W7 Africa Bronzer Review

W7 is a brand that I'm really happy to have discovered. All their products that I've tried so far have been really excellent value for money whilst still being a decent product, and this boxed bronzer is no different.



Obviously it shares certain similarities with the Benefit boxed bronzers and blushers etc, but at just under £2.00 this is a lot more purse friendly.

I was a little apprehensive about the pink shade. As someone with rosy cheeks I avoid blushes and pink toned cheek products, however after swatching each shade I found that the pink is barely pigmented. Makes me wonder why it's in there at all, but over all it gives a nice colour.





It gives a lovely golden sheen, not too glittery and not too dark. The brush it comes with is lovely and soft and so it's easy to apply. I wouldn't say it lasts amazingly long but I've never come across a powdered bronzer that does have a good lasting power.

Overall, I like this product and have yet to be disappointed by a W7 product. Of course they are not on a par with other high end products, but for their price I've been really pleased and have already got some other W7 products to try out so expect reviews soon!

Personally I've never seen W7 products in a store but they are easily found online with a quick google search. I buy mine from Eastend Cosmetics as they generally have the lowest prices and deliver really quickly which is always good. I would recommend shopping around when it comes to W7 products because sometimes there can be a big price difference between websites.

Have you tried any W7 products? What did you think?

Models Own Haul

You'd have to have been living under a rock these past few days to not know that Models Own currently have a 50% sale off at the moment. Needless to say, I treated myself to a few nail polishes, well, 11.

Here's what I decided to get...



I tend to gravitate towards more neutral and darker shades of nail varnish so I decided I should invest in a few brighter colours. Believe it or not, until now I didn't own a pink nail varnish!





From left to right, the shades are:

Black Magic
Thunder and Lightning
Betty Blue
Emerald Black
Greet Tea
Grace Green






Again from left to right, the shades are:

Raspberry Crush
Fuzzy Peach
Soda Pop Pink
Pink Fizz
Nude Beige


I'm so excited to try all my new nail varnishes out and have already given myself a pedicure with Raspberry Crush and love it! Can't wait to use Pink Fizz and Nude Beige together, I think it will look awesome!


Have you made the most of the Models Own sale? What did you get?

Face Mask Friday

It's Friday and that means it's almost the weekend, and of course it's time for me to review this weeks face mask!

This week I tried out another really interesting Montagne Jeunesse face mask which is the cold press virgin olive oil mud masque. It also contains shea and cocoa butter "to leave your skin super smooth and deeply cleansed. Since I've been suffering with a bit of dry skin recently, I though it was the perfect time to try this out.



Price: Montagne Jeunesse face masks can usually be found in Boots or Superdrug for around £1.00-£1.50 each and are often on offer

Scent: I wasn't sure about the smell at all. It's got a kind of olive and herbaly scent to it which I think some people might like, but I wasn't overly keen on it. That being said, whilst it smelt strongly while wet after it had dried the scent disappears.



Application: The mixture is nice and smooth with the consistency of a thick lotion. It wasn't too sticky to apply, and felt nice and cooling on the face (lovely after a hot day!). After it had dried it did need a bit of scrubbing to get it off though. In fact, part way through removing it I realised I looked a bit like a reptile/zombie/leprosy victim!



Results: After I'd removed it my skin felt really lovely actually. It really felt like it had deeply cleansed my skin as well as giving it some much needed moisture. I've been let down by some Montagne Jeunesse face maks in the past so I don't ever really expect too much from them, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Repurchase: The only things I don't like about this mask is the scent and the scrubbing required to remove it, which really are only minor things. I think I might buy this again in the future, but I think I'd like to try some other face masks with oil in them first. Maybe I'll find one that I like the smell of!


Have you tried this face mask? What did you think?

Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo and Conditioner Review

I remember having tried Aussie's Shampoo and Condition range for coloured hair back in the day when I was constantly dyeing my hair, but I remember not being overly impressed with it and so kind of discounted the whole brand.

Recently I've heard so many good things about their Miracle Moist range and so with my hair feeling a bit dry and needing a bit of a pick me up I figured it was the perfect time to give Aussie another chance.





Let me tell you, I'm so glad I did. I've been solidly using the Shampoo and Conditioner for about a month now and I've really noticed a difference in my hair. It's definitely softer and less frizzy and the ends look a lot nicer, I have to say I'm really impressed.

