Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

 

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream - £7.99

  

I remember back a year or so ago, may well be two years by now, when the whole BB cream craze kicked off big time. It started off with Garnier and then it just kept growing and growing and it seemed like most brands were bringing out their own versions of BB cream.

 

The craze seems to have died down a bit now and you don't tend to hear much about them, but I still think the actual concept of the BB cream is a great one. But normally only for the summer as they are a lighter coverage compared to most foundations and it just feels nicer on the skin to use a product that works similar to a foundation, but technically isn't one.

 

For anyone new to the whole BB Cream scene, they are basically a form of tinted moisturiser. They are like a very thin foundation, if you want high coverage then steer well clear of BB creams as they aren't designed for that purpose. They are light, fresh and if you forget to put moisturiser on in the mornings before your make-up this will work better than a normal foundation in keeping your skin feeling and looking more glowy.

 

 

When trying to decide which BB cream to use way back when, I went for the Maybelline one as the reviews seemed pretty decent and at the time I was loving Maybelline foundations so I thought i'd try it out. I got the colour 'light' which you may think from the photo looks too dark to be light, but when you blend it in it is a pretty decent colour match for me.

 

This BB cream also comes in the colours Medium and Universal Glow, now i'm not exactly sure what Universal Glow means but for the purpose of this post its not an issue.

 



 

Maybelline claim this is an 8 in 1 product, which is an appealing thought, and for the first time in a long time I would have to agree it pretty much does all 8 things that it claims to do which are:

 

Creates a natural glow, compliments skin tone, provides SPF30 UV protection, Blurs Imperfections, Is Oil-Free and Non-Greasy, Feels Fresh and Hydrates all Day.

 

The only thing I would stress is the the UV protection does not work all day, like if you wore this on a very hot and sunny day and were out in the sun all day and you didn't put proper sun protection on underneath this then you will get burnt. But for a short time it works well i've found. Also for me it compliments my skin tone but for darker skin tones this won't with the limited colour range that Maybelline have provided. Other than that it is spot on.

 

 

 

It provides a light coverage and I find it lasts pretty much 7 or 8 hours or so, potentially even more. Anyone with dry or very dry skin would benefit from this completely, but Maybelline have also recently brought out one designed for oilier skins, so if that's you then i'd go for that one over this one.

 

It's such an easy product to apply, I tend to use my fingers to apply this but I have found recently when i've been using it this month in January I tried applying it with a brush and I found it blended very well and even lasted a bit longer on my skin than normal. Maybe because i've worked it into my skin a lot more that makes it last longer, I don't know.

 

I like to wear this BB Cream in the summer months, when I want a light coverage on my face. I don't want a bucket load of make-up on in the summer time, it just feels too much. But using this it is perfect. I'm very happy with this BB Cream, hence why I haven't gone out and purchased any other BB Cream from any other brand. So i'd definitely consider buying this again when this one runs out.

 

 

If you'd like to try this BB Cream for yourself it is avaliable

for £7.99

here

 

 

Any questions/comments please leave below.

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own, product bought myself.

 

Avon Little Red Dress Perfumed Body Spray

 

Avon - Little Red Dress Perfumed Body Spray - 75ml - £3.60

 

Fragrance products are ones I don't normally think too much about when it comes to beauty products, I have my favourite which is Marc Jacobs Daisy, and I rarely get excited or intrigued by a new perfume or fragrance when they are released. I rarely venture out of my safe zone of my favourite perfume, as there are so many perfumes on the market it's a nightmare to find your favourite.

 

That being said, I was given this Avon Little Red Dress Perfumed Body Spray for Christmas by one of my mum's friend's, so I thought i'd try this out and see if I liked it. When I saw on the bottle that it was made by Avon I was very surprised, I never even knew Avon did this kind of product, I just assumed they were a purely makeup based brand. So that got me intrigued, secondly I absolutely love the diamond chequered sort of packaging and the fact that this one is called Little Red Dress is rather cute. My sister got the exact same spray as me but in a black bottle and it is called Little Black Dress.

