The Superdrug Haul and Review

I've hit a blogging plateau recently, which is made worse by the fact I actually have plenty of posts in the pipeline that are half finished. Which is why this post is beyond delayed - I purchased these products from Superdrug a while ago but haven't got round to talking about them until now! Also, I need to apologise for the quality of these photos - I don't know how I thought they were acceptable blog material but I'm still learning so bare with me!

Although I remove my make-up and cleanse before a shower, I find I like something to clean a little deeper whilst I'm in the shower. I've never really tried Garnier products but this seems to do the trick in removing any excess oil, brightening the skin and giving it a subtle scrub. 

This is a repurchase as I had the travel dilemma of leaking product into a suitcase. This is my second micellar water after using the cult Bioderma and I can honestly say this is a good dupe for half the price. They only compliments I have is the pourer isn't great which I feel makes me end up using more product but I can't complain too much for the price!

I play it really safe with my nails but wanted something bright for the summer (remember these are old purchases), I've always been a fan of Barry M Nail Paints but this was the first time using the 'gelly hi-shine' which I found thicker and lasted a lot longer! I was asked by Superdrug for them to use this photo in their 'customer gallery' on their website which I feel proves what a gorgeous colour this is! 

I haven't been using heat on my hair recently but as my hair gets bigger at the ends it tends to leave me looking like a triangle. Therefore, I always use some kind of volumising product and this one really works. It leaves my hair looking more put together naturally but also works really well alongside a hairdryer. Big fan of this one! 

I tend to use face masks once a week but am yet to really invest in a high quality mask. I picked up three (a chocolate self-heating mask not shown) of these one packets from Superdrug which are a bargain at only £1! It's hard to know if they're making a change long-term but if not then they make a nice little treat for a pamper night. 

I can see why this foundation is raved about so much. It's my first time in years not using a MAC foundation and I'm really impressed. It gives a lovely healthy glow to the skin and blends easily. The only issue is the range of colours. I've previously found that drugstore shades tend to run darker so I went for the lightest shade which is 'light porcelain'. This is the lightest foundation I have ever used - I genuinely looked ridiculous. I then bought the next shade up, 'ivory', which, of course, is too dark so I've stuck to mixing them together. A great product overall but I wish Rimmel would do more shades!

(for comparison - I'm NC15 in MAC)

I don't have any experience with liquid blushes but this is brilliant. It blends a whole lot easier than a cream blush and gives a dewy finish not found in powder blushes. I have the shade 'pop of pink' which is a bright pink but would definitely purchase the other shade which is 'sunkissed cherry'. 

I've been on the hunt for a good orange lipstick and thought I'd give one of the Revlon lip butters a try. I'll be honest, this isn't something I've continued to reach back for. I think the formula is too wet for a such a bright colour - a dryer lipstick would be better to hold the colour in place. Also as I'm so pale, this washes me out if I don't have a tan! 

I have another Moisture Renew nude (Let's Get Naked) which is currently my most used lipstick so I thought I'd pick up another one! This is in the shade 'Nude Delight' and is more of a browny pink nude which looks gorgeous with dark eyes by itself or with a nude gloss over top for extra dimension.

I'd like to convince myself that these are purely practical purchases make-up wise - I chose black as a was in need a new standard pencil eyeliner (until I realised I had 3 waiting at home), a white for bigger doll looking eyes and a brown mainly for extending the tear duct area (a trick which I learnt from this Johanna Herrstedt).

I've also gone over 70 followers on bloglovin and I am so grateful to every single one of you for reading! 

Hopefully this has kicked my bloggers writers block and there'll be lots of new posts in the future! 

The Furry Friend Tag

I thought I'd do a blog post for you to get to know me a bit more and that's by meeting my pet! Also, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone that's been reading - I've hit 40 followers on bloglovin' and I appreciate everyone following!

1) What is your pet’s name?
My pet's name is Benjamin. His name is based on the character from the Beatrix Potter books. If you're not familiar with Beatrix Potter, she wrote a series of books about animals, one of them being named 'The Tale of Benjamin Bunny' (read more here).

2) What kind of pet is it and what breed?
Benjamin is a Netherland Dwarf rabbit!

3) How long have you had your pet friend?
I've had Benjamin since October 2012 - coming up to two years!

4) How did you get your pet?
In my second year at university, me and my two housemates went to pets at home on a whim and came home with a bunny! It wasn't the most sensible idea, but I couldn't imagine not having him now. Now that I've left university, he lives with me!

This is day we brought him home - he's only 10 weeks here and looks so tiny!

5) How old is your pet?
He turned two in July!

6) What are some quirky things about your pet’s personality?
I'd say the main one is that he licks A LOT. If you're holding him, he'll sit and lick your face!

Excuse the old photo!

Another is that he's really interactive with humans, he gets excited when you come into a room, he runs around my feet to play and he jumps up onto the sofa to sit with me!

Finally - this doesn't relate to his personality but the colour of his ears and nose change all the time! You can see in the first photo how dark his ears/nose look but currently their really faint!

7) What does your relationship with your pet mean to you?
I absolutely love Benjamin, my friends always say that I love him too much! I can't imagine not having him hopping around... in fact, I went away for 6 days recently and missed him massively!

8) What are some of your favorite past times with your pet?
If he's a bit sleepy, he'll climb up onto the sofa and sit with me while I rub his ears. It's so lovely because I feel like he sees me a comfort! Also, in terms of playing... he likes chasing me in circles around the front room!

9) What are the nicknames that you call your pet?
Wee man (this was started by my Dad as he is Scottish) and baba - purely because he's my baby!

