My hair

Bit of a random post this one, but I thought I'd give you a little update as I have recently had a bit of a change to my hair...

I have always been a die-hard fan of blonde hair.  I was blonde as a child but it slowly darkened, and then years of highlighting means I'm not really 100% sure what my natural colour is now.  I went for a year with really dark brown hair, following a spontaneous decision in a hair salon, and that year made it clear to me that I just do not have the face to pull off brunette hair.  Here's the evidence....oh. my.

So I've been blonde ever since, and recently it was getting blonder and blonder, following my obsession with wanting white-blonde hair.

My decision to go from half a head of woven highlights to full-on bleach was one that wasn't exactly celebrated by my hairdresser, but she did say my hair was generally quite resilient and thick, so it could take the bleach for a while.

So for the last year or so, this is how my hair has been....

I managed to get it pretty white, with regular bleaching and lots of purple shampoo and toner (!) but you can see from the photo that I only bleached the top of my head.  The underneath is all my natural colour and (in my daft little mind anyway) it felt like I wasn't ruining my hair quite as much by keeping the underneath untouched.

By the way, if you want to read any of my reviews on the purple shampoos I used when I was white blonde, then please see here, as I trialled a fair few!!

Anyway...back in October when I had my last bleaching sesh, I noticed my hair generally didn't seem too happy when I left the salon.  My head felt sore, my hair seemed really squeaky and 'doll-like' and it was knotting and breaking off so easily.  I panicked a bit as I love my hair long and was worried I'd need to cut it all off, so when I next went to the hairdressers (last week) I asked her if I could go back to the highlights.

To cut a long story short, my regular hairdresser is on maternity leave so I had a new one.  She was really lovely, but she did say my hair was breaking off quite a bit, and that when it came to bleaching it was the case that your hair will suddenly give and then it will start breaking majorly.  So she managed to persuade me to take my colour a bit darker (uh oh...).  She recommended the new Wella Illumina range, which is an innovative new hair colour product which gives multi tonal highlights without needing to actually weave in different hair dyes.  So no cap, no foils and no 3 hours in the salon chair. It is also meant to protect the cuticle and be gentle on your hair, which I was obviously in desperate need of.

So she persuaded me (mainly by holding up my iddy-biddy bits of broken hair for effect.  Poor little hair).  And an hour later I left the salon looking like this.....

OK, at this point I'll be honest with you.  I cried.  I reckon about 90% of you will look at that photo and think "it literally barely looks any different".  But that little 10% of you die-hard blondies out there will probably give a little gasp.  The white blonde was most definitely gone.

With regard to the Illumina colour though, I was SO impressed by this.  My hairdresser literally painted it over my entire hair (including my virginal hair underneath) twisted it into little plaits and left it to develop.  I had barely read half of my first magazine and she was back to wash it off!?  SO quick.  And considerably cheaper too!!  My bleaching normally costs me over £100 but this was a snip at £80 and my roots are only going to be £30 next time apparently.

The colour has left my hair really soft already, and you can definitely see the multi tonal highlights.  It doesn't show up brilliantly on the photo above, but that's because I had to kill the flash as it wasn't giving a true reflection of the colour.

So genuinely, if you are looking for soft, natural highlights then I 100% recommend the Illumina range.

Also on an aside, both myself and one of my best friends started bleaching our hair at a similar time. She doesn't use straighteners so her hair has coped a lot better with the bleach, but both of us were a bit concerned about how we would 'get our hair back' from the white-ness. I was adamant we'd have to go red-brown like I had to before, but obviously not! So if you were thinking of dabbling in a bit of bleach but were worried about how you come back from it, be heartened that it is actually wayyyy easier than I thought, and you can just take it down to a more natural, darker blonde.

As for my hair...it is still taking a LOT of getting used to.  I think some of the problem is my hairdresser used a very warm dark blonde and I'm so used to seeing myself with cold, white blonde hair that it just doesn't seem to go with anything I wear or any of my make-up.

I'm going to see how it lasts but at the moment I'm leaning towards asking her to run some white highlights through at the next appointment.  I just want the blonde lifted a bit as it seems a bit drab at the moment.  Having said that, my hair is loving the break from the bleach.  We'll just have to see what happens when I go on 29th Jan for my next appointment.

Micellar Waters: Bioderma Sensibio vs. Superdrug B-Pure Micellar Water

I'll be completely honest, when it comes to an evening skin care routine, I am one lazy little lady.  Anything that requires a trip to the bathroom, flannels or muslin cloths, and rinsing or steaming or 'patting dry' just doesn't work for me.  I love using them for the first week or so  but once the novelty has worn off I always end up discarding them.

Weird thing is, even 'good' products fail to make the cut.  By 'good' products I mean the kind that actually improve my skin texture/appearance.  For example the Una Brennan Facial Oil (see full review here) I LOVE this cleansing oil, but it just involves too much work on my part, and as a result I've been slipping out of using it lately (by slipping I mean hardly using it at all.  Ok.  Not at all).

My evening skin care routine basically has one key requirement.  I need to be able to use it from my bedside table.  Therefore water cannot be involved.  I need to be able to remove my make-up and cleanse and moisturise from my cosy little bed.  Lazy?  Absolutely.  But with skincare I think you sometimes just have to embrace your own routine-limitations.

So...massive intro to basically tell you that my laziness led me to start researching micellar waters.  These first popped onto my radar when Bioderma Sensibio H20 launched in the UK and it was literally EVERYWHERE in the blogging world. 

