Getting Summer Ready With Scholl

Summer; the time for sun, sand and sandals. For most people it's the part of the year that is most looked forward to, myself included, but after months of wearing thick socks and boots, I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling less than prepared to bare my feet. And that is exactly where Scholl comes in, with a range of products to keep feet soft, fresh and summer ready!

Using this selection of products has more than prepared me to take on the more high maintenance shoe selection that balmy weather warrants. I know this isn't a particularly glamorous topic to tackle but, let's be honest, it's a pretty necessary one. We all know the pain of having had our feet cooped up in thick shoes for month so I certainly understand the pre-summer process to ensure happy feet!

USA Haul - Sephora, Ulta & Macy's!

 I'd like to start off by apologising for the bad photo quality - my memory card has decided to give up on me and I haven't had a chance to grab a new one so my phone has had to suffice. Normal photos should return soon! Back to a far more exciting topic, as you can tell from the above photo I was feeling pretty spendy and may have placed a couple of orders for my mum to receive while she was out in the States. I didn't buy nearly as much as I thought I would from Sephora, instead preferring to buy more bits from Ulta and try out the products which just never seem to come over to the UK. Only two items I bought can actually be found here but the exchange rate made it hard to say no to them, saving substantial amounts. Read on to see the exciting goodies I got!

Origins Zero Oil Moisturiser

Origins Zero Oil - £24

Blessed with my dad's oily skin, I'm forever on the lookout for products to control the inevitable 12 o'clock shine that arise and so the Origins Zero Oil moisturiser seemed just perfect. I've been using it for a few months now and to be honest, haven't been all that impressed. Read on to find out why!

Back from Hiatus!

Now I know, I know, it's been a good few months since I've last posted and I know it's also be quiet on the Twitter/Instagram front but I would say I have a pretty good excuse for it; A-Levels. Nothing can prepare you for the horrors that are A-Levels, taking up all of your spare time and zapping all of your energy, hence the lack of posts. I stopped watching YouTube, reading blog posts, let alone writing them, as well as stopped wearing makeup as much.
This was all a bit of a shock to my system as I suddenly stopped having time to read blog posts as I ate my breakfast and just felt too exhausted to do my full skincare routing (for all of you cringing at this, no fear, I never went to sleep without cleansing and moisturising, I just skipped out all the steps in between!). 
So what I essentially wanted to communicate from this ramble is that I'm going to try to get back on track with more frequent posting because I really do miss it! I always pick up products and think about how much of a great review it would make but then remember I have no time - that's what I want to get back into! Starting soon I'll be posting a few more reviews, some wish lists and maybe even a couple of hauls. What can I say, my shopping habits have definitely not taken a backseat over these last few months of business...

Paris Haul

Well hello there! I know I've been AWOL for quite a while but things have just been crazy recently and I've just been insanely busy with so much - one of these things was an exciting trip to Paris. And what would a trip to Paris be without stocking up my favourite French goodies? Yep you've guessed it, my first post back over my little rest period is indeed a haul. 

Estée Lauder Clear Difference Advanced Blemish Serum

Estée Lauder Clear Difference Advanced Blemish Serum - £39 (30ml)/£58 (50ml)

The Estée Lauder Clear Difference Advanced Blemish Serum is probably one of the most expensive beauty items I have ever owned, at almost £60 for a serum but my oh my was it a good purchase. I'm all about blemish fighting products so this fits in perfectly with the theme of my skincare shelf and it's something I've really enjoyed using for the past few months.

Origins GinZing Mask

Origins GinZing Mask - £23

If you want to know what I look like in the morning (although I doubt you would…) just think of that scene in Frozen when Anna wakes up looking an absolute mess. Usually it's my skin that looks the worst, dull and in the need of some energy - enter this mask. It's like the Origins GinZing Mask was a gift sent from above to restore the energy in the dullness of my skin.

Glamour Latest in Beauty Power List Beauty Box

Glamour Latest in Beauty Power List box - £15.99

I have never subscribed to a beauty box before, instead opting to spend my money on products which I have more wisely chosen. Having said that, I do occasionally opt to order a one-off, as I did with the amazing Glamour Latest in Beauty Power List beauty box, which was just too good to miss! Boasting brands like Laura Mercier, Philip Kingsley and Liz Earle it was no surprise that an order was due…

The Lust List #3

I must give it to myself, I have been pretty restricted with my beauty buying as of late! I haven't been to Boots in over a month (shock horror) due to my insane workload and even my ASOS orders, although frequent, have been missing any sort of beauty items. Snaps for Dina! I'm still going to try to be good (I promise) but I can't deny that I have a wish list slowly piling up, so I decided to share it with you lovely lot. 

Less is More: Homeoplasmine

Homeplasmine - £9.95

Continuing with the whole 'Less is More' theme, I'm onto a product that is well hyped up in the beauty industry- Homeoplasmine. I'd been after it for a while but at around £10 from BeautyMart I decided to wait until a relative took a trip over to France before getting my hands on it. My sister came back from Paris with this little baby in tow and it's been nothing but love since!

