Rimmel 60 second polish - Coralicious

This is a Rimmel london 60 second nail polish, so it means it has the '1 second' brush application that fits the nail perfectly, allowing a fast and even coat. This colour (430) Coralicious is a really nice, bright and vibrant colour. Its closer to the red side of things rather than orange but its still a really pretty shade. 

The application is great, it applies with no streaks and one coat is enough to cover the nail . The finish is a lovely glossy effect and it dries very fast. For a drugstore/hight street nail polish that only costs around the £3 mark, it is pretty good.  

I really rate Rimmel nail polish, however I find some do dry out pretty fast (generally the glitter formulas) , this one though is still going strong and iv had it for quite a while. They have a huge selection of colours, effects and prices range so they are well worth a check out if your ever in somewhere that stocks them, which is a lot of places these days! (boots, asda, tesco, primark, superdrug est)

Empties!

This month I haven't really gone through a whole load of products, mainly because I'm not really using a bunch of products right now.


Firstly iv used......

• L'oreal paris preference high shine conditioner - This is a hair treatment that comes with my hair dye, usually I don't really bother with these because I tend to use my own treatments, but I really enjoyed this, it made my hair feel and look so nice, shiny and soft. If this was sold on its own I would totally buy it!

• Caudalie S.O.S thirst quenching serum - I got this in one of my glossyboxs' and really loved it, Im very, very tempted to buy the full size of this because I loved it so much. It helped my skin so much, on any dry flaky areas and all over the face in general. 

• Caudalie beauty elixir - This is a cult product that everyone seems to be raving about lately, I can see why! I really adore this product and Im going to by the £30 bottle as soon as I get paid, Iv seen so much benefits from this, not just for my skin but my mood when I use this! 5 gold stars for this. 

• Monu enriched body cream - I didnt really like this, It didn't do much at all. Iv tired better body moisturisers , this also calmed to firm the skin as well, which I don't really agree with, or at least it had no effect on me. I don't think Id re perches this. 

• No7 Beautiful skin foaming cleanser (oily/combination) - This product was neither bad nor good, It didn't really do anything ground breaking to my skin, it kept it clean yes but nothing else really. Its just a very simple face wash, that would be good for someone more sensitive. I don't think Id buy this again due to the fact that iv tried better before. 

Weekly wants!

So this weeks wants and things I'm dying to buy but cant until I get paid :( start with 

• Real techniques brushes- specifically the core set because I want the buffing brush soooo bad! I wish that brush was sold separately because I don't really need/want the others, just that one brush. 
  
  
• Essie nail polish- In mint candy apple, such a pretty summer colour. Even though in the UK summer doesn't exist lol 
  
  
• Laura Mercier- mineralised foundation, I don't like to wear heavy foundations and due to the fact a lot of people like this, I'm eager to try it out. But its not cheap at all, so I keep putting it off. 
  
  
• Caudalie beauty exlier- I have this already, but I want to buy the bigger bottle but it cost around £30 which is a lot of money for what it is! 
  
  
• Perfume- Nina by Nina ricci, I spelt this while in debenhams and totally fell in love, such a sweet and fruity smell. 
  
  
• Nars- bronzer, I'm not 100% sure which one yet, but when I comes to buying one ill be going to a store that sells it to test them out. 
  
  
• Caudalie- SOS serum, I have a free sample of this and loved it so much I want to buy a big one of my own! 
  
  
• Origins-drink up intensive overnight mask, This looks like it will be a great product, specially if you spend a lot of time in air conditioned rooms.
  
  
• Marrocon oil- My hair is pretty dry and I need something to save it, I really, really want to try this! 
  
  
• MAC- I want to find my all time perfect lipstick that I will just fall in love with and I think MAC might be a good place to start 

Free sample!

So Garnier have been doing a few of these free sample packs lately, first I reviewed the intensive7day challenge here and now I have 14 day free samples of their ultra lift day cream. This pack comes with 14 generous samples, as well as a 'wrinkle reader' chart, where you measure your wrinkles on the first day, on a scale of one to ten, and then again on the last day to see if ultra lift has helped to reduce them. 

 
Now I am only 20 years old, so I don't really have wrinkles to the extent of the chart, but they do say to start your anti ageing raceme young to prevent wrinkles rather than 'cure' them.  I found this cream to be very nice, I have combination skin and it didn't make my face to oily and It didn't break me out. It left my skin feeling soft and looking more hydrated.

This pack also came with a £1 off your next purchase coupon 

You can claim your free sample here as well as read all about their ultra lift products, this is a perfect chance to test a product without having to spend money on it, its a totally free sample and you don't have to commit to anything, there are no catches at all. 

will you claim a free sample? 

