Easter Egg Nail Art

Happy Easter gorgeous girls! I hope your all having a fabulous weekend and if your lucky enough, enjoying the bank holidays. I've had to work on Friday and will be working again Monday, no four day weekend for me booo :(. But regardless of that, I still intend to enjoy every bit of this weekend and get into the Easter grove. I'm up north visiting my nana and will be off out this evening to celebrate my dads birthday - Fun fun fun! As with any occasion painting your nails is a must, and today I felt inspired to do some Easter Egg nail art. 

There was no great difficultly in achieving this simple nail art design, I simply picked out the colours I wanted on my nails and went a bit wild with my dotting tool. I combined lines and dots to achieve a nail look that somewhat resembles the wrapping of an Easter Egg, pretty cool I think and very appropriate for this weekend. I really love this design as its fun, super cute and I'm able to wear a lot of pretty colours all at once. You can get this look, or create something similar with three easy peasy steps.

1. Paint your nails a base colour, I've used a sheer baby pink as I've lost my white nail polish. I think a light colour will work best for this as it will make all the other colours really pop and stand out.

2. Once your nails are dry, take a nail striper or nail art pen and draw two lines horizontally across the nail. Then take a dotting tool and at the tip of the nails, dot loads of dots in a row to create a pretty scalloped edge.

3. Once your stripes have all dried, take your dotting tool and place dots different shapes and sizes on and in-between your lines (be dotting crazy as your like). Once all your dots have dried seal your design with a topcoat to smooth out any bumps and to give your nails that super glossy look.

And it's as simple as that! Have you been getting creative with Easter nail art? Let me know I would love to see your designs. 

Lot's of Love

PS. Please excuse the state of my hands and cuticles in these pictures, the cold weather has not been kind to them. If anyone has some good cuticle oil recommendations, please let me know. 

Mac Paint Pot 'Let's Skate!' | Review

 

If you've seen my latest post, which was my Mac and Boots Haul, you ladies will know that I treated myself to a new Paint Pot from Mac in 'Let's Skate'. When I went to the Mac counter, the only thing that I knew for certain I was treating myself too was the Eye Kohl eyeliner in Smolder and I had no intention of picking up this paint pot at all. I had only heard about Let's Skate when I was catching up with my YouTube videos and saw Fleur De Force and Sprinkle of Glitter raving about it. I must admit I was intrigued as it looked ever so pretty, but it wasn't something I felt that I needed. So when the little Paint Pot stand was right in front of me, the beauty blogger in me was desperate to have a swatch and I have to say it was love at first sight - It is just so pretty and I knew that I would be regretting not buying it big time, if I didn't take this home with me. 

Mac's 'Let's Skate' is the most beautiful champagne pink colour, filled with tons of finely milled iridescent glitter which is more on the golden side. This Paint Pot is definitely not for you girls who don't like your glitter or shimmer as 'Let's Skate' has it in bundles. As much as I love a bit of glitter, I don't want it too look as though I've thrown a load of glitter onto my lids, and as glittery as 'Let's Skate' is, I find it the shimmer in it to be subtle as its more of a light reflecting glitter - And when applied looks stunning on. The glitter in 'Let's Skate' reminds me of the shimmer you see shining though in the snow, when the light reflects off it and this Paint Pot definitely has that  wintry feel to it. In the pot 'Let's Skate' looks very opaque and would look as though it's a soft baby pink, but actually applies very sheer and becomes more of a pealesque white shade with pink undertones. I love how you can build it up to achieve a shade which is more similar to what you see in the pot, without it feeling too cakey on. 

