Thankful Thursday

This Thursday as I get ready for my birthday night out after a visit from my best friend and lots of cake and fun times, I have lots to be thankful for.

Friends

Family

Birthday presents and cards

Custard slices

The sunshine

Battle of the Cleansers Part 2

Sorry It's been so long since Battle of the Cleansers: Part 1 but I'm finally here with part 2, 3 more cleansers took a while to test!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser-

Claims: 'A rich, concentrated cream that gently removes daily grime and make up, even stubborn mascara, to leave skin clear, smooth and exceptionally clean. Used with the pure muslin cloth it lifts away dead skin cells, revealing fresh, radiant skin.'

Smell: herby! It has eucalyptus, rosemary and chamomile but I smell tea tree and some lavender, either way I like it more than I thought.

Use: so luxurious! The thick cream feels like it'd doing my skin good and massages make up off well. The whole use feel superior to other to other cheaper cleansers. I find that the muslin cloth actually gets less mucky, it rinses well as if the cleanser is melting the make up away. Skin left feeling soft and clean after using the Instant Boost Skin Tonic too.

Price: £8.50- £26.25 from lizearle.com for variety of sizes and starter packs with muslin cloths.

Overall: 9/10

Perk: Starter pack comes with muslin cloths which are a nice texture and work to exfoliate the skin so no face scrub needed!

Thanks to Liz Earle for the cleanser, I received this in my #NottsBBMeet goody bag.

Soap&Glory Peaches and Clean 4-in-1 Wash Off Deep Cleansing Milk-

Claims: 'Special clogged T-zone formula, skin soothing peach extract, jojaba oil skin softener, Detoxyboost to help purify and deep clean and Poreshrink  for fresher, clearer, brighter complextion'

Smell: It reminded me of toilet air freshener, It wasn't unpleasant but a false peach smell.

Use: Pretty good, I liked using this. It removed make up well and spread well as it was a runny 'milk' consistency. I wouldn't say it 'melted' make up away as the muslin cloth was left pretty filthy, although it did remove it. I can't say I felt any benefits in terms of breaking out and still ended up using a separate face scrub. Unfortunately, this wasn't brilliant for use on the eyes as it did make them sting occasionally, but it was bearable. This did leave my skin feeling really soft though, maybe even softer than Liz Earle Cleanse &Polish.

Price: £7.00 from Soap & Glory

Overall: 7/10
Packaging: The pump on my bottle broke so I've had to waste the last of the product because I can no longer use it conveniently.

Body Shop Cucumber cleansing milk-

Claims: 'feel as good as a cucumber with a cleanser hat refreshes and lightly moisturises.'

Smell: I quite like the smell of cucumber, It's fresh and doesn't linger.

Use: Again, my skin felt clean and soft after using this. The milky texture was easy to use to remove make up, it stung a little on the eyes but was bearable. A simple product that works as a cleanser and does what it claims, good value for money too.

Price: Not available anymore but Body shop cleansers available here from £3-£10. I got this in the January sales for £2!

Overall: 8/10

So my clear favourite is the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish for it's gentle-ness and the luxury of using it. However, there are lots of cheaper alternatives that are good value.

What's your favourite cleanser?

Happy Birthday to me :)

Today is my 22nd Birthday so no review/post today! Birthday recap/ haul coming next week as I'm not heading home to celebrate with my family until the weekend. Today I'm shopping with my best friend who's come to stay. Hope everyone has a lovely day :)

Manicure Monday: Topshop Peel Off Polish

I picked this up at the #NottsBBMeet in the shade 'on the blink'. I was intrigued to try it as sometimes when I pick my nail varnish off it leaves my nails damaged underneath and I hoped this wouldn't. I've actually found  that models own polish with a base and top coat peels off pretty easily but still leaves damage.

after one coat

after second coat

When applying it, it needed two coats but was quite easy to apply and left a gel like finish which didn't need a top coat.

I was worried that it would peel off when I didn't want it to but that wasn't an issue, it lasted like any other polish.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It wasn't actually that easy to peel off and left my nails looking very dry and damaged. This wasn't the base coat, it was my nails!

look at the damage to my nails!

once removed, my nails were sore and really dry.

I used nail varnish remover to remove it from the other hand and you can see that they were left in much better condition! It was pretty difficult to remove though.

