Category Archives: beauty

Bloggers’ Beauty Secrets with Essence

20th July 2016
I’ve posted before about my love of bargain cosmetics brand Essence so I was really excited when another package from them dropped through my door last week. Essence teamed up with four beauty bloggers to create the “bloggers’ beauty secrets” collection where each created their own palettes and nail polishes. I admit I do usually steer clear of this kind of thing as it can seem a bit gimmicky but given that Essence are yet to fail me with the quality of their products and have previously hooked me up with the only bronzer I’ll ever use I thought it was only fair to go in to this with an open mind.
I’ve always got on well with Essence nail polishes and these were no exception. The pale blue “shine bright” is a gorgeous pastel shade that complimented my cool skin tone perfectly and the nude “all eyes on me” has just become my staple nail colour for every day wearing. They both apply wonderfully and dry fast. You can get away with just one coat of the nude, but you would definitely need two of the blue to avoid any streaks.
I was more nervous about the palette, called “the glow must go on” it looked quite dark and daunting in the packaging and I’m super pale which often leads to a muddy effect. In reality though the shades of the bronzer blend together well to give just a hint of colour and glow with a light touch application although this could easily be built up for a more dramatic effect. The same goes for the eyeshadows which took a little blending but were perfect for an easy summer look. This would be a great palette to pack for a holiday as you’ve pretty much got a complete look ready to go and should I manage to get away this summer I know it’ll be coming with me- bonus points for being so light and compact!

Excuse my slightly dishevelled appearance. It was 30 odd degrees when I took that photo and well, humidity and I do not get along!

You can find out more about essence and the collaboration on the Essence website. I’d love to know your thoughts.

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My New Hair BFF

08th July 2016
Confession: I hate washing my hair. I have a lot of very thick hair and it’s a major effort to wash, dry and style it so any product I can find that gives me an extra day’s reprieve is very much welcome. I’ve been an advocate of dry shampoo since it first arrived on the hair care scene so when Bristol based online beauty retailer Bath and Unwind got in touch offering the chance to try out a newly launched dry shampoo from Moroccanoil I was eager to give it a whirl.
I’ve tried many a brand over the years with varying degrees of success. A creature of habit I often end up returning to Batiste as I find it doesn’t usually leave the powdery grey roots that some brands have done. The Moroccanoil product comes in two tones- light and dark and semi-unsure which category mine fell in to I opted to go for the light tones.

The first thing I need to mention about this product is the scent, it’s AMAZING! I find some of the dry shampoos quite sickly smelling but this has a light, fresh fragrance. Perfect for covering up hair that could kind of do with a wash without being overbearing.

The spray itself is a lovely product to use and having tried it out several times now I have not once noticed a residue left behind. It makes my hair feel light and fresh without being weighed down and easily gave an extra day between washes- it could even be stretched to two at a push!

The Moroccanoil dry shampoo also provides UV protection and volumising properties so it’s a really good all round product for people like me! The light tone spray is designed to enhance blonde hair and reduce brassiness but I found it was the perfect match for my coppery hair as well.

This is 100% a product I’ll be re-purchasing when this can runs out. It might be pricier than my usual brand but it also offers a lot more and leaves me feeling confident that people aren’t going to notice how lazy I can be when it comes to washing my hair!

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Cram in the Collagen*

14th April 2016
Collagen accounts for the majority of the protein in our bodies and is present in the muscles, cartilage, bones and skin so making sure you keep topped up is pretty vital. In efforts to improve my attitude towards my body from the inside out I’ve been looking a bit more in to the health benefits of certain supplements and I’ve come across Hydrolised Marine Collagen from Hellenia and the idea of something like this, I admit both scares me and fascinates me (and I say scares because I’m a bit phobic about any drinkable substance having a strange texture).

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If I’m honest I’m a bit wary of any supplements but right now I’ll be the first to admit my skin is looking dull and my joints feel older than their years so it was interesting to read about how a simple powder (there’s one for fitness fans, one for beauty junkies and one for those who just want to keep active) can have such health benefits.

Made from Naticol® (A type 1 Hydrolised Marine Collagen no less). Type 1 is the most frequently occurring collagen within the body. It is an excellent source of amino acids and has a very high purity degree of collagen protein. Supported by human clinical studies t is highly bioavailable and bioactive for the best efficacy. GMO free, Fat Free, Carbohydrate Free, Preservative Free, Purine Free there seems more to be gained than lost through trying something like this and still…and still I’m just not sure! I think it’s the beauty benefits that appeal most to me. Years of poor diet, smoking and generally not having a good skincare regime means I feel I now look older than my 29 (almost) year old self. The promise of seemingly being able to reverse this and get an antioxidant boost from the added Vitamin C is making me quiet tempted to part with £12.95 and try a teaspoon of this mixed with water each day…

Are there any supplements you swear by for keeping yourself looking good? Or in general for overall health and wellbeing…I’m all ears!

