Ironing Out The Wrinkles

This year I turned 30. Over time I have noticed my skin look a little sad and dull no matter what I tried or used. The ageing bug has not been very kind to me. Fine lines under and around the eyes, deep furrows appearing between the brows and either side of my mouth being the biggest complaints I have. My mother likes to call them laughter lines, it shows that I am enjoying life. I may enjoy life but I don't enjoy getting older.

I had been hearing about a product that other friends in the beauty industry have been using with incredible results, according to them it was 'Botox in a bottle' and this certain face oil worked wonders on plumping the skin giving a fresh, youthful, wrinkle free appearance. Not sure if this was true or just overly hyped up I thought it was worth at least trying.

The product is Helenere - Maitrise Du Temps. 

The price tag, £173 for a pack of 5 - 10ml bottles. I can imagine jaws dropping about now.
I had no idea starting this adventure to younger skin that it came at such a high cost. However, for the sake of looking ten years younger I took the leap in Feb of this year and paid the price. 7 months in and I regret nothing, I would repurchase this pack in a heartbeat when the time comes that I run low.
Stopping the ageing clock and winding it back, this succeeds with top marks, having never had Botox I cannot tell you if it is anything comparable but what I can tell you is my eye area looks the same as it did at 20; smooth, wrinkle free and it even helped with a hood that was sagging down over my eyelid.
My fine lines are perfectly plumped out and even, my pores look smaller in size which results in foundation and powders looking better (no cakey lines that I have to smooth out half way through the day anymore). Dare I say my skin look in healthier condition than it did in my 20's. I don't think I could ever go back after using this product.

So what exactly is it? It is essentially an extra rich intensive formula serum that moisturises deeply that you use prior to your usual day/ night time face moisturiser. (In my case Philosophy - Hope In A Jar.) So, very simple to slip it into your skincare routine. This treatment renders its elasticity to the epidermis, benefits the cell renewal process, restores firmness and brightness to the skin while re-balancing its hydrolipidic film, and diminishing wrinkles.

A visible and dramatic difference in skin texture and anti ageing results appeared after around a month of using this, so not immediate but with time skin slowly winds back time and eradicates those wrinkles.
Do I think it's worth the money? Yes! Every last penny is well spent on this. I will be repurchasing the pack when I get to my last bottle, which even after 7 months I'm not even close to. The pack of 5 will probably last me a full year, as you only need a few drops each time, a little goes a long way. Overall, it probably costs you less per year than a normal face oil does, so it's pretty well priced when you do the math and good value for your money.

I highly recommend this if you want to wind back skin ageing, and help to stop it in its tracks; I can completely understand why people recommended this and hyped it up so much. In turn I recommend it to you and hope you have as much success as we did with this product. It's cheaper than Botox and drastic surgeries, both of which cost a huge amount of money - which could be spent on shoes, bags, cosmetics etc!

Morgan Taylor Nail Polish - Spring Releases

Stocking up at my local beauty supply store this week, I saw a new stand at the till - always exciting!
I noticed Morgan Taylor had released new Spring shades (called 'Casual Cool'), so I added a few to my basket.
Impressed beyond words - Morgan Taylor never ceases to surprise me.
I have a huge nail polish collection, but this company seem to always create colours that I can never find a dupe too. They are truely unique shades.

Opaque in two thin coats, hard wearing, smooth easy to use formula and fast drying. They give their all.
The finish is not high gloss, so you do need a top coat to create that perfect salon glass like finish. The Spring shades I chose were:

• Ahead Of The Game - A very bold, creamy canary yellow.
• New Kicks On The Block - A medium bold pink/ purple.
• Varsity Jacket Blues - A bold aqua blue.

I enjoyed all of the colours but the one that stood out for me was 'Ahead Of The Game', it has such a unique finish; it has an almost metallic shimmer finish, I have never seen before in a polish - simply stunning!



I am very impressed by the Spring shades, I donned these shades for Easter and got many compliments. I already see these being my beach colours this Summer too.
I highly recommended checking them out, or asking for them in your local nail bar or salon, I highly doubt you will be disappointed!

Barry M - Gelly Hi Shine, Spring Releases

I adore the whole range of Gelly nail paints from this brand. If like me you change your nail colour like you change your clothes than UV gel nail polish is not something that you automatically think about investing in.
With this kind of polish not only can you change the colour when you wish, you can do so at a fraction of the price, while creating the same effect.