Trevor Sorbie - Beautiful blonde

My hair is naturally a light brown/dark blond, I dye my hair with a 'at home' medium/light shade of blond dye, I'm sure many of you know that when dying your hair blond from brown you risk turning your hair slightly orange and trust me It has happened to me far to many times! The Trevor Sorible beautiful blond- ice cool platinum shampoo is a life saver for when disaster strikes, it is a lilac shampoo which helps to reduce the brassy orange tones in blond hair making it more vibrant and blond and allows you to brighten and alter the brassy orange-ness without having to dye the hair again. This shampoo has semi permanent dyes in it (but doesn't smell horrible like hair dye) to help brighten and rejuvenate dull blond hair, as blond hair can often look a lot less shiny than brown hair due to the pigmentation and also the fact going blond often involves heavy bleaching to the hair which causes serious damage to hair follicles. This shampoo iisn't just for coloured hair, it can be used on natural blonde's, highlighted blond or even people with white/grey hair to help enhance the natural colours. It can also be used on all hair types, from fine to thick, curly to straight. Making this shampoo fantastic.

 As well as helping enhance the blond colour in your hair without having to keep dying it (which then causes more damage and makes your hair look even more dull) this shampoo also contains heat protection, which is great for someone like me as I don't really use heat protection- Bad I know, but I'm just so lazy! (I don't really heat style my hair that often so Its not so bad I guess). There is also shine and colour enhancing technology within this product, it really does help to make the most out of blond hair.

I found my hair looked brighter, healthier and felt softer. I'm not sure how this shampoo does so many things but I really love it! It has helped to lighten some darker more gingery sections of my hair and hasn't caused more damage like dying it would

The photo above shows the travel size shampoo that is 75ml and cost £1.99, I suggest this size would be perfect for someone who wants to try this product without having to commit to the £6 odd price tag of the full size product. You can also buy the matching conditioner in a travel size bottle, the conditioner has been formulated to be paired in conjunction with this shampoo for optimal effectiveness. It is also easily accessible and can be found in places such as Boots. 

It really is a great shampoo for blonds, I often find purple based shampoos take so long to show any sort of result in my hair but this one worked after a few washes, I take my hat of to Trevor Soribie for this brilliant and genius shampoo.

Gosh - Miss sweety (595)

Gosh nail polish cost around £5, I bought this one from superdrug when they were having a 3 for 2 offer, so I picked this up for pretty much free. Its a peachy nude colour and would look fantastic with a tan. You do however need to apply 2/3 coats of this to get a perfect and even finish which is slightly annoying, but I think this colour makes me looks very prim and proper, It allows your nails to look nice and tidy without having to put a bright colour on, its also a nice alternative to a French manicure. This creamy peach colour really compliments my complexion and paired with gosh nail glitter dust in gold you can't really go wrong!

Avene gentle gel cleanser

Eau thermale Avene gentle gel cleanser is designed for normal to combination sensitive skin, it comes in a 200ml pump bottle for around the £10 mark. It has no fragrance, and is designed for intolerant and the most sensitive of skin. It does have parabens in which I'm not a huge fan of, but this product works a dream so I can forgive them for that. It helps to balance my skin out perfectly, I have combination skin and this product doesn't dry out my face and it doesn't leave it feeling greasy. After using it my skin feels so soft and smooth, this product works great in conjunction with a muslin cloth. It doesn't foam at all (no soap in product), which took me a while to get us to as I normally use products that lather up, its totally clear when on your face despite the product looks slightly pink in the bottle but feels really smooth when applying it.

 I was worried that this might break me out like the Liz earl cleans and polish did, as I tend to go for products designed at targeting spots and deviating away from that made me slightly worried that my skin wouldn't be able to handle not having products that are aimed at spot fighting. I'm happy to say I have not broke out from this product, It has made me re-think my whole skin care routine, I think I might have been over drying my skin, thus causing over production of oil and then creating spots. I also underestimated how dehydrate my skin was, until I started using a product that wasn't aimed at removing oil.

 Avene also do a gentle cleanser that is aimed at more dry skin that is not a wash off formula like this gel gentle cleanser is, as well as millions of other products that would be perfect for people who have sensitive skin, allergies or even skin conditions such as eczema. The packaging for this I actually really like, its simple and clean looking and allows the product to speak for its self and In my eyes this product speaks volumes. Its a no fuss, but effective cleanser and I really do like it. 

I really do love Avene, I use their TriAcneal which I believe really did cure my acne problem, I have never had any problems with Avene, highly recommend! Gold star to Avene for creating such a great skincare line. 

