Sephora needs me

I always find myself browsing Sephora but have never taken the plunge into actually purchasing from their website. Now the hype has died down after Sephora now ships to the UK, with some exclusions, I now even more than before want to place this order. And with payday plus student loan coming up, who's stopping me? Only myself saying 'can you really justify that amount of money on more new make up?' well yes I probably can.

Sephora have the best 'value sets' as they're called which simply include many sample sizes from a range of different brands at a reduced price. The first one is called Give Me Some Lip including 6 different lip products and shades which just looks amazing. The second one I have my eye on is the Summer Crushes which now has even more money off including a load of mini summer essentials. Although I swear the summer now seems to have come to a sudden hault in the UK, were edging on Autumnal weather yet we're still in August, what's going on?!

Now for the longest time I have SO wanted to try make up from Tarte, yes we can now get it from QVC in the UK but not the entire range. The main thing I have always wanted is the Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation, I've heard too many people talking about this so I am in desperate need of it. Also The Sculptor which simply looks like a fool proof contour for idiots, I need this too.

Not only does everyone talk about the Tarte foundation they also rave about the Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer, again something I am now desperate for. I'm hoping these two beauties will help sort my face out during my break out stages. Finally the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara duo, the main reason behind this want is Zoella. She featured it in a recent video and her eyelashes looked insane, so I need to try it out for myself.

Overall I am desperate to make this Sephora order but it's a toss up between whether my heart or head wins the bet.. Maybe after payday and when my student loan comes in we shall see (it hopefully in my arms mwahaha) Have you ever ordered from Sephora? What's on your wish list?

The Body Shop seaweed clarifying toner

As most other make up bloggers, I'm a sucker for a travel sized mini product and here's one. I'll admit I'm not normally one to frequently shop at The Body Shop but am always interested in their products. If you've seen my previous haul from The Body Shop here then you'll see one of the reasons why I couldn't resist picking this product up and also I can now tell you that I wish I picked up more.

The Body Shop says:

'This alcohol-free, refreshing and purifying toner helps to rebalance combination skin.

• Removes traces of cleanser, make-up and impurities
• Purifies
• Refreshes
• Prepares skin for moisturiser'

I always use a toner in my everyday skin care routine as I love how they still manage to find a way to get rid of impurities and make up from your face. And this one also does exactly that, I tend to use this after cleansing and washing my face. It simply just freshens up your face and does not leave it feeling stripped of anything. I have combination skin with an oily t zone and this toner leaves my skin refreshed, matte and either ready for the day or for sleep. It's perfect for use in both the morning and the evening. The smell is also super fresh, light and doesn't linger for long once applied to the face. My skin can react to certain products but this toner is really gentle on the skin leaving it feeling super soft. I picked this sample size up for 75p which is an absolute bargain and if you can still find them at that price then buy them all!

Overall I'm really impressed with this toner and considering the price I paid I definitely wish I had picked up some more! The full size price is slightly more than a drug store price but The Body Shop always have a voucher code lurking so check those out too! You can buy this toner here for £8.50. I'd love to know if you've tried this product or any other from the Seaweed range :-)

Boots Skin Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets

It wasn't until relatively recently that I discovered these through my friend at work. She was using one of these on our lunch break at work and I was like why are you patting paper all over your face? Until she then described them to me and I went and purchased some for myself that I was amazed by them. Being a girl who suffers with a very oily t-zone if not managed then these are perfect for you!

I got these in Boots (obviously they're own brand) just to test them out as they were also on offer and the only ones I could actually find in Boots. They are effectively like a small piece of grease proof paper, simple ha ha. So every time you're looking slightly oily in areas you can just rip out a sheet of blotting paper (I think that's it's kinda real name) and simply pat it over those oily areas. Instantly you will see the oil remove from your face and be absorbed by this blotting paper. Sometimes it's nasty looking back at the paper when you're finished as it basically goes see through due to the oil! But at least you know it's working.

After using one of these sheets you are left with an oil free face and these do not affect your make up which I think is amazing! Yes you can obviously still touch up after, I do tend to add a bit more powder to my t-zone to keep the oil at bay from coming back too soon. But you can use these sheets as often as you feel the need too and they are perfect for chucking in your handbag and using on the go! I am honestly now a complete convert to blotting paper and use these an awful lot! These are also brilliant as instead of keeping the oil on your skin and just putting make up over the top these actually take the oil off the skin leaving it oil free!

I would definitely recommend trying them if you do suffer from oily skin as they are so handbag friendly and super quick and easy to use. You can find these ones here or like I said there are many other brands that do them which might be worth checking out. I just think these are cheap and cheerful if you just want to try them.

