Dresses everywhere

I moaned on Twitter recently that I couldn't find any dresses that I liked in the shops - well, that's all changed now, I don't know if the shops are getting their Christmas stuff in or what but I could literally buy dresses all day long at the minute.

1. ASOS Metal Work Print Bodycon Dress - £40
2. Warehouse Black Chiffon and Leather Dress - £140 (cheaper version from New Look here*)
3. Missguided Bonitta Origami Mini Dress* - £19.99
4. Missguided Maia Chiffon Cross Over Mini Dress In Nude* - £29.99
5. boohoo.com Megan Long Sleeve Wrap Dress* - £20
6. Love Shift Dress with Lace Insert - £34
7. ASOS Metallic Panel Shift Dress - £55
8. Lipsy Long Sleeve Tribal Midi Dress - £50
9. River Island Blue Metal Plate Tunic Dress - £40
10. River Island Pink Embellished Sleeve Bodycon Dress - £40

I think 2, 3 and 7 are my favourites but I really like them all!  Now, I just need to win the lottery or something...

Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Dark Review - does it really last 2-3 weeks?!

I'm sure I've said this before but I love the look of being tanned but I'm so lazy when it comes to a beauty routine that I can't be bothered with the whole fake tanning rigmarole every week or more.  So when I heard about Vita Liberata's pHenomenal tan which promises to last 2-3 weeks a little while ago I was very interested!  I prefer to use up one product before moving on to the next one so I waited until I used up my existing tanning products before splashing out on this.  It isn't cheap at all but if it does actually last two weeks or so then I'm happy to pay that.

This tan was really easy to apply with a tanning mitt, it's a mousse formula which I find the easiest to use anyway, and I actually felt like it was really quick.  Be warned that this also dries very very quickly which is a good thing as it means you're not hanging around for ages but it also means that any mistakes you make will show up so be careful - the guide colour does help with this though!  The tan comes with really comprehensive guide of how to apply it so if you're not confident about tanning then this would probably be helpful.  It smells pretty nice too but has an undertone of tan smell to it.

To extend the length of our tan you need to wash it off 3-24 hours after applying with just water and then reapply the tan, apparently one application will last 5 days, 2 applications will last 7 days and 3 applications will last 10 days approx.  Not sure what I make of this, would this not work if you did it with any tan? In my head - and because I didn't do that much research I just assumed you applied it as normal and it lasted for 2 weeks but never mind!

I have to say, considering I used the dark version, I was surprised at how not dark it was when I washed the first coat off (I feel like a fence) - I'm not into the Ronseal/Oompa Loompah look but this was a nice, natural glow rather than what I'd call a dark tan.  The second coat definitely looked darker but unfortunately was a lot patchier too - I wasn't happy with how the tan looked on the backs of my hands or on my ankles/feet at all.  I don't think it was my application either as I never have these problems with tan ordinarily.  Also, because everything specifically says not to apply moisturiser beforehand I found that it really clung to my knees and elbows.

This tan didn't really last the recommended week for 2 applications (I couldn't be bothered subjecting myself to a third coat), it was kind of patchy and faded by about day 4 or 5.  I wouldn't buy this again but I'll still use it up (one coat only) until it's finished before going back to my usual Xen Tan*.  This didn't really live up to the hype for me, which is a bit disappointing.

If you want to try this out and see if it works for you, it's available from feelunique.com* for £37.

Paul Mitchell Flexible Style Fast Drying Sculpting Spray Review

I'm constantly looking for ways to tame my fairly unruly, damaged hair as it tends to go frizzy easily (especially if there's an millimetre of moisture in the air - when I go on holiday I'm like Monica in Friends in that episode where they go to the Caribbean!) but I don't want it to look like I've got loads of product in, I just want people to think I've got naturally great hair.

Step in Paul Mitchell Flexible Style Fast Drying Sculpting Spray.  It's ridiculously easy to use, you just spray it on to damp hair then blowdry as usual (you can apply it to dry hair too).  I use it most on the roots of my hair underneath to create volume and lift and it really does work for me as well as keeping my style in place and looking shiny.  It smells good too, kind of watermelon-y but not overpoweringly so.  Another good thing is that it has UV sunscreen so I suspect it would be good if you were on holiday to stop your hair getting too damaged.

