Tuesday 24 February 2015

1 minute review - Rimmel London "Eastend snob" lip liner

Fear. Harsh lines. Looking like a clown. These are all things I associated with lip liner. Until now. 



I recently purchased Rimmel London exaggerate lip liner in "Eastend Snob" after hearing Dani (from "coffee break with Dani" on YouTube) talking about it. Basically if Dani likes it, I want it! If you don't know Dani ( are you under a rock?!), give her a look up and let her know I mentioned her. 

Anyhoo here it is 

  
It's a retractable lip liner in a pinkish mauve colour. For me, it's the perfect "My lips but better" shade. The end of the product is gently shaped to allow easy application, especially when it comes to the Cupid bow ( which is good for me because my Cupid's bow is quite prominent)  What really shocked me is just how easy this is to apply.. It's super creamy, matte yet not drying and just beautiful. Don't get me wrong, my application is far from perfect but I haven't stopped wearing it since it arrived and practice does make perfect!  Obsessed!

Here is a swatch. On the left is "East end snob", middle is MAC "Taupe" and right are the two together 



This is it on my "regular" lips


As usual my skin was nice and red and sensitive in these photos! 

Here is the lip liner combined with Mac "Taupe" on the lips 


WARNING WARNING - If you hate overdrawn lips look away NOW! You are about to be very offended 





Kylie Jenner eat your heart out! 

I have also combined it with Mac "Velvet teddy" ( my personal favourite so far) and MAC "Twig" which is also very, very pretty. 

Basically I love it and in my opinion, every girl should own it! I purchased mine from
Boots ( it's normal price is £3.99) but I purchased the gel liner as well so I got the " 2 for £10" promotion which is currently active

Here's the link, you can thank me later 

http://m.boots.com/h5/cat_hub?path=%2Fen%2FRimmel-Exaggerate-Lip-Liner_6938%2F&colId=Eastend_Snob&unCountry=uk





Monday 23 February 2015

Semi permanent make up - Eyebrow " tattoos"

Hi! 

So my mum had no eyebrows. Literally. She plucked them all away when she was younger and they never grew back. When I did her makeup recently for a night out, I struggled to shape them with pencil as the hairs that were there were wirey and all over the place ( sorry mum!). Something had to be done!

The local beautician where she gets her nails one had just started doing semi permenant makeup or "tattooed brows" if you like. This is a little FAQ for anyone who is considering the procedure.

1 - What are "eye brow tattoos"?

Semi permenant makeup done with a machine similar to that of a tattooist. Each "hair" is drawn on individually, creating the illusion of natural eye brows. 

2 -  Do they hurt?

Madre told me they did hurt but not terribly. On a scale of 1-10 she said only a 3/4. She said it felt like lots of little scratches, which to me sounds a bit like how actual tattoos feel. They also hurt a little later in the evening, same as regular tattoos do. Looking after them is also the similar to regular tattoos, don't get them wet right away and apply Vaseline for the first few days. 

3 - Do they look natural? 

I think so! 


I don't really have a before photo as you wouldn't be able to really see anyway. They were non existent. This is the best I could do! 


4- How long do they last?

Only around 18 months, hence the "semi permenant" The machine does not penetrate the "dermis" or the second layer of skin like a regular tattoo does, only the first layer of skin, which is why it doesn't last forever  ( our skin cells are constantly being shed and regenerating)  I don't know too much about the technical side, but this is how I see it 


5 - How much do they cost?

My mum paid £250 for hers, including her top up appointment in 2 weeks time. At this appointment she will also be given the option of going "bigger" but I don't think she will do as she likes the original shape too much. 


She doesn't have a scrap of makeup on in this photo! Isn't she beautiful! 

6 - Where can I get this done?

Much like eyelash extensions, there are different "types" of semi permenant makeup. The official name for this treatment is " Micro blading semi permenant" which sounds a bit terrifying but it's really not. My mum got this done at "Exquisite nails" in Chingford, by the lovely Fran. Frans Facebook page can be found here ; 

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1375631632

That's enough of photos that my mum hates, you get the idea!

Any other questions please feel free to leave them in the comments below

Xxx

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Hair update!

So I published a post all about my hair earlier today but now it looks radically different. Let me explain! 

I love crazy colours in my hair... I've had black ends, pink, purple, blue.. You name it. So when my wonderful hair dresser came to give me a trim she knew I would probably ask for something out there! 

I didn't disappoint and neither did she! 


It's pulling red on camera but it's actually pink/purple. Now what's fabulous is that it's not a temporary hair dye, it's actually a toner, meaning that it's deep conditioning my hair at the same time. I will no doubt miss it once it's washed out, but I do like to change colours up quite a lot so I'm sure between us we will think of something else for her next visit! 



