My Skincare Basket

I like to keep a lot of my skincare in this handy little basket beside my bedroom mirror. Aside from bathroom related items (cleansers, masks, etc). I do most of my skincare in my bedroom so it makes sense to keep everything I use on hand. Here's a quick run down on each product and my thoughts. 

I have other toners that I prefer to The Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner, but I've had this bottle in my collection for a while now so want to get through it. Its nice as it doesn't strip your skin and feels hydrating without being greasy, just a nice little step between cleansing and moisturising.

I got the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with a Feel Unique order, and get the feeling its trying to be like the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, which Ive never tried so cant really compare. I just keep this here to use it up, its nice but I dont feel as though I ever need to reach for it.

I couldnt be without my Alpha H Liquid Gold, every blogger and their dog raves about this and for good reason. I use it every other night before bed as a treatment without moisturising after and the next morning my skin looks glowing and fresh. Magic.

The Anti-Blemish Skinetica is another sample product kept here to use up. I havent noticed any magical spot fighting results so use it as a toner when my face feels a little oily which it is alright at doing. Its nothing special to me though.

The Origins Super Spot Remover works like a dream at reducing redness and spot size, and fast. This iny bottle has lasted me forever, you only need a tiny bit. It gives that stinging feeling whic to me means its doing something and it quickly gives results, even reducing any soreness I may have from a spot.

The Dermalogica Clean Start Dream Matte Moisturiser is yet another sample to be used up. Im not the biggest fan of it in terms of how little moisture it provides, but like the matte finish for days in the house when Im not putting on makeup. This would probably suit those with much oilier skin than mine better.

You've probably heard me raving on and on about the Origins Vitazing before, so Ill keep it brief. Its a fab base for summertime giving a nice tint to the skin, Im even breaking it out now on sunnier spring-time days.

The Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser is a staple for me, its fairly basic and kind for my skin and can always be relied upon to give a nice hydrated feeling to the skin. I dont really feel the need to try anything other than this.

Im coming to the end of my tub of Origins Ginzing Eye Cream and will certainly be repurchasing. Its a great eye cream for mornings with its brightening, light reflecting formula which I find really brightens up my under eye area. 

I just use this old Batiste lid to hold a few cotton buds, I use these for so many things when Im getting ready so its just really handy to have a few on hand to get rid of any mascara smudges or other "emergencies". I like to keep a little mascara wand there too for when I do my brows, just so I always know where it is. 

I love the feeling the Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub gives to my lips, leaving them super silky and soft. I rarely use this though as it can be a bit of a faff and the sugar gets everywhere (maybe Im just clumsy). It tastes amazing too.

I rely so much on my Johnsons Gentle Eye Makeup Remover Pads. I only need to use them on days where Ive worn heavier eye makeup but just find theyre so convenient, especially after a night out! The pre-soaked cotton pads work wonders at breaking down mascara and liner and dont sting my eyes at all, fantastic.

The Origins High-Potency Night-A-Mins is my absolute favourite night cream. It smells amazing and feels so nourishing when applied to the skin. Its a step I really enjoy before bed because it feels like Im doing my skin some good (wierd?). I always wake up with lump soft skin the next morning, another compete staple to my skincare routine. 

I keep this little tin of good old fashioned Nivea Creme handy as I sometimes use it as a moisture mask. I just whack a load of it on if my skins feeling dry if I have a few hours before going to bed and just let it soak in gradually. Goodbye pesky dry patches!

Another Origins product Im obsessed with comes in the form of Eye Doctor, my moisturising eye cream I use at night. I odnt need the brightening properties off Ginzing for bed so find this hydrating option more suitable. Another product where I feel Im being kind to my skin when applying it. 

I keep the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream For Face With SPF 50 (such a mouthful) n hand to encourage me to apply SPF. I must admit I often skip this step but do like the product when I remember to use it.

The Clarins Facial Self Tanner is amazing for giving your face a lovely healthy tanned glow. Its not scarily dark, never goes patchy and can e slotted nicely into your skincare routine after cleansing. Theres nothing I dont love about it.

Im in the process of trying to use up the Soap and Glory Bright Here Bright Now. Its basically a brightening light reflecting cream. It does brighten my complexion if its feeling a little dull but I never really reach for it so am just trying to use it up and wont repurchase it.

