Budget Cosmetic Haul

As a lover of everything luxurious when it comes to cosmetics, I don't have much experience with cosmetics from budget brands. The way I see drugstore brands is they have the upper tier (price wise) of the likes of L'Oreal, Soap and Glory, Rimmel, Maybelline, Bourjois & Revlon followed by Collection, 17, Barry M, Miss Sporty and so on. At the cheapest price point what I think of as the super budget brands - MUA, Essence and Natural Collection. Seriously, MUA eyeshadows are a pound. One pound! 

I picked up two shades, Fudge which is a nude/bone shade and Chestnut, a darkened antiqued gold. Both shadows have very thick, pigmented textures (with a little fallout) but never the less I was really impressed.
Next up from MUA is a cream blush in Bittersweet. This bright, barbie-ish pink looks daunting in the pan but once blended onto the cheeks gives a glowy and youthful appearance.
From Essence I chose two of their long lasting eye pencils in Hot Chocolate - a chocolate brown, and Hot Scorch - a sparkly copper. The formula of these is soft, blend able and once they set down I get a good days wear out of them.
I also picked up the lipliner in Soft Berry which really impressed me. It is a very soft, creamy liner, which I use all over my lips as a long lasting alternative to lipstick.
Lastly, I wanted to mention some Natural Collection shadows that I've loved for a while, but failed to mention until now! Milk Chocolate is a light brown that works perfectly in the crease, or as a transition shade for darker shadows such as Crushed Walnut which is a deep, chocolatey brown. Both shades have great pigmentation for such cheaply priced products! There are plenty of gems to be found in these budget beauty ranges, so I will probably feature another little haul/round up on here soon!

The White Company Cassis Room Spray

The White Company has to be one of my favourite shops to have a look round, be it for the Candles, Diffusers or scarily expensive White towelling Dressing gowns (that one day I will own). A recent find of mine has been this Cassis scented room spray -  a fresh, unique, berry scent with a distinctive sharpness that is never overpowering, making it perfect for any room in the house. The scent lingers for a decent amount of time, and settles into any fabrics you have (making it perfect for bedsheets) and I've even found myself spritzing it on fresh laundry. There is a great selection of scents in the store, most of which are available in both Candle and Spray form and although not the cheapest, are far more affordable than the likes of Diptique and Jo Malone without sacrificing on quality.

Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan Dark

I'm a huge fan of the original Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan, so when I saw that there was now a Dark shade I was naturally very excited to try. For those that are unfamiliar the original tan, I have a post where I talk about it in more detail here. This product is every bit as good as the original but your left with a really nice, deep tan after you rinse off which I definitely prefer. The colour lasts about 5 days on my skin which as far as tans go on my skin is pretty much as good as it gets! The mousse doesn't dry my skin out at all, and the lovely dark guide colour makes it easy to apply without any streaks. The one problem with the Dark formulation is I have found it not to be as readily available as the original, neither of my local Superdrug stores stocked it. I got mine from Amazon which is a great alternative, they also do two packs which I will definitely be purchasing next time. 100 percent the best budget tanning option out there!

Handbag Heroes

First of all, please excuse the beaten up look of most of these products. As you can see from the title, these trusty essentials spend a lot of time knocking around in the depths of my normally huge handbags. I do usually try to keep what I fill those bags with to a minimum, which doesn't involve bringing my whole make up bag with me so here are the the products that I nearly always have a place for, be it for their multitasking abilities or wearable colour.
Starting with one of my most used lip products ever - a M.A.C Lipstick in the shade Honey Love. I can't remember if this has been mentioned on here before, but its a slightly warm toned, matte nude. Which really doesn't sound all that special, but it is. The thick creaminess of the formula seems to have the ability to make your lips look full and flawless, and the shade has proven wearable with any make up look.
Annoyingly, all my favourite foundations seem to be housed in beautiful, but impractical glass packaging. For this reason I don't often bring them out with me, so this Maybelline The Eraser Concealer fills in when I'm on the go. The medium, radiant coverage is just enough to top up those dark circles throughout the day or to take the edge off a bright red blemish.
The By Terry Cellularose Blush Glacé's are beautiful, glowing gel blushers that I find also work well on the lips. The shade Frozen Petal is the best at perking up tired, dull looking skin when your out and about and creating a moisturised sheen of colour for the lips.
I always carry perfume with me, as I like to smell the fragrance on myself so I do tend to top up through the day. Stella by Stella McCartney is a floral scent with a top note of Rose, but still smells really fresh and light. I love this tiny little 30ml as its perfect to throw in your handbag.

