Herbal Essences Product Reviews - New Dry Shampoo and Split Ends Protection Cream

For this post, I thought I would do both reviews in one post as they are both by Herbal Essences.

First we have the Dry Shampoo. Recently it seems that every hair care brand is bringing out a dry shampoo, but when I saw that Herbal Essences had launched a line of dry shampoos, I had to give them a try. I don't usually use a lot of hair care from the high street, but I have tried quite a few Herbal Essences products. The scents are amazing and they have some great products for dry hair, or hair that lacks shine.

I picked this up at Boots for £2.99. I always have a bottle of dry shampoo on the go, but I had to try this immediately. This is the Uplifting Volume version and the scent to me smells like oranges and mango, very tropical but not over the top. The great thing about this is that the scent actually lasts in your hair. I also found that this dry shampoo didn't make my hair feel "powdery" or full of product, it just left my hair feeling fresh and smelling beautiful.

Now onto the Beautiful Ends Split End Protection Cream. I used to use this years ago and I picked some up recently at Boots for £4.79. I actually forgot how much I loved this. I think when I bought it, I had ombre hair and it was quite long, so my ends were damaged and needed some TLC. This helped smooth them and left them feeling nourished. This does say for split ends only but I use this all over my hair as I have dry hair. The amazing thing about this cream is that if I use it after I've washed my hair, I don't need to put any in the next day as my hair still feels amazingly soft and nourished, which means the cream will last you twice as long.

If you would like to see any more hair care product reviews, please let me know.

MUA Velvet Liquid Lipsticks - Review and Swatches

For quite a while now, matte lips have been a huge trend, which has led to pretty much every make up brand realising some form of matte liquid lipstick/lip lacquer. I had been wanting to try them but I didn't want to try a high end one in case I didn't like it and felt like I had wasted my money. I noticed that MUA had brought some out, so for £3 I thought I would give them a go. I have been back to Superdrug several times and I have ended up with 7 shades, I think there is around 10 in total.

Left to Right - Tranquillity, Halcyon, Aflush, Atomic, Criminal, Reckless, Kooky

Tranquillity and Halcyon

In the photo, these look quite similar. On the lips, Tranquillity is very light, so I pair it with a nude lipgloss for an easier to wear look. Halcyon is a perfect dupe for Velvet Teddy by MAC, so if you are loving that Kylie Jenner look, this one is great.

Aflush, Atomic and Criminal

These are all very bright shades. Aflush is a light pink with orange tones, Atomic is a bright orange and Criminal is a bold pink with purple tones. These are colours that I would only wear if I was going out and I think the pink shades would look great with a tan. I am surprised at how much I like Criminal as I don't usually go for dark pinks but I think it's the purple tones in this that make it for me.

Reckless and Kooky

These two are the darker shades of the range. I love dark reds and purples. I know these shades won't be for everyone but I love them. I recently wore Reckless whilst out for a meal and I received so many compliments on it. I imagine this would be a great red for darker skin tones also. Kooky is the kind of shade I would probably only wear on a night out, as I very rarely wear nude lips on a night out.

I hope you found this helpful and please let me know if you would like to see anymore posts like this.

Make Up Revolution Ultra Cover and Conceal Palette Review

For probably just under a year now, I have constantly been using Mac Pro Longwear Concealer. I tried it and I was instantly hooked. I loved the crease free full coverage effect it gave. However, I finally decided it was time to try something new. I went on Superdrug's website and looked at Top 5 Concealers, and this popped up. Before buying it, I searched for some reviews online and they seemed positive so I placed an order.

As you can see, this palette features 8 different shades of concealer. This has a great range of highlighting shades, brightening shades and also contour shades which I wasn't expecting, which would make this palette great for travel. I find this has a light but easily buildable coverage, which is great for me as I do like a lot of coverage but I don't like a thick, cakey effect.

These are all the shades against my skin so you can get a better idea of the colours. The palette comes in 3 shades, light, medium and dark. I also found that there is little to no creasing with these and they are long wearing.

This is the first Make Up Revolution product I have used and it has made me want to go back for more. I will still be using my Pro Longwear, but not always now I have this.

