FRIZZY HAIR? TRY THIS

When it comes to frizzy hair, my locks seem to top the charts, I have the kind of hair that goes static at the sight of straighteners and feels rougher than a horse's tail. So whenever, I'm searching for a new deep treatment, taming the frizz is my main priority which is why I just had to give Umberto Gianni's Intensive Repair Mask a go..

I have to admit, when I tried this mask for the first time, I thought it would be just another one of those 'conditioner but in a tub and called a mask' kind of job but this one is different. The formula feels much thicker than a regular conditioner and contains argan oil which is meant to be really good for conditioning hair. After applying this to the ends of my hair and leaving for about ten or fifteen minutes, my hair felt so much softer and healthier than before even a few days after washing it. It felt so much easier to straighten and style and it didn't even get as static and frizzy as it usually does.

I think it's fair to say I'm pretty smitten with this hair mask, it really does do what it says it will unlike most of the other masks I've tried. It's also easily available from the aisles of Boots so there's no need for any scouring of the internet to track it down either, a definite winner in my eyes.

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GETTING THE GLOW

 

There's two things that I worry about when it comes to April and May every year. Firstly, I can't really neglect the razor for much longer as shorts season looms and secondly, I really should attempt to add a little more colour to my skin just so no one is blinded when the winter layers do finally come off. With these thoughts in mind, here are a couple of products that I'll be whipping out in the next few weeks to get ready for the summer..

I tend to stray away from attempting to fake tan as regardless of how long I spend exfoliating, moisturising and buffing the stuff in, I just can't get it right. Instead, I opt for a more gradual tan with the help of the Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion. This lotion is much more forgiving if you're like me and don't have the patience to spend hours buffing in a fake tan and it's harder to get the whole streaky orange finish with this as well. The apricot-scented moisturising lotion helps to build up a subtle colour to your skin after a few days of using it so it's a must-have for this time of year.

Apart from my nose and cheeks going bright red, the rest of my face seems to stay pretty pale all year round so I like to add a little bronzer all over just to warm things up. Bourjois's Bronzing Primer is a pretty new addition to my stash, it's basically like a mousse textured bronzer. Although this bronzer is labelled as a primer, this is way too dark for me to apply all over my face without resembling Neil from The Inbetweeners movie. Instead, I use this very sparingly under my cheeks and anywhere else that the sun would naturally and then blend like there's no tomorrow to avoid a streaky finish. With a thorough blend, this bronzer does work really nicely to add some tan to your face but if you're not up for a good bit of blending, then maybe one to avoid.

Watching Lilly and Anna's Beauty Chat videos has given me some pretty good product recommendations over the years, and Soap and Glory's Solar Powder would definitely be one of them. This glowy-bronzer hybrid has both a lighter and darker bronze shade each with a little (but not too much) shimmer so can be used for some contouring on your cheekbones or also, as a 'sweep all over the face on a big fluffy brush' kind of job as well. If you're just getting into the whole bronzing thing, this is a great one to pick-up as it's pretty hard to go over board with unlike the Bourjois primer alternative

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PIT STOP

Waiting for nail polish to dry is up there with one of my least favourite tasks.. So when I caught a glimpse of this new quick dry nail polishes from Barry M in Boots, I just had to take one home with me! Pit-stop is the grey toned nude shade that I chose but there were lots of other pastel shades if nude nails aren't your thang.. As well as loving the colour, I also really like the formula of this quick dry range as they dry seriously quickly and although you do need two coats to get an opaque finish and they aren't the longest lasting, it still makes the dreaded task of painting your nails much quicker which is enough of an excuse for me to pick up some more shades from the range!

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THE KYLIE JENNER LIPS

All the hype around the pout of the youngest member of the Jenner clan has given me a bit of a thing for those big 90's style brown toned nude lips. So after a thorough patrol through my blog reading list, I found MAC's Subculture lip liner was a pretty close dupe and was in stock on the Selfridges website (aka. my favourite stop for online beauty shopping/ where all my money goes) so two to three working days later, it was straight onto my lips for a bit of Kylie-esque pouting. Here's the low down...