Garnier Intensive7day challenge

I decided to take part in the Intensive7days free trial challenge that you can register for here. I was in the need of a new body moisturiser and decided to take up the offer of being able to sample this for free before having to committed to buying a full size moisturiser and possibly not liking it after doing so. The pack came with seven sachets, one to be used each day for the whole seven days. I found one sachet gave a generous amount that could cover both legs and leave a little more left over if needed. The sample kit came with little tester strips that you were meant to dab on your skin before and after the 7 days to see the different moister levels in the skin before and after using this product. The strips show up white marks and the more white marks, the drier your skin. This shows you how well the product has worked for you and allows you to not only feel the results on your skin but see for yourself if it has truly worked. This moisturiser is designed to not only help to coat your skin with moister but increase the level of moister in your skin cells to prevent dry skin. It comes in a gel and lotion formulae as well as a specific hand treatment cream, the gel style formulae would be ideal for those who have slightly more normal skin, but still want to add moister and make their skin soft, the gel is a lighter formulae so would be great for applying before getting changed in the morning as it will sink in to the skin faster and not leave a heavy, greasy residue sitting on the skin. while the lotion is a richer cream, designed for drier skin that will help to really nourish and moisturise dry skin. It doesn't leave you feeling sticky, greasy or wet, so you don't have to stand about for ages waiting to dry, which isn't fun at all and I'm sure no one likes to have to do that, I know I don't!

'New Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days, a new body care range enriched with L-Bifidus* for hydration that goes on and on. Offering 5 lotions that are derived of natural ingredients suited for different skin needs.This lightweight lotion is non-greasy and absorbs in a flash!'
The intensive7day moisturiser comes in different 'flavours' as I like to call them,
-honey which is designed for dry/sensitive skin to help sooth any irritation that can be caused by sensitive skin.
-mango oil lotion for rough skin.
-cocoa butter for dull skin.
-shea butter for extra dry skin to help repair it.
-aloe vera lotion for normal skin..

As you can see there really is something for everyone, there is a large range of moisturisers in the Garnier line, not only the intensive7day moisturisers but also the bodyrepair (extra dry skin) , bodytonic (firming lotion) and summer body (gradual tanner). Garnier is well worth a look at if your trying to find a new moisturiser and seen as you can get a free 7 day sample, you don't have to spend anything to try it!

Three cheers for free samples and soft skin!!! :D

Will you try this? 

MUA heaven and earth pallet.

With flash

Without flash

MUA is a fairly new brand that can be found in superdrug, their products are really affordable and most things in the line are around £1, this pallet comes to about £3 for 9.6gs of eye shadow. It consists of 12 shimmer eye shadows that have great pigmentation and for the price you cant really go wrong. It has been said that this heaven and earth pallet is a fairly good dupe for the urban decay naked pallet and at a fraction of the price. I find these eye shadows to be lovely, smooth and they blend well. For the price I think they are well worth trying out, there are various different pallets in the MUA range as well as lots of  different single eye shadows along with eye liners, lip glosses and much more. For those of you who are on a tight budget or even if your not, this brand is worth a shot and even if you don't like them you have only lost around £1.

MAC - Speed dial

MAC speed dial was one of the first MAC lipsticks I bought, Its a cremesheen formula and a pretty soft pink with a fine gold shimmer running through it. As its cremesheen the texture is fairly smooth, but not as smooth as some other cremesheens though because this one has shimmer in it, but still leaves a lovely finish and texture on the lips. I find the more I apply of this colour the brighter the pink becomes, If you apply a light coat of it, it leaves a lovely soft finish to the lips, if you apply it a bit heavier it has a slightly more stronger pigmentation to the pink which I guess is normal for any sort of lipstick. I find this a very nice, every day lipstick that's not to in your face, it leaves you with a perfect pink glossy effect to the lips that looks very good on my skin when pale and also when tanned. 

Lovely lace,Work wear.

 So I bought new clothes for work and I love them so much I thought I would share them with you, I bought them both from Next, the trousers were £35 from the petite range in Next, as I'm 5ft1 regular length trousers are always to long for my little legs, but the petite range fits like a dream. They are good quality and the sizing is really good which is always nice.  The top is my favourite part of this outfit It was £28 and also comes in a mint green colour which is also gorgeous. This top can be dressed up for a night out with a pencil skirt or even shorts or worn to work with black trousers, it is smart, elegant and really feminine. The lace detail make its extra special and really gives a lovely overall finish to the top. Id pare this with plain black heels and maybe a black belt to help cinch in the waist. Next do a great range of work wear and I love it even more because they have a good selection of petite sizes that fit me well. 

Palmers Cocoa butter formula.

