Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion Review

As mentioned in my previous post, Ireland hasn't been the sunniest of places lately. I think we've got one good day of sun this month. *sigh* As I will not be abroad in a sunny country this summer I've become very pasty as of late! As I have quite dark features and hair I like to keep myself with a golden glow even if I'm not in the sun.
I'm personally not a fan of sunbeds, they kind of scare me if I'm honest with all the horror stories you read so I resort to self tanning.

Now, I'm definitely not a pro when it comes to this. I've had many incidents of streaky hands and the hard task of finding someone I trust to tan my back!

But, one product has made this VERY easy for me and that's the Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion. I use this in 'Deep Sun-Kissed Look'. It's been my saviour for the last few months and in comparison to other tanners I've used it's amazing, not got that awful self tanner smell and definitely not broke the bank - score!!

I use this daily to keep myself a healthy glow and not be too embarrassed to stand beside my friends whenever they return from holidays!

I just use my hands to apply this and it works fine for me - providing I remember to wash them afterwards. On the first application it doesn't give me too much of a colour change but it is so buildable. I like to use it at night as it can (like any moisturiser) take it's time to sink into your skin. I apply a thin layer all over and get into my pjs which are usually loose anyway. I find if I use it after my shower it can take a little long to dry which results in me sitting awkwardly in my underwear for a while before I can change. Not a perfect scenario.

It smells like apricot when you apply it. The scent isn't overpowering and I really like it. Using this means my skin is always super soft and as a moisturiser it definitely does the trick. The bigger bottle is 400ml and would last me about a month - absolute steal!

The tan I have at the end is a gorgeous natural looking tan and you wouldn't know it isn't real. I've used so many moisturising tanning lotions and hated them before this. I couldn't hype it up enough.

So, if you're feeling a little pasty and need a little prepping up this would be the one for you. I always find that personally I feel better with a tan and this product has helped me keep mine gorgeous and glowy all summer!!

If you want to purchase this you can get it on the Boots website (and others), I'll leave links below. I urge you to keep an eye as Boots and Superdrug regularly do deals on it and I recently got 400ml for half price and stocked up on a couple!

The 400ml one is currently half price on the Boots website for £3.89 links below.

Light Sun-Kissed Look
Deep Sun-Kissed Look

M xo.

How I Maintain and Tone My Clip-In Extensions and Colour-Freedom Metallic Glory Review!

I bought Milk + Blush Triple Weft Extensions in Spaced Out in November (Check out my initial review here). As I style mine often to wear on nights out I tend to wash them often to keep them sleek and soft. I noticed the grey tone from the ombre ends had faded and I decided to use Knight & Wilson Colour Freedom Metallic Glory in Silver Blonde. 

This is a Permanent Hair Colour and on the box looks a grey/blonde shade. The picture below shows an unfiltered picture of my extensions beside the box to show the colour before and how it should look after..

As you can see my extensions are supposed to be a grey shade but have become quite ashy blonde, that being said they are definitely not much different than when I received them, which can be seen in my review above. From the colour key on the box I expected them to be a nice toned grey/'white' shade.

The photo above is a full photo of my extensions before they were dyed. Below is the contents of the box:

The box contained:

• Instructions
• Gloves
• Conditioner
• Cream Developer
• Colourant

I followed the instructions and left the dye on for 25 minutes (pictured below). I then followed with rinsing them, leaving the conditioner on for 5 mins and rinsed it off to leave my extensions really soft!

Once I dried my extensions, trimmed the ends and applied a little coconut oil to the ends they looked like this:

To be honest I don't see a great difference but what you mightn't be able to see from the picture is that the ends are a cooler tone with a slight grey look in the right light. The light in which I took the photo is a 'yellow' light which can cause them to look warmer in tone. This dye has definitely brought my extensions back to their original colour and removed the warm/brassy tones I didn't like about the ends.

If I was to do this again I would use one of the 'grey' dyes and not a silver blonde as I feel this would achieve the grey I wanted. All in all, I'm happy with the end result as my extensions look thicker, healthier and toned which was the next best thing to grey hair!

I would rate the dye a 3/5 as it has great conditioning qualities but lacks in the fact it didn't produce the colour promised on the box. 

What dyes/hair products do you use for the most coveted hair colour lately? Let me know in the comments!

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xo

M.

How I've Been Spending My Downtime...

