Post-Exam Splurge

For today I'm just doing a little haul post and also sharing an offer which I found which may be useful to some people.

Recently I wrapped up a year of college after a month packed with exams (thankfully I passed them all) and so decided to treat myself with a little Beauty splurge. Currently Escentual.com are doing a discount of "up to 1/3 off all French skincare" so I decided to take advantage!

The products that I ended up buying were:

Bioderma Micelle Solution - This is somewhat of a cult beauty product and I've been desperate to get my hands on it for ages! Looking forward to trying it out.

Caudalie Beauty Elixer - Finally got round to re-purchasing this product. I love the smell of it and finds it really helps to freshed up my skin. 

La Roche Posay Effclar AI - Another repurchase, one of the best blemish solutions I've ever tried. I'm thinking of doing a review post sometime soon.

Clarins Instant Smooth Self Tanning -  Never tried this before so I'm interested to see if it manages to actually add colour to my ghost-face. I'll probably end up doing a review on it aswell!

Twas just a little haul but I'm hoping to get the best out of all these products, I hope the discount maybe encourages some people to also indulge in a few sneaky purchases too ;)

Lost and Found

So it's been almost a year since my last post... whoops! 

I set up this blog originally with the intention of keeping it updated regularly however that clearly didn't happen, life got in the way and to be honest I was never in the right mood at the right time to just sit down and sort out my blog.

 Over the past year I've actually done quite a bit, I've been to college and just recently finished up my course. I'm now off to university after the Summer so am vair excited for that! I think in general I've also done a lot of growing up and I've had some great memories from the past year. 

Since college has come to an end and I have a long Summer in front of me, I decided that it was finally time to sort out my blog. This time I'm going to aim to keep it updated much more regularly. Though it's probably going to remain predominantly Fashion and Beauty based, I'm also hoping to add in some more lifestyle type posts and maybe write a bit about the preperation for Uni over the Summer. (There's so much to do!)

Anyway just thought I'd write a little post incase anyone ever notices the massive gap between postings and to kind of tie all those old posts to the upcoming ones.

Speak Soon!

Percy & Reed Dry Conditioner

I've noticed I've developed a pattern over my last few blog posts, they've been veeeery gushy and this one is gonna be no different. Just over a month ago I did a post on my Latest in Beauty CEW box and the Percy & Reed Dry Conditioner I got with it (It was a finalist in the "Best New Hair Care/Styling Product" category). I said how I couldn't wait to try it and I can confirm I have now tried it and I loved it!

Now my hair has been fairly dry lately, maybe it was the mini heatwave a few weeks ago that dried it out (can that happen? I may research this...) and it's been frustrating me. For a while I was doing two rounds of conditoner but this just weighed down my hair and made it look lank. I decided it was time for a change so the other day I just used a smigeon of conditioner in the shower and then when I got out, gave my hair a quick towel dry and spritzed my Percy & Reed Dry Conditioner through it.

I pretty much just followed the instructions, it said to shake well and so I did (though something rattled violently inside the can when I did which I really hope was supposed to happen!) Then it says to spray evenly throughout the hair, working on the dry areas from around 10 cm away. Now I admit here I did stray, I did focus slightly more on the ends of hair as they were especially dry and also an annoying section in the back of my head which is always so much dryer than the rest of my hair (weird right?). I then just dried my hair using my hair dryer and tangle teezer as usual.

The results were fabulous! My hair no longer felt dry and seemed to actually have some movement to it again and it also felt so much softer. I then went to go and look in the mirror and the best way I can honestly describe it is that it just looked so much more healthy. It had a really lovely shine to it and had gained a natural bouncey effect (I really hope this makes sense as I have now discovered that I am not very good at describing hair).

The product itself comes in a simple white can with a greyish/black design printed on the front. I personally love the packaging, I find it very chic and think it looks pretty on a dresser. The size is perfect for travelling and the lid feels tight enough to carry around. It retails at £12 for 150ml (my sample was 50ml) so may seem a tad on the pricey side but the product will last you a while and for me it was worth it). I would describe the product as having a slightly artifical smell, for me this wasn't a bad thing though I wouldn't mind a sightly more defined scent.

