July’s Beauty Bag

Part I

It’s that time again, time to show you what’s filling up my beauty bag this month. It’s been a bit hit and miss and I seem to have more items on my wish list then in my beauty bag, but I’ll get to that a bit later on.

First up, this Catrice eyeshadow in the shade Wear my plum glasses at night. I don’t actually own a lot of eyeshadows mostly because the ones I have I love and I use them often. Also, the ones I have, I can do different looks with them so I feel I should get through them before adding to the collection. With that said, I couldn’t resist this matte shade. I’m a big fan of matte eyeshadows, matte everything for that matter and thought this shade would be a good everyday, no fuss kind of shade. I was right. The staying power isn’t its strong point but the colour is lovely and you could build it up if you wanted a darker, more plum colour. For only around €4, I’m happy with this purchase.

Sticking with the eyes, I’m going to switch to skincare with this Super Facialist Vitamin C+ Brighten Dark Circles Eye cream by Úna Brennan. I’d heard good things about this range and was looking for a new eye cream as my Olay Regenerist Anti-Ageing Eye Roller  had run out. I was actually looking to repurchase it but couldn’t find it in stock. I had a few other eye creams in mind that I wanted to try but wow, eye creams can be expensive! I couldn’t face spending that money on a product I wasn’t a hundred percent sure on so at the price of only €12, I thought I would give the Super Facialist range a go. First impressions, it’s a nice, rich cream, lovely scent and feels moisturising on the skin but I’m sad to say, I’ve noticed no difference since using it. Shame really as the only thing it has done is show me how much the Olay Regenerist Anti-Ageing Eye Roller cream was working! I will continue to use it until it runs out as my skin does feels hydrated but I definitely won’t be buying it again. I would be interested to hear if anyone else has tried the this eye cream. Let me know if you have.

Staying with eyes, the Ecotool Complexion Collection – Eye Perfecting Brush was added to my brush collection. I noticed that my concealer seemed to be creasing a little so I thought I was either using too much, I wasn’t applying it properly, or my eye cream wasn’t working. I’ve not had issues with my concealer before so I’m guessing it’s the latter. Until I try a new eye cream I thought I’d see if this brush helped. I liked the shape of it and at around €7, I couldn’t resist. Unfortunately, this brush to me feels like sandpaper on my skin so it’s gone to the bottom of the drawer and I won’t be reaching for it any time soon. I think I’m tackling the eye area all wrong. Yes it’s nice to cover up fine lines and dark circles but let’s be realistic. It doesn’t matter how much cream or makeup I slather on, they are always going to be there so it’s about making the skin around my eyes look as healthy as possible and accept my fine lines and dark circles aren’t going anywhere!

So, on to the winners. I have looked at these Bourjois little round pot blushes for as long as I can remember. The packing is beautiful and it was hard to pick just one which is a good sign. I was looking for a pinkish blush and this Rose Ambré came home with me. Just when I thought I had worked out how to apply blush, I feel like I’m back to square one but it’s a good problem to have. The pigmentation in this little pot is amazing so you have to be very light handed as once it’s on, it’s not going anywhere! It has a matte finish and despite feeling like a clown the first time I put it on, it really works well with my skin.

As always these posts get longer and longer so I will save my wish list products for part II. Hopefully I may have even made a purchase by then, but let me finish on a positive note with The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser. I have a bit of a soft spot for The Body Shop. It was one of the first brands I bought in my younger days and I have been so impressed with their products lately, I’m happy to keep going back. One of their latest in the Vitamin C range is the Glow Boosting Moisturiser. I have been keeping my eye on reviews by other beauty bloggers and from what I had read I decided to give it a go. I got a sample and I have to say I am in love with this product. There are a lot of claims to this cream and I don’t know why, but I was feeling a bit skeptical about it. Maybe because the description felt almost too good to be true. The first day I used it I put it on at night. I woke up not really seeing any difference (high hopes after just one night!). But, yes there’s a but; later that day I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and almost did a double take. There was something different about my skin. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it definitely looked different. On with my trial and everyday was the same. I have been using the moisturiser morning and night and I can definitely see a difference in my skin. I feel my skin tone looks more evened out and there is a glow. I hate using that word as when I hear glow I think dewy and greasy but this is a glow in terms of looking healthy.

I’m guessing that most of us have had that awkward moment of asking for a sample and getting that look from the sales assistant like you’ve asked for a kidney, but don’t let that evil stare put you off. I should be clear this was not the case when I asked for a sample of this cream but it has occurred many times in the past when asking for samples. Sorry, I’m on a bit of a rant here, but this is a perfect example why samples for both consumers and companies are so important! I’ve said it before but I will very rarely hand over my money without trying something first (where possible of course) and this is why. I am now happy to hand over my cash and purchase the Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser and incorporate it into my daily skincare routine.

This has turned into a much longer post then expected and I didn’t get to say all I wanted about these products so please leave any comments or questions below and don’t forget to stay tuned for part II!

xo