 

I never tend to go near Body Sprays at all, I used to like them as a teenager and to this day I still think of them as teenager sort of products, but I shouldn't put that label on them really as they are pretty decent. Good for just chucking in your handbag instead of a bottle of perfume, and also good for taking on holiday, if again you don't want to lug a perfume bottle around in your suitcase. The scent also lasts quite a long time, which is always one of the things we all look for when it comes to fragrance.

 

When I first smelt this body spray I was instantly drawn to it. According to Avon this spray contains the scents of Bulgarian Rose, fruity nectar and red sandlewood. Sandlewood is one of those rare fragrances but everyone seems to love it. I was surprised it contained a rose element as it smells nothing like roses to me. It's just a sweet fruity scent to me, then again i'm no fragrance connoisseur.

 

Considering i've used this quite a lot since Christmas, I would actually potentially get this body spray again for myself. Or i'd be happy enough to recieve it as a gift. They make great little gifts and if you have a family or friend's birthday coming up then this might make a cute little gift to go with something else.

 

You can probably get this if you have links with an Avon representative, or you could order it online. Currently Avon have a deal on with a buy one get one free on their perfumed body spray range.

 

Avaliable for £3.60

here

 

Any questions/comments please leave below.

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own,

product given as a Christmas gift.

Maybelline Dream Touch Blush

 

Maybelline Dream Touch Blush - £6.49

 

These Maybelline Dream Touch blushes are one of the most underated blushes on the highstreet/drugstore. You never hear anyone ever talk about them and I don't really know why, I think they are pretty good. Some people get them mixed up between the Maybelline Dream Bouncy blushes, which were a disaster for the most part it would seem, so I can see why these may not get the attention they may deserve it some people think they are the same thing as the Bouncy blushes. But i'm here to tell you they are not the same at all.

 

When I was first getting into make-up and I had no idea what products were good and what were deemed as terrible, I just picked them up probably on a 3 for 2 offer and when I just wanted to get some blush to try. The fact it was cream excited me too as I had never tried cream blushes before.

 

 

First of all I love the packaging of these blushes, in lovely little glass jars. It's a bit bigger than their very popular Maybelline Colour Tattoos. And as you can see i've used the products a lot and i'm just waiting for the day to hit the bottom of the jars.

 

The two colours I have is Peach and Berry, they also come in Apricot and Plum but I don't have either of those. Apricot comes out much too light for my skin, and I don't see much of a difference between the Berry and Plum, so I don't see the need to purchase it.

 

I admit the colour selection of these blushes isn't the best, a nice bright pink would be lovely. The consistency of these is very creamy, it's almost liquid to the touch it's not like a mousse or anything very thick. It's a foolproof product in that it is very easy to apply and you can't go overboard on it that easily. They are pretty well pigmented but because they are such a thin formula it takes a while to build it up on the cheeks, the swatches below took a couple of layers to achieve that strength of colour.

 

They last pretty long on the cheeks too, i'd say at least 6 hours or maybe more. And if I want a quick and easy blush to put on then I opt for the Berry one in the autumn/winter and the peach one in the spring/summer.

 

I prefer to apply these with my fingers, and also because I have yet to find a decent enough brush that is small enough to fit in the little jars. You also have more control of the product if you use your fingers to dot it on where you want on your cheeks and then you can blend them in with a brush.

 

 

I can see why these may be overlooked by a lot of beauty lovers because of the poor colour selection, however apart from that I think they are pretty decent. They are a pure cream blush, unlike the normal cream to powder formulas which are very common these days.

 

These would be great for anyone with dry skin or new to the whole make-up scene I think.

 

If you fancy trying these out for yourself, they are avaliable

 for £6.49

(here).

 

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own, products bought myself.

L'Oreal Elvive Nourish and Shimmer Highlights Shampoo

 

L'Oreal Elvive Nourish and Shimmer Highlights Shampoo - 400ml - £3.99

 

I featured this in one of my 13 favourites of 2013 and I thought it was about time I actually wrote a post on this shampoo, considering i've barely used any other shampoo for the last year, maybe even two years.

