Origins Super Spot Remover

Origins, £13

I staved off buying this bad boy for SO long. Surely the most blogged about, tiniest little spot treatment there ever was. I don't live anywhere near an Origins counter and I can't imagine I would ever have made an order specifically for this, but I ended up picking it up on a whim in Exeter a few weeks back. 

I threw it in my handbag and because it's so teeny tiny, I actually forgot that I'd even bought it for three or four days. The boyf was the first to roadtest it, (he's into skincare in a big way, dontcha know) and he loved it. He has exceptionally good skin, but when he gets a spot he gets it big and bad. I was absolutely amazed in the morning at how much the spot had diminished. Miracle worker!

Truthfully, I don't use this that often. My skin has calmed down as I've got older and I very rarely get spots now. That said, this is my saving grace around that time of the month. As soon as I start to feel the emergence of one of those really special, shiny, under-the-skin spots, I dab a little bit of this on and let it work it's magic. I'm not sure if everyone gets this, but it does sting a little bit when I first apply it. You really don't need to use much either; I did get carried away the first few times and ended up with an attractive surplus of gloop on my face. 

When I wake up in the morning, the little blighter is practically gone. Call me crazy, but these days I almost look forward to getting a spot just so I can put this to the test!

♥

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

 

This has to be the most superfluous beauty item I own. Who on earth decided that we might need a separate mascara to use on the lashes below our eyes to the ones we use above our eyes? I have no idea, but I'm mighty glad they did. I have exceptionally sparse lower lashes. Nothing wrong up top, but it seems that I didn't stay in the cooker long enough when it comes to bottom lashes. 

I've tried to use normal mascaras on both sets of lashes but find that it just looks SO bizarre on me, doll-like. And not in a good way. My eyes look too big and the scattering of lashes look, well, balding. My lovely boyfriend bought me this for my birthday (I know, applaud) and I am so glad he did. It's only £11, but I don't think I would ever have bought this for myself, it's just seemed to necessary.

Yet, it's not. The brush is teeny tiny, which is what makes this product so great. Because it matches my teeny tiny eyelashes, it makes it really easy to apply. No mascara halfway down my face, and no weird black crumbly dust halfway through the day. In short, it allows me to wear mascara like most normal people do. Not something I expected to love, but I absolutely do and can't foresee it ever not having a home in my makeup bag.

Now, how long before my boyfriend finally relents and lets me try it on his amazing eyelashes?!

♥

Lee Stafford's My Big Fat Lock and Rollers

So, it's common knowledge that I am the greatest sister in the world. I have two younger sisters, who are twins, and I think it's safe to say that they both strive to be just like me in all that they do. Yeah. I bought one of my sisters some heated rollers for Christmas and because she loves them SO much I asked her to write down just why she liked them, so I could put it on the world wide web.

My sister has asked me to write a little something about the AMAZING Christmas present she got me. It’s a well known fact that I strive for that curly, voluminous look when it comes to my hair, yet I never managed to achieve it with just my straighteners and salt spray. So I’ve never been more excited than when I unwrapped a hot pink box containing none other than Lee Stafford’s My Big Fat Lock and Rollers!

Never having used heated rollers before I watched numerous YouTube videos detailing the etiquette required to master the heated roller and I would like to think I’ve finally got the hang of it. It’s fair to say I can now 100% get the volume and curl I so much desire, Lee Stafford I salute you.

  I not only adore the look I get from these rollers, I adore how the rollers look, they come in a hot pink case, with three different sized rollers, all different shades of pink to differentiate size. I LOVE pink and they look beautiful in my room. When turned on, the rollers heat up super fast; and have a dot to indicate when they're warm enough to use, but I always leave them a little bit longer to make sure the curls hold. To prepare my hair I section it out and spray it with Batiste dry shampoo, XXL volume at the roots. When putting the rollers into my hair I start with the biggest rollers at the bottom, this isn’t the conventional way but I much prefer the smaller curls on top for the style I’m trying to create. When all roller’ed up I give them all a quick spray with L’oreal Paris, Elnett Satin extra strength hairspray and wait until the beautiful pink rollers are completely cold on the inside. I always get that glamorous film star feeling when I have them in! How I look is probably a different story altogether. When removing the rollers you have to take extra care not to disturb the curl as you take them out. The fact you don’t need to mess around with pins and grips make this a lot easier.

