Packing for holiday

For me personally, holiday mode starts with shopping and packing. My regular readers will know that I started my holiday shopping months ago, but it's the shopping for miniatures that really gets me excited. I don't know what it is about mini bottles of beauty products that makes me so excited, they just do!

My fabulous friend bought me the pink travel wallet as a birthday present a few years back and I just can't go on holiday without it. It's just perfect for holding onto passport, boarding pass and currency. If you don't have one already, get one!

My luggage is ALWAYS overweight so this time I am trying to lighten the load by rationing, and thinking realistically about what I am going to wear/use whilst I'm away. I think I've done quite well on the make up front and only packed the bare essentials.

Two more sleeps and then it's Ibiza here we come. Can't wait!!!

European Hair Products for Afro Hair

Ever since having my hair relaxed for the first time at the grand old age of 11, I have always been advised to use products designed specifically for relaxed hair. There are hundreds of blogs and websites dedicated to looking after relaxed hair and the advice seems to be varied, although moisturising and good hydration are recurring themes. With this in mind, I decided to take the plunge and for the first time ever, try a product designed for European hair. I had heard good things about Herbal Essences Good Hydration so gave this a go.

Herbal Essences - Hello Hydration - Shampoo
The bottle is actually transparent. The shampoo itself is a bright bubble gum blue colour  and has a sweet bubble gum smell. It foams quite easily but doesn't really de-tangle. After rinsing, the hair just kind of congeals so you need to use the conditioner straight away.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner
This conditioner is an absolute beauty. As soon as you rinse the hair takes on a complete different quality. Soft, silky, smooth. You really don't need much at all and I found that two rounds of conditioning and rinse was enough. The smell is similar to the shampoo but a bit lighter. As a conditioner I thought it was better than some afro hair products that I have used in the past. I will be buying this again. 

August Beauty Empties

These are all of the hair and beauty products I have used up this month...

Profectiy Mega Growth Stimulating Shampoo

Body Shop Dewberry Mure Savage Bath and Shower Gel

Superdrug Nail Polish Remover

Palmolive Aroma Therapy Absolute Relax Shower Gel

Garnier Pure Anti-Blackhead Deep Pore Wash

Garnier Intensive Seven Days Replenishing Lotion in Mango Oil

Sleek Blusher in Pomegranate

The stand out beauty product has to be Garnier Pure Anti-Blackhead Deep Pore Wash. I have noticed that after using it for a few weeks, my face feels less oily and I have definitely had less spots. This one is a winner that I have already re-purchased.

Beautiful Blackheath

Last weekend was the hottest of the year so far so I took the opportunity to visit one of my favourite towns, Blackheath. After a lovely lunch at Zero Degrees, my friend and I went for a little wander around the shops and through the park, and I couldn't resist a few snaps...

Whilst rummaging through a charity shop I came across this little beauty. The zip was broken so they let me have it for £3. I took it to the dry cleaners the next day and they fixed the zip for £11. I am so chuffed, this is literally my new baby. Just look at her, she is gorgeous!

I ♥ MAC

MAC is one of my all time favourite make up brands. Not everyone loves it but for me they are a God send. Trying to find foundation and powder to match dark skin tones is often a challenge in the UK but Mac have such a large range of colours that I always find something that suits me. I only popped in to pick up a new foundation as I was running low, but the skin care range caught my eye. As well as the foundation I also bought Mac Oil Control Lotion and Mac Fix+.

MAC Oil Control lotion
This comes in 50ml for £21.50 or 30ml for £12.50. I have been using it daily for a couple of weeks now and will definitely be repurchasing. I find that it's light enough to use in hot weather but rich enough for me to use when it gets colder. I let it sink in for a couple of minutes before putting on foundation and it helps to create a nice matte effect.

MAC Fix+
Where have you been all my life! This is my new favourite beauty product. MAC Fix+ is an aqua spritz that sets your make up making it last longer. The 100ml is £13.50 and the handbag size 30ml is £7.50. I use it in the morning after I have completed my base (foundation, powder, contouring, highlighter and blusher) and then do my eyes afterwards. The best bit about it is you don't need to re-touch your make up during the day! Instead, just spritz some more over your face to give you the 'just done' look. Little tip, hold the spritz at a distance from your face before you spray. Sounds obvious and probably is to most but I have almost zero sense of logic (I frighten myself at times) and the first time I used I held it too close and didn't close my eyes - error.

