Pre Christmas de-stash

C: so confession… I’m a terrible beauty blogger. I have a slight obsession with using up products before I start something new (I hate wasting stuff!) which when blogging about beauty related stuff, isn’t a particularly useful habit to have! So it seemed only natural for my first post back to be talking about the products I’m trying to declutter before I get some Christmas treats and accidentally waste all my money in the sales!

So let’s start off with the no7 hot cloth cleanser. I actually really like this! It’s perfect for my sensitive skin and really helps keep my skin moisturised in these cold winter months. But I’m just a bit bored of seeing it in my bathroom/want to try the Liz Earle bad boy that’s waiting for me in my stash!

We then have benefits hoola bronzer, which is a deluxe sample size that has lasted me FOREVERRRR. (Mainly cos Ivy ran off with it one day and I found it months later hidden inside a pair of her tights. Excellent hiding place). I really like this, but once again i have lots of new bronzers awaiting me!

Also benefit I have a sample of their watts up highlighter that I got for Christmas years ago and had never opened. I didn’t think I liked cream highlighters but have started using this and I actually love it! Once it’s finished and I have decluttered my collection a little I will totally buy the full size of this! A great colour for pale skin that’s easy to blend and lasts all day.

Next up we have a battered and well used w7 in the buff palette. I have been trying to finish this up for about 2 years now… no joke! If you want a cheap neutral palette that lasts you your whole life (minor exaggeration) get this! I have removed the pans I have finished up or hated (there were two silver grey shades that had super chunky horrid glitter in) so now there’s 4 left! After my job and child using this up is probs my current life achievement.

Last but not least is this battered and bruised (also Ivy’s fault) Mac highlighter! Poor thing. It’s annoying me being all broken in my collection but I hate wasting so need to finish it up asap! Will be walking round like Edward Cullen in the sunlight for the foreseeable future in my aim to finish it!

So what do you guys reckon to my use up choices?! Reckon I can finish them by Christmas?? Hopefully these bad boys will be featured in an empties post soon!

December 2015’s Empties Part One : Facial Skincare and Make-Up!

C: so this month in a bid to use up lots of half used products in prep for my Christmas clear out I have used up a whopping 24 products! Because I have used so many I have split this post into two, so my body skincare, shower gels and hair care products will be discussed in my next post so I don’t bore you all too much with a super mega long post!

Facial Skincare

The Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner – I actually stole this from Annie as I wanted to try it and she wasn’t in love, so cheers Annie, I have now used it up if you were hoping for it back… long story short, I didn’t love this. It didn’t irritate my skin, it removed any last traces of make up… but it was just a bit sticky? Which I find weird for a toner and didn’t make my skin feel especially clean or nice.

Repurchase? No.

Lush Tea Tree Water – this is currently my HG toner. It doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin but is powerful enough to actually make a difference on my spots and blemishes.

Repurchase? Hella yeah

Clinique Clarifying Lotion – this is one of those products that has been basically empty for about a year I swear but never ended. I only use this about twice a week, when I feel like my skin needs a deep clean or I have been wearing a lot of make up and want to make sure it has been removed properly. If I use this more often its just too strong for my sensitive skin and causes redness/itching. But I love it for those days when I have had cray cray make up (Im thinking of you, Halloween!).

Repurchase? Yes.

Soap & Glory Fab Pore Mask – it wouldnt be one of my empty posts if it didn’t feature some S&G products would it? I enjoyed using this (don’t leave it on too long else you will have a sad face) and it made my skin feel super clean. It also lasts ages considering its quite a small pot as you really don’t need much. As for pore minimising? I didn’t notice much, but realistically I don’t think any products achieve the ever searched for pore minimising-ness. Yep, thats deffo a word.

Repurchase? If I hadn’t already got about 6 other face masks to use up then yes.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser – I reviewed this here, so check out my review if you are interested in trying this.

Repurchase? Yes, its perfect for sensitive skin

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel – another product we have previously reviewed.

