August Beauty Favourites (Video)

Hello Lovelies,

Todays post is going to be my August Beauty Favourites video. These are all of the products I have enjoyed using over the last month, enough so to recommend them all to you! Let me know if you have any more video ideas for me, or if there are any posts you want to see :) 

All of the information and products mentioned in the video have been listed in the info bar on Youtube.

Don't forget to head over to my channel and subscribe (if you don't already!)

I will be posting my non-beauty/Lucy going slightly mental favourites in a couple of days.

Until then, hope you are all well,

Much Love

Lou

xx

June Favourites

I know this is a little late this month, but I thought better late than never right? I have really enjoyed using so many different products this month. Much more than usual, so the video is a little rambley. June has literally flown by for me, I had my first year Uni exams at the beginning of the month so that took up a lot of my time. However, I am finally back in the swing of things with Youtube and my videos etc. Im even moving to a new blog and Youtube channel very soon.

This new blog needs a name and as much as I try, I cannot think of anything. My creativity has failed me! If any of you guys have any suggestions (silly,funny,girly or completely random) I would greatly appreciate it!

Other than that, I hope you all had a lovely June and have started the month of July off with a smiles on your faces!

Let me know what your June favourites were and link me to your posts if you have one:)

Have a wonderful day and enjoy the video!

Much Love

Lou

xx

Empties #1

Hello Lovelies!

So exams are FINALLY over. Five science exams in 2 weeks is never going to be fun really is it? I am however. incredibly excited that it is over (and after rather a lot of laptop hiccups along the way) I am back to blogging again :)

I have used up a lot of products in the last couple of months and instead of throwing them away, I have carted all the empty bottles, boxes and jars back home from uni so I can show you lovely people what I have used and what I thought of them.

Just a warning, this is a very long post...

 LUSH Creamed Almond and Coconut Smoothie

This product is described on the tub as 'a beautiful shower soap for dry skin smelling of vanilla and ylang ylang' They have in fact, got the scent description pretty accurate, it definitely has almond in there too, but although its has coconut in the name, it isn't overly obvious or overwhelming. I bought this at least a year ago now and it has taken a very long time for me to get through it, I used in conjunction with the LUSH Glorious Mud Shower Scrub to create a paste like mask for all over the body (yum...) I found that it left my skin feeling super smooth and smelling lovely. I would rather use it in conjunction with something else though, as alone it leaves that strange squeaky soap feel all over the skin - that I don't particularly like. I would repurchase this but only if I bought the mud scrub at the same time. (They have however, discontinued it, so that throws my dilemma out of the window!)

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer,

When I first applied this cult hair treatment it was to wet hair and I hated it. I had no idea what all  the blimmin'  fuss was about! It just so happens, that I then did a little research and it turns out I was doing it wrong *doh!* I reapplied it to dry, newly coloured hair (pink and purple dip-dye dontcha know ;) and it was amazing, my hair was super soft and shiny even after it had been bleached. I received this sample size in the FeelUnique beauty box before it was discontinued otherwise I wouldn't have bought it. It is way too pricey for me to consider purchasing although if you are not a penniless student then I would highly recommend it!

Garnier Intensive 7 days Ultra Softening Lotion (Dry to Extra-Dry Skin)

There is not much I can say about this product as it is fantastic. It is light weight, sinks into the skin really quickly, is very nourishing and smells divine. It is also a bargain at around £2.99 here and is a definite repurchase for my hols!

Soap & Glory Butter Yourself Body Cream

Another fabulous moisturiser. Much thicker than the Garnier one so I would recommend leaving it on overnight to sink in. I also really loved the spongy, souffle like texture to this one as it was something a bit different. As with all Soap & Glory products it smells heavenly. Its in a mid price range at £10.50 for 300ml  from Boots (often on 3 for 2). Would repurchase if I didn't like to experiment and try new things so much!

Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover

This is a pretty standard polish remover. It does the job, doesn't make a mess, smells reasonable (but I wouldn't recommend sniffing it...) and it is reasonably priced. I'm not too sold on the whole 'whitening' aspect but this is my go to remover and I have already bought a new one.

