30/07/2014

Clarins One Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser

Oh Clarins, you never fail to disappoint, whilst shopping at Bamboo Beauty the other month or so ago I picked up some new foundation and bits and bobs and came away with some new samples to try. I picked out this exfoliating cleanser as it is one you can use everyday and I absolutely love it. It is so gentle on the skin but still cleans just as well as any other cleanser, if anything it leaves your face feeling even nicer as the exfoliating beads help to remove any dead skin cells to reveal a lovely glowing skin. 

28/07/2014

The Liebster Award

Yesterday I was nominated by the lovely Julie-Ann from Our Dreams Of Fashion Blog for The Liebster Award.
The Liebster Award is an award for new bloggers with less than 200 followers to welcome them into the blogging community. I am so thrilled and honoured to be nominated for this award, sometimes it feels like there are so many bloggers out there why would anyone want to read my blog but it is so lovely to be recognised.

27/07/2014

Clinique Moisture Surge Eye Gel

This eye cream is my summer go to. It is formulated for all skin types and comes in a handy 15ml tube. 

25/07/2014

Friday Night Pamper

Friday Night Pamper

Friday Night Pamper by dreamingpretty 


After a long week at work Friday night is the night that I like to have a little pamper, throughout the week I pretty much just neglect myself and body from any form of pamper. In the week I get in from work, take the pooch out for a walk, have tea, have a shower and before I know it it's 10 o'clock at night and the last thing I want to start doing is painting my nails and moisturising my skin so I jump in bed and get some much needed beauty sleep in. So once Friday hits I like to get a bottle of wine in and enjoy a good old pamper session, as soon as I get home I apply a deep conditioning hair treatment and tie my hair up in a pineapple ready for the night ahead. Then pretty much slob out on the sofa, catch up on my weekly soaps and give my body the attention it needs whilst filling it full of healthy things like wine and chocolate! 

How do you spend your Friday night or do you have your pamper session on another night of the week?

24/07/2014

Burts Bees Coconut Foot Cream

I don't actually think I know one woman that doesn't use a foot cream, there are so many different brands and types of products out there, that you can easily get so confused and bewildered by just how many products there are. 

23/07/2014

Minnie

This post is just dedicated to Minnie my beautiful dog. I felt I wanted to start these posts around once a month just to give you more of an insight into my life with Minnie plus I get to show you pretty photos of her cute face! I love reading blog posts about other peoples dogs and how much they love them, it's just so lovely to see and read especially when there is so much animal cruelty in the world. It's nice to remind ourselves that their are people out there who love and care for animals. 

Silk & Honey Shea Butter Hair Mask

Recently I received this Silk + Honey Shea Butter Hair Mask within a Birchbox, I'd never actually heard of this brand of products before so was very intrigued when I looked into it. Silk + Honey is a brand that was created by a Chicago born lady who now lives in London. The brand is very focussed on the environment and uses all natural ingredients plus all the packaging is recyclable. 

20/07/2014

Illamasqua Matte Lip Liquid - Surrender

Easy Like Sunday Mornings

Sundays

Sundays by dreamingpretty

Hands up, who loves Sunday mornings! There's something about Sundays that's so relaxing and chilled out and lets face it, they are the best excuse to have a lie in because the shops often don't even open until 10.00 or 11.00 o'clock anyway. Big blankets and cosy pyjamas with a big chunky knitted top writing up blog post ideas in my pretty notebook and painting my nails whilst enjoying a morning coffee, what's not to love?

18/07/2014

Boss Ma Vie Pour Femme Perfume

Yep, that's right. Another holiday duty free purchase, well technically I didn't purchase this one as my boyfriend Nick treated me. Upon walking into duty free I got sucked in by the spritzer girls telling me this is an airport exclusive and you won't be able to purchase it anywhere else so I immediately thought oh my god I have to have it. 

Dress Down Friday

Dress Down Friday

Dress Down Friday by dreamingpretty

So it's Friday again, another week gone! Crazy how time flies but lets face it everyone loves a Friday and it's what all people that work Monday-Friday look forward to.

17/07/2014

Soap & Glory For Daily Youth Foamy Moisture Face Wash

Recently, I have really been getting into Soap & Glory as a brand, their skincare seems to suit my skin perfectly and isn't overly expensive either.

