A Miracle Hair Worker!

29 Oct 2013


Want 'just left the hairdressers' hair? Then look no further! This is literally my new favourite product. It makes my hair feel so soft and silky, making it super easy to style too! Best of all, its ridiculously easy to achieve said lovely hair!

TIGI's Wonderful Tonight is an overnight treatment that claims to improve the condition of damaged hair by making it three times stronger than using a conditioner alone. It also makes your hair super soft with diamond powder, cashmere extract, champagne extract and pearl powder. Champagne for your hair! Who'd have thunk it!


This is my hair after using the treatment the night before, washing and blow-drying. I seriously struggled getting a photo from the right angle, so apologies for my creepy face! But I hope you can see the effect the treatments had on my hair. This is before styling or using any product, so I was seriously impressed to see how smooth and sleek my hair looked.

I dispense a few pumps of the product onto my fingers and then disperse it throughout my hair, focussing mainly on the ends. I also add in a little to my fringe to help calm down the frizziness I can get. You then just sleep and wash your hair like normal in the morning! Its literally as simple as that!

The product is like a serumy/creamy consistency, not oily at all which is nice. It soaks in really quickly too so you're not left with damp sticky hair like some overnight treatments. It also smells really yummy! Like citrus and vanilla, so you can go to sleep smelling amazing.

Its literally my miracle worker, and as you only use a tiny amount each application it'll last me ages - which is always a good thing! :)

Aimée
Xxxx
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A HULLiday away!

27 Oct 2013


Last week I went to Hull on Hulliday....see what I did there?! (I was farr too proud when I thought of that pun!) I stayed with one of my very best friends Charlotte, who I spent my American summer with (see post here!) two years ago. Although we speak to each other all the time, life does get in the way and this year we seem to have been the busiest of bee's and haven't seen each other in a whole 10 months!! Needless to say I was beyond excited to see her! We didn't get up to a crazy amount as we had some serious catching up to do! But I thought I'd share with you a few of the snaps we took - as you might be able to tell, we do rather enjoy a good selfie. ;)

Whilst I was there we did partake in a Hull tradition of the Fair! I definitely think London is missing out, as our funfair's are nothing like Hull's! It was superrr fun! Even if I did flash everyone in the city whilst on the Waltzer....Note to self? Don't wear a dress to a funfair!! I also partook in the traditional Wrights Brandy Snaps which are yummmyyyy!! I now have them on my list of things to make! :)

We ate lots of yummy food, including amazing tapas where we totally ordered with our bellies and not our eyes! We sang rather a lot of One Direction, browsed cute Vintagey shops, got too excited by Christmas decorations and made a few cheeky purchases in Topshop! Ooops!

All in all, an absolutely delightful time was had :) I hope you're all having a good weekend!

Aimée
Xxxx
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Happy Blog Birthday To Me!

26 Oct 2013


As you may have guessed, its exactly a year today since I created this little space on the internet. Wahoo! I've come a long way since my first rather awkward post and I've become rather proud of my little space on the internet. :)

One very boring day working as a Receptionist last summer I found a youtube video by Zoella of her July Favourites and the world of Beauty Blogging was opened to me. I literally became obsessed with reading and finding new blogs after that! To be honest I'm still impressed that I'd never found the blogging world before then! When I moved home from Uni for good in October of last year I finally decided to create a blog of my own. I didn't particularly think I'd carry it on that long as I can't say I'm the best at sticking to projects. I still have a scrapbook full of pictures to finish from 2011 and a not even started quilt to finish from 2010! But, this little blog seems to have stuck with me and I really love updating it now!

All parts of blogging appeal to me; the writing side, photography and of course the shopping ;). So thank you SO much if you're an old or new follower, it honestly brightens my day every time I see a new comment or gain a new follower! <3

I've finally gotten myself into a proper blogging schedule now, so please do pop back on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays for new posts :) Here's a few of my favourite posts from the last year, if you wanted a quick gander :)

A MAC Confession (My first MAC purchase! Eeek!)

