Maybelline have a good history of making bestseller mascaras. Great Lash is cheap, it's good and it does exactly what it says on the tin... Even if that 'tin' is so brightly coloured that you practically need sunglasses just to glance at it.

The brush is pretty bog standard. (Not bog brush. Don't apply your mascara with one of those, please. Imagine the germs, not to mention the panda eyes.) It's fibrous, not a 'show-off-y' plastic one and the shape is pretty standard too. As you can see from the third picture, I've compared the wand with Max Factor's False Lash Effect. The MF one has plastic bristles, as opposed to Maybelline's traditional fibre ones.

If you prefer a chunkier wand, you might be better off with a different product. Although, this would be great for coating your lower lashes, even if you don't use it for anything else.

There aren't even weird or science-y boasts about this product and with some of the stuff that cosmetics companies come out with nowadays, maybe that's a breath of fresh air?

Now I will admit that I did suffer from a little bit of smudging under my eyes after a few hours. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know how much I despise smudgy mascaras... It wasn't too bad and seeing as the mascara's so cheap, I'm willing to let it off. I even managed to get away without suffering from the dreaded 'clumpiness', which is brilliant for such a budget mascara.

Great Lash retails for £4.99 and it is a little smaller than your average mascara tube... Size isn't everything, after all. You can pick it up in drugstores and probably even the odd supermarket too!

I've heard so many great things about this foundation. I've seen loads of blogs lauding it and YouTubers raving about it. So, with all the hype about this product, I was keen to try it out for myself... But did it live up to my high expectations?

To answer the above question, 'Yes and no', but mainly no... I bought this quite a few months back, I tried it once. It made me look orange. I put it aside on the 'redundant makeup shelf' and left it well alone; for fear of being mistaken for a satsuma should I leave the house wearing it.

I have obviously used it a handful of times since, but every time I catch a glimpse of that orange mug of mine, I regret not using something more 'deathly-pale'. It looks orange straight away; not like it's oxidising on my skin after application. It's just way too dark, I'm not exaggerating. You only have to look at that picture above for proof.

I tried 'No. 51 Vanille Clair', which is the lightest shade on offer. I'll be honest, being exceptionally pale does not make it easy to buy any foundation or concealer products; but I swear some cosmetics companies take the mickey a bit. 'Ivory' and 'Porcelain' are still normally bright orange...

There are so many foundations out there that I would love to try that are just too dark for me. This, unfortunately, is one of those. I heard such great things about it and it didn't look too orange on my hand under the bright lights of Boots, so I thought I'd take a risk...

...It kind of backfired, because as I'm sat writing this whilst wearing the foundation, I look like I've just waltzed off the set of TOWIE: the irradiant orange hue to my face is quite hard to miss. (I took my dog for a walk like this too. The milkman saw me... Hopefully he didn't think I'm the lovechild of David Dickinson and Gemma Collins).

I do like this foundation. It's feels moisturising on my skin, without looking too oily or shiny. That's a hard balance to find and Bourjois have done it very well with this product. I just wish that they made it in lighter shades. I daren't use this foundation without having fake-tanned myself up to the eyeballs; or else I have the dreaded 'orange-face-white-everything-else' look going on, which really isn't good.

On the plus side, it looks quite natural (in texture) and it feels quite light and airy on my skin, despite it giving quite good coverage. It's easy to blend into skin with just your fingers, although I'm sure it'd work just as well with a brush or sponge. It's quite 'liquid-y', so you've got time to really work it into your skin before it dries, unlike some other thicker foundations.

Bourjois boast that this product has fruit in it and if fruit's good for you dietary needs, it's got to be good plastered all over your face too, right...?

I would recommend this product to anyone who isn't ghostly pale or has really dry or really oily skin. That narrows down the market a little, but I'm sure Bourjois still make shedloads of money from this otherwise great foundation.

Advantages:

• Skin-Loving ingredients,
• Readily available in high-street stores,
• Moisturising without being oily,
• Relatively cheap at £9.99

Yes, it's that time of the month again. (No, not that one...)

