Review - Loreal Studio Pro Range

Morning All!!

Today I'm coming to you with a review (I know, right?!) of the Loreal Studio Pro products I picked up a few weeks back. I picked up the Boost It Mousse, and the Lock It Hair Spray. I was intrigued by the whole range because Loreal claim the Studio Pro line has a "double hold formula", so I had to try and see, didn't I?

First of all, can we take a moment for the packaging, please? I adore the yellow and black design, it's so eye catching and incredibly cheery. I love how it stands out among all my products, it makes it easier to find them while I'm half blind coming out of the shower.

Boost It!! 

Mousse isn't something I generally used when I had longer hair, and to be completely honest, I'm not sure why, as now I feel I couldn't live without it. It boosts the volume of my hair quite a lot, and adds a good bit of hold along with it, which if you're not about that serious hold life, would probably do you!

I apply a small blob of this to towel dried hair, go through with my Tangle Teezer and then blow dry it. I start by drying the sides of my hair to keep them sleek and looking lovely, then I lift my hair up and dry it at the root for extra lift. My hair sort of sweeps over and across my eyes, so I use a round brush to direct the hair to lay where I want it.

I don't find this mousse leaves any sticky residue if you are mindful about how much you need, obviously if you overdo it, you're gonna have a crunchy, sticky head of hair. I find it incredibly light and the claims of double lift definitely have some grounding to them. Even when I slept on my hair, I found the next day if I just ran my hand through near the roots, the lift was still there.

You can find Boost It Mousse HERE

Lock It!!

I think I've found Mr Right and he's actually a can of hairspray!! I picked this up in the strongest hold, number 5 - Ultra Strong, and it's incredible. It's not crunchy or crispy in the slightest and yet it holds my hair incredibly. It's also not offensive with it's scent, a point which I'd like to make because my beloved Elnette has an overpowering whiff by comparison.

I mess my hair a little, spray a little, and repeat until my hair is where I want it. It's honestly that easy. It's also worth mentioning that I haven't noticed a build up or any kind of residue, which is incredible because I was my hair every other day.

You can find Lock It Hairspray HERE

Have you tried any of the Loreal Studio Pro range?

Amy

xx

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Empties

My name is Amy and I never finish products. They usually go off before I can and I wind up throwing them out. Or at least that's my excuse. Occasionally though I do finish one or two things! So here's the recent empties I'm about to sling. 


Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff. 

Can we take a moment to appreciate how I managed to accumulate not one, but two tubes?? I thought I lost my first one and then lo and behold it turned up without so much as by your leave. I've squeezed these two poor tubes to death, trying to draw the last few drops out but they're dead now. 

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

I admit that this has been beyond its best before for a month or so, but sugar doesn't really go off so I finished it off. It's been a good run, I get a year from each little pot so I can't say it didn't do the job!

Garnier Pure Skin Toner

I adore this stuff and will be repurchasing for definite. The active ingredients in this toner calm down any spots threatening to break the surface and it helps eradicate any which have shown themselves. It smells very strongly but the scent is slightly medical which I like a lot so it's not a problem really. 

Loreal TXT Hairspray

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3in1 Foundation

Hello, holy grail hairspray! Flexible hold, but still in a good degree of control. I love the hold, I love the scent, I loved the price. Yes, very good, on we go!!! 

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation

Holy grail status again, let me tell you. This is my ultimate foundation. It's pale enough for me, with a pink undertone so it doesn't make me look funny. It lasts all day, it's lightweight but with medium to full coverage and I've had this bottle for over a year.  This is literally my beauty addiction. If I don't have this foundation, I am a very sad little lady. Shout-out to my friend Kayleigh over in the USA for being my supplier! 

Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Cool

Another seriously well loved product. It takes care of shine, adds a slight hit of coverage, doesn't look caket and lasts for ages. I've already repurchased it, and will continue to because for 3.09, I cannot fault it on any grounds. 

