Making your hair last

Hello Everyone!

I haven't been posting much on here recently but I've had a pretty hectic month. 

While I was at work today I realised that I hadn't actually washed my hair in three days. Which normally would terrify me, but today I found that my hair doesn't actually look that bad.

I've read from multiple beauty bloggers that it's actually worse for your hair if you wash it everyday. This is because you're washing all the natural oils that your hair has in it which makes it smoother and healthier. So it got me thinking. Why do I wash my hair pretty much everyday? I found that my answer was: to keep it from getting greasy. The problem with my thought process was that in reality I'm actually doing the exact opposite of what I'm aiming to achieve. 

So i decided I was only going to wash my hair 2-3 times a week and see how my hair pans out. Now I've only been doing this a couple of weeks now but I am finding that my hair is getting slightly less greasy on day two and it is a little softer than it has been in the past. 

The thought of having greasy hair absolutely terrifies me, so to avoid this I use a dry shampoo to help it a little. If I want my hair in a ponytail I back comb my hair which makes it a little messy, this drags the attention away from the potential greasy look and more towards the volume of my hair in an updo. 

I'm really enjoying the fact that I'm not having to spend copious amounts of my time just washing my hair and worrying about it getting greasy. I'm also enjoying being able to style my hair more, as with freshly washed hair it's difficult to style. Braiding is a lot easier with two day old hair aswell! Which I'm loving! 

Have you got any tips for making your hair last just that little bit longer?

Sophie 

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November Favourites

Hello Everyone!

I know I've been a bit quiet on the blogging the past couple of weeks! Apologies for that but there's been a few things going on that's been keeping me preoccupied. 

Today is my first blog post of December!  Can't believe it's two weeks to Christmas!

Today I thought I'd share with you my November Favourites. These are a few items that I've been loving the past month (and a half!).

Sleek i-Divine Palette - Storm 578

Rimmel London Kate Moss Lasting Finish in 107

Lush Cosmetics Bubblegum Lip Scrub

Makeup Revolution Blush in Treat

MUA intense colour lip liner in Caramel Nougat

As you can see the i-Divine palette is well loved - especially with the pink and cream! I love that there is a matte black in this one as I hate not being able to create a good smokey eye with a black. Most palettes have a black but I find they have a slight shimmer to them, this one has no shimmer so I was very happy!

I love this lipstick colour from Rimmel, it's a lovely shade of red that's quite berry toned. It applies smoothly onto my lips and looks beautiful. I've almost ran out of this one so it's on the top of my christmas list for a replacement. This goes really well if you're looking for a red lip but one that's not too bold, you can apply this lightly for a subtle look. I used to be terrified of wearing a red lip, but I now know that I suit more berry toned colours. The best way to find out what suits you is to experiment!

The LUSH Bubblegum lip scrub is an amazing product that I will continue to purchase again and again. It's such a nice product to use and is perfect to use in the winter months to keep your lips smooth! I love the smell and the taste of this lip scrub. Who wouldn't? It's Bubblegum! I love using this before I put on my makeup as it gives my lips time to recover after using this before putting on my lipstick. 

The Makeup Revolution Blush is amazing and was an absolute steal for £2.00! I bought this in Superdrug after falling in love with the colour. It's kind of a pink/coral colour and it applies quite nicely onto my skin which lasts pretty much all day whilst I'm at work. For £2.00 I really can't complain about this product, it's incredible and I definitely recommend this blusher to anyone. If you're on a budget keep an eye out for this in your local Superdrug.

The MUA lip liner is really soft and easy to apply. I got this in a fairly nude colour as I already have a deep red and needed a liner that I could wear with my lighter lipsticks. I love how this applies onto my lips and for £1.00 you really can't go wrong. It's a beautiful colour and will definitely be buying more shades from this brand!

Sophie

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I've got a secret

Hello Everyone!

Yes, I've got a secret to tell you all. It's pretty shocking, so I suggest that you should sit down for this one...

I'm a LUSH VIRGIN!

(gasp!)

Well, not anymore... 

I've actually been meaning to go into my local lush store, but whenever I've gone to the shopping centre where it is, it's a tiny shop that's always rammed with customers. My worst nightmare! I don't really like tiny spaces filled with tonnes of people. So this lush store is literally smaller than the bathroom in my parents house. It's teeny tiny!

