100 Follower Giveaway!

Hey! So the weekend before last, I had the fantastic realisation that I'd hit 100 bloglovin followers! It feels like such a short time ago that I hit 50 but here we are!

I'm super busy at the moment with University deadlines, so I don't really have much time to put together a proper giveaway prize but I did still want to show my appreciation for every single one of you who reads this little blog of mine! 

I've gone down the route of the prize being a MAC lipstick or eyeshadow of your choice - I know this is done by a lot of beauty bloggers, but it's a favourite for a reason right? I'll be running it for two weeks (so until the 9th April), open to anyone following via any platform of your choosing (UK only due to postage prices) and good luck to all who enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

xxx

Review: Curlformers

Hey! Today I've got a review for you, on a product that's not widely talked about, but one that I love!

The Curlformers are a set of silicon-y spirals, which are hollow, and using the tool which comes with the set, you pull sections of hair through the spirals. (There are picture instructions in the lid which explain this much better than me). They come in a variety of widths to create tight or loose curls, and a variety of lengths for different hair lengths - all types shown here.

I have the Long Barrel Curls version (although I could probably do with the Extra Long version now), and as with all varieties; you can put these in either wet or dry hair. The quickest method I find is to apply them in dry hair then just give a quick blast of heat with a hairdryer, and leave to cool in the curlformers. Once removed (just pull them out) you are left with lovely romantic curls/waves. For a longer lasting look, apply to damp hair before bed, and sleep with them in as your hair dries (not the comfiest, but definitely possible) then in the morning, take out for bouncy beachy curls.

I personally think these are great, because I for the life of me cannot get on with rollers - sleep-in or otherwise. These are a great alternative and a heat(ish) free way of curling your hair! It's also much less time-consuming, and less of an arm-strain if like me, you have long hair.

 I thought I'd spare you a picture of me looking like Medusa with them all in, but here is just one.

And the finished look, after leaving in a set overnight.

You can buy Curlformers directly from their website, or on Amazon.co.uk

Ever heard of these before? Would you give them a go?

xxx

Multi-Purpose Products

Hey! Today's post is about some products I like to use not for their original purpose! I love a good multi-tasking product, and I'm sure you do too, so I thought I'd share some of my top picks.

First up is a pretty standard one, using a clear mascara as a brow gel. I honestly don't see the point in splashing out on a fancy brow gel when this Natural Collection Lash Care Mascara does the job for less than £2.

Sticking with brows, and something I *think* I've mentioned before, is that I like to use the colour 'Tease' from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette as a brow filling-in colour. And proving the versatility of this palette; I also like to use the colour 'Bootycall' as a highlighter - under brows, tops of cheekbones, and just a hint down the centre of my face. To apply this, I've recently been using this tiny fan brush, which came with a nail art brush set. I previously had no use for it, but then back when I was lusting after the Kevyn Aucoin fan brush (here and here), I decided to give it a try and haven't looked back.

The other brush pictured from the set, I will talk about in juuust a minute, but first: this Urban Decay b6 Vitamin Infused Complexion Prep Spray. (Say that three times fast) I've talked about this back in my October Favourites but I've recently discovered an extra use for it! And that is spraying onto a thin nail art brush, and using that brush to apply eyeshadows as liners! I got the idea when I saw someone doing it with MAC's Fix+.

Another eyeshadow I found an alternate use for is the colour Smash Hit in my bareMinerals READY eyeshadow quad, which I apply VERY lightly as a blush. I don't really do this unless I'm travelling and saving space by not taking another blush, but it's a neat trick. I have a full review of this palette if you're interested here.

Finally, is the Neutrogena Pore and Shine Daily Wash. Since switching up my skincare, I've decided not to use this directly on my face - but instead as a deep brush cleanser! I try to deep clean my makeup brushes once a week, particularly my foundation brush, and I use this to do so!

So those are my top picks, do you have any multi-tasking favourites?

xxx

Have You Discovered...? La Roche Posay Skincare

Hey! Apologies, this post was supposed to go up yesterday but I've been visiting my grandparents and forgot to schedule it! Anyhow I'm taking part in a new series called #Haveyoudiscovered hosted by Becka - full details here if you want to join too! I won't be doing all of the week's themes, but I'll be sure to title them appropriately when I do!

This week is all about skincare, and what perfect timing as I've been wanting to talk about my new skincare routine since I overhauled it a fair bit at the start of this year. After trying out a few different things, I settled on the brand which did my skin the most good: La Roche Posay.

It started off with me trying to find the coveted Effaclar Duo but it was out of stock in my local Boots, so I opted to try some of their other, lesser talked about, products: namely their Effaclar A.I. Targeted Breakout Corrector along with one of their cleansers. I decided on the Physiological Cleasing Gel instead of the one from the Effaclar range as I've discovered non-foaming products aggravate my skin a lot less.

