Review: Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner

*Buy shampoo here* | *Buy conditioner here*

I've just finished this shampoo and conditioner up and thought I would take the opportunity to review them! As some of you may have read in previous posts, my hair has been so dry recently that I've been  buying every hair care product in sight! They are from the "Hello Hydration" range that Herbal Essences have brought out and they are designed for people with dry/damaged hair (Me!!!). Both products contain Hawaiian coconut and orchid extracts.

Can I first off start by saying I love this shampoo and conditioner! I've used them both up which shows how much I like them, I normally get half way through, get bored and try a new product. The bottle claims to make hair feel "up to 100% softer in 1 wash" which I don't necessarily think is true but my hair truly does feel a lot softer than before I started using them. 

Both products have a coconut scent to them, which just reminds me of Malibu and the beach and summer! It's so nice and the smell lingers on your hair after which I absolutely love. The shampoo makes my hair feel thoroughly cleansed and the conditioner is really thick and makes my hair feel silky and soft even after just 2 minutes!

I would give this set of shampoo and conditioner a 10/10! I will be repurchasing these at the next opportunity again as they have become an important part in my hair routine!

Have you tried this shampoo and conditioner? What's your favourite brand of haircare products?

What's in my makeup bag? (Day 11, 30 Day Blog Challenge)

(Another apology- not only has my camera broke, the internet has been ridiculously slow for the past few days so I've not had chance to upload this post! Sorry!)

I've been wanting to do this post for a while and then it came up as a question on the 30 day blog challenge so here it is! :) Do you not just love my make up bag?! I think it's the cutest thing. I got it in the Claires sale for about £6 in the middle of last year. This is just my everyday makeup bag, with the products I use the most. One day I might do a post featuring my whole makeup collection!

1) Topshop Cheek Duo: I bought this blush and bronzer duo from Topshop last year and I absolutely love it! I got it in the shade Desert Sun which is a gorgeous bright pink and gold colour. The two shades look amazing when blended on the cheeks. I sometimes also use it as an all over bronzer too.

2) Topshop Highlighter: I also got this highlighter from Topshop. I got it in  Sunbeam which is a shimmery gold colour and it's the best highlighter I've ever used. I love how it looks on my face and it stays on all day. I'm always getting compliments on it.

3) Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation: This has been my go to foundation since it was launched. I've got it in shade 201 Classic Beige but I think next time I repurchase I will buy the lighter shade as this one is just a little dark for me. 

4) Essence My Base Illuminating Make-Up Base: This primer is amazing value for the money. I've worn it everyday recently, even if I've not been wearing foundation. It gives my skin a healthy glow and really helps to keep my makeup in place. 

5) Eco Tools Foundation Brush: I've been using this foundation brush for so long now and I love it! The brush itself is so soft and even after hundreds of washes it still feels brand new. I use it nearly everyday to apply my liquid foundation and it's really good at blending it into the skin.

6) Essence Stay All Day Concealer: I've only recently bought this as I ran out of my usual holy grail Collection concealer and they don't sell it in Australia (boo hoo!) I bought it in shade 10 Natural Beige which is the perfect colour for me. I use it under my eyes and on any breakouts.

7) Rimmel Scandal Eyes Mascara: This is the most used mascara in my collection. I got this in shade 001 Black but if I was going to repurchase I would buy it in extreme black. I love how thick this mascara makes my eyelashes look.

8) Rimmel Volume Flash X10 Mascara: I always use at least 2 mascaras daily. I call this my 'base' mascara. I use this before my Scandel Eyes. I've got this in Extreme Black.

9) Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick: This is one of my favourite lipsticks of all time and I wear it nearly everyday. It goes with every makeup look and the matte finish really suits my skin tone. I bought this in shade 101 (wish they had pretty names!).

10) Elf Eyebrow Colour and Brush: This is my favourite makeup thing I own! I love it so much. I use the darker cream colour with the eyebrow pencil then lightly dust the lighter coloured powder over to set my eyebrows. They haven't had this in stock on their website for ages and I will be heartbroken if they don't bring it back soon!!

11) Elf Bronzing Brush: I use this brush with my bronzer (durrr!). For £1.50 there is nothing bad I can say about it! It's angled so makes applying bronzer easier and even though it's cheap, when washed it still feels soft and doesn't loose a lot of bristles.

