Glamorous Hair With SHOW Beauty And SHOW Beauty Lux Volume*

Time flies when you're having fun doesn't it and thanks to the bank holiday and the indulgences of Easter, it's hard to believe that's it been nearly two weeks now since I was invited down to the SHOW Beauty concession in House Of Fraser.

I love bargain beauty when it comes to haircare as much as the next person, and in my bathroom you'll see everything from bargain basement £1 shampoos, to pricier trichologist led brands and guess what? they all do the job they are designed for pretty well, they all leave you with clean and presentable hair but in a lot of cases they seem to lack that bit of pzazz.

Why should an everyday task like washing and styling your hair be boring and mundane, like so many other tasks in beauty we all want to be spoilt and pampered, and we want to experience just that little bit of luxury on a daily basis.

If that's what you're looking for then SHOW Beauty is the brand for you. Founded by the ever glamorous and stylish socialite Tamera Ecclestone, with designer lead fragrances, and exquisite packaging, SHOW beauty provides a range of haircare products that take the mundane to the magnificent.

Last week I was invited along to Intu Metrocentre to find out more about SHOW Beauty, their products and to celebrate the launch of their new Lux Volume range.  After being greeted with bubbly and canapes,  I  had a good chance to talk to some of the lovely ladies from SHOW about the new launches, and about exactly what makes SHOW so special.

Yes the products look amazing but packaging alone doesn't sell a product, and it's clear that the brand concentrates as much on its formulations as it does on it's designer packaging and fragrances. All of the products are formulated with highest calibre of ingredients, including the caviar and white truffle extracts that pop up in the new Lux Volume range.

The whole aim of the range is to care for and repair you hair whilst giving it that body, bounce and fullness, without weighing it down or leaving it heavy or sticky. The lovely people at SHOW kindly gifted us a full size shampoo and conditioner that retail at £30 each to try, so I will be reviewing both of these for you and another SHOW product that I own in due course

As well as offering a wide range of luxurious products that you can use to pamper yourself in your own bathroom, SHOW also offer a range of pampering styling options that are available in both their standalone salons, and in some of their department store concessions.

They offer a wide range of quick, styling options from a basic revitalising blow dry to up do's, curls and braids that are perfect for that special occasion be it a wedding, a party, a prom, or even for a date with that special someone.

All of the bloggers and journalists that attended last weeks event were lucky enough to receive a complimentary express styling session courtesy of the SHOW Beauty team. On the night I saw everything from top knots, to waves, up do's and curls, but seeing as my hair was looking a little bit windswept my stylist suggest some crown braids.

I really struggle when it comes to braiding my own hair so it was fabulous to see a real master (or mistress ;) at work. My stylist used SHOW's fabulous non chalky Dry Shampoo which contains tapioca and rice starch, and a host of amazing smelling botanical extracts including kiwi, mango, aloe, and ginger lily, to give my hair a bit of texture, before finishing off my beautiful braids with one of SHOW's most popular products their non sticky, weightless Finishing Spray which contains vitamin B, lychee, and wheat proteins.

Unfortunately I didn't actually take my own camera so all of these photos were taken on my mobile, thankfully though one of my fellow bloggers, the lovely Amy Rebair took this amazing photo of the back of my hair, which really shows the intricacy of the braids, and my multi coloured hair eek :)

Source

I absolutely loved the style that the team created, and I'm going to be honest and say that it broke my heart to take it out. What surprised my though when I took the braids out though, apart from the amount of the volume that the style had given my hair, was how soft it felt, there was no stickiness or stiffness, which shows the quality of the products that the team used.

SHOW Beauty isn't just a haircare brand, you're buying into a lifestyle, and way of thinking. This brand is about real indulgence, whether you're having your own spa like, pampering experience in your own bathroom, or whether your treating yourself to blow dry to cheer yourself up after a rubbish day at work or spoiling yourself with a special up do for a day at the races, this brand is all about you, and making yourself feel special in one of the easiest ways possible, with a good hair day.

You can find out more about SHOW Beauty stockists, styling services, and products via their own website, and you can also find concessions with styling services in selected Harvey Nichols and House Of Fraser stores including Intu Metrocentre. If you aren't lucky enough to have a counter near you though you can also buy SHOW Beauty products online from various retailers including Selfridges, Harrods and lookfantastic.

Have you tried anything from SHOW Beauty before? Let me know your thoughts in the comments x

*Press / Blogger Event

Essie - Pret-A-Surfer - Nails Of The Day

I'm back today with another nails of the day post, but unlike today's slightly gloomy weather, this shade is a little bit more Spring like.