Today however, I jumped right in, not literally though because that would look so strange. I walked in and was surrounded by amazing smells and gorgeous looking bath bombs and soaps. I didn't buy tonnes of things as to be honest, I don't have the money to right now leading up to christmas so I bought myself a couple of things to try out.

I was looking at all the cleansers and beauty products that they had and came across a product called 'Ultra Bland' it's a cleanser that removes dirt and makeup. I didn't actually buy this as the sales assistant saw I was unsure about it.She gave me a sample size of this, it's a little pot and she actually filled it to the brim which I was really surprised about. I'm looking forward to using this as a cleanser, I've had to go back to using make up remover wipes - hands head in shame. The wipes seem to have created more problems than solved so I'm looking for a good cleanser thats worth the money I pay for. So I'm going to give this a try out and maybe treat myself to a large pot for christmas! Look out for a review on this product in the next week! 

You can buy a pot of ultrabland from your local lush store or online here, there are two prices for the different size pots.

This purple beauty is the Twilight bath bomb. This one is meant to help you sleep as it has a lavender fragance which is meant to be a soothing, mind clearing and calming fragrance. I loved the smell of this one and it's got a really pretty purple colour to it. I can't wait to pop this into my bath after a long day at work. I've been struggling to sleep recently so I'm hoping that this will help me out.

You can buy the twilight bath bomb here for £3.35

This is the Sakura Bath Bomb. It looks so cute and pretty. It's very different to the Twilight bath bomb I bought, it's fairly plain apart from the splodge on the top where it's really colourful and looks like a crystal. It smells a little floral and doesn't smell overpowering, it's quite sweet so I think I'm going to enjoy this one.

You can buy the Sakura Bath Bomb here for £3.35

This little cutie is the Butterbear!

It's so cute I just couldn't resist picking this little teddy up! It's made from cocoa butter and has a vanilla fragrance to it so I was pretty much sold from the word cocoa. I love the smell of vanilla and think this will make my skin feel and smell amazing! I picked this one up right by the till as I was paying for the other two bath bombs - damn those sneaky sales people trying to make me buy more stuff just because its so incredibly cute!

You can buy the Butterbear here for £1.95

So there you have it! My FIRST mini Lush haul for you guys.

I really can't wait to try all four of these items and I will definitely be writing a review of the Ultrabland cleanser.

What products do you recommend from Lush?

Sophie

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Toner - hydrate your skin

Hello Everyone!

So as it's now officially getting very cold, we really need to start looking after our skin. With the cold weather our skin will start to dry out very quickly and will be more prone to cracking. It's not good for your skin to be dehyrdated and when you try top cover it up with make up I think it looks worse as your foundation will stick to the dry patch and makes it stand out. It's important to keep dry skin under control in the cold months as it can make it worse and can make the problem 100x worse.

This is the Toner that I currently use. It's the Elemis Rehydrating Ginseng Toner. I first bought this after having a facial at my local Dove Spa. My beautician used quite a few products on my face and I really loved how they made my face feel. So I bought three of the products which were; the cleanser, toner and a face balm. I have run out of the cleanser unfortunately but I will do a seperate post of the face balm as its an anti ageing product.

This product is available from most Dove Spa's and you can buy it online here at Feel Unique for £22.00.

I love this product so much, on the back of the bottle it says it 'effectively tones the skin, rebalances the pH level and preserves natural oils, without the use of alcohol or harsh detergents.' It really does hydrate your skin, you're meant to apply this using a cotton wool pad and dabbing it on your face but I usually just spritze it on my face and leave it to soak into my skin. 

I use this twice daily, in the morning before applying my makeup and I also use it in the evening after taking all my makeup off. It's great as a revitalising face spray. It feels so fresh when you spray it on your face and in the morning it helps me to wake up. It's like a little boost to get my face to wake up.

One more thing that I love about this product, well actually Elemis as a brand, is that they don't test any of their products on animals. This is really important to me as I know that animals haven't been harmed to make their products.

Sophie

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Get Ready With Me: Anniversary Meal

 Hello Everyone!

So today was my second anniversary with my boyfriend. Aww! We had planned to go out for a really nice meal in a posh restaurant as last year we couldn't really afford to go out anywhere. So, I bought myself a really pretty dress as I thought I'd make myself look really nice for a special occasion. 

