November Favourites ♥

It is time to share with you all, the many things I have been loving throughout this merry month of November! As per usual I have a few beauty bits and also a few random bits to share with you all, so let's start with the beauty bits shall we? 

Beauty

Batiste Fruity and Cheeky Cherry Dry Shampoo

Why, as a lazy student, I have only just started using dry shampoo I will never know. This stuff smells so delicious and cherry-like that I can't stop sniffing it. I love to use this on days where I have n0 time and don't want to look like I haven't showered in a few months. This works really well for me, but I do have a few friends with very thick hair who have said it pretty much does nothing, so it definitely depends on your hair type.

Tresseme Platinum Strength Shampoo & Conditioner

I am in love with this shampoo and conditioner, it makes my hair super soft and feel so healthy and strong. It has also helped control my frizz and makes my hair lovely and shiny!

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Gobi

I think for me, this is one of those 'love hate' products. Sometimes I'll use this and it looks flawless and other times it clings to dry patches and looks a bit on the yellow side. I have found that this works 10x better with a primer though and so lately, in conjunction with my Revlon Photo Ready Primer, it has been treating me well.

MAC Eye Shadow Quad - Grain, Cranberry, Embark & Sketch

I have two 15x MAC palettes that are full of beautiful shades that tend to get overlooked, so having a small quad that fits easily into a makeup bag allows me to rotate all my shadows, and make sure they all get a bit of loving. As it's winter, I thought I would show some of my more berry shades some love. These four shades are perfect for creating day and night looks and I do love a good smokey eye, so Sketch is a must. 

Random 

Film - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Catching Fire is my favourite book out of the three, so I was extremely worried that the film was going to screw it up, especially with that stupid handheld camera work that was over used in the first film. But alas, it was amazing and definitely did the book proud, not to mention Jennifer Lawrence did an amazing job as per usual. 

Music - Lorde, Pure Heroine

I wasn't too sure about this album at first, I'm not a massive fan of the song 'Royals' so I was a bit put off. But I have to say, there are some even better songs on the album. For instance, the song Buzzcut Season may be one of my favourite songs ever, yes I said it, EVER!

TV - Dr Who: 50th Anniversary Special

I only watched this because I'm completely in love with David Tennant. I'm also an old school Dr Who fan, my dad used to force me to watch it when I was a kid. It was definitely enjoyable and it was fun to see some of the older Doctors back, I'm looking at you Tom Baker! It was however written by Steven Moffat and was therefore completely over complicated.

Journal

And my final favourite of the month is my journal. I saw a blog post about keeping a journal to store all the quotes, stories, poems and song lyrics that make you happy and I instantly went out to Paperchase. I've been enjoying doodling and writing positive messages to myself and it has definitely given me the pick me up I needed. 

So that's all from me and my favourites this month, but let me know what things you've been loving down in the comments!

June/July Collective Haul!

  I'm not going to lie, I've been a bit naughty with my money lately. I am supposed to be saving for a potential tour of the US after graduation, but I'm the worst saver ever! I have managed to bag a few things that I've been eye balling forever though, so I suppose I can justify my spends right?  

This haul right here is a bog ole' collection of the goodies I've bought in the past two months. Some of it I needed, some of it I just plain wanted!

First up is the Fast shampoo and conditioner set. I did a sort of starter review on this here, I will be doing updates on how my hair is getting along with it though. I've used it in the past and it proved succesful so thought I'd give it another bash now that it's available in Boots.

Then we have the Barry M Gelly nail paints. You probably already know that I'm OBSESSED with Barry M. They are by far the best nail polishes I have ever used and I have quite a few in my collection. I decided to take advantage of Superdrug's 3 for 2 nails offer and grab the entire summer collection. I also picked up a confetti nail effects polish in Sour Apple to complete the offer (there's only 5 shades in the summer collection).

If you read my July lust list, which can be found here if you're interested, you will have seen this little gem. This is the Urban Decay Glinda Palette and I've been in love with it since it was first released. I love the fact that the actual palette can be kept and reused, it really makes a lovely addition to my palette collection. You also get a free 24/7 pencil in Rockstar and a Saturated Lip Color in Glinda, bargain. 

 I also picked up another Nivea Regenerating Night Cream because I ran out of my last one, I decided to try the normal to combination skin formula this time around. I usually go for the dry to sensitive skin version but fancied a change. 

We then have the products that I've bought purely from reading blogs, you guys are not good for my bank balance. First we have the REN F10 Smooth and Renew mask. I bought this after reading Little Red's review and it was also in my July Lust List post. I wanted an exfoliating mask that was kind on sensitive skin and didn't contain any beads, this guy sounded perfect. I've never tried any REN products before so I'm excited to use this! I also got two lovely samples, one of the Glycolatic mask and one of the Hydra Day Cream.

I also grabbed a bottle of Moroccanoil from Regis in the Trafford Centre. I've heard constant praise for Moroccanoil but was always just too frugal to pay out. I only bought the 25ml bottle because I just wanted to give it a test drive, I have to say I will be purchasing the full size when this runs out.

Finally I picked up some of Clinique's Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. I got this because Caroline Hirons was raving about it and I'm trying to stay away from frothy cleansers. I've had one go of this so far and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. 

So that's all I got guys, I will be doing reviews of everything so keep an eye out and make sure you're following me on Bloglovin!

Have you tried any of my recent purchases?

 

Let's Grow Those Locks, FAST!

Hello my little pumpkin dancers (first thing that popped into my head :|) I have recently been using this lovely shampoo & conditioner set from Nisim. Fast shampoo is now available in boots, however when I started using it, it was only available online.

About two years ago I decided to grow my hair out from a very short pixie cut. Growing your hair out is always a slow frustrating experience, I was desperate and Fast popped up in my 'Amazon recommends' list.

Fast is short for fortified amino scalp therapy. Basically this uses a 'blend of natural herbs, vitamins and amino acids to fortify hair and reduce breakage allowing for long beautiful looking hair'. Their words straight off the box. It's perfectly safe to use on colour treated hair, I used it when I was dying my hair red and didn't notice any stripping.

You get 300ml of shampoo and 300ml of conditioner which doesn't seem a lot, but if you use it wisely they can last for about a month maybe a little longer. The directions tell you to wash your hair everyday, which I'm not too keen on. I have been a bit lazy lately and not done it everyday, it does work a little better if you do from past experience. It will dry your hair out a bit if you wash it everyday so make sure you are using a hair mask once or twice a week.

The conditioner is a lot more moisturising this time around. Last time I noticed that it wasn't that great and also that it had a very chemical smell. The smell has since gone (must be a new formula) and the conditioner is a lot better, really makes my hair feel nourished.   

  I was, of course, very skeptical at the time as I really couldn't believe a shampoo and conditioner could make my hair grow faster. I Have very slow growing hair, usually it barely grows 1/2 inch a month. Once I started using this, I noticed that my hair was growing at least 1 inch every month.

It has been a while since I used this though, I had to stop because I just couldn't afford it anymore. But this was on offer, buy one get one half price in Boots. I couldn't say no to that could I? So I ended up getting 2 lots. The shampoo and conditioner can only be bought together in Boots at the moment, you can buy them separately on Amazon though.

If you would like a full list of the ingredients you can go to Nisim's website, they have a full list and it tells you why they have used the ingredients they have. I will be doing an update once I have been using this a little longer, that will most likely be a longer more detailed review.  

RRP: £24.99 for the set, available at Boots and Amazon.co.uk

Have you tried fast yet? 

 

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.