Movember

I just thought I'd let you know about something quickly.. I should be doing one of my assignments but I'm just going to take a quick break. November is pretty much over and throughout November, men everywhere have been taking part in Movember for charity - my dad being one of them.

As you can see, he has done very well and overall, he's managed to raise over £300. However, the charity still needs your help. I'd really appreciate it if you could spare a few pounds and donate to my dad - or just to the charity in general.

It really is for a great cause (to raise money and awareness for men's cancer, particularly prostate cancer).

Thank you in advance and well done to anyone else who has participated!

xxx

NOTD featuring Myleene Klass Nails

I'm no manicurist and I do struggle to do things with my nails - except paint them. However, I get bored pretty easily and therefore I'm constantly changing my nails or just keeping them plain and boring. Recently, a new craze has hit the UK and 'nail wraps' have been flying off the shelves - and I can see why.

Myleene Klass is also doing her own nail wraps and I was sent two different designs -silver glittery ones and dark red. I absolutely love these nail wraps, they're easy to apply, easy or remove, look beautiful and last a lot longer than nail polish does.

To apply, you just remove the nail wrap, find the right size to fit your nail, stick it onto your nail, flatten and file down to remove the edges - so simple. You even get a nail file in each pack! 

The image above is from two full days of wear and tear at work and they're still looking pretty good and going strong. I've had no end of compliments about my nails and I can't stop looking at them! The pictures don't do the shininess justice. They're perfect for Christmas and the best thing? They don't take forever to remove like everyday glitter polishes do.

These wraps are available here.

Have you tried any other nail wraps? Link me to your posts!

xxx

Quick Update

Just a quick update post!

I now work at Boots both Saturday's and Sunday's. It's a good job, I enjoy being around people and advising them on what products would suit them. However, I work long days and it's pretty tiring and my feet end up hurting!

I went out last night for the first time in 4 weeks - I know, what a bad student! 

I'm still loving university. I've met the most amazing people here and I know that they're going to remain my friends for life.

I still can't get over the fact that I danced onstage with Britney and whenever someone asks me about it, I start to tear up. It's also her 30th birthday soon (she's sold 200 million records so far and she's not even 30)! And her team have asked us fans to upload birthday messages to YouTube to show her at her birthday bash.. Here is mine (it's awful, as is the sound)

I have a lot of products to review and I'm excited for my up and coming posts. However, after just handing in my first assignments, I've now been set more. I'll try and find time but I can't guarantee it I'm afraid.

How is everyone?

xxx

For The Record

I've been ill this week so I've had a lot of spare time when I haven't been sleeping. So what do I do when I'm stuck in my room for the majority of the day? Watch Britney programmes of course.

My all time favourite Britney documentary has to be 'For The Record.' It was her first interview she did after her breakdown and it shows a lot of insight into who she is. It shows the real her. And the show has a lot of inspiration quotes.

For me as a fan, it's a shame that a lot of people make assumptions about Britney. They assume she took drugs during her breakdown, they assume it was all her fault, they assume she's stuck up and boring. But if they delve a little deeper, if they watched programmes such as FTR and read books on her, they'd understand her a little bit more. But I guess it's just the fans that know the truth. Although I'd love the whole world to know. Rant over!

Anyway, I've been feeling uninspired for writing beauty related posts recently and I just had to write about FTR because I've watched it so many times this week. So if you're interested and you've never seen the show, you can watch it here.

To me, everyone is interested in Britney Spears. There's no doubting the impact that she's had on the music industry and the world. She's been through a lot yet she's back on top and she did that whilst the majority of the world was against her.

xxx

TRESemme Split Remedy Review

If you read my blog often then you'll know how much I adore TRESemme. In fact, look through my haircare products and 90% of them will be TRESemme. It's just a brand that works for my hair - and it's very affordable too. TRESemme have recently introduced a new range called Split Remedy which includes 5 products that help keep split ends under control.

L-R Shampoo, Conditioner, Sealing Serum, Leave-In Treatment, Intense Recovery Masque.

