Spring/Summer '15 Hair Care and Trends.

Hello!

This is actually a piece I wrote for the St.Davids Cardiff blog but I thought I'd share it on here too :)

With the recent beautiful weather we have had this Spring I want to share with you some of the hottest new hair trends and also some great hair care products to keep your hair looking its best during the warm months.

Colour:

Alot of people like to go lighter during the Summer time and one of the new colour trend appearing is Silver hair. I am currently rocking this Silver hair trend, as I already have light blonde hair I simply apply a shop-bought dye in the tone 'Iridescent Pearl Blonde' by L'Oreal Paris.

L'Oreal Feria. £5.89 - Superdrug.

To add to the Silver effect I then like to apply a Silver Toner such as this one by Jerome Russell:

Jerome Russell Colour Toner. £4.49 - Superdrug.

Accessories:

Festivals always provide us with some great style inspiration for ways to spice up of hair style. As spotted at Coachella this year these super cute sparkly cat ears are a great way to liven up a party 'do:

Cat Ears. £8 - Accessorize.

And what would Spring be without a little Daisy Chain action? Spruce up your updo buns with this pretty bun wrap-around:

Daisy Chain Bun Garland. £5.50 - Claire's Accessories.

Style:

Bouncy beach waves are a light and perfect style for the sunshine. The GHD Curve Wave Wand is an easy way to achieve the ultimate deep wave:

ghd Curve Wave Wand. £110 - John Lewis.

Hair Care:

As much as styling hair looks great it can also take a toll on our hair condition. The hot weather can also cause our hair to become dry and damaged. 

One of my favourite ways to take care of my dry hair is to use hair oils. This amazing oil from Ojon is a great way to boost moisture and give good shine. Ojon is particularly great as it uses natural oils from Africa. The look is also fantasic, the three colours need to be shaken to waken their powers of hair healing:

Ojon Rare Blend Oil to go. £12 - Boots.

Let your hair be beautiful this Spring/Summer!

X

Smoky Poppy Body Shop Review.

Hello! 

Wow work has been so fun and so crazy busy! I'm really enjoying it but I'm so tired when I get home that I've little energy left to blog on here! I picked up overtime this week but normally I'll have 3 days off which gives me plenty of time to blog :) I'm still just getting used to the routine I guess!

So anyway today I want to share a review of some new Body Shop products that are part of the Smoky Poppy range:

Smoky Poppy Bath Bombs* - £12
You get 6 bath bombs in a tube, at first I thought that how small they were would mean I need 2 but I didnt! It's a light soapy fragrance that makes a nice silky water. There are poppy seeds in it which were left in the bath after which was kinda a pain in the arse to clear away.

The Body Shop Smoky Poppy Eau De Toilette* - £8.50
The Body Shop Smoky Poppy Body Butter* - £5

The body butter is pretty unoffensive, a light powdery, soapy smell and like other Body Shop body butters it's thick, rubs in well and leaves your legs hydrated for up to 24 hours (and it really does!).

The EDT on the other hand is not for me - not for me at all! The smell is SO strong and lasted for ages (not good if you don't like the scent). The fragrance is very soapy, powdery and very 'old' smelling. It reminded me of an older Elizabeth Arden perfume which is pretty overpowering. It's personally a little too old smelling for me and I really can't see me ever using this.

On a more positive note I LOVE the packaging! The shiny black with the bright red burst is wonderful - very old school!

Have you tried any of the Smoky Poppy range?

X

Ultimate Relaxation

Good Evening,

This week I've been settling into my new job and the change of pace has totally knackered me out! I'm exhausted, it's hard work but I am really enjoying it so far and learning every day. Today the kittens (who I mentioned in THIS post) were 8 weeks and vaccinated which mean't they were ready to move on to their new homes, so we had people come visit them on a first come-first serve basis to choose which kitten they wanted and arrange for them to collect them over the next couple days. Also one of my fave cats called Brownie got reserved to go home Friday by a lovely lady and her incredibly excited little girl. 

ANYWAY! Enough about cats and more about how to relax after a hard days graft. I thought I'd put together an ultimate relaxation package in order to feel relaxed, soothed and ready for a great nights kip:

Flamingo Candles Aromatherapy Dream Candle.
Set the scene, I love a candle lit bath to kick back and soak in. I've tried a couple Flaming Candles and this one sounds so dreamy!

