eBay Introduces New Collections Tool - See My Collections & Tell me What You Think!

eBay to me has always been the place that I turned to when I couldn’t find an item in stock, or had baulked at paying, or just couldn’t stretch to paying full price for something in a shop/online. Yep, it’s hit and miss as to what you find on there, but that’s the beauty of it as, whilst at times it may not have what you’re looking for, you can set up alerts for these searches… and when you get that email saying something you had been looking for has been listed, it is game on!!

Sometimes though, eBay can be daunting, with the sheer volume of items on there that it can be hard to find the products you want, especially when running with a theme, or trying to match them up to other items in general. So, eBay have come up with a pretty cool solution with their new Collections tool, a way of saving, and showing items that you think work well together.

This is perfect for your own organisational reasons or for sharing with friends and family; and I can totally imagine this working well for things like birthday and Christmas wish lists, as when people are asking what you’d like, you can just point them in the direction of your collections. Clever, huh?!

In preparation for the launch, eBay asked me to make some collections of my own and so I spent a good few hours scouring the site to see what treats took my fancy. You could say this was just a more elaborate form of my usual way to window shop, where I add everything I would like to own into any given ‘cart’, see the total cost, laugh (and cry) before closing the tab in defeat – as attempting to whittle down any shopping cart like that is near on impossible for this indecisive lady. ;-)

Here are just a few of my favourite collections from all of the collections I have been making (all clickable):

Modern Twist on a Vintage Wedding

Natural Glamour.

GOLD...

Wild About Animal Print.

Girls Night Out!

All Hail The Nail.

The rest can be found HERE!

The collections format actually reminds me somewhat of Pinterest, and other similar sites in the way that you add items, and the way it appears overall, and I think it’s going to be a great addition to the site. I’m already making more collections to lust after, in the hope that I come into some money. Ha.

What do you think about the new addition? Have you seen or used the new collections tool? Could you make use of it? x

P.S: Apologies if you're using a mobile to view this post, if the images are a bit wonky - not entirely sure what has happened with that.

This post has been sponsored by eBay.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Wordless Wednesday - Models Own Offer Starts Today!

http://www.modelsownit.com/

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

My £60 Party Preparation Package Challenge!

Christmas parties and nights out can often end up costing a fortune in pre-party preparations alone, with salon appointments for beauty treatments and other general pampering often taking up a large chunk of your budget. In fact, the Most Wanted team at VoucherCodes did some research and found out that 18-24 year olds are spending an average of £110 on their party season beauty bits!

So, they approached me and set me the challenge of reducing that outlay to just £60!! Yes girls, you did just read that right, 60 English pounds for a party package to last throughout all the festivities! And so this week, I’ve been getting creative and finding my favourite, fabulous products for you to reach for, instead of spending all your drinking money on salon treatments that could be avoided, leaving you enough money to buy some perfect presents for your nearest and dearest.

Tanning is an important one for a lot of people, and professional spray tans can be costly, but with a fab selection of ‘at home’ products widely available, there is money to be saved here.

Fake Bake ‘Perfection’ Instant Fake Tan & Mitt (£10.98) has been one of my staple products over the last year or so, it’s incredibly easy to use because the colour is instant, no development time is needed – just apply, and then get dressed (especially good for people like me, who never leave enough time to apply and then let a tan develop before they go out),  and the colour is great, not in the least bit orange… plus it smells beautiful; vanilla, girls, no biscuits!!

I generally just apply to the areas that will be ‘on show’ because there’s not much point in doing a full body application (unless your full body will be on show, of course) and also it lasts longer, giving you more applications this way too.

Pre-tan preparation is important if you want a nice, even colour - even when using an instant/wash off formula. Now, I could tell you to go and buy an expensive exfoliator from one of the tanning brands, but you really don't need to do that. You can achieve the same result, using a normal body wash with a pair of scrubby, exfoliating gloves for a fraction of the price. The pair in the image above from Boots, (£2.69) do the trick nicely, although if you go to local pound shops/discount stores, I reckon you'd get a pair for £1 or less.

Hair appointments are also quite costly to factor into your beauty budget when getting ready for a night out. I’m talking styling and conditioning treatments, rather than your regular cut/colour appointments (but if you want to find a way of cutting down those costs – pun intended, this post may be useful for you), so I’m not factoring that into the budget, since I expect those would come from your regular maintenance funds.

When your hair is in good condition, it is generally easier to style, so a conditioning treatment/mask is my first recommendation. I love Wella's System Professional hair masks (£12.71), they’re used by hairdressers and professionals in the salon I go to and in my book, if they’re good enough for them, then they’re good enough for me. Obviously you’ll be choosing the perfect mask for your hair condition and texture, but I love the Volumize on my hair, as it conditions without weighing it down!

