The Double Cleanse: on a budget

 I spent a long time hunting down a double cleanse in the drugstore that would make me happy, I didn't want to spend ridiculous amounts but I really wanted a good 2 product process that would get the job done and get it done properly. I heard really good things about the Superfacialist Una Brennan line on YouTube and I took the not-so-steep plunge. The oil (Step one) is the more recent purchase of the two. I've been using the creamy rose cleanser for a much longer time and loving it. 

Step one: Vitamin C+ Cleansing Oil

RRP:  £10.99

It breaks down all my eye makeup perfectly.You massage it straight onto your skin and then apply water and it kind of becomes a milky consistency. A slight warning - it is fine for the eye area but if you really get a fair amount straight in your eyes it can sting! Maybe not one for the people out there with very sensitive eyes. All in all however a great product. It also smells amazing, like oranges!

Step two: Rose Hydrate Cleanser

As you can see I've recently repurchased another bottle of this stuff, I love it that much. It's so creamy and perfect for my drier skin. It smells amazing, a faint rose smell not too overpowering. It works beautifully and I'm yet to try anything that makes my skin feel so soft. I've even tried the notorious Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and this works so much better for me. I actually feel a difference.

RRP: £7.99

Much love, 

                      Natalie x

Enrapture Extremity Heated Rollers Review

 These were one of my favourite Christmas presents this year, I've been dying to try them out and see what different kinds of looks I could achieve and loved them enough to think they deserved a review. I have to say I recently had a hair cut and before I hadn't had it cut in agess and I found my hair was just too heavy to use the rollers. Since I've had a bit of the weight taken off they've worked much better. This particular set has been on sale all over the place recently for around £39 down from £60 but the prize varies in different places.

(excuse the horrible lighting in these photos, it gets dark exceptionally early in Northern Ireland so flash was entirely necessary)

The set comes with 10 smaller rollers and 10 larger ones which are generally supposed to go on top for root lift. They also come with butterfly clips which are also heated.  I have to say I am by no means any sort of expert on hair.. in fact it is something I find quite fiddly. I still haven't managed a french braid. But the fact that I can use these is a testament to their simplicity. 

Now I will warn you the trick with these is placement and the first few goes I gave up because I just couldn't manage it. I am all fingers and thumbs and my hair was less than cooperative. BUT on the third fifth go I just about got it.

Those of you who aren't as hair-challenged as me will be more than at ease don't worry. When I did manage to get it I was so pleased with the results. 

You place them in the hair from the bottom working up, I personally stick the small ones at the bottom for tighter curls and more volume at the top using the larger ones. The key with these is a nice neat roll keeping the hair tight. But if you mess it up they're quite fool-proof. The minimum time to leave them to cool is about 15 mins, everything after that is a bonus. They also take literally about 30 seconds to heat up. This makes them perfect for a quick style which can cool whilst you're doing your makeup or something. 

onto the results: 

 

I was more than happy with the volume and bounce of the curls and the general look (my hoodie-and-no-makeup look is remarkably less glamourous in comparison).

I also like how it created more side-sweep layers around the face! All in all, i'm a very happy girl!

Have any of you tried them? what do you think? 

Much Love, 

                           Natalie x

Amazon finds: Bargain Black Chelsea Boots

It is no secret that Chelsea boots have been seriously popular this season.I have been on the lookout for a nice pair of black chelsea boots everywhere but haven't been able to find them what with everything being all over the place in the sales. Finally I gave up looking in stores and turned online. I took a risk and picked up these off amazon with the 'oh they're on sale I may as well' approach. They ended up being £17.99 down from £22.99.  I have since seen some pairs in New Look which drove me crazy after me trying to hunt them down, but regardless i'm well chuffed with these ones and it did work out a tad cheaper. 

Here's what they look like. I was almost tempted to buy them in burgundy after I saw how nice they were. The heel is pretty substantial, but nothing overly drastic and thick enough that they're comfy. I was so worried about the sizing because I have one foot bigger than the other and ordering clothes and shoes etc on line is always a risk, I'm glad I did. I'm yet to give them a proper good trial on a day into town or elsewhere but I'm sure they'll fair just fine. They feel relatively sturdy and good quality despite them being faux leather (hence the great price point). 

