HAUL: Boots

Another little haul for you all - these seem to go down a treat so I'll keep on doing them!

Dr Jart BB Cream

 I picked up a bottle of the Dr Jarts Beauty Balm - I'll do a full review of this shortly, but this has been my go to face base during the summer - am completely in love!

Aveeno Moisturising Creamy Oil

This stuff smells seriously good, one of the main ingredients in this is Sweet Almond Oil which leaves your skin feeling ultra soft and smelling amazing. I suffer from Ecezma occasionally if I don't keep my skin moisturised but this has been working a treat and works really well for sensitive skin.

Dove Nourishing Oil Spray

I am in love with this stuff, I know this is doing the circuit on blogs right now, but it's very justified, this stuff smells flipping amazing and works wonders for my hair - full review on this coming soon.

VO5 Refresh Me Quick Dry Shampoo

My favourite dry shampoo out there at the minute, smells amazing and works really well without leaving build up in the hair.

Dove Intensive Repair Spray

Similiar the nourishing oil version above, I have to say I prefer that one though.

Deep Heat Muscle Rescue Neck & Shoulder Cream

I've been suffering massively with pain in my neck and shoulders recently, I hate the smell of deep heat normally but this one has a Rosemary and Vanilla Fragrance which is actually really pleasant.

OPI Nail Envy - Dry & Brittle Nails

Today's post is going to be about OPI's Nail Envy  Nail Strengthener for Dry and Brittle nails, I've been meaning to write this post up for a while, for the past year or so, my nails have been weak and peeling and no matter what I do, there are certain nails that always peel from the tip up to about mid-way through the nail making those nails generally weak, even when I grow them out so I can trim off the damaged area, within about a day or so it's peeled again. I do a lot of typing which could be the cause but it happens on my thumbs occasionally too so I'm a bit lost as to why it's happening to be honest. 

I'd heard wonder stories about OPI's Nail Envy so I ignored the £16-ish price tag and bought it. I don't know whether I just got the wrong type of this, I know there are about six others in the range for different nail ailments, you can find them all here, I think most people tend to go for the original version which has the green packaging, which I'm starting to wish I had gone for, I also recently saw one for sensitive & peeling nails which sounds like my perfect match. But alas, I went for  Dry & Brittle nail strengthener, and I've tried it in so many different ways - on it's own, under base coat, over base coat, as a top coat - but I just can't get it to do anything, it seems to be nothing more than just a clear polish for my nails which is highly annoying because I really need to find something to sort out my nails, I bought it last November and have been using it regularly since then to give it a really good test but I think it might be time for me to finally give up on this one. I'm not bashing this in anyway, I think I just got the wrong formula for my nails unfortunately.

If you have any tips on how to sort out my nails, please let me know! I've just started taking Starflower Oil which is supposed to be great at looking after skin, hair and nails but would love any tips you guys have.

What do you guys think of the OPI Nail Envy range?

Soph x

HD Brows Bronzer

Today I'm going to be talking about the HD Brows Bronzer that has been recently released. I got quite excited when I was sent this to try out, I have the HD Brows pallet but I don't really tend to use it all that much as I'm quite lucky in the fact that my brows are quite uniformed and don't really need filling in, I also have their tweezers as well, which I love and are still going strong despite the constant use over the past few months. So, on the whole, I've tried the brand out but other than the tweezers, I haven't had much use for using their brow products so I was really excited to see they had a new range of blushers and Bronzers coming out. I use Bronzer every day, and I'm normally quite loyal to the Benefit Hoola Bronzer but it's always good to try something new. The packaging of the HD Brows Bronzer is very similar to the brow pallette, a glossy black box with the white branding across the top which I really like, it's simple, classy and easy to transport. It also has a mirror in it which makes it great to keep in your handbag in case you need a touch up throughout the day. It does come with a sponge in the container as well which I found a little strange, I'm not sure why you'd put this product on with a sponge if I'm honest (unless I'm missing something?) but that's not an issue as it can  be easily taken out leaving a little plastic protector covering the bronzer itself.

So, onto the product itself, it's a medium coloured brown that gives a lovely glow to the skin when sweeped across, it's quite pigmented but if you use a light hand  you can make it quite sheer which I like because it means that I can go for a really natural look or build it up if I want more colour. It does have a golden shimmer running through it which I'm not so keen on, I prefer a matte bronzer personally so that I can add shimmer via a highlighter if I want it, however, for those that like a shimmery Bronzer, it's great and during the summer months, I haven't minded the extra glow this gives my face. I probably would keep this for use during the summer or for those days that you are in a rush and want a 2 in 1 product. 