Ps ignore the bathroom selfie. I'm just a average joe with no fancy lighting, so the bathroom is the easiest place. Plus, look how cute Lush The Comforter looks next to my new hair! 



My milk_shake brings all the boys to the yard...

*cough* Ahem.. I couldnt resist.. sorry not sorry.

Anyway, the milkshake that is drawing my attention is milk_shake hair products, specifically their conditioners. I learnt about the brand by stumbling randomly accoss You Tuber Hollie Wakeham, who is also a hair dresser. I believe it was her who described these products as the best kept secret in hair care, and I have to say I agree!



I love any products that smell sweet as a rule, and this is literally the nicest smelling brand in the world. As the name suggests, the products smell of vanilla strawberry milkshake and are just as delicious (not literally, don't eat them please). 

Milkshake Conditioning Whipped Cream 200ml

The first thing I tried was the "Leave in conditioning whipped cream" (£11.99) that comes straight out of a spray can with the consistency of (I bet you can guess) It makes my hair soft, aids towards detangling and the scent lingers in my hair. Safe to say I never looked back and this is now an essential in my hair care routine. 



I then decided I wanted to branch out, but didn't want to be disappointed if the scent was different across the line, so I bought a mini version of their hair mask to try (£3.99) Luckily it is the same, and provided a luxurious weekly treat for my hair (I say provided as Im out at the moment, the heart bleeds!)



Now for the regular conditioner. I am always super unsure about investing money into regular conditioner as it literally goes on my hair and down the drain, I rarely have the patience to leave it on for the three or so minutes required for it to actually do something. Also, I discovered a conditioner from the £1 shop which is amaze, so I tend to just stick with that one. However, one day, out of conditioning whipped cream, I decided to be rebellious and order the regular conditioner along side it (£12.99). It has the same smell that I keep banging on about, and has a thinner, runnier consistency to most conditioners that Im used to, but still I love it! It makes my hair legitimately soft, rather than the overly fake silky/ borderline greasy texture my hair can get when using some conditioners (normally ones with too much silicone in) It actually feels like its making a difference to my hair thats permanent, which in my opinion is a rare thing to find.

So the bottles say that milk_shake is only found in professional salons, but I buy mine from Fragrance Direct, who kindly let me steal the photos off their website for this post, as my photography skills are really lacking.

Find the products here  http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/m1/milkshake/icat/milkshake#esp_hitsperpage=60

and heres a photo of my hair, so, you know, you know its half decent and Im worth taking any advice from



Thia post is not sponsered, and no one sends me anything so I definately paid for all this myself (unfortunately :D)

Thats all for today! On a personal note, there haven't been many posts of late as I have a tooth infection that spread to a throat infection and is generally being a pain.. pun intended. I promise when Im up and about and back at work I will get back to my regular schedule. Thanks!

Bex 

Wednesday 11 February 2015

1 minute review - NKDBODY Citrus hair mask

Hi all! So without being a big headed person, I have good hair. Some of this is just luck (my mums is unmanageable so don't know where mine comes from) but apart from that I take VERY good care of it. Part of that is using a weekly hair mask, and as one of my favourite You-tubers Brittney Lee Saunders recently released her own hair/skincare range I had to give it a shot! 



I ordered only one thing which was the citrus hair mask. It was getting a lot of positive reviews and her hair is looking fierce as of late so that sealed the deal for me. I ordered from Australia, but shipping was very affordable and Brittney had a code for 15% off so the lot came to $19.41 or £10.47 which isn't bad at all really. Shipping took 9 days which again is pretty good. 

The packaging is unique and at first I found it a bit annoying but I got over that pretty fast. 


I tried to flip this and for some reason the app I use wasn't having none of it so please excuse me! 


As you might have guessed it's citrus scented. I'm not a huge fan of citrus smells but it's so light it's not offensive at all. It has the consistency of a thick conditioner and I left it on around 5 minutes in the shower before I got impatient and washed it off

When I got out the shower, I saw the cute little card it came with, and it told me to take a NKD selfie and I obliged 


The first thing I noticed after use is that I could get a COMB through my hair. Not a tangle teezer, or even a brush, but a COMB. Sold. Hair styled as usual and here's a pic ( it's so hard to take selfies of hair... Hairfies? NO. 


This was last night and now it's today and I can't stop touching my hair. It's embarrassing. 



It's SUPER soft and even the ends which are normally fried (my hair is closer to bum then bra strap length) are silky soft. It's also not greasy looking and it seems "bouncier" than usual if anything. 

