#REVIEW- L'oreal Micellar Solution

Ooh la la!
I love a good old bit of French glamour. Those Parisian women always seem so effortless and age so well. So it's no wonder us Brits have been going a little crazy over their best-kept skincare secrets in recent years.
We've all heard of the wonders of Bioderma. And it seems that a lot of international beauty houses have, too.
And the latest to jump on the bandwagon and give Micellar solution a go is L'oreal.
When I saw this was on offer at £4.99 for two in Superdrug, I was powerless to resist.

L'oreal 3 in 1 Skin Perfection Micellar Solution
What It Says-
- Dissolves make up
-Unclogs Pores and removes impurities
-Tones and soothes skin

I like to use this as soon as I get in from work to wipe the day away (and the make up)
I take a couple of cotton pads, soak this stuff on, pop them over my eyes and swipe across my face.
It's much more effective than any make up wipe I've used and unlike with other liquid removers, I don't feel tight after using it. 
Big Tick on the moisturising front.

Just for entertainment, I've fashioned a 'before' and 'after', so you can see how well this removed my make up. Young children look away now-

As you can see from the amount of spots that have 'appeared' on my face, this stuff is very effective! (Some might say unfortunately....) There is still a trace of waterproof mascara, so I wouldn't necessarily use this as my only cleanse option.
And I wouldn't necessarily say this will lead to skin 'perfection' as its name would suggest..
But if perfect skin is your aim (yes, please), using this micellar lotion as Step 1 of a good skincare regime might just give you a helping hand in that direction.


Review by Numbers

Did it live up to its promises?- 4.5/5-Removes make up without drying. Do you know how long I've waited for a quick-wipe-me-over-and-be-make-up-free product to do that on my skin?!

Value for money- 5/5- At the moment this is two for £4.99 at Superdrug. I've been using it for a while and hardly made a dent in the first bottle, so this probably works out cheaper than a couple of packs of make up wipes and feels nicer to boot.

Packaging- 3/5- The bottle looks clean. Which I guess is how they want you to feel it will make your face.

Repurchase?- Yes.I can't see myself going back to make-up wipes now I've discovered Miscellar solution. If this came in a handy travel size, too, it would make my cleansing dreams come true.







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Style Resolutions- #Review: L'oreal Elnett Heat Styling Spray

I rarely buy anything based of advertising. But sometimes it's easy to give in.
Especially when the impossibly gorgeous Cheryl Cole has put her face to a product.
I know it's only a high-street brand but whenever I purchase L'oreal it feels a bit of a luxury.

....And I guess that's the brilliance of their marketing experts- welldone!

But, needing to inject some glam-factor in to my life (and seeing it was on offer for £3.99) I decided I would succumb and try L'oreal Elnett's Heat Styling Spray for myself.
Afterall, there's been quite a lot of hype surrounding this (again, great job marketing team)

What it says-

Volume 3 days heat protect technology.
Specially adapted to your voluminsing routine with heated appliances.
Advanced triple-action formula.
Enriched with heat-protect technology, an active ingredient known for its heat protecting properties. The formula leaves your hair shiny and soft like satin.
Helps create a voluptous bouncy blow dry and lock out flyaways and humidity.
Locks in a voluminous style for up to 3 days.

I went for volume, but to be quite frank, I'm dubious as to whether the formulas are different in the three varieties, or whether that's just a marketing gimmick. 
I used this product in a few hair-styling scenarios (all for you, lovely readers)

1. On damp hair before blow drying

2. On damp hair before blow drying, adding rollers, drying again

3. On dry hair as a styling product whilst adding waves with my Babylis Curling Wand.

I have very thick, very long hair and I know a product has to be heavy-duty to add any volume to it (but I thought well, if it works for Cheryl...)

And I have to say, I didn't notice any extra volume when I added this product to my routine.

There's no question that it is a nice heat protector and feels significantly nicer than the slightly cheaper alternatives I usually use.

I never straighten my hair, rarely curl it, and only use a hair dryer or my Babylis Big Hair every three days.

So for me, heat protection is a necessity, but it's not something I pour money in to (we all know I have an expenive nail polish obsession to upkeep).

As long as a product does the job of stopping my locks getting frazzled by my (relatively low) use of heat, then that's fine.

To be fair to L'oreal, they have been quite careful with their language on this product. It 'helps' creat a voluptous bouncy blow dry- it doesn't create it on it's own.

Then it locks in this style for 'up to 3 days'....well up to is literally anything UP TO 3...so that could mean one, it could mean a few hours.

