I'm back!

Hello, and welcome back to my blog!
So much has changed for me since last time I posted: I changed job, moved house and had a baby! So as you can see I have been extremely busy, but now I'm all settled and on maternity, so I have decided to come back to my blog which I have missed so much.
I am so happy to be blogging again, so of course I will still be posting about beauty products, clothes, and nail art, but as my baby girl is such a big part of my life, I will be posting about my new life as a mum, baby products, and our adventures too!
I hope you will find my blog interesting and that you enjoy reading it.
Love, Ally

Maybelline Color Show in Clear Shine Review

Hello everyone!

As I am a big fan of nail polish and doing my nails, I thought why not start reviewing the nail products I use.

So today I am going to share with you my thoughts and opinions on the Maybelline Color Show in Clear Shine 649.

The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger TAG

Hello everyone!

I have been nominated for the Procrastinating Beauty Blogger tag by the sweet Heather from frillysocksandbows, so here are my answers to the 10 questions!

1. Name a beauty regime you rarely do?
I don't really have one, I do pretty much everything often enough.

2. Is washing your brushes something you do regularly?
I try haha! I work really stupid hours, so it's really hard to have a regular life. I try to wash them at least once a week though.

3. How long will you last with chipped nail polish?
My hands are on show all the time at work so I do my best to have nice nails, and I am addicted to nail polish, so when it chips I usually re do my mani within a day or two.

4. How long will you put off buying/replacing a beauty or nail polish product even if you need it?
Until I find a bargain lol.

5. What is your worst beauty habit?
Mmh, this has to be not taking my make up off as soon as I get home from work instead of taking it off before bed :( I am trying really hard though, and I'm getting there.

6. Name something non-beauty related that you put off doing all the time?
The washing up! It's the only house chore I hate.

7. When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready until the last minute or not?
I like starting with a relaxing shower, so I start quite early in order to do everything without rushing.

8. Can you commit to spending bans?
Yes, although I love shopping I'm quite good at controlling myself, but when I don't have to worry more than so much, I like to go crazy.

9. How organised is your make up and nail polish collection?
My boyfriend bought me a great make up box in which I store my rather big nail polish collection, while my make up is in a small beauty case, and I still don't have a proper place for my brushes or my lipsticks. 

10. What is the longest amount of time you have gone without writing a blog post?
Only 5 days, as I love blogging! It's my hobby and a great escape from the World.

The bloggers I tag are:
Becki

Cherry Pie

Chloe
Melissa

Rules
1. copy and paste these 'rules' into your post when you write it!
2. You must state that this tag was created by Laura from The Beau Bow.
3. You must thank the person who tagged you at the start of your post, follow them if you're feeling nice and at the end of your post state who you tag, and comment on their blog to let them know you tagged them.
4. Title this post 'The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger TAG' .
5. Have fun! :)

Looking forward to read everyone's answers! I love tag posts, they're so fun :)

Alex

Drugstore haul

Hello everyone!
During the last few days I have picked up some bits from Boots and Superdrug, so I thought I'd share them with you. 
I got some new products I haven't tried before, and some that I was repurchasing because I like them.

I love shopping for toiletries, and in our shopping center Boots and Superdrug are opposite each other so I always go have a look in one first and then in the other before buying anything! That way I can have a wider choice of products and prices.

First in my list were shampoo and conditioner, as I finally finished my old ones. I still haven't found the right shampoo for me, my hair is very dry and brittle at the ends, but my scalp is a bit oily, and our water is really, really hard, which makes everything worse. I have tried lots of different shampoos and conditioners but none of them satisfies me, so when I was in Boots the other day I noticed The Sleek Restorer by Garnier Ultimate Blends with coconut oil and cocoa butter for dry and fizzy hair, and the ingredients are quite good too! ! I try to avoid shampoos with silicon, or at least avoid them if silicons are at the top of the list, because they give you the impression your hair is smooth and shiny, but underneath it makes it worse, and it gets dirty by the day after washing it! So I was impressed by this shampoo (and it's price! Under £3) and I also got the conditioner to go with it. These were also in the bigger size, which I was tempted to buy, but I thought it's better to try them first so I went for the regular size. I have used them three times now, and so far I am very happy. I will do a review when I finish the bottles.

I also needed eye make up remover as I was running out of my No7 one, which I loved and hated at the same time, so I wanted to try a different brand as all the ones I've used so far haven't satisfied me fully. While in Boots, I spotted the Nivea Daily Essentials Double Effect Eye Make Up Remover, and this too I have used a few times times and liking it so far. Watch this space for a review!

After Boots I went to Superdrug where I wanted to get some face masks. I usually buy the packet ones at 99pence each or 4 for 3, but this time I wanted to buy a full size as I think this will make me want to use them more often. So I noticed they had 2 for £3.50 and I spent ages choosing which ones I wanted. In the end I picked the Detoxifying Face Mask with Dead Sea Mud for normal to oily skin and the De-Stressing Face Mask with Aloe Vera Extract for normal to combination skin. I haven't used them yet, but I cannot wait to try them as I love face masks!

The next products are a repurchase, I have been using these for over a year and although they're not perfect, they are the best products I have tried for my face. They are from Witch Naturally Clear with witch Hazel Extract, and they're for oily skin. I use the wipes every night to take my make up off (not on the eyes), and I alternate the foam on some mornings and the exfoliating wash on others. I have been wanting to do a review on these products as I've never come across anything online about them, it will probably be this or next week. 

