Monday 29 April 2013

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula | My Favourite Everyday Moisturiser!


Hello ladies! It's that time of the week again that the majority of us hate! Anyone else like me and battling a case of serious Monday Blues this morning? So to cheer myself up and to kick start the week I thought I would get a post up on one of my most favourite moisturisers ever - Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula. It's such a firm favourite of mine that I can't quite believe I've never dedicated a whole blog post to it before now. 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter is one of those classic and timeless body lotions that has been used for generations and I remember treating myself to a bottle when I was 16 with my first ever wages. After trying and testing a little sample in a Cosmo Magazine, I fell in love and knew I wanted to smother my body in the rich luxurious lotion everyday - I think its fair to say that Palmer's Cocoa Butter got me hooked on moisturising my body everyday and for this reason alone I love it. I know that when ever I have a bottle of this on my beauty dresser, without fail I will moisturise daily. 

If you've been reading my blog for a little while, then you will know by now that moisurising has to be one of my favourite parts in my whole shower/pamper routine and because of this I've tried my fair share of body lotions and body butters. Recently I've been hooked on body butters, especially the oh so smelling good ones from Soap & Glory. But I can find that applying a body butter can be a bit too much for a morning moisturise, especially when your in a rush and have to pop your clothes on right after - That sticky feeling underneath your clothes is never a pleasant one. So I've decided to leave the body butter for the evening and go back to an everyday moisturiser for the mornings. I've tried so many everyday body lotions, but for me nothing really compares to the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula - It is by far the best every day body lotion that you could use. So when I saw it on offer in Sainsbury's I decided to stock up and have been in body lotion heaven ever since.

The reason why I love Palmer's Cocoa Butter so much has to be the fact that is does an amazing job at nourishing the skin, leaving it feeling hydrated and silky smooth. I find it's the only moisturiser that feels and works just like a body butter. However it absorbs into your skin ever so quickly, so your not left with that sticky feeling afterwards. Cocoa butter is a rich natural moisturiser as it is, and I adore that rich buttery texture of the moisturiser. If your skin is prone to getting dry quickly, or if you have any rough dry patches, then this moisturiser really will work wonders on getting rid of those. Not to mention that the smell of this body butter is amazing - It has that rich cocoa smell that really does linger around on your skin hours after application. Palmer's do have a fragrance free version of their Cocoa Butter Formula for sensitive skin, but I can't think for the life of me why you would want one that doesn't have that yummy cocoa smell - For me that's part of the reason why I love applying this so much. Another reason why I'm hooked on Palmer's Cocoa Butter has to be the fact that I am a bit of an obsessed fake tanner, and this is the perfect moisturiser that goes hand in hand when it comes to tanning. The moisturiser is an excellent after tanning butter and I find that it really helps to prolong my tan. I always take a bottle of this on holiday, as it works amazingly at prolonging any natural tan as too. 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter is also rich in Vitamin E, which is known to help the appearance of scars, stretch marks and give you that even skin toned look. While I've never used the moisturiser for this purpose, I do find that when I use this regularly  my skin looks more even, which is only a huge plus. Palmer's Cocoa Butter for me is also the perfect moisturiser to use after shaving your legs. I've had countless of moments in the past, where I've applied a moisturiser on after shaving and have been left with that horrible stinging feeling - But you don't get that at all with Palmer's and its a lovely feeling, popping the moisture back into your legs, leaving it ever so soft  and silky to the touch - With summer fast approaching us, it's important to have our pins looking their finest whilst were in our pretty floral frocks and dare I say short shorts!

As for the packaging, Palmer's have kept it pretty simple and I don't think it's changed at all since I started buying it almost 9 years ago! By no means is the packaging fancy, or does it jump at you when sat there on the shelves, but in all honestly I really don't think that it needs too. The product held within the bottle really speaks for itself and Palmer's have been such a trusted brand for the longest of time, that they really don't need to make their packaging fancy. I must admit though, the pump at the top of the bottle is a huge plus, as it makes dispensing the product really easy, and you are able to pump out almost every last bit of moisturiser held within the bottle.

Overall I love this stuff and I can't recommend the Palmer's Cocoa Butter formula enough. I'm sure that many of you being the beauty lovers that you are, have already tried this over and over again and are shaking your heads in agreement with everything I've said in this post. But it might just reminded you that you need to pick up a bottle again - Especially if your like me and have neglected it for a little while, due to trying out other moisturisers. And if you haven't given this ago yet, then I urge you to try it as I promise you, you will love it! 

Do you love Palmer's Cocoa Butter as much as I do? Let me know beauties, I would love to know your thoughts.


Lot's of Love



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Saturday 27 April 2013

HUGE Spring Spectacular Collaboration Giveaway

Hello gorgeous girlies (and guys). Today I have an exciting post for you that's been in the pipeline for a little while now and I'm so pleased to finally be sharing it with you all. As you guessed by the title it's a Spring Spectacular Giveaway! Gemma from Miss Makeup Magpie and I have teamed up to give you beauties the chance to step into Spring fully with a giveaway piled with goodies that will get you well and truly Spring ready. What better way to kick off the season with new makeup and pretty little accessories that will help give you that fresh Spring look and prepare you for every occasion coming your way. Gem and I feel that these beauty bits are the perfect items that will help make your Spring Spectacular!!


