Empties #2

Wow so this is only my second ever empties post - if you fancy reading my first from mid-February click HERE. I quite like reading other bloggers' empties posts, so I'm trying my hardest to remember to keep my empty products so I can keep up doing my own! They're a good way of seeing which products people are actually using all the way to the end and whether any will be repurchased. So here are my recent empties:

The tiny vial you can see top left is Liz Earle Botanical Essence No 15 - and I adore it! I am a big fan of the musky, earthy tones of the perfume and I would love to own it but it's just a little out of my price range at the moment! I recommend giving it a try if you're on the market for a new scent though.

I wasn't as sad as I should have been to finish up my Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Parfum - this is my all time favourite scent and the most repurchased perfume for me ever. However, my Mum bought Dot for me as a Christmas present and I was so so keen to try it - I think in the last couple of weeks I probably used about twice as much of Daisy as I would normally out of sheer impatience! But now it's gone I do miss it. I'm not sure whether I will repurchase right away because I'm enjoying trying some new scents, like Dot and I fancy checking out the new Daisy Eau so Fresh for summer. Very old review post HERE.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter is possibly my longest running HG item in the history of me using moisturiser (so let's say around 12 years - wow I feel old). I cannot adaquately put into words how much I love this product - it is amazing and works so well for me! I use this every day on the keratosis pilaris (aka annoying red spotty dry skin) on the backs of my arms and have done for years and years. Using this religiously combined with regular exfoliation has all but banished my keratosis pilaris and now I almost have regular arms! WOOHOO. That in itself is enough to justify the fact that I repurchase this like a madwoman, and currently have about 3 more massive pump top tubs in my 'spare products' basket. LOVE. Embarassingly old review HERE.

My Soap & Glory Clean Girls shower gel has been on the go since November, so it's lasted a pretty decent amount of time! I really like S&G shower gels - you get a nice big product, a convenient pump and you're guaranteed a nice scent regardless of which actual gel you select. I've used a few in the past have found them all brilliant and great value for money. I won't be repurchasing Clean Girls simply because I have a couple of other S&G shower gels in my basket waiting to be used, but I recommend it.

Honourable mention for my cheap and cheerful Sainsburys own brand nail varnish remover. In all honesty I don't pick and choose between nail varnish removers - I'm probably a bad beauty blogger because I don't even pay attention to whether I'm buying something that's got acetone in it or not. However this one was cheap and did the job fine, so well done Sainsburys.

White Glo is my go-to toothpaste and has been for a couple of years now. I've even got my sister and the boyfriend onto the stuff! Although my teeth aren't as white as they could/should be (I need to top up with some Crest White Strips soon!) this toothpaste keeps them pretty pearly, tastes nice, is always on offer in Boots, and because it comes with a toothbrush it means I always have spares for houseguests! Click HERE for my review.

Sally Hansen Insta Dri is seriously one of my desert island products. I do not know how I would cope without this product - it changed the way I do my nails! It's the best fast dry topcoat I've used and I've repurchased this so many times. I recommend it to everyone if you haven't tried it before.

Finally this little sample of Liz Earle Moisturiser was sent to me when I placed an order for a few cleansers - it took me a good 6-8 weeks to finish it, which is mighty impressive for a tiny sample! This moisturiser has been saving my skin throughout the winter, and I've been planning a proper review post for a while so watch this space.

If nothing else this post has made me realise I may need to 're-review' some of my all time favourite products as the links to reviews are almost 2 years old and from the bad old days of poor photography. Thank goodness Bee's Knees has improved since then!

What products have you finished up recently?

xx

ps. a little reminder that items in my BLOG SALE are all 3 for the price of 2 (cheapest item free) until midnight tomorrow!

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Mini Boots haul - feat. Models Own & Soap & Glory

Hi everyone! Only a quick haul post this evening - I hope you're all having a lovely weekend. This weekend is a bit of a strange one for me as I've had the whole week off on annual leave, and I've been enjoying lots of snoozing, dog walking and evenings in with my boyfriend. Perfection. If you're on the market for some beauty bargains check out my BLOG SALE - until midnight on Monday items are 3 for the price of 2 (cheapest item free) - includes Rimmel Apocalips, Benefit Bene Tint, Liz Earle moisturiser & more!

A couple of weekends ago I picked up a few items from Boots as they had their 3 for the price of 2 mix and match make up products promotion on - even when I worked there as a poor old student I never resisted this offer!

I picked up a Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick, the S&G Kick Ass Concealer and FINALLY managed to get my mitts on Models Own Utopia!

