My #NottsBBMeet and #LDNBBMeet Haul

I don't think I went to mental at the meet ups with the stuff I bought. My mum was very kind and gave me some Birthday money to spend which was so kind of her. 

In Nottingham, the one place I knew I had to go was Space NK, there isn't one near me and I much prefer shopping in person than on the internet, so I took full advantage of this and bought a couple of bits. I got the Living Proof Prime Style Extender, which is basically a hair primer. You apply this to damp hair and then style as normal. It is a weightless styling product that is meant to lock in you style until the next time you wash. I have only used this once so far and can say it did really help! Next up I bought the Phyto 7 Hydrating Day Cream, which is a hydrating cream that you can add to wet or dry hair. It is contains with 7 plan extracts to helps control frizz, static and help repair slip ends.

The last thing I got from Space NK, was actually my birthday gift and I have fallen completely in love with it! It's The Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel. I have been applying this morning and night and I have noticed such a difference in my skin - It looks brighter, more even and just generally healthier. 

Next Up was Mac- I knew I wasn't leaving without buying a lipstick! I have had my eye on so many lately but I was either going to go for Girl About Time, Impassioned or Ravishing. I went for Impassioned, which is described as an amped up fuchsia. Its such an amazing colour and a prefect bright for the summer. 

Next up was Lush where I bought the Lush Lip Scrub in Mint Julips. I originally bought this for my sister but she bought herself one the same weekend, so what a shame I had to keep it. I have already been through one pot and I love it so much. It's perfect if you tend to get chapped lips and need to get rid of the dead skin (ew but true)

Last stop in Nottingham was Boots and lets be honest- I knew I wasn't leaving without at least three products, as the 3 for 2 offer was still on (It would be rude not to aye?) Firstly I picked up the L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil for Coloured Hair. I have been using this every time I have washed my hair since I bought it and I am in love. I have noticed that my hair looks Shiny and just generally more healthy. Highly recommend this product. Next up I got the Revlon Colour Stay Foundation, a product I have heard nothing but good things about. The staying power of this foundation is incredible. I wore this to London, one day last week, and it stayed put all day and looked just as good when I got home. The last item, I got free in the 3 for 2 offer, was Essie Luxedo, now this is not a particularly summery colour but I just love it so much and I thought why not eh? it's free!  

Above you can see the two bits I got from London. As soon as I met people before heading to the #LDNBBMeet we went to & Other Stories. I have heard so many great things about this store and couldn't wait to check it out for myself. I don't this it is quite as good as everyone makes out but I still wasn't disappointed. There was plenty that I wanted but I controlled myself and just bought the Luminising Powder in 1. I am really impressed with this product. It's light on the skin, applies well and has great lasting power and it was only £10. After & Other Stories, we wandered round a couple of other stores and then headed to Illmasqua. Now I have looked lovingly at Illmasqua for a long time but as I hadn't seen anything in person I wasn't sure. So when we went into the store, I was like a kid in a candy store! I controlled myself and only bought a Powder Blush in Hussy and I can see this starting a long and expensive love affair ;) 

So that is everything I have bought! What have you got your eye on at the moment? 

Winter Survival

Now we are well into winter, there are a couple of products that have really been standing out for me. Winter is the worst time for me as my skin gets stupidly dry and so does my hair. I really have to look after myself. I am also cursed with the crappest immune system EVER, so I really do have to look after myself to keep myself in tip top shape.

I thought today I would share with you some of the bits I have been using.

Haircare

The tresemme Keratin Smooth range has been a god send for me. I have naturally curly and frizzy hair and this does exactly what it should, smooths my hair out but not so much that it becomes impossible to do anything with it. I have been particularly loving the treatment. It makes my hair so shiny and smooth. Even if you don't have frizzy hair I would recommend it just because it makes hair more manageable.

Next up is the Moroccan oil Hydrating Styling Cream; another product which is all about getting moisture back into your hair. You need the smallest amount of this and just add it to the ends. With going in and out from hot to cold, hair always suffers and this is a good product for ensuring that there is always moisture in the ends. This can be used on dry hair after styling, as well as before on damp hair, so if your hair is starting to look a bit dry between washes, this can give that quick injection of moisture. I love this product and actually use it all year round. It doesn't weight down hair or leave it looking greasy, which is why I love this product so much.

