Beauty and the Blogger - UK Beauty Blog

Montagne Jeunesse Passion Peel Off and Zap Them Peel Off Masques (for him and her)

2012-02-13T12:13:00.005Z

As a general rule, I tend to prefer scrubby creamy face masks rather than the peel off ones as I sometimes find I'm still peeling bits off hours later that I've missed, but I must admit there is something pretty satisfying about peeling this mask off. I've used mine, and I liked the smell of it - not sure if it did much for my skin but I definately enjoyed peeling it off (am I strange?) though I did manage to get some in my hair!

I've not tried out the Zap Them mask yet as my boyfriend has been away and I'm not really into the smell of Ginger so thought I'd leave it to him. I thought I'd post on it though for any of you that are struggling to think of little presents for your other half, as a lot of people do the token gift thing. The picture on the front of it is very cheesy but it's what's inside that counts, right?

Montagne Jeunesse skin care products can be bought from http://www.montagnejeunesse.com/ or at the likes of Boots, Superdrug, Bodycare, Asda etc for a fairly bargainous price of around £1. They're a lovely, cheap and readily available treat!

Hotel Chocolat - The Jewellery Box

2012-02-11T10:20:00.000Z

Ok, first of all, when I received this from Hotel Chocolat, I opened the parcel and left it on the kitchen table, actual box unopened as I'd got in quite late. When I came home from work the following day, my boyfriend had actually opened it himself when he'd got in from work in the afternoon and ate a load of the chocolates...typical! Luckily he was wise enough to leave the pralines, but we'll talk about them later.

My first impression was that this looked absolutely gorgeous, I love the butterfly design on the front - I'm actually having a bit of a butterfly "thing" at the moment in our house and keep buying homewares with butterflies on, oops - and I think the mirror/drawers are so cute, you definately could use this as a jewellery box or storage after the chocolates are gone (which incidentally, is quite quickly in our house).

The chocolates that are included in this are (in order of my favourite):

Dizzy Praline - Milk
Billionaire Shortbread
Berry Mousse
Dizzy Praline - Dark

These are the kind of chocolates that everyone will like, my boyfriend's favourite was the Billionaire Shortbread, there was only one of those left by the time I got home. But I suppose it's nearly Valentine's Day so I'll let him off. As you can see, my favourite was the milk praline but pralines are my favourite kind of chocolate (apart from maybe caramel chocolate, but I can't decide) so they were always going to be the winner for me.

The Jewellery Box is available in store at Hotel Chocolat or from http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/ for £20, and I guarantee it would make a lovely gift if you're buying for someone on the 14th, or even a gorgeous treat if you're buying for yourself.
This box is part of Hotel Chocolat's Valentines range, and just in case you weren't drooling enough, here's some of the Valentines Chocolates range, which has something to suit every budget really:

How cute is that stuff?!! I would be really pleased to get any of that for Valentine's Day! And fellas, if you're reading (I actually don't know if I have many male readers, but hello if you're out there!), and your girlfriend likes chocolate, these would be some brilliant gifts for Valentines Day...wait, you did know it's Valentines Day on Tuesday didn't you?

Rose & Co Apothecary Sweet Vanilla Salve with Beeswax and Honey

2012-02-09T10:12:00.003Z

I was given this as a gift and I actually really like it though I don't think it's quite ready to take the crown for best lip balm from my Carmex Moisture Plus Lip Balm but nevertheless I do like it and I'd buy it again. It's made with pure golden beeswax, honey and sweet almond oil (full list of ingredients below).

It comes in a cute 20g tin and looks/feels a bit like Vaseline but thinner and less rubbery (if that makes sense at all) - obviously some people might not be keen because of having to dip your finger in and out of the tin but this doesn't bother me. It smells absolutely gorgeous - very sweet and not overly synthetic which I prefer. It moisturises my lips really well and is one of those products that I keep at my desk to reapply as needed. As I said, it's not quite my favourite lipbalm but it's up there, I like it and would definately buy it again.

Ingredients:
Petrolatum, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Almond) Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey, Polysorbate 40, Parfum (Fragrance), Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Sorbic Acid.

Sweet Vanilla Salve is available from Rose and Co Apothecary for £5, as well as from stockists nationwide.

Things I learned today...beauty damage!

2012-02-07T08:00:00.001Z

I work in finance and recently came across some information about house and contents insurance (no, stick with me, it's not that boring really) that sounded familiar - apparently beauty products are "known" in the industry for causing claims on house insurance! The majority of damages that results in homeowners making a claim can be balmed on makeup stains, closely followed by hair dye and fake tan stains. Hair straighteners and stiletto heels are also known causes of claims.
I would not have thought to claim on my insurance for anything like this, and I've definately damaged things before with beauty products (mainly make up on carpets, cotton wool coated in nail varnish remover being left on a table and stripping the paint, melting carpet with hair curlers and dinting the lino at my parents house with my heels, oops!). Have you ever claimed for a beauty-related issue or have you ever really damaged something with a beauty product/item and wished you had claimed now?

Currently in the process of uploading nail pics to Pinterest...

2012-02-06T21:36:00.000Z

...in my few years of blogging, I've kind of harvested loads of pics of nails that I like (as well as a few I've done myself!) which I'm currently uploading into an album on Pinterest, you can find the album at www.pinterest.com/lucybatb/nails/ (keep checking it as it's a bit of a work in progress, I've got a LOT of pics).

If you use Pinterest, please leave your Pinterest name or link in the comments section so I can check it out. I need to follow some good pinners as at the minute I only follow a handful of people - I feel like I'm missing out a bit! So if you've got any recommendations of boards to have a look at or follow on there, let me know too.

Win and Diane Von Furstenberg Handbag & iPhone 4S with Sudocrem (50 Runners Up prizes available)

2012-02-04T17:37:00.001Z

I thought you might be interested in this competition from Sudocrem to win a Diane Von Furstenberg Handbag and Iphone 4S as well as 50 runners up prizes of Sudocrem Skincare Cream (you know, the product Cheryl Cole uses to zap spots). You can find out more about Sudocrem by visiting the Facebook page or the website for Sudocrem Skin Care Cream.

HOW TO ENTER:

Step 1 - Visit www.facebook.com/sudocremtube and ‘like’ the page

Step 2 - Answer three quick questions about Sudocrem Skin Care Cream correctly and complete your contact details

Step 3 – The winner and runners up will be chosen randomly from those that answer all three questions correctly. Keep your fingers crossed that you win!

Closing date: Saturday 25th February 2012
Winner announced: 30th February 2012

RULES:
The entrant should ‘Like’ the Sudocrem Skin Care Cream Facebook page (www.facebook.com/sudocremtube), complete their details when prompted and answer three multiple choice questions to enter the competition. Entries must be received by Saturday 25 February 2012. The acceptance, disqualification or deletion of competition entries, without explanation or prior notification is entirely at the discretion of Forest Laboratories UK Ltd. Prizes are as follows: 1st Prize - Diane Von Furstenburg hand bag and iPhone 4S (16GB), 12 Sudocrem Skin Care Cream Tubes (30g) (total value approx. £1,000). 50 runners up will receive a 30g tube of Sudocrem Skin Care Cream.

Diorshow New Look Mascara in New Look Black

2012-02-04T17:22:00.001Z

As someone who has had positive experience of Dior mascaras in the past, I was pretty happy to be sent this to review. I've been using this for the last few weeks.

It's a really black mascara, which gives a lot of pigment to the lashes without looking clumpy - I find on my bottom lashes it actually looks quite dramatic. It feels like quite a "sticky" mascara on application (if that makes any sense) but it doesn't actually take that long to dry on the lashes. The other good thing is the brush, as this photo below shows, it's a bit like two brushes in one and grabs every lash, even the tiny ones at the inner corner of your eye. It's also quite a stiff brush, and made from rubber, so really does seperate every lash.

I'd definately say that this mascara adds intense colour and volume to your lashes without looking spidery - however in terms of adding length, it's better than average but I wouldn't say that this is a mascara that will give you really long lashes. And - as I've documented well on this blog over the years - my lashes are so short I prefer something that makes my lashes look a bit longer.

In saying that though, I have found it to be a good everyday mascara, it doesn't flake or smudge throughout the whole day and stays looking dark. My main moan about this is that it's really hard to remove, even with an oily super make up remover like No 7 Cleanse and Care. This also contains a regenerating treatment serum to reinforce lashes and make them stronger. I can't say I noticed anything in particular with this but my lashes are quite strong anyway, and not really prone to breaking.

I love the packaging on this, as a mascara it feels really heavy - the tube seems a bit wider than a standard mascara one - and the packaging is understated but very much luxurious, I love the little silver band on this

It's also available in brown and blue, exclusively from Selfridges for £23 - either online or instore.

In need of retail therapy...

2012-02-01T08:00:00.003Z

Phew, January is finally over, and payday finally came! That seemed like a long month didn't it? I've got some Trafford Centre vouchers burning a hole in my purse and I can just feel in my bones that ASOS will put out a discount code soon (or at least I hope so), so I just thought I'd show you some of the items I'm dying to indulge in:

Topshop

Knitted painted parrot print top

Pink French Word Studs

Tangerine Boyfriend Blazer

Tall Unicorn Sweat

River Island

Purple Bow Neck Midi Dress

ASOS

Tulip Dress with Scoop Neck

Sleeveless Mini Dress with Double Skirt

Boohoo

Hannah Colour Pop Skinny Jeans

As you can see, orange is featuring quite strongly here! There's a lot more stuff I want but it's things like bikinis and tshirts and stuff, which is far too early/depressing to be looking at!

Good Things Total Wipeout Cleansing Wipes - Raspberry and Cranberry

2012-01-30T08:00:00.001Z

I bought these on a whim for those nights when you just want to take your make up off really quickly (like I did on Saturday night) - I'd ran out of my seemingly endless stock of facewipes and decided not to buy any more but I missed them! I know they're not the best thing for your skin but as an occassional thing I think they're ok.

These smell so nice, very fruity (as you'd expect) and yummy! The wipes are also really wet too, which sounds a bit silly, but I hate taking my eye make up off with dryish wipes as I feel you really pull at your lashes, so these are great in terms of that. They also don't sting your eyes or irritate your skin when you use them, which is obviously really important. I've used really cheap wipes before and actually had an allergic reaction to whatever's in them.

They were developed by beauty writer Alice Hart-Davis and are also free from animal ingredients, parabens, SLS', petrochemicals and mineral oil.

Good Things Cleansing Wipes are available from Boots.com for £3.49 (and you get your Boots points too!)

Revitalash Eyelash Conditioner

2012-01-28T09:00:00.003Z

You might remember when I reviewed RapidLash last year and had some good results - though my lashes were probably still pretty short by most normal-lashed standards. Well, I was given Revitalash for Christmas and have just started trying it this week. My natural eyelashes are so short, I'm always searching for that holy grail product/treatment that will give me gorgeous, long lashes...I don't know how viable this is if I'm honest, the only things that make my lashes as dramatic as I want are falsies or lash extensions (and even then sometimes extensions aren't thick enough).

So, I thought I'd treat you to another picture of my mascara-free eyelashes. Pathetic aren't they?

I'm going to try and give regular updates of growth and any side effects that may occur (hopefully none), I have read some reviews saying that it can cause discolouration of the eyelids and/or take up to 3 months to notice a different but I'll persevere.

I still haven't tried LiLash which is meant to be one of the most effective products for lash growth, but it's considerably more expensive and to be honest for the price, and the really short length of my eyelashes I just don't feel any product is going to give me the long, dramatic, fluttery lashes I want. But here's hoping!

Lush Yuzu and Cocoa Bubbleroon

2012-01-26T08:00:00.002Z

I struggled to get a picture of this where it looked nice, and I was desperate to use it so I didn't have the patience to get one! It does look like a yummy macaroon though. But this has become a bit of a favourite, it's my usual taste...sweet and fruity. Apparently Yuzu is a kind of Japanese mandarin (I had to research this) and the citrus aspect definately comes through in the smell, though it's made of a blend of citrus oils rather than Yuzu, as does the sweetness of the coconut oil/shea butter.

I used half of this in the bath and it created loads of bubbles, made the bathroom smell gorgeous and made the water a bit orange. It left my skin feeling really smooth and looking more moisturised too. I've not had a bath for ages, and I like them just a bit too hot, so I came away from this feeling the most relaxed I have in weeks! I will definately be buying this again - it's going into my list of favourite bathbomb/bubble bars along with Flosty Gritter (which I don't think you can get any more), Creamy Candy and Dragon's Egg. Mmmmm!

CND Shellac in Hollywood

2012-01-24T09:00:00.001Z

I got Shellac nails done at the weekend, and the colour that I chose was Hollywood - a gorgeous, classic, true red that in the right light has a really really subtle shimmer to it. The finish on this is really glossy and it's the kind of colour that I think you can wear at work, on a night out, with casual clothes etc without feeling daft...I don't think you'd necessarily get sick of it either. I've had my eye on it for a while but the salons I've been to never have it in, they always have some of the other reds, but not Hollywood and I don't know why as it's my favourite by far!

I got this done for £10 with a KGB Deals voucher. On the same day I also used a Living Social voucher for a chiropody appointment where I usually go anyway (again £10) and another voucher (2 for 1) for Champagne Afternoon Tea at Richmond Tea Rooms, which was absolutely gorgeous and I'd really recommend. So all in all I had a pretty nice, luxurious day for a relatively bargainous price....champagne lifestyle, lemonade money!

YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch in No 1 Luminous Radiance

2012-01-22T09:52:00.001Z

Everyone's heard of Touch Eclat haven't they? I was really pleased to receive this actually as it's something I've been thinking about purchasing for a while because I seem to be getting the dreaded herediatary dark circles under my eyes Now, if I remember rightly, Touche Eclat isn't necessarily a concealer as such - more a highlighter that reflects light away from the area and masks any undesirables. It's suitable for all skin types and comes in a variety of shades. You can actually use it in a whole variety of ways as shown in this blog post but I use it mainly for under my eyes.

