This time last year I shared what I call my 'emergency bag', a bag that contains what I feel are health and beauty essentials that could help me in any minor emergency. Obviously this couldnt help me with every emergency out there but hopefully by carrying this around with me I shall be prepared for modt beauty/health dilemmas!

Beth

Although technically speaking you could say otherwise, ( I'm not going to count my clothing haul a few weeks back!) today I am going to restart my back to school series that  proved quite popular  last year and start my final countdown before my 15 weeks of summer  ends and I start as a sixth former! I have a couple of posts in mind for this series but if there is anything in particular you want to see,do let me know below!

Late to the band wagon again, I recently picked up the Rimmel Apocalips in the shade 'Apocaliptic'. I honestly don't know what was coming over me picking up the brightest shade from the range and the one that suits me the least but nevertheless I thought that I would review the uber-hyped lip laquer.

Dissapointingly,  I cannot get this to work for me. This lip-stick- lip-gloss hybrid is highly pigmented, so much so that you can't sheer it out and this makes it difficult for me to wear as I find it is far too much for me to wear this on its own and I feel much like a clown, not impressed Rimmel.

Despite being glossy and not drying when applying this, this glossiness can only be achieved when applying a few layers which means you not only have to try and carefully apply the pigmented colour once but twice which is an incredibly hard task as if it goes anywhere outside your lips it is a pain in the neck to get off.

Because of this you would expect it to be long lasting. Wrong. This bleeds around your lips almost instantly and if you even think of eating or drinking you can guarantee that the apocalips will get all over your glass and more than likely all around your face.

Unfortunately this over-hyped product is just not for me and means that I have wasted my pennies on something that is now gathering dust after 2 uses so if somebody wants to buy this off me who likes the Apocalips then do feel free to contact me but I will be sticking to the Rimmel Lipsticks in future and shall be resisting future blogger hype!

Are you a fan of the Apocalips?

Beth xx

Pure BB Cream Review

Is this budget BB cream worth a try? Read to find out ...

Is the Pure BB Cream good for your skin?

Is the Pure Blemish Balm worth a try?

Nars Zen Blusher

Is Nars Zen Blusher worth the hype?

Hello! Seeing as we are way over half way through the year I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share my current favourite products in a new series that I want to introduce on here which is the BethMayBlogs Beauty Awards which I plan to do every 6 months or so - definitely at the start of every new year - to share my favourite Make-up, Skincare,Hair Care and Bodycare products.

The beauty blender sponge has always been on my radar, like most over-hyped things, but if you know me you know i'm tight and spending £20 on a sponge that I may not use seemed like a big waste of money so I decided to opt for H+Ms alternative that cost me a fraction of the price, £1.99. Where I can't compare this to the beauty blender itself I will be letting you all know whether I think it is worth scrimping on this beauty sponge.

As you can see from the photograph, this sponge has a wide circle base that curves in then out to reach a point.The great thing about this design is that it makes the sponge easy to hold and you would hope that this would make it easy to use. Unfortunately, for me, this sponge is too big. For me I would like for a beauty sponge to fit into the 'crevaces' of your face, for example under your eyes or around your nose, but I find that the point is too short which makes it difficult to do so.

Using this sponge on the rest of your face however it does a great job when first soaked in cold water then rung out and used in dabbing motions to blend your foundation however expect for it to take longer than your 'average' application, for me the RT Expert Face brush, but to leave you with a 'flawless' finish that isn't streaky and is very natural looking. This way of application also allows you to build up the coverage without looking cakey.

Overall I feel that for £2 this works great as an alternative for the majority of your foundation however I find it too large to use in smaller areas of my face which means that this sponge isn't as versatile as I had liked and therefore tend to neglect this in place of my RT Expert Face or Stippling brushes.

Have you tried a dupe for the beauty blender?

Beth xx

There is nothing better when feeling tired and run down on a Monday afternoon than to browse the internet and add things to your mental wishlist, especially when you can use excuses such as going on holiday or needing new clothes for college to approve of your online spending, so that is exactly what I did yesterday.

What came in perfect timing of doing so was an email from Stylight. Stylight.co.uk is not only a website full of style inspiration, with tailor made looks from fellow bloggers but also hosts what I call a lethal collection of products, accessories, clothing,shoes, all from different brands and at different price points where you can create your own looks (think Polyvore but to me 10x better as the products are priced in £!) and 'like' products by clicking the hearts next to the clothes you like and that you can go back to at a later date. What I love even more about this website is that a large majority of the items on sale are at a reduced price, for example the likes of Wildfox and Marc Jacobs for much less.

Having fallen in love with this website and spending the large majority of my afternoon yesterday lying on my bed clicking far too many love hearts for my bank balance to be happy with, I thought I would share the products I've picked and the looks I have made with you so you too can satisfy any shopping urges by making wishlists and 'looks' online.

Hello! There are many products in my collection that I reach for often but bypass doing a review despite loving them or using them as part of my daily routine so I thought that I would share a few of these with you today in the form of mini reviews.