I might try and use this again without a base coat, but so far I'm unimpressed! It's a shame because I like the colour.

Have you tried 'peel off polish'?

Review: Make Believe enhance luminize skin highlighter

I got this highlighter from the giveaway I won (see here) and I think it is actually my first highlighter!It's a 'celestial pink' colour, similar to a champagne colour.

At first I thought it was a powder highlighter, which I think I would prefer. It's actually a cream highlighter so I find I have to use my finger instead of a brush. I find applying it hard actually as I find it doesn't glide well onto the cheeks. 

It's a shame because it actually leaves a really nice finish and has a goldy shimmer to it. Wearing this, I have enjoyed wearing highlighter but personally would prefer to try a powder (I have my eye on Nars Albatross).

Make Believe enhance luminize skin highlighter is available from Boots for £6.89.

Have you tried any Make Believe products (I have a bronzer review coming soon)?

Birthday Wishlist

I hadn't actually thought about doing a birthday wishlist until now because I haven't had the usual problem of people asking me what I want and me not knowing! This is because I have asked for money this year so I'll be able to make the decision on what to spend it on myself!
You'll notice I don't have any make up or skincare products because I still have so much to play with from the goody bag at the #NottsBBMeet that I really shouldn't be buying any for a while!

Ted Baker orchid ipad mini case: You'll see a theme here! I love the Ted Baker orchid print a lot!

ipad mini: I've been wanting one of these to play with for a while. I just love apple and want a mini to read books on too!

Ted Baker Orchid Purse: I've had my eye on Ted Baker purses for a while and again, I love this print!

Disney Wonder Linen Spray: I have a dumbo teddy that is scented with this and I love it, I'd love the linen spray to fill my room with the lovely smell.

Ted Baker Orchid iPhone case: yes maybe I'm a little obsessed! But you want your apple products to match! Unfortunately this is for the iphone 5 and I have a 4S *sobs*

Pandora heart safety chain: They have just bought this out and it's actually the only safety chain I like.

Pandora bird cage charm: I love this because it's two tone and I have a few charms like that. I love the new fairytale charms.

Pandora frog prince charm: How cute is he? He's two tone too which I love.

Benefit So Hooked On Carmella perfume: I had this on my last birthday and ran out last week, I'm really missing it!

Of course, I am not expecting any of the things on my wishlist as I have asked for money. I also might not actually buy anything with the money as I have lots to save for, but it's nice to dream!

What's on your wishlist?

Facemask Friday: Good Things 5 minute facial mask

I'm starting another series, Facemask Friday. I got the idea from Lisette but thought I'd try some new bought facemasks or samples that I have.

This week I tried 'Good Things', they are a brand I haven't tried before and I have three of their products:

I got the Total Wipe Out Cleansing Wipes in my #NottsBBMeet goodie bag and used them before my face mask today. I also purchased the Five Minute Facial Mask and the Stop That Spot! Clearing gel myself on the day of the #NottsBBMeet.

I used the spot clearing gel after the face mask today and have been using it every night.I will review this in full soon but so far I'm loving it! 

First of all, something I have to say about Good Things as a brand is that the packaging is beautiful and they all smell amazing! I'm funny with smells and love anything fruity, the spot clearing gel is my favourite out of the three, Acai berry and Papaya smells yummy!

On to the mask, I'd been looking for a mask in a tube for a while as I knew it would be cheaper in the long run. This one appealed to me as I love avacodos and the fruity smell sounded nice for a clay based mask.

On application, I found it very easy and a lot less messy using the tube as apposed to a sachet mask. I found I could apply it thinner because I wasn't worried about waste. As soon as I put the mask on it felt tingly, I like this as I feel it's working! 

As it started to dry up it got tighter on my face, another feature that I like! I found that even with a thin layer I felt the benefit of the mask, as this mask is intended to be used for five minutes I can see why it dried up quicker than expected, as apposed to a 15 minute mask.

The mask continued to tingle on my skin. As I took it off with warm water I used it as a face wash using my fingers in circular motions, before removing it with a muslin cloth. My skin was quite red and sore afterwards, this is probably because I have sensitive skin, I applied moisturiser afterwards to sooth it. As the mask is probably quite strong I wouldn't use it for more than five minutes but that makes it convenient when I haven't got a lot of time.

I want to give this another go when I haven't used a mask in a while and maybe my skin won't be so sensitive.

