Saturday 31 August 2013

Should be Hyped Saturday #5

Hello everyone! How are we all again after another week? I hope you are all well! This Saturday we have another, you've guessed it, should be hyped Saturday post!

Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Makeup Remover

This week I've chosen something that I have been using religiously for almost a year now. Simple Kind to Eyes eye make up remover. I don't know about the rest of you but I wear a fair amount of eye make-up and with every other makeup remover I have used I still woke up with panda eyes. With the Simple Eye Makeup remover it removes all of my eye makeup, even the stubborn bits that seem to stick to the water line or roots of the lashes stubbornly! Sometimes I also use this on my normal face makeup too as it really is so soft and gentle at removing your makeup. The Simple eye makeup remover retails for around £3.99 in most places; click here to go check it out on their website! Often boots and other shops have a 3 for 2 on boots so for me Simple products are not only amazing quality but a steal!

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! After 5 of these posts I am going to take a little break till I find some more products I believe are worth some love and hype! But don't worry this series is still here!

So have you tried Simple products or their eye makeup removers? What makeup remover do you like to use or recommended? Let me know in the comments! 



Friday 30 August 2013

Product Empties #8


Hello everyone! How are you all doing? Here I am with yet another product empties post for you. I have been really good this month and I have been working on using up products before buying more products and starting new ones. I also have decided to start a new format for my product empties; I kept hold of the products so I could photograph them all together! This actually encouraged/reminded me to recycle all the plastic rather than just binning them! Anyway lets get on to the product empties!

Loreal Studio Hot to Straight cream

The first product is one which I have reviewed! Click here if you'd like to check it out! The Loreal Hot to Straight cream is really one of my favorites and honestly you can't go wrong with Loreal and their hair care range! This really does do the job; it protects the hair from heat and helps the hair achieve such a straight and sleek look. I have already repurchased and began my next bottle of this. This is definitely a staple product in my hair care routine. 

Cutex Nail Polish removers with acetone and acetone free

The next two products I used up were nail polish removers. I used up my Cutex nail polish remover with acetone and also the one without acetone. I much prefer the one with acetone I just cannot work with acetone free nail polish removers! I would definitely recommend the Cutex nail polish remover that has acetone but stay clear of the ones without! I am just so glad I finally finished all of the acetone free removers I had! I haven't repurchased the one with acetone as I am in the process of trying out various different nail polish removers however I would definitely pick it up again.

Simple Eye Make-up remover

This is my absolute favourite eye make up remover. Back when I got back in to my skincare I went in to the simple range. Since I use a lot of eye make up I decided I needed a new one so I picked this up. This removes everything from your eyes and I mean everything; even waterproof makeup! Also a little drop of this goes a long way! All I do is saturate a bit of a cotton pad and leave this over my eyes. I then wipe away the product! I love this product and will always repurchase it!


Cotton Pads

I seem to always have these in my product empties posts but I think everyone goes through these so quickly! These were a pack of large oval shaped cotton pads that I cut in half. There were 50 which I made in to 100. In all honesty I much prefer to buy the circular ones however pads are pads and I usually just pick up whatever works! 
Maybelline Super Stay 24hr concealer 

The Maybelline 24 hour Super Stay concealer used to be my favorite everyday concealer before the Collection Lasting perfection concealer. However I decided it was time to use up the ones I had left as I have moved on and found a new concealer love! *sniffle* ehem anyway! I am so good with finishing concealers I use every trick in the book. I remove the stoppers and boil them in a cup to get the product off the side (would you guys like to see a how to on that?) I do love this concealer and for those of you that don't like the Lasting Perfection that has been hyped up I would give this one a try. I would repurchase this but for now I am okay with my collection concealer! 


Maybelline The Colossal Mascara

Here is the last product empty I have for you guys. If you guys follow my blog you know how much I am in to the big bold eye look. You also know how much I love the Maybelline mascaras. As I was going through and sorting my make-up out I realized that I had so many of these lying about. Since I already have so many mascaras in my collection I thought it would be best to finish up some of them! I would definitely repurchase this in the future as I really like the look it gives to the eye and I would definitely recommend it to those of you that do like a dramatic eye look!

