Collective Haul: Skincare, High Waisted Shorts & More

Hello Hello! I've done quite a bit of shopping over the past week or two so I thought I'd show you a few of the things I purchased.

In ASDA last week I found myself down the cosmetics isle and some of the skincare products were on a 3 for £6 deal. I picked up the Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser, Kind to Skin Foaming Cleanser and the Refreshing Face Wash Gel. I really needed a new light moisturiser that didn't take too long to soak in for when I'm rushing around in the morning. The foaming cleanser was something I'd never really used before and I was ready for a new face wash so for £6 I was pretty pleased. The mini Loreal Elnett Satin hairspray is an essential for me when I do my hair for nights out and in the bag I take - I love this one because it adds volume to my fine hair! I couldn't resist as it was on offer for £2.50.

I went to Sallys for the first time and picked up some nail polishes. I don't see China Glaze and OPI too often but I fell in love with 'Fade into Hue' by China Glaze which as £6.98. On the right is 'My Private Jet' which is brown with some really tiny specks of glitter running through it. This one was on sale for £3.75 - bargain! 

I was in Newcastle last weekend and spotted a little vintage stall run by a lovely geordie guy on the gateshead quays. These vintage high waisted Levis were only £20 and fit like a glove. I've been looking for some vintage high waisted shorts for ages so couldn't leave these frayed light wash ones behind.

Aaaand in Topshop I found another pair of high waisted shorts! I'll need a few pair of shorts for my holiday soon and seen as I had student discount and £20 worth of vouchers I only had to pay £5.20 for these instead of their original price of £28. These are more figure fitting than the ones above and are rolled up rather than frayed giving a neater look compared to my others.

So there we have it! I was really pleased with my finds over the past week or so and even got really good deals on a lot of it which made it so much better! I can't wait to wear the shorts for the rest of summer and on my holiday and you better believe that as soon as I hit publish on this post I'll be whipping one of those nail polishes out, ha!

Thanks for reading,

Ellen x

Review: EOS Lipbalms

Hello Lovelys!

If like me you watch a lot of American beauty vloggers/gurus on YouTube then you may be familiar with the EOS (Evolution of Smooth) lip balms that a lot of them rave about. They're like little colourful eggs with a dome of lip balm inside - pretty unusual compared to the average lip product. They looked so intriguing and I was eager to try one, and now I can say that I'm very glad I did.

I have to admit I wondered if they were just a novelty product but I was pleasantly surprised by how well they work. Unlike a lot of lip balms I found them to all absorb into the lips quickly without leaving that greasy residue that seems to just sit on your lips without doing much. I also noticed that my lips were far less chapped than usual especially in the winter months, which didn't happen when I was using Vaseline lip balms or other drugstore favourites.

It's now a bit of a tradition for me to buy a new one of these every time I visit the USA. They come in a variety of scents/flavours and every now and again they bring out some exclusives or limited edition balms. I currently have Summer Fruit (red packaging), Sweet Mint (blue packaging) and Strawberry Sorbet (pink packaging). I love them all and as you can see the Summer Fruit I have is on its last legs but is still going after almost 2 years of regular use! If I had to recommend one I'd suggest Sweet Mint, this feels so soothing on the lips and really refreshing, not to mention it tastes divine! Other varieties include Tangerine, Honeysuckle and Lemon Drop (this one has SPF15!).

Unfortunately these aren't widely available in the UK and I picked all mine up from US drugstores. However, I did a bit of online research and if you really want to try one of these you could order one from Amazon. They're a little pricey compared to some other lip balms at around £5-£6 including delivery (they're $3.99 in the US so there isn't too much difference) but they're definitely worth it in my opinion. Here's the link if you fancy a browse!

Thanks for reading, 

Ellen x

The Liebster Award - I Was Nominated!

When I checked my emails and twitter feed this morning I was over the moon to discover that the lovely Erin from This Is Law By Erin (check her out!). This was such as nice feeling because the award is so helpful to newbie bloggers just like myself and the other nominees. Thank you Erin!

I didn't know much about this award before today but it is so cool and a good way to get to know other bloggers, so here are the rules:

• give 10 random facts about yourself

• answer the 10 questions given by the tagger

• choose 10 bloggers with under 200 followers to pass the award on to and link them in your post

• create 10 new questions for the bloggers you choose

• notify them of their nomination

• no tag backs

so lets gets in to it!