Here's a quick snap of them I just took on my phone so you can see what they actually look like.

You can find these great little boots - here if you're interested! 

Much love, 

                     Natalie x

Soap & Glory Sexy Motherpucker Gloss Stick - worth the hype?

These lovely little things have gotten massive hype on blogs and Youtube with a ton of people. I had to jump on the balm-stick-glossy-tint thing wagon as I didn't own any, these seemed like a good start! However now i've fallen in love I fear for my bank balance.. I.need.more.  I adore easy wear lip products, the sort of low maintenance colour you can stick on anywhere without needing a liner and lip brush and all that jazz. I put these at the top of my Christmas list and, much to my delight, Santa did not dissapoint.

 

 I got these in the little Christmas gift set of three which came in a tin and it worked out cheaper than buying the three individually but you buy these individually on boots - here. They retail for about £8 each which isn't the cheapest out there but it certainly isn't the most expensive either. Boots tend to have offers on so I'd recommend keeping a look out and picking one up then or using your cherished Boots points always softens the blow. 

These are extremely glossy and I love it, it probably sets these apart from the other balms on the market. They also smell delicious, they have that MAC lipstick vanilla scent about them - a bit like sweeties - I love it. The sort of pointed tip makes them easy to apply precisely although I imagine they'll become blunt as you use them more, they almost melt onto your lips they're that creamy (which makes them seriously comfortable to wear). The three shades I own are: Nudist, Fuchsia-Ris tic (love a good product name pun) and Plum Jam.

Time for swatches. . 

Left to right: Nudist, Fuchsia-Ristic and Plum jam.

Nudist

Does exactly what it says on the tin. This is a beautiful nude shade which is entirely unoffensive and great for those of you terrified of bright, bold 'look at my lips now' kinda colours. To use the complete cosmetic cliche, it is a 'your lips but better' and glossier shade. I reckon I'll get the most wear out of this one.

Fuchsia-Ristic 

This is definitely a tad more daring and less everyday wear, unless that's just your style. It's a bit brighter than this in person but it's generally a very flattering colour and easier to wear than a straight up bright pink lipstick as its a tad sheer-er. You can really build this sort of balm glosses up to whatever kind of intensity you'd like which is always great. 

Plum Jam

  Probably the most sophisticated of the bunch and a bit deeper than its showing up in the photo, its got slightly more dark berry tones but it's also beautiful. Probably again less likely to be worn everyday but I really love it. I love them all lets just be honest. 

If I had to suggest just one I'd probably say Nudist.. although that's just the most wearable out of the bunch. A bit of my heart is with them all and I will pick up the last two shades if I get the chance. I really hope they expand the range and bring out more colours. These are one product actually worth the hype.

Have any of you tried these? what do you think? 

Much Love, 

               Natalie x

bareMinerals 'The Affair to Remember' palette review

This palette was a massive impulsive buy in the sales that I could not be happier with. I think the RRP is £35 but it was in the sale at Debenhams for £17.50 so when I got a glimpse of the rose gold packaging I jumped at the chance to own it. It's a 'Ready Eyeshadow 8.0' palette meaning its basically 8 shadows which aren't loose like other bareMinerals products, like your conventional style palette in that way. It's also the first bare minerals shadows I've every used and I'm impressed.  So without futher introduction, here it is!

 The inside of the box has a little description about the shadows, it reads: "BareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow provides exceptionally vivid long-wearing color in an ultra smooth, silky texture for effortless application and seamless blendability. Powered by our proprietary SeaNutritive Mineral Complex, this formula delivers a softer smoother, revitalized eye area." I haven't really noticed anything about revitalized eyes but the shadows are pretty good.

/

shades left to right: (top row) Curtsy, Valet, Debutante, Romance. (Bottom row) Waltz, Caviar & Cake, Swept Away and Revelry.