Belatedly, here are my favourite products from August 2014!

I know that there's a lot of controversy surrounding micellar waters and whether they're actually good for your skin... But I've tried a few and I like this one. It seems to glide over my skin, readily taking my makeup off at the end of the day. This particular product is also designed for sensitive skin, so it doesn't irritate those delicate parts of your face.

A 400ml bottle normally costs £4.99, but it's on offer at both Boots and Superdrug at the moment - So get it while it's on offer! Garnier claim that 400ml equates to 200 uses; I'm not sure whether that's true, but it's quite impressive if it is.

It washes your skin really gently and this is one of the better micellar waters that I've tried.

Garnier Micellar Water is now £3.33 at Boots, click here to get it now!

This is a brand new mascara from Rimmel. I've actually written a full review of this, which is coming very soon, so I won't go into too much detail.

You know how picky I can be about mascaras, but this isn't bad. 

It retails for £7.99, but I bought it on offer a couple of weeks ago. It contains argon oil, which is everywhere at the moment; and is designed to condition your lashes while you're wearing it.

It gives my lashes nice length, but doesn't go overboard on definition and volume. I would recommend this as a great daytime mascara, but you might want something with a bit more 'oomph' for nights out.

You can get this new mascara from Boots by clicking here.

If you're a fellow zit-face like me, you'll relish the opportunity to try products that boast about their spot-killing capabilities. Does this product live up to my ridiculously high foundation standards? Read on and find out...

It's Glossybox's third birthday this month, so to celebrate, they were giving their recipients an extra little gift. My 'birthday bonus' was a little Yves Rocher Nail Varnish. I bought this box with my Glossydots, which makes it even better, because all of the products were technically free!

This retails for £3.60. I received a beautiful pinky-coloured varnish; which is great because I tend to stick to reds/pinks regarding my nails.

I've not got round to using this product yet, but as you can see from this picture it's a lovely shade; but it is rather on the tiny side - A 3ml bottle.

This product was specifically made for Audrey Hepburn, so surely it's got to be impressive? At £38 a pop for a full sized tube, it's very far out of my price range; but I'm delighted to give it a try...

...Having said that, I've not actually had a chance to try this yet because it involves: Applying it on wet hair, wrapping your hair in a towel for 10-20 minutes, then rinsing and washing your hair as normal afterwards. I'm one of those people who's always in a rush when getting ready, so I've seldom got time to add an extra step to my morning routine! However, I promise that I'll talk about it in depth once I've had the chance to try it!

This smells AMAZING. So fruity. A full-sized tube of this costs £6.95, so I'm probably going to use it as a 'treat' - Sticking to cheaper hand creams for daily use...* My little booklet tells me that this is readily available from Feel Unique.

The smell actually reminds me of Parma Violets. You know the random purple sweets? A bit like them.

After using this (quite sparingly) my hands feel much softer. It soaks in really quickly and there's not a lot of residue that's left behind - So hopefully no greasy fingerprints everywhere and things sliding out of your hands, like you get with some hand creams...
I've learned the hard way not to try and handwrite stuff after using hand cream. It never goes well.

The packaging's really bright and ensures that it stands out. It reminds me of L'Occitane Rose Tenderness Shea Butter Hand Cream, but it's about half the price! The packaging is similar in style (but not colour), the quality of the product feels just as high to me... The only thing that's different is the aroma.

*I'm really tight with my money... 

I'm really getting into my highlighter at the moment, so I'm pleased to try a new one. I've always used liquid highlighters (like Me Me Me's Beat the Blues, Benefit's High Beam or ELF's Radiance Enhancer) or powders (like Sleek's), so I was intrigued to try a cream-based highlighter for the first time.

My initial thoughts? A little seems to go a really long way. It's easy to apply and looks great. It's quite a shimmery golden finish but looks subtle at the same time, which is something I always look for in a highlighter. You don't want people guessing that you're wearing it from ridiculously shiny cheekbones/browbones/noses etc.