First, I'll tell you a bit of background about my hair. It's very long and I don't get it cut. I don't get it cut because when I do, it just doesn't grow. So instead of getting it cut, I look after it really well and I'm prone to split ends. Before trying out this range, Herbal Essences Split End range was my saviour however, I do prefer the TRESemme range.

I've been using it for a while now - around 2 weeks. I do wash my hair everyday because my hair is prone to oilyness; I know it's bad and I should stop but I can't. Anyway, the shampoo and conditioner are perfect for everyday use and I don't get product build up when using them. The conditioner is also really great for adding moisture to my hair - but not a lot so that it's weighed down and greasy. The Intensive Masque is incredible. I use it every 3 days all the way through my hair and my hair feels beautifully soft but once again, not weighed down or greasy. I have to use hair masque's often so that my hair is kept in good condition and I think I've found my favourite. The treatment products are also fantastic. Once again, weightless and they don't leave my hair feeling greasy. But instead, shiny and sleek! I've also noticed a difference in my split ends - I don't have any. Normally, I'd have a few but I literally don't have any now and they're completely sealed which is fanastic.

My hair looks gorgeous - soft, sleek and incredibly healthy. The range also has a beautiful, light, natural smell and my sister even said to me 'you smell nice!' And it was because of my hair which is fabulous. I'm completely in love with this range and I think I've found my favourite hair care range! Found out more about the range here.

Another thing, a few months I went to the TRESemme and BNTM event with Rosalyn and Asma. I haven't yet wrote about it as I've been pretty busy since and it's sort of gone to the end of my 'to-do' list. However, I'll quickly write about it now. All three of us got our hair done by the wonderful Matthew Curtis. I of course went for curly hair as it's something that I can never re-create at home and I absolutely loved it. He's such an incredible hair stylist! And Rosalyn and Asma also looks beautiful too :)

I also took my mum with me and she had a fabulous time! It was great for her to find our more about blogging. She reads my blog but she doesn't know much about it. So it was an experience for her :)

What are your favourite TRESemme products?

xxx

X-Factor Verdict!

If you can remember last year, I gave you my X-Factor Verdict which you can view here. And I thought it'd be interesting to do it again as I'd love to know what everyone else thinks about X-Factor this year.

Kitty

Personally, I don't understand why everyone is so against Kitty. She hasn't done anything wrong in my eyes. She's a great performer with a wonderful voice and I'd like to see her go far. Oh and she's also a huge Britney fan which is always a plus ;)

Johnny 

I don't really know what to think of Johnny. For me, he's another Wagner yet with a 'better' voice.

Little Mix

I love these girls! They all have great voices and can really perform and work the audience. I especially loved their rendition of Katy Perry's ET.

The Risk

I'm definitely a Riskette! And I love them even more now that they have a new member. They can sing, can dance, can rap and they're hot!

Janet Devlin

Sorry guys, I'm not a Janet fan. I think she's incredibly boring and can only do one type of song. Also there are too many 'Janet's' out there right now - for example, Ellie Goulding. They all sound they same.. they only talk when they sing.

Misha B 

Misha is already the Queen. She's miles above everyone else and it seems as though she's already a star. She can work the stage, she can belt out a tune and she can rap. I love her.

Frankie

I have a bit of a soft spot for Frankie for some reason. I like that he's not boring and he doesn't stay in and do his homework type of thing. He may not have the greatest voice..but there's definitely something there.

Craig and Marcus

I decided to put these two together. I'm not a fan of these two at all. I'm not fond of their voices and for me, they kill songs easily. They're very overrated.

Sophie Habibis

Why has Sophie gone?! Ridiculous. She's wonderful.

My Favourites -

The Risk & Misha B

I Like -

Little Mix, Kitty, Frankie, Johnny

I Don't Like -

Janet, Craig, Marcus

What are your thoughts on this years X Factor? Who would you like to win? Who don't you like? What do you think of the new judges?

xxx


UPDATE 17/11/11 - this has now changed of course. But I've started liking Craig and Marcus. Gutted that The Risk, Kitty and Frankie have gone.

