Dyeing my hair: Red Ombré style.

I'm the first to admit I get bored with my hair very very easily, so when I saw this in Boots I had to have it and try it out. I haven't dyed my hair in a while so its in need of a touch of va va voom, and my actual hair is almost bombproof so I figured why not try to follow to dip dyeing trend; only with a twist. The fact that this is a red ombré intrigues me, as I'd only ever seen the sort of bleachy blonde ones (tempted to try that next time).

So in this kit (the L'oréal Paris Colour Ombrés Préference) you get gloves, obviously, you don't want to go dyeing your hands a nice shade of red! Then obviously the colour, in a 'créme form', the colour developer which just looks like a white conditioner and then once-a-week high shine conditioner which apparently gives you 6 treatments but with the amount of conditioner I use on my hair I doubt it will last that long- it smells pretty good though! You also get a little interesting looking brush which you used to comb in the dye where you want it.

I got my Mam to help me with this one, as I think I'd mess up the back doing it alone, as it seems like an easy thing to get wrong. So we applied the dye to my hair by sectioning it (into 4 sections, I have hella thick hair) and then left it to develop for around 35 minutes, as it says in the instructions. It smelt horrible, as usual but didn't sting or anything although did feel very very warm. I then rinsed it out, applied the conditioner which actually smelt pretty nice then got rid of that and blow dried it (I was too impatient to wait for it to naturally dry). I have to say I LOVE IT, I think it's just the right amount of red and it looks very subtle but when it catches the light it looks gorgeous; it isn't red as such its more of a burgundy colour but it's so pretty all the same! 

My hair doesn't feel too frazzled and dry, it actually feels quite soft and is very shine; overall I'm rating my ombré experience as a 9 out of 10 (it lost a point for smelling like vinegar). 

Here's a link to their website with some tips on how to apply:http://www.loreal-paris.co.uk/_en/_gb/minisites/dip_dye_hair_wild_ombres/product-info.aspx  Unfortunately I can't find the red version online anywhere, so it must be a recent thing but I'm sure if you're really interested you can pop into your local Boots to seek one out! 

Thanks for reading!

Beth :) 

The Wonderful World of Soap & Glory

Let's have a bit of a history lesson shall we? Soap&Glory started in 2006, and has been pleasing our skin and our noses ever since. When I was researching for this post I found this bio of the company, which I thought said it better than I ever could! It makes for a very interesting read, so check it out if you fancy a bit of background info: http://www.soapandglory.com/blog/about-us/ 

This post is going to be about the things I adore and the things I'm not a huge lover of from Soap&Glory. This is in no particular order, but if you're looking for a specific thing feel free to scan through. 

Lets start with the Righteous Butter (£10.50 gasp), this body moisturiser is so thick and creamy and smells like you could eat it (obviously don't because that would be bad...) and is aimed at people with very dry skin, so my skin drinks it up like that's what it was meant to drink up all it's life. My skin gets so dry especially around September-March time so that's when I love to use this; but I do like to break it out on a pamper night after a bath and it makes my legs silky soft after shaving. I would recommend using it at night as it might be a little heavy for daytime wear. As you can see from the picture I've not got a massive amount left which isn't surprising, but I'm pleased with how this has lasted me since the end of June! Another body lotion/moisturiser/skin quencher is The Daily Smooth Ultra Rich Body Lotion (£10...another gasp), again I love the smell which is apparently 'bergamot, blackcurrant, magnolia, freesia, vanilla and musk' and dayum do those scents go together well. My skin always feels nice and smooth without this being too heavy, so I'll usually slap this on in the morning to keep me smelling good and my skin feeling good all day, the scent does cling to skin, clothes whatever it can latch on to really so if you're not one for heavily scented body lotions I don't think this ones for you but, if you're like me and you like your scents to be BAM in your face and get lovely wafts of it all day I would highly recommend this. I think hand cream falls into the moisturising category, and this hand cream certainly lives up to the bold claims on the packaging, Hand Food (£5 or £2.50 for the handbag size) smells exactly like the Righteous Butter, so obviously I love the scent and it does wonders for my hands. Recently I had a huge eczema flare, and my hands were all flaky and dry and just generally disgusting (too much info? maybe..) and I swear down this was the cream that saved them. It claims to be 'the most astonishing hand cream ever?' and I have to say I agree. The best thing about this is that it isn't greasy, and sinks in really fast so you're not sitting there with sticky wet hands (lets not go there) for ages waiting for it to do its thing. 