A teeny tiny downside to these magnificent rollers is the size of them, an additional smaller roller would be nice but not essential. There are also four rollers that don’t fit in the case therefore you have to wait for them to heat up separately which is a little irritating but the end result makes it so worth it.
The rollers are made from tourmaline so your hair remains really soft and shiny, which everyone wants. The end result is gorgeous volume and curl; I get compliments every time I use them, which is always a confidence booster! I genuinely have nothing bad to say about the performance of these rollers! I wouldn’t have thought of buying them
myself so I have a massive thanks to say to my sister Steph and of course to Mr Lee Stafford!

♥

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

So, after hearing so much about this product, I told Mummy Stephnose that I wouldn't mind some Nuxe goodies for Christmas. She absolutely came through and under the tree I found the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse coffret. Don't ask me what coffret means, I have absolutely no idea. It was what I call, in layman's terms, a gift set.

Included in said gift set, was a full size Huile Prodigieuse, a mini travel size of the gold shimmery version (which I'm yet to use), Anti-fatigue moisturising cream and a 'la bougie' candle. I didn't even know Nuxe made candles, so that was a lovely extra surprise. I absolutely LOVE the oil. The smell is so fresh and light, as is the oil itself. I was so that I wasn't going to enjoy this product, because I really don't like feeling greasy and oily to the touch, but this feels dry from the moment of application, which is a big plus for me. I can get dressed approximately a minute after spritzing this; I have been known to dry body oils with a hairdryer before this came along. What I really like is that the scent lingers in a really subtle way. In the summer, I probably won't need to worry about perfume when I use this.

So this can be used on the body, face and hair, however I only rate it on the body. I have used it on my face twice and really didn't enjoy the sensation. If anything, I felt like it actually dried my skin a little bit. In the hair, for me, this is a definite no-no. I only used a small amount on the ends and when my hair dried there was a definite residue which I don't get with other hair oils. I felt like it just sat on the surface of each hair and it made it very heavy and greasy. Won't be doing that again!

The anti fatigue moisturiser is a delight - it's swiftly become my night time moisturiser. It does say use in the morning but I find it a bit too heavy and oily for the morning. It smells like an absolute dream too, which I think is perfect at bedtime. And at only £19.50, I think it's positively bargainous.

The stand out from this set for me is the candle. It smells exactly like the oil. It burns so evenly and cleanly and has lasted SO long. I only wish it had been bigger. I'm rationing it and using my less luxurious candles unless it's a proper pampering night! Sadly, I don't think you can buy these candles outside of the gift set, which is a pain. All the more reason to ration it!

You can still buy this gift set from a few websites, but at a ridiculously inflated price! My advice would be to keep an eye on whether M&S get it back in stock.

♥

Long time no blog!

Yeah, basically what the title says. I do really enjoy blogging and really want to make it a routine part of my life, and get nicely involved in a little bloggy community, but it seems to have taken a back seat recently. I started a new job a few months back and it was all very stressful. It's what I deem to be a Proper job. It's not a proper job in the sense that it's related to my degree, because it couldn't be further removed from my degree if it tried, but it's a proper grown up job nonetheless. It's mostly just been a bit of a difficult time. No one ever tells you that graduating university is going to be so difficult! You think that when you get to be a 'grown up' you'll know exactly what it is you want to do with your life. Absolutely not the case. I still don't know what I want to do. But I'm going to be more positive about it in 2013 and take every opportunity I can and not be a lazy bum. I have been called that before now. So yes, that's why I haven't blogged all that much.

Secondly, my previous employer paid in advance and my new employer in arrears, like most other normal employers. I ended up not being paid for two months so didn't even want to turn my laptop on for fear it might cost me money! Nightmare.

