After feeling like I all have written is negative posts I wanted to write about a product I love, if you read my post on the On and On Bronze shade - here then you will know I really love these.
I decided to go and buy shade 65 pink gold awhile ago and this has been on my lids pretty much ever since. I think I even prefer this shade to On and On Bronze as it is perfect for spring summer, it is gorgeous pink champagne colour which leaves a beautiful sheen to the lids
Again I do wear a primer with this as I have mega oily lids but I actually think that this wears even better then the On and On Bronze and that is amazing. I haven't tried this as a base for other shadows but am tempted to, has anyone else?
I do wish that they would bring out more shades as some of them I don't think are very wearable and whenever I have swatched permanent taupe the tester has always been dry and crumbly. That said I am very tempted by Eternal Gold however I do own a lot of gold eyeshadows.
This is available from boots.com for £4.99.
I slowly seem to be getting round to using all the products that have sat stashed away in various locations in my house. After really not loving the other products in this line from No7 I decided to just bite the bullet and start this.
This is another product from No7 with that baby wash smell which although is not offensive I do think that for the price is an odd choice. The scent doesn't really linger which is a plus but I would prefer it if it wasn't there.
This is incredibly greasy and I would not recommend using on your legs if you are planning to wear skinny jeans for a good few hours as it does leave your skin tacky. After checking the ingredients the reason for this I think that is the inclusion of mineral oil in the product, it is the second ingredient so full of the stuff. I am no skincare expert but after reading several blog posts it appears that mineral oil is simply a cheap oil that has no skincare benefits and doesn't absorb into the skin. If that is incorrect please let me know.
Before I started blogging and taking more of an interest in my skin I would have thought that this was fantastic as your skin does feel silky, now all I think is yuk I have a layer of oil coating my skin.
I think that this is another product from No7 which is seriously overpriced, this retails at £10.50 for 200ml and considering the main ingredients are water and mineral oil think it is a complete rip off. The inclusion of mineral oil wouldn't upset me if this had been a couple of quid but paying over a tenner I would expect better quality ingredients.
This has been repackaged but I can't check whether it has been reformulated as Boots don't list ingredients, but is available from boots.com for £10.50.
I got this free with Glamour magazine earlier in the year, and was looking forward to trying this out. I have very fine hair and never found anything that I am truly happy with that gives it any lasting volume.
I had seen demonstrations of this on QVC and obviously the model ending up with lovely thick gorgeous hair. The first time I used this, I had just used Philip Kingsleys Elasticizer for the first time, and absolutely loved the results. My hair felt amazing not only soft but thicker too. I really felt that I had finally found my holy grail volumising product.
Unfortunately my love affair with this did not last. I think my hair looking thicker was more down to the Elasticizer then this. The more I have used this no oil oil, the more I dislike it, it seems my hair has got used to it and now really doesn't do anything.
My other gripe with this product is that although it says no oil oil, I still have to be careful how much I use or my roots start looking greasy.
To be fair to this product my hair is driving me insane at the moment. My ends are mega dry and splitting all the time, my roots are lank and lifeless and some days I feel like I would be best just to shave it off and buy some wigs.
Is anyone else at their wits end with their hair. I have always had a problematic scalp and fine hair but right now it just seems whatever I do with my hair it looks the same - awful. I thought my Elasticizer would help but my hair just doesn't seem to respond to anything at the moment. If anyone has any suggestions on any products or blog posts that you feel might help, please let me know.
I wouldn't say this is a terrible product it just really didn't work for me. I think if my hair was more manageable then this would work a lot better. This is available from beautybay.com
Today I just felt like just chatting as I found out yesterday that I past my latest exam! To say I am relieved is a massive understatement. I have honestly never been so stressed about anything. I have shed many tears since starting in September and nearly given up so many times, but I found out that not only did I pass but I also exceeded the standard required on 6 out of the 8 tasks.
I have always known I have lacked confidence but sometimes it is almost crippling, I have such a fear of failing but I guess my biggest fear is being one of those over confident deluded people. I would hate to go around thinking I am the bees knees only to be proven wrong. Maybe now I have passed two exams I will start to believe in myself more, but somehow I can't see that happening.
