Unexpected shopping haul...

I didn't mean or plan to buy any of this stuff, it just sort of happened, and some of it from shops I would never normally go to or buy things from so I'm calling this the unexpected haul.

 

 

This hummingbird bag is from Next (a shop I've never bought anything for myself from except for house stuff).  I'd seen a couple of women with it when I was out and about and the hummingbird print really caught my eye.  Anyway, I spotted it on another woman on Saturday and filed it away as a "must have a look in the shops for that", then as we were passing Next I saw it in the window so we bought it.  It was actually one of two Next's we have where I live, and we were meant to be going to the other one but forgot so went to one near where our car was parked...I call that fate.  I think it'll make a great beach bag but it's a bit different to things I usually buy, it feels a bit more mature!

The flamingo bikini is from M&S, another shop that I've never bought an item of clothing from I don't think?  But I saw this in a magazine so hunted it down.  The blue bikini is by Pour Moi and I got it from ASOS, I've got it in red as well and I kind of have my eye on the purple one too.

I bought this on my lunch break  in New Look, I was actually meant to be buying tights. I love lasercut stuff and the pop of pink really did it for me.  It's also big for a clutch and feels nice and sturdy (i.e. it won't go all squishy when I'm carrying it and everything in my bag falls out).  I used my NUS discount, and I hide the chain for it inside the bag as I'm not that keen.

And finally, ASOS Lucy ballet flats in white leopard.  I've had these in every colour they've ever made so far I think, and when I saw neon leopard print with pink bows, I went for it.  if you buy them in the sale or when there's a discount code going they work out really reasonable and are way better quality than Primark etc.  The plain white ones are £7 at the minute.

So there you have it, my unexpected haul!  Shopping in M&S and Next has made me feel a bit middleaged, but hey I'm 26 in September so maybe it's time to start getting a bit more mature.

My favourite go-to polishes at the moment

These are the polishes that I've been reaching for lately when I want to do my nails quickly and have something on that's easy to wear - I don't really do unpolished nails as mine peel and I get way too tempted to nibble them (once a nailbiter, always a nailbiter). I'm trying to keep them long until next Monday when I'm getting Gelac on again for my holiday, bet it gets to Friday and all my nails snap off!

The formulas and wear time on these are all pretty good. Obviously I like the colours and most of these have pretty good coverage so I can get away with two costs...no hanging around wating for layers of polish to dry.

We have (L-R) Essie Ole Caliente, Leighton Denny Madison, OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, Models Own Nude Beige and 17 Lasting Fix Parma Violet.

Ole Caliente is the newest addition to the group and Nude Beige is probably the polish I've been using for the longest (think this is my second bottle).  Lincoln Park After Dark isn't quite black but it's a really dark purple that looks black in some lights, this is probably the least-worn out of these five favourites but it still gets a good outing nevertheless.  I have all sorts of colours in my nail polish drawer but these are the ones I find easiest to apply and wear.

What are you reaching for lately?

I'm nearly on holiday (Boots holiday haul)...

I've been going on about holidays for a while, but it's finally less than 2 weeks until I go to Mexico.  Yeah! Just thought I'd show you what I ordered from Boots as holiday essentials, I got it delivered out of laziness as I didn't want to drag all this back from the shops:

 

 

Suncream with insect repellent, aftersun and insect repellent - I'm obsessed with not getting bitten on holiday so I use this suncream, along with repellent and a little insect repellent bracelet thing.  In Cuba I even had a plug thing for the room but haven't this time.  Hey, I didn't get bitten once in Cuba and some people got eaten alive, especially as some of the restaurants were open air by the water!  I'd totally recommend this suncream as it's something you use anyway, it's waterproof and it keeps bugs away, it's on offer at the moment too so worth stocking up if you're going away.

Original Mint Source Shower Gel - as above really, I don't think it's intended for this but I think this repels bugs too (ha!).  When I went to Spain on my first girlie hol I took this and didn't get bitten once, despite using no repellent or anything - except for when I nicked some of my mates different shower gel instead of using mine so I got nibbled!  I swear by this on holiday, whether it's just a psychological thing or not.
 

