kerrys beauty bloggings :)

George at Asda Makeup!

2010-11-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

You can imagine my excitement when i nipped into Asda to find their new makeup range 'George' being displayed. They have always had their own brand of makeup- which to be honest i have never really looked twice at (apart from their black kohl liner which was suprisingly good), especially as they were always cellophaned up in packaging and there was no way of cheekily testing the products! Good job they finally decided to display the makeup on a stand!

It seems Asda have released a whole new selection of makeup- and repackaged (and perhaps reformulated?) some of their old line. There is a wide range of lipsticks, blushes, lipglosses, highlighters, cream foundation, nail polishes, eyeshadows, kohl liners, liquid liners etc, available.

I only picked up the above two items, a lipgloss tube in 'bubblegum', and a nail polish in 'frostbite' after being overwhelmed by everything on offer! The gloss is a pinky nude colour, glossy and not sticky- bargain at £2.50! The polish is also as good, two coats for an opaque baby blue look, the polishes are £1.50!

I was also impressed by their blushes and highlighter- hello to another benefit high beam dupe! They also have some shimmer bricks available (a blusher & bronzer if i can remember correctly!) which look really nice; everything in this range is about £1-5 so its definitely worth checking out and i am definitely going to be picking up alot more items in this range. Id love to see how good their cream foundation is!

Anyone else found this range in their local asda? What do you think?

Fearne Cotton's Hat Box- A Review.

2010-11-23T10:19:00.000-08:00

As soon as i saw this advertised on the Boots website i knew it had to be mine!

Reduced from £40 to £20 this gorgeous vintage inspired box includes a lipstick, two eye pencils, an eyeliner/smudger, four glosses, two pigments/glitters, a makeup bag, leopard print puff, mascara, and five eyeshadows contained in a mirroed compact.

I only wanted it for the box, originally! It fits the theme of my bedroom completely- the hat box is covered in a vintage floral print, with embellished skulls, it is gorgeous! I have never tried any of the Fearne Cotton range of make-up at Boot's before, and i have been pleasantly suprised!

Firstly there are the four lip glosses. These glosses are fairly sticky, the pink glittery one especially- think MAC dazzleglass. You also get a clear gloss, an opaque deep red, and a champagne nude with reflects. These are all really nice, and definitely wearable, although the red not so much for me! You get 1,7g in one of those annoying twist-up tubes where you always squirt out more product than needed, but i can live with that!

The lipstick included is probably my favourite item! Its a nude pink colour-similar to MAC Creme cup- encased in a gold tube with an embellished skull. (oh how i love those skulls!) The lipstick i find quite moisturising, with a cremesheen like finish. It matches perfectly with the nude lipgloss.

Another thing i love is the mirror compact! This black glossy compact contains five shadows, all of good pigmentation. A metallic jade green, a glittery gold, a cream to highlight, a sparkly black and a bronze. All you need for a smokey eye- though i would have loved the green to have been a purple or a brown! They blend fairly easily, for a drugstore brand.

Next are the two pigments. One a white shimmery pigment with a golden duo chrome- very similar to Vanilla pigment from MAC, only more glittery. The second a mauve with silver shimmer- this is really pretty and looks great for a smokey eye! I would recommend these pigments!

The box also contains two eye crayons, a mascara, and an eyeliner. The eye crayons are much the same to the Barry M crayons, the metallic green is very easy to blend and is very soft, as oposed to the matte purple colour (which looks black in the crayon) which is hard and not easy to blend at all. These make a good base for an eye look- though i think ill stick with my paintpots.

The mascara is okay, not the best ive used but by far not the worst. As its sample size its difficult to use as the wand is so small, but i can see it being handy for night out top-ups. The black eyeliner is also good- easy to smudge out with the smudger the other end, and pigmented, though its not the blackest eyeliner i have ever used.

All in all i really like this! The makeup is suprisingly good quality for the most part, the lipstick is a must have for any nude freak like me! The hat box is a plus and will look great on my dresser too :) £40 seems ridiculous in all honesty, but i think £20 is a steal, 8/10. if you like it go get it now as its only half price till Friday 26th Nov in Boots!!

(i will add swatches asap!)

Spa Paradisa Passionfruit Body Scrub

2010-07-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

(image from superdrug,com)

I am a huge fan of body scrubs, they are great for leaving your skin smooth and important to use before fake tanning. I have used so many in the past, but i have found one that i will definitely be repurchasing!

I was a big fan of Soap and Glory's Flake Away. That smells divine, but i never liked how it left an oily layer on the skin afterwards, not ideal if you need to fake tan. So i spotted this tub of body scrub which stated it was perfect for exfolaiting before tanning.

Spa Paradisa is a relatively new brand on the market i believe, i had never seen this instore before, so i brought this online from Superdrug, not knowing how it smelt. I was pleasantly suprised! It smells exactly like passionfruit. It reminds me of cocktails! It really does smell so nice! It isnt as coarse as some scrubs i have used before, but it is ideal for giving exfoliation before tanning, or even moisturising.

It leaves your skin really soft and smooth, smelling lovely, and it doesnt leave such a greasy layer afterwards. I would definitely recommend it to everyone! They have other items in the range including a Body Butter and Body Balm which i am definitely going to check out!

