Boots Haul

So payday rolls around and you know that I must go into Boots every payday, I like to justify to myself that I need to go in because there are products that I cannot live without for everyday life... a disgusting amount of money later, I come out with things I definitely didn't need!

Shall we take  a look at what's inside the bag?

Firstly we have 

John Frieda's Go Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner. 

This is my absolute favourite Shampoo and Conditioner. My hair is naturally blonde, but this stuff does work to just lighten it a little because of the citrus tones in the shampoo and conditioner. It smells gorgeous and very citrusy, not really like lemons but perhaps a combination of limes/lemons/oranges just really fresh. I've been buying Go Blonder for a good 2/3 years now. I did go through a stage where I was obsessed with the whole Go Blonder range and bought the Lightening Spray. 

The shampoo and conditioner doesn't contain any peroxide so when I started using the Lightening Spray I didn't read the label and just assumed that it wouldn't have peroxide either (see a naturally blonde moment). I used the spray everyday for like a month and my hair went pretty much white blonde and I bloody loved it! However I started to realise that when my hair was wet I couldn't run my brush though it, I would literally start pulling clumps of hair out, so I read the back of the bottle and of course in tiny writing it said that it contained peroxide. My hair was in terrible condition, I mean it even states on the packaging that you shouldn't use it more than 8 times so I stopped and just had to wait for it to grow out. This was about 2 years ago now, so it's fully out. I've read the label of the Lightening spray recently and it actually states peroxide in much bigger, bolder writing so I can't have been the only person to make this mistake. 

That being said I still love the Go Blonder shampoo and conditioner, I can really notice when I don't use it for a while, my hair just kinda looks dull.

Moving onto another hair product

Lee Stafford Big Fat Hair Shampoo and Conditioner 

So I know what you're thinking, I've just bought my fabulous Go Blonder shampoo which I am clearly so in love with why buy more shampoo and conditioner? I'm fully aware that sometimes if you don't change your shampoo it's not good for your hair and the shampoo looses it's effect on you. So this month I decided to try Big Fat Hair out purely because of the name, who doesn't want Big Fat Hair? I'm going to have to report back to you on this one because I want to make sure I give it a good go before letting you know my thoughts. I've only used it once for far and I just want to say it smells bloody flippin' gorgeous. 

One teeny tiny pet peeve about this product is the paragraph of writing under the barcode it has capital letters halfway through words and all over the place, it kinda makes my eye twitch a little. It reads "BooSTs HAiR's BoDy and teXture, enhancing glOss and SHiNE..." I mean...that just stresses me out... but that's my little OCD side coming out. 

Moving on to yet another hair product (are you sensing a theme?)

Batiste Dry Shampoo

To be honest, there's not much more I need to say about this product kinda does what it says on the tin. It works well in my hair, it can spray out a little too white, however being blonde it doesn't look too bad once I rub it in a bit. I tend to always go for this brand as it actually works well and I love this scent because it is very floral it just freshens everything up. 

And finally...

Real Techniques Make Up Brushes

I MUST NOT BUY ANY MORE MAKE UP BRUSHES! 

I MUST NOT BUY ANY MORE MAKE UP BRUSHES! 

I MUST NOT BUY ANY MORE MAKE UP BRUSHES!

It's becoming ridiculous and the entire reason I bought this pack was because I wanted the one contouring brush...I didn't even need the others. I mean the countouring one is literally perfect and works much better than my last one because of it's size, however I'm also really loving the powder brush as well blends out the powder really well. What's not to love about the Real Techniques brushes they are just great. The other two brushes I'm probably never really going to use, especially the Flat Pointed brush, I wouldn't even know what I can apply with that as I find any flat foundation brushes are just awful because they paint the foundation on the skin. 

So there we have it, my Boots Haul. 

What have you bought from Boots recently? 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint | Review

I've discovered a new product that I absolutely love and it's Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint. 

As usual I was wandering around Boots near where I work and found myself at the Rimmel stand. I wasn't really looking to buy anything but I had watched a couple of vlogs (Lily Pebbles and Viviannadoesmakeup, of course) and they had mentioned about these Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow  Paints. I was interested to see what it was about these paints that were different. 

There were only a few shades, about 5 and but I picked two.

The two colours I opted for were 006 Rich Russet which has been widely recommended by the two vlogging superstars but I also picked up 005 Golden Bronze. I kinda really liked the Golden Bronze as well and thought it could look really nice on if I had a bit of a tan or if I was on holiday. I think that golden tones work really well with my green eyes. 

To start with they are in a tube that looks like lipgloss and the applicator wasn't far off.

006 Rich Russet

005 Golden Bronze

The tube is going to get quite messy, there is a fair amount of suction with the product so if you're a little OCD with your beauty products then this may cause a little stress. 