I would highly reccommened this to anybody who is having a problem with dry hair at the moment as this product does give quick results. I would also say that if you're looking for a product to give your hair that little extra boost this would be a great cadidate. I would definitely like to try more from this brand and currently have my eye on this Mini Moisture Travel Pack or the Hair Royal Highness Travel Pack 

The Dry Conditioner is available to purchase here and here (£12 for 150ml)

May Favourites

So I started this blog with the intention of updating it regularly unfortunately that clearly hasn't happened. Real life got in the way and I just haven't had a chance, however everything seems to have calmed down and I really hope to be able to pay my blog more attention from now on. I've got a good few posts planned and lots of products to rant and rave about (I'm even thinking of doing an outfit post *gulp*). I also want to say thanks for the lovely comments I've been recieving, I really appreciate them. It's really encouraging and I hope to be able to reply to them from now on!

Now on with my May favourites! (I know we're already almost a week into June but better late than ever aye?)

Woah, that's quite a bit of Pink! Also it took me ages to get a decent shot of them all and even now I'm still not entirely happy. This photography's a lot harder than it looks. Apologies if any of the products look a little grubby, I've been using them quite a lot the past month!

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover: Now I shant go on too much, I've pretty much made my point in my previous post. I'm still head over heels for this product though!

Benefit "the Porefessional": Now then I don't quite know which make-up category this would fall under, it's kind of a Primer but it can be used for touching up make-up too? Basically you smear it on your pores and watch them shrink before your very eyes. No, seriously they do! Plus if you're out for the day, glance in the mirror and gasp at your pores you can quickly pop some of this over the top of your makeup and it'll shrink them without damaging your previously applied make-up. It's almost an airbrushing effect it provides.

Nars "Orgasm" Blusher: I can see why this is such an adored product. It's a kind of peachy shade and can be both applied lightly for a hint of colour and packed on for a injection of colour. It has great lasting wear and gives me that lovely flushed look (and being a very pale person it can be very hard to achieve that without looking clowny).

L'oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim: The first thing to notice with this product is the nib. It is ultra slim and perfect for everyday usage when you need to be a little less bold with your liner and a little more precise. The pigmentation of this product is amazing, with one stroke you get a very slick deep black line. It lasts all day and I've had no problem with the pen drying out as of yet.

Revlon Lip Butters in "Cotton Candy" and "Strawberry Shortcake": Both pink shades, SS is brighter pink while CC is a more muted pink. Now there's been a lot of hype about these butters so I'm just gonna throw my opinion in there. I personally am a fan of the formula, I have quite dry lips and I love how hydrating these are on them. They apply quite sheerly (though can be built up) but somehow do provide quite a bit of colour. If I'm wearing quite a heavy eye look these are the perfect solution for what to wear with the lips. I'm sold!

Figs & Rouge Balm: My scent/flavour? is Rambling Rose and I'm going to be completely honest I don't particularly notice a strong smell. Now these came in the April Glossybox I believe so I won't go on too much about it as there's plenty of opinion out there but I like mines. It's provides decent hydration plus can also be used for dry patches on skin so it's a multitasker.

L'Occitane Brightening Hand Care: This product smells amazing! I don't even know how to describe the smell, organic maybe? It's quite a natural smell but it makes my hands feel lush after I've used it. I've also noticed a definate improvement in texture, they're a lot smoother and less dry than before.

And finally...

Tangle Teezer: My hair at the moment is probably the longest it's ever been. It's also quite thick and becoming increasingly difficult to manage, so when I heard about this I knew I had to have it. It doesn't really look like your traditional hairbrush and it doesn't really work as one. I mean you run it through your hair like you would a normal hairbrush but it does something magical and straightens out all tangles without any tangles and before you know it, your hair's all shiny smooth. 

I've included swatches of all the colour make-up products, from the top we have the Super Liner Perfect Slim, Nars "Orgasm", Revlon Lip Butter in "Strawberry Shortcake" then, Revlon Lip Butter in "Cotton Candy".

I hope you enjoyed my favourites and I promise to start blogging more consistently from now on!

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover

Well the name's truly in the title folks, this stuff is magic!

As anyone who knows me will testify, I hate removing nail polish. It's such a messy process, it leaves a nasty smell and taste on your fingers and it's a surprisingly time consuming process. At least it was for me, so when I saw this new Bourjois product pop up on the Bloggersphere imagine my relief! This stuff promised to remove the nail polish in one second without the need for messiness or any pesky cottom buds/pads. I went to Boots really hoping to see it on the shelves but alas it had not yet been stocked. I went back about 2 weeks later and spied it on the shelves. There was just one left (obviously a popular product) and I immediately snapped it up. It retails at £4.99 which I would say was about mid-range price for nail polish removers. I can now say with confidence that it was worth every penny.

