Messy side bun, curly hair up-do

I've always worn my hair loose because I feel it suits me better but I really love nothing more than to have it in a high bun or a pony tail and out of my face.

So I decided to play with more up-dos, trying to achieve a style that includes my curls, suits my face shape, makes me feel feminine and at the same time is out of my face!

Essentially this is a side messy bun look. After using the Toni and Guy waver to get defined waves, I put in a side parting and brought my hair to one side twisting it loosely into a bun and letting the hair fall naturally.

Some spin pins and hair pins later and I was done.

I was really pleased with the outcome. With a bit more care the look could be much for polished looking for a formal event and I think the addition of a flower or other hair accessory would also make the look that much more fun. 

What is your go to hairstyle, up or down?

Birchbox September 2013

My Birchbox arrived late this month after it seemed I was forgotten with the initial dispatch. Birchbox did deal with it promptly though and my box arrived today.

I stayed away from any spoilers and had no idea what the theme was this month. That said having opened the box it wasn’t too clear, the magazine mentioned London Fashion Week so I’m going with that.

He Shi Express Liquid Tan

I dipped into the world of self-tanning earlier in the year and when the sun started shining I wanted my skin to have a little more colour as I dusted off my summer dresses.

I received He-Shi Express Liquid Tan after attending a blogger event and was advised that from the range of products this was the best for me since I’m a bit paranoid about streaky application.

The Express Liquid Tan is a self tanning bronzer, which can be used on the body and the face. The tan should be applied with the He-Shi Self Tanning Mitt, pouring the solution into the mitt and applying by wiping over the skin in circular motions.

Because it has a tinted formula, you can see exactly where you have applied and it prevents any streaks or patches from developing. It also means that you have a tan immediately, which then develops into a deeper colour over the next few hours — and I’m happy to say, no streaks! It is also worth noting that I didn’t exfoliate before applying the tan and I didn’t have any problems with too much colour building up at my knees, ankles etc as you might expect.

The colour that develops is very natural looking. You can build it up by applying a second layer immediately after the first or do it more slowly by reapplying the next day.

On the right you can see where the tan has been applied, leaving a light tint of colour

Apart from the easy application the drying time is very fast, two-minutes fast. I usually apply at night and I haven’t had any transfer of colour onto my clothes or my sheets.

The colour has lasted over 5 days and I plan on reapplying once a week just to maintain it and I will definitely be repurchasing when I do run out. It is hard to say how long a bottle will last, at the moment I am using it all over but in the winter I may only do my face and neck. I would advise that you only pour out a small amount of liquid at a time to avoid waste — it is quite easy for the liquid to pour straight off the mitt and onto the floor, so it’s best to do this over the sink.

The He-Shi Express Liquid Tan costs £20.00 for 150ml, but there are also smaller and larger bottle sizes too and all can be found on the He-Shi website.

Quick review: Bourjois Intuitive Liner

This product is my cat eye secret weapon.

No matter how much I have practiced I cannot achieve a good winged eyeliner. Apart from gradually filling in my entire lid attempting to make the lines an even thickness I also have the problem of having the flicks at completely different angles.

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate

I spent this evening hearing all about the new offerings from Liz Earle (post to come) and was reminded how much I love the brand. If you ask me what one product you have to try you might be surprised to know that it's not Cleanse and Polish.

Excuse my packaging, as you can see it’s been loved!

As nice as it is there is a product that is an unsung hero in my opinion and that's Superskin Concentrate. Packed with Argan oil in the days before it became so popular, the concentrate also contains rosehip oil, neroli, lavender and chamomile essential oils and vitamin E.

I'm a huge fan of oils in general, and if you don't have one in your routine I highly recommend. SSC promises to soften dry or mature skin and balance combination or oily skin

My story with SSC goes like this...

At the height of my acne and scarring problem I was using lots of products aimed at oily skin that were drying out my skin and just making the problem worse.

I had a bottle of SSC from a set I purchased, from QVC of course, and for whatever reason I whipped out the little tube and slathered it all over my face and went to sleep.

The next morning my skin was soft, plump and glowing and my spots smaller and less red.

Since I use this as my bedtime treat and it is the only product that remains by my bedside. The smell is gorgeous, the blend of the oils results in a smoothing, calming scent that

At the event I learnt that the concentrate is actually very versatile, it can be added to moisturiser for a boost and cleanser too, used in the bath and under face masks.

The entire Superskin range is great, after the concentrate I would recommend the body cream, which is ideal now we are getting into the colder months because it is so hydrating. It has the same great smell as the concentrate and it soaks into the skin well without leaving a greasy feeling. It is a little on the pricy side for a body cream, £29.50 for 200ml, but you could just invest in the concentrate and add a few drops to your regular body cream for the boost.

The Superskin concentrate costs £40.50 for a 28ml bottle and £20 for the 10ml rollerball, which I own. Although the price seems high, I’ve had mine longer than I can remember and a little goes a long way so the value for money is there. What I love is that there is also a 2ml sample size available for £6 available from the Liz Earle website.

As always I would recommend heading to QVC for a real bargain with the prices. A lot of the time individual items are cheaper and sets have multiple products for the price of one.

Let me know what your unsung hero product is for Liz Earle or another brand. I would love to know what to try next!

Empties #1

As I mentioned in my ’sorting things out’ post, I will be reintroducing empties to document how I am getting on with reducing my stash.

These are empties from the last month or so, and I'm glad that I have a lot of makeup products, I think it will be standard to showcase a cleanser or two but makeup always takes that much longer.

Skincare Tag

I seem to have hit a bit of a blogging block, I have lots of posts nearly there, lots of plans and ideas but something is stopping me seeing them through.

I’ve always enjoyed a good tag post and although I wasn’t specifically tagged to do this I thought I would anyway to ease myself back into blogging regularly again.

Describe your skincare routine in 5 words.
Cleanse, treat, treat again, moisturise, protect.

What’s your skin type? 
This seems to be ever changing at the moment but I think I am transitioning from dry into a combination skin type.

What’s your favourite skincare product? 
Alpha H’s Liquid Gold, nothing has ever been so transforming.

Top Blemish Zapper? 
This has newly taken the top spot, but S5 Skincare’s Blemish Serum. It is gentle but really effective.

Face Wipes, yay or nay? 
A big Nay! They are only good in emergency situations or as a pre-first cleanse. Personally, if I have them around I get lazy, because they give you a false sense that you are cleansing your skin.

Toner, yay or nay? 
I think it depends on the toner. I really like toners that are benefiting the condition of your skin, toners don’t need to be about removing the last traces of makeup anymore, I believe we have good enough cleansers to do that. So if the toner is exfoliating or hydrating I say yay.

High-end skincare or high-end makeup? 
High-end skincare. Ultimately I want to be able to walk around make-up free and feel great about my skin, of course you probably could achieve this with high-street skincare products but as yet I haven’t found anything that works really well for me.

What’s the most unusual skincare product you’ve tried? 
Tough question! The product that springs to mind are Spot Dots, I used to get them in bulk at Tesco and they saved me in my teens, essentially they were little stickers soaked in salicylic acid, which you left on a spot overnight and by the morning they were gone. I've used similar products since but none have worked as well because at some point in the night they end up stuck somewhere other than your spot.

Tell us your top skincare tip 

Find a routine you enjoy, that way you'll get the best results.

I hope you have enjoyed this tag, feel free to respond with your answers and let me know if you do in the comments.