Friday 28 January 2011

Mini Tesco Haul

I popped into Tesco earlier and of course I had a little look at the beauty aisle. Foundation is definitely my muse and seeing that Tesco had 1/3 (I do believe) off of their make up products caused me to purchase an 'impulse buy.' And then further down my sister noticed a new lip balm. After seeing a few reviews on this product around the blogosphere (and having a lip balm obsession) I soon snapped up two - one for me and one for my sister.

L-R Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in 100 Ivory, Nivea Pure & Natural Milk and Honey Lip Balm

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation
I've only just brought this today and as soon as I got home, I immediately applied it. Being a big fan of Rimmel's Stay Matte powder I had high expectations for this! And it's certainly lived up to them. This foundation is medium coverage that can be easily built up. It doesn't look cakey, it gives a completely matte look and it keeps shine at bay. So far I've had this foundation on 4 hours and my skin is still shine free and it looks as good as it did when I first applied it. A definite winner for me so far.

Nivea Pure & Natural Milk and Honey Lip Balm
I have read nothing but good reviews about this lip balm so I was expecting a lot from it. It moisturises just as well as the original Nivea Lip Balm which is amazing. However, I was expecting more taste from it and to be honest, it barely tastes of anything which is a disappointment for me. But seeing as it moisturises well, I'll definitely keep using it. I just hope it grows on me a bit...

xxx

Halo Hair Extensions

Hello :)
Recently I was contacted by Halo to see if I'd be interested in trying out some of their hair extensions. Of course, I quickly jumped at the chance because I've always wanted hair extensions but I've never been able to afford them. I had a nosey around the site and decided on these ones to try out.

First of all, I love the box the extensions come in! Don't ask me why, I just think it's nice that the logo/website is printed onto the box haha.

The extensions come with 2 medium size pieces which are 6" wide and have 2 clips.

4 small pieces that are 2" wide with 1 clip. 

And 2 big pieces that are 8" wide with 3 clips. 

And I thought I'd include a picture of the clips for you. 

From the left to the right you can see the hair extension the way it arrived. In the middle is the hair extension straightened with GHD's and on the right is the hair extension curled with GHD's. 

These are not inserted properly into the hair, I've just quickly clipped them in to give you a better idea of what the extensions look like..
 

These extensions retail at £39.99 for 8 pieces and they're 16" long and human hair. This is just an introductary post as I will be having a play around with them and filming videos, writing reviews on them. So keep an eye out!

Has any one else tried extensions before?
xxx

Sunday 23 January 2011

January Favourites

Johnson's Baby Skincare Wipes, Tresemme 24 Hour Body Shampoo, Vichy Normaderm Moisturiser, Natural Collection Mango and Papaya Body Spray, Lush Bubblegum Lipscrub, 17 Wild Curls Mascara, Natural Collection Lip Liner in Almond, Bare Minerals High Shine Colour in Glisten, MAC Lipstick in Kinda Sexy, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, Accessorize Merged Blusher in Pretty Pink, MAC Sheertone Blush in Pink Swoon.

I'm currently rediscovering Johnson's Baby Wipes after finding them on offer in Boots for just £1. They remove eye make up wonderfully and leave my skin feeling soft and soothed, they also smell beautiful - but remember, these aren't a substitute for cleanser! I love Tresemme hair care, it's my favourite and this shampoo never fails to impress me. My thin, flat hair always looks volumised after this has been used. I have a love/hate relationship with Vichy Normaderm moisturiser, some months I love it, others I hate it. But this month it's been a firm favourite of mine as it moisturises my skin but also controls shine and eliminates my pores. The Natural Collection body spray is something that I use every day - I've even had compliments on the way I smell. For just £1.99 it's a definite must have. And even if you don't like Mango and Papaya, they do a variety of different smells.

As for make up, Lush's Bubblegum lip scrub works wonders on my lips and leaves them feeling soft and ready for lipstick (especially as I've been wearing matte lipstick all month)! It also tastes yummy. I'm loving 17's Wild Curl mascara as it lengthens, defines, volumises and also curls my lashes, it's great for every day! Rimmel's Stay Matte powder is my all time favourite as it really does leave my skin completely matte and shine free - which is great for my horribly oily skin.