Now firstly, the packaging - typical YSL gold, luxurious packaging that looks nice in your make up bag or on your dressing table. It looks quite similar to my YSL Faux Cils mascara and I'm forever taking the wrong one out of my bag but that's not a big deal. It has a brush applicator and to dispense product you just click the end, I find that I don't need many clicks to get enough product dispensed. Application is relatively straightforward, you just brush on and then I blend in with my fingertips - it has a really light consistency and this shows in the way it applies.

In terms of wear, I find it lasts all day, if I'm going somewhere after work or something I might have to reapply it then. I do think it hides a multitude of sins particularly well and I think I would actually repurchase this once it runs out, it's just one of those products that instantly makes me look more awake.
YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch is available from CheapSmells.com for £17.95

After looking at the Cheapsmells site they actually have quite a bit of YSL stuff, all of it a bit cheaper than it would be if you bought it at the counter. When I think about it, I'm sure I've actually bought YSL Faux Cils Mascara from Cheapsmells before as it was quite a bit cheaper than buying it in store, but they're not offering it at the moment.

Loreal Mythic Oil - Nourishing Oil for all hair types

2012-01-20T08:52:00.000Z

I first came across this after receiving it in a Glossybox a while ago but to be honest I didn't really bother using it as I already had my hair products that I liked, and tended to just use it to finish my do and add a bit of shine. After receiving another sample of this recently, I've been converted!

I use this now when I blowdry my hair and it makes it look really shiny - as a blonde, I sometimes struggle to get a nice shine to my hair - and feels very soft, and not at all like I've got product in it. I feel like it holds my hair a bit straighter too without weighing it down or making it feel greasy, as an oil it's really light. It also doesn't smell too strongly either - the Dumb Blonde Shampoo I'm using at the moment has such a distinctive smell, I'm glad this doesn't fight with it.

I'd definately recommend giving this a go, especially if your hair is a bit longer or in need of some TLC - apparently this is even good for fine hair, but with my fuzzy, thick hair I can't really comment on this. It's enriched with a blend of grape and avocado oil, amongst other things.

Mythic Oil is available from CheapSmells.com for £11.95

Jewellery storage...

2012-01-17T08:00:00.003Z

I posted a while ago about my dressing table and my little heart shaped makeshift jewellery box in this post from October. It was getting a bit cramped in there (and quite hard to find things) so I decided to see what else was around and came across this double drawer jewellery box from ASOS :

The jewellery I mainly wear is earrings with the odd bracelet/bangle or ring thrown in there so this was perfect. I like that I can see where things are and that I can keep my earrings as a pair in the top section rather than having to root around and try and find the other earring.

Here's some pictures of it in action and some gratuitous earring shots - my favourite earrings at the moment are the gold ones that look a bit like curtain ties (from River Island) and the Unicorn ones at the bottom (from Topshop) - they look like the unicorn is jumping through your ear, which sounds a bit ew but actually looks really nice!

This jewellery box is now in the sale for £15 and can be found here - it comes in green and there's also a single tier version available too, which might have actually been a bit more of a sensible option for me! And to end, a slightly better pic of the Topshop earrings I've shown above - I've never had so many comments about a pair of earrings before, people are really intrigued by them:

Interview for Reasons to be Beautiful Magazine

2012-01-15T19:30:00.000Z

I was asked if I'd like to be interviewed for Reasons to be Beautiful, an online magazine that represents real women and relevant issues. I was asked some questions about blogging and beauty products/tips ( as you'd expect), if you'd like to hear a bit more about my opinions other than reviews of products, then you can read the interview here.

Pssst...I'm selling quite a lot of stuff on Ebay at the moment....

2012-01-15T08:00:00.001Z

I had a good old New Year sort out at the weekend and came across quite a lot of stuff that I've only worn a few times so decided to have a major Ebay session, some of the things I'm selling is shown below, there's a lot more though:

Carvela Auction Platform Shoes

Topshop Loretta Bow Sandals

Warehouse Pink Damask Dress

French Connection Wendy Dress

French Connection Rockafella Dress

Topshop Star Jumper

So y'know, feel free to have a look - you can check out my Ebay items here - if you see anything you like don't be shy about bidding :-)

Smashbox Bionic Mascara in Jet Black

2012-01-13T10:06:00.003Z

I was sent this to review and after trying it a few times, this mascara isn't really for me - it creates brilliant volume and makes lashes look really full/dark but when your eyelashes are as short as mine, I'd prefer something that elongates my lashes a bit more too. It is a good mascara and if you've already got long lashes, or your lashes are fair/sparse then this would probably be better for you.

The packaging, wand and formula are all nice, they're just not right for my eyelashes and don't give me the extra length and flutter I so desperately crave. However, in saying that I have been using it when I wear false lashes because of how dark and full it makes my lashes, so my own lashes blend in much better with the falsies.

Smashbox Bionic Mascara is available from CheapSmells.com for £12.95 (a 22% saving from the retail price. I got a whole load of Smashbox stuff for Christmas so expect a review to come on that stuff soon!

I didn't realise the YSL Spring 2012 Candy Face collection was out already!

2012-01-11T08:00:00.002Z

Spring isn't even on my radar since it's January, grey and cold but I thought I would have a bit of a Google to find out when the YSL Spring 2012 Candy Face collection was out as I'm coveting a few things and it turns out it's already out! I don't normally get too excited by new collections but this really catches my eye.
Here's what I like from the collection:

Vinyl Candy Palette

Golden Gloss Manucure Couture

YSL Rouge Volupte Perle

Vinyl Candy Palette
Golden Gloss in Golden Violet and Golden Peach
Manucure Couture No 8
YSL Rouge Volupte Perle

Realistically I'll probably buy the orange/pink polish combo (definately) and maybe a lipstick or lipgloss depending on the colour when swatched. The Voile de Blush are nice too but to be honest I think I'm a bit over liquid blush at the moment and have gone back to powder blush with a vengeance.

New Shellac colours being released in March 2012 (or February if you're in Ireland or the US)

2012-01-09T08:00:00.008Z

For any of you that are Shellac fans (like me), just a quick post to show you the new Shellac colours that are being released in the UK in March. To be honest none of them really jump out at me but I'm interested to see some swatches of them on the nails - especially Silver Chrome, which I'm interested to see if it is truly metallic, and I do think it would be good to use with a nice holo silver glitter for Rockstar nails. I did originally want Asphalt (a dark grey) but I might change that for Cityscape or Rubble because these are more "my sort of greys".

If you live in Ireland or the US, you'll be getting these about a month earlier than in the UK so you could be getting your nails done in these colours in just a few weeks time!

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark and OPI Over the Taupe

2012-01-07T08:21:00.001Z

I got both of these for Christmas and I absolutely love both of them - I don't know why it's taken me so long to try Lincoln Park After Dark in particular! Basically, my nail collection consists of purple, black, red, pink, grey, taupe and a couple of random metallics and some oranges so both of these ticked the colour box for me.

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark
This is a really glossy, dark purple, so dark it actually looks black most of the time but every now and again in certain lights a little bit of purple will flash through. I love it, especially when my nails are a bit shorter. I think it would be nice to layer it too, maybe with a purple glitter or flakie? As ever, I found the OPI brush really easy to use and longevity was ok. If you like dark colours, you'll like this.

OPI Over the Taupe
This is a pretty standard taupe - not too orange and not too grey - which, to be honest, is why I like it. I wear quite a lot of taupes for work or when I'm wearing an outfit that already has a lot of colour in so I'm happy to add another one to my collection, as they are all ever so slightly different. As above, I liked the brush and it lasted ok. I'd recommend this if you're a taupe lover or if you don't really have any in your collection and want a decent first one.

A trio of Topshop treats...

2012-01-04T09:15:00.000Z

I was lucky enough to be given this by my friend as a belated birthday present - by belated I mean my birthday is the beginning of September, and I got this the weekend before Christmas. But never mind, I was pleased to get it! My friend was like "I debated on whether to get you this as I thought you'd either have them already or just have the same colours from somewhere else". It comes in a really cute little plastic zip container with a bow on it that I'll probably use for other things.

Lacquered is a really glossy, pretty blue-based red that I really like. To be honest it's not that different to other reds I have, but I still like it nevertheless and it's definately wearable. Hyperreal is a colour I don't already have anything like. I've so far been most impressed by the metallic polishes from the Topshop collections and this is no exception, I'd describe it as a metallic bronze. It's really pretty and unusual, plus it's one of those colours that I can't stop staring at on my nails - this one is definately my favourite out of the three colours, though I like them all. Deceptive is a smoky dark purple that borders towards grey/taupe. I really like this kind of colour but don't have anything quite as dark as this with a purpley tinge.

This is another (perfectly painted) thumbs up to Topshop for their nail collection - I don't think I've tried one yet that I haven't been impressed with! Keep up the good work, Toppers!

Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum - 40ml

2012-01-02T08:33:00.003Z

Happy New Year! Can't quite believe we're in 2012 already!

I had sniffed this a few times while I was out Christmas shopping and really really liked it - and I ended up getting it for Christmas, yay. I think quite a few people I know got this too so it must be popular!

I'm not really wild about the packaging it came in or the bottle (bottle appeal is normally quite important with perfumes for me as they sit on my dressing table for all to see!), the box looked a bit cheap to me and the bottle looks old-fashioned, and I don't necessarily think in a good way, but the bottle is ok. But, moaning aside, the main event is obviously the perfume inside the bottle and I definately like that!

I'm no perfume buff and I don't think I've ever successfully identified base notes, top notes etc. but to me this smells sweet with a hint of citrus (maybe grapefruit or orange) and something else that stops it smelling too saccharine. After I did a bit of research apparently base notes are toffee and Indian patchouli, top notes are pear nectar and sweet Italian orange, heart notes Tiger Orchard. Ok, I know I wasn't that close but I feel quite pleased that I managed to sort of identify something in it.

I think my perfume taste is evolving slightly from the overly sweet teenybopper perfumes (hello Britney Spears Fantasy and pretty much any Escada perfume ever made) I usually like...only slightly though. I've got my eye on Pulse by Beyonce and Valentina by Valentino which kind sort of still fall into that category (Valentina much less so).

It's quite expensive at around £39 for 40ml but the scent does last quite well and of course, you are paying for the Jimmy Choo name. If you like sweet or citrusy perfumes, I'd definately recommend giving this a little sniff if you're out and about.

Collection 2000 Cream Puff in Cotton Candy and Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium

2011-12-30T08:30:00.001Z

I haven't bought anything from Collection 2000 for ages - I used to always buy their stick concealer and powder but I guess I just moved on to higher end stuff. I needed some concealer for my under eyes (I'm getting dark bags!) and after seeing some positive reviews of the Lasting Perfection Concealer I decided to go for it, as it's only £4.19 from Boots so I thought if it doesn't turn out to be that great it doesn't really matter. While I was there I also picked up Cream Puff in Cotton Candy and a pressed powder as it was on 3 for 2. Apologies again for the slightly naff pics but as I said in my earlier post I'm relying on my Blackberry for pics at the moment!

First up: Lasting Perfection Concealer - this really did cover my eyebags and I tried it on a spot that had appeared on my chin too and it covered both really well. It was easy to blend in and didn't glow through my foundation or anything weird like that. While it doesn't last 16 hours really, it definately would last say, a day at work or a night out. I'd definately recommend trying this, it's really good - my only criticism is that there isn't a huge range of shades, like if I had a tan, I don't think there would be a colour in the range for me and let's face it, my skin really isn't dark at all. Another point is make sure you blend it properly, if you just dab it on and go you might look patchy later, but I'd expect that if I didn't blend any concealer.

Now on to Cream Puff. I was really pleasantly surprised by this. This sort of creamy matte finish seems to be really popular at the moment and the finish and colour on this was lovely. The pink is actually quite similar to Topshop Lipstick in Brighton Rock that I showed you in November - I've actually put one on my top lip and one on my bottom and you can hardly tell the different apart from Cream Puff maybe has a slightly more matte finish. It lasts quite well and leaves a powdery matte finish on the lips. It also is heavily scented with synthetic vanilla, which I like, but if you're not a vanilla/sugar fan you might not (it wears off pretty quickly either way). This was £2.99 and I'd definately buy again, and maybe try the other pink in the range. Again, there's limited colours but I think there's only certain colours that would look good/stay in place nicely with this finish.

The powder I bought was the same as ever, just a standard pressed powder for finishing my make up through the day if I start to look a bit shiny. I'd recommend trying all three of these products from Collection 2000, I was really pleased with them all.

Hope you have a great time whatever you're doing tomorrow night and happy new year!!

What I'm wearing on my nails at the moment....

2011-12-29T08:58:00.000Z

Firstly, hope you all had a lovely Christmas - mine was really busy as usual but I got loads of amazing bits and pieces (people know that if they buy me beauty stuff/perfume etc they're onto a winner) that I'll probably be blogging about in due course.

Just thought I'd show you what I'm wearing on my nails at the moment. It's not a nail polish, or a gel polish or acrylics or anything, it's....

Yep, some red stick on nails by Nailene that I bought from Asda! I ripped a lot of one of my nails off peeling potatoes on Christmas day (I'm an oaf) and to stop me biting it (I'm also an ex-nail biter that sometimes has a relapse) and cover it up whilst it was sore I decided to get some stick on nails. I didn't really want French tip ones so other than that I was left with the red and I have to say I'm really pleased with them.

They're quite short but not so short that I've had to cut my own nails down and very thin, they go slightly over my free edge. They also have a good range of sizes and application was really easy. I love the red as well, my Mam was really impressed and didn't belive they were falsies! Only problem is, they didn't come with glue included - luckily I checked this beforehand so I bought some brush-on glue at the same time, I prefer this to the squeezy bottles as I find it easier to apply and useful for applying diamantes etc for nail art. As with any kind of stick on nail (or false lashes) I recommend that you carry the glue with yout just in case you ping any off. I'd definately buyt these again as they're a relatively cheap and easy way of getting perfect nails.

