Thursday 31 January 2013

Charles Worthington Hair Serum


Charles Worthington hair serum, I love you!
For Christmas I thought it would be cute if me and Aaron done small stockings for each other with a twist; we had to get as much as we could for each other without spending more than £10. I have to say, Aaron did not disappoint and he's knows me better than I realised because I absolutely loved everything.. Which included this serum.
Since I can remember, I've suffered with frizzy hair.. I'm talking dragged-through-a-hedge-backwards-several-times kinda frizzy.. Not a good look! I have very, very thick hair too and unfortunately it has a mind of it's own, all the time. If I curl my hair, it won't hold for long before it drops - even when my hairdresser done it, it lasted a couple of hours before dropping slightly, then a few hours later it just looked crap. If I straighten it, it won't stay straight for long either, not perfectly straight anyway. No matter what I do, it goes back to the rubbishy straight-ish with a kink. Grr! Anyway, up until Aaron bought me this product, every time I straightened my hair, even with my GHDs it felt thick and heavy and still a bit puffy/frizzy and would quickly go all skew-whiff! I'd heard of serums for stopping this but had tried a couple before and it just left my hair greasy within a few hours so I stopped using them. I thought I would give this a go as it had been bought for me and I'm so glad I did because it's nothing like the serums I'd had before.
I followed the instructions, putting a small amount in my hair whilst wet, brushing it through then blow drying and straightening. The results were as you'd expect - my hair didn't feel thick and heavy or puffy/frizzy. It felt light, manageable (for once) and frizz free and didn't even feel greasy the next day let alone within a few hours. Most importantly for me, it stays straight for longer, yipeee! I've been using this little gem since Christmas and haven't even used half yet so it's well worth the £1.99 price tag. You can get it from Superdrug here. I shall definitely be getting myself another once it runs out and I'd really like to give the frizz free shampoo a go too.
Do you use hair serum to control your unruly hair? Have you tried any other Charles Worthington product and if so what are your thoughts? :) xxx

Friday 25 January 2013

MUA haul

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, as they say, then you'll know that MUA had a 50% sale this last week and of course, I just couldn't resist having a little spend. I do wish I'd got a couple more bits now but the website kept going down and was soooo slow that I just hurried (as much as I could!) It's a shame that MUA can't handle it when they have a sale. I feel they should have better servers that can handle the amount of people rushing to make a purchase - then they won't have to tell people to get off their website via Twitter/Facebook! You wouldn't see it from other companies and I know a lot of people get fed up with it. That said, once I'd paid I had the best experience I've ever had with them. I received a confirmation email this time AND my parcel arrived 2 days later. Wowzers!


L-R: lipstick - shade 7, nail polish - shade 21, nail polish - shade 5, magnetic nail polish - piccadilly circus, extreme metallics eye shadow - go better, extreme metallics eye shadow - smokin, matte perfect foundation - fair, matte perfect primer.

I'm not sure on the lipstick, I don't think the colour suits me but you don't know unless you try. I haven't tried it with a full face on make up on yet, it may look better when I do but if not it's only 50p lost! I really like the 2 nail polishes (not the brush though, as always) shade 21 is a nudey purpley colour and only needs 2 coats and shade 5 is a pastel greeny colour (not usually what I'd go for but I love it) and it needs 3 coats at least. This is my first magnetic nail polish and I swear it's got the wrong magnet on it because it didn't come out in circles, it come out in zigzags. It's alright, didn't wow me though so probably wouldn't get any more of these. I absolutely love both sets of eye shadow. They're very pigmented and the colours are gorgeous so I'm definitely looking forward to using them. Love love love. I think the foundation may be too orange for me, although I haven't tried it on my face yet. It claims to have shine control so if it's not too orange it would be interesting to see how much control it has over my shine! Haha :) Last but not least, I really think I'll like the primer. It has a slight colour to it which reminded me of Benefits Porefessional. Can't wait to give it a go!

I'm looking forward to giving all these a proper go and will report back once I've used them properly. Did you get anything in the 50% sale? Let me know! :) xxx

Wednesday 16 January 2013

MUA Make Up Brushes reviewed.

Before Christmas I bought myself a handful of the MUA make up brushes. I didn't use brushes to apply make up before - I'd just use my fingers, nice! - so as they were so reasonably priced (and had 35% off) and I've been impressed with almost everything else I've tried from MUA, I thought I would give them a go!


L-R: F5 - kabuki face and body brush £5, F4 - powder brush £3.75, F1 - Foundation brush £3, F3 - concealer brush £1.95, E3 - blending and shadow brush £1.95, E1 - eyeshadow brush £1.95, L1 - lip brush £1.50.