It really does help to get some shape and hold in my hair without actually making my hair feeling crispy, sticky or full of product.  It feels really weightless and you can still run your fingers through your hair without them getting caught which is nice.  I actually find as well that this works well to refresh my hair too if I don't want to wash it but it's gone a bit fuzzy while I've been asleep.  I just lightly spritz this on and really quickly blowdry my hair with a round brush and it really perks it up as it's reactivated by heat or water.

Paul Mitchell Fast Drying Sculpting Spray is available from wantthelook.com for £11.50

John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo and Conditioner Review

I was getting a bit bored with the shampoo and conditioner that I was using so I was sent these to review at the right time.

These smell lovely, lather really well (so you don't need to use loads) and feel really creamy on the hair.  After using them my hair was really smooth, full and shiny - if you like big, groomed hair then this is probably the shampoo for you.  I hate to say but I didn't have massively high expectations for these but I was definitely pleasantly surprised.  My only criticism was that I didn't really feel like the conditioner smoothed my hair that much at the ends, but that might be because I desperately need it cut and actually it's probably part of making your hair big and full.

The other thing I found is that these products aren't heavy and don't make my hair go greasy quickly at the roots which can sometimes be the case when I try new shampoos.  I've actually managed to leave my hair an extra day without washing it (not out of choice, I just got up late yesterday!) which I couldn't usually do, I needed a tiny spritz of dry shampoo and I was good to go.  I wouldn't normally dare do this, especially not without tying my hair up.  I left it down which was a nice change.

I would definitely buy these again in future, they seem to work well for my dry, damaged hair and are at a price that won't break the bank.  These are currently on offer (2 for £8) on Boots.com* so if you want to give them a go now might be the time!

John Frieda are also giving away hundreds of prizes on their Facebook page, like their page to find out more!

Follow me...

I've taken the plunge into Google+ so just thought I'd remind you of the ways you can follow Beauty and the Blogger:

Google+

Bloglovin'

Twitter

Pinterest

I don't use Instagram, YouTube or Vine (yet) but you'll be the first to know if I do!

I bought hair extensions for £6.99 on Ebay...

Just lately I've really been hankering after getting some proper hair extensions again.  I first had hair extensions in about 10 years ago before they were really popular and readily available everywhere like they are now and they were ridiculously expensive, only one salon in town did them (I had them woven in) and the ones I had weren't overly long.  As a kid I had really thick hair but from using bleach on my hair and quite a bit of heat styling over the years it's got quite a bit thinner which is disappointing, my Mam has got really thick hair still!

I then found another woman who lived near me who would weave extensions in if you provided the hair.  I went a bit ridiculous and wore 24 inch ones for a few years!  It was expensive, time consuming there was a lot of maintenance and I shed more hair than an alsatian.  This is the stuff I tell myself whenever I get the urge to get extensions put in properly.

Following on from that I used to wear clip ins quite a lot, mainly on nights out and for special occasions. I love that extensions are way easier to get hold of now.  I decided that rather than buying some really expensive extensions that I would hardly wear that I would go low budget and if they weren't right I hadn't wasted a lot of money.

So I found these on Ebay, they're synthetic but do a really wide range of colours (important to me as I have so many different blondes in my hair now), come in wavy or straight and are all on one single clip in.  The ones I got were trio blonde/wavy/24 inches which was a bit longer than I wanted as I really only wanted them for volume so I trimmed about 4 inches off the bottom of them.  It made them look a bit better as without the trim they looked a bit straggly and synthetic.

For £6.99 these are actually ok and definitely wearable for the odd night out, they don't look too shiny either and for synthetic extensions the colour is really good - not too Barbie blonde.  They're really easy to put in as well as there's only one row of clips.  They haven't quite got rid of my urges to go and get loads of hair either woven or put in with micro-rings but they've calmed me down for now.

New Jessica Nails Collections

As you will probably know by now, I absolutely love nails and just recently I've been looking at the Jessica range, especially the Effects Glitzy collection and the A Night at the Opera Collection.

The Effects Glitzy collection contains all different types and colours of glitter - really on trend right now!  There's bar glitter, large hexagonal pieces, holo glitter and some normal glitter too.  These would be great as nail art over your normal polish or even on their own I think?  With some of these I think an accent nail would work really well.

The Night at the Opera collection isn't one that I've seen before but I absolutely love the mix of glitter and semi matte finishes, especially in the more muted, wintery colours that mean they don't look too much.  The glitter looks really fine and subtle too.