Less is More: Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm

Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm - £1.65

Let's be honest, how many of us are guilt of spending extortionate amounts on simple necessities on lip balm? Nuxe Reve de Miel is £9, Dior Creme de Rose is £20 and By Terry Baume de Rose is over £30! Ultimately, when looking for a lip balm I just want something that will nourish my lips and keep them in good condition, so why have I spent so much money trying to do this when there are perfectly good ones like Nivea Essential Care in the aisle of Boots?!

It has an intensely thick formula which coats the lips and locks in moisture - this is one for intense hydration. With ingredients like jojoba oil and shea butter this really is perfect to care for your lips and bring them back from even the worst of conditions. Whenever my lips are really dry, and I mean cracked and sore, this is the perfect overnight restorative balm. I use it almost like a lip mask, that's how thick it is, and come morning I can still feel it on my lips. 

While its thickness is a major bonus in moisturising, it does mean that it's not really an 'on-the-go' lip balm, because its presence is really obvious on the lips. That's where some of the more expensive lip balms have the upper hand - having intense hydrating abilities but still being perfect for use during the day.

However, let's be honest, for under £2 (yes really!) this is a great addition to the lip balm stash that won't break the bank. It's become a staple in my nightly routine when things are a little dry and I really recommend it to any of you suffering with perpetually dry lips!

Radical Glow Set

Radical Glow Set* - £68

 Radical Skincare is a luxury skincare brand which I had only heard of and lusted after so, naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to try out a couple of their products. The Radical Glow set contains a full-sized Skin Perfecting Screen (40ml) and a smaller sized Multi Brightening Serum (15ml) which are meant to provide your skin with a beautiful glow when used in conjunction with each other.

Malaysia/Australia Haul

….And here I was telling myself that I didn't want to spend too much while away. Yes indeed the inevitable post-holiday haul post is here and I'm writing this while trying to fight off the jet lag (and failing might I add, I just fell asleep in the middle of that sentence) as well as the feelings of guilt that come after buying so many beauty products!

Malaysia Wishlist

Come Friday I'll be jetting off to Malaysia and Australia and I am beyond excited! The last couple of months have been stress-central due to exams and revision so this should be a couple of weeks of total relaxation. The first thing I searched once our holiday was booked was 'Sephora in Malaysia' and lo and behold it has it! Naturally I'll have to pick up a couple of things- it would be rude not to, right? 

Collective Beauty Haul

Oops. That's all I have to say. I have no idea how I managed to somehow accumulate so much stuff but it's happened and my bank account has certainly been affected! Just as a disclaimer, I didn't buy all of these in one shopping trip, this is a cumulative haul over several weeks- #feelingspendy anyone?

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Beauty Tools Set

With summer well and truly upon us there's nothing better to kick start your preparations than the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Tools Beauty Set, with none other than the famous Eight Hour Cream in a full size as well as an assortment of generous minis from the rest of the range.

It comes housed in a red case which I can imagine would be great to pack toiletries in for travel, being quite sturdy and roomy, but the pièce(s) de résistance are what's inside. The full size tube of the Eight Hour Cream will be an essential in tending to a multitude of needs in the coming months, such as chapped lips and insanely dry skin (is it just me or does anybody else get really dry elbows in the summer?). There's a bit of a love-hate relationship with the smell and I definitely used to be someone who gagged at the smell of it but I've now grown to like it!

The trial sizes that accompany the Eight Hour Cream are the: Daily Moisturiser for Face SPF 15, Sun Defence Face SPF 50 (I was in need of a new facial SPF so I'm excited to see how this fares!), Intensive Moisturising Body Treatment and Intensive Moisturising Hand Treatment (my all-time favourite hand cream, I could not recommend this any more!). 

Overall this set costs £39 which seems quite steep but when you think that the full size of the Eight Hour Cream is £25 and the minis aren't really so mini, it seems a lot more justifiable - that's what I tell myself, anyway! I think it's a really great set, especially if you want to dip your toe in the amazing range that is the Eight Hour range. 

Empties #3

I have been collecting all of my empty and used up products of the past few months and just didn't have time to take any photos of them - before I knew it I had a drawer full of empty products and I was snapping these photos of them. Sit back and grab a cuppa - this could be a long one.

April Favourites

First up I'd like to say sorry for the bad quality photo - my SD card has suddenly decided to malfunction and I don't know when I'll be able to replace it! It was my birthday on the 30th and I got some lovely beauty bits so I'm sure you can expect to see some of them in my May favourites in a months time. 

Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque

Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque - £21.50

After my Origins Clear Improvement Mask ran out I decided to branch out and try a new mask, this time from Kiehl's- the Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque With 50ml extra, 50p cheaper and more convenient packaging, my expectations were high.

Bioderma Sébium Masque

Bioderma Sébium Masque* - £11.42

I've been on the lookout for a fresh and cleansing mask for a while so when I got this Bioderma Sébium Masque* aimed at oily and congested skin, I was rather pleased to say the least.