MAKE UP | Benefit World Famous Neutrals Most Glamorous Nudes Ever

Today I was featured on the UNiDAYS blog talking about the Benefit World Famous Neutrals Kit. It's something that I've been wearing every day on my eyes since buying it last week. I won't go into too much detail about it here, but if you want to find out my thoughts on this kit then you go visit the post here.

What's your favourite Benefit product?

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TAN | Cocoa Brown's 1 Hour Tan Mousse

Being a pale gal myself, one thing I love is fake tan. I'm constantly on the lookout for the "best" and as a result of this, I've trialled many. The latest to join the pack is Cocoa Brown's 1 Hour Tan Mousse. Usually, I'm not a fan of mousse tans, I tend to find them hard to use, however, I throughly enjoyed this one.

I started with the TOUGH STUFF Body Scrub* which almost instantly become my favourite ever body scrub. It's abrasive and really buffs away dead skin cells. In fact, you know when a scrub is so effective that it makes your hands go numb after scrubbing for a while? Yep, this one did that. It's incredibly satisfying. Despite being an abrasive scrub, it was gentle and didn't irritate or scratch the skin one bit. The best thing about this scrub though is the price. Two sachets are available from Feelunique for £4.50. I scrubbed my entire body down and I still have three quarters left - bargain.

After scrubbing myself down, I applied the One Hour Tan Mousse* to the Tanning Mitt* and spent a little while buffing and blending the tan into my skin. There is a small hint of a guidance colour to the tan but it's not the nasty orange colour that most leave behind. It's the fastest drying fake tan I've ever used and almost instantly, I could get dressed - thank god for no stickyness. There was also no awful biscuit smell left behind and the skin was left feeling very soft and if anything, moisturised.

The best thing about this tan though is that it develops into a light glow after just one hour. You can leave it on for longer (two hours = medium tan, three hours = dark tan) though if you wish. But even so, three hours for a deep tan is fabulous. To get the colour above, I left my tan on for about one and a half hours and it was the perfect winter colour for me - not too dark but it god rid of my paleness. I didn't have one streak on my body and it's fading nice and easily (with thanks to the body scrub). Despite being so fabulous, this tan retails for just £7.99 - the cheapest fake tan I've tried but without a doubt, one of the best.

What's your favourite fake tan?
*PR sample

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Dissertation help & giveaway

Right now, I'm in the middle of my dissertation and being a blogger, there was only one topic I could choose. That is the relationship between magazines and blogs, of course. This is where I need your help. For my research, I'm conducting surveys: one for bloggers, one for blog/magazine readers and one for PR companies/brands. The surveys are only 9 questions long and I'd love it if you could spare a few minutes of your time to take them. If you're a blogger and a blog/magazine reader, you can of course take them both if you wish. After you've completed the survey, please feel free to fill out the Rafflecopter form below and I will choose a winner in a few weeks time to win a hamper full of beauty products as a thank you.

If you're a blog/magazine reader, please take this survey.

If you're a blogger, please take this survey.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you do take either of the surveys, thank you so much! And I will keep you all updated on the findings.

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Collective Haul

Recently, I've been a woman on a mission. Since Christmas I've been spending and spending and spending. Which is pretty bad. But with a new year comes new collections and I just can't stop myself. Plus I've been on work experience for the past two weeks. 6:30am everyday?! I surely deserve a few treats. Like I said, this is a collective haul so I've purchased everything over the past month or so. I normally don't buy much for myself. Usually I get my money and it goes on car insurance, phone bill, braces and then food. So I most definitely have enjoyed buying myself some wonderful products.

Hair:

Most purchases were haircare items mainly because I've recently had it cut. Since getting my skin under control, I've been loving looking after my hair. The L'Oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening Shampoo - £3.99 is all over the blogosphere at the minute and after reading some incredible reviews, I couldn't not buy it. I haven't tried it yet but I'm extremely excited to, so I'll report back. My Moroccanoil ran out the other month which left me heartbroken. I couldn't bring myself to part with the hefty £31.85 price tag so instead, I bought the L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil UV Filter for All Hair Types - £9.99 which I've been loving. It does the exact same job as the Moroccanoil and comes in a prettier bottle. What's not to love?!

