Beauty Haul.

I had absolutely no intention of buying anything when I went out today, I swear, but I just couldn't help myself! In my defence, I only bought 3 things, which is good for me!

See, only 3 things!

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle.

"Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor is a deep conditioning treatment for dry and damaged hair. 3 Minute Miracle leaves hair looking and feeling healthy and shiny in one treatment."

For me this is a holy grail product, I've told you a few times how much I dye my hair, so I definitely need a deep conditioner, and this is the one that I love the most. It is amazing, everything it says it does, it does! I sometimes leave it on for a hour if my hair needs a good treatment, but I usually pop it on in the shower and leave it for a few minutes. 

Sleek Brow Kit.

"The ultimate tool for perfect brows every day of the week. Brows have become one of the central emphases in daily beauty regimes; no longer is plucking the be-all-and-end-all of brow grooming! Sleek MakeUP’s perfectly compact kit is small enough to fit in your handbag, and comes in 2 shades, Light and Dark, and includes: shaping wax, setting powder, mini tweezers, and angle and blending brushes."

I have 2 of these, the light and the dark, and I bought my sister one as well. The one in the picture is the light, as I have lighter hair at the minute. I love this, I can't handle eyebrow pencils, me and those just do not get on well, so this kit is perfect for me!



Mac Bronzing Powder.

"A lightly frosted, tinted powder that gives skin sheer, natural colour effects and highlights. Ideal for enhancing a skin tone or to accent or 

strengthen a tan. Formulated to provide a smooth, even application on all skin."

I actually went into Mac for a blusher, I need a blusher with no pink in it at all, because it looks ridiculous on me, so I wanted a gold toned one with slight shimmer and I found a perfect one but it was out of stock! So I decided to get a blusher and use it as a bronzer, the shade I got is 'refined golden' its really beautiful, I absolutely love it!

So, anyway, they were my purchases, a little random beauty spree!


Jess x

Review: Fake Bake Flawless.

What they say...

"Our professional strength spray tan solution with a delicious black coconut fragrance to transport your senses to an exotic island beach......

Flawless is aptly named. It promises to deliver a flawless, beautiful, golden tan. Spray a fine mist of Flawless over freshly exfoliated skin then perfect your tan with our professional mitt which is included. The dual function cosmetic bronzer gives an instant, golden tan then goes on to develop into a long lasting, sunless glow. Fast drying, fast absorbing Flawless is transfer resistant, so can be worn throughout the day and it is formulated with Fake Bakes’ signature triple tanning agents (DHA boosted by DMI & Erythulose) for an intense tan that lasts and lasts. New to our range in 2010 and quickly established itself as a firm favourite amongst fans.

Suitable for all skin tones and skin types. Beautifully fragranced with a tropical scent."


I am a fake tan lover, I love, love, love it! I hate it in the winter when my skin starts going pale, and I look like Casper the friendly ghost! I really hate it! So, I go for the fake stuff!

I've tried a lot of fake tan, these include:

• St Tropez
• St Moriz
• Be Natural
• Rimmel
• Sally Hansen
• Garnier

And thats all I can think of right now...

I used to just stick to instant, wash off stuff, my favourite being Fake Bake's beyond bronze, but living in Manchester it is very difficult to keep your instant tan, wash off tan looking good, as all the weather likes to do here is rain! So by the end of the day I look like I have some sort of skin disease(not a good look for me).

But anyway... I was browsing the wonderful world of blogs and started reading a few reviews of the 'Fake Bake Flawless' and people seemed to love it, so I thought I'd give it a try!

Now at £20 you might think thats a little pricy for a tan, but for that price you get the tan itself, a set of purple latex gloves, and a tanning mitt, oh, and instructions!

*Please excuse the state of my mitt and gloves!*

My thoughts? LOVE! I am honestly so impressed! It is so easy to apply as the liquid is a dark brown, so this helps to insure you don't miss anywhere! It smells gorgeous too! It tends to last me about 5 days before it starts to noticeable fade, but I don't find that it fades patchy with me, it just looks like a gradually fading tan!

I used to like my tan super dark, but with having ginger hair now I feel like that would just looks ridiculous, so I decided to try and find one that just made a slight 'glow' which is what this does! I'd still recommend it to people that like to go dark though, as its easily buildable! 

Heres a picture of my arm that has been tanned in comparison to my hand that has not:

*Bare in mind that it's the guide colour, and its not as dark when it has been washed off.*

Overall, I would DEFINITELY recommend this product, I am absolutely in love with it, it's probably one of the best things I have bought this year.

Jess x

Review: Hair Essentials - Argan oil shampoo & conditioner.

As I was casually strolling around Primark, the range of hair care products they had out suddenly caught my eye (I'm a sucker for a hair care stand) I'm already a massive argan oil fan, so when I saw that Primark has a argan oil shampoo and conditioner set for £2.50 each I definitely could not resist! So I popped them into my basket and went to pay.