This is currently on offer in Superdrug for £5!

NOTD!- GOSH Holographic

2010-07-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

I have never been a fan of shimmery/glittery/sparkly nail polishes. I dont know why, i have always only ever owned cream polishes- pastel lilacs, baby pinks, powder blues. Ever since my first OPI laquer 'Done out in Deco', i have been obsessed with creamy lilac colours! However since following blogs such as Scrangie its hard not to like polishes you wouldnt otherwise look at!

I love the idea of nail foiling, i just think it looks sophisticated and glamorous! Though applying nail foils is quite tedious and the results dont always last as long. Id been looking for a good polish that has this effect, like molton metal! This is where GOSH comes in!

I'd seen GOSH Holographic polish mentioned on a few blogs recently, and thought id go check it out- the pictures i had seen online seemed too good to be true;

My picture really doesnt do it justice, its hard to capture it in different lights, the only way you'll see is if you see it in real life! It is truly amazing! It has a silver base with holographic glitters running through it, indoors it looks 'duller', for lack of a better word, but in the sun it glistens, and it looks so pretty! It has the same effect of nail foiling, with less hassle.

In terms of consistancy it is quite difficult to work with i found. It is quite streaky, and dries quite quick. I had to do 4 thin coats to get it completely even, though i am a perfectionist and you could probably get away with two coats. Finishing with a top coat really enhances the polish.

I would definitely recommend this from GOSH- it retails for around £5 from Superdrug, they always have offers on too!

NOTD! Ft.China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy.

2010-07-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

Just thought i'd share some recent nails of the day with you. I am totally OBSESSED! with my nails since growing them out again, i cant go two days without changing my manicure!

I recently purchased China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy, i believe this is from the spring/summer collection. Its a very bright, neon pink. Definitely not a colour i would usually go for, but it is so nice, its not a fuscia pink, its almost a creamy neon if that makes sense! it looks amazing on toes!

This was my first ever China Glaze polish, and i love it! Its quite opaque and easy to work with, you need a good 3 coats to get this one even though, and it dries completely matte - so you need a good topcoat to make it glossy unless you wanna rock the matte look. Seche Vite is my best friend!

I used my konad plate to achieve this zebra print, with white special polish;

and leopard print;

I love the contrast of the neon and white, i never want to take it off!

Review: St Moriz Tanning Mousse

2010-06-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

So ive had this in my cupboard for about 4 months now, and ive always been too scared to use it. Until today! I was reading a review of this over on Chloe's blog and for some reason was totally inspired to go tan myself up!

I went and brought a Boots tanning mit (£2.33- bargain!), exfoliated, moisturised my knees and toes, and with much anticipation began applying. I only applied it to my legs on first application, my arms aren't as pale! It applies pretty easily with the mit, it dries fairly quickly too so youll need to get a move on, i found myself using quite a few pumps as the colour wasnt as dark as i expected. I left it for about 5 hours, showered, and voila, my super pale legs now have a nice golden tan to them. Not so obvious that youd be able to tell it was fake tan, but just enough to give the warmth and colour i desired! I didnt notice an overly biscuity smell either.

This was the first time id ever applied a 'proper' fake tan as i call it, ive previously used gradual tanners, and a gradual spray one from garnier, but i was always too afraid of trying a tan like this as i am just so pale i was scared of being tangoed'!

I can safely say i will be repurchasing. Its so easy, even if you arent experienced at applying tan. Its cheap at £3.99 a bottle; available at TKMaxx, TJHughes or Home Bargains apparently. And if you search around online you can get it for even cheaper.

Id 100% recommend if you are in the market for a new tanner, especially if you are pale and scared to try something new!

Anyone else tried this?

Blixz Nail Foil review.

2010-05-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

I am completed addicted to nail varnish, i dont know why i feel the need to own the same colour nail polish ten times! Anyway, I wanted to try something different on my nails and had heard alot about nail foils.

Beaut.ie recently did a post reviewing Blixz nail foils, (the post can be found here http://beaut.ie/blog/?p=23090) and i was taken in by how gorgeous the gold foil looked! Blixz are a range of ultimately, stickers for the nails, available in lots and lots of different patterns. I opted for the gold and black leopard print decals, which cost £9.99 from www.idealbeautyproducts.com.

Post application.

I found the application not-so-easy to be honest. The foils themselves are massive, so it takes a good ten minutes per decal cutting them to fit your nail. Also the foils were thicker than i expected, i expected tin-foil like foils but they are just like plastic stickers. Oh and did i mention that you get 16 foils per pack, so only enough for one manicure, why they didnt just include another four is beyond me! After cutting them down they are fairly easy to secure to your nail, just pressing down with the end of some tweezers did the trick for me, and i then filed the tips to neaten them up. I also coated a few of them with a top coat to see if that would improve the durability- but it didnt.

So how long did it last? Two days. Two days before i peeled them off because the tips had curled up alot, and it made my nails feel rough and untidy. It was nice while it lasted though, and i had a million comments on how nice my nails looked.