The Gelly nail paints are so easy to work with and with most you can even get away with one coat to full opaque coverage, they have an amazing high gloss finish just like professional salon UV polish. I've tried many different brands and I always come back to Barry M as they don't chip or wear as easily.
This year they have released three new Spring Gelly paints, which made me very excited, so excited I was at Superdrug the morning they were released; picking them off the selves as the staff was placing them on. Yes! I couldn't wait, I was like a child on Christmas morning.

The three new shades are beautiful, soft pastels, perfect Spring trend colours.

• Sugar Apple - A soft light mint green.
• Rosehip - A baby pink/ powder pink.
• Huckleberry - A soft egg shell blue.

The colours look great alone; but I like to mix the three colours on different nails, the colours look divine as a set. They are as hard wearing as the rest of the Gelly range and also have the same great finish. I can see me wearing these colours in the Summer months too.

Stunning new additions. I highly recommend all three, I honestly cannot choose a favourite shade. Well worth the money.

Barry M Nail Paint - Birthday

The high street store Superdrug are celebrating their 50th birthday. In honour of this event they have come together with several companies to create Limited Edition products, Barry M being one of them.
As you already know; if you are a regular reader to my blog, I adore Barry M nail paints.
Their products have brilliant staying power, great pigmentation (sometimes fully opaque in one coat), fab formula's and a huge range of colours and textures to try. Not forgetting they are affordable and easy to obtain.

The nail paint by Barry M for Superdrug's 50th birthday is aptly named 'Birthday' and is Limited Edition, so I suggest picking one up the first chance you get as they will not be around for long - and it's amazing!

The base is a beautiful hot pink/ cherise colour which has tiny black specks running through it.
It has a party popper effect to it, which is a mix of different shaped, coloured and sized pieces.
Pink, white and purple hexagonal shaped pieces with even smaller round shaped pieces of the same three colours are within the polish.

A true party on the nail, Barry M sure knows what they're doing when it comes to creating a great nail polish. I used two coats to create the layered effect with a clear base coat and a clear top coat, but I think you could probably intensify the effect with a dark or black undercoat if you wanted to. Well worth a few pounds, I highly recommend picking one up!

Paul & Joe, Eye & Lip Make-Up Remover

I've never tried anything by this brand. However, where I live I haven't seen anything I could buy from the company. I found this online and thought I should try at least one of their products. As I needed a remover this is what I opted for, although it says Eye & Lip I only used it for the eyes as I tend to use a wipe on the lips to remove excess lip product when removing my makeup.

The formula is rather odd; it has the consistency of oily water, that seemed to absorb straight into the skin with no residue or tackiness. With this I instantly thought that this would dry up too fast to remove any mascara or eye products, wet and removal go hand in hand in my mind. Shockingly, this did remove eye makeup rather well I would say three swipes of the eye and a little clean up and done!
The true test came when I tried the formula on waterproof mascara, this didn't fare as well as others have; it seemed to need lots of product on a pad and I did have to rub a little longer and harder to remove the makeup.
The smell was neutral, I'm sure there is some scent but I could smell nothing - so very inoffensive.
The after effect was lovely the eye area did feel really soft and the formula did not dry out the skin around the eye, very caring and gentle. I received no sting to the eye area and no burning.

Overall, this product is good on non waterproof make up, it's gentle and softening on the eye area and let's not forget the bottle is amazing. It looks so pretty on the dressing table and probably is refillable, so the price tag I paid did not really bother me too much. I probably would not buy this again as I know of better removers but in my opinion for the bottle alone I didn't mind buying it for the presentation aspect.

Barry M Silk Nail Paints

I very briefly touched on these in an earlier post here: 'The Monthly Nail'. However, I thought I would do a full review of the Silk collection.
The new silk nail paints come in 6 different shades, Meadow, Heather, Mist, Pearl, Truffle and Blossom.

They are all very Spring/ Summer looking shades. They have a very unique finish, A cross between a pearl and a matte effect. All are pastel hued and very attractive on both long and short nails.
The first coat dried in around a minute and the second coat took around three-five minutes drying time. So fast too dry and provides a nice even coat. I didn't need a third coat as it was fully opaque in two coats.

As I didn't use a top coat the polish only lasted only 4 days on the nails before chipping/ peeling. You could probably use a matte top coat and keep the polish neater for longer but you may lose some of the silk effect finish.

The one and only real problem I found with these polishes was the streaking effect. It was quite difficult to achieve a nail that did not have brush stroke patterns included. So you have to be very careful and neat when painting your nails with these paints.
It can be achieved but only if you have a while to do your nails, so if you're watching a movie these are the perfect polishes to be using whilst your relaxing.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at the new silk nail paints with me and have seen what the effect and colours are like. I would definately recommend these for Spring/ Easter. I really enjoyed these colours and the effect they created. If you want something different, these are definately worth a try!

