Review Friday - No.7 Protect & Perfect Lip Care

When I was on holiday last week my lips were more chapped and sore than they have been in a long time, I get chapped lips quite bad over winter anyway but with being on holiday and drinking more than I normally would, mixed with the cold weather and swimming etc my skin and lips got really dehydrated!

My lips were so sore, cracked and bright red and everything I put on them from Baby Lips to Carmex to Burts Bees didn't do a thing!

So on Saturday morning I went to Boots in search of a miracle cure - but doubting I would find one. Mooching round I didn't see anything of interest so I went to my good old No.7 skincare counter and came across this...

No.7 Protect & Perfect Lip Care 10ml/0.33Fl.Oz. £9.95 Buy here

I felt instant relief when I applied it, the smooth cream texture went straight into my lips leaving them feeling moisturised for the first time in over a week. It smells nice, you only need a really small amount, there's no wax left on the lip after, so you can go straight to applying you favourite lip colour. I use it every morning, I apply it after my  face moisturiser and allow it to smooth my lips while apply the rest of my make up, when I put on my lipstick it has left a lovely smooth base with no cracks or lines.

I will continue to use this product even when my lips aren't chapped, as a daily lip moisturiser and base.

I love it, and will be repurchasing!

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Day - Get Your Glow Back - Put A Mask On!!

No I'm not telling you you should just wear an actual mask to cover your face up, I'm talking about a mask that you put on and wash off!

I like to use masks on my face and hair. I use a face mask once a week, you can make your own from different ingredients you have around the house but today I'm going to show you one that I'm loving at the moment. 

I've been trying out No.7 Energising Mask. I've used this mask twice now, and both times I was really impressed with results. It slightly tingles on the skin when you first apply it, and when you peel it off (which is a form of satisfaction in itself if you can peel it off in one go!) your left with really soft, radiant skin. Also your skin isn't left dry, you don't feel the need to apply moisturiser after, which I love.

Here's how to use it, and what it's like...

The hair mask/conditioning treatment I have been using is TRESemme Platinum Stength Deep Conditiong Treatment. I've been using this for at least 6 months now and I absolutely LOVE it!!!!! I have REALLY thin hair, that has been really temperamental for the past 2 years or so. It has been falling out by the handfuls, and as a women, our hair means a lot to us, so it's been quite upsetting. I researched several products but one day saw this on offer and decided to give it a go. 

The first time I used it I noticed my hair looked heathly and shiny, it was soft and well conditioned even after blow drying and styling. At that point I thought to myself even if that's all it does it definitely worth using. But, a couple of weeks went by and I noticed my hair had significantly stopped falling out, if not completely stopped coming out!! I thought at first that it could be a coincidence until I ran out a couple of months ago and my local drugstores and supermarkets didn't have any in. It had literally been a week and my hair was coming out all over again!! Thankfully I found some  and within a couple of days it was working again. I use a small amount everyday but I would also recommend just using it once a week to bring that natural shine and bounce back to your hair!

Trust me I wouldn't live without this product!! It's my desert island must have!! 

So now I've stopped losing hair I'm trying to find products to stimulate growth, any tips or products you guys know of please let me know! And if there's any face masks your enjoying let me know which ones.

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Day - Get Your Glow Back!! Exfoliators

I'm back!!!! Wow, it feels like I haven't blogged in a while. I've been away, got some much needed rest and relaxation and now I'm back to the daily grind!

Which means my daily tips and blogs are back!! Yey!!! I've been hauling and testing products while I've been away so I've got lots to tell you about.

This week I wanted to talk about getting your glow back. 

For me there's a lot contributing to why I have lost my glow over the past 6 months -

* Poor Diet

* No Exercise - Both contributing to a 2 stone weight gain and awful skin!!!

