Avon Mega Effects Mascara

If like me, a gal on the quest for long lashes, you always get excited at the promise of a lengthening, volumising mascara then you'll also be curious to see this revolutionary new panoramic brush from Avon. 

This really is something new, I've never seen anything like it before. You'll either look at the brush and think its scary or like me you'll be so keen to try it out. For me I really like it, I love how close you can get to the lash line, giving a real eyeliner effect without using eyeliner, it's fab! 

My mascara is is the shade 'darkest black' its also on sale in brown too. It's sweat and flake proof, and doesn't smudge, so it's great for office to evening, and your lashes really do hold up all day. The brush takes a little getting used to but once you have it'll feel weird going back to the traditional wand. 

The mascara is contained in a little pot that the brush sits into, It's a really neat design, and is really small considering! 

Lovely and dark I think the mascara is really good at defining and separating my lashes, if you have naturally curly lashes your on to a winner with this stuff! The 'wonderbrush' really grabs each lash with precision, leaving nothing undefined. Here you can see my before and after with my lashes closed, and the eyes open with the mascara applied to both eyes. 

The brush handle adjusts into 4 different positions making it really easy to comb through the lashes. 

The brush head is a real dupe of the old chanel mascara, you know the one, the brushes and the balls on the end of each spike, meaning maximum product load to your lashes, with a great combing effect to prevent clumps. 

My only criticism is that I think the brush handle could be longer, just because I think those people with larger hands and longer fingers may struggle to use this. 

Mega Effects will retail at £10, which I think is maybe a little expensive, 

but this is different and I'm sure your just dying to test it out! 

Get your hands on Mega Effects Now!

What do you think of this new design? Will you be buying it? 

xXx

MAC the newest addictions.....

Ok I confess, I've been at the MAC again, the discount MAC outlet shop, so that kind of makes it ok, doesn't it?! 

This trip I picked up 2 glosses and one lippy, here are the swatches.....

Altered Beige was launched earlier this year as part of MAC's Limited Edition 'Temperature Rising' Collection, so I was a tad excited to see this in the outlet shop! It's a gorgeous muted bronzed nude hue, and it is one of the MAC lustre lipsticks (semi sheer with a wet look) I love the matte finish packaging too! 

It's much more wearable than Creme De Nude, which can leave lots of people washed out, this on the other hand will suit pretty much everyone's skin tone! The only down side is you may have to shop around a little to get your hands on it, so wearable, and will be a holiday fave of mine. 

I love MAC lipgloss and the 'Plush Glass' give a sheer hint of colour and a pearlised, high shine gloss finish. This stuff gives a little tingle on application & smells like yummy vanilla. I love mine in the girly shade 'Fashion Fanatic' but there are so many to choose from I want them all! These retail at around £17.

The Pro Longwear Lipglasses are designed to last, these do hold for a long time, and these are the glosses your boyfriend will hate! Super sticky, but that's what give them real staying power. MAC say they'll last 6 hours, I'd say an hour or two max. This one is still on sale at MAC counters and they retail at £17.50.

Which MAC products cant you live without? 

xXx

Beauty Works Hairpieces

Do you long for locks like Kim K? 

Fed up with your short hair preventing you from on trend styles? 

Seriously look no further than celeb hair to the stars providers...

Beauty Works provide hair to the stars and allow you to create the latest hair trends in the comfort of your own home. Award winning Beauty Works is the only place to shop for all things hair, from bonded extensions to clip in pieces that take just seconds to apply, yet they give the impression of hours of work.

Beauty Works hair is of such a high quality and standard you can rely on getting value for money as well as feeling you've really invested your money into a long lasting product.

The lovely Amy at Beauty Works sent me a lovely package containing 2 of the 'on trend' pieces for summer, and I couldn't wait to try them out.

