Things I bought at BeautyCon!

A rundown with some first impressions of the things I picked up at BeautyCon

The first I picked up was this NYX butter gloss in Meringue, I actually got this for free by simply posting an instagram picture! I have worn this so much since saturday, I was a little unsure about the colour as it seemed really bright barbie pink but it actually looks really amazing with loads of different looks. It isn't a really sticky gloss but it does have loads of shine and I am really pleased with it Cant wait to try more NYX! 

This was also one of the items that I got for free, in fact I actually got a second one free as well so it was kind of a win win. I haven't tried this yet as I want to finish my current cleansing balm but I'm really looking forward to it as I have heard loads of amazing things and it is one of those products people constantly rave about. It also came with a muslin cloth which also looks really interesting.  

Tarte stand had really good show prices so I picked up this set of LipSurgence lip cremes. There are three really gorgeous colours of a red, baby pink and a more nude shade. They also came in a really sweet box which I'm definitely keeping them in. They have a slight plumping effect as they are minty and so make our lips feel a bit tingly, I'm really not a mint lover but once it's on the lips I don't really notice it.

The other item I bought from the tarte stand was the palette for gorgeous green eyes, I did really want the tartelette palette but by the time I got there it was sold out. I am actually really glad I got this as the colours are so beautiful together and really do make the green in my undecided eyes pop. I'm actually thinking of using this as my pron eyeshadow because the colours are just so blendable and easy to do and the colours go with everything. I was worried about the purple colour as am not normally an avid purple user but it does actually look really beautiful all together.

I also picked up two brushes from crown brushes. This was a new brand that i was interested to have a look at and if I'm honest their stall was a bit overwhelming there were so many brushes! I picked up two that I thought would be most useful a fluffy crease blending brush which I think is just a very useful brush to have and also a really tiny fan brush that I wanted to try out with highlighter. I'm really impressed with the quality and texture of these brushes and would love to try some of their bigger and main face brushes.


I did also pick up a wonderful T-shirt that says 'What's the WiFi?' which I've been wearing literally everyday. Hope you enjoyed this post even though it felt kinda long, I do like to yap on a bit ;)

Bella X

Overview of BeautyCon

My Experience at BeautyCon London

What can I say it was amazing! We arrived at 10:30 so we didn't have to queue and went into Olympia. With booths such as NYX, Tarte, Crown brush and Benefit there was loads to do and buy. Some of the Stands were not selling their products like Liz Earle and NYX which was really annoying as I was looking to try things from both brands. I think these companies could have made a large amount of money by selling some products because there were a huge number of people there, many of whom I heard asking to buy. 

Another thing that was slightly disappointing was the food that was on offer as there were only two options that were very small stands with limited food options. Annoyingly we ended up not eating all day, even though this didn't ruin the day, I do love my food and was really hungry walking round. 

We ended up going to three panels: The Business of Beauty, Beautiful Inside and Out and Sprinkle of Glitter Q&A. The first two were very interesting with extremely insightful with the guests giving truthful and interesting answers to questions both from the audience and the interviewers. Sadly Louise ( sprinkleofglitter) was really unwell so couldn't do her panel so Lily Pebbles and Viviannadoesmakeup stepped in. 

All in all I had a really lovely day and came home with a load of goodies (being shown in a blog post soon). The BeautyCon team did a wonderful job turning Olympia into a makeup heaven and I cant wait for next years, though I may have to bring a sandwich ;) 

Bella X 

p.s Haul from the event coming soon 

 

I'm headed to beautyCon!

Only 4 days till BeautyCon! (Already Hyped)

This is just a quick little message to say that I am going to be going to BeautyCon this Saturday with my best friend and I am so excited! I'm planning to do a large number of panels and visit all the stalls such as tarte and nyx to buy a huge number of products! I am going to do a blog post on the event but i may do two posts, one about the actual event, the panels we went to etc and one with the products that I purchased with perhaps a first impression of them. There are many brands attending that I haven't tried much from so I'm excited to try it all out. Whether I'm doing two separate posts or one I will be posting lots of pictures (maybe the odd selfie). I hope you are all having a fabulous week and I shall see you in my next post which I am very excited about ;)

Bella X

My Skin Salvation

Two products which changed my skin for the better...