The Prizes
Benefit Fine One One
Shisedo Perfect Rouge Lipstick
Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder
MUA Undress Me Too Palette
Max Factor Colour Elixir Giant Pen Stick - Subtle Coral
LOOK Beauty Double Hit Lip - Pink Punch
River Island Floral Bun Top
River Island Turquoise Embellished Skull Bracelet
River Island Multicoloured Skull Bead Stretch Bracelet
River Island Gold Tone Skull Dangle Earrings 

Over the past few months, the support from you fellow beauties has been overwhelming and just phenomenal and we cannot thank you enough! As a way of saying thank you, Gem and I want to give you the chance of winning all the beauty bits shown in the pictures above. Each item has been carefully thought out and will hopefully prepare you all for the sunnier and warmer weather to come. We hope you love each item as much as we do! 

So to be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is simply follow the Raffle Copter steps below. I wish each and everyone of you the very best of luck and once again thank you for all your support - It really means the world to both me and Gem.


Lot's of Love and Good Luck!!

Terms & Conditions - 
This giveaway is open internationally. If you're under 18 years of age, please make sure you have parental permission to enter. Winner will be announced via Twitter, and will be emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to the email to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected. All entries will be moderated and verified to ensure the giveaway is completely fair.
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Thursday 25 April 2013

Bikini Body Ready | Get In Shape



Image: WeHeartIt

Hi lovely ladies, I have a little bit of a different post for you all, no beauty products on show today. However I really wanted to get this post up and see how many of you are trying to get bikini body ready for the summer, or are just wanting to loose a little weight or tone up.

The summer is fast approaching us and I know that a lot of you are super excited just like me to be whisked away on your summer holidays, somewhere gorgeous and sunny. With the opportunity to catch the sun rays and turn our skin into a filthy shade of brown, means getting down into our skimpy bikinis - And I'm sure your nodding your head in an agreement here, but the smaller the bikini means less tan lines!! For me when I go on holiday, especially the sort where you just lounge by the pool and sunbathe, all I will wear predominantly throughout the holiday is a bikini. In a way wearing a bikini is just like wearing your undies out, when you think about how much clothing is actually covering you up and for me and loads of others out there, this can be terrifying and daunting. I know people look at me and think oh well she is tiny anyway - Does not mean I don't have those lumpy and bumpy bits on my body that I wish to hide away from the world. Which brings me to the whole purpose of this post - Hello mission bikini body ready! Looking and feeling good in a bikini is something that is on a lot of our minds right now, and with the weeks counting down, there is no better time to get in shape so that we feel confident with our bodies wearing next to nothing. Even if your not going on holiday and are not planning on wearing a bikini at all this summer, toning up and leading a healthier lifestyle will make you feel so much better and give you that extra boost of inner confidence. Remember ladies, confidence and inner beauty is where true beauty really shines, so if you are feeling a little bit down about those lumps and bumps on those bums and tums read on. If your completely happy and comfortable with you body, then I lift my floral crown off to you, and beg you to leave a comment below sharing your tips on how to reach this state of mind. 

So when it comes to my body, my biggest flaw or the body part which makes me cringe the most should I say, has to be my butt. Secondly my next cringe worthy body part has to be my tum... It may not be pudgy, but it would be nice to see a little definition there and get it toned up. Around three weeks ago I was catching up on my YouTube videos and came across Carly Rowena's channel  and found myself subscribing right away. Carly has all sorts of videos on her channel ranging from fitness, beauty and lifestyle - She is gorgeous and not to mention her body is perfect. When you picture in your mind a healthy toned beautiful body, this beauty has it and for that alone she is an inspiration. But what is a real bonus, is that in Carly's videos she tells you just how you can achieve a bikini body and how to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle.


Carly's 30 Day Squat Challenge - I saved this picture to my phone to keep me motivated. You can find it on Carly's Instagram 'carlyrowena'

One of Carly's videos which completely got me hooked was her 30 Day Squat Challenge. If your lusting after a booty that will rival J-Lo's then I urge you to take part and have a look at the video. Like I said my bum is something that troubles me when I think about parading it off in a bikini, so I decided to take up Carly's challenge. So far I'm on day 15 (super proud that I've made it half way though) and already I'm noticing changes in my body and my booty. Don't get me wrong ladies, this is not an easy challenge, I've felt muscles in my bum that I didn't even know where there. The only time I felt my bum in the past was sitting on the same spot for too long and getting a numb bum from it. Not any more I tell you! And not to mention its a killer on your legs - No pain no gain as those fitness fanatics often tell you. Fifteen days into the challenge and I'm already noticing that my bum is a little more perkier and feeling firmer around the edges, which is just what I'm wanting. This makes me even more motivated to see this challenge though till the end. I even got a comment from a friend at work today who said 'Danielle, your butt is looking pretty perky in your disco pants' - Over the moon I was, I tell you!

Also on Carly's channel is her most recent challenge to help us get bikini body ready, which is the 30 Day ABS challenge, which I only just started today. The challenge will only take you 5 minutes to complete each day, which sounds easy right? No, after a grueling 5 minutes I can report that these exercises are a killer. But I tell myself that if I've noticed a change in my booty just after 15 days then I'm sure it wont be long till I start seeing good changes on my tummy too. 

