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Bargain Face Mask!

Hi guys! Hope you're all well! Today I'm here to talk about a bargainous beauty find that I picked up a few weeks ago! I stumbled across this Beauty Formulas Cool Moist Cucumber 3 Minute Clay Mask whilst perusing the aisles of Savers (a cheapo drugstore in the UK) the other day. I must say having used this mask a few times now, I'm really impressed! And guess what?! It was only £1!!! That's my kinda bargain shopping!! Now onto the review...

What the packaging says:

Beauty Formulas cool moist cucumber 3 minute clay mask combines carefully balanced ingredients to provide a deep cleansing toning action which draws out the impurities and excess oil to purify the skin. Enriched with Vitamin E for it's antioxidant properties providing protection against the effects of the environment and Panthenol to provide penetrating moisture while stimulating skin tissue for improved suppleness and condition. Paraben free. Allergen free.

The bit that stood out most to me in the description is the 'Paraben and Allergen free part. As a lot of you probably know by now (I feel like I bang on about it in most of my posts so I'm sorry to be a bore!) but I'm really keen on using products that are either all natural or free from nasty things like parabens and sulfates. So it impressed me a lot that for only a quid I could get my hands on a mask which didn't have a whole load of skin nasties in it! Tick number one! ✔

The mask has a fresh, clean and non-offensive cucumber scent. It is a little synthetic smelling but it's not a strong scent at all so I can't imagine it really bothering anyone.

I noticed immediately after removing the mask that my skin felt clean and it didn't leave my face feeling tight and dry as other masks have done in the past! Don't take my word for it as I am by no means a skin care expert but I imagine this product would work for those of you with sensitive skin because it isn't harsh but gets the job done. I haven't experienced any breakouts, redness or rashes and my skin isn't the most well-behaved at the moment so that's definitely a good sign! 

I would recommend this product. Why not give it a go for only £1?! As far as I'm aware it is only available in the UK (sorry international folks!) as it comes from a UK based company. 

Let me know your thoughts on this mask if you end up giving it a try! And please pass on any of your bargain beauty finds in the comments below! 

Thanks for reading beauties! 

X

Empties No.1

Hello ladies! I hope you're all having a lovely week! Mine has been filled with application forms, telephone interviews and cover letter writing...oh the fun! Anyway, much more interestingly, here is a little bit about a few of the products I've used up recently! 

Creme of Nature Argan Oil Sulfate-Free Moisture & Shine Shampoo

I had really high hopes for this shampoo what with it containing that wonder product, Argan Oil, AND being sulfate-free! I couldn't really imagine anything better! However... although it made my hair feel nice enough, I had to work really hard at washing it out otherwise I'd be left with a greasy feeling at my roots. Not very attractive! Also it did make my hair a little flat and lifeless. I think for those of you with seriously dry hair it may work nicely at injecting some moisture, however I don't really think I'll be repurchasing this in a hurry. It turned out to be a bit of a 'blah' product for me.

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Thickening Blow Dry Lotion 

This product is a different story, I really like it! Providing I don't spray it directly into my roots, it gives me a nice amount of volume while still leaving my hair feeling soft. It also has a heat defence in there so it's two products in one which I love as I always worry my hair will fall flat if I pile on too many products! A good all rounder and really reasonably priced too! (About £6 from Boots, Superdrug and supermarkets).

Garnier Skin Perfecting Ultimate Beauty Oil

With summer officially in full swing now (not that you'd notice it if you live in the UK like me!) I've paid a lot more attention to moisturising my body in preparation for baring more skin! So this oil immediately attracted me with it's promise of being 'skin perfecting'! Especially as I'm really self conscious of the skin on my legs being blotchy and mottled. This oil smells gorgeous (think sun cream and cocktails), and definitely did a good job of keeping me moisturised all day long. It gave my skin a nice sheen without being sticky or oily (providing you don't apply too much) and left me feeling smooth and lovely! I haven't noticed a notable difference to the condition of my skin long-term but I do think with further use it could definitely go some way of 'perfecting' my blotchy leg skin! Again not badly priced either - no more than £10 from Boots or Superdrug.

Lush No Drought Dry Shampoo

I don't think I really need to write anything on this one as most of you will already know I flipping love the stuff! I've got two blog posts on here talking about it, one of which is a full review so take a look if you want to know more!