Repurchase? If I hadn’t asked Santa for it then yes!

Make-Up

Mac Matchmaster Foundation – this foundation is AMAZING. I love it, and its the perfect foundation if you are super pale like me as they have load’s of shades to match you too! This also lasted me a year!

Repurchase? Yes!

Benefit They’re Real Mascara – another product I have previously reviewed, but this bad boy is my HG mascara! I love it! Perfect for thick, long lashes that last all day!

Repurchase? Yes!

No7 Gold Glitter Top Coat – this has alas died of old age *insert sad face. I have had this about two years though so I really can’t complain! Due to all the glitter sinking to the bottom I seem to have used up all the nail varnish without the glitter… bad times! Love it though!

Repurchase? I already have another!

Korres Eyeliner – this used to be my go-to eyeliner. It is super soft and pigmented so I used this to create a feline flick on my upper lashes when I was too lazy to use liquid eyeliner! It also lasts all day without smudging (although it smudges a little if using on your lower lash line)

Repurchase? I would if I didn’t have a large amount of eye liners to use up!

So there we have the first part of my December empties! Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you have tried any of these products and agree with my mini reviews! #twolittleowls

 

Chloe’s November Empties 2015

C: another monthly empties post for you guys this month and with a grand total of 13 products used up (most of which are full sized!) this is quite possibly my most successful empties post yet! Clearly having a baby and not being able to go shopping for new things all the time is super useful in using up your stash! I have split the photos up into the types of products I am going to talk about so it is a little easier to follow, so hope you enjoy my mini reviews!

Stretchmark/Baby Related Skincare

Neals Yard Mothers Massage Oil – I received this in a gift set at my baby shower and was really excited about trying things from a brand I hadn’t really used before but unfortunately this product just wasn’t for me. I don’t like oils! They are too oily… which I know is the point I just personally don’t like them. Plus I managed to drop half of this on the floor as it came out the bottle too quick. It did smell nice though and was nice and moisturising, couldn’t comment on its stretch mark reduction though as this only lasted me about a week.

Repurchase? No.

Shea Mooti Mama’s Everything Body Balm – I received this in my Sassybloom subscription box, but unfortunately this was another product that I didn’t really enjoy using. When you massaged it in it turned to an oil and it smelt horrid. I don’t even know how to describe the smell but for such an expensive product I was pretty disappointed!

Repurchase? No.

Neals Yard Mothers Balm – I did actually quite like this! Although it turned to an oil when warmed up it sunk in nicely and didn’t leave me feeling all sticky and horrid. It was also super moisturising and although I don’t know whether it reduced stretch marks it certainly got rid of that horrid itchy skin you get when your skin is stretching/shrinking!

Repurchase? No, as I no longer need such products but I would consider it again if ever pregnant again.

Skincare

Plush Therapy Mild Dermabrasion Face & Body Scrub – I received this sample in a Birchbox, and although I am suspicious of multi use products I decided to give it a go/use it up out the way. As usual my suspicions were correct and this seemed a pretty pointless product to me! It wasn’t scrubby enough to be in anyway exfoliating for my face, and the pot was too tiny to really test my body with it more than once! It also didn’t really make my skin feel clean or nice or anything…

Repurchase? Nope.

Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser – one of my favourite face products that I have reviewed here and features in many of my empties posts!

Repurchase? Yes! Its true love!

B. Pure Micellar Water – I am really proud of myself for finishing this up as I hated it! It stings my eyes/makes them water loads and makes my skin feel all sticky and horrid after using it! This lived in my work bag for emergencies for ages, and then I have finally finished the last little bit up as I ran out of my Garner Micellar water before I could get another!

Repurchase? No!

Body Stuff

Soap & Glory Butter Yourself Body Cream – dunno if you can tell from this post… but I might just be a massive S&G fan! I received this little beauty for Christmas and have finally got round to using it! It smells amazing and is super moisturising. S&G body butters are my fav moisturisers so I go through them quickly!

