My New Best Friend Liz Earle.

I recently have been suffering from a few health problems and one of the side effects is acne. 

There was me thinking acne only occurred in teenager's. Acne was probably one of the only things in those awful years of hormones, greasy hair and mood swings that I didn't suffer with. Now however, it is making up for lost time. Perhaps you remember those pubescent years where you would get rid of one spot or 10 even and another 10 would pop up to replace them. Well that has been me for the past 5 months.

I had tried everything- threw away old makeup brushes, foundations, bronzers. Tried Clearasil, oxy, mineral makeup, products for sensitive skin and yet nothing worked, in fact some made my skin worse.

A couple of weeks ago after getting myself all worked up about my skin, a friends mum recommended a brand called Liz Earle. She sweared by this product and assured me it would help my skin. So I thought, why not, I’ve tried everything else.

I was really impressed with the in-depth details on her website. The price for the everyday products I thought were pretty reasonable and ordering was simple. When my products arrived I was very excited and also very impressed with how nicely it was presented.

My first product was a Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser which came in a very smart waterproof bag with 2 face clothes. The second product was the Skin Repair Moisturise Light – Combination/oily. 

Then to my surprise, there was a mini complimentary bottle of Instant Boost Skin Tonic. With a handy little manual inside explaining how to apply all these products.

So I went to work on my face straight away. I applied all 3 products as instructed every morning and evening. It has been 2 weeks now and my skin is pretty much spot free, I swear to you!

So this product which I thought was 'pretty reasonably priced' is actually the best money I have spent ever!!!

To buy Liz's products please visit her website: http://uk.lizearle.com/

Let it shine!

I recently dyed my hair a 'Natural dark Blonde' shade and although it was a nice colour, the bleach from where I was blonde before started to show through really quickly and gave it a dull look.


One evening whilst mooching around boots whilst waiting for my train home I saw Brilliant Brunette by John Freida, shampoo and Conditioner. They were £4.99 each and although, slightly more expensive than I usually pay for my everyday hair care products I thought I would give it a go. Well......................what a difference it has made!!! My hair is silky smooth and sooooo shiny! I had numerous compliments from people at work the following day, plus kept being asked whether I had dyed my hair again. I recommended the product to a friend who is blonde and she came in this morning to show me the results and WOW! This product is a definitely must have for hair that needs some brightening up.

Dainty Digits

Rules for healthy, long, dainty nails.


Rule no.1- Remove all nail polish
Rule no.2- File nails into desirable shape- for this summer’s trend go for soft, short and squared shape
Rule no.3- Apply cuticle remover, wait for 1 minute and then push cuticles back
Rule no.4- Buff the nail plate with a cubed buffer preferably
Rule no.5- Apply nail varnish of choice
Rule no.6- Apply clear top coat to those who have strong nails and for those trying to grow their nails use Stop 'n' Grow varnish, which not only stops you from biting your nails, it also strengthens them.


The colour's to be seen with this season is Coral, Hot Pink and SunflowerYellow.

Long time no speak.......

Apologies that it has taken me so long to get my next post to you all, I have had lots going on and so struggled to find time to write. I am back now however, with more tips and tricks to beautify your life in every way.

Lashes of a Goddess

If you are anything like me, you would not be able to live without mascara.  I have very dark lashes naturally anyway but nothing makes my eyes stand out more than with jet black mascara.

My new fav (and it it has been a long while since I discovered a really good mascara) is the Falsies mascara by Maybelline. I kid you not, it does give you the false lash look. Since changing my mascara to this, I have had so many compliments about my eyes and also have been asked whether I was wearing false lashes and to be able to give the answer NO- really made me feel gorgeous!

You can get Falsies by Maybelline in most Boots or Superdrug stores. It is currently on sale in Superdrug for £6.19 so you save £2.

Here's what the professionals had to say:

New specialised Spoon brush for easy application and generous product deposit. New Pro-Keratin & Fibre enriched formula fills gaps for corner to corner coverage. Conquers clumps. Which I have to agree with.

Va Va Voom

Do you want eyelashes that make people stop and take notice.......? Of course you do!!!!

There are so many false lash products and brands out there, here are 2 that I love and which suit all budgets.

#1 Eylure Individual False Lash Ultra (Boots £5.11)

Eylure Individual lashes give you a pretty, natural look as they offer shorter lengths. I use these lashes for every day use or for dates. They last up to 5 days as long as you gently rub your eyes with water when taking your make up off.

Natural all over look: In a pack you receive, small, medium and large lengths. For me the large length is a little to long so I cut them down to roughly the same size as the medium. You can apply these one of two ways. You can apply the shorter ones from the inner corner of your eye to the middle of your eye and then fill from the middle to the outter corner with the medium lashes.
                                              

Natural Winged look:If you have relatively long lashes naturally, you may want to go for the winged look with your lashes (a favourite of Cheryl Cole and Megan Fox). To get this look you start by adding the smaller individual lashes to middle of your eye (I usually use two), then fill from there towards your outer corner with the medium lashes. Or for a more dramatic look, swap and use the medium and long lengths.

                                                        

                                           

#2 Luxe by Shu Uemura (Space NK £13

Shu Uemura sell amazing lashes. They offer full strip and individual. My favourite of the collection are the Luxe. Luxe give an amazing dramatic look. Ideal for nights out or photo shoots, as they'll make your eyes darker and therefore the whites of your eyes look brighter and stand out. These lashes often only stay on until you wash your make up off but I have managed to make them last 2 days by carefully washing around my lashes with water. These lashes have been linked to J-Lo and Katy Perry. The look below.

