The Fragrance Shop Discovery Box. Mmm!

I’ve mentioned the Discovery Box* from The Fragrance Shop on my blog a few times, It’s just £5 a quarter and I love the concept of being able to try out a few scents and deciding what you like before you go ahead and buy a full size… Plus the box comes with a set of money off vouchers to each fragrance that’s in the box, so you can purchase it and save some cash too, definitely worth the money, although not so good if you want to get them all. Haha!

So the latest box is like a bonus bumper box and comes full of nine (instead of the usual five) sample scents for you (and your man) to try, it comes with three male scents and six female ones.

So, I gave the guy ones to my boyfriend (Boss Bottled, Hugo Man and L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme) I think we like them all too much to decide at the moment, I do think that I like the Issey Miyake the most though.

For myself, I am in heaven and actually do like all of the scents. The six female scents are:

Thierry Mugler, Angel: This is so potent and I do like it, but it’s not my fave of the bunch, I think it’s a little strong for me, definitely an evening scent.. My Mum is in love with this though. It’s very intense and it lasts all night.

Thierry Mugler, Alien: I'm in love. This is one of my faves in the box, I had heard the hype on this but never smelt it before.. it is gorgeous and I think I’ll be purchasing a bottle with my voucher! The full size bottle design is so cool too.

Nina Ricci, Nina: This is very fruity and summery, a perfect fresh scent for when the spring time comes. I like the scent a lot.

Gucci, Gucci Guilty: I love this one too and I want a full size, this is quite a deep scent and smells sexy and kind of musky to me (I am not a good at describing scent!) it would be an evening fragrance for me.

Givenchy, Very Irresistible: Sweet, floral, stunning. I really love floral scents and would totally wear this throughout the Summer.

Jean Paul Gaultier, Classique: This is already one of my favourite scents, I am currently out of it so getting this sample has just reminded me how much I love this and want a new bottle. It smells floral again, but muskier and it’s not such a sweet floral. It smells so good!

Check out the website here, the box is currently available!

Dirty Looks - Tigi Haircare Review.

I have a bit of an obsession with hair products, especially ones that offer texture and/or volume. Recently I was contacted by the lovely people at Dirty Looks (great name!) and I chose three of their styling products to try out… I almost went with hair extensions but with my ombre I wasn’t sure I could make it work.. One day when I go back to all one colour though, for sure!

So anyway, I happened to choose three products from the Tigi range, I always remember loving products from this brand when I was training to do hair in college and I had a weekend job in a salon. They always smelt great and performed so well.

So what did I choose and what did I think? Read on!

*Tigi Your Highness Root Boost Spray (£12.15)

I have never tried anything like this before and it’s absolutely marvellous! It’s like a spray, but it sprays out a mousse out of a very fine nozzle! It’s a very lightweight mousse and smells great. It performs great, it gives instant va-va-voom to any style, adding major volume and hold without being sticky or making your hair feel overloaded with product.

*Tigi Transforming Dry Shampoo (£12.95)

Ugh, my gaaad! I am IN LOVE with this, hands down the best dry shampoo I have ever tried. Yes, it’s a little more pricy than some other brands, but it really works and you don’t have to spray loads on for it to leave your hair looking refreshed. It’s also invisible, which is a bonus for us dark haired girls, oh and did I mention that it smells amazing? . . It smells uh-ma-zing, I am kind of addicted to the scent it leaves and find myself having a sneaky sniff of my hair. (Not weird at all!)

*Tigi Salt Spray (£13.95)

Salt Spray is a pretty new thing to me, I think I got a mini sample of one in a beauty box and tried it out and enjoyed the texture that it gave to my hair. This stuff is wow, it smells delish and it really enhances my hair, giving me a totally beachy waved look. I just spray it into my damp hair and keep on scrunching as it naturally dries .. so much texture and volume! It’s massive too, so should keep me going a while. Love!

The packaging is so sleek and eye catching on these products, you can definitely tell they are a professional hair range and if you look on the website at the Tigi range you will see they have some weird and wonderful packaging creations.. I love that, it makes them stand out.

So there you have it! If you can’t already tell… I now totally want to dip my toe further into the world of Tigi hair products. I’m thinking maybe some things to help enhance my curls next!