I wasn't so sure about the scent at the start. It got a sweet, kind of nutty, unusual scent which I later identified as macadamia. However, the smell has really grown on me and I kind of love it now.





The range contains Australian Macadamia Nut Oil (hence the macadamia smell) which "infuses moisture into dry, damaged hair helping to condition and smooth" and I have to say it really works. My hair hasn't felt this soft and lovely in such a long time!

I've certainly learned a lesson about judging an entire brand on just one product and can say with almost certainly that I'll be purchasing this range again... and again! I might even have a look at some of their other products!

Have you tried this? What are your favourite Aussie products? x

Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean Review

If you've read this blog for any length of time you know I love me some Soap & Glory, and this product is no exception.

Peaches and Clean is a 4-in-1 wash off deep cleansing milk which has a special clogged t-zone formula.

I'd been umming and ahhing about trying this out for a good long while. Whilst I haven't ever tried the holy grail Liz Earl Cleanse & Polish before, I haven't been too impressed so far with cleansing milks, balms etc. They've been fine, but I've always felt the need to exfoliate daily whilst using them. Like, my face never felt really, properly, clean, until I'd exfoliated. But I decided that I'd give this a go anyway, after all it's Soap & Glory, and I had heard really good things about it.




Basically, if you're not familiar with the concept, you massage this into your face and put on a bit extra on any trouble areas, and then rinse off with water. Simple! I like to leave it on for a couple of minutes before rinsing it off to let the fruit acid, detoxyboost technology, and something called poreshrink r2 really get to work. In fact, you can slather a bit extra on and leave it on for 10 to 20 minutes for a simple face mask (I'm a sucker for multi-use products).

Excuse me a minute now whilst I rave about the scent. It's a-maz-ing. It's so unusual, I don't think I've ever smelt anything quite like it. The only way I can describe it is both minty and fruity, which sounds horrible, but it's quite the opposite. In fact, it reminds me a little bit of that Juicy Fruit chewing gum (do they still make that stuff?). Because it's such an unusual scent some people might not like it, but I adore it. Such a gorgeous, fresh, and for lack of a better word vibrant, smell and is great first thing in the morning.



I've been using this pretty solidly for the last month, and I have to say I've been really enjoying it. Some people have reported that this has really improved their blemishes but I can't say that's happened for me. I have noticed that using while using this my skin has felt a lot less oily, and to make sure, I stopped using it for a week and my skin definitely felt oilier.

I've found that my skin feels really clean, less oily, but not dehydrated or tight after using this. And it felt properly clean, and in fact while using this I only feel the need to exfoliate my face once or twice a week, as opposed to the daily exfoliation I felt I had to do with other cleansing milks.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with it, and it's pretty much become a staple in my bathroom!

Have you tried this product? What did you think? x

W7 Mega Matte Lips

W7 is fast becoming my favourite budget cosmetic brand and when I saw these Mega Matte Lips for only 99p each I just had to try them out. I'm so glad that they did because I've really fallen in love with them.



As far as I'm aware, they come in four colours: brown, light pink, dark pink and red. I didn't much fancy the look of the brown so I decided just to get the other three instead.

First of all, the scent hits you, and it took me hours to work out what it was. But they smell a bit like cream soda, which is a bit of an odd smell for a cosmetic product and I think that it could be a bit of a hit or a miss. I quite like it, it's not amazing but it's not unpleasant. Plus the smell doesn't linger after application so it's not really an issue.

They've got a wonderful creamy texture and are fantastically pigmented. I found them really easy to apply to my lips, and after application they set (dry) on your lips, but it doesn't feel drying, which is great.



The colours are gorgeous, and like I said they are super pigmented, which just blew me away considering their minuscule price tag. Because they are so pigmented and have a lovely consistency which can be blended out easily, you can wear them quite thinly to add just a hint of colour to the lips or you can apply a bit more for a fantastic colour pop.

They lasted really nicely throughout the day even when applied really thinly. A little goes a long way too, so I think they're going to last for a good long time.

Although these are the first lip cream products that I've tried, I really can't say enough nice things about them. Can you tell I'm a bit in love with them at the moment? I'm also quite interested in trying out some other brands to see how they compare, like miners or collection.

Have you tried a lip cream before? What do you think of W7? x

Face Mask Friday

Whew this week has gone fast! Can't quite believe it's Friday already, but the weekend is almost upon us and so here is my Face Mask Friday post! This week I will be reviewing Soap & Glory's Fab Pore Facial Peel Mask.






