Lush first impressions

So I've got something to admit to you. Until very very recently I had never tried a Lush product. Nope, not one. Before I moved to Aberdeen I didn't have a nearby store but I've lived here for over a year now and I've never been near the Lush store here. It took my sister and friend giving me Lush products for presents for me to try any, and now I'm wishing that I had much, much sooner.


Sweetie Pie shower jelly (£3.75)
These shower jellies are supposed to be the combination resulting from a bottle of shower gel and a bar of soap having a baby. I think that these are a really fun idea that kids would probably love, but unfortunately for me I just couldn't get on with it. For starters, the jelly smelled very strongly of cherries. The jelly was also really hard to use and I just couldn't get it to lather at all. I also kept dropping it in the shower!
Would I repurchase? No


Rock Star soap (£3.50) - "Smells like Teen Spirit"
This soap is awesome. For starters, just look at it! The scent is really hard to describe, but the Lush website says that it smells like seaside rock. The scent really lingers on your skin too and it leaves your skin feeling really soft.
Would I repurchase? Yes yes yes

Twilight bath bomb (£3.50) - "Let the sun set on worries"
This was my first Lush bath bomb and to be honest I didn't really get all the hype before I used it. Oh boy, was I wrong. For starters, it looks gorgeous with the moon and stars imprinted on it. It smelt fantastic both out of and in the bath - the Lush website describes it as a lavender smell, but I wouldn't be put off by that if you aren't a huge lavender fan. The bath water changes from a pale pink to a deep mauve colour and a fair few bubbles form too. The water feels so silky and my skin felt so smooth and moisturised.
Would I repurchase? Yes, but I'd love to try some of the other bath bombs first.

There we have it: my impressions of a few Lush products. Leave me some recommendations of other products to try in the comments!

7 Deadly Sins of Beauty Tag

I remember watching YouTube videos of this tag ages ago before I had even started my blog and I've always wanted to do it myself, so here it is! Read on to see the questions and my responses.

(1) Greed: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?

Barry M Nail Paints (£2.99) are really cheap but I find them to be one of the best formulations of nail polish out there. I even prefer these to the gelly version. There are such a huge range of colours available - I have: Cappucino, Berry Cosmo, Red Wine and Red Black.

I have The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder (£13.00) in the shade 02 fair matte and I really like it for contouring as it’s not too fair and also, more importantly, not too orange. I think you can probably find something better for cheaper though (if you have any recommendations leave them below!)


(2) Wrath: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with?

I used to love the Maybelline Colour Tattoo gel-cream eyeshadows (£4.99) but I haven’t been reaching for them as much recently. They tend to crease on my lids, but I do sometimes use them as a base for matte eyeshadows. I have these in the colours (25) Everlasting Navy, (35) On and on Bronze, (65) Pink Gold, (70) Metallic Pomegranate and (75) 24K Gold.


(3) Gluttony: What are your most delicious beauty products?

Burt’s Bees lip balms (£3.99) smell amazing, I have the Honey one and the Pink Grapefruit one and I really want to pick up other scents.


(4) Sloth: What beauty products do you neglect due to laziness?

I rarely wear lipstick during the day, unless I’m doing something special. I just can’t be bothered to check it after every meal to make sure that I haven’t smudged it or gotten any on my teeth.


(5) Pride: What beauty product gives you the most self-confidence?

I’m prone to the odd blemish and I always have a red chin so I would have to say concealer. I particularly love Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19) in the shade 1 Fair for blemishes and redness and Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (£5.49) in the shade 10 Ivory for under my eyes.

(6) Lust: What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?

Having pretty eyes is really attractive to me.

(7) Envy: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?

I'm not entirely sure - I think perfume because I don't have one at the moment and because I'd never buy perfume for myself.

I really enjoyed this tag! I tag anyone reading this who wants to try this tag to do it!

Thanks for reading.

My nighttime routine

I was going to skip blogging today because I have got so so much work to do for uni this week, but then this afternoon I got blogger's guilt that I hadn't stuck to my Wednesday/Saturday schedule: so here is the post I had always intended to write anyway!

This is the second part of my routines - if you missed my morning routine post you can check it out here.

I've actually been really naughty recently and I haven't been sticking to this routine as well as I should have. I've really noticed the difference with my skin and so I'm determined to get back on track (you can read about this and my other goals for the remained of 2015 here).

I always try to be in bed by 12am, and often I'm in bed at 11pm! It really depends on how tired I feel.

