Paperchase Haul

I'm an absolute sucker for stationary- it's one of my (many) shopping weaknesses because I feel like you can always justify it. I was in London earlier in the week with some time to kill so I popped into my favourite Paperchase in Covent Garden for a browse and came out with a few bits and bobs. First of all I picked up this cute floral A4 notebook which I think will be perfect for uni. I have so many different sized notebooks but I love A4 size for academic work so if I ever need to make some notes in lectures etc this will be perfect. This pencil case is also going to be great for university because it's just the right size to fit a few pens and pencils in but is small and light enough to fit in any bag. The print is absolutely stunning combined with the rose gold zip and was really affordable. They had a lot of products in this range and I genuinely could have bought them all!

It's no secret that I adore organisation and I adore cats so why not combine the two?! I bought this list pad which is also magnetic, meaning it'll be perfect stuck on my fridge to make quick shopping lists. I don't know what it is with washi tape at the moment but I am obsessed. This pack of 6 caught my eye and I couldn't say no. I love that it comes in this little cardboard tray that will help to keep them tidy on my desk.

Olivia Ellen XXX

Miscellaneous USA Haul

I hope you don't mind me putting up another haul so soon but it's been a long time since I did a non-beauty haul and I picked up some things whilst on my holiday that I wanted to share with you. I'll start of with the clothing and a few things I picked up from Forever 21. First are just a couple of basic tops which are all I seem to wear lately. This khaki v-neck burnout t-shirt is a super soft fabric and I pretty much live in v-neck t-shirts as I think they go with pretty much everything and are a little more flattering than round necked ones on me. I know I'll get a lot of wear out of this because khaki is one of my staple colours for A/W. Also I picked up just a stretchy striped top with long sleeves which will be great for layering. You can't go wrong with simple stripes!

The best item I picked up is this real suede jacket, also from Forever 21. It's such a great fit on me and because it's real suede it'll hopefully be really good quality and last well through A/W. The tan shade will go with most things I own so look out for this in a lot of outfit posts over the next few months!

I picked up a mascara from Covergirl, a drugstore brand that a lot of American's talk about. The brush reminded me of Maybelline's The Rocket mascara but it was quite a bit cheaper so as a lot of my mascaras are getting low at the moment, I thought I'd give it a try. So far I quite like it- it adds a lot of length to the lashes without much clumping. I wouldn't say it's the best I've used but it's pretty good. This cute cranberry scented candle was an absolute bargain- $1! I love the scent- it's very warm and autumnal- and I though the cute jar would look nice in my university room which I move into soon. I've got quite a lot of decor items to make my room homely so I'll definitely do some sort of room tour once I'm all settled in.

I have the HTC One Mini phone which is a really good one and even after more than a year I still like it. However I'm pretty clumsy and have dropped it a few times (ok, maybe more than a few times but shhh) which means that some of the plastic edging has snapped off. I'd been sticking it back on with sellotape but decided to pick up some cutely coloured Washi tape to repair it with from now on. Admittedly it doesn't look like the sophisticated phone it once was but this tape is super cute and I'm sure I'll find lots of other uses for it too. Finally I picked up the Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Lotion which is a product I haven't used for years but the scent is absolutely beautiful and once I'd smelt it I couldn't go without it. I actually didn't bring a moisturiser on holiday with me (for some strange reason) so this helped to keep my skin soft and tanned, plus it's a lot cheaper in America than it is in the UK.

Olivia Ellen XXX

Sephora Haul!

It's probably a little sad to admit but I've been planning what I was going to pick up from Sephora since I found out there was one near where I was staying in America. I'd done lots of research and read reviews before heading there and I was pretty good. I didn't go wildly overboard or make any impulse purchases so today I'm going to share with you what I picked up! I haven't used any of these products yet so this is purely first impressions and I will let you know how I find these, either in full reviews or monthly favourites so look out for those!

