Beam, Gleam, Shine like a Dream with Aussie Miracle Shine

'There's more to life than hair, but it's a good place to start' The Aussie Philosophy

It's spangly, it's shiny

It smells like cotton candy

A wonder, a dream

It makes our locks so clean

An elixir, a hair potion

A luxuriously-fragrant lotion

It sparkles, it gleams

From behind the shower screen

With Aussie ginseng, pearl powder, too

There's nothing better to perfect that hair do




A treat for the bath or shower, stunningly sublime

Drum roll please... it's Aussie's magnificent Miracle Shine!

Hi beauties. As you know at the weekend I was able to meet up with Aussie, some of the Aussie Angels and celebrate their amazing 3 Minute Miracle at a luxury spa down  in London. As an extra special treat, Aussie had a surprise announcement to make to us Angels, which turned out to be something very exciting and I'm even more excited to be able to share this news with all you lovelies! Aussie are pleased to announce that they are bringing out a new product range which is the Miracle Shine Range!

The Miracle Shine range consists of a shampoo, conditioner and a 3 Minute Miracle deep treatment conditioner. The Miracle Shine range is to make dull hair days a thing of the past, leaving your hair 'sensationally vibrant and shiny'. We all want gorgeous shiny locks and with the new Aussie formula of Australian Ginseng (which is known to boost energy) and Pearl Powder (which is its secret ingredient for adding that shine) infused with peach, raspberry and strawberry scents is sure to give your locks much needed revival and make your hair feel and look heavenly. Who can say no to that? 

With the announcement of the new Miracle Shine Range, Aussie also put us together groups of three to set us an Aussie Challenge, which is where this blog post comes in. Myself and two other gorgeous Angels Sarah and Lauren have been asked to work together to tell you beauties what the new shine range means to us. Hopefully if our posts are the best we get to win an Aussome hair day with Aussie! So fingers crossed for us.

My Hair

Before ...

Please excuse me looking natural... it was first thing in the morning!

After ...

So after trying and testing the products in the new shine range, the first word that comes to mind is WOW! I am in love with the way my hair looked afterwards as it was full of shine and there really was a noticeable difference in how glossy my hair looked. Before washing my hair, the ends felt a little rough and dry and I'm sure you will agree it wasn't looking too grand. However after using it, my hair looked healthy and shiny, so much so it was gleaming!

Having hair which is on the thinner side, I usually find that hair care products which are there to add shine, can often make my hair feel and look a bit greasy; but the Aussie Shine Range only made my hair feel soft and luxurious. I'm positive that this is because of the magic pearl powder which has been used and lets face it every girl should have some pearls that shine and what better way to wear them than in your hair! 

Not only will the shine range give your hair a needed pick me up and add lots of volume, it will also give you plenty of reasons or excuses to swish your hair repeatedly (you really do feel like a glamorous celebrity!). The shine range will definitely give you the confidence for that much needed hair swishing, but the main reason for a hair swish is that the smell of this range is simply good enough to eat! When most people think of Aussie they usually think of the classic Aussie bubblegum smell... Well Aussie have really taken yummy scents to a whole new level as the shine range has to be there best smelling range yet! It has the most gorgeous cotton candy smell to it with the peach and strawberry smell really coming to the forefront. I love that you can smell this on your hair all day... So I swish my hair just to get a whiff of it!  

I am in love with the new Shine Range and I'm sure any Aussie fan will soon agree, it is like a little bit of heaven in a bottle and will make your locks just dreamy!

Here is what Lauren thought 

Before ...

After ...

"The clue's in the title; it's certainly a miracle worker. After having my hair chemically stripped at the hairdressers earlier this year, my barnet's been suffering somewhat as a result. It's been dry, tangly and generally in need of some TLC."

"Cue Aussie's Miracle in a bottle - offering manageable hair that's easy to comb through, ample volume and SO.MUCH.SHINE."

P"lus, it smells beautiful - just like candy floss and almost good enough to eat."

Here is how Sarah got on

Before ..

After ...

"There's nothing more exciting than Aussie bringing out a new product range, but what better than a shine range so we can all have luscious gleaming hair like a celebrity.Normally I wouldn't opt to buy a 'shine' shampoo or conditioner as they tend to make my hair look greasy, but this Aussie range gives your hair a natural healthy looking shine, it also make it feel lovely and soft and being as my hair is due to be re-coloured it really made my hair look more vibrant."

