~ My Chanel Disappointment ~

Couple months back i went to a Chanel counter to try out their new collection and a certain eyeshadow called 'amythest' caught my eye on the shelves and i really loved the colour when the lady at the counter applied it onto my eyes. It was the perfect plum purple colour with tiny gold flexes within and i loved it. I decided to cave in and buy it but then a eyeshadow quad containing the very colour i wanted grabbed my attention and i fell in love with the 4 colours and also the packaging with mirror and a pouch. At that time, i thought it was a great idea for travelling and all the colours would all compliment each other so i decided to pick the eyeshadow quad over the single eyeshadow without even trying the colours out because i was in a bit of a hurry. 

The packaging was as pretty as ever which is typical of chanel and as i went home, i removed the outer box carefully and the cover encasing the quad felt really nice and luxurious. I removed the plastic casing and took a few pictures for one of my haul posts. The palette really did look promising with all the colours looking nice and pretty in its pan in little dome shapes sparkling in the light....but the nightmare came when i finally swatched it and not only was it ridiculously shimmery...but it was also not very pigmented at all. I tried applying with my fingers, my brush and even with their sponge tip applicators but the colours did not show up well at all. To be honest, for the price that i paid i am not at all happy with this product besides it's gorgeous packaging and the nice clear mirror on the inside of the lid.

I am very disappointed in this and i feel like i have wasted my money on this and i would not find a use for it. Its such a shame, because i really did have high hopes for it and i really wanted this to work because i know that if the pigmentation was better, it would have been an amazing quad to use with all the colours complimenting each other. However, i am glad that i have learned the hard way and i will never touch Chanel eyeshadows again and stick to their amazing quality lipsticks which i am a big fan of! 

Have you had any disappointing products?
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~ My take on Sea-Salt Sprays ~

Due to going out quite alot and frequent use of hot-irons to straighten my hair to perfection, my hair has taken it's toll and started to get quite dry and brittle. So i decided to not use heat on it for a while just to make it look like it's in a better condition. I could have just tied my hair up everyday but i dislike my hair up and prefer my hair to be let down to frame my face more therefore i have chosen to use a hair product that can help shape and style my hair without the use of heat.

Sea salt spray has been quite popular for the summer to achieve the perfect beach waves that looks effortless and pretty. To be honest, the brand that i have used is my first ever sea salt spray so i am not too sure how it compares with other brands out there, although i would like to try the 'bumble and bumble surf spray' because i have seen so many raves on it.

So how do i use this? After i have dried my hair, i spray it evenly all over my damp hair and start scrunching. As i am doing this, i feel that it adds alot of texture to my hair and it creates some volume into my hair too. I do enjoy the feel of this in my hair, it has a non-sticky or greasy formula and the scent is quite appealing too. This doesn't weigh my hair down and i do appreciate that seeing that alot of product make my hair extra flat and make it extremely oily after a few hours! This sea salt spray is at an affordable price compared with other leading brands out there and it has lasted me through many uses so it is really value for money! I recommend this for girls out there who wants to give their hair a break from heat and damage and give it some more love. This is also very great for when you are in a hurry, just spritz all over, scrunch a bit and leave to dry naturally in order to get effortless simple waves 

Have you tried any Sea-Salt sprays?
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~ My Summer Essentials ~

So the weather has been a bit on the brighter side these few days and yay for the sunshine finally appearing in our lives. However, great weather comes with a greater dependance on sun protection and prevent looking like a hot mess. I personally like to soak up the sun rays and get a nice decent tan, but i know that it is really bad for the skin without any sun protection and it can really damage the skin and lead to premature ageing. I should be taking precautions now that i am in my early 20s because"prevention is better than cure!". I like to use a high SPF for my face and a slightly lower one for the rest of my body. I don't burn that easily like some other people, therefore i feel that my sun protection factor doesn't need to be too high as im scared that it will block up my pores etc. So this post i am going to share with you the products that i rely on during the hot summer days which helps me to survive and keep cool~

- Clinique SPF40 face cream -

I use this when UV rays are extremely high on very hot days because i feel that i need that extra protection to prevent my face from getting damaged. I think that using extra sun protection on the face is very important, because the sun can cause you to get freckles or sunspots which i really do not want at all! This face cream comes out quite thick when you squeeze it out like tube, much like the conventional suncreams you get, but as you rub it into your face it feels really refreshing and gets absorbed very quickly and doesn't feel heavy at all. 

