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Boots and Superdrug Haul

On Thursday I went shopping with my best friend. All of the items I brought are skin care and a couple of bits of makeup from these brands; Palmer's Rimmel, MUA, Superdrug and Soap and Glory so, if you aren't into beauty hauls and enjoy fashion hauls click here.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Cocoa Body Scrub

The Palmer's body scrub costs £4.99 in Superdrug. I have only tried one Palmer's product and that was the lip balm. I loved the smell of it and it definitely worked well. I'm on my second one now. I really wanted to try a body lotion or butter from the range so I could have the scent on me. I already have way too many body lotions and potions, I didn't even know they did body scrubs so I thought I'd try it. I always prefer a really 'scrubby' scrub, the ones that really exfoliate your skin. I tried a bit on my hand and it was very exfoliating and and also moisturising.

Rimmel Match Perfection Fix and Perfect Pro Primer Shade 2

I have never tried this before but my friend I was shopping with has tried it and said it was one of the best she has had. It usually costs £6.99 in Superdrug but it is on offer for £4.99 at the moment. This primer claims to be a 5 in 1 product.
Smooth - to minimise pores
Resurface - for an even complexion
Brighten - to keep skin bright all day
Mattify - to eliminates shine
Protect - protects skin from environmental aggressors (pollution)




MUA Cover and Conceal Wand

This concealer only costs £1.50. I know a lot of people don't like to use cheap makeup but, if it works just as well as just about any other concealer I don't see a problem. This concealer gives a very good coverage because it is a thick, creamy texture. It covers blemishes very well, depending on how much you build it up. It covers under eye circles well and spots. It is on a par with Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer but, I only prefer to buy this one because you get a lot more product in the MUA concealer.

Superdrug Cleansing Facial Wipes for Sensitive Skin

I know, I know, I know. Facial wipes, stay away, keep away, throw away. Don't worry I do not use these to clean my face or remove my makeup. Never do that unless you are on a plane or have absolutely no alternative (maybe if your lazy at sleepovers) but, if i'm doing my makeup in the morning and something goes wrong I don't have to wash my whole face again I can just sort out the one area. These cost 99p.

Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean

This costs £8 in Boots. I have only ever tried bath and body products from Soap and Glory so I wanted to try one of their face products. This is a makeup remover/cleanser but I prefer to use it as a makeup remover and keep to my Clean and Clear products for cleansing. This product says it 'melts away makeup'. I think that it does this, it takes a bit of work to remove eye makeup but so does any makeup remover. I don't use a second helping to remove it but my cleansers remove any left over traces. 

Soap and Glory Dr Spot Super Strength Breakout Clearing Gel

This normally costs £8 in Boots but there is a buy one get the cheapest half price deal on for Soap and Glory face products so I got it for £4. I have only used this for less than two days and it is already working better than any other product. You apply it twice a day if needed in tiny amounts directly to the spot. It works really well and is definitely worth its money. 

10 (ish) Minute Nails

First

Remove any remaining nail varnish on your nails if you have any. If you don't have any varnish on them still, quickly do this step to clean your nails and get rid of any hidden dirt. 

Second

File/trim your nails. Even if you are trying to grow out your nails you will still need to file them. Not to shorten them but to shape them. Unless you have some sort miracle nails then it's most likely that your nails will grow in all different shapes. It will only take you two minutes at the most to shape them, depending on how perfected you want them to look. Although following a 10 minute guide you probably aren't looking for a salon finish.

Third

Chose a base coat and apply it to your nails. If you want to skip this step you can but, if your going to paint your nails with a dark colour or a colour that stains, I do recommend that you use one. Depending on your nails your base coat may vary. If you have weaker nails than normal try and find one that toughens nails. If you have slight discolouration try and find one that has a colour corrector in it. Or if you have any bumps or chips on your nails try and find one that fills these. These special types of base coats tend be on the pricier side but, base coats to toughen nails are becoming more mainstream so they are cheaper than the others. Once you have painted your base coat onto your nails leave to dry.

