Monthly Archives

February 2014

Make-up

Benefit Dallas Boxed Blush

February 26, 2014

Benefit Dallas Boxed Blush

Dallas Benefit Boxed Blush back

Benefit Boxed Blush Dallas

 

As a lover of all things Benefit I don’t know how I lasted so long without one of their signature box blushes!

Dallas could be considered somewhere between a blush and bronzer, and as a pale girl I’m so happy to finally have my hands on a bronzer that doesn’t make me look like I’ve been tangoed! Benefit describes this as “An outdoor glow for an indoor girl” and it certainly lives up to that.

Just a quick sweep over my cheeks brightened up my whole look, but it’s easily build-able for a more solid wash of colour. Used sparingly all over it gives a really natural warming glow, without ever looking even slightly orange!

Benefit Dallas

 

Benefit Boxed Blush Brush

The brush that comes with all Benefit boxed blushes is unfortunately made from animal hair (goat most likely) so it wont be going anywhere near my face. I think most people tend to prefer their own choice of long handled brush anyway, so no big loss.

One of my worries was that the cardboard casing would fall apart easily and I planned to leave this on my dressing table where it could come to no harm, however I love it so much I’ve had this in my make-up bag constantly (and have even taken it over-seas) and the box still looks absolutely pristine.

Dallas and I are in for the long haul together I think, but I’m already looking forward to adding more of Benefit‘s boxed blushes to my collection!

£23.50 from Benefitcostmetics.co.uk

Totally hellbent for an outdoor glow for a VERY indoor girl!

– Gem

Nails

Etos Glitter Nails and Glitter Topcoat

February 25, 2014

Etos Glitter Nails

 

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you will know I’ve just got back from a trip to Holland to see my lovely other half, and almost all of these trips involve me popping into Etos (sort of the Dutch Boots) to pick up a couple of their own brand nail polishes. This time I went for a shimmery pair of silvers, one Glitter Nails Polish and one Glitter topcoat.

Unfortunately neither of them are named or even numbered (one of my absolute pet peeves – please can’t all brands give their cosmetics cutesy names!) but both have gorgeous finishes to make up for it!

The Glitter Nails polish is a deep metallic silver with multi-holo micro glitters and a sort of sandy texture similar to the O.P.I Liquid Sand. It took two coats to get full coverage but dried reasonably quickly.

The Glitter Topcoat is a much more delicate polish with white and silver micro glitters in a clear varnish. You can hardly see it at all on the pic below but it has a gorgeous ethereal shimmer worn alone if you fancy more of a subtle glitter polish.

Etos Glitter Nails

 

 

I tried the Glitter Topcoat out over a few other colours, and absolutely loved the variety of looks you can get with it. (L-R Leighton Denny – Meet me in Monaco, Ciate – Plastic Fantastic, MUA – Pistachio Ice Cream, Revlon – Black Star, Revlon – Emerald)

Etos Nails

 

Unfortunately these aren’t available in the UK , but if you find yourself in The Netherlands you can pick them up for around from € 2.49 from Etos

Totally hellbent for little treats to cheer up long distance boyfriend blues!

– Gem

Make-up

Avon SuperSHOCK Gel Eye-liner in Blackened Metal

February 24, 2014

Avon supershock Blackened Metal

Today’s post comes from the top of a very very very very tall nekro-mountain, where the wintermoon shines in a spiritual black dimension over my new favourite eyeliner!
Avon superSHOCK Gel eyeliner Blackened Metal

 

I’ve dipped in and out of a few potted gel eye-liners in my time, but I can’t believe I’ve never tried an Avon one before! Blackened Metal is not, as you would suspect, a metallic black, but rather a very dark grey with fine multicoloured glitters. Hardly suitable for drawing on your kvlt corpsepaint, but perfect for a shimmery little cat eye.

The formula is so creamy and soft and applies really easily with a good eye-liner brush. If you’ve a steady enough hand you can built up a couple of layers to get a “blacker” finish, however I think I will actually use this most as a cream eyeshadow as the consistency is perfect, and the metallic grey looks gorgeous in a thin layer!

