Last Few Weeks + October Empties

I cannot believe we are this far into November already.  I have been incredibly busy in the last few weeks.  Working, spending time with friends, working, trying to squeeze in time with family, working and trying to find time to relax.  So here is a sum up of the last few weeks in pictures.

1. Newly dyed and cut hair. 2. Fog in the hills. 3. Wore my boots out. 4. Trying on ridiculous things for Halloween. 

5. Make-up-less face. 6. Got a nose piercing! 7. Lots of Barocca was greatly needed. 8. Almost killed the microwave.

9. Made strawberry and white chocolate cupcakes. 10. Getting my boobs out? Dressed as a zombie Doctor. 11+12. 5th November. Fireworks!

You can find me on Instagram @megamegalolz

October Empties

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil
Oil?  On your face?!  Exactly what I thought too.  Surely it will make my face greasy and cause my skin to break out?  However it caused quite the opposite effect.  I used this product before applying make-up in the morning and my face did not become oily or greasy, and I am sure my skin was clearer whist using this product.  This product left my skin feeling lovely and soft.  I only had a tester and it lasted for ages.  So even though the full size bottle is £30 I think it is well worth it given the effect it had, and how long it lasts.

It's Potent Eye Cream, Benefit
Benefit claims that this moisturising cream fades dark circles and helps to smooth fine lines.  Did it fade dark circles from my tired eyes?  I am not sure, quite possibly.  It did, however have a very good moisturising effect.  This product is a thick cream with a freshening effect that lasts a long time.  I use this every day before applying make-up and was amazed at how long it lasted.  I would buy this product again, however before I do, I may try a cheaper moisturiser.

Peaches and Clean, Cleansing Milk, Soap & Glory
This was not the first time I had bought this product.  It is one of my favourite cleansers.  It is gentle on the skin, smells lovely and is a great cleanser.  I use this product at night after removing make-up and washing my face.  It is amazing to see all that extra dirt and make-up coming off my face.  Definitely a must-have for me!

Great Lash Mascara, Maybelline
I have purchased this mascara quite a few times.  It is not too expensive and I really like it as a day-to-day mascara.  Maybelline claims that this product thickens eyelashes without clumps... and it does just that.  Too many times I have bought mascara and it turns out to be clumpy.  I hate that.  So this mascara is a winner for me.

Well that was my first ever empties post.  I am slowly trying out new things on this blog :)

Sexy Eyes and Halloween

Do you ever feel like you are living in a dream? I often feel like I am. At the moment my life is perfect for me. I have an awesome job, I have developed good friendships, I have my own independence living with a few flatmates, my family do not live too far away and I enjoy life. My life doesn't feel real. I am now well and truly settled into my new life in this different town and feel like my decision to move and work over here has been the best one I have made in a long time.  Now I have this sorted out, I can carry on blogging regularly and continue enjoying and making the most of life!

New Mascara
I often buy foundation from Lily Lolo, and with a recent purchase they sent me a free mascara, Lash Alert Natural Mascara.  I am a bit wary of free mascaras, but nevertheless I tried this one out and I love it!  Lily Lolo claims that this mascara will volumise and lengthen lashes and it certainly does that! My eyelashes are naturally quite long, but this mascara makes my lashes look amazingly lengthened!  It's not too thick or clumpy, and it's not too much to wear during the day.  I have been wearing this to work, and on  evenings out.  I will definitely be purchasing this in the future!

Halloween
With Halloween coming up I am getting quite excited.  I love fancy dress, especially Halloween fancy dress and zombies are definitely my thing.  So whilst shopping yesterday I had to buy some fake blood to start off the costume preparations.  I have not quite decided what I will be dressing up as yet, but certainly something zombiefied.  I cannot wait!

Do you have a Halloween costume yet?

Happy Easter!

Firstly, Happy Easter!

I know, again, it's been a while.  But forgive me, I have been mega busy. I have had so much university work on lately I have barely had time to eat and sleep.  However deadline dates are flying by, and my final deadline is in two weeks.  I also started placement on Monday so I have been working 9-5 while trying to get my work completed.  

