Mini Boots Haul

3 for 2. The magic little phrase that makes our ears prick and has us standing to attention like meerkats. As I am sure most of you are aware, Boots currently have a 3 for 2 offer on haircare, cosmetics, skincare and other such goodness, something which is just too good to let pass. I was running low on a few things so thought I would make the most of the opportunity and have a wander down to my local store!

Throughout my mascara using years, I always find myself going back to Maybelline's Colossal Volum Express. It has been a good while since I last purchased this baby due to playing the field and trying out others, but I thought it was about time that I returned back to it! Im a huge fan of large mascara brushes, and find this one to be the perfect size for my eye. I do believe that it is one of those mascaras that works better when it has dried out a bit, to ensure that no clumping occurs.

This is only the second primer I have ever used, so I am interested to see how to compares to my first (MACs Skin Base Visage). I haven't had a great time with that primer as it doesn't seems to have done nothing for me, apart from making my skin feel a bit smoother before applying foundation, and covering me in sparkles. Rimmel's Fix&Perfect is one that I have seen many people rave about, so thought it was a safe bet to have a try of, and for £6.99 you can't really go wrong! It has the texture of a dense, silicone based moisturiser, and goes very smoothly onto the skin. The scent isn't too strong; a faintly floral/powdery smell, but not too much like your granny's make up. I have only used this product once so far so can't really report much back as of yet!

I was in dire need of repurchasing this as my current one is down to about 10cm long, and I will continue to use it till I am no longer able to hold it! I love this brow pencil, It's a perfect colour match even when my hair/brow colour fluctuates throughout the year. It's the perfect balance between creamy and hard, has a wonderful yet adjustable colour pay off, and lasts all throughout the day; its perfect!

What are the products you keep repurchasing? 

Empties

I didn't realise how conservative I was with products until I decided to save them for this empties post! Most of them are facial products as those are the ones that I appear to get through the fastest, so be prepared to see the majority of my facial routine.

Soap&Glory Flake Away
I absolutely adore this stuff! It's a wonderful exfoliator that it gentle enough to use several times a week, but certainly lives up to its name and gets rid of any flakey patches and areas of dry skin. There is just the right density of grains in it, which I think makes sense, there isn't as many as their Breakfast Scrub (which is a body exfoliator and something you must try if you haven't already, the scent is to die for) so makes it ideal for the more sensitive skin on the face.

Batiste Dry Shampoo (dark & deep brown)
I think dry shampoo is a staple in anyones hair routine, and if it isn't, it should be! Its a wonderful way to refresh your hair between washes, especially if your hair gets greasy fairly quickly like mine does. It's brilliant that there are now dry shampoos aimed at darker hair colours, as I hated the grey cast the original formulas would leave in my roots. The only downside to this product is how quickly it runs out. I would use it maybe a few times a week, a few sprays each time, and the can got considerably lighter after each use, so this is something I would say to but when there is a deal on to get the most for your money!

Neutrogena Visibly Clear pore & shine daily scrub
I am sad to say that this face wash was quite a disappointment for me! While it does the job as an every day wash and cleans any oil/dirt off my face, it doesn't live up to the claims on the packaging. It claims to be a scrub, and while there are little beads present in the formula, it did not help in making my skin feel smoother and softer. The main reason I bought it was the fact it was aimed specifically at pores and shine, of which I unfortunately suffer form both, and I have seen no difference made to either of them. On the plus side however, this product smells incredible.

Burt's Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser
Like the other face products, this cleanser also smells amazing, scent is obviously something that draws me to them! I would either use this after my face wash or instead of depending on if my skin felt overly dry at all. It did a good job of lifting out anything from my skin that my face wash hadn't quite got to, and was just a lovely experience to have on the face.

Clean&Clear Deep Cleansing Lotion (sensitive skin)
I cannot live without this stuff. I use this everyday after I take my makeup off, and my god does it live up to its name! Even when I think my face had been cleaned by my makeup wipes, using this lotion on a cotton pad brings up so much more makeup/dirt than I even thought possible, it's kind of gross really, but makes me realise how much of a necessity this product is to me. I highly recommend this product to everyone, with several variations available there should be one to suit each skin type, it really is something that I cannot rate highly enough.

Burt's Bees Lip Balm
Look at the poor thing, it's been so well loved! I think this is the original formula, but I can't be 100% sure as most of the writing has rubbed off. This is a great everyday lip balm, something that I would carry round with me and use whenever I needed it, but not strong enough for when my lips were really suffering and needed something more nourishing. Other than that, I can't fault it! It has lasted a hell of a long time even with daily use, and has a slightly weird smell but I personally quite like it.

So I am in need of a new face wash, what would you guys recommend?

NOTD: Cranberry Crocodile

After not wearing nail varnish for ages to let my poor nails recover, I decided it was time to delve back into my collection, and in the process found this beauty!
I know the crackle trend passed a long time ago, but I found this 'croc effect' polish by Barry M in Burgundy Croc hiding away in my cupboard that I hadn't even tried yet. To make the effect more subtle, I layered it over another Barry M shade called Raspberry (one of my favourites) which is pretty much exactly the same shade as the croc polish, just in the normal formula. I absolutely love the overall effect, and think it's a more sophisticated twist on the crackle effect craze.

