Perfume | Vera Wang Lovestruck Eau de Parfum

Hello all!

The Vera Wang Lovestruck Eau de Parfum is a new perfume to my small collection. I've never really been much of a fan of perfumes as some people are but I do like to have some on. For Christmas, my Dad bought me this one which I had never seen before. I know Vera Wang for the famous wedding dresses but that is about it!

To describe, the perfume is in a large, heavy, square, clear bottle with the actual perfume having a subtle pink tint to it. Despite the sturdy bottle, the lid is the main attraction. The lid is made up of a bouqet of pink flowers made out of plastic(?) with a pink ribbon tied in a bow. The lid is quite frankly beautiful, and makes it a lovely piece to stand out on your dressing table. Because of this, it certainly wouldn't make it an easy perfume to travel with or put in your handbag! You would be bound to snap one of the flowers and the bottle is way too bulky for light travel.

"Vera Wang was inspired by a modern day twist on Romeo and Juliet"

• Top notes: Pink guava, angelica flower and mandarin.
• Heart notes: Indian jasmine sambac, tuberose buds and blue lotus blossom.
• Base notes: Sheer musk, precious woods and vanilla.

As you can tell from the scent description above, this is a floral, feminine scent packed full of notes. I don't normally like floral scents, but I do like this one as it doesn't seem to be a very strong floral scent. The scent isn't a light one either as it smells slightly heavy which I assume is to do with the musk. I personally don't mind what time of day to wear a perfume, but I think if I had to decide, I would choose this as a daytime perfume. Mostly I wear this to work and think it is great because it isn't too overpowering and doesn't have that 'sexy and sophisticated' smell which you may prefer on a night out.

As for lasting power, it is in the middle. It doesn't just disappear straight away like some cheaper perfumes do, but it won't last all day. It lasts a good few couple of hours and would be needed to be topped up with you wanted it to stay all day. 

I do like this perfume for its scent and its design, but it isn't my favourite. It is nice; but not a game changer. I wouldn't mind having it again but I don't think I will be setting out the moment it finishes to buy another. 

What is your favourite perfume?

Hair | VO5 Nourish My Shine Bedazzling Oil Heat Protector

Howdy!

I'm not one really for hair products. As someone who dyes their hair, I like to keep my hair routine the same and healthy as possible to make my hair colour last as long as possible. I get afraid that if I change it up, something might go wrong with my hair or something might strip my hair of its colour. Sounds crazy I know, but keeping my hair colour vibrant is the most important thing to me about my hair.


I've used the same heat protector for years. 5 years maybe? 6? I have always used the L'Oreal Studio Line Hot & Smooth Cream. So when my Mum bought me something new instead of that I was nervous, but decided to give it a try.


This is the VO5 Nourish My Shine Bedazzling Oil Heat Protector. It is in a long bottle that claims to 'add intense shine & conditions' with a 'lightweight formula' which 'defends against heat damage'. I straighten my hair so this is important to me. In addition, hair colour can be known to make your hair drier so something that nourishes it is a bonus. The product contains glycerin which is known for moisturising properties. 


Because there is oil in it, the actual product separates inside the bottle. The bottom half is pink and the top half (the oil), sits on top. To use this you need to remember to shake it vigorously so the two halves mix. I then spray it evenly over the entirety of my towelled dry hair from roots to ends, ensuring that I cover it all. I've discovered that I prefer to do this after I have found my parting and brushed my hair, as opposed to before it. I find that if I do it after I have found my parting and brushed it out that it covers more easily and helps to flatten annoying little baby hairs that stick out. 


9/10 times I let my hair completely dry naturally, but occasionally I have to give it a helping hand with a hair-dryer to make sure my hair is dry in time to leave the house. Whether I use a hair-dryer or not, my hair is always left with a shine thanks to this product which I get complimented on frequently. My hair does not feel dry at all and instead feels soft and clean. I was worried that because it was oil that it would weigh my hair down and make it look greasy but fortunately it does not do this. It seems that you can't go wrong with this product and no matter how much you spray on, it will not weigh down your hair! Because I do like to put a lot on seeing as I have long hair. 


Not only does it add shine but I feel like it does protect from heat. I always find that my hair colour fades the most and the quickest at the front of my 'fringe' because I always straighten that part of my hair everyday. However, since I have been using this I have not noticed the annoying faded part at the front of my 'fringe'. 


So overall I really rate this spray. It does everything that it claims to do and is sooooo much easier to use that the cream I used to use before! With the cream it was harder to cover my hair, felt like I used a lot of product and it would get all over my hands. I've been using this bottle for 4 months and it is still nowhere near finishing, whereas with the hair cream I used previous it would run out fairly quickly. I would recommend this to people who use heat on their hair and/or want to add some shine to their hair.


