What's In My Travel Makeup Bag?

After five years, I thought it was about time I did one of these 'what's in my...' posts. My travel makeup bag doesn't exclusively contain makeup, like the name suggests, but my travel essentials.

I'll start with the beauty products because they're more exciting. I rarely touch up my makeup during the day, but carry a couple products with me just in case. I have the Revlon ColourStay Concealer in Fair, which has a medium coverage and satin finish. It could be a little heavier for blemishes, but is great for everywhere else.

I then carry around the lip product I'm wearing that day, for when I want to reapply. Revlon's ColourBurst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon just happens to be in there at the moment. It's a sheer, balmy, juicy, summer red, and I love it. I don't like reapplying some lip products, though, because they look best applied to freshly exfoliated, moisturised lips. In this case, I'll just wipe away any product left and apply a tinted balm like the Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Blossom.

For fragrance, I currently have the Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Rollerball Perfume in my bag. It's great for travelling, and smells beautiful.

Since starting my job, I've been using more hand sanitiser than ever before. I finished Bath & Body Works' Market Peach one last week, and am now onto their Sweet Pea scent, which is a light, sweet, delicate floral. These are more expensive than your standard bottle, especially in the UK, so I won't be buying them all the time, but they're nice to use while I have them. My hands and cuticles have also taken a battering since working, so I bought the Figs & Rouge Mango and Mandarin Hand Cream last week to use throughout the day. It's the perfect size for travelling, looks cute, smells amazing, isn't greasy, and leaves my hands feeling moisturised.

The other items in my travel makeup bag include pain and sickness relief tablets, tissues, plasters, mints, a flossing harp (for those lunch leftovers. What? I'm keeping it real!), hair accessories, a nail file, and a pen. I also carry a notebook, hairbrush, and wipes with me, but they're in my handbag because they don't fit in this one!

Oh, and the actual makeup bag is a basic one I bought from Boots the other week (RRP £5). I'm currently on the look out for something a little more pretty, though, so if you've seen any, let me know!

I'd love to know what your travel essentials are?

Feel Unique Sale Purchases

Hello! It feels good to be blogging. Since starting my job, hobbies have taken a back seat. So, I placed an order with Feel Unique this week, and thought I'd show you what I bought!

You guys know that I'm a fan of the natural fragrance brand, Pacifica (I still can't get over the gift sets I managed to get for £3.75! They're £18 on Feel Unique, by the way). I'd had my eye on their reed diffusers for a while, but didn't want to pay £15. I then came across the Hawaiian Ruby Guava one in their sale for £7.50/120ml, so just had to buy it.

My hands have suffered since starting work, so I wanted a nice hand cream. I love Figs & Rouge, and love their Cherry Blossom lip balm, so thought I'd get the matching hand cream for £6.95/80ml. It smells just as good, and looks just as pretty, as the lip balm, so I can't wait to start using it. I also bought the Mango & Mandarin tube for £2.47/20ml (usually £3.95). It's small, but it's perfect for my bag, and smells incredible.

The next two items are products I already have and use daily, but after having them for years, they're beginning to dry out. They were discounted on Feel Unique, and there was a £5 off £20 spend code floating around, so thought it was the perfect time to buy new ones. The Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Intense Black was £5.99 down from £7.99, and the Maybelline Colour Tattoo Gel-Cream Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze was £4.49 down from £4.99.

Overall, I saved £16.58. There's also an extra 10% off sale items with code PLUS10 this weekend, so it's worth seeing what they have to offer!

Have you bought anything from Feel Unique recently? Or will you be?

Collective Haul

I don't feel like I've been buying much recently, but this photo says otherwise! 

So, you know the Pacifica fragrance sets I've mentioned a few times now? £18 on Feel Unique, bought a couple in January for £5, bought a couple more a few weeks back for £7.50? Well, Tesco Direct reduced them again, to just £3.75. £3.75! I'm glad they're not a well known brand over here. If they were, they would have sold out in a heartbeat. I now have four to give away as presents, and three myself.