Drugstore Vs. High End - Eyeshadow Primers

Left to Right: Avon Eyeshadow Primer, Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer

Before Christmas, I purchased the Smashbox Primers Try Me Set. I have never used any Smashbox products before but I have been wanting to try them so I thought buying the set would be a good place to start, as I have heard Smashbox are well known for their primers.

The Smashbox Primers Try Me Kit contained sample sizes of Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer and Photo Finish Lid Primer.

At a similar time I ordered the Avon Eyeshadow Primer, but because I was more excited to try the Smashbox Primer, I used that one first. I was slightly disappointed as the formula seemed dry and my eyeshadow still creased, not even lasting the working day. After a few weeks of use I decided to start using the Avon Eyeshadow Primer to see if that was any better. The texture of this was smooth and it felt "tacky" when applied to the lid, similar to the feeling of eyelash glue. This meant that the eyeshadow stays all day without creasing. I probably take my make up off about 15 hours after applying it, and with this eyeshadow primer, there is little to no creasing.

Top - Smashbox Photo Finish Primer
Bottom - Avon Eyeshadow Primer

The Smashbox primer retails at £15 whilst the Avon primer is priced at £7, but a lot of the time this is on offer, I think when I purchased it, it was on offer for £4. Personally, I doubt I would re purchase the primer by Smashbox but I would re purchase the Avon primer.

Please let me know if you would like to see any more Drugstore Vs. High End posts

Kardashian Beauty Mascara Reviews

I received a Kardashian Beauty Mascara Set for Christmas. I was delighted as I am a huge Kardashian fan and couldn't wait to try them out. The set includes 4 mascaras so it was a hard decision deciding which to use first. I have been using these for about 3 weeks now.

 

  Left to Right: Stroke of Midnight, Whip Lash, The Quickie and Eye Fidelity.

The first one I tried is Stroke of Midnight. This claims to be a faux lash look extra volume mascara. When buying a mascara, I always look for the word volume as I do prefer my lashes to stand out and I am not fond of mascaras that lengthen the lashes but do not thicken. This not only matched expectations, but beat them. After applying this, I could not stop looking at my lashes. To give you an idea of the effect I like, think Benefit They're Real mascara. My lashes looked thick, long, naturally separated and the formula didn't clump.

I love this brush as it gets thinner towards the end, which means it coats the lashes in the inner corner of the eye. I would say this mascara does give a faux lash look, like it states.

Whip Lash. This claims to be an eyelash health mascara. This worried me as I thought that meant "natural looking" so I didn't think I would like this mascara but I really do. This can be used as a natural mascara with a couple of coats, but it can be built up clump free to give a bolder look. The only problem I had with this mascara is that the formula has dried out slightly. However, usually I find that mascaras that have dried out tend to clump and flake and irritate my eyes, but I have not encountered this problem yet.

The best thing about this mascara is the brush. It goes smaller at the end like the Stroke of Midnight mascara but it has different length bristles which makes it great for using on the bottom lashes.

The Quickie. This claims to be a lash curling lengthening mascara. I wasn't too fussed about this one before I used it as I'm usually not bothered about lash curling mascara as I use eyelash curlers. I thought to put this mascara to the test I need to use this without eyelash curlers. I saw a massive difference in the curl in my lashes and this curled them more than my eyelash curlers do. This gives a nice, natural separation to the lashes whilst adding length and volume. This is great for travel as you can leave you r eyelash curlers at home with this one.

 

The main reason I like this brush is that it has small bristles and the brush is flexible which means it gets right to the bottom of the lashes, which I imagine is what helps emphasise the curl.

Last but certainly not least, Eye Fidelity. This is a long lasting waterproof mascara. I never use waterproof mascara as I never think the formulas are great. However I loved this one as I feel like you didn't have to sacrifice the look of your lashes for the longevity with this one. As you can see when I was in Liverpool recently I picked up a full size bottle of this, as I thought it would be great for the summer when I'll be on holiday.

I really liked this brush as it has longer and shorter bristles throughout the brush to ensure every lash is coated.

If you would like to see any more reviews on Kardashian Beauty or any more mascaras, drugstore or high end, then please let me know.

Daytime Look With A Pop Of Colour

 I was looking through my old posts earlier and realised I haven't done a "look" post in a while. I love seeing these kinds of posts on other people's blogs as I think it's fun to see how people use make up and what looks they put together.