To get the true salon feel of a head massage, I really recommend using the Denman BeBop Massage Brush (£2.87)  (also available from boots for about £3.80) to massage the conditioning treatment into your hair, and also to use when shampooing to make sure your scalp is squeaky clean - just don't massage too vigorously at this stage if your hair is longer than your chin, as it could make your hair a bit knotty.

For almost effortless styling, rollers are your friend as once in, they do the work for you! I'd love to to suggest some heated rollers here as there are some fabulous sets available these days, but this would completely bust the budget, so instead I’ll recommend 'Velcro Sleep-In Rollers' (£17.95) as my favourite non-heated variety instead as they're a cheaper option but without too much of a compromise in results!

I’m not including this in the budget as many of you will probably already have styling products, but I really rate Aussie’s 'Aussome Volume Conditioning Mousse' when I want a bit of oomph in my hair as it gives volume without being sticky and horrible – just remember to blow dry your hair when using it, it doesn’t work quite so well if you leave it to air dry. If you did fancy trying it, it’s available from Boots for £4.89. 

This, along with a spritz of hairspray (which I’m also assuming you’ll already have, but I swear by Elnett Very Volume available from boots for £6.49 for 400ml) will keep your hair looking great throughout the evening.

Finishing Touches & Handy Tips!

A manicure might be the next thing on your list, and whilst it's lovely to have your nails done for you, it's not impossible to do them yourself for less of a financial outlay - especially if you get a friend to do yours, in return for you doing theirs (which certainly makes your weaker hand application better - you know this dilemma, don't you?!). I love nail polish, from a whole host of brands, but I'm recommending ORLY Nail Lacquer (£7.50), as I've never had a bad polish from them and they also have some beautiful colours out right now that are perfect for party season - the polishes shown in the image above is their 'Naughty or Nice' collection. They're also currently on offer at Beauty Bay for £7.13 each.

If you're a fan of false lashes, you could pay around £15 having them applied at a salon... or you could spend just £3.20 (by using code SCOOP-20) plus £1 delivery for orders under £15 on a fab set of lashes from LoveLashes at Lashizzle (more styles being added on a regular basis)! This discount code is exclusively for readers of The Beauty Scoop, and will be valid at least until the end of December 2012.

Fancy a facial? Give yourself an exfoliating facial on the cheap by using your everyday skincare products and putting in a bit more effort. Massage your cleanser into dry/damp skin (depending on the texture of the products you're using), and then use a hot flannel to exfoliate the cleanser off, before massaging your serums and moisturisers in afterwards (if you have a face mask already, you could also use this in-between washing and moisturising). It's simple, but effective, and what's even better is that you can get yourself a flannel for less than £1, with the flannel in the image above, from Tesco costing just 75p(!), although you can get them from about 20p each from cheap shops like home bargains etc.


So there you have it, my budget saving products all in one handy post; and in total, these products come to a very reasonable £58.28 (excluding any postage costs), leaving you just under £2 to splurge on whatever you like, maybe a £1 product from the MUA range at Superdrug?

What do you think? Do you think you'd swap your salon treatments to save money? Maybe you have a few budget beauty tips of your own?!

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Muji 'Kardashian' Style 5 Drawer Unit Available Online Right Now!

I've just ordered 2 units to add to my collection, and I am super excited about receiving them... possibly a bit more excited than I should be, maybe.  ;-)

I thought I'd let you know as I know that some of you were very interested in these.  I also know there's limited stock of them available, so it might be worth ordering online if you're not sure when you might get in store to buy one.

Click me.

Hope this post works ok, it's the first time I've tried it on my phone. 

Muji Kardashian Style 5 Drawer Acrylic Makeup Storage!

Muji 5 Drawer.

Kardashian.

Kardashian.

I'm sure everybody has seen or heard about the acrylic beauty storage box that was shown on an episode (or 2) of  Keeping up with the Kardashians, haven't they? I believe it was a Clear Cube unit, highly expensive and basically unavailable to the UK! Anyway, it was seeing this that made me desire acrylic storage for my own make-up, it's just so organised and it looks fab, don't you think?!

I started buying Muji acrylic storage for my bits, but they only came in 1 and 2 drawer options - which is fine as they stack well and do the job, but I still lusted after something more for my large beauty collection; and ever since I saw a 5 drawer wide acrylic storage unit on the US Muji site, I've been wondering if we'd ever be able to get our mitts on it here in the UK.

