At the moment I am going between two different lip balms which are completely different in every way so I thought I would compare them both for you. The lip balms I am talking about are Maybelline's Baby Lips in cherry me and Soap and Glory Smooch Operator lip butter balm.
The Soap and Glory lip balm I bought only last week is not what I expected. It is really small but I guess it is perfect size to take in your hand bag. It comes in a pot which I don't like as it isn't the most hygienic thing to use, I also feel like I get a lot of product on my finger but it doesn't transfer properly to my lips from my finger. It makes the tip of my finger smooth but doesn't do the same to my lips. I find that the lip balm is okay on normal lips but it doesn't do much for dry chapped lips as it doesn't moisturise my lips back to health.
Saying all this, the balm is nice to put on normal lips underneath lip sticks so that they glide on nicely.
My second lip balm is Maybelline's Baby lips which in comparison to the S&G product makes my lips feel great! The formula is really moisturising and leaves my lips feeling really smooth, plus it gives my lips a reddy tone and smells delicious! The only thing with this lip balm is because it is so rich you can't put lip sticks on straight afterwards, your lips are too moist to hold the colour and so don't come out properly.
I think it easy to see that Maybelline's Baby Lips won the contest but I will still be using the Soap and Glory lip balm to prepare my lips for lipsticks.
What do you guys think of these two products? :)
I have yet to review the products that I got in my January Birchbox so I thought I'd roll the two months together in a blogpost for you and tell you whether I would purchase the products myself. There are quite a few products so lets get started...
All the views I share of these products are based on my own preferences in products and my skin type, everyone's skin type and opinions are different, I'm just sharing my experiences with you :)
Januarys Products
Philip Kingsley moisture balancing conditioner £18I liked this conditioner, it made my hair look really shinny and soft but its not completely amazing and I don't think I would buy a bottle for £18 when there are cheaper options that do the same like my favourite at the moment VO5.
Purchase myself? No
Benefit POREfessional primer £24.50
Well well well here we go, this is one product everyone and their mum raves about. Me... I don't see the hype myself. Controversial opinion I know. It might be because I don't have big pores, I might just be super strange but I don't think it is as amazing as everyone talks about. It does make my skin feel really soft I'll give it that.
Purchase myself? for the price it is and the results I've seen no
Blanc Cashemire Crème De Jour Protectrice £54.75
The smell of the cream is rather medical, its not something I'd think 'oo I want to rub that on my face' I also felt like the cream made my skin come off on my hand when I was rubbing it in, so that really put me off it. I think £55 is really overpriced for this average cream
Purchase myself? No
Lavera Basic Sensitive Hand Cream £4.45
First of all the smell of this is lovely! It is really fruity and reminds me of the Soap and Glory Candy Crush products, which I could just sit there and smell all day. For £4.45 it is not a bad hand cream at all, it dries quick on your hands so they aren't sticky afterwards and it does make them feel more smooth.
Purchase myself? Yes
Februarys Products
Beauty Protector Protect & Oil £16
This is a good hair oil that makes your hair shiny and soft. Compared to my £3 oil from body care there isn't much difference. The small bottle has lasted months with me and I haven't even made a dent in the bottle so I think that out of the two, I would probably go with the cheaper option.
Purchase myself? No
Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner £12
I was really excited to use this liquid eyeliner, I thought it would be long wearing and be good to use for drawing cat eyes but I think there are better ones on the market. This product hasn't change my opinion about liquid eyeliners.
Purchase myself? No
Purchase myself? No
Urban Veda Radiance Exfoliating Facial Polish £8.99
For £9 I think this a good exfoliator, I can feel it working on my skin and I find it rough enough to actually do something to my skin. Facial scrubs are my favourite so this product is definitely up my street!
Purchase myself? Yes
Gilchrist and Soames The London Collection shower gel £13.75
Again like the hand cream the smell of this shower gel is amazing! Very fruity and refreshing first thing in the morning. Because the formation of the gel is really runny, a little bit goes a long way so after a few washes with the gel I have plenty left in this little pot.
Purchase myself? Hell yeah!
