Macadamia Flawless

Please, please excuse the terrible quality of this photo! Every time I used Flawless, we had terrible grey weather and I couldn't get a good pic, this was as I was getting ready for work, just before I left the house.  Hopefully you can still see the lovely sheen my hair has after using it :)

I've been using this product for about 4-6 weeks now, certainly long enough to decide if I like it or not.

This first popped onto my radar when Fleur de Force did a bathroom tour and mentioned it.  She really liked it and was a little confused as it claims to be so many products in one, and it's in a can.  When Beauty Bay had a big sale on their Macadamia products, I snapped up another tub of the masque and I thought I'd give Flawless a try.

It claims to cleanse, condition, refine and perfect, so as well as being a conditioner, it's a bit of a treatment too.  You get 250ml of product in the can which is pretty decent.  The consistency is similar to a mousse, but a lot thicker and doesn't expand much at all (only after you've put the cap on!).  And just as you'd expect, it uses macadamia and argan oil.

The first couple of times I used this, I did get quite a burning sensation on my scalp which made me really nervous as I've had a full blown chemical burn (a few years ago) from a well known hair salon. However, we figured out what it was.  Remember my experience with the Yes to Cucumber face wipes?  Well, the eczema that gave me worked its way backwards into my hair (yeah... that was fun). So my scalp was sore and sensitive (I probably shouldn't have used this then).  I rinsed it immediately (as soon as the burning started) and my scalp felt fine.  I left it a couple of weeks until my scalp had recovered (from Yes to Cucumbers, not this) and tried it again.  This time it was fine.

In fact, every time since it has been fine :)  The thing I can't get past about this, is how amazing it makes my hair feel every time I use it.  You know when you get your hair done, and after your hair feels really light and breezy, but it has a nice weight to it and feels really silky?  That's what this does to my hair. Every single time I use it, I become obsessed with feeling my hair!  It feels amazing! So soft and healthy.  I don't use it every time I wash my hair, perhaps 1-2 times a week, but that's enough, I don't want my hair to get to used to it, otherwise it won't feel this awesome every time I use it :)

I really didn't think this is something I'd be looking to re-purchase, and you know what, when the baby comes I won't have the money to do that, so I'll be stocking up before hand so I have enough to last me a while ;)

What's also nice, it's paraben free.  The can I bought is the biggest one they sell, and retails (on Beauty Bay) for just over £16, I honestly think it's worth every last penny :)  It might just be my all time favourite hair care product.

 

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How to grow your blog

I thought long and hard about writing this post, but you know what? In the 2.5 years I've been blogging, and since set up a second blog (www.mummy-pixie.com) I've learned a lot, I've seen what works and what doesn't, so I thought I'd share my tips with you.  This isn't an exhaustive list of everything you could do, but it's a list of pretty much everything I do.

TWITTER

This is a biggie.  For me, my blog didn't really grow until I took to Twitter.  It took me 6 months to get to 50 followers, it was about then I discovered how amazing Twitter is.  It's great for discovering new blogs, making blogger friends, and sharing your content.

Take part in the chats like #bbloggers (8-9pm Weds and Sun) and engage with other bloggers, share links to your posts on there using different hashtags like #bbloggeres & #fblchat.

FACEBOOK

I'm hoping you have a Facebook page set up for your blog?  If you don't, I'd recommend it.  Yep Facebook throttles how many of your 'likes' will see each of your status', but Facebook is great for social signals in SEO, just like Twitter and G+ etc.  So set up a page, update it every time you publish a new blog post, and engage your readers by asking them what they're up to, or sharing little snippits from your life.  Don't be afraid to share your recent posts with different Facebook groups like #Bbloggers, FBL Chat and others.

GOOGLE PLUS

Another great platform that a lot of people don't understand yet.  Personally, after publishing each post, I hit the G+ share button at the bottom of the post, write up something about it, and share it publicly. Don't be afraid to go on there at +1 other bloggers posts too, they might return the favour :)

INSTAGRAM

As much as this isn't a massive one, it's great to have an Instagram account - you can add your blog URL into your profile, and share images from your blog posts, as well as images from your day.  These days, I'm probably spending more time on Instagram than I am Facebook, it's a lovely way to engage with people.  Don't forget to add hashtags to blog related pictures too like #bbloggers etc.

