Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Miracle in a Bottle from The Body Shop
I have always had a problem with my scalp, around about the time of my year 11 (age 16) prom I was getting an itchy scalp, which turned into scabs and scarring. I know its not the most attractive thing to admit to, but I have met so many other people with this problem. At 16 I was mortified, and wouldn't tell anyone at first. The doctor diagnosed me with psorasis, and gave me a coal tar shampoo.
This shampoo worked on my scalp, if I used it every wash. But made the ends of my hair so brittle and dry. But carried on using it regularly until I was about 19, when I found this little gem...
Introducing The Body Shops Ginger Anti-Dandruff Shampoo! This stuff is incredible, and in my 3 years working at The Body Shop I have recommended it to so many people, who came in time and time again to repurchase it. It seems once you have started using this shampoo, you will always come back for more. It is gentle enough for all ages and sensitivities. I have absolutely no problems with a sore scalp, and my hair is soft, clean and shiny. I don't have to use this every time I wash my hair, but I often do! It smells great, works a miracle and is only £6 for the largest bottle (400ml)! I recommend this to everyone with any scalp problems, I will never be without a bottle again.
Top Tip: Mix a couple drops of tea tree oil in with the shampoo in the palm of your hand, and you have a natural head-lice deterrent! (Just one of the pearls of wisdom you learn at The Body Shop!)
Sunday, 29 July 2012
July Favourite Beauty Products
I love July, it's probably my favourite month. Or maybe December as I love Christmas! But anyway July is amazing, mainly because my birthday is in July! So a couple of these products are birthday pressies! The rest are general favourites. I will link websites where you can buy the products below, if you wanna check them out!
Soap and Glory Clean on Me Shower Gel
When my brother rocked up with this, I was incredibly impressed, to be fair I had it on my amazon wishlist, and I have about 3 other Soap and Glory products in the bathroom. But still! £5.50 is more than I would normally spend on a shower gel, which makes it extra special. And you do get a huge bottle! I love that it has a pump as it makes it so so easy, especially as I often use this with exfoliating gloves. I normally do moisturise afterwards, but I don't necessarily have to as it has a built in body lotion, but I'm pretty dry! Fab smell, like sweets!
Dior Pure Poison Eau de Parfum
Another birthday present, this time from my parents. I feel so posh having a Dior Perfume. It's ridiculously expensive, but so so worth it. The scent last for hours and hours and I have gotten so many compliments on it. It's more of an evening fragrance (although I wear it in the day too because it is so nice!). It has a warm and rich smell to it, quite sexy. Go have a sniff!
Miners The Matte Factor in Peach
The perfect lip product for all day everyday. The colour is a pinky peach, but is not over the top and in your face. This is a matte cream product and stays on your lips for hours without being drying. You don't have to worry about it at all. And because of that I wear it a lot. It is only £3.99!! I have it in hot pink too, but that's much brighter and harder to wear. The main problem with Miners is you can't buy it many places!
Miners Nail Polish in Marshmallow
Another Miners product, I mainly chose this nail varnish for the name, as I love marshmallows. A really pretty summery blue-toned pink, which I have been wearing a lot.. Dries with a matte finish. Would recommend a top coat as it chips very easily. I have also been using a nail art pen to draw white polka dots on it, which looks super cute.
L'Oreal Volume Million Mascara in Brown
I have heard so many rave reviews on this mascara, I had to check it out. And they were all so right, this might be my favourite mascara I have ever worn! I bought it in brown by accident (I thought I was buying black). But I think I would get brown again, it has a lovely softness to it. But also I think it helps give a slight contrast against my black eyeliner and therefore means you can see my eyelashes better. A must have mascara.
Revlon Photo Ready Foundation in 002 Vanilla
I originally bought this as I was doing the make-up for my friends wedding, I wasn't sure it would be suitable for me as I am quite oily, but I was wrong. It has a lovely consistency, not to thick and not too thin, stays on my skin for a long time, and gives a dewy finish. I do have to powder this foundation, but I do with most foundations! Very impressed, will repurchase.
