Pantene Foam Volume & Body Conditioner

Conditioner and fine hair do not like each, well at least mine don't. No matter which one I try I can only apply conditioner to the very very ends of my limp hair, and even then its a gamble to see if my hair is going to be lank until I wash it again. Incredibly frustrating and before I knew better it lead to skipping conditioner. One tip - don't.

Nowadays I just try and muddle my way through the greasy lankness that is my hair, so when I saw that Pantene could possibly offer a solution to my issue I decided I would risk the £1.99. I don't do faff when it comes to my hair, I need simple quick and preferable something I can do within my very basic hair care routine for it to stay around. Luckily this Pantene Foam Conditioner Volume & Body ( currently £1.99)does just that; just apply like normal conditioner. I can handle that. 

The mousse comes about the that traditional Pantene scent and instantly disappears when I apply it to my hair. I followed instructions and waited till it was all gone (practically 30 seconds) then rinsed off like normal. As if it would be that easy, and I did doubt that I had even conditioned my hair, and this was one of the only occasions I didn't mind being proved wrong. Once I got over the chore that is hair drying, my hair actually was lifting from my head and was soft at the ends, almost like I swapped hair in the shower with someone...

I highly doubt this would be conditioning enough for anyone with thick hair (aka the model in the TV advert), but it did work for me and my shoulder length hair which is about a inch wide in a ponytail to give a rough estimate. My risky gamble of £1.99 has truly paid off, and a true sign that I love this (and any) product? I will buy it full price - *inset sassy hand Emoji girl*.

Have you tried the Pantene Foam Conditioner Volume & Body?

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Instagram Diary: Part Fifteen

Miss Baby Roll Mascara | Matching makeup | Best of Maybelline | Arundel Castle | Easter Basket | Homesense fun | Strawberries to counteract the Easter chocolate | Floral pretties | Creme Egg Brownies

I like blogging, it teaches you a lot. Well at least for me, and what have I learn this week? That I can not spell 'fifteen' and that I am very thankful for Google and its spell check properties. I have also learnt that I like Easter far too much and I am going to see how long I can leave my Easter decorations (yes I decorated) up for before my mum physically removes them. I have also found my new mascara obsession with L'Oreal's Miss Baby Roll mascara, and being very much like Benefit Roller Lash with added volume and half the price I am one very happy girl indeed. I may be a Easter obsessed bad speller, but at least my lashes are sorted.

What have you been up to this week?

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L'Oreal Paris Miss Baby Roll Mascara

If you can walk into Boots, Superdrug or something similar, without buying mascara please can you tell me how? I seem to lack any sort of self control. The latest addition? The L'Oreal Paris Miss Baby Roll Mascara (£7.99). It's new, its L'Oreal, its volumising and it has pink and green pastel packaging so it was pretty much a sale for me the minute I saw it.

To give myself the benefit of the doubt, this mascara is everything I look for in one. This 3 in 1 mascara combines curling, lengthening and volumising properties to give the finished look. I am not entirely sure where the 'Miss Baby Roll' name comes from at this point, but I am guessing this is more for the marketing rather than what the mascara does. Unless 'Miss Baby Roll' is a look that I am totally oblivious to? Ah well.

Back to the actual mascara, and the rubber brush/wand on this has several curved spirals or very short bristles, which in turn have little balls. It reminds me of the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara in Ultra Black, which also has little balls clinging onto the wand. I am sure there is a technical name for these, and I am guessing these little balls help distribute out the mascara itself. This isn't as clumpy to use as the Bourjois one, and reaches the base of my lashes (hello lazy eyeliner trick). On to the formula, this is mascara perfection, for me at least, not too wet and not too dry. It has the perfect in the middle consistency that isn't that new mascara wet or one year mascara dry that is often the case for most. This covers each one of my lashes and gives instant volume to them. Again, a rare combination.

