Brand vs Budget No 1: Body Washes

I love a good soak in the bath. It's one of my little pleasures. And I love a really luxurious silky body wash. I've tried two recently that impressed me. One by the brand Soap and Glory and the other is by the budget supermarket Aldis. The Aldis AquaV body wash is very similar to Palmolive or Dove and has a Shea/ Cocoa butter type scent to it (can't exactly put my finger on it but it's nice). It has a lovely thick texture and lathers up really well and at 75p it's a bargain.

I bought the Soap and Glory Sugar Crush body wash to match a body butter that I was given as a gift. I am in love with scent! It smells like lime cheesecake in a bottle and when followed by the body butter I'm practically edible! Again the texture is very silky but I find I need a bit more than the AquaV to get a good lather. It retails at £6.50 which is distinctly more. It is a bigger bottle 500ml to 300ml however, price wise it works out as £1.30 and £0.25 per 100ml respectively which is a massive price difference if you're counting the pennies. I will definitely be buying the AquaV again if only to prolong the use of the Soap and Glory! However, each equally have their merits. Now to find the perfect bubble bath...

Pout Edinburgh

A few Saturdays ago I attended Pout at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange with my blogging buddy Catriona from at the Cat's Pyjamas. Pout is marketed as a ladies lifestyle show featuring, fashion, beauty and leisure time for aspirational women from Edinburgh and the surrounding areas where you can shop, test products, buy treatments and have fun with your friends. The event included:

• Pop Up Shops,

• The Market Place,

• Hair Ups, Nail and Brow Bars,

• Treatment areas,

• Demonstrations,

• Champagne and Cocktail Bars,

• Win your Wish List Competition

• A chance to be the 'Pout of the Weekend'

On arrival we were given vouchers for our goody bag and a free cocktail. We spent most of our time in the market place as the area set up for demonstrations was always busy and we couldn't get a seat despite my robo-cop boot! (Yes I am cast free now!) The market place housed a variety of different stalls from teeth whitening to cupcakes to hair extensions. There were seminars on flirting, fashion shows and a photo booth complete with wind machine. However, our photos are a lot to be desired (must practice with hair dryer for next time)! There were also pop up shops from local boutiques and larger stores like Debenhams and Semi Chem which is where the real bargain of the day was found. If you paid £5 you got over £30 worth of makeup in a goody bag (pictured above on the pink foil). There are some excellent products inside and the mascara, in particular, is my new favourite. I only wish I had bought more to keep as presents/ stock up for myself. The added bonus was that for each bag purchased a portion of the profits were being donated to testicular cancer. 

Our Pout goody bags were also excellent value and included 2x bottles of Rimmel Pro nail varnish (my fave nail varnish and my fave shades AND Cat gave me an extra bottle as she only uses Shellac - score), a Rimmel lip stain, perfume samples, a hair styling kit and some skincare samples. Among some of the other freebies we picked up on the day were 3 bottles of Saint Moritz (we may have went to that stall a few times using different voices).

In terms of purchases Catriona and I bought some fake hair. Neither of us are really extension wearers but these were only £15 and looked fab (just ask all of the middle aged women who came over and started touching our hair!) The company selling the extensions were called Lady Lux Hair. Oh, and some cupcakes may have also been purchased! 

The event should cost £15 but Catriona got us 2for1 tickets off Groupon. I think the event is worth the entry fee but being the thrifty characters that we are the goody bag and freebies were all the sweeter half price! This Saturday were heading through to the West coast to attend the Fabb blogger event in Glasgow. I am really looking forward to seeing some faces from the last event I attended and meeting some more of my fellow Scottish bloggers in the flesh!

Yu.Be Moisturising Skin Cream

I've had a bit of a skin care obsession ever since my friend introduced me to blogger skin care guru, Caroline Hirons. From ditching the baby wipes which she deems are only ever acceptable for the three Fs - festivals, flights and fan... you get the rest! To double cleansing and hunting for the perfect balm cleanser and acid toner. My skincare routine has been overhauled.

The above moisturiser is featured in a Pixiwoo favourites video and was recommended to Sam by Caroline (her interview with them is fantastic). Aside from that, I cannot find that much UK information on the product. I think the selling point is the high glycerin content. It is a cult product in Japan and has been in production since 1957. It claims to offer 'head to toe hydration all year long' and as well as containing high levels of glycerin it also contains vitamins B2, C and E. The moisturiser can be used all over the body and a little goes a long way. 