Soap & Glory The Scrub of Your Life

Yet another lovely Soap & Glory product. This one smells like the much loved Hand Food and Righteous Butter (I think its their 'pink' scent.) It is a very good scrub. It doesn't leave an oily residue which is a nightmare when shaving and is abrasive enough to get rid of dry skin. I would have repurchased this if it wasn't for my new love (also Soap & Glory) which a post is coming up for very soon!

Elnett Satin Diamond Hold Hair Spray,

I have been using this since I was around 13 and still love it. I have already repurchased this. Enough said :)

Phyto Express Conditioner for Colour Treated Hair

This was a sample in another of the FeelUnique Beauty Boxes. I literally cannot tell you my opinion on this. It's all a bit meh really. My hair wasn't particularly damaged at the time of use and there wasn't really enough in the sample to make a proper judgement on the product. I suppose it's always good to use things up though! Has anyone used this and liked/disliked it? I'd be rather intrigued to know.

Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream,

I love this stuff. Its thick yet absorbs quickly, highly moisturising, great for my dry, sensitive skin and if the Pixiwoo girls love it then that's good enough for me! Wonderfully inexpensive and definitely a repurchase (when it is actually in stock!) Available for £7.65 here.

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser Dry/Sensitive Formulation

I wasn't impressed with this product at all. I was actually rather disappointed with it considering how much I love the Cleanse and Polish. I will be posting a separate review with my reasoning soon. There are definitely better products out there that are much cheaper (see above!)

And finally, some products that are on their last legs so I thought I'd give them an honorary mention...

Lily Flame Parma Violets Candle

This smells just like Parma Violets, therefore I love it, therefore I am rather sad that it has about 10 minutes of burn time left. Definite repurchase if I can justify the price *sad face*. Available here, my mum has the Fairy Dust one which is also a lovely clean, fresh scent.

MAC Brush Cleanser,

This is a pretty standard, well known product. I have had it for ages and it does the job well along with disinfecting my brushes. It is pretty pricey though but it does take me a while to get through. Available here if you think its worth the £8.50 price tag. I'm on the fence really...

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner

I don't really have spot prone skin but it's nice to have something gentle, yet effective on hand for those times when your face decides to erupt over night (luverleee ;) When I feel like I'm starting to break out more than usual or I just feel like my skin needs a deeper cleanse, I use this as my toner for a couple of days and it clears my skin right up. It is also one of those clear skin products that tingles and feels as though it is actually working, which for me is always a bonus! A lovely product. It is available here for the rather reasonable £4.50.

Elemis Exotic Lime and Ginger Hand and Body Wash

This is yet another beauty box sample. It is a lovely luxurious shower gel that smells very earthy and gingery which I loved. A good night time bath/shower scent that I thoroughly enjoyed using. The price yet again put me off (at £18.50 for 300ml I would personally class it as extortion :P) but if you fancy a bit of luxury it is available here.

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion.

I have a love hate relationship with this product so I will just list the good and bad points that I have found when using this and you can make your own mind up...

Good

• Fabulously moisturising
• Good for sensitive skin
• Long lasting moisture
• Sinks into skin quickly

Bad

• Can do the evil 'bits of roley product that go all bobbly on the skin' thing :| (I sincerely hope that made sense) but that is never a good look:P 
• The smell isn't too fantastic (kind of organic *good for you* food shop oatmeally smell) I personally find it foul but it doesn't stay on the skin at all so I can put up with it!

Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Make-up Remover

This is another staple in my skincare routine. It is just a standard, inexpensive and very gentle eye make-up remover that I find works very well :)

Phew!

Considering I haven't posted for ages I really can ramble on!

Anyhooo, well done if you made it this far :)

If you would like any in depth reviews please let me know and I will try and do them for you!

Much Love

Lou

xx

Hair Today. Gone Tomorrow

Good Morning Lovelies,

 I woke up today with a real urge to curl my hair, I went to reach for my trusty, multifunctional GHD's then happily remembered I had been bought a set of Babyliss heated rollers for Christmas.

I have used them before, once or twice (with help) but what better time to master the art of the heated roller on a Sunday. If it turned nasty, I'd have nowhere important to go. 

