Sugaring is the 'New Waxing - 'Sugar StripEase!'

This has got to be one of the best products I've tried in a while. It's called 'Sugar StripEase' and for the oh so purse friendy price of £9.33 on Amazon, it really beats an expensive trip to the salon! It works exactly the same as wax but it's actually a sugar syrup :S Yes SUGAR! It comes in a cute little jar (a pink and girly one might I add!) which you simply bung in the microwave for 30- 40 seconds and then have at it with your hair removing glory!

Does it hurt? Like most hair removal methods it does obviously hurt. It's a quick and sharp pain which you don't notice after a while as again, like most hair removal methods, it's something you build up tolerance too.

How easy is it? It's really not hard to do. Once heated it comes with these little wooden applicators (they look like the ice lolly sticks). You spread it over the area of hair you want removed (not a lot though as it can get sticky). Next you take a strip, paste it over the area the sugar syrup has been applied too and quickly peel it off. I say quick because if your slow and hesitant it's not as effective.


Is it messy? I think this has got to be the biggest selling point to this product. Yes, you may accidentally spill some or you might be hesitant and not get all of it off but it's SUGAR. So literally, if you just wipe it with water it just comes right off.That said, I'd still put the jar on a plate or newspaper whist using it just to make it easier to clean. Also a little warning -  it does solidify in the box, so be careful of how you store it otherwise it might look something like this >>>>

It obviously depends on how much your 'sugaring' (waxing) off but if it's your legs I'd say you could get about 2-3 goes out of this. Not bad for £9.33!

Disappointing Experience - Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation

Hello!! So with beauty I think it's fair we share both the positive and negative experiences we have had. Mine has got to be the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation. I bought it at House of Frasier and was sad to see that when I took it home and squirted the product onto my hand white liquid came out (it was meant to be Intensity 4.0 for my medium dark complexion).

It looked like whatever solutions went into making this had some how managed to seperate so that it resembled some kind of uncooked egg (see picture to the left)

Unfortunately, I do not live near a House of Frasier to return the product so the cost of travelling to my nearest one didn't really seem worth it. I tried to contact Estee Lauder using their website to see if I could post it to them directly, and whilst I got an email acknowledging my message had been sent I never actually got a reply (it's been 3 months).

I have tried shaking this product to see if I could make the liquids form as one again but no joy. I've also tried mixing them with my fingers but then all I get is a really pale colour. I do however now use it as a very expensive leg foundation!

Now I know this is a one off, and I was unfortunate enough to have received a faulty product so I am not slating the product, just the disappointing experience that came with buying this particular one!

Thanks for reading! Have you ever had this experience with any products you've purchased?

Trying some Max Factor!

Hello! So I purchased these Max Factor goodies a while back when they were all going for a bargainous £5 on Amazon!

Max Factor Flawless Perfection Blush 
I bought this in the shade Chestnut as I read reviews saying it really suits a darker skin tone. I did feel that it was a bit too bold and shimmery for me. You need to apply this product sparingly because straight away the colour really stands out. It also has A LOT of glitter in it so for me this isn't a blush I can wear during the day. Especially as after a few hours the pigment disappears and all you are left with is a residue of glitter.  However for a night out the glitter probably adds that perfect sheer glow to your cheeks.

Max Factor Colour Precision Eye shadow

Also on the shimmery side, I purchased the precision eye shadows in the shades Pearl Beige and Coffee for a neutral look. I'm a tad disappointed in the coffee shade as it's not the brown shade I imagined but more of a greyish taupe (see right pic). The lasting power on these are amazing though, I had it on for 8 hours (without primer) and found it didn't budge at all! Personally, I think they are great if you can master how to blend the colours well. I am a bit let down on the applicator it comes with - not exactly precise and your better off using your fingers!

Have you tried any Max factor? Whats your recommended products?

Eyebrow Maintenance

Eyebrows are towards the top of my everyday beauty maintenance list. I do think they play a large part in your overall look and can really transform your face. Below are some products I use to keep them trim and tidy!

Manicure Scissors - Not just for your nails! I use them to trim those odd hairs that droop downwards or the spragly ones that can look like they are growing in all directions. If your wondering what I mean by spragly let me show you this horrific pic of my brows ungroomed!

Eye Brow Brush - It may sounds a little strange to comb your eyebrows but it's useful to help you see the direction of hair growth when giving them the weekly pluck. I bought mine from a brand called 'the vintage cosmetic company' for £7 at Boots. Personally, this isn't a product you need to spend big bucks on so £7 was actually a bit expensive for these!

Tweezers - I recently bought these oh so cute pair from TK Maxx for a bargainous £3. I snatched them right up!! They are by a brand called 'Precision Beauty' and come with two pairs.

