Thursday 31 January 2013

FLOWERS AND STUDS


Playsuit - Miso at Republic
Boots - Barratts*

I was recently given the opportunity to choose and style a pair of shoes from Barratts and of course, I jumped at the chance. I adore military style lace up boots and really needed a new pair, but I decided to step a little out of my comfort zone with this studded pair, they almost have a Doc Martin feel to them, which has scared me in the past but I decided to go for it and I'm so glad I did! I absolutely love these.
I decided to pair them with this floral playsuit from republic, because the sun's finally showing it's face and I'm desperate to feel a little more summery lately. I can't wait for the days of no tights and pretty dresses again!
I wear boots year round, whatever the weather and I think these will add a great edgy twist to girly dresses in the summer and I can't wait to be able to style them with some warmer weather outfits.

Hope you enjoyed this post, let me know what you think!

Photobucket

Wednesday 30 January 2013

JANUARY EMPTIES



I don't do empties posts too often because I'm actually really bad for leaving products half full and trying new things before I finish the old ones. Lately though, I've been trying to use up products before replacing them, I've not been 100% sticking to it but the thought is there so I'll hopefully have more regular empties posts from now on! If you'd like me to do a full review of any of these products just leave a comment letting me know.

TRESemme Keratin Smooth Heat Defence Spray - I only bought this because it was on offer, which is what I pretty much always do with heat protector sprays. I don't really get too attached to any particular one. If I feel it's protecting my hair then it's fine by me. This one works and it smelled quite nice too which I liked. I can't really comment on any smoothing properties as I don't really have a problem with frizz, but if you're on the lookout for a nice heat protector, I'd recommend this.
Repurchase? Maybe, but as I said, I just pick up whatever's on offer, as long as it's a decent brand!

Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing 2 in 1 Make Up Remover  - I love this. It's so cheap, no more than £3 and often on offer. I got this one in Wilkos for £1.99 and I adore it. I use this before using my Peaches and Clean face wash, it removes every scrap of make up incredibly easily. It removes mascara really well, which is great because I hate when I have to tug at my eyes to get my make up off.
Repurchase? Yes, again and again!

Schwartzkopf Gliss Liquid Silk Leave in Conditioner - This is another one of my favourite products and another super cheap one too. I spray this on wet and dry hair and it makes it so soft and alongside the rest of my hair products, this has definitely improved the condition of my hair. I can't recommend this product enough.
Repurchase? Already have!

Schwartzkopf Gliss Liquid Silk Conditioner - I bought this conditioner because I loved the leave in conditioner so much and hoped it would help my hair as much as the leave in one did. This is a nice conditioner and makes my hair feel lovely and soft, there are conditioners I prefer and would choose over this one, but it's cheap and it does the job.
Repurchase? Maybe, good for when I need a conditioner and am low on money.

Dove Summer Glow Gradual Tan - I haven't actually been keeping up with fake tan as I decided to embrace paleness this winter, but I finished this around Christmas and New year and decided to keep to bottle for an empties post. This is my favourite gradual tan, it gives a nice subtle but buildable colour. This develops overnight so not for those who like instant tan. I like to look natural when I use fake tan and this is perfect for that - no tiger stripes in sight.
Repurchase? Yes.

MAC Hue - This is one of my favourite MAC lipsticks and I was sad to finish this one! I've already bought another one though. I'm sure you've all heard of this as it's such a cult shade, but it's a lovely pinky nude, perfect for every day. It lasts a long time for a light colour too.
Repurchase? Forever!

Murad Energizing Pomegranate Moisturiser - I got this as part of a Murad starter kit along with a foaming cleanser and refining gel for the T-zone. I really liked the cleanser and t-zone gel, but I didn't really think the moisturiser was anything special. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but the full size is around £20+ and I didn't love it enough to justify the price. I prefer my Soap and Glory moisturisers and they're much cheaper.
Repurchase? Probably not.

Bath and Body Works Pink Sugarplum Shower Gel - I received this in a swap with Ariel from chiclookxo.com and I loved it! It's got the sweetest, girliest scent ever and I was so sad to see this go. I had to finally admit defeat and stop scraping the bottle this month. I so so wish we had bath and body works here in the UK as Ariel has sent me various products and I've loved them all.
Repurchase? If only I could!

