Estée Lauder Rock Candy Lipgloss

This lipgloss from Estée Lauder has a beautiful colour when on, and a bit of shimmer which admittedly will take some getting used to for me! But it smells yummy like fruit! And it lasts quite well without being horrendously sticky.... BUT...

Overall I would say that it's nice for what it is but I wouldn't go out and buy it (this was a free gift). I would rather say to you go out and spend your pennies on the Urban Decay Naked Lip glosses or their Revolution Lipsticks if you want a high end lip product as they are so much nicer!

Until tomorrow!

March Favourites

Hi guys! And welcome to my March favourites. Firstly where the hell is this year going? April already? Not that I'm complaining as I can't wait to finish my degree and get back into the real world haha! So anyway let's get to it, I've got some beauty faves as well as some added extras. 

Also I just want to say since in saving for a massive American beauty haul I will be trying to mix it up on here even more, maybe trying to do a tutorial or two, or at least, spring makeup of the day looks!

Right. So these are the makeup staples I have been reaching for at least 90% of this months makeup clad days. Also now I'm thinking about it I like to give my skin at least one fully makeup free day a week, I feel like it's letting it breathe, a bit like giving my eyes a break from my contacts and wearing my glasses!

So first things first Rimmel's Match Perfection in Light Porcelain has been my go to foundation, mostly because only 2 of my foundations are actually a colour match for me at the moment, which isn't helping my aim to finish some products before I go buy a load more in the States! But I like this foundation as it's light/medium buildable coverage and simply does the job at covering most of my acne scars! Next I want to address Urban decays Brow Box in Honey pot which I've been using the light ash shade to lightly fill in my brows to just give them some more definition, especially when I go heavier on the eyes! Also I love that it comes with it's own brushes and tweezers, great for traveling. As usual my go to eye shadows are Urban Decay and this month I have been constantly reaching for the Naked 2 palette which I always though I'd like the least, but I love the taupe tones for this time of the year. I have also been playing with mixing these colours with bright spring tones for a bit of colour injection into my life! Also the single Urban Decay eye shadow in Sellout has been my go to everyday essential eye shade, it's simply beautiful and does all the work for you, brightening your eye area and it's fab for blending everything together or toning something down if you've gone in a bit too dark.

My go to lip product has been a very low maintance 'Almost Lipstick' as Clinque describe it, I have the colour Black Honey and I just love the way it gives a dark, natural look to my lips that is super moisturising as I have dry lips at the moment due to not being too well!

I've been all about my statement jewellery pieces this month, as I have been for the last few months really! I love wearing my bold white necklace from Topshop as it adds a little something to what I could think is a boring outfit. The bracelets are a staple of mine at the moment, the gold and silver elasticated one was a present from my Nan at Christmas and I absolutely love it, I wear it every day nearly! And the other is one of my beloved Trollbeads Bracelets with my neutral toned beads with a hint of blue in there too, simple yet fancy and I like to jingle a bit sometimes!!! And lastly I've loved blinging up my hair a tad with a fancy clip or two that I got on sale from Debenhams in February, makes a bad hair day a bit better!

And finally this month has been my month of saving. Therefore I want to introduce you to my saves pot! Which I plan to smash in a couple of weeks. I hope there's quite a bit in there as I have been putting into it since I started Uni for a holiday! Hurray! It damn heavy too!

Hope you've all had a lovely March and you're ready for what April has to bring! Thanks for reading!

Ojon Rare Blend Oil

I picked up a sample of this from Boots as I had heard a lot of good things about the brand and they were right. I use a cheap Argan oil from Avon everyday on the lengths of my hair and in comparison this is 100000X better! I would love to get a full sized at some point, maybe when my other one runs out or when I finish university and get a full time job as a little treat!

This really calms down my hair, and actually takes away the frizz properly! Which is kinda amazing as not many products do this! Also I love that with this product you literally only need the smallest amount, a few drops like they suggest with the directions.

Thank you very much for reading!

Dreamwash by Lush

Dreamwash from Lush was a product I'd had my eye one since I picked up their Ro's Argan Skin Condition in January (i think- time flys!) It has a lovely lavender scent that's relaxing and it is filled with lovely natural products such as Aloe Vera and Camomile in it.