The shades are generally all quite soft let you create quite romantic looks.The shadows all have taupe tones making them ultra flattering and wearable. As well as being able to create soft light smokey looks with the peachy-pink, light purple and white shade you can also go a bit darker and really smoke things out with the darker shades. A very versatile palette if these shades are your kinda thing. The shades are also listed on the reverse of the palette and not just the packaging which is great - I hate when you shadows don't have names on the palette! 

I've committed the ultimate blogger sin and used the shadows before photographing so they don't look quite as pristine as they did when I first got it. This brings me to one con of this palette; there are no matte shades in this palette. If you're like me and you love shimmer then you won't be too concerned but just be warned if you need a good matte you won't find it here. The shades Curtsy, Romance and Revelry are seriously glittery and you will almost definitely get fall out when using these shades. They look b-e-a-u-tiful on the lid but be warned you may want to do your eyes before your base if you're gonna use these colours. Something like Mac fix plus could fix that a bit better i'm sure. Valet and Debutante are more of a satin finish as are Waltz, Caviar and Cake and Swept Away. 

The palette also comes with two little mini brushes but I seem to have discarded mine! 

Now on to some swatches: 

The lighting here isn't great at definately washes out the colour a bit but all shades, bar the first very white shade, are impressively pigmented and easy to blend. I found Curtsy had very little actual colour pay-off compared to the other shades and I couldn't use it on its own. I did however think it had a beautiful sheeny effect and used it to press over my lid and onto the center to add some dimension. It's the only shade I had any difficulty with however. The rest are soft and buttery in texture and working with them was easy-peasy.

So that's my thoughts on this palette, I have to say it's definitely a great addition to my collection and i'm very pleased to get some softer purple-hued shades. I got a great bargain too which helps, perhaps if it were full price I never would have bothered looking at all! I'd be more than happy to do some different looks with the palette as well if you're interested .

What do you think? have you tried any bareMinerals shadows?

Much love, 

                         Natalie xx

Maybelline Baby Lips - worth the hype?

I'm sure you're all more than fed up of hearing about the notorious Maybelline Baby Lips, especially if you're in the UK given we got them much later than the US. But I gave in and decided to try one out, and I'm completely split on my review. It's both worth it and not worth it at the same time.. it's a strange one. 

I bought the shade 'Cherry Me' and I have to say it smells delicious - if you're really into that sort of fake cherry sweetie smell. I think whilst when you first put it on it really does moisturise and makes your lips feel relatively soft. But after a while I feel like my lips are even drier than they were to begin with. It's very much artificial 'moisturising' and a quick fix product with a sort of instant gratification. I  can't speak for all the range, perhaps the plain 'hydrate' one is much better at not drying on the lips but this definately did me no favours in the long run. What I do love about it, however, is how easy it is to grab and use for the subtle hint of colour. 

 It adds a really nice tint to the lips (Especially lovely for this time of year) which is reasonably buildable as you can see below.

 For that alone I do think this product has a purpose. But overall I just wasn't as impressed as I expected to be given all the fuss, what can you really expect from a £3 lip balm is the question afterall? For the price point, it's good and certainly has a purpose as a nice tint of colour.. but for its moisturising properties alone I probably wouldn't buy it again.

What do you guys think? are any of the other shades different? 

Much love, 

                   Natalie xx

The £1 eyeliner I've fallen in love with.

I'm prone to a bit of eyeliner most days. Those of you who are also eyeliner fanatics will know that once a girl finds it, she never goes back. You'll also know that finding a decently pigmented and smooth eyeliner for £1 is practically unheard of. We've made our way through most of the flimsy eyeliners from Boots which broke off, didn't sharpen, disappeared quickly, smudged and were never quite the colour promised.
That in mind, finding one which ticks most of these boxes and even has a sharpener for £1 left me blown away. 