"As I wear Micro-Bead Hair Extensions, to test out this product I used the Miracle Shine Shampoo and the 3 Minute Miracle Shine Deep Treatment, as when I wash my Hair Extensions I like to put a treatment on them to help maintain their condition."

"When I use any of the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Treatments I always leave it on for about 10 Minutes with my hair wrapped in a towel, even though it does only take 1-3 Minutes, I like to give my Hair Extensions that little bit longer for more of a deep condition.The smell of the product is so devine, I have been trying to figure for days what sweet it smells like and I've finally figured while writing this that it smells just like Strawberry Hubba Bubba!!"

"On my photo's above you will see how my Hair Extensions went from looking Dry, Unmanageable and Dull..... To looking Vibrant and Soft with a Healthy looking Shine. I didn't use any other products on my hair while styling, only the Aussie Take the Heat Leave-in Spray."

"This product range is now one of my favourites...Thankyou Aussie for bringing us another amazing little miracle!"

So why should we win the next Aussiee Pamper Session?

Myself, Lauren and Sarah all loved using the New Miracle Shine Range as its all done our hair the world of good and made our hair look as though we've been been sat in the gorgeous Aussie sun for the past year (a girl can dream). It smells scrumptious, adds softness and shine, making your hair just glamorous and beautiful! All three of us loved working together to get this Aussie post up for you beauties and would love the chance for another little get together with Aussie. I would love if you beauty babes could go have a look at their blogs and check out there Aussome Aussie posts!

Find Sarah at - OhSoGlam

Find Lauren at - ALaurentoHerself

Will be you trying the new shine range when it hits stores? Let me know as I would love to know your thoughts.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle | Competition

Hi beauties, as you all know I am in love with Aussie Hair Care and think it should be every girls secret to having fabulous, gorgeous hair. One of my go to Aussie products has to be their 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner* which will make your hair smooth, shiny and smell extremely delicious! As an Aussie Angel perk, Aussie recently sent out the recondstructor 3MM which has been working wonders on my heat damaged hair. It's wonderful formula has really helped sooth my hair and helped to iron out any kinks. Whats great about the 3MM is that its a deep conditioning mask for your hair, that will only take 3 magical minutes to transform your locks, making pampering, a quick and easy part of your hair care routine... Of course there is nothing stopping you from leaving this on longer than 3 Minutes.

Aussie are kindly giving 10 of you beauties to get your hands on some of your own 3 Minute Miracle and the chance to win an aussome Aussie Hamper just by following these two simple steps.

1. Tweet Aussie @Aussie_Hair_UK using the hashtag #3MinuteMiracle and they should send you out a  mini 3MM to try... Simple! I would love it if you beauties could also include me in your tweet @sunshinesprkle so I know that you have entered.

2. Post any images online (Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) of what you think 3 Minute Miracle means to you and tweet Aussie the link using the #3MinuteMiracle hashtag and this will enter you into the competition to win Aussie Hamper Surprise!  

The images can be of anything that you feel is related to your hair and 3MM, Aussie love a bit of creativity so get creative lovelies!

Below are images which show what 3MM means to me!

Have fun entering the competition, and good luck!

*You must be 18 or over to enter this competition and be happy for Aussie to contact you

** Aussie are responsible for sending out all the prizes as they are the ones who are hosting the competition. Competition closes on 05.10.2012

Barry M Chameleon Nail Pain | NOTD Review

Hi ladies. A little while ago I was sent the Barry M Chameleon Nail polish in the shade Lilac from the lovey Charlee as part of a beauty blogger swap. If you've not checked out her blog yet, you can do so here. So seeing as its Sunday and the weather is miserable, I thought it would be a good idea to stay in and do a quick and easy NOTD post for you. 

For those of you who don't know, Barry M released the Chameleon Nail Paints a little while ago, which are beautiful metallic shades of nail polish. However as soon as a clear top coat is added, the nail polish will instantly change colour, which makes these nail paints a little extra special. This magic changing colour nail polish makes nail art easy for beginners and makes for a fun nail polish to have in your collection.

If you love metallic finishing nail polishes, then you will instantly love this lilac shade on its own. It only needs one coat for a nice even look on your nails and once on your nails its the most beautiful lilac shade which has a glittery, sparkly undertone to it, with a foil like finish. I'd be quite happy to wear this polish just on its own and I think it will be perfect for the colder months as its a very 'wintery' looking polish, the words 'Snow Queen' come to mind when I wear this on it's own. 