I dont really know if i applied them wrong in any way, maybe im just too fussy and expected them to look perfect for about a week, even though the website states; ''The wafer thin plastic films stay on for weeks, no splitting no scratching no smearing''!!!! Lies!

Would i buy these again? Not from Blixz, as i think £9.99 for a two day manicure is ridiculous, and you could probably achieve the same effect with a konad kit. (review of that to come soon!) I have since spotted various nail foil sets aound the internet, that are way cheaper and include more foils-so i might give them a try! But i do really really love the look of foiled nails, it looks sophisticated and glamorous imo!

Id love to know if anyone has/will try these!

Topshop cream blush in 'Flush'

2010-05-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

Much of the anticipated topshop line didnt really interest me, and i wasnt one of the hundreds of people queuing around the makeup stand in topshop grabbing what i could! I know im a bit late on this bandwagon! but i wanted to wait and see what the 'must haves' were!

The cream blushes were the most recommended product; i picked up the colour 'flush' which is a rose pink with a slightly coral undertone. In real life its slightly brighter than the image above, but its the perfect shade of pink when blended onto the cheek! It also works great as a lipstick! I have been wearing it for a good 4/5 hours and it is still visible although i can see a touch up being needed soon! For £6 these are a definite bargain, i advise everyone to go check them out!

I also picked up the 'parma violet' nail polish, another lilac to add to my collection! This is almost an exact colour to eyekos 'lilac polish' which i already own (which is £3). Application i found was quite runny, and sheer. I wont be repurchasing anymore as i dont think they are worth £5!

Nothing else from the line appealed to me, 'desert' lipstick looked great on the internet, but the reviews put me off!

What did you pick up?

First MAC shadows..

2010-05-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

Your probably reading this thinking what? you dont have any mac eyeshadows? and no i didnt until today! I guess ive always thought they were overpriced, and very dupable from other brands. Dont get me wrong i love mac, their lipsicks i have an array of, and i love their blushes/bronzers/msfs/pigments, and i do own a few mineralised eyeshadows, but never any from their permanent line.

My everyday makeup is a neutral smokey-ish eye, and i have a variety of palettes to create my desired look; body shop shimmer cubes, stars makeup haven palette, and other random rimmel shadows. I basically own all neutral colours, so dont ask me why my first three MAC shadows were all neutral..

I thought it was time i went into MAC and looked at them properly, since i always order online normally as the nearest store is a good drive away, i rarely get to swatch the shadows. The shadows i picked up were; woodwinked, naked lunch, and sable. All staple shadows for a neutral eye person!

Swatches are shown below, apologies how poor the images are-blame my blackberry!

First is myth lipstick which i also picked up, not as drying as i expected but i think i can still only wear it with a gloss. Naked lunch, sable, woodwinked.

I am absolutely in love with these! Ive wanted naked lunch for as long as i can remember, and it is the perfect all over lid colour. Sable is just as nice, the perfect crease colour, and woodwinked a warm bronze, perfect for summer. Im sure you all know how pigmented and smooth they are, and they are; whether they are any better than some of my other shadows (particularly stars makeup haven) is yet to be decided, but they are amazing! In conclusion? I'm now obsessed, and have an unrealistic dream of owning every MAC eyeshadow. 3 down only 140 to go?!

Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronzer Mist Review!

2010-05-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

I have always had really pale skin. Even when i go on holiday abroad i return as white as i did when i left, as i just burn (badly!) in the sun! Ive never really been that bothered though. Ive never used a proper fake tan in my life, and i was happy to embrace my paleness!

Ive tried a few gradual self tans, hoping to give myself a 'summer glow', but ones ive tried i have been disappointed with. Doves Summer Glow was the first gradual self tan i tried, and i didnt like it; it left my skin feeling sticky, smelly, and took far too long to apply to my whole body! I also recently tried the L'oreal Nutri Summer gradual tan, and though this is a nice moisturiser the smell is terrible after an hour or so, and i dont fancy walking around smelling like a digestive biscuit thank-you-very-much.

I picked up a can of 'Garnier Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronzing Mist' in Superdrug while it was on offer (£6 i believe) for 'fair skin'. I also grabbed a can of the face mist, as apparently you cant use the normal one for your face. (Marketing con, or fact?)

I absolutely love this product, like really. It gives my skin a lovely healthy glow. Not so much an in yer' face tan, but the look of healthy, been in the sun skin. Being as fair as i am i was very tentitive to spray this onto my skin. Its invisible so you cant see where you are applying it, but it dries instantly, which is a big selling point for me. Who wants to sit around naked for an hour waiting for a self tan to try? Its also really easy to spray on yourself, you can reach everywhere, and by doing small circular motions over your skin you get an even non streaky tan.

Results can be seen after 4-5 hours i would say, and the idea is you build up to your desired tan by using it everyday, then 'top-up' once or twice a week thereafter. I have been using this for just under a week, been using it most days and i have seen a noticable different in the depth of the tan on my skin. Its not the slightest bit orange, streaky, or patchy, and looks just great.

As for the smell, well i cant really detect one. It has a slightly typically 'biscuity' smell to it, but seeing as its not a wash off tan you can simply shower after a few hours and any residue of smell will go.