Here's to another blogging year which I hope you'll join me on! :)

Aimée 
Xxxx
read more " Happy Blog Birthday To Me! "

FOTD: A Natural Look

25 Oct 2013


As I've added a few new products to my make-up bag recently I thought I'd share with you my current everyday make-up look. I really love the dewy natural look and recently I've really been trying to channel that. I was pretty happy with the way my make-up looked last weekend so took a few snaps before I left the house!

Here's what I had on my face:
Skin:
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light 2
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 52
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent
Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 02

Cheeks:
Bourjois Délice de Soleil Bronzer in 12 Fair/Medium
Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Coral Reef
Benefit High Beam Highlighter 

Eyes:
Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze
MAC Naked Lunch Eyeshadow
Revlon ColourStay Eyeliner in 01 Blackest Black
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara in Flared

Lips:
Lush Lip Scrub in Mint Julips
Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rosé

I hope you liked the look :)

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " FOTD: A Natural Look "

Review: Benefit's High Beam

22 Oct 2013


Before I entered the blogging world I can hold my hand up and say that I'd never used a highlighter before. To be honest, I don't think I really understood the point of them! But now they're a staple in my make-up bag and I literally couldn't live without them.

Benefit's High Beam is my current love, the beautiful champagne-like colour perfectly brightens my face which is exactly what I need this Autumn. The idea of High Beam is to give you a healthy natural glow - I love dotting it over my cheekbones and under my brow bone to highlight.

The nail varnish style applicator confused me slightly at first, but actually I think it makes the product super easy to use. I swipe the brush on the back of my hand and then use my fingers to dot over my skin. I'm sure if you wanted to be fancy you could use a brush, but I think fingers do just as well.

Although the highlighter is shimmery it definitely doesn't leave you glowing in a glittery way - more of a lovely dewy flush. If you really wanted to amp up the glow, you could mix a tiny bit in with your foundation and use all over your face. But I'd be careful to not steer too far into disco ball territory!

Although Benefits products are on the slightly pricier side, I'd still say it was definitely worth the money. You only need to use a tiny amount of the product so its going to last me forever. :) Yay!

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " Review: Benefit's High Beam "

Sunday Bake: Pillow Cookies

20 Oct 2013


A brownie in a cookie....say whatt!?! Is there really anything better than that? If you disagree I'm not sure this is going to work out...;) But seriously two of my favourite things colliding? Of course I had to make it! It also coincided with a visit to one of my best friends so this was a 'thank you for having me stay' present.

I found the original recipe for Pillow Cookies on Bakerella and was possibly drooling at the screen. As always mine didn't go quite to plan, but with such a yummy recipe I felt I had to share! I used Hummingbird Bakery recipes for both my Brownie and Cookies with a few slight changes.

So to start with you need to make up a tray of brownies! You can use any brownie recipe, but here is mine:

Ingredients:
200g Dark Chocolate * 175g Unsalted Butter * 325g Dark Muscovado Sugar * 130g Plain Flour * 3 Eggs

Method:
Firstly you need to heat the oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3 and grease and line a 33 x 23 x 5cm baking tray.

Then put the chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, stirring until well incorporated.


 Its at this point that your boyfriend may wander in and decide that this is the best use of a camera....


Once you've regained control of the kitchen, add the flour to the mixture and stir until well incorporated. Finally add the eggs and stir until thick and smooth, then pour into the prepared baking tray. Bake for about 40 minutes or more if you have a crappy oven like me! Then leave to cool completely and put into the fridge.

Once you've had a tea break its on to the cookies!

Ingredients:
270g Unsalted Butter * 160g Caster Sugar * 160g Soft Light Brown Sugar * 2 Eggs * 1tsp Vanilla Essence * 380g Plain Flour * 1tsp Salt * 1/2tsp Ground Cinnamon * 1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda * 120g White Chocolate Chips

Method:
Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3 and line two baking sheets with baking paper.