As much as I always like to go my own way with nail polish, and I try not to stick to on trend and seasonal colours, I have to admit that I am quite partial to a spring pastel. This isn't a conventional pastel shade I guess but it's still a beautiful one and it falls into one of my favourite shade families, for nail polish, blue and purple.

Essie Pret-A-Surfer is a super pretty shade from their Summer 2015 collection, and it's described by various sources as everything from a blue creme, to an immersive marine blue, but for me it's one of those bluey, lilac, almost periwinkle blue shade.

I do love Essie polishes, but they can vary a lot depending on the shade and the finish. This is a classic cream polish, and this particular one has a fairly wide brush and a fairly viscious formulation. With careful application you could probably get away with just one coat with this one but as per usual I've gone for two coats, for full coverage, and an extra glossy finish.

Unfortunately this wasn't the longest wearing polish that I've ever worn possibly down to the thickness, but a good top coat would probably make a bit of difference when it comes to longevity.

This wasn't the neatest manicure I've ever done I'm afraid but I just hope that I've done this lovely colour justice. Despite the fact that it's a cream polish it does seem to change colour ever so slightly depending on the lighting conditions, but whether it's lighter or darker it still falls into one of my favourite colour families. No matter what the shade you're looking for though, if you're looking for a DBP,  Toluene and Formaldehyde free polish then it's hard to look past Essie, and that's the reason why they are one of my favourite nail polish brands. You can pick up full price Essie polishes in a lot of retailers now such as Superdrug and Boots, but if like me you're a bit of bargain hunter then take a look at local discount stores and stalls such as Beauty Outlet, and websites such as Fragrance Direct to find yourself some bargain Essie polishes for around £2.99. Do you like Essie polishes? Let me know your favourites x

AVON Gel Finish Nail Enamel - Sterling - Nails Of The Day

I haven't posted a nails of the day for a little while now so I thought today would be as good a day as any to start posting regular nails of the day's again.

My nails to put it mildly have been pretty rubbish over the last few months, but while they are still quite short they are certainly in a lot better condition now than they were around Christmas time. I'm a firm believer that you should be able to wear any colour you like on your nails no matter how long they are, or how short they are, that said though, I do think that shorter nails lend themselves particularly well to darker shades.

This is one is a bit of a blast from the past it's one of AVON's Gel Finish Nail Enamels in the shade Sterling. 

AVON nail enamels have recently undergone a bit of a makeover and all of their Gel Finish polishes, and their Nailwear Pro + polishes have been reformulated and relaunched under the Mark brand. There are loads of gorgeous colours to choose from, including some of their most popular shades such as Rain Washes and Emerald City but unfortunately Sterling doesn't make the cut which is a shame. It might reappear come Autumn and Winter time but in the meantime if you're interested in this colour and you still have an AVON lady or gentleman it might be worth checking out the sale brochures.

Sterling is a beautiful colour, it's a gorgeous, dark metallic silver, pewter shade which is shot through, with very fine silver and multi coloured sparkle. All of the AVON polishes have a super wide brush, that perfectly fits the contours of the cuticle. The polish has a good texture, it isn't too thin but at the same time it isn't too thick or gloopy. The coverage was decent but in order to see this polish at it's best you really needed to apply two coats, like I have here. These photos were taken in various different lighting conditions but I still don't think that I've managed to do this polish justice.

The resulting finish was super glossy even without a top coat, and I found it to be quite a hard wearing polish, I'm notoriously hard on my polish and I managed four days wear, with only minimal tip wear and one little chip.

It's a shame that this colour has gone because it is quite different to most of the other kazillion shades that I own.  This would be a perfect night out shade, or dare I say a great shade for the party season. As you know I'm a bit of a fan of the AVON nail polish range, and I can't wait to say how their new Mark range compares to some of the other polishes in my collection. I already have one on order but if you've tried them already I'd love to know your thoughts and your recommendations x 

Trimming My Stash - March 2017 Ediiton - Empties And Mini Reviews

I know I'm a little bit late with this post but as I seem to say a lot, better late than never. As I mentioned in yesterday's post Spring is most definitely here, we've left March behind and warmer and sunnier days on hopefully on the horizon.