Joico K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor Treatment for Damaged Hair

2011-12-22T15:16:00.000Z

Another hair product review here! I've blogged previously about Joico K-Pak Intense Hydrator for dry, damaged hair here but I decided to go a step up and go for the Joico K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor Treatment for Damaged Hair as my hair is wrecked through having highlights, hardly ever getting it cut and heat styling a few times a week (I am trying to cut down on this, honest!).

First impressions is that packaging looks nice but is a bit boring. The product however, smells just like Calpol, you know the lurid pink medicine you used to take when you were a kid? It took me a sec to work it out but that's definately what it is! The product is white, a looks rich and thick - you don't need a lot of it. It turns much more runny on the hair and straight away you can feel it working, making your hair feel much smoother and less tangled. The instructions say to leave it on for 5 minutes and then rinse which is what I did.

My hair was really easy to brush through after washing, even when it was still quite wet which is really unusual for my somewhat dry, overprocessed hair. I left my hair to dry naturally and it definately wasn't quite as fuzzy the next day - after a bit of straightening my hair was left smooth and sleek without looking dry at the ends as it normally does. My hair tends to unstraighten itself throughout the day but really pleased to see that it didn't with this one.

It is quite rich so I wouldn't recommend using it every time you wash your hair, maybe once a week but I'd definately recommend this product as a nice hair treat, especially if you're a bit cruel to your hair like I am (hello backcombing, straightening and curling!)

I bought this from feelunique.com for £12.75, including delivery.

A little Illamasqua haul...

2011-12-21T08:13:00.001Z

When I bought Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Ambition, I had a little swatch of a few products and decided I wanted/had to have them so when there was an ASOS 25% code going, I snapped them up!

I bought:

Sheer lipgloss in Divine (pink)
Sheer lipgloss in Torture (orange)
Nail Varnish in Raindrops
False Eye Lashes in 17

First up is the Nail Varnish in Raindrops - this is quite an unusual colour, a light milky grey that I think almost borders on being a very pale blue as it's quite cool-toned. It also has little splashes of subtle glitter in it that really does give it a raindrop type look. I love grey polishes and I really like the slightly unusual quasi-glitter finish. In terms of application and wear, it's great (as I've found with other Illamasqua polishes I've tried), the formula and brush in particular are great.

The sheer lipglosses are great too - just the right mix of sheerness and colour, really glossy, fairly long lasting for a gloss and nice taste/smell (always important to me!). I'm definately going to buy more of these, even though I'm more of a lipstick girl than lipgloss. Divine is a really pretty bright baby pink - it reminds me of a Sephora gloss I bought when I was in New York that I loved and pined for desperately when I'd used it up! Torture is a fairly easy to wear orange, more on the neutral side than acid side of orange, which is what I wanted - think I need a bit more of a tan to wear this regularly though!

Now, onto the eyelashes - I actually first bought these a couple of years ago and wrote about them when I first started blogging here (there are some pics of me wearing them on there too!) - I wasn't enamoured with them at the time, finding them quite heavy to wear, not being overly impressed wtih the glue and difficult to apply because of how stiff the lash band was. However, I've since come across a tip about "snapping" the lash band by winding them backwards around a pencil or similar so I'm going to try them again. I absolutely loved the way they looked one me so I'm giving them another chance!

I've been really pleased with every Illamasqua product I've tried so far, and as I've mentioned before there's a really helpful sales assistant who works at the Selfridges Manchester Exchange Square counter, think I'll definately be buying more things from Illamasqua in future, got my beady eyes on the Chased poweder blusher (another pink blusher, quelle suprise!).

OPI Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not Nail Polish

2011-12-19T09:00:00.004Z

I recently had a makeup and nail drawer clear out and it turned out all my dark purples were too far gone, so I had to throw them away. Dark purple is one of my favourite nail colours (along with black, red and pink) so I knew I'd had to invest in another. I had a salon pedicure done a while ago and got my toes painted with this, I loved the colour so much I went and bought it.

Louvre me, Louvre Me Not is a dark purple that borders towards plum. It's quite tricky to pick up in pictures! It had the standard OPI brush, which I like but I'm aware that some people don't. The formula was good, it didn't drag or anything but I was concerned that it still looked a bit patchy and sheer after two coats, a third coat and some Seche Vite sorted this pretty quickly though. The wear on this wasn't that great but not sure if that was down to the Seche Vite or the polish.

Just realised this is the first nail swatch in ages that I've actually done on the nail because I keep getting gel polish on! As I said in a previous post, hopefully buying some Shellac in the new year so I'll be able to swatch those soon. Can't believe it's 6 days until Christmas and less than 2 weeks to New Year!

New year, new start (workwear and trying out Pinterest)...

2011-12-17T09:45:00.000Z

I'm starting a new (and exciting) job in January and I've decided that I need to update my working wardrobe - I've been doing this slowly and steadily for the past few months, just because some of my work clothes have seen better days but now I'm moving somewhere new, much more of an overhaul is required (any excuse)!

I tend to wear more dresses and skirts than trousers at work, partly because I'm a weird shape with long legs and find trouser shopping a chore and partly because I like to mix up my footwear - sometimes I like killer heels, sometimes I just want to mill around in ballet pumps and trouser length interferes with this. I tend to wear knee-length or midi dresses as because I'm a bit blonde and curvy, I can look a bit tarty in anything shorter, and I just don't feel comfortable/professional at work dressed like that.

I've been trying out Pinterest lately and I like it, it definately appeals to my hoarding and list making tendencies (I'm not a weirdo, honest) so I thought I'd make a little collage/pin board of workwear that I want to buy - particularly as we have the sales coming up! You can find my Workwear board here. If you'd like an invitation to Pinterest, just let me know.

Just as a little taster, here are a couple of things you'll find on my Workwear board:

Samu Orchid Dress - Coast

Gilda Fluid Trousers - Reissonline.com

Boyfriend Blazer - ASOS

Midi Dress with Pleat Waist Detail - ASOS

Tigi Bedhead Colour Combat Dumb Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner

2011-12-14T08:00:00.003Z

Firstly, I love the packaging on these, they're bright, gorgeous and look fancy on the bathroom shelf. Secondly, these sizes are huge - 750ml - so will last for ages. I bought these for £21.50 in total from feelunique.com and I think they're great for the price. As with most Bedhead products, these smell amazing, quite sweet and fruity though so if that's not your thing you might want to look elsewhere. The smell also really lingers on your hair and I keep catching a whiff of it when I swish my hair, which I personally like.

The products are great too, they feel really moisturising, the shampoo foams really well and the conditioner has more of a serumy consistency rather than a creamy one which is a bit odd but feels better on my hair. I do find that I need to be careful to make sure that I rinse my hair thoroughly after use or it can still feel a bit like I've still got some product in my hair. My hairdresser uses these products so they can't be bad! The shampoo is a light pink and the conditioner is white so I feel like these don't mess with my hair colour. I'm still using Pro:Voke purple shampoo once a week as a toner as well.

Overall I would recommend these, they keep my hair moisturised, smell gorgeous and look nice on display (something which is important to me!) - these would actually make a really good Christmas present as well, especially as you'd expect them to be more expensive than they actually are.

Boots Pharmaceuticals Avert Electronic Cold Sore Machine

2011-12-12T09:00:00.011Z

Ok, this isn't a sexy or glamourous - or festive, sorry! - post but if you're unfortunate enough to get coldsores (like I sometimes do - thankfully pretty infrequently, only when I'm really run down about every 18 months or so now) you might be interested to read this.

I spotted it in Boots a while ago and after a bit of research I decided to buy it for the occasional coldsore I get, as I can get through 2 or 3 tubes of Zovirax a time which is about £12-15. It has really positive reviews on the Boots website with some people saying that they haven't had a coldsore in that particular place again after they'd used this even thought it's normally a regular occurrence for them. Now, I can't vouch for that but it's definately interesting.

This product uses an invisible, narrow waveband of light to enhance the local immune response to the coldsore virus which is meant to reduce the duration of the attack and speed up healing time. I find it a bit weird that light can treat it as I know sometimes sunlight can cause coldsores too. I can't say I particularly understand the science behind it, but if it works, I don't care!

You're meant to use this when you first feel the tingle of a coldsore and 12 hours after that, but you can use it more frequently without any adverse effects. You basically hold it over the coldsore, press the button and hold it in position until it beeps after 3 minutes. I did feel a bit daft holding it on my face, and it's surprisingly restrictive as to what you can do in that time - the 3 minutes you hold it in place for seems like absolutely ages! I used it at least twice a day even though my coldsore wasn't that bad. It comes with instructions and a battery and is really easy to use actually.

So, did it work? I think it did, usually it takes about a week for me to get rid of a coldsore when I get one. This one had died down after 3 days (just in time for the weekend, woohoo!), which I was quite impressed with. I wasn't convinced at first as it was really sore and felt weird not having anything covering it like I normally would but I persevered and I'm glad I did. I've already recommended it to a couple of my friends who I know suffer with coldsores much more than me and would say if you get them to give it a go. Especially if you get them regularly, it will work out much more cost effective in the long run.

The Boots Pharmaceutical Avert Electronic Coldsore Machine is available from Boots.com for £35.99

Give the gift of pampering this Christmas with Wahanda

2011-12-10T10:00:00.001Z

People who know me well (or maybe even not so well as in my work Secret Santa I got given perfume) know that if you're getting me a present then make up, skincare, perfume or spa days will always go down well. Shoes, bags and earrings are usually a pretty good option too, but I can be a bit picky about these things...y'know, just saying in case any of you feel the urge to buy me a gift!

In terms of buying gifts (either for yourself or others) I've used Wahanda quite a few times now, I've had bargainous lash extensions, a fish pedicure, my first ever set of Shellac nails and a fab pamper package but I've also booked a gorgeous spa day a while ago too through Wahanda. I could do with a spa day I think, I look and feel very wintery at the moment!

Wahanda is a daily deals site with a difference - they mainly deal in spa and beauty treatment offers, they were actually voted Best Online Beauty Website by Elle magazine, which is an amazing accolade. They're currently offering all sorts of fabulous Christmas deals for a range of prices as well as Wahanda Spa Vouchers that can be used in over 900 spas and salons worldwide. They offer local and national deals which I personally think is better for presents too, it gives more choice, and is good if your family don't just live up the road (like my lot!). Best of all the vouchers for a deal come through instantly, which is ideal if you've left it too late to go shopping or have something delivered as you can just print out and wrap, or put it in a card.

So, if you're struggling for a bit of inspiration, or you just want to give yourself a treat to book in January and make a bleak month more bearable, why not have a look at Wahanda and see if there's anything you fancy? I've currently got my eyes open for a nice spa day, tooth whitening, a Brazilian Blow Dry or tattoo removal...Shellac nails or lash extensions would be great too. I'm nothing if not diverse in my tastes!

UK Free Delivery day is today - over 250 retailers taking part

2011-12-09T07:00:00.002Z

If, like me, you don't like paying delivery costs (I know delivery has to be paid for somewhere but I hate it, especially when it's expensive) but much prefer buying things online to sharpening your elbows and hitting the high street, you'll be pleased to know that over 250 UK retailers are taking place in Free Delivery today including:

Radley
Benefit
Bliss
The White Company
Oasis
Lipsy
Miss Selfridge
Uniqlo
StylistPick
Monsoon
Elemis
Links of London
Boots
Cult Beauty
Molton Brown
All Saints
Avon
Ralph Lauren
Apple
Accesorize
Schuh
Bertie
Diesel
Reiss
Dorothy Perkins
Bumble & Bumble
Warehouse
Wallis
Agent Provocateur

So rather than just adding pointless things to your basket to make up the minimum amount for free delivery or hanging on for a free delivery code, why not take advantage of UK Free Delivery Day today, just in time for Christmas. For more information and a full list of the retailers taking part, please visit http://www.freedeliveryday.com/

Grooming Gifts for the man in your life....

2011-12-08T09:00:00.002Z

With Christmas around the corner, I've decided to give some inspiration for gifts to buy for that special fella, whether it's your boyfriend, brother, dad or just your mate.

Perfect Shave Gift Set from The Gentry Grooming Co

My boyfriend absolutely loves stuff from The Gentry (he swears by the shave cream and styling cream for his hair). They also do gift vouchers as well in case you're wanting to treat him to something like a cut-throat shave if there's a branch near you. £24.99 for all these products is great as usually one product is over £10.

Aftershave

A trusty gift received by men all over the country at Christmas, I've always found that aftershave is a winner whoever you're buying for. I've pictured two of my favourites: Paco Rabanne 1 Million and Marc Jacobs Bang...mmmm!

Glossybox for Men

This is probably one for the really image-concious male - a Glossybox for men! It provides 7 samples quarterly from various ranges, high end, trendy and specialist niche brands for £15 per box.

Clinique Maximum Hydrator

This is another one that I've found to generally be a winner, whatever male you get it for, it's a rich moisturiser; perfect for winter months.

I hope I've given you a few ideas here for what to buy him, happy shopping! There might be a couple of things on here I've bought myself for people this year but I won't say who for just in case they happen to see this...

Jewellery for your shoes? Blingback shoe accessories from ASOS

2011-12-05T09:00:00.002Z

What do you think of these? They're effectively clip on jewellery for your shoes I quite like them but I don't think I'd bother with them - I prefer shoes that make a statement on their own rather than taking a plain pair and jazzing them up. At £14.99 I think they're a bit expensive for something which I would consider a bit of a frippery, saying that I'd spend that on earrings though so why not shoe jewellery? They attach onto the show with a silicon backing that adheres to the inside of your shoe and can be added or removed "without causing any damage" apparently.

They come in a few other designs too (I've just shown the ones I like best here) and are available from

ASOS for £14.99.

For Sale - NARS Arabian Nights Eyeshadow Trio (UK Only)

2011-12-04T10:34:00.000Z

I bought this on a whim online after seeing how beautiful it looked and I've now had second thoughts and can't see that I'm actually going to wear it. It is absolutely gorgeous though, particularly the middle colour with the purple in it. Think I've just got carried away/caught up in the hype for this one, I hardly ever wear eyeshadow!