PINTEREST

As an early adopter of Pinterest (I managed to get in on the Beta) I'm a big fan.  I try to pin at least one image from every blog post onto a relevant board I've created, as well as spending the odd hour or two pinning things from around the web or pinterest onto my boards, even if it's just for inspiration.  It may not send tonnes of traffic my way, but it's an accumulative effect, if you do all these things you should see a decent uplift in your page views :)

STUMPLEUPON

Again, I was an early adopter of this, I've been 'stumbling' for about 8+ years now (great way to discover some of the most random sites on the web!).  Just log in to your account, and on the right hand side (far right) there is a down arrow, press that and 'Add a page' - you can only do about 7 pages a day, so get in the habit of doing it every day, or once a week.  This will get your page indexed so that other 'stumblers' might stumble upon it.

COMMENTING

This is something I don't have nearly enough time for, but that is one of the most effective ways to grow your blog.  If you're not sure where to start, either head on to Twitter, search the #bbloggers tag and start clicking on some blog links, or head to a popular blog who gets lots of comments like Makeup Magpie, and start clicking on the blog links of all her commenters, and from each blog you visits, all their commenters.  If you like the blog, give it a follow.  Don't be afraid to leave a link back to your blog when you leave a comment, but be reasonable and don't leave giveaway links, and certainly no 'follow me and I'll follow you' comments - make sure they're genuine.  If you don't like the blog, close the tab and head on to the next :)

But just remember, when they return the favour and come back to your blog to comment, keep going back and chatting with them, you never know, you might make some friends along the way :)

ADVERTISING

If you want to expand your reach further, taking out a sidebar banner with another blogger can be effective.  If you're not sure who to advertise with, don't be afraid to ask a blogger for their stats, i.e. how many visits they get a month etc, or have a look and see who's advertising with them, and ask how many referrals they've had.  Back when I used to advertise with Sprinkle of Glitter, I'd get between 200-300 visits from her blog.  With The Black Pearl Blog, about 150-200 (but I'd be paying £10 instead of the £25 sprinkle of glitter was charging).  Other blogs didn't really send me any traffic, so it's a bit of a learning curve.  But even if people don't click on the link to visit, they may remember your blog name and click on a Twitter link or Facebook link another time as it'll be familiar to them.

BLOG SERIES

Doing a short blog series is useful too.  A couple weeks ago I did my 'Summer Series' - I had a big uplift in traffic that week.  People like a theme and like to get involved, just make sure the series doesn't go on too long.  It doesn't have to be every day, but could be one post a week on a theme for a couple of months.

HOOTSUITE

Last but by no means least, scheduling tweets and Facebook posts is a must.  I trialled it for a week to see if it worked, and I had a big uplift in my traffic.  Remember that you'll have readers from all over the world, where their day is our night, so even just scheduling tweets throughout the night will help. Don't be afraid to tweet out some of your older but more popular content throughout the day too.  I tend to tweet my 'SEO tips' and Google analytics posts, they're always popular, what you'd call an 'ever green' posts, in that it doesn't really age.  Yes I keep them updated with current trends and changes, but the essentials are still the same.

Sorry about the lack of images in this post, here's a couple of cute kittens to make up for it :)

*The middle one is our cat Matilda when she was 8 weeks old, on the day we got her :)

 

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Makeup Revolution - Disapear til tomorrow palette

Shadow's with hearts on are the ones I used to create the look below :)

** Excuse the bad eyebrows, I didn't realise how uneven they were until I edited these pics! **

If you read blogs there's a fair chance you'll have heard of Makeup Revolution by now, they've created quite the storm in the blogosphere.  When I initially heard everyone raving about them, I just thought they were another MUA, possibly even the same brand (since MUA are the same as Vivo and several others), alas that doesn't seem to be the case.