What are your recent empties, my lovelies??

Drop me a line; let me know, and be sure to enter my giveaway HERE where you stand to win a 1 YEar Supply of Water Wipes. 

Amy 

xxx

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September Favorites

Hello, Hello!!

In a break from my usual video blog detailing my favorites, I have decided to embrace the old ways and blog about them instead. Whether or not that has to do with the fact that I look like Pippi Longstocking, and am currently waiting for a tan to develop, is entirely up to your own judgement... (It has quite a lot, in fact its entirely the reason!! :P)

Lets just jump right into things, shall we?

1. E45 Intense Recovery Lotion.

Stay with me on this one!

I used this while I was healing my newest tattoo, and it was amazing. It helped so much in the speedy recovery of the fresh wound (it is what it is) and as a result, it didn't scab and hardly peeled at all! Woohoo!!

€4.99-ish in Tesco or Pharmacies.

2. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

This sponge has retired both of my foundation brushes... Just let that one sink in there for a minute. I have not used my foundation brushes since I bought this amazing sponge! It makes your face look airbrushed and beautiful with minimal effort. It's so squishy too, which is nice. The best bit about it is that you wet it and its grows, exactly like a beauty blender!

For just shy of €6, you cannot beat this beauty!

3. Cien Nail Polish Remover - Classic

This stuff is better than any high-priced polish remover I've used in the last 2 or 3 years. It's so cheap, but that only makes it better. I am going to repurchase this to death.

It also has a pump dispenser which I have yet to find on any polish remover from the likes of Sally Hansen or OPI. Swish!

You can find this in Lidl for less than €2. Go, go, go!!!

4. Loreal Skin Perfection Purifying Micellar Solution. 

I have to bow down to this product. All my good skin days are down to this. I cannot get over how good it is, and how little of it you need to go over your whole face.

It also dissolves your make-up, if you're that way inclined.

I got this for €4.99 in Tesco on special offer.

5. Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in 270 Matt-erial Girl

This lipstick has been a staple in my make-up bag for weeks and weeks now. It's so integral to my makeup kit, that I have bought a back up to keep in case I ever lost it, or God forbid, it got discontinued!

I love the formula, the colour, the wear time, everything! It's matte but not drying, so pigmented and once its on it doesn't move or slide. Fantabulous stuff!!

Catrice Lippies are €4.49 in Penneys and in selected chemists.


So there you have it! My September Favorites, done and dusted! What do you think of my choices? Drop me a line down below!

Amy
xoxo

Liquid & Pen Liner Collection Overview

When it comes to liquid liner, I'm not particularly obsessed; Definitely not as much as I am with lipstick. I own five different eyeliners (not counting pencil liners) and today I want to talk about why I like them so much.

E.L.F Liquid Liner:

My lovely (and super generous) friend from Florida, Kayleigh (who you can find here), sent this as part of our swap. I don't think I have ever loved an eyeliner as much as this. That would be because it has a very very fine brush applicator, which make my limited eyeliner skills look brilliant!

My only problem with this liner, would be the wear time. I have a tendency to use this liner just as a guide-liner for my Loreal Super Liner. If the wear time were improved, I'd have no problem going to the nearest rooftop and shouting "Holy Grail, huzzah!!"

According to eyeslipsface.co.uk this eyeliner retails for €1.73. 

17 Liquid Liner

This liner came as part of a Christmas gift from my cousin Maria last year.

This has a really nice brush, though its not as thin as the E.L.F brush. The wear time, however, really makes up for the brush. It will NOT budge unless you take oil-based eye makeup remover to it.

I swiped this on my arm to figure out how to describe the formulas, and all I can say is, after 3 days of scrubbing its finally faded. That says it all!

I couldn't find a price for this liner, and it was part of a discontinued kit, so I can't even give you the price of that, sorry! Boots do carry a wide array of 17 liners though, so check them out.

