I'll Be Back Soon!

Hi Ladies,

I hope that you're all ok and you're looking forward to the Bank Holiday!

I wanted to let you all know the reason for my lack of posts recently....I'm in the middle of moving house at the moment and as you can imagine, it's pretty manic!

I have LOTS to update you on and TOO MANY products to tell you about!

Products that are worth a mention though:

• Number 7 Eyebrow Pencil
• Barry M Peach Melba Nail Varnish
• Mac Indianwood Paintpot
• Diorshow Maximizer (followed by Benefit They're Real Mascara)
• Lush Angels On Bare Skin

See you all soon.

Lots of love,
Amy
xxxxxx

Lea's Tag!

Hi Ladies,

I hope that you’re all having a good day.

So, I noticed this tag on the lovely Lea’s blog and thought I’d have a go too! If you haven’t seen her blog, it’s amazing. Beautifully put together with regular posts covering various topics. Plus, she is gorgeous!

Makeup:

- Blush or Bronzer – This is a hard one! I love to use bronzer as a contour and to give me a little bit of colour but some faces can look ‘flat’ without a bit of blusher. Can’t I have both?! I’ll go with bronzer (Nars Laguna) as I could always dab a little lipstick/lipstain on my cheeks I guess

- Lip Gloss or Lipstick - Lipstick, I love MAC Myth to tone down my lips for the day then maybe add a balm to keep things natural for the daytime

- Eye liner or Mascara – Mascara!! At the moment I’m using Dior Diorshow Maximizer as a primer with Benefit They’re Real mascara over the top and I love the look

- Foundation or Concealer – Foundation. Speaking of foundation, if anyone knows where Jemma Kidd Light As Air Foundation in Light/Medium 03 is in stock, PLEASE let me know!

- Neutral or colour eye shadow - Neutral, 100%

- Pressed or loose eye shadows - Pressed, the last thing that ANYONE needs is eyeshadow all over their face!

- Brushes or Sponges - Brushes, I don't own a sponge.

Nails:

- OPI or China Glaze - OPI

- Long or short – I change my mind all the time so lets say inbetween!

- Acrylic or natural – Natural. Acrylic nails can look nice but they RUIN your nails

- Brights or Darks - Depends on how I’m feeling. At the moment I have a bright coral on my fingers and toes

Flower or no flower - No flower, too Gypsy Wedding for me, thanks

Body:

- Perfume or body splash – Perfume, I’m wearing Jo Malone today

- Lotion or Body Butter - Body butter at night, lotion in the day

- Body wash or soap - Body wash, soaps tend to dry my skin out

-  Lush or other bath company - Lush. I'm loving Lush at the moment

Fashion:

- Jeans or sweat pants - Jeans

- Long sleeve of short - normally short.

-  Dresses or skirts - Dresses

- Stripes or plaid – Ummm, stripes I suppose?

- Flip flops or sandals - sandals, I At the moment I’m wearing Black Havianas so I’ll say flip flops. Love sandals too though

-  Scarves or hats - scarves, again, most hats give me a headache (weird, I know)

- Studs or dangly earrings - dangly earrings definitely.

- Necklaces or Bracelets – Necklace, I love my Dogeared Karma necklace at the moment

- Heels or flats - Heels

- Cowboy boots or Riding Boots – Neither, riding I suppose

- Jacket or Hoodie – Jacket usually. Hoodie if I just want to be comfy

- Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe - Forever 21

- Abercombie or Hollister Abercrombie, it seems like everyone has Hollister on at the moment

- Saks 5th or Nordstrom - I'd have to go with Nordstrom

Hair:

- Curly or straight - Curly

- Bun or ponytail - Ponytail

- Bobby pins or butterfly clips - Bobby pins

- Hair Spray or gel - Hair spray sometimes

-  Long or short – Long. What a long and painful process too!

- Light or dark – Can I say inbetween?

- Side sweep bangs or full bangs - Side

-  Up or down – Down when I have time, up when I don’t!

Random:

- Rain or shine – Shine! We don’t have enough sun in the UK

- Summer or winter - Both

- Autumn or Spring - Spring

- Chocolate or vanilla - Vanilla, I love the scent

North or South – North, of course!

If you decide that you want to do this post, or you have already done it, please post the link in the comments box as I'd love to read!

Make sure you take a look at Lea's blog too!

Thank you for reading.

Lots of love,

Amy

xxx

Current Ins & Outs!

Hi Ladies,

I'm back with an Ins & Out's post! I love reading others so please post links to yours in the comment box below.

Ins:

• Caudalie Beauty Elixir
• Candles 
• Getting my car valeted
• Strawberries
• Lush
• Tea
• Chocolate Cake
• Coconut Oil
• Eyebrow tints and shapes (makes SUCH a difference to your face!)
• Music
• FOOD!
• French Skincare
• Natalie Joel (Made In Chelsea)
• Flowers
• Sleep
• Body Moisturisers
• Shellac
• Beyonce & Jay Z together
• YouTube (in particular TessChristine123, ViviannaDoesMakeUp & DulceCandy87)
• Jennifer Lopez (could this woman be any more perfect)
• Made In Chelsea (Francis in on a horse in the desert literally made me laugh out loud!)
• Time off work

Outs:

• Paperwork!
• Speeding fines
• The cost of EVERYTHING!
• Short weekends
• Losers that hurt my friends
• Nail varnish that chips within a day
• Going back to work after a week off

Lots of love,
Amy
xxx

Skin Nightmare!!