Overall, I've really enjoyed using this and was pleasantly surprised, when I first opened the packaging I was a bit disappointed to see the shimmer running through the product but it's not too overpowering and that's just down to my own personal preference. 

You can pick up the HD Brows Bronzer here for £19.96

HAUL : Cath Kidston, TK Maxx & Primark

Hi Guys,

Another little haul here, not really beauty related but I thought you'd still like anyway!

Soph x

Cath Kidston - Duvet Set - £93

These were a bit of a splurge but i'd wanted the greenwich rose print for ages so I decided to just go for it and I love them!

TK Maxx - £7

This is the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment - I really do not need any more conditioners but this huge litre size bottle was only £7 so I ended up picking it up anyway.

TK Maxx - £2.99

This a anti-greasy hair type tonic, it has a pointed nozzle so you just direct it staright to the roots, not sure what I think of it yet but at £2.99 it was worth a shot.

Topshop - £5

I really like these Geek and Dork tops for sleeping in, there's something quite cosy about them so I picked this one up in the sale.

Primark - £5

I'm not sure why I bought this, but I think the neon pink sucked me in, again Pyjama's are a bit of a weakness, I have stacks just sitting with the label on that I haven't worn but it's a bit of a comfort thing to buy them.

Primark - £1.50

I have quite a few packs of these, the mint coloured ones seem to sell out pretty quickly these days, but I like using the mint colour to cleanse and then one of the white to dry my face.

Primark - £1.50

Again, not sure why I picked these up but I think the colours of these pretty pastel socks sucked me in.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo

So, I know everyone and there mother have reviewed La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo and it's pretty much the talk of the blogosphere but I thought I'd air my views on it. I picked this up when my skin was going through a bit of an unusual time of breaking out quite frequently, I generally have extremely dry skin, one of the perks being that I rarely get spots, but for the past few months, I've been breaking out pretty much on my T-Zone and a little bit across my cheeks, I spotted the reviews for this and decided to give it a go, I searched high and low in boots and pharmacies around here before finding it online.

Initially, I was worried that this would break me out as a few others mentioned that they initially had a big break out before they started seeing results, thankfully, I didn't get this, I did however buy this expecting miracle results overnight which didn't happen either so initially I was disappointed, but a few days later my skin started clearing and generally just looking a little bit more even in tone, It didn't eradicate all my spots immediately but I started using this every day in May, and within around a week, they were virtually all gone, I now use this once or twice a week and I haven't really had a spot since so I am 100% in love with this product, I do credit some other products for this as well (I've got separate reviews lined up but one being Superdrug's Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser, Origins Clay Mask and Pukka Cleanse Tea) but I think this Effaclar Duo is definitely a big factor. I definitely notice my skin detoriating if I don't use this after a week so I try and use it twice a week now.

This is a 40ml bottle which seems small initially for the price tag of £13 but a little goes a long way, I use around 3 pea sized amounts per application one for my forehead, one for my nose and across my cheeks and one for my chin and that seems to work for me, I've been using reguarly since the start of the year and I would estimate that I still have well over half left.

My one negative is the scent, I know there's a floral scent trying to break through but to me it smells a bit like bad breath, it's definitely a really weird scent, it's not horrible, just weird.

You can pick this up in most pharmacies that stick La Roche Posay for around £13.

Have you tried this, what do you think?

Soph x

Sleek - Pixie Pink

I received this blusher in a recent Glossybox, my initial thoughts were that I loved the colour but would never wear it and cast it aside into the "to try" pile but then one brave day I decided to give it a go and it's now one of my favourite blushers. In the packet it looks like an almost neon candy pink which looks like it's going to make me look like barbie, but it's actually quite sheer initially and very build-able, personally, I like it sheer because I'm not into strong makeup looks on the whole but even once you start to build it up, it's still very pretty and subtle, it's got a lovely formula and is very matte which is nice because I prefer to add my own highlight (exception is Benefit's Coralista, I think that has the perfect amount of shimmer in it!). 

We don't have a Sleek stand in my local Superdrug so it's nice to have these included in Glossyboxes, I received one of the Sleek eye shadow palettes a few months earlier and was again really impressed with the formula. I've since picked up a few more of these blushers which I'll review separately but I'm definitely a new convert to the Sleek brand.

These are a bargain at £4.99 each.

What's your favourite Sleek blush? 

