♥ Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Polish Shade Dragon Fruit

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Polish Shade Dragon Fruit

No this isn't another review of the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine nail polishes, simply just a NOTD I wore a while ago. When I first started seeing these in blogs, as with every hyped item- it didn't cross my mind to try them out. But when I saw lovely Ondo Lady wear I believe an orangy shade at the DHC blogger event, I thought I'd give them a go!

Her nails looked really shiny and she had worn it for a few days. I have to be honest and say that I don't really think this shade came out any shinier than my other nail polishes, don't get me wrong, it's shiny- but most of my nail polishes are, "gel" or not.

I would still definitely buy these again though as I think they have some great spring/summer shades. 

What do you think of this NOTD & Gel nail polishes in general?

xx

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♥ DHC Mascara Perfect Pro Double Protection Review

DHC Mascara Perfect Pro Double Protection Review
Also see my review on the DHC Moisture Care Lipstick Shade PK04 Sweetpea.-a super pretty neutral light pink lipstick.

"Our long-lasting mascara stays on until you decide to take it off. Utilising tubing technology, this professional-caliber formula encapsulates lashes in polymer tubes that wear all day and night long. This means no flaking, smearing, smudging or need for make-up removers. When you’re ready to remove your mascara, simply splash your face with warm water and gently slide the tubes right off."- from DHC website, here 

I am a person who never ever changes mascara, at least no "voluntarily". I've been using Loreal Telescopic since I was like 13-14 or whenever I started using mascara and I think it is great. Sometimes I use the Natural Collection one from Boots which is super cheap, but for some reason I don't find it that great anymore and I realised it contains cheap ingredients like mineral oil.

Now to the DHC Perfect Pro Double Protection Mascara, I got it at the DHC blogger event that I attended roughly a month ago, read about it here. 

Random fact: You can wash this mascara off using warm water only- it will slide off and leave no residue at all (in case you didn't read the description ;) ). It really works!

I definitely didn't have any particularly great expectations when I first tried this mascara simply because of what I mentioned before, I hardly ever change mascaras or like new ones. The first time I tried it was randomly, the same evening that I got back from the event I suspect. It seemed pretty basic to me. But bare in mind I tried one coat, on one I with out building it up or anything. 

Now I absolutely love it and although I had just bought a new Loreal Telescopic and tried to "save" this new found favourite, I couldn't! I have been using it daily.

Application: So you might have noticed the tiny, tiny mascara wand. However it is pretty great as it allows you to reach every single lash without being clumpy o giving you thick lashes. The formula is great for layering the mascara, which allows you to build it up, making your lashes longer and longer. And you definitely won't need a separate lower lash mascara (yeah they have those, personally I think thats ridiculous) with this tiny wand.

How long does it last? I haven't noticed this wearing off so I think it's fair to say it stays put all day. At the end off the day you can just wash it off using warm water- and you won't need to worry about black residue around your eyes. 

Ingredient check & top ingredients, read FULL ingredient list here

water/eau, ammonium acrylates copolymer, kaolin, copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax/cire de carnauba, PEG-15 glyceryl stearate, beeswax/cire d’abeille

Mineral Oil (/)
Silicones (√)
Parabens (/)
Butylene/Propylene Glycol (√)

  

I also wanted to show a fotd picture just to show you what it looks like from a far as well. 

What do you think of the results when wearing this?

What is your favourite mascara?

xx

Also see my review on the DHC Moisture Care Lipstick Shade PK04 Sweetpea.-a super pretty neutral light pink lipstick.

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♥ Natural Skin Care & Makeup Brands

As today is Earthday (read more about it here), lovely LaaLaa from Dolce Vanity had the idea to do a blog collaboration sharing our favourite natural skincare brands. There are quite a few natural brands out there, so we have included brands of different price ranges, natural/organic, non organic and so on. I know we all use natural brands for different reasons, allergies, against animal cruelty, for "safety", or whatever it might be so we have made sure we have stated what type of brands these are. All the brands below are brands I have tried or am currently using myself. I purposely chose pictures which I have taken, so that you can see that these are brands I really like! Here are the other ladies doing the blog collaboration (links to their posts will be up once all post are publishes)

 Sarirah – Pretty Not Included, Grace – All That Slap, Jayne – Jayne’s Kitschen 

Lavera (Skin Care, Hair Care & Makeup)

Organic √ Natural √ Vegan (some) Animal Cruelty Free (√)

