Favourite products under £5!

I wanted to do something a bit different today and speak about my favourite bargain products. My blog has covered a lot of my most loved expensive items so it's easy for the cheaper repurchases to get overlooked. These are all things I've either already repurchased or would repurchase when they run out and thought it would be a bit of a different, hopefully interesting post! 

Radox Spa Smoothie Bath Soak Fig and Neroli Oil (£2.20) - This is a bit of a random one but this product is something I always pick up as soon as it runs out. The scent is absolutely incredible and it leaves my skin soft after use.

Elf Wet Gloss and Brow Clear Mascara (£1.50) - I already spoke about this in my 2012 favourites but I absolutely adore this stuff. It is so so cheap (but do bare in mind I have to order this online so always do in bulk to save in postage costs!) and I honestly feel it does a just as good if not better job than any more expensive brow product and sets my brows all day. I use this purely for brow setting so can't comment on it as a mascara but a definite staple in my makeup bag I'd never, ever be without. 

Sally Hansen Cuticle Massage Cream (£4.35) - Another apricot scented product! I only started using this a few months ago and it's just amazing. It makes the process of sorting out any dryness or cuticles around my nails so easy and works within a couple of minutes. It's also not too drying on my skin. You can get this cheaper if you look around but I did mine for the price I bought it for in Boots!

St Ives Apricot Scrub Invigorating (£4.29 but currently £2.86 from Boots!) - This scrub is really good and such a good price for the results it gives. I have to be honest and say I'm not mad on the apricot scent as it is very strong, something to be aware of if you like unscented products but it does a lovely job of leaving my skin soft, smooth and brightened. They also do a sensitive one and a blemish prone but I find this one fine for my sensitive, oilyish skin.

Rimmel Stronger Base Coat (£4.59) - I've used this for years and it's a really great base coat. Dries quickly, stops my nails from breaking and does the job perfectly. I've never felt the need to try any other base coat, though I do sometimes use Nail Envy if my nails are particularly weak.

Barry M Polishes (Coral Pictured) (£2.99) - I'm sure everyone is getting sick to death of my raving about these polishes so all I will say is they last ages, have an amazing colour range and are super easy to apply. They're on offer a lot too! My favourite nail polish brand.

Topshop Polishes (£5.00) - Another amazing makeup/nail brand is Topshop. Their nail varnish is really glossy, opaque and long lasting and I'd really recommend this also. They also do my all time favourite polish, Topshop Celestial!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude (£3.99) - This stuff is the best for making your eyes instantly brightened and awake. I use this most days, particularly on those early mornings and wouldn't be without it now. I'll be honest and say something controversial though! For me personally, this is the only one I've tried that I love.. the Taupe shade did not show up on my waterline however much I tried and the black one really smudged under my eyes!

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipliners (Indian Pink pictured) (£2.99) - These and the Topshop lip liners are the only ones I will use. I've never felt the need to buy a high end lip liner as I find these work so well and have a great range of colours. They don't drag, they aren't too drying considering they're a lip liner and do the job perfectly.

No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadows (£7.00) - Right, this is a cheat one because these are £7.00 if you buy them full price but I always get mine when I get the £5 off vouchers, making them £2.00 so please forgive me! These are something I recently tried and I have the shades Wheatsheaf and Yellowshine. I'm so so impressed with these, they are buttery soft and lovely shades that definitely rival my MAC shadows, my favourite drugstore eyeshadows for sure.

Soap and Glory Hand Food (£5.00) - Aah my favourite hand cream. It smells of marshmellows, moisturizes without being greasy and is super cheap for the results it gives. I use this so much in Winter and it works wonderfully.

So there you have it! Just an honorable mention, Collection's Lasting Perfection is an amazing concealer but I don't really use it as I find it a bit too much under the eyes. However, if ever my skin gets a rash from a product or if I've had dairy I love it for more coverage!

What's your favourite product for under £5?

Review: Barry M Pink Silver Polish, Sophisticated Glitter!

Hi everyone! As you can probably tell if you were a follower of mine before my blog has had a total makeover thanks to the lovely Ana @ Peaches and Cream designs. I would highly recommend using her design service if you're looking to revamp your blog, she honestly works wonders! Second thing, if anyone knows of a good, free editing program for photos I would really appreciate it as the lighting in my uni room is atrocious and I want the best quality pictures possible with would probably involve some tweaking! 

That aside, I thought today I would show you what I'd call my sophisticated glitter polish :)

The nail polish in question is Barry M's Pink Silver Glitter. Weirdly enough, I don't think I would have picked out this shade myself. It was actually a Christmas present from my lovely housemates (they know me so well) but after trying it on, it's absolutely beautiful.

As always, the formulation is great. I find Barry M to last longer on my nails than most higher end brands which is great considering they're only £2.99 each! It's lasted around 4 days before chipping and was opaque within two coats on me, even better considering how impatient I get painting my nails which often ends in my trying to multi-task and smudging polish all over myself. Not great!

The shade is perfect for being a neutralish glitter as I'm not often a fan of the really in your face ones, I'm much more of a plain creamy colour kind of girl but for this polish, I can definitely make an exception.

Have you tried this shade? What's your favourite glitter? 

2012 Favourites: Nails

Barry M Berry Ice Cream - You probably can't tell because I've shaken up the bottle so much, but this is one of my most used nail varnishes. It's one of the only ones I've ever used up completely and repurchased (something that needs to happen again soon!). It's a beautiful light, bright lavender with a hint of greyish undertones in my opinion and a colour that I find goes with pretty much anything.

Jessica Brilliance Top Coat - I NEVER hear anyone speak about this top coat but it's been my favourite forever. It leaves such a beautiful shiney finish and allows my nail varnish to last so much longer, I've never felt the need to try any other top coat because I don't feel like anything could work as well as this.

OPI Nail Envy - A blogger favourite this product definitely deserves all the hype it gets. First of all, it's lasted me for ages despite using it most weeks as a treatment before painting my nails. It's just done wonders to my nails and I really notice when I haven't used this for a while how much weaker my nails become and how prone they are to breaking. 

Topshop Celestial - I've already done a full review of this here but this is literally the most perfect nail varnish I've ever come across. It stands out beautifully and I just find myself reaching for it so much because when I have it on I literally cannot stop staring at my nails (does anyone else do this?!). Definitely an all time favourite and one I will purchase over and over, the formula is also great!

Barry M Pink Flamingo - Another polish from my favourite nail polish brand! This is my favourite pink to wear, I just find it's so flattering and pretty and I love that it leans slightly coral. It's really a stunning pink if you want something that goes with anything you wear

& if you'd like to see my Barry M polish collection with swatches of both the polishes mentioned, please go here :)