Tempted: Yet Another Beauty Haul

When planning yesterday's shopping trip I had every intention of being on my best behaviour (honest I did.) With my holiday at the end of the month I am trying to save all the pennies I can for that which is just around the corner. But then Nars happened. Followed by Hourglass. Yep, my prayers had been answered and my local John Lewis department store finally got their buts into gear and graced us with two beautiful new Nars and Hourglass counters. I know you can buy all these things online but its not the same when you can't see it in person or have a good old swatch away and feel the packaging in your very hands. You know what I'm getting at. And so obviously all good intention went flying out the window from there on out. Can you blame me though? I mean it would have been rude not to right?

The first item that lead me into temptation was the Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser. I was lucky enough to receive a free sample of this product from my recent trip to Selfridges during the summer which I have since used up and it firmly earned a place on my never-ending Nars wish list. Temptation number two may have something to do with my recent obsession with red lips, say hello to Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl. This is a lip product that I have been eyeing up all year long, as I have apparently heard Taylor Swift uses it so naturally this is something I need in my life. One swatch on the back of my hand in store confirmed that Dragon Girl needed to be added to my collection, the colour is fierce.

As if a brand new Nars counter wasn't enough of a temptation for one day, literally next door sat another all new beauty counter: Hourglass. How dreamy are Hourglass products? I mean come on. I definitely need one of those blushes in my life in due course! However blusher wasn't on the agenda for yesterday. For a little while now I've been on the hunt, unsuccessfully for a holy grail eyebrow product and I've heard so many rave reviews about the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil that I simply couldn't resist a purchase.

After the excitement that was John Lewis naturally I had to have a quick whiff of the new Jo Malone cologne Wood Sage & Sea Salt  on a little tester - lets just say I can see what all the fuss is around this new fragrance. A definite new entry to the wish list... It wouldn't be a proper beauty haul without a Boots visit would it now? I finished off the shop with a skincare product that I'm going to take on holiday and that is the Origins Drink Up-Intensive Overnight Mask. This is another well loved item in the beauty world that I wanted to try out, I love that Origins do the 50ml options that are so handy when you want to try a new product but not sure if you want to spend the full amount. Lastly a bit of a impromptu purchase and that was the Sally Hansen Double Duty Base & Top Coat. I'm trying to invest in a product that will make my nails last a bit longer without chipping, so I thought I'd give this a go.

So there you have it, thats what happens when your local department store finally add two very exciting new beauty counters. Or at least thats what happens if you're me, or any other self-confessed beauty hoarder for that matter... Welcome to my life Nars and Hourglass ;)

QOTD: What beauty products have you been tempted by recently?

The Holy Grail Skincare Trio

Skincare is something that is relatively new to me. It wasn't until I started wearing makeup on a regular basis that I realised the benefits of a skincare routine. Because skincare is a bit of a new area to me, I feel like I'm still in a bit of an 'experimenting' stage ie trying out different skincare products that work for me. However there have become three staples in my skincare routine that quickly earned their way to holy grail status. One is a cleanser, one is a mask and the other is a serum. I'm still on the lookout for the perfect moisturiser, so feel free to leave me any recommendations!

1) The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil.
This product from The Body Shop went wild on the beauty blogging scene a couple of months ago, everywhere I looked this bad boy was cropping up with rave reviews. Naturally I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Let me say, the hype around this really is true. This is such an incredible product that I have been obsessed with ever since purchasing it. I use this at night time if I have a face full of makeup as it literally melts away every last scrap off your face. Just massage a pump of this cleansing oil onto dry skin and when you add water it lathers to a slightly milky consistency and simply wipes your makeup away. I am constantly blown away by how easily this removes your makeup. As an extra bonus this is a really affordable high street skincare product setting you back around a tenner I believe, and a tiny bit goes a long way so it will last you ages!
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2) Origins Clear Improvements Active Charcoal Mask.

 The next product in my skincare holy grail trio is this face mask from Origins. I use this mask once or twice a week as a sort of deep cleanse to rid my face of underlying impurities. The active charcoal is the ingredient which unclogs your pores from all the dirt that is beyond what our eyes can see. This isn't the prettiest of face masks when you put it on as you can probably expect from the soot black colour of the tube. Upon rinsing this away you get an initial 'ahh' that feels good to be off as it can become a tad dry and tight on your face and immediately after taking it off your face just feels so clean and fresh. One thing I would bare in mind is that this can bring any underlying spots to life because it is so effective in clearing your pores out,but at the same time that does just go to show how well it works and overall it does leave your skin looking and feeling clearer. You only need a thin layer so again this should last pretty well, I have the 50ml size which I believe retails for around £12 so its not the cheapest but well worth it in my opinion.

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3) The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil.
The third and final installment in my trio is anoher product from The Body Shop, this time from their Vitamin E range. I love the Vitamin E range from TBS, if you've been reading my blog for a while no doubt you will have seen the odd piece from the range show its face from time to time so of course I was instriguied by this serum. Other high end beauty serums will set you back quite a lot of money but this is again an afforable product retailing £12. I use this three to four nights a week over a night cream and the next morning my skin is visibly plumper and revitalised and it solves the problem of any dry patches I might be suffering from. I was a little bit nervous about putting an 'oil' on my face as I invisioned greasiness and oily looking skin as a result however it is not in the least bit greasy. I massage a few drops into my fingers first and then apply to my face in a patting motion as advised by the website. As well as doing its job properly the quality of the packaging feels really luxurious with a glass bottle and pipette applicator. This is going to be a saviour come winter time!
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QOTD: What are your skincare holy grail products?