There are a few more brushes available, however I didn't think I'd want/need them so I didn't order them. Now I have these ones, I do wish I'd bought a couple of the others instead..
My first thoughts when I got these brushes were that they felt a little cheap - they're very light and clink when they touch (it's hard to explain what I mean!) on the plus side, the brushes feel really soft and they're also cruelty free.

I'm not a massive lover of the kabuki brush, it is quite small and the brush is very dense and close together. I use my kabuki brush for applying loose powder but this didn't allow me to spread it properly/evenly. The one I used before (and lost somehow!) was by Gosh and it was bigger with a wider and slightly looser brush which I prefer so will probably buy another one of those.

I really like the powder brush, it is a perfect size and isn't too dense like the kabuki brush. I use it for blush (if I wear it, which isn't often!) and loose powder too - it works much better for me as it seems to spread easier and more evenly.

I'm undecided on the foundation brush, it's not too bad (maybe it's just how I use it!?) but I'm finding that it is takes a while because the brush isn't as big as I'd liked and you have to keep the brush facing one way or it goes tits up.. Or at least it does on my face! If I have enough time then it does make it look good at the end but I do wish I'd got the flat top foundation brush instead.

I haven't had too much use from the concealer brush to be honest but from what I can tell so far, it's good. It's a nice size with soft curved edges - it does it's job and that's all you can really say about that one!

I'm impressed with the blending and shadow brush. I don't have one to compare it to but I've used it enough times to know I like it! It picks up enough product and blends it really well. I used to use my fingers for blending but using a brush has made it a lot easier and generally gives a nicer finish.

I don't like the eyeshadow brush, in fact I've stopped using it already. It doesn't pick up enough product for my liking - I found using them spongey stick things or my finger gave better results which is disappointing because I really wanted to like it. I'm temped to buy the angled eyeshadow brush as it looks better.

The lip brush isn't too bad, it works well. I find using it makes lippy last that little bit longer which is always good. If I had to pick at something then I do wish the brush was a little bit shorter but it hasn't effected the use at all so it's fine.


Overall the brushes are good if you're just getting into make up, on a budget or a standard girl with standard make up needs or in my case, starting to wear more than just mascara and lipgloss! They're not terrible by any means - I am always happy with the end result.
If you're looking for complete perfection though, these may not be for you.
I'd really like some real technique brushes now as I've heard many good things :)

Have you tried these brushes? Which brand do you mostly use?

Friday 4 January 2013

Beauty Products Haul Pt1

This post is long over due but I didn't want to do it until I had my new camera.. I'm not suddenly Miss Photographer since getting it but it does take much better quality pictures!
I've tried to keep it as short as possible most of these products have been around long enough for you to have seen 400 reviews on them already.


I haven't bought all of this at once, it's over the last month or so and I'll be doing it in 2 parts. The second part will be just the MUA brushes, everything else will be this post. As you can tell, I really like natural looking make up.. a "my face but better" kind of look, I'm not sure if I do it cause it suits me or cause I'm too chicken to try something different! Anyway, here goes!


Revlon lip butter - Creme Brulee.
I have wanted this since it come out so I finally stopped umming and ahhing and just bought it! To me, it is the perfect lip colour. It's a well pigmented, easily buildable, natural/nudey colour with a shimmer, I just love it. I also really like the packaging, it doesn't feel cheap. Unfortunately, it doesn't last ages but I love it enough not to care.


MUA - Heaven and Earth palette
I bought the Undressed palette first but was only really using the neutral colours so I thought I may as well get this one too! I love it, the colours have good pigmentation and although they all look very similar, they do look different when you actually use them. This is the only palette I tend to use now..


MUA blusher - Shade 2
I didn't own a blusher before but was wanting to give it a try since wearing make up more often.. This is a nice dusky, natural looking pink, highly pigmented so it will last a while but it's quite soft so be careful if you're heavy handed like me!


MUA mascara - Shade 1 (clear)
I bought this just for my eyebrows as they tend to have a mind of their own! I have never liked clear mascara on my eyes as it doesn't do anything on me but it does a good job of keeping my eyebrows in check :)


MUA Sheer Finish Lipgloss - Some Me Time.
I bought the brown one of these a couple of months back and knew I wanted to get more because they smell soo good! It comes out sheer but has a very slight shimmer to it and like most lipglosses, it doesn't last too long but for the price you can't really moan. I like how you don't need to dip your germy finger in it to apply it.


