Moroccan Hair Oil Alternative

Hey lovely readers! I apologise again for the lack of posts lately - I have been distracted by many many things but most importantly I've been working my life away trying to get my essays done for uni so I could have the Christmas holidays all to myself! Now onto business...

We all know how much Moroccan Hair Oil is loved in the blogosphere and I must admit I've not yet given into the hype, to be honest I can't justify paying so much money for hair oil when I'm on a student budget. Which is why I'm bringing you this post today as a fab, cheaper alternative!

I introduce to you: Vatika Naturals Almond Enriched Hair Oil. Now I have a lot of Indian friends and it is a fact that their hair always looks long, healthy, nourished, thick,silky, smooth... Honestly, it just looks perfect all the time. It's also a fact that most, if not all, of them use hair oil regularly. So when I asked for some recommendations, my lovely friend Jyot suggested I try something from the Vatika range and I am so glad I did!

The oil is primarily Almond oil but with Coconut and Sesame too. Almond oil has a strong mixture of vitamins that help to keep your hair strong, prevent split ends and leave your hair looking and feeling incredibly soft. Coconut oil does pretty much the same thing, keeping hair healthy and full of moisture. And we all know healthy hair is key if you want it to grow! The brilliant thing about this is that it only costs £4.49 from Superdrug - compared to Moroccan oil this is a bargain! The only downside is that it doesn't smell great, it just smells like oil. For that Moroccan oil has it beat but I promise you if you try this you'll reconsider splurging on Moroccan oil!

The best way to use this is to apply it to wet/damp hair and leave it in overnight. You can apply it to dry hair but I've found that it absorbs a lot better when hair already has some moisture in it. The next morning just wash it out with regular shampoo and your hair will look and feel absolutely beautiful! I swear by it, my hair has honestly never felt so healthy. Have any of you ever tried this hair oil? What did you think? If not...

Give it a try, beauty lovers - promise?

Sleek Blushes Review

Happy Friday readers!

Today I'm going to jump straight in and talk to you about some lovely little Sleek blushes (while I watch a program about people who are scared of flying... Why? I don't know because I am terrified of flying). These are the first Sleek products I've ever tried and up until now Bourjois have been my go-to for blushes but these little beauties may have changed my mind. 

Let's start with the packaging - I'm a massive fan of simple black packaging. I think it's classy and not too fussy and just sits well with my rest of my makeup collection. It's a small dainty little package that it perfect for travelling (if you can't decide on only one blush to take anywhere with you, like me). Another great thing about these blushes is that they come with a very decent sized mirror (unlike Bourjois blush pots, honestly I love you but nobody can see anything in those mirrors!) so you can easily touch up on the go! 

The first colour I grabbed was Pomegranate which is this beautiful bright pink colour. Admittedly it does look a bit scary in the pan and as the product is so pigmented it is easy to get a bit carried away so you only need a small amount to get good colour pay off. I love to pair this with my Strawberry Shortcake Revlon Colour Burst Lip Butter for a lovely frosted pink look. 

This was the second blush I picked up. It's in the colour Rose Gold and was actually bought on recommendation from another blogger, I can't remember who now but when I do I'll link their post here. This blush has a little bit of shimmer to it and it has quite a bronze tone to it so it's perfect for Christmas party or other holiday festivities! It's a lovely warm colour and, again, you don't need a lot to get good colour pay off. 

Left: Pomegrante, Right: Rose Gold

You can see the gorgeous colours from the swatch above. And it's worth mentioning that I did build up the colour quite a bit for the purpose of this post so don't worry, there's no need to look like Coco the Clown with Pomegranate if you're gentle with the application.

For £4.49 you can't really go wrong - great pigmentation, lovely colour selection, nice packaging. Who can say no? And possibly a perfect stocking filler for those ladies in the family this christmas! 

Have you tried any of the blushes from Sleek? Do you have any recommendations for my next Sleek purchase?

Firebox Instagram Prints

It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday... Ahem, now that that's out of my system - 

Today I bring you a post a little outside of my normal theme but this was something I wanted to share with you all because, well, who doesn't love instagram, eh? As you may or may not know, last month it was my birthday and my lovely friend in Falmouth had great idea of sending me a gift voucher via Firebox for some Instagram prints because she couldn't be here to celebrate with me. If you haven't heard of Firebox, they're a company/website that sell quirky/personalised gifts and bits and bobs. A bit like Not On The Highstreet but quirkier. They sell some really cool stuff (bacon popcorn, um yes please!) including instagram prints! 

So Instagram prints I bought! I ordered 24 prints from my vast array of Instagram photos (it was hard choosing, let me tell you) for £14.99. You can buy 12 prints for £9.99 and you can also buy canvas and poster prints for £19.99. They took a week to arrive, true to their word, and I was so excited when the post man put them through my door! 