The first thing I do is take off the majority of my makeup with some cotton wool pads (triple pack £3.00) and Garnier Cleansing Micellar Water (£4.99), focussing on my eye makeup. I use about between one and four cotton pads depending on how much makeup I'm wearing that day.

Next, for my second cleanse, I use The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil (£11.00) with a lukewarm, damp face cloth or muslin cloth (the same one as the morning, I then put it in my laundry bag and take a clean one the next day). I can't recommend this cleanser enough. It's really gentle, but at the same time it does an amazing job at breaking down whatever makeup you're wearing - particularly good after nights out, if I'm not too tired. It has removed all the paint from underneath where it sits on the shelf in my bathroom - I'm pretty sure this is because the type of paint is oil based, and this oil cleanser dissolves oil... anyway, it's heavy duty but doesn't irritate my skin.

If I'm too tired to take my makeup off after a night out, or I'm staying at my boyfriend's flat, I use the B. Pure Micellar Cleansing Wipes (£1.00). I got these free after spending a certain amount of money on Superdrug and I have to say I'm really impressed. Face wipes that I've used in the past have never left my skin feeling all that clean. These are obviously not as good as a proper double cleanse, but definitely do the job in a pinch.

Following on from cleanser, I use an acid toner. I'm currently using and loving the Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads (£12.95 but often on offer). These pads contain glycolic acid and hyaluronic acid which act as an exfoliator. I honestly can't recommend switching to an acid toner instead of an exfoliator and a regular toner enough! I've raved about these before but let me just say that I didn't use these for a week and I noticed a huge difference in the texture of my skin!

To finish off in the bathroom I brush my teeth and use mouthwash - I've mentioned these products in my morning routine so I won't go into any more detail here.

I head upstairs next and use a stick deodorant: Sure Women Maximum Protection Cream Deodorant in Clean Scent (£4.99). This is a new product for me and the first twist up deodorant I've ever used but I have to say I really like it and I don't think I'll be going back to aerosols any time soon! It also smells like fresh laundry which is one of my favourite scents!

Next, moisturiser. I love The Body Shop Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask (£24.00). This seems really expensive and I thought long and hard about it before I purchased it. It's a huge tub that I've barely made a dent in as you need so little! I feel like I've spoken about this product before but I can't think when. The texture of this is, as the name suggests, bouncy. It does sit on the skin for a while and so if you're not careful you can end up stuck to your pillow but it's honestly worth it because it does such amazing things to your skin. I don't use this every night, maybe a few times a week.

Other nights I use a regular moisturiser: Nivea Visage Pure & Natural Regenerating Night Cream (£5.35). If I feel like my skin needs a little shot of moisture I will use The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil (£15.00). Again, this is quite pricey for such a small bottle but you only need about two drops to cover your entire face.

I finish off my nighttime routine by applying some hand cream - I've currently got a miniature Soap&Glory Sugar Crush Hand Food (£2.50) sat beside my bed. I also use Burt's Bees Lip Balm with Honey (£3.99).

Wow that was a long one! Congratulations if you made it to the end.

What's one product you can't go to sleep without using?

MEET MY: Cath Kidston purse

Welcome back to My Slice! I've decided to start a new series of posts entitled "MEET MY:" where I talk about a key item that I own. I've got a couple of these in my mind, so I hope that you like them!

Above you can see my Cath Kidston purse. My parents bought me this for my 18th birthday in April this year so unfortunately this exact print is discontinued however they have several other prints available (Global Wallet - £38, here). I would also highly recommend the slightly smaller size of this purse (Folded Zip Wallet - £28, here).

Inside, you can see that there are 15 card slots and one slot for a photo (or for a shopping list). Down the left side I have important cards like my bank card, my driving license and other forms of ID and on the right I keep loyalty cards and gift cards. I love how there is a slot for all of my cards!

Inside the zipped section there is another zipped part and on either side there are several little pockets. I don't really see the use in all of these - maybe for keeping receipts in? I don't tend to keep receipts in my purse though as it is a bit untidy looking. I just keep my notes in the large section at the back and coins in the bottom. One thing I will say about this purse is it bulges and can be really hard to close with just a few coins in it!

I really love this purse but it is also really bulky. I didn't realise how bulky it would be and sometimes I do wish I had gone for the smaller sized one. However, this size is good to just take out by itself, sort of like a clutch bag! It also matches my backpack that I use for university (keep an eye out for a post about it!).

Thanks for reading!