Ciao x

Giveaway Time!!!

I have reached 100 followers on Bloglovin'. To many people this may not be many followers but for me personally I see this as a huge compliment, that this amount of people are actually interested enough in my blog to click that follow button. I love you all and to show you how much I love you I decided I would do a little giveaway showing my appreciation!

The winner will receive:

• Revlon Chroma-Chameleon Nail Polish in the shade Tanzanite.
• Korres Liquid Lipstick in the shade 28 Raspberry.
• Barry M Silk Nail Paint in the shade Pearl.
• Alima Pure Eyeshadow in the shade Paris.
• Rock Beauty - Nail Rock in Blue.
• Nourish Illuminating Face Shimmer in Golden Glow.
• OPI Mariah Carey - Mini Holiday Hits (From 2013) in the shades: Visions of Love, Warm Me Up, Wonderous Star and All Sparkly And Gold.
• ESPA Mini Kit.
• B. Gift Set. (Includes a full sized eyeshadow)

This giveaway is open Internationally. All are welcome to take part!
To make the giveaway fair I am running the giveaway through Rafflecopter (see box below).
Good luck and again thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

L'Oreal, Skin Perfection - Velvety Soft Toner

I am a huge toner fan. Not only do toners help the look of pore size, they also can regulate oils produced and even get those pesky last bits of make up you may have missed whilst cleansing.
I haven't really seen many reviews on this product, so I thought I would add a comment or two on it after using well over half of it up.
The scent is pleasant and refreshing, it doesn't make me recoil with horror. The formula is very thin, water like in viscosity. The solution is clear/ milky in colour.
I had a little trouble with the amount of product that would come flying out as I tended to get either a drop or two, or a soaked cotton pad; the flow of the toner is unpredictable so beware.
The application was nice, there was no sting on the skin, no redness after application, and no drying or irritation. It is suitable for all skin types including sensitive so I already knew these factors would not be included in this product from the beginning of use.
It does leave the skin silky soft and does remove impurities. However, personally a toner to me tones the skin, leaving pores closed; hence making the appearance of them look smaller. This did not achieve that at all. It also didn't really seem to regulate or balance out oil, I tended to see increased oils on the face half way through the day, particularly the forehead and chin.
I think if you have very dry, dry - normal skin this would probably be a great toner for your needs, but other skin types would get no benefit from using this toner. I know far superior toners for the same price that would suit other skin types better.

Overall, I don't think I would purchase this again for my skin type. If I had sensitive or dry skin I probably would buy this in a heart beat, as it did leave my skin baby soft.

Morgan Taylor Review and Swatches

Whilst I was in my local beauty supply shop this week I saw a new nail stand and I got rather excited.
I have been hearing great thing's about this brand from others and have been wanting to try them for at least a month. Finally I had my chance, so I snapped a couple up.
Choosing the colours I wanted to try first was the hardest as they are all stunning, there was so many colours that were just unique. So for now I have 'Little Misfit' and 'Fame Game' as I thought these would be a lovely combo. I adored all the shade names!

The very same night - I was doing my nails, the surprises with these nail lacquers was never ending. I spent half an hour uhhhing and ahhhing whilst using them. They truly are the best nail polishes I have ever used and I've tried pretty much every brand. From the exquisitely innovative custom-designed bottle with ergonomic cap that fits in your hand like a dream (even my man hands) to the formula with a perfect opaque coverage without any brush marks or streaks.
The glitter was the most amazing out of the two, two coats without any colour underneath and I had a full opaque glitter encrusted nail that was sparkling like a treasure chest. Little Misfit had a flip paint effect, it looked different colours in different lights. Purple, pink, green, silver, grey were the spectrum of colours that was amongst what I saw in different positions as I turned my nail.

(Fame Game is on the left and Little Misfit on the right)

The drying time was fairly fast around 3 minutes first coat and 5 minutes for the second. With a top coat the polish has lasted over a week now with only one small chip from the top left edge of my little nail.

Would I recommend them? Absolutely! Morgan Taylor's unique spectrum knows no bounds, ranging from the classical to avant-garde, and from subtle to unconditionally spectacular. Perfect for expressing every mood, attitude and personal style.

Beauty Buys

I find I buy beauty products on quite a regular basis. so, I thought I would keep you updated on my beauty picks. This way you get to see what I'm trying out, what colours look like via swatches and perhaps what I may be reviewing later on. (Sneak peeks!) Not all the products I show with be reviewed on this blog, but if there is something in particular that you would like to see more of, leave me a comment below.
On to the beauty buys.

