October 2011 Favourites

It's officially less than 8 weeks until Christmas. I don't know whether to be uber excited, or uber scared - it's my last Christmas as an unmarried woman eek!

Anyhoo, onto the good stuff - what have I been loving in the good old month of October?

Tesco All About Nails polish (L-R: Bronze, Emerald, Cocoa), 99p

I nearly overlooked these little beauties whilst browsing in Tesco for the new Vivo range, but luckily I happened to glance up and, ta-da!, there they were, all lined up in a wee row of their own.

There was actually an amazing array of colours on offer, but I opted for these 3 metallic shades as they're the perfect on-trend/Autumny-Wintery colours, and I LOVE them. The colour pay off is really good after two coats, and whilst they do require a top/base coat to increase their staying power, i'm not too fussed as i'm really pleased I got these beautiful shades for less than a pound each!

E.L.F. Zit Zapper £1.50

I bought this on a bit of a whim when trying to get the contents of my basket to above £30 (or was it £40?) to qualify for the last 50% off offered by E.L.F., and reckoned that since it's usually sold out I better add that bad boy to my basket pronto to see what the fuss was all about (and I was getting it for 75p. I do love my bargains).

It's packed full of spot-fighting ingredients (...I sound like a Clearasil advert), with a little roller ball mechansim that makes it easy to 'dispense' the right amount of product.

I wasn't expecting big things for this, but it really works: you can literally put it on a troublesome spot at night, and the next day it's completely flattened making it far easy to conceal.

E.L.F. All Over Colour Stick in Lilac Petal, £1.50

I'd heard mixed reviews about these little (they're definitely little - much more than I thought they would be!) colour sticks - such as that they dry out really fast - but I decided at 75p i'd give them a go (I purchased this and a kind of highlight shade).

I love using this over tinted moisturiser on days I just want a really fresh-faced, natural look as it gives a really pretty glow to your cheeks, and provides a perfect base for powder blusher if needed.

Boots 17 Starry Eyes trio in Galactic, £5.49

I actually bought this along with the famous beehive lipstick in order to 'qualify' for a free Femme Noir giftset (pics/review to come and some point) - yes I am a sucker for freebies.

It's a really stunning trio of metallic (not glittery) eyeshadows, which have good staying power (unlike some other 17 eyeshadows these aren't powedery thankfully), as well as a wow factor!

George (Asda) Shimmer Me! Brick in 04 Heaven Sent, £4.50

I think it is immediately obvious what this is a pefect dupe of (Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick for anyone who needs help guessing!), therefore I had no hesitation at picking one up from my local Asda for only £4.50 (compared to £20-odd for the BB Bricks).

George have recently expanded their range from 3 basic shades (there were 6 different ones to choose from in my branch), but I decided to opt for this peach/pink/coral based product as I've found that bronze-based shades can make my pale skin look a bit 'muddy.'

Like the BB Shimmer Bricks, this adds a beautiful lift and glow to your cheeks, and I personally think it packs a bit more colour than the BB bricks.

Asda Skin System Eye Make-up Remover, £1.50

After the recent death of my Bioderma Crealine H20 Cleansing Water, I was on the hunt for a new eye make-up remover (preferably cheap and not tested on animals), but never thought I would find it in Asda!

You get a mahoosive 150ml for your money, and it's a really gentle yet effective cream make-up remover (which I've used as an all-over facial cleanser once or twice) - i'm impressed!

E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit in Ash, £3.50

I can't believe the difference defining/shading/filling in your eyebrows actually makes, therefore i'm really glad I bought this little 'kit' as part of my last E.L.F. haul.

I actually thought the Ash shade would be too light for me, but it's actually perfect: the gel fills in my brows without being too dark and therefore glaringly obvious, although I don't use the lighter powder as i'm not really sure what it's for!

Eyeko Grafitti Eyeliner Pen (Black), £5.50

I got this as part of a little set from TKMaxx for around £8, and i'm really loving it so far: for someone who's not the best at applying eyeliner on my top lid, the felt tip applicator helps achieve both fine and thicker lines, and it really doesn't budge (however i've not tested it in monsoon-rain conditions as yet).

Favourite Blogger: Fee at Makeup Savvy
I can't for the life of me understand why this girl's blog didn't win an award at the Cosmo Blog Awards! I'm assuming most of you know of Fee's blog as it is rather amazing, but if not she's a beauty blogger (as well as very talented photographer and nail art designer) who focuses on inexpensive, 'drugstore' products - right up my (high)street!
Her posts are really original and often quite thought provoking, and her photos can make even the most mundane products look stunning!


Favourite YouTuber: Becca at Voussontbeauetbelle
I can't remember exactly how I found Becca's YouTube channel but i'm so glad I did - she's as funny (if not funnier) as the likes of ZozeeBo and Sprinkleofglitter, and if you like haul videos then you'll LOVE her channel, especially for the likes of Primark, Topshop and H&M.

What have you been loving this month?

Melanie x