MUA lipstick - Shade 11.
This is a brownish matte colour but applied once it gives a "my lips but better" look which I really like. I don't tend to layer it up as I don't think it would suit me. It isn't drying and it doesn't last forever but again, for the price you can't moan. Oh it smells nice too :D


17 - Miracle Matte pressed powder - Ivory Porcelain. 
I spotted this in Boots last week and couldn't leave without it, I have oily skin so this sounded perfect for me as it's oil free and claims "up to 16 hours shine control" - I don't think I've ever worn make up that long but I did find I needed a top up after around 4 hours but until that point it's great. I like how it has a mirror in the top too, handy!


Collection - Shade 47/Milkshake.
This is the kind of colour I've been looking for for a while now. I have a lot of similar shades but this one is spot on for me. It is a neutral creamy light pinky brown colour and I only needed ONE COAT! :O With a good base/top coat I found it lasted 3/4 days which is good for me. I got on ok with the brush, it's not super duper but it's not crap. I will definitely repurchase.


Collection - Cream Puff - Angel Delight.
This stuff is like velvet on your lips, ooh it's soft! This is a brown matte colour and I like to team it up with the brown MUA Sheer Finish lipgloss. It lasts reasonably well and it isn't drying when using on it's own. I use it a lot and really want to try the other colours but they're always sold out in my local Superdrug :(


Collection - Super Size Fat Lash mascara - Ultra Black.
I have to be honest, I only picked this up because it's pink! I'm not completely disappointed by this mascara, although I wouldn't repurchase because it just didn't amaze me. It does give volume but it also gives a lot of fall out by the end of the day so I tend to wear this if I know I won't have make up on for long, like a meal out.


Aand that is it for part 1! Phew that felt long! I will get part 2 up in the next few days.
Have you tried any of these items? - What were your thoughts?

Tuesday 1 January 2013

New Years Resolutions

To be honest, I'm not usually one to make new years resolutions because I know myself well enough to know I probably won't stick to any of them. However, this year I have decided that instead of making resolutions I'm going to put a list here on my blog of things I would like to have done or would like to get done by the end of 2013.. Like a to-do list I suppose.

Lose weight - I know I'm not alone on this one (especially after over eating during Christmas) but I've been saying it a while, giving it a go then giving up. I think if I do an update on my weightloss journey on my blog then I'm more likely to stick to it - I'm not going to want to write about how I gave up so that will egg me on/keep me going.. Hopefully! Instead of saying I want to lose X amount, my aim is to not put any more weight on by the end of the year as a minimum. This way, anything I lose will be a bonus :)

Job - I've been jobless a year and a half now and although I like spending time with the cats, keeping the house nice and having Aarons meals ready when he gets home, I hate not contributing/earning my own wage. I know Aaron isn't bothered as he earns enough for both of us but I do get bored sometimes and I would like to have a cheeky spend more often. We agreed I will only be going for something part time as it wouldn't be fair on the cats otherwise, plus the house and nice dinners will still get done.

Divorce - If you've been following me a while, you'll probably know that while Aaron and I are engaged, he is legally still married to his ex. She wouldn't cooperate because she found out he was with someone else meaning he had to wait until they'd been separated 5 years..  Which they have been now but he only has proof from June so we have to wait a bit longer. Once that headache is out the way, we have a wedding to plan which we're hoping will be in 2014. Fingers crossed!

Blog - I've been blogging around 6 months now and have to say, I absolutely LOVE it! I love the small handful of people that I chat with regularly, they've made it a warm place for me and kept me coming back (thanks guyyysss!) My aim is to reach 200 followers this year. I actually have a giveaway lined up already! I would also like to find my feet more and improve improve improve! If you have any tips on how I could be better, please do leave a comment.

Camera - I got a new camera for Christmas, not a super duper expensive one like top bloggers because my parents just would never spend that amount but it's the best one I've had so far, a really nice looking bridge camera. I have been reading through the manual as I want to get out of the habit of using "auto" on pictures and actually make use of the settings, thus hopefully making my pictures look better. By the end of the year I'd like to be confident in using it without carrying the manual around everywhere, hahaha :)

Get out more - The past year me and Aaron have been getting back on our feet after shit at work made us both walk out of our jobs. We gave up our old home and moved back to his parents (nightmare) for a year before finding a new home. Because of all this, nearly every bit of money has gone into the new house meaning (apart from the cheap week in Wales) we haven't really had days out or weekends away like we used to. We both agreed we need to do more this year. Also, I need to see my friends more.. I rarely see anyone anymore!

So there we have it, those are my 6 things I would like to say I've done by the end of 2013.
Do you have any resolutions/goals?