Anyway in beauty news to celebrate passing my exam I bought myself a little treat. The Essie Summer 2013 Mini Collection. I am sure you have all seen it by now but expect some nail posts soon. I had really been trying not to buy anymore polish until I culled my collection but the set was on offer in Boots so couldn't resist. If you have had your eye on the collection it's now £9.99 from boots.com.
My boyfriend also treated me to a Rimmel Apocalips Lip Laquer in Celestial which I have been eyeing up for ages. I will let you know how I get on but I have high hopes. Whilst I am rambling don't you hate those massive security stickers supermarkets put on makeup. There is one on my Apocalips which I cannot for the life of me get rid of.
Also as a celebration me and boyfriend are going to our favourite restaurant in Norwich, Middletons Steak House and Grill. It does as the name suggests the best steaks as massive meat eaters (sorry to all vegetarians and vegans) we love it. If you live in Norwich or ever come to visit I would definitely recommend it. They have a website if you want to check out their menus middletons-shg.co.uk.
I have done other stuff then celebrate but that isn't really interesting. I have seriously got back into Pinterest. I especially love reading beauty blogs and then pinning all the products I want. Come Christmas my list is going to be a mile long. Top of my current list is the
Paul & Joe makeup bag featured on viviannadoesmakeup.com, Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm thanks to Caroline Hirons here and a long term lust which has turned into a must have is Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette fueled by missbudgetbeauty.co.uk.
Oh in case you wondered I decided to keep the two tops from Warehouse from my latest ASOS haul - full post here. I just didn't feel comfortable in the Hilfiger t-shirt so guessed it is a complete waste of money to keep it. The Warehouse top that I was unsure of I kept and actually think I may have shrunk fractionally in the wash, so the issue with seeing my bra has fixed itself, result.
Oh and lastly I just wanted to thank you for reading my blog, I love my blog and to be honest really write it for me. I know I will never make a career out of writing but love to do it. Also love having a place where I feel I can share what I want. Not all my friends are obsessed with beauty blogs and one doesn't even know what a BB cream is - how I am not sure. But I love that I can bang on about how much I want a makeup bag, a cleansing balm and feel others will understand as opposed to thinking I am crazy. So thank you for spending time reading my beloved little blog.
Please ignore my tatty cuticles, I have been having serious problems with my hands. I think I might be allergic to washing up gloves and my hands have been reacting to everything. Anyway enough about that after trying out the Ciate Caviar manicure, which you can read my blog post about here. I decided to try the only other Ciate polish I have. I think that this was a freebie with a magazine which my boyfriend bought me when I was unwell.
It is a really shimmery gold, which is completely smooth and I must say hard to apply evenly. I am wearing three coats with my usual base and topcoats from Nails Inc, and there are still bits which seem to have less shimmer which is really irritating That said this dried mega fast and has the benefit of looking like glitter but is completely smooth.
Wear wise this lasted a week on my nails with minimal chipping. It is also a million times easier to remove then glitter but because of the extra layer and shimmer slightly more time consuming then regular polish.
I have to mention the packaging, I really don't like it, although the little ribbon is cute it falls off all the time and I really don't like the fact that the bottle isn't round. Also why is the handle so long?
That said it is a lovely colour and looks great on toes too. I will definitely be keeping this in my collection as have nothing like this.
You can purchase from ciate.co.uk for £9.00
If you read yesterday's post here, you will know I recently bought one of the British Beauty Blogger beauty boxes. In that post I showed the first 7 products in the box, today it is the final 7's turn.
First up is Jo Loves Pomelo which is not a brand I have heard anything about, obviously I know who Jo Malone is, but I've not tried anything from her new brand. I am interested to try this as I assume it is more of a mature scent then I usually go for. The full size is available from joloves.com.
Next up is Lanolips Lip Balm in Rhubarb which I am interested to try as I know many bloggers love the brand. I doubt I would have bought this myself as lip balm is one area of my collection which seems to multiple without me ever seemingly buying any! I am really interested to see how this fairs as I have never found my holy grail lip balm. I also think that the colour looks like it will be very flattering. This is full size and is available from boots.com.
I have never heard of Melvita and there are two of their products in the box. The first is Melvita Orange Blossom Floral Water which looks like it might be the perfect summer handbag item. I am intrigued to find out whether these facial water are worth the hype and with this heatwave in the UK, this maybe the perfect time to test this out. This is available from uk.melvita.com.
