Recent Purchases!

Hello again lovelies!

I kept my promise, I'm back with a real blog post!

I've been treating myself to a few bits and pieces recently - naughty, and I thought I should show you what I've been buying!

Firstly, for my birthday my lovely mum got me a MAC quad palette - I didn't want the 15 palette because I have an OCD that I would need it to be finished, and I don't have the dolla to fill it! She bought me Twinx and Coppering to go in, I also had Brown Down which I depotted and popped into the palette.. So there was 1 space left and I chose All That Glitters! The palette is now complete and I'm so happy with it!! The colours are so autumnal and work perfectly together!

Top to Bottom: All That Glitters, Coppering, Twinx & Brown Down.

We'll stick with the MAC theme.. I seen my lovelyyy bestie Becca with the Objects of Affection Pigment and Glitters... So, obviously I went and bought them too. I did restrain though and only buy one set, even though I wanted them all.. I got the Rose set, and they are BEAUTIFUL. I've worn them loads all ready and I can't wait to break them out approx everyday over Christmas, tis the season for glittery eyelids afterall isn't it? Obsessed with them, and I love the packaging!

Bottom to Top: Whisper Pink, Tan, Rose, Reigning Riches & Heritage Rouge. 

Next company I'm back to being in love with is Urban Decay - Urban Decay were my first foray into high end makeup and I still love their Palettes - I have quite a few, but I've not tended to buy from them for quite a while.. A few months ago on www.cohorted.co.uk I seen their Perversion and Subversion mascara and primer duo and I was in the market for a new mascara so I bought them.. and HOLY MOLY. This is my favourite duo ever, it actually GIVES ME EYELASHES THAT YOU CAN SEE. My eyelashes are quite long but their straight so they usually look pretty crap, but this duo changes things. So much that I actually went and bought a full size of Subversion (the cohorted deal gives you a mini one) and it's so worth it!

The duo is actually still available on cohorted until Sunday evening and it only costs £10.80.. The full size mascara is £17 alone so it's definitely worth a purchase! Plus it's free delivery.. GO GET IT ASAP https://cohorted.co.uk/cohort/perversion-mascara-deluxe-set-783

Finally, the last recent purchase was also from Urban Decay.. The brand is fully back on my radar! I was really intrigued to try out their lippies but none of them were screaming out to me as the ONE I really wanted.. So for Christmas, they happened to bring out 6 minis in a set called the Full Frontal Lipstick Stash.. So I bought them! You get 6 mini lipsticks and then a full size of their 247/ glide on lip pencil in Ozone (which is invisible, so kind of like a lip primer!). The colours are great and they have such good lasting power! I'm seriously impressed. Also they are adorable! Definitely worth checking Debenhams our for this little Christmas present because it would be a great stocking filler! It's £29 for it all! 

Bottom to Top: Ladyflower, Crush, Illicit, F-Bomb, Gash & Liar

Hope you liked seeing what I've bought recently!

Have you bought any of these things?

Let me know what you think of them if you have!

Until next time.

xxx

London Days...

Hey guys! 

It's Sunday again, where does the week go?

But only one more week and it's a bank holiday.. Which means one thing..  4 day week!!

Yesterday, Alice and I went into London for some shopping, food, and just to chill! 

I've just got a few pictures of what we got up to, what we ate, and what I bought!

We bought a deal on Wowcher for Blocks Cafe which has locations in Soho & Charing Cross! We got 2 waffles and icecream and Bubble tea each for £8 which was actually so good! I had a banana waffle with vanilla icecream, and a lychee & passionfruit bubble tea! Bubble tea was weird, it was strange to drink and all of a sudden swallow a little ball, I nearly choked! But the flavours were great!

We then dandered around MOST of London, once again I swear we walked the whole Monopoly board and did some 'sightseeing'! Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Pall Mall, Westminister, we did the lot! There was a Festival going on in Seven Dials so the whole area around there was buzzing, such a good atmosphere! We loved the guy in Trafalgar Square with his 'You should be here sign'!  

'Bufalo' Pizza from Cafe Vergnano 1882 - YUM.