12) Natural Collection Pencil Eye Liner: This is one of the best waterline eyeliners I've used. It's a toss up between this and the Rimmel one. It's so pigmented and last's for ages which is great because it's so cheap! I've got it in the colour black.

13) Elf Bronzer: I've got this bronzer in the palette warm and it's the perfect colour for my skin. It comes in 4 different slightly glittery shades which you can use on their own or blend together which is what I usually do. 

14) Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner: I've got this eyeliner in black and I love it! It's such good value for money. The applicator makes it easy to apply thin strokes and it lasts all day with fading or creasing!

15) Eco Tools Blush Brushes: I use the small rounded brush for my blusher and the larger brush for my highlighter. These are really good brushes but I think I will get a normal blush and highlighter brush next time rather than using these.

Have you used any of the products in my makeup bag? Would you like to see any proper reviews of any of these products? Let me know in the comments :D xxx

My march favourites!

I am in a state of shock that we are already in april. We're now a third of the way through 2013 which seems unreal, it doesn't seem that long ago since I was celebrating christmas! Through March there were a number of products I was loving and I wanted to share them with you :)

Elf Brush Shampoo: After cleaning my brushes with baby shampoo for as long as I can remember I recently invested in this brush shampoo. It manages to get all the makeup out of the brushes and leaves them soft and smelling fresh. The £3.75 price tag is also a bonus! I will 100% be repurchasing when it runs out.

Cherry Carmex: As I spend so much of my time in the sun these days my lips are constantly dry. I've tried so many different lipbalms over the past few months but most go sticky or just drip off in the heat (not attractive! haha). Carmex is one of the only ones I've used that has fully moisturised my lips and stayed put for longer than 5 minutes! It's always been a staple in my makeup bag but I couldn't live without it recently! The smell is also perfect for summer. Cheap and cheerful :-)

Pantene Pro V Night Miracle Essence: After months of over straightening and over bleaching my hair has recently cried out a massive NO and basically died. I ended up looking like a scarecrow- dry and strawlike. This product has been my saviour. I put it on damp hair just before bed about 2/3 times a week and when I wake up my hair is so soft and smells gorgeous!

Natures Care Paw Paw Balm: This stuff is amazing! It's the texture of vaseline but can be used for hands, lips and sunburn. I love the smell of it- reminds me of cocktails and summer. It was only around $4 here in Australia but I can only find it online for quite a bit more so I won't be repurchasing when I get back in England.

Essence I love Extreme Volume mascara: This is my favourite product out of them all this month. This mascara is one of the best I've ever tried! It makes lashes look darker, longer and thicker and it is insanely cheap. I would recommend this to anyone! Going to have to stock up before I go home as I'm not sure if Essene is sold in the UK. 

Have you ever tried any of these products? What were your march favourites? Leave me a link to your post in the commnents :)

30 day blog challenge: Day 9

A photo of the item you last purchased

(A day late again- I know, naughty Jaime! But my camera broke over the weekend and my family were away so I had to wait until they were back to borrow theirs!)

I am in love with this handcream!! It is 3 of my favourite things rolled into 1- handcream, Cath Kidston and bluebells! I saw it online and it was one of the those purchases you just don't think about. No sooner had I seen it, it was in my bag and I was checking out. It's the perfect spring purchase. Love love love <3

*buy here*

Have you tried any of the Cath Kidston handcreams? Let me know if you would like to see a review on this!

See you tomorrow! J x

NOTD Review: Collection 2000 Electric Dreams & BC Co Silver Glitter

Collection 2000 Hot Looks Nail Polish - Shade 56 Electric Dreams

Buy here: Boots Online - £1.99

*Spend £4.99 on selected Collection 2000 products & get a free Extreme 24h Felt Tip Liner*

BC Co. Nail Varnish in Shade 3

The first nail polish I've been using is from the Collection 2000 Hot Looks collection in shade 56 which is Electric Dreams. Can I just say I'm so annoyed with myself. I bought this nail varnish just before I came to Australia (which was nearly 4 months ago!!) and I've just recently found it in the bottom of my suitcase- unused and unloved. I can't believe I forgot all about it. I bought it from my local Boots in around late October last year for £1.99 (Bargain!) when I was going through a stage of only wearing blue on my nails. I'm not joking, for about a month I didn't wear any other colour and for someone who changes their nail varnish daily this is a big deal! 