So that's it for my product empties once again! What do you guys think of my new format? Have any of you used any of these products? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!

Twitter|BlogLovin

Wednesday 28 August 2013

50 Facts About Me!

Hey everyone! I hope you've all been doing well! So today I thought I would write a more personal since I have a lot of you lovely readers checking out my blog! I thought I would write up 50 facts about me!

It's funny it's not until you have to write about yourself that you realize how dull you are! Anyway on to the facts!

<center>Bella's Beauty Blog</center>


1) My name is Claire and I live in England
2) I'm 21 years old
3) I have recently finished a degree in English and Communication and media and now I am starting my degree in teaching adults.
4) I'm a meat eater now but for three months I turned pescetarian, then vegetarian for two years then vegan for one. Then I went back to meat due to ease as I was always back and two between houses and uni at the time. One day I might go veggie again!
5) I currently have 4 tattoos; one on each hip and two on my left foot. I have designs drawn up for more which I plan to get once I've started teaching so I can plan where is best to place then.
6) Thanks to university I am amazingly good with trains, not so good with buses! I am learning with buses but on the hole I'm pretty good with public transport.
7) I walk everywhere that's within an hour walk. No idea why I just always enjoy walking more than I do driving/getting a lift! 
8) I've been dying my hair black since I was 16 and I am naturally pretty much bleach blonde!
9) My favorite films are 10 Things I Hate About You, Back to the Future and The Muppets Christmas Carol which I have watched every Christmas. Its a Christmas tradition for me! 
10) I've been with my boyfriend for just under a year now. Our anniversary is December 9th.
11) I am MASSIVELY into 70's/80's music particularly power ballads! I just think the music back then was so much better and the lyrics meant more! 
12) I act about 30, a lot of my friends think I am wise beyond my years and I am often referred to as the mum of the group.
13) My toenails are always painted red. Since I was 16 I painted them red every week! 
14) I also never leave my nails on my hands plain, they look naked!
15) I always straighten my hair because naturally it looks like Monica from Friends in that episode they went abroad...
16) I wear glasses and contact lenses, I wear glasses a lot more now as back in school I hated wearing them as they were my only option; however now I have the choice!
17) I have eczema, sensitive skin and I'm allergic to egg.
18) I've never had a Donna kebab and I have no desire to ever try one; bluergh!
19) Nowadays I only have the occasional drink, usually wine, after taking a 40 day break from it for lent I never really wanted to go back to drinking anymore than a few glasses!
20) I have three pets, a Chihuahua and two chinchillas.
21) I love to play darts and I have a dart board in my room.
22) I am also a massive gamer, I'm a Nintendo girl at heart but I do also have a PS3 currently.
23) I am stubborn at heart.
24) I was about 4 stone heavier in high school.
25) I have 9 piercings.
26) I have never had a filling in my teeth.
27) I can't ride a bike.
28) I like swimming but I'm not the strongest at that either...
29) Although I am obsessed with my nails now I used to bite them so much in high school, to stop myself I used that nail polish that tasted awful...
30) My favorite features about myself are my hands and my legs.
31) I enjoy banter, which is probably why I have more guys as mates!
32) I am so over the top with my boots card, if someone is even just buying a buttie or drink and I'm with them and they don't have a boots card I'm like 'wait use mine!'...
33) I can never ever understand why people are nasty, mean or judgmental to one another. I try to be nice and maintain friendships with everyone. I suppose caring is in my nature!
34) I love writing as you can probably tell! 
35) I have four bookshelves in my room that are full as well as books shoved under my bed and all along the too of my cupboard. I am obsessed with reading.
36) I danced for just under 11 years doing Tap, jazz, ballet and modern among others.
37) I wanted to become a vet when I was younger but realized I wouldn't be able to cope with the emotional aspect of putting down animals so I decided against it.
38) I like watching shows on TV like documentaries the most.
39) I'm soap mad. Particularly Coronation Street. Before last year I didn't really watch it however now I get genuinely gutted if I fall behind on it... Yes I am sad! 
40) Favorite drink is a bottle of Blossom Hill Rose wine or Scrumpy Jack which I recently tried and loved! 
41) My favorite none alcoholic drink is Monster, yes I know it's bad for me but I can't help it!
42) I'm in love with Spicy Doritos even though everyone around me after I've eaten them probably hates me...
43) I used to have a bob in high school and then in college but I decided to grow it back out again before university. Now it's below bra length. Even though its a pain I much prefer it long.
44) I go through headphones like they're going out of fashion.
45) I wear my combat boots with everything; yes everything. When I get married I plan on treating myself to an expensive pair of combat boots and wearing them under my dress because that's just me!
46) My favorite color is red!
47) My favorite take out is chicken and bamboo shoots with chips!
48) I haven't had Facebook for about a year now; I can't stand the thing!
49) I am however obsessed with twitter!
50) I've been blogging for around 5 months now!