Each colour has been swatched once, it still has all the original packaging and is in perfect condition. I'm selling it for £26 including postage - sorry, UK only, payment by Paypal. If you'd like to buy this, comment below with your email address and I'll be in touch. First come first served!

Batiste Dry Shampoo - Wild

2011-12-03T09:00:00.000Z

I love Batiste Dry Shampoo and I love leopard print. This also smells really nice, probably one of the nicest Batiste scents I've smelled so far - it's a move away from perfumey and onto a more vanilla, sweet scent, which I prefer. I think this actually might take over as my favourite Batiste because of the packaging and scent!

I probably use Batiste at least a few times a week as I've got a bit of an aversion to a hint of grease on my hair, it's also quite good for hiding roots that are a bit darker than the rest of my hair (ahem) and sometimes for adding a bit of volume when you want a bit more oomph in your hair.

I'd definately recommend checking this out, especially if you're not mad on the floral/fruity scents of some of the other Batistes or you like leopard print/vanilla flavours.

Hotel Chocolat Christmas Chocolate Goody Bag

2011-12-01T08:45:00.002Z

As I've mentioned before, I love Hotel Chocolat and I tend to pop in for a browse (and linger for samples) whenever I see one. The chocolate is absolutely gorgeous; my personal favourites are the caramel chocolate and the ones that have bits of cookie in like Rocky Road or Cool Penguin. The salted caramel and pralines are up there too.

The box I received for review contained:

6 Billionaire Shortbread chocolates
Christmas Gift Slab with milk chocolate and dark cookie pieces
Milk Chocolate Pocket Reindeer
Mini Festive Wreath

Let me start with the Mini Festive Wreath, as this was my favourite. It's a mix of milk and dark chocolate and contains caramelised hazelnuts, bits of cookie and pieces of cranberry - basically all the good stuff! There's a serious amount of chocolate here, it's really thick and though it doesn't look that big initially, it took me a few goes to finish it off. The cranberry is a really nice contrast with the chocolate and crunchy pieces of nut and cookie. I'm generally not a dark chocolate fan but this dark chocolate was really smooth and more than edible. I actually want to buy another one of these and might do so in the run up to the festive season.

My boyfriend ate the Milk Chocolate Pocket Reindeer (after a bit of hovering around looking longingly at the chocolate, and me being a bit territorial about it all) and his verdict was that it was really nice - I turned my back for 5 seconds and it was gone, make of that what you will. I had a nibble and it's the typical lovely Hotel Chocolat milk chocolate that I like with a cute reindeer design. Not too cute to eat though...oh no!

The Christmas Gift Slab is really pretty, I love the little perfectly formed caramel bow on the front. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I ate the milk chocolate around it first and saved the bow until last. Again, this doesn't look like that much really but the chocolate is really really thick but the dark chocolate cookie pieces stop it from being too sickly.

The Billionaire Shortbread pieces are something I've had before, I do like them, they're crunchy and caramely but I do find them quite rich so I can only eat one at a time (which is probably a good thing), it does taste very much like millionaires shortbread, which you'd expect but obviously that's really rich as well.

This would be an absolutely fab gift for someone for Christmas and is available from the Hotel Chocolat christmas gifts sections, there are more luxury gift bags too which you can see here.

Entity One Colour Couture Gel Enamel "Fashionista"

2011-11-28T09:02:00.000Z

I showed this in a different shade a few months ago but just thought I'd show you the latest colour I've had on. This shade is Fashionista and is a dark glossy purple that when you look closely at it has fine bits of red and blue shimmer in it. It's really similar to an OPI shade I have, and love. This is a gel polish, a bit like Shellac but different in that your nails are buffed before use and it's a bit thicker and probably removed differently in the salon

Last time I had this on in a different colour it lasted really well, no chips at all, but in the end I was a bit naughty and peeled/picked it off when it started to grow out quite a lot/I got bored - I wouldn't recommend this and would say to get it removed properly. This time I soaked it off properly with acetone using the tinfoil method and it worked a treat. It looked fine apart from a bit of regrowth at the cuticle, still chip free and glossy before I removed it. My nails were really long after using this as obviously it protects them more than polish does, and were also undamaged.

I am thinking more and more about investing in a Shellac kit and doing this stuff myself though, it costs around £20 a time to have this done and I could really do it myself as apart from it being sealed under UV light it's not that different to polishing nails, which I feel I'm quite good at - as I've mentioned before, I'm a qualified beauty therapist so I could actually get all the stuff I need direct from the supplier/distributor with my manicure qualifications. Something to think about I think!

Viva La Nails 25% off code

2011-11-25T12:18:00.000Z

Wow, there's a lot of discount codes floating about at the minute isn't there (not that I'm complaining!)? Just thought I'd let you know that Viva La Nails are offering 25% off all purchases on their website until Sunday using the code BLACK at checkout.

They do all sorts of nail art and technician supplies, I've used them quite a few times and always been really impressed with the service, speed of delivery and the items I received. Quite a few of my nail art posts have been done using things I've bought from Viva La Nails - got my eye on some rhinestones, a rhinestone picker upper and some neon glitter amongst some other things! Happy shopping!

Montagne Jeunesse Very Berry Masque

2011-11-25T09:00:00.003Z

I like to have a day every now and again where I really pamper myself - have a long bath with a nice bathbomb, deep condition my hair, paint my fingers and toes, slap on loads of body lotion, use a facemask etc. It's usually a Saturday or a Sunday morning and this is generally the only time I use a facemask.

Well, not this time! This time, I was getting so stressed out whilst trying to book a holiday for next summer (where should we go, that's too expensive, can you get that date off work, are we going to miss your friends/my friends wedding if we go then, I don't like the look of the beach there, oh the price has gone up now, Tripadvisor says that hotel is manky....argh!) that I just felt the need to put a facemask on and try to chill out whilst I browsed millions of hotels in Cancun, and tried to avoid booking any swingers hotels like I nearly did last time (seriously, google Temptations Resort).

It worked! This face mask was really lovely, it smells just as you'd expect - like a mixture of yummy berries - and is a cute light purple colour which looks almost pearlescent when it dries. My skin felt lovely afterwards as well, really soft and smooth. this contains blueberry juice, crushed cranberries, peach kernel oil and aloe so the likelihood is that one or all of these ingredients were responsible for my soft skin. Best part is these are only around a pound each and they come in a wide range of gorgeous flavours (Cream and Honey, Strawberry Souffle, Fruit Smoothie and Fudge are my favourites). Once I'd chilled out a bit too, I actually managed to get a gorgeous holiday booked - thank you Very Berry Masque!

So, whilst I can't promise it'll lead to a holiday, I can promise a rather lovely and reasonably priced treat. Very Berry Face Masque is available from the Montagne Jeunesse website or Boots, Superdrug, Asda, Claires, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tesco and Wilkinsons....to name a few.

20% off at Selfridges (10% off Fragrance and Beauty) - in store and online

2011-11-24T09:00:00.002Z

If you're planning on buying anything from Selfridges, they're having 20% off from today until Sunday 27th November 2011 (10% off beauty and fragrance). I'm ridiculously excited about this as Selfridges is by far my favourite department store but can sometimes be a bit pricey for me, they seem to be having some great offers lately. Think I'll be stocking up on some Illamasqua, Nars and MAC stuff and maybe some Jimmy Choo perfume too!

To get the discounts online you need to use the following codes, if you want to buy in store there's a voucher you can download on the Selfridges website:

PROMO CODE: SELF20 - 20%* off fashion, accessories and homewares
PROMO CODE: SELF10 - 10%* beauty, fragrance and wines

Happy shopping! Terms and conditions/exclusions can be found here.

I need a reason to get my hair put up....

2011-11-23T15:55:00.002Z

Mainly so I can get my hair done like this, I think it's absolutely gorgeous and effortlessly elegant. I also wish I was better at doing hair, even though I have nowhere to wear this kind of fancy updo!

Illamasqua Ambition Powder Blusher

2011-11-21T08:34:00.000Z

This is really pretty, it's quite a neutral colour - probably a bit more peachy than my camera is showing actually - but is very pigmented so apply sparingly rather than liberally. Be warned, it does contain quite a bit of glitter and I'd probably only use this for nights out rather than everyday for work. Saying that, the glitter isn't ridiculously chunky stuff and actually gives more of a shimmer than a sparkle, I think this would be nice for summer too. It has good staying power too and I don't need to reapply during the day. The packaging looks good too quite mysterious and sleek, and very Illamasqua!

I would definately buy another powder blusher from Illamasqua, I had a browse around their counter a few weeks ago and there is definately a lot of stuff I could buy from there!!

Tweet me or follow via Bloglovin'!

2011-11-19T09:00:00.004Z

I've recently set up a Twitter acount so feel free to follow me @LucyBATB or by clicking the link on the left. Oh, and if you've got a Twitter account, please leave me your Twitter name in the comments section below and I'll follow you. If there's a Twitter you really like or think I should follow leave that in the comments too and I'll check it out.

If you don't already follow through Google Friend Connect, you can follow Beauty and the Blogger via Bloglovin' by clicking the link to the left as well.

Topshop Makeup - Lips in Brighton Rock and Nails in Indian Summer

2011-11-17T09:12:00.004Z

Lips in Brighton Rock

I quite like the packaging, though because it's white it does have a tendency to get a bit grubby in my make up bag. It's a really nice pink, not quite as bright as MAC Chatterbox but not muted either. I love the finish on this too, it's neither matte or glossy (maybe a satin finish?). In terms of staying power, this is ok, it's no different really to any other normal lipstick - it won't necessarily last through a meal or a cup of tea but you'll get a good few hours wear out of it. Overall, I'm really pleased with this and would definately repurchase this or another colour from the same collection.

Nails in Indian Summer

I loved this too! I would call it a bright baby pink (if such a thing exists). Application was fine, finish was glossy (with Seche Vite) however on the downside was that I only got a days wear out of this before it chipped on my index finger. Also, the Topshop bottles are quite small which when you think about it makes them seem a little bit less bargainous, even with my student discount. It's still a nice little item to pop in with the rest of your shopping though.

There are some really nice colours in the Topshop collection. I've been really pleased with everything I've tried from Topshop in terms of makeup, which is weird because I didn't go into the brand at first with particularly high expectations at all - the metallic polishes that I've reviewed previously are absolutely fantastic for the price and I spotted some new metallic ones when I picked these up.

A round up of more things I want to purchase...

2011-11-15T08:00:00.003Z

...I seem to have caught the shopping bug ridiculously of late. There's so much stuff I want/need and usually I go through phases where it's all about shoes or jackets or make up but at the moment it's about everything. Sorry for using my blog as a shopping list!

ASOS Bandeau Dress with Embellished Bust and Feather Skirt - £250

River Island Raglan Owl Sweater - £20

Miss Selfridge Leopard Print Chiffon Playsuit - £40
Topshop Faux Fur Collar Wool Skirt Coat - £110

River Island Jacket in Floral Print - £55

Miss Selfridge Black Feather Cuff Heel - £70

ASOS Midi Dress with Pussybow - £45

Illustrated People Big Lips Raglan Sweater - £40

Dorothy Perkins Almond Toe Shoes - £25

The feather dress really wouldn't suit me and is way out of my price range but I'm tempted to see if some of the more expensive stuff on my list ends up going in the January sales - yes, this is how much I plan ahead!!!

MAC Glitter and Ice Nail Lacquer - Unconditionally Fabulous

2011-11-14T09:37:00.003Z

This is really pretty in the bottle and definately sums up Glitter and Ice to me but it's not really anything unusual/special you couldn't get cheaper in a standard glitter layering polish. I've swatched it over Leighton Denny Supermodel below

Philosophy Cinnamon Hot Dots and Creme Brulee

2011-11-13T10:03:00.001Z

Cinnamon Hot Dots smells very cinnamony/aniseedy but sweet at the same time - I'm not massively keen on the smell or taste of cinnamon (these came as a pair and I really wanted creme brulee) but if you are keen then this is for you. It smells very Christmassy and warming. It also has a recipe on it that I'm sure would be gorgeous if I liked cinnamon! Creme Brulee is far more my thing - sweet and vanilla-y, I do like it but I wouldn't say it's overly creme brulee-ish.

You do get a lot of product in these and they do last for quite a long time, they lather well and the smell does last on your skin. You can actually use them on hair or body as well and I did use the Creme Brulee one on my hair a couple of times when I'd accidentally ran out of shampoo and not had the chance to buy any more and it was fine, it lathered well and the scent stayed on my hair for quite a while.

I don't know if I'm just getting old or boring but I don't think I'd necessarily buy either of these again. They were nice, and would be lovely as a Christmas gift or something, but quite expensive for something that I thought was just ok - neither were a patch on my favourite Philosophy shower gel, Melon Daiquiri - and to be honest, you could get something similar much cheaper (especially the Creme Brulee). I also noticed on the packaging some warnings about how prolonged use could potentially give you a urine infection....I know they probably have to put this and the risk is probably minimal but, ew, basically. I don't want to be relaxing in my bath and read that, it kind of put me off a bit even though I suspect using Philosophy is no better/worse than any other bath or shower product.

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Currently undergoing a little bit of a makeover...

2011-11-12T09:19:00.000Z

...I've been tinkering with my layout this morning but I've decided I need to do a bit of an overhaul so please bear with me as my blog might look a bit odd for the next few days whilst it's a work in progress. Don't worry, it'll soon be looking fresh again!

The Hard Sell

2011-11-10T08:22:00.000Z

I know there have been lots of posts written on this subject but I did my beauty counter circuit last Thursday and I don't know if it's because sales are slow, it was a Thursday night so a bit quiet, Christmas staff have been taken on or I look like a soft touch but I basically felt stalked/harrassed throughout in a variety of different shops when I really didn't have anything in mind to buy. It seemed to be the first night of late night shopping so there were lots of events/discounts going on (including WAH nails in Topshop, which was too busy for me to take advantage of, booo!).

