The Empties #4

I haven't done an empties post in a jolly long while (the mum/boy never did appreciate me stashing piles of empty bottles under the bed), but I've had quite a few products run out on me lately so thought it would be good to give you my thoughts on them before they finally hit the recycling...

STAPLES // The Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer will always run out & I will always replace it. Nothing comes close to this £4 bargain when it comes to coverage and staying power #enoughsaid. Skincare wise it's the Garnier Eye Makeup Remover that's made it onto my staples list. Being partial to the false lash look, I need something fairly heavy duty in the 'taking it all off' department and this tops the other dual phase removers on the market both in effectiveness and price.

REPURCHASES // Knock me down with a feather, I've finished a lip product! The Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon in 'Peach on the Beach' is my go to easy one wash shade every spring & summer, so this season I had to buy another tube. A newcomer I will go back to is the Mark Hill MiracOILicious Treatment as nothing has left my hair feeling so soft and silky in a long time. The Elnett Precious Oil Hairspray also went down well with my barnet, keeping styles in place whilst offering some softening, conditioning properties.

DISAPPOINTMENTS // I'd previously gone through several tubes of the original La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, so decided to test out the plus version. Whilst I love everything both editions claim to do, I still have yet to figure out if they actually do anything (have you seen results?!) so I think I'll save my pennies rather than repurchasing. Having just raved about how much I love the Garnier Eye Makeup Remover, the same can't be said for the Garnier Micellar Water sadly. It's not bad, just no match for big old Bioderma.

What have you used up lately?

The Brighton Lookbook

Evening all, I do hope everyone has had a brilliant bank holiday! I've spent lots of it brunching, mooching and pampering so feel all nice and relaxed now which is jolly lovely. I also used the long weekend to finally catch up on my blogging and vlogging, which has taken a bit of a back seat to work and busy London life of late and tonight I wanted to share the Lookbook & VLOG I filmed on my Brighton staycation with the boy. There are four outfits along with lots of seaside snippets and places you just have to go and eat so I hope you enjoy and make sure to stay tuned for lots more Meg's Boutique this week!

Are you a Brighton fan?

Monthly Mini Haul: May

Topshop Dungarees // Breville Blend Active // Benefit 'Do The Hoola' // Snooper's Paradise Clubmasters

Welcome back to my new feature, the 'Monthly Mini Haul'! My absolute favourite purchase of May has to be those delightful denim dungarees from Topshop. They fit like a dream, can be styled so many ways and feel like a socially acceptable onesie (aka the dream). I also did lots of shopping in the Lanes of Brighton this month and my new white clubmaster sunnies were found in the corners of 'Snoopers Paradise', which is nothing short of a giant jumble sale of gems. If you like the sound of that, watch out for my Brighton VLOG coming tomorrow #cheekyplug. Moving on to makeup I was kindly sent the new 'Do The Hoola' kit from Benefit, which not only includes the new liquid Hoola, but also has a mirror with my name on- those Benebabes are cuties! Finally, on the lifestyle front we have the Breville Blend Active which has already created a host of feel good fruity smoothies as well as more taste good Oreo milkshakes. At just under £30 I'd highly recommend.

What have you been haulin' this month?

First Aid Facial Radiance Pads

When it comes to skincare, pads and wipes remind me of trying to remove poorly applied Rimmel Mascara and Dream Matte Mousse after school when I had no idea what a cleansing balm or micellar water were. But after years spent steering my skin clear of these pre packaged solutions, they are back and this time they're supercharged to work wonders for the skin.

I've been trying the Facial Radiance Pads from First Aid Beauty for a few weeks now and they've already earned a solid place in my skincare routine. I first bought them as a way of battling the congested bumpy skin that sometimes occurs on my forehead and chin. After being told I needed to exfoliate more to sort this but not wanting to use harsh scrubs, these have been the perfect solution with just enough lactic and glycolic acid to smooth and clean out pores without irritating the skin. They're also brilliant in the brightening department, with licorice root and lemon peel effectively sloughing away those dull dead skin cells to leave the skin bright and glowy. When skincare routines get too long and complex you tend to start skipping whole steps altogether, but a quick swipe with one of these in place of your usual toner at night time and your done. Inner lazy teen Meg is most happy.