Avon supershock gel eyeliner blackened metal

As for longevity – as an eyeliner it lasted the whole day yet still came off easily with a single swipe of make-up remover. You get the usual creasing to be expected when using it as cream shadow, but a good primer will make it last a lot longer!

A definite addition to my stage make-up bag, I can see myself getting lots of wear out of this!

Unfortunately Blackened Metal isn’t currently available on the Avon website or brochures, but I’ve found it here on Amazon for only £5.99! Bargain!

Totally hellbent for kvlt with a girly shimmer!

– Gem

 

 

Nails

Jess Glitter Nail Varnish – Rock Chick, Ibiza, Tiger Lily, Celebration & Alfresco

February 23, 2014

Jess Glitter Nail Varnish I’m a sucker for a bargain and can never resist poking my head in Poundland to see what manner of lovely things I can purchase for only one hundred shiny pennies. I often pick up Revlon and Sally Hansen polishes for a fraction of the RRP, but skip past the lesser known or own brands. I’ve never heard of Jess before, but the Poundland website tells me they are a new and exclusive range which would explain why I’ve not seen them anywhere else!

I wasn’t much interested in the display at all until the twinkling of the row of glitter polishes caught my eye! Cheaper glitter polishes tend to be lacking in pigment and are usually quite sparse but these look absolutely packed! I took my chances and picked up five colours (L-R) Rock Chick, Ibiza, Tiger Lily, Celebration and Alfresco 

 

Jess Rock Chick, Ibiza, Tiger Lily, Celebration & Alfresco

 

The swatches above are a single coat, and for a £1 varnish I don’t think you can ask for better than that! Tiger Lily is definitely packed with the most glitter, but as far as topcoats go, they all delivered a substantial finish.  They all applied easily and dried reasonably quickly too. I really can’t find complaint with these at all.Jesss nail varnish swatch glitter

 

After two coats they really came into their own!

Jess glitter  nail varnish

But if you’ve the patience for three coats you get something completely spectacular from a £1 varnish.

I will definitely be seeking out more of the glitter Jess range, and could probably be tempted to try some of the other finishes too.

Totally hellbent for bargain with a bang!

– Gem

Recipes, Vegetarian

Vegetarian Chicken & Mushroom Pie

February 18, 2014

The only time I ever struggle to eat as a Vegetarian is when I go out. Whether it be something as simple as restaurants presuming that fish is eaten by Veggies, going to Subway and getting that irritated look when you ask the server to change their gloves, only to find they have been using the green handled knife to cut tuna mayo sandwiches or deciding to stop off for a quick snack on the way to a gig and you’re offered a pitiful selection of soggy cheese sandwiches on thick white bread. My point here is that anything Meat can do, Veggie food can do too and yes I may be biased but for the most part Veggie food does it better! I know lots of you really enjoyed my last recipe, so I thought I would share another quick one with you all.

Ingredients:

For the pie:

  • 2 Quorn fillets/Vegan equivalent (tofu perhaps?)
  • Approx 100grams mushrooms (any kind and the weight really is negotiable)
  • Half an onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 100ml Vegetable Stock (make sure this is Vegan/Veggie as some stock brands are a little sneaky)
  • 150ml Soya Milk
  • 50ml Soya Cream (if you are watching your weight, you can use more water, less milk and skip out on the cream)
  • Roughly 6oz shortcrust OR Puff Pastry (Depending on how big your pie dish is, mine is roughly 8 inches)
  • 1 tablespoon Soya Spread
  • 1 tablespoon of Plain Flour (You can also use Gluten Free Flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Fresh or Dried Parsley

If you want to make Shortcrust Pastry:

  • 3oz Soya Spread
  • 6oz Plain Flour
  • 5-10mls Water (Add water slowly until you have a stiff dough)
  • Pinch of salt (Add a little sugar too if you want sweet pastry)

ingredients

If you want to make a quick Shortcrust pastry, simply rub the spread into the butter, add the pinch of salt and slowly add the water until it forms a dough. You don’t want it too soft and sticky, I usually leave mine in the fridge for a little while after I’ve made it. I’m using Puff Pastry today because it needed using and had already defrosted, but you’ll see in the photo above there are two round bags near the front. One is diced frozen onion and the other some is Shortcrust Pastry that I threw in the freezer, you don’t need both for the recipe, it’s just to show you an example of the size I would use.

blind-bake

pie-base

The first thing I usually do, whether I use Short or Puff pastry is line my pie dish and bake it in the oven for about 5-10 minutes. Be conscious that Puff Pastry … well … Puffs. That’s Okay, just pop a hole in the top and it should settle down by the time you come to fill the pie, I find it just stops the bottom of the pie from becoming a soggy mess. I’ve also left a little over the edges, just so it doesn’t shrink into the pan.

chickenandmushroommix

Whilst the pie base is cooling, I fry some onions, add my garlic clove (I buy frozen garlic which is much easier and once you have finished it up, you can fill it back up with crushes garlic cloves yourself and chuck it back into the freezer). Once the onions are soft, add the Quorn, or your replacement and mushrooms.

candmushroomrest

Scoop the mixture out onto a plate and turn the heat down low. If you haven’t made up your stock already, do it now and have it ready to go. I’m just using a Vegan stock cube in some boiling water.

roux

Now we can make the roux, this is why you should ensure your pastry base is already out of the oven so you don’t get distracted and a) burn your pastry or b) ruin your roux. Add the Soya Spread and flour into the same pan you fried your mixture until it forms a smooth paste.

roux-cream

Very slowly begin to add your milk, it’s best to do this with a whisk, but I don’t have one so a spoon it is! Once this reaches a smooth consistency that is more liquid than paste, you can add your cream, parsley and stock. Bring to the boil slowly! Don’t just “give it a quick blast” as Brain’s likes to do.

roux-mixture

Once it’s boiled, you should notice it has formed a thick sauce like consistency. Turn off the heat and add your mixture from the plate, mixing thoroughly.

add-mix

Pour into your pie dish. I like to use a little bit of Soya Spread rather than egg just around the edge of the pie.

top-pie

Top with the rest of your pastry (I didn’t measure my pastry here and ended up glueing two bits together, which is complete karma for using pre-rolled) and make a slit in the top. If you want to be adventurous you can make some little leaves for the top, but I was saving my scraps for later.

fully-cooked

Place in the oven at approximately 180 degrees or Gas Mark 4. You can brush it with egg or milk if you so desire, but whenever I do that I end up with burnt pie, I think that’s mostly to do with the fact that I’m un-blessed with an electric oven which tries it’s hardest to ruin things for me. Cook until Pastry has risen and is a nice golden brown. Usually between 15-30 minutes depending on the temperament of your oven.

serve

Take it out and serve – if you are only cooking for yourself then make these in some foil pie dishes and freeze them before putting them in the Oven, we only have a quarter each and save the rest for lunch the next day.

fruit-pastries

I hope you like this recipe – but the best part is still to come! The most exciting part about making pastry based dishes is the left over pastry. I made some little Strawberry and Cherry tarts, by slicing some fruit, throwing it into the left over corner strips of pastry, giving them a little sprinkling of brown sugar and putting in the Oven whilst I ate pie for 15-20 minutes at the same temperature. The best thing being that they are still warm after you’ve finished dinner, just in time for desert.

fruit-pastries-cooked

 

If you’ve made something similar recently I’d love to hear about it. Also, if you have any Vegan suggestions on the Chicken replacement then comment below!

Totally hellbent for “2 for 1” meals

-Pants

 

Nails

Colourful Leopard Print Nail Art Tutorial

February 16, 2014

Today I had every intention of sorting out my make-up and varnishes that have seemingly ended up taking over the entire corner of the bedroom. What actually happened is I found this really garish Pink nails inc colour that I’ve never worn, shook my head and took it upon myself to use it. So instead of organising and stacking, I’ve created a cute little tutorial for you all.

