TRESemme Liquid Gold vs L'Oreal Mythic Oil

Firstly, I have to say that my hair is a wreck. Six years of dyeing and bleaching have really taken their toll and I'm now left with dry and damaged hair. Over the last year, I've stopped colouring it and I've been straightening/blow drying a lot less, so it's in better condition, but still not great. I have bleached ends which are my main problem area, and the rest of my hair is quite fine and limp.

I was really wary about using oil on my hair worrying that it would weigh it down and just make it look greasy. I decided to try TRESemme Liquid Gold Restorative Complex and I also received a sample of L'Oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil via What's in my Handbag.

Liquid Gold on hand

TRESemme Liquid Gold retails at £6.99 for 75ml, which is quite reasonable compared to the likes of hair oils such as Moroccan Oil. The packaging is fairly simple with a plastic bottle and pump applicator. This claims to instantly nourish your hair, reducing frizz and improving your hair's manageability and overall condition. As you can see, the consistency is quite runny and the oil is an amber gold in colour, hence the name. It's infused with argan oil which I've heard great things about! I usually use 1-2 pumps and apply it to the length and ends of my hair whilst it's still damp.

It does feel lightweight, but it doesn't seem to help with shine or manageability, and the ends of my hair still feel quite dry after I've used it. I even tried to use this as an intense treatment one night by using around 5-6 pumps, soaking the ends of my hair in it overnight and by morning, my hair was still frizzy and not very manageable. It just feels too lightweight to do my hair any good, but if your hair isn't as damaged as mine then it might work for you as an everyday treatment.

Mythic Oil on hand

I was sent a sample of L'Oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil via the What's in my Handbag which offers free weekly samples of various beauty products. Not sure of the exact RRP, but it's £13.55 on Feel Unique and £11.95 on Lookfantastic. Obviously I can't comment on the packaging since I did receive this as a sample. Again, this is marketed as a lightweight hair oil which instantly nourishes the hair to leave it feeling supple and shiny. It has avocado oil and grape seed oil which contain essential fatty acids.

I use a couple of drops of this on the ends of my hair whilst damp, and I have to say that this stuff makes a huge difference! It basically eliminates any frizz from the ends of my hair, makes them feel so soft and manageable and I almost forget that they've been bleached. Usually the day after I've washed my hair, my ends will feel horrible - brittle, dry, prone to breakage - but even the day after using this, they are still soft and almost frizz-free. I think it's safe to say that Mythic Oil has definitely won this battle!

Have you tried any hair oils? Which is your favourite?

Monday Wishlist #2

1. YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation RRP £28 - I have a sample of this in shade BR20 and it is the most perfect colour match for me, something which I usually have trouble with when getting a foundation. I thought this might have been overhyped, but I'm loving it so far and dying to get the full size.

2. ASOS Felt Doctors Bag RRP £60 - I'm in desperate need of a new handbag as my current one is too small, and my others are literally falling apart. I love a big handbag, and this looks like it would go with anything.

3. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle RRP £21.50 - I've heard great things about this and considering I don't actually own ANY highlighting products, this is more of a "need" than a "want"... right?

4. MAC Cut a Caper lipstick RRP £14 - It's just typical that this is now sold out just when I've added it to my wishlist! I've never bought a MAC lipstick before but this one really caught my eye. There isn't even a counter near me so this will probably remain on my wishlist forever...

5. REN ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser RRP £18 - Again, I've heard lots of good things about this cleanser and I'm in the process of weaning myself off of Clinique's 3 Step System so I'd really like to try this. I have super oily skin so the idea of a clay cleanser really appeals to me!

I really had to restrain myself this week and keep my wishlist down to just 5 items. If I had things my way, I'd have a list to the moon and back!

Are there any products which you have been lusting over recently? Have you tried any of these products?

Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

 

I finally got my hands on Sleek Rose Gold blush! Every time I went to Superdrug, I had my eyes peeled for this and it was always sold out. I managed to get this in Zoe's blog sale, so thank you Zoe!

I've read about this being a dupe for NARS Orgasm, however I don't own Orgasm so I can't compare the two. This blush costs £4.30 for 8g of product from Superdrug or their online store, and if it is a dupe for Orgasm then I know I'd much rather spend £4 than £21!

It's super-pigmented, a gorgeous rose colour with lots of gold shimmer. I don't need to use anymore more than one light swipe of this on my cheeks, and I'm good to go. It seems to completely warm up my face and gives a lovely glow which I love. And of course the packaging is great, as I've said before with Sleek products they come in matte black packaging with the Sleek writing. There's a decent sized mirror in the lid which is handy for on-the-go (especially when you forget your compact mirror on the train like I did yesterday).