Mac Paint Pots are much hyped about in the world of beauty for their longwear, texture and versatility and 'Let's Skate' in my opinion really does tick all the boxes, I love it. Since buying this I've worn it just on it's own, for a quick easy daytime look and it lasted all day on my lids without any creasing whatsoever. The creamy formula applies so easily just with your finger tips, and although its glittery, it in no way feels grainy to the touch. There's nothing worse than an eye product giving you that scratchy feeling when you apply it. Although applying this is easy, I find that it does dry pretty quickly, so you do have to work pretty fast and only work on one eye at a time. Other than that I can't fault it in anyway. I'm also loving the way that this Paint Pot blends out, and with the excess product that's on my fingers after application, I find myself taking the leftover product up onto my brow bone, as it makes a lovely highlight. I also think 'Let's Skate' is  extremely versatile, which makes it a great all round eye product - It will work fabulously as a base for your other eye shadows and because the colour is so sheer it can be paired with pretty much any colour shadow you like! The sheer pink tones means that it will work perfectly with all your 'cool' eye shadows - I found that deep purples and cool greys look great paired with this. Whist the golden shimmer within the product means that you can pair 'Let's Skate' with a lot of you neutral shades too. In the pictures below I've used it as a base and applied 'Naked' over the lid and 'blended 'Buck into the crease, which makes a  perfect warm daytime look. There is so much shimmer in 'Let's Skate' that I find that even when I apply an eye shadow over the top, you can still see the shimmer coming though and I love how this changes the look of you every day eye shadows too. Hopefully you will be able to see how shimmery this Paint Pot is in the pictures below, but it was refusing to be captured in its true beauty (keep in mind that 'Naked' and 'Buck' are both matte shadows).

Priced at £14.50 from the Mac Website I do think that it is a little on the pricey side for what it is, but at the same time I think that this is such a unique shade that it's worth every penny and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it. It really has lived up to it's expectation, from that 'love at first sight' swatch while I was in Mac. I think it's ever so pretty, girly and think this will look amazing in the summer months too or prefect on holiday as the sun reflecting on the glitter will look just beautiful. 

Have you tried 'Let's Skate' yet? I would love to know your thoughts. 

Lot's of love

Mac and Boots Haul!

Happy weekend lovely ladies! I hope your all well and that the snow is not proving to be too troublesome for anyone. Usually if its cold and snowing, every part of me wishes to stay in, hibernate and just keep cosy. But despite the bad weather we've been having, I decided to take a shopping trip to MK with my favourite girlies for some much needed makeup retail therapy. This shopping trip had been planned for a few weeks and we were all so excited, so there was certainly no chance that the snow was going to ruin our plans. I'm so pleased that it went ahead as I had one of the best girly days out EVER filled with lots of giggling and of course lots of SHOPPING! So seeing as all I did was shop for makeup goodies, and I know how all of you love a good makeup haul, I thought it would be extremely rude of me not to share with you what I bought. 

Mac Paint Pot in Let's Skate

When it comes to Mac, my wishlist is always endless, but this Paint Pot in Let's Skate wasn't anywhere near the top of it. In fact I hadn't even heard of it, until the other night when I was catching up with my YouTube videos and watched Fleur De Force and Sprinkle of Glitter use it on one of their videos. It looked really pretty from what I could see on the video, but I'll be honest, it wasn't something that I felt I needed, until I swatched it that is! This Paint Pot is gorgeous with its champagne pink colouring filled with loads of tiny iridescent golden flecks of shimmer, its just beautiful and I fell in love with it instantly. It looks perfect for those days where you don't want to wear a lot of eye makeup, but still want your eyes to look pretty with minimum fuss. 

Mac Eye Kohl in Smolder

I have been lusting after this eye kohl eyeliner from Mac for quite sometime, but the £14.00 price tag has always put me off a little. I know Kayleigh over at Couture Girl is a big fan of this liner and her eyes always look amazing when she wears it, so for me it was definitely something that I wanted to try. I have high expectations for this liner and this is probably the product I'm most excited about using out of all the bits I got. Kayleigh you are to blame for this one :p. 

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation 

Ever since the Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation appeared on our Revlon counter, I've wanted to try it as I've always been a fan of Revlon's foundations. I know that there has been a lot of people moaning about its lack of pump and I agree - Revlon, how hard would have it been to design this with the pump added? But a lot of us beauties seam to think this is a great foundation, so I'm looking forward to trying it out and seeing how well I get on with it. I've heard it's supposed to be similar to the YSL Touche Eclat Foundation, which I've never tired, so it makes this Revlon foundation sound very appealing to me. I'll be sure to let you all know how I get on. 

Revlon Photoready Concealer

I've been running low on my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer for a while now and had every intention of repurchasing it today in Boots - But to my disappointment they only had shade 1 and 4 in stock, so I decided I would try something new. I was at the Revlon Counter deciding which shade of foundation to choose, whilst my friends were also on the hunt for a new concealer and after swatching nearly every concealer Boots had to offer they decided that the Revlon Photoready Concealer was the one to try. They are big beauty fans too, so I decided to trust their judgement and popped one in my basket too. I am a huge fan of the Photoready Foundation, so I'm hoping this concealer will be a hidden beauty gem that I've stumbled upon.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder 

This may come as a little shock to you all, but I have never EVER tried this much raved about Rimmel Stay Matte Powder and I can't tell you how happy I am to finally get my hands on it. For the last year and a half I have been using my Clinique Blended Face Powder, which I adore, but it's coming to an end, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to finally try this one out.

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzing Powder

This is a repurchase for me, as the Bourjois Chocolate Bronzing Powder has to be my most loved and most favourite bronzer of all time. I love it so much that this is my fifth one I think!? I'm actually a little surprised that I've not done a review on this before as I talk about it loads and use it everyday without fail - I love its chocolate smell, and the finish that it leaves on your skin is just amazing. Its just a fabulous bronzer, I could talk about how much I love it all day... A review will most definitely be coming up soon. 

MUA Blusher Shade 5

I only popped into Superdrug for a short while, whilst on my shopping trip and I decided that I would just pick this MUA Blusher up because its pretty and affordable. I've had this shade before and used the entire blush up, so it's definitely one that I reach for a lot. Shade 5 is a pretty coral shade with little flecks of shimmer in it. I love coral blushers and think they are perfect for the summer - So when we do eventually get some warmer weather, my cheeks and I will be set to go with this blush. If you would like to see what this blush looks like swatched you can find my review here.

Rimmel Apocalips 'Apocaliptic'

Another shock for you, I have not yet tried one of the most hyped about products so far this year. Of course I'm talking about the Rimmel Apocalips. I decided that a must is a must and I can no longer wait to try these out any longer, so I decided to pick up the shade Apocaliptic as bight fuchsias have to be my favourite kind of colour to wear on my lips. I've heard nothing but fantastic things about these, so I have a good feeling that I'm going to fall in love with this beauty. 

L'Oreal False Lash Flutter

A little while ago you may have seen my review on the L'oreal Volume Million Lashes mascara (here) and I love it  so much that in my review I know I said something along the lines of 'I don't see myself purchasing another mascara for the longest of time'. Well how wrong I was. I think I must have been in one of those moods today, where I just had the urge to try some new products. I've seen this L'Oreal False Lash Flutter being advertised on the TV and when I saw it next to my beloved Volume Million Lashes mascara, I was tempted to leave it there on the self. But right at the last minute  I had a 'what if this is better than the volume million lash' moment and decided to pop the False Lash Flutter right into my basket. I have to say I don't think I've ever tried a bad mascara from L'Oreal, there just a little on the pricey side, so I have high hopes for this one and that it doesn't turn out to be a regret!

Schwarzkoph Got2B Glued Hairspray 

This has got to be one of the best hairsprays I've ever tried and I haven't had it in my hair care beauty basket for the longest of time as I only really purchase it around the Summer. This is just because around this time of year I  do a lot of cheer related stuff and need a strong hold hairspray that will keep my big cheer hair in place. But I've really missed using this, so I decided to pick one up. I love the bright yellow packaging and it definitely will help put me in the mood for spring, even if the weather has different ideas.

So that's everything I got beauties, I've attached the link for each item in case you've been inspired by this little haul and want to get your hands on any of these products yourself. If there is anything that you are wanting an in depth review of, please just let me know in the comments below and I will get on it right away. Also, it's that fantastic time of year again where Boots have the 3 for 2 offer across all their makeup, so that means lots of beauty bargains are to be had :). I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend and are keeping snug!

