Superdrug Coconut Oil

I am always on the look out for a product that will make my hair grow. If only such a thing existed, but a girl can dream. So I do the next best thing and I was recommended Superdrug Coconut Oil by a hairdresser at work. I really do try to keep my hair in good condition, and trust me in my line of work this is so hard. Constant heat, curling, straightening, crimping and endless amounts of backcombing with industrial strength hair gel is never going to be a way to good conditioned hair.

And apparently I have been living under a rock and missed out on the beauty comes from this product, even my Mum knew about it. Serious face palm moment. I jumped on the Moroccan Oil bandwagon ages ago but totally missed this one. I Googled and found the cheapest one on the high street is from Superdrug £2.29 for a whopping 125ml of solid product.

Okay, for an 'oil' this is ridiculously solid. I was soon stopped in my tracks when I dived my hand in to scoop this on my head, and resulted in using my nail to dig out this 'oil' and warmed it up between my hands. But once its warmed and loosen a bit I used it as a overnight hair mask to combat my dry scalp, but it can be used on any dry skin, face or hair! Plus you can use this after shampooing, as a leave-in conditioner. Once on it goes slightly 'crispy', but if your hair is already covered in oil I'm sure your not in one of them moods to really care what your hair looks like.

The smell is so gorgeous, and not to heavy scented that it make you feel sick but just enough scent to make you want to eat it. Straight away I can see the benefits to my hair, it is definitely much shiner and us blondes know that is a hard one to achieve. Most of my dry scalp has shifted too, not bad considering I've only been using it a week. Serious product love going on here.

Superdrug Coconut Oil available for £2.29. And at the moment Superdrug has a 3 for 2 on hair care so go go go.

Have you tried Superdrug Coconut Oil before?

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Christian Dior Extase Mascara

Firstly, I do have to apologies for the lack of proper photos for this mascara. I was brought this last year, threw away the packaging etc, decided I hate the mascara and totally forgot about it. It's been a few tries with this mascara and decided I should give it a proper review.

The mascara does come in a silver box, as do all Dior mascaras. I should know considering I have DiorShow Blackout and DiorShow Iconic, both of which I really love. Hence my excitement and subsequent dissapointment from Extase. Both my previous dabbles with Dior mascaras left me with the conclusion I love Dior makeup. I've also got a few eyeshadow pallets which are also on my love list, so naturally I asked for a new Dior mascara for my birthday last year and received this.

Okay, first off the brush looks good. With a 3 times curved brush ( can't think of another way to describe it...) and being fairly big too I was expecting to receive a lot of volume, which as I'll explain in a minute, I didn't.

So, on to the formula and application...the consistency is really not what I hoped for, it was so so wet that actually on my first go with this barely any mascara actually went onto my lashes, very strange, but I kept going. Then my eyelashes clumped together to form practically two eyelashes (okay slight exaggeration, but you get my drift!) and it was so hard to try and reapply and brush over then in a attempt to separate them out. Nope, my eyelashes were staying this way. I know I like a bit of exaggeration from my lashes but oh my, this was awful. Once it finally dried I still hated the look as it did nothing for my eyelashes whatsoever, it just looked like I barely bothered with my lashes and honestly like I'd applied a cheaper drugstore brand. It was either going to be stupidly clumped, or barely visible lashes so just shoved this in my draw and forgot I owned it.

That was until last week, and I was feeling a bit strange on how I had discredited this so much and attempted another ago. Nope still hate it. So I am determined and used this everyday battling through the lash stress to see if my mind could be changed. To be fair it has a bit, I no longer hate it, it's just not one I would ever consider repurchasing. 

The formula has dried up quite a lot, which as you can see here is something I prefer, making the application a bit easier. But it just feels like the brush does nothing, what on earth that curved wand is for I'll never know, but it's definitely no volume. Compared to Lancome Hypnose Drama there is no comparison at all. Don't buy this if like me you like your volume, you will not be happy. The only positive is that now it does give my lashes a bit of length but nothing I am thrilled about.

Overall a very disappointing mascara Dior.

Christian Dior Extase Mascara £23 from Boots.

Have you tried Christian Dior Extase Mascara? 

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Vaseline Cocoa Butter Gel Body Oil

When I saw this in Boots for £2.10 half price there was no way I wasn't getting it, containg my three favourite things, vanilla, coconut and cocoa butter (I think me being a chocoholic has something to do with that). Apparently Coleen Rooney loves this and credits it to her smooth and soft skin. Think she meant during pregnancy but oh well I still wanted to try. Baby or no baby. 

