Sometimes In Life You Just Have To Be Brave And Try Something New

There is no doubt I'm a product junkie, I don't have a lot of loyalty to products if I'm being honest, I'll chop and change always wanting to try out the latest innovation or must have product, but one thing I am loyal to is my eye make up remover, the only one I ever buy is the Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover (click here for a rave and review). I love this stuff, it ticks all boxes for me and I've never dared to try anything else since I started using it.  Finding something I loved took a long time, and probably a fair bit of money, I either loved a product that I couldn't afford to buy in the long term, or the products I tried made my eyes sting and stream, and just didn't cut the mustard.

A little while ago now I reviewed quite a few make up products from Queen Cosmetics (Click here to read my review), and I have to say I was largely impressed. Their entire range of skin, make up, body, and hair care products is specially designed  for people with sensitive and allergy prone skin, so when I was offered the chance to try an eye make up remover from the brand I decided to take the plunge and be brave.

Like all of Queen's products their eye make up remover is specially designed for people with sensitive skin, including people with conditions such as psoriasis, and eczema, and contact lens wearers. Whilst I don't have any of these skin conditions I do suffer from dry eyes, which are prone to a bit of sensitivity, when I use certain products or in certain temperatures.

The first thing you notice about this product is that it comes in a tub, 99.9% of the eye make up removers have came in a bottle, this one though is a bit different, it isn't a liquid or a lotion, it is in fact a  white, creamy balm.

In look and in feel it reminds me a bit of Sudocream, it softens on contact with the skin, and as you would expect from Queen Cosmetics and their philosophy, it has no noticeable scent.

Obviously this eye make up remover takes a little bit more effort than just tipping it on to a cotton pad but it's by no means difficult. I used this product in two ways, in the first way I applied some of the product onto a slightly, dampened cotton pad and I gently patted the product it on to my lids to remove the product, and secondly I softened some of the product and then lightly patted  it on to my lids, and then gently removed it with a dampened muslin cloth.

I have to be honest and say it felt a little bit strange putting such a creamy product directly onto my lids but this stuff definitely passed the sensitivity test, and there was no stinging or watering, whilst I was using it, and after I'd used it and even when I opened my eyes when they were covered in product. So this product passed the first hurdle with flying colours, no stinging, how well did it remove make up though - well time for some before's and afters

Before

Well I gave this product a huge test, I have foundation, powder, and the brightest purple eyeshadow on here that you will ever see, as well as two coats of black mascara - If you want to know what the shadow is - keep checking back - a full review will be up within the next week  x

After

Et Voila - perfectly clean eyes, no redness and no watering. I used the muslin cloth method here, and as you can see it is pretty filthy, I'm not going to lie, you do need to apply a little bit of pressure to remove the make up, but the creamy textures means that you really don't need to rub the area, just a gentle pat is more than enough to remove it. I have to admit I have been putting a little bit of this product on a cotton bud to get rid of the last traces of mascara but this takes no real effort, and it something I do with my usual remover.

This product isn't the cheapest remover out there, it retails at £15 for a 50g pot but you need such a small amount it really will last for ages. Yes this product might take a little bit more time than a wipe or a liquid, but it does the job, and I personally experienced no sensitivity or irritation whilst I was using it. Has this knocked my holy grail product from its pedestal? no not quite, but if you have sensitive eyes and your looking for a new product to try I would definitely recommend you give this one a whirl. Queen Cosmetics Eye Make Up Remover retails at £15.00 for 50g. For stockist details and to purchase please check out the Queen Cosmetics website x If you have any questions please leave me a comment x

(Queen Cosmetics Eye Make Up Remover 50g Was Provided By PR For Review Purposes)

Ahava Softening Butter Salt Scrub - A Product Review and Rave

I don't know if I've ever talked about this on my blog before but my dad suffered from quite severe psoriasis before he died. Psoriasis is a horrid but not contagious skin condition that basically causes raised red, sore dry and flaky patches on the skin. Over the years he tried all manner of products from the doctors prescription pad, from the beauty counter, from the chemists, and from more obscure sources looking for a cure. To be honest there is no recognised cure for Psoriasis but as well as lifestyle changes there are ways to control it. One thing I remember my dad using in a lot of guises were products from the Dead Sea containing mineral rich salts and muds. Since he's gone, I've sporadically used dead sea salt and mud based products in various attempts to trim my thighs, to smooth my skin and to induce a general feeling of wellbeing, but up until recently I'd never tried Ahava.

