I'm leaving on a jet plane

Yes girlies, I am escaping the cold and snow of Scotland for a week. I am leaving early tomorrow (friday) morning, to go to Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. Yes, of killer shark fame. Don't worry, i'll not be going anywhere near the sea, much to my disappointment, as I was looking forward to doing some snorkelling and seeing some pretty fishes like this-

I took that photo diving in Thailand, during my 14 months of travelling a few years back. I have an underwater housing for my normal digital camera, which means I can use it 30 metres under the sea. Unfortunately due to the recent tragic events in Sharm, it will be staying at home.

I still plan to have a great time, its my first proper holiday with my boyfriend (bar a few days in Paris), my first time going all inclusive, and my first time in Egypt. We are hoping to go quad biking and camel riding, and i'm sure we will find many more things to do.

I did intend to have some scheduled posts for you, but things have been hectic recently, and I am currently doing an all nighter to finish uni work. So, i'll be back in a week, and promise to do some posts then.

I think i'll need a whole day when I get back to catch up with reading all of your blogs!

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My hair care routine

It has taken me a good while to find a hair care routine that I am happy with, so I thought I would share it with you. I have blonde highlighted hair, which is fairly light, as you can see-

I get my hair done at a salon about every 8 weeks or so, which is as often as I can afford! It is still a big expense for a student, but having nice blonde hair makes me happy, so why not? As with most bottle blondes, I am on a constant quest to keep my hair in good condition, as regular dyeing can dry it out alot. I also want to try and keep it as blonde as possible, and avoid any brassiness. I have recently used a good treatment for that, but thats for another post, this is just my normal routine.

First up, shampoo. I have tried all sorts of blonde shampoos, and usually find I prefer the slightly more expensive ranges from Boots or Superdrug, such as John Frieda or Toni and Guy. I have used cheaper brands in the past, but find that these ranges just keep my hair in a better condition. The shampoo and conditioner I have been using for the last wee while is the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Tone refreshing range. These products are bright purple, and claim to renew salon-fresh blonde tones, and neutralise brassiness. I have been impressed with the results, they don't make your hair instantly blonder or anything, but they do seem to keep it brighter. I also find that the specialist blonde conditioners work really well, as they are very moisturising. These products normally retail for around £5.50, depending where you go, but as always, I wait till there is an offer on, which is often 2 for £7, or 3 for 2 on haircare. I just buy them when I see an offer, and pop them away till I need them. Oh, and I usually wash my hair every 2nd day, is this about normal?

After washing and lightly towel drying my hair, I use either Avon Lotus Shield (see my review here), or Toni and Guy glosser for all blondes. In fact, I often use both, but usually only use the lotus shield every 2nd wash or so. I apply the products through all of my hair, then use the wide tooth comb by Toni and Guy to part and comb through my hair. I find this best as it does not pull or snag my hair. I do quite fancy a Tangle Teezer, which is supposed to be ok on wet hair. Lets hope Santa is feeling generous and brings me a pink one!

The Toni and Guy glosser is a nice product, which adds a tiny amount of subtle shimmer to your hair, while moisturising and smoothing it. If my hair still feels a bit dry and tuggy after washing, this product is great. This normally costs £6.49, but of course, I wait for the 3 for 2 offers.

I then blow dry my hair, usually fairly quickly, and often my hair drys straight enough to be left as it is. I do use straighteners sometimes, like when I am going out or have an occasion, but I don't like using them too much. This may all change though, as I have asked Mama Pom for some Cloud Nine straighteners for my birthday which is a week tomorrow. Anyway, once my hair is dry, and maybe straightened, I apply a tiny amount of Toni and Guy funky gum, to give a bit of texture, and hold my fringe a bit. I then spray it with Cheryl Cole Elnett hair spray. I assume this is the same as the normal type, but Cheryl usually has awesome hair, so why not? The funky gum is £6.99 for a large tub, or £1.95 for a mini. I use so little, a mini would probably be fine for me. The hairspray is £2.15-£5.89, depending which size you get.

Lastly, if I want a couple more products from the Toni and Guy blonde range. The instant calmer and straightener works in a similar way to the glosser, but apparently calms frizz and reduces split ends. This costs £6.99. If I want my hair to look extra shiny, I use the shimmer mist. I would use this instead of hair spray, as it gives texture and hold. This is £6.99 too.

If you fancy trying some different hair products from ranges such as John Frieda or Toni and Guy, now is an ideal time. Boots have lots of gift sets which can contain mini or full size products. Even better, everything in the Boots Christmas shop is usually reduced by 50% on boxing day, so you can get some really good haircare bargains. Thats where my funky gum came from!

I hope you enjoyed this little insight into my hair routine, and please do let me know of any tips or product recommendations you have.

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Lucky me!

Wow, I have had such a run of luck with giveaways recently. I have been lucky enough to win 6, yes six, in the last 3 months. I am truly grateful for all my prizes, and thought I would blog about each one, to show you the lovely things I won, and thank the bloggers that held the giveaways.