Then we've got Aussie Miracle Take The Heat Shampoo and 3 Minute Miracle, Aussie Leave In Conditioner, Palmers Cocoa Butter, Veet, hairclips and Just Good Things facewipes.  Think all this stuff is fairly self explanatory.  I also already have Batiste Wild (favourite Batiste), hairspray and Superdrug Nail Varnish Remover wipes (holiday essential!) in my collection to take.

We didn't go abroad last year as we'd just bought our house, we had a good old fashioned British seaside holiday in Devon though which was good. I had planned loads of beauty appointments - hair, gel polish, pedicure, waxing, lash extensions and brow tinting - but in the end fitting everything in was getting tricky and I thought "oh sod it!". So I'm getting my hair done, gel polish on fingernails (on my lunch break!) and some temporary lash extensions. To be honest the hair and lashes are for the wedding I'm going to next week rather than the holiday.

What are your holiday essentials - treatments and products?  Is there anything I've missed out?

Loreal Professionnel Silver Shine Shampoo for Grey and White Hair

 

My hairdresser recommended this to me, she's blonde like I am, except she's a really really light cool blonde - almost verging on grey - her hair is gorgeous.  Not a look I can pull off, but nevertheless I still don't want any brassy yellowy or orange tones in my hair.  I've been using a silver shampoo from Boots but haven't really had results I'd like so she suggested this (and this isn't the brand they use and promote in my salon...oops).  My hair's naturally quite dark so my blonde tends to discolour easily.

I really like this product - it's a bright purple colour (much brighter than my Boots one) and the instructions warn you not to leave it on your hands too long in case it stains them, so I'm quite careful when I use this (after I had a disaster with some Lee Stafford purple stuff that left my hair like a blue rinse) but I haven't had any disasters, just shiny, bright blonde hair.  It's been left really manageable and not at all weighed down either.

If you're blonde I really would recommend this to keep your hair looking at its best, after red I'd say blonde is one of the hardest colours to maintain nicely.  I'm going to look more into Loreal Professionnel products as I've been really impressed with this.  I put off trying purple shampoo for ages as a lot of them say for white or grey hair, but don't worry about this, honestly, as long as you're careful you won't end up with purple hair.

I'm getting really bored with my hair lately but I'm a bridesmaid in a few weeks so I've been keeping my hair a sensible colour (quite a light, one colour blonde at the moment) and the length long so it can be put up easily and last all day.  I think come September when it's time to get my hair done again I'm going to get something different as I've had my hair like this for a while - I'm thinking a proper side fringe (instead of the sort of non committal side parting with shorter layers at the front I have now), all the dead ends cut off so it's a fair bit shorter, more layers and maybe my dark brown panels back in.  I'm so boring, I'm only ever really blonde or I sometimes get a bit of brown in the layers underneath.  Have you had any hair style changes lately?  What have you had?  I need inspiration!

Anyway, I bought this shampoo from feelunique.com (I wish I'd waited as they're currently giving away free samples of YSL's new Touche Eclat foundation with every order that uses the code ILOVEYSL).

Cuticle care - Mavala Cuticle Remover and Nubar Passionfruit Cuticle Oil

 

My cuticles - fingers and toes - are really getting on my nerves lately, they're more dry than overgrown so they just need a bit of TLC.  So I bought Mavala Cuticle Remover and Nubar Cuticle Oil to try and sort them out.

I originally bought the vanilla scented Nubar Cuticle Oil and was a tiny bit disappointed in the lack of a really sweet vanilla smell, it was pretty subtle. I thought it was still a good product (and contains a variety of different oils) but not quite what I was expecting. But long story short, I popped it in my bag to use at work and the whole thing leaked. Even when I twisted the lid back on it came loose again. Hello greasy ASOS satchel! So basically, this isn't really travel friendly. I did like the product so I repurchased this time and bought the passionfruit one, so glad I did! It smells really yummy, like fruit juice (but not overpowering), and I much prefer it to the vanilla.  The oil works well and my cuticles are looking much more nourished than they did.  I'm trying to use it regularly.

The cuticle remover, to be honest I can take or leave, it hasn't really done much for me but I think perhaps it was the wrong product as my cuticles aren't overgrown, just dry.  Would really recommend the oil if you're looking for a new one.  I bought mine from feelunique.com. 

A bit of loose glitter makes everything better...(pic heavy)

This is something I've been meaning to do as an accent nail for a while with loose glitter I bought on Ebay (from here) but I'm a bit of a football widow at the minute so I decided to go the whole hog. It's ridiculously easy to do.

