Its a Beauty Haul

Although I do consider myself to be somewhat of a product junkie, I actually hate having to spend money on make-up and skincare, no matter how much I love them!  I always think that I could be spending the cash on clothes instead!  However needs must and I was in desperate need of a new mascara which got the "ball rolling" and saw me spend half of my sales clothes shopping budget at the beauty counters in Bluewater last week, when eldest daughter and I spent the day together for her 22nd Birthday (I can hardly believe its been a year since her 21st and our delicious Claridges champagne afternoon tea experience).

Mascara and me are SO not a good combination.  I don't know why because I don't seem to have watery eyes but my mascaras always smudge, even though I don't ever apply it to my lower lashes.  This means that I tend to stick to tried and trusted brands for fear of wasting money.  Lancome always works for me, no matter which one I use, but the YSL which I love, smudges beneath my eyes within an hour of application, which is such a shame as it does a great job on creating volume and length on my sparse and stumping lashes.  Its a complete pain in the arse being a trained Hollywood Lashes Technician because I can't apply them to myself (you need to keep your eyes shut) and I spend so many hours each week applying the individual extensions to customers, when I look like I hardly have anything in the lash department!  What I wouldn't give for a little lash enhancement of say 10mm, but my new mascara is helping!

Regulars YSL and Lancome Hypnose.

I picked up a freebie tester Chanel Mascara recently and was really impressed....

Chanel Iminitable Intense Macara £22.50 - a definite thumbs up for curl, volume and separation!

so I knew I had to get this little black beauty the next time I was out shopping!

but obviously when a girl is at the Chanel counter, one purchase with their slick black packaging is never enough, so I also invested in the Orange Fizz nail colour after wanting a new Coral colour for summer for a while.  I also tried on Miami Peach which has a bit of a glisten to it but it was a tad paler and I opted for the darker solid colour.  I also managed to score some freebie samples consisting of day cream, night cream and an anti-wrinkle eye cream, so the Eve Lom moisturiser is on hold for a few days whilst I wallow in the luxuriousness of gorgeously smelling skincare!

Just when I thought I was done, Eldest Daughter decided she wanted a new Juicy Tube so we headed over to the Lancome counter where they had a great freebie gift if you bought three products.  You can guess what happened next and yes I paid for her poxy Juicy Tube as well!

I haven't used a tinted moisturiser for ages, my last one was Chanel, so I thought I would give it a go and had one matched up to my skintone.  I did explain to the girl that I would rather buy one a shade darker than I needed now as I would no doubt get a light tan through the Factor 50 at some point this summer but I am not sure I won't have to invest in something else come August, although I am perfectly happy with my purchase for now and it does seem to be the darkest shade they do.

For a radiant and even looking complexion!

Hydra Zen Tinted Moisturiser (neurocalm) £25.50 mine is in shade number 3.

and to complete our three items to get a gift with purchase, I chose one of their new lipstick range which I had seen in this months Harpers.....

I had a few different shades applied by the Lancome Consultant but opted for this one although it looked more Coral in the Store.... but is actually called Beige Peche, number 201.

Quite a sheer lipstick perfect for someone like me who doesn't like to look "over done" when it comes to make-up but I swear its pinky coloured!

Lancome L'Absolu Nu Lipstick £19.50

The gift with purchase came with an Alice Temperley bag always useful for holidays.  I fill them up for the girls (yes I always do their packing) one for hair accessories, one for toiletries, you get my drift...

but the real beauty of samples and gifts with purchase, are the fact that they make the most perfect holiday companions! 

The Lancome gift contains cleanser, toner, serum, mascara and a mini juicy tube, all of which will be accompanying me on my travels as they will easily last a week, if not longer.

 So ladies, never buy anything from a Department Store beauty counter without asking for some freebies and if they won't give you any, move on to the next one!

Get your free Lancome gift at Boots here.