The Bare Minerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment is a strange product, like a mineral foundation but for going to bed. It actually gives a nice coverage too and doesnt transfer onto pillows which I find strange. That isnt really its main purpose though, it generally improves and brightens your skin in your sleep with its mineral content. I really loved this before I discovered the Liquid Gold and now that does a similar job but on a much more intense level, so I often forget to use this now. I will use it up though as it was stupidly expensive!

Last but not least I have the Mavala Double Lash, which promises to lengthen, strengthen and thicken lashes with nightly use in just 30 days. Im now on to day 28 of using it and ave noticed good results so a review will be coming on this soon.

What products do you think Im missing from my routine and need in my life? Im always open to recommendations of new things to try!

xoxo

Origins Out of Trouble Mask

In the past the only facemasks I've really ever purchased came in sachets for £1 in Superdrug, and usually peeled off like a kind of second green skin after 15 minutes.

I thought they were fun, but didn't really do a lot.

Origins Out of Trouble face mask has changed my mind completely about face masks as a whole.

This most definitely does something.

I bought it in a moment of desperation when my skin was really acting up. The lady at the counter convinced me this would sort my spotty skin right out, and she was right.

The mask is applied on problem areas, or the whole face if you wish, for 10 minutes then washed away. I personally just use a small amount on spotty oily areas as I dont want to waste it where its not needed. 

Its a rather thick consistency as you can see below, and that small amount is usually about how much I use at  a time. I think this makes the 100ml tube costing £20.00 well worth it, considering I used to pay £1 per one-use sachet which did nothing for my skin. Ive used this about once a week for three months now and Im nowhere near finished!

As far as the experience and results this mask gives, Im very impressed. It feels luxuriously thick to apply, and once on my face Ive found it to tingle slightly for a few minutes. Nothing uncomfortable, but it certainly feels like its working. Once its washed away and my skin has dried theres instantly a noticeable difference.

My skin feels squeaky clean, and noticeably less oily. Spots seem to calm a little, and I think it really makes a difference to how angry and long lasting my blemishes are. I find that it doesnt dry my skin out at all, even when I do use it on my whole face. However my skin is fairly oily so this could differ with drier skin types.

Overall I would highly recommend this mask to anyone that wants to tone down the oiliness of their complexion, clear blocked pores, and keep spots at bay.

I cant wait to try the other Origins masks, Ive heard theyre all just as amazing

xoxo 

Clarins Self Tanning After Sun

Its been almost two months since my last holiday (time flies), and with no real summer here Ive had little use for this product for a while now. But, the times I have used it I absolutely loved it, so there was no way I could let the summer pass by without discussing it.

The product in question is the Clarins After Sun Moisturiser with Self Tan. I bought this with the knowledge that I was going away on holiday with girl that tan easy, and I dont. This was intended to boost my tan to keep up with everyone elses, and boy did it perform!

This aftersun does the perfect job at enhancing your tan. The self tan in it isnt orange at all, and just adds nicely to any natural tan youve picked up. However, this does have more tan in it than I first anticipated. On the first application I just slapped it on like any other after sun....and woke up to streaks and orange hands the next day. By just applying it a little more carefully and washing your hands after, any of these accidents are avoided. It also sins in really quickly and evenly, so not much waiting around in the bathroom windmilling your arms around!

In terms of its purpose as an aftersun, its not the type I would slather on continuously on a night time to ease sunburn. I used a different one just for the purpose of cooling and soothing, this was more for the tanning purposes. Also I think its a little expensive at £18 for 150ml to just be chucking it on a load of sunburn constantly. Another factor in this is that I dont know if this would intensify the false tan in it and maybe look a bit strange?!

The product itself just comes out like a white lotion and sinks in like any after sun would, so its not too scary or "fake-tan-ish". Something else worth mentioning is it doesnt smell like false tan not one tiny bit, bonus! I love the extra glow and boost it gives to the tan Ive already got on holiday. For once in my life I felt like a bronzed goddess after using it (maybe minus the goddess part), so just for that its worth every penny to me!

I couldnt recommend this after sun enough, I dont think Id ever go on holiday without it now. I got mine from feelunique.com for £18 with free delivery!

xoxo

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

After a few months of putting the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette to the test, I think its high time I gave it a full review here on my blog. 

