Video: Sephora Haul + lots more!

I was lucky enough to spend a gloriously sunny weekend in Paris a few weeks ago to visit my French bestie/twin. It was amazing to be reunited and we packed the weekend with lots of touristy things as well as getting to visit and know all the best hidden places that only a local can show you. Of course, my first stop was Sephora when I arrived, however I feel like I was pretty self-restrained! This haul video features all the stuff I picked up there, plus a few bits from the French Pharmacie, Look Fantastic once I got back and finally a present from my sister which she picked up from a US Sephora (any guesses what brand??)

Hope you enjoy the video, I know I haven't been around these parts too much (work/summer/life has once again got in the way). If you do, I would love it if you liked and subscribed xxx

Video: April Book Haul 2016

Today's post is a little different to what I normally talk about on my blog, but as the name of this space is Little Miss Lifestyle, it means that I have lots of other things I love to do other than beauty! This video is a quick wrap up of the books I've recently purchased and are on my 'to read' list! Be sure to follow my Goodreads account to see my progress! 

What is your current read? xxx

Collective Haul + A Little Surprise

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted yet this week, I will still be posting 3-4 times this week. The reason for the lack of posts at the beginning of the week is because my time was taken up planning and editing...... my first ever YouTube video ahhh!! I'm both excited and really really anxious about putting it up, but I thought it was about time I bit the bullet now I have my new camera and tripod to just give it a go.

Obviously I still have a lot of practice to get to know the right settings for my videos (note to self: turn off auto focus) and experiment with various backgrounds, but I think that all comes with time. 

So here it is, my first ever video, a collective haul.

I hope you enjoy it and it will enable you to get to know my personality a little bit better over time xxx

Bullring Booty

As it is a Bank Holiday this weekend, it was only natural that I would want to spend some of that time wandering around one of the best shopping centers I know - the Bullring. Matt and I spent the whole of Saturday wandering around so many different shops and indulging a little, which was lovely :) I accumulated quite a lot of things, some that I had wanted for a while, some that were just bought on a whim. Many of them were budget brands though, so that was my justification haha ;) As always I will provide in depth reviews of some of these products but for now here is an overview:

 * Hollister jumper - actually bright pink in person just didn't picture very well! In the sale!

* Rainforest Radiance Hair Butter for Coloured Hair:
* Seaweed Pore-cleansing Facial Exfoliator
* Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean
* Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
* Burt's Bees Lipbalm in Mango
* Collection Creampuff in 'Fairy Cake'
*MUA nail varnish in 'Frozen Yoghurt'
* Essie nail varnish in 'Bikini So Teeny'
* Louise Grey Lipstick for Topshop in 'Legend'
* Topshop blusher in 'Head over Heels'
* Maxfactor 2000 Calorie Mascara
* Volume Million Lashes in 'Extra Black'
* Natural Collection blush in 'Peach Melba'
* MUA Mosaic Blush in 'English Rose'

So as you can see there is quite a lot here (oops!) What do you think of my haul? xxx

Oops I Did It Again...!

Hello everyone, at the moment I'm back in Exeter :)! The other day Matt and I decided to go into the centre of the city and enjoy some retail therapy to celebrate that he has just got a new job! After spending a good few hours in town, I came back with more than I expected (although some were gifts) and Matt came back with... nothing! Woops! Apologies for the not so wonderful pictures, but the weather was pretty gloomy so the lighting wasn't fab. 

                 

Leopard Print studs are a gift for a friend.

 Revlon Just Bitten in 'Cherish Devotion'

 Mini peace hoop earrings from Urban Outfitters (gifted)

 Soap & Glory Supercat Liquid Eyeliner

 Kirsten high waisted jeans from Topshop - £20 in the sale!! Half price! Bargain!

 Dark Blue Jeans from Topshop (gifted) - I really needed a new pair of jeans as my previous trusty Pippa ones from Topshop were threadbare after 3 years of wear!

Bargain of the day: Stila make up for £1 EACH in Poundland!!!!

This is a broad overview of what I purchased - expect detailed reviews of the mentioned products to be up in the near future. On the whole I am really happy with what I got especially as I wasn't planning on buying a lot apart from a much needed pair of jeans, plus I managed to pick up some real bargains :)

What do you think of my haul? xxx

A Trio of Lush Products

At the moment I have a bit of a back-log of product reviews from my various hauls, so expect to see a few more review posts :) I picked these three products up from Lush the other week after watching Louise's video of her favourite Lush products because I have no will power when it comes to shopping and seeing good reviews make me want to try out the products myself! 'Catastrophe Cosmetic' and the 'Each Peach' massage bar were bought upon hearing good recommendations and the toner water was an impulse buy. Overall, I was a little disappointed but this won't stop me trying out some of the other products on my wish list as I believe skincare especially is very personal, so what may work for someone else might not work for me and I really like other Lush products such as the bath bombs.