"Natural cosmetics that you know under the brand name lavera - a name carefully chosen for its meaning: in Latin lavera means "the truth" - a beautiful translation for the dedication of both philosophy and commitment. We use raw plant materials, as much as possible from certified organic agriculture, our products are 100% free from synthetic perfumes, colourants and preservatives. And of course, we ensure skin compatibility - exclusively through tests with volunteers, together with skin specialists and allergists"

This is one of the first natural skin care brands I used, you can find it in every health store and their prices are quite affordable. Their "Basic Sensitivity" hand cream was a staple of mine for so long. Although £4.45 is a fairly decent price for the 75ml tube of hand cream- I wen't through them way too quickly because I enjoyed them too much. Their products are fragranced, but not heavily and would probably suit sensitive skin.

Find their website here. Find my posts about Lavera here

Burt's Bees (Skin Care)

 Organic (some) Natural √ Vegan (some) Animal Cruelty Free (√)

"Your well-being is affected every single day by the personal care products you use. Our goal is to create and educate people on truly natural products that have a positive effect on both you and the world you live in for the good of your well-being, for the good of the environment and for The Greater Good. Simply put, we strive to make people's lives better every day — naturally."

I'd say this is the second natural skin care brand I tried out. Of course, I'd seen it around in shop but as they are quite expensive I just never tried them. That was until my friend recommended their orange facial cleanser. It is amazing! It is completely natural, with a gel/serum formula with a lot of nourishing oils but it doesn't leave any residue on your skin. 

          Find their website here. Find my posts about Burt's Bees here

 Neal's Yard Remedies (Skin Care, Hair Care & Makeup)

Organic (√) Natural √ Vegan (some) Animal Cruelty Free (√)

At Neal's Yard Remedies, we're driven by the passionate belief that health and beauty should be more natural, less synthetic. This passion, and our firm belief that it's down to all of us to protect our precious planet, is at the heart of everything we do. 

Okey but now you've probably figured out that I subconsciously listed the brands in the order I discovered or tried them out. Next up is NYR. I love this brand because their products are completely natural, and they focus on aromatherapy and essentials oils a lot. Another good thing about them is that they are a UK brand and all their oils and a lot of their products are stored in dark glass bottles which preserves the benefits of the ingredients they contain.

Find their website here Find my posts about Neal's Yard Remedies here

Earthnicity (Makeup)

Free from: Bismuth oxychloride, Talc, Preservatives, Parabens, Mineral oil or any petroleum-derived products, Perfumes, Oils and Fragrances, Alcohol, Dyes, Animal-derived ingredients such as carmine or silk, nano particles.

Earthnicity Minerals is pure mineral makeup - we don't use corn starch or rice powder in our products either. We use a minimal amount of ingredients so as not to irritate sensitive skin and block pores, without sacrificing on the look and quality of the makeup.

This is a UK mineral makeup brand free from all those nasty ingredients mentioned above. I included that list from the website as I cannot find any info regarding it being organic/natural/vegan or not. Their makeup is very good quality and I've been using their mineral foundation every day since I got it. They've got a great deal on their website where you can get samples of makeup for only £5.

Find their website here. Find my posts about Earthnicity makeup here

Crazy Natural Inc (Skin Care and Hair Care)

 Organic (√) Natural √ Vegan (unsure) Animal Cruelty Free (√ I believe so)

Sade Perkins, Founder: "I make 100% all natural and organic products. I pride myself on making multifunctional affordable natural hair and body care products. My target audience is all natural sisters but more specifically new naturals. Women who dont want to be product junkies but want to have a few staple products they can use to create a simple regiment they can easley do everyday. Ive been in business for 9 months now and my top sellers are my Shea coconut deep conditioner, african black soap shampoo. Shea body butter and African black soap beauty bars. I've gotten an overwhelming amount of positive reports on my products. I believe i have a recognizable brand that most naturals naturally gravitate to. I plan to capitalize on my brand recognition, awesome products and affordable prices to make crazy natural inc a house hold name." 

This is a brand I recently discovered, through Instagram actually. The founder is a lovely lady from the US who makes these products herself. If you wan't 100% natural products, this is the brand to try out. Her hair care products are aimed at people of afro textured hair "naturals" but anyone can use them.  I've tried her African black soap, Shea body butter and Hair and Body oil.