I've been reviewing the Messy Bun in shade #4 which is the Chocolate shade, this cute little messy bun is perfect for instant glamour if you wear it to the side, or pop it up high for an on trend look. It has a drawstring inside which allows you to secure it on to your hair, simply pop your own hair up underneath and pop it over the top. I secure with a few extra pins to to make sure its safely in, and there you have it. Instant glam with minimal effort.

Here's how I wore it.....

The Beauty Works Messy Bun retails at £22.99 buy it here now!

I have also been wearing this chunky Fishtail Braid and the amount of people who have asked me how I did my hair shows that it is really realistic looking, and again it's so easy to apply!

The hairband has an adjustable elastic band on it, which is super stretchy and really comfortable to wear, this is perfect for holidays, and festival season, and is a must have this summer.

Here's how I wore mine.....



The Fishtail Braid retails for just £12.99 get yours by clicking here

Get celeb inspired hair in an instant, head over to the Beauty Works Online Shop right now, and follow them on Facebook or Tweet them @beauty_works

Do you own any Beauty Works hairpieces?

xXx

Summer Body Hero's

I've not posted a multi product post in ages, lately I've found some real gems and I wanted to share them with you.

I really LOVE spending money on a product that delivers, and these are really worth parting with your cash over. 

Nivea In Shower Moisturiser
I was totally unsure when I first saw this, but I have to say I'm really impressed, it smells just like the old fashioned blue tubs of Nivea moisturiser, it's perfect for moisturising on lazy days, and works really well at helping to prolong your fake tan, as well as locking in the smell.
It's currently on offer in Boots & Superdrug, this is the bigger of 2 size bottles available and I paid £3.99. 

Body Shop Tea Tree Cleanser & Moisturiser 
After a recent trip to an outlet store I have been curious about the Tea Tree range from The Body Shop for quite some time now. I'm really glad I invested because within days of using it it's really dried out my blemishes and has improved my skin appearance dramatically. The moisturiser is really matte and lasts all day at fighting oil, I no longer have my 1pm shine! Yey! The moisturiser retails at £8 and the toner at £5 bots really good sizes and well worth the money. 

Triple Dry Roll On
I can honestly say I never thought I'd be featuring a roll on as a heroic body product, but I cant not, this is so good. I recently went into Boots to pick up some deo, I usually always go for a spray. I don't find sprays give me enough protection to last all day and I would always have to keep reapplying it. I saw Triple Dry as it was on offer, so I thought I'd try it out. I am so glad I strayed this roll on really does deliver results, I apply it once in the morning and it keeps me dry all day and through my hour gym session after work, it states on the box that with regular use you can cut application down to just 3 times a week, it really does withstand showering, swimming, anything you throw at it. Check it out, I promise you you'll never look back. I paid about £3 for this on a half price promo. 

Sienna X Dark Glowing Tan 

I've always raved about Lauren's way Tan, and when it ran out I needed tan in a hurry, many of you may already use this stuff but I am seriously impressed, I wont ever go back! Sienna tan is the award winning formula, used in salons nationwide. It smells delicious, gives a beautiful natural glow in just one coat. 

They sell this stuff in Marks & Spencer so it's worth popping in to see if your local store sells it. I paid £24 for this bottle. 

I promise to do a full post on this really soon so you can see the before and afters. 

Batiste Conditioning Spray

If your a Batiste gal then you'll know that using dry shampoo can leave your ends a little dull and dry looking, I was really happy to see this on sale, and it really is a perfect addition to your dry shampoo routine. 

Smells lovely and gives shine without weighing your locks down or leaving them looking greasy. 

I paid £2.99 it was on offer though so it'll probably set you back around £4.

Have you discovered any must have products lately? 

xXx

Maybelline Baby Lips

These balms are apparently a firm fave with beauty editors worldwide, and they go crazy for them across the pond in the US, I'd be very surprised if you haven't seen these yet, finally they've hit the UK shelves. 

Maybelline Baby Lips are a range of lip balms in the cutest packaging might I add) designed to tend to your lips every need.

I've managed to get my hands on all 6 and I've been reviewing them for the past week, FYI if you can only treat yourself to one go for Pink Punch, I might be just a little in love with it, it's beautiful!

