March Beauty Haul: No7, Nip + Fab, ModelCo and more

Hi dolls

I've been a total shopaholic recently (oops) and seem to have amassed loads of clothes and beauty bits in the couple of days since payday!

In fact, I've got so much stuff that I'm splitting my post into two - one for the clothes and one for the beauty and skincare items!

Here's the first half of my post, this time with all the beauty goodies I've treated myself to recently.

Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Facial Pads

£6.49, Sainsbury's

I have raved about these extensively before (see my 5 Steps to Fabulous Skin post for more), so I won't go into too much detail! But these are definitely one of my skin secret weapons for achieving a glowing look. I love Rodial skincare but its very pricey. Nip +Fab is from the same creator, Maria Hatzistefanis, and you'll notice the same innovations filtering down which is why I love it so much.

These discs contain a dose of glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, witch hazel and blue daisy extract, to exfoliate and strip away dead cells, leaving brightened, re-texturised skin. I feel that they really work for me and help my skincare products to work more effectively.

They're normally £12.95 (and worth every penny) so when I wandered into Sainsbury's and saw that the line was all on special offer, I had to take the opportunity to stock up.

Nip + Fab Overnight Wrinkle Fix 

£7.99, Sainsbury's

Of course, I 'had' to take advantage of the fact the line was on offer and picked up this gel as well, which I haven't tried before. I wish I had gone into Sainsbury's before my Boots run as I would have picked up a couple of other goodies as well if I hadn't already been beauty shopping!

This would normally be £17.95, which is a reasonable price point if it works, but its good to be able to try it for under a tenner and see if I get on with it. I'm expecting I will! I'm at the age where I'm starting to get fine lines showing (its such a shock when you realise you aren't actually immortal, isn't it?) and I want to address it by using better skincare products that are more targeted.

This is described as an intensive anti-aging gel that hydrates and smooths the skin while you get your beauty sleep!It contains a powerful form of retinol, which most skincare experts agree is the most effective anti-ager currently available. Retinol boosts collagen production, increases the rate of cell turnover, repairs sun damage and reduces fine lines. Sounds good to me! There's also hyaluronic acid, which attracts moisture to the skin and plumps it out, and rosehip oil which is an antioxidant. I can't wait to try this!

Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Biotin+ Volume Shampoo and Conditioner

£3.00 each, Sainsbury's

Since breaking out of my shampoo rut with the Mark Hill set I recently reviewed (see the post here), I've been keen to try out a new combination. The Mark Hill stuff I like, but I don't think it suitable for repeated use because I feel like it coated my hair a little bit - perfect for a second day look, but sometimes you just want to feel clean! I will still be using it before nights out, which I think is more what its intended for.

I always rotate my hair wash stuff anyway, so I wanted to get something new. I was torn between this and the Elvive Fibrology new launch (which looks amazing and is guaranteed to make your hair thicker over time). But I'd also seen this new launch being advertised as well. I was umm-ing and aaahh-ing in the supermarket, but the fact is that I've never really liked an Elvive before that much when I've tried them. The fact that this was also on offer for a pound cheaper a bottle was the clincher!

This line has been launched by Claudia Schiffer, who does have nice tresses, admittedly, but that's not really what sold me. There's an Omega Repair line which was my first choice, but was sold out, then the Biotin+ line, and a Crystal Shine line, and a Diamond Colour line for dyed hair.

The range contains pearl essence, panthenol, refined protein and keratin and rebuild and smooth the hair shaft, which sounds good to me.I'm excited to try this thickening treat and see if it works, and I'm a fan of the sleek packaging. I'll be rotating this duo with my usual suspects.

Jo & Jo Australia Deluxe Travel Beauty Bag

£16.99, Home Sense

I spend a lot of time at Home Sense at the moment, in fact I'd say its possibly my favourite shop. If you haven't come across it, its basically the homeware department of TK Maxx given it's own store (and generally a bit tidier!). We're trying to move house at the moment, so we've been stockpiling lots of lovely bits and pieces for the new house - if we ever find one! You never know what you'll find in there, so we visit quite often. It's all brilliant quality stuff that's out of season stock, just like it's sister store. But with homewares, fashion isn't such a fast-moving thing, so you can essentially get some amazing bargains on designer home items.

They have a small beauty shelf which I always check out when I'm there, and for a couple of times now, these deluxe beauty bags by Jo & Jo Australia had caught my eye. It was one of those situations where I certainly don't need it, so I'd managed to resist until now. But this time, seeing they were down to two left, I crumbled!