10 random facts about me:

• I'm a cheerleader! I joined a cheerleading team when I started university and I love it, we even compete against other teams which is very very fun.
• I'm currently studying for a Geography degree which I'm really enjoying, but I still don't know what I want to do when I hopefully graduate.
• I cannot stand fizzy drinks! A lot of people don't understand this but there's something about the bubbles I just cannot cope with.
• I watch YouTube religiously  Seriously. I'm subscribed so loads of channels but I love watching daily vlogs, especially ItsJudysLife and the SacconeJolys. 
• I'm an only child, but my best friend is my next door neighbour so when I was growing it up was kind of like having a sibling around. I consider myself so lucky to have my best friend about 6 steps away!
• When I started university the girl next door to me in our halls was doing the same course (geography), was from the same town and had the same music, tv tastes etc, everything and we even knew the same people! We were so similar and had come from the same town but never even knew each other before we were randomly assigned as hallmates at university! We're the best of friends now and it was definitely fate.
• When I was a little girl I had a freaky resemblance to the girl who played Matilda. People used to approach me just to tell me I looked like her - my parents loved it!
• My favourite film is The Holiday. Just writing this right now is making me want to watch it.
• I'm going to Los Angeles and Chicago in 5 weeks and I cannot contain my excitement about it.
• I'm addicted to playing The Simpsons: Tapped Out app. Its like Sim City but for the Simpson family - love it!

Erin's Questions:

1) What or who inspired you to start blogging?- I randomly googled a beauty product one day and ended up on a lovely blog which made me want to make one myself so I took the plunge and did it. Wish I could find that blog now!

2) Whats in your handbag right now?- Purse, Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitizer, iPad Mini, iPod and headphones, house keys, an EOS lipbalm and my Costa Coffee Card. There's probably a lot more junk in there that I don't know about as well, hahaha.

3) Fashion or beauty?- Beauty! I love make-up sooo much.

4) Leggings or jeans?- Leggings because I feel like they're a lot more comfier and keep me warmer in the winter!

5) What puts the 'best' in your best friend?- Being able to tell them absolutely anything without worrying that they'll judge you or not understand.

6) What shade of lipstick are you loving right now?- Well its more of a lip stain but the Loreal GlamShine Stain Splash in 820 Princess.

7) What's your favourite way to wear your hair?- Down and straight but I try to refrain from this as my hair has become so damaged over the past year!

8) Name one fashion item, one beauty item and one other item you could not live without.- Fashion would have to be my ALDO brown leather riding boots because they're so versatile. Make-up would have to be my Boujois Healthy Mix foundation which I constantly repurchase. Other than that, I have a huge attatchment to my rose gold monogram necklace and I wear it with most outfits.

9) What's your favourite DIY item lately?- High waisted denim shorts. I've found them hard to find in shops in the way that I want them or they're ridiculously overpriced (I'm looking at you, American Apparel) so I've started making them.

10) What's the last outfit you worse out lately?- A chunky A&F Navy Cableknit cardigan, a baggy white Gilly Hicks Vest top with a longer cami underneath to cover my bum seen as I had black leggings on. Shoes were navy blue TOMS. So much for Summer, right?!

My Nominees:
I really put a lot of effort into finding the blogs I wanted to nominate and I really love all these ladies so I can't wait to read the posts!

Lydia Rose - http://www.lydiarosexo.blogspot.co.uk/
Chelsea - http://chubbysticksandcrumpets.blogspot.co.uk/
Robyn - http://vintageisavirtue.blogspot.co.uk/
Abbey - http://abbeylovesbeauty1.blogspot.co.uk/
Natasha - http://beautybytash.blogspot.com.au/
Bella - http://bellasbeautyblogs.blogspot.co.uk/
Jessica - http://vazquezb.blogspot.co.uk/
Emily - http://bambisbeautyblogs.blogspot.co.uk/
Ria - http://www.naturiabeauty.com/
Lucy - http://thelittleblush.blogspot.co.uk/

My questions:

1. What's your favourite song right now?

2. Best memory of 2013 so far. 

3. Your 'holy grail' make up product. 

4. One fashion trend you don't like. 

5. Best fashion/beauty tip you have in 10 words or less. 

6. If you could only wear one of these at at time would you pick mascara or foundation? 

7. One thing you would never leave the house without. 

8. Shorts or skirts? 

9. Country you would most like to visit that you haven't Already. 

10. All time favourite tv show. 



Thanks for reading,
Ellen x

new product alert! Maybelline Baby Lips

If like me you watch lots of American beauty gurus on YouTube, you might be thinking "hang on these baby lips aren't new at all, people have been raving about them for ages!" Well, that is true but I guess they're new to us here in the UK seen as they have finally launched in Boots stores! Yippee, many of us have waited a loooong time for this.

