Urban Decay Primer Potion, Benefit They're Real Tinted primer, Sephora primer, Sephora foundation, Beautyblender solid cleanser, TooFaced Better than Sex travel size mascara, Kat Von D eyeliner, Makeup Forever lip liner in 3C, Sephora lip stain, Benefit Big Easy, Benefit Hello Flawless powder, Benefit stay don't stray eye primer, Benefit Porefessional (and mini), Benefit Watts up!

With graduation and prom a few days away, a beauty haul was definitely in the works. Since I just finished exams, I hadn't realized just how much makeup I was low on. I very conveniently (not) smashed the remaining remnants of my MAC Studio Fix Plus powder on Sunday (was it Sunday? Who knows...) with Sarah as my witness, thus, it was time for a little haul...

Sephora in Mall of the Emirates is wonderful, particularly at the Benefit counter. I really needed to sort out my brows, and ended up walking out with a plethora of treats for the warmer months. Sephora currently has a promotion where if you purchase any of their Makeup Action products, you can get an amazing 'Makeup Action box' containing minis of the most popular items. The Benefit counter also treated us to a little gift, this adorable pouch, which included a travel sized version of their Porefessional. It's definitely worth taking a peek at the Benefit counter, they have some lovely new makeup and skincare available!

My personal favorite purchase was by far the Watts Up! highlighter - I put a bit on and was amazed by the natural glow it reflected. With the warm weather slowly creeping in, glowy skin seems like a must. At the same time, the heat means more sun protection and skin prep before makeup. The Big Easy cream contains SPF 30++, perfect for the Dubai heat! For long nights out in the heat, the Stay don't stray eye primer and concealer is perfect as a base for eyeshadow, ensuring that any smoky eye or winged liner stays in place. The Porefessional primer is ideal to apply before makeup to ensure that your base stays put, but can also be applied without makeup on top to prevent sweat. I'm so glad I bought all of these products, and can't wait to share my thoughts on the travel sized makeup!

What are your favorite summer makeup products? Are you looking forward to any upcoming releases? Let me know, I'd love to try them out!

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On the way to brunch around midday, someone on the radio announced that it had crossed into the warmer weather... 31C, in fact. So as the temperature over here climbs, I thought I would share exactly what I love to have for the proper Spring/Summer seasons, from head to toe! Transitioning into the warmer weather means a shift in style and scents, so here are the main changes that I will be going through to adapt to the heat.

One warm weather trend that I'm really adoring is jelly shoes. I don't mean the clunky ones we all wore in the nineties, but much sleeker, comfortable ones, to the point where you can't even tell that they are made of plastic. They're perfect for beach days, and are comfortable enough that you could wear them all day and feel like you're walking on air! I adore these Ted Baker Ettiea Flat Sandals*, which can easily be worn for brunch or more formal day events, with the classic bow and rose gold embellishment. In black or white, they would go with almost every summer outfit. If you aren't a fan of open toed shoes, you could go for the much pricier Salvatore Ferragamo Nilly Jelly D'Orsay Flats, or if you wanted a similar shoe for formal events, Ferragamo's Perala Sling Jelly Sandals would be a nice alternative. Either way, this nineties favorite will be perfect for those of us nostalgic for a simpler time...

Since being gifted a Coach wristlet, I've realized how convenient ditching the stuffed bags is. I cannot recommend getting a smaller bag for the warmer weather. We all know how sweaty we get, and lugging around the extra pounds just makes our perfume's job harder. By only carrying the essentials (your phone, keys and a bit of cash), you're not only making it easier to travel, but also makes you less at risk of ending up stuck in tourist season (if you catch my drift). 

Beach hair, don't care

Softer scents

New in Skincare and Makeup by us-farfelues featuring Lancôme

It seems that the time from Halloween to New Years is the most eventful time of the year. The most stress, the most deadlines, the worst skin... You can't deny it. All of the Halloween candy, the hot chocolates, marshmallows, and more seem to take a toll on your skin, especially in colder countries. After a few days of what can only be described as a skin disaster, I found that these products seemed to help my face calm down. Even better, they're not all ridiculously overpriced. So you can still buy your holiday presents and keep your face looking as amazing as ever.

To make it just a little bit easier, I'll split everything up into categories :)

La Roche-Posay Effaclar, Soap&Glory Vitamin C Facial Wash, St. Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub

Face Wash

Morning - Soap&Glory Vitamin C Facial Wash

I love the smell of this! I wouldn't say that it would be for 'all skin types' as stated, but it is lovely for normal/combination/oily skin. I'd avoid it if you have dry skin, just because it can be quite drying. On the whole, it is lovely for the mornings, as it wakes you up and leaves your face smooth and clean.

Evening - La Roche-Posay Effaclar

This is great after cleansing, as it puts moisture back into your skin whilst helping to fight any imperfections. It smells lovely too! La Roche-Posay as a whole seems to be an overlooked brand, but everything I've tried from them to date has been lovely.

Scrub - St. Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub

This too smells divine! It is quite harsh on the skin, so I'd use it only twice or three times a week. I always go a bit red after scrubbing this away, but the large grains help keep the skin smooth and clear.

Toner and Cleanser

The Body Shop is a store that I've always been fascinated by. As a general rule of thumb, I'd say one should never buy anything from there full price, especially in the UK. If you are a fan of the store, sign up for their Love Your Body Card and practically everyday you will receive offer codes for products. It saves you a ton of money, even during their sales! For toner, I've been ploughing through their Tea Tree Cleanser for a while (it's huge!), and can very proudly say that I'm on the second bottle. I feel it helps to mattify the skin, whilst still keeping it moisturized. Also, whenever I have scarring or pigmentation, it does seem to help reduce that. I also love the camomile cleansing butter. After school, it's my makeup remover of choice, and it removes everything perfectly. Just apply a bit, massage it into the skin, and wipe it off with a wet cloth. Also, one tin lasts a really long time! I've had mine since July, and am only now almost out of it. 

Moisturizers

Day - Clean&Clear Dual Action Moisturizer 

After all the heavy night creams and things I apply before I go to bed, a light moisturizer is all that's needed in the morning. This one claims to have the power to fight spots and moisturize at the same time. Whilst I can't say whether it helped prevent spots, I can say that it is a nice, fragrance free moisturizer which would be great for sensitive skin whilst not making you gouge your eyeballs at the price (we've all been there before). 

Night - The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion

This really does help reduce scarring. After using it over the summer, I found that it did help to not only prevent spots, but also reduce the scarring I always seem to have afterwards. Great for those stressful times and helping to get to that makeup free skin stage. 

A little extra - The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil

Whilst this doesn't smell the best, it does definitely help keep skin moisturized and reduce spots overnight. A drop of this could be mixed into moisturizer for some extra protection, or just used underneath all of your night cream and serums to help keep skin feeling soft.

Whilst this is on the pricier end of the budget skincare range, I do feel that this is making a difference on my under eyes. Gone is the severe swelling and puffiness that I often got in the morning! I feel the effects of this if I use this at night, wash my face in the morning, wear makeup, remove that makeup and touch my under eyes almost 24 hours later. If you feel like you have some seriously tired looking eyes, spending a bit more on eye cream is a must!

Overall... 

Let me know what budget-friendly items you're using as the weather gets cooler, and what you think of these products if you try them!