USA Beauty Purchases

July 2, 2013January 20, 2015 - Vicki 9 Comments

I went to San Francisco with one mission – aside from enjoying what SF had to offer, I wanted to buy drugstore beauty items. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on things as I have so many unused items at home in my collection. So I wanted to hunt out some American Favourites & I landed quite lucky. San Francisco has the most amazing Walgreens. It’s on 2 levels and the makeup & beauty section is massive and very well stocked. This particular one was very close to my hotel so that made me very happy and I often found myself in there at 9pm browsing the aisles whilst it was fairly quiet.

The other drugstores I went into were CVS & Target, I wish there was an ULTA in San Francisco City but the closest one was quite far out so I was a little gutted but I still managed to buy quite a few exciting things and here they are.

I know a few things I bought are available in the UK, but American prices are so much better than ours. I am most excited to use the Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Duo in Diamond Life $7.29. This has one matt soft brown and shimmer cream colour so a great little duo.

The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser $8.99 – I bought the brightening one. I know these are being released in the UK but I just couldn’t resist buying this. I have always wanted to try a Milani Baked Blush & I opted for the Rose D’Oro its a pretty peach pink with a hint of shimmer. Great for the summer.

I have also heard some great reviews of the Jordana line and products from this line are so affordable and seem to be always on offer. I bought a few things, first up Is their Fabu Liner Liquid Eyeliner in 01 Black $2.99 such a bargain, I love liquid liner and I’ve a few on the go & will do a comparison post soon. I also bought the Jordana FabuBrow Eyebrow Pencil in 03 Dark Brown $2.99 and the Jordana Metal Rocks Eyeliner in 01 Green Envy $2.99, this reminds me of the Stila Eyeliners will be interested to see how they compare. Last up from Jordana I bought a lipgloss it’s the Jordana LipShine Natural Glaze in 03 Raspberry $1.99.

The Wet n Wild stands were few & far between and no store seemed to carry the whole line, but I did manage to buy a few items. The ones I’m most excited for are the colour icon blushes in Pearlescent Pink and Heather Silk these cost £2.99 each. Also at the last minute I bought one of their creme shadow pencils in 130 Pixie and it is so creamy and has the nicest glossy sheen. I wish I bought a few more colours as it was only $1.99

I had such fun browsing all the American offerings and there was so much more I wanted but you can’t have it all and where is the fun in that. I’m sure I will be heading back State side in the near future and my wish list has started again. I have a few more bits so show you but will pop them in to a separate post.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of the products I bought and link me if you have done a review on them.

Bad Girl Bronze

June 30, 2013January 12, 2015 - Vicki 6 Comments

I’ve had this Rimmel Scandeleyes Shadow Stick in Bad Girl Bronze for quite a few months now. I bought it around the same time as their waterproof kohl liners (which I love). I am a big fan of the shadow stick and have found myself reaching for the few I have in my collection. They’re so easy to apply, quite effortless and they last a good amount of time on me – even though I get fairly oily eyelids.

Rimmel have released 5 colours in this jumbo shadow stick range and I opted for Bad Girl Bronze as I seem to be obsessed with browns and bronze shades.

I’m quite low maintenance when it comes to makeup (I think so anyway). I never wear a full coverage makeup as I like my natural skin to show through and the same goes with my eye makeup I like a no fuss look for my everyday goto look & these shadow sticks are perfect if you want something quick and easy to work with. You dont even need a brush I just blend with my finger. So I love them for a quick easy eye look.

Bad Girl Bronze is very pigmented so you can apply lightly for a more subtle look or really crank it up a notch and have a really bold eye. I have used these as a base too and applied my Man Woodwink over the top and it made the colour pop and my eyeshadow stuck in place all night. This little shadow stick is very versatile.

I have just talked myself into buying a couple more!

You can’t see it too much in my swatch but there are tiny bronze flecks that catch the light. It’s very pretty and I love how deep and warm the brown colour is. The formula is creamy to apply on the eye and doesn’t drag at all. I am a big fan of this. They cost £4.49.

Have you tried these? I’d love to know if you like the other colours as I am so going back to get more.

Green Juice

June 29, 2013January 12, 2015 - Vicki 7 Comments

After watching the brilliant documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead by Joe Cross I started a juice reboot. Just to get a boost of nutrients and if possible to lose a couple of pounds although thats not my main goal. I urge you to watch the documentary its very good.

After making many different juices since I bought my juicer back in October 2012 I thought I’d do a few posts letting you know some of my favourite ones. Today’s juice is what I tend to have in the morning. It gives me a boost of energy and is very filling.

First up I am going to show you what I add to my Mean Green Juice <—– This recipe is by Joe Cross but I’ve adapted mine a little from his.

With all these juices you can change them to best suit your tastes. I add Spinach to mine and also a carrot or two and sometimes I even add pear. I try to put as many fruits / vegetables in as possible.

I have adapted my Green Juice to include –

– Half a cucumber

– 1 Carrot

– 1 Stick of celery

– 2 Apples

– 2 Pears

– Ginger

– A slice of lemon

– Large Handful of spinach

– Large Handful of kale

Wash all your fruit & veg before juicing. I always put ice cubes in my glass as I think it tastes a lot better served ice cold.

As I said you don’t need to follow the recipe exactly. I use whatever I have in and I like to put alot of Apples & Pears in as I like my juices to taste quite sweet. I have a few more juices to share with you so look out for those.

Do you make Green Juice? I’d love to hear what fruit / veg you add to yours.

Sheet Mask Purchases

June 28, 2013February 23, 2015 - Vicki 5 Comments

Whilst I was in San Francisco I wanted to visit Japan Town and more specifically The Face Shop. I had heard a few YouTubers talk about the one in Dubai and I wanted to have a look and see what cute fun Asian cosmetics they had and also buy some skincare.

The sales assistant was so sweet and very helpful even though the shop was busy. It seemed like a really popular place to go. I was drawn to their very large range of sheet masks, I have never tried them before and have heard great things about them. I bought 6 ranging in price from $2 – $6. Utter bargains.

First up The two Masks at the top of the photo really intrigued me as the have a separate section that has what feels like a liquid / serum in. They are masks by 3D Ampoule and I bought the Ceramide & Red Ginseng and the other is the Hyaluronic Acid & Colostrum. The instructions tell you to apply the liquid to your skin after washing your face then to place the mask on to your face and let the residue absorbe into your skin. These were $5 each.

I was after masks that would help make my skin look brighter and radiant so this next mask is for Hydrating and Revitalising so I was all over that and plus the packaging also looks super cute. Its called the Vita B Hydro Gel Mask $3

Next up I bought 2 of these so I could give one to a friend, its the CO-Q10 Essential Sheet Mask $2 each. This mask is meant to leave the skin smooth and supple. So we will see how I get on.

And finally the last Korean Skincare Mask I bought was the Real Oriental Herb Mask for Revitalization and this is aimed and skin that is dull and lot its radiance. I am excited to try this one as it says is contains a formula produced by brewing Korean-sourced Oriental Herbs, I am loving the sound of that. $6

Do you use Sheet Masks – do you like them? I’d be interested ti hear if you’ve tried any of the ones I bought.

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Unbiased beauty product reviews & tips

USA Beauty Purchases

Bad Girl Bronze

Green Juice

Sheet Mask Purchases