This is a good hair product.

When your hair is very fine and very yellow blonde it can be hard to find the right product that will help smooth your hair without making it look greasy.

My sister introduced me to John Frieda's Gleam Creme a couple of years ago and it has become a staple beauty item for me ever since.

It describes itself as a "silkening creme" which "smooths dry, dull blonde hair". As you can see in the pics the product comes out a light creamy colour,

but I reckon you could get away with using it on all hair colours.


The best thing about it is how little product you need. I put a tiny blob on my finger, rub it over my hands and lightly smooth it over my hair once styled to tame those pesky fly away bits (again a very common annoyance of having fine hair - permanently having a fine-hair-strand-halo) I use it every single day, whatever hairstyle I have. It rocks.

It doesn't leave my hair greasy or sticky like serums do, in fact it doesn't feel like you have any product in your hair at all. It costs just £5.09, has a 12 month shelf life - and it really does last me 12 months, it is truly amazing value for money! Check it out here on the John Frieda website.

Disgusting yet delightful: Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

Some people are good to their skin. They are patient, disciplined, leave it be.

I am not one of those people. I scratch, pick and squeeze. I know it can make my spots worse, I know it can damage the skin, I know it is disgusting, but surely I can not be alone with this?!

Once I am aware of a spot lurking in my skin I have to GET.IT.OUT.OF.MY.FACE. (Like Lady Macbeth, lolz. No? Anybody? "Out damn spot", y'know - a terrible Shakespeare related gag? No?)


Anyway, I tried a version of these a few years ago at uni and was a little disappointed, however, I now suspect in my excitement at seeing gunk exit my face I didn't leave them on long enough.

Two weeks ago I was in Sainsburys and ambled into the beauty section (like a magnet, honestly) and spotted the Biore ones for £2.40 for the pack of 6, so thought I should give them another try.

This time I left it on for a good 15 minutes and ohhhhh boy did some rubbish leave my nose! I really suffer with blocked pores on my nose, cheeks and chin so it was great to see my nose cleared without damaging the skin. In my excitement I popped one on my chin and it also did a good job here. The other half got a bit jealous of the fun I was having and also gave it a go - he too was impressed at the gory results.

I kept on using them every 3 days as recommended (even looking forward to nose strip day, the shame) and I have definitely noticed an improvement- my pores look a little tighter and less gunk is coming out of them now so I am super impressed that these seem to make a long term difference. 

When I was last in Boots I went to replace them and they were a shocking £7! Very poor value for just 6 strips, so I am praying my local Sainsburys still has them in.

What I am curious about now is whether it is just the Biore ones that are particularly good or whether all brands work? Have you tried these or other types of nose strip and had good results?

Accidental Festive Nails

Yes I hear you cry, it's barely the first week of sodding October, you do not want to talk about Christmas! Well tough.


A little while ago I picked up Barry M's red glitter polish on a Buy One Get One Half Price spree in Boots, thinking I would save it till Christmas time.

Well, I changed my mind this weekend as I was too excited to try it, and after a pimms and lemonade (you know the premixed ones in a can? I'm sophisticated like that) I thought to myself "Hey you - let's break the darn rules and paint our nails Christmassy - you are 26 years old - you can do whatever the hell you want!" Ahem.

Moving on, I painted a base coat of my new Barry M base and top coat in one (my nails are no longer stained, it's a revelation), then a coat of a lovely pillar box red by Max Factor; it's one of their dinky polishes, I think it was in a free gift set. I then applied a generous coat of the Barry M glitter, followed by the top coat.

And look how preeeeeeettttty they are! I keep sneaking a peek at them! The pictures don't quite do the product justice. I completely underestimated how tightly packed the glitter is in the Barry M polishes, they almost look like the Rockstar Gel nail polish, the effect is so good!

It's hard to believe such a great range of polish (I've nearly used up the Rose Quartz glitter) is just £2.99 and it's always on offer in Boots or Superdrug.