WOW I actually managed to find 50 facts about me! I hope you guys enjoyed this more personal post about myself!

Monday 26 August 2013

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Blood Orange

Hi guys! Hope you are all well! If you are a follower of my blog or have stumbled upon it in the past you will know I have already reviewed the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine polishes in depth with the color Prickly Pear which you can take a look at here! I recently picked up another one of these Gelly Hi-Shine polishes as I have totally fallen in love with their formula!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Blood Orange

The color I chose to pick up was in the shade Blood Orange. Something I didn't realize till reading a few reviews is that all of the polishes names in this range seem to be centered round fruits which is a cute touch!


The color of this polish appears on camera pretty bright red but in person as the name would suggest its a much more deeper red, yes similar to blood, so for those looking for a red that isn't to out there this is perfect. This is definitely now one of my favorite red polishes; in fact I am wearing it on both my hands and toes!

As with Prickly Pear Blood Orange had the same gel finish to the nail. With this one however I felt like the color was a lot more solid. Prickly Pear needs at least two coats in my opinion; Blood Orange COULD get away with one. 

I am definitely going to try and pick some more of these up! I will be sure to do a blog post on new ones I try from this range!


So have you tried the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine nail paint yet? What are your thoughts and what is your favorite color? Let me know in the comments!

Saturday 24 August 2013

Should be Hyped Saturday #4

Hello everyone! How are you all? I am here with my fourth installment of the Should Be Hyped Saturday series! I seem to have gotten a great response from a lot of you about this series so thank you to everyone that loves it! Please leave me your thoughts in the comments below!

Nivea In Shower Body Conditioner

This weeks should be hyped Saturday product is something I reviewed a sample of a while back here and I loved it so much that I bought the product itself! for me this needs to be hyped more to all those girls/boys out their that are too busy to moisturize and need a quick fix! For me I love moisturizing and I love making sure my skin is really smooth; and since I have eczema I have an extensive collection of moisturizers! But obviously we all have those days when we just want a quick fix whether it be because we are busy, sick or cannot be bothered! For me this gives great quick results!

Have you tried the Nivea In the Shower Body Conditioner? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Friday 23 August 2013

*Funky Diva Colour Flash Clip In Hair Extensions* review and demo!

*This product is a PR Sample, as always my review is honest and all opinions are my honest thoughts*

So recently I was approached by Supermodel hair on twitter asking if I'd be interested in reviewing some of their hair extensions on my blog! I thought since I am reviewing a few more hair care products as of late it would be perfect timing for those of you who are interested in hair extensions! 

To go check out Supermodel Hair their website is here. I chose to review some funky red colored clip in hair extensions as since I have black hair whenever I do wear extensions its usually to add a pop of color! The ones I chose to review were from the synthetic hair extension range and where from the Colour Flash range which is basically a bunch of clip in colorful extension pieces for the hair! To see the range of colors available click here!

Funky Diva Colour Flash Hair Extensions

If you're interested in the particular color I chose click here! I chose red because I have always wanted to have red in my hair but as we all know because of work and such sometimes you can be restricted as to how you want your hair! These extensions with tax are only £2.51 for two in a pack which I was shocked with. When I was younger I bought a few synthetic hair extensions from my market and They were around £5 for two... they had that awful synthetic hair texture and smell! These however have none of that! 

