Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream Burt Bees

I really like the look of painted nails but i find whenever i do paint my nails they become very dry, flake and my cuticles turn white. Gross. I had never bought a cuticle cream before but thought it might help and boy, was i right!

First, let me mention the smell. Oh the smell! It has a gorgeous lemon scent that is really fragrant and fresh making it perfect for summer. I lather a generous amount over my cuticles and i find it moisturises my cuticles and makes my nails appear stronger with the tips more white. It takes a good 10 minutes to sink in and has a thick balmy texture.

After using for a few months my cuticles are softer and my nails no longer flake. Great budget buy at £5.99. The product lasts for ages, i bought mine last summer and it lasted over a year with a generous amount being used everyday. Buy (here)

Origins face masks

Origins is one of the most established and best brands for skincare. A majority of their products are highly commended and rightly so. After reading so many rave reviews online i had to get my paws on the three most popular masks and having testing them out for a little over two months i thought i'd share my thoughts.

Origins Drink Up mask £20 (buy here)

Having dry skin this product suits me extremely well. It has a cream, almost gel-like, formula which is easy to distribute evenly around the face so you only need the tiniest amount to cover your face and neck resulting in the regular 100ml tubes lasting a while. (I've had mine since early january, use a it twice a week and reckon i've only used a quarter of the tube.) The mask is extremely rich and tackles those nasty dry patches during those cold months. A must-have for all those with dry skin.

Origins Clear Improvement £20 (buy here)

Probably my favourite face mask out of the three, don't get me wrong i'm a big fan of all of them but this one is something special. During the colder months my skin suffers terribly, it gets dry and boy, does it breakout! I tried this at a time when i was particularly spotty, it did nothing for the spots already there but as the spots there began to fade over time i noticed no fresh ones were arising- what is this witchcraft?! The only thing i had changed in my routine was my mask and ever since i have used it religiously. Although this mask is designed for oily skin it works wonders on my dry skin, i just slather on some face cream half an hour after using it. If you were to buy just one of the masks out of the three i would recommend this one the most, especially if you suffer from active breakouts or congested pores.

Origins Out of Trouble £20 (buy here)

This mask is designed for oily skins that often have breakouts so i wasn't sure how much use i'd get out of this as my skin isn't particularly oily or spotty. I had a breakout yesterday and decided to use this, it did wonders. My spots turned from being red, painful and greasy to less red, pain free and not greasy. It says on the tube it takes 10 minutes, for me i found i noticed a difference a few hours after i put the mask on. After using the mask on my whole face i reapplied the product directly onto my spots and left them for an hour to dry them out. I found the product worked best on the red, painful spots oppose to the smaller non painful spots. Highly recommend this for people with oily skin and/or people who have regular breakouts.

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

I adore having silky smooth skin but i despise having to use product after product to get my skin to that stage, so when i discovered L'Occitane's shower oil it quickly became one of my favourite products.

It has a very runny consistency which doesn't feel particularly luxurious at first but the results from using it are amazing. When the oil meets water it begins to foam up which makes it ideal for shaving as the foam allows for a close shave and the product is really hydrating.

The product has a gorgeous almond scent which isn't overpowering but lasts on the skin for a solid few hours. You only need a tiny amount for each use so the product lasts a while.

I wouldn't recommend this if you already have oily skin, don't get me wrong it will still be a good product but it won't have any "miracle" affects on your skin. However, if on the other hand you do have dry/normal skin, buy it! It keeps your skin moisturised for hours, gets rid of all those pesky dry bits and smells delicious. Although it's a little on the pricy side the end result this product brings makes the purchase completely justifiable. For people with dry/normal skin i cannot recommend this enough.
http://www.asos.com/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2900180
http://www.asos.com/Marie-Meili/Marie-Meili-Genevieve-Control-Slip-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2409389&WT.ac=rec_viewed
Buy for £17.50 (here)

April Birchbox 2013 UK

I hate mornings. My bed never wants to let me go and I don't want to leave it. The only time i don't mind getting out of bed in the morning is for my Birchbox. If you aren't familiar with Birchbox it's an american beauty box company that recently came to the UK when it took over Joliebox. You get, on average, five samples per box with a mix of full size and sample size products. The boxes always have a theme, this months theme was "In bloom".

Mirenesse Glossy Kiss:
First up, my favourite item in the box. Believe it or not this is actually my first lip stick. I was expecting it to have the consistency of a lipgloss and the finish of a lipstick but i found it was more like a pigmented lip balm. The product is a gorgeous pink with subtle gold shimmer. This is the full size product worth £17.50. Buy (here).


       Left: Light swatch         Right: Heavy swatch

Natio Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser: This smells divine. It's a pretty standard cleanser but i'm going to be repurchasing it again just so i can sniff it all day (in the least creepy way possible). Buy for £6.80 (here).

Weleda Skin Food: I have tried skin food before, it's a great moisturiser which is really hydrating. It is quite thick which is great however it feels quite heavy on my skin which i'm not too fond of but it's a generally good product so i could look pass this. I tend to use this on it my cuticles as an intense moisturising treatment. This is a sample size, full size is buy 75ml for £8.95 (here). Buy 30ml for £4.95 (here).

La societe Parisienne De Savons soap: This, to me, smells like childhood. I can smell honey and grapeseed (it reminds me of Burts Bees honey hand cream, (here)) and is pleasant to use, going straight into my bathroom! Full size costs £8.50. Buy (here).

