e.l.f Haul! // February

Mood: Cheery 

Listening to: Pitbull ft Ke$ha- Timber

Hi beautiful bloggers!

(Before I start writing this post I want to say I purchased all of these products myself and have not been asked to promote any of these items or the brand itself.)

Recently I went in to the new e.l.f shop in Cardiff, it's currently the only store in Europe and I'm very lucky to live so close to it. I've only recently begun trying out e.l.f products, but oh my...I do really love some of their things and they are such good value for money!

After looking around the shop briefly, (I was short for time) I had to rush off to meet my brother for lunch and I had to leave the shop empty-handed. Fortunately I went to the online-store when I got home and I was able to purchase all of the lovely things I saw in-store.

L-R: Gypsy, Charming and Voodoo.

 Okay, so the packaging for these lipsticks may be a little tacky and flimsy and look pretty cheap. But these lipsticks are only £1.50 so you do get what you pay for with the packaging. The lipstick itself is actually pretty good. They have a variety of lovely colours, and they all smell different but very pleasant. The formula is quite creamy and they glide on easily. The colours are buildable and you can get a great pigmented lipstick after a few coats (3-4).

L-R: Charming, Voodoo and Gypsy.

The three colours I chose are very beautiful, Gypsy is a rosie pink/red and has blue undertones in it. Charming is a natural beige/pink and is great for everyday use. Lastly the colour Voodoo is a deep brown/red and is a great autumn/winter colour. I will happily purchase these again.

Blusher in Pink Passion

I am very impressed with this blush from e.l.f, it's matte, beautiful and I would compare it to blushes from Nars in texture. The packaging is also very similar to Nars as they both have the clean and simple black packaging. I paid around £3.75 for this and I can't wait to try other colours.

e.l.f baked blush in Pinktastic.

 So this is probably my favourite purchase, it's supposed to be a blush but I use it as a highlighter. It's so pigmented and shimmery it's gorgeous! It's almost the same as MAC's Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skin Finish but this is slightly more pink. I recently bought MAC'S Soft and Gentle and if I had found this before I would have saved myself a lot of money because it's only £3.75!

Studio Eyebrow Kit in Ash

 I saw this and I thought it would be great for my eyebrows. I bought it in the colour Ash as my brows and hair are naturally dark blonde but still pretty fair, plus I'm not quite convinced a darker, heavy brow suits me. I've used this a few few times but still not sure how I feel about it. The gel part of the product is a lot nicer than the powder. But I'm going to give it a go and try it out for a little while longer! Again this product was only £3.75 and is great value for money.

e.l.f Studio Lip Liner and Blending Brush in Wine and Pink Grapefruit.

Well I've purchased these lip liners before and they're honestly the best! I bought them in two different colours this time and they are so beautiful. I can see myself using the colour Pink Grapefruit a LOT throughout the summer! They look great used as a matte lipstick and they last for hours on your lips! Again they are around the £3.75 mark and I honestly can't say a bad word about them.

L-R:  Wine and Pink Grapefruit.

Here are the swatches of the lip liners, they are such beautiful colours! I will definitely be wearing Wine for nights out and for more of a vampy look and Pink Grapefruit is a beautiful coral pink colour and matches beautifully with MAC's lipstick in Crosswires.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and let me know if you've tried any of these products or if you recommend any other e.l.f products!

Love from Bethan

xox 

Candle Haul || October 2013

Mood: Chilled

Listening to: Ben Pearce- What I Might Do

Hello beautiful bloggers!

I know I'm posting this later than expected, but I've been busy and had a lot more going on than I thought. But I suppose it's better late than never. 

So last week I went shopping and I spent a bit too much on candles, and I thought I would share with you what I bought.

1. Yankee Candle tealights in Season of Peace

When I smelt this I had to get them, it's quite a clean, musky smell and not too overpowering. I'm not a huge fan of sweet vanilla scents and a lot of this years Christmas Yankee Candles seem to be very sweet. I can't wait to light these closer to Christmas! I can't remember exactly how much these were but I think they were around £6.75.