As I'm no fitness expert, I wont pretend to know that I know what I'm doing when it comes to doing the right exercises and certianlly wont attempt to try and show you how I do these simple exercises properly. But if you are wanting to know Carly will explain it all in her channel and there is plenty of other material out there that will show you how to exercise properly.

These challenges are how I'm planning on getting bikini body ready, ones the challenges are over I'll be sure to update you on here and let you know where I go from there. As these are challenges I would love to know if any of you are doing anything similar, or are wanting to take up the challenges yourself. Although we might not be able to exercise together, knowing someone who is doing the same thing as you helps to spur you on, commit to the challenge and is great for motivation. So if any of you are wanting to get in touch, or just want to moan with me about our achy bodies, please get in touch with me in the comments below, or send me a tweet at @Sunshinesprkle I will be sure to reply to you! As well as doing these challenges, I also add in my 'flexacising' in the morning, which is basically a load of stretches I've put together to work on my flexibility. I don't know how many of you are interested on getting your bodies bendy and flexy - But I do know a lot about this being a dancer all my life and from cheerleading. So if you do want to know how I get my body to bend, then please let me know as I'm more than happy to help. Remember anyone can be flexible  you just have to have a lot of time, patience and determination. 

Image: WeHeartIt

I've found that doing these exercises works best first thing in the morning - Get them over and done with right? I can honestly say once the first week was over, I did start feeling a lot better. I found exercising in the morning gave me a lot more energy throughout the whole day and pop a spring into my step at work. I've also found that I'm sleeping a lot better in the evening and as an insomniac this has been a little god send -Being able to drift a little while after my head hit's that pillow has been amazing. 

So if you are taking part in the challenge, be sure to let me know beauties  as I would love a beauty blogger work out buddy. I've managed to get all the girls at work to step up to the challenge and as much as were aching, were all having a right giggle about how hard it is to walk up the three flights of stairs there. If you do take up the challenge be sure to follow Carly on Twitter too, as she loves to hear about your workouts and every time I've tweeted her, shes messaged me back with a tweet that motivates me even more - What a babe.


What are you doing to get yourself bikini body ready? And more importantly where are you off on your holidays? I would love to know!

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Monday 22 April 2013

Ascel: Silky Gel Lip Mask


With the beautiful weather we've been lucky enough to have at the weekend, it finally feels as though Spring is now in full force and with the change of the seasons means starting new beauty regimes. Spring means that we start ditching our many layers of clothing, start whipping out the fake tan and change a few things up in the makeup department. With the change of Seasons means warmer weather and with it being a cold Winter our lovely lips may have taken a bit of a beating (I know mine have) and can be in desperate need of some pampering. 

Thanks to Ascel's Silky Gel Lip Mask, dry chapped lips can be a thing of the past and is the perfect treatment for your lips, especially if your lusting after fuller and plumper lips. The silky gel lip mask is a reusable lip treatment that lasts up to two weeks and can be used as little or as often as you need during those two weeks. The mask is a 20 minute treatment and will help to condition and repair your lips and get rid of any dryness, whilst also giving your lips that plumped and fuller look. Here's what is says on the box: 

'Ascel Silky Gel Lip Mask makes your lip moist, plumper and brighter within 20 minutes. Made from sophisticated HydraGel plastic rubber material which is completely safe and free from harmful chemicals.' 

For me, when receiving this lip treatment, I was ever so excited to use it, as I work in a shop that has no doors and opens right onto the high street, so working there has been extremely cold over the Winter and has left my lips in a horrible state - Not only that I've always wanted to enhance my lips to make them look a little fuller without going down the road of using injections or fillers. I had really high hopes for this product, and I can honestly say it's not been a let down. First of all the treatment is very easy to use, you simply have to cleanse your lips and apply your favourite lip balm or moisturiser afterwards. Once these simple steps are done, you just have to rinse the Ascel lip mask under water, gently apply it to your lips and let it work its magic for 20 minutes. Whilst on, the mask doesn't feel unpleasant in anyway, it's not greasy or slimy and sits nice and evenly on your lips. It's rubber texture has a silicone sort of feel to it and this is the only thing that you feel on your lips. 

The big question I'm sure your asking is 'does it work?' and I'm happy to report back that the Ascel Silky Gel Lip Mask really does work and has fabulous effects on your lips. I have been using this every few days for the past two weeks (the recommended time for each treatment) and I've noticed nothing but good changes in my lips. To start with, my lips feel a lot more hydrated and moisturised, one that your everyday lip balm just can't provide. I also feel that my lips dry out a lot less, which means I can wear my favourite matte lipstick all day without any worries of my lips showing any signs of flaking. Whilst doing your lip treatment, the mask is set to 'slough away dead skin cells, and leaves your lips silky smooth' and since using this mask my lips have never felt softer. Having soft luscious lips is something us beauty babes always strive for, especially those of you who are like me and are mad on your lipstick. There is nothing worse than applying lipstick on chapped falkey lips and the Ascel Silky Gel Lip Mask will take away all that dryness and pop  all the moisture you could need back in and for this reason alone I love this lip mask.