 

I have blonde highlighted hair and when I started to get my hair highlighted I wanted to try out some shampoo specifically formulated for highlighted hair and I came across this and thought i'd give it go. As soon as I started using it I noticed that my hair looked a lot healthier and the highlights were brighter and even many weeks after having my highlights done it still made them look like they had been freshly done, which is pretty amazing. 

 

 

 

 

The colour of the shampoo is pretty much the same as the colour of the bottle, it smells lovely with a kind of sweet but almost honey scent. As we know, one of my favourite scents. It lathers up well and leaves my hair feeling very soft. It doesn't help much with my frizz problem, but it's no miracle worker it's a shampoo designed for highlighted hair not frizzy hair. I use other products to try and combat that.

 

I've lost count of how many bottles of this shampoo i've gone through, it really is great and i've not found anything else that comes close so far. I've recently tried using another shampoo and even after the first wash using it I wanted to go straight back to using this.

 

So if you have highlighted hair I suggest you try this out, it's great.

 

This 400ml bottle normally retails for £3.99,

 but it is currently on offer in Boots for £1.99

(here).

 

 

Any questions/comments please leave below.

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own, product bought myself.

Yankee Candle Cranberry Chutney Small Jar

 

Yankee Candle Cranberry Chutney Small Jar - RRP £7.99

 

I recently got this small jar for Christmas from my sister, it's a recently discontinued scent by Yankee Candle and we luckily managed to grab the last one in our local Yankee Candle shop. My sister bought it for me and wrapped it up as my Christmas present, and I just really wish i'd discovered this scent sooner.

 

 

Scent combination of:

Cranberries, orange zest, rosemary, raisins and golden honey.

 

These ingredients contain some of my favourite scents and favourite things to eat and it just smells divine! It's rather strange in that it is a sumptuous rich smell but it is not at all overpowering, then again it is a small jar and that won't provide a big room with a large hit of fragrance, you'd be better off with a large jar or a wax tart for a small room. Yet I do adore the small jars, not only are they rather cute looking but they last longer than a wax tart/melt or a sampler/votive candle.

 

When I took this picture the candle was about halfway through a burn and has not reached the edge of the glass yet as you can see. The small jars will burn anywhere from 25 to 40 hours which is quite a long time for such a small candle.

 

The small jars make lovely little gifts for anyone, and with the whole cranberry theme to this candle i'm going to keep burning it to try and keep the Christmas feeling alive.

 

As I said this is a recent discontinued scent, oh how I wish Yankee would stop that but I understand the logic behind it. Nevertheless you may still find some in some shops if you are extremely lucky, but your best bet is to keep searching online.

 

I've found this very scent in a small jar

for £7.39

here

 

Any questions/comments please leave in the comments.

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own,

product bought for me as a Christmas gift.

Decluttering tips for a New Year!

Hi guys!

 



It’s the start of a brand new year, and every year around New Years in our house we take our Christmas decorations down, clean the house and have a tidy up and clear out of stuff we don't want or need anymore. It's so theraputic, and I absolutely love having a good sort out and organising everything. I look through everything in my bedroom from clothes, accessories, jewellery, DVD's, Books to make-up and all the other random stuff cluttering up my bedroom, and decide what needs throwing out, what needs to stay and what things I can give to somebody or even sell on eBay, which I love doing!

Sometimes all of this decluttering can take all day, then other times it can take a matter of hours. But if you want to do it properly make sure you've got enough time to sit down and really have a go through everything and decide what you want to do with your possessions.

 

Here's some top tips that I use:

 

Clothes

I get the most satisfaction from clearing out my clothes, I have quite a few and sometimes I barely get rid of any clothes when i'm having a sort out, then there are other times when I put loads into charity bags! I've got three tips for clothes. Number One is if you haven't worn it in a 1 year then get rid of it, don't keep things for sentimental purposes or if they don't fit you anymore or if you just don't wear it. Secondly you can double up space in your wardrobe by hanging things like strap tops or vest on the same hangers. Also a third tip is put all your hangers in facing the same way in your wardrobe, and when you've worn the item then when you come to putting it back, but the hanger in the other way round to show you've worn it. Then after a year if there are any still facing the way you originally put them then get rid of it as you didn't wear it.

