Products I've Rediscovered /Shopping My Stash - Part 1 - Eyes and Bits (Pic Heavy)

I've been promising this post and the accompanying video for a while now but it's took quite a bit of planning and photographing. Doing Project 10 Pan has been a steep learning curve for me in many ways but one of the key things that has helped me through it, is shopping my stash. Basically what this means is looking through your own make up collection and rediscovering old products. To be honest I was really shocked by how many products I had used and loved at first but relegated to the drawer when something new came along. Over the last 5 or so months I have rediscovered so many fabulous products I thought I'd show you some of my top finds :) I have quite a few things to show you so I have split it into two posts - first up eyes !


Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Cream Eyeshadow - 06 Ivory Lace

A pretty recent purchase as far as my stash goes, I bought this in Duty Free last year loved it and then relegated it. I first dug this out again when MAC released the Cham Pale collection earlier in the year. I had my heart set on one of the paint pots but shock of horrors I didn't need it. Ivory Lace was similar enough to Chilled on Ice for me to say dupe! Maybe slightly less shimmery, but a great neutral either on its own or as a base, and it doesn't come off :)

Maybelline Studio Secrets Eyeshadow Quad - 60 Spirited Seas

The first item from a swap which I rediscovered - I received this gorgeous eyeshadow quad from the lovely Michelle at Lipstick Rules, at the time we didn't have these in the UK and I have to say they are amazing, the shadows are soooo soft and pigmented. I've particularly used the neutral tones (click here to see a look) but the blue and turquoise are great for a bright look.

Maybelline Studio Secrets Marbleized Eyeshadow Duos in 50 Tantalizing Teal and 80 Sinful Sinnamon

More Maybelline goodies from Michelle - we can now get these duos in the UK but I haven't seen these two - Tantalizing Teal - a bright turquoise / teal, and a shimmery blue and white marble effect great for a brighter, fresher look, and Sinful Sinnamon a gorgeous, burnished pink /copper and a pale pink copper marble, great for a neutral with a twist everyday look as seen below :)

Famous By Sue Moxley - Eye Shadow Shimmer - Shade 2

I purchased this a little while ago when the revamped Sue Moxley range relaunched in Superdrug, The Shu Uemura esq packaging to be honest isn't great the name rubbed off pretty much straight away and it feels a little plasticy, not only that but the label is coming of the back :(. The shadow however is a gem - a lovely shimmery silver taupe - I've worn this a lot over the last few months and it's a lovely shade not the best texture admittedly but it looks gorgeous on it's own on or even applied wet. 

NYX Eyeshadow Trio - TS30A In The Woods

Next up another swap item from the lovely Michelle - I know the reason this was relegated to the back of the drawer - the Urban Decay Naked Palette which contains very similar colours came into my life. This is a gorgeous trio, the colours are so soft and pigmented, and it's great for an everyday neutral look :)

KIKO Sun Mousse Eyeshadow - 04 Light Green

Another swap item, this time from the lovely Lydia, a cream eyeshadow in a lovely golden green colour - I love colours like this and you don't need very much of this one, it's not the longest lasting so I've been pairing it with a powder shadow from Lacura (review coming soon). Here is just a quick look of what it looks like on the eyes on it's own x

Next up a couple of random things that I've rediscovered

MAC Fix + Rose

Next up something that could be a make up item or it could be a skin care item. I bought this from MAC's Rose Romance collection. I tried using it to set my make up but to be honest it just didn't work for me. Where Fix + does work and what I've been using it for is to foil eyeshadows. It works particularly well with baked and mineral shadows but I've also been using it on cheaper shadows such as the Sue Moxley one but particularly on two MAC shades that are nearing the ends of their lives and have gone a little bit crumbly. (Be careful if you use it on shadows that aren't baked though as it can ruin them or you may end up having to scrape a layer off x) Using fix plus to dampen my brush before applying Sumptuous Olive and Idol Eyes, has given the eyeshadow not only a new depth but it intensifies the metallic pigments and make it look super shiny. I've used Sumptuous Olive wet here so you can see the difference when you dampen it down, and here are some swatches of Idol Eyes - the left swatch is dry and the right has been dampened down with Fix +

Boots No7 Trio Concealer

It seems a bit of a funny one to include a concealer in a rediscovered products post but I have. The simple reason is that for the last few months my skin dare I say it has actually been pretty clear, and relatively blemish free and for a while I was actually using a darker concealer whilst my tan faded. So as I got paler and I had the odd blemish (or more than the odd blemish over the last week grr)I dug this product out. I've done a mini review and some swatches of this concealer which you can see here x

I hope you've enjoyed this little look at my rediscovered eye products and bits and bobs next up my rediscovered cheek and lip products which will  hopefully by up on Friday or Saturday, but in the mean time you can watch this video where I talk about some of the products in this post x

Any questions please ask x

Boots No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - A Feasible Alternative To Liz Earle?

