Monthly Favourites | November

Happy 4th December and welcome to my belated November favourites. I shouldn't have to apologise really, but I am sorry for my pathetic attempt at being a regular blogger throughout the month of November - my efforts of frequently publishing new posts was pretty darn feeble, but what can I say when life just 'gets in the way'. I was trying to juggle too many things at once with working part time and being a full time student and having a life too, so when one thing had to give it ended up being Cosmetic Crave! Hopefully in the new year things at uni will be a little bit calmer and I'll have the chance to get back to posting 3-5 times a week again! 

Anyway, life rambles aside, this is a beauty blog and beauty post! Here's what I've been loving through the month of November: 

 Soap and Glory Righteous Butter Body Butter

I got this tub of body butter in last year's incredibly popular 'Best of All' Christmas gift set from Soap & Glory/Boots and it's only in the past couple of weeks that I've got into using it properly, which is a shame because I've been missing out on something special. I normally opt for The Body Shop body butters to soften up my skin after a shower, but Soap & Glory deserves more praise for their variants - the tubs are a whopping huge 300ml size, they're cheaper than The Body Shop, sink into the skin miles quicker and offer the same level of long-lasting moisturisation and silky softness to the surface of the skin.  The Righteous Butter is scented with S&G's 'Original Pink' fragrance, and it sounds off to say that something 'smells pink', but I can see where they're coming from. It's fluffy and girly, like marshmallows, roses and peaches - it's lovely!

Lush Glogg Shower Gel

Another product I've had lingering around for a long time (..since 2011 and it's technically out of date now), but this 'Glogg' shower gel from Lush is an amazing wake up call in a morning shower, especially on frosty early mornings - warm and spicy, this cinnamon scent fills your whole bathroom and gets right into your nostrils to give you a warm winter vibe. It's a limited edition Christmas scent and I think I'm gonna have to get a bigger bottle this year now I know how much I love it. I wouldn't have put myself down as a spicy scents fan if I'm honest. 

ELF Lip Exfoliator

Okay, so this little pickle didn't feel photogenic this afternoon and all I managed to salvage from a bad bundle of pictures was this kinda gross looking close up - doesn't look appealing does it?! It's not bad though, I promise. It's by no means 'oh my gosh HOLY GRAIL essential must have shout it from the roof tops' lip product, but I prefer it to the messy Lush Lip Scrubs (I hate being in public and scooping some pink sugar out of a jar and rubbing it into my lips - it looks weird), so this bullet style is tidier and more hygenic too. It's just like a lip balm with a gritty and grainy texture to smooth the lips out and remove any dry skin - perfect for prepping the lips for matte lipsticks and it's cheap as chips too. Bonus: it tastes like vanilla!

Collection Deluxe Lipstick - Prohibition

 

^^ Ugh, blurryyyy - having a mare with this post and it's photos today! I'm going to reward myself with some chocolate for not throwing in the towel for this post even though all the elements were against me. Yep. 

Anyway, my first lipstick love of the month has been one of the new Deluxe lipsticks from Collection that cost a grand total of £2.99. Not bad, eh! I spotted them when I was looking at the new Little Mix range and was drawn in by the 1920's America (my fave era) inspired shade names with the likes of Charleston and Silent Movie. It's a lovely bold cherry red shade leaning ever so slightly with a berry hue to make it seasonally appropriate, and I do feel like a glamorous flapper while wearing it. Well done, Collection!

ELF Mineral Lipstick - Rich Raspberry

L: Rich Raspberry | R: Prohibition

Andddd another problem I ran into was Picmonkey (the editing site I use) has decided not to work so I can't annotate the swatches. The left, lighter shade is 'Elf - Rich Raspberry', the right and more red shade is 'Collection - Prohibition'. Swatching a little darker than it looks in the bullet, Rich Rasperry is quite a brown based purple shade but it's one of the more wearable autumn lipsticks that I have and it makes a lovely 'every day' lipstick. I also love the finish of it because it's almost matte, but not quite there yet, but still feels creamy and balmy on the lips.

Clinique '3 Step' Skincare Range - Cleanser, Toner, Moisturiser

Mild Liquid Soap, Clarifying Lotion, Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel - For skintype 3.

Last but not least for this month's favourites, is the basic backbone for my recent skincare routine. I swap a few things in and out occasionally (mainly alternating with different cleansers), but more of less I've been sticking to this 3 step regime from Clinique. I bought one of the mini box sets where all of the products come in a smaller trial size and it's about £20 for what they say is a month's worth of product in each. This one is for skintype 3 which is combination oily - oily and it's worked well for me. I often hear negative things about Clinique skincare and people have said it's 'ruined their skin', but I was pleasantly surprised by all of the items in this kit and have happily used all 3 for about 5 weeks now (the moisturiser is about empty now, but the other 2 are still half full). 