As Im sure most of you know, the Naked 2 palette is the follow up to the very successful and famous first Naked palette from Urban Decay. I own the first one and used it for the past year religiously. The question everyone wants opinions on is how does this offering compare to the original? Is it better? Which one should I buy? 

Obviously the answers to all of these questions are a matter of personal choice and preference, but heres what I think.

As much as I love the texture and appearance of the original Naked palette, the Naked 2 is definitely more hard wearing and travel friendly. In no time at all the soft material of my first one got scuffed up, and this pencil-case like tin is much more sturdy and hard wearing which I like.  

I prefer the large mirror that comes in this palette, which I found very handy to use on holiday as I could practically see my whole face in it. I also prefer the double ended brush that comes in this one to the one ended flat brush I got in the first palette. This brush has the flat end for all over lid application, and a fluffier tapered end which is great for blending and crease work.

On a side note the mini lipgloss that came as an extra is pretty lovely too, a nice sheer neutral colour which would literally suit anyone.

Now...how about the actual eyeshadows...

Overall this palette is much cooler in tone, which personally I prefer and find much more wearable on my paler skin. This will obviously be different person to person, but the cooler colours just compliment me more.

I use this end of the palette the most, and particularly love Bootycall and Tease.

It is slightly annoying that Half Baked is repeated in this palette from the first, but not a total deal breaker as it is a lovely colour. 

Now, Im sorry these last two photos are slightly blurry, but you can still get the effect of what the colours look like. 

The middle few eyeshadows are completely stunning to me. Theyre perfect for mixing and matching as crease and outer-v colours, or even all over the lid. Theyre all right up my street and my favourite part of this second palette compared to the first. Id have say I love Verve as its a silvery colour which didnt feature in the first, and Pistol compliments it well too. 

The last three colours are all fantastic as well, I love that a nicely pigmented black is included, meaning that any look from this palette can be transformed to a sultry night look with a quick smokey sweep of Blackout.

Id have to say that all of these eyeshadows have amazing pigmentation, as with the first palette. The mattes and the more chunky glittery colours are great too, which can often be the downfall pigmentation wise with other brands, but theres really no issues here. 

The price of this palette could be something that would put people off, as it retails at around £35. However, when you divide it up it works out at just under £3 per eyeshadow, along with a free double ended brush and a lipgloss. Id say thats amazing value, especially as these are the nicest selection of eyeshadows I could imagine coming all in one set, and at such good quality too.

I feel like such a traitor to my first Naked palette at the minute as Ive been using this one none stop. Im not sure which I prefer as of yet. I think Im still in the novelty new-product-obsession stage of using this, the same phase I went through when I first got the original. The colours of this are much easier for me to pull off, and its a better choice for night time looks I would say. On the other hand Im very faithful to my old first one.

Im glad I have both as to me theyre not as similar as theyre made out to be, but maybe thats just my make-up obsessed brain telling me to think that.

Thanks for reading my rambling on if you got this far!

xoxo

Bourjois The Volumizer Mascara

I recently completely finished up the Bourjois Volumizer mascara, and thought it was high time I gave it a full review. 

The mascara is one of those 2 step types, with the first step to lengthen and separate and the second step to add volume. At first I was very sceptical about this system, assuming it was just a gimmick, and how wrong was I!

The first step really works at adding length pretty well. It keeps the lashes separate so they dnt clum together at all, which gives a lovely effect in itself, but is perfect to build volume upon to give fluttery lashes! On days when I wasnt doing much I would sometimes just use a quick coat of this step for easy pretty lashes.

The second step is what makes this mascara for me. It is obviously the same wand, only in the first step it gets pulled through the little tube to take off more product. This second step can look a little intimidating at first, especially when the mascara is new, as the brush is loaded with product. However, this works abslute wonders on top of your already long and separated lashes from the first step, and builds upon them nicely to give mega volume. I did find that this could sometimes clump my lashes together, but I fixed that by whipping out Step 1 and combing through the lashes when the brush has way less product on it, simples!

Heres a little "rabbit caught in the headlights" shot from an old FOTD where the only thing I have on my lashes is this mascara. So many people that night asked my what false lashes I was wearing, so this does give mega huge lashes!

 Its dried up now and I dont even have it anymore, but I loved it so much I still wanted to use the pictures for a review. Once Ive used up the other mascaras I have I will definitely be going back to this one, its my absolute favourite!

The Volumizer mascara is sold at ny Bourjois stand at Boots or Superdrug, and retails for around £10, which I dont think is too bad considering how great it is.