These are the No 114 Cheryl for Eylure lashes. I love these as they are noticeable but not OTT for a daytime look. I am really enjoying wispy lashes at the moment and I have been wearing these a lot recently.

First I primed my face using Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, and primed my under eye area with Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer. I then applied my Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24h Foundation with e.l.f Stippling Brush. To highlight, I placed Avon's Magix Multi Benefit Illuminator under my eyes, cheekbones, forehead, chin and cupid's bow before blending. A lot of people like to highlight their nose also but I avoid this step as my nose is oily and I try to cover that up as best as possible.

I contoured using Bourjois Bronzing Powder in 51 with the e.l.f Contour Brush. I contoured the hollows of my cheeks and my nose, remembering to blend. I applied Bourjois Blusher in 74 Rose Ambre with EcoTools Tapered Blusher Brush. I love this blusher and it has made an appearance in a lot of my posts as I find it an easy blusher to wear every day and I would love to try this in more shades. I set my face using Kardashian Beauty Finishing Powder in Nude and Avon's Setting Spray. I have only had this powder for about a week now but I have fallen in love. I have not used a product in so long that controls shine like this. I bought this from the Kardashian Beauty store in Liverpool and I will for sure be making a return visit.

 

 I filled in my brows with Avon's Brow Definer in Dark Brown, applying more product to the tail of my brow and blending near the front for a natural, well groomed look. For an eye shadow base, I used Avon's Eye Primer in Light Beige. This is probably the best eyeshadow base I have used as it has a slight tackiness to it, which the eyeshadow sets to incredibly well and insures a crease free look throughout the day. For mascara I used Kardashian Beauty Stroke Of Midnight Mascara. This is truly black and gives your lashes loads of volume. On my lips I used Avon Soft Coral. This doesn't have the name of the type of lipstick on here but I think only one formula comes in this packaging so it should be easy to spot. I love this as it is sheer and lightweight on the lips but it still gives you a good amount of colour, making this very easy to wear.

 

 Now onto eyeshadow. I applied Shade 2 from the No7 Eyeshadow Palette in my crease using the Real techniques Eyeshadow Crease/Blending Brush.

 

I then went in with Shade 6, applying this to the outer corner of my crease using the e.l.f. Porfessional Eye Crease Brush. 

I took Shade 9 and patted this from crease to lashline using the EcoTools Eyeshadow Brush.

 

 

To finish off, I swept Shade 17 onto the last third of my eye using the e.l.f. Professional Defining Eyes Brush then went back in with the Real Techniques Brush to blend this and the light pink colour together.

I hope you enjoyed this post and if you would like to see any looks, or reviews on the products mentioned, please let me know.

Recent MAC Purchases

I decided to call this "recent purchases" and not a haul because I didn't think 5 items would class as a haul. I bought these items over 2 different orders and in the second parcel, there was a code for free shipping and a free sample with my next purchase for being a valued customer, so I was very happy with that.

  L:R- Sunny Seoul Lipstick, Velvet Teddy Lipstick, Pencil Sharpener, 48 Lashes, Prep+Prime Highlighting Pen in Light Boost

Velvet Teddy is a Matte formula. This lipstick has become so popular lately because of Kylie Jenner. I have had to wait months to get this lipstick as every time I went online it had sold out. I love the colour as it is a medium brown on my pale skin but this would be a great nude for darker skin tones.

Sunny Seoul is a Creamsheen formula. Creamsheen lipsticks are sheer and glossy which make them very easy to wear for a day time subtle look. I also have Japanese Maple by Mac which is a Creamsheen and I wear it all the time in the day as it just gives a slight colour to the lips with a nice glossy finish. I can't wait to wear this in the summer as pink lipsticks always suit me more when I have a tan

 

Top: Velvet Teddy

Bottom: Sunny Seoul

 

If you are wanting the Kylie Jenner look but at a cheaper price, I would suggest MUA Liquid Lipstick in Halcyon available at Superdrug for £3. This is an amazing dupe as the colours are very similar and the finish is the same. I have had Halcyon for a couple of weeks and I can get about 7 hours of wear out of this without needed a touch up. The only downside is the formula is quite drying, because it is a matte finish, so I would recommend applying lip balm after every use.

