✧Avon Advance Techniques Dry Ends Serum Review✧

It's been a long time! I literally haven't posted since September... What can I say? Year 11 definitely keeps you busy.
Anyway, to quickly fill you in on the last 7 months of my life:

• November was a phenomenal month: I met one direction for starters!!!!! I met Calum too. Two days after that, I saw 5sos at their KOKO show in Camden and I also went to the teen awards for the second time avec mes copines.
• Not as exciting but I also sat my maths GCSE early that month and ended up getting an A! yayyyy
• I went to the Jingle Bell Ball in December for the second time also.
• I saw the 1975 in January!
• Went all the way to Oxford in February to see 5sos again!

(my life definitely does not revolve around going to concerts)

So now it's April and my first exam is in one month, 5days and I've managed to find 10 minutes out of my jam-packed revision schedule to write this post.

Last week, I happened to stumble across a small box in the bathroom cupboard. On opening, I discovered a hair oil from Avon. It was the 'Advance Techniques Dry Ends Serum'.





My mum used to be an Avon representative so I am assuming that we got this for free. Anyway I was curious and eager to use it so the next day, after I washed my hair I gave it a whirl. Typically, that day I had my hair in a bun and my ends were drier than normal. I took my hair out of a towel, combed it through, applied 2 pumps to each half of my hair (so 4 pumps in total) (i have quite a lot of hair lol) and then blow-dried.
It made such a big difference in my opinion and left my hair one million times softer than it was previously; and not greasy at all!!!
I have never seen anyone mention this product before, that goes for most Avon products tbh, however I do feel like some are worthy of recognition, this one especially!
My hair is annoying because it is greasy at the roots (as in 'necessary to wash it everyday' kind of greasy) but the ends get quite dry and split as it is very long. My point is, if your hair is anything like mine, I strongly encourage you to buy this product as I think you would thoroughly enjoy it!
The bottle is 30ml but looks like it would last a fairly long time, and as I said above, I got the product for free so I am unsure of the price. Avon is relatively inexpensive so I would imagine that it is under £10.
Another bonus is that the oil's scent is completely inoffensive! I own some other Avon hair products and they all have a similar smell which I am really fond of. The best way I could describe it would be fresh, salon-like, with a hint of cherry.
Unfortunately I can't compare the product because I have never really used any other oils, except a NUXE one and I will admit that at the time I didn't really know what I was doing so I can't remember if it was any good, hahaha.
I am slightly addicted to this product and use it every other day, without fail.

If anyone has any other hair oils they like, do let me know in the comments:)

Now I am going to go and watch Made in Chelsea (new season oh yes), so I will probably see you in December with another post haha, only joking!
-Emily x

Chocolate Brownies Recipe

I never normally post twice in one day but I guess I'm in the blogging mood!

 

Since I enjoy baking and have been doing a lot more recently, I thought I'd share with you a recipe for super easy and delicious brownies.

 

Ingredients:

140g/5oz dark chocolate

225g/8oz butter

5 eggs

450g/1lb caster sugar

110g/4oz plain flour

55g/2oz cocoa powder

Vanilla extract to taste 

Chocolate chips

Method:

1) Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Line a roasting tin with baking parchment.

2) Gently melt the butter and the sugar together in a pan.

3) Take off the heat and beat in the rest of the ingredients.

4) Put brownie mix into the roasting tin and bake for 30-40 minutes until the top of the brownie is firm but the inside still feels soft.

5) Take out of the oven and cut into squares when cool.

 6) Serve with vanilla ice cream!

 

 

 

Make sure that you don't let them overcook, they are much nicer if they are still a bit gooey at the center!

 

Let me know if you make the brownies and if you like them:)

Emily x

 

 

 

 

 

Maybelline 24h Colour Tattoo

Sorry I haven't posted for a while but I'm back haha!

So recently I actually made a 'makeup wants' list on my phone and one of the products featured was the Maybelline 24h Colour Tattoo.

Lots of youtubers and bloggers have raved about these so I blame them for the main reason I wanted it. I saw it in Asda today so I couldn't refuse picking it up for £3 on rollback!

I've never had to use an eyeshadow base or primer as my eyeshadow doesn't tend to crease luckily. However I thought I'd try out the colour tattoos because they come in really lovely colours!

I usually wear a brown/gold/nude eye so I bought number 35- On and On Bronze.

It is SUCH a gorgeous colour, really shimmery and definitely one I would comfortably wear. Some cream-based products can be sticky or greasy but the consistency of this is neither of the two.

 

I would definitely say it will last for 24hours. Rubbing it with my finger does not budge it, so I would say only makeup remover will be able to get it off. There is also a noticeable difference when using it with eyeshadow.

 with colour tattoo

without colour tattoo

 

As you can see, the product makes the eyeshadow look more opaque, enhances the colour and adds shimmer. I would say it's even wearable on it's own!