I plan to blog much more and on a wider range of subjects. I was so worried about posting things that I thought people would enjoy reading or things that a 'beauty blogger' would blog about, that I ended up writing rubbish that I really wasn't enjoying. So I vow to write not just about beauty and nice smelling things, but also about things that I enjoy and find myself getting up to! Lots more lifestyley post. I'm fairly handy with a needle and thread so I might even blog about my crafty exploits from time to time, call me crazy. I'm just going to enjoy this blog more for what it is and not worry so much about what people might think.

I hope you had a lovely christmas and are already having your best year yet!

♥

My Current Beauty Wishlist: November!

This is seriously a month for super girly, sparkly, frivolous make-up things. I go through phases with skincare, make-up and body care, and at the moment it's most definitely make-up. So for this one post, I will undulge my utterly girly side; no holds barred, superfluous frivolity.

Topshop Nails in Panther - Topshop, £6.50; Lipstick in Whimsical - Topshop, £8; REN F10 Smooth and Renew Face Mask - REN, £20; Revlon Nail Enamel in Sparkling - Superdrug, £6.49; Rimmel Match Perfection in Ivory - Superdrug, £6.99; Lipstick in Beguiled - Topshop, £8.

My recent dabbling with sparkly nail varnish has got me hooked, and I absolutely LOVE this glitter polish from Topshop's Dark Side of Nude collection. I saw it on Lily Pebbles' nails, on Instagram I think, and just fell in love with it. It looks seriously good on top of black nail varnish and I want to utilise my recent Barry M discovery as much as I can! This is definitely going to be gracing my fingernails this festive season!

I'm basically just a massive copycat, so it's the same with the two Topshop lipsticks. I've seen them both on various blogs and gracing the lips of my friends too, and they both look so wearable. Whimsical is perfect for everyday and Beguiled is just perfect for what I'm looking for when I want something a bit extra. On Guy Fawkes night I really wanted to wear a dark Autumny lip, but do I own anything darker than a very pale nude? No.

I've heard a lot about the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation and I definitely want to try it. I'm a bit out of love with Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua at the moment, I have weird dry skin at the moment and I'm finding it just seems to sit on my skin and look a bit chalky. I just want to shake it up a bit and give myself a bit of choice in the base department!

The Revlon nail varnish is possibly the most frivolous. It's just so pink and sparkly and just, amazing.

A couple of posts ago I talked about the little REN tester set I purchased. I've since fallen completely, head over heels in love with the F10 Smooth and Renew Face Mask. After using it my skin is very noticeably clearer and feels so clean and refreshed. It basically does exactly what it says it's going to do, with absolutely no disappointments. It really feels like it's doing my skin some good and I think it's going to become my go-to face mask.

I'm on a big money saving drive at the moment so I can eventually move in with the boy, so this is really all in a fantasy world.. A girl can dream, hey?

♥

Sparkly Nails!

PS. Please ignore my hideous cuticles.

I've finally found a way I like to wear Models Own Disco Heaven. I bought this polish back in May and I've tried it in so many combinations and just haven't loved it. What with it being Halloween, firework night and almost a little bit festive, I decided to pair it with black. I thought that was seasonally appropriate! I used Barry M Black, which is basically just black. I really like Barry M nail varnish; they are SO affordable and I really don't think that is reflected in the formulation. I only had to use a regular two coats before this was completely opaque. 

Annoyingly, the sheer sparkliness of this combo just doesn't show up pictures! It looks the best under the spotlights in my bathroom, but even then it just doesn't do it justice. I even thought about making a tiny video clip of me waving my fingernails around, but I came to my senses and realised that would be totally ridiculous. 

The Models Own glitter wears so well too, I've had this on for about five days now and there's not a single chip. I've also seriously reawakened my love for sparkly nails. It's so perfect for this festive time of year and I can see myself rocking many a sparkly fingernail in the run up to Christmas and New Year!

Any recommendations for lovely sparkle?

♥