I'm so glad I finally managed to find this and it's definitely my go-to blush at the moment.

What's your most used blush at the moment? Have you tried any of Sleek's blushers? 

Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Mistress

I bought this lipgloss last week on a complete whim. I'm really not a lipgloss fan, I always find it too sticky and SO irritating when my hair gets glued to my mouth. But I was browsing the Debenhams sale section online and saw this, and since I'm not one to refuse a bargain, I just had to get it. I've never tried anything from Illamasqua before, so I was quite excited!

The lipgloss is usually £13 but is currently selling at £5.99 on Debenhams, and you get free delivery if you have a beauty card! I went for the shade Mistress as from the pictures online, it looked like a nice orange/coral. When I opened the package, I was gutted because it looked a bright red colour in the tube! However, once it's applied it does tone down a bit and it is more of a sheer coral on the lips. I really like it!

The thing that surprised me most about this lipgloss was the lack of stickiness! It's a really great consistency which gives good colour pay-off and high shine, but it doesn't feel like I've smeared syrup on my lips - yay! I really didn't like the applicator, it made it really awkward to apply the colour so I've been squeezing it out on my hand and then applying it.

I'm really tempted to pick up a few more shades whilst they're at this price!

Have you found any great bargains in the sales? Have you tried Illamasqua's lipgloss?

ELF High Definition Powder

I always have to use a powder to set my foundation as I do have oily skin and I prefer a matte look. This ELF High Definition Powder pretty much instantly mattifies my skin and I love that I can use it throughout the day without it being cakey. It's a very finely milled white powder which I find gives a "soft focus" effect to my skin. You do have to apply it with a light hand, or you risk ending up with a white face - not a good look! I've also heard that it can sometimes give a "ghost face" appearance when used in flash photography, but I haven't found that at all.

The one negative thing that I have found with this product is the packaging. It's bulky and messy. It comes with a powder puff but I prefer to apply it with ELF Studio Powder Brush so that I can better control how much product I'm using.

If you're looking for a powder to set your make-up, provide a soft-focus finish and mattify without cakiness - this is it. ELF's prices are super affordable, this costs £6 but since the tiniest bit of product goes a long way, I think it's great value for money. It also comes in a shimmer variety and a corrective yellow powder.

ELF are currently having a huge 50% off everything with the code INDEMAND50 for orders over £30 and with most products being between £1.50 and £3, I'd get stocking up now and take advantage of this great offer!

What's your favourite setting powder? Are you a fan of the ELF make-up range?

La Roche Posay Effaclar K

This is the first product I've tried from the La Roche Posay range, which is a French skincare brand. On their website, they provide heaps of information catered to each skin type which is great. I opted to try the Effaclar range which is designed for oily skin with imperfections which pretty much describes my skin to a tee. I have dry patches around my nose, but everywhere else is oily and I have red marks on my chin left over from cystic acne, as well as having at least 1-2 constant blemishes. Nightmare skin, really!

I bought the Effaclar K from Boots when it was on a 3 for 2 offer, and it cost £13. It's marketed as a "daily renewal fluid" and is essentially a micro-exfoliant. It's paraben-free and non-comedogenic. As you can see from the photo, I've used a fair bit of this already. I think I've had it just over a month, and I use it both in the morning and at night - in between toning and moisturising. It sinks in to my skin really quickly and leaves it feeling soft. My only problem with using the product is the smell. It smells very medicinal and clinical. LRP also state that it makes a great make-up base, which I agree with as it does make foundation application a lot smoother.

I've seen an improvement in the skin on my cheeks, which suffer from redness, and the overall texture of my skin has improved. It's a lot smoother, softer and more even. However, I haven't seen any improvement in my pores or blemishes, although it does claim that "imperfections are erased, and the pores are tightened and unclogged". I'm still going to continue to use this as I love the effect it has on my skin's overall texture, and I really want to try and incorporate more of the La Roche Posay range into my skincare routine.

Have you tried any of the La Roche Posay products? What did you think?

What's In My Handbag?

I've been wanting to do this post for a while now, but I wanted to wait until my new digital camera arrived and it arrived today! I'm more excited about it than I should be...

My bag is just a cheap one from Primark, it was £9. It's like a small rucksack with a drawstring tie, quite small but perfect for day-to-day use.