Leighton Denny Nail Colour £11
The colour of this nail vanish is really interesting, in some lights it grey, lilac, cream, silver... and the colour changes depending on the number of coats you put on. The coats didn't last long before they chipped but at my work, I am constantly using my hands moving clothes and moving bars so my hands get pretty beat up during the day, so I wasn't surprised it didn't last that long on me. On my next week off I will see how long it lasts when I'm not battering my hands on a daily basis
Purchase myself? Yes
I'm excited for next months box after going through my first two! :)
In my first every proper blog post I said that I was putting myself on a 'Soap & Glory/anything body wash related' ban after getting loads of products for Christmas and going crazy on the Boots website over the new year. Well I lasted for a month and a half... Its not my fault though! I BLAME BOOTS. They sent me a coupon to get an extra 100 points next time I buy anything from Soap & Glory AND they currently have 3 for 2 on all the S&G products so I had to really! *tries to hid the shopping bags from my mum who will actually kill me if she sees them*
Anyway I thought id show you guys which ones I picked up, mainly so I could feel that I had a proper useful purpose for buying more, so enjoy :)
I have a whole box of body lotions and butters so I steered clear of anything like that, I could not justify buying more! So I opted for two body washes and a body scrub. The first body wash is the Whipped Clean Luxe Cream Wash Shower Butter, I got a bit star struck by how long the name was and thought 'hey I love body butters let try the shower butter'. The second body wash is the Clean Girls skin softening creamy body wash which I saw and thought looked and smelt nice. The scrub I picked up was the only one of the three that I had heard of before and wanted to try but it was always sold out when I went to buy it. Its the scrub 'em and leave 'em body scrub which I've wanted to try for a long time now. The really sad thing is I cant actually use these until I've used up the stacks of other body scrubs and washes I've already opened and not finished :(
As I was leaving I also noticed the S&G smooth operator lip butter balm which I read a post about a few days earlier and wanted to try so I thought as I was in the shop anyway, I would get it too to try. I've already opened this and tried it out and my first impressions of it is that the pot is really small, too small for the £5 I paid for it. It also doesn't spread that well on your lips and so I had to keep going back for more product to cover the majority of my lips. It does keep my lips smooth but my first impressions are that it doesn't last that long.
Lastly I popped into Lush to pick up a product that a have read a lot of reviews on recently so I wanted to try it out myself. My skin has been very, lets call it rebellious recently, and around my chin I have constantly been getting spot after spot after spot. I watched Wonderful You's video of the Lush products she recently purchased and she raved about this Tea Tree Toner, saying that it helped her with her bad spots, so she basically convinced me to buy it.
I'll write a post in the coming weeks of how I got on with all these products, once I've finished up with the body products I am currently using, in case your thinking of buying them but are unsure whether they are right for you :)
I thought I'd start writing these posts whenever I change up my regular makeup as I enjoy reading them so hopefully you'll enjoy reading them by me :)
Excuse my tired eyes!
So let's get started! I'm having a super lazy DVD day (exciting Valentines day plans I know... ) so I didn't put too much effort into my makeup or outfit, I wanted natural makeup and comfy cosy clothes.
*Three of the products I'm wearing today are new so this is the first time I am actually trying them out*
So on my face I am wearing Maybellines superstay 24 hour foundation* which I thought would have more coverage but it is quite natural. I'm hoping next time to layer it up without looking cakey. The concealer I am wearing is Collection 2000 in fair 1. On my eyes I am wearing Maybellines volum' express turbo boost mascara* which I am really liking and my mini liquid eyeliner by Eyeko London* which I received in my Birchbox this month. Lastly on my lips I am wearing the lipstick I bought from H&M in the shade 'wild thing' just to shade things up a bit since I have hardly any makeup on.
For my outfit my leggings are from Forever 21 and my jumper is from Newlook.
Hope you enjoy! :)
This months Birchbox has changed my mind about quitting it for sure. I love all the bits and I think I will use all of them (apart from one thing) regularly.
Lets get the rubbish one out of the way... Green Blacks organic dark chocolate. I am not a fan of dark chocolate at all so this will be going to my mum again.