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara - I don't often review mascaras as I don't know what to say but the short bristles of the plastic wand allow for adding great length to your eyelashes without flaking,clumping or rubbing off under your eyes that can easily be layered without having crusty lashes, giving an overall natural look but with dark,long eyelashes. If you are wanting something more intense however I would suggest looking elsewhere.

Urban Decay Lip Junkie (Naked 2)- I am obsessed with this lip gloss. The colour is highly pigmented for a lip gloss, yet natural looking, and I love the mintiness. What's even better with this is that it isn't drying on the lips and it is very long lasting. I definitely will be adding this to my wish list once this is finished as I have been loving it recently.

Barbara Daily Blusher - I have recently found this out in a drawer and have been loving it. The colour, 02 Dusk, reminds me of my old faithful No7 Honey Blush as its great as a contour, blusher or bronzer. It is finely milled and not chalky and provides a great colour to the cheeks when built up but can equally be blended out if you are too heavy handed. I hope they still sell this as when I run out I shall be wanting a repurchase

Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder - I purchased this when my trusty Rimmel Stay Matte powder was out of stock in Boots and I was equally impressed by this. Although I prefer my Stay Matte, this helps keep my skin matte for 5 hours as it claims and also doesn't break me out. The only thing that wins me over with the Stay Matte as opposed to this is that this isn't as natural and can look cakey if not applied carefully however other than this, both powders are great and I would happily buy this again.

Technic Natural Lashes - I love using this to set my eyebrows in place and this definitely does that without being flaky and the spooly makes it easy to apply. For the price, which is very affordable, this lasts for ages and is a product I won't need to be spending more on as this does a great job.

Do you like Mini Reviews?

  Soap & Glory Heel Genius - £5.50

Hello everybody! Today marks the time in the month where I show you my empty goodies before happily throwing them into my recycling.  This months empties features some old favourites and ones that I have already repurchased but equally ones that I shall be leaving in the shops.


Ikea Exfoliator - I don't think I have ever seen this mentioned on a blog before but this was one of the first exfoliators that I tried. this exfoliator is a very intense scrub and is advised to use once a week because of this. That being said, it isn't harsh on the skin and isn't irritating but instead does a great job at removing dead skin. We already have a family back up of this.

St Moriz Tanning Mousse - Like most of the products I end up using up, I have been meaning to review this since I bought it but haven't (yet) give this an individual review. That being said, I loved this and up until now this, alongside my Dove Summer Glow, was my go-to self tan. Apart from the scent, which only lingers for a day, this provides an even olive-toned tan that lasts well and fades evenly. It is also dummy proof and is easily applied using a tanning mitt.

Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser - I reviewed this recently and wasn't entirely convinced and since finishing it im not entirely sure either however I did get great use out of this and not finding the need for body butter however this would never replace those.

Nip and Fab Body Wash - I am really upset that I have finished this as it smelt so great - sweet and pistachio - and lathered up like a dream yet I don't think you can get hold of this unless it is in a set so I won't be getting another one of these. If I could it would be a definite repurchase.


Bayliss and Harding Rose & Honey Suckle Body Lotion - This I stole from my sister when she left it in our bathroom. It smelt nice but wasn't anything I was majorly fond of the scent and it gave moisture but was overall nothing special. I wouldn't repurchase this from Bayliss and Harding.
No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser - I have recently reviewed this and loved using this in the bath as it helped melt away my makeup and felt nourising on my dry skin. Apart from losing your vision temporarily when getting this in your eyes, this worked great!

Amie Bright Eyes Very Gentle Eye Make-up Remover - I was pleasantly surprised with this. It did an excellent job at removing every trace of eye makeup and was the first remover to completely banish panda eyes from appearing the next morning without irritating my eyes. I would definitely repurchase this.

Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub - I do like the Simple brand and Simple products and have never been disappointed with the products I have tried from them but equally have never been blown away. This facial scrub fits with this. It met all of its claims, it was gentle, it worked great as an exfoliator leaving my skin feeling clean and smooth however I sometimes found it contained too many exfoliating beads and that it could be too much to use more than a couple of times a week.


Neutrogena T/Gel - Do I need to say anymore than its name? Already repurchased. End of.

Nizoral Anti Dandruff Shampoo - I'm on the fence about this shampoo. The doctor suggested this for my flaky scalp and was advised to use this once a week but I am unsure if this made the difference or whether it was my trusty T Gel. Probably won't be rushing to repurchase this.


Wilkos She's A Rebel Perfume - I recieved this as a stocking filler and wasn't expecting much as it retails for under a fiver however I really liked the scent of this and it stayed the same on the skin. Although it doesn't last for ages, it is great for topping up throughout the day.

Garnier Moisture Match Moisturiser - I managed to get a set of 3 samples of the Garnier Moisture Match Moisturisers from Garniers facebook and I was so impressed, especially with the pink one which is tailored to Dry to Very Dry skin so would definitely urge you to try that one out.

Burts Bee's Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - I really loved this and feel that this made a world of difference to my nails and definitely the length of them. If you are looking for something to treat your cuticles with, I would definitely try this.

Totals: (July)