A Skincare Haul

Indeed Labs Hydraluron 30ml - £24.99

Indeed Labs Peptabright 30ml - £29.99

Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil 45ml - £28.50

Last week I may have taken full advantage of Boot's 3 for 2 across most skincare offer, and ordered these 3 bad boys to add to my ever-growing skincare collection. I've been after Hydraluron by Indeed Labs in particular ever since I saw it receive a rave review by skincare guru Caroline Hirons. Any product given the thumbs up by her is instantly added to my mental 'to-buy' list. I'm looking forward to seeing if this lives up to its cult status amongst beauty bloggers, I don't think I've read of anyone not liking this yet! No pressure then, Hydraluron.

I popped another product by Indeed Labs into my virtual trolley, one which I haven't heard quite as much praise about yet. As far as I know, Pepta-Bright is the newest addition to Indeed Labs' skincare line and is marketed as an intense brightening treatment. I'm pinning all my hopes on this fading scars on my chin area, and I noticed it's also recently received a mention from the Hirons - can only be a good thing!

I deliberated for a good half an hour trying to decide which 3rd item to choose, determined to get my money's worth! This always happens when I shop. For weeks, I see products and remind myself that I need them. And then when it comes to the actual shopping, my mind goes blank and I have no idea who I am never mind which face oil I saw last week and wanted to buy! I settled for Trilogy Organic Rosehip Oil as I don't actually own a full-sized facial oil and this one sounds perfect for my skin.

Have you tried any of these products or indulged in any cheeky wee purchases lately?

 

PS: You can find me on Bloglovin | Twitter | Baobella

Burberry Lip Cover

Burberry Lip Cover - Rosewood No 04 - £22.50

Please excuse the dark circles and messy hair... Unfortunately, I have no excuse! I actually received this mini sized Burberry Lip Cover lipstick in a Glossybox months ago. I've long since unsubscribed but I thought I'd share this little gem of a lipstick with you. This is possibly the cutest little lip product I've ever seen, it's like a baby lipstick. The full size will undoubtedly be far less adorable, but I can safely say that the quality will be just as amazing. Rosewood No 04 is definitely not a shade I would normally go for. I tend to stick to my corals and pinks, rarely venturing to the dark side. It's probably more of an Autumn/Winter lip shade, for those of you who like to rotate your makeup with the seasons. Since this is a sheer cover lipstick, it's not as daunting to wear as I first expected. It seems to be a mauve red in the bullet, but translates on my lips as a brown-based red. I call this my 'grown-up' lipstick - the shade I wear when I want people to take me seriously.

Wear time isn't great, but that's to be expected with a sheer lipstick. It does fade evenly though and avoids the dreaded outer ring of lipstick on the lips. It feels hydrating and doesn't dry my lips out - always a positive. Burberry is a brand which I'd never have even considered for make-up before I was introduced to this lipstick, but I may just have to investigate because I'm thoroughly impressed with this little gem.

PS: You can find me on Bloglovin | Twitter | Baobella

Thursday Showcase: Frightened Rabbit

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I've been a Frabbit fan for a few years now, and I can safely say they are one of my favourite bands without question. Frightened Rabbit are a 5 piece indie rock band from the Scottish Borders who formed way back in 2003. Since then, they have released 4 studio albums and several EPs. Their album The Midnight Organ Fight is still a firm favourite of mine, released in 2007. Lead vocalist and lyricist Scott Hutchison has such a unique, captivating voice which seems to lend itself to any style of music they put their hand to. I find their older material to have a bit more of a 'folk-y' tone than their recent material, take Old Old Fashioned for example. I've included a couple of live Youtube videos because although I haven't seen them live (yet!), they seem to put on a pretty good show!

I often find myself pausing a track halfway through as the lyrics seem to catch me off guard, and I have to backtrack and listen to them again. And again. And again. Something about the way the songs are written just feels honest to me. It feels like someone is pouring their heart out to anyone listening, for example The Twist. I find myself relating to so many of their songs, and I have to admire their raw honesty with songs like Keep Yourself Warm. Frightened Rabbit actually have a new album out, Pedestrian Verse, and from what I've heard so far, it's definitely taken a different direction to their previous work. However different it is, I'm certain that Scott Hutchison's talent for song writing and his dreamy voice will keep me listening!

What do you think of Frightened Rabbit?