They lovely people from Makeup Revolution sent me a more than generous package of products to review, and whilst I haven't gotten around to trying them all out, what I have tried so far I really like.

This is the second palette I've delved into, it's a small(ish) 14 eye shadow neat palette ideal for weekends away or overnight stays.  It'll fit snugly into your makeup bag giving you a lot of options for different looks on the natural spectrum.  It also comes complete with 2 brow powders, but I haven't tried these out yet, I find it hard to stray from my HD brow palette!

What I've been most impressed with is the quality.  Don't get me wrong, not every shade is a killer for me, but overall they're really decent.  My favourite shades in this palette are actually a bit flakey, but even with that, I've had very little fallout from them.  Some of them can have that same buttery quality that Urban Decay have become famous for.

The longevity of the shades is really good too, lasting for hours (with a primer).  They're really easy to blend with and achieve a range of different looks, although the one above is my favourite so far.  It's also worth nothing, the shade on the right hand side, 2nd down is a great dupe for Urban Decay's Sin shade (one of my favs).

At just £4* for the palette it's a super purse-friendly option, and with the quality you're getting too, it's hard to go wrong.  I'm looking forward to trying more from them :)

 

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Love me Beauty box - June 2014 Menu 3

Once again this months Love me Beauty box* did not disappoint!  One thing that really separates this box from others is the fact you can pick which one you want before it's sent to you.  Yes, you may not get everything perfect, but if there's that one shade of nail polish you want or lipstick, you can pick the one that suits you best :)  Also, it seems it's Love me Beauty's first birthday this month, so Happy Birthday love me beauty!

Lets have a look at what's inside:

NYX Cosmetics nail polish - RRP £3*

I'm a big fan of NYX, I was even their blogger of month last year (March I think), so I was really excited to see this featured in the box.  NYX products tend to be affordable and decent quality

Beauty UK Define-FX mascara in Black - RRP £2.99*

I haven't tried anything from Beauty UK before, I know they're a firm budget brand, but I really don't have any expectations (i.e. I'm not expecting them to be rubbish, or mind blowing) :)  I'm looking forward to giving it a go, the main things I'm looking for is for it to be volumising and not to fall off onto my cheekbones :)

Montagne Jeunesse Black seaweed peel off masque - RRP £1*

I might be the only blogger, or female in the world not to have tried a Montagne Jeunesse face mask before, shameful I know!  I've tried lots of other sachet ones, like Superdrug own brand ones, so I'm looking forward to giving the 'real deal' a go, might try it at the weekend and post a very sexy selfie on Instagram #not

Urban Veda Purifying exfoliating facial polish - RRP £8.99*

I've not actually heard of this brand before so I'm intrigued!  I'm in the habit of using a face scrub now, so hopefully I'll be able to work this in to my routine to give it a whirl, I'll let you know what I think :)

Model Co lipstick in Dust - RRP £12*

My experiences with Model Co in the past haven't been great, but I did always like their lipstick.  I think since the batch of stuff I reviewed, they've upped their game and focussed more on quality, so I'm looking forward to giving this lipstick a whirl.  It's a lovely natural colour too, so easy to wear every day :)

Really happy with this box, looking forward to trying the facial polish, nail varnish, mas.... well all of it!  Can't believe I was about to write a list of the contents of the box... ah well.  I'll try to get around to reviewing these separately (well, the mascara and lipstick anyway), so keep your eyes peeled!

 

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May empties

I'll be honest, I don't always remember to save my empties (bad blogger), however, I do have a bit of a stash to share with you and a quick summary on what I thought of each one.

L'Oreal Ever Pure shampoo & conditioner

I initially really liked these back when I reviewed them.  But after using them more and more, I realised they were starting to really weigh my hair down.  I feel like they had a lot of silicone in them which is what made me need to wash my hair every day when I was using these, but I certainly wouldn't buy them again... 

Naked Colour shampoo

This smelt lovely, like cinnamon, mmmmmmmm, but, and it's a big but, it didn't lather very well.  I'm afraid lots of these products were a bit of a labour to get through :/  Would I buy it again? Maybe... it's good for stripping back my hair but I feel that it needs a very good conditioner to go with it, as after rinsing the shampoo out, my hair was feeling quite straw like.

