Tuesday 23 September 2014

I'm Back!

Hey guys! 

I'M BACK =]

I disappeared for a while, due to a few unfortunate circumstances but I'm now back and will go back to being the happy little blogger I was.

I have really picked a good time to come back with the winter coming, with the dry skin and wet hair. 

Hopefully I will be able to find and blog about some beauty essentials to help get us all through the dreaded winter.

So thanks to all those who supported me at first and to those who will support me in the future.

Many thanks lovelies! 

Lots of love,



Monday 3 March 2014

Bed Time Skin Care.

Hey sweeties...

Again after Sophie had a bit of a clear out, I got a few skin care products, as I never had a big thing for skin care, just general taking make up off and moisturising now and again, I thought I better start making an effort before I regret it later.

So, I now have my nightly favourites that I now use religiously.

So here they are.
From left to right and bottom product last.

Benefit | Facial Emulsion| Moisturiser SPF 15
Urbanveda | Radiance Exfoliating Facial Polish 
Benefit | Moisture Prep | Toning Lotion 
Superdrug Brand | Tea Tree Spot Stick

First of all I start by washing my face with the Urban veda facial polish, making sure I get into all the crevices in my face. E.G, hairline, behind the nostrils, right up to the ear, jaw line etc.
I massage into my face for about 2 minutes to make sure that all the make up is lifted of my skin. Now this product is one that 'does what it says on the tin'. I had quite good skin before, not perfect, a few imperfections and blemishes but not bad to say I have been wearing make up for 9 years almost. But after I started using this I saw a dramatic difference, my skin was glowing, my skin toned evened out and some of my blemishes even disappeared, and it smells ABSOLUTELY fantastic!
(Available from Urban Veda themselves for £8.99 125ml )

Once I've patted my face dry and allowed my skin to dry fully naturally, I then move on to my toning lotion. Being from Benefit I knew this was going to be a good product and oh it was. With a cooling sensation this is an ideal toning lotion to using after getting out of a hot bath or shower. I apply this with a cotton pad and it also helps to remove any excess make up, around the sensitive areas, and it is gentle so doesn't hurt if a little gets in your eyes.
(Benefit products available from Boots)

I let the toning lotion soak in, again waiting until my skin is completely dry. Then I move onto the Benefit moisturiser. I should apply this will a cotton pad also but with it being thicker than the toning lotion I think a lot gets wasted on the pad so I apply this will my finger tips. It's light making it easy to apply and easy to soak into the skin. Once it's soaked in it leave my skin looking healthy and radiant and never leaves it looking shiny and greasy. 
(Benefit products available from Boots)

Once that has fully soaked in, I normally give it about an hour, maybe a bit long but I watch a little TV while doing so, I then move on to the spot stick.
Now, having quite big open pores, and being exposed to the mud and such at the horses, I am susceptible to blemishes and big nasty spots. And sometimes they can stand out like a sore thumb, so as well as good make up I use this. I must admit for a drugstores own brand I don't think you can go wrong. I have a recurring blemish on my forehead, where my most open pores are and could never seen to get rid of it. I used to squeeze it regulary ( disgusting I know ), I've tried leaving it alone, but nothing seemed to work. But just after 2 days of wearing this on the blemish, it dried up and the redness disappeared. Now almost a week later, the blemish is almost completely gone with no signs of it reappearing like before. I have to say I am quite happy with this product.  
(Available from Superdrug for £2.99)


That's all for now lovelies.
See you soon!

Lots of love, 

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A Little Extra Shine.

Hey lovelies!

Sorry I disappeared for a while!
But I'm back now, YAAAAY! 

This is just a quick one about some shine spray I got off my friend Sophie after helping her do a 'spring clean' on her make up and hair products.

Paul Mitchell | Awapuhi Shine Spray | Wild Ginger


I like this product but this time I decided to do a pro's and con's list to mix things up!

Pro's:

The smell is gorgeous, I have a thing for spices and with this smelling like ginger I instantly fell in love.

