Herbalife Herbal Aloe Strengthening Shampoo

Herbalife Herbal Aloe Strengthening Shampoo

Herbalife Herbal Aloe Strengthening Shampoo retails at £9.22* for a 250ml bottle.

I attended a Bloggers Meet Up located in Birmingham in the middle of January, and was lucky enough to receive a goody bag, which included this wonder product.

I had never heard of Herbalife before, but did some research into the brand and found that Herbalife produce a variety of products which are beneficial to your health and well-being. 

Herbalife's hair and skin care range is called Herbal Aloe. They sell a variety of products such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, soothing gel and a bath and body bar.

You can see their whole range here.

The product I was kindly gifted was the Herbal Aloe Strengthening Shampoo. 
The key ingredient in the Shampoo, off course, is Aloe Vera, which we all know is brilliant for the condition of your hair. Other ingredients are Chamomile, Olive Oil and She Butter.  The product is sulphate free and paraben free.

The brand claim that the "microproteins strengthen hair, revealing smoother and silkier hair after just one use" I couldn't agree more! After my first time using the product, my hair instantly felt super soft and looked really shiny.The shampoo is designed to; reduce hair breakage, leave your hair in a stronger condition, and repair and strengthen your hair. What do I think?

I think the shampoo is a great product. It is a creamy/clear coloured product which lathers really well, has a really nice, fresh aloe vera (its not over-powering though which I find with a lot of aloe vera products) scent, and leaves my hair with that 'just been cut' amazingly fresh feeling. I have been using it for just over a month now, and every time I have washed my hair, my hair seems a lot less damaged and a lot less frazzled. 
I would definitely recommend this product, and am looking forward to trying other Herbalife products in the future! I was kindly sent a sample of the strengthening conditioner so I am really looking forward to giving that a whirl and trying them both out together. If the results from the shampoo are anything to go by, I am pretty sure the conditioner will be just as great!

Have you tried anything from Herbalife before?

Project Stop Eating Cakes Starts Now!

It is no secret I despise my figure. I have yoyo-ed in weight the past few years, I am at my heaviest right now though and I cannot stand the sight of my hideously overweight body any more. It is not so much my weight or body shape, I just don't feel happy or like I fit in my skin? If that makes any sense. I am fed up of skipping meals in hope to lose a few pounds, yet have a midnight feast every night because my body feels so starved from not eating much all day.      

I am not new to all of these diet plans and exercize classes. At 15, I was a healthy size 10 but hated my 'pot belly' so started going to fitness classes at my local gym twice a week, not only for the exercise but for something to do! I enjoyed the classes and continued to attend for about a year and a half, then quit after Christmas because I got a bit bored of the same routine. The following months saw me eating really unhealthily and doing very little - next to none - exercise - at all.

About a year later,  I gained a few stone and for the first time wearing a size 16, I joined Weight Watchers in hope I could control my boredom and comfort eating. I joined a line dancing class twice a week, which I absolutely loved! It is tricky at first but once I got into it, I was addicted. I lost weight through eating 4 meals a day and eating a lot of fruit and weight watcher snacks, enjoyed walking places and keeping myself busy. When I think back to this time, I was probably my most content with myself then. I was constantly busy and on the go so I never had time to be lazing around, my skin dramatically improved from ditching the chocolate and junk food and eating more salad and fruit, and the condition of my hair and nails were much better too. I lost almost two and a half stone in a year and I was really content with my body shape and self image. I was not my 'recommended weight' for neither my age or height; but I remember how happy I was fitting back into a size 12, and that is the feeling I am longing to get back.

Right now, if I look at these fancy statistical graphs and diagrams, I am far from the weight I need to be for my BMI. I am classed as obese. It makes me weep just typing the word. Obese. Why must they use such a negative word on these charts? It does not give me any confidence in changing my weight. 

Don't get me wrong, I am aware I am well - over -weight, I know I am not healthy, but my dress size isn't my issue AT ALL. It is the feelings I have towards myself that need changing. The only way I feel for myself to do this is to live a more healthier lifestyle as I did before, as I have never felt so positive and happy with myself than I did back then. 

I have decided to track my healthy lifestyle progress here on my blog. More for myself really, but if you enjoy these types of posts or have any advice that would be great, too. I want to be able to look back and think, 'yeah, I changed my lifestyle a little, mad different choices, I feel a lot healthier having done that.'. 

Here are the most recent pictures of me showing my weight. I know these photos aren't really showing me all that much but I dont tend to have photos with my fat thighs haha but I will try and take and upload a full length photo (warts and all - I feel sorry for you!) soon.

