Sally Hansen.

I've tried a few different Sally Hansen products and i think they can be really hit and miss. Some things I've tried i have really liked, and some have been awful. I thought I'd talk about a couple of products I didn't like.. first of all the 'No chip' Acrylic top coat. This has to be one of the worst top coats I've ever used! I was counting on it being chip resistant, but it actually seems to make my nail varnish chip more when i wear this? It's weird! i've given it a few chances now and it's so disappointing. I think i paid around £6.00 for this so I was a bit gutted that it doesn't seem to work, and doesn't do what it claims. It does give a really nice finish when it's first applied (super shiny), but it really does seem to make my nails chip more than usual!? Secondly, the cuticle massage cream. I found this pretty disappointing too. it was quite hard so it wasn't really like a cream if that makes sense? I found it hard to actually 'massage' into my cuticles as it was quite hard and almost felt rubbery. However it does smell gorgeous (it contains apricot oil)! I suppose it did make my cuticles feel softer, but i've definitely tried better cuticle treatments so I don't think it's anything to write home about!

Don't get me wrong, I've tried other Sally hansen products in the past and really liked them; for example the Diamond strength shine top coat. This top coat actually did help to prevent chipping and made my nails really shiny. Has anyone else been disappointed with Sally Hansen products? I think they can be very hit and miss judging by my experience! Some of the products seem overpriced and don't seem to work, yet some of them are worth the money and do work well. I'd be interested to hear about other people's experiences with this brand! let me know in a comment.

Sleek Rose Gold Blush.

Sleek rose gold blush - £4.95 + £1.00 delivery - link

This is a product I've heard a lot about in the blogging world and have wanted to try for ages! It's well known as a dupe for NARS Orgasm blush, but obviously it's a fraction of the price. I think the NARS one is more of a pinky peach than the Sleek blush, which is more of an orangey coral colour.. but they both have a golden shimmer which is why they get compared! I bought mine from eBay (the link is provided above), as i haven't had any time to go shopping lately so I just bought it online.. I think it's roughly this price in Superdrug though as far as I know? One thing i really like about this product is the packaging is really..for want of a better word.. 'sleek'? ha, and i think it makes the product look more high end and expensive. and I also like the fact it comes with a mirror. However it's an absolute bitch to open! i have to open it with my teeth every time!

When i first saw this in person I wasn't sure if I was going to like it! I'm so used to wearing bright pink blushers so this was a little out of my comfort zone. However when i actually tried it on my face it wasn't as intense as I'd expected! i really like it so far.. it's not too orangey and it gives a nice subtle shimmer. I like that it's a bit different from what I normally go for and i'm really glad I tried it! I think it will look really nice for nights out because it gives a shimmer to the cheeks, which almost looks like a glow.. it's subtle like i said but really nice! I do still want to try the NARS orgasm one day but for now this is a nice product :) have you tried either the Sleek rose gold or NARS orgasm ? thoughts on them and whether you think this is a good dupe? 

Empties.

I thought i'd do an 'empties' post as it's something I've not done on my blog before! Apologies for the bad quality photo.. Obviously some of the packaging has worn away as they have been used for quite a while! And i finally managed to quickly snap a few photos whilst I wasn't working and there was actually daylight! These are just four items i have used up within the past couple of weeks (I can finally throw them out now that I've photographed them..#bloggerproblems!). All of these products are fairly cheap, all under £10. the links to the products are provided below.

vo5 High volume extra strong hold hairspray - to be honest this was nothing special at all. I think i picked it up as it was on some kind of offer in superdrug. I never stick to any one hairspray I usually just go for the cheapest but i always go for the strongest hold as I have thick hair! this claims to be 'extra strong hold' but I don't think it was at all. this reminded me more of the 'natural hold' type hairsprays you can get. It didn't really feel like it was doing much, and it definitely wasn't a good hold. I was really unimpressed with it and definitely wouldn't repurchase. Anyone else tried this? I'd be interested to know if people like this hairspray. Pretty much the only thing i like is the packaging.

L'Oreal nude magique BB cream - I can't rave about this enough. It's one of my favourite products EVER, i honestly love it! I think i've spoken about this previously in my daily makeup routine post (which you can check out here if you like). I use this every single day without fail, I barely ever wear foundation any more as this does a good enough job alone (I use concealer and powder with it though). I'm quite lucky to have pretty clear skin so i don't need a heavy coverage foundation. i love the way this product leaves my skin - it's always matte without being too dry, which is absolutely perfect for me! Seriously, anyone with oily / combo skin needs to try this! definitely one of my holy grail products. 

Maybelline Dream nude airfoam foundation - like I've just mentioned above, I rarely wear foundation any more. i will only tend to wear it for a night out now (which isn't that often these days!). So i've had this for quite a while now.. over 6 months. But only use it occasionally. I don't dislike this foundation but it's not anything special in my opinion.. It isn't too oily which i like, with it being a foam. Generally i don't like heavy coverage foundations at all and this is quite light on the skin. I don't think i will repurchase it, I want to try and find a foundation I love and stick with it.. so i will have to test a few. If anyone has any recommendations for combination skin, please let me know!

Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara - again this was just a mascara I picked up because it was either on offer / one of the cheapest ones (there seems to be a reoccurring pattern here..). I don't really tend to stick to one mascara.. i've also tried the extreme black version of this. I think they're fine, but nothing special. They do the job but there are much better mascaras out there. I generally prefer mascaras with a plastic wand rather than bristles. Despite it having bristles i did quite enjoy using this mascara. I think it's one of those cheap and cheerful ones. I'd probably repurchase it again if it was on offer or something! 

The Body shop Seaweed day cream.

I got this Seaweed Mattifying day cream from the Body Shop a couple of months back. I got it as it was on offer (something like spend £20 on skincare and get something free). I chose this moisturiser as I have oily / combination skin and the seaweed range targets that type of skin. However, when i first tried this i found it to be a bit too dry for my skin, even though I always like to have a matte finish. The middle of my forehead tends to get really dry (it's pretty annoying as that's the only part of my face that gets dry!) and i found that using this just made it worse and was really drying it out too much.. so i didn't really use it for the past couple of months. But i have actually started using it again recently and have been loving it! It's a gel like texture and soaks in really fast, and it always leaves my skin feeling so smooth.

I'm not sure why but it doesnt seem to be drying out my skin as much at the moment. But that might be because i have also been using the Body shop Vitamin E moisture mask but only on my forehead where my skin is dry, to give it some moisture. I don't use this daily or anything though just when my skin is feeling particularly dry.. usually about once or twice a week. So i think this helps a lot when using the mattifying day cream as then my forehead doesn't get really dry! It's a bit of an odd combination using mositurisers for oily and dry skin at the same time but it seems to be working for me! It's such a pain having combination skin! i don't think moisturisers aimed at combination skin tend to do a very good job of controlling shine but also moisturising the dry parts, in my opinion they don't anyway.. maybe I'm yet to find the perfect product ? So anyway I'll stop rambling now! i really like both of these products.. I'm keen to try out some other products from the seaweed range now too. I think it works well with my skin type.. and i really like mattifying products as I absolutely can't stand looking shiny!