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Barry M - Flawless Matte Finish Foundation.
I picked up two shades, Ivory and Nude, I tend to pick up one that matches my skin tone in the Winter months and one that will match me in the Summer months, when I get a little bit of a tan.
Matte finish, med/ full coverage, blends easily and seamlessly. Thumbs up on the hand swatch, fingers crossed for the same on face application.

Philosophy - Divine Satin Finish Illuminating Powder.
I chose the shade deep, as I thought this would perhaps make a brilliant bronzer. I loved the packaging, esp the mirror - which includes a 'Philosophy' Statement. Too cute! It comes in a lovely compact with a brush included, handy for on the move.

MUA Luxe - Velvet Lip Lacquer.
I picked up the shade Reckless, which is a deep ruby red. It's very pigmented, one swipe and opaque loveliness occurs. The gloss is quite dense and thick, not sure on lasting power as of yet but does have a great finish, it's between a matte and a gloss, I personally enjoy the finish.

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 Maybelline - Colour Tattoo, Cream Eyeshadow.
I opted for 65 - Pink Gold.
A light pink shadow with gold flecks running through it, I loved the colour as it reminded me of one of my favourite MAC eyeshadows. It's a lovely creamy texture, very pigmented and easily blendable.

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 NARS - Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil.
In the shade - Baroque.
Having not tried the Velvet Gloss pencil before, I thought I would pick one up and have a little test. A beautiful colour, a great finish. Not the most opaque but the colour is buildable. Easy to apply, soft and no drying out on the lips (Brownie points for soft, nourished lips).

Maybelline - Great Lash Mascara.
I get this in Blackest Black, I have this in both my kit and personal makeup stash. I use this everyday on the bottom lashes. The wand is the perfect tiny size to reach all those hard angles and teeny lashes that tend to hide. Just brilliant.

Superdrug - B. Rich Lipstick.
I was so impressed with the last one I featured on 'Beauty Buys' that I went back for another, this time in the shade 'Carmen'. A deeper red than the Marilyn.
They have brilliant staying power, you can blot and sheer these out to a natural stain effect or pop on the rich, creamy opaque lipstick for a bold and beautiful look.
Perfect for all day or night. Thumbs up for these, and affordable too.

Barry M - Silk Nail Paint.
This is in the shade - Pearl.
A soft, velvety pearl white colour in two thin coats. Easy to apply, give a beautiful finish and last for a good week, with a top coat applied. (For the silk effect with no top coat it lasts 4 days). I really liked this polish on swatch and I did go back and purchase another two shades.

Collection - Naturally Matt Foundation.
In the shade - 3 Beige.
I was told this stays matte all day long until removal and I was curious. Not as easy to blend out, limited colour range - will form a true opinion once I have tested this fully. Who knows this could be a wonder product?

I hope you enjoyed 'beauty buys', if you would a full review of an item or would like to see more of this type of blog post comment below and I will keep you updated with purchases I make and full product reviews!

The Body Shop - Lip and Eye Liner's

£8.00/ 1.25g (each)
www.thebodyshop.co.uk
Made in the UK.
Eye Liner available in 5 different shades.
Lip Liner available in 7 different shades.

While I was in The Body Shop, I came across these liners. For some strange reason, I've never tried their lip or eye liners and not really heard anything about them. I thought I would pop a few in my basket and give them a try.  I've been using them for just over two weeks and tried all of the colours to create different day and evening looks.

I picked a bright pillar box red lip liner, called '13 - Rosy Red'. I have amassed many red lipsticks, so I knew that this shade would match at least a few.
When I first opened this the colour impressed me, it looked so pretty and stunning that I took a moment to enjoy the shade.
Application of the lip liner really didn't impress me though.  It claims that it has a soft texture, however, it was a hard pencil (like a drawing pencil). I found it scratchy and rough; I had to really drag it along to get any colour onto my lip line. When I did, it had good pigmentation and a very sharp out line.
I loved the colour, it matched quite a few lipsticks I tried it with, the lip liner stayed on for hours without smudging, or wearing off (even with drinking and eating). My lipstick came off before this lip liner did. It impressed me how solid the line remained and how long it stayed on the lips for. I began to appreciate these benefits and see past the application.
It had a nice even wear so it wasn't patchy or missing in bits. It did reduce lipstick bleed I noticed that my lipstick stayed sharper and neater without blurring out. I think this is a product that I will have a love/ hate relationship with.

(L-R) Rosy Red / Glowing Amethyst / Brilliant Blue / Shimmering Steel / Vibrant Emerald.

