Boots Haul: Maybelline, L'Oreal, Soap & Glory

There’s nothing better than having a good old rummage through Boots sometimes and emerging with a nice basket of goodies. I paid a visit there recently and here’s what I picked up:

Got2Be Rise ‘N Shine Volume + Shine hairspray

I know I’ve said it before, but I really rate the Got2Be line – the products are great quality, colourful, affordable and smell great.

Usually, I buy their ‘Happy Hour’ hairspray, which gives great hold without even a hint of crispiness and also smells like pina coladas – winning! But they’ve recently launched a new line, Rise N Shine.

There’s a ‘hair souffle’ that I bought previously and also got in my June Glossybox, so when I saw there had been a hairspray launched to match I wanted to try it. The premise – boosted, shinier locks – is an alluring one.

At only £2.00, its very affordable, which so good for something you use a lot of. This smells beautiful and provides a long lasting, smooth finish – it easily competes with the pricey Tigi Catwalk Collection hairspray I had been using. What a find!

Eyelure Naturals 031 and 080

Confession time. I’ve gotten to the stage where I routinely wear false lashes for work, during the day. Is that terrible?

My reasoning is that I don’t get on with permanent extensions (tried them, hated them), and yet I want that boosted flutter every day. It’s a bit OTT, I know, but I pick natural looking ones.

I find it just as fast to pop a pair on as to spend ages on mascara in the morning, and you clean, care for and store them properly, a pair can last up to a fortnight – which is a lot more economical than permanent lash extensions. Or at least that’s my argument and I’m sticking to it.

It was three for two, so I picked up a pair of ‘31’s’ (which are extremely light and natural looking) and two pairs of ‘80’s, which are longer and a little more dramatic -  a perfect desk-to-dancefloor lash.

Sure Maximum Protection

Deodorant isn’t the most glamorous of purchase but as an everyday use item I love this one. Sure and Dove both recently released stronger formulas, and I like this one because it really works.

At around the £5.00 mark these are definitely more expensive than regular deodorants but I think the feeling of dryness and freshness they provide all day is worth it.

I walk into work and I run home, so I need something that can deliver and won’t leave me too hot and flustered, especially in warmer weather. I tried this and was impressed with it, so its now become my regular choice.

Plus its far more environmentally conscious than using an aerosol, so you get some eco points as well.

L’Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Water

This was the first micellar solution I tried and it made me bin the remover wipes for good.

Since then I’ve been going back and forth between this and the Garnier version – which is cheaper gram for gram (same price but double the amount in the bottle). Both are equally good in my opinion, both cleanse easily, remove all traces of residue and leave skin toned and soft.

The L’Oreal was my choice this time because they didn’t have any of the Garnier option -  and actually, I have some holidays coming up soon and this bottle is much less bulky and easier to transport.

If you haven’t tried this stuff – why not? You’ll be amazed at what a good job it does. A proper essential.

Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids – Fuschia Flash

Popping pink pouts look great for summer, and wanting to get some of that magenta vibe, I started scouring the net for the brightest pink shade I could find from a drugstore brand – this one came up again and again, so I decided I had to check it out. 

I’ve never owned a Maybelline lipstick before, but this has impressed me! The shade is ultra-punchy and will look heavenly with a tan.

The formula is smooth, creamy and moisturing, and its really long lasting as well. I can’t say I’m keen on the packaging, although its not too terrible, but the product itself is great quality.

I turned to my fellow bloggers for ideas on how to work a magenta pout -  the result was a brilliant collaboration post with Kerry from KerryJustBeauty that you can read all about here.

Soap and Glory Make Yourself Youthful Rejuvenating Facial Serum and Peaches and Clean 3-in-1 Deep Purifying Cleanser

There’s no need to go into detail with these, mainly because I’ve heaped plenty of praise on them already! Soap and Glory has taken over my skincare regime lately.

I’m amazed at the quality of their offer – and there was me assuming that the pun-tastic names meant the results wouldn’t be serious. WRONG!

Peaches and Clean is a beautiful deep-cleansing face wash that helps me to get my gleam on. I tried this on a recommendation from KerryJustBeauty and was so impressed.

As for the serum – one look at the Boots website shows no one has a bad word to say about it. You can read an in-depth review of it and the matching CC Cream here.

For me, it stacks up favourably against pricier serums from Clinique and Vichy that were my previous choices. The results I’ve seen have made it a go-to item, so while the line was on offer, I took the chance to stock up.

Soap and Glory Make Yourself Youthful Rejuvenating Eye Cream

Of course, with my insane amounts of love for this line, I wondered why I wasn’t using their anti-aging eye cream as well, so I took advantage of the offer to pop one in my basket to try out.

It boasts a 'Super Youth Complex', instant lifting technology, under-eye brightening 'Luminospheres', de-puffing agents and ginseng, ginger, guarana and caffeine - quite a list of actives!

If it works anywhere near as good as the Serum, its going to be a great product. Especially for someone like me, who's fine lines, dark circles and baggy undereyes is the bane of her life. I will report back on the results!

Maybelline Eyestudio 24hr Color Tattoo in ‘On and On Bronze’

This little beauty is a product much revered in blog land, so I was keen to give it a try. I picked this beautiful bronze shade as I've seen other people wearing it and it looked amazing.

On initial results, I have to say I'm a tad disappointed. The colour seems to come out as a dull, non-shimmery taupe on me. I'm not sure if its because its reacting with the primer I use, or whether its my skin tone, or even applying it with my fingers, but all the shimmer and the warm copper tones seem to drain out of this.

I've only used it a couple of times, but I wasn't overly impressed. It lasted okay, but it had definitely creased by the end of the day, which isn't what I expected. At the moment I'm struggling to see why its been such a smash hit with bloggers! Perhaps it will come into its own in a bit - let me know if you have any tips for using it.

And that was my haul complete - what have you been buying recently?