Next up people: its the Flake Away Body Scrub (£7.50). This isn't my favourite of their scrubs, I am truly committed to my relationship with The Breakfast Scrub (£8) (it smells like maple syrup what can I say?) but I do like this one on the side occasionally. It can be quite abrasive which I'm not a huge fan of as my skin is quite fussy as to what it allows me to use on it, but the smell is nice and it leaves a sort of residue that keeps my legs in particular (this is becoming a very leggy post) soft as a baby's bum. I have found however that when my eczema flares up this is NOT a good thing to use anywhere near my body, it hurts deep. I don't think I'll be buying this again when it runs out, but only because The Breakfast Scrub holds a special place in my heart. Sticking with scrubs, Pulp Friction (£8). Now this is definitely one of the products from Soap&Glory I'm going to have to give a thumbs down purely because I hate the smell so. much. It smells like an aftershave that's gone off, don't get me wrong it scrubs my skin just fine but I can't get past the smell! I know of people who love it though so it may just be a personal preference thing but ugh. This is one I will not be using again when I've finally finished it, no sir. 

Sticking to the bodily cleansing theme; Clean on Me (£6) is a clarifying shower gel, it gets my body clean, makes me smell good and leaves a little bit of moisture. I liked it while I had it, but this is a tad expensive for daily use when there are shower gels I like better for four or five pounds cheaper. Not much else to say on this one!

I've also got the Mist You Madly Body Spray (£3.50 for 100ml or £6 for 250ml) which I also love as it smells like the Daily Smooth, and there really isn't all that much else to say on this...it makes me smell lovely. 

Now I've got two make up related things in my collection at the minute, the Cheekmate Cheek and Lip stain (£8) and the A Great Kisser Lip Balm (£5). The stain I've only really used on my cheeks as I got it in spring and I feel its more of an autumn/winter colour to be used as a cheek colour but it has really great lasting power on the lips, the one thing I would say is that it is quite drying, but the colour is gorgeous. The great kisser lip balm is pretty much the opposite colour wise, its pretty much clear so just adds a subtle sheen to the lips and its very moisturising, the flavour I have is 'Juicy Peach' but I'm also after 'Vanilla Bean' for my collection. I've also had the Smoulder Kohl eyeliner (£5) which I LOVED. 

Well that's it! I've stuck to body and make up things in this post, but I'm thinking of doing a similar one on the skincare products for the face that I've trialled and what my verdict is on those.

Thanks for reading this incredibly long post! 

Beth:) 

(P.S. all of these products can be found on the Boots website.) 

My Top 5 Under £10: Foundations

I'm making this a little series! Top 5 Under £10, thinking of doing lips, eyes, mascara and whatever else I can think of that may be useful for the make up lover on a tight budget. First up though; Foundations. 

Drugstore foundations and I have a love/hate relationship. Biiig time. I am very very pale so finding a cheapish foundation that doesn't make me look like I had an affair with a wotsit is quite the challenge. A couple of these foundations could have done with being a shade or two lighter (Maybelline just saying.) as I most likely bought them in a spur of the moment 'its new I have money I must own it' mood. Let's get started shall we? 

