Fragrance Direct haul!

Fragrance Direct has very quickly leapt into my "favourite website" spot. How could you not love a beauty suppliers website that saves you a huge amount?! On this haul I saved a whopping £60 on the RRP which is absolutely amazing! I thought I'd do a quick post showing exactly what I got and how much I saved per item!

Burt's Bees Beeswax and Banana Hand Cream (57g):
"This super rich, all-natural hand cream is made with aloe vera and vitamin E to moisturise dry skin and beeswax to help seal and shield your hands from the elements."

RRP: £9.99
FDP: £7.99

The first item is some hand cream that I'd been eyeing up for a while and decided to grab when I saw it on FD. Whilst this item wasn't hugely cheaper than the RRP, it was still a saving of a couple of quid and it's so worth it - this smells divine! I must admit I haven't tried it out yet as I'm still working my way through a bottle of Vaseline hand cream which is serving me well but can't wait as all reviews I've read for this have been amazing!

Astor Anti Shine Foundation - Super Matte in 100 (Ivory):

Transparent microfine powder and oil absorbing for the ultimate supermatte finish all day long.

RRP: £9.99

FDP: £2.99

I've mentioned before that I suffer with slightly oily skin and so have been on a drive recently to buy beauty products that are "matte" designed. When I saw this foundation I initially had reservations as I'd never heard of the brand Astor before but thought that for £2.99 I might as well give it a go! I'm really glad that I did as this is perfect! It matches my skin tone very well and gives a nice finish. The bonus is that the matte power lasts for ages! I used it for the first time today and it kept my face "dry" all day! I'm ridiculously happy that I managed to get it for £2.99!

Rimmel Stay Matte Concealer - 010 (Ivory)

Rimmel Stay Matte Concealer, effectively covers the blemish without clogging pores, whilst the inner core treats the blemish. 

RRP: £4.99

FDP: £1.99

As mentioned above, I've been wanting all the matte products and decided to snap this up for the stupidly low price tag of £1.99. I have been using a liquid concealer which I tend to favour as I feel it gives a more even and less chalky coverage but thought what the heck? And yet again this product has proved my initial thoughts wrong! It gives a fantastically pigmented coverage and even has the "green dot" centre which claims to reduce redness. It matches my skin tone really well once more so I hit the money on this baby!

NYC Quick Dry Nail Polish - Big City Dazzle:

Quick drying formula with minerals! Features cutting edge shades with high impact shine. Infused with high levels of pigment for brilliant colour & a touch of shimmer for dramatic depth and shine.

RRP: £1.99

FDP: £0.99

I'm a massive fan of the NYC cosmetics range (in fact the next two items are also from NYC) and had seen a few bloggers swatch Big City Dazzle. Immediately I knew I wanted it but couldn't seem to find it anywhere. Even Fragrance Direct didn't seem to have it when I first looked a few weeks back but I happened to check again and saw it sitting innocently on the list as "in stock" and I'm pretty sure that bullets have left guns slower than the time it took me to press "add to bag". Love the glitter topper, love the measly 99p price tag attached!

NYC Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm - Garnet Gala and Apple Blueberry Pie

NYC Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm will deliver colour, shine and moisture in one single swipe! Fun and fruity with a hidden apple core of care it?s also delightfully moist. This ?oh so cute!? apple-shaped core reinforces the moisturizing properties of the rest of the balm and gives your lips a healthier look! The fruity apple scent will makes your lips irresistibly kissable.

RRP: £2.49

FDP: £0.99

Do these babies need any introduction? I've already got two other shades of the lip balms and they are simply incredible so when I saw the colours that should only be available in the US and not over here in the UK I was like oh hell to the yeah (and yet again over the moon at the 99p price!!) and got them straight away. So prettyful!

Garnier Pure Active 2-in-1 Tinted Roll On - Fair 

Garnier Pure Active 2in1 Tinted spot roll-on conceals and targets spots in a single step! Invisible, long-lasting spot coverage thanks to a high concentration of mineral pigments which don't block pores. Targeted action. The metal roller ball allows you to target imperfections. Thanks to a high concentration of a drying active combined with HerbaSoothe, it helps calm and soothe skin and has an instant drying effect to help protect against spots before they appear.