Hi Ladies,

I hope that you're all well.

I don't know what is wrong recently but my skin is an absolute NIGHTMARE!

Spotty with dry patches, looks terrible with AND without make up!

So, yesterday I dashed to Lush and picked up the below products:

Angels On Bare Skin Cleanser:


Taken from the Lush website:

'Angels on Bare Skin evens out skin tone, reduces redness and improves the health and appearance of your skin – giving a natural healthy glow.

The ground almonds in this product release their goodness and turn to an almond milk on your hand when you add water.

Almond milk has been used in many parts of the world for centuries as a toning and brightening ingredient.

We have mixed this with kaolin, to absorb grease and gently cleanse, vegetable glycerine to soften and moisturise the skin and a beautiful blend of essential oils, all chosen for their abilities to balance and tone the skin.

We then sprinkle the mix with lavender flowers as we roll it. Angels on Bare Skin is made from 100 percent natural ingredients – because when nature is this good, you don’t want to mess with her balance!

This is basically a solid that turns to a cleansing milk when you add the water. By taking out the water we have taken away the need to add preservatives – which makes this much kinder on your face and does not upset the skin's own microflora.

It is hard to tell you in words how fantastic this product is. Only by using it will you know its full value.'

Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Mask:


Taken from the Lush website:

'You know those times when you get one or two spots and it throws you into panic? Well, this mask is here to lend you a bit of perspective, to tell you to calm down, it’s not the end of the world and it’s nothing that can't be sorted. Basically, this is your best mate in a pot.

Irish moss gel will soften the skin, whilst almond oil will moisturise and leave it supple.

Fresh blueberries are full of vitamins and minerals and are anitoxidant. Rose absolute and chamomile essential oil will reduce redness and irritation. Calamine and talc will deep clean and soothe the skin at the same time.

Combined together they provide your skin with a good deep cleanse without causing puffiness – leaving the face cool, clear and calm.

This is a deep cleansing mask that it designed for regular maintenance to keep the skin clean and clear. Regular deep cleaning can avoid spots occurring and keep skin in top condition.'

I've used both products for the last few days so it would be unfair to provide a fair review just yet but used along with Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, Caudalie Beauty Elixir, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturiser and Origins Spot Remover, I have noticed my skin calming a little.

What do you do when your skin goes crazy? Are there any other recommendations for me to try?

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Thank you for reading.

Lots of love,
Amy

xxx

Sulphate Free Hair!

Hi Ladies,

After what feels like years of trying to grow my hair with tablets, oils, treatments, masks and brushes, I think I've finally found what I've been doing wrong - using shampoo and conditioner using sulphates!

Apparently sulphates cause the hair to be brittle and weak, which, of course will slow down growth and snap hair. From now on my hair (shampoo and conditioner wise anyway) is now sulphate free!

Reports show that sulfate can be the worst irritant ever responsible for burning sensation in the eyes and skin. Sulfate can penetrate in the skin even by application and can easily reach eyes, brain, and liver and damages the cells present there (sounds dramatic, I know.) It also interferes with the hormonal levels in the body.

Baby shampoos are always formulated without sulfates. This is the secret of their ‘no more tears’ formula. However, you cannot use baby shampoos as they have very mild cleaning agents which do little to take the dirt out of your hair.
I thought you'd be interested to see a comrehensive list of some shampoos that are sulphate free:

- ABBA True Curls Shampoo
- Alba Shampoo
- Alfa Parf’s Splendore Hydrate Shampoo
- Allafia Shampoo
- Aloe Jojoba Shampoo
- Aubrey Organics Shampoo
- Aveda Shampoo
- Avalon Shampoo
- Burt Bees Shampoo
- BrocatoSplash Shampoo
- Body Shop’s Honey Moisturizing Shampoo
- Beauty Without Cruelty Shampoo
- Dead Sea Natural Mineral Shampoo
- Deva Curl Low Poo Shampoo
- Desert Essence Shampoo
- Enjoy Shampoo
- Fragile Color Safe Shampoo
- Herbal Choice Natural Shampoo
- Honey Moisturizing Shampoo from Body Shop
- Jason Shampoo
- John Masters Organic Shampoo
- Jonathan Shampoo
- Kenra Shampoo
- Kiss My Face Shampoo
- L’ANZA Shampoo
- Logona Shampoo
- Mastey Shampoo
- Max Green Scalp Rescue Shampoo
- Nature Gate Organic Shampoo
- Neutrogena Triple Moisture Shampoo
- Nuture My Body Organic Volumizing Shampoo
- Optima Australian Tea Tree Shampoo
- Organic Care Systems Shampoo
- OSMO Shampoo
- Paves Prof Shampoo
- Pravana Shampoo
- Pureology Shampoo
- Real Purity Shampoo
- SEXY HAIR Shampoo
- Shikai Shampoo
- Silkane Shampoo
- Tara Smith’s Shampoo
- TiGi Shampoo
- Treasured Locks Shampoo
- Ultimate Shampoo
- Zerran Shampoo

I love Aveda products anyway and used the Shampure range, which I adored, so I'm off to pick up some more tonight. I'll keep you posted with any changes I have noticed - a review will follow.

Are you trying to grow your hair? Have you tried sulphate free too? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!


Thank you for reading, as always.

Love,
Amy
xxx