The contents do vary a lot, I tend to chuck things in and take things out a lot but these are the typical things that I carry.

I've got my Kindle in there for reading on the bus, my ancient yellow iPod Nano, boring house keys, menthol cigarettes (horrible, I know!) and a couple of lighters. I always chuck in my The Body Shop Vanilla EDT which I featured in my recent haul post - it's a lovely sweet scent that I'm constantly spritzing! I also carry a small make-up case by Murad which usually has my Caudalie Beauty Elixir (mentioned in my June favourites post), Collection 2000 concealer in shade fair, Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait and a Figs and Rouge Rose lip balm which I received in a Glossybox. There's also some cheap eyelash curlers for on-the-go and the ELF High Definition powder for touch-ups because this makes my skin instantly matte without any cakeyness (that's not a word, is it?).

Last but probably most important, I carry my River Island purse which is black and bright coral inside which holds what little money I have and far more random cards than I really need.

Obviously, there's usually a lot of crap like receipts and rubbish, but I thought it was a good idea to bin all that before this post as I'm sure no one is interested in that! And my phone is always in there, too - purple Blackberry Curve with the most cringey case in the world which says "Don't be jel, be reem". Don't judge me.

What are your handbag essentials?

Monday Wishlist #1

I'm always losing track of things on my to-buy list, so I thought I'd start a weekly wishlist feature! I'm starting a new job next week so hopefully I'll soon be able to slowly buy my wishlists - yay.

1.Topshop Pearl Collar Peplum Blouse - RRP £36 - Possibly the cutest variation of a peplum top I've seen yet!

2. Topshop Lip Stick in Coy - RRP £7 - Out of stock online and there's none in my local store. :( Don't think I'll ever get my hands on this!

3. Alpha H Liquid Gold - RRP £31.50 for 100ml - Been hearing great reviews about this, so naturally I'd like to jump on that bandwagon!

4. L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil - RRP £16.50 for 250ml - How good does this sound?! I love almond-scented things and it just sounds lovely.

5. Sleek Blush in Rose Gold - RRP £4.30 - This is another thing that's always sold out in my local Superdrug but I'm dying to try it since it's apparently a dupe for NARS Orgasm.

I found it so difficult to narrow down items for my wishlist, but I'm going to try and stick to 5 a week or else I'll just go a bit crazy and end up with a 100-product weekly wishlist that I'll never be able to afford.

What are your wishlist items at the moment? Have you tried any of the products mentioned here?

  

Sleek Peaches and Cream Lipstick

Wearing Sleek Peaches and Cream

Yet another lip product review! I've gone from basically being a lipstick virgin last week, to turning into a little bit of a lipstick junkie. I'm absolutely loving peach, coral and nude colours right now - I think they're just perfect for summer. As soon as I saw MAC's Reel Sexy lipstick, I fell in love. Unfortunately that love was not meant to be as I discovered that it was sold out. So when I heard that there was a possible dupe product at a fraction of the price, I was very excited. Enter, Sleek Peaches and Cream lipstick.

Peaches and Cream in packaging

First off, the packaging is so cute. I can't think of another word to describe it! It comes in a small black tube which has the signature matte finish and "Sleek" branding. It's the perfect size to pop in your bag for touch-ups on the go.

Swatched on hand

The consistency is really creamy, and it's marketed as a "sheen" shade. It feels really velvety and glides on to my lips easily, and it doesn't feel drying at all which I love. It's quite a bright colour but it's just perfect for summer and I think I'll be using it every day when I'm holiday!

Applied on lips

Again, sorry for the slightly blurry photos. My digital camera should be arriving soon, thankfully! I'm surprised at how much I love this colour, actually. It's more orange than I anticipated, but it's the formula is gorgeous and I can't wait for warmer weather so I can wear this with big sunnies and pretty little dresses. The only downside is the staying power but I don't mind reapplying it often, so it's not a major factor to me. This lipstick retails at £4.30 and can be bought here on the Sleek website, or at Superdrug.

What's your favourite lipstick shade at the moment?

A little haul!

I can't seem to go into town without coming home with new things that I don't really need, but I couldn't resist! So I thought I'd do a little post on the wee haul that I "accidentally" ended up with a few days ago.

1. The Body Shop Vanilla EDT  - I'd been meaning to pick this up for a while now because I love all things that smell sweet and vanilla-y! I was standing in TBS perusing whether or not to buy it, and a sales assistant approached me to let me know that the Vanilla EDT was being discontinued and that the stock on the shelf was all they had left. And it was only £4.50 instead of the £9 RRP! So, naturally, I picked up 2 of these. I haven't heard any more about them being discontinued, has anyone else heard that?