In January my skin was the worst it has ever been in my life, I'm still not sure what caused it as there was no stress or change in products at the time but it was awful. I have always been very lucky with my skin as it usually is quite healthy looking and clear but those two months were so bad I had to change my skin routine to banish the blemishes and demolish the dryness.

1) Cleanser: Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm
















I bought this a while ago and can't remember it being the most stand out product i've ever used and so for  few months ended up going from this to the Garnier micellar water. Even though this did a wonderful job of cleansing and removing my makeup I couldn't help but worry as it felt my skin wasn't getting enough moisture as it should so I went back to boots and purchased this cleansing balm again. It is a very thick yellow  balm that almost looks like butter in the pot and turns into an oil when put onto the face. I was worried that it would make my face more oily but it actually helps to balance out the natural oils of the face and I think in fact has made my greasier patches more manageable. It scrubs my face makeup of extremely well ( though I still use the micellar water to remove eye makeup)  and leaves my face feeling soft and fresh. It does leave a sort an oily film around the face but I then continue my routine with a scrub so this quickly goes away. Many people don't like the muslin cloth that comes with it but I think it has the perfect size and exfoliation for my skin. I would give this product a 9/10 as I think it has helped my skin to gain moisture and control oil, it is very reasonably priced at £8.99 and a product that is very overlooked in a big world of cleansing balms. And it's organic!

2) Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse Off Formula

Firstly what magic is this product? I found two very dirty looking sample tubes of this in the back of a cupboard and because my skin was so bad at this point I thought 'what the hell I'll go for it'. It was a good decision. It is honestly amazing. When you squeeze it out it looks like a cream and you cant see any of the exfoliating bits but as soon as you rub it on you can instantly feel them working. The exfoliating particles aren't too sharp that you feel as though you are cheese grating your face but also not to soft as though someone is just stroking you with an expensive feather. It perfectly exfoliates my face and removes the dead cells of the day leaving a glowy effect the next day . It also dramatically improved my troubled skin and I immediately went out to buy a full size. It is a little pricey at £19.00 but it is 100ml of pure gold and a little goes a very long way. I rave and recommend it to everyone who tells me of their skin issues and I think it really would work for many if not all skin types. Definitely a 10/10.

So that is how I changed my skin back around. It isn't solely down to these two products alone as my night routine does continue into serums and moisturisers but all that is for another time. Skin can often be a tricky and unpredictable part of the body but we just have to pull on the reins and show it who's boss ;)

Bella X

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Nude Foundation ~ best foundation I own!

My Favourite Foundation Yet!

My journey with foundation began years ago when I first bought a Max factor cream type foundation that was in a pot and was applied with a thin round sponge. It was the worst mistake I have ever made in my makeup life! It caked up on my skin very easily and would crack or reveal unflattering dry patches on my nose, it was completely the wrong choice of foundation for my young skin and I cringe when I see photos of me wearing it as it looks awful. 

For around a year after this I refused to even look at a foundation bottle in fear I would become a powdery cake mess and resorted to only using bb creams and tinted moisturisers. In truth I'm actually glad I did this. This gave my young skin a chance to truly show me what it responded well too and I stayed looking my age for as long as possible. 

I finally decided after around 1 and a half years I would try out foundation once again ( though avoiding anything in  a pot with a sponge) and I never looked back. I have tried loads now from various brands both high end and drugstore. I still love bb creams as they will forever be my forgiving friend who helped me see what I truly wanted to look like but foundation is now a joy to work with. 

At the moment my favourite ( for the past 5 months now) has been the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Nude foundation in 100 Ivory. I've now gone through nearly two bottles and absolutely am in love with it. It never feels cakey as it is extremely lightweight and no matter how much you put on it blends out to give you a flawless complexion. It is medium coverage which is what I personally like and I just really love the way it makes my skin look and feel better but without feeling like I'm wearing makeup. It is also really easy to remove so you don't have to spend hours scrubbing your face. I haven't found it to break me out but you never really can be 100% about anything so it may not work for some people. I think this foundation would work for all skin types except maybe if you have dry skin as it does dry slightly matte. 

I believe it retails for around £7.99 in boots but they are often on offer or cheaper in other drugstores like body care where i've seen them sold for £4.99. I would probably give this foundation a 9/10 as it has completley restored my faith in foundation but still doesn't make me look like kate moss so I guess it's that 1 mark from a full house ;) 

 Bella X