Sunday 30 June 2013

Empties #4



Hello again, the time has come to give you another little insight into the products I have used up recently with a little review/ my thoughts on them. First up I have a couple hair care products including a shampoo and conditioner from 'James Brown London' I originally brought this a Christmas or two ago in a gift set as it came with some hair rollers which I wanted to try out and 4 full sized products including these two. I kept putting off using them up however they are lovely product make the hair super soft, they are meant to add volume however I didn't notice a lot of that but still enjoyed using them.


Another hair product was a sample sized bottle of the 'Aussie 3 Minute Miracle' deep conditioner, this is a pretty loved product in the beauty blogging community and I absolutely love it too! It makes your hair super shiny and soft and smells amazing, I believe the entire 'Aussie' range has this scent and I cant get enough of it I think it's definitely making me want to try put some more products from them. I also used up a mini 'Tresemme Salon Finish' hair spray whilst away on holiday, I have used 'Tresemme' for hair styling products for many years including their hairsprays and their mini 100ml bottles like these are perfect for travel and handbags. This was the salon finish extra hold version of their sprays and definitely provided a lot of hold to my hair whether up or curled but still left my hair soft to touch which is sometimes rare.


Next up I have a deodorant which is one of the new 'Dove Compressed' deodorants which says to have the same amount of product in a much smaller bottler, I think this is great idea as it super handy for travel and handbags however on whether the theory works I'm not too sure as I find it hard to measure how fast I use up a product like this as its the type of thing you pay pretty little attention to when using it. Lastly I have my staple water cleanser of the moment 'Yves Rocher Cleansing Water Face and Eyes' this must be my third bottle I have used up of this as its great to use at the end of the day to cool your skin and remove your make up. You can see a little more about this product in a previous post I did here which gives you a little more info and my thoughts on it.

So there we have it, what products have you used up recently? Have you used any of the ones I have? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Friday 28 June 2013

Face Mask Friday - Temple Spa Purification

As you may have seen in a few of my past post' I have used and tried a few 'Temple Spa' products and today I am going to give you a little insight into one of my favourite products from them their 'Purification' face mask. This mask is aimed at the more oily/ combination skin types prone to skin issues and break outs and is really great at helping these problems.


The mask is a dark brown clay and can be fairly dry within the pot however when you mix a little bit with water it breaks it down into a more watery consistency which is much easier to apply to the face. It is recommended to leave the mask on for around 20 minutes however I could leave it on from that length of time up to an hours as it isn't uncomfortable on the skin and well just to let it do its work. As this is a clay based mask it does dry upon the skin however as it is not thick it doesn't dry in the way that you can move your face as it has that super tight feeling.


I like to use this mask when my skin is being a little temperamental and has breakouts and blocked pores and as it doesn't feel to strong or harsh on the skin it could definitely be used up to twice a week on the skin, however if you suffer with a little sensitivity this may need to be altered. Temple Spa mainly retail as a spa brand however can also be found in Harrods, Selfridges and on the website here too. 'Purification' retails at £22 for 85g which usually would be a little pricey for me however because you need so little of the product as it spreads so well when added to water the little pot will last for a long long time.

Have you ever used this mask or any products from Temple Spa?
Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

BONUS PICTURE FOR IF YOU READ THIS FAR!!

Monday 24 June 2013

MUA Lipsticks

I had heard various reviews and feedback on the brand 'MUA' and their products, majority being good so I took it upon myself as a good little beauty blogger to try out some of their products. I had heard from a friend that they loved their red lipstick and it really did look great on her, and everyone needs a good red lipstick.. or 2 or .. 3 right? I used to be pretty shy on using a lot of colour on my lips however have now come around to it and pick up two of their lipsticks and love them.


The first shade I got was their shade 13 red lipstick, this shade has had pretty good feedback all round being a great colour, long lasting and of course super cheap which I completely agree with. This shade is your perfect classic red colour is easy to apply and really does last, when wearing this I could probably go an entire day just topping it up once or twice but you could probably do even less if using a good liner and gloss on top.