Models Own Utopia is notoriously difficult to track down and it literally made my day when I picked it up (how sad!). I also got the S&G Gloss Stick in Plum Jam (what a delicious name!) after hearing numerous bloggers raving about it. I already have the Fuschia-ristic shade and adore it (review HERE) so this was a no-brainer. Models Own Utopia is £5 from Boots online HERE or instore, or you can buy it from Models Own online HERE. The S&G Gloss Sticks are £8 and available from Boots instore or online HERE.

Obviously I picked up the lightest shade of the Kick Ass Concealer from S&G. I have loved many S&G products I've tried so far so I'm excited to see if this will be a good product to combat my awful eye bags!

Stay tuned for individual product reviews!

Have you treated yourself to anything in the Boots 3 for the price of 2 make up promotion?

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Spendthrift Saturday #12

Morning everyone! I hope you're having a lovely relaxing bank holiday weekend. I've spent a fair bit recently and will be avoiding the shops (both online and IRL) today, and heading to the bowling alley with my family! If your plans include finding some online bargains, make sure you check the discount codes below first!

Use code KP39 to save 10% on full price and reduced items at Debenhams (exclusions apply)

Expires - unknown

Save 10% off orders, including sale items, at Joules when you use ALL10

Expires - midnight 31 March 2013

You can save 20% on dresses at Oasis with code DRESS20

Expires - midnight 31 March 2013

Get 10% off at Lipsy when you use VC1303B

Expires - midnight 1 Aprl 2013

Save yourself 30% off orders at Motel Rocks with code VCMARCH30

Expires - midnight 31 March 2013

If you're looking for a beauty bargain then all items in my BLOG SALE are currently 3 for the price of 2 until midnight Monday 1 April!

Happy saving!

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick - Fire & Ice

Morning all! I am too excited to share this lipstick with you! This was the lipstick I bought for my Marilyn Monroe fancy dress make up, as I wanted something by a reputable brand that would last all night and not dry my lips out. I looked at some reviews and eventually decided to head into Boots to swatch Revlon's 'Fire & Ice'.

The packaging on pretty much all Revlon make up is simple and chic, and this feels much more substantial than my other cheaper brand lipsticks, for example Barry M. But as this retails for £7.49 my expectations were high!

I must confess, the main factor in my decision to buy this lipstick was that it was on offer for £5 in Boots at the time, and I managed to leave buying my Marilyn lipstick until a couple of hours before I needed to be heading out! A rushed decision, but one that I do not regret!

Again, the packaging is classic and stylish and I really like it. Fire & Ice is a very true red lipstick - which was perfect for me when I bought it as obviously Marilyn was famous for her statement red lip! 

You can see the colour is just gorgeous. The consistency of this lipstick is very creamy (but it doesn't melt like some other creme lipsticks I've tried) and it applies beautifully either from the stick or using a lip brush (which is how I applied my lipstick for accuracy reasons). It lasted and lasted and lasted, although I did top up 2-3 times over the course of the evening (7 hours), but that was primarily because I was drinking and causing the colour to fade.

I am fair skinned but love making a bold statement with a red lip and this shade was ideal for me, it really suited my skin and did not wash me out or make me look like a clown. If you're on the market for a fabulous red lipstick then look no further - you have to try Fire & Ice! Buy from Boots in store or online.

What is your favourite brand for red lipstick?

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Mini Primark Spring Haul

I popped into the Stratford City Primark with my sister when she came to visit a couple of weekends ago. Somehow she always manages to visit at this time of year and without fail we always shop and spend quite substantial amounts of money - it's becoming something of an annual tradition! Although I'm not going on holiday this year, I did pick up a few pretty Spring/Summer buys from Primark that I hope you'll like!

This green & yellow striped dress was something I spotted in the TCR Primark and lusted after, but unfortunately they didn't have my size. I was hoping that they'd have it at Stratford City and literally ran to grab one as soon as I saw it! I think it's a beautiful shape, really well made and something just a little bit different to the average summer dress you often find in Primark. It was a touch pricey (for Primark!) at £15 but I would have paid £15 for it at any other high street shop as it's so gorge!

These huge round sunnies were such a bargain at £2! I used to buy a new pair of Primark sunglasses each summer but I think in the past couple of years the standards have slipped... but I always check out the new stock when it comes in! I tried these on (along with a million other pairs - me and my sister can't be the only sillies who do that for fun?!) and it was instant love. The watercolour frames are cute but not OTT and I will be popping these on as soon as the weather picks up.

Finally (and least interestingly) these cute grey frill top socks! These were only a pound or two but I think it's worth sharing them as Topshop sell the same thing but for double the price. Make sure you don't get ripped off and pick the cheap ones up from Primark!

Have you bought anything for Spring lately? What did you get?

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

MUA Artiste Collection Palette

WOW this post has been waiting a long time to get written! I acquired the MUA Artiste Collection palette a good few months ago - possibly as far back as pre-Christmas but for whatever reason I haven't gotten around to reviewing it until now! It was a free gift with an order I made, but retails for £6.

