Tickled Pink at ASDA

October 22, 2016March 12, 2026 - Vicki 1 Comment

As October is officially Breast Cancer Awareness month I thought I would share with you a few of ASDA’s Tickled Pink Products. Each year ASDA release a selection of what they call Tickled Pink Products where a percentage of each sale will go to the to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now.

Over the past 20 years ASDA & their customers have raised an incredible £48 million for Breast Cancer Awareness and so many brands get involved every year. I will be popping in to see what Tickled Pink Products I can find, I may even get a few more packets of the Strawberry Cheesecake Oreos before they disappear.

Cancer touches everyone and 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime and as many as 60,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK. We all need to take time to make sure we check our boobs on a regular basis! The earlier breast cancer is diagnosed the more effective treatment may be. Do not be afraid to go to your doctor if you discover a lump, no matter how small, if you would like to more information on symptoms or have concerns about how to check your breasts then just click here —–> Breast Cancer Symptoms and Signs

These products were kindly sent to me so I could share them with my readers and spread the word about the incredible work ASDA to support Breast Cancer Care & Breast Cancer Now

Delving into My Sample Stash #5

October 20, 2016 - Vicki Leave a comment

Benefit Gimme Brow in Number 5

This came free with Glamour Magazine a couple of months ago to coincide with the huge launch of all the new Benefit brow products. I have been saving this mini one so I could take it away on holiday with me. Benefit have extended the shade selection which is fab news and I have the darkest shade – Number 5. Its a tinted brow gel with volumising microfibres which give your brows a fuller look. This is so quick and easy to use, it puts down a good amount of colour and it keeps my brows in place all day. I really like the new packaging too, its fun and very Benefit!

Estée Lauder ANR Synchronized Recovery Complex II

I have repurchased the full size of this so many times, I adore it. Its quite a thick overnight serum and it feels so good on the skin, it instantly hydrates and soothes fatigued skin. This serum makes my skin so happy – that translates to looking radiant, fresher, brighter and all importantly well rested. I have a couple of these very cute mini bottles for travelling, its the perfect skin pick me up after a flight and I swear by it. Have you tried it?

This Works In Transit Camera Close Up

This is a moisturising Primer, it hydrates, smooths and helps skin look radiant. I wore this under my makeup everyday whilst in Amsterdam and I loved how well my makeup applied on top of this, it made a really nice primer. I had quite a few late nights whilst on holiday and I relied on this to keep my skin looking bright, which I have to say it did. This high-performance Superblend features Bio Boost – which is the This Works’ unique blend of anti-oxidant plant oils – to rebuild and protect the skin barrier, along with hydrating Hyaluronic Acid and Caffeine to rebalance and revitalise. Its a must have for anyone that wants their skin to look well rested and healthy.

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen

This is one of the creamiest, deepest black, long wearing pencil eyeliner I have ever used. I used this to tightline as I like to use a liquid line for my actual eyeliner but this Pixi pencil was so good on my water line and stayed put all night without wearing off. Like I said its extremely pigmented and very black, I hate it when you are expecting your liner to be black and its more on the grey side, this is a fab pencil to have in your makeup stash and I loved using it. These eyeliners are Paraben-free. Mineral oil-free. Preservative-free. Hypoallergenic & contain Vitamin E which nourishes and protects delicate skin around the eye.

Estée Lauder Pure Colour Envy Sculpting Gloss

This isn’t the kind of lip product I would reach for but I am trying to use up my samples, the only thing that puts me off this is that it has quite the sparkle. I am not a fan of glitter but I do have a few nights out coming up & I am sure I can make it work. The colour is Reckless Bloom and its actually quite a pretty pink, I’m thinking of pairing it with a nice nude lipstick. We will see, I may end up having to pass this on.

Let me know if you hoard samples, I have quite a stash to get through but I have been making a big effort this year to actually use them. I love to empty them all out and pick a selection of new things to try, its a fab way to discover new brands & products and test things out before committing to purchase the full size. I get most of my samples from beauty boxes, gwp or magazines. Samples are perfect for taking away with you on holiday, I need to book more holidays so I can use up more of them, that sounds like a great plan.

September 2016 Empties

October 13, 2016October 16, 2016 - Vicki Leave a comment

Merumaya Gentle Exfoliating Toner

If you like using exfoliating toners but worry that some of the acid based ones will be too stringent on your skin this Merumaya offering is incredibly gentle but is still an effective acid toner. Acid is great at gently removing the dead skin, dirt and and stubborn makeup you may have missed when cleansing. Removing this build up on a regular basis keeps your skin clean, evens out skin tone and helps your skin look more radiant. Reducing the build up of dirt also stops your pores getting clogged up which helps reduce blemishes and blackheads. I have noticed my skin feels softer, smoother and fresher. This bottle lasted me about 3 – 4 months of using it almost daily.

I have used so many products from British skincare experts Merumaya and this is another fantastic addition to their range.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

I always have a dry shampoo in my favourites but this past month I only seem to have used up a small can, maybe that means I am using less and actually washing my hair more. Either way I do like Batiste and its so easy to get hold of. I always buy the one that is on offer.

