Couple of Hair Products

Hello again!
As many people may know, I am a real sucker for hair products. I have boxes full of the things and I tell myself I don't need them but I still end up buying them!
In one of my recent splurges, I decided to try the OZ Botanics Heat Defence Leave in Spray (for heat damaged hair) and Schwarzkopf Got2b Oil-licious Tame and Shine Styling Oil. I have never tried either of these products before but they were only £1 and £2.50 each so it hardly broke the bank. 
I will start with the heat defence spray. I have used this a couple of times and I am unsure at the moment. It has a strange smell to it, kind of musky, which I'm not too keen on. This spray claims to be specially formulated 'to help defend your hair against damage caused by heat styling, to help leave your hair feeling soft & silky smooth'. I haven't noticed much of a difference to the quality of my hair so far, but maybe I need to use it a few more times to see real results. I may post another review when  I have been using it for a bit longer :).
The Got2b oil is one of my new favourite products. I have heard good reviews of this particular product so when I saw it for sale cheap in Savers, I thought WHY NOT?
I'm not sure if I would rate this as highly as the Lee Stafford hair oil but it comes pretty close. As most of you will know, I struggle with my hair because it is so damaged from years of dying, heat styling and generally being mean to it. This oil makes my hair feel lovely. The ends don't feel so dry and it is way more manageable. This oil also doesn't have a particularly strong smell, which is good, as some hair products tend to be quite overpowering. I also like this oil as it can be used before washing, pre-styling and after styling. I like products that can be used flexibly and this does just that.
The consistency is really smooth and not sticky at all. A lot of oils tend to make your hair feel tacky and gross but this smooths on really easily. It isn't as runny as other oils so you don't have to worry about getting it everywhere either!
At only £2.50 I will definitely invest in another bottle of this stuff. LOVE IT.
What do you think? Are there any similar products I should try?

Avon Naturals Pamper Treats Body Care Collection Gift Set

Hello everyone!
I hope everyone has had an amazing Christmas, and hopefully you've all been spoilt rotten! I know I have, especially in the chocolate department. I am dreading stepping on the scales haha!
Anyway, I thought I would do a short review on a gift I received from my lovely mother which is the: Avon Naturals Pamper Treats Body Care Collection Gift Set. I have always been a fairly big fan of Avon products, so I will never pass up the chance to try something new. I'd never heard of these before and so I was intrigued to use them. I must say, I thoroughly recommend them, I'm not sure if Avon still stocks it as I can't find it online but I definitely suggest you get your hands on this if you can!

This gift set includes 3 75ml pots with the following scents:

• Nourishing Milk and Honey
• Softening Vanilla
• Moisturising Red Rose and Peach

They all smell so rich and lovely; I have regularly opened the pots just to smell them! The texture is also amazing. It feels so silky on your skin and really does make you feel pampered, especially when you have just got out of the shower. It soaks into your skin really quickly, so you don't have to spend ages waiting for your skin to dry, which is so frustrating! 

If you can tell from the picture, this product has a really nice sheen to it and it seems to make your skin glow from the first application. I am so happy I was bought this because I don't think I would've know about it otherwise. 

I really don't need to use much of this product to feel the benefit either so hopefully this will last me a while.
Have you tried this product? What do you think?

Dainty Doll Foundation!

Hi everyone!
I know it has been a while, I have been SO busy. I have 4 assignments to do for January which is stressing me out so much! This is my well earned break, so I thought I would review my new foundation. 
Dainty Doll is the cosmetic line by Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud and I have always wanted to try some of their products. I found this foundation on Fragrance Direct for only £1.99 so I wasn't going to pass up the chance to try it!
I chose 002-Light as my shade. I am really pale and I have struggled to find foundation that doesn't turn me Oompa Loompa-ish. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. I had been a bit skeptical because of the price. It should have been £13.99 and I wondered what warranted such a massive discount but anywho!
I have to say, this foundation is perfect- for me and my dodgy skin anyway! It has a really thick, creamy texture but doesn't feel cloggy when applied and it blends so easily. You really don't need to apply a lot to achieve a medium/high coverage. I usually put on concealer before foundation but wearing this, I tend not to. It also contains SPF 15 so it protects your skin as well as making it look smooth and flawless.
I really can't recommend this foundation enough, especially for people with paler skin that struggle to get foundations to match their skin tones. I may have to bulk buy this in future!
Have you tried Dainty Doll products? What do you think? Let me know :)

Winter Goodies Part 2!

Aloha!

Time for part 2 of winter fabulous-ness! 
I have been on the hunt for more amazing gift ideas, and these are  a couple of the ones I have come up with:

• Artbox! I will tell everyone now, I LOVE this website. I had never heard of it up until a year ago but now I am totally hooked. Anyway, this website has just about everything you could want on it. The main draw for me was the amount of Moomin merchandise they have. I bloody love the Moomins :D. Artbox has all sorts; toys, stationary, clothing, cosmetics, bags and other similar things.  The reason why I have added this website to my list is because I think it is great for gifts, especially gifts for children or people that really like novelty presents. One of my personal favourite items is the Owl Natural Lip Gloss with a minty chocolate fragrance for only £3.29. I know what I am asking my boyfriend for at Christmas!

• Perfume! I think every Christmas I obtain a new perfume, which if I am honest, I won't complain about! At the moment, The Perfume Shop has a 50% off deal on selected products, so I thought it was worth a gander! For men, one of my personal favourites has to be the Calvin Klein CK Free fragrance. My boyfriend has owned this previously and I love the smell on him. It has quite a woody undertone with hints of berries and citrus fruits which I adore. It can also be worn for all occasions as it isn't too overpowering. For women, I would choose Beckham Signature. My mum owns this perfume, and whenever I am at her house I always pinch some! It has a gorgeous scent, really fruity with hints of vanilla, apple and musk. I think it is a perfect day time perfume for all ages, plus the bottle is really simple and cute.

Thats all for now folks. Have a great week and I hope to hear from you soon! 

Let me know what you think!

Winter goodies

Hi guys!
Now we all know what time of year it is, and because of this I have decided to let you all know about some great gift ideas. I went shopping today and while out (and on the internet) I found so many great offers and really cute stocking fillers. Here is a little look at some of my faves so far:

• Accessorize socks- 3 for £8. Now I know you might think this is quite expensive just for some socks, but these designs are amazing. There are so many to choose from and I am sure that any girl would love a pair of these. I might just treat myself to some! 
• Superdrug Fragrance gift sets - £9 and above. I love these so much that I have bought my dad one for Christmas. I chose the H2omme Eau de Toilette Gift Set after I tried the tester available in store. It has a 'cool, aquatic scent delivering fresh notes of zesty bergamot and clementine with intense sandalwood'. I think it is a very light, refreshing fragrance, which could be worn for any occasion. This particular gift set used to be £13.50, so there is a decent saving to be made. Obviously there are other sets to choose from, but this is one of my favourites.
• 
  
  Scarves! I love scarves, I own lots of the things. I think it has turned into an obsession. Primark has always been my first choice for scarves as they are cheap and last me for quite a while. I have however, drifted from the lovely Primark and ventured to Accessorize again. I think scarves can really brighten up an outfit and Accessorize have so many options to choose from. I think these make a perfect gift because they are practical and can be worn all year round. Definitely a top pick for me, and at around £12 per scarf, I don't think it is a bad deal at all.
• Retro Sweets! I bought something similar for my boyfriend at Christmas a couple of years ago and he really enjoyed them (so did I as I might have had a few as well!). Most people have a sweet tooth and find-me-a-gift.co.uk has a great selection of sweets and chocolates which are a bit different from the norm. These sweets are also excellent value; a 350gram jar of retro sweets is only £4.99 and you really do get a great selection, including drumstick lollies, refresher bars and parma violets (OH I LOVE PARMA VIOLETS).

•  Lush gift sets!Lush really do have some brilliant gift sets this year. I have occasionally bought the odd item from Lush and I have always been thoroughly impressed. These gift sets usually contain around 3 items, including soaps, bath bombs and shower gel and are priced around the £15 mark, which is above average but well worth it, especially for the quality. Plus, these gift sets are all individually wrapped in recycled paper, and they look gorgeous, so why not treat someone to one of them!

• Hair accessories! I love hair accessories, I have boxes full of them and I think that they are a great idea for stocking fillers. New Look have some gorgeous alice bands and I know they have been in and out of fashion for a while now, but I still love them. They can brighten up a really simple outfit and look gorgeous with soft waves or sleek straight hair. I particularly love this Monochrome Heart Print Bow Alice Band for only £2.99! 

I will probably post some more gift ideas after I have had another snoop around!
Let me know what you think! Bye for now, thanks for reading!

48 random questions!

1. What time did you get up this morning?  About quarter past 8. I had set an alarm for quarter past 7, but somehow I managed to turn it off in my sleep. Weird.

2. How do you like your steak?  I prefer steak to be rare/medium rare but I will still eat it if it is cooked more. I just love steak!

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?  Elysium, I think. I'm not usually into sci-fi type movies, but my boyfriend loves them, so I thought I would be nice and give it a go. It was an ok movie, nothing to rave about. It was very predictable, I think that was the main problem.

4. What is your favorite TV show?  I love soaps! Only Coronation Street and Emmerdale though, Eastenders is awful. I also love Big Bang Theory and any kind of comedy show like 8 out of 10 cats or Live at the Apollo.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Somewhere warm. Maybe somewhere in Italy on the coast, or Australia. I want to be able to spend a lot of time outdoors, which isn't always possible/comfortable in sunny old England.

6. What did you have for breakfast? CRUMPETS. I have a slight addiction to them at the moment.

7. What is your favorite food? I have too many favourites. I love winter food, like toad in the hole and lovely big pies. Pies are lovely. Especially steak ones. I also love anything with pasta. Oh and curries. Curries are amazing. I could eat a good curry every day.

8. Foods you dislike? Mushrooms. I have a slight fear of them. Sometimes I just have to look at one and it makes me feel sick. Strange I know. I'm not keen on beans/pulses or sweetcorn either. 

9. Favorite place to eat?  Chimichangas! Or Zizzi. Zizzi does some amazing pasta dishes.

10. Favorite dressing? None.

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? I can’t drive. I think that is a relief to many.

12. What are your favorite clothes?  I like basic clothes, just like vests and skinny jeans. I also like to wear skater dresses with leggings and converse, or ballet pumps. I have a jumper addiction at the moment, what with the cold weather. My favourite is my Primark red and black striped jumper dress. LOVE.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?  Anywhere! I just want to travel. 

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?  I don't really know!

15. Where would you want to retire?  I'm not sure really. I am too young to think about that haha! I don't want to live in a retirement home, I know that. So as long as I am in my own house, I will be happy.

16. Favorite time of day?  Early evening/sunset.

17. Where were you born?  Leicester!

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?  Tennis.

19. What is your favorite fragrance? At the moment it is the Christina Aguilera Eau de Parfum. It has a really sweet scent to it and it can be worn for all occasions. Plus the bottle is absolutely gorgeous. 

20. What is your favorite face cream?  I don't really use one =\

21. Favorite baby/kids products? I don't have a baby!

22. People watcher?  Oh I am terrible for it. I think I am quite nosey. I don't mean to be though!

23. Are you a morning or night person? More of a night person. I am so grumpy in the morning. Give me a cup of tea though and I will be happy =D

24. Do you have any pets? Technically I have 2 cats. They live with my parents, but I only moved out 2 years ago and I still classify them as my cats haha. I love animals, I have always had a pet of some kind ever since I was little. 

25. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share?  Erm.....no. My life is pretty darn boring at the moment. I have heaps of uni work to do, if that classes as exciting?

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher.

27. What is your favorite memory?  I have lots. If I was to be soppy, I would say meeting my boyfriend (awwwwww).  Family holidays always bring back nice memories I guess, and just being a kid and messing about with my brother.

28. Are you a cat or dog person?  I like both but I do lean towards cats :)

29. Are you married?  Nope.

30. Always wear your seat belt?  Yep.

31. Been in a car accident?  Nope.

32. Any pet peeves?  Windy weather. I don't know why, it just really annoys me. Sometimes I will just not want to go out if I know it is windy. I also get annoyed with really loud eaters. My boyfriend is the worst. It basically sounds like he is inhaling his food, which isn't the nicest sound.

33. Favorite pizza toppings?  Seafood. Tuna, prawn and anchovies are lovely on a pizza. I know that a lot of people think seafood on a pizza is just wrong but it tastes so yummy :) I also like chicken and bacon. Or general meaty pizzas.

34. Favorite flower?  Lilies or carnations.

35. Favorite ice cream? Ben and Jerrys Half Baked is probably one of the best things in the world. I also like really good quality vanilla ice cream. 

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Sheddy's in Spalding in Lincolnshire is probably one of the best places to go to get fish and chips. If I want fast food then fish and chips is definitely my favourite. Their chips are amazing and they always give lots of batter bits.

37. How many times did you fail your driver’s test? I haven't tried.

38. From whom did you get your last email? A generic job alert email.

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?  Oh I don't know, there are a few different ones. I love clothes from Fat Face and Joe Browns, so that would be an option. Maybe EMP as well. They sell really nice alternative clothes and some amazing dresses, but I can't afford them :(

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?  I randomly put blonde bits in my hair a few weeks ago. I got bored and I sprayed some John Frieda lightening spray into the ends of my hair and it came out pretty light. I love it, but I do have a tendency of doing weird things to my hair when I am bored.

41. Like your job? I don't have a job, someone hire me? Please :D

42. Broccoli?  It is my favourite vegetable.

43. What was your favorite vacation?   I've had a few really good holidays. I have been going to Turkey for the past 10 years and there have been some really good times. I had a lovely holiday to Fuerteventura last year as well though.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?  My parents.

45. What are you listening to right now?  The tv.

46. What is your favorite color? I love teal, silver and black.

47. How many tattoos do you have?  None, but I would like a few. I just need to be brave. And be able to afford it.

48. Coffee drinker? Sometimes. I prefer tea, but I sometimes get cravings for a nice big cappucino.

Eyeliner review!

Hi guys,

Ok so I wasn't going to do another review for a few days but I thought, because I have some free time, I should do a review about one of my favourite types of makeup: Liquid Eyeliner!

This review looks at 2 types of eyeliner that I own. The first one I will be discussing is L'oreal Paris Super Liner Black Lacquer.

To me, this is one of the best liquid eyeliners I have tried. I have owned it for around 2 months and there is still loads left and I find it to be one of the easiest eyeliners to apply. 

I bought this eyeliner from Superdrug in the UK for £3.99, down from £6.49 which I thought was a pretty good deal. I had previously owned the Collection 2000 Fast Stroke eyeliner but I found that it chipped really easily, so I decided I would try another brand. 

Anyways, this eyeliner is amazing. It glides onto your eyes so easily, and most of the time you will only need to go over it once, depending on the look you are going for. Once applied it doesn't take very long to dry, which is a bonus as previous eyeliners have taken an age and I have ended up smudging my makeup whilst waiting for it to dry. This eyeliner also lasts for hours. It doesn't flake or fade and I don't have to reapply it. The only downside I would have for this eyeliner is the issue of removing it. It can take ages to get it all off, and sometimes I have to use a couple of makeup wipes to ensure it is all removed.

I do think that this eyeliner is well worth a try though, and even for the full price, I would still purchase this product as I feel it is totally worth it.

The next eyeliner I will be reviewing is the Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner. I purchased this eyeliner a few weeks ago from my local Boots store for £2.99 (a fairly reasonable price).

I decided to buy this as I had heard good reviews about felt tip liners, but being cautious I decided on a cheaper product because I didn't want to waste a lot of money on something which wasn't for me. 

Anyway, I tried this product out straight away when I got home and to be honest, I wasn't completely impressed. It claims to be easy to apply but the thicker applicator tip, for me, tends to be harder at creating subtle definition. If you like to wear heaps of eyeliner then this may be for you, but I tend to go for subtle makeup on a day to day basis, so this was a bit much for me. The colour comes out well, and it doesn't seem to fade, even if I have had it on all day. 

Out of the two eyeliners, I always go back to L'oreals eyeliner just because of the quality of the product, but I do still like to use the Extreme eyeliner for occasions that call for a bit more WOW factor on the eyes. 

Let me know if you have tried these products, I'd be interested to know your thoughts!

Cat xoxo

Quick Update!

Hi Guys!

Just to let you know I have sent off an order to Fragrance Direct so I will be receiving some new products very soon which is exciting!

Once I've received them I will test them and then I'll be back on here to let you know what I think!

Bye for now!

Cat xoxo

Colour Pout- Collection 2000

Hi everyone!

So today I went shopping, and I hadn't planned to buy any makeup products but this caught my eye: Colour Pout Lip Stain by Collection 2000.

Now, I am not the biggest lover of lipsticks or glosses so I was dubious when I bought this as to whether I would like it or not, but after a few weeks of deliberating I thought I might as well take a risk and give this lip stain a try. There were 6 shades to choose from and after about half an hour I thought I would be completely different and choose 'Pucker'. This is a really deep pink colour, and I bought it because I don't really have any really bold makeup.

Anyway, after getting home with it, I dashed upstairs and attempted to put the lip stain on. It says on the tube that it is easy to apply, but I really did struggle getting it to apply evenly. It looks like a felt tip pen and you basically have to colour in your lips. I had to go over them about 3 times to ensure the colour application was even, which was slightly frustrating.

(Straight after application)

As you can see, the colour comes out very bright, and it was quite a shock for someone who tends to lean towards muted makeup. I do think the results are very good though and once applied it quickly dries on your lips so even if you have a drink it doesn't leave residue on the glass (I had a drink straight after application); my main issue with lipstick is that it always seems to wipe off very quickly.

I had a look in the mirror around 2 hours after application however and the results weren't brilliant.

(2 hours after application) 

Some colour still remains, but mainly on the outline of my lips. This product claims to last all day, but it barely lasted a couple of hours for me. Luckily I do prefer muted colours and I do feel that the faded pink looks a lot better, however I do expect products to do as they say on the packet.

For £4.99 from Morrisons, I feel that this is an okay product but if I was to buy it again I would go for a lighter colour as this is very bold and wouldn't be a day to day lip colour. 

Have you tried Colour Pout? What did you think?

Cat xoxo

Lee Stafford Products

My first review will be about Lee Stafford hair products. The first product I am going to talk about is Lee Stafford Argan Oil - Nourishing Miracle Oil.

This product claims to create 'soft, shiny hair leaving it feeling superb'; and I completely agree. This product is an actual life saver for my hair. My hair has been so damaged due to repeated dying and bleaching sessions and I needed something that would rescue it before it was too late and I ended up going bald!

Previously I have only tried Lee Stafford's purple shampoo,and I was fairly impressed with it,especially the smell; it is a lovely blend of sweet and fruity scents. So when I found out that Boots were selling Lee Stafford products in a BOGOF deal, I quickly stocked up on some new products.

I was apprehensive the first time I used this product as my hair tends to get greasy very quickly and I thought oil would worsen this however when I first applied it to my hair (I only needed a pea sized pump onto my hand) it felt instantly softer and smoother and my hair actually felt less greasy than it had done previously. I use this product on towel dried hair and I just smooth it onto the ends and lengths as I know that oil near the roots is never a good idea. I then comb it through and blow dry it. Blow drying actually seemed to be much quicker with this product in my hair, it dried in half the time it previously did!

 

I have had this product for about 3 months now and I can see a real difference in the quality of my hair. I still have a few dry patches, but I do use leave in conditioners and deep treatments to try and sort that out. 

The only negative I have with this product is the cost. It is usually priced at about £7.99 and whilst this is reasonable for this type of product it isn't the cheapest and some people may begrudge having to spend this amount on a hair product. I do stress however that if you hair is damaged and fried then this is definitely worth a try.

Rating: 9/10

My next Lee Stafford Product is the Breaking Hair Leave in treatment. This treatment is applied to wet hair and then combed through before drying. The main premise of this product is that it gets rid of split ends and helps to rid hair of drying, breaking strands to make your hair look generally healthier. I have to say, it hasn't really made much of a difference in terms of the amount of damage in my hair, but it does leave your hair with a lovely shine once applied. Again, it is a pretty expensive product and I do begrudge paying a lot of money for a product that doesn't really do as it says on the packet (around £6.99).

Once again, it does have a lovely smell and you don't need to use much (I have had it for a few months and I am not even halfway down the tube).

I would recommend this product for people that want more manageable hair with an extra shine, but if your hair is super damaged I would recommend trying something else.

6/10

That's all for now, leave a comment if you have tried these products before, or disagree with my review!

Welcome!

Hello!

This is my little beauty blog, based on products that I own or have tested. I have a good eye for great deals and I will be very honest with my reviews. I love beauty products and by creating this blog it means I won't bore my boyfriend with makeup talk!

I hope you enjoy my page and feel free to follow, comment or whatever you want to do :)

See you later lovelies,

Cat xoxo