IMATs London 2013 Haul

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I've been trying to keep my weekends free so I can get a little break before the working week starts again, however, last weekend, I went along to IMATs. IMATs is actually a trade show for makeup artists (which I am not), but I still wanted to go and pick up a few things that I wouldn't have got if I was out and about in London. I also had a little list of products that a few friends wanted as they weren't able to make it themselves.

As I got there pretty early, I was able to have a look around the NYX stand before the queue got ridiculously long (it was literally going all the way around the outside of the stand). NYX only had a selection of their products available, but I did get two matte lip creams, two lip liner pencils, a blusher and a eyebrow kit for myself (at a total of around £20).

Eyebrow kit in dark brown, Lip creams in Milan and San Paulo,
Blusher in Desert Rose, Lip pencils in Coffee and Mauve


I also had a look around Nars, where they had 60% off on selected products. There were plenty of eyeshadow duos and trios, nail polishes and eye pencils, but none of them stood out to me. Instead, I got myself (and another for my sister) a matte lip pencil in Never Say Never. There were a few other shades available but this one stood out the most. I got this for only £7.



Somehow I managed to pick up 5 (yes 5!) angle brushes, a mixture of Crown brushes and Royal and Langnickel. I'm not sure why I need 5 of them, but I think the smaller ones will come in handy for my canvas painting (sometimes makeup brushes work better than paint brushes).



The Mehron GlitterMark's, were something Safiyah pointed out to me and suggested that I could use them for glitter henna designs. I picked up the white and black glitters as I think I'd make the most use out of them. They have an alcohol free gel base and are safe to use on the face as well as the body.



I also won a 8ml BeautySoClean cosmetic sanitizer mist, which is a product designed to remove bacteria from powder-based products. I'm looking forward to trying this out!



And that's the end of my haul from IMATs. Luckily, I stuck to my budget and only bought what I needed (well...kinda!)





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Review: Avene Thermal Spring Water

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It's been a while since I've last blogged! Work has been taking over, especially because the Summer term is the busiest with all the extra activities going on. Hopefully I'll be blogging a little more when the Summer holidays arrive! Onto the blog post =)

I've only been using this for a few months and already it has become a staple product in my daily makeup routine. The Avene Thermal Spring Water is a multipurpose products which can be used as a refreshing spray when your skin feels dry and tight. It can also help sooth sunburn and skin irritation as well as being used as a cleanser for your face.


I've actually been using it to set my makeup in the mornings, and have also been carrying it in my bag so I can use it during the day. The 50ml can makes it ideal to carry around, but it's also available in 150ml and 300ml from Boots. It's suitable for sensitive skin as it doesn't contain any fragrances or chemicals which may cause irritation (perfect for my eczema). I love that it just gives a fine mist of spring water, which helps set my mineral makeup instead of ruining it. This is definitely my go-to product this summer and it'll be perfect for the upcoming summer holidays. At the price of £3.15, it's also a product I'd recommend you try out (because you really can't go wrong at that price) =)




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EOS Lip Sphere [review]

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Remember when I had (what looked like) a hundred and one lip balms in my collection? [Read this blog post for a quick reminder]. Since then, I've  stopped buying lip balms every time I pop out for a little shopping. I've actually stopped using most of my collection too! Even my previous go-to lip balm, Carmex (now gathering dust in a drawer). Why? Because of the EOS lip sphere! I've wanted to get my hands on this lip balm ever since I spotted it on Slice of Lemon in this post. I mean, who can say no to a cute little lip balm? Especially when they come in a range of flavours (and they just look adorable!)

Summer Fruits (top) and Sweet Mint (bottom)



I've been using the Summer Fruits Lip Sphere ever since I got it (sometime last year). As you can probably tell by comparing it to the Sweet Mint (which is new), it's been used a lot! This lip balm has replaced all my other ones, as I find that my lips stay moisturised throughout the day. I apply the lip sphere in the morning and in the evening every day and I rarely have to reapply during the day (which is great, because I don't actually carry it around with me). The balm itself is made from all natural and organic ingredients and is free from parabens, petrolatum and phthalates (basically all the chemical stuff that isn't good for your skin).




The packaging is quite bulky, which is the only downside I can think of, but it's something that I can live with. The other issue is that EOS lip sphere's are not so easy to get hold of in the UK. I've only found them online so far, at Cute Cosmetics and Naturisimo. Unfortunately there is a big difference in the price (which always seems to be the case) as they retail for just under £6 in the UK, whereas in USA they cost $3.29 (approx. £2.20).


What's your favourite lip balm?



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