Technically, they're not promising anything this product doesn't give. Does it protect hair from heat? Yes. Does it help with flyaways? Yes. Does it aid styling? Yes.

Heat protect is an essential part of any girl's hair care routine. But if you want to feel a bit more luxurious about it, give this a go. At the end of the day, we all want to pretend we're Cheryl, don't we? Just don't expect it to work miracles.

Review by Numbers

Did it live up to its promises?- 2.5/5-Heat protection, yes. But volume? For me personally, no.

Value for money- 4/5- This was on offer at £3.99 when I bought it and for that price, it's a great heat protector.

Packaging- 4.5/5- The packaging and branding of L'oreal is probably what makes me the biggest sucker for it. This made me feel like I was adding a bit more luxury to my routine than my usual run-of-the-mill heat protector.

Repurchase?- Yes. It's a nice heat protector, which is an essential part of haircare if you don't want frazzled locks. But I'm disappointed that it didn't make me look like Cheryl *sad face*


Have you tried L'oreal Elnett Heat Styling Spray? What do you think?





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Resolution- #Invest in the Tress(es)

I never thought a piece of pink plastic would change my life.

I mean, yes, there was the time when I was eight and I had a pink Polly Pocket house in the shape of the star that I thought was the best thing ever.

But I ain't eight no more.

What I do share with my eight-year-old self, however, is tangly hair.

At points I've looked in the mirror and mistaken myself for a cavewoman.

HELLLLLLLOOOO

Yes, I am a massive fan of, well, massive hair. *please note above is not an example of me at my best. And this is an old photo. I'm not that young and wrinkle-free anymore

And of course backcombing doesn't help with the tangle situation.

But could there possibly be a solution, I asked myself? Can you have big hair and be knot-free?

I'm shamed to say I had resigned myself to the fact that hair-wash days would also involve a two-hour detangling session involving a ridiculous amount of conditioner and pain.

BUT THAT WAS THE OLD SAM.

OH YES, we all know by now what The Style Resolutions is all about. And this lady decided it was high time to stop the hair high-jinx and get serious with those tangles.

We've also, I'm sure, all heard a lot about the Tangle Teezer.

I seriously don't think I've read one bad review.
So I did the quick 'a lifetime of detangling spray v a one-off £10 payment for a brush that promises to 'change your hair and your life'' and there wasn't much to think about.

And, well, let me just tell you, those people at Tangle Teezer weren't telling porky pies.

This humble piece of plastic has literally changed my life. Because now I can spend less of it brushing my bush (that sounds ever so rude) and more time on the things I really enjoy!...like watching youtube videos of other people brushing theirs....


It sounds ridiculous, I think. 'So, you're telling me a piece of pink plastic has changed your hair?' Yes. YES I AM.

Like any discerning consumer (read: product junkie) I do my research before making any kind of purchase. Maybe that's how you happened upon this page. Maybe you Googled 'Tangle Teezer reviews.'

Usually if I'm thinking of buying something and I see good reviews, I 'll decide to go for it.

But never have I been so glad I did.

I don't know how this works and I'm pretty sure 'magic' isn't the answer.

 I'm  cautious of being over-zealous  (I don't really know why...maybe it's because usually I'm a moody cow? Or maybe it's because I don't think this review will be taken seriously?) so I'm just going to break-down why I like this Tangle Teezer and I think if you have tangles, it's definitely worth teasing them with this.

•  Recently, I went on a lovely holiday. Whilst the weather was great, the food, the scenery- my hair was not. Hot weather + sea water = A bad hair week. And unfortunately for me (or anyone who saw me) I forgot to take a comb. So all the while I was just brushing over the knots, knowing I'd have a pretty big problem on my hands when I got back to the UK.
• I decided push had come to shove, and it was time to invest in the Tangle Teezer. 
• I washed my hair, put a conditioning treatment in- left it wet, ran this through and voila! I could not believe my eyes. I WAS KNOT FREE. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE.  

Tangle Teezer, be my wife. Cos Imma Fan Girl all over you.

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NOTD- Mellow Yellow

*Barry M- Lemon Ice cream, £2.99

 I've long been a fan on Barry M nail polishes. If I can, I'll collect them all! (...I'm probably not far off...) 

The trouble of course, when it comes to nail polishes, is that in the shop, the colour looks impossible pretty. Shining under that clever Boots lighting system. Who wouldn't rock this lime green?! you ask yourself, almost hypnotised.

But then it comes to every day life. And let's face it, in every day life, none of us are Beyonce.

Every time you go to your nail polish drawer you end up coming out with the same old Essie Ballet Slippers.