Surprisingly this mascara even delivers on the last element - length. Its no secret mascaras do not do volume and length easily yet Miss Baby Roll has done it. My lashes have been left not sticking together and with the effect of a lash curler, not to mention the elongating/volumising factors and little effort required to get the finished look, I am very happy with this little pastel tube. I often fall back to slightly cheaper brands (Maybelline) for mascara but trying this new L'Oreal offering I can safely say I'll be using this tube all the way to the end, and I am very glad for my lack of self control when it comes to mascara shopping. Although I did draw the line at the colour options with Miss Baby Roll, as I am far too old to be reliving my teenage years with blue and purple mascara. No matter how pretty the lilac is....

In a nutshell from my mascara induced waffle, my lashes are transformed from this mascara. Welcome to the family L'Oreal Paris Miss Baby Roll.

Have you tried the L'Oreal Paris Miss Baby Roll mascara yet?

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Products I can’t leave

 

It doesn't how adventurous I'm feeling, or how many offers are on, there are some products I can't leave alone and I will always fall back to, quite often in a time of utter makeup need. I am guessing this is more to do with myself and being stuck in my ways rather than the items themselves as I have tried plenty of alternatives, but I just continue to go back to what I know.

Firstly is Estee Lauder for their Double Wear foundation. Why why why do no foundations cover like Double Wear? I know this is finish too heavy for some, but for my not so natural and bad skin days I fall back onto Double Wear. For me this is like my second skin in a bottle and I can trust it 99% of the time to help me out in a time of skin rescuing needs.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. I know this one in my photo isn't their 'classic', but this bottle is just prettier for photos (shallow I know I know), but again a bit like Estee Lauder I am more a one product fan for this brand rather than their entire range. No hot cloth cleaner beats Liz Earle for me. Balance Me almost almost beat Cleanse and Polish for its creaminess, but it failed on its lack to make my skin feel like I've had a mini facial. I don't ask for much from a bottle do I?

YSL Shocking Mascara. YSL is pure luxury and I am shallow enough to only want YSL on my dressing table and its so pretty (and matches my bedroom). YSL does not fail to pick me up in the same way Jo Malone does for scents. Charlotte Tilbury has been a strong contender these days, but its the classic element and years of standing that make YSL my number one. Their Shocking mascara hasn't even come close to being beaten in all my mascara years. Lancome Hynose has given it a run for its money, but ultimately, is it gold? No.

John Freida Hair Care. My hair resists most hair products. Purple shampoo? Nope, hair stays the same yellow blonde. Volumising mouse? No, pancake hair is still here. Hair spray? Unless you're Elnette my hair doesn't listen. So to find a brand that my hair choses to work with the majority of the time is quite a achievement. Notable mentions are the Go Blonder and Volume ranges. But one standout product for me and one I can trust to give me volume is the Full to Fine Blow Out Spray. All I have to do it spray it on damp hair before I blow dry, and ta-da - I feel like Beyonce (ever so optimistic).

What are your items you always fall back on?

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The only two Maybelline mascaras you should pick up

Maybelline for me is one of the 'worse' makeup stands, as there is just so much choice when faced with buying on of their mascaras. Often I panic and just pick up the one they are promoting which i more than likely their newest, and not always their best. So the two you should have etched in your mind in case of a similar mascara panic? (Or you might be calm, cool and collected in such moments) The Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Mascara and Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara.

The Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Mascara put me off at first as I don't really do yellow, and yes I am that shallow, but it was too bright for my dressing table. I don't even really know why I then changed my mind, but I am now this mascaras numero uno fan.

Tiny yellow moan aside, the bristles do comb through my lashes, essential for my continual mascara overload. I can also layer a few coats without clumps, luckily. What I do like about the Go Extreme is that it gives a good amount of volume to the base of my eyelashes, hello eyeliner illusion. Anything taking an extra step out of my morning makeup routine is fine by me.

In a much nicer colour tube is the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara, and worn out one at that. And WHY did I not buy this sooner? So anyone who did tell me to buy this, I apologise for ignoring you. Instantly remind me of the L’Oreal’s Voluminous Butterfly Mascara, as wand-wise this rubber offering defies normal rubberness failures of lack of volume and definition, to give me some good lashes.

The brush head itself is also slightly curved, like L'Oreal Butterfly, which is the perfect tool for even coated and lengthened lashes. Rarely for a high street mascara the formula is spot on; not too wet nor dry, there is probably a technical way to describe that one, I know I know, but it does the job. Not that it is ever recommended to get in such a faff over mascara, but next time you do at the Maybelline stand you know what to opt for; don't be as shallow as me and just ignore the yellow.