Have you tried First Aid's Radiance Pads?

April Favourites

I have a little and little late April Favourites for you today. I'm still a bit out of sync with the old schedule after having time off but just couldn't miss out on sharing these gems...

LIFESTYLE // My boyfriend pointed out that I'm spending more on superfoods than makeup right now and it's all down to the cookbook, Deliciously Ella. It's more of a lifestyle guide than list of recipes and I've learnt so much about what my body needs and the best ways to feel great! I've got plans to share my superfood hauls/creations with you soon- the boy will be relieved I'm going on about spirulina and medjool dates to other people for a change...

FASHION // The weather could not be more in between right now. It's not sunny enough for sandals but it's too warm for boots- so I was very happy to find these cute real leather slip ons from Primark to bridge the gap. They were a bargain at around a tenner, have proven themselves to be super comfy and show just the right amount of foot for this silly UK spring to summer weather. Primarni to the rescue!

HAIR // With my penchant for ghds and blonde dye, I'm always on the hunt for seriously nourishing haircare and this Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Overnight Hair Healer has to be one of the most effective treatments I've tried. You apply it before bed to dry hair and then rinse off in your morning hair wash. It leaves my hair feeling super sleek, silky and soft before I've even touched my conditioner and the clear, invisible formula doesn't leave any residue on the pillow.

BEAUTY // I'm not sure I've ever included a beauty gadget in my favourites before, but I've finally found something that really helps my abused nails. After too many gel manis, glued on falsies and nail biting bouts my poor talons have been left prone to ridges and uneven surfaces. Manual buffing has never really helped but Micro Nail leaves my nail surface smooth and shiny in literally 2 seconds. This also makes nail polish look better and last longer so I'd recommend checking it out even if your an angel in the nail department. 

MAKEUP // I already went on about the Rimmel Lasting Nude Finish in my previous post so won't say too much about it now, but I really am head over heels for this fabulous foundation. A flawless medium coverage and satin-matte finish that lasts all day with no caking or patching to be seen. At just £7.99 a bottle this I see myself lovin' this all summer long.

What were your April Favourites?

All about that base

Well hello! It seems like long time no blog due to my little staycation last week, but now I'm back and it's base makeup on the menu tonight... I find as every season changes, my base has to as well. Suddenly with the warmer weather (or at least warmer air on the tube) my dewy winter products were leaving me shiny by midday and I needed to switch things up. Meet my new go to spring/summer superstay dream team:

PRIMER // Gone are the moisture laden glow givers of primers past in favour of something a whole lot more smoothing and shine banishing. The Topshop Beauty Airbrush Primer has been a surprise makeup saviour- with a clear silicon formula, this hides any unwanted bumps and pores and makes your foundation last the entire day, leaving the skin underneath feeling silky soft. Yay Toppers!

FOUNDATION // I bought Rimmel Lasting Nude Finish back in the Autumn on Anna's recommendation, but only get the hype now. This just didn't seem to blend well on dry winter skin, however it mixes beautifully with natural skin oils, leaving you with flawless yet cakeless coverage. At under a tenner it's a real steal and there's no annoying 3pm patching around the mouth/nose (#girlproblems) in sight.

POWDER // Oh powder, such a tricky product to get right! But when Bourjois Java is proving too radiant and Rimmel Stay Matte is proving too, well matte, it's the Bourjois Healthy Balance that you need. With a cute mirror compact, silky formula and ability to fend off shine whilst letting your natural glow come through, I can see this becoming a firm favourite 'set everything in place' product for the Summer season.

What's your current go to base?