It is also recommended to be used for sun burn as it has has Aloe Vera in which may come in handy when I hit the US of A as I'm so blimming fair! As well as being marketed as good for calming angry eczema or similar skin conditions (due to it having camomile in it), which I do have a bit of on my arms and I have been on a mission to try to clear it up before I have to bare more skin! This feels a lot thicker than the Ro's Argan Skin Condtioner and admittedly not as conditioning, yet it doesn't claim to be so this is okay by me!

I use this, like the other pot I have from Lush as a treat about once a week as they are expensive! But my skin loves it and really calms it down. This product is £9.95 I think. But these tubes last ages with restraint from the user, I'm not even half way through my first tub!

Hope this has inspired you to go and treat yourself to one of Lush's natural body treats!

Until tomorrow!

My Clarin's sample situation!

Now we all know I love a sample... I went into my local Debenhams, I don't live there I swear, and was just looking over the counter and was offered some samples. Now who am I to say know! Fabulous.

They even gave me deluxe samples that were tailored to my skin type (oily combo), so that even more exciting! The products are;

Cleansing Milk- for combination or oily skin- smells lovely! And I really enjoyed this product!

Toning Lotion- with iris for combination or oily skin- this is alcohol free which is always something you want to here and goes hand in hand with the cleansing milk above, fab pairing! Well worth the try!

Extra-comfort Toning Lotion- for dry or sensitive skin- this is lovely as it does feel more hydrating after you use it, it is also alcohol free and has aloe Vera in it! A treat for your face!

Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover- this is awesome. It's one of the only products that really gets the job done and clear ALL of my mascara! Love. It.

Now I say go go go! Get the guts and ask for those samples! Now as always thank you for reading!

Body Shop Overnight Vitamin E serum-in-oil and intense moisturer

So today I want to talk about a very hyped up product, The Body Shop's Overnight Vitamin E serum-in-oil, £12, and the intensive moisturiser that goes hand in hand with it. Okay let's go to the serum first. It is literally a oil. So as I've send before I was scared to out it on my face, but since using it I have seen a decrease in the natural production of oil on my face so maybe this is the way forward!!!! It smells very... Clean I'm not sure how else to put it really.  But I like it. And I'm looking forward to trying some other brands from America to see if I can find the perfect one! Always on the look out me!

Now the moisturiser is call Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream, £12, and it is very nice too but I can only use it at night, which really should have been expected as it is directed for dry skin and is labeled as intense. Although after saying that my Overnight Moisture Surge  Mask from Clinque claims to be directed for those things but that works a dream on me! This has the same scent as the oil. And using the both in conjunction is utterly lovely!

Big thumbs up for me. But I would be cheeky and ask for a sample before you buy as I don't think they would be for everyone so I wouldn't want anyone's money to be wasted!

Until next time!

indeed Labourites

Firstly how cute is this kit? Accompanied by my lovely fawn statue too. This little set was £12.99 fr from Boots. And I brought it because I really wanted to try the Hydraluron and didn't want to flat out spend like £20 on a big tube without trying it first!

So for the money you get mini versions of indeed Laboratories Snoxin, Nanoblur and it's famous Hydraluron. Not too shabby if you ask me, although the student in me will forever wish that samples where as regularly available here in UK compared to the US but hey, things are getting better!

Snoxin- is a lightweight serum that claims to be 4x better than $500 products, not that I'd have anything to compare with in that price range! But although this seems nice I much prefer Estée Lauder's overnight repair serum!

Nanoblur- now this product was one I just wasn't a fan off. It caked over my makeup (which I how it says it should be applied. And quite honestly all I'm using it for is a primer and I much prefer my benefits Porefessional! By a massive amount!

Hydraluron- this little beauty is the star of the show! It is marketed to be intensively moisturising and you can literally feel the moisturiser (yes you have to put it over the top)  sinking in very fast. And since using it my skin feels so nice and full and hydrated! As the name would suggest haha.

Overall I would totally recommend Hydraluron but would pass on the other two.

