Top 10 Products I Miss

Hello!

Today's post is a bit of a nostalgic one, I've been doing really well at saving money and using up my stash. I honestly have been doing so well at not buying things I feel like I might be ill!
It's been such a long time that I haven't bought anything essential that I was looking back and thinking of all the products that I would buy if I could....here's my Top 10 products that I miss:

Aura Manuka Honey Mask

Love this, need to repurchase to save my skin!

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

Need to repurchase this too, this lovely cleanser not only makes my skin feel super clean but also it exfoliates my skin without any abrasiveness and leaves it feeling tip top.

Lush Ocean Salt Scrub

This is not only a facial scrub but also a body scrub, it smells DIVINE and to be honest just sniffing it is great but I felt like this wasn't rough on my skin at all. Not only that but the fact it is made up with completely natural ingredients just makes it that much better.

Viper Venom Wrinkle Fix

Me and M both love this serum - it sinks in super quick and doesn't leave a greasy residue. Not only this but I SWEAR my skin looked so much better after using this and my little wrinkles were much improved.

Origins Make A Difference Cream

Another favourite of mine, this rejuvenating treatment just seem to get rid of all spots, soothe dry skin and generally make my skin appear a lot healthier and happier. I try and buy Origins products in sets so that I can try out new things that they have brought out, I've only thought one of them was a bit hit and miss so it has always been worth it!

Benefit They're Real Mascara

This is quite possibly the best mascara, it manages to separate curl and volumise my seemingly poker straight lashes and although I begrudge paying out for it, it really is worth every penny! There's nothing like the brush to separate out every lash and give the full fan effect.

Macadamia Hair Repair Masque

For day to day, my hair is happy with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle - but this makes my hair feel like silk and it goes super shiny and manageable. It just makes life so much easier when your hair plays ball!

Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil

All of these seem to be skincare don't they?? Can we tell I maybe have an obsession....
I loved this oil, it was a dry kind of oil so absorbed right into my skin and didn't leave a greasy layer at all. I'd love to try the dry/combination skin version now that I'm a bit older and my skin needs more hydration than before.

Aesop Parsley Seed Serum

Sadly this was only a little bottle of serum that came in a Selfridge's Beauty Box a few years ago, I put off using it as I wasn't convinced but as soon as I began it was magical - I really want to save up and go for a spree in Selfridge's Beauty Hall again and this would be number one on the list!

Lush Solid Serum Full of Grace

A recent addition to my product experience. I picked it up in store and my hands felt amazing, I knew if my hands felt that good then my face would feel even more amazing! And I was right.
My skin feels like it's being fed every time I use it, it's a winner and it's made of lovely natural ingredients too, I have to confess I have actually picked one up since I wrote this post!

What's your favourite product that you miss? Do you like any of the products that I miss?

I should probably branch out from being so skincare obsessed....!

L xxx

Lush H'Suan Wen Hua Hair Treatment

Happy Friday lovelies!

On a recent trip to Lush in Cardiff for a blogger event I was won over by the sound of the H'suan Wen Hua hair treatment; although I have absolutely no idea how to say it!

This hair treatment claims to improve the condition, lustre and combability of hair; it's protein rich and nourishing containing ingredients used for centuries to help strengthen hair.

It contains free range eggs, bananas and avocados along with a myriad of oils.

It did concern me that it also contains alcohol and SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) which can damage your hair by drying it, but when I asked the assistant in store she explained that the treatment can be so thick that it is necessary for them to be present to help remove it from the hair or it would never come off. This is understandable and hopefully the positive effects will outweigh any effects of the alcohol and SLS.

So as in the image above you apply this treatment to dry hair for 20 mins before washing and conditioning as normal. I normally think of this too late and don't have 20 minutes spare but I've been trying hard to actually use the things I buy and have made special effort to get my hair in good condition for being cut and dyed.

The treatment is thick and cream coloured, with a strong smell of cloves. To be honest i wasn't a huge fan of the smell but it wasn't too overpowering so I put up with it! I'm not one of those people who like strong fragrances at all, I'm that person who likes the 'fluffy towels' or 'clean cotton sheets' type candles so cloves really aren't my thing!

That said it was easy to apply, if a little cold feeling and I pottered around setting up my shower and getting my clothes out for afterwards whilst it worked its magic. It rinsed off really easy and then I shampooed and conditioned as normal.