When it came to shopping, we didn't specifically go anywhere, we just walked and seen where we ended up! We made it to Illamasqua on Beak Street (just off Carnaby St) and they had the sale in store rather than just online which was amazing! I picked up a few things, 'Speckle' Nail Varnish (keep an eye out for a Manicure Monday post to see what it's like on the nails!) and 'Growl' Lipstick. Both of these were £5 in store so a lot cheaper than online!! Swatches of Growl further below :) It looks like quite a deep brown colour in the bullet but on the lips I'd say the colour is more like the lip stain you get after drinking a big glass of red wine! It's beaut but it is a bit tricky to apply, a lipbrush is the easiest way!

I also popped into MAC (cheeky, I've not been in in a while!) and discovered they had 'Whirl' lip liner in stock, Whirl is the lipliner that Kylie Jenner has been apparently wearing to perfect those huge lips! It's been sold out everywhere so it was pretty lucky to discover it! It's a dusky pink shade and it's gorgeous on, typical MAC lip liner, it's quite drying to apply but once it's on, it's on. I definitely think it's what Kylie's been wearing now I've tried it! It's so easy to overexcentuate your lips with!! Pics below:

MAC - Whirl

Illamasqua - Growl

The eyeshadow I'm wearing in both shots is Vernau by Illamasqua, I got it, Vapour and the sealing gel as well! Vernau has definitely become my new go to easy eyeshadow, it's a warm yellowy brown and it's SO easy to blend out. It's going to get a lot of wear! Vapour is a Tangerine orange and it's got the same easiness to blend as Vernau, I'm loving it under my eyes with Vernau on my lid!

L-R - Vernau, Sealing Gel & Vapour

Hope you've enjoyed reading this and seeing what I've been up to in London this weekend!
What do you think of 'Whirl', do you think it is what Kylie Jenners been wearing??

Best Beauty Offers!

Hi again!
Sorry for posting twice in one day but my phone is dead and therefore I can't play the Kim Kardashian game anymore for a while, and by chance I've stumbled across some amazing beauty products on offer while I've perused the internet!
I thought it would be better to post them incase these offers are ending soon!!

1. Benefit 'The Real Steel' - £17.50 - £15.75***

You get a full-size They're Real Mascara (which is usually £19.50 alone), a mini version of their new They're Real Push Up Liner, and a sample of the They're Real Remover. This is an amazing bargain, especially good if you've never tried the They're Real section of Benefit and wanna give it a go! I love They're Real, it's such a good mascara and really does make your lashes look amazing. I tried the Push Up Liner in a Benefit store and hated it, it smudged on my eyes! But a lot of people are raving about it, so if you wanna try it, you might as well for a bargain price!! 

*****IF YOU USE THE CODE 'HOT10' YOU WILL GET ANOTHER 10% OFF IT AS WELL - £15.75!!! OFFER VALID UNTIL 8AM 4TH AUGUST 2014 (BST)*****

2. Illamasqua Paranormal Palette - £15.00

I love this palette, I don't have it but I've searched so many makeup looks using it, I've lusted for so long! The colours are gorgeous and perfect for any season, such a good mix! And when it's reduced from £34.00 to £15.00 it's a total bloody bargain!

3. L'Oreal Infallible Lip Duo Compact - £3.49

I have one of these Duo's and I love it, you apply your colour and let it dry for one minute, and then you apply the moisturising balm on top of it, it's perfect - and plus, that lip colour ain't going anywhere! These retail for £11, and yes I paid it *shh* but it is so worth it, so for £3.49, you should just buy 'em all!

4. No7 Illuminated Make-up Mirror - £19.99

Yes, it's a light up mirror. I know it's nothing particularly exciting, and yes it's probably cheaper on certain online retailers named after rainforests, but this is only £19.99 and it's down from 50 quid. Plus when you buy from boots you get advantage points so in theory you're actually giving yourself MORE money to spend at Boots. Logic yeaaaaaaaaaah!