As always thank you for reading!

The Body Shop's Shimmer Waves colour brick in 04 Coral

So today I want to talk about The Body Shop's Shimmer Waves colour brick, I have the shade 04 Coral and it's blinking gorgeous. This was a fabulous Christmas present from my friend Hilda (thank you, you know that makeup is my happy place!). I use it as a highlighting blush, but as there are multiple shades running trough it this makes it easier to use it as a multiple use product for your eyes and as a seperately highlighting tool and of course blush.

The thing I like the most about it is that I don't have anything like it in my collection, and I think we can all guess that I love trying out new products! Although one thing I've had my eye on for ages are the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powdered and now their new blushes. So since I can't afford that right now (maybe a sneakyAmerican purchase eeee) I like to think that the radiant glow this product gives my fair skin is defiantly the next best thing! Also as I just touched upon, it is really hard (in my option) to find a good glowy powder that has a bit of summer influenced colou in it that doesn't make me look straight up orange. And this does not!!

Overall I say go and have a look ladies! I think there are a few other colours in the line too, lighter and darker so I'm sure there will be one right up your alley!

As always thanks for reading!

My American Makeup, Beauty and Skincare Shopping Wishlist

Welcome to my American Beauty Wishlist.... Things are gonna get expensive.

One thing I think is a fab little bargain is this kit by Too Faced, which has a mini bronzer, mascara, primer and eye primer too. I love trying minis, although as we can now (rarely though) buy Too Faced here if there's something else that catches my eye that's a brand I can't get my mitts on here then this might be put on the back burner.

I am so excited to try this lovely little bare Minerals kit, I just hope they have it in the right colour for me! I've been interested about their products for years so this jiffy little kit would enable me to have a good little play!

Now. Tarte. This is the brand that is top of my hit list. And this set seems like a perfect first starter with it as both items are in such forgiving colours for my skin tone. Aka pale pale pale.

It was moderately love at first sight with this lovely little travel eye shadow brush kit, perfectly compact and emerald green, one of my favourite colours! Happy happy happy!

 Now Another Tarte item, this foundation is rumoured to be a bit amazing and I really hope they have a shade that's suitable for me! Fingers crossed!

This Tarte kit seems like a good money saver in my eyes, it's got a full sized blush in and a little eyeshadow and brush for less than the price of a regular single blush! Insane. And hopefully mine.

There is also this set from Tarte which has a few more bits in... Ohh the decisions.

Now I couldn't not put this on here but in reality I don't see me coming home with this beautiful Lorac Pro Palette as I have way too many eye shadows already...

Hope you've enjoyed this mental insight into my beauty hoarding mind. Now to make sure I scrimp for the next 5.5 weeks to afford to buy at least half of this! Oh and happy Sunday!

Soap and Gloary's Ultimelt

So today is the day I talk about the product that has made me want to purely treasure it... Then I have to remember it is only £9.99 for Boots. Which for the amount of product you get and the feeling it gives and leaves you with it a total bargain. This product is, as the title stays, Soap and Glory's Ultimelt.

On the side of the packet it claims to be like an at home facial, and my gosh I think it stand up to this claim! I am so glad I brought this as this was the third item in a buy 2 get one free situation and I saw it and remembered that two of my favourite beauty gurus Fleur De Force and TalkBeckyTalk loved it so I thought why not! It has a lavendery scent to it as well which makes sleeping after it even easier, but it's not a 'I smell like a grandma' kind of smell, which is always good. I am currently restricting myself to using this twice a week, but it doesn't actually have any instructions for use on in so this leads me to believe it could be used every day, but it's nice to keep it as a treat in my eyes. Also it comes with a Muslim cloth. Now I'm pretty new to these, having bought the only two I own over the last few weeks but I love them, they are great for exfoliating and getting off the more greasy products, as well as a lot nicer to dampen with very hot water and lay on your face than a sometimes suffocating flannel can be!

Overall, as if you haven't guessed already this is a total winner! So much so that I'm even considering decanting a bit to take on holiday with me... Let's just see which masks win!