I used to watch a lot of anime but I kind of fell away from it for a few months..

Recently, though, that has changed! Any second of down time I get I've been back on Crunchyroll catching up on all the great anime I missed and some I wish I'd watched earlier!

Anime has so many different genres from drama, sports, adventure, comedy, romance, sci-fi and lots more. There's something for everyone. Some of my favourite shows ever are anime's and they have the most beautiful soundtracks I've ever heard.

I thought if any of you haven't watched anime that I'd make a list of my Top 10 Anime Recommendations. I genuinely think everyone should give it a chance, even if it isn't something you'd generally go for. The love stories are beautiful, the scenery and the graphics are amazing, I am usually on the edge of my seat whenever an episode is intense and I can never just watch 'one episode'!

The average length of one episode is around 20 mins so this makes it perfect for me as I love to watch something while I eat. I'll have a show on and ready to be played before I sit down with my meal so anime shows are ideal for this. (I know, I'm a bit weird when it comes to this)

So here's my Top 10. (In no order as these are all my favourites!)



1.  Your Lie In April/Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso - This show. I'm going to be totally honest and admit I cried like a baby during the last few episodes and possibly shed a tear during the others. It's so beautiful. I loved how this one was based around music and music competitions but the relationships between the characters were what made this what it was for me. The soundtrack to this is amazing too. It includes Chopin & even Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata!



2. Himouto! Umaru-Chan - This is more of a comedy but I relate to this one on a personal level. Me and Umaru are one! I'd definitely recommend this as a starter anime, it's fun and something I think everyone will like!



3. Food Wars/Shokugeki no Soma - This isn't an anime I'd say to watch first. It is a great anime but it has some parts that, I think if you haven't been introduced to anime, would be hard to understand and some slightly weird. (Yes, I'm talking tentacles...) 



4. Erased - This is a recent anime and it's totally amazing. I never expected it to take the direction it did and I was so shocked by it. I always find I can never predict the storyline of an anime like I can a more western show so this was so intense and had me on the edge of my seat at the end of every episode. If you haven't watched anime before and you're into action/adventure/thrillers this might be the one for you!



5. Free! Iwatobi Swim Club - This anime is based on a high school swim team. This year I've been obsessed with sports anime's after watching this one and I don't even play much team sports! The first season is light hearted and you really root for the team but the second has a little more substance and it's a great anime. 



6. Parasyte! The Maxim - This is a different kind of anime. It's so interesting and it's about alien parasyte's that infect your body and basically take over a part of it. The main character's hand has been taken over and it's just a great anime to watch for something completely different!



7. Haikyuu!! - This is another sports anime. I don't know why but I'm actually only getting around to watching this one now. I've around 3 episodes of the 25 left and I can honestly say that I'm definitely sure this is one of my top 8. This one is about a high school volleyball team and I love it. It has the story of the underdog and the top player and their struggles and those of the team mates but I love how technical the show is. It explains how they plan to win the tournament and their strategies. I can't stop watching this show. It's been about 3 days and I'll probably be finished this whole show tonight!!



8. Death Note - This is one of the most intense anime's I've ever watched. There is a notebook in which if you write someone's name they die. It has fallen into the hands of a boy and to prevent him going on a killing spree an amazing detective is brought in. This is probably the anime I'd recommend the most to someone who hasn't watched any as it's amazing and totally worth a watch wether you watch anime or not. It's really interesting and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The relationship between L Lawliet and Light Yagami is amazing and I can't hype this one up anymore!



9. Anohana. This is beautiful I love the graphics and it's an amazing story (sad yet so beautiful). This one made me cry at the end also but I loved every second of it and was sad whenever it was over!



10. Blue Exorxist - This is an awesome anime. The main character is Rin who is the son of Satan. He's been brought up by an exorcist and the story really is a great one. I really enjoyed this as I always love films with a religious story through them like horrors etc. This would be a good first anime too! 

That's my Top 10. I only did 10 as I wanted to only include anime's I really love. If you want to know more about any of these, have any recommendations for me based on my favourites or want to know anything leave me a comment below please!


Some other recommendations - Darker than Black, Black Butler, Sailor Moon, Full Metal Alchemist, Attack on Titan and Tokyo Ghoul (as most people will tell you the manga is better)! Also if you've never watched a Studio Ghibli film, do it now. They're amazing!