16/07/2014

Stila One Step Correct Brightening Serum

So I'm not gonna lie, the thing that most attracted me to this product initially was the pretty swirls within the tube. Once I then started to read the packaging and understand the product I really loved the sound of it so snapped it up as I had some Boots advantage points to use. 

15/07/2014

Chanel Healthy Glow Sheer Powder - No 40


I've got to say I do not own a hell of a lot of Chanel makeup purely because I find it very heavily scented and quite over priced, I always try to stay away from the Chanel counter as I know I will get drawn in by the beautiful Chanel packaging alone and my credit card will not thank me for it. However one afternoon shopping with my best friend I was looking for a matte slightly bronzed finishing powder when I happened to stumble across the Chanel counter in Selfridges and instantly fell in love with yep, you guessed it, their packaging. This little compact is just the most attractive piece of makeup I own, the cream top with black sides and bottom and a dinky little brush snuggly fitted on top of the powder with a smooth velvet pouch to protect the compact. And lets face it, no one can resist the lure of that signature Chanel logo.

14/07/2014

My AW/14 essentials

My A/W14 wish list

My A/W14 wish list by manda-515 featuring logo beanie hats


If you have been reading my blog you will probably be aware of my love for all things pastel and nude so it will probably come as no surprise to you that it is these colours and styles that I shall be lusting for this Autumn/Winter.

13/07/2014

Percy & Reed Wonder Balm

I'm just gonna come out and say it right away, this balm really is a wonder product! It's amazing!

I got this Percy & Reed Wonder Balm free with the April issue of ELLE Magazine and really loved the look of the product. I've never used a balm in my hair routine before so this was something that was completely new to me, I had heard of Percy & Reed products before getting this product but never used them so was really looking forward to trying this out. Known as a multi tasking balm, you can either use the product in damp hair before blow drying or sparingly on dry hair to give extra oomph to your style. Honestly I am completely terrified about putting any product other than hairspray onto dry styled hair, I just think it will make it look greasy and yuk so I tend to stick to just applying before blow drying as I would with products such as Moroccan Oil or serum.

I can really tell a difference when using this product, it leaves my hair silky soft and gives it a tad bit of hold to help keep curls in for longer. My hair is less flyaway and looks ultra smooth and shiny after using this balm and offers a great platform to style hair from.

As I previously said I got this product free with ELLE Magazine but once used up I will definitely re purchase. For £18.00 I think this is really reasonable for the amount of product you get and also for the quality.

11/07/2014

Soap & Glory Glow All Out Highlighter

 

I have never massively been one for a powder highlighter as I just don't think you get as much control as you would with a highlighting pen or liquid but I thought I would give this Soap & Glory one a go as I needed a third product for my 3 for 2.
 
After using it as a highlighter I wasn't massively struck as it doesn't give a great highlighting effect but I have been using it as more of a finishing powder and been absolutely loving it. The powder is very finely milled so you don't get big chunks of sparkle/glitter which means it is great for every day use and gives the effect of just a lovely subtle glow and also helps to set your makeup for the day. It looks quite pinky in the pan and I was hoping I could maybe use as a very light blusher but once on the face it is really sheer and illuminating. 

The packaging is classic quirky Soap & Glory style with a real sturdy cardboard exterior and comes with a good sized interior mirror for on the go touch ups.
 
For £11.00, as much as I have been enjoying using this product as a finishing powder, I don’t think I will re purchase as I have my favourites for finishing powders and unfortunately this one hasn’t converted me to powder highlighters. 

09/07/2014

Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter

When it comes to skin care I have previously always just used a face wash, followed by a cleanser applied with cotton pads and then toner. And then obviously moisturiser. But ever since I have started blogging and getting more into other brands and products I have found a whole new realm of skin care. One of which is cleansing balms/butters. Honestly, I wasn't quite sure on this one at first but the nice sales lady did her job very well and talked me into buying it. Am I glad she did.

Recently, I have completely overhauled my skincare regime with cleansing balms, hot cloth cleansers, cleansing oils, scrubs, exfoliators, moisturiser, micellar water, serums, eye cream, spot treatments, face masks the list goes on...one of the most recent additions has been this Cleansing Butter. I have been using it just at night time when I feel my skin needs a more extensive clean as opposed to mornings. I use a face wash first to remove the grime, followed by this cleansing balm and then follow with a sweep of micellar water, I can really tell a difference since adding this balm into my regime. My skin is a lot clearer, the dry areas of my face have cleared up and I have a lovely dewy finish everyday without the excess oil.

