Is there anything Sleek can't do!?

Ever since I picked up the Pixie Pink Sleek blush I’ve been in love with the brand. From awesome blushes and eye shadow palettes to lipsticks and liners I’ve liked every single item I’ve bought from the range. So when I saw this little Molten Metal duo for sale on the Lovely Brittanys blog I couldn’t resist buying it; not least of all cos I haven’t seen it in any of my local stores that stock Sleek!
At first I thought the colours were gonna be quite similar but one is much warmer than the other so they’re great worn together or blended with other gold/brown shades. I’m generally not a massive fan of cream shadows because they have a tendency to crease on my rather droopy lids but with a little slick of primer these look smooth and freshly applied for ages…
This has just got me thinking that I don’t own nearly enough Sleek goodies so I’m thinking of trying the foundation, fingers crossed it’ll live up to my high expectations!

The spot kit that works

Clean & Clear Advantage Spot Control Kit

I know there are dozens, if not hundreds, of companies who have their own range of spot treatments that promise all sorts of miraculous results if you give their products a go. Having acne in your 20s is definitely a tad irritating – I should know! - so I tried loads of different brands (from Dr Murad and Cliniques Anti-Blemish Solutions to Clearasil and OXY) in the hopes that they would improve my skin… I wasn’t expecting to look like a supermodel or anything, I was just hoping they’d reduce the amount of spots and also the redness that came with them!

Out of every cleanser, toner and spot gel I tried the only ones that made a genuine long-lasting different to my skin were from the Clean & Clear range by Johnsons. My skin had been bad for so long that I’d almost given up on actually finding something that would help but this little 3 piece kit arrived in my local pharmacy so I figured it would at least be worth a try. That was a loooong time ago and ever since I’ve always had a supply in my cupboard just in case the unthinkable happens and they stop making it!!! I currently have 3 boxes because I think it’s better to err on the side of caution :)
The cleanser is easily one of my all time favourites and even if I branch out and try other brands I like having a bottle of this for when my skin feels particularly oily or is in need of a deep clean due to clogged pores and congestion around my chin. The moisturiser is non-greasy and although it feels extremely light and easily absorbed it’s still hydrating enough to keep my skin feeling comfortable all day long
As for the spot gel; I’m not really a fan of these kinda products because I find them to be way too drying, they normally just leave a little yucky patch of dry skin instead of a spot so it seems a bit pointless. If I have one of those horrible green looks-like-I’m-growing-an-extra-head kinda spots then I’ll apply the teensiest speck of this and it calms the spot overnight but it’s not something I use very often

My younger brother is 13 and is starting to see a few spots around his nose and chin and the only thing I’d recommend to him is the Clean & Clear Advantage spot control kit

Another fab freebie with Marie Claire

Nothing brightens up a dull trip for food shopping like a free lip gloss :) I picked up the August issue of Marie Claire for £3.60 and got this nice little Ciate lip gloss with it… there’s another seriously bright shade of pink available but I figured I’d check out the quality of this one before trying a second cos I haven’t used the Ciate glosses before
It’s a nice, sheer, delicious-smelling nude pink that’s a tad too sticky for my taste but not uncomfortably so so I’m sure I’ll get plenty of use out of it

Bad beauty treatment - would you complain?

I got a leaflet through my door recently about a promotion in my local beauty salon… It’s a fairly small place but offers a good variety of treatments from manicures, spray tans, eyebrow tinting and waxing. I used to go for a facial now n then because the girl who did them was fantastic; she really knew her stuff and felt my pain when I was so spotty I didn’t wanna leave the house! (Long story short; she’s left now and there was a new girl waiting to greet me when I arrived)

When I saw that they had a 50% summer sale on manicures and pedicures I decided it would definitely be worth trying, not least of all cos I’d love to have a local salon do all my treatments instead of having to get a bus into the city centre

I have a bit of a phobia when it comes to people touching my feet so this was my first ever pedicure and I pretty much gritted my teeth and got through it without looking at what the manicurist was doing. We chatted about her kids, her job, her holiday plans, how she’d decorated her house etc etc so 45 minutes later I knew pretty much everything that was going on in her life till that point…
Then she started on my finger nails and I settled back to enjoy it because I normally find it really relaxing. She didn’t seem entirely confident in what she was doing but I wasn’t too concerned… Until she got a nail file and actually started to file the surface of my nails!!! Now we’re talking about a proper, sandpaper-like nail file that could absolutely not be mistaken for a ridge remover or buffer!!

My cuticles were pretty tidy when I arrived so when she pushed them back they were essentially sorted but she got her little cuticle cutters and “neatened them up” which seemed to be code for hacked to bits and really scraggly. Finally she applied the polish and made such a mess of it I was nearly tempted to just take the brush off her and do it myself
When I looked at the final result I could’ve cried. I’m not the most vain person in the world but I like having nice nails because I used to bite them so I look after them as best I can. To see them all scruffy and mangled was more than a little irritating I can tell you! But here’s the thing… I didn’t complain…
In fact I did the exact opposite; I thanked her for doing a great job and admired my nails along with her because she seemed to be extremely proud of her handy work. Then I came home, took the polish off, applied lots of cuticle oil and sat in a bad mood for a while thinking about what I would’ve liked to have said to her! I don’t like confrontation at the best of times but if someone else had been in my position I’d have been appalled if they didn’t complain! Yet because we’d chatted and I felt like she’d done her best I just couldn’t bring myself to criticise what she’d done :(

Have you ever complainted about a bad treatment or would you just grin and bear it?