MUA are an excellent cheapie brand. I love most things they've came out with. I'd love to do a blog post on my current MUA products if you'd fancy it? I'm looking to try more of their stuff.
They seem to just bring it with the pigmentation for such reasonable prices. We're talking £1 here for lipsticks and the alike and £4 for palettes which I reach for constantly. Their intense colour eyeliners are no exception!

I opted for a dark brown given I own far too many black eyeliners and my brown Stila retractable liner dried out (boo). I wasn't really expecting much and I was so pleasantly surprised with this eyeliner. 

As you can see it is smooth to apply and richly pigmented. I would definitely say this is the best value and best quality eyeliner for the price on the highstreet, that's just my humble opinion of course.
 

I'm very picky so the only negative I could comment on was some transfer onto the top of my eyelid towards the end of the day. It was very minimal however and nothing to rant about, I had expected it to disappear long before that!

 It is perfect to apply and smudge out for a smokey effect. When I last used it I did a winged eye look and just ran over the eyeliner with some dark brown eyeshadow to soften things up, I loved it! 

This eyeliner more than gets my seal of approval and I highly recommend you guys give it a try. It's comparable to my Avon Supershock gel eyeliner and similar ones 5x the price. It's worth it just for the sharpener never mind the eyeliner as well. 

Have any of you tried these eyeliners? What are your favourite budget liners? 

Much love, 

                        Natalie x

Organic Surge sale splurge

A while ago Organic Surge had a massive up to 70% off sale and I took thorough advantage of it! Their products are truly organic and chemical-free ( no sulphates or parabens). They also don't test on animals, always a bonus.

 Sorry this post isn't actually during the sale but I wanted to trial the products so I could actually give my thoughts and skincare products take a good few weeks of testing. This way I can let you know if it's worth the full price and inform you of my savings. 

 Left to right: Brown sugar body polish, super intensive daily moisturiser, blissful daily moisturiser and gentle cleansing lotion

Gentle Cleansing Lotion 

RRP: £5.99 

Sale price: £1.50

For the price I just couldn't resist this cleansing lotion. It promises to be gentle on the skin and suitable for even the most sensitive skin. I agree it is certainly extremelyy gentle. It isn't however completely fragrance-free. It contains lemon essential oils and rosemary which you can definitely smell during use. It isn't an overpowering scent but a required taste none the less. I quite like it myself and find it almost therapeutic.

In consistency it's quite a runny lotion and I generally use it in the morning due to its' light texture.
The instructions on the back tell you to use it on a cotton pad and swipe it over the face. I use it differently by massaging it in and using a hot cloth to wipe it off. I only feel my skin is truly clean when I use water - just my preference!  

Would I recommend it? Yes, although I'm not screaming its' praises at the top of my lungs. It is pretty  basic but enjoyable to use! You can't complain too much for £6 though, a purse friendly option. 

Blissful daily moisturiser

RRP: £8.49

Sale price: £2.12

Super-intensive daily moisturiser

RRP: £8.99

Sale price: £2.25

 I really fell in love with these moisturisers. I use the non-intensive moisturiser in the morning and the souped up version at night to inject extra moisture. The blissful daily moisturiser is made for normal/combo skin and it is so light. I love it! it absorbs into the skin quicker than anything I've used before which is exactly what I want in the mornings. It trumps the £18 Liz Earle moisturiser I was using previously. Again the scent is light and pleasant. The super-intensive version has a faint rose/floral scent which you won't like if you don't enjoy that sort of thing. It is much thicker in texture as you'd imagine and almost feels a tad 'balmy'. The blissful one is more on the herbal side. 

Would I recommend it? Definitely, they cater to different skin types and just a good all-round solid moisturiser which is pleasant to use and well priced. 

Million Dollar Brown Sugar Body Scrub

RRP: £32

Sale Price: £8.00 

This was the only 'luxury' product I purchased purely because it was on sale and I fancied a treat! I have to point out I think I'd only ever buy this if it was on sale because for me £32 is just too pricey for a body scrub.. especially when half of it ends up down the drain. That doesn't mean I didn't absolutely love it because I really did. As you can see from the photo above the oil in the scrub settles so you have to give it a good stir before using it. It smells mega strongly of orange to me.. In my opinion it isn't the best scent in the world but it's not offensive. The actual use of the product is what puts it in my good books. It leaves skin so so unbelievably soft and supple and exfoliated.