Gera Spillmann Renaissance Age serum: I won't get much use out of this products as i don't require anti ageing products. The summary of the product says it's suited for all ages but the title suggests otherwise... Buy for £69 (here).

Birchbox Paname Paris Mirror (extra): I really like that they add extra's like this, this is a really convenient mirror with cute packaging. Perfect to pop into your bag.

Overall I quite like this box. If you too like the look of this box and would like to sign up to birchbox you can do so (here). Subscriptions are £10 per month plus p&p.

Trilogy rosehip oil antioxidant+

For the past week, everyone has been asking me if i'm ok, apparently i've been looking extremely pale. Don't worry, i'm not ill! I'm just sun deprived and need to go on holiday ASAP! In an attempt to look a little less zombie-like i picked up a few products, started testing them out and i stumbled upon an absolute gem.

This product has turned my skin, in three days, from dull and lifeless to bright and radiant. Trilogy says: 'Potent super antioxidants Lycopene from Tomato and Phytosterol from Acai help protect from premature ageing caused by environmental free radical damage. Nourishing Essential Fatty Acids (omegas 3 and 6) from Cranberry and Rosehip moisturise and renew. Mineral and vitamin rich Oat  extract provides a soothing and luxurious feel that glides on the skin.'

I've purchased a lot of face oils in the past but this one really tops them all. The product moisturises whilst adding a glow, makes your skin unbelievably soft and the cherry on top is that it doesn't clog your pores! An oil, that doesn't clog your pores? Is this real life? Am i dreaming? No wonder it's a celeb fav to the likes of Miranda Kerr and Victoria Beckham!

I feel this product works best when used at night, allowing time for it to sink in and when paired with a moisturiser to further nourish the skin. This product for is ideal people with scars, birth marks, dull or dry skin. Although it's pricy the product lasts a long time as you only need to use 2-3 drops per use and the full size product is 20ml. I use it on just my face and neck but it can be used all over the upper body too. Buy (here) OR if you'd like a mini sample for £1.50 to trial run it buy (here)

Charles Worthington Salon at Home Secrets Collection Moisture Seal Intense Rescue Melting Balm

A product that has been circulating the bloggersphere like there is no tomorrow is "Charles Worthington Salon at Home Secrets Collection Moisture Seal Intense Rescue Melting Balm"- what a mouthful! 

When i first tried this out, i wasn't impressed. I carried on using it but nothing was happening. It was not until my shampoo ran out and i decided to choose another one did i start to see results.

When i started using this product i paired it with my Patene shampoo and conditioner then moved on to Head and shoulders, when i used the balm with them i didn't see any change. I then switched to using Aussie's miracle moist shampoo and conditioner and i started to see amazing results. There was a visible difference in the look and feel in my hair. The ends appeared moisturised and my split ends appeared to have lessened.

I use a big pea size and rub the solid between my hands until it melts and turns into a liquid. I only apply to the bottom half of my hair (from the bottom of the ears down to the end of my hair). I think that you need to use a good quality shampoo and conditioner if you want to see any results and if you don't like to spend £5+ on a shampoo/conditioner then don't bother buying it because it'll be a waste of money and you'll see no effect. It retails for £16.99 which I think, personally, is far too expensive for the product. However, boots often reduces it to £10 which is much more of a fair price so keep an eye on that. Buy (here)
Buy Aussie Miracle moist shampoo (here) and conditioner (here).

Soap and Glory LID STUFF eyeshadow quad in "What's nude"

I've been eyeing up Soap and Glory's cosmetic line for a while now and a few days ago i finally got around to trying the eyeshadow quad Lid Stuff in "What's nude". 

The eyeshadows are really soft and easy to blend and highly pigmented so you don't need to use much product. 

From left to right: Vanilla, Pink T, Mud Honey, Aubersheen

They have really good staying power, they lasted me around 9 hours without fading or creasing. "Vanilla" almost matches my skin tone, it's just as pigmented as the rest but it's more of a "barely there" shade that I use for a base.

The dark brown "Mud Honey" at the bottom left of the quad is also really good for shading in your eyebrows.

For the quality you're getting I, personally, think £10 is a really fair price considering the same quality eyeshadows from MAC cost more than £10 each and they are just as good.

The packaging isn't particularly luxurious but it does the job and is quite sturdy. It's great for everyday use and is a practical size so you can carry it around in your handbag if you wanted to.

Buy for £10.00 (here).

Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Penetrating oil

Most people have heard about the original Moroccan oil (here) which is outstanding. The only downside is it has an outstanding price tag to match.

I have used the original moroccan oil religiously for years and when i ran out and my normal stockist had too it was a catastrophe. (Ok, maybe i'm exaggerating a little.) I ran to my nearest boots to look for an alternative and came across this. "Ugh, this will have to do." I thought to myself as i picked it up. When i got around to trying it, i was pleasantly surprised.

It has the same consistency, smell and finish as the original but it's less than a quarter of the price!

The scent is gorgeous and smells of Argan oil as the name suggests. You only need a pea size amount for each use, i use it in the morning and before bed. If you use it twice a day it ensures you will have shiny, soft hair 24/7. Applying once a day means your hair will be shiny and hydrated but not particularly soft.

This is the high street equivalent for the original Moroccan oil and the product is almost exactly the same. I was left thoroughly impressed. The bottle is sturdy and more convenient than the original as you can squeeze the bottle and the cap has a smaller hole so it's easier to control how much you pour out instead of the pump. To summarise, exactly same product as the original Moroccan oil but different packaging.

Buy for £6.99 (here)