5. Illamasqua Lipstick in 'Magnetism'

I love Illamasqua's lipsticks, I think they're amazing.. The consistency, the colours, the smell (mildly smell like Krispy Kreme doughnuts!!) but the one thing I don't love is the price, £18.50 is expensive, like megaaaa. So whenever the lipsticks get reduced in the sale, angels from the heavens above rejoice and send happiness into the world. Magnetism is a beautiful colour and for £10.00, well it would just be rude not to.

Hope these offers help in case you were thinking about buying any of these products.

I've been waiting for that No7 mirror to come down for ages, so I think I'll definitely be purchasing!

If you've stumbled upon any other offers, please let me know in the comments or tweet me @RachelVennard :) 

Thanks for reading!xxx

Treats to myselfffff!

Hellooooooo!

I have to admit I have been spoiling myself a bit recently, a few treats here and there, after work etc.. It needs to stop!! But I thought I'd let you see what I've purchased!!

Firstlyyyyyy... DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

Rihanna recently launched her Rihanna Hearts line for Autumn, and ohhhhh glory days it is BEAUTIFUL! Everything had the most gorgeous rose-gold packaging and all the colours were beautiful! Now mostly everything has unfortunately sold out online (click HERE to see if there's anything left!) but in a few stores there are a few bits and pieces left but it really is just pot luck! I was the lucky lady that managed to buy the last 'Riri Woo' in Selfridges at the Trafford Centre in Manchester.. Sorry to anyone that wanted to go and purchase it! It's a really matte deep red and it's gorgeoussss! It lasts for absolute donkeys on the lips and even manages to stay on quite well after eating and drinking! It is quite similar to Ruby Woo which is in the permanent collection but the girl instore said it's easier to apply and is not as drying on the lips! This little baby was £16.50 which I know is expensive.. But look at it - HOW COULD I SAY NO?!

There'll be a swatch further belowwww!

Neeeext.. As you know I flew home last week for my birthday, and unfortunately Terminal 1 at Manchester airport has a MAC counter... I however was VERY restrained and only treated myself to one eyeshadow! I bought 'Brown Down', a matte warm brown! Have a little looksy here! I really wanted a shadow like this for my day-to-day makeup look, I have an Urban Decay Naked palette but it just doesn't have a dark matte shadow for the outer corners of my eyes! In the airport products are Tax Free (I THINK :-/) so instead of £12.50 for this lovely little number I paid £10.40! It was a birthday present to myself and it is something I am gonna get a lot of use out of! Check it out below and see the swatch further belooooow.

They say to leave the best to last.. And I certainly have..

Have a little look at this beauty.. 

I am finally the proud owner of Nars 'Orgasm'!! Gorgeous peachy/pink blush with a hint of gold shimmer just running through the blush!! So so pretty on the skin, I now understand why this product has become such a cult product, I loveee it!! It can easily be worn as a daily blush, or layered up for a more dramatic look at nighttime! £21.50 for a blush seems steep, but when it's so wearable I think it's worth it! However I didn't pay £21.50! ASOS offers 10% student discount at all times, and you can buy it on ASOS HERE! But on Tuesdays if you have an O2 Priority code and you have a student discount code from Unidays you get 20%!! To most people this doesn't seem a lot, but any students know that this is a looooot! I paid £17.20 for the blush and I'm absolutely chuffed about this!! SO HAPPY ARGHHHH!! I also love how cheeky NARS name their products, very tongue in cheek!

L-R - 'RiRi Woo', MAC's 'Brown Down' and NARS 'Orgasm'

I know I've been on a complete shopping haul recently, and particularly high-end products but it has been my Birthday, my money is all spent now so I'm back to being a poor student so shopping is FINITO.
I hope you enjoyed reading this! 

Let me know if you have any of these products and what you think of them!

xxx

Drug-store Beauty!

Helloooooooo! It's a Monday, and it's actually been a gorgeous day! Spring has finally sprung!

I've got a few bits and pieces to show you that I've bought from drugstores and Tesco over the past 2 weeks!

First Tesco!

One of my closest friends is a Team Leader in Tesco and she pointed a new make-up brand they had got in one day that Becca and I went to visit her, and of course being make-up addicts we went for a nosey!

