// SUMMER DRUGSTORE HAUL //

I'm a massive fan of the 'first impressions' style post so instead of the usual haul where you just say why you bought stuff, I thought I'd combine the two and that way it's a little more interesting for you all. 

real techniques duo-fibre collection //

I am a big lover of the Real Techniques brushes as they are amazing quality, affordable prices and easy to find in any town with a Boots/Superdrug. I've had my eye on the duo-fibre collection for quite a while and just couldn't put it off any longer. I am once again, not disappointed as they are fabulous. There is a face brush, contour brush and eye brush so you're pretty much covered and each one blends product flawlessly. I've only used them with powder based product (setting powder, contour powder and powder eyeshadow) but they work like a dream. This leaves me with a few more brushes which can be multi purpose (the RT contour brush used for blending concealor, for example) and means my setting powder can be effortlessly, but lightly dusted over oily patches during the summer months. 

l'oreal studio line #txt wave creating spray //

I've already tried and loved the Volume Supersizing Spray from the range so thought I''d give this new addition a go. It's a bit like a salt spray, giving 'lived in' textured hair and is meant to be used in conjunction with heat. At a first go, I sprayed this on my already curled hair and it gave a nice tousled wavey look, it held pretty well and with a bit of back combing, would have looked even better. The directions are to spray this into damp hair and blow dry a little, twist into buns and secure with clips, and then blow dry until completely dry. I'm sure this method would work extra well, and I can imagine the effect lasting longer. 

garnier bb cream for combination/oily skin //

In my past experience of BB creams they didn't work for me because of my oily skin and I ended up a shiny mess after only a few hours, so after I was recommended this BB cream for oily skin, it quickly went onto my wishlist. I tried this BB cream on this bright Sunday morning as I don't have many plans so if I had turned into an oily mess it wouldn't be a total disaster. First of all, the colour is okay, with only 2 shades in the range (Light and Medium) I had little to no choice, but being NC13 in MAC foundations I undoubtedly went for the lighter shade which is a little too warm toned and dark for me but I just used a tiny bit at a time. The coverage is quite good, better than I expected, light at  first but easily buildable and once concealor and powder are applied, I'm happy with the finish. I used the Collection Lasting Perfection concealor in the lightest shade which helped to brighten my undereyes and lighten the overall tone of the BB cream. It lasts around 5/6 hours before I need a touch up of powder so for a BB cream, so I have to say, I'm pretty impressed (although this will obviously vary on the heat, your individual skin, etc). Then powder on my oily areas to help set and hopefully keep oil at bay. I have to say, my skin looks really good all things considered (spots and redness) and I feel like I have a bit of a 'glow' compared to my usual full coverage foundation and I'm glad I've switched for summer. 

rimmel apocalips 'aurora' //

Liquid lipsticks have been frequently mentioned in the blogger world recently so I thought it was about time I tried one. With many offerings such as Bourjois, L'Oreal and Rimmel I chose based on which colour I fancied and Aurora caught my eye. It's a pink toned red which suits any eye makeup whether dark and smoky or bright and bronze so suitable for both summer and winter. The pigmentation is excellent and the lasting power not too bad either so for the price I'm happy.