New YouTube video! Jewllery Storage.

It's been a while since I made any Youtube videos but I had a day off today so I thought I would film a few! I posted the first on them today which is about my storage solutions for my jewellery.  Please check it out & leave me any comments! :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Uig1xm0NM

Product Rave: INECTO Pure Coconut Oil Hair Repair Treatment

It's safe to say my hair is the bane of my life! Frizzy & curly it's very difficult to control.  Over the years I have tried all sorts of lotions & potions & the latest I decided to have a go with was coconut oil.  Below is a little blurb about it I found on a website,

"Coconut oil has been used as skin care, beauty and hair products for many centuries in the Far East. Coconut oil can provide moisturizing benefits for the skin and is, without any comparison, an excellent hair conditioner.  These days coconut oil is used as an ingredient for making skin care products, hair treatments, and body and sun protection lotions." www.tiana-coconut.com

I didn't have to look far before I found a product that sounded like exactly what  I was looking for.  Browsing the isles of my local Home Bargains for Halloween decorations a product caught my eye.  It was INECTO Pure Coconut Hair Repair Treatment.  It wasn't a brand I had ever heard of but it was only a couple of pounds so I threw it in my basket & thought nothing more of it.

I wasn't expecting much from it however I was proved wrong!  I used it for the first time this morning & my hair looks & feels fabulous! It's the only different thing I used so must be down to it! I googled the brand name & on their website features a few different ranges of products, for body & hair, all containing coconut oil.  According to the website this product, 

"restores moisture & adds shine 

Contains 100% Pure Coconut Oil

to instantly hydrate and nourish
dry, damaged hair.

Bursting with moisture-rich ingredients,
this unique formula restores
softness and amazing gloss and shine." 

So far I have no complaints at all & wouldn't hesitate to try out other products from this range.  However there is no list of stockists on the website & as I got it in quite a random place I'm not sure where else you would buy it but perhaps look for other products which have pure coconut oil in them.

Dear Santa . . . .

I officially started my Christmas shopping today & after my last post I got to thinking about what else I would like for mine.  Below is a couple of makeup & beauty items that will be going on the list.

Chanel blusher in Tweed Corail £31

Benefit That Gal face primer £20.50

Soap & Glory Flake Away body scrub. £6.50

MAC eyeshadow in Satin Taupe £11

Benefit Hoola bronzer. £23.50

Get Cape, Wear Cape.

Capes are everywhere on the high street just now & I've got my eye on this red duffel number from Topshop! It's going on the Christmas lust- list & I think it will look so cute with long gloves & shearling boots for winter. I'm going to Edinburgh on boxing day with my boyfriend & his parents & think this will be just the thing for the occasion!

Cape £85, Topshop

Happy Halloween!

As you may be able to tell from my current background I LOVE halloween! It's so much fun & any excuse to dress up I'm there! This year I am going as Barbie. Below are a few pics of me & my friends on previous Halloween's. Hopefully it might give you a bit of inspiration & some ideas for your own costumes!


My friend as a ladybird & me as an angel. Red & silver eyelashes both from Star Gazer.


My friend as Ugly Betty.

Me as an angel.
Skirt Claire's Accesories. Leg warmers & vest Primark.

My friend as a Vampire. Wig XS Stock, leggings River Island.


My friends as Noddy & Big Ears.

Me as a witch.
Dress Peacocks, necklace Dior, tights Claire's Accesories.

Body Brushing: My Experience

A few months ago I noticed the appearance of cellulite on the back of my legs. As you can imagine I wasn’t best pleased at this so went about researching the best way to get rid of it! It seemed lotions & potions were deemed useless however the one thing that kept coming up was body brushing. I purchased a long handled brush from Superdrug for about £3.99 & got to work!

The Science

Body brushing (also known as dry brushing) works by stimulating the lymphatic system to increase blood flow which improves the look and texture of the skin.

The Technique

Basically the way I do it is by starting at my feet I just brush upwards in firm strokes, doing my legs, then arms, then body. I read that you should always do it the direction of your heart so this is what I do, although I have read of people doing it in circular motions! I do it before I go for a shower or a bath, a word of caution – don’t do it after if you forget to do it before, it hurts!