Have you tried Tigi products? Tell me your faves!

Sleek + Shiny Good Hair Days!

I rarely straighten my hair, mostly because in the past couple of years I’ve been embracing the natural curl that my hair has, and to be honest I wear it up more than anything else. I hate that I wear it up so much but it’s just an easy option after I’ve washed it.

When I was younger my hair was a crazy frizz, I had no idea how to control it really and there weren’t really hair strengtheners around (or not that I knew of!).. Then one day I remember a friend of mine showed me her shiny new GHD straighteners, like me she was a frizz battler and when she used them I was in awe at how sleek her hair was. From then on I was a convert and my hair was always sleek and straight and I remember saving up for my very own GHD’s which lasted me for years.

Since then GHD have released multiple different models of their flat irons and I now own the gorgeous Classic Gold straightener. They are a huge upgrade on my first pair appearance wise, but they still do that amazing job of giving me sleek, shiny hair! (As you can see!)

The plates are so smooth and glide effortlessly through my hair without snagging at all, leaving it poker straight with just one pass over a section of hair, my hair is sleek in less than 15 minutes.

These straighteners come with a protective heat guard which is perfect for when you’re done so that you can set them aside without risking burning yourself (these get pretty hot), and it also protects the ceramic plates. They heat up within ten seconds and you are ready to go, the lead is over two metres long, so you have freedom to move around your head, and they have a sleep mode, so if you happen to forget to switch them off, they will go into sleep mode after 30 minutes.

I love them and I love how sleek my hair looks when I use them, I think I may just be going for this sleek look more often now - I never realised my hair was so long. It's amazing how they lock in shine and make my hair look so healthy. I also know that you can curl with them too because they have curved edges on the plates, but I am still trying to master that. Any tips?

Want to try these for yourself? You can check out hair straighteners from GHD here at Argos.

This post is in association with Argos.

» Christmas Gift Ideas - For Her. ♥

Hey lovelies! Happy December (Eeek!)

Is everyone getting into the Christmas Spirit yet? I've been listening to Christmas songs since mid-October.. I'm a weirdo, I know! I love Christmas and I love giving gifts to those I care about, I feel like it's approaching so fast though and I am totally not organised yet!

Today I thought I'd show you a few cute gift ideas for women in your life, I think that these are great for girls/women from Teenagers to more mature women like Mum's and Nan's. They're all pretty much scent related goodies, I don't think I know any woman that doesn't like to smell good and we all love to receive such gifts, right?

» This Yardley Polaire gift-set surprised me, I've never used Yardley fragrance before and kind of associated it with older women, but I was wrong! This scent is perfect for younger to more mature women, the scent is sweet and fruity with some floral notes in there, but it's not overly so - it is also warm and autumnal/wintery. The packaging is so classy too, I absolutely love the perfume bottle! This set comes with a body lotion.. I love to use a matching lotion to my fragrance, it definitely keeps it lasting for much longer. Available here.

» Who doesn't love to get a gift from The Body Shop? I have loved their products ever since I was about 11 or 12 and nothing has changed there, they have everything in there for guys and girls. These products are perfect for teens and women alike, the Scrub and Soften Duo contains a full sized Shea body butter and a smaller Shea sugar scrub.. How perfect of a treat for dry winter skin? Scrub it away and slather on the delicious body butter to inject moisture back into your body. The Body Shop body butters are a dream! This set is available here, and it come packaged in the cutest festive snowman tin. :)

» Also from The Body Shop, how cute is the little Reindeer wash-ball? I adore it! They have a few different Christmas designs of these and they're just £3.50, so a great stocking filler. He's so soft and squishy! Available here.

» Last, but not least. This Weleda gift-set is a treat for anybody. The products are packed full of natural oils and are ideal for hydrating very dry skin. This contains a body wash and body lotion, both full sized... They are designed to regenerate and protect the skin, the scent is fruity and gorgeous and both products are so hydrating. I'm sure any woman would like to get this set as a gift.. Very perfect for the more mature woman too, as it contains goodness that stimulates cell renewal and protects skin from damaging external influences. Maturing skin is said to gain firmness, leaving it feeling velvety-smooth. This set can be purchased here.