In the Metallic Eye Definer's, I picked up four different shades. I have tried many different metallic liners and I haven't found one that I liked. They were either a great eye liner but not very metallic; very sheer or didn't work at all giving no colour pay off. So I wasn't getting my expectations up too high for these liners either.
I was pleasantly surprised when I used it though as it had amazing pigmentation and it was truly metallic. I had found my metallic eye liner that did what it said it would and did it brilliantly.
The liner glided on very smoothly and gently, with no tugging or pulling. It gave me even and smooth coverage with great colour pay off and an intense metallic effect that really made my eyes light up and sparkle.
It is an excellent liner, usable on water line and tight line, as well as upper lid. The formula is water resistant, so the liner stayed put for hours before having to re-apply. I would repurchase these liners without a second thought. Simply beautiful for both day and night.

Left - Artificial Lighting / Right - Natural Daylight

Both products contain Fair Trade Marula oil. They source this from the 'Eudafano Women’s Co-Operative' (which helps women earn a fair income) in Namibia.The Body Shop are also Cruelty Free, none of their products are tested on animals. I enjoy the fact that the company are ethically minded; this makes me feel comfortable with the products that I am using and feel fair towards the source and people who created the product.

I hope you enjoyed this look at The Body Shop's liners. Feel free to let me know if you have tried them and what your thoughts on them were below in the comments section. x

Beauty Buys

I find I buy beauty products on quite a regular basis. so, I thought I would keep you updated on my beauty picks. This way you get to see what I'm trying out, what colours look like via swatches and perhaps what I may be reviewing later on. (Sneak peeks!) Not all the products I show with be reviewed on this blog, but if there is something in particular that you would like to see more of, leave me a comment below.
On to the beauty buys.

Real Techniques - Miracle Complexion Sponge.
I've seen a few bloggers review this little guy, all of the reviews said how comparable it was to the Beauty Blender, and at a fraction of the price. I was sold from that mere sentence, I go through a few of the beauty blenders a year, if I can find another just like it at a snip of the original then I will be a happy bunny!
I've very excited to try this for myself; but trying not to expect anything from it, so that I won't get disappointed if it fails to do what I need it to. (Making people dazzlingly beautiful)
Fingers crossed, it will become a new favourite!

The Body Shop - Colour Crush Lipstick. 
(I bought the shade - 101)
I adore red lipstick. Red suits any one, any skin tone, any age, any lip shape! It's the one colour that I cannot live without. The majority of my lipsticks are reds, with other colours scattered amidst them randomly.
I saw this while I was in The Body Shop and I could never forgive myself if I had of walked out without it. (A strange fact about me - If I see a red lipstick, I have to buy it.)

This is what I like to call 'a day time' red, a lighter red with a cooler undertone. A colour that would look amazing in summer with some matte black sunnies. Great buy!

B. Rich Intense Colour Lipstick.
(I bought the shade - 194 Marilyn)
This brand as far as I am aware are exclusive to Superdrug. They are a company with beautiful ethics, all the B. range is cruelty free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. It is also very fairly priced.
Again a red lipstick, I know - I know, it's an addiction! However, this one I planned to buy as it was compared to a high end brand. I love seeing if they are good dupes, I find it rather fun.
So far the packaging has won me over, it's so cute. To open the lipstick you press the bottom and it unlocks with a click and extended down so you can pull it out like a regular lipstick.
No more ruined lipsticks in my handbag because the lid popped off. Genius design!

Barry M - Natural Glow, Shadow & Blush Palette.
I had originally gone in to pick up some of the new 'Silk' Nail Paint collection that had been released, I came home with a few more items than a nail polish; this being one of them.
There was three different palettes, as I love neutrals I went for the natural glow. I've never tried Barry M cosmetic's before, I have only ever tried the nail paints. (Another fact about me - Barry M are my favourite polishes) I was interested to see what the cosmetics were like. They were all beautiful when swatched, the last three eyeshadow shades are on trend this spring (Metallic Eyeshadows) thumbs up Barry M, it has a nice amount of matte and shimmer shadows, which I really liked and the blush is amazing. The picture really does it no justice at all. In person wow! It was really inexpensive too.

Revlon - Colourburst, Matte Balm.
(I bought the shade - 205 Elusive Insaisissable)
I have been seeing adverts for these in every magazine, reviewed by many, many bbloggers and have been seeing it pop up in my twitter feed for days. I cracked and ran to buy one too. I absolutely love the colour, I'm not really sure if I can restrain myself from buying all of the shades.