The second product from the brand is the Ultra-Nourishing Body Balm which first up smells amazing. This is a small 15ml sample so not sure how thoroughly I will be able to test, but after doing some research on the brand I am really interested to see how I get on with these. Why do the French seem to have such great skincare brands? The full size of this is available from uk.melvita.com.
Neom is a brand I have been dying to try, after seeing it appear in so many videos on YouTube. Included in the box is 50ml of Neom Complete Bliss Organic Hand Cream. As mentioned in my last post I have been having issues with my hands recently, so not sure when I will be able to use but with the inclusion of Argan Oil in this hopefully soon. The full size is available from lookfantastic.com.
Next up is another brand I have been desperate to try its Philosophy Purity 3-in-1 Cleanser. The inclusion of this, the Neom and Elemis products is the main reason that I had to get this box, these are luxury brands that I have not only heard of but also have been wanting to try out for months. It also highlights the value for money in this box, these brands aren't cheap and the size of the samples are very generous. This is available in this size and larger from philosophyskincare.co.uk.
Last up is Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil which is another full sized product. Again I have never heard of this but have been meaning to invest in an oil for some time. I have mentioned that my skin has been breaking out recently and my spots always leave scars that hang around for months. I am hoping that this will help reduce them and also get rid of my lovely 11 wrinkles on my forehead. This is available from boots.com.
So that is everything, I really can't believe how good this box is. The quality of the products is amazing there is not one duff product that has clearly been added to pad it out. There is also nothing in here which I wouldn't use or don't think would be suitable for my skin, and considering that there are 14 products feel that is pretty amazing.
Lastly the value for money is I think insane, for under £20 including p&p you have 14 amazing products, all decent sizes, from a great mix of well known luxury brands and other less talked about brands.
I for one am so glad I snapped this up, and hope I will be as lucky next time when the second box is released.
The best place to get details on the next box is to make sure you follow British Beauty Blogger.
I was lucky enough to be one of the 500 who managed to get their hands on the beauty box from British Beauty Blogger, and I have to thank Mez from Mez Made Up who gave me the heads up on Twitter. If you don't know what this box is all about then read this post.
I knew I had to get this as soon as I heard about it. I debate subscribing to beauty boxes every time I see a good box on blogs and YouTube. Ultimately I can't justify spending that much money a month on a bunch of random products. This time I knew what I was getting and there are products that I have been dying to try out.
The first product is B. Longer Lengthening and Defining Mascara which I am a not going to lie I haven't seen or read anything about. I am always however on the hunt for the perfect mascara and this is a full size product worth £9.99. It is available from superdrug.com.
Next up is Benefit The POREfessional I do have another of these samples which I got with a magazine but I still haven't tried as I am trying to only have one primer on the go at any one time. I have heard that this stuff is amazing both from bloggers and friends so will definitely be trying out soon. The full size is available from feelunique.com.
The next product is another one I had never heard of BIOEFFECT EGF Serum when I read that this reduces visible signs of ageing, adds radiance and includes only nine ingredients I couldn't wait to use this. I was thinking I could replace my Advanced Night Repair with this, however after nearly having a heart attack when I discovered that this retails at £125 for 15ml think I may have to squash that idea. This is available from boots.com (think of all those points though)
The Bourjois Cream Blush is one of the products I have been wanting to try for ages. I have been eyeing up the shade Nude Velvet for weeks. Unfortunately I didn't get Nude Velvet but instead got Healthy Glow which does look a tad frightening in the pot. Still I am looking forward to comparing to my beloved MUA Cream Blush in Blossom, which you can read my post on here. This is another full size product worth £7.99 available from boots.com.
Next up is CND Solaroil which I could really do with at the moment as my poor cuticles are looking unloved. I have been having some problems with my hands as I think I may be allergic to washing up gloves so have been using no hand cream as it seems to irritate my hands. The full size is available from cultbeauty.co.uk.
The Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask is another product I have wanted to try for ages but at £48 for the full size is rather expensive to try without sampling first. I really am so excited to try this bad boy out, I think I might have to be fast as my boyfriend is also eyeing up this up. The full size is available from feelunique.com which also has a free gift with purchase at the moment.
