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