2017 isn't turning out to be the best of years for me so far, and unsurprisingly despite the best of intentions, and plans to be more positive about things, March to put it politely was pretty rubbish. I did have a few good days, and a few good things did happen, so at least I have something to build on in April, and as I keep saying life is all about finding the positives, no matter how hard they might to find. Anyways before I move forward and spend another month facing life's ups and downs, it's time to look back a bit, and talk about my March beauty empties x

The Body Shop Spiced Apple Shower Gel - 60ml
NIP + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads - 60 Pads
Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm - 50g
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
The Body Shop Spiced Apple Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 300g
MAC Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara - Black - 9g

Total - 7 Items

It's fair to say that I haven't had the best of starts to the year (surprise, surprise) when it comes to empties, finishing only 2 products in January and 3 in February. I really gave it my best shot in March though, and thankfully I managed to finish 7 products, blowing my previous yearly total right out of the water - Go me! As pleased as I was to finish 7 items, I was also really pleased with the variety of products, that I finished, I finished a nice mixture of skin care, body care, and make up products, in fact the only thing that probably missing was a hair care product.

1. The Body Shop Spiced Apple Shower Gel - 60ml

I've spoken on many occasions about my love for The Body Shop's festive collections, and this Spiced Apple fragrance was one of their Christmas 2016 launches. I am a big fan of The Body Shop's shower gels, they always foam really nicely, and I don't find them drying and they don't leave me skin feeling sore or irritated. This is a particularly nice one, the Spiced Apple fragrance smells a little bit like apple pie with the sweet yet tart apple, and just a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and apple pie spices. I have to say I completely stocked up on all of The Body Shop fragrances in the sales so I have enough Spiced Apple and Frosted Berry fragrances goodies to last me till Christmas.

2. NIP + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads - 60 Pads

From one slightly niche product, to one that has an almost cult status. I've mentioned before how much I love the feeling of acids on my skin and this is another one of those products that can make an incredible difference to your skin in only a few uses. Basically they are slightly textured, cotton / fabric pads that are infused with glycolic and hyaluronic acids, and witch hazel. I normally use them at night, and all you do is just wipe the pad over clean dry skin, and let all of the active ingredients do their thing. If you like Alpha -H Liquid Gold you'd probably like these, they have a bit more oomph than Pixi Glow Tonic, and they can make your skin tingle a bit when you use them but it's definitely worth it. The aim of these pads is to re-texturise the skin and add brightness, and in my experience that's exactly what they do. Even after just a couple of days of use, my skin looks clearer, my spots seem to fade and I don't look quite as tired and washed out looking. These are something that I would definitely consider buying again, but in the meantime I was very kindly sent a tub of the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Extreme Pads to try and I've also recently picked up a pot of the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Acid Pads which are supposed to be a good, cheaper alternative. I will let you know what I think about both of these products in due course. 

3. Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm - 50g

For a couple of years I really didn't get the hype surrounding cleansing balms, I was very much a cream, a gel and a foam girl. I always associate balm type cleansers with oil, and having a oily prone skin, I honestly thought that using an oily product on my skin would make skin greasier. It's a common misconception I guess, and it's one that I can officially debunk, I now get facial oils, and I now get oil based, balm cleansers. My favourite is without a doubt Emma Hardie's Moringa Balm, but this Elemis one is a very close second, and just misses out on the top spot due to scent. It actually smells really good but I find it quite intoxicating at times, it crammed full of good for you oils and waxes, and essential oils including rose, geranium, orange and lavender. I tend to use it at night and when I want to remove make up, all you is just massage a small amount all over your face, then add a touch of water to transform it into a creamy milk, remove it with a warm, damp muslin cloth or a flannel and then rinse it away. This stuff takes off every scrap of make up with ease - I don't tend to use it on my eyes because of the essentials oils but that's a personal thing, it literally leaves my skin glowing, and feeling super smooth. I actually have a few of these in my skincare drawer (thanks to several QVC offers!) but it's something that I would happily repurchase x 

4. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

5. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

Yup, items 4 and 5 aren't the most interesting, I've probably said everything about these wipes that I could ever say so all I'm going to add is that these wipes are amazing for clean ups in between swatch photographs, and the other day I took nearly 200 swatch photographs - A hint that maybe I have quite a few make up posts coming soon? - yes, I think so😉

6. The Body Shop Spiced Apple Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 300g

Another Spiced Apple item from The Body Shop, and by far my favourite product from the 2016 releases. Obviously it has the same fruity, spicy scent as the shower gel, only this time it's infused into an amazing sugar, body scrub. I'm not a fan of half hearted scrubs with finer than air grains, I love my scrubs to have a bit texture and whilst this wasn't a rough and scratchy scrub, the sugar grains were large enough, to make you feel as though you'd exfoliated. The sugar crystals were in a slightly oily base, which meant that this product was really easy to use, it was easy to rinse, and if left your skin feeling smooth and revived. Again I picked up a few of these in the sale, so again I should have enough pots to last me through till November / December time when this scrub will hopefully make a reappearance.