They're printed as little polaroids, and again, who doesn't love a good old-fashioned polaroid? You also get a free sharpie so you can add your own captions to the photos if you so wish - a great idea, I think, if you're wanting to give these to friends as gifts for birthdays/christmas/just for fun. Even the packaging is personalised with your photos and your instagram name, which I loved, it just gives it that extra bit of something special.

I'm torn as to how I want to display my photos yet but if and when I do, I'll let you know. I'm thinking cute pegs and string across a wall! What do you think?

You can buy Instagram prints elsewhere for a bit cheaper but Firebox are so much fun to buy from, I genuinely looked forward to receiving emails from them because their quirky sense of humour made me chuckle every time. Anyone that refers to my postman as a 'Postie' with 'Jedi skills' is a winner in my book (I may have a soft spot for my postman as well as Firebox it seems). They were a pleasure to buy from.

Firebox are definitely worth checking out! Whether you want some Instagram prints yourself or want to check out some of their other goods (they do sell lots of Breaking Bad goodies for all those out there, like me, who are in mourning of the program!)

(post not sponsored by Firebox, I just loved them and wanted to share them with you!)

October Favourites

Happy November! Pinch, punch, first of the month!

Anyway... Today I bring you another instalment of monthly favourites! It was my birthday in October so I received lots of new and lovely treats to try (and a few things I'd been wanting for a while that I'd hinted at my best friend for... Shameless). So without further ado:

The Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter - This smells heavenly. If you're a fan of fruity smells, like I am, then you'll absolutely love this. Unless you don't like the smell of oranges (I'm looking at you, Trisha) in which case you won't. But I can see this being a winner with all you body butter lovers. It's quite a summery scent to have lingering on your skin but I think that if you want to smell that fresh all year round, go for it girls! You can get this for £13 from The Body Shop.

Si by Giorgio Armani - This was another birthday  and one that I absolutely adore. In fact, I love it so much I've only used it once because I can't cope parting with such a lovely product. Now I'm no good at describing scents but the Armani beauty website says this: "The perfume combines 3 notes: blackcurrant nectar, modern chypre, and blond wood musk with touches of freesia and May rose." It's more of evening scent I would say, it's very heavy and quite strong so probably not something you'd opt for during the day. If you fancy trying this fragrance, or buying it for a female family member for Christmas, you can get 30ml for £43.50 from Boots.

Clinique Happy Fragrance - This is the perfect complimentary perfume if you're wearing the Satsuma body butter - it's a fresh, citrus scent that is perfect or daytime wear. It's light and just lovely and I'm just in love with Clinique at the moment, honestly. This was a tester I was gifted with an order and I was pretty excited to try it as I'd never tried a fragrance from Clinique before. Have you ever tried any Clinique fragrances? You can get 50ml of Happy for £38 from the Clinique website. 

Nivea Milk & Honey Lip Balm - I've never loved this product simply because of the smell of it, I have a strange aversion to honey scents (I love Marc Jacobs but will not touch the Honey perfume!). Even thinking about it makes me want to cry a little bit. But anyway... I've been loving this product this month as I've been using it as a base for my lipstick. I like to use vaseline on my lips a lot of the time but it's too watery to use underneath lipstick. So I've opted for the Nivea lip balm which gives a lovely sheer coat that my lipstick can be applied smoothly over the top. You can buy this for approximately £2 from Boots.

MAC Shy Girl Lipstick and L'oreal's Eva Longoria Collection Privee Lipstick - This favourite is a bit of an odd one, it's not that I don't love these lipsticks on their own, it's just I love them so much more when they're worn together. If I'm wearing this lip combo I paint on a layer of the L'oreal lipstick and then paint a little of my MAC lipstick in the centre of both top and bottle lip which gives a lovely, subtle two-tone lip. If you want to try it out for yourself you can buy the MAC lipstick for £15 from Debenhams and the L'oreal lipstick for £8.19 from Boots.

Wella Professionals Oil Reflections Smoothing Oil - I've been wanting to blog about this product for a while now because I am completely smitten. Firstly, it smells divine. Honestly. Like nothing I've ever smelt before (although admittedly I'm yet to try Moroccan oil, I hear that smells pretty good too...). Secondly, it just works so well at keeping my hair in good condition. It adds a lovely shine without making my hair look greasy or clumpy. It can be used on both wet or dry hair depending on your primary use for it. It defends against damage and makes my hair look so healthy. It's just a great product if you want to keep your hair in tip-top condition. I honestly couldn't recommend this enough! I bought this from my hairdresser but you can buy it from beautybay for £12.95 (100ml). 