Would I recommend it? For the price tag, probably not. But if it was on sale definitely worth a try because the results are gorgeous and I'll be trying to find something similar.. 

What it should of cost:  £55.47

What I paid:£16.82 (incl delivery)

Total Savings: £41.60

A massive bargain i'm sure you'd agree! So have any of you tried any Organic Surge products? 

Much love, 

                          Natalie x

Boots Botanics - A mixed bag

Hello there! I recently decided to delve into the Boots 'Botanics' range.

I think the general ethos is that it's all to do with the 'power of plants' and this intrigued me.

The line is totally reasonably priced across the board and if you're looking for low-cost, but totally natural, skincare this could be for you. The line is broken down into a number of categories: 

- All Bright (Brightens all skin types)

- Radiant Youth (Protects all skin types)

-Organic (Nourishes all skin types)

-Ultra Calm (Soothes sensitive skin)

-Shine Away (Mattifies oily skin)

-Hand and Body (Intensively moisturises)

I only sampled two things; one from the 'All Bright' range and one from the 'Organic' so I can't advise you on everything!

*Please excuse the shoddy camera work in this post.*

I tried out the Soothing Eye Make Up Remover (£3.99) and the Rosewater Toning Spritz (£4.99)

As you can see they're both reasonably priced. But one outshone the other rather drastically...

 Firstly, the least impressive (and that's putting it politely), of the two. The Soothing Eye Make Up Remover. The packaging  reads: "The clear oil phase effectively sweeps away impurities and make-up, including waterproof formulations. The aqueous phase is given it's colour by hibiscus, and helps to soothe the eye area and condition lashes"

As you can see from the description and the picture below the product is by-phase, so you have to shake it really well to mix both the oil and water layers and then it's good to go. 

My main problems with this product are the promises it simply doesn't live up to. I have to scrub at my eyes with the cotton pad to get it to break down the makeup effectively - something I thought would come with ease due to the oil. The oil leaves my entire eye area feeling particularly greasy and unpleasant. The smell is also VERY off-putting. It's hard to describe but it smells slightly medicinal and just horrible..

The hibiscus is supposed to act as a natural brightener but I can't say I've seen any difference at all. 

Something which also caught me off guard was how much it stings if you get it in your eye... god it packs a punch. I know you're not supposed to get it in your eye but it happens!

I flapped around my bathroom fearing I'd lost my eyesight for a good 2 minutes.

I ended up going back in with a face wipe straight after I used this anyway so I thought to myself, "What's the point?". 

I VERY rarely actually decide to stop using something after I've paid good money for it (I'm stubborn like that). But this I will not be picking up again.

Secondly was the rose toning spray and I was pleasantly surprised by this product!

The packaging reads: "Enliven your sense and refresh your skin with this revitalizing organic Rosewater Toner. Spritz generously after cleansing to visibly tighten pores and remove the last traces of make-up. Skin feels smoother, fresher and prepared for moisturising."

I bloomin' love this toner. Now I will confess I do not actually use this for its intended purpose. 

In my skincare routine post I made clear my love for the Liz Earle Instant boost tonic toner and I remain faithful to that for my day and night use. However.. for refreshing and perking up my skin throughout the day this is wonderful. I find myself grabbing it when I walk past and giving my skin a nice spritz. 

The liquid mists out as opposed to just soaking your entire face which is lovely. It's cooling and smells absolutely divine (if you're a lover of rose scents like I am). 

I have also noticed that, like it promises on the bottle, my skin does infact feel smoother since I started using this. This gets a definite 'thumbs up' from me! :) 

Have you guys tried anything from this range? impressed or not impressed?

 let me know in the comments bellow! 

Thanks for reading as always :)

Much love, 

                          Natalie xxx

L