* Weather - leaving my skin dry and dull

* Alcohol - with the December holidays, nights out and a holiday I have drank more than usual, this has contributed to me being bloated, putting weight on, and dehydrating my skin

* General everyday life

So I need a drastic change, not just to make me glow on the outside but the inside as well. What do I mean by glow? Well literally, glowing, healthy skin. I'm sure you've noticed with your own skin when your on a good diet you skin looks so good, it's healthy, nourished, make up glides on and looks perfect, but you can also glow from the inside out. For me, glowing from the inside when I'm on a good diet means I feel healthy, I'm not tired, and I'm much happier but it's the opposite when I'm feeling like I am now. 

So where do we begin, all the above has to change but as I'm changing my diet and exercise etc I've also changed my skincare routine which I'm going to talk you through over the next few days.

So the beauty tip today is to exfoliate your skin once a week.

For my face I'm using No. 7 Beautiful Skin £8.50

I have only used this once so far and I instantly loved the results, I applied it to damp skin and removed with a muslin cloth. It left my face smooth, and it didn't feel dry which is a problem I have found with some facial exfoliators. Another bonus I had the boots £5 off no.7 skincare so it was only £3.50!! Bargin!! 

For my body I'm using Soap & Glorys Pulp Friction £8.00

I have used this for about a year if not longer, it's my favourite scrub, it smells gorgeous and leaves my skin so smooth. Another great thing about this product is that it goes into a lather so you only need a small amount, so one bottle lasts for ages, great value for money. If you like to fake tan, this is a great exfoliator to prep the skin.

Hope your now one step closer to getting you glow back!

Let me know what exfoliators are you favourite at the moment! Or maybe what your doing if you've lost your glow.

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Day - Manicure Week - The 5 min manicure!

We're all in a rush most of the time, whether its work or family commitments we rarely have time to sit and pamper ourselves. A couple of years ago, painting my nails would be a daily occurrence, I would sit for ages at the weekends painting intricate designs on each nail, adding glitter and stones, a real work of art. I would paint them but not really give myself a proper manicure or allowing them anytime to breath or heal in between. Doing that, mixed with general life left my nails breaking, peeling, and my cuticles were a mess, just generally looking horrible.

I went for an emergency appointment to my friends salon and had a manicure with an OPI gel top coat. They looked so much better and now the length is getting just where I want it to be.

If you don't have the time or the money however I've done a quick DIY manicure that should take no longer than 5 minutes!!

What you'll need....

1. A nail file, I like a glass file rather than an emery board as I think its less harsh, but use what you've got.

2 . A cuticle pusher, you can use an orange wood stick if you prefer but I think this is quicker.

 

3. A good base coat - for what ever you need, a strengthener, a ridge filler, a growth stimulator.

 

4. Cuticle Oil - can be found at a boots or superdrug - don't miss this step!!

 

 

If you've got slightly more time and you want to add colour you will need...

 

5. A colour polish

 

6. A top coat - I like a chip resistant

 

7. Quick drying spray - again available at superdrug or boots.

 

 

 

Ready....Go!

 

1. File all nails, making sure you only sweep the file in one direction to get the desired shape

 

2. Use cuticle pusher to push back all cuticles removing any excess from the nail bed, leaving nail bed clean

 

3. Apply a very thin layer of base coat, this will dry very quickly if you have applied a thin layer.

 

4. Apply a drop of cuticle oil to the cuticle of each nail and rub into whole nail, this will leave your nails looking nourished and perfect!

 

If you have a little more time....

 

After step 3 applying your basecoat...

 

4. Apply two coats (if needed) of your chosen polish

 

5. Apply a thin layer of top coat

 

6. Spray all nails with quick drying spray

 

7. Finally apply a drop of cuticle oil!

 

And your done!!

 

If you keep practicing this technique your nails will look healthy and perfectly polished in no time at all!!

 

Hope you find this helpful, if you have any favourite products of any of the above let me know.

 

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Day - Award Season - Mila's Simple Smokey Eye

Last post of the week on the amazing looks from this years Golden Globes, I couldn't leave out the beautiful Mila Kunis! 

The reason I wanted to highlight her make up was to show that a smokey eye can come in all different styles. This is a style of smokey eye that is so simple to do but it's still really effective! 

For this look the main color has been focused on the lash lines. 