The moisturiser is bright yellow in colour, absorbs quickly and has a strong camphor scent (think Vix but nicer). However, I find it very calming and have taken to applying the cream in bed as part of my nighttime routine. Rest assures though if it is not your thing that the scent does fade quickly. I cannot say that I have experienced miracle over night results as with some reviews, however, I have had a dry patch on my right jaw line that refused to disappear no matter what moisturisers or oils I used and it has all but gone. I would also say that my skin feels plumper especially around the cheek area. I have yet to try it on other problem areas I have as I bought it as a facial moisturiser however, I do suffer discolouration on my chest from severe dry skin and am hopeful that this product could be the answer to finally eradicating my love bit like blotches!

There are a lot of mixed messages on the Internet as to the benefits of glycerin. Some scientists singing its benefits others slating it but personally, I can see this becoming a cure-all, bedside cabinet  staple in my household for years to come. 

The Zen Lifestyle Beauty Event

Recently I received an invite to attend the Zen Lifestyle re-vamp event which took place at their Teviot Place salon in Edinburgh. It was an exclusive event for Bloggers, Press and other Business Owners with the opportunity to try out some of their signature treatments such as HD Brows, Blink & Go lashes and express Shellac.

I jumped at the chance to go. So armed with my trusty sidekick and bosom buddy Cat from the "Cat's Pyjamas" we rocked up to see what all the fuss was about. We were greeted at the door by a lovely hostess with a fabulous necklace and given a glass of Prosecco (good Prosecco at that which was frequently topped up!). The salon is gorgeous. Sleek, shiny with accents of signature purple. The salon appears deceptively small at first but there are two separate treatment rooms as well as a nail bar upstairs and treatment rooms and a brow bar downstairs.

This was the first Scottish Blogger Network event both Cat and I had attended. I've been blogging for a year and Cat's new to the blogging world (well the writing side anyway). It was nice to be able to meet some people face to face and of course to meet lots of new bloggers and share the love. We were too late to experience any of the treatments which had to be pre booked but the politeness of the staff and the atmosphere of the salon made up for this. We witnessed several treatments and their results such as India from India Alexandra's very neat HD brows and Ashleigh from All Out Gorgeous' pretty in pink Shellac manicure. We also saw a Fraxel Laser treatment take place; a medical procedure which uses a laser to improve texture and smoothness by treating minute sections of the skin but if you're interested in this it'll cost you £895 per session and 3-6 are recommended!

It's easy to see why the salon won UK salon of the year at the Professional Beauty awards last year. They offer a vast array of treatments from beauty to spa to advanced skin treatments and their staff are extremely welcoming. You can visit their website at www.zen-lifestyle.com or follow them on Facebook at ZenLifestyle or Twitter @Zen_Lifestyle. And they blog too at zen-lifestyle.com/blog.

Oh! We also got a fab goody bag with a full size Murad cleanser and a mini version of their candles which are on sale in the salon. You can see me swinging mine in front of the famous Greyfriar's Bobby monument which is minutes from the salon. After the event Cat and I enjoyed some Tex-Mex at Illegal Jack's which was a first for me and was damn tasty!

Pictured above are:
Claire of J'adore. and Demi of Demi Beverley/ Cat of The Cat's Pyjamas and myself!

India of India Alexandra World/ Hayley of Water Painted Dreams and Charlotte of Colours and Carousels.

I will add captions and links to this post at a later date. I'm am currently sans wifi and sans laptop as I am off to the caravan for a few days and am blogging from my phone... Where there's a will there's a way!

Skin Deep

The thought of having a bathroom shelf to myself was something that filled me with delight. I would place all my skincare items on said shelf, routinely cleanse, tone and moisturise and would have the skin of an angel. Cue reality. Like a lot of people I find it quite difficult to stick to my skin care regime rigidly however, I know it is important the closer I get to thirty! I have been using Liz Earle products for nearly two years. Their products were one of my early blogging discoveries but I'm sure, like me, you'll have read copious amounts of posts on the infamous Hot Cloth Cleanser. So this post will focus on Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate and on a recent purchase Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant.

