Tinsel Tips.

Leighton Denny The Heiress with Models Own Disco Mix Tip's.

The Heiress is a blue-belle purple from S/S 2010 but is still available from the Leighton Denny Site at £11. Glides on evenly and is opaque with 2 coats.

Disco Mix is fully packed with small blue and purple/pink glitter, I used 2 coats for the tips and it covered brilliantly.

The Heiress is hardly what I would class as a wintery colour but the glitter changes that.

By the 2nd day my nails started chipping like crazy, I'm guessing from the tips being slightly thicker because of the glitter.

I havent tried Disco Mix on its own yet but I'm hoping it wont be a chip-fest. Has anyone else tried it?

xo

Review: Liz Earle, Botanical Shine Shampoo & Conditioner.

My Scalp Saviour
For the last few years my scalp has been giving me loads of bother, it  felt irritated and itchy, and always seemed to be worse around my hairline. I thought that hairspray was maybe causing it so I stopped using it but there was no improvement, tried every anti-dandruff shampoo you can think off but they made things worse and stripped my colour in the process.

I was really fed up so went online to find out what was the cause and how to get rid of it.. Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate kept popping up. For those of you who dont know, SLS is a potentially harmfull chemical used in so many mainstream haircare lines, it not only damages your hair but also your skin and health, it really dries out the scalp and theres some evidence that SLS may cause hair loss too by attacking the follicles.

I started searching for a shampoo that didnt contain any then remembered that Liz Earle doesnt use them in her shower gels so probably wouldnt use them in her shampoo either.

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo, 200ml £8

I've just finished my second tube of this and it has made such a big difference to my scalp, even after the first use! The shampoo like Cleanse and Polish (for the face) is for all hair types. It contains west african shea butter, natural source vitamin E, shine-boosting apple and orange extracts plus naturally derived cleansers. The shampoo gently cleans without stripping to leave hair soft, shiny and smooth. A shampoo has never made my hair as shiny as this one has and because it contains no silicones it really leaves the hair squeaky clean. Its not the most moisturising shampoo in the world, my hair tends too be a bit fuzzy once its air dried but I'd rather have that than hair with a false softness due to silicone build-up. The smell is amazing and lasts untill you next wash your hair. Because theres no SLS, SLES it takes a bit longer to foam up but instead of adding more shampoo just add more water to your hair.

I'd recommend this to anyone with scalp problems.

I also got the conditioner, there is 3 options.. Fine or oily hair, normal hair, dry/damaged hair.

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Conditioner. 200ml £8

I went for the dry/damaged option. This also smells amazing but unlike the shampoo, it isnt a 'must have' for me. It's specially formulated with west african shea butter, yangu oil, blue seakale and shine-boosting apple and orange extracts. 'Our ultra-rich colour safe conditioner leaves dry or damaged hair hydrated, under control, soft and smooth.' I've still got another tube of this to use up but once its gone, I dont think I'll repurchase. The texture is almost balmy and takes longer to rinse out than other conditioners but that doesnt bother me, I just dont feel that its moisturising enough for my hair.

The whole SLS thing has made me more conscious about what I'm putting on my skin, I'm being sent a few Organic products to review so I'm really excited to see what difference I notice in my skin while using them. I'd love to say that I'll only buy products that contain no nasties but I'm only human, I like to try different things but I definately try to avoid products packed full of parabens etc.

xo



NOTD: Nails Inc - Piccadilly Circus.

I'm a complete ditz, I painted my nails, took photos but forgot to write down the name of the polish then left it at my mums so I'll update this tomorrow with the name.

This is 1 of the Nails Inc polishes I bought last week and I'm in love

It's like purple, pink, red and berry all mixed together.

You could get away with only 1 coat, the formulation is brilliant but I always do 2, as I find polishes last a lot longer before chipping.

The colour is so rich and deep but it doesnt really come across in the photos. The gloss is amazing even before putting on a top-coat, Definately a colour I'll get a lot of wear out of. I'll post the name tomorrow and if you dont already own it, make sure you check it out in person if you're ever near a Nails Inc counter!

xo

Review: Avon Glazewear Silky Shine Lipstick.

I havent ordered anything from Avon in such a long time, mostly because the makeup swatches are so inaccurate, I'm sure you all know what I mean. You order an eyeshadow that looks grey in the swatch but in reality its a shade of blue that only Pat Butcher would be stupid brave enough to wear.

Last month an Avon rep posted a brochure through my door, I was just having a quick flick through it and saw that there was a clearance brochure inside. I didnt plan on ordering anything but a few products caught my eye, they were less than half price so I decided to go ahead and order them. The only thing I've had the chance to try out so far is the Glazewear Lipstick in Nectar.

