Dry Shampoo Battle: Batiste Vs. TRESemmé

For today's post, I thought I would do a comparison between Batiste and TRESemmé regarding one of my favourite must-have hair products: dry shampoo. For me, this is an essential that I always have to keep restocking on my hair product shelf. One of the most common pieces of hair advice is not to wash your hair everyday, as you're stripping the naturals oils from your hair, resulting in it becoming even more oily. However, on the second day of not washing my hair it's in serious need of a good wash; that's where my trusty dry shampoo comes in. A quick spray of this throughout my roots and a good brush and there you have it - it looks much more refreshed and volumised in seconds.

I don't know about you, but Batiste has to be my favourite range for dry shampoo. I love the different scents they come in and the variety to choose from depending on your hair colour. The packaging is also very pretty and you can instantly spot it when you're shopping in Boots. You can also buy travel-sized bottles of it, which are perfect for fitting in your bag to reboost your hair throughout the day (but if you're spraying it in the mirror in a public bathroom, try not to get the person next to you - it sprays white mist!) I find that the TRESemmé one isn't as good; I found that it made my hair even more oily rather than reduce it, which is the complete opposite of what you want! TRESemmé products also seem to be jam-packed with chemicals (and smell like it too!)

The Batiste dry shampoo not only smells lovely, but actually works! Obviously you can't just use this everyday and never wash your hair (but it'd be amazing if you could - and it'd save a lot of time!)

What's your favourite range for dry shampoo?

Thanks for reading!

I'm Loving BB Cream: Rimmel Review

Yes, another Rimmel review (but this time it's a positive one!) If you read my blog posts, you might know that I've been on the lookout for a good BB cream ever since I tried the ever-so-expensive Big Easy by Benefit (which was the smallest sample ever!) I wanted a cheaper alternative, so I picked up the Rimmel BB Cream for £6.99 as I wanted a much lighter coverage than a foundation, especially now that the sun's starting to appear. My freckles have also started to make their annual appearance and by using this BB cream, I make sure they aren't covered up - plus I've found that my skin looks much better and less cakey!

I got it in the lightest shade ('Very Light') and I also love the fact that it's SPF 25 (I have an obsession with protecting my skin!) This gives the perfect amount of coverage to suit my skin's needs, so I'm really pleased with this purchase and will definitely be buying it again when I've used up the last of it. It also gives my skin a slight glow (but not too much; I've got quite oily skin!)

It also claims to be a '9 in 1' formula, helping you to perfect your skin by moisturising, priming, minimising pores, concealing, covering, smoothing, mattifying, brightening AND protecting (phew!) So you really can't go wrong, it has everything you need!

I only use a small amount and blend it in with my fingers; it sits comfortably on my skin and it doesn't have that 'sticky' feel (which I love!) It's perfect if you're having a good skin day, but if you have a few dry patches, I've found that it can stick to them unfortunately. But if you feel like you don't want to wear foundation, or if you're in a hurry - you can just slap this on and waa-la, you're good to go!

Have you tried BB cream; if so, what do you think?

Thanks for reading!

Rimmel Nail Polish: Never Again!

Okay so I'm going to be writing my first negative review, which is worrying as you can receive mixed views about a bad review - especially if you're slagging off someone else's favourite product, but everybody has their own opinion (which is what makes beauty blogging interesting!) 

I recently bought the Rimmel 60 Seconds nail polish as I wanted a dark red colour for my nails as I think it looks nice with my pale skin. I decided on the shade 'Rapid Ruby' and the colour is absolutely gorgeous. I also liked the flat brush, as it makes it easy to paint your nails in three sweeps without getting any on your skin. However, there is a downside to it - quite a few actually!

It claims to take '60 Seconds' to dry, but it seemed to take a good few hours until I could go about my day without smudging or leaving prints on my nails. However, it still stayed quite tacky even though I'd only applied two thin coats (it was also a bit tacky the next day!) As a consequence, it started to chip and eventually peeled off all in one go, which is a sign of a bad nail polish. When I was in the shower, it started to come away from my nail (which annoyed me as I'd only painted them the day before - I was going out that night!)

So not only did it last a day or two (at the most) on my nails, it took forever to dry and still remained tacky. I'm usually a fan of Rimmel products, but I think I'll give this one a miss in the future.

What's your favourite brand of nail polish?

Thanks for reading!

Road Trip Style

I can't wait until I can drive. The freedom to go wherever I want, whenever I want. Going on long drives with my friends in the Summer and not having to rely on public transport or the use of parents to ferry me and my friends around. 

I thought I would do a blog post today as part of a competition hosted by Bloggers' Lounge, who have teamed up with the travel company Round The World Experts to offer a £100 voucher to whoever can come up with the freshest road trip look. So, I thought I'd give it a go! :-)

When I think of a road trip, I think of driving along country roads in the warm sunshine or a typical long American road trip, listening to a CD filled with specially picked songs. Being comfortable is important on a road trip, as you'll be sat in a car for a while - but it also doesn't hurt to be stylish! Crop tops, acid wash denim shorts and playsuits seem like the perfect outfits, especially if you're in the Summer heat for the majority of your trip. Bringing a variety of shorts and skirts (depending on how long you're going for) is really easy, as you can wear them with a variety of different crop tops, vest tops and t-shirts each day.