Product 1:
I was at a Dermalogica event recently and came away with the Daily Microfoliant. I was looking for a product that wouldn't aggravate my sensitive skin so this seemed like the best option. The adviser said it would be helpful for getting rid of under the skin blemishes which I have a lot of round my mouth and chin and for exfoliating the dry skin on my jaw line. The product is a rice based powder; you decant a small amount onto wet hands and rub together to create a frothy paste which you massage into the skin after cleansing. It has a very distinctive smell but the consistency is nice. First confession; I haven't used it everyday. In fact, I used it religiously for about a week and a bit but it brought out so many imperfections that I cut back on the "daily". I'm hoping persistence is the key with this product and that if I try again I will be on my way to angel soft skin by week two.

Product 2:
The above is a roller ball travel sized version of Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate. The product is designed to be used at night. It smells gorgeous and contains argan oil (if it's good enough for our hair then it's good enough for my face). The instructions state that you should apply the oil all over the face, inhale the "aroma" then massage upwards and outwards for visibly plump and smooth skin. I use this product on average of once a week but have found myself going to it more often over the winter months when simply moisturising hasn't been enough. I'd love to get the full size version as it has a pump dispenser but it's pricey at £40.25.

What does your skin routine consist of? What are your miracle products? Share ladies, share! ... The world will be a prettier, plumper and smoother place if you do!

One Shirt, Two Ways

Shirt - George // Cardigan - Vintage £15 // Culottes - Charity £4 // Earrings - Charity £1.50 // Gold Necklace - Gift //
Lips - Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Honey

Excuse the "Instagramed" photos but the quality of my pictures isn't that great today. (A rushed shoot in between work and a dentist appointment and very poor light). If I'm quite honest I like the vintage haze it gives the photos due to the slight blur! I wanted to show this shirt in a contrasting outfit to yesterdays post Chain of Fools. Today I teamed it with culottes I got from my local charity shop and my favourite cardigan which I have worn to work every week without fail since I bought it over a year ago. I like the clash of prints here and the granny chic look of the mismatched colours and textures. 

P.s. Excuse the "baby-hair" fringe. It appeared a year ago and is the bane of my life ha!

Some Like It Hot

I thought I would share my favourite perfume with you... Givenchy Hot Couture. I just finished my latest bottle so if anyone feels like replenishing my depleted perfume stocks (hint, hint). Perfume is not something I generally buy for myself, however, I might just need to have an indulgent moment and waltz into Boots this weekend!

Launched in the year 2000 the perfume has top notes of citrus, raspberry and nectar, heart notes of magnolia, pepper and vetiver and base notes of sandalwood, amber and musk. It's a warm, spicy almost woody scent and is very long lasting; it is always commented upon when I wear it. The Perfume Shop compares it to Boss Intense which funnily enough is my other favourite (I must be very predictable!) and Caroline Herrera 212 Sexy. 30ml EDP will currently set you back £24.66 from Boots. Did I say hint, hint?!

Vegas Barbie

  

I cannot visit Superdrug at present without leaving with a bottle of Rimmel Pro nail varnish. This time I opted for shade 297 Show Off. Its the perfect Barbie pink and i added a layer of glitter for that trash-tastic all American look! After taking these pictures I decided I must have been subconsciously aiming to find three nail varnishes that match my duvet cover - green, blue and pink! (see posts Cornflower Blue and Peppermint Dreams).

I cannot praise these nail varnishes enough. Every time I have them on people comment on the vibrant colours and they wear so well. I had Nails Inc on the other day and it chipped the day after. Whereas this manicure will last a week. Yes you have to apply three layers but the result is definitely worth it.

I have collected nail varnishes since I was 11 and spent all my pocket money on £1 polishes and I have tried many, many brands and so far I cannot seem to fault Rimmel Pro...

Beyond Bronze

I have never been an avid fake tanner. This is possibly because tanning takes a lot of preparation and dedication. I say this being the friend of several "tan-orexics" who dedicate many an hour to being bronzed goddesses!

However, I've got to admit, recently the tan bug has bitten. Armed with a bottle of St Moritz and a tanning glove I have admired my bronzed body in the mirror and have, to my shame, remarked "I wish I was the colour you get before you have to rinse the tan off". But I was a busy girl with work last week and had no time to tan for a weekend in Edinburgh with my uni girls. Mission - instant fake tan!

