to suit all skin tones, and all tastes.

I have quite a few in my collection now but you know me, I'm always looking to try something new and a bit different, so just before Christmas I picked up a lip kit from one of the most talked about brands of the moment, Illamasqua.

I don't own a lot of Illamasqua products compared to some other brands out there but I really like the ones that I do have, and I also love the ethics behind the company. I love both their powder and their cream blushers, I love their nail polishes, and I'm a big fan of some of their cream eye products. I've got to be honest and say though, the only thing that I've ever been disappointed with was one of their lipsticks. On reflection I think it was the colour and the texture that were to blame, Sonnet is described as a matte peachy nude, and looking back it was one of those nudes that just didn't flatter my skin tone, and I wasn't a huge fan of the matte finish at the time. Every brand deserves a second chance and the perfect way to try three different lip products at once was to get my hands of one their Christmas kits.

Released as part of the Extinct collection, the Illamasqua Extinct Go Nude Lip Kit was a limited edition for the festive season and retailed at £40 which was a pretty decent saving compared to buying the 3 products inside individually. The products come in a beautiful magnetic fastening box which features a metallic, holographic butterfly design.

Open the box and you're greeted by more metallic, holographic loveliness, and three full sized lip products, in three different formulations and in 3 different, flattering shades of nude.

Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick - Starkers - 4g

As I said before my previous Illamasqua lipstick experience wasn't the best, the colour wasn't that flattering, and I wasn't really a fan of the matte finish. The lipstick in this kit though is one of Illamasqua's Glamore Lipsticks which has more of a satin finish.

The shade that you get is Starkers, which is officially described as a soft flesh pink tone. Compared to a lot of nudes from back in the day, Starkers has a lot of warmth to it, it isn't too brown though, and instead it's a nice balance between peach, brown, and pink, and I think that it's a colour that would suit a lot of different skin tones.

As you can see the pigmentation is excellent, it applies easily without dragging and whilst it's not the most moisturising lipstick I've ever worn, it feels pleasant on the lips and it wears well, and fades evenly. 

All in all this is a decent formulation it wears well, and the colour is a nice wearable nude, that doesn't make you look ill lol. Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Starkers retails at £19.50 for an 8g tube.

Illamasqua Lip Lure - Bloom - 2.5ml

One of the biggest trend in lips at the moment, has to the liquid lipstick. Thanks to a certain reality TV star, liquid lipsticks are the thing to have in your make up bag. Whilst the real trend at the moment is for a matte liquid lip, the Illamasqua Lip Lure that you get in this kit actually has more of a semi gloss like finish

The shade that you get is Bloom, which is described as a pink nude, it definitely has a lot more pink in it then Starkers does, and in fact I would probably describe it as more of a neutral, warm pink, than an out and out nude.

Although this product is very pigmented, the precise shape of the sponge applicator makes it super easy to both outline and fill in your lips.

As I say this product is described as having a semi gloss finish, it's very pigmented and it feels quite wet on the lips, and it definitely behaves more like a lipgloss than a conventional lipstick, but it doesn't have the shine of a gloss, and because of the pigmentation it lasts a lot longer on the lips than a normal lipgloss would.

I've got to be honest and say that matte liquid lipsticks scare me a little, I've seen a few online that look really, really drying and as someone who has dry lips already, the idea of lipstick and crusty lips is not a good one. If you feel like I do then maybe the Illamasqua Lip Lure formulation is a one to try. You get the convenience and the pigmentation of a liquid lipstick but with none of the parched, matte look, and feel. Illamasqua Lip Lure in Bloom retails at £19.50 for a 2.5ml tube.

Illamasqua Lip Colouring Pencil - Woo - 1.4g

Lip pencils are one of those things that go in and out of fashion - I'm sure like me you know or knew somebody that insisted on wearing a dark liner with a pale lipstick. Terrifying and  unfortunately a trend that never seems to die with some people. It's frightening and unfortunately I think it's put some people off lip liner for life! I must admit I don't always use lip liner, but when I do use I can never understand why I don't use it all the time.

Done right lip liner can make all of the difference, if you have uneven lips like I do, then you can create your own even lip line in an instant and if you're clever you can even give yourself a fuller pout without a needle in sight. It's all about getting the colour right though, so go for a clear / silicone pencil or go for a one that goes with a few different lipsticks. This particular kit comes with an Illamasqua Lip Colouring Pencil in the shade Woo which is described as a soft nude. Again it isn'\t a concealer nude shade, it has a lot of brown in it, a bit of peach and a bit of pink. Personally I wouldn't use it alongside the Lip Lure which I think it a bit too pink but with careful blending and application you could definitely use it alongside Starkers which is just a touch lighter.

This is a nice soft pencil with good staying power. It isn't too soft though so it is easy to sharpen and it's easy to create a nice and defined line.

Obviously you can use it with any lipstick to line, define and reshape the lips, but like you can see below I've actually been using this pencil to fill in all of my lips. Not only does this give you another colour option, but you can also use it underneath either a sheer gloss (Benefit Hoola works really will with this one) or underneath another lipstick to make you lip colour last even longer.

Despite the bad press that they've had over the years, I really think that the lip liner does still have a place in our beauty routines. Get a good, wearable shade like this one and you can use it reshape and even up your lips, and you can also use it to get the most out of the other products in your lip wardrobe. Illamasqua Lip Colouring Pencil in Woo retails at £16 for 1.4g of product.

I think that kits like this give you a great opportunity to try out some new things, and I'm pretty pleased that I took a chance on this one. I've really enjoyed using all of the products in this kit, and I've enjoyed experimenting with different textures and different shades of nude. My best discovery is without a doubt the Lip Lure, I loved the colour, and the almost buttery, cushiony texture, and I definitely prefer the semi gloss finish, to some of the matte liquid lipsticks that I've seen elsewhere, Throw in the fact the Illamasqua are a ethical and animal friendly brand, and this kit really was a winner in more ways that one.

I have to say this though, after searching online I can't find this specific kit anywhere :( It was a Christmas kit and it looks as though the stock has gone for good. Don't worry though you can still buy all of the products individually all be it for a little bit more money, from various retailers including the Illamasqua website, Selfridges, Debenhams, and Beauty Bay.

However, I did mention in my previous post that I would be holding a little giveaway to celebrate my 10th blogging birthday, so if you want to get your hands on your own, and now very hard to find Illamasqua Extinct Go Nude Lip Kit than all you need to do is fill in the entry form below before the 18th March.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


This giveaway will be open worldwide, and you must be a follower of my blog in order to enter, I will be checking so please make sure that you fulfil all of the entry criteria x If you have any questions please leave me a comment and good luck x