I really liked this hair treatment, I'm not sure I'd rush to repurchase as it's quite expensive for the £9.75 price tag for what was three applications worth. My hair is very long so it is quite a lot when you compare with other hair treatments which cost around £5 for the same size tub.

It's really nice to know that the ingredients are 100% natural and I know you pay more for it but still, it is something that i have to factor in to my choices nowadays.

If money was no option though i would repurchase because I liked the results, my hair was shinier and appeared to be in better condition. it also felt stronger too and after more applications I'm sure it would improve quite a lot. 

I'd definitely recommend the H'Suan Wen Hua hair treatment, though maybe for individuals with longer hair there may be a cheaper alternative? Who knows, I'll have to investigate!

Have you tried this hair treatment? Which is your favourite? 

My hair needs more suggestions asap!

L xxx

How to: Make Your Hair Grow

Hello!

I've got a different kind of post for you today. I'm one of those people that always wants their hair to grow....but I can't resist having it trimmed regularly either because I hate having dead ends which always look worse on longer hair.

So I've been trying to grow that little bit longer each month and I think I've got some tips on how to make it grow longer and stay in better condition that i thought I'd share.

1) Condition, condition, condition! This isn't a new thing but its so important to keep your hair strong. My favourite products for this are Mane n Tail conditioner (post here), Aussie's 3 minute miracle and Macadamia's Deep Repair Masque. 

I use the Mane n Tail conditioner throughout the week and then the Aussie and Macadamia once per week depending on which I can afford!

2) Detangler, Heat Protection and Protein Sprays. Use as many as you like but all will help. I was never a fan for hair products as I never felt they did anything, but the detangler will help when you brush your hair and stop hair breaking as easily. I am currently using Ojon's Revitalising Mist. Heat protection sprays I have no idea about really, but apparently they do work and I think if a light covering over your hair prevents even a small percentage of it from heat  I'm all for it!

As for Protein Sprays there's only one for me and its the Label.M Protein Spray. It's lightweight and really does the job for adding an extra hit for your hair.

3) Tangle Teezer. I barely need to say any more, but I can assure you since getting one for Christmas I have never gone back and used my paddle brush since. 

It has stopped my hair breakage almost 100% and glides through my tangles without pulling or snapping any of them yet the miraculously disappear. This would be my number one tip for anyone wanting hair growth!

4) Give up the styling. For some people this is really hard. Unfortunately/fortunately for me I have to wear my hair tied up and in a bun every single day which has helped greatly with reducing my usage of heated styling. I seem to end up straightening or curling my hair twice a month now for special occasions but its made a huge difference to my hair.

Even if you could swap 2 days of beautifully styled hair for a neat bun it will help a lot. Bun rings are all the rage at the moment and for an extra bit of hydration I have covered the ends of my hair in oil before tying it up in a bun so it can hydrate itself all day long whilst I'm working!

I'm currently using Ojon's Rare Blend Oil.

5) Food. One of my favourite topics! I believe that a diet rich in protein, veg and good fats has made a huge difference to my skin and hair.

Not only is it better for yourself to eat a diet like this anyway but it will greatly improve your skin, hair, nails and general fitness and wellbeing.

Try adding in some extra oily fish like salmon, nuts, eggs, spinach, sweet potato, poultry and greek yogurt to your diet a few times a week and your hair will definitely improve from lank to full bodied and shiny.

I hope this has been helpful for you, it's made a massive difference for my hair and its now almost at waist level.....woohoo!

L xxx

Macadamia Deep Repair Masque

We've done a brief review on this previously as it's a product L and I have both had samples of this. I absolutely love the Macadamia products I've tried and had wanted the full size of this and the healing oil for a while.

My hair always seems to be in the best condition when I'm using the Macadamia range. The mask is a really thick mask that is for dry and damaged hair which mine is due to years of hair dying and heat styling.

It is suitable for all hair types including afro hair and can help improve the hairs condition. It says to leave on for 7 minutes but I've left it longer and had no negative effects. I find after using this I just wake up with softer hair. I also love that even though it's moisturising it doesn't leave my hair feeling greasy.

It does contain silicone which I wish it didn't but I don't mind products with silicone in as much now I'm not wearing extensions. My hair doesn't feel coated and I've not noticed a build up from it. I love that the pot has a stopped inside the lid to stop it going everywhere when I open it.

This is an expensive hair masque but after using it regularly for almost 2 months my hair feels so much nicer. It's softer and more manageable and definitely in better condition than if I hadn't been using it. I really think it's worth the money and will be repurchasing the oil soon as no cheap alternative seems to have the same effect.