Skin Care

Now this section could of been SO long but I resisted the urge to add everything to it and kept it simple with two products. The first of which is a new product for me. Bio Oil has been such an amazing product to add to my ever growing collection of skincare. I had used this before when I had operations to help with the healing of my scars and it wasn't until my muma suggested it because of the fact if is good for dehydrated skin that I ever thought of using it on my face but WOW. I tend to use this at night as it can make you look a bit like you've taken a dip in some oil, but it does sink in over night and by the morning you would have no idea that you had put an oil on your face. After the first night I used this I noticed a huge difference and I mean huge! My skin looked amazing and full of life again. Seriously, don't knock this until you have tried it!

The next product in the skin care category is by far one of my favourite products, ever! Now that is a big statement for a self confessed skincare junky! Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask is an overnight mask that is used to give your skin the moisture it needs. I use this every third night and it again just gives my skin that injection of moisture. This product creates a 'build up' of moisture to keep you going for a couple days.

Body Care

I am not going to lie to you here, I am terrible at moisturising my body. I go through phases of doing it and I haven't really tried many products in this area. The Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion is the one I am currently using and I do really like it. It's quite a liquid moisturiser so spreads easily and skins into the skin almost instantly.  It is  very lightly scented and it doesn't hang around. I have sensitive skin and the perfume hasn't irritated my skin.

I got my L'Occitane hand cream free with a magazine (can't remember which) but its one of the only hand creams I enjoy using. I really can't stand the feeling of hand cream on my hand and this one just sinks in so quickly. I really can't feel it on my hands at all. What makes this hand cream even better? The scent! For those of you that don't know, I am controlled by scent. If I don't like the scent of something, I'll never use it but this has the most amazing sweet scent ever. 

Lip Care

On to the last section! I'm going to mention the Blistex Intensive Moisturiser first. This is the lip balm has seen me through thick and thin. I know I can rely on this to sort my lips out if they are dry and chapped. I also love the tingly feeling you get when you apply this! Just be careful you don't apply too much or you'll end up with white lips! Done that plenty of times! 

Nuxe Reve de Miel has become my favourite Lip product this year. Again, I know I can rely on this to sort my dry lips out. I tend to apply this at night as a intensive treatment and by gum it works. This leaves my lips so soft! and another bonus is smells amazing. I have read a lot of reviews that say it smells like chocolate orange, which I can see but I personally think it smells like honey and lemon. Maybe i just have a funny sense of smell?! 

Lastly, we have Lush Sweet Lips, the most amazing lip scrub ever. Now I know I could probably make this at home for a fraction of the cost but isn't it nicer to just rely on someone else? This one does definitely smell of chocolate orange and I love it. I have been using this twice a day to keep the dry skin at bay and it has meant I have been able to continue to wear some of my favourite matt lipsticks through the winter. 

and there you have it! Some of my favourite products to see me through this dark cold winter. 

What are your favourite winter products? Anything you think I should be trying? 

Bumble and Bumble| Bb Texture

This issue with having hair in such bad condition is that with all the conditioning it just tends to sit there, not doing much. I seem to have a constant struggle between looking after my hair and not being able to do anything with it or leaving it and it having a bit more oomph (even if it is dead!)

I have wanted to try salt sprays for so long but I know they will completely dry my hair out and I really can't have that, as my hair is already in such bad shape. I wanted something to give my hair a bit of life but not leaving it looking dry and frizzy. Enter Bumble and Bumble Bb Texture....

How I have survived without this I do not know!

This is quite possibly the most expensive hair item I have bought and I did feel like I was being robbed at £21.50 for 150ml it is expensive. I won't even try and deny that it is over priced. 

The point of this product is to give your hair that undressed look, The 'I've just got out of bed and look how awesome my hair looks' look! 

'It gives hair that elusive undone-yet-done quality, with and hint of grit,

 extra lift and a tousled shine free finish.'

What I love the most about this product is it doesn't dry my hair out of leave it sticky and even with this in you can restyle your hair the next day with ease. 

The packaging says to apply to damp hair but I tend to apply to towel dried hair, I have personally found that if the hair is to dry it doesn't work as well. I apply about a 1p's worth to the end of my hair giving it a tousle and a scrunch as I go and then just rough dry (No brushes) and then you are done! 