Neal's Yard Aromatic Foaming Bath
For a relaxing bath you just have to be covered in bubbles!

Cowshed Knackered Cow Bath Oil.
They key to a great bath is it has to smell divine! This is lavender and Eucalyptus and I bet it is just beautiful.

Calming AromaFizz Bath Bomb.
The little purple flecks in this seem like it would make the most beautiful coloured bathwater ever! Plus is helps calm your mind, body and soul.

Badger Balm Night-Night Balm.
My wonderful friend Marta bought one of these for me last year and I use it all the time. Before bed I just rub a little on my wrists, temple and put a little dot under my nose to help me settle down.

thisworks Sleep Plus+ Pillow Spray.
I got the Deep Sleep pillow spray for Christmas which I loveee. I spray it on my pillow every other night (as it lingers for about two nights) to send me off to some sweet dreams. Now I want to try the Plus!

Have you tried any of these products before? What products do you use to relax with?

X

Winter Skin Saviours

This is a piece I wrote for the St.Davids Cardiff blog in which I am the resident Beauty and Lifestyle blogger. I thought I'd share it over here too for those who aren't from Cardiff too!

January is the coldest month of the year and this plays havoc with our skin. 

Today I am sharing with you the best of the best to help you get a great Winter skin routine underway for face, hands and body. These products are little miracle workers that will keep your skin hydrated during these frosty mornings and dark nights and keep you looking and feeling great during the January blues. 

The Body Shop - Drops of Youth Sleeping Mask.
This is brand new from The Body Shop, it's a light face mask to be kept on overnight using memory shape texture to replenish your skin and get it looking bouncy for the morning.

Crabtree & Evelyn - Pomegranate Hand Therapy.
These Crabtree hand lotions are incredibly hydrating, quick to absorb and smell amazing! This is my personal favourite scent however there are SO many to chose from it's best to pop in and smell for yourself.

L'Occitane - Shea Light Comforting Cream
Brand new from L'Occitane, this incredibly hydrating face cream is made with 5% Shea butter, it great for sensitive skin and lasts upto 48 hours!

Jo Malone - Pomegrante Noir Body Creme.
This is the ultimate in luxury skin care. This incredibly rich cocoa based body creme will keep your skin smooth and soft and is perfect after a hot soak in the tub. Again this scent is my absolute favourite however there are many to choose from, Jo Malone have incredible staff who will help you find your signature scent. 

Lip Conditioner - MAC Cosmetics.
This is the Queen of keeping your lips hydrated and a little goes a long, long way! I've used this since I was a teenager and never fail to go back to it everytime. Using Almond oil, shea butter and Avacado extract this repairs and seals your lips with the moisture it needs.

These incredible products are sure to see you through these cold months keeping your skin hydrated day-to-night!

X

The Body Shop Argan Body Care - review.

You may remember me writing about some of The Body Shop's Wild Argan range before. I still swear by the lip balm I featured there, it's the only thing that has kept my lips super soft and smooth after a dry spell I'm currently still battling with, and it repaired them really well and also really fast.

So when a couple more new products turned up on my doorstep I was excited to put them to the test too.

The Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Body Butter* - £13 200ml.

The body butter now comes in a bigger size of 200ml instead of 50ml which is obviously much better value and will now last forever as you only really need a small amount. The body butter is really creamy but also quite solid (i'ts not called 'butter' for nothing) so using only a tiny amount and then just taking the time to work in into your skin really goes far. It's really perfect for troublesome areas like knees and elbows. I also use it on the tops of my arms on my healed tattoos. Also, this stuff smell incredible! It's definitely not a subtle scent but it's really gorgeous and lingers for a long time.

The Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Rough Scrub* - £13 200ml

I'm usually pretty dubious about using body scrubs as they can sometimes be really rough on the skin, this one is actually really soft and the 'grainy' type feeling is coated with a kind of gel, I suppose is the best way to describe it. It's alot 'looser' than other body scrubs I've used but feel really gentle and also does the exfoliating job. I've used this a few times but it's one for the shower as I hate being left with the remnants of an exfoliator in the bottom of the bath!

Using the Rough Scrub in conjunction with the body butter is the best way to get the best of both of these two products for extra soft skin - obviously!

Have you tried any of the Argan range? What is your Body Shop must-haves?

X

The Library of Fragrance 'Moonbeam' Review.

