Sunday Haulin'

Sundays are my least favourite day of the weekend. Sunday means it's nearly Monday, signalling the need to get all the work I should have done, done.

However, I managed to power through some of it this morning so feeling proud of myself I went on a little adventure to my local Boots.

I did pretty well with only buying things I need though, so that's a first. Two of my favourite things are the Carex soaps, one in bubblegum and one in strawberry laces. I think this is the best idea for kids because I'm definitely washing my hands more often with soaps that smell this good.
Then there's the ProVoke Touch of Silver shampoo and conditioner; I love this range. Whenever I've washed my hair with this I get asked by the kids at work if I've dyed my hair because it looks so much brighter.
I then picked up two of the famous Collection concealer as it's my fave ever and grabbed the new Maybelline Lash Sensational to try it out. My favourite face wipes (bad blogger habit, hey!) are the Simple exfoliating wipes so another packet of them was needed and finally, the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation in 51.

With any luck this will mean I don't have to stock up on necessities for a while...but I'll probably find a way to get back in there anyway!

What are your must have items?

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This week's purchases...

I had a little mid-week browse and of course, ended up coming back with a handful of things I most certainly do need thank you very much.
Firstly, Real Techniques are giving us ladies an even better way to apply our eyeliner with this silicone nibbled liner brush. Whether you're into your cat eye or your Cleopatra I've got a feeling this is going to be one of the summer's staple products. £5.99 here (click!)
I stocked up on the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer and thought I'd also give the Maybelline Baby Skin primer a go. I've given it a quick test on the back of my hand and I'm impressed with how well it blurs any imperfections. (concealer here £3.99 and primer here £7.99)
Lastly, the Bleach London Silver Shampoo. It's absolutely my new favourite shampoo - I've been using it up to 3 times a week since last November and I've only just got to the bottom of my 250ml container. Absolutely loving life with this one, especially since it's only £5 per bottle here (click!).

So, after that little ramble I'm off to relax since my Easter holidays have just begun. 17 days with no children needing my help or rhyming my last name with willy. If that doesn't deserve a pink gin and tonic from M&S then I don't know what does!

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Saturday drugstore buys....

Like most weekends I spent an hour or so in between errands browsing the shops. Also like most weekends I left with things I didn't need in the slightest - lovely!

The first of these buys was the Collection Lasting Perfection foundation. I bought the palest shade as I use the lightest concealer and I'm a total paleface. I've swatched it on the back of my hand and it could be a little dark (sob!) but I'm going to put it to the test today. The glass bottle and screw top does make it a little tricky to transport as I already found a spillage in the shopping bag I put it in but the pump dispenser is a winner so there you go! RRP £5.99 - buy here (click!)

These Korres pomegranate cleansing wipes are something I'd usually avoid like the plague. Buuuuut I was suckered into these by the packaging - I haven't heard anything about them or seen any reviews so I was looking forward to giving them a go last night. I actually quite like them - they're quite thick, they removed my liquid eyeliner and mascara well without much hard work. My skin didn't feel too bad after. I did use some Bioderma on a cotton pad to remove the last bits of mascara and anything embedded in my skin but there wasn't much left so I quite like them! They generally retail for aroun £6.00 online (here, here and here!)

This is almost a re-purchase - I say almost because I have a Maybelline Colossal mascara from a couple of months ago but it's this one (here, click!)  so I thought I'd give a slightly different version a go. 

I'm currently coveting the Rimmel Stay Matte powder but I thought I'd try the Clear Complexion powder for a week and compare them! I'll let you know :)

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Everyday work face part 1

So this is what's on my face on an everyday work day. I work around upper school children and this is what I feel is appropriate to wear in a classroom when I'm not the student anymore, sob!!!

Liz Earle Signature Foundation in the shade Porcelain which I apply with my Real Techniques Stippling brush. These can be bought here (click!) and here (click!). The foundation is medium - light coverage and it's got a pretty good wear time, even when worn alone I think it's between 6-8 hours. My HD Brows kit in the shade Vamp is perfect for me as my eyebrows only need defining. Find it online here (click!). This powder is long lasting and easy to erase if you make any mistakes! 

 For my face products I love the Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette as the bronzer and highlighter compliment one another when used together. You can get one here (click!) and rather than using the blusher in the Naked palette I use Benefit's Dandelion because it's a little lighter and less of a statement blusher than the Urban Decay palette provides. Click here (!!!) to view it and buy online. I apply these with a range of brushes - both white bristle brushes are the same except one is a travel brush. They're Bobbi Brown Face Blender brushes and can be found here (click!) The black brush is a Mac brush but the number has rubbed off!
Around my eyes I go for the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in the lightest colour (bought here, click!), Clinique High Impact mascara in black found here (click!) and Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr cream-gel eyeshadow in the shade On and on Bronze which I reviewed here last week (click!).

 (why are these different DAMMIT IT'S SO STRESSFUL. I took them literally seconds apart!)

This is the final product - I think it's relatively natural looking whilst hiding any imperfections and evening my skintone, although you may disagree. Unfortunately as you can see make-up does not conceal a totally stroppy facial expression, oops!

Collection Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner

Another Glossybox product from my May box for the eyes, but this time it's an eyeliner rather than a mascara! I absolutely love wearing liquid eyeliner. When paired with false lashes and a smokey eyeshadow it's perfect for a night out with the girls but it's been my go-to look for days (and nights more recently!) at university or for seeing friends. 

For the last 4 years I have been dedicated to the same eyeliner, Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner from her range at Sephora. Luckily I've been to America every year so I just pick up another pot and it lasts forever. As great is this is for me it has meant that I haven't had to buy another brand of liquid eyeliner since my trip to Miami in 2009 so it's brilliant that this turned up in my Glossybox as I have something new to try!

This is a standard, jet black liquid liner by Collection. It has a solid nib at the "brush" attached to the bottle lid which is very fine at the end, similar to a felt-tip liner. This is great because it allows me to get really close to my upper lash line without leaving any gaps. It's also good for the classic cat-eye flick as the fine tip means I can draw the flick outline and then fill it in without it smudging or flinging excess liquid across my forehead!

These photos are just to show what it looks like. I'm wearing a light eyeshadow and my Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes mascara (you can find the full review here, click!). I didn't attempt the cat-eye because I don't think I could bare the embarrassment of my uneven cat-eye on the internet ;) but I've tried it since and this liner works well for it.

Collection's Fast Stroke Eyeliner has an RRP of £2.99 and can be bought from their website here (click!).