Have any of you felt non-content and unhappy with the way you look before?

How have you dealt with it, and how did the changes you made affect how you felt about yourself?

GIVEAWAY REMINDER

Don't forget to enter my give away to win these goodies below!!

You could win:

2True False Lashes, TOWIE Glitter Eye liners, & MUA Glitter Ball Eye shadow Palette!

You can enter the give away here.

Good luck!

30 Facts About Me.

30 random facts about me 

1. I drink over 15 cups of tea/coffee every day. I cannot cope without caffeine!

2. I have been with my partner for two and half years.

3. I used to dress quite chavvy and when I look at old photos, I cant believe it was me and how I looked.

4. I over-think every situation I can imagine.

5. My favourite animals are cows and have a huge collection of cuddly cows that live on my bed.

6. The only television channel I tend to watch is BBC3.

7. I suffer from insomnia and depression.

8. I keep every card anyone has ever sent to me.

9. Blogging is one of my favourite pass times.

10. I have been learning to drive for years but still haven't passed my test.

11. I feel like a failure 90 % of the time.

12. I am a very sentimental person. If someone gives me something, I will keep it forever.

13. Eye liner is my holy grail make up item.

14. I adore Pink, Taylor Swift and Cheryl Cole. My favourite artist is Charlie Simpson.

15. My biggest idol is my Dad.

16. My favourite treat to eat is frozen yoghurt and I adore Yoo Moo, but gutted there isn't a stand in Birmingham.

17. My favourite show is Family Guy. I have all of the seasons on DVD and guarantee I watch it every night.

18. I wish I was more thrifty.

19. I try really hard to be independent and not rely on anyone else.

20. My favourite meal is chilli con carne and would happily eat it every day of my life if I could.

21. I am not fashionable at all, in fact I wear some pretty strange outfits that look good in my head but turn out to look a bit thrown together.

22. I used to change my hair colour a lot, and have had various hair colours from the age of 13. I wish I had the confidence to dye it now!

23. I graduated from University last year but still have no idea what to do with my life.

24. I love inspirational quotes and sayings.

25. I am really close to my sister.

26. I had braces as a teenager and absolutely despised them. I am grateful now for having straight teeth.

27. I love wearing beret hats because they don't make my huge head look any bigger.

28. My favourite film is Beauty and The Beast.

29.I rarely see my friends due to lack of time and distance, but it makes me appreciate them much more when I do see them. They spoiled me on my 21st birthday and I am so lucky to have such lovely friends.

30. I really struggled with writing this as there really is nothing interesting about me!

Mac Pink Plaid: Review and Swatches

While shopping with other beauty bloggers at the Birmingham Blogger Meet Up, I decided I wanted to purchase my very first MAC lipstick.

This was my very first purchase in MAC myself, I have previously owned one lipglass and eye shadow which were cast off's my sister decided she didn't need. I had never actually bought anything myself though, but under the influence of other lovely bloggers I decided to pick a lipstick as they are probably the most raved about lipsticks online. Now I can see why.

The lipstick I chose is Pink Plaid, which is in a Matte finish. I dont tend to like sheer lipsticks so decided to pick a matte shade. 

The colour itself is a light rose pink; a colour which I often opt for and know I will get a lot of use out of. I believe it has blue undertones to it, and is the shade of lipstick I would wear every day. It is not vibrant and is really wearable in the day time.

I was surprised at how moisturising the lipstick was, and had no need for lip balm.
The lipstick lasts on the lips without a touch up for about 5-6 hours which I thought was pretty good.

I don't think this lipstick is a 'must have' shade as I wear this kind of shade a lot and own a few similar drug store lipsticks which give a similar colour, but the finish on this lipstick is really great and makes it stand out from other drug store brands.

Below are swatches on the lips and on hand to hopefully show the colour of Pink Plaid.

For my first MAC lipstick purchase I think I did quite well, I was sensible and picked a colour I know I will wear and wont just sit in a draw!

What do you think of Pink Plaid?
What was your very first MAC lipstick purchase? I would love to know!

Blogiversary and GIVEAWAY!

The end of December 2012 marked my very first year of blogging. I never thought in a million years I would keep it up and enjoy it. I never even imagined I would make friends from blogging and be given some really great opportunities, all from writing about what I love. Another thing I loved about blogging - the interaction with other like minded people - its nice to know there are other people that spend 2 hours in Boots and could chat about eye liner all day!

To say thank you to all my followers of my blog, I decided I wanted to do a give away. Because it is the readers and followers that make blogging so worth it. Thank you :)

It is a little give away as it is my first, but I hope there is something you will like :)

I based this give away on achieving glamorous eyes!