So that is it for my October favourites! I'm quite happy with my bunch this month. I haven't tried anything new that I haven't loved so I'm a happy camper.

Have you tried any of these products? What were your favourite products to use this past month?

(Sorry for the shoddy photos this week, I've recently moved my room around and obviously I'm yet to find a place suitable to photograph my products well... I had such a struggle this week!)

British Blogger Selection

Happy Halloween, dear readers!

Today I have some exciting news to share. The lovely Ellie at Little Vintage Camera is working hard to set up a new Blogger group called the British Blogger Selection. I think it's a great opportunity for us British bloggers to participate in - get to know other bloggers, discover new blogs and share even more interesting and exciting posts! 

Anyone can get involved in this group, there's only one condition - you have to be British! Whether that be a British fashion blogger, beauty blogger, food blogger, lifestyle blogger... It doesn't matter! You can get involved (I'm starting to sound like a cheesy advert, right? Sorry, I'll dial down the excitement!) Each week Ellie will choose a theme and you will come up with a post surrounding that theme. Go check out Ellie's blog for all the details and give her a follow while you're there. 

If you want to get involved, all you have to do is email Ellie (you can find her email address on the 'Contact' page of her blog) with your blog URL, blog name and your full name! What could be easier? 

Are you getting involved? I would love to hear from you if you are!

Until later...

What's In My Bag? University Edition!

Hello lovely readers! Sorry it has a while since the last post, I've been pretty busy with uni work and all sorts so there has been a delay in organising my blog!

A few weeks ago I did a What's In My Clutch post which I really enjoyed and received some nice comments on so I thought I'd so another similar post for my university bag (as a fair amount of beauty bloggers I've come across are university students, I thought you might enjoy this)! 

So here is what I carry in my university bag! Starting from the top left I have my umbrella - a necessity if you live in Britain where you get all types of weather in one day. Then I have my Soap and Glory handy sized make up bag which I carry my daily essentials in (which you can see you below)! Then I have A4 Lined Paper, one of the more exciting items of my handbag. Photographed on top of that is my Waterstones Diary which is essential. I can't tell you how many times I've been in uni and asked to do some reading that I've completely forgotten about. Then I have my Cath Kidston Purse which holds, well, pursey things. Underneath that I have my glasses which I don't have to wear all the time, only if I'm doing anything involving distance so I need these for uni otherwise my head and eyes will ache by the end of a two hour lecture. Then I have a pen. Just the one. So I'm doomed if it ever runs out mid-lecture. I also have my Soap & Glory (can anyone remember the last time I did a post where I didn't mention Soap & Glory? No? Me neither...) Hand Food which smells divine and is a must have for the winter months. And last but not least I have my keys! It's quite a lot to pack into my very modest-sized bag but it all fits in there pretty nicely. 

(also not photographed I have my phone which I always have with me but is actually lost at the moment... oops)

Okay so for those of you who want a sneaky peak into what I carry around in my make up here you go! My make up bag is photographed again in the top left. Carrying on from there I have my little compact mirror for applying some make up bits on the go. It's actually an Archers mirror I got in a Christmas gift set years and years ago and is now snapped in half so I'm hoping for a new one for Christmas. Then I have a safety pin which I bought in a time of need from a little shop near uni and now lives in my bag in case of emergencies. I also have some little packets of chewing gum for constant minty fresh breath. Then I have a packet of paracetamol just in case! It is never nice to sit through a long lecture with an almighty headache. Then I have my Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer (oops, I did it again...) which is perfect for on the go because it's small and compact and contains both a powder and concealer. Then I have my Soap & Glory Hand Maid hand sanitiser because nobody likes touching the hand rails on the bus then eating a cheese sandwich. I also have a little bottle of Old Spice deodorant in case my friends and I spontaneously decide to pop into town after our lectures just so I can feel fresh. Next is my Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick which is perfect for touching up your make up quickly and efficiently! Then I have Clearasil Shine Control Papers to keep oily skin at bay during those warmer days. Also in my bag I have a Travel Eau which has some Ted Baker perfume in my a quick freshen up through the day. Lastly I have my Vaseline in Paint The Town Red for a nourishing touch of colour on the lips when they're feeling a bit chapped. 

There you have it! Lots of essentials for a day at uni! Honestly you might think "who really needs all that for a day at uni?" but you'd be surprised how many people come to me for hand sanitiser and chewing gum and all sorts! I'm like the Mary Poppins of my university. 

So, all you university-goers... What is in your bag?

Garnier Intensive 7 Day Moisturiser and Garnier Moisture Match Review

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're all having a great week whatever you've been doing! I'm glad it's nearly the weekend, I have some serious catching up on sleep to do! Today I'm bringing you a review of two Garnier products that I am less than impressed with. Read on to find out why!

