Stila Lipglaze Trio in 'Warm'

The product is a clicker pen, quite like we see in products such as the Touche Eclat by YSL, clearly the design choice was picked because it was the more modern type, and not because it functioned well. It's difficult to distribute a good amount of product, meaning a considerable amount is wasted. The formula of the gloss (which i'll get on to later) also makes the brush tip pretty disgusting. The brush is also a poor design choice, as it's so small and stiff it streaks across the lips meaning you have to go in with a further makeup brush to distribute it correctly or face getting your fingers sticky with glitter. It's nothing like the brush we see in the No7 High Shine Lipglosses, where application is easy!

The 'Warm' trio is made up of 3 shades -

'creme bouquet' - a creamy pale peach with gold and pink shimmer

'apricot' - a pink-toned peach with slight pink/purple shimmer

'chocolate' - a creamy red toned brown

One thing I love about the Stila lipglazes is that the scents of the products are individual to their name. The Apricot one actually smells of apricot, the chocolate - chocolate, and the creme bouquet well.. a creme bouquet whatever that is! The smell doesn't stick around for too long, but it's a nice added novelty. But that's where my love for these glosses end. They don't add shine unless you apply the thickest layer of product (as in swatches) on to the lips, which lets face it is pretty impossible to tolerate for more than 5 minutes. Creme bouquet is a little too shimmery for my liking, almost like one of those cheap lipglosses you got as a child. The brown one is pretty unusual really, It doesn't come out brown (which im sure is a good thing because honestly I've never seen anybody pull off brown lips) it applies almost red on the lips, which can be nice for fall. Apricot is probably the most wearable.

(L-R Creme Bouquet, Apricot, Chocolate)

The formula of the glosses is also pretty shoddy. These are litterally THE stickiest glosses I've ever owned. This makes them really quite uncomfortable to wear. In terms or longevity, I got 3-4 hours of solid wear from these glosses, which I think is one of the benefits of a sticky gloss, it really does 'cling' to your clips despite eating and drinking. Although, regardless of this I certainly wouldn't purchase any more of these.

Have you tried Stila lipglazes? What are your thoughts?

Fave 5: Haircare / Haircare Routine

Whenever I'm with my friends, they tell me the first thing they noticed about me was my hair. Not gonna lie, my hair is my absolute pride and joy! When I was younger my Mom thought it would be 'cute' to give me and my sister matching bobs that curled around our ears. I get a lot of questions on how I grew my hair so long is such a short period of time (18 inches in 3 years with regular trimming) so I figured I'd share my haircare routine with you all!

I completley forgot to take any photos of my hair for the purpose of this post. So I've thrown together a few photos I had sitting in files (mainly from when I've had my hair cut, coloured or styled and my friends wanted to see photos) As you can see I almost never wear it straight, my hairs naturally really wavy so within 5 minutes of straightening the front has already curled naturally, it's just pointless damaging of my hair.

It's always important to change up your shampoo and conditioner, just like you would with skincare. A recent favourite of mine is the Daniel Galvin Jr range which can be pretty difficult to source, although Waitrose always stocks it. It has a love it or hate it lavender scents and leaves hair with that 'squeaky clean' feeling! I featured this in my favourites, you can read more about it here!

I picked this up along with the shampoo just for the hell of it. It's a pretty normal conditioner, slightly better than Tresemme's alternatives and I wouldn't rate it as highly as their shampoo but nonetheless it has a nice smell, leaves the hair soft and light, and definitely improves the texture of hair when compared with using no conditioner at all. 

This is a fairly recent purchase. I picked it up after seeing adverts on tv, I was planning on purchasing one of the Body Shop's Beautifying Oils but opted for this instead. I'm lead to believe it's formulated for coloured hair, however I can't see it hurting my hair for not being coloured. The oil doesn't add a great deal of shine, but a lovely soft and tangle free texture which is a rareity with wavy, curly hair. I find this oil different to most, the scent is subtle, it leaves the hair feeling weightless rather than heavy and most of all doesn't give that common greasy appearance you see when using some hair oils. I featured this in a favourites post, click here to see!

  

I'll be honest, I'm really not fussy when it comes to heat protecant, for a long while I didn't even bother using it.  I generally just switch between Tresemme and Schwarzkopf, although prefer the scent of this one. To me it doesn't add the nicest texture to my hair, although I'd rather put this on than frazzle the only thing that makes me get up in a morning (bit extreme). It makes my hair feel a bit 'weighty' which I'm not really a fan of.

  

  

Dry shampoo for most people is only used when you can't be bothered washing your hair, for me it's a dry shampoo, plumper, texturizer and finishing product all in one! I love the 'fluffy' 'swishy' look as I think it looks great with wavy hair, this is absolutely essential for that look! You actually don't understand how enthusiastic I'm feeling sat here writing this, face like a Cheshire cat I tell you!  I'd dieeeee if I didn't have this in my life, I use it every single day! I should probably mention the fact I've tried every single dry shampoo on the market (I'm that obsessed) and I'd say the best are probably Batiste 'Cherry' in 3rd place, Tresemme 'green-one' (?!) in 2nd place and Batiste 'Blush' in 1st place.

