Girlz Only Dry Shampoo

I tend to use a lot of dry shampoo, not just for refreshing hair between washes but also to add texture and volume when creating a messy or tousled look.

Girlz only is by far the best dry shampoo I've tried- it smells fresh but not too strong or perfumey and leaves my hair looking nice and clean without the strange white/grey powdery look that Bastiste gives me. I currently have this dry shampoo in the fragrance 'Dawn til Dusk' (they also do 'Party Nights' and 'Hazy Days') and I actually like the packaging a lot more than Bastiste's retro style bottles.
The only edge Batiste does have over Girlz Only is that they also do little bottles of 50ml that are great for popping in your handbag. Girlz Only is quite a bit cheaper than Bastiste- £1.50 for 150ml vs £2.99 for 200ml.


Girlz Only Dry Shampoo is available online or from Tesco.

Review: Model in a Bottle Vs. Mac Fix+





Model in a Bottle and Mac Fix+ both are both makeup fixers, with each claiming to do a slightly different job. Model in a Bottle claims to be a translucent matte finish fixer that has resistance to 'smudging, tears, humidity and water'. Mac Fix+ on the other hand claims to moisturise and add radiance while fixing your makeup.

First up- Model in a Bottle £14 for 60ml:

I bought this during the warm months when I was favouring a very powdered look but it wouldnt last until the end of the day. I have the sensitive formula which smells mainly of lavender but also quit alcohol-y. The Model in a Bottle liquid is contained in a heavy glass bottle with a spray top, you are advised to spray 2-3 sprays from 12 inches away and keep your eyes closed for 30 secs until the spray has dried. I find this sprays in quite large droplets which can sit on the face and look almost shimmery before its dried, its not unpleasant to spray and dries quite quickly.

At first, my make up was definitely fixed, in fact I would say it was completely set. My face felt quite tight and reminded me of the feeling of hair spray on the face. For the first few hours my make up stayed perfect, but after that the oil breakthrough started. I dont have a hugely oily face, just a bit of excess in my t-zone and down the sides of the nose but in these areas my make up had completely dissappeared as though i'd taken makeup remover to just these patches. Of course I tried to touch up and reapply foundation but the other areas of my face were so set and matte that I looked a patchy mess!

Next- Mac Fix+ £12.50 for 100ml: I bought this a few weeks ago as I've been favouring the dewy/glowy look much more recently and thought it might help me with makeup longevity without powder. This formula smells quite fruity and not strong or alcohol-y at all, which I was pleased with as I didnt want to dry out my skin in the winter months. The liquid is contained in a large plastic bottle with minimal writing and a pump cap that can be closed by twisting, sprays should be made from 12 inches away and it can be used before or after makeup.

The Fix+ comes out in a much finer spray than MOIB and dries much quicker, the skin looks hydrated but not sticky and it takes away the 'powdery' look if you are wearing powder. My makeup did last slightly longer using this spray, but it wasnt a complete miracle- I found the best thing was to use a few spritzes during the day to refresh tired looking makeup. I would say that this isnt the best product for making your make up last perfectly all day but its great for creating a glowy look and refreshing a tired looking face.

One last point- Model in a Bottle contains a few controversial ingredients such as alcohol, parabens and fragrance, Fix+ contains vitamins, minerals, green tea, cucumber, chamomile... you get the idea.

I found Fix+ to be the better of the two- more suited to my skin type and the dewy makeup look I enjoy at the moment. Some have also said they spray their eyeshadow/liner brushes with the liquid which helps to enhance the colour and longevity of the products.

What are your favourite make up fixers or refreshers?



ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen

I find ELF products really hit and miss but I keep persuading myself to try new products because theyre only £1.50/£3.50 and its not that much to spare. My favourite, and the only one that Ive actually repurchased, is the Waterproof Eyeliner Pen.

The packaging of this pen is pretty simple, a nice shiny pen with a slightly curved design, some writing telling you what it is and a clicky lid.