Funky Diva Colour Flash Hair Extensions

As you can see Supermodel Hair sent me two packs so I had four insert pieces to mess around with! Personally I have very thick and long hair and four was just the perfect amount to add color in to the hair!

Funky Diva Colour Flash Hair Extensions packaging instructions

As you can see on the back of the packaging came some instructions for those of you that are new to using hair extensions. I thought I would also show you some pictures of How I applied them just for a little help!

Step One: Section off the hair

First step is to section off and clip up your hair to add in the extension in your hair where you would like it! The position is really up to you and depends on how much of the extension and color you would like to pop through! You can also trim them to whichever length you would like depending on where you put it in the hair. 

Step Two Section off the hair and clip it in

Depending on how many clip in extension pieces you want in each layer section of the bits of hair you would like to add an extension in to. Once you are happy with the placement clip them in. The clips are so easy to use and are really sturdy and hold on to the hair well without holding a tight grasp on the hair and potentially damaging or breaking the hair.


Step Three: Comb the Extensions through the hair and adjust as appropriate

Now its time to let your hair down! Literally! I just placed one of the Color Flash extensions in to one side of my hair and you can see what a difference it makes to my hair if you compare it to my other side which I left natural for comparison. From just one hair clip I thought my hair looked pretty good! I definitely think these clip in extensions can be used to create a build-able look depending on how intense you like your hair to look!

So on to the review! 

How did you find the packaging and what are the initial details on the product?

The packaging was the typical you would find for hair extensions. They were clipped on to a cardboard insert and covered. Two where inside the packaging. They are 16 inches in length which you can trim to your liking. For reference my hair is around bra strap length and is around the same length as the extensions which worked out nicely. On the back of the packaging is instructions on both how to use the extensions and how to wash and care for your extensions.

How do they feel/smell?

Honestly they feel very smooth and I haven't experienced that annoying static thing that can happen with some hair extensions! In the hair I couldn't feel them in and they didn't weigh down the hair any which was good. I know its weird to comment on smell but I always smell any new product! Is that weird? It probably is... anyway there was no smell to these extensions and even after I washed them there was still no noticeable scent. 

How do they react after being washed?

I often compare good extensions to good make-up brushes! We all wash our new make-up brushes wondering just how much will shed from them! Well with these there was no shedding which was good; and the same happened with wear of them I didn't have random red hairs fall from my head during the day.

How were they throughout the day?

Overall pretty good. As with any extensions I felt the need to make sure they were in right, level and sturdy but through normal wear they held up rather well!

What would you recommend these extensions for?

With such a variety of colors available these would be fantastic for fancy dress and dressing up as well as those that do want to try having a change of color or colored highlights in their hair without the full commitment of dying your own hair!


So overall I really liked these. For the value of £2.51 they are pretty impressive!

If you're interested in checking out these hair extensions I was able to agree on a 20% discount code for you all to use at checkout! Simply put in BellasBB20 when placing your order!

Have you tried any hair extensions that you're a big fan of? Or have you tried these ones! What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil review

Recently I have been very interested in hair care. My hair is in really good condition; if I do say so myself! I dye my hair once every 4 weeks and I straighten my hair I would say four days out of the week. So really everything in my hair care routine is there pretty much to keep my hair strong, soft and in good condition.

Lately I have been diving in to the new craze of argan oil hair care products. If you check out review of the Eclipz Argan Oil hair mask from Primark you will see my very first review of on argan oil product! Since that product was coming to an end I decided to pick up this.

Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil in its packaging

So I ordered this online a bit back from the Superdrug website when I was picking up a few other things. Take a look on their website here on the Superdrug website. The product itself is 100ml for £6.99 and as you can see comes very nicely packaged in a sleek gold cardboard box. Organix have a range of Moroccan argan oil products available such as shampoo and conditioners but for now I wanted to try the oil! To find out more on Organix products click here to visit their website and click here to see what argan oil products they offer!

Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil

As I said before you get a 100ml container of the oil. To access the product you just flip open the lid and squirt/drop the product in to your palm then run it through your hair.

The Argan Oil

The oil is fine rather than thick so it doesn't feel like you are running grease through your hair. It also has a lovely natural scent to it which lingers till you dry your hair. The oil helps to protect against heat as well as 'moisturize, revive, create softness and strength' and claims to give you 'smooth, sexy tresses'.

So does the product live up to the claims? Well in my opinion yes! My hair did feel noticeably smooth even just after drying. I felt that my hair when I straightened it was much easier to straighten and there seemed to be a nice shine and glossiness about my hair. I particularly noticed that the end of my hair looked much fuller and awakened so I definitely think it had an effect there! My hairdresser also noticed that my already thick hair had yet another layer of regrowth on my neck and more hair was growing (meaning my hair will be EVEN thicker... oh great!) I definitely think this product is the contributing factor to that! I also noticed that after using this product daily very little was used up. I had been using this product daily for two weeks before I took the above photos and I've barely dented it! This product is also good because whenever I do accidentally use a bit too much I cam rub the oil around on skin or rub it in to my hands!

Overall I would totally recommend this product to everyone! This product is designed for all hair types and I feel like it would benefit everyone in some way! I would particularly recommend this to younger girls just starting to heat style or dye their hair in order to maintain the quality of their hair.

Positives:
  • Great price for 100ml of products that seems like it will last!
  • Lives up to its claims and makes the hair smooth and noticeably stronger
  • Has a pleasant scent
Negatives:
  • I'm not a fan of the squirt/pour out top - can be a little annoying at times but eventually you get the hand of it!
I hope you guys liked this review! I hope to be trying a few more argan oil hair care products as it really seems to be making a noticeable different to my hair!

So have you tried this argan oil or any other argan oil products? What are your thoughts on this current trend? Let me know in the comments!

Monday 19 August 2013

OOTD & NOTD - August 19th

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I did an OOTD post! Truth be told I would always either forget to photograph what I was wearing before the evening or I would be wearing clothes I didn't think were particularly interesting! That and I've been trying to shed a few pounds; though I suppose these pictures could be a nice little documentation of that! 

Tank Top - New Look £5 Old
T-shirt - Primark £3 
Jeans - New Look £19.99 Old
Sandals - New Look - £15.99 Old

I don't know if anyone else has felt like this but the weather in England has been so confusing to dress for lately! Is it summer or is it winter? Will it rain or will it be as warm as anything whilst raining?!?! ARGH! It makes it so much more difficult to decide what to wear. 

Today I was in doing some chores as well as some writing and some general things I needed to do; so a bit of a mish-mash of a day. In a few hours I'll be heading off to the other half's to have a chilled evening and watch the Big Brother final (wild I know). So I thought I'd throw on an old pair of statement bright red jeans with a neutral beige tank top and a cotton shirt. I also decided to chuck on my sandals since its a fair walk to his and sandals are always comfy and casual! 

Sandals - New Look - £15.99 Old
Nail Polish - Collection Hot Looks in 59 Big hair - £1 from Poundland


I also look mildly obsessed with the color red since my toes are also that color! In case you were wondering my toes are painted with the Collection Hot Looks polish in the color 29 Big hair. i really need to praise New Look sandals here. I have had these sandals since 2011 I would say? They are so durable! Yes I know gladiator sandals may not be as in as they once were but I really love sandals that you know aren't going to flip flop off your feet! Especially since I do a fair bit of walking!

Nail Polish - Barry B Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in the color Prickly Pear - £3.99

If you guys have checked my blog you will noticed that earlier today I posted a review of this here. This stuff seriously does not budge or chip. I am also really loving this pastel purple color at the moment!

So I hope you guys liked this combined OOTD and NOTD post! What do you find yourself wearing through this summer? Let me know in the comments!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Prickly Pear review

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint by Barry M in Prickly Pear

So I know I am a bit late to join the bandwagon on these but I am so glad I caved in and gave them a try! We have all seen it when a product gets over-hyped. I don't know about you but sometimes it puts me off because you hear too much about it but then sometimes it draws me in and I just think I MUST HAVE IT! With the Barry M Gelly Polishes I definitely thought I must have this polish.