However the magic really happens when you add your clear top coat to the dried lilac shade. As soon as the top coat is applied the metallic lilac shade will change colour and become this deep, royal purple, which has a 'jelly' like look to it. Unfortunately my camera and the lighting I had today failed to pick up the true colour of this deep purple, but if I had to describe it, I would have to say it reminds me of the 'Cadbury's' colour purple. 

You could transform your whole manicure with the application of a topcoat to and wear the deep Cadbury purple shade on your nails, or you could get creative with some little nail art designs as I have done. Stripes, spots and french manicure tips will work really well as a nail art design when using the Chameleon polish and it really does make nail art easy. The only thing I would suggest if you are wanting to do detailed nail art with this polish, is to use a clear top coat which has a thin brush as this will make doing your designs much easier. 

Overall I love this polish and I am definitely wanting to get my hands on the other shades, I believe there is a pink and blue one. If you are wanting to get your hands and give this polish ago you can find it at Boots which retails at £3.99. If any of you beauties have tried the other shades I would love to know your thoughts on them. 

Please excuse the state of my nails, they are cringe worthy I know, but work and the cold weather have not been kind too them. I am looking for something to help with cuticles, do you beauties have any good recommendations?

Revlon Photoready Foundation | Review

Hi beauties. Recently that time came around where my favourite high end foundation ran out, Clinique's Stay-Matte Oil Free Foundation and it was time for a new purchase. However as I am trying to save the pennies and the pounds, I was after a good drug store foundation to try. I had heard so many good things about Revlon's Photoready foundation that I decided to give it ago. 

As a lot of you will know I have oily to combination skin and therefore I can be a little particular when it comes to finding the right foundation, lets face it no one wants to walk around with a shiny face, even with all the powder in the world! One thing I had read about the Photoready foundation is that it is oil and fragrance free, which can only be a plus for us who do have the odd oily T-Zone area or sensitive skin. It also has SPF 20, which is not something I look for in a foundation, but if its got it in, then that a bonus too. 

So far I have been using this foundation daily for just over a week and I can honestly say its one of the best drug store foundations I have tired in a long long time. There is so much about the Photoready foundation which I have fallen in love with. To start off, I love the packaging, I know this doesn't make a great foundation...But I love quality in my makeup buys and this foundation has a very sleek look to it, in its glass bottle. The foundation dispenses though the use of a pump, which makes things more hygienic and more importantly allows you to have more control with the amount of foundation that will come out. For those wondering I picked the shade 008 in Golden Beige, which is slightly on the darker side for my skin tone, but I prefer that in a foundation anyway. 

As for the actual foundation itself, I find that it applies like a dream. The foundation is really light weight, and a little really does go a long way, which means that this product will last you a long time. It's lightweight formula makes blending this foundation into the skin really easy. Personally when picking a foundation I like to have a full coverage, and although this is a light weight foundation it does give you a good medium to full coverage. Its lightweight formula allows you to build up this product for a more full coverage look without it looking too 'cakey' on your face. I love how it will easily hide any redness in your skin or any hyper-pigmentation, creating an even skin toned look.

It's hard to tell from the swatches below, but Revlon's Photoready Foundation does have a slight shimmer finish to it once applied, creating a healthy dewy look on your skin. For those wondering, this is because the foundation has photochromatic pigments in which help to reflect the light which help to make your skin look flawless and radiant. When I first started using this foundation I noticed that it gave me a mixture between a matte finish and a dewy look and my immediate thoughts were 'OMG this foundation is just going to be sliding off my face by the end of the day'. Much to my surprise it didn't and in no way made my skin feel oily or add too much shine. I would't go as far as saying I would wear this foundation without a good powder... but one touch up with powder throughout the day will keep any shine at bay, especially if you have a similar skin type to me. Girls, those of you who have dry skin will love this foundation as it in no way feels drying on your skin either. 

Overall I love this foundation and I know that I will be making a re-purchase once it has ran out. It is a little more on the expensive side as far as a drug store foundation goes, retailing at £12.99 (from Boots), but for those wanting to give it ago, it's only £9.99 from Boots and you can find the link here. I honestly think its worth the money as I can see this lasting me a long time and I really like the overall look of it once it's applied.

I am always on the hunt for new foundations and would love to know your best recommendations ladies!

MUA Pro Mosaic Bronzer | Sunkissed Glow

Bronzer has always been a makeup essential for me, one which I apply everyday without fail; whether it's used for contouring or just adding an all over glow. Recently I took part in a Beauty Blogger Swap (post here) with the lovely Charlee from MyStringaling Blog and received the MUA Pro Bonzer in shade 2 Sunkissed Glow.