Beyond Bronze by Fake Bake is an instant wash off tan for the face and body. It is currently on offer in Superdrug for £6.99 but retails £9.99 full price for 125ml. It is available in matte and shimmer. I opted for medium matte. I applied with a tanning mitt and was really impressed with the coverage and the colour. The lotion is moisturising and transfer resistant but best of all there is NO FAKE TAN SMELL! Not smelling like a Rusk is always a bonus on a night out. I used very little to achieve a nice colour however it might be worth noting I'm a fan of subtle tanning!

All in all a positive tanning experience. Plus the packaging is pretty and they do not test on animals.

The Blessed Aldi's

The grand total of the above haul was less than £8... blessed be the brand of Aldi! My grandparents and parents have been die hard Aldi fans since the chain came to Scotland. The standard reply to "Oh, where did you get that?" has become "The blessed Aldi's". Despite not having my own place I could not resist the glass chopping board and placemat set. They were both reduced to under £2 in the wake of the jubilee and at that price you cannot really argue. I've also recently purchased Aldi's version of YSL Touche Eclate concealer pen by Lacura Beauty for £3.95. I purchased the lightest shade. I can't remember the exact name as I have thrown away the packaging but there are 4 shades available. It looks quite light on my hand but I'm quite fair. I'm 1N1 Ecru 16 in Estee Lauder Double Wear if this helps. The concealer doesn't offer great coverage but is great for touch ups during the day and hiding dark circles under the eyes. I've also used Lacura foundation in the past and found it to be just as good as Maybelline or Rimmel.

N.B. I write this post after spending a day munching on Aldi's pesto olives, while my mum and her best friend discuss the merits of the brand and before we tuck into an Aldi's roast... BLESSED BE ALDI!

Cornflower Blue

This is my second purchase from the Rimmel Professional Finish range in 420 Aqua Cool and it has swiftly became my new favourite nail varnish. In keeping with my love of all things pastel it is a gorgeous cornflower blue colour. My mother argues that it is air force blue... but whatever you decide to call it there is no denying it is devine! I love the brush in the professional range. It is wide enough to cover most of the nail with one stroke and the colour builds up evenly. Although, you will need at least two coats. I did attempt some nail art... I was aiming for pink polka dots but when that failed miserably I turned my efforts into a little love heart.

P.s. I've just upgraded my iPhone to the 4s! The difference in camera is unbelievable. (Compare my previous post Peppermint Dreams)

Peppermint Dreams

I absolutely adore this Peppermint nail polish by Rimmel. It's the most gorgeous, dreamy pastel shade of green and compliments so much of the high-street's S/S12 range. It is part of Rimmel's professional finish range and the maxi brush makes application really easy.


The above photo also features a Cath Kidston style duvet which I got at Tesco the other day. Kingsize and under £12 bargain. It's also double sided (the other side is pink polka dots!)

Think Pink... Missguided Peplum Dress

Dress - Missguided // Shoes - New Look // Clutch - Dorothy Perkins // Watch - River Island // 
Jewellery - Topshop // Eyes - Naked 2 // Lips - Revlon Black Cherry // Nails - Leighton Denny

I celebrated my birthday weekend by attending my friend's 30th birthday party. Any excuse for a knees up! This is my first purchase from Missguided and I was relatively surprised with both the quality of the dress for the price and the speed of the delivery. Missguided offer 10% off when you like them on Facebook and free next day delivery when you spend over £35. I ordered two items at 8.30pm on Thursday night and my outift was waiting for me when I got in from work. I am very tempted by their gorgeous collection of brightly coloured wedges and dresses.

I'm a little bit obsessed with all things pink at the moment... Baby, Coral, Candy, Nude, Fuchsia, Neon. God bless the current pastels trend! I also treated myself to the much blogged about Naked 2 palette but I'm looking for advice on which colour combinations bloggers think work best together.