You can buy this 200ml bottle for the bargain price of £3.00 at Boots.

Lush | Intergalactic Bath Bomb

Hello everybody :-)

What's that? Another Lush bath bomb review? Yep, that's right! This is the Intergalactic bath bomb which I got for Christmas as it was on my Christmas list. As someone who loves things all space, this bath bomb instantly appealed to me. It is a blue bath bomb with streaks of bright colour such as yellow and pink through it.

Intergalactic doesn't have a particular smell, it just has that usual bath bomb smell. Ingredients include peppermint oil (to cool), grapefruit oil (to refresh) and cedarwood (to balance). It also has fun stuff in it as it has popping candy and gold/silver lustre. You know it's going to be one of those bath bombs that put on a show!

First of all it is a fast fizzer. It starts off blue and then fizzes out the random bursts of colour that look like tiny little islands on the water. What's super amazing about this bath bomb is that when the water fizzes out it swishes round to look like the galaxy; fitting in with the space theme. The best way to describe this is to show you a picture:

Then you begin to hear the popping candy. The gentle popping noises are actually quite therapeutic and last until the bath bomb finishes fizzing. This is such a nice effect and reminds of Star Wars when you hear them shooting in space.

When the bath bomb finishes you are left which a beautiful bath full of various blue tones that quite frankly, looks stunning. Throughout the water there are tonnes of glitter floating about which represents the stars. Admittedly I could not stop staring at it all!

The only annoying thing about this is that when you empty the bath, you are left with A LOT of glitter in your bath. It is easy enough to remove but it can be annoying to run the shower over your bath when you've just chilled out and your muscles are relaxed. It also means that your body is left with glitter all over it, so I would not recommend putting your face in it! Unless of course you want to be glittery for a certain occasion. 

In conclusion, I absolutely adore this and will buy it again and again. In fact, I would say that it is my favourite bath bomb! I used to love Space Girl but I think this one has taken over. It would also make a fantastic gift. Even my boyfriend commented on how awesome it looked and he's not interested in Lush!

What's your favourite bath bomb?

Kiko Milano Intensely Lavish Lipstick & Lip Liner 06 'Melodious Wine'

Hello all!


Over 2015 Kiko was becoming a more and more known brand and bloggers seemed to really be trying out their products. This was the year I also discovered Kiko, first buying items from them in Spain then more so when they brought a Kiko store to my local mall. 


On my first purchase in the the store near me, I purchased these: The Intensely Lavish Lipstick and Lip Liner in 06 'Melodious Wine' from their Rebel Romantic Collection. At first I fell in love with the packaging- it looks so luxurious! The lipstick is in a gold container which clicks together with a magnet. I cannot tell you how satisfying that clicking noise is! The packaging screams luxurious and even the lip liner with the true-to-colour pencil with gold lid is beautiful. 


I then swatched the colours and immediately knew I had to buy them. The colour is an extremely pigmented and rich, creamy wine colour of darker red with purple tones that matches my reddy-purple hair colour. The colour can look slightly different in various lights which I absolutely love. I wouldn't describe it as an extreme matte like the retro mattes from MAC, But it isn't glossy either. The only way I can describe it is that it looks like a creamy matte as opposed to a drying matte; a matte with a sheen that adds texture and dimension.

The ingredients of the product include orchid extract, corn oil and gotu kola. These must be what make the lipstick and lip liner so creamy and not leave you with that super dry feeling. Because of the creaminess of them they feel moisturising on the lips and glide on so easily without any tugging. Bonus!

So what about lasting power? Well, if you're doing a long day without much eating or drinking then it is going to last. The majority of the time I wear these to work and the colour lasts all day and doesn't fade. Most of the time I don't have a break at work so I am not eating or drinking. However, I've found that eating and drinking don't last so well as the colour disappears from the sides of my mouth, leaving that terrible ring around your lips. I've tried this colour on a dinner date and on a night out down town and it doesn't last the food or alcohol well! Despite this, the colour does reapply well over the top of a previous layer without going funny so you can reapply throughout the day if you wish to.

The lip liner goes on smooth and really helps to make your lips look fuller and bigger. I find it so easy to over line my top lip slightly and it it isn't noticeably over drawn. I don't think you necessarily need a lip liner with this lipstick as it applies so well, however it does definitely help to make that sharp line and to over draw. When you sharpen the lip liner it doesn't create sharp edges and seems a long enough pencil that it won't be wasted straight away.

