Monday 18 April 2011

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment



Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment

My hair was about 3 inches from my bum until about 2 weeks ago. I had a bad haircut a while ago which left my hair very uneven, it was a lot longer on one side than the other, noticably so. I had split ends and damaged hair so I thought it was about time to get it cut. I initially went in for a trim to even it all up but when she cut it I kept telling her to go shorter as I fancied a change. However, my shortest layers are incredibly short. the longest length of my hair is about 4 inches below my shoulders and my shortest layer is about the length of my ear. I do like my new hair as it's a nice change and doesn't take as long to dry, but I do want it to grow a bit longer, especially those short layers.

I had heard so many good things about the Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment and I had read the many rave reviews on the boots website. I am a bit dubious about it but from what I gather it's supposed to nourish your hair and get it in top condition, and by hair being in good condition it will grow quicker.

There's only 200ml in this pot which is about the average for a hair treatment,  but you are supposed to use an "egg sized amount" therefore the pot will run out pretty quickly.
It has a smell to it which will be either loved or hated and I personaly don't mind it.

This isn't a conditioner as such because you use it between your shampoo and conditioner. It's only left on for 5 minutes but once a week I use it overnight and wash it out the next morning.

I've been using this for about 2 weeks and obviously there isn't an improvment in growth but the condition of my hair has improved and there's no frizz!

I shall review this again when I have finished the pot.

The Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment is £7.19 at boots

Has anyoone else tried this? Have you noticed a difference in length?

Recent e.l.f haul

Recently e.l.f had a 20% discount off the entire website and I couldn't resist!





I didn't get much this time as I have most of their products now, but everything I bought this time is from the studio line. As you can see I bought:
Eyebrow Treat and Tame in light
Mineral Infused Primer
Studio Tinted Moisturiser in porcelain
Golden Bronzer
Complexion Brush
Powder Brush
Eyebrow treat and tame in light (£3.50)

I have been looking at this for some time now and I finally decided to buy it. As the name suggests it's treats your brows with a clear gel infused with vitamins and it 'tames' the brows with a light brown mascara keeping them in place. I don't know if the treatment has worked as I have only used it for a few days but I'm hoping it'll help the areas where I over-plucked when I was younger! The tame end I like as it keeps the hairs in place.

Mineral Infused Primer (£6)

This is a repurchase as I bought one about a year ago but the pump didn't work so I had to use a spatula to scoop out the product which was a pain. This time it seems to work which makes it easier. It's a clear primer as opposed to the others I use which are more opaque. It spreads nicely and foundation glides over the top.

Studio Tinted Moisturiser in Porcelain (£3.50)

I had heard mixed reviews about this and wanted to try it out for myself. This has an SPF of 20 which is a bonus since you should wear an SPF everyday (even in winter) as the suns rays can damage skin and lead to premature ageing. It also has vitamins A & E and cucumber in it to calm and soothe.
Porcelain is the lightest shade they have (there are 7 shades) and I'm so pale I'm practically Casper! When I squeezed this out it was pretty yellow which was unexpected, but I proceeded to rub it in and it faded to my skin tone and absorbed into the skin nicely and There was no greasiness. It is a nice tinted moisturiser and for £3.50 you can't really go wrong.

Golden Bronzer (£3.50)

There is a shimmer to this that I wasn't expecting but it is a nice Bronzer to use on the apples of the cheeks where the light will reflect and give a healthy glow and it looks good on any skin tone. There are four colours that can either be used alone or use a brush over all four of them and apply it to the apples of your cheeks.


Complexion Brush (£3.50)

I really like this brush for powders and blusher and bronzer as it doesn't apply too much product so you can build up the colour rather than a solid block of colour, so you look a lot more natural.


Powder Brush (£3.50)

I already have one of these and I love it it's such a nice brush. I use one for dry products such as setting powder or mineral foundation but I decided to get another one for wet products such as foundation.
As I have so many e.l.f products I shall do many more posts about them. I can also do swatches and reviews of most of the products if anyone would like them.

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Hot Cloth Cleansers

After hearing all the hype about hot cloth cleansers I decided to try them out. They come with a muslin cloth which is used to open the pores, and 'polish' the cleanser off whilst exfoliating the skin, then closing the pores.
Sanctuary Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser

I had a £5 off skincare voucher from boots and decided to try out the Sancuary Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser. For £10.20 you get 125ml of product and a muslin cloth.
Application Directions:-
1. Place the cloth in hot water, wring out and lay over the face to open pores.
2. Gently massage the creamy cleanser over the face and neck using circular movements.
3. Carefully polish off the cleanser using the warm cloth, be gentle around the delicate eye area.
4. Rinse cloth in cold water, and place over face for 30 seconds to close pores.
5. Finish by splashing your face with cool water.
It also recommends that you do this cycle twice so the first cleanse brings up the dirt and the second cleanse washes the dirt away. The product has chamomile in it which helps calm the skin and it really does smell of camomile. It reminds me of Kamilosan which is also a chamomile based emollient for sore, cracked nipples when breastfeeding.
I like this cleanser because it's a really thick cream which feels like it's actually working. I paid £5.20 for this which I think is reasonable but I don't know if I would pay full price becuase 125ml isn't a great deal of product especially if you're using it twice in a morning and twice in the evening. Although I have liked the calming effect is has had on my skin.
Sanctuary Spa Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser can be found at boots for £10.20