Seeing as I was getting increasingly uncommitted to my Una Brennan facial oil, my little ears pricked up after reading that this product was just a 'cotton-wool swipe' type jobby. 

I then got further sucked in by the following information:- it is ideal for sensitive skin as it is a light but effective way of cleansing (tick); it is actually oil based which means it is good for dry skin (tick); it is used backstage at fashion shows on real-life models (tick!) and it is a one-stop easy way of removing make-up, cleansing and toning in one go (literally, get me involved).

Bioderma is no doubt the leader in the micellar water world, so I bought a 100ml bottle online (I got mine from escentual.com for £4.50) and gave it a go.

When it arrived, the first thing that struck me was how teeny tiny the bottle was.  It is perfect for travel, but seeing as you have to "drench" your cotton wool pad, it didnt look like the bottle would go very far.  And I was right.  A couple of weeks of evening-only useage and my bottle was nearing on empty.  In my opinion, this makes it a tad expensive on a cost-per-use basis.

I know some people might find this a bit mean, but I spend a fortune on cosmetics and haircare products as it is, so I am always looking to shave a few pounds off where I can.

The price issue aside though, I can completely see why this product has so much hype. 

Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar water

By the way there is literally no reason for the random Christmas tree ornament....other than it's Christmassss!!!

The product comes in a clear plastic bottle, and I'll be honest, whoever designed the packaging totally hit the nail on the head in my opinion.  It looks clean and fresh, with an ever so slight medical hint (and medical stuff always works better, right?).  And then the pink lid and accents keep it girlie enough that you want to keep it on your dressing table.  I'll be honest, the packaging made me excited to use it.  Bit sad?  Definitely, but oh well.

The product itself is literally like water in consistency and appearance.  You drench your cotton wool pad with it, and then simply wipe all over your face.  I like that the bottle has a 'dropper' type dispenser in the screw lid to stop spillage or 'over-drenching.'

When it comes to make-up removal, this does remove like a dream.  **Slight disclaimer at this point** I do not use this to remove my eye make up.  I'm a die-hard devotee to my Simple Nourishing Eye Make-up Remover and nothing will drag me away from this.  But I wanted something that would really cut through my face make-up and this definitely does it.

It's one of those products where you wipe it over your face, look at the cotton pad and go "woah, did I actually have THAT much make-up on!?"  There's something really satisfying about seeing so much coming off in my opinion.  You feel like you're really getting every last inch off.

It does leave my face a little wet after using it, and I generally have to wait a few minutes before applying my Hydraluron and moisturiser otherwise I find my moisturiser doesn't sink in as well. 

Results-wise, I only used this for a couple of weeks before it ran out (I've repurchased a bigger 500ml bottle) but it didn't break my skin out and it also didn't irritate which I was impressed by, as my skin is very sensitive, especially in winter.  I also didn't find it too drying which surprised me given the type of product it is.  I didn't get that horrible feeling where your skin feels too tight for your face, and normally I find non-cream based products leave me with that sensation.  So it was definitely a pleasant surprise.



Superdrug B-Pure Micellar Water

Ooo, there's the sneaky Christmas tree again...

So after my interest in micellar waters had been peaked by the Bioderma product, I did a bit of research and went in search of a high-street alternative.  A lot of bloggers seemed to be doing comparisons between the Bioderma and Superdrug's own micellar water, and there definitely seemed a lot more hype around the Superdrug product than any other high-street micellar waters.  Superdrug's version was on offer at half price (£2.49 but normally £4.99 for 150ml) so I decided to give it a go.

The product comes in a tall, slim, clear plastic bottle and runs along a similar theme to the Bioderma in that it looks very fresh and minimal. However it does lack the girly twist.  It looks a bit more functional than the Bioderma, however it has a dropper-type dispenser which is largely similar to the Bioderma.  So functionality-wise there is barely any difference.

The consistency is, again, just like water although it bubbles up a bit more in the bottle than the Bioderma Sensibio does.  It also has a slightly more chemical smell and (I know this is a really random point) it tastes a bit nail-varnish remover-ish on your lips once you've used it.

Having said that, it removes my make-up really really well, and in my opinion, pretty much on a par with the Bioderma. 

I've been using this for over a month and am about halfway through the bottle (so it lasts really well) and I have also repurchased another 2 bottles when they were on buy one get one free.  Results-wise, my skin hasn't reacted or broken out and I've had no problems with dryness or sore patches.  In my opinion, my skin has actually been really good since using this.  It has looked clearer and I've been getting fewer annoying little random spots. 


Comparing the two.....

When it comes to a direct comparison, I honestly don't think there's much between these two products other than price, and bottle design.  Although there is something just a bit more 'refined' about the Bioderma one.  I don't know if it is the nicer bottle, or the slightly less chemical smell, but either way the Bioderma one just feels a bit softer and gentler than the Superdrug one.  I've not had any soreness or reaction with the Superdrug one to suggest it is harsher to use, it is just a general 'experience' when using it.

As I said, I've bought a big bottle of the Bioderma to see how it lasts compared to the Superdrug one and I think my repurchasing future of these will depend on my bank balance at the time I run out.  The Bioderma product is a joy to use, and if money isn't a concern then I'd say go for that one for definite.  There's something that is just more enjoyable about using it, although I can't put my finger on what that is.  But if you are hunting for a cheaper alternative, I genuinely found the Superdrug offering to be a really good dupe.  It's effective, it's gentle and it's such a good bargain.

I only hope Superdrug don't discontinue it as high-street drug stores tend to have a habit if relaunching their stuff to keep their product lines fresh. 