I can't wait to do these again, but I will play with the look a bit more, perhaps a ring finger in gold glitter, or gold glitter half moons to make them really festive!

It's the only thing making me look forward to the cold weather so far....

What do you think of the Barry M glitter polishes?

Revlon Heavenly Nail Polish: Review

I mentioned this product in my last post, a tad disappointed when I first tried it. I predicted it would be better on darker nails and do you know what...I was right! (Don't you love it when that happens)

I painted it over a dark navy blue Nails Inc polish (that was a Glamour magazine freebie!) and it looked super pretty. Against the dark blue the creamy glitter bits looked more green - I felt a bit like a mermaid (Ariel is a big hero of mine, yes I know she's not real, but come on, who doesn't love The Little Mermaid?!)

 It was pretty close to their normal moon candy and a friend noticed my nails right away saying they were "grown up glitzy", it's definitely a nice alternative to traditional glitter top coats.

The particles came out fairly evenly, I did had a couple of nails too thin / too thick with the glittery bits but the overall effect is super pretty. It is normally £6.99 but it currently has £2 off on the Boots website, so I highly recommend it for a cheap way of updating nail polished you might be bored of.

I put my new Barry M base coat, top coat and hardener polish over the top and it is GOOOOOOD! I've noticed my polish definitely lasts longer with it than my previous top coat (which was O.P.I) It's the best £2.99 you will ever spend on a nail product. I promise.

This polish is going to get used, and used, and used and used...It also has £2 off on the Boots website so it is well worth buying!

Recent beauty hits and misses

I've bought a few new products here and there recently so thought it was review time!

L-R: Cherry Cola Lip Smacker, Revlon Nail Polish in Heavenly, Revlon Lip Butter
in Juicy Papaya, Paul Smith Floral Perfume, 17 Berry Crush Lip Stain,
Vaseline Paint The Town Lip Tint  and Collection Eyeshadow pencil in Vanilla Sky

I'll get the biggest disappointment out of the way first...the limited edition Vaseline. It caught my eye in the queue at Boots (yup, I am a sucker for browsing and buying from the queue barriers) I haven't gone for their Limited spin offs before (pink champagne and creme brulee?! It's Vaseline for goodness' sake, let's keep a sense of proportion here) but this caught my eye as it is a tint.

When you open the tin a gorgeous deep red pot of joy looks back at you, with a lovely fruity smell.

Then I put it on. 

It.makes.no.difference. The colour really, really doesn't show, it may as well be normal Vaseline.

The worst thing? It was 3 sodding pounds and 49 pence. For Vaseline! There was no price when I picked it up and I naively assumed it wouldn't be more than £1.99 - as it's Vaseline! What a fool.

No lip tint here Vaseline!

See - no colour at all and I've had to share this deeply awful photo to prove the point. Thanks a bunch Vaseline.

I will keep it in my drawer at work as it is always handy to have lip balm around if you are hooked on it like I am. But would I rebuy? Nope. 

In future I will stick with the only lipbalm I have ever used up and purchased again instantly...

...Lip Smacker Cherry Cola Lipbalm.

It smells DELICIOUS! You know sometimes products like this sometimes smell , odd? Well this doesn't, it really does smell like Cherry Cola.

Even better it is super moisturising, adds a tiny hint of colour (which it doesn't even promise to do UNLIKE SOME, VASELINE) is only £2.50 and can be found easily.

I have tried the lip smacker Sprite lipbalm which was a little bland, but am definitely keen to try the others in the Cola range.

This has become a handbag essential!

Rebuy? Hell flipping yeah!


Next up: Collection Eyeshadow stick in Vanilla Sky. I'd seen a couple of bloggers rave this range so had to try as it wasn't expensive at all. The choice in my local boots was rather limited - grey, brown or the cream. I tend to wear a light eyeshadow with eyeliner most days, and the perfect L'Oreal eyeshadow I used has been discontinued, wah.