I never really though Palmers was a brand aim at someone like me, I thought its target audience was pregnant women as they have a huge range of products for pregnant women and babies, so I was surprised to see they also have products designed for tanning, for men, hair, face and lips. I had read quite a few reviews on Palmers cocoa butter moisturiser and people seemed to love it so I thought 'why not, lets give it a go myself'

It has vitamin E and cocoa butter to help nourish dry skin, it states it will improve and smooth marks, stretch marks and scars. As far as that goes I cant really say if I does that or not as I don't really have any stretch marks or scares.

It claims to be an 'excellent after tanning butter' which is why I actually bought this, there was a period of really hot, sunny weather in the UK and I found myself sitting in the sun all day which caused my skin to become dry and as my preference is thicker body butters rather than lotions (as I like to apply them at night and wash them off in the morning) I thought this might be a great effective product to use. Its cheap at around £5 for 400ml, It has a pump which makes it hygienic and less messy and Its thick enough to moisturise well, but It also dry fairly fast for a butter style moisturiser so you don't have to sit about feeling tacky waiting for it to soak in. I have read many reviews on this where people have said they think this product smells like chocolate, I sort of agree to an extent, the initial smell is quite sweet but then it goes away almost straight away.  For those who don't like fragrant products/are sensitive to them, they do this in a sensitive version which I have also used before, that doesn't smell of much at all but works exactly the same.

This is a simple but effective moisturiser It does the job well. Its a no fuss product, with plain packaging but don't let that fool you, It has a great consistency, It leaves the skin feeling soft and even after shaving my legs some moisturisers can leave my legs stinging but this product doesn't irritate me at all. I could imagine why this would work so well for pregnant women, but you don't have to be pregnant to see the benefits from this product. I recommend this to anyone looking for a cheap, easily accessibly (sold in boots, superdrug and most major supermarkets) but effective moisturiser. 

Lush fresh face mask - Catastrophe Cosmetic

there are real blueberries pieces in this which you can see in this photo.

Yes I know, another Lush product review I bet your all sick of me talking about Lush. But hey ho I'm going to anyway :P 

Lush are really big into being eco friendly and as part of their mission to help the planet they do a recycling scheme with there pots, if you bring back 5 of them you get a free face mask, this is exactly what I did. I took my 5 washed and cleaned pots back to Lush to get a face mask, I new before I went which face mask I wanted to get. Catastrophe Cosmetic I possibly my favourite Lush face mask, not only does it smell amazing! It is so beneficial for the skin (as are all of the face mask really). This mask has Irish moss to soften the skin, almond oil to moisturise and leave the skin supple. As well as blueberries which are full of vitamins and minerals and are antioxidant, Rose absolute and chamomile essential oil will reduce redness and irritation. Calamine and talc will deep clean and soothe the skin at the same time. This mask is ideal for those with spot prone skin, the deep cleansing action helps to draw out any dirt and keep the skin clear and clean while the chamomile and rose really help to calm down any irritation, redness and swelling of spots on the skin.

I use this every week as a face mask that I apply to my face and leave for about 10 minutes and sometimes as a spot treatment if I have a big red spot, this really helps take the redness out of it. All our fresh face masks are preservative-free and should be stored in the fridge to stop them going bad, they have a fairly short shelf life of around 4/5 weeks but Its easy enough to use up this mask in 4 weeks if your using it 1-2 times a week. These mask cost £5.75 for 75gs, they are made with fresh and mainly natural ingredients which make them feel really luxurious on the skin. I really enjoy using this face mask, the smell, the fact it has small pieces of real blueberries in it (which really make me feel like I'm doing something good for my skin) and the benefits make this a great product.  

Apivita intensive hydration mask with cucumber.

This is a sample I had in my May Glossybox, I don't usually buy hydrating mask even though Id say my skin is combination. When I use a face mask Its normally one that calms my skin, helps fight spots but also softens and brightens. So when I received this sample I was slightly apprehensive, I was worried It might cause my problem areas to become over moisturised and break out. I used this on a day where I did have fairly dry skin due to lots of sun exposer. I applied it just like it said to, a thick layer all over the face and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. This mask is clear and does not dry, which was a strange feeling for me as I'm use to masks that totally dry. It didn't have any overpowering smell so it wasn't offencive at all.  This mask contains 85% natural ingredients and is Ideal for normal, oily and combination skin. This mask excludes synthetic ingredients that may pose harmful effects to your health and the environment.

My thoughts on this face mask

It helped to soften my skin, once I had removed it my skin felt so smooth and moisturised. It didn't cause any new spots to appear but it did cause any spots I did have to become slightly worse which is unfortunate. I don't think Id perchance this full size as the cons outweigh the pros for me, but I do think this would be ideal for someone who has dry skin as I can see it working a dream for that type of skin.

http://www.apivita.com/face/express-masks/intensive-exfoliating-cream.html