On a more general note, if you suffer from dry or sensitive skin and have previously found cleansing to be a bit of an issue then don't be put off by the micellar waters.  They're so good at removing face make-up and leave your skin feeling amazingly clean and fresh.  I'm definitely interested to see if they're a bit of a 'hype' product or whether they last as a skincare staple.  I guess only time will tell..!

 

 

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat

I had to do a quick mini blog post to share a little wonder product I came across recently (by recently I mean literally yesterday...talk about real-time blogging).

I'm terrible when it comes to nail varnish.  I get bored of colours SO quickly, and I bite my nail varnish off (terrible habit) and I often change the colour of my nails depending on my outfit (ahem...high maintenance).  As a result, it feels like I am always painting my nails, or more accurately, waiting for my nails to dry.

I literally hate it.  I have a really short attention span, and having to sit still and not use my hands for a few minutes is way too difficult for me.  I always end up thinking "oo, I'll just check my phone"...or..."I'll just pop my make-up on" and then I aaaalways end up with a bloody great smudge down my nail.  Every time.  Without fail.  Absolutely no patience.

So when my mother dearest suggested I purchase some Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat, I was cynical but intrigued enough to give it a go.

And oh my god, I love it.

I used it for the first time last night and it seriously does what it says on the bottle.  The only "quick-dry" product I have used in the past was a No.7 nail oil which you dripped onto your nails using a little glass dropper, and it miraculously dried them instantly.  It was a really good product but I've never been able to find it again in Boots, plus it was on the pricey side at about £8-9 I think.  It also made my whole finger really oily and was quite messy to use.

I know OPI do a similar thing with their "Quick Dry Drops", as I've had a salon manicure which used it before, and it works on a similar basis.  But again it is about £12, which is a bit ouchie for a product I imagine you go through quite quickly.

You may be reading this thinking "wow, bit late on the bandwagon".  Or this Sally Hansen product might be a) really well-known or b) heavily replicated ...but in case there are any other Insta-Dri virgins out there I thought I'd do a post on it.  (I do realise my 'mini' post has, as usual, got rather long.  Wayy too much excitement.)

So the product itself retails at around £5.99 but I had a 25% off voucher and Boots are always running deals on their nail products.  It comes in a standard nail varnish pot with a glass bottle base and standard plastic lid with in-built nailpolish brush.

The bottle is red, but the product inside is completely clear.

The instructions said to paint my nails as normal, and then when I've applied my final coat (you don't need top coat), wait for 2 minutes then apply the Insta-Dri and your nails will be instantly dry.  And they literally are.  Completely, instantly dry.  And no annoying oily fingers!

And possibly my favourite thing about this product is the finish...it is SO shiny!  And it has stayed shiny ALL day (sometimes I find top coats can dull off over time).  It has made my nail varnish look SO glossy.  (I wore it over Essie Luxedo, a review of which is here).

For just over a fiver, I would strongly recommend this for anyone who (like me) is impatient about painting their nails.  It honestly does dry the nails instantly and it leaves such a glossy finish.  You don't need a top coat, so I can stop wasting money on those, and it means I dont have to sit around for ages blowing on my nails, or blasting them with a hairdryer, or flapping them around.  Next time this is on 3 for 2 I am going to seriously stock up.  Love it, love it, love it. 

Right. Mini post (ahem) done. xx














 

Barry M Nail Effects Royal Glitter in "Countess"

If there is one thing I am always hankering after when it comes to Christmas...it's a glitter nail varnish.  There's just something about this time of year that makes me want everything to be sparkly, and this includes my nails.

Having said that, I've never got on well with glitter nail varnishes.  For a start, I don't have the nicest nails, nor the nicest skin on my hands (generally a bit dry and wrinkly) and I do honestly think that any nail effect varnishes (e.g. matte, glitter, leather, textured) only really work on good nails (with a nice big nail plate) and good skin. 

This doesn't mean that people like me, with wrinkly hands and small nails, can't dabble in a bit of festive glitter fun - it just means you need to get the right nail varnish.

My biggest issue with glitter nail varnishes, is sparse glitter.  The type that look mega glittery in the bottle, then when you apply them it is just clear polish with three strands of glitter that you end of wiping around your nail. I've tried stippling, and putting on 15 layers, but these glitter nail varnishes never work for me.  I want dense glitter.  Proper mega disco-ball sparkle.  And in my experience, going high end doesn't mean you get a denser glitter.  I've used Revlon, Essie, OPI and Nails Inc varnishes which have all given me the three-strand-glitter effect.

I was in Next the other day, and the girl who served me had amazing rose-coloured glitter nails, and it definitely made me think 'right, it's time to hunt for a good glitter nail varnish', and for once I actually went and did some research.

Which led me to my purchase of today......Barry M's new nail effects "Royal Glitter" polish in the shade, 'Countess'.

At £3.99, this nail varnish is a lovely little bargain, and no one ever wants to spend loads on season-specific cosmetics.  And it really does pack on the glitter.  These are my nails after two basic coats of my polish...

 

Sorry the photos are a bit blurry, but my camera seemed a bit overwhelmed by the glitter and kept trying to focus all over the place.

 

You can get the jist of how dense the glitter is though.  The colour is a purple-brown and the glitter is a mix of gold and purple-pink.  The glitter is really, really fine and it does look like you've painted your nails with a normal burgundy type nail varnish and then gone over the top with mega fine, dull gold/purple glitter. I like this though, because if you actually had of done that it would have taken ages both to apply and dry.

