Beauty: Empties #1

I love having a nosey at other people's 'empties posts' and I seem to have used up a few products recently so I thought I'd do an empties post so I can share my opinions on the products and most importantly if I would repurchase them.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo 'The Sleek Restorer' - I'm sure I've mentioned countless times on my blog that I love the shampoos and conditioners from this range (the Dry Shampoo not so much). This shampoo does exactly what it says on the bottle - it leaves my hair looking much less frizzy and much more sleek, whilst still giving my hair a good cleanse. Oh and it smells amazing too. I have already repurchased this shampoo and I'm sure that I'll continue to do so.

Review: Beverly Hills Formula Perfect White Black Toothpaste

Now if you've ever read my blog before then you'll probably know that any product that 

claims to whiten teeth will appeal to me. 

Just before Christmas I started to see the Beverly Hills Formula Perfect White Black Toothpaste appear on a number of blogs and I was instantly intrigued so decided to pick some up for myself.

Beverly Hills Formula Perfect White Black Toothpaste claims to help improve the whiteness of teeth without any harsh bleach or chemicals. In case you're not aware the toothpaste itself is black.. yes you did read that correctly..black toothpaste. This is due to the toothpaste containing Activated Charcoal which helps to eliminate bad bacteria and remove stains from the teeth (therefore making them appear whiter).

Once you've got your head around the idea of black toothpaste, it's a bloomin' good product. The toothpaste has a lovely minty taste which isn't too strong and overpowering but is just 

enough to leave your teeth feeling clean and your breath minty fresh. 

Now my teeth are already quite white, due to the sheer number of teeth whitening products I've used, but I can see a noticeable improvement in the brightness of my teeth since I have been using this product. 

I'm pretty impressed with this toothpaste so I'm glad I purchased a second tube whilst it was on offer (especially seen as somebody else in my household seems to be liking this toothpaste too..)

Beverly Hills Formula Perfect White Black Toothpaste retails for £4.99 and is available to purchase here (link).

Have you tried this toothpaste? What did you think?

Thankyou for reading,

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Life: Valentine's Day With Kaiser Chiefs

For Christmas my parents very kindly bought me and my Brother tickets to see Kaiser Chiefs at their homecoming gig at the Leeds First Direct Arena, which just happened to coincide with Valentine's Day. 

After finding our way through Leeds city centre (thanks to my Dad's expert driving..and the help of the sat nav) we arrived at the arena. 

After a quick look at the merchandise stand we took to our seats just in time to catch the end of the first support act,Teleman. (We were sat in Block 329, Row J if you're interested).After a short break the next support act,Public Service Broadcasting, took to the stage. To be honest (and I always am).. I wasn't keen on either of the two supporting acts.. but they weren't the reason why I went were they?

At 9pm Kaiser Chiefs took to the stage, to kick off what was an amazing gig. They opened with 'The Factory Gates' and then 'Everyday I Love You Less And Less' which really got the crowd hyped up. For the next two hours they made their way through their extensive back catalogue playing well loved songs such as 'Ruby' and 'I Predict A Riot'.

 The 'Chiefs definitely didn't disappoint with their energetic performances, at one point front man Ricky Wilson was standing in the crowd and then running around to the back of the standing area to perform a couple of songs.

Yes their was points during the gig when I felt like I was at a football match (the chants of 'Yorkshire,Yorkshire,Yorkshire) but it was amazing to hear such support for a local band who have done so well.

 The gig itself was incredible and if you ever get the chance to see Kaiser Chiefs perform live then I'd urge you to do it. I feel very lucky to have seen them live, especially at their 'homecoming' gig. 

Have you been to any gigs recently?

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Beauty: Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara VS. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Since discovering Maybelline's Lash Sensational Mascara a few weeks ago I've been using it daily. However, when I gave in to the hype and tried out a sample of Benefit's new Roller Lash Mascara I couldn't help but realise just how similar the two products are.

The packaging

The packaging (the tube) of both mascara's are pretty similar,colour and design wise- personally I prefer the packaging of Benefit's Roller Lash as I think it looks that teeny bit classier. 

The mascara wands

Both mascara's have a curved wand to help give lashes curl. At first glance the mascara wands are very similar,although I believe that the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara wand has slightly more of an obvious curved shape (although this could be down to the mascara being on a larger scale - the Benefit Roller Lash is a sample size). 

Both of the mascara wands work well,although I have found that the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara has a tendency to pick up a little bit more product than Benefit's Roller Lash which means it's a little bit more difficult to work with than Roller Lash to try to avoid the dreaded 'clumpy' lash look. 

The look

On the top photo I am wearing Benefit's Roller Lash mascara and on the bottom photo I'm wearing Maybelline's Lash Sensational mascara. 

As you can see there really isn't a great deal of difference, in my opinion both mascara's work extremely well and the only difference is that Roller Lash is slightly better at separating the lashes whilst Lash Sensational gives a little bit more volume.

The price

Whilst I really am impressed by the Benefit Roller Lash mascara, I'm not sure whether I could justify splashing out nearly £20 on a mascara when I could spend just £5.99 and get practically the same result. 

I think for me Benefit's Roller Lash will be an occasional treat where as Maybelline's Lash Sensational is an everyday staple.

Have you tried either of these mascaras? What did you think?