The shine it leaves on my hair is glorious but it doesn't make it look greasy.

So easy to apply as it is a fine mist, which means you don't end up with clumps of shine, it spreads evenly.

It also adds condition which is an added bonus as I have dry hair.

Con's:

It doesn't last that long, after a couple of hours, (especially seeing as I like to run my fingers through my hair) the shine disappears.

You need to apply quite a bit to get a decent shine. 

If you apply it regularly through out the day, as it looses shine, it can make your hair very greasy very quickly. 

Summary

Over all, I do like this product. I would definitely buy it again but only use it for things like nights out. It's no good for everyday use as it just doesn't last long enough for my liking.

Available from Glamour Shop for £17.95

See you soon sweeties!

Lots of love, 

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Saturday 22 February 2014

Baby Sister Make Over.

Hey lovelies.
Today I decided to give my little sister a make over.
I'll tell you first of all I didn't do her make up as she has such lovely skin I don't want her to ruin it by getting into make up, the later she discovers it the better!

But being nearly 11 yrs old, she loves to play with her hair and nails, so we had a little pamper session where I did them both for her.

So well start with the nails.

These are the products I used...
Sorry for the poor quality picture!


So we have here:
Avon | Nail Perfect | Nail Biting Solver 
( as she bites her nails! )
Barry M | All In One | Basecoat, Topcoat & Nail Hardener 
Manicure | Cuticle Gel
Art Deco | Silver Glitter 
L'Oréal Paris | Jet-set | Metallic Blue
(Not quite sure of actual colour name as it doesn't say on bottle!)
Fine Nail Art Brush 
Small Blue Rhinestones
Xtras Silver Glitter Nail Varnish & Acrylic but forgot to put that in pic.

Here's what we did...
That is ink in the corner of her feature finger, we CANNOT get it off!


I first applied the cuticle gel and pushed all her cuticles and skin back off her nail.
Then proceeded to massage the undried cuticle gel into her nail beds.
I then applied a based coat using the Barry M All In One.

I then applied 2 coats of the L'Oréal Jet Set to all the nails bar the feature nail which I applied 2 coats of the Xtras Silver Glitter Nail Varnish to.

Once all the coats had dried, I applied 3 small dots across the index finger nail using the art brush and the Art Deco Silver Glitter to create a band across the nail.
I also used acrylic to stick 3 blue rhinestone vertically up the feature nail to add a little something different, and she loves sparkles and glitter.

After 5 minutes when the nails had fully dried, I then re-applied the Barry M All In One over all the nails to seal the colour in and make them shine.

Again, after 5 minutes or so, to make sure that the nails had fully dried, I then applied a coat of the Avon's Nail Biting Solver, to see if it will stop her biting her nails! A habit, which I must say, I think she has got off me, whoops!

But that was her nails all done!


Now for her hair.
Unfortunately, my sister does not have the best natural hair in the world as it is sooooo unpredictable!
Once minute she can have nice luxurious curls and the day after a total frizz bomb.
However, her natural colour is gorgeous, it is a nice chocolate brown with lots of different tones to it.

So here's the end result...




So here's what we did...

I first applied some Beauty Protector Protect & Oil ( I have reviewed before HERE) to smooth some of the frizz of her natural hair out.

After thoroughly applying it throughout her hair and also brushing it through, I then straightened all her hair.

After I straightened it, I then proceeded to curl the ends of her hair using the hair straighteners, it doesn't give a tight curl like hair curlers do, making it look more natural.

Once I'd been round all the ends of her hair, I then applied Percy & Reed Finishing Polish ( also reviewed previously HERE ) which is designed to smooth, control and groom frizzy hair. Now in my previous post about this product, I admitted how much I loved it for my own hair, but my hair is not as frizzy as my little sisters so I thought this would be a good test for it.

And I have to say, it passed with flying colours!
Although she still did have some fly aways, the majority of the hair was smoothed out and just made her hair look 110% better.

All the products I used are available from a drug store or beauty store.

So here's what I do to my little sister when I get bored.
Does anyone else do this?