 

The only thing I wasn't keen on about this, was that it is completely matte and when it is on your nails it feels like sandpaper.  I did put a coat of clear nail varnish on top and it made it more glossy for a few minutes, and then it sucked the clear in and went back to being mega matte again.  The photos below are immediately after I put the top coat on, but the finish went back to being completely matte and rough-feeling about 5 minutes later.












 

Overall I did really like this nail varnish.  It applies so easily, is a nice festive winter shade, and it is definitely one of the most hassle-free glitter polishes I've used.  And all for £3.99...not bad.

The finish frustrates me though, as regular followers of my blog know I'm a massive fan of a glossy nail.  I also think the matte finish means you don't get much "twinkle" from the glitter.  You can see it is a glitter nail varnish, but it is more of a dull glitter than a mega sparkle.  Barry M do 4 other shades in this range ... a rose gold, a pink, a white and a gold....and the rose gold (Duchess) looked like it had a lot more sparkle so I might try this when we get closer to Christmas. 

If you've got any recommendations for a mega-glittery nail varnish then please let me know, as I am definitely still on the hunt and the festive season is getting closer!!!  I especially want a proper bright sparkly red, or a dense sparkly gold.  So any tips, leave them in the comments below!  xx

Birthday times for the boy!

Bit of a random post, but screw it, I wanted to share my little achievement with the world..!

It was my other half's 30th birthday at the weekend, and home-made birthday cakes have been a bit of a tradition in my family for years.  My Mum started it with a cake decorating course when we were babies, and since then we've had ferrero rocher cakes, cinderella barbie cakes, minnie mouse cakes, cosmetics cakes, a Vogue magazine cover, and a sinking Titanic made completely of cake (to name just a few).

So for my boyfriend's big birthday I thought I'd bring him into the family tradition and do him a cheeky little cake.  I had a look online (bearing in mind he is a bit of a Haribo fan) and I found the perfect cake.

Right...you know when you have an idea...and it seems a reaaallllyyy good idea?  And you think "that'll be pretty quick and simple".

Then 2 and a half hours and 2 kilograms of gummy bears later...this happens:

God bless my Mum for helping me out (she did the "3" and I did the "0") otherwise I may have been there ALL night.  We went through 2 tubs of Haribo Goldbears, and a lot of tedious boredom.  Each bear was stuck on using edible glue, and aside from a few gummy-bear landslides, they generally stuck really well.

If any (crazy people) are looking to recreate it, I hired the number cake tins from my local cake decorating shop at £1.50 a day.  The cake was a normal sponge that we covered in Regalice icing.  The gummy bears were then literally just stuck on with edible glue.  Bit of a tip (which is probably common sense to most people, but it took me and Mum a while to realise...) when you are doing the sides, start lining the bears up on the bottom layer first, as they stand on the board and this holds them up.  Then when you do the next layers above, the gummy bears stand on top of the gummy bear row below.  This just keeps everything in place whilst the glue sets.

It wasn't a tricky cake to make.  It just took TIME.  But I'd say do what we did...stick the X Factor on the tv, pour a glass of wine, and get gummy bear sticking!!

No.7 Gel-Look Shine in Deep Wine

It fills me with the greatest of joy to see that No.7 have brought back their Gel-Look Shine nail colours again!  I only discovered these were limited edition recently, when I casually went in to Boots to buy another one of their shades.  I was distressingly advised by the lady on the No.7 counter that they were limited edition, and they no longer did them!!  SUCH disappointment on my part.

But they're back!!  I went into Boots yesterday and there they were, chilling on a promo stand.  Such joy.

From what I can tell, No.7 have pretty much re-launched the exact same colour range as before.  My lovely Neptune colour was there, as was the barbie pink and the pale pink and the random turquoise-green type colour.  I thought they might "winter" the range up a bit but apparently not.  But they did have this gorgeous deep wine colour called...erm..."deep wine" and I just had to purchase it.

And I'll be honest, I am a little in love with this colour.  For some reason I'm just not feeling my reallllyyy mega dark colours yet (e.g. OPI Lincoln Park After Dark) and have been hankering after a happy medium between bright reds and dark, dark burgundies that look black.  And voila! Here it is! In that deep-rich-shiny-pigmented nail varnish that No.7's gel range does so well.

This applies like a dream.  You have to kind of trust the brush a bit.  Press down, let it fan out to fill your nail, and swipe.  Job done.  It does say you can get away with one coa, but naa I don't agree.  This is a 2-coater and if you don't two-coat then you're not getting its full gorgeousness.  It also dries really quickly for such a thick nail varnish, which is a bonus.

 The colour is a rich purple-blackberry-juice type burgundy...more purple based than red....and it is a really flattering shade against my pale little winter-skinned hands.  It goes on quite dark but still with a nice amount of colour, especially when in natural light, when it looks a lot ligher and redder. It certainly doesn't look like it is verging on black, like a lot of dark burgundy/purple shades tend to do.  It is such a luxurious colour and just screams Christmas parties or wrapped around a mug of mulled wine.  It's got me quite excited. 



In natural light (sorry about the rubbish quality, I was walking at the time!)

In artificial light















But get in there NOW before No.7 decide to do something silly and discontinue them again (I like to think their reappearance had something to do with my distressed reaction at their discontinuation).  It dries to a really good shine and has such good depth of colour - I think it looks a lot more expensive than it actually is.  I'm definitely buying a second bottle...damnit maybe even a third.

Lipstick Brights



I am a massive fan of a bright lip.  I think it can completely make an outfit and really freshen up your look. I do think bright lips are a bit marmite ... some people rave about them when I wear them, and others give you that "ooo crikey. That's bright!" kind of awkward-balloon comment.  But personally I love bright lipstick colours and I think they work on any hair colour/skin tone - you just need to get the right shade to compliment you.