The way it works is that you twist open the lid to see a huge black sponge with a little hole in the middle. You dip your finger in, twist, pull it back out and voila! Clean Nails! I must admit, when I tried it for the first time I was a little sceptical but it really does work. I'd say the 1 second is a tad ambitious, I find that I have to do a good few twists before all the polish comes off, but it isn't that far off. Overall I'd say the whole process takes 2-3 minutes tops.

Now then, because the entire sponge is doused in the magic nail polish removery stuffy, the tops of my fingers did come out damp. "Great" I thought, "I knew that there had to be a catch," low and behold however, they dried instantly and my faith was restored. Also (I'm assumming this is because of the almond oil in the product) both my hands and nails felt really nourished and smooth. So you're not just removing your nail polish, you're also giving your nails and fingers a little pampering! Plus the smell left behind by the product is lush, the bottle says the product contains "Red fruit & vanilla fragrance". To me it's quite a sweet smell, so much nicer than the usual paint-stripper smell most removers have, the vanilla notes really come through and oh *squeal* it's just lovely!

I honestly cannot rave about this product enough! It makes the nail polish removing process so much easier and convienent. Also if you run out of time to change your nail polish before you go out (as I frequently do) it makes the process of removal and re-painting them so much easier. The only downsides to this product is that it can't really be used to make little corrections and if you have any broken skin on around your nails it can sting a little . Plus it can't really be used on toe nails. Don't let this put you off though as I can't imagine ever having to go back to the soaked cotton pad method of removal ever again. This product gets a huuuuuuge thumbs up from me!

You can buy this product from Boots

Latest In Beauty CEW Awards 2012 Beauty Box

Since Glossybox launched their Beauty Box around a year ago, the idea of signing up for random samples each month has really taken off. Glossybox remains the dominant force pulling out collabarations with the likes of Harrods. Feel Unique and Carmen came and left over the year and Boudoir Prive relaunched itself as JolieBox. In amongst all of these brands, Latest In Beauty came along and offered a refrshing twist on the concept. For just £1.50 you can recieve 3 unique samples chosen by you. There's no subscription service and you're under no obligation to order a box per month. They also do bigger themed boxes every now and then (roughly every month). The main difference with these is that is a one off charge and you can already see the products that will be featured before ordering. I appreciate this as you can make a fair assesment before parting with money rather than recieving a box via a subscription and recieving a bunch of stuff you don't really want.  I also find that you get more samples and they're usually a lot bigger than the ones some boxes fob you off with.

The box that I ordered above was based on the CEW Beauty Awards 2012 (full list of winners here) and provided samples of winners or finalists. As soon as I saw this box I knew I had to have it and I think you'll understand why once I go through the products! Altogether this box cost me £11.90 (£8.95 + £2.95 P&P) and it's valued at over £50 so I can't complain about that. Now on with the products:

(Products from L-R)

Elemis Pro-Collagen Body Cream (Finalist in "Best New Bath and Body Product")

To be honest this is the product that I was least fussed about. I'm not huge on body creams and being only 18 I'm not sure I'm ready for pro-collagen stuff yet! However I will give it a shot, it was a decently sized sample I recieved at 50ml and checking Feel Unique, they are selling 200ml for £49 so I've already made back my money.

L'Occitane Brightening Hand Care (Finalist in "Best New Hand, Foot and Nail Care Product")

Another anti-aging product however this time in Hand Cream product. I won't be complaining about this however as my hands have been feeling quite dry recently so a hand cream is definately welcomed. Again this was another decent sized sample at 15ml, I couldn't find an RRP for this but on average L-Occitane products tend to range from mid to high end prices so once again I'm getting my monies worth. I'm really excited to try this out!

Mont Blanc Legend Eau de Toilette (Finalist in "Best New Men's Fragrance")

This is a 1.2ml sample of Aftershave. It struck me as a slightly odd addition to the box but hey I sprayed it and it does smell quite lush.

Elie Saab Le Parfum (Finalist in "Best New Woman's Scent")

Another wee 1ml sample of Perfume, this time for girls. It's hard to review perfume so I'll just say it's quite a floral scent, not really to my liking but I can appreciate why it would be liked.