This is perfect for school. Even with lots of shimmer it is quite subtle and makes you look more awake. Also, it is super quick to just apply with your finger all of your lid.



 

To summarise, I would say this product is really adaptable, suitable for beginners, cheap and absolutely effective! It is basically a drugstore dupe of a MAC paint pot. I have never tried it but I am going to assume this is just a good and pigmented. Next time, I am definitely going to buy another colour. I believe they have metallic pinks/reds which would be interesting!

 

Has anyone tried this colour or another one? Tell me in the comments:)

Emily x

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garnier Summerbody Moisturising Lotion Review

It's been a while!

I feel like I have so much to blog about but I never get round to it oops..

Anyway, I'm going to Portugal in a few days so recently I've been shopping for clothes and cosmetics. 

I'd previously heard great things about the Garnier Summerbody Moisturising Lotion so I really wanted to try it out but I could never find it in Boots.

I actually found it in ASDA and it was around £5 for a 250ml bottle.

I have used this product twice and it is LITERALLY THE BEST THING EVER.

Normally with tanning products they never work for me because they either go too orange or really streaky and patchy. This product gives a gradual 'sun-kissed look'. 

To be honest, I was really hesitant to shave my legs as I knew I would lose the small tan I already had on my legs but it got to a point where I really had to. So after shaving my legs I applied a layer of the lotion all over my legs and let it develop overnight. 

I woke up and my legs weren't pasty white, they did actually have a nice (quite light) bronze glow. 

The bottle says to apply everyday so I did the same yesterday and I woke up and my legs are a lot darker but they are literally such a gorgeous colour!!

~Greenberry by Barry M~

(I know I don't have the nicest legs in the world.)

I wasn't aware until my friend pointed it out, but I have the 'deep sun-kissed look'  whereas she has the light one. So depending on how tanned you want to look, that's your choice!

For me, I prefer to apply it to just my legs because I normally tan everywhere else!

The lotion has apricot extracts in it so it smells of holiday I guess haha:).

The only bad thing I would say is that it takes a while for it to sink into the skin; I think this goes for most tanning products though.

I am just so happy that I won't be the whitest person in the country when I get to Portugal yay!!

I seriously recommend this to anyone it's amazing!

Hopefully I will blog more and do some holiday ones when I get back from Portugal:D.

-Emily x

Drugstore Haul

Hello! 

So I mentioned in the last post that I'd just been shopping so I have a few purchases I'd like to share with you. Also I got my iPhone so no more crap pictures woo!

Boots...

I started off in boots, and I didn't really buy much makeup but I did get some other bits: *some prices will be offers because, you know boots...*

~Aussie volume shampoo (£4.49) and conditioner (£4.49)~Aussie 3 minute miracle reconstructor (£1.09)~

So the shampoo and conditioner are both for fine, limp hair, which I unfortunately have.

I bought the 300ml shampoo, and 250ml conditioner which both smell amazing!

I decided to buy the 20ml sachet of the reconstructing deep condition because I only wanted to test it. Obviously, if I love it, and it repairs my split ends, then I will buy a bottle!

Next up I bought some sun care products for my holiday to Portugal in August:

~After sun body butter, scent: lime coolada (£5.25)~Silk hydration after sun, scent: coconut papaya (£6.50)~Lip gloss, flavour: island berry (£3.75)~Silk hydration sun lotion(£7.50)~

Firstly, the lime coolada smells AMAZING. I'm not even joking, I actually want to get burnt just so I can apply it (haha I will anyway). There was a coconut scent too and that one was unbelievable as well but the lime coolada was my favourite! 

The blue bottle is after sun too, but it is a lotion rather than a butter, and has aloe vera. It is a coconut papaya scent and it's delicious.

The lip gloss has SPF25 and unlike most lip SPFs it tastes so so nice! I actually think the pink is a really nice shade too so I'm looking forward to wearing it on holiday during the day.

Last on this range, I only bought one Hawaiin Tropic sun lotion as I'm going to keep it for myself and not let my family use it hahaha. I bought the SPF15 one. My skin is naturally quite pale and I find it hard to tan so I think 15 should just about work. It also has hydrating ribbons in the formula which I was looking for because my skin really dries out on holiday so this product should be perfect!

Now I bought something I've been wanting for quite a while:

~Left: sugar frosting~Right: juicy papaya.~

These are the Revlon lip butters and they're raved about so I was desperate to get one!

They are normally £7.99 each but there was a 'buy 1 get the second 1/2 price' offer on so I got both for about £12!