I've been using both of these for about 2 and a half months now, and repurchased both because I love them so much. Since starting using La Roche Posay, it has done wonders for my skin. Any blemishes were cleared right up within a few weeks, and since then breakouts have been kept to an absolute minimum (and usually only hormonal).

After the success of these, I certainly didn't hesitate to pick up the new formulated Effaclar Duo+, which bloggers have on the whole been loving (with good reason). While the Effaclar A.I. helps clear up 'active' spots, the Effaclar Duo+ is really good at diminishing the redness and marks that occur post-breakout.

Put it this way, I am now a lot more comfortable leaving the house sans-makeup. My skin is by no means perfect, but it's in such better condition, and I guess I have the French to thank!

Have you discovered La Roche Posay?

xxx

The Five Word Makeup Tag

Hey! So one of my favourite bloggers, Chloe from thriftyskies, recently made a tag which I love the sound of, so I thought I'd give it a go! 

The rules are as follows:

• List your favourite makeup products and describe why you like them in 5 words.
• At least one product for each category: Eyes, Lips & Face 
• Phrases such as 'high coverage' count as one word - if you were just to say 'high' it would be pretty vague and so use a phrase where you see fit, another example being 'Long Lasting' being one word. 
• When you've finished the tag, tag 5 other people to take part! Let them know that they've been tagged, too.

Eyes:

Seventeen Doll'd Up Mascara: Brown - natural, length, curling, smooth formula, plastic brush, no clumps

Zoeva 229 Eye Finishing Brush - soft, blending, finishing touch, smoky eye, fix over-application

Lips:

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick: 110 - bright, coral, matte, lasting, doesn't bleed
Urban Decay Super Saturated Lip Colour: Crush - bold, fun, blue undertones, stays put, easy application

Face:
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer - base, smooth, light-weight, even, pore-hiding

Nars Sheer Glow - medium coverage, buildable, layerable, perfect colour match, natural finish

The bloggers I'd like to tag are: Victoria, Georgina, Belle, Corrie and Beth. Looking forward to the responses!

xxx

#NottsBloggerMeet

Hey! Last weekend I attend the #NottsBloggerMeet hosted by the lovely Becka and Sophie. I can't thank them enough for such a great, well organised day.

We all met up in Zizzi's for a spot of lunch (I had possibly the world's largest pizza!), and the tables were all set out lovely with cute cupcake boxes with handmade biscuits inside!

During lunch also had a couple of brands visiting us. The first was Harlequin Cosmetics and Becky told us all about her small family run business of handmade soaps, lip balms, body butters etc while we were smelling the wondrous goods (my favourite was the Citrus Burst shower gel) and made sure we all left with samples to try! The other brand visiting was Charmed Ivy, who set out a selection of their handmade jewellery for us to admire and/or purchase.

After lunch, we all set off shopping (with our giant goodie bags in tow), and boy was there some shopping done! I picked up a bumble and bumble hair mask to try out, a new Seventeen pencil sharpener (my previous 7-8 year old one finally broke), a Models Own nail corrector pen and Barry M Nail Art Pen in Boots 3 for 2, and a gorgeous blue tote bag from New Look. I've also included some other recent purchases I've made: La Roche Posay skincare purchases, La Tentacion de Nina perfume and new spring jumpers, because the arrival of the new season doesn't mean the weather is miraculously better!

The contents of our large goodie bags! (So large we had to cheekily ask Space NK for large bags, because the originals were all splitting!)

What have you been up to/buying recently?

xxx

Wardrobe Update: Feat. Dylon Dyes Review

Hey! I've been meaning to get this post up for several weeks, but I've just had so much else to talk about, what with my birthday and trip to Paris! But finally here we are, and today I'm going to talk about how I went about updating my wardrobe without needing to buy anything new!

We all go through the phase where you open your wardrobe and think "I have nothing to wear" regardless of whether it is physically full or not. So a couple of weeks back, I had a bit of a clear-out, donated a bunch of things to charity, and some to the H&M clothes recycling scheme. Then with a few of the things I thought I'd wear again, but perhaps in a different colour, I dyed with the aid of Dylon Fabric Dye for Hand Use*.

before

after

As you can see, some obvious colour change! Some items didn't work as well, but this was more to do with the fact that I didn't read the part of the instructions that said it wouldn't work with synthetic fabrics or wool. However for the most part, it worked out great, and the whole process was pretty simple!

You can dye up to 250g of dry fabric per sachet, (I used two of each colour) and then you need warm water and 250g of standard table salt. You stir the clothes in your solution for about 15 minutes, then leave for another 45 minutes. I have to say, I got lazy and only did about 5 minutes stirring, but that didn't seem to have an impact.

What are your tips for jazzing up your wardrobe?

xxx