Make Up Haul March 2015

I've been make up shopping yet again, whoops! I was lucky enough to have a family friend pick me up a few items whilst they were over in the US as well as a few items I picked up from work this weekend during the triple point event. Some of these are trusty repurchases as well as some new products I can't wait to try out. 

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water (£20)

I've heard many good things about Smashboxes new Primer Water so couldn't help but pick it up to give it a try. I picked this up from Boots as I needed to spend over £30 to qualify for triple points, any old excuse eh? This primer water claims to restore moisture as well as waking up the skin due to the added electrolytes. This water is silicone, alcohol and oil free and suitable for all skin types.

Tarte Amazonian 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation ($38 in the shade Fair-Light Honey)

My holy grail foundation! When my friend said he would pick me a few items from Sephora this was the first thing that went on my list. This full coverage foundation is creamy and thick yet blends seamlessly into the skin. With SPF 15 this foundation claims to last a good 12 hours. I picked up the shade Fair-Light Honey. 

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette ($49)

Of course I couldn't not get the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette at some point. Being a good £10/£15 cheaper over in the US compared to UK I couldn't say no to getting this from Sephora. I haven't swatched this yet but I can't wait to give this a go; the chocolate scent makes it smell good enough to eat! Another great thing about this palette is that it contains a little product card with ideas of looks you can do with the palette.

Benefit Brow Zings (£24.50)

I brought a Brow Zings by Benefit probably about a good 3 or so years ago and I'm finally almost out; it's starting to get difficult to scrap any more from the sides. It was finally time to repurchase especially with triple points at Boots this weekend. The shade I picked up is medium and the powder is a great match for my eyebrows. I use this every day and it is well worth the money for how long it lasts. 

Fresh Sugar Berry Lip Treatment ($22.50)

After getting the Give Me Some More Lip set from Sephora for Christmas I fell in love with this Fresh Sugar Berry lip treatment, containing SPF 15 this super thick creamy lip balm not only moisturises your lips but leaves a great colour payoff in a gorgeous berry shade. As well as being a lovely colour this lip balm smells divine as it has a very strong berry scent to it. 

Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara ($23)

I brought this mascara almost a good two years ago when I was in New York and it was probably one of my all time favourite mascaras so I jumped at the chance of owning this again and put it straight on my list. This mascara by Tarte claims to boost your lashes volume by up to 752% as well as lengthening and curling. 

Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitiser (5 for $5)

I'm a big hand sanitiser fan especially the ones by Bath & Body Works so these were a big must on my list. I did originally have ten but my mum stole two off me before I even got to look at them. I got a variety of spring scents and are all very fresh, sweet and fruity. 

What are your must have products that I should pick up next time I go shopping? 

Katie xx

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Birchbox March 2015

This months Birchbox is a collaboration with Habitat (the homeware store) and aims to allow you to refresh yourself and your home as we go into spring. There is an exclusive offer inside for subscribers to give you 20%  off all full priced items at Habitat as well as a sneak peak into the April box which allows you to pick your Laura Mercier sample.  I love the box design this month, the bright paint stripes really throw you into spring!

Birchbox March 2015 (10 per month plus £2.95 p+p)

Benefit Roller Lash (£19.50)

This month you were able to pick which Benefit mascara you wanted to receive out of the They're Real, BADGal or Benefit's new Roller Lash mascara. I chose Roller Lash as after receiving a sample of this mascara in last months Elle magazine and falling in love with it. For a more in depth review of this mascara check out my Benefit Roller Lash First Impression.

Serenity Skincare Dead Sea Bath Salts (£9.50)

Being a dancer bath salts are a necessity to me to relieve sore and tired muscles so these bath salts are welcomed. Upon first impression these salts don't have a very strong scent to them which is nice because sometimes it can be rather overpowering. This is a great sized sample and should last a good few baths. 

Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris fragrance (from £50)

I'm rather fussy when it comes to perfumes so receiving perfume samples is always a bit of a worry for me. However I love this perfume! It's a sweet, fruity perfume but not overly sickly. At around £50 a bottle I don't think I will be buying this just yet but I can't wait to make use of this sample.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer (£27.50)

I've already received a sample of this before and I can't say I've used it before so I was kind of disappointed receiving this sample but after reading good reviews on this product I might finally actually give it a go. This pre-shampoo treatment claims to restore suppleness and bounce.

TanOrganic Self Tanning Oil (£24.99)

Tan Organic is the worlds first tanning oil. This organic tanning oil moisturises the skin whilst leaving the skin with a healthy glow. I have a full sized version of this product and love it. It leaves a gorgeous colour on the skin, applies great and smells great too, a sort of citrus scent.

This months lifestyle extras are a cute, little red notebook from Birchbox and Habitat, and a extract from the book A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi. 

What did you think of this months Birchbox? 

Katie xx

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Benefit Roller Lash Mascara First Impression

I managed to pick up the free sample of the new Benefit Roller Lash mascara in this months Elle magazine before its general release next month. There may be some still around as I only picked this up a few days ago and there was plenty at my local Tesco's, so hurry down and be one of the first to try Benefits new mascara. This new mascara by Benefit focuses on curling and lifting your lashes mimicking the idea of hair rollers (hence the name).  The brush is quite a small plastic brush curved in shape covered in plastic bristles in various sizes. They bristles also contain hooks at the bottom which claimed to hook and lift the lashes upwards helping create the curled effect on your lashes. 

On first impression I wasn't sure about this mascara as it already seems quite thick, making me think it would be clumpy and wouldn't last very long as it might dry out too much too quickly. However after applying this mascara that didn't seem to matter as it certainly didn't clump at all. The mascara certainly lives up to its claim to curl and lift your lashes as you can tell from the photo, there is certainly a difference between my natural lashes and the lashes with the mascara on. Usually I find with mascaras that promise curled lashes, whilst they deliver at first, they tend to drop throughout the day, however after testing this out all day at work by the time I got home around 7 hours after applying it my lashes looked the exact same as when I applied it, a big winner in my book. Often with mascaras they tend to smudge on my eyelid and below my bottom lash line but luckily I did not experience this with this mascara. 

Will I buy this mascara when it comes out? 

Most certainly yes! I've been in a bit of mascara rut recently not really liking any of the mascaras I've been using so I'm glad to have finally found a mascara I love. This mascara certainly lived up to its claims and made my lashes look super long. The jet black colour also allows me to get away with just wearing mascara on my eyes, something I tend to avoid as I find the lack of colour to my eyes tends to make them sink into my face and not stand out.  I can't wait to purchase the mascara next month.

Katie xx

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