YOU COULD WIN:

2True Glamour Lashes 

The Only Way Is Essex Bling Eyes Glitter Eye Liner Set

MUA Eyeshadow Palette in Glitterball 

This is a UK only giveaway, sorry!

THE RULES: 

1. You MUST be a GFC follower of my blog.

2. You MUST leave your email address in the comments box below so that I can contact you if you win.

Thats it! For extra entries you can also...

3. Follow me on twitter.

4. Tweet about the giveaway.

ENTER HERE!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

11 Questions.

I was tagged by the lovely Clare last weekend to do this tag post!

Clare asked me:

1. Have you told all your friends/family about your blog? None of my friends know, but my partner does. My sister and Dad know I blog. My dad thought it was really cool when I attended the Birmingham Bloggers Meet Up and thinks its a great way of meeting new people. 
2. What phone do you have? Do you like it? I have a Blackberry Bold. Its okay, I am a bit bored of it now though. I don't know what phone I will have next though.
3. What's your favourite piece of jewellery and why? My favourite is my engagement ring. I don't really talk about my partner here on my blog. We have been engaged almost two years now. I think a ring is a beautiful way to signify your feelings and love towards someone, because the ring never ends. (I am such a soppy git haha)
4. What's your best/favourite dish to cook? I am a useless cook, my sister does the majority of cooking at home. I can cope with putting food in the oven but in terms of real cooking, I have no idea.
5. If you could only use three make up items for the rest of your life, what would they be? They would be eye - liner, lip balm and probably mascara, as I tend to only wear two or three of these items on a daily basis anyway.  I could not cope without eye-liner, definitely my holy grail product.
6. What is your favourite film and why? This is such a tough question, I would probably have to say Beauty and the Beast as its such a beautiful story and I have adored it since being a teeny baby. I love a classic Disney film. I really love The Hangover and Knocked Up so they are a close second.
7. What is your greatest moment of blogging so far and why? Communicating with lots of other lovely bloggers, hearing feedback about my blog and being able to meet a few bloggers too! 
8. What is your favourite clothing shop? To be honest I don't really clothes shop much as I hate my body and my weight, and I am really short so find it difficult to find clothes to fit me both in width and height! I really like Dorothy Perkins, though.
9. If you could live in a flat with one other blogger, who would you pick? I don't really know many bloggers. I would probably say Clare as she is a lovely lady and so down to earth!
10. Who is your favourite youtuber and why? I have to be honest, I don't really watch many Youtube videos any more. I like Dollybowbow and Coleyyyful's videos as I love Kates style and hauls and I love Coles tutorials and personality.
11. Where, in your opinion, is the best place to go out to meet? Depending on who you are with. But if it is a first meeting, I would say coffee or drinks as it can be as short or long as you like - and a relaxing atmosphere too! If you are having a proper meet up I would say go for a nice meal at a restaurant - I love Frankie and Bennies.

Thanks Clare for tagging me to do the questions!!

XxX

January Empties

January Empties

A random bunch of empty products as usual!

Rubbish quality iPod photographs again... blame my camera playing up :-(

Palmolive Milk and Honey Shampoo For Dry Hair

This was nothing to write home about, just a cheap shampoo to get me through the month really! I would probably buy it again, it is isn't my first choice though!

Alberto Balsam Coconut and Lychee Conditioner For All Hair Types

This is a really great brand you can pick up for really cheap in the pound shops! It leaves my hair feeling quite soft, and I adore the smell of coconut so its a win-win for me really!

Monsoon Moisturising Body Lotion

It is not often I feature products I don't like, but I used this product up this month and I really did detest it! I couldn't wait to finish it. I didn't find it moisturising at all, and the scent of it was way too over powering and just didn't smell nice at all it semlt a little like when you were younger and you mixed loads of strong perfumes together, if that makes sense? I definitely wont be using this again. 

The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter (50 ml)

I love this body butter, I had forgotten I had it due to trying to use up all f my Soap and Glory body butters! I finished it off this month, I would recommend these body butters to everyone, they are very moisturising and the scents are gorgeous, especially this one, although I would say that as I am huge fan of coconut!

Baylis and Harding Beauticoligy Sweet Gingerbread Body Wash

I liked this product. It smelt like cheap gingerbread which I love and was a very festive scent. This was part of a Christmas Gift Set so it is no longer available, although I wouldn't mind using it again.