Another thing I really like about this product is the packaging. Bumble and Bumble have made it so you can actually open a squeeze out this product with one hand, leaving your other hand free to put the product on to. I know it is a simple thing but it makes life so much easier! The top is a screw top that when you turn it, it opens a little hole for the product to come through. Not only does this make it less messy but it also makes it easier to control the amount of product you want. 

Overall I am really impressed with this product and even though it is expensive it will be something I will repurchase as it has really helped with the styling of my hair!

£21.50 for 150ml 

Bumble and Bumble is available online, Boots, Space NK and others 

Lee Stafford| Bleach Blonde Shampoo

I have been using this shampoo for over 2 years now and I'll be honest I don't know what I would do without it!

I have tried other purple shampoos over the years and this is the one I always go back to.

A purple shampoo is used to take out and of the brassy yellow/ orange tones out of blonde hair.

Like I have said many times I bleach my hair and sometimes this can leave a slightly yellow tone to your hair but this shampoo naturalises any of those yellow tones to leave you with a lovely golden blonde.

What I love about this shampoo is that it is really moisturising! So I am not worrying that my hair isn't getting the moisture it needs and still being able to keep on top of the brassy tones. They also do a conditioner in this range. The conditioner doesn't have any of the colour properties that the shampoo has but is again really moisturising and leaves the hair really soft and shinny. 

This shampoo is meant to me used once a week and like any other shampoo, lather in and wash straight out. You can leave it in if you feel that your hair needs it but I would not recommend to leave it in for more than a minute or you will end up with purple hair. I'll point out that this will only give you a purple tint if you leave it in to long or use it more than once a week. I use it every time I was my hair and it has a purple tint. My hair isn't purple, it is still blonde but in some lights you can see the purple.

What I also love about this shampoo is that it foams up so much! You really don't need a lot to do your hair (again the more you use the more likely you are to colour your hair more) 

I think for the quality of this product and the fact that it does so much for you hair it is really good quality for money. 

Lee Stafford is available In Boots and online here 

£6.39 for 250ml 

John Frieda| Full Repair Conditioner and Deep Conditioner

I picked these up at a local trip to Boots. I have read so many rave reviews about them I thought it would be worth a try. As I have said before in other hair care reviews I bleach my hair and have done for years. I also use quite a bit of heat so as you can imagine my hair isn't in the best of shape!

I thought these would be perfect as they aim to repair your hair whilst still giving it volume and getting volume has been something I have been struggling with lately.

I have used both of these products a couple of times and have noticed a difference in the condition of my hair. It has more oomph and shine and my ends aren't so fly away.

Unfortuntely these have irritated my scalp :( I have a scalp condition ( I can't remember the name of it sorry) but basically is has made my scalp really flaky and sore. If it wasn't for this I would continue to use them but unfortunately they just aren't worth the sore scalp. 

Since using them, I have past them onto my sister who also has coloured hair and she loves them! Like me she found that they have helped dramatically with the condition of her hair. 

Another thing that we both liked was that it didn't weight our hair down. I find a lot of the time if you are using  really rehydrating that they are often weight down hair and I have fine hair so it leaves me with rather limp hair if it is to heavy but this had the opposite effect.

You can buy The Full repair Range at Boots and Superdrug. 

Deep Conditioner £6.29 for 150ml

Full Body Conditioner £5.89 for 250ml

Are there any restoring conditioners that you recommend? 

Lush Haul!

Ok so I may have got a bit excited when I went into Lush the other day. This is what I ended up with....

I find it so hard to control myself when I go into lush. As I don't have a store near me I tend to do a lot of my Lush shopping online but being in the store seeing all the actual products, well I get a bit excited and if you haven't already guessed, if something smells nice it is a winner in my books.

All the products are linked at the beginning of each description/ mini review so you can look up ingredients and see other reviews on the lush website.

Sweet Lips Lip Scrub: I actually wanted to pick up the Mint version of this but they didn't have it so I thought I would give this one a go! I have been using this for a couple days now, in the morning and evening. I have noticed a huge difference in the condition if my lips. I wouldn't say I have really dry lips but they do every now and then suffer from a bit of dryness. I am not so keen on the scent of this. Really smells like chocolate but a weird kind of chocolate. I will repurchase this but in the mint flavour instead!