Thanks for reading today, Merry Christmas!

L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint Review.

So, I have had this bottle of foundation for about a month or so now. I had seen multiple reviews on You Tube from US people before it was even out here. I was intrigued about it, they had been mostly positive and I always want to try every single new makeup product that's out, because I am an addict. Yep, I admit it!

So, I got this and I tried it and I wasn't sure at first - but now I really like it. So, the first time I used it I hadn't moisturised first and it clung on to every tiny dry patch I had on my face (not too many!) .. However, after moisturiser I don't have that problem. I always use my fingers, because this is so runny and I suspect a brush would just soak it up. It recommends you use them too.

So I dot it on and blend.. It blends effortlessly and looks so nice as it smooths everything in it's path, my pores look a little smaller and everything just looks more fresh. It sets to a velvet soft powdery finish, but I always add a little more because I'm oily skinned anyway. The finish is so natural looking and weightless, it doesn't give major coverage, but for me it evens my skin out and makes me feel better about it.

Another thing to note (if it matters to you) is that it photographs well too. The picture above isn't to show this point, that is just to show how it evens out my skin. But I can tell you that with a flash it looks great and so natural. So, I love this! It's going to be a part of my collection for a long time to come, I am sure of it. Oh, I love the packaging too, I heard people complain about the non pump bottle, so you had to pour it, but it's such a runny foundation so I don't think it makes a difference if you have a pump or not.. Just my thoughts!

You can purchase this from Boots for £9.99 (worth every penny) and I wear the lightest shade, which is great for pale skinned faces.

- The Body Shop - White Musk Smoky Rose.

I really love The Body Shop products and their fragrances. They were all I wore in my teenage years, I think I used to love one called Dewberry which I don't know you can even get now. My Mum constantly wore White Musk from them and she still loves it now, the smell of it always reminds me of her.

This year The Body Shop have released a new fragrance, based around White Musk, but with a hint of Smoky Rose, aptly named White Musk Smoky Rose*. First thing I want to point out is the packaging, the gradient rose colour on the bottle is so pretty! I also love the simplicity of the clean glass perfume bottles from The Body Shop. I just love the colour here on this bottle though, it looks pretty on my dresser.

As for the scent.. I actually really, really enjoy it. The White Musk is detectable, but it's much sweeter, more feminine and floral smelling, much more daytime girly I think. I love it. The scent lasts pretty well on me too, I don't find myself having to spray some on every hour or so, like some other perfumes that I own.

This would make a great gift for any woman in your life if they like sweet, feminine, musky scents. They have lots of gift sets at the moment too. See their website, here.

→ Healgel: This time for my ... Face!

After recently mentioning my love for the Healgel Eye, I was excited to try and see how some other products from the range worked for me. For the past month or so I've been using the Healgel Face*.

I have to mention again how I love the simplicity of the products in the range, the almost medical looking sticker that tells you exactly what you're using and what to expect from it. I think lots of skincare brands can make the mistake of over complicating things sometimes.

So, Healgel Face.. Let's talk about it! 

What They Say...

This step-changing complex acts like HealGel Intensive to rescue unhappy skin, but then takes its transformative effect to the next level.  Arnica and Madecassoside are suspended in liposomes with powerful peptides and biodynes to initiate a uniquely soothing and collagen boosting process.  HealGel Face also contains a unique blend of Omega Oils to replenish dehydrated skin and restore elasticity.  To this another vital dimension is added; a powerful three part hyaluronic acid complex provides a plumping and tightening effect.

My Thoughts...

Lots and lots of promises there. I have to be honest, I don't really understand all the Sciencey stuff about products like some bloggers do, if something sounds good or looks good, I'll buy it/try it. This isn't a drugstore product from the shelf of Superdrug though, this is serious. Healgel face costs £48 a bottle. 

It has a gel like texture and I use it after cleansing my skin. It smooths on nicely and doesn't leave any residue, soaking in within minutes and leaving me with fresh, radiant looking skin, ready for makeup application, or not. 