 

All I did was paint my nails with two coats of a metallic polish that dries fairly quickly (from Topshop's first ever make up collection, back when I'd just started blogging, aaaw!) and then while they were still quite wet I dipped my nail in the bag, onecatca time obviously. I then pressed down the glitter, left them to dry and then brushed off as much excess as I could. Don't worry a lot of the remaining excess just kind of falls by the wayside as you go about your business.

 

WARNING: you WILL make a mess and you'll be finding glitter everywhere for days so try and contain your working area. I did it on a magazine to try and reduce overspill, it didn't really.

 

 

I think these are probably the glitteriest nails I've ever had. They may be a bit OTT but I love them!

This actually feels a lot less gritty than I would have expected, still a bit rough though. If you like wearing woolly jumpers or playing with your hair a lot, this probably isn't for you, the glitter gets caught on stuff. It's kind of a high maintenance mani and would probably be better sealed with gel (as long as it didn't reduce the bling!).

In terms of longevity, I had this on for a few days and it got less blingy the more I wore it. All in all a simple, cheap and high impact nail look that I'd say is good for a night out...I wore mine to work and got a few comments!

Trendy Lip Wraps

I'm sure by now you've seen these sort of things worn by the likes of Jessie J etc. But as someone without a professional make up artist and apparently "unusual shaped lips" I was interested to see how they worked for me after I was sent these for review. I'm not especially adventurous with my make up but my lips tend to be what I vary the most.

Each packet contains 3 sets of lip wraps and application instructions. You cut them down to size as per below:

Once cut down to size you remove the clear layer, stick it to your lips then wet thoroughly and peel off the back - pretty much like the transfer tattoos you had as a kid. Leave to dry and voila!

I put these through their paces, eating, drinking etc and found that as long as I was careful (which I am even if I'm just wearing lippy) then they last just fine. Removing them isn't really easy, you need to use something oily (like baby oil) on them and even then a bit of scrubbing is required.

I actually really did like these and would consider wearing some of the designs out (the more subtle ones), I think these would really come into their own for special events though like parties, concerts and festivals. Application is straightforward, cutting to size is probably the most difficult part of the process. Pleasantly surprised by these!

Trendy Lip Wraps are available from the Health and Beauty Store at Amazon.co.uk for £10.

Got some Gelac nails done

Sorry, another nail post here!

My nails were long and I noticed that a place near my work has just started offering Gelac for £15 so I made an appointment for my lunch on the Monday.  By Sunday night my nails had snapped so I filed them all down short...annoying.  It always happens as soon as I make a nail appointment! But never mind, hopefully having this on my nails will help them grow longer and stay long.

Your nail surface is slightly roughened before Gelac application which I'm not especially keen on (with Shellac this doesn't happen) but anyway, application took about 30 minutes and it was cured under a lamp.  I had wanted a red but there was quite a limited variety of colours in the salon so I went for a nearly neon pink instead which I actually quite like, it looks really juicy and shiny, perfect for summer.

 

It's hardwearing too, it definitely feels more like a gel than a polish and I don't think I'll have any problems with chipping, it'll just be the regrowth that's an issue.  Or if I get bored of the colour which is usually what happens!  I think this colour would look really good with a pink and clear crystal accent nail which I might try if I get time.  I'm happy with Gellac and I'd have it applied again.

This is the third type of gel polish I've tried and I'm interested to try Gelicure next as I've found somewhere near me that does it and the colours are exciting - they've even got holographic glitters and more unusual colours like blues and yellows!

Have you got a favourite type of gel polish or is there one you want to try?

Just a little thank you for reading and commenting...

Firstly, can I say thanks so much to everyone who reads and comments on my blog.  I really really appreciate it and if you ever have feedback on things you'd like to see on Beauty and the Blogger, please let me know by emailing or tweeting.