If you don't know what baby lips are, they're a range of lip balms that are supposed to not only smell heavenly but moisturise your lips so much that they'll feel just like a baby's. Only time will tell if that is actually the case! In the range being launched here in the UK, there will be three tinted baby lips products (a cherry red, a peach and a pink) and three untinted balms with SPF 20 (hydrate, intense care and mint fresh). 

They're priced at £2.99 each, which is the same as what they are sold for in US dollars. They're getting a slightly better deal across the pond but to be honest I'm just happy we have them now. 

If you're interested, all 6 shades are already available online at the Boots website but we do have to wait a little longer for them to be launched in stores. Boo! 

Here's the link for a better look: http://www.boots.com/en/Maybelline-Baby-Lips-Lip-Balm_1365477/

Ellen x 

NOTD / Essie - Fiji

I definitely didn't need to buy any new nail polish when I bought this beauty back in May, but I am so so so glad I did! Fiji by one of my favourite brands, Essie, has become my summer staple for 2013. 

As you can see from the pictures below, Fiji is a super light pink, in fact it almost looks white under some lighting. White nails have been a big trend for summer this year, but if like me you don't feel like you could pull off the tippex nails look then this is a great alternative.

Because this is so light it makes even the palest skin look a bit tanned which I have to say makes me feel slightly better about still being a milk bottle even after the recent heatwave in the UK. This polish will cover in 2 thick coats and dries pretty quickly with minimal streaks. I like to finish mine off with a shiny topcoat to complete the look!

I'd definitely recommend this, especially if you can pick it up when Boots have a 3 for 2 offer on cosmetics. Essie products have been available in most Boots stores for about a year now and although on the pricier side of 'high street' polishes at £7.99 per bottle this is definitely worth it.

Thanks for reading! 

Ellen x

p.s. I just joined bloglovin' and I'm having a hard time finding people to follow! Feel free to leave my links to bloglovin' pages and blogger blogs in the comments section :) 

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10044979/?claim=edc5zj2heja">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

skin care favourites

I'm so pleased to finally be writing my first proper post!

I wanted to share three products from my skin care routine that have made a huge difference to my face over the few months I have been using them all together. My skin is dry combination but lately I've been prone to getting a few spots here and there so I'm trying to give my skin the best care possible, especially after covering it in make up most days.

1. Clinique 'all about eyes' - I thought I needed eye cream before I started using this but holy moly, it's worked wonders. Like many I have dark circles under my eyes and I'm desperate to make them less noticeable and this is really doing the job. It soaks in so quickly and the salmon-y tint helps to offset the darker tones around my eyes. This is just the mini 7ml pot but I'll definitely repurchase the full size.

'all about eyes' is available here (both online and in selected stores) from Boots, £25 for 15ml.

A closer look at the Clinique 'all about eyes' packaging

2. Boots Vitamin E Moisture Lotion - This is a really inexpensive product I bought a few years ago on a whim and having recently repurchased I've fallen in love all over again. For me it doesn't soak in that quick and smells a bit like sun cream, but it's worth it for the results. My skin feels so much more hydrated and it makes a huge difference to the way my foundation looks when I apply this beforehand. Definitely the best high street moisturiser I've tried.

Vitamin E Moisture Lotion is available online and in stores from Boots. 100ml for £2.85. Bargain!

3. Anne French Deep Cleansing Milk - Not going to lie, this is not something I would pick up if I saw it on a shelf in Boots. However, my mum recently informed me that this was a favourite of hers back in the day and it's had a bit of a 21st century revival. After borrowing hers I don't think I'll ever use anything else to remove my make up. This is so effective at getting rid of make up and such and is so moisturing rather than drying which I found with wipes. Cannot recommend this enough.

Available here from Superdrug at £3.99 for 200ml - but check your local savers store where I got mine for under £3.


Hopefully these products may help you as much as they help me!

Ellen x

new beginnings

Hello!

So i've finally decided to start a blog. After months thinking 'if I had a blog I could write about this..' whilst using all my favourite products, I decided it was time to get to it. This is the standard first post where I'm not sure what the heck I should write but I am very excited to get in to this, yay!

ellen x