Repurchase? If I didn’t already have some more to use up then yes definitely!

Dove Silky Nourishing Body Cream – another moisturiser I got for Christmas and have finally finished up! I wasn’t expecting much from this really, but I actually enjoyed using it. It smelt nice and was a lovely light moisturiser to use daily.

Repurchase? Probably not as I love others more, but I would happily use this again if I received it!

Soap & Glory Heel Genius Foot Cream – another item that I have reviewed here. Made my boyfriend give me lots of foot massages both pre and post baby, mainly because I couldn’t reach my own feet to moisturise them so this came in handy!

Repurchase? I would do, but I have a couple of little versions of this to use up first!

Beauticology Hot Chocolate Shower Creme – once again another Christmas gift! Definitely got enough bath/body stuff to last me all year apparently! I wasn’t keen on this though, the scent got a bit sickly after a while so I couldn’t use it every day, and I didn’t find that that formula lathered up very well either.

Repurchase? No.

Make-Up/Perfume

Elf High Definition Powder – I bought this ages ago and it has lasted absolutely ages! I loved it when I first got it, but after a while it got a little bit clumpy/I got bored of making a mess every time I opened it. Loose powder isn’t the best product for us clumsy people!

Repurchase? No as Elf don’t deliver to the UK anymore *sad face*

Benefit Stay Don’t Stray Primer – I received this in a Birchbox and it has lasted me about 6 months! I just used a tiny bit when I wanted my eye make up to last that little bit longer, and this does a perfect job of keeping it there without your make up creasing/sweating down your face. Love it.

Repurchase? I have another little sample that I have started, but once that gets used up I will definitely be investing!

My Burberry Perfume – I have now finally almost got through my life time supply of mini perfume samples! I liked this actually and would happily own it again! It was very sophisticated and grown up!

Repurchase? I definitely would consider it!

So there we have the longest empties post in twolittleowls history! Hope you managed to stay till the end/enjoyed my mini reviews! We shall see if I can beat 13 empties next month, although I very much doubt it! Let me know if you have tried any of these beauties/if you agree with my repurchase choices! #twolittleowls

Chloe’s October Empties!

C: Another month… another very successful empties box! I hadn’t really paid attention to what I was using up this month so I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had used up nine things – thats pretty impressive work for me, especially when I wasn’t specifically trying to use stuff up! So here is this months empties:

Lacura Face Care Aqua-complete Multi Intensive Serum – Annie actually reviewed this very accurately here, so I wont go into too much detail but I really liked this. I did remove the label though so it would look prettier on my dresser… but it is a great serum, especially for the price!

Repurchase? Definitely! This is such a bargain!

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Shower gel – this had been sat in my stash since Christmas as I hate eating grapefruit, and grapefruit washing up liquid makes me vom so I assumed I would hate this! Due to laziness, as this was the first shower gel I came too whilst having a rummage I finally used it and loved it! The scent is delicate and beautiful, and it lathers up nicely so a little goes a long way! This tiny bottle lasted me over two weeks – another reason why I love the Body Shop!

Repurchase? Surprisingly yes!

Sarah McNamara Miracle Skin Transformer Hyrdoactive Microderm – another Birchbox sample here I believe! I liked the scrubbiness of this, it was nicely exfoliating without being too harsh but I wasn’t keen on the formula on the cream. It just sat on top of my skin and didn’t sink in at all, meaning when I used a micellar water afterwards there was still loads of make up there.

Repurchase? Nope.

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter – Im pretty sure one of these turns up in my empties posts about every other month! I bloody love this stuff! It smells amazing and is super moisturising, it is definitely one of my favourite products ever!

Repurchase? I still have two more in my stash, but when I run out I definitely will.

Tresemme Salon Sleek Glossing Spray – I loved this! It helped tame fly aways, reduced frizz and added a nice shine to my hair without making it look greasy.

Repurchase? I would do but I haven’t been able to find it anywhere! If I do then yes!