The second shade I got was 16 Nectar, unlike the other one this one had a name, well I'm guessing its the name and I prefer it so much more when products have names rather than just a number, am I the only one like that? This lipstick is a peachy orange shade, one of the colours I always tend to lean towards and looks really great on the lips it is a fairly bright colour however still very wearable on a day to day basis.


The consistency of the lipsticks are very creamy and easy to apply, I found occasionally if my lips were on the dryer side it did cling a little so I would make sure you prepped your lips with a little exfoliation first, however I did find this more on the lighter shade of the two so I'm not sure if it is the same with all of the lighter colours. And well for just £1 can you really go wrong! I'm pretty impressed with these and love wearing them and will definitely head back to see if they have any other good colours or other products for me to try. Have you tried any 'MUA' products?
'MUA' can be found pretty easily in most 'Superdrug' stores or online here.

Thursday 20 June 2013

New Purchases


Last week I picked up a few items on a couple different trips out, a couple being things I have been looking to try for a while and a little spare of the moment purchase. Two of the products I picked up in my local supermarket when doing the weekly food shop, the first being one of the new 'Dove Compressed' deodorants. Deodorants are a pretty essential beauty product within my lifestyle and I have used this brand before however they have now changed their bottles by compressing the usual 150ml bottle into a much smaller 75ml bottle. Now the idea of this is great as it makes it much more handbag and travel freindly and it still claims to have the same amount of product inside. As using this kind of product is a very robotic step in my daily routine I think I will find it a little hard to measure if I used it in the same length of time as the larger bottles however I still love the product, the scents (epecially this pomegranate and lemon one) and how they work.


Second was a fairly new product to the market and it is one of the new 'Garnier' facial products, the one I picked up was the 'Pure Active Daily Energising Fruit Scrub' the reason I got this one was as I had recently used up an 'Elemis' daily exfoliating wash sample and loved using in the mornings and wanted a similar product to replace it and this one is perfect. It is a gel consitency with very small exfoliating particles which still give you the invigorating scrub you need in the morning. Another aspect of the product I love is the scent, this has extracts of grapefruit, pomegranate and vitamin C and it really does have a fresh fruity scent which helps wake you and your skin up however is not overpowering at all. This is targeted at oily skin which is prone to imperfections which is perfect for my skin and claims to give a deep cleanse, tighten pores and also give the skin an invigorating glow too which are pretty good claims which i'll have to keep you updated on.


The final product I got in 'Poundland' as I always like to pop in if I'm nearby either for a snack or just a general look around and this time I wanted to look in the beauty section after watching a couple of 'MissBudgetBeauty's videos on some of the brands and product which can be found in their. The product I picked up was the 'Body Lishuss! Body Butter' in the mango scent which smells amazing! This moisturiser has a similar consitency to the ever so popular 'The Body Shop' body butters and is quite thick and creamy however still sinks really nicely into the skin. Now for the scent, mango is my all time favourite smell and taste this body butter isn't an overpowering scent but still gives a lovely fruity mango aroma, the smell slightly leans towards a more synthetic mango scent however I still like it and it smells great on the skin too. After applying the butter around 5 hours later I could still smell the scent on my skin quite a lot fainter but definitley still there and my skin also felt super soft and nourished too. I think this may be a new body product favourite for the future.


Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Monday 17 June 2013

Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara

Well hello there, today I have a little review on this mascara I picked up a couple of months back, I got it in my local Superdrug when getting the '123 perfect' foundation which has become a bit of a staple foundation for me and when buying it they had an offer or a certain percentagage off (I cant quite remember which) on there mascaras of which I picked this one.


This mascara is said to give a dramatic look and extreme volume which I thought is pretty perfect for a night out (hense the name I guess) and for if you really wanted a bold look. It also says to be ultra resistant which not one bit do I disagree with, therefore if you happen to be one of the people who aren't a fan of the super resistant/ waterproof mascaras so much so that they are impossible to get off I would probably avoid this one.


As for volume I must admit it does give pretty good volume, the mascara formulation is quite thick, but still quite wet if that makes sense which usually i'm not a fan of ones too wet but becasue of the thickness I think it works. It has a medium sized brush with quite short fibres which I think add to the volumized look. The picture below shows me with one coat of the mascara, you can see in the before shot the dark line of my lashes but they aren't greatly lifted or visable. The second shot with the mascara on gives a much more enhanced look and the effect of this can be built even further by layering it however after one coat you do have to be careful of it looking a bit clumpy but it definitly give me some lift a volume and lasts super long too.