Whats your favourite mascara?

xoxo

Review: Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tan

These past few weeks in the UK have been suprisingly hot. After the dark and wet Springtime my body was less than prepared to be stripped down to a vest and shorts for the sun coming out. This is where this product helped out massively, and Ive been loving it ever since..

Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion Sun Kissed Look (mouthful?) is basically a moisturiser with a hint of self than that can be built up gradually. I use the shade "Deep Sunkissed Look" which I think is the darkest. I have the fairest skin imaginable and this isnt too dark for me, but I wil explain further.

I was quite shocked at how much of a tan this gave me at my first application. I applied it before bed one night just as I would a normal body lotion expecting minimal results, I was very wrong. In the morning I had clearly used tan, overall the colour was lovely, but since I had underestimated it I had missed patches and made streaky marks. I think because I got the darkest hade it mkes the most difference after just one application, which I personally like but something to think about if that not your thing. 

After applying it properly the next time, rubbing it in carefully ll oer and washing my hands after, I got lovely results. The tan this gives isnt intense, and is a much safer and less obvious choice in comparison to my St Moriz or Xen Tan. I prefer those for a big night out, but this is great for day to day to keep the pale ghostly skin I have away. It is described as a sun-kissed look, and I would definately agree.

Another aspect I truely love about this is the scent. All gradual tanners Ive tried in the past have stunk of false tan (Dove, Johnsons, Im lookin at you). This one has none of that at all, it actually smells of apricots, and suuprisingly when the tan developes the smell still doesnt sneak in then either. The smell I find reminicent of Apricot Munch Bunch yogurts I used to eat as a child, yum!

This is a perfect product to help get summer ready, and quickly too! Id recommend giving it a try.

Thanks for reading

xoxo

Avon Ideal Flawless Foundation

Its not often I do a foundation review, I like to use them for ages before constructing a proper opinion, and by then I forget to review it. This time its only taken me a few months to decide what I think of this foundation.
Most of the time the foundations I prefer are light/medium coverage with a dewy finish, I actually opt for Origins Vitazing most days instead of a foundation.

I rarely ever reach for my Revlon Colorstay or MAC Studio Fix Fluid anymore, which is why I was so suprised to actually love this foundation from Avon.

Firstly, I love that its relatively cheap, but still comes in lovely glass bottle with a pump included. You can get it for £12 on the Avon website, but if you look out in the brochures theres nearly always a deal on...I got my particulat bottle for just £8! Bargain.

Of course one of the downsides of Avon is that you cant see the shades in person before you buy, so its a little bit of guess work. I personally dont mind this as I usually just pick the lightest, or second lightest shade and that usually works fine for me, but I could see how it could be an issue for some. For reference Im the colour Ivory and its the best colour match Ive ever had in a foundation. Their colour selection is amazing, much better than most brands so I would say its a great one to check out if you struggle to find shades pale enough or dark enough for you.

As far as the product is concerned, its medium coverage I would say, but doesnt feel at all heavy on a skin. One pump is a tiny amount but spreads well enough to cover my whole face perfectly. It could of course be built up to a heavier coverage if you prefer. I find this goes on a dream, so quick and easy with my Sigma F80 brush. I really want to try the Real Techniques Buffing brush as I think that would be amazing for it also.

It has an average lasting power I would say, but any foundation Ive tried starts to wear off around the chin and nose area for me towards the end of the day, so this is pretty much standard. It has SPF 15, and so far Ive had no problems with flashback in photos! 

You can see how good if a colour match this is for me, as on the right of this photo its blended into the skin seamlessly, it really lives up to its claims of "invisible coverage" I think. Im not too sure how this would apply on drier skin types however, as when I did have a small dry patch it tended to cling to it a little so that may be something to think about.

I do really like this foundation, but it doesnt beat Jemma Kidd Light As Air for me. It is nice though for days when I want a slightly heavier coverage and not so dewy look. Id definately recommend it, especially for the price!

xoxo

MAC Babysparks Dazzleglass

Just a quick post on what is definately my current favourite lipgloss. I bought Babysparks a few months ago, and Ive been loving it ever since. I ignored the bloggers who said the dazzleglasses were way too sticky, and Im so glad I did. 