L-R Natural Collection Lip Liner in Almond, Bare Minerals High Shine Colour in Glisten, MAC Lipstick in Kinda Sexy, MAC Sheertone Blush in Pink Swoon, Accessorize Merged Blusher in Pretty Pink.

I've never owned a lip liner and I thought that it was about time that I did. So I decided to buy a Natural Collection one as it only cost me £1.99. It's a bit hard and not very nice to work with but it's practically the same colour as my lips and makes lipstick easier to apply and also lasts longer. I'm loving Bare Minerals eyeshadow in my crease for when I go out at night time, it's really vibrant and shiny and looks beautiful. Of course, MAC's Kinda Sexy lipstick is my all time favourite at the moment, it's great for day night and night time - so versatile. I love it! As for these two blushes, they pair very well together and can be built up depending on when they're being used!

What products have you been loving this month?
xxx

Feeding my Lip Balm obsession..

Here is my lipbalm collection as of 23/01/11.. And I want it to grow even more! I say lip balm but there is my lip scrub making an appearance in the back there. Oh and in case you haven't noticed, I've been taking some pictures on a different background - it's my new bedding :) cute right!

 
L-R Soft Lips Spiced Vanilla, Lip Smacker Coca Cola

First of all, I love the Soft Lips lip balm. The packaging is small, practical and looks cute and the balm itself contains SPF 20. Also it tastes and smells gorgeous. My sister says it stings her lips, which I do agree, but it doesn't bother me that much. It's also incredibly moisturising. This cost me around £2-£3.

The second one is one that my sister brought me from Primark for £1.50. They have a variety of flavours including Sprite, Coca Cola Vanilla and Cherry and Fanta. But I had to pick up Coca Cola seeing as I love Pepsi (not quite the same brand but you get the picture). This smells and tastes exactly like Coca Cola - it's so strange! It's not the most moisturising of the bunch and definitely will not help with chapped lips but if you use it before applying lipstick it will ensure a beautiful application.

Anyone tried out these lip balms? Any recommendations?
xxx

Wednesday 19 January 2011

Accessorize Merged Blusher

When I went down to Epsom for my university interview on Sunday/Monday I went into Superdrug and saw that they had the new Accessorize make up range. I've been wanting to try out one of their blushes for a while now so I picked up one in 3-Pretty Pink.

I adore this packaging! Not only is it pretty and girly but it's also sturdy and feels very strong.

This colour is so beautiful. It's a pale pink that has shimmer running throughout it and also purple veins. I don't know what the purple veins add to the colour but it still looks pretty!

This colour can be built up to be used a blush or used lightly for a highlight. Personally, I like using it as a blush for day and then a highlight for night time. It's just so pretty!

I apologise for my horrible skin! It's getting better though :) You can't see it very well but you can see that the blush adds a touch of colour and really reflects the light! Lovely :)

What pieces would you recommend from this range?
xxx

Under-Eye Concealer Routine

When I posted up which concealers I used I was asked what I do with my Benefit It Stick and Eye Bright so I thought I'd do a little routine and show you all how I do my under-eye concealer!

L-R Benefit Eye Bright, Benefit It Stick

L-R Benefit Eye Bright, Benefit It Stick

My bare eye...scary!

First I apply a strip of Benefit's Eye Bright

After Benefit Eye Bright has been applied

Then I apply Benefit's It Stick on top

And the final product! It's really quick, simple and covers my dark circles, under eye bags and also brightens up my eye area!

Which concealers do you use around your eyes?
xxx

Sunday 9 January 2011

Concealers I'm Loving..

Concealer is an important part of my everyday make up routine. This is because I have redness, acne scarring, under eye bags and even though the majority of my spots have cleared up, I still get the odd one. I tend to use a medium coverage foundation and then use concealer to 'correct' these areas.

L-R Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection, No7 Quick Cover Blemish, Benefit It Stick, Benefit Eye Bright 
Swatched in the same order as above.