I have wanted to try some Illamasqua for ages, as nowhere near me sells it, so the inclusion of Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Electrum made buying this box a no brainier. This is full size and worth £17.50 available from illamasqua.com
In the interest in this post not becoming as long as War and Peace I have decided to split into two. Please check back tomorrow to see the other seven products and my thoughts on them and the box in general.
Ok so me and my bank balance are hoping that this is the last haul for a while but sometimes I just can't stop myself.
The first product I bought is the Rimmel Instant Tan Light Matte in the water resistant version. I can't find this on the Boots website but you can pick this up all over the place for £6.99. I haven't tried fake tan for years after some serious disasters but it is so hot at the moment that I wanted to be able to wear dresses and skirts without tights. I have used this and think I may need some more practice as it wasn't completely successful, but I think that might be another post.
Sticking with the fake tan theme I picked up Rimmel Instant Tan Remover from Poundland. Even though the instant tan says it comes off with soap and water I expected this to be easier. I am unsure whether this is really worth buying as I still have remnants of the Instant Tan after using both this and soap. I also saw this in Boots but again can't find on their site.
Whilst I was in Tesco picking up magazines, which feature in this months Magazine Madness I saw that the got2b range was on two for £5.00 so I picked up the got2b Guardian Angel. I am interested to see how this compares with the TRESemme one I have been using for years.
The reason I was even down the hair care aisle was that I was looking for a new volumising product. I have tried a couple of new products but not been blown away with either so wanted to try something new. I went for got2b 2 Sexy Big Volume Spray Mousse. I haven't read any reviews or heard it mentioned but thought it is worth a try.
Last up is the Sure Clear Aqua Anti-Perspirant I have been using the aloe vera version which I really like as there is no real scent but it does leave white marks. I am hoping this will be as good but without the marks - we will see.
If anyone has any volumising hair product recommendations please let me know.
Today I have another gem from Sanctuary, they really are one of my favourite brands. The products all smell amazing, feel indulgent yet don't break the bank.
The body wash has their signature scent which I adore, it also has little moisturising 'bits' in it. These don't exfoliate the skin but burst and leave your skin feeling silky soft. Unfortunately my camera couldn't pick up these up, must try harder
The wash itself is infused with essential oils so if you suffer from dry skin I would definitely recommend this product, as it doesn't dry out your skin at all. I also think that this is a perfect body wash for all year round as soothes skin that may have been over exposed in the sun, and would hydrate dry skin in the winter.
The product isn't as thick as some shower gels/body washes which I find means you end up using more. I also don't find that this foams much even with a puff. That said it is so hydrating that I can forgive it these two little niggles.
This is available from boots.com for £5.50 for 250ml.
So this month I am trying to be good as I have had to buy a new laptop after my old one decided to stop working. Obviously since vowing to be good all the sales have hit online and I just couldn't resist. I only ordered four tops, one is definitely going back, one I love and two I am not sure about.
I will start with the item I am definitely keeping, it is the Warehouse Adorn Paisley Top. As you can see it is pretty sheer but I am thinking of wearing it with a vest top for work or just a nice bra for an evening look, obviously with jeans on as well. I love how this is longer at the back, as always nice to have a bit more material over your bum. I wouldn't pay £40 quid for this so was very pleased to pick it up for £28.
The next item I am returning as its too big and they don't stock any smaller sizes. It's the Oasis Dip Hem Top. Its a lot more pinkie then the camera shows but is utterly gorgeous unfortunately it's just to big. I really like the back as has a peplum feel to it, shown below.
The last two items I just don't know whether to keep, the first especially.
The first is the Warehouse Tile Back T-Shirt which is super flattering, nice and light and will look great with jeans. My only issue is the sleeve holes (or whatever you call them) are low and if your not careful it can show your bra. Is this because I need a smaller size, aren't very busty or is this a common problem? I would order the size smaller to see if that helps but it isn't in stock - any help would be much appreciated
The last item the Hilfiger DenimButterfly T-Shirt I have much the same problem as the sleeves are so deep you can see my bra. After watching the catwalk on the asos site just now I think this may also be too big, Hilfiger's sizes must run huge as I have a small and it is a lot baggier then the models. I think I am leaning more to returning this.
