I decided to treat myself to a few high end products, only to receive far more than I bargained for…
Sometimes you just gotta treat yourself right? It’s been a while since I made a large beauty order and I was itching for some new products, to wear, to blog about, ya know the drill… so I popped onto Cult Beauty to make an order. I was planning on ordering a few things I’ve been after for ages and then a couple of products that I picked up were just a spur of the moment kinda thing. ANYWAY. When I got to check out, I saw that this Spring Goody Bag thing had been added to my basket that I had no idea about and then I saw the ad that I’d clearly been blind to at the top. Basically they have a special offer on and if you spend over £110 then you get a free Spring Goody Bag worth over £210. Fab. Made my order even more worthwhile. Sometimes you don’t really know what to expect with these free goody bags, half the time they’re just crap that doesn’t sell. But I was very pleasantly surprised when I opened it to find it full to the brim of goodies! The collection includes 16 skincare & makeup products which includes three full-sized items. Obviously there are a lot of sample sized products but when you’re getting high end stuff, samples last aaaaages so I am very happy with what I got (plus it was all free anyway!) So I will list everything that I got, however, please note that this is not a review as I have only used a couple of the products so far and only once. I will definitely have more posts coming up reviewing everything individually, especially the skincare as I’m dying to try everything out! Also the prices listed will be for the full sized product even though I have a lot of sample sizes 🙂
Skincare
Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser // £55.00
This is quite a pricey cleanser so I have high expectations for this. It claims to eliminate every last trace of dirt and grime as well as naturally exfoliating the skins surface. I really do love a cleanser that gets rid of everything on my face so I hope this lives up to the claims!
Aurelia Cell Revitalise Night Moisturiser // £52.00
I love my Antipodes Night Cream but I’m already half way through my second pot of it so it will be interesting to see how this one compares. It has good reviews on Cult Beauty although one says it’s not good for sensitive skin and mine is very sensitive so we shall see how we go.
Verso Super Facial Serum // £100.00
No wonder the Spring Goody Bag contains over £210 worth of products, look at the price of a full sized version of this stuff!!! I would never in a million years have looked at this thinking it cost this much. This serum claims to repair and regenerate skin, instantly nourish it and have a dramatic impact on the tone, texture, clarity & luminosity of the skin. It also says it encourages the skin to mimic the behaviour of younger skin, and dramatically diminish the appearance of wrinkles, even deep-set expression lines and with sustained use, will prompt a visible reduction in pigment spots and scars. So. Quite a lot to live up to, but I should bloody well hope it works for this price! I’m very excited and intrigued to try it out now so I shall get back to you on this one.
Odacite Pimples Serum Concentrate // £27.50
I’ve just read all of the raving reviews for this pimples serum on Cult Beauty and I have to say, I think they’re right. I used this last night on a couple of spots that have appeared on my face and later on I could swear that they had already started to disappear. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it or not but after reading the reviews it seems like this stuff is actually close to a miracle worker. I’m going to let my sister use this and see if it works for her too so that I have a second opinion. I will definitely be purchasing the full size of this if it continues to make my spots disappear this fast!
Alpha-H Liquid Gold 24 Hour Moisture Repair Cream // £51.00
Another pricey moisturiser to try out – I’m definitely stocked up for a while! This one has no reviews on Cult Beauty but it claims to plump up lines within minutes and contains 24ct gold flakes to bestow an ethereal golden glow. So that sounds pretty great, this will be an interesting one to have on trial.
Hannes Dóttir Seamasque // £79.00
This stuff looks disgusting in the jar, it’s so green and gooey lol! However, I have been dying to try a seamasque for ages and I’m really looking forward to using this for the first time. It says it works to give your skin ‘a new lease of life’ and that it’s a must-have for tired, stressed or depleted skin types. It also claims to help battle blemish-causing bacteria, to restore calm and clarity when your skin is in a crisis. My skin is definitely stressed at the moment so I will be trying this out, and again, considering the price of a full size jar – I expect it to work wonders!
Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm // £48.00
Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of cleansing balms, however I have only tried a handful in my time so I am willing to give this one a go. Usually I find them to be too hard so that they don’t rub well into my skin but this one says it’s an oily balm so maybe it will be different. It has a 4 star rating on Cult Beauty and they all pretty much say it removes makeup well so I definitely think it’s worth a try.
Skyn Iceland Plumping Lip Gels // £36.00
These plumping lip gels contain wild berry extract to replenish moisture levels and condition chapped or fragile skin. They also claim to restore volume, lessen vertical lines and smooth & hydrate the lips in just 10 minutes. I have been suffering with really dry lips lately so I’ll be interested to see if this works for me.
Farmacy Hydrating Coconut Gel Mask: Deep Moisture // £8.00
At eight pounds for just one mask, this is a bit pricier than a drugstore face mask, however it’s supposed to deeply moisturise the skin. I actually used this last night and left it on for a lot longer than it says to. It says on the packet to leave on for 20-25 minutes but I think I had mine on for two hours. It’s really easy to use as you just peel the sheet off and stick it to your face, leave it on, then remove it and rub any excess into the skin. No rinsing or anything which is always a plus. After I removed it, I noticed such an improvement in my skin, it felt so moisturised and SO smooth. It was definitely a lovely and much-needed treat for my face.
OUAI Wave Spray // £22.00
I’m not into buying myself hair products whatsoever as I never seem to find anything that actually works, so when I receive them or get them free, it’s always a nice treat. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this brand but this is the first product I actually own from them so I’m excited to see if it’s any good. It simply says to spritz on damp or dry hair for easy, undone texture and enhanced natural waves. I never have my hair straight and always curl it but go for a loose wave look so this product is perfect for me. I think I’m going to try this out today and see if it makes my hair routine any easier!
Sachajuan Hair Repair // £12.00
My hair hasn’t been in great condition for a long time, however I’ve recently had so much cut off that it’s definitely looking a lot healthier. It still gets so dry due to me dying it every so often though and I still suffer with quite bad shredding so hopefully this stuff will help it out a bit. It’s an intensive conditioning treatment for dry, brittle and stressed hair and says it promotes cell regeneration in your scalp to encourage regrowth and nourish the hair, restoring shine. It also says it’s a brilliant frizz tamer (which is my biggest hair problem) so I shall be trying this out over the next week or so and get back to you.
Sigma Blending Brush E25 // £12.75
I received a travel size of this brush in pink in the Spring Goody Bag which is always handy. I think I’ll be popping it in my handbag makeup bag for on the go. I have a few Sigma brushes and love them all so I’m sure I’ll love this one just as equally.
Becca First Light Priming Filter // £32.00
If you know me, you know I love to glow, so when I saw that I had a sample size of this Becca product I was so happy. I’ve only tried the pressed powders from Becca but they are the most amazing highlighters so I’m sure this one won’t let me down either. I’m going to try this out on my ‘no makeup makeup’ days as well as my full face days and see how it compares.
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick: Very Victoria // £24.00
Very Victoria is a shade I’ve been lusting after for the longest time. I kept putting off buying it as I felt that I didn’t really need it with so many other nudes, but what the hell. I see people raving about it all of the time and I was fed up of having it permanently on my wish list so I finally caved. It’s the perfect brown toned nude and even though I’ve been more into pinks lately, I definitely still love those brown tones. I feel like this would be a more appropriate lipstick for Autumn time but then again, I love a good nude all year round. I haven’t worn it yet but it swatches beautifully.
Jouer Powder Highlighter: Rose Quartz // £19.00
Eager to try out some new brands, I picked up a Jouer highlighter after seeing how pretty they looked. I was torn between Rose Quartz and Citrine, as Citrine is more golden which is probably better for my yellow toned skin, but the swatches of Rose Quartz were so gorgeous so I just had to get that one instead. It definitely swatches beautifully and I can’t wait to wear it as a highlight as well as an eyeshadow!
Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder: Light // £35.00
I’ve been lusting after this sculpting powder ever since Jodie mentioned it on her blog. I always go for the medium toned shade when I buy sculpting powders as I always think the lightest shades are too light to make me look contoured with. But, I decided to take Jodie’s word for it and go for the lighter shade as she said it was perfect for pale skin and I am pretty pale myself. I’m so glad I did because jesus – this stuff is pigmented! If I’d gone for the medium shade, it would deffffffinitely have been too dark. I only have one high end contour product and it’s the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer which is actually far too warm toned to contour with, so I’m really glad I picked this up.
Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator: Gilded Honey // £21.00
I’ve heard so so many good things about the Laura Geller Illuminators but never tried one for myself, so when I saw that I had a sample in my Spring Goody Bag, I was over the moon! It’s only small but it’s adorable, it’s just like an eyeshadow really – might use it as one anyway! These things always last absolutely ages too. It’s so buttery soft and blends like a dream, I can’t wait to add this to my makeup routine this week.
Pixi Lengthy Fiber Mascara // £16.00
If you saw my tweet, I was asking for recommendations for a new mascara that lengthens lashes. I love my Benefit Roller Lash but it’s running low and I wanted to try something new. I was going to try a couple of the recommendations out but then I saw this on Cult Beauty and I’ve been wanting to try some Pixi products out for ages so I decided to grab it. I’ve never read any reviews on this, I just got it on a whim because it wasn’t overly pricey and I’ve also never tried a fiber mascara out before. I haven’t tried it yet but I’ll probably use it for the first time today so watch this space.
Beauty Bakerie Lip Whip: Versailles // £16.00
I’ve never heard of this brand before but my sister said she’s seen a few people using it on YouTube and heard good things. I love the name ‘lip whip’ too, sounds so cool. The shade I got it in (full sized too!) was Versailles which is a gorgeous red berry based shade, it reminds me of KVD Lolita. I haven’t worn this yet but I couldn’t remove the swatch for the life of me, it’s still faintly there now and I had a bath earlier! It’s definitely a budge-proof liquid lipstick which is always something I look for in a matte liquid lip. I don’t know how drying it will be, I imagine if it’s that budge-proof it will be fairly drying but that’s usually the price you pay. I will have to give it a whirl and see if it lasts through eating & drinking!
Jouer Long-Wear Lip Topper: Skinny Dip // £13.50
I’ve lusted after this lip topper for the longest time, every time I see it, I want it. Just look at the swatch below, it’s blaaaaady gorgeous. It smells like vanilla too, WINNING. I absolutely love sweet scents as you all probably know and it just smells so delicious. I’m not hugely into glosses but how could anyone not love this? I definitely think this will be perfect to pop on top of my lipsticks during Spring & Summer.
By Terry Ombre Blackstar Melting Eyeshadow: Frozen Quartz // £29.00
I probably wouldn’t usually pay this much for one eyeshadow stick but I’ve read such good reviews about this one that I couldn’t resist. I’ve read that it quite literally does not budge so I’m really hoping that it lives up to those reviews and does the same for me. I was undecided over Frozen Quartz and Bronze Moon but went for Frozen Quartz as it’s unlike any other shadows I’ve got. I’m now into one swipe shadows so I thought this would be a perfect everyday essential. Maybe I’ll pick up another if I really love it!
The BrowGal Eyebrow Gel // £17.00
I probably didn’t really need another brow gel as I’ve just repurchased my beloved New Look one, as well as purchased one of Fleur’s new brow tamers soooo I’m kinda stocked up for a bit. But, I do love a good brow product so I will of course be trying this one out and seeing how it compares to my others. I only have one other clear brow gel actually, so I guess this is a welcomed addition to my brow collection after all. Hopefully it’s a good’n as I like my brow hairs to stay in place all day.