You can often find Macadamia products in TK Maxx. I always keep my eyes out for it.

Have you tried the Macadamia range? What are your thoughts?

Love M

xxx

Selfridge's Box Part 1

I'm sure you're probably sick to death of hearing about the Selfridge's Beauty Box, especially if you didn't get one so apologies for that.

But we are doing a giveaway for one (woohoo!) and so we decided to do a more in depth post on our halves with mine being up today and M's being put up next Sunday.

I was super excited to try out the Stila One Step Correct Serum, the Philip B Katira hair mask and the Antipodes Avocado and Rosehip Divine Face Oil so that's what i chose from the box and M will be covering the other three items next week.

(We split a box between us, you can find more details on the giveaway page here)

First up is the Antipodes Organic Avocado and Rosehip Divine Face Oil all the way from New Zealand.

Antipodes are a brand that I'm really interested in because their skin care range uses only bioactive botanical ingredients, many of which are organic, and also have a strong ethical value.

Also I love that they have loads of scientific information on their website, I've fallen in love with a brand again!

The website states:

Scientifically shown to stimulate Type I collagen in human skin fibroblast cells by up to 51%*.

Give a lift to tired, stressed and sun-damaged skin with this nutrient-rich, certified organic face oil that helps to deliver essential nourishment for fresh, healthy skin. The superior collagen boosting action of avocado oil helps reduce the appearance of lines and age spots, while added rosehip helps avocado oil target scars and wrinkles.

Interesting!

Also how much do you love the bottle??

I love old style medicine bottles including these dropper style ones.

I mean obviously you'd have to use this for a few weeks to notice a big change and to give it time to work its magic....but I've been struggling big time with my skin recently.

I've been breaking out left right and centre and every spot seems to leave a really bright red scar that doesn't heal. Initially I was worried about using an oil on my face as my skin has always had issues with oil.

It's early days as I've only been using it since Wednesday but I am 100% sure that the scars have started fading which was not happening at all before.

I'm hoping over the next few weeks it will improve even more and hopefully will turn into the wonder product I've been waiting for!

I've tried every other product you can think of so here's hoping.

Next up is the Philip B Katira Hair Mask which I used this morning.

I've also been having a few issues with my hair being very dry considering I don't heat style it and have been taking good care of it.

First off I love the packaging as I love simple and anything talking about 'Magic' sounds good to me!

The website states:

PRODUCT DETAILS

A gentle yet surprisingly versatile rejuvenator for all hair types.

The unique, clear-gel formula sinks right in to plump up fine, limp strands or calm and smooth coarse, hard-to-manage hair.

HOW IT WORKS:

Pure Katira Extract – the "it" conditioner of the Middle East – fills in weak, damaged spots in the hair cuticle for added smoothness and strength. It also gives your hair a slight electrical charge – you’ll feel it during your blowout – that leaves it fantastically light and bouncy.

A high-tech L-Amino Acid Complex infuses your hair with a perfect dose of weightless, oil-free moisture and nourishing proteins for enhanced control and elasticity. Just one application will instantly revitalize your hair color, speed up blow-drying time, and lock in shine for a sexy, touchable, red-carpet finish.

It's also paraben and pthalate free (woo!)

I quite liked the consistency of this but it was quite thick and I can imagine needing a lot of it.

It says on the back about mixing it in with their conditioner, so I mixed it in with my current conditioner and applied it, leaving it for as long as I could (probably around 5/10 minutes).

My hair definitely feels in better condition though I can't agree that it took less drying time as I didn't feel there was any difference.

I was impressed to see that my hair doesn't feel heavy at all however so I will definitely be using this a few times this week with the hope of improving the condition over time but so far it's doing the job!

Last but definitely not least is the Stila One Step Color Correct Serum.

I didn't own any Stila products until a few conveniently found there way into poundland!

But I have ALWAYS lusted after this product.

Everyone can see how cool it looks but for me, being obsessed with science as I'm a complete geek this is the ultimate in make up.

It looks like a beautiful DNA helix or something which is just amazing (I'm going to stop waffling on don't worry!)

This is all written on the box but straight from their website:

The revolutionary new product contains 3 colour-correcting brighteners: 

• Green tone instantly neutralizes redness and conceals blemishes 
• Lavender tone counteracts sallow undertones for a vibrant, energised look 
• Peach tone brightens, illuminates and helps diminish the appearance of sun spots

Sooooo pretty!

