Boots SPLURGE

For those of you who follow my daily ramblings and chains of descriptive emojis on Twitter (@love_lippy) you may have seen my excitement in receiving my monthly Boots splurge parcel. I heart Boots. Though yeah, you might get your stuff on offer elsewhere from time-to-time, where else do you get points per transaction that are so easy to spend? With special offers, 3 for 2s and the prospect of saying to the cashier 'stick them on my card' like you have a black Amex and really it's only loyalty points; there's no better place for me.

I've sampled everything from Boots. From tights to carrot sticks, hair removal cream to hayfever tablets - there's pretty much no aisle I haven't ventured down. Even the dreaded pregnancy test aisle - if you're going to die of shame, you may as well get loyalty points from it hey?*

*I would just like to state that LoveLaughsLipstick always recommends safe sex with condoms. Also on sale in Boots. Could just cut this bit out in fear of looking like a massive rude-y, but I think most closer to 30 than 21 girls have been here!

SO. Moving on from that quick clarification (repeat: I am not a slut) let's get back on topic. My (lack of) sex life might be a joke for another post. This parcel of triumph and glory came the other day and although some of its contents form part of my Christmas shopping stocking fillers, being honest - most of it was for me and I was buzzing.

Happy Tuesday to me

Here's a little run-down of some of the notable products contained in this cardboard box of glory - the ones which made it through the Christmas presents filter and into my arms.

1. Radox 'Cherry Blast' Showergel, on offer for just £1!!!

With a price-tag like that - what's not to like? Well, no. Being honest, I'm really very poor so prices like this really speak to my purse and available credit limits. But when you see something on offer, just one specific flavour or fragrance out of a whole range like this, you instantly think it's going to be defective and it's on sale cos no-one else wants it. Well - I'm happy if this is the case, as there's more of this fab fragrance for me! It smells like the red liquorice sherbet sticks you used to get as a kid, with either the white filling or that dead bitter sugary stuff - and it's fit. Bubbles up really well, smells like a dream, COST A QUID and is a lovely thick consistency. SOLD.

Popped my Radox cherry

2. Rimmel 'Clear Complexion' translucent powder, £3.99

I go through this stuff like there's no tomorrow. I have no doubt that I have probably put Mr Rimmel's kids through college what with my excessive purchasing of this powder over the years. I HATE being shiny. Like, it knocks me sick. This powder keeps my make-up put all day and can be topped up to eliminate 'the dreaded shine' around my T-zone. I've tried other powders and other shades of Rimmel powder, but found that they cake up or leave mysterious dark patches around my face. This translucent base seals in my foundation and can be built up on top with bronzer and illuminator and the consistency to the powder is spot on.

A lot of people diss Rimmel, and I know that some of their products haven't worked for me in the past and have sponsored / helped past-me achieve some very questionable looks. But I think that for make-up on an extreme budget, such as my own, the range is great - provided you find the right shade for your skintone. Otherwise you can make mistakes like past-me did: ranging from Casper the unfriendly ghost to 'You've been Tangoed'  to 'Why, look how brown your top lip is.' 

Glad we cleared that up

3. Eylure lashes - Naturalites number 107, £5.29 per pair

I wouldn't normally buy eyelashes in such excessive volume, if it wasn't for the allure of the 3-for-2 red sticker over the corner of the stock photography. I LOVE 107s. For daytime or night, I love the shape of these lashes and how with a different eyeshadow base you can achieve so many looks with them. I also heart Eylure's new packaging - with the model on the back showing how the eyelashes look on a human eye as opposed to in their plastic tray. Although I love big lashes, you do have to be careful as if they are too heavy on your eyes, there's nothing sexy about them at all. And I think / like to hope achieve I strike this balance with my 107s.

The allure of my Eylure

4. Collection 'Work the Colour' eyebrow kit, £3.99

I've blogged and tweeted extensively about this amazing little beaut - click here to get the full run down. So I'll just summarise here and use the words BUY IT. Now.

Have a good 'brows of my blog for more details on this palette of glory

5. Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lip plumping lipgloss, £9.99

I'll be honest. This was an extortionate buy for me. Do I have ten pounds to my name? No. But anyway. Hoping that this will be well worth it. I secretly quite like the look that friends of mine have achieved in having lip fillers / those injections that plump up your pout loads. However, I am too much of a chicken DESPITE just having hip surgery to ever go face to face with a needle just for the sake of beauty. Plus, I just think of poor old Lesley Ash and Pete Burns and I do a little shudder. Therefore, thought maybe more of a natural approach when it comes to plumping my pout was best.

This tastes divine. I know you're not supposed to eat it, but when you do... it's like chocolate and cocoa butter combined. This is a clear lip gloss, so I've just been applying it over my usual lippy. It tingles, it throbs (ooh-er missus!) and feels like you have pins and needles in your lips. Does it work? This is TBC. Going to do a before and after post so you guys can tell me. But with its collagen and plant plumping ingredients, there's science behind it. So I'm inclined to say yes.

Plump it up, mother pucker (so many puns...)

What have you splurged on recently? Your best buy in Boots? Your ultimate 3-for-2, or ultimate purchase on your Boots advantage card points? Leave your comments below