First of all I picked up another of the Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation, which I first picked up back in April. I haven't finished my current tube but it's my favourite foundation so far so I've now got a backup so I don't run out. You can see my more detailed thoughts on it here but it's full coverage with a natural finish that doesn't cling to dryness and lasts very well on the skin. I also picked up the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in shade 2.0. To be honest I haven't heard many people rave about this but equally the reviews I did read were good so I decided to give it a go. I'm expecting a medium coverage that feels light on the skin and looks natural so I'm thinking it'll be a great everyday base and I can't wait to try it. The shade looks about right for me- it may be a little too light for me right now as I have a bit of a tan but through the winter I think it'll match pretty well and I can always add a little extra bronzer to warm it up.

I picked up a couple of products from Kat Von D, a brand I've never tried before but have heard great things about. First is the Ink Liner in the shade Bosch, a dark olive green. I'm not great with liquid liner- I love my black Eyeko one but I only ever use it to lightly line the lid and rarely attempt a wing. I thought that a green liner would be a nice twist, especially as this shade is very on-trend this coming season. From swatching it in store I love the flexibility of the nib and the pigmentation looks great. I also picked up the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Bauhaus, a dark pinky-purple. People rave about the staying power of these lipsticks so I can't wait to give it a go. I adore the packaging and again, this product is going to be great for the coming season so I'll let you know how I find it!

I finally picked up a Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in the shade Blushing Bride. I originally wanted to pick up one of the new Too Faced blushes but they didn't have them but I was equally happy to go with a Tarte one as I know people love them. It's a pretty natural pink shade in such a cute compact with a big mirror inside. I'm certain I'll get a lot of use out of this!

Now for a little confession- I did some online shopping while on holiday. I know, I know, I can't stop blah blah blah but I was desperate to pick up the Becca Jacyln Hill Champagne Pop Highlighter. I'd heard it was sold out in most Sephora stores and I knew I was only going to a small one so I popped in an online order and got it delivered to where I was staying. Honestly, it was so worth it. It is the most beautiful highlighter- it's not at all subtle but adds a stunning glow that just adds such a 'wow' to my look. If you are able to get your hands on this I can highly recommend it!

Olivia Ellen XXX

Beauty Haul // TK Maxx + Bleach London

It's not often I think to look in the beauty section at TK Maxx but last week I did and picked myself up some complete bargains from some brands that I love. I also picked up a little set of hair dyes from Bleach London but I will begin with the TK Maxx goodies.

First of all is a Nars lipgloss which cost me only £10 in the shade Risky Business. It's my first Nars product which is very exciting as it's a beautiful pinky-brown nude with some shimmer running through it which matches really well with MAC's Brave and Soar if I want a bit more of a glossy finish. I've heard lots of people recently talking about the benefits of Dr Bronner's Magic Soap so I decided to pick up a small bottle of this for £3.99. It's apparently great for washing make-up brushes ans removing stains from them so I'm looking forward to giving this a go. I picked up a skincare duo from L'Oreal too- it contains the Skin Perfection Moisturiser which I use every morning (it normally costs £15 full price) and the matching Micellar water (which I haven't tried but I use the Garnier Micellar water daily so I'm expecting it to be similar) for a total price of £10, which is half the price you would pay if buying these separately so I'm really excited I spotted this.

The item I'm most excited about is the Bare Minerals 30 Day Starter Kit which also cost me £10. My Bare Minerals powder foundation is about to run out and luckily this kit is in my exact shade so I snatched it up straight away. In the kit you get the foundation which, although I don't use on a daily basis, I love for touching up my make-up and adding some extra coverage. The foundation primer is one I also really like, as is the Mineral Veil powder which I've only started using recently (I still have a mini of it from my first starter kit) but is lovely and light- perfect for setting my make-up without mattifying it. The only thing from the kit I haven't used before is the concealer but I imagine this will be light and won't cling to any dryness. Along with this you get two mini brushes- a concealer and a dense buffing brush, both of which I have in the full size versions too. This kit is just going to be perfect for travelling and I think for the products you get, it's a great price.

Finally, I picked up this little trio of Bleach London dyes for £4 in my local Boots. I was super excited to try them after I loved the pink tips thanks to L'Oreal Feria's dip dye kit. However I have tried them out and I am a little dissapointed. The colours hardly showed up in my hair, and although I didn't bleach it especially, this wasn't a problem with the L'Oreal dye which showed up a very vivid pink. Also I'm not a huge fan of the consistency- it is think and gloopy which made it quite messy to work with. I may try these again after bleaching my hair a little as it seems a waste otherwise but if you want a very vibrant colour I would recommend the L'Oreal dyes over the Bleach London ones.