Firstly cream together the butter and both types of sugar, then break in the egg add the vanilla essence and mix well together.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda then add to the creamed mixture in two batches. Lastly stir in the chocolate chips.

Finally we've got to the creation of the cookie! Firstly you need to cut the brownie into small squares, about half an inch in size. I would suggest cutting off the edges of the brownie just in case of any harder bits, which you won't want in the cookie. You won't use all of the brownie in the cookies, but I'm sure you'll find a way to 'dispose' of it... ;)


Essentially you then need to place the brownie piece inside a ball of cookie dough. Through a bit of trial and error I found the best way to do this is to take a spoonful of cookie dough and flatten it in your hand. Then take a brownie square and flatten this slightly before placing in the middle of the cookie dough. Then take another spoonful of the cookie dough and place on top, squeezing down to cover all edges.


Pop them onto a baking tray, well spaced apart as they do seem to grow in the oven! Bake for about 20 minutes or until they're golden. Leave them to harden up slightly on the baking tray before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

You'll then be left with some yummy leftover brownies and awesome pillow cookies, enjoy! :)


I hope you liked these tasty treats, let me know if you try it out :)

Aimée
Xxxx
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My Top 3 Products for Autumn.

18 Oct 2013


Growing up, I lived for the warmer months with the only highlight of Autumn/Winter being the Christmas period. But in recent years my love for layering, jumpers and red lips has grown and grown and now I can't wait to get my winter coat out. The chilly weather is also the best justification for copious Starbucks trips, woolly tights and mulled wine! So I thought I'd share with you three beauty products that will be permanent fixtures in my make-up bag this Autumn.

Without the sun to brighten my face and give me much needed Vitamin C I find that my skin starts to look a little dull. This is where highlighter comes in and saves the day! Benefit High Beam is actually a recent purchase of mine, and a full review will be on the blog next week but I'm already obsessed with it. Its a beautiful champagne pink like colour, and the nail-varnish style applicator makes it so easy to apply. I dab the brush on the back of my hand, then dot the highlighter along my cheekbones and sometimes on the brow bone before blending it out. It gives such a lovely dewy glow that's perfect for brightening up your face in those colder months.

Aside from dramatic lips a smokey eye is synonymous with Autumn make-up so you may be confused as to why I've chosen such a neutral shade to be my staple. I absolutely love the Maybelline Colour Tattoo's and the shade On and On Bronze is perfect for wearing on its own paired with a bright lip or as a base for a smokey look. The formula is so creamy that it really glides onto your lid and stays put all day. Perfect for daytime wear! I recently just hit pan on this shadow which I think is testament to how much wear I get out of it! I was a fail and forgot to swatch it with the other two products, but if you click here you can read a full review of the shadow with swatches.

Bright red lips are a classic and reminds me of glamorous women in the 50's. Though recreating this look with the perfect red lipstick can be tricky as there is SO many red lipsticks out there, Topshop's Rio Rio is a definite favourite of mine. I actually bought it almost a year ago and found it way too drying on my lips so I never really used it. However since using the Lush Lip Scrub my lips have been in much better condition and I thought I'd give it a go again. I'm so glad I did, as the colour is really flattering on me! Its definitely my go-to red lipstick now. Its creamy and moisturising  in texture and super pigmented, it also lasts really well and I love the matte finish. Topshop lipsticks have often been compared to MAC in quality and I'd definitely have to agree. If you're on the lookout for a good red lipstick and don't want to splurge too much this is definitely the one to try.

What're your favourite products for Autumn? :)

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " My Top 3 Products for Autumn. "

My Current Favourite Haircare Products.

15 Oct 2013


Over the past few months I've noticed that I've been using the same hair products again and again, and my hair has felt in really good condition. So I thought I'd share with you my current favourites :)

Ever since I found out about TIGI's S-Factor range, I've been slowly trying and loving more and more products from it. The Smoothing Conditioner and Shampoo is amazing, and makes my hair feel so soft and lovely. The whole S-Factor range also smells of strawberries which is seriously yummy! The shampoo makes my hair feel so clean afterwards, and the conditioner is a really lovely creamy consistency. I concentrate both the shampoo and conditioner on the ends of my hair, and then work the remaining product through the top of my head. Although not the cheapest, the bottles have lasted me 4 months so they're definitely worth your money. I usually buy mine cheaper on the discount site All Beauty or Amazon - but they seem to be sold out at the moment as I can't find them on there at all!