As for making your lips fuller and plumper, I can honestly say there has not been a dramatic change. Don't think for one moment that with this mask your going to have lips that will rival Angelina Jolies - But you will notice a subtle change, the sort of change is similar to what you see when you use a lip gloss that tingles which also gives your lips that 'full-on pout'. I've always found that my top lip always lacks on the thinner side, but after using the lip mask, I feel as though my top lip looks a little more fuller and more even. They don't tingle in anyway, but there is definitely a little noticeable change - This is because the Ascel lip mask will lighten your lips during the treatment which creates the illusion of fuller and plumper lips and I love the effect that it gives. Not to mention that I do find myself pouting a lot more after using the treatment, as my lips just feel that great and I understand that this is also another reason why my lips may look a little fuller. 

If you are wanting to have plumper lips for a little while then I would definitely recommend you try giving this ago. I think the Ascel Silky Gel Lip Mask would be perfect before a big night out or special occasion, as not only will your lips look healthy, plumper and fuller, but this treatment is great to use before applying your favourite lippie and because the treatment is that good I find that it can make your lipstick staying power all that much better. You can get your beauty mitts on the lip mask directly from the Tanning and Beauty world website here. The lip masks come in a pack of four which you can buy for £19.95 which is less than £5.00 for a two week lip treatment that actually works, which is a right bargain if you ask me. However the lip masks are also sold individually for £6.95 also from Tanning and Beauty world, which is perfect if your just wanting to see how well this product will work for you. I am a big fan of this treatment and will definitely be stocking up to keep my lips looking and feeling this good.

Me modelling the lip mask for you all! Sexy ;) 

If you would like any more information on the Ascel Silky Gel Lip Mask you can find all the information on Tanning & Beauty World, here you will be able to see all the other fabulous goodies that the website have to offer - They have some amazing tanning products on there from bands such as 'Fake Bake' and 'Lauren's Way'.


If there is any you would like to know more about the Ascel Silky Gel Lip Mask, then just leave a comment below, or if you are wanting to know a little more about Ascel and what other products they have out there, you can check out my review on their Inverse Youth Recall Serum here. As always I would love to know your thoughts.

Lot's of Love




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Sunday 21 April 2013

Mac Hue | Guest Post featuring Gemma from Miss Makeup Magpie

Hi beauties, I hope you have all had a fantastic weekend and have been enjoying the lovely sunshine, let's hope its the start of more good weather to come our way - Fingers crossed. Today I have somewhat of a different kind of post for you all, never been done here before on Miss Sunshine & Sparkle, but a post I'm sure you will all love reading, I certainly did. I would like to introduce to you all the beautiful Gemma who blogs over at Miss Makeup Magpie - I'm sure you all know her by now, but I would love it if you could take a peek at her blog as it truly is amazing, its one of my faves :) Gem has kindly agreed to do a special guest post on Miss Sunshine & Sparkle and talk to you beauties about her much loved Mac Lippie in Hue.... Enjoy beauty babes ;)


Hi my name is Gemma and I blog over at MissMakeupMagpie, I am so excited to be able to write a guest post for the Miss Sunshine & Sparkle, as I've been a huge fan and an avid reader for ages now. I hope you enjoy it, and make sure you check out the post Danielle kindly wrote for my blog too.
If you own an average sized lipstick collection, there's most definitely an easy to wear nude shade within it, that you can always rely on to give you that 'your lips but better' look that we all strive to achieve from time to time. My reliable go-to nude is MAC's Hue, which is one of MAC's most popular lipstick shades, and it's easy to see why. Hue is a Glaze finish lipstick which will impart your lips with a sheer wash of colour, without looking frosty. In the bullet, Hue looks like a rosy peach shade.. however on my lips, Hue doesn't appear to add any colour to my lips due to it being such a perfect match for my natural lip colour
MAC Hue came into my life thanks to the beautiful Ren, who writes one of my top five favourite beauty blogs; Beauty by Ren. You have to check out her blog, as it's just amazing and she is incredibly lovely. I got to choose any MAC lipstick I wanted, as well as some other gorgeous things, which you can see here
Hue is just my perfect nude lipstick, that goes with any makeup look I'm wearing without me rocking a concealer lip look. Unfortunately It isn't a long wearing lipstick, averaging at about 2 hours wear. However it's the kind of lipstick I can apply on the go without a mirror without looking like I've got the lips of a clown, making this the perfect handbag lipstick. I have read some reviews where people have described Hue as being quite drying on the lips, but I have to disagree as I've not experienced it to be at all drying. I would say that if you have a more pigmented natural lip colour, Hue might be a touch too pale for you, but it's so lovely for lighter skin tones  Hue just makes my makeup look slightly more polished and put together, and for that reason its a MAC lipstick collection staple that'd I'd always replace.


What's your favourite 'your lips but better' lipstick shade?


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Wednesday 17 April 2013

Pretty Pinafores | OOTD




My new clothing obsession without a doubt has to be the pinafore, I think they're ever so easy to wear and look ever so girly on. They make for a very versatile look in your wardrobe and the different outfits you can create with them are endless. In particular I have been loving the pinafores with a skater type skirt to them as it means you can pair it with anything and pick a look that suits you and dress it accordingly for any occasion. The two that I have featured in the pictures above are my favourite picks, and as you can tell by the look from the pictures, both have that skater skirt at the bottom of them. Skater skirts tend to be flattering on most body types and I love the way they float out, which gives movement and a bit of omph to your overall outfit. 

As a lot of you beauties know, I work at River Island and we've been getting loads of these pretty pinafores in, which I fell in love with immediately. They kind of have that 90's look to them, which is very in at the moment. I also love how wearing a pinafore makes things a little different to just wearing a skirt or a dress. I thought I would show off the pinafore that I picked up, which is the black dungaree one with the thin braces, and I get nothing but compliments whenever I wear it. I decided to pair it with a fitted crop top, which is black and white striped (also from River Island) which is very on trend with the monochrome look - A look that I also adore as its so sleek and can make a big impact especially when you wear contrasting shapes and textures with your monochrome look. I absolutely love wearing this outfit and I love how you can wear the pinafore with different tops to create different looks - Cute little blouses or jumpers tucked in work fabulously with the pinafore too. Not to mention that you can also wear it with the pinafore straps hanging down which creates an entirely different look, versatile or what? All I need to do now is find me the perfect bowler hat to complete this look. I absolutely adore this baby pink one from H&M and think it will be my next purchase. However I really hope its small enough to fit my tiny head, as every bowler hat I've tried on looks massive on me and sways from to side to side and I'm desperate to get my hands on one.


Have you been loving the pinafore as much as me? I would love to know your thoughts.

Lot's of Love


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Monday 15 April 2013

Beauty Haul


Hello beauty babes! I hope your Monday has not been too mundane, just think the worst day of the week is almost over and were another day closer to the weekend :). For those of you who follow me via Instagram (you can find me on there, my name is sunshinesprkle) will know that I took a shopping trip in Cambridge and I though it would be the perfect opportunity to make the most of the Boot's 3 for 2 offer before it runs out, which I think was today? As I'm sure all your all aware that the offer was across all their makeup and cosmetics, which is by far my most favourite offer that Boots has to offer and it's just rude not to take advantage of this and stock up on much needed beauty bits. I know how you all love reading a good haul, so I thought I would share with you all the things that I picked up. As you can see from the pictures I went a little lip product crazy and swayed towards everything that was in pretty pinks, which must be my one of my favourite colours for Spring. I love the change in seasons as it's the perfect excuse opportunity to change things up a little in your makeup routine, don't you think?


The first thing that popped into my Boots basket was some of the famous Revlon Lip Butters. Like most of you, I simply adore the Revlon Lip Butters just because the colours are beautiful and the way they moisturise and hydrate your lips is heavenly. I know Strawberry Shortcake (a soft baby pink shade) is a firm favourite amongst you beauty bloggers, but for some reason I've never gotten around to getting my mitts on it. Whenever I go shopping for lip products I always get excited by bright lip colours as I do love my brights and always forget to pick up much more wearable daytime shades - So I thought it was about time that I picked up Strawberry Shortcake for those days where I want to wear something a little more subtle and I after wearing it only once, I already love it. The next shade I picked up was Wild Watermelon which is one of the new Lip Butter shades, and if I'm honest was the whole reason why I headed straight over to the Revlon counter first. I've been finding it extremely difficult to get hold of these fab new colours. Admittedly after seeing swatch after swatch popping up on beauty blogs I had every intention of picking up all the four shades, but the Boot's in Cambridge only had Wild Watermelon in stock - Which is good for me as this was the one that I was most excited to try out. Wild Watermelon is a gorgeous pink toned red and I think it's such a pretty and perfect shade for Spring - Definitely watch out for a full review on this beauty!


Sticking with lip products, I've been a right eager beaver to try out the Maybelline Vivids, I've seen these being raved about in quite a few YouTube videos and they sounded like great lipsticks. As you know when it comes to lipstick I'm a bright kinda girl, and the Maybelline Vivids are all about the brights and I love how neon they are. I know in the US they seam to have a lot more shades than the four that were on display in Boots, but the colours that I had to choose from were super pretty when swatching them. I was tempted to pick up all four, but decided to play it safe and just try one to see how well I got on with it first. Out of all four shades I swayed towards Shocking Coral the most, which as the name suggests is a coral shade, which is shockingly bright - Think bright neon! The coral shade of this lipstick does lean towards the pink side, which is a huge plus as I find that coral shades can be a little difficult to pull off. I wore this on my lips on Sunday and have to say I loved it, so be expecting to see a full review on this ladies.

I've heard a lot of good things about the L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipsticks, and have heard they are  fairly similar to the Revlon Lip Butters - A lips product which is very sheer in colour, but equally with great colour pay out and one that is very hydrating all at the same time. I actually had no intention of buying this, until my mum came over with a swatch the Rouge Caresse on her hand, which made me shout out loud 'OMG, what product is that there' and she popped the L'Oreal Rouge Caresse straight into my hands, which immediately got placed into my basket. The shade which I fell in love with was 06  Aphrodite Scarlet, which is another pink toned red (see a theme going on here). I realise that this looks really similar to all the Wild Watermelon shade I picked up, but trust me its very different when you compare the two and I just had to have it... Again this colour lipstick deserves a full review, so watch out for one coming up soon.