Have you tried any of these products? What similar ones do you use?
Alex

Models Own Haul

Hello everyone! 
Recently Models Own have had a half price sale and being a big fan of their nail polishes I decided to treat myself. At £2.50 for 14ml each bottle and the quality you get, it was a massive bargain!
I have bought a few nail polishes, including a matt top coat, a blush, and a nail file/buffer.

I already own loads of nail polish so I have chosen these new colours very carefully as I would hate to have doubles. I realised I mostly have metallic/regular shades, so I wanted to get myself some pastel colours, and these are the ones I picked.

Lilac Sheen is from their new gel range, and I am wearing it as I type. I never really thought about lilac nail polish before, but like I said I wanted new colours, and I thought this one would be perfect as it's not similar to anything I've had before. 
To be honest I'm not really fussed about the gel side of it, as long as it's very pigmented, applies well and lasts a decent amount of time then I'm happy :) As I've literally just painted my nails, I can't comment on the duration, but it was a pleasure to apply, one coat of dense, extremely pigmented colour. 
The other two colours I picked are this gorgeous light blue (Blueberry Muffin) and mint green (Apple Pie), and both are from the scented range. I have always been a bit shy towards scented polishes, but since buying one by mistake from Rimmel, I feel more comfortable. I haven't tried these two yet, but I'm pretty sure I won't be disappointed.

The matt topcoat is the main bit in my order, as I hadn't tried one yet, and I had waited for the Models Own one to come out. I have been thinking about how to use it, so I will post something soon.

I needed a new nail file/buffer so I decided to add it to my order and see how I like this one. I haven't tried it yet but I'm sure it will be fine haha.

The last thing I bought is the powder blush. I should say I am a bit obsessed with pink blushes, and even thought it's really hard for me to admit, I don't think they are the right shade for me. Since I was running out of my Seventeen one, I bought this Models Own one in the shade 001. I am very pale, and this is, sadly, too light for me, you can't even see it (how is that possible!). I have only tried it once, so I will have to play with it a bit more I guess. I was a bit disappointed because their polishes and pencil lipsticks are great. 

Anyway, I have to say I was very disappointed by the service as it took them a week to dispatch my parcel and an extra couple of days for it to be delivered. I kept seeing on Twitter etc all these girls receiving their orders within 2 days :( but I've got my items now, so all is good. The parcel was carefully put together and I really appreciated it, it was a small box in a Models Own sleeve, and inside there was a pretty paper and the precious bottles were wrapped in bubble wrap. It's always nice to see parcels packed with care!

Did you order anything during their half price sale? I would love to see your pretty treats :)

Alex

Valentines nails 2

Hello everyone!
Time is really flying by, so here I have the second Valentines mani idea for you!
It's again really simple, but very pretty and effective, you will get lots of compliments! Every time I draw something on my nails I get asked if I used stickers hehe :)
All you need for this mani is two or more different colours, and dotting tools, but you can use bobby pins if you don't have a dotting tool kit. I used to use bobby pins and they work fine, but I suggest getting dotting tools, they are really cheap from ebay and you get 5 double ended tools with 10 different sizes tips.

2013 favourites

The new year has started a month ago, I cannot believe January is over! It might be a little late, but as I only just started my blog, I thought I would write a post on my favourite things of 2013.

BEAUTY
This mascara by Seventeen, called Doll'd Up, is the best mascara I have tried. It really curves my lashes and I don't need to use a curler! I like to build it up and it makes my lashes so thick and dark. And the curve lasts all day.

DIY knuckle ring

Hello everyone,

Who doesn't love knuckle rings? They have been one of the biggest recent trends, and I must say I probably was the only girl who didn't own any.. until this afternoon, when I decided to make one myself.

It is very easy and quick to do, and you only need a few things to make one.

Valentine's Mani

Hello everyone!

Valentine's Day is approaching so fast, so I thought I'd start sharing some cute mani ideas .

Today I'm showing you the first one:

Easy face and lip scrub

Hello everyone, 

I have a very easy recipe for a homemade gentle scrub, it is so delicate you can use it every morning on your face and lips. Yes, lips look and feel better if you use a scrub, especially during the winter. Don't forget to use a good lip balm and moisturiser afterwords.

We can find lots of different face scrubs in all shops, but this homemade scrub is very easy and cheap to make, with ingredients you already have at home (or if you don't, they're all easy to find and very cheap, and you can use them for other things too). 

All you need is of course an empty container, I have used an old mousse foundation glass jar. Any container will be OK, make sure you give it a good wash before you start :)

Once you have your clean jar, you need:
honey
bicarbonate of soda
gentle neutral soap.

Honey is good for your skin as it leaves it soft, the soap helps with cleansing, and the bicarbonate of soda is the actual granules for the scrub. You could use sugar instead, but bicarbonate of soda has a gentle withening power, so if you have any acne scars or dark spots, this helps fading them.

For the size of my container I have mixed together 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of soap and about 4 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda. Give it a good mix and check the consistency, it needs to be a paste but not too thick. If you try it on the back of your hand , you need to feel the granules of the bicarbonate of soda, so you need to adjust the proportions if you think there isn't enough or if there is too much. Just add a little bit of each ingredient at a time.

This mix keeps a long time with no problems, as it's just soap, honey and bicarbonate of soda. But I'm sure you'll be going through a jar quite fast as it's ideal to be used every morning! I keep mine in the shower :)

The ingredients do separate as the honey is quite heavy, but that's not a problem, give it a stir with your finger or a cotton bud when you want to use the scrub and it will be all good.

Let me know if you try it and what you think :)