Three of the balms have SPF 20 and they're not tinted

HYDRATE 

a clear base with a lemon basil scent and SPF20

MINT FRESH

a clear base with a mint scent and SPF20

INTENSE CARE

a clear base with a cherry almond scent and SPF20

There are also 3 tinted versions of the balms, to allow you to care for your lips whilst adding a hint of colour

PINK PUNCH

blue-based bright pink base with a passion fruit scent

CHERRY ME

a darker warmer pink base with a cherry scent

PEACH KISS

a sheer nude base with a peach scent

They claim to last 8 hours on the packaging, this I cant really say I agree with. 

But one thing I will say is that they are not at all sticky, and although they feel really hard and you'd expect them to drag on the lips they don't! They melt beautifully and feel so comfortable to wear, not to mention the yummy scents! And I have all my make up on show, I think having all 6 stood next to each other look lovely, the neon & pastel combo's have given the tubes a really eye catching design. 

The biggest surprise to most of you will be the price, I really was shocked to see them on sale at just £2.99, and if you want to collect your very own then head into Boots or Superdrug NOW they're on 3 for 2 in both stores. 

In my opinion these are must have balms, you can have one in your car, on your desk at work, in your handbag, and in your pocket and one in your gym bag, with that in mind you need all 6, right?! The SPF 20 balms would be perfect for summer weather (if the sun ever comes back to us here in the UK) if not then take one tinted one and one clear one on your summer hols, they'll be all the lip protection you'll need for day and night. 

I can only live in hope that we'll get the other ranges they sell of these little baby's (see what I did there!) really soon, as always I will keep you updated on that. 

Have you succumbed to the Baby Lips trend yet? 

Let me know what you think of these super cute cult balms! 

xXx

Mental Health Awareness... My Story

Mental health, a word many of us wouldn't associate with the stress, depression and anxiety so many of us have to deal with in our daily lives.

The fact is they are all examples of mental health issues, and despite the fact that they are so common, why do so many of us feel so alone in our most vulnerable times?

At different times in my life I have experienced and been treated for: Post Traumatic Stress, Depression, Anxiety & Panic Attacks.

My post-traumatic stress followed on from years of abuse by my step father, and seeing my mum go through some real horrific ordeals, images that will remain imprinted in my mind forever. I was only 16 at the time and luckily as I still had adolescence on my side with counselling I was able to let this go, my mum on the other hand has never got over it.

My depression, anxiety and panic attacks all really roll into one, and after overcoming my pt stress years before I found it really tough when this hit me in 2009.

 A lady very dear to my heart sadly passed away, suddenly and out of the blue. As I sit here writing this, with tears rolling down my cheeks just days away from what would have been her 80^th birthday my heart still aches, I miss her so much. My Nan, she was like a mum to me, some of you will know that my own mum has never really been a mum to me, her relationship with alcohol has been dominant since I can remember and unfortunately  it’s meant that I have never had the relationship I really crave. So loosing my Nan, the only person in my life to tell me they were proud of me and that I was a good person, was gone, just like that, she was gone.

For a while after I thought I was grieving as normal and then all of a sudden I started getting this terrible dizziness, and it felt like I had a tight band strapped round my forehead, at the time I was moving into a new place and I should have been happy and excited, but this horrible spaced out feeling of dizziness and head pressure started to take over…..

My first panic attack I will NEVER forget, the time 11:03am, the place, in the admin room in work, and the feelings, I did try to fight it but the sensation of adrenalin rushing over your whole body and then the thoughts, and the sweaty palms, the racing heart, never a pleasant experience.

Another time I remember laying on the kitchen floor terrified, I really thought I was going to die, feeling like someone has dumped a ton of bricks on your chest and the overwhelming thoughts of fear really are debilitating and my god I was terrified.

