VO5 Give Me Texture Dry Texturising Spray Review

For years now, I've suffered with the whole 'flat head syndrome' basically meaning my hair has no volume or body! I'd seen a lot about volumising sprays on the market, but just wasn't sure myself. Whilst in Boots yesterday, I saw VO5 did the 'Give Me Texture' spray and decided for £3.79 I'd give it a go. I've tried so many different things, mainly trying salt spray in damp hair and scrunching but nothing seems to work. I only realised the VO5 spray was a salt spray when I got home, but as it's for dry hair decided to give it a go.

I did my normal routine, and watched a few tutorials, I washed my hair the night before, as I always do then used it the next morning. I've seen people create waves with straighteners, then use it but this seemed pointless to me as the can says it creates natural waves, so decided to use the spray on it's own as an alternative to using heat.

For such a cheap price, I was pleasantly surprised, I simply brushed my hair with my Tangle Teezer and sprayed this in the lengths of my hair, then scrunched and had some really big, but natural waves.

The picture above was just after I'd used the spray, compared to my natural, flat hair it was a huge improvement. I simply set it with my Tresemme Freeze Hold hairspray and left it. It wasn't crunchy like I expected it to be.

The picture above was taken as soon as I got home from work at about 6. I hadn't touched my hair all day or applied anything else, I scrunched it a few times but that's it. Yes, one side is rather flat but I always find that side wants to curl in. Baring in mind, my hair was untouched from 8am-6pm I think it held very well. The only flaw I found was if you spray too close, it makes your hair white like dry shampoo does, but it does just rub it. 

I will try adding some waves with my straighteners as I think that will just make the one side keep the waves, but that's just the natural way my hair goes. I also think this will work so much better with hair that's just been washed and blow dried as my hair is much lighter and fluffier (which is why I don't wash it in the mornings, it is almost too fluffy!).

I really recommend this spray, they also do a Back Comb Spray for the same price, which I think I'll definitely purchase to do my shorter layers and my roots as again, my hair doesn't hold a back comb very well. 

Thanks for reading, as always! :)

Real Techniques Starter Kit- DUPE BRUSHES?!

It's no secret, Real Techniques brushes have recently become huge. And for some people, the price tag on them may be slightly too much. Personally I have nothing against them myself, in fact, I have a fair few myself and love them! I have recently purchased the Starter Kit (which I got for an amazing deal!) but before purchasing it, I'd actually ordered a set off eBay from an unnamed brand. (The eBay Set). 

I feel I have found some very good brushes at a price anyone could afford. Although my set from eBay was only £3.40, and had free P+P, I did have to wait roughly two weeks for them. But I was chuffed with the quality when they came. On the other hand, my Real Techniques set also came from eBay, but I actually only paid £9.00 for the whole set, also with free P+P, and was here within 3 days. The only reason I got them so cheap was because I had a £10.00 off voucher, otherwise I probably wouldn't have brought them. 

Above is the Real Techniques starter kit, containing (from left to right) Deluxe Crease Brush, Base Shadow Brush, Brow Brush, Accent Brush and Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush.

Above is my set from eBay. From left to right Precision Round Brush, Precision Angled Brush, Precision Flat Brush and Precision Tapered Brush. 

There are many differences with both sets, firstly, there were only four brushes in my unnamed set. There is also a wider range in the Real Techniques kit. But the similarities below are clear in my eyes. 

Firstly, the Base Shadow Brush from Real Techniques (the purple one) and the Precision Round from eBay. Both of these brushes fit the same purpose of applying shadow all over the lid. The Real Techniques one being much fluffier, leaving a softer finish, but the unnamed brand is much more compact, meaning you can really pile the shadow on to the lid. 

Secondly, the Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and the unnamed brand Precision Angled Brush. Again, the Real Techniques is much fluffier compared to the unnamed brand, but to be honest, I prefer that the unnamed brand has a slight angle to it. This means you can quickly blend darker shadow in to the outer corner, but the more you work with it, the softer the shadow. 

