Wednesday 31 July 2013

Boots Botanics Cleansing Balm

 Now all over the beauty blogging world the advice and comments on the types of products most importantly cleansers we are using on our skin has become a bit of a trend. Now I have always been the kind of person to try all kinds of products usually because I'm always drawn to special offers, cheap and cheerful me but because of the new trending cleansing routines everyone is trying out I found this Boots Botanics cleansing balm to try out.


This balm is said to be a 97% organic hot cloth cleansing balm which helps to deeply cleanse and smooth the skin. The balm is a lot firmer at first touch than I thought it would be however breaks down really fast into a smooth oil texture. One thing I love about balmy cleansers or oils when using them they take the heat from your hands and create a lovely warm sensation which makes the skin fell even more thoroughly cleansed.


This balm contains ingredients including olive, jojoba and sweet almond oil, beeswax and Shea butter  which are all super moisturising and nourishing ingredients for the skin. It doesn't have an amazing scent it smells a little like Vaseline in the tub but it isn't as strong when being used on the skin plus because of the oily consistency the tiniest bit goes such as long way so cash friendly as it only cost 8.99 too!

I'm pretty impressed with this big street cleansing balm, have you ever tried this or any other balm/oil cleansers? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x




Saturday 27 July 2013

Nail of the Day, Sunshine Nails

Now I'm not sure what to call this little series I may start of nail posts because within my job I cannot paint my fingernails meaning it is a rare occasion if I do but then it makes me much more excited when I do get the chance, however I do always have changing toe colours so maybe I can switch it up between my fingers and toes, what do you think?


Today I painted my nails in a very summer appropriate colour called Lyrical from 'MeMeMe' not quite so summer appropriate and is a beautiful pastel creamy yellow. For the picture above I applied three coats of the colour which I think is needed as without it may look a little streaky and uneven. This polish cost £5.00 and can be found in Superdrug and also on their website here I think this is pretty good value for this polish as they feel worth the money, apply nicely and last a long time too. On the packaging the product claims to  be quick dry, high gloss, long lasting and protecting and condition to the nails which I think I pretty much agree with.


Have you ever tried any polishes from 'MeMeMe'? What your favourite polish brand? I would love to know, bye for now.x

Monday 22 July 2013

July GlossyBox

Well July's box has arrived and with it they have created a seaside splash theme perfect for the beautiful weather we have been having in England, yes we have actually been having nice weather for once!! This months box came with a great mix of products to give you the perfect summer beach look along with some summer must haves to help enjoy and sometimes bare the weather.


First up the first thing that caught my eye was the Ciate Paint Pot nail polish, I have heard a lot about this brand especially for their nail effects such as the caviar and now feather effect polishes. This is the first polish I have ever tried from them and I got mine in the shade 'Mistress' which is a classic bright red shade which is always a winner for the summer time.


I also got two small facial product samples firstly a facial serum from the brand 'Pukka' which is said to be their radiance serum which says it will brighten, restore and revitalise your skin. I have recently been much more in to introducing serums into my skin are routine so will look forward to trying this out. I also recieved a product from 'Coola' which is a but of an all rounder facial product as it says to be a moisturiser, has an SPF of 20 and also provides a small amount of colour with a slight shimmer to give a little coverage and evening of the skin tone.



Another facial product I received was from 'Anatomicals' which I have tried a few products from before and really enjoyed, this time I got a facial spritz to keep you and your skin fresh. The 'spritz' is a little wet if it is not ridiculously stupid to say that and a lot heavier than I expected or the mist as they say. It contains lavender and peppermint extracts which give it a nice calming scent but it isn't overpowering at all. A really nice product which I will definitely be keeping handy in this warmer weather. My final product I got was from 'Bamboo Style' and is a tousled texture mist for the hair, again this is a great product for summer as fuss free messy hair is always a winner, this doesn't have a strong smell and claims to add texture, volume and a healthy shine and also is free from a lot of chemicals and product nasty's.


Well again another great box Glossy Box I'm very excited to use and try out all these products this month, what did you get in your box this month? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Friday 19 July 2013

Face Mask Friday: Mudd Deep Cleansing Mask

I got this little sample packet of the 'Mudd' mask on fragrance direct for only 99p! I had never heard of the brand before but really like the 'Montagne Jeunesse' mask sachets which are very similar to these so thought I would give them a try. This mask is said to be a deep cleansing clay mask which absorbs excess oil, removes embedded dirt and make up and helps control spots and black heads.