***********************************************************************************

Sometimes, you've just got to get the balls and dare to do it.

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Fitness Friday

And the beat keeps running, running and running, running, and running, running...

Seems me and the beat have something in common. Because I keep running, running, running too.

I'm taking part in Race for Life in May this year, so I'm building up to run the 5k (and not walk any....*gulp*)

I used to hate running. With a passion. I would do anything to get out of it. *Confession time* I once even pretended my cat had died to get out of a PE lesson I knew would involve cross country (sorry, Mr Clarke)

Anyone said the word 'run' and my stomach lurched in fear.

But last year, at the grand old age of 23, I learnt to run. 'Learn to run?!' I hear you ask 'Don't you pretty much learn that when you learn to walk?!'

Well, yes. But I mean..run run.

A friend of mine taught me all about technique, about breathing properly...and to my surprise, I really liked it.
Running, I found, is liberating. You can literally run off a bad day, run off your troubles..after a run, everything feels slightly better.

The only thing you need to make sure of, is that you've got the right shoes for the blog.

I know, I know, our ancestors used to hunt their prey barefoot. But they didn't have glass..or dog mess to deal with.

When I first started seriously running, I thought my trainers from years ago would suffice. But I was wrong. That soon ended in an ankle injury.

And I made it a #Resolution, there and then, to invest in decent footwear.

Now, I know I love shopping, but shopping for trainers...I had to schedule in a trip to Primark just to pretend sportswear wasn't the sole reason for my trip.

I ended up a very happy shopper in the end, because these were an absolute steal (...and left me more money for Primark :) )

They're the Reebok easytones. And they were supposed to be £70. But I got them for £20.

If you're in to running, I would recommend these because they have air in the sole, which makes them more 'bouncy'. At first it feels really, really weird. But now I've broken them in, I think they're great.

The closure of JJB (as it would be with any high street chain), is really sad to see. But now is a great time to pick up sports stuff because a lot of their stock has been snapped up by Sport and Soccer and it's going at a bargainous price.

Picked up any sports bargains lately? What trainers do you wear for the gym?







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Resolution- #YES to denim shorts

This is a big #Resolution for me. Namely because my thighs and I aren't on the best of terms.

Is it me, or have demin shorts got so small these days? The only people that can get away with most of those on offer on the high street are 11-year-old girls. (Who shouldn't be wearing them anyway, but that's a story for another day...)

High and low I have searched for a pair that don't create camel toe or flash my bits to unsuspecting passer's by.

Most are just a straight up: NO.

And to be honest, I thought I was never going to find an acceptable pair. Which, with a holiday and the summer coming up, made me a sad sausage :(

But lo and behold, in comes the boyfriend jeans trend and with it- these bad boys!

Yes, Yes indeed.
New Look- £14.99

At first I was sceptical about even trying these on. But I'm so glad I dared to!
If you have a similar problem to me (that problem being, you have meat on your thighs and not just bone...) then I can't recommend these enough.
They're just long enough, fit nicely, feel comfy. And I can think of 100 different ways to dress these up or down.
Thank heavens for tights because apart from my holiday, judging by the 'spring' we've had, I wouldn't be getting much opportunity to wear these otherwise!

So today's #Resolution is to crack these out. Dare to wear and say YES! And that applies to any item you've got your eye on/ have in your wardrobe but are too scared to wear. One day, you'll regret not trying. So make sure you don't have anything to regret!

Watch this space for plenty of OOTDs with these


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OOTE- Make a Statement

Just a quickly put-together OOTE for you today. I am in love with this jacket, which you might have seen in a recent haul.
It was £11 from New Look, an absolute steal if you ask me (which you didn't...*awkws*)

I had a look on the New Look website to see if I could find a link for you, but it seems to be out of stock now :( They might still have a few hanging around in store, you never know.
I ummed and aaaahd over this jacket. I talked my self out of buying this one lunch break but when I slept on my decision, had a look at my wardrobe, I knew I'd made a mistake.
I practically raced back the next day and luckily there was still one left. A lesson learned, perhaps!

My wardrobe was missing a really versatile piece like this for a long time and I just couldn't afford something from Zara right now. I think this looks a lot more expensive than it was (maybe that comes across better in real life as opposed to my hash job blog post) but the material is lightweight so this is good for summer too, maybe the same outfit but with denim shorts? What do you think?

I'll just be pulling this all together with some simple black heels but on hotter days if I wanted to casual it up I'd go for sandals.

Jacket- New Look, £11
T-Shirt- Primark, £2.50
Bag- H &M, £7
Jeans- New Look, £14.99 (now £19.99) here


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