The Barry M Gelly polishes are available in a range of colors and are available for £3.99 each. The idea behind these polishes is that they are supposed to dry with the finishes of Gel type polishes and also with shine. Check out the Barry M website here for more details.

Two coats of the Barry M Gelly polish without a top coat

As usual I applied by base coat to my nail to protect my nails. Then I applied two coats of the Barry M Gelly polish in Prickly Pear. As you can see from the above picture the polish dries in to a solid color and also dries with a lovely subtle shine to it. I then decided to take a look and see what the polish looked like with an additional top coat.

Two coats of the Barry M Gelly polish with a top coat

As you can tell the polish looks even more shiney with a top coat. Personally I would always apply a top coat to any polish as it helps to prevent the polish from chipping. The fact that the polish dries with a shine however is great for those who don't like painting their nails or don't have the time to sit there and wait for various layers of polishes to dry. 

So what about the polish itself? For me I have never known a polish to stay this long without chipping. This polish lasted a whole seven days without chipping which is pretty impressive. Also the polish never chipped away from the base of the nail or cuticle which a lot of polishes tend to do! The effect of the nail also did look like the gel manicures you can get professionally done! The drying time between each layer though is a tad longer than normal polish; but for the gel like consistency of the polish this is kind of to be expected. 

Positives:

  • Great price at £3.99
  • A variety of colors available
  • Available internationally
  • Stays chip free for a week
  • Has a shine/gel nail finish
Negatives:
  • The drying time can be a bit of a pain!

Have you tried these Barry M Gelly high shine polishes? Or do you want to? What are your thoughts? Please let me know in the comments!

Saturday 17 August 2013

Should Be Hyped Saturday! #3

Hello once again guys! Hope you're all having a good day and a good Saturday! Since it is Saturday here is my third Should Be Hyped Saturday post!

This product I know is well known but I feel like it should be hyped more to those that are new to the fake tanning scene; Fake Bake Flawless. For my review of this product go click here!

Above: Fake Bake Flawless Tanning Liquid

The reason why I think this product deserves some hype is that it is just so easy to get a bronzed color from this product! This was my first ever fake tan and it was just so effortless to apply and basically fool proof to get a brown look! It never goes orange too - just gives a lovely sun kissed appearance to the skin! This product should just by hyped simply because it is so fool proof for everyone/anyone!

So what fake tans do you like? Have you tried Fake Bake before? Let me know in the comments!

Friday 16 August 2013

Product Empties #7

Hello everyone once again! I hope you are all well. Today I have another products empties for you, my seventh in fact! Which is actually showcasing some new products that I don't usually empty! Lately I have been trying to promise myself that I will NOT BUY any products that I don't NEED! So I have been trying to use up products that are either so-so or don't really have that appeal for me, basically those products that lounge around in your room/bathroom! So on to the products!


Soap & Glory Clean On Me Shower Gel - 75ml

I love Soap and Glory as a range and I pretty much love their shower gels (my favorite being Sugar Crush) however this one to me had a scent that smelled to perfumey if that's a word! The scent just didn't appeal to me but the lathering of this product was pretty amazing as are all the Soap & Glory shower gels! I got this little 75ml size from a Christmas gift set so I was glad of the opportunity to try it but for now I will stick with my Sugar Crush shower gel! Therefore I will not be repurchasing this product.

Cutex Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover

I actually mentioned this product in my Products I've hated post. Without going on about it again for too much longer I absolutely HATE this nail polish remover for numerous reasons. Although I felt like my actual nails were really healthy for staying away from acetone for a while my hands and skin around my nails went so dry because of this! It also took about 10 minutes to just get rid of one finger nails worth of polish! Do not buy this for nail polish removal if you ever see it! I am actually proud of myself for getting through one bottle and I have another one to get through! As you can probably tell I won't be repurchasing this particular product!