My anxiety took over my life, I was absent from work for over 100 days and It really was a bad time for me in my life, I couldn’t sleep, I lived in fear of my next attack every minute and I couldn’t help but focus on the ‘what Ifs’ of the next episode. I went to the doctors and I remember saying ‘I just want to feel normal again’ so many times, I was desperate to feel like the old me, although in all honesty I didn’t really know who I was. I went on like this for 2 years! 

I was in a long term relationship and on the whole I had zero confidence and my self-esteem was also non-existent, this really didn't help as I was on a constant low, it didn't help that the guy had no understanding of what I was going through and literally used to laugh in my face and say I was an idiot for letting it get to me. The thing is anxiety and panic is very real, and I know any of you reading this will know what I mean.

 I used self-help books, and went to group CBT sessions in hope of getting better, I was terrified of taking anti-depressants., and I am proud to say that in the end I did overcome it without them. Distract yourself, but don’t run from the problem, you must face things head on.

I truly believe that if you suffer from anxiety and panic, even though you get over your tough times, it always has a way of creeping up on you, tapping you on the shoulder and reminding you that it’s still there, but try not to let it get the better of you, you can & will be in control again, never give up on yourself!

I am finally in a really good place in my life and that’s thanks to my true friends, as I don’t have any family and my boyfriend, I am fortunate now to be in a relationship where I am accepted for just being me, there’s no pressure to try and hide the fact that things scare the hell out of me, or to hold back my tears for fear of being made to feel that showing emotion is a bad thing.

I have done things this year that I would have been terrified of doing back in 2009, I got on a plane, and for an anxiety sufferer this is a real test, I was still very nervous and my palms were sweaty and my heart beat was faster but I did it and I felt so proud of myself for doing it. I have also been in a helicopter, which again scared the crap outta me but I did it!

Face your fears where ever possible, it’s never going to be easy because anxiety makes you doubt yourself, but no matter how you do it you must get through it, be strong.

I hope this has helped some of you, I know reading others experiences really helped me in my time of need. 

I would really love to hear your thoughts and experiences.....

xXx

Make Up Storage Part 2

I know I briefly posted my make up storage a few weeks ago, if you missed it catch up right here

 I have had so many questions on it and I have just updated it again this weekend I thought I would share it with you. I don't own as much make up as I used to mainly due to the fact that when I first got my storage I had a major clear out as I only wanted to organise and keep my fave and best products in it. 

I don't wear nail varnish so that saves me a ton of space, meaning I have loads more room for make up. 

Here is my now even bigger (and ever growing) collection.....

The extra 5 drawer unit costs just £24 and its given me 5 extra drawers, they are the perfect depth for mascara and lipglosses.....

I have recently moved things around in our house too, meaning I have my own dressing room now, which allows my Muji & my make up to get the space and attention it deserves! 

Although a gloss black dressing table is firmly on my wish list for when we get our own place, I know this will look good standing proud on a real dresser :)

How do you organise your make up? 

xXx

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon

Lip crayons really are everywhere at the moment, I can honestly say I have really taken a love to lip colour this past year, I never wore anything other than clear lipgloss before, and I have really branched out recently. 

Bourjois are the latest to add to the lip crayon craze, and they have launched a collection of 4 Colour Boost Lip Crayon's in summer ready shades, bright and bold, yet still a little glossy, and I do find the crayons a lot easier to apply than a full colour lippie. 

I have been wearing 'On The Beach'* a coraly, pinky infused hue, and a personal fave colour of mine this year. 

I haven't tried the other shades in the range but if you love pinks and oranges then you need to check them out. The crayons are meant to have a 10 hour wear time, this is not true, don't get me wrong the colour has staying power but they would only last that long if you didn't do anything the whole time you were wearing them, also it states on the packaging that they will give you a 'bare lip feel' I cant say I agree with this statement I could tell it was on my lips and I don't really like how it feels when I'm wearing it, it's tacky, not really sticky like a gloss but not matte like a real lipstick. 

Pop into Boots and Superdrug now to check them out, they are priced at £7.99 each. 

xXx