Beauty and Makeup Haul feat Pixi, Body Shop, Real Techniques, Astalift,etc

I mentioned a few weeks back that I was going to have a busy April and May and that has absolutely been the case because I have been very busy in my full time job; I have been working harder than ever but it's all so rewarding. Anyway, I decided I needed some shopping therapy for some essentials and seeing that I have not really done a haul on here, I thought it would be useful to share a haul. I split this haul into a beauty and fashion haul so watch out for the fashion haul soon...

Beauty and Skincare

I think this has to be my favourite type of haul as I love anything skin care. I got to try an amazing sample of the Astalift Cleansing Oil and I really liked it so I purchased the full size. It is truly wonderful and it has to be the best oil (IMO) for removing makeup. Before purchasing the Astalift which was little pricey at the time, I purchased the Body Shop Chamomile Cleansing Oil which was a cheap and cheerful version at just £10 and I had a 40% off discount code. It feels a little heavier than the Astalift version but it does the job relatively well. I like it but I don’t love it and I don’t see myself repurchasing in the nearest future. For Toner, I picked up the cult favourite and very elusive Pixi Glow Tonic which is an Exfoliating Toner that contains Glycolic Acid, Ginseng and Rose which is such a beautiful combination for clear skin. Honestly, it has to be my favourite toner and it is as effective as it is gentle and don’t worry a full review will be up. I also picked up the Femme Fresh Soap Free Wash for my VJ and I love it. Don’t worry I won’t go into anything graphic but I think it’s helpful that it is soap free as some of the ingredients in soap can kill off some useful bacteria down there that helps keep everything tip top #okbyeamdone.

Hair Care

I have taken my braids out and it was such a relief to have my hair out for a while in a different style. I went back to my weaves but I left some of my hair out (ditched the closure) which is not particularly my favourite thing to do because it means I would be breaking one of my rules-Straightening my hair. To combat any untoward effect, I purchased my favourite hair care from John Frieda which includes the John Frieda Frizz Ease Serum and John Frieda Frizz Ease Heat Protectant which I feel is one of the best out there. Boots and Sainsbury's are currently having an offer where you can get two products for £8 which is very handy. I also purchased a new hair straightener because my old one was no longer effective. I got the Remington Ceramic Straight 230 and they are fabulous. It heats up really fast and straightens my hair and extensions really well. I apply the heat protectant first, then the serum and I straighten my leave-out for a few seconds only running it through once and I straighten the extensions as well. The amazing thing is, my leave out blends really well with the extensions and I don’t have to straighten it until a few days have passed which is amazing. I just ensure that I avoid any water/moisture unless it would revert back to its curls. Long story cut short, straightening your hair when it is natural and curly is a damaging hassle. Don’t do it J.

Makeup and Makeup Brushes

I love how colorful these brushes look. I already posted a review on the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush on here. I am in the process of reviewing the Real Techniques Blush Brush but I can tell you it is one of the softest brushes I have ever used; it is so fluffy. While I agree with some reviews on it being too big to be a blush brush, I find it very useful because I prefer to apply blushes on an angle to the apples of my cheeks and my face rather than just the apples of my cheek if that makes any sense. It is not the best at picking blush colours and transferring accordingly but I find this flaw feature useful when I use very pigmented blushes as it balances it out evenly. Before I purchased the Real Techniques Blush, I purchased the Body Shop Blush Brush and I am not a huge fan of using this as a blush brush. I prefer to use it to contour (strange I know) and as a light setting brush. For makeup, I picked up the No 7 Lipstick and Lip gloss and the Sleek Eyebrow Stylist in Dark which I would be reviewing soon. I am on the look out to find a more affordable dupe for the MAC brow pencil but honestly, I think it may be a really difficult feat because MAC's brow pencil is everything.





Samples
What haul will be complete without samples. I love samples because it gives you a chance to try new products before committing to buy them and I received quite a few samples this past month even in beauty counters I never expected to receive them. I got some Vichy Samples which included the Serum, Eye cream and Dermablend foundation. They were given to me at the Boots counter free of charge..I know I am surprised myself...who knew that Boots gave samples? Certainly not me. I also got two teeny sample tubes of the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo which is an amazing product. I popped into Debenhams and the Benefit sales lady was such a good sport and told me they just had some new samples in and she kindly gave me a few samples including the Benefit Porefessional Primer, Big Easy BB cream and the Hello Flawless Oxygen foundation which I am hoping will be the right shade. That's it folks. Yes, this is a super long post but I am sure you enjoyed it :-)))