When I was swatching these in the store I got in a right mess. They go on exactly like paint, I then smudged it out over my hand to see how well they blend after doing this I thought great, I'll rub a little harder just to get it off my hand. Oh how I was wrong. The stuff has a fantastic ability to stay put. I was getting shimmer everywhere and the entire back of my hand was covered. 

I've done a little swatch for you but this one is far less messy. 

Wonderfully pigmented aren't they, however what this doesn't show you is what the look like with a little smudge and blend. 

I find you have to work quick with this product, when you put it on your eyelid, get your brush and start blending straight away, because this stuff dries pretty quick so it's just easier when it's slightly wet still. 

I haven't worn Golden Bronze yet however I have worn Rich Russet on numerous ocassions and it's easily become a firm fave. Not only is it a gorgeous colour to wear but it's just to easy, it doesn't take every long to put on and it lasts bloody ages. This claims to be crease proof, however it is not. Though I am starting to wonder whether I just have massively creased eyes? Who knows? Though to be honest it isn't really that bad, yes it goes into my eye creases, not any worse than any other product. 

As I bought two Boots had a special offer - Buy one and get the second half price on selected Rimmel products. They're only £4.99 anyway so I definitely think they are worth trying out. 

Have you tried the Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint yet? What colour are you loving?

Slowly drifting...to Norfolk

What a beautiful weekend, bright sunny and breezy. 

I've found that recently I've needed a break more and more. I haven't really booked any time off in the past 8 months since joining my job, part of this is because the year is going too damned quick, another part if because i'm just a bit of a workaholic so I haven't even thought about it. 

After feeling pretty stressed recently my dad suggested that we go to the boat, just for a couple of days and I tell you what, I really needed it. My parents own a boat on the Norfolk Broads and it's just so lovely to go there and relax. It's about a 2 hour drive from our house, but it's definitely worth it. 

Norfolk has a completely different vibe, very relaxed there's no rush which is a little refreshing considering I'm used to the hustle and bustle of London. It was nice to just chill out by the river just watching the world go by and I literally had the best weather for it. Though I may have got slightly burnt, lots of coconut oil on me tonight!

I managed to take a couple of pictures a couple from my garden and a couple on the boat...

This is our pooch Alf.

So there's a little snapshot of my weekend, how was yours?

What did you get up to?

Essie Nail Polish

I've only just tried Essie nail polishes and I'm in love!

Now that my nails are all lovely and natural, I have been painting them weekly. Most of the damage from the acrylics have grown out now so they are a good length. I'm quite lucky because my nails beds are actually pretty long anyway so even if my nails are short with a bit of polish they actually look longer. 

I was in my local Boots, bearing in mind I'm supposed to be on a spending ban I shouldn't have set foot in there, but it was like a magnet to me and I went straight to the gorgeously bright Essie stand. 

I was drawn to the most gorgeous shade of lilac called Go Ginza. I love it, I've got a real thing for pastel shades.

Since I've started painting my nails I've come to realise I really need a good base and top coat but never really knew which ones to go for. In the past I always pick up a top coat but they turn out to be rubbish and within minutes my nails are chipped. 

After I picked up Go Ginza I just spotted this cute little duo...

This was exactly what I was looking for, then I blinked and I was at the till paying for them. 

This is my first experience with Essie nail polishes and I'm genuinely in love. Now I understand why everyone raves about this brand. My nails have lasted 4 days without any chips and I have one tiny chip but isn't even noticeable. They almost remind me of a gel manicure, they look so glossy and smooth. 

I know as soon as pay day comes around I'm going to be buying many, many more shades. 

What's your favourite Essie nail polish? 

Smashbox Photo Op - Eyeshadow Trio | Review

My lovely friend gave me the Smashbox Photo Op - Eyeshadow Trio in Aperture because she never really uses eyeshadow and she knows I'm trying to broaden my whole make up spectrum. 

The three shades that come in this trio are Alabaster, Sky and Truffle. To be honest I think that all of these shades are pretty safe and easy to wear 

They showed up fairly well on my arm, kinda matte. I think the really cute thing about this trio is that it comes with a couple of instructions on where to place which shade. Which is a little handy for a newbie like myself.

I really liked all three shades but I didn't know how well they would work together. 

I will admit I was a little disappointed when I applied the Smashbox Photo Op Trio to my eyes. The colours are actually pretty pale and I've got quite pale skin anyway so it didn't really stand out at all. I think this trio would look stunning on dark skin. So as a complete look, it just didn't work for me, pretty lack lustre.

However if I break down each individual shade I quite like them. 

Alabaster is a pretty standard nice base colour for any eyeshadow really so I'm definitely going to be using that one. 

I actually really love Sky, it's got a subtle shimmer that just lightens everything up, it's one I would probably reach for if I was looking for a very subtle everyday look. 

Truffle is fab for a bit of eye contouring, a very matte shade that would just work well over the top of my other shades. 

So I definitely think I will use them, just not all together! 

Have you tried any of the Smashbox Photo Op trios?