I definitely want to try these out, I think that some of them would be great for toes.  I might even treat myself to a specialist Jessica pedicure or actually I think that gel nails are a great alternative as they last a bit longer so I might get gel toes put on?  I'm a bit lazy when it comes to painting my toes and tend to only change the colour if I know I'm going to have my toes out in sandals or something.  You can find your nearest gel manicure salon here if you're thinking about something longer lasting.

Have you ever tried Jessica polishes?  What did you think of them?

* Sponsored post

2013 Beauty Advent Calendars - which will you count down with?

UPDATED 16/11/2013

For the last few years I've absolutely coveted the Selfridges Beauty Advent Calendar but usually while I'm dithering about spending £84 on a load of random beauty products I'm not sure I want it sells out!  It's out again this year but there are also some cheaper alternatives so I thought I'd do a little round up of what's available.

Christmas Advent Calendar

This is the original beauty advent calendar which brings you minis from high end brands such as Viktor & Rolf, YSL, Kiehls, Giorgio Armani, Lancome and Maison Martin Margiela to name but a few.  It comes with a luxury price tag too - available from Selfridges* for £84.  I'd hurry if you're wanting it, usually this sells out pretty quickly!

Boots Beauty Advent Calendar

I've actually bought this one to try and end my cravings for these types of calendars!  It's the cheapest one available but still not bargain bucket at £30.  It contains £65 worth of product from brands such as Botanics, Carmex, Juicy, Ghost, Nails Inc, Mavala, Soap & Glory, Rimmel, Seventeen, Umberto Giannini, Paco Rabanne and Vichy.  Way more at my price point but still some fab stuff.  Available now from Boots.com* for £30 - apparently you get triple points on any full size purchases you make that you tried in the calendar, excellent!

Ciate Mini Mani Month

This is a Selfridges exclusive and contains 17 of Ciate's best selling mini paint pots, 4 mini Caviar blends and 3 exclusive Paint Pot glitter shades.  I think this looks fantastic but as I haven't tried Ciate polishes much before, this would feel like a bit of a baptism of fire I think!  This is available from Selfridges* £42.

Benefit Countdown to Love

This pop art inspired calendar comes filled with Benefit goodies so perfect if you're already a big fan of the brand.  There's a full contents list on the website, it'll be out in the next few weeks for £50.  I wanted a mix of brands rather than just one so didn't really fancy this.

You Beauty Advent Calendar

This one costs a relatively budget friendly £49.95 (plus postage for non members as it's only available online) and includes a mixture products worth £240 from Caudalie, ESPA, Dermalogica, Leighton Denny, Sisley and Stila.  I absolutely love Dermalogica and Leighton Denny so my ears pricked up a little bit with this one!  I think if I hadn't already bought the Boots one, I may well have got this even though it's slightly more expensive.  You can buy the You Beauty Advent Calendar here.

Freedom at Topshop

Now, I know that strictly speaking this isn't a beauty advent calendar but I think it's rather interesting!  It's by Freedom at Topshop and contains pieces of jewellery for each day - it contains 12 pairs of earrings, 4 bracelets and 8 necklaces.  I'm a bit picky with jewellery so chances are I wouldn't like about 75% of what's in it but if you're a bling fan I think this is great!  You can always share/give away anything you don't like.   This is available from Topshop for £28.

If you still want a chocolate advent calendar but something a bit fancier than Dairy Milk I'd recommend the Hotel Chocolat ones, so yummy!  In other news, there's apparently no Liz Earle calendar this year which I'm sure fans of the brand will be thoroughly disappointed by.

Win an Enrapture Totem Styler this halloween!

As someone who is already a big fan of Enrapture styling products (I reviewed their heated rollers here and still use them on a weekly basis), I was so thrilled when they contacted me to ask if I wanted to give away their Totem Styler for Halloween.  Enrapture asked me to create my best halloween look using the styler, and being a big zombie film fan I went for the zombie look!

Here's my halloween make up look below, I went for a got-bitten-by-a-zombie-on-the-way-to-a-party look.  I used the totem styler to create these gorgeous curls and backcombed my hair at the roots to give a pretty, full of volume look.  What do you think?

