HAUL: I came. I saw. I bought it all.

I know a lot of people are on spending bans (and I think I might try and start one next month) but for now I'm indulging in some shopping. I had a wishlist the length of my arm and when I narrowed it down I realised that I could afford to get a lot of it. I know it may seem excessive but I don't usually do BIG hauls, this is actually the first haul post I've ever written! Everything below is make-up or skin care, I did also buy a t-shirt  in the Gap sale while I was out shopping but I didn't photograph it so what doesn't get photographed sadly doesn't get blogged about! (It's a lovely, albeit very bright, pink colour which I was instantly drawn to for pyjama/gym purposes. Worth checking out the Gap sale if like me you're a lover of really good cotton t-shirts, Gap's cotton is softer than soft and in the sale the t-shirt was only £4!) But, I digress. On with all the haulin' goodness.

Boots:

I did an online Boots order about a week ago now as there was a discount code of £10 off when you spent £60. I thought this would be as good a time as any to buy some real Techniques make-up brushes and splurged by buying both the starter set, the core collection and a fine liner brush (which after reading reviews I felt would be a nice addition). To push this order up to the right amount I also picked up a face mask, Super Facialist's Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask. Since I've started my No-Foundation Challenge I've really been taking better care of my skin and regular face masks have been a big part of that.

 Lush:

Initially, I only went into Lush to have a look for things I might want to spend the voucher that I got for Christmas on. However, those craft sales assistants (and props to them) let me play around with so many of the products that I ended up needing to indulge despite not having my voucher on me. I have to say, I really did restrain myself. I know that buying stuff doesn't really seem like 'restraint' but if you've ever been into Lush you'll know how easy it is to get carried away in there. Anyway, what I settled for was some of their '13' soap as it was reduced by 50% because it is being discontinued! I thought it couldn't hurt to pick some up for just over £2 especially as it may be the only chance I get to try it. When I got to the till and paid they actually threw in a (hefty) sample of Lush's Oatifix face mask for free which I was thrilled about as I was planning on buying some with my gift card anyway.

Superdrug:

Superdrug is definitely the high street drugstore where I tend to shop the most, mainly because of the Student Discount they offer. I picked up 4 items which I set out intending to buy, a L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick, a Revlon Lipstick, a Collection Concealer and Max Factor's new mascara. However, I also picked up an eye shadow by Bloom which was in the 'bargain bin' for 99p. It's a slightly green/grey white shade and as I don't own anything like that or anything by the brand I thought I'd pick it up and give it a try. 

The Body Shop: 

The Body Shop always have some great voucher codes floating around and I used one of these when I went shopping. It basically meant that all the items I bought (except the two eye shadows which were sale items) were half price. Yes, I did go a bit crazy but I finally had some money in the bank and there were bits and pieces I both wanted and needed. I did buy some foundation and concealer but be reassured that I won't be wearing this until February although I did swatch this on face in store to check the colour match although I took it off straight afterwards (I'm not counting this as failing my Challenge, I hope you don't either!) In terms of skin care I picked up another face mask, a replacement exfoliater, a tea tree lotion which I'm using as a replacement spot cream and another mattifying moisture lotion. In terms of make-up, I chose two eye shadows which were on sale for £2.50 (such a bargain, I've reviewed similar ones here), an eyebrow pencil, their moisture foundation in shade 03, a concealer pencil in shade 03, their lip line fixer, their lip and cheek stain in shade 01 and two colour glide shine lipsticks (which are just lovely, no doubt I'll be raving about them in a review sometime soon). 

So, there you have it! I basically did a bit of a make-up overhaul as I've just finished my New Year's clear out of all old/out of date/unloved pieces and I'd lost some essentials and replacements did need to be found. That's my first haul post over and done with, hope you enjoyed it! 

Have you done a big haul lately? If you have I'd love it if you could link me to it in a comment. Or if you're on a spending ban, what products are on your wishlist?

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