I can definitely say I'm pleased. They are both really gorgeous shades and normally I struggle finding colours that suit me, so I don't own many lip products. They are also really moisturising which I love.

I saw this at the till and had to pick it up!:

I've been wanting to try them since they came out and I found them in Boots for 65p!

I'd say they're quite nice, but not as nice as the original randoms or squidgy speak. But definitely try them if you see them!

After Boots I went into Superdrug, oops...

~Left: Mango~Right: Passionfruit. (£3.99 each)~

I'm ashamed to say these were my first purchases of the Barry M Gelly range. I'm not too sure why I hadn't bought any until now but anyway..

I love these colours! I think they're perfect for summer so I can't wait to wear them!

I didn't notice any offers on the Barry M nail varnishes which is a shame, we all love to save a bit of money haha.

SLEEK:

~Left palette: 601/ au naturel~Right palette: 658/ oh so special. (£7.99 each)~

I've heard good things about Sleek so I decided to take a look at the counter.

I instantly fell in love with the au naturel palette because I'm always drawn to nude and brown eye shadows. My favourite shades are probably Cappuccino (top, third from left) and Moss (bottom, second from left).

I kind of decided to push myself out of my comfort zone in a way and buy the 'oh so special' palette too. 

I'm not sure if I'll get round to using the pinks but I'll experiment and see if anything looks nice. I want to try and move away from heavy browns during the day especially since it's summer now.

I also bought two more palettes, oops:

~Left: Face form, shade: 374/ medium (£9.99)~Right: Blush by 3, shade: 367/ lace (£9.99)~

So I haven't tried the bronzers yet and I'm not sure if the left one will be too dark, but we'll see.

I think the blushes are BEAUTIFUL especially the middle one (guipure). You can't see in the picture but it's really shimmery. I don't really wear blush because I have natural colour in my cheeks but these are so bright and gorgeous for summer; I had to buy it!

Ok, that's everything I bought cosmetics-wise and I'll be posting a Topshop haul either later or tomorrow:-)
Also, I love to know if people are reading, so leave me a comment!

-Emily x

What's in my makeup bag?!

Hi!

I got home from school the other day and my mum had bought me a new makeup bag as I had 'out grown' my old one aka I couldn't fit all my makeup in it...

So that gave me the idea to make this post basically.

First of all, this is the makeup bag she bought me.

Primark~£3

                               

The picture actually shows the back of it; the front has a horrible golden plaque where the designer name would be but because it's Primark it has nothing and looks very fake. Also, the zip looks very cheap and tacky but I figured no one will see my makeup bag anyway. It's really spacious inside and can hold a lot of makeup, and for £3 I would say its practical and definitely worth the money.

So I've emptied my bag and sorted the items into categories, I guess. *disclaimer* the pictures are awfulllll quality because my camera is still broken but I got an iPhone today (woo!) so pictures should be better quality after this.

Let's begin with face products

                           

This category includes:

~Nivea tinted moisturiser, shade: natural

~Dove rich moisturising crème 

~Rimmel London lasting finish foundation, shade: 100/ ivory

~Estée Lauder invisible fluid makeup, shade: 2CN2 (this was so expensive; either £27 or £37 I can't remember!)

~MAC prep n prime

~Rimmel stay matte powder, shade: sandstorm

~Rimmel natural bronzer, shade: 022/ sun bronze

~A little sponge from Boots

Fave: Rimmel stay matte powder (as you can see hahaha)

Least Fave: Nivea tinted moisturiser, it's not natural at all basically. However, it does have a really nice creamy consistency and it smells quite nice too!

'Tools'

                                         

This category includes:

~QVS tweezers, I just bought these from Asda haha

~Eyelash curlers from superdrug, these were about £3!!

Mascaras

                                                       

This category includes:

~4g benefit 'they're real' mascara

~8.5g benefit 'they're real' mascara

I've had the big one since Christmas and I got the smaller one as a freebie in Elle magazine..

Obviously I don't have a favourite as they are the same product haha!

Concealers

                              

This category includes:

~Collection illuminating touch brightening concealer, shade: 2/ natural

~Rimmel wake me up concealer, shade: 100/ ivory

~Rimmel stay matte concealer, shade 100/ ivory

Fave: Collection concealer because it has a really nice brush applicator

Least fave: Rimmel stay matte concealer because it's so old haha

Eyeshadows

                            

                            

This category includes:

~No7 stay perfect shadow, shade: 10/ wheatsheaf (this is so old but I rediscovered it and I love it)

~Bourjois eyeshadow, shade: 13 (it doesn't have a name apart from that but it's a beautiful shimmer plum colour)

~MUA undress me too eyeshadow palette

~Rimmel glam eyes quad eyeshadow, shade: 019/ sun safari

Fave: MUA palette, it has 12 colours which are really easy to work with and blend well and it's basically a dupe of the naked palette, but so much cheaper! 