I literally use a pea sized amount and this is more than adequate for my whole face and neck, just massage all over and remove with a hot flannel. At £12.00, I consider this extremely reasonable purely for the fact that this cleanser will easily last me 6 months at least as you only need the tiniest amount.

04/07/2014

Lee Stafford Blow Dry Faster Wonder Spray

So, I'm just gonna put this out there and say I hate blow drying my hair! My hair strands are very fine but I have a lot of them and my hair seems to hold water like nobodies business so takes absolutely forever to dry my hair, my hairdresser has to book around 3 hours out of her day just to colour and blow dry my hair, it's insane! So when I spotted this beauty in the boots 3 for 2 offer, I just had to have it. Anything that promises a faster blow drying experience is a winner for me. 

So I was a little sceptical of this product as I just thought how can a spray, which lets face it, is adding even more moisture into my hair make blow drying faster. This spray claims to reduce the time drying your hair, offers heat protection up to 220°C, helps to detangle hair and also contains a slight bit of hold to keep your style in place. My hair gets tangled really easily and very knotted and I must say this product really did help with the detangling, I spray the product into my hair and comb through to the ends. 

When blow drying my hair, I really cannot be bothered with the whole sectioning parts and brushing through blah, blah, blah. So I literally just turn my head upside down and blast the dryer through my hair, I know this isn't exactly the best way to dry your hair but my hair takes that long to dry I just haven't got time or patience to do it properly. When drying my hair, it usually tends to take anywhere between 25-30 minutes to be completely dry, when using this Lee Stafford spray it has cut my drying time down to 13 minutes! Yep, that's right I timed it! 13 minutes! That's less than half the time it usually takes. 

Not only does this product significantly cut my blow drying time down but also makes my hair feel so soft and silky. I am completely sold on this product, don't ask me how it works as I haven't got the foggiest but believe me it does work. 

I have never really got into Lee Stafford products, only because I love Aussie and this is the brand I always just steer towards but after trying this spray I will definitely be purchasing more Lee Stafford products from now on. 

02/07/2014

St Tropez Self Tan Luxe Dry Oil

So being a tan addict I absolutely fell in love with this new St Tropez beauty when I spotted it roaming around Debenhams. I tend to always use the St Tropez bronzing mousse but being around £30.00 for 240ml it is a little pricey so when I saw this at £25.00 (a little less in price) I thought I would give it a go.

Being St Tropez I had high hopes for this product and it didn't disappoint. You need to give the bottle a good shake as the tan element of the product sinks to the bottom and separates from the oil, with the bottle being glass it is transparent so upon shaking you can really see the full effect of the shimmering tan when it mixes with the oil. When removing the lid there is a small cap in the top of the bottle which stops the tan from leaking, this is easily removed but make sure you shake the bottle before removing this cap. 

To apply: I literally just apply this tan with my hands as I was worried a mitt may soak the product up, when tipped upside down the product comes out drop by drop so is easily controlled as to how much you require.

I found the product to be ultra easy to apply, it literally just glided onto the skin and dried almost immediately. One of the things I love about this product is the smell, most fake tans give off that horrible unmistakeable biscuit smell. Oh no, not this one, this smells so citrussy and fresh. It is 100% natural neroli, lemongrass and grapefruit essential oil fragrance. 

When applied, you can instantly see the lovely golden shimmer within the tan. However, this shimmer is pretty much just used as a guide and washes off in the shower but it does still leave a hint of sparkle, not enough to make you look like a disco ball but enough to give the illusion of glowing healthy skin. 

As I am a real sucker for pretty packaging, this bottle really stood out to me with the glass bottle just shouting expensive and elegant and the gold top and writing giving a real luxe feel. This bottle will definitely take pride of place on my dressing table. 

All in all, I love this tan and I think I now prefer it to my usual St Tropez bronzing mousse. For £25.00 it is really quite cost effective, you don't need a lot of product as with it being oil it spreads really well and the product lasts around 5 days so no need to have to apply it often. I have been using this oil for around 2 months and I'm not even a quarter of the way down the bottle yet. Big thumbs up from me!