Tea Tree Toner Water: Although I wasn't expecting to pick this up, I have been on the lookout for a new Toner as my previous Garnier one was too harsh and left my skin feeling really stripped. I've also been wanting to try out the spray toner waters like the Caudalie one but wanted to find a cheaper alternative due to a student budget. One of the main reasons I picked up this product is because it has tea tree in it and I am prone to getting a few blemishes due to oily skin - it even states that 'tea tree is a wonder oil for anyone with oily or spot prone skin'. I  bought the 100g bottle (£3.95) so if I didn't like it the product wouldn't be wasted and its also a handy size for my handbag for freshening up during hot summer days, but you can also purchase it in a 250g bottle for £7.25. My usual routine is to spray some onto a cotton wool pad to wipe my face over and remove dirt and then spray some all over my face and leave to dry before applying moisturiser, in the morning and evening. I love how refreshing and gentle this is but I havn't seen any massive differences towards blemishes. I'm not sure if its because the tea tree is really watered down but I havn't found it to be that effective which is a bit disappointing. I wouldn't rule out buying this again if I can find a good blemish gel/cream as it is a nice toner (I'm thinking about buying the Origins one) - if you do suffer from bad blemishes I wouldn't recommend this for you.

Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Mask: I've been trying out loads of different masks recently trying to find a good combination that I can see and feel make a real difference to my skin and the various problems with it. After seeing quite a few rave reviews of this on various blogs I decided to try it out. Lush face masks are quite expensive for such a small pot (£5.95 for 75g) with a sell by date of 3 weeks, but they are all made out of fresh ingredients and although they say you can only get 3 uses out of them, I've had at least 7 and I still have about a quarter left. You have to keep them in the fridge due to the fresh ingredients in them, and I quite like this as it means the mask is really refreshing and cool when applied to the skin. It is definitely not the easiest mask to apply as it produces it's own water meaning you have to try and mix it all together with your finger and is quite slippery when trying to apply it. I think for this type of mask it would be a good idea to try applying it with a brush. This is also a type of mask where you have to sit and relax while wearing it (I'm not complaining!) as it has a tendency to flake off after a while. The featured ingredient is fresh blueberries and there are lots of pieces within the face mask. Again, although this is aimed towards blemished skin, I havn't noticed any differences towards blemishes or oil control. It leaves my face lovely and refreshed but that is about it. I wouldn't repurchase this but I am interested in trying the Brazened Honey mask.

Each Peach Massage Bar: I've previously owned Soft Coeur bar and really enjoyed it plus I love massages so after I saw Louise recommend this I had to try it! Lush says that this is a 'lovely rich massage bar with beautiful fruit oils' which I can definitely vouch for. It has a lovely strong citrus scent to it and it says that it melts at body temperature just like chocolate - and it really does! It melts so easily when using it and leaves lovely rich oils on your skin which are really moisturising from products including cocoa butter, shea butter, avocado butter and mango kernal butter. I've used oils before, but I prefer these as they have a scent with staying power and are much less messy to use, whether on yourself or with someone else. The bar will also last a long time as although it melts easily, a little goes a long way. I would definitely repurchase and am looking forward to trying out the other types of bars - I also want to buy the Lush tin to keep them in!

I have always been a fan of Lush products due to the fresh, natural ingredients and the fact products are made on site and the impeccable service from staff, so although I was a little let down with these products there is nothing stopping me from trying out different products to find the right things to suit me. If you are interested to purchasing something form Lush I recommend popping into your local store as the staff will guide you in the right direction. 

Have you tried any of these products? What do you think of Lush? xxx

I Just Can't Help Myself...

Another week, another haul...I think I need to place a spending ban on myself! After reading many other blogs/watching youtube videos I couldn't help but purchase some of the stuff they had recommended. Of course more detailed reviews will be made in upcoming posts, but for now I will give you an overview...

Essie Nail Varnish in 39: My first Essie purchase ever! The choice was between this or 'Cute as a Button' but considering I have so many pink shades I decided to buy this one instead :) Really looking forward to trying this out.