Loreal Super Liner Blackbuster

This has to be the most disappointing of the five liners. I had such high hopes for it, but it just didn't meet them. This liner would be better suited to someone who just wants a faint, deep grey liner, rather than a bold black line. The felt tip on this has so much potential too, though maybe my dislike of that could be attributed to my ham-fists... I would be keen to retry this is the formula ever changed.

Loreal Super Liner Blackbuster retails for €10.75 in Boots.

Loreal Super Liner - Black Crystals

This liner is amazing, and completely in a different league to its Blackbuster counterpart. I did not realize at the time of purchase that it was Black Crystals, rather, I just thought the sparkles on the packaging were for decoration. The "crystal" element is a very very fine silver glitter, which is only really noticeable if you go for a thick winged liner. I wear this liner almost every day, and I think that the glitter is a nice touch to add to a simple look.

Loreal Super Liner - Black Crystals retails for €15.29 in Boots.

Essence Eyeliner Pen

This one is a pure, unmitigated bargain! I purchased this when I was just getting used to applying liner, because I felt the felt-tip was the easiest to work with. It has a very fine, almost oriental-brush like tip, ideal for the unsure liner user. Its only downfall is that two coats are needed to make it truly opaque, but hey, you get what you pay for!

Essence Eyeliner Pen is available from Penneys and Pharmacies nationwide and will set you back €3.59. 

Overall, I am happy with my liner collection, though it may be paltry by many beauty bloggers standards. The only one of this collection that I would not recommend is the Super Liner Blackbuster.

What do you think of my collection? Are there any liners you feel I am missing?
Please let me know in the comments if there are, and don't forget to tell me why they rock! I may well pick them up...

xo
Amy

June BBC Day 23: Whats My Face Worth?

Most of you have learned over the course of this challenge that I'm not a big fan of putting on a full face of make-up everyday. The way I see it, how will people notice a difference if you go out everyday, moseying about your business in full drag?! I fully believe its better to look like your normal self on a day to day basis, and then hike up the Glam Levels when you're going out!

On a normal day I just do my brows, eyeliner, mascara, and lips. Sometimes I will use concealer, powder and maybe a wee bit of blush but its quite rare I would add those extra steps!

Yesterday, I went around the shops to take precise note of all the prices of the products I use, so I could be as accurate as possible!

I'll start from the bottom, this time around, with lips!

I'm sure you are all fully sick of me going on about these products at this point, but they are everyday essentials for me!

My Essence Lip-liner is in the shade "Femme Fatale" and my Natural Collection lipstick is Crimson. I love the combo of these two lip products together, and I have to admit that by some happy coincidence, they match perfectly!!

Essence Lipliner is €1.29 in any Penneys/Primark and local pharmacies nationwide!

Natural Collection lipstick is €3.09 in every Boots in the country!!

Next up, we'll tackle the eyes!

I am a huge convert to the Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara!! It's just my holy grail mascara at this point! I wouldn't ever be unfaithful to it... God, I sound like a crazy person!

The wand is magical, and the formula doesn't burn my eyes, even when I have lenses in!

The picture of my eye really doesn't do it the justice it deserves, really, which is a shame...


You can find this amazing mascara at any Maybelline stand, in any decent chemists, and in Boots for €11.99

Eyeliner is the one thing I've yet to nail my colours to the mast about! for pencil eyeliner, I'm pretty much a Bourjois Kohl pencil girl, but for liquid, I vary between Loréal Superliner and the Essence Eyeliner Pen.

Bourjois Kohn Pencil is €8.19
Loréal Superliner is €15.29
Essence is €3.49

Finally, my brows.

Now while I stand by my "I hate Rimmel" opinion, I must admit defeat in regards to their eyebrow pencil in 002 Hazel, because its the only pencil I've found that doesn't make my poor ginger brows look like they're brown! €4.99-ish (I forgot to look for this when I was in Boots!)