I just thought I'd show a bit of love to a few girls who I notice commenting regularly so here we go:

• A Lauren to Herself - she's a proper journalist who blogs about all the good stuff - beauty, fashion, music (plus I'm sure I've seen cake there before) and interviews celebrities from time to time.  Really worth a read so have a look!
• Rachael (LOTS) - totally unique blog written by a Yorkshire girl now living in the US.  She writes about long distance relationships, the differences between the UK and the US, the process of becoming a US citizen and her amazing collection of vintage make up compacts (amongst other things).  This blog is a total one off and some of the compacts are amazing!
• Shenmoo - a beauty blog that's only been going since February and has covered all sorts recently from HD Brows to heated rollers to exercise.  Her blog's kinda new so do pop along and have a look.  She also has gorgeous hair.

So by all means, have a little look at their blogs and if you like them, add them to your reading list!

Working on my big bun

Hmm, let's see what that particular title throws up in terms of Google searches!

Remember the ASOS Large Hair Donut I bought a while ago?  Well straight away I got my hair cut and no longer had enough hair to cover the brown of the bun ring...d'oh.  I cast it aside for a bit before getting jealous of my brunette mates who nailed this look so I decided to cover my bun ring in my old clip in extensions to stop it from showing through my hair.

Which I did (boyfriend is slightly creeped out by this):

I clipped the extensions onto the inside of the bun ring, wrapped them round as much as possible then got a bit handy with hairspray and glue to secure the ends.  Then I use as normal, I've totally covered the foam of the bun ring, as you can see.  I wrap my own hair around it then secure with a bobble and pin the ends if I need to.  I think I maybe overdid it a bit because getting my own hair through the hole was a bit of a struggle, I ended up kind of twisting my hair into a rope and forcing it through.  Beauty/pain, meh.

In the picture below I am indeed wearing a pink hoodie.  But in my defence I was going to see Coldplay that night and it rained.  A LOT.  The hoodie and the bun were part of my weatherproofing plan.  I couldn't help feeling a bit Vicky Pollard though.

Despite all this, I still like the big bun look (and I cannot lie).  I think I'm going to do a bit of a beehive next time with some of my fringe out and do the bun right at the back, quite a lot lower down, for a glam look.  I'll try and get some pics but I'm rubbish with a camera on nights out!

Nail products I'm interested in...Sensationail Starter Kit, Nails Inc The Medal Collection and Loreal Textured Nail Wraps

I don't think it's any secret that nails hold a special place in my heart (and my blog!), I absolutely love them to the point where it's probably a bit weird.  But anyway, here's the nail related stuff tickling my fancy at the moment:

Sensationail Starter Kit
Have you seen these in Boots?  They're kits for you to do your own gel polish, they come with a LED lamp and everything you need.  I hovered around in the Boots aisle for a while looking at this,  in terms of if you were to buy it all individually it probably wouldn't be far off the £69.99 price, except maybe the products would be bigger (I've read somewhere that each starter kit is good for 10 applications, then you need to buy more).  I'm really tempted by this as I love gel polishes but rarely have time for nail appointments, unless I find somewhere that does gel polish near work. I can, in theory, buy Shellac or similar but that can work out really really pricey.  Have any of you tried this, what did you think?  Is it worth the price?

Nails Inc The Medal Collection
These are to celebrate the Olympics (bronze, silver and gold, geddit?) but I don't really care about that.  I just like metallic polishes and these look like they'd be gorgeous on.  I want them!


Loreal Textured Nail Wraps
I've been ridiculously excited by these ever since I saw them on British Beauty Blog and can't wait for them to come out (apparently in late summer/early autumn).  I know Elegant Touch do textured nail wraps already but I like the designs better on these ones.  I was getting a bit bored of nail wraps, though the metallic ones will always be a winner with me, but this has got me interested again!  Have you tried textured nail wraps before?

Is there anything your nails are craving at the moment?  Have you tried any of these products?  What did you think of them?



Essie Ole Caliente Nail Polish

I've had this in my ASOS basket for a while but never got round to buying it until I spotted it in TK Maxx as part of a set for £8.95 for three Essie polishes.  I succumbed (are you surprised?).   I was quite good and gave the other two away as presents though so you know, good karma and all that.

I've hardly stopped wearing it since I got it, I love that it's a mid orange/pink (slightly pinker than this picture I'd say) that looks really glossy and summery.  If you're not really a bright nails person, this would be ideal for summer toes.

My cuticles are a disgrace in this photo and have inspired me to get my dry hands on a cuticle remover (Mavala) and new cuticle oil (Nubar) pronto.  Currently trying these out at the moment and my claws are looking in a much better state, I'm pleased to report, my nails are getting pretty long again at last too.  There'll be a review on these products coming soon!