My morning routine

I've been wanting to write this post for ageeeees - pretty much ever since I started this blog. These types of posts are one of my favourites to read because I love seeing which products other people use in their routines and also the order in which they do things.

I've put off doing this post until I had what was, in my eyes, the perfect little routine! I really love having a routine in the mornings because even when I'm still half asleep, I know what I'm doing next.




My alarm goes off at 7:30am which gives me exactly one hour to get ready before I have to leave for a 9:00am lecture. The first thing I do is head downstairs to the bathroom.

First of all, I brush my teeth. I'm using the Colgate Max White Toothbrush (£2.49) which (yaknow for a toothbrush) I'm enjoying using. I've also recently switched to Colgate Max Fresh with Cooling Crystals toothpaste (£2.49) - it's really really minty and a bright blue colour. Finally, I use Colgate Total Spearmint Burst Mouthwash (£3.99).

Next, cleanser. I am loving both of these cream cleansers at the moment: Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream (£11.49) and Bee Good Honey & Propolis 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser (£11.50). The Burt's Bees cleanser leaves my skin feeling really soft and moisturised, and also (to me anyway) smells of those Love Hearts sweets I used to love as a kid. The Bee Good cleanser is slightly less moisturising - but in a good way? I find my skin feels much more deeply cleansed when I use it so I use it when my skin needs a deeper cleanse. This is going to make me sound very weird (or an alcoholic) but to me, this cleanser smells like gin...which I like hahahaha. I highly recommend both, and think they'd work well with all skin types.

I lather a small amount of whichever cleanser on dry skin, add water and then remove using a lukewarm muslin cloth or face cloth. I don't wash my face in the shower because the water is just too hot!

Next I hop in the shower and at the moment I am loving the nspa Fruit Extracts Pink Grapefruit Shower & Bath Gel (£3 from Asda). You can read a whole post about my love of pink grapefruit scented products here.

After my shower I head upstairs where I spritz on a little bit of the La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray (£8.15). To be honest, I'm not overly impressed with this. It is raved about among bloggers and I expected great things. I haven't noticed a difference between when I use it and when I don't use it. I don't think I'll be repurchasing once this is empty.

While I wait for the toner spray to sink in, I get dressed and brush my hair. Next I use the Nip+Fab Dragons Blood Plumping Serum (£19.95 although I always wait until it's on offer in Superdrug, I paid £9.95). This stuff is amazing. The smell is impossible to describe, but it sinks in so quickly and genuinely adds a shot of moisture to my skin. It also feels really cool and refreshing. When I haven't used this, I notice my foundation doesn't apply nearly as well.

Next I use the Nivea Daily Essentials Sensitive Day Cream with SPF15 (£4.49). This is just a standard moisturiser I would say, I like it but I'm not overly attached to it. It takes a while to sink in but I find that the level of moisture it provides is perfect for my combination skin.

If my eyes are feeling particularly sore or tired (I'm looking at you Sunday mornings), then I apply a bit of the Simple Kind To Eyes Revitalising Eye Roll-On (£4.99). I'm not in love with this product, I can't decide when to use it. On one hand, it's so lightly moisturising and cooling that I think daytime but on the other hand, it takes a while to sink in so maybe before bed is better?

Finally, I apply a bit of the Burt's Bees Refreshing Lip Balm with Pink Grapefruit (£3.99). See, I told you I love pink grapefruit scented products.

If you made it to the end of this huge post then congratulations! Let me know in the comments your favourite products that you use in the morning.

Thanks for reading!

All things pink grapefruit

I'm going to start this post off by throwing my hands up and saying it out loud. I'm addicted. I'm obsessed. I have a problem.

I love pink grapefruit.

Well, I love pink grapefruit scented products. I haven't ever actually eaten pink grapefruit, but I'm determined to try some now! Anyhow, let's get on to discussing my love of all things pink grapefruit.

Bath & Body
nspa Fruit Extracts Pink Grapefruit Shower & Bath Gel (£3 from Asda)
This is a brand that is available exclusively at Asda, and I have to say I'm really impressed with it. This definitely has a sweeter scent than The Body Shop's range but it's still undeniably pink grapefruit. It lathers really well, is a huge bottle (500ml) and I've heard from my flatmate (the cheeky so and so) that it works really well as bubble bath too.

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel (£4/£12 from The Body Shop)
This one actually isn't pictured as I used up the bottle I had. I actually prefer the nspa one but I still highly recommend The Body Shop one.