Rimmel - Stay Matte Primer.
I have oily skin, so I am always on the look out for anything that will keep my skin mattified. I saw this and thought it was worth picking up as the cost was low.
Not really sure how this will hold up; who knows it could amaze me and change my mind about lower priced primers?
The texture is a gel/cream, a combination of the two in my experience with primers. Feels rather wet for a mattifying primer, the colour is white from the tube and blends to transparent on the skin. No scent to it, which is always a bonus. Fingers crossed this product will not make me break out.

Rouge Bunny Rouge - Lip Potion.
(I bought the shade - Devilish Nectar)
This is my second tube of this amazing lip potion. It's become my secret weapon for plump, voluminous lips.
I have a normal lower lip but the tiniest top lip, it seems to disappear every time I smile. This is incredible for making it appear I have a fuller, more plump top lip. If this sounds like something you want or need, I have a full review: HERE for you to check out the product in full detail.

Lancome - Hypnose Mascara.
(I bought the shade - Black)
My favourite mascara. I have repurchased this countless times over the year's. I have my own and I also have this in my kit. The formula doesn't dry out too fast, it's buildable without clumping and creates many looks with how many layers you apply; from natural to dramatic.

Collection - Lasting Perfection Foundation.
(I bought the shade - Porcelain)
Again this was a purchase because I had heard good things about it. So far it seems easily blendable, matte, has great staying power and the shades almost adapt personally to your skin tone. I really like this swatched, I'm hoping that this is the same after a few hours of wear on my face.

I hope you enjoyed 'beauty buys', if you would like to see more of this type of blog post comment below and I will keep you updated with purchases I make!

Hair Care Routine - February

Every month, I go through bottles of hair care and styling products. I thought it would be a good idea to share what I have been using each month and how well it worked.
I love to try a new shampoo and conditioner each month, I always look forward to trying something different, I have found some great products by doing this; also having a change in scent also appeals to me personally as I tend to get used to the smell of the products after a while. This month I went back to one of my old favourites that I haven't used for a couple of year's.

The Body Shop - Banana Shampoo & Conditioner. (£4.50 each)
These smell delicious, they leave your hair smelling great all day long and a little into the next day. They contain real banana puree, so it's a lovely true, fresh banana smell and not an artificial overly sweet scent.
The banana puree goes to work on your hair making it soft, nourished and best of all glossy. It gently cleanses so it doesn't strip necessary oils out of the scalp, meaning no  dandruff.
It has a lovely thick creamy consistency, that is easy to work through the hair.
It's great for tangles; if like me, as soon as your hair sees water it becomes a tangled birds nest, this is a dream. Combs glide through hair, no snags! Meaning less damage to your hair.

Organix - Brazilian Keratin Therapy, Anti-Breakage Serum (£6.99)
Schwarzkopf, Got2b - Guardian Angel, Heat Protector (£3.99)
The wind had been whipping my poor hair in every direction this winter; combing out the knots it created had been damaging my hair, combined with central heating and over using heated appliances, my hair was brittle, weak, frazzled and lacking in the lustre department. Then I met Organix! I towel dry my hair and pop a little of this through; the results - brilliant!
The keratin strengthens the hair, coconut oil softens and de- frizzes, avocado oil and cocoa butter smooth and add shine. All in one little bottle, at a very fair price.
A hero product that I wish I had found much sooner.
After I run this through I mist over my hair with Guardian Angel for heat protection and comb it all through, before blow drying or styling. I like this heat protection spray, it's lasting so long; it's also not sticky, I find too many leave my fingers tacky, this can't be good for the hair. It also smells amazing!

Schwarzkopf, Got2b - Sexy Collagen Lift Effect Hairspray (£3.99)
After I have finished styling; straightened, curled or as I like to call it 'created hair art', I give it some added volume as well as hold.
This hairspray smells delicious, it fruity and fresh; it's holding power is very impressive - curls hold up all day long, straight styles don't go frizzy when there is moisture in the air and best of all it gives you big, sexy hair to flaunt.
I do have to use a good cleansing shampoo by the end of the week. Like all volumizising products it leaves tiny fibre like flakes on the hair which feel quite odd. So to prevent build-up (like any hairspray) a good clarifying cleanser used at the end of each week is great to get back to Au natural hair and get rid of all product build up.
I go through quite a few cans, I would say one a month. Being fairly priced I tend not to over worry about the cost, my purse never feels much lighter.
I love the design of the packaging, it's what grabbed my attention towards it - although it does remind me of a certain salon brands packaging. (Can you guess which one I'm thinking of?)

