Volumizing Mascara: Flawless by Sonya

Hey. So I was in the market for a new daily mascara. My Maybelline Falsh Lash Effect one was almost empty and I decided that after months of sticking to the same one I would try a new one!

As some of you might be aware I've started a new venture and decided I'd give my own product a go! As you can see from the photo, the Volumizing Mascara from the Flawless by Sonya range gave me great results.

On first application I was really impressed with the non-clumping formula and how easy it applied. When I saw the brush I wasn't sure I would get on with it as I'm usually a plastic wand type girl rather than the bristled brush. However it did a great job at separating my lashes!

One important thing to mention here is that, like all the products I sell, it's completely organic and natural ingredients so no hidden nasty chemicals in there!

At £20.54 it falls into the high-end makeup sector but based on its great formula and its easy application I would definitely look into repurchasing. I also love the packaging. Very sleek and understated. 

You can purchase the Volumizing Mascara here. 

*Please note: All the products come with a 60-day money back guarantee, so if you were unimpressed with your purchase then you can get a full refund. 

x

NOTD: Shellac nails

Hi! Just thought I'd share my new nails with you all. I get gel overlays every 3-4 weeks and always swap the colour. Today I went for a nice autumny plum shade in a special nail varnish called shellac. With this type of varnish a UV light is used to set the formula. They come out lovely and shiny and they are instantly dry. It also doesn't chip like regular polish. 

I had the same polish applied to my toes. I love the shellac because as I say it lasts ages. The last time I changed my toes was 6 weeks ago and the shellac I had before was still perfect apart from the nail growth! :)

Gel overlays, shellac nails and shellac toenails cost me £50 altogether. Not cheap exactly but they are so worth it! I'd recommend this polish to anyone. 

X

Invisalign braces #1

Hey! So, I thought I'd share with you my experience of Invisalign braces by doing a series of blog posts following my journey from the start. At the moment that is pretty much where I am. The start.

What are they?
Well if you haven't come across them before they are a special type of brace that aims to correct the teeth to give a better smile I suppose! Unlike typical train-track style braces they do this using a clear plastic-y material that clips over your teeth.

Why do I want them?
Quite honestly from around 15 I have hated the way my teeth look, especially when they are flipped by a camera! I'm sure if you watch my YouTube videos you will certainly see my point here. They aren't great by any means. I would simply like to make my smile more symmetrical and actually show my teeth when it comes to smiling for a photo rather than hiding them away!

How much do they cost?
I have found a fairly local dentist that is Invisalign qualified, working within an Oasis practice. I think the cost of the braces are pretty much a standard price anywhere though and mine are costing roughly £3250. I know, a lot of money!

So what has happened so far?
The free 15 minute consultation
A month back I went along to my first appointment to discuss with the dentist why I wanted Invisalign braces. This visit also allowed him to check my teeth to see if I was eligible for the braces as not everyone is an appropriate candidate for Invisalign. Luckily he felt I was and I booked my next appointment.

X-rays and moulds
So yesterday I went back to the dentist unsure of what to expect. He started by taking a series of photos of my teeth and face. He then told me he was going to take a mould of both sets of teeth. This wasn't great and made me want to gag but I persevered!

Next up were the X-rays. I've never had my teeth X-rayed before and I didn't enjoy it! The cards they insert into your mouth are quite sharp and uncomfortable. Some of them hurt a little! Apparently I have a small mouth. Haha.

Finally he said he needed to check my teeth for any work that needs to be done before the braces. He said that any cavities that might normally only need to be watched would need doing straight away as the braces would cause them to worsen quickly. He told me that I needed 2 small fillings and then I asked for one of my grey fillings to be replaced with a white one. So all in all my next appointment is going to be very fun and costly!

The visit yesterday cost me £69. Ouch... But it WILL be worth it...

...For this... :D

Anyone had these braces before? Look out for my next blog post!

x

Estée Lauder's Matte Perfecting Primer

I have been wanting to blog about this little beauty for a while now. I use the product daily and have repurchased it several times over the year. I love it!

In my usual routine I will apply my moisturiser before applying this primer. I find it helps to mattify (if that's a word?) and evens out the skin very well. I will then apply my foundation, BB cream or tinted moisturiser. 

On occasions when I'm having a particularly good skin day I will apply the primer to even out my face and then leave it at that! 

I like the consistency of the product and how easily it sinks into the skin. It takes away the shine on your skin but without making your face look dry. It gives a nice natural look. 

It retails for £23.50 at Debenhams, so it's not cheap but a tube lasts a good month if used daily. They also have the option of an Illuminating Perfecting Primer, which I'm guessing would be good for drier or more mature skin. 