Thank you for taking the time to have a read of this, I really appreciate it!

Urban Decays Brow Box

Today I want to talk about Urban Decays Brow Box in Honeypot. This little box it just awesome. It has two colours, my shade it the one on the left as I find the other too warm for me. But this makes a great crease shade when doing some tactical travel packing! There is also wax to set and control the brow, which I'm not as convinced with but it does do the job.  There are two mirrors in this little box a regular one in the top layer with the shadows, then a magnified one in the bottom layer which is amazing for seeing all those tiny unruly eyebrow hairs. There is also two tiny angled brushes in the bottom section, which is great. Full stop. I really love the fact that you get two, how generous!

This gets a massive thumbs up from me after using it for weeks now, I'm a convert to everyday eyebrow filling in! It really does make a difference to your face!

Until next time!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation is £27 From Debenhams is on thehit list today! It claims to be weightless ultra definition liquid makeup and it does feel light on the skin. I got mine in the shade 3.5 that is their lightest pink undertone, which is now unfortunately too dark for me! Gutted doesn't cover it. But hey in the summer it will be back again soon! It is designed to be applied with the Urban Decay Optical Blurring brush (£20) which I also have, and it works a treat. I have tried to apply it with a sponge and fingers too but nothing gets it done like that brush! It's well worth the pennies! Also it works really well with many of the other foundations I'm currently going through.

It would be nice as a payday treat to yourself but their are other foundations I prefer more (Beneifts Oxygen Wow, Rimmel's Match Perfection... I could go on). But I will be happily using this when I have a tan going on again, and I look forward to it.

Until tomorrow!

Urban Decay Single Eye Shadows

I treated myself to these little beauties a few weeks ago, they are two of Urban Decays single eye shadows and were £14 each. I purchased Sellout which it the colour on the left, as it is a satin finished light brown/nude colour which is very easy wearing and has made it into my every day makeup. The second is Virgin, now I have a bit of a confession to make here... I already have his shade. Yes yes I know I'm terrible. But you see the shade is in my original Urban Decay Naked palette and I've hit pan. This is honestly one of the first eye shadows I think I have ever EVER done that with. And you see I wanted to start being more inventive and using my other Naked palettes a lot more (the main issue was I didn't want to take two palettes home with me all the time), yet I still always wanted Virgin for my inner eye. Therefore I caved and used my saved up money to buy the single so I wouldn't have to make the heart wrenching decision of which palette to take. This shade is the ultimate (in my eyes) light, bright, pearly satin eyeshadow that is just as beautiful washed all over the lid for a quick simple look of 'do I look like I tired?' Or used as said before in the inner corner of the eye, brow bone and used to blend and harsh lines. Also I have been known to use it as a highlighter, gotta love multiple uses for products... Actually that would make a good post I think... Hmmm.

                                                    (Swatches, left; Sellout. right; Virgin)

Hope you're having a lovely day, see you tomorrow!

Topshop eyeshadow trio in Orion

Topshop's eye trio in Orion is a bargain at under £15 (I can't actually find it on line at the moment but I have seen them in store recently). The three shades are very pigmented, not chalky and when applied over a good eye shadow base they last all day and night! There is a light pearly shade that I use either all over the lid if I'm being lazy or want a simple eye look, but normally I use it in the inner eye to brighten things up. I then use the gorgeous shimmery medium brown in the crease and then I use the lovely cranberry/plum for a hint of colour (and this is one of my favourite kind of shades to make my eyes look bluer).

This is a fab little trio that all go very well together. And all of the colours are well up my street. Stupidly, I often over look this tiny palette in favour of my Urban Decay Naked palettes, but I'm hoping to change things up and I'm going to start using this on a daily basis.

See you tomorrow, thanks for reading this!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Powder

Okay. So today I want to talk about Urban Decay's Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder, which is £22. This powder is blimming fantastic. It's a perfect colour for me, which is always hard for me at the moment. It's lightweight and feels luxurious and silky on the skin. It's my current favourite for sure, and I actually spoke about it in my February favourites! It takes away my shine instantly and I can reapply it and it won't look cakey.

