Lush Curly Wurly Coconut Shampoo

Hello my lovelies,

Lush Curly Wurly Coconut Shampoo £10.25 - link

I'd heard so many great things about the hair care from Lush that I decided to try some and started with this. I was drawn in solely by the fact that this was made from coconut, which is my favourite scent ever, as to how good it was I completely left up to chance.

Coconut oil is full of proteins which do absolute wonders for your hair. It restores and nourishes dry and damaged hair and leaves it super soft. Not only does this contain coconut oil but contains bits of actual coconut which makes for a really strange consistency but I guess has double the benefits. This also contains jojoba oil and olive oil to moisturise and strengthen the hair and lemon and papaya juice to cleanse and leave it all squeaky clean.

I've been using this for just over a month and I absolutely love it. My hair is shinier, feels in much better condition all round and is softer than it's ever been. My hair is also ridiculously full of knots 90% of the time because of how long it is but when I've used this it's so soft that it's practically impossible for my hair to get tangled.

I think this is a really great shampoo and if you can get over the consistency then I think it will be a winner for pretty much anyone, but especially those with dry hair. There is one down side though, with the bits of coconut in it, I did spend much longer on rinsing then I normally would do, but the end result is always worth it, trust me.

Lush Rehab Shampoo

Hello my lovelies, 

Now I have funny hair - the middle and towards the ends get dry, but the rest doesn't. I wash my hair every other day - so for example, I'll wash it, miss a day, wash it, miss a day, wash it etc and on the days I don't wash my hair, it's okay but you can tell it's not freshly washed and by the end of the day it's starting to look greasy. So I thought (with the help of some lovely fellow Bloggers) that I would venture into Lush and see if they had anything I could try. I found Rehab shampoo. At first I thought 'what!' But I picked it up read the label and thought I'll give it a go, what harm can it do.

As soon as I tried Rehab I could tell my hair had improved - it smelt gorgeous straight away. When you first open the bottle and pour some in your hands and start to massage it into your scalp it kind of smells like After Eights! Which I loved, but also expected as Rehab does contain Peppermint. This combined with Juniper are said to stimulate the blood flow which helps the scalps condition over time. 
Sea salt and seaweed also helps your hair feel lovely and soft and full of shine! This shampoo also contains fresh papaya, pineapple, kiwi and mango and those juices are then mixed with strengthening, organic extra virgin olive oil and jojoba oils. So it definitely is full of lovely fresh and natural ingredients to help get your hair back health! 

Can I just say, the label made me giggle? It confused me the first few times I read it but the third time it finally clicked - well done Lush, you clever little things you! 

And I can safely say it worked! I adored the smell straight away and it didn't clash when I used my conditioner either which is always a bonus, when I dried my hair it was SO shiny and soft, I fell in love with this shampoo straight away. The real test of this shampoo would be on the day I didn't wash my hair - and I can safely say, I definitely saw and felt an improvement. The next day, my hair still felt lovely and fresh and it had kept it's shine by the end of the day and still felt lovely and soft! It definitely did what I was told it would and keep the excess oils at bay! 

I thought I would need to buy more of this soon I have long hair that's relatively thick so I use more than normal Shampoo and Conditioner. However, it's been quite a few months (I have used other Shampoo in between, mainly T gel as I had a really bad bout of dreaded dandruff looked like I had poured salt on my head at one point- think I use my hairdryer on a too hot setting).  Anywho, I have only used half a bottle of Rehab! But I already know I definitely will be repurchasing this as soon as I run out! 

Benefit Gimme Brow

Hello my lovelies,

Now after months and months of wearing and trying to find fault in this product I have to admit, there is none. Until I saw this product I never filled in my eyebrows, never felt the need to. Mind you back then I never wore make up much.

I absolutely love the concept of this brow volumising fiber-gel and despite struggling a little with it to begin with. I've really become quite besotted with this product. What's great about Gimme Brow is that you can use it on it's own or on top of pencil. I find it gives my brows a much more three dimensional finish and really accentuates them. 

What I struggled with at first was the amount of product that clings to the little application brush. It tends to kind of apply heavily even with the slightest of hand. I'd end up with large blobs over my brows that were a struggle to tone down and get rid of. Which resulted in it looking like I had used a Sharpie. I think the moral of the story is to ensure the excess on the brush is taken away so you can apply and build the product. 

Using an upward motion I gently apply soft brush strokes to my brows and then use the brush to comb through and set them in place. My brows are left much fuller without a trace of crispiness either. I've even had compliments from my work mates. At the moment I'm trying to get my mum to buy the lighter shade for her eyebrows as she is always saying that hers are too thin and sparse.