Models Own Hed Kandi Nail Varnish in Disco and Ibiza: These were also a first for me as I don't have any other Models Own varnishes. I have wanted the Ibiza shade for sooo long, so was really pfleased when I saw that Boots stocked it! As it was 2 for £8 I also went for a gold glitter shade because I originally went in for the No 7 version with my £5 voucher after seeing Sprinkle of Glitter mention it, however they didn't have it in stock so got the Models Own one instead.

Gold Cuff Necklace: When it comes to fashion, I'm not much of an accessory person but I am trying to rectify this by buying some different kinds of high street jewelry. I only actually own 3 necklaces would you believe, and these are all delicate pieces, so when I saw Shirley wearing it in various posts and videos I thought I would go for it...and I love it! I'm really looking forward to testing it out with various outfits and looks.

Stud and Hoop Earrings: Not much to say about these purchases apart from the fact that I am a sucker for earrings! I don't normally buy much gold so these were good purchases for broadening my jewelry collection.

Lush Each Peach Massage Bar: After seeing Louise's video on her favourite lush products I had to try this out and was the main reason I popped into Lush. I have tried a few products in the past when they were bought as gifts including some bath bombs, the heart shaped chocolate massage bar and the cupcake face mask so thought I would go with something different. This smells lovely and melts really easily into the skin.

Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic Facemask: I really like the Lush facemasks although I think the pots are rather small :(! This is a version I havn't tried but suits my skin type. I have been trialing various face masks at the moment to try and find ones that really suit me and address certain issues I have with my skin. I saw this on Sophia's blog and I think also Estee's - as I trust both their opinions I thought this would be a good one to try.

Lush Tea Tree Toner Spray: This was much more of an impulse purchase (woopsie!) but recently I have been thinking about purchasing a new toner as the current one I'm using is feeling a bit too harsh (the fact you need to wear an added SPF with it highlights this!) plus I have been wanting to try out a spray toner since seeing lots of reviews for various brands of them recently. This is formulated for my skin type so am looking forward to trying it out - especially because of the novelty of the spray (I am that easily pleased!)

Have you tried any of these products? What do you think of my haul? xxx

Dalliance in Duty Free

When we were off on our holiday to Turkey, upon arrival at the airport we were told that our flight was delayed for around 2 hours. I of course therefore spent the majority of that time having a look round duty free. I only got a few bits and bobs which were Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer, Erase Paste by Benefit, 17 Miracle Matte pressed powder and Max Factor Masterpiece Max mascara. All the products I bought needed to be replenished as they had been used up and they were also all different brands to the ones I was using before, mainly due to hearing good reviews.

Benefit Erase Paste: This product was a bit of a risk as it normally retails for £19.50 and even though I got it for around £15, I still think it is a lot to pay for a concealer, especially as it is a tiny pot. I had previously been using Rimmel's Hide the Blemish in Sand, but it was pretty rubbish especially under my eyes where it would wear off really quickly so I bought Erase Paste as an alternative due to it's claim of being a 'brightening' concealer and because of the thicker, creamy formula. It came with a little spatula and instructions of how to use it which I thought was great and is always an added bonus with Benefit products, however I never really used the spatula after a few tries as I think it is more of a marketing way to use more product than you actually need. Another plus was the cute pink packaging, which I am a sucker for anyway as I think the presentation of Benefit products is great. There are 3 choices of colour and I went with no. 1 fair which was the right choice for me. Overall, I enjoy using this product as it gives good coverage and will last a long time, although I'm not sure of it's claim to 'brighten' and I would recommend using this with foundation when you are looking for more coverage rather than with a BB cream or tinted moisturiser. I will have to use it over a longer period of time to determine whether the quality deserves the price tag. 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer: After hearing loads of good reviews for this from my favourite bloggers and youtubers I thought I would give it a go, especially when it is the bargain price of £4.19. I have the shade 1 Fair and am pleased to say that I really like it too :)! Yay! The shade matches my skin tone and although it is a liquid formula, which I was a bit wary about, it gives really good coverage on blemishes and under-eye circles without being too heavy, and enables you to layer it if needs be without being obvious. I have been using it with my BB cream as for the moment I haven't been using foundation at all, so it will be interesting to see how I think it fairs with my regular foundation (Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse). I would definitely repurchase this and recommend it to others.

