Bargain EcoTools Brush Sets from eBay

There's been a lot of brushes featured on Affordable Treats lately! You can see my Real Techniques Brushes post here, eBay Makeup Brushes post here, and Bargain EcoTools Bronzer Brush on eBay post here. 

The most recent additions to my collection are the 5 and 4 piece brush sets from EcoTools. I already own the 4 piece set (which used to be called the 5 piece set, and the now 5 piece set used to be called the 6 piece set because they included the pouch as a 'piece'... confusing, I know), but couldn't resist another for the price. I bought both of them from this listing for £3.39 and £2.99, including P&P. As I've said before, I don't know if these are the real deal, but they're really soft and great quality, nonetheless. I think it's hard to tell if they're authentic or not because they're made from natural materials, so vary from set to set anyway. They retail for £15.99 and £19.99 in Boots, so that's quite a saving!

I'm going to try and not buy any more brushes for a while! I'm running out of room!

Sinful Colours Nail Polish in Pistache

Natural lighting, flash

I own a few teals, and I own a few mint greens, but I've never owned a green like this! A light grass green. I think it's because I've seen it as ugly in the past and thought it wouldn't go with my skin tone. However, I was drawn to it in Boots, and for £1.99, I thought I may as well try it! I'm still getting used to it, but I think I like it. The formula was great, taking 2 smooth coats. However, I've had to use a base coat for once because I think it's a stainer. I swatched a few polishes last night to decide on a colour, and this stained the nail like crazy, as did Rise & Shine (another green from Sinful Colours).  Hopefully the base coat will be enough to prevent this, though.

I'm seriously impressed with my Sinful Colours nail polishes so far. Have you tried any?

eBay Blush Palette

Flash: eBay Blush Palette

Flash: eBay Blush Palette Swatches

Natural: eBay Blush Palette Swatches

I had been considering getting this blush palette for years (literally), and just decided to go for it last month. I bought it for £3 something, including P&P, from here. The seller has now increased the price to £4.19, but it's still very cheap! I know people are wary about make-up from eBay because they don't know if it's safe, but I haven't had any problems. The only products I'm apprehensive about are eye cosmetics and face creams. I love that this palette has a variety of shades. It gives you the chance to try colours you may not normally wear. I do wish there was a matte peach/orange, though. The only matte shades are the three bottom pink ones. In terms of quality, the blushes feel soft to touch and blend well on the skin. The pigmentation is average, apart from the middle bottom shade, which is really sheer. This can be a positive or negative aspect depending on personal preference. I like that you can build them up and not have to worry about looking like a clown, but I must admit, I'm always impressed when I come across a strongly pigmented blush. Because the pigmentation isn't intense, all of the shades are wearable. Overall, I think this is a good little blush palette, and it'd be great for someone wanting to experiment with different shades. I would definitely like it more if it had a variety of matte shades, though.

Have you tried one of the blush palettes from eBay? I want to try the 6 pan blush/contour palette now!

New Summer Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Passion Fruit

Natural, flash

I was browsing one of my local Superdrugs on Friday when I came across the new Barry M Gelly Nail Paints. They're not meant to be out until next month, so I was pleasantly surprised. I picked up Guava, a bright turquoise, and this one; Passion Fruit. It's a bright, orange based red. I normally associate reds with Autumn/Winter, but this is very Summer appropriate due to how bright it is. The formula was okay, but it could have been better. It was fairly opaque, but a little streaky at the same time, meaning I had to apply 2-3 coats. 

Here it is compared to Blood Orange (the shade on the right). As you can see, it's lighter and more orange based. Blood Orange isn't even a dark red, so that shows you how it differs from the classic shade.

I'm enjoying wearing this shade. I think it really pops against my pale skin! I'll be posting about Guava soon, as well as a handful of Sinful Colours (haul of them can be found here).

Beauty Haul - Sinful Colours, Summer Barry M Gelly Nail Paints, Maybelline Mega Plush and More

I handed in my last written assignment yesterday (I just have a photo assignment and an exam left), so decided to go in town and treat myself. 6 nail polishes, I know... but that was me being restrained! I wanted 6 more!

The Sinful Colours stand was full and all the pretty colours drew me in (as well as the £1.99 price tag). I bought Orange Cream, Island Coral, Pistache, and Rise & Shine. They remind me of a fruit salad all lined up like that! I only have two other green nail polishes, and they're blue toned (mint and teal shades), so decided to try Pistache because I don't have anything like it. I bought the peachy coral shades because I just love those kinds of colours. Next time Boots have a 3 for 2 offer on, I'm definitely buying more. I'll be able to get 6 polishes for under £8!

I went into one of my local Superdrugs and saw that they already had the new Summer Barry M Gelly Nail Paints out (they're not meant to be available until next month), so just had to get a couple. I was going to buy the Nail Art Pen in Black (£4.99) anyway (you can see my review of the other shades here), so the 3 for 2 deal came at the right time. I also used my student discount, so I got both nail paints for just over £3. That's just over £1.50 each! Oh, the shades I bought were Guava and Passion Fruit. Guava is a bright turquoise shade, and I actually have nothing like it in my collection. Passion Fruit is a bright orangey red. It's taken the classic red and made it appropriate for Summer. 

Here is a comparison of Passion Fruit and Blood Orange. As you can see, Passion Fruit is a lot lighter.

I also picked up Maybelline's new Mega Plush mascara in Boots for £5.99 (normally £7.99). I needed a new mascara, and always go for Maybelline ones, so thought I'd try their latest offering. I'll let you know how I get on with it!

I'm so glad Sinful Colours have come to the UK. Have you tried any of their shades?

OPI Are We There Yet?

Natural light, flash

OPI's Are We There Yet?* is the most recent addition to my nail polish collection. It's a muted orange with subtle pink and gold shimmer. It reminds me of the end of Summer/beginning of Autumn. I really like it. I know some people don't like bright, garish oranges, so this is a great alternative. The formula was average; no complaints from me. It was thin and creamy, which made drying time a lot quicker. I'm wearing 3 coats in the photos above.

This is from Fragrance Direct, with the small price tag of £3.99. The site used to sell them for £5.99, which was still reasonable for OPIs, but now they've dropped the price even more. They currently have a great range of shades, especially pinks. I now have a habit of checking the site every couple of days in the hope of finding new Essie and OPI shades!

*PR sample

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine Edition

I was intrigued by this perfume the moment I saw the promotional images. The bottle is just so pretty! I've heard some say it looks a little childish, but I really like it. Being Limited Edition and me not being a perfume fanatic like some, I didn't think I'd ever try it, but Fragrance Direct invited me to choose a few products to review. Like I said, I'm not usually the perfume kind of girl, and normally lean towards fruity body sprays. I think this is because I prefer simple scents rather than notes on top of notes (on top of even more notes). I also find a lot perfumes too musky and 'old'. I actually own a small bottle of the Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh (which I also bought from Fragrance Direct), which I wear, but not as often as I should. The Sunshine Edition* is one of the better designer perfumes I've smelt. It's light, fruity floral, and reminds me of Spring/Summer. It also reminds me of pink lemonade, for some reason. To get a better idea, the top notes are strawberry, pink grapefruit and apple blossom, the heart notes are jasmine, rose and violet leaf, and the base notes are oakmoss and amber.

Compared to the original Daisy Eau So Fresh, it's fruitier. The original is a little heavier and grown up.

And here's a photo of the bottle lids swapped because it amused me. 

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine Edition retails for £48, but Fragrance Direct is selling it for £43.99 here.

*PR sample