Question: How Often Do You Wash Your Hair?

Hi!

Just another question for you! Hehe, I was wondering how often everybody washes their hair...I wash it whenever I feel like it but definitely every Sunday. Usually it's washed 2-3x a week, but I've noticed that the more often I wash it, the more often it needs to be washed...

So what are your opinions? How often do you wash yours?

Thank you for reading! :)

NEW Rimmel London Royal Gloss

£3.99 each at Superdrug/Boots

I saw these a few weeks ago in Superdrug and they looked so yummy I picked 3 up! I have the shades 121 - Yummy, 161 - Delicious and 131 - Jelly Baby (L-R). There are 2/3 more shades, one is a clear gloss, another a slightly lighter pink without shimmer and I don't remember if there is a third or not!

For £3.99 you receive a 14ml tube of lipgloss with vitamins claiming to be "sweet tasting and non-sticky". This is one of the reasons I picked up 3! I really dislike sticky lipgloss, not only does it constantly attract my hair to it but it feels horrible on my lips too, the taste of lipglosses often deters me too, so to hear that these are non-sticky and sweet tasting grabbed my attention.

I really like all 3 colours that I've got too, I wanted the other 2/3 as well but thought I'd trial these before I picked those up just in case I don't like these.

I will be reviewing these once I use them properly and am looking forward to trying them!

Thank you for reading :)

Makeup Ban - Another Update!

Hi!

As discussed in the NYX Cosmetics Sale Post I am now trying to use beauty items up in order to buy lots of new NYX things!

So far I've finished the following:

- Impulse Body Spray in "True Love"
- Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream
- Mini Sample of Clinique Full Potential Lips Glosses in "06 - Mimosa Blossom" and "08 - Play-Full Pump"
- Mini Sample of The Body Shop's Hi-Shine Lip Treatment
- Radox Shower Gel
- Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner (Ice Shine Collection)
- Boots' Cocoa Butter and Mallow Body Lotion

I said 15 things and here are 7, hopefully I can finish a few more in the next month and then go shopping! :)

Thank you for reading! :)

Review: 17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish in "Forever"

£2.99 for 8ml at Boots

I love this nail polish! It shouts spring in a very subtle way (oxymoron woop!) and it's a very pretty nude/beige colour. I believe it came out with the new spring collection from 17, (with the very pretty eye palettes) but I just caught sight of it recently.

Texture: I really like the texture of this nail polish, it has a creme(?) finish, and is nice and shiny without being over the top. Not gritty, no glitter, very smooth and pretty.

Colour: I really like this colour, I think it's suitable for all skin tones and perfect for the transition period between winter and spring and spring itself! It is a nude, light beige-cream colour with light pink undertones I think - quite difficult to describe!

Application: It goes on very well and quickly, no marks, no streakiness, but I would recommend a minimum of 2 coats (as suggested by 17) for an opaque finish.

Wear: I've had mine on for 5 days now (without top coat) and there is a little tip wear but not so significant, the claim is that the polish is chip resistant and there should be 5 days of last colour and it's true!

Brush: The brush is just right and I love how my whole nail is covered in 3 strokes and it isn't flimsy. It also allows you to decide how much polish you want on it and doesn't drip splodges or pick up too little.

Drying Time: I have a huge problem with drying my nails in time before smudging them or getting fingerprints on them and I don't want to have to buy another item to help that (even though I've tried so many!) This polish dries to the touch in 5-10mins, and properly in about half an hour, so it's the same as most polishes but I appreciate the quicker drying time (to touch) than some other polishes!

Price: £2.99 is a bargain for such a pretty colour and a lovely polish!

Overall: 8/10

Thank you for reading! :)

Giveaway Numero Trois - Sigma Beauty! - CLOSED

Hello lovely readers!

I'm holding another giveaway today thanks to Sigma Beauty, for this giveaway you can win a Travel E25 Blending Brush!



Apologies for the not so great picture! (Taken from Google!)
Review pics will be better!



I have heard many good things about Sigma Beauty and their brushes and I am now a Sigma Affiliate and loving the opportunity to be a member of such a fantastic brand.

A little about Sigma:

"The Sigma Makeup brand is synonymous with quality and functionality. Our products are handmade and were developed to satisfy the highest quality standards.

We offer a complete line of professional brushes specifically designed to highlight eyes and face. Each brush was individually tested for performance, resistance, and durability.

