Review: Lee Stafford Hot Shots

Took me ages to figure out what the little logo was, but its a bull dog!

He says ~ Lee Stafford Hot Shots 2 Minute Miracle Repair Kit is a self-heating conditioning treatment with Pro-Repair™ which gets to the root of the problem by targeting dry and damaged hair to leave it healthy and beautifully conditioned. This intensive treatment is designed especially for damaged hair, with the Pro-Repair™ complex of Soy, Amino Acids and a Replenishing active, strengthening, replenishing and restoring the integrity of the cuticle and optimising the moisture balance. Containing warming vanilla this shot stimulates and increases circulation due to its spicy ingredients. Lee Stafford products are not tested on animals.

I say ~ After using this I found my hair to feel silky. I don't know if it it 'replenished and replaced the integrity of the cuticle'  but from what I know once you have a split stand of hair it is impossible for this to be repaired. 

The packaging is quite nice for taking away and would be easy to slip in your holiday suitcase. However it is not practical and while it was easy to get the top off the plastic tubing it is in is quite ridged and so you can't squeeze all the product out which is not good especially when there is only 15ml to begin with.

For me I found it to be very warming and managed to get it on my shoulders and neck which was uncomfortable. Another time I managed to get it in my eyes which really wasn't much fun, so if you do try this BE CAREFUL! 

Would I recommend it? Unless you have super dry hair I doubt I would. As soon as I washed my hair after using this the result left and so only really behaved as a conditioner which made my scalp feel hot. I would say buy some intensive conditioner instead.

Would I buy it again? No. Completely over priced and didn't have much effect on my hair. Nothing a normal conditioner wouldn't have done.

3 / 10

£7.19 - 45ml

Boots

Nails: Aeroplane Carnage

Okay so this was a bit of fun. The idea suggested to me by my other half... far from feminine!

What do you think?

Review: Soap and Glory - Hand Food

They say ~ Soap & Glory Hand Food™ Hand Cream is a super-silky gorgeously-scented non-greasy hydrating hand cream featuring fennel and lotus flower extracts, which leaves your hands super smooth.

I say ~ I have heard lots of good things about this particular hand cream and so ended up buying in to the hype about it. I got the 50ml tube which is useful for on the go. 

The claim that it is silky is true, it makes my hands feel smooth and silky. 

There is a definite strong scent to this hand cream, very floral, flitting between the nice scent of Dior Miss Cherie and something else. I think the main issue is the fact it is a strong scent so if you do want to try it make sure you sniff it first!

As I say it leaves your hands feeling silky and soft, it is a thicker cream type of product which seems more apt for a hand moisturiser. It claims to be non-greasy but it is when you first apply it but within a couple of minutes its sunk in and leaves your hands not greasy.

Would I recommend it? If you are a fan of the Dior scent them defiantly, if unsure then go for the smaller tube. Unless you have damaged cracked hands because I imagine with the scent it would sting. The hand cream is moisturising so I would recommend it for that alone.

Will I buy it again? Possibly.

9 / 10

£2.35 - 50ml

Boots

Nails: Geometric

Totally inspired by Dyna's New Years nails, I think hers do look better though but I didnt have any plain silver polish. Still these are wearable, especially for a night out. Its nice how the matte contrasts with the glitter.

Review: Asda Matt Finish Moisturiser

They say ~ "Formulated to be part of a daily skin care regime to help maintain youthful looking skin with a shine free finish"

I say ~ At 25 I wouldn't imagine this is targeted at me. I wish it had of been around 10 years ago though! I like this because as the name suggests it leaves my skin matte. Something which with my skin type isn't often the case. It is moisturising enough for the summer but perhaps not in winter. 

Using this on my face makes foundation apply easier as well as making the redness in my face a little less. I have no idea what it is in it though which does that.

10 / 10

Cheap and works!

97p - 100ml

Asda

Swatch: OPI Go Goth

I wouldn't go as far to describe myself as 'goth' but then again I don't like labels. I am me and my name can be my label. Anyhoo I am someone who likes darker colours and so this mini set was something I had been lusting after for bloody ages!

The box got a bit beaten up in the post from America but that's okay as the products themselves were fine. Very small bottles which I was expecting, I wasn't expecting to find the bottles to be so cute though. I mean its only a nail polish right!

Quite like the cuff as well, yes its supposed to be for Halloween wear but its the sort of thing I wear anyhow

Unripened is a really special sort of a shade, its quite unique but you need to see it larger to see that. Green, shimmer, green glitter flecks

Nevermore is a nice blackened purple / blue shade. Nice but not unique.

Obscurity is a wonderfully matte black polish, I like how it leaves a nice matte smooth finish as some of the other black mattes I have tried have left a lot to be desired what with their streaks and bumpy finish.

Sanguine is a pretty much standard deep, dark red shimmer sort of a shade. While I like it I don't think its anything especially special or different. Its darker than ELF's Cranberry although they do have the same finish. Its slightly darker than Sleek's Royalty but as I own a full size bottle of that the colours are similar enough to not need the both of them.

My only issue with the polishes is the brush is very small which makes doing a good paint job a bit difficult. That being said I do like all four shades and will be looking in to buying a full sized Unripened, if I can find it that is! Or even a dupe would do :D

Anyone know of one?

Review: Vapur Water Bottle

So this might seem way off from the usual topic of the blog but its a great handy product for your handbag. 