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Scrub (£13 from The Body Shop)
I tend to use this body scrub to exfoliate my legs before I shave them. I find that this scrub works really well both alone and with exfoliating gloves. It is quite runny so I do tend to drop some product when I use it but it smells incredible.

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Butter (£14/£28 from The Body Shop)
I love when I have a shower or a bath at night time and I have time to layer up pink grapefruit products. The scent lasts so much longer! I love these body butters, my only problem is they take a really long time to soak in so I have to put them on before bed. Luckily I'm not one of these people who hates lying feeling a bit sticky - I don't love it but I can definitely cope with it!

Skincare
Burt's Bees Refreshing Lip Balm with Pink Grapefruit (£4 from Debenhams/Boots)
These lip balms are my all time favourite lip balm. They're the most moisturising that I've ever tried and I don't think I could find anything better! I tend to use the pink grapefruit one in the morning as the scent really wakes me up and I use the honey one at night time. Cannot recommend enough!

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Hand Cream (£4 from The Body Shop)
I find these hand creams really moisturising but ever so slightly greasy for a short while. The smell isn't too overpowering, which I like.

Fragrance
The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Mist (£7.50 from The Body Shop)
Just incase I'm not already walking around in a cloud of pink grapefruit, I have this body mist to top up during the day. Love love love.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Sorbet Eau de Toilette
I don't actually own this perfume, but I've sniffed it enough times in store to know that I love it. It has pink grapefruit as a top note. The only reason I haven't purchased it yet is because I love all of the Marc Jacobs perfumes and can't make my mind up!

Other
The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Hand Cleanse Gel (£2.50 from The Body Shop)
I'll be honest, the only reason I picked this up was because I had one of those vouchers where if you spend a certain amount then you get £10 off. I ended up finding this so useful to have in my bag day-to-day!

Let me know in the comments what your favourite scent is! And also if you have any recommendations of pink grapefruit scented products that I should try. 

Thanks for reading!

The jeans which changed my mind

A bad experience with a pair of shorts completely put me off high waisted jeans. Sounds strange, but let me paint you a picture: they were high waisted, knee length, dark blue, denim shorts with three or four buttons instead of a zipper. God knows why I bought them when they made my hips look mahoooosive and were just generally unflattering and uncomfortable - not to mention difficult to get out of with all of those buttons.

I somehow got it into my head that high waisted jeans were unflattering on me, which is strange seeing as I practically live in my high waisted leggings and treggings from Topshop - shop leggings here (£15) and treggings here (£25).

Thank goodness there is a middle ground - Topshop calls them Joni jeans (£36-£45), New Look calls them Disco jeans (£15-£35) and River Island calls them Molly jeggings (£40). Basically, they're fab and the material is so comfortable to wear but they also look great!

I've rediscovered a love of jeans. And I couldn't be happier. Now I just need to go buy these in more colours! The ones I have are the Navy Disco Jeans from New Look (£19.99).

My main message of this post (besides my love of these jeans) is that if you think that there is a particular item of clothing or look that you don't think you can pull off, why not try it again or approach it in a different way? I can't believe I didn't buy these sooner. You might surprise yourself!

Thanks for reading!

What's in my bag? - night out edition

I thought that this would be a good post to do as it's a wee bit different to normal "what's in my bag?" posts and it's also clear that for nights out you need a completely different set of things to what you need during the day. It's also freshers week for a lot of people at the moment or in the coming weeks so I hope this is helpful to some of you.

I know that a lot of my friends don't take a bag out with them and instead just stuff everything down their bra but I don't like to do this because (a) I don't have a whole lot of room in that department and (b) I would hate to lose something because it fell out while I was dancing (my friends and I do tend to go a bit crazy with our dancing in clubs, c'mon it's the one time of the week when we can let loose).

My bag is from H&M and it was only £7.99, I know that it's quite plain but because of this that means it goes with every outfit I wear out. I also really love the gold detailing on the zip. I couldn't find the exact one online but I found two similar ones here and here (£7.99 each).

Now onto what I actually keep in my bag! In the tiny zippered inside pocket I keep things I probably won't need but that I like to have: plasters, hair grips and a condom. The condom isn't necessarily for me as I'm not the type of person to go home with a different guy every night I've been out to a club (although nothing wrong with that, you do you), but in my mind it's good to be sensible and prepared and have one just in case. Also if one of my friends didn't have one, then I could give them that one. Safe sex is so important guys!

