Hey there strangers. So it's half term and I had hoped that I'd get the chance to get caught up on blog posts, but that hasn't quite happened.
I spent the weekend in Leeds with my brother, his girlfriend Kat and my friend Marianne having a few drinks on an Otley Run. (If you know anything about the Otley Run you'll know it wasn't just a few drinks but it sure was fun!) I'm down in London with my Mum this weekend for shopping, a show and the Britain's Next Top Model Live show so I had no option but to work my butt off from Monday to Friday.
Well I started on Monday morning and I'm still going strong. I'm getting there, ticking things off the do list and making some real progress but it's certainly been a busy week. I'm trying to get caught up. Because I started the course late I felt like I was getting further and further behind all last half term. It was really frustrating and I said to myself that I'd go back after half term up to date so I could finally forget about starting late and just get on with it like everyone else. I'm well on my way to that being possible now so feel quite relieved.
This week I've also taken the time to get back to various people by e-mail, quite a few of which relate to products you'll see reviewed on here. Over the next few weeks I will (I know, I say it all the time but this time I mean it!) get in the habit of scheduling posts at the weekend so you'll have at least a couple of new posts a week to read.
Thanks for sticking with me guys. I'm surprised that my reader numbers haven't dipped massively and am pleasantly surprised to see a few new followers so thanks very much!
Hugs and kisses to you all! xxx
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Monday, 17 October 2011
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Boudoir Prive Box
I'm going to make this post fairly snappy because I'm sure you seen a ton of posts about this box already, but as the lovely people at Boudoir Prive sent me this to review, I will be adding my thoughts on it.
So, most people will be familiar with the beauty boxes that have become so popular over the last few months. Boudoir Prive is becoming firmly established as one of the leaders in this field and offers a box of 5 or 6 sample sized products for £10 a month which includes postage.
I received a Glossy Box back in May so I will be making some comparisons- after all they are both similar services and I will only be subscribing to one ultimately.
So over all it was a mixed bag. I love the Zoya polish and the hair oil and my Mum's done well from it too but I wasn't bowled over by this box. Looking back at the Glossy Box I received, which I loved at the time, I realise how little I've used the products in it. I suppose the problem with boxes like these is that you don't choose the products yourself so you may well end up with products that you're not fussed by and don't use.
If I was to sign up for one now, out of Glossy Box and Boudoir Prive, I'd go with Boudoir Prive and I'm not just saying that because I'm reviewing it now! It's because the postage costs are included in the £10 so it's cheaper and also on the strength of the Zoya polish which I'll get much more wear out of than the NARS Illuminator (it was the older formula which is pretty flawed) and the lovely but very bright All About Eve lipstick in the Glossy Box I received.
I will however be looking for reviews of the Feel Unique box before I commit to anything and weighing up my options. I love the concept of these but you could ultimately spend £120, or more, a year on products that you don't like or won't get use out of and I don't want to through money away unnecessarily.
Do you subscribe to Boudoir Prive? Or any of the other beauty boxes? Do you think they're good value for money?
So, most people will be familiar with the beauty boxes that have become so popular over the last few months. Boudoir Prive is becoming firmly established as one of the leaders in this field and offers a box of 5 or 6 sample sized products for £10 a month which includes postage.
I received a Glossy Box back in May so I will be making some comparisons- after all they are both similar services and I will only be subscribing to one ultimately.
The box is really cute and really similar to Glossy Box. Although they're both pretty it's a shame they aren't a little more distinct.
So, please excuse the slightly out of focus picture, these were the contents I received. I was happy to see my first Zoya polish in here, along with Macadamia hair oil, a electric blue Cargo eyeliner, Colbert MD Nourish Eye Cream, Tropic body exfoliator, a sample of Agent Provocateur perfume and a bronzing blotting sheet.
This is Marina and it's seriously lush. To be honest the box was worth it just for this in my opinion- it's a lush shade. This was just 1 coat of it too and it covers so beautifully. I'm in love and after looking at the other shades that come on the fab little chart thing (I'm sure it has a proper nail but hey) I want almost all of them. Apart from the green shades. I think this is such a clever thing to put in with a box like this as I'm sure lots of people bought more than 1 as a result.
So, out of the other products I received (I'm not sure why the eye pencil isn't in this picture but to be honest blue isn't my colour so I won't use it and it's a shame it didn't come in a more neutral shade) there are 2 that I really like.