I don't tend to buy many clothes from Primark (or from any store, really. Jeans and a plain tee will do me just fine). I just like the pj and home sections. I'm fond of their reed diffusers, so picked up four more; two sweet pineapple & ginger, and two blackcurrant & orchid. They smell great, and were only £3 each. I also bought some more cosy and thermal socks (£2 and £2.50). Love, love, love their thicker socks.

I reviewed the TRESemme Platinum Strength Shampoo a couple posts back (here), and then discovered that the bottles were half price in Superdrug (still are), so bought the Platinum Strength and Renewal Hair & Scalp duos. Each bottle was £2.47 down from £4.99. The 900ml and 750ml bottles are the same price, which is annoying, but these have been making a difference to my hair.

There was an offer on Soap & Glory facial products the other week in Boots, so I ended up paying £5-6 for the Ultimelt Hot Cloth Cleanser, rather than £10. I've used it a fair few times now, and... it's okay. It doesn't smell the nicest, it doesn't remove my makeup as well as others, and it doesn't leave my skin as soft as others. It's just okay. I like it, but wouldn't pay £10 for it. I then bought the Sugar Crush Body Scrub for £8. Full price. I don't think I've ever paid full price for a Soap & Glory product. There was a points voucher involved, though. Anyway, I've tried the other products in the range, and wanted to move away from exfoliating gloves and enter the world of scrubs. It smells better than the body wash and butter. It's incredible. I'm going to use it for the first time tonight, so will let you know how I get on.

I bought another Blistex Intensive Moisturiser (£2.59/Superdrug, £2.63/Boots) because I use my current one every night, and I also bought another Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick for £5.99 (normally £8.99). This shade is Peach Club. I like them, but can't say too much because I haven't worn them to their fullest potential yet. I've just been dabbing and blending a little in.

What happens when you combine a buy one get one half price offer, a £3 off voucher, and multiple point boosting vouchers? You spend, and you don't feel guilty about it. I bought the No7 Pop & Glow Cream Blush Stick in Classic Rose (normally £9.95), and the No7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Tropical Beach (normally £9). I ended up paying £6.95 and £4.50. I haven't tried them yet, but like the Instant Radiance Highlighting Stick I have from them. Tropical Beach also looks similar to Bourjois' Colour Boost Lip Crayon in Peach on the Beach, which is one of my favourites.

Lastly, the bag is from Accessorize. At £33.30 (usually £37), it wasn't the cheapest, but it's for my sister's birthday, and the patterns are really beautiful.

What have you been buying recently?

Life Update - Finishing Uni, Getting a Job, and Five Years of Blogging

A lot has happened since I last updated you 8 months ago. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll most likely know all of this, but if you don't, here's the gist of it!

I finished my dissertation, and after convincing myself I'd done terribly, I received a 2:1 for it. How, I do not know. My other assignment grades were good, too, and I'll be graduating in October with a 2:1 in English Language & Linguistics with Media. I didn't think I'd make it through the first year when I started uni, let alone finish with a 2:1. I actually remember telling myself to just make it through the first semester so I could keep the free laptop!

I felt even more down than usual after finishing uni because I had no plans. I was lost. I'd like to be a copywriter/proofreader, but as you do with everything, you need a lot of experience. The thing is, you need experience to get experience. My sister then informed me of a job going at Boots, and I thought it'd be great for the time being. I could earn some money while looking for said experience. I didn't end up getting the job I applied for, but was offered a better one instead. Although not planned, I'm fortunate I managed to get something after just one application and interview. Everyone's been really nice for the most part, and I've unintentionally lost weight because my body's not used to being so active! Uni's mentally challenging, but physically, there's nothing to it. I've had some bad days, but there's nothing to do except move on from them (after expressing my emotions on Twitter).