Olivia Ellen XXX

Drugstore Beauty Haul

Today's post is going to be a little haul with some reviews built in of the things I've already tried. I'm going to start by going on a little rave about the Boots app. I've had my advantage card for probably 5 months now and have only just decided to get the app and it's great. You log in with your account and it suggests offers personalised to what you buy, such as "£2 off when you buy...." and lots of extra points offers which is great. You get an instant balance update and the offers are regularly updated so I'm always sure to check the app before I go to Boots to see if I can get myself some money off. Anyway, here's what I bought from both Boots and Superdrug!

I was rapidly running out of shampoo and conditioner so decided to repurchase the OGX Thick and Full Shampoo, along with the Root Boost Spray from the same range, both of which I love and think they really work. My hair was feeling a little dry though so I went for the OGX Coconut Milk Conditioner which is really nourishing, leaves my hair silky soft without weighing it down and smells wonderful.

Another repurchase is the Ambre Solaire Tanning Mist. I adore this tan- it's so easy to use and looks perfect every time. I went through my last bottle of it like water so I was glad to find it was on offer as I know I'll want to keep using this all summer to compensate for the lack of sun we've been having lately! I also picked up a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. My RT Buffing Brush has been shedding a lot of fibers lately and as I have had it a while, I decided it was time to replace it. While the Expert Face Brush is a little smaller and more oval shaped, the densely packed bristles have the same effect of flawlessly buffing products into the skin.

Two new make-up products are the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish and the Max Factor Colour Intensifying Balm. The nail polishes have been out for a while in the US but have only recently made it to the UK. I picked up the shade Bare Dare which is a really milky nude. It has a small flat brush which is easy to work with but the polish did require 3 coats to make it fully opaque- whether this was just made shade choice I don't know- but I'm interested to see whether it competes with the Maybelline Super Stay nail polishes in terms of wear-time. The Max Factor balm is in the shade Exquisite Caramel which, although it looks like a very 90s brown in the tube, actually applies as a sheer wash of a lovely nude. It's very hydrating and pretty and I think it will become a go-to for a no-makeup makeup day.

The product I am most excited about is the Solait Shimmer Oil. Loads of high-end brands have brought out shimmering body oils this summer but they are all way out of my price range so I was thrilled to see that a drugstore brand has finally brought out their own. The idea is that you use it as a finishing touch moisturiser on your body before going out as it applies a hint of colour and a really subtle hint of shimmer. I love using this on my legs for nights out to just make them glow and gets rid of any dryness there might be. When I picked it up it was on offer for £5 so I'm super happy with this purchase!

Olivia Ellen XXX

USA Sephora Haul!

As you may know if you follow me on social media I spent last week in the incredible city of New York. I have a little photo diary coming soon for you but first I thought I'd dive straight in and show you my cheeky Sephora splurges. You may recall the wishlist post I published a few weeks ago (see it here) which gave me some ideas and I did purchase a couple of things from that, I also made a few extra purchases. It's rare for me to buy high-end products as I always feel guilty but as this was kind of a special occasion and I'd been saving my hard-earned cash especially I feel really content with my purchases and am really excited by them.

Starting with skincare, I picked up the Clinique Acne Solutions Mask, something that was on my list. I've used it a few times already and I think it's a great product. I slather it onto my face some evenings, particularly on areas where I've had some breakouts, leave it for 5-10 minutes and the next morning the blemishes have reduced in redness and size. It's a huge tube which makes it really great value for money.

People always say that high-end bases are the thing to spend your money on and this is something I took on board when deciding what to buy. While I still think that the Max Factor 3 in 1 is a great foundation, I was finding that it was clinging to dryness on my skin and just not working for me as well as it used to so I thought this was a good time to invest in a high-end base. As we can't get Tarte in the UK, I decided to pick up the Full Coverage Amazonian Clay Foundation as so many people rave about it. I've tried it once so far and it's pretty good so I will get back to you with a full review soon. To go with this I picked up the Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer. What I love about this is that you only need a tiny amount to erase any blemishes and it's a pretty big tube, so what at first seems fairly pricey comes out as a good investment.