Original Source lime shower gel

This is a bit of a simple but good product.  Most of the Original Source shower gels I really like, especially the citrus ones.  I tend to shower in the morning, so those 'wake-up' scents are what I lean towards the most.  If I have something different (like the Korres one coming up) they tend to take me ages to get through as I'll only use them in the evening, and since I shower in the morning, an evening shower is a rarity :)

Korres vanilla and cinnamon shower gel

A gorgeous rich lathery shower gel, this was a big winner for me.  However, read up one and you'll see it took me a long time to get through it since it's not the scent I'd opt for in a morning shower.  Would I buy it again? Yes, I really did like it, but I need to weed my collection down quite a bit first and by the time I come to that, the baby will be here and I won't be able to afford £8 for a shower gel, so in reality, I probably won't end up buying it again :P

Bioderma

This must be my... 4th bottle I've gone through, I'm close to finishing another one, and I have 2 backups in the cupboard that I bought when I was in France in Jan, so there'll be more empties of these to come!  It's a good product, great at getting eye makeup off, even pesky waterproof mascara, however I always make sure I cleanse afterwards as I don't really like the way this makes my skin feel (slightly sticky).

So there you have it, not too many empties over the last month, I'll try to do these post more often, but it would help if I'd remember not to throw away all my empties.  I'm sure I have like, 3 empty hand moisturisers in my handbag too that I keep meaning to put in one of these posts :P

 

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Origins Ginzing skincare - my saviours

A few days ago I wrote a blog post about how my skin had been transformed by some new skincare I was using.  Before this change my skin was rough to touch and very dry (not something I'm used to, I typically have very oily skin).  I'd been using my old go-to moisturisers on a daily basis which just weren't doing anything.  I was using the Nivea pure and natural day moisturiser and the Dr Organic argan night moisturiser.  I was even using Origins Drink Up intense mask, but again, nothing... 

I decided I needed to invest in some really good skincare, not a £5 Nivea one that was no-longer working, but something a little better than that.  So I headed to the Origins counter and explained the trouble I was having with my skin and what I was after.  They recommended the Ginzing energy-boosting moisturiser.  I wasn't after a gel-type texture, but after trying this on the back of my hand (and smelling it!) I was sold.  She also showed me the newly released Ginzing facial scrub cleanser, it's gentle enough to be used daily but good at polishing off any dry skin.  Well, she demonstrated it and once again, I was old!

Anyway, 10 mins later and about £41 lighter, I headed home with my new purchases.  The moisturiser came with a mini Ginzing eye cream and mascara (which was missing from the box - but I'm not bothered about that).  I've been using them for about... 3 weeks now and feel ready to report back on how effective I've found them :)

Ginzing facial scrub cleanser

I've been using this about 5 days a week in the evening before I go to bed.  It smells amazing, very orangey and contains little pieces of jojoba and carnauba wax which help to exfoliate your skin.  It builds up into a very slight gentle lather and rinses off really easily.  After this, I just pat my skin dry and move onto the next bit...

Ginzing energy-boosting moisturiser

I've been using this day and night (the lady on the counter said it's fine to do that) and can honestly say, I adore it.  It sinks right into my skin leaving no oily residue at all in a matter of seconds.  It smells wonderful (think clementines) and a little really goes a long way.  It's formulated without: parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, paba, petrolatum, paraffin, dea, synthetic fragrance and animal ingredients - so pretty free from the nasty stuff.

What I love about this, you know how sometimes with gel-like moisturisers, if you put them on at night, and then in the morning wash your face, it feels kinda slimy when you're rinsing it?  Well, that doesn't happen with this, it feels like instead of just setting on your skin, it really absorbs and does some good.

I've been able to wear foundation again thanks to this little pair getting rid of a lot of my dry skin, and it's reduced redness on my skin and made my skin a lot more even.

I really can't rave enough about these two, in my opinion they were worth every penny.  I'll be buying replacements before the baby comes while I can still afford it!