- Shu uemura underbase mousse -

On hot days, the last thing i would want is heavy products on the skin like therefore i think this underbase mousse is perfect for the occasion and i hate that the weather hasn't been good enough for me to use this more often. It is a very lightweight mouuse that applies a thin coating to your face. As well as providing a nice moisturised base and brightens your complexion, it also has a high SPF factor of 30PA++ which is essential to prevent sun spots and freckles from developing. I have the Pink version of this product which i believe is meant to make you appear more radiant and have a whiter complexion, but there is a normal beige version which is standard and doesn't have much light reflecting particles. The product smells very nice too and it is easy to apply evenly across the face so i really recommend this during the summer time!

- The Body Shop Vitamin E spray -

The cheaper alternative to the expensive Caudalie Beauty Elixer which i still want to try out soon but don't want to spend so much money on it and have read some mixed reviews on it so i am kind of still pondering. However, this Body shop facial mist doesn't fail to impress with its reasonable price and does exactly what it is supposed to it. I use it when the weather is hot and humid in order to rehydrate my skin to leave me feeling more refreshed. This product smells lovely of rose water too which i really like and enjoy using it everytime. A refreshing sensation and in a small bottle, it is great for popping into your handbag along with your essential summer survival products. It is also ideal for setting make-up too packed with beneficial Vitamin E ingredients to soften and protect the skin.

- Evian facial spray -

Much like the body shop facial spray, this has a refreshing and hydrating purpose. This is more suitable for individuals with more sensitive skin as well as those who prefers fragrance free natural products on their skin. Packaged in an aerosol can, i feel that this product has more of a cooling sensation and the mist is much more lighter than the standard facial sprays which feels somewhat denser. However, i cannot believe the price of this judging by the fact that this is just water in a can with no added beneficial ingredients therefore this is a one off buy for me and i will probably delve into more products that have beneficial properties for the skin to try out.

What are your summer essentials?
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LUSH 'catastrophe cosmetic' REVIEW

Upon finishing my Brazened honey fresh face mask from LUSH, i thought that i would give another one a try but this time i opted for the 'Catastrophe cosmetic' which includes fresh blueberries, almond oil and lots of other goodness. I thought that this mask would be perfect for me because i have a few pimples and break outs from the lack of sleep and poor diet and also because the sales assistant informed me that this face mask would be very good at reducing those.

So i bought it and i was very excited to use it because i really wanted to rid these annoying blemishes on my face as make-up was not enough it up because it was bumpy. First of all, the scent is a little bit too overpowering for me and i believe that it smells a little like ammonia from hair-dyes if you get what i mean. Furthermore, it was a pain to apply and bits of blueberries kept on falling off my face and it was virtually impossible to apply it smoothly onto my face without it getting too messy so thats another downside to it i guess. At this point, i thought to myself that if the product works, it will be worth it in the end.

The mask i was planning to leave on for 10-15 minutes like advised by the lady at the store and what i am used to doing but after approximately 5 minutes, i noticed weird clay substances dropping on the desk in front of me. Yes the mask has dried and crumbled quite badly. I couldn't wash it off anymore quicker because i didn't want it to get all over my carpet too. Washing it off made a big mess too since the clay consistency was quite difficult to get off. 

My final verdict was that this mask did not do anything for my skin, not even softening...and what is the worst about it is that it broke me out really badly. Never have i reacted so badly to any product. Since using this, i have had a total of 6 big spots and 3 of them were like volcanoes (Sorry to be so graphic here, but its just got to be stated so you know the extent i went through). I did not change any of my usual skin cleansing routine so i am sure that it was this mask which caused this massive outbreak. Not very happy with this at all and i am planning to go back to LUSH to exchange it for another one. 

As always, this product did not work for me but it may work for you. Maybe it was a bit too harsh for my sensitive skin but i really do not recommend this product to people. There is nothing fresh, nothing gentle about this at all. Thumbs down to LUSH on this product.

What are you thoughts on LUSH products?

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~ My July Favourites ~

Another month has passed by so quickly and it is time for my July favourites. This month i have been sticking to my holy grail products that i know will work for me since i cannot afford any major break outs during my graduation day, so therefore i haven't tried many new products as i would have liked. However, i have managed to pick a handful of items that i have been loving for this month and cannot stop using. 

Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser Oil-Free

This month we have had a short period of heat wave and i felt that using a tinted moisturiser was more appropriate compared with my heavier Lancome foundation that i usually use because i found that the humid weather was drying out my skin. This is the best tinted moisturiser i have used and i love the fact that it doesn't make me look extra greasy like some tinted moisturisers tend to do. Definitely recommend it to those with an oily complexion

L'occitane hand cream in cherry princess

Fell for this handcream not because of the greatness of the product, but for the scent. I love this scent and i am planning to go ahead and purchase the Eau de Toilette for it too. If you haven't smelt this, you have to go check this out. On a more serious note, this hand cream is very great quality and absorbs very quickly without leaving any greasy residues. Another great thing about L'occitane is that the handcreams does 3 for 2 offers, well at least when i bought them. This product really rivals my Soap n Glory Handfood.

Lancome Hypnose doll eyes waterproof

(Reviewed here already) Rediscovered this forgotten product when i was clearing out my make-up draw. As said before, i love the wand because it could get to all my lashes and because these hot days i tend to skip eyeliner, my lashes have been very important to add definition to my eyes. The mascara on its own is alright i suppose, but i tried using it with an eyelash primer and it really does make the product more effective and my lashes looking more luscious. 

LUSH lemony flutter cuticle butter

The nice hot weather means plenty of days sunbathing in the sunshine and looking after my skin to prevent sunburn has been more important than looking after the condition of my hands. More frequent changing of nail polishes meant that my cuticles were extremely dry and horrible looking, but thanks to this product, it perfectly nourishes and after a day or two of using this, my cuticles have returned back to normal condition. A little goes a long way and i think that this pot will last me forever because there is so much product in it. Another bonus of this product is that it smells amazing and refreshing!

The Body Shop born lippy lipbalm - Strawberry and Blackcurrant

My friend bought the strawberry one for me and i loved it so much that i went ahead and bought the blackcurrant one soon after. I have always been a fan of their 'born lippy' lip-balms ever since i was a teenager just starting out with make up and cosmetics. However, i have always disliked the way i had to always dig my fingers into the pot in order to get the product out therefore a couple of pots in the past was just as far as it went for me. Recently they brought out this stick forms and i rushed to try them and the formulation is the same great quality. It gives minimal colouring and the texture is very creamy and long lasting. 

YSL Touche Eclat: shade 2.5

Been wanting to try this product for absolutely ages and last month i finally caved in and purchased this! Due to the lack of sleep, my dark circles have been quite bad recently and i found that this helped with brightening and concealing the area under my eyes. I really like the click pen mechanism so i can slowly build up the product rather than applying way too much in one go.

Hope you are enjoying your summer. What are some of you favourites right now?

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~ VO5 miracle concentrate REVIEW ~

This is the second time i bought this product and nearly used up once again! I remembered when this first came out, the hype and the rave it had was what made me rush and buy it straight away. I must say  that this hair oil does work and it is at an affordable price too. This miracle concentrate is an intensive leave-in conditioner and a i feel that a little goes a long way. It also contains Argan oil which is known to help replenish damaged hair and add moisture to dry hair. One bottle of this contains 50ml which is a great load of product considering you only need several drops for the ends of your hair for each use. 

The bottle itself consists of a screw on lid and a very unique pipette dropper to get the product out which at first i do see the novelty side of it because you can measure how many drops you are using so you do not apply too much product on your hair. However, using this product for a couple of years now i do feel that the novelty of this wears off and this design is not at all practical. Over the course of the two bottles, i have spilt the product a few times now because after pipetting the product out onto my hand, i is difficult to screw the cap on properly so it can be  knocked over so easily. 

The product itself is excellent and nourishes the ends of my hair nicely without it feeling greasy or weighing my hair down. As said before, a little amount is enough. I use this on towel dried hair and i do feel and see the difference once i have finished blowdrying my hair compared with when i do not use the product. It feels stronger and healthier and i am so happy that i get great results from a drugstore brand that is affordable compared to alot of the high-end hair products.

I have decided that although i love this product, due to the impracticality of the design on the bottle and because there are many new hair treatment products available, i am not going to repurchase this. I really want to try the Kerastase elixer and the Morrocan oil soon because i have read great reviews on it. 

What is your favourite hair treatment?