My Burberry Perfume – another sample Annies mum gave me (I promise I will find time to unpack my perfume collection at some point and stop just using samples)! I really like this, and its way more sophisticated than most perfumes I wear so I ended up using it up pretty quickly! It also lasts all day and I received lots of compliments when wearing it!

Repurchase? I think I actually would you know, and I never buy perfumes!

Benefit They’re Real Mascara – my favourite mascara that I reviewed here!

Repurchase? I still have a full sized version on the go, but I will be doing, yes.

Anna Sui Secret Wish perfume – I won’t go on about this, as it just wasn’t the right scent for me. It lasted all day and I am sure it would be lovely on someone else but I just didn’t love it! I also promise I am running out of perfume samples to use up so I will stop boring you with them soon!

Repurchase? Nope.

Black Eyeliner from The Body Shop – I have no idea which Body Shop eyeliner this was, as it lasted so long all the writing rubbed off/I have sharpened it too often! I loved this, but it was finally time to say goodbye to an old faithful friend and admit it was time to retire. It lasted all day and had great colour pay off so it was a winner in my eyes!

Repurchase? I would happily re-buy an eyeliner from The Body Shop, I shall be having a look when I next pop in!

So there we have it, a mixed batch for Octobers empties! Have you guys tried any of these products? If so did you agree with my mini reviews? #twolittleowls

FOTD: Birthday Tea! Featuring Christian Dior and Project Pan!

C: I recently went out for tea with some friends for a late birthday tea (nothing like spreading out the celebrations!) and really liked my make up, so decided to share it all with you!

Products used:

Garnier Primer

L’oreal 24 Hour Infallible Matte Foundation

Soap & Glory Kick Ass Powder

ELF Eyebrow Kit

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

The Balms Mary Lou Manizer

Mac Blusher in Petal

Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner

Christian Dior Lifting Grey Palette

Benefit They’re Real Mascara

Model Co Party Proof Lipstick in Kitty

So apparently I used a lot of products to create this look! Overall, I think this is a really nice make up look for tea out and I chose to use my Model Co lipstick in Kitty from our Project Pan! This is the perfect choice to eating out as it is so long lasting but fades evenly, meaning you don’t have to panic about having lipstick half way round your face/ just looking like crazy lady lip liner! I also used my bronzer/highlighter/blusher choice combo to create a slight contour (pregnancy = no cheekbones) and my Dior palette which i reviewed AGES ago here, to create a smokey look! Hope you like it! #twolittleowls

FOTD: Ladies who Brunch Feat. Kiko Cosmetics and Project Pan!

C: a quick FOTD for you all today! I went out for a late breakfast with Annie (and the boys, but we try to ignore them as best as we can) the other day and quite liked my make up so decided to share it with you! I was also wearing my S&G lipgloss from our Project Pan (you can see the post all about it here) so thought it would be a good way to update you on how said project is going!

Please do excuse my eyebrows… I am prepping them for a nice wax ha! Other than the monstrous brows (which I used ELFS brow kit to tame as much as possible), I decided to keep my make up quite low key, especially with my base. I have delightfully hormonal skin at the moment so kept my base quite light with my GOSH BB Cream and my ELF translucent powder. Although I have several blemishes on my chin, I decided against a heavy duty concealer as Annie isn’t bothered by my horrid face and I would rather not clog up my skin any more than necessary! Special occasions for posh make up only! To warm up my skin a little I used Benefits Hoola bronzer and a little Mary Lou Manizer to highlight – being preggo means I no longer actually have cheekbones so this just contoured my face slightly so I looked like the normal me!

For my eyes I used Benefits Stay Don’t Stray primer, as it was hot weather and I knew I was going to be out all day and then lined under my eyes with a Rimmel black liner which I smudged out slightly with a brush. I then used my Kiko Eyeshadow stick in 04 Golden Chocolate all over my lid which I blended out with a fluffy eyeshadow brush. I then reapplied some more in the crease to darken it slightly and add some definition. I love these beauties for easy make up that looks like you have spent ages creating a smokey eye – I reviewed this separately here if you are interested.