One of them has the slanted end which is great for just general plucking. The other has a more pontier end to help get those tiny knitty gritty hairs. I used to be a one tweezer kinda girl but now I frequently find myself switching between the two to get the job done. The design is also funky!


Nivea Lip Butter (Vanilla and Macadamia) - Another multi purpose item not just for your lips! I use it the same way people use eye brow wax to keep the brows in place during the day. It's a cheaper alternative and smells amazing!

NARS Eyebrow Pencil - I've raved about this in a previous review here. It's got a lovely gritty texture and best of all doesn't rub off during the day!!

The End Result:-

I plucked away all the little hairs underneath the brow to make it look a lot cleaner. I then trimmed the spragly bits on the right side of the brow which for me grows in all directions (Grr!). I then filled in the eyebrow with my NARS pencil and applied some of my lip balm where the arch is to prevent any brows dropping downwards.

 Overall I feel it looks tidier and I'm glad I saved some cash on threading! I would love to know what products you recommend for your eyebrow maintenance. Comment below and let me know =)

When you move to a new area..

 I recently started a new job and with it I had to move to a completely new town where I knew no one. Of course,I felt lonely and a bit lost (psssh I still do!) but I knew I had to make it work. Here are some of the things that helped me get by:

Join new groups

I saw that one of the budget gyms nearby were advertising membership at £17.99 a month. My purse strings tugged but I wanted to get out there and do something so I joined. And..I love it!! I admit I haven't met any new friends there but I love being in an environment with different people of different age groups just doing their own thing. I thought it would feel embarrassing as I imagined everyone there to be super fit and confident. I was wrong! It was so comfortable as everyone is there to work out not to laugh or intimidate you. Since working out I felt really good about myself and a little more confident too!

Keep doing what you love 
When everything is new, it helps to get a sense of security from being comforted by familiar routines. Blogging did that for me. It was something I did before I moved, and it is something I will continue doing now that I have moved. It really helped me as it gave a type of project to focus on outside of work and it makes me happy writing about things I love (or don't love!).

Get to know the area
This has got to be the most important. Whether you drive or take the bus it's great to travel round and know whats there. You will feel more in control if you find out these things early. When I first moved I found my local surgery, a Tesco's and the shopping centre. I like knowing that if I ever need anything I know where to go.

Don't be afraid to go out alone!
Lastly, don't be afraid to head out on your own, People always talk about doing things with friends at weekends but in a new area you don't automatically make them. I firmly believe there is nothing wrong with eating out, or just going for a simple coffee on your own. After work one friday I went out for a coffee and doughnut and honestly enjoyed just being out the flat and doing something to celebrate the end of week.

Have you experienced moving to a new area? I would love to know how you made it work and adapted!

Facial Hair Removal #2

So today's edition to the series is on ...EPISTICKS! I only discovered these a few months ago but let me tell you, it's pretty life changing! They are basically a metal coil/spring which has plastic cotton bud looking ends. It's extremely light weight and definitely effective!

How do you use it?
You have to turn the stick so that it resembles an 'n' shape and move it up and down your face whilst twisting the buds inwards. It's not as complicated as it sounds trust me =] The coils then grip the hairs and essentially threads it from the root so you have a nice clean finish which lasts about a week.

Does it hurt?
 It is less painful than an epilator but the pain is similar to what you would experience with threading! For cheeks or forehead I don't feel too much pain but upper lip is fairly painful. If it's your first time then yes, it will hurt!

How much?
These really do range from around 99p to a good £20. Mine was cheap and cheerful at £1.55 from amazon (link here) . I will be honest and say the one I have was great when I first bought it back in March but now it doesn't grip the hairs as well as it used too. I don't know if this is because it was a cheap one and therefore poorer quality rather than the more expensive ones which presumably may be better quality and last longer.

Worth it?
For the price I'm not disappointed in this product but will probably invest in a more expensive version to see if it lasts longer, I do prefer it more than using an epilator as you can go at your own speed which I think makes it less painful. I have no clue how to thread so this is pretty much my go to tool!

Do you think of female facial hair as a bit of a taboo topic?
Have you or would you try episticks? I'd love to know!

Facial Hair Removal #1

Hello!! So I have thought about doing a few posts on getting rid of facial hair. I feel that for women it seems a bit of a taboo/embarrassing thing to admit that you have facial hair which I think is just wrong. Not only men have hair on their face. Everybody has hair, some more than others, and you shouldn't be made to feel ugly/embarrassed/not normal just because you do.

That aside I am going to talk about Epilators! To me this is the best and most painful way to remove facial hair. It's basically like a machine with little needles which rotate and grip the hairs on your face and essentially tweeze them out.  Unlike shaving, the hair is gripped from the root and you get a more clean longer lasting hair free face!

