Friday Favourites

Hey guys, welcome to my first Friday Favourites! I'm not very good at doing a monthly favourite posts, I usually just don't have enough products to talk about. As a result of that, I've decided to start doing Friday Favourites, although not every week.. just when I have a few products that I'm loving and want to tell you about!

Macadamia Deep Repair Masque - I've already reviewed this product (which you can read by clicking here) so I wont talk about it too much but I'm still really liking the masque which I usually leave on for around 10-15 minutes for silky soft hair. I have found a highstreet mask which I'm also loving also, so stay tuned for a blog post and review on that soon!

Not Your Mother's Way To Grow Shampoo - I've been really picky with shampoo lately and keep finding they leave my hair feeling knotty and hard to manage but this one not only smells amazing but didn't leave me with knotty hair and made it feel clean and soft instead. I'm almost out of this and going to be sad when it's gone because the product isn't readily available in the UK

Essie's Ladylike nail polish - Ladylike is my go to polish when I want something on my nails but not sure what or when I just can't decide on a colour to wear. It's a subtle nude with a pale purple hint to it. I think Ladylike is a perfect name for this polish as it brings in a chic almost classy look to your nails, which I love. 

Maybelline Babylips in Quenched - I love the Babylips balms but in particular I like the clear ones as you can apply them without a mirror and not worry about them getting all over your face. I think these might be the softest balms I've ever used but that means I do find myself getting through them pretty quick.

Soap and Glory Sexy MotherPucker lipgloss in Punchbowl - I was given this as as unwanted gift from my sister and at £9 I don't think it's something I would have purchased myself but I really like this gloss. It has a plumping formula so has that tingly sensation after you apply it but I love the colour and find that this actually stays put on my lips for longer than I expected. I like this so much I think I may just pick up another colour!

Well those are my favourites for this week!

What are you loving right now?

Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac look-alike / Dupe !

I'm not really a bag lover but I have always liked the Rebecca Minkoff Mini Macs handbags that have been popular over the last year or so but not being a bag person, I couldn't justify the price tag. So, every now and then I search to see if there are any look-alikes about that I can get my hands on instead. I came across this one on a blog post with the girl saying she got it from Tesco! The post was dated a month ago and I believe the bag has since been taken off the Tesco website but I decided to pop in last night on the off chance they still have them which they did and for only £10 too!

Actual Mini Mac. Photo source: Luuux.com

Tesco have made a pretty good dupe of it in my opinion! These have been around in Tesco for a month or two now going by the original blog post I found, so if you want to pick one up, I'd be quick about it! 

What do you think? Will you be picking one up?

Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque

I know what you're thinking "Not another Macadamia natural oil deep repair masque review", but I just had to! It's not often I spend a little extra on a product and say to myself that it is actually worth the money but with this I do.. Every single time I use it. It is expensive at £26.95 in the UK and $33 in the States but if, like me, you have really dry hair then this is going to become your new best friend.

I'd been tempted to by this for a long time but was always put off by the price. A friend of mine then made plans to come to the UK for the summer from America and I knew I had to ask them to bring some of this with them since it works out a little cheaper over there. I tried to make an order for it at Ulta.com but for some reason the order wouldn't go though. So I popped over to the Target website to find they were being sold by one get one free, making them around only $16 each!

It recommends you apply this to wet hair and leave it on for around 7 minutes but I've been putting it on before I get in the bath and then rinsing it out once I'm done which is usually anywhere from 15-30 minutes later. It leaves your hair not only smelling amazing but so super soft too. I have pretty long hair and a couple of days ago in the car, I just loved how soft it felt against my neck and shoulders which is something I don't think I've ever noticed before.

I really cant explain how much I love this masque or recommend it enough. It makes me eager to try out some of the other products in the line like the shampoo.
Have you tried any of the Macadamia products?

More empties!