Boots Botanics Age Defying Face Serum

The Boots Botanics range has been a favourite of mine for a while now. I like natural products in general but especially the ones I put on my face so this range is a hit for me. I must say, when talking solely about this face serum I haven't really noticed a remarkable different in the state of my skin and being only 22 years young I can't really vouch for it's 'age defying' properties but it is a nice product to include in your face regime. Just nice, not incredible.

Clinique All About Eyes Eye Cream

Again with this product I haven't really noticed that it's made any sort of difference to the skin around my eyes. I'm not sure if I just don't really know what to look for when using eye creams because I'm pretty knew to them, but I don't think I'd purchase this one again over a more affordable brand.

Naked Rescue Intensive Care Conditioner

It's no secret on this blog that I really enjoy the Naked shampoos and conditioners. I think one of the first posts I ever did was a review on the stuff! This conditioner is no different to the excellence I expect from Naked. Smells beaut, leaves my hair feeling and looking healthy and shiny, doesn't weigh it down AND it's 97% natural so none of those horrible parabens and sulfates! This is around £6 from drugstores and will definitely be repurchased! Highly recommended!

That's all for now beauties! I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of the products above, or any recommendations you might have for me!

Life Update!

Hello girlies!!

I hope you're all doing well! Long time no speak! Life has been soo hectic for me recently, this little bloggy of mine has kind of been put on the back burner. But, I am officially back! I thought it would be apt for my first post to be a bit of an update on my life, where I've been and what I've been getting up to!

First and foremost, I've finished uni!! I am now the proud owner of a 2:1 degree in International Development Studies and I could not be more relieved that it's complete! My 3 years at uni weren't the easiest, with both some personal issues I had to overcome and finding the work a bit of a struggle so I am really quite proud of myself :). Now comes the looong task of finding a job. It is haaard work! But I won't bore you with that!

I've also managed to nab myself a gorgeous, lovely man and am soo happy :). We've been together about 6 months now and I feel so lucky to have someone like him in my life.

Although I don't have a job yet I feel really content and settled with life at the moment. I've decided I'm going to take a Make-up Artistry qualification (as soon as I can get the dosh!). Make-up is a massive passion of mine and I've been really trying to pursue my passions more recently, I think that's so important in life!

Posts coming soon:

• Hair update! I've had a fringe cut in (or 'bangs' for the benefit of my friends across the pond!)
• Empties (or Products I've Used Up)!
• My new favourite wonder product for hair, skin and cuticles!
• Favourite healthy snack/meal ideas.

If you lovely people have any other requests for posts please let me know by commenting on this post! I'm so excited to be back! xx

Lush Haul!

 

Hey girlies! Hope you're all doing well! Today I bring you a post on my most recent Lush purchases! I'm really getting in to Lush at the moment, I love the luxuriousness (is that a word?!) of their products and the different array of scents they carry, especially around Christmas time!

I'm trying to be sensible with my spending at the moment so only picked up 3 items, but could've spent hours and ££££ in there!

No Drought Dry Shampoo £6.50:
I flipping LOVE this product and have used it for about a year now. I've done a full review on it so won't ramble on too much but I will just say it lasts agessss (1 bottle lasted me about 10 months and I use it almost every day!), it smells lovely and really gives me volume and eradicates all grease. I HIGHLY recommend this product. I've tried a lot of dry shampoos (Batiste, Superdrug's own brand, Boots own brand) and this is by far my favourite and the best value for money.

New Shampoo Bar £5.25:
Another love. I was a bit sceptical about a shampoo in a bar form rather than liquid but it's so easy to use, smells lovely (like cinnamon) and leaves my hair feeling soft. The idea behind this is that it stimulates your scalp to encourage hair growth and reduce hair fall out. I've only used it a couple of times so can't tell you if it works yet but I really enjoy using it and how it makes my hair feel. I just lather it up by rubbing it around my hair a few times and it works just like a regular shampoo!

Lip Scrub in Sweet Lips £5.25:
I've been wearing a lot of darker lipsticks recently and as you know it's so important to have smooth lips when wearing lipstick as every crack shows if not! This lip scrub smells and tastes flipping amazing (like chocolate and vanilla) and leaves my lips feeling lovely and smooth. The shop assistant told me they are discontinuing this particular flavour (sad face) so if this sounds like you're kind of thing then whip it up quickly! If not they've also got other yummy flavours like Bubblegum and Popcorn!!

