Review - Nourish Protect Smoothing Hand Lotion

Review - Nourish Protect Smoothing Hand Lotion

Hello!

Since starting my placement my hands have become really dry due to working outside a lot and getting my hands dirty! I've been using tonnes of different hand creams and it's given me a chance to really test out all the hand creams I own and see what magic they can work.

Nourish isn't a brand I had ever heard of or used before receiving their hand cream in my North Meet Up goodie bag a couple of months ago. I really love trying out new brands so was really happy to receive this product and test it out! The product comes in a 100ml pump bottle which is lovely. The pump makes it easy to apply and I use 2 or 3 pumps per application. One of the things I love about this product is how far it goes, meaning you don't need a huge amount and it will last you quite a while.

Nourish Protect Smoothing Hand Lotion - £12.95*

I'm not going to lie, the scent is a little odd and not quite to my liking. It states that it's orange and mandarin, however I think it smells more like those horrible white stringy bits that you pull off the orange segments, so isn't quite as fresh and fruity as it sounds. It isn't horribly unpleasant though and it hasn't put me off using it.

The cream itself soaks in super, super quick! I do get a little put off hand creams because of the greasey and sometimes sticky residue but this doesn't have that effect at all. Yay!

This is a lovely hand cream and great for everyday use but if you've got particularly dry hands I would go for something a little stronger and I find this quite mild. It has made me really intrigued about the brand and I would love to try more products by them, particularly skincare.

Avene Skin Diagnosis

Avene Skin Diagnosis

Hello!

I've recently become really interested with the Avene brand. After trying their Thermal Water Spray I wanted to see what other products they do and ventured on to their website. For those of you who haven't come across Avene before, they're a french skin care brand that specialise in dry and sensitive skin as well as all the problems that my come along with this such as blemishes/ache, redness, pigmentation and hyper sensitivity. If you have dry skin and struggle finding suitable skin care I really recommend looking at this brand, I've tried a few of their products now and really love them!

The Avene website offers a 'Skin Diagnosis' which helps to match your skin products with the products that are most suited to it. I think it's a really great tool if you're new to the Avene brand and not sure which products to start with. It's really quick and easy to do...just a few tick box questions about your skin and you're done! It then matches you up with a skin care routine including a few of their products. 

The Avene skin diagnosis can be found here.

Another great thing about the Avene skin diagnosis is that a couple of weeks after completing it a couple of cute little samples arrive in the post (free, of course!). I received a little sample of the cleanser and anti redness cream. I think it's a lovely little way of being introduced to a new brand and allows you to test out the products before you buy them which I always love!

Review - The Pound Shop Argan Oil!

Review - The Pound Shop Argan Oil!

Hello!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is a sucker for a bargain! I love going in to pound shops and 99p shops to see what products they have on their shelves. It's always great when we spot our favourite brands on the shelves of these shops!

I recently nipped to Poundworld after hearing that people had spotted Sleek makeup on their shelves. Unfortunately I was left slightly dissapointed as the shop I went to only had a couple of lipsticks left :( but they did have a HUGE stack of mascaras, so obviously I picked up a couple of those! I then went to the hair care section and spotted they had Argan Oil on the shelves for just £1! I was a little put back as first as it doesn't seem to be branded in any way, but for just £1 I though it was worth a try!

It comes in a lovely little 30ml bottle which I think is standard for hair oils. It also came boxed which made it seem a bit posher than something I'd just picked up from the pound shop. I would just like to say that I have never tried Argan Oil (or any type of hair oil) before this so have literally nothing to compare it to. It has a mild scent, which just smells a bit like the hairdressers or standard hair care products. 30ml doesn't seem like a lot but with this product a little goes a long way! It says to use 4-5 drops for long hair, which I've found to be just right. I've been applying it to towel dried hair and then styling my hair as normal. I was a little worried that it would make my hair look greasy or be too heavy for my hair but it's not like that as all. After drying you wouldn't know that I've applied 'oil' to my hair, it just feels lovely, soft and shiney. I would say that unfortunately the results from this product only last a day or two and after that my hair doesn't feel as soft but for a £1 product, I can't complain!

Collective Beauty Haul

Collective Beauty Haul

Hello!

Wow, it's being a while since I wrote a post but it feels good getting back to it again! Over the past 6 weeks or so I've been doing my uni work placement. I choose to go to an animal sanctuary and absolutely loved it! However, working 9-5:30 and being pretty much non stop (apart from tea and lunch breaks) took it out of me and I didn't really have the time or energy to blog. I'm happy to say that I am going back to my placement a couple of days a week as a voluntary worker, but I'll still have loads of time to blog!

So, 10 days ago it was my 21st and I got given a far about of money. I haven't decided what to do with the bulk of my money yet (I'm torn between a tablet and new lens!) but I've spent a little bit of it on beauty products I've been after and needed. It felt nice going shopping and not having to worry if I'll still have enough money for food! Perks of being a student, hey!?

 I've been after trying some of FashionistA's products for a while and the bronzers, blushers and merged eye shadows look so pretty! I went for the 6 well palette and got two of each product. It cost £10 which is absolutely amazing!

 I haven't had a real shop in LUSH for ages so I thought birthday money spending was the perfect opportunity. I got the Oatifix mask (£5.95), my favourite bath bomb - space girl (£2.10) and the FUN bar which is amazing (£5).

 When I was going in to boot I didn't actually have these on my list but grabbed them as soon as I saw them. They're amazing however they're also my only RT brushes to have shed! It's only the powder brush and about 3 hairs but I was slightly disappointed. I think this set is around £24.

 Avene is a brand I'm falling in love with. I want to start trying more of there products so I got this toner which was around £11. The thermal spray is a product I recommend if you have dry, sensitive skin and is also amazing if you like a dewy look to your makeup (£7ish). I'd ran out of eye cream so grabbed this and I'm really liking it so far (£8.99).