Lemon Flutter Cuticle Butter: This is a new product for me so I haven't been using it long. This is basically help with any dry citicles, which I do suffer from. I also get a lot of dry skin just generally around my nails so will be using this to try and combat those! It also says that it can be used on any really dry bits of skin, so will also be trying this on any stubborn dry bits. This is a really thick cream and I used it this morning and you only need a tiny amount so this 50g pot will last ages I imagine. Like most other Lush products this smell amazing! I do love a citrus smell!

The Comforter: You cannot beat a good bubble bath! Again smells amazing (I think like Parma Violets) This makes loads of bubbles and I can get a lots of uses out of this. Well worth the money in my eyes.

Think Pink: Turns your bath a lovely pink colour. I tend to see bath bombs as a not so much value for money but I do love them when I want a little pamper night as they make your bath smell amazing and the oils help nourish and moisturise skin.

Tea Tree Toner Tab: These are great when my skin is playing up a bit. Although advertised as being best for teenage troubled skin I just love these to give my skin a really good clean, as the steam opens up your pores allowing the tee tree to work it's magic. Remember to keep the water as this can be used as a toner for up to a week after use! I love this as I am getting 2 products for the price of one!

These next couple bits are from a recent Online order (told you I have a problem!)

 Full of Grace: This is a solid serum. On one of my trips into Lush of of the lovely girls suggested this. I don't remember why I didn't buy it at the time but decided to buy it when I was having a nosey online. This serum is used to hydrate and moisturise the skin. Basically you rub it between your hands, which warms and melts the product then just apply to the skin. I did find this did moisturise but I didn't like the fact it just kind of sits on the skin (this is defiantly a night time product!) It left me feeling sticky and looking like a grease ball.

Dream Steam: I got this because at the time they didn't have any Tea Tree toner tabs. I have to say I didn't like this as much as the tea tree tabs but they were still really good. This tab actually contains more oils to help with your skin. It contains tea tree, rose, chamomile and lavender. Again this can be bottled up after use and used as a toner for the next week!

Marilyn: As I have said before, I bleach my hair. This hair mask is designed to take the brassy tones out of your hair. This it lives up to! I am not so keen on the scent. It is a bit odd but I love what this has done for my hair. I also found that it added a lot of shine and calmed the frizz down slightly. I am not someone who usually likes pre wash treatments. I just have it stuck in my head that I am just washing off any of the good stuff but that is just me.

tip: This contains chamomile so put it on and sit out in sun and it will lighten your hair. Little tip taken from the packet!

Catastrophe Cosmetic: I loved this mask, it left my skin feeling so fresh! Only thing I would say is with all lush face masks I tend to always leave a bit as they go off before I can use it all up and to me that is just wasting money which I don't like.

Snake Oil: I have a scalp condition which means when I get tired or stressed I get a really flaky scalp and sores (lovely!) It is also really sensitive to new hair products. I bought this to see if it might calm it. In all honesty I have no idea how to even use it! Its a solid form and I have got to get it onto my scalp some how?! any one know? A lot of the reviews I have read said it smells horrible but works. I have had a smell I don't think it is that bad. It's not the nicest but it is bearable!

All I can say if you have made it to the end of this WELL DONE!

sorry it has been so long!

May Favourites

Sorry I have been MIA this week due to moving home and sorting out some of my last bits at uni for the year but I am back and finally home. Those of you who follow me on twitter will know how much I disliked my house mates so was nice to see the back of them! but that is enough of that!

I thought I would come back with a bang. Favourites blogs and videos are really my favourite things to read/watch and as I have been loving so much this month I thought I would jump on the bandwagon!

I have to say I have been loving so many things this month and although I knew insantly these would be featured in this post, there were so many more things that I could of added but I didn't want to go over the top!

Make up 

Mac Lipstick in Pink Plaid: This has been my go to lipstick since I bought it! I think the colour really compliments my paler skin perfectly. Although this is a Matte. I haven't found it to be drying.  You can read my full review here.

Nails inc. in Power Pink: I am sure if you are in the UK you will of most likely seen some posts for these nail varnishes. I actually only own one other nails inc. varnish. This colour is actually more of a lavender rather than a pink, which the name suggests. Its completely opaque in 2 coats. I just love the formula for this. The only thing I don't like is the lid! I find it so hard to pain using this lid. It is just to big for my little hands!