Thank you for reading,

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Review: OSMO Effects Detoxify 1 Day A Week Clarifying Cleanser* & Straighten Up*

Winter and central heating has taken it's toll on my hair lately, it's become very dry,frizzy and troublesome. I was recently lucky enough to be sent a couple of haircare products to try out - OSMO Effects Detoxify 1 Day A Week Clarifying Cleanser* and; OSMO Effects Straighten Up*- which I hoped would make my hair happier.

OSMO is a professional haircare brand which was 'born and bred in Britain'. Their wide range of products covers everything from styling, colouring and caring for hair.

The OSMO Effects Detoxify 1 Day A Week Clarifying Cleanser* is a build up removal shampoo, to be used once weekly to remove any product build up from the hair. I've been using this product on a Sunday to 'detox' my hair of all the products I've used throughout the week. 

After using the shampoo a number of times now I feel I can give it a fair review. The shampoo has quite a fresh minty smell,which I'm not overly fond of but I'm sure others would really like it. This shampoo leaves my hair squeaky clean and I haven't found this product to make my hair any drier than it already is which I was worried was going to be a little bit of a problem. One thing that's worth noting is that since I've been using this shampoo the colour in my hair has faded slightly, now I'm not sure if this is entirely the result of using this shampoo but it's definitely something to bear in mind if you do colour your hair (like I do).

The OSMO Effects Straighten Up Spray* is a Keratin based straightening spray which works alongside hair straighteners to help lock in straightness,control frizz and promote shine. 

Despite having GHD Hair Straighteners and taking time over straightening my hair my hair will never stay straight so this product really appealed to me. The product is to be spritzed over damp hair (avoiding the roots) before blow drying and then straighten your hair as normal to finish. 

The OSMO Effects Straighten Up Spray* has a sweeter scent than the shampoo,which I much prefer. Now in no way do I have professional blow drying or straightening skills but there was a definite improvement to the appearance of my hair after using this product. My hair was much less frizzy than usual and actually looked pretty sleek and healthy. Although my troublesome hair refuses to fully co-operate with my hair straighteners this product did help my hair to retain some straightness for just that little while longer. 

The straightening spray was definitely my favourite of the two products. If you fancy trying this product you can find it here (RRP £9.99)

*This product was very kindly sent to me for review purposes. This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own. You can read my full disclaimer policy here.

Thank you for reading,

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January Favourites

 Happy February lovelies. I was in two minds whether to do a January favourites post as most of the products I have been using throughout the month featured in my December favourites post (you can read that here) but there are a few exceptions:

I was lucky enough to receive the Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box giftset for Christmas, it contains sample sizes of some of Benefit's most popular boxes of powder - Dandelion,Bella Bamba,Sugarbomb,Coralista,Rockateur and Hoola. I've been using this set on a daily basis and I'm currently loving the Coralista and Sugarbomb blushes.

As I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately I decided to try the this works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray (I purchased a trial size as part of a giftset in the Feel Unique sale) . I don't use this every night, but when I do I seem to have a much better nights sleep. 

The next product is is no way glamorous but for me it is an essential. The Wilkinson Sword Intuition Naturals Razor is a handy little tool to have - it's a razor which is surrounded by soap which lathers up,moisturises and makes shaving my legs much less hassle.

Another product which is more of an essential than a luxury is toothpaste. I've recently discovered the Beverly Hills Formula Perfect White Black Toothpaste and it's pretty impressive. I won't say too much though as I may do a full review on it soon.

Another product I received for Christmas was the Makeup Revolution Romantic Smoked Eyeshadow Pallete, which has become part of my January everyday make-up routine. I've been applying a single colour all over my eyelids using the Real Techniques Essential Crease Brush. I have been using the shimmery shades more than the matte shades but that's purely down to my personal preference.

What are your January favourites?

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Beauty: Rimmel By Kate 'Red Nose Red' Lipstick for Comic Relief

Comic Relief (or Red Nose Day) will take place this year on Friday 13th March. 

As an official partner of the fundraising event Rimmel London have given the Rimmel By Kate 'Shade 1' Lipstick a Red Nose Day inspired make-over. 

Despite being a Limited Edition product the quality has not been compromised. The formula,pigmentation and lasting power are excellent (as you'd expect from a Rimmel By Kate Lipstick). 

The lipstick itself is the a stunning deep red shade which I have been wearing daily since purchasing the lipstick. Here's a swatch I did on the back on my hand (I tried to do a swatch on my lips but I couldn't get it to look quite right,apologies):

The Rimmel By Kate 'Red Nose Red' Lipstick is available here for £5.49, but you don't need to feel guilty about buying yet another lipstick as £1.67 will go straight to Comic Relief to support the amazing work that the charity does.

Psst.. Rimmel are encouraging you to get involved in their #gettherednoselook campaign by uploading a selfie to your favourite Social Media platform showing them your 'Red Nose' inspired look. I'll be uploading my selfie to Instagram as soon as I get the chance to.

Will you be purchasing this Limited Edition lipstick to #gettherednoselook?

Thankyou for reading,

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Magazine Freebies: Free Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

I'm sure that most of you lovelies will know about the fab Benefit freebie on offer with this month's UK Elle magazine, but for those of you who aren't here's a little heads up.

The current edition of UK Elle (dated March 2015) comes with a sample size version of Benefit's new mascara - Roller Lash. What's even better is that Roller Lash isn't released until late February so this is the perfect opportunity to try it out for a fraction of the price.

The March Issue of Elle Magazine is out now, costing £4.00.

I've not had the chance to properly try the mascara yet but I'll give it a whirl and try to get a review up before it's released.

Will you be picking up the latest Elle magazine?

Thankyou for reading,

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