Least fave: Bourjois eyeshadow, it's gorgeous but it's a dark purple so I haven't been brave enough to wear it out yet oops!

Lips

                            

This category includes:

~Rimmel lipstick by Kate Moss, shade: 08

~Topshop lipstick, shade: rumour has it

~Rimmel lipstick by Kate Moss, shade: 101

~MAC cream sheen glass, shade: boy bait

~Models own lipgloss, shade: ballet pink

~Rimmel London 1000 kisses lip tint, shade: faithful rose

~L'Oréal 6hour glam shine fresh lip gloss, shade: fresh fuchsia (I've had this for ages haha)

~Burt's Bees Pomegranate lip balm

~LUSH lip tint in 'snow fairy'

Fave: MAC boy bait, it tastes delicious, and it's quite a neutral colour which I prefer because I find it hard finding a colour that suits me!:((((

Least Fave: L'Oréal glam shine fresh, it's too bright really..

Eyeliners

This category includes:

~Rimmel exaggerate waterproof eye definer, shade: 261/ noir

~Rimmel glam eyes professional liquid liner, shade: I don't know but it's black??

Fave: Rimmel exaggerate waterproof eye definer, I've repurchased this an uncountable amount of times, it's such a good eyeliner and has a blender on the end!

Least fave: Rimmel glam eyes professional liquid liner, I just need more practice with liquid eye liner..

Brushes

                                

This category includes:

~Boots foundation brush

~Real Techniques contour brush

~Topshop smokey eye double ended eyeshadow and angle brush

~Bare minerals concealer brush 

~Real Techniques pointed foundation brush

~Real Techniques detailer brush

~Real Techniques buffing brush

~17 kabuki brush

Fave: (I have a few) RT buffing and contour brushes, they're just amazing. Also, the Topshop smokey eye brush is great for whenever I apply eyeshadow and I use the angle brush on the other end for my eyebrows!

Least fave: Boots and RT foundation brushes.. The boots one doesn't apply foundation nicely, and the RT one is quite rough so I haven't used it. I prefer using the buffing brush for foundation, it blends it really well!

I think that was quite a long post woah sorry haha!

Anyway, literally today I went shopping so I'm going to do like a haul post possibly tomorrow with everything I bought. It will include makeup products which will be added to my makeup bag and I'm so excited about them cos they're beautiful seriously!!

See you then!

-Emily x

FeelUnique.com Delivery

So on Sunday I went on to FeelUnique.com as I recently had my birthday so had money to spend. I found out about this website from Fleur (Fleur de force on YouTube) and it basically sells a huge range of beauty products. 

I bought 3 products in total and this 'unlocked' 3 free sample products.

(btw my camera lead is broken so pictures will be bad quality) 

                           

If you can't really see, I bought:

-Daisy by Marc Jacobs (50ml).   ~£45

-Burt's Bees Peach and Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub (110g).       ~£8.50

-Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm. ~£3

And the 3 freebies I got (which I chose from 4) were:

-Caudalie Divine Legs (a tinted body lotion)

-NUXE Multi-Use Dry Oil

-Issey Miyake Perfume

Firstly, I bought the Burt's Bees pore scrub because recently I've had really dry skin on my nose and I also love peach so I'm really looking forward to trying it; it smells yummy!

I've tested the lip balm and I like it. It's moisturising but refreshes your lips almost? Like the same effect as a plumper haha.

Daisy obviously smells so nice and I only wanted the smaller bottle so I could buy another (I'm not sure what I'm going to buy yet).

As for the testers: I've smelt the Issey perfume and I'm not really that into it. It's quite nice but I'd say the scent is too strong and overpowering.

I'm not really bothered about the NUXE Dry oil as my hair and face are not dry so I'm not looking to change it..

However, I am looking forward to trying the tinted body lotion seeing as the weather has decided to warm up so the shorts will be out very soon yay! The packaging it came in is really cute and it comes with a little message explaining its purpose and directions for use. I'm really hoping it makes a difference but isn't too orange or streaky. I'll get back to you on that one once I've tried it...

Oh and also when I ordered the products the website was offering a 10% discount so I got £5.65 off my order woohoo!!

I believe these offers are a regular thing so that's even better!

Also, since I haven't blogged for a little while I have news!!

I GOT A CALUM FOLLOW.

If you don't know what I mean, Calum Hood from 5 Seconds of Summer (a band who I mentioned in a previous blog post) followed and tweeted me 'hiiiii x' and this all happened while I was asleep so I was shocked but it definitely made me very very happy haha!

That's it then😊

-Emily x