Lush - No Drought, Dry Shampoo (£6.75)
Percy & Reed - Dry Conditioner (£12.00)
Finally, for those days in between washes, I grab 'No Drought' dry shampoo, give it a sprinkle in, rub and comb it through. Easy peasy!
I've tried most dry shampoos excluded three brands (far too expensive). I can't say I'm a huge fan of any; the only one that I liked in spray form was the 'Philip Kingsley - One More Day Dry Shampoo' but still I found white residue - even after vigorous combing and rubbing.
I dislike them because they run out far too quickly, they leave white powder residue on the hair and they smell awful to me personally.
No Drought, smells like limes and grapefruit, really fresh and zingy. The powder disappears almost instantly with no residue, it absorbs oil with its clever oil-absorbing micropowders, leaving hair matte, clean looking and fabulously coiffed without any dustiness.
The bottle you see in the picture I have been using for 4 months and not lightly, as you can see it lasts a long time. I would happily say I have a year's supply of dry shampoo still left in it.
Before I discovered this, I was buying cans of dry shampoo every 2-3 weeks, you can see how costs can mount up. I have no worries about these costs any longer thanks to this little wonder. I cannot express how much I love this product.

For day's when my hair is feeling dry, coarse and a little dull. I spray in a little of Percy & Reed dry conditioner. It's conditioning formula reduces the damage caused when brushing; as well as adding gorgeous, glossy shine. My hair feels super soft after spraying this in and giving it a brush through. It helps to moisturise and detangle hair, which makes it easier to comb when I've come in from being wind swept, as mentioned above my hair easily knots up (as it's super fine).  This leaves it looking healthy, smooth and shiny. Brilliant product and a definite must have for my hair.

La Roche-Posay - Effaclar Duo (+)

£11.62/ 40ml
www.laroche-posay.co.uk
Made in France.
Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive.

I have oily, blemish prone skin. I have suffered with acne for years and I had tried everything in an attempt to combat it, including prescription medication from my doctor. Nothing seemed to work, I would spend hundreds of pounds a year trying different washes, treatments, creams, lotions and potions that came out on the market. None worked!
Then I was recommended Effaclar Duo, I bought it, tried it, and loved it.
The first week I saw no difference; thankfully I can never abandon something I pay good money for, so to use it up I carried on using it and I'm thankful that I hate waste. The second week my angry, red, acne seems to look less red, enlarged and sore. By the third week my acne had started clearing up in large patches, and by a month I could only see the odd pimple here or there. My skin had never looked better. I loved the Effaclar Duo and had been repurchasing this every time that I have run low or run out.

Then I discovered that La Roche-Posay was launching an even better version of it and I was more than excited, I wondered how it could possibly get any better. Luckily for me I entered a competition on one of my favourite blogs: 'A Model Recommends' Written by Ruth an amazing, multi-talented woman. I won and got my hands on an Effaclar Duo (+), as soon as it arrived I had it smeared all over my face. It was like Christmas morning.
I found the consistency was very similar, the scent was the same. The only difference I could tell was the pimples that popped up, took less time to heal and healed perfectly, no bump, no redness and little scarring. It too does what it says on the box. The formula is non-sticky which to me gives it a massive thumbs up, as most of the products I had tried felt tacky and left residue on the skin - never the best feeling.

The product was created via a unique partnership with dermatologists worldwide and through extensive research, it is formulated with soothing and softening La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water and the unique formulation includes a new active ingredient 'Procerad' (a patented ceramide), Niaciriamide, LHA, Piroctone, Olamine, PCA, Linoleic Acid and Zinc.

I recommend this to anyone, people looking for a treatment for acne, acne scarring, better skin texture, brighter complexion. It gets the job done and at a small price tag. I love this product so much it's unbelievable. I will cry if they ever stop making this, it is simply - hands down - the best treatment I have ever used!

Winter Skin - Rescue Products

This winter my skin decided that it was going to allow the weather to win. From chapped hands, heels and lips; to dry, itchy, flaky legs. My skin had gone mad... So I bought a whole bunch of winter treats to remedy the madness and tested them all. After a little trial and error, I finally found the products that helped repair, smooth and soothe my skin the best. Hopefully, these could be useful and beneficial to you too!

Clarins - Hand and Nail Treatment Cream.
I am a self confessed hand cream junkie. I have a hand cream in every draw and every hand bag and this is only a fragment of my hand cream addiction. I have eczema that is mainly on my hands, I try anything and everything to keep them moisturised, so that it has no excuse to flare up.
Clarins products have never let me down, I saw the hand cream and bought it. As with the rest of the Clarins range it was brilliant and did exactly what it said on the tube. It nourished, soothed and replenished. Everything that I needed, the winter weather didn't stand a chance against this miracle worker! On a side note this is also great for targeting any age spots and strengthens nails all at the same time. I also adore the scent of this cream, it's a beautiful subtle floral aroma.