Pros:

-love the smell

-quick to use

-easy application

-it will last as only a thin layer is needed

-easy removal with hot water

Cons:

-not great for sensitive skin

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

Homemade Jaffa Cakes

New goodies to try from the #NottsBBMeet

Getting invited to a teaching interview

The sun shining

friends

What are you thankful for this Thursday:?

Review: Lush Buffy Body Butter

At the Lush Nottingham Bloggers Event I picked up a Buffy body butter after hearing about all the body butters and how they had exfoliating properties. I decided on Buffy as it was a mild exfolient so I thought it would be better for my sensitive skin.

Picture from Lush.co.uk as I'm a bad blogger who didn't photograph it before I used it!

The interesting thing about Lush body butters is you use them in the shower and the hot water helps to melt them so they can easily be spread around the body. I liked the idea of this as applying body butter after a shower can be quite time consuming and then you have to wait to get past that 'sticky' stage.

what the bar looks like after two uses

Using the bar was super easy as the hot water made it the perfect  consistency to massage it into the skin with the little bits of ground rice, almonds and aduki beans to exfolient. It wasn't a harsh sensation as an oily rich feeling was left on the skin when the bits were washed away, similar to that of the Soap and Glory scrubs I've tried but more luxurious and rich!

When I got out of the shower, I dried myself as normal but it took a little a longer due to the moisture in my skin.but when it was dry my skin was lovely and soft and didn't have the usual sore, dry, itchy skin that I seem to get from the water in my uni house!

This is a super easy way to moisturise and means that I don't have to always spend a while using products after my shower. This also combines using a scrub and a body lotion or butter. As far as the smell, It's pretty natural and neutral. I don't love it but it doesn't linger on the skin through the day so it's definitely not a problem.

Lush body butters are available from the Lush website and range from £5.25- £10.25 for 200g. There is also different levels of exfolients in each one so where you want a 'proper polish' or just the benefits of shea and cocoa butter, there is something for everyone!

52 Lists: Childhood and current dream jobs

This week's list was really fun! Again, I'm sorry about my camera.

There are lots of things up in the air at the moment with job hunting and not knowing where I'm going to be living but for know, I'm focusing on applications because I want to be a teacher more than anything!

Monday Manicure: Essie and Holographic

Hey guys! I'm on a blogging role and have three ideas for series posts that happen on a certain day every week, the first of these is Monday Manicure where I share with you what I'm wearing on my nails every Monday.

This week I'm sporting the manicure I did before the #NottsBBMeet on Saturday. I opted for Essie we're all in this together and 17 Holographic silver on the accent nail.

Also, In case you're wondering I use Sally Hansen Double Duty as a base coat and No7 Stay Perfect Top Coat, my nails tend to last 4-5 days.

I hope you like this short and sweet monday post, what nail look are you loving right now?

#NottsBBMeet Goody Bag

Sorry that this is my third post about the #NottsBBMeet now but the goody bag just really needed a post of it's own because it had sooo much in it! Thanks to all the generous brands and to Sophia from Tattooed Tealady for organising!

I'll start with the squeal-worthy first!

 

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Starter Kit with muslin cloth, Instant Boost Skin Tonic and Brightening Treatment Mask with Muslin Cloth. How amazing?!

Lush Independent and Dynamic eyeliner colours, Benefit full size the Porefessional, Keihl's full size correcting and Beautifying BB Cream, Sigma Trio eyeshadow pallette, mini blending eyeshadow brush and eyeliner brush.

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment and Deep Repair Mask sample, Sally Hansen nail files from Cosmetics by Candy, the Vintage Cosmetic Company Eyelash Curlers, Aptivita Lip Care with Chamomile, Headline nail polish in Spotlight and Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream.

Witch Blemish Stick, Nanoblur full size and Balance Me Face Wash full size.

Good Things Cleansing Wipes, Mandarin Spa Amber Heaven sugar scrub, Bodhi full size Neroli Luce face oil and Premae Rescue face Tonique for Oily/ Combination skin.

She said beauty goodie bag with Molton Brown Paradisiac pink pepperpot bath and shower, DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, Perfume sample and icecrystals exfoliant sample and Snowberry day cream sample.Q Body Spray in Awe, Denman Large Rolllers, Xen Tan Morroccan Tan in Medium, Dirty Works Supreme Cream Body Butter and Stanrom Feel Good room and body spray.

