BOO BOO ZAP

Hey guys. *It's nearly Christmas!* :)

Anyway... being one of those lucky individuals to have the absolute pleasure of troubled skin *joke*, I'm always in the market for a new 'kick-ass' remedy! To be honest I never imagined to have "teenage skin" at 23 but as it goes I do.

So, around this time last year I was doing a bit of shopping and couldn't help but check out the Benefit counter. Along with purchasing a crease-less creme eye shadow, I picked up one of their mini magazines showing off their products and inside I saw BOO BOO ZAP with a 'coming soon' beside it.

After reading on and discovering it was a spot fighting treatment I was immediately interested, especially as I've always been impressed with my Benefit purchases. Once released (early 2012 I believe) I went to check it out, but was a little disappointed with the size of the tube!

Containing just 7.4ml and with a £13.50 price tag I was a little unsure that it would be worth the money. However, as anyone suffering with acne or spots might know, desperate times call for desperate measures and I decided to purchase the tiny little tube anyway.

...And boy am I glad I did!

Not only did the treatment help tackle my delightful spots but it actually lasted me almost a full year. In fact it just ran out yesterday, which is what reminded me to review this little beauty.

I saw that on the Boots site it's called Benefit BOO BOO Zap Blemish Gel, Gel being the arguable word. I wouldn't say that the product's consistency is gel-like in any way, in fact it is more akin to water. This is one of the reasons that I find the treatment so easy to work with. It doesn't leave any noticeable finish on your skin, which means you can easily apply it under make-up without any ill effects. 

There is definitely a fairly strong smell to the formula which I feel resembles alcohol. Personally I like it but I guess it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea! It actually reminds me of an alcoholic based solution that the doctor prescribed me for my skin issues many years ago...but with a slightly sweeter scent. 

As for the 'spot-fighting', I definitely notice a difference when I've used the product over the course of a couple of days. It is very fast acting in drying spots up and reducing their size quickly. It also claims to prevent new ones from forming and I would probably agree with this. I mostly suffer with blemishes around my chin area and whilst using this over the past few days, (applying religiously at night), I haven't had any new outbreaks and the spots I have are clearing up nicely.

In terms of usage over the past year I would say I've used the product at least every week, often applying generous amounts of it at a time. I've had phases of trying other stuff but generally I've always come back to using this, as it is so easy to use. The substance is clear and quick drying which means that if I apply it at night before bed, nothing is transferred to my pillow.

I am shocked at how long the tiny little tube has lasted me and also at the quick results BOO BOO ZAP achieves. I'm definitely going to repurchase this product within the next few days!

It's my birthday...

...and I'll haul if I want to :)

Hi. So today I turned the grand old age of 23 and I thought I'd show you some of the lovely gifts I received. Alternatively you can check out my YouTube birthday haul: http://youtu.be/Eto49RnVu6Y  

As always I've been truly surprised by the brill presents from some great friends and family!

I'm definitely one of those people that open their cards first and save their presents til last. However, one card held an extra special surprise this year...

A ticket to see DIRTY DANCING THE MUSICAL!!! Yes, my bestest friend of all time A.K.A Gina was lovely enough to buy me one of these. She really does know me well as Dirty Dancing is my favourite film. It's a classic! A big thank you to the kindest person I know!

The second lovely gift I got was from my university housemates. I didn't technically receive this present today as I had to get it early before we left for the Christmas holidays, but when I did I was pleasantly surprised  :) I've had my eye on one of these Thomas Sabo pearl bracelets for a long time but I didn't think they knew about it! Going to pick out a charm for it soon :P The TS bag also contained a beautiful TS 2013 diary!

My first Dior product and I am excited! I couldn't help splurging some of my birthday money on this little beauty. I've heard a lot about this Lash Plumping Serum and I'm looking forward to trying it out. Stayed tuned for a review some time soon!

Topshop leather look leggings/ trousers. Apoplogies for the small picture but you get the gist! I love these! They are fitted and super soft, plus leather is a big thing this season.