I wouldn't buy all three of the items again individually, because the cleanser was a bit too drying to use for every single cleanse, and the toner has a lot of alcohol in it.. but I would definitely buy the moisturising gel again and it's already at the top of my Christmas list. I absolutely love it! 

Oh, and the nail varnish you can spy in a couple of pictures is Models Own 'Southern Lights'* - I've been loving that too!

Thanks for reading!

What've you been loving in November?

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NYX Make Up and Bomb Cosmetics Haul | 123 Hair and Beauty

Uh oh, 3 shopping haul posts in a row? That's a serious indication of lack of restraint over my purse strings! Eep. But I've been working hard, both at work and at uni, so I thought I'd treat myself (a few times) to keep myself sane and keep a smile on my face. To see my other recent buys you can see my ELF haul and my Boots/Superdrug 3 for 2 splurges by clicking on the linked text. 

Live in the UK and thought that the make up brand NYX was hard to get hold of?? Well so did I. Most people know that larger Next stores are now stocking a few select items, but it's more than simple enough to order online from the UK NYX site (www.nyxcosmetics.co.uk) and if you want free delivery and 5% off your first order then head to 123 Hair and Beauty, where I made my order from. I'll admit that I was quite dissatisfied with the length of time my delivery took, especially as it was sent in two separate dispatches due to some items becoming out of stock after my order was made and I had to wait over four weeks for them. Other than that, I'm happy as Larry with my order.

(Oh, and because these are quite hard to find in stores too, I also threw in some fancy looking Bomb Cosmetics bits for my winter bath times while I was making the order). 

NYX

Jumbo Eye Pencil - Milk (£5.00)

Jumbo Lip Pencil - Hot Red (£5.00)

Soft Matte Lip Cream - Antwerp (£5.50)

Round Lipstick - Fig (£4.00)

Powder Blush - Dusty Rose (£6.00)

The Jumbo Eye Pencil in 'Milk' is a very typical purchase from NYX and an item that many a blogger and vlogger own. I wanted it in time for Halloween to perfect my zombie make up (yes, that is how delayed this haul post is) but it didn't arrive until 2nd November - ah the inconvenience! Other shades for these Jumbo Eye Pencils have disgusting names - French Fries and Cottage Cheese? - I just can't take those seriously as eye make up products! Haha! I guess the rest of the products are self explanatory really, but just look at the shade of the 'Fig' lipstick ..talk about the perfect every day pink.

Fear not that there's no swatches or detailed information about each of these make up items because I plan to do an individual and thorough post on each and every item when January rolls around and I've got a bit more time on my hands. For now, though, this is just to wet your whistle of what you can see on Cosmetic Crave in the new year and a snippet of the range of products available from NYX. 

Bomb Cosmetics 

Knickerbocker Glory Whoopie Blaster (£4.25)

Chilly Millie Bath Blaster (£3.95) 

Crazy Chic Bath Mallow (£3.95)

Strawberry Sundae Bath Creamer (£3.80)

Very Berry Bath Creamer (£3.80)

Kiss Me Quick Bath Creamer (£3.80)

I've not tried any of these bath products from Bomb Cosmetics yet, despite having them sitting in my room and smelling amazing for about 3 weeks now! I'm not sure if I will review them all, but I definitely will post more pictures on Instagram when I use them. (Follow me: @HannahRipley1). They're a bit pricey, especially the small bath creamers (they really small - I can fit 3 in the palm of my hand!), and it would probably be cheaper to buy from Lush, but they're something a bit different and look funky too. 

If you're looking for some nice little stocking fillers for Christmas gifts then maybe check out Bomb Cosmetics because they do lots of cute little soaps and candles, etc too, and they're buy 3, get 1 free!

What do you think? 

Would you order NYX or Bomb Cosmetics from 123 Hair and Beauty?

(& Thanks to Miss Make Up Magpie for the tip to buy NYX from this site!) 

Don't forget to get 5% off your first order with 123 Hair and Beauty using the code NEW10.