As you'll all probably know one of my most repurchased and much loved products has to be Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - I love the stuff  - Before I started using it my skin wasn't that great I was prone to blackheads and lots of congestion over the years my beloved C + P has really helped make my skin feel super clean (click here to see a rave and demo vid  - a full product rave post to come). Since I've found my Holy Grail cleanser and make up remover I've always been loathed to try anything else but Project 10 Pan meant I couldn't by make up so I had to find a use in my tiny local Boots for my £5 No7 and Ruby and Millie voucher. I'd tried a few No7 skin products before but I decided to try something new - The No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser. I've been using this for a few months now so I thought I'd let you know how I've been getting on with it.

Designed to increase radiance and leave your skin super clean - this cleanser works on the same principle as Cleanse and Polish, cleansing your skin whilst gently exfoliating with the muslin cloth. The cleanser comes boxed with a muslin cloth and is packaged in a 200ml pump action dispenser

I have to say I love pump action dispensers like this one not only do they keep the product airtight and are therefore more hygienic but they also dispense the perfect amount of product so there is less wastage. I particularly love this pump because you can see exactly how much product you have left

The texture of the product is perhaps a bit looser than Cleanse and Polish and it has a much creamier texture. It has a subtle fresh smell that's is pleasant but not as invigorating as the Eucalyptus scent of Cleanse and Polish

To use the product I spread it gently all over my dry face, I then wet the muslin cloth in warm water and removed the cleanser in circular motions. To use it on my eye area put a tiny little bit of cleanser or my eyelid and gently massaged it in and then I gently removed it with the dampened. I found the Boots No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser to be a super effective cleanser and make up remover - believe me it took everything off including eye make up without the skin feeling uncomfortable and taut. After rinsing my skin was left super smooth and soft, and very clean. I did find I needed to use a pump or so more of this to get everything off but for the price for the Boots product is certainly comparable at £9 for 200ml compared to £11.75 for 100ml of Cleanse and Polish.

I have to say for me this product is a feasible alternative to Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - it does exactly what it claims too and my skin certainly likes it - I haven't had a proper spot since I started using this! (until this morning that is typical) It hasn't quite shifted Cleanse and Polish as my Holy Grail cleanser - I will do a product rave post for you at some point to show you why I love it so much but it's certainly up there and  I now know what I will be spending all of those No7 £5 vouchers on :). Guess what I spent the last one I had on, yes a back up of this;)Any questions please ask x. The Boots No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser retails at £9.00 for 200ml of product and 1 muslin cloth.

Naughty LouLou - More Haulage and Some Gifts

Well after doing so well on my spending diet for the first two months of this year - this month has been a disaster, that's life though I've needed to by a few things and I've generally felt a bit blargh so shopping has been a bit of a pacifier. Anyhow onto the goodies - first up ASOS - I used my groupon voucher to buy my mum some jewellery bits for Mothers Day but thankfully Diet Coke has an offer on special where you can either win vouchers or get £5 off a £20 spend being a bit of a caffeine junkie I already have a whole load of vouchers - I believe the vouchers are on special packs till the end of April and are valid till the end of June, so it's well worth picking some up x I bought my mum something else and got a couple of bits for me including this beauty - Illamasqua nail polish in Bacterium
                                           

I really can't wait to try this out, the colour is like nothing I've seen before - I promise to do a NOTD with it soon - I also got this ring - alas even in the largest size it's a bit small but I can't wait to wear it as a pinkie ring until I can hopefully lose a bit of weight on my fingers

                                   

   pic borrowed from ASOS

It's a little cream mouse - it's has crystal eyes and the tail moves, so cute it comes in black too but I think that one is still full price x
 

I also popped to Boots this week and stocked up on Botanics eye make up remover - all the Botanics products are currently on 3 for 2 :) and some Veet wax strips which were 1/3 off - no pics I am sure you all know what they look like ;) I actually went to Boots to use my No7 £5 off voucher but they didn't have the product I wanted - thankfully my mum popped to the Metro Centre on Saturday morning and picked me up a bottle of this - the Boots Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser
 

I have a review on this coming up but since if I've got another one that probably tells you what I think of it.... ;) My mum was an angel and paid for it for me, she also got me this on Friday from the Factory Bargain Shop - I love this shop it's has all sorts of bits in and from Thursday to Sunday they had  25% off everything in store - so she got me this New York themed t-shirt 

 

They sell a lot of high street end of lines and seconds and this top came from Dorothy Perkins, and originally retailed at £16, Factory Bargains had it on sale for £6 and with the discount me mum got the t-shirt and a bag of M&M mini eggs (not for me;) for just £5.25 :)
 

As well as the t-shirt she also got me some other bits from the Metro Centre on Saturday including a few Body Shop Cocoa Butter things the creamy body wash and some more body butter -( there was an offer where you got a body butter and a shower gel for £12)

and she also got me the Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Stick that I wanted

I had heard a little bit about this and I really wanted to give it a go - It's basically a twist up stick of solid cocoa butter that melts on contact with the skin, I am intending to use it directly onto my ankle scar to help with healing

She also got my some of the new Earth Lovers Shower Gels with were on buy one get one half price - she got me the Lemon and Thyme version, and the Apricot and Basil fragrance, they smell amazing and I can't wait to try them out x

and because she had spent more than £25 after the in store and Love Your Body discounts she also got a freebie a full sized Vitamin E Body Butter - I've used the Vitamin E skincare before so I am interested to see how I get on with this - Vitamin E is supposed to be good for scarring too :)

All in all a lovely little bag from MummyLouLou - I am so grateful to her - she always tried to find ways to cheer me up when I am feeling down and she normally hits the spot perfectly. If you have any questions or if you would like and reviews please let me know xx

Curly Lashes With Boots No7 Exquisite Curl Mascara?