 

Makeup

Look through for products you don't use anymore, again the same rule applies if you haven't worn it for at least 6 months or even a year then get rid. Or if the product has gone off, bin it! If it's nearly all used up then either make an effort to use it up or you could bin it if you feel like you won't use the rest. Also if you have duplicates of the same product or products that are very similar in colour, then scale them down to the ones you absolutely love and use. Don't keep makeup products that are sentimental because they will go off eventually and look awful. Also make sure you've used all your products, there can be products you've bought and never even touched! So either make an effort to use them or give them to someone who would make use of them and appreciate them more.

 

DVDs, Books, Jewellery etc

It can be very easy to build up a lot of jewellery, but when looking through it all really ask yourself, "Do I wear this?" I have jewellery that I haven't worn in months and maybe years but I still keep it because it looks cute or I may wear it one day. The fact is you probably won't. So organise your jewellery and decide what items you can't bare to part with and you can sell others or give them to a loved one. If there are some things you aren't sure about, put them somewhere you'll see them often and make sure you make an effort to wear them. If after a month or so you found you haven't then you know it's time to part ways. It's the same with DVD's and books, they are easy to collect but if you haven't watched or read them in a long time, or have just gone off them then sell them or donate to someone else.

 

It's very easy to do good with your unwanted items.

You can either donate things like clothes and books to charity, so think of it as doing a good deed. But there's the other side of it that you could potentially make quite a bit of money for yourself (depending on how much and what you're getting rid of) by selling things on eBay or even doing something like a carboot sale!

 

So all that's left to say is, don't just sit there, get on with the decluttering! :)

I hope that was helpful!

 

Love

Amy

xxx

Barry M Nail Paint Boots Limited Edition 335 'Silver Lights'

 

Barry M Nail Paint Boots Limited Edition 335 'Silver Lights' - £3.99

 

For someone who doesn't paint their nails all that often, i'm starting to build up quite a considerable nail polish collection. Helped by accumulating 7 nail varnishes over Christmas from my family and friends! Didn't even get any duplicates either which was lucky.

 

Today's post is dedicated to possibly my favourite of the lot I got for Christmas and it is the Barry M nail Paint which doesn't appear to have a name, just a number of 335 and also says it's a Boots Limited Edition polish. However, when I was researching this product I found it on the Boots website and it is called Silver Lights, why that has not been put on the bottom of the bottle I don't know. I do wish they would always have names on the bottles, regardless if they are a Limited Edition product or not, it's much nicer and I also wish they had released this colour into the permanent line as it is absolutely stunning!

 

 

 

It is a beautiful silver holographic glitter, it is a finely milled glitter which is my favourite compared to the big chunky glitters pieces you can get in some nail varnishes.

 

I wore this colour for New Years Eve, it just seemed so perfect for that occassion and would suit any party look perfectly! I also had this on when I went to see the new Gravity film in the cinema in 3D with one of my friends (an incredible film by the way!) and it just reminded me of the stars and space and it just seemed very fitting for that too.

 

Depending on how you want to wear this, you could use it as a top coat over another colour to add that sparkle. But if you want fully opaque colour like I have in the picture then you will need three coats. If you're a bit heavy handed with your coats then you could potentially do it in two but your best bet is to go for three. It's a great formula and doesn't take too long to dry. I've worn it for 4 days now so far and it hasn't chipped at all.

 

I've been on the look out for a nice silver holographic glitter and i've now found the perfect one! I'm just so gutted it is a limited edition product for Christmas 2013 and I won't be able to buy this anytime, but I will easily be able to find something similar.
 
I couldn't find it in the Boots nearest to me when my sister and I looked as she quite fancied getting a bottle of it herself, but i've found it online for £3.99

(here).

 

Any questions/comments please leave below.

 

Love

Amy

xxx

 

 

***DISCLAIMER***

All views/opinions are my own, product given as a Christmas gift