In House of Fraser, most of the counter staff were fine - in MAC they were quite busy so despite swatching away on my hand all I got offered was a tissue, and no assistance. That all changed at the YSL counter though - as soon as I glanced at the new YSL Shocking Mascara the sales assistant was over. After about 2 minutes of nonstop spiel and me not saying anything she was like "right, ok, I'll take this to the till for you shall I?" Errrr, no. She then really went into the hard sell, commenting on my eyelashes, evading the price, how it didn't matter that I had already bought YSL Faux Cils recently as Shocking "wasn't an everyday mascara". Well that put me off straight away, I know YSL mascaras have a tendency to dry up and I won't be buying a £22 mascara to wear on the odd night out for it to dry up. I made my excuses and tottered off. I probably would have bought that mascara if I hadn't felt so pressured. And I'm not really a fan of being called babes. Her make up was really harsh too and was all I could look at while she was selling her socks off.

In Boots, the sales assistant on YSL was a bit lacklustre - just a quick "are you looking for anything in particular?" and as I wandered off "did you find anything?" No, that's why I'm wandering off! In Clinique, the sales assistant greeted me right away but quickly found that the thing I wanted was out of stock and then proceeded to try and sell me a pricey gift set that didn't contain the actual product I wanted. She seemed a bit grumpy to have missed out on the sale.

In Selfridges there was some sort of event taking place at Bobbi Brown so the other counters were quite quiet. As I padded around MAC (more out of a sense of duty rather than wanting anything as I had already swatched to my hearts content in House of Fraser), about 5 sales assistants asked me if I was ok, offered me help and said if I needed anything to give them a shout. Which is fine, but maybe they should keep an eye on what their colleagues are doing too so I'm not asked the same question 5 times in about 3 minutes. The sales assistant at Illamasqua was really good, she greeted me, told me about the products in enough detail without overloading me, showed me some Christmas sets then left me alone to browse before saying bye to me as I left the counter. Her make up was fab, totally what you'd expect from Illamasqua, and I did actually see a few products I'm going to buy next month when I get paid. The Nars counter was really quiet and the sales assistant was on me straight away, told me a bit, then proceeded to stand over me whilst I swatched. She offered me a tissue and then basically followed me around the department, not saying anything other than offering me her hand to swatch on so mine didn't get messy. It was a bit weird! Then I went to Clinique, I got the impression the sales assistant was quite new, she was really enthusiastic, quite helpful and got me the product I wanted but then proceeded to try and sell me about ten other things, none of which I was interested in. The till took forever too as they wanted every detail - name, address, email, telephone number - without explaining why and it was slow to input.

I was quite interested to read about Clinique's Service As You Like It but despite my moaning, it's really not that hard to just politely say no or that you're just browsing (unless you're speaking to the House of Fraser YSL woman, I thought I was going to have to smash a glass cabinet or something to create a diversion and make my escape!). It's a good thing for people who don't feel comfortable saying no though, and I suppose it will mean that customers get the level of service they're happy with. It seems a bit odd going out of your way to put a band on to say "serve me now!" instead of just approaching the sales assistant though.

I know it's a job and I've worked in commission-based retail (shoes, glorious shoes!) before for a few years so I know what a hard slog it can be but I've not felt quite as consistently given the hard sell before by so many different places in one shopping session, thankfully I managed to avoid anyone trying to give me a make over. So, what's going on? Have you noticed that it seems to have got a bit more of a hard sell on the counters? Are any brands better/worse than others? Am I just being grumpy?

I need a little favour (uni questionnaire about online beauty retailers)

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000Z

I'm currently on the penultimate module of my Business Studies degree (roll on October 2012), the module I'm doing at the moment is about entrepreneurship and we have to come up with a business plan, market research, funding proposals etc for an entrepreneurial business of our choice.

Of course, I've chosen to "set up" an online beauty retailer - this really would be a dream for me as obviously, I love beauty products and technology but I'm also quite geeky and love packaging things up for delivery, taking them to the Post Office etc. Yes I know, I'm strange!

As part of this, I'd like to have some primary market research from potential customers, which is where you come in. If you could please fill in the questionnaire on the link below, I'd really appreciate it. There are 10 questions to complete around demographics and beauty buying habits. All responses will be anonymous and treated confidentially- this information will only be used as part of my proposal for my uni module.

Click here to take survey

Thanks for taking the time out to read this and fill in the questionnaire, I really appreciate it. Hopefully I'll manage to grab a few marks from this!

Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush - Flush

2011-11-07T08:00:00.001Z

I've been coveting this for such a long time since it was covered in all the magazines and blogs but never got round to putting in an order as I tend to buy a few things at once rather than bits and pieces here and there.

Firstly, the bottle it comes in is absolutely tiny - I was actually a bit surprised by how small it was having never actually seen it in person before, but I suppose that's my fault for not paying attention to how many mls of product were included. You do have to shake this up before use and it is quite runny so it's easy to get too much out of the bottle if you're not careful - it is pretty well pigmented so you only need a tiny bit. The colour is absolutely gorgeous, just the type of pink that I like. it looks really natural and smooth on the skin. I applied this using my finger.

Would I buy this again? To be honest, probably not, I do like it, and the colour, but I think I prefer the finish and application you get with a powder blush and I feel it's a bit overpriced for what it is and the packaging. I also feel like you have to be careful with it as it's a bit runny and quite pigmented so easy to apply too much!

A lot of pink things from Lush!

2011-11-04T09:00:00.000Z

I only wandered into Lush to check out some of the Christmas stuff and now I seem to have bought a load of pink/sweet scented things! Obviously, I stocked up on my now traditional large bottle of Snow Fairy (I might get another one still). I also got some Snow Fairy lipbalm, Angel's Delight Soap and Magic Wand Bubble Bar. All very cute and very pink!

Snow Fairy lipbalm smells just like proper Snow Fairy and though it's bright pink, it doesn't really leave any colour on your lips. Even so, I love it - as a fan of Lush lipbalms anyway (hello Honeytrap), this was always going to be a winner.

I used this pretty quickly - I'd definately say you don't need to use a full one, mine took ages to dissolve and even so I still had bits left in the bath, and even though the bell and stick are a bit pointless overall, I don't care, I think it's gorgeous and smells really nice! I also want to try the Melting Snowman and Candy Cane soap, they look cute but I couldn't see them in Lush when I visited.

25% off at Warehouse - today only!

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000Z

Just thought I'd let you all know that there's 25% off full price items at Warehouse today if you use the code WR0311. I quite fancy a new winter coat for work so I think I might buy this with my code, my favourite winter coat from a few years ago is from Warehouse so I'd definately buy one from there again.

ASOS Beauty Team, you've done it again - I love these eyelashes!

2011-11-01T08:43:00.004Z

I think every month I spot something so great in the ASOS magazine that I feel the need to write about it, and this month is no exception. What can I say, I'm a sucker for marketing. I was busy drooling over the Gucci Gucci eyelashes Kreayshawn was wearing in her interview when I spotted this on page 90:

They've been created by make up artist Holly Silius and quite frankly, I think they're amazing. Possibly not particularly wearable (like Paperself lashes which are totally gorgeous but more in an arty way than a "wear them on a night out" way) but definately something I want to buy, I love the red hearts and the stars. I do wonder that if you had some lashes, sequins, glue and lots of patience if you could customise your own - I think that would be do-able, except I'm a bit lazy, clumsy and impatient!

These lashes are in production and will be available at ASOS and Urban Outfitters from November, if in the meantime you want a bit more of a fix, you can see more images here. At the time of writing the December ASOS magazine wasn't available on their site, but it may well be on there today, so you might want to check it out for the proper version (with less crappy scanned pictures).

Vaseline Lip Therapy Ltd Edition - Creme Brulee (exclusive to Selfridges)

2011-10-31T09:00:00.000Z

Creme Brulee is one of my favourite desserts, and one I love the smell of so I'm really excited to show you this... ...Creme Brulee flavour Vaseline Lip Therapy, absolutely perfect for winter. It does smell vanilla-y and sweet, but not overpoweringly so, which I'm sure some people will prefer. I'm so obsessed with sugary sweet scents though, if anything I'd like it to be even stronger! The reason I don't really use original Vaseline is the taste/smell (or lack of) so this will definately be a lipbalm of choice for me over winter.

They're also doing a pout competition at Selfridges linked in with the Vaseline Creme Brulee - head down to the photo booth in Selfridges' beauty hall and show off your pout, there are prizes to be won!

Available exclusively from Selfridges for £2.99 now (you can buy it in store from the Oxford Street or Manchester Exchange Square branches)

Dressing table able...

2011-10-30T09:10:00.000Z

I'm ashamed to admit that up until the age of 24 I've never owned a dressing table. Living in rented properties and houseshares I've never really had the inclination or the space to have one - plus it's just something else to lug with you when you move, which I've done quite a bit since I moved to Manchester. My make up was stored in those plastic drawer sets you get from Argos etc.

But all that changed, we bought a house in April as of a few months ago I bought this to go in our spare room...

I wanted a white dressing table because we already have a white wardrobe in our spare bedroom (which I'm secretly turning into my own dressing room and where the dressing table is) and I want it to be a light, girly space. I already owned the mirror, it's from Matalan and I bought it a couple of years ago. The desk style is Belgravia and I got it from Ebay, you can get all sorts of furniture in the same range. I bought it from Ebay quite cheaply as the mirror that came with it was cracked (no problem, already have a mirror) and there were apparently a couple of marks on it...I've yet to notice them. Getting it delivered was a bit of a saga as it was collection only from somewhere miles away so I had to commission a courier/man with a van but we got there in the end. It's huge, really heavy and was fully made up - I felt a bit sorry for the courier that delivered it, me and my boyfriend dragging it up the stairs was bad enough.

I've also recently bought a matching bedside table (below) from Ebay too. I've not pictured the stool as I'm currently using a pine effect plain one from Ikea that doesn't go with it - I can't decide whether to get a bit creative and paint and cover it or whether to just buy the matching stool. I'm swaying towards painting it, but I have been saying that for months now and haven't got round to it yet.

These are my super cute Russian dolls that sit on my bookshelf (a floating shelf in the alcove) in the spare room. My boyfriend got me them for my 25th birthday, I love Russian dolls for some bizarre reason.

This is a closer look at my current perfume collection sat on my dressing, the settings on my camera were a bit off for this one but we've got Beyonce Heat, YSL Elle Limited Edition, Dior Addict Shine, Prada Candy, Britney Spears Believe and various Dior minis that my boyfriend got me last Christmas. He's a good 'un!

This is a random little trinket box that used to belong to my Nana, it's lined in velvet and is pretty small so at the moment I've just got spare buttons in it, I feel like it's being a bit wasted though so I might have to find another use for it as it's so pretty!

This is my jewellery box that I bought from a random little shop in Lytham St Annes when I went there for the day. I can't remember what it was called but there are loads of little shops there selling cute quirky little trinkets that I would love for my room.

And here's a little soft focus pic of my dressing table, all romantic because I love it so much!

All in all, I adore having this dressing table, it really makes the room as well as providing somewhere for all my hair, make up and beauty stuff - in one place. Plus my boyfriend works different hours to me so it's somewhere for me to go and get ready without waking him up.

Paul & Joe Manhattan Collection Nail Enamel - Downtown

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000+01:00

Paul & Joe packaging is so pretty - I love the way everything looks vintage (especially the foundation). I originally wanted all three colours in this collection but I found the red (Big Apple) and the blue (City Never Sleeps) kind of boring, and not half as nice on the nail as they looked in the bottle.

Downtown is a frosted pink with really subtle silver glitter through it - it's not a new colour, or particularly innovative - but I quite like it for everyday wear as it lasts pretty well on the nail and isn't too much for work.

On another note, the Paul & Joe Ornamental collection looks very interesting indeed....

If someone gave me £500...

2011-10-25T08:00:00.001+01:00

In the past 6 months I've bought a house, a car and a new laptop so the chances of me having a spare £500 lying around are slim at best, but just in case a miracle occurs I'm just showing you what I would buy - obviously this doesn't include beauty stuff I'd buy as that's probably another £500 at least all on its own:

Knitted Star Print Jumper - Topshop, £38

Knitted Heart Jumper - Topshop, £38
Heart Padded Clutch - Topshop, £22

Various Earrings - Topshop

Pussybow Playsuit - ASOS, £35

Peep toe wedge - Carvela, £150 (I'll take these in red and/or gold please!)

Cardigan with fur collar - Boohoo, £25

Fairisle Knit Jumper - Boohoo, £20

Fur gilet - H&M, £29.99 (I'm annoyed as I bought this but took it back thinking "when will I wear this?"...I now have major return regret)

OPI & Nicki Minaj Collection - coming out in 2012

2011-10-22T09:31:00.003+01:00

You've probably heard about this by now but following on from OPI's collaboration with Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj's MAC Pink Friday lipstick, OPI and Nicki Minaj are teaming up to bring out a polish collection in 2012 (January, I believe).

The collection includes:

Metal 4 Life - a black/grey glitter

Pink Friday - glittery pink

Save Me - a holo strand glitter

Fly - turquoise

Did It On Em - lime green

Super Bass - dark burgundy/purple

I love all of them apart from Did It On Em (green isn't really my thing) and I don't think I'd wear Fly as I don't really wear blues on my nails. But Metal 4 Life, Pink Friday and Save Me look pretty special. I also love Nicki Minaj so I'm a little bit more excited than is cool about this collection coming out. What do you think about this collaboration? Are you bored of celebrity collections? I'm not but it's rare that I'll buy something because of a specific celebrity so it doesn't really bother me.

Some bigger pics of the colours can be found at http://mypinkfriday.com/news/49901

Treseme 24 Hour Body Amplifying Mousse

2011-10-21T10:05:00.000+01:00

I'm always looking for ways to give my hair more volume, and after reading some good reviews, I thought I'd try this. The instructions seemed to suggest using a LOT of mousse so I reduced the amount and I use it with a large, round barrelled brush. It definately does hold volume in the hair without it looking like it's got loads of product in or feeling too crispy. To be honest though, I don't know if this does anything special that normal mousse wouldn't do...