Decléor Micellar Oil*

I absolutely LOVED this micellar oil and started to use it more sparingly as it was running out. It is a wonderful first cleanse and just melted my makeup off, easily and without having to rub my face like a lunatic. It contains Sweet Almond Oil which is rich in essential fatty acids and will help strengthen and soothe skin & it also contains Vegetable Squalene which is derived from Olive Oil and helps maintain skins optimum hydration levels and leaves skin feeling supple and radiant. This won’t sting your eyes or leave your skin feeling greasy, I also really like that it has a pump and it will last a really long time. I would 100% repurchase this.

Black Chicken Cleanse My Face

This is a very thick cleansing oil which left my skin feeling incredibly soft, clean and very hydrated. I only got about 6 cleanses out of this sample pot but it was enough for me to completely fall for it. I used this as a second cleanse because of how rich and hydrating it was, it left my skin feeling like i’d had a facial. I took my time to massage this into my skin and work the product in, ensuring all the lovely oils work their magic.

This cleanser uses 14 medicinal oils to target impurities held deep within your skin, removing makeup and dirt without stripping skin of its natural oil balance. To use, massage into face then wipe away with a warm cloth for clean, calm and hydrated skin.

The 14 oils include,
Castor oil*, Jojoba oil*, Camellia Tea oil*, Sweet Almond oil* , Sunflower Oil *, Sesame Seed oil*, Macadamia oil*, Cedarwood oil*, Palma Rosa oil*, Mandarin oil, Patchouli oil*, Geranium oil, Lavender oil*, Vitamin e oil, *certified organic

I want the full size so badly and think I will treat myself as an early birthday present.

Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitiser

Again, these are quite a regular empty each month. I like to carry one in my handbag just to keep those pesky germs at bay. I have no idea what this scent was because all the text has rubbed off but I know it was a sweet summery one. I am just about to purchase a few more Autumnal scents and if there is one thing B&BW do well its a pumpkin / spicy scented product.

Essence Make Me Brow

If you haven’t tried the Essence Make Me Brow yet, what are you waiting for. I have raved about this brow product so much. It works along the same lines as the very popular Benefit Gimme Brow, it tints and shapes your brows and for the bargain price of £2.99 your brows look fab! The only downside to the Essence one is there are only 3 shade options. I have been through a few of these and will continue to repurchase.

*PR Sample

Blank Canvas Cosmetics Palette One

October 11, 2016April 20, 2025 - Vicki 1 Comment

So this month I was introduced to Blank Canvas who are an Irish, online cosmetics brand. Their product selection is quite small, but they are constantly adding to the line and growing as a brand. I have been trying out one of their latest releases, the Master Series Palette One. Being a complete Neutral Eyeshadow Addict, this 12 pan neutral palette had me very excited.

**Blank Canvas Cosmetics Master Series Palette One* £30.40**

This palette comes well packaged in an outer sleeve and the palette itself feels very sturdy and good quality, it has a great sized mirror, and the palette has a magnetic close so it’s not going to end up open in your makeup bag. You also get a really nice quality double ended (vegan friendly) makeup brush, which is also for sale separately and retails at £10. One end is fantastic for packing on the shadow and the other end is a lovely fluffy blending brush. It’s a total 10/10 for the quality of this brush, I am very impressed.

You get a total of 12 colours, 11 matte shadows and 1 shimmer shade, often it is hard to find good quality matte shadows and a couple of the lighter colours in this palette are a little hard to work with which is a shame, but I like that you get a nice selection of warm neutral colours, these colours are so easy to wear and exactly what I reach for daily so I was hoping this could become my new go to palette.

Lily / Goddess / Core / Hibiscus / Brazen / Carmin

I really wanted the quality of these shadows to be great and in the pans they looked gorgeous and rich, but once I started swatching, the shadows had quite a lot of fall out and quite a few colours applied patchy. The top row has all the lighter shades which are not the best quality, the three darker shades on this row are better, and their texture feels a lot softer in comparison, they’re much easier to blend and have better colour pay off.

The bottom row is much better, these 6 darker shades are on the whole rich in colour and easier to work with. There are a few shadows in this palette that I absolutely love like HIBISCUS, CARMIN and COCOA, but I really wish all the colours were of the same quality. I had to work hard to get the swatches below to look as bold as they do.

Cocoa / Downtown / Forza / Hickory / Strut / Corruption

I didn’t use a primer because day to day I don’t wear one and not everyone would have that step in their makeup routine. If I could make a smaller palette out of the shadows I love, I would 100% purchase it. I have searched for other reviews of this palette and a few people have said they are not completely in love with it, but there are also quite a few people that love it and say that it’s pigmented and wonderful quality. I wonder if I have a dud, or maybe I’m being super critical.

To look at this, it’s a gorgeous neutral palette & has the potential to be my dream palette but overall for me the quality just isn’t there, so I’m sticking to my guns and saying this Master Series Palette One isn’t one I would recommend.