Lee Stafford - ArganOil Deep Nourishing Treatment

Quick review today of Lee Stafford's ArganOil Deep Nourishing Treatment. Recently my hair has turned extremely dry and frizzy in places so in a mad panic on night i splurged on the Boots website and treated myself to a whole bunch of treatments and conditioners to try and bring it back to life.

One of these products was Lee Stafford's ArganOil Deep Nourishing Treatment - a little expensive at £14.99 for a 200ml pot but luxurious and nourishing none-the-less.

This treatment was a thick white conditioner, you needed to use an 'egg sized' scoop and massage through from roots to ends. I found i only got 5 uses out of a 200ml pot which works out at an equivalent to £3 a use!

ArganOil Deep Nourishing Treatment is non-greasy and leaves your hair feeling soft and moisturised. I must admit that i didn't really notice that this product did anything special to my hair until the last use when i used about a dollop and a half to use up the pot - after i had dried and styled my hair it felt extremely soft and silky. Up until this point i hadn't been overly thrilled and i don't think i will be repurchasing. I cant really justify £15 on a conditioner that isn't a wonder product and that i only get 4-5 uses out of a tub.

I do love Lee Stafford's product (the Hair Growth products are fab!) but on this occasion they haven't worked for me.

Have you tried this product? What are your wonder products for dry hair?

xoxo

All I Want For Christmas ... a xmas wishlist

1. Lispy Belted Fur Gilet 2. Benefit Peek-A-Bright-Eyes 3. Maggie Angus Skull Chain bracelet 4. Chanel bag 5. iPad 6. Lush Twilight shower gel

 

On the first day of Christmas .... Tra la la la la, la la la laaaaaaaaa ...

 

I'm well and truly embracing Christmas this year! Yesterday i spent the day doing Christmas crafts and putting up a little pink tree with the boyfriend's little girl. We made angels and Santa's out of toilet roll tubes!

 

I put together a little Christmas Wishlist ... i don't for one second think I'll ever get a Chanel bag but hey, aim high ;)

 

Up until yesterday i didn't think there was anything i wanted for Christmas except maybe an iPad but a quick late night online window shop proved very fruitful and i found some little gems that I'd like to see in my stocking!

 

Anything Santa doesn't bring I'll add to my birthday list which is only 2 months away now, ha.

 

Also, i just need to add this was my first attempt at a product collage and I'm quite impressed. Teaching myself basic Photoshop skillz at half 7 on a Sunday morning is not what i envisioned but at least i achieved something this weekend :p

 

xoxo

 

 

Its really hard to walk in a single womans shoes - thats why you sometimes need really special shoes ...

Evening all, how's your Saturday going?

This is my second diary post entry about my days off. This is what i got upto in London on Friday :)

Friday

So on Friday i had another day off with the bf and we decided to go to London. We set off late morning and headed to Leicester Square for a spot of lunch. We went to our favourite place - Chiquito's; a yummy Mexican.

To kick-start the day and because i was feeling very Carrie in Sex and the City i decided to have a Cosmopolitan cocktail...

For my starter i had potato wedges topped with chilli, cheese and sour cream and for main i had a delicious spicy chicken and rice wrap with fries - i was such a ravenous beast that by the time i thought about taking a photo i had already devoured half of the meal, oops!

After our delicious lunch me and the bf parted ways; he went off to play in a poker tournament with his friends and i hit Oxford Street for a mammoth shopping sesh!

My first stop was Topshop as i was lusting after these fab jeans and was desperate to try them on. Unfortunately me and Topshop do not get on very well and i had a horrid shopping experience. It was mega hot and busy (this was expected), i eventually found the jeans and went to try them on. Upon entering the fitting rooms a foul smell hit me, i figured it was smelly feet and bodies mixed together but when i eventually found a free fitting room the reason for the smell appeared - someone had wee'd in the changing room! Can you even believe this!? (sorry if you didnt want to know this but i had to share my disgust!) Ewww! The disastrous shopping trip did not stop there, the jeans made me look short and stumpy :( and then the sales assistants completely ignored anyone trying to leave the fitting rooms so i literally dumped the jeans and tag and ran for my life out of there!