 

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My favourite Summer jewellery

I don't wear that much jewellery, I have a respectable collection, but there's not that much I wear on a daily basis.  These three picks are the pieces I'm reaching for more than anything at the moment.

Dorothy Perkins flower necklace - £12

For some reason this isn't on their website, typical!  But basically a couple weeks ago, I was feeling a bit down in the dumps and headed out for a walk for my lunch at work.  As I walked past the DP window, this necklace was on show, and it really caught my eye (something shop displays almost never do).  With that, I popped in to take a look, found it straight away (it came with a pair of teardrop earrings in the same colour too), and bought it as a little treat to myself to cheer me up :)  Whenever I wear this necklace it just makes me happy, it's so pretty and not to OTT, I love it!  Perfect for the Summer months too :D

Peach/pink earrings

Sadly, I have no idea where you can get these, I bought them from a jewellery party a few years ago that I hosted, I think I paid around £4 for them.  I also have a purple pair, but these go beautifully with my DR necklace (above), they're simple, understated and yet a bit of bling too :)  I love earrings that clip up at the back like these do, if they're the normal kind (drop) I lose them so easily as I usually wear scarfs and they seem to pop them out.

Michael Kors rose gold watch - £220 (I think it's a bit cheaper now)

The year before last I bought this with two lots of birthday money I had from my Nan and Step Dad, and some dividends I had.  All I knew at the time was that I wanted a Michael Kors rose gold watch, I went to John Lewis, tried a couple on, and as I was about to buy on, the lady serving me was trying to find the box for the one I wanted, and with that she found this one, it wasn't even on display yet.  I immediately loved it, it was so me!  I love watches but never had many before and certainly not one as expensive as this, but I really wanted a nice watch.  Well, I've pretty much worn it every day since I bought it 2 years ago and you know what, the screen doesn't have 1 scratch on it, despite me knocking it into things all the time :)

I think the rose colour has faded a little, but when you see it next to a gold watch you can really see the difference :)

So there's my favourite pieces of jewellery at the moment, I hope you liked this post, something a bit different from my typical makeup reviews :)

What's your go-to piece of jewellery?

 

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Wantable makeup box - June 2014

 I love the card that comes holding everything in place, with a different quote each time <3

This months box was put together by Melissa Raymond, she's a YouTuber from the channel 'Melmphs Knows Makeup'. It's all about enjoying the heat and having a glowing complexion.  This month sees fewer products in the box than in previous months, but that's not necessarily a bad thing :)  As with every month, you receive 4-5 FULL SIZE pieces of makeup.  So, here's a look at what was in my box.

Vincent Longo - Brow Powder in Brunette $22

One half of this is a wax, and the other a powder.  I haven't tried it so can't comment on what it's like but I was impressed that they sent me a colour that's appropriate.

Eleece - Illuminous hydrating face mask $30

These are 2 sheet face masks, both in rose.  They contain Coenzyme Q10 serum which helps to protect your skin against environmental changes.  I don't know about you, but I really like sheet face masks, they give me 10 mins of me time to lie down and relax, they're much less hassle than applying a normal face mask too, so I'm looking forward to trying these :)

Tarina Tarantino - Dollskin cream blush in Mr Pink $28

I see Tarina is playing on her Tarantino surname here, with the blusher being named after a Reservoir Dogs film character, I like it :)  In the set you have a bright pink cream blush and a powder highlighter. The cream blusher feels lovely (when swatching), very luxurious, well pigmented and a lovely bright colour.  However, the highlighter felt like compressed glitter, not something I'd personally use.  I'm not a fan of having a powder product next to a cream product either, they always tend to get mixed up.

Mirabella - Perfecting powder $30

Described as a 'weightless setting powder' that gives you an instant glow (apparently) and has anti-aging ingredients in.  It's a loose powder (which I like), I'm looking forward to seeing how this does compared to my fav setting powder, the Japonesque velvet touch finishing powder.