First up, I won Who is she?'s 50 followers giveaway, way back in September. As you can see, this great blog has gained a fair few followers since then.  Ray has such a good sense of humour, and this really comes across in her blog. Her weekly run downs of the clothes on x factor actually have me laughing out loud. Her blog is very varied, with make up and beauty reviews, fashion picks and advice, and she even gets her best friend JEM involved.

Lets have a look at the goodies!

Everything came in this hard sided soap and glory bag-

Which I opened to reveal-

Wow, have you ever seen so many things in a giveaway? I was completely amazed at how many things Ray had sent me.

Here we have all the body and hair products, which I have been enjoying using. I am definitely taking the Hawaiian Tropic after sun body butter on holiday, as it smells amazing. I have yet to brave using the St Moriz, as I am a total fake tan newbie, and am a bit terrified of turning orange. I will no doubt post to let you know how I get on.

Here are all the make up and nail products. You may have worked out already that I love Models Own, so was very excited to see this polish,  which I think is Peach Sherbert, but I can't actually check, as I am having a bit of a room drama just now, due to extreme Ikea furniture purchasing and snow caused roof leaking. The outcome being, I can't get to my nail polish stash at the moment, horrific, I know.

Here is a closer look at the eyeshadows, which are from that legend of stores, Primark. They are nicely pigmented, and both shades suit me well.

This piece of genius is also from Primark Beauty. It is called Eye can't go wrong, and is a mascara on one end, and has this handy corrector pen on the other end. This can clean up any mascara mishaps, which is ideal for a cackhanded person like me.

It didn't end there, there was also this chunky bracelet and flower ring. I was well and truly spoilt.

Last up, here is a look at the Soap and Glory bag, which is going to be great for holidays and weekends away, as it holds loads.

So, again I would like to thank Ray for these amazing prizes, and urge you to follow her blog- Who is she?.

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Christmas Sparkles- Models Own Mystic Mauve

I don't know about you, but as soon as December hits, and the countdown to Christmas begins, so does my obsession with glitter and sparkles! Its not something I wear to much usually, but come this time of year, I am all about the glitter make up, nails, and even clothes. So, I thought I would start a wee series to share some of my favourite Christmas sparkles.

First up, is a nail polish, which is not glittery, but shimmery, and slightly sparkly. It is Mystic Mauve by Models own.

It is a lilac mauve colour, with a silvery shimmer. In some lights it can look like it is just a silver.

As you can see, its very shiny, and perfect for some subtle Christmas sparkles. I found myself mesmorised by this colour, it is just so pretty on, I could stare at it all day. This will not help my dissertation, so good job I have removed it now.

Application of this polish was very easy, something I have found with all the Models Own polishes I have tried. It applies smoothly, and I could have probably got away with one coat, but I applied two, just to be sure. Models Own polishes usually cost £5,  but of course I got this in a 3 for 2 offer. I didn't apply a top coat, and the polish lasted about 3 days before chipping. However, this didn't stop me! To cheer it up and give it a few more days life, I added a coat of Barry M's Nail effects.

I think nail effects worked really well with this polish, and meant I got a few more days wear.

What are your Christmas polish recommendations?

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New Shoes

I have been wanting a nice pair of brogues for ages, and I finally found a pair that I liked, and could afford.

So, when I spied these babies in River Island I was pretty happy. I wanted a black pair, as they will go with most of my clothes, and I'm boring like that!

I like that these are not too clumpy, like some of the brogues I have seen, that just remind me of shoes my Dad used to wear. I do prefer to buy shoes that are leather, and these aren't, but for something like this which is a bit of a seasonal trend, its no big deal.

I'm not entirely convinced about the tab detail on the back, its a bit like a trainer I think!

I do like the inside though. These cost £26.99, so not too bad! However, I wore them today, and they killed my feet. I am partly to blame for this, as I bought them knowing they were tight, as they should slacken off, and I don't want them ending up really loose. I was also wearing them with socks, to keep my wee toes warm.

Have you bought into the Brogue trend?

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Another Bargain Haul.

As you have probably realised by now, or if you are a new follower, will come to realise, I love a bargain. My pursuit of  bargains is usually counter productive, as I always fall for 3 for 2 offers and the like. My most recent bargains have come courtesy of that shop of wonders, Poundland! I must give a shout out to Nicola from Magic's In The Make Up for this, as she mentioned on twitter about the huge new Poundland that had opened in our city. I hot footed it down a few days later, and it is indeed massive. Once I had got past the wee old lady asking me about using black eyeliner on her eyebrows, I managed to find a few goodies.

We have a Revlon Nail Growth Treatment, which is supposed to help your nails grow and be strong, when applied every day. There is then the NYC concealer foundation stick. It states that you can use this as a concealer, or all over as a foundation. I think I will just be sticking to using it as a concealer. Once getting it home I realised it is going to be a pain to sharpen, as its huge, much thicker than the normal large pencils. Ah well. Lastly, I got a couple of Rimmel products, an eyeshadow and a blush.

