Beauty on trial : H&M Beauty Department

Another apology is due this week for my absence in the blogging world over these past few days. If you're a regular reader you may have noticed a lack of continuity in my posting and I'm very sorry! Is anyone else finding the dark evenings a killer when it comes to blog photography?!
Anyway, in today's post, I'll be testing out H&M's "Beauty Department" products which I recently discovered (I think it's only available in larger H&M stores?). I was intrigued by the beautiful and innovative packaging and the high-end feel of the products. Here are some of the items which I picked up:

High Impact Eye Colour  (£4.99)

I was immediately drawn to these gorgeous eye shadows and the vivid colours which H&M offered. The white an
d gold casing screams high-end and yet this product only set me back £4.99 (and came in a lovely little box!). I went for this greyish shimmery shade called "gala gown". It's quite a sheer shimmer which I think would be perfect for a christmas party when you just want to add a touch of glamour! It's definitely build-able but I would recommend priming your eyes before application to ensure longevity. But for the teeny-weeny price of under £5, you can't go far wrong and I feel like these would make an excellent stocking-filler!



Raspberry Leaf Peel-off mask (£1.99)

I had seen another blogger do a review on these unusual looking face masks and it's safe to say that I was intrigued. On my next trip to H&M, I picked up this one for combination skin. The product is contained within a cute little pod which I assume will make for easier application than if it was in one of those annoyingly messy sachets! I haven't actually tried it out yet (I had to wait to take the photos) but the beautiful raspberry scent is enough to make me want to buy another one!


Cashmere Haze Hand Wash  (£3.99)

I must admit, I did only buy this because of the pretty packaging, and wasn't too fussed on the scent. I'm used to simple Radox soaps, so I felt very sophisticated when popping this by my sink! The smell of this is ok, but classically soapy with a slight floral scent to it. I won't be repurchasing simply because the scent isn't for me, but there are plenty of others to try, and for £3.99, I'm not at all dissapointed.


Overall, I'm very impressed with the presentation and affordability of the H&M beauty range and I will definitely be venturing into the beauty isles again to try out the variety of other great products available.

Elle xox

My top 3 drugstore makeup brands

I've never been one for high-end makeup. I love to treat myself now and again but I always head to the drugstore brands for the majority of my makeup and so I thought I'd put together my three favourite drugstore makeup brands - one for every budget and taste!

L'oreal

This brand's beautiful packaging always makes me feel like I'm shopping at the high end counters. I especially love the lipsticks and foundations that L'oreal have to offer. The collection exclusive lipsticks are to die for and the black and gold casing is luxurious! This brand is also amazing if you have paler skin like my as they have a great range of shades.

Maybelline

My go-to for essentials. If I need something like a simple nail polish or mascara, I'll head to Maybelline. My all time favourite is definitely the Lash Sensational mascara - super affordable but 

better than any high-end mascara I've ever tried! You can definitely find some gems in the Maybelline aisles.

Bourjois

I've read in so many magazines that french skincare is the best available, and based on my experience, so is the makeup! As with L'oreal, the packaging is really pretty and the formulas behave like high end products. The only downside is that the shade ranges aren't great, so I can't really use my beloved Healthy Mix until the summer! But overall, I always gravitate towards Bourjois when I'm on the hunt for some great makeup..

I hope you enjoyed and I'll speak to you in my next post!
Elle xox

Why I'm a micellar water convert//how I use it

When the micellar water craze burst onto the beauty scene a while back, I could understand the hype - a no rinse cleanser that claimed to remove all traces of makeup and cleanse skin in one go? It sounded like a miracle product! But after buying my first bottle I really couldn't see what the fuss was about. Used alone, it removed my makeup but didn't give the "soothed and cleansed" feel that the product had promised to give,....so I gave up.

A few months ago, I started to break out and even my beloved Liz Earle cleanser wan't clearing my skin up, so I decided to give the micellar water a whirl again, just to see what happened.....

I chose to continue using my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, but remove my makeup with the micellar water beforehand - the results were amazing!
I think that removing my makeup with a separate product allowed the Liz Earle formula to really work into my skin instead of having to battle through the layers of foundation and powder!

The micellar water was the perfect, cheap alternative to double cleansing with my liz earle - it saved me money and made my Cleanse and Polish last much longer. If you're struggling to afford your usual double cleanse, I would definitely recommend this! You can carry on using your much loved high end cleanser and enjoy the benefits, whilst using half as much and needing to re-purchase far less often.

Although the micellar water craze didn't draw me in to begin with, I soon began my own love affair with the product of the moment and now always have to have a bottle lying around!

I hope you enjoyed this super short post and skincare "story"!

Are you a micellar water fan? 