They are by 'Hair Essentials' and it says that they are both:

• Paraben free
• For all hair types
• Hydrating
• Helps to restore elasticity
• For a healthy looking shine

I've been using these for about 3 weeks now, and I wash my hair about 3 times a week and I still have a lot of product left in these!

Now for the pros & cons:

Pros.

• They make my hair feel amazing!
• Easy to use 'snap top'
• Only £2.50!

Cons.

• Doesn't smell great.

That seriously is my only con, it doesn't smell great, but thats because they've tried to keep it as natural as possible by not adding any perfumes, but other than that, I absolutely LOVE these, they make my hair feel so soft after I have used them, and I think the amount of times I dye, curl, blow dry and straighten my hair, that making it soft is a difficult task! I can't recommend these enough!

I am going to try a different brand of argan oil shampoo & conditioner, I ordered them online today, so when I get them I shall give them a try and let you all know what I think! (:

Jess x

Review: Superdrug Colour Vibrance - Mango copper burst.

As I said in an earlier post, I'm dying my hair ginger, so I thought I would show you the results and tell you a little bit about the dye I used! (:

This is the dye, it is Superdrug's own brand called 'Colour Vibrance' and it is in 'Mango copper burst', I've read some reviews on this and I was ready for it to be amazing, (especially for the price of £4) but I was sadly let down, this might of been due to the fact my hair was a few different shades when I dyed it, or the fact my ends were bleached so it couldn't hold the colour as well, but whatever the reason, the only section of my head that is 'mango' are my roots... but whatever, I'm ok with the results! 

Here's the box:

BEFORE

 AFTER

The pictures don't really do it justice, it looks much better in person, I'm also wearing my Headkandy extensions, which might I add, I love already!

Pros:

• Left my hair in the same condition as it was
• The conditioner is amazing
• The colour is ok
• only takes 30 minutes
• It is only £4

Cons:

• Colour isn't as the box says
• Doesn't even out colour
• Has made my roots glow orange

Jess x

Review: Colour B4.

*Please excuse the state of my hair dying t-shirt.*

So, I have mentioned before in my headkandy review that I am an absolute hair dye addict! So, I've had my hair 'ombré' for a while now, and it seems that everyone is doing it, so that means I'm bored and in need of a new hair colour! So, I decided on ginger! After searching for a ginger dye, I found two that I looked at, the 'feria mango' but feria test on animals, and I don't think I'm cool with that, so the second was Superdrug's own dye 'Colour vibrance' in 'mango copper burst. In order to get the intense copper I wanted I needed to lighten my hair, but I didn't really want to bleach it, so I did some searches, read some reviews and came across 'colour b4'. Heres what I was told it would do:

"Undo Home Hair Colour Mistakes with Colour B4!!
Colour B4 Extra for darker hair types reverses the effect of unwanted colour following application.
How it works? Colour B4 shrinks the artificial dye molecules embedded within the hair, enabling you to simply wash them away. Colour B4 does not affect your natural hair colour, meaning the result following use is the shade which lay beneath your artificial colour.
Safe: Colour B4 does not contain bleach or ammonia and it's safe to re-colour your hair immediately following the use of Colour B4. Therefore, you can still achieve the hair colour you desire.
Caution: This product contains ingredients which may cause skin irritation on certain users. A preliminary patch test according to the product directions should be made first.
Colour B4 must not be used on eyelashes or eyebrows."


I'm not fully sure how I felt about this whole molecule shrinking...
Anyway, heres what you get:


The box itself.


The contents, excluding gloves as I lost them!(oops)


Part A is the activator.


Part B is the remover itself.


Part C is the buffer. (This is used in the washing stage)


These are the instructions.

The only downside to this product is that it STINKS! It smells like eggs, it really is vile! But once you see the results you will see why I don't care about the smell!



BEFORE






AFTER


HOW AMAZING?!?
I can't get over how amazing it is! Also, it has not effected the condition of my hair at all!

I give this a 9/10, not a 10 due to the awful smell and how long to buffer/washing out section take!



Jess x

Review: Skin Care - Simple, spotless skin.

I don't suffer from particularly spotty skin as it is, but when I do get spots, a get quite a few, and it completely dampens my mood! I searched and searched for something that would settle my skin when it decide to have a 'strop' with me and break out... I also have combination skin, bits of it are dry but my T-Zone is quite oily, so I also wanted to find something that helped this, and I finally found it!


Simple's spotless skin care range!
I own 4 of the 5 products from this range, the reason I don't own the 5th is because it is a blackhead eliminating scrub, and I don't suffer from blackheads.

So, heres what I do have:

Simple Spotless Skin Triple Action Face Wash. 
£3.99

I absolutely swear by this stuff! I have repurchased it about 3 times. It last for about 2/3 months with me, and after I have used it my skin feels so soft and smooth, I think thats down to the little exfoliating beads in it! I have only had one spot since using this, it is AMAZING!


Spotless Skin Quick Fix Cleansing Wipes.
£3.85

These wipes are for my lazy days, or if I'm staying out, as they are easy to carry. They aren't as good as the face wash, as they don't have the exfoliating beads in them (obviously) ha, but they are still a really good product and leave my skin feeling really fresh!