The Sigma Makeup brushes are available in different kits to attend your specific needs. You can also acquire individual brushes and customize your own kit. A brush roll specifically designed to hold and maintain your Sigma Makeup brush collection is also available."

Sounds good to me! :) I'll post a review of this brush very soon but in the meantime you can win one for yourself! This is especially great if you're new to the brand and haven't ever tried any of their products before, and will help you get an idea of what they're all about.

Rules:

1. You must be a public follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect
2. You must be 18+ or have your parent's permission if you are younger

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post saying which makeup brushes are your favourite and why
2. Follow me on twitter, I am nav_t and leave a comment saying you're following me.
3. Tweet this message to your followers, "Follow @nav_t and RT this to enter BBA's @Sigma_Beauty Giveaway! Details here: http://beautybloggingaway.blogspot.com"

Each is worth 1 entry (total of 3 entries), this giveaway is open internationally and will end on Saturday 30th May at 22:00 UTC. Good luck! :)

Disclaimer: Prize(s) sent directly from Sigma Beauty

An Interesting Piece of Information...(Guest Post)

Hi!

This is a very interesting post that I've kindly been permitted to use as a guest post for my blog, by the lovely Colin from Colin's Beauty Pages.

I asked a question on twitter and got a very prompt and informative response, please read on...

"An interesting question from NavT who does the Beauty Blogging Away http://beautybloggingaway.blogspot.com/  blog.
Does regular cleansing, toning, moisturising thin the skin? :/ it feels like it does, and a lot more sensitive, thanku

Well it certainly can.

The topmost layer of the skin is called the stratum corneum.  This is incredibly thin - half the thickness of photocopier paper - while at the same time being an amazingly good barrier to nearly everything.

But it isn't completely indestructible.  The barrier properties are very dependent on a particular structure of the oils in the skin and these can be disrupted by too much of some of the ingredients of cleansers, toners and
moisturisers.  This can and does leave the skin dried out and sensitive.  I have done this to myself quite often when working on particular projects - particularly when I was starting out and didn't fully understand what I was doing. 

One strategy is to read blogs like this one and find out which ones are the worse and carefully seek out the fomulations that are mildest.  But it is probably easier just to not tone, cleanse and moisturise so much.  I imagine beauty bloggers might be some of the people who are most prone to overdoing it given the numbers of products they seem to try.  I love the enthusiasm but don't forget that you can have too much of a good thing."
I think we should all rush to Colin's blog and keep up with all this information! Although beauty blogging is great fun I think as is correctly pointed out we need to be very careful with what we use and how much of it we use!

Thank you so much for reading! :)

My Guest Post On Beauty Bloggings

My Guest Post on Jenn's lovely blog - Beauty Bloggings

Name: Nav :)

Blog: Beauty Blogging Away http://beautybloggingaway.blogspot.com/

A little about you: My nickname's Nav and I don't feel ready to reveal my full name to the internet just yet so I've stuck by that for everything on my blog. I'm 18 years old and addicted to all things fashion and beauty even though I considered myself to be the biggest tomboy type around when I was younger! I'm a bit of a science fanatic and I enjoy academia very much, I also tend to want to do and try everything so lists of things to achieve are very high at the minute...although my exercise routine has gone down considerably I do want to get back into shape and become a lot more healthier...finally I'm a bit of an insomniac...hope I haven't bored you already!

A little about your blog: My blog is obviously beauty based, but I'd like to expand a little into the fashion/book world too...I've started a "book club" on the blog and I hope you will be able to contribute! I mainly review products and I like to talk about general beauty/skincare related stuff too, and I've started a few features on there which I haven't been able to stick to because unfortunately I don't get 1st hand information on launches etc just yet! :) I'm not one to smooth over the terrible aspects of a product and all my reviews are 100% based on my interactions with the product itself.