In 1988 Ahava started researching the benefits of these natural minerals and their affects on skin renewal and rejuvenation, their research lead them to develop a range of skin, body and even make up products which harnessed the power of the natural salts, muds, and algaes found in the Dead Sea. Now their products are multi award winning and sold in over 30 countries.

My first experience with Ahava was when I received a small tube of their Mineral Body Lotion in one of the beauty boxes. I have to say I really liked the sample, the lotion was super moisturising and you really didn't need very much for soft, smooth skin. I never thought much else about until I was given the opportunity to try a product from their Skin Reborn line, I was given several options but you know me I love my body scrubs so I chose the Ahava Softening Butter Salt Scrub.

Containing Ahava's own exclusive Osmoter mineral blend, as well as jojoba, and coconut oils, seaweeds, sugar, and mandarin and cedarwood essential oils, this scrub is paraben free, and dermatalogically and allergy tested, and the company are staunchly against animal testing. It comes boxed and in a plastic jar both of which are fully recyclable.

The scrub it itself looks quite solid in texture, but it softens quite easily on contact with the skin, so it's quite easy to scoop it out.

It feels almost like a thick body body butter, but you can feel the salt / sugar particles as you massage it in, if you like super abrasive scubs this one probably isn't for you, the grains give only a mild scrub.

The best way I found to use this was to massage it on to dry skin,  as I say it quite thick and it actually feels really moisturising on the skin, but when you add a little water it actually transforms from a scrub almost into a body lotion. It feels amazing on the skin and your skin is left super soft, and delicately fragranced. As well as the feel of this product on my skin I also love the fragrance, when I saw mandarin and cedarwood on the ingredients list I was expecting something citrus and quite heady but this is anything but. The smell is quite hard to describe, lightly perfumed but soft and comforting at the same time. If you like Elemis Milk Bath you'll like this, it's quite a similar smell, but this just has a little bit more intensity.

In case you haven't already guess I love this product, it's just abrasive enough to do it's job, but the moisturising ingredients and the formulation literally leave your skin feeling like silk. The one negative? well it's the price, you don't need very much and I can see this lasting for ages, but for a 350g tub it retails at £25!   The price is the only thing that would stop me buying this product again, I really think that this could be my HG body scrub! now that is a statement from a body scrub whore!! Ahava Dead Sea Salt Softening Butter Salt Scrub 350g retails at £25.00. To purchase this product and to find out more about the Ahava range don't forget to check out their official website. If you have any questions or if you can find a way for me to justify this purchase to my bank manager please leave me a comment xx

(Ahava Dead Sea Salt Softening Butter Salt Scrub 350g Was Provided By PR For Review Purposes)

A Beautiful Colour - Not Such Great Photographs - Nails Of The Day x

I have to say I've debated all morning over whether to actually publish this post. I'm just not happy with the photographs, my nails are not in the best shape at the moment to be honest but that's not the the problem, I've taken about 30 photographs of my nails today and not one looks right, whether it's the awful lighting or my camera I really don't know. This colour just isn't translating onto the interweb as it should.

The colour in question the beautiful Models Own - Aqua Violet which was released last year in the first instalment of the Beetlejuice collection.. I love this colour, looking at my fingers now I can see flashes of blue, pink, purple, and aqua. This took 3 coats for maximum coverage x

I love this shade I'm only disappointed that my pictures don't show it to it's best advantage  x Have you tried Aqua Violet

My Nail Polish Collection - Orly

Orly is one of those brands that I wouldn't have discovered if it wasn't for the internet, I always used to see it popping up on forums and in blog posts, so it was only natural that I joined in. It's much more easily available in the UK than it used to be, you can now get it in some Boots stores and from some online stores based in the UK but I've stayed fairly loyal to ebay. I've purchased the majority of  my Orly polishes from US ebay, for the usual reason that it worked out cheaper than buying them in the UK.