Tips:

-remember to exfoliate all over your body before with a good scrub

-apply a body moisturiser to ankles, toes, fingers, elbows, knees..etc. beforehand

-dont forget to wash the bottom off your feet/hands after applying (I had an incident where i applied it whilst standing on a laminate floor and i obviously walked through it throughout the day and i woke up with literally black feet-ha!)

-gradually apply day by day rather than going over-board on first application!

Overall i would definitely reccomend this, and i am definitely going to repurchase!

Eldora Lashes!

2010-04-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

(Clockwise from top C107, C143, H105, B131, C105)

I love false eyelashes. I can't leave he house without wearing them thesedays, they are so easy to apply and instantly make your eyes look wide and pretty!

Eldora lashes have been doing the rounds, so to speak, on blogs over the past few weeks, and i was really intrieged to try some out. I usually buy the girls aloud lashes (cheryl and nadine being my fave!), but at £5 a go its an expensive habit when you get through as many as i do!

Eldora are a new beauty line based in Manchester, selling a variety of natural, fancy dress, glow in the dark, coloured, you name it, lashes. The few lashes i picked up were about £3 each, a total bargain youd agree!

I admit i was dubious as to how good quality they would be, but i am completely suprised as to how nice they are, i will definitely be buying more!

Here are the ones i picked up...

Firstly i brought the 'Criss Cross Smoky Lash Set', a set of 4 lashes. These cost £9.50. (thats £2.37 each!)

They include two black lashes, and these two 'coloured' brown ones (C105, C107). Brown lashes are something i never would have tried but my own lashes are not jet black, so wearing brown lashes just makes it look more natural!

I love the criss-cross design as they look fuller and thicker!

C143. These seem to be blended with dark brown and black hairs to create a more natural look, probably my fave pair!

I also picked up a pair of human hair lashes as i was intrieged to compare. I picked up H105, which are very long lashes. I will update this later with pics with them on, i was just so excited i had to share with you!

All lashes include eyelash glue aswell, although i have my own eyelash glue which i always use.

I would definitely reccommend these if you currently are spending £5/6 on lashes. I dont think i will go back to buying them in shops again!

Eldora lashes are available from http://www.eldorashop.co.uk/ and offer free shipping for the UK :)

Britney Spears Perfume!

2010-04-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for celeb perfumes; Avril Lavigne, Paris Hilton, J-Lo i love them all, but Britney Spears' 'Curious' perfume has always been my favourite ever perfume. Ever since i first sprayed it on holiday in Majorca 6 years ago i have worn it religiosuly. I am probably on my tenth bottle now! Its available really cheaply now, and it smells so nice; sweet and feminine, and i love how it reminds me of that holiday all that time ago!

This always seems the least talked about Britney perfume, however. Her 'Fantasy' scent seems to be most popular, although i really dislike this scent! Infact 'Curious' was the only fragrance by Britney i liked, untill the other day...

Introducing..

Britney Spears 'Midnight Fantasy'. I had always overlooked this scent as i really didnt like 'Fantasy', or even 'Hidden Fantasy', but i cant believe how much i like it. Its almost as nice as curious, and i have gone through half a bottle in about a week. Ridiculous!! It smells very sweet, it reminds me of sugar kali (that you dip in liquorice) but i love it so much! Its also so cheap, i have just brought myself another bottle!

Just though id share with you my new fave scent! Anyone else love Britney perfumes?

The Body Shop.. how can you be so cheap?!

2010-04-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

images stolen from thebodyshop.com,

although im sure they wont mind :)

So I received my Body Shop 25% voucher in an email today, and I had to order, well it would be rude not to! I wasnt aware of just how many savings I made until i went to the checkout, check this out...

I ordered a range of their infamous tea tree products,

Tea tree Cleanser £4.50

Tea tree toner £4.50

Tea tree lotion £6.00 (reduced to £1!!!)

and a few other items,

Foundation brush £11.50

Amlika leave in conditioner £5.00

so all of this should have come to £31.50 right? no!

I gained:

*25% off everything for spending over £25 (enter code 'SPRING25')

*£5 off because I'd brought three skincare items

*FREE delivery +

*FREE Grapefruit Body scrub! (worth £12.50) (which i wasnt actually sent, but after a swift exchange of emails they apologised and sent me a full size body butter of my choice as they had ran out of the grapefruit body scrubs!- top marks for customer service TBS!)

it all came to a mere £19!! unbelievable!

I always had a great experience shopping online with the body shop, a few months back i made an order and was amazed at the discounts I got at the checkout!

So its definitely a time to make that order like never before!!

Whats your favourite moisturiser?

2010-04-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

I've never really been one for buying expensive moisturisers. In fact i dont think I have ever spent more than £5 on one! For me, i'd rather spend money on high end makeup; foundations, lipsticks, something which is noticible to the eye.

I'm currently using Simple's Light Moisturiser, this retails at around £3.50 from boots. I like this. It does its job to moisturise my dry-ish skin, but I can't help but ponder if i can get 'better' results from a high end moisturiser.

I've recently been testing a new cleanser from Estee Lauder and I really like it, and i am considering purchasing their moisturiser for dry skin, as my current moisturiser has nearly ran out, but it retails for £32!