My love affair with Essie polishes is continuing.........

My new make up bag from Claire's Accessories

Sorry for the slightly sporadic nature of posts at the moment, as usual everything has come at once - there are some fairly high profile launch type things going on at work which is keeping me busy along with a collaborative project for uni (groan) that we're all hopelessly disorganised, coupled with the usual family stuff.  Throw some trips to London and Cumbria in there and phew!

But enough moaning, just thought I'd show you my new make up bag from Claire's Accessories, not a shop I usually frequent but I was on the hunt for a big blonde hair donut that one of my friends had in Ibiza that I was jealous of.  I didn't find that but I found this:

I have a weird love of hummingbirds (when I went to Cuba I saw a real one, the smallest kind in the world called a bee hummingbird and I was so excited...yes, I'm a geek) and I think this just looks really tropical and fun.  I love how it looks like an envelope from somewhere faraway too!  The only downside is it makes me wish I was on holiday now.

The material it's made from is a bit weird, kind of like spongy lino, but it keeps clean well.  My old make up bag was ruined after a black eyeshadow explosion in it ages ago, I've still been using it though.  This cost £6.50 and is a decent enough size...big enough to take it away on holiday with me.

Enrapture Extremity Heated Rollers

I have naturally thick hair that's (unnaturally) pretty damaged. It's kind of frizzy curly if I leave it alone so I have to style it within an inch of it's life, and that tends to be straight rather than curly.  I tend to backcomb it or use rollers for a night out to add volume.  When I was asked to try Enrapture Extremity Heated Rollers I was VERY enthusiastic.  Heated rollers are something I wanted to try but didn't really know where to start to as as there's a lot out there and they range so much in price.

I didn't want a ringlety or permed look, just a natural volume wave/curl type of hairstyle.  Curling my hair with tongs annoys me and doing it with bendy rollers never ever looks right, nor does drying it with a diffuser.

 

These Enrapture rollers heat up in 2 minutes - they really do get hot - and this is indicated by a handy LED panel on the front of them.  As you can see, there's an on and off switch.  The cord's long enough so you don't have to drag a mirror over by a plug (we've all done it, haven't we?), the casing makes sure you don't end up with rollers everywhere and they fit neatly into their case.  The rollers are in two sizes as well so you can vary the size of the curl a bit or just go for a bit of volume. 

I've used these quite a few times now.  They're really easy to use, even for a hair dunce like my good self.  You just heat them up, then roll sections as you would with a normal set of velcro rollers, then clip using the clips provided (which are actually really helpful, I don't know if I'd have been patient enough to use kirby grips or something).  To do my whole head probably takes 10-15 minutes overall - curling with tongs takes me about 45 and always looks too ringlety for me - so add on 2 minutes for heating up time and you're easily looking at under 20 minutes.  Once they're in, they feel pretty secure and there are more than enough to do my full hair.  I experiemented a bit with section sizes and found I prefer to do larger sections with each roller where I can.  Here I am looking a bit moody in my rollers (I had the larger ones at the roots of my hair, and the smaller ones underneath):

 

I left this in as long as I could, probably about 30 minutes in both instances I've pictured, as I'm always running late, and went about my business with the rollers in.   The clips kept them in during this time, they weren't uncomfortable and they came out of my hair really easily without getting tangled.  The top picture is when I took smaller sections of hair, and the bottom is larger sections...I prefer the larger I think.

Can you tell I hate having my photo taken!! I then give my curls a quick spritz with some hairspray (an Aussie one, I love the smell of it) and I'm good to go.  The curls stay in really well.  I'm ridiculously impressed with these, just wish I'd tried them out sooner as they'd have saved a lot of frustrating time trying to curl my hair for hours and then having to put it up anyway as I hate the way it looks! I think they're well worth £74.99, especially as they come with a 3 year guarantee (I think I'm on my third pair of GHD's now....)

For more information on the Extremity Heated Rollers or any of the other products Enrapture offer, you can visit their website at http://www.enrapturehair.com/

Essie Mint Candy Apple

 

As a rule, I hate green.  There's nothing green in my wardrobe, and actually if I think about it, in my house (not including like DVD's, books etc that you don't buy for their colour).  There are certainly no green nail polishes - the colour doesn't suit me at all, and even less so on my nails.  So why have I lately had a hankering for a mint green nail polish?