This mask portrays similarities to the standard conventional mud mask being light grey in colour and being a fairly thick consistency and applies really smoothly to the skin. This mask started to tighten and harden up within a few minutes of applying, they recommend to leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, I left it on for a little longer than this I would say more towards half an hour as I usually like to leave
my masks on for longer just to let them to keep on working and do their stuff. With this mask I did find that it made my skin feel very tight and usually this would disappear after removing it however for me it did keep this feeling for a little while after which I have never experienced before whether this is a good or bad thing I'm not really too sure. However this sensation did go away as soon as I had applied my serum and moisturiser.


I did like this mask the 'trail' sachets like I got is said to be for one use however you can definitely get at least 2 if not more and for 99p they are really good value for money, you can also buy a larger size which says to provide up to 10 applications and is only £4.99 which you can find in 'Boots' here. Have you tried nay masks from this company before or any other mud masks that you love? I would love to hear back from you. Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Sunday 14 July 2013

Empties #5

So here we are again with a little insight of the products I have used up recently and what I thought of them. First up I have a couple facial products, the first being the 'No7 Beautiful Cleanser' now I know recently there has been a little bit of controversy over foaming cleansers and whether they are good for you skin or not. Now I brought this a little while ago when I got my facial cleansing  brush from 'No7' as they had recommended to use this with it, I have used this in the past too and thought it worked well, it is aimed at the normal/ oily skin types and felt it made my skin refreshed and oil free but not dry or tight at all.


Another facial product I have finished is the 'Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser' I grew up as a young teenager reaching for this skin care brand as it is easily accessible and affordable, and believe the ever so lovely Tanya Burr recommended this is one of her Youtube videos too. It is a very light consistency but still provides a good amount of moisture for the skin, it has very little scent which is great for the sensitive skin sufferers who may also have oily skin problems too. I wouldn't say this was that great at helping control and combat the shine but was however a good standard day to day moisturiser.


Next up a couple body products firstly a deodorant, I know I am ridiculously exciting! This deodorant from 'Nivea' was one of their more recent product launches as it was said to help protect against sweat caused by sweat in day to day life and activities. I quite liked this it has a standard deodorant like smell but performed well and did the job. You can see a little more information in a full post I did about this here. I also used up a body lotion from 'Temple Spa' know as the calming skin balm 'Peace be Still' this moisturiser is aimed at people who may have sensitive skin as it includes many calming ingredients to help settle and soften the skin. However surprisingly it has quite a strong lemongrass type scent but it did not react on my skin which can be fairly sensitive at times, I did find it wasn't the most hydrating of lotions but wasn't awful and did feel nice when applying.

 
My final empty is a 'Tresemme Touchable Finish' hairspray, I had a travel size version of this product which is perfect for the handbag however I personally never tend to carry them with me I think they just happened to be on offer. The has the typical Tresemme hairspray scent, nothing special but did do a really great job of providing hold to my hair but still being soft to touch which I really noticed when I had my hair curled. One thing I did notice though as it seemed to go incredibly fast, i'm pretty sure I had one in my last empties post and I don't use hair spray that often or that much at a time, but it did the job I wanted and reasonably priced too so it wasn't the end of the world.

So thanks for stopping by again, have you used any of these products before? Or finished up any products you really love recently? Let me know, bye for now.x

Tuesday 9 July 2013

New Purchases!

Recently I stumbled across the fragrance direct website well I say stumbled believe it or not I have never visited before so thought I was well over due a little look. If you are unaware this website has a huge array of products and brands at discounted prices and I warn you can spend hours browsing the site and probably lose a few pennies too. So I thought I would give you a little insight to the goodies I found and are looking forward to trying out.


 The first couple of items I got were not greatly exciting were some cuticle nippers as mine have broken so needed replacing and also some hairspray, I was looking for some hairspray as I was running seriously low and come across this 'Bristows Extra Hold Hairspray' this first caught my eye as the huge can was only 99p but also because this is the hairspray my nan used to use. It doesn't have an amazing scent but the usual hairspray kind of smell but when I use it, it really brings back memories of always watching my nan do her hair and make up which I believe was one of my inspirations for my interest in this industry.

I also found a couple other things for under £1 which was these 'Mudd' mask sachets, I love using these as you can try a number of different masks and brands for super cheap and although these sachet samples always say its for one use you can really always at least get 2 uses from them. I got two different types the first being the original deep cleansing clay mask and also gentle cleansing peel of mask. So look forward to reviews of these in upcoming face mask Friday posts!