Has anyone else used this primer?

X

What a weekend!

Hey. So my weekend started amazingly well on Friday evening, with the opening night of my musical! The show was 'Sunshine on Leith' and I played one of the cleaners. I had such a fantastic time on stage and loved having the opportunity to wear a head mic! :) My parents also came to watch so I was happy they got to see what I had been rehearsing for, for pretty much the whole summer hols!

Life was good and we got a late night chippy after the show. I was starving!

Then things took a turn for the worse....

Before going to bed at 12:20pm I decided to wash out my protein shake flask ready for breakfast the next day. I was tired from a long day teaching at school and then of course performing so it wasn't the best idea ever! Stupidly I poured boiling water into the plastic flask and added a Steradent cleaning tablet. As soon as I put the lid on it exploded. It went off like a bottle of champagne and went everywhere! It made me jump and I screamed. I knew the boiling water had gone on my hand so I quickly put it in cold water but I wasn't aware of any damage...until the pain started!

The seering burning pain I got when I took my hand from the water made me realise I'd hurt myself. As I started to examine my hand further I started to panic a bit as I realised the burns were much more serious than I'd ever had before. My skin had gone white in places and had almost dented in with wrinkles of skin.

After having my hand in water for a while I rang 111 to see what they'd advise. Immediately they told me to go to A&E but I resisted this idea as I couldn't drive and had no one to take me at now about 1am! However I quickly realised that the pain was unbearable and I followed their advice and wrapped my hand in cling film. In agony I rang a taxi and arrived at A&E at around 1:40am.

The cling film really helped to take away the pain- the 2x ibuprofen and 2x paracetamol did nothing previously. And then I waited...and waited...and nodded...and waited...until finally at about 5am I finally got seen!

Having taken off the cling film it was clear that blisters had now formed and I was told I had superficial second degree burns. The doctor told me to leave it uncovered for the night but to dress it to protect it later in the day.

Awkwardly there are burns situated between my two fingers (the blistered ones), which means I can't separate them! And with it being my right hand, and I'm a very right-handed person, it makes life very hard! 

My hand now looks like this and although I managed to do my final show last night, everyday things are impossible! I can't write, I can't tie up my own hair, can't wash my hair or get my hand wet so my mum has that lovely job later! I'm unsure whether I can drive (testing this theory out shortly). I don't know how I'm going to do my job tomorrow if I can't fasten my own coat, let alone a child's!? So yes, I've well and truly messed things up for myself haven't I!

Note to self: Do not put boiling water into plastic containers, especially with lids!!! *IDIOT!*

Hope you're having a more successful weekend than me?!

x

My new business venture!

Hi everyone! So I've not mentioned anything about my new business venture until now. I figured I'd see how it goes for a bit before I announce it! However I'm really passionate about it and my products, and it's going well so I thought now was the time to tell you all! :)

So what is it? ...It's called Forever Living (you may have heard of it?) and it's in the health and nutrition sector, although it can wear many hats as the products also involve beauty, cosmetics, animal care and more!

Why do it? There's so many reasons people opt to join the business and I won't go into them all but for me I'm doing it primarily for a second income. Having now used the products, I've also fallen in love with the business and I'm my own best customer as it were! 

Like I say, there are tons of products and I'm yet to meet a person who doesn't want to try at least one of them. There really is something to appeal to everyone.

You can check out my online store here if you'd like to have a browse and can buy directly from there too. However I will quickly show you my top 5 products I've been enjoying recently. 

1. The Clean9 cleanse pack. You may have seen my recent posts about this detox and it's all thanks to this pack- vanilla or chocolate. If you'd like to hear what the plan entails then please read my posts (found under the #clean9 header or watch my youtube video for a day-to-day account). I cannot tell you how worthwhile I found doing this was. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

2. The Heat Lotion. I'd never used a product like this before but for those of you that are familiar with deep heat then it's used for a similar purpose but does a much better job! This is great for relaxing those tensions. Particularly effective after a stressful day at work. I like to apply some onto my shoulders and I feel the stress melt away! Also HEADACHE RELIEF! It's amazing at getting rid of tension headaches. I apply a tiny bit to my temples and TA DAH! It's like magic! Cannot live without it now.

3. The Forever Lite Ultra (Vanilla) (Chocolate available). Think of this as a milkshake. I began drinking this whilst on the Clean9 Detox and I enjoyed it that much that I've continued having it! I use this as a meal replacement. 300ml of soya milk and a scoop of this and I have breakfast on the go! I'm not a fan of lots of food in the morning and often run out of time so this is perfect for me and it's really filling! It's also great to take before or after workouts!