July Empties

Here are the beauty products I have used up this month

L'Oreal Nutri Soft Moisturiser

Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Wash

Mitchum Advanced Control Antiperspriant in Baby Powder

Mitchum Advanced Control Antiperspirant in Shower Fresh

Radox Energy Boost Shower Gel

Clean & Clear Deep Cleansing Lotion

World of Curls Oil Sheen Spray

Garnier Intensive 7 Day Hand Cream in Shea Butter

The stand out product for me is the World of Curls Oil Sheen Spray. Juli Oli recommends this hair product in her healthy afro hair videos on youtube. Her hair is amazing so I decided to give this a try and I am completely sold. I have relaxed hair which can get extremely dry but the World of Curls Oil Sheen Spray really helps keep it supple. I have been spritzing it on my hair before bed and then again in the morning before styling. I bought it for £3.99 in a local shop that specialises in afro hair products but I wish I had bought in bulk because they have now sold out, and I'm finding it hard to get my hands on another one - Grrr!

I have been using the Garnier Hand Cream for a couple of months now. The bottle is 100ml and you don't need to use a lot so it lasts for ages. It claims to keep the skin hydrated after washing your hands but I found that this didn't work for me. My hands get extremely dry when they have been in water and I always have to moisturise after washing so I was excited about trying this. It is quite a rich hand cream so others might notice the difference after washing your hands but mine are just too dry.

Good Things - Deep Pore Anti Blemish Cleanser

I have quite oily skin which is prone to blackheads and blemishes, and have been looking for a cleanser that could help. I came across Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Cleanser in Boots and have been using it for a couple of weeks now. It has extracts of fig and wild strawberry giving it a light, fruits of the forest fragrance and you can really smell berries. It does leave my skin feeling clean and noticeably clearer, but my skin did start to feel tight a few minutes after so its a good idea to moisturiser quite quickly afterwards. When you pour the liquid onto a cotton pad,it foams slightly so you really don't need much at all, just 3 drops per application is enough. You get 200ml in a bottle so it will last for ages. Good Things have a wider product range that includes both face and body products which are pretty reasonably priced. I will definitely been exploring the rest of the range http://www.goodthingsbeauty.com/

Budget Beauty - Cocoa Skin Therapy Oil

I picked up this little treat on a whim on a visit to my local pound store and will definitely be buying it again. Its a body oil containing Vitamin E and Cocoa Butter which claims to improve the appearance of stretch marks, scars, dry skin and ageing. I have been using it for a couple of weeks and it makes a lovely moisturiser, for very dry skin. My knees, elbows and feet are problem areas for dry skin so this has been really handy. Sometimes Cocoa Butter products can smell a bit sickly but this one wasn't. It still has that slight whiff of chocolate smell but its not over bearing. It's great as a massage oil and it comes in a 50ml bottle so handy to travel with. Bargain!

Holiday Shopping

I am off to Ibiza in September and I absolutely cannot wait! This will be my first holiday in over 12 months and to say I am in need of break is an understatement to say the least. I am terrible at shopping for holidays. I tend to leave it all to the last minute and get more excited about buying miniature beauty products than beach wear. This time round I'm determined not to spend the weekend before my holiday running round Topshop looking like a deranged sweating animal, desperately hunting down swimwear that won't leave me looking like Peppa Pig. Oh no, this year I am going to be organised, and I have already started - yay me! After a few hours traipsing round my local shopping centre, I impressed myself by picking up a few bargains.

This dress/tunic from Primark left me baffled and bemused when I saw it on the hanger. There was a rail full of them on sale for £5 and I'm not surprised they weren't shifting. At first glance I just couldn't work it out. The hanger was placed in the middle of the loop, leaving it looking like a very asymmetric and impossible to wear dress. It didn't help that the hanger string (you know - that little loop of black thread on the inside of tops/dresses so you can hang them up properly - hanger string - that's what I'm calling it) was on the opposite side of the non-existent shoulder. Fail. After taking it off the hanger and rotating it several different ways, I realised it was actually a one shoulder top. I was wearing black leggings at the time which went quite well together. Just need to add some wedges for a sexy clubbing outfit - good to go.

I am in love with this beach wrap. Just £12 from Matalan! I can so see myself wearing this with a floppy beach hat and monster sized shades, strutting about like the diva my vodka self thinks I am. It nips in at the waist with a drawstring to hide any post burger bulge of which I'm sure there will be many.

Here is the material in close up

Weekend Manicure

Don't hate me - but sometimes I just love rainy days. Admittedly not when I am partying and have spent 2 hours blow drying and straightening my thick, stubborn frizz, but if I have no plans, and it is windy and raining outside, I love being snuggled up on my sofa in the cosy warm. Throw in a bit of thunder and lightening and I am in seventh heaven. Rather than continuing to moan about the miserable weather, with no plans for my Sunday afternoon, I decided to indulge in a home manicure. Here are my tools:

I started of by cutting and filing my nails. You can see from this pic just how dry and flaky they were.