The pen itself is made out of fibres much like a felt tip pen and they make it easier to apply eyeliner than the usual liquid, which can be a pain to have to dip the brush into the pot every few seconds. I also find another advantage of the pen is being able to make thin or thicker lines, with traditional liquid eyeliner I always found this really hard to do and the liquid was always so cold it made me blink and smudge everything!

In addition to being a much easier alternative to normal liquid eyeliner, this pen is also waterproof and long wearing- Ive actually slept in this eyeliner and woken up with it looking still perfect in the morning.

I use this mainly when Im going out to give the 'falsh lash effect' and fill the gap I sometimes get between my normal eyeliner and lashes that makes them look sparse. I also like using this as a main eyeliner aswell, usually for more natural looks.

What are your favourite ELF products and why?

Is Soltan (beautiful bronze) Cheating You Out of Your Cash?

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If you prefer the gel over the lotion, then the answer is yes!

I recently bought the whole set of Soltan Beautiful Bronze products, because I love the lot (I'd recommend the mousse the most). Id been using the lotion for a while and didnt really like how the shimmery sparkles in it left me looking like a glitterball, I tried it once on my face and will never make that mistake again.

My friend swears by the gel over any other Beautiful Bronze product so I thought Id see what Id make of it- when I first squeezed some gel out I thought there'd been some sort of mistake- it looked exactly like the lotion. It also applied like the lotion, smelt like the lotion and even flipping glittered like the lotion. Why? Because it was the lotion!

I took a look at the back of the bottles and the ingredients for both of them were exactly the same, theyre also the same on the Boots website. But who cares if theyre selling two products the same? Well I do when one is about £1.50 more per 100ml, its not a lot but it's more the cheek of it and means that you can spend the same money and lose out on 50ml of the product just because you didnt like the name.

On a more positive note, Boots are doing 1/3 off selected Soltan Beautiful Bronze products so get your bum over there! (but remember to choose the lotion not the gel!)


Soltan Beautiful Bronze Self Tan Lotion 200ml - £8.99

Soltan Beautiful Bronze Self Tan Gel 150ml - £8.99

Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Corrector Palette

Jillian Dempsey for Aven Professional Corrector Palette £10

This palette really has been a godsend when I was struck with a big breakout of ahem 'imperfections' recently. I've tried all manner of green tinged moisturisers/pastes in the past but none managed to counteract redness quite as well as the yellow in this palette. As you can tell, I only really use the yellow colour and I find it really amazing at covering up redness and signs of inflammation, under concealer the imperfection completely vanishes. Each of the colours is like a thick opaque concealer, they are slightly shiny in the pan but moisturising yet matte on the face and can be built up without going flaky.

The palette consists of- Lilac (adds a healthy glow), Pink (hides imperfections and dark circles), Apricot (brightens dullness and yellow complexion), and Yellow (counteracts redness). It does come with a brush but its quite scratchy and the product sticks the bristles together so I threw it away.

I've barely used the other colours and can't say I would ever have thought of buying something as orange as the apricot colour for my face. Others have said they use the pink as a highlighter which really shows how rubbish it is at hiding dark circles!

If you have red areas and imperfections then this palette would be great for you, it is available to buy for £10 at AvonShop, although I managed to pick up a brand new one on Ebay for 99p! (did I mention I love Ebay?).

Edit: I've just had a look on the Avon website and it seems they aren't selling this palette anymore in their current campaign! You can however pick up a new one on Ebay for between £5 and £10. If you have any suggestions of redness-counteracting products then I would love to hear them as Im pretty worried about the big pan shaped hole in my lovely yellow!

Benefit B.right Intro Set

Benefit B.right 6 piece intro set, £10 at Feelunique

While I was perusing the New Year online sales I came accross this 6 piece set from Benefit. I am always eager to try out their products but the hefty price tag really puts me off, as this was only £10 for 6 trial size products (and it was just after Christmas so I was feeling quite rich) I decided to give it a go.

The products claim to brighten and hydrate the skin, they come in a plastic tray inside a plastic zippy bag which I will definitely find another use for and are packaged in glass bottles/pots and plastic tubes. The packaging is quite conservative for Benefit but I actually quite like it, the full size products even have a design on the plastic lids to make them look like corks. All the products smell very botanical and actually just like the garden centre down the road, its strong but not offputting.