All in all a good box, totally up to quite a significant value too ($110 = £65), not bad when you consider the box only costs ($36 = £21) - quite a good return :)

If you're interested in subscribing and giving it a go, you can subscribe here. - If a makeup box isn't your thing, they also do a jewellery box and an intimates box :)

What did you think of this box?  Have you tried Wantable yet?

 

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Giorgio Armani eyes to kill mascara

Whilst this might not have the same ermergherd awesomeness that the Bourjois 1 seconde mascara has, there's something about this I adore and I'm completely drawn too.  The way it flicks out my lashes, gives them volume and an almost butterfly flutteryness, it makes my lashes look really pretty and not fake.

I only ever really show 2 coats of mascara on my reviews as that's how I wear it, I'm also sure that these pictures would look more impressive if I hadn't worn winged black liquid eyeliner :P

It coats onto the lashes like a dream, just gliding on effortlessly covering the lashes.  There's little-to-no fallout with this too, so after a days worth of wear, your cheeks should look just as perfect as when you put this on.  Now, here's the downside (lets face it, there's always one isn't there!?), it's the price.  This is a pretty expensive mascara, coming in at £25.50*, that's quite a tall order!  Would I replace it when it runs out?  If financially things were like they are now, yes I would.  But in reality, with the baby on the way and us losing around £700 a month of income once she arrives, these will be a luxury I'll no longer be able to afford.  In fact, I'll be lucky to be able to replace any of my makeup at all.

So, as lovely as this is, if you don't have £25 to spend on a mascara, you might want to invest in something a little more purse friendly, like the Bourjois 1 seconde mascara I reviewed the other day. However, if you do have a disposable income and have a penchant for luxe mascaras I'd highly recommend this, it's been the one I've reached for almost every day for the last couple of months :)

 

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5 product face for Summer

For those of you clever enough to spot it, yep I'm wearing lipstick, and nope, there's no lipstick photographed in the top picture, that's because I'm a numpty.  So, lets pretend I'm not wearing lipstick in this pic (which to be fair, I don't normally) and then it'll be a 5 product face, not a pretend 5 product face :P

Anyway, we'll just brush that under the carpet :)  So I've been mixing things up a bit recently, wearing less makeup, some days I'm even venturing to work without any on!  Sadly, those days I often get comments saying "You look ill, are you ok?".... yeah, thanks for that boost of confidence!  lol, anyway, after not wearing foundation for a long time due to having horrific skin, I'm now wearing it again thanks to a new and improved skincare routine (you literally wouldn't believe the difference, if I'd had the confidence, I'd have done before and after photographs), whoop!  Just not as often as I used to.

I wanted to see how few products I could get away with using that would stop people saying that I look ill, seems 5 is the minimum.  So here's what I used.

Base - Makeup Forever HD Foundation

This created a great base for me that set matte, and lasted all day with only minimal patting of my nose and forehead (something I have to do with every foundation I ever wear, in fact, even if I'm not wearing foundation I have to do this).

Eyelids - Makeup Revolution palette in Romantic smoked

For this I only used one shade, which was the 3rd from the left, similar to Urban Decay's Sin - a soft natural slightly shimmery shade.  I wanted the lashes to stand out and my eyes to look bright and alert.

Lashes - Bourjois 1 seconde volume mascara (waterproof)*

Hopefully you saw yesterdays review, if not, you can see in the pic above it's a pretty awesome mascara.  It has the weirdest wand, with spikes and... balls.  It doesn't clump, and it does a great job of making the most of your lashes.  Also, because it's waterproof it doesn't budge all day and there's no drop-off from it on your cheeks.  That does mean it's a bit of a bugger to remove though, even with Bioderma!

Cheeks - Sephora blusher in Healthy rose

If you've been reading my summer series, then you'll have seen me review this already, it's an absolutely gorgeous blusher with a hint of coral, perfect for adding a natural glow to your skin/face.