Like many other bloggers I was recently sent the latest mascara offering  from Boots No7. I have tried their mascaras before but normally in the mini sizes that you get with the GWP, and I have to say nothing has really wowed me so far OK but not amazing if you know what I mean whether that's down to the size I really don't know, I do have the full size Exceptional Definition mascara in my stash to try but this was my first go with a full sized No7 mascara.

As the name suggests this is a curling mascara, to be honest curled lashes don't really bother me that much I have eyelash curlers but I very rarely reach for them so I was interested to see what this mascara could offer me. Well they obviously claim that this mascara will enhance the natural curve of my eyelashes, I've always wondered how a mascara alone can do this but according to No7 it's all down to the brush

I have to say that I thought the brush on this mascara would be a lot bigger but it's just an average sized fibre brush, but the big difference is it's curved. The brush has an inbuilt curve which perfectly fits the contours of you eyes and of course your lashes.

Along with an inbuilt curl setting polymer to keep the curl in place all day Boots claim your lashes will be curled by at least 90°, giving you a wide eyed look, well I've always fancied looking a bit like Bambi so I gave it a go.

The formulation of the mascara seems quite thin, I have to say I like this I hate dry, clump mascaras this one applies easily with very little clumping, it also seems to dry pretty quickly which is another plus point in my book. So what does it look like on - pic time - apologies that some are a tad blurry :)

Before - yes I do have lashes here somewhere

1 Coat

2 Coats

4 Coats

Impressive eh! - The difference is even more pronounced though with a side view
Before - you see I do actually have lashes - they are OK nothing special a bit paler on the tips

After 4 coats you can really see the difference - curved, longer and blacker

I have to say that this mascara gets a big thumbs up from me, my lashes appear longer, thicker, and definitely more uplifted which in turn makes my eyes appear much wider. I also love the fact you can layer this mascara up even with 4 coats there is barely any clumping or bobbling, and above all the lashes don't feel clogged or heavy - no matter how much you apply the lashes still remain quite flexible and not at all hard or crispy. My one complaint with this is a tiny one - I personally had a tiny bit trouble applying this to my bottom lashes without spotting, I always have a problem using big wands on my lower lashes, although I have to say the curved nature of the brush did make it easier than some of the thick wands I've tried. so not really much of a negative was it ;) According to Mummy LouLou this mascara gave me lashes like spiders legs and to be honest that's good enough for me x  Boots No7 Exquisite Curl Mascara comes in 2 shades Black and Brown/Black and retails at £13.00

(Boots No7 Exquisite Curl Mascara Provided For Review Purposes)

MAC Goodies and A Little Haul

Well I've started November with a few spends - first of all MAC's Holiday release Tartan Tale, as I said in a previous post as time went on less and less of the collection appealed to me - I still want a pigment set when the mini sets come out but I just ordered 2 things from Part 1.

The first thing I ordered wasn't a make up item it was Sir Teddy - All proceeds from the little Tartan chap made by top toy maker Gund go to MAC's Kids Helping Kids fund to help children with AIDS and HIV - once I saw him I couldn't resist I love tartan, and it goes to a good cause


look at his cute little patent bow tie

he's fully jointed and he can stand up :)

He's sold out on the MAC site now but if you can get him it's for a good cause :)

Next up a make up item and the only one from the collection that I had to have, a lipstick in The Faerie Glen

The perfect nude pink shade a little paler that it appears here I am seriously debating a back up already it really is my lips but better x

Oooo surprisingly for MAC I got a free sample in all the little black boxes I've had from MAC I have never had a freebie but I got a little tube of Prep + Prime Face :)

I also got a few bits when I went out today and well as a few Christmas pressies I used one of the £5 Boots No7 / Ruby + Millie vouchers which are around again and instead of buying make up I bought the No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser (sorry for the crap pics damn dark nights)

I am interested to try this and see how it compares the my beloved Liz Earle Cleanse + Polish I'll definitely keep you posted with my voucher I got it for just £4 which can't be bad :)

I also popped into my local Semi-Chem and bought yet another foundation - another one I here you cry - well it was less than £3 so I thought it was worth a try - it was the NYC Natural Matte Foundation in 001 Ivory

I don't know what it's like but for the price it was definitely worth a go x

So that was my mini haul - that brought me near my spending diet limit on day 4 of the month eeek no matter if you would like any reviews or you have any questions please let me know xx