Lot's of Love

L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash Review

The other day I was casually passing time on my lunch break walking around Boots, as you do and saw that Boots had a 3 for 2 offer over all L'Oreal cosmetics. Seeing as the new L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash glosses have been something I've been eager to get my beauty mitts on, I thought it would be extremely rude of me not to take Boots up on this offer and treated myself to three beautiful shades. I've been hearing a few mixed reviews on these lip products in the world of beauty, but as soon as I saw Fleur De Force rave about them in one of her latest videos, I knew that I definitely wanted to try them and see for myself what they are really like. Apparently the GlamShine Stain Splashes are supposed to be good dupes for the YSL Glossy Stains, sadly I've never tried one, so I can't compare the two in this review for you. But after trying and wearing these on my lips all week I can give you beauties my thoughts on how good these lip products from L'Oreal really are.

First of all let me start with packaging! I love the look of these GlamShine Splash Stains, with their sleek gold packaging and little window at the top in which you can see the product in. I think they look much more expensive than their £7.99 price tag and it gives me that 'classy girl' feeling when I whip it out of my makeup bag to apply it. I think its the fact that there is nothing printed on the actual packaging and the L'Oreal logo is a part of the casing which makes this look like a high-end product. The top easily twists off at the top and you apply these to your lips using the teardrop doe foot applicator, which L'Oreal say is designed to 'match perfectly to the contour of your lips' and I agree fully. The wand is ever so soft, and glides easily over your lips, giving you a very even application. 

When it comes to the actual product, these GlamShine Splash Stains feel amazing on the lips, but are a bit tricky to describe how they feel once applied, so I will try my best. The gloss itself feels quite wet on first application, but creamy at the same time, but it only takes couple of seconds for it to dry on your lips. For me it feels like I'm applying a lipstick, which has a lot thinner consistency. Once you've applied the Splash Stain on your lips, I find that it dries like a stain, but looks like your wearing a really pigmented and shiny lipgloss on your lips instead - Which in my opinion is fantastic as you get none of that horrible sticky feeling that a gloss can sometimes give you. I've even been out and done the 'wind' test and you'll be pleased to hear that not one strand of hair got stuck to my lips. Although these dry on your lips pretty quickly, you might think that they would be a bit drying on, but I've found them to be quite the opposite. It feels as though your adding a nice protective barrier on your lips, whist hydrating them at the same time.  And when it comes to staying power, these glosses really don't disappoint. The colour will last on your lips for hours, and even when the colour does start to fade your left with a nice even stain on your lips. The staying power is that good, that you can easily take a sip from a drink without leaving that horrible lip stain mark on the glass. Admittedly the shiny gloss bit does fade a little bit quicker, so for you beauties who want mega glossy lips, you would need to reapply this every couple of hours. 

When reading other reviews online, the only bad points everyone seams to be picking up are the colours of this GlamShine collection. I think I swatched every single shade and I found that some shades were too similar and other colours were shades that just didn't particularly excite me. I picked up what up the shades which I thought I would get the most wear out of which were Juliet, Princess and Romy. I have to say the colours when you swatch them on your hands are a little deceiving as the colour which is transferred onto your lips can look a little different. Juliet which looks a like a dark pink in the tube, actually turns out to be a rich deep red shade on your lips; While Romy looks like a nice bubblegum pink when swatching it, but turns out to be a pretty dusty rose colour when on. I also found that I needed to layer these on my lips to get a good colour payout when wearing them, two layers will do the trick to get you a rich pigmented finish. This personally doesn't bother me, but I can see how some people could see this as annoying or a waste of product. In the swatches below I've applied two coats on my lips, even though I've had to add a second coat, I still think the colours on your lips look gorgeous and I love how shiny they make my lips look.

Overall I'm really impressed with the L'Oreal GlamShine Splash Stains and I'm pleased to welcome them into my collection of lipsticks and glosses. I think that these would be perfect for anyone who finds wearing lipstick a little bit daunting as they are a lot more subtle and I've really enjoyed wearing these on days where I'm not in the mood to wear lipstick, but still want a lovely pop of colour on my lips. If your tempted to try these out, they are on offer at Boots right now and you can find the link here.

Have you tried the L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash yet? What are your thoughts? I would love to know.

Lot's of Love

The Beauty Blogger Tag

Image We Heart It | Edited by me

Happy weekend all you beauty bloggers and to anyone else who has popped over for a read. Yesterday the lovely Luchessa over at Beauty Expression tagged me in the 'Beauty Blogger Tag' and oh my gosh you guys, you know I love nothing more than doing a tag. This one is all nearly all beauty related, so hopefully it will make a good read for you all and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Luchessa's answers. So without further ado, let's get on with it :) ...

Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

My hair has a natural wave to it, but it's not what I'd call a pretty wave, it's one that always looks like a bit of a frizzy mess that needs taming! When I leave my hair to dry naturally, it really can go a bit wild, especially if I scrunch the ends with my finger tips when it's almost dried. However if I use the hairdryer my hair will dry pretty much straight.

Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

 pretty much always dye my hair myself, unless I'm wanting to change the colour drastically, then I'll leave it to the professionals.

Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

I love experimenting with new hairstyles when I have the time, but day to day, I'll usually wear it down straight, or have it tied up in a high messy pony tail.

Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I always do my own as I'm pretty obsessed with nail polish and actually really enjoy taking the time out to do my nails - I find it relaxes me. Plus I tried wearing acrylics once and I'm allergic to whatever they use as they made my fingers swell up like little fat sausages. 

How often do you change your nail polish?

Normally I'll do my nails around 3 times a week, I can get bored pretty quickly with having the same colour on my nails for too long, so I like to change it up a bit.

Do you polish your toes in the winter or just in the summer?

You will always find my little toes with a coat of polish on them. I'm really lazy with painting my toe nails though, anytime of year. I find that polish on my toenails lasts for absolutely ages and chip free, so I just leave it on there till it looks a state and redo it. I also hate taking the polish of my toes! Does anyone else find that the polish is much more of a nightmare to get off?

How long does it take for you to put on your makeup?

Day to day my makeup takes me around half an hour to do. If its a special occasion or I'm off out for the evening it will usually take around 45 minutes. For me doing my makeup is my favourite thing in the morning, I find it so relaxing and therapeutic and sets me up well for the day ahead.

What do you do first, face or eyes?

I always start off with my face, starting off with foundation, concealer and powder, then I will move onto my eyes. Once my eyes are done, I'll finish off with my face adding bronzer, blush and a highlighter. And no makeup look is complete without adding your favourite lippie or gloss at the end to complete your look - I usually do this just before I walk out the door!

Do you 'collect' makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I do a bit of both, I'll only really buy foundation, concealer, powder and mascara when I need it, but with everything else the 'beauty blogger' comes out in me and I get easily tempted by new products on the shelf. There is nothing more satisfying than buying a new lipstick, just because it looks pretty, even though you may have several shades similar. I would never go out my way to buy makeup that's not me, or something I wouldn't use though, just for the sake of having a makeup collection.

How often do you wear false eyelashes?

When I'm off out in the evening, false eyelashes is a MUST! My lashes would feel naked without them. But everyday a couple of coats of mascara is usually fine for me. Having said that, I started a thing at work called False Lash Friday as it's always nice to glam yourself up a bit now and again... Any excuse!

Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

The majority of the time I will wear a full face of makeup, even if I'm having a chill day at home. Anyone who knows me well, will know that I will never ever leave the house without makeup on. If I'm having a lazy day at home then I like to keep my makeup to a minimum, mascara is always a must though as I find its the perfect thing to brighten up my eyes.

Do you wear makeup when your home alone, or with family?

Yes all the time, even if its just a little bit, I feel much more awake and prepared for anything when I have my makeup on. However I know its good to give your skin a break now and again and lately I've gotten into the habit of taking my makeup off as soon as I get home from work, when I know I'm in for the night.

Will you leave the house without makeup?

Nope, never ever! For me wearing makeup gives me confidence and I feel ready to face the world and any situation when I'm all done up.

How many high-end products do you have? 

I have a fair few in my collection and often get my high-end products as a special treat to myself or ask for it for Birthday/Christmas. But the majority of my makeup is drugstore, I think there are so many fantastic drugstore brands out there with loads of beauty gems to be found.

Do you plan your OOTD every night or decided when you are getting dressed?

For everyday outfits I just decide on the day, the lovely British weather is way too unpredictable and I usually find if I go though all the trouble of planning an outfit the night before, then you can bet the weather will find a way to ruin things. For nights out though and important events, I'll always plan my outfits in advance and will poke my tongue out to whatever the weather brings.