The Macadamia hair oil is lovely although pricey. The sample size retails at £5.95 and a larger 125ml size is around £30 I think (I've cleverly put the info in the bin during a big tidy up) which is way beyond my budget at the moment. It's lovely stuff though and I'm already halfway the bottle I have. The Colbert MD eye cream is gorgeous too and I really like it. I've passed it onto my Mum though as this is seriously good stuff and a bit wasted on me. The full size of 15ml sells for £90 so I thought she should give it a proper test out. The Agent Provocateur perfume has also been passed to Mum, it's lovely but not for me. The exfoliator is OK but hasn't wowed me and the blotting bronzer sheet just seems a bit pointless.
So over all it was a mixed bag. I love the Zoya polish and the hair oil and my Mum's done well from it too but I wasn't bowled over by this box. Looking back at the Glossy Box I received, which I loved at the time, I realise how little I've used the products in it. I suppose the problem with boxes like these is that you don't choose the products yourself so you may well end up with products that you're not fussed by and don't use.
If I was to sign up for one now, out of Glossy Box and Boudoir Prive, I'd go with Boudoir Prive and I'm not just saying that because I'm reviewing it now! It's because the postage costs are included in the £10 so it's cheaper and also on the strength of the Zoya polish which I'll get much more wear out of than the NARS Illuminator (it was the older formula which is pretty flawed) and the lovely but very bright All About Eve lipstick in the Glossy Box I received.
I will however be looking for reviews of the Feel Unique box before I commit to anything and weighing up my options. I love the concept of these but you could ultimately spend £120, or more, a year on products that you don't like or won't get use out of and I don't want to through money away unnecessarily.
Do you subscribe to Boudoir Prive? Or any of the other beauty boxes? Do you think they're good value for money?
Friday, 14 October 2011
VO5 Instant Oomph Powder Review
I've had this for ages and really should have posted this review yonks ago. You'll see from the following pictures that I've used it since the summer, before I had the side fringe cut in! Anyway, better late than never eh? This is VO5's Instant Oomph Powder and it's supposed to do exactly what it says. That is, give your hair oomph, much like the TRESemme Sky High Plumping Powder that I've also tried.
I love the bright pink packaging, it's fabulously girlie and the small pot is great as it doesn't take up much room when I'm packing to head somewhere.
It's easy to shake into my roots and you don't get too much out in one go. The TRESemme one is slightly harder to control but it's not really a problem.
In order to show you the effect I took before and after pictures and as you can see, it's a little flat at first.
With a sprinkling of the Instant Oomph Powder and a quick massage of the roots, this is the effect. Bearing in mind this was on straighten hair and without other volumising products, I think the effect is pretty good. Certainly you can see there's more height in the crown.
It works even better in conjunction with other volumising products and for this I used the TRESemme ones. Also, as you can see, this was taken after I had a side fringe cut in and I was wearing my hair in a centre parting which really suits this look.
I love wearing my hair like this on a night out. It's so easy to do but bigger hair just makes me feel glam.
I really like the Instant Oomph Powder but there's really nothing between this and the TRESemme one. Both of the powders give me the same effect with good hold. With both of them you can revive the style by massaging the roots again which is great when you're out as you don't need the product with you.
It gets a big thumbs up from me and I'll buy it, or the TRESemme one, in future when my current ones run out.
Do you use the plumping powders? What'd your favoured method of getting a bouffant barnet?
*The product was sent to me as a PR sample but all reviews are 100% honest.*
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
TRESemme Split Remedy - A Rave Review
I imagine this range of products to target and repair split ends is going to attract a lot of interest. After all, 93% of women suffer from split ends at some point according to TRESemme. Quite frankly I'm surprised that it's not 100% of women, what with heat styling, forgetting to use a heat protecter, tugging brushes through wet hair and the other horrible things we do to our tresses.
So, first of all- what is this range supposed to do? After all, we've long been told that we can't fix split ends, you just have to prevent them and get them chopped off when they, fairly inevitably, occur.
Well, TRESemme claim to have created a range of products which does just that. The products all contain a reconstructing complex which is a microgel and gets into the split. This contains oppositely charged polymers, the positive ones are attracted to the split end and then the negative ones are attracted to them. Hey presto the polymers bind the split back together.
Now, I was sceptical when I heard about this. As I say, we've long been told that you can't mend split ends and let's face it, we do get told all sorts by beauty brands. But I was happy to try the range and here's what I had a play with.
I'm still slightly sceptical of how it can possibly work, but all I know is that it has worked for me. As I say, my split ends are far less split than they were 5 weeks ago and no, I haven't had my hair cut. I'm really thrilled because this means I can go longer between hair cuts as split ends are my number one reason to head to the salon. I'll still need to go for a tidy up of course, but anything that means I have longer in between visits to help it grow is a winner with me.