You will need:

  • Base colour (something light preferably) I’m using Nails inc London in “Notting Hill Gate”
  • Complimentary colour to your base for spots I’m using Avon Nailwear pro + in “Sea Breeze”
  • A black varnish – for this, my trusty nails inc in “New York Noir”
  • A nail art brush or an old paint brush

 

notting-hill-gate

 

*Funny story – when looking for the colour of this Barbie Pink, I almost thought it was “Flammable” as it was scrawled across the bottom of the bottom! But seriously – how hilarious is this pink?*

Paint your base coat first – I had to use three coats just to make this colour look presentable. Honestly – it’s the least “like me” colour ever!

sea-breeze

Once this is dry, take your complimentary colour and dot it onto each nail. Don’t use too much because you don’t want to end up with raised bumps. I picked the green because it reminds me of the adorable coral and blue colours around at the moment, but you can use whatever colour you think goes well together.

elegant-touch

In between coats I’ve been using Elegant Touch rapid dry for nails to try and speed up the process as well as at the end. (It’s absolutely brilliant!). Take your black and your nail art brush/paint brush/tooth pick whatever you’ve got, and gently sweep the brush around the edge of each circle, don’t complete the circle, leave a little gap on each one. The beauty of this is that it doesn’t have to be neat because it adds to the effect. You can also add a few extra black dots if you have some empty spaces.

leopard-nails

A note to you all, make sure you go to the loo before doing this – honestly, no matter what I do, whenever I paint my nails I end up having to faff around with something and smudging them! Slap on your top coat, leave to dry and it is done! How easy peasy is that?

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed my quick animal print tutorial, I’m definitely going to try this with some more “me” colours, I’m thinking red, grey and black next. If you’ve tried this out, I’d love to see your pictures!

Totally hellbent for using even the most disgusting nail varnishes

-Pants

Beauty Boxes

Glossybox February 2014

February 16, 2014
Glossybox February 2014

Here’s yesterday’s Glossybox – I know usually Gem and I swap between us, but unfortunately she is busy on the mainland with Sir Roodington so to avoid it being a further week until you get to view the contents, I’ve defied all sense of normality and just gone for it. (Sorry Gem)

This was the “Valentine’s-esque” edition and the box is just so adorable! I love the themed boxes and they look so cute stacked on top of each other.

Glossybox February 2014

 

And finally onto the box:

Glossybox February 2014

As always, removal of the lid takes you to the most beautifully and lovingly packaged contents that you almost don’t want to spoil.

nougat

Nougat London- Sparkling Body Shimmer – 100ml sample (£14 for full size)

This was first out of the box, ordinarily I would think this was a cute body lotion, but my drawers are absolutely overflowing with lotions of all shapes and sizes at the moment and I’m finding it hard to get excited about something that makes me … well … shiny. I think if I was a slightly darker shade of “white” I might just get away with slapping some of this on my “shins” as recommended, but unfortunately my pasty self that hides behind tights and leggings doesn’t quite make the cut. Besides that, it smells nice and the bottle is quite pretty – application wise, it’s a little greasy at first but then fades into that lovely disco ball shimmery glow that people seems to be keen about these days.

nv

NV – Chunky Eye Crayon – Full Size (£5 for full size)

This is pretty spectacular in terms of application. On trying it out on my hand, grabbing a brush and playing with some blending – this was golden! (Actually more of a lilac, but hey ho). It applies well considering it’s a crayon and I love the texture, unfortunately I’m struggling to work out how and when I would get away with such a disgusting colour. My experience with purple of any kind is that I generally look like I’m on the receiving end of an abusive relationship and I just -can’t- seem to pull the look off. If anyone has any tips on how I could incorporate this into a look, please let me know because I’m desperate to use this little beauty.

ciate

Ciaté London – Paint Pot in “plastic fantastic”

When Gem and I found out we were receiving one of these in the next  Glossybox, we both squeed a little. My previous Ciaté has been well used and is such a classy colour (See one of my nail tutorials here). I was hoping for more of a red colour with it being Valentines day, but actually, this is quite a cute pink and probably something I will use and even incorporate into a few nail designs. It also forces me outside my comfort zone of RED RED RED RED RED RED … did I mention red? I’m pretty pleased with this to be honest.