I then headed to Primark knowing that i was guaranteed to get my shopping fix in there. I picked up a couple of dresses, 2 jumpers, a bikini, a cute feather necklace, tan fringed coin purse and these gorgeous shoes...

Cant wait to wear these during the summer months. Got a lovely petrol blue maxi dress that would look just divine with these :)

I also picked up some goodies in Boots & Superdrug - Soap & Glory's Wish Upon A Jar, 2 eyeshadows, a moisturiser, a lipstick, 3 nail polishes and a blush (reviews and pics coming soon)

I also spent some time at Trafalgar Square just sitting by the fountain and watching the world go by :)

I love London so much but have come to realise that i really love shopping in my local town as its much less busy and i can shop in peace (i have a routine where i get up early on a Sunday and do all my shopping before most people wake up - therefore grabbing all the bargains before everyone else!)

This is what i wore:

Navy and white patterned playsuit

Black long-sleeved cardi

Sheepskin gilet

Tan studded pixie boots

Tan plaited waist belt

A collection of necklaces and bangles

Me and the bf got a bit snap happy while waiting for our food to arrive:

Where are your favourite places to shop & eat? I'm a total foodie and love to eat out!

xoxo

Mist You Madly ...

I love Soap & Glory!

I'm addicted to their cute retro pink girlie packaging, the gorgeous smell and the luxurious feel of their products.

I've been a S&G follower for over 4 years now and my collection has grown from just owning the truly hideous Hair Supply (this is the only product from their range that i've hated so far - it leaves my hair feeling totally waxy) to having an over-flowing gift bag crammed full of their lush products!

Today i'm reviewing my most favourite product to date:

Mist You Madly body spray

"A flirty, floral, fragrant body spray featuring notes of Bergamot, Blackcurrant, Magnolia, Freesia, Vanilla and Musk."

I adore the scent - its light and sweet reminds me very much of candyfloss (yum!). It's very buildable - i spritz myself once i'm dress in the mornings, then do my hair and make-up and spritz myself some more and then once again as i'm leaving the house. The fragrance is long lasting especially when worn with other Soap & Glory products that have the same scent (Clean, Girls for instance - review coming shortly!)

The bottle boasts S&G's signature pink packaging and has a pump spray nozzle that gives you a nice mist of fragrance. (I much prefer this to the obnoxious aerosol can types which are very over-powering and rather chemical smelling)

Now i dont usually use body sprays as i'm a devotee to Christina Aguilera's perfume range (i'd seriously recommend trying Christina Aguilera Original or By Night - delicious!) but i have been converted and have now replaced my CA perfumes with Soap & Glory's Mist You Madly for daytime use.

Available in Boots or online for only £6.13 for 250ml.

I will definitely be re-purchasing once i've use my bottle (i'm already half way through and i only got it for Christmas!) and at this price why not, eh?!

What do you think of Soap & Glory products?

xoxx

Delish!

Evening girls! I wasnt going to post tonight as i'm feeling zonked but i've just had another yummy bath using these gorgeous bath cubes so thought i'd share my love with you all :)

So i picked these up a couple of weeks ago during a birthday shopping spree in Boots. I was just getting off the escalator when i spied these cuties at the bottom of a shelf tucked away with all the bubble bath. I was instantly drawn to their purpleness.

Beautifully Delicious - Coconut and Shea Candylicious bath cubes

You simply run a bath and crumble a couple of these little cubes into the running water.

I love these purely for the novelty of using a cube instead of bubble bath or gel. However, they do not foam (nor do they claim to do so on the box - i dont know where my mind got the idea that they would from?!) and the scent only lasts for about 5mins max which is a shame as i absolutely love the smell of these! Saying that i continue to use them and top the bath up with bubbles once the delicious aroma has faded.

I've just had a look on the Boots website and they are retailing at £3.99 but i dont remember paying that much for them - i think i paid £2 or £3?