After spotting Essie Mint Candy Apple on Mouldy Fruit, and realising that my local Boots has recently started stocking Essie, it was a done deal.  So at the earliest opportunity (my lunch break) off I trotted to Boots and picked this up.

Application was fine on the first coat, I was actually quite impressed, but it went a bit draggy on the second coat but evened out on the third.  All in all I kind of like the colour, which confuses me, but I'm not sure it looks right on my skintone.  It's definitely made me more interested to try out more polishes now that Essie is more readily available though!  This is possibly not a good thing for my bank balance or storage space!

Lee Stafford Treatment for Hair That Never Grows Past A Certain Length

I think every blogger and their dog has reviewed this but never mind!  I'm sure I've tried this before I started blogging but I can't remember liking it as much as I do now?  I bought it again after seeing it on a blog, and realising that I haven't used any intensive conditioning products for ages, which probably explains why my hair is looking a bit frazzled at the moment.

The packaging is typical Lee Stafford, bright pink.  The product is also pink, but much lighter, and smells amazing - as most Lee Stafford stuff does.  It comes it a tub that you scoop the product out of to use it, which is fine but can get a bit awkward in the shower, especially if you're clumsy like I am.

The instructions recommend applying product about "the size of an egg to your hair which seems a lot.  I used this all over my hair from root to tip (normally I just apply conditioner to the ends) and massaged it in.  My hair didn't feel overloaded in any way after use and looked shiny, felt really soft and was actually a bit more manageable.  I felt like it hung better when I straightened it and stayed straight for longer.

This doesn't make my hair feel greasy on the second day (I usually wash my hair every other day) and didn't do anything weird to my light blonde hair.  I'm really pleased with this and will be repurchasing, even though at £7.99 it is a bit pricey for something you buy from Boots, compared to higher end products it's a bargain!

BlanX Intensive Stain Removal Toothpaste and Advanced Whitening Mouthwash

 

You must know by now how mad I am about having white teeth so when I was asked to review these products I was totally up for it!  I've tried these products for 2-3 weeks.

The toothpaste is good, I like the packaging on it (which I stupidly didn't take a photo of), it's one of those bottles that stands upright on its own and has a pump action dispenser.  I prefer this as it looks better and I think it's a bit easier.  The mouthwash comes in a standard bottle.

The toothpaste tastes fine to me and the texture is just normal too - no gritty bits or strange foaming going on.  Even though the mouthwash is alcohol-free, the taste of it reminds me of an aniseed-based shot (like sambuca) which is a bit weird but that might just be my weird sensitivities to taste.

Overall, I liked the toothpaste but probably not the mouthwash, it just wasn't for me.  I can't honestly say that I noticed a huge difference in my tooth colour but I didn't really have any staining on my teeth anyway.  My teeth felt clean after use so I was happy with it in that respect.

I think that for the level of whiteness I want, I'm going to have to get my teeth whitened again.  I've been looking at the Enlighten system, which is the only system in the world to guarantee VITA Shade B1 (the lightest tooth shade on the UK scale...I think the American one goes lighter), has anyone got any experience with this?

BlanX is stocked at ASDA, Boots, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Superdrug, Wilkinson and online, priced at Intensive Stain Removal toothpaste RRP £7.49 and Advanced Whitening mouthwash RRP £5.49

For more information about BlanX, you can find them at http://www.blanxuk.com/, www.facebook.com/BlanXuk or www.twitter.com/BlanXuk 

Primark False Nails

 

My right index finger nail ripped to the point where it was so short it hurt.  I tried in vain to hold it together with polish for about a week or so but it got annoying so I just cut all my nails down.  They're so short, I hate it!  They look really ropey at the minute so I want to cover them up until they've grown a bit more, I can't even paint them without getting polish everywhere at the moment...more ends up on my skin than what nails I have left.  I came across some of my old nail pics and my nails are so much longer than I seem to be able to get them lately...might have to look into gel overlays or Shellac/Gelicure again.

These come in a range of colours and designs, including metallic cheetah, gold, union jack, french and of course, this red and they're only 99p a box, which includes glue and 24 nails.  I always have a stash of these kind of glue on nails at home (just in case), is that really vain?