When I first started using it I wasn't sure if it was doing too much apart from making my skin feel good after I applied it, but after a few weeks I started noticing differences, my skin did feel more naturally plump and it looked smoother too, less pores. Even my boyfriend commented last week (no kidding!) that I was starting to look younger. I think he puts it down to the fact that I'm eating healthier now. I think it's down to this!

So, all in all, yes it's pricey, but I only use it twice a day, and you really don't need a lot for the whole face. It's a luxury product, one that over time will make you feel better about your face. A real skincare treat. I'm thinking my Mum would love a bottle of this. :)

Available Here.

Simple - Illuminating Radiance Cream.

We all hate that dull look that our skin can get during the winter, don't we? I know I do... As I said in a recent post, my (oily) skin becomes dry and patchy in places where it never usually does. I've been trying to battle this. Everyone wants fresh looking, glowy skin that looks healthy, don't they? Especially in the winter.

Recently I've been using the Illuminating Radiance Cream* from Simple. Who even knew they had such a product? I didn't, I just thought they had the simple cleanser/toner/moisturiser, but it seems I'm wrong on that.

What They Say...

You take care of your skin every day but sometimes, what you really want is an instant radiance boost. Discover our illuminating radiance cream, infused with multi-vitamins, skin-loving ingredients and light reflecting minerals: it captures the light for immediate natural radiant looking skin. It also protects your skin from UVA and UVB (SPF 15). Perfect even for sensitive skin.

My Thoughts...

Firstly, I don't believe this is a moisturiser, although it does have some hydration in it. I always like to apply a little under my moisturiser, or I mix this with my foundation.. Or on a non-makeup day I just wear it mixed with moisturiser. 

I love the packaging, it has a pump bottle which I love, and the colours of the bottle are really appealing. It's a nice texture that blends in easily and doesn't feel greasy at all. When I first tried it, I applied it to one side of my face and left the other plain and I could really tell a difference, the side with the cream looked healthy and glowy, the other half was dull (hah!). I don't know how because it just looks like a lotion and even looking up close I could not see the shimmer that it must contain to give my skin the radiant look, but it does.

There are other creams on the market that do the same things as this, I think Clarins have one and it's quite pricey, but this is just £8.99! Perfect for the Summer months too because of the SPF 15. I really love this and will definitely repurchase, it's a great pick me up for tired skin.

Available here.

→ Winter Skin Treat!

I really enjoy using an oil on my skin, especially in these colder months where my oily skin tends to get lots of dry patches, no doubt from the weather and having the central heating on much more.  I was intrigued by the the fact that this product from REN, The Omega 3 Optimum skin Serum Oil* was a Serum and Oil in one.

What They Say...

A transforming oil that strengthens the skin’s vital lipid barrier and re-energizes skin cell activity to dramatically improve moisture levels, boosts overall skin health and vitality while reducing the signs of wrinkles, premature ageing and sensitivity.

My Thoughts...

This is more of an oil that a serum in texture, it's quite liquidy like an oil rather than a serum. I like to use two pumps for my face and neck before I go to bed every night, it feels like such a treat for my skin and I like to spend a few minutes just massaging it in.

It takes a while to soak in I find, but it is more of a night time product I think, so it's fine to go to bed with a bit of a shiny face.. It's especially worth it when you wake up in the morning with super soft, plump, hydrated skin. My skin glows the morning after I use this and it feels great.

It only costs £28 too. Others oils I have tried in the past have been pricier than this and my skin hasn't thanked me as much as it does for this. I'd say this is a definite winter skincare staple.

Available here.

The Wet Brush.

Say hello to my new favourite thing.

I've tried brushes in the past for de-tangling the hair, and I've reviewed them and praised them and enjoyed them, but this one is a step up for me.

This is the Wet Brush, it de-tangles wet or dry hair without causing any pain whatsoever. It actually does work too, the reason I prefer this over others I've tried is the size, it's like a normal sized hairbrush with a large handle to grip onto.

The bristles are soft and flexible as the brush de-tangles, but they are enough to get through my thick, long hair perfectly. The brush comes in a whole array of patterns I believe and is either available from Sally's and you can also find it on Amazon.