7. MAC Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara - Black - 9g

Finally a make up item - okay it's a mascara not an eye shadow or a lipstick but it's still better than nothing. It's fair to say that my love affair with MAC Cosmetics is well and truly over. In the early days of this blog it safe to say that I and a lot of my contemporaries were MAC addicts, we knew the release dates of every single collection, we had our lists made ahead of time, and we knew almost to the second when the collection would launch online. I don't dislike the brand by any means and I still love a lot of their products, I just think that I reached saturation point, I was buying things for buying sake, not because I actually wanted them or I would actually use most of them. Looking back at myself now I could kick myself for how much money I used to spend every month purely on MAC. I've definitely learnt my lesson now and I only pick up things from the brand or ask for things that I really love. I'm not sure how long this mascara has been in my collection, but a few months ago I decided to open up the box and get it used. Innovative at the time and now much copied Haute and Naughty Lash basically offers you two different mascaras in the one tube. At first I thought it contained two brushes, but in fact a clever wiper system allows this mascara to give you two different effects in the one tube, a natural defined lash and something a bit more dramatic. I did actually quite like this mascara, the two effects were noticeably different, and it did make lashes look longer and thicker depending on how I used it. I did find it just a little bit clumpy though, and I did keep a lash comb and a cotton bud on hand, just in case, when I applied it. I'm not a 100% sure I would repurchase because of that but considering my experience with one of MAC's other mascaras Zoom Lash wasn't the best, this wasn't bad.

So they were March's empties, I'm hopefully going to keep up the good work in April and I'm going to try to at least equal March's total - Fingers crossed anyway x If you have any questions on any of the products that I've mentioned in this post, then please leave me a comment below and I'll get back to you x 

A Small Home And Home Fragrance Haul - B&M, Yankee Candles And More

After a lovely weekend, and a bright, and sunny Monday, it's safe to say that Spring has now officially arrived in my little corner of County Durham. Okay we might have some rainy days, and maybe even a little bit of frost and snow to come but the warmer and sunnier weather is definitely on it's way. Spring is often seen as a time of new beginnings, and fresh starts, and nowhere is that truer than within the home itself, it is called Spring cleaning after all. Even if you're not planning any major home renovations, or cleaning sprees this spring, it doesn't hurt to refresh your surroundings, and switch things up a bit, with a couple of purchases and new additions.

The first buy that I'm going to show you, is all about freshening up your home for Spring. This is the final instalment of my QVC UK, Yankee Candle Hamper Auto Delivery, and this is the Yankee Candle 39 Piece Spring Hamper.  Like the previous instalments, this one also comes in a sturdy canvas hamper, with an attached faux leather tassel bag charm.

The hamper contains a wide variety of fresh, and floral scented candles that are perfect for spring. It contains 12 of Yankee Candle's votive candles, in 6 fragrances, Aloe Water, Shea Butter, Cherry Blossom, Verbena, Wild Mint and Linden Tree.

It also contains 2 boxes of 12 tea lights, in both the Cherry Blossom, and Wild Mint fragrances, and two clear glass, Yankee Candle branded bucket holders.

As I say this is the perfect Spring selection, all of the fragrances are very clean, and fresh, you have a couple of zingy ones like the Verbena, and the Wild Mint, then you some softer and more powdery fragrances like the Shea Butter and fragrances like the Aloe Water, and the Cherry Blossom that are lot more floral and almost perfume like. I've really enjoyed receiving these sets over the last 12 months or so - they've given me the chance to try lots of new fragrances, some of which I would have never of thought of trying. Admittedly some of the fragrances just aren't me but I have found quite a few new favourites, including Aloe Water which has really surprised me. This kit is actually still available on the QVC UK website, all be it a higher price than what I paid, but at just £33.96 and £5.95 postage I think it's well worth it if you think that your home needs a Spring fragrance boost x

If like my mam you're not quite ready to embrace Spring just yet, then you can also still get the Winter / Christmas version on the QVC UK website. As ready as I am for the warmer weather, I'm still a big fan of spicy and foodie scents, and following on from a few reader and viewer recommendations I decided to pick up a more autumn and wintry themed candle from B&M.

