Lip Product Haul

So last week I was out shopping in Manchester with my boyfriend, and somehow managed to come home with a total of eight lip products. EIGHT! I'm not quite sure how it happened and thankfully, they cost me next to nothing, thanks to a few free rewards and a 3 for 2 offer. 

The first thing I picked up was a gorgeous Creme Smooth Lip Colour from Laura Mercier. I got the colour Royal Orchid as I thought it looked like a gorgeous 'my lips but better' shade. I had somehow managed to build up £20 worth of N.Dulge Reward Points, so when I got this to the till, it cost me a grand total of... Nothing! The price of the lipstick was exactly the same amount as the points I had built up, so I took this home feeling very smug at the fact I'd walked out of Space NK with a free lipstick. I haven't tried this lipstick yet, but will post a review when I get the chance to.

Next stop was House of Fraser, where I quickly went over to the MAC counter with six empty eyeshadow pots. With the empties, I did Back 2 MAC and got yet another free lipstick. I picked up the colour 'Lustering' which is a lustre finish. It isn't overly pigmented and just adds a nice shine of colour. The formula is very moisturising and feels very creamy on the lips. I have only worn this once, and the lasting power isn't as good as other MAC lipsticks that I have tried, I had to reapply after about two hours. However, I do not mind reapplying often and tend to do so anyway even if I don't particularly need to. I would highly recommend this shade as I think the colour is lovely and it would be great for people who want to try a brighter lipstick but not go too crazy with a super pigmented colour straight away. MAC lipsticks have increased in price yet again, they now cost £15, so walking away with one for free felt quite satisfying. 

Finally are the six that I am probably most excited about, which seems strange as all six together work out cheaper than just one of the above lipsticks would have cost alone. They are the Maybelline Baby Lips. I have been waiting for these forever and when I found out they had finally landed on UK turf, I couldn't stop myself from going on a wild hunt for them. I looked in my local Boots store the day after they came into shops, and there were none there at all. I did the same in Superdrug, with the same bad luck. 

So last week, on a trip to Manchester, I made it my mission to come home with all six in hand. And I did it! I found three in Boots on King Street, priced at a mere £2.99 each, and on a 3 for 2 offer, so I picked the three up for £5.98. Then we went into the larger Boots store, where no Baby Lips were to be seen anywhere. So we then ventured into the Arndale Centre and walked into Superdrug with everything crossed. There was a table with the last of their Baby Lips left. I found two of the three I was missing, and slightly disheartened, went over to the till to pay. But, with incredible luck, I found the final one near the till when I was queuing - no joke, I literally ran over to it squealing, slightly embarrassing, but I didn't care because it meant I had ALL 6! And, again, bought them on 3 for 2, meaning that for all six I only paid £11.96.

From left to right, the ones I got were: Peach Kiss, Pink Punch, Hydrate, Mint Fresh, Intense Care and Cherry Me. These are all really nice, there is nothing particularly special about them that makes them stand out over other lip balms, and I have certainly used better ones, but I'm so happy that I bought them and will continue to use, and probably re-purchase them. Peach Kiss, Pink Punch and Cherry Me are tinted lip balms and provide a nice wash of colour on the lips, so could be used in replacement of a lipstick or gloss.

Hope you enjoyed looking at what I bought, or didn't in the case of the first two, HA!

If you have any lip product recommendations, then please leave them in a comment below so that I can check them out next time I go shopping.

Natalie x

Gatineau Aquamemory Duo

Hey everyone!

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while, I've been so busy and I just couldn't find the time to do it, but I'm back now and today I'm showing you two new additions to my current skincare routine.

I picked up the Gatineau Aquamemory Duo a few weeks back and have added it into my daily night time skin care routine to put it to the test. I got mine for an amazing price in TK Maxx, this set usually retails for £48.50, but was reduced to £24.99. The one that I got was the last one and the box it was in was pretty beaten up, so I was offered a further 10% discount, meaning I only paid a mere £22.50 for it. Bargain! 

The set contains a 30ml Moisture Replenish Concentrate and a 30ml Moisture Replenish Cream. Considering the sizes are so small, these seem to be lasting me a really long time. I assumed I would get around 10 uses out of each, but I have been using these daily for almost a month now and have loads left. I am about 1/3 of the way through each of these so hopefully they might see me through til the end of September, although that might be asking a little too much, ha! 

I have been using the Moisture Replenish Concentrate as a serum, followed by the Moisture Replenish Cream as my moisturiser, after cleansing and toning. The Aquamemory Duo is designed to boost hydration, and while my skin isn't necessarily dehydrated, this has been working really well. I had never used any Gatineau skincare products before, so didn't know what to expect, however, from the first use, I could definitely feel the quality of both of these products. After cleansing and toning, I apply just one pump of the serum into my fingertips, which is enough to spread over the whole of my face and down my neck evenly. I then take a pea sized amount of the moisturiser and do the same. Both of these products sink into my skin more or less instantly, and don't feel tacky or sticky to touch. For such a small amount of product to provide such amazing moisture, I think it is definitely worth the full price.

The only drawback I have is that if I get this anywhere near my eye area, my eyes sting and start to water, so I do not go anywhere near the under eye and only use my eye cream for moisturiser there.

I would definitely recommend both of these products to anybody without hesitation. I have looked online and can't find the duo set that I got, so I assume it was limited edition, however you can buy both of the products individually here and here. The serum that I got in this set is actually the biggest size they do as far as I am aware and retails for £48.50 alone, so I essentially got it for around half price and got the moisturiser free. Don't you just love things that little bit more when you know you got a good deal! The full size moisturiser is £41.50 and comes in a 50ml jar, which is 20ml bigger than the one I have. Although these products are on the pricey side, I would definitely pay it as the quality is just amazing.

Hope this review helped! Does anybody have any recommendations of other serums and/or moisturisers I should try when I'm out of these two? Let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you.

Natalie x