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter - I love the Soap & Glory minis, they're perfect to keep on my bedside table, which is exactly what I did with this. I kept this on my bedside table so I'd never have an excuse not to moisturise at night time. I love all the soap & glory body butters. This one has the classic Soap & Glory scent, which I love and it makes my skin feel super soft and lovely.
Repurchase? Yes

Soap & Glory Glad Hair Day Shampoo - I'd seen mixed reviews of this, so I decided to get a mini version before buying the full size to see what I thought and I really liked it. It makes my hair feel really clean, which I love. I hate when a shampoo leaves a residue and there are no problems of that with this. It also smells amazing and the scent stays on your hair for ages, especially when used with the matching conditioner.
Repurchase? Yes - but in full size!

Have you tried any of these? Would you like to see any full reviews?

Photobucket

Tuesday 29 January 2013

ACHICA WISHLIST


I was recently introduced to a lovely website, Achica*, which is a website that does flash sales in all kinds of things, ranging from homeware to fashion accessories. What I love about the site is how broad the range of products they have is, the brands are changing all the time but they currently have big names such as Gucci, as well as some brands I've only just discovered. You do have to sign up to the site to browse, but it's free to sign up and then you get emails about all their amazing offers! These are a few of my favourite things I came across while browsing the site.
I love this birdcage so much, I've always wanted a birdcage to go in my room as I think they're so pretty and vintagey looking.
I also adore this vintage looking wall plaque, the quote is so sweet and I love the distressed look it has to it. I think this would look adorable in my 'mini salon' I have at home. I always eye up things like this in home stores and think it's about time I had one in my life!
The next item is a bit of a dream item as it is an expensive one, but that's what great about the website, the prices range from a few pounds to items like this. This is an original piece of vintage animation art from disney's cinderella. I would love to own something as special as this.
Perfect Valentines day gift alert! These bars from the chocolate library are just adorable. They have all sorts of quotes such as 'I love you more than chocolate' and 'You are the best thing that's ever happened to me'. Definitelty worth checking out for a chocolate lover.
And finally this gorgeous mini victoria sponge baking kit. I love baking and want to do more posts about baking on my blog, so one of these would be just perfect. It also helps that it comes in an adorable tin!
Sign up here for a free £10 Achica voucher!

What do you think? Do you like any of these items?

*sponsored post, all opinions are my own.
Photobucket

Monday 28 January 2013

CLOSED - 500 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY


First off, I'd like to say thank you so much to all of you for helping me reach 500 followers! I was so excited when I realised I'd hit 500 the other day and decided to do a big giveaway to celebrate! Since this is a milestone giveaway, I thought I'd make it a special one and put together a bag of my 'can't live without' items for one of  my followers. The bag includes;
Soap & Glory Hand Food
Soap & Glory Glad Hair Day Intensive Conditioner
Soap & Glory Glad Hair Day Shampoo
Soap & Glory Hand Maid Anti Bacterial Hand Gel
Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush
Topshop Nails in Cafe Au Lait
Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lipgloss
Collection Extreme Pen Eyeliner in Black

Lots of Soap & Glory, of course!

To enter, I'd like you to leave a comment below telling me what your favourite post I've ever done on Chloe's Way is.

You must of course be a public GFC follower of this blog, comment below with your GFC and email address (so I can contact you if you win)

Then for some bonus entries for an extra chance to win, you can:
1. Follow me on Twitter (@chloesway) and tweet this giveaway, mention me in your tweet so I see it!
2. Like Chloe's Way on Facebook - tell me your facebook name - I will check!!
3. Do a blog post on this giveaway and link it in your comment so I can check.
4. Give me an idea for a blog post in the comments.

So that's up to 5 entries, so get going! Please only comment on this post once stating all your entries.
For example,
GFC - Chloe
Email: chloe@chloesway.com
My Favourite post was your What's in my bag post.
Follow on twitter as @chloesway
Like on Facebook as Chloe Salisbury
*Link to your blog post*
My idea for a post is...

So that would be your 5 entries!

This giveaway is of course international, and will end on Monday 11th February and the winner will be announced on Tuesday 12th, so get entering! Good luck and thank you again!


Photobucket

Sunday 27 January 2013

WHAT TO GET HER FOR VALENTINES DAY


With Valentines day coming up, it's time we all start hinting to our boyfriends/ husbands/ partners, any excuse! I don't think Valentines day is a day you need to be showered with lots of gifts, but I do think it's nice to receive a little something, just to remember the day by if nothing else! So if you're looking for something to ask for, if you're a boy on the hunt for the perfect gift or even if you just want to treat yourself or a friend, this post is for you. I've tried to include something for all budgets so hopefully you'll see something suitable!