I always use Palmers Cocoa Butter and I'm in love with it so new products will (and do) have a hard time being a replacement. With the gorgeous smell I did have high hopes for Vaseline and tried it straight away. No blogging about a products months after buying it here. This gels comes in a clear bottle which I love. I like to see how much of the product I have left, and this does the job. Plus you can see little air bubbles which I like for a strange reason.

Although there is no butter like qualities I fell in love with this one from the very first time application. The application is a little unusual though, do not rub it onto hands first and then transfer to body, the right way is to squeeze desired quantity onto hands then place in little portions around the desired (towel dried) body area and then rub into the skin. It really gets absorbs quickly and totally non-greasy, the fact that I like the most. It defiantly has a thicker formula that normal gel but really does the job. The sheen it left behind was so nice I coated myself before a night on the town to give my body a go.

Overall this is a must have total repurchase! Even at the normal price of £5.10 it's worth every penny. There is no reason not to try this if you love Cocoa Butter, and if you don't - what is wrong with you? Actually, I would like to hear if/why you don't like it...

Vaseline Cocoa Butter Gel Body Oil £5.10. From Boots at the moment for £2.10. Stock up.

Have you tried Vaseline Cocoa Butter Gel Body Oil?

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Max Factor Colour Adapt Foundation

I've tried 'cheaper' brands (sorry 17) and really not got on well with this, neither with Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse. Therefore I went up another price bracket and spotted this Max Factor Colour Adapt Foundation (£9.99).  I was instantly sold when I felt how creamy the texture was on my hand and made a swift purchase. No fancy packaging here, just a foundation that promises to adapt to every skin tone. Bit sure how, plus a wide range of colours would mean you would find one to match right? I purchased this in 'Natural'.

No finish was actually mentioned but I could see/tell from the swatch on my hand that it felt quite matte like, something I am keen on even though I have dry skin (I'm hard work). From the minute I applied this it was so smooth and creamy I really fell for this. On application it almost feels like it has a primer in it, which I'm not aware it does but it's that creamy if you get my drift. It does take a bit of blending to ensure no 'tide marks', but it is very much worth it. This didn't clump or stick to my face or any dry patches but instead went smoothly over to create a matte finish, without the dry crusty look. Plus this stayed put all day and didn't need touching up. The formula is quite thick too and does provide a lot of coverage. I would recommend you apply this with a sponge - trust me it won't work with a brush.

I would definitely recommend this if you have dry skin, it may be a tad oily for some people but it's definitely worth a try to see! I'm still not sure on the colour adapt factor, as I mentioned the blending it was the only downfall, but still a lovely foundation anyhow.

Have you tried Max Factor Colour Adapt Foundation? 

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Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara

I've always heard good reviews on Lancôme mascara, yet it seem a lot of people I've chatted to haven't ever tried Lancôme, well at £22 the  Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara won't be a impulse buy but I thought more people may of tried it. Lancôme in my eyes in famous for their Juicy Tubes which I loved when I was younger. Didn't we all. 

Apparently Lancôme are on of the best selling mascaras in the world, according to Lancôme themselves, I couldn't find any proof? Never the less I brought it. Claiming to curl and create volume I was excited to try this. The packaging is fairly boring, consisting of a silver box (which obviously I would throw away before I photographed it) and a black tube. Black packaging is always going to be a classy simple option but a bit of decoration wouldn't go a miss. The brush looks nothing like the photo on the Lancome website either, no way is it that bushy. Lancome made it look like a foxes tail....bit of photoshop there I think.

The brush however is quite unusual, curved, but to me not a normal curve, if you see what I mean? But I found this was great for really getting to the bottom of my lashes and coating them well. I struggled a bit with my bottom lashes as I smudged it a bit, but I do always make mess all over my face when applying mascara. Clearly one of my talents. I really love the formula of Hypnose Drama too, right from the first application which is rare for me as I normally prefer mascaras once the formula is less 'wet', but this was perfect from the off set. This is defiantly one of the 'blackest' black mascara I've ever used and really created volume without clumps (hurrah) and even curled my lashes and stayed put all day.

Overall, dare I say this...Hypnose Drama may be my favourite mascara. Ever. Okay, it's a draw then between this and my Benefit They're Real. Tough call and at £22 it's pricey but not impossible to replace.

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara - £22 available from Lancome

Have you tried Lancôme Hypnose Drama mascara?