I love my candles but one brand that I've never tried is Woodwick, I honestly don't know why I haven't tried them before, they are really pleasing on the eye, every one that I've sniffed smells amazing, and they crackle! I love the idea of them but they can be a little bit pricey, which is why I think I've never succumbed to the Woodwick love in. Thankfully though B&M have come up trumps with a cheaper, dupe Woodland Wick Crackling Natural Wooden Wick Candles. Instead of having a traditional style, cotton wick, these candles, have a slim sliver of wood, that supposedly crackles like a real log fire when you burn the candle.

I'm not sure whether it does what it claims to yet because I haven't lit it, but  so far this one was worth every penny of the £3.99 that I paid purely based on the scent. This one is in the Spiced Berry scent, and to me it smells exactly like mulled wine, you get a slight spiciness, and all the fruitiness that you'd expect from your Christmas tipple. If mulled wine isn't to your taste they also have several other fragrances to choose from, and they even have multi layered, multi fragranced candles as well. If you've tried any of the other scents, or if you've tried any Woodwick candles I'd love to hear your recommendations x

I love a good scrat around B&M, and I can always find something to buy, on a bad day it might just be some peanut butter cups, or some Butterfingers, buy on a good day, I could be something useful, or something nice for the home. On my last trip I couldn't resist picking up a couple of packs of these curtain tie backs. I have these really quirky, slightly trippy 1970's floral curtains, in shades of lilac, purple, and white, up in my bedroom, and I desperately needed some new tie backs. Note to self, rope tie backs and cats don't mix! These ones though are made of faceted smokey, lilac crystals, and to be honest they look a lot more expensive then the £4.99 that I paid for each one. I haven't managed to put them up yet but when I do I'll share some pictures on my Instagram account .

Like B&M, Poundland is another one of those shops that I've never seem to leave empty handed. On my most recent trip I managed to bag 3 Nails Inc, nail polishes, and this..

I am a huge fan of Poundland's faux regency, shabby chic, style frames, and this cute square one, was part of their selection of Mother's Day gifts. Personally I frame a lot of postcards and note cards so this isn't the most practical frame for that, but I'm sure I'll find something to put in it even if it's just an Instagram pic or a family photo.

I went through a bit of a phase of buying photo frames, without ever having a place in my bedroom to put them so I think I'm going to move a few into my office come craft room. It seems as though I've been sorting out that room since the beginning of time and I'm still no closer to getting it how I want it. I should really be working on improving my storage solutions but instead I still keep buying pretties i.e. photo frames, and letter and word art.

I'm really loving my letter L's at the moment, and I'm building up a nice collection, of both lights and plaques.This black letter L, was only £1.50 in the NEXT sale, it's has a really chunky feel. You can either hang it on the wall, or you can do what I'm going to do, and leave it freestanding.

Speaking of letters, it wouldn't be a home haul on LouLouLand, without a little bit of stationery, and I'm ending this haul with a couple of notebooks, that in all honesty I probably didn't need but hey pretty stationery is pretty stationery, first up this pretty piece from AVON.

Annoyingly I can't actually find this online anymore , but keep an eye on your brochures if you like the look of it. It's just a plain spiral bound, lined notebook, but what really makes this one for me is the beautiful lilac toned, marbleised floral patterns. I love the colour and the design and even though it's not that relevant and I can't think of anyone who matches their stationery with their bedroom, it matches the colours in my bedroom perfectly. It also features the words "Happy Thoughts" on the front in gold foil, so I'm going to try and use this one to record things that make me happy and positive thoughts.

From happy thoughts, to getting things done, and getting organised - the last thing that I picked up was a journal, from Paperchases fabulous No Probllama range.

Featuring a cute, and quirky Llama design, this is the No Probllama Ideas Journal. It's a hardback notebook, that contains a mixture of pages for notes, ideas, to do lists, pros and cons, and brainstorms, all teamed up with little llama illustrations. I'm so bad at planning and organising things, and I keep having ideas and brainwaves and then forgetting them. I hope that this will give me somewhere to write my ideas and thoughts down and I'm hoping that this will make me a bit more productive in the rest of 2017. This particular book was £8 and it's part of a wider range of Llama themed bits and pieces that you can find in Paperchase at the moment.



