Thursday 26 February 2015

February Favourites


1. Lush The Kiss Lip Scrub.

I think I'm addicted to this stuff.  The combination of sea salt and caster sugar gives it that salty-sweet taste which I'm a bit of a sucker for (salted caramel, anyone?!) and the cute little edible hearts were a nice little addition for this Valentines Day themed scrub.  It's a little messy to apply, so don't make the mistake I did of applying it after make up! Also, mine seems to be lacking in the sprinkles department so I'm hoping they're just hiding around the middle of my pot!

2. Soap and Glory Hand Dream.

Another winning product from Soap and Glory. This was a welcome addition in the Best of All gift set that everyone was going crazy for over Christmas.  As much as I love Soap and Glory, I was getting a little bored of getting tube after tube of Hand Food in pretty much every gift set I ever got.  This is a little richer than Hand Food, yet seems to absorb into my skin quicker, leaving much less of the greasy residue that I found Hand Food left.  The scent is similar to Hand Food, but more subtle which I definitely prefer.

3. Florance Anne Blackcurrant and Fig Eau de Toilette

I spotted these very Jo Malone-esque bottles in Boots for a mere £10 which I thought was a bit of a bargain! I opted for the Blackcurrant and Fig, which I'm assuming is a dupe of Jo Malone's Blackberry and Bay scent.  Having not tried any Jo Malone fragrances, I couldn't possibly compare the two, but I really do like this.  It's a little different to the sweet, floral scents I'm tend to wear.  It's rich, sophisticated, fruity smell is perhaps a little much for day to day wear, but it's perfect for the evening and I've had a few people ask what perfume I'm wearing.

4. Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Primer.

I'm sure you've heard of this product by now. It caused quite a stir among bloggers late last year and I can certainly see why.  First of all, it smells gorgeous.  I can't quite put my finger on what it smells of, but it's really light yet lasts all day. I actually can't stop sniffing my hair after I've used it! Secondly, and most importantly, this stuff works miracles! My hair is quite wavy when wet, and usually if I leave it to dry naturally, I end up with a big frizzy, knotty mess which makes any kind of styling impossible.  However, If I spray this liberally into my hair after towel drying, my hair actually dries into lovely, soft natural waves with virtually no frizz or knots.  The first time I used this I was amazed, and thought it was a bit of a fluke and I'd never be able to do it again, but I was wrong. This product really does work wonders!

5. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara.

I wasn't sure what to think when I first heard Benefit were bringing out another mascara.  I wasn't a great fan of They're Real!, as I found it to clump very easily and dry out in next to no time.  Yet when I saw Elle magazine were giving away a free sample I knew I had nothing to lose. I never usually buy magazines but I'm so glad I bought this one.  It really does lift the lashes, and the curl lasts all day.  I fell in love with this mascara from the first use and couldn't wait to buy the full size version, so much so that I took advantage of the offer of free shipping when you bought two mascaras on the Benefit website (one for me, one as a gift for someone!) before it's official release on counters. 

6. CoLab Dry Shampoo

When Ruth Crilly announced she was launching hair own range of dry shampoo, I was intrigued. I love dry shampoo and use it most days, even if it's just to sort my fringe out as it has a mind of it's own. I'm a huge fan of Dove's dry shampoo (you can read my review here) yet I'm still always trying out new ones.  This is another winner for me, mainly because there's very little grey residue, which can be a bit of an issue with some dry shampoos.  It also adds a good amount of texture to the ends of my hair to give it that messy(ish!) lived in look I really like.  I love how there's a travel size version of each of the five scents too, and I've recently spotted an 'extra volume' range which I'll be checking out next.  I love me some big hair, I do!

What have you been loving this month?
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Monday 23 February 2015

Nail Care Routine.




Like most bloggers probably, I'm a huge fan of nail polish.  I own an obscene amount, especially for someone who can't wear it every day.  My job involves handling food, so nail polish is a big no no, so for the most part, my collection of pretty colours often gets overlooked.  That said, I still do like to take care of my nails so that when I'm not at work I don't have to spend too long whipping them into shape; I can just paint on my colour of choice and I'm good to go... well, once I've taken it off and reapplied it 3+ times because I've not waited long enough and it's smudged... anyone else do that?!

First of all, I'll simply wash my hands in some warm soapy water. Aside from the obvious making my hands nice and clean, it also softens the cuticles a little, to make removing them a little easier.  I'll then use one of the cuticle tools to get rid of any gunk that's lurking under my nails... yuk! 

Then it's onto a bit of cuticle work. I'll admit I'm not great at this, and definitely need to work on my technique a little bit.  I'm currently using the Sally Hansen Maximum Strength Cuticle Remover which I picked up in Boots.  I leave this on my nails for a minute or two then gently push back my cuticles with either the tool I was using before, or an orange stick.  I think I'm going to invest in a rubber tipped one soon as I feel I'd get better results with one of those.  This metal one I just bough on ebay for a couple of pounds.  Once that's done I'll wash my hands again before starting on filing and buffing.

I highly recommend the Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File. Although expensive it will last you forever (unless you stand on it like I did with my first one... oops!). I've had this for almost a year and it's still as good as new and files my nails brilliantly.  It's super gentle, yet you can file your nails in no time with it, it's a fantastic product. I love it. I just it came with a bit more of a protective case; for the price you pay a flimsy plastic wallet isn't really good enough in my opinion.    I then buff my nails with this 4 way buffer that was cheap as chips from Boots. I don't do this every time I do my nails as it's not meant to be great for them, apparently it can actually weaken your nails! I tend to do this once or twice a month and mainly use sides 2 and 3 of the buffer to remove any ridges and smooth my nails out ready for polish.

I remember reading somewhere that dehydrating the nail is a good step to do before applying any polish.  All you need to do is take a bit or your usual nail polish remover on a cotton wool pad and just sweep it over the nail.  This just makes sure your nail is properly clean and ready for your polish to adhere to.  

Although I said I'm not meant to wear anything on my nails for work there is one sneaky step I do next whether I'm going to be wearing nail polish or not, and that's apply a nail strengthener.  I'd heard great things about OPI nail envy, and when I saw that they did a matte version I decided to be a little bit naughty and see if I could get away with it for work.  Although not as matte as I was hoping for (there's a definite shine there, especially under the harsh lights at work!) I've so far got away with it and my nails are much stronger as a result.  After this, if I'm not at work, I'll paint my nails then use my Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat to add shine and help my colour last a bit longer; though I only wear nail polish for a couple of days at a time so longevity isn't too much of an issue for me.

Finally, I'll add a bit of moisture back in to my hands and nails and for this I'll either use my Boots Salon Nail and Cuticle Oil, which comes in a glass bottle with a roller ball, making application quick and easy, or if I want something a bit more intensive I'll use Lemony Flutter from Lush.  This take a bit longer to absorb but it's worth it if you've maybe been a bit too harsh on those cuticles! My last step is to apply some hand cream.  My one of choice at the moment is Soap and Glory's Hand Dream.  I got this in the massive gift set at Christmas and I've to say that I think I prefer it to Hand Food! 

So that's my nail routine! It sounds a bit long winded, but it doesn't take that long at all really. Since doing this routine around once a week, I've certainly noticed a big difference in the condition of my nails; they were a bit dry and battered from work and would break really easily.  They're now much stronger, look healthier and generally just make me feel a bit more put together, even when I'm in minimal make up, hair scraped bag, and ready for another 9 hour shift at work.
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