New Look studded ankle boots. Realising that I had no 'dressy' footwear to wear with the leather trousers I went on a little shopping trip and spent some more of my birthday money on these. I liked that the heel was sturdy and not too high so they are practical but they are jazzed up with a bit of 'studdage'. And I'm all about the studs this season!

Last but not least...what girl doesn't want chocs and booze! :) And yep, Strongbow is my favourite...I'm so classy!

So there we have it. I think I've been very lucky girl this year. Shame about the miserable wet weather today though!

Max Factor Flipsticks...

Hello!
Now I'm pretty sure most of you will have seen the popular Max Factor advert on television at some point, showing off the Colour Effect Flipstick...it certainly got some airtime! The shade 'Gypsy Red' caught my attention in particular. I loved the idea of adding a touch of gold on top of a vibrant red colour! And quite frankly, the model made it look beautiful. Max Factor brought out 6 shades in total and I have 3 of them to show you in more detail.

Top: 15 Boreal Mauve
Middle: 30 Gypsy Red
Bottom: 10 Folky Pink

The first thing I noticed about these lipsticks or 'flipsticks' rather, is their delicious smell. They don't have any particular scent I wouldn't say but they are just generally nice smelling lipsticks! Which if you ask me, is a bonus :) 

They have a very creamy texture which makes applying them easy and gives your lips a nourishing feel. However, I did find the 'Gypsy Red' shade to be a little different to the others in that you can indeed feel the glitter within its formula. This unfortunately gives this one a rather grainy feeling and it doesn't feel as moisturizing as perhaps the other two.

The lipsticks all have two shades, with the idea being that the darker colour is worn underneath the lighter shade. Alternatively you could simply wear the two shades individually, however I feel it's the combination of the two that gives it that extra 'appeal' factor. 

Gypsy Red, Boreal Mauve, Folky Pink

If you're a fan of sparkly orangey-red lipstick and don't mind the feel of glitter on your lips then I'd say pick up the flipstick in 'Gypsy Red'. The effect of overlapping the colours gives a really nice look and the colour is fairly long-lasting. 

The shades in 'Boreal Mauve' worn individually are really pretty, yet I wouldn't say wearing the two together give any standout results. I think the colours are a little too similar to make any stark contrasts but I guess applying them both will make the lipstick last for longer. If pretty in pink is your thing then give this one a go!

As for 'Folky Pink', this is my favourite. The berry shade is all in this season and the pigmentation of this colour is brill! It gives a long lasting stain to your lips and applying a little of the goldy-silver shade on top gives it that extra shine!

All in all, I think Max Factor did a good job with these! They retail from the likes of Boots for £8.49 each.

The weigh-in & motivation!

Hello. Hope you are all having a productive week so far! :)

As I mentioned in previous posts, over the past few weeks I've somewhat fallen off the wagon so to speak (no I'm not an alcoholic, but rather the healthy lifestyle wagon!) So when I took to the scales for the first time since reaching my Weight Watcher's goal weight, way back on the 28th October, I was bracing myself for the results!

However, the nail-biting experience was only further prolonged when it showed my weight in KG. No clue haha. Call me old fashioned but I much prefer the trusty stones and lbs!

So, after eagerly fiddling around with my iPhone and doing a good old Google search, I found my results...

Shocked face, for effect ;)

Amazingly, I'd not only managed not to gain any weight but had also lost a further 3lbs! RESULT. I couldn't believe it as I was convinced I'd put on...literally gobsmacked haha.

Knowing how much crap I've eaten of late as well as the decline in exercise I've come to one possible explanation. Which is, if during the 6 weeks of teaching practice the pure 'hectic-ness' and stresses took a bigger toll on me than I had realised and I in fact lost more weight in that time. Meaning that over the past few weeks I have gained weight but obviously my starting point was considerably lower than I thought?! Who knows? Your guess is as good as mine...

But anyhow, the main thing is happy times as I haven't ruined any of my hard work. Hooray! :P Also maybe a good message can come from this. Maybe it is OK to let your hair down and go all out every once in a while...have a couple of 'big nights' or stay in with takeaways, if you're dead on your feet cut your gym session and go the next night or swap to a less strenuous activity...Don't deprive yourself of treats ALL of the time because that isn't healthy either. 