Second is Beauty Protector - protect and oil which is just a hair oil which makes your hair 'healthy, shinny and happy'. I have been using my Aragon oil religiously for months now so it will be nice to try this different oil and see how it differs.
The product I'm the most excited about using is the Eyeko skinny liquid eyeliner. I don't have many liquid eyeliners myself, I find pencil eyeliners easier to work but I have been wanting to purchase a new liquid one. I tried this out on my hand and about 10 minutes I tried to wipe it off with my finger and it wouldn't budge so I have a feeling the staying power in this eyeliner is impressive!
Another product that I am really excited to try out is the Urban Veda radiance exfoliating facial polish which claims to 1. naturally brighten 2. balance skin tone and has fruit enzymes? I am a sucker for face cleansers, scrubs, washes and masks. I have a whole draw of them! So I am really excited to see if this works for my skin.
Just like face products, I am addicted to buying body washes, scrubs, butters so the Gilchrist and Soames shower gel intrigues me. At first glance it is quite runny which i prefer for body washes as i feel that i get more from body washes like this and they last longer. Plus it smells quite nice :)
Last is this really nice silver/bluey/grey/shinny nail polish by Leighton Denny. I say its all four colours because it looks different in every light. I hope it transfers like that onto my nails as i think this will be a nice colour to wear on nights out, or on just one finger with the rest of my hand painted black.
I definitely prefer the products i got this month than the products i got last month, hopefully each month it just gets better and better! :)
The coat is £49.99 but I did get a discount on it which encouraged me to buy it. You can take a look at it here.
I thought I'd share it with you guys as I love it so much! :)
I usually have work until 6 before a night out so when I actually have the day off, I like to go all out in my preparation for the night and I thought I'd share with you my favourite products to use when I'm getting ready for a night out. This might seem a little bit excessive for one night but I love spending all day getting ready really really slowly.
The products
During shower
Pink pour pemme shower gel
FCUK shower scrub
Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean face wash
VO5 Nourish Me shine shampoo
VO5 Give Me Moisture
After shower
Sudacrem
Soap and Glory body milk
Boots natural collection wild strawberry body spray
Ed Hardy born wild shimmering body lotion perfect lotion to put on your arms to give your skin a subtle shimmer
Blanc cachemire day cream (this is the first time I tried it out and I'm not too sure what my opinion is on it yet)
Hair
L'Oreal studio hot straight straightening cream great cream to protect your hair before your going to straighten/curl it
John Frieda frizz ease styling spray
Nails You cant forget about your feet if your going to have them on show in open toe shoes!
Scholl softening cream
RCH in red
Lumiere in clear
These are all the products I like to use when I have the time before a big night out. When I have work until the afternoon I obviously don't have the time to proper pamper myself so, I might do a post on the products I use when I'm in a rush. Enjoy! :)
Over Christmas I went a bit crazy with fairy lights, I bought quite a few packs to decorate my room over the festive holidays. Since then, I have changed my room around and so now all my mirrors need changing position as they are blocked off by my bed. This also means that my fairy lights look really out of place wrapped round my mirror.
I didn't know what to do with them and then I thought up this idea of putting them inside these two yellow and green vases I have had for donkeys years now which were never being used.
The idea is so simple and I think it looks really unusual. The lamp can be any colour you want, you just put the fairy lights in the colour vase you want the lamp to be and it reflects that colour.
These makeshift lamps are really bright and look great on cabinets and shelves, I've put my two on my DVD stand on one end of my room and on my side at the other end. The fairy lights were only £2.99 from home bargains and you can use any size, colour or shape of vase you want!
I thought I'd share this with you because it's a simple and cheap idea, plus it is very different from anything it the shops. Try it out! :)
I love watching videos on YouTube of people talking about their favourite products, make up and fashion hauls and tutorials. This is probably the wrong website to say this but I guess I prefer watching videos then reading blogs...
Here are some of the ladies who's videos I am loving at the moment
*zoella
I'm sure everyone will know who Zoe is. I've been subscribed to her channel for a year now and like everyone else, I've fallen in love with her! Her videos are about everything; clothes, makeup, crafty bits and some funny videos with the guys.