I hope you've found this small home, stationery and home fragrancing haul useful, don't forget to leave me a comment and let me know if you have any questions, and of course don't forget to watch the accompanying You Tube video which you can watch by clicking on the image above or by clicking on this link x

Benefit They're Real Big Sexy Lip Kit And On Being A Quirky Girl

I was fortunate enough to spend yesterday aka Mother's Day with two of my favourite people, my mam and my Godmother. Over the last 12 months or so I've realised just how important family time actually is, and unfortunately, in this day and age, I think it's something that we all take for granted. We spent a lot of yesterday reminiscing and talking about people and times gone by, and we spent a lot of time talking, strangely enough, about ourselves and how other people see us.

Over the years I've been described as a lot of things, someone once described me as the most scarily intelligent person that they'd ever met, whilst some else described me as funny, in a weird way, we came to the conclusion, that probably the best way to describe both myself and my mum was quirky, and to be honest I'm okay with that. I've never wanted to be a sheep, and I'm never going to be one of those people that everybody loves, or that fits in anywhere like a jigsaw, I'm an individual and I'm proud of that.

It goes with saying therefore, that my outlook on life is also pretty quirky, I love anything just that little bit out of the ordinary, and anything that's just that little bit different. I'm obsessed with David Lynch, one of my favourite TV programmes at the moment is Finding Bigfoot, I love daisies, and psychedelic prints, and eventually getting back on point, I love make up brands that stand out from the rest of the crowd

Although they've been widely copied, and imitated, with their quirky, vintage style, and their often tongue and cheek humour, if you want something just that little bit different make up wise then Benefit is a good place to start.

I'm a Bene Babe and I'm proud of that, take away the fun exterior, and your usually left with a quality product that does exactly what it promises. I've tried so many of their products over the years, and so many of them have become permanent additions in my make up bag. It's hard to believe that they've been around since the 1970's, and whilst so many products in their line have become real classics, they aren't one of those brands that rests on their laurels, and their constantly developing new products and trying to please a new generation of fans.

So far in 2017, we've seen several new additions to their popular boxed blusher range, with an entirely new shade Galifornia, and with some new incarnations of some old favourites, Hoola Lite and Dandelion Twinkle. All of these on now on my wishlist, but today I'm going to talk about another relatively new Benefit addition, their new They're Real lipsticks.

Late last year, Benefit released two new kits just in time for the Christmas rush, both under their ever popular They're Real banner.  These kits, an eye and a lip kit, were just taster of what was to come, when at the beginning of this year they released a whole new range of eyeshadows and lipsticks.
The whole point of every product in the They're Real line is to take the stress and the hassle out of make up, every product is an innovation and is designed to make us all into make up artists without the years of practise and training. Since I have the enthusiasm but not always the skill, this line is right up my street, so as a little Autumn and Winter treat I picked up both of the kits, the They're Real Big Sexy Eye Kit, which I'm going to talk about in a future post, and the They're Real Big Sexy Lip Kit.

This beautiful metal tin which make the perfect gift contains, 4 half size, 0.75g lipsticks from the new They're Real Double The Lip Beyond Sexy Lipstick & Liner In One range.

Packaged in metallic, plastic tubes, that resemble Benefit's famous They're Real Mascara, these products are probably one of most unique lip products that I've seen in a long time.

Lets face it, a lipstick in most cases is just that a lipstick, they can be short and chubby, or they can be long and slim, but however they're shaped, take away the packaging be it classy or simple, and in most cases, unless you're a real beauty junkie, you probably couldn't distinguish one pink lipstick from another one. Occasionally now you'll see the odd one that looks different say with a gel core or a coating but the majority of lipsticks on the market today look pretty similar. These ones though are just that little bit different and they're different for a very good reason.

Open these beauties up and your probably expecting to see just a thin, boring ish lipstick but these lipstick or should I say lipsticks and liners in one, have two things that make them unique. As you can see from the photograph above these lipsticks not only have a distinctive teardrop shaped tip, but each lipstick also contains two colours in one. The dual colour thing isn't that new really but the shape is, because what this product enables you to do is to both line and fill in your lips, in one swipe. All you do is apply the lipstick like you normally would only making sure that the pointed tip is positioned along your upper lip line, and that you turn the lipstick upside down to fill in your lower lip.

There are 8 shades to choose from in the full 1.5g size, but this kit gives you the opportunity to try 4 of the most popular shades in a handbag friendly, half size.

The shades are from left to right, Flame Game, a fiery orange, red, Pink Thrills, a classic, bright pink, Revved-Up Red, a cherry, pink red shade, and Lusty Rose, a lovely neutral rose pink.