So i'm wondering if its really worth paying 10 x the amount to buy a product which may effectively just do the same, what do you think?

Whats your favourite moisturiser?

Alice is not in my wonderland!

2010-03-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

The latest creation from Urban Decay has had beauty obsessives everywhere swooning for their newest palette, the Alice in Wonderland palette. This offers 16 eyeshadows, 2 24/7 eyeliners and a small decal of their impressive primer potion. Not only this, but a cute pop up display of Alice in her Wonderland. All for £28. Enough to make any girl weak at the knees, right?

Not mine! I havent purchased this, and thats not because its all sold out, but because it really doesnt appeal to me that much.

The whole Alice in Wonderland trend is massive this season, its on the catwalks, showcased in cosmetics brands everywhere, and ive seen endless jewellery collections based on the newly released Alice in Wonderland 3D movie. (No i havent seen that yet either!) But for me the offerings amongst cosmetic brands just arent that appealing.

Paul and Joe have released a twin set of Alice goodies, blotting sheets and a lip treatment stick. Available in cute tins ill give them that, but i cant help but think they could have created more realistic products for usage. Ive never used a blotting sheet in my life, and the lip treatment stick i just wish was an opaque lipstick. That milky coral would have been so nice!

Then theres Urban Decays offering of a palette. 16 colours, all of which are re-named shadows, which myself and you probably own anyway. (I have the deluxe palette btw, which i adore) Two eyeliners, which are actually amazing, but which again i own already, and a primer potion which i again, own. Dont get me wrong i absolutely love Urban Decay as a brand, they are different, unique, and totally for me, but am i really the only person who isnt as excited about this palette as everyone else?

I hate the idea of palettes in general. I have several, and there is always that one shadow you absolutely love more than the others which you inevitably end up using before the rest, not to mention how many palettes i have in my everyday makeup bag because i cant depot my faves into one palette! Not only this, but i think the pop up 'Alice in Wonderland' scene is quite impractical. Id never open it to look at it, i would only pull out the draw (which is detachable) to use the shadows. So this palette would be wasted on me.

If your an Urban decay newbie, maybe this will take your fancy, its worth a look into, but for enthusiasts of Urban Decay this is just a new take on an old palette of colours, just with added Alice Wonderfullness, that just isnt worth the cash.

Anyone with me?

My current faves: Mascaras!

2010-02-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

I am always on the look out for new mascaras, and i rarely re-purchase a mascara as i eagerly try new brands and formulas. However recently i have been using a combinaiton of two mascaras, ones i have actually re-purchased about 3/4 times!

My fave mascara, probably ever (for the moment anyway!) is Maybelline, The Collosall.

There was a lot of positive media attention given to this when it first came out, and it deserved it! I soon jumped on the band wagon and brought it and I absolutely love the results of this. It is perfect if you want curled, seperated lashes. The wand is very chunky in itself, big wand= good results, in my opinion, and if you layer it on it really does give a false lash effect. I have pretty short lashes, i can imagine this being even better if you have naturally longer lashes. This is now available in an intense black formula, which really is blacker than black!

I usually use this in combination with another mascara, simply as i like really black, really full lashes. The next mascara i am going to rave about is Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara.

This mascara has been on the market for a few years, in fact i remember first buying it when i was about 17, and back then i was amazed at what it did to my lashes! I usually layer this over the previous mascara, as this is a very black mascara and it adds extra thickness to my lashes. It has a very thick formula, and the wand itself tends to clump with the mascara, so you have to wipe off excess in the tube. You might be thinking, sounds awful, right? But i really love it. It really layers on mascara and makes them soot black, false looking, and thick. If you like natural looking lashes, this definitely isnt the mascara for you! This is still a firm favourite for me, and i have just bought another tube!

I hope this helps anyone on the market for a new mascara!

Let me know your faves :)

LUSH Big Shampoo review..

2010-01-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

Ive wanted to try this for agess, and i finally picked a tub up. Id heard completely mixed reviews about this product, but i guess you never know what its like until you try it yourself...

Ill start with the boring stuff. It retails at £9.90 for 330grams, quite expensive for a shampoo, and bear in mind if you have long/thick hair you will need to use alot of product. It comes in a tub which isnt the most easy of things to hold whilst in the shower, but i guess its original, and if you take back 5 tubs you get a free fresh face mask which is worth trying.

On to the smell. Pretty much all reviews i read previous to trying this said how gorgeous it smelt, the website describes it as a 'Margarita with lemon, lime and salt.' It does NOT smell like this! I actually really hate the smell of this, when i first opened it it made me heave, yes! I dont know quite what it is, its definitely citrussy but the sea salt smell overpowers it, and it kind of smells like how sea water tastes on holiday... horrible! But nevertheless i gave it a try...

As for the application, you basically apply sea salt to your hair. Imagine your on the beach and you wash your hair in sand, and youll get the idea. It doesnt particularly lather, and you need alot of product. The smell i must say gets slightly more bearable when washing your hair, it smells like lime.