How often do you change your handbag?

Not very often! When it comes down to an everyday handbag, I usually buy one that is versatile and that will pretty much go with every outfit. I'll use it to death or until I get bored of it then move onto a new handbag.

What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

On the weekday I usually wake up around 8 and will aim to be in bed for half 11 or midnight. I am a terrible sleeper though and it can take me hours to fall asleep, even when I'm exhausted. At the weekend I rarely set an alarm and when it comes to a time for getting up and sleeping, anything goes.

How often or when do you workout?

I definitely don't work out as much as I should, that's for sure! I'll go to cheerleading once a week, which is one of those BIG workouts that doesn't even feel like a workout because it's just so fun! I also try to stretch everyday to work on my flexibility ... I call it flexacising ha :) I was thinking of getting a post up all about how anyone can become more flexible if they wanted... Let me know if this is something you beauties will be interested in seeing?

Left handed or right handed?

I'm right handed!

How tall are you?

I honestly don't know to the exact measurement, but I'm pretty sure its around 5'3.

Do you speak any foreign language?

No, but I really wish that I could. I would love to speak fluent French or Spanish but I was never that good at it at school.

How many pets do you have?

I have a little Chocolate Labrador called Hugo and hes only 5 months old. Even though he lives at my mums, he is still my little baby... Love him.

How often are you on blogger?

I love blogging and if I could have three extra hours a day, just dedicated to my blog then I'd be in little bloggy heaven. Unfortunately, I feel like a right busy bee and only manage to get around three posts up a week, I wish I could post more though!

Do you read comments posted on blogs?

I always read comments on posts, and love to comment on other bloggers post. One of the best and most satisfying things about being a blogger has to be the interaction with everyone and reading a lovely comment first thing in the morning is by far the best thing to pop a spring into your step.

Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

I think every beauty blogger out there will have a long LONG list of all the beauty items that they want to get their little beauty mitts on and I am no different. I find that as soon as I've checked one thing off my tall list another two have been added. What can I say? I have beauty blogger problems!

How did you come up with your Blog name?

I really wanted to pick a name that reflected me and my personality and one which sounded inviting. During my college years (Gwad that was so long ago now) I was forever being called 'Miss Sunshine' as I love the summer and my friends said that having me around was like carrying around a little ray of sunshine (aww bless them). I also love anything that sparkles and I'm pretty sure that most people will have a smile on their faces when the sunshines or they see something that sparkles, so I put the two together and that's how my blog name came about. 

What kind of camera do you use for your photographs? 

I use a Nikon Coolpix P6000, it's my dads old camera and so far its worked fantastically for all my blogging needs, but I am saving up for something much more fancier but have no idea where to start looking! I would love your camera recommendations beauty bloggers! 

How often do you clean your house?

What has this got to do with beauty blogging? I'm guessing this question has been thrown in here to 'spice' things up a little. But for those of you wanting to know, I clean my house or room everyday. I can't stand living in a mess, an untidy room always makes me feel like I have a clouded mind!

What's your favourite colour?

My favourite colour has to be coral as it's just so pretty and is the ultimate summer colour... my favourite time of year!

Do you swear?

Very rarely do I swear, I try to act like a classy gal most of the time, but sometimes the odd word or two will slip out. If I do swear I find that I often do in a joking kind of way, when your having a laugh or giggle with someone.

What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Well its nearly 8 and I'm waiting for the Domino's man to arrive with my Hawaiian pizza with stuffed crust cheese. Yum Yum!  And then I'll probably see what rubbish is on TV or watch a film.

I hope you all had a jolly good read and I tag everyone to do this tag too. Let me know if you relate to any of my answers and if you have ago yourself, as I would love to have a read.

Lot's of Love

Google Reader | What's going on?