I'd definately recommend this, particularly for a night out or a long day where you need your hair to hold all day long without looking like you've got loads of product in. I'm thinking about having a restyle of my hair at the moment, and the style I've got in mind will need this!

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser and Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

2011-10-19T12:40:00.001+01:00

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser

As the weather has definately got more autumnal since September has arrived, I decided to do a pre-emptive strike on the dry skin I usually get (particularly around my nose) in the colder weather. So I've been using Lush's Ultrabland Cleanser. It's a creamy cleanser you massage into your face and then remove with wet cotton wool; I like this as I personally quite like to see the grime and make up being removed effectively.

It definately feels very hydrating and I wouldn't recommend it for use in the morning because it feels like it needs a while to be absorbed by my skin (without feeling greasy like with a facial oil). I would definately recommend it as a make up remover for the end of the day, especially for those with dry, or drier, skin. It doesn't really smell of much so it's relatively inoffensive (except my brain randomly decided it smelled a bit like old noodles but in my defence I was coming down with a cold at the time). Don't do the same thing as I did and remove it with dry cotton wool pads, it made me break out because I obviously wasn't removing the product!

Overall, I do like this but not enough to buy it again...I think I prefer a proper wash off cleanser and a moisturiser rather than what this is.

Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

I also got this - I suffer from dry cuticles and had been meaning to pick it up for a while. It does feel really nourishing on the nail and I've actually got into the habit of applying it several times a day - which I often don't do with cuticle oils because they're a bit messy and greasy - so I'm pleased about that, a little bit goes a long way. And, it smells great, just the right balance of citrusiness mixed with sweetness without being overpowering.

Now this, I would happily buy again...and I plan to!

Charity begins at home - Nail Rock and Children In Need

2011-10-17T09:00:00.001+01:00

Now, this is the kind of fundraising I can really get on board with! Nail Rock have joined forces with Children in Need with these lovely Pudsey-inspired nail wraps, available in Boots from 20th October 2011 for £6.65 with a 25% donation being made to Children In Need. They're available in black and white (as pictured) - I think the white ones are my favourites!Let me know if you're doing anything to fundraise for Children in Need. If you'd like to donate to Children in Need with/without the nails - or find out a bit more information about the cause, please visit www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey

Calling all Mancunian men who need a shave! The Big Shave Off taking place Saturday 15th October 2011, 10am-6pm at Manchester Arndale

2011-10-13T19:17:00.006+01:00

This Saturday (15th October 2011) from 10am-6pm in Halle Square in the Manchester Arndale Centre, Orchid the men's cancer charity are working with The Gentry Grooming Co and Wilkinson to undertake The Big Shave Off - an attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for Most Faces Shaved in 8 hours, all in aid of Orchid.

There's involvement from Adele Lock, MD of The Gentry and star of the Apprentice, Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Harry Lyons and Sale Sharks. There will also be live music from award winning, well respected vocalist and guitarist, Catherine Taylor-Dawson. The Gentry Grooming Co's Shave Experts will be undertaking live tutorials to demonstrate how to achieve a professional shave at home. Participants willbe provided with a razor courtesy of Wilkinson and The 3D Shave Creamcourtesy of The Gentry Grooming Co. Orchid will provide valuable advice onhow to undertake a men's health M.O.T check.

So if you (and a gaggle of willing fellas needing a shave) are in the Manchester area, why not pop down and show your support? Each participant will be asked to make a recommended donation of £3.00 - £5.00 to raise maximum funds and awareness for Orchid. Participants will have to shave themselves, must have at least 24 hours of stubble and be aged 19 years +. Each participant will receive a VIP Goody Bag worth £20 courtesy of The Gentry Grooming Co and Spabreaks.com. There will be a variety of raffle prizes on offer including VIP Golf & Spabreak at 4* Worsley Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club worth £700 fromSpabreaks.com, a meal for 2 at The Grill On The Alley and a signed Jason Manford DVD.

Orchid exists to save men's lives from testicular, prostate and penile cancers through pioneering research andpromoting awareness. Over 37,000 men are diagnosed with male cancer every year and these numbers are increasing and relentlessly approaching breast cancer figures, yet the awareness is still much lower with men often avoiding health issues, warning signs and symptoms and failing to carry-out regular self checks. From sons to grandfathers all men of any age face the risk of prostate, penile or testicular cancer. Orchid plays a leading role in the fight against male cancer through research and awareness and by supporting men and their families.

Join Orchid the men's cancer charity, The Gentry Grooming Co and Wilkinson on Saturday 15th October 2011 in HalléSquare at Manchester Arndale and break a Guinness World Record! Register at http://www.eventelephant.com/thebigshaveoff

For more information, please visit:

http://www.orchid-cancer.org.uk/
http://www.manchesterarndale.com/

http://www.gentrygrooming.com/

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/

River Island Kitch Earring Pack

2011-10-10T09:03:00.003+01:00

Just thought I'd show you these cute little earrings I got from ASOS recently - they're vaguely beauty related because of the little lipstick ones which I absolutely love! I even like the plainer earrings (like the pearl and hearts) and wear them for work. My favourites are the lipsticks and the little cupcakes. These were only £10 (-20% student discount) and I've worn them loads already.

Samy Fat Hair Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner

2011-10-06T10:04:00.001+01:00

I bought these on a whim in Superdrug, I think I've read some positive reviews on Samy products before but I don't really know anything about the brand. They're sulfate-free which is always a bonus. These cost a little bit more than £10 for the two products. I did use my NUS card and my Superdrug loyalty card...woo hoo!

I have naturally thick (bushy) hair with a tendency to go into straggly waves if I don't style it. However, because I bleach my hair, don't get it cut enough and use heat styling it doesn't look quite as mushroom-like as it did when I was a child, and I feel like it sometimes needs a bit more oomph to it.

Firstly, these products look and smell really nice (always an important factor to me) . They definately make my hair feel thicker without it being bushy which is amazing! My only issue is with the conditioner, I don't feel that it's particularly moisturising and it's quite hard to brush out after washing, sometimes the very underneaths of my hair, near the scalp are a bit knotted as it hasn't detangled it effectively. I think I would purchase these in future but I'd still ensure I used an intensive conditioner once a week and a detangling or conditioning spray as well, especially on the underneath of my hair.

Carmex Moisture Plus (Pink)

2011-10-02T09:00:00.000+01:00

So, you can now get Carmex lipbalm in a lipstick tube...excellent. It also has a hint of pink (there are other colours available too) to it...excellent. I really like Carmex when it gets colder as I find it's one of the only things that truly moisturises my lips well when they're chapped and gets them back to normal; however I also really like wearing lipstick and the two don't really go together.

Whilst I wouldn't really say this gives much colour (and definately not like a lipstick would), it's much easier to use, actually looks nicer and fits in your pocket/make up bag more easily than the Carmex pot. It still smells the same, which some people like, some don't. A definite winter staple!

OPI Mini Designer Series (exclusive to ASOS)

2011-09-30T07:38:00.000+01:00

As soon as I saw this on ASOS, I knew I'd have to have it - an OPI Designer Series mini set, containing:

Coronation - a silvery platinum crowned with a diamond dazzle

Extravagance - a glittering, glamourous magenta

Classic - an elegant shimmer of gold beige

Reflection - a rich golden ruby

My two favourites are by far Extravagance and Classic, I want them in full size versions now! The other two I can take or leave, I've seen them both done better in other brands. The swatches I've done are three coats of each.

This cost £13 (though I used a 20% discount code) and is available exclusively from ASOS.

These look interesting...Nail Rock AW Collection

2011-09-27T09:00:00.001+01:00

I've not tried Nail Rock before so can't vouch for them but must admit, I'm finding some of these designs rather tempting (well all of these except the dalmation one really, which I know is a print that's in fashion at the moment but I'm just not that keen!) and the imagery that goes with them is gorgeous!

Britney Spears Believe Eau De Parfum

2011-09-25T13:05:00.000+01:00

I have a confession to make - I quite like Britney Spears' perfumes. And whilst Ms Spears hasn't exactly been setting the charts on fire of late, Fantasy will always have a special place in my heart with its ridiculously sweet aroma and tacky pink bottle. But I don't think this perfume was ever on my radar (which I'm sure is a Britney Spears album track actually) - probably because it doesn't look like its slightly more lurid cousins (Fantasy and Radiance, I'm looking at you) and actually it doesn't smell like them either, it smells much more fresh and light. Overall this is a really nice "everyday" perfume and I think it looks much better than previous Britney perfumes, and much less aimed at teenage people.

This was an unexpected birthday present, and I'm glad I got it!

Leighton Denny Nail Colour - Supermodel and On The Rocks

2011-09-22T09:00:00.003+01:00

I fell in love with a bottle of Supermodel my mam had so she got me one for my birthday - plus she also gave me a bottle of On The Rocks and a Leighton Denny glass nail file which was an amazing bonus.

Supermodel is a really lovely glossy medium grey, great coverage and excellent performance-wise. Just the kind of colour and formula I like. On The Rocks looks quite similar in the bottle but when you look closely and swatch it, it isn't. OTR has a much more brown base and actually has a really fine shimmer running through it. It's not a colour I have much of in my collection and I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I saw it, but I really like it and will definately wear it.

As I'm sure I've said before, I love Leighton Denny polishes so this was a pretty ace present for me. My mam knows me too well - actually, she's even worse for buying beauty products than I am. She uses Creme de la Mer for gods sake!

Tangle Teezer

2011-09-12T08:55:00.006+01:00

As I mentioned in my post the other day, my hairdresser used a Tangle Teezer on my hair and I liked it so much I bought one - I seem to have lost my normal hairbrush and I've been using this awful, horrible one that I found in my drawer that I can literally feel pulling my hair out.

I bought this from Boots for about £10 and I'm so pleased I did - it goes through dry or wet hair really easily without pulling or taking much hair out of my head at all. I also like that it's pink, though it does look a little bit like a horsebrush. It's plastic and the bristles are all different lengths so it gets through all your hair (which is a godsend when your hair is quite thick like mine).

I know I'm a little bit late on this as loads of people have already discovered Tangle Teezer but I'd definately recommend this. On a side note, I didn't realise this was a product that was on Dragons Den (a programme I'm addicted to) and didn't get investment - just goes to show that a setback doesn't mean the end! I'm really pleased with this brush and have already raved about it to a few people, despite having reservations about it just being a gimmick when I first heard about it.

Entity One Colour Couture Gel Enamel "Not Off The Rack"

2011-09-10T16:14:00.006+01:00

Since it was my birthday yesterday (25, eek!), I decided to treat myself a bit to a day of pampering and tried out a new nail place and a different hairdresser to the one I tried last time. I moved house about 6 months ago so I'm kind of trialling various salons in the new area to find one I want to stick with!

I ended up getting gel/polish done on my fingers, a deluxe pedicure with paraffin wax plus I got a half head of highlights at the hair place. Firstly, I really liked the hairdressers, which is unusual for me! The stylist was really nice, not pushy at all (i.e. trying to force me to get my hair cut) but obviously knew her stuff and I was pleased with the colour at the end. She also used Bedhead products (which I always love because they smell so nice, I might have to invest) and a Tangle Teezer on my hair, which I now want - the brush I currently use is awful, I can feel it ripping at my hair!

But onto the nail stuff...I got Entity Colour Couture Gel Enamel on my fingers in "Not Off The Rack", a gorgeous bright coral which is slightly more pink than my camera has picked up below. I'm interested to see how it fares over the 2 weeks it's meant to last and how easy it is to remove, especially compared to Shellac.

I also got a deluxe pedicure and had normal polish on my toes - OPI "Louvre Me Louvre Me Not", a gorgeous deep purple which I now really want. If you haven't had a paraffin wax pedicure before, I'd definately recommend it.

All in all I'm pleased with both new salons and in the words of Arnie - I'll be back!

500 followers!

2011-09-07T09:01:00.005+01:00

Ok, I know it's not cool to check how many followers you have...but I've just noticed I now have 500 of you lovely people following. That's great, especially since this is strictly a hobby for me coupled with the fact I don't use Twitter or Facebook to promote my blog.

So, just wanted to say thanks to everyone for reading!

Prada Candy 80ml Eau de Parfum

2011-09-06T19:26:00.007+01:00

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I have the perfume tastes of a 13 year old girl - I love anything sweet, fruity or citrusy and tend to dislike anything too floral. So, when I heard about Prada Candy I scoured the internet for it, asked my boyfriend for it for my birthday even though it wasn't even out at that point and furiously googled release dates. All without actually ever smelling it.

I picked it up soon after its release for a pretty good price. Firstly, I don't like the box that it comes in, it just looks a bit childlike and cheap to me and if I saw it in a shop I probably wouldn't bother.

The bottle is something else entirely, it's gorgeous and looks expensive - I love the pink mixed with the silver Prada logo, and even like the part that sprays out the perfume (not sure I've ever said that before!), it looks gorgeous on my dressing table (you can see Beyonce Heat and YSL Elle Limited Edition on there too, amongst other things).

Now, for the smell. I'm no perfume buff but apparently it contains white musk, benzoin and caramel, all of which I can smell in this. It is sweet but not overtly so (like Britney Spears Fantasy etc) and definately has a hint of powderiness to it without it being overpowering or too strong. I've heard people compare it to Aquolino Pink Sugar and I'd definately agree with this but I think Prada Candy is nicer and more subtle, as well as being much nicer visually - which I'd expect for the price really.

Word of warning, it does come out of the bottle with some first so don't start spraying it too liberally or you may find yourself a bit doused!

Batiste XXL

2011-09-05T09:24:00.000+01:00

is officially now my favourite Batiste/dry shampoo. I like that it's a bigger size than previous cans of Batiste and I love the volumising effect that it gives, I prefer the white Batistes so it ticks a box from me there too. I also don't mind the smell - compared to some of the other Batistes it doesn't actually smell of anything. It's really helped me with updo's as well, as I tend to suit hairstyles with a lot of volume at the crown/roots and this has meant my arm hasn't got quite as stiff as backcombing for ages!