The Library of Fragrance are "single scent" cologne sprays that are set out to remind us of our favourite, most unappreciated every-day scents. Most fragrances are just a scent using many different 'notes' however these are linear and don't change over time on the skin and just simply smell like what they are set out to - which makes them all pretty much Unisex too!

For example if you love the smell of Baby Powder - then they've got a fragrance just for you!

Now, there are some very weird ones such as Mushroom, Holy Water (wut?) and Pizza (nooo girl!) that I don't want to try. There are also some interesting ones that I definitely do want to try such as Steam Room, Fireplace and Thunderstorm.

There are over 101 scents to chose from and you can layer and experiment with them all to create your own unique scent which is pretty awesome!

Anyway, what the hell does a Moonbeam smell like?!

Let's set the mood, imagine looking out at a huge lake on a clear, warm Summer night in a wooded area, there is a full moon hanging low in the sky that almost seems to meet the water creating a shimmering path. This beautiful sight is very magical and delicate much like the fragrance so I can totally see how this got it's name.

Moonbeam is a very subtly sweet scent with a deep base so it's very hard to describe. The website says it was inspired by a Shelley poem and 'wanted to capture the dual nature of the moonbeam, reflecting elements of both the innocence of light and the passion of night...' which I definitely get from this scent!

Moonbeam is available at Boots and is £15.

Have you tried any of the Library of Fragrance?

X

Millennium Hotels Guide To Cardiff - Beauty Studio.

Superdrug Beauty Studio - Only In Cardiff!

I was recently asked to partake in the Millennium Hotels 'Bloggers guide to Cardiff' project in which us locals show off our city, where to go and what to do.

In keeping in theme with my blog and my interests I thought besides showing off the obvious (food places) I kick it with some city center beauty treatment - the Superdrug Beauty Studio!

I've posted about this place before HERE and how much I love having such a unique store ONLY in our little ol' Cardiff. It 100% doesn't look like a Superdrug and it's main title is 'Beauty Studio' so it's a little confusing to look for but it is located in the St Davids 2 Center, Ground Floor just by the escalators.

In this Cardiff exclusive, Beauty Studio offers a massive range of cosmetics that you can't pick up just any old place such as MakeUp Revolution and The Balm. The best thing about it is the treatments, you can walk in and get your nails did, hair did and even pick up a piercing - dream! 

I opted to waltz in and get my Gelish nails done as for work I can't have them painted but can have them with gels. The gels last perfectly for about 2 weeks and then start chipping/growing out but they are easy to remove with a soaking in some polish remover.

With an in-store hair salon, eyebrow threading and HD brows salon aswell as on-hand make-up artists and perfume experts, this place is a palace! It reminds me of Sephora which you find everywhere in the US and around Europe.

I opted for a dark navy blue with glittery detail and while I was there I couldn't resist picking up some of my fave beauty products too:

B. Radiant foundation and under-eye concealer - by Superdrug's own B. brand
Cover and Conceal - from Makeup Revolution.

This little gem is not to be missed for any shopping trip in Cardiff! A nice little touch in the Beauty Studio is that most of the titles and descriptions for products were also written in Welsh - Diolch Superdrug!

X

New Cid Lip and Cheek Tint - Cosmo Freebie Review.

Happy Monday!

I always usually hate Mondays but today I've had a positive one and have been really motivated today so I'm going to run with it and hope it continues for the rest of the week!

On a break at work I wanted to read a magazine (but as usual got distracted by the free gifts) so ended up with Cosmopolitan. The cover was Nicole Sherzwanger, or whatever, who dries me out to no end so I didn't really read the magazine.

ANYWAY the free gift was a lip and cheek tint by a brand called 'new cid cosmetics' (or there was a mascara but I have about 200 already) and I chose the colour Strawberry Souffle - the items are all worth £15 each, bargain!

The smell is so sweet I love it! The colour isn't as bright as I had thought but it is a nice colour red, not really orangey which makes me glad as orange tones don't suit me at all. It's a crayon style and rubs on easily and actually lasts very well for a tint!

As you can see in the pic I've applied it on my lips and cheeks, I usually wear highlighters or darker shades of blush so I think I will probably just use it as a lip crayon. I've not been wearing make-up to work for the past month of so now which is soo good for my skin although last week I had a little break-out which I think was just down to either stress or steam room/sauna combo which makes my claim of 'stress' sound dubious.