Well, my wait is over as it's heading over here right now and will be available in stores and online from August 24th, priced at £24.95 - a bargain, really.

I actually can't wait to get my hands on one (or two), although I'm told that stock is limited so time will be of the essence!

Will you be buying one... or at least trying? x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Clinique Mascara Trade In Is BACK!

It's back, the fabulous Clinique mascara trade in is coming again. It's available exclusively at Debenhams (nationwide) from 14th until 20th May 2012 and all you need to do to take part in this offer, is take an old mascara in (any brand), and ask to swap it for a deluxe sample tube of either Clinique High Impact Mascara or High Lengths Mascara.

I love these 'try before you buy' offers, especially when you can get decent sample sizes, just for trading in an older and possibly mankier (?) product that you'd have otherwise thrown in the bin. It's a bit like a mascara amnesty, if you will, haha.

This is a great offer, especially if you've already been dying to try out any of these mascaras - but even if you haven't, it's a good way to try them and see if they work for you, without having to spend the full RRP on them.

I must admit, I've never been disappointed with a Clinique mascara, but products work differently from person to person, and I absolutely love that Clinique have the confidence in their products to do this - it's an offer not to be missed.

As to be expected, terms and conditions do apply:

1 per customer, subject to availability and no purchase is necessary!

Not available with any other offer.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

EOTD with Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara!

I love long, full looking lashes, but I'm totally rubbish with false ones. I either fail to get them on, looking good and then staying put, or, I run out of time to faff around with them for long enough to get them on etc, so a good mascara is always high on my list of beauty must-haves.

A good mascara can make your lashes look amazing, but I've never come across one that has truly made my lashes look like I'm wearing falsies (in a good way), until now. 

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara has very quickly become one of my favourite mascaras, since it pretty much does exactly what it says on the tube, which can be a a rarity in these days of lash inserts and photographic 'enhancement' via Photoshop. 

Just look at the pictures, every one of these, apart from the first one below has 2 (light-ish) coats of the mascara and was taken at the end of the day, so you can see how well it lasts too.

One light coat, no lash curling or other make-up!

I am very impressed with this stuff, I had at least 3 people in one day asking me if I was wearing false lashes, something I've rarely encountered before bu found to be reassuring that other people also thought my lashes looked as good as I did. 

It's also effortless to use, the wand works brilliantly and seems to do most of the work for you, which is always welcome with me. It's hard to believe that this mascara only costs around £11 as if I'd done a blind test, I'd have easily believed it if I was told it was a £20+ mascara.

My 'extra' eye make-up in the pictures below consists of 3 shades from the Urban Decay Naked palette (the original one): Virgin and Sin in the inner corner and over the lid, and Darkhorse in the socket. It's a very simple look, but one I find myself wearing quite a lot during the day.

Excuse the hair and robe, it was pyjama o'clock when I took this photograph.

You can see the 'stain' left on my lips from my Rouge Volupte lipstick, shade 10, Provocative Pink - another long lasting and impressive product.

 

False Lash Effect Mascara was a PR sample (views are unchanged by this), the rest of the make-up mentioned/worn in this post was purchased by myself.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Illamasqua Bronzing Duo!

A little bit of sun yesterday got me thinking about the warmer months that we hopefully have ahead of us, so I thought it only right that I should show you this Bronzing Duo from Illamasqua that I've had ever since the Liverpool store launch last year.

The duo comprises of a lighter and darker bronzing shade, that are SO soft, buttery soft and so silky on the skin, I think this is partly because the shimmer is very fine, it's not at all gritty or glittery which is a bit more complementary to the skin, and stops you looking like you've been sprinkled with fairy dust (or doing art with a 5 year old)! I find my skin looks radiant when I use this set, I use it sparingly as it is VERY pigmented, so a light hand is recommended.

Top, flash. Bottom, No flash.

The swatches do make it look slightly orange, more so than it does in real life and whilst I wouldn't use this as an all over bronzer, it's perfectly lovely to highlight and contour (to some degree, bare in mind that it isn't matte)! I really like this, it's a perfectly lovely set that I think most people could make use of - even using them as blusher.

Top, flash. Bottom, No flash.

Illamasqua's tagline 'Make-up for your alter ego', and the fact that their make-up artistry (courtesy of the fabulous, and utterly lovely, Alex Box) and subsequent collection images are always quite out there, could make some people think that all their make-up is completely unwearable for people who weren't into such looks, but they'd be wrong.

