3 Beauty Products Worth Splashing Out On

With the millions of different products out there in the beauty world it's hard to know what's worth investing in and splashing out your well-earned and well-saved pennies on.

I'm a girl who most of the time uses your bog standard everyday drugstore brands and products - but there's a few things I have bought or been given as presents that have lasted the test of time and, for me, are worth every single penny.

1. Expensive Perfumes
I have lots of different perfumes - from Taylor Swift to Armani - and I'm not saying that the amount you pay makes the perfume scent any better or any worse in most cases. 
But from experience with my higher end price tag perfumes I really do notice the stay-time, the amount used and the compliments alot more.
 With just a couple of squirts from some of them I'm set for the day, which in turn means that they last alot longer, none of this applying twenty times a day malark!
Sometimes splashing out on a scent that you really really love knowing it was last is better  than buying bottle after bottle of a perfume you go through quicker than your iPhone battery!
My favourites are Angel, Alien, Si, Flower, Modern Muse Le Rouge & Miss Dior.

2. Straighteners
As much as I have tried other straighteners, (and don't get me wrong I've liked other straighteners) my heart will always lie with my original ghds.
I have had this pair of ghds since I was 13 or 14 years old (I think I got them for Christmas 2003) - I am now nearly 26 and I still use them every.single.week.
They are the greatest beauty investment you can buy - I will tell you that now! Yes they are over £100 but I mean....so far for me that's less than £10 a year - a very worthy price for something so loved and used.

3. High End Eyeshadow Palettes 
How many times have you looked at an eyeshadow palette and fallen in love.... but then seen the price tag and immediately written it off as a no-go.
If you're anything like me then this happens all the bloomin' time!
I tend to forget how long my higher-end make-up lasts me.
 For instance my UD Naked palette has been in my collection now for about 3 or 4 years and it's still going strong - even though I've used it for my eyes nearly everytime I've done a full-face of make-up.
It's my go-to, my holy grail, and even though it retails for nearly £40 after using it for so long and still having so much left - the quality speaks for itself, well worth the investment! 
I'm now looking at maybe grabbing the 2 or 3.... thoughts? opinions?

Let me know what you've splashed out on and haven't regretting below in the comments!

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Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Love Bite Lipstick

Holy Moly! Look what I finally own - a Charlotte Tilbury lipstick! 

I have been drooling over these from a distance for months now and I was incredible lucky to actually WIN one earlier this month! (I know, lucky right?)
From the moment I laid eyes on this I was in love - slightly emotional about a lip product I know - but everything from the packaging to the finish is just gorgeous.

 Charlotte Tilbury has slowly, over the last few years, become a brand which every beauty lover wants to get their mitts on - me included.
This is one of the lipsticks from her signature lipstick range - K.I.S.S.I.N.G. - a collection of 11 shades curated with modern and classic icons in mind.

Everyone needs a classic red lip and although I own more red lip products than I can count, this shade is something special! I'd probably even go as far as to say it's the perfect pillarbox red - great for near enough every skin tone.

(Opps dodgey fading fake tan alert...#sorry!)

Creamy, rich, highly pigmented and super long-lasting - this is, in my opinion, worth every penny of the £23 asking price. I think I'll be treating myself to some more CT products very soon.....

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My Go-To Primers

Primers are something that have become a totally necessity to my make-up routine over the last few years! I can't imagine ever putting my foundation or concealer on now without have primed myself first!
There are a few different primers I use on a regular basis, from high end brands to cheap bargains under £5, so I thought I would share my 5 favourites with you guys!
I'll do these in price order for you guys - from cheapest to ..... not so cheap!

THE EVERYDAY BASE : Nivea Hydration Primer - £4.99

I use this stuff every single day. When my face is clean and after I've used my Liz Earle Skin Tonic I use this as my daytime moistouiser, aswell as first primer! It keeps my face hydrated and smooth without being too heavy or greasy. It works as a great base for then one of the other 4 primers mentioned below! I couldn't be without this stuff, I can't tell you how many I've been through already!

THE DRUGSTORE BEST : Maybelline's Baby Skin - £7.99

Now I have tried out both versions of this and I can't decide which one I like better! The original is a lovely clear gel which gives the skin a lovely smooth finish which helps my make-up sit perfectly. The other is alot creamier and gives the skin a lovely subtle radiant glow. One of the best drug-store primers out there I'd say.

MY NEW FAV : No7 Airbrush Away Primer - £19.50

This I actually the newest primer in my life. I picked it up back in November when it was put on offer for half price! Alongside that awesome price I had a £5 off No7 voucher (Yup this stuff is classed as skincare not make-up apparently) so I got it for literally a quarter of the price! I was so pleasantly surprised by how well this works and it has been the primer I've used for my everyday make-up near enough everyday since buying it. (So I'm glad I bought two!)