It's not always easy to establish the right colour, and it can be a bit trial and error, which is why I only ever buy cheaper high-street lip colours.  That way, if you get it home and it just doesn't work with your tone, then you haven't wasted too much of your hard-earned cash.  My tip though is to swatch a bit on your hand in the shop, locate a mirror, and hold your hand up over your mouth.  It isn't a perfect method, but it does mean you can see how the colour works with your skin tone...eye colour...hair colour etc.

I've built up a little collection of bright lipsticks, the majority of which are matte textures.  Until recently I was dead against a shiny bright lip.  I think matte brights look more edgy and high end, and even though this goes against every piece of lip-advice I've ever read, I actually think matte lipsticks make my lips look fuller.

So here is my vibrant little collection.....

...and swatched

You'll notice the majority of my brights are True Colour lipsticks by Sleek (the three in the middle).  I LOVE the Sleek True Colour lipsticks. They are £4.99 and the depth of colour they give is really impressive.  It is hands down the best I've found in cheaper high street brands. I also like them because they offer a completely matte range.  It says on the base of the lipstick whether it is matte or sheen or frost, but most of their brighter colours come in the matte texture.

And these are mega matte.  You can feel the degree of matte-ness when you apply them, as they drag quite a bit.  I actually find this makes the lipstick easier to control as you apply, but it might not appeal to some people, especially if you're a fan of a moisturised lip.  A little tip with these as well...if you apply a bit of vaseline or a good lip balm first and then apply the lipstick, it goes on a lot more sheer.  So if the vivid pop of colour you get from the matte texture is a bit daunting or a bit too much, try putting plenty of moisture onto your lips first. 

These lipsticks also aren't fab if you've got a dry, crusty lip situation going down.  They will collect in any dry areas, but to be honest I found my higher-end Mac lipsticks still do this, so I don't think it is a sign of poor quality.  Just give your lips a cheeky exfoliation with a lip exfoliator or a dry flannel before applying the lipstick and all should be okay.

The Sleek lipsticks I own are Heart Breaker, Papaya Punch and Mystic.

Sleek Heartbreaker

Heartbreaker is hands down my favourite of my Sleek lipsticks.  It is a bright fuschia pink, which has very slight coral-undertones.  I think the coral undertones make the colour a lot more vibrant than if it were just a flat fuschia pink.  I always end up reaching for this colour if I want to go for a brighter lip - it generally goes with most outfits and it looks brilliant in the summer with a bit of a tan.

The first photo below is what it looks like completely matte and just applied straight onto my lips. The second photo is the same lipstick but with lip balm on first, so you can see it gives a slightly more sheer, toned down finish.

Papaya Punch
Papaya is probably one of my least used brights.  It is a very coral-orange colour, but with pink undertones which result in quite a watemelon-y type colour.  I'm a bit scared of coral-based shades as my great-aunts used to rock this colour out a lot (the oldies love a bit of a bright lip!) and the first time I bought a coral lipstick my Mum was like "oh Great Auntie Muriel wore one like that" ... and it killed it a little.  This Sleek shade is quite a fresh colour though, and for this reason it looks great in the summer with a slight tan.  The photo doesn't do justice to how vibrant it is (I honestly tried to take it so many times!)  The swatch above is a lot more of a true representation of the colour.  And if you don't have my weird Great-Aunt association going on, you'll probably enjoy it a lot more than I do..

Mystic

Mystic is my opinion-divider when it comes to my bright lipsticks.  It is a deep purple-pink colour, with blue undertones. I love this shade but some people find it a bit too purple-based.  It gives the best depth of colour of all of my Sleek shades, and despite it being a slightly more unusual colour, I find it still goes with practically everything.  It looks really effective with a neat black liquid-eyeliner-flicked eye and it is definitely my go-to colour in the winter.  It is a bit more edgy than the more traditional shades, but I love the way it is a slightly darker colour but still has the vibrant effect that the lighter pink/coral shades have. 

MAC Impassioned

This was the first ever bright lipstick I bought, and I can remember thinking it was one of the scariest make-up purchases I had ever made.  For the first few months I owned it I barely wore it, and when I did I used to blot it like a crazy lady till the majority of the colour had faded out.  But now I pack this on.  It is a fuschia pink with blue-y undertones but also a bit of coral-warmth thrown in.  I think this shade would suit the majority of skin tones, as I think there's a lot of undertones going on which different skin tones would pick out.  It is from MAC's Amplified range, which contains the majority of their more vibrant, bright, neon shades.  The consistency is typical MAC - creamy, rich, a joy to apply.  This covers your lips in a strong pigmented shade with one swipe, and if you blot and reapply this a couple of times, it gives a really strong colour which will last you an impressive amount of hours.  It doesn't quite have the vivid neon undertones that the Sleek ones have, which means it is a little less "in your face" and maybe slightly more refined.  For example I would totally wear this to a wedding, but I probably wouldn't rock my Sleek ones out.  It is more expensive - MAC lipsticks are retailing around £14-£15 these days - and in all honesty I probably wouldn't rush out and buy lots of MAC brights, as I think the high street offerings are just as good for a fraction of the price.  But I do have a little soft spot for my Impassioned lipstick.

