My Lancôme Lockdown Purchases

I made a bit of a splurge just before Christmas on some Lancôme skincare products. I mean, my focus should be more on skincare now that I rarely wear makeup due to lockdown, right?  Regardless of the reason, I discovered two firm favourites which I want to talk about...

Lancôme Miel-En-Mousse (£25.00/200ml)

Miel En Mousse is a cleanser, but not like anything that I have ever tried. It has a honey-like consistency coating the skin nicely as you apply this product onto dry skin. The smell of this product is divine - I feel like I am getting a facial - and one to two pumps is enough to thoroughly massage the product into your skin. Although you can use Miel-En-Mousse to take off minimal makeup, I much prefer to use this when I am not wearing makeup, so I can add the massaging element in to make the experience more spa-like. This isn't the right product to take off any stubborn makeup, such as waterproof mascara, so it's best to take off eye makeup with a separate cleanser.

Adding water will change the texture from honey-like to more milky and it's surprisingly easy to rinse off. Due to the product being enriched with Acacia honey, skin feels moisturised and not stripped after rinsing. I love the pump feature, it makes the whole process a lot more efficient and I truly think this is one of the best cleansers I have tried and definitely one I will repurchase!

Lancôme Tonique Confort (£28.00/200ml)

Last year I rediscovered my love for toners. I just think they are a great way of re-hydrating the skin after cleansing. The Lancôme Tonique Confort is slightly thicker than a water consistency and is super soothing on my skin. I find that if my skin is dry, irritated or sensitive at all, this toner really helps to bring things back to normal. I feel like my skin just eats this up. I like the fact that it hasn't got any active ingredients as I use this to give my skin a break and just ensure it's in tip top shape. The product smells like rose which I find really therapeutic as it's just a smell you want to keep inhaling! 

To use this, I apply one to two pea sized amounts to the palms of my hands and pat it firmly onto my skin. I try not to use cotton pads, as they are bad for the environment and also because they will soak up the majority of the product. The product sinks in super fast and your face is primed for the rest of your skincare! This is a product which I feel everyone would get along with, and I can see myself repurchasing it in the future. 

It's been a while since I bought some Lancôme products and I was really pleased with these two purchases. They have just made doing my skincare into more of a peaceful and luxurious space which just helps to book-end my mornings and evenings. 

Are there any products from Lancôme that you love? If so, please share below as I would love to know! Also be sure to follow me on Bloglovin to be the most up to date with my posts!  

Products I Regret Buying! #3

Trying and buying so many products sounds like the ideal life, however half the time the products that you come home with don't deliver which sucks. Luckily, even though I dislike hating on a product, I do love to use this chance to tell you guys why I didn't like a product. So here is products I regret buying #3!

Urban Decay Setting Sprays are cult favourites and I was really looking forward to try something that would help my make-up stay put and control my shine for a few extra hours. This was the first setting spray I tried, and it is actually one of the worst. I got the Urban Decay Deslick (£22.00/118ml) because it is tailored towards oily skin. It just didn't work for me, my make-up acted the same as when I didn't wear this product, so it really was a waste of money for me. However, I still want to try the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray because I know that is more popular and has had great reviews. In the mean time, I think I found my setting spray love in the L'Oreal Paris Infallible Fixing Mist (£7.99/100ml), it's a great price and works really well!

Another high end product I didn't exactly love was the Lancôme Grandiôse mascara (£25.00/10ml). I'm super picky with mascara, my eyelashes just don't hold a curl if the weight of the mascara is too wet or too heavy. This mascara can work for me if I am super careful which means I can't apply more than one layer otherwise my lashes will drop. I usually apply this as a last step on occasions to thicken my lashes after my mascara has dried so that my lashes look extra thick and black. I regret buying it because of the effort I have to go through using it, so even though I can make it work, I wouldn't purchase it again. 

While we are on the subject of mascara, the L'Oreal Mega Volume Collagen Mascara (£9.99/9ml), just didn't work for me at all, my lashes dropped within a few seconds of applying it. It's quite a thin formula, but it's not waterproof so I reckon that's why it doesn't hold a curl! It's super quick to tell if a mascara will work for you or not, so after I knew I just passed this onto my sister so it'll at least get some use.

A product that I have forgotten that I owned is Pixi Mesmerising Mineral Palette (£15.00) which is a stunning eye-shadow palette, I actually love these colours and each shadow is pigmented and unique. Unfortunately, the formula is quite thin and so creases really easily on me and so this simply doesn't get used a lot because I reach for the shadows that do last on me instead. When you own so many eye-shadows, you do begin to favour some things over others, and you tend to just go with the ones that deliver all the time. 