I only have one negative thing to say about this and it's the packaging, a lot of powder has come through the sifter,  therefore I have to be incredibly careful when open and closing it. But hey, I'm gonna take some time and try to tap it back it. Snazzy eh? Let's be honest though this isn't a factor that would remotely put me off this product. Also for this reason I wouldn't suggest using it for your hand bag touch ups, that's personally what my Benefit Porefessional powder is for though.

Thank you so much for reading and sharing my love for all this suff!

Something different; A day on the beach.

I thought I would do something a bit different as if I'm honest I haven't had much time this week. I will be bucking my ideas up though and next Sunday will probably be a pre holiday haul/showing you how my capsule wardrobe is coming along for Florida!

But back to it, this Sunday is dedicated to spending time at the beach whilst being at home this week. Although me and my friends couldn't manage to get a good picture of us all together, partly because the sun was in our eyes and partly because we are just a bit crazy. So herer I would like to share with you a bit of one of my favourite things about being home...

New twitter and Instagram

I decided that it was silly not to have some more social media links, especially as I'm addicted to Instagram! So I thought I'd do this little bonus post to make everyone more aware of where else you can find me! I will be posting hauls before reviews, makeup of the day posts, favourite products and anything else that catches my eye!

Twitter- @CharMakeupObses
Instagram- charlottesmakeupobsession

Mac Lipstick Lovin'

Now every girl wants a Mac lipstick, if not has one. And if she says she doesn't then she hasn't looked and the huge range there is to offer, so many different colours, finishes and all in the cute iconic packaging. The Mac lipsticks that I have are (from left to right) Viva Glam, Up the Amp, Ruby Woo and Milan Mode all £14 from Mac stores.

I have a right mixture really so I will honour my small stash... And then maybe disclose which ones I have my eye on for the future...

Viva Glam IV- This is a slightly better than my own lips kinda colour, and it never fails to make me feel pretty! It's described on the Mac website as a mid tone rose with gold pearl (the gold isn't noticeable as gold thank god!) and also with any of the Viva Glam line that is brought money is donated to help people with Aids and HIV around the world.

Up the Amp- Is just my summer look at me, I feel cool night out colour! It is described as a lavender violet in a amplified creme and wears very well on the lips, probably the best out of all of them which is always good since it is the brightest colour!

Ruby Woo- Now this isn't my favourite, but i thought it would be when i brought it. I find that no matter what i do it's just too matte for me! And I love a matte lippy! Mac describes this as being a very matte red with a blue undertone, which it is in every sense of the word. And although I haven't raved about it I love the look of it so much that. I regularly try to make it work... And probably will continue to do so!

Milan Mode- This isn't my normal sort of shade, but this was my first venture into the pink lipstick world and I plan to expand this collection when in America! Sheer deep pink with multidimensional pearl in a lustre finish is the write up Mac gives it which I think it close to the mark but I wouldn't call it sheer!

Now for my wish list... (sorry if this makes you want to buy them as much as I do!)

Craving, Half'n'Half, Syrup, Patisserie, Creme Cup (although I think it's a bit risky as it's not my normal kid of shade!) and finally Rebel.

Thanks for reading!

Benefit's Stay Flawless 15 hour Primer.

This is Benefits Stay Flawless 15 hour Primer (£24.50 from Benefits website). There was so much hype about this when this first came out, and I see why as it was the first stick shaped primer. So naturally I went out to buy it after a lot of wrestling with myself. And to be honest, after months of trialling it I'm still not sure on it and now I will tell you why.

It has a lovely fresh smell, but feels very heavy on the face. And it keeps my foundation of really well, except for my very oil patches... Aka exactly where I actually need the makeup to stay on. Also... I don't think it does the 15 hours stated.

Overall I won't recommend this, but I will be using it up (one of my New Years resolutions) when I know I won't be wearing make for that long. Shock horror I know, a product I don't like but yup! To be honest there could be more on here but normally I pass them on pretty sharpish.

Until tomorrow! :)

Tangle teezers are the bees knees

Tangle tweezers have quite literally been one if the best things I've used in my process of trying to save my hair and make it healthily again after years of bleaching, striping and general heat abuse! They are designed to easily detangle your hair without breakage! They do this by having different lengths of bristles so your hair never gets pulled!