Subculture is the ultimate brown toned nude shade without being too far away from my own natural lip shade making it perfect for an everyday lip colour. The matte formula is another reason to love this lip liner as it makes the pencil stay on for a lot longer as well as reducing the risk of any of those 'lipstick on teeth' incidents happening

Although I can't stay I go as far as Miss Jenner does with the over drawing, I still use Subculture to fill in all my lips right up to the lip line because I love the way it just gives your pout that natural but 1000x times better kind of look.

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THE DAILY STAPLES

Despite having quite the makeup collection which my mum seems to think I won't be able to use in a lifetime, I've some how managed to whittle it all down into a few daily staples that give a simple, natural look without being too much for an everyday kind of situation.

For day to day, I really like a foundation that has a little coverage but doesn't feel too heavy so a pump of the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation works really well and has been my favourite option for the past few months. Combined with a little of the peach toned Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer shade under the eyes, this duo covers up any all the blemishes n' bags going on whilst still giving a natural finish.

When it comes to brows, I almost always stick to the Sephora Natural Eyebrow Pencil to fill in any sparse areas and give a little more definition. A quick comb through with the spoole brush provided and a few strokes through the areas which need a little more TLC is all you need to get those brows lookin' good..

By this time on an average school day, I'd have looked at my alarm and seen I only have 5 minutes to get to the bus so when it comes to eyes, it's all about the speed. If I'm feeling a little fancy, I'll reach for the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze for a little extra drama and then just blend that out with a fluffy brush across my eyelid. But for most days, I just opt for the MAC Eyeliner in coffee on the inside of my eyes and on the lash line as well as layering up a few of coats of the Volume Clubbing Mascara from Bourjois.

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THE DRY SKIN SOLUTION

When the cold weather rolls around each year my skin always decides to transform into a flakey, dry mess even if I go over time with the moisturiser. So when I was doing my usual stroll down the aisles of Boots, the bright pink packaging of the Quick Fix Facials Mega Moisture Mask soon caught my eye and made it's way into my basket. Here's what I thought..

When I first applied this mask, I was surprised by the stinging feeling which made my face feel hot and raw- not a great first impression. Luckily though, the tingling didn't last long and went after a minute or two allowing me to leave on the mask on for a further ten minutes. After I took off the mask, I'm afraid it was back to disappointment with my skin feeling and looking pretty much the same as it did pre-mask. But here come's yet another twist in the story- the next morning, I noticed my skin was looking like an almost flake free zone and my foundation wasn't sticking to those usual dry areas like before either.

With this revelation, my opinion of the mask completely changed for the better with it now holding a proud position in my most used skincare selection. I use this mask once or twice a week or more often on areas of my skin which get particularly dry and feel as if my winter skin woes have been solved. Hooray!

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NEW YEAR, BETTER SKINCARE

Each New Year brings around the usual resolutions to eat better, work harder and do some form of exercise which as usual end by the 6th of January when I decide that actually, chocolate is more important than getting that perfect figure. But one resolution that I'm determined to stick too this year is to really look after my skin and that starts with a good regime. Here are the products I've handpicked to take me through till 2016 comes rolling in..

Sephora Gentle Exfoliating Cleansing Cream: A good creamy cleanser that wipes away all that crap off your face and leaves you feeling nice and soft is an essential for my skincare routine. I'm hoping the thick formula of this Sephora cleanser can do the job well especially as the price tag is pretty low for a high end beauty brand.

Garnier Micellar Water: Over the years, I've tried so many micellar waters including the infamous Bioderma but none of them even that particular beauty blogger favourite beats Garnier's version for me. This on a cotton pad takes off all the mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow that I'd want without irritating my eyes. I like to always keep a bottle of this in my stash!

Boots Botanics Mattifying Gel Cream: Finding a moisturiser that doesn't turn my skin into a shiny mess has been a long old struggle. This gel cream from Botanics however seems to be doing the trick and hydrating myself whilst not adding any unwanted glow. It has a gel formula which absorbs really quickly into the skin and doesn't feel heavy. For a moisturiser that works well for under £5, I would definitely suggest any of you with the same problem give this a little try!

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