The key is to find something that works for you and stick to it the best you can. We all have slip-ups and days where we want to give in but think about how far you've come. Remember the time when you couldn't walk up the stairs without the breathless feeling or when you'd stuff yourself to the point of feeling physically sick and wondering was it even worth it?! 

If you're just starting out then well done, you're taking the first step to becoming the person you imagine yourself to be. You'll never feel any better about yourself if you don't do something about it. Only you can make it happen. So, congratulations in mustering up the determination to start something...and when you've finished it and reached many of your goals you'll have all the more reason to celebrate! :)

Stay strong!

Multi-tasking!

Hello :)

Right so today's the day where I find out the damage...as in potential weight gain from my overindulgence's over the last couple of weeks! If you read my last post you'll know what I mean. Apprehensive is an understatement!

But, what's done is done...and I am starting back my much loved fitness classes today. Yay!

Now, you may be wondering what the reason is behind the title...Well, as well as continuing with Youtube (ellie1989), and writing fitness related posts, I've started up a beauty blog!

If you ever saw this blog before I re-vamped it into a fitness one, you'll know that it was once meant for beauty. However, I never really got into it and my passion for exercise overtook it. But since then I've had a constant itch to start up a beauty blog again...so I bit the bullet the other day and started afresh.

So, if you fancy a gander... www.waterprooflashes.blogspot.com   ;)

Anyway, I shall be back to report my findings later. Hoping the scales will be kind! EEK! Wish me luck & stay strong.

Remember a healthy lifestyle is a work in progress. Everyone can have weak moments and eat too much or skip that workout, but so long as you don't do this everyday then you're halfway there! 

A 'beauty-full' christmas gift guide :)

So it's not long to go until Santa comes down our chimneys, eats our mince pies and drinks up our milk! :) But if you're anything like me then you'll have left all of your Christmas shopping to the last minute! Well...don't worry cause I'm here to help you out!

As you can guess from the title, this gift guide is going to have beauty written all over it! I've picked out 9 things that I believe would put a smile on any beauty lover's face, if they came across any of them under their tree on Christmas day. 

I've tried to ensure that there's a range of different things along with covering different price tags so everyone can either afford something on the list or keep to their agreed present budgets.

I'll list the items in ascending price order :)

1. Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic - Lush- £3.25

I think one of these would make a lovely little gift. Not only is it gift-shaped, but it smells delicious and makes bath times much more exciting. As the picture suggests it has a fruity clementine scent and the outside is covered in finely milled glitter. However, the inside of the bath bomb is where the magic happens...I won't spoil the surprise but let's just say lots of colours, crackling and stars! :)

2. Bubblebeard Bubble Bar- Lush- £4.95

Can I just say how cute are these?! Yes, another Lush product but this time to make BUBBLES! These have a nice neutral scent with cedarwood, sandalwood and tonka and the fact they are in mustache form is novel indeed! Who wouldn't enjoy swishing them around their bath tub?! 

3. Balmi SPF 15 Coconut Lip Balm- Boots- £4.99

This cute little ball of balm is a lovely little stocking filler! Not a fan of coconut? Don't worry, they also come  in raspberry, strawberry and mint flavours too...yum!

4. Soap & Glory's Hand Food 125ml- Boots- £5  

Love this stuff! Not only does it ooze the classic Soap & Glory scent but it literally gives your hands the royal treatment. Never will you need have sore, dry hands again with this as a moisturizer. And the name is brilliant imo! There is also a mini version of this (50ml) for £2.50

5. L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick- Boots- £8.19

My current favourite lipstick! Love these, especially the shade Dating Coral! The formulation of this lipstick is amazing...it literally glides on your lips and leaves them feeling ultra soft and nourished. I'm hoping Santa leaves me one of these under my tree!

6. OPI The Bondettes Skyfall Mini Nail Lacquer Collection- John Lewis- £12.95

I like the Skyfall theme along with the fact that they are minis. Not many girls get through full bottles of nail polish before they get icky, so these are the perfect size! OPI always make quality varnishes and I think the 4 shades are perfect for the winter months. 