 To use it I just move it in up and own motions on my face. Unfortunately it really hurts. It's especially painful if your doing your upper lip area but its one of those things you can build up tolerance too over time. If I were to describe how it feels I'd say its like sharp little tingles over my face. Okay - I know I'm not really selling this but I have to be honest!

The Epilator I use is the Braun Silk Epilator which I bought nearly 5 years ago for 50 quid at Boots. It's pricey but 5 years on I still have it! Like a lot of Epilators mine came with different heads (you clip these to the top) to make it easier for you to do specific parts of your face. For example you could use heads 1 and 4 for your upper lip whereas 2 and 3 are better for doing your forehead/sides of your face.

It is important to exfoliate and moisturize afterwards as your skin may feel a little dry. This method normally keeps me hair free for around 7 - 10 days so it's quite effective.

I would love to hear about your favourite hair removal methods. Please share your experiences! =) 

Getting into Lip Liner!

Hello!! So I have never really been bothered with lip liner in the past. To be honest I think I just didn't get how to apply them or what they were for! However I started to become more conscious that some parts of my lips weren't very pigmented and someone suggested to try lip liner to fix this!

As I'm a lip liner newbie I bought some fairly cheap drug store products. I'll briefly take you through them.

GOSH Velvet Touch Lip liner 'Cardinal Red' - £4.99 Superdrugs - Lovely cranberry red shade- I can see why they called it velvet as the application is so smooth! Added bonus - it's waterproof!

KIKO Ultra Glossy Lip pencil 'Shade 602' - £1 KIKO store - A pinky brown but the colour is more sheerer than the others (which is why it's harder to see in the pic!). It's also got a really nice buttery texture.

MAXFACTOR Colour Elixir Lip Liner 'Brown n Bold' - £4.99 Superdrugs - A dark woody brown with a much more grittier texture than the others mentioned above.

How I applied it!
I was going for a fairly natural lip so I used some clear Nivea lip butter (the Macademia one - yum!) with the MAXFACTOR liner on the top lip and the KIKO liner on the bottom lip. I don't know about most people but my lips are different colours so that's why I went for two different shades.

 Below is the finished look!

I don't know if it really comes across in the pic but I think the lip liner has made my lips look more fuller and defined. I really like this look for a work/school day. I do think the MAXFACTOR lip liner does the best job at giving that defined look. Both do seem to disappear after an hour so maybe waterproof is the way to go!

Thanks for reading!! Do you wear lip liner? What is your favourite brand? Do you wear it bare or with a bit of lippy?

Concealer Routine!

Hello!! Today I'm going to share with you how I get rid of my under eye baggage (basically my concealer routine!). Below is a pic of what my under eye area looks without concealer. It's quite dry and I have those under eye rings a lot of us get.

 I normally start my routine by applying the Olay Anti Wrinkle Instant Hydration Eye Cream which I got for £4.99 at Superdrugs. I think any hydrating eye cream will work but I like this one cause it's a light weight formula which really moisturizes my under eye area. I have some slight under eye creasing so I like the fact it's anti wrinkle too (although I haven't noticed any miracles!).

I normally just dab the cream into my skin and leave it for 30 seconds to get absorbed. I then apply the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Dark Peach. They retail for a pricey £19 but their great for getting rid of any discoloration you may have in your under eye area and a little tub lasts ages!  I apply and blend the corrector with my fingers as it makes it easier to blend into the contours of your under eye area rather than a brush.

I then use the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in the shade Amande. They are very pricey at £22 a pop but the formula really is creamy and blends like dream onto the skin. I'd say it's pretty good coverage too. The product comes with a wand which I use to dab the concealer onto my under eye area.

I then use my trusty Eco Tools Concealer Brush to smooth out the concealer and finish off with the Real Techniques Setting Brush to blend it out (this brush is amazing at blending!!). I also use the same brush to apply the Estee Lauder Translucent Pressed Powder in Medium Deep to set the concealer which retails at £26.50. I honestly have nothing special to say about this powder except it does it's job at keeping makeup in place. I do think any cheaper priced setting powder will do this though.


The finished look is this!

Thanks for reading! Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to know what your concealer staples are!

Got wrinkles?

Hello!! Today I will be looking at the Olay Anti Wrinkle Instant Hydration Day Cream which I got half price at Superdrugs for £4.99! Now, I'm 23 so I may a bit younger than this products target audience but lately I have noticed some permanent lines appearing on forehead so I wanted to see if this cream actually works!

Straight off this is a very light weight formula with a thin consistency which makes it perfect for day time although I also use it as a night cream. It doesn't make your skin greasy and the smell is quite pleasant (fresh and cucumbery). I find it does hydrate my skin really well and I've taken to using this as a primer in the mornings before applying make up. This little jar also lasts fairly long. I've been using it twice daily for a month and I still have 1/4 of the jar left!