Price: This mask retails for £8.00 and is available from Boots, often as part of a 3 for 2 deal but is actually in a buy one get one half price promotion at the moment.

Scent: It doesn't smell as nice as other Soap & Glory products but not unpleasant. It's got quite a soapy scent, and smells really clean. I think the scent has grown on me the more I've used it but I wouldn't say it was amazing.

Application: Unlike as the name suggests, this is not a peel off mask, but is a wash off mask. It has a clay like consistency which isn't too sticky and so is relatively easy to apply. The mask also has little green/blue beads which burst as you rub the mask onto your skin which I haven't seen before in a mask.





Results: As I have fairly enlarged pores on my nose, I was interested to see whether this mask would live up to all it's pore-refining claims. I'm happy to say that it did. After I washed this off my pores were almost invisible, and my skin felt nicely refreshed and cleaned.

Repurchase: Overall I think this is a really nice mask, and has had the most dramatic effect on my pores out of all the other masks I've tried. I'll definitely be repurchasing this in the future!


Have you tried this mask or any other pore-refining masks? What did you think? x

She Said Beauty September Box

Finally, my first She Said Beauty Box dropped through my door this morning and I was so excited to open it and get my hands on those goodies!





This month is a Skincare themed box which is just up my street, and I'm actually really excited to try all these products out. Usually with beauty boxes there's always one or two items that just don't tickle my fancy, but not with this box!



Popchips
original potato chips
This was the only thing in the box I was a bit "meh" about, purely because I've subscribed to a beauty box and so expect beauty items. That being said this was an extra item or "SSB treat", and it was pretty tasty too!

Collection 2000 Primed and Ready Primer and Fix Me Up Makeup Fixer
I was pretty pleased to get two full sized Collection 2000 products both of which I'm really interested in trying out. On a side note, not a fan of the packaging in any way. It just looks really cheap and nasty, the font more than anything puts me off. Although I know that it's the actual product that counts, I know that I personally wouldn't buy these in a store based on what they look lke.

Amie Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask
for clearer, deeply cleansed skin with over 94% natural ingredients
Amie is a brand that I've heard of before but haven't as yet tried any of their products so I was really pleased to find it in the box. And on top of that it's a face mask, and if you've read this blog for any length of time you'll know that I love me some face masks! The ingredients sound lovely too: peppermint, white clay and lime butter. Very excited to try this one out!

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
dissolves make-up instantly with an antioxidant-rich olive oil formula which nourishes and hydrates skin
Cleansing oils are a bit of thing in the beauty world at the moment, and as yet I haven't tried one, so I'm really glad I've got the opportunity to try this one from a brand I hadn't heard of before. Hopefully it will be as good as it looks as this 30ml bottle costs a very purse-friendly £3.50!

Ginerva Green Tea Marvel Gel
exfoliates, invigorates, and illuminated
Again, another brand that I have not heard of and a really interesting product. This is an exfoliating "marvel" gel which surprisingly doesn't have any exfoliating beads, grains etc in it. I had a quick test of this on the back of my hand, and what you do is, before cleansing, rub it all over a dry face and what happens is you get these bits as if you've put too much moisturiser on. I'm really interested in finding out if it lives up to all it's claims.



And that's it for the box this month! Overall I'm really pleased and can't wait to get stuck into these new products.

Have you tried any of these products or brands before? What did you think?

NOTD

Recently I've been really getting into glitter nails, and at the moment this is my go to glitter top coat at the moment.

Technic Nail Varnish in Carnival

I love the different colours of the glitter pieces and I've found it to be really long wearing. And my favourite thing about it is the price! I picked this one up on ebay for about £2. Although I've never seen it in a shop, you can find it easily and for very reasonable prices with a quick google search.




What's your favourite glitter nail varnish? x

Time For a Giveaway?

Yes, I think it is about time for a giveaway. Last night I reached 100 followers! Compared to some blogs I know that might not seem like a lot, but it certainly feels like a lot to me.

I'm very grateful that you all decided to follow me and just wanted to say a big thankyou to both old and new followers. And to say thanks, I've decided to hold a bit of a giveaway!



Burt's Bees are one of my favourite brands out there at the moment, so it seemed perfect to make this a Burts Bees giveaway! And on top of that, there are not one but three prizes for my lovely followers.





First prize is a full size bottle of exfoliating body wash and body lotion from Burt's Bee's Radiance collection (a personal favourite) and Lifeguard's Choice lip balm and Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Rhubarb. Burt's Bees are my go to brand for lip care so I just had to include some lip products in this giveaway!