I would highly recommend this brush to anyone that struggles with tangles, or who has children that shed lots of tears when you brush their hair after bath time. I know I did! I only wish my Mum had one of these when I was a kid!

Lily Lolo, Rose Glow Shimmer Stripes.

Lately I've been obsessing over highlighters for my skin, something to brighten up my skin in the dull winter months. I recently got this shimmer stripes in rose glow* from Lily Lolo and have been loving it!

This is the first product I have ever tried from this brand and I've been really impressed. The packaging is gorgeous to start with, really sturdy and the compact has a nice large mirror inside.

This works great as a blusher on my pale skin, you can use the lighter colours for the tops of your cheekbones if you'd like though. It's applies quite sheer to begin with, but it's really buildable and gives such a nice glow to my cheeks, you can also use the individual shades as eyeshadows too, if you'd like.

 It's really smooth and blendable, gives a lovely fresh flush and a healthy glow. I'm really eager to try the honey shade soon for a more bronze look! Priced at £19.99 it may seem a little expensive, but it is a large compact and will last for ages!

Check it out, here.

Scary 'Demonic/Vampy/Zombie' Halloween Makeup.

Helllooooo. Happy Halloween (eve)!!

I wanted to do a not so cute Halloween vampy look for a change this year, so I got a ton of makeup together, went for it, and above is the result. I spent quite a while applying messy makeup which seemed weird, but I enjoyed looking freaky instead of like a glam vampire, or the cute cat look I recently did.

I used my normal foundation for this, mixed with a (terrible, transparent) white face paint. I then powdered and used mostly my 120 palette from eBay to do the eyes and mouth area.. I used reds and blacks on the eyelids, blues and purples with a little black and red under the eyes. I tried to do some small veins coming from the eyes, and really blended them so they weren't harsh.

Someone told me they thought I looked demonic.. I kind of was going for vampy, but to be honest you could use this for a zombie, vampire, whatever. I like the 'demonic' idea. I think it's the lenses in my eyes that give the posessed look, and I love these and how bold they are but that they allow my natural eyes to show. They are the 15mm Defined Ring Lenses* from the website Eyes Bright, who sell absolutely loads of lenses on their site, from normal colours to freaky sclera lenses.. I would definitely recommend trying them out for all your lens needs.

I also have a video on YouTube to go along with this look. You can see it here.

Thanks for reading! I hope that you all have a happy and safe Halloween!

My Halloween Cute Cat Look, With Green Eyes!

This weekend I felt inspired to play with some Halloween type of looks, I did one cute and one scary, here is the cute one. I already had some cat ears, and for a costume it's easy to wear black, so I just did the makeup look and added some cool lenses that I recently received from a website called Lenstore .. They have a really nice selection of coloured lenses that are really nice for all sorts of looks, but I really loved the green ones and figured they'd be perfect for a cat.

It's not the most perfect makeup, but I think that it would be super cute and fun for a night out. The lenses really take it up a notch too, I love how vivid the lenses look, yet so natural. These lenses are the Freshlook Colorblend lenses in Gemstone Green and they feel so easy to wear and put in and remove. They are really soft and went it with ease without my eyes watering at all, and they make me look like I have real green eyes.. I always wanted to play around with eye colours! I did also get the same lenses in the shade amethyst, they are pretty but much more subtle than the green, I didn't feel they made such a dramatic difference. Check the lenses out here and check out the range of Halloween Lenses here.

So, onto the actual makeup look. It's quite self explanatory really, I did a very dramatic eye with my Crown Brush smoky eye palette, I used some purples and blacks. I added some very dramatic lashes on my lower lashline and a ton of mascara on top. I did a dramatic winged liner, coloured my nose and top lip with black gel liner and added the red lips and whiskers.  I think when you're doing a look like this, it's best to just go with it and see what happens.  The lenses and the ears were my final touches to becoming a black cat!

I'm actually going away for a week tomorrow and my little Sister is very excited for me to do her makeup as a cat, I'll try and post a couple of pics of that, either here or on Instagram.

Thanks for reading everyone! Have a Happy Halloween! . . Oh, and Lenstore are offering 10% off for new customers when you enter the code Makeupwonderland_Reader at the checkout.

What are you going to be this year?