5: The Collection Cover&Go Foundation and Concealer. So to kick things off here's my least favourite of the bunch, this by no means does not mean I don't like it because I actually find it a very pleasant foundation; I just prefer others more.The idea of it I LOVE, I mean who doesn't love a 2 in 1 product? Don't lie I know you do; two products for the price of one, who can say no? Well I clearly didn't say no, and I have to say the texture of this can be a little thick and cakey...the concealer is the same and the concealer shade doesn't match the foundation as its quite orangey, thus I haven't really used it. Maybe I should have gone for shade 1 instead of shade two? Who knows. The coverage of this is medium but buildable, it goes on a bit thick to blend properly but its workable for a bad skin day with lots of redness, I've been known to use it very heavily on my cheeks where I have a lot of bad redness and then just blend it out to the rest of my face. Not a bad choice! The shade I have is shade 2 'Light'  http://www.boots.com/en/Collection-Cover-Go-Foundation-Concealer-Duo_1306633/

4:  Welcome to this list the Maybelline Fit Me foundation. So this is one for very very good skin days, and days where I'm just after that bit of colour (bit too much in this case) to my face. The texture is nice, light and gives a dewy finish. I'm not going to lie the colour in this is

just too dark, I have to mix it with either a lighter foundation or a moisturiser to get it to sort of match (ironic as its named Fit Me). But when I have been brave enough to wear it on its own I do really like the finish it gives! The shade I have of this is 120 'Classic Ivory'.This is a good shade for us paleos when you've got a tan. http://www.boots.com/en/Maybelline-Fit-Me-Foundation_1279214/

3: So number three is my 'in the middle don't completely love but don't feel meh about' foundation. It's the Rimmel Stay Matte, this ones definitely a light light liight coverage on me and looks very natural and like real skin so it's great for my good skin days where the redness isn't raising its ugly head (rare) and I've got no spots. The consistency is nice and light feeling and airy (if that makes sense) so this is a great one for people who are don't like that heavy I am definitely wearing make up feel. I also like how it says it has cotton, chamomile and cucumber in. Good stuff. The shade I have in this is 100 'Ivory' http://www.boots.com/en/Rimmel-Stay-Matte-Foundation_1015582/

2: Drumroll please? Number two on my list is the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, this swatched is coming up pretty dark on my vampire hands but is actually an almost perfect match for my skintone; which is what earns it it's second place. I also really love the texture, it glides on like a dream...oh so smooth. Coverage wise I'd say this was medium and not really all that buildable as it starts to feel a little weird and look cakey. Stays on for a good few hours, and stays on even better when used with the matching powder! The shade I have in this is 004 'Light Porcelain'  http://www.boots.com/en/Maybelline-Dream-Matte-Mousse-Foundation_16064/

1: Last but NOT least: number one in this category has got to be the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection foundation, hands down this is my favourite out of the bunch. It looks very flawless on, and I'd say this had medium/heavy coverage as its extremely buildable, the colour matches me pretty well although some days it can make me look a bit like I've gone OTT with the bronzer. It lives up to its name; the lasting power is great and even in summer when I get quite oily in places it stuck around all day without needing me to touch up concealer or anything. The consistency is quite light, but one thing I will say is this stuff dries very very fast so isn't the easiest to blend. The shade I have in this is No.2 'Ivory' http://www.boots.com/en/Collection-2000-Lasting-Perfection-Foundation_984439/

And there you go! My top 5 under 10 foundations. Keep reading for the next instalment of the top 5 mini series. :) 

Beth:)

Bourjois Liner Feutre

Here comes the liner police inspecting another eyeliner pen...today its the Liner Feutre 'very long lasting' felt tip eyeliner by Bourjois. 

First of all I'd like to start by saying I really like how black this eyeliner is, sometimes these felt tip style liners can be not quite as black as I want them but this one was dead on what I was looking for. I'm terrified of these liner pens, as I found them quite hard to control at first and always ended up looking like some sort of corpse who got into a fight shortly before her death in which she suffered two black eyes; but this one was really easy to control! The tip isn't too thick, but thick enough that you actually get a line and if you pressed a little bit harder and angled the pen part differently you could get a super thick line if that's the look you're after. Its really easy to get a subtle in the lash line look, or a dramatic winged eye.