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara in Black: I am a massive fan of Max Factor mascaras as I think they are really good quality for the price. The one I normally buy is Xperience as I recieved it for my birthday and loved it ever since, although it is meant to be volumising I think they are better for definition and length. I decided on the Masterpiece Max mainly just because it was a pound cheaper at £9.99 and I used to use it a while back. Since using it, I don't know why I ever stopped because I love it and is my new go to mascara. The Xperience is great for a more day time look, however I think the Masterpiece Max is great for day but can also be layered effectively for evening looks too without the aid of another mascara, therefore putting it above the Xperience for me. I would be interested if you have used any other Max Factor mascaras/products and what you think of them :)

17 Miracle Matt Pressed Powder in Ivory Porcelain: Previous to purchasing this I had been using MAC's Blot Powder in Medium and to be honest I was really underwhelmed :( It was my first MAC purchase in a while and I so wanted it to be better than the drugstore brands and worth the higher price, however I can't really tell the difference between the two powders (which is a good thing for 17!) This powder was £3.99 and for the quality and the packaging I thought it was a great price. It includes a compact mirror and a little sponge too which I thought were lovely added extras. One of the main features I like is that it is oil free, and as I have oily/combination skin this really appealed to me. The only downside is that it says up to 16 hours shine control but I don't think it comes near to this. I have been using it with a BB cream though which make me more oily anyway, so hopefully once I have tested it with foundation it will give me better results. Overall, I think for a drugstore powder it is great quality for the price and it does the job.

If any of you have some advice/recommendation on powders I would love to hear them! xxx

Beauty Haul

I have been a very naughty girl today and had a bit of a splurge at Boots and John Lewis... I couldn't resist getting some new products that I have read so many rave reviews about to test out myself :) I will be doing full individual reviews of these products, so expect to see some in depth posts about most of them once I have had the chance to give them a proper test. As an overview I purchased:

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser: I was sooo excited about this purchase! I have seen so many reviews on various blogs and youtube channels claiming what a miracle product this is so I am really keen to test it out myself...I'm hoping it will work just as well for me :) It was also cheaper than I expected it to be, so that was a bit of a bonus!

Batiste Dry Shampoo: Bit of a boring one, but out of all the dry shampoos this has always been the one I go back to. I normally get the pink one but thought I would try the 'wild' bottle this time.

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit facial wash: This is another one that I have seen heavily recommended for my skin type and as I had run out of the wash I was using at home, I thought it would be a good time to try out this particular wash.

ProVoke Touch of Silver shampoo: I had also run out of my John Frieda purple shampo which helps tone out the brassiness of blonde hair when the colour starts to fade, so to replace it I bought this product which I had heard good reviews about. I need to make sure I don't keep it on too long though as it can turn your hair purple :\!

Barry M Nail Paint in Berry (308): This wasn't a planned buy but as I was in Boots anyway and I have been looking for a nice pastel purple I decided to buy this as my pastel blue from the range is pretty good quality. I would also like to purchase a minty shade so if anyone has some suggestions of a good brand, please leave a comment or tweet me!

Palmer's Natural Bronze: After thinking about purchasing a gradual tanner for a while, I saw some good reviews of this and I love other Palmer's products I decided on this one. It was also half price in Boots and as it is so cheap anyway this cost me only a little over £2!

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzing Powder: Again, this is another product that I have seen numerous positive reviews about and as I needed a new bronzer thought it would be a good purchase. It is also in the shape and smells of chocolate so that is another plus point for me!

Denman bag brush: I have been after one of these for ages as on a night out I can never fit my hairbrush in my bag unless I take a huge one, and anyone who knows me knows that I am constantly brushing my hair!! So this will be a very handy little purchase, and at around £3 it was a bargain.

Clarins Hydra-Matte Lotion: I got this in a tester size as I don't really want to shell out on a full size if it doesn't do anything for me. I am a big fan of Clarins so am looking forward to trying this out, especially as I have quite oily skin it will be fab if it works well.

Clarins Pure and Radiant Mask: Again this is in a tester size for the same reason and I am really looking forward to trying this out too.

Have you used any of these products and what are your thoughts on them? xxx

Drugstore Haul

For a while now I have been wanting to invest in some Soap and Glory products, ever since seeing Miss Budget Beauty rave about them. As they were 3 for 2 in Boots (like I think they are a lot of the time) I decided I would try out my most urgent lust after products. Instead of the Flake Away scrub I was keen to try the Peaches and Clean cleanser and/or Kick Ass concelar but they didn't have any in stock :( I also got a shampoo and mitt that I needed too as I often forget toiletries I need at Uni when I go home, so prefer to have a spare at home.