First up, the ever obvious perfume! Marc Jacobs Oh Lola is currently on my wishlist. This is one for a slightly higher budget at £37 for 30 ml, £47 for 50ml and £63 for 100ml, but it would make a lovely gift as it's such a sweet girly scent. It's a sweet fruity floral scent, perfect for summer. I'm actually thinking of asking for this for my birthday in May, as it's such summery scent!

How cute is this? This little guy is the Hugs-A-Plenty Puppy from Build a Bear workshop. I was browsing the website for a valentines worthy bear and couldn't resist putting him on here! At only £13.50, this is a more affordable gift. Perfect if you want something super cute and soppy.

Another bargain gift, these stunning White Gold Heart Earrings. White Gold is my absolute favourite so I'd be thrilled to receive these! They're currently on sale for only £17.99 which is fantastic. To me, these are such a classic valentines gift, perfect for pretty much anyone.

Next up is the most expensive and lavish of all the gift ideas at £120. This stunning infinity bracelet is from Tiffany's. I think the infinity symbol is a lovely alternative to the typical Valentines heart, but has a similar sentiment. This would be a great gift if you really want to spoil someone for Valentines day.

A tin of the ever famous Steam Cream would make a fab gift for beauty lovers. This one comes in a gorgeous heart tin too which fits the Valentines theme perfectly. These are £13 from ASOS.

Another cute gift idea is these Jelly Loveheart sweets from River Island. These are super cute and would be perfect if you're just getting a little something, or maybe if you're doing the whole secret valentine thing! These are only £4 for the bag, making them the most inexpensive of all the gifts.

And finally, a Chloe's Way Gift Guide would not be complete without some Soap & Glory. This Clean Getaway gift set is only £10 and would be a perfect gift for a girl who likes to pamper herself. The mini  products are a great way to test products before you buy the full size, they're also fab if you're planning a Valentines getaway too!

Would you like to recieve any of these for Valentines day? Which is your favourite?

All words in pink are shopping links.

Photobucket

Saturday 26 January 2013

CURRENT BEAUTY FAVOURITES


Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Body Milk - Who's surprised that there are Soap and Glory products in my favourites? I got this in my Best Of All set at Christmas and I think it was my favourite product out of the whole set. This really is a gorgeous body lotion. I love to moisturise from head to toe every morning and every night and the Soap and Glory ones are my favourites because they do an amazing job of keeping my skin super soft and lovely. This one in particular is my favourite, it smells absolutely gorgeous, it's got Almond, Cocoa, Yogurt, Oat and Honey and smells just like cookies.

Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean Cleanser - I won't say too much about this as I am planning a full review, but this was another item in the Best of all set and I love it. It makes your face feel super clean and refreshed and smells like artificial peaches which I love.

Soap & Glory Glow Job Moisturiser - I did a full review of this here so I won't go on, but basically this is a bronzing moisturiser. I use this under my make up in the mornings and it gives a lovely subtle glow instantly while still keeping your face super moisturised.

Benefit The POREfessional Primer - I got this as a Christmas present and I absolutely love it. I'd heard rave reviews and wanted to give it a go and I'm so glad to have received it. I have slightly open pores around my nose and it makes it look like they've disappeared. It keeps my foundation lasting all day too which is great!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - This is another product I did a full review of, link here, so you can see that for more details. I've loved this foundation, along with Glow Job and The POREfessional, this gives my skin a perfect pick me up when it's looking dull in the winter weather.

Soap & Glory The Smooch Operator - Again, more details on this in my Battle of the Balms post, this is a fab lip balm from S&G, this has really helped heal my lips, which have been very sore and chapped thanks to the winter weather.

Good Things Bright Eyes - I'd completely forgotten how much I loved this eye cream until I rediscovered it recently. It's a paraben free eye cream that is supposed to help puffy eyes and dark circles. What I love about this is it's targeted towards younger skin so it isn't too heavy. It has superfruit extracts so it smells lovely and fruity and it really does work! It perks my eyes up when I've had one too many late nights and makes me look much more awake.

MAC Creme D'Nude - This was a Christmas present from my boyfriend, that he actually chose all by himself, so I was seriously impressed with his choice. I love a good nude and this one is just perfect, it's a great nude for my skin tone as it's nice and light, which I like but doesn't make me look washed out at all.

Topshop Nail Polish in Cafe Au Lait - This is the perfect neutral nail polish, it's a nude with a hint of pink, great for everyday as it goes with absolutely everything.