Image We Heart It

So today I got back home after being absent from Twitter all day, only to check it and find that nearly my entire feed is about the Google Reader drama and how this is going to effect following blogs etc... eeek!. I'm sure your all fully aware of the news, and I wont try to explain it all, if truth be told I don't quite understand the ins and outs. But what I do know is that Google Reader will be saying goodbye from the 1st July, but GFC will be staying which may mean we all change the way we follow and read blogs. It seams like every beauty blogger out there is swapping over to other platforms to follow their favourite blogs and 'Bloglovin' seaming to be the most popular choice. I've been a fan Bloglovin for ages and personally prefer it to using the feed that Blogger gives you on the Dashboard, so luckily I follow most of you beauties on there anyway. I think it's so great that I can't understand why it's not been as popular up until now.  Either way I'm sure most of you will agree that, just to be on the safe side it's always good to follow your favourite bloggers on other platforms, one for the support and two because I love seeing everyone's blog updates and that way I'm sure I don't miss out! So while all this drama was going on I thought I'd let you beauties know about all the ways you can follow and keep up to date with Miss Sunshine & Sparkle. 

Bloglovin

Hello Cotton

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Who knows what the future holds for GFC and the way we follow our favourite blogs, but sometimes it's best to be safe than sorry. The best bit about being a blogger definitely has to be the interaction with all you lovely lot, I'm sure you will agree... So if you do follow me on any of these platforms, let me know in the comments below with your links and I'll be sure to follow you back. Thanks for reading beauty babes and the biggest thank you ever for taking the time to follow my little bloggy.

 

Lot's of Love

GHD Style Heat Protect Spray | Review

GHD Style Heat Protect Spray* £9.95

When it comes to styling your hair with heat, then a heat protect spray is always a must! However you maybe a bit like me and lacking a lot little when it comes to spraying your hair with some kind of heat defence, so your forever ending up scorching your locks. My lack of using a heat protect spray is honestly not down to lazyness but just because I've never found one that I actually like using... Up and till now that is. Recently I was kindly asked if I wanted to try out the GHD Style Heat Protect Spray and after using it religiously for the last two weeks, I'm pleased to say its made its way into my everyday hair care routine.

First of all I love the sleek, sophisticated packaging of this GHD Protect Spray and think it represents the brand and the product well. The bottle feels quite weighted which gives it an 'expensive' feel to it, while the black design with its shiny gold metallic writing and prints make this really stand out against my other beauty items. It definitely has that salon feel to it, which always makes me excited about using it in my hair. The bottle itself fits nicely into your hand and the pump where the spray dispenses is also pretty sturdy, which makes it much easier to direct the spray to each section of your hair. I have been so impressed with the design of the pump on the GHD Style Heat Protect Spray, as so often I find that you get a spray that dispenses the product in every single direction, which ends up you wasting a lot of product. But I've found that this one from GHD dispenses just the right amount of product, exactly where you have sprayed it and evenly.

As for a heat protective spray, this one from GHD works fantastically! And the smell alone is enough for me to fall in love with this product - The scent is very 'fresh' and has that salon smell to it. GHD which stands for 'Good Hair Day' have really come out with a brilliant product that works hand in hand with their famous hair straighteners and other heated appliances, so you really can have an exceptionally good hair day. In general I've never been a fan of heat protect sprays just because I find them to add too much build up in my hair, which only makes my hair feel more greasy. So I end up washing my hair even more, which only results in using more heat on my hair... So I think it defeats the object of using a heat protect spray in the first place. However, I love how the GHD Style Protect Heat Spray only leaves my hair feeling luxuriously soft, while giving my hair that 'product free' feel. The actual spray itself is very lightweight which makes it suitable for all hair types. If you have thin hair like me which is prone to getting greasy quickly, then you'll be pleased to hear that your second day hair after washing feels just as good with using this spray- And because the spray is so lightweight it makes it easy to layer with other products to achieve any desired hairstyle. I don't know about anyone else but I always get a little worried when introducing a new product to my hair care routine, just in case it effects the way I plan to style my hair (does anyone have this problem?). But I've not had any trouble with creating my chosen hairstyles with this spray - If anything it only enhances the way my hair looks and gives it that 'just out of the salon' feel. In my opinion what makes this spray extra special, is that it works just as good on dry hair as it does on damp or towel dried hair - When you spray it on to dry hair before styling you get none of that awful krispyness on your hair (I'm sure you ladies will all know what I'm talking about).