 Lastly I got my first MAC lipstick. I was after a colour similar to my favourite Bourjois lipstick that they no longer sell. The woman on the counter (Trafford Selfridges) was lovely! She helped me pick the shade based on the colour I brought with me, complemented my makeup and applied the shade so I could see what it looked like one. The shade I chose is On Hold and I'm hoping to go back soon to pick up Fanfare.

Review - Viviscal Hair Filler Fibres

Review - Viviscal Hair Filler Fibres

Hello!

Although I have reallyyyy long hair, my spread of hair is actually quite thin. I'm lucky that my individual hairs are actually really thick (unfortunately I know this because we had to measure the thickness during a lecture that included being taught how to measure things on the microscope, haha) so heat doesn't damage it easier, but the thinness in the spread of hair can cause issues with volume, so I avoid straightening it.

Beautystat.com kindly offered me the chance to review Viviscal Hair Filler Fibres. This is a product designed to give the hair a fuller, thicker appearance with more volume and prevent it looking thinker. The fibres are really small and said to be 'electrostatically' charged, which makes them stick to the hair and give a fuller appearance. It is designed for both men and woman, and I really like that the packaging reflects this, so it doesn't lean more towards one sex. The product is available in a range of hair colours including dark brown/black, auburn, light brown, blonde and grey which means there is a colour to suit everyone. This also stops the product being noticeable in the hair and makes it easily blend-able.

Visiscal Hair Filler Fibres - $24.99*

As I have dark brown hair I went for the dark brown/black product. It was a really great match for my hair colour and once applied the product was not at all noticeable, just the effects of it. It comes in a little 'shakey' pot which makes it really easy to distribute over the hair. I did however find that you need to be gentle, otherwise too much product does come out. Once distributed over the problem areas you have to gentle rub the hair to blend the product further. It blended in with the hair and I did see a noticeable difference. My hair looked fuller at the roots. I also used it on my problem area, around my hair line where my hairs are thinner and lighter, and it really helped here too. Overall the product worked really well however I would suggest it's applied before makeup as it did spread a little on to my forehead and stuck to my foundation.

The product comes in a 15g pot, which doesn't sound a lot, but it's because the product is so light and fine. It's said to last approximately a month, although I would only use it when I straighten my hair so it would last me a lot longer. 

Review - MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation

Review - MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation

Hello!

However much I love drugstore makeup I've come to terms with the fact that drugstore foundations just don't cut it when it comes to my skin type. When I purchase a foundation I want one that will stay all day, has full coverage and is suitable for my dry/sensitive skin. I've tried a few drugstore foundations but unfortunately I've always been let down by them in one way or another. Don't get me wrong, I love wearing my Bourjois Healthy Mix or Revlon Colorstay when my skin is behaving or I'm nipping out, but a lot of the time I want something with far more coverage.

So because of this I started looking into high end foundations. The first I came across was Estee Lauder Double Wear (Review here), which is amazing but I needed something more suited to my dry skin during cold, windy days. Mac's Studio Sculpt is said to be a full coverage foundation which is suitable for dry skin, so I went and got a sample. I would love to thank the lovely staff member at the Mac Selfridges counter at the Trafford Centre who colour matched me so quickly and perfectly! After a few days of using the foundation I was in love! Possible holy grail status?!

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation - £24

I was colour matched to NW15 which was absolutely perfect. The sample pot was sooo tiny but the amount I need to cover my face is so little that I actually was using the sample for over a week before I needed to purchase the foundation! The foundation is gel based and quite thick which I really like. It glides on so smoothly with the use of my Real Techniques Buffing Brush. It doesn't look cakey at all and builds up really nicely in any places that need it. One thing that first worried me about this foundation is the possibility of it feeling heavy because of the thickness and full coverage but this isn't the case at all. It feels light weight on my skin and doesn't at all make my skin feel 'clogged up'. The foundation also contains SPF 15 which helps to protect your skin from sun damage, as well as being waterproof which helps it stay in place and not fade in the rain. 

Overall I love, love, love this foundation! The coverage is amazing and exactly what I want. It doesn't cling to my dry patches and still looks intact at the end of the day. At £24 it is one of the most expensive Mac foundations but it does come in a 40ml tube and a little goes a really long way!

Review - Pulp Friction

Review - Pulp Friction

Hello!

So today I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite Soap & Glory products, Pulp Friction! I first tried this a couple of years ago in a Soap & Glory set I received as a gift. I love everything about it; The scent, the texture, the consistency and not to mention, it works wonders!

 Get fresher, smoother and softer skin with fig powder, pumice, peppermint oil, lemonade tree liquid, orange waterjuice™ and vitaminballs™ (A,C,E). Scented with our new Fruitigo™ fragrance - Soap & Glory 

 Pulp Friction is a foaming body scrub, which I actually prefer to standard body scrubs. I've found that it feels nicer on the skins and works slightly better, being a little less harsh. It leaves my skin really lovely and soft, and I must say it works better than other body scrubs I have used in the past.

The consistency of the product is a little thinner than you would expect from a scrub, but it works well. I've found that a little goes a really long way, so it's very long lasting. It normally takes me around 6 months to get through I tube. The foamy part of it is really lovely, it feels very luxurious and soft on the skin. The scent, as will all Soap & Glory products, is lovely. It's fruity, fresh and girly. It leaves your skin smelling and feeling pampered.

I absolutely adore this product! I'm currently on my second tube and will no doubt be repurchasing once it's finished. If you're looking to try a scrub from Soap & Glory I would really recommend it. It's currently retailing for £8 which is a great price considering it's so long lasting.