This is the first palette I've owned that isn't just eyeshadows - the Artiste Collection features 6 'merged' eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 1 bronzer and 1 highlighter. When I first received it I was quite excited at the prospect of one palette that would cover 4 different needs - I thought I would be able to cut out a lot of my make up when packing for visits home to Leeds or visiting friends.

The names of the eyeshadows L>R are:

Pistachio  Mocha  Ice  Grape  Chocolate  Cookie

The two blushes L>R are:

Pink Sparkle  Primrose

The bronzer is:

Bronzed

The highlighter is:

Shimmer Kiss

These are the eyeshadows swatched L>R in the same order listed above. It was hard to get a photograph which showed Pistachio and Mocha clearly as they are by far the lightest shades. On the lid, Pistachio is a creamy white, whereas Mocha is a beautiful cappuchino colour.

Here are the eyeshadows swatched in the opposite order to the photo above (not very helpful, sorry!)  I tend to wear Pistachio with black eyeliner as it makes the colour stand out, whereas Mocha is great for neutral days when I'm wearing a thicker brown eyeliner. I haven't worn the blue (Ice) yet as I don't really wear colour on my eyes.

Again, these are swatched in the opposite direction as shown above. I haven't tried Grape yet, but Chocolate (middle) is a fantastic shimmer brown which is useful in many different ways and Cookie (far left) is a nice warm peachy brown and excellent for a subtle smokey eye.

The quality of MUA eyeshadows is absolutely fantastic, especially in comparison to similar priced drugstore brands. I already own the Undressed eyeshadow palette by MUA (you can read my review HERE) and love it. The quality is consistently good with excellent colour payoff, fantastic lasting power and they don't crease! What more could you want?!

Here are the blushes Pink Sparkle and Primrose top > bottom. I didn't use these for a while after getting the palette, but once I did I fell in love! They're both really nice subtle colours which add a bit of flush to my especially pasty winter face! The lasting power is good, but not excellent - i.e. after 12-14 hours' wear there isn't much left. However having them within the palette is good for travel and I do like the colours.

Here is the bronzer and the highligher swatched. I did try to use this bronzer as a contour colour but as you can probably tell, it is way too dark for me! Even with a light hand and a soft brush it just makes my skin look bruised - not quite the look I was going for! The highlighter on the other hand is a stunning shimmer white shade and I absolutely adore it. It's one of the only pressed powder highlighters I own and I really love it and have used it a lot. It's easy to apply as a highlight all over your face but I use it most on my cheekbones and inner eye. The big downside is the total lack of longevity - I think this lasts a few hours maximum which is so disappointing as I would use it everyday it it lasted a bit longer.

Overall for £6 I think this is a good palette to have in your make up collection, especially if like me you're often visiting friends and family and need a compact everyday make up item to help you pack light! I do use a couple of the eyeshadows on a daily basis and the quality of them is outstanding. The blushers are also good, and I love the highlighter although the lack of longevity of these has, in my opinion, let the palette down on the whole. It would be brilliant if the bronzer was the right shade for my skin tone, but you can't win them all - I reckon if you have a warmer skintone you might be able to use that too. 

You can buy the Artiste Palette from MUA online HERE, or at Superdrug  instore or online HERE (free delivery until 2 April!).

Do you own this palette? What do you think of it?

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Blogger Out of Office

Hi everyone! So you might have noticed I didn't post yesterday, and I won't be posting a regular post today either! In case anyone is wondering (and doesn't follow me on Twitter) - I'm currently enjoying a week off work and spending it back home with my family in Leeds. I am not apologising for not posting, as I don't think I need to (and I find it odd when bloggers do apologise for not posting), I just thought I would post something of a 'blogger out of office' message for anyone who happens across Bee's Knees expecting new posts this week.

(source)

I'm not sure when I will find time to blog - it could be a day, it could be all week! But who cares, I'm enjoying myself.

So:

"Thank you for visiting Bee's Knees. I am currently out of the office on annual leave however check back soon as regular posting will resume shortly. In the meantime, if you have any urgent questions or queries please contact me @ElspethDaisy on Twitter, or email elspethdaisy@yahoo.co.uk"

xx


Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Real Techniques Core Collection - from iHerb

So unless you've been living under a rock, you will have heard of the Real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman. They are heralded by many beauty bloggers as the best make up brushes on the market. The one thing that always put me off purchasing them was the price - the range is usually priced at around £10/brush which is quite steep if you already have brushes that you use that work perfectly fine... well what if I were to tell you there is a website where you can order the Core Collection for around £12 including shipping?!

The site is iHerb.com - an American drugstore website that doesn't look all that from the homepage, but it sells a number of brands, including Real Techniques, at low prices in comparison to the UK. The Core Collection retails for $17.99 - which converts to around £11.