It was also my blog's 5th birthday on the 3rd August. Can you believe I've been writing on here for half a decade?! I was going to bake something, but completely forgot until the day. I'll have to whip something up soon because I haven't baked in ages. Although my blogging has slowed down this year, I can't see me stopping just yet. Hopefully, you'll stay with me!

TRESemme Platinum Strength Shampoo

Shampoo. As long as it cleans my hair and doesn't leave it feeling dry or weighed down, I'm happy. When I first heard of the Platinum Strength range by TRESemme, I thought the claims were far-fetched and that it probably did the same as their others. Then I was running low on shampoo, fancied a change, and this was on offer. A month or so on, and I'm impressed. It cleans my hair, but makes it feel soft at the same time, like I've used a conditioning treatment. It doesn't leave it feeling weighed down or greasy, though. My hair just feels healthier. I rarely have damaged looking hair, especially since I cut most of it off, so don't know how much of the 'reverses the look of up to 2 years of damage' claim is true, but my hair has taken well to this product. TRESemme products are regularly on offer, too, which is even better. Hopefully, my hair won't start to hate it a few months down the line!

What shampoo has impressed you?

Psst, it's also my blog's 5th birthday today!

Lip Product Collection and Storage

I don't know when this happened. One minute I'm rarely wearing lip products, and the next I'm having to buy a third container just to fit them in! I didn't realise how many I had until I gathered them together for this post. I used to wear nothing on my lips because I thought I looked like a child playing dress up when I did. However, I wear very little eye makeup and have pale lips, so without some form of colour on them, I can look a little...  ill. The lipstick holders are from here, and I'm very happy with them. I'm able to easily see every shade I have, without having them scattered across multiple surfaces in my room. They're currently just £2.99, which is an added bonus. I'm not going to go through every lip product with you, but I'm going to link the posts and reviews to some:

My Lip Crayon Collection (with links to individual reviews)

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Fraise Remix

Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick in 1,2,3 Soleil

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya

NYX Butter Gloss in Peach Cobbler

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balms

Barry M Loud Mouth Extreme Liquid Lip Colours

What lip products would you recommend I try? I have some slots to fill!

Empties #07

Although it's been a couple months since my last Empties post, it still feels like it's rolled around quickly! Let's jump straight in.

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash - £6.50, review here

I actually have a small amount of this left, but thought I'd include it here so it won't be sat in my empty products bag for a couple months. I love the scent of this, and the packaging is pretty nice too. It's more expensive than I usually spend on shower gels, though, so will only be repurchasing when it's on some kind of offer.

The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Shower Gel - £4, review here

I've already been through a couple of these bottles, and have another stashed away, so I'm obviously a fan! It just smells so juicy. I don't find the scent to linger, but I'm okay with that.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil - £10, review here

I've been using this every day for a few months, and it still has that smooth, softening effect on my skin. I really do love it, and have already started on another bottle.

Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner - £15.95, review here

I don't find this as moisturising as when I first started using it, but still like it. It's too expensive for my liking, though, so it'll be something to add to my Christmas/birthday wish lists.

Lush Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub - £8.50, review here

I don't really use body scrubs (prefer exfoliating gloves), and if I do, I like them to be thick, so I'm surprised I like this! The scent is refreshing, and when I really rub it into my skin, it feels soft afterwards. I'm not sure if I'd repurchase any time soon, but I wouldn't rule it out.

Superdrug Colour Effects Wash In, Wash Out Conditioning Colour in True Chestnut - £1.49, review here

I've spoken about these so many times. They make my hair more rich and vibrant for a short period of time. If you want to know more, just read my review!

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara - £7.99, review here

Darkens, doesn't clump, looks natural. Favourite mascara and I already have back ups.

The Body Shop All In One Face Base in 02 - £14

This gives you a little coverage and a velvety, matte finish without looking cakey. Combine this with one of The Body Shop's famous discount codes, and it's a winner all round! I already have another one of these in my draw.

Have you tried any of these products?