In the main part of my bag I keep:

• my purse
• my keys
• my phone - Samsung Galaxy S6
• a form of ID - usually my driving license but I don't have it at the moment as I'm waiting for my full license to be posted out to me, so currently I'm using my passport
• chewing gum - even if I wasn't a serial gum chewer I would always carry some, incase of a wee kiss with someone or much, much more likely, your mate throws up and needs something to take the taste away....
• an extremely battered face powder (Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder £3.99) and a teeny and very old No7 powder brush
• my lipstick of choice for the evening, this one is Rimmel Kate Lipstick Shade 22 (£5.49), it's a gorgeous pillar box red

In my purse I have cash, my AAA card (free entry to my favourite club in Aberdeen), usually my driving license and my bank card. I know some people don't take their bank card out with them but I would hate to be stranded in town with no money for a taxi home so I always take mine out with me. It also acts as a second form of ID (some reaaaally strict places ask me for a second form of ID, probably since I look about 15).

So that's what I take out with me on a night out! Let me know in the comments if you guys think I've missed anything essential! Oh - and I always make sure I have taxi numbers saved to my phone, just incase the taxi rank is empty. Stay safe guys, and hope you're having a fantastic week!

The Body Shop Seaweed Skincare Range

Today I'm going to do a review of the above items from The Body Shop's Seaweed range. From left to right:

Seaweed Night Treatment (£13.00)
This is probably my favourite product from the five. I use this as my night time moisturiser. The appearance of this is a clear, runny gel and the packaging has a pump dispenser. I find that one pump isn't enough and two pumps is a bit too much so I usually opt for the two and make sure that everywhere is covered. My one issue with this is that it takes ageeeees to sink into the skin and so you can't really go to sleep straight away as you'd end up stuck to your pillow! It does leave your skin really soft and smooth though.

Would I repurchase? : Maybe (I prefer The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask (£24.00))


Seaweed Clarifying Toner (£9.50)
I've switched from a conventional toner like this one to using exfoliating toning pads but if a liquid toner is still your thing then this is a pretty good one. It removes any residue left from your cleanser and is alcohol free.

Would I repurchase? : No (I don't use toners like this anymore)


Seaweed Pore-Cleansing Facial Exfoliator (£11.00)
I have to admit that every single one of these products I have finished (or am finishing) apart from this one. I'm no longer using an exfoliator like this because I use exfoliating pads instead so I gave this to my mum. What I will say is that it is a rather unappealing brown colour with huge exfoliating particles, so if that's what you look for in an exfoliator then you might like this. It also has a bit of a weird smell.

Would I repurchase? : No


Seaweed Purifying Facial Cleanser (£9.50)
I've spoken about this cleanser already in my skincare empties post. I really didn't like this cleanser, I didn't find it very effective at removing makeup, dirt or oil from my skin so basically a pretty rubbish cleanser! I also found it left a residue on my skin even when I removed it with a wet face cloth.

Would I repurchase? : No


Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream (£11.00)
This day cream does what it says on the tin, it does leave your skin matte and I do notice that it takes a lot longer for my skin to go shiny through my makeup when I use this. It also takes a bit longer than other moisturisers I've tried to absorb into my skin which is not ideal when you're in a rush and trying to do your makeup. The other issue with this, and it's a huge one, is that this stuff smells awful. In the tub it smells fine but when you rub it into your skin, I don't know what happens - maybe it heats up or something? It smells like fish. Ew. Luckily the smell goes away after it is absorbed but still. Not ideal.

Would I repurchase? : No


Unfortunately, it's a thumbs down from me for The Body Shop's seaweed range. I'm disappointed as I usually love The Body Shop products. Let me know in the comments if you guys have tried anything from this range. I'm also on the hunt for a new cleanser so please let me know your recommendations below, I'd really appreciate it!

August Empties

I must admit that I've been hoarding these empty bottles and pots for far longer than is acceptable, in anticipation of this: my first empties post. Just by chance, all of the products that I've been finishing recently are skincare products. I figured that I would show you guys what I've been using recently and give you my thoughts on each product too. Let's get started!

Right Guard Xtreme Invisible Anti-Perspirant Deodorant (£2.29)

I really like this deodorant, it's one of the better ones that I've used. This is definitely not the first can of this that I've finished! It's claim to be "invisible" is 100% true, no white marks with this! It also has a very pleasant scent.

Repurchase? : Yes

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel (£4.00)

Pink Grapefruit is my favourite scent from The Body Shop, I love the entire range of products. I'm also a huge fan of their shower gels as they lather nicely and always have a really strong scent.