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Makeup and Beauty Brands, who owns what?

After my post on Bourjois, this struck up a conversation in my house that concluded with my Mum stating 'Chanel owns Bourjois'. Nope, was my exact reaction and just didn't believe her. I knew Estée Lauder and Loreal own many other brands all under their umbrellas, but I honestly was totally clueless about Chanel. So this prompted some serious online research and I also found that Bourjois actually came into the picture first in 1863, not Chanel. In 1924, Coco Chanel approached Pierre Wertheimer, who was then the owner of Bourjois, to help her develop her famous perfumes. These days, it’s Bourjois and the Wertheimer family who owns the Chanel empire. So, contrary to popular belief, Chanel doesn’t own Bourjois, but the other way round. Interesting.  Here is a list of makeup brands and who owns them and who they are part of...

Estee Lauder: 

Estee Lauder, Aramis, American Beauty, Aveda, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Bumble & Bumble, Darphin, Prescriptives, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Jo Malone, Origins, Ojon, Flirt, GoodSkin Labs, Creme de la Mer, Tom Ford, Smashbox

L’Oreal: 

L’Oreal Paris, L’Oreal Professional, Maybelline New York, Lancome, Helena Rubinstein, Vichy, Biotherm, La Roche Posay, Redken, Skinceuticals, Garnier, Keratase, Matrix, Pureology, Mizani, Essie, Kiehl’s, Shu Uemura, Giorgio Armani, Roger & Gallet, Ralph Lauren, Cacharel, Diesel, Viktor & Rolf, YSL Beaute, Maison Martin Margiela, Stella McCartney, YUE SAI, Sanoflore, The Body Shop

Proctor & Gamble: 

Cover Girl, Max Factor, Olay, Clairol, Nice ‘n Easy, Ivory, Noxzema, Pantene, SK-II, Dolce & Gabbana Cosmetics and Fragrances, Hugo Boss Fragrances, Sebastian Professional, Fekkai, Wella, Vidal Sassoon, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Old Spice

Johnson & Johnson: 

Neutrogena, Aveeno, Clean & Clear, RoC and Lubriderm.

Coty, Inc: 

Rimmel London, Cutex, Sally Hansen, OPI, Adidas, Playboy, Guess Parfums, Roberto Cavalli, Bottega Veneta, Vera Wang, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood, Chloe, Joop!, Davidoff, Chopard, Calvin Klein, ck one color cosmetics, Cerruti, philosophy skin care, most celebrity fragrances (Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Kate Moss, Halle Berry, Heidi Klum, Lady Gaga, David & Victoria Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kylie Minogue)

LVMH: 

Fresh, Dior, Guerlain, Givenchy, Kenzo, Benefit Cosmetics, Make Up For Ever, Acqua di Parma, Nude

Revlon: 

Revlon, Almay, Natural Wonder, Charlie fragrances, Mitchum, Ultima II, Gatineau

Unilever: 

Dove, Impulse, Pears, Lux, Lynx, Pears, Rexona, SunSilk, Vaseline

Thank you: Wikipedia for all that information! 

What do you think of this? Any surprise brand partnerships in there?

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Bourjois Paris Bronzing Primer

Bourjois have got the right idea here with their new Bourjois Paris Bronzing Primer, lack of sun meaning lots of us suffering from unwanted pale skin, and in need of some faking it action, Bourjois has provided two solutions; a BB cream and a primer. Both created in a universal shade to match everyone's (everyone's?!) skin tone...I bypassed the BB cream as I just need more coverage but the primer I brought with much excitement.

I don't want to speak to soon but this looks distinctly Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Univerel-like... a mouse like bronzer that you can apply for a contour or bronze effect.... very, very exciting to see a high street version, as I've only seen this in makeup artists bags and never had the chance to try or wear it. Proof there modelling isn't glamorous, I thought being able to wear Chanel would be a job perk, but nope.    This primer is a mousse product, which I love. You really only need a tiny bit but it really does blend in beautifully, after the horror on my face when I saw quite how dark it was.

 I was dubious that this product would work and just thought once I applied foundation the colour with disappear. I did however managed a healthy, all-over glowing tan with this product. No orange, or streaks in sight. Which is a major surprise as I thought I’d hate this primer given that it looks so dark in the pot and on first application. This is such a great idea for a primer and is much better in my opinion that facial tanning, which never looks quite right. I can't comment or compare this too the infamous Chanel product as I've never had the joy of trying it. No ifs or buts you need to get this product into your makeup bag ASAP.   