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xo

M.

Topshop Mother Of Pearl Highlighter

I recently was looking on the Topshop website at their beauty and makeup range as I am a big fan of their products. I feel you get great quality products for an even better price!

I decided to purchase the Mother of Pearl Chameleon Highlighter. It's a gorgeous warm toned gold highlight with a slight pink shine off it when its in the light which complements the face/cheek area perfectly!



I was so surprised at how creamy/buttery this felt and it glides onto your skin to leave a perfect finish. Sometimes with highlight I can find that some make the texture on my skin more noticeable, this doesn't stop me wearing the highlight, but with this one its one of the best I own at giving me a flawless highlight!

This highlight is smaller in pan size than most of mine but it definitely feels like my higher end brands for sure and for £12.50 it's a great find!

Here's how the products looks swatched under a flash:

I only edited the background, the product & my finger are untouched!

It's an amazing product and I definitely recommend this to anyone of any skin colour it's gorgeous! This would also be a great product for the eyes and especially the inner corner highlight or brow bone highlight!! So multi-purposeful and worth it's price tag!

If you're interested in this highlight you can pick it up HERE. If you own this highlight let me know what you think and if you don't are you going to pick it up or considering it?

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xo

M.

Sleek Highlight Palette

I wanted to talk today about the Sleek Highlight Palette I finally got my hands on!

This baby was only £10 and includes some great product in gorgeous packaging. The warm mirrored gold packaging makes this palette look way higher end than it's price - and that's exactly what I want whenever buying products!

I got this a few weeks ago but have been trying it out before posting so I could really let you know what I thought of it and how I find it best to wear/use.

The colours in this palette are quite different yet all shades I would wear and that's great. I love having a choice. This palette is actually quite small it would fit nicely in my hand and this makes it a great thing to throw into a makeup bag or handbag. With the selection of shades and size it's so travel friendly and perfect for people on the go!

The palette has a small mirror inside the lid, a small brush to apply the product and 4 shades. This includes 1 cream highlight shade and 3 powder shades. Perfect for all looks.

I really love the shades in this palette and they are all very buttery and surprisingly pigmented. I love quite a bright highlight and this palette holds its own against some of my higher end favourites!

The cream shade is called Ecliptic and is the top left shade in the palette. Its a metallic pink champagne shade which is extremely pigmented as shown above. This was the first shade I swatched and I was so impressed. I love a cream highlight when I'm wearing a minimal makeup look and want a natural glow and this keeps my skin looking bright and dewy. 

The top right shade is called Hemisphere and is a light metallic pink. When in the light this gives off a cooler highlight colour and I think this would be perfect for paler skin if you want to find something with a pop of colour that isn't to warm for you. This colour is also the perfect brow bone and inner corner eye highlight. This palette is so multi-purposeful as well - definitely worth the small price tag!

The bottom left shade is called Subsolar. This is a light champagne/gold highlight. It's on the cooler side of gold highlights and is so gorgeous! This shade again can be used for the eyes and face and is similar to my MUA highlight which is an iridescent gold shade. I also think this is kind of similar to the Becca Moonstone highlight.

The bottom left shade is Equinox. It is a warm gold shade and is gorgeous. I love wearing this shade on nights out or when I have a tan. It makes me look so dewy and glowing. It's beautiful!

Here are swatches of the colours. The first picture has a flash and the second has no flash and both have no filter. (Left to Right: Ecliptic, Subsolar, Hemisphere, Equinox)

Again I can't talk highly enough of this palette and I really do encourage you to go out and spend the money on this. I really can't stress how practical the size of this palette is and the packaging is to die for! 

So if you're looking to buy this palette you can find it HERE on the Sleek website and I know Boots, Superdrug and other smaller drugstores have sleek instore for you to check out! Let me know if you have this and what you think or if you're going to get it? :)

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M.

Milk + Blush Hair Extensions Review.. Blogmas day six!

Hey!

Today I'm going to review the Milk + Blush Hair Extensions. (Formally known as Dirty Looks)

I got the full head triple set - ombre hair extensions in the colour 'Spaced Out' which is a nearly black (I'd say close to a 1b) to a grey colour as shown below..

I chose the 20-22" length as I prefer the longer length and I think they don't look as long on me as it would on others.

The full price for these extensions in the 16-18" is £89.99 before delivery.

and for the 20-22" is £104.99 you can find them both HERE.