Here's a few hand shots, not the most convenient but I don't have a working tripod or someone to take photos of my face where I don't look a bit silly! Plus my skin is awful!

The left is before, and on the right you can see how all three colours come out in each pump (the peach is slightly hidden underneath)

Then on the left the colour blend together SO easily and pretty much melt into your skin leaving a really nice finish, not shiny at all but the area looks really moisturised and even.

I can't wait until my skin is better and I can just apply this to my skin as I can imagine it looking great and makes everything so much easier in the mornings!

What do you think of the products? My current favourite has to be the Antipodes face oil, as it's a god send if it continues to get rid of my scars as nothing else I've tried has worked.

However I can imagine the Stila taking over if my skin clears up :)

If you would like to win these products and the other 3 also in the box, you can enter the giveaway here.

It's always worth a try and you can tweet each day for more entries!

L xxx

March Freebies 2! Glamour and Percy & Reed

I tend to buy magazine depending on what they have free with them. L did a post on Marie Claire's monthly freebie that can be found here.

I was instantly draw to this months glamour after seeing it came with a hair mask. I use hair masks  all the time. I have very fine hair that gets damaged easily so I try to use masks weekly on my hair. I will be doing a post on these soon. Which masks do you use?

Jolie Box UK: February

This is my 3rd Jolie Box and the first one I've blogged about.

I'm assuming every body knows what it is and you've probably seen a post with this months contents in anyway, but if you haven't then the following pictures should help you out!

Here's the box the products come in:

I quite like how simple it is, I love black, classic shapes and classic designs..this box = winner in my books!

The inside always has a 'menu' type card, which I love, and the addition of a new drawstring bag with this month's box:

I originally thought the bag was a bit pointless, but as I'm trying to make an effort to be eco-friendly I think this is an improvement on the shredded paper and tissue that normally lines the boxes. I also took the bag to London with me to protect my camera getting scratched so it can be reused :)

The products are shown below:

On the left in the photo below is the Taaj Himalaya Micellar Water (an anti-oxidant make up remover) and on the right is the Lavera organic hand cream

I haven't tried the make up remover yet, I'm saving it until I've finished off my old one (trying to get rid of as many 'old' things as possible!) but the hand cream smells and feels divine! I'm not a hand cream fan but I'm increasingly using it as I seem to have quite a lot and my hands feel better for it. This hand cream is organic and has almond and shea butter in, I can smell these in the cream but if I close my eyes I SWEAR it smells like chocolate orange! Might just be me tho...ha

Another thing to note is that the make up remover contains water from the Himalayas....is this just a gimmick or does it genuinely have properties worth trekking there for?? I'm not sure yet!

I am yet to buy into the Moroccan oil, Argan oil etc hype, but I was pleased to see this full size sample of the Macademia Oil Deep Repair Masque.

M has used Macademia oil before and loves it, so I'm intrigued!

I have high hopes for it, although I'm not sure how many applications I'll get from the sachet. I'm hoping to get 2, but my hair is quite long so that might not happen!

The Jane Iredale Lip and Cheek stain also intrigued me, it goes on clear and then reacts to your skin and mood to give a pink colour that suits you.

I'm never convinced that these can change that much, I understand it reacts to heat and chemicals on your skin, but does it really give that much of a difference?

That being said, I LOVE how small it is, next to it is a miniature Posie Tint, just to show you how small it really is! Too cute for words. And apparently its quite pricey for the full size, around £20.

I threw it in my bag for my weekend in London and did try it out, it gives a nice pink shade on the lips, haven't used it on my cheeks though.

The Kimia Rejuvenating Facial System is something I have never heard of and also have yet to try.

It contains a facial oil that you massage into the face before spraying on an activator.

Will be saving this for an evening when I have time to use it properly.

I'm looking into using oils to clean my face as I hear they can be extremely beneficial so this will be a good test to see if they suit my skin.

Do you sign up to any Beauty Boxes?

I love the idea of them, but as I no longer have a job I think I'm going to cancel my subscription, it doesn't interest me so much and the money isn't something I feel is justified by the products.

That, and I'm determined to get through the absolute mountain of products I've accumulated over the past few years...you would be horrified if you could see my room!

If you want to hear about a specific product then let me know, I think otherwise though unless its absolutely amazing or completely rubbish I might not bother, as I'm afraid these products don't excite me much as of yet...this might change when I try the hair masque and the facial oil!

L xxx