The packaging is sleek and shiny with a rose gold tone, its certainly not what we're used to seeing from Avon. It wouldnt look out of place amoung high-end lippies. I'd describe this as a cross between a lipstick and a gloss but without the stickyness that comes from most glosses. Glides on smoothly leaving a sheer wash of colour and lips are left feeling moisturised almost immediately. Theres a peachy scent but its not overpowering at all, I quite like it.

The colours arent anything to get excited over, theres only 5 in the range and when I first saw 'Nectar' in person I didnt like it, it just looks like a boring shade and not a colour I would ever wear but on the lips its sheer and glossy with just a hint of colour, perfect for anyone who doesnt like wearing brights or needs to keep their makeup natural for work etc. I'm kinda wishing I'd ordered a few different shades now, especially at that price. I can see this being a go-to lippy for me.

 Avon Glazewear Silky Shine Lipsticks usually cost £8, I got mine for £3 but they're still on offer for £3.50

xo

Philosophy Review: Tiz The Season To Be. . . . Bathing.

Bath Or Shower?

I'm definatley a shower girl but during the winter, baths are my best friend. I could quite easily spend 3 hours in the bath BUT, i need some lovely bubbles. I'm in love with all bath/shower products from Philosophy, especially the 'Grace' range but a few months ago I bought a trio in foody scents. Some people hate foody body products but I love it, same with candles. mmmm.

Double Rich Hot Cocoa

Hot Buttered Rum

Hazelnut Espresso

On the front of each bottle theres instructions on how to make each drink. lol

All 3 are from Philosophy and can be used as shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath. I cant comment on how well they work as shampoo, my hair is a nightmare so I take no chances and stick to what I know works but I'm guessing they would work best for people with normal hair. Anyway, all 3 are 480ml each which is decent and you really dont need to use much each time, they bubble up brilliantly.

Out of the 3, I didnt really expect to like 'Hot Buttered Rum' I dont like anything that smells like alcohol but I love this, its like warm caramel and makes me want sticky toffee pudding :] its definately my fave of the 3.

After using these my skin and bathroom smell beaut but it dosnt last all that long, which is a bad point (for me) 'Hazelnut Espresso' smells more like coffee and chocolate than hazelnut and 'Double Rich Hot Cocoa' does smell like hot chocolate but theres something different, sometimes it smells a bit floral or maybe its just synthetic?

My skin can be quite sensitive but I havent had any reactions from these and they leave the skin really soft. I know I should moisturise but I never feel the need to after using any of Philosophys Bath/Shower products.

Philosophy can be pricey and not a lot of places stock the range, I know SpaceNK used to but I'm sure they stopped. House OF Fraser is the only other hight street place who I know definatley sell it but I saved myself some pennies and got mine from QVC.

xo

Help With Puffy Eyes.

Hello girlies.

Just thought I'd ask if any of you know any cures for puffy eyes? I havent been well lately and my eyes are just so puffy, they're worse when I first wake up but they dont get much better as the day goes on. They just look really tired and feel irritated most of the time. I've tried all the usual stuff like tea bags, cold spoons etc and I've been using Liz Earle EyeBright and SBC Cucumber Gel, they do cool my eyes down for a while but have no real effect on the puffyness.

I'm hoping one of you will know of some miracle cure. If anyone knows of anything I havent already listed then please let me know, I'm willing to try anything to get rid of the frog eyes.

Thanks.

xo

I'm A Junkie.

I've been feeding my addiction again! Went to town yesterday with my mama to pick what I wanted for xmas, we didnt go in untill late though so the only place we got to was House Of Fraser. I was stood at the Nails Inc counter for god only knows how long, probably foaming at the mouth over all the glitters. Got a few sets, santas holding onto them untill xmas but I bought myself 3 polishes for £22, so 3 for the price of 2. I'm only going to show 2 of the colours in this post and save the other for a NOTD.

The first polish I was drawn to was...

Belgrave Square

I have loads of different pinks but nothing similar to this. Theres super fine glitter/shimmer running through it but its subtle and just really pretty.

The 2nd is a shade I wouldnt normally go for...

Whitechapel

At 1st look I thought it was just a normal white but when I lifted the bottle, it was like looking at a pearl/opal, it has a really soft baby pink sheen under lights. I tried it with 2 coats and I'm in love! Whitechapel just makes your hands look really clean and its fully opaque with 2 coats.

I'd also ordered a Models Own nail art pen and polish a few days ago, it came yesterday so ofcourse I had to try it out...



2 coats of Whitechapel, drew on the leopard print with the nail art pen then used an old kirby grip/bobby pin to apply Belgrave Square.

I love these 2 new colours, the photos dont do them justice though, I'll upload some swatches of them on their own soon.

xo