New Walls Lipsmacker Lip Balms

Todays post is brought to you by my 8 year old self!! 

As a child I would stand in the middle of Claire's Accessories and plead with my mum to buy me the latest Lipsmacker. Those were the days when slap bracelets, best friend necklaces and jelly bands were all the rage, and the most I knew about cosmetics, was that it was fun to try on my mums bright red lipstick, whilst parading infront of the mirror, head to toe in jewels. In all honesty id barely given these balms a second glance, until my 8 year old self pleaded with me to purchase these balms in Accessorize the other day!! (please tell me its still cool to own these?! ha) 

Lipsmacker have teamed up with Ice cream extraordinaire Walls, to bring us 4 mouth wateringly sweet balms, based on the classic and much loved Mini Milk, Twister, Feast and Splits. So what sucked me in you maybe wondering?! Well aside from the prospect of owning three Lip Balms that both smell and *cough* taste *cough*, like my favorite sweet treats (when it comes to the hard task of picking a lolly/ice-cream, these three win hands down), I couldn't resist the retro,cartoon packaging (how shameful).

As expected the balms are reminiscent of the Ice-creams in question. Twister is super fruity with a mix of lemon lime and strawberry, the Mini Milk unsurprisingly has a sweet strawberry scent, and Feast is super chocolatey (if not a little synthetic). Scent/taste aside, dont expect these balms to be ultra nourishing (there not gonna help chapped lips anytime soon), but they are however perfect for a swipe of instant hydration with a lovely transparent finish, whilst on the go.

The Walls Lipsmacker's will set you back £3 per balm, which isn't exactly cheap considering the likes of Maybelline Baby Lips can be purchased for less. Fancy getting a hold of one?! these sweet treats can be picked up from Primark, Accessorize, Claire's Accessories and Topshop.

Will you be picking up one of these novelty balms?!

Bourjois Limited Edition Vintage Rose Candle

So this year Bourjois are celebrating they're 150th Anniversary (wow just think of how many beauty products that have lovingly found there way onto girls dressing tables in that time). To celebrate this whopping milestone the brand have released a limited edition Vintage Rose Candle and re released the iconic Java Rice Loose Powder to mark the occasion. 

So Paris in the 1800s saw the rise of haute couture, the acceptance of rouge (ladies saw this as the only acceptable form of 'face paint') and the creation of the first powder blush, by none other than Alexandre Napoleon Bourjois (ooh la la, you learn something new everyday hey?!) 

150 years later, and Bourjois are still creating beautiful cosmetics with a hint of parisian style. However with all the new additions to the brand, the one product that has continued to win makeup lovers over, time and time again, is the iconic baked blushers.

With this in mind I am happy to say that the Vintage Rose Candle smells exactly like those little pots of blush (so ladies go have a whiff of your little baked blushes or stop by your local Bourjois counter to see what all the fuss is about). I for one cannot get enough of the powdery sweet, yet not overpowering scent (im currently sat admiring the smell as I write this). 

Scent aside, lets take a minute to admire the beautiful packaging. The decent sized dusky pink jar is adorned with a profile silhouette of Bourjois first muse Babette from the 20s, which helps to create a fancy retro feel. The Vintage Rose candle is perfect for adding a touch of parisian glamour to any bedside/dressing table, whilst incorporating the scent of the beauty product that made Bourjois so famous. Have I managed to win you over yet?! haha 

This rose scented delight is available from Selfridges for £9.99

But be quick as its sure to sell like hotcakes

Will you be picking up one of these beauties?! 

Free Bumble & Bumble gift with Elle Magazine

Aside from brimming with enough high street and high end fashion finds that you'll be writing a wishlist for the next month, and the fact that Katy Perry is adorning the front cover (my boyfriend was best pleased). This months Elle magazine has the added temptation bonus of a Bumble & Bumble Thickening Hairspray (why oh why are magazines oh so tempting). 

The travel size version of the Thickening Spray is worth £7.50, so for £4 you can pick up a good read with a fabulous freebie (a bargain if you ask me). I couldn't resist trying the spray out when I got home, and I am happy to say that it does what it says on the tin!!

Will you be picking up a copy of this months Elle?! 

E.l.f Haul

Eyes. Lips. Face (or as its fondly referred to as E.l.f.) would have to be one of the cheapest, high quality cosmetic lines I have come across. With products suitable for both makeup newbies, and those wishing to add yet another pink lipstick and millionth nude palette to there ever growing collection (guilty as charged),without breaking the bank.With a whopping 60% off all orders over £25 it would have been rude not to take full advantage of the latest E.l.f. sale.

Everything you see before you came to the grand total of £10 (no thats not a typo), excluding postage. Thats £1 per product, A POUND PER PRODUCT (hold on a moment as I try to pull myself together). 

Recently I have found myself reaching for glossy sticks, after falling hook, line and sinker for the Mirenesse Glossy Kiss I received in my april Birchbox. So I couldn't resist popping one three of the Jumbo Lip Gloss Sticks into my basket. I opted for Coco Loco (a deep nude, that looks slightly scary in the bullet), Flirty & Girly (a beautiful fuchsia pink, with some serious sparkle), and Movie Star (a vibrant red). I cant get over how pigmented these gloss sticks are. I wouldn't say they have the best staying power, but for £1 who am I to complain!! 

