My Favourite Drugstore Products...

Hello lovelies.

There's nothing I like more than spending ages walking around Boots picking up products I don't really need & having a heart attack when I get to the till. Don't get me wrong, I love my high end products too but drugstore purchases tend to make me feel a little less guilty and they're easily accessible on nearly every high street.

Here's my current drugstore favourites...

Nivea Lip Butter | £1.49

I picked this up a few weeks ago have used it every day since. It's a great inexpensive lip butter that leaves my lips soft & it tastes amazing. If you haven't tried this yet I really recommend giving it a go.

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint | £3.99

I only picked these up last week but I already love them. These have been doing the rounds on the blogsphere & it's easy to see why. As with any Barry M nail paint they last a good few days without chipping and this forumula is super shiny. I want every colour in the range!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation | £8.99

This has been a firm favourite since Summer '12 and I still love it just as much. This great every day foundation provides medium coverage and leaves my skin with a healthy glow, just what iI need on these gloomy days! 

Rimmel Exaggerate Undercover Shadow Primer | £3.99

I picked this up a few weeks ago and it's already been featured in a monthly favourites! This inexpensive eye primer makes applying eyeshadow a breeze and makes it last all day without creasing. I recently posted a full review of this product here if you want to read more. 

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara | £10.99

I can't count how many times I've mentioned this product or featured it in a monthly favourites on this blog. This has been my go to mascara for well over a year now & I can't see that changing anytime soon. No other drugstore mascara adds volume and length to my lashes like this without clumping. I often try new mascaras but always come back to this when I need a mascara I can rely on. 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer | £4.19

Every blogger & their dog seems rave about this concealer & it's easy to see why. This must be my fourth tube of this concealer now! It covers and conceals blemishes and under eye circles great and the coverage is good enough to last all day. I'm sure you've tried it before but if not where have you been?!

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner | £7.99

This has been my go to gel liner for long lasting eyeliner & flicks for ages now and my first pot is still going strong. In the time I've owned this product I've tried high end equivalents such as Bobbi Brown & Mac and they have both dried out whilst this little gem is still going strong.

So there we have it, my current drugstore faves! I'd love to know what your favourite drugstore products are and what you recommend me to pick up. Boots currently have 3 for 2 on cosmetics so I can see a little splurge coming on ;) 

Sarah xx

Review: Rimmel - Wake Me Up Foundation

Ahoy my lovely blogerinos!

I can't believe how amazing the weather has been for the past couple of days, it's like summer has come early. I spend my days gazing out of my office window wishing I was laying in the park soaking up some rays! I hope you've all been enjoying it more than me & making the most of it. I'm also finding these lighter evenings really deceiving, I lay on the sofa thinking it's 5.30pm to look at the time and see it's actually more like 8.00pm! Oops =]

Anyway onto the point of today's post, a review of the new Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation...

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Rimmel say: 'Introducing Rimmel Wake Me Up, our first makeup that instantly reawakens skin with a healthy, radiant glow and minimizes premature skin ageing.

A light, smooth texture for natural, 100% poreless coverage instantly eliminates signs of tiredness and lifts skin from fatigue. Radiance pearls illuminate for a healthy, radiant glow. Flawless natural finish. Peptides increase elasticity so skin recovers and bounces back more quickly. SPF 15 protects.

Wake up and glow!'

My Thoughts:

I picked this foundation up over a month ago after reading alot of hype over it on blogger/twitter and I've used it on and off since.

One of the first things I have to comment on is the packaging. IT HAS A PUMP! If drugstore brands can include a pump in a foundation that costs under £10 why can't a high end brand include one on a foundation that costs £25+?! I know some bloggers don't like the orange packaging but I actually like it, it stands out in my collection and brightens my morning up.

I grabbed this foundation when I was running late for a train and actually picked the wrong shade. I picked Classic Beige which is probably 1 or 2 shades darker than I should wear.  This foundation is only available in 6 shades and I would say they are all in the medium skin tone range. Ladies with fair skin may find it hard to find a match because even the ivory shade is leaning towards beige. I know brands such as Rimmel only have a limited space in which to promote products but I still feel 6 shades is a little stingey.

I really like the formulation of this foundation, it's a liquid foundation that almost feels gel like. I use my Real Technique's stippling brush to buff this into my face and I find this works really well. The coverage is light to medium but is certainly buildable. I still have to use a good helping of concealer to cover imperfections but this isn't a foundation's job anyway.

Part of me really likes the finish of this foundation and part of me doesn't. I like how it looks & feels on the skin, it leaves a fresh dewy look without looking cakey or heavy. In order to create this finish the foundation has 'illuminating particles' and in all honesty I did not notice these when applying my make up in the mirror. I only noticed them standing under harsh artifical light and it worries me they may be noticeable in bright sunshine. 

I find this foundation lasts around 6 hours on me before I need to powder to keep the shine at bay. I have oily/combination skin so this may last longer on people with more normal/dry skin.

It's hard to say what my overall impression of this foundation is. The finish on my skin is nice, it's nice to work with and it's affordable compared to my other foundations. Maybe I should give this another go in my true shade but there are so many other foundations I want to try out first. The jury is out on this one I'm afraid!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation is priced at £8.99.

Have you tried this foundation yet, if so what did you think?

Sarah xx

Review: L'Oreal - False Lash Telescopic Mascara...

Good evening dolls, hope you're all ok and having a good week =]

A few weeks ago now I picked up a new mascara after being won over by the rather gorgeous Cheryl Cole advertising it on TV...

 L'Oreal - False Lash Telescopic Mascara.

L'Oreal say:

'Get a lengthening false lash effect with False Lash Telescopic. The innovative lengthening fibre formula builds intensity. Lashes look elongated as if beyond their tips. The New Telescopic brush stretches every lash for an intense look.'

My thoughts:

I really really like this mascara. I have to agree with everything L'Oreal say above. Mascara is probably one of my favourite make up products and I never go a day without using it. This has to be in my top 3 'drugstore' (god I hate that saying!) mascara's of all time and believe me I've tried them all!

As you can see the brush is the artifical brush type which I'm not usually a fan of, I normally prefer the natural, bristle type brush. I find the comb works a treat by seperating and grabbing the lashes & it's small enough to use on the smaller lashes and even the bottom lashes. Onto some picture proof...

Before: 

After:

As you can see (or at least I hope you can!) the mascara really defines my lashes and makes them look alot fuller. The colour is super black and whilst not being the most voluminous mascara I have ever used it certainly lenghens and curls my lashes really well. 

Overall I cannot recommend this product enough, if you're on the lookout for a new mascara I would certainly give this a go. It may not be the cheapest drugstore mascara (there I go again!) but it is certainly one of the best I have tried.

Available from Boots & Superdrug priced at £10.99.

What is your favourite mascara?

Sarah xx