                        Find their website here. Find my posts about Crazy Natural Inc here

Have you tried any of these brands?
& what is your favourite natural brand?

xx

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♥ Crazy Natural Inc Shea Butter Body Butter

Crazy Natural Inc Shea Body Butter

"This creamy rich Shea Butter is by far my favorite all purpose product. Made with raw African shea butter, almond oil, olive oil, Apricot oil, Jojoba oil, Vitamin E and a slew of other natural ingredients. Great for dry hair, skin, and scalp this product will leave you feeling moisturised, silky smooth and smelling good." Get it here. ($8/£5)

See my Crazy Natural Inc Hair, Bath & Body Oil here.

Today I will be reviewing my second product from natural skin and hair care brand Crazy Natural Inc. See my first review of their hair and body oil here as well as all of the products I was sent.

This is the Crazy Natural Inc Shea Body Butter. The ingredients are completely natural and preservative free, so this is not a product to just dump in a box and use a year later (but why would you, it is great!). With preservative free products- keep water out of the jar (otherwise it'll spoil immediately), and use within a few months.

So far I have used about 2/3rds and I am really enjoying it. As this is a homemade and fully natural product I was interested to see how this would be different from "any Shea Butter mix" that I can put together myself. However I am happy (or not) to say that this super smooth and creamy and sweet smelling Shea Butter body cream is something I could not have made myself. I believe the quality of Shea Butter is very good.

So initially I just assumed this was for the hair (apparently completely ignoring the label which clearly states the opposite). And it worked, but it was not amazing. The recipe has clearly been made to work on your skin very well- and it does.

How I use it; So of course this is a thick cream. I still recommend it for everyone but if your skin normally isn't very dry- I'd recommend to use it on your feet, knees, elbows or other drier areas. Omg it made my feet so soft? Contrary to ther heavy creams it spreads out so evenly and gets absorbed without being greasy.

Crazy Natural Inc: Online Store | Twitter | Instagram

Have you heard about or tried Crazy Natural Inc products?

X

See my Crazy Natural Inc Hair, Bath & Body Oil here.

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♥ All Of My Spring and Summer Nail Polishes

All Of My Spring and Summer Nail Polishes

A lot of the nail polishes listed below are linked to a NOTD :)

So I guess I wasn't alone in having the idea to show my spring nail polishes in a blog post. However, hope this is a little different as I threw in two pictures of my favourite nail polish storage (of ourse, they all don't fit in there) and I am showing you All of my bright, or light polishes that I think would look nice in the spring or summer. I also divided them into two categories, the £1-ers (lol) and the "normal" ones. I like cheap nail polish because how often do you really finish a nail polish? 

First up: The £1-ers

The linked polishes, have a link to a NOTD wearing it! :) 

From the top left: MUA Love Hearts U ROK,  Gabrini 348 (Notd when I had SUPER long nails), Gabrini 304, Rapsody 134, Beauty Forever 22 (here I also have SUPER long nails), Gabrini M114, Beauty Forever 1067, La Colors Treasure Island NP444, Gabrini 107.

The "Normals"

Models Own Indian Ocean NP133, Catherine Arley Silky Touch 670, INGLOT Flake Polish 205, Nails Inc Basil Street, Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Dragon 308, Max Factor 29 Mellow Yellow, Max Factor 27 Cool Jade, Max Factor 34 Juicy Plum, Depend Bright Yellow Nail Polish, KIKO 281, KIKO 356

Which one of these is your favourite, and do you have any of these? 

xx

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♥ La Colors Brown Smokey Eye Using EP24 Unforgettable Palette

Here is a nice either subtle going out smokey eye, or a everyday look if you like wearing eyeshadows daily. This was my first time trying the eyeshadow palette from LA Colors (EP24 Unforgettable) that I won in lovely Akilah's (from Perfectly Random Blog) giveaway.

So far I am really liking the quality of La Colors Palettes, they are smooth, creamy, pigmented and easy to blend. As far as ingredients they are what you would expect from an affordable brand like these (their palettes are £1).

Eyeliner: 2 True
Mascara: DHC Pro Makeup
Eyebrows: Viva La Diva Eyebrow Pencil

Just before I won this I also purchased my first La Colors palette, which was a colourful one, check it out here, and check out the look I created here.

Have you tried this brand,

and what do you think of this look?

xx

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♥ Today's Killer Bum and Thighs Work Out || Squats, Lunges & Donkey Kicks

 I am very happy to share a very over due fitness post! Even though I don't post them as frequently any more, I have a good few fitness post in my archives. Check out all my fitness posts here. Today's (well it was two days ago) exercises included my boyfriends dumbbells, a lot of squats and lunges.