I only have a few Orly polishes and here they all are - perfect examples of polish loveliness - apologies again that some may be discontinued  - don't forget to click the names to see some nails of the days :)

From Left To Right - It's Up To Blue, Coffee Break and Halley's Comet

It's Up To Blue, is more of a turquoise, blue / green shade, Coffee Break is a caramel, tan, beige shade, and Halley's Comet is a sparkly teal /turquoise

From Left To Right - Oh Cabana Boy, Space Cadet, and Lunar Eclipse 

Oh Cabana Boy is the most amazing hot pink with a bit of shimmer, Space Cadet is a multi dimensional green, purple, pink, yellow - well every colour under the sun polish, that looks simply amazing and Lunar Eclipse is a beautiful sparkly blue with almost a purple / pink shimmer.

These babies are all a massive 18ml in size, but as you probably know Orly also do a range of mini polishes which are just 5.3ml. I just have one mini which came in one of the Beauty Boxes - the colour I received was Black Out

Black Out is a true glossy, almost vinyl black, this is two coats with no top coat so you can see how glossy the finish is

I have to say I've been hugely impressed with the Orly polishes that I've tried, you get plenty product for your money, the colour range is good, I've never had any problems with the application, and I love the rubberised lids on the full sized polishes. My favourite shades are probably Space Cadet and Oh Cabana Boy but I can definitely see myself adding to my Orly collection. What do you think of Orly polishes and do you have any must try shades?

Keep Your Smile Bright and Breath Fresh With Dentyl Active

Hi Guys apologies for the mini disappearing act but I'm back now and raring to go again. I've spent the past few days doing some serious sorting out and I've came to the conclusion that I need to get myself into gear and tackle some of the reviews that I've been promising . So over the next few weeks alongside my usual nails of the day and some other more topical posts, you can expect to see all sorts of product reviews from skincare, to body care, to beauty tools, and of course make up but I'm starting off with something a bit different.

It may seem a little bit strange to review a dental product on a predominantly beauty blog but it's something that I've done before (click here to see a review of the Radius toothbrush) and it's something that I'm more than happy to do again. Caring for your teeth should be a major part of your beauty routine, after all you can't show off a beautiful lipstick or new lip balm when your teeth aren't looking their best

I'm a bit of a stickler for dental hygiene. I have dental check ups every 6 months without fail, in fact I'm going on Thursday :) - I've been going to the dentist regularly since I was tiny, and because I've cared for my teeth the dentist isn't something that scares me - believe me I used to be more scared of going to the hairdressers!

Don't get my wrong my teeth aren't perfect I have a couple of fillings and their not as white I would like, but I do care for them - I brush them, I floss them, and I always use mouthwash. Sad as it sounds I love mouthwash, I love how fresh and clean it leaves my mouth, I have to be honest and say that I just use supermarket brands and up till now I've been fairly happy. Sometimes they feel a bit stingy in your mouth but that's just the way it is isn't it?

Well no, it's not and it doesn't have to be, I was recently sent a mouthwash that really is just that bit different. Developed by Dentists, Dentyl Active Enamel Restore - Icy Fresh Mint, is part of a new breed of mouthwashes that are alcohol free, so no burning or stinging.

The key aim of this mouthwash is to protect our tooth enamel which is a key factor in preventing tooth decay - it's guess it's obvious but tooth decay really can be prevented by good dental health.

This mouthwash contains double the amount of fluoride than what you'd find in the majority of  products on the market. The fluoride helps to strengthen the enamel within the teeth, and to protect it from further harm and acid erosion caused by such things as fizzy drinks, fruit juices and wine!!

It's a dual phase product, one part of the solution is water based and contains an antibacterial agent and the other is oil based and contains essential oils to help freshen the breath, all you need to do it shake the bottle to combine the purple and blue liquids

I guess you know what comes next, pour it into the cap and gargle for 30 seconds :) As I said before this mouthwash doesn't contain alcohol, so you get hardly any of the burning sensations which are common place  with the majority of mouthwashes. This mouthwash has the traditional minty flavour that you would expect
but again it's not as strong as some products that I've tried, it just leaves a pleasant and fresh minty taste in your mouth.

