Massive Beauty Hall

Hey Guys, 

Today I thought I would share with you everything I bought in February, if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen me post a quick shot of stuff I bought that day, but here is everything from the last month. Yes I did go a little beauty buying mad but because I'm moving out from my parents in the next month or so, I thought I'd enjoy a full pay check while I had it. 

First up foundations and concealers, I have been on the hunt for a new foundation for a while now so I bought these few: Maybelline Super Stay Better Skin Concealer, Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation, Mac Pro Longwear Foundation and LOréal True Match Foundation. I'm still trying and testing to see if I really like them, but I do have a review of the True Match, which went up Thursday (here).

Next face powders all from MAC: Studio Fix Powder, Matte Bronzer, Soft & Gentle Highlighter. It's my first time buying these types of products from MAC and lets just say so far so good..

Natural Collection Blush in Sweet Checks, Natural Collection Crushed Walnut Eyeshadow, MAC 206 Angle Brush and ECO Tools Domed Bronzer Brush. I recently did a review on the Natural Collection Blushes and I simply love them (see here), I've also written a review about the eyeshadows ages ago (here), so these are to add to my collection.
The MAC brush I'm in love with and also the bronzer brush..there amazing..so far.

Lips, now I've been looking for a pinky nude for ages but I just can't seen to find one which is a little disappointing but I'm still trialling these three above: Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Complex, Natural Collection Lip Gloss in Raspberry Ripple and LOréal in 102.

Eyeliners: MAC Coffe Eye Pencil, MAC Engraved Eye Pencil, LOréal Gelmatic Super Liner, Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl in Bronze and Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde.

Hair products, the hairspray is a repurchase and is the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to hairspray. LOréal TXT texture spray, this was bought actually in January but I thought I'd still add it in and finally Tresemmé Argan Oil Salon Sleek, review coming soon.

Couple of basics: Primark Tanning mitt and St Ives Apricot Scrub, I've heard good things about this so it's got to be worth a try.

Now these I think are one of my favourite purchases, there basically fake converse from Primark and at £4 I love them. I've never been a converse wearer but always liked the way they looked, so I thought I'd buy a cheap pair before investing in proper ones. I love these, I love the colour and I love the look.

So that's it for my massive haul, I know it's pretty big but from now on spending is going to be minimal. The only things I'm planning on buying this month is an eyeshadow palette from my previous wishlist (here) and the Rihanna MAC lipstick..it looks to die for and I need it in my life to feel complete haha.

If you see anything from above that you would like me to review then please leave me a comment and let me know! Otherwise I'll be back Monday for the next instalment of My Weight Loss Journey.

:)

#2014BloggerChallenge: Skincare

Hey Guys, 

So the second instalment of the 2014 blogger Challenge. This post's topic is all about skincare! 

I have been racking my brains all week thinking how the hell I am going to go about this post, as when it comes to facial skincare I'm absolutely clueless! I mean I'll tell you now I am terrible at looking after my face, I've only just started using a cleanser on a daily basis and I've only just stopped using baby wipes to take me make-up off. Naughty beauty blogger. Until while watching the Snooker Masters Final it clicked,,my body is covered in skin why just restrict to my face. I use so many different products on my body especially my legs, why don't I talk about that?

So I am going to take this skincare opportunity as a cry for help for my face and my approach on tackling dry skin, especially on the legs!

I'll give a brief background about my skin, I have has a few problems to say the least where I had to take antibiotics for nearly 5 years. Until I realised that the doctors really had no clue what was wrong with me. So I took matters into my own hands and eventually discovered the problem was mainly down to my contraceptive pill. Good one national health. 

However my skin is very dry and quite sensitive so I have to be very careful of what I use as it may aggravate my skin. Anyways back to this post I am going to show you what I use, some new some old products, and what I like to use to battle my dry skin. 

Soap&Glory Clean On Me/ MíAFLORA Coconut Oil/ Dermal 500 Lotion/ Soap&Glory The Righteous Butter/ Boots Extracts Cocoa Butter Sugar Scrub/ 

First up lets start with showering:
On a daily shower basis I've recently been using the Soap&glory Clean On Me and I love it, it smells amazing and feels equally good too. In the past I would normally use a sensitive body wash which did me fine until I was given this for my birthday and oh.my.god I've never looked back! My skin feels so silky and nourished, which my dry skin just drinks up.

Also in the shower maybe twice I week I like to give my skin a bit of a buff and a scrub. In the past and a personal favourite is the Boots Extracts Cocoa Butter range. What I really like about this scrub is because it's a sugar scrub it's more gritty than beady, if you know what I mean. I like this because the sugary texture feels a bit more oily than a beady based scrub which I feel sometimes leaves my skin feeling tight and drier.

