The Not So Good Ones

These things are NOT worth splashing the cash on ...

I try to always love the products I buy, I mean I bought them with my money so the last thing I want is for them to go to waste, right? But sometimes there are things that I just don't get along with and that I need to vent about because they are just really really bad. Then again, things that I hate you might love, things you love, I might hate..so everyone is different and I think that makes shopping and new releases from brands exciting because everyone reacts in a different way.

Simple Oil Balancing Wipes // I love Simple, and all their products especially their makeup wipes because they are the best things when you are lazy or tired. When I saw these Oil Balancing ones for offer in the Supermarket a few weeks ago I was sold because surely that are just like their normal wipes but better for oily skin? No, not all. These are honestly horrible and I had to use three to get my makeup off, instead of just one like I normally do. That wasn't the only thing after having them for a week and closing the sticker bit correctly, the bottom few wipes had dried out? At first you could say this is my fault, but I seal the sticker every night to ensure they don't get dry - so it became harder to use them.

VO5 Give Me Texture // The main reason as to why I didn't get along with this texturing spray is because I don't think it is for my hair type; straight and short. The first time I went to use it, I loved the smell and the first feel and look it had on my hair but then after a few hours of spraying it, my hair became really itchy and irritable. It was awful, and I have never used anything like it...So then one weekend I curled my hair and thought I would use it then to see if it works better in curly hair, but it fact it was worse - you could see the spray and it looked like dandruff.

Collection Work The Lip Butter //  I wanted to love this so bad, lip crayons are my favourite thing, they are easy to use and apply and feel super silky on the lips. When budget brand Collection brought one out I was excited to try it out and see how it lived up to the others, The shade range is limited to 4, the one I picked up was 'Vintage Rose' and seemed like a pretty coral, but muted pink. Instead it came out like a barbie pink and really washed me out. 

Models Own Hyper Gel// Another product I was super excited about and couldn't wait to use it, the hype and interest around these new formula nail polishes from Models Own was unreal and I waited for a while to buy them, before getting them in a blog sale. Thank heavens I didn't pay full price for them because personally, they are not worth it. I love the BarryM gelly polishes so much, and these don't compare at all - far too thick and a gloopy formula that chips as soon as you put it on. I don't recommend these, instead buy BarryM!!!

Apologies for the rambly post, but I wanted to really get to the nitty gritty! What did you think of these products - love them or hate them? 

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Makeup Revolution Haul

Makeup Revolution is a brand that I have always had my eye on, I see the new releases all over my instagram and twitter feed and the blogs I follow are always raving about them. I thought it was about time I made an order, and I ordered when it was their 1st Birthday which meant a free gift with purchase! I was very good and bought just what I wanted and also asked my friend Aimee if she wanted anything, seen as though she persuaded me to try out some things! 

Protection Palette £6.99

This was the thing that I really really wanted, Aimee hasn't stopped raving about this since she got it and upon first glance I knew that I will fall in love with it as well. The protection palette includes three shades of concealer that combat different areas of your face, a powder to set it all and then a bronzer, blusher and highlighter to complete your look. It is everything you need in one palette and comes with a mirror - bonus! I went with the shade 'Medium' but there are a range to choose from

Pure Cult Palette £3.99

I needed something to buy that pushed my order further up in order to get free delivery and this was the one! The Pure Cult eye shadow palette comes with 10 shades that look perfect for a day and night time look, the whole 10 shade range is gorgeous and it was hard to pick! 

Mocha Love EyeShadow £1.00

Recently, Kaushal from KaushalBeauty talked about this shadow in one of her videos as the perfect contouring colour, being the enabler she is I decided to put it to the test and give it a go. For only £1 you can't go wrong buying lots of these single shadows.

32 Flawless Palette Flawless £8.00

Sugar and Spice Blush Palette £6.00

Both of these items I got a while ago from Superdrug but they haven't been hauled on here yet so I thought to just include them in this post! Both these palettes are perfect for on the go and when you are in a hurry because the choice you have is endless. The shadows are super pigmented and buttery, they work amazingly well! 

Lip Power in Yesterday's Favourite £3.00

Another Aimee driven purchase, the lip power is a product that is utter genius. It comes with a lipstick and a lip gloss, making it easier for you to choose the lip option you wear in the morning. 

Blush Stick in Malibu £5.00

The NARS Multiple sticks look amazing but are way out of my budget, little did I know that MR have a dupe for them all that go by the name 'The ONE Blush Stick' coming in a range of shades they are meant to be cream products. I went with the bronzy colour one in hope that it can help me with my horrible contouring skills. 

Now this is the stuff that came as the free gift, I kept some and Aimee kept the other stuff that she had her eye on. I decided to keep the Go to the City Palette , a mascara that promises amazing volume, liquid blush, two of the eye pigments which slightly scare me and a happy lips.  

When the parcel came in the post I felt like a little girl at Christmas, it got me very excited! Expect reviews of some of the things very soon because I have a feeling everything will be amazing! 

Any recommendations from MR that i NEED to get next? Not that I need anything else! 

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Rediscovered #2 - RT Sponge

Apologies for the dirty sponge, but I'm a lazy girl who doesn't wash her brushes every week, ok...

Today is my second 'Rediscovered' post which is my aim to try and use the products that are collecting dust in my makeup draw. This time I have an applicator - the Real Techniques Miracle Sponge aka the best thing in my life. I got this from Cohorted back in November and reviewed it here, and one thing I complained about it was the fact that when you wet it and ring it out, the water is still trapped inside and you can feel it being all wet on your skin. So, the result was that I stopped using it; until a few weeks a ago when I had a ta-da moment and decided to bring it back out and use but this time use it dry. 

My life then changed forever, I prefer this over to using a brush and when I do use a brush I hate the finish. This sponge makes applying your base so much easier, it goes on smoothly, looks less cakey and feels as though it doesn't even exist on your skin. You can tell by the photos above that I prefer one side of the sponge the curved edge is much easier to use, I don't like the idea of the flat side as it makes no sense! And the tip is great for buffing in your concealer - double trouble! 

I took this sponge away this past weekend for some weddings and it worked a treat, double duty and easy to take along on the go. Have you tried this sponge?? Thoughts?

 

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Trying to get into Fitness

The word 'fitness' is a weird one, i don't hate it nor do i love it. It's more of a love hate relationship that I am now currently getting a little bit more serious about it. Over the last 40 days I have taken part in the DW Fitness Challenge to push myself and really get that summer body workout going. I took a small break in the middle due to pulling a ligament in my knee, completely unrelated to the exercise I was undertaking as I started out slow so that my body can get used to it. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed giving myself a new challenge everyday, it has pushed me to really change my diet, way that I look at life and also it has helped me to feel better in myself.

I understand that you can't just lose weight like that, and that wasn't ever my aim in the first place I just wanted to have something to give me a push and then I can carry on and I certainly will be from now on. DW were kind enough to set me and a group of other lovely bloggers a huge hamper full of goodies half way through, this definitely gave me the strength to carry on going and keep it up. It was full of protein drinks, food, books and little knick knacks to get through it. After (kind of) successfully completing the 40 days of fitness, I thought that the best way to sum it all up was to share a few tips and gifs to help you get motivated and kick you into that fitness mood! I am no expert in the world of health, so please don't go by everything I say and do what you can and aim to be who and what you want.
In the last 40 days I seem to have completely changed the way I look at regular exercise, it doesn't have to be going to the gym everyday or lifting tons of weights, simply doing a 5 sit ups one day and building up by 5 every day is more than enough. I've also started to walk more, living on a hill is a struggle but each week it was getting a little easier and I could stand it. It is really that simple! 

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Tip 1: Keep Hydrated
If you are someone like me who doesn't exercise frequently, then keep a bottle of water with you whilst you work out you will need it. Also a big thing when you are trying to get fitter is to always be drinking water, I have completely cut out anything else apart from water and the occasional cup of coffee, this doesn't only help with your fitness but also your body in general you will feel awake, and your skin will see a big difference.

Tip 2: Only Do What YOU Can
I am one for pushing myself to my limit, but when it comes to exercise I have found that you should only do what you are able to do and what your body can take. Pushing yourself is fine because you get a rush from it, but never do too much that you are in pain or distress.

Tip 3: If you injure yourself then please stop
When I hurt my knee during the process, I kept on going without any fears but then realised that I shouldn't do anything when in pain. Have a rest or do exercises that mean you don't move that part of your body, because my whole leg was unable to do anything I worked on my arms instead.

Tip 4: Make it FUN
The amazing thing about the 40 day challenge was that it was fun, different things to do everyday and talk about so you were doing something fun. A reason why the gym isn't very appealing to me because you will just be doing the same thing over and over again without any sort of change, doing it in the comfort of your own home means you can do what you like and look how you want. Take a break if you feel like it and do it at your own pace.

Tip 5: Set goals and give yourself an incentive
If you are wanting to lose weight, or even build a epic six pack then write the goal down, stick it on your wall and read it every single day. Having a end goal to reach makes everything worthwhile and makes you feel content because you aren't just working out for no reason. Eating healthy and getting fit is a great idea, but you need to have a goal and in my opinion an incentive as well. At the end of the week give yourself a little treat, if you are once step closer to the end goal then give yourself a day off!


I hope that this has inspired you all to work a little harder in achieving your fitness goals, I am hoping to carry on now forever. Doing a little bit everyday has really helped me become a different person.

*Collab with DW Sports*

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