 Barry M 146

This is one of Barry M's lip paints and retails about a fiver.  One of the things Barry M is known for is their strong pigmentation - whether it is their nail paints, or their dazzle dust pots, you can always count on the colour pay off being impressive.  The lip paints are no different, but calling them 'paints' is quite apt, as I do find these sit on top of my lips a little more than other lipstick brands.  I often have to blend the colour in a bit with my finger and give it a good few blots and reapplications.  Having said that, their colour range is good and the colour lasts.  Watch out for the different types of consistency though.  I thought all their paints were the same, but I bought a coral one a few months back and it was completely sheer. So give it a swatch before you buy.  The 146 shade is a completely unashamed bright pink barbie colour.  It is as girly as pink gets in my opinion!  It has definite cool blue undertones and looks almost a little lilac-based in some lights.  I love wearing this with baby pink blusher on the apples of my cheeks too, as it gives a really fresh, pretty, girly look. 

Kate Moss for Rimmel 01

The 'Kate Moss' lipsticks have definitely been a success for Rimmel, and when they brought out a matte range, I think they were definitely on to a winner.  The 01 shade is actually one of the original range (not the matte ones) but still has quite a matte texture once applied.  It is creamy to apply, but has that slight drag that you get from a lipstick that leans a little more towards matte.  The colour pigmentation is amazing, it is right up there with MAC and I actually prefer the finish of the Rimmel lipsticks as they aren't quite so glossy. I only own 01 (I say I own it, it is actually my little sister's and she may kill me a little if she reads this) but I seriously want to buy more. The lasting power is impressive too, and I'm in love with this red shade.  It is a really deep red, with definite pink undertones, which I think makes the colour a bit more vibrant and cheeky than a bog-standard red.  It definitely isn't a classic Hollywood glamour red, but I like the pink undertones as I think it lifts it a bit.  I always feel so glam when I wear this, and I own MAC's Russian Red, and I can honestly say it is such a close dupe for under half of the price (they retail at £5.99).  Rimmel also do a deeper plum which I am dying to get my hands on for winter. Anyway, love love love this colour.  If you're looking for a good, fun red - you can't go wrong with this.

So that is my bright lipstick collection!  As I said, I do own MAC's Russian Red too, but I couldn't find it (it is probably squirreled away in a clutch bag somewhere from a night out).

I thought I'd also put down a few tips that I've picked up from wearing bright lipsticks, especially for any bright lippy novices out there.....

• Firstly, try and go for colours which have some sort of blue undertone.  It can be really subtle, like the pink undertones of the Sleek Papaya Punch shade, but it just means it will be a much more flattering shade.  Blue-undertones make your teeth look whiter, whereas orangey-undertones will make them look more yellow.  Lipsticks with true orange-undertones can be so difficult to pull off and they can distort the look of the rest of your make up, like your bronzer, foundation etc, making it look way more orange.  So if you are looking for a red or a coral, try and find ones with a bluey-pink undertone. 

• Every beauty person in the world will tell you that applying a lipliner first will improve the neatness of our lipstick and also increase it's staying power.  I have found this to be very true, but seriously, you try finding bright lip liners.  They literally do not exist.  I have hunted the high street for them and never found any - especially ones that would match my more random colours like the Sleek Mystic.  But I found an answer to my dilemma a few weeks back when I purchased Rimmel's new clear lip liner. This isn't a new concept as I remember my Mum having one of these yeeears ago, but basically it is a creamy waxy pen which has no colour at all.  I outline my lips in this and then scribble a bit over my lips, and then apply my lipstick, and I just find it keeps my lipstick in place and vibrant for so much longer.  And it means you only need one lipliner for your entire collection, so I would definitely recommend it.

• I touched upon this tip higher up, but basically if you are wearing a bright or matte lipstick, your lips need to be in tip top condition.  I neglect my lips SO much, so normally when it comes to putting lipstick on I'm like 'damnit the lips are dry!'.  My top lazy beauty tip for a mega quick solution is to rub your lips gently with a dry flannel or a pair of exfoliating gloves, then whack on a decent lip balm or moisturiser, then leave it all to sink in whilst you apply the rest of your face, or do your hair, and then put the lipstick on last.  This always works for me.

So there we go.  Go crazy with your brights girls!! x

Holiday favourites

So, as I said, I recently jetted off to the Greek island of Zakynthos for a blissful week of sunning myself, eating far too much and generally enjoying not being at work. I was always intending on doing a bit of a mammoth Prickly Heat post in relation to my holiday, but then whilst doing some of the photos I also thought, screw it, why not chuck in some of my holiday favs.

Seeing as the weather has distinctly deteriorated since my return this is potentially not my most useful post ever, but damnit I've been on holiday, so a holiday post I shall do...

So, these were my little holiday wonder products this year....what a motley crew.

Back row from left - Victorias Secrets Coconut Passion body spray; Garnier Ambre Solaire Advanced Sensitive Aftersun; Tresemme Platinum Strength Leave-In Conditioner; Revlon Equave Instant Detangling spray; Magicool Plus Prickly Heat.
Front row from left - Ultrasun Medium SPF20 sun cream; Superdrug nailpolish remover pads; Bioderma Sensibio micellar water.

The Ultrasun sun cream, Magicool Plus Prickly Heat spray and Ambre Solaire Sensitive After Sun are all reviewed in my prickly heat post here.