Such a cute gift idea - i will definitely be stocking up on these for add-ons to presents this year :)

Dont they just remind you of stock cubes!! haha

xoxo

Locked my dreams in a suitcase ...

I am well and truly ready for summer now. After what seems like the longest, coldest winter ever some sun finally reared its much welcomed head for the first time yesterday bringing with it a relatively warm day.

For the first time in like forever i had no heating on in my car and even embraced the cool breeze with the windows down and the tunes blaring. I ventured out in a maxi dress and my sunglasses were super-glued to my face. The boys decided that summer was here and wore shorts and vests and cracked out the bbq .... it then decided to rain; but that's just British ways isn't it! BBQ's just getting started and the heavens open, it's the same every year. To be fair we couldn't expect too much as it is only March!

Me and the bf even picked out our (late) summer holiday yesterday and i've been practically giddy ever since! It has definitely put the spring back in my step and given me some much needed motivation - i now have something to look forward to :)

As i get over-enthusiastic with the holiday shopping (bikinis, flip flops, summer dresses galore!) I thought i'd post and see what you all consider your summer holiday essentials and what are you're must haves for the upcoming season ....

What do you pack in your hand luggage?! What type of luggage do you use??

What are you're beauty essentials? Do you dare to be make-up free on the beach??

I've still got 6 months to wait til i go away but I'm already planning away like a crazy person :p

http://onerainyday.webs.com/

xoxo

Lush!

So i recently had a birthday and my sister got me some delicious Lush products. Up until a few months ago i had never tried any of their products but was bought some for Christmas and adored them! I'm really looking forward to getting a few more bits in the near future and have a 10% discount voucher to use so will definately be stocking up!

Out of this World

How neat is the packaging! My sis got me the Out of This World giftset which includes a soap bar and one of Lush's famous 'Bath Ballistic' fizzy bath bombs. As you can see from the pics the products come boxed and wrapped up in space inspired wrapping paper. Once opened the two products lay inside the box on a bed of 'popcorn'!

And the products inside the gorgeous packaging are even cuter!

Rock Star Soap

I dont usually use soap and tend to favour shower gels as i find soaps dry my skin out and leaves a squeaky sheen over my skin so i was unsure whether i'd like the Rock Star Soap .... it is adorable though! It has the most amazing scent .... the Lush website claims for the soap bar to be vanilla. It took me a couple of uses to identify what the smell was and then it hit me.... Parma Violets (remember the little purple tablet sweets!) Gorgeous! The soap bar cleans well and although the smell is divine it isnt long lasting but i would defiantely purchase again :)

Space Girl Bath Ballistic

I absolutely adore Lush's Bath Ballistic fizzy bombs! I first tried one at Christmas when i recieved a Christmas Pudding fizzy bomb. I've tried lots of different bath bombs in the past and most of them loose their fizz after a few moments in the water and you have to tease the bomb and help it to disintegrate. With Lush's Bath Ballistics this is not the case...they completely break up, fizz and froth all on their own. The Space Girl Bath Ballistic was a gorgeous grapefruit flavour (although this also smelt like Parma Violets just like the soap bar - maybe this has something to do with them being stored side by side unwrapped in the box?). It turned the bath water purpley blue in colour and had glitter mixed throughout the bomb. A great little treat to jazz up bath times!!

Do you have any suggestions of what to try next?

'don't be a stranger xoxo'

Mwahhhh xx

In the deep, dark depths of my handbags you will always find these things; screwed up receipts (often months old!), chewing gum covered in hair and grime that have escaped from the packets and an abundance of different lip balms.

The other day while swapping over my handbags i found 3 different lip balms! A Vaseline Lip Therapy pot, a Carmex tube and my new fave Soft Lips - French Vanilla.

The Useful One

Vaseline Lip Therapy - This brand has been in my handbags and makeup drawer for as long as i can remember. Not only does it thoroughly moisturises and soothes dry & chapped lips but this little tin has long featured in all the beauty tips and tricks pages of the glossies (probably since the dawn of time!)

