Mini Reviews: Batiste, Tresemme, John Frieda

Mini Reviews: Hair Products

I am keeping it small and sweet today and sharing just a few thoughts on a few hair products I have been using. Let me know what you think of them and if they work for you.

Tresemme Heat Defence Styling Spray

This is the heat protect-ant spray I have always used and gone back to. It is a good product, and seems to help to protect my hair from all of the heat I use on it. This is the best heat protect-ant I have found and I will definitely be repurchasing this. 

Batiste Dry Styling XXL Plumping Powder

I have to be honest, I wasn't sure about this the first few times I used it. It seems to leave my hair feeling quite dry once rubbed into my roots. It works, but isn't something I would reach for every day as I feel it is is a mediocre product. 

John Frieda Frizz Ease 3 Day Straight 

I don't seem to get on with this product. I have had it a few times over the years and it just doesn't seem to help to keep my hair straight at all. I know a lot of people love this, so maybe I am not using it correctly but I just cant get to grips with it!

The Folly Boutique - Hiring Beautiful Designer Jewellery

The Folly Boutique

Sophie, having working in jewellery most of her teenage years and 20’s, found the lack of rentable (and affordable!) designer jewellery infuriating when planning for her wedding. The idea of creating a beautiful online shop full of genuine designer statement jewellery available for all to buy or even rent for fraction of the price gently brewed over 2 years. Then in March 2013, The Folly Boutique was born. 

Working in jewellery shops on and off for a decade, then working for the prestigious designer Mawi, gave Sophie a great understanding of running a jewellery business. Her Fine Art degree then lead her to the Art industry where for many years she worked for the infamous artist Damien Hirst. Combining her love of jewellery and creativity, there was only one way forward – creating a designer shop to promote and indorse unusual statement jewellery, making it accessible for all to wear whether they can afford to buy it outright or prefer to rent.

I personally love the idea of renting statement designer jewellery like this - if you have a special occasion, a party or even your wedding coming up, and have your eye on a certain beautiful piece - why not rent it instead of buying it? I think this is a really useful and purse friendly alternative to spending a lot of money on a piece of jewellery for it only to be worn once or twice. 

The brilliant concept with The Folly Boutique is that you can not only rent the items for up to 6 days, but you can also purchase the designer jewellery if you so wish to for a fraction of the original price! 

I have included some images below of my most favourite pieces from The Folly Boutique - a particular piece I am lusting after is the Loren Hope Clara Necklace in Purple, isn't it just simply stunning!? 

Also, I have some very exciting news for my readers! Sophie has set up a discount code for you lovely lot! Enter ZOELIANNE10 at the checkout to receive a generous 10% off your total cost!

You can see all of the beautiful pieces online at www.thefollyboutique.com.

Ray Quin launches MiSmile at Birmingham

Recently the lovely Dancing On Ice star Ray Quin  launches MiSmile in my local area of Birmingham. 

Dr Sandeep Kumar has launched his new venture of MiSmile, which is his new clinic that creates an invisible brace treatment. This is the UK's first Invisalign only treatment, so it is very exciting. I really do wish this was around when I was younger as I wore braces, and I would have much preferred them to not be visible. I can really see the benefits and I am sure there will be a lot of interest in MiSmile. 

The lovely Ray was given a little Q&A which I found very interesting! 

Q: What five things couldn't you live without from your wash bag?

A: I always take my hair wax, a good deodrant and a selection of aftershaves, because I can never decide which is my favourite. At the moment I'm loving Creed, Jo Malone, Pomegranite Noir, and Tom Ford.

Q: What makes you smile most about Birmingham?

A: Oh thats easy! The people in Birmingham are so warm and friendly, it reminds me of home.

For more information, check out www.mismileinvisalign.co.uk.

Top 3 Red Lipsticks

A classic red lip never goes out of style. A red lipstick always looks iconic and classy to me, so today I thought I would share with you my top three favourite red lipsticks. I tend to stick to a bright, bold red as I feel it suits my skin tone much better than a dark red. 

I am a big fan of Mac Lipsticks, so I have opted for Mac's Mac Red as my first favourite lipstick. It is super pigmented and doesn't smudge. I love how moisturizing it feels on the lips. It lasts quite well throughout the day and the colour pay off is fantastic. I blogged about this lipstick back in February; the review can be found here.