The last regret I have is Benefits Posytint Lip and Cheek Stain (£24.50/12ml). I've heard people say so many good things about this product and so I was excited to try it out when I purchased this as part of a mini set. When I tried this I was so disappointed, I dotted it onto my skin and blended immediately and although the colour spread a bit, you could see the stain where I had originally applied the product. no amount of blending got rid of it. On the lips it's nothing special either, and so I don't think that the price of this product is worth the formula at all.

I have to say that although I regret buying these products, they might work wonders for you. the eye-shadow palette, setting spray and mascara's are due to my awful lashes and my oily face. So if you share some of the same issues as me, then I wouldn't recommend these products! If any of you have had any luck with these products, I would love to know so be sure to comment below and also let me know what your current regrets are!
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The AM-PM Routine Tag

Recently Becki from Beauty and the Brunette tagged me when she did the AM-PM tag. It was really fun to  read because who doesn't like to snoop around in other peoples lives? So if you want to see my AM-PM routine then keep reading!

                                                                           AM

1) What is your morning beauty routine?

So I have successfully managed to drag myself away from my bed. After brushing my teeth, I head to the shower where I scrub my face with the No7 Beautiful Skin Purifying Exfoilator and then cleanse my face with the La Roche- Posay Effaclar Purifying Cleansing Gel. I love these two products as they are gentle on the skin yet clean it thoroughly! After the shower, I will spritz my face with the Avene Thermal Spring Water and pat that into my skin a minute later. Lately I have been getting seriously dry so then I apply my Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Facial Serum and then my La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + over the top which completes my skincare! 

2) What's for breakfast?

I'm not crazily religious when it comes to breakfast because I find that I'm craving lunch much more earlier than if I went without. Is that weird? If I do have breakfast then porridge is my go-to food but if I have more time then anything which includes sausages is top on my list! 

3) Coffee or Tea?

Tea! I love tea! However lately in the morning I have been trying that whole 'hot water with lemon' thing and it's going well! It's been more than a month since I started and it's very refreshing and not as...bitter as it originally was! I'm not a crazy coffee drinker, but if I need the energy then I will go with a drink with more caffeine! 

4) How long does it take you to get out the door?

I would say an hour. That's me doing the whole shebang - shower, blow-drying hair, make-up and clothes -

at my own pace. I can actually do this all in 40 minutes but that just stresses me out and I usually enjoy this hour I have to myself!

5) What is your go-to makeup look on a fuss-free morning?

I go for a natural awake look I would say! I focus on the base and eyes, so I use my L'Oreal Infallible Primer and then go in with my NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation and I will buff that in with my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I then focus on my brows using the L'Oreal Genius Brow Kit and also the Brow Artist Plumper. I then like to curl my lashes and add mascara so that I have some ounce of femininity! I then set my face with the L'Oreal Infallible Fixing Mist which I love! I swear I'm not sponsored by L'Oreal, they just have some good stuff and I am a sucker for deals!

PM

6) What is your evening beauty routine?

Recently, I have been using the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel to remove my makeup, it's a gel which transforms into an oil balm and I have been enjoying using it! Once my make-up is removed then I will wipe one of the Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads and then the rest of my skin-care is the same as my AM routine!
The only thing I add is my Lancôme Hydra Zen Yeux eyecream and I top everything off with my Sunday Riley Luna Oil! 

7) Snack time! What's in the bowl?

I am a sucker for sweet things at night! I will have some form of those 5 pack Sainsbury's own cookies, because I live like 10 steps away from Sainsbury's. I try (very hard) not to eat one everyday! 

8) How do you wind down and prep for bed?

I shower again at night to de-stress and relax my body. After the shower and doing my skincare routine, I like to head to bed and paint my nails while watching some form of tv show! I've just finished House M.D! I loved it and now I have to figure out what else to watch so I am open to some suggestions!

9) Cozy up! What are you wearing to sleep? 

I change things up, some days I like to wear a full set of PJ's, and other days I mix and match some shorts with a tank top. My university room is boiling in the summer so the latter is usually the case! 

10) What are some things you must do before hitting the hay? 

I like to plan out the next day by creating a list of things I need to do! This helps me be really productive in the morning! I check my alarm a few times too because I get panicky if I think I am late!

I hope you enjoyed reading this tag! It was really fun to write! If you enjoyed this post, then be sure to subscribe on Bloglovin'! 

Shopping my Stash

I don't know if I am the only one who gets the urge to go into Boots and buy everything I can get my hands on. Unfortunately since I don't have the means to do that, I've had to develop strong will power to resist those urges. Recently however, I have found myself looking at products deep within the recesses of my make-up bag to see if what I already own will make me relive that shopping experience...