My favourite shamelessly tacky products

When it comes to all things pink, glittery and girly I cant help but be won over by their sheer adorableness and if the products happen to be useful as well as pretty then all the better!

Admittedly these aren’t the most sophisticated things to pull out of your handbag but they’re definitely favourites of mine and I’d happily use them over sleek, chic, high-end alternatives :)
I probably wouldn’t have looked twice at this lip balm if it was in a regular old tin but because it has a cute Me To You bear on the front I had to give it a try. Rather surprisingly it’s pretty good because it not only smells nice and feels moisturising but it gives a nice subtle sheen to my lips if I don’t wanna wear a “proper” gloss
High School Musical pencil eye shadows in Pink, Silver, Blue and Purple
Ok, so I really can’t justify actually purchasing these High School Musical eye shadow pencils but I loved the colours and couldn’t help myself! The swatches don’t do them justice cos they look really bright, metallic and pigmented on so I wear them fairly frequently. The only downside is admitting what “brand” of eye shadow I’m wearing when anyone asks me about it I might be about 15 years too old for nail stickers but that doesn’t stop me wearing them! I get bored of my polish fairly quickly so normally I’ll wear a shade for a couple of days and once I’m sick of it I’ll add a couple of cute nail stickers and then paint a top coat over them. The variety available online is fantastic so I’ll usually choose a theme and end up buying LOADS of packets of stickers that fit in with it – I’m liking flowers at the minute because I’m feeling all summery and sucklike but a lot of the little skulls and spiders are eye-catching and awesome looking (if a little creepy)
These are definitely the most tacky lip glosses I own. Of course that’s just the packaging; the actual gloss is smooth, creamy and a pleasure to wear which is why I’m happy to use them even though the gold bunnies are extremely hideous (they’re Playboy!!) but extremely cute (they’re ickle bunny rabbits!) in equal measure
When people ask me if I have a favourite perfume I usually say Prada because I do genuinely really like it but because it also makes me sound a bit more grown-up that I actually am and hides a guilty secret of mine… My all-time favouritest perfume has got to be Fantasy by Britney Spears. I know it’s far too sweet and kinda smells a bit like candy floss, cookies and er, sugar all rolled into one giant sickly sweet bun with sprinkles on top but I still adore it and it never fails to put me in a good mood. And look how lovely the bottle is! I even just like how it looks on my shelf. Oh and I think Circus is quite yummy too

Do you have any favourite products that are maybe a little bit tacky and out of place in your collection? ♥

Cute, non-makeup related makeup storage

My ever expanding makeup collection seems to be encroaching on other rooms in the house… I figure that I definitely don’t have too much makeup (pfft, can such a thing exist?!) as long as I’m able to squash it into my existing storage units and drawers so a lot of my goodies is put in non-makeup related containers to give me a little extra room. Sneaky, no? :)
I seem to have amassed a lot of new eye liners recently; nothing to do with me you understand, they just, ahem, appeared in my room or something. Honest. So I had to clear out a couple of my teensy makeup drawers to squeeze them in. Which resulted in me using an old M&S biscuit tin for my lip blams. This seems like a such a bloody brilliant idea I cant believe I didn’t think of it sooner; I’ve been going through the cupboards for spare boxes, containers etc that I can fill with more makeup, which seems like a much more sensible idea that buying less
These are all non-essentials that I'm not using at the min so I'm happy to pop the lid on and hide them out of the road till their needed again...

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you've been having a lovely week so far ♥

My favourite June goodies

Happy Sunday! Hope you’ve had a fantastic weekend :) I had a couple of seriously relaxing days; went out for dinner, went to see Transformers (bit pants and about an hour longer than it needs to be) then spent half my day at the park with the pooches

Adryen and I just finished watching Tango and Cash – has to be one of the most incredibly cheesy awesome action films from the 80s – and I should be heading to bed but I wanted to do a little post on a few new (and old!) goodies that I’ve been enjoying a great deal over the last month or so

I’ve been loving the nice warm weather we’ve been having but my skin and hair aren’t quite so keen so I’ve been using lots more volumising products on my hair cos the weather has left it looking fairly limp and my shiny t zone has forced me to dig out some mattifying products that I haven’t used in a while…
Miss Sporty So Matte Perfect Stay foundation
N.Y.C Ultra Moist lipstick in Peach Ice
AVON nail experts vitamin C cuticle gel
L'Oreal Volumising Mousse
Benefit High Beam (the little mini one that was free with Glamour magazine)
Boots hard skin remover (unpleasant but essential for me at this time of year!)
Natural Collection CoverUp Cream
L'Oreal Blush Minerals
Primark Ball Games mascara

Thanks for stopping by - hope you have a great week! ♥