Have you used Gimme Brow? What are your views on it?

Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser

Hello my lovelies, 

Last year I had bad acne (still do sometimes) I thought I would pop into my local Body Shop and see if they had any tea tree stuff I could use to help clear my skin. Big mistak I left with more items that I planned on purchasing. Isn't that always the case? Out of my small haul the one product I was keen to put to use almost immediately was The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser, anything that can help blur my pores count me in...

The packaging is nothing fancy nor does it need to be - a simple squeeze tube that works well with the consistency of the product. Initially I did think that The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser would be a good dupe for the like of Benefit Porefessional Primer which I guess in some element it is but from the get go you should know that both products have very differing textures. The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser is more of a light weight serum which does feel slightly silicone based but in no way as heavy as the aforementioned Benefit product. Being a lighter texture The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser makes it slightly easier to apply not to mention my skin doesn't feel caked in product. Suffocated for lack of better term and that is important to me in the instance of any face product. 

Basically the concept behind The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser is that it blurs enlarged pores and fine lines all the while being suitable for blemish prone skin hence the addition of Tea Tree Oil. Such oil has long been used in skin care as it acts as a natural antiseptic killing any germs, bacteria and what not on the skin. It also doesn't hurt that when applied to blemishes it will dry them out and reduce inflammation without causing scarring. In my mind this primer come pore filler is great for oily skin/blemish prone skin types as the tea tree oil prevents it from blocking pores which will result in blemishes, as for already blemished skin such ingredient shouldn't make the product worse. As a matter of fact it should in theory help clear up the skin quicker. 

As mentioned The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser is a light almost serum like product which feels silken on the skin and quickly mattifies any area of the face it is applied to as well as filling in open pores. This in turn "blurs" and softens the texture of the skin giving the user a more even surface to apply other products on top of. The problem with some silicone based primers/fillers which The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser happens to be is that under certain products they can flake and almost form little balls of product. Every foundation that I layered on top wore just as it would without The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser underneath, which brings me on to my next point. The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser is not a great primer for oily skin nor does it claim to be. If like myself you find make-up slips off throughout the day due to excess oil you will want to team this with your usual primer to prolong foundation wear but for normal and dry complexions it should be more than fine. The great news is that it only costs £7.50 and fills my enlarged pores and gives an airbrushed effect just as well as Benefit Porefessional and any other silicone based primer out there. Thumbs up from me.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser £7.50/30ml via The Body Shop - link.

Benefit They're Real Push Up Eyeliner

Hello my lovelies,

Benefit They’re Real Push Up Liner is billed as the liner for those who find liner impossible! A flexible nib at the end of the tube means that when you apply it, it hugs the lash line making errors less likely. It’s not 100% foolproof because you still need to have some steadiness, but it does take the hard work out of liquid lining, that’s for sure. You turn the end (at the bottom) to make the product come through the tube and it gives an exact amount for each eye.

In fact, you’re going to be seeing quite a few brands employ this soft nib technique for lining – I’ve been wearing this almost non-stop since I got it a few months ago. And, this liner is not going anywhere! Much as I hate to admit to occasional sloppy eye make-up removal, I have woken up rather glamorous on occasion. It does not budge! Despite the shade of black looking a little bit brown in my picture above, it’s anything but – it is the blackest of blacks.

Benefit They’re Real Push Up Liner isn’t without a few flaws. The thick liquid can be a little bit pacy coming out – you really have to get to know the product to realise what is the perfect amount – and it dries to a hard end that you have to remove before re-applying and that seems like rather a waste of product. Next generation flexible nib liners will probably eradicate this problem, but for now, Benefit They’re Real Push Up Liner is definitely worth trying if you haven't tried it already. You can get it at all Benefit counters obviously and it only costs £18. 

Just recently Benefit have announced that their They're Reall Push Up Liners are going to have more colours added to the line. I can not wait to get my hands on one of them, I'm thinking vibrant blue. Let me know if any of you have tried the eyeliner and what your views are on it.

Illamasqua Gift Set

Hello my lovelies,

It's not very often that I get a proper good bargain in the sales; everyone seems to always get there before me where the really good deals are concerned but I was lucky enough to get hold of one of the Illamasqua Freak perfume gift sets on offer at Boots for a fraction of the original price. I've been wanting a bottle for the longest time but never been able to afford to splash out so I couldn't say no to this little set...