Elle xox

Haircare products you have to try

My mission to find the perfect haircare products has been a long one. Because of my love of heat styling, the condition of my hair isn't great - but luckily I've found a few incredible products which leave my hair feeling soft, silky and manageable. Here are my all time favourite products which I would definitely recommend!

 Tresemme Platinum Strength - This is a recent discovery for me but one that I am so pleased with. The Tresemme Platinum Strength Shampoo makes my hair feel incredibly soft and cared for but never greasy. I often find that nourishing shampoos make my hair feel weighed down and greasy after a day - but I've never had a problem with this incredible product.

L'oreal Hair Expertise Conditioner - I bought the shampoo and conditioner from this range but never really liked the shampoo as it made my hair greasy - but the conditioner was luxurious! It made my hair feel super nourished and as an added bonus, this smells really great (like apricots and caramel!).

Dove Intensive Repair Express Treatment - I don't need to say too much about this product, as I actually did a full review on it a while back (you can read that here). But I will say that it works just as great now as it did back then and has been keeping my hair in great condition as it's grown longer over these past few months.

Ogx Anti-frizz hydrating oil - Yet another recent discovery but also another absolute essential! I'd heard great things about Ogx but didn't really see any need to add more products to my extensive collection but I saw that Ogx was on offer in Boots recently and thought that it was the perfect excuse to try one of their products out. I chose this anti-frizz spray oil and it was the best decision ever! This defines my curls, makes my hair super soft and gets rid of all frizz. I've also had many opportunities to try out the "anti-humidity" claim due to the rainy UK weather - this certainly lives up to it's claims. In rainy conditions, my hair stays super straight (after styling) and remains frizz free. I can't recommend this enough!

Have you tried any of these products? If so, let me know your thoughts!
See you in my next post
Elle xox

Cosy girls night in + top autumn/winter movies

Sometimes a cosy girls night in is better than a night out. I love to get all of my friends together every now and again and organise a night in with movies, snacks and pampering.  Here are my tips for a girls night in and my top autumn/winter movie picks!

Set up a pamper station

You can either do this in the same place where you have decided to watch your chosen movies (if it's big enough) or in a separate room.

On a small table, lay out a selection of magazines, nail polishes, hand creams and face masks.It would also be handy to have a couple of chairs or stools around the table. Throughout the evening, people can come up to the table and grab a magazine,face mask or give themselves a manicure. You can even take in in turns to give each other manicures, complete with a relaxing hand massage! 

Food and drink

If you've ever hosted a movie night or girls night in before, you'll know that trying to estimate how much people will eat can be tricky - not to mention expensive! Before you all get together, plan to all bring something different - there'll be something for everyone. It also means that the host doesn't have to worry about buying all of the food herself! 

Have a onesie party

A girls night in isn't the place for uncomfortable skinny jeans or shoes that give you blisters - allow your guests to feel at home and agree to all arrive in your funniest onesies/pyjamas! Grab your selfie stick and snap some photos of you and your friends in your onesies - you could even print them out afterwards and give them to your guests as keepsakes.

Create a playlist

Make a playlist of all time favourite songs - the best ones are those which you haven't heard for a while but all know off by heart. You can belt out the tunes and shamelessly dance around the room : one of the reasons why a night in with your closest friends is better than a night out -no one's going to judge you!

Top Autumn/winter movie picks

Bridget Jones Diary

I come back to this film time and time again. I think that everyone can relate to Bridget in some way or another which makes this film perfect for a girls night in. There's a sequel to this aswell if you enjoy the first one - and three books which are all brilliant!

Bride Wars

If you loved Bridesmaids. then you'll adore this chick-flick/rom-com. It follows two best friends from two separate worlds through their engagements and right up to their wedding days - which, by some horrible mix-up fall on the same day, in the same venue . The ending is heart warming and the ways in which the girls mess with each other are seriously funny. I thoroughly recommend!

Chalet Girl

I saw this movie ages ago and have seen it plenty of times since. Although it's set in a snowy ski chalet. this film is fun to watch all year round. And it stars Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass, Gossip Girl), so what's not to like?!

Love Actually

This film is unusual, because it doesn't have a central story line, but instead follows the relationships of 10 different people in the lead up to Christmas. Definitely one to save for the winter months, but with an all star cast including Hugh Grant (who stars in Bridget Jones), Emma Thompson, Keira Knightly and Rowan Atkinson, it's a great film to cosy up with on a girls night in.

The Holiday

Another one to save for the weeks leading up to Christmas, The Holiday is my ultimate, feel good movie pick. It sees two women, one from a swanky Hollywood mansion (Cameron Diaz) and another from a cosy cottage in the heart of England (Kate Winslet) swap homes for the holidays. This romantic comedy is perfect for a girls night in - but be sure to have tissues to hand!