Finally, the Real Techniques Accent Brush and the unnamed brand Precision Tapered brush. This time, the Real Techniques Brush is by far superior. I love to use this on a darker eye, as you can really pack on dark shadow to the outer corner. The Tapered Brush from the unnamed brand is a little too big for 'precision'! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I'm aware that these are not exact dupes, but they are a good affordable alternative, and I wanted to share a very good set of brushes which will do the job for any eye look. They are all very soft, and synthetic so easy to maintain.

Thanks again! :)

A Focus on Barry M Cosmetics

Like most girls, I have always had a  love for a good nail polish. I've been buying Barry M Nail Paint for years now, and still remember the first shade I purchased. Although this post will be more of a focus on their make up range. I have 41 Nail Paints now (yes, I counted!) so I will hopefully post later about those, as I have a true love for them.

The first product I'm going to talk about is the Natural Dazzle Bronzing Powder. I purchased this when I had actually gone to Selfridge's in search of the Nars duo with Orgasm and Laguna. When I was told it was not sold in store, I didn't really want to leave with two full size products. Later on in Boots I found this. It was on offer, so it was coming home with me. As you can see, it is a matte shade. It's perfect for everyday and I use this to contour and on my temples every morning with an Avon angled brush. It leaves a really natural, but bronzed look. I also love that this is so easy to blend I don't end up with huge brown lines! For £5.99 I feel it is very affordable!

 The next product is one I always go back to, their blushes. I went to purchase my go to shade, bl7, but my Superdrug had sold out :( I decided to push myself and go for quite a bright and daring shade. Something I would normally steer clear of. This is a good dupe for Nars Orgasm in my eyes, and I have been considering buying it for a while! It does come out quite sheer, and gives the tint you'd expect, but it is very buildable and can create a very bold cheek. This retails for £4.59, well worth it as my previous ones have lasted 6 months and even comes with a small brush that I don't use. 

I feel this product is the most exciting of them all, the new Natural Glow Palette. I actually ran down to the shops the day this was released, and probably looked like a mad woman smiling to myself at the Barry M stand.

The palette contains 6 neutral eye shadow shades and a blush. The first 3 being the warmer browns. These were the reason I brought the palette. I have used these both day to day, in a neutral look and built them up for quite a bold eye. They are all very wearable, but can be built up to a softer smokey eye. They blend so well, and I would really recommend them. This was my first experience using Barry M eyeshadow, the pigmentation is very wearable, and has quite a good pay off if you build them up.

The last 3 shades are the softer, cooler tones. They are quite pink, so are the almost 'your eyes but better' shades. I don't really wear these, but sometimes use the pink/white in my inner corner and use a small bit of the purple in my crease to create a soft look but also to contour the eye. This retails for £6.49, which is a steal in my eyes!

The liquid eye liner, which retails for £4.79. I normally steer clear of liquid eye liner and tend to stick to the felt tip applicators if I am going to use it. This was actually one of my birthday presents from my boyfriend, which at first I thought, oh shit, I don't use this! But thankfully I fell in love with it, so thank you for the big push! I mainly tend to use this when I do quite a dark eye, and use a very thin line. The applicator is very pointy, but not too sharp, so you can get a really defined line. You can also build it up. The pigmentation is amazing, after one stroke you're done as it's just so black! 

Next are the Lip Glosses. I only own two of these, as I can become a bit of a lip gloss hoarder, so I do have to hold myself back! These come with the standard doe foot applicator. The pink one is lgw4, and I have to admit, this is not what I expected. I foolishly picked this up one day without swatching, thinking it's be a nice, sheer pink. I was wrong. The swatch on the left shows it comes out exactly the colour it is in the tube. Although I have found this is good to wear over bright lip sticks for work, and it gives them a milky look. The clear, glittery one is absolutely stunning, and I wear it both on its own and over lipstick. Unfortunately I got this free with a can of Impulse, so it doesn't have a shade. But the Impulse cost me about £1.49, with the lip gloss. As these retail for £4.49, I got myself a bargain! these do last on the lips very well, and I actually struggled to get the swatches off my hand!

This product is one I feel doesn't get enough justice. The Glossy Tube. These are £3.99, and I always keep mine in my handbag as a top up. The shade is gt6, and has purple and blue shimmer in it. It's stunning on the lips, and my boyfriend actually remembers how shiny my lips were when he first met me, because I was wearing this! I have had a few of these. They are perfect just to throw on in the mornings, on their own or over lip stick. I highly recommend these! There aren't many shades, but there is a good colour range.

The final product is the Lash Vegas mascara. This is a fairly new product. I actually got this as a free gift when I spent £9, so I wouldn't normally buy it. I haven't even opened it yet, but I've mainly put this in to remind me to write a review when I do! This retails for £6.49.

Finally, the make up brushes. They seem to have brought out quite a wide range, but I only have the two. The first being to Powder Brush (the pink one). This isn't the softest brush in the world, I'm not going to lie. But it isn't too rough. I actually use this when my Stay Matte powder has hit pan badly, and it picks up every last bit when my Real Techniques brush is too soft. This retails at £5.99. The other one I own is the Eyeliner Brush. Just a bog standard angled brush. I actually use this to fill in my eyebrows with powder, and it's perfect! My Real Techniques Brow Brush is too thick and just doesn't do as much of a good job as this does. This retails at £2.99.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all that! Took me long enough to write it. Please also note that I often get Barry M products on offer, and there's normally some kind of offer going on!

A Cheeky Order From Feel Unique

Being one to never turn down a good sale, a few weeks ago I found myself placing my first little order with Feel Unique, a discount beauty website. 

I only brought two things (holding myself back a hell of a lot!) mainly because of the free delivery.

The first thing I'd had my eye on for a very long time, The Balm's oh so famous Mary-Lou Manizer. After seeing Essiebutton rave about this product, I needed it in my life.

It truly is a beauty. So pigmented, I used too much and actually had shimmering streaks down my face! 

The packaging was also one of the reasons I brought this, being such a sucker for a good retro blonde goddess!

Straight away I had to use it, and oh my! It was beautiful! Not too clear in the photo above, but I could really see the amazing difference.

Have no complaints about this product, and highly recommend it. 

Cost: £12 on sale, only £1 more expensive than Soap and Glory's powders and blushes. 

The only other purchase was the Real Techniques Core Collection. After going slightly mad for my sisters birthday, where brands such as Mac, Dior and Chanel cropped up, I decided she needed a nice powder brush. After watching my sister dunk her ELF kabuki in her Clinique powder, I knew she needed something which would really give a little more respect to the product. After looking at MAC brushes, and thinking that £50+ was a little eccentric, I headed to Boots. Buying the Powder Brush for her, made me want some of my own Real Techniques. 

Seeing the Core Collection that I'd had my eye on for a while reduced to £18, the day had finally arrived, I would own some Real Techniques brushes. 

The set contained a Buffing Brush that I use to apply powder, a Pointed Foundation Brush that i use to blend my concealer, because I rarely wear foundation, a contour brush, I use for highlighter (Mainly Mary-Lou Manizer) and a Detailer Brush, the only one I have not used. They came in a handy travel case/holder, but I have some older brushes stored in that as I don't use it and store these brushes with all my others. 

I use these brushes every day, and I really have noticed a difference. Mainly in the fact that my powder stays on longer as I use the Buffing Brush to properly buff it in to my skin, instead of just dusting it on top. 

From left to right-

Buffing Brush, Contour Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush and Detailer Brush.

I really feel like this order, although it was small, was well worth it, for the £30 I spent, I would've paid twice that! 

Also, sorry about the products being a little dirty, but at least you can see I have used them, so reviews have had a lot of research!

My Aim

After admiring many beauty bloggers over the past few years, some names such as Zoella and SprinkleOfGlitter come to mind, I decided it was finally time to have a go myself. This is mainly because I am ALWAYS trying new products, and always try to find honest reviews before I decide to purchase anything (well, mostly!).

I try a mix of products, whether they're on the slightly pricier side, or just something I pick up in Boots.

Please don't expect too much of me, this is mainly my way of expressing my opinion, both good and bad. I also do not claim to be anything fancy or even have any type of skills!

I hope you enjoy my humble little blog, and I'll see where we go from here :)