  

I then used a base coat and you can see the difference this made

Next was this gorgeous polish by Essie which was a freebie from Lastminute.com who were giving out samples as part of their spa promotions on Friday. Oh how I love a freebie, and I just love this colour!

Next up was a top coat. I used Seche Vite which is a bit expensive but totally worth it. It makes your nails look uber glossy and colour lasts a lot longer. A quick spray of Elegant Touch Rapid Dry and voila! Here is the end result.

June Beauty Empties



Empties



These are all of the beauty products that I have got through this month:

Clockwise from left:

Mitcham Advanced Control Deodorant in Powder Fresh

Doo Gro - Grow Repair Conditioner

Imperial Leather Aqua Therapy Bath

L'Oreal Nutri Soft 24 Hour Velvet Body Lotion

Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub

Dove Shea Butter Soap

Dove Pro-Age Hand Cream

My favourite product has to be the L'Oreal Nutri Soft 24 Hour Velvet Body Lotion. It smells fresh and feels light but still does a good job of moisturising which makes it ideal for the nasty humid weather we are experiencing at the moment. I'm usually not very loyal to body lotion brands. I mostlychoose moisturiser based on the cheapest that smells nice and suits dry skin. This one ticks all my boxes so when I spotted it at half price in Superdrug, I bought it in bulk. I'm down to my last bottle so went on the hunt for some more but they were out of stock. Please don't let it be discontinued!

Budget Beauty

I really fancied treating myself to a few beauty treats but being near the end of the month, funds are lower than I'd like so I had a little mooch around Primark and wondered down the beauty isle. I was pleasantly surprised.

The zip on my make up bag broke the other week so I had been keeping my eye out for a new one and came across this one for just £3. Its a cute oval shape with a soft lining, and when it's opened up fully you can see that it can hold quite a lot.

I absolutely adore this very retro lip treat, Dr Pepper lib balm and gloss. Bargain at £2.50 for the pair! They have a slightly sweet taste and they smell gorgeous. Think opening a bag of Haribo and having a good sniff and your getting there

                                                  Dr Pepper Lip Balm                                     

Pepper Lip Balm plus Lip Gloss

These pack of 4 nail files were just £1, and they come with a case

This 2 in 1 foundation and concealer brush was also £1 and I just love the colour!

Concealer end

Foundation end

I also picked up a travel size bottle of Agran Oil for the bargain price of £2.50. The ends of my hair tend to get quite dry so this stuff helps to keep it super soft

Wish List

Here is a round up of the things I have seen this week that I would love to get my mitts on!

A - River Island, Seamless Bodycon Dress, £15

B - Linzi Shoes, Lainey in Pink Suede, £35

C - H&M, Double Finger Ring, £3.99

D - Not On The High Street, Biscuit Dunkability Mug £12

E - Love-Makeup, OCC Lip Tar, £9.50 each

I was particularly excited about the biscuit mug from Not On The High Street. It has quite a retro look about it and I just love dunking biscuits! Perfect for the office.

The Lip Tar range from OCC comes in 33 different shades so there is something for everyone. With names like Hoochie, Harlot and Strumpet, I knew this was a brand I could get along with!

Handbags at Dawn

Paul's Boutique. Love it? Hate it? Never heard of it? What's your view. Mine personally is that it is a mid quality, affordable brand with a cute range of bags. However, that's just me and I hadn't really had any reason to think anything else, until today that is. 


#banpaulsboutique was trending on twitter today and my first thought was "why". Dig a little deeper and I found that a considerable sized chunk of the blogging community loathe Paul's Boutique because of the brand association with teenage girls. I was surprised to see that a post by www.britishbeautyblogger.com  discussing the Maisie bag received a backlash including a comment that they were the most hated bags in the UK. Harsh, maybe. It got me thinking though. How many of us would boycott a brand we once loved because a market segment we didn't identify with stared using it?


Personally, if I like something, I'll wear it and not care who else might have the same thing because for me, it's a question of style. My handbag can be more than just an extension of my outfit. If you wear it as the focal point, you'll learn there is more than one way to rock a bag.
And while we're on the subject, I thought I'd share the contents of my bag with you...

My (in my opinion) Gorgeous, Sexy, Maisie

And here is everything I've managed to cram in it today

These are the bits from my make up bag

Moxie Tampon Tin

Ibuprofen

Sleek Concealer

Nail Files

Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets (essential for my shiny by 10:00am face!)

Carmex Lip Balm

Blusher Brush

Hand Sanitizer

Garnier Hand Cream

Sleek Blusher

4Head Headache Balm

Plasters