USA Beauty Goodies | Part 2: Mary Kay

Today I'm going to share some more lovely beauty products from my trip to the States back in May. My cousin Jessica kindly gave me some Mary Kay cosmetics, which I have since discovered are also available in the UK- yay! 

Have you ever heard of a Lip Mask? I hadn't until she showed me the Satin Lips set. All you do is apply the mask to your lips and leave for just one minute, then once it's washed off your lips are left looking and feeling silky smooth. The great thing about this mask is that it buffs off all of the dry skin and when you follow it up with the lip balm your lips will be smooth ALL DAY. I always find balms more drying, but you only need to apply the Satin Lips balm once and you're good to go. 

It's always handy to have a face cream with a high spf. I applied this Time Wise lotion yesterday before going to the Air Show in Bournemouth. I was not prepared for the weather at all...it actually turned out to be incredibly sunny! So I was relieved to at least have protection on my face. The one thing I don't really like about this cream is the consistency because it's quite runny, making it difficult to rub into your skin. But then I guess this could be because it has the formula of a sun cream instead of a face cream?

The last product is the Oil-Free Eye Make Up Remover. This is good for taking off mascara, however I do find it takes a while to remove it. But I think that's because I'm so used to using micellar water which removes make up instantly. This will be perfect for taking away on holiday! 

Have you used any Mary Kay products? Which is your favourite? 

Beauty Haul: Recent Additions

I was on a clothes spending ban during January but I seem to have picked up more beauty items to make up for that...oops. To be fair, most of these products were on offer and I did purchase most of them with a gift voucher and my Boots points. So the damage isn't as bad as it looks. I'm also really pleased with everything that I bought, especially the Revlon Colourburst Matte and Lacquer Balms.

I've been using the Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser for about two weeks and I am already starting to see a difference to my skin. I've also already incorporated the L'Oreal Cleansing Oil into my routine and it really helps to budge that last bit of eye make up. I haven't used the La Roche Possay Effaclar Duo Plus yet but I love using the Effaclar Duo twice a day and have a feeling this one might be even better. 

The little purple lipstick is from the Littlemix range by Collection. I don't normally pay much attention to lines like this but my friend was wearing Perrie's shade the other week and I thought it looked lovely so got one for myself. At £2.99 you can't really go wrong with Collection lipsticks. The Maybelline Colour Tattoos are amazing, so I finally added the shade 'Pomegranate' to my collection and find that it's great for creating a quick and easy smokey eye. I also picked up the MUA LUXE Power Brow and I'm liking that so far, however the colour range wasn't that great when I was trying to decide which one to get and I'm worried that it might be a bit too dark. What I do like about this brow pencil is that there's a highlighter at the other end. 

Lastly, we have the L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint. I love the formulation of this foundation and think it will be great for spring and summer time when you want less coverage and something less heavy. But I found it very difficult to pick a shade as the range isn't great so ended up choosing 110 Warm Ivory. I'm a bit worried that in the summer this might be too light, but all of the other shades were way too orange. Did anyone else find this?

Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts? Or have you picked up anything new recently that you would recommend? 

All Used Up #1

Is it just me or do you find that you start to run out of all your essential beauty products at once? Even if you didn't buy them all at the same time. That happened to me this week so I decided to share them with you because they are all products that I would definitely repurchase...more than once. 

 Nivea Stress Protect Anti-Perspirant

 I'm so bad at using up all of a product because I always pick up new ones without even making a dent in the ones I already have. This means that I always have about three deodorants on the go. However, since trying Nivea's Stress Protect I have used it every single day. It's just a great deodorant all round. It smells fresh and drys pretty quickly after application. I seem to be one of those people that gets all flustered when i'm in a 'stressful situation' which is why I wanted to try this deodorant in the first place and it actually seems to do the job as well as working all day long.

 VO5 Miracle Concentrate

The Miracle Concentrate is my most used hair product. This was my third bottle and i'm sure there will be many more to come. Each one has lasted me about six months which is amazing because it's £5.19 for a bottle and I apply it to my hair almost every day. It has a pipette which makes it super easy to use and you only need a tiny amount of product each time. It also smells amazing! I use it on my hair wet or dry and it leaves it feeling shiny and healthy.

La Roche- Posay Effaclar Mat 

This is a lovely moisturiser and because of it's consistency glides amazingly onto the skin. It makes a great base underneath make up as well as nourishing your skin and getting rid of any shine. After using this every day I really could feel a difference and my face feels so soft and healthy and the moisturiser does give a more matte look underneath foundation. 

Lee Stafford Breaking Hair Detangling Spray

I only started using detangling spray recently and it really does make such a difference. This is also something that I now use on my hair every day, or every time I wash it. I don't brush my hair enough so when I try and run a comb through it when it's wet it's a nightmare. Well, it isn't if I use a detangling spray. My hair is in awful condition because I use heat on it every day so this stops it from the ends breaking off as much as they used to. 

These beauty products have become part of my every day routine and I will definitely be repurchasing them! What are your daily essentials?

Disclosure: The views expressed are based on my own experience.