Granted, it is rather on the sticky side, but this is something I really dont mind as it means the lipgloss stays put for ages. I love that about it, but the one downside is once it actually does wear away and theres no gloss left, youre left with the glittery parts stuck to your lips. I can deal with this by just making sure I reapply if it wears off.

The gloss runs down in the tube surprisingly quickly...the picture above is how much Ive used up in around 2 months. However I can deal with it as I loveee the look (and scent) of dazzleglasses that Ive never quite found in another gloss. Although it is glittery, it doesnt look childish or gross on the lips, instead it makes them look glossy, shiney and full...Im a little obsessed now.

The applicator is a brush rather than a spongey type applicator, which I kind of prefer. The colour of the gloss looks really baby pink, but I find this doesnt transfer too much to the lips in a fake barbie pink way. Instead it gives a nice subtle pinky colour which pretty much goes with any lipstick Ive worn it with. I especially love it over nudey lipsticks to make them a little more wearable. 

This is how it looks on my lips on its own. I could talk about this all day, I love it so much. I cant wait to get my hands on some more Dazzleglasses, in particular Smile and Love Alert.

Do you like Dazzleglasses? If so which ones would you recommend?

xoxo

John Frieda Go Blonder Lightening Spray

I havent done a review for ages, but I feel this product is worth it. I bought the John Frieda Go Blonder spray about 6 months ago. I had dull blonde mousey coloured hair that I really didnt like. Ive never dyed it before, but I was considering it, and this spray was the last resort. Thank god I found this or I would have ended up with highlights, and dying it constantly like half the girls I know.

To put it simply this spray has worked wonders on my hair. I use it every time I wash my hair, just before blow drying. I spray it evenly all over my hair and brush through to make sure its all over. Then the heat from the hairdryer activates the "lightening" process. Any heat will help, so straighteners would further intensify the lightening. It doesnt leave any horrible residue or heavy feeling in your hair, which Im happy about as my hair is so thin it i easily weighed down by product.

Heres some before and after shots...

 Before Id used the spray, my hair was much more dull and I couldnt stand it.

After using the spray for around 6 months my hair is now this colour, which many of my friends strive to get theirs to be using bleach and all kinds.

I wouldnt say it took all this time to get it to lighten, its a very gradual process. I think just the more you do it the better the results. Its pretty much up to you, you could use it sparingly and less often to get just a hint of lightening r everytime you blowdry and straighten like I do.

Ive recently been getting a lot of compliments on my hair colour which Ive never had before, even from my Dad who probably wouldnt notice if I came home with an arm missing.

I couldnt be without this now, and my hair is truly grateful that its been saved from a life of bleaching and highlights!

xoxo

Nars Wicked Attraction

First things first, yeh I broke my spending ban, and as youll see Ive broke it a whole lot more in Manchester! But once I get home its full steam ahead to sticking to it.

The Nars Wicked Attraction set is £35, and I got mine from asos.com.

 I used the Saver Devliery option with is free and it still arrived in 3 days which I thought was fantastic.

The set came with a duo of Laguna bronzer and Orgasm blusher, Fathom eyeshadow, eyeshadow primer and a Larger Than Life lipgloss in Spring Break. I bought this as it looked like such a good deal as Ive been wanting to try Orgasm and Laguna for a long time now. However when it came the products were mch smaller than I exected, teeny tiny actually, but after the inital suprise I was fine with it.

Spring Break lipgloss is very pigmented, way more so than I expected. Its actually really wierd on me, way too nude. But Im trying t find a better way to wear it. Other than that its really pretty and I think in a brighter colour this would be a lovely formulation of gloss. 



I havent used the eye primer yet as Im trying to use up the Urban Decay one I already have, but Im going to give this one a go and if its nice Im going to keep it for when I go on hliday as it absolutely tiny so great for travel! Every little helps where saving space in the make-up bag is concerned!

Photos of this duo are quite deceiving I find, its actually really small, but just enogh space to squeeze my blush brush in. Im really pleasantly suprised with these, thinking there were both over-hyped and that I would be disappointed, but Im not at all I love them and neeeeeed them in full size at some point. The Laguna bronzer is my favourite, its way more wearable for me than any other bronzer Ive tried, not orange in the slightest and really good for light skin like mine. Amazing! Orgasm is also a very pretty blush, very unique...but I have way too much blush fr now so Ill keep this little one for a while before purchasing the full size. This little duo will laso be great for taking on holiday as it fits two products in one little compact.