This product costs £12.95 for a 4.5g pot.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I'm a cheapskate, especially when it comes to perfumes. If you receive beauty boxes yourself, you'll be aware that you only receive small samples of perfumes. A full size bottle of this is a whopping £67, so definitely out of my price range.

It smells lovely. That's about all I have to say about all perfumes, to be honest. I'm hardly a connoisseur.

Normally perfume samples (of which I've had quite a few from Glossybox over the past few months) come with an atomiser, but this is literally a tube with a removable lid, which then reveals a top with holes in it that you have to shake over yourself to get it out! So, as you can imagine, I looked like a complete idiot in order to smell impressive. (Maybe I was doing it wrong?)

It's described as: 'A sensuous floral fragrance, a love potion for absolute seduction'. Ooooh. So if you're looking to seduce someone, this is the perfume to wear... Apparently.
I've not tried doing that myself. Nor have I attracted shedloads of men (or any men at all, actually) whilst wearing this perfume.

I'm a mascara junkie. I well and truly hold my hands up. I'm also incredibly picky when it comes to mascara, so it takes a really good product to please me.

This costs £2.79. It's wonderfully cheap and cheery. The packaging is bright and eye-catching. You can't miss the bright pink tube with bold black lettering across it.

I really like the brush; it's longer than your average mascara applicator and bristles are made of plastic. One thing that I wasn't keen on was how clumpy it can get. I really can't bear clumpy mascara... The first time I used it, it was fine. The second time, however, it did cake my eyelashes in mascara a little too much. I had to use an old (clean) Max Factor False Lash Effect brush to try and save my eyes from looking like the legs of a fat spider. I'm undecided as to whether I'd use this mascara on a regular basis.

I've never tried anything from the Essence range before, but I always enjoy discovering new and cheaper brands from Glossybox.

After visiting their website, I'm reliably informed that they're a relatively new company and my nearest Essence stocker is actually Wilkos. Seeing as they're everywhere up and down the UK, I'm sure that this product is really easy to get your hands on! (I've not been to Wilkos for ages, which is probably why I've not seen it!)

Thanks for reading!
Katie
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Yes. Surprise surprise. Ha. I know absolutely EVERYBODY talks about this and adores it, so I won't go into great detail. Suffice to say, I've been using this for years and it's seriously the best concealer I can get my hands on (that isn't too orange) in high street stores.

I buy the lightest shade which is 1 Fair. I mainly use it to conceal the dark circles under my eyes, and I'll let you into a secret: The older I get, the more of this I seem to get through. It's quite depressing really.

This miracle product retails for £4.19, but Boots have it on offer every now and again. The fact that it's quite often out of stock is a testament to how good this is (and how much everybody already knows about it...)

It also covers up spots wonderfully and seems to last pretty much all day. I don't know where I'd be without it.

I'm getting better at balancing mascara, aren't I?

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that this is my favourite EVER mascara. Again, I've been using this for years. Since I was about 17/18 and I'm still using it now at 23. (Yeah, I'm old, I know...)

I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I love this mascara. It gives my eyelashes a dramatic lift and volume to make my eyes noticeable, without making them look too 'spidery'. I normally use Black/Brown because I have blue eyes and I don't want to emphasise them too much for daytime wear. However, the Black is great too.

Granted, at £10.99, it's quite expensive for a high street mascara. However, I'll also let you into another secret, Fragrance Direct are selling it for £7.99... You can thank me later...

Max Factor also offer waterproof and 24 hour versions* of this mascara, but I still tend to opt for the bog-standard one.
*Who's wearing mascara for 24 hours in one go anyway?

I really need to buy some more, don't I?

I'm not sure that many people will have heard of this. It's a bit of a hidden gem; tucked away on bottom shelves in Boots.
It costs £2.09 or £2.29, depending on where you shop. You can use this during the day, but I prefer to use it at night as a 'hair mask'. It's a white cream that smells quite 'soapy' to me and it just makes your hair look a lot healthier whilst making it feel softer too.
If you suffer from frizzy hair, this is such a great product to tame it with! It's so understated, but it's honestly a brilliant product and it won't break the bank either!