As for what it did? Well it definitely didnt give me the voluminous 'big' hair that i had hoped for. My hair is naturally quite thick and curly, but it goes flat and boring after i straighten it, and this doesnt do much for that. It did leave my hair very soft and shiny though, i couldnt stop touching it! The smell also lingers on your hair, fortunately its a nicer lemon/lime smell which i dont mind! I also found that my hair looked cleaner for longer than usual. My hair needs washing every other day ideally, and after 2 days my hair looked noticably cleaner than usual and not greasy.

This is quite a harsh shampoo, in that it strips your hair of all residue of products, and leaves it literally squeaky clean! I would recommend this as a once a week product, as i think it may leave hair dry if used too regularly. Also if you have coloured hair this may strip the colour slightly, but i think its okay for once a week use.

Overall i dont think i will be repurchasing this product as for me it didnt meet my expectations. The smell is too overpowering for me, and whilst the results are okay, i have cheaper shampoos that do the same job! Maybe if lush were to make this cheaper (i can dream) then i might consider repurchasing it, because i do like the feeling of having really clean hair.

LUSH Haul!

2010-01-19T14:17:00.000-08:00

I was SO SO excited when my lush parcel come the other week! I hadn't been able to get to a store since the lush offers have been on, so i ordered loads of stuff online so i got free things!

I'd wanted to start trying some of the facial/hair products from lush, as i'd heard good things but always brought things i knew i liked like the bubble bars and bath bombs.

I ordered; Big Shampoo, Mask of Magnaminty, The Comforter bubble bar, Blackberry bath bomb, Flosty Glitter, and a Marshmallow melt. Because i spent so much they give me a load of stuff free!....

I wasn't expecting so many free things, i thought id get one or two free bath bombs, but they gave me loads of samples and mini bath bombs. I got Angel Delight soap, Porridge soap, Frosty soap(i think!), Blackberry bath bomb, Think Pink bath bomb, Supernova bath bomb, and Honey Bee bath bomb. :)

I have never really been a big fan of the soaps. Dont get me wrong, they smell divine, but i use a shower gel in the shower, and so i never really understood what else id use the soap for! Ive never been a fan of the porridge soap either, the smell didnt appeal to me like it seemed to everyone else. However i tried it recently and i have to say i kind of think its okay now. I dont think the smell is the best, but i like the idea it kind of exfoliates the skin as there is oats and stuff in it!

Ive used the Big shampoo and mask of magnaminty, ill do a review of them now!

Whats your fave lush product?

Revlon Colorstay...it's true!

2010-01-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

You've probably seen no end of reviews on this product lately, its all over bloggers pages and you tube videos. Could it really be that good? Is this really better than MAC's Studio fix fluid?

Well. I'm going to reitterate everything everyone else has said, it is, amazing!

I picked this up in Boots for £11.99 i believe, quite expensive considering its drugstore, you'd agree. My usual response would be "well i might as well buy MAC as its only a few pound more". However, ive only ever owned one MAC foundation, and thats the Select SPF15. A very light, almost sheer foundation, but which i loved. However i was on the hunt for a heavier coverage, especially as the weather is so dredful and my skin has been oh so neglected recently. And how i am glad i did!

Now, the only problem i encountered, which i think almost everyone had, was matching yourself to the correct shade. The colorstay comes in 12 shades (most contain spf 15), and unusually i was not the lightest shade that i thought i would be. As much as i hate it when you walk into MAC, and you kind of feel forced into having a 'makeover' where they find your correct shade, etc, its essential if you dont want to waste money.

I own two of these in colours 'Buff' and 'Natural Beige'. 'Buff' is slightly to yellow, and 'Natural Beige' i feel looks slightly orange on my skin, so i mix the two. This is a pain i know, but i can cope with that :) Im sure my correct shade is now 'Nude' which is inbetween 'Buff' and 'Natural Beige.' God, how confusing! (For ref i am NW15/20 MAC)

Now ill get on to how it applies.. i apply this with my Ruby and Millie Stippling (skunk) brush.(or 187 if you have the MAC equivilent.) This i find gives the best flawless application, however this is simply down to what you prefer. Bear in mind this dries quite quickly, and when it dries, it dries. It wont budge.

How does it look? AMAZING!!. It doesnt look the slightest bit cakey like youd expect from a heavy coverage foundation. This looks and feels so natural (due to the Soft Flex Formula). Id describe the finish as semi-matte. Its not completely matte, it has a very slight 'dew' to it on the skin, which i love. I also find i dont need a concealer with this, at all. It covers pretty much everything. It lasts for ages on the skin. It claims to last for 16 hours. Id never have my makeup on for that long, so i cannot comment on that, but it looks freshly applied after a good 6/7 hours of wearing it.

My overall opinion? I love this. Love love love! It is my HG foundation. Even in the summer i can see myself wearing it, maybe mixed with some moisturizer. It is just that good! Now i wait for the Revlon HD!...

Things i'm loving right now...and hating!

2010-01-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

With a new year ahead of us i am really excited beauty/fashion wise. Theres so many new products being released, and new trends! But for now here are some things im really loving and loathing so far this year!

I'm loving;

Christmas time- i haven't gone back to uni yet, so i think im still officially on my 'xmas hols.' I really dont want it to end! I love my little christmas tree in my room, i dont think i'm ever going to take it down!