Here is how I got ready! Prior to this I had washed my face and removed my makeup using normal soap - I never usually use soap on my face it's a one off  as I've ran out of my normal cleanser : (

Oh hello bare faced me! 

First off - foundation.

I use the Bourjois Paris healthy mix foundation in Light Vanilla. 

  

Next I use my Concealer brush to blend my foundation over my dark circles.

Next up - Pressed powder and Blusher.

I use Rimmels Stay Matte Pressed powder in Pink Blossom and I use Rimmel's Lasting finish soft colour blush in pink rose.  

 Then I pencil in my eyebrows using Rimmel's Eyebrow pencil in Dark Brown.

 For my eyes I went for a light smokey grey look to match the colour of my dress - clever me!

I used the Bourjois Paris Smokey Eye palette in 01 gris dandy.

Normally with my eyeliner I tend to go for a thick line, but as I had done a light smokey eye I thought it would be more fitting for a thin eyeliner. I'm using the Revlon Colourstay Liquid Eyeliner in Blackest Black.

For my mascara I'm currently loving Rimmel's Accelorator Endless Mascara. I also use an old spoule from Rimmel's Scandaleyes to help seperate my lashes and give them a little volume.

Lip liner is so important when using a darker lipstick. Darker Lipsticks tend to bleed into your skin which is not a good look. I'm using Maybelline's lip liner pencil in 338 Midnight plum. I'm going slightly over my lip line to prevent any slip ups, I also go over my lips lightly in the pencil just to give my lipstick some base.

The finished face and hair! :)

To see my blog post about all of my make up brushes that I currently use click here

This is the dress I wore tonight. I bought it off another girl on an app called Vinted - I'll be doing a post about this app after christmas for you guys so keep an eye out!

My boyfriend and I after we left the restaurant.

Sophie

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The Autumn Tag

Wow you guys must be feeling lucky today! Two posts in one day!

As we're coming up to mid November I thought I'd do this Autumn Tag post. 

1.  Ok we're talking coffee's - what's your favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero etc?

I don't actually go to Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero that often to be honest! However, when I have been to Starbucks I usually go for a Caramel Macchiato. I love this drink and I'm pretty sure this is the only one I order from Starbucks, apart from a boring Mocha!

2.  Accessories - what do you opt for, scarf, boots, gloves?

I'm a scarf and boots girl. I don't really wear gloves, I know I should being as it's getting colder and it will ruin my hands but I only wear scarves when I go sledging or I'm going out for a walk. I won't wear them if I'm literally popping out for 5 minutes.

3.  Music - what's your favourite music to listen to during Autumn?

The only time I really change my music is at christmas, I like listening to christmas songs when it comes to December

4.  Perfume - what's your favourite scent for this time of year?

I really don't change my perfume that often, but right now I'm really loving Paco Robanne's Lady Million. I carry a sample bottle in my handbag that's a perfect little size just to top myself up.

5.  Candles - what scents will you be burning this season?

I normally stock up on Yankee Candles this time of year I love the Christmas collections that they bring out. I like the cinnamon scented ones normally and the christmas memories candles too.  Looking at the collection this year there is a Christmas Cookie candle which I really want to try out, as a sweet tooth girl I'm really looking forward to that one!

6.  What do you love most about Autumn?

I love the darker nights as it means cosy nights in with my boyfriend watching films. I love the food around this time of year too; stews and casseroles just make me feel so festive and it helps with the lead up to christmas!

7.  Favourite makeup look?

Right now I've been loving thin eyeliner and bold dark berry lips. I also use more bronze eye shadows this time of year, it brings out the autumnal look and bronze colours makes my eyes look even more blue.

8.  What are you looking forward to most in Autumn?

Seeing as Autumn is almost over I think I'll do a 'what did you most enjoy about Autumn?' I've really enjoyed being able to put my wellies on and go for walks through the woods round by my house. I like being able to kick through the leaves and watch them fall. I've also enjoyed having nights in with my boyfriend, having the fire on and watching our favourite shows.

Sophie

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This tag was created by Georgina and you can find her blog here

High End Beauty - Wish List

Hello Everyone!

I hope you have all had a good weekend! Not looking forward to the early wake up tomorrow morning for work but I thought I'd cheer myself up by creating a 'wish list'of high end beauty items that I would absolutely love to have in my make up drawer.