It says very long lasting on the packaging, but if I'm honest I haven't noticed that it stays around on my lid for much longer than other eyeliners; this may just be my eyes though, as I get quite oily eyelids! 

Overall I think this is a really foolproof product, especially for those who are just venturing into the world of liquid (ish) eyeliner and need something that isn't going to splat all over your face, but this would also be great for those wanting to save some time in the morning as its such an easy thing to use! 

Bourjois products are available all over the place! Including Boots, Superdrug, Waitrose (!?), Sainsbury's, Tesco and ASOS. As I bought mine from Boots (for £6.99) I'll link their website but apparently this brand is springing up all over the place!: http://www.boots.com/en/Bourjois-Liner-Feutre_39246/

Beth:) 

Cheeky Impulse Sainsbury's Purchases

So, it's a cold and autumnal Saturday and I think to myself I really could go for some M&Ms right now! So off I pop to my local Sainsbury's and what do I find? The new L'oréal EverStrong shampoo and conditioner on offer for buy two for £9. Oh my. That is, in my book, pretty much buy one get one half price as they're priced at £5.99 each. I've wanted to try a shampoo and conditioner from their 'Ever' range, but to be honest had my eye on the EverSleek ones but then my eyes wandered across the shelf to the EverStrong and I saw the Reinforcing system. 

So this claims to 'Respect and Reinforce' the hair, and as I've dyed my hair many many many times I thought this would be a good one for my head of hair. Having not actually used it yet I can't say whether it feels nice after washing and conditioning (testing it out later this evening) but I CAN comment on the smell! It smells good people. So very good. Really herbally and fresh but soothing at the same time, kinda want to eat it but of course I'll resist. It has 'botanical oils rosemary and juniper' in which I'm going to say is where the herbally (yep, that's a technical term) scent comes from, but it also smells a little minty fresh to me! I'm also keen on the fact it has no sulphates, as does the rest of the range.

 AND the shampoo is white and so is the conditioner, I never quite trust ones that are coloured for some reason, maybe I think I'm putting extra colours and chemicals that aren't needed on my hair, who knows? :) 

I will report back at a later date about what it does for my hair after maybe a week of trialling, really excited about this...maybe a bit more than I should be..?


I also picked up a Clean&Clear advantage fast action spot treatment wow that's a mouthful! I've had this before so I know it works pretty well for me (drying my skin out like a desert aside). This kills those spots like nothing else, without using witch hazel which I am highly allergic to. 

Off to wash my hair now! 

You can buy the EverStrong in Sainsbury's like I did, or I'm sure it's available in other supermarkets and drugstores and if you're buying online here's a link to buy it at boots: http://www.boots.com/en/LOreal-Paris-Hair-Expertise-EverStrong-Reinforcing-Vitality-Shampoo-250ml_1250657/ and http://www.boots.com/en/LOreal-Paris-Hair-Expertise-EverStrong-Reinforcing-Vitality-Conditioner-250ml_1250651/

Also, here's a link for the spot treatment for those interested: http://www.boots.com/en/Clean-Clear-Advantage-Spot-Treatment-Gel-15ml_11634/ (mine was £3.50 in Sainsbury's so I'd buy it from there if I were you!) 

Beth:)

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters: First Impression

First things first can I just say IT'S SO PRETTY. Honestly, I think its the prettiest lip product I've ever owned. I think the packaging looks expensive and almost like a luxury product, it doesn't feel cheap and too plasticy; I love the quilted design on the front and back just..aahhhh. I've seen a lot of people rave about these, as they're meant to be really pigmented yet moisturising, and until now I've resisted buying one telling myself "I really do not need another lip balm product" buuut as the winter months are coming in and I just know that my lips are going to get all chapped and dry and disgusting and blerrgh so the £7.99 I spent is definitely going to be worth it.