Why did you start Blogging: I started blogging because I love to write, ever since I was a teeny toddler (or possibly older to be honest!) I've loved writing and I enjoy expressing myself with words. Beauty and skincare is something I gained an interest in at about 16 due to my terrible acne prone skin which thank goodness has now improved, but I find that I collect makeup items more so than use them on a daily basis, but I'm trying! So blogging is a form of relaxation for me too, I get to do what I enjoy and I love hearing about others experiences with the item on discussion. I also feel that I'd like to save people money by clearly pointing out the crappiest products ever! Not that I clearly damage the brand! LOL I think that the beauty industry has become so vast in the past couple of decades and it's difficult finding a product that you love and want to repurchase over and over again. I thought my blog might help with those major decisions! :)

Post: I was really struggling with what to post on this lovely blog as a guest post but now I think I've thought of something pretty important to most women. It's confidence. I've always had confidence in myself but never with the way I look. I'm not happy posting pictures of myself because there's always something too this or too that or not enough of that and so on. I always want to look better and when I do look average or nice, (in my opinion only), I realise that there's something inbetween my teeth or a tragic hair is out of place. My skintone hasn't been even since I was bout 8, because I got acne at a very young age and ever since then it's been a blemish haven for my face, besides the fact that my skin has improved, blemishes seem to come up whenever they fancy.

In terms of applying makeup to make myself look better, I've always enjoyed this and never made it a miserable task in a desperate attempt to look better, I understand that not everyone is going to look perfectly divine on all occasions and I feel that the media have made this more and more difficult for people to understand, especially younger women and teens. I've met and seen on television 12 year olds that are wearing makeup, to be honest I'm not sure why because they look great the way they are. Lipgloss is fine, maybe a little eyeliner, but I thought foundation was to even out skintone and the kids I've seen with it caked on have pretty perfect skin apart from the odd zit here and there.

I feel confidence is something very unique to each individual. Some will feel better with more makeup on and that's absolutely fine, because it's the way you feel about yourself, and if you're going to perform better in everything that you do, then why not? I personally find that achievement gives me confidence but I'm yet to find my confidence in my looks...I have found however, that if I make an effort on every single part of me I feel good, but I don't have the time to spend 2 hours getting ready every morning. If I've got a nice hairstyle, decent makeup, accessories and clothes I feel better about myself for sure, but time is an important factor and I think that's also why companies are bringing out multi-tasking products to help busy women feel great with their ever-increasing workloads!

Confidence is obviously a very important factor in our day to day lives, how do you feel about it? And what gives you confidence?

I don't want to bore everyone, and I hope this post was of interest to you, please do check out my blog, I would really appreciate it!

Thank you for reading, Nav x

Check out the Post on Beauty Bloggings here!

NEW Elemis FreshSkin for Teens to Twenties



Elemis FreshSkin Range (£8-£22)



British Luxury Skincare Brand Elemis bring us "FreshSkin" a range specifically formulated for younger skin.

Available are:

- Face Washes
- Day and Night Moisturisers
- Lip Balm
- Masks
- Eye Gel
- Wipes

The range is available at Time To Spa.

The range varies in price starting at £8 for a lip balm or wipes, stretching to £22 for the night-time moisturiser. From pictures I've seen I think it's a great idea for a high-end brand to include younger people within the lower bracket for income! The issue I see with this range though, is the pricing, even though the items are considerably cheaper than their usual products, I still feel that a lot of teenagers may not take the plunge. But of course women in their twenties are more likely to purchase I think...

I however would! I think that Elemis have wanted to remain a luxury brand hence why the prices aren't matching those of Boots/Superdrug. Once I save up a bit I think I'd be willing to give this range a try, how about you? Does anything interest you?

Thank you for reading :)

Review: Dr Nick Lowe's Anti Blemish Purifying Foaming Cleanser

Available at Boots for £10.20

This post is part of the series I am doing on Dr Nick Lowe's Anti Blemish range for blemish prone skin!

I have now been using this cleanser day and night for approximately 6 weeks, (6 this Friday), and overall I really like it. I haven't experienced any breakouts in that time and my skin seems to have improved considerably - however I have changed quite a few things in my everyday routine.

I like the simple clean packaging, however it does make it quite impersonal if you see what I mean, and doesn't really "brighten up your bathroom". It's a simple pump that produces a foam in your hands which you then apply on your face and wash off when you're done - simple.

What do they say?...

"To deep clean pores and lift daily impurities. Gentle exfoliators slough away dead skin cells resulting in deeply cleansed, refreshed and brighter skin.

Contains the Anti Blemish Cranley Complex = combination of naturally derived oil-controlling active ingredients and calming agents to target bacteria and regulate over-sebum production."

My Opinion...

I'm not entirely sure what or where the "gentle exfoliators" are because it's just a white foam...my skin does feel clean without feeling tight or dry though which is a huge plus, seeing as so many regular face washes manage to strip the skin of any moisture whatsoever! I also think that using the whole range in general has regulated some of the oiliness in my T-Zone. My skin does not though look any brighter or more dull than it was before, so not a major change in that area!