I used Stargazer white foundation, contoured my cheeks and under my eyes with a dark Smashbox eyeshadow and lined my eyes with lipliner.  I wanted to put coloured contact lenses in too but as I only had my laser eye surgery about 3 weeks ago I decided against it.  This actually looks a bit like me first thing in the morning but with better hair!

So how did the Totem Styler fare? I loved it! What's innovative about this is that you can change the settings at three different point on the styler to create a variety of different styles of curl. Fantastic! I used setting 3-3-3 to create the loose, vintage style curls above.  It also heats up really quickly which I think is essential.

It's really easy to use as the curler actually swivels at the bottom so it's way easier to roll it in and out of your hair.  The cord is really long too which sounds random but I think it's quite important so you're not contorting at odd angles trying to curl your hair with a plug that hardly reaches away from the wall.

Whereas I use my heated rollers if I'm going out at night out and have plenty of time to get ready as I can sit and do my make up, paint my nails etc. while sitting with my rollers in, the Totem Styler is one that I use if I want to curl my hair quickly if I'm getting ready for work or I have limited time. Including heat up time I can curl my full head in about 20 minutes maximum which is great!

I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a new hair curler.  It's good quality, very easy to use and it's like having a variety of different curlers in one because of the ability to customise the settings on the styler.  You can find out more about the Totem Styler here.

So, now that you've heard about the styler and saw the results of my zombie makeover, are you ready to enter my giveaway to win one? Yes?  Here's what you need to do:

• Send a picture of your best halloween make up look to me before midnight on 31st October 2013 (GMT)
• You can either email your entry to me (lucy@beautyandtheblogger.co.uk) with the subject heading ENRAPTURE HALLOWEEN COMPETITION, tweet me (@LucyBATB) or if you use Instagram/Pinterest or anything just leave a link to your make up look below.
• Leave with me with a way to contact you if you win!

Good luck, can't wait to see your entries!

I'll add all the entries to my Enrapture Totem Styler Competition board on Pinterest, and the winner will be chosen on 1st November and notified.  Sorry, UK only!

RiRi♥MAC Fall Collection - not sure which lashes I ended up with?!

Ok, I'm not usually a giant MAC collection person, as I don't really wear eyeshadow or contour my make up much (I'm starting to get into that though) so I tend to find that I only ever want blushers and nail polishes and I have plenty of those. I really liked a few things from Rihanna's latest collaboration with MAC but the #36 lashes were my favourite, they're long separated lashes with slightly fluffy ends...just my sort of thing!

I'd actually made a MAC order the night before (not realising that this collection was coming out the next day!) so I restrained myself and just ordered these lashes in the second wave of the collection becoming available.  When they came I thought they looked a bit different to what I was expecting and that's when I realised...the lashes I received were the other lashes from the collection I think, the #35's.  These are less spaced out, thin and more angled - kind of my eyelash style from hell!

Looking at them side by side I'm still not totally sure - to me the shape of the lashes looks more like the #35's.  What do you think?  I don't get it at all though because the box they're in says #36 on them.  I'm not keen on these eyelashes at all and don't think they do anything for my eyes.  Annoyingly both sets of lashes are now sold out so I can't get my hands on the ones I really want.

Did anyone else order the lashes from the and experience the same problems?  Have MAC mispackaged the lashes in the collection or put the wrong number next to the lash style on their website?  I'm really disappointed but MAC customer services have refunded me which is one thing I suppose.  I might have to nip along and see if I can buy some in store, then I'll definitely know that I'm getting the right ones - I suspect they might be sold out there too!

Just a quick update...

It's been just over two weeks since I got my eyes lasered and I'm pleased to say I'm still ridiculously happy with the results.  I had my 7 day check up last Monday and was told that my vision is now better than 20/20 (I can see down to the bottom of the eye chart now - something I couldn't even do with my glasses before!) and I'm clear to drive.

I also no longer need to use antibiotic or anti inflammatory eye drops, any swelling that I had right after surgery has gone.  My eyes are also feeling much less sensitive than they did at the beginning with no discomfort at all. I'm still using my trusty artificial tears for the next month or so just to avoid any eye dryness, the only time my eyes feel really dry is when I first wake up, and then only my left eye.

I probably could wear eye make up now but I'm playing it safe and leaving it for at least a couple of weeks...maybe even up to my next check up in a month.  Have to say my follow up visits so far have been really straightforward, informative and helpful - any questions or concerns I've had have been answered straight away by the optician or other staff at Freedom Vision.