If anyone knows if seeing your bra poke out from your sleeves is in or not please let me know as I am clueless.
This month has been another good one for freebies and I have picked up copies of Marie Claire, Red and InStyle. There were also freebies with Glamour and Harpers Bazaar but they didn't grab me as much as these.
With Marie Claire I got the Eyeko Skinny Mini Liquid Eyeliner. I keep getting eyeliners as freebies and never use them because quite honestly I am useless at applying them. I don't have a steady hand and always seem to make myself look like I have two black eyes. I decided to give it a try as I have heard so many good things about the brand, and maybe liquid eyeliner in a felt tip form is the way forward.
With Red I got a three (small) Ren products. Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Gel, Frankincense Revitalising Night Cream and Vita-Mineral Day Cream. I don't usually read Red but I have been wanting to try Ren for ages. I really want the Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask but am interested to see how I get on with these. They are teeny tiny but if I like I might have to add some Ren to my Christmas list - yes I have started thinking about that.
Lastly I got Rituals Perfection Volume Mascara with InStyle. I have quite a few products from Rituals but haven't tried them out yet, as wanting to use up older products first. You have to have a system right! I love getting mascaras as a freebies as they are one piece of makeup I seem to constantly be buying.
Have you guys picked up any of this months magazines? And am I missing out on any amazing freebies?
This month I have used up quite a few essentials.
MAC Brush Cleanser which is definitely an essential. When I was younger I was really bad about cleaning my brushes and just used baby wipes when they were proper minging - how I didn't develop a serious skin condition is beyond me. Now I deep clean my brushes weekly and use this to keep them clean and sanitary in between. I actually love the smell of this too, smells reassuringly alcoholic This has lasted me over a year and have already repurchased. This is available from maccosmetics.co.uk for £9.50.
Sanctuary Body Scrub as you guys know I love scrubbing my skin and this is a favourite of mine. Its rough enough to feel like its removing your dead skin cells yet gentle enough to use daily. It is also has orange oil so doesn't leave your skin feeling dry. I have a full size stashed away but would definitely repurchase. You can buy the 50ml travel size from boots.com for £2.50 or 200ml for £5.50 here.
Molton Brown Ultrasmooth Coco De Mer Body Lotion first up this smells gorgeous it is by far the best scent that Molton Brown do. The first time I used this was on holiday and it just takes me back. I was saving this for special occasions - does anyone else do that. But my lovely boyfriend bought me two full size bottles after he had to go away for work. This is quite thin but is still very moisturising and did I mention how good it smells. You can buy 200ml for £18 from lookfantastic.com.
No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream in Normal/Dry I bought this in the January sales along with some other No7 skincare. This is an alright moisturiser it wasn't holy grail but nothing wrong with it. I liked that it had a SPF and didn't leave my skin feeling greasy. I would purchase this again if I had a No7 £5 voucher, as I think for a basic moisturiser this is fine. This is available from boots.com for £12.50 for 50ml.
Benefit B'Right It's Potent Eye Cream I have really fell in love with this product, it's the only eye cream were I have actually noticed a reduction in my dark circles. I will be buying the full size of this as soon as I use up all my other eye creams. I have written a full post, which you can read here.
No7 Beautiful Skin Night Cream in Normal/Dry another mini product, which I got in the same set as the day cream. Unlike the day cream I was seriously underwhelmed by this, I really don't think it did anything. I just don't think that this was hydrating enough, in the morning my skin didn't feel hydrated at all. I wouldn't purchase this again. This is available from boots.com for £13.50 for 50ml.
Maybelline The Falsies Volum Express Mascara the only makeup product and it isn't technically empty but has dried out. I really liked this mascara as it can be worn both day and night. I do think that it dried up quickly but mascara isn't a product you should be keeping for months on end. I would buy this again and have written a full post which you can read here.
Cutex Moisture Guard Nail Polish Remover I bought that as it claims to 'protect nails against breaking' I can't say that it helped mine. It was ok at removing normal polish, not so great on glitter. It also claims to include a nail whitening formula, as I don't leave my nails unpolished for long I can't say I noticed. You can get this from boots.com for £2.20.
What have you guys been using up?