The Results

I have to admit I was sceptical at first, and when your not used to doing it it feels kinda strange, but I have had reasonably good results. It’s not a miracle cure for cellulite and doesn’t claim to be but it has defiantly improved the look of my skin. I’m not sure if it has made much difference to my cellulite but I can say my legs on the whole are looking much better! The skin looks much smoother & healthier than before so overall I am pleased with the results.

The ultimate in comfort, warmth and errr style

Me & my mate rocking our onesys! :) A good look I think you will agree!

£9 from Primark - other colours available!

OOTN - Outfit of the Night!

I love this playsuit I got from Primark! White heels are also Primark & the handbag was New Look. I wore this outfit on a night out in London recently.

Red Glitter - 150, Review

The latest addition to my ever-expanding Barry M nail paint collection was number 150 - Red Glitter. This is the first glitter nail polish I've owned in years & I love it! It's not one I would normally have picked up but I saw it on a friend & had to have it!

I only applied one coat as I applied it over a red polish (another Barry M!) as I didn't want it too be too thick but I imagine it would take quite a few coats to get a good colour on it's own.

So far I've only been wearing it on my toes, not sure I fancy it much for my fingers but we'll see!, & it's made me feel very festive! :) I have heard it deadly to remove, typical glitter!

Acrylic vs. Gel

As I was going to ladies day at the races last weekend I decided to treat myself & get my nails done. Previously I had only had gel extensions done & although they looked nice at first I wasn't overly impressed - one broke the first night I had them done! - so this time I decided to try acrylics.

I've never been too keen on the idea of acrylics before as I heard they ruin your nails however the girl who did them assured me as long as they were removed properly this isn't the case. It took about an hour (same as gels) and cost £33.

Apparently they should last for about 3-4 weeks, one week in I have no breakages to report so so far so good!! They also offer an express service which is cheaper & lasts for a about a week- perfect if you just want them for a special event. I have a couple of occasions coming up in the next few months so I plan on getting them infilled again but after that I'll wait & see!

So far my experience of the acrylics has been much more favourable than the gels but time will tell!

Got Milk?

For a while ow I've been keen to try the NYX Jumbo Crayons. 'Milk' seems to be regarded as a cult product in the beauty world however it's not the easiest to get hold of in the UK! I had a look on eBay however my luck didn't seem to be in as the UK sellers who stocked NYX products were out of Milk :( So I began searching around for other options. One of the first websites I came across was www.love-makeup.co.uk.

Usually I would shy away from ordering things from a site I had not heard of however as I was not spending a lot of money & payment was by paypal I decided to go for it! As well as NYX they have a good range of other brands, including MAC and Benefit. I purchased three NYX pencils (Milk, Baby Blue & Pacific) which were £2.50 each with £2.95 postage.

Only two days later they were here - what a surprise! The products were exactly as described and came packaged in pink bubble wrap (!) and pink tissue paper which I thought was a nice touch. The best surprise of all though was the free lipgloss they included! All in all I'm very impressed with this site and wouldn't hesitate to order from them again.

As for the products I actually ordered I haven't used them too much yet but looking forward to playing about with them a bit more.

The world looks brighter from behind a smile . . .

After being very unimpressed seeing a picture showing my teeth recently I decided to do something about it! I considered going for a professional whitening however decided to give one of the DIY kits a go first & was thoroughly impressed with it!

The Product

The kit I bought was by Rapid White & cost £7.99 for the one week system (14 day also available) from Boots. It contains dental trays, accelerator, whitening gel & whitening toothpaste as well as a chart to asses the colour of your teeth to start & how they progress.

What To Do

The 3 step system is easy enough but a bit footery. First you have to set the trays to fit your teeth. Then apply the whitening accelerator & squeeze the gel into the trays. Put the trays in & leave for 10 mins & then brush off using the toothpaste.

The Result

You are supposed to use this kit twice a day, every day for a week however I started seeing results after my first application! I wasn't sure what to expect when I started using the kit but def didn't expect to see results so fast! The results are honestly fantastic, the first thing my bf said when he saw me was how good they looked :)

Would recommend this to any one as an alternative to professional whitening & will certainly be re-purchasing!

I love a good scrublet in the morning!

I have had mixed feelings about Soap & Glory products for a while, some I have absolutely loved & some . . . not so much! However this weekend I bought something which falls into the love category! Not technically a product, more of an accessory, the Face Massage Mini Mitt is fantastic! The S&G website describes it as an "energy boosting skin massage mitt", I believe it is referred to as a 'scrublet' but if you haven't came across these before it is basically a small rubber thing with little bumps on which you can use along with your facial wash or cleanser. Simply put a little bit of your desired product onto the scrublet & rub it in circular motions around your face to gently exfoliate while you cleanse.