So safe to say I would definately reccomend this product, will be repurchasing and might have to try the clay mask next time too ( obviously that's for your face, clay in your hair would be a disgusting nightmare)

Has anyone else tried anything from the NKDBODY line? If so, what are your thoughts? 


Friday 6 February 2015

Lush! Mini haul and review!

I have a problem. I am addicted to Lush. I go to their stores now far too often just to sniff like some sort of drug addict, and often come out with an item. Although I don't buy loads at a time, frequent visits mean more items. I went recently to take a look at some of the Valentine's Day releases and as usual, the member of staff was amazing. I told her about my sensitive skin, and was offered samples, as well as not being sold things that she didn't think would be suitable ( this sounds like common sense, but how many shops these days actually care?!)

Anyway this is what I came out with 



The unicorn horn! Photos do it no justice. It's so pretty! Multi coloured bubble bar, the main scent I pick up from it is lavender and it has lustre, not glitter. I've been loving this for pre bedtime baths, as it makes me feel super relaxed and tired. 
Plus, how pretty!! 

 



Along the valentines theme, I tried to sniff "Prince Charming" but there's so many smells in the shop I couldn't really defrenciate. I was offered a sample pot to take home, which in my opinion is quite generous, and I'm glad I was as it turns out I don't like it. No fault on Lushs part here, I just don't like Turkish delight and the scent reminds me of that. 


I was also offered a sample size of dream cream. I've used it once and a little went a long way, but I'm undecided yet. It seemed to make my skin feel a little sticky, but that might be to do with the body wash I used just before so I'm going to keep using it before I make up my mind. 


My last purchase on this trip was a massage bar, I believe this one is called "Therapy" ? I also bought a tin for it. I get very dry skin on my legs and arms in winter as I am a eczema sufferer so I've been loving this softly Shea scented solid moisturiser. I do get impatient with it tho and keep applying it before the oils melt and then I'm an oil slick! I need to learn to contain myself! 


That's all I got on my trip, but then my beautiful boyfriend went to his local Lush and picked me up "Twilight" to try. Really liked this one too. I tried to take photos but the camera wouldn't pick up how pretty it was, so I got annoyed and gave up. It's pink, with stars and the moon printed on it 3D ( if that makes sense) my bath first went pink, then pink and blue swirled, and then once it all mixed it went into a beautiful dark purple shade. It smelled nice but wasn't overpowering. It didn't stain my bath at all, and actually left behind some lustre which actually made the bath look super clean and shiny ! I really enjoyed this one as well and would definately repurchase

That's all.. For now! I'm running low on my "Angels on bare skin" cleanser so I'm sure I will be back there soon spending lots of money I dont really have! 

What are your favourite Lush products? 




Monday 2 February 2015

My thoughts; Philosophy body wash

Hi!



So bath stuff is kind of my new obsession since discovering Lush, but shower gel has always been more about something I can grab half asleep in the morning that will do the job. Having sensitive eczema prone skin, for years I was having to use prescription body wash and I can't touch soap, but last year I took the plunge and ordered a delicious sounding set from Philosophy in the sale. 

It didn't disappoint. The set was a fancy tin, containing a small "Christmas cookie" shower gel,  a "frosting" lotion and a "sprinkles" lipgloss. I was hooked. I love anything that smells like baked goods and this stuff was perfect. The lipgloss just smelt so good I wanted to eat it from the tube ( I didn't) Better yet, it didn't make my skin have a show off! 

Since then I have repurchased large bottles as well as being gifted a small Christmas cookie! These are my favourites (in order!) 


 Yes my number one is the first one I tried, "Christmas cookie" it just smells so good! 


My second favourite is "Gingerbread cookie" I was gifted this and expected it to be strong gingerbread smelling (like The Body Shop scent) but I was plesently surprised. It's actually quite similar to "Christmas cookie" just with a spiceier, warmer scent. It's lovely


Last but not least, "Peppermint stick" smells like it suggests on the bottle, delicious candy canes. Notice how all off favourites are seasonal?!

I also have "Raspberry glazed" which I 
Am yet to open as you can see I have enough on the go!

Aside from the scent, what I love about these are how much lather you get. It really is ridiculous, and a little goes a very very long way 



I put the smallest bit in the sink, and voila! 


It's really more impressive on a loofa, I promise!

Now the price. This is where most people go "HOW MUCH?!" Yes, they are pricier then a lot of other shower gels at £14 a time, but in their defence they do last forever. Also they are often on offer, including right now with the bottles half price at Boots (£7) and the sets half price in most department stores. John Lewis had one including three smaller sized non seasonal shower gels for £7 which is fab if you are new to the brand and want to try it out. 

Anyone else love Philosophy shower things as much as me, or have any suggestions for me to try next once I am though my gallons of bath products? Let me know below. Xxx