In addition to the first prize, I will also be giving away two runner up prizes of the radiance exfoliating body wash in a travel size.



I'm afraid this giveaway is UK only this time.

Entries close at midnight on Monday the 24th of September and winners will be announced the following day.

Good luck! x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Face Mask Friday

This week my skin has really been playing up and has been really dry. I figured it was the perfect time to try out this Montagne Jeunesse Very Berry Ultra Moisturising and Cleansing face mask.









Price: You can usually pick these up for about £1.00 at Boots or Superdrug, but are regularly on offer.

Scent: This face mask is made with blueberries, cranberries, peaches and aloe and so has a nice light fruity scent. Doesn't smell too artificial or too strongly either.

Application: It has a nice consistency, not too sticky, which made it easy to apply. It was a metallic lilac colour which I've never seen before in a face mask. The only thing I didn't like was the glitter it had running through it. It's a really fine glitter which you don't feel at all and which I think gives it it's metallic sheen, but I personally really dislike glitter in face products. That disappointed me because there was no mention of the glitter on the packet and in fact the model pictured on the sachet doesn't even look like she's wearing the same mask.

Results: After I washed off the mask my skin felt clean, not tight, and nicely moisturised. I did, of course, still have some of the fine glitter all over my face which I didn't like. I just feel that the glitter made me skin look a little brighter, but that was only down to the glitter and not the actual face mask. It almost feels like the glitter is in there to make the face mask seem like it's doing something that it's not.

Repurchase: I do have another sachet of that to go through, so I might use that one. But I probably wont repurchase this. It was fine as a face mask, and if you don't mind the shimmer then you might like to try this, but it wasn't for me.


Have you tried this mask before? What did you think? x

Soap & Glory Supereyes Supereyes Moisturizing Gel Review

I'd always been intrigued by this eye gel but had heard pretty mixed reviews about it. I decided to just give it a go myself and see if it was any good.






Supereyes Supereyes is an "instant-action moisturizing gel with swiftlift technology". Perhaps I'm not the best person to review this as I can't really attest to it's wrinkle-reducing properties, but I'll tell you my thoughts on it nonetheless.








It comes as a clear, unscented, gel which you gently and sparingly pat around your eyes morning and night. The gel itself looks almost glittery, but I believe it has little globules suspended within it which burst on application.

It's nice and cooling when you apply it, but you have to be careful on application. I found applying it too close to the eye, applying too much, and rubbing it on (as opposed to patting it on) gave a slightly warm almost burning and tingling sensation which I don't think is supposed to happen.

As far as results go, I have to say I'm a little disappointed. Like I said, I don't have any wrinkles so can't review it in that respect, but I've been using it religiously, morning and night, for a good few weeks now and have seen no difference. Other than the nice cooling effect on application, it really didn't do anything for me. It didn't moisturise, it didn't tighten my skin, and it didn't reduce the bags under my eyes.

I feel like I should point out that this is just with my skin, and I have read plently of reviews from people who love this stuff (as well as many who have had much the same experience as I have had).

Have you tried this before? What were your experiences of it? xo

What? Another Haul?

Well, yes.

What can I say? Boots were having a Points Even. Damn I'm a sucker for those points. Anyway, here' s what I decided to pick up :)





No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Totally Teal: Many No7 products were half price so I managed to pick up this gorgeous colour for only £3.50

Super Facialist by Uma Brennan Tea Flower Mask: This a new range in Boots and, although I'm quite excited about the whole range, I thought I'd try the mask first as I'm trying to try some new face masks at the moment

Garnier 7 Days Intensive Hand Cream in Shea Butter: I have the body lotion version of this and love it beyond words. My hands have been so dry lately I thought if this was as good as the body lotion it would be perfect.

S&G Clean on Me Shower Gel: I needed to pick up some more shower gel and I've really been into S&G products lately so I thought I'd give this a go.

S&G Scrub Your Nose In It: I've wanted to try this for ages now, but it's never in stock at my local Boots. Finally I just decided to order it online. I'm a sucker for multi-use products and this is both a scrub and a mask. Can't wait to give it a go :)

S&G Heel Genius: Well of course I went for the 3 for 2 (I can never resist!). I've heard a lot of good things about this foot cream and it promises lovely, soft feet - who doesn't want that?






