Friday 31 January 2014

The Benefit of the Doubt




Hello there lovelies.

I was fortunate enough to receive Benefits Hello Flawless foundation for Christmas from my lovely husband (actually he didn’t have much choice, I bought it for myself and he gave me the money back). I got it in the shade believe in me ivory, after being matched to that shade at the counter and it’s a great shade for me. I usually use Benefits You Rebel lite tinted moisturiser but wanted to try something with a bit more coverage for my dull winter skin. I was really looking forward to using it and couldn’t wait to get ready on Christmas day. OMG!! The disappointment. I hated it; it felt nice on application but didn’t give me the finish I was expecting (flawless). It really highlighted little dry patches I had on my face (dreaded winter skin) and just looked awful. I had high expectations for this foundation but they were soon shattered, so I stuck the foundation into my Muji drawer and thought what a waste of money. A couple of weeks ago I decided to give it another go, my skin was better hydrated and I just didn’t like the thought of an expensive product going to waste. I was pleasantly surprised, I applied it with my fingers instead of a brush and the finish was much better so I thought maybe the brush was to blame for my first impressions (I know, I know, a bad workman and all that) but it is definitely better for me when applied using my fingers and using a brush to buff it in around the edges. So I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now and although I don’t love it I definitely don’t hate it. The coverage is quite good and can be built up to the desired effect, I still think it highlights any dry patches and although it lasts well when set with powder it does look a bit cakey towards the end of the day. This foundation may look better in the summer when my skin is in better condition and the SPF 25 is a plus. All in all I’m glad I gave it the benefit of the doubt and stuck with it but this is one Benefit product that I probably won’t be repurchasing once it’s used up.

Have you ever used this foundation, what did you think? Have you ever had any bad experiences with foundation?

Until next time stay beauty-full xx

Wednesday 29 January 2014

The (No) hair care routine


Hello there lovelies.

You see the picture above, that’s it, my complete hair care routine. Not a lot to it is there? There is a reason to the lack of hair products in my bathroom and that is that I’m too scared to use them, yep, too scared! Again there is a reason for that; this may be a long post so get yourself comfy.

I’ve been getting my hair dyed red type colours for 4-5 years now and never had a problem, my hairdresser friend used to do it for me which was great as I got a substantial discount then when she was on maternity leave I went to another hairdressers that was recommended by another friend. I love my hairdresser, she’s great, and I always come out the salon really pleased with how my hair looks.

My fear of products all started after the second time of having my hair done by her. The next day my head started to itch. It started in the morning quite mild and I didn’t really notice, I just thought that maybe some of the colour hadn’t been washed out properly. The itching got more intense throughout the day and to make it worse I couldn’t scratch it, I was at a conference in a room full of people. It was like that advert where the woman has to duck under the table to have a good scratch, I couldn’t do that, I had to keep going to the toilet, the other people in the room must have thought I’d eaten something dodgy the night before the amount of times I got up. By the end of the day it felt like my scalp was on fire, I just wanted to get home and wash my hair. I was so upset as I thought I was having a reaction to the colour and wouldn’t be able to dye my hair anymore. It felt much better after a good scrub in the shower, then I worked out it wasn’t the colour at all; it was the products that had been used that had caused the reaction. I knew this because of the way my scalp itched; it was in lines around my head exactly the place a mousse type product had been used. I was so relieved that it wasn’t the colour but now I can’t bring myself to use any hair products through fear of experiencing the great scalp of fire again. My hairdresser knows not to use any products on me either, even though every time I go there she still picks the bottle up out of habit, at which point I leap out of my seat and shout “No products” causing everybody in the salon to jump, it could be fatal one day, scissors and heads in close proximity. Anyway I’ve never had anymore reactions but I’ve never used any other hair products even though I think my hair would benefit from some heat defence spray I just can’t risk it.

Do you have a sensitive scalp? What products do you use? And have you ever had a bad reaction to colour or products?

Until next time stay beauty-full xx

Tuesday 28 January 2014

The difficult first post.



Hello there lovelies.

So here I am writing my first ever blog post. I’ll start with a bit about myself; I’m from a small village in England far far away from any Space NK store (which probably isn’t a bad thing). Although there’s always the internet- so no stopping me. I’m about 5’4”, size 6/8 and have red hair (unfortunately dyed, not natural- ssshhh) and it’s cut into a bob. I love everything to do with makeup, beauty, skincare etc although I’m not that big on hair care (blog post to follow).

I really enjoy reading peoples blogs and often think “oooh I’ve got that product” or “oooh I do that too” so I thought I’d try writing a blog for myself. Although I am a complete novice when it comes to blogging I’d like to give it a go. I am also the least technical person I know, therefore it takes me ages to work out how to do things computer related, I haven’t even updated my phone to ios7 yet (I know!!). It’s taken many hours of watching You Tube videos and Googling questions to get to this point (as a result Google and I are now on first name terms). Although I still have unanswered questions about the legal stuff surrounding blogging, ie, do I need permission if I mention another blog in mine? How do I change the font in the main body of a post without changing other parts? (apologies for the curly writing). And what does the fox actually say?

Plus having a blog is a really good way to keep tabs on what products I’ve used and liked. Don’t you find it annoying when you realise you haven’t repurchased something for a while but can’t remember why- was it that you didn’t like it, or haven’t got round to it, or just forgot that the thing even existed- FRUSTRATING. I doubt this blog will be all about beauty stuff, there’ll be some life stuff in here too and I’m looking forward to the experience, it keeps me out of mischief anyway.

Phew, there you go, that’s me and my first ever blog post done. Give yourself a thumbs up if you made it this far.

So how did you feel about your first blog post?

Until next time stay beauty-full xx

P.S. Please feel free to comment then I’ll know it’s working ok and please leave your blog link and instagram link as I love looking at other peoples blogs and instagrams. xx