TK Maxx Nail Extravagansa

If you haven't already heard TK Maxx are really upping their game when it comes to beauty products we were just in there this morning and we found amazing cosmetic bargains from Stila, Pixi, Elizabeth Arden, Bourjois and more, there were also bargains from Garnier and Bedhead. Although I think bargain hunters had got there before us as there wasn't much left!

But what excited us most was their stand of Nails Inc, Essie, Andrea Fullerton and Leighton Denny nail varnishes!!!

They had a whole section of Nails Inc gift sets ranging from £9.99 to £24.99, with a mix of old season colours such as glitter, darks and summer brights. 

The above set caught our eye the most it would be a great present for any nail varnish addict, unfortunately we are both skint so couldn't justify buying the set when we have hundreds of nail varnishes already.

They also had ESSIE nail varnishes in sets of three for a bargain price of £9.99... we absolutely squealed with delight as we had been dying to try them out, they were all classic pink/red/manicure colours. This is the set that Rachel bought.

We also sneakily hand picked the nicest spring colours to make a set for a giveaway!

We definitely will be making more trips to TK Maxx for bargains!

Elaine & Rachel

NOTD - H&M Blue My Mind

I featured this nail varnish in a mini haul/shopping H&M post and I must say its my new favourite nail polish. As you can see its a fantastic bold and undeniably bright blue. I don't think this photo really does it justice as in real life I find it much brighter and slightly darker. I'd say it was comparable to the famous Nails Inc Baker Street but I personally prefer this cheap one from H&M at only £2.99. This photo is with two coats and lasted a good few days before chipping, although I must say it was a bit of a pain to apply as I found the formula quite thick - thicker than my other H&M polishes.

So what do you think? Do you own any H&M nail polishes?

Rachel

Steamcream Review

Steamcream say - We handmake STEAMCREAM in the UK and Japan with fresh natural ingredients, fused together with a shot of steam. Our unique method means that STEAMCREAM gives your face instant refreshment the moment you use it. It’s super-moisturising, sinks deep down and revives your skin straight away.

I received a full sized version if this in my Carmine box (RIP) I was really excited to try this as I’d heard a lot about this brand and well the tin is adorable!  I firstly tried this product on my face but I found my skin felt quite tingly and uncomfortable with it on, however as the cream smelt delicious and as I’d heard such good things about it I tried it as a hand cream instead. I’ve had this product on my desk at work for the last few months and I’ve been using it as a hand/arm cream so here are my thoughts -

I love that this cream is natural and handmade, I also think the scent is delicious, it’s very fragrant and is a blend of essential oils, although really I could only smell a strong lavender scent. The cream is an off white colour and is quite watery in texture, however on the skin it does feel extremely rich and skins in fast. However overall I was disappointed with this product, I found that as a hand cream it doesn't give me enough moisture or penetrate the skin enough, overall I really don’t feel my hands are any softer from using it (It’s worth noting that I personally have very dry hands). I’ve also found that this cream leaves my hands with a weird texture, not greasy at all but almost like they have a dry film on them, quite bizarre.

So finally as much as I truly wanted to LOVE this product I’m afraid I really don’t. I won’t be buying a replacement and I don’t think it’s worth its £12.95 price tag.  


Have you tired Steamcream? what did you think?

Rachel

My Everyday Favourites

As Rachel is currently on holiday in Morocco for her birthday (lucky...) I thought I would do a post about my everyday favourites rather than just May's as I realised I hadn't posted about this yet.


Makeup
I just wear basic makeup during the day, I just find it easier when I'm half asleep getting ready for work in the morning.

I have mentioned most of these before so I wont go on and on...

L'Oreal Million Lashes Extra Black - Still my all time favourite mascara, I just bought this on Cheapsmells.com for only £7.99 and free p&p.

Collection 2000 Extreme Felt tip eyeliner - I love this it is soo easy to use I also have the purple and Teal colours. Be warned don't try the teal as a tested on your hands it really does last 24 hrs, the purple and the black not so much.

Maxfactor Khol eyeliner - Has to be the blackest softest eyeliner pencils I have ever used.