As daft as it sounds, I really do feel more confident now that I have clear, reliable vision.  I can't explain it really but I think maybe my eyesight has been more of a hindrance than I thought and I've just been coping with it.  Hopefully it'll help my terrible sense of direction too but maybe that's too big an ask.  It still catches me by surprise/amazes me that I can see - even silly things like doing my hair is much easier as I don't need to sit an inch away from the mirror to make sure it's neat any more!  It's kind of like having HD compared to an old TV.

I would honestly say that getting my eyes lasered at Freedom Vision is one of the best decisions I've ever made and I only wish I'd got it done sooner instead of struggling along for the last 10-15 years.  To find out more about corrective laser eye surgery click here.

You can find my previous posts about my laser eye surgery here.

Imperial Leather Foamburst in Bewitching Blackberry and Wild Fig

I love foam shower gels, they feel so luxurious and are really easy to use in the shower. I was just about to buy another when this little beauty popped through my letterbox for review.

The packaging of this ticks a lot of boxes for me, I love purple and I think it's actually pretty glam.  The dispenser nozzle is basically like shaving foam , press the button on top and foam sprays out.  A little goes a long way with this as it lathers up really well so you don't need to dispense loads of this (found that out the first time I tried it and used way too much!)

My favourite thing about this is the smell of it, it's really fruity and blackcurrant-y which I love.  It's not too overpowering which I prefer because I still want to be able to wear perfume etc without it's clashing.  The foam has a purple tinge to it too which I think is a a nice touch.

The foam leaves your skin feeling really soft and moisturised without being oily.  If you're looking for a new body wash or just want to try something a bit fancier I'd would definitely give this a go.  It's part of the new Imperial Leather Foamburst range and costs £2.99 so you can get a little bit of luxury without breaking the bank.

You can find out more about Foamburst at www.imperialleather.co.uk or on Twitter @ImperialLeather. You can also follow them on Facebook.

I'm Ebaying!

Just a quick post to say I'm selling a couple of bits on Ebay at the minute including a Zara Skort, Lady Million Perfume, River Island sandals and lilac Cambridge satchel.

You can check my items out here.

Jilali Argan Oil

I didn't get too wrapped up in the Argan oil revolution of the last few years as there was quite a bit on confusion about the percentage of Argan oil certain products had in them and it kind of put me off.  I kept meaning to try it but never did really.

I was sent this pure Argan oil to review by Jilali and I have to say, I'm really impressed and I might actually become an Argan oil convert!  I've used this on both my hair and skin.  It feels really nourishing and moisturising without feeling greasy.  A little goes a long way as it absorbs really well and it's so easy to use. I'm a sucker for a multiuse product!  It doesn't have a strong or distinct smell, it's just quite neutral and pleasant.

The packaging is quite no-nonsense but it's practical and has a pump dispenser rather than messing around trying to pour oil out of a bottle.  Overall I feel like this is a great alternative to greasy body oils and serums - would definitely try this again in future.

You can find Jilali Pure Argan Oil here.

Illamasqua Nail Polish in Facet (from the Sacred Hour collection)

I'd describe Facet as a dark taupe (that leans towards grey) with a fine gold shimmer running through it.  This gorgeous, subtle shimmer seein s to be an Illamasqua signature which I love!  As with every other Illamasqua polish I've tried application/formula is really straightforward, drying time's good and wear time is fantastic. I don't know what it is about Illamasqua polishes (can you tell I'm a fan?!) but they last really well on my nails without chipping, even if I use a fast dry topcoat like Seche Vite which is notorious for making polishes chiptastic.

As you can see my nails are pretty short at the minute but I think this polish really works with shorter nails as it's a really interesting colour without drawing loads of attention to your nails.  Having said that I do think it would look amazing on long pointed nails!

Facet is from the Illamasqua Sacred Hour Collection which is one of my favourite collections for a while.  I absolutely love the imagery and the make up looks that have been created for this collection:

I'd actually happily buy half of this collection, I love the lashes, the nail polishes, the blushers, the sacred stones and even the lipstick in Shard which is way darker and more wine-y than I would usually wear. Yay Illamasqua!

You can buy Facet or check out the rest of the Sacred Hour Collection on the Illamasqua website.