REN No.1 Purity Cleansing Balm.

I love REN as a brand, their products are great quality and they never irritate my skin and I always feel a positive difference in my skin when I use them. I'm definitely a fan of their facemasks the most, but recently I've been using this cleanse, the REN No.1 Purity Cleansing Balm*, and I wanted to talk about it.

First off, I don't usually use balms, I always freak out and think they're going to make my skin more oily... That's not the case, not with this anyway.  I squeeze out a 20p coin sized amount onto my hands, when you squeeze it out it almost has a vaseline texture, very thick - but when you massage it between your palms it melts into a rich oil/balmy texture.

You massage it into your skin and it just melts your makeup off in moments, add a little warm water to emulsify it, massage some more, then I use a muslin cloth to wipe away and then rinse, and my skin is left feeling really soothed and calm, feeling squeaky clean and soft. This product doesn't leave your face feeling greasy from any residue at all and it really gives a lot of moisture, so your skin feels great when you're done and very hydrated.

It is also said to protect your skin against everyday environmental stress, free radicals and pollution. How cool is that? . .I don't believe it's recommended for use on eyes, but I did try it anyway.  It removed my eye makeup really well, but it did sting my eyes and they were a bit red for a while after, so that's probably not the best idea!

This can be purchased here for £23, which I don't think is bad at all considering how little you need. It should last you for ages!

Some things from Stargazer.

I was recently contacted by a nice lady at Stargazer and asked if I would like to try a few of their products out. I hadn't tried anything of theirs in quite some time so I accepted their kind offer.

I remember buying this makeup when I was in my teens and I was looking forward to seeing what it was like now. The answer is that it hasn't actually changed that much. I was sent a mix of products, most of them are in shades that I wouldn't ordinarily have chosen for myself, but it's been fun playing with them and swatching them.

Beauty Lookbook : Berry Rosemance!

Face of the day time!

This was the makeup I wore on Sunday. No special occasion really, just me experimenting and playing with my makeup. I really liked how this look came out. I absolutely love burgundy and berry tones, especially for fall/autumn time of year.

I decided I'd pull out my MAC Infatuating Rose Holiday (2008) eyeshadow palette!... Yes, it's ancient, but it's fine and the shadows still apply perfectly.

It's pretty much a shimmering pale rose shade all over the lid, with a matte berry shade in the crease, then I added a smidgen of dark brown to define it some more. I did an nice dramatic winged liner with MAC Fluidline and added lots of mascara.

On the lips I have a nude lipliner all over the lips (mine is Natural from Rimmel) and I applied the Collection (2000) matte lip cream in Cotton Candy over top.

The blusher is MAC Peachy Keen. Can you tell I was having a MAC day?! Oh, and to finish, I added a small bit of pink glitter over the lid to add some sparkle.

I like this look and think it's going to look great with a ton of colour combos. I liked the drama of the winged liner against the pale shades though.

Thank y'all for reading!

The best primer . . . Like ever!

I know that referring to something as the best is a bold claim, but my goodness I love this product!

I've been using the Dermalogica skinperfect primer* for well over a month now and it was literally love at first use. I had it for a bit before I decided to try it and to be honest I just thought that it would be like every other primer, but it's so much better. Let me tell you why.

- It smoothes the surface of my skin like no other primer, I've never seen my face look so poreless!
~

- It's tinted, so you can wear it alone and it just give the skin a bit of oomph while evening the tone and brightening it up.
 ~

- It has SPF in it, so you don't need to take that extra step.
 ~

- It keeps oil at bay, this is important for me. Makeup sits on top of it perfectly, and it lasts until you remove it.
 ~

- It also smells good!

~

From the website:

It has peptides and AGE Smart actives that help firm and shield against free radical damage, as sunscreens shield against sun damage. Formulated without artificial fragrances and colors. 

I've tried so many primers, good and bad, but I never thought I would find one that could make my skin look as good as thing.

The small downside is the price, it costs £37.50 and you only get 22mls, but I would highly suggest only using this where you need it and not all over (I apply a small blob on my t-zone) and it should last you a good while. I'd say that it is worth every penny though. Definitely my new holy grail primer!