As a base coat I first used Collection 2in1 Strengthener & Hardener, which is meant to help prevent splitting and peeling and certainly does the job. Next was one generous coat of the Raspberry shade, followed by a thin coat of the Burgundy Croc. I decided not to use a top coat so as to not lose the texture of the effect, which I thought looked very nice as it was.

Liebster Award

Say what! Thank you so much to Britanny for the nomination, it means so much to me! I didn't think anyone had even really seen my blog, let alone liked it! Everyone please go check Brittany's blog out; http://fabulouswithheart.blogspot.co.uk

So here are the rules:

1. Mention the person who nominated you, and include a link to their blog
2. Answer the 11 questions provided by the one who nominated you
3. Nominate 11 other blogs (with less than 200 followers)
4. Create 11 new questions for your nominees to answer

My Nominees

• http://alicatlife.blogspot.co.uk
• http://bethnalbohemia.blogspot.co.uk
• http://debrabros.blogspot.co.uk
• http://charlottehavs.blogspot.co.uk
• http://realisebeauty.blogspot.co.uk
• http://cheersjennifer.blogspot.co.uk
• http://kittyhearts.blogspot.co.uk
• http://welcometokissandmakeup.blogspot.co.uk
• http://daydreamsanddee.blogspot.co.uk
• http://toadroadfashion.blogspot.co.uk
• http://polkaanddots.blogspot.co.uk

The Questions

What brand of hair tools do you use?
I don't really have any hair tools, the only thing I really do with my hair is let it dry naturally and brush it! However I do have the BaByliss Boutique Soft Waves curling wand which I use now and again.

Do you have any cool talents or skills?
It's kind of sad to say that I don't really...

Breakfast or Dinner?
Definitely dinner! You just can't beat getting home and knowing you have a great dinner coming, and I have a bit of a takeaway addiction.

Name some cities in the world you would love to visit.
I would absolutely love to visit Tokyo, and going to Rome again would be wonderful.

What are your interests beside beauty and fashion?
Photography is probably my biggest interest, which is what I am studying for my degree (which I'm hoping you can tell from my blog pictures, fingers crossed!)
I'm also serial tv series watcher, with The Big Bang Theory, Sherlock and Grimm being a few of my favourites.

Who are some of your idols or role models?
Someone I can't get enough of is Karissa Pukas. I don't know why, there is just something so wonderful about her, she seems to such an energetic and amazing person, I absolutely love watching her videos and reading her blog, you should all go check her out!(http://www.youtube.com/user/saturdaynightsalrite/videos or http://lovekarissa.ca)

What is your favourite animal?
I adore foxes, and have way to many fox-related things in my life, but I can't help it! Hence the name of the blog...

What is your favorite 20th Century era (20's, 30's, 40's, etc) (fashion, beauty, history, etc)?
I love love love the Art Deco movement, especially the fashion and architecture, and think it's one of the most beautiful art periods. Am I right in saying that was like 1920's-30's?

Favorite colour?
It's a weird one, but grey. I live in grey and black clothes, my room is grey and black, and just about everything else is grey and black. What can I say, I'm not a colourful person! 

What is something interesting about the country that you live in?
Oh wow, well off of the top of my head I can't really think of anything interesting, but I live in the south of England, so I guess I could say 

Do you take naps? 
I try not to as when I nap ill end up sleeping for hours! But every now and then I can't help myself and end up just crashing on the sofa.

Questions for my nominees

1. Your entire make up collection is stolen (heaven forbid!) What beauty items would you repurchase?What hair product could you not live without?
2. Favourite restaurant?
3. What film can you watch over and over and not get bored of?
4. You can only use 1 make up brand for the rest of your life; which would it be?
5. Favourite nail varnish colour?
6. Staple perfume?
7. What is your best feature?
8. Who's the person you love to spend your time with most?
9. Current favourite song/artist?
10. What are you most looking forward to in 2014?

Review: Illamasqua Cream Foundation and Concealer

So recently Illamasqua had a crazy sale on, and having never purchased anything from them before, I decided to take this opportunity to try them out!
I bought their Cream Foundation and Concealer for £5 each, saving a total of £26! It goes without saying that their packaging is absolutely beautiful, and so nicely presented in the box that they arrived in; it makes the purchase feel that much more special.

Illamasqua Cream Foundation in 133 and Concealer in 130

This foundation is heavily waxed based, so has a very emollient texture which I found made it easy to blend using a round top kabuki brush. However due to it being a cream, I did find that it clung to dry patches if I hadn't moisturised properly before hand, and without a primer sank into my pores. Depending on how much you apply, I would say the coverage is medium to full, though the more you apply it seems to separate on the skin. Whilst I found the staying power to be a good few hours, I did find it hard to powder as, being a cream, it has a very shiny finish and so took a considerable amount of powdering to bring it down even to dewy-looking. On the plus side, I found this foundation to be a great colour match for me!

Compared to the foundation, this concealer has a much firmer consistency and takes a bit of warming up with your finger to get it creamy and usable. Like the foundation, it is pretty heavy coverage and covers my dark circles well, however I have found that it creases under my eyes and setting it with powder seems to have no effect on this unless applied very lightly.