In conclusion I absolutely love and adore this lipstick and lip liner combo from Kiko. I think it would work perfectly for people with slightly drier lips and would also make a good gift, as I found when I gave the same set to my friend for Christmas. They are such a bargain price also with the lipstick being £6.90, however the collection is currently on sale at £3.40! Such a fantastic price and I love it so much that I would want to buy it again and again forever. It really makes a make up look and makes me feel like I am having a confident make up day. The colour is down right intense! It is such a shame it is a limited edition collection! If you're reading Kiko, which you're probably not, make this a permanent part of your collection! I hope I can find the same colour in their permanent collection of lipsticks.

Have you tried any products from Kiko Milano?

Lush | Father Christmas Bath Bomb

Hello!


We all probably know by now that I love Lush and do like reviewing Lush products, so it is by no surprise that today I bring a review on the Father Christmas bath bomb. I debated whether there was any point reviewing a limited edition Christmas bath bomb now that they aren't available but I decided it was for 3 reasons. 1) There may be a few people who got this bath bomb for Christmas and haven't used it yet so may be interested to see what it will be like. 2) The Father Christmas bath bomb is a repeat product so will be likely to be available at the end of 2016 too. 3) Who doesn't like reading Lush reviews anyway?!


The Father Christmas bath bomb, like you would expect from the name, represents Father Christmas. It is a round pink ball with Santa's face carved out in white. Because of this, you'd think your bath water would turn a pale pink. But does it? Oh no. Instead, your bath turns a wonderful, bright Christmas green with white froth floating at the top of the water. The bath bomb fizzes at a medium pace, letting out bursts of green which come to surprise you. 

So I've tried to do a bit of research about the ingredients of this bath bomb because it is not on the Lush website any longer and I couldn't pinpoint a smell when I used it. The bath bomb does include citric acid and synthetic musk, and so some reviews I have read has said that it has a citrus scent to it. On the other hand, I have read elsewhere that the scent is the same as Snow Fairy. It may be that they have changed the scent of the bath bomb over the years, but to be honest I couldn't smell anything strong from it anyway, which doesn't bother me. Additionally, it doesn't seem to have any butters in the ingredients but I did find it to make the water slightly soft, thus giving a moisturising feeling to my skin.


Apart from the mystery of the scent and ingredients, I quite liked this bath bomb. My favourite type are the type that surprise you and this green really did surprise you considering it comes from a pink and white bath bomb! I loved the colour and it is probably up there in my favourite colours from bath bombs. I enjoyed it and wouldn't mind using it again next Christmas. So thanks for that bath, Father Christmas!


Also, I did film this bath bomb fizzing out on my Instagram. So if you'd like to see my demo of it, please visit my instagram @BrionyBea!

My Current Scrub #5

It's that time again!


Last week I finished by scrub from #4 and so this week I bring you my current body scrub #5. This is The Body Shop Coconut Sugar Body Scrub. As the big fan of The Body Shop body scrubs that I am, I had them on my Christmas list for 2015 and ended up with two of these coconut ones. 


The scrub smells deliciously strong of coconut and seems more abrasive than some of the other body scrubs by The Body Shop. There are brown beads in it which contributes to the exfoliating and it did seem to be more rough than some of other ones I have tried, such as the mango one. However, this is not a bad thing. It isn't too abrasive- just a good balance! You can definitely tell it is doing the job and leaves a moisturising feel afterwards.


Overall I do like this scrub and I am thankful that I have another tub of this. Because of the size, I think it will last me quite a few months!

Empties #7

Hello everyone!


It is that time again where we see what products I have finished and emptied off recently. 

• Batiste Dry Shampoo Original- I probably go through more of these than anything else.
• Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water- My holy grail make up remover. Read my review here.
• L'Oreal Studio Line Hot & Smooth Straightening Cream- I've lost count of how many years I have used this. Perfect for my thick, straight hair.
• The Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel- The size of this shower gel meant that it lasted me quite a few months. Their strawberry range always smells lovely.
• The Body Shop Chocomania Sugar Body Scrub- I always love my body scrubs from The Body Shop! Read my review here.
• Neutrogena Visibily Clear Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Moisturiser- I've used this loads in 2014/15 and it smells amazing. Read my review here.
• Nina Ricci Nina Perfume- One of my top favourite perfumes that I've used time and time again. It is a family favourite! Read my review here.

To read my empties #6 post, click here!

What products have you used up recently?

Why Are Adults Buying Colouring Books?

A noticeable trend of 2015 was that there was a certain up-rise in the amount of colouring books being sold. But were they kids colouring books? No- they were colouring books for adults. But why are adults buying colouring books?


As an auntie of two, I bet I am not the only adult who has secretly enjoyed doing some colouring in with a child in their life or even done some when the child wasn't around. My niece keeps her colouring books and crayons in my study and more than once I have found myself absent mindedly colouring in a picture of a teddy bear or a tiger. 


In school I was always rubbish at art, to the point where my art teacher would half complete things for me or let me do something easier than everyone else. However, I was always one of those students that persistently doodled all over their exercise books. I think this was because I would get so bored and stressed out by classes that I would doodle to concentrate on something else.


For the adult world, day-to-day tasks like work and family can cause real stress. Colouring seems to be a very therapeutic task, which to the art therapist isn't news, but to everyone else it has become more well known. Just taking 15 minutes out of your day to do some colouring can really help you to relax and unwind. It doesn't require any particular talent or effort really, it just requires some moments of your time. It isn't a large commitment and it isn't something you can get wrong. 


I think another benefit of colouring is the accomplishment. Whether you're colouring a large image or something of intricate design, the feeling of accomplishment when you have finally finished a colouring using the creativity in you and be able to stand back and admire it is rather quite nice. Especially when you don't feel like you're accomplishing much or feel restricted in using your imagination elsewhere! 


Colouring books were on my Christmas list for 2015 and I am sure they were on everybody else's because I know lots of people who got them! My Mum bought me 'Cats. Colouring for Mindfulness' whilst my Dad bought me 'The Classic Comic Colouring Book' and 'Animorphia'. In addition to the books I also got the Staedtler Ergo Colouring Pencils and Papermate colouring pens. I like to use a mix of both because I think colours stand out even more when they are a mix of pen and pencil. I've completed two images so far and I've found that I tend to be drawn to making things multi-coloured like the rainbow and also like stripes! 

It is so nice that it has become a trend now for adults to do colouring in because it means we can all openly enjoy it without seeming like we're stuck in our childhood. No more secretly colouring in the kids' colouring books! In addition to that it means we are all now more aware of ways to de-stress which is never a bad thing. I've personally found that the best time for me is to do it at night before bedtime so it encourages me to wind down to help me sleep better.

Have you got any colouring books?

Favourites | The Best Make Up of 2015

Hello all!

Today I bring you my favourite make up of 2015. It is so difficult to narrow down all the products I've loved throughout the year but I've managed it! That is all of my favourites of 2015 up now. Time to move forward! If you haven't read my skincare favourites of 2015 yet feel free to click here and if you haven't read my hair care and perfume favourites then feel free to click here!

BASE

• Emite Make Up Diamond Heart Base Primer
• L'Oreal Paris Infallible 24hr-Matte Foundation    (review)
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer    (review)
• Collection Lasting Perfection Powder    (review)
• W7 Go Colour Corrective Concealer    (review)
• BarryM Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit
• So Susan Statement Skin Highlighting Crayon 
• Urban Decay De-Slick Make-Up Setting Spray    (review)

EYEBROWS

• Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow    (review)
• Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint & Precision Pencil    (review)

LIPS

• Kiko Milano Intensely Lavish Lipstick '06'
• Kiko Milano Intensely Lavish Lip Liner '06'
• MAC Ruby Woo    (review)

EYES

• L'Oreal Paris Infallible Indefectible Waterproof Eyeliner 'Night Day Black'
• bareMinerals Lash Domination Voluminising Mascara    (review)
• Soap&Glory Supercat Liquid Eyeliner    (review)
• Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
• Eylure Lengthening Fake Eyelashes

BRUSHES

• Real Techniques Expert Face Brush    (review)
• Real Techniques Setting Brush    (review)
• Seventeen Cheek Brush
• Seventeen Flat Eye Brush

What was your favourite make up of 2015?

Favourites | The Best Hair Care & Perfume of 2015

So yesterday I posted my 'Favourites | The Best Skincare of 2015' blog post. Today I want to do the same thing, but with hair care and perfume! I'm not massively into hair products and perfume so this is a small post but it certainly deserved to be mentioned. If there is a review on a product I will link the review next to it for you!

HAIR PRODUCTS

• Batiste Dry Shampoo Original. My holy grail dry shampoo I've been using for years!   (review)

• VO5 Nourish My Shine Bedazzling Oil Heat Protector. A new one to my collection this year. I love it to protect my hair from the heat of hairdyers and straighteners and it certainly makes my hair shiny. 

• Schwarzkopf Moisture Kick Beauty Balm. Another new item to my collection after getting a sample at Bristol Fashion Week. I like to put it at the ends of my damp hair to help my split ends and keep the ends of my hair feeling nourished and not dry!