In the gift set there was a 30ml bottle of Illamasqua Freak, a nail polish in the shade 'Raindrops' and a pure pigment in 'Furure'; both pieces of makeup are full size which really surprised me and I only paid £13.50 for the lot!! As you all probably know, Illamasqua isn't cheap makeup so I couldn't believe this was such a steal on the Boots website. 

Freak is a very unique scent and I would imagine it's a bit like marmite; you'll either love it or hate it because it's so different. It's a heavy scent which is firstly what draws me to it because I like a fragrance which is easily recognisable when I've got it on, I think it's the frankincense which comes through the most for me which gives it a really oriental kind of scent (exactly what I like). 

The pure pigment in Furore is absolutely perfect for me; it's a peachy beige high shimmer metallic which is perfect for using as an eye colour and as a highlighter. It can be used wet or dry to create some truly beautiful looks. I never thought I'd be able to make pigment work because the high shimmer makes it look unwearable to me but I'm so glad I've got this because I think it'll become a staple in my night time makeup routine.

Raindrops is a light grey/blue jelly finish nail polish with tiny little flecks of glitter to give it a gorgeous finish on your nails. It's a perfect winter/spring shade and I can't wait to actually try it out on my nails. It's only £5.80 to buy separately on the Illamasqua website at the moment which is an absolute bargain in itself!

Basically I got over £50 worth of gorgeous beauty products for a quarter of the price! Unfortunately, this particular gift set is no longer available on the Boots website but keep a watch on the individual Illamasqua Freak 30ml bottle because it was only £10.50 and the words 'currently out of stock' would suggest that it might come back in stock, although I obviously can't guarantee it'll be so cheap!

Maybelline Pore Eraser Primer

Hello my lovelies,

I seem a bit awkward writing about a product so long after the release and after almost every other blogger has probably already featured it on their blog. But hey, working full time prevents me from being able to blog so often so lets forgive me and read another ;)

I'm sure we all know the hype that was Baby Lips, which I personally gave in to and loved. After seeing the release of Baby Skin, I decided to stand back and watch other bloggers opinions on the product before I tried for myself. I have a high-street fave primer, my trusty Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer and wanted to wait until I had finished that product before starting a new one. 

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser (what a mouthful) is £7.99 which I think is a fair price to pay for a primer. It claims to smooth and give poreless looking skin with it's silicone based formula, duh! 

Baby Skin is a clear in colour, gel-like formula primer. I love the tube, it come out of the tube easily yet not too quickly. Squeezing out a pea sized amount is enough to cover my face and neckline.

It's very silky smooth to apply, gliding over the skin, leaving a silky soft base before apply makeup. It does appear to give the impression of minimised pores by giving a blur effect to the skin. The finish is lovely and matte, it stops the shine from my oily-prone skin for a while but sadly I have a very oily t-zone so I do have to blot in the middle of the day. When applying my concealer and foundation, especially to areas where my pores and lines are deep, I have found that Baby Skin does a really good job at preventing my makeup from slipping throughout the day.

Is Maybelline's Baby Skin in your daily routine? If not, do share your favourite primer! I'm all for trying new things!

Hello April!

Hello my lovelies,

Well another month has passed and another one just beginning. I was hoping to have lost some weight by now, but I feel as though I've put it on and I'm even walking most of the day so surely I should have lost some, but hey ho these things happen.

So April, a lot is in store for me this month, in three weeks I will be celebrating my 28th birthday, I don't feel 28, don't look it and at times I certainly don't act it. I'm also going to being revising a lot for a maths exam. I'm redoing my GCSE maths as I got a D, but I want to do teaching and I need at least a C, so it's back to being a "student" for a bit. I am working at a school as a TA so that helps as I get put in a lot of maths lessons.

Also you have Easter in a few days, I'm not going to have loads of chocolate that would be silly as I'm trying to diet. But you are allowed a cheat day every so often and that will be my cheat day. I'm also going to be spring cleaning a lot. Need to sort out my wardrobes and get rid of clothes. Some of them I've had since I was in 6th form and uni. So me thinks it's time to chuck them (yes I did say me instead of I, it's just how I am sometimes.) 

Also I'm going to try for the first time to make a YouTube video, I've been putting it off for time as I am scared, but you have to take the plunge every now and then and do things that frighten you.

I can't think of anything else, but I know there is more stuff I will be doing. Oh yeah I'm hoping to update the blog as well, so keep an eye out for that.

What are your plans for this month?