This isn't bad - but the colour is rather bright. If applied to liberally it does look a little tacky, as it is very shimmery too.

The plus is it goes on very easily and dries QUICK! When I swatched it in Boots I couldn't rub it off by the time I reached the next aisle!

Would I rebuy? Possibly - it is good value and until I find my perfect everyday eyeshadow it is better than nothing.

Revlon's Moon Candy range has become a firm favourite of mine, and I was searching for a sparkly top coat similar to the moon candy effect. 

What makes it different to other sparkle polishes are the chunky, foil pieces instead of tiny glitter particles.

I spotted this polish called Heavenly in Revlon's range, and as it was Buy One Get One Half Price I thought it was worth a try.

I've popped it over my nude polish from the weekend and was a bit disappointed, it didn't show much and it took two coats to get lots of the shiny bits out.

Then I realised I am not being fair-of course it isn't going to show over such a light polish! I need to give it a chance.

Rebuy? I think I will end up loving this, so yes.

Sticking with Revlon, using the offer in Boots I added another Lip Butter to my growing collection.

A few bloggers seem a little divided over these, but I absolutely LOVE them. I have quite a few from the range and find on a night out I can just take one of these instead of two or three lip products, making my clutch bags much happier! I find them super moisturising with a great hit of colour.

I opted for Juicy Papaya, as an easy shade to wear. I went for a deeper coral in the summer, and it just didn't suit me.The colour was too harsh on my pasty chops and it also made my teeth look yellow, yeurch.

This thankfully is much kinder, however,it is the weakest colour I've had from the range so far.

As you can see from the pic on the right it doesn't offer a lot of colour, and perhaps if someone bought this one first from the range I can see why they would be a 
little unimpressed.

It's a good job I already own about 5 shades (!) and two I have already used up and repurchased (Berry Smoothie and Peach Parfait) so I am letting this one go.

It will be great for work as an easy wear, especially as when I wear bright lippie it can go horribly wrong when applied without a mirror (how does it find it's way to my teeth so quickly?!)

Would I rebuy? No, but I will still buy others from the range!

I discovered Paul Smith Floral when a friend was wearing it recently. It was on offer in Boots, just £11 for 30ml!

Don't let the floral title deceive you; it is fruity, fresh and a little bit different.

It's a great everyday perfume and lasts a good few hours. If you were to wear it all day you would need to top up again if you were going out for the evening, but I don't mind that at £11!

Would I rebuy? Definitely if it's on offer again, and preferably a bigger bottle as I think I will use this up very quickly as it is SO lovely!

 I have saved my favourite new product till last. 17 Lip Stain in Berry Crush.

This was bought on a whim at Boots for just £2! The till I was at had a little box of reduced make up on it (I know, I am Boots' dream customer, so terrible for these add on purchases) and the colour caught my eye.

It is so FAB! I love felt tip applicators, mainly because they are somewhat fool proof but also because I feel like a kid at school being a little bit silly.

It has a lipbalm applicator on the other end, which I am not a fan of as once you use it once it looks , well, a little bit skanky...but it is needed as the felt tip doesn't offer a lot of moisture. Once it is applied it does finish the look really nicely.


I have used it non stop since I purchased it and you should be able to see in the pic how nice the colour is.

It's a very wearable colour - that slightly berry tone is lovely and makes it great for everyday wear. I think it will be my Autumn make up essential!

Would I rebuy? YES! 

Can I rebuy? Not sure! It looks like this baby has been discontinued seeing as it was in the bargain box, so please, please dear bloggers send me your recommendations to replace this beauty when it finally runs out!

Have you tried any of the products I've reviewed today? Do you think I am 

mad for hating the new Vaseline but being so madly in love with Revlon's lip butters?