PERFUME

• Paco Rabanna Black XS. I first got this from my friend Antonia for my birthday and since then I have used that up and got another one. I love the packaging as it is quite dark and alternative (which is what I like) and I always get compliments when I wear it. 

What were your hair care and perfume favourites? My ultimate make up favourites will be coming next!

Favourites | The Best Skincare of 2015

Hello!


This week I will be uploading 3 favourites posts for my overall favourites of 2015. These will include skincare, hair/perfume and make up. I did one of these in 2014 (here) and I really liked doing it so I thought I would do it again! Today I am going to start with the best skincare of 2015. Some favourites have carried on from 2014 but there are plenty of new favourites as well. Additionally, a lot of the favourites I have included I have written reviews on. So if I have, I'll link the post next to them!

WASH

• The Body Shop Tea Tree Foaming Cleanser   (review)

MOISTURISING

• Nivea Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream for Oily & Combination Skin
• Être Belle Golden Skin Roll On Caviar Eye Gel   (review)
• The White Collection Cotton Camomile Body Cream 

REMOVING MAKE UP

• Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water   (review)
• Amphora Aromatics Seaweed & Aloe Refreshing Eye Gel   (review)

LIPS

• Nivea Original Lip Balm  (review)
• Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub 

SCRUBS

• The Body Shop Mango Body Scrub    (review)
• Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Exfoliating Face Scrub

TREATMENT

• InstaNatural Dead Sea Mud Mask   (review)
• The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil  (review)

What were your skincare favourites of 2015?

2015, My Year In Review & 2016 Goals

Hey all!


Happy new year! A year ago I made a blog post about my 2015 new year resolutions. I thought I would revisit those resolutions and see what came of them:

• "I hope to continue to fight my anxiety and say yes to more things". I think I mostly managed this. I have gone to gatherings/parties which in previous years I would have said no to. I also took (and passed) my driving theory test finally which I had been putting off for months and months because I was too anxious to do it!

• "Make more friends". I didn't particularly make any new friends. However, I have rekindled old friendships, became closer to current friends and made acquaintances in the job I began later on in 2015. This is something I really need to work on in 2016!

• "Save enough money to go travelling hopefully starting in 2015." Well, I have been saving to go away and I did start my travelling in 2015! I went away for a week with friends which was the first time I had been away with just friends and not family before.

• "Have financial stability enough to go do little fun things even if it is a weekend by the seaside with my boyfriend." I also managed this! I went to Brighton for the weekend with my boyfriend and it was a really lovely time. I had never been to Brighton before and I would like to do a little weekend away again. 

I'd also like to remember all the things I achieved and saw throughout the year. I think it is good to remember your accomplishments and think of all the things that made you feel good.

1. My niece turned 2
2. My nephew turned 1
3. My boyfriend and I had our 2nd year anniversary
4. I celebrated my 18th birthday
5. My boyfriend and I went to Brighton for the weekend
6. I did my A Level exams and passed them
7. I left sixth form 
8. I got accepted into my chosen university for 2016
9. I began my gap year
10. I went on my first holiday abroad alone with friends
11. I passed my driving theory test
12. I got a permanent job
13. I put more time and effort into my blog
14. Saw the musical Annie which has been on my bucket list for years as it is one of my favourite musicals.
15. Saw Putting On the Ritz which is also one of my favourite musicals and was on my bucket list to see.

2015 was a really stressful but rewarding year for me. My time in sixth form trying to prepare for my exams and get good enough grades to get into university was so stressful, upsetting and hard for me. But I was greatly rewarded by achieving it, being able to leave education and start my gap year. For the last half of 2015 I have been able to put more effort into things I like and start concentrating on my well-being.

I have really high hopes for 2016. I am really hoping this is going to be 'my year' where it is all about doing things to help my own personal progression. My goals for 2016 are:

1. Go travelling as much as I can. I want to definitely go interrailing with friends and book whatever else I can whether it is alone or with my boyfriend. Go as many places as I can basically!
2. Make more friends in and outside work.
3. Continue to control my anxiety and say yes to more things.
4. Get back into my hobby of tap dancing and learn at least 2 new dances.
5. Continue to put more effort into my blog and reach 200 Bloglovin' followers.
6. Do a big clear out and organise my bedroom.
7. Take and pass my driving test.
8. Begin University in September with confidence to make friends and learn what I can.
9. Start to save up money to buy myself a car.

So I guess we will have to wait until the end of 2016 to see if I achieve my goals. I'm pretty determined to!

What are your goals for 2016?