(I apologise for the state of the bottle in this photo - it has a massive sticker over the bottom half and I tied to remove it and instead it left behind this horrible gluey mess!)

I'll start with the Garnier Moisture Match moisturiser. I didn't acually buy this for myself, it was a gift from my grandma as I'd run out of moisturiser and she was popping to morrisons so she picked up this for me and saved my moisturiser-less skin being seen by the world! I've never particularly taken to Garnier products and this moisturiser reminds me why. This particular product is designed for dull skin so my guess is that it's supposed to brighten your face to make your skin look a little bit less tired. It did nothing of the sort. It just made me look and feel very greasy and oily throughout the whole day and during the week I was using it my skin even became oily on my make up free days. It didn't make my skin look any less dull, it just made it a whole lot more shiny. On top of that it has an awful chemical smell to it - like antibacterial wipes. It's not a nice smell to be putting on your face at the start of the day! I did a little bit of research on the Garnier website and found that it claims to 'fast absorbing'. Which is something I can agree with although I'm not sure that's a good thing.  It did absorb very quickly but that left me feeling like I hadn't moisturised at all and it didn't leave a good canvas for my foundation afterwards. I was having to use it to remoisturise extra dry parts of my face not 10 seconds after I'd first applied it. Come on Garnier, step up your game.

 

As you can see from the image, the actual moisturiser is clear and quite a runny consistency - not at all like your average thick/creamy moisturiser which only adds to the sanitiser characteristics of it. 

You can buy the Moisture Match products in 5 different types for all your skin needs (allegedly!) - Protect & Glow, Start Afresh, Goodbye Dry, Wake Me Up (as seen in this post) and Shine Be Gone. They are tailored for different skin types/needs but a couple of them seem to do the same job or no job at all. Sorry Garnier, I'm just not a fan. 

If you want to give this product a try you can buy it for £5.99 from Boots.

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Next up on the review list today is Garnier Intensive 7 Day Moisturiser. As far as moisturisers go it's not actually that bad. It smells just like a cream (particularly sun creamy!) and applies nicely. My issue with it is that it takes FOREVER to absorb. I started using this after my morning shower but it was such a horrible feeling putting my clothes on with my body feeling like it was still heavily slathered in cream. Intensive is most certainly the word. That being said, I don't think it works any better than any other moisturiser I've used. I can use other moisturisers than still leave my body feeling suitably moisturised 36 hours later. This one just doesn't do anything for me. And as for the claim that skin feels 'intensely hydrated' for up to 7 days - no, no it doesn't. This is not a moisturiser for you if, like me, you don't like moisturiser sitting around on your skin for hours. Okay so it does the minimal job of actually moisturising my skin but that's all it does. I bought mine for Dry to Extra-Dry Skin as I struggle with dry skin on my legs (especially now the weather is getting colder - it just sucks all my moisture out of me!) but it does come in a few varieties - Grape Milk for normal to dry skin and Peach Milk for dry and sensitive skin. Have you tried any of the Intense Hydration products? What did you think?

If you're interested in purchasing this product you can buy it for £3.14 in Boots - I guess even after all that it's not a terrible purchase for £3! Still, I don't love this product. That's not to say I hate it either, I just think there are much better body moisturisers out there.

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How did you find this review? Would you  like to see more?

And Garnier, I'm sorry. I promise to keep an open mind about you!

Please feel free to leave me a comment, I love hearing from you!

Birthday Beauty Wishlist

'Evening you lovely lot!

As my birthday is just around the corner (i.e next weekend, so don't panic, you still have time to buy me presents...) I thought I'd share with you a few of the beauty items that are on my birthday wishlist this year!

1. MAC Lipstick in Russian Red 2. Borghese Fango Active Mud for Face and Body 3. Nars Lippglosses in (Almost) Any Shade4. Clinique Moisture Sure Intense Moisturiser 5. Nina by Nina Ricci Perfume

As I'm currently living on a student budget (and trying to save up for a car... A real struggle, believe me!) I don't often have enough money to buy products like these that are on the pricey side of the market. So I lumped all the things I can't afford into my birthday wishlist in hopes that some generous soul will spend a few extra pennies and treat me to some of these goodies! They're all things that I've been hearing great things about throughout the year from bloggers and friends and so a few months ago started collating them all into a list on my phone. There are also some non-beauty ideas on there too  (like the new Jack Johnson CD, seriously have you guys heard it? So good!) but the beauty items by far make me yearn! 

Have any of your tried any of these products? (That might be a silly question, what kind of beauty blogger doesn't own a MAC lipstick, right? Oh yeah, me...)