Apologies that the swatches aren't that neat but what I was trying to show you, was the slight colour variations between the lipstick and the liner shades. In the bullet I think the differences look a lot more pronounced, and in some cases quite scary. I wish the obsession with darker or different coloured lip liners to lipsticks would crawl under a rock and die - I'm not a fan at all, and despite looking in some cases like they could give you that sort of look, the difference on the lips with these ones is actually quite subtle.

In every single one that I tried, the lip liner shade didn't look obvious, the colours just complimented each other perfectly and in my experience the slight colour variation actually gives the lips a slightly plumper, and fuller appearance. I think that's really the whole point of these lipsticks to actually make your lips look fuller, and as though you've spent ages applying lipstick and liner, and by and large Benefit's consumer testing appears to say exactly that, with 91% of participants saying that there lips looked visibly fuller and sexier. I definitely like how they look on my lips and since I personally received several compliments when I wore them, I think I have to agree with them - what do you think?

Flame Game 

Pink Thrills

Revved-Up Red

Lusty Rose

I've really enjoyed wearing these lipsticks, and this kit has even taken me out of my comfort zone with shades like Flame Game. As you can see the pigmentation is superb, and whilst the semi matte formula, isn't the most hydrating, it doesn't leave your lips dry and parched. I guess the formulation also helps with the illusion of fullness, and it also aids the wear time, I didn't quite get the 8 hours that Benefit claim but I easily managed a few hours out of each one which considering the amount of water I drink, is pretty amazing in my book.

Although 95% of testers that Benefit surveyed claim that these lipsticks are super easy to apply, I personally think that you need a little bit of practise just to get your technique on point. I found them pretty easy to apply on my top lip, but I struggled at first when I had to flip the bullet to do my bottom lip - I was all fingers and thumbs for some reason. The bullet itself is ergonomically designed so it's pretty easy to hold and practise as they say makes perfect.

So do I like these? In it's simplest terms yes I do, I have to say when I first swatched them I wasn't sure but once I started using them, I got it, I love the coverage, and the wear time, and my pout definitely looks a little bit fuller when I wear them. Any drawbacks? well if you love really moisturising, and really creamy lipsticks then these probably aren't for you, and they do have a slightly weird, almost TCP like smell, and taste, but that soon disappears, and the positives for me firmly outweigh any negatives. 

The Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Big Sexy Lip Kit, retails at around £25.50 and is currently available from various retailers including,  the official Benefit Cosmetics website, as well as Boots, Debenhams, John Lewis, House Of Fraser, and QVC UK. This kit is great for travel or for trying out some new colours, or for anyone who wants to try out this new concept but if you like what you see, you can also buy the individual lipstick in the full size, in these four shades, and in additional four shades, for around £16.50 each. My favourite colours in this kit are definitely the pinks, Pink Thrills and Lusty Rose, so even though I did get another mini in a recent Birchbox, I can definitely see myself picking up the full sizes in the near future, and I'm definitely going to add the shade Nude Scandal to my ever increasing beauty wishlist? What do you think about these lipsticks? Have you tried them yet? Let me know your thoughts below x

Illamsaqua Extinct Go Nude Lip Kit Winner Revealed

Just a quick post for you today and for one of you it's going to be a good one, because today I'm announcing the winner of my 10th blogging birthday, Illamasqua giveaway x

I've really enjoyed reading through your comments, and suggestions on what you would like to see on the blog and I'm definitely going to be taking some, if not all of your suggestions on board as I try to take the blog forward in 2017, so thanks again for all of your feedback xx

I had over 700 entries and as much as want to give you all a prize to thank you for your support over the last 10 years, there can only be one winner, and the winner, picked randomly via Rafflecopter is

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ashley Bree Perez

Congratulations Ashley x Can you please send an email with your postal address to louloulanduk@gmail.com as soon as possible and I'll get your prize sent out to you x 

You know what I'm going to say now I guess, but the same thing I always say still applies, don't worry if you weren't lucky enough to win this time, I have several more giveaways coming soon. There probably won't be another big one till around May time, but I do have a few smaller home, and beauty ones to come so make sure you're still following for a chance to win x Thanks for reading and of course thank you for following and for your continued support x 

"I'm At A Place Called Vertigo" And It Hasn't Been Fun!

Well this little ditty from U2, pretty much says it all. Although I've still been uploading fairly regularly to my You Tube channel (thanks to an en block recording day!), I've been AWOL from the blog for a couple of weeks now, thanks to, at least in part, you've guessed it vertigo!