THE ULTIMATE FAVOURITE : Benefit POREfessional - £24.50

This is my ultimate favourite primer! I wish I could afford it to use it everyday, but being over £24 a tube unfortunately I'm way too skint to be buying it all the time! I've had loads of these smaller tubes, even though they are tiny they really do last! I save this for when I'm going "out out" or when I'm doing a full-face of make-up! 

THE HIGH END SPLASH : Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - £29

When on holiday in Florida I decided to treat myself to a few make-up bits that either were 1. more expesive in the UK or 2. weren't sold in the UK. I've wanted to try LM for soooo long and was so happy to finally be the owner of the primer! 

This is a light creamy base which I use when I feel like treating myself a bit or if my skin is feeling a bit dry, it keeps my skin hydrated and leaves my skin feeling like silk. If you have a larger budget to work with this is definitely something to try out. I cannot wait to try out the silk creme foundation.

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Rodial Super Acids X-treme Hangover Mask Review

Oh shocker - Kirstie's found another face mask to rave about! Sorry guys... I just have a major love for them!
You may remember last week I did a post on Rodial's Super Acids X-treme Pore Shrink Pads and today I'm going to be talking about another product from the same fabulous green packaged range!
This is the Rodial Super Acids X-treme Hangover Mask.... coolest name ever right?

Rodial Super Acids X-treme Hangover Mask*

For the last month or so I have been using this mask religiously every week. Yes I have been using other masks aswell but I've always used this aswell.... 2 face masks a week - is that bad? Hope not!

This is a triple action clay mask which deeply cleanses, exfoliates and restores your skin to reveal a healthy, glowing looking complexion.

Pronalen fruit acids exfoliate and retexture the skin whilst the appearance of fine lines are tackled by the laracare and argireline hexapeptide (crikey... totally mouthfuls!)

After cleansing my face of all make-up and cr*p I squeeze out a 50p sized amount of product on my fingers and evenly spread it across my face, avoiding my eyes.

You only need a thin layer of this stuff and once it's on I normally just sit down and chill out for about 15 minutes. Smell wise.... it doesn't have a strong scent - to be honest it's the same as the pore shrink pads but I can't really explain it. (rubbish blogger alert!)

I really do feel this mask working, sounds crazy but you do feel it pentrating the skin and doning all those jobs it says it's made for!

After the mask has set and I have that lovely hard-face feeling I gently rub off the mask (alot of it tends to sink into the skin during those 15 mins btw) and then any reisdue left I just remove with warm water and a muslin cloth.

Each time I've used this my skin has felt even better, you can feel all the dead skin cells being lifted away, leaving you with a fresh, soft face. Plus even though it has alot of ingredients and promises alot, my skin never feels overly abused from it. (some face masks can leave my skin a little red and blotchy.... luckily this isn't one of them.)

Glowing, hydrated skin is what you get from this beaut. After a tiring week at work I look forward to giving myself a pick me up with this. 

 But for £45 it's not the cheapest skin fix. Yes it does last, I've been using this for weeks and have probably used about a third, but there probably is other skincare products/masks out there that can give you more or less the same effect for a fraction of the price.

This for me is a major treat, it works amazingly well for my skin and I have been so chuffed with the results but it is slightly out of my price range for a face mask..... just being honest guys!

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Rodial Super Acids X-treme Pore Shrink Pads Review

Happy Monday (or whatever day you are reading this on), recently I have become a tad bit obsessed with skincare and my skincare routine.
I've never had problems with my skin so when last month my skin decided to unleash a few nastys upon my face I had a right panic and started trying a few new and different products to try and clear it up.

Rodial are a brand that has recently come into my life and for the past few months they have been impressing me with their make-up and skincare ranges!

When I first read "pads" I was a little apprehensive.... I suddenly thought of make-up removing pads which 9 times out of 10 are .. pants! BUT these are for clean, dry, cleansed skin so my feelings soon turned around!

These are too be used twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening and I have been following these guidelines religiously.
I normally use a facial wash in the shower each morning and hot cloth cleanser to remove my make-up in the evening followed by some form of toner on a cotton wool pad, I've just replaced that last step with these pads!

Super Acids X-treme Pore Shrink Pads*

You get 50 pads in a each pot - enough for 25 days (or a month if you forget a few times haha!)
My previous experience with products like these, like I said before, hasn't been great. I've always found pad-type products always dry up really quickly and can be quite abrasive. These are the total opposite!

Each pad feels thick with product and is really soft on the skin! I've been using these all over my face, but avoiding my eye area just because my eyes tend to water with some things. 