I had no other make up on when taking these so apologies for how hurrendous the rest of what you can see of my face may look but thats beside the point , im pretty impressed with this mascara I think if it wasn't such a chore to get of I would love it but there again to be able to swim, sweat do god knows what without it budging is pretty good and worth it I suppose.
Thanks for stopping by againg, bye for now.x 



Friday 14 June 2013

Face Mask Friday- Montagne Jeunesse White Chocolate

Since I was around 15/ 16 and started getting more interested into skin care I discovered the mask sachets from 'Montagne Jeunesse' and absolutely loved them, they come in a huge variety of different scents and flavours which also provide different benefits for your skin and to this day I still love to use them.


This mask is the 'White Chocolate Ultra Deep Cleaning Mask' this tends to be the typical type of mask I would go for which cleanses the skin really well and may help with any excess oil and/ or breakout I may have at the time, which I may add is quite a lot of the time.. uurggh. This mask was quite a thick creamy consistency and white as expected, I wouldn't say it smelt of white chocolate but more of an alcoholic chocolate truffle type sweet mixed with cocoa butter which still smelt pretty damn good.


I applied it to my entire face and I also like to take it under the chin and down onto the neck as I can sometime get little break outs there too, this used up around half of the packet so you can get a good 2/3 uses out of each which is great! This mask dried to a clay, hard finish which is perfect for an oily skin type and this drying feeling can be felt within minutes of having the mask on. I tend to leave my masks on for around half and hour so they get a good length of time to do their thing!


I find it best to remove clay masks firstly by patting your skin with a warm flannel or face cloth to re hydrate the masks so it isn't dry or flakey then it makes it much easier to wipe away. Afterwards my skin really felt like it had been deep cleansed, it felt super fresh and clean and was also really soft too. I would recommend this brand for masks over and over as I really love them and will definitely be repurchasing some more.

Have you ever tried any masks from this brand? Let me know what your favourite masks are! Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Wednesday 12 June 2013

MUA Undress Me Too Palette


I have never owned a MUA eyeshadow palette before however picked this up last week when shopping for some MUA lipsticks which I love love love so keep and eye out for them too. This palette comes with 12 shades of neutrals, golds and bronzes with majority of them being shimmery of different densities and only two being matte. I'm a big fan of neutrals eyes and loved this palette as soon as I saw it, the packaging is simple yet doesn't look super cheap. I like how the eyeshadow colours/names are shown on the back as well as a quick idea on how to use a few of the colours together to create a natural smokey look.



The colours I have been reaching for recently include Reveal all over the lid with Wink in the outer corner and crease or Shy all over the lid with Lavish in the crease and outer corner which gives a very subtle look as they are the more matte shades however this look can be deepened with Fiery or Obsessed added to the crease and edge. These shadows are really soft and easy to apply and work with. The light matte shade Naked can look a little powedery however otherwise i'm really impressed with the qaulity of them.

 
I have been meaning to pick up and try out more MUA products as they are becoming increasingly popular and of what I have tried I am really impressed. Have you got any favourite MUA products? Or any you are dying to get your hands on? Bye for now. x

Sunday 9 June 2013

June Glossy Box


Oh how time is flying, recently everything seems to be going double time i'm pretty sure I only got last months box a couple days ago.. well I suppose thats not a bad thing having costant goodies posted through my door. This months box was themed 'summer looks' and gave a few little samples to get you ready for summer.

The first product that caught my eye was the 'Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse or Dry Body Oil' I have had a sample of their original dry body oil in one of my previous boxes and absolutley loved it, it has a soft floral scent and feels really hydrating and soft on the skin. However this time the oil contains golden shimmer particles which really makes the skin glow, this is definitley going to be a favourite of mine and I think it will look great on the legs or chest.