Radox Pure Clean 24 hour deodorant

As usual I always like to chuck the deodorant I used up for the month in here. I don't know if anyone else does this but I like to change my deodorant each time? Anyway! This one was okay, was a light scent and lasted a decent time!

Olay Body Complete Ultra Moisture Body Wash with Shea Butter

I really did like this shower gel. It made my skin so soft; probably due to the shea butter. The smell was also the same typical Olay smell so it was really nice. I got this as a gift in a Christmas set so I didn't purchase this myself, however if I ever needed a shower gel to take away for a holiday or weekend away I would definitely pick this one up!

Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume

For those of you that caught my first Should be Hyped Saturday post you will know how much I love this product! It did last me about a month/month and a half and did wonders for adding extra volume to my hair. I've already repurchased and started on my second bottle! This is definitely a must buy for me now!

So those were my most recent product empties! Right now I am trying so hard to use up some make-up and I am coming to the end of a few hair things so my next product empties post should include some of those! Fingers Crossed!

So what are the products that you go through the most? Have you tried any of these products? Let me know in the comments!

Wednesday 14 August 2013

MUA Cream Blush review!

Hello guys; hope you are all well! Today I am reviewing a relativity new product; the MUA Cream blush. I decided I wanted to pick up 3 shades as they are only £2. I picked up ones I believed looked like shades I could use throughout the changing weather so that my blush would always look natural! Admittedly this is my very first time using a cream blush, so I was looking forward to working with blush in a different way than what I'm used to!

The MUA blushes in (from left to right) Lush, Scrummy & Blossom

So I picked up three of the MUA cream blushe out of the five available. Before I get in to the review of the product itself lets discuss the packaging. The packaging has a clear front with the usual MUA logo on the front and the packaging is made from plastic. To open the product you just flip up the clear front! The pan size is pretty big in my opinion for blush (I don't know about anyone else but it always takes me forever to finish blush). For £2 you get 3.2g of product. Check out the MUA website here for more information. There are currently five shades available; Lush, Scrummy, Blossom, Yummy and Dolly. I must admit I am now after the two I don't have!

MUA Cream Blush in Lush

The first shade I chose was Lush which is a bright pink type color; this is the color I can see working very well in the summer when the cheeks are naturally brighter. I have worn this a few times and although the swatch is very bright it does blend very subtly in to a bright pink on the cheek.

MUA Cream blush in Scrummy

The next color I decided to pick up was Scrummy; this is the color I could see working well for the Autumn and Spring as although its bright it is a more subtle brightness that adds a lovely tint to the cheeks. This cream blush is a much more subtle and rosy color. I would recommend this color for those that want a standard blush color that they can use all year round or those that usually do stronger eye or lip looks as this is a blush that won't subtract from them!


The last color I chose to pick up was Blossom; which I chose to pick up because its subtly would work perfectly during the Winter which is the time of year I don't want my blush to be over the top and more on the subtle side. This one to me is the most subtle and could even be used as a bronzer or a contour; definitely a multi-purpose color. 

So on to the blushes overall. The pigmentation of all three of the blushes I have tried was incredibly strong and solid. The above swatches, for example, are produced from swiping my finger just once on the cream blush and then swatching. MUA for me always impress me with their pigmentation despite the fact they are so cheap! The lasting power of these blushes? Pretty Impressive! They kept a strong color for a good 4/5 hours! As for any scent; there actually isn't a scent at all!


Positives:
  • Cheap
  • Available in store in the UK and online internationally
  • Sturdy packaging
  • Great pigmentation
  • Around 4/5 lasting power
Negatives:
  • Color selection is on the narrow side with only 5 shades available but who knows this might get expanded in the future!

So those were my thoughts on the MUA Cream Blush. Have you tried these yet? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!


Monday 12 August 2013

MUA Lash Boom review

Yes, another MUA review is here! This time I am trying my very first MUA mascara! The MUA Lash boom is the newest mascara that MUA have released. This mascara is only £3 and is available in black black/brown and ultra black. I chose to pick up the mascara in ultra black.