Let me know of any other brands that do blotting paper that you love, I'd love to try some more :-)

Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Wipes

I have to admit I do love a good face wipe as naughty as that may be. But recently I discovered these ones from the Yes To range and they are now definitely a firm favourite so I thought I would do a little review about them for you. So first Yes To's description of these wipes:

"Packed with green superfoods they naturally exfoliate, detoxify, and rejuvenate all-in-one. Stay gorgeous, and go from zero to clean in seconds. Yes To Cucumbers Hypoallergenic Soothing Facial wipes gently remove dirt, sweat and makeup (eye makeup too!) without the need to rinse. Whether you're out and about, going for a run, or having a late night, these wipes make it a snap to refresh on-the-go. Packed with green superfoods these all-natural, biodegradable wipes naturally exfoliate, detoxify, and rejuvenate all-in-one. Stay gorgeous, and go from zero to clean in seconds!"

Obviously you can be bombarded with all the different face wipes available in Boots and other places but in all honesty these have that slight luxurious feeling to them which I love. These wipes really do leave your face feeling fully refreshed, awake and clean. I think the lovely cucumber smell these wipes have also helps with the freshness of the wipes when removing make up. They're super soft on the eyes when removing eye make up which can always be the biggest mission but these make it easy and non invasive. I also find these wipes slightly larger than average which is great and I do only need one wipe to remove my make up.

These wipes are also 98% natural so nothing nasty is being rubbed on your face whilst removing your make up. They are also oil free which for someone with oily skin is a great factor to not be adding any more oil onto my face. These wipes are priced at £3.99 which I think is a pretty reasonable price for face wipes and you get 30 wipes in a pack. You can buy them from Boots here. There are also many different ranges within the Yes To range so if these ones don't sound up your street you should definitely have a look at those.

Have you tried anything from the Yes To range?

Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask

Until recently purchasing this clay mask I actually didn't own one so it was definitely a much needed purchase, right? I had actually heard a lot about the range from Una Brennan but in particular about the clay masks. They come in three different ranges; Rose Hydrate, Neroli Firming and Tea Flower Deep Clean. Myself, I went for the Tea Flower range as you can see as my skin is oily, sometimes congested and I suffer from blemishes so this was the range for me. Una Brennan's range is aimed to give you your own salon experience in your own home, which I think is a lovely base to start a range of products from.

This mask is designed to:

"Clear your skin of dirt, excessive oils and toxins which lead to breakouts with this wonder Clay Mask. It contains Salicylic Acid proven to help unclog congested skin and oil-absorbing Dead Sea Mud rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron for the perfect detox facial at home. Avocado oil rich in Vitamins A, D and E with Acacia Honey further help skin rebalance itself to reveal a clearer, refreshed-looking complexion."

The formulation of this mask is quite thin but as the mask is only supposed to be on your face for 5 minutes then it saves the drying time and you can guarantee that it will be dry within that time. As soon as this mask is applied you can feel it working but it feels super refreshing whilst on the skin. There's a slight tingle whilst the mask is drying but to me that's just the mask doing it's magic and I believe it to be the Tea Flower unclogging the nasties on your skin.

Also due to the thinner formulation of this mask although it does stiffen your skin but it's not that stripped feeling. I have noticed that when I use this mask it really does cleanse my pores but also helps to reduce the annoying excess oil. I also find, as I suffer from blemishes a lot, that this mask helps dry them out quicker and cool down the redness. For the price tag of £8.99 available from Boots I think it's reasonably priced due to the high quality ingredients and I can tell this tube is going to last a long time.

I'd definitely recommend this mask if you have the same skin type, if not then check out the other ranges from Una Brennan. Have you tried anything from this range?

Beauty confessions

Today I thought I would indulge into something different and share with you some of my beauty confessions which I should maybe not be willing to tell you guys. But I'm going to brave it in hope that maybe I may change my habits for the better, or not we shall see.

Firstly I think is a chore many bloggers will admit to not doing regularly enough, that is washing my make up brushes. I honestly do not do this enough and know I should do it more but just never seem to find that time to sit down and actually wash them. They may be the odd time when I just wash the odd one brush which I have been using a lot around a certain time. But I think to myself if I'm washing one why not wash the rest? Well if I could tell you the answer to that then this would not be a confession of mine.

Another is one I simply do everyday which is basically wear the same make up with no change, day in day out. I pretty much use exactly the same products in the same way everyday. Occasionally at the weekends I may branch out slightly more by wearing a kohl eyeliner or some bronzer and blusher but generally I keep everything else the same just adding a few different products on top of what I normally wear.

Next is something I rarely, rarely do but something I really want to try to do more throughout the whole year. And that is moisturising my body! I want to do this more often and just need that kick up the behind to make me do it. I purchased the new Vaseline spray on moisturiser in hope that it will help me want to do it more often so we shall see. I definitely feel the need to especially do my legs after shaving and in the summer months when your legs can actually be out! Fingers crossed I can soon cross this one off the list.

Finally is the lack of inspiration I have for my hair and what I actually do with it. For work I have to wear it up which is pretty standard but when it comes to the weekend and going out I just don't really do anything to it! I wish I was more adventurous with styles and I'm always searching pinterest for something new to try but just haven't found anything that I've stuck with as yet. I normally stick a bull dog clip in and pull the front parts back or use my straighteners to wave it but that's pretty much as far as I go!

There we have it! A few of my beauty confessions which I can hopefully soon tick off my list! If you have any tips for me then I'd love to hear them and also your beauty confessions :-)