The excuse the snow gives to stay in bed and do nothing all day, oh how i love snow days! Though i kind of feel guilty for not actually doing some work or something... ah well!

Start to the new year; new years eve was a blast, i hope this year brings me as much fun as i had in 2009!

Looking forward to summer holidays, yes, already! The thought of a week in the sun abroad really appeals to me right now, hello ibiza!

I'm Loathing..

THE SNOW!!! As much as i love the snow i cannot do anything i want to do in it. Its too icy to go out, and too snowy to walk anywhere... argh!

Starting the new year with no money, my mom did always tell me to save for a rainy (or snowy!) day...

Work load. I have so much uni work to catch up on, and no motivation.

Lack of shopping; i am going crazy sat in doing nothing! I want to resort to online shopping, but until my student loan says hello i can't!

My phone. The LG Cookie. I really hate it, it's so slow and i hate touchscreen! I'm feeling the need for a Blackberry, any reccommendations?

What are your current loves and loathes?

Faves of 2009!

2009-12-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

There have been so many new products i have tried this year, most deserve to be in this list, however i thought i'd compile my most used/ most repurchased products to share with you all!

Carmex- Everyone owns a tub of Carmex, i even have it in the tube version, and the stick version, oh and the cherry flavour, and i'm on the hunt for the mint flavour (which i can only find online!) I think that sums up my love for this product! It smells divine, leaves a tingle on your lips and leaves them oh so moisturized!

Blistex Relief Cream- I use this alongside my Carmex, usually before i sleep so i wake with gorgeous, soft lips... well, maybe not, but it is a really intense balm designed for very chapped lips or cold sores. I hate the way the cream feels on your lips when your first apply it, but i love what it does.

Eyeko Mascara- Ever since discovering this through youtube i have been addicted! It's the best £5 mascara (and cheapest) i have ever tried. It leaves full, voluminous lashes. I have brought about 3 of these so far and i'm nearly on my fourth, it's love love love!

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box- I brought this some time in the summer. I love all this palette but i think i've used 'Scratch' almost everyday all over my eyelid. It's so velvety, soft, blendable, and gorgeous! I just wish this was available as a single colour!

St Ives Apricot Scrub- Another product im guessing many of you own! And you'll all know why its in my faves if you've tried it. Yummy smelling, leaving soft exfoliated skin- my makeup applies so nice after using this! Very comparable to my MAC Volcanic Ash, just a third of the price!

Revlon Colorstay (Buff)- Wow. Can't believe i didn't discover this before last month. I finally gave in after ponding for ages about whether to buy this, so glad i did. Applied with a Ruby and Millie Stippling Brush (another 2009 fave!) it leaves such a flawless look, and i love the fact that it's not totally matt.

GOSH Darling Lipstick- The infamous lipstick. I guess i'm a sucker for buying things that are so hyped up about in the blogging community. But nevertheless i love this! It's my fave drugstore lipstick ever, and only slightly behind MAC's Creme D'Nude. It's so perfectly nude, so creamy, so shiny!

Wella's Flat Iron Spray- I haven't seen anyone ever talk about this product- i have no idea why?! It's the best straightening spray i have ever used, and yes, i've tried them all! My hair is naturally curly/frizzy/horrible! and this is the only spray that makes my hair silky smooth, and most importantly stay like this all day long! Only available in salons, or eBay!

Love Etc. Perfume (The Body Shop)- I absolutely love perfumes. Almost as much as make-up. There are many faves i have from this year, (including Victoria Beckhams 'Signature', and Avril Lavignes 'Black Star'), but this tops them all, especially for the price! I brought this for under a tenner from The Body Shop, and it is such a 'me' scent! I guess its kind of fruity, fresh, and i get compliments all the time when i wear it. I guess price isn't everything huh!

I'd love to hear what your faves are, have you tried any of these? :)

x

Freederm!

2009-12-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

I recently went to the Clotheshowlive and picked up alot of skincare goodies! One stall i visited was the Freederm stand, and they were offering these three products, the exfoliator, moisturizer and cleanser for £5! Not being one to miss out on a bargain i snapped them up and i have been using them for the past 3 weeks everyday without fail.

I have never really used Freederm products before this, i had heard of their spot treatment gel, but didnt realise they had a new range of products out all aimed to work together to give you clearer spot free skin!

I absolutely love these products. I use the Cleanser twice daily once in the morning and once at night. It removes any traces of makeup my makeup wipe does not remove and leaves your skin feeling smooth, soft and really refreshed. It also doesnt have that tight kind of feeling some cleansers have.

As for the exfoliator, i like this also. Its very gentle so ideal for sensitive skin, and you can use it daily. Compared to my MAC volcanic ash exfoliator it is very gentle, and the tiny beads hardly feel like they are doing anything on your skin. However i like this as you can use it everyday, it isnt harsh on your skin and doesnt dry it out.

After cleansing and exfoliating i use the moisturizer. I really like this! I like the feeling that a moisturizer is not just moisturizing your skin, but working with the other products in the range to clear your skin up from any blemishes or spots!