Above: The MUA Lash boom wand

The reason why I was so attracted to getting this mascara is because of the brush/wand. With mascaras I am usually not sold on them unless they have a new/interesting brush for me to try out! That's because for me it is usually the brush that has the biggest impact on how mascara works with the lashes. The MUA Lash Boom mascara starts off like the typical mascara wand however at the end goes round.

Above: The MUA Lash Boom Mascara 

The packaging itself to me fits in with the mascaras from Rimmel and Maybelline that have been coming out lately in bright colors. It is also pretty much the same shape as the Maybelline Volum express line! However the MUA Lash Boom is much more toned down! The packaging is also very sturdy, the only problem I have is with the stopper in the mascara; it does tend to catch the wand slightly as its coming out but for £3 I wasn't too fussed. 

Above: The effect the mascara gives - One coat

If you have read my previous reviews of mascaras you will know I love a bold eye look. I love my eyelashes to really look thick and long and really curl up. However the problem with some mascaras is they can make it look un-natural or the actual mascara can clump. The MUA Lash Boom in my opinion is the best natural looking dramatic look. The wand instantly enabled me to get such curl and lift on my eyelashes particularly in the outer and inner corners! As you can see from the photo on the left the mascara was able to get every last lash and coat the beautifully. 

Overall for £3 I was so shocked at how amazing this mascara is. This will definitely be one of my staple mascaras in the future I loved it. This would definitely be perfect for those starting out with make-up or for those that are younger!

Positives:
  • Cheap!
  • Gives a dramatic but natural finish
Negatives
  • Stopper can be a bit stiff

Hope you guys liked this review! Have you tried the MUA Lash Boom yet? Have you tried any other MUA mascaras? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

Saturday 10 August 2013

Should Be Hyped Saturday! #2

Hello Guys! I hope you are all doing well and I hope you all enjoyed my last Should Be Hyped Saturday post which if you missed it you can find here

So lets get on to the second should be hyped product!

Above: MUA Pro-Base Fixing Mist

If you're interested in my full review of this product click here! This product I believe deserves a little more hype! For me I am not a big fan of fixing mists or sprays as there is no real way of determining if they are actually helping. But with this spray I have noticed that my makeup has that 'just applied' look for even longer! Also during the summer months this has been great to spray on my face before and after I apply my make-up to keep me cool! For £5 you can't really argue with it and it is definitely worth a try!

Have you tried the MUA Pro base Fixing Mist? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

Friday 9 August 2013

Primark, Select and New Look haul!


Hello Guys! Hope you are all doing great today! Today I have yet another haul post for you! The other day I went shopping and I picked up a few nice bits so here they are!

Primark Blue Floral Dress: £13

First lets start with Primark because everyone loves a good Primark haul! I picked up yet another one of their dresses because I just love their dress designs! For £13 you can't really argue and I love teaming them with waist belts, tights, leggings, boots, trainers anything! They're the type of dresses that can be dressed up and down. This one caught my eye because of the blue it is. On this picture it looks a deep blue but in natural light it is in-between a baby blue and dark blue. What really caught my attention was the embossed detail of flowers running throughout the dress! 


In person it really does catch the eye and I really can't wait to wear this!

Primark Cropped Leggings - £3 each

Recently I have been wearing cropped leggings with dresses as we have had weird weather in England where it is hot one minute and cold the next! So I thought I would pick up two new pairs. I am wearing these right now and all I can say is they are amazingly soft! They are also solid leggings - They don't go see-through! An A+ for these!

Select Pink and Black Floral Dress - £15

Next we popped in to Select. My eye got caught by this black and pink dress with a floral pattern on. I love the pink and black combination and for £15 the price isn't too bad either!


As you can tell from the close up black lace is also combined with the pink of the dress and it gives a lovely affect!

New Look Umbrella - £7.99 

The last thing I picked up was just cause I needed one! When I went to university in Liverpool I used to take a massive umbrella because of how strong the wind is there. Now that I don't go to uni anymore, *sniffle* I decided a small hand umbrella was needed! So I picked up this butterfly patterned umbrella in New Look! 


So that is pretty much everything I got! Don't forget if you liked this post be sure to follow!

What have you been buying lately?