Mark Hill - Beach Babe sea salt Wave spray.

If you are anything like me you love summer, you love hanging out at the beach and the fact that you don't really have to do much to your hair, because the salt from the sea sorts it all out for you. Unfortunately I live in the not so sunny UK, so summer lasts for about 2 weeks and the rest of the year I suffer with pale skin and messy hair. This is where Mark Hill Beach Babe Sea Salt Wave Spray comes in handy. 

This is a Sea Salt Spray, so for anyone who doesn't know what that is, its basically exactly what the bottle says. It can be used on wet or dry hair, to help produce natural waves, and to add texture to the hair. I have natural waves/light curls to my hair anyway, so this product helps define them, make my hair look less fluffy and give that tussled look. It can also work for those with naturally straight hair, so don't feel left out , it will help give texture and life to your hair, with minimal effort involved. I use it both on wet and dry hair, but usually on second day hair when I cant be bothered to style it, by now you guys should all know how lazy I am with my hair ha. You simply sprints it on to whatever part of the hair you want, I go for the ends manly. The good thing about this product is that the packaging helps the product mist out evenly, instead of just having a burst of product in one place, so it coats all the hair and giving that natural beachy hair look. If you use this product with a delicate hand it can make your hair look really boho and effortlessly pretty, but be careful because to much can make your hair feel slightly crispy, but you can easily brush that out, so don't panic. 

I find this product smells great as well, it helps me cling on to summer even when its cold and raining outside. It costs £5.99 and I bought mine from Boots. So its really affordable and easily accessible, if you love summer and the beach hair, this is really worth trying. 

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Garnier Pure Active BB cream

In case you have no idea what a BB cream is, its essentially a light weight foundation with 'skincare benefits', I am always sceptical about how well these types of products work as skin care though. 

The Garnier Pure Active BB cream claims it helps those who are blemish prone as it has a 'anti-blackhead' formula, with 2% salicylic acid in it. It also states that it is mattifying and has SPF 15 built in. Now I'm not sure how well this product works for helping prevent break outs, however it does leave my skin fairly Matt (Matt enough for my own person preference). In all honestly I did not buy this product for the skincare claims, I bought is as I was looking for a nice light coverage, no fuss foundation that will even out my skin tone without looking like I am wearing a load of make up. This BB cream works very well for that, its nice and light, it doesn't feel heavy, or like its going to cause loads of break outs, it doesn't really feel like I have make up on at all. Its great for the days when you can't really be bothered to faff about with make up, or if you are on holiday and don't want heaps of foundation melting off your face. 

However, I am pretty pale, roughly ivory in most foundation I buy, unless I have a tan of course. This BB cream claims to be light, its pretty dark, I cannot use it in the winter months as its waaaay to dark, unless I fake tan/bronze my neck. In the summer however it suits my skin colour fairly well. The colour rang isn't fantastic for most BB creams, which is a shame, but as they become more popular hopefully they will start producing a greater range of colours.  

PhytoKeratine Repairing Serum for Damaged Lengths.

This hair serum is another cheeky purchase I got while in America, just like the O.P.I. nail polish I talked about here. When I was in the States my hair became really, REALLY dry from all the sea salt, chlorine from the pools and just general hair neglect. Lets face it I was having way to much fun to care about my hair. So because of that I found myself running into Sephora to try and find something, anything, that would make my hair look and feel even a tiny bit better, without having to put much effort into it at all. This product is a Silicone and Paraben free hair serum designed to repair damaged ends, which is exactly what I have. The website states that this product contains Amino Acids and Keratin which help to rebuild and re-strengthen the hair from the inside out. As its Silicone free it means its not simply just coating the hair to mask the appearance of damaged ends, but working deep inside the follicle to help rebuild and restructure the hair. 

I have neutrally dry hair that has also been Ombred, therefore the ends have been bleached, making my hair even more dry. I have to admit that I am also guilty of not using heat protectors on my hair which means the ends are in a seriously bad condition overall.

I didn't think much could help my hair, other than a hair cut really, but I bought this serum anyway. You can use it on either damp or dry hair, and I do both. I actually apply a whole lot more than suggested as well, but as my hair is so dry it doesn't make it greasy at all. Now don't get me wrong, I still desperately need a hair cut but this product actually made my hair look, and feel a lot better. Before I used this my hair was really dry and frizzy at the ends, now I have used this regularly my hair feels a lot smoother and looks more tamed, like I have actually made an effort. Which is a total lie because I can never be bothered to even brush my hair, let alone style it. 

$30 in America and roughly £17 in the UK.

O.P.I Nail Lacquer review.

I recently had a 3 month trip to America, (I came home about a week ago) while I was there I bought a few goodies and these O.P.I Nail Lacquers were something I picked up. These are the first full size O.P.I nail polishes I have ever bought. In the beauty world O.P.I are forever talked about and hyped up,so I thought I would give them a go.

First of all I bought the shades 'Can't Find My Czechbook' and 'Do You Lilac It?', these are a blue and also a Lilac colour if you cant tell from my photo ha. I love Lilacs during the summer months, and I also feel the shade of Blue in Can't Find My Czechbookcan can be used all year round. O.P.I literally have hundreds of shades, so it was very hard to try and narrow down the colours I wanted to buy. I do have another Lilac nail polish in my collection, but I found this colour is a deeper shade, which makes it more wearable during the transition between summer and autumn. The brushes on these nail polishes are just a standard brush, but I do find these two O.P.I polishes tend to chip a lot less than some other brands I own. They also dry pretty quick and these two colours apply very well and are opaque after just one coat. 

