Summer Holiday Wishlist 2015

My favourite thing to do before a summer holiday is compile a wishlist of bits and bobs I need (want). I love reading other blogs and browsing Pinterest for inspiration so I thought I would compile my own little list. I'm going to Majorca in a few weeks and it'll be my first proper beach holiday in a couple of years and I'm getting far too excited for it! Here are a few things I'm lusting after at the moment:

4 Festival Hair Styles

Before I go to a festival I love perusing the web to find some inspiration for festival hair-dos so that 3 days without a shower won't be a problem for my locks! 

Boho hair (source)

REVIEW: Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

My favourite high street mascara of all time is the Maybelline Great Lash mascara in "Blackest Black". Seeing as I've been using this non-stop for a while now I keen to try out the new Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara.

Festival Fashion: The Kimono

Queen of Kimonos Kate Moss (source)

With official start of the festival season Glastonbury less than 3 weeks away it's time for us ladies to start planning our festival wardrobes! In my opinion the Summer's hottest trend this year is the Kimono. Let's face it, the way the weather is going in the UK at the moment I doubt we'll all be whipping out our bikini tops and shorts for a while yet so the Kimono is the perfect antidote. You can cover up in style whilst still maintaining the Summer vibe. Style with high waisted shorts, crop top & sandals (or wellies) for the perfect festival outfit!

March Beauty Favourites

I always feel March is a really difficult month when it comes to skin care and beauty products. It's that time that's in between Winter & Summer when the weather is changing and we need to often update beauty products and routine in order to keep up...READ MORE

Review: ORIGINS Clear Improvement Mask

I haven't bought a good mask in years! With winter upon us and as my dry, wind blustered skin calls out for some TLC I decided to splash out on a trio of masks from Origins. Each mask on it's own costs £22 for 100ml. However, at the moment, you can buy 3 different masks (all 75ml size), packaged prettily and branded as the Origins Mask Marvel Set. For just £25 which makes this set over double the amount of product for just £3 extra! The set contains Drink Up Overnight Mask, Drink Up 10 Minute Mask & Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. Not only is this a bargain no-brainer, this set would also make a lovely Christmas gift for a beauty loving friend. 

So far I have only tried the Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask but I plan to write a review of the others when I get a chance to try them. The 3 key ingredients in this mask are Active Charcoal, White China Clay & Lecithin which Origins claim to "draw out pore-cloggers", "absorb environmental toxins" & "dissolve impurities". All 3 naturally occurring substances are well known for their beneficial cosmetic properties. Clinical studies of Lecithin have shown it to benefit acne. White Clay has been used for centuries and is particularly good for sensitive skin because it is so mild. 

I have used this mask twice now and can already say I have seen some improvement to the congestion of my skin. My skin feels smooth and pores superficially clear. Obviously problematic areas and stubborn spots still remain but I would hope after consistent use these might be reduced quite substantially. As I find with all Origins products they last a long time, so once a week use should not be a problem.

Directions say to first open pores with a warm, moist towel, however, I just had a long soak in a hot bath which is hopefully good enough. I have found I need a couple of layers of product in order to cover the whole face as it spreads quite thinly. It has the texture of something like acrylic paint rather than a thick clay which surprised me but isn't unpleasant.  It has a fresh, clean, light and distinctly "Origins" smell with a slight clay-like after note. Very pleasant.

It takes about 5-10 minutes to dry and I wash it off as soon as it has dried with help from a muslin cloth. It dries with quite a soft & smooth texture, not like the usual flakey and cracking texture of a charcoal or clay mask. I have quite dry skin, especially in winter months, so I feel tightness immediately after I have washed it off and have to run straight to my room to moisturise. I notice my skin looks quite red after using the mask which I think is to do with the properties of the White China Clay that stimulate circulation. The redness goes down pretty quickly and the biggest difference I notice in my skin is even tone and a smoother complexion. 

Despite the pretty hefty price tag I would really recommend this product and in fact all Origins products are really worth the bucks for their natural & pure ingredients. 

Hope you enjoyed this review. Let me know your thoughts about this product if you have tried it in the comments below.

Izzy x

Review - Lush Hair Products

What's great about going into Lush is that the staff are so knowledgeable and can really help you find what you're looking for. You will definitely need a spare half an hour or so as they can ramble on a bit! I've been looking for the right shampoo & conditioner for ages so I thought I'd give Lush a whirl. When I went in to talk to someone about hair products I found out that Mark Constantine, the co-founder of Lush actually started out as an herbal Trichologist (Trichology is the study of hair and scalp) and that Lush's hair care range is their most extensive. I literally thought all Lush sold was pretty bath bombs! So I had a chat with a lovely shop assistant and came away with Fair Trade Honey Shampoo and Veganese Conditioner.  

Fair Trade Honey Shampoo

This shampoo was recommended for me on the basis that I have quite damaged hair in need of some moisture but is very fine. As you can expect from Lush products it is all completely natural and paraben free (you can check the ingredients list here) and I was told that it is 50% honey. It smells of turkish delight which is quite overpowering when you smell it just from the bottle but actually has a really nice aroma when used in your hair. Because of it's obviously very natural ingredients it doesn't lather too much which makes it quite difficult to spread all the product through my hair - I ended up sectioning my hair in two and using a fair amount at each application. The shop assistant said it would last me about 3 months which it certainly didn't (I do wash my hair most days). However, negatives aside, this shampoo has left my hair soft, manageable and feeling very nourished. It has definitely smoothed out my wispy bits and flyaways and I can much more easily leave my hair to dry and head out without styling. The best thing about this product is that whilst it is making my hair look good I also know it's doing good as I know there are no nasty chemicals in it! I will definitely repurchase but it's not cheap at £7 for just 110g.