Frightened Rabbit Official Website

Illamasqua Skin Base

 Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation - £27

I cannot believe I have just put a picture of my naked, pre-foundation skin on the internet for anyone to see. I've always been self-conscious of my skin, it's never been perfect and I doubt it ever will be. For that reason, I'm always searching for the perfect base which makes me feel more confident about my skin. I think I've found a winner with Illamasqua Skin Base...

I bought this in a blog sale in shade 2.0, which is one shade down from pure white. It's slightly paler than what I'd usually go for, but once dressed up with blusher it's far less ghostly. I'd describe this foundation as medium to full coverage but I do find it a little hard to work with. It's very thick in consistency and I find I have to work it in to my skin quickly, which does take a little getting used to. It also has a tendency to cling to any dry patches which I often get around my nose, so a good exfoliation session and lots of moisturizing is necessary! But the positives really do outweigh the negatives for me. It looks natural, stays on all day and doesn't turn my face into an oil slick by lunch time.

You can see in the before/after image that I suffer from red areas and have lots of scarring on my chin, but Skin Base does an amazing job of evening everything out and providing a fresh, blank canvas for the rest of my make-up. I threw in a picture of my full face of make-up at the end to show you how it looks with everything else. This definitely isn't my base of choice on an everyday basis because I do find it a little too heavy for daytime, but I often use it alongside my current daytime base of choice (Dr Jart Water Fuse BB Cream) to give a little extra coverage where I need it - chin and cheeks! I've worn this on nights out and it hasn't budged, or given me the dreaded ghost-face in photos.

For reference, I have sensitive, combination skin which is prone to redness. My skin is generally dry in the morning, but gets oily throughout the day. I wouldn't recommend Skin Base to anyone who suffers from dry skin, but if you're after a natural looking, medium to full coverage foundation then this one's worth a try! The great thing about Illamasqua foundation is that the shade range is phenomenal - you're almost guaranteed to find your perfect match.

PS: Did you know you can follow me on Bloglovin? I've also just joined Baobella so feel free to link your profiles below so I can follow you!

February Empties

This might be cheating a little bit, but some of these empties are from January - shhh! I'm completely crap at finishing products, I seem to get bored and use something else especially when it comes to haircare. So I'm quite proud at the amount of hair-related empties I got through this month!

I finished the whole Lee Stafford Hair Growth range - shampoo, conditioner, hair treatment/mask. I had my hair chopped in January and it's grown leaps and bounds since. I really want to attribute that to these products, but it's most likely the fact that I had all my dead, dry ends cut off. Nonetheless, these products made my hair feel healthy and happy. I'd repurchase if they were on offer.

I was in Manchester for a couple of days in January and I bought the travel size John Frieda Full Repair shampoo and conditioner to take with me. Nothing much to say, they're okay. I wouldn't repurchase as they seemed to weigh my hair down a little bit.

I also finally managed to finish LUSH Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo - its main ingredient is beer, need I say more? It was great for my frizz-prone hair, but it's quite pricey so I can't see myself repurchasing it. Not keen on the smell either, was paranoid I smelt like an alcoholic tramp.

However, one hair product which I will repurchase is LUSH Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Eaze which I wrote a full review on here. The smell definitely isn't my cup of tea (it stinks) but I can't deny that my hair absolutely loves this stuff.

I kinda cheated with this one, I have to admit. I bought LUSH Ocean Salt scrub like years ago, possibly around 4 years ago (WHAT?!). I found it last month, it still smelt/looked the same as the ones in store (I swear these expiry dates are a marketing ploy) so I used it. Then I remembered just why I've had it so long without using it. My face hates this stuff, it's far too abrasive for my sensitive skin. So I flushed the remains and kept the pot so I can get a free face mask soon... Sneaky.

I also used up a little sample of REN Mayblossom T-Zone Control Cleanser. Meh. Not much to say, it was slightly too drying for my temperamental skin so I won't be purchasing the full-size.

I'm gutted that I managed to finish the Boots Natural Collection Wild Strawberry body spray. It smells like the most synthetic strawberry smell going, but I really love it. I drench myself in what feels like a whole bottle everytime I leave the house, so I'm not surprised I've finished it!

And finally, I've gotten through another trusty Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. Every blogger's tried and tested, and subsequently loved concealer it seems. I've already repurchased a back-up of this!

How many products have you managed to use up this month?

PS: Did you know you can follow me via Bloglovin? I'm also holding a massive blog sale where you can bag a beauty bargain!