e.l.f Summer haul!

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from e.l.f (Eyes Lips Face) with an amazing offer to get £10 off when you spent over £20 on the site, so it's safe to say I high-tailed it over to the site quick as a flash to see what beauty bargains I could find!

I didn't really need anything so I looked up a few reviews to see what the best ELF items were, and also looked in their 'Bestsellers' section so see what other people were buying. There was a lot of noise about the 'tone correcting powder' and the 'fixing' spray so I picked up those, and a few other bits and bobs that looked nice. 

I ended up getting 8 products for only £12 or something once the discount had been applied - kerching!

I've bought a few things from e.l.f in the past, and whilst I've liked some of them there are others that I've been not too fussed about - but when most of them cost £1.50 I can't really complain. 

So, let's take a look at what I bought this time...

I quite like the creamy texture of this eyeshadow but the colour is a bit too orangey for me when it's on. You do get some other lovely colours here for £1.50

You need to layer it up a couple of times but I really like this Waterproof eyeliner pen. Get yours for £1.50

I've heard that this product is sold out quite a lot of the time so I was quite lucky to get it! I've not really had a chance to use it much to see if it keeps your make up in place but it does feel nice and refreshing when sprayed on. £3.75 here!

I took this nail polish on holiday recently as it's a great metallic/copper/summer colour but I think I've now lost it! May need to pick it up again for £2.50

If you do anything today then you need to BUY THIS PRODUCT!! It's absolutely amazing at setting your make up without leaving any dirty/orangey looking colour that some face powders leave. If you'd like an airbrushed look then buy.this.now for only £3.75

The consistency of this product is still a bit shiny for a 'matte' product and the colour doesn't really suit me but there is a kind of light/coraly one that's taken my fancy. Currently £2.50 in the sale!

I like the idea of this concealer but I probably need to use a tutorial or something first so I know how to use all the different colours properly! I know the basics of using green to combat redness but not so sure about the pink! £3.75 right here.

Love love love this eyeshadow stick, the consistency smooth and blends in well and as you can see it's a fab metallic colour called 'French Lace'. Only £2.50!

What are your favourite e.l.f products? Comment below!

...and as I said before buy the Tone Correcting Powder now! :) 

Melissa x 

Cheap 'must have' skincare essentials for under £5!

I'm really not one for spending loads of money on beauty or skincare items. I much prefer shopping in places like Superdrug, Savers and Body Care and finding 'the bargains!' Maybe if I tried some high-end products that worked miracles, then I might be converted but I've had a few experiences in the past when I've splashed out on something 'high-end' and the product hasn't lived up to expectations or its price tag! Also, maybe it's just me but I'd rather have, say 10 different 'cheaper brand' lipsticks in different colours instead of ONE really expensive one. Or a giant tub of moisturiser that I can slather on instead of a teeny tiny tub I feel guilty using up. 

There are a few bargain skincare products that I've been buying for years (and some I've just discovered) that really are 'must haves' for anyone who doesn't want to splash the cash but still look and feel great. 

Skincare essentials

Vaseline Lip Therapy - £1.99 - Superdrug

This little tin of Vaseline has been a firm favourite of mine for years, and it's all I use to keep my lips  in check! (the aloe-vera version is also fab) Not only can you use it as a lip-balm, it can be used over groomed brows to keep them in place, to perk up lashes without any mascara or on stubborn dry bits of skin!

Germolene Antiseptic Cream - £2.15 - Superdrug

Over the years I've spent loads on 'spot fighting, zit zapping, blemish blasting' products in an attempt to reduce the appearance, and occurrence of blemishes on my face. Hardly any that I've bought in the past have made a difference but the one thing I've found that actually helps is traditional old Germolene! It might smell like the stuff you got covered in when you were wee and had chicken pox,  but the simple Antiseptic formula works wonders on the spot-fighting front. 

Sudocrem - £3.50 - Superdrug

Although there's not much chance this happening in Scotland, if you've overdone it in the sun then Sudocrem is brilliant for relieving the pain/redness of particularly OUCHY sunburn. 

Superdrug Vitamin E All Over Body Cream - £2.99 - Superdrug

Less than £3 for a massive tub (475ml) of this great moisturiser from Superdrug is one of my best buys! It smells lovely, isn't greasy,  rubs in well and is inexpensive so you don't feel bad about using loads of it to cover yourself after a bath or shower!