Brows - HD brow palette in Foxy*

No face is complete without defined brows, even if they're not that defined :)  I tend not to go overboard with my brows, but they're naturally very pale and sparse, so they need a little help to look more normal, and so far I've found that this is my favourite palette to achieve this :)

So guys, I have a bit of a confession to make, you know how I was wearing lipstick, which made this a 6 product face?  Well, it was actually a 7 product face, I just realised I was wearing an eye shadow primer too... I know, total fail :P  Anyway, that's still not bad for me, I'd normally wear foundation, powder, eye shadow primer, cream shadow, at least 2 eye shadows, liquid eyeliner, mascara, blusher, brow powder - so 10 products, not bad to shave a few off that :)

That's the end of this Summer series, see you again in a few weeks for my next summer series looking and some different products :)

 

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Bourjois 1 seconde volume mascara (waterproof)

This wand literally has balls, how random is that!

After all this time of having a decent camera (DSLR), I think I've finally nailed the mascara pics! Hubby helped me set up the camera on a tripod while I was facing the window (always did these free-hand before).  Oh, and sorry for the crazy wide-eyes in the last pic, the sun was so bright it was hard keeping my eyes from squinting.  I've included this in my Summer series because it's a waterproof mascara, so perfect for hot sweaty days, or days at the beach/pool dipping in and out of the water :)

So, we have a new mascara review (available in stores for £9.99* in Boots or Superdrug)!  I'm not sure if I'm a bad blogger for this, but *whispers* before this I'd never tried a Bourjois mascara before *eek*.  I'll slap my own wrist for that.

So when this little beauty landed on my door mat, I might have let out a little squeal of excitement. These are new mascaras that Bourjois have launched, this being the waterproof edition.  Let me just say this, before I get into the review, when they say waterproof, they really do mean it! It took them being soaked in Bioderma and furiously rubbed to get this stuff off, after a full day's wear.

Here's what the product claims

* 16 hour hold

* Immediate coating (thanks to the 'wraparound spheres')

* Ultra black

* Eye catching design

So, how did it fair against those claims.  In fairness, it knocked every last one of them out of the park. First up, the 16 hour hold.  At the end of the night after wearing this all day, my lashes still have a curl (which it kindly gave them) and not a bit of it had budged, it still looked like I'd freshly applied it.

Next - immediate coating.  You know how some mascaras are great, but they take quite a bit of work to look like that, coating them again and again?  Well, I didn't have to do that with this, it was very quick and easy to coat the lashes, I have it about 20 seconds between coats and I was good to go.

Ultra black - yep, as you can see in the pics, this is a nice deep dark black formulation, exactly the type I go for.

Eye catching design - I love the design of this (mirrored packaging), the only let-down is it can get hard to find it in your bag as it's mirroring everything around it :)  However, it's shininess helps it stand out.

All in all, I really love this mascara, if it wasn't so much work to remove, I'd be wearing this every day. Now what I'd like is to get my mitts on the non-waterproof version of this to see if it lasts as well - any of you tried it yet?

 

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Top 3 nail polishes for Summer

Happy Thursday! I hope you've been enjoying my Summer series :)  So far we've covered blushers, foundations and today it's the turn for nail polish!  Oh, and lets not forget the Summer TAG I created that went live yesterday too :)

Personally I tend to stay away from dark colours in the Summer.  When it's all warm and perfect for summer dresses, I tend to lean towards brights or pastels, which is where this little selection comes from.

Essie Cascade Cool

I really adore this pink for many reasons, first off, it looks like strawberry or raspberry ice cream, yummy!  It looks amazing on any skin tone, and I love the quality of it.  It's great at disguising ridges and almost giving your nails a fake look, like they're perfect and glued on :P  It lasts really well, very long wearing before chipping and as with all Essie nail polishes, the applicator is decent too.

M&S Limited Collection in Pale Peach

Such a pretty shade!  I love having this on my nails, it looks great with really pale skin like mine and despite it's budget price (around £2 if I recall) it lasts really well and has a decent price.  Here's a tip, if you have this shade, or one like it, get hold of Chloe by Zoya - it's the perfect top coat for it - it's coral with holographic sheer fragments in it, very very pretty.