Keeping with the stick theme I also purchased 3 of the Jumbo Eyeshadow Sticks. I picked French Lace (a light gold with a subtle shimmer running throughout), Turkish Coffee (a deep burgundy with a coppery brown tone to it), and Feeling Lucky (a coppery brown). These shadows have received a mixed bag of reviews, with many stating that they crease like crazaay. However I am completely smitten, and have yet to experience creasing thus far. These creamy, easy to work with shadow sticks are super pigmented. With a little help from the E.l.f Eyelid Primer in Champagne (yet another cheeky new addition) these will easily last the best part of a day without budging. 

Last but certainly not least I picked up 2 Flawless Eyeshadow Palettes (Tantalizing Taupe, Beautiful Browns) and a Lip Exfoliator (expect a review soon). I will shamefully admit that I picked up the palettes for the sole reason that they resembled the Wet n Wild ones (oops). Ive yet to try these, so cant comment on application or staying power, however I have high hopes after trying the shadow sticks (have you tried these?!)

My only niggle with E.l.f (come on you knew there would be one), is that the online swatches are rarely true to the actual shade, so be aware of that when making your order.

Fancy getting hold of some E.l.f shaped bargains?! There is currently a 50% off Sale for all orders over £10. But be quick as products are selling fast. 

Did you take advantage of the E.l.f sale?! 

Burberry Lip Glow

Many moons ago you may recall that I went on a rather indulgent Harvey Nichols spending spree, aided by the prospect of being rewarded a goodie bag worth £130 for being so good bad (you can read the post here!) With this being the case I decided to treat myself to some luxurious high end products Id had my eye on for a while, with one of those items being the Burberry Lip Glow in No. 14 Nude Rose. 

Please please dont judge me for my next statement. I always used to associate Burberry with chavs. In my head I picture the Ed Hardy tees and Burberry peek caps that were all the rage during the early noughties (imagine Buster Brady on Mrs Browns Boys and you'll kinda get the idea haha). But I take back my words about Burberry, especially when it comes to the brands beauty line. 

I love the sophisticated, decadent feel of the simple packaging with the classic plaid design on the lid. Its in another league to the Plain Jane packaging that houses my trusty Barry M glosses (note: this isn't the type of gloss to throw in your bag for a night on the tiles). 

Nude Rose is a barely there neutral pink, perfect for layering with a nude lipstick for a glossy finish, or worn alone as a subtle 'your lips but better' shade. This natural gloss claims to 'reflect light to create illusion of plumper, fuller lips', a statement I would definitely agree with. Unlike most lip glosses I dont find Nude Rose to be sticky at all (we all want to avoid the whole hair stuck to lips scenario, right?!) 

So is Nude Rose unique? NO ... Is it a show stopping gloss? NO ... Can it make any beauty addicts heart flutter with its jaw droppingly luxurious packaging? YES

If im brutally honest its a product that I could probably have done without (you wont see me rushing out to get a backup when it runs out), but we all need a little luxury once in a while right?! 

Nude Rose will set you back £18 and can be purchased from the likes of Harvey Nichols & Selfridges

Have you tried anything from the Burberry beauty line?! 

Drugstore Haulin'

Im sure I wont be alone when I say that I lack the ability to walk into Boots, without leaving a good hour later with a bag full of unnecessary goodies in tow. With this being the case, as I excitedly walked into my local Boots to pick up my Baby Lips order, I couldn't help but peruse the many aisles filled with cosmetic goodness (what can I say im like a kid in a candy store), picking up one too many goodies as I went along. 

The Bourjois Bronzing Primer was the first item of many to fall victim to my soon to be full basket. With many hailing it as a purse friendly alternative to the sought after and eye wateringly expensive Chanel Tan De Soliel, I couldn't resist picking it up. With that oh so familiar 3 for 2 offer emblazoned across the display (and the added bonus of a free pair of sunglasses, which I stupidly forgot to pick up), it would have been rude not to take advantage. So I grabbed a Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick (22) and Color Boost Glossy Finish Lipstick (01 Red Sunrise) after several minutes of serious swatching.  

Keeping with the lip theme, I also picked up Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (020 Lovesick). I will admit that im completely smitten with this already!! This gorgeous fuchsia pink is long lasting, fuss free and easy to apply whilst on the go (a plus compared to most bright shades). 

Ive lost count of how many times iv'e repurchased Collections Lasting Perfection Concealer. I know I probably mention it too much, but it really does do a fabulous job of covering flaws and imperfections (pesky spots be gone) without breaking the bank. 

Admittedly I have quite the obsession with Real Techniques Brushes (the days I dreamed of owning every MAC brush ever produced is a distant memory). So I couldn't resist snapping up the Expert Face Brush (do I need an excuse?! ha). 

I caught glimpse of the Smashbox 'Its Your Prime' set whilst making my way to the till. With its £14 price tag I guiltily popped it into my basket and swiftly made my way to the checkout, with a gentle push in the right direction from my very patient boyfriend, before I  found any more gems did any more damage. I have been testing these mini primers out for the past few days, and so far I am seriously impressed (expect a full review in the near future). 

Are you guilty of leaving Boots with a bag full of unnecessary goodies?!