Thank you for reading! Let me know about your pets!

Hollie Mae 

 

The Night Out Look

Hello! I've done a similar post to this previously and it seemed popular, so I thought I'd do another!
This weekend me and my friends went out into Bristol as it was a bank holiday as well as some birthday celebrations! Keep reading to have a look at my outfit and how I did my hair and make-up!

Skin - L'Oreal Studio Secrets resurfacing Primer and Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer 002, Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC15, Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder in 021 Transparent
Eyebrows - MAC Eyeshadow in Omega, Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel and Miss Sporty Clear Mascara
Bronzer - Prestige Cosmetics in Terra
Blush - Rimmel Stay Blushed in 001 Pop of Pink
Highlighter - MAC Colour Cream Base in Pearl (frost)
Eyes - Urban Decay Naked Palette Eyeshadows, Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in 001 Black and Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner, MAC Mascara in Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash
Lips - Illamasqua in Howl and Lipcote

I had washed and dried my hair, but was running behind on time. Therefore, I just pinned the front sections of my hair at the back of my hair and used some hairspray to give my hair some volume!

I am wearing a white cropped shirt with a white bandeau underneath, black high-waisted denim shorts with the belt that came with them and black tights. This entire outfit is from New Look. You can just about see my jewellery which is a large embellished ring (a gift) and a small diamond ring (family heirloom). The nail varnish I'm wearing is the textured effects Nail Paints from Barry M in the shade Lady.

I am then wearing black lace-up platform trainers from New Look (here). My bag is from Next about 4 years ago.

Apologies for my skin and the poor quality of these photos (they were taken in a rush on my phone!)

Thank you for reading! More posts coming soon!

Leave me comments if there's any looks you'd like to see me try

Hollie Mae

The Things in My Bag

I'm pretty nosey in that I love seeing what other people keep in their bags so I thought I'd do one of my own!

This is my go to bag that I pretty much use on a daily basis. It's the Pippa Grab in Tan from Modula and was a gift from my family. One thing that I adore about this bag is the amount of compartments there are. I'm quite an organised person so I like my bag to be organised too!

This was a bit of a splurge on my part, and a Christmas present to myself (similar here - although I think mine was a little cheaper). I love this for the same reason as the bag - there are so many compartments. Also, I've got the feeling that it'll last a lifetime!

If I'm not wearing my glasses, chances are I'll be wearing these. Even if they're not on my eyes, they'll be on the top of my head waiting for a bit of sun. They are black Dolce & Gabanna sunglasses with a cat-eye, 50's style shape. They are nearly two years old now but there a similar styles currently available.  

Next things next - a little emergency kit. These are things I like to have just in case. The make-up bag is an old one from Estee Lauder. It includes tissues, paracetamol and antibacterial hand gel. I also carry a hand cream, concealer (Rimmel Match Perfection Illuminating Concealer in 010 Ivory), a miniature perfume (currently Ted Baker) and my lip products for the day.  

The print is a dark tortoise shell with gold arms (similar here) - I absolutely love these, especially with heavy eyebrows and a red lip!

This is a definite necessity. I'm really pale so I easily burn and with the unpredictable British weather we've been having lately, this has been a bag staple. That said, I also always have an umbrella too (not shown - similar style here)!

Thanks for reading, I'd love to see what's in your bag!

Hollie Mae

The Current Hair Care Routine

It may look excessive, but these are the products which I'm currently using to keep my hair in tip-top shape! It's probably useful to tell you a bit about my hair so you can see if these products will work for your hair. I have fine hair, but a lot of it, and that means it tangles really easily. Also, I tend to have a lot of breakage/snapping but don't really get split ends.

First things first... this is the best hairbrush I've ever owned and I can't sing it's praises enough. Like I mentioned, my hair tangles really easily to the point where it's made me well up to brush out my hair. This is really pain free and gets the job done quickly - I'd recommend this to anyone!

This is the current shampoo and conditioner that I'm using. I chose it purely on the basis that it's for weak/damaged hair as I have a lot of breakage and snapping. I probably wash my hair with this about 3 times a week.

Once a week I use this in place of my conditioner and leave it on my hair for 10-15, really concentrating it on the ends. I also chose this due to it's aim to reduce breakage and while I haven't noticed a dramatic different, my hair does seem to be snapping less.

I tend to use this if my hair is straightened to give it a sleek and glossy look.

I use this every time after I wash my hair

The smell of this.. there are no words. It makes me so happy every time I use it. Scent aside, it does it's job. I notice it gives my hair a lot more volume but doesn't dry crispy or sticky.

Nothing to write home about with this one. I'm not hugely into heat protectors, I just use them because I know my hair will appreciate it. So far I haven't found one that makes me think 'wow', so leave comments below if you have any recommendations!

This product is brilliant for creating beachey waves and giving my hair a bit of texture. I do find it makes my hair pretty dry - but I assume that would be the salt. Either way, it's not a product I use everyday so hopefully it's not doing my hair any harm!

Now that my blonde is turning more into ombre (being lazy with my roots), I'm less sold on Batiste. I really notice how much of a white cast the power gives on so I have to be really careful where I spray this. I'd say this is great if you're a light blonde but not so brilliant for brunettes.

Like I mentioned with the heat protectant, I'm not fussed with hairsprays. I use them because I know they'll hold my hair but seeing as majority of the time my hair is in a messy bun or straight, I don't use it a lot. Anyway, I'd say it does the trick!

Thanks for reading and let me know about your hair care routine!

Hollie Mae