Overall...

I would recommend this face wash for combination-oily skins and I love the foam, the quick washing time, the simple yet effective packaging and the clean feeling after washing my face!

I don't like the price though, and I'm sure there are many alternatives with the same effectiveness and maybe with slightly better factors in terms of the overall product!

An 8/10 for this cleanser! :)

Thank you for reading x

Review: BeautyUK Glam Nails in "Smokey Lilac" - No51

I picked up this lovely polish some time ago now, just before the ban started. I've put it on my nails once and it was true love all over again with beautyUK polishes.

This is what it looks like:

Apologies for poor lighting!

It costs £1.99 from Superdrug which is awesome in my opinion for 9ml of nail polish. I've continued to add to my wishlist of beautyUK polishes simply because they're so amazing and at the most perfect price!

No chipping or tipwear for about 4 days, after that there was tipwear, (my nails/nail polish aren't prone to chipping, thank goodness!). I think without a topcoat this is a good period of wear for a nail polish to withstand. However 3-4 coats are needed for an opaque finish and I didn't really like it on my toes sadly :( I think it's a good colour for the transition period between winter-spring and even now!

I really love the colour and the consistency is great. Another great point is that they don't take forever to dry on their own, which is beneficial to anyone I think!

Overall this nail polish receives 8/10! Thank you for reading :)

What Do You Think About Hauls?

Hi!

I hope everyone is well, and thank you so much for following me and reading my posts! I sincerely appreciate it very much :)

I was just wondering what everyone thought of hauls...I know that a lot of people seem to think that bloggers/beauty crazed women like myself are sharing them to show off, but I certainly don't think that's the case. Recently I've bought many beauty related products, (before the makeup ban and when I've finished a good few items - usually handcreams haha!) and was wondering if in future you would like to see these posts? I will definitely be reviewing everything I buy and own in my collection, sometimes even if I haven't bought it myself (a friend has or as a present etc) I like to review, so you'll find everything I've ever used will be reviewed on here at some point.

Please let me know what you think and if you would like to see such posts!

Thank you so much for reading :)

Nav x

BeautyUK's NEW Range!

If you haven't already heard of beautyUK where oh where have you been?! They are a small family run business selling AMAZING cosmetics at FANTASTIC prices! In the shops they are available at Superdrug or online on their website.

They are now launching a brand new range due to launch on 13th April - very soon! Here are some pictures and details of everything that will be available soon! :)



Baked eyeshadows, £3.99 each, 6 shades

 I really like the look of these and I'm glad that beautyUK have jumped on the waggon for baked cosmetics as they seem to be very popular right now.

Pearl Eyeliner, £3.49 each, 8 shades

These also look very exciting as they're supposed to leave an opalescent finish, which I don't think I've experienced on my eyes before! I can't wait to get a look-see at all of the shades for all the products!



Extend Mascara in Black, £3.99

 I haven't tried any mascara from any other brand than Lancome yet but depending on if I manage to finish any mascaras I might try this! This is the lengthening one from beautyUK.

3D-FX Mascara, £3.99

This is the volumising mascara, and very cheap too!



False Lashes, £3.99 each, 4 different types

 I don't wear false lashes, ever, so unfortunately these don't appeal to me but I'm sure a lot of people will love!



Blush, £3.99 each, 5 shades



I love blush! I sometimes wear it alone with no other makeup and it really brightens up any complexion, I hope theses blushes are just as fantastic...I'm also excited to try my first ever baked blushes!



Lipstick, £3.49 each, 11 shades



These are probably one of the most innovative products I have seen since my interest in beauty, it has the actual lipstick injected into the lid so you know exactly what colour it is! I am so excited to try these! If I manage to finish a few hundred products I will definitely be purchasing all of these! They are also mint flavoured :)



Lip Lust, £2.99 each, 11 shades



I've never tried any lip lusts yet, so I'm not sure whether they're sheer or opaque. They are flavoured with mint, papaya or strawberry! Sounds yummy! These are available to buy now.

Nail Polish - Salon Professional, £2.49 each, 6 shades
Coming to Glam Nails on 13th April for £1.99

I love beautyUK's nail polish, I've only managed to blog about one shade though, even though I have about 9! I promise to get those posts done soon! I'm impressed with the Salon Professional sizes, especially since I've started changing my nail colour as soon as it shows any signs of wear!