I would say if your going to invest in any brushes for make up, I would always recommend a blending brush for eye make up. They do all the work for you, especially when it comes to blending out a smokey eye. 

However, if you don't want to buy a make up brush but you want to achieve this look I would recommend buying an eyeliner with a smudger on the other end. 

This is a No.7 one for about £7.00 but you can get one by most make up brands. I would say unless your used to wearing black liner go for a dark brown, it can be easier to wear.

All you need to do is line as close to the lash line as possible, on your top and bottom lashes, and then use the smudger on the other side to smudge the line out for a smokey look. 

In this look Mila does have some shadow on the outer v to make some shadowing and smoke onto the lid as well. But see how you get on with this first, as it can be very effective on its own.

Have you enjoyed my beauty tips from the Golden Globes this week? If so which celebrity was your favourite?

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Day - Award Season - Barely there Make Up like Margot Robbie

Award season!!!! Yey!!!! This is my favourite time of year for looking at all the celebs and getting inspiration for make up and hair. I thought overall for the golden globes, the celebrities had gone really chic and classy with their make up, concentrating on flawless, glowing skin, and paying attention to the lashes.

My favourite make up was on Margot Robbie, so simple and elegant, paired with a sleek bun and fabulous dress she got a 10/10 from me. And of course that meant I had to know everything about her look.

Her make up artist Jenn Streicher who's other work includes make up for Selena Gomez, Emily Blunt and Clare Danes said that Margot wanted a 'Clean & Minimal look to compliment her Gucci gown', and that is exactly what she got, this make up is perfection!

So how do you and I get this look...?

Thankfully for us Jenn used products that we can pick up and try ourselves at affordable prices. 

She used to following -

Loreal Rivitalift Miracle Blur on the T Zone - it doesn't look like you can get this in the Uk yet unless you buy on the internet and pay high p&p charges.

Loreal's One Sweep Blush Duo in Flush - again something we need to wait for in the uk, looks gorgeous though! You can actually buy this on eBay in uk but check post and packaging.

Loreal's Voluminous Butterfly Effect Mascara - this I have recently bought!! It's amazing!!! It's sooo pigmented, my lashes look super dark. All Loreal's make up is on offer in boots for 3 for 2 so I would say get in there ASAP!!

The mascara is £10.99, it comes in Black, Extra Black, Midnight Blue and Midnight Purple. The brush is so different to anything I've ever used before, it curves to the natural shape of your lashes to make sure every single lash gets covered. 

Here's what it looks like on me...

If you look at the picture above my natural bare lashes compared to two coats of the mascara!!! Wowsers!! It's easily doubled the length of my lashes, it's amazing!!!!! I will definitely be repurchasing this mascara, I think i will also try the extra black as well, although I'm so happy with how black my lashes are here I don't know how they would be able to improve.

It doesn't say what Margot had on her lips but the nude colour suits her skin tone so well. I would recommend the nude Privee collection by Loreal that I've recommended before for the perfect nudes to match everyone's skin tones. As you know Julianne is my favourite. 

The other thing about Margot's look that makes it stand out is her glowing sun kissed skin, to start with they used St Tropez all over her body, I've got the wash off one which I love, you can buy that at boots as well for your face and body, starting from about £10, or if you want a professional to do it, you can get a full body St Tropez tan starting from around £30.

Hope this helped to get an insight into Margot's look, if you've got any questions please leave a comment and I'll do my best to help!

Who was your favourite celebrity on the catwalk of the Golden Globes?

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Week - Eyebrow Week! Instant Eye Lift - No Surgery Required!!!

Today I will show you how to give yourself an instant eye lift without spending a fortune!!

Time to get out the highlighter again! I use Soap & Glorys Arch De Triumph (didn't realize how many soap and glory products I used until I started my beauty tips!) You can buy it HERE from Boots for £8.00.

All you need to do is draw a line of highlighter under the whole of your eyebrow and blend so there's no harsh lines.

Below are pictures, the top of each picture is without highlighter and the bottom is the highlighted/fake lifted eyes! It's only a subtle look, some people like it more defined, or more of a bright white color, I think the pink toned is better, less harsh. Unfortunately for me I have got eczema on my eyebrow bone so it's also highlighting that as well! :-(

Is this something you do already, or will try? 

