All Used Up #9

Hey guys, here is my very late follow up post which accompanies the video for my empties. I've managed to use up a variety of products this time around so you can either hear or read all about them in this post :)

1. Lush 'Snow Fairy' Shower Gel: An iridescent pink shower gel that features a bubble gum and pear drop scent, this product foams up nicely and leaves your bathroom smelling gorgeous for ages afterwards. One of my favourites from Lush but only available in their Christmas collection so you will have to wait until the end of this year to get your hands on it again, sorry!

2. Vichy Normaderm Micellar Water: full review here. One of the better micellar waters I've tried, it doesn't leave any horrible residue, is paraben free and suitable for oily skin, but it is rubbish at cleaning away stubborn eye make up and didn't blow me away. I wouldn't repurchase.

3. Yankee Candle 'Salted Caramel' Candle: I don't know how Yankee do it but they seem to encapsulate scents so well. This scent is very heavy but so delicious - think warm comforting caramel with a very sweet twist. It won't be everyone's cup of tea but I've loved using this throughout the winter months and would definitely repurchase.

4. Batiste Dry Shampoo: A regular feature in these posts, my trusty dry shampoo of choice. An absolute life saver it refreshes hair and provides volume. A regular repurchase.

5. Paul Mitchell Forever Blonde Shampoo* & Conditioner*: Full review here. The shampoo is more than just a bog standard product, it provides moisture and refreshes your colour without making it greasy. The conditioner is the perfect follow up, a half way house between a conditioner and a hair mask it provides a hit of moisture that won't weigh down your hair. A definite repurchase!

6. Dove 'Original' Antiperspirant: not much to say on this one, I do like Dove deodorants but I normally get whatever is on offer!

7. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer:  A blogger favourite, I love the coverage and the long lasting formula but I find the shade range really lets this product down and it tends to go quite ashy on me. I've repurchased this a lot before but I think I was trying to make myself like it more than I did.

8. Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer:  I originally wanted a lighter shade for under my eyes but instead I used this on my face and it was a good consistency but was quite lightweight so you have to build up the coverage gradually. It also isn't as long wearing as I would like. I wouldn't repurchase unless I could get a lighter colour for under my eyes.

9. Soap & Glory Supercat Eyeliner: My first foray into pen style liquid eyeliners, I loved the concept but the actual product fell short. It is quite grey and watery so needs to be built up into an opqaue line, which is a shame because at the time I bought it there was lots of hype around it. I'm trying out one by Bourjois at the moment and much prefer that.

Have you tried any of these products? xxx

Christmas Gift Ideas From Paul Mitchell

The other evening I attended a Christmas gathering held by Paul Mitchell at the Sanderson Hotel. While enjoying some cocktails and mini bites to eat, I was educated on their abundance of gift sets and stocking fillers available for the festive season. Even though I went to the event I'm not obligated to write about them, but I think they are really good quality and there is literally something available for everyone - even your pets! I was gifted the Extra Body Gift Set* from the Christmas Trio range which I'm really excited to try out as the other ranges I have tried through out the years have always lived up to their claims and expectations.

There are three Luxury gift sets including 'It's A Blonde Moment' featuring my favourite range from Paul Mitchell at the moment (see my review here), the popular new curl range encapsulated in 'Stay Calm and Curl on' which I'm also a big fan of (the wave cream was featured in this monthly favourites post) and 'You Look Skinny Today' all at the price point of £35 and which come in super cute colourful and glittery resuable gift bags.

There are also three other Christmas trios also in similar reusable gift bags at £26 featuring a selection of full size best selling products and three sets of  boxed Christmas duos at £18 including shampoos and conditioners from the Moisture Daily and Colour Protect Daily ranges and a kids set for £16.

In regards to stocking fillers there are plenty of minis to choose from starting from £4.50 across the entire Paul Mitchell product family so would be suitable for women and men. They even have sets for pets suitable for horses, dogs and cats if you like to treat your fluffy friend at this time of year.

A couple more of my favourite gift ideas are the Vogetti styling sets which would be great for teenagers and include tutorials and all the equipment you need to create the perfect fish tail plait or up do for £8.50 - £12. They have also bought out a lemon and sage candle to pair with the Lemon Sage Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner and the Tea Tree gift sets have a biodegradable seeded paper wrap which when planted sprout daisies - how cute!!

The Vogetti Styling Kits

For more information on the gifts mentioned and even more gift ideas visit the Paul Mitchell website here. All products are only available in salons, with the exception of Look Fantastic. Let me know if you pick any of the sets up! xxx

Review: Paul Mitchell | Forever Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner |

Forever Blonde Shampoo* // £14.95 // 250ml // Forever Blonde Conditioner* // £14.95 // 200ml

My first encounter with Paul Mitchell was years ago as a teenager, when I got my first set of highlights at Stephen Way located on New Bond Street (a fab salon that I really recommend!) They used a few products from the brand on me which I then promptly bought myself, but after years of being a product junkie and testing out lots of different hair care I forgot about how much I liked Paul Mitchell. Luckily for me I got sent a few items after attending a fab event they held, two of which were the Forever Blonde Shampoo* and Conditioner*. Normally I can only really tell a difference between conditioners and styling products but after using these for around 2 months now I can tell you that both of these products have really impressed me. I wash my hair every 3-4 days and have used this particular duo every time, bar the time I use a purple shampoo with a deep conditioner which is normally once every two weeks. 