Garnier Pure Active 3 in 1 wash, scrub and mask
I am never normally blown away by these multi-use face wash/scrub/masks but I love this. I feel tingly clean afterwards and I think my skin stays matter for longer. I use it as a mask in the bath often and it hardens slightly, but not completely. Seems like it does what it says on the tin for me! And it is a bargain!!
Primark hair clips
Okay so this is kind of non-beauty. But I love these! I got them in Primark for, I think, £2. And always have them either in my hair or in my handbag. I generally use them to sweep back the front of my hair to each side. Or sometimes use them at the back to keep the top half of my hair up. They are metal and look more expensive than they were, I must go get some more! They are so handy to have around!
Okay so those are my favourites! I wonder what I will like next month....
Thanks for reading,
Charli
xx
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Liquid Eyeliners
I think I may just be the liquid eyeliner queen, or certainly a princess. I wear it everyday pretty much, and I certainly don't feel 'finished' without it. My 'go to' look is a simple flick, with lots of mascara on my top lashes. On nights out I regularly go for a vintage, pin-up glamour look, with a contoured eye, large flick and bright or red lip. So it's fair to say I get through lots of eyeliners.
Today I am going to talk to you about the four liquid eyeliners currently in my collection.
Okay so all the ones I am talking about today are black, I have others, but black is my normal eyeliner choice.
We have (left to right)
- Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Liquid Eyeliner in 01 Black
- Collection 2000 (now just 'Collection') Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in Black
- The Body Shop Liquid Eyeliner in 01
- MUA Extreme Felt Eyeliner in Black
So lets start at the beginning...Estee Lauder Double Wear Liquid Eyeliner...
My absolute favourite, amazing smudge-proof eyeliner. I have problems with oily eyelids and eyeliner printing above my eye. I also find it smudges below my eye and fades throughout the day. That was till I found this little baby! A lovely sharp point, to get a fine line, but enough flexibility in the end to get a thicker line too. Really, really black, but a little shiny/glossy, which I don't love, but doesn't bother me too much. I actually find I have to use 2 cotton pads with eye make-up remover on to get this off. This is the sign of a good eyeliner to me! It's rather pricey at £20, but seeing as I've had the one I have now since March and it's showing no signs of stopping, I would say that is not bad. The only problem I had in the past is I left it slightly open and it dried out a bit, and was a bit globby and hard to use. But to be fair that was totally may fault!
If you struggle with smudging, buy this eyeliner!
Collection's Extreme Felt Eyeliner
What a bargain! A £2.99 felt tip liner that stays in place for hours. Okay so it wont last as long as my Estee Lauder one, but that doesn't make it a bad eyeliner. And the price is incredible. Would definitely recommend you try this one. It's become a bit of a cult product in the beauty blogging world! Creates a nice line easily, so a good one for beginners.
I also have this in purple and teal, thinking they would be as good as the black, and a bit of fun to wear. But no, they smudge and print on my eyes. Then when you try wash them off you are left with a faint coloured line, not a great look!
The Body Shop Liquid Eyeliner
I first bought this one when I worked at The Body Shop, and have had many since. It was better than any eyeliners I had had before (mostly rimmel), but now I have tried others I realise it is a pretty ordinary, run of the mill product. The colour is good, the staying power is fine, and it is nice and gentle on the eyes. Not great, not terrible. I wouldn't suggest you rush to buy it, but if you have a chance to try it, you may as well. One thing I will say is that the nib is a great shape, almost like a soft pad. So very quick to get a good flick, again probably great for a novice!
MUA Extreme Felt Liner
Yuck. This product is terrible.I have tried a few MUA products in the past, and although nothing is incredible I think the value for money is incredible. At £2 this looks like a cheaper copy of the Collection one. But it such a waste of that £2. I bought this while on away with my boyfriend and realised I didn't have an eyeliner with me (shock horror). So I nipped to Superdrug planning on getting the Collection one, but thought I would try this. This eyeliner is hardly black, it is so watered down. And then when you try and go over the line to neaten it up it flakes off. It is like the eyeliner is taking itself back off my eye. So you end up with a crumbly, dotty line...yeahhh sounds horrid.