Apvita Suncare Face Cream for sensitive skin, Amie skin exfoliating polish, So...?Fab perfume, Neal&Wolf Daily Cleansing Shampoo full size, Lee Stafford Flat Iron Protection shine spray full size.

Sunkissed Bronzing Glimmer Compact, Body Shop Lip Gloss in Sweet Peach w7 Bronze shimmer powder, w7 lashtastic false liquid lashes mascara, Smooch Lipstick in Hot Totty and make believe enhance bronzer and brush.

Last but not least, samples of dr.organic moroccan oil shampoo, manuka honey hand cream, tea tree toothpasta, rose otto skin lotion, virgin coconut skin lotion, vitamin E skin lotion, aloe vera gel, virgin olive oil day cream, royal jelly shampoo, pomegranate body wash and dead sea mineral Bio-Plasma mud mask. Neal and Wolf cleansing shampoo and conditioner samples and Lulu and Boo vanilla dn jasmine body lotion and rosehip lifting serum sample.

How lucky were we? Which are your favourites? 

#NottsBBMeet Evening Meal

So you may have seen my post already on the day section here of the #NottsBBMeet but this post is on the evening meal we had at TGI Fridays.

When we got to TGI's we had to find our name tag and we sat down to find a MASSIVE goody bag and an extra Liz Earle goody bag each so their was lots of excitement and squealing going on (from me!).

What was really nice is that we were sat with different people than we'd been with in the day. I was sat with Nicola from it's neecola, Sarah from Beeauty Geek, Michelle from The Never-Ending Wardrobe, Abi from Handbags and Gladrags and Lucy from Louminous. It was lovely to meet them all!

We all had yummy cocktails, alcoholic and not!

My yummy chicken finger BLT ciabatta and Michelle's Fajitas!

We all recieved a lovely Thank you card from Sophia at Tattooed Tealady and homemade lippy and nail varnish  biscuits in our goody bag!

 See my separate post to show you the MASSIVE amount of goodies we got in our goodie bags!

#NottsBBMeet Day and Keihl's visit

Yesterday I had the most amazing day at the #NottsBBMeet (Nottingham Beauty Bloggers meet up) and was so excited to meet everyone.

My Face of the Day! Wearing Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush.

 Throughout the day we did lots of shopping, I particularly liked going round with Sally from Rainy Day Faces, Ellie from Waterproof Lashes, Gemma from Gemma Means Jewel, Joanna from Minty Essence and Clair from Bows, Bags and Boots. It was great to meet so many bloggers that I hadn't met before and also the people behind some blogs I love!

Me, Gemma, Ellie, Sally and Joanna courtesy of Joanna at Minty Essence.

Sophie from Tattooed Tealady, along with the other organisers had split us into four groups to visit Kiehl's .

My Keihl's group!

Keihl's welcomed us with Bubbly and orange juice and cakes :)

Each of us had a skincare consultation and while we were waiting we got to have a look around the store and the lovely products. I spoke to one of the ladies about their new BB cream which has correcting and improving properties for the skin, we ended up getting a full size bottle in the evening meal goodie bags, more on that in the evening meal post! 

 

I love the feel of the store and the big apothecary chest behind the till. The store was also laid out in stands for different skin types, bestsellers, fragrance and men's skincare.

In my skincare consultation, I was shown their range of cleansers, toners and serums matched to my skin type after a dryness tester was done on my skin. I was told about the importance of toners (something I'll be trying to use from now on) and was intrigued by the Midnight Recovery Concentrate. Thanks to Keihl's for putting this event on for us!

For the rest of the day we shopped! I saw this quote and had to snap it, sorry it's blurry but my hands were shaky from the heavy bags!

This is what I bought through the day, I got the 'Good Things' face mask and Spot clearing gel on offer at Boots, as seen on my wishlist. I also checked my points and offers in the Boots advantage card machine and got a free Tea Tree and Witch Hazel shine control Day Moisturiser! We popped into Topshop and I got the Peel Off Nail varnish in 'On the Blink' and 'Air Kisses'. I also finally picked up the MUA Naked 1 dupe, the undressed palette.

I also went to the evening meal so will be posting about that and the goody bags in a separate post later, look out for that. Again, I would like to thank Sophia and the other organisers so much and all the lovely bloggers I met for making it such a lovely day!