I love the teal colour of this polish with the cool green undertones. Reminds me of the sea and summer which is never a bad thing! On the label it says "For maximum colour intensity apply 2 coats" and this is exactly what I do. Even though the polish is quite thin the colour is still really intense so if you don't want your nails too bright then I would suggest just only one coat. Once on the nails the polish looks high gloss and shiny even without a top coat on. The bottle also claims that it dries in 60 seconds. Sooooo many nail polishes say that they are fast drying but not many live up to it. This is an exception. I can paint one hand and by the time I've finished painting the other the polish is dry! This is a god send for someone like me because I am always smudging my polish because I'm so impatient. As I work as a waitress my nail polish is constantly getting chipped but this colour surprisingly didn't chip as much as some more expensive brands.

The other nail polish I've been wearing on my ring finger is the silver glitter (Shade 3) from BC Co. I bought this from KMart which is an Australian retail store for $2 which is about £1.40. I've searched all over the internet for this brand but I can't find a link anywhere for it. I've bought quite a few nail polishes by this brand recently so if I find any where else to buy them I will update this post!! I've loved the whole style of painting the ring finger on each hand in a different colour than the rest of the nails. I just think it adds something to the overall look of the nails. This naill varnish is aamazing for the money. For $2 I didn't expect anything special but the glitter is really small flecks which still allows the colour underneath to show through. The only bad thing about this polish is the same for every other glitter polish I've ever used.. trying to get it off is annoying!! Cotton wool just drags through and takes some work to get it off but this is just a small price to pay for pretty glitter nails :) 

Final thoughts: Love love love this nail look!! For £1.99 the Collection 2000 polish is an absolute steal and as soon as I land back in the UK I will be investing in more shades from this collection, hopefully the offer will still be on! (See above). The BC Co glitter is amazing too, I just wish it was easier to remove!!

Have you tried any polishes from this collection? Leave a link to your NOTD and I'll have a little nosey :)

Photos taken with Nikon Coolpix S9100 - Edited with FotoFlexer

Review: Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate Lipstick - Shade 16

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate in shade 16

Buy here: Asos Beauty - £4.39

I've been lusting after this lipstick for so long after reading only positive reviews. Rimmel has always been one of my favourite high street makeup brands and Kate Moss is one of the all time super models so I was super excited to try her collection out- 2 of my favourite things combined- how could I resist?! It was my bargain of the day! I picked it up in Coles (an Australian supermarket) on the reduced section for around $4.00 (This is about £2.70!!). I had to stop myself from fist pumping in the middle of the aisle! If you are ever in the beauty section of Coles make sure you look on the very bottom shelf. There are always loads of great products reduced. 

I have light blonde hair and naturally quite pale skin so I normally tend to go for light pink lipsticks as I think these suit my complexion more than most darker shades.The shade I bought was number 16. It is was the light pink/coral colour that I instantly fell in love with. The swatch photo below shows the 2 different tones in it. I've worn it so much over the past few weeks that my Auntie actually asked me the other day if I was bored of it yet (answer- no!!).

There literally isn't 1 bad thing that I could say about this lipstick. The colour is sheer but doesn't require a large number of coats like some other lipsticks (This is a pet hate of mine!). The lipstick claims to be long lasting and I can say that it does live up to this. I can put it on in the morning before work and by the time lunch time arrives it is only just starting to fade. The moisturising element is also a benefit as I have naturally dry lips and some lipsticks can stick in the cracks of dry skin but this lipstick gives a good coverage. It has a really girly smell which only adds to how much I love it!

Final thoughts: After a lot of hype to live up to, this lipstick did not let me down! It's now firmally up there in my favourites and I'm excited to try some more of the collection.

Have any of you tried this lipstick? I'd love to know if you love it as much as I do!

Top- George at Asda about 3 years ago | Necklace- Random jewellers in Australia

Nail Varnish- H&M city (Pink) and H&M Zoo (Glitter)

Photos taken with Nikon Coolpix S9100 - Edited with FotoFlexer