 - - - - - 

So, here's my story with my extensions and how I felt about them..

To be honest when I first opened the package I thought these extensions weren't grey at all, I was kinda confused as they looked a dark blonde/light brown shade and even my sister agreed! Then once I took out the test strip to check the root colour I noticed they looked noticeably lighter but definitely not grey.. yet.

I continued to just open the packet with the full head of extensions as they were so soft and whatever the colour was they looked so beautiful so I was definitely keeping them! I did this and put the full head in to get an idea of how they looked.

Once I did this I went to my room to check them out in the bigger mirror. This is when I noticed the colour! As I was in a different room with a more yellow light they appeared darker but once I went into my room with a white light they are a pale blonde/toned grey and are so gorgeous! This colour is so hard to explain as they constantly change in whichever light I am in (as most hair colours do). 

So, wether I'm in a yellow lit room, a more white lit room or natural light they'll never look the same colour but I am so in love with it!

It's an ashy blonde with a toned grey look and it's so complementary to the dark root and the ombre is done so well as I was slightly worried of having a very harsh dip dye line as thats something I definitely don't like but the blend in these are also amazing!

I can't talk any better of these.

The quality of the hair is long, extremely soft and the thickness from the root to tip is the same throughout so there is no thinning at the bottom!

As mine are triple weft there is 3 wefts to each piece, 3 times the thickness of the usual set. These are the perfect thickness for anyone who like myself has very short hair as my own hair doesn't really mix with the extensions to thicken them up!

Here's a photo I took the first time I wore my extensions. I styled them with my straightner on the lowest heat (150 degrees) to try to maintain the best quality of the hair I could.

Another thing I want to talk about is the packaging. I'm a real sucker for packaging and omg do Milk + Blush deliver!!

My extensions arrived in a small pale pink box with a simple Milk + Blush written on the front (so cute!). Inside was a card discussing the new name, another small card which said 'This isn't a dream' and contained the websites info which I'll link at the end, a care guide on products and info on how to maintain the hair and nice silver packaging containing the hair!

Here's photos of my hair with the extensions in:

The second photo is A LOT truer to colour.

- - - - -

So all in all these extensions are amazing!! They're the best extensions I've used (and that's A LOT). 

Here is all of Milk + Blush's links and definitely check them out! 

Website 

Blog

Instagram

xo

M

(◍•ᴗ•◍)

Urban Decay + Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette Review.. Blogmas Day Four!

Hey!

(Hope you like the Christmassy make over my blog got!)

Today I'm posting about my Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette. I bought this palette on Monday while shopping in Belfast and I've been in love since. It's a perfect mixture of colours for me! It has the matte nudes/browns, which I love, for a daytime or subtle look and the most beautiful shimmer shades to brighten up a daily look or dazzle during the night! 

I honestly don't think there is a shade in here which I couldn't rock! I was looking at the bright pink shimmer shade and the navy beside it hesitantly wondering if I actually could rock these.. The pink shade 'Harajuku' I think could look great on the lid to brighten up an eye look. Paired with a nice cat eye and lashes this could look super girly yet edgy! The navy blue colour 'Danger' when swatched is the most beautiful colour with iridescent blue sparkles within it and I will most definitely be rocking this with 'Serious' and 'Blackout' in a smokey eye, amazing! (Maybe I'll post some Gwen palette make up ideas soon!)

One of the biggest things worth mentioning is the packaging. I'm a sucker for nice packaging and omg does this palette tick all my boxes! It is monochrome with gold on the outside, great classic colours, and then the design makes its really cool looking and very Gwen.

I have to admit, it was definitely the eyeshadow shades that sold me on this palette. It's an amazing buy and perfect for anyone looking for a Christmas gift for her as I say many girls would wear these shades!

Here are the swatches I took of the shades all in natural light then with a flash:

(Left/bottom > Right/top: Blonde, Bathwater, Skimp, Steady, Punk)

(Left/bottom > Right/top: Baby, Anaheim, Stark, Zone, Serious)

(Left/bottom > Right/top: Pop, Harajuku, Danger, 1987, Blackout)

I hope you liked this palette and if you want to see any of the shades in more detail or a certain shade inspired make up look let me know, I think that could be a cool idea!

(◍•ᴗ•◍) - ♡

xo

M.