You may of heard of the link between drinking water from plastic bottle and cancers, although there is a lot of controversy about this. I did some research (putting my MSc to good use for once!) and found out that while there was a lot of conflicting evidence out there, there is a risk of BPA (Bisphenol A, an estrogenic) and breast cancer. However don't take my word as gospel though, do your own research before making your own mind up.

Anyway enough of the science, this is the Vapur Anti Bottle I really like the idea of this bottle because it rolls / folds up which means it fits in your handbag so much more easily especially once empty. When you fill it up it stands up like a normal bottle, you can freeze it which is nice during the summer.

I did buy a metal water bottle for the same reason but it wouldn't seal up properly and ended up drenching the content of my bag, this one does seal well so no worries there! It also has a hook clip in case you want to hook it off something.

It comes in lots of colours but I bought the black one. Holds 16oz / 1pt / 473ml

I bought this myself from this eBay seller: tyco.ltd

Nails: Blue Skies and Fluffy Clouds

Aptly named after one of my favorite Lush Bubble Bars. I started this one off as a sky background but then ended up having a total mind blank and not remembering what it was I was going to do on top of it. Oops! Still think its quite pretty as it is, its a blue base with white sponged over the top.

Nails: Red French

Eyeko - Vampira

Miss Sporty - Cherry

Review: Sleek - Storm Palette

Been meaning to do this post for months now! Excuses over, here are the swatches of the palette. 

Twelve neutral eye shadows, all well pigmented. 3 is slightly more beige than my skin tone and so it doesn't show up too well on me but its a fabulous base.

In this palette there are nine shimmer shadows (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)  and three mattes (3, 11, 12)

The depth of the black (12) is really great, I like the matte brown for a day look and 10 is my favourite shade in this palette, a shimmery aubergine shade.

8 / 10

£6.49

Sleek Make Up

Tutorial: Rubix Cube Nails

I was asked by my sister if I could do a rubix cube nail art, well being that I am a child of the 1980's how could I resist at least giving it a go!

You will need:

Nail art pens OR nail polish in the following colours

- red

- orange

- yellow

- green

- blue

- black

- White Nail Polish

Paint your nails white

Draw on a grid using the black

Dab on the green in to a couple of the squares

Then the yellow

The blue

Finally orange

Slap on a top coat and have a quick clean up of any mishaps and thats it finished!

Think it sort of it worked! The black lines could have been more uniform and the topcoat totally smudged it on the pinky finger. If I were to try again I would do a black background, much more me!

Review: Superdrug - 2 in 1 Hand and Nail Cream

They say ~ 2 in 1 hand and nail cream has been specially formulated with Keratin and Pro-Vitamin B5 to moisturise and soften skin while strengthen nails.

I say ~ Well I can't comment on whether the Keratin or the B5 is in the product nor if they help. What I have noticed is that it leaves my hands feeling soft and not feeling that awful dry feeling which you get from over washing your hands. 

I like the fact it comes in a squeezable tube as it makes it easy to squeeze out the exact amount you need and is hygienic. The tube is neon pink and has 75ml. The scent is vaguely floral but luckily that doesn't linger on your hands.

Overall for 99p its worth it, although this isn't one of those indulgent hand creams but its one of those alright ones which is cheap enough to use multiple times a day and you wont be feeling guilty at the price. There are a couple of variations on the cream in Superdrug but this was the only 2 in 1.

9/10

99p - 75ml

Superdrug

Review: Tangle Teezer - Compact

I wasn't going to bother purchasing this as well as the traditional tangle teezer, but I liked the original one that much that I needed one for my handbag! That combined with me buying one for a swap for someone and seeing how cute and travel sized it was.

The compact one is very similar to the original in terms of its functioning, de-tangling hair quickly without being damaging.

Main difference is the cap which clips in to the main brush. Its designed like that so to make sure the plastic bristles don't get damaged when you have it in your bag.

Another point to note is the size of it, it fits much better in the hand than the original. Above is the compact and below is the original

I bought the all black compact tangle teezer new from eBay for £10.50 and I would totally recommend it to people who like to brush there hair when out and about! Also it comes in various colours if you are more that way inclined!

eBay Seller used: tangleteezerstore2

If you want to see some more photos of the leaflet about hair care etc then click read more :)

Nails: Tiger Print

Yes I may be over a year out on this Chinese new year nail art, but I still think its quite nice regardless. I used this video on YouTube for guidance.

Nails: Strawberries

Did you know that strawberries are the only fruit with their seeds on the outside?

Thought I would get around to doing this nail because it looked fun and I wanted to wear something amusing for the weekend. So easy to do as well.

Review: ELF - Cream Eyeliner - Coffee

They say ~ "Creates smooth lines that are defined and precise. Smudge-proof, budge-proof and water-resistant coverage for all day wear to combat against, sweat, tears and rain!"

I say ~ When I first got this around christmas time I wasnt too keen on it, purely because it wasnt dark enough for my liking. Now the spring is here I am liking it a lot more, its the same quality as the navy and the plum. Also the black which I dont seem to have reviewed but love and use every day!

This product says what it does in the tin, it is long lasting although with my eyes it does seem to transfer a little on to the upper lid. But if you set with a powder this doesnt seem to happen as quickly. A matte finish to this one. I also really like the little angle brush that comes with the eyeliner. Really good.

9/10

£3.50 - 4.7g

Eyes Lips Face