What have you bought from Lush recently?! Xxx

Essie Haul

Hello readers! Long time no blog! Sorry I've had such a hectic week with uni, a new job and a friends birthday! So as I'm sure you all know by now, Boots now stock Essie wahey! I've always loved Essie polishes, I think they have a gorgeous variety of colours, the consistency always impresses me and I love the packaging! I also love that for a higher end brand they aren't too expensive (£7.99) in Boots.

I picked up three shades the other day as Boots were having one of their 3 for 2 offers (thanks Boots!) The colours I chose we're Sew Psyched - a muted murky medium green, Lapiz Of Luxury - a gorgeous mid blue colour and Bordeaux - a deep, autumnal red.

I will say I'm wearing Sew Psyched on my nails right now and I'm a little disappointed. The colour transfers to the nail a little darker than it looks in the bottle, I still like the colour but it's more of a khaki green than I had thought. It was still nice to apply though and opaque in 2 coats.

What's your favourite nail polish brand?

 

Autumn Fashion and Beauty Essentials!

Hey girlies! Hope you're all doing well!

So it's that time of year again - the days are getting shorter, the mornings are darker (and colder!), the leaves are turning different shades of brown, red and gold and my skin is getting considerably drier by the day!! We all know that the autumn and winter months often require a bit more effort in the fashion and beauty department! So here are my top tips and products to help you survive and look your best in the upcoming months!

Fashion

 

 

Knitwear

Invest in some good quality, thick chunky knitwear - jumpers, cardigans, scarves etc. I couldn't live without these in the colder months! When buying chunky cardigans and jumpers I like to go one size up so I can wear loooads of layers underneath on the really cold days! The snood pictured above is from Primark and was about a fiver. I looove it! It's a beigey cream colour with gold thread running through it. I can't remember where the cardigan is from sorry it's about 5 years old! Just goes to show though if you invest in quality pieces they will last years! 

 

 



 

Boots

I would advise buying one pair of black boots and one pair of brown so you're covered for pretty much everything everything in your wardrobe. Both these pairs are from New Look (this season), the black pair were £29.99 and the brown pair were £34.99 and I love them both so much! I love the studding detail (so on trend) and they are both really comfortable and easy to put with most things in my wardrobe. I like these better than uggs because I think they'll hold up better in really bad weather conditions like snow and rain!

 

 

 

Coat

Obviously a good quality, thick coat is essential in Autumn and Winter (especially if you live in the UK! This one is from Primark (this season) and was £25 - bargain! It's really warm and cosy, has a hood and is waterproof! I really like the laid back, casual feel of it. My next purchase is going to be a more dressy coat as I think it's pretty important to have a day time coat and a night time one! 

 

Beauty



 

Nail Polish

Obviously as the colours differ from season to season in clothes, they do in beauty trends as well! I love wearing deeper shades on my nails during the colder months. Some of my favourites pictured above are: (from left to right) No7 Betty Blues, Rimmel Desire, OPI You Don't Know Jacques, Barry M Grey, Barry M Red Glitter (gorgeous at Christmas time over a red polish!) and Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Watermelon.

 

 

Lipstick

Again, trends in lipstick colours change as Fall comes. My favourites are (from left to right) Revlon Matte Lip Colour in Mauve It Over (a dark nude), MUA lipstick in Shade 10 (a deep red with very subtle gold shimmer), Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Vintage Pink (a deep purpley pink) and Revlon Matte Lip Colour in In The Red (a very dark matte red).

 



 

Skincare and Tanning

My skin gets soo much drier in the cold weather and obviously so much paler haha so I definitely have to make more of an effort to keep the tan topped up and make sure I keep moisturised! My favourite self tanner of all time is St. Moriz (available herefor only £3.08!!) and favourite winter body lotion is The Body Shop's Warm Amber body lotion (like Christmas in a bottle!). I also like good old Nivea Cremeif my face is rrreally dry (it's VERY thick!) and I always keep my trusty Vaseline on hand for any chapped lip moments!

 

I hope this post was helpful! What are your top autumn/winter must haves? xx