The Core Collection includes four brushes - the infamous buffing brush which is only available as part of this collection, a detail brush, a pointed foundation brush and a contour brush. The buffing brush and the contour brush were my main reasons for purchasing this set.

No only do you get four amazing brushes for £11, you also get a case which converts into this nifty stand! I find this ideal for when I've washed my brushes and they need to air dry.

Here's the case all wrapped up safe - perfect for when you're travelling with your Core Collection! I will do a separate post reviewing the actual brushes in the Core Collection but I just wanted to share this absolute bargain with you all! Not only is the Core Collection ~£11 from iHerb, but shipping to the UK is only $6, and you can save $5 from your first order using code VJM416 which basically reduces the shipping charge down to $1. Click!

So for only £12 you can get the Real Techniques Core Collection delivered to your door in a matter of days. Mine took 10 days to arrive. I am overjoyed to have found this bargain way to invest in some really excellent make up brushes - I hope you've enjoyed this post and find it helpful if you've been pondering whether to buy these brushes recently!

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Spendthrift Saturday #11

Morning everyone! All I can say is thank goodness gracious it's the weekend. This has been one of the most stressful weeks of my career - working 55+ hours this week has really done me in and I was at my lowest ebb last night. So much so that I ended up having my first ever panic/anxiety attack. I had no idea this was what was happening to me until about 25minutes after when my boyfriend suggested it. It was the worst feeling in the world. So it's safe to say after the week I've had I am overjoyed to be on my way home for 9 days to see my family, catch up on sleep and generally feel human again. Whilst I'm on my pilgrimage to Leeds, here are this week's voucher codes:

Save 7% at Feel Unique and get free delivery with code VCCOUK7

Expires - 31 March 2013

10% off at Hotel Chocolat when you use VCSPR10B

Expires - 24 March 2013

VCUK1070 will get you 10% off your order at Boots

Expires - 28 March 2013

A repeat from previous weeks, but it's a long running one and worth reminding you about! Save 25% on the highest priced item in your basket at H&M with code 0241.

Expires - 1 August 2013

Happy saving!

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

New Look Haul #2 - Spring

If you haven't read my first New Look Haul post from earlier in the week, you can see it HERE. I divided my New Look purchases into two posts as I shopped online and visited in store... keen bean that I am. Today's post is sharing purchases I made at the New Look at Westfield Stratford City at the weekend with my sister.

I already own a pair of denim high waisted shorts from New Look and I love them! They fit like a dream, however they are quite dark denim which I think restricts how I can wear them - they don't feel very summery so I never wear them with bare legs. I was keen to see if New Look had something similar but in a lighter denim, and was delighted to find this polka dot distressed pair! How adorable are these going to look in the warmer weather? I think they'll look great with sheer black tights or bare legged! £19.99 Click!

This style of crochet vest has been knocking around for years! But for whatever reason I haven't picked one up until now... I am super excited for the weather to get a bit warmer so I can wear this out with jeans, or tucked into shorts or a skirt! This was only £16.99 which is a little cheaper than the price point for this kind of top, so I'm happy.

This pastel blue light knit jumper was reduced down to £7 and I couldn't resist picking it up. I think it will be ideal for colder days in the Spring and Summer where you want to be a bit more snug without looking like you're wearing your winter wardrobe. Click!

Now this is my favourite out of the haul - how beautiful is this sheer blouse?! I fell in love with the pattern (perhaps because it matches my bedding? Haha!) and the cream and blue go together wonderfully. I think I will be wearing this at every possible opportunity in the summer! I have some simple midi skirts that I think would dress it up for more formal occasions too. And only £16.99! BARGAIN.

Are you picking up bits for Spring and Summer too?

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Today I'm posting a long overdue review of the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I know that almost every beauty blogger out there raves about this concealer, but I thought it was worth contributing my two penneth as well.

I bought the lighted shade - Fair - in the hopes that it wouldn't be too dark for my pale skin. I have had countless problems in the past with orange concealers and hoped this one would match up!

I apply this concealer by dabbing a little product on the back of my hand using the wand, and then I apply to my under eye area with my finger. I have tried using a concealer brush for this but I really think it looks the most natural using your finger! 

Pre-blended in, this looks like it might not be a perfect match for my skin tone...

..but once it's blended it is perfect. It covers my under eye circles nicely, although I don't think it gives me the completely flawless look I would like. It's not too cakey, it blends well and looks like skin - so gives a natural finish. Overall I'm impressed and happy with this concealer and use it every day - I'll continue using it every day until I find something that really does completely obliterate my eye bags, but for £4.19 it will do for the foreseeable future! Click.

Have you tried the Lasting Perfection Concealer? What products help you deal with your under eye area?

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty