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Monday 30 September 2013

Steam Cream Review

Today I'm going to do a product review on the Steam Cream moisturiser. If you haven't heard of this before you can type it into Google and a whole host of information will pop up, but basically it is a cream that is fused together with steam to give extra hydration. It's also a multi-purpose cream that you can use on the face, hands and body. 
The other good thing about it is you can choose from a range of different designed tins, I love anything like this. I've had a few different patterned tins and then I keep them for ear rings afterward.


But on to the product inside; the cream itself contains essential oils and lovely yummy scents *I'll put the ingredients at the bottom*, these make the cream smell so so nice. There's certain products I buy for the scents (ahem Lush's American Cream conditioner) and this one of them. I do like the actual product too, it's very moisturising and hydrates my skin. Even though I have oily skin I don't find this causes any problems, I use it of a night just in case and NOT in the morning before I apply makeup. 

You can buy this from a few retail stores like John Lewis, but I got mine off Amazon.

What's your favourite night time moisturiser?

Thanks for reading!
Michelle xx

*Ingredients*
Oatmeal Infusion (Avena sativa), Orange Flower Water (Citrus Aurantium amara), Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria chamomilla), Orange Flower Absolute (Citrus Aurantium dulcis), Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena), Neroli Oil (Citrus Aurantium amara), Cetyl Stearyl Alcohol, *Coumarin, *Geraniol, *Citronellol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben. *Occurs naturally in essential oils.

Sunday 29 September 2013

Boots Shopping Haul

These are just some of my recent purchases from a local Boots...



The main thing I went into Boots for was the Maybelline's Colour Tattoo eyeshadow in Metallic Pomegranate (which is swatched below) but I ended up buying more than I should have, it's always the way ;)



How amazing is this colour for Autumn. It's almost like a cranberry colour with gold sparkles in. I haven't worn it yet, so can't give an opinion on what it looks like on the eyes, but from the swatch below I think it will look gorgeous.


The next thing I bought was a Natural Collection lipstick in Cherry Red. I also thought this would be a lovely colour for the upcoming season, and with a price of £1.99 it would be wrong not to get it :). My Boots also had an offer of buy one get one half price! I've swatched the colour on my lips below as I always like to see lipsticks on the lips, rather than on a hand. 



When I was there I also got two nail polishes. These are by a brand called Sinful Colours which I haven't heard of before, but they had a really good selection of colours. These are the ones I liked, I think they were only £1.99 each.

L-R: Dancing Nails & 24/7

I also picked up a face mask as I had used up the one I usually use from Lush (the fresh face masks if you were wondering). So I got an anti-blemish mask for oily and spot prone skin by the brand Quick Fix Facials. I do have quite oily skin with the occasional breakout so I though this would be a good one to use. It contains dead sea mud, salicylic acid and tea tree oil. So it is a good mask for spot prone skin. I can't remember how much this was, I think around the £5 mark. 

I also got Collection's (formerly known as Collection 2000) Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer because mine had ran out. I will be doing a whole blogpost on this concealer soon so I won't go into much detail with it. In Boots this retails for £4.19.

I got a lip balm type thing, well actually it's more of a cream, well it is a cream. It's the Blistex Relief Cream; I use this every morning and night because I suffer quite badly with chapped cracked lips and this helps with that. Not that interesting of a product but it's good stuff.

Last thing I got was a powder which is Seventeen's Miracle Matte Loose Powder. This is a really good powder for oily skin like mine. It's oil free and it says it has shine control. I prefer this loose powder to pressed powders as I feel I can apply a bit more to my oily t-zone and this powder is better than others I have tried. This was £5.49 and the pressed formula retails a bit cheaper at £3.99.



Hope you enjoyed my Boots shopping haul. Let me know if you have tried any of the products and what you thought of them.

Thanks for reading!
Michelle xx

Saturday 28 September 2013

Filling an empty space

If you've got a en empty space on a shelf or a dining table that needs something extra, try this quick inexpensive decor idea. 


1. Get a vase (round like mine or whatever you have to hand). I got my bowl vase from Ikea for about £7. Get some artificial flowers, you can usually pick these up at a homeware store. Mine are also from Ikea and I think they were £1 each (I got 3). Choose any colour to match the rest of your room, I got purples and whites for my lilac bedroom. 

2. Bend the flowers slightly so they are easier to fit in the vase.

3. Pop them in the vase and arrange them as you like.


Hope you liked this quick and cheap idea for decoration. Leave a comment with any tips you have for filling an empty space :).

Thanks for reading!
Michelle xx

Friday 27 September 2013

Mini Mini Lush Haul


I love Lush as a whole; both for their company beliefs and their products. Sometimes I just go in for the smell! On with the post before I ramble too much… I took a little trip to lush just to pick up a few things. I thought I would share with you what I got :)

L-R American Cream Conditioner, Figs & Leaves, Jumping Juniper

Jumping Juniper Shampoo Bar (retails at £5.50)

Scent: I'd describe this smell as being quite lemony (if that's a word), but its not an overpowering smell which is good. 

How I use it: I've used this shampoo bar before and I really enjoyed using it. I just rub the bar all over my hair and rinse, I do this twice because of habit, and then condition. It might seem a bit strange at first to rub, what feels like a soap bar on your head, but I actually prefer it compared to liquid shampoos. Just a note though I left mine in a plastic container, a bit of water was also in the bottom of the container which ended up melting the shampoo bar. Please don't do what I did :(

Pros: Lathers well, lovely non offensive lemon scent.

Cons: The scent doesn't last long on your hair, it is also a bit awkward to store as it will melt if left in the wrong place.


American Cream Conditioner 250g (retails at £8.95)

Scent: Lush describes the scent as strawberry vanilla milkshake and it really does smell like this. I just love love love this scent. I buy this conditioner just for the smell, as a conditioner I don't particularly like it but i repurchase this time and time again because of the scent. If you haven't smelt this yet, just go to your nearest lush and smell it!

How I use it: After shampooing I put this conditioner on and leave it for about 5 minutes before rinsing. I don't particularly like the consistency of this though, I feel it's a bit too watery so my bottle always gets used quickly because I put so much on. I also add a bit of another condition (one a bit more moisturising and with a thicker consistency) because American Cream isn't a very good detangler and combing my hair after washing is just so darn painful :(.

Pros: The smell is just heavenly

Cons: Watery consistency, doesn't detangle my hair, I have to use a lot of product.

Figs and Leaves Soap (100g retails at £3.40)

Scent: To me this smells a bit of coconut, which I like. I think it's coconut (I'm really bad at describing scents).
I haven't used this yet but you would use it just the same as any soap. Rub on skin and rinse :P 
Lush say that this is a good soap for exfoliating which is the reason I got it, so hopefully it does just that. They also say it's gentle enough for using it on your face, which makes it a good multipurpose product.



Comment below on your favourite Lush products :)


   As always, thanks for reading!
        Michelle xx

Thursday 26 September 2013

Smellalicious Candles

A few months ago I found a website (that's based in the UK) that sells amazing smelling candles. They do a range of different candles including ones with a wooden wick (so they crackle when they burn). 

I have two, but planning on buying more wintery scents very soon. I have the regular 8oz jar in ground cinnamon and a 'cracklewick' one in cocoa butter, which smells like Bailey's ;). 



Go and check them out for yourselves at The Scented Jam Jar Company

What are your favourite brand of candles?

Thanks for reading
Michelle xx


Wednesday 25 September 2013

My Winter/Autumn Essentials

I have put together some items which I think are going to cheer up anybody who is feeling a bit gloomy (see what I did there ;)) about the upcoming Winter/Autumn months. 