Boots Essentials Cucumber Eye Gel - £1.50 - Boots

I don't always remember to use eye cream, but it's something that I'm going to try and use more in the future! This little eye gel is great for refreshing tired eyes and reducing puffiness. Keep it in the fridge for an extra cooling treat!

Boots Epsom Salts B.P - £1.25 - Boots

Although more traditionally used for ahem, digestive problems Epsom salts are an absolute bargain for a multitude of uses!

To combat cellulite and bloating add a couple of tablespoons to a bath, soak for 15 minutes then wash it off in a shower. The magnesium soaks into the skin to draws out excess water, and removes toxins from muscles. (also great for relaxing muscles after the gym!)

You can also add some of the salts to a cleansing cream for a gentle facial scrub, or add some olive oil to a larger amount for an exfoliating body scrub.


Connect to my blog to make sure you don't miss the 'must have' beauty products for under £10 coming soon! 

What's your 'bargain' skincare essential?

Thanks for reading, Melissa x


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How to get the perfect blow-dry: big, bouncy and volumised!

One of the things I love the most about going to the hairdressers is when they blow-dry your hair into the perfectly coiffed bouffant, darling.  It's amazing how much difference it makes to my hair when someone takes the time and effort to blow-dry it properly, instead of my usual routine of towel rubbing, an upside-down shake and a quick comb through. Unfortunately this usually leaves me looking something like this guy...(before the GHD's come out, that is)

I definitely can't afford £20 a week or however much it would cost for blow-drys every time I fancied them, so in an attempt to mimic the salon effect at home and negate the need for straighteners, I've tried: various lotions and potions;leave in rollers (OUCH!); those foamy sausage things; salt spray for a more beachy look and I can't even remember what else but I'm sure the list goes on! None of these methods gave me the desired effect.

Recently I visited the Rainbow Rooms Training Academy in Glasgow after getting a brilliant deal through itison.com (highly recommend!) .The stylist did such a good job that I left filled with a new found enthusiasm to never let my hair look a mess again!

I bounced (mostly my hair, maybe a bit of thigh) to Superdrug on a mission to stock up on an artillery of hair products to keep my tassels tamed!  

After reading a few things online, and trying to remember the magic my stylist worked at the Rainbow Rooms, I got to work and attempted to get my hair looking fabulous again. I was pretty happy with the results (see obligatory selfie below) so here are some tips for trying it yourself!

Use the right products. I tend to find that volumizing shampoos and conditions leave quite a lot of residue in your hair, so just use a Shampoo + Conditioner that works for you. I love this 'Raspberry and Macadamia nut' range from Superdrug which really bring out the different colours in my hair.

Tip: Avoid putting conditioner on the roots of your hair as this will make it look greasier more quickly. 

Get it dry. Towel dry your hair by patting it with a towel (no rubbing!) to get as much moisture out of it as possible before you even look at the hairdryer. If possible even let it dry naturally for a while. 

Heat defence. I find serums and mousses leave your hair either feeling sticky, greasy or crunchy so if I'm going to use anything on my hair before blow-drying then it'll be a heat defence spray. Right now I'm using the '"This One: is for when the heat is on" blowdry spray but I've heard quite good things about the Tresemme one so might go for that next! Spray or rub it into the mid-ends of your hair and remember to lift sections up so it's not only the top layer of hair you get the product on.

Blow-dry time. Divide your hair into sections (top, medium, bottom and front/back) and start at the bottom taking each section of hair and wrapping around a big barrel brush - lifting it up as you do.  Point the hair dryer downward and hold it close to the hair (not touching) then pull down. Whilst the hair is still coiled round the barrel blast it with cold air as this will help to set the shape and also close your hair follicles which make it smoother (or so I've heard)

Finishing touch. Once you're finished blow-drying you might find you have some bits that aren't sitting quite right, or are still a bit frizzy- it's normally the very top of my head and around the fringe area. Go over these bits with straighteners bending them slightly so you're not actually straightening the hair but just reshaping and smoothing it a bit. Pick any hairspray that works for you and tip your head back then give it a light blast from about 30cm away. 