Look Beauty Make me Blush in Rosy - I reviewed this in my Collective Look Beauty Haul and Review post a while ago. It's a lovely pinky coral blush with a hint of shimmer. It can be worn very lightly or built up to make it more noticeable. It's a perfect colour for my skin tone and I think it would be great on most too. Definitely check out Look beauty if you haven't already.

Hope you enjoyed! What have you been loving lately?
PS. This is my 200th post, yay!

Photobucket

Friday 25 January 2013

50 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

I've seen this tag going around a lot on blogs and on youtube and I thought I'd give it a go. I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to think of 50 facts but I'm going to give it my best shot, here goes!


1. I'm a Twin, we're completely non identical. My twin sister is @IamHannahx on twitter, give her some love!

2. I studied Art & Design at College but changed my mind afterwards and am now a qualified Beautician!

3. Mine and Darren's 'Anniversary' is on Halloween.

4. I play guitar.

5. I've had two hamsters and never ever got brave enough to pick either of them up.

6. I'm obsessed with Soap & Glory (did you know that one already?)

7. I 'invented' my own weekly holiday, Robbie Williams Wednesdays. It hasn't caught on. YET. #RobbieWilliamsWednesday join in on twitter ;)

8. My favourite place in the whole world is New York.

9. I've never had what I consider a 'real' pet (basically dog or cat) and I've always wanted one.

10. I love The Simpsons.

11. I got an A in GCSE German and now I hardly remember a word.

12. I get bored of clothes way too quickly.

13. I have serious problems sleeping if I'm in bed by myself.

14. I can't stand people who eat really loudly.

15. I rarely wear normal socks, only knee highs, or fluffy socks.

16. I still don't have an Iphone, not even a blackberry, I have a Nokia c300, I just don't care about mobile phones!

17. I don't drink very often, but when I do, cocktails are my weakness.

18. I'm not a wine person.

19. I've never smoked a cigarette.

20. I live in Essex.

21. I'm jealous of my boyfriend because he has amazing eyelashes.

22. It's really hard to think of 50 things about myself.

23. I've always wanted a little sister to be like a mini me. (My twin sister is only 9 minutes younger than me, so it doesn't count).

24. I love having hair played with, or my back tickled.

25. Tickle me anywhere else and I'll probably hit you.

26. I've had the same laptop since my 14th birthday.

27. I'm nearly 19.

28. I have a scar on both my thumbs. Once from cutting my thumb with scissors when I was six and the other from touching a lightbulb at about the same age.

29. I still love (and own) barbies.

30. I've worn winged eyeliner pretty much every day since I was 16.

31. My Mum was convinced me and my sister where going to be twin boys.

32. We'd have been called Charlie and Ben.

33. We were born two months early and I weighed 3lbs 15 ounces.

34. I collected buttons in primary school.

35. And got to do my own assembly about it. To the entire school.

36. I used to be in the Drama club in primary school, I played the evil fairy in 'Sleeping Beauty', and a female Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol', because we had no boys.

37. I'm terrified of learning to drive.

38. I've not had my hair professionally cut since prom when I was 16.

39. I dye my hair at home.

40. I have really strange dreams and talk in my sleep.

41. Although, if anyone starts a sentence with 'I had the weirdest dream...'  I automatically shut off.

42. I feel awkward on buses if I'm alone and don't have my ipod.

43. My music taste is weirdly varied.

44. My favourite film is Nowhere Boy, which is the Story of John Lennon before The Beatles.

45. I have one tattoo, a quote on my arm, I want another one but I'm not sure what yet.

46. I don't really like coffee or tea much, but every now and again, I get a craving for them.

47. I love the Confessions of a Shopaholic book series.

48. I have a very strict skincare routine, even if I come home drunk.

49. I've never been to Paris but I really want to and hopefully will this year.

50. I'm pretty sure start a blog was one of the best decisions I've ever made!

Have you done one of these posts? Let me know if you have, I'd love to read it!

Photobucket

MAC LIPSTICK GIVEAWAY WINNER

The winner of my Favourite Things MAC Hue Lipstick giveaway is Laura from fairytalefallout.blogspot.co.uk congratulations! I have emailed the winner and the prize will be on it's way to her soon!
She's a new blogger and her blog is fab so definitely go check her out.

Don't worry if you didn't win, Chloe's Way hit 500 followers today so I definitely hope to have another giveaway up soon for that!