*velvetghost
Gabby is such a lovely girl! Her channel has grown so much over the last fee months and it's not hard to see why. She does great tutorials and is hilarious in every video. Definitely someone to watch!
*dizzybrunette3
Corrie again is a lovely girl who makes great videos including clothing hauls and beauty tags. Her style is exactly like mine so I love her clothing videos.
* the makeup chair
Sineady's channel is great for makeup newbies who want to know the basics like the different concealers, hiding spots and how to apply foundation. She has literally filmed a video for every thing you could want to know.
These four girls are always top of my list when I look through my subscriptions, they are all really entertaining and have really helped me choose new products and find some right gems!
If your looking for new people to watch on YouTube then definitely have a look at these girls!
Here are all their YouTube links :)
Zoe's
Gabriella's
Corrie's
Sineady's
Here are all their YouTube links :)
Zoe's
Gabriella's
Corrie's
Sineady's
After having a very long day at work I got home to this surprise box on the stairs, Yay! This is my first every Birchbox so I didn't know what to expect and after receiving it, I have mixed feelings. I haven't used any of the products yet but I will give a review once I have!
Firstly the box arrived only a week after I signed up for it, so I was impressed with how fast they picked the items and sent it out. Secondly the box, and more importantly the bag the products come in, is soooo cute and totally reusable. My sister has already claimed my bag for next month and I have ideas of what I'm going to use the bag for.
I am disappointed with the size of the products especially the Benefit product, I didn't expect a full size bottle but I did think that they would be bigger than they actually are.
Now for the products...
* Philip Kinglsey Moisture Balancing Conditioner - £18
This conditioner wont last long but I am intrigued to try it and see how it makes my hair feel.
*Benefit The POREfessional - £24.50
I am really excited to use this as it will be my first Benefit product, the price of the products has put me off but if I find that they really do work I will invest in some. The size of this product is really disappointing though, after one use it will be gone.
*Blanc Cahemire Crème De Jour Protectrice - £54.75
I'm interested to see if my skin likes this day cream, I will probably use this on days when I don't wear full make up.
*Lavera Basic sensitive Hand Cream - £4.45
This product is the one that I don't mind being miniature, the size is great for my handbag.
*Beekind Body Lotion - £12.95
This product is made with honey and organic chamomile extracts so I'm interested to use it, for £13 I would rebuy it.
*ITSU Miso Soup - £2.25
This item I wasn't expecting and am not going to be using, I've already given it to my mum haha.
I do have mixed feeling about this box, I think I might wait until I get next months box, see what I get and decide whether I will carry it on then. I will review these items before the end of the month once I have used them all.
What did you get this month?
Would anyone recommend any of these items?
These are the non beauty items that I have been loving this month :)
Red Riding Hood
This is my favourite film at the moment, I bought it on DVD finally this month and I've it already a good few times. It stars Amanda Seyfried and Billy Burke (Bella's dad in twilight) but the stars of the film are Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons, my new crushes. They are both B-E-A-UTIFULLLLLL but anyway the film is really good. I would recommend it for twilight lovers, it's even better!
Usher Perfume 'She Eau de Toliette'
I got this perfume for Christmas this year from my sister after I borrowed her a few months earlier. I haven't stopped wearing it since Christmas and everyone asks me what I'm wearing when I have this on. I am very bad at describing perfumes so I am not even going to attempt to, sorry!
Minion Toy
I also got this minion toy for Christmas and it is my favourite thing ever! Super cute and I just want to cuddle it all day long. If only it talked too :(
Ted Baker Body Spray
This is another 3for2 purchase from boots and I don't regret it. It smells great and it's more of a perfume than a body spray smell.
Brown Satual bag from Primark
I bought this bag from Primark one or two months ago and it has become my favourite bag to use. I've wanted a Satual for ages now but never got round to actually buying a proper one. Then I saw this one in Primark and knew it was meant to be, it was only £10 or something so a right bargain!