The shade I have is no.35 Candy Apple which is a sort of gorgeous bright red, its kinda sheer but not very as its preeetty damn pigmented. It goes on quite shimmery but then sort of dries to a more matte colour in my opinion which I LOVE as I'm not a huge fan of the really shiny and shimmery look on my lips. 

The consistency is lovely, although a little difficult to apply as its quite smudgy and thick but really creamy and smooth and feels luxurious. It doesn't have a scent, which I would have liked but still a really nice lip butter! Made my lips smooth and the colour lasted through my drinking a cherry tango so I'm left pretty impressed! 

I'm definitely going to pick up another colour next time I'm out and about; I have my eye on "Berry Smoothie" which is a sort of deep plumish pink colour I think will be perfect for autumn! 



Revlon products are available in Boots and Superdrug, but as I bought mine in Superdrug, here's a link for their website!: http://www.superdrug.com/revlon/revlon-colorburst-lip-butter-candy-apple/invt/409559&bklist=

Beth:) 

Soap&Glory Fab Pore T-Zone Cloths

Where can I even start with these? I'm usually a huge fan of soap and glory products, I think they smell great, look great and usually do wonders for my skin- or facial beauty if we're including make up in this; but these cloths are awful! 

By awful I mean really really terrible, I realise that these are designed for oily to combination skin but I at least thought they might be good for getting the majority of my eye make up off before my make up removers and cleansers etc as I have quite oily eyelids but OH NO. 

They left my skin feeling tight, and uncomfortable and my under-eye area was stinging for at least 20 minutes! I usually do wipe my face all over to get the majority of my make up off before using other products, and this has worked perfectly fine for me in the past but I felt like they didn't even remove that much of my foundation, and don't even get me started on breaking down my eye make up. I also did not notice any difference in the size of my pores, which was really disappointing as this claim was what originally drew me in to the product. 

I felt that the cloths were pretty overpriced, and I only bought them because they were on sale, they usually sell for £4.50 which when there are better quality and cheaper wipes available I think is a bit excessive. 

There is literally only one thing I like about these wipes and its the smell; they're very fresh scented. Maybe these would work on someone with super super oily skin as just a face freshener in the morning, but for me it's a big thumbs down!

Soap&Glory products are available in Boots stores and online here: http://www.boots.com/en/Soap-Glory%C2%99-Fab-Pore%C2%99-Triple-Action-Purifying-T-Zone-Cloths-25s_1364154/

Beth:)

L'oréal Elvive Nutrigloss Masque Review

Ah L'oréal! A well loved favourite right across the beauty board, did you know that L'oréal is the largest cosmetics and beauty company?

A couple of months back I purchased the Elvive Nutri-Gloss Masque, because my hair needed a serious dose of moisture and shine after over dyeing for ages. What first drew me to this product (like a moth to a flame you could say) was the "protein and pearl extract", as I've heard so many things about protein because very good for your hair and also pearl? How bloody cool is that in a hair mask!? 

First impressions after I used this as a mask was that it made my hair very very greasy and it felt weighed down, I left it on for about 30 minutes after washing my hair with a normal shampoo (pretty sure it was Head and Shoulders) but rinsing it out was just a nightmare as I never felt like I fully got all of the product out of my hair. The smell was lovely, very fresh and clean, but I just couldn't love the product no matter how cool the pearl is! Using the mask this way is very good for newly dyed hair, but any other time it seemed to weigh my hair down loads.

However, after trying this method another couple of times and having no luck I tried using it as a regular conditioner after washing in the shower. This worked soo much better than the way I had been using it before, I left it on for about 3 or 4 while actually in the shower then rinsed out and the difference was lovely! My hair felt nourished, smooth and looked very shiny and healthy. I find this is great to use before straightening your hair as it really calms those staticy bits and baby hairs that just wont chill out. 

So after finding this alternative way to apply the mask, I use it once or twice a week just to keep my hair nice and hydrated and add a touch of shine! 