Congratulations again to the winner and keep your eyes peeled for future giveaways.

Photobucket

Thursday 24 January 2013

HAIR AND BODY HAUL



soap & glory smoothie star body butter - s&g sit tight intense xs body firming serum - s&g the breakfast scrub
vo5 heat defence spray - gliss liquid silk leave in conditioner -  batiste blush dry shampoo 
live salon style hair dye - garnier simply essentials make up remover - large cotton wool pads

I recently did a little bit of shopping in Boots over a couple of days and thought I'd do a collective hair and body products haul. I picked up a few more Soap & Glory products (I know, I have a problem. But I had vouchers so it definitely does not count, right?). I had a voucher for 200 advantage card points when you spend £10 or more on Soap & Glory bath and body products, so I decided to get the Smoothie Star body butter, which smells amazing. This won't be for everybody as it's a super sweet syrup-y kind of smell, but I personally love it (as does my boyfriend, who says it smells like cookies, which makes him hungry!). I also got the breakfast scrub, which smells exactly the same as the body butter. I haven't given either of these a proper go yet, but I'll definitely review them when I do. Then the final Soap & Glory product I picked up was the Sit Tight XS Body Firming serum, which I've heard amazing things about. To be honest, I'm not too worried about my thighs as I try to keep them toned with exercise (this is supposed to firm your thighs!), but it'd be nice to see if this does firm them up any more. I might've also had a voucher that gave you 500 advantage card points when you bought this, as this is one of their more expensive products at £16.50, which definitely made my mind up when I was deciding whether or not to go for it. I will definitely report back on this!
The rest of what I got were all essentials and repurchases, which is possibly slightly boring but they're all old favourites so I thought I'd include them. I got the Vo5 Heat Protect spray, I'm not too fussed about heat sprays as long as they work, and this one goes with the pink theme in my room!
Then there's my absolute favourite leave in conditioner, Schwartzkof Gliss Liquid Silk, that I actually bought in superdrug as I can't seem to find this anywhere else, I may do a full review on this as it's just amazing. It has liquid keratin in it which makes your hair feel lovely and soft.
The batiste dry shampoos are all great, but blush is definitely my favourite because of it's soft, girly floral scent - and of course the pink bottle. I also got my absolute favourite hair dye, Schwartzkopf Live Salon Style in Frozen Pearl Blonde. I like to keep my hair nice and ashy, which isn't the easiest task when dying your hair at home, but this one is fab - no yellow or orange tones in sight.
And finally, my favourite (and a very cheap) make up remover, the Garnier Simply Essentials one and some large cotton pads. This is a total bargain, I think it's only about £3, but it works fantastically, even on tough mascara.

I hope you enjoyed this very rambley haul post, let me know what you think!
Are you tempted by anything I've bought?

Photobucket

Wednesday 23 January 2013

RIMMEL WAKE ME UP FOUNDATION REVIEW

£5.99 currently on offer at boots

After hearing great things about this product, I thought I'd give it a try. I've used other Rimmel foundations before and they're definitely my favourite high street brand for foundations. I got this in shade 103 True Ivory, because I've not wanted to bother with fake tanning and have decided to admit defeat and be pale for the next couple of months! I've been absolutely loving this foundation, it's really light and lovely, with a light/ medium but buildable coverage. I like to apply this with my real techniques buffing brush, but I actually prefer the finish it gives when I apply this with my fingers. This gives a lovely natural, glowy finish. When this first came out, I passed off the 'Anti-Fatigue- effect and 'Radiant Glow- as gimmicks, but after trying it I really do see it! I often feel my skin looks dull in the winter and this definitely perks me up and makes me look more alive. As for the lasting power, this is actually really good. It seems to last all day without much trouble, I set this with a loose powder and it stays looking lovely all day. Love it!

Have you tried this foundation? Would you like to?

Photobucket

Tuesday 22 January 2013

EBAY FINDS



I've been staying in a lot hiding from the cold and the snow lately and one thing I've been doing a lot is browsing through ebay. There are so many independent sellers on ebay that do all kinds of lovely things brand new. In one of my latest posts (linked here) I mentioned this adorable pink bunny jumper that I tracked down on ebay for almost half price after seeing the exact same one in New Look. I've also been looking around for other things too, the bag shown above is less than £18, which is a total bargain for such a lovely item! I've also been on the hunt for some military style boots as mine are a bit worse for wear these days, although I've found them almost impossible to track down in the shops. I was amazed to find these ones on ebay for only £12.99. I've also included an adorable hanging heart decoration - only £1.70 with free shipping, a cute floral notebook and slightly over the top but gorgeous phone case! The best part is, every item here is under £20!
Every item I've shown in this post is from a UK Seller but obviously there are sellers all over the world. All of the pink words under the photo are direct links to the items.