Okay, before I start I have a confession to make: I did not in fact finish the Mask of Maganminty face and back pack. Well I did finish it but I've already included that in empties post and I'm not sure how it's ended up in another one. By the time I realised I've already included it in a post, I had thrown away all the other empty products and it was too late to take another photograpgh. So there's that and lets move on on with some of the products I did in fact finish recently..

I finished two of the EOS lipbalms in summer fruits and mint. I love these lip balms, they do what they're supposed to do but the packing just isn't functional. I like to carry a lip balm around with me in my purse since most of the time this is all I take out with me but these are just far too big.. Which leads me on to the Burt's Bees lipbalm, a balm that does fit in my purse and which has been one of my favourites for a long time now.

I'm always in two minds about whether or not to include deodorant in these empties posts but the two I finished up recently are two that I really liked and I'm pretty hard to please when it comes to deodorant. The Nivea double effect in violet senses smells really good and I liked the Sure crystals deodorant because it comes in the stick form which is a type of deodorant I've been enjoying using lately.

I also had to include the Herbal Essences shampoo in chamomile because of the smell. This stuff smells amazing.

What have you used up recently?

Weekend travel make up!

Hello, hello! I just spent the past weekend up in Scotland for a wedding.. We had beautiful hot and sunny weather while we were there and also got to visit Loch Lomond, which as you can see from the above picture is absolutely beautiful! Anyway, I thought I would share the make-up that I took with you!

I was pretty tight on space so tried to condense what I took with me compared to what is normally in my make up bag and even though I kept a few things out, I still didn't end up using all the the things I took with me. I took the Seventeen Doll'd Up mascara in brown for the daytime since I like a more natural look along with the Rimmel nude eyeliner pencil and then switched them both out for the black Oraganic Wear mascara from Physicians Formula and brown eyeliner pencil from Soap and Glory for the reception. I also took with me my first Revlon lipstick that I've tried in 'Pink in the Afternoon' and so far I really like it!

What are you make up essentials when you travel?

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo

I was excited to try this shampoo after liking the conditioner and at first I liked it but after using it a few more times, I was pretty disappointed. I noticed my hair felt weird and almost powdery which lead me to think maybe I hadn't rinsed the shampoo out properly and made note to myself to make sure I rinsed well the next time I used this to wash my hair but found the same thing happened again. After the third wash with no change, I decided not to use this shampoo anymore. It felt like the product had built up and was in still in my hair making it hard to run my fingers through it or style and generally just did not feel very nice definitely not smooth or silky like the bottle claims! I couldn't wait to wash my hair again with a shampoo I know works well to get it all out. I was pretty disappointed and so glad I didn't buy the big huge version of this! One positive about this product though is the amount you get even though it's a mini size - perfect for a two week holiday or travelling if you like the Organix range.

Have you used this shampoo? Did you like it?

Empties!

As you can see, I've managed to get through quiet a lot of products but it has been over the course of a few months. That lip balm with the red lid and no label was a Carmex one - I seem to pull the labels off things when I'm coming to the end of them forgetting I want to take pictures of them for a blog post! I really like the Carmex lipbalms, especially in the twisty tubes like that one. Behind the Aussie conditioner is a Tresemme heat defense spray.. I need to organise my pictures better!

Tresemme shampoo - Ah! I am SO happy to be done with this shampoo. I don't think it's the greatest shampoo in the world and it's just far too big. I had trouble holding the bottle and I got bored of it half way through. 

Tresemme heat defense spray - I like this but I'm not sure whether it really does any good. I have another bottle on the go at the moment but once this one is gone I may look for a different one to try out. What are you favourites?

Natural Collection mascara in brown - I really liked this mascara considering it was under £2 but then I like natural looking lashes which is exactly what this gave me. If you like your lashes to look like you're wearing a lot of mascara then I don't think this is the one for you.

Babylips lipbalm in quenched - I've tried a few of the Babylips balms but this is my favourite. Since it's clear you don't need to worry about applying it without a mirror which for me, is something I don't want to worry about when applying a lip balm.