I'd never thought to try an eyeshadow from Nars, always focusing more on the cheek products, however as soon as I sw this I was very excited. 

I took a million photos to try and get one to show how pretty this is in the pan, and this still doesnt even get close. Fathom is a very pale pink wit lots of gorgeous fine glitter. However, this doesnt transfer too amazingly onto the lid. Its still a nice all over lid colour, but not very pigmented and doesnt transfer much of the shimmer well either. Definately one thats better in the pan than on the lid, but Ill still use it as it is still nice, just not as pretty as in the pan.

What other Nars products do you love that I need to try? I think Im starting a bit of a fling with Nars!

xoxo

Review: Soap and Glory's The Breakfast Scrub

 Whilst using this product earlier today I was thinking of how much I bloody love it, and checked my blog to see how much I'd mentioned it..thinking there would be Breakfast Scrub overload. Turns out, it hasnt featured much, and certainly not in great detail. So heres my review....

Just to get it out the way with, The Breakfast Scrub by Soap and Glory is by a million miles the BEST body scrub I have ever came across. Many others are just like shower gels with a few scratchy particles floating around inside of it, some leave a greasy residue (Flake Away, Im looking at you), and many of them just dont do very much.

This is where The Breakfast Scrub comes in. For some reason, particularly in the cold winter months, I get very dry legs, and little hard bumps on the backs of my arms which I hate with a passion. In all honestly, recently Ive been neglecting my routine and my skin on my body was a little worse for wear with the aforementioned issues. So I whipped out my tub of The Breakfast Scrub, took it to the bath with me and left the bathroom a much smoother and silkier Hayley, free from scaley legs and little hard lumpy bumpys.

It has a lovely thick consistency as you can see above, but is still very easy to distribute over your skin and spreads around easily. A little goes a long way so this tub will last me ages, I had my last tub around 6 months and used it every week.

When I apply it I use it instead of shower gel when I bathe. When Im in a fake tanning routine I use this religiously on my whole body a few times a week, something Ive been slacking with recently but am back into now. It gives the perfect base for tanning as it removes every little bit of dead skin. All I do with it is take a tiny amount for sections of my body, arms, legs, torso etc and rub its all over the area in a circular motion for a while. You dont need to do it too hard, or for too long for it to have a great effect. Just rinse off in the bath or shower and youre good to go. I can catch a whiff of this for hours after using this on my skin. The smell was literally the selling point of this for me the first time I bought it. I cant really describe the scent, other than they definately got the breakfast thing right, it kind of smells like pancakes and maple syrup or honey type affair.

One thing I would say is to use a good moisturiser after this to make sure your skin is extra hydrated and smooth. I still do this even though it contains shea butter so it isnt too drying anyway.

For all of you ingredients buffs out there it is a sugar scrub, and contains oats and shea butter, along with organis cupuacu (what?!), bio scrubs, bananas, almond and honey extracts. Hence the amazing smell.

Ive rambled on WAY too much but basically, everyone needs to try this. I cant say a bad word about it, and I doubt Ill be buying any different scrubs anytime soon, they would have to be something ridiculously amazing to live up to this one.

xoxo

Review: Aussie vs. TIGI Bed Head....Volumising Shampoos and Conditioners

I know the title is a bit of a mouthful...but hey at least you know what youre getting with this post! Im the kind of person who doesnt like to have a load of shampoos on the go at once. I buy one, I use it up, then I buy another one. I dont know why but even when I love a shampoo/conditioner, once Ive used it up I still want to try a different one, always on the hunt for the perfect combo for my hair.

 I recently finished the Aussie Aussome Volume shampoo and conditioner, and had bought the Tigit Bed Head Styleshots Epic Volume pair for when I finished my Aussie ones. I have been using the TIGI ones for about 3 weeks now so I think I can come up with a fair comparison type review of which ones are better, in my opinion anyway.

Firstly let me say my hair type is limp, kinda lifeless, very fine and flyaway...prone to static and also sticking to my head :(. Now were past my self pity, lets see what these products do for this annoying hair type of mine...

Im gunna start by saying I LOVE the Aussie range as a whole. Thyere a very ethically awae company, read up on them and youll see just how great they are! Im not going to go into product descriptions because frankly they bore me to tears reading them on blogs. Bascially these products claim to be lightweight and great for fine hair and above all, volumising, which is what you wold expect when theyre titled "Aussome Volume".