Spotless Skin Anti-blemish Moisturiser.
£4.99

This is such an amazing moisturiser! Its so lightweight and is perfect for under foundation, it takes the oil right out of my skin, and I notice a massive different when I have this on under my make up.


Spotless Skin Rapid Action Spot Zapper.
£5.49

I bought this when a spot appeared on my face and I was all "OH HELL NO!' and refused to leave the house... I put it on on a monday and by wednesday the spot was completely gone! I was so impressed! I save this for if I feel like I'm going to get a spot, and I know this will take care of it!


Overall, I love all these products, I'm a massive fan of simple products anyway, I think they're amazing and really great quality, and very affordable!

P.S They're all half price in Superdrug right now!


Jess x

My Cat.

I know I said I was going to write about beauty, fashion ect. and I will, promise! But I wanted to just step away from that for one post to show you my pride and joy. (sad, I know)

As I said when I was telling you a little bit about myself, I am an animal lover, and I love no animal more than I do my cat. Now, I may be being slightly biased, but I think she's an extremely beautiful animal, let me show you... 

"Hey, look how cute I am!"

"Those birds are mine."

Obviously, I understand that some people just aren't cat lovers, so they will not be interested in this post, and I understand that, but if you do like cats heres some facts about mine:

• Name: Princess
• Age: 3
• Breed: Ragdoll

So, thats pretty much it, I just wanted to show off my cat really! ha.

Jess x

Review: Hair Extensions - Dirty Looks

My hair used to grow pretty fast, until I discovered the world of hair dye. Being a natural blonde, any colour would take to my hair, I could do whatever I wanted to it, and before thinking about the damage I was about to cause, I bleached it.

From bleached hair I went to platinum, then to red, to brunette, to black, to pink, to ginger, back blonde, to silver, back pink, back ginger, back brunette, to ombré, now back to ginger... and yes, I still have hair left. It seems I have extremely strong hair, so the hairdressers tell me, yet my hair refuses to grow after I cut it into a bob a few years ago. Luckily for me, I found hair extensions.

I've been wearing hair extensions for nearly 5 years now, so you can imagine that I have tried a lot! These include:

• Sally's Euronext
• Ebay Extensions
• Beauty Express
• Foxy Locks
• Hairdo

Now, if you're an extension lover like me, you know what I mean when I say that my postman delivered a little metallic silver parcel to me this morning. YAY!

My 'Headkandy' (Now known as Dirty Looks) hair extensions had arrived!

Headkandy/Dirty Looks do a massive range of colours, but if you're still unsure you can send a picture of yourself in and they will match the colour for you. They also do a great range of lengths:

• 12"-14" / 150 grams / £69.99
• 16"-18" / 160 grams / £85.99
• 20"-22" / 180 grams / £95.88
• 24"-26" / 180 grams / £124.99

I got the colour 'Dye it yourself' in 20-22", I have actually measured them and mine actually reach 21".

Now, I have read a ton of reviews on these and everyone had mentioned the sleek, black box that they come in... so you can imagine my surprise when I opened it to find this... 

So, panicking slightly, thinking that they've sent me some random purchase, I emailed the people at Headkandy/Dirty Looks and asked about why I was sent a purple box, this was her reply...

"Hi Jessica :)
Thanks for the email!

Your one of the few lucky customers to receive our new packaging :) We have changed the packaging recently so not everyone will get the purple boxes just yet.

Please get back to us if you need any further help.

With Kind Regards

Holly

HK Hair Client Care"

So, they've changed the packaging! I must say, I LOVE it! They've also changed to inside packaging, it is now full of light purple polka dots!

Anyway, heres what you get! 

This is what the hair comes in, the right hand package has a small section of hair which you can try out to see if the colour matches, which I personally think is an amazing idea! The section comes with a little card, which tells you what it is for.

It also comes with a handy little booklet with tips in it, and a diagram to show you where to place your extensions. 

The Extensions!

what you get:

• 1 clip weft x2
• 2 clip weft x5
• 3 clip weft x2
• 4 clip quad weft x1

So, here they are...

You can see how amazing and thick these look, they are so soft and beautiful! The ends are so thick as well. The clips are super sturdy, and I can tell they will hold for hours.

I've tried to show the true colour on these photos, it is inbetween blonde and brown, with a slightly caramel tone to them...

Overall, my first impression of these is a great one, I'm extremely impressed! I'm going to dye them and see how they hold up and do another review in a few months!

Jess x

New Beginnings.

So, I thought that today seemed like a good day to start a blog...

I'll start by introducing myself and telling you all a little bit about me. My name is Jess, I'm 19 and live in Manchester, UK. I'm currently a student, studying 'Drama and Theatre'. I'm a full on animal lover (owning 2 dogs, 2 cats and a horse) and also a beauty and fashion lover.

I spend a lot of my time reading reviews on products that I want to purchase, and as I seem to have a spending obsession (oops) I thought I'd share my views on the things I buy with all of you!

I hope you all enjoy my blog and find it useful!

Jess x