I have an interview for a graduate job! Yay!  It's in 4 weeks, and it's up north which means leaving everyone behind which is so scary but it is exciting so I am going for the interview to see what happens.  Oh and I got 80% in an exam the other week which I was quite proud of.

So onto the point of my post.  One of my favourite websites for beauty products is Latest In Beauty.  You can purchase samples and they also have a selection of beauty boxes all for good prices which is awesome for me as a student.  Back in February I purchased a beauty box.  Yes I know, that was ages ago, I've been meaning to do this post for a while now.  But at least it means that I have been able to properly use the products to have a definitive opinion on them.

For £19.95 I was quite impressed with the products.

Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Seasilk Colour Hold Moisture Conditioner.
This product smells lovely and all you need is a small blob to make your hair feel lovely and soft.  My hair can get really dry as I tend to straighten it a lot, so this product was great for my hair, taking away the dry feeling.  Although I prefer my TRESemmé conditioner, I would definitely buy this product again.

EVE LOM Rescue Mask.
EVE LOM claims this product deeply cleanses without drying out the skin while smoothing and conditioning the skin.  I have been using this product once a week and I definitely felt that it cleansed my skin well.  At times after using this product I felt that my skin may be a little dry but this may be due to other products I use, it was quickly sorted out with a touch of moisturiser.  It did leave my skin feeling soft.  At £35 I think this is a little pricey for my student budget, however if it was cheaper I would purchase again.

Nicky Clarke Instant Calmer.
Love, love, LOVE this product!  If your hair is like mine and takes forever to straighten, this is the product for you. I have been putting a tiny bit of this into my hair while it is damp before blow drying.  It makes straightening much easier, it now takes less time and my hair looks great afterwards.  Someone even complemented my hair saying how nice it looked.  Would I buy this product again? I already have as it was on offer.  However I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for this product as I love it so much.

Melvita Rose Extraordinary Water.
I have been using this product after using a face wash and before moisturising.  This product has been replacing my usual cleanser and I am quite impressed.  It is not as harsh as my usual cleanser so did not dry out my skin.  It cleansed my face well leaving the skin feeling refreshed.  I think this product works well on my skin in the morning, however I may need a deeper cleansing product in the evening. I would buy this again.

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil.
My initial thought was: Oil on my face? Surely this will make me break out.  Nevertheless I gave it a go and in fact, it did not make me break out at all.  It really softened the skin and was not greasy at all.  I have been using this after cleansing and before putting on my usual moisturiser.  My make-up went well over the top.  Would I purchase again? Yes!

Lola Rose Energising Rock Crystal Hand Cream.
Absolutely love this hand cream!  My hands tend to get really dry.  Especially as I work in a hospital I am constantly washing my hands and applying the anti-bacterial gel, more so when the weather is cold my hands can get in a terrible state if I am not careful.  This hand cream moisturises well, soaks in quickly leaving my hands feeling soft and a little bit goes a long way.  I have been keeping this cream in my bag and applying it before work and in my breaks, and my hands are in pretty good condition at the moment.  It smells lovely too.  I would get this again.

Balm Balm Organic Lip Balm.
This lip balm moisturises very well.  As with my hands, my lips can become dry very quickly and this stuff has been great at softening the skin on my lips.  On doing some research I have discovered that others find this useful as a hand moisturiser.  I like the smell of this lip balm, however I am not too keen on this smell on my lips.  So after applying the balm and waiting for it to soak in, I have been using another lip balm or gloss on top.  I would buy this again but you don't need to use much at all for it to have an effect, so I can see it lasting a while.

Belleza Formula Botox Effect Gel.
This gel claims to target fine lines and wrinkles around the lips and eyes, nourishing and plumping the skin surface.  However I have not even opened it.  At 22 years of age I do not feel the need to use anti-wrinkle creams. I have read that anti-wrinkle creams can do more damage than good in young skin, and although I do not know how true this is, I do not wish to find out.  This product retails at £55 so maybe I should try and sell it.

Mavala Rouge Rubis Nail Varnish. 
I loved the colour of this nail varnish and it lasted a few days before chipping.  I feel that the colour is too bright for my finger nails but have been wearing it on my toes.