giovani

Giovanni Eco Chic cosmetics – Chic Ultra Moist range – Shampoo, Condition & Hair mask sample (£7.99 for 251ml)

I’m not usually one to get excited over hair samples, I’m a bit stuck in my way’s with my current hair care regime, but these samples seem to be pretty full so I might just get one wash out of them. My only issue with this, is that it’s hard to trial it over time and see a noticeable difference. Having said that, a useful addition to my growing collection of hair samples for when I’m too poor to buy Shampoo (luckily I haven’t been there yet!)

maybelline

Maybelline New York – Big Eyes Mascara – Full Size (£8.99 for full size)

At the risk of sounding like I have some serious issues here, I also have a vast collection of unopened mascara’s and am at the point where I will not open them until I’ve used my others up for fear of them drying out. This however looks pretty interesting and has two ends – one for the lower lashes and one for the upper. I’m intrigued to see whether this makes a difference or not, so watch this space.

lindt

Lindt – Lindor Treat Bar (£0.79 for one bar)

Oh Glossybox I love you. As if stuffing my face these past two weeks wasn’t enough – throw in Brain’s breaking my cross-trainer, which means I haven’t exercised either and Birchbox plying me with Green & Blacks, you have to add to this with a juicy bar of Lindt. My 12lb loss post Christmas may have gone down the pan but this chocolate bar certainly made up for it. Nom nom nom.

 

There you have it, another beauty box and edging closer to three months into the year. Scary stuff! If you want to give in to Glossybox, you can subscribe here for just for £10 (+ P&P) per month. 

Totally hellbent for all of the chocolate but none of the weight gain

-Pants

 

 

News

Valentine Grinch or Keen Enthusiast?

February 13, 2014

valentines-post

Once again this soppy love-fest is upon us and tomorrow will bring about mixed feelings between all of those in my social circle. Once a Christian festival, I have no idea how this evolved into the commercial day that it is widely celebrated as these days. Not usually being one for celebrating such traditions, and since I lead more of a Pagan lifestyle which incorporates a lot of different festivals I don’t usually bat an eyelid.

Despite this, the day is a far different today to one that would have been celebrated hundreds and hundreds of years ago, so instead of being my usual grinch worthy self around this time of year, I’m using it as an excuse to have a lovely evening in, away from work with Brains. So I urge you to also reconsider your plans for this Friday and either spend it with friends and family whom you love, have a little “me-time” or spend it with that special person in your life.

I know a lot of you think that all this nonsense is just an expensive commercialised day and that you should be spending time with loved ones all year round and not limit this to one day a year, but we are all guilty of letting life take over and sometimes you need an excuse to unwind, so I’ve gathered a few ideas for you all if you are looking for some things to do.

If you’ll be alone this Valentine’s day:

Grasp the opportunity with both hands! Plaster that face-mask on, have a nice long soak in a bubble bath (if you’re that way inclined – I hate bath’s!), shave your legs, paint your nails – dig out your favourite pyjamas (you know those ones that you probably should have thrown away ten years ago?), don a fluffy gown and your comfiest slippers. Spread yourself out on the sofa, choose a film that -you- want to watch (no compromising!) or crack open that book you’ve been meaning to read. Whilst everyone else is spending hundreds of pounds on ridiculous fluffy cards, expensive dinners and dozens of roses which will probably be dead within the week, sit back, relax and smile at your wonderfully pampered yet cheap as chips evening in, dedicated to the -most- important person in your life – yourself.

If you are around friends and family:

Grab a jug of your favourite fruity drink, plonk some glasses on the table – bust out a bowl of doritos and if you are feeling creative you could make some cookies and cupcakes. More commonly known as “Gateaux in the Château” where the band and our Dakesian photographer and family get together for a night in with cake – or our “Dakesian film night” where we hang out as a band, stuff ourselves silly and watch films/music DVD’s. This is a great way to spend time with your family and friends and have a good cheap and cheerful Friday night in.