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Sweet Dreams

♥

3 For 2 Shopping | Beauty Haul

 

What happens when you combine '3 for 2' across cosmetics in Superdrug, with '3 for 2' across the same in Boots, with the author of a blog called Cosmetic Crave ..absolute chaotic madness, that's what you get. Alright, maybe not too chaotic, but when all you wanted was an eyeliner and you walk back home with 9 new items of make up, that's not really okay is it? Who am I kidding - of course it's okay! ;) 

I've lost track a little bit of which 3 were from Superdrug, and the 6 that were from Boots, but here's what I threw into my baskets on a reckless afternoon last week: 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - 1 Fair

The only repurchase in this haul is the trusty Collection concealer - the rest are new buys to try. I like to use the lightest shade of this super long lasting, high coverage concealer to use as a brightening and highlighting concealer around the eye area (and '2 light' is better for covering blemishes). If you've not tried this £4 wonder yet then I urge you to! 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - 010 Ivory

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer - 51 Light Radiance

Concealer crazy? Maybe. But as well as going back to my trusted favourite from Collection, I also wanted some variety and to branch out and see if there was something new that I liked better. My two favourite high street foundations are Wake Me Up and Healthy Mix from the same brands, so it made sense to try these concealers! I have a post in the pipeworks to review both of these together and compare them. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation - 100 Ivory

What an expected surprise this foundation was! A £5.99 matte foundation in a squeezy tube is something I thought I'd never buy ..but here I am, using and loving it. It's a medium-high coverage foundation in a lightweight mousse consistency and a little goes a long way to help the skin look shine free and perfected, but not cakey. I love to use this in a rush because it's so foolproof and I don't need to powder and still manage to avoid midday shine! 

SevenTeen 'Make Your Mark' Eyeliner - Blackest Black

You wouldn't belieeeeve how long I skulked around the aisles of Boots swatching away at different eyeliners trying to find the perfect one that isn't dry, is properly black, has proper pigment, applies evenly and doesn't fade or crumble away! But thankfully, this one from 17 has everything! Only £3.99 and a lovely, precise felt tip pen style applicator that's nice and wet, realllly black, pigmented and long lasting (it's also waterproof). I think it's ideal and all of that searching was worthwhile. Eyeliners can be hard to get right, but this could be a long term favourite. 

^^ Sorry for the chipped nail - manicure refresh is required! 

Models Own Nail Varnish - Purple Blue

Aw, more nail varnish Hannah? I thought I already had all of Models Own's nail varnishes (more or less) and I don't know how this one missed my radar. 'Purple Blue' isn't the most imaginative shade name, but it does describe the colour very accurately. Metallic and shimmery mix of deep blues and purples to create lovely duochrome finish. I think I'm going to do a nails post on this in a couple of days to share it's true potential because even though it looks nice in these photos, they still aren't doing it justice!

Maybelline 'Baby Lip's Lip Balm - Cherry Me

Baby Lips - who hasn't tried these yet? No one? Yeah, thought so. I love the Baby Lips I already have but I wanted to try one with a teeny tiny bit of a tint. It's not noticeably pigmented, but it'll work well for low maintenance days and the fruity cherry scent is so yummy, as well as keeping lips soft and hydrated.

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon - Plum Russian 

This lip crayon looks a scary and intense dark purple in the bullet, but comes out much less pigmented and more of a soft, deep raspberry colour on the lips and is much more seasonally appropriate compared to the summer releases of the likes of 'Peach on The Beach', etc! Look forward to a full review to hear more about this lip product. 

Rimmel Kate Moss (Matte) Lipstick - 107 

Yep, that infamous lipstick shade that every blogger and their sister labels as the 'autumn essential'! Until recently I've always thought I couldn't wear darker, plummy berry shades, but now I've discovered a new found confidence for them, I had to get my paws on this 'must have' lippie! At £5.49 the quality of these 'matte' (more like satin) lipsticks is exceptional and I wish Miss Moss would bring out a couple more shades in this formula - I'm a big fan!

What do you think of my purchases?

The Stay Matte foundation and 17 Eyeliner are instant hits with me, and I can't wait to form more of an opinion on the range of concealers! Is it wrong that I feel tempted to go back to Boots and buy the 17 Phwoarr concealer too? Surely I can't still feel compelled to buy more??

Thanks for reading!

♥

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Sweet Dreams

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..Another ELF Haul | 50% Off Sale (Again!)



Last week, to celebrate reaching 20,000 followers on Twitter, the fab brand ELF - Eyes Lips Face - held a huge 50% off sale across their entire stock. They were on countdown to it and it was very well promoted, so because I knew it was coming I had my online basket filled up a couple of days in advance (talk about being well prepared!). So when they finally reached their milestone and launched the discount code all I had to do was click click click my way through the checkout with everything that I wanted already in place in my basket and ready to go!

I'm very familar with the brand ELF and have a fair few of their make up items already - I use their brow kit daily and their mineral lipsticks are fantastic, but as always, there was a few more bits and pieces that I wanted to try. I got a handful of new brushes, plus a few make up bits and bobs.

Here's what I got:

Eyes:

Eyebrow Treat & Tame in Dark (link) £3.75

After being unimpressed with Maybelline's Brow Drama and not wanting to shell out on Mac's Brow Set, and with my current £1 clear mascara looking a bit worse for wear.. I thought I'd give ELF's brow gel / 'Treat and Tame' a go. Afterall, I do use their eyebrow kit (powder and wax) religiously and it's one of the most used/loved make up items that I own, so it made sense to stay loyal to ELF's brow products. The treat side is supposed to be mineral enriched to stimulate sparse brows to re-grow, while the tame adds a subtle tint and hold to maintain all of your eyebrow needs. (I got dark and there is one shade darker than this called deep).