For my everyday face, that's a grand total of €48.33... Wow. I'm actually stunned!!!

I shudder to think what my full face would be for a night out!!

What is your face worth? Are you shocked by how much my face is worth?? Drop me a line in the comments below!!

xoxoxo
Amy

June BBC Day 16: Skincare Routine

I've always been about minding my skin. I've never suffered from acne, and most of the time, my skin is pretty well behaved aside from one or two small spots here and there! I don't believe, and have never believe in wearing a full face of make-up everyday. It's expensive and tough on your skin. I fully advocate going without. And I have to say, I've never bothered much with make-up and I still get told I'm attractive, beautiful (and if you're from the sticks, you'll know what it means to be called "a fine lookin' young-wan" by your elders). Going Au Natural has never stopped me meeting people, never stopped me getting male attention. While I fully understand why girls go out everyday with their face all made up, that's just not for me. I stick with my skincare routine, and that's enough for me!


When I'm in the shower I use Loréal Men Expert Pure and Matte facial scrub. It's designed to fight impurities and mattify the surface of your skin. I use two small blobs every time I get into the shower, the first to get rid of the oil on my skin, the second to get down into the pores. It never fails me!

After I finish with that, I gently run my Body Shop Facial Brush over to help increase blood-flow slightly. The bristles are soft and it just makes my skin lovely and tingly before I hop out of the shower.

After that, I run a Skin Wisdom Youth Protect wipe over my face to remove any residue that might be on my face, because the water isn't always great here at home! Then I take a little of my Elemis Softly Softly moisturiser and rub it til its all sunk in...

For my body, I've recently started using exfoliating gloves in the shower with my shower-gel, and then moisturizing with either Lush's Charity Pot, or if I need to look glowy for something, I will use my Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tanning Lotion. It's brilliant and not streaky at all. It also smells like apricots, but when you get into the shower it takes on that horrible burnt biscuit scent that we all loathe. Oh well, you can't win every round!

If I'm feeling like a treat, I'll pop this mask from the Boots Essentials range on for 3-5 minutes while I'm slathering myself in some lotion or another from the shoulders down! It's enriched with cucumber and I personally find it extremely softening and deep cleansing! It's somewhere in the €2.50/€3.00 price range, so its easy on the pocket. Also its good for using solely around the nose area if that's what you would rather. It comes in a bigger version too, so if you fall as hopelessly in love with it as I have, then you will be dying to repurchase the bigger tube, which is only a euro or so more expensive!

After I use the cucumber mask, and I've rinsed it off with barely warm water, I like to run a cotton ball with a little toner on it. Now, I'm not terribly fancy with my toner, and only that I already had the toner I have now, I'd have invested in the toner from the Boot Essentials like too. I use the Tesco Cucumber Toner to remove any leftovers from the Clay Mask, and then top it off with the Elemis moisturiser. I only use the mask 2 or 3 times a week, so this extra couple of steps just slot in pretty seamlessly to my normal regime.

So that's my very lengthy explanation of my skincare routine! Sorry if its a bit waffley or possibly a bit preachy, I got a bit caught up!

What is your skincare routine like? Do you get as involved in yours as I do in mine? What's your favorite product? Can you recommend any other masks for me to try? I would love to read your comments and suggestions down below!

Amy
xoxo

JuneBBC Day 5: Favorite Foundation...

This is another tie between two. Happily, its between two very different types of base...

For a full coverage foundation, I will nearly always opt for Loréal Infallible 16hr. Its one of the very few that is pale enough for me. Everything else makes me look orangey-yellow and just...ick! My bottle of Infallible is ridiculously dinged up and grubby, so I shall once again let Google save my picture loving hiney!

JuneBBC Day 4: Whats in my Shower?

Most days, I'm not very fancy in the shower, I mean, I am a country girl, so that should explain a lot. I know how to get in and out in under 5 minutes when the need calls for it.

On a normal day though, I use the following;