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The Home Spa with All Boxed Up

08th February 2016
Winter can be a pretty depressing time, the days are grey, the nights are long and money is tight after the festive season. For many (myself included) indulgent treats are off of the agenda- I can’t justify popping to the salon for a facial or a massage when there are bills to pay and food to buy!

Thankfully it’s not all doom and gloom thanks to the folks at All Boxed Up who have put together a home spa beauty box for the bargain price of £19.99 (if you bought everything individually it’d set you back £113, how’s that for a bargain?). Featuring brands such as Cowshed, Timebomb, Sanctuary and Pecksniffs to name a few I was over the moon when they sent a box my way (c/o) to test out the idea and indulge in a little “me time”.

For me it was a bonus that I’ve not used any of these brands or products before- I love an excuse to try something new especially when it’s something I can’t ordinarily afford. I’m absolutely loving the bath float from Sanctuary (RRP £10) in the evenings after a stressful day. I can literally feel my worries melt away and it has the most soothing scent. Post bath I’ve been waking myself back up again with a hefty dose of Cowshed invigorating body lotion (RRP £20) which has all of my favourite scents combined- ginger and lemongrass is such a winning combination and I find this as soothing as it is invigorating.
For me the real luxury product in the box was the Pecksniffs dry body oil (RRP £25). I’ve learned to love oil type products having once had a bit of a phobia of them (yep, really!) and this dry oil is just gorgeous. I really suffer from dry skin in the winter months and this is working better than anything else on my knees and elbows especially. The smell is incredible too. For my dull and long suffering facial skin I’ve been popping on the Timebomb Derm Warfare Night Serum (RRP £38) religiously as it is designed to unclog pores and leave skin bright and healthy- exactly what I’m in need of! This is something I could never normally afford to buy so if I see it again in one of All Boxed Up’s deals I’m so diving in.

Last but by no means least comes another favourite from the box, the Percy & Reed lovingly light foaming treatment mask (RRP £20). Despite this being an award winning brand that I’ve often seen raved about I was yet to try it out for myself. This novel treatment is light as air and works miracles when it comes to restoring moisture to dried out locks. Again I’ll be keeping an eye out for further deals on this as it’s a must-have in my book.

Obviously I was sent this box for the purpose of review so it would be easy to say I’m a bit biased but I would 100% buy this, or similar from All Boxed Up in the future. It really is the most incredible value at under £20 (and that includes p&p!). You do need to act fast though as there is limited stock of everything, it’s become a new weekly stalking place for me.
Have you ever bought from All Boxed Up? I feel like I’m gushing but they’ve genuinely blown me away.

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Be My (pretty pink) Valentine

01st February 2016
There was barely a day between the vanishing of Christmas stock from the shops and the arrival of both Easter and Valentine’s Day. As much as I think most holidays have become somewhat over-hyped and commercialised I’m still a bit of a sucker for a theme and will look for any excuse to pick up a treat or six.

Ben and I aren’t really big on Valentine’s Day and this year we’ll both be working and then probably just collapsing in front of the TV for a lazy dinner and movie night when the 14th rolls around, therefore I was pretty excited when a package of the prettiest pink beauty products from firm favourites I Love… and Balmi arrived giving me the perfect excuse to indulge and pamper myself a bit.

I Love…products are a long time favourite of mine which you’ll know if you’ve been reading the blog for a while. The strawberries and cream fragrance is probably my number one scent for them, rivalled only by pink marshmallow so using these products has been a real treat. The hand cream has been my saviour of late as between work, moving and the cold weather my hands have been looking a little worse for wear. Often I find highly scented products such as these irritate my skin or further dry it out but I’m delighted to report that this isn’t the case and I have the softest, sweetest smelling hands in town. Up until now the pink marshmallow fragrance was a new one to me and I’m bordering on obsessed. This is the perfect way to kick start a gloomy morning even if the scent does make me rather hungry and craving sweet treats.

When it comes to lip balm there is only one brand for me these days. Far from being the gimmick I thought it might be I’m really in love with Balmi products and have amassed quite a collection. My most recent acquisition is the strawberry variety- as well as keeping your lips super smooth and soft they also make a rather lovely little gift for your best friend, mum, aunt (indeed just about anyone!) to show you care this Valentine’s Day!

What’s your favourite scent when it comes to shower and body products? I can’t resist anything fruity or sweet…

Any Valentine’s plans yet?

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Post contains products gifted to me by the brands.

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