And while we're speaking of birthdays - Happy belated 21st birthday to the lovely Tasha at Hello Freckles - looks like you got some lovely presents! Lucky lady!

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend! 

:)

September Favourites

Good morning lovely readers! (if there is such a thing on a Monday...)

Today I bring you my first ever monthly favourites post! Exciting, right? It's only going to be a small one as I've blogged about most of the things I've been loving lately already. But that being said there are some old gems and blogger favourites in this post so do read on! And of course it wouldn't be a Beauty by Jessy post if it didn't contain a Soap & Glory product (or two...)

(From left to right)

Soap and Glory Hand Food - As the weather has been turning a bit chilly over the past few weeks, my hands have been drained of all moisture so this stuff has been a life saver. It's a handy size to just pop in your bag when you're out on the go to make your hands feel lovely and soft. And any beauty blogger will tell you that it smells amazing! I don't actually own any other hand creams and haven't yet been convinced to try anything else so if there is anything you can recommend that is better please let me know. But in the meantime, you can grab a tube of this for £5 from Boots.

DKNY Be Delicious Perfume - This is an old favourite perfume of mine but over the past couple of years it has been replaced by Marc Jacobs' Daisy as my daily go-to perfume. But over the past month I've been reaching for this more regularly and everytime I have I've received lots of lovely compliments on the fragrance. It smells lovely and fresh like apples and summer.. Perhaps slightly nostalgic at this time of the year but still lovely nonetheless. You can get this perfume at The Perfume Shop for £34.99 for 30ml, £48.50 for 50 ml or £66.50 for 100ml.

L'oreal Collection Privee Lipstick - When I saw this product advertised on TV I knew immediately I had to have it in my life. I was sold on the concept and sold on the packaging and I was more than happy when I managed to get my hands on it in Boots. I chose Eva Longoria's shade which is a lovely nude brown shade (not a million miles away from my favourite Soap and Glory nude but much more sheer!). It has been my most reached for lipstick for daytime wear and I have a feeling it's going to be the first lipstick I actually use up completely (which will be a monumentally sad day, believe me). You can browse the collection and choose your perfect shade in Boots for £8.19. I've also included some more photos and a swatch below if you're interested, if not bypass that for the last monthly favourite product!

Soap and Glory Body Moisturising Mist - Oh, what's that? Another Soap and Glory product? This has been another forgotten about product in my beauty stash but one I couldn't put down once I rediscovered. It's essentially a body spray but with moisturising qualities so how can you go wrong? It's light and fresh and smells lovely so it's great for a pick-me-up on a morning or even on the go! You can grab this product in Boots for £6.50!

So that's it for my September favourites! What do you think? Have you been using any of these products lately? What have been your favourite products this past month? Please leave me a comment, I love hearing from readers and I'm always interested in finding new blogs to read. 

:)

Favourite Hair Care Products of the Moment

Happy Saturday!

I have a confession guys - I am terrible at taking care of my hair. I rarely get it cut because I hate the process and so most of the time it looks very dry and just not very nice! Even so, I want to share with you some of my favourite hair care products of the moment that help make my messy hair look a little bit more respectable.

TRESemme 24 Hour Body Blow Dry Lotion -

I love this stuff! I've never been particularly taken by TRESemme products but this one is brilliant. Just spritz it on your roots after you've had a shower before you blow dry your hair and it gives you tonnes of volume without having to work too hard at it.

I've also learnt a few volumising tips and tricks with this product - if you blow dry your hair upside down it adds masses of volume anyway but if you apply a little bit of this product beforehand then woahhh - your hair takes on a mind of it's own! Crazy volume that sticks throughout the day!!

The only downside of this product is that it does tend to make your hair feel dirtier a lot quicker so more regular washes of your hair will probably be needed!

This costs £5.50 from Boots

Schwarzkopf got2be Sparking Hairspray -

I went through a horrible phase a couple of years ago of hairspraying my hair to the absolute death. And I mean to a point where it was rock solid and would not move any which way. Since then (thank goodness!) I've learned to love my hair sans hairspray which allows is a lot more movement and just makes it look so much healthier and natural. That's why this product is so great - it's so light when applied, it genuinely feels like there's nothing on your hair at all which means the style will stick while still allowing your hair to the freedom to move without being weighed down with masses of product. It smells really nice too (much nicer than your average hairspray!) and it sparkles... What more could a girl want? 

This costs around £4.00 from Boots

L'oreal Elvive Damage Care Repair Serum - 

I bought this a couple of months ago when I was having trouble with dry and split ends. So I just pop a little bit of this on when my hair is wet and it makes my hair look and feel so much better.

I have since writing this post found some better hair oils and hopefully in a couple of weeks I can share those with you! But I do still like this one, it's a really small and handy size and for the amount of product you get it lasts a reasonable amount of time.