In terms of sizing they were actually ok for me, I tend to find that with stick on nails anyway. They're mid length and square.  I did have to file these at the top as they were a little bit jagged, which wasn't ideal as it removed a little bit of the colour from the tips but nothing noticeable - at least not to the normal, everyday non-nail-obsessed person (I am not this person).  The glue was your standard nail glue and worked fine, actually I quite liked the glue, it was strong, I had these on from Sunday to Tuesday before I pinged one off and that was doing some particularly strenuous lifting and carrying at work.  The rest of my nails stayed in place until I removed them on Thursday.

All in all, I'd say if you're looking for a set of false nails for a night out, or a few days to tide you over like me then these would be fine but if you want something long lasting or hard wearing, you might be better trying something else.  These would probably be pretty good if you wanted to practice at nail art or something on longer nails or you were doing a fashion show on a bit of a budget too.  For 99p and wearing them to cover up my own shoddy nails I really can't complain.

Models Own Hed Kandi Ibiza Mix Nail Polish

I know these have been around for a little while now but since I'm currently in Ibiza - I've probably just touched down on the White Isle at the time of posting - for a long weekend I thought it'd be appropriate to show you Ibiza Mix.

It's definitely a layering polish for me, but it's a really interesting mix of different colours and sizes of glitter.  For some reason I thought it was black in the bottle - it's not, it's glitter in clear polish.  So, anyway, here's some pictures of a quick and dirty nail look I did with Ibiza Mix over Models Own Snow White.  I love it, it reminds me of those giant gobstoppers you used to (and probably still can) get.

 

People noticed this nail look and commented on them, even my boyfriend who generally remains fairly oblivious to my nails (he's used to it all by now) said that he liked it and it was unusual, in  good way.

I love the different colours and sizes of glitters in this, it makes it just a little bit different to other glitter polishes and topcoats around.  It's a fun polish and looks like confetti.  In terms of application, it was fine, what's in the pictures is just one coat of Ibiza Mix, it's quite runny and if you apply it sort of thickly (compared to a normal application for me anyway) you get a lot of glitter out.  I found that thinner coats didn't really work as glitter was applied quite sparsly so you still ended up layering more on.  I'm impatient, I just want my nails dry once their done.  My Seche Vite has gone all gloopy and strange though so I just had to wait.

I'm pleased I bought this and if you like glitter then I'd say get this as it's another string to your glitter bow, if that makes ANY sense at all.

Stila Love at First Blush Palette

I admit it, I kind of just bought this for the packaging.  Then I realised it's ok as I love pink blushes and I don't think I own any Stila products so it's a good opportunity to try something new.  It's so pretty I almost didn't want to use it and disturb its prettiness!

It's more pigmented than I imagined so I needed to be careful not to go overboard with application, especially with the darkest colour.  It also has a bit of glitter in it, not OTT but it definitely shimmers - if glittery face products aren't for you, then this will probably be too glittery.  With the different pinks and hint of glitter, this actually reminds me of one of my favourite blushers (which I think has been discontinued), so quite glad I bought it and found a replacement.

 

It actually looks a bit more subtle in these photos than I feel it looks on my face.  Please forgive the bumpy skin, I'm trying a new cleanser at the moment and I'm not quite sure if we're friends yet.  I bought this from ASOS for £10 (not including my much-loved NUS discount), which is slightly cheaper than some other websites it's available on.

MAC Mouth Monday - Speak Louder

I wanted this one for a while but haven't been able to pick it up in store and it was actually sold out on the MAC website for a bit.  It's a mid pink that leans towards red which (on me at least) is pretty neutral and easily wearable throughout the day. It's a cremesheen finish which probably accounts for a bit of its neutrality.

All in all I'm happy I bought this as it's quite a wearable everyday shade (and I hate being lipstick free!) though it's not that longlasting or unique.  Unlike some other MAC counterparts, this is a colour that I think you could replicate quite easily in a cheaper brand.

 

So that's in from MAC Mouth Mondays for the time being - I'm sure I'll be purchasing some new MAC lipsticks in the not too distant future.  What's your MAC lipstick favourite or are there any you would like to see swatched/reviewed?

Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Shampoo & Conditioner and Damage Reverse Restorative Treatment Plus

 

As a fake blonde with an aversion to haircuts and a love of heat styling, it's safe to say my hair isn't in the best shape and it somewhat damaged.  I haven't had the best experience with Ojon shampoos/conditioners previously, I tried the Ojon Hydrating Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner last year and didn't really like it so when I was asked if I wanted to review some Ojon products I was a little bit hesitant.  I was sent the Damage Reverse Restorative Shampoo & Conditioner and Damage Reverse Restorative Treatment to review.

The packaging of the Damage Reverse range is pretty typically Ojon and personally if I saw it on a shelf and didn't know what it was, it wouldn't catch my eye but that's just me, I like bright colours!  They both smell really nice too, kind of a faint hint of citrus and just quite fresh. 
 
The shampoo is really rich and creamy and lathers well, the conditioner just feels like a normal conditioner.  Unlike the last Ojon shampoo/conditioner I tried I could actually get a brush through my hair after use, which is always a bonus - however I will say that when I only applied conditioner to the ends of my hair and not more through my hair it was hard to brush at the roots afterwards.  After using this and drying my hair, my hair does seem to behave and hang better, rather than frizzing out; though in fairness I did just recently get my hair trimmed (for the first time in months) so there's less frizz anyway, and more volume as I had shorter layers cut in.  I found I had to wash my hair a bit more often than before as my roots got greasy more quickly than normal, but it did moisturise my hair well and this was probably why.  The products did rinse properly out of my hair.

I used to use an Ojon treatment similar to this (Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Treatment Plus) regularly a few years ago but I don't any more and I'm not sure why.  As my hair's pretty long now (even with the recent trim), the hair at the ends is old and has a tendency to frizz out so a treatment like this is a pretty good idea once a week.

It's solid in the pot and you take a teaspoon sized amount, warm it in your hands to make it an oil and then apply to your hair, leave for at least 20 minutes (or overnight if your hair's really damaged) and then wash out.  It is a little bit messy and you'll have to wash your hands afterwards, but you'll survive, honest.  I usually just apply it from the middle of my hair down as I don't really like applying moisturising products to my roots in case I end up in grease city, then tie my hair up until I go in the shower.  This has a lighter scent than previous Ojon treatments - thank god, because I never really liked the smell of the older one.

 

Overall I liked these products, would purchase them in future and recommend them if you have damaged hair - I don't think it will repair your hair but will make it look better and appear less fuzzy.  They are expensive but if you're someone who spends on haircare anyway - I tend to kind of flit between buying standard products and higher end stuff, there's everything from Batiste to Kerastase in my collection -  then these are worth a try, available from http://www.ojon.co.uk/.

MAC Mouth Monday - Impassioned

Impassioned is a bright pink that leans towards coral on the lips.  It's an amplified finish so it is actually pretty bright - I would only wear this with a tan.  Again, I think it would really suit a darker skintone than mine.

MAC Penultimate Eyeliner in Rapidblack and Eye Kohl in Smolder

 

The Eye Kohl in Smolder is a repurchase for the one that I stupidly lost.  This is my fave pencil for a smoky eye or a night out as it's pretty dark, really soft and very much blendable/smudgeable.  I really like it and would definitely recommend trying it out - it's lovely and well worth it.  I don't normally wear coloured eyeliners but I'm quite tempted to try it out, though who knows what colour!  I literally haven't even worn eyeshadow since I was about 16 except for about two nights out I can think of.  It lasts well despite its smudginess, even on the waterline (though you need to be careful not to rub your eyes when wearing as it kind of goes everywhere).

Penultimate Eyeliner was a bit of an impulse purchase.  I usually use a Rimmel pen eyeliner - I prefer this type of liner as I think it's easier to get a crisp line, for me anyway, and to apply anywhere - and find that this does the job perfectly fine.  In comparison, this liner is a bit chunkier to hold, blacker and has a "sharper", finer nib so it makes it easy to get a really thin line or apply with precision .  It doesn't really pull and lasts well without smudging.  I'm pretty happy with this and do actually prefer it to the cheaper Bourjois or Rimmel ones I've been using, simply because it's easier to apply really defined or thin (so better for work, for me anyway), so I'd buy it again even though it's around £10 more than the ones I'm currently using.  Unfortunately I might have to buy it again since the lid came off it in my bag and it's totally dried out!