I love the packaging and the smell of both products, both of which have a slight purple tinge to them to help keep brassiness at bay without leaving a colour cast. The Forever Blonde Shampoo is actually really nourishing while lathering and cleansing effectively even though it is sulfate free, which surprised me as most shampoos leave my hair feeling quite stripped and I need a good load of conditioner afterwards to counteract this. I use this twice before moving onto the Forever Blonde Conditioner that is also sulfate free. I really love the consistency of the conditioner as it is quite thick but not heavy - kind of like a hybrid between a standard conditioner and a treatment. It makes it easy to brush out any knots and you don't have to leave it on for ages for it to leave your hair silky soft and smooth.

Both these products have been great at combating problems that traditionally come with having lifted or bleached blonde hair: colour fading, brassiness, weakness and moisture - by the addition of KerActive protein that binds to the hair to aid damage repair and safflower which delivers moisture and seals the cuticle of hair. Once these run out I would 100% repurchase them as they are the only every day shampoo and conditioner I've found so far that really make a difference to the quality of my hair. If you have blonde hair I highly recommend these!

What are your favourite Paul Mitchell products? xxx

August Favourites

Hey guys, I'm officially back, yay! All my exams are now completed and I have officially finished Uni forever, which has given me such mixed feelings of excitement, sadness and nervousness. I'm so excited to put some more love into this blog - there are so many ideas on posts that I want to write buzzing round my head and I'm also looking to update my layout too, so if you do blog designs or know someone who does let me know :). I haven't done a favourites post in such a long time, but decided to try and start them up again as they are one of my favourite types to read and are great to give readers some product recommendations. Even though this is a bit late, I have quite a few for August as I've recently been trying out new things.

001. Paul Mitchell Curls Ultimate Wave Cream*: Ever since I received the Curls range from Paul Mitchell when I attended this event, this particular product has become a staple in my routine. It is a lightweight cream that helps to maintain and define my natural waves without feeling sticky or heavy. A little goes a long way and the smell is gorge - a must have for beachy waves.

002. Dove Hair Therapy Oil Care Leave in Conditioner: Again, this hair product is now a firm favourite in my haircare routine. I use it on wet hair to detangle and in between washes to keep my hair soft and sleek. The spray is so fine and the formula lightweight that it doesn't weigh down fine hair. It has really helped to keep my hair in good condition and smell lovely.

003. Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo Two*: Used once every one or two weeks, this clarifying shampoo helps to cleanse excess product and oil from your scalp and hair that can cause dull, lifeless styles. It leaves my hair thoroughly cleansed without feeling stripped or affecting my colour, which other deep cleansing shampoos failed to do.

004. Estée Lauder Pure Colour Eye Shadow Duo in 'Raisins': As you would expect, the quality of these eye shadows are amazing. Buttery soft with barely any fall out, they apply like a dream and have great wear time. This particular colour pairing is not something I would normally choose but after seeing a few swatches online I saw that they are a great combination for blue eyes. 

006. Revlon Lip Butters in 'Watermelon' and 'Sorbet': You may already know that I'm a massive fan of the lip butters as they are easy to apply, have a great colour selection and are nourishing as well. At the beginning of summer I added these two shades to my collection. I've worn these pinky red and hot pink shades a lot during the day as they have good colour pay off but are not too harsh and opaque like a lipstick, which is a bit more summery and easier to up keep in the warmer weather.

007. Color Club Nail Laquer in 'Mod in Manhattan': This colour is so pretty and a great first step into the trend of tippex nails. It isn't too stark white to be scary, but has a peachy tinge which warms things up a little and is different to anything else I own. It looks elegant by itself on short nails, or is lovely as a base coat to a colourful glitter (as seen here).

008. No 7 Brush Cleanser: I've been after a brush cleanser for ages to use as a spot cleaner in between deep cleans. This has been an absolute godsend, especially for eye brushes which I don't have too many of (yet) and makes creating different looks much easier. It's completely changed my make up routine and wouldn't be without it now.

009. Yankee Candle in 'Salted Caramel': Salted Caramel is one of my favourite things, so was really pleased when I received this from Matt as a good luck present. Yankee Candles are amazing at getting every scent just right, and this combination of butter and sugar makes it perfect for the colder months that will be upon us soon.

All these products will have in depth reviews going up in the near future, so keep a look out if there is something you like the look of and want some more info on. What has been your favourite product during August? xxx

* PR SAMPLE

Event: Paul Mitchell | New Curl Range |

Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend my first ever blogging event. I have previously been invited to some others but I was either busy or too nervous to go, so I finally bit the bullet and decided to pop along to Mayfair.

The event was by Paul Mitchell to promote and educate us on their new range for curls. The new products launching include a shampoo*, leave in conditioner*, a beachy texture cream* and a curl definer*, so there is definitely something for everyone to try. They have been formulated  to detangle, fight frizz, define, smooth and hydrate the hair of those with naturally curly hair but can also be used on styled hair. I will be doing proper in-depth reviews once I have tested them all out properly but so far I am loving the two styling products for beachy waves and defined curls.

While I was there I had my hair done by a Paul Mitchell stylist who was so friendly and gave me some great tips on how to style my hair and some more information about a variety of products. I also got some nail art done by Nails by Rosie who I got chatting to and found out that she is from my Uni town of Birmingham - if you are from around that area I recommend you pop to her shop in the Custard Factory as she did a wonderful job.

Finished hair 2 days on

Accent nail by Nails by Rosie with my own varnish Essie's 'Bikini So Teeny'

Everyone from Paul Mitchell was so lovely and friendly plus there were some tasty canapés and cocktails available to enjoy while I learnt about the history of the brand and the development of their different styling ranges (I have my eye on the blonde and sun collections!) I also really enjoyed meeting and chatting to other bloggers at the event, especially Nuala from Dolled Up London who was really lovely and I highly recommend you check out her blog!

I had such a great few hours at the event and can't wait to attend some more if I am lucky enough! Sorry that my pictures are a bit fuzzy, it was dark and they are all taken on the iPhone! xxx