This brand is 'Along Came Betty' and the packaging is slightly similar to those of Soap and Glory! It stocks make-up, skin care, body washes & fake tan. I went for the 'All Concealed Concealer Kit'. 

This is a little duo concealer kit, with a cream concealer on the right for under the eyes, and a concealer for blemishes on the left. Underneath there is also a brightening powder to apply to under the eyes to get rid of any dark circles! 

This set is quite similar to the Laura Mercier Undercover Pot in design, however I've never tried the Laura Mercier pot so I wouldn't be able to say whether this is a dupe product! 

The 'Along Came Betty' kit is currently on offer in Tesco for £4.99 reduced from £6.99!

It's not my favourite concealer I've ever tried, but combined with my MAC studio fix concealer for spots & my Collection Lasting Perfection concealer I can cover myself up pretty well against my stressed exam-time spot prone skin!

I also picked up the Ecotools eyeliner brush in Tesco for £2.50 as I needed a new brush for my eyebrows! Cheap and cheerful, it's a basic little brush that's fulfilling all my eyebrow needs! :)

Next, I may have dandered into Superdrug and quel surpris it racked up a fair dint in my bank balance!

After recently buying the MAC Paint Pot, I wanted a cheaper alternative as it's so easy to use and saves a lot of effort in the morning on eyeshadows!

I went for the Maybelline 24Hr Colour Tattoo's after hearing Estée raving on about 'On and On Bronze' so I decided to purchase it! And obviously Superdrug had a 'Buy One Get One Half Price' offer on, so I picked up 'Permanent Taupe' .. Oops :)

I love them both so much, I have quite a hooded eye (basically I have no eyelid) so these work great for me, one quick slick over the lid and I'm good to go! They stay on well & they don't tend to crease on me which is a shock saying as I have such a small lid! Permanent Taupe is such a lovely day look, not too strong! And On and On Bronze is just my perfect shimmery gold.. I swear I think shimmery gold could be the one eyeshadow shade I wear for the rest of my life and I wouldn't mind! 

They're £4.99 and you can find them here... On and On Bronze & Permanent Taupe :D

I also dandered down to the MUA stand and it's no surprise that I found lots more to buy! There's so many good products and they're all so CHEAP! Perfect for any skint student :) 

My mum had been looking me to find her a lighter colour in a lip stain balm, as the Revlon Kissable Balm Stain she had is too dark for day wear.. So when then I found the MUA Power Pouts me and my mum thought BINGO! :)

These are super-hydrating, pigmented lip crayons with pretty good staying power! They aren't as strong as the Kissable Balm Stains but have more colour than the Revlon lip butters.. They're a great half way point between the two for a low end lip product.. These babies at £3 each!!

They were released about a week ago here in Northern Ireland, and between my mum & me, we already own 5 of the 6... (and thats only because the last one was out of stock!) OOPS!

You can find these babies HERE ...

From left to right, the shades are as follows:

'Crazy in Love', 'Irreplaceable', 'Rendezvous', 'Runway' & 'Justify'

My mum and I are so chuffed, and I definitely think we'll be recommending them to anyone that will stand long enough to listen to us!

Definitely not doing anymore beauty shopping (except my Fragrance Direct order thats on the way... :-S), my bank simply won't allow it!

What's your opinion on Drugstore vs High-end beauty? 

Let me know!

Chat soon lovelies,
Rachel! :) xx

Junction One Cosmetics Store Haul!

Hi Everyone!

A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I visited Junction One after hearing from my gorgeous bestie Becca that Northern Ireland had an Outlet store for make-up with brands such as Bobbi Brown, MAC, Clinique and Ojon! I was very excited to visit and after being repaid money I was owed, the money was burning a whole in my pocket!

Firstly, after whining on and on at Reece about how amazing the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara apparently was, he bought me the little Gift set that was on offer from £30 to £15! Saying as the mascara alone is £11 in store I thought this was a great bargain! Unfortunately my mum threw the box out of this kit so I don't know the full name! She didn't give me time to snap pics, doesn't understand blog life!