Veganese Conditioner

Again because my hair is fine I was recommended a conditioner that is very light that wouldn't weigh my hair down. This conditioner has a very runny consistency. Because my hair is always dry and damaged I normally go for a thick, creamy conditioner so this was a very new experience for me. But as it's quite thin you don't need to use an awful lot as it spreads through the hair nicely. The smell of this product is of fresh lemon grass which is just delicious! The defining ingredient in this conditioner is the agar agar gel which comes from seaweed which is what helps restore dry or frizzy hair. Yet without the presence of lanolin also makes it Lush's lightest conditioner (check the ingredients here). This conditioner is a bit of a revelation for me as my hair feels so soft and moisturised after washing it yet also with a definite "squeaky clean" feeling. I would absolutely recommend this conditioner to anyone who has fine/thin hair. Again, like the shampoo, my gripe with this product is that it doesn't last very long. This product is obviously great for vegans as it doesn't contain lanolin (oil from sheep's wool) and as it happens I'm allergic to lanolin, not that I think my hair minds but it's nice to know it's not there! A little cheaper at £4.15 for 100g.

I hope you have enjoyed this review. Let me know your thoughts!

Isobel x

Liebster Award

We were very kindly nominated for the Liebster Award by Charlotte from The Beauty Board. Thank you very much and we would love to take part!

Liebster is a German word meaning kindest, nicest, beloved, endearing and welcoming. It's a word which has a positive meaning towards people. This award is given to bloggers by other bloggers. And the most important thing about this award is to share and grow the network and encourage new bloggers. The blogger who has been nominated should have less than 200 followers.

How it works...
Each person must post 11 things about themselves
Answer the questions that the nominator set for you, then set 11 more questions for the blogs you nominate
Chose blogs to nominate, then link them to your blog
Go to their page and let them know.

11 things about us:
1. We have known each other since we were 7 but only really became friends when we were 15 and bonded on a school trip to Germany.
2. When we were about 18 we got obsessed with Example (before he was famous) and followed his gigs around London.
3. We've been talking about starting a blog for years but only got round to doing it at the beginning of this year.
4. We live really close to each other in South London, have lived here our whole lives and will probably both never leave. 
5. We used to spend a lot of summers together in Crantock, North Cornwall which is Harriet's family holiday destination.
6. We both had our first job working in a bar when when we were 18. 
7. Our favourite drink is a gin & tonic with lots of fresh lime... preferably on a warm summers evening!
8. We both have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with coffee...especially from Starbucks (eek).
9. Isobel has a Canon 450D DSLR and that's what we take most of the pictures for our blog with.
10. We've both been traveling and would love to do more!
11. We're really enjoying blogging and hope we can carry on for as long as possible.

Questions for us:
1. What is your favourite make-up brand?
Bobbi Brown! Each time I walk past the Bobbi Brown stand at the moment something else finds its way into my makeup bag. I love their concept that everything should revolve around really great skin, & adore their colour range of lipsticks & blushes - lots & lots of pinks. (Harriet)
2. What is your favourite TV Show?
At the moment it's Peep Show. British comedy, 8 series and still going strong! (Isobel)
3. Are you planning on going on holiday this year? Where?
My Uni friends and I were flirting with the idea of spending a week in Spain this Summer and taking a cheeky little trip across to Ibiza for one night. This probably won't eventuate though as we suck at organisation! (Isobel)
4. What was the last gig/concert you went to?
In the summer I went to "SW4" a 2 day festival on Clapham Common in South London. Chase & Status headlined the 1st day and Skrillex headlined on the 2nd. A friend works in music so I managed to go backstage which was so much fun. (Isobel)
5. Who do you think is the most beautiful Celebrity?
Monica Bellucci, Marion Cotillard & Bar Refaeli- I couldn't decide between the three of these naturally gorgeous women! (Harriet)
6. What's your favourite Take-Away?
Such an easy one for me: Noodles! And my favourite place to get them from is Noodle Express which you should definitely try if you live in the South London area. (Isobel)
7. What do you do? Studying/Working? 
We both work! Isobel studied Graphic Design at Uni and would love to pursue it, at the moment she is working as a Nanny. Harriet has worked in retail for years and now is making the transition into fitness & nutrition.
8. Handbags or Shoes?
Handbags. I definitely have a bit of a handbag addiction, there might be a new naughty purchase coming up on the blog soon... I love shoes as well but feel like I get so much less wear out of them so they're harder to justify. (Harriet)
9. What is your worst beauty habit?
I definitely don't clean my makeup brushes enough. It's a terrible habit and in fact I feel so bad thinking about them all dirty I'm off to clean them right now! (Isobel)
10. What is your holy grail beauty product?
Following on from the first question; the Bobbi Brown corrector, I have repurchased this countless times. It completely erases dark circles & discolouration & has a great consistency that makes it invisible on the skin. (Harriet)
11. Favourite Junk Food/ Comfort Food?
CHOCOLATE! Not a favourite, rather an addiction! (Isobel) 

Questions for you:

1. Do you have a pet? What is it? Name?
2. What's your favourite City?
3. What's the one beauty product you couldn't live without?
4. If you had to leave the house with only ONE part of your makeup done, what would it be? Eyebrows/Lips/Foundation...etc?
5. Apart from being a blogger, what do you do?
6. What's your favourite High Street Fashion Store?
7. What's your favourite form of exercise?
8. Who's your favourite celeb & why?
9. What's the last restaurant you went to?
10. If you could only wear either rings, necklaces or bracelets, which one would you chose?
11. What do you consider your best quality?

We nominate:
Ou est la discotheque?
nihilarian
Comely Cobber
Samya Says
Charlotte Jackson