2. Estee Lauder Double Wear - this was my first ever high end make-up purchase when I was around 16 and I'm not sure why I drifted away from it, but I decided it was time to see if I still loved it now as much as I did then. Plus, I had a £5 Beauty Card reward to spend at Debenhams, so it would have been rude not to... For reference, I was shade 1C1 Shell - the palest you can get. The RRP for this foundation is £27.50, but it only cost me £22.50 with my £5 off.

3. Batiste Cherry Dry Shampoo - I used to rely on dry shampoo when I worked full-time and I just did not have the time to wash, dry and style my hair every day before starting work at 6 or 7am. I haven't used it in about 2 years, but I couldn't resist the gorgeous packaging when I saw it in Superdrug. And, it was half price so only cost £1.45! I think it usually costs around £2.99.

4. Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait - I actually just recently reviewed the Tutti Frutti shade, which you can find here, and I was moaning about how I really wanted Peach Parfait but it was out of stock everywhere in town. So as soon as I saw this the other day, I had to pick it up! It's a lovely shade and I'm glad I finally found it! Only bad thing is the lip butters were no longer selling at the special £5.99 price, so I paid £7.99 for this.

5. Sleek Peaches and Cream Lipstick - Sleek is slowly becoming one of my favourite make-up brands! I picked up this lipstick in Superdrug and it cost £4.39. It's basically the perfect pink/coral shade for summer. I'll be doing a full review of this soon, as I simply love it.

6. Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat - I'm one of those horribly impatient people who hates nothing more than sitting around waiting for nail polish to dry, so as soon as I saw this I had to try it. I think it cost me £4.99 from Superdrug, can't remember exactly but it was around that. I've already tried this, and I love it. No more sitting around for up to an hour scared to move my hands for fear of smudging my nail polish!

7. Barry M Nail Paint - Every time I visit Superdrug, I end up with more new nail polish! I picked up the shades Mint Green and Teal, and they're such good value at £2.99 per nail polish.

So, that's my wee haul. I'd also like to say that in the space of a week, my nail varnish "collection" has grown from THREE nail polishes to SIXTEEN. At this rate, I'll be drowning in the stuff within a month. Blogging is having a very adverse effect on my shopping willpower...

Have you bought anything nice recently? Are there any products which you just can't resist when you go shopping like my current nail polish obsession?!

PS: I finally ordered myself a new digital camera! So hopefully there'll be no more crappy Blackberry photos in a few days time - yay!

JolieBox June 2012 - Birthday Box

2 weeks after its dispatch, I finally received my first JolieBox. I unsubscribed to GlossyBox last month and since this month's JolieBox is their birthday edition box, I figured it was as good a time as any to subscribe. I know there's been a lot of frustration and anger surrounding the delays with the box, but I'm not going to talk about that here because I'm really pleased with this box so I'm keeping it positive! The box costs £10 a month plus £2.95 P&P, and you receive 4-5 luxury samples.

There were 2 different box designs this month. I had already googled the spoilers to death, so I knew that I wanted the orange box and I'm so pleased I received this design. It's bright and colourful and will look super lovely as storage in my room.

As if the orange box hadn't pleased me enough, I opened the box to find the products in a cute little draw-string bag - more handy storage! I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, and JolieBox has definitely impressed me in that aspect.

Time for the exciting bit! I received 5 products this month plus the additional nail file.

1. Leonor Greyl Volumizing Shampoo - I'm really excited to have received this as I do have fine, limp hair and I've been looking into buying a volumizing shampoo for a while now. I tried to find the RRP online but I can't find a UK stockist, so if you have better luck than me then please let me know!

2. Institut Esthederm Bronz Repair - I've heard great things about this brand and the sample size tube will come in handy when I go on holiday in September. The anti-wrinkle aspect isn't something which I'd particularly go out of my way to find in a product, but I'm looking forward to trying this anyway.

3. Elysambre Long Eyelashes Mascara - I was really hoping to receive one of the Elysambre lipsticks, so I was a little disappointed to receive the mascara. I got it in a brown shade, and since I don't own any brown mascaras this might come in handy for a "no make-up" make-up day instead of my usual intense black mascaras. The thing I do love about this brand is that they use 99% natural ingredients, which is great.