Secondly I recieved a nail polish from 'MeMeMe' now a nail polish is usually always a winner to me as I cannot get enough of them, I have some polishes from 'MeMeMe' both from samples from previous boxes and also some which I purchased myself, as a brand the polishes are nice, they have good packaging and a nice consitencey however the colour I revieved this month was '67 Graceful' which I think is a great name but the colour.. not so much. It is a very milky nude colour and doesn't have great colour pay off, the picture below shows 3 layers of the polish which may be nice if you are a very natural nail kind of person however for me I think the may be used for more of a french polish than anything else.



Up next a make up product which are one of my favourite things to recieve as majority of the time I never have anything like what I recieve so it encourages me to try something different. This month I got a shimmer loose eyeshadow from 'Helen E Cosmetics' I have a had a few product from this brand a couple of years ago after visiting a trade show, I wasn't 'wowed' by what I tried then so it will be nice to try something else from them. This eyeshadow is a silvery grey frosty shadow which has great pigmentation and shimmer and i'm really looking forward to trying it out.


Finally two facial products, a hydrating facial moisturiser from 'Monu' I have only ever tried one other product from 'Monu' which was a warming mask which I also recieved in a previous box. This moisturiser is said to be for all skin types and contains and SPF 15 which is a must for summer, according to the packaging not only does it contain SPF which will protect the skin from sun damadge and potentially premature ageing it also contains 'soft focus technology' what ever that may be which is said to blur skin imperfections and correct skin tone too. I have never heard promises like this from a moisturiser so will look forward to trying it out.


Lastly another of my favourite type of product a lip balm from 'Figs and Rouge' again I have preciously tried one of their lip balm but in the tin form and absolutley loved it and was a real lip balm favourite of mine for a while however this balm comes in a tube which you would normally expect a hand cream or something to come in. This lip balm is the 'cherry blossom' variety and not only smells of cherrys but has a fushia pink colour too, and also claims to be a mutli functional balm as everyone loves a multi purpose product, however because of the pink colour i'm unsure is this will be as easy to use in other areas so I will have to test it out and let you know.


Well there we have it for another month, what did you have in your box this month? Have you tried any of the products I got? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Friday 7 June 2013

Favourites #2


Now I cant believe looking back this is only my second favourites post! Bad blogger! Anyway with summer on the approach and after a few days away I have had a chance to reach for some old products and try some new ones out too and have really enjoyed using them.

Firstly some of my favourite types of products, nail polishes, the two I have are two of the 'Barry M Gelly Polishes' they are the only two I have however definitley make me want to get more. I have the orange 'Papaya' and 'Greenberry' which is a green turqoiuse type shade, I have always been a big fan of Barry M polishes and these still don't dissapoint. The formula is a little thicker which gives the 'gel' look however are still easy to apply and handle, I think some of the other colours will be on my shopping list very soon. Another product which ties in with these is the 'Elegant Touch Rapid Dry for Nails' this is always a must have for me when painting mine or anyone else's nails as it helps the polish dry faster. Now it claims to dry the nails in 60 seconds which im not so sure is true, of what I can work out it sprays a layer of oil over the polish which removes the tackiness of wet polish meaning it much less likely to smudge if knocked but i'm pretty sure its impossible to have any product like this to fully dry polish in such little time so I still like to wait a good hour before doing too much but it's still a handy helping hand.



Next up is the 'VO5 Miracle Concentrate' I got this a couple of years ago when hair oils were increasingly popular and a bit of a craze and really like using it then. This is said to be an intensive leave in treatment with argon oil and vitamins, it is pretty cheap at £5.19 for a 50ml bottle which will last forever as a little goes so far. I started using this again recently as the ends of my hair were starting to dry out and feel a bit limp, I like to use this after I have washed my hair and apply to the mid to ends of my hair when still damp then either blow dry it or leave it to dry naturally and it makes your hair feel super soft and it has a beautiful delicate fragerence to it too.


Next a couple of facial products the first being one I recieved in one of my fairly recent 'Glossy Box's' the 'Elemis Fresh Skin Exfoliating Face Wash' I got this just in time to take away with me on holiday and it was really great to use, the travel size bottle was perfect I still have some left as a little really goes a long way. As you can see from the picture below it is a gel like formula with little yellow and white jojoba beads to polish and exfoliate this skin, they are not to harsh on the skin but still feel like they are giving a deep cleanse and really doing something. One think I really liked about this is as you work the product around it produced a lather which felt super soft and made my skin feel like this too once I had washed it off. For a full size 100ml bottle of this will take you back £12 which is a little more than I would usually spend but I think this is a definate repurchase for me as I really loved it and so did my skin.