 Prep+Prime Higlighter in Light Boost. I bought this because a lot of beauty gurus on Youtube use this and I wanted to see what the hype was about. I would use this by layering it with my under eye concealer to give a more brightening effect. I also have YSL Touche Éclat so if you would like to see a "Touche Éclat versus Light Boost" then please let me know.

 

Lashes in 48. I used to wear Mac lashes a few years ago and I found them very easy to work with. The band is very thin which means they easily bend to the shape of your eye and the band is hardly detectable, even without eyeliner. I also found that I could use the same pair for weeks as these lashes are very easy to clean which justifies the price. I would probably wear these whilst out for a meal or on a night out.

 

If you would like to see a Mac Lipstick dupe post, or a look using Mac products then the same look using drugstore products then please let me know.

 

Lipsticks- £15.50

Pencil Sharpener- £4

Lashes- £10.50

Prep+Prime Highlighter- £18.50

 

 

NYX Products Review

I thought for this post I would roll 3 reviews into1! My reviews are on NYX Blush in Mauve and NYX Butter Gloss' in Peach Cobbler and Angel Food cake.

Let me paint you a picture. In December I was Christmas present shopping in Meadowhall. I went into Next to pick up a jumper for my boyfriend. I then went downstairs to buy some underwear for myself and that's when I spotted the NYX counter. I quickly dashed over thinking it was too good to be true. I like watching beauty gurus on Youtube and one of my favourites is NikkieTutorials. She is so amazing with make up and her funny personality makes her videos so enjoyable to watch. She mentions NYX products on a regular basis and I am forever buying products that she loves. I know she loves the butter gloss' so I had to give them a go. She also mentions NYX Blush in Taupe but they were sold out so I chose Mauve instead.

I also noticed they had both Matte and Dewy Finishing Sprays. I have seen another Youtube beauty guru, Shaaanxo, mention these. I have wanted to try them for ages but I didn't want to pay the p&p fee for a couple of items. When I saw these I had just recently purchased a setting spray so I decided not to buy them but I will be buying them the next time I visit
Next.

The shade above is called Angel Food Cake and the shade below is Peach Cobbler. These gloss' smell amazingly sweet. I don't wear glosses very often as I mostly have Mac Lipglass' and I can't deal with their high level of stickiness on a regular basis. These glide on to the lip, have no stickiness and stay put. There is no bleeding with these glosses and I almost forget I have them on. Angel Food Cake is a cool toned nude and Peach Cobbler is a true coral shade. In both these pictures I am wearing NYX Blush in Mauve. It gives a natural, healthy look to the cheeks without looking like you have too much blusher on.

 

I am so impressed with these products and at £5 for a gloss and £6 for a blusher, I will be back for more! You can buy NYX online at NYXcosmetics.com

My Tips for Dry/Frizzy/Damaged Hair

As a qualified hairstylist, I am always giving my friends and family advice on hair care. I have dry curly hair which is long so it is prone to damage. I thought today I would share some of my tips andfavourite products with you.

• A hair oil will become your best friend. For years I have been using Macadamia Oil. There are some cheaper oils out there, but for me they don't make much difference. I have even used high end oils that have made little to no difference on my hair. If you want your hair to be it's best, Macadamia Oil is the way to go.
• When using heated tools on your hair, always use a heat protection spray!  Heat from styling tools damaged your hair so much and can even lead to your hair breaking off, and no one wants that. I don't use a hairdryer that much, I mainly use GHDs or curling tongs, but if you are using GHDs on a regular basis (I know how addictive they are) then you need to use a heat protection spray. After you have styled your hair, rub a serum or styling cream through the ends to give you a smoother look. My favourite is Tigi After Party. This is expensive but a little goes a long way.
• Use hair masks and reconstructive conditioners on a weekly basis. Doing so will actually repair your hair rather than just making it look repaired, which is what normal conditioners do. My favourite masks and reconstructive conditioners are L'Oreal Elvive. They leave your hair feeling amazing and they do make a difference to your hair. They have a wide range, so you can have a play around and find your favourite. A lot of people rave on about Aussie 3 Minute Miracle. I have seen people have fantastic results with that product but personally I hate the smell and I find the product feels plastic-y.

I hope my tips have been helpful top you and if you would like to see any other hair tips i.e for colour hair or oily hair, then please let me know.