Not only does it leave your mouth feeling fresh, and your breath smelling great but this mouthwash also does a great job of removing tiny little bits of food particles from your mouth. Sorry to be gross but as fabulous as your teeth look and feel after brushing and flossing, there might still be little bits of food debris in your mouth. This mouthwash is that first one that I've ever used that seems to remove these little particles, according to Dentyl this is all down to the dual phase technology. Whatever it is, it's good! all the little bits seem to be almost magnetically drawn out of your mouth, leaving you with super clean, protected teeth.

I have to say I really love this product yes it's a bit more pricey than my usual supermarket own brand mouthwashes (they usual retail at £1.00 - £2.00!)  but the results really do speak for themselves, gross as it is all you need to do it look in the sink or look in the mirror to see the results. I will definitely purchase this product when this one runs out . Dentyl Active Enamel Restore - Icy Fresh Mint 500ml retails between £4.07 and £4.38 depending on where you purchase it, so if your interested I recommend you shop around. If you have any questions please leave me a comment, oh and by all mean wish me luck for my dentist appointment ;)

(Dentyl Active Enamel Restore - Icy Fresh Mint 500ml Was Provided For Review Purposes)

It's Time To Take A Break - Nails Of The Day

No I'm not referring to that popular but often quite miserable weekly magazine I'm referring to taking a coffee break. Despite being a nation of tea lovers more and more of us or switching to a cup of Joe to get us through the day. I love coffee but I don't drink it that often it tends to send me a bit gaga lol. Something I can indulge in though on a regular basis is this nail colour from Orly

Orly Coffee Break is a lovely wearable almost caramel, almost tan, almost nude, latte shade. For a cream polish it applied like an absolute dream, this is two coats

I really like this colour it's totally inoffensive you could wear it just as easily for work as you could for just slobbing around on a weekend. What do you think of Coffee Break

The Last Hurrah - Haulage From Look Beauty and Some Clothing and Acccessories

Well my loves this will probably be my last haul containing make up products for a while, I think you can guess why but I'll do a little post next week just in case,

I managed to get my paws on a few Look Beauty bits on my York trip (click here to see what I got) but a few things were sold out, luckily Look Beauty finally launched their online store last week so I placed a little order

The first thing I got was another one of the Loud Lips Lipsticks, this time in Shade 1 - Baby Doll

The is a real bright, milky bubblegum pink, it's quite blue based and reminds me a bit of MAC Snob or Viva Glam Gaga - I know these colours aren't everybody's cup of tea but I love them :)

The final thing I got was a Make Me Blush blusher in the colour Flush, I love the chunky compact but mine seems to have got scratched :(

Flush is a gorgeous peach / coral shade it is so pretty and I can see myself using this one an awful lot :)

That wasn't all though because I was one of the first 100 customers I got a free Stretch Factor Black Mascara - I really didn't need another mascara but I'm always excited to try a new one so I'm pleased to have this x

So that was my last beauty haul for a while, not a big one admittedly but still a haul. I was originally planning to go to Superdrug to try and find a few bits including some more Maybelline Colour Tattoo's, some more Revlon Lip Butters and some L'Oreal Caresse Lip Colours but I stayed strong - as I told Mummy Lou I need new make up like a hole in the head lol I have made another couple of purchases though but this time clothes and accessory related, first up this super cute ring from ebay

Cute isn't it I originally saw this on another blog, apologies that I can't remember which one, I'm think blonde hair, helpful I know, NOT! lol  I bought this ring from a UK seller but you can get them cheaper from a few Hong Kong and Chinese based sellers :)

Finally I got this cute cat top from G21 at Asda, I love my kitty cats and you know and I love the colours in this top :) It's not on the website any more but it was only £8.00 :)

So that was my haul, I can see it being quiet on the haulage front in the near future, I'm waiting for a couple of cheap bits from Chinese / Hong Kong ebay and I need the new Barry M Magnetic polishes in my life but that is it for now x  As per usual if you have any questions on anything I've bought please leave me a comment  x