Ginvera Green Tea Exfoliating Marvel Gel.
I have been using this gel a few times a week, replacing it for my face wash.  I really like this product, it exfoliates well and leaves my skin feeling clean and refreshed.  I like the smell of it and would repurchase.

Balm Balm Refresh Bath & Shower Oil.
I quite like the smell of this.  What is it meant to do? Soothe you? I'm not sure if it did.  This is one of those products that I would use if I had it, but would not buy myself.

111Skin Space Anti-Age Facelift Repair Serum and Day Cream.
This product claims to strengthen skin, increase collagen production and give dramatic anti-aging benefits.  Again as it is an anti-aging product I did not try it.  If anyone fancies trying it, it's a whopping £130 for 30ml.

All in all, some great products, I loved most of them.

I expect that I will not have time to make another post until after my final deadline now.
Have a good Easter everyone!

Few New Products

My course at university involves us students going out into the work place in a hospital for weeks at a time over the three years of the course.  Sometimes for two weeks, sometimes for 10 weeks.  However long that placement block is it involves hard work, studying in the evenings and can be very tiring when you're not used to it.  During these times of being on placement I tend to break out in more spots than normal.  I'm not sure whether this is due to the stress and being more tired, or if it is because I am wearing make-up all day for a long period of time.  Whatever it is I know that more spots only appear on my face when I am on placement.  Even though I have sussed out my own skin routine and what helps to keep my skin looking clear and good, I seem to need a different routine while I am on placement so I had a look in the shops and thought I would try out a few different products which I have now been using for a week and a half.

Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Exfoliating Wash:

This facial wash by Simple claims to deep clean and refresh the skin.  I have been using this both morning and night.  The wash contains small bits that exfoliate the skin and I find that it leaves my face feeling very clean and refreshed.  This face wash is a bit stronger than the usual face wash I would normally use so I think if I didn't moisturise I would start to get dry skin however as I moisturise my face twice a day I haven't been getting this problem.  This face wash also claims to control shine and I think that it does because after I have come home from a day at work my face doesn't seem to be so oily or shiny as it usually would which I am loving.  This product is suitable for sensitive skin which means it is perfect for my skin.  I would give this product 10 out of 10 as I love it so much!

Clean & Clear Morning Energy Skin Brightening Daily Facial Moisturiser:

This moisturiser is supposed to brighten the skin while making it feel soft.  I use this just in the mornings after using the face wash and before applying my make-up.  This moisturiser smells of lemons, but also smells quite sweet.  The smell is not too overpowering but smells so good and I can smell it all morning, it's lovely!  The cream has very small sparkly bits in that supposedly make the skin brighter, but after applying my make-up my skin doesn't look very sparkly at all which is a good thing (as I don't want to look like some sort of rubbish, fake vampire from Twilight!).  It makes my skin feel wonderfully soft and is not oily at all.  After applying this moisturiser I let it soak in for a few minutes and then apply my foundation.  My make-up goes over it very well and I feel that it brings out the best in my foundation as it looks good!
When I got home after purchasing this moisturiser I looked at all the ingredients in it and was a bit worried it would make my skin break out due to the amount that is in there however it did not at all.  But I only use this once a day due to the ingredients in it.  The only thing I dislike about this moisturiser is the price as I thought it was quite pricey for a small bottle, however you only need a tiny bit and it goes a long way so I can see this product lasting for quite a while.  I really like this moisturiser and will definitely purchase it again!

Without moisturiser:

With moisturiser:

Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser:

I bought this moisturiser because I wanted one to use at night.  Previously I was using Johnson's Baby Lotion but I was starting to feel this wasn't moisturising enough so I wanted something a bit thicker.  According to Simple this product nourishes and hydrates the skin and I feel that it does exactly that!  This moisturiser is not greasy, soaks into the skin quickly and leaves it feeling lovely and soft! Maybe it's my imagination but I feel that since I have been using the two new moisturisers my skin has started to look different... nicer and perhaps brighter!  This moisturiser doesn't smell of anything, but then again it doesn't have any perfume or nasty chemicals in which are no good for the skin so I don't mind.  I really love this moisturiser and it seems that I am starting to become a fan of Simple products!

I hope you have all had a good weekend!