Repurchase? : Yes (but already have a back-up one)

Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads (£12.95)

After reading Caroline Hiron's posts (here and here) I was on the hunt for an exfoliating toner as they are meant to work wonders. These pads are very similar to the First Aid Beauty Radiance Pads she recommends but are a good bit cheaper and also available in Boots and Superdrug - quite often on offer too. I would recommend these to anyone, I use one pad every night after cleansing and I have noticed a big difference.

Repurchase? : Yes (already have for £7-ish on offer)

The Body Shop Seaweed Purifying Facial Cleanser (£9.50)

I finally used up this cleanser! It says it can remove makeup, impurities and oil. I'm calling bull on that one I'm afraid. I ended up using this as a morning cleanser only and even then it was pretty rubbish.

Repurchase? : No

Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream (£29.50)

This is actually just a sample size from the Skincare by Benefit 6 piece intro kit (£15.50). This is the night cream from the set. It's really moisturising and takes a little bit of working into the skin but it's not too heavy and I think it would be suitable for all skin types. This whole range has a really light pleasant fragrance.

Repurchase? : No (too pricey)

Benefit It's potent! Eye Cream (£25.50)

Again, this is a sample size from the Benefit Skincare kit. This is the first eye cream that I've ever used and I have to admit that at this age I don't think it's essential. I suppose in later life I will be thankful that I used an eye cream from an early age. I also really enjoyed the cool feeling of it when my eyes were a bit irritated by my hayfever.

Repurchase? : No (too pricey)

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub (£8.00)

This is a miniature which I received in a Sugar Crush gift set at Christmas time (no longer available but similar here). I love the scrubbiness (is that a word) of this scrub and I love how it leaves my skin feeling. However, personally I don't like this scent. It's a very sickly and overpowering lime scent.

Repurchase? : No (Yes, in a different scent)





Let me know in the comments if you've tried any of these products and what you thought of them - I'd love to know!

Makeup starter kit for £50

Hello!

Welcome to the third of this series of starter kits for £50, previously I have written about my skincare starter kit and my body care starter kit so be sure to check those out!

The total of the items comes to £49.44, but always watch out for 3 for 2 offers and remember to use your Boots or Superdrug card to collect points!

Makeup Bag 
Zoella Beauty Bag (£8.00)
I got this makeup bag as a gift last Christmas and I absolutely love it. It's such a good size for keeping all your makeup in when you're just starting out, and then for travelling when your makeup collection has grown! If this one is a bit too pricey, be sure to check out Primark for some slightly cheaper makeup bags.

Concealer
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (£5.99)
I've only started using this concealer recently but I really like it, it's so creamy that it doesn't look awful over dry patches around spots. It's also great under eyes. I use my ring finger to pat this in, so you don't need to splash out on makeup brushes.

Blusher AND Eyeshadow
Sleek MakeUP Eye & Cheek Palette (£9.99)
I love Sleek Blushes and Eyeshadow palettes so I just know this would be a great product to have them combined - great for starting out or travelling. It comes with a brush for applying blush and a duo-ended eyeshadow applicator too.

Powder 
Rimmel Clear Complexion Transparent Powder (£3.99)
I love this powder, it sets my makeup really well. My one gripe is the packaging, I always end up cracking the lid. And when you hit pan you have to be really careful not to drop it as the powder does then smash - but you can keep it to use as loose powder if you're careful.

Eyeliner
Bourjouis Liner Feutre (£6.99)
I purchased this recently in a 3 for 2 deal on Bourjouis products and I am pleasantly surprised. It's wet enough to use easily with dragging the eyelid, but not too wet that it smudges. It's very very black and once it's there and dried it lasts all day - in fact it can even be tricky to get off at night time without using eye makeup remover or micellar water. I'm definitely still an eyeliner beginner and I could use this no problem.

Mascara
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara (£7.99)
I have now found The One. The One mascara, that is. This is it, it's affordable, it's brilliant I love love love it. It has a curved wand which can be tricky to get a hang off when you first use it but once you use it you will fall in love, I promise.

Lipstick
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick (£6.49)
And similar to mascara, I have found the one lipstick. These lipsticks are £1 more expensive than the other Rimmel lipsticks (I think) but boy is it worth it. As the name suggests, they are so moisturising but the colour is still very pigmented. They are just a pleasure to wear. So what if they need to be reapplied slightly more often than the Rimmel Stay Matte lipsticks? They make my lips feel happy!

Let me know in the comments what you think if you have tried any of these products! Thanks for reading.