Thanks for reading, I hope that you have found this post helpful :)  

What do you usually do on a girls night in?

Elle xox

L'oreal Infallible 24hour Foundation Review

 Good foundations that suit my pale skin tone are hard to come by. In the summer, the lightest shades of foundation seem to match my skin perfectly, but in the colder months, nothing seems to be pale enough! I've been on the hunt for a good foundation that matches my skin tone for a while now, and when I saw that L'oreal did foundations in very pale shades, I had to give one a try. In the end I went for the Infallible 24h foundation, over the true match, because of Zoella's recommendation, Here is my honest review of the product.

Packaging

I love everything about the packaging of this product, It's sophisticated yet eye-catching with the ruby-red lid. The top comes off easily and the product is dispensed through a pump, which is an essential for me. The amount that is dispensed after one pump is enough to provide light coverage.

Formula, coverage and application

The foundation itself is quite thick in contrast to my usual Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation. I personally found that this made it harder to blend than I was used to and it took longer to make sure that there were no patchy areas or visible brush marks. I'm going to persevere though, as I've only ever tried one other foundation, so I'm not exactly a pro! (I'm used to BB and CC creams).

As I said in above, one pump provides light coverage, but this is definitely a foundation that provides buildable coverage - I use one and a half pumps. 

 I found that once the foundation was actually on my skin, it looked very natural and had a velvet matte finish. At this point, it definitely felt as though it could live up to its "long-wear" claims, so I skipped powder,

Was it long-lasting?

As I'm writing this, it's been about 7 hours since application and my foundation still looks pretty darn good! Although the matte effect has long since worn off (so perhaps not good if you have oily skin?), the actual foundation itself has stayed put.

Did it live up to the other claims?

On the back of the bottle the foundation claims that there will be no tranfer. no visible imperfections, no dry-out and no-mask effect.
In my opinion, it lived up to every claim but one : no dry-out. My skin is what I would describe as normal to combination, so I personally had no trouble with the formula, but I did have to apply a good moisturiser beforehand. I can definitely see how it wouldn't be great for people with dry skin, because of the matte effect and the thick formulation. 

Overall rating

For girls with normal or combination skin, I think that this foundation is perfect, especially if you are on the look out for one that's super pale. It stayed put all day, gave good coverage and was light enough for my skin tone.

However it was a little tricky to blend and I can imagine that it wouldn't be great for girls with really oily or really dry skin, 

I would give this foundation an

8/10 

 

Personally I love this stuff, but I think that girls with dry skin or oily skin may not find it to be quite as good.

Thanks for reading, I hope that this helped!

Eleanor xox

September favourites

 Favourites posts are always the ones which I look forward to writing the most - they're the sort of posts written with a cup of tea in one hand and an oversized bowl of popcorn in the other. I don't have too many beauty favourites this month, but the ones which I have chosen are my absolute must-haves....

Beauty

Real techniques makeup sponge (not pictured) - My makeup brush recently broke and was too expensive to replace straight away so I decided to try a sponge. At the bargain price of only £5.99, I was amazed by the results. My makeup always looks perfect now and blends in easily. The pointed tip is great for blending in concealer, and I use the rounded sides for the application of foundation. I definitely recommend! 

L'Oreal collection exclusive Lipstick in "Eva's Delicate Rose" - I have to be honest, I actually bought this just because of the packaging! But it turns out that the actual lipstick is pretty great too. This colour is a beautiful deep pink that delivers a velvet matte finish. It doesn't dry my lips out and stays put for a long time. An all round amazing product!

L'occitane "Lavande" hand cream - I was very pleased to get this tube of hand cream for free with the latest issue of Marie Claire, because L'occitane do such luxurious products. This cream is great to apply just before bed, as the lavender scent is soothing and the cream soaks in instantly. I love it so much and will be sad when it runs out - I'm definitely considering repurchasing :)

Bath and shower

Radox bath soak with Lavender and Waterlily - This bath soak creates mountains of comforting bubbles and fills the bathroom with the relaxing aroma of Lavender and Waterlily - it's such a great product, especially if you're planning a pamper evening. 

Head and Shoulders Classic Shampoo - If you're looking for a shampoo that does "what is says on the tin" then I'd definitely recommend this. It gets rid of any flakiness that you may have, but  I use ii to remove any product build up and to give my hair and scalp a proper clean. The shampoo also leaves my hair really soft, which was a pleasant surprise!

Music

Melanie Martinez - My friend introduced me to this and I have to admit that I'm hooked. My favourites include "carousel" and "dollhouse". If you've never listened to Melanie's music then I highly suggest that you search for her on youtube. The lyrics can take some getting used to, but in time I'm sure that you'll grow to love the songs as much as I do!

That's all for my favourites this month, I'll speak to you in my next post

Elle xox