Double Dip Lip Balm

I am on a mission this year to finish a lot of my lip balms and stop hoarding them! I used this up in about a month and a half, it was nice and smelt nice, an average lip balm really. I wont be buying it again though as I find Nivea lip balms to be much more helpful for my chapped lips.

Sanctuary Body Scrub

This is my favourite Sanctuary product, it smells amazing, the beads in the scrub are great when exfoliating and it is probably one of my holy grail bath and body products. I have another tube of this from the bargain gift set I talked about here. 

Persian Jewel Bath Foam 

This is a bit of a random product, I received it for Christmas, and had never heard of the brand or anything about it before. It was a good bubble bath, the consistancy was a little like jelly which isn't my favourite thing, but once foamed up in the bath it was lovely. It smelt just like passion - fruit. 

Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Perfume (5 ml) 

I absolutely adore this perfume, it smells very girl-y and floral and lasts well, I love this little 5 ml pot of perfume you got free in the gift set, too! I cheekily bought two T.S perfume gift sets in the sale, so I have another one of these to use up too! I would recommend this perfume if you like sweet and girl-y scents.

Versace Perfume Sample

It doesn't state the perfumes name on this little vaporizer  but it smelt very mature and quite strong, but wasn't over - powerful. I received this from a give away from the lovely Gemma. 

Impulise Temptation Vanilla and Peach

I picked this up just after Christmas, seeing it was new I really wanted to try it. It smells GORGEOUS!! I loved it. It smelt exactly of peach, lasted a good few hours and did the job. 

So..? Fab Body Spray

This is a common repurchase of mine, and I am pretty sure it has featured in my Empties posts quite a good few times! I just really adore the sweet sugary scent, it smells just like sweets!

Another thing I used up this month which I didn't photograph was an MUA clear mascara, as I had been using it to set my eye brows about a year ago and completely forgot about it, found it out last week and obviously chucked it! I have never used it as a mascara, but I would not recommend it to set your eye brows, as it just never worked for me. 

What have you used up this month?

Birmingham Blogger Meet Up - The Goodie Bag

If you have seen a previous post where I wrote about the Birmingham Blogger Meet Up in January, you will know I mentioned we all received a pretty hefty sized and amazing goodie bag full of lots of lovely treats.

I thought I would share with you all the lovely things we were given.

As you can see, we were very very lucky to receive such amazing goodies!

Below I have included a quick run down of what I received, along with links to each Brands website :)

The Porefessional Primer from Benefit

Glamglow Treatment Samples 

Xen Tan Weekly Self Tan (Dark Lotion)

Paul Mitchell Forever Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner

Outback Organics Bush Balm Sample

Blend Collective Hand Creams/ Hand and Body Lotions

Premae Skincare  Face Tonique

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

Skinetica Anti Blemish Lotion

Rimmel Gam Eyes Lash Flirt Mascara

Revitalash Volumzing Mascara

Macadamia Deep Repair Mask and Healing Oil

Herbalife Strengthening Shampoo

Jamela Under Eye Masks

Elemis Revitalise Me Shower Gel

Neal & Wolf Volumzing Lotion

Mohdoh Headeez 

We also received pure argan oil from Gemma's mum I believe! How lovely is that!

Tender is The Night Massage Bar from Lush - Valentines Range. This is their first soft scented massage bar - i have used a little bit and can say its fab! (they kindly sent these to us all individually after the meet up as they didn't get to the meet up, how kind and lovely is that?!)

I think that is everything - I hope I haven't missed anything off!

We recieved a lot of information on all of the products too which is great - I have started using a handful of these goodies and they're really good! Cant wait to use them all - I am sharing them with my sister as I felt greedy having all this stuff to myself! We are both enjoying the products so far, I will let you know how they go.

I forgot to include pictures of these in my previous post, we were given cute name badges for the meet up groups and also a place card for the table at the meal :-) so much thought was put into everything.

Big Thank You to Gemma, Sara and Clare for making it possible for such a great goodie bag (I didn't expect anything so was so lovely to receive ad so kind of them all to organise for all of us) and a huge thank you to all of the companies involved :)

xx

January Favourites

January Favourites

Today I am sharing with you 8 of my most - used, favourite products of January. I haven't done a Monthly Favourites post since back in March last year, so thought I would come back with my most recent faves!.

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Fresh & Foamy Body Wash

This month I have fell in love with this product. It smells of lime and kiwi and the scent lasts on the skin for ages! The body wash itself lathers really nicely, and I also like the pump applicator at the top of the bottle, as it gives just enough product so you do not over use and waste it. I have been reaching for this almost every time I have had a bath or shower, it is such a fresh scent. The bottle I bought is 500ml and costs £6.50 from Boots, for the size of the product I don't mind paying the price as I love the scent and it lasts for ages.