Illamasqua Haul

If you don't already know, or live under a rock, Illamasqua do an amazing sale each year just after Christmas. I have been wanting to try some more Illamasqua products for a while so I thought the 50-70% off sale was a great time to stock up. I was mainly interested in purchasing a blusher (I am blusher obsessed) and one of their liquid eyeliners.

 

I ordered Cream Blusher in Laid, False Eyelashes in 013, Medium Pencil in Sophie, Precision Ink in Wisdom, Liquid Metal in Solstice and Reflection Eyeshadow Palette

Precision Ink in Wisdom: This eyeliner is such a beautiful colour. I saw the swatch online but didn't think it would look that nice in person. It does. Wisdom is a lovely bronze colour packed with sparkle. I can't wait to try this with various looks as I love experimenting with eyeliners. Next is Medium Pencil in Sophie, this is just a standard black eyeliner pencil, an essential for every make up bag. Despite this being called a medium pencil, it produces a very thin line. I will probably wear this mostly to work on a daily basis, and possibly on my water line on an evening look. I think this pencil would be great for someone who struggles with applying eyeliner neatly or in a thin precise line.

 

At the top we have Cream Blusher in Laid. This is my first Illamasqua blusher and I have wanted one for the longest time. In this picture I have swatched it twice as the colour is very soft. I don't tend to like cream blushers as usually they feel cheap and don't blend very well but this is not the case here. This formula is very smooth and lightweight. Laid can be used as a wash of colour or built up for a stronger effect, so I imagine this will look beautiful on most skin tones. I am impressed and will hopefully be trying out more Illamasqua blushers soon. If you have any shades you think I would love, please let me know.

 

Underneath we have swatches from the Reflection Palette. These colours are very shimmery so I imagine they would look great on a night out. They give a wash of colour but can be built up for a bolder look. These shadows aren't very powdery which is great as I hate fall out from shadows. The top shade makes a great highlight colour. I have wanted to try this palette for a while but I thought £34 was a steep price to pay.

Last but not least is Liquid Metal in Solstice. I am sorry about the rubbish picture it is so hard to photograph! This shade is actually more wearable than I imagined. It looks stunning and I love the consistency of the product. I have never been fussed about trying these Liquid Metals I just thought for £7 it was worth a try, but now I would love to try out more shades. I am away in Liverpool next week so I think for a night time look this would look amazing with a deep purple lipstick, such as Illamasqua ESP.

If you would like to see any looks using the products mentioned please let me know.

L'occitane Christmas Presents

Some of my regular readers will be familiar with my love for L'occitane. It will also not surprise them that I received quite a lot of L'occitane presents this year.

 

 

 I have no idea what this lovely pink box is called as it did not come with a tag or label. Inside this beautiful box is Neroli and Orchidee EDT 7.5ml, Body Milk 50ml, Repairing Shampoo 75ml, Conditioner 75ml and Almond Shower Oil 35ml.

I have never had anything from the Neroli and Orchidee range as it is fairly new. It smells amazing and I would describe this as a floral with a musky twist day time scent. I have used the Repairing mask before but not the shampoo and conditioner so I can't wait to try them, the small size also makes them handy to travel with so I will probably save them for when I go away. I have always wanted to try the shower oil as I love the Almond Milk Concentrate by L'occitane.

 

This is the Ultra Rich Face Scrub with 10% Shea Butter. I have never used this before but before discovering the Immortelle range, I used to use the Shea range. I prefer to use a creamy scrub on my face rather than a gel as creamy scrubs tend to feel gentler on the skin. I can't wait to try this.
 

 

If you have been with my blog for a while you will know how much I love this toner. My mom bought me another bottle for Christmas as she knows I have fallen in love with this. It has the most beautiful fragrance of freshly cut flowers and gets rid of any dirt or make up that your cleanser didn't pick up. If you have skin that is easily irritated by fragrance, then I would recommend the Shea toner, as that is fragrance free and is very gentle on the skin.

This is the Immortelle Milk Make Up Remover. I asked my brother for this as I thought it would be a great accompaniment to the toner. The great thing about this cleanser is that it can be used with or without water.

Happy New Year

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year! I'd love to know what you got for Christmas and what your New Year's Resolutions are. For Christmas I received a lot of beauty gifts such as Lush, Kardashian Beauty and Philosophy which I will be blogging about soon.