As promised, I picked up another Formula X Nail Polish as I think they're a great formula. I was after a nude shade and it took my forever to choose- there were so many ever so slight variations that baffled me- but in the end I went for Evocative, a beige-toned nude. I'll let you know how i find it!

Probably my post exciting purchases come in the form of contouring products. I knew I wanted a cream contour shade and the Clinique Curvy Contour looked like my best bet as I need something easy (my contour skills need some improvement, I can't lie!). Again, I'll probably do a full review of this soon (or maybe a contour/highlight routine) but the shade is spot on for me as you can see in the bottom picture. To go with it I picked up a brush from the Sephora collection called 56 Flawless Airbrush. It's slightly domed and ever so soft and makes blending out so quick and easy. While it was pricey, the saleswoman convinced me as she says it's a very versatile brush.

I recently signed up to the Sephora Beauty Insider scheme which means that you get a free gift during your birthday month. Luckily for me my birthday is later this month so I was given my super exciting gift- a set of 2 mini Nars Lip Pencils. I've been wanting to try these for ages so it's a really great deal as the shades are their most popular. Cruella, a velvet matte red is beautiful, easy to apply because of the pencil shape and really long lasting without having to wear a lip liner or base. Rikugien is a satin finish and I genuinely think this is my perfect nude- it's 'my lips but better' and feels creamy and moisturising but equally the colour sticks around. Happy birthday to me indeed!

Olivia Ellen XXX

Boots Haul

L'Oreal Colour Riche Quad: I already have a smokey copper shade of this palette which I adore so thought it was about time I picked up another. The shade ranges are a little limited- apart this pinky toned one and the copper one, the other palettes are all very similar in nude tones. I don't really own many pinky colours so I'm looking forward to using this (a face of the day will be coming soon!) as the quality of the shadows are beautiful.

Max Factor Miracle Touch Foundation: This is my first repurchase of this foundation, despite it being my favourite. I didn't think there was enough in my current compact for a full application so thought I better get myself a back up just in case. I'm still just as much in love with it as I was when I first bought it and it never fails to make me feel good about my skin for a night out.

Simple Eye Make-up Remover: As I'm going away soon and need to pack light, I didn't want to take a huge bottle of the Garnier Micellar Water so decided just to pick up a mini eye make-up remover and some small cotton pads. It'll also be handy for using on the plane too as it's the perfect size.

L'Oreal Skin Perfection Moisturiser: It really doesn't feel like long since I last repurchased this but I saw it was on offer so decided to pick myself up a spare as I'm not sure how long my current tub will last me. Plus, I can't resist a good deal so £5 off it was definitely an intensive!

Soap and Glory Hand Food: I'd been noticing my hands and nails looking quite dry lately and as I always forget to put on hand cream before I leave the house, I decided to pick up a small tube which I can keep in my bag or pockets. I've not tried this one before but it has a nice scent (floral but fairly subtle so it's not horribly overpowering) and seems to be working so far.

Olivia Ellen XXX

Skincare Shake-Up

While there was nothing wrong with my skincare routine I was feeling it needed a bit of a change as my skin just wasn't as I wanted it. That decided, I headed into Boots and picked up a few new things so thought I'd tell you about these today!

First of all is the Super Facialist Skin Renew Cleansing Oil. My skin used to be quite oily so back then a facial oil definitely wouldn't work for me, but now my skin is more on the normal/dry side so I decided I might as well give it a go. In the evenings I first take off my eye make-up using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, then take a small amount of this on my hands to take of the rest of my make-up. I gradually add water to make it into more of a milky cleanser and then rinse it off. It leaves my skin feeling so hydrated and lovely and really gets all the make-up off in a really gentle way. I also like to use this most mornings, followed by the Garnier Pure Active Gel Scrub. While it's quite pricey for a make-up remover, you only need a small amount for each use so hopefully it will last well. I'm a big fan of it to be honest, and is one of my best purchases recently.

The other completely new product that I bought is the No7 Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator. This is an evening product for me- I use it after the cleansing oil on my damp face and really work it in to soften my skin. I do get quite blemish prone and some dry patches so this is really great because while it's gentle and creamy, you can really feel it working. While I do still like the Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm it's expensive and so I'm now keeping this for when I want a very quick fix but it still does good for my skin- just wipe my make-up off and give it a quick scrub.