It doesn't smell as good as other hair oils which is a bit unfortunate but it still does the trick and if your hair already smells nice from shampooing I guess it doesn't really matter! 

This costs £6.99 from Boots for 30ml.

Autumnal Blushes

Afternoon lovelies!

I don't know about you (actually I do, lots of fellow beauty bloggers have been doing this too!) but now that the temperature is dropping and Autumn is literally on our doorstep, I'm making a few changes to my make up routine. Over summer I've been opting for various shades of peach/coral for my cheeks and lips. However with the change of season, I'm bringing a change of colour to my make up. I already have lots of plum/purple/dark berry lip colours but I have nothing of the sort for my cheeks so I'm on the hunt for a new blush (or two..)

1. Dior Blush Fall Collection in Brown Milly (£30.00 from feelunique.com) 2. BareMinerals Blush in Secret (£16.75 from feelunique.com) 3. MAC Tropical Taboo Colour Mineralize Blush (£18.00 in Debenhams sale) 4. Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in Plum (£6.49 in Boots) 5. Bobbi Brown Pot Rough in Chocolate Cherry (£17.10 in Debenhams sale)

As you can tell, I've been online shopping my heart out and checking out the high end brands too. That being said, I'm not sure I'm ready to part with £20+ for blush! Unless one of you can convince me that those products and worth every pound and penny. Also, I realise that the Bobbi Brown product makes it look like I'm doing a 'spot the odd one out' post but when I saw it I just had to put it in there because the colour looks so delicious!!

What are your favourite colours for Autumn? Do you have any recommendations for me?

:)

What's In My Clutch?

Happy Friday dear readers!!

My memory card reader arrived today - yay! So I can share with you the post I originally intended to share earlier in the week. It comes at a good time though as it is Friday night and if any of you beauty bloggers want any tips on how to cram the essentials in a clutch bag for a night out, here is what I take! So what is actually in my clutch, I hear you ask...

My actual clutch is from River Island. It's quite a reasonable size width ways but it is very thin and shallow so would hold about as much as a smaller but deeper clutch bag like you see on the regular. I originally bought it for my Summer formal last year but because it's black and goes with everything it's my go-to bag for a night out.

In terms of make-up I try to carry only the bare minimum. I only take my small solid Collection concealor as well as my Clinique chubby stick (and usually some gloss too!) as I tend not to spend too much time concerning myself with my makeup on a night out. And with these products I can just touch up if necessary. I also carry some a little perfume sample of Diesel Loverdose just to freshen up through the night! I also pop a bobble (hair tie) and some bobby pins in there for practical reasons!

Other essentials - my small purse which fits in a couple of notes, change and in the outside pocket my ID (which I always need easy access to!!). It's small and thin and fits perfectly in the clutch. I also have my keys and my iphone which I couldn't leave the house without!

You might notice I also have some small shoes in the photograph. These are actually dance shoes that I bought when I did dance about 5 years ago but they have been an absolute saviour on nights out. I love my heels and if I'm going to a club I love to pull out a beautiful pair of wedges or glittery stilettos but at the end of the night my feet ache like mad! So I pop these little shoes in my bag and at the end of night when i'm  getting some food or jumping in a taxi home, I can put these on and rest my feet!

As you can see from the photograph above, it all fits in my clutch nicely (I promise you it does shut!) and I have all my essentials nicely tucked away for a night out!

What do you carry in your clutch on a night out? What are your absolute essentials?

:)

My Current Favourite Lipstick

Hello lovely readers!

I had a great new blog post lined up for this week that I was really excited to share with you all. Then the universe decided to mess with my plans and break my memory card reader so I couldn't access my photos (I blame the universe but it was actually me who broke my card reader.. oops!) But I did find these photos on my computer from a blogpost I intended to do a while ago!

I think I've told you all this before but at the moment I am loving everything Soap & Glory. And this product is no exception! For the longest time I was looking for the perfect everyday lipstick that would be subtle and pretty and nourishing with good staying power all at the same time - quite an ask, I know. But I found this gem in Boots while I was on a scavenger hunt for a lipgloss and I bought it on a whim and with absolutely no regrets.

This is the Super Colour Fabulipstick in Super Nude. There are 3 shades in this Powdercoat Matte range - Super Nude, Pom Pom (a lovely dark pinky colour) and Blush Pink (almost a mix between the other two). Aside from this being a beautiful lipstick, the packaging is lovely I think! I'm a fan of dark coloured Lipstick tubes (I'm currently eyeing up the new L'oreal Colour Riche lipstick range!) and this one I love.