Also in the TIGI S-Factor range I've been loving the Smoothing Lusterizer. I used to use hair oils after washing my hair, but now I always use the smoothing lusterizer. The consistency is more of a lotion than an oil and works best with thick porous hair. For me, its the best tool to style my hair and makes it look so smooth and sleek. I literally couldn't be without it now! I even bought a little travel pot to decant some in for nights away. On the styling front I'm also really loving the Toni&Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray for 'natural' hair days. I wrote a full review of the spray here.

I have to say, I've never been the best for using heat protectant, but now I have Ombré hair I've started making a conscious effort to protect my hair better. The TRESemmé Keratin Smooth heat protection spray is my absolute favourite to use. I hate how with most protection sprays they end up just making your hair soaking wet! The Keratin Smooth spray however, is more of a 'mist' - spreading the product so much more evenly. It also leaves your hair feeling really smooth - so yay! On the theme of protecting my hair, I've also been loving using my Tangle Teaser. Brushing my hair straight after a shower is always so tricky as it gets really knotty - the tangle teaser seriously helps this though and makes sure I don't pull out half my hair too!

Batiste Dry Shampoo is a staple in my books. Having a full fringe, second hair day means it always needs a little boost, and this does the trick perfectly. Finally, my hair generally has a life of its own so hairspray is an absolute must. The Aussie Dual Personality Hairspray is my favourite by far. I generally hate the smell of hairsprays, but the Aussie spray is so fresh! Not at all what you'd expect. You also get really good hold and a nice bit of shine throughout the day without feeling like your hair is made of straw.

So there's my current haircare favourites! Is there any products you'd recommend for me? :)

Aimée
Xxxx
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DIY Friend/Family Voucher

13 Oct 2013


My mother likes to pester. In fact, she loves to pester and being the only daughter still living at home means I'm her prime target. So when I'm trying to quietly watch TV, she's constantly trying to get my attention by any means possible! Anyone else noticed that the older people get the more they revert into being a child?

Anyway, as it was my mum's birthday recently I thought as a bit of a joke I'd give her a 'voucher' to pester me - a bit like those friend voucher/cheque books you could get as a kid. Anyone remember those? I clearly didn't think this through though as I didn't include any Terms and Conditions and now my mum thinks she has the right to pester me all the time, rather than just on her birthday! Damn it!

The voucher was really easy to make, I just used Picmonkey and Paint and ended up with this template!


I then printed this onto blue card, and cut out the grey edges to leave a 'voucher' shape and wrote on the dotted line.

You could write literally anything on the voucher and use it for any occasion! So with that in mind I've attached a download link of a plain voucher for you to customise. Just open the download in any photo editing software (or use Picmonkey online!) and add your own text.

Download here.

I hope you enjoy using this little craft!

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " DIY Friend/Family Voucher "

A/W Beauty Wishlist.

11 Oct 2013


At the moment I'm definitely lacking in the funds department, sigh :(. So I thought I'd share with you the things I've been lusting over, rather than things I have sitting pretty in my room. Maybe if I wish hard enough they might magically appear in my room.....!? Or maybe not :(

Up first is the beautiful Nars At First Sight eye and cheek palette. Every time Nars release an eye and cheek palette I always lust over it and never manage to claim it before its off the shelves again. Why must they be Limited Edition!? This one is exceptionally lovely with Deep Throat blush, Laguna Bronzer and four eyeshadows: All About Eve, Nouveau Monde, Bellissima and Cordura. With a slightly more muted palette I think it'd be brilliant for Autumn, buttt I'm going to stop looking at it now before I get too sad that its not mine.