This mask is available in Boots and Superdrug and the price is around £5 in both.

Beth:)

MUA's Merged Trio Eyeshadow

Lets put something out there early on in this blog: I am a huge fan of budget beauty products. In fact, I'm pretty much a fan of anything that can cope with my tiny budget! So obviously when I spotted three eyeshadows in a sleek little makeup bag friendly palette, I HAD to have it. The colours of this trio are gorgeous, very shimmery and for the price I'm pretty impressed with the pigmentation.



 The trio I have is called Legendary, and the it includes a peachy golden colour, a beautiful deep brown with red undertones and a bright shimmery white colour with a slight brown and gold running through it...they are super, super shimmery so if you're into more of a matte eye then this probably isn't for you! The shadows are glittery but not chunky, which I personally am not so keen on. I think MUA have really hit the nail on the head with this product! 

The shades are perfect for a natural daytime smokey eye with a bit of oomph factor, I find using the white shade as a base, blending the peachy colour into the crease and then adding a bit of depth with the brown creates such a beautiful eye look, and to take to a more evening appropriate level you could blend more of the brown across the lid and along the lower lash line. 

I have even found that the white can make a really nice and natural highlight colour, if you use a light hand! 

Overall I think this is a really good little trio, either if you're just starting to experiment with eyeshadow or if you've been wearing it for years! Works for the bank account and making those eyes pop.

Where can I get this I hear you ask, MUA is exclusively sold in Superdrug but you can get it online here: http://www.superdrug.com/eyes/mua-trio-shadow-merged-baked-legendary/invt/637951&bklist=  
Beth:)

Review of No7 Match Made Foundation Service & Essentially Natural Foundation

So stepping into the magical world of the No7 boots match made foundation service was certainly an experience! The lovely lady pressed the cool device on my jawline and found my perfect shade, which for anyone interested is "Cool Vanilla". 

She then proceeded to match my skin type to a foundation from their range, giving me the choice between two. Firstly, the Stay Perfect Liquid Foundation which offers more of a matte, full coverage application and came in at £14, SPF 15 and a longer lasting look and secondly the Essentially Natural Foundation with a light/medium buildable coverage and again SPF 15 (in fact I'm pretty sure all of their foundations offer SPF 15) and this would set me back £9.95. 

Personally, my skin is quite clear but dry in places and I only experience break outs around THAT time of the month, so a heavy matte foundation is never something I look for. I opted for the Essentially Natural, and I must say I am pretty impressed!

The foundation itself has a very light consistency, making it very easy to blend into my skin using a sponge or brush. It covers just enough to hide any redness or blemishes, without looking cakey or like I'm actually even wearing make up. This foundation is very much a natural coverage so if you're looking to cover scars or hyper-pigmentation this may not be for you.

With the weather changing and getting a bit colder and windy and rainy, I was pretty excited to discover that this foundation actually has skin strengthening ceramides to help counteract dryness! The formula also has grapeseed oil in it, to ensure your skin stays moisturised all day. 

Overall, I'm pretty chuffed with this product! (Not to mention the £3 I got off it with my beloved No7 voucher). Well worth the money full price or discounted if you're looking for the perfect natural foundation for the colder months. 

The boots Match Made Foundation Service is only available in store, but you can purchase either of the foundations I've mentioned and have a look at their full foundation range here:http://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?st=category&categoryParentId=23349566&Nr=AND%28DIM_PREMIUM_BRAND_FLAG%3aN%2cDIM_PARENT_PRODUCT_ID%3aIS_PARENT%29&Ns=P_IS_HERO_PRODUCT%7c1%7c%7cCAT_SEQ_4981&Ntk=DIM_PARENT_CATEGORY_IDS&langId=-1&N=4294957711&Ntt=4981&Rpp=12&Ntx=mode%2bmatchall&catalogId=11051&Ne=13&categoryId=4981&storeId=10052


Beth:)