4. L'Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream - I already talked about this in my June Favourites post, as I received it in my Latest in Beauty skincare box. I love it, so I'm glad I've got a second mini pot because they're so handy for traveling and it means I can pop one in my handbag, and keep one at home.

5. Yon-Ka Pamplemousse for Normal to Dry skin - this was the first box where JolieBox offered a customized product for those who had filled out their online beauty profiles. However due to the delay and box mix-up, we were told that we may not receive the correct customized item. I have oily, blemish-prone skin, so I was a little gutted to receive the dry formulation. But I've tested it on the back of my hand and it's not too heavy or greasy and it smells divine, so I'm hoping I'll be able to use it at night since I do still love a nourishing moisturizer at night.

There was also a JolieBox nail file as an additional bonus product.

Overall, I'm really happy with this box. If I'd have received the oily formulation of the Pamplemousse (isn't that just the best word you've ever heard?!) cream, I'd have been even happier. Even though there were a lot of problems with this month's box, I'll still continue to subscribe for next month.

Did you receive a JolieBox this month? What did you get?

Sleek Au Naturel Palette

Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel Palette

I finally bought a Sleek eye palette! I rarely use eyeshadow but that could be down to the fact that the only eyeshadow I own is in an ANCIENT Virgin Vie palette and there isn't much left. When I do use eyeshadows, I prefer a neutral, understated look so I figured that this palette would suit me best. I really wanted to get the Urban Decay Naked Palette but I can't justify spending nearly £40 on eyeshadow when I rarely use it anyway! So I opted for Sleek's more affordable palette.

Sleek palette case

You can buy Sleek make-up at Superdrug, or online here, and this Au Naturel palette retails at £6.99. There are 12 shadows included, 8 of which are matte shades, and 4 shimmer. This is great value for money considering you could pay that for just one eyeshadow from another brand. The shadows come in a simple but sophistcated black matte case with the Sleek writing on the lid.

Shades in Au Naturel palette

Above, you can see the colours included in this palette. You also get a handy little eyeshadow applicator, and a large mirror on the lid of the palette. The packaging is so pretty, I didn't even want to swatch the shadows because they look so nice as they are! But I did swatch them, just for you guys.

Swatched

I've tried to catch the shadows in the best light possible, but I do apologise as it's still quite hard to see, especially the lighter shades. From L-R, the shades are Nougat (a pale matte cream), Nubuck (a light grey-brown matte), Cappuccino (a light matte beige), Honeycomb (a warm yellow-beige matte), Toast (a matte light orange-brown), Taupe (a shimmery light brown/gold), Conker (a shimmery purple-brown), Moss (a shimmery green-brown), Bark (a matte true brown), Mineral Earth (a shimmery dark brown), Regal (a dark matte purple-brown) and Noir (a true black matte).

My favourite shade is definitely Taupe, it's the perfect gold-brown for me. I haven't used these on my eyes yet so I can't comment on their durability, but they are well-pigmented and at £6.99 for 12 eyeshadows, you can't go wrong really!

Have you tried any of the Sleek palettes? What's your favourite shade?

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

This is yet another product that I've heard so much about, and something I've been dying to try since I heard about it! As I've mentioned, I'm not a lipstick fan at all. I'm always too conscious that it's there, it feels awkward to eat or drink with and I somehow end up with lipstick all over my teeth and god knows where else. So when I heard about this lip butter, I thought it sounded great - basically a moisturizing lip balm with colour!

I intended to purchase the shade Peach Parfait but I couldn't find it anywhere, so I settled for Tutti Frutti which is more orange than I anticipated. Revlon claims that these lip butters will make your lips softer, more hydrated and and smoother as they are enriched with mango, shea and coconut butter.

Firstly, how gorgeous is this packaging?! I love it. You can see how bright it looks in the applicator, but it actually applies quite sheer so there's still a pop of colour but it's not so in-your-face. These retail at £7.99, but Superdrug is currently selling them on offer at £5.99.

Swatched on hand

It applies really smoothly and has a very creamy, buttery (as the name suggests) consistency. I love the fact that you can apply it really easily as it's more like a lip balm than a lipstick, so you don't have to be as precise as you do with lipstick. Great to chuck in your handbag for touch-ups during the day! And - bonus! - this hasn't transferred on to my teeth at all yet!

I'll be making sure I pick up a few more shades of this on my next trip to the shops, it's so easy to apply, made my lips feel super-soft and gives a lovely shine without the stickiness of a gloss.

Have you tried Revlon's lip butters yet? What's your favourite shade?