7. Paper Plane Wash Bag by Disaster Designs- Amazon- £19.95

I received this wash bag last Christmas and thought it was adorable. The cute parcel design is a great idea! Not only does it look good but it is very durable and the material is very good quality. Mine still looks new even though I use it all the time.

8. Lady Gaga: Fame- The Perfume Shop- £24.50-£54.50 (varying ml)

Being a huge Gaga fan I was excited when I heard she had released a perfume. I'm quite fussy with scents and have only recently been able to start wearing fragrances (migraine issues) so I wasn't really expecting to like it. Surprisingly though, I love it! I'd say it is a fairly sweet smelling scent with a light hint of floral and possibly even a fruity essence in there? It's quite hard to describe so I'd say check it out in store. Strangely the fluid is black in colour but becomes clear when sprayed...

9. Urban Decay: Naked Eyeshadow Palette- Debenhams- £36 (£30.60)

I certainly couldn't do a beauty gift guide without including this little gem. I know a lot rave about it but it's because it really is a great eyeshadow collection! I use mine almost every time I do eyeshadow (the naked palette 2 also gets used) and I think it would make a great gift if you're willing to overlook the price tag! However, currently Debenhams are having a 15% off beauty sale (9/12/12) so it's a little more affordable...go grab it quick!

So, there we have it...all 9 equally desirable gifts!...Hope this has helped.

Happy shopping! :)

Thick & Fast Vs. a BADgal?

Hello!

So for my first proper beauty related post I figured I'd start with my number one favourite make-up item...MASCARA. As I said previously, I love how this clever little stick allows all of us to appear luscious lashed!

Today I shall be putting Benefit's BADgal lash mascara into the ring with Soap & Glory's Thick & Fast mascara. Fight!...

I received these two mascaras in a £1 bag for students at a recent fresher's fair, (this event is basically a chance for new students and old students alike to bag a few bargains) and although the BADgal lash mascara is only a miniature I reckon it was a pretty good deal!

The Soap & Glory Thick & Fast retails for £10 (from the likes of Boots), whilst a full size Benefit BADgal lash totals £17.

The first thing I noticed about the two mascaras is how similar their brush heads are, in fact they're almost identical. The brushes are very large and to be honest I found them quite intimidating at first. They are also hair/bristle based and generally I usually lean more towards the plastic brush heads on mascaras. Nevertheless I thought I'd give each of them a good go, afterall...I did get them for £1 so I couldn't really complain!

I've alternated using both of them over the last few weeks but for me one definitely came out on top...

Left: BADgal lash            &           Right: Thick & Fast

So I curled my eyelashes and applied two coats of each mascara. In my opinion the results are quite obvious with Soap & Glory's Thick & Fast mascara not only doing a finer job of separating my lashes but also in giving them more length. The Benefit BADgal mascara's formula was also slightly harder to work with and I had to fight quite hard against clumping.

Soap & Glory's Thick & Fast

I really liked how this mascara applied and I could feel the brush combing through my lashes. As you can see, it did a great job of separating whilst also adding length and volume. I felt like this mascara helped open up my eye, making it appear bigger and giving my lashes better definition.

Benefit's BADgal lash

As for this mascara, given its fairly hefty price tag (£17) and its hard to work with formulation I wouldn't consider purchasing the full sized wand. Whilst I found it a generally OK mascara, I think there are plenty of better alternatives out there, like the Soap & Glory one for instance. I imagine I would have been pretty disappointed if I had bought the mascara.

All in all I would give the Benefit BADgal lash mascara a disappointing 2/5 stars, with the Soap & Glory Thick & Fast mascara appointed 4/5 stars.

However, something that you would have to consider with the Soap & Glory mascara (and the reason for only 4 stars) is that I did notice some lower lash fallout after wearing it all morning, resulting in a low level panda eye situation. But, if you are someone who only likes to apply mascara to your top lashes then this would be a great mascara for you! Alternatively Clinique's Bottom Lash mascara could be a great solution to prevent this!

Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara- Boots: £11

I have my eye on this product! :)