Anyways, thanks for reading guys!
That's all for now sweeties.

Lots of love,

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Friday 21 February 2014

Time To Get Sparkle.

Hey sweeties.
After having a clean out a few days a go.
I decided to play with a few nail things that I had but not yet used.
Now, by no means am I a professional at this or claim to be, in fact I'm absolutely PANTS at doing my own nails, but I was bored and gave it a decent attempt.

Heres my attempt.


Now it is a little messy around the edges still as I took these pics while they were drying, but I don't think they look that bad to say I was never taught and haven't done a set for about 6 months *happy face*

Now for my feature nail, I used a product similar to the Nail Rock (click the pink to see review) that I got in my Jan' Birch Box, however I did things with a slight twist.

I first applied the nails and cut them to size, as you do, then blended the tips into my natural nail using a nail file and blending solution.
After this, I shaped the nails with the finer side of the nail file as to not file to much off at once.
Once I've done this, I then apply 2 coats of acrylic. I know most people only do one, but I have rather naturally ridged nails, so I apply one thin coat to smooth the ridges out.
Then when the first coat has dried, I apply another thicker coat, not too thick though as I don't want to have wedges on my fingers!
Once all that is dried, I personally leave it about 10 mins to make sure all the acrylic is set, I start to apply the fancies.

I first get my rhinestones out of their packet and put them on a flat surface.
I then get a TINY bit of acrylic on the end of my acrylic brush and pick up one of the rhinestone up with the brush, the acrylic should act as sort of a glue. 
(TIP: It's easier to pick up rhinestones that are upside down)
Once you've picked up the rhinestone, turn the brush over ( so the stone is on top, right way up) and gently brush it onto the nail.
Clear off any excess acrylic of the brush and then place the stone with the brush.
I then repeated for the other colour stone.

For my feature nail, I bought some fine nail glitter to use with the acrylic, but with it being so fine, it was difficult.
So once the acrylic had fully dried on all nails, after applying the stones, I applied a coat of this...
Barry M - Basecoat, Topcoat & Nail Hardener.
This is a triple threat and I absolutely love it, as you can tell by the amount that is left.

Anyways, I applied this to all my nails, but while the feature nail was still wet ( needs to be wet, NOT TACKY, as it doesn't work properly ) I dipped the nail in the glitter making sure the nail was properly covered, I then blew off any access.

When the first coat was dry I then applied a second coat, making sure to put a thick layer over they glitter.

Now all my other nails are finished but my feature nails just need another quick thin coat of acrylic to stop chipping and glitter falling off everywhere.

When the acrylic is dry, I then apply another coat of Barry M's topcoat (above) and I'm all finished! 

Sound's lengthy, but all in all it took me about an hour and 10 mins, including the drying time.

But I just thought I'd share as I was quite proud of my attempt.
Believe me, I have done a lot LOT worse!

Well that's all for now lovelies.
Does anyone else do their own false nails? How do they turn out?

Lots of love,

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Milestone!

YAAAAY!

I've reached over a 100 followers on Blog Lovin' =]

I'm so proud, I never thought in a million years that it would be so popular. 
I just thought a few people may follow and a few friends.
WOW.

It's just a thank you to everyone that has followed me and inspired me to carry on posting!

Thanks Guys!!

That's all for now my lovelies, see you soon! 


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Thursday 20 February 2014

Feb' 2014 Glossybox

Hey sweeties.
It's time for this month's Glossy Box!
I've got to say while I enjoyed last months box, it wasn't the best way to start the new year and it was definitely out shined by other beauty boxes.
However, this month, they've pulled it out of the hat!
Sooo many cool products that I love!

So, we will start with the contents:

Inside we have:
Nougat London | Sparkling Body Shimmer
Eldora | False Eyelashes
Ciaté London | Red Paint Pot
Giovanni Eco Chic Cosmetics | Chic Ultra-Sleek
Maybelline New York | ColorSensational Stripped Nudes Lipstick
Lindt | Lindor Treat Bar

So, here's my review on each individual product.