Montagne Jeunesse Masks: I did say I was looking to try out some new masks! I'm particularly excited to try out the Very Berry one and the Virgin Olive Oil One. Will be sure to review :)

Mudd Mask: Another mask? Really? Yup.

Dead Sea Natural Black Mud Mask Soap: And ANOTHER mask. Seriously, I'm set on the mask front. This really intrigued me though, it's a mud mask but in a soap bar form. Can't wait to try it out!



Have you tried any of these products? What did you think? x

August Favourites

Can you believe that August is over already?




Seems like I was just loving everything this month! Which is no bad thing because I've now got a whole bunch of favourites to share with you lovelies.




Let's start with Boots Ingredients Coconut Body Oil. This was just a random purchase while I was in Boots one day, and boy am I glad I picked it up. I love it. First of all the scent. I'm on a real coconut kick at the moment and this just smells perfect. It's a very light and faint coconut scent but the thing I love about it most is that it smells like real coconut milk, and not artificial like most things.

I've been using this for so many things. Of course it can be used as just a body oil. It takes a while to sink in, but when it does it's a real treat for your skin. I've also been loving rubbing into my hands and feet... it's done wonders for my cuticles. Like I said before, it takes a while to sink in but I think it's worth it.

Coconut oil, as well as being super moisturising, actually has antibacterial properties. Recently I've been mixing a little of this with a clay face mask for super soft skin and to combat spots and blemishes.

Repurchase? You betcha. In fact, I already have, and at only £2.54 I'll probably be repurchasing this again and again.




About a year ago there was a big fuss in the beauty community about this stuff and how amazing it is, and it's taken me this long to get on the bandwagon. I won't blather on about this too much as I'm sure that you've read it all before. But a dab on my blemishes at night really has improved them.

Repurchase? Again, I already have!




This has been featured in my favourites many a time before, and I did consider not mentioning it again, but I've loved it and continued to love it for so long, I thought just a quick mention wouldn't do any harm.

In short it's the only moisturiser that I've used that doesn't aggrivate my blemishes, and actually helps them. You can also pile it on as a sort of face mask/spot treatment as well.

Repurchase? Of course.







Okay, so I finally get using brushes to apply foundation. I used to be a slap it on my face with my fingers girl, and had tried foundation brushes and really didn't like them. I couldn't spread the foundation and blend it as well as I could with my fingers. That was until I got my stipple brush from ELF.

Man I love this thing. You know when you discover something and you think "How on Earth did I survive without this thing?". It gives such a flawless finish to the foundation and allows you to apply it thicker in certain areas and less in other areas while making the whole face look evenly applied. Love it.

I think my love for it is partly down to this foundation too. I've always gravitated towards matte foundations. Matte powder. Matte face. I think I remained in my teenage, oily-skinned, mind-set and any face product that wasn't matte just made me look greasy. Now I'm kind of realising that I'm not a teenager anymore, and my skin actually isn't all that oily, and I'm branching out into other face products. I think this foundation is wonderful. It gives great coverage, and gives you a lovely, healthy, fresh-faced glow, the kind that I'd spent the majority of my teenage years covering up with powder. It lasts really well, and wears off evenly (my pet hate is foundation that wear off unevenly and leaves you looking patchy!).

Repurchase? Probably yes to both, but I think I might try out the Healthy Serum Foundation first.




I was considering treating myself to the Urban Decay Naked Palette, but now I just don't feel I need to with the MUA Undressed Palette. Now I know that you've probably read so much about this already, and quite rightly too, it's fantastic. The most gorgeous range of neutral colours ever (matte, pearl and glittery) with excellent pigmentation and staying power and all for just £4. It's just fantastic. Love it. Enough said.




Again, this is another (well-deserved) favourite in the beauty community. The Sleek Contour palette is just lovely. It's a matte brown contouring colour, with a lovely light shimmery highlighting shade. The perfect kit of contouring and comes in a durable case with a great mirror, and only £6! I'll definitely be checking out more Sleek products in the near future.







This is the MeMeMe Correct and Perfect Concealer Kit, and it is such a lovely and compact little kit! This shade is Bare and it is the absolute perfect shade for me, seriously, I've never had a concealer this perfect a match before. It's a wonderful creamy concealer, easy to blend, and has good lasting power. It's not great for under eyes as it has a tendency to crease, but I've found it works well on blemishes. It also comes with a little mirror, and a loose translucent powder for extra staying power. Love it!




And that's it for this month! Have you tried any of these products? What did you think? x