What to buy from Makeup Revolution

Slightly late to the party with this post because I know how everyone has been going a bit crazy for Makeup Revolution products, but for those few who haven't heard of them: Makeup Revolution is a budget brand available online and larger Superdrug stores. They have a massive range of products from hundreds of lipstick and eyeshadow shades to skincare products... I haven't tried a quarter of what they offer but here's what I think of what I have tried...

I'm a massive fan of their eyeshadows, both in palettes and in single 'mono' shadows. The shades in the ones pictured are my idea of perfection; the Ultimate Shimmers palette* is only £4 and has a range of nude and brown shimmers all of which are nicely pigmented and apply with very limited fallout. The single shadows* which I've picked out are in shades 'Base!' and 'Promised Land', they're only £1 each and they come in 45 different shades! Again, they're nicely pigmented and as a duo they work really well to create a neutral eye look. Of course the packaging isn't fancy but it is simple and functional it just lifts up and clips down... what more could you want?

Now onto lip products... the Salvation Intense Lacquer* is amazingly pigmented with a high gloss finish but without the usual stickiness of some lip glosses; I have it in 'A Love Like This' which is a gorgeous classic red shade. They also do a similar lacquer but in a matte finish; I can only assume this is like the Lime Crime Velvetine but at £3 it's obviously a fraction of the price! The Amazing Care Lipstick* is a great product and I can't actually believe it's from a budget brand; the core colour is encased by an argan oil outer so while you're adding a splash of colour you're also comforting your lips with the argan oil. It's not a lipstick that lasts forever on your lips but it's so easy to apply and feels so nice I can live with that; unfortunately they're out of stock on the Makeup Revolution Website at the moment but I'm really hoping they restock soon!

Of course with every brand there are products which aren't as good as others (you can't please everyone with everything, can you?!); the Vivid Blush Lacquer* and The One Foundation* just aren't for me. I don't get on very well with liquid blush products so it came as no surprise when I didn't like the Blush Lacquer; don't get me wrong it's very pigmented and a tiny bit goes a long way but it just slides off my oily skin within less than an hour so it's a bit pointless applying it really. There's not many products that I can't find something good to say about but unfortunately I think The One Foundation takes the crown for the worst high street foundation I've ever tried. It's watery and has a really strange consistency; it says on the bottle that it's for 'everyone' and that it's 'full coverage' and has a 'matte finish'... it isn't any of these, in fact I'd say it's the complete opposite!
Overall though, you could quite easily build a sizeable makeup collection for under £20 with Makeup Revolution; I could spend hours on their website just browsing through everything they have. Yet another brand to dispel the notion that budget means bad quality!

How to Wear a Denim Dress

I genuinely thought I could never make a denim dress work, denim dresses were always something I saw on other people which looked fabulous but I could never see myself in one. I also didn't realise how versatile one could be, it's actually the perfect kind of dress to take you from summer to autumn. Some dresses only work with or without tights and only with a certain type of shoe but this actually works to create a summery look and more of an autumn outfit...

Because it's still August I've styled it really simply with a waist belt and a pair of brown sandals but this would easily work with tights and boots, I'm so looking forward to wearing this in Autumn as well as right now. Can you imagine how nice this will look with a pair of thick black tights, flat boots and a scarf?

This particular denim dress is from Joules* which isn't a brand I would normally consider simply because I associate their clothes with being specifically for country folk and equestrian supplies but I couldn't be more wrong! They have some really lovely pieces and you can tell that they use high quality materials, I reckon this dress is going to be a part of my wardrobe for many years to come!

Denim Dress: Joules £49.95*

Tan Sandals: New Look £7.99

Waist Belt: New Look £1 (in store)

Biore Ultra Deep Cleansing Nose Pore Strips review

If there's one thing we all look for in a skincare product it's visible results; there's all sorts of promises and claims out there but very few products give you instant visible results as soon as you've used it. Ever since I was young I have always struggled with blackheads on my nose (to the point where my husband once pointed them out to a woman on a department store counter and asked what I could do about them... cringe!!). Not only do they look awful, blackheads can make applying makeup a bit of a challenge because without a smooth surface foundation can look cakey and patchy so naturally I've always been on the lookout for products to help reduce their appearance.   Enter Biore Ultra Deep Pore Cleansing Strips*

Biore Ultra Deep Pore Cleansing Strips £7.99
With tea tree oil, menthol and witch hazel, these pore strips are designed to lift away the dirt and grime from your nose which can cause blocked pores and ultimately spots and blackheads. They're so simple to use and unlike face masks they don't create any mess at all. 
You cleanse your face throughly and wet your nose (making sure it's properly wet as the strip won't stick to dry skin), stick the strip down making sure it doesn't have any creases and then you leave it for 10 minutes to dry and work its magic.
It dries like papier-mache and feels tight a bit like a face mask does, but you don't have to rinse it off or anything like that, you just peel it off starting at the edges (this can get a little eye watering I must admit) and all the dirt is taken with it. It's the most satisfying feeling ever, and then when you look at the strip you can see what it's pulled out (gross, but amazing). Providing it has all stuck down properly you will see that it has pulled out blackheads and left you with a smooth nose. 
I'm not saying this is a long term fix for blackheads because I genuinely don't think there's anything that will stop them from appearing on my nose but these pore strips do make them a lot more manageable. 

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Heat Protection Spray

For so long I couldn't weigh up why my hair was becoming frizzy and dry, I always use conditioner and I use an intense mask regularly... it never even dawned on me that it's all the heat I use on it that could be causing the problem! When I first started using straighteners I always used heat protection no matter what and I completely forgot how it helps when you dry/straighten your hair.

I got a bottle of Elnett Satin Heat Protecting Styling Spray when I was last in Superdrug; there was no particular reason as to why I chose this over others, it just kind of caught my eye I guess. It's supposed to provide heat protection up to 230 degrees and it is said to help 'lock out' frizz and flyways... oh and keep your hair straight for 3 days *raises eyebrow*
The trigger spray makes it really easy to spray onto your hair and it doesn't make it excessively wet (no sizzling when you straighten!), it smells great and does seem to make straightening my hair a little easier. It does make my hair look less frizzy and the finished straightened look is definitely a lot more sleek than it was before I started using this. The 3 day straight thing however is completely untrue, well at least it is for my hair! I was ranting about false claims yesterday so I won't go into it today.
Overall though, I do really like this and I would repurchase it.