Spending time with your loved one:

This doesn’t have to be expensive – far from it! This year I’ve had a little advanced preparation and Brains and I are planning on having a cheap night in, watching a film. We bought some quick cook Indian food which usually I turn my nose up at and make myself, but it’s far cheaper than going out to a restaurant or going for takeaway, so we have starters, a main meal and the sickliest desert we could find, all for under £10. Once we’ve eaten this – on our living room floor, surrounded by pillows and blankets – we can crack out some of our stashed Christmas booze and lounge in front of the tv. Work is banned – no facebook – no twitter  – just the two of us.

If you don’t have the luxury of living together or you work different shifts, how about getting up a little earlier and having breakfast in bed together? Even if this is just some toast on a big sharing plate and a cup of tea and if you are both unavailable on Friday – book a day out in your diary when you can have an evening together.

Last year Brains and I were in Amsterdam with Gem and Roode – I skipped out on buying a card, but Brains didn’t – like I said, I’m not usually one for getting down with the “Valentine” spirit, but if you do want to go down that route, a few minutes searching the web and there are hundreds of free customisable and printable cards on the interwebs for you to make your own, saving both your bank balance and adding that special little touch. For a quirkier approach, you could scatter the house with a few sticky notes of soppy and endearing comments – or rude and silly ones. Generally speaking Brains and I always leave hidden messages for each other, especially if one of us is away for the evening. When we first got together, before we lived alongside one another, Brains used to leave a crudely drawn picture of himself and leave it under the duvet ready for when I returned to bed alone. Not just for Friday’s festivities, but it will certainly brighten up someone’s day!

 

I hope whatever you decide to do tomorrow, you’ll enjoy it and my Valentine’s inspired post and given you some ideas. I’d love to hear your plans for this Friday and what cheap and cheerful things you are hoping to get up to!

Totally hellbent for not spending my money

-Pants

 

Beauty Boxes

Birchbox February 2014

February 13, 2014

birchbox-featured

This month’s Birchbox has certainly come around quickly. The first thing I noticed however, is that they have reverted back to their old ways, with the little drawstring bag and the Birchbox cards, bound together by a cute strip of paper. Don’t get me wrong, I love their quirky cards and the drawstring bags have had their uses, but I am beginning to build up a vast collection of these and fast running out of ways in which I can use them, other than for sitting astride my dressing table, waiting to be put somewhere else. Alas, on with box:

beauty-protector

Beauty Protector – Protect & Oil – Full Size: £16 (Small glass vial sample)

An oil that promises to battle UV rays, heat and hair breakage. Perhaps not too suited to the current British Winter we are having, but I’ve recently become a little bit of a “hair oil” fan. Only needing 2-3 drops of this, means it will last me a good while and is teeny enough to sneak into my festival bags for the Summer. It smells nice and has the typical Oil texture you find in these hair products, but if used correctly, hair oil can make your locks look a treat!

eyeko

Eyeko – Skinny Liquid Eye-liner – Full Size: £12.00 (1.2g sample)

Gem and I have done pretty well at picking these up in magazines, see Gem’s post here. I love the Eyeko Skinny Mini, it applies beautifully and lasts all day. My only gripe with pen eye-liners is that they don’t last too long. Having said that, the tip is so wonderful, there is nothing stopping you from dipping it into one of your older liquid eye-liners if it fits. I have a fair few lying around that I don’t use because I hate the tip. This is definitely an eye-liner to give a whirl, especially if you aren’t overly confident at applying it – the pen shape is such a helpful addition. This was the smaller version, but still packs a punch and should last me a while.

janjira

Janjira – Argan Oil Concentrate Serum – Full Size: £49 (Small Sample)