Nougat London | Sparkling Body Shimmer | 100ml


Having a weird obsession with not wanting to use body lotions (as I think they make my skin feel greasy), I was not particularly bothered about this product. However, I always like to try each product once so I can write about it. 
It turns out, I love this body lotion. 
Smelling like 'cherry blossom' (I love all things cherry anyway) I have fallen in love with the smell, I could sit and smell this all day. 
Once applied, it did make my skin look more radiant and healthy with a light shimmer and glitter without having the full body spray on glitter look. 
The only fault I have with this lotion is the consistency.
It is rather thin, making it hard to handle and put on the skin easily.
On the upside, with this consistency, it doesn't sit heavy on the skin.

Available from Nougat London for £14 for 250 ml

Eldora | False Eyelashes

Like I have mentioned in a previous post, I love my eyes and love making them stand out to their full potential so I was SUPER excited about receiving these.
Unfortunately, I have not had to the chance to wear these out properly yet, but I did try them on.
They base of the lashes are slightly thinner than supermarket bought false eyelashes, which personally, I find makes easier for application. 
They are also reusable, which again is a bonus.
Again, the only fault I have found with these are that the lash length is slightly long, which doesn't make them look natural.
Once I have had a chance to wear these properly, I will take a pic and add it to this post.

Available from Eldora online for £3.90

Ciaté London | Red Paint Pot


How cute is this little pot?!
This ties in perfectly for the 'Valentines' themed Glossy box. 
Again, I've only had a chance to briefly try this product out (I'm not very good am I?!)
but being a 'Nail Varnish Enthusiast' I will always happily accept nail varnishes!
I only applied it to one nail, but the results were fantastic.
It had a high gloss shine and a nice deep cherry colour that really stood out.
If it wasn't for the risk of chipping, you could quite easily get away with not wearing a top coat on this.

Available from Ciaté online for £9 13.5ml


Giovanni Eco Chic Cosmetics | Chic Ultra-Sleek


Again, with only colouring my hair 2 days ago, I've not had chance to wash my hair with this yet. (I think I need to get a new hobby, I'm not very good at this one! )
BUT, I've had a look at the reviews, and this looks to be an amazing product! 
Some of the ingredients in this however, are in other products I use at the moment.
It contains:- Moroccan argan oils; avocado; papaya and some others.
All these type of ingredients are designed to nourish not just your hair but your scalp as well. The sachets are shampoo, condition and leave-in conditioner and styling elixir. 
I will be able to do a further update after I have washed and treated my hair with it.

Available from Health & Beauty Network for £7.99

Maybelline New York | ColorSensational Stripped Nudes Lipstick | Sultry Sand



Being a MASSIVE fan of the nude lips, I have heavily used this product since the day I got it. 
Its smooth and light texture makes it soft and subtle on the lips and it matches my skin tone perfectly! 
It's also long lasting, being a smoker ( I know, dirty habit *sad face* ) and a coffee lover, my lips are forever rubbing on things making the lipstick come off, but this doesn't.
It takes a while for this to come off, but yet easily removed with make-up remover/baby wipes. 
Also as I've mentioned in a previous post, I don't like the heavy slimey feeling that some lipsticks and lipglosses leave, but this doesn't. It's just sooo light.
Definitely going to be repurchasing this.

Available from Boots store and/or Boots online for £6.99

Lindt | Lindor Treat Bar


Needless to say, this went down a treat with a cup of coffee!
It lasted all about 5 mins, which in that 5 mins, I'd opened the box, took the picture and and made a cup of coffee! 
And, it was blooming lovely!

Well that's all from me for now.
Does anyone else get glossy boxes? Did anybody get anything different?


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Wednesday 19 February 2014

Concealer Crisis!

Hey Sweeties!

Recently it was my birthday, and for my birthday I got a MAC gift voucher (YAAAY!) by the lovely Sophie.
So, having run out of concealer, as I just plough through it, I decided to buy some MAC concealer.

