Curls Without the Heat

The only way I can get all my hair in the picture is by standing up, and no I am not wearing extensions!

So this month I have not posted as much as I would have liked! And this is not for lack of inspiration, I have so many posts I want to write, however my work is really on top of me at the moment and I'm working so much too :( Along with preparing to go to America for 3 months in 5 weeks! Scary!! So I'm just blogging when I get the chance!

Over a year ago now I purchased some bendy hair rollers from Poundland I think? I know they were super cheap wherever they were from! I never really used them though, until now. I was feeling a bit creative so I popped some in before bed, just by simply winding my hair round them like normal rollers and securing them. The plus side is they are pretty comfy to sleep in! I sleep on my side and they were fine. 

When I woke up I simply unrolled them and combed my hair through with my fingers and gave them a good hair spray and voila! Super easy wavy hair without the heat! I really like this method for me, because I always find it really hard to curl my hair now as it's so long, it just tends to fall out after an hour. This way my hair has a lot of volume and they stay in all day! The only thing I would suggest is this might work better on day old hair, as freshly washed hair might not hold as well if yours is long and slips out like mine!

I really think this look gives great, messy beach-type waves. Perfect for summer! I haven't gone into too much detail in this post, but if anyone would like me to I can do a full tutorial :).

Have any of you ever used bendy rollers?

The Review: Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara, a Love/Hate Relationship

 Hello Lovelies, I thought I would do a another review for you today (loving writing them at the moment!) I'm still on the lookout for my perfect mascara and love to read reviews on them myself!

A couple of months ago I purchased Urban Decay's Big Fatty Mascara. I have used their Lush Lash Growth Serum-Infused Conditioning Mascara which I absolutely loved, but I felt I wanted to try something different from their mascara range, so I just went in and asked the lady behind the counter which was their most popular mascara and she raved about the Big Fatty mascara so I went ahead bought it.

The claim:

"Virtually weightless and buildable to the extreme, Big Fatty Mascara is smudge-proof, flake-proof, and ultralong wearing too! Loaded with all the good stuff to keep your lashes looking luscious (Hemp Seed Oil for moisture, Vitamin E to prevent free radical damage, Jojoba Oil for hydration, and Purisilk SPB for conditioning and curl retention), Big Fatty Mascara enhances lashes inside and out. Packaged in a large black tube, with luxe silver and purple art deco design, this big fatty boasts a fat molded brush completely covered in fine bristles that wrap all the way around the tip."

What I think:

Pros: 

♥ This mascara does glide on very well, it hasn't gone dry at all in the 2 months I've had it, not even around the lid and I think this may be due to the Jojoba oil that it contains.

♥ It does actually curl my lashes, as mine are quite long and straight naturally.

♥ It's easy to build up for a longer, thicker lash effect, however one coat is all you need for an every day look. It's a good mascara if you don't like wearing false eyelashes but you want a striking effect still.

♥ The design of a brush means that it grabs each individual lash and defines each one rather than clumping them together which is a quality I love in a mascara.

♥ There seems to be a lot of product and I think it will take a while to use up. I tend to get through mascaras really quickly, and although I should mention I have used others in the two months I've had it, it is still nowhere near used up.

Cons:

✘ This mascara may be flake-proof as advertised, but it is by no means smudge-proof. I do apply this to my bottom lashes too, which are quite long, but it still smudges all underneath my eyes. And I never rub my eyes! I find myself having to check myself face throughout the day to make sure I have't got a case of panda eyes! 

✘ It takes a while to dry too, because it's so oily I think, so if I glance up when I've just applied it I end up with black marks all over my lids and get into a right mess!

✘ Lastly, and probably the thing I dislike most about this product is that it is literally impossible to get off! I know some people may think of this as a good thing, but literally my Liz Earle cleanser does not even touch it. I then go in with my Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover for lids, lashes and lips, which is really good but still it won't budge! I have to grab my lashes in a cotton pad and pull them which still doesn't get it all off and is really damaging. It actually takes days to come off and I wake up with it all down my face! Not at all ideal. I never even have that much of an issue taking off waterproof mascara!

Urban Decay's Big Fatty mascara retails at £15, which I think is a reasonable price for a more high-end product, and can be purchased at Debenhams here. However I think I do prefer their Lush Lash mascara and if I repurchase this I will definitely do a review.