Hannah x

Beauty Review Friday - Eyebrow Week - Brow Archery by Soap & Glory

Yesterdays tip was how to fill in your brows, so todays review is what I have been using for the past couple of weeks to fill in mine.

Soap & Glory's - Archery, Brow Tint & Precision Pencil




I absolutely love this product!! I have used every day for the past couple of weeks, and I highly recommend it.


This is such an easy product to use so if your struggling with getting the right shape for your brows I would give this a go.

I like a natural look when it comes to my brows, but I feel like I have to put a lot of work in to cover up all the gaps and make them look full without making them look to thick and drawn on. When I got this to try at first I mainly used the pencil as I didn't have the right technique with the tint, but now I mainly use the tint and occasionally add the pencil when needed. I would say though if you like a fuller look this product is definitely buildable.

The tiny precision brush allows you to draw on individual thin hairs for a very natural look, with the tint making it last all day and night. I normally put my makeup on around 8am, and take it off around 10pm, I would touch up others parts of my make up when needed, but I can guarantee that I wont need to touch up my brows! Which for me is perfect, less to put in my already overcrowded bag!!

It comes in two colours, Love is Blonde & Brownie Points, I use Brownie Points and its a perfect match for me.

This is only £10.00 which I feel is a real bargain.

You can get from a boots store or click here to buy from boots online.

Nice work Soap & Glory!!!!!


Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Day - Eyebrow Week - Methods of Eyebrow Shaping &Aftercare

Firstly, can I just say I have been working on this blog post on & off all day, just as I've nearly finished ready to publish it somehow has been deleted!!! All of it!!! So now in a bit of a temper I'm starting again!!

So yesterday I showed you how to choose an eyebrow shape to flatter your face. Today we're looking at how to remove all the unwanted hair. Tomorrow I'll be showing you how to fill your brows in, because if yours are anything like mine they need more work than just shaping before I leave the house!!

The main 3 ways to shape your eyebrows are - waxing, tweezing or threading.

My preferred method is waxing. I think it's quick, and removes all hair for a smooth area for your make up. I am a fully qualified beauty therapist so I can wax my own eyebrows, but before I could do my own I went to salons or had a mobile technician come to my house. It normally costs around £6-£10 depending where you live, and if it's done in salon or at home. Here are my before & after pictures - 

P.s I have grown my eyebrows out purposefully for this weeks Eyebrow week!!! 

As you can see in my after picture, after waxing the area becomes quite red, this is the one draw back for me for waxing. Not everyone will go red, but for those of us that do what are some ways to help? To cool and sooth the area I would take cucumber out of the fridge and place it on the red area for 10 mins or so, not only is this cooling but it's also really relaxing and refreshing. Other times I put a damp cotton pad in the freezer for a couple of minutes, and then place that on the area until the area is cool.

But what if we're in a rush, or on our way out? When you go for a wax you should be given some aftercare information of do's and donts after a wax. One of those donts is not to put make up on the area for 24hrs. However sometimes I need a quick fix so I don't look crazy going out or to work, so I use mineral powder and lightly dust a layer over the red areas, it covers the red but it still allows skin to breath.

Another method is Tweezing/Plucking. I only use tweezing to remove hairs in between waxing or to tidy up any hairs that waxing didn't remove, I never use tweezing as a method to remove all the hair but a lot of people do. The best tweezers I've tried are Tweezerman.

These can be found online at -

http://www.feelunique.com/p/Tweezerman-Point-Tweezer-Stainless-Steel   £20

Or in a Boots store for -

http://www.boots.com/en/Tweezerman-Pointed-Tweezer_788/    £19.50

I highly recommend them for the precision they give, I have them in my kit that I take to clients as well.

The other option is Threading. I have never tried threading before, but I have seen it done in places like debenhams, and it is something I will try next time I see someone doing it. When I do I'll let you know! 

How do you keep your brows in check? 

Hannah x