I just loved the construction of these, they are so well made and sturdy. They're absolutely huge, with plenty of room for full-size products, but fold up really neatly. Each of the sections detaches as well, and I love the idea of that -  you can travel with everything stored neatly together and then detach one of the pouches to use as a make-up bag. They had a couple of different patterns and colours, but I liked this eye-catching graphic black and white zig zag print with the bright purple interior.

I have a bit of a thing about travel bags and wash bags, but this is a definite upgrade from my other ones!

No7 Pop & Glow Blush Stick in 'Mango Sorbet'

£9.95, Boots

It's 3 for 2 time! Yay! The time where all beauty bloggers hearts beat a little faster! I hadn't actually been planning a Boots spree this month (for once), but a colleague gave me a money off coupon for No7 and I spotted these and fell in love!

I love things in a stick or crayon format because they are so easy to travel with, super convenient to apply, especially a cream blush where you normally have to get your fingers dirty. The packaging is so smart and I loved this pretty apricot colour. Coral tones suit me a lot more than pinks, but you can often struggle to find them. I had a hot neon coral blush from Maybelline a while back that they don't seem to produce anymore, so this was a nice find.

On the skin, this is creamy and sheer and blends out to a really flattering glow. I will also be using this colour on my lips as its so pretty.

Swatched: No7 Instant Radiance Highlighter and Pop & Glow Blush

No7 Instant Radiance Highlighter Stick

£9.95, Boots

I found myself torn between the blush and this matching highlighter and ended up choosing both with the reasoning that I had a money-off voucher and it was 3 for 2. This highlighter just seemed like something that would be lovely to take with you on a night out, again the stick format makes it super convenient. This gives a lovely shimmery glow but its subtle and just looks fresh and flattering when blended.

 

 

Garnier Miracle Eye Cream

£12.99, Boots

I actually meant to buy something high-end for my eye cream this time, but I couldn't find the one I wanted to try. I'm still planning to try some of the Bare Minerals skincare stuff, but their eye cream doesn't seem to be very highly rated at all, so I was a bit at a loss.

Then I saw this and it looked like the answer to my needs, plus I do like Garnier (obsessive about their body lotion), so I thought it was worth a try.

This eye cream promises a LOT. It's a hybrid product that promises both an instant effect and results over time, which I like. It's anti-aging (tick) and targets signs of tiredness (extra tick) for a smooth, illuminated under eye area (soooo many ticks!). There are 9 patents granted to this product, so you know its super high-tech and for that off the shelf price, I had to try it.

It's a white cream with lots of micro-capsules in that adjust to your skintone. It works to blur and conceal instantly and over time there's a whole grab-bag of goodies:

• LHA to stimulate cell renewal
• Pro-retinol for collagen synthesis
• Vitamin C to stimulate collagen production
• Vitamin B3 as an antioxidant
• Peptides and ginger extract to firm and improve skin

With a list like that, I felt I was getting a high-end product without the price tag, so I snapped it up. There's also a skin cream available, and as I like their BB creams I also want to try that as well. I haven't seen many adverts for this and there's not much blogosphere chat yet, so I'll report back on how well this works.

Eylure Ultra Naturals

£5.49 each, Boots

These are my favourite falsies ever! They are perfect if you love the look of full lashes but don't want to look like you're obviously wearing fake ones, and they're so subtle you can even get away with them during the day (I did a post on top tips for wearing falsies during the day here). My make-up drawer is never without a pair of these babies. I especially like them if I know I'm going out straight after work and I want to look better without huge lashes on during the day.

The clear band and the mix of brown and black fibres is subtle, but makes your eyes look perfect.You have to be really gentle removing them because they are more delicate and fine than other false lashes, but they're good quality and will last a few uses if you take care of them, clean them and store them properly.

I was only going to pick up one pair but three for two meant the lady at the till sent me scurrying back for another pair.

LHA stimulates surface skin cell renewal

Pro-retinol known to stimulate collagen synthesis

Vitamin C derivative helps to stimulate collagen production

Vitamin B3 provides antioxidant action

Vitamin B5 reinforces hydrolipidic barrier

Firming peptides stimulates collagen production 

Ginger extract known for anti-oxidant properties

SPF 20 helps protect from photo-induced skin ageing effects

- See more at: http://www.reallyree.com/2014/01/garnier-skin-miracle-cream-and-eye-cream-review.html#sthash.PDatFyn6.dpuf

L'Oreal Infallible Lip Colour in '121 Flawless Fuschia'

£7.99, Boots

L'Oreal's Infallible line seems to have had a bit of make-over and has ditched its rather old-fashioned looking packaging for a sleek new glossy black look. The first thing that caught my eye were these refashioned glossy lipsticks. They're super long-lasting (I can confirm this as the in-store swatches I made on my hand wouldn't budge all day). Long-lasting ranges usually seem to be marketed at older ladies and I find that the colours can be quite boring, so I was delighted to see these. They have some really bright, loud shades like a nice coral, a red and this bright popping pink as well as the neutrals.