Lastly I have a product for you belimsh prone ones out there and it is the 'Soap and Glory Dr Spot Spot Fighting Gel' this is one of the few 'Soap and Glory' products I have used and it a clear gel you apply to any spots whether they are under the skin, white heads or one that have been picked, naughty naughty! This works similar to many other spot products by drying out the spot but is pretty good at not drying out the skin around the area it is applied. This product is quite strong and probably is'nt suited to anyone with sensitive skin as it contains salicylic and lactic acids and can give it a little stinging sensation especially on any broken skin or spots that have burst but personally I like that feeling as it feels like its working and doing something. I like to apply this in the evening after cleansing my skin however as it it a really thin clear liquid it would be suitable to wear under make up too as long as you let it dry first.

Well there we have it a few products I have been loving recently, have you used any of these products or have any similar you would recommend? I would love to hear any replies, thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Do Correcting Serums Really Work?

In the market a number of different serums and creams are being created to do new and different things from anti wrinkle to evening skin tone. As I work fairly closely with the brand 'Temple Spa' within my work I decided to try out one of their new serums that was released a few months back which is said to correct the skin. 'Be Clear' is said to be 'the ultimate correcting serum' with properties including lightening age spots, regulating pigmentation and anti aging benefits. When talking with a member of the 'Temple Spa' product team she also informed me that because of the evening of pigmentation and work with the melanin within the skin which is what gives the skin its pigment can also help to reduce the signs of acne scarring and even freckles.


As I have acne scarring, feckles and slight uneven pigmentation on  my skin I thought it was the perfect product for me to trial. This serum is to be used morning and evening underneath your daily moisturiser, is light in texture and sinks into the skin really fast. I thought the best way to test this was to ensure I applied it twice daily to my skin for 2 weeks and see if I could see a noticable difference.



As you can see from the pictures above, the first being before I started using the serum and the second being afterwards you can see a slight difference between the two. The skin does seem to have a more even tone and texture and feels this way in person too. When taking the second picture my skin had been behaving well and i'm unsure whether this is to do with the serum or a mixture of other products I may have been using but I think that also helped the skin look more even between the two pictures. I wasn't expecting extreme differences and results from using the serum however am pleased with the little difference it has made. I will definitley continue to use the serum as it is a lovely product to use and hopefully will continue to give me results or prevent any pigmentation damadge from occuring.

Have you tried any correcting serums or products? Have you tried any Temple Spa products before? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Sunday 2 June 2013

Nivea Lip Butter

Now i'm not sure how long these lip butters have been around and it is just me that when ever I hear 'lip butter' I immediately think of the 'Revlon' cult products. However this lip butter comes in a small tin and is much more of a lip hydration treatment rather than colour and balm in one. I heard of these on a fellow blog and am not entirely sure if they are a fairly new release however I have not heard of them before picking this one up last week from 'Boots'.



I got my lip butter in the vanilla and macadamia flavour, is flavour the right word? Flavour.. scent.. variety.. whatever I got the vanilla and macadamia one. It has the exact scent of the vanilla childrens 'Petit Filous' dessert yoghurt, if you are unfamilier with what i'm talking about which is probably likely it has a sweet white chocolatly and vanilla scent which smells so damn delicious. It comes in a tin similar to a petroleum jelly based lip balm however is much more creamier in both look and texture and to me seems much more nourishing and hydrating. It has ingredients including shea butter and sweet almond oil which most likely help to create the real softness and moisturising properties of the product. This is a definite recommendation from me for just £1.99 a pot, as long as you don't mind the whole sticking your finger in the pot kinda balm.

Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Saturday 1 June 2013

Hello Again!

Last week I had a few days away therefore meaning there has been a little lack of post' however I am now back and everything will be back in business again.

Also hello over 500 views! Exciting times, thank you to everyone who reads my blog whether this is your first you have ever read or your 4th or 5th or so on just thank you!!
Bye for now, see you shortly ;) .x