Another beautiful red lip comes in the form of Yves Rocher's Grande Rouge Lipstick in Sweet Red.* This is a slightly muted red compared to Mac's Red, but still a bold red. It is slightly blue toned and applies matte onto the lips, with a slight shimmer. I love how moisturizing this lipstick is and it has a great staying power. I have previously reviewed this lipstick in full, if you would like to take a peek the link is here.

A new favourite red lip is Loreal's Color Riche Lipstick in Scarlett Creme. It screams Marilyn Monroe to me and I love the sheen to it. It feels soft and glossy on the lips, but feels matte and doesn't smudge or need a lot of reapplying through the day. 

Have you got a favourite red lipstick?

Eyeko Lash Curler

Eyeko Lash Curler

Limited Edition Blue Velvet £12, Available here

Hi everyone. The one thing I struggle with the most is achieving long and thick lashes. I use a few different mascaras, but am a true believer that by using an eye lash curler does the world of good and really makes a difference. I received this Eyeko Eyelash Curler in a Latest in Beauty box back in 2013, which I was thrilled about as I had heard so much about the brand and have since read many rave reviews about how fantastic quality the eye lash curlers are.

The lash curlers are really easy to use, with the velvet handles helping to grip easily onto the tool. I feel that after using these lash curlers, that they make a difference in how my eyelashes look. The silicone rubber pads are really soft and are comfortable on the lashes.

Just to give you a heads up; these curlers are currently free with May's issue of Instyle Magazine. The Magazine retails at less than £4, so it is definitely worth picking up if just for the lash curlers.

Do you use eye lash curlers in your make up routine?

Poundland Bargains

Beauty Bargains from Poundland

Being a complete bargain hunter and magpie to anything beauty related, I thought I would share these gems I found in my local Poundland recently. 

I have heard great things about the Eylure Pre - Glued Lashes, but false lashes aren't something I wear often enough to justify spending over £5 for. I was happy to see them in Poundland, and am looking forward to putting these pre - glued lashes to the test, and seeing if they are easier to apply than using glue.

I also spotted some Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm, and being a complete lip balm fiend I just had to pick one up. I already own two of these and I really do like them. Admittedly I did not need any more lip balms and these are a little over - hyped but I couldn't believe what a great bargain it was to find them for one single British pound coin - I couldn't leave it on the shelf. The packaging is clearly different, but the product is exactly the same as the ones I already own, so I definitely recommend picking one of these up if you see them in your local store. 

Have you spotted any beauty bargains in your local Pound Shops recently?

Top Beauty Picks For Spring! #BloggersDoItBetter

Top Beauty Picks For Spring

Hi everyone, today is the very first #BloggersDoItBetter Challenge! We were asked to write about something Spring inspired, I must admit I did struggle with this challenge a little. I wasn't sure at all how I could include Spring into one of my blog posts. After a little thinking I decided on a 'Top beauty picks for Spring' post! This isn't something I would normally write about as it is a little out of my comfort zone; I usually just write reviews and favourite product posts but I thought I would just go for it! So here you have it, this is my interpretation of Spring for the first challenge topic. I hope you enjoy it!

I'm not usually the type of person to 'only wear a certain shade in particular Seasons' but I did a little research of what is in fashion this Spring, and have been loving the pastels and neon shades: they're everywhere!
I love a pink lip, and think this MUA lipstick in shade 12 is perfect for the Spring Months. It is a nice vibrant pop of colour that brightens up any outfit. I searched through my perfumes but couldn't find a 'perfect' scent for Spruing. I have picked this Impulse Body Spray in Be Surprised. It has notes of violets and red fruits so smells beautiful and fresh for Spring. I couldn't decide on the perfect nail colour so I picked two! One is Models Own Pukka Purple. It is a lilac toned purple, although it does look a deep purple on the photograph. I love this colour but find it difficult to wear but it looks great for this time of year. I love Models Own nail varnishes as they have a lovely finish. I also selected Essie's Beach Bum Blu. I know both neons and pastels are popular, although i do think this polish would look great any time of the year. It is metallic - look aquamarine colour which reminds me of mermaids. I tihnk this colour would be perfect on the toes when wearing Jelly Shoes or a Peep Toe shoe! My last top pick for Spring has to be a blush. i am obsessed with blushers, and have opted for Loreal' Le Blush in 115 True Rose. It is a soft, dusky pink that adds that subtle rush of colour to your cheeks. 