I've also picked some essentials that will definitely come in handy! Sandals are great to keep your feet cool and they can compliment your outfit - packing some spare boots in your bag will also come in useful if you plan on going for a few days (you may do a lot of exploring!) I've also picked out a floral water bottle, as you're going to need to keep hydrated as it'll be a long drive! I've also picked out a stylish straw hat to keep the sun off your face and stop your parting from getting sunburnt (which always happens to me - there should be a suncream shampoo or something!)

Round The World Experts offer fly drive holidays on their website and you can decide from a variety of different types of transport. If you're deciding to go on a road trip (which is the perfect gap year adventure) you can choose which continent you want to go to. You can hire a car, motorbike or campervan and there's also a trip planner on their website, which helps you pick your own route. You can choose your accommodation on the website too - personally, I'd absolutely love to go with a group of friends, it looks incredible! 

Are you going on any road trips this Summer? If so, where?
(Because I'm extremely jealous!)

Thanks for reading!

Celebrating 6 Months: Giveaway (CLOSED)

I've been writing this little blog for six months now, mainly as a hobby and I've been really enjoying it so far. I'm so grateful for the lovely comments I receive and how everyone has been very welcoming in the blogging community. I was hesitant to start a blog at first, as I was afraid of unkind comments, people thinking that I don't know what I'm talking about (which I don't really, I'm no expert - I just like to give my honest opinion and I learn from other bloggers!)

I've also just reached 700 followers on Bloglovin, which is incredible - seriously, I can't believe it. I know this sounds cliché, but I never thought I'd get that many followers and I'm entirely grateful. As a little thank you and a way of celebrating my first six months in the blogging world, I'm hosting a giveaway. You may think "what the hell is this?!" seeing as I aren't exactly offering some free makeup or something I've actually spent money on haha, as I'm so skint at the minute that this is all I could really do!

There will be a total of three winners, which will be announced on June 7th 2014. As soon as I contact the winners, I will ask for a button of your blog or image to help promote your blog, which I can then place in my sidebar -->>

So, in total three winners will be announced and will each receive a free advert in my sidebar, which will be displayed until September 1st 2014 - so basically the full Summer!

All you have to do is enter my Rafflecopter giveaway below to be in with a chance of being one of three winners!

Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Benefit Big Easy Sample

Before I start, this was the smallest sample in the world! I only just managed to scrape a review together with the amount of product that was given away. However, I did just manage to cover my face and I loved the result! I'm currently debating whether to give up foundation altogether; I hate the way it feels on my skin! After trying this, I much prefer this type of coverage; light and matte. However, I may have a look in Boots to see if I can get a much cheaper alternative than £27.50, as it's just way out of my price comfort zone.

This multi- balancing complexion perfector helps balance moisture, controls oil, self adjusts on your skin to your exact shade and protects your skin with SPF 35 (which sounds like the perfect product really!) After applying this onto my already moisturised face, I found that it gave a matte, powdered finish - which could save you from using extra products after using this. If I were to buy this, it would definitely come in handy in the Summer, as you can just slap it on and you're good to go!

I love the fact that it's a very light coverage, which is perfect for me as I hate having too much face makeup on. I may well one day buy this (if I'm brave enough!)

What's your favourite BB cream, preferably drugstore that you think I should try?

I'd love to buy something like this for a more reasonable price!

Thanks for reading!

Allergy Awareness Week: Hay Fever

I recently received an email explaining that it's currently Allergy Awareness Week, along with some tips for hay fever sufferers and I was asked whether I could feature this on my blog. I usually turn down propositions like this, as most of the emails I receive wouldn't be of interest to any of my readers. However, I know that one in four people in the UK suffer from some sort of allergy and that hay fever is extremely common, so I decided to include these helpful tips in a blog post, so I hope they help a few of you out there who suffer from the old itchy eyes and regular sneezing that's probably really annoying!

These are a few ways which could help reduce some of the symptoms:

1. Be A Fashionista
Did you know that pollen can actually deposit on your eyelashes? Wear your stylish shades from now on whenever you're outside, whatever the weather, make sure you are stopping any pollen from making your eyes itchy. Make sure you test out your summer wardrobe by changing your clothes when you go inside. Wearing the same clothes you wore outside in your home can spread pollen throughout the house.

2. Take It Sooner Rather Than Later
Allergy Specialist, Dr Adam Fox, says:
“Common allergies are often trivialised but for some, symptoms can have a considerable impact on their ability to function. To avoid allergies affecting your daily life, it’s beneficial to start using a preventative treatment early on in the year and continue throughout the season.” 
NasalGuard AllergieBLOCK (£11.99, Boots) is a clinically proven preventative treatment which blocks all types of airborne allergens from entering your nose. It's a drug-free gel you dab on the outside of your nose which is suitable for children of all ages and pregnant women.

3. Fruity Secrets
Watch out for food allergies if you're allergic to pollen as you may also react to some fruits and vegetables that contain similar proteins. If you're allergic to tree pollen it's best that throughout Spring and Summer you avoid red berries. Red berries and sometimes even apples can cause your lips to start to tingle. Try eating dried fruit, bananas or oranges instead.

Even though I'm not a hay fever sufferer myself, I know that it's very common and that these tips may help some people out there!

Let me know if this was of help!

Thanks for reading!