Even though I use these after removing all my make-up sometimes there is still a bit of make-up/dirt (I'm not dirty but you know what I mean!) on these pads - they really do give you an amazing cleanse.
They leave my skin feeling both cleansed and toned aswell as soft (alot softer than before!) and after using these for the past couple of weeks I have really noticed a difference in my skin.

My pores aren't overly bad anyway but I've noticed my skin has looked the best it has done in a good few months. It looks and feels tighter and my pores look great and they seem to have given me a fab radiant glow. All the spots and blemishes that I had before are now more or less totally gone aswell - liefsaver!
I'm going to be so sad when I run out of these I think I will probably be purchasing another pot one I'm back from my holiday. 

The X-treme pore shrink pads are priced at £38 and can be found - here on Rodial's website! Yes £38 is expensive but for me they have really really worked so this is a high end product that I would happily splash out on.
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POTW #22 : Rodial Glamstick - Psycho

Hello beautiful people! Hope you are all well and you'r feeling funky, fresh and free! 

Once again I'm here talking about my stand out product from the past week and this week it's a certain lippy. (what a surprise right? a lip product! .... I'm sorry guys I'm addicted okay!)

This product was sent to be recently from the lovely people at Rodial and it one of their fabulous Glamsticks!

Rodial Glamstick - Psycho*

 First up - Glamstick - amazing name and check out the incredible packaging to go along with it!  
You can tell that this is slighter higher end product with this packaging, it is beautiful and seriously stands out in my collection, I am totes obsessed!

Glamsticks are Rodial's tinted lip butters and there is a huge range of colours to choose from! Psycho is a gorgeous orangey-coral shade which is perfect for this time of year especially with it's added SPF 15 - no burnt/fried lips for me!  (That happened once... I put vaseline on my my lips at a Festival.... ouch Charlie that was a painful weekend!)

So, moving on from my previous lip disaster... my favourite thing about this butter is the fact it is infused with cocoa butter - one of my favourite ever ingredients/flavours/scents! Not only does it make this product glide on and feel super moisturising but it actually smells amazeballs and keeps your lips really hydrated for hours - high five Rodial I salute you!

The colour is really pigmented and has such an amazing shine and the Hyaluronic Acid Spheres give a long-term plumped look - which I can confirm, works!

So there's another lip product which I'm addicted to using.... I swear my list is becoming endless! The quality of this is amazing - alot better than others I own! I'm tempted to invest in some more - you can find the Glamsticks here - they are £25 each OR you can get a set of 3 Glamsticks for just £25 (saving £50!) which includes Psycho - ummm... bargain!


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Do

3 Fab Lipstick Dupes

I love a good dupe when it comes to make-up, but then again who doesn't?!

 Knowing that you can get nearly the same fab product but for a fraction of the product's price tag is one good feeling!

 I'm always reading and looking out for other bloggers dupe posts so I thought it was about time that I started sharing with you guys dupe that's I have discovered over the last few years!

First up is three lipsticks that I seem to have copycats of - I love higher end and drugstore lipsticks just as much as each other... just FYI!

Lipstick Dupe #1

Mac Girl About Town (£15) VS Rimmel Moisture Renew Lily Extase (6.49)

Saving : £8.51

If you've read my blog before you may know that Girl About Town is my favourite Mac lipstick that I own! 

I am such a fuchsia lover and it's always a go-to shade for me! It wasn't until recently that I noticed stumbled across this lipstick by Rimmel in my collection and saw how similar they are!

I know that the Moisture Renew lipsticks have had a bit of a make-over recently so I'm not sure if this shade is still available but if you can get your hands on it I highly recommend you do! They are both super hydrating, pigmented and have a great long-lasting finish.

Lipstick Dupe #2

No7 Stay Perfect Gay Geranium (£9.75) VS Seventeen Stay Pout Make An Entrance (£4.49)

Saving : £5.26

These are both Boots brands and I think most people see Seventeen as the "younger, hipper" version of the formal No7.

Even the name of the products are similar, the only main difference being the price! The Seventeen lipstick is less than half the price of the No7 and for me the quality is totally equal! The colours of both are stunning and so stand out, although the Stay Pout is only very slightly darker than the Stay Perfect!

Lipstick Dupe #3

Mac Matte Lipstick Candy Yum-Yum (£15) VS Barry M Lip Paint 62 (£4.49)

Saving : £10.51

This is probably the best dupe I've found so far! I have been buying Barry M lipsticks and glosses for years and really do swear by them! The colours are amazing and they are still some of the cheapest on the drugstore market! 

Of course I LOVE my Mac lipstick but if you aren't up for paying the price of mac or just wanted to see weather a colour this vibrant would suit you before splashing out the Barry M alternative is totally and utterly perfect!

So there's 3 fab dupes for you all - let me know weather you like this type of post and if you would like to see anymore! 

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