It also included a mini High Impact Mascara in Black (£16 full price), a mini Cream Shaper for Eyes in Black Diamond (£14 full price) and a Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Champagne which is £20 full price! 

The lighter shade of the duo is very pale, but a gorgeous shimmery gold colour, while the darker is a warm brown! Think these two are perfect for a easy everyday look, and they come in a handy little case which is mirrored so it's easy to apply anywhere and everywhere! :) 

Thank you Reece for this little pressie!  

Now MAC... *dum dum duuuuuuuum*

I went a litttttle bit crazy! I had money to spend and it was one of those I NEED EVERYTHING moments... But I restricted myself to 5 products and this is what I chose.. :D

1. MAC Paint Pot in 'Treasure Hunt'

2. MAC Double Feature 6 - No names on this :(

3. MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in 'Dollymix'

4. MAC Dazzleglass in 'Dressed to Dazzle' 

5. MAC Matte Lipstick in 'Lady Danger'

This store was meant to sell only discontinued products, but from the links you can still see it's possible to buy Lady Danger & Dollymix, so I just got on the shelf products for cheaper! :) 

I love the paint pot, its so handy for days when you don't have time to do full make-up, just throw a layer of this on and you're good to go! It's quite a light shade of gold which is new to me but I'm adjusting to it.. All about trying new things isn't it? I believe I paid around the £9 mark for this, which is good considering they're £14.50 instore! 

I'm a bit disappointed that the duo eyeshadow don't have actual names, I feel it takes away from the uniqueness of the product slightly. :( again this has a gorgeous shimmery brown and also has a gorgeous taupe/mushroom colour with it, which was slightly hard to get a good photo of! (sorry!)

Again, these are easy peasy colours to throw on whenever you're in a rush! They're actually quite similar to the Clinique shadows, so I'm gonna be good and give my mum one set.. I don't need them all :) I believe I paid between £11 and £14 for this set, which is good when a single MAC eyeshadow is £12!

Dollymix is a gorgeous Candy Pink which completely satisfied my inner Barbie! Its so easy to blend onto the skin and I literally think I've worn it everyday since I bought it! This is a big deal to me, because I really only started wearing blush in about January of this year! Big steps to go for a bright one for me! I'm properly impressed with MAC blushes and I will be buying more.. (shh.. don't tell my mum or my bank balance!) 

I think I paid £14 for this :)

MAC's Lady Danger is a bit of a cult beauty product, everyone, their dog & their auntie's sister has it, and after being bullied/forced into buying it by my boyfriend I now know why! It's gorgeous and so bright, it will literally cheer you up when you're wearing it! I live in a small town and I get a few funny looks from the granny's and granda's, but it's time to realise those funny looks don't matter! :) I always struggled with the dreaded LIPSTICK ON TEETH moments, but after discovering MATTE lipsticks this issue has vanished. I swear I'm such a make-up virgin not knowing these things can be fixed, I thought I was never going to be able to wear lipstick! Lady Danger was one of the dearer lipsticks available at £9.50, but still a steal compared to the £14 instore pricetag!

Finally the Dazzleglass! I heard Fleur talking about how much she loved the MAC Dazzleglasses and I had to treat myself. So shiny, so sticky (but sticky in a nice way) and oh the taste! I'm a sucker for anything vanilla related, and these babies are another item on my vanilla hit list! A sparkly lipgloss with an ever so pinky tone to it.. I love it, layered over a nude lip, on it's own.. Anything. They are PERFECT. Favourite lipglosses ever, I'm in love! <3 

I think 'Dressed to Dazzle' was £11 as it was a limited edition colour!

Well this was a long one, but it was a big haul in my eyes! Altogether we spent £70.. WOW. 

But instore it would have been close to the £120 price mark, so I don't feel just as bad.. Plus one item was a present :D

No more high-end beauty products for a while I think.. However I do have a Drugstore mini-haul to post about soon as well too :) I swear the bank are going to cancel my debit card!

Hope you enjoyed reading :)

Chat soon!

Love, Rachel :) x