Killer bum and leg work out:

• 20 kg dumbbells- 30x3 Squats
• 10 kg dumbbells- 30, 25, 25 Lunges (thought 30 was a bit much)
• 60 Donkey Kicks/Glute Kick Backs (30 for each leg)
• 60 Straight Leg Kicks (same position as donkey kicks, but with a straight leg, backwards)
• 60 Sideways, Straight Leg Kicks (Same as above but leg going sideways)

Then we did Abs: (Click the names, for a link to a picture of the exercise)

• Pilates Roll Ups- 2 min (You gotta try this for your abs! Do it for at least 2 minutes it takes a while for it to start "hurting").
• Side oblique crunch: 25x2 (One set of 25 for each side)
• Knee Crunches- 25x2
• Bicycle Crunches: 25

The ab exercises weren't planned so I didn't keep track of what I did, so this is roughly what I did.

Healthy and easy to do post dinner work out (inspired by an Instagram pic from this fitness blogger)

• Beef (Steak, chop, don't know what it is lol)
• Green Beans/Mango Tout looking vegetables
• 1 medium sizes sweet potatoe and one small normal potatoe chopped into cubes
• The best part- Tzatsiki! This is so nice, I didn't make it myself but the ingredients are: Greek yoghurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, mint, olive oil

What was your last work out like?

& What are your favourite bum and ab exercises?

xx

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♥ First Twist Out and Every Day Makeup FOTD

First Twist Out and Every Day Makeup FOTD
Here is my every day makeup look when I don't wear lipstick or eyeliner. Mascara, eyebrows & bronzer. What's your every day makeup?

This is how I've been wearing my hair lately. Okey, I know I always wear my hair with my fringe curly but this time I did my first Flat Twist- Out. My back is flat twisted (see tutorial here) and so was my fringe at night as you can see in the picture below. All I used in my hair was Aloe Vera Gel & a bit of oil.

Compared to a braid out, I prefer this so much more, omg! Why? The definition is amazing- see above. It's almost too much and it almost looks too curly. Anyway, I still just moisturised my hair, pulled it slightly to elongate and picked the roots to separate the sections. Now, three days later- it still looks nice and super stretched. This is a keeper lol! Can't wait to do a full flat twist out when I am fully natural. Oh btw, I am 2 & a half week from being a year post relaxer. Time flies!

See all my transitioning posts here.

What do you think of this hair style?

Any tips on natural hair or transitioning hair?

xx

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♥ La Colors EP42 Wildflowers Palette EOTD

La Colors EP42 Wildflowers Palette EOTD

I showed this in my most recent beauty shopping post, read it here. For those who don't know LA Colors is a brand where everything is £1, and in London you can find it in Afro hair shops as well as most perfume stores in shopping centres. I got this one from the shopping centre Westfield (the real Westfield, not the Stratford one ;) )

This look was so much prettier in real life, but oh well- it's so hard to take nice pictures of makeup. I love the shades in this palette and they are creamy any pigmented. If you care about good ingredients (which I do lol, but I don't care as much anymore), then you should know that this contains both Parabens & Mineral Oil.

What do you think of this look?

& if you've done a makeup look or post on LA Colors makeup, link it.

xx

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♥ DHC Moisture Care Lipstick PK04 Sweetpea Review

DHC Moisture Care Lipstick PK04 Sweetpea Perfect Prop Makeup Range

Today I will be reviewing this DHC Moisture Care Lipstick Shade PK04 Sweetpea. It was in the goodie bag of the DHC event that I wrote about here. DHC is a brand which I am fairly new to, I had not tried their products until I tried their Cleansing Oil from the #bbloggersxmas event. It's amazing! You guys know I love oils for everything.

This is how it is described on the web site "Enriched with plumping collagen and moisture-retaining sodium hyaluronate, these nourishing lip colours provide beautiful shine and long-lasting coverage. Our special formula glides across your lips to hydrate and flatter – for a more lustrous pout. Choose from four chic shades."

The packaging of this lipstick is very different to the ones you usually see, I like it! As you can see in the picture, this is definitely a neutral shade (it's not red, or coral even though it might look like it in the picture). It has some slight shimmers in it and gives a wash of colour. I agree that is has a slight plumping effect, it could be because it is a light shade and pretty glossy. You definitely don't need a lip gloss on top of this.