I've been meaning to pick up a bright pink lip liner for the longest of time, as the one I was currently using is coming to an end. I always see Beth (Birds Words) rave about these inexpensive lip liners in her posts and as she is a huge lippie fan, I take her word completely on how good these are. I decided to get the shade in Dark Pink, as I think that this will work perfectly with a lot of my bright pink lipsticks and it seams that I'm going to be wearing a lot of pink on my lips over the next few months. I wanted to pick up the red shade too, but Boots were all out of stock :(

When it comes to eye liner, I am a huge fan of the gel ones as I find them the easiest to apply and their staying power is usually next to none. Currently I've been using the one from L'oreal and while I think it's a fantastic product, the liner itself is just not quite 'black' enough for me, if you know what I mean. When I'm wearing a liner I want it to be extra black for a dramatic effect, so when I saw the swatches from Kayleigh's (Couture Girl) Review of this gel liner, I was sold on it. It sounds as though it applies like a dream and looks fabulous on - Perfect and I can't wait to try it out!


Another lip product!! I thought seeing as I've been buying so many lipsticks recently, I needed to even things out a little by treating myself to a lip gloss - It feels like forever since I last bought a lip gloss just because I've been using so many lip products that give your lips that glossy effect anyway. I decided to pick this one up from Maybelline as I just loved the colour, I picked up the shade Coral Blush, which is just a pretty pinky coral and thought it would be a perfect shade just on its own, or fabulous to pop over some of the other lip products I've been using lately for that extra glossy shine. I've not tried this yet, or read any reviews, so I really hope that this gloss is not too sticky as it feels fairly thick. I have to say it did look ever so pretty when I swatched it, which is it's main reason for finding its way into my shopping basket.

This mascara from L'Oreal is a re-purchase as it has to be one of my most loved and favourite mascaras. In my last beauty haul I picked up the new L'Oreal Flash Lash Flutter mascara, and I'm sad to say that I'm really not getting along too well with it. I've really been really missing my L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes as its the perfect mascara for me - I love how it it gives you dramatic lashes full of volume if a few easy strokes from the wand. If you would like to see how this looks on and read just how much I love it, you can take a look at my full review here.


What happened to my nail polish ban I ask you? I clearly have no control when it comes to pretty polishes, but seeing as I have a few new lip colours to try out, I wanted a polish that would look perfect with my new lip shades. Is anyone else a big beauty geek like me and loves it when your lip and nail colour coordinate beautifully? I've been loving the formula's of the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine polishes and really wanted to pick up another one to add to my nail polish collection. Papaya is a gorgeous peach/pink shade which I know is going to look just lovely on the nails. I know I've said this before, but I think this is a perfect Spring Shade, and perfect for those days where you are feeling ever so girly.

Revlons Nail Enamel in Bubbly is a really pretty warm pastel pink which I think will look just lovely on your nails. I have a lot of baby pink polishes, but I love how pastel this one looks and its a bright pastel pink which is just what I've been looking for. I am a big fan of Revlon nail polishes, as the application of them is fabulous and I love the way the bottles look and the colour payout on them are always pretty good. I have high hopes for this one and look forward to showing it off in a NOTD post.


While I was in Boots, I ended up speaking to one of the Boots girls on the L'Oreal section and we were having a right good chin wag on all things beauty related. The conversation came up about Bioderma arriving to the UK and I asked her if Boots were going to be stocking it, as I've still not managed to get my beauty mitts and \i'm desperate to see what all the fuss is about. For those of you wondering, the lady said she didn't know yet, but was hoping as much as me that it would be coming to my most loved shop. Anyway, the lovely lady who was a huge fan of Bioderma, told me that L'Oreal had recently come out with a dupe that is basically the same thing - An all one one solution that will dissolve makeup, unclog pores and tone your skin all at the same time. Like Bioderma it has that water like look and feel to it which makes me ever so excited to try this out, as the only makeup removers that I've used in the past have all been oil based. This one from L'Oreal was also used loads backstage at Fashion Week, so it must be pretty good. It was also on offer for £3.00 in Boots, which makes this a bargain. For those of you wondering, I didn't pick up three of these to make the most of the offer, but thought I would get one for my mum and sister to try too :)


It's that time of year where we start to show off a little more skin, and this only means one thing - Having super soft skin and flawless tans. I have always been a massive fan of the original Palmer's Cocoa Butter and have been using it for years as its just a great everyday moisturiser. I love the way it feels on my skin, the smell is amazing and I find that it does an amazing job at prolonging your tan. It feels like forever since I had one of these bottles taking pride of place on my beauty shelf, so I thought I would pick one up again seeing as fake tanning is now becoming a weekly thing for me. I also decided to pick up the Palmer's Natural Bronzer as this has to be my most favourite gradual tanning moisturiser - I find that no other compares to it. I usually fake tan once a week, and every other day or so will apply a gradual fake tanner to top my colour up. This one from Palmer's leaves your skin looking beautifully bronzed and it doesn't have that off putting tanning smell either. I plan on doing a full review on this and featuring in a 'Favourite Fake Tans' post.