Have you tried either of these mascaras?

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Instagram Diary: Part Fourteen

Ballet Prancing | Maltesers that mean I never have to leave home | Cream duo heaven | Sunday Pick Me ups | Chocolate the size of my head | Subtle Leopard Print | Jo Malone Heaven | Lindt does champagne well | Not a bad photobomber | 

Well, I forgot how hard it is to make your life look interesting enough for Instagram. Not posting for a year (!) really threw me. What do I post? Are pictures of my fluffy (animal) sock okay to share? How do I get Instagram 'cool'? Well yeahh I don't know either. I decided against the fluffy socks and opted for my almost outfit of the day picture, and for a foot option my ballet shoes are far more Instagram worthy (yes I prance around one evening a week). And what Instagram would be complete without a cat photo? Daily Instagramers - I salute you and your interesting lives.

What have you been up too ?

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The Glow Getters

My face and skin tone has not been treated nicely by this winter, I don't think I could lack any more of glow if I tried. Sigh. I look a little bit too flat and dull for my liking. I do like to look alive and I can survive without much face colour, but my skin almost looks 2D if you can imagine that, and that doesn't sit as well with me. I have a few products that never fail to at the very least make my skin half glow and look like I have indeed looked after my skin during the winter and not just hid in a hole - however tempting.

First is the Makeup Revolution Bronze Palette with its many shades to match my changing mood. I can opt for a darker matte shade for my serious moods, or a lighter and shimmery colour for when I want to pretty much dress myself up in glitter and sparkle (everyday really). When it comes to bronzing palettes, this is the one I always fall back on.

Next is the L'Oreal True Match Liquid Highligher in Golden Glow. Easy and effective are the best two words to describe this tube, and then of course the bronze glow it leaves behind. Ideally made for more medium skin tones, I find this still blends in and looks subtle enough make me feel much more alive than I am looking.

Lastly is where I stole my blog post title from as I lack creativity is the Jelly Pong Pong Glow Getter. This very tiny pot came inside a Birchbox a couple of years ago, and I have somehow managed to make it last all this time. The Mary Poppins bag of highlighters, this is much more of a pearlescent finish than the L'Oreal highlighter, and this works great as a highlighter on my cheekbones and cupids bow with a more bronzed finished than most highlighters offer. These are like my children so I can't pick my favourite, but a little combination of all three often comes in handy when all I want is to have that radiant summer glow in the winter. Its not too much to ask is it?

What are you favourite bronzing or highlighting items?

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The best £1 I have ever spent

Coming from someone who is a Poundland fan (yes I know), this blog title is a huge statement for me to make. Anyone who is a Poundland fan knows how much fun it can be, and I have spent many a good (and not so good) £1 in there. However, I did not think I would ever be making such a statement about a makeup item.

Not that I got this from Poundland, nor did I only aim to spend £1 on something that is a total face saviour but hey, it happened. Even though my skin isn't half as spotty as it used to be, concealer is still something I can not leave the house without. More so due to spot scars rather than the spots themselves, but I do still need a concealer that is thick, non crusty and non obvious - not asking for much really. But what ticked all these boxes? Makeup Revolution Matte Effect concealer did, and left me without a crying purse. I will stop going on about the price now...

Matte and creamy are not two words that often go together, let alone work together, yet this concealer is both and applies to my skin effortlessly. Trying not to be being gross, this even went over a crusty spot without causing extra crustiness (I did warn you) and making it more obvious. This concealer also worked on those annoying red spot scars to cover up what my foundation couldn't. As you can imagine this is a bit too heavy for my liking for under my eyes as I prefer a lighter finish there, but for everything else on my face this tube is faultless. Talking of the tube, this has earned extra points for being able to fit into my many different sized handbags to help me out when I am on the move.

I am not going to go as far and say this is the best concealer, it isn't, but this certainly is the best budget one I've tried and as I may of mentioned already in the post...it is the best £1 I have ever spent.

Have you tried the Makeup Revolution Matte Effect concealer?

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