At first glance, I thought this was -another- hair oil product, but this is actually Argan Oil for the face. Allegedly to plump and protect the skin, pat this into cleansed dry skin and follow with day or night cream. I’ve been using facial oil a lot recently which has helped my dry skin (thanks to all the humid air – courtesy of the heating being on), but I’ve read a few other beauty blogs that advice applying the oil on top of your regular cream, because this seals in the moisture. Anywhom, after trying this for a few weeks it was a great success and my skin felt much better so I’ll give this a go both pre and post facial moisturising. The smell is a little clinical though, and unless this transforms me back to my youth, I’m not sure I would spend £49 on facial oil. Saying that, it’s nice to have a little luxury in my beauty box.

leighton-denny

Leighton Denny – Nail Colour in “purely plutonic” – Full Size: £11 (Full Size Bottle)

Wow – Just wow … I love receiving Nail Varnishes, especially when the colour is as stunning as this. I bought a similar colour from Elf last year, but unfortunately the coverage was rubbish and I ended up with streaky, sticky and bumpy nails. Although not quite the same colour, this is a beautiful gun-metal. I applied two coats to the nail wheel, but I really didn’t need to. I’ve been heavily prompted into removing my red nails and exchanging it with this for today. Oh did I mention how utterly gorgeous the bottle is? My mind is already conjuring up images of other colours in the collection, lined up neatly next to each other.

gilchrist-soames

Gilchrist & Soames – The London Collection Shower Gel – Full Size:£13.75 (45ml sample)

This is probably my most disappointing product out of the box. A paraben-free formula with red tea, grape seed and milk thistle (unfortunately milk thistle reminds me of steroid abusers, who like to take this as a supplement to prevent themselves from growing moobs). Honestly, I need to stop receiving shower gel. I’ve reached the point now where I can no longer squeeze the tiniest bottles into my very large bathroom cabinets, and my box of “festival minis” is also overspilling into several other boxes. I think if this had a more alluring smell I’d be more excited, but on opening the bottle it was more reminiscent of sitting at the hair dressers – an array of random synthetic smells filling the air. So beauty boxes – for the next year, please refrain from sending me Shower Gel, unless it is L’Occitane as featured in my February’s most wanted.

green-blacks

Lifestyle Extra – Green & Black’s Dark Chocolate Mini Bar – Full Size: £2.29

I’ve received one of these before as my Lifestyle Extra and I can’t really complain. I love dark chocolate and these little samples are just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth, without you having to have the willpower to cut yourself off at half a bar and save the rest until later. My last bar sat untouched in the cupboard for months, but this one however was munched on, enjoyed and even shared with Brains as I typed out this review.

Halfway through yet another month in 2014. If’ you’d like to try Birchbox out, head on over to their website here. It’s £10 a month with £2.95 P&P. You also have the added bonus of collecting points when you complete surveys on your products, which you can spend in their shop on all the lovely products you get in  your box each month!

 

Totally hellbent for deep rooted nail varnish issues

-Pants

 

 

 

Hair

Mark Hill “Straight Talking” Straightening Cream

February 12, 2014

mark-hill-straight

 

I picked this up along with the Mark Hill Straight Talking Shampoo & Conditioner. Having naturally curly hair, I’m always looking for things to help me iron out the kinks so I figured I would give this a bash. The Shampoo and  Conditioner were both mediocre at best and I can’t say this really wowed me. It’s a little heavy and greasy for my hair and I didn’t notice it making my life any easier. The smell is Okay, although I have other products that I would rather use. The directions say to blend through damp hair and blow dry, but I think my hair actually looked worse after blow drying that is usually does! (Think Marge Simpson’s sisters and your almost there)

Overall I can’t say I was that impressed and probably wont be purchasing anything from this range in the near future, which is a shame because I quite liked the animal print packaging! Maybe that’s what lured me in the first place. (*Narrows eyes*).

If you do want to sample the delight’s of Mark Hill’s Straigtening Cream, you can get hold of it from Boots here for £5.99 – one redeeming feature is that it came in a 150ml tube, which if I’d enjoyed using it would have lasted me for a long while. Alas not this time! However, if you’ve tried this out and you like it – leave us a comment and tell us what you thought!

Totally not hellbent for bad hair product discoveries

-Pants