I think the whole collection looks very exciting and I'm so anxious to see all the other shades in store!

Will you be picking anything up? What's most appealing to you? What is your favourite beautyUK product?

Thank you for reading :)

Yet Another Liz Earle Offer I Took Advantage Of...

Yep...I've been on the Liz Earle website again...and this time I ordered their "Triple Haircare Offer" consisting of 3 full size shampoos/conditioners of your choice and free Postage and Packaging for £19.95 (saving £3). I chose exactly what is depicted above. It arrived today packaged wonderfully alongside another Clear Skin Offer. I'm not sure why I bought the 2nd Clear Skin Offer to be honest, I was thinking of giving it away because there are still so many people that haven't yet tried Liz Earle products...or I could use it myself after I'm done with the 1st one! Which to be honest, shouldn't be too long!

Thank you for reading! :)

NYX Cosmetics Sale!

I was sent this in an email this morning and I nearly exploded with excitement! But...there's a tiny weeny problem with the amount I want to spend and want to buy from NYX!

It was certainly very exciting when I heard that they had an online store for the UK but as usual my pay packet is spent on food and makeup/skincare...

So, on line with my makeup ban, which has now turned into a "Product Finishing Game", I've decided that if I manage to finish 15 makeup/skincare products in the space of a month, I can treat myself to what I want from NYX! :D Every 5 products I finish I will do a post, to let you know how it's going!

This is going to be so hard, but it'll allow me to rediscover my ever-growing makeup collection too! To be a bit nice to myself I think including skincare would be wise too, because no matter how many times I wear the same eyeshadow in a month, it will not completely finish!

Thank you for reading :)

Review: One of the Best Lip Balms Ever - Blistex Lip Massage

"A softening treatment formula of Shea butter, Aloe Vera and Squalane applied with its unique, massaging tip, for smooth, refreshed and gorgeous lips."

Active ingredients:

• Shea Butter - conditions skin
• Squalane - softens and protects
• Aloe Vera - soothes lips

I think this lip balm is amazing, it tastes/smells lovely, is dispensed well from the twist-up tube, the packaging is pleasant and easy to use and finally a mini-scrub/massage is available with the raised lines on the lipstick-shaped top of the lip balm.

It moisturises and softens my lips for absolutely ages and is one of the best tasting lip balms too! I have a few lip products that I simply cannot stand the taste/smell of and it really gets on my nerves because I hate to waste things and I'm on a product finishing do-dah!

I haven't found many negatives of this lip balm apart from that one of my many tubes has leaked ever so slightly in my handbag before, so that may be something to be wary of.

Overall, this is a fantastic lip balm, definitely my favourite so far (competing with Carmex) and I give it an 8/10.

It is available at Boots/Superdrug/Tesco for around £2 and is often on offer as part of a 2 for £3 deal.

Thank you for reading! :)

Review: NEW Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Make-Up Corrector Pen

Phew! Managed to write out the lengthy name of this product successfully!

This is Simple's answer to all our little make-up mistakes, a corrector pen, what a fantastic idea! I'm forever placing eyeliner way above my lash line accidentally and this has been such a saviour, I don't need to get out a cotton pad and makeup remover, then skillfully attempt to remove the wrong-doing, I just pick up the pen, swipe it across my mistake and wipe the pen. Job done.

It's available exclusively at Boots for £4.99. I, personally don't like the price, because it's such a small item, and it's more of a convenience product as opposed to a necessity. It doesn't smell dodgy, fits into a pocket/handbag very easily, is small and easily usable. As it is the first of it's kind, I think Simple are able to have the price near £5, also because of the crazy prices of everything nowadays! Although it certainly is a very exciting product.

I don't think I would exchange £4.99 for this pen again simply because although it's slightly more of a hassle, I'm very capable of using a cotton bud with a bit of makeup remover on and doing exactly the same job.

Overall, it's a lovely and very innovative item, just not entirely worth it in my opinion. However as it is the first of it's kind and I'm sure Simple and other brands will be looking into consumer feedback, there may be an improved version out soon! You never know! I give it a 7/10!

Thank you for reading! :)

WINNER OF GIVEAWAY!

As I still haven't heard back from the winner I went back to random.org and selected a new winner!
Therefore the new winner is:

Entry Number 1: PAIGE BIANCA!

As soon as I hear back from Paige I will send out the items! :)

Nav xxx