Have you ever heard of new cid or tryed any of their products? Which magazine freebies have you been after this month?
X

Heart Nails!

I see so so many amazing nail-art designs splashed all over the internet - anyone else follow the WAHNails Instagram? It makes me mega jealous that I have such short, flimsy nails and don't have a steady enough hand to do my own nail art!

Last year I won a 'Kiss Nail Artist' stencil and polish set in a blog giveaway but never managed to work out how to use the stencils - until I saw this super cute and funny video over at The Dainty Squid blog, where the girls use French manicure tips.

This inspired me to dig out the set, give the instructions a go but with my stencils instead of nail tips:

I went for a teal base which is by No7 and chose the heart stencil with a glitter gold by Ted Baker.

'Kiss' nail stencils.

And the rest...

I loved having these on my fingers! 

I pretty much don't like any of the other stencils, do you know of any cheap online or ebay shops that sell them? I've picked up some nail tips to give them a go but would love some more cute designs!

Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post,

Hope the weather hasn't been too cold!

X

A girl can never have enough lipstick!

After a long week of being ill I'm almost back to my usual self, so apologies for the lack of posts last week I've been erm...very lethargic! 

Last week at work a colleague wanted to get a bag from Avon but you had to spend over a certain amount and she needed to make up £5, so being the kind soul I am, I decided to help out and get me some new lipsticks (and an eyeshadow duo but I'll post that one tomorrow). Like my title says - a girl can never have enough lipstick!

Part of 'Color Trend: Kiss n' Go'.
In 'Garnet Glow' and 'Amethyst'

 L-R: 'Amethyst', 'Garnet Glow'

This is Garnet Glow it's a pinky-red with glittery bits in, it's actually alot lighter in person.

This picture doesn't show the glitter very well but it's very subtle and really nice and smooth.

This is Amethyst, a darker pink almost purple, love this for a wintery look.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know how excited I was for the MAC Venomous Villains collection to be released online today, I managed to pick up 2 pieces (despite wanting 3 but I'm on a tight budget!) so look out for them at the end of the week.

Also today I was featured on the beautiful Sophia's Journal as part of her Sunday Click List, I was shocked to see my face pop up there haha.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

x

MAC lip treats.

The best thing about your mum going on holiday for a week and leaving you to look after all the naughty animals? The presents!

Obviously I got the usual foreign sweets but what I didn't expect was some lovely M.A.C lip goodies!

M.A.C Satin lipstick - a classic bright red-blue in 'Mac Red'. 

M.A.C Lip Conditioner - Soft petroleum based (but not gloopy like a vaseline) perfect for a base under lipstick on winer lips.

Just the lipstick on it's own.

With the conditioner underneath. It gives it a glossy look which is in all the magazines as going to be HUGE this A/W.

I love them both and how I can go from matte to glossy just by combining the products. So thankyou mum!

Tomorrow is the last day you can enter my giveaway (click HERE) so hurry!!

Also today I won an Eyeko competition and won the book 'The Queen of New Beginnings' - I never win anything so I'm very happy :)
x

Eyeko Magic Mascara review.

If you missed it click HERE to see pt.1 of my Eyeko 25% off buys and here is pt.2.

I've been needing a new mascara for a while and I remember when I was about 15 I used an Eyeko one I loved, so I impulse bought this, the Eyeko Magic Mascara, something I wouldn't normally do but this has diamante-style sparkles on the casing.

As I said in my previous post I just love how everything comes packaged, this is the Mascara with a sticker I got in my package.

I have really short eyelashes that are prone to snapping/falling out and alot of mascaras' tend to make me want to pick at my eyelashes (unfortunately this is also true of my favourite mascara Lash Stiletto by Maybelline).

Here are my lashes before application:

The brush is nice and thick on the Eyeko Magic Mascara, as my lashes are so short this makes it hard to get into the corners. This is good as when it comes out of the tube all excess mascara is wiped off only leaving you with what you need, so it's nice and light on the lashes.

As you can see there is a nice defiant black colouring difference but no excess mascara to encourage me to pull my eyelashes. You can also see how I can't get into the corner lashes so good.

What is your favourite mascara? I've seen alot of new ones out with added growth treatmens so maybe next time I'll pick up something along them lines (after seeing blog reviews of course!).

x