 
Boots No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser
 
I had a £5 No7 Voucher and thought I would try another hot cloth cleanser to compare with the Sanctuary one and becuase it was also running out rapidly. The No7 cleanser is cheaper at £9 and you get 200ml so 75ml more product for £1.20 less.
How to use:
Close your eyes, using your fingertips, gently massage over dry skin in upward circular motions.  Run the muslin cloth under comfortably hot water, wring out the excess and place cloth over your face and relax whilst the hot cloth gently opens your pores.  Then, using  the cloth, lightly polish off the cleanser in circular motions, to remove any impurities.  To finish; splash your face with cold water, to close your pores, and pat dry.
This cleanser is used in a different way as it needs to be applied to dry skin. It's not as creamy as the Sanctuary one but I think it's much better value for money and it has helped get rid of my blemishes more quickly than if I had left them, and  haven't had as many blemishes either.
I really like this as it doesn't leave my skin dry and my face feels really clean afer I've used it. I got mine for £4 with the £5 off voucher but I would pay the full £9 as I think it is worth it.
Boots No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser can be found here for £9

The muslin cloths need to be washed in a washing machine every so often so the bacteria doesn't linger and spread. More muslin cloths can be bought at most chemists and supermarkets in the baby aisle.
I would like to try the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish but for now I am happy with the No7 cleanser.

Monday 11 April 2011

E.L.F eyes lips face

A couple of years ago I discovered E.L.F cosmetics which stands for eyes lips face. It's an American company whose motto is 'where beauty meets value'. They sell good quality cosmetics for such a small price. I, like many others have a slight addiction to e.l.f and if you become a fan of their Facebook page they are always having great offers such as 20% off the entire website which is amazing to say that most of their products are between £1.50 and £3.50. I love them because it's such a great cheap way to try out new looks and bulk up your makeup collection. They have amazingly quick service and delivery too. I will be posting many more topics about e.l.f because I'm forever ordering from them! Until then, I highly recommend you check out their website here.

OPI Start to Finish



For quite some time I have been looking for a topcoat that will help prevent my nails chipping as soon as the polish has dried and I think I have finally found it.
While in boots I spotted OPI's Start to Finish hidden at the bottom of the shelving no where near any other nail products. I then spotted the price tag (£13.07) whilst this isnt the most expensive I have seen, it wasn't the cheapest either. I decided to do a quick sneaky review check on my iPhone and found it had rave reviews.
I have to say I'm extremly impressed with this little marvel multi-tasker from OPI. It's a base coat, top coat and nail strengthener all in one. It dries so quickly that once you've finished painting all ten nails they are completly dry and ready for the next coat of polish. I use it as a base coat, then two to three coats of coloured polish then a top coat and an additional top coat the next day to help strenghthen the nails. It also has an amazing shine which doesn't get dull and it keeps my nails chip free for a week at least. (which is pretty good going to say I out the pram up and down numerous times a day, and do many nappy changes and make tea, wash up etc.)

OPI Start to Finish is available at asos (£13.75), John Lewis (£13.25) and Boots (£13.07)

Scholl healthy nails nail brightening system

Scholl Healthy Nails Brightening System
After the glorious sunny summery weather we've had over the weekend everyone's wearing their sandals. After hiding my feet away in my cosy trusty UGG's my feet weren't looking their best so I decided to try out Scholl's healthy nails nail brightening treatment. It's a 3-step system in a dual ended wand contraption. On the tip of one of the ends is a coarse nail file to remove the rides on the nail.






After this there's a gel on a wand which you use to cover the nails






Once that's dried after a couple of minutes you use the clear nail polish in the other end of the wand.





Et voila healthy looking polished nails ready for those flip flops.

The Scholl healthy nails nail brightening system RRP is £9.99 but you can get it here for a pinch at £1.99

x Rosie x

My makeup brush obsession

As every makeup artist/obsessive knows, the tools you use are just as or even more important than the makeup you use them with.
I have a ridiculous amount of brushes from many different brands. In my opinion it's worth investing in a selection of good quality brushes, but also bulking up your collection with brushes from cheaper brands.

The higher end brushes I have are MAC, Laura Mercier, Clinique.
And the cheaper end brand brushes I use are GOSH, ELF and brushes from Superdrug, The Body Shop, QVS and Boots.



(Just a small collection of brushes I own!)
I have to say I think the ELF brushes are such good value and the quality is pretty good for such a small price. I have the regular line brushes and the studio brushes but am yet to try the bamboo brushes. The regular line brushes are £1.50 and the studio line brushes are £3.50. I recommend you check them out here
I shall post reviews on the brushes and write another post about other tools I use later as I have rambled enough for one post.

x Rosie x

Hello...

As seen as this is my first post I thought I'd let you know about my new blog.
I've been practicing makeup for years and I love experimenting with new looks and new makeup. I am always learning new tips and tricks for applying and using makeup.
I will post reviews on hair, beauty and skincare products and makeup and sometimes fashion.
I hope you enjoy my blog.

x Rosie x