Percy & Reed No-fuss Dry Conditioner (Finalist in "Best New Haircare/Styling Product)

This 50ml sample has a typical salon smell to it (which I personally love). I'm also really looking forward to trying this one out as my hair's getting really long now and could do with as much conditioning as it can get.

Nails Inc Porchestor Square Nail Polish (Nails Inc was a Finalist in "Best British Brand")

A full sized nail polish! Yippee! I cannot wait to paint my nails with this colour. It's a sort of mushroom shade and doesn't appear to have any shimmer to it so it definately looks wearable for the daytime plus I can spruce it up if I need to be sophisticated for nighttime. 

Benefit The POREfessional (Finalist in "Best New Makeup")

Now I already know what the primer is like as my Mum bought it not too long ago and I have used it a couple of times (not always with her permission) and I am so glad to have my own! It's only 7.5ml but with this primer a little goes a long way. It creates a very smooth base and it really does reduce the size of pores and gives that nice airbrushing effect before applying foundation. So pleased with this!

Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare Cleanse & Polish (Winner of "Most Revolutionary Beauty Product in the Past 20 Years)

As I follow a number of Beauty Bloggers I know that this is the Holy Grail of skincare and I am so stoked to recieve it! It's a decent sized sample at 30ml plus it comes with the muslin cloth and a set of instructions. I simply cannot say how excited I am to use this for the first time though I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to fit it in with my skincare routine as of yet... 

And as an extra: I literally only just noticed that the Liz Earle also came with a mysterious envelope so I had to have a quick look and inside were 3 sachets (I think that's how you spell it!) of the Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint! Each sachet (sp?) is a different shade so that you can colour match yourself however I am under no illusion that I will be shade no 1 for Fair Skin Tones. What a lovely surprise though!

I hope to do a second post on this box in about a week once I've had a chance to try the products out and do some reviews on them. Sorry for the long post but really wanted to squeal about how awesome this box is. Sadly they're sold out now but I believe that there is still a reservation list so it might be worth checking that out. Also keep an eye on the website here and their Twitter feed here for the announcements for their future themed boxes because honestly I can't rave about how great they are!

OPI Mini Stash (Including Nicki Minaj)

I'm going to talk about my nails again. Although I haven't bitten them in ageeees, sadly the damage from all the years has seriously taken its toll and they keep breaking and peeling. I'm gonna give OPI's nail envy a whirl as everyone raves about as a fix everything solution. Before the breaking started though, I made a few sneaky purchases and bought a few more OPI minis. This time in the shades "Russian Navy", "Big Apple Red" and Nicki Minaj's "Fly". I cannot gush enough about these shades, especially one of them! As I said in my Dutch Collection review, I really like the OPI minis and find the brush easy to work with and perfect for my little hands. Now on with the individual shades:

First up Russian Navy, this is exactly what it says on the bottle, a very rich navy with a shimmering finish. Out of them all this was probably the one I was least fond of. The colour is gorgeous however I found it to take a few coats to really bring it out as it's quite sheer. The other problem I found is that it was quite streaky so I had to be quite careful when applying it.

Next up Big Apple Red, now this is a proper red shade. There's no pinky/corally/orangey undertones, it's red through and through. I love this colour! It has a matte finish and applies like a dream. One coat and you're pretty much good to go and unlike the previous shade there was no streakiness at all. This is honestly the perfect red shade for me and I'm so glad I found it as I am a big fan of red. Along with "Russian Navy" this shade is part of the "OPI Best of the Best" collection (which was sadly limited edition and doesn't appear to be retailing anymore however some are still kicking round eBay).

And last but certainly not least is the shade "Fly" which is part of the collaboration with Nicki Minaj. Now then Nicki Minaj has definately done some questionable stuff over the past few months (from her performance at the Grammies to deleting her Twitter) however all is truly forgiven. The pictures seriously do not do this shade justice. With two coats I got the most gorgeous colour ever though it's definately got a more green tint to it than the picture above suggests. I'd say it falls somewhere between a teal and turqouise. I honestly cannot rave enough about how pretty this colour is and have actually recieved a few compliments on it. It's the perfect summer colour.

Anyway that's all for now, sorry for another nails post but I'm hoping to get some more posts, with a bit more variety, done over the next few days. This depends if my camera decides to play ball however!