New in: Beauty

Over the past month or so, I've managed to acquire quite a few new bits in my beauty stash - some old, some new, so I thought I'd give you the low down on my most recent purchases.

Nars Laguna Bronzer £27 - This bronzer is undeniably the most well loved in the beauty industry. I initially jumped on the bandwagon during my first year of University after discovering the blogging world, and it was love at first sweep. A deep brown shade with subtle hints of shimmer (emphasis on the word shimmer - it really is minimal). Since my first trial, the price has increased a little, making it even more eye-watering when it comes to the purchasing side of things, but hey, it was a birthday treat, so that makes it ok, right? Super pale girls watch out - in the pan it looks scaaary, however once blended, you're cheeks are in for a treat.

Lush Mint Julips £5.50 - Another repurchase for me, however in a slightly different form. Lush's Sweet Lips was a favourite of mine for a long, long time. However after finishing my last tub, I was clearly feeling wild as I picked up Mint Julips in its place. Same scrub, different scent, but boy do I love it. A quick 15 second rub before applying a bold lip keeps everything smooth and in place. A total must have.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish £14 - Isn't this just the most awesome cleanser? I've been using this on-and-off for a long, long time, but I always go back to it. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the LE Advent Calender a couple of years ago, and since my love for the brand has just grown even more. The C&P is both gentle and moisturising, all whilst doing a bad ass job of removing your make up. At £14, it's not exactly a bargain, but since it does the job with the teeniest of blobs, it's well worth it in my eyes. (I should probably also mention you can pick up a smaller tube + muslin cloth for under £4 if you're wanting to give it a test drive before splurging on a 100ml.)

Mac Stubborn Brown & Duck Powerpoint Eye Pencils £14 each - On the occasions I feel like making an effort, eye liner is where it's at. The only problem I have with this... is glitter. Sure, for the evening, it's great. But if we're talking about day-time occurrences, I really, really don't dig the stuff. I've never managed to come across a good, matte budget eye-pencil (please recommend if you know of one!) so off to Mac I went. After doing some serious swatching, I ended up with Stubborn Brown and Duck - matte, browny perfection - no glitter in sight.

Revlon Colorstay Nail Enamel in Midnight £7.99 - I'm not one to religiously sport a manicure, but for those times when I feel like upping my nail game, I reach for this. Midnight, as you would imagine, is a deep blue, almost black shade, and the first I've tried from the Colorstay Nail Enamel range. I've only used it a handful of times, but so far, I'm impressed. Two sweeps to seriously groomed, shiny talons.

Soap & Glory Sunshield Superfluid SPF 50+ £15 - Recently I've been making an increasing effort when it comes to protecting my skin. Being naturally fair, I find the sun can easier burn my skin, which not only looks unattractive, but can do some serious damage. In previous years I'm guilty of using a body SPF on my face. Not that this is particularly a bad thing, but it can leave my skin a little worse for wear in the oil/blemish department. Since the sun has been making an appearance recently, I've been reading up on SPF, and S&G's offering kept creeping up. At £15, (it's currently on offer for £10 so go snap it up!) it's may seem a tad excessive for a facial sun cream, but you really don't want to be dealing with the dangers of sun damage, so personally, I think it's worth every penny. Lightweight, cooling and 50+, I literally love everything about this product. It doesn't leave you looking shiny or white, but instead, the skin is left protected with a subtle glow. And as for the packaging... well, you can see for yourself.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush £21.99 (part of the Core Collection set) - After having my eye on yet another RT set for what seemed like an eternity, I was over the moon when I received it as a Birthday gift. Although I do love and use all four, the Contour and Buffing combo are the stand-outs for me. £22 for four, great-quality brushes is pretty awesome value for money if you ask me.

Dr. Bronner's Organic Almond Castile Magic Soap £5.50 - Cleaning make up brushes is one of the weekly chores of life, but it's gotta be done. Something which makes the task a little less time-consuming, is the Dr. Bronner Pure Castile Magic Soap. Organic, moisturising and beautifully scented, this stuff is the bomb. I find it does an amazing job at deep cleaning, and not only that, but you can even use the stuff as a shampoo, toothpaste (?) and cleanser. Awesome. Available in a selection of appealing scents, I eventually settled on almond, which obviously smells pretty great. At £5.50, the packaging and product appears a lot more expensive than it is, and I will definitely be repurchasing one I've used it up.

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk £16 - I'm guilty of saving the best till last here. The cream of the crop, shall we say. Let's talk Charlotte Tilbury...
The past year or so, I've really gotten into my lip products. Glosses, balms, lacquers - you name it, I dig it. From weekly stalks of the CT website, there was one product in particular that just kept winking at me. Fast forward this wee story, and let's just say I caved and now it's in my stash. Oops. Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk is the perfect nude. Rich, velvety and matte, I'm gonna throw it out there and say this liner is up there with the best I've tried. Go buy.

What beauty-shaped treats have you added into your collection recently?