4. The Aloe Drinking Gels. The first one (yellow) is the Aloe Vera Gel. This is basically full of goodness and helps promote a healthy immune system and give your body the nutrients it craves. I shot 45ml of this every morning. It's not known for its pleasant taste though so I find holding the nose works a treat! It also features heavily in the Clean9 Detox...you get used to it though!

The second drinking gel is the Aloe Berry Nectar. This works similarly to the Aloe Vera Gel but has a blend of apple and cranberry making it sweeter and generally a bit nicer tasting! It is also recommended for people who suffer with urinary tract infections. Again I've been 'shotting' about 45ml in the morning. 

5. It was really hard to stop at just 5 products as there's so many more I love...but this one most definitely had to feature! It's the Aloe Deodorant Stick. Up until recently I used the typical spray deodrants: Dove, Sure etc and whilst I thought they were doing a good job I would still get BO when sweating, especially after heavy workouts. But not anymore! I've been using this for a good few weeks now and I no longer get BO. Full stop. Yes I still sweat, but there's no smelly odor attached. This deodorant allows your pores to breathe without clogging them, hence goodbye nasty smells. Honestly, if nothing else I'd say give this a try!

PLEASE NOTE: All of the Forever products come with a 60-day-money-back-guarantee! So, if you aren't impressed you can get a refund within 60 days of your purchase!

I'm really excited about my business! Wish me luck ;) && please visit my business page https://www.facebook.com/elliesforever

Thanks!

x

Bank Holiday Haul!

Hey guys. So this post is a little later than I had planned but better late than never right?! So, last Bank Holiday (25th August I believe) I took advantage of the rare moment that I actually had free time and hit the shops.

First on my agenda was Topshop. I love their clothes and in particular their jeans or jeggings. 

Whilst browsing the store I came across these black and white patterned leggings. I liked the detail in the design and I thought the zip at the back was a nice addition. In the changing room they fit really nicely and were super soft and comfortable. I am all about comfort and this sold them to me. They cost £28. I've since worn them and they look great teamed with a plain white or black top and leather jacket.

Also from Topshop, I bought these skinny cut ripped style jeans. They were the usual Topshop 'jean price' at £40 and they are again so soft and comfy! I hadn't got any jeans in this shade of denim and the ripped detailing seems to be all the fashion at the moment! :) One thing I will say is Topshop jeans always wash really well and last for a long time.

I then decided to head over to River Island. Whilst browsing I noticed these black trousers. Always on the look out for some good 'school' trousers I thought I'd give them a try on. I sometimes struggle to get formal trousers to fit me, hence I opt for leggings quite often. A lot of the time they're simply too big around my waist and they do that horrible gaping thing at the back. However I found the size 8 fit perfectly and I loved how nice the material felt (sensing a pattern here when it comes to soft and comfortable clothes ey?!) They were £30 which I didn't think was too bad. I wore them one day last week for school and I have a feeling I'll be going back to buy another pair as they wash well and they actually fit me! Love them. Oh, and I like the little RI detailing.

Last but not least, I had a little wander in Primark. I only picked up this one top, not because I didn't find anything else I liked but because I forgot the store was closing early and I ran out of time! I literally got to the till about 10 minutes before it shut! Anyway, I picked out this summery top in the hope that we still get a bit of sun in September! I think it was either £4 or £6 and it was a nice top to wear for school last week...quite 'teachery'! 

So there we go, my mini haul for you! 

Have you bought anything nice recently?!

x

Body Shop's Raspberry Eau De Toilette

Hey. Just a quick post to share with you my new find. It's the Body Shop Raspberry Eau De Toilette spray. 

Now I have to tell you I'm in no way a massive fan of fragrances and perfumes. In fact I have to be careful with scents as many tend to cause me headaches. However I do enjoy fruity smells such as DKNY apple perfumes.

When my friend Fay took me into a Body Shop store recently, I honestly wasn't expecting to be leaving the shop with a bottle of the above product! As I say, fragrances aren't something I tend to shop for but I simply could not resist the raspberry spray! The Eau De Toilette is so lovely with quite a sweet scent whilst also having a sharp/sour kick to it meaning it doesn't get sickly.

I love this and at £8 a bottle for 30ml I don't feel it'll break the bank. Also the size of the bottle is just perfect for your handbag. I take mine with me everywhere, even on nights out when I feel I want to freshen up a little!

If you like raspberry, then I'd say go and check this out in store. I don't think you'll be disappointed! :)