I've also found it really good for disguising my gingery roots after my misdemeanors with John Frieda's lightening spray!

John Frieda Go Blonder Lightening Spray

2011-09-02T09:00:00.000+01:00

Following on from my Blonde Ambition post last month, I promised a better review on this product after I'd used it a bit more. I've now used it on 5 occassions (you should see results in 3-5 according) so here goes.

The formula contains citrus and chamomile to lighten hair and also includes thermo-protectant. The packaging explains how to use it and recommends that you'll see a difference in 3-5 uses...but then uses picture examples that show the changes in 10 uses. Good one, John Frieda. I bought mine from Boots on a 3 for 2.

My 5 applications were mainly focused on my parting as I had recently had highlights but because I'd left it so long between appointments, you could still see a bit of my original colour so I wanted to lighten it up. My natural colour is dark blonde according to hairdressers (I prefer the term "mousy brown") and I tend to get it lightened up quite a bit to a light blonde.

First application
No real change to the colour at my roots - maybe a slight difference but I couldn't decide if it had changed really.

Second application
This was where I started to worry a smidge. The parts of my natural colour at my roots were looking decidedly warm...as in orangey, which is not the desired result. Never mind, I thought it might still lighten up (pray, pray, pray, hope, hope, hope).

Third application
No change from the second application, even after the fourth and fifth application, my roots where my original colour was were ginger. Argh! And the blonde was no lighter whatsoever. And having my boyfriend say he never knew I was ginger, based on my roots was not the plan.

The Good

Clear instructions for how to do highlights, roots or all over lightening

Fairly cheap and easy to find in Boots

Citrusy scent when applying

Contains thermo-protectant which I feel is a must for the amount of heat this product wants you to add to your hair

The Bad

I didn't like using all this heat on my hair - particularly at the roots. It actually recommends the more heat you use, the better.

My hair felt kind of...crispy after using this which was a bit gross

Apparently my hair smelled weird after using this

Quite a small bottle...

So all in all, this isn't a miracle product. It isn't recommended for any hair that's medium brown or darker (in rememberance of my ill-fated dabbles with Sun-In as a teenager, I wouldn't recommend trying it) and it won't give you platinum locks overnight. But as an emergency touch up for people who already have light/blonde hair or for a very subtle lightening it's probably ok. I don't think I'll be buying this again though, I just didn't like the colour it made my hair at all. I am interested in trying the John Frieda precision foam though.

On a side note, does anyone remember a really similar John Frieda product that was out about10 years ago as part of their Beach Blonde range (they also did a gold shimmer creme and a salt spray)? It was a lightening gel that did the same thing as this product does and even smelled the same? It was a godsend for me in the final years of secondary school but no-one else seems to remember it! I actually would prefer the gel version to the spray I think as I preferred the application.

Ojon Hydrating Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner

2011-08-30T09:04:00.001+01:00

I've used Ojon products before and been impressed, especially with their restorative treatment so I decided to take the mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner I had on my holidays with me. Sadly, I really didn't like either product.

The packaging is typical Ojon, quite minimalist and natural looking. The shampoo lathered well but I didn't feel it smelled particularly nice (it wasn't awful either, it just smelled a bit boring), the conditioner was bright green which I found a bit offputting and felt really thick so I ended up using loads of it to cover my hair. After use, I found my hair was really really tangled and hard to get a brush through - then when I had dried my hair it felt really quite dry and fuzzy. Any "thickening" effect was due to the fact my hair was frizzy and like a bush! There was definately no "hydrating" effect which I found surprising, my hair really needs a good moisturising shampoo/conditioner and this definately wasn't it.

All in all, I'm glad I didn't splash out on the full size versions of these as I think they'd just be languishing unused in a drawer somewhere. They served a purpose on holiday though and I had no qualms about chucking the remainder at the end of the holiday, which is a nice change!

My favourite nail polish remover...

2011-08-27T07:00:00.000+01:00

This is Leighton Denny Essential Remover. It's acetone free and just slides through polish in one sweep, even glitters aren't a total nightmare with this. It also doesn't have a sharp scent and my nails/hands feel nourished after using. Normally I go for the cheapest polish removers and you can definately tell the difference. I love Leighton Denny polishes too...

OPI Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

2011-08-24T09:00:00.000+01:00

Sorry I seem to be having a bit of a nail moment here at the minute, particularly with OPI stuff! I was a bit disappointed with this at the first coat because I thought "oh boring, another layering polish" but a few more coats and the base came through (a little pinker than in these pics) and I love it! I'd describe it as a baby pink glitter polish with larger pieces of holo glitter suspended in it. Gorgeous!

This was actually pretty hardwearing on the nail and lasted about a week without looking too shabby (unless you looked close), and as you would expect it was an absolute nightmare to remove!

OPI Nail Apps - Hearts

2011-08-16T09:40:00.001+01:00

I'm a massive fan of Minx and overall have preferred it to any other nail coverings I've tried but when I spotted these on ASOS I was really interested! The design reminds me of a set of nails WAH do, and I always fancied getting/trying myself, only this way the design is perfect and much easier.The plastic backing and instructions that these come with are very Minx inspired. The instructions are that you apply them just with heat from your finger (as Minx have patented the lamp application method and I suppose as these aren't sold as a pro product, not everyone will have a nail lamp knocking around) after trimming to the correct size then file away the excess. This was fairly straightforward, though they felt a bit more plastic than the Minx I've used and it was harder to twist the excess away from the nail.

I didn't want to go too OTT with the design so I just used the nail app on my ring finger and put China Glaze Ruby Pumps on my others. What do you think? I didn't find application as easy as Minx but then again they're not a pro product.

I used a discount code with these so they weren't £13.80 which I feel is quite expensive for something so temporary. Some of the other designs are in the ASOS sale now and are more like £6 which I think is a lot more reasonable. OPI say that these last 1-2 days and it did but I think this would have been less if it had been on my right hand or my thumb.

I quite like the Star, Peacock and Skull design too. Interestingly, Minx have also brought out a heart and a star design, which I personally don't think are as nice. I also noticed that even Primark has jumped on the nail coverings bandwagon now too, I was tempted to pick some up but the queue was so huge I just couldn't be bothered for the sake of spending so little.

OPI Nice Stems Collection - Mini Pack

2011-08-13T11:00:00.000+01:00

After seeing pictures of these minis I decided I would probably like all the colours so I went for it. As you can see, the packaging the minis came in was so cute, I actually felt guilty throwing it away!

L-R: Play the Peonies, I Lily Love You, Come to Poppy, Be a Dahlia Won't You

My favourite in the packaging was I Lily Love You, a light pink sheer polish with a variety of glitter in it. On the nail it would probably be better as a layering glitter polish really due to how sheer it actually was, I think over another pink this would be really nice. Come to Poppy has come up a little more orange in the swatches than it appears in real life, it's definately more of a coral than a true pink though and I think this is what my camera is picking up. I liked Be A Dahlia Won't You but I this is the kind of bright pink colour that I've had a million of in my collection over the years, nothing new - it does have a hint of shimmer to it, which I find OPI do so well. I was surprised that I quite liked Play The Peonies - OPI describe it as a soft pink, I'd say it was a pearlised white with maybe the tiniest hint of pink or lavendar. It actually applied really well for its finish as well with no streaking or dragging.

I think the OPI mini sets are a great way to try different polishes or a whole collection, especially if you like to wear different polishes a lot, it's an affordable way of doing it.

No 7 Natural Blush Cheek Colour - Candy Pink

2011-08-10T20:09:00.004+01:00

I've not tried that many No 7 cosmetics before (I always spend my £5 vouchers on their eye make up remover) but when I think about it, the stuff I've tried has always impressed me. And this blusher is no exception - it's really soft, lasts well and is a lovely wearable baby pink colour. Just the kind of blush colour I like, not too bright or too natural and nice and matte with no shimmer.

I'd definately recommend this and would buy another No 7 blusher in future. I preferred this to Benefit Bella Bamba which was more than twice the price!

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner - 01 Intense Black

2011-08-04T11:00:00.004+01:00

I've not really tried gel eyeliner before so thought I'd pick this up - it comes with the gel and the brush applicator so I thought it would be a good starting point. I'm an eyeliner fiend but I tend to either use a liner brush and black shadow or a liquid liner pen. Sorry for the stock photo by the way, I managed to clag everything up before I remembered to take a photo.

Overall, I didn't really like this. The pros were: it's a really intense black and lasted well throughout the day (though there were a few little "crumbs" that flaked off during the day), plus doing flicks at the end of my lids was quite easy. The cons: the brush really (or maybe my technique), it felt a bit hard/stiff and I found it a bit difficult to do thin lines on my eyelid. My eyelashes are short so I like daytime eyeliner to be quite thin so you can actually see my eyelashes - trying to apply this thinly looked a bit odd and patchy like I'd applied it with a toothpick or something.

I wouldn't repurchase this mainly because I didn't like the brush, I'll continue to use it for nights out but probably with a different brush - I think I do prefer the look of powder or pen liner though. If I did purchase a gel liner in future, I'd purchase that and the brush seperately so I could do a little bit of quality control brush-wise.

Models Own 50% off sale...

2011-08-02T23:54:00.000+01:00

If Models Own get 50,000 likes on Facebook by 31st August 2011, they're going to have a 50% off sale as well as the chance to win £5,000 worth of prizes along the way!

I love Models Own (especially the nail polishes) at their usual price so 50% off is amazing! If you're not already a Facebook fan of Models Own, make sure you like their page before the end of August. It's for the greater good!

Little bit of a product rave...Revlon Photoready Foundation (and some Revlon polish swatches)

2011-07-29T09:17:00.000+01:00

For the time being, I've decided I need a foundation with a bit more coverage than Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (which I love but it just isn't doing enough for me at the minute) and as I'm a little unwilling to spend £20+ when I already have two Chanel foundations and a Clinique foundation just hanging around, I decided to go for Revlon Photoready...I think I actually meant to get Colorstay but ho hum, yet again I've made a foundation error.

I bought Nude which seems to be a good match for my skin and it seems like my foundation error has paid off. It covers enough without looking like I have too much make up on, and I actually feel like I look much more awake with this on which pleases me. I quite like the way it doesn't look too caked on as it's summer. I've read somewhere that this is too shimmery for some people but to be honest I'm not getting that it's shimmery when I wear it. Sometimes after application (I apply it with my fingers), I notice a bit of a shimmer on my hand if I've not washed it off yet. My boyfriend has actually also commented with how much "better my skin looks" - I didn't mention that I'm just wearing different make up!

I get a full days wear out of this which is great, I've not had to do any touchups other than a bit of powder. I have noticed that it can go a bit cakey on any dry skin after wearing it for a few hours but this just means I'm prepping my skin better to stop this. I also quite like the packaging, it's fairly inoffensive and the pump applicator is good, the bottle also isn't ridiculously heavy which is something that sometimes worries me about foundation bottles as I think I might smash them in my bag!

All in all, I'm pretty impressed with this foundation for the price - especially since Boots were doing 3 for 2 and I got two nail polishes too (Passion Fruit and All Fired Up, swatched below) - and I would buy again, it's actually tempted me to try out some other Revlon foundations etc which I've never really bothered with before!

Passion Fruit is meant to be scented but I don't get that from it at all, not like the Revlon Cotton Candy polish I reviewed last year! I actually bought it without realising it was scented, I just liked the colour.

Blonde Ambition

2011-07-27T09:15:00.001+01:00

As a faux blonde, I'm constantly trying new ways to stop my hair from going brassy or the colour darkening. I've just had my full head of highlights (I'm quite bad at getting this done quite as regularly as I should) so I'm trying to start as I mean to go on - I thought I'd show you what I'm using on my hair at the moment to try and keep it in optimum bombshell condition. I'm also planning on just getting a whole head of blonde rather than highlights next time, so trying to keep it all as light as possible.

John Frieda Go Blonder Lightening Shampoo and Conditioner

For me, the jury's out on whether this does anything much to my already-highlighted hair but it's not making it darker so I'm happy for now. I'll probably try something different once this runs out though, as I don't like the fact that the conditioner is yellow - I spend half my hair life trying to stop brassiness so it seems a bit mad to put something yellow on it as blonde hair can be pretty porous/dry and therefore absorbs other colours quite easily.

Provoke Touch of Silver Twice A Week Brightening Shampoo

This was a random Boots find, I was looking for a cheap purple shampoo as I figured it was probably a bit more cost effective than the Wella Toners & Shaders sachets I'd been using. It does its job, is a reasonable price and I might actually look into this range a bit more once I take the plunge and go even more blonde. I've seen good reviews of this and it's so much better than the Lee Stafford one I used which gave my hair a distinct tinge of blue rinse!

John Frieda Beautiful Blonde Ice Cool Platinum UV Shine Protector Spray

Blonde hair doesn't reflect light as well as darker hair so doesn't tend to look as shiny, plus my own hair is quite dry at the ends, so I use this to add a bit of shine and moisture to my hair without weighing it down or making it look darker. It works well, keeps my hair straighter for longer and adds shine - it smells nice and fresh too.

John Frieda Go Blonder Lightening Spray

I've only used this once but it's definately made a colour difference to the parts of my hair that aren't highlighted. Expect a more thorough review on this one soon!

In addition I also use an intensive conditioner (usually an Aussie 3 Minute Miracle) at least once a week and either the spray or cream from the Aussie Take The Heat range before blowdrying. If anyone has any blonde-friendly tips I'd love to hear them!

I have a new Lush favourite to add to my list!

2011-07-24T07:00:00.001+01:00

My favourite products from Lush goes a little something like this:

Lush Honeytrap Lip Balm

Snow Fairy Shower Gel

Butterball

Creamy Candy

Flosty Gritter (I don't think they make this any more, boo! I might have to start a petition or something!)

