Dissappointing Products Vol.2

So I'm out of the Best In Beauty Competition guys :( sad but it had to end sometime. Thank you to everyone who voted for me throughout the competition!

This week I decided to do a second disappointing products video, it's been a few months since I did my first one, so I thought I'd do another! People seem to like watching them anyway. Like all of my videos, you have this sparkly new post to go with it (If you don't like watching videos). So let me talk you through some of the products I have purchased that just didn't live up to my expectations (or what they claimed to do on the tin/tub/jar etc...)

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Intensive Strengthening Hair Mask - £2.09

Oooof I was so excited to use this after I fell head over heels in love with the shampoo and conditioner. It smells exactly the same and has a lovely thick and creamy texture to the product. Just what I love in a hair mask. However it does nothing. Literally nothing. I may as well just put yogurt on my hair. I use this after a shampoo and instead of conditioner, it doesn't specifically tell you how to use it, the directions are pretty vague. I was expecting it to make my hair super duper shiny and silky soft. Nope, I actually prefer to just use the normal conditioner, I think it's more moisturising! Really let the Bee Strong collection down majorly!

Maybelline Fit Me Powder - £5.99

I got this because I wanted to stray away from my much loved Rimmel Stay Matte powder and try something new. It wasn't a wise decision. I'm pretty sure this shade is a tad dark for me and it is the lightest shade they do. My main issues with this are the fact that it just dissapears! You powder your face and poof! 10 minutes later it's gone! It also doesn't control shine at all. I wore this in a video once and I couldn't believe how shiny my face was. I haven't tried the Fit Me foundation, but I'm intrigued to know if that is any good. 

MaxFactor Facefinity All Day Flawless Foundation - £11.99

I'm not going to rant on about why I don't like this foundation because I've already done a full review of it here. But I will say this, It is drying, sticks to dry patches and oxidises like a cray mo fo! 

MaxFactor Max Colour Effects Mini Nail Polish - £3.99

The mini MaxFactor nail polishes have some gorgeous shades, my favourite being 'Fantasy Fire' a beautiful iridescent purple. However the formula is just... ughhhhhh! It is extremely watery and thin which means it takes about 100 coats to get your nails the same colour as the bottle. These aren't expensive by any means, but from a brand like MaxFactor, I expected a lot better.

I'm going to be doing full reviews on the MaxFactor nail polishes, the Bee Strong hair mask and the Fit Me powder if you want to read a more detailed rant and have a look at some snazzy pictures. 

Have you tried any of these products? Do you have any products you've bought recently that have majorly let you down? 

   

  

It's Time For June Favourites!

It is the end of June already, the English Summer appears to have come and gone, hopefully not for too long though. But here are my monthly favourites for you all to hopefully give you some products to add to your beauty-shopping list.

First up we'll start with hair as I've been having a bit of a change this month. I'll start with shampoo & conditioner. I've been loving the Herbal Essences Bee Strong shampoo and conditioner, which I have done a review on already. It smells divine and really makes my hair feel fuller and softer. I can't say for sure if it prevents breakage when combing because I don't really suffer with that specific problem. I do feel like it gives a bit more life to my hair though which is always a bonus. 

Next up is a little product called Colour B4. This is supposed to dissolve the hair colourant particles (very sciency I know) to get rid of any dye in the hair. I've been dying my hair since I was 14 and as a result, can't really remember what my natural colour is (I know I'm a sort of a blondey-gingery colour). It also means I have a large amount of colour build up. But I used this stuff anyway to try and get rid of my latest red dye. It stripped a great deal of the colour out and I was very pleasantly surprised with the results. I'm going to be doing a separate review post about this so I'm going to leave it there for now ;)

The finally for hair, we have a high-street/drugstore alternative to the Moroccan Oil. This oil is by Organix and is available at Superdrug & Boots. I like to take a small drop of this, rub it all over my hands and then run it through my hair focusing on the ends. It makes my hair feel so healthy and soft and really has helped get it back to good condition after using the Colour B4.  * UPDATE 28/07/13: Read here why I've changed my mind about this stuff, I'm non too happy let me tell ya!

The next product I've been loving is the Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask. This says that it's not suitable for sensitive skin, which is exactly what I have. It does sting when you first apply it but I've never had a reaction to it. It really help with any blemishes and definitely clears out those blackheads. You even get two handy little facial sponges with it! 

Finally onto makeup. I bought the NYX blush in Taupe after reading a bazillion blog posts on how it's excellent for contouring on pale skin. I love this! It is indeed great for contouring pale skin and the pigmentation of it is excellent for the price. NYX aren't as readily available here in the UK, so it is the first NYX product I've tried and I'll definitely be getting more.

And my last favourite is one I've talked about in my videos before; it is the Laura Mercier Silk crème foundation in Soft Ivory. I'm starting to love this foundation, the coverage is amazing and the shade is almost perfect, just a touch on the yellow side. The finish is more matte then glowing but I love it on my combination skin.

So that's it! All the products I've loved this month. What products have you loved during June?

Herbal Essences Bee Strong/Honey I'm Strong Shampoo & Conditioner Review

Good evening guys! Or good morning depending on where you are in the world.

If you follow my YouTube channel, you will know that every Wednesday I put up a review. However this week I had one filmed and I forgot to press record for the first half of my review. I am a fool. 

Then, I had planned to film quickly today but have been incapacitated by an awful bout of some sort of illness. I’m not a doctor so I couldn’t tell you what but it feels very flu like.

Anyway, to make up for my lack of video I thought I’d wack out a quick written review instead! 

So this week I’ve been testing out a new shampoo and conditioner from Herbal Essences. If you’re in the UK you will probably have seen the majestic advert starring Nicole Scherzingerererererer. I’m talking about the Bee Strong line or the Honey I’m Strong line if you’re in the US. 

I’ve only managed to test out the shampoo and conditioner, but they do also have a deep conditioning mask and a leave in cream. 

Here’s what Herbal Essences say about their Bee Strong/Honey I’m Strong Products:

“Do you dare to repair? Get 10x stronger* hair in just one wash with my hair care collection. My formulas coat each hair strand to help repair the protective outer layer and provide strength against future damage.”

So this line is aimed at people with damaged hair, and claims to protect and “repair” the hair. Now we get told time and time again that hair cannot be repaired. Hair is dead and cannot be brought back to life by a miracle product, apparently. With any product claiming to make hair stronger, it’s always hard to prove if it is actually making the hair stronger or not. Unless you’re a scientist. 

What I can say, in my experience with the shampoo and conditioner, is that it definitely makes my hair feel silky soft and moisturized. I have very very fine hair and after I use this, it does tend to feel a little fuller and bouncier. 

I’ve found that it works best when you use the shampoo twice before conditioning, I don’t know why but my hair just feels softer if I do it that way.

Also, because this is a Herbal Essences product, it obviously smells absolutely delicious. This contains honey and apricot extracts, so has a gorgeous sweet smell that really lingers in the hair but isn't too overpowering. I always like my shampoo and conditioners to smell sweet and fruity and this one does not let me down. You only need a small dollop of both the shampoo and conditioner for a full head, and I have to say the conditioner is a lovely thick consistency, and therefore seems to be lasting me a little longer than normal.

Overall, one of my favourite shampoo and conditioner sets I’ve used in a while. After my disappointment with the Toni & Guy shampoo, I’m really enjoying using this.