Sheer Cover Make Up Range

Whilst I've heard a lot about the Sheer Cover make up range, I'd never actually tried it out for myself. Mainly because as far as I'm aware, you cannot buy this make up range in shops and therefore you don't have the chance to play around with products and find out which colours suit you best. However, when I was given the opportunity to try out some products from the range, of course, I jumped at the chance.

 I received the Sheer Cover® Introductory VIP Kit which retails at £29.99 and includes 2x Mineral Foundation, Duo Concealer, Extra-Length Mascara, Base Perfecter, Foundation Brush, Concealer Brush and Sophisticate Face Palette.

 The concealer I received was in the colour light/medium and you can see the swatches above. I don't know if you can tell from the swatches but this concealer is very creamy and easy to work with. It also provides fantastic coverage, blends easily and covers up virtually everything. This is definitely my favourite product from the range and I use it daily with the concealer brush. As for the concealer brush, I'm not usually a fan of them as I have a lot to conceal and they're usually small. However, this concealer brush is amazing. It picks up and distributes the right amount of product onto the face and blends flawlessly. 

 This is the Sophisticate Face Palette; the casing is plastic and it looks very professional and expensive. It also comes with a huge mirror inside. Starting at the top left hand corner is a blush and it's in the colour Ginger. It's a really pretty neutral colour that has a gorgeous shimmer running throughout it that brightens the complexion. I'm a big fan of this blush and use it daily when I want a quick pick-me-up. Below the blush are two lipglosses in the colours Caramel Ice and Ballerina. My guess is that the pinky one is Ballerina. These lipglosses aren't very pigmented - but then again they are lipglosses. They're shimmery but don't add any colour to the lips and instead, just add a subtle highlight. They're really pretty but I don't love them. Next are the four eyeshadows. The top two are in the colours Sable and Pebble and the bottom two are in the colours Charcoal and Mauve. All four eyeshadows are really pretty, pigmented colours that have subtle shimmer running throughout them. They're easy to blend and work with however, they don't last long on the eyelid without a primer. 

Swatches - Ginger, Pebble, Sable, Ballerina, Caramel Ice, Charcoal, Mauve.

Next up I'm going to talk about the foundations. They're 100% natural minerals (as are everything within this range) and they're infused with skin-soothing botanicals, sun protection and anti-ageing ingredients to protect the skin from premature ageing. The range is also great for those with sensitive skin as it doesn't contain any oils, perfumes, dyes or talcs. I do like these foundations.. they provide buildable coverage and are easy to blend; they also reflect to light which minimises the look of fine lines and gives off a flawless finish. The foundation doesn't look cakey either and it lasts throughout the day. However for me personally, I prefer using liquid foundations. I have no idea why.. but I do. I find loose powder products a bit fiddly and a lot of effort - I guess I just need to get used to them. I do use the mineral foundation as a finishing powder though as it's great for adding an extra layer of coverage and mattifying the skin. The foundation brush that comes with this kit is also really good for applying the foundation and it distributes it well without caking one side of the face.

Next, the Base Perfecter is a wonder product. It smoothes imperfections, minimizes pores and also ensures that make up lasts throughout the day. I've tried a lot of primers in my time however, this is definitely my favourite. It preps the skin for make up beautifully. And finally the Extra Length Mascara; it's a wonderful mascara - the formula isn't too wet or too dry and it doesn't flake throughout the day. It also adds an awful lot of length to the eyelashes. However, that is all it does. It doesn't curl the lashes or add volume (which I wouldn't expect it to as that is not what the name says). But it's just a warning incase you're looking for an all rounder.

Products I Love - Duo Concealer, Concealer Brush, Blush in Ginger, Base Perfecter

Products I Like - Extra Length Mascara, Foundation (as finishing powders), Eyeshadows, Foundation Brush

Products I Don't Rate - Lip glosses

Has anyone else tried out this make up range? What are your thoughts? And do you have any tips on how I can fall in love with mineral foundation?

xxx