I'm a total advocate of these, I think they are fantastic and haven't looked back since I've started using them! I've found that my hair falls out a lot less! You can purchase these beauties from Boots, the orange original one is £10.99 and the compact gold one is £12.99!

Until next time!

The Body Shops Camomile Cleasing Products

Now let me be honest. I bloody love these products! They are utterly fab for the money and have taken my skincare up a notch or two! I got them all in a camomile cleansing kit for £23 so it saved me quite a bit, but I will list the individual prices too.

 Firstly let's address the Camomile Eye Makeup Remover £8 simple really it is what it says on the tin! I love that it doesn't hurt my sensitive eyes and smells refreshingly clean!

The Camomile Cleansing Oil £10 now the idea of putting oil on my face is pretty scary as I'm a oily/combo gal. But this feels amazing when massaged onto your face and removes makeup fabulously, I also used this on my eye area and it didn't sting and took all of my war paint off  easily.

Camomile Cleansing Balm £12 now this product was what I went into the shop for. I saw it on Caroline Hirons' blog (check her out she is a skincare goddess). and her recommendations are always fab so this cheaper product had to be mine to try! I was worried to try this but it feels lovely when massaged into your skin, again like the oil it is suitable for use on the eye area, although with both the oil and balm I like to take most of my eye make up off with a cotton pad and the makeup remover first. This feels a it like a spa treatment too, I'm not sure why. But to me it does!

And as part of the kit there was a lovely Muslin cloth that I think retails at about £2.50 separately. I hadn't used on until now... It's a bit awesome for getting all the greaser products off.

Hope this helps anyone thinking of trying out this kit... Massive thumbs up from me! It's all changed my outlook on skincare and I feel more likely to try out some more adventurous products!

Bye for now!

T-Zone Effective Nature Nose Pore Strips

T-Zone Effective Nature instant fix Nose Pore Strips for blackheads, the box has 6 in and they are infused with manuka honey and tea tree. Sounds fancy eh? I think I got these from a supermarket for about £3 but I admittedly can't remember where!

You are meant to use them on a clean face and then wet your nose area in order to then apply the strip, works best when you give it a firm press down too. These are fab for that fresh feeling. Especially for oily skinned people, well if you ask me anyway! And I think they do help to get rid of a handful of blackheads but I will always be on the hunt for something that does the job better. And I'm actually trialling something at the moment that seems VERY promising!

Overall this is a 'kinda does the job' product, which I am happy to recommend... But watch this space. I think I've found something that gives a better outcome and on the cheap too!

Until next time!

'No Makeup' Makeup Days

The products...

The face...

The cleanse and moisturise...

Ready for bed!

I'm going on holiday! Thinking about my beauty travel kit and mini Haul.

So I'm super excited! I'm going to Florida with my parents for two weeks, in only 7 and a half weeks time! Not long at all! And I'm very excited about this! So naturally I've been out today and brought some bits after making tonnes of lists... I love lists. So I thought hy not show you guys my packing process/progress as I love seeing what other people prioritise.

Right now back to today's adventure...

I've decided to take my large Union Jack to take all my beauty bits in, I've also thought about some hair bits and bobs which I've put out. As well as searching through my room for mini's or travel sized things to save for the trip. Also I've been searching for all my little travel pots, bottles and spray bottles to decant anything I fancy taking into. Although since I've got a bit of time before I go I will be saving my empties to do this too, so I can then just throw them away after, as I want all the room/weight possible to come back with :)

Then the next issue will be searching through my makeup kit wondering want to take, it's gonna be a toss up between what is compact, what works best or what's suitable for hot weather. Oh and I'm already trying to wrestle which myself over which naked palette to take...

I got overalls excited and started looking in a few shops for holiday bits.... I ended up coming home with a lovely swimming costume and some shortie Moomin pj's that I just couldn't leave! 

Hope you've enjoyed this little insight into my crazy excitement for my holiday and expect more (proper) packing posts closer to the time...