Just some of Vaseline's other uses include: Moisturiser for hands, feet, elbows - any area of dry skin actually!, a thin coat over your eyelashes before bed can over time help with the condition of your lashes and a tiny dollop of Vaseline to tame & smooth frizzy hair and seal split ends.

The Classic

Carmex - I've used Carmex lip balms for about 5 years now. I started off using the little pots but have now switched to tubes due to my nails being longer now and i tend to find i get more Carmex lodged under my nails than actually on my lips!
Carmex has a nice menthol smell to it and gives that nice tingling feel when first applied (i like this as then i can really feel it soaking into my lips), its ultra moisturising and quite frankly looks funky and eye-catching.

This is the first lip balm i recommend to my friends and family when they say they have dry or chapped lips. You can really notice a difference instantly! Carmex now have the Cherry flavour available in the tubes and pots but i have not got on with this.... i think i may be slightly allergic!

The New Fave

Soft Lips - This is my new favourite lip balm! I was looking for something different to try and i absolutely adore anything vanilla flavoured so it seemed a perfect match. It retails at about £3 and comes in a very thin, long stick - unique from other brands. Cute packaging, and has a twisty cap at the bottom of the stick to reveal and hide the balm stick. Really adds moisture to your lips and has a nice sweet smell to it. One thing i have noticed is that i need to apply this balm more often than i would with Vaseline or Carmex (this may be because of the yummy flavouring or the theory i have that lip balm companies add an additive to their products that proves addictive....). I've never used any of the Soft Lips lip balms before but would definately try more after using the French Vanilla flavoured stick.

Anyone else think lip balm companies add something to their products that makes them addictive so we have to keep buying them?

'don't be a stranger xoxo'

This week's Swag ...

So here's a little post about the Swag i've picked up this week on my travels.... hadnt been shopping since Christmas so it was a bit of a treat and i definitely over-indulged. Not going to show everything just a selection....

New Outfit for Work

As i spend most of my time at the office and dont go out a whole bunch mid-week i like to look nice for work and experiment with my outfits. Got a fantastic minky-brown sheer blouse with a black velvet heart print and ruffle bib, absolutely love it!

As you can see here i teamed it with cropped peg-leg trousers, pumps and a pale pink belt (which i also picked up during this weeks shopping trip. Added a black cardi as its sleeveless and a bit too cold still to bare arms and layered with a black cami underneath! Top and belt both from Primark.

Make up

I love blush and like to wear a pale pinky-peach colour on the apples of my cheeks and a darker more pink-red colour higher up around my eyes (sounds odd but works well - try it!) Decided to try a Models Own dark pink/red blush for the first time.

Honestly i wasnt too impressed with this blush. It blended well which is something i need when wearing two blushers but it didnt last all day unlike the cheaper brand ive been using recently (Boots 17 - China Pink). Models Own - Cheeky Pink. RRP: £6

Also picked up some gold eye dazzle eyeshadow - been wanting some gold eyeshadow for a while for a new look i'm working on. Golden eyelids with a black smokey eye effect (will post a pic when i've perfected it). Decided to go for a dust type eyeshadow as its easy to blend and layer on - after walking round and round the make-up aisles i eventually opted for 17 - Eye Dazzle in Good As Gold.

I like this one a lot as it can be used for day or night. The pot has a 'pepper pot' top and only a little comes out, ideal for day time wear as your brush isnt too overloaded. It layers and builds well for evening wear and a darker, brighter look. Also blends well. Despite all of this i still prefer Barry M's Dazzle Dusts but they didnt have the shade i wanted when i bought this item. RRP: £2.99

Special Mention

So a special mention today goes out today to Chit Chat - Plump It! Lipgloss which i bought from...... wait for it........... Poundland!! Yep, Poundland have a small selection of make-up. As well as this lipgloss i found some old, discontinued [products by Rimmel, Collection 2000 and W17 but unfortunately didnt have any shades i would wear.... This lipgloss claims to plump your lips and for only £1 i thought it would be worth a test.