RRP: £7.99

FDP: £2.99

This purchase was one of those "why not?" moments. My skin has had a couple of breakouts recently and I wanted something that packed a punch to combat them. I haven't had enough time to find out whether it's that effective yet but given time I'm hopeful that it will! It does give a good coverage, especially on top of the Rimmel concealer that I bought too!

Coryse Salome Anti Cellulite Active Cream with Seaweed:

Coryse Salome Anti Cellulite Active Cream. Body slimming formula with "lifting effect" containing seaweed.

RRP: £20

FDP: £5.99

Now, some of you may be wondering why an 18 year old with no cellulite has gone and bought an anti-cellulite product and you have a legit point. I saw this product randomly as I was trawling through all the brands and the reviews for it were phenomenal. All of them were saying how much firmer it made their skin look and, whilst I may not suffer from cellulite yet, my legs could always do with a bit of improvement on their appearance. Plus, for a saving of £14 I felt that I was almost being forced to buy it down to the huge saving. I've only had the chance to use it once so far so can't update with any skin  miracle results yet!

Dainty Doll Eyeliner and Mascara duo - 002 (Shape Up):

This duo product combines two must-have beauty essentials that no makeup addict would ever be seen without. The rich liner smoothes effortlessly onto skin, whilst the lash boosting mascara adds the finishing touch to a stylish eye look. Forties glamour has never been so simple!

RRP: £17.50

FDP: £1.99

A whim purchase once more, I'd never heard of the brand Dainty Doll. After a little bit of research I'd found out that it was the brand of Nicola Roberts, the notoriously pale member from Girls Aloud. The product range is aimed at those of the paler-skinned variety so I felt that getting any kind of facial products like foundation would be a no-no. However, I stumbled across this nifty eyeliner and mascara 2-in-1 duo and felt like trying it - especially when there is a whopping £15.51 off the RRP! I again haven't had the chance to try it out yet but will definitely be trying it soon!

Sally Hansen Salon Manicure Cuticle Eraser + Balm:

Salon Manicure Cuticle Eraser & Balm: Combination remover and creme 2 in 1 formula with white tea & cucumber quickly eliminates excess, ragged cuticles & hangnails as it conditions nails and healthy cuticles. You Have: Dry cuticles & nails. You Will Get: Instantly healthy, beautiful, conditioned cuticles that look up to 80% smoother.

RRP: £9.75

FDP: £1.50

Bravo, Fragrance Direct, bravo! I have been wanting to try this for months after seeing Sammy from The Nailasaurus say that she used it. I've never really justified the tenner price tag that everywhere seems to have (Boots, Asda etc) and was jumping for joy when I saw this for only £1.50! How ridiculously cheap are these products?!

Almay Time Off Revitalizer Daily Solution 112 pads:

 - A Dermatologist approach to visibly rejuvenated skin 
- Helps your skin to look more radaint, less lined, more even toned 
- Time-Off beauty treatments reveal smoother, brighter, fresher, younger looking skin 
- Improves the texture of your skin, leaving it smooth, visibly rejuvenated with dry lines diminished 

RRP: ?!?!?!

FDP: £2.50

I can't seem to find out much about this product, including the usual price tag. Again this is a product you would probably not connect with an 18 year old but I felt like £2.50 was a steal for something which claims to make skin appear firmer, brighter, smoother and visibly rejuvenated. I've only used it twice and already my skin does feel firmer so I have high hopes for these pads!

Witch Oil Control Foaming Face Wash:

Witch Foaming Face Wash is a gentle foam that has a deep cleansing action to wash away excess oils and impurities. This product will leave your skin feeling tingly clean, refreshed and smooth to the touch.

RRP: £3.99

FDP: £2.99

Not a huge saving on this one (though anything is better than nothing so no complaints here!) but I wanted to try a daily face wash that would help control the oil and Witch is one of my most trusted skincare brands so I had to go for this! I've used it a few times and so far, so awesome! I really like this product and within one day of using it (in conjunction with the new matte foundation and concealer) my skin seems so much better!