Scarfs:

Scarfs are a must for English Winters, I really like them to be in rich colours like this emerald one. Available from Promod.



Knitted jumpers:

I just love Winter time so I can pull out my chunky knits. They keep me so warm and cosy, I just love them! This one from H&M is great as it is a nice neutral colour that will go 
with most things. 









Mauve coloured Nails:

Easy to wear colour which can be worn on its own or layer some glitter over the top. Such a versatile nail colour and I just love it. This one is from Barry M and is in the shade np341.


Bold jewellery:

Pretty much all year round I like to wear statement pieces of jewellery, but in the winter with a scarf and a chunky knit I just think they look so much better. This gold necklace is from New Look and could be worn day or night in Winter or Summer.  


A bit of glitter:

I enjoy wearing more of a bronze smokey eye when the dark nights hit but just to brighten up the eye a bit of glitter can never do any harm ;). I like Collection 2000's glitter eyeliners, my favourite has to be the golden bronze colour. 


Please leave a comment and tell me your favourite Autumn/Winter essentials.

    Thanks for reading!
         Michelle xx

Monday 23 September 2013

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush


There are many brushes to choose from in Samantha Chapman's Real Techniques range, however I only have one :( … but it is a good one at that.

 I have the Expert Face Brush, which is described on the love-makeup website as being "firm and perfectly shaped for buffing liquid and cream foundations into the skin for a natural but flawless finish". I do agree with this as the brush is shaped and designed very well to give that air brushed look.


I personally use this brush with a Revlon liquid foundation (go and check out my Revlon Colourstay Foundation review). This brush allows me to get a flawless finish in under a minute so is perfect for a quick make up routine. However, my favourite use for this brush is for concealing blemishes. This truly is a perfect brush for this; I usually dab on concealer to any imperfections and then gently buff the concealer in circular motions. This technique is so quick and simple, it's pretty much a fool proof way of vanishing that spot that has reared its ugly head!


Overall, this is my favourite brush I have ever owned (and probably will ever own), I do not know how I survived without it. Another bonus is that you can pick it up for less than a tenner, happy days :)


Thanks for reading!

     Michelle xx

Sunday 22 September 2013

Loreal Skin Perfection Range


I would just like to say after a good (a lot) of months off without blogging, I will be returning with more blog posts when I get the chance to write them (hopefully more than I have done previous!)

So, as the title says, todays post will be reviewing Loreal's  new 'Skin Perfection' range.

L-R Cleansing & Perfecting Milk, 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution, Advanced Correcting serum

3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution:


This product is used to dissolve makeup, unclog pores and tone the skin. I personally use this first in my skincare routine; I use a cotton pad with some of the liquid on and then take most of my makeup off with this (even mascara!) This works really well to give a nice first cleanse to the skin.


Cleansing & Perfecting Milk:


This cleanser removes makeup revealing hydrated and silky smooth skin (Loreal's words). This is a really nice cleanser and it does what it says on the tin and removes all of my makeup. It's a tad bit watery, which is something I'm not used to having used Liz Earle's cleanser for so long, but the consistency doesn't take long to adjust to. I use this with a cleansing brush too to really exfoliate and remove makeup and dead skin cells. 


Advanced Correcting Serum:


This is by far my favourite of the collection! It is designed to refine skin texture, tighten pores and even out the skin tone. I have been using this serum for about a week and I can already see a huge improvement in my skin tone, the once red acne scares are practically disappearing before my eyes. So if scarring is something you suffer with definitely give this a go! I am certain this serum is going to keep improving my skin tone an texture and before I know it I'll be able to go out without any makeup! - (well, maybe not).


Loreal also have a moisturiser, eye cream, BB cream and primer (which I also own - good primer, but nothing to shout about) in the Skin Perfection collection. 

Overall, the products I have are great, they haven't broke me out and have cleared my skin in just a week! I am amazed by these products. 10 out of 10!

        Thanks for reading!
         Michelle xx