No not the U2 song, or even the Hitchcock's film noir,  but a horrible illness that makes you feel sick and dizzy. My mum was poorly first but I didn't think too much of it, she has a history of vertigo, but then I started feeling dizzy and that was that, a trip to the doctors, the diagnosis of a possible virus, and a box of prescription pills later, I thought I was feeling better, so on Tuesday I went on a long planned shopping trip with my Godmother and her friend, and then it came back with a vengeance.

Couple that with a fibro and CFS flare, and I've spent the last three days in bed, in a slighty blurry, not quite there haze,  believe me feeling like you've got a hangover when you haven't even had a drink is not fun! At last though I'm starting to see the light at the end of yet another long, dark tunnel and I'm starting feel less drowsy, and less woozy.

So from Monday I will be back posting regularly again with plenty more hauls, beauty reviews and who knows what else, and I'll also be announcing the winner of my Illamasqua giveaway, so make sure you keep checking back to see if you're a winner.

Until then though thank you for reading and following and I hope that you all have a lovely weekend, and I will see you next week with some new posts x

Trimming my Stash - February 2017 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

I know February is the shortest month of the year, but I'm still finding it pretty hard to believe that we're into March already. This year is starting the same way that last year ended, at 100 miles an hour - stop the world I want to get off - argh!

February was another rubbishy month in LouLouLand with family illness and so on but I'm trying to focus on the positives for once, including my blogging birthday (don't forget to enter my giveaway here if you haven't already, you can find it here), and all of the plans that I have to move my blog and my You Tube channel forward. I know it can sometimes be hard to find the positives in life, but if you really look hard enough, in most areas you can usually find something to be positive about or something to be thankful for.

RESEED Gingko & Sabal Fortifying Shampoo For Women - 250ml
Soap & Glory Sit Tight Sit Activated Special Low Body Firming Formula - 200ml
Soap & Glory Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream - 125ml

Total - 3 Items 

Take last month's Trimming My Stash for example, yes I only managed to finish 3 items, but I finished one more than I did in January, and I managed to finish one product that seemed to have made itself permanently at home in my bathroom.

1. REESEED Gingko & Sabal Fortifying Shampoo For Women - 250ml

This was a product that I was originally sent to review, I loved it so much that I ended up buying another bottle. I love this as a shampoo in it's own right but by just using the shampoo and the serum and botanical solution very sparingly, I haven't really seen the same results as I did in the initial review. I would thoroughly recommend it as a gentle, body building shampoo but it's £25 and in my opinion I think it works way better when you use alongside the other products in the RESEED range. You can read my full review here x

2. Soap & Glory Sit Tight Sit Activated Special Low Body Firming Formula - 200ml

I'm going to hold my hands up and say that I don't believe that any cream or lotion can firm up your skin, and get rid of your cellulite, but my dear readers I'm always willing to admit that I'm wrong, and I do tend to get suckered in to buying things that I pray will firm up my bottom and get rid of some of those perfectly normal, shallow craters on my thighs! Did this product do that? Well unfortunately it didn't, it had a nice cream, gel texture, and it had that reassuring, cool, hot thing going that made you feel it was doing something, and boosting your circulation, but my bits are still as wobbly as they ever were. Maybe if I'd used it twice a day it wouldn't have become a permanent fixture in my bathroom and I might have seen a difference but some how I'm not convinced . Yes lotions and potions might make your skin feel softer, and smoother, but sensible diets and exercise are the only real way to firm up your wobbly bits. If you know otherwise though, and you've used a product that you found made a difference then let me know in the comments x This product actually has been discontinued now and replaced by the new and reformulated Soap & Glory Sit Tight Super Intense Targeted 4D Firming And Soothing Lower Body Serum which has a nifty massage head, and despite my ranting I'm actually tempted to give it ago so let me know if you've tried it x 

3. Soap & Glory Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream - 125ml

This is one of my favourite ever foot creams, It doesn't have the richest or the creamiest texture, but slap a bit of this beautifully fruity, floral scented, creamy lotion onto your feet, stick a pair of socks on, experience a tiny bit of a tingle thanks to the fruit acids, give it an hour on so and your feet will look and feel a lot smoother. Thanks to a few thyroid problems my feet are ridiculously dry, so this isn't a miracle worker but it certainly makes a little bit of a difference, and thanks to the Soap & Glory star gifts at Boots, I now have a nice little stash of this one, and it's something that I will continue to buy regardless.

So this wasn't the longest empties post again, but I'm staying positive that I'm going to have a good year, and that I'm going to finish lots and lots of beauty products in 2017. Are you doing something similar this year? Let me know below x