What are your top beauty picks for Spring?

Thanks so much for reading, it was fun picking products to feature for this post and I really enjoyed writing about something different on my blog.

To read everyone else's posts that are taking part in the challenge, be sure to check out the hashtag #BloggersDoItBetter on Facebook and Twitter! 

What are your thoughts on my take on the Spring topic?

Real Techniques Bargains from TK MAXX!

Hi everyone! I tweeted last week that I had spotted a few Real Techniques brush sets in my local TK Maxx. I found two sets of the Core Collection, two sets of the Starter Set and two sets of the Travel Essentials sets. All sets were priced at £14.99 in TK Maxx, which is a fantastic saving as they usually retail at a starting price of around £20.99 each at boots and Superdrug. 

I already own the Core Collection and the Starter Set so I already knew they are fantastic value for money at their RRP price anyway; so I thought I would purchase another Starter Set,and as eye brushes are something I have very few of, I thought I would make the most of the great deal. I did notice the packaging was slightly different; featuring a picture of both Sam and Nic Chapman; which I found odd as it is usually just a picture of Sam. I thought that maybe this is very old packaging/old stock that they are trying to get rid of now, and maybe that is why I found them in my TK Maxx.

Once I got home I actually compared the packaging to my first Starter Kit and noticed more differences, and also realized that one of the brushes in the TK Maxx set is completely different to the set I already had, and is in Boots and Superdrug currently. The TK Maxx set houses the Fine Liner Brush, where in the current set, is replaced by the Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush - because I already have the brush I didn't mind having a different one as I don't really use the Pixel Point brush anyway, and also found that they do sell the Fine Liner Brush on its own for £6.99.

I have included a few photographs below so that you can see the differences. If you don't mind the change in one of the brushes or that the packaging is clearly very old, I would suggest checking out your local TK Maxx as it is a great bargain!

Left is current packaging, right is the set from TK Maxx 

March Favourites

March 2014 Beauty Favourites

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

One of the products I have been completely loving in March is The Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay. I was actually super lucky and won it from a giveaway back in February by the lovely Daniella (thanks so much!) and I can completely understand the hype about it. It is super pigmented, the colour range is beautiful and I have loved experimenting with more rosier toned shades rather than my normal neutral eyes.

Jelly Pong Pong Duo Bronzer in Caribbean Sun
I am a big fan of blush, but find it super difficult to find bronzing products which look natural on my very pale skin. Although this blush and bronzer duo is probably aimed for the warmer Months, I really love the bronzer as it looks so natural and not muddy on my skin. The blush is also a very lovely flush of pink too.

Soap and Glory You Wont Believe Your Eyes Serum
 I suffer with dark and heavy under eye circles, and no concealer can hide them. I have actually had this for well over a year now but forgot about it in my stash and rediscovered it a few weeks back. I look a lot more awake in a Morning after I have applied this the night before. I love the cooling sensation from the roller ball applicator too!

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil
This is the first facial oil I have ever used and I am so glad I have finally jumped onto the bandwagon! I love that it is a rollerball applicator which makes it super easy and non-messy to use. My skin feels so much different since bringing this into my skin routine, its definitely become a firm favourite of mine.

Review: Yankee Candle Simply Home in Vanilla Frosting

                         Yankee Candle Simply Home in Vanilla Frosting  
          

I have tried a few of Yankee Candles 'Simply Home' range and I am quite impressed. Being a big lover of candles, I often get drawn into shops just to swoon over pretty scented candles. I decided to try the 'Vanilla Frosting' large jar candle, as it was on special offer in my local Asda Supermarket.
Vanilla Frosting smells very sweet but not too overpowering. I personally don't think the Simply Home Range of candles are as strongly scented as the normal Yankee Candles /(I think that is the point really) which I really like. I love sweet scents but they can sometimes become unbearable if it such a strong scent in a small space. I burn the majority of my candles in my bedroom so I find the Simply Home candles perfect.
The scent smells like butter-cream and sugar, it is super sweet. The candle burns quite equally which is something I like in a candle, as I hate waste.
Are you crazy over burning candles?