On top of specialized hair products, I've also taken multiple supliments for years (because of an existing medical condition, not purely for vanity or general welbeing) including Evening Primrose Oil, Vitamin B, Zinc, Iron and some other stuff (I forget) which probably has had some effect on hair growth and condition.

What are your favourite products for healthy, happy hair?

Primark Winter 2012 Lookbook (2)

It doesn't feel like 2 minutes since I was posting the Primark A/W 12 lookbook, but that was 8 weeks ago can you believe?! I posted that thinking that would be it for the season as most brands typically release only 2 lookbooks - S/S & A/W. However Primark have released a seperate Winter lookbook only weeks after their Autumn. I've had these files sat around for a while, hoping and praying that by not publishing them I would hold off the awful Winter weather - seems to have done the job from a Northern perspective!

This lookbook is much more dressy, I guess in time for the Christmas and New Year parties that will be coming around soon. I love that they've gone more down the Baroque route for these shots, it's one of my favourite trends and one you really can't wear in Summer. Perhaps would have loved a bit of boucle in there, although I know they have some in-store as I bought this gorgeous jacket in my last Primark haul. All in all I'm not 100% crazy about the styling or a few of the pieces, but I love the nude sequinned and tulle/baroque skater dresses, and the model choice too!

How do you feel about the upcoming seasons Lookbook?



The Beauty Trends And Hype Products Of A/W 12

One thing I will 100% be investing in to is 'dot liners'. Basically the idea behind them is the 3 'prongs' work just like any other felt liner however the shape fits perfectly around your lashes, meaning you can get super close to the lash line for a more natural look. Rather than sweeping across the lash line as you would with any other liner, with this you simply dot all the way along, pressing harder for a thicker more dramatic effect. Clarins were first to bring out this new tech, however it soon sold out and as always has found its way in to the drugstore through Bourjois, who call it their 'intuitive liner'

A trend I can't wait for is khaki green, especially on the eyes, blended in to a dark smokey eye for adding dimension to your makeup, and also on the lower lash line for an everyday look. For those who don't think they could pull it off, khaki on the nails is perfect! Chanel's 'Khaki Vert' nail polish is a great shade for A/W! For those who want the shade of the season on a budget, why not try out MUA's Shade 20 Pearl Eyeshadow?

Bold brows always seem to make a comeback this time every year, last year it was all about the brushing up, this year it's all about have naturally shaped but heavily defined brows. No, this doesn't mean drawing them on with the darkest eyebrow pencil you can find. Experiment with tone and colour this season using dye kits specially formulated on the face such as the Colorsport 30 Day Eyelash Dye. Keep the shape natural and enhance depth using powders or cakes, again experimenting with shades.

Theres no doubt this isn't one for the faint hearted. Whether it's the graphic bold liner of Anna Sui, The thick blue lashes of Stella McCartney or the smudgey eyeshadow of Monique Lhuillier, electric blue eyes are definitely coming back.Wow I never thought I'd say that! Wear it with neutral colours on the skin, lips and outfit and your ready to go! Try Illamasqua's Powder Eyeshadow in 'Victim'

I brand I Imagine we'll all go crazy for is CK One, the new line of cosmetics by Calvin Klein. Now many people say it's a whole new line and CK have never released cosmetics before, although I swear I've seen some stuff lying around in Tkmaxx before? Either way there are some lovely pieces to look forward too, their quads are bright enough to rival Illamasqua, their lipsticks gorgeous and their packaging ...slightly more minimalist?

Primark Haul

Ultra Soft Super Skinny Jeans in 'Raspberry, Taupe and Olive' £11   /   Black Boucle Jacket - £19   /   Black Long-Sleeved Stretchy Top - £3.50   /   Sheer Cream Pocket Shirt - £6   /   Nude Bag - £6 £3

I Popped off to Primark in Blackpool while I was there for the Illuminations last week, needless to say I won't return until im 45, aged and completley unnattractive to all the paedophiles that seem to lurk on the Prom at South Beach. I picked up a few bits, I went in purely to pick up the boucle jacket as their usually so expencive, £19 seemed to good to be true. Admittedly the quality isn't as good as most but It's relatively thick, warm and washes well. Along the way I picked up a few little bits that caught my eye. I was somehow pursuaded to buy 3 pairs of jeans despite not owning 1 single pair of trousers other than leggings and got an absolute steal with the bag! Although simple, I'm now obsessed with the long sleeve stretchy shirt, the fit is amazing and it'd be good for the gym, definitely going to pick up some more of those!