Christmas Beauty Haul

I may have a mountainous collection of beauty products but I still get sucked into the Christmas sales and offers just like everyone else! There are just certain products that I have to try out or old favourites that I need to repurchase. I just thought I’d go over a few of the things I picked up because it’s always a good opportunity to highlight products worth repurchasing and also things I will be reviewing in the near future.

You would have thought I’d be sick of glitter nail polishes after the sparkle-fest that is the festive season but this NCLA polish in ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ (£13) seemed like a fun transitional shade for Spring. I love the pastel lilac base shade and after spotting this on Pinterest I managed to hunt it down on FeelUnique who are currently offering a free full-sized NCLA polish in ‘Not So Sweet’ when you buy any two NCLA polishes in the collection. I’ve already used this polish and although it takes 3 thin coats to get the completely opaque effect, I really liked the result! Each layer dried really quickly so I had the 3 coats done in no time at all. I also picked up the Barry M polish in ‘Chai’ (£3.99) – a mid-tone opaque grey. You can’t go wrong with the Barry M Hi-Shine Gel formulas and this shade of grey is a nice departure from the really rich, dark colours of winter without straying too far from seasonal tones. Lastly in the nail category, I picked up a polish that I’ve been lusting after ever since I saw someone combining it with a silver glitter topcoat on Pinterest (the source of many coveted products!). It’s the Butter London ‘Muggins’ polish (£12) which is a beautiful and delicate lilac-grey that looks understated but gives your nails that casually groomed appearance. It applies well, a couple of coats does the trick and it’s incredibly easy to remove with one swipe which is a bonus.

After seeing some lovely instagram pictures from Amelia Liana, where she was sporting the new Everyday Flutter half lashes (£4.94) by Tanya Burr, I decided they might just be the perfect tool to visually alter the shape of my eyes. They make your eyes appear more drawn up and out at the outer corners, making it easier to create the cat eye shape. Plus I’m pretty sure they’d be less fiddly to apply than full strip lashes. I will report back once I’ve had a chance to test them out!

I have been addicted to the Urban Decay Perversion mascara for some time now because it gives my lashes so much volume and length. However, on some occasions I want my lashes to appear more natural and fluttery. I saw the Lancome Hypnose Star mascara (£22.50) on sale over at FeelUnique over Christmas so I picked it up for just £15.50. It is a great every day mascara in the respect that it defines every single lash, lengthens and just gives you very natural looking lashes. Great for days when all you want is a BB cream, a swipe of mascara and some lip balm.

My old hairdresser used this shampoo and conditioner on my hair every time it was highlighted and I just loved the effect they had, as well as the lovely scent it has. When you have fine hair like mine, it’s very difficult to find hair products that will keep your hair hydrated and smooth without weighing it down. Coloured hair does need an extra helping hand to stop it becoming dry and brittle so I alternate between this and the John Frieda Luxurious Volume Shampoo and Conditioner or the Loreal Elvive Fibrology ones. This Tigi Bed Head Resurrection gift set is on offer for just £12.63 on FeelUnique right now. It always leaves my hair feeling really soft, smooth and strong.

I didn’t want to love the Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream because it’s so darn expensive but I have to say that it’s without a doubt my favourite high end day cream of all time. Simply because it sinks in immediately, it’s a fantastic base for makeup and it makes my skin feel like silk. Reason enough, no? I always keep an eye out for deals on TimeToSpa because they generally run good ones at Christmas time. This year was no exception and they were offering a free 30ml jar of Pro Collagen Marine Cream and a full-sized Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser when you spent over £70. So I bought the Elemis Prestige Pro Collagen set which includes a 30ml jar of Pro Collagen Marine Cream, Oxygenating Night Cream and Pro Collagen Eye Masks for £68. I then got the Winter Rose Duo set for £9.60 which includes travel sizes of the Gentle Rose Exfoliator and Pro Radiance Cream Cleanser. I love having a back up of my favourite day moisturiser and I finally get to try out those eye masks too!

Lastly, I picked up a product that I’ve harped on about many times before – the L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil. FeelUnique are currently selling the 250ml bottle at 10% discount (£15.75 with free delivery instead of the RRP £17.50). This is a fantastic winter product to boost your skin moisture levels and it’s also great for people who are too busy to apply body moisturiser every morning or just can’t be bothered! You use a small amount on a shower puff every morning and it leaves your skin feeling silky soft. If you love the smell of almonds then you’ll absolutely adore the fragrance of this shower oil. It really does feel like a little bit of luxury every morning! You can even add it to your evening bath for super soft skin.