I have been using this for over 3 weeks now and shall definitely be repurchasing them. (I think they retail for around £5 each, but still so worth it!) I have noticed an improvement in my skin over this time. My skin is prone to the occasional spot and i havent really had any breakouts since i have been using freederm. I havent been using anything else, other than my MAC volcanic ash exfoliator once a week. My skin looks radiant and i do genuinly feel that if i didnt use these 3 products daily my skin would suffer- but i dont want to risk that! :)

Props to Freederm for creating this line, its great!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

It's come round so quick again this year, each year i always leave my xmas shopping till xmas eve, and its hell! I can never truly relax till christmas day, im too busy rushing around at the last minute!

Anyhoo, todays the day and its been great! Im so tired now though, although i kind of dont want to go to sleep yet, its a given you have to stay up late on xmas day!

I had lots of presents, mostly bath sets, and a Lush gift set (oooh so nice!), and some cute pieces of jewellery!

Have a happy christmas!

x

Have a Snow Fairy Christmas!

2009-12-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

I took a trip to Lush again last week- another £12 i now owe to the bank!

I only went to smell the new christmas products, honest! However i came out with a bit more than i should.. the sex bomb and some other bits, not forgetting Snow Fairy shower gel! (They do this as a solid perfume aswell, yum!)

Theres been a lot of hype recently on youtube about this shower gel, so wanted to try it for myself. Admittedly at first, it seems rather overpowering and very bubblegum like? (i still brought it anyway, as you do!), and after using it in the shower it turns into a softer scent, one that lasts on your skin for a while after you use it.

I'm rubbish at describing scents, but it is very girly. It reminds me of a strawberry refresher chew bar! in shower gel form. It has grown on me, and i love it. Everytime i smell it it reminds me of christmas and all things warm and comforting. They have three sizes available, quite pricey, i think the medium one is about £6. But so worth it!

Mac strobe cream dupe?

2009-12-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

After pondering for months over whether to buy Macs Strobe Cream, i am pleased to announce i have found a dupe! (Well, for me anyway.)

I recently went to the Clothesshow and got given a free sample of Niveas new Beauty Radiance Moisturizer. What can i say, i love it! It has small *glitter* particles in it (i use this term lightly, as its not exactly glitter, but the only way i can describe the pearlised finish!) which leave the skin radiant with a gorgeous sheen, ideal for people who dont usually wear a heavy foundation, but who want to acheive a nice glow. This would look great over a tinted moisturizer, or even a liquid foundaiton.

Mac describe their Strobe Cream as "...moistens, freshens and boosts the look of dull, flat or tired-looking skin ...Brightens and clarifies with iridescent particles and antioxidants. Enhances the effects of light on all skin and in all lighting conditions from sunlight to spotlight."

This is exactly how i would describe the Nivea Visage Beauty Radiance Moisturizer! Although i cannot give an accurate description of the Strobe Cream, ive no intention of ever wanting it now, as this £5 jar of brilliance does the job for me.

I have Normal/Dry skin, perhaps on oily skin this may not work as good as those skin types tend to need to stay away from shiny illuminators.

Go try!

In's and Out's!

2009-11-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

My current loves;

Loving using winter as an excuse for shopping! I love winter/autumn shopping, chunky cardigans, leather ankle boots (topshop is heaven!), scarfs etc.
Looking forward to New year. I always plan new years eve way ahead time- i now need to buy myself a new dress, shoes oh and a new clutch to match!
YSL's rouge volupte in Nude beige! I wear this most days, although im so scared of using it all up. I think ive just started an expensive addiction!
Being pale, ive always been quite pale, NW15/20, ive never worn a fake tan in my life so im always glad when winter comes around, i kind of look normal! and happy to embrace my paleness!
Internet shopping- the never ending cold and wet weather gives me an excuse to shop from my bedroom :)

Current hates!;

Lack of money. My student loan is nearly all gone :( and so much to buy before christmas! I'd Better resort to selling stuff on eBay!
Decorating my bedroom. Too much to think about, too many colour decisions to make! and i dont know where ANYTHING is!
English weather- ironic as its a great excuse to stay in and do nothing, internet shop, drink tea and eat, but realistically i have so much to do at uni and no motivation to go out in the rain!
Primark. dont get me wrong i love this shop, but i cant justify queuing for an hour just to buy a cardigan, sort it out please!

benefits 'coralista'!

2009-10-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

After much debate over whether to buy this.. i eventually gave in! However, buying it off eBay, i brought it for half the price. Which i kind of think is a good deal.

Im usually quite dubious about buying cosmetics off eBay for many reasons; hygeine, whether its genuine etc. But i can safely say this item was genuine and unused :)

Its exactly as it says.. a coral colour, with slight gold and pink shimmer. Its nothing like i own, and therefore i can justify buying this! It is very pigmented, having pigmented cheeks anyway i only need a tiny amount. The packaging is gorgeous, but its not very practical!

Lollipop26 recently blogged about this, and she gave a good dupe (well a mixture of two other blushes from MAC) that would create the same colour- so id definitely see if you can do this as £22.5o for a blush is quite an investment! I have Bourjois 'Lilas D'ior' blush and this kind of reminds me of it, but something tells me that Coralista is quite a unique colour!

Overall- nothing worth rushing out to get, but definitely worth the splurge if you can afford it. :)