Lips:

Lip Exfoliator (link) £3.75

A winter essential with dry, chapped lips on the way! I've got the Lush Lip Scrub, but the Bubblegum scent is a bit sickly sweet for me and it's messy to stick your finger in a tub and dig out some oily sugar grains, so a stick/bullet form solves all these issues. Basically the same principle as general lip scrubs - all the good stuff like jojoba oil and shea butter to condition, plus sugar grains to exfoliate. I used this today and it felt like quite a gritty but nourishing lip balm and definitely left my lips very soft and prepped for lipstick. If I was to recommend one thing from this haul, it would be this lip exfoliator. Amazing!

Face:

HD Powder in Translucent (link) £6.00

With Hourglass' various finishing powders making the rounds (no, I will not spend nearly £40 on a powder), it seemed the right time to get my own budget high defintion powder. This loose powder is intended to create a 'soft focus' effect on the skin and minimise fine lines and imperfections, and basically further perfect your complexion after make up. I've not had the chance to try this yet ..but I was curious about it for a long time so I'll be sure to share my thoughts in a review soon, so any of you reading who have also been curious can finally see what it's all about. (Also available in corrective yellow or shimmer).

Tools:

Essentials Blending Eye Brush (link) £1.50

Essentials Eye Shadow Brush (link) £1.50

Essentials Fan Brush (link) £1.50

Studio Fan Brush (link) £3.75

Their make up tools cost literally pennies, so when I couldn't decide whether to go super budget, or average budget with my fan brush choice, I made the ingenious final decision of 'just get both'. The 'essentials' fan brush (the £1.50, white handled one) is slightly more dense with slightly courser bristles, whereas the 'studio' brush (£3.75) is super super soft. Both have their uses and I'm quite satisfied with them both. 

The prices that I've listed are the current, full retail prices for all of the items, but of course I got them for half of that price ..I mean, make up brushes for 75p each?? That are actually good?! There's something unmissable about that! The 50% discount isn't running at the present moment, but just the other day they were running 30% off and codes crop up quite frequently - so keep your eyes peeled to make a saving!

Full reviews of the HD powder and the lip exfoliator will follow shortly (maybe the brow gel too) ..and I've got a post in the pipeworks for 'recommended make up brushes' - all of which will be budget brands, so if these brushes end up being recommendation-worthy, they'll be in that post!

See my last 50% off sale haul here: link 

View the ELF site here:

www.eyeslipsface.co.uk

What would / did you buy??

Thanks for reading!

♥

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my November Gold advertiser, Alexandra, and her amazing blog: Sweet Dreams ♥

Two Ciate Polishes for Autumn: 'Fade to Greige' and 'Vintage'

When I wrote my Top Picks for Autumn Nails post a week or so ago, I managed to miss out these two lovely polishes from Ciate. I store all of these mini paint pots separately from the rest of my nail varnishes and keep them in the advent calendar box that I got them in (a Selfridges special from last Christmas), so I do sometimes forget that I have them and they often get neglected! So I've pulled them out from under of all of that dust, and here they are to give you some autumn nail inspiration...

Fade to Greige 'is a unique combination of mauve tinged grey and a subtle beige' (according to Ciate), and is 'suitably understated for the office and yet perfect for adding a fashionable touch to any outfit'. Not a colour that I thought I'd like, but I am actually very fond of it! It's a very flattering mix of brown, grey and purple to create an aubergine shade and it really is an autumn classic. It's been my favourite nail shade to wear lately and I admire the subtle and understated element of it, but it doesn't take away for the rich and pretty tones of it.

Vintage 'is a dark, muted grey in a cream finish'. I won't lie, this greeny grey shade definitely does remind me of moss. It won't be to everybody's taste and admittedly I will always prefer prettier, girlier tones such as pinks and oranges or something with a little glitz and glamour, but this is unique and if you like dark shades and want to try something a little bit different then Vintage may tickle your pickle.

As usual with Ciate polishes, they apply fantastically well with a thick and creamy consistency and are fully opaque in two coats with a glossy finish. Chips wise they probably last 2 days without a top coat, but up to a week if using a good quality top coat! 

Ciate Fade to Greige - £9.00 / 13.5ml | link

Ciate Vintage - £9.00 / 13.5ml | link

Thanks for reading!

What do you think of these two autumn nails picks?

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my November Gold advertiser, Alexandra, and her amazing blog:

Sweet Dreams

♥