With these products the first thing I noticed was the distinctive smell, its gorgeous, but I cant put my finger on what the scent is...but its lovely anyway. I found the shampoo lathered brilliantly and left my hair feeling completely clean, like it had taken away all the gunk and hairspray and whatever, and lft me with shiney, bouncy and fuller hair. I genuinely accept that these do add volume to my hair. The conditioner is beautifully light, it doesnt feel thick and awful in my hair, it still gives a lot of moisture though and leaves my hair silky and smooth but not weighed down or greasy looking at all. I found my hair could go slightly longer between washes when using these products, about a day longer than before I used them, which means I have to use them less often so they last longer...value for money!

Theyre widely available at "drugstores" and supermarkets, and arent too expensive and are often in deals and such, I got mine for £10 for the pair. Honestly, these are the best products I have found for my hair and I would 100% rcommend them!

Unfortunately, Im not so impressed with these products from TIGI, which I'm kinda disappointed in saying as I have a whole bunch of their styling products and swear by them. Firstly, these are usually rather pricey at around £10 each, but I got mine from Cheap Smells for £15. They claim to do all sorts, boost volume body and shine, proect from heat, humidity and colour, and repair and strengthen hair. Big big claims!!

If Im totally honest, I dont think its worth the price tag. Ive pad £2 for a bottle of Pantene and got better results than I get from these. I hate to rant about products generally but I jsut cant get away with these. They smell like strawberry bootlace sweets, which to me is a little sickly and overpowering to be slathering on my hair, but luckily this doesnt linger after showering. The consistency is veeeery thick I find, and it takes a bit of elbow grease to get it to lather up over my head. Because itsd thick it takes longer to rinse out too, and once I have spent forever rinsing, my hair doesnt feel alotgether clean. I honestly am rinsing properly, and it still feels like theres product build up in my hair, even once I blow dried. I mean yeh, it cleans my hair but nothing special, and I wouldnt say it did much volumising at all.

My hair gets greasy after about 12 hours after using this, which I dont enjoy, saying as I was used to clean hair for 3 days with the Aussie ones. I feel it weighs my hair down and my hair's flat as a pancake on my head, no movement or body to it really. This is no reflection on the TIGI brand for me, as a whole I love most of the stuff I have tried from them, and these shampoos may be more suited to thicker hair, but not for fine ahir looking for volume like they claim to be. Yes, I will continue to use them...will I buy them again? Nope, Ill be going straight back to my beloved Aussie products!


xoxo

Sigma F80 vs. ELF Powder Brush

Ive been meaning to do this post for so long now, but Im glad Ive gave them both a really good try before I did this review.

Id heard that these brushes were very similar so decided to put it to the test, and to cut to the chase, they are ridiculously similar in almost every single way.

Similarities:

- Apply powder, cream blush and liquid founation immaculately. This is the only products Ive used them with but find they work very well with all of them, giving even coverage, no streaks at all and an almost airbrush finish, I will never ever use my average founation brush again after discovering these.

-Wash well, I find these suprisingly dry quite quickly after washing and come out lovely and fluffy.

- No shedding, which to me can be the end of a brush when they leave black hairs all over your nicely applied make-up when you then have to pick holes in it to get rid of the brush hairs. Neither of these have shed a single hair with me, big thumbs up!

Differences:

- Density, yes they are both very dense brushes but to me the sigma is slighty more dense than the ELF brush. I think this may be just because the brush hairs on the elf brush are slightly longer than the sigma brush so they splay out a little more at the top and arent as tightly packed. Because of this I like the Sigma brush a little better as I feel it buffs in my foundation slgihtly better as the bristles are so tightly packed at the end. But this is nit picking, an only a tiny difference!

- Overall quality, the sigma brush overall feels like a better brush. It just looks better to me, the lettering on the handle is more professional looking, and I like the thicker handle. Also, this week the handle on the ELF power brush has become very loose, and wiggles around a lot which leads me to think it might come out pretty soon and break, which is a huge thumbs down!

-Price, of course the ELF powder brush wins hands down at under £5, and the Sigma brush is $16. Im not quite sure exactly how much this is in pounds, but obviously quite a bit more than the ELF brush. Because of this, on a budget I woul go for buying the ELF brush as it is pretty much the same an still amazing, but if you have the spare cash I would recommend the Sigma brush, I just prefer it!