Do you like to browse on ebay for bargains? What's the best thing you've found?

Photobucket

Monday 21 January 2013

SOAP AND GLORY BATTLE OF THE BALMS




Smooch Operator currently £4.00 - Boots
Mighty Mouth currently £6.00 - Boots

I recently bought these two lip balms on separate trips to Boots, why I needed both I don't know, but I figured a comparison of the two would make a good blog post so there you go! I should definitely own shares in Soap & Glory by now, I'm slowly collecting every product they've ever made and have yet to find one I dislike. So onto the comparison!

Packaging
Smooch Operator is a cute pink and white tub, a similar size to a Korres lip butter but with more product inside. I know some people don't like lip balms in tubs but this doesn't bother me, as long as you always use a clean finger to get the product out and don't let everyone and their dog share it with you I think it's fine.
Mighty Mouth comes in a squeezy tube, a lot like a lipgloss, which does make it easy to use. It does have the logo and the product itself gives the tube a pink colour, but I don't think this transparent white tube quite matches up to Soap & Glory's usual fun packaging.
Winner: Smooch Operator, purely because I'm a sucker for pretty packaging. Though some may prefer Mighty Mouth for ease of use.


Description and Claims
Smooch Operator is described as 'a super-conditioning lip butter moisture & repair balm for dry cracked lips'. It's quite thick and reminds me slightly of the consistency of a Carmex tub. It does make it slightly difficult to use but it means you only need a small amount and it does feel very conditioning on the lips. It definitely has helped keep my lips soft and conditioned in the harsh winter weather, I definitely noticed my chapped lips had been improved after just a few uses.
Mighty Mouth is described as 'an extreme hydrating glossy lip balm' it also apparently has 'Xlarge Collagen Plump Peptide complex built in to help smooth, hydrate and condition the lips and provide long term anti wrinkle effects'. I can't comment on the long term anti wrinkle effect, but this does seem to give the lips a smoother slightly plumper look. The plumping effect is nowhere near that of Sexy Mother Pucker, but it doesn't claim to be, it just smooths out the lines in my lips to make them look prettier. As well as this, it does seem to hydrate my lips too.
Winner: Can't decide, they both do exactly what it says on the tin so neither have disappointed. If you're looking for a moisturising repairing lip balm though, I'd probably recommend Smooch Operator.


Scent/ Colour
Smooch Operator is light pink in the tub, but transfers no colour onto the lips. It smells of sweet coconut which is nice if you like that sort of thing. I quite like this smell, but I do think coconut is a more summery scent for me.
Mighty Mouth comes in the shade 'Naked Pink' which is a your lips but better pink. It also has a vanilla scent, which I absolutely adore.
Winner: Mighty Mouth has the edge for me on scent as I love the sweet smell. As for colour I'm not too fussed, but if you like a lip balm with a tint, Mighty Mouth is the way to go.

Lasting Power
Smooch Operator lasts a while before you need to reapply, depending on the condition of your lips. When my lips were quite bad, I probably applied this about 4 times in a day, once in the morning, twice during the day and once before bed. However if your lips are in good condition, once in the morning and once in the evening should do fine.
Mighty Mouth's moisturising properties last all day, however the colour and gloss does fade after a few hours. However I do find this lasts longer than a regular lip gloss somehow.
Winner: Dependent on whether you want the tint/ gloss or not. Both have excellent moisturising lasting power.

Overall
I don't think it would be fair to pick one overall winner, but if you want a good lip balm for sore, cracked lips, then Smooch Operator is the way to go. But if you want one to keep sore lips in good condition, and enjoy a bit of gloss and a plumping effect, Mighty Mouth is for you.

Hope this post was helpful to some of you!
Have you tried either of these? What's your favourite lip balm?