So I apologise for the clothing and lack of makeup as I hadn't got to that point yet, but here are some pictures of  my hair in progress :)

(Notice the totally awesome baby photo:P)

Now I have rather fine, medium length hair, which drops curl really easily. Its a right pain in the butt to be honest and this means extra time in the rollers and one hell of a lot of hairspray is needed. Other than that, I am rather pleased with the result :D

The rollers themselves take no time at all to heat up and once you get the hang of it they are really quite easy to use. They do get pretty hot and you have to be careful not to burn your fingers (I learned the hard way.)

The only downside I would say, is that they are fairly heavy. Considering you must leave them in until the indicator roller turns from white to red (10-15 minutes) it can start to hurt your neck.

The price we pay for luscious locks aye?

:)

All in all I absolutely love these curlers and at around £25 for a set of 20 they are very reasonably priced. 

I'd love to try out cloud nines at some point if I have the money, but for now these are perfect :)

Have you tried the Babyliss or Cloud Nine Rollers?

What did you think?

Much Love

Lou

xx

A Little (Hair)Pick Me Up.

Hello Lovelies,

Today I decided to do a review on 3 dry shampoos I have been using recently, Tony and Guy, Lee Stafford and Batiste. I like all 3 of them but decided to put them all up against each other to see which was best!!

Here's what I thought...

Firstly, I must let you know, I'm the kind of person that washes her hair every single day (with Aussie Shampoo and Conditioner) but there are some days where I just don't have the time or can't be bothered:P. I also use this if I'm going for an up-do to give my hair a bit of texture. All this means, is that these tests are based on slightly oily hair, not hair that hasn't been washed for a week, so the effects may be different if you tend to get very oily hair.

1. Lee Stafford, Poker Straight for Oily Roots. 

This particular product is quite new to me as my mum bought it for me as part of a set for Christmas. I have used it a few times since and can honestly say it smells lovely. It has the scent of the majority of the Lee Stafford styling products ( think Poker Straight Flat Iron protection mist) if your familiar with them. I love it for this reason alone. It is a pleasant, sweet, fruity smell. 

The back of the can says ''Spray from about 16cm onto the root area that needs revitalising then vigorously rub away the powder with your fingers... girl you are ready to go without having to blow''

The latter made me howl with laughter :') Pure Cheese.

When sprayed directly onto my dark hair, this leaves no white/grey residue which is always a bonus and leaves it feeling very refreshed and not greasy at all. The scent also lingers for a good few hours after.

The only downside to this is if you don't like having texture in your hair, as it leaves a subtle matte feel.

I looked up the price on the Boots website, as I received this as a gift. For a single 150ml can it is £4.99. I don't think this pricing is too bad if you don't go through a can too quickly.

2. Tony and Guy Refreshing Dry Shampoo

I have been using Tony and Guy dry shampoo for about 2 years now and it is my current favourite. Yet again the smell is lovely (like other tony and guy products) floral and quite 'clean' smelling but not overpowering. The great thing about this one is that it doesn't leave the matte feel to your hair like the Lee Stafford and Batiste ranges do. 

The instructions are more or less the same as the Lee Stafford, only you don't have to rub this one in with your fingers.

It doesn't leave a white/grey residue and the can itself lasts a really long time. (I've had mine for a year.)

It retails(at Boots only) for £6.49. More money than the Lee Stafford yet 50ml more product.

3. Batiste 'Blush'

I bought this dry shampoo in a 'Leeds Fest Rush' as I was in Asda the day before and needed a travel size. I could deal with 'only Baby Wipe showers' for 5 days but not greasy hair haha. :S

All I can say about this one is that it does the job. It's certainly not my favourite as the Blush smell is way too floral for me and they had no other fragrances at the time. However, at £1 for a travel size and £2.30 for a full size its a pretty good last minute bargain. If your not careful it does leave a little grey tinge to your hair, although personally I think that looks a lot more attractive than hair stuck to your head with grease!! Yum haha.

I hope this helped and you can pick out the info you want. I tend to ramble in reviews :)

Next post will be a quick swatch of the gorgeous Egerton Gardens NailsInc. polish that I'm wearing for new years. Possibly an outfit post too...

Love

Lou

xx