Like most of you I am a huge fan of the Batiste dry shampoo and their tropical scent has to be my favourite and they only one I ever pick up. I love the coconut smell as it just reminds me of holidays and leaves your locks smelling oh so fresh. This beauty buy was a repurchase and a must, as my hair cannot live without a bit of dry shampoo.

Again this is another repurchase as I love anything from the Aussie 3MM range - The conditioners always smell amazing and just work wonders in your hair. Long hair is pretty hard to maintain and keeping it in tip top condition is not an easy task I tell you - I love Aussie for having a 3MM which is made just for long hair and it really does work a treat! 

So that's everything that I picked up, I think it's fair too say that I'm all stocked up on beauty bits for the time being, that's until something else catches my eye that is! But I really do need to start saving now for my holiday so I'm going to have to try my very best to put a firm hold on my spending, easier said than done right?

I would love to know what you've been treating yourself too lately and your thoughts on any of the products I've featured in this post.

Lot's of Love




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Wednesday 10 April 2013

Hask Hair Goodies


Good evening lovely ladies, I hope your all well and enjoying your week. I was super excited over the weekend as the postman delivered a very special delivery, which was this cute little treasure chest filled to the brim with some goodies from Hask Hair. If your a big fan of hair oils then you will know that the little tube of Hask Hair's Argan Oil has made it way onto the market here in the UK, which has been much raved about in the beauty community - And I for one am a huge fan, one it works amazingly on your hair and two, it has to be easily one of the most affordable hair oils you can get your hands on, retialling only for £2.50 at Primark. I picked one of these little pots of the Argan Oil a little while ago and have been using it religiously ever since, if you would like to read a full review on just how amazing this hair oil is, you can find it here

Round about the same time as my review went up on my little blog, and with a little bit of  help from my beautiful friend and fellow beauty blogger, Gemma (Miss Makeup Magpie) , Hask Hair got in touch with me, told me how much they appreciated my review and wanted to thank me by sending out this amazing goodie box - WOW is all I can say and a huge thank you to the people over at Hask Hair, as this is a truly amazing gift and it goes without saying I'm now officially in hair oil heaven- You beauties know just how much I adore my hair products and anything hair related! So to show my appreciation to Hask Hair I thought I would do a little post on this treasure box filled with some Hask Hair goodies, and seeing as a lot of you beauties are big fans of the Argan Oil, I thought it would be a fab chance to show you what other products Hask have to offer.


First up in the goodie box was these three different sachets of deep hair treatments. The green one on the left is the Hask Natural Essentials Complete Conditioning Treatment, which contains ingreedients such as olive oil, bamboo, avocado and grapeseed, which aims to help revatalise and repair your hair. The sachet in the middle is Hask's Macadamia Oil Hydrating Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment - This sachet is filled with keratin which will help to moisturise and help to repair dry and damaged hair. This treatment is also formulated to bring life back into your hair, which my hair desperatley needs, so I am most excited to try this. And finally the treatment to the right is the Argan Oil Intense Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment which will help to strengthen, restore and smooth dry and damaged hair. 


Hask were also kindly enough to include some of their vials filled with goodness for your hair, two of them being hair oils and the other an instant leave in conditioning treatment. One the left is the my much loved Hask Argan Oil, this is the one that you can currently pick up at Primark and I absolutely love this stuff. I'm ever so pleased that I was lucky enough to receive three vials of the Argan Oil as it really feels so dreamy when applied to your locks, not to mention the stuff lasts for ages and I'm only half way though my first bottle - So I have enough of this stuff to last me for ages. 

In the middle is the Instant Leave In Conditioning Treatment from Hask, the tube says it will help to strengthen, repair and add body to your locks. Being a fan of hair treatments, this one for me looks really interesting and I can't wait to try it out. Each vial of this green pearly liquid provides your hair with one treatment and is supposed to work in an instant. The directions on this vial state that you should apply this to clean towel dried hair and once the treatment has been added, you are good to style your hair as normal. I have never used a hair treatment like this, one which sounds easy enough to incorporate into your usual routine of getting reading in the morning. I can't wait to give this ago and to see if it really does add some body to your hair, as my locks are always in need of more volume. 

Lastly, on the right is the Macadamia Oil from Hask - This hair oil is to help smooth, revatalise and help heal your locks whist adding brilliant shine to your hair at the same time. I've only ever tried Argan Oils and have never dipped my toes into Macadamia oils, so I'm pretty excited to see how well this one works and to see how well it compares to the Argan Oil from Hask. I have to say I've flipped the lid open of this oil and the smell is just divine. 


The last treatment that was included in my Hask goodie box was this Macadamia Hot Oil Treatment. This oil is rich in Omega 7, Vitamin E and filled with anti oxidants all which will help to rebuild and heal your hair. I've never used a hot oil hair treatment before and I have to say I'm pretty excited to try this one out. The tube states its for all hair types which is great news for anyone who has medium to fine hair like myself, as heavy oils can tend to make our hair feel a little on the greasy side and weigh it down - So I shall have to let you all know I how get on with this hot oil treatment.