Topshop Blush in Prime Time: I have some serious love for this blush. I have a good sized collection of blushes so it is unusual for me to stick with one blush for long but this I have been wearing everyday! I think since I have got it I have used a different blush about 3 times. Its just such a lovely colour and stays put all day. You can read my full review here

Inglot Eye shadow Palette: I don't actually know what the colours are in this palette as I bought it off someone else. These eye shadows are amazing! They are just so soft and silky and they a amazingly pigmented! I am actually going to London on Thursday and definitely taking a trip to Inglot to go make myself a palette. I just think the whole store idea is amazing. 

Face 

Caudalie Beauty Elixir: I wouldn't quite say this is holy grail material like a lot of people but I do love this and I have noticed a difference. I have been using this mainly between toning and moisturising both morning and night. My skin does look a bit brighter since I have been using it. Again, like most things I am a sucker for the scent. I also used this a lot during the hotter weather just to cool and refresh my skin. 

Origins Drink Up Intensive: I only got this at the beginning of the month and I have fallen head over heels in love with this product. For me, this is holy grail material. I will now never be without this product. My skin isn't dry but it lacks omph, which I think is due to it being dehydrated. I put a layer of this on before bed and in the morning it is all gone. My skin just drinks this up. I really have noticed a huge difference in my skin since using this. I will be doing a full review of this soon. 

Caudalie Cleansing Water: This product for me only falls down in one area, it contains fragrance but having said that I do have slightly sensitive skin and it hasn't effected mine. I used this in the morning to just refresh and clean my skin. In the morning I like to used things that are quick and easy. Mainly because I am always running late! and this just ticks that box. All you need to do is soak a cotton pad and wipe it all over your face and leave it to air dry. It really does leave my skin feeling refreshed. I only bought a small bottle as I just wanted to try it out but will be purchasing a big bottle once this has run out!

Body

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush: I won't go into to much detail as you can read my full review here. This is an amazing scrub but the main this is the smell! Oh my! I love it! seriously go into boots and smell this bad boy! 

Hair

MoroccanOil Intense Hydrating Mask: I bleach my hair and I do use heat sometimes so as you can imagine my hair doesn't really love me all that much. My ends tend to be very dry and I have to get it cut regularly. Saying that, since using this mask I have noticed a HUGE difference! I am not being dramatical. My hair feels like how it used to before I started bleaching. It is SO soft, it is shiny and just looks full of life again. This for me is a little more expensive than I would usually like to pay for a hair mask ( I bought this on Buyapowa) but I would not hesitate to buy this again. Again I think I have found another holy grail product...!

Fragrance

Chanel Chance: I am just going to say it now, I am terrible at picking out the different scent notes in fragrances. For me if it smells nice I will buy it. I picked this up in duty free when I went to Egypt over a month ago and I don't seem to have used that much. I usually do one spray on my neck and one on my wrist. This isn't an over powering scent. I hate when you can really smell someone's perfume when they walk past you, I think if you have to spray that much to notice it, it isn't that good but that is only my opinion. This is a lovely fresh scent and perfect for summer!

Let me know what your may favourites are

Love 

Miss S

xxx

The Body Shop |Coconut Oil Hair Shine

This Won't really be a very long review as there isn't really much to say about this product but I wanted to show you guys because I really do love it. 

If you haven't guessed already I'm a sucker for something if it smells good. Yes its another one of those products that smell amazing! haha. 

Basically I wear my hair in vintage styles 99% of the time and I wanted something to tame fly a ways and make my hair look soft and this product does exactly that. I try and stay away from pomade and hair spray because I find that it drys my hair out to much but this just finishes off my hair nicely. 

One thing I will say is that if you are using it closer to the roots, you do have to be seriously careful you don't use to much or you will look like you have greasy hair. 

On the odd days that I wear my hair straight I use this to tame my hair a bit. It helps to stop the hair from frizzing and having hair sticking out every where! Its also really light so if I do use it on my ends I don't feel like I have to wash it because I have used product on it. Which I was really surprised about being an oil.

Overall I really love this product and it does exactly what I need it to. Even if you don't style your hair like me it is still useful for you gals with straight hair to help give a more sleek finish.

Also as you need so little this pot will last absolutely ages. It has a 12 month self life. Now imagine this time would pass before I use up the whole tin. Usually for things for my skin I stick to these dates however I'm not sure about hair care. The product isn't expensive so in all honesty even if I did have product left I wouldn't mind buying a new one.

The pot is 50g and costs £5.00 from The Body Shop in store or online here

Love 

Miss S 

xxx