This Mua Bonzer is so pretty on the eye with the array of different shades, which have been put together in a Mosaic pattern; with shades ranging from dark bronzes, sandy highlights and pretty peaches. Some of the peach shades even have the odd hint of shimmer undertones too them which gives this bronzer that sunkissed  look. Whilst each mosaic section is probably a little on the small side to use as an individual bronzer, they are small enough to use as eyeshadow. When you mix all the shades together with your brush, the most gorgeous bronze shade is created, one which would suit all skin tones, even those with fair skin. 

The MUA bronzer has a matte finish to it and is extremely pigmented,especially when built up on your brush. With just one light sweep across the bonzer will give you a light, gorgeous sunkissed glow, which is perfect for an all over look. Not only does this bronzer work well at giving you a little colour, but will look lovely and work fabulously as a contour. It's the peach shades within this bronzer that are the ones that make this one a little extra special as they create a lovely warm glow to the overall shade, making the name of this bronzer 'Sunkissed Glow' is very fitting.

As we all know and love MUA make makeup really affordable and this is another product which has a small price but great quiality. I find the staying time of this bronzer last your whole makeup wearing day, as long as you use a good foundation and primer. I tend to top up just  the once on my lunch break and it will carry me though till the end of the day.

Not only is the  Mosaic Bronzer affordable, but when using it, I find that it blends really well into the skin and has a pleasant smell to it. Overall I just love how pretty it looks and as I am one who normally opts for a darker bronzer, its lovely having this warm peachy one added to my collection. You can purchase Sukissed Glow from the MUA website here.

Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo | On and On Bronze

Hi Beauties. I must be the last person in the entire blogging world to get my hands on the much hyped and raved about Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo Eyeshadows. I finally decided to cave in and give one ago the other week whist they were on offer in Boots. Like everyone else and all the reviews I have read, I have found that I have fallen in love with these little pots of metallic loveliness and they are definitely worth having in your makeup collection. Now I know there must be loads of reviews out there on these little beauties, but I thought I would give you my opinion on them as it might make you re-kindle your love with yours again or you may have missed the boat just like me and not tried one yet; so this little post maybe the deciding factor for you.

So while I was in Boots, I decided that it was necessary to swatch every single 24hr Colour Tattoo shade that they had out on the stand and after all that swatching I decided to only purchase one which was the shade 'On and On Bronze'. This shade has to be the most beautiful and most wearable out of the lot; I love wearing bronze/golds and browns on my eyes, so this shade suited me down to a T! 

On and On Bronze has gorgeous pigmentation and the colour is just divine. As you can see from the swatches its a gorgeous bronze, with gold/champagne undertones to it and for those wondering, it dries with a frost finish. It's easily applied using the tips of your fingers and will glide smoothly and evenly onto your eye lids. One thing I have loved about the Colour Tattoo has to be the fact that its very buildable and if you use a light hand you can get a softer metallic shade or go the other end of the scale and wear a much more dramatic eye with using more product. As the name of this product suggests, its supposed to last up to 24hrs once applied. Now I've have not been able to test this statement just because I don't wear my makeup for this long; But what I can say is that every time I have worn this, I've had no creasing on the eyes and its stayed put. This shadow also makes a great base in which to apply powdered shadows. 

For those of you who have wondered why I've put off getting one 24hr Colour Tattoo's for this long, is because I've found in the past that I don't really get on with any creme based eyeshadows. This is just because I have extremely sensitive skin, especially around the eye area and have found in the past, I've had a lot of bad reactions (swelling, redness and dry skin around my eyes) when using a creme based formula, so I was a little worried about trying these. The only creme based eyeshadows I do get along with have to be the Mac Paintpots. However I thought the Colour Tattoo was worth a try just because they are so pretty and I had a 'what the hell' moment and thought id just go for it and try it. Thankfully I had nothing to worry about at all as the Colour Tattoo didn't irritate my skin in any way shape or form and I was able to to wear it like any other person... Good result!

Overall I am over the moon I bought the 24hr Colour Tattoo which is so affordable at £4.99  from Boots and as its been my recent go too eyeshadow. I am keen to add some more shades to my collection and have  got my eye on 'Permanent Taupe' and 'Eternal Gold', but I know that Maybelline have realised more shades of the Colour Tattoo in the US, so I am hoping that they will be released over here very soon.