But what is so great about this you may ask? Well for one it feels amazing, I could do it for hours! Secondly I have really seen a difference in my skin even though I have only been using it for a couple of days. It only costs £4 for Boots & I would recommend it for anyone wanting to give their skin a lift!

My new love!

I've fallen in love . . . with a foundation! I previously blogged about the Revlon Colour Stay when I first tried it & although I enjoy using it for nights out I find it a little to thick for day to day wear. It can also be hard to blend, and as I use it in a slightly darker shade than my natural colour (to match my fake tan!) when I go out it can look slightly patchy.

My go-to foundation has been Bobbi Brown moisture rich for years however recently when I came to purchase a new bottle I found that in my current financial situation there was no way I could justify spending £26 on a make up product so went in search of something cheaper.

I had heard good things about Revlon Photo Ready but was slightly hesitant after having mixed opinions about the Colour Stay however I found the perfect shade for my complexion (002 Vanilla) & so decided to give it a go.

I def made the right decision!! Blends very easily & lasts all day. It has just the right about of coverage for me & never looks cakey on me. I think it is a much better match for my dry skin than the Colour Stay & will definitely be buying a darker shade for my nights on the town!!

The Greatest Scrub of All

I have tried a few of the Soap & Glory bath products & cosmetics before, although I like them I've never really been blown away. However recently I've been hearing more and more about how fab they are, especially the skin care so thought i would give them another go! So this week on a wee Boots shopping spree I picked up The Greatest Scrub of All.

According to the S & G website "It’s a scrub, formulated to leave even the most exhausted face looking FRESH. With a super fresh chamomile and mint scent" and I have to agree! You only need a small amount & it contains tiny beads which burst on the skin. It left my skin so soft & smooth & talk about fresh!! I felt like I'd been blasted with water . . . in a good way! :)

I can't wait to try more of these products & have The Fab Pore 15 Minute Facial Peel, the Catch A Wrinkle In Time Age Avoiding Day Moisturiser and the No Clogs Allowed Deep Pore Detox Mask on my list of things to get in the near future!

Look what the postie brought me today! :)

As a total eyelash addict I spend a fortune on them so I decided to look into cheaper alternatives. I love online shopping as much as the next person however I'm always slightly worried about what I'm gonna get since I can't see the product first! However I had heard good things about Ebay sellers who sell lashes wholesale from Hong Kong so decided to look into it. At 99p for 40 pairs (yes, 40!) I couldn't really go wrong! The seller I ordered from was megaciti & can really recommend them. Only £2.59 for postage, quick delivery & good correspondence - can't fault them! I was so excited when I got my package today! Can't wait to try them out! :)

I've been shopping! New Jewellery :)

I love the colour palette this summer, neutral & pastel colours are so pretty! So far the weather in Scotland hasn't been suitable for any new clothes so I've been embracing the new trends through my make up & jewellery. The first thing I got was a ring from New Look, it's shaped like a flower & it's a cute pink colour (it also comes in white). The next thing was earrings I got from Peacocks for £ 2.50 - what a bargain!! They are a similar shape to the ring but they are a creamy, white colour & I love them! I also picked up a bracelet in my local PDSA shop where I volunteer. It is made up of 3 sets of pearls which are held together with a diamonte clip & it's right up my street!

Chanel nail colour - 485 Django

Love the Chanel nail polishes, great colour, great consistency. Got number 485 today which is a really nice neural shade, perfect for summer!

Sleek palette Storm 578: A Review

I bought this palette last week after seeing it recommended by Imogen on the FoxyLocksExtensions channel on YouTube. It was only £4.99 & has 12 colours. I had not previously heard of the Sleek brand & probably would have walked past the stand before however I thought I would check it out.

They had a couple of different palettes but I chose the Storm 578 one as I liked the look of the gold colours in the top row. I've used it a few times since I got it & was able to create some really nice looks (Click here to see the one I did for a St Patrick's Day contest on YouTube).

Some of the shades are shimmery & some are matte, I usually prefer eye shadows with a shimmer however some of these are just a bit too shimmery for me, for day to day wear at least! However they are very well pigmented & easy to blend.