Red Riding Hood
This is my favourite film at the moment, I bought it on DVD finally this month and I've it already a good few times. It stars Amanda Seyfried and Billy Burke (Bella's dad in twilight) but the stars of the film are Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons, my new crushes. They are both B-E-A-UTIFULLLLLL but anyway the film is really good. I would recommend it for twilight lovers, it's even better!
Usher Perfume 'She Eau de Toliette'
I got this perfume for Christmas this year from my sister after I borrowed her a few months earlier. I haven't stopped wearing it since Christmas and everyone asks me what I'm wearing when I have this on. I am very bad at describing perfumes so I am not even going to attempt to, sorry!
Minion Toy
I also got this minion toy for Christmas and it is my favourite thing ever! Super cute and I just want to cuddle it all day long. If only it talked too :(
Ted Baker Body Spray
This is another 3for2 purchase from boots and I don't regret it. It smells great and it's more of a perfume than a body spray smell.
Brown Satual bag from Primark
I bought this bag from Primark one or two months ago and it has become my favourite bag to use. I've wanted a Satual for ages now but never got round to actually buying a proper one. Then I saw this one in Primark and knew it was meant to be, it was only £10 or something so a right bargain!
The Hair care and skincare products that I have been loving this month are...
Vo5 shampoo and conditioner
This shampoo and conditioner does exactly what it says on the bottle, it makes my hair more nourishing, gives it more moisture and makes it look all round more healthy. My hair is a bit funny with shampoos and conditioners, if I use the same ones more than a few times in a row my hair goes weird and dry. I don't know why, my hair is just temperamental but I can use these shampoos and conditioners over and over again and my hair still looks healthy.
Argon Oil
When I come out of the shower or bath, I always use one pump of this oil in my hair to help keep it healthy. Plus it helps detangle my hair after the shower.
Natural Collection Mango and Papaya Body Scrub
I picked this scrub up on a whim really, I was buying another Boots natural collection product and there was a promotions so I picked this up. It smells amazing and because of the smell, it is really nice to use in the morning to make yourself feel fresh ready for the day. Plus the scrub isn't too harsh on my skin but still feels like it is rubbing away any dead skin.
Soap and Glory Body Milk
Firstly this moisturiser smell amazing! I want to eat myself after I've used it. Secondly it really works at hydrating your skin. It can be a bit greasy but because it is so good, I choose to look past that and just not used it in the mornings when I need to left the house soon.
Soap and Glory spray on moisturiser
This little spray is great for people like me who are too lazy to properly cream yourself every morning/evening. I try and keep up with it but I cant, sue me. This is great though because all you have to do is spray a squirts of this on your body and rub in, it moisturises your skin and makes it feel smooth and smell nice. Job done.
Vo5 shampoo and conditioner
This shampoo and conditioner does exactly what it says on the bottle, it makes my hair more nourishing, gives it more moisture and makes it look all round more healthy. My hair is a bit funny with shampoos and conditioners, if I use the same ones more than a few times in a row my hair goes weird and dry. I don't know why, my hair is just temperamental but I can use these shampoos and conditioners over and over again and my hair still looks healthy.
Argon Oil
When I come out of the shower or bath, I always use one pump of this oil in my hair to help keep it healthy. Plus it helps detangle my hair after the shower.
Natural Collection Mango and Papaya Body Scrub
I picked this scrub up on a whim really, I was buying another Boots natural collection product and there was a promotions so I picked this up. It smells amazing and because of the smell, it is really nice to use in the morning to make yourself feel fresh ready for the day. Plus the scrub isn't too harsh on my skin but still feels like it is rubbing away any dead skin.
Soap and Glory Body Milk
Firstly this moisturiser smell amazing! I want to eat myself after I've used it. Secondly it really works at hydrating your skin. It can be a bit greasy but because it is so good, I choose to look past that and just not used it in the mornings when I need to left the house soon.
Soap and Glory spray on moisturiser
This little spray is great for people like me who are too lazy to properly cream yourself every morning/evening. I try and keep up with it but I cant, sue me. This is great though because all you have to do is spray a squirts of this on your body and rub in, it moisturises your skin and makes it feel smooth and smell nice. Job done.
Do you have similar favourites to me?
What are your opinions on these products?
:)
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