They actually have a great deal of products, in various colours that can be used as subtly or as wildly as you desire. I love that most of their products are multi-use, generally very pigmented and also long lasting whilst also being very reasonably priced. If you haven't tried any of their products before, or have been wary about their colours/products, and live near to one of their stores, or concession stands then I really urge you to pop there and have a look for yourself.

Top, flash. Bottom, No flash (but it was near a light).

The Bronzing Duo is £20.50, and is available online from Illamasqua.com. I can't wait for summer to come so that I can get even more use out of it.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Paul & Joe Spring 2012 Collection!

With Christmas and New Year all done and dusted, it seems right (yet very wrong all at the same time) to crack on with upcoming spring collections, no?! This beautiful looking collection from Paul & Joe is right up my street, and that of any other cat lovers' (obsessives) too, I expect. The fantastic feline products are fun, look great and come in an assortment of fab colours too - have a look!

The standout product in the collection to me are the Blusher Sticks (£21 each), I mean come on... they're shaped like cats(!!), of course they stand out. Although actually, I could probably never bring myself to use them for that very reason, but what the hell, they're great! They come in shades: Glamour Puss (soft beige), Minou (pastel pink) and Cat Fight (energetic tangerine).

Matte Pressed Powder

I might also find it difficult to break into the Matte Pressed Powder (£28) and Face and Eye Colour CS (£19.50 each) too because of their lovely little cat prints. Am I the only one who would find it difficult to 'break' these, is it weird (haha)?

Face and Eye Colour CS shades are: Siamese, Please (neutral bronzes and beiges), Kittycat (matte nude and pearly pink) and Purr-fect (smoky, yet subtle ivory and moss).

I am loving the look of the lipsticks (£16 each) that come in 3 shades; Sex Kitten (sexy beige), Meow! (natural pink), and Catwalk (healthy orange) - the final 2 being the shades that are calling to me. I also love the little paw prints in the lipstick, it's little touches like this that make Paul & Joe really stand out for me.

Three nail polish shades are included in the collection (£10 each), and whilst colourwise they all seem to be quite generic shades that don't really stand out to be as being special, they are still lovely and worth buying if you don't already own that kind of shade - and the bottle is gorgeous, as ever with P&J. I could still be surprised by these in real life, as from the stock images I can't really see if they have any shimmer or anything different about them. Shades available are: Tigress (nude beige), Kitten Claws (elegant pink) and Mainkineko (flirty pink).

Finally, also included in the collection is a waterproof gel eyeliner (£16), purrfect for creating cat eyes, and comes with its own little brush which looks great.

So, what do you think of the collection m'dears, do you likey or not? x

Available February 1st from Beauty Bay!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation!

I bought Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation a while ago now, basically because I was looking for a decent foundation that would give me a bit of coverage (mainly on my cheeks) and also stay put on my evenings out, especially on warm nights or in a hot pub/bar etc!

The foundation applies beautifully, is easy to blend and really does even out my skin tone without being cakey... this was always a must in my quest for foundation. The swatches show the colour difference between my (still) currently tanned skin and the shade I would usually wear (which is 2N2, Fresco, in case you were wondering) so please excuse that.

I generally don’t wear this as much in the day (although it does have an added SPF which is great for over here, but not really suitable for use in place of a higher SPF when in warmer countries) unless I felt like I needed a little more coverage overall, or even just in particular areas, which is quite common for me as I do tend to mix and match my foundation depending on what each particular area requires at the time!

Double Wear isn’t quite as luminous as Teint Miracle but I don’t find it to be completely flat either, and I always highlight where needed so it’s really not a big deal, plus some people (and me too sometimes) prefer this kind of finish where they can control where their skin glows!

As its name suggest, Double Wear really does stay put. I’ve never had any issue at all with this foundation disappearing midway through the day (or evening) and actually, I have rather naughtily left this on over night (I’m one of those people who goes out, gets drunk and then just about makes it into bed without any thought for my makeup at the time – don’t worry, I don’t do it all the time) and woke up the next day with my make-up still fully intact.

I would have loved this back in my clubbing days when I’d go out on a Friday night and come back on a Saturday afternoon (sometimes it was actually a Sunday night before I got home, but the less said about those weekends, the better – let’s just say that I went on nights out equipped with my toothbrush, underwear and other clothing essentials back then haha)... but enough of that!

It’s not a cheap foundation, but I find that I don’t need to use a lot of it to get good coverage and because it lasts, I don’t need to keep on touching it up either which probably means that it’s more economical than it first appears to be when looking at the price per bottle.

I bought mine from Boots.com but it’s also available in all the usual places such as House of Fraser, Debenhams, Selfridges, Harrods etc etc too!