Collection concealer - While I like this concealer for covering blemishes I just find it breaks me out so although that tube in the picture isn't fully finished - I won't be using it anymore.

Soap and Glory smoulder kohl eyeliner pencil in black - I love this eyeliner! It  smooth and stays put all day. I could get some more use out of it but I lose the lid to it and it's now covered in other make up so I've decided to get rid of it.

Some further reviews of some of the other products can be seen by clicking the following links: Lush Mask of Magnaminty, Nip + Fab Pistachio Sundae body butter and Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl eyeliner pencil, 

Have you used any of these products? What have you used up recently?

Highstreet picks: Statement necklaces!

When it comes to necklaces I'm pretty fussy and being a small chested girl I find they don't always hang the way I want them too, which means I don't wear them all too often but that doesn't stop me admiring them from afar and lately I have been really liking big statement necklaces. You can't get very far on the highstreet at the moment without running into a few (or a fifty) - they are absolutely everywhere in every shape, colour and size you could imagine and are a perfect way to jazz up an otherwise plain outfit.

L-R: Accessorize £8 // New Look £6.99 // Accessorize £15 // Dorothy Perkins £12.50 // Topshop £25 // Accessorize £12 // New Look £5.99 // Love Rocks £40 // Dorothy Perkins £8.50 // New Look £7.99 // Topshop £16.50 // Topshop £7.50 // Dorothy Perkins £12.50 // New Look £6.99

Are you sporting any statement necklaces at the moment? I'd love to see your favourites!

Highstreet/Drugstore cleansers!

Hey guys! It's been a while - exams were keeping me busy but they're all done now and I can get back to blogging! Recently the cleanser I had been using for a while (the Garnier Pure Active one on the far right) was no longer available at Boots or Tesco, so I assumed they had discontinued it (don't you hate that?!) and decided I needed to branch out and find something new. Since then I've realised they still sell it in Asda, so I'm not sure what's going on with it but either way I tried out some new ones and decided to share my thoughts on them with you!

Clean and Clear deep action cream wash

This is a weird one because it really does feel like a cream when you put it onto your face, it's a lot thicker and nothing like your normal face wash. It smells nice and does leave your face feeling clean.

Neautrogena visibly clear oil free face wash

I don't like this one. I've also used the grapefruit version and didn't like that one either. It's just really hard to work with - the consistency of it is almost like a jelly/gel and I find it right slips off your hands making it hard to get any on your face to clean it with! It doesn't lather very well and I'm never left with a fresh, clean feeling face when I use it. I won't be repurchasing any of the washes from their line again.

Garnier Pure Active charcoal scrub

I really this one. I like the way it feels; like it's exfoliating your skin just enough and it lathers pretty nicely. It also eaves your skin feeling soft and clean.

Garnier Pure Active deep pore unclogging wash

Finally my favourite one. I'm so glad I found somewhere that still sells this and I'm buying a couple every time I go into Asda just in case they are phasing the product out. It lathers really nicely, smells nice and leaves your skin feeling super clean and fresh.

It seems like I'm a fan of the Pure Active line from Garnier - what are your favourites?

Lush - Mask of Magnaminty

Okay, to be honest I'm not the biggest fan of Lush but while I was having a nosey round in there recently I spotted this and decided to give it a try. Mask of Magnaminty is a mask for either your face or back which claims to fight against spots and blemishes. I've been using it in the bath now for a few weeks (leaving it on for around 10 minutes) and while I haven't seen much of a difference it feels really nice. 

The mask has a herbal and peppermint smell which at first I wasn't too keen on but I've grown to really like the and the peppermint oil has a cooling effect on your skin. Depending on how much and how long you leave it on for, the cooling sensation lasts even after you've rinsed it off. It's very easy to wash off and your skin is left feeling clean and fresh but it definitely takes a few rinses to get it out of your bath! 

You can click here to read more about this product on the Lush website and for this 315g pot it costs £8.95. I was a bit disappointed that it expires so quickly though (just over a month after I purchased it) - Do you use your Lush products after they have 'expired'?