The Repurchase Register

 As much as I love trying new things, there are some products that I just cannot go without. Even if I've got something else on the go at the same time, It seems these trusty long term favourites just keep getting repurchased as I think I would feel a little uneasy if they weren't around.
Starting off with a very quick mention to the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation which I feel like I have already mentioned on here 1000 times. All with good reason though as this has it all, medium but buildable coverage, staying power and that glowy from within thing happens without the need to be dewy. Best night out foundation ever.
Next is the product that changed my eyebrows... the Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade. I've touched on this in a post before, but essentially it is a gel liner type affair but for your brows. No pencil/gel/powder has ever been able to transform my sparse, pathetic little hairs into a naturally full looking set of eyebrows that stay all night but after a bit of practice with this and an angled brush - I promise you will never look back.
Before writing this post, I had never really thought about this mascara as an essential but I've come to realise that I must be on my fourth tube by now. I love long, fluttery lashes but I also love thick dramatic lashes and Benefit's They're Real has the ability to achieve both. The formula is wonderfully long lasting for a non waterproof mascara, and the brush... the brush! I'm not usually a fan of plastic wands but I even find myself cleaning this one down once the product is empty and keeping it on hand as a spoolie.
I'm incredibly picky with lip balms, a slick of Vaseline just will not cut it for me and always seems to dry my lips out more. I'm on my second tub of the Nuxe Réve De Miel, which is protective, nourishing, matte + smells of sherbet lemons (huge bonus).
Lastly, Queen of all balm cleansers and one of the most talked about products ever - is the Emma Hardy Moringa Cleansing Balm. Nothing else takes off my make up quite as easily (even my beloved Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel stings my eyes a little!) or leaves my skin feeling quite as soft, calm and nourished.

March Wish List

March Wish List by laynamariee

1. It seems the world has gone crazy recently for delicate, lacy underwear and I am definitely no different. I'm in love with this gorgeous white lace bra from journelle. 

2. The Burberry Fresh Glow Foundation has been high on my wish list for ages, but it was after seeing some of my favourite bloggers rave about it - throwing around enticing words like dewy, radiant and flawless that it has definitely reached need status. 

3. My love for Silver jewellery has suddenly returned, Its so classic and I love the way it looks with a tan. I'm in the market for a simple, silver watch and I've fallen for this lovely one by Skagen. I really like how simplistic the design is with the numberless white face, and delicate strap.

4. Again with the Silver, I think this Celine Knot Bangle is absolutely gorgeous. A little out of my price bracket, yes... but I can dream. 

5. I love house plants, particularly when displayed in Terrariums but unfortunately where I'm living at the moment just doesn't have the space. When we move into our new flat next year I will 100 percent be making a purchase, I love this beauty from a seller on Etsy. 

6. Occasionally product names just seriously snare me in, which was the case with the REN Vita Mineral Omega 3 Optimum Skin Serum Oil. After reading a glowing review from the skincare genius that is Caroline Hirons, saying that this helps strengthen your skins natural barriers and gives an injection of moisture, I'm more tempted than ever. 

7. Cult Beauty states that 'Caudalies Polyphenol C15 Overnight Detox Oil effectively hits the re-set button', well that sounds like something I need. With benefits such as eliminating impurities, delivering a dose of radiance into tired skin and aiding repair, all I can think is that this could be my hungover skins true saviour. 

8. As strange as it sounds, the smell of ripe, fresh Tomatoes has to be one of my all time favourite scents. Not one you would think would ever be made into a Candle, but the ever amazing Jo Malone has done it. I've been repeatedly smelling this every time I go past my local counter, and its everything I expected it to be - summery, fresh and addictive. 

9. I promise in Summer I will make more effort with my nails, but for now I just love the ease and the polished finish that a nice nude nail varnish gives. Essie's Sand Tropez is a creamy, universally flattering nude that I will surely be purchasing at some point soon. 

Mini Escentual Haul

Escentual.com were offering a 20% off everything code last weekend, which I kindly took advantage of and ordered a few bits that I've been meaning to try. I remember being excited when I heard that La Roche Posay's much raved about Serozinc was coming to the UK, but it then sort of slipped off my radar and I forgot to make a purchase. Now, seeing as my skin has decided to start giving me grief at the age of 19 (why start now!?) ... I was enticed by this supposedly blemish busting toner. Containing Zinc Sulphate + Sodium Chloride to target breakouts, on first impressions I can say that the mist feels refreshing on the skin, and the few pesky blemishes I had hanging around have been greatly reduced.
Also from La Roche Posay is the Cicaplast Levres - a 'Barrier Repairing Balm'. I hate shiny balm so this get a big tick for being lovely and mattefying on the lips, so far so good on the repairing front too!
Lastly, I know I'm hugely late to jump on the bandwagon with this next purchase but I finally got around to picking up one of the Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blushes. These liquid blushers create a sheer wash of water resistant colour - I chose the shade So Pretty which is a mid toned, bright pink that once stippled on to the cheeks gives you that gorgeous, natural looking, post workout glow.