Results
I started using this product just over a month ago (which is when the before pic was taken). These are the results!!

Sadly, no miracles! The frown line does a lot look fainter but as you can see it hasn't completely disappeared. I was pretty skeptical when I first tried this but I'm impressed it has made a difference. I don't think I would purchase it at full price for £9.99 but for now I will be sticking with it!

Thanks for reading! What anti wrinkle creams do you recommend? Any miracle wonders?!

Summer Favourites!!

Hello!! This is gonna be a post about item's I have loved this summer and find myself using quite frequently!

Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets - £1.50 on Amazon  (Probably cheaper elsewhere)
For us oily girls (and boys!) this is a must! I have a full review & pictures here but basically these are blotting sheets which you just dab on the oily parts of your skin to get rid of any shine. They are very effective and small enough to carry around with you!


Body Shop Anti Perspirant Deodorants - £4 each
 I have these in white musk and aloe, both perfect for hot summer days! The white musk is more scented whereas the aloe doesn't seem to have any scent at all. They are both roll-ons and a great size for carrying in your hand bag. I found other brands like Dove didn't last too long on me but these are top quality and last all day.

Clinique Cheek Pops in shade 'Ginger Pop' - £16.50
This has been my summer go to for blush. I did a full review & pictures here but in short it's a beautiful coral shade that is quite transparent when you first apply. I love this because you can build it up for when you really want a bold look or you can apply it more lightly for when you want something more natural.

KIKO Kiss Balm in Blackcurrent (£5.90) and Carmex Moisterising Lip Balm (£1.50)
I've put these two together as I've fully reviewed them before. The Carmex Moistering lip balm (full review here) is great for curing dry lips. The KIKO balm (full review here) is a lip stick/ lip balm hybrid that gives a vibrant colour but still feels light and creamy on application. Most importantly, it doesn't dry your lips out!


Radox Bath Smoothies Spirit Booster - £1 at Savers (Bargain!)
This has got to be the most AMAZING smelling product you can put in your bath! It's like a fruity cocktail blend of pomegranates, raspberries and all the summer berry fruits! It's very intense and basically like the standard Radox foam baths except it's creamier in texture. Your bath will thank you for this!

Nars Brow Perfector in shade 'Suriname' - £16.50
Absolutely love this! I have a lot of gapping in my eyebrows which makes it look uneven and just really untidy. This product really transforms them into lovely full brows. It's got a really hard gritty texture and it's just great at faking little hairs on the brow line. It's one of those pencils that you just twist instead of sharpening so very easy to just take with you and touch up during the day.

I'll also add that the lady at the NARS counter, Milton Keynes was so helpful and really took her time to explain the product and how to apply it. Not trying to promote NARS but when you receive good service I think you should tell others!




Hope you enjoyed my summer favourties. Comment and let me know what are your favourites this summer!

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker!

Hello!! Today I will be looking at the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss in 'Half Naked'. Ha! Gota love the cheeky names Soap & Glory comes up with! They retail at £10 a pop so fairly pricey for a non over the counter cosmetic. You can get them in Boots but I've also seen them on Amazon too (although they seem to retail higher online).

Colour
To me the colour is the perfect nude. It looks brown from the packaging (which is why I got it) but if I had to pin the colour down I'd say it's more of a mahogany with slightly pink undertones. It's not the kind of colour that's going to make you stand out but for an everyday look I love this. I do think its versatile enough to compliment most skin tones.

Plumps your lips?

Now, having lacked in the voluptuous lips department, I was very excited about this product because it claims to plump up your lips. In fact, the product claims it can plump them up to 10 x in volume! How mammoth would that be!

1 - 2 minutes from application I started to get really tingly lips as if there were little vibrations happening pushing my lips out. When I looked in the mirror I was in 2 minds about it. I wasn't sure if they did genuinely seem bigger or if it was just the fact the lips were just coated. Either way they did seem seem slightly bigger (definitely not 10 x bigger though!).

The top picture shows my lips without the gloss and the bottom two are with the gloss (pictured with and without camera flash), so you can judge for yourself whether you think it actually worked.

Texture/Consistency
If I am honest the consistency of this is a little stiff which could be because it's got quite a thick texture. It's also very sticky so you may have to remove a few fly away strands sticking to your lips!

Smell
Strangely like sweet popcorn!

Lasting Power

30 minutes - the gloss starts to set and the stickiness dies down.
1 hour - the product loses it's thickness and definitely feels more natural on the lips.
2 hours - I can still just feel it on my lips. The gloss hasn't dried them out at all and my lips feel fairly smooth.

 Overall lasting power is about 2 - 3 hours.

Have you tried the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker range? What was your experience with it? Do you recommend other Soap & Glory cosmetics? Thanks for reading!