These contain hyaluronic gel which means your lips feel smooth and hydrated not dried out. It's great that you can get a long lasting colour without compromising - I hate products that dry my lips out but I can confirm that this feels great to wear. It's lightweight. One end is an intense colour lacquer that really only takes one swipe, and the other end is a clear balm that you top up with during the day.

I'm really impressed with this. It's the first 'long lasting' product I've tried and it really does deliver on a colour lock-down, which is so important for strong colours, while also being hydrating and gorgeous. I would definitely buy this in some other shades. They've also revamped their Infallible foundation, which I quite want to try.

Zara Woman Oriental EDT Rollerball

£3.99, Zara

I was clothes shopping recently and by the till, I happened to spritz this perfume and loved it. I wouldn't have said I was an 'oriental' kind of person (to me it just calls to mind heavy, musky scents), but I've since found out that my favourite ever scent- Chanel Coco Mademoiselle- is also classed as an oriental!

I thought this it just smelt like rich, honeyed cashmere with a subtle peppery kick. I am a big fan of these little glass rollerball perfumes Zara do, they're perfect for popping in your bag. They change up the fragrances every few seasons, so I bulk bought 'Wild Orchid' before. For spring, they seem to have gone down a different route, with 'Floral' and 'Fresh' alongside 'Oriental'. 'Oriental' contains more amber notes than other perfumes, but I prefer them when they stay on the soft side of things and don't go too mossy and woody. Apparently they evoke mystery and sensuality (ooh err!).

Zara Woman Oriental starts off with notes of rose and freesia, and develops into a cedar, vanilla and caramel scent. I do like sweet perfumes so that sort of explains it. I think this is a really delicious scent and it just smells 'expensive' to me. You can also buy a full size spray bottle of it, but be quick because I know they change their perfume offer quite quickly!

LHA stimulates surface skin cell renewal

Pro-retinol known to stimulate collagen synthesis

Vitamin C derivative helps to stimulate collagen production

Vitamin B3 provides antioxidant action

Vitamin B5 reinforces hydrolipidic barrier

Firming peptides stimulates collagen production 

Ginger extract known for anti-oxidant properties

SPF 20 helps protect from photo-induced skin ageing effects

- See more at: http://www.reallyree.com/2014/01/garnier-skin-miracle-cream-and-eye-cream-review.html#sthash.PDatFyn6.dpuf

LHA stimulates surface skin cell renewal

Pro-retinol known to stimulate collagen synthesis

Vitamin C derivative helps to stimulate collagen production

Vitamin B3 provides antioxidant action

Vitamin B5 reinforces hydrolipidic barrier

Firming peptides stimulates collagen production 

Ginger extract known for anti-oxidant properties

SPF 20 helps protect from photo-induced skin ageing effects

- See more at: http://www.reallyree.com/2014/01/garnier-skin-miracle-cream-and-eye-cream-review.html#sthash.PDatFyn6.dpuf

LHA stimulates surface skin cell renewal

Pro-retinol known to stimulate collagen synthesis

Vitamin C derivative helps to stimulate collagen production

Vitamin B3 provides antioxidant action

Vitamin B5 reinforces hydrolipidic barrier

Firming peptides stimulates collagen production 

Ginger extract known for anti-oxidant properties

SPF 20 helps protect from photo-induced skin ageing effects

- See more at: http://www.reallyree.com/2014/01/garnier-skin-miracle-cream-and-eye-cream-review.html#sthash.PDatFyn6.dpuf

ModelCo Fibre LashExtend Mascara

Free with March's Glamour magazine

There's nothing I like more than a full size freebie, and out of all the magazines, Glamour are the ones that always seem to have the best free gifts. This month you get a full size ModelCo gift, either a lip or eye pencil, a lipgloss, or this mascara.

This is normally £14.00, so quite a good freebie! The packaging is a glossy black tube with a little mirror on the reverse. It claims to be a long-lasting, water resistant formula that gives dramatic lengthening results. I know fibre mascaras can irritate sensitive eyes, but I'm normally okay unless I wear my coloured lenses, so I should be able to handle this.

I am massively fussy about mascaras and I wouldn't normally buy one without a plastic comb-style brush as they seem to work a lot better for me, so this will be a great chance to try something new. I might do a fuller review of this as I've never tried anything from ModelCo before.


That's it for now, quite a lot of stuff -  I've been shopping up a storm in the last couple of days and need to slow down now!

What beauty buys have been making your heart flutter this month?