I bought the Bumble and bumble Surf Travel Set which was on offer for £4.50 (an absolute bargain considering it retails for £18). It comes with a mini shampoo, conditioner and Surf Spray - and when I say mini, I mean mini. I adore the Surf range and I'm going on a cruise in July so this will be perfect for it. Apparently, we're not allowed to take straighteners so I thought this little set will help leave my hair looking lovely and windswept. It's currently packed away in the bottom of my drawers - so tempting to use it. The Remington Keratin Therapy Round Brush - £9.99 was something I bought the day after I had my hair cut. It does a good job at getting volume into the hair but it does feels cheap to hold.

I also went a little bit crazy with Charles Worthington products. The Volume & Bounce Shampoo, Volume & Bounce Conditioner, Volume & Bounce Texturising Powder and Backcomb Brush came in a Christmas set that was reduced in the sale. It was down from £16 to £8 which is a wonderful price as the products alone would set you back £18 individually. I was going to buy the shampoo and conditioner on their own until I spotted this set - bargain. I then purchased the Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray - £6.99 using a voucher from the set. It's raved about a lot but I just can't seem to love it. It's okay but it's nothing mind blowing.

Skin and body:

I made a few repurchases because a few of my favourite skin care items had ran out. I've found a wonderful skin care routine that I'm now sticking too because it's working perfectly - no trying other products (except face masks etc) unless I really think they're going to benefit my skin. The Super Facialist Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil - £10.99 is something that I've raved about many times before on my blog. I absolutely love it, it removes all of my make up and brightens my complexion. It's also very good value for money. I then repurchased my favourite cleanser which is the Clearasil Ultra Blemish + Marks Wash and Mask - £5.79. I won't go into too much detail because I am planning on doing a full skin care routine soon. I also bought the Dove Original Beauty Cream Bar - £0.70 and Boots Frosted Travel Soap Box - £1.69 because although I love my shower gels, I do believe there's nothing better than a good old bar of soap for the more "intimate areas." 

Make up:

I've tried a few Benefit products in the past but at this current moment, I don't own anything by the brand. I bought the Benefit World Famous Neutrals Most Glamorous Nudes Ever Kit - £23.50 earlier today and I'm so excited by it. I'm going to be doing a review on UNiDAYS so I won't say too much but it's so pretty! I also repurchased one of my favourite foundations, ever (the other being VICHY's Dermablend) Estee Lauder's Double Wear - £27.50. I realised that I haven't done a proper review of this foundation on Bamboozle Beauty before so I will be getting round to it soon. I bought the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation - £8.99 after reading some wonderful reviews on it. I haven't had the chance to try this yet but I will say the colour range was very strange.

Phew, I thought that was never going to end! What have you been buying recently?

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Dentyl Active Mouthwash

When I first popped these mouthwashes into the bathroom, my housemate was pretty excited. She'd heard that you could see Dentyl Active* mouthwashes working in the sink. We quickly had a swig each and was amazed when, even after brushing our teeth, little tiny bits of plaque (that looked like cotton) were left behind in the sink.

There's a lot of scientific information when it comes to these mouthwashes and I'm not all that good with science. But basically they're alcohol free, scientifically proven to reduce plaque levels by 25%, contain three antibacterial agents, kills up to 99.9% of oral bacteria and removes food debris.

Being the only two phase active mouthwash in the UK, you have to shake this mouthwash well before use. There are two stages: a water-based stage that has a special antibacterial agent inside of it and an oil-based solution. Shaking combines the two and creates a solution that's much more powerful than the two individual parts. Bacteria joins up with the mouthwash so when it's rinsed out, you see deposits left in your mouth in the sink.

Pretty fancy right? The reason I loved using this mouthwash so much wasn't because of the whole "yuck, I can see left over food and bacteria coming out of mouth" thing (although it was impressive and fascinating). I loved the fact that this left my breath and mouth feeling ridiculously fresh. It has a lovely minty taste to it and because of this, it's become a welcome addition to my dental hygiene routine.

There are five different variaties of Dentyl Active that you can view and buy here. My favourite is definitely the 'clove' one (which did worry me at first as it reminded me of garlic). They retail for £3.15 and £4.30 each.