2. Yankee Candle Regular Tumbler in Red Apple Wreath


This candle has a mixture of scents, there's a strong scent of apple and cinnamon and there was also a sweet aroma which I later found out is maple. I love this candle and I would probably re-purchase it in the future. The price of this size candle is around about £9.95.

Apple Blossom scented candle from Homebase

This was an unintentional purchase, I stopped off at Homebase on the way home from the Garden Centre and I've been looking at these candles for months. The scent is literally mouth watering, it smells exactly like crisp green apples. I wouldn't usually buy such a fresh scent in Autumn/Winter but they're so lovely I had to. I bought two of these and they were around £1.49 each. Bargain!

Neom Luxury Candle in Harmonise

I've been eyeing up Neom candles online for a good few months and I've never seen them in any shops. So when I went into a shop called Nicholls in Brecon, I jumped at the chance to smell them all and treat myself. Neom candles are quite pricey, this size costing you £15 but as the packaging says, they are indeed luxury candles and are intended to be used between 2-4 hours at a time. The scent Harmonise may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I couldn't resist the enchanting Christmas scent. The scent is quite menthol with eucalyptus, cedarwood and pine. It smells like fresh pine trees, a scent I adore.
This is what Neom says this scent is intended for;

"For times when you need a moment of restoration to treat tiredness and to encourage focus. A gently energising blend, perfect for helping clarity and concentration"

Berry Candle in a Tin from Wilkinsons

Again, another cheap candle but the scent was too good not to purchase. I love winter berry scents and when I smelt this I wasn't expecting such a nice smell. It has a deep berry scent and the pattern on the tin was super cute! The candles were only £1.50 each so if you're on a budget they're a great buy!

I hope you've all enjoyed reading this post, and I've also purchased a few beauty items in the past week which I'm hoping to do a post on by next week! Hope you're all having a great week so far!

Love from Bethan

xox

Massive Beauty Haul || October

Mood: Contented 

Listening to: Wrecking Ball (Cover)- James Arthur

Hello beautiful bloggers!

So yesterday I went on a massive make-up haul to Boots and Superdrug. I also love candles, so while I was out and about I picked up some up ready for the Autumn/Winter evenings but I'll do a post on them next week! 

My lipstick holder that came this week! Bought from here.

Moisture Renew Lipstick in As You Want Victoria.

This is not one for the faint hearted, bright colour lovers eat your heart out!

Very happy with my new Rimmel lipstick.

The lipstick is a very pigmented!

I was very happy with this lipstick from Rimmel, I've had my eye on it for a while now. The lipstick applies easily and they are very moisturising on the lips. The colours just pop and they are very pigmented. They last a good few hours and you don't have to top up much during the day. The only fault is that if you accidentally smudge it, it stains your skin quite badly. I would also like to mention the lovely pink and orange patches on my hand from swatching As You Want Victoria & In Love With Ginger.

MUA Undressed Palette.

A right bargain at only £4!

A gorgeous neutral palette.

 I tried swatching the eyeshadows but the lighting was awful! I love the pigmentation on the shimmer eyeshadows but I was disappointed with the matte ones because they didn't show up that well on my skin. For £4 I can't really complain, I can see myself using this a lot for daytime. 

BarryM Jewel Glitter Nail Paint in Amethyst

Perfect for party season!

I've been eyeing this bad boy up for a while and I think it's a perfect for the upcoming party season. I've yet to try it, but I have high hopes for it. 

Looking forward to using this product!

I was told by another blogger in my Payday Wishlist post about this primer because I was going to buy Benefit's Porefessional. Apparently this is a great dupe of Porefessional, and although I've not used it on my face when I tested a bit on my hand they felt/looked almost identical. At £3 I hope it's a great dupe because I'll be saving an enormous £21.50 by switching primers!

MUA eyeshadow in Pearl

Super pigmented!

Looks much better in person.

I am most impressed by MUA's single eyeshadows! They are a steal at only £1 each, they are highly pigmented and apply easily. I love this shade, it's a pinky-purple colour and I've been wearing a lot of colours like this lately and I'm very happy to add this to my collection. 