Tanning Mitt

I bought this from Superdrug for around £3 rather than from Boots, mainly because I prefer that its pink :) It is just a standard mitt to be honest, but they do last a long time and I way prefer applying fake tan with a mitt to avoid orange hands and streaks. Not a very interesting purchase but I bought it at the same time as the other stuff so thought it should be included.

Elvive Colour Protect Caring Shampoo

I bought this at Superdrug too for such a good price at less than £2, which was cheaper than the smaller bottle... bit strange but I wasn't complaning! I have recently used this up at Uni so I can start using a new Tigi Bed Head shampoo I bought (upcoming review), so this will also be featuring on an upcoming empties post. I bought this for home use though as it was such a great price and also because I really did like it. I get highlights but only about twice a year, maybe 3 times at a push so always look for hair products specifically for coloured/blonde hair that will help maintain the condition and vibrancy of my hair. I used this with the matching conditioner which I am still using up at the moment and I think it keeps my hair in good condition (in conjunction with hair masks and serums), has maintained the 'salon fresh' colour for a longer time than other shampoos I have used in the past and I also really like that it has UV protection in it. If I'm not impressed by the Tigi one I will seriously consider re-purchasing this.

Soap and Glory: Hocus Focus

First of all I have to say, I loooove all the Soap and Glory packaging!! It's pink and girly (obviously a plus point for me) and reminisent of Benefit products by using old style glamour and wording. This was a complete lust must have for me as I feel like my skin can get a bit dull, so thought it would be able to perk me up a bit! To be honest though, for £13 I was a little dissapointed. I'm not sure if that is because I hyped it up too much for myself but it just didn't live up to it's expectations for me. You can mix it into your foundation, with your daily moisuriser or use it on it's own as a highlighter. I was expecting a real 'wow' effect but when used with my foundation you couldn't really see it's full effect. On a day to day basis I use Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse as I've found it's the best wearing for my oily skin and has a really light coverage. Even so, this light coverage still masked the effect of the product, which was annoying as I normally wear foundation rather than just a BB cream as it gives me more confidence, so for £13 I wouldn't get a lot of use out of it. However, when I did try it with a BB cream and as a highlighter for my cheeks, I really liked the dewy finish it gave, even with a light dusting of powder and the smell was really nice too. Therefore, I'd recommend it for holidays and for those who aren't a big fan of the matte finish look or who don't wear foundation regularly.

Soap and Glory: Fab Pore Facial Peel

This was another product that was reviewed highly so was another of my must haves and I must say this did live up to my expectations. It says to use 2-3 times a week, but I have been using it every other day, leaving it on for around 15 minutes, although you can use it for 5 mins for a quick freshen up. The consistency is quite thick and when you rub it in you have to burst all the blue beads in the formula. It is meant to reduce the appearance of pores so I put it on my 'problem' areas where I get most oily - forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. A little goes a long way and for £8 I think it is good value. I think it cleans the pores rather than diminishes them but I am a fan of that because there is no point closing them up if there is a load of gunk in them! I will continue to use this as I do feel like it's doing something. The smell is quite nice and smells of 'clean' although it isn't the best scent I've ever smelt so personally I think other products in the range are better for that.

Soap and Glory: Flake Away Sugar Scrub

I hadn't even thought of buying this product before I picked it up to complete my 3 for 2 as my other 'must haves' weren't in stock.... however, I think this may be my favourite out of the 3!! I have been looking for a sugar scrub which is affordable for a while now as standard exfoliators don't seem to cut it for me at the moment at giving me the clean feeling I want, especially when trying to get off stubborn fake tan! This was £7 and so the one I got free on my 3 for 2 but I would be happy to pay full price for this. The smell is amazing and lingers on your skin after using it, which I really liked. Because it is a sugar scrub it is quite harsh, therefore I only use it once a week at the moment but I do use it all over my body, not just my legs. For those who would like something a bit more gentle I would suggest the Sanctuary's Daily Body Scrub (I have the travel size for holidays etc) which I am a fan of too. Again a little goes a long way with this product and I felt like it was properly exfoliating me. It also left me feeling moisturised afterwards which was nice as I was worried it could dry my skin out a lot as I already get fairly dry legs and need to moisturise them daily. I used this in conjunction with my new Garnier 7 days moisturiser (mango oil for dry skin) and really like them together. I would really recommend this for its scent and price as it should last me a long time.

What other Soap and Glory products would you recommend for me to try? xxx