From the looks of this swatch it looks slightly coral-coloured but on the lips it's a lovely subtle beige/nude tone. It also has a slight shimmer to it but it's not overly noticeable so it still works for a natural look. It's also lovely and nourishing, it doesn't try out my lips and stays put for a reasonable amount of time! Plus is smells divineeee!

This is the lipstick I always reach for when I'm wearing more natural make up through the day and it might just be the first lipstick that I repurchase! It retails at £9.00 at boots (expensive for a highstreet brand lipstick but it's worth the few extra pennies).

What is your favourite everyday lipstick?

:)

Baby Lips Review

Maybelline's Baby Lips lip balm have been eagerly awaited in the UK since they were released in the US and were loved by so many. The lip balm claims to hydrate your lips for 8 hours and while I'm not sure it lasts quite that long (maybe it's just me, do I have a subconscious habit of licking all lip product from my lips??) it does have substantial staying power and I was impressed with how nourished my lips felt as soon as I applied it. And it's not greasy or sticky! Jackpot!

It also smells absolutely divine! They are quite strong artificial smelling products and they remind of children's play makeup lip balms my family would buy me for Christmas when I was little but I'm not complaining, I love the sweet fruity smell.

I was unsure on the packaging at first, I think it looks, again, like something you'd buy for a little girl. But by that same token, it's bright and stands out. It's eye catching and you just know if you pull it out of your bag people are going to be asking what it is!

I had to ration myself with this product and only buy one so I chose Cherry Me 004 which is a lovely pink shade. As you can see from the swatch (below) it's not too heavily pigmented so is perfect for just adding a dash of colour during the day or even popping over your lipstick if you feel your lips need a bit more hydration. 

Baby Lips is available in 6 varieties - Hydrate, Intense Care, Mint Fresh (all of which are clear balms) and Cherry Me, Pink Punch and Peach Kiss (of which are tinted balms). They are available from Boots for £2.99 - what a bargain! 

Maybelline have done it again with this product and I just can't help but love them! 

Have you tried Baby Lips yet? What are your favourite shades to wear? :)

Product Empties!

Hello sweet readers!
Cue apologies for being absent for so long... again! I'll get better I promise. Stick with me!!

So today I bring you a post that I've been wanting to do for a while but quite literally didn't have the means to do it. But now, as I've finished off some products, I present you with my product empties! This is always one of my favourite posts to read from other bloggers so I hope you fellow beauty bloggers or even non-beauty bloggers enjoy this one. 

(from left to right)

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse - I'm almost sure I've mentioned this before but this is my favourite foundation ever. It's such a lovely, light consistency so it gives good matte coverage without it feeling too heavy on the skin so it barely feels like you're wearing any foundation at all. I can't praise this foundation enough. I usually wear mine in Porcelain but as they'd run out of that last night I opted for Light Porcelain which was a little bit pale for my skin tone but worked just fine mixed with a darker liquid foundation.

     - Will you repurchase? YES! A million times over!

     - Cost? £7.69 from Boots

Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub - Now I'll be really honest with this one, I don't feel really strongly either way on this product. I don't love it and I don't hate it. It does the job but I'm not particularly drawn to the smell or the packaging. It's quite a rough exfoliater too so if you prefer something a bit more gentle and subtle, I wouldn't recommend this one. That being said, it's cheaper than other exfoliaters out there so it's okay to fill the gap until I find something I love enough to spend a few extra pennies on.

     - Will you repurchase? Probably, until I find something better!

     - Cost? £5.50 from Boots

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Fortifying Hydrator - I am completely in love with this. Confession time - I've never really been one to prioritise moisturising... like ever. But with this product moisturising is such a pleasure it's something I look forward to doing. It's lovely and light when applied but moisturises really deeply so dry skin is definitely a thing of the past. As you can see from the photo, it's not quite empty but it doesn't have many uses left and I'm going to be a little bit sad when I use the last of it! 

     - Will you repurchase? It's a little costly so I would probably put it on my birthday or Chrsitmas wishlist!

      - Cost? It's £32 for 50ml from Clinque.co.uk

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub - If you have a real problem with dry lips (like me!) then this would be perfect for you. It's quite difficult to use correctly and get the best results possible but I've learnt that if you combine it with this little trick from The Beauty Department it works wonders and leaves you with lovely soft, flake free lips ready to apply your lipstick or gloss. 

     - Will you repurchase? Without a doubt!

     - Cost? £5.50 for 25g from Lush.co.uk

L'oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer - The first of two primers in this post and the one I'm least impressed with. I'm not sure there's even one good thing I can say about this product, I don't think I've ever been as disappointed with a purchase as I have with this one. I actually bought it on recommendation from another blogger and she loved it but it's just not for me. It's costly, dries my skin out and doesn't make my make-up last any longer. I've actually had this sitting in my make up bag for about a year now, I just wasn't keen on using it all up. Sorry, I'm just not a fan of this one! 