Photobucket

Sunday 20 January 2013

LOOK BEAUTY MINI HAUL AND COLLECTIVE REVIEW


nail pop in pop bling - stay put powder - make me blush in rosy

As Look Beauty had been on offer for half price on their website and in Superdrug lately I decided to pick up a few bits to try (the offer ends 22nd January so hurry if you want to take advantage!). I'd not tried Look Beauty before but I've been hearing great things so I thought I'd give it a go. I picked up one of their Nail Pop nail polishes in Pop Bling, which is a gorgeous glittery pink colour. I have tried this but only on my toes so I didn't fancy taking a photo of that! This is an opaque glitter in just two coats, which I think is great for a glitter polish, I can't comment yet on how well it lasts, but glitters are usually pretty long lasting anyway. I might do a nail of the day post in the future and review this further.
The next thing I picked up was their Stay Put loose powder. I love using translucent loose powder over pressed powder as I think it gives a better finish and seems to last longer. I've used this once so far and I really like it, it gives a nice even finish to my make up and keeps my foundation in place all day. It also doesn't have a strange white cast like some other 'translucent' powders do.
Finally, I got one of the Make Me Blush blushes in the shade 'Rosy'. I love this blush, it's got a lot of shimmer but doesn't make you look like a disco ball. It's a lovely light corally pink colour that slightly reminds me of NARS Orgasm, which is fab! You only need a small amount for a lovely flush of colour so this will last for ages which is really great, especially as this was only £4 on offer!

Overall, I'm really impressed with what I've tried of Look Beauty so far. What do you think? Have you tried any Look Beauty products yet?

Photobucket

Friday 18 January 2013

SOXXY #2



pippa thigh high socks - soxxy *
dress - missguided
coat - republic
boots - primark
scarf - primark

I mentioned in my first post for Soxxy, that I'd been sent two pairs of 'sox', in that post I featured and styled their Denise Knee high socks and mentioned that I'd also received a pair of thigh highs and lots of you wanted to see them. If you didn't see my first post, Soxxy are a sock brand with a difference. Their socks or 'sox' have a special grip built in and therefore they stay up all day without you having to pull them up at all! 
I really love the thigh high socks, I was wearing a thin pair of tights underneath these, but the socks really kept my legs warm, Soxxy says their socks 'hug you' and they're not kidding!
I styled these with my black velvet missguided dress and some boots for a laid back but still trendy and cute look. I love this look and think it's perfect for this time of year. Maybe not if you're going to be playing in the snow though!

What do you think? Are you going to check out soxxy.com?

Photobucket

Thursday 17 January 2013

SOAP & GLORY SCRUB YOUR NOSE IN IT REVIEW

£7.50 at Boots

I mentioned in a haul post a few weeks ago that I'd picked up the Soap & Glory 'Scrub Your Nose In It' exfoliator and mask. This scrub claims to refine large pores and prevent blemishes. The directions say to apply to a damp T-zone and scrub in circular motions for a while before extending to the 'less clogged' areas of your face, that's the cheeks, to you and me! For a mask, you apply a thin layer to your face and leave for three minutes. I've used this as a mask once and definitely think it made my skin feel a lot smoother. I've used this a few times as a general scrub, my skins been acting up a little bit lately, probably due to the horrible weather! So I've been using scrub more often than I usually do and this has definitely helped, it makes my skin feel smoother and appear brighter immediately after use. It definitely does a great job of unclogging pores too, my skin generally isn't too bad, but I do get the dreaded blocked pores around my nose and this does help to gradually clear them up. This has a slight minty smell to it, which I find quite refreshing and it makes my skin feel really fresh and clean. I do feel like I need to moisturise after using this as it makes my skin feel slightly tight, but I that's the pore refining effect, which is a good thing. It doesn't seem to dry my skin out at all which is a bonus as I've found many scrubs seem to dry my skin out, particularly on my chin and cheeks, but I've not had that problem with this one, which is great!
Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone. I think it'd do wonders for 'problem skin' but it also makes a fab weekly/ twice weekly scrub for those with normal skin.

What do you think? Have you tried Scrub Your Nose In It or would you like to?

p.s. I've been doing lots of beauty posts and reviews lately as it's so much easier than fashion and outfit posts with the terrible lighting thanks to the winter weather! Let me know what you all think about this?

Photobucket

Tuesday 15 January 2013

BUNNY GIRL



Jumper- ebay
Jeans - F&F*
Boots - local store
Necklace - tiffany's
Bag - river island

How cute is this jumper? I found the exact same one a while ago in New Look, but it was £22.99 and I had Christmas presents to buy! So I was browsing through ebay the other day and the jumper popped into my mind, so I typed in 'Bunny Jumper' out of curiosity and there it was for only £12.99! I've linked it underneath the photos if you want to check it out, they have it in grey and beige too. I like wearing pastel colours in the winter sometimes, it makes me feel a tiny bit more summery,even though we've got snow at the moment! 