Bourjois Tanning Primer from their Summer Collection - £6.99 (promotion price) available at Boots.

Have you tried Bourjois Paris Bronzing Primer?

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Max Factor Clump Defy Mascara

I'm addicted to mascara (blog name gives it away), and I'm always on the look out for new ones, I have seemed to of made it my own personal mission in recent years to try as many as I can. One that I was excited to try was Max Factor's new mascara, Clump Defy.

This mascara is all about lengthening your lashes, adding volume, without leaving your lashes looking clumpy. It seems more and more mascaras on the market now are offering a clump free finish, and generally I have been left disappointed with them as they just seem to have a really thin consistency. I have tried Max Factors false lash mascara which I hated. But I do love their Masterpiece Max so I was left utterly confused.

The wand in comparison to the Max factor False Lash is much curvier, and I did notice on first application that there was much less product on the wand as I pulled it out of the colour base, meaning there was no product overload to cause clumps. As I was applying it, the curvy wand really does help with curling and defining the lashes which I was really surprised by as so many times with a new mascara I have found that my lashes can clump together *sob*.

I found after one coat this was way too of a natural look for me, I need more drama! But...each coat of adds more definition, length and volume to my lashes. It really does need more than one coat in my opinion but it really brightens my eyes, leaving them looking big and defined. I actually got chatting the the beauty girl in Boots who did inform me that Clump Defy is better for those with longer lashes and False Lash is better for those who need a bit of volume and length...maybe that is why I didn't get on with False Lash? I really do love the mascara though, I'm finding it hard to decide which mascara is my favourite. Max Factor has definitely brought a good contender forward.

Max Factor Clump Defy Mascara £10.99 - at Boots.

Have you tried this mascara? What's you favourite Max Factor mascara?

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Seventeen Miracle Matte Foundation

I am carrying on my determination here to love Seventeen products. I mean how can I dislike such a pocket friendly brand? Well at the moment they definitely not my favourite, and the Seventeen Miracle Matte Foundation has defiantly confirmed that. 

The matte foundation is fairly new I believe and heavily promoted on the Seventeen stand as the main foundation. There's 6 shades. Soft ivory, Honey, Biscuit, Fair, Natural, Porcelain. Personally, I don't think there's enough shades, can 6 shades cater for all the skin tones out there? Very much doubt it. I feel it actually caters for the paler of skin tones and a few of the shades were quite alike and more for the pinker skin tones. Note for Seventeen there...

Being a Matte finish, the foundation won't be for everyone, I was worried as I have dry skin and that is a bit of a beauty faux pas. Containing no oil this would be a better choice for those will oily/combination skin. Oh and includes the usual SPF 15, like every other foundations these days. To carry on with the positives, I do love the bottle. I like to be able to see how much product is left, and with pink being my favourite colour of I love the lid.

Unfortunately this is as far as my liking goes for this foundation. It does apply fairly well, but blending it in was a complete nightmare. The stuff just wouldn't blend in. At all. Considering I has exfoliated, moisturised and primed my skin I wasn't expecting this. The product just stuck to my cheeks in dark lumps making my makeup routine twice as long. When I finally made my face presentable, I found the foundation stayed put for a while, only to 'bunch' on my face again and then to go all patchy..arghh stress. I did like the colour and the matte finish so I was very disappointed that it just didn't stay put and go on smoothly.

This won't be a repurchase at all, shame as at £5.99 I really wish I could love it.

Seventeen Miracle Matte Foundation - £5.99 at Boots

Have you tried Seventeen Miracle Matte Foundation?

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NOTD: Essie Too Too Hot

Okay I did it....I went and got my man nails done. This is a first, mainly as work hate girls having 'done' nails. Natural is the way forward in the unwritten models handbook. But it was a couple of my friends birthdays so I wanted to feel a bit special and glamorous so off to the salon I went.

Someone should of really prepared me for how many varnishes they have to choose from. I went in the mind set of wanting red nails, but was that an easy choice? No! They had about 10 different red shades to choose from. I was not the most popular client...I did make them try every shade before I chose my final one. Well this was a big decision that I was not taking lightly. Plus, nail colours always look different on your nails rather than in the bottle. I finally settled on a Essie Nail Polish, Too Too Hot. A nice summery red which reminded me of a phone box red. I love this colour and was very happy with how it came out (Fake or not...)

Essie Too Too Hot - £7.99 from Superdrug

Have you worn Essie Nail Polish Too Too Hot before? 

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