I said in my last Empties post that I wasn't sure if I was going to repurchase the Yes to Carrots Night Cream but I caved and did. I couldn't find an alternative that was just as reasonably priced, and while it isn't amazing, it does the job. I use this at night along with Witch Hazel Gel on any blemishes, and the L'Oreal Skin Perfection Moisturiser in the morning with the Yes To Grapefruit Correcting Eye Cream.

I feel like I've really got a good range of products now, all of which work for my skin, that I can mix and match depending on how I feel and I definitely want to carry on being a bit more brave with skincare products in the future. A serum is next on my list I think!

Olivia Ellen XXX

Soap & Glory // Haul and Review

Because I have zero willpower, I was shopping recently and couldn't resist a trip into Boots. Soap and Glory products were on 3 for 2 so I decided to pick some up to try. It's surprising that I haven't tried anything from their make-up range yet considering how popular they are, and I was also surprised by how large the range was so it took me a while to choose what I wanted.

The first thing I chose was the 'Glow All Out' Luminizing Face Powder. I'm really craving this gorgeous glowing skin at the moment and so I've been buying so many brightening products recently. Firstly, I must say a word about the packaging- it's made of card but it feels so sturdy, it looks lovely plus it has a little mirror in the compact which is going to be so handy. The product itself is a really fine powder with a slight pink tint and a tiny hint of shimmer. Although I've never tried one, I like to think this is a good dupe for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders and does a similar job. I sweep it over my skin in places where I just want a little bit of extra glow and it catches the light really beautifully. I tend to use this on a daily basis when I don't want to go crazy with a highlighter or along with highlighter for a night out and I'm really pleased with it.

Another glow-boosting product is the 'Hocus Focus' Flaw Softening Illuminator. It's a nice sleek and small bottle yet still has a good 30ml of product in it. It comes out as a white cream which you can see a little shimmer in and it has a range of uses. My favourite way to use it is as a primer- I apply it to the areas of my face that would naturally catch the light first (centre of forehead, nose, chin and cheekbones), then blend any leftovers on the rest of my skin. I love this as a primer because it feels so light- not thick and heavy like some- and just blends into the skin so that you can hardly feel it, yet once my foundation is applied it's just given it a bit of glow rather than the more matte finish that my bases normally have. You can also use it as a highlighter and apply it to the specific areas of the face where you want that glow and you only need a tiny bit of product each time as a little goes a long way.

Finally, I couldn't resist a new lipstick especially because they looked so lovely. I went for the 'Sexy Mother Pucker' Matte Lipstick in the shade Pom Pom. I was tempted by a nude pink but I just had to go for the bolder shade as I'm so drawn to berry lips at the moment and I can't stop wearing them. I did think that perhaps this might be too similar to my latest Bobbi Brown lipstick but was pleased to find that this is slightly more pink toned, whereas Crushed Plum is more purple toned, which means I now have a nice variety and choice when I want a plum lip. The formula itself is lovely too- it's matte but not at all chalky. It applies very easily and can be blended into the lips easily. Staying power was reasonable- it didn't come off as soon as I ate or drank and it wore off quite evenly leaving a nice stain so I'm really pleased with it. Unfortunately there are only 3 shades in the range at the moment but I'm hoping they'll add more as they're really good value.

I'm so pleased with all three of the products I picked up and I'm already considering getting some more products- the bronzers and blushes look lovely, as do the setting powders along with so much more. Keep your eyes pealed for my next purchases!


Olivia Ellen XXX

Bit of a Beauty Haul!

I've been managing to convince myself lately that there were a lot of things I needed to buy, and because I have virtually no willpower when it comes to make-up, I thought I'd share my most recent beauty purchases with you.

I received a little gift set of Umberto Giannini products from Christmas containing a mini shampoo, conditioner and shine spray. Now while they were all nice products, the only one that blew me away was the Shine Glossing Mist. If I style my hair I sometimes find it looks a bit dull and a bit flat- this helps to add that 'wow'. I lightly spray it all over and it just adds that little bit more shine and just brings my hair to life. The size from the gift set was tiny so I was expecting the full size to be pretty pricey but it cost £5.40 in Boots which I was happy to pay and I'm really glad I discovered this product.