I would defiantly recommend it if you care looking for a cheap, good quality product & will be checking the Sleek range in the future to see if there's anything else I fancy!

p.s. please excuse the crap picture haha!

Barry M Nail Paint - 293 Grey

So I um'd & aw'd about this colour for a while but finally decided to just go for it last week! The reason I was so undecided about it was the past couple of colours I've bought from Barry M have been a bit of a disappointment however I really like this one! Shame it's now Spring & I don't know how much wear I'm gonna get out of till next winter haha!

The Barry M nail paints are one of my favourite brands of nail varnish I really like the texture, easy application, fast drying & long lasting! I also really like how there is a very wide range of colours & often different shades to what you can get elsewhere. Some brands play it a bit safe with their colours but Barry M really goes all out to provide something different & is great for whatever the new colours of the season are.

Maybelline Line Definer Liquid - Review

I was on the hunt for a new liquid eyeliner last week & this was the one I ended up getting. I like something easy to apply & something that is really black, I don't like liquid liner which is kinda wishy-washy colour or comes off really easily.

This one looks like a felt tip pen & I thought it would be really easy to apply however I find the point kinda sharp & found it quite hard to get a thin line, although maybe I just need some practice with this kind of applicator! Although I did want something that doesn't some off easily I did find it kind of hard to remove with wipes when I was taking my make up off & it ended up ALL over my face!!

On the positive side though I does give a really dark colour & has great staying power (maybe a bit too much lol!) It's a good price, I think it was £5.99, but I actually got it with my Boots points so it was free - bonus!

My new thing - Red Lips

I originally bought red lipstick for Halloween but now I can't get enough of it! Saturday was the first time I'd wore it on a night out (see pic) & although re-applying after a few vodkas was more than a bit tricky I really enjoyed wearing it & I think I'm gonna experiment with a few different shades in future.

Good Makeup Websites

Hello.

Just thought I would share a couple of makeup websites I've came across that I think are really good. The first is the Barry M website which runs monthly competitions where you can win a Barry M product which is really good! I've entered the current one to win a lip gloss so fingers crossed! :) Another is the Maybelline website. I was browsing products on it last night & went onto the Makeup Tips section for a look & found it very helpful. There are 3 sections; Beauty Rescues, Beauty Dictionary & Beauty Cheatsheet & I think they are all worth a look for some quick & easy beauty tips.

Both well worth a look, check them out!

http://www.barrym.com/

http://www.maybelline.co.uk/MAKE_UP_TIPS.aspx

Dita Von Teese Burlesque Act

I'm a big fan of burlesque, I love the glamour & the extravagance of it all! I was actually at a burlesque show in Glasgow on Saturday night! Anyway I recently found this video on YouTube of Dita Von Teese performing to 'Feeling Good', it was filmed for George Micheal's 2008 World Tour & I think she looks absolutely gorgeous in it! I added it as a favourite so you can see it on my channel at the link below. Enjoy! :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/oxxBabyDollxxo#p/a/f/0/sDYipb0R6VI

New Watch :)

Another new purchase I've made recently was a new watch. A bit of a random thing to be blogging about maybe but I'm still excited about it haha! To be honest I've not worn a watch regularly in years. I quite fancied a new one but didn't find anything I liked until I was at work (I volunteer in my local PDSA store) on Monday & I spotted it! Was brand new & only £5.99 with a choice of 6 fabric straps that tie like a ribbon kinda idea round the wrist. I really love the colours & think it will look great with my summer wardrobe, espesh if I make it away on holiday!

A couple of new products I've been trying this week . . . .

Last week I purchased a couple of things which I have been using regularly so just thought I'd do a little post on what I thought if them :)

The first was L'Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Dull Skin Primer I got the one for light skin which is a pinky colour. I saw this product recommended by SWalker Makeup on YouTube and couldn't wait to give it a go, however I have to say I was disappointed! I've been using it every day under my make up as a primer but I don't think it really makes any difference to my skin or to my make up! Even though the one I bought was for light skin I would say it is possibly a bit to dark for my skin tone, which is very pale, when I first apply it it looks like I've got really bad dark foundation on, which is never a good look! What a waste of £7.99! In terms of plus points it is easy to apply and feels quite light on the skin but other than that didn't do much for me, won't be re-purchasing this!