    - Will you repurchase? Definitely not.

    - Cost? £14.29 from Boots

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer - I'm more impressed with this one than the L'oreal primer but again I'm not overly keen on it. In comparison this one is more budget friendly and keeps my skin moisturised. I'm not sure it quite does everything it claims to do on the tube, for me it just seems to work like any other moisturiser. That being said I do still think it's a lovely product and if I don't come across a primer that actually makes my make up last longer (guys, is primer a myth!?!) then I'll be returning to this one.

     - Will you repurchase? If nothing else takes my breath away!

     - Cost? £6.99 from Boots

So what did you all think of this post? Have you tried any of these products? Did any of them work any better/worse for you? Let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from you.

:)

NEW Maybelline Fit Me 2-In-1 Anti-Shine Foundation

Hello lovelies! 

I'm useless I know, I can hear you all shouting at me from various corners of the planet... I haven't posted properly in a few weeks because I've been spoiled rotten and having been jetting about all over the place on little holidays and such. So there has been lots of time for beauty splurges and no time to tell you about them!

But today I want to share with you this great little product I've found from Maybelline's Fit Me foundation. Up until this point I've not been incredibly impressed with the Fit Me range (although as a general rule I do love Maybelline products) but I love this product and it's one I'd definitely recommend!

Depending on your foundation preferences, this might be the perfect product for you. If, like me, your prefer your foundation to be matte then this will be right up your street. Maybelline describe it as a 'gel stick' with an 'anti-shine core' which gives you a lovely matte finish. As you can see, it comes in this little tube so it's dead easy to apply and it's quite creamy so it blends incredible easily with your fingers (I haven't yet tried blending with a foundation brush yet but if any of you have and think it's easier - let me know in the comments!)

I wouldn't say the coverage is brilliant and I don't generally use it as a full blown foundation, especially if I know I'm going to be out for the whole day and probably won't have much opportunity to sort out my make up through the day, in that case I tend to wear something with  a higher coverage that has more staying power. But that being said, I think it's great as a light foundation for summer when the weather is a bit warmer because it's natural, barely feels like you're wearing any make up and it stops your looking shiny too. 

It's a lovely, handy size and shape too to just pop in your bag and take with you on the go for touch ups through the day. And the packaging is quite something, don't you think? I love it! It comes in 6 shades - Ivory, Classic Ivory, Buff Beige, Natural Beige, Sun Beige, Soft Honey. It's not a brilliant shade range but for a new product testing the waters I think it's done okay. I wear mine in Classic Ivory as I'm quite fair skinned but there are shades for those of your with a darker complexion.

It's not the cheapest of foundation products priced at £8.99 from Boots and Superdrug but it is one of those products you'll use all the time and definitely get your money's worth. 

Have you guys tried this product? What did you think?

:)

Lip Care

Hello you lovely lot! 

This is a post I want to share with any of you who, like me, struggle with really dry lips. Here are my favourite products for nourishing and protecting your lips that I've come across so far.

Okay so the first is Burt's Bees Mango Butter Lip Balm - even the name sounds delicious doesn't it!? This is a great little product to pop in your handbag and use on the go! It smells gorgeous (like mango...who knew!?) and leaves the lips feeling lovely and nourished. The only thing with this product is that it doesn't stay on the lips for very long so it does have to be reapplied frequently which can be a nuisance but otherwise it's a lovely product.

The next on my list in Soap & Glory's Smooch Operator Lip Butter Balm. This is a bit thicker and stickier in consistency than the other products in this post so if you don't like sticky lip balm then this one probably isn't for you! That being said it does a really good job at moisturising the lips. It does tingle a little bit with wear but it's not extremely noticeable and it leaves the lips looking and feeling great!

This is my favourite lip product at the moment. If you're a beauty product junkie like me (or just a girl...) you'll know about The Body Shop's Wild Cherry Lip Butter. It smells soooooo delicious! Like just about everything else in The Body Shop! This product is perfect for putting on just before bed as it can work it's magic overnight and you'll wake up with extra soft and conditioned lips. It is a lovely consistency and size to pop in your handbag too for through the day if you want to slap on a bit of this fruity-smelling goodness! There is knack to getting the right amount of this product on though as too much can leave that peachy colour on your lips - otherwise it's perfect! 

This product is one for those of you who like a bit colour wear through the day. This is Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 001 Honey Douce. Again this does a great job at moisturising the lips and the crayon-like design of it makes it super easy to apply without the mess of having to dip your finger into a jar (especially when you're on the go!). This is a lovely light purple/violet colour on the lips (not very pigmented - barely noticeable for just a pinch of colour) and lasts a good while.