It's Potent! Eye Cream and Total Moisture Lotion- the eye cream has a whole host of ingredients to hydrate and fight free radicals, and claims to fade dark circles. I have been using this little pot for about a week and have honestly noticed no difference in my eyes. The moisture lotion is quite thick and visibly hydrates my skin without leaving it feeling greasy, it contains Benefit's exclusive Tri-Radiance complex and does leave my skin looking a bit brighter and healthier.

Foamingly Clean Facial Wash and Refined Finish Facial Polish- I found the wash really did leave my skin feeling very clean, almost squeaky clean, without drying it out. I do have combination skin so if you have dry skin this might not be a great product for you. The facial polish starts off like a thick grainy cream or balm that slightly thins out when mixed in water. It contains clay and seaweed and feels almost like granules in a thick moisturiser, it softened and exfoliated any patches of dry skin that I had but also left my skin feeling brighter and hydrated.

Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish

Moisture Prep Toning Lotion- I found that the moisturiser did sink better into my skin but other than that Im not quite sure what this lotion is for, my skin didnt feel much tighter or refined after using it.

Triple Performing Facial Emulsion- Emulsion is usually something Id put on the walls so I wasnt expecting too much from this product but actually found it to be a light but hydrating moisturiser. Benefit say this product helps to capture and maintain water on the skins surface.

Full Size Prices:
Its Potent! eye Cream £23.50
Total Moisture Lotion £26.50
Foamingly Clean Facial Wash £16.50
Refined Finish Facial Polish £17.50
Moisture Prep Toning Lotion £23.50
Triple Performing Facial Emulsion £19.50

In conclusion, I did like these products and most of them did what they said on the tin, however I like them a lot more for £10 rather than the whopping £127 it would be to buy all the full size versions! Im not sure I will be purchasing these as they were great and did brighten my skin but none of them really stood out that much to me in order to be a must have item. I will use them until theyre finished though!

WhitetoBrown Self Tan Review

WhitetoBrown Self Tan Lotion 250ml RRP £15

So on my quest to find the best affordable self tan I came accross a brand called WhitetoBrown. I've tried nearly all the self tan brands out there but could only find one review online about them, it was a good review though so I thought I'd take my chances. I managed to pick up their self tan lotion on Ebay for just under £10, and they also do tan extenders, exfoliators, instant tan, tan wipes and tanning acessories. They also have products for professionals and pro spray tanning systems. WhitetoBrown claims they use 'the ideal pH balance to work in harmony with the DHA in tanning products to optimise your tan'.

The 250ml lotion comes in a sleek white bottle with an understated logo and press down top.
When I received the lotion and took off the top I was pleased to see a very dark almost reddish brown (no orange here) and not a hint of shimmer or sparkle. The tan applies very well and is very moisturising, although Id never had a problem with fake tans clinging to dry parts like elbows or knees before and this lotion did make them look slightly darker than other parts. 

The dark reddish brown guide colour

The colour develops in 2-4 hours, I put this on before bed and didnt have any problem with lasting stickiness or streaks from my pjs. The guide colour in this tinted lotion is very very dark which is great when you put it on, especially for an english winter ghost like me, but is quite disappointing when you shower it off as you can literally see half your colour dissappearing down the drain! Despite this I was left with a tan that I could usually only get with 2-3 applications of my normal self tan, it lasted about a week even with shaving and still looked freshly applied after exfoliating my face.

A note about using this lotion on your face- although it didnt break me out it did fill up my pores with the dark brown colour, but this was remedied by gently exfoliating.

The only downsides are the squeezy bottle which makes getting the product out a bit difficult and due to the dark guide colour if you spill it anywhere it is a pain to remove- its stained my white shelf and has actually stained the label on the bottle a light red! I apply this lotion using a mitt but did try with plastic gloves and found it went on slightly streaky and took a lot of work to even out.

Despite the few downsides, this is my new favourite fake tan and I will definitely be purchasing again!

My favourite used to be Soltan Beautiful Bronze, whats your favourite self tan?