What do you think? Do you like fun jumpers like this?
Photobucket

Monday 14 January 2013

SOAP & GLORY GLOW JOB REVIEW




In my last haul, I featured the Soap & Glory 'Glow Job' moisturiser and decided to do a review on it. First things first, the packaging, as with all Soap & Glory products is gorgeous, I love their pretty pink, vintage style packaging and sometimes slightly scandalous 'punny' names for their products. But pretty packaging aside, it's what's inside that really counts!
This certaintly is a moisturiser with a difference! The difference being the 'bursting bronze beads'. These little beads feel like tiny little grains in the moistursier, and as you can hopefully see in the photo, they begin to burst as you rub it into your skin. There doesn't feel like there are awful lot of the beads within the moisturiser, which made me slightly skeptical at first, but when I started to rub it in and the beads 'burst' I could see the bronzing affect instantly! You do have to be careful to rub this in properly as the bronzing parts can go a little streaky if you don't, so this isn't a moisturiser for those who like a very quick morning routine! That said, it is quite easy to achieve an even look and doesn't take too long, but I definitely don't recommend trying to use this without a mirror! When rubbed in and blended, this product really lives up to its name and leaves a gorgeous, glowy and lightly tanned look to your skin. I have quite light skin and don't find that this is too dark for me, however I think it could be quite a shock if you are super pale!
I tend to use this in the mornings before putting on my make up as the bronzing affect is temporary and almost definitely would rub off onto your sheets at night! However, it does make a fab base for make up as it gives you a lovely sun kissed glow. I would definitely wear this on its own on a good skin day. Even though this seems a bit gimmicky, it actually moisturises really well and leaves my face feeling lovely and soft.
Overall, this is a lovely, light moisturiser that works very well for my normal/ combination skin. I do think this could be a bit too light for those with very dry skin but I do think it's worth a try purely because of how instantly healthy and glowy it makes you look!

What do you think? Would you like to try this?
Photobucket

Saturday 12 January 2013

BEAUTY FAVOURITES OF 2012



I thought I'd do the best of 2012 tag, even though I'm very late in doing this! I definitely wanted to get it up though, just to show what products were my favourites throughout the year. Hope you enjoy and let me know if you've done this post as I love reading them!

1. Face product
I loved my Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour foundation, I used lots of foundations in 2012 but for a high street brand, this really stood out for me. I have a clarins foundation that I love at the moment but when that's gone I want to try the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation as I've heard great things and was so pleasantly surprised by the lasting finish one!


2. Cheek product
This definitely has to be my Stila Convertable Colour in Petunia, this is my go to for every day as it's just so wearable. I can wear it lightly or slight more bright for a night out, which I love. It dries quite matte too, which makes it good for every day.


3. Eye product
My MAC painterly paint pot. This will sound so boring, but I've changed my eyeshadows, eyeliners and mascaras all through the year but this is the one product I've used all year round. It makes a great base for eyeshadow and ensures they stay put all day, but it also looks lovely on it's own.


4. Lip Product
This was really, really hard. I sort of want to say MAC Creme D'Nude, but I only got it at Christmas from Darren, so I can't really say it was my favourite for the year, however it's definitely a current staple! I'm going to narrow this down to two products, these being my Korres lip butter and Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker. (both names are linked to my individual reviews if you're interested) 

5. Skincare Product
I was quite fickle with skincare in 2012 and have only recently discovered my favourite skincare products of the moment, but I loved my Garnier make up remover as it's so cheap and removes make up perfectly!

6. Nail Polish
This is another toughie, purely because I switch up my nail polish a lot when I wear it, which isn't often these days as it gets in the way when I'm doing manicures. So for this I'm going to cheat and say Shellac, I trained in Shellac as an addition to my beauty therapy course and I love it. It lasts so long and looks beautifully shiny for ages! 

7. Hair product
This has to be by Touch of Silver Shampoo. As a blonde, I could NOT live without this now. It is the best toning shampoo I've ever tried.

8. Body product/Perfume
Another one I'm going to cheat on and say Soap and Glory in general. I've loved their bath and body products all year round and am trying lots more for 2013! My perfume of 2012 was Tresor in Love by Lancome. It's a light fruity floral, very girly and lovely. However I'm currently on the hunt for a new scent for 2013!


Hope you enjoyed this post, what were your 2012 loves?


Photobucket