Well, i didnt notice a change in my lips but out of all the lipglosses that claim to pump your lips none have worked on me. The Plump It! Lipgloss did however provide a gorgeous clear shine albeit a bit sticky. All in all cant complain for a quid! Looking forward to checking out Poundland again for more beauty bargains!

Have any of you tried any of the make-up available in pound shops?

Like i said at the beginning of this post i got a whole lot more loot most of which i havent tried yet so as and when i do i will update you on what i got and and what i think :)

'Don't be a stranger xoxo'

Top 5 Mascara's

I have been on a quest for the perfect mascara for as long as i can remember. If i was to create a mascara of my very own it would be ultra pitch black in colour, have a huge curved wand while extending, thickening, and adding volume and curl like a pair of false eyelashes. As you can see I'm expecting a lot from the average high street mascara!

I have stepped up my game recently and went on a bit of a mascara mission and tried out a number of different ones in a small space of time so i thought it would be the ideal time to write my first proper blog post and let you guys know what i think of them.

Top 5 Mascara's:

# 1. Rimmel - Volume Flash the Max Bold Curves - 001 Black

This mascara is my latest buy and in my opinion the closest i can get to ticking off everything of my wish list. Fantastic thick curved wand that gets a good coating of the mascara, fans out and separates the lashes while extending and adding volume. Doesn't flake, goes on super dark even with only one coat, stays put all day. Funky coloured tube - wont get lost in your make-up bag! RRP: £6.99

10/10

# 2. Maybelline - Great Lash - Blackest Black

This is an old classic that I've only recently discovered - my gosh! Wish i had found this years ago. Its colour - blackest black is true to its word and comes out nice and dark even with just one coat. It separates and lengthens and gives good coverage even though it only has a small wand. Funky coloured tube and a good price too - RRP is coming in at about £5 but if you're a bargain hunter like me you can pick this up for £2.99 on eBay!

8/10

# 3. 17 - Va Va Voom Volume Mascara - Black

Cheap inexpensive product, very good value for money! Really big thick wand, adds a lot of length to lashes and separates as well which you don't always get from the thick bristle wands. Only down sides to this mascara is that it doesn't add a lot of thickness/volume to lashes and its not as black as I'd like but all in all a great find. RRP: £6

7/10

# 4. Rimmel - Lash Accelerator - 001 Black

I was a little disappointed with this product but this might be because i fell for the advertising and believed it would make your lashes grow. In my opinion this hasn't worked. The wand was thinner than i had thought it would be but it does separate and adds length to lashes. Again not as black as I'd like but i think we've discovered that i like jet black lashes! I have been using this mascara as a base coat to add a bit of length and separate and then using one of the other ones featured here on top to add volume and definition. RRP: £8.99

6/10

# 5. Collection 2000 - Volume Sensation - Ultra Black

I was really disappointed with this mascara. Apart from waterproofs i have purchased in the past this is by far the worst. It does have a nice thick wand which i like and nice bright packaging but that's where the praise stops. When i first went to use this mascara it was sticky and hardly any came out of the tube (maybe i had one from a bad batch?) i had to heat the tube up myself to loosen the contents. The mascara does thicken the lashes but adds no length. The colour states 'Ultra Black' but this was definitely not a dark black. Looking forward to trying out some more Collection 2000 mascaras soon so hope i don't have the same problem! RRP: £4.99

 3/10
 

Special Mention:

Maybelline - The Falsies Volume Express - Black Waterproof

I've been using the Maybelline 'Falsies' mascara for almost a year now on and off. It is a decent mascara; it separates and adds length due to the curved wand but it does not thicken enough for my liking so have recently been using it on top of the Rimmel Lash Accelerator. I have found this mascara to flake quite a lot and although it says it is waterproof i have not found this to be true. RRP: £7.99

7/10

TIP: I am a huge bargain hunter - if there's a bargain to be had I'll sniff it out! So when there's a new mascara or make-up product that I'd like to try i always check eBay first. I have picked up a few of these much cheaper than on the high street - worth a look :)

"don't be a stranger xoxo"