FACE

Left to Right

Concealer - MAC Matchmaster Concealer - £17.00

Foundation - MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 1 Foundation -£21.50

Highlighter - Yves Saint Laurent Touch Eclat - £22.50

Blusher - Too Faced Sweetheart Blush - £24.00

Shimmer Blush - Bobbi Brown Shimmer Blush - £19.00

EYES

Eye Shadow - Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette -£37.00

Eye Shadow - Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette - £39.00

Mascara - Benefit They're Real - £19.50

Eyeliner - MAC Liquid Liner - £15.50

BASE/FINISH

Primer - MAC Prep + Prime - £15.50

Setting Spray - Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray - £9.00

Normally I will buy my makeup from drugstores like boots or superdrug, it's very rare that I will splurge on beauty products at the moment as money isn't exactly something I have a lot of right now. I work as an apprentice, so I'm on an apprentice wage but this does stop in May, which I can not wait for! 

So there you go, my current wishlist for face, eye and base/finish beauty products!

If you've tried any of these products I'd love to hear your opinions!

Sophie

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Feeling a little pale

Hello Everyone!

Summer is definitely gone and that means that our tans are going to be disappearing. If you're like me and quite pale, the thought of sunbeds and potentially frazzling doesn't appeal then gradual tanning lotions are the way to go.

I've never been keen on the idea of sunbeds. Spending money to lie on a bed for a couple of minutes a day just to get a bit of colour to my skin whilst potentially risking skin cancer just isn't my idea of money well spent. Yes I know that sunbeds are a lot safer in regards to cancer but still, it doesn't appeal to me. 

A couple of years ago I was introduced to gradual tanning lotion and found it so easy to apply. I think I used the Dove summer body gradual tan lotion first. I never really liked the idea of covering myself in fake tan. The idea of possibly turning out like I'd been covered in Orange Tango just scared the hell out of me (trust me, the girls I've seen out in town look exactly like a can of fizzy orange and I wasn't going to look like that).  When I tried this out I found it easy to apply and didn't turn me orange. 

The whole gradual tan really does appeal to me as I like the fact that you can literally top it up as often or as little as you like to get your desired colour. I do mine every other day now.

These are the Gradual Tanning Lotions that I like using. They're the easiest to apply and in my opinion don't give you the zebra look (streaky arms and legs? No thanks!) they don't have an overpowering scent to them either.

ST. Tropez Gradual Tan - Everyday Face 50ml - £14.30

ST. Tropez Gradual Tan - Everyday Body 200ml - £14.30

I bought these in September and I really love using this Gradual tan and I love that there's a seperate bottle for your face. Yes it's a little pricey, but it is amazing. It doesn't leave you with streaks and is super easy to apply. I recommend applying this with a tanning mit, this will give you an even coverage. If you're applying this with your hands, make sure you have a face/baby wipe to use once finished. No one likes orange hands or having those horrible dark lines between your fingers where the product has settled. 

As this bottle is quite pricey I only tend to use this for when I've got a night out with the girls coming up, or a date night with my boyfriend. 

Garnier Body - Summer Body - Moisturising Lotion 250ml - £5.30

This is the Garnier gradual tanning lotion. At over half the price of ST. Tropez's gradual tan it's a bargain! It smells so yummy - with the help of the Apricot extract which leaves your skin smelling amazing. I use this product more than the ST. Tropez as I like the smell of this one more and also as it's a bigger bottle and a lot cheaper it's a lot easier to replace! If you're like me and on a budget then definitely go for this one! You don't need a lot to get the colour you want and it leaves your skin feeling moisturised and so smooth. 

Sophie

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Autumn Nails

Hello Everyone!

This is currently my favourite nail varnish colour. I got it in a sample size from Cosmopolitan Magazine back in Summer, however I don't think that the colour is really suited for summer. This looks like an almost black colour in the varnish bottle but when you first put it on your nails it looks red. It takes two coats of varnish to get full coverage of colour. It turns to a really nice burgundy colour - which is my favourite colour.

The varnish is from a brand called Orly. It was a brand that I was not familiar with but thought I would give it a try being as it came free with the magazine. 

This is what the colour looks like after two coats. It's so nice for Autumn/Winter.

The varnish is called Naughty - 28703.

Have you tried any of the other Orly colours? 

Sophie

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