Garnier Eye roll on in Light- Brilliant for those tired days and my friend Sophie told me hey are on offer in Morrisons for only £2!!

Garnier BB Cream for combination/oily skin - Love it! See my earlier post.

(T-B) Hervana, Coralista & Thrrrob

 I use these Benefit blushers everyday (not all at once of course!) and I love them, they are quite expensive at £23.50 per blusher but I was lucky enough to receive them as presents, apart from Hervana I have used these everyday for a good couple of years and I'm yet to hit the pan. They last on your cheeks all day, which is amazing as they sometimes out last foundation.

Hervana is a lovely berry colour when it's all mixed up, Coralista is a rosey gold which is perfect for the spring/summer and Thrrrob is a pretty glowing pink great for all year round.

(L-R) Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti & 17 Mirror Shine in Beehive

I am obsessed with these two lipsticks and if I'm not wearing one I'm wearing the other, I find they complement my skin tone really well and are soo easy to wear. I have bought many other lipsticks since I got these but I always seem to reach for tutti frutti and beehive instead.

Skin Care
I go through phases of trying loads of new skin care products so I haven't included everything I use as it changes all the time, so these are my staple products that I always use.

Simple foaming face wash and face wipes - I normally buy loads of the face wipes when they are on offer and recently found the face wash for half price in Bodycare!

Olay Complete Care Day Fluid - I use this everyday as I find it is a perfect moisturiser for my oily skin and I feel better knowing I am covered with SPF 15, I normally find it on offer but you can get it for around £5.

Figs & Rouge Lip balm - I have posted about this before so I won't go on but I do love it!

Hair Care

I'm pretty fickle with hair products if there is a new shampoo promising me volume or brilliant shine chances are it will be in my bathroom within a couple of weeks, I often have around 3 shampoos on the go at any time, but this is the shampoo and conditioner I have just repurchased in a huge (400ml) bottle, which is very rare for me.

Firstly I have to say I absolutely hate the fragrance of the Aussie shampoo, but luckily I got used to it and I don't find the fragrance is in my hair after I have dried it.

I wouldn't say that this gives my hair anymore volume than others do after I have dried my hair but the main thing is the body it does give my hair actually lasts all day, I find the layers in my hair look better and overall my hair looks better and more of a style rather than just hanging there, this works even better when I use it with my Aveda Phomollient, which I couldn't find when I took these photos but I use that pretty much everyday too.

Perfume

I am obsessed with Ralph by Ralph Lauren and was going through bottles of the stuff until I found this extremely cheap dupe in Boots for only £3.99, it's called you & me by Love Parfums, it smells lovely and fruity so I use that during the day and save my Ralph for best!

So these are my everyday favourites, sorry it's such a long post hope you didn't get bored!

Elaine

Magazine Freebies! Glamour, Instyle, Marie Claire & Red...

July must be the month for amazing freebies on magazines! All magazines are out NOW so hurry if you want your freebies... especially Glamour (that sells out quick!).

Glamour

Eva Longoria and Fearne Cotton are also on this month's Glamour covers.

Glamour are giving away sample/travel sizes of Benefit favourites Porefessional, That Gal and Bad Gal mascara, I have already been out and bought a few glamour magazines to get the Porefessional and That Gal (the shop assistant did look at me like I was crazy but I don't mind). Glamour is only £2 so it's well worth stocking up!

Instyle

 Instyle have free full sized mascara and black or navy eyeliner from the Body Shop, I was tempted to get the mascara but I have tried body shop mascara before and wasn't impressed, and I have enough eyeliner to last me a lifetime!

Marie Claire

Marie Claire are offering free Ciate nail polish in three shades, I have only seen two so far a lilac and nice beige shade, both colours I have loads of so decided to give this a miss too.

Red

Red are offering free full sized Jemma Kidd Makeup School volumising mascara or eyeliner, I was really looking forward to this offer, so I got the mascara, I tried it out last night and it was actually quite good but with too many coats it can get a bit clumpy but well worth it at only 

£3.90. Red have been brilliant with their giveaways the past couple of months!

This is a great month for freebies! I love this time of year!!

Elaine