Because the Lady Loves Pink... MAC Impassioned

Shirt - Primark £10 // Leggings - Missguided £13.99 // Lipstick - MAC // Nails - Deborah Lippmann

An OOTN from last weekend. I attended an Ibiza club night but obviously didn't get the memo that said racer vest and micro shorts... and unfortunately that's the boys I'm talking about. Never seen so many nipples on a night out in my life. I've not quite got the 'posing for camera' part quite right yet. I will attempt to choose a better location than the corner of the living room for future shots. The shirt is from Primark and I bought it in a size 16 which is two sizes larger than I would normally purchase. However, I wanted a loose fit for wearing with leggings and the 12 was fitted and looked too formal. I have came to the conclusion that size is an illusion when it comes to shopping in Primark and usually take in a selection of sizes from 8 - 16. The lipstick in the picture is MAC Impassioned. This was my first ever MAC purchase - brave huh?! It could not go better with this shirt. The lipstick is from their Amplfied creme range and has a nice thick texture. It doesn't dry out the lips like their Matte lipsticks and has pretty good staying power as it stains the lips. I applied with a brush to get a strong overall colour.

Pure Barry M

My mum always sticks a nail varnish in my stocking. She explained that when it came to choosing a shade the last time that I probably had every colour except Navy and she is probably right! I don't know whether I'm over the ring finger/ statement nail manicure or not but I think the Navy looks great with the 'Instant Nail Effect' Gold Foil varnish. I love the Gold Foil effect polish. It is easy to apply and has an expensive looking finish. I'm also a fan of Barry M nail varnishes in general. I think they are better quality than the more expensive Ciaté or Models Own polishes which, despite a great colour selection, chip really easily. Next on my list... A nail art pen! What do my fellow bloggers suggest?

Shellac Nails

CND Shellac Nail Polish is a "14 day wear, mirror finish, zero dry time, no nail damage" product. The answer to every nail obsessed girl like myself? Perhaps... I have had two applications of the product recently at Shi Beauty and Nails. For my first application I went for a french manicure. A base coat is applied, followed with two coats of your chosen colour and finished off with a top coat. All layers are "cured" under a UV lamp. A french manicure involves 2 layers of the white "smile" followed by whatever shade of pink you are using. I opted for Moonlight and Roses an iridescent pale pink. In total my Shellac was on for 4 weeks although after 2 weeks you will start to notice chipping and regrowth is a problem. I couldn't get into the salon sooner so I just painted over the top of my Shellac with the sparkly Deborah Lippmann polish I received in my Glossybox. I can also safely say that there was no damage to my nails and they were the longest they have ever been.

Removal of the old Shellac comes as standard at the salon I go to during reapplication. CND have developed a wrap which is soaked in acetone, place over the nail and secured. A few minutes later and hey presto the polish slides off the nail. Any residue is removed with a cuticle stick and oil is massaged into the cuticles. For my second Shellac application I opted for a dark red manicure (I think it was either Hollywood or Wildfire) with a glitter statement nail. The glitter was applied to the colour before curing and a top coat was applied as normal. On reflection, I think I was more impressed with the overall effect of the french manicure as beautiful natural nails is something I have always envied. However, I did constantly stare admiringly at my nails for the first two weeks which was a bit time consuming! Shellac is something I would definitely have again for a weekend out, special occasion, holiday etc. It is not something I could afford to maintain on a monthly business purely because after two weeks the regrowth on my nails is too noticeable. You can expect to pay around £20 for this treatment.


Removal of Shellac:

I decided to a little section of this at the end of my review purely because I performed a DIY removal of my second Shellac application. I knew that the only way to remove the polish was to soak it with acetone... Cue fail number 1! Normal nail varnish just isn't strong enough for this job (well mine wasn't!). I made make shift "wraps" out of soaked cotton wool pads and bits of tin foil - fail number 2! Needless to say when my sister walked in my room she thought I had lost the plot! I did one hand at a time and left the "wraps" on for half an hour at a time. This was successful in removing the top layer of the colour but left behind the first layer of colour. I applied the "wraps" again with fresh cotton wool but there was still residue on my nail that wouldn't come off when scraped with my cuticle stick. I was conscious of damaging my nails so did not want to scrape too vigorously. I'm going to purchase some acetone from a chemist should I attempt a future home removal. Warning; acetone in its pure form is much stronger and so you would not need to soak your nails for 30 minutes as I had to with nail polish remover. (I am pretty disappointed I did not take a picture of my Edward Scissors hands removal procedure!) Since I removed my Shellac at the weekend 3 of my nails have broken! Proof that, while on, the polish acts as barrier against breakage.


Say Hello to Shellac - CND (official website)