Victoria's Secrets Coconut Passion body spray

My little sister got me into this.  She came back from a jaunt to Westfield Shopping Centre with it...gave me a whiff, and I was instantly hooked.  It smells SO. NICE.  This one is their vanilla and coconut scent and it is so sweet and coconutty - it was perfect for holiday.  The bottle is really big and cost £11, which seems a lot for a body spray, but trust me this performs way more like a perfume than your bog standard Impulse body spray.  The scent sticks around for ages on your skin, and you only need 1-2 sprays to get a good level of smellage.  Victoria's Secrets do a wide range of these body sprays and I'm keen to road test some more (maybe something more musky for winter?)  They all come in these bright, decorative bottles which look great on your dressing table.  And honestly, it smells so potent and scrummy.  I'm literally smelling myself right now.

Revlon Equave Detangling Spray for Blonde Hair

I have no idea how this little beauty has stayed off my radar for so long.  I found it whilst Googling detangling sprays for blonde hair (as I'd got a bit bored of my usual Aussie one). Okay, first things first...it is PURPLE. Yesss. Love a bit of purple to kill my brassy tones.  This is designed to nourish, detangle AND tone your blonde hair and I was pretty goddamn impressed with it.  It is a two layer formula so you have to shake it up, and then you spritz all over your wet hair.  My tangle teezer definitely had an easier job getting through my hair, and once blow dried, there wasn't any oiliness or weighing down.  I can't tell how much punch the purple packs, as I use purple shampoo as well, so it is difficult to tease out the difference.  But as a detangling spray alone, this is a winner.  It is a fairly big bottle, set me back about a tenner, smells pretty and you can see how little I used despite having used it 3-4 times.  I just love the concept of this.  It is like a 4-in-1 little wonder product.  Bravo Revlon.

Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water

As a blogger, I felt it my duty to include this in my life.  It has literally exploded onto the UK market following its trip over the pond, and I simply had to part with £4.50 to try out this mini version.  Right...so what do I think.  Genuinely?  I don't know. Hmm..helpful, I know.  This looks fresh.  The bottle looks clean, the water looks clear, the little pink lid is cute...you really want to like this.  It looks like it would purify even the most stubborn skin.  And yes, it does remove make-up like a dream.  I only used it for face make-up as I disagree that it 'melted' mascara away.  I pile my mascara on and this just didn't budge it easily.  But my face make-up? Wow.  The first time I swept my little Bioderma-soaked cotton wool ball over my face I was like Jeeeez, do I really have that much foundation on my face!?  It took about 3 cotton balls to clean my face, and when you pour this out you can feel the cotton wool just drinking it up.  This little bottle probably would have lasted me 2 weeks, tops. My skin didn't react to it, it felt gloriously clean after using it, but I just don't think my purse will let me fall in love with it.  I want to...I really want to.  But I think it would clean out my bank account just as quick as it cleans my skin.  It has aroused my interest in micellar water though, and I will be purchasing Superdrug's own version so I'll pop a post up on that once I've given it a good run.  Back to this post though, this little bottle was ideal for travelling, ideal for cutting through a sweaty, sun-creamed face, and left my skin feeling fresh and clean.  So for that purpose, I'd recommend it.

Tresemme Platinum Strength Leave-in Conditioner

I grabbed this because I wanted a new leave-in conditioner and it was on offer for £2.97 at Superdrug.  I knew the sun would wreck my heavily bleached hair, so I was on the hunt for a leave-in conditioner that would pack a punch.  I've dabbled with Tresemme's Platinum Strength range before and been impressed (see post here) and I wasn't disappointed by this.  I'm a pretty easygoing girl when it comes to leave-in conditioner...I want it to nourish my hair and I don't want it to leave my hair greasy or weighed down.  This ticked both boxes.  It has a really fresh, pretty scent and it did what it said on the tin (or bottle).  Do I want to rave about it? Na, not really.  Would I buy it again? Yes probably.  It is a good, safe product.  And when it came to soothing my sun-ravaged hair, it did the job.

Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover pads

This is a bit of a random post, as I don't think there's really much to review or say about nail polish remover.  But this is a tip of mine for holiday, as it is a really efficient way of taking your nailvarnish off, without the danger of packing a bottle of potent, risky-leaking nail varnish remover.  I always go for nourishing, and these little Superdrug ones contain thumbs-up ingredients like aloe vera and vitamin E.  At just a £1 they're a must for any travelling girly, and take the mess and fuss out of removing your nail varnish on holiday.

So, there we have it, my little wonder products from my jaunt abroad.  All that's left to do now is obviously post a few pics from my holiday.  Self-indulge alert.....look away now!

xxx

PRICKLY HEAT! Treatments and prevention tips

Right. Yes. Prickly heat.

My nemesis in the sun and the bane of my holidays for the last 3-4 years.

I don't know why I started getting prickly heat.  It sprung up a few years ago on a holiday to Crete, and covered my chest, arms and (most distressingly) my face.  Last week I went on holiday to the Greek island of Zante, and as this was my first holiday with my boyfriend (and looking vaguely attractive was therefore of utmost importance) before I went I literally trawled the internet for advice or tips at controlling my little skin complaint.

And..touch wood...I think I've found a combination of products which seem to work pretty well and I wanted to share my findings.  When I was doing my research there was a lot of stuff about how the only treatment for prickly heat is avoiding the sun. I did start to get the beginnings of prickly heat on my holiday, but I seemed to be able banish it away quite quickly.  Most importantly I didn't have to abort my sunbathing programme at all, or hide in the shade between 11am and 2pm, which I think was a bit of a success.

Personally, I found it was useful to work on the understanding that prickly heat is trapped sweat (yum). So anything that keeps your pores open and clean is a must. You're aiming to free your skin, not clog it.

Right, down to specifics...

