Beauty Review: Make Up Academy Cover & Conceal Concealer......

Makeup Academy Cover & Conceal Concealer- £1.50 Each

What has been established a lot here on VE is the fact that I bloody love MUA Cosmetics! 

So much so, that I tend to buy their products in bulk (two or three of each) just in case I can never get my hands on some of my favs for quiet awhile. Well ladies & gents I tell you this, one of my beloved products has been completely sold out for nearly a month & I am beyond distraught! 

The item in question is of course The Conceal & Brighten Kit in Porcelain Beige which I cannot rave about & love enough. To begin with I thought that because my two local stores that stock it usual are quiet tiny, that perhaps they hadn't got their order through yet so carried on waiting & checking every day. Two weeks past & I was literally scrapping the pan & corners, I started to check the Superdrug in Brighton- no luck. Then Crawley- the same, then Horsham- nope! I started to worry & have been checking online & every single day I'm on my lunch break in Brighton to see if they have had new stock of it in- BUT NOTHING!!!! This scrapping of corners lasted for close to a month & still there was no sign of them restocking it anytime soon, so I was forced to go & find an alternative for my beloved palette. Of course I didn't want to part with an uber amount of cash because if I didn't like the formula or the colour match was way off I would just beat myself up about how it was a waste of money & because I am such a MUA fan, I stuck with them & gave another product a whirl!

I brought all three colour shades on offer- Fair, Natural & Almond, all of which are shades you would expect in a concealer palette. The formula of them is quiet light & thin, which did concern me to begin with as I thought the coverage would be terrible but if you work in layers (two looks great) it's easily buildable and does not look cakey. I use the sponge applicator that it comes with to apply the product underneath my eyes & on any spots or redness & then using my ring finger, I lightly blend the product into the skin finishing off with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to take off any excess & buff it in. The colour I was the most excited to try was Almond- its the more peachier toned out of the three which is perfect for concealing dark circles under the eyes. Again I am blown away- they are cheap & cheerful, great coverage, easily buildable, no cakey-ness, look natural & feel lovely on the skin. Although I am still in love with my beloved palette, I think I may have a Summer romance with these babies- you never know it may turn into a marriage (fingers crossed these don't disappear too!). 

Have you tried these concealers? Does anyone know the mystery surrounding the Conceal & Brighten Kits?

Much Love,

Elle

xoxo 

♥

Vintage Finds: International Antiques & Collectors Fair.....

Last Wednesday me & Adam headed out for lunch at our favourite pub on our day off together & stumbled across the IACF Fair. Now, this fair in particular I was very much aware of its existence, but I didn't realise when it was coming into town again (it arrives in Sussex every other month) & so I was really excited when we spotted it!

Of course I had to come a way with a few bargains. Honestly we could have brought so many more pieces then we actually did, this is due to the fact that we have to keep on reminding ourselves that we haven't got a place yet & have run out of places to store things. There was a lot of fabulous furniture, cushions & bits & bobs, all for really good prices- I have already said to Adam we need to come better prepared next time, chequebook & cash at the ready!! I picked up this little lot for a mere £10, which I think is not bad for what I purchased.

© VintageELLE09

Have you recently discovered the joys of antique fairs or thrifting?

Much Love,
Elle
xoxoxo
♥

Car Boot Bargains.....

Last Sunday marked the last car boot fair of this season, this is when you pretty much know that summer is over! :(

For many people you either love car booting or you hate them- I personally LOVE them, however I don't always have the best luck with them & bagains/good quality items for me, can sometimes be unheard of. But this Sunday I managed to find some lovely pieces for next to nothing.

Now many of you may not have ever been to a car boot sale before, but its pretty much a field full of cars, with people selling unwanted items on tables in front of their cars. Normally if you want to grab yourself a bargain, you need to be there super early- I'm talking like 7am onwards! Now the thought of having to get up before sunlight on the day of rest may terrify some of you (I hate the feeling of having to leave my warm, toasty bed) however you can get some very good quality items & for really good prices. But you need to be patient! Sometimes you may find nothing, but the chances are the next car boot you go to there will be something you like.

Tips?

1. Wear sensible shoes. If your in a muddy field, get out your Wellington boots!

2. Have an idea in your head what you want to buy, therefore you can scan tables quickly to avoid hours of walking around.

3. Always check the quality of the items. Whether its a DVD or Jumper, double check to see if the correct DVD is in the right case/any scratches? ect, has the jumper got any holes in it?

4. Have a maximum price that you want to pay for in your head & offer £3 lower then you want to pay for it. Then haggle it to the nearest price you can get, to your maximum price. This will give you an indication of how much it's worth.

5. Always carry loose change- never carry anymore then 1 £10 note (unless your going to be buying a lot of furniture!)Be patient. Sometimes you won't find anything at all, but it's the fun part of car booting!

So here are two treasures I managed to find at the last car boot fair & I only spent £5!! Bargains! Haggled the jumper down to £3 from £5 & the bag was a bargain £2!

Have you brought any car boot/charity shop bargains recently?

Much Love,

Elle

xoxoxo

♥

I Went to the Sales & I Brought.....

The Summer Sales are upon us people!! & like any female I was drawn like a mouth to a flame- as soon as I saw the "up to 50% off" sign in a shop window, I was there having a good ol' rummage!

This year I hadn't hit the sales until this week, purely because I work in the high street & the last thing you want to do after a long days work is go into another sale. I was a little disappointed with the quality of the clothes in most stores for their sales, either I had left it really late & all the good things had been taken or the quality of clothes were poor this season. However I did find some little gems in amongst the rubbish!

Top tips for when you're shopping in the sales?

Wear comfy clothes & shoes

Really look underneath the piles of clothes on tables & on the floor, you never know what gems lurk underneath!

Buy what you need & if you do buy something you later regret, most stores have a refunds policy on sales good

If you fall in love with something- BUY IT!!

Here are my special finds:

(Photo's Copyright To VintageELLE09)

From the top:

Envelope Flap Bag= was £69.99, I paid £39.99 (Zara)

Over Sized Clutch= £1.89 (eBay)

70's Rusty Red Dress= was £50, I paid £25 (Topshop)

Pink High-Waisted Chino's= was £29.99, I paid £19.99 (Zara)

Rusty Red Pleated Cropped Trousered= was £35, I paid £15 (Topshop)

Spotty Neutral Shirt= was £39.99, I paid £29.99 (Zara)

Floppy Leather Boots= was £69.99, I paid £39.99 (Zara)

Studded Black Heels= was £69.99, I paid £39.99 (Zara)

What have you guys splurged on in the summer sales? Any places that are a 'must' to visit?

Much Love,

Elle

xoxoxo

♥