Let me know! x

OOTD: Happy Feet

Normally I don't these posts, but I am so in love with my floral court shoes that I just had to share, you lucky things.

You know when you spot something and it stays in your head for days, weeks even? That happened with these shoes. They caught my eye in Dorothy Perkins when they were full price, mainly thanks to the beautiful colours, but I tried to push them out of my thoughts  - as really, I had no need for them and couldn't justify buying a wear every now and then pair of heels.

Then they went in the sale.

For a couple of weeks I would pop my head into the local store (I work in town, making this easy, I would like to point out I am not a total oddball making a huge trip to do this), keeping my eye on the last pair, in a size 5, my size.

Finally payday came and they were still on the shelf; fate had made the decision for me. I splurged 12 English pounds on these beauties and skipped home (alright, in my head I was skipping)

I finally got to wear them on Saturday night when we went out for a meal to celebrate the other half's birthday.

The shoes deserved to have the limelight (which is a first as I've never really been a shoes girl) and paired them with a bargain outfit!

I paired them with my fave New Look supersoft skinny jeans (£4 ebay), a navy camisole from New Look (£9.99 - a rare full price buy, but a wardrobe classic), a statement necklace from Dotty P's I spotted in the sale for a whopping £1.50 and some bangles bought back in my days of working at Accessorize, they were probably about £2. I normally go for chunky rings over bracelets but fancied a change.

The outfit was completed with an Accessorize bag - I lusted after it for months and nabbed it for £8 down from £30 in their sale! It's a lovely nudey pink, and can be used as a clutch or shoulder bag, it's a fab buy.

I changed up my make up a little - normally it's black eyeliner with bright lipstick, but lippie and food is a no no - especially as I like my food, no nibbling at a bit of salad here!

Smoky eyes are a bit of a struggle for me, if I'm not careful they make my eyes look tiny. The pic looks like I just put on a grey shadow; I tried layering and struggled a bit. I put a little eyeliner on the ends just to flick at the corners and give some shape. Following all beauty rules I opted for a nude lip and as little blusher as my pale face could cope with. 

I kepy my nails simple for once, painting them in Barry M's lovely lychee Gelly Polsh.

We had a lovely night and the joy of New Look's jeans and loose top meant I got away with a hefty food baby by the end of the night, wahey!

I would love more tips on how to put together a great smokey eye look - any bloggers out there who can give some advice?

I still can't stop gazing at them!

Dreamy frozen nails

This has become a nail polish essential!

This week I have opted for much lighter colours on my nails as they were looking rather stained last time I stripped my dark pink polish off (perhaps it is time to invest in a base coat...)

I started last week with Revlon's nail art set in Silhouette, which has a lovely nude base which looks great on its own, but I decided to put the metallic top coat on too. A lovely chic start to the week!

It was quite refreshing to have neutral nails after so many bright looks. They always look smart and this polish really doesn't chip much. I also LOVE the moon candy range Revlon brought out - the dark green is too die for. I like that it's a little different from just glitter.

The colour looks more duck egg here, but it's a
real baby, sky blue

Then once the Revlon worn off a little I opted for Barry M Blue Moon. It is a very light blue and requires a few coats, but once on it is very pretty. Again it looked neat, smart but not boring!


This morning I felt like jazzing them  up a little. I have a work event this evening and wanted to make them a little more special without losing the base colour as it had lasted so well.

As you can see the Rose Quartz is well loved!

I added my favourite glitter top coat, Barry M's Rose Quartz. As the blue base is so light I decided to try doing the trapped / frozen glitter effect. Instead of putting a clear top coat on I put another very thin coat of the Blue Moon over the glitter. 

The final effect is lovely,  a much more muted glitter look. You need quite a lot of glitter to make sure it doesn't get lost once the blue coat is on top and it's really brought out the pink colour in the glitter coat. It's a little more grown up and understated.

I think I prefer my glitter to really sparkle, but this look has made a nice change!

So pretty!