MAC - Pro Longwear Concealer - NW15 

Having a lot of blemishes after a recent breakout and REALLLLLY dark circles, I thought I'd splurge on a decent concealer and I am so glad I did.
I have fallen in love.
A lot of concealers, even the more expensive ones, don't tend to cover my dark circles very well. You can always see a little bit through the concealer, but with this nothing!
The redness from my blemishes in non-existent and dark lines over my face disappear!
It has made my face look so bright and healthy!
This will definitely be a repurchase. 

Available from Debenhams online from the MAC section for £15.50 

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Colour Time.

Hey lovelies.

After having black hair for so long, I decided it was time for a bit of a change.
I have been deciding over that for the last few weeks and finally decided I wanted RED!

Soooo, I used this:

Garnier Olia - #6.60 - Intense Red

With the ends of my hair still being black it was hard to tell how well this product had worked, but at the roots ( as I've not dyed my hair since Oct'13 ) it has come out a lovely intense deep red, and in the sunlight the ends of my which are black have a nice red sheen to them. 
Without having ammonia, this product is better for your hair plus doesn't blow your nostrils off with the vile smell that the ammonia in hair dye gives.
The oils also help to restore the damage to the hair that dying can cause.
Normally, after I dye my hair, it has a dry course feeling until I have washed it at least 3 times, however, because of the oils, this wasn't the case.
My hair was instantly soft, sleek and shiny.
This is definitely going to the choice for future colours.

Available from Superdrug for £6.99 
and most leading supermarket for similar price.


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Monday 17 February 2014

Spring Cleaning | Clean Out.

Hey sweeties!
I have decided to have a spring clean out of all my hair and beauty products ready for 2014.
As well as my boyfriend kept having a go at me for having 'too many things' and it 'always looks a mess'. The mess I can agree with as I am a messy person, however there is not such thing as 'too many' products!
Sooo, I decided to take before and after pictures of all my products!
So here goes...

Nail Products.
Now I forgot to take a before picture, as I was too upset at having to throw things *sad face* but here is the 'after' pic.

I have reduced all my nail stuff by over half! It all never used to fit in this box and it was scattered all over my bedroom and in different draws. Please excuse my cat in the second picture, I think he thought he was "helping" by running off with my nail files!

Lotions & Creams.
Now I didn't have a lot of these type of products as just before Christmas I threw out a load of them, expecting to get loads for Christmas as I normally do... However, this year I didn't!

Before

After

Now it doesn't look like there is much different, but I must of thrown 10 tubes of creams & lotions away that I've used once and never used again... 

Make-up | Face.

Before

After

Again, being a bit of a simpleton, I like having my face as bear as possible when wearing make-up. I don't like the heavy 'faked-skin' feeling, so I do not own many face products, just the essentials. However, you can see how much I have thrown, as I just do not wear them. There is things buried in the 'before' picture that I have had for years and just never thrown! Now it's all gone. 

Make-up | Lips.

Before

After

Again, I do not own a lot of lip glosses and lip sticks as I just cannot stand the feeling on my lips. I have yet to find a lip gloss/ lipstick that doesn't make my lips feel greasy and slimey. They only thing I wear in the box on a regular basis is my 'Nivea Pearly Shine' lip balm, as with the cold weather, my lips ended up sore, but normally I don't even wear that! I only wear something on my lips when I go out. So just to keep the ones I don't wear, would be an unnecessary waste!

Make-up | Eyes.

Before 

After

Now this was the hardest to do, as I love my eye make-up. I have a rather unusual eye colour so I love to make them stand out so I just go mad with eye products.
The 'before' picture doesn't even contain all my eye products, it just the things that were in my draws, as there is still some scattered around the bedroom and bathroom.
Before going through this though, the box that the products were in was over flowing with products, now the box is not even full! *sad face again*

Well that is the contents of my clean out for spring, well the biggest part of things, does anybody else do this at the beginning of every year? Does anyone else find it as hard as I do?!

That's all for now.
Let me know what you do.

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