I don't know if it's very clear from the pictures above but the Collection 2000 one is definitely the creamiest. It blends like a dream and provides full on coverage. I use this on spots that are sort of dry as it keeps them hydrated. Another great thing about this concealer is that it really does last a long time which is great for my combination skin. The No7 one is pretty drying but it still provides good coverage and for this, I use it on my scarring. Another problem with this one is that it's very hard to blend and it makes it hard work - sometimes it even blends to nothing. I do like it, but I think it's hard work and therefore I'm on the lookout for another concealer for my scarring. The It Stick and the Eye Bright are what I use around my eye area. Both of these are gorgeously soft and easy to blend and they literally cover everything. After using these under my eyes, no one would have any idea that I had barely any sleep!

What concealers do you use? If any? And do you have any recommendations for concealers that are high strength for covering scarring?
xxx

Wednesday 5 January 2011

Stylish Blogger Award

I've received the Stylish Blogger Award from Facefixers! If you haven't seen the blog yet then go and check it out - it's very good :) I haven't received an award in such a long time so it was nice when I was told that I had one waiting for me so thank you!
7 things about myself:
1. I love animals! Especially cats. And not just small cats, but big cats too :)
2. I'm currently in college doing my A Levels and I hope to be going to university in September.
3. I'm going to see Katy Perry in March with my sister!
4. I love Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears.
5. I play on COD Zombies with my sisters a lot and I love it!
6. My favourite film ever is Shutter Island.
7. I love reading books - as long as they're good.

7 blogs I'm awarding this to:
Zoella - I'm so glad she's not ill anymore, I've missed her blogging.

xxx

MAC Kinda Sexy dupe?

I recently purchased MAC's matte lipstick in 'Kinda Sexy' and I absolutely love it - it's definitely my favourite lipstick so far. Of course this year I want to expand my collection a bit more so hopefully I'll find more that I love. After having a close inspection, I couldn't help but realise that it looked like a few ELF lipsticks that I have so here are some swatches for comparison.
Top - ELF Bare Brown
Left - Revlon Colorburst Blush
Middle - MAC Kinda Sexy
Right - ELF Rosy Raisin
Bottom - ELF Royal Red 
Out of these swatches the colour it is most similar to is definitely Revlon's Colorburst lipstick in Blush. One of the main differences though is that MAC's is a matte whilst Revlon's has some shine to it. I also definitely prefer the formula of MAC's lipsticks to Revlon's as they last a lot longer! 

Would you class this as a dupe?
xxx

Sunday 2 January 2011

The Saturdays Our Story

A while back I did a post on The Saturdays and I mentioned that I had my eye on their book and luckily, I received it for Christmas off my sister :)! I know a few of you commented saying you liked them to so for you (and anyone else interested) I thought I'd show you some pictures from their book!

Each chapter is like a big interview with all of the girls!
My favourite - Mollie!
Lots of colour pictures.
And quotes :)
Autographs
Yay for Britney and HSM!
My favourite picture of them all - Britney's star!
And there's even beauty tips.

You can buy this book here where it's currently on sale!

Has anyone read this book or want to read it?
xxx

Saturday 1 January 2011

Remington Volumiser Hot Brush CB65

I got this brush a while ago in a big swap and for a few weeks, I had no idea what to do with it. But after practising I have finally got the hang of it and I love it. I haven't taken a picture of it but if you'd like to see what it looks like click here. It's a massive brush and it adds volume to your hair and also curls a little. It's incredibly easy to use but sometimes it does tug at the hair and hurts a little but this has only happened about once or twice.

This is the kind of effect that it creates. Whilst I haven't done my whole head (I've just done a few sections) you can see what it does. It adds loose curls and a lot of volume! Please do excuse my roots in these photos by the way - it's not me, it's from the sun in our so called 'summer' ;).

I've been wanting the new Babyliss brush for a while now and after seeing Nicoletta's review it's definitely something I want to get with my birthday money. Has anyone tried any hot brushes?
xxx