I then used a black eyeshadow from W7 along my upper lashes to add some definition and finished with a couple of coats of Benefits They’re Real Eyeliner! All in all I spent about 10 minutes at the most doing my make up, but was really pleased with how it came out! Lastly I applied my S&G Sexy Motherpucker lipgloss that I am trying so hard to use up for our Project Pan, but it is lasting forever! I have used it so much and it still looks brand new… may have picked the wrong product here but congrats on such a value for money product S&G!

So anyway what do you think of my low maintenance, low-key look? It lasted all day and is simple enough for any make up beginner! #twolittleowls

Review: High Beam dupe Highlights by Technic

A: Now you can’t get much more of an obvious dupe than this… 

  I’ve always wanted to try High Beam but £19.50 for a highlighter that I might not love was just too much of a risk – so when I spotted this dupe for £1.25 I obviously put it in my shopping basket straight away. To be honest – I was a little worried it might be too pale for me, although I’m super pale my skin has warm tones cause of my ridiculous amount of freckles, and this is more bluey toned – but for £1.25 I wouldn’t be loosing that much if I hated it!     
It’s a lovely texture, silky and smooth – the top photo is straight out of the bottle and the bottom is blended slightly. The application is okay too – it’s pretty much the same as a nail varnish brush, nothing extravagant. Once you’ve blended it, it does lose the cool blue tones too, which is a bonus for me. The shimmer is pretty too, just subtle glitter and nothing too chunky.  

   
Now it’s not always easy to capture highlight in a photo – I’ve done my best so don’t laugh at my posey photos too much. But I placed it just above my cheekbones in a diagonal line, and blended down onto the apples of my cheeks. I did this after all of my other make up steps, and I’m really happy with the finished result. I’ve been after achieving that dewey make up look for so long, and I really think this is perfect for it! It’s iridescent and pearly, and is so pretty to use to finish my everyday make up. I’m so happy I picked it up when Chloe and I went on a Saturday splurge (see what she brought here!), but I’d love to know how it compares to the original High Beam – so please let me know if you’ve tried it!   And if you feel like giving this a go, I’ve managed to find it here on Amazon for £2.70 – not quite as cheap as my bargain but pretty close! 

#twolittleowls

FOTD: Nighttime Festival Looks

A & C: Following on from our daytime festival look (click here if you missed it!), we also did a nighttime festival look – which was actually just a bit of an excuse for us to add more glitter! So here are our finished faces!

Annie’s Look:

I used the same base as in my daytime look; a bb cream –  but I also finished my face with a clear powder to set it. I then used a Kiko eyeshadow stick (which I borrowed/stole from Chloe) in a gorgeous shimmery brown with flecks of gold glitter. I added the Topshop glitter from my daytime look under my lower lashes, and then added some to my lid too because you can never have enough glitter, and finished the look with a winged liquid liner and lashings of mascara for added drama. Some glitter also happened to end up on my cheek bones, think I got a bit carried away…. But after blending my bronzer I was quite pleased with the finished look! My favourite Elf lipstick with a layer of clear gloss for easy up keep creates a dramatic party face. My hair was curly anyway, so I added this plaited gold necklace which I secured with hair grips.

Chloe’s Look:

I also used the same base as my daytime look – my Bourjois BB Cream and powder, because lets be honest… are you really going to bother taking your make up off in the evening of a festival to redo it? No probably not, I know I wouldn’t! I added more of a contour though, and added gold glitter from my topshop glitter pot (anyone else have these?! I am so sad they don’t do them anymore!) to my cheeks. I then created a bright purple and gold smokey eye with winged eyeliner… and more Topshop gold glitter! Obviously. Lashings of mascara (Benefit, they’re real is still my favourite!) and my purple Revlon lipstick later and my make up was ready to go! I completed my look with messy curls and this gold leaf head chain (which is actually a necklace but did an excellent job of keeping my hair tame!).