                                

                                

Things to remember when applying false lashes:

• Apply on the lashes just under the eyelid, not on the eyelid itself. It gives a more natural look.
• Use a clear or black glue avoid white at all costs
• Ensure to apply a thin layer of eye liner to the top eyelid to disguise any glue residue.
• Apply carefully using tweezers as it aids visibility unlike using your fingers.
• Hold lashes in place for 10 seconds before more onto the next one.
• Always always take lashes off with eyelash glue remover. This can be purchased from ebay for £3 or in stores such as House of Fraser.

Now be careful to not cause any crashes, when fluttering those lashes!

Love, H x

Party like it's 2011....

Evening peeps,

I have spent all evening doing make overs on myself. I took pictures, screenshots and videos, to then realise that half of them hadn't come out very well due to the lighting! Very annoyed and very very tired now! So these looks will have to wait, they will be worth it though, I promise!

As I am tired I will keep this a short one but still a little gem to bare in mind when next in Superdrug.......

I went shopping on my lunch break in Fenchurch Street station when I stumbled upon GOSH. GOSH is a cosmetic brand, catering for all your everyday make up needs. I thought, hey this stuff seems ok, then I found their lip gloss. At first glance it seemed like just an ordinary lip gloss but I was wrong, soooo wrong. It has a mirror down the side of the tube, which is of course extremely helpful when you are out and in need of a touch up. It also has a light on the inside of the lid, so when in a club etc, you can see what you are doing and FINALLY it has glitter in the gloss, real glitter! So your lips sparkle like diamonds. 

They are only £7.99 as well!

If you don't believe, just pop in and try a tester, you will not be able to resist!

Happy Wednesday night.

Love, H x

The hair care item I would never be without!

Dry shampoo


My first experience with dry shampoo takes me back 5 years when I was studying to be a nurse.When caring for long term patients, we would often use dry shampoo with a mouse like texture to clean their hair if they were bed bound. So from then until only a few months ago, every time people recommended dry shampoo to me, I associated it with ill people and it put me off.


Unfortunately for me, I have hair which gets oily within 24 hours and so in the end had to give in. However to my surprise, I loved the stuff! I use Boots own brand dry spray (my recommendations below) and it's amazing.
You just spray some all over your hair and then brush it through with a comb and you are ready to go. There is a transparent powder in the spray which makes it suitable for all hair shades and soaks up the oil and so your hair appears dry and clean. Yeeeeeeeey!


If you suffer with oily hair or you have a busy lifestyle and need a quick spruce up after a night
out, then this is the stuff for you.

£1.99 and 4 boots points.

Here's to looking fresh all day everyday!


Love H, x

How to survive a hangover...... with style.

I am afraid I do not the cure for a hangover (I wish I did). However I have a few tips that can hopefully see you through them looking as respectable as you can.

v  Drink LOADS of water. Headaches after drinking are often caused by the dehydration; therefore drinking lots of water will not only help to ease your hangover it will also help you to colour in your cheeks, instead of green and help to ease the puffy dark circles under your eyes.

v  Shower as soon as possible. In order to feel human again you need to freshen up and rinse away the night before’s madness. Use luke warm water and a nice perfumed shower gel and wash below the face down. The nice scent will release endorphins (feel good hormones) and help to perk you up.

v  Brush your teeth and use mouthwash. The amount of sugar that can be found alcoholic drinks and mixer’s is quite disgusting, also as previously, you will be dehydrated and so your mouth will be dry and teeth will be furry. Giving your teeth a good scrub will help to keep your teeth healthy and white, plus will help make you feel fresh, inside and out.

v  Comb your hair back. Keeping your hair back in a ponytail if long or with a headband if short will keep you looking well groomed and tidy.

v  Apply tinted moisturizer and mascara. This is all you need really if you are suffering in the company of friends or boyfriend. The last thing you will want when feeling unwell is lots of makeup weighing you down. Tinted moisturizer is light and helps to add a nice glow to your face without looking as though you are well made up. Apply two coats of mascara to help open your eyes and make them look whiter.

 and if you still look green...... Add a touch of pink blusher to your cheeks.

Believe me, I know when I have been hung over I can barely move off of my sofa, let alone stand in a shower. However, when I do make the effort to do all of the above, my appearance and day is always a lot lot brighter. 

My recommendation for tinted moisturiser’s:



Cover FX £35, this is my favourite but is a little expensive.



Benefit- You Rebel £21

Holly’s must have of 2011!

I love this hairdryer!

I have used plenty of different hairdryers in my time but this one blew me away (sorry I couldn’t resist).

I previously owned a Toni & Guy fancy hairdryer which was heavy and not very powerful and so I would spend ages and ages drying my hair. I then moved onto what appeared to be a travel hairdryer which was lighter and so therefore easier to use when styling but again took forever to dry my hair.

When finally the day came when a very very lovely person bought me a new one and there it was, the saviour of hairdrying! It may seem silly but I promise you, this hairdryer is amazing and it’s cheap too! It is not only extremely powerful and light, it also makes my hair smooth and shiney, I have seen a noticable different in the quality of my hair since using it. I bought my mum one for Christmas and she loves it too!

If you are in need of a new hairdryer or you just want one, you can pick them up in Boots for only £24.99 and you get 98 points on your card with the purchase, which can’t be bad surely?????

http://www.boots.com/en/BaByliss-5541U-Pro-Speed-2100-Hairdryer_1039182/

No longer does getting ready in a rush or styling your hair beautifully need to be a chore!

Love, H  x