Tanya Burr nail polish in Little Duck

Ok, not only does this have a very cute little name but it's an absolutely gorgeous colour that makes me really happy to look at :)  I'm not a big fan of glitter polishes anymore, just because they're a nightmare to remove, that's why you'll find that most of my favs are cream shades.  Teal nail polishes are probably my favourites, or shades like Essie's mint candy apple - they're all gorgeous!  They make your hands look summery and pretty and personally, they just put me in a better mood as I see them moving across my keyboard while I'm writing blog posts or tweeting.

So there you have it, my top 3 nail polishes for Summer!  Whilst this series is pretty much at an end (for now), I will be doing another series in a few weeks which will be similar, but looking at other products like eye shadows and lipsticks etc, I hope you've enjoyed it :)

What's your favourite nail polishes for the Summer months?

 

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The Summer tag

As far as the weatherman is concerned it's now Summer, so regardless of whether we're having thunderstorms, flooding or just general rain, I thought it might help to get into the Summer mood by creating a new tag.  Ladies and gents, this is my Summer tag :)

Feel free to consider yourself tagged as well, IF you do it, please remember to credit me as the source of the tag, and feel free to use the image above too.  Either tweet me or (ideally) leave a comment with your post URL of the tag, and I'll add it to the bottom of this post so others can find all the summer tag posts :)  Lets get on with the questions!

1.  What's your favourite thing about Summer?

Well, I'm not a big fan of the heat, so I won't be saying that :)  For me I think it's the lack of rain (maybe if we were in another country), and waking up to a sunny day, you can't help but be in a good mood then :)

2.  Do you have a favourite Summer drink?

Well, I'm not sure if this is a Summer thing or a pregnant thing, but at the moment I'm drinking loads of milk with strawberry crusha in it, pretty much can't get enough of it!  NOM NOM NOM!  Who had forgotten that crusha existed until you just read that?

3.  Is there a location you like to go to each Summer?

Yes and no - my friends and I used to go to the beach each summer but in the last couple of years life has overtaken us and we haven't.  But those said friends, do usually have a Summer BBQ that's lots of fun and goes into the early hours :)

4.  Favourite makeup look for Summer?

Simple with soft eye shadow, liquid liner, mascara and blusher - keep it simple and pretty :) 

5.  Dresses or skirts?

Neither!  Dresses and skirts really don't suit my shape, I mean, I really really don't look good in them!  I stick to jeans all year around I'm afraid, it's the most flattering thing I can wear.  However, as my pregnant bump grows, I will end up having to wear maternity maxi dresses this Summer, I just need some sun to come out so I can!

6.  Sandals or ballet pumps?

Ballet pumps definitely - however, I do tend to wear leather shoes all year around too, they help stop my feet getting puffy as they're putting pressure on my foot all over, if I wear ballet pumps, my feet tend to get a little swollen.

7.  Do you prefer to wear your hair up or down for Summer?

Well, ideally I'd wear it up every day to help keep myself cool, but I don't look good with my hair up, I look like a pin-head!  So I wear it down 99 days out of 100 :)

8.  Deep smokey eyes or bold lips?

Smokey eyes :)  I'd love to think I'd go for bold lips, when I wear lipstick it tends to be bold, however it's quite high maintenance whereas a smokey eye is easy, you do it and it's done for the day :)

9.  Favourite perfume for Summer?

Probably my all-year-round favourite, Lacoste Touch of Pink - such a pretty scent and really perfect for the hotter months of the year :)

10.  Last but not least, favourite music for Summer?

This is where I start leaning away from metal, and more towards reggae and ska, the really chilled happy bouncy music, can't help but listen to it when the sun is out shining, makes me really happy :)

I hope you've enjoyed reading my Summer TAG and like I said at the top, consider yourself tagged! For my guidelines on doing the tag, it's all mentioned above at the top :)

Happy Summer my lovelies!!!

Also taking part in the Summer TAG so far is: L&L | Makeup Savvy | Girl Uninterpreted | The Bird Song | Lashes, Lace and Lipstick | Camis and Cushions | According to Line | The London Girl 788 | Ramblings of a beauty bird | m R u b i i e e | Mademoiselle Lala | Leesha Starr | A Scottish Lass | 

 

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