What are your go to festival make up looks? what did you think of ours? #twolittleowls

FOTD: Daytime Festival Looks

A & C: Festival season is already well underway, and it’s one of our favourite times of year for fun hair and make up – glitter, dramatic eyes and hair jewellery? Yes please! With Chloe being ever so slightly preggo, she obviously won’t be attending too many crazy festivals – but Annie is heading to Leeds festival and wanted to practice some make up and hair looks, and Chloe can never say no to glitter! So we’ve got a collection of festival inspired posts for you, starting with today’s daytime hair and make up looks. 

 
Chloe’s look:

  

 

 I went for a light BB cream for my base (Bourjois 123 CC Cream) as it contains SPF – an essential when you are going to be outside all day, and then set it with a illuminating powder. I used Benefits Hoola to create a slight contour and silver glitter as my highlighter (because that’s a reasonable thing to do at a festival). I then used the two khaki green colours from my Sleek Au Naturel palette to create a simple smokey eye, and the black eye shadow to create a smudged winged liner. I used Maybelline baby lips in Pink Punch to add some hydrating lip colour as this fades evenly so you don’t have to worry if it comes off throughout the day – plus its easy to reapply on the go. Annie then told me I was looking extra Asian today so we added the bindi, another popular festival choice. I’ve never done this before but quite enjoyed it!

For my hair I made Annie curl it loosely, as I prefer to go to a festival with messy hair… it means its not quite so obvious that mess wasn’t the look you were going for! If you go with super straight perfect hair, your bed hair is much more noticeable! I then added some plaits to either side and pinned them away from my face, which is much more comfortable for me when walking around in the sun, no one wants a sweaty fringe!

 Annie’s look:

So I’ve gone for a simple base and eye with a bold long lasting lip. My base is MAC’s prep and prime BB cream because it’s super long lasting but also a fairly light coverage – festival days can be pretty long and the last thing I want is to wear a full face of make up all day. I then used a matte black shadow to create a smudged winged liner – this way if it gets smudged thoughout the day, it’s not super notciable – let’s face it, it’s bound to happen. I used Topshop’s glitter (Chloe I can’t remember what it’s called!) to line under my lower lashes. This is perfect for festivals cause it’s super pigmented and lasts for ages! After a few layers of my False Lash Effect Mascara from Primark, I applied my Sleek Matte Lip Cream in red. This is perfect for a long day because it truly does last for hours. I added a glittery flower too, because if you can’t do this for a festival – when can you!?

Hair was simple. It already had some messy curls in, so I tied half back to create some volume then added some plaits and a cute daisy clip – festival ready! 

What do you think of our day time festival looks? Any recommendations? #twolittleowls

Chloe’s Current Make up Base!

C: Since starting this blog, my love for make up/beauty products has got a little crazy… meaning I have a large collection of make up and items tend to get forgotten about. So recently I decided to have a little make up shake up and I have re fell in love with several products and changed my every day make up a little. I personally love seeing what base products people are using (mainly as an excuse to buy more), so thought I would share my current favourites with you!

Mac Matchmaster Foundation in 1.0 – this rarely changes as my favourite foundation, just because it is the one foundation I have found that completely matches my skin colour but doesn’t make me look like a ghost! It is true love and I will continue to repurchase this until I am old and grey or Mac stop making it. Whichever comes first.

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in Shade 1 – another old favourite that until recently I had forgotten about. I always like trying new concealers but in the end I always return to this. It literally covers everything and anything and lasts all day. You hardly need any product, so 3g of this lasts ages!

Soap & Glory Kick Ass Instant Retouch Pressed Powder – I won’t go on about this as I reviewed it here – but this goes perfectly with my Mac foundation. I buff it in with my RT Buffing Brush and together this duo makes my skin look flawless! It gets rid of any telltale foundation marks and keeps shine at bay all day.

So there are my make up base essentials! Any of you guys use these products? Or have any recommendations on what I should try next? #twolittleowls