My two final products are the more exciting of the bunch firstly I got an 'Essie' polish this will only be the second I have ever tried/ owned as they are pretty expensive normally however I found this one for just £1.99 along with quite a few other colours too. This is a bright hot pink colour with blue shimmery undertones too it and is called 'Tour de Finance'. I also picked up a lip product from 'Maybelline' which is one of their colour sensational pop sticks in the colour 020 Tropical Pink. I have never seen or used anything like this before as it is a jelly like see through product with a balmy like feel but still a good colour pay off. It also smells really sweet and is a coral pink colour although swatches as more of a hot pink colour but still really pretty.



So there are my few little finds, have you ever used fragrance direct before? What are you favourite discounted places for beauty products? Let me know! Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Saturday 6 July 2013

B. Make Up

For those of you that may not know the brand 'B.' is a fairly new company to the shop 'Superdrug' this brand has been around for a couple of months now and I have tried in the past a few of their skin care items such as their cleansing water which I really liked and on a recent shopping trip I picked up a couple of their make up items.


I had originally picked up the make up primer as that was the main thing I was looking for as I had  never tried one until receiving a little sample in one of my recent beauty boxes, as I was unaware if many were available on the high street and the quality of them I thought I would give this one a try. I'm still unsure if primers make a lot of difference for me and my oily skin but I'll definitely keep on trying.


A couple other items I picked up from them include their 'B. All' mascara which is said to lengthen define and volumise the lashes all in the one formulation. The brush has fairly short fibre bristles which work nicely however the mascara is still in the 'a bit new and thin and wet' stage for me I like it when they dry up slightly which then usually makes them work a lot better for me. Am I the only one that thinks this?


The final item I picked up was one of their moisturising lipsticks in the colour '66 Flamingo' which is a fairly bright rosy pink colour. This lipstick applies really nicely similar to a tinted balm however has a little more colour pay off as it still is classed as a lipstick, it doesn't have the greatest staying power in the world however when it does fade away it almost leaves a light tint of the lipstick colour behind so it doesn't suddenly look horrific or patchy.



Overall I was pretty impressed with the few little items I picked up, the brand isn't the cheapest my items varied from £9.99 to £6.99 and can all be found on their website here plus they have an offer on right now so go check it out!! Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Superdrug Haul!

I recently had a little trip into my local town, mainly to shop for an outfit for an upcoming event but also to pick up a couple beauty things too. Although as you may know from a couple previous 'hauls' that I have done, a couple things turn into a couple more.. and then maybe a couple more on top of that! Whooops!


The first thing isn't an incredibly interesting item is the 'Superdrug Aqueous Cream' this is cream emollient for dry skin similar to the 'E45' type creams. I have used this for a little while as a cream for my hands due to the eczema I get from my work, it is a very gentle cream with no fragrance making it great for sensitive skin and skin conditions on people of all ages. Another great point is that you get this giant 500g pot for only £2.99 bargain!


Next I picked up the 'Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner' a little while back I picked up a small travel size of this product after hearing many good reviews of it and just like the rest I absolutely loved using it. It smells amazing like bubble gum and all things sweet and scrummy, feels amazing on the hair and really gives it a deep conditioned and nourished feel and is still pretty good value at £3.50 for 250ml which will last you a little while as its a product you wouldn't want to use all the time.


The last few products I got were from the 'B' make up range, I had been looking to purchase a make up primer after trying one for the very first time after getting a sample in my beauty box. I picked up the ' B Prepared' make up primer which is said to reduce the appearance of pores and smooth and soften the skin which are all pretty important factors of a product like this so I'll have to let you know how this lives up to their claims. Another product I got was their 'B All' mascara which is said to lengthen, define and volumise the lashes all in the one mascara. They also offered different mascaras which concentrate on doing one of the things above for the lashes however I always prefer an all rounder performer.

 
 
The final product I picked up was one of their 'B. Sheer Conditioning Lipsticks' I got mine in the shade 'Flamingo 088' which is a fuchsia pink colour with a slight shimmer. This applies to the lips really smoothly as it has a tinted balm kind of feel but gives pigmentation more that a tinted balm but less that a full on lipstick but its a nice amount of colour to wear during the day for a more wearable look. Well that's all for my little haul this time, have you tried any of these products or wanting to in the future? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x