Second is Mac's Amplified Creme lipstick Girl About Town. With two MAC lipsticks now in my collection I am slowly becoming obsessed with blog reviews and want more and more. I love this shade, and being more of a berry red I think it looks perfect for autumn. Definitely next on my lipstick list!

Third is the Vichy Idealia Life Serum which I first heard about over on Couture Girl. The serum is designed for skin exposed to the stresses of everyday life and claims to transform and protect your skin making it appear radiant and fresh. In autumn I find that my skin can start to look a little dull, so this product sounds like a god send to me to help me through the chillier months!

Fourth is the much talked about Oribe Dry Texturising Spray. Being on the pricey side, this is a definitely a product that will be staying out of my reach for a while. Although it is essentially a high end bottle of dry shampoo, I can't help but want to try it out. The added texture that it provides also sounds amazing! Not to mention that it doesn't spray that horrible grey colour like most dry shampoos.

Finally is the super pretty Benefit Rockateur Blush. I've never owned any powder products from Benefit, so when I saw this come onto the market my interest was instantly piqued. I'm a big fan of rose gold shaded blushes, and the pretty packaging is definitely swaying me too. Its not the cheapest blush out there, but it is Benefit and I think that makes up for it. ;)

So that's what I'm lusting over for the A/W season. What's on your wishlist at the moment?

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " A/W Beauty Wishlist. "

Beach hair in Autumn?

8 Oct 2013


I've always been a serious Sea Salt Spray fan, and I realise it is generally a summer-esque hairstyle. But, hey! Who says you can't pay homage to the beach look in Autumn? I certainly plan to and the Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray is my favourite spray of the moment.

I briefly mentioned the spray in my September favourites (here) and I pretty much used it every day that month. I prefer using it on wet hair, although it does work well on dry hair too. I concentrate the spray on the bottom half of my hair, with a few spritzs underneath the top layer of the top half. I then scrunch it all up and add on my Tigi S-Factor Smoothing Lusterizer to the ends of my hair to keep them smooth.

I find the curls and waves generally come out better if I leave my hair to dry naturally, which is partly why I love this hairstyle so much. Its so easy to do, and looks really natural. It doesn't leave your hair with that horrible 'crispy' feeling either, although adding my Smoothing Lusterizer does help that!

Its great if you want to add texture to your hair as well. I'm constantly growing my hair out, so sometimes it can look really limp with the weight dragging it down. A few spritz's near the top of your head helps this out though!

At around £7 I don't think its too bad value either! I've still got loads left, and I've been using it practically every day since I got it. :) The picture above is after using the spray on wet hair and leaving it to dry naturally. (Apologies for my make-up free face!)

Aimée
Xxxx
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Sunday Bake: Viennese Whirls

6 Oct 2013


To me, the weekends are all about baking. Put simply, I enjoy following a recipe knowing that there will be a tasty treat at the end of it. (And the opportunity to lick the bowl!) Baking is my way to relax - unless I'm challenging myself in the kitchen and then I usually end up a hot mess covered in flour. Not a good look.

Baking is definitely something that runs in my family though, with my sister having a strong passion for it too. We spend many a day dreaming of the bakery we will someday own! She recently begun her own baking blog and if your a fan of the Great British Bake Off, you'll enjoy her weekly 'Bake Along' feature. You can check it out here. :)

Back to the post at hand, I thought I'd share with you one of the best biscuits ever! The Viennese Whirl :) I absolutely love these, so I thought I'd give making them a go! The recipe is from the Hairy Bikers 'Big book of Baking'. with a few slight alterations.

Ingredients:

Biscuits: 250g very soft butter * 50g icing sugar * 250g plain flour * 50g cornlflour * 1/2tsp vanilla extract * 1.5tbs milk
Filling: 100g very soft butter * 200g icing sugar * 1/2tsp vanilla extract * As much raspberry jam as you can handle!

Method:

Preheat your oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Line a few baking sheets with parchment, and draw 16 rings about 6cm in diameter (a bit smaller than a digestive :)!).