Dr. Lipp - SOS Balm.
I have a draw full of balms, every brand you can imagine, some taste great, some tint the lips whilst nourishing, some just sit on the lips and don't work. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with a draw like this. Mine has all been forgotten about because of Dr. Lipp, it was originally a nipple balm but mothers soon found an alternate use for the balm and it has become a staple for dry, chapped, cracked lips as well a many other uses. It works wonders. I won't lie, by January my lips were a disgrace; lip colours were out of the question, nothing seemed to be working and I was making my lips sore by sugar scrubbing them constantly. Then Dr. Lipp saved me! After just 1 day and three applications in that day my lips looked amazing and I was breaking out the brightest lipstick I had. I can't explain how it works, as it only consists of one ingredient, but it works and works stunningly well. I had to buy another tube, my boyfriend has started sharing mine and I am afraid to be without it now.

Soap & Glory - Heel Genius.
I don't usually buy anything for my feet, I tend to abandon them for some reason. Perhaps it's I don't see them too much, or it's just that I am lazy when it comes to caring for the skin there.
However, this winter my feet did need a little attention. They looked like something from a horror movie, I didn't even want to look at them myself; it was time to give them some TLC.
This cream was recommended to me by another beauty blogger, I popped this on after a bath just before bed and added a pair of socks to keep everything on and help the cream absorb. Each morning I grew to admire this product more, my feet felt smoother and rough, dry patches were disappearing day after day. Now my feet are baby soft all over and I actually like my feet. I will definitely continue using this cream, my feet seem to approve and I like the soft, new supple skin I have.

Organix - Brazilian Keratin Therapy, Anti-breakage Serum.
I have long, fine hair that loves to knot up in the wind. Combing the knots out I seem to comb out half my hair, I was shedding hair like a cat. I was sad when my hair felt, dry, brittle and thin. After several oils and treatments I found this serum, it promotes strength, moisture and softness, and it was the only one that seemed to work for my hair. It felt stronger and thicker after the first use, but it felt even more amazing after a couple of weeks of using this product. My hair also doesn't break off as easily when brushing it. Amazing serum, massive thumbs up for giving me beautiful hair.

The Body Shop - Cocoa Butter, Body Butter.
Pretty self explanatory, raved about by beauty bloggers and loved by many. The Body Shop do amazing body butters, I think this is the most famed product from the company. It's because the butters are beautifully scented, thick and creamy in texture, last for ages and do an amazing job of nourishing, replenishing and softening skin. My skin was dry, flaking, itching and felt like sand paper. This product banished these and gave me luxuriously soft, supple, glowing skin. Simply the best body butter on the market in my opinion, a true skin saviour.

Philosophy - 'When Hope Is Not Enough', Hydrating Antioxidant Serum.
My face really got the worst of the weather this year; the harsh cold and big blasts of icy wind on my skin made it dry, itchy, flaky, chapped and sore. I didn't want to exfoliate too much and make it worse and I didn't know what to use that could combat all the different areas at once. At first I was using around seven different products targeted for different problem areas. After a while I knew this was extreme and tried several products on their own. These seemed to make no difference.
Then I bought this and instantly knew I had found the miracle in a bottle I had been looking for. It is brilliant - it nourished, replenished, soothed, healed and didn't break me out. (I have oily, blemish prone skin) The scent has a lot to be desired but I wasn't after a face perfume, it wasn't oily at all, the serum soaked straight into the skin with no residue. My skin now looks the best it has ever been, my acne has started to clear up too. I personally think that this is a miracle worker. It has become a repurchase, must have!

Barry M - 'Silk' Nail Paint

£3.99/ 10ml.
www.barrym.com
Made in the UK.
Shade shown: Blossom.
Six shades available in the 'Silk' collection.

As soon as I saw this I knew that this was going to the checkout along with my other goodies that I had originally gone in for.
The picture's do this colour and the finish no justice. It is the prettiest pastel pink I have seen  for nails.

On application the formula is very easy to work with and it has a low odour which is fantastic to me. It appliqued to full opaque in two thin coats and dried fast to a beautiful matte sheen finish. (See pictures).

I applied a base coat but left a top coat off to retain the luxurious silk sheen finish that it created. The polish lasted 5 days on my nails without chipping, as I am quite tough on my nails this was long to me personally. So brilliant lasting power.

I will definitely be repurchasing the other colours from this particular line. I think they are a collection of pretty pastels that are perfect for spring/ summer.

I would recommend them for any skin tone, I think these colours will suit everyone. They are great if you are looking for something completely new for nails, The finish is unlike anything I have yet encountered. Massive thumbs up!