Maybelline Baby Lips

You may have seen these little beauties popping up in the blogosphere or on YouTube over the past couple of months, I first caught sight of them when LaFemme5278 mentioned them in a video and I knew I needed to try them : )

Maybelline Baby Lips. L-R Peach Kiss, Grape Vine

I am of course talking about Maybelline Baby Lips. Their new range of lip balms in an array of delicious flavours. The only problem with these? They're only available in the US. So like any true beauty blogger, it became my mission to get hold of these little American gems...I managed to find an eBay seller that met my satisfaction (always make sure they have excellent feedback and they aren't charging silly prices for international postage) so I placed my order and waited.

Well I didn't have to wait very long! Five days later my Baby Lips arrived! *excited squeal* I tore them open and proceeded to take photos.

After umming and ahhing over which ones to choose, in the end I went for Grape Vine (as recommended by LaFemme5278) and Peach Kiss simply because I love anything to do with peaches :)
I certainly wasn't disappointed, they smell just like the fruit they're named after. They're soft and buttery, just as a good lip balm should be and they have a good tint to them as you can see in the swatches. It's not too much so it looks like a lipstick but it's just enough to feel satisfied that your lips don't look bare.

L-R Grape Vine, Peach Kiss

The packaging is really cute, they all come in different gorgeous bright colours and I'd love to try more flavours. I think I'll wait until they hit British shores so I'm not stuck with paying postage for them but I'm chuffed I have two more lovely little lip balms to add to my collection.

Let me know if you've tried Baby Lips and as always what your thoughts are...

On a totally different note, my tree went up yesterday! Yes I'm one of those crazy Christmas loving freaks that gets their tree up long before its socially acceptable to do so... But hey I have a toddler who is just getting into all things Christmassy so I have the perfect excuse : )

DIY Nail Polish Storage

Hi all! I know it's been an age since I last blogged.... I'm finding it quite difficult to have the time to write posts, which is really frustrating as I enjoy blogging so much! Having a toddler and running a home, cooking, cleaning, washing and all that fun stuff (the toddler part is definately fun, but the housework? Not so much) it all seems to be taking every bit of free time I have, but I will definately set aside some allocated time for blogging from now on.

Sorry about the dark photos, taken on a very dull day & just couldn't get the right light!

I've got quite an exciting post for you today! I've needed a storage solution for my nail polishes for quite some time now, I used to keep them in a big martini glass shaped vase, which definately looked lovely but proved to be a serious pain when I had to scramble through all of the polishes trying to find the shade I wanted. It also meant I'd completely forget about the ones at the bottom of the vase so it just wasn't practical. I saw a photo of a DIY shelving unit on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago which a girl had made for her nail polishes (she had about a million, so it was definately useful for her!) this said, I nipped down to B&Q in search of materials. Needless to say, I felt like a total bimbo with no clue where to start! Luckily I had le boyfriend with me who seemed to be right at home in there... twenty minutes later we were armed with supplies and ready to start DIY'ing! In total I spent no more than £10 on materials.

What I used

Some thin strips of wood (usually used for door frames)
Wood adhesive
White backboard
Can of white spray paint
Screw to hang it up

Sorry if that list makes me sound like even more of a bimbo, but to me wood is wood! No idea what kind of wood it is but anything that can be used as a thin shelf (deep enough to display nail polishes) will do the job. The wood actually came in metre long strips as it's usually used for doorframes, so it had to be cut down to size using a saw.

Wood cut down to make 6 shelves and the 2 side panels : )

The wood was then sprayed white to match the backboard (which also needed to be cut to size) and each shelf was glued onto the board using wood glue. The 2 side panels were also glued on.

And voila! One cute little nail polish unit to hang on the wall. It's pretty plain and simple but to be honest that's all I wanted. I needed something that could be made quickly to get my polishes displayed and this has made me feel very organised : ) It also gave me the chance to sort through all of my polishes and throw the gloopy ones away. 

I may paint the shelves a different colour at some point but for now I'm really pleased with the finished product.

Let me know if you've made any of your own beauty product storage! I'm always on the lookout for new ideas.

Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash

I've mentioned my love for Philosophy a fair few times. Its a pricey brand, but I love it and whenever I've got a bit of spare cash, their website is one of the first places I turn! Definately pop over to the website and have a nose.

Today I'm reviewing my most recent Philosophy purchase, the Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash.

What is it?
A gentle exfoliating cleanser, suitable for all skin types that can be used daily to cleanse and replenish. It costs £22 for 240ml and can be purchased from the Philosophy website. 

Initial thoughts 
A bit pricey! But I'd read some really good reviews and I trust Philosophy as a skincare brand so I didn't mind too much about parting with the cash.
It's packaged in their signature black and white bottle which I love. It's simple but it looks great in the bathroom (something a packaging snob like myself can appreciate!) it has a gel consistency, with lots of tiny exfoliating beads. I say beads but they're more like tiny grains.

My overall thoughts
I've been using it every morning for 3 weeks and I'm really pleased with it. My skin's brighter, softer and just generally feels cleaner! I like to really feel an exfoliating scrub working, if it's slightly uncomfortable then as far as I'm concerned it's doing it's job. This scrub is great to use in the morning, getting rid of the previous night's moisturiser and any dirt or sweat (sorry!) that's accumulated. As soon as I wash it off and pat my face dry, my skin looks and feels fresh and it's a great first step before applying my day moisturiser and then my make up. I have combination skin, some days it's more oily than others and I get dry patches on my cheeks (talk about complicated! So hard to find the perfect products for my skin), so I really work it into those dry areas to help create a smooth surface for my makeup.