As I said in the title, definitely a love/hate relationship! I think I may start using a different mascara for my lower lashes, but as for the taking it off drama, does anyone have any tips?! I really don't want to dismiss this product for that reason.

P.S. Watch out for a makeup tutorial I'll be posting soon, it features this mascara if you would like to see it in action! 

Have any of you guys tried this mascara? What did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Bio Oil Review

Another review for you today! If you are unfortunate enough to have the same skin type as me, which is when stretched due to sudden weight gain such as in puberty or pregnancy develops undesirable stretch marks, I feel for you. 

My story is pretty simple, when I hit the age of about 13 and I suddenly developed hips and a bum out of nowhere, I was left with awful red stretch marks all up the top of my thighs and hips. Now some people may not think of these as an issue as these parts of the body are usually hidden, but even though they did fade to a lighter colour over the years, every time I went on holiday I was really embarrassed about my imperfect and marked skin. I hated how the texture of my skin felt too. Whats more, once tanned the stretch marks stood out even more when contrasted with the tan on my skin! But last summer, after working hard for a bikini body I decided something needed to be done about this problem before I went on my two holidays. This is where Bio Oil stepped in.

*Quick disclaimer: obviously I haven't photographed my stretch marks, when I began using this product I didn't have a blog, and also I don't think I'd feel quite comfortable posting those pictures! I hope the description does the product adequate justice without :).

I had read a lot of good reviews about Bio-Oil, however if I'm honest, I didn't think it would really work. I didn't think anything could cure stretch marks since they are such a defined mark on the skin. I think I bought my Bio-Oil from Boots, I got the 60ml which costs £8.99 incase I didn't get on with it.

The claim: 

"Helps improve the appearance of new and old scars

Helps prevent formation of stretch marks during pregnancy and helps improve the appearance of existing stretch marks

Helps improve the appearance of uneven skin tone

Helps smooth and tone ageing, sagging and wrinkled skin on both face and body

Helps replenish the skins natural oils, stripped away by factors such as extreme weather, water with high chemical content and the drying effects of central heating and air conditioning"

Bio-Oil itself does not claim to be perfect. It says "helps improve" not "gets rid of" so I wasn't expecting a miracle.

So here's how I used it:

I followed the instructions and applied the oil twice a day, once in the morning after I had showered, and once just before getting into bed. I applied a couple of drops over the areas with stretch marks and massaged this in using circular motions, towards the heart. I think this is what it says on the instructions. I did this well so it was fully worked into the skin. I should mention I also used body butter on a daily basis as this may have helped my skin too.

Even if the Bio-Oil doesn't do much, it undoubtably makes your skin feel beautifully soft, and it is a relaxing routine before bedtime too as it smells nice and the massaging motion is relaxing for your body.

Bio-Oil recommends you use the product for at least 3 months. I soon got through my 60ml and bought another one, cheaper I believe from Home Bargains, although I don't remember the exact price! 

The Results:

I was majorly impressed with this product. I wasn't expecting much, and to be honest my stretch marks probably weren't even that bad compared to others' and had already faded over time, but now they are hardly visible at all! I used Bio-Oil for 3 months I think. I did stop using it when I had been on my holidays, but I felt so much better wearing a bikini! Although you could still see them slightly, they were so much less visible and the texture was a lot smoother too. 

Now, if your stretch marks or scars are really, really bad, I don't want to get your hopes up and please don't expect a miracle! But I really think this does help speed up the natural healing process and it will definitely make your skin lovely and soft. If you know you are going to put on weight, for example if you're pregnant, I would definitely recommend using this during pregnancy to prevent any stretch marks from occurring, rather than waiting until you already have them. 

I think I will definitely repurchase Bio-Oil again soon, as it's not only good for stretch marks, it's lovely to add a couple of drops to your bath, or just to rub into your skin if it's feeling really dry!

Although Bio-Oil is rather pricey, it's well worth it if you have skin that you're insecure about and want to help, or if you just want super soft skin!

If you plan on purchasing Bio-Oil, I wouldn't from Boots. I would try Home Bargains, or Amazon currently have 200ml for £9.99 here, absolute bargain! However, if you want to try a cheaper alternative, Re-Gen cream is also meant to do a similar job! I haven't tried this on any stretch marks, but it's great as moisturiser and you can buy this at under £4 from Home Bargains again I believe? Or for £4.97 here at Amazon (gotta love Amazon!)

Have any of you tried using Bio-Oil? I'd love to read your thoughts!