Photography isn't my greatest talent...

Unfortunately, my Organix Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner has finally ran out. As much as I loved them, I've wanted to try the Lee Stafford Argan oil range for a while.They are quite expensive at £10.99 each! But while I was in Boots they had a 3 for £20 offer on the Argan Oil range so I bought the shampoo, conditioner and the Argan oil (£11.99). I saved nearly £14 with this deal, so I couldn't just walk away.

My new go-to moisturiser.

Smells divine!

 This moisturiser was on my Payday Wishlist and I'm so happy I bought it! The smell is truly amazing, it smells exactly like Baileys (An Irish whiskey and cream based liqueur.) It sprays on evenly and dries very quickly. It's non-greasy too, something I hate in a moisturiser. A great buy for people who like soft skin but are always in a rush!

Soap & Glory Exfoliating Face Brush

Last but not least, I bought this nifty little exfoliating face brush. It was £6.50 from Boots and I thought I'd give it a try because Winter is coming soon and I want to make sure I keep my face in great condition. It's double sided, one side for exfoliating with a cleanser and the other side is to massage your face to boost circulation. I've used it twice so far and I've enjoyed adding it to my daily skincare routine.

I hope you've all had a great weekend. Let me know if you've bought any great products lately!

Love from Bethan

xox

Make-up HAUL || e.l.f & Boots

Mood: Happy

Listening to: Katy Perry ft. Juicy J- Dark Horse

Hello beautiful bloggers!

I did a little online shop on e.l.f last Sunday because they're a brand I've never tried before and I've heard good things about them. When I visited the website it had an offer on that if you spent over £20 you received an autumn collection free, so that's exactly what I did. I'll put an asterix(*) next to what came in the autumn collection. Just to let you know I've not put pictures of everything I bought but I'll let you know what they are at the end of the post.

 (e.l.f mineral lipgloss in Bare*)

 (Bare is such a beautiful nude gloss, they couldn't have picked a prettier colour for me.)

(Conditioning Lip Balm in Romantic Rouge* & Matte Eyeshadow in Smoke*) 

 (Romantic Rouge is very pretty red, it's not over the top and it also has an spf of 15)

 (Matte Lip colour in Natural, and two Lip liners & blending brushes in Fuchsia & Nude Pink)

(I adore these products! Especially the Fuchsia lip liner. It reminds me of Candy Yum Yum by MAC)

(Radiance Enhancer in Golden*, Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick in French Lace and Primer Eyeshadow in Misty Mauve*)

(Sorry for the bad quality picture! But the lighting doesn't do the actual colours justice!)

I then visited Boots in the week and they had a buy one get one half price offer on, which I could not resist. I picked up a Maybelline Eyestudio Colour Tattoo 24hr cream in Pink Gold, Rimmel Soft Khol Eyeliner in white (not pictured), Bourjois Delice de Poudre and Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light. I also popped in to Debenhams and bought Boi-ing by Benefit.

(Very pretty colour but doesn't look as nice on your lids as it did on your hand. Great for an eyeshadow base though)

(Doesn't look as pigmented on your eyes)

(It does really last 24hrs though, it's very hard to remove)

(Very happy with all three of these purchases! Especially the Collection 2000 concealer.)

(Edited picture using Fuchsia Lip liner as a lipstick)

(Unedited picture using Fuchsia lipliner. Sorry for the bad quality!)

 (Blurry shots I thought I'd add in)

Other items purchased but not shown were:

Real Techniques Core Collection
Real Techniques Starter Set
Mineral Eyeshadow from e.l.f in Confident *
e.l.f Eyeliner Brush 
e.l.f Eye Crease Brush
e.l.f Studio Stipple Brush
e.l.f Toe Separators  *

Sorry for the long post and I hope you've all enjoyed reading this post! As I've not used many of these products yet I'm not giving an opinion but the products I have used from e.l.f so far I am very happy with!
I hope you've all had a great day.

Love from Bethan

xox