Of course ladies (and gents), prevention is still important. Make sure that you use a heat protection spray and lay off the heat styling when you can. Oh and always be gentle with your hair when it's wet; you can do some serious damage if you brush wet hair. Instead, use a wide tooth comb and comb the very ends first before combing all the way through. Your hair will thank you for it!
Have you tried out the Split Remedy range yet? Let me know if you have, and what you think of it. I gather the products are in Tesco already, in Boots at some point this month and will be available all over the shop in November.
*These proucts are PR samples. As always, this does not affect my opinion and my review is entirely honest.*
So, first of all- what is this range supposed to do? After all, we've long been told that we can't fix split ends, you just have to prevent them and get them chopped off when they, fairly inevitably, occur.
Well, TRESemme claim to have created a range of products which does just that. The products all contain a reconstructing complex which is a microgel and gets into the split. This contains oppositely charged polymers, the positive ones are attracted to the split end and then the negative ones are attracted to them. Hey presto the polymers bind the split back together.
Now, I was sceptical when I heard about this. As I say, we've long been told that you can't mend split ends and let's face it, we do get told all sorts by beauty brands. But I was happy to try the range and here's what I had a play with.
That would be the Split Mend Shampoo, Split Mend Conditioner, Split Mend Intense Recovery Masque and Split Mend Sealing Serum.
I started by just using the shampoo and conditioner as TRESemme claim that use of these 2 together will reduced split ends by up to 80% after just 3 uses. I have to say that I was overly impressed after these 3 washes by any improvement. My hair "liked" them certainly, and I really like the shampoo lathers, but I wasn't blown away. I always prefer intensive treatments though- my hair's pretty dry and usually requires more than a normal conditioner-so I introduced the masque.
And this was when I really started to be impressed. This stuff works. And I'm sure of this because I had quite a lot of split ends when I started using it and after 5 weeks of using it, my split ends are far better than they were, despite my continuing to blow dry and straighten my hair every 2 days. I usually use the shampoo, masque and serum together (I told you, dry hair) and seriously, the results are great.
I'm still slightly sceptical of how it can possibly work, but all I know is that it has worked for me. As I say, my split ends are far less split than they were 5 weeks ago and no, I haven't had my hair cut. I'm really thrilled because this means I can go longer between hair cuts as split ends are my number one reason to head to the salon. I'll still need to go for a tidy up of course, but anything that means I have longer in between visits to help it grow is a winner with me.
Of course ladies (and gents), prevention is still important. Make sure that you use a heat protection spray and lay off the heat styling when you can. Oh and always be gentle with your hair when it's wet; you can do some serious damage if you brush wet hair. Instead, use a wide tooth comb and comb the very ends first before combing all the way through. Your hair will thank you for it!
Have you tried out the Split Remedy range yet? Let me know if you have, and what you think of it. I gather the products are in Tesco already, in Boots at some point this month and will be available all over the shop in November.
*These proucts are PR samples. As always, this does not affect my opinion and my review is entirely honest.*
Monday, 10 October 2011
Monday's Good Stuff!
Well I remembered that it's Monday, so I think I'm doing a little better this week. It's a start at least.
At risk of repeating myself yet again, this will be a short post as I'm short on time and determined to write a review post (the TRESemme Split Remedy range, in case you're wondering) and that should be up tomorrow. I really miss doing my reviews and other posts, so I'm determined to set aside some time this weekend to blog. I did have the same intention this week though, although GTP stuff crept into my time.
OK, so my good things this week...
1) I had a great night out last Monday with my friend Marianne. I absolutely love our meet ups- wine, Chinese food and a good chat. Oh and last week was extra awesome because she was on holiday when I found out I got on the course so I got to tell her face to face. :D
2) I'm really starting to get my head round the course now. I really do mean "starting," there is still loads to get sorted, and if you follow me on Twitter then you'll be aware of how freaked out I get. There's so many things to do and it doesn't feel as though there's anything like enough time, but I'm muddling through and ticking things off my list so I'll get there.
3) I still feel down sometimes but I keep reminding myself- I'm out there, I'm doing it. At a time when it'd be far easier to sit at home and not push myself, I'm doing it and it feels great. That feeling definitely sees me through when I'm feeling blue.
4) I'm totally obsessed with Educating Essex at the moment. I missed the first 2 episodes when I was still working at the shop so I've been catching up this week, as well as watching the third and I'm just so into it. I'll be really sad when it finishes this week.
