MY HAIRCARE ESSENTIALS

When it comes to my hair, the word nightmare springs to mind! I've dyed, bleached, straightened and stripped my hair for years and nowadays it's paying the price. But after a little TLC, the help of my sister who is a hairdresser and constant use of these products, it's in better shape. And I feel I desperately need to share my haircare essentials with you.

My favourite shampoo has to be the TwisedSista Hair + Scalp FiX Super Strengthen Shampoo. Because it's formulated with Keratin, it promises to give even the most distressed hair a new life and I really can't disagree. My hair feels stronger and glossier wash after wash. I'm not a huge lover of conditioner, I find it leaves my hair feeling heavy and greasy so I usually just apply a treatment two-three times a week. If you're a regular reader, you'll know how much I adore the Umberto Giannini Frizzi When Nothing Else Will Do Intense Recovery Mask with argan oil. If the heavens were to be combined into a pot of hair mask, I'm pretty sure this would be it. It tames my frizz, strengthens my hair whilst leaving it super soft.
Before I blow-dry or style my hair, I always squirt a few pumps of the Amara Volume Boost into my locks. Because I have limp hair, this brings it back to life. Hello bouncy locks, goodbye lank hair! I regularly style my hair with heating tools and therefore a heat spray is a definite for me. I like to use the Vo5 Heat Protect Styling Spray. It protects the hair to up to heats of 280°C whilst taming frizz and leaving the hair shiny without weighing it down. Oh and it's super cheap too!
Last but by no means least, I like a little bit of shine spray. My current favourite, and something I've been loving for a while, is the Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray. The light mist creates a very natural looking shine to make my hair look a little bit on the wake side. I adore it and I really don't think I could live without it!
A little trim here and there also helps to improve the condition of my hair and helps it to grow!

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TwistedSista FiX Super Strengthening Shampoo

Umberto Giannini Frizzi Mask

Vo5 Heat Protect Styling Spray

Amara Volume Boost

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray

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REVIEW - No7 STAY PERFECT EYE PENCILS

Now that it's coming into autumn and bright lipsticks aren't really suitable, I like to add a little colour to my eyes instead. Eyeshadow can be time consuming so eye pencils come in handy and whilst I was having a little mooch around my local Boots I decided to try some of the No7 Stay Perfect Eye Pencils. I picked up two shades which are also two different types within the Stay Perfect family.
Firstly I picked up 'Purple' which is a metallic eye pencil. Unlike the name suggests, its not overly metallic but is more of a brown based shade with a nice amount of purple shimmer running throughout. I personally love this shade and it has such a lovely formula. Super creamy and highly pigmented, this pencil can be blended seamlessly and lasts all day.
I also picked up 'Deepest Blue' which is an 'amazing eye pencil'. Because I stupidly thought this was also a metallic pencil so I didn't bother swatting it. I really wish I had now. Don't get me wrong, the formula is pretty much the same, creamy and long-lasting, so I can't fault it for that. Unlike the metallic eye pencils, these require some build up to have a noticeable amount of colour but nonetheless, the shade is divine. It lasts all day once it has set and is such a wearable shade.

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No7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil

No7 Metallic Eyes Pencil

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PICSTICK PHOTO MAGNET REVIEW

I normally don't stray away from the beauty related posts but after having the opportunity to review the PicStick Photo Magnets*, I couldn't not share them with everyone!

PicStick can turn any photo you want into a magnet at an unbelievably cheap price. For £9.50 you receive nine high quality photos that will stick to any metal surface. They also offer free delivery to ANYWHERE in the world! All you have to do is make an account, upload the photos you want and they're with you in just a few days.

I personally think magnetic photos are a genius idea. I love photos and I have them displayed everywhere but when it comes to somewhere like the kitchen or the workplace, photo frames just aren't practical and that's why PicStick photo magnets take pride of place upon the fridge. The images are super glossy and of a really good quality. I think they're ideal for everyone as they're so versatile, they'd be brilliant for a moving away gift or even as a revision tool. I really can't fault PicStick in the slightest. The magnets are a bargain, arrived so quickly and are of a really good quality, I highly recommend them.

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PicStick website 

Don't forget to use the code 'VIOLET25' to receive 25% discount!

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THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE BEST --- EYELINER

Eyeliner is something I cannot go a day without, and if I do, I feel like an alien. So trust me when I tell you that I've tried and tested my fair share and after a rummage through my stash, here are the ones that I love, like and dislike and surprising they're all drugstore!
QUICK DISCLAIMER - just because I may love/dislike a product doesn't mean you'll feel the same way so if you want to give them a try, don't let my opinion put you off!

THE GOOD
ELF Liquid Eyeliner
I own this liner in three shades; Coffee, Black and Midnight but Coffee (which is pictured) is by far my favourite shade. Sometimes I want more of a subtle look and this is the perfect liner. I really love the formula too. It glides on easily, has amazing pigmentation and the colours are just divine. Oh and they last all day! They've got quite a few shades to choose from too and they only cost £1.95 each. Wow!

THE BAD
Rimmel ScandalEyes Precision Micro Liner
I'm not really a fan of felt tip liners and I'm certainly not a fan of this one! It claims to be for precision lining but I found the tip to be really wobbly and if that wasn't bad enough, the pigmentation is crap in my opinion. I had to swatch it twice just to get it to look black and there's no way it's dried out because I've only owned it a week. I really feel like it drags my eyelids too. Just a no go for me!

THE BEST
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eye Liner
Praise the lord for gel eyeliner! There is something about this one that is so perfect. I've tried a few gel liners but I just prefer this one somewhat more. I've tried the 'pen' versions before too but they have nothing on this. This glides on like a dream, no dragging in sight, it's highly pigmented and lasts all day. It's really easy to remove as well. If you're wanting to try a gel liner, I really recommend trying this one.

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ELF Liquid Eyeliner

Rimmel ScandalEyes Precision Micro Liner

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

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THE FULL COVERAGE FACE BASE

With the weather slowly coming into autumn, my very sheer base is no longer doing the trick. I haven't got partially bad skin although on some days I want something that will give me a lot more coverage and whilst I was throwing out questions on twitter and searching high and low on the internet, I bumped into NYX. Having tried a few NYX products before, of which I totally loved, so I thought I'd give a few more products to try. There is so much positive feedback bouncing about the internet for these products so I had serious high hopes.

Yet again, I was impressed. Like seriously impressed and I've tried many a foundation. The NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat is fast becoming my new favourite foundation. Lightweight, easily blend-able with a lovely full coverage matte finish, there's nothing I don't love. I use the shade 01 Ivory and it is ideal for my pasty pale skin. It lasts all day whilst controlling my oily t-zone and doesn't cling to my dry patches, heaven in a tube!

I also popped into my basket the HD Photogenic Concealer and the Above and Beyond Full Coverage Concealer both in the shade 02 Fair and these have really helped to give me the full coverage flawless base I've been lusting after. Like the foundation, both are really blend-able, lightweight and provide a great amount of coverage. The formulas are faultless! The only complaint I have is that the HD Photogenic Concealer did crease under my eyes, but to be honest, most concealers do.

If you're looking for a foundation/concealer that's full coverage and won't break the bank - I'm sure you'll love these!

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Stay Matte But Not Flat foundation (available in 15 shades)

HD Photogenic Concealer Wand

Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer

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