Ultrasun Sensitive Medium SPF20
 

This sun cream kept cropping up on the forums and sites I was reading.  It is a tad on the pricey side - I paid £18 from M&S but you could probably find it cheaper online.  It comes across a lot more 'medical' than most other suncreams, and comes with a proper instruction leaflet and everything.  I could only find the 'glimmer' formula and the lowest SPF was 20 (they also do 50+) and I was a bit worried factor 20 might be too high and might stop me tanning.  It 100% didn't, and I swear my tan is more even than normal.

My favouritest thing about this is the consistency.  It is a very light cream, which pumps out easily, is mess-free and once rubbed in it literally disappears.  I have never felt so grease-free on holiday.  It was a revelation! The glimmer/shimmer is very fine but definitely noticeable and did feel a bit 1990's body glitter at first, but I got used to it. One 100ml bottle lasted me a week easily.  One tip though ....this says that it only requires 1 x a day application.  I wasn't comfortable with this, but went with it on the first day....and I burned.  Not badly, and only across my chest a bit, but after that I applied it after swimming and/or a 2nd time in the afternoon and despite the 30 degree heat I didn't burn any more the entire holiday. 

I've read that this is good for a range of skin complaints or for people who are generally a bit sensitive to the sun.  I loved it, and am definitely a convert.  It is my new sun cream wonder product.

Ambre Solaire Sensitive AdvancedAftersun with Cold Cream

Ooooo...Sensitive ADVANCED.  I wanted to include this as I do genuinely think it helped in my war against prickly heat. It is for fair, sensitive or sun-intolerant skin and I picked it up for a fiver from Asda.  It is enriched with cold cream...which I've heard of before but I'll be honest, I have nooo clue what it is good for.  You can also use it on your face which is a bonus. I found this to be really pleasant to use.  It has a bit of a random, cucumber-ish whiff to it, but it really feels like it is moisturising the skin despite being very light in texture.  I think when it comes to prickly heat, you need to keep every step of your skin care regime as light and "sensitive-based" as possible and this was perfect.  It is hypoallergenic, dermatologically tested, all singing, all dancing and I barely used any of it in a week so it is good value for money too.

Magicool Plus Prickly Heat

Now this is an intriguing little product.  I paid £8 for it from Superdrug and then bought another two cans when it went on offer for £2.63 at Tesco.  I strongly believe this is the heart of my prickly heat defence team, but I have absolutely no idea why it works.  It is one of a new range of 'Magicool Plus' products and it said it treats prickly heat, so I was on it like a little magpie.  It works on the same premise as the original Magicool, in that it is self-chilling (you can literally leave it lying in the sun) and sprays a fine, cold mist. It is meant to have histimine properties, soothing properties, cooling properties (read the blurb on the back of the can, it's impressive) and is completely sterile.  I was worried a can would run out really quickly, but I took 3 cans on holiday (ahem...slightly over the top) and only used up one.  And trust me, I was spraying this on liberally.  It cools your skin, it soothes the itch, it somehow calms the annoying tiny red rash you get with prickly heat.  I did have to keep spraying it on, and I still used it even when my prickly heat hadn't come out (prevent rather than cure I say).  But god knows how it did it, but it seemed to really keep my prickly heat at bay.  I will definitely not travel without it in future.


Garnier Pure Active Deep Pore Wash

So in keeping with the 'anti-clogging' theme, another tip I read about was to use a deep pore wash, or something with salicylic acid in it.  I picked this Garnier one up from Boots for £1.89.  Being a dry and sensitive skinned little lady, I've never ever dabbled in the world of deep pore, oily skin products.  This seemed cheap, and said it was pore unclogging, so I went for it and I think it worked as good as any.  My little sister uses a charcoal soap from Lush to declog her pores, and I have read that people with prickly heat also swear by charcoal-based products, but I guess they just work on the same basis as the deep pore wash.  I used this in the shower and just washed my 'problem areas' (i.e. chest, arms, thighs).  I think it helps the skin to breathe and any sweat or dirt to escape, so you aren't going out in the sun with your pores already clogged and choked up.  It's a really nifty, cheap little tip for prickly heat.


Sunbedding

Right.  I was genuinely nervous to post about this, and I still am, but I agreed to share my prickly heat tips and I can't shy away from the fact I do think this helped.

I didn't feel 100% comfortable using a sunbed, and I kept it to the minimum time of 2.5 minutes.  My aim was to slowly introduce my skin to UV rays and not to get colour.  I went 3 times a week for 4 weeks in a stand-up booth for 2.5 minutes at a time. 

My reason for using them was that a lot of advice said that prickly heat can be your skin reacting to sudden sun exposure, and not being able to efficiently get rid of sweat and the heat.  The intention was to slowly expose my skin so the sun wasn't quite so much of a shock when I went on holiday.

One thing I will say - using the bed for 2.5 mins every other day for 4 weeks didn't give me hardly any colour.  So I will never bother to use these for a tan - you'd have to use them SO much, and it isn't worth it for the health risks.  I still feel really guilty for using them and I don't know whether I would again (or whether I'd see if my wonder products alone are enough to kill the prickly heat).  But as I said, I wanted to share all of my prickly-heat experiments with you, and this was one of them.  Eek.

So, there you have it.....

These were my prickly heat findings..

I found it really helped to keep in my mind about keeping my skin clear, clean and cool.  I waited 10 minutes or so after a shower before applying any moisturiser so my skin could breathe, I stuck to loose clothing during the day to keep cool and breezy, and I took regular cool showers to soothe my skin after the sun. 

So just try and stick to those three C's...clean, clear and cool, and hopefully prickly heat will leave you the hell alone as well.