Buffy Scrub

Rock Star Soap

Mainly ridiculously sweet and girlie, yes? Well I have a new addition that isn't necessarily quite as sweet as those - Dragons Egg, I love it! It's a white circular bath bomb with little flashes of colour, when you get it in the water it fizzes and froths away, then bursts in an explosion of orange colour, as it fizzes a bit more, it has a gold centre like a little rock made from pyrite that then fizzes away. It smells lovely as well, very citrusy but with a hint of sweetness, like sherbert. The only downside is that it turns the water bright yellow (which looks a bit suspect!) and makes a mess of your bath at the end.

I've also got Mrs Whippy to try and after reading the Lush Times, I quite fancy Ultrabland cleanser as well, but I tend to stick with products I know and love from Lush as I tend to find when I wander, I don't like things as much (face masks, foundations etc).

Elegant Touch Limited Edition Matte Nails - Chocolate and Purple

2011-07-21T10:54:00.002+01:00

I bought these on a whim from a tiny little Boots near my work when I was looking for something else. I know matte nails aren't as "in" as they once were, but I still love them and thought this would be an easy way to get perfect matte nails without any of the annoyances like chipping! I've been waiting to use them until my nails are a bit shorter.

And I really really like these - as I thought, they look like the perfect matte nails, actually so perfect they look either fake or professionally done, which isn't a bad thing I suppose. They were easy to apply and the glue held well. I would say that the Chocolate ones look more black or at the very most a dark charcoal grey with a bit of matte shimmer to it. I like the length too, they're not so short they look stubby but they're not so long they get caught on things.

I didn't bother with the gloss topcoat as it seemed a bit like it was just clear nail varnish - for me I liked the solid matte too much to change it, I had intended to do french tips witht he gloss but I didn't fancy it in the end. I might have a go when I'm getting a bit bored of the nails.

These nails cost £6.45 from Boots and I'll definately buy them again, I like them. I managed to ping a few off during wear, but this is something I expect with stick on nails when they're put under strain - I'd rather that than they snap my own nails off with them - and they survived plenty of washing dishes and clothes which is good!

Also, just to go off on a bit off a tangent, how do they size false nails, was there a study somewhere that worked out the size of the average nail?

Does anyone use Quidco?

2011-07-17T09:00:00.000+01:00

I use it for pretty much every purchase I can! For those of you that don't know, Quidco is a legit cashback site based on referral links - so if you're buying something you visit Quidco first, search for that retailer then click through the Quidco link to be taken to the website. You can even do it for Ebay or things like mobile phone deals and they do money off vouchers too.

There's nothing dodgy about it and you don't even have to give your bank details, my payments are paid into my Paypal account so it just waits there to be spent on treats! My boyfriend thinks I'm a massive geek about it because I'm a little bit obsessive about going through Quidco for everything, but I just see it as a way to make money from things I'd have bought anyway. I think in the last 6 months or so I've made about £70, without buying or doing anything different than I would have regardless of Quidco. Better in my pocket!

I'm not affiliated with Quidco or anything, I just think it's a good idea and thought I'd share! You also get a little payment for recommending Quidco to friends as well, this is my referral link http://www.quidco.com/user/707796/ so if you're thinking of joining follow that link and I'll get a few pennies. No pressure though, if you'd rather type the Quidco URL in the address bar yourself, please feel free.

(I've actually just noticed from writing this post that you can register your card details with Quidco and you get cashback on purchases you make in shops as well....woo hoo!!!!!)

Isn't this picture pretty?

2011-07-12T09:00:00.000+01:00

I've not really ventured into the world of Etsy properly yet, I've had a look around and I like the look of a lot of things, but I've not taken the plunge and actually bought anything! It's even harder than Ebay to browse if you're not really sure what you're after and some of the things on there are so unique I don't know how you'd ever find them!

But anyway, this picture is by an artist called Kristina Hultkrantz who is based in Stockholm and creates all sorts of girly pictures...McQueen shoes, Chanel 2.55 handbags, macaroons, pugs, perfumes, Louboutins etc etc. Basically all the good stuff! Check out the YSL Rouge Volupte on the poster above, now that's the kind of detail I like! You can see her Etsy store here

Another Etsy find of mine has been fimo canes in a playing card design...eeek! I know it's trashy but I have a weird love of tacky Vegas-y stuff. I must have been a gambler or a casino girl in a previous life (despite the fact I've never been to Vegas and don't understand card games other than Snap in this one).

Benefit Bella Bamba

2011-07-09T09:33:00.000+01:00

If money was no object, I'd happily buy every Benefit blusher going because of how pretty they all look. But as they're quite pricey (and smaller than I thought), I limited myself to one. After swatching all of them whilst avoiding the sales assistant that was circling around me, I decided on Bella Bamba. Benefit describe Bella Bamba as a "3d watermelon blush laced with gold undertones."

With my general love of pink blush I expected to really love this but in actual fact, I don't really. The colour doesn't suit me, I just feel like it's a bit too bright and pigmented for my skin. It will maybe look better if I have a bit of a tan (fake or hopefully otherwise!). I can't really see the gold in it, or the "3d" effect.

I love the packaging which comes with a mirror and a little brush too. However the mirror is a bit pointless as it gets dusty quickly and because it's encased in the box it's a bit hard to see yourself in it. The brush is too stiff as well, I feel like it wastes a lot of product and that it picks up too much, which means my cheeks look a bit too pink! As a few other people have mentioned this is 8g of product whereas most of the other Benefit blushes are 11g which I think is a bit disappointing for the price. It is fairly longwearing though!

I don't think I'll be buying another Benefit blush, I think I'm going to repurchase the Pixi Lumi Lux palette that I've ran out of, I preferred the colour and the effect of that, plus I managed to find it a bit cheaper on Ebay than it is in Boots.

CND Shellac launching new colours in October

2011-07-04T19:41:00.005+01:00

And whilst I like them, I still feel like the Shellac colours are quite "safe", with some of these being quite similar to existing Shellac colours - Purple Purple and Asphalt are my favourite new colours but I like the idea of Zillionaire too, it seems to be a "glitter" for layering which is something that I feel has been a bit missed in Shellac collections. I suppose the colours are kept quite neutral as they're so long lasting, there's only a limited amount of time you want a bright blue/green/yellow on your nails I suppose, and your average nail tech customer probably does go for something a bit more understated.

I've been looking at Gelish recently (which is a similar concept, but not the same) and they have a much more interesting colour range but aren't a solely professional product like Shellac and works slightly differently. Plus it's more expensive to buy (though the bottles are twice the size of a bottle of Shellac).

Anyway, the new CND Shellac colours will be coming out in Autumn in the UK, debuting at Olympia Beauty in September, then Professional Beauty North for us Northern ladies in October. Exciting!

Heal Gel - Advanced Formula Skin Therapy (for scars, inflammation, bruising etc)

2011-06-01T10:02:00.000+01:00

Ok, here's my harrowing tale...in February, I fell over onto concrete and cut my knee open. I just cleaned it up, put a dressing on it and carried on - as a clumsy child and even clumsier adult I'm used to these kind of scrapes and bumps by now.

When I looked at it the next day I realised it probably needed stitched up (which means it was a LOT worse than I thought, and pretty horrendous looking) so I trotted off to A&E to be told that I'd missed the 12 hour window to get stitches as if there was any infection or dirt in there, they'd just be sewing it in. So, after months of it just being open, and having to dress it and be careful not to put pressure on it it's finally healed. And left quite a horrible scar in its wake. It's dark, wide and long - everything you don't want a scar to be. I won't post pictures or anything, don't worry!

So, I've been looking for ways to minimise the appearance of this scar. It can be covered with quite a lot of make up, but I'd rather not have to do that every time I get my legs out. Plus it's getting in the way of shaving my legs which is really not a good look!

I was sent a new healing gel to try. It's called HEAL and has been developed by five of the UK's leading plastic surgeons, known as The Firm (ooh-er!) and Colette Haydon, a leading chemist. They've combined their specialist knowledge and clinical experience in anti-ageing, healing and nanotechnology to create a formula that is anti-inflammatory, bruise-solving and improves scar maturation with a combination of active ingredients packaged and nanotechnology apparently!

Here's a slightly better bit of information from the press release:

HEAL combines a triple method of action which works to soothe the closed wound – using Arnica, Haloxyl and Glistin, to reduce heat sensation and discomfort; repair the damage – using Collaxyl protein fractions to promote cellular repair and optimise scar healing with Silicone. For the past two years The Firm have tested HEAL in their clinical practice, London Plastic Surgery Associates (www.lpsa.co.uk) where every year hundreds of patients have undergone facelift, rhinoplasty and breast surgery.

Here's a list of the ingredients, some of them are pretty well-known for their healing properties:

I do feel that this cream and the action of massaging it in has made a difference - my scar looks much flatter and lighter than it did, and my boyfriend has even commented that it's suddenly looking a lot better. It's also feeling less painful/tender than it was but this may well be down to the passing of time, as it's now been about 3 months since I first did it. I also liked that the gel feels very cooling when applied. I wasn't that keen on the packaging as I feel it looks quite clinical (plus it's a jar you have to dip your finger into) and it smells a bit herbal, but neither of these factors are really an issue for me. From my own personal experience, I would recommend this for others looking to improve the appearance of a fairly new-ish scar.

HEAL is available online at http://www.healgelshop.com/ and costs £33.50 for a 30 ml jar.

Since it's nearly payday...

2011-05-28T09:00:00.003+01:00

...I've updated my wishlist, whether or not I actually buy any of this stuff is debatable but it's nice to do a bit of window shopping I suppose!

Minx Oil Slick

Lush Lemony Flutter

Lanolips

Benefit Bella Bamba

Daniel Sandler Watercolour

Leighton Denny Polish - Supermodel

Clinique Chubby Stick - Watermelon

Philosophy The Great Mystery

Revlon Just Bitten Stain

Max Factor Mini Polish - Diva Violet

NARS Limited Edition Velvet Matte Lip Pencil - Bolero

NARS Limited Edition Eyeshadow Duo - Dogon

OPI Nail Apps - Hearts

38mm+ hair curlers

OPI/Katy Perry Nail Polish - Teenage Dream

Estee Lauder Doublewear Concealer

Lumos High Speed Topcoat

Is there anything here you highly recommend/that I should get first or anything that I really shouldn't bother with? If anyone could recommend a large barrel curling tong too that would be fab!

Another reason why I love ASOS...

2011-05-24T09:00:00.000+01:00

...their ace ASOS magazine that they send out, it's like a proper magazine (and you can get it online to save trees!)

I saw these images in the June issue and straight away thought "love it!"...well done to whoever came up with those concepts. And I now really want the white and red heart OPI nail wraps, which I've not actually seen before. Amongst other things as I now note you can get Nars stuff on ASOS too.

Plus a few months ago they did an ace interview with Sophy Robson (nail art extraordinaire!), which I ripped out ready to scan then lost it somewhere in the big move. But luckily I found a link to the interview on this blog.

You can view ASOS Magazine here

What I'm using at the moment....

2011-05-21T09:00:00.001+01:00

Left to Right

Philosophy Melon Daiquiri - this smells really nice and is a shower gel/shampoo/bath bubble I've loved for a long time. I love Philosophy!

Luciously Light Miracle Moist Conditioner - I quite like this, it was on offer in Tesco and it means I don't need to wash my hair every day. My boyfriends mam tried this as well and she really likes it as she has fine hair that she doesn't want weighed down. It smells lovely too!

Lush Snow Fairy - a lovely sweet treat that I'm trying to make last as long as possible!

Aussie Take The Heat 3 Minute Miracle - one of my beauty staples

Aussie Take The Heat Shampoo - I don't think I'll buy this one again as I find it lathers weirdly and sometimes I have to shampoo twice to feel like I've done all of my hair. But it does smell nice.

Top to bottom, left to right:

Opsys Contact Lenses - because I'm borderline blind!

Clinique Superdefense Moisturiser - one of my favourite night moisturisers, it's quite rich, smells fresh and moisturises well

Montagne Jeunesse - face masks and bits and pieces for a little pick me up when I'm in the bath

Colgate Plax - minty fresh!

YSL Elle Limited Edition 2010 - love this perfume, I've actualy bought a back up bottle because I love it so much

Sanctuary Warming Scrub - lovely warming face scrub

Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque - I wasn't as impressed with this as I thought I would be, after previously being seriously impressed with Dermalogica products

Cotton buds

No7 Eye Make Up Remover - favourite ever, quite oily if that's not your kind of thing though

Mitchum Deodorant - for 48 hour freshness! :-)

Sanctuary Youth Boosting Facial Oil - I tend to use this when my skin feels really dry or if I'm having a lazy day where I don't wear make up

Perspirex deodorant - this is really good if you've got an event or if you want to significantly reduce sweating, it can sting quite a bit though so you have to use it properly

Let me know if you'd like to hear anything more about any of these products!

oh! Dolly Nail Collection by Elegant Touch - Urban Fancy

2011-05-16T12:39:00.000+01:00

I picked these up in Sainsbury's whilst waiting in the queue for the self service queue...basically I'm a marketers dream. My nails are still pretty short at the moment so I wanted a way to make them look a bit better while they're growing, I've not had time to get them done or even paint them myself really!

As you can see, Urban Fancy is a short square nail style with a white french tip and a black and gold glitter nail art swirl. It comes with both tabs and glue to apply them, I used the glue as I prefer that. I'm pleased with these and would definately use this range again as it wasn't expensive and I liked the look of the nails.

Liking the sound of this Groupon Deal - Make-Up Masterclass with Makeover by Certified MAC Artist at The Makeup Room

2011-05-11T09:45:00.005+01:00

A masterclass with a certified MAC artist including hairstyling, threading, manicure, pedicure, refreshments, application of make up and lash application - as I need all the help I can get with applying my makeup (I tend to do the same old non-adventurous looks all the time), and could do with some new hair ideas, this is brilliant!

And it's only around the corner from my old house so I know exactly where it is, after looking at their website I might have to try that salon out anyway as I'm always looking to try new things out.

If you're as interested as I am, you can buy this Manchester Groupon Deal by following this link: Groupon Deal - The Makeup Room (it's on the right hand side!)