The eyeshadow is in the shade Bronzed, and is funnily enough, a lovely metallic bronze! Ideal for a wee Christmas night out! The blush is pink rose. Its a subtle shade, with just enough shimmer.

Hope you liked my small lot of bargains, and I can assure you I have lots of more exciting posts coming up, as I had a mammoth photo session tonight!

Have you picked up any bargains lately?

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Avon Super Shock Gel Eyeliner

In a first for pink pom poms, I got a product today that I am so excited about, I had to photograph and blog about it straight away. Hence the poorly light photos, Scotland + winter + evening= darkness! Anyway, the product in question is the Avon Super Shock Gel Eyeliner, in Silver, from the recent luxe lace collection. I just got it this evening from my friend/rep Katie, and was so impressed I had to share it straight away!

The packaging is standard Avon, black with silver writing. I have mentioned this before, but I think Avon tend to use too much packaging. There isn't really any need for a box for an eyeliner, its like they are trying to make it look high end. I just tend to throw it away, so its not very environmentally friendly. What do you think?

Pretty standard pencil, huh? Like I said, this is from the luxe lace collection, which basically means it has that pink lacy design on it! 

The pencil itself has a quite fat tip, and is so soft and easy to apply. It does give a quite thick line, but a bit of sharpening should help to make it thinner.

Not the best swatches, but you get the idea. This eyeliner is so shiny, a really bright silver. I love it, and can't wait to wear it over the festive season. Now, I am a rookie at applying eyeliner, and I found this really easy to apply. I guess silver is a bit more forgiving, but I would hope that other colours would still look ok.

Speaking of which,  there are a few other shades available. From the Luxe Lace collection there is a black, and from the regular line there is black, khaki and bronze.

As with all Avon products, prices vary from brochure to brochure. The official price is £6, but I paid £3. You can still get the luxe lace versions for £3 in brochure 18 and online, but they go up to £4 in the next brochure, which is 1. The regular range colours appear in a Party Perfection supplement with brochure 1 for £3, but are £6 on the website right now. So, get in there quick for cheap luxe lace, and hold on for regular!

I think i'll be ordering the black luxe lace, and maybe some regulars.

Have you bought any good products for your Christmas looks?

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MUA Eyeshadows

I'm sure you have all heard of MUA, the range of make up sold in Superdrug. The best thing about the range? Everything costs a pound. Yes, £1.  I have tried out quite a few of their products, as they are a guilt free cheap purchase when I need a little pick me up! I thought I would show you the eyeshadows I have, as I think these are the best items in the range. (except maybe the glitter eye liners, but thats a whole other post!)

I took a photo of the backs too, not really sure why, but might as well use it!

You get 2g of product for your pound, which I think is a good deal. In fact, I don't think I have ever used up, or 'hit pan' on an eyeshadow in my life, so they could probably be tiny and i'd still be fine. That said, I have already bought a back up of one of these shadows, keep reading to find out which one. Also, as with all MUA products, there are no names, just numbers. The eyeshadows are numbered, and classified either Matte or Pearl. If you can read the numbers above, you will see I only have 1 matte shadow, as I think the pearl ones are much better.

The photos aren't amazing, I really couldn't get shots to do the colours justice. I have some closer up ones of the individual shades which show them a little better.

This is shade 16, a matte pink. This is probably my least favourite of the lot, as it doesn't really give much colour pay off. Could be useful as a base I guess.

 This is shade 11, a pearl brown. This has a nice shimmer to it, and is a good day time shade. I like browns for the winter!

 This is shade 1, another pearl. This is probably my second favourite colour. I am not very good at doing complicated eye looks, or even simple ones for that matter, so I tend to just wear a wash of one colour. This is ideal for a subtle daytime look, and can be used as a base if I am attempting something more exciting. Would also work well as a highlight I think.

 This is shade 9, pearl. I think this one is supposed to be a dupe of a MAC eyeshadow, but as a cheapskate, I know not of these things. Its a nice shimmery purple, which is very pigmented and bold, something i'd keep for a night out on the tiles!

 Shade 8, pearl, is a shimmery green. I don't think I've ever actually worn this, but I will get the courage one day!

Last, but by no means least, is shade 4, yes, you guessed it, another pearl. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shadow! Its so wearable. Its a shimmery lilac, which has silvery undertones. I wear this during the day, at night, all the time! This is the one I already have a back up of.

I usually wear the shadows over ELF primer, and they last well, and usually still look ok by the end of the day. They have a lovely creamy texture, and great pigmentation.

Lets have a look at some not great swatches-

As you can see, or not see, the pink shade is not even visible. So, I wouldn't really recommend that one, but would heartily recommend the rest.

Have you tried anything from MUA?
Would you like to see the other products I have from the range?


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