At the moment I'm using the Palmers Cocoa Butter Scrub, this one doesn't leave me skin feeling too tight which is good however I'm very undecided on the smell as it's very sweet.

Boots Extract Cocoa Butter Sugar Scrub/ Palmers Cocoa Butter Scrub/  

Next up: out the shower and daily moisturising, now I have three different types of products depending on what state my skins in.

When I feel I just need a bit of moisture but my skins feeling extra sensitive I call on my Dermal 500 lotion which is prescribed by the doctors. This one has a light constancy which quickly sinks into the skin leaving no residue, very good for sensitive skin. It's also designed for use on rashes and after shaving which was good for me when I had my skin problems.

When my skins behaving, which is most the time nowadays I like to call on a body butter as a moisturiser doesn't always cut it with my dry skin. At the moment I'm using Soap&Glory The Righteous Butter which I really like, it's not too heavy with a kind of soufflé feel and dries fairly quickly leaving no oily traces. It has the standard S&G smell which I've always liked so a big thumbs up from me.
Other body butters I really like are the Boots Extracts Cocoa Butter and The Body Shops Almond or Coconut body butters.

Last but not least my beloved coconut oil! This stuff is a life saver, it does take forever to soak into the skin but the results are worth it. This stuff helps dry skin, ingrown hairs, reduce redness, helps scars, heals cuts- the works! (You can read my full post on this stuff here)

I'd also like to give a mention to this product, Jergens Cocoa Butter, I've currently run out but with an overwhelming amount of body stuff for Christmas I haven't re-purchased just yet. Although this stuff is great. Normally moisturisers don't do much for me but because of the cocoa butter aspect this is great on dry skin. I also like the skin firming one in the range but tend to only use that on my stomach and arms. 

Right that's it for this post, for what I thought would be quite short I've managed to waffle on for a long time! I hope you've enjoyed this post about skincare and please do let me know if theres any products which you recommend. 

Also if anyone reading who has a clue about skin care for faces then please help me, my skin is very dry and acne prone towards that girly time of the month..help please. haha. 

Review Thursday: Coconut Oil

Hey Guys,

Today I'm going to give my review on Coconut Oil. Now this isn't brand specific because the one above was quite expensive at £6.99 from Holland & Barrett which you can find here.  Although recently I found a cheaper one from TESCO which is primarily for cooking but makes me think if it's good enough to eat it must be good enough for my other needs.

I have been using coconut oil for about a month now for cooking, hair and skin. For cooking I use it for everything instead of Vegetable or Olive oil and it's great and makes food taste that little bit better. It's good and safe for fast high heat cooking, apparently it's better for you but I need to do more research on that.

Onto my beauty uses, I use it on my hair and skin. Coconut oil is suppose to be very hydrating for dry skin and hair but it can also promote hair growth.

I'll point out now I have very sensitive skin and after many wild diagnosis I have this rare form of 'folliculitis' (the doctors think!) which I've had for over 5 years, so I am very wary of what I can use on my skin. The oil is in a solid form but melts beautifully in the palms of your hands which just sinks into the skin. It can feel a little greasy when you use too much so it's trial and error of how much you need, but a little goes a long way.

When using Coconut oil on my skin, mostly on my legs and especially my shins. I started using the product after a shower to keep the moisture in my skin and really deeply hydrate it. After one use I was amazed my skin felt so soft and considering it is so dry and tight before I was amazed, since then I have used it everyday before going to bed. My skin is ultra soft and for the first time in years my skin condition seems to be improving! Absolute miracle! I'm not going to say it will work for everyone but give it a go and you may be happily surprised like me.

The third use is on my hair. I've been using this as a mask to try and hydrate my hair, my hair is very long and very thick so sometimes feels a bit worn. I got a small amount in my hands and gently melted it in my palms then smothered my hair, I also massaged it into my scalp. I then put it up in a towel and left it for several hours, I was going to leave it over night but I didn't have time the next day to wash it out. Although when I washed the oil out my hair instantly felt thicker, it was a little bit flat until the second wash but now it's feels so healthy and nourished. I have also read on the web that it promotes hair growth but that could be on regular use, so I'll have to update this if it has but I don't plan to use it everyday just weekly or every two weeks as a mask.

After reading more uses for Coconut oil I was amazed at how many useful beauty and medical tips there are. I strongly recommend getting your hands on some, for me it's amazing and it's quickly becoming my best friend.

I hope you've enjoyed reading how I use/ review on coconut oil and it's come in use for you. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions which I may have missed or if you've used it and have any helpful tips for me?