Neal & Wolf Elevate Volumising Hair Lotion For All Hair Types

I received this product in the goodie bag from the Birmingham Bloggers Meet Up mid January. It is a lotion you apply to your hair once it is towel - dried, promising to achieve "ultimate volume" once blow-dried. I can honestly say I am really impressed with this, it really does work. Neal and Wolf advise to blow dry your hair with a big round brush, which helps to create great volume in your hair. I have used it every time I have washed my hair since receieving it; leaving my hair ultra soft and with lots of volume , so that I barely have had to style it afterwards. It is a really impressive product and I am pleased with the results, its definitely something to look into. The product retails at £11.95 for a 200ml bottle on their website, which you can go to here. 

Wella Shockwaves Ultra Strong Power Hold Hairspray

I am forever on the hunt for a good hairspray, and this month I have found a really great one. Shockwaves are known for their great quality hair sprays; having used their hair wax before I decided to give this a whirl. It really does keep your style in place, doesn't make my hair 'crunchy' or stiff like most other hairsprays, and is also great for back-combing. It leaves a lovely shine to my hair and was a pretty great price too! It retails at £2.85 from Superdrug for a 250 ml sized bottle. Bargain!

Sleek iDivine Eyeshadow Palette in 732 Snapshots

I have been using this palette so much this month! I really wanted to try and be more creative with my eyes, as I am always pretty simple when it comes to eye shadows and never really venture into using much colour. I was lucky enough to recieve this in a give away a while back and I really adore Sleek's palettes, I own two others and this is just as good as those. I have enjoyed blending these eye shadows out and playing around with the different colours - the shadows themselves are beautiful and very highly pigmented. You can buy this palette or any other Sleek product from Superdrug, with their palettes retailing at £7.99.

MUA (Make Up Academy) Pro - Base Fixing Mist

I had heard quite a lot about make - up fixing sprays, but never really ventured into buying one, as, to be honest, I dont tend to wear make up all day every day, so I didn't really feel the need to. Up until recently, I have wanted to wear make - up all day, but the make - up I use often needs a bit of adjustment by the time I have finished work! I decided to buy this MUA one as opposed to the likes of Urban Decay, because it is a lot more in my price range for a product I may not even get a lot of use from. I have found it keeps my make - up in place for most of the day, and lasts me up until night time so I dont have to reapply throughout the day. It claims to last for up to 8 hours, I would definitely agree with this statement, as it seems to keep my make up in place for well over the 8 hours. I brought this during MUA's 50% sale earlier in the month, with its usual retail price of £5 being slashed down to £2.50, which was a great bargain. This can be bought instore at Superdrug (I cant find it on their website) or the MUA official website for £5.

MUA (Make Up Academy) Professional Mosaic Blush in Shade 3 English Rose

It is no suprise this is the second product by MUA on my favourite list this month. I recieved this blusher for Christmas off my OH, big well done to him for doing so well! I have wanted this blusher for a while now, I love swirling my blusher brush around the different colours creating different pinks. I have found if used carefully, the sandy and brown tones can be used as a highlight or bronzer. A great multi - purpose product for me, with it giving a lovely colour to the cheek bones. It costs only £2.50 from Superdrug. It has definitely been my favourite blusher to use this month.

Accessorize Diamond Sparkle Lipgloss in Shade 1 Magical

I am not usually very fussed on wearing lip glosses, I am more of a lip balm kinda girl, but recently sorting my make up storage out, I found this little gem I bought a good few months back now. I 'shopped my stash' around a bit and began using this again. It is quite a sheer baby pink with lots of sparkle, something I have opted for on nights out. My usual problem with lip glosses are that they are far too sticky for me. Sticky = too much fuss. This lip gloss isn't sticky at all, though. It has a very sweet scent and nice on the lips. They usually retail at £4 in Superdrug but are currently reduced to £3.45, the link to the deal is here. Standard delivery is currently free (until the 14th February) on the Superdrug website so an even better bargain!

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in 30 Peach Kiss

I was lucky enough to win another pretty amazing give away a few months back, where I recieved this little beauty which came all the way from America, way before they are released in the UK. It is a gorgeous nude shade, with a sheer coverage great for every - day wear. It smells delicious! It is so, so moisturzing on the lips, too. I have been wearing this quite a lot over the past 2 or 3 weeks, it is a great lip balm which could be easily passed up as a sheer lip stick in my opinion.

What products have you loved this month?




All photographs are taken and owned by me. If you wish to use them please ask beforehand.