If you have a food processor, you can blitz the butter, icing sugar, flour, cornflour and vanilla extract until smooth. If not, you'll need to use a bit of man power and beat it all by hand or with an electric hand-whisk. I added milk to the ingredients, as I found it created a smoother mixture to work with and resulted in a crumblier biscuit. Don't saturate the mixture at once though, put the milk in slowly while mixing for the best result.


Then you'll need to spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle, before piping circles (where you previously marked) onto the baking paper. Top tip time! To keep the baking paper from moving, pipe a small amount of the mixture between the baking tray and paper to act as a glue. You'll then need to pop the biscuits in the oven for 12-15 minutes until they are pale golden brown and firm.


While the biscuits are cooling you can begin to make the filling. Put the butter into a bowl and sift the icing sugar on top. Add the vanilla extract and beat with a wooden spoon or a hand-held whisk until very light and smooth. In a separate bowl, pour in as much jam as you want and stir to make a smooth consistency.

Once the biscuits are completely cool, spoon the jam onto the flat side of half the biscuits, and spread the cream onto the flat side of the remaining biscuits. Then sandwich them together, and voila! Sprinkle them with icing sugar if you want to be extra fancy, and then consume with a cup of tea. Try not to eat them all at once, no matter how tempting it is!

I hope you have a tasty Sunday Bake soon!

Aimée
Xxxx
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September Favourites.

4 Oct 2013


Starting with a cliché I know. But, how fast is this year going!?! I can't believe its already October! I have to say I am surprisingly really enjoying the slightly chilly weather now though. Jumpers are happily being used again and the excuse for copious amounts of tea is valid. Yay Autumn! So without further ado, here are the products I've most enjoyed using in September.

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturiser:
If you read my Skincare Haul post (here) on Monday you'll know that I already love this! It makes my morning routine so quick without feeling like I've neglected my skin. A winner in my eyes, and the price is pocket friendly too. :)

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Balm in Red Sunrise:
I absolutely love all of the Chubby Stick style dupes that have hit the beauty market, and the Bourjois collection is possibly becoming my favourite. I love this shade, and how moisturising it is on the lips. Its really comfortable to wear, and lasts a good few hours too. It leaves a really subtle stain on the lips as well, so you don't have that awkward half on/half off lipstick remains moment.

L'Oréal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution:
I won't rave about this too much as I wrote a lengthy post comparing Micellar Waters recently. You can have a look here, but suffice to say I seriously love using this! I already have two more bottles in my cupboard ready and waiting for when I run out!

Toni & Guy Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray:
I've always been a fan of sea salt sprays, but the Toni&Guy spray is a recent addition to my hair care. So far I'm totally loving it, it gives a really nice beachy wave without making my hair crispy. It also holds really well throughout the day which I love. The packaging is also really pretty as I have a limited edition version designed by Lulu Kennedy.

Nars Eyeshadow Duo in Isolde:
I've loved this duo since I reviewed it way back in April (here), and I'm still loving it now. The two shades are so beautiful, and as expected from Nars are seriously pigmented. Currently I love pairing the lighter shade (Frosted Ginger) with a deeper brown (Sandstone from the Stila In the Light palette looks lovely) for an everyday look.

Revlon Colourstay Liquid Eye Pen:
This eyeliner hasn't been out of my make-up bag once this month. I love the felt-tip pen style applicator. Its so easy to use, and glides on really well. It has some serious staying power as well. Its really easy to create different looks too, either a thin subtle line or a large dramatic flick.

Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter:
Soap & Glory are always a favourite in my bathroom cabinet, and this addition is no exception. This is meant to almost be a moisturiser and shower gel in one. The consistency is really creamy, and as much as I feel ridiculous saying it, it does feel 'luxurious' on your skin. It smells gorgeous, as all Soap and Glory products do and leaves my skin feeling really smooth.

So there we have it, my favourites of the month! :) What've you been loving?

Aimée
Xxxx
read more " September Favourites. "