I think overall the ingredients are good, it's not all natural ingredients or anything but nothing that particularly worries me.

Ingredient check:

• Mineral Oil (/)
• Silicones (/)
• Parabens (/)
• Propylene Glycol (/)

Have you tried DHC's makeup?

What do you think of this lip stick?

xx

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♥ Lovarni High Neck Midi Dress Sleeveless Grey

Outfit: Lovarni High Neck Midi Dress Sleeveless Grey

Finally I've got an outfit post for you! I just realised that I should have taken pictures of the whole outfit (which was only a big furr cardigan on top of this, but still). I'm so excited to share this as this is the first time I've got the chance to wear my midi dress from Lovarni (direct link). As you could read in this post, I love the turtle neck trend and I've been wanting a crop top or midi dress with a turtle neck for really long. So when I got the chance to "review" and item from www.lovarni.com I did not hesitate when I chose this one.

"Lovarni is an independent online womens fashion retailer." .."Lovarni has all their latest styles and with next day delivery you really can make sure you are the first to be wearing them!"- Info  from their website & facebook. Their: Twitter & Facebook.

This dress is super stretchy, but it was super tight the first time I tried it. However after a while it was very comfortable. It is definitely fitted, but I feel like it's just a tad too long for my liking, hence the crease. Plus I am quite tall (5'7 or 8) so I'm just thinking that it might be a little too tall if you are super short. I am wearing a size 10 I think.

What do you think of this outfit & dress?

Have you got a similar one :) 

If so, link your blog post.

xx

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(*)

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♥ FOTD: Wet & Wild & Curly Fringe W/ Flat Twist

FOTD: Wet & Wild & Curly Fringe W/ Flat Twist

Something I recently realised is that I don't do many FOTD's anymore. Don't worry- I still snap the pictures strangely enough, but sometimes I just don't get around to posting them. 

I actually don't remember exactly what I used for this FOTD but it is definitely:

Eyeliner: 2True

Mascara: DHC

Lipstick: Wet & Wild

This is a typical every day look for me, in fact it's my most make up'd every day look lol.

What is your every day look?

xx

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♥ Beautiful Textures Moisture Butter Whipped Curl Creme First Thoughts & Ingredients

Beautiful Textures Moisture Butter Whipped Curl Creme First Thoughts & Ingredients

I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect leave in conditioner, moisturiser, curl butter- whatever you want to call it. In the past I've tried Jamaican Mango & Lime No More Relaxer, Curls Curl Souffle & Cantu Shea Butter Leave in. The two first I really really like and have repurchased plently of times. For me, the Cantu Shea Butter was terrible. Problem is that I want three things in a leave in conditioner:
-Affordable
-Good Ingredients
-A big jar (So I don't have to repurchase that often).

Anyway, I went to the hair shop today and found this, which I had never seen before. It says new, and I have seen it around in hair blogs, youtube etcetera, so I am guessing it is fairly new to the UK- but not to the US.  They had two leave in kind of products for curls, both had good ingredients, but the other one was a lot bigger for the same price. However, I had a look inside and the formula just looked so strange- it was grey like mud and the consistency looked gelly like.  So yeah, I chose this. It smells amazing!

I have so far only tried it on a tiny piece of my hair, the formula feels super moisturising, not too thin and not too thick. You can see the ingredients below.

Ingredient Check:

• Mineral Oil (/)
• Silicones (x)
• Parabens (/)
• Propylene Glycol (/)

Have you tried this brand or this products?

What's your favourite hair- leave in?

xx

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♥ Gold Chain Necklace & Peplum Top

New Look Gold Chain Necklace & Peplum Top

I had forgotten to show these pieces of clothing that I got when I met lovely Nicole from Nicole's Beauty & also got some beauty goodies like the Garnier Scrub, Purple La Colors lipstick & eyeshadows from the same brand, see this post here. Lately I had become a little obsessed with finding a chunky gold necklace like the one above, I really wanted the "plasticy" chunkier one. But after finding so many options in New Look I settled for this as it was a little different, with the tiger, I was about to say- I suppose it's a leopard or something. 

My blog was definitely never a fashion blog, nor was it intended to be but let's just say when I started blogging, I posted more outfits than beauty items. Only reason I don't is because I just don't shop a lot anymore. Can you believe that lol, I have to force myself to go shopping more.

About a year late on the peplum top trend but I thought this was a great every day top (and it was cheap). Same goes for the jeggings. 

What are your most recent fashion purchases? :) 

xx

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