The first thing I found was the M.A.C Mineralised Blush in 'Love Joy' (£22.00/3.2g). I picked this up on my way to Milan, in Summer 2014, and I did use it but for some reason I just...lost interest. I have phases with blush, sometimes I feel like I need it and other times I feel like I can go without. Anyway, lately I have been loving this because it's a bronze shade with a red undertone and gold shimmer and so on my skin tone it's very flattering, adding depth to my face with a flush of colour. Another reason  I like it is because it's got a good amount of pigmentation, you can build it up to be as deep as the swatch I have shown below, or can add it just to warm your face up slightly. I know this will be a nice summer staple for me, so I'm glad I rediscovered this!

The next item is also from the same Milan trip! It is the Lancôme Le Crayon Khôl in 02 Brun (£17.00/1.8g) This item has definitely been an on/off staple for me. It's a lovely brown eyeliner that I like to use when I want to add some definition to my eyes but not make them too bold. However lately I have been using this in a different way: I line my eyes messily with this product and then use a pencil brush to smudge out the product and the finished result is a wearable, slightly grunge style, smoky eye. I then proceed to tight-line my eyes with this product and also add it in my waterline so the colour is more concentrated closer to the eye. This takes me like 2-3 minutes to do and I love it, because it requires just one product that can be used in two different ways! Also this pencil is massive, so it's definitely worth the investment!

The last product that I rediscovered is the Eternity Moment Eau de Parfum by Calvin Klein (£50.00/50ml). This was a gift from my sister two years ago, one of five mini perfumes to try. Recently I cracked this out because I didn't want to run out of my other perfume, Sì by Giorgio Armani, and I was pleasantly surprised. If I had to describe this scent, I would say that is it smells quite sophisticated. I feel slightly older and more confident when I wear this, it's odd! It's a fresh floral scent that's not overpowering, having notes of Pomegranate Blossom, Litchi, Lily, Pink Peony, Guava and Musk. It's definitely one that is for young working women and so warrants a sniff!

I'm glad I shopped my own stash because I actually feel like I've discovered new products which have inspired new make-up looks. It's good to mix things around a little, and I would love to know if you have done this too and what items you have rediscovered or have found different uses for!

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To buy or Not to buy: Lancôme Grandiôse

The other week Lancôme had an amazing offer, buy any two items and get 8 samples for free (side note: The samples are amazing - head over to my Instagram to check out what I got!). I purchased the Lancôme Grandiôse Mascara (£25.00/10ml) as one of my purchases and I was excited to try out my first high-end mascara! I've worn this a few times now and I've surprisingly got a lot to say...

Firstly, isn't the packaging amazing, I love how different this looks. The bottle design is so sleek and the flower at the top just looks divine! I feel like you know the experience you will get with this product will be unlike anything you have ever tried before.

Opening up the bottle, you can see that it is a plastic wand. The wand however is ergonomically shaped to really hug and then push the lashes up. I actually quite like this design, I feel as though it does work to make the application process easier. With a traditional mascara you usually block your own view and so with this, you can actually see what you are doing!

As for the product itself, I have mixed feelings. I have straight, grey thin lashes and finding a mascara for me is tough anyway. I have to be quite careful with this mascara as if I apply too much, the curl that I created will drop. So I really need to thin out the application, but the finished results do look great. However there is that margin for error, so for speedy days - I don't reach for this. However, another way I have been enjoying wearing this is over the top of my everyday mascara. This end result of that is that my lashes look thicker and blacker, which looks really nice when you are going out for the evening!

The formula is not overly wet nor dry, it's a mix. You can create a few looks with this mascara, I prefer to add definition by really being quite specific with where I want to add length. This also can really add thickness to your lashes making them more clumpy but in a really awesome way, and so you get more of a dramatic, doe-eyed effect.

In terms of removal, I have had absolutely no problems with taking this off, my cleansing oils can do the trick without any need of using a separate eye make-up remover, so it's hassle free for all those in favour of skipping steps!

Curled eyelashed with one coat of Lancôme Grandiôse

So to buy or not to buy? Honestly, it depends on your lashes. I know I won't repurchase this, but it wasn't a complete fail, I still can wear this in a few different ways and honestly, I do actually like how different this mascara is. I also prefer to layer this product, I feel like I get a more 'false lash effect' that's quite dramatic and is unlike anything else I have in my make-up bag at the moment.

For girls who have stronger lashes that are more curled than mine, I know you will enjoy this because it's really good at emphasising what you have already got.

Anyway, I'm glad I got to try this! I would love to know if any of you guys have tried this and what you thought of it? Is there any high-end mascara's that you love? If so please share! I'm always on the lookout!

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