Yellow, gooey bliss in a bottle.

I adore this. It's more of a treat for me, because my daily body lotion is a Boots £1.49 one, on account of me being a cheapskate.
It's bright yellow, super-nourishing and smells gorgeous; quite chocolatey.  As someone who's quite picky when it comes to body lotion, I'm always after a good all-round product and this is probably my favourite 'cheaper' one. One problem is that it's quite difficult to get out of the bottle towards the end, because it's just so gloopy.
It's also supposed to be quite good at reducing the appearance of stretch marks and it's much cheaper than other alternatives which boast about having mark-reducing qualities.

The price normally ranges from about £4-£6, depending on what size bottle you buy.

Sud the Lot of You...

I've had such a problem with bad skin just recently. Stress and tiredness, amongst other things, are conspiring against me and making my skin incredibly blemish-prone. I've had to get the big guns out. (...Not a euphemism...)

What do I swear by? I'll tell you...
On a budget? This is perfect for you then! This tea tree oil costs just £1. One. Pound. Everyone...

This is from Wilkos. Or to give the shop its proper name 'Wilkinson'. If you're not familiar with it, it's a UK high street DIY/Stationery/Bit of everything store. They have their own range of budget skincare products and I've been buying this product for quite a while. I know that there are other 'higher quality' tea tree oils on the market, but this is cheap, it's easily available, it lasts quite a long time and it does the job! What more can you ask for?

It's a rollerball applicator which makes it quick and easy to apply and the 'bottle' that it comes in is made of glass.

Rollerball applicator

The packaging is relatively basic, but for the price this sells for, is it really too bad to have to compromise on the aesthetics of a product?


Fancy splashing out just a little?  Okay, so this is the product for you.

FREEDERM. Yes. I love this. It sets you back from around £5 to £10, depending on which size tube you buy. So, it's quite expensive, but this lasts a while (depending on how spotty you actually are) and it seems to really speed up the process of blasting* those pesky zits.

(*'Blasting's' probably not a very good word to use there. There's no blasting involved, per se. It's more just application and then the inflammation slowly dies down...)

The Fast Track product claims to help get rid of redness and inflammation within just four hours. It's good. I'm not sure whether four hours is accurate for me; but it certainly really speeds up that process. The normal product doesn't boast about the time scale of zapping zits, but they both seem to work really quickly for me.

Regular Freederm on the left, with Fast Track Freederm on the right. Oh, and my sunnies...

It's worth noting that this doesn't make my spots sting either. With having relatively sensitive skin anyway, I'd honestly rather opt for a gel that doesn't make zits tingle and feel sore. It doesn't really dry my skin out either, which is a HUGE BONUS.

(I'm not that keen on the word 'splurge'. It sounds rude to me... But I'll go with it anyway.)

It's got instructions and everything!

This is expensive stuff. I'm warning you now. I'm talking £15.50 here for a 40ml tube of Effaclar Duo. It does seem to be helping my skin at the moment though.*

It's La Roche Posay, a brand which I have briefly mentioned before, when I talked about the Thermal Spring Water spray. It's a French product that I bought from Boots a couple of weeks ago after my friend recently recommended it to me. The scent of this product is a bit... weird at first. It's incredibly hard to describe though, so I'm not going to...

*I've been using it for around three weeks now and I have actually had a really bad breakout since. There have been days where this appears to have really helped reduce those spots quickly and effectively, but other days where it doesn't seem to have made much of a difference. I'll have to get back to you on whether this is as AMAZING as everyone makes it out to be.

It's basically a 'moisturiser', I think. You can apply it on its own or combine it with your usual moisturiser... I have found that it's often surprisingly nourishing on its own.

As you'll see in the caption in the first pic of this product, the Effaclar Duo comes complete with instructions. It's just that my instructions were only in French or German... Neither of which I speak too well, so I had to Google how to use it instead...

Have you tried any of these products? If so, what do you reckon? 

*Shameless plug alert* If you liked this post, why not subscribe?

Thanks for reading!
Katie
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