The second product I got was the Revlon Colour Stay Foundation. For day to day I usually always use Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation in Warm Ivory as it's a great match for my skin tone however I was looking for something new to wear with fake tan, which I usually only wear at weekends. I wanted something with a good coverage, which would last all night & match the colour of my tan. I have to say this product ticked all the boxes! I've never really used many Revlon products before but had heard good things about this foundation so thought I would check it out. I was a bit weary of it as first it said it was for combination / oily skin & my skin is dry so wasn't sure how it would react to it but it looked really good. Very impressed with it, looked as good at the end of the night as it did at the start! Also have to add, the woman working on the Revlon stand in Boots was very helpful & was a great help in picking a matching shade & also recommending other products to a big thank you to her! :) I will defiantly be adding more Revlon to my make up collection in the future!

Fake Tan Review

Hey!
I decided to do my first post on this blog as a review of different fake tans I have tried lately. I, like many others, am always searching for a perfect year-round glow and have to confess I have ended up looking more David Dickenson than bronzed goddess on more than one occasion!
In the following blog I will review various tans that are on the market just now to hopefully help others avoid the mahogany pitfalls to get the perfect bottle bronze!

p.s. I should add the pic is not me, just the first one that came up on Google when i typed in 'fake tan' haha!

St Moriz

I have heard about this tan on various other beauty blogs & from YouTube gurus & decided to order it last week & give it a try! Basically its a rip-off of St Tropez but to be honest I actually preferred it! For a start it retails at around £3.99, whereas St Tropez you can be paying £30 or more, it doesn't have the strong 'biscuit' smell that many others have, it just smells like soap! I actually can't recommend this product enough, it gave me a great colour & faded evenly as well as being very easy to apply. The only disadvantage I have came across so far is quite a lot of colour came off on my bed sheets & pjs after applying it however after I had a shower in the morning it washed off all the excess & I was left with a gorgeous golden glow.

I ordered it online from fragrancedirect.co.uk but it's also available in TK Maxx & other online retailers.

St Tropez

Although the St Tropez range is expensive it is competitively priced along side other brands such as Fake Bake & Xen Tan. Although it does give a nice colour I found it did take quite a few days to build a good colour, & that was using the medium to dark one! I also hated the way it wore off as it went really patchy & horrible looking. As it was a moisturizer it was very easy to apply but I found I had to apply loads of it so it didn't last for long despite being a decent sized tube.

I have also been for a professional St Tropez spray tan at a salon and although the colour was gorgeous I found I had the same problem with it patching off. It only lasted a few days & definitely wasn't worth the £30 I paid!

Fake Bake

For years I used Sun Shimmer religiously for nights out as I liked the dark tan it gave me & how it washed off easily. However one day I was in Superdrug & they had the Fake Bake Beyond Bronze Instant on special offer so decided to give it a go. To be honest I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this product! For some reason every time I used it I thought it wasn't that dark but when I saw myself in photographs I looked like Jordan!! I don't know it it was just me or if it was the way it photographed but beware! I picked the shimmer one but wished I had went for the matte one as it was just a bit too shimmery for me. Although I wanted it mainly for nights out I would have like the option of using it for days too however it was far too shimmery for day wear & looked awful on my face. I would like to try other Fake Bake products but I don't think I'll be be re-purchasing the instant one!

Make Believe

I had seen this brand in Boots but never really heard anything about it so had never used it until my mum bought me it thinking it was Fake Bake (lol!) however I'm really glad she did! It was the moisturizer one I got & usually I find they take a few days to build up to give you a nice colour but I loved the colour this one gave me straight away. I woke up the morning after applying & was a lovely golden colour. The bottle lasts for ages as you don't need to use much so although it is on the higher end of the price scale you do get your money's worth. Even though I really like it there is one major disadvantage to this product - it stinks! I think I would go as far as saying it's the worst smelling fake tan I've ever smelt, & I've tried a lot of fake tans in my time!!

Rimmel Sun Shimmer

As mentioned above I was a total Sun Shimmer addict! Every Saturday night I would get the Sun Shimmer out & I loved it! It's one of the cheaper fake tans available & I would describe it as cheap & cheerful. The liquid one is the one I used the most however have also used the mousse. The main disadvantage is defiantly how easily it washes off as even the slightest drop of liquid will remove it so often it doesn't look to good after a night in a busy dance floor with drinks flying all over the place! Also the mousse can be a bit orange so don't apply to much at once!