Fourth

Chose your nail colour. If you like to chose colours according to the seasons try colours like this; Spring- pastel pinks, blues, yellows, Summer- bright oranges, pinks, Autumn- dark blues, purples, greys, Winter- reds, nudes. Apply a thin layer of your first coat and leave to dry.

Fifth

Apply a second coat of the colour on top of your first coat making sure to keep it a thin layer. I know its tempting to try and whack on one massive thick coat but, from literally 100's of tries and fails I have finally realised that it isn't worth it. It seems like an easy route but it is definitely more like the opposite, especially if you are as impatient as I am, I always find myself in the mood to do my nails, prepare them choose the colour and by that time i'm already bored. So my solution is to just do one thick and gloopy coat and think 'Okay yeah i'm done, I will wait 2 minutes then i'll be able to do some origami (I have never done origami) or some other activity that will definitely ruin my nails.' No this is exactly what you shouldn't do. Applying one thick layer will not take the same amount of time to dry as one thin layer. It takes at least  two minutes for a thin layer and even then you have to be careful. So please do not make this mistake. It is guaranteed that you will smudge them, then get annoyed and go crazy with the nail varnish remover. When you have applied your second coat leave to dry.

Sixth

Once dry pick your topcoat. This can be the same as your base coat but, not a colour correcting or filling one. Or you can have a plain clear one, a matte one or, if you are in the mood to and you one that matches your colour, use a sparkly topcoat. These are great over darker colours or in Winter time. Then like I have said oh so many times in this post, leave time to dry.

Overall this whole process should have taken little more than 10 minutes. 

• 1-2 minutes to remove/clean your nail polish and nails
• 2 minutes to file/trim your nails
• 2 minutes to apply and dry your base coat
• 2 minutes to apply and dry your first colour coat
• 2 minutes to apply and dry your second coat
• 2 minutes to apply and dry your top coat

I hope you found this useful although i'm sure if your reading this blog you already have quite a lot of knowledge on this subject. 

If you are impatient when applying your nail varnish and you want some tips and tricks on how to avoid  all the messy business and drying time let me know and I will be happy to tell you.

My Favourite Real Techniques Brushes

Foundation

For a long time this was the Expert Face Brush but, recently I brought the Pointed Foundation Brush, I prefer this one a lot more. I'm not saying the Expert Face Brush isn't good because it is one of the best brushes I have ever tried. However I think that the Pointed Foundation Brush gives better results. It gives better coverage and doesn't waste any foundation. I don't know if this happens to anyone else but with the Expert Face Brush I find that some of the foundation or concealer gets soaked up into the brush. This doesn't happen with the Pointed Foundation Brush. Obviously  it still soaks up some of the product but, because it is a flat brush the product tends to stay on the outside. Also because this brush is so small it allows you to apply the product with more precision. It allows you to build up to your desired coverage.

Concealer

For under eye concealing I tend to use my fingers or the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. This brush doesn't let concealer crease as much and doesn't apply it so it looks cakey. For blemishes, spots and any other bad areas I like to use the Detailer Brush. This brush helps to cover up spots so well. In case you don't know this brush is very tiny which means that you can concentrate on the one problem area and apply the concealer to it easily. You can use it for under eye concealing but unless you have 20 minutes to spend in the morning putting on some concealer I don't recommend it.

Setting Powder

I like to use the Buffing Brush, I find it applies powder really well and doesn't give the oh so terrible over powdered  look. It also gives a full cover for powder and mineral foundation. There isn't much else to say about this, it's just a good brush.





Contouring and Highlighting

I only use powder highlighter and bronzer. So don't judge me for using the same brush for both. Not so surprisingly I use the Contour Brush. For me it is the perfect size and shape for the hollows of my cheeks is also a great shape for my temples. For highlighting, like most people my highlighters have a slight shimmer in them. My ideal look isn't to look like a glitter pot but, if that's what you like go to town on it. So, I like a brush that helps me to very lightly dust the product onto my cheek bones. This brush applies it lightly and doesn't make me look like a 5 year old's craft project.






Hope you liked this post and helped at least one of you. I'v heard from a few people talking about brushes so I thought I'd cover the face brush basics.