To give you an idea of how well this spray works, I've added some pictures below to show you how the spray has made a difference when styling my hair. The top pictures show my hair with the spay in before I've zapped it with the dryer. While the bottom pictures show what my hairs like after styling using my GHD's. I've used the spray twice in one styling session, once on damp hair and the second on dry hair. Hopefully you can see from the pictures that my hair is straight and smooth and you'll have to take my word for it that my locks felt ever so soft. I've also found that when you straighten your hair using the heat protect spray, your hair will stay straight for much longer. As my hair is naturally wavy, I usually find that when I straighten my hair, the next morning after a fidgety nights sleep, my hair is back to a fizzy wavy mess - But when I've used the GHD Heat Protect Spray, my hair is pretty much straight the next morning, which means I can style my hair much quicker and more importantly use less heat... So even more goodness and love for your hair. 

Overall I love this product and if your a girl who can't live without a bit of heat on your hair, then this product is a must. You can buy the GHD Style Protect Spray or any other GHD styling products directly from the GHD website linked below.

www.ghdhair.com

Have you tried the GHD Protect Spray yet or any other GHD hair styling products? I would love to know.

Lot's of Love

Note: The GHD Style Protect Spray does not come with the box featured in the pictures, this is my GHD straighteners box and thought it would make an appropriate background for this product. 

Flower Pharm Lime Blossom Body Butter

Hi beauties, the other day I was in Tesco causally browsing the beauty isles as you do, and was drawn to this lime blossom body butter by a brand called Flower Pharm. Now I've never heard of this brand before, but its cute, yet simple packaging caught my eye and after having a quick smell (it more than passed the sniff test) I decided to pop it in my basket so I could test it out. A lot of you know I adore body butters and I have to say that this lime blossom one is just a tub full of loveliness. 

First of all let me tell you all about the smell - As the tub would suggest the smell has the fragrance of lime blossom, initially I wasn't sure if this was a name of an actual plant or if the brand decided to just infuse lime and flower scents together - I did a little research and it is in fact and actual plant which is also known as Linden. So what does lime blossom smell like? Well its actually pretty hard to describe, its one of those smells that you really need to smell yourself, but I think its just lovely! When I take a whiff it reminds me of walking into a meadow full of fresh flowers. The fragrance of this body butter is a very delicate one and not on the heavy side. You get the most gorgeous smell of spring time flowers but you also get a hint of lime in there which stops this body butter smelling too floral. When I say you get a hint of lime, I'm not talking about a strong overpowering scent of it either if your thinking along the lines of S&G's Sugar Crush, it's fairly subtle and just makes the scent of this body butter that extra bit special and different. Personally I don't think the smell will be to everyone's liking as does have that aromatherapy kind of smell to it, which makes sense as the flower lime blossom is known for its relaxing and calming properties and is often used in teas and herbal remedies. When you smell this body butter you do get a sense of feeling relaxed as the smell is just so fresh, yet very feminine and dainty. I love floral fragrance things, but love how this Flower Pharm one doesn't smell artificial or too over powering, its just perfect and smells like you have just been handed a bouquet of flowers. The tub says that wearing this 'feels like spring everyday' and I couldn't agree more, the fragrance couldn't be more fitting for this time of year.

As for a moisturiser this Flower Pharm one applies evenly over the skin, in the tub its a thick and feels as though it will be quite heavy. But once applied it absorbs really quickly into the skin and doesn't leave you with that sticky after feeling - Which makes it perfect for applying in the mornings, especially when you need to get out the door quick and don't have time to hang around waiting for your moisturiser to dry. Each time I've used this, it's left my skin feeling nourished and I love how the flowery scent clings onto your body for hours after its application.

I also love the simple packaging of this body butter as it's minimal fuss, looks clean with its lilac tub and pretty little blossoms scattered around it. For me it reflects what the body butter is like - pretty, delicate, fresh and girly. I've had a good look around the Internet to see if I could find a link for this Flower Pharm Body Butter, but I had no such luck, I couldn't even find it on the Tesco website. But I'm pretty sure that you will be able to find this in your local Tesco stores, especially if its a big one and its around the £5 mark which is a bargain as you get a lot of product and a little of this goes a long way.

Overall I am loving this little beauty and this will definitely be my most reached for body butter over Spring. Have you tried any of the Flower Pharm products? I would love to know. 

Lot's of Love