Tip: If you tip your head forward then hairspray it you really will end up looking like that caveman up there!


Voila! >>>

Thanks for reading, do you have any tips for getting that 'salon look' at home?

Melissa x

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NEW Collection Gel Nail Colour review!

During my lunch break I like to try and take a walk around, and working near Argyle Street in Glasgow means I'm never too far away from some shops to have a wander in! I noticed today on Twitter that Collection were releasing new 'gel' nail paints so I thought I'd head to Superdrug to check them out. When I got there I discovered that Superdrug currently has 3 for 2 on all cosmetics and lashes (great offer!) Whenever an offer like that's on I try to think about what I actually need, so I actually save money in the long run instead of just buying more random stuff...to fill my already overflowing make up drawer!

Anyways, I found the Collection polishes and decided to go for the 'Soft Peach' colour as I seem to suit coraly/pinky nail colours the best. 

I would have liked the polish to have gone on a little bit brighter, but I was impressed with the pearly/shiny finish. It took around 2/3 coats to get a really opaque coverage, which I think was due to my light colour choice. For £3.19 I'd say they are a great buy and with 15 colours to choose from I'm sure they'll be really popular. The 'coral reef' shade looks gorgeous!


I've already tried the Barry M 'Gelly Nails'...I wonder what brands we'll see joining the 'gelly' bandwagon next?

Price - £3.19 (buy here)

Colour - Soft Peach 13

Finish - Very shiny, pearlescent effect

Staying power - need to check in a few days but seems good so far!
Plus point - wide application brush
Any bad points - took a few coats to get full coverage but I think that might have been down to my colour choice

Overall - 4/5

Melissa on Google+

MUA Power Pout in Rendezvous review!

I was excited to try MUA's latest offering of 'Power Pouts' after seeing a lot of hype about them online!

I've bought a few things from MUA before and you can't really go wrong as the products are so cheap but I've always been happy with what I've bought! (I'd thoroughly recommend their highlighting powder!!)

There are 6 colours in the Power Pout range and I opted for 'Rendezvous' which had a kind of browny/nude coloured packet. When applied the product goes on more of a light pink/nude colour rather than brown (like the packaging). It has a nice minty flavour and glides on easily leaving a glossy finish (but no stickiness) 

The product is described as being a 'tint and balm' but I'd say it goes on more like a very moisturising lipstick. For £3.00 it's a definite bargain and I think I'll pick up another one next time I'm in Superdrug....possibly 'Runway' which looks a cool bright coral colour!

Price - £3.00 (buy here)

Colours - Rendezvous: goes on a light pink/brown colour

Finish - Glides on, not sticky, glossy look.

Staying power - Need to re-apply after eating and drinking.
Plus point - Easy twist up design and minty flavour!

Overall - 4.5/5

Melissa on Google+

Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint by Barry M - Review!

To celebrate the first 'day of Summer' (where did Spring go?!) here's a look at some of the new Barry M Gelly nail paints in some brilliant summer colours. I picked these up at Superdrug a couple of weeks ago during their 3 for 2 promotion. 

I'd paid for gel manicures in the past so I was keen to try out these polishes which had been touted as giving you a similar looking finish.

I chose the colours Blueberry, Papaya and Lychee as I fancied a change and they weren't like any polishes I already had in my collection! 

I needed two coats to get the best looking coverage and here's where I encountered the one problem with these polishes - they seem to take ages to dry! After waiting a few minutes (around the time it takes for other polishes to dry) and touch-testing they seemed okay so I got on with whatever else I was doing only to discover big marks where the polish had scraped off...

I don't quite know if the polishes quite replicate a gel manicure but there are some fun colours (Blueberry is definitely my favourite now) and the final coverage is nice and shiny (just be sure to sit tight for a while after painting your nails!)

302 - Blueberry

65 - Papaya

313 - Lychee

Price - £3.99 (3 for 2 in Superdrug)

Colours - Nice and bright! Need two coats for full coverage.

Finish - Smooth and shiny.

Drying time - 10 minutes+ to completely dry.
Staying power - Lasts well, couple of chips at the tops of nails after 2 days.
Downsides - Takes quite a while to fully dry.

Overall - 4/5

Melissa on Google+