Overall I'd give this product 9/10. It gives my skin a good, thorough clean, softening the dry areas and getting rid of sebum in the oily areas, so I definately agree that it'd be suitable for all skin types. It's perfect for use as a daily exfoliator but it loses a mark for the price. You only need a small amount for each use, so it definately lasts quite a long time but £22 is still quite a lot to pay for a face scrub in one hit. I'll definately be repurchasing this at some point, but I want to try a couple of other cheaper products to see if they match up to this one.
Have you tried any Philosophy products? And what face scrubs would you recommend?

5 Products I Always Repurchase

I may have mentioned before that I'm a total impulse buyer... I love trying out new skin care, makeup, nail polishes - especially nail polishes! And unless I find a product that I really and truly fall head over heels in love with, I don't repurchase things very often. Normally this is due to my crazy huge wishlist, for example foundations - I have about six on my wishlist at a time that I want to try out and that's not including any impulse buys I pick up along the way, so it's rare that I'd go out and buy the same one twice.

This said, there are really only five products that I repurchase again and again. Products I use pretty much on a day to day basis that I love and therefore don't see the need to change. They're actually pretty cheap and cheerful products too and can be found at the local Boots or Superdrug, so dead easy to get hold of.



Batiste Dry Shampoo - A staple in most people's hair routine (okay, I'm assuming, but I think this is generally the go-to dry shampoo for the majority...) It's pretty cheap, you get a lot of product for your money, it's simple to use, it does the job well and Batiste have a great variety of scents etc so there's really something for everyone. I wash my hair every 2 to 3 days, washing it every day would strip it of it's natural oils and to be honest who has the time to wash it every morning? So dry shampoo is a life saver for those 'in between' days. I've repurchased this so many times I've lost track. £1.99 - £2.99 

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs - Over the years I've tried pretty much every self-tan product the world has to offer, some are good, some are crap, some are too orange, most are overpriced... I've actually gotten to the age now where I'm not so fussed about having a regimented tanning routine, again I simply don't have the time and I actually enjoy being pale (crazy I know!) but for the odd occassion when I may decide to go out and socialise, my legs, arms and chest need a bit of a glow. So on a friend's recommendation I started using Airbrush Legs and literally haven't looked back. It sprays on and is easily rubbed in, it has barely any scent, the medium shade gives just the right amount of bronze to fair skin and the best thing? It washes straight off your hands with just a bit of soap! Oh the nights I've wasted scrubbing my hands until they're red raw, when I could've just been using this. It's not overly cheap but for someone like me that only uses it once a month or so, it's pretty reasonable. £10.29

Boots Coconut & Almond Body Lotion - Firstly I love the smell, coconut and almond are possible the most perfect pairing ever! The main reason I always repurchase this is due to the dry skin patches I sometimes get on my legs. If I use perfumed body lotion or anything with harsh chemicals in it, my skin can flare up which results in red, itchy patches - not pleasant. I've even tried E45 body cream which is probably the most sensitive lotion you can buy and even that doesn't help, the coconut and almond lotion is the only thing that works. So if you suffer from skin irritations or annoying dry patches then I'd definately recommend giving this a go. It lasts ages and it's cheap as chips. £2.03

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle - A really popular conditioning treatment that everyone raves about. I've been using this for well over a year (I do try other treatments, but this is always in my shower as a backup) you basically use it as the label suggests, slap it on, leave it for 3 minutes and wash it off. It never fails to leave my hair soft and smelling delish. Yes, there's better conditioning treatments out there, but this is easy to get hold of and the perfect product to buy when you don't have lots of pennies to spend on fancier brands. I often have a bottle of Aussie shampoo lying around too. All in all a great brand. £4.99

Johnson's Baby Conditioner - I may or may not have stolen this from my son months ago and then continued to repurchase it : ) To be honest, it lasts so long for what I use it for that I don't often need to repurchase. I basically use this as a shaving cream for my legs. As I explained before, my legs are very sensitive and I have to be extra careful with the products I use on them, I've never really felt the need to buy expensive shaving creams and this does the job perfectly. Baby products are always great for sensitive skin because they aren't loaded with nasty chemicals so you know you aren't going to have any unwanted reactions. Rub some of this onto your legs, shave and voila! Smooth, soft legs with no red bumps or other irritations. £2 - £3

So there's my 5 products that I always repurchase. I guess you could say my top 5 products of all time : )

Do you use any of these?

 

NOTD: Gold Studs

I recently picked up one of Barry M's Gelly polishes after seeing them on the shelves for quite a while. I went for a colour that was completely different to anything I already owned, it's called Watermelon although I've no idea why as it's a dark (almost Bristish Racing) green with a slight hint of teal. I have to say it's a gorgeous colour and I'd definately recommend giving the Gelly polishes a go, they really do have a super glossy finish to them without a top coat!

If you saw my recent haul, you'll know I picked up some Andrea Fullerton gold studs. I added them to this look, just above the cuticle and I really like it! Studs are everywhere right now, whether it's on jackets, boots or handbags so why not add a few to your nails : )