Cannnot think of a redeeming feature of this eyeliner, as even £2 seems too much for this piece of junk.
I'd love some more eyeliner recommendations, I do love eyeliner!
Thanks for reading,
Charli
xx
July GlossyBox
Okay so I love getting a GlossyBox through the door, it's like getting a present every month. Now I know you pay for it, but as you don't specifically order it (I have the continuous subscription) it's always a lovely surprise.
Now of course I don't always love everything in every box, but I think it would be odd if I did! But I've never had a box I cannot use anything from, I always feel I get my moneys worth, and this month is certainly no exception! Here we go...
This was what this months GlossyBox looks like. Its a standard, normal edition pretty pink box, with black tissue paper, black shred inside and a pink ribbon. It's so helpful that GlossyBox also include the little leaflet about all the products! I have loads of these boxes now, and although I use some of them to store things, I'd love some suggestions on what to do with them (seems a shame to throw them out...is that weird?)
Doesn't it look full? Yay!
Monu Night Renewal Complex 20ml
Okay, down to business. The first item I pulled out was this Monu Night Renewal Complex. I am so excited this is for normal to combination skin, as I do have oilier skin, and often I get sent rich moisturisers! I used this last night and so far, so good! Left my skin soft, but not greasy. Didn't seem like anything special, and not sure I would buy a fullsize one for £36.95, as it would have to be a miracle cream as far as I was concerned to warrant that. But as it was only the first night, we shall see!
Smells pretty good too.
Nuxe Multi Usage Dry Oil 10ml
I love me a good dry oil, and this seems to be that! I have dry, itchy skin on my body, and get dermatitis. This unfortunately means I scratch during the night, and have scarred my back and legs doing this. So I am always looking for good moisturising, non-greasy products. I have used this twice now, and my skin feels heavenly. Once I have finished this, I will certainly consider buying the full size!
Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Moisture Mist 100ml
I find it hard to know whether these moisture mists work, I never feel I get very satisfying results. But in the hot weather we have been having, its been lovely to spritz this across my body. I think it's working to hydrate also, but to be honest I am not sure. It has a lovely light fragrance, and a refreshing feeling. And seeing as a 300ml bottle is only £9.95, I may think about buying it. But I certainly won't be running straight out.
Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip Frosting 15ml
Ooooooh! I love this stuff on my lips, I've tried it over lipsticks for a lovely bright pinky creamy gloss. Or on its own, for a wash of colour. And today I have it on over a dab of concealer, for a baby pink look. And it smells/tastes amazing (we all know taste matters when it comes to lip products!) My flavour/colour is Irish Cream Pavlova. MMMMMMM!
As for putting it on your cheeks, who are they kidding? I tried it, I hated it, so sticky! Everything got stuck to my cheeks. Hair, flies, dust, eww! If you have tried is and found a way to make it work on your cheeks please let me know!
Bex London Londoner Urban Fragrance 2ml
Meh, not got a lot to say about this. These little bottles never last long, and this scent is very nothingy to me. Certainly not worth the £81.00 price point for 100ml! I can tell its unisex and it is quite spicy. I don't think it smells bad, it's just not for me!
Bonus: Elizabeth Arden's Visible Difference Skin Balancing line x3 sachets
I have had the exfoliator before, and loved it, but didn't return to buy it as it was so expensive. I find sachets so hard to get a real feel for skin care from. I think they would have been better to put a mini of just one of these products in, then you can try it for longer, get a real feel for it. I don't think a sachet of face cream has ever swayed me. We shall see!
So the overall verdict is that I like, but don't love this box. Some really lovely products, but nothing revolutionary to me. I may buy one or two things, so I think I can count this as a win!
Thanks GlossyBox!
Thanks for reading,
Charli
xx
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