That's everything that was in my little Hask treasure chest and it goes without saying that my hair is hopefully going to be in tip top condition with trying out all these treatments - I love the look of them all and can't wait to give them ago. At the moment I believe that you can only buy the Argan Oil from Hask, which is only stocked at Primark as far as I'm aware, although I have heard whispers that Superdrug are also stocking it. As for the other Hask products, I can imagine they can be a bit difficult for us UK beauties to get hold of - However I do follow Hask on Twitter @HaskHair and it does sound as though they are trying their very best to get there other products, such as the ones you see in the pictures released in the UK and I really hope they do as they look amazing, affordable and I believe that every beauty could use a bit of Hask in their lives. 

However while we are waiting for the launch of other Hask products to hit our shelves, I would love to know if any of the products I've shown you in this post, tickle your pickle - If you would love to see an individual review on anything then please let me know and I'll be sure to get one up :)

As always I would love to know your thoughts beauties! Have you tried the Hask Argain Oil yet? What do you think?

Lot's of Love


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Sunday 7 April 2013

Rimmel Apocalips 'Apocoliptic' | Review


Hello lovely ladies! I thought I would finally get a post up and give you my thoughts on the famous 'Apocalips' by Rimmel which were brought out at the beginning of the year. Now I'm so extremely late on this bandwagon I know as these must be by far the most hyped about products so far this year and I've only just gotten around to getting my beauty mitts on them - And shockingly I only picked up one, why I don't know as I've well and truly fallen head over heals in love with the shade that I picked out which is 'Apololiptic' which is the most gorgeous bright fuchsia shade EVER and as I'm sure your all aware by now, I adore my brights. When I was going on my Boots shopping trip, there was so many other makeup bits that I needed to pick up that I could only justify picking up one shade, but there were so many gorgeous colours that it was difficult to choose just one. But after wearing 'Apocoliptic' on my lips all week, I feel like I need to own every shade in the collection as I just love this product so much.

So Rimmel describe the Apocalips as a 'lip lacquer  (which I always thought was the old term for a 'lipstick'?) and I find they are highly pigmented just like a lipstick, but at the same time it gives your lips a coating of glossiest gloss you could ever imagine. I would say that the 'Apocalips' is a product which is somewhere inbtween a lipstick, lip gloss and lip stain all in one, which makes it completely unique and nothing I've ever tried before. On initial application, the Apocalips feels so creamy, so smooth and glides on just like a lipstick, its just dreamy to apply. When on, it feels like wearing a lipstick, except your left with such a beautiful glossy finish. The staying power is unbelievably amazing and I find that the colour last for hours. - Admittedly they gloss does fade after a little while, but your still left with the most incredible colour on your lips. I just love how pigmented they are and couldn't believe that with one coat I was able to achieve an a completely opaque look, and the shade that you see in the tube, is the exact colour which will transfer onto your lips. 

The doe foot applicator makes applying the Apocalips a really easy application which allows you to be precise and accurate which is exactly what you need with a product which is this rich in colour. I've found that if your careful with your application there is no need to line your lips either, which is always a bonus. However I do find that when initially applied, the product can feel a little wet and heavy on your lips and you do need to allow the product some time to fully set onto your lips (around five minutes is just fine). There have been a few times where I have applied 'Apocoliptic' just before walking out the door for work, the wind as blown my hair every in every direction and the odd bit of hair strand that has landed on my lips has smeared the product in little wispy lines across my face - And I've only noticed the pink lines around my face when looking in the mirrors at work and think to myself, oh dear this is not a good look! Has anyone else had this problem? My lesson has been learnt though and if I leave the product to really set and work into my lips then I have no problem with smudging whatsoever. 

I've also found that wearing 'Apololiptic' seams to make my lips look so much fuller and plumper than what they actually are, I'm not sure if this is just because the colour payout of it is just that good, but either way I love the effect that this gives. As beautiful as the colour looks on, I  do find that these can feel a little drying on your lips, but it's not so bad that it bothers me and when I'm getting a product that makes my lips just fabulous I can easily overlook this. - So if you are looking for a lip product that is going to moisturise and hydrate your lips, this may not be the product for you.

 As well as the actual product being just amazing, I absolutely adore the packaging. The black crystal effect lid gives this lip lacquer a bit of an edge and makes it look a lot more expensive than what it actually is. And I love how you can see your chosen colour in the tube, with all its prettiness on show - Whipping one of these out of your makeup bag for a touch up is just a joy and makes me smile every time! 

Apart from the odd smearing and the product being a little bit drying on your lips, I can't fault these in anyway and I think I would even go far enough to say that 'Apocoliptic' has to be one of my most favourite lip products of all time. I love the bright pink fuchsia shade and love the way it looks on my lips. With the weather slowly starting to get a little bit warmer, the tans will be coming out and this pretty pink will look just amazing with a tan and is the perfect accessory to brighten up your life a little. I'm definitely going to be picking up more shades, I'm thinking 'Big Bang' and 'Stella' as they look just gorgeous. Boots have a three for two off across all their makeup right now so this seams like a perfect time to pick up some more shades and I think with its £4.99  price tag, makes the 'Apocalips' the lip bargain of the year!


Have you tried the Rimmel Apoclalips yet? What shades are your favourites? And what shades do you think I should get my beauty mitts on next?

Lot's of Love




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