The Winner....Sigma F80!

I currently have a giveaway running to win a Sigma F80, enter here!

xoxo

Review: Urban Decay Naked Palette

I know I know, not ANOTHER Naked palette review. But, I feel as though I have some differing opinions to most the rave reviews Ive read before so I thought I would give my two cents worth.

When the Naked palette arrived at my house I literally had butterflies in my stomach as I unwrapped the parcel I was literally THAT excited. It definately lived up to my expectations in that the packaging is gorgeous, its beautifully presented and the range of colours and finishes of the shadows was outstanding.

 I instantly swatched them all on my hand with the brush that came with it (which, might I add is a very lovely brush), and knew I would use this palette to death, I never needed to purchase another eyeshadow as long as I live. I think you will agree these swatches are beautiful, yes?

Now, its not that I dont like the palette, I just think the hype of it is has been a bit of an overkill for me, and now I have it, Im not blown away by it like I was expecting from all these crazy reviews going around. The first mistake I made with them, which I quickly learnt from, is that less is more. Somehow for me its very easy to get a lot of product on your brush, and once its on your eye and it looks ridiculous you have to start all over again. Three times now Ive had to completely wipe all the eyeshadow off my eyes and start from scratch.  So just a tip, use tiny tiny amounts at a time when applying, as I find with these shadows, more so than others its easy to make mistakes...somehow!

Seocndly, Sidecar is REALLY shimmery. Yes, I love shimmery shadows, but this one is verging on glitter in it. And I found through the day this transfered round on to my temples and on to my cheeks which I really didnt like...so again go in with a light hand especially with Sidecar!

My last grumble is my main disappointment. I applied my ELF Primer before these shadows as I do every day before I put on my eyeshadow. With any other eyeshadow it stays on perfect all day completely creaseless until I take it off for bed, whether they be MAC, ELF, or even Natural Collection shadows, they dont budge. When Ive used the Naked palette shadows they crease really badly, and I mean like the eyeshadow has practically all disappeared into a creasy line in my crease, and its not even there at all anymore on my lids. Ive tried using the UDPP instead, or MAC paintpots but for me, nothing will get these eyeshadows to stay put properly. Has anyone else had this problem?

When I first applied the shadows (Half Baked all over and Smog in outer corner)

After around 4 hours of normal wear when most shadows woudl still be perfect...

I really love the colours and its a fabulous palette once you learn to use a light hand...its just I find it rather disappointing that they really dont stay well on me...anything Im missing or any tips to stop this from happening? I really want to fall in love with my Naked palette!

xoxo

Review: S&G Scrub Your Nose In It

Hi all! Feels like ages since I wrote anything on here, and theres really not a good excuse. But I dont feel as though one needs to explain why they have a break from their hobby, I feel as though a break now and then is good and it refreshes my mind and hen I start blogging again I remember why I love it :) Also my camera is lost (i know Little Miss Clumsy) so for today theres not any of my on photos.

So, I was in the bath this morning using this particular product and decided its about time I reviewed this. I dont review enough products, only if I really love ti or hate it, and on this occassion I LOVE this!

Soap and Glory always in my over ith their lovely packaging, funny product names and distinctive scents, many of their products are my holy grail scrubs, body butters, shower gels etc etc. I thought Scrub Your Nose In It looked pretty but as'nt sure about ho effective it would be.

Firstly I just want to say I really love multipurpose products like this. Its a face scrub, but can also be used as a really good clay face mask, or really anywhere in between. Most times when I use this I tend to smooth this onto my face and leave it for a few minutes beforfe scrubing it in and washing it off, then you kind of get the face mask and the scrub in one.

Its not something I would recommend for sensitive skin though, although the grains in it are small theyre still rather abrasive, which personally I love but I kno many dont. It smells fresh like a lot of other face masks, and nothing like the typical S&G smell. Its really tingly, and some might say it stings a bit when its left on as a face mask, but my skin is reall resilient so it just fells like its really getting a good deep clean. It leaves my skin feeling soft and fresh which is of course my main aim from using it.

Its also not too expensive at around £5 for 125ml, which I think is reasonable considering it does a much better job (and serves two purposes) in comparison to others of a similar price.

Its honestly the best face scrub Ive ever came across and Ill continue to repurchase again and again :) LOVE it!