Next a highlighter from MUA- I'd seen a few people talk about this and thought it looked pretty, and so when I was after a new highlighter I knew exactly what I wanted. The Undress Your Skin highlighter only cost £3 and is really quite lovely- it is very shimmery but when applied to the tops of my cheekbones for a night out it catches the light really well. It kind of reminds me of my MAC Mineralise Skin Finish, but I actually think it's a little less powdery so if you're looking for a dupe I'd really recommend it.

My Maybelline Brow Drama recently ran out and I knew this time that I definitely didn't want to repurchase it- it was time for something new. I picked up instead the L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper which at £5.99 is a little more expensive but looks a lot better. I went for the shade Medium/Dark which looks about right for my natural brows but what really drew me in was the small brush which will hopefully mean I can be really precise in setting my brows. Plus, it looks like you get quite a lot of product for you money so I'll let you know how I find it!

Finally a couple of nail products- I was a little cheeky and have already used these Elegant Touch nails which is why the box looks a bit empty. I was really sick of my nails being so short and ugly at the moment so I wanted some falsies to cover them. They didn't have the glossy ones I wanted so instead I picked the Matte Ombre nails in Merlot. They actually looked really nice on and not too fake (I was worried the matte finish wouldn't look to good but I was wrong) and although they didn't last for long on my nails I can reuse them so I don't mind so much.

This is probably the biggest bargain of today's haul. I picked up this Illamasqua Nail Duo from TK Maxx for only £10 which I couldn't believe. A single nail polish from Illamasqua is normally around £15 so I was thrilled. The two shades I got were Viridian and Glitteratti which are lovely. They both look great with two coats but one still gives a pretty opaque finish. These are my first ever products from Illamasqua but I've heard such good things about the brand, and I'm hoping these gorgeous polishes will give me the intensive I need to get my nails back to their lovely long length.

Olivia Ellen XXX

Mini Beauty Haul...

It's very rare that I actually physically go shopping recently- it's so much more convenient for me to order things online and get home to find them waiting for me. Recently though I had a little list of beauty things I wanted to pick up so I popped into my local Boots for a mooch.

I was looking back at some photos of me from a few months ago and found myself pining for my sun-kissed locks, so decided it's time to pick up some dye and start making my way back to a lovely light, summery colour in my hair. Boots had an offer on Nice 'N Easy permanent dyes so I picked up two of the shade Natural Dark Blonde. My hair is a lot longer now than when I used to dye it myself so I've been finding recently that one box of dye is only just covering my whole hair. It's good to know that when I dye it lighter I've got a back up just in case one bottle runs out mid-way through the process. Now I don't expect my hair to go this colour straight away- as it's already dark in places (the whole top-half on my hair really, not just my roots) I'm expecting to half to take it lighter graudually, but this is the first step and I'll let you know how I get on.

Recently I picked up one of Aussie's new dry shampoo, and I hate to say that I was so dissapointed with it. It left my hair feeling really heavy and not clean at all, but what's more is that after only a couple of used the can just stopped working, and instead of spraying out a fine mist, it just spluttered white blobs everywhere which made such a mess. I got in touch with Aussie because I'm normally really impressed by their products and very generously they sent me a voucher to use on some other brands that they supply. I picked up two dry shampoos from Herbal Essences- Uplifting Volume and Clearly Naked. I've not tried either before but they look pretty promising, and you get quite a big can for just £2.99 so I report back on how I find these.

It was such a great coincidence that just as my moisturiser ran out, it went onto half-price at Boots. I was so pleased to be able to pick up the L'Oreal Skin Perfection Moisturiser right away at only £7.49. You can see my full review of the product here and it's so good to say that 4 months on, my opinions on it haven't changed a bit.

Finally, I picked up a new L'Oreal Lumi Magique Concealer to replace on that ran out probably over a month ago now. I didn't repurchase it straight away as I didn't feel like I needed it, but lately I feel like my face has been lacking a little something, so it's good to have this back in my life to really brighten and highlight my skin, especially for special occasions when I want to look the best that I can.

Olivia Ellen XXX