You can pick O.P.I up from pretty much anywhere that sells Make Up in the States, while in the UK they are a little more tricky to get hold of, and a little more expensive too. A quick Google search has shown me that they cost roughly £10 here in the UK, while in America they cost around $8. 

Overall I am very happy with these two polishes and I would defiantly buy more from this brand, and if you go to the States any time soon I recommend you stock up. 

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Beauty Benefits of Green Tea.

Green Tea is a herbal tea that you just simply add hot water to. I absolutely love Green Tea and drink a million cups a day. This tea is so good for you and there is a multitude of health benefits you can gain from drinking this tea. I have listed a few, but if you just Google the benefits of Green Tea, the list is very long. 

To start with Green Tea is Anti Inflammatory, so helps if you have any joint issues or illness.

It boosts your immune system as it has Catechin, which is an antioxidant. Therefore this tea is great for the winter months when everyone seems to catch a cold. Due to the same reasoning, Green Tea is said to help fight Cancer-Causing Cells. Win!

It helps to reduce the risk of heart disease as it fights bad cholesterol, as well as reducing high blood pressure.  

Tests have also shown Green Tea aids in weight loss and also helps your body burn fat as fuel, which is beneficial when working out, thus helping fat loss. 

Green Tea also has skin benefits, as its full of Anti Oxidants it fights free radicals that can be caused by things such as pollution or the sun, therefore reducing skin damage. As it is Anti Inflammatory it can also de-puff the face which is great after long nights or to much alcohol. (On a side note, Green Tea is excellent for the day after large amounts of alcohol has been consumed, as it helps cleanse the liver, it is packed with Anti Oxidants which repairs the body and also helps make you look and feel a whole lot better)

Studies have also found that if you use Green Tea topically, it can help reduce the signs of psoriasis, as it will help slow down the production of these type of cells. 

It also helps reduce the redness in Rosacea and fight against wrinkles as it is Anti Oxidant loaded.

 

Sanctuary Spa - 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask

During that lovely 'time of the months' (not) my skin gets very oily and very spotty, thanks to this brilliant thing called hormones. If I wasn't already emotional, having to deal with a face full of pimples can really stress me out. So I'm always on the hunt for something, anything, that will help my skin look and feel better, and believe me, I have tried a lot.

I was in Boots one day and they were having their 3 for 2 promotion. I already had two things so I thought I might as well get a third product as its free, and I spotted this face mask on the shelf. Sanctuary isn't a brand I usually go for, I'm not really sure why but I just seem to overlook the brand. However I saw this mask, quickly read the packaging and thought why not. I have never tried a self heating mask before, so I thought it would be an interesting experience and I gave it a go.

 This mask is basically a Clay and Charcoal mask designed to draw out impurities which is great for blemish prone skin, it heats up on the face which helps to really open the pores and get deep down into them to draw out all the gross oil and dirt. It also contains various essential oils such as Sweet Almond Oil to help sooth and calm the face as well as adding a bit of moisture, as clay based masks can be a little drying on the skin.

When you apply this mask to your face it heats up slightly as you rub it in which actually feels really nice, then you leave it for only 5 minutes, making it super easy and fast to use, even when you are in a rush or really busy. You then wash it off like any standard face mask.

Once I use this my skin feels so much cleaner, more fresh and less red. It really helps to calm down any blemishes I have and leaves my skin looking a lot better than it did before. I only use this mask during oily skin times as I feel like it would be too much for my skin sometimes, however If you are spot prone or have acne this is worth giving it a go. Its £10.50 for 100ml and I have got so many applications out of this tube. This brand is available here or at most Boots stores.

Life Saving Face Cleanser?

Good Things Manuka Honey Creamy Cleanser is a no fuss daily cream cleanser that contains Beeswax and Royal Jelly, it's ideal for both taking off make up and also cleansing the skin.

First of all let me start with the brand, Good Things contains natural ingredients and is also Paraben, Mineral Oil and Sodium Lather Sulphate free. This brand is very affordable and easily accessible, as it is available at Boots. The philosophy and ethos behind this brand is also great, its a British brand and is created by Alice Hart-Davis, who is an award winning beauty writer, so she really knows her stuff. I also like the fact this brand has their full list of ingredients in each product on their website, so you really know what you are buying.

Back to the product, the Manuka Honey line is a new collection within this brand that is designed to help keep skin clear and hydrated at the same time, as well as helping towards the prevention of ageing. Many products targeted at blemish prone skin strip the skin completely, over drying it and thus causing more pimples, I have had this problem before and have actually chemically burnt my face, so I avoid these types of products at all cost. This line of products is great for all skin types, honey is know for being anti bacterial and the Royal Jelly hydrates the skin without making it oily or clogging the pores. On the other hand, anti ageing products tend to be too heavy for blemish prone skin, so this is the best of both worlds. It is great for sensitive skin as well, because it doesn't contain any nasty ingredients. 

I use this on a full face of make up, dry. Then I use a damp wash cloth and sweep the make up off my face. I also use this on a bare face in the same way, or sometimes on a damp face. I use this all over the face including the eyes, and it does not sting or irritate my eyes at all.

Its an all round winner for me, its affordable, its gentle and also easily accessible. I love this product and this brand as a whole.

150ml - £4.99