Forgot to take a picture of this one.. whoops! Y'all get the drift though ;)

Overall I'm ridiculously pleased with this haul and I'm so obsessed with the Fragrance Direct website that I trawl through it near daily to see if there are any bargains that I can snap up! Hope this provided a little inspiration  - go spend! 

Branching out - June/July favourites - part 1

I've got a very different sort of post to my usual today! I've decided to branch out from sticking to nail looks (though those will remain the main feature) and I'm thinking about making this a monthly feature. It will include my favourite things from the month be it nail polish, books, beauty items, films, perfume etc! I may also from time to time post reviews of products that fall outside nail polish reviews such as make up items. Let me know if you would like this to be a regular feature or not!

I've decided to split this first post in two due to the sheer amount of things I've included! Without further ado, here are the first half of my favourites for the last month or so!

1. The first item on the favourites list is Cutex's Nourishing Nail Polish Remover! Sticking to the nail side of things to start with, this polish remover is one of my all time greats. It leaves your nails looking nice and moisturised unlike some which can cause horrible peeling if they include a strong concentration of acetone. Furthermore, the smell that this leaves on your fingers is very different to the normal acidic smell you tend to get from removers and has a slightly chocolatey smell to it!





















2. The second item is ORLY's Rich Renewal hand creme in Peace. This hand cream smells absolutely divine and the scent lingers for a long time which I really like! It came in a kit I got when I did a manicure course earlier in July and I've used it when I've done manicures on my mum and she also agrees that it smells amazing! The only down side is that it is quite oily and doesn't soak into the skin for a while but the smell alone is good enough for me to look past that! The smell is spiced vanilla and white tea - I seriously wish that smellivision was a thing so you could have a whiff of this!

3. The next favourite is an item that I've been using daily for several months now! I'm on my third pack of Witch's cleansing and toning facial wipes and have loved using them! They leave yur face feeling fresh and remove any traces of make up - including mascara - easily and quickly. They also aren't too heavily scented which means you're not constantly smelling a strong cleanser smell.

4. Number four on the list is a body lotion - E45's endless moisture body lotion to be exact! This lotion works great on my skin as I've got very dry skin on my legs. This makes them feel moisturised and soft for a few days and is a product I used quite often. It's very runny which also makes it very easy to spread and it is "lightly fragranced" so it's not an offensive product to use. 

5. Coming in at number five (not that these are in any order really) is another nail related product - Streaker Beauty's 100/180 grit nail file. I bought these a few weeks ago to replace some old nail files and wow, I'm glad I got them! I only need the 100 grit side on my nails as they're natural and it's super quick. It means that if I've got a break (god forbid) or I just want to keep them nice and even it takes me a few swipes and it's sorted. These are super cheap too which is also a plus!

6. Makeup now - and my favourite product has been NYC's Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm in Applelicious Pink! I know this is supposed to be "glossy" but on me for some reason there is next to no gloss.. you would think that this would put me off it rather than make me love it but alas, no! I love this lip balm as it gives a perfect amount of colour which isn't too bold and isn't too bland. The cute as heck apple shape through the middle is adorable too!

7. Number seven is completely different to everything so far - it's a book! The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda is a book that I purchased a while ago but never got around to reading until about a week ago and as soon as I started, I whizzed through it in a few hours! The story is really gripping and I liked the plot - twists that I really didn't expect caught me out but I really loved it! 

8. The penultimate item is yet another random one! I've been trying to drink a lot more fluids as I really wasn't drinking enough before but I've always disliked the taste of plain water (and yes - it so does have a taste!) and so picked up a bunch of flavoured water from ASDA. The Cherry and Plum still water has been my favourite of these so far!

9. The last thing on part one of my June/July favourites is not an item that I own, per se, but it's film that I saw last week - Man of Steel! Wow it was fantastic! I really really really enjoyed this film and cannot praise it highly enough. The casting was spot on (totally wasn't fangirling over how attractive Henry Cavill is) and I generally couldn't fault it! I recommend you check it out!

 That's it for part one - part two will be up sometime soon!