Review | Naturally European Hand Cream |

Hand cream in an essential especially in these colder months. I've been looking for a moisturising hand cream that smells nice, sinks into the skin quickly and isn't greasy. It's the worst when you apply it on the go then can't touch anything for 10 minutes. I came across the Naturally European Verbena Luxury Hand Cream a few months ago and haven't left the house without it since.

Firstly, I love the smell. The range come in various scents from rose petal to ginger and lime. I chose Verbena which is a strong, lemony and flowery scent. The hand moisturiser contains 20% Shea butter which is why your hands feel instantly smooth and supple. The whole range of hand creams are SLS and paraben free which is only as positive thing. As well as that the company do not test on animals and contain all natural fragrances.

I am completely in love with this hand cream and the £6.50 price tag doesn't blow the budget either for such an impressive, luxurious product!

Makeup Tip Tuesday | Ghost Face? |

Have you ever had a picture taken and been shocked at how pale and ghostly you look? I always used put it down to camera quality and over exposure however most of the time is was actually my foundation.

If your foundation contains any SPF then it will contain Titanium Dioxide. These particles scatter the light that hit them once your camera flash goes off, which causes flash back on your face, making you look much paler. On an every day basis I always use moisturisers, foundations and powders that contain an SPF over 15. This helps to protect your skin from UV rays which prevents premature ageing. However, if I am going on a night out then there's no need for sun protection so I avoid SPF completely  helping to avoid the 'ghost face' in pictures. Simples!

I hope this post has shed some light on SPF in foundations and been useful for you all :)

NOTD #8 | Winter Tale |

Just as I jump feet first back into blogging I come back home and realise I left my camera at Uni. Fail! This won't stop me though so for this week the photos I upload will be taken on my phone. I know, not the best quality but it will do for now.

No7 'Winter Tale' is what I have on my nails today and it's actually quite a hard colour to describe. I would say it's a muted purple, grey, blue colour and that is one thing I love about some of the No7 nail varnishes, they are so original! Seeing as it's meant to snow in England tonight I think it's a very apt nail colour and I love it.

I find the No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colours to last for 5-7 days with a good top coat which is what I would expect for paying £6. Also, I normally get them when there is a 3 for 2 on No7 in Boots which is quite often. They dry fairly quickly and appear glossy when dried so I have nothing really bad to say about them.

Off I go now to sit by the fire and hope for snow tonight!

Where Have I Been?!

So as you may have noticed I haven't blogged one bit since the end of August. There is no excuse slacking this much however I will try to justify myself. Soon after my last post I went on holiday for a week then had to pack up my life and move into halls. As you can imagine it was a pretty hectic time having to meet so many new people, get settled and start my course. After that I completely lost the swing of blogging and forgot how much I really love to write.

While this was all happening I was also struggling with an incredibly old and slow laptop which made it painful to upload and edit photos. In December I purchased a brand new swishy macbook so I can do much more and faster.

Now the first term is over and a new term has started I am in a comfortable routine and even though life is still manic it's great to be able to sit down and type. I find it so therapeutic! 

I thank you all so much for sticking with me and I hope you like the blog's new look and name :)

Makeup Tip Tuesday | Easier Blending |

I thought I would start a series of posts called Makeup Tip Tuesday which funnily enough will be posted on Tuesdays. There are lots of tips and tricks to be shared around the make up world so I thought I could share a few with you all. I welcome any other suggestions that you may have and they will only be short and sweet posts to maybe give you some ideas and inspiration.

My first Makeup tip is to apply powder to your face before adding contour, blush or bronzer. By doing this after your foundation it enables the rest of your makeup to blend into your skin easier as it has a smooth surface of powder to run over rather than a sticker foundation base. Blending is the key to a good contour as you don't want any harsh lines to give the game away that you aren't as chiseled as you may appear ;)

I hope you like this first quick Tip Tuesday and let me know if you like it and would like to see more.

Hayley xxx

August Glossybox | International Superstars |

As I went to snap the pics for this blog post my camera battery ran out and I have mentioned in previous blog posts my camera is in for repairs and I am borrowing a snazzy camera. I can't quite work out how to charge it yet so I am sorry for this picture lacking post. Anyway, down to the more important things. This months Glossybox was themed around items from all over the world. It couldn't have come at a better time with all the Olympics hype just ending. Many of the items are cult products in that particular country so it's really interesting to get to test things out that I normally wouldn't be able to get my hands on.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Vera Valenti eyeshadow palette. I was so excited to see this however when I swatched it the pigmentation was awful and reminded me of those eyeshadows you used to get in make up sets when I was 5. In saying this, I used a mixture of the dark browns today as a crease colour and after a lot of building up, it actually looked quite good.

The other item which I got excited about was the Alessandro Pro White which claims to optically brighten the appearance of nails which may be yellowed from staining. I have used this once and as it's blue tinged to cancel out the yellow tones, you can see it in some lights which isn't the most flattering. I will have to use this more as I am not sure whether it just claims to brighten the nails once it is on or produce long lasting whitened nails once used for a long period of time.

One of my favourites from the box has to be the All For Eve Eve's Balm which is an easily absorbed recovery balm to help moisturise any dry areas. In the pan, the product just looks like a plain balm however when you touch it, it turns into an oil. I love to use this on my lips while doing makeup ready for the application of a lipstick or gloss.

Lots of lip products in this months box! As an added extra I received the Glossybox Lipstick in Glossy Pink. It is a lovely rasberry pink colour which has a surprisingly smooth texture. After the brush that the Glossybox team sent out a few boxes ago, I was dubious of the Glossybox own brand however this is a really good product. I assume the Lipcote was put in there to team with this product and I have always wanted to try it out. Lipcote is a lipstick sealer which helps to create a more long lasting lip colour. I will definitely be doing a future blog post on this to see whether it is worth the hype or not.

Last of all, I received the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil which is a water soluble cleanser which helps to remove any makeup, dirt or impurities built up on your face during the day. I have used this once and as I have never used an oil cleanser before I didn't really know how to use it. I just whacked it on my face an massaged it in before attempting to use a cotton pad to remove the rest of the oil and makeup. This method didn't really work. The instructions say to wash your face afterwards so I guess I will do it in the shower next time and use a face wash afterwards. Even if it was a fail on my part, I love the concept of an oil cleanser and I think my skin will benefit from it in the winter when it gets super dry.

Hayley xxx

Review | Benefit They're Real Mascara |

I love Mascara. It is the one item that gives me confidence and makes me feel my age, rather than a wide eyed 12 year old child. I have been testing the Benefit They're Real Mascara out for a good few months now and the first time I applied it even my boyfriend pointed out how good my eyelashes looked (that must be a good sign.) I really like the packaging, it has a metal like finish and resembles a mini cocktail shaker so feels sturdy and expensive (which it should do for £18.50 pop!)  The picture below shows the wand way better than any of the pictures I took and I really like it as it has different length plastic bristles with a bristle ball at the end to get into the little nooks and crannies of the eye.

The formulation is not dry at all but it's not super wet which I like. If it is too wet I find it drags my lashes down once I have curled them. Once dry, this mascara does not flake off but on my long eyelashes, it does transfer on to my brow bone. Below are a couple of before and after shots of just the mascara and no other makeup on.

My eyelashes are looking a bit more sparse than usual  however hopefully you can see hoe much length an volume it gives with only one coat. I have so many mascaras on the go at the moment so expect to see more reviews and an empties post coming soon :)

Hayley xxx