Soph x 

Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat

A little bit of a quick and random post here, as you all probably know I love nail polish and am constantly changing colours but it’s only recently that I’ve started using a base coat, I’m quite fortunate in that my nails don’t really stain very easily unless I wear a really deep colour like a red or a black so I’ve never really needed to use one for that reason but I picked this particular Revlon base coat up when they were doing a special offer of £5 across all Revlon nail and lips and I’ve used it every time I’ve done my nails since, it looks like a milky colour in the bottle but goes on clear and it just gives my polish much better staying power, I would say that with the addition of this base coat, I can get at least an extra day or two’s wear without seeing signs of chipping etc. I also think that when paired with a glitter polish it helps it come off a little bit easier. I think at full price it’s about £6.99 per bottle so it’s not too expensive. It’s a thumbs up from me!

Do you guys use a base coat? What's your favourite brand?

Soph x

Origins Haul

I have wanted to try out Origins products for the longest time but I just never got round to picking anything up from them and we don't have a stand locally (soon to change I hear) so I never had the pleasure! Recently though, I spotted a deal where you were  basically getting 6 free samples (along with the 2 mini samples), one of the purchases had to be the Super Spot Remover and the other 3 samples were for spending over £30 - it was too good an offer to ignore, plus I was quite literally desperate to try the Clear Improvements Charcoal Mask (which by the way is my new favourite thing!) So I got all of the products below for £33 because delivery is also free. I'll do reviews individually but I can't wait to try out more from the Origins brand. 

If you haven't tried the Clear Improvement mask yet - do it, it's a wonder product!

Clear Improvement - Active charcoal mask to clear pores - £20

Super Spot Remover - Blemish treatment gel - £13

Samples: Clear Improvement Mask (7ml), Zero Oil Cleanser (30ml), Zero Oil Moisturiser (5ml)

Samples: GinZing Eye Cream (5ml), Make a Difference Cleansing Milk (30ml) VitaZing (15ml)

Samples: High Potency Night-A-Mins (1.5ml), VitaZing (1.5ml)

Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser

I’ve been in love with Antipodes products for a little while now, I love the packaging, I love the brand ethos and I’m loving all things natural for my skin at the minute, we recently had a Wholefoods Market open up in Cheltenham and it’s meant that I can delve into trying some more of their products, it’s not however amazingly good for my bank balance but never mind! I’ve wanted to try this product since before Christmas and a while back I treated myself to a little Antipodes haul – (link here) – and couldn’t resist picking this up. This smells amazing, actually, I don’t think I’ve smelt an Antipodes product yet that I didn’t want to completely smother myself in, it’s a very natural smell, I immediately smell Lavender when I open it up and a hint of a honey smell, if you’re not into your kind of organic, natural smells, then this one might not be for you but personally I love it.  It’s got all sorts of goodness for your skin in this, to name a few, Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Beeswax, Lavendar Oil, Vitamin E, and the list goes on, if you think of something good for your skin, it’s more than likely in this, the ingredients are 100% natural origin, with 76% being Organically cultivated.

The packaging of this is great, a sturdy little pot with a screw top lid that had the pretty green Antipodes design on the front which makes it great for travelling, I’ve spotted that some of the other cleansing balms can sometimes leak through the packaging but I can’t see that happening with this one to be honest. So, onto the product itself, it’s very much a butter like formula, I take a little scoop out, dot it across my face and  as you massage it in, it melts it into the skin, initially it looks quite oily, I immediately worried that it was going to be too much but after washing this off with a warm flannel, it left my skin perfectly moisturised and soft. I just use this in the morning at the minute because it leaves my skin so soft and smooth that it’s a really good base for my makeup, I can’t stop touching my face but it’s also great for at night with the Lavender oil and all the other oils so it’s nice and relaxing before sleep.

I highly recommend this, it’s £26 for a 75g pot which isn’t the cheapest but you only need the tiniest amount of this so I can see this lasting a long time. If you haven’t tried anything from Antipodes yet, I would definitely recommend doing so!

Have you guys tried this?

Soph xx

MUA Eyeshadow Swatches #24 & #3

Hi Guys,

Just a quick post today to show you some of the MUA shadows I’ve picked up, I love MUA shadows, they’re ridiculously cheap at a £1 for a shadow and I find that they’re quite similar in formula to the Urban Decay shadows that I have, they are super pigmented and have good lasting wear when paired with either MUA Eye Primer Base (which I did a review on here, but I think has been re-formulated now and re-packaged). The packaging isn’t great, they can be fiddly to get into and the writing wears off quickly and the actual range of colours is quite limited (unless you delve into the MUA pallettes where there are a whole host of colours) but when it’s just a £1, I don’t think you can go wrong with these. I particularly love the purple colour below, it’s a gorgeous shimmery mauve colour.

The mauve colour is shade #24 & the gray is shade #3

Which is your favourite MUA shade? 

Soph x