5) My bedroom is now all organised. After a trip to Wycombe to pick up furniture (oh so fun) I now actually places ot put things. Plans to redecorate have slowed because of getting on the course and because I'm doing it a year earlier and getting paid at the same time, I don't actually know how long I'll be at home for now. I'm still weighing up if there's any point in going to the expense of redecorating now. Hmmm.
So there's my usual muddle of thoughts- slightly more muddled and rambly than usual, as I'm pressed for time. But it's been another great week, and I will leave you with this as it's great.
At risk of repeating myself yet again, this will be a short post as I'm short on time and determined to write a review post (the TRESemme Split Remedy range, in case you're wondering) and that should be up tomorrow. I really miss doing my reviews and other posts, so I'm determined to set aside some time this weekend to blog. I did have the same intention this week though, although GTP stuff crept into my time.
OK, so my good things this week...
1) I had a great night out last Monday with my friend Marianne. I absolutely love our meet ups- wine, Chinese food and a good chat. Oh and last week was extra awesome because she was on holiday when I found out I got on the course so I got to tell her face to face. :D
2) I'm really starting to get my head round the course now. I really do mean "starting," there is still loads to get sorted, and if you follow me on Twitter then you'll be aware of how freaked out I get. There's so many things to do and it doesn't feel as though there's anything like enough time, but I'm muddling through and ticking things off my list so I'll get there.
3) I still feel down sometimes but I keep reminding myself- I'm out there, I'm doing it. At a time when it'd be far easier to sit at home and not push myself, I'm doing it and it feels great. That feeling definitely sees me through when I'm feeling blue.
4) I'm totally obsessed with Educating Essex at the moment. I missed the first 2 episodes when I was still working at the shop so I've been catching up this week, as well as watching the third and I'm just so into it. I'll be really sad when it finishes this week.
5) My bedroom is now all organised. After a trip to Wycombe to pick up furniture (oh so fun) I now actually places ot put things. Plans to redecorate have slowed because of getting on the course and because I'm doing it a year earlier and getting paid at the same time, I don't actually know how long I'll be at home for now. I'm still weighing up if there's any point in going to the expense of redecorating now. Hmmm.
So there's my usual muddle of thoughts- slightly more muddled and rambly than usual, as I'm pressed for time. But it's been another great week, and I will leave you with this as it's great.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Wednesday's Good Stuff?
I feel like all I do is apologise at the moment. But here we go again. I'm sorry I'm still not able to post often at the moment.
I'm in my element, loving the course and being in school (oh and paid for it too!) but it really isn't leaving me any time to blog. In fact I feel guilty about writing this quick post as I have a ton of things I need to do right this second.
Rest assured I will still blog. I have products that I've yet to review and I'll get them up as soon as I can, but it's going to take some time for me to find the time and get in a routine.
I hope it doesn't sound like I'm moaning because I'm really not. I have the most amazing opportunity- I didn't think it was possible for me to train to be a teacher *this* year and I'm totally thrilled-but man is it going to be a tough and busy year.
So (before I run off to get some work done), my 5, very quick, good things are...
1) Meeting new people and making friends on my course.
2) Studying and challenging myself.
3) Buying new stationery for my course.
4) Friends who make me smile when I feel down.
5) Fabulous, perfect days in school when the sun is shining, the children are having fun and being hilarious and learning so much. Last Friday was without a doubt the best day I've ever had in school. I taught all morning and it totally reaffirmed why I'm working so hard to qualify as a teacher. It's the best job in the world.
I'm in my element, loving the course and being in school (oh and paid for it too!) but it really isn't leaving me any time to blog. In fact I feel guilty about writing this quick post as I have a ton of things I need to do right this second.
Rest assured I will still blog. I have products that I've yet to review and I'll get them up as soon as I can, but it's going to take some time for me to find the time and get in a routine.
I hope it doesn't sound like I'm moaning because I'm really not. I have the most amazing opportunity- I didn't think it was possible for me to train to be a teacher *this* year and I'm totally thrilled-but man is it going to be a tough and busy year.
So (before I run off to get some work done), my 5, very quick, good things are...
1) Meeting new people and making friends on my course.
2) Studying and challenging myself.
3) Buying new stationery for my course.
4) Friends who make me smile when I feel down.
5) Fabulous, perfect days in school when the sun is shining, the children are having fun and being hilarious and learning so much. Last Friday was without a doubt the best day I've ever had in school. I taught all morning and it totally reaffirmed why I'm working so hard to qualify as a teacher. It's the best job in the world.
Keep your fingers crossed I find time to post soon!
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