What's your favourite mouthwash?
*PR Sample

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BATH | LUSH Santa's Grotto gift set

Seeing as you can no longer buy this beautiful gift set, this post is way overdue. I usually hate blogging about things you can no longer get a hold of but it's too pretty not too! And I know that many of you went crazy in the LUSH sales so a few of you may have this gift set already. Plus, there's nothing wrong with admiring beauty, hey?!

I received this delicious gift set off of my mum for Christmas. I could already smell it through the wrapping paper before I opened it much to her dismay - damn me and my LUSH searching nose. The Santa's Grotto gift set retailed for £18.95 meaning that in the sale, it was an absolute bargain. I know it was on the sale page for a couple of days too so I do apologise for not getting this post up quicker - I blame Christmas.

Anyway, wrapped inside this gorgeous scarf were four festive bath ballistics: Cinders (one of my all-time favourites), Father Christmas (filled with refreshing mandarin oil), Secret Santa (with energising lime oil and a miniature Santa bomb inside) and Snowman (with is ridiculously nourishing). 

So far, I've used up Cinders and Snowman (which I've already reviewed here and here) however I've held off using the other two. The reason for this is that 1. I spent a lot of money in the LUSH sale so have many bath bombs to go through and 2. I'm unsure whether or not to photograph them and blog about them separately. I want to show off how pretty they look in the bath but I don't see the point if I'm honest as it's only going to make you all miss the delicious Christmas goodies LUSH had on offer this year. So let me know in the comments if you'd like me to review them separately and I will do. My camera is ready.

Did you receive any LUSH for Christmas?

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What I got for my 21st birthday

In case you didn't know, last week I turned 21. I had planned to get this post up earlier than today but my life has literally been incredibly hectic recently. I'm currently on work experience during the day and then catching up on university work at night - it's crazy but I'm loving it. Anyway, as I didn't show you what I got for Christmas, I thought I'd show you what I got for my birthday. I absolutely loved everything and I'm so appreciative for the gifts.

Starting off with my sister who was a sneaky little mare and pretended to have work on the eve of my birthday tea and then showed up as she'd secretly booked it off. She got me a Kindle which I've fallen head over heels in love with. I take it everywhere with me: downstairs, to bed, to work, in the bath. I adore it and it's already filled with stacks and stacks of books that I can't wait to read. In fact, since receiving it, I've read four books. Four books in a week. Crazyness! I then received the TRESemme hairdryer from her which I was so thankful for. My last hairdryer was on its last legs and this one is incredible. It dries the hair ridiculously quickly and it came with lots of other wonderful bits and bobs too.

From two thirds my dad and stepmum and one third my grandparents, I got the Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G lens which until the other day, I had no idea how to use it. But on work experience, the photographer gave me a masterclass and now, I can't stop snapping pictures of everything. The photos above weren't taken using this lens, however be prepared for some super cool photos very soon on this blog. It's wonderful and does exactly what I want it to in terms of photos for my blog. My dad and stepmum also took me out for a delicious meal at a fancy a la carte restaurant. The rest of my grandparents money went on Disco Pants (which I desperately needed), the D3100 book for Dummies, US InStyle magazine (as Britney is on the cover) and the pink blazer.

Off my mum and stepdad I got the beautiful rose gold Red Herring watch which hasn't left my wrist since, a badge, a wine glass, Lambrini (it's my favourite, don't judge), the Dorothy Perkins Dress and the clutch bag which I've fallen in love with. I'd been needing one for a while because I take the whole world out with me on nights out. This one is the perfect size and comes with two zips which for me is a necessity. The Lipsy bag was off my other grandparents which couldn't have come at a better time as I was desperate for a new bag. The 21st bear off my step grandparents, the gorgeous gold stud earrings from my other step grandparent and the champagne off my auntie. I also got a Kindle case off of my uncle however, it hadn't arrived when I took these pictures but it's just a gorgeous pink leather case. 

And I think that's everything but knowing me, I'll have missed something off of it. I love every single gift and seeing as my birthday is straight after Christmas, I couldn't believe how much I got. I know a lot of family will be reading this blog post so I'd just like to say a massive thank you for everything and I love you all.

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