Ab Day Work Out - NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED

Hi All,

As well as make up and cosmetics I take great interest in keeping my self and the people around me in a healthy state. We only receive 1 body in our own life time, so I think its pretty vital to do the best we can to look after it. Not only does exercise make you look better but it makes you feel better. Higher energy levels (really important to me as I'm slightly anemic),  its a release - sometimes a work out clears stress and unwanted negative feelings for me, and best of all it releases endorphin's. I'm generally a happier person when I work out frequently.

So you hear gym goers go on about 'ab days' 'leg days' 'arm days' and despite it sounding like a lot of gymy fluff talk its a real thing that allows other parts of your body a chance to recover and also means you can focus on one group of muscles more intensely rather then doing an all over body blast which for me would take far too long to fit into 1 session. I don't like to be in the gym for more then 1 hour 30.

So here is my ab work out which I like to fit in at least twice a week. Its a toughy but stick to it and I promise you'll see the difference with in a matter of 2 sessions. Good Luck!

Note - Its your choice weather you want to do these as a circuit or complete each exercise in chronological order. I personally like to complete each exercise in its entirety especially when at the gym because it saves time darting around 3-4 times. For example the first exercise hanging knee lifts I'll do the first set, rest at the machine between 30-60 seconds, do the second set, rest and then the third. Then move on to the next exercise.

Hanging knee lifts (3x20)

 Reverse crunches (3x12) 

Ab tuck with ball (3x15)

 Russian twists (3x55-10kg)

 Crunches in cable cross (4x20-50kg)

 Crunches with legs high (4x15)

Nivea – Soft Rose Lip balm

Nivea – Soft Rose Lip balm

I cannot believe how much I disliked this product. As an avid fan of nivea products I was gutted. One of my all time faves being the pearl shine lip balm I thought we had a similar contender on our hands but no no. First complaint, no rose scent! I’m a sucker for a nice smelling lippy and I was disappointed to find this was next to scentless, (which considering the name and the vivid pink colour of the lip balm its self, is considerably misleading.) Next is the texture. Despite my vigorous attempts at layering it on, I was left feeling there was barely anything on my lips apart from a slight dry grippy feeling I found myself associating with some SPF or sun block balms. Lastly is the pigment, I understand with lip balms it’s rare to get pigment unless its stated as a tinted balm but considering their pearl shine leaves quite a noticeable pearl sheen I hoped for a rosey pink tint. It makes no noticeable improvement or difference when applied.

ELF - Plumping lip glaze

ELF – Plumping lip Glaze

A pleasant surprise with this product. It’s a dual ended lip product that claims to enhance the look of your natural pout. Like with a lot of plumping products it has a minty scent and cooling effect. The sensation is pleasant but others may find it a tiny bit over powering. In comparison to the infamous too faced lip injection, the application stage is like a walk in the park. I’d say it makes the lines of your lips puff a tiny percentage so I suppose it does what lip injection does but on a smaller scale. Lip injection (too faced) is like being stung, repeatedly, on the lips, by a killer wasp. It almost bought me to tears but the sensation wears off and I loved the results although it did turn my lips really red I suppose as a result of irritation. Eek (the things we do for beauty ugh!) The tingling lasts for 10  minutes, if that - and then I put the colour on top. The colour end is quite sheer but I like the texture as it’s not too sticky. Only notable complaint about this product is the amount you get! Looking at the end of this packaging you can see it really is a tiny about – ok its £1.50 but there are other lipglosses out there at this price or less that offer up to twice as much product. 

Loreal - True Match Minerals

Loreal - True Match Minerals

I really like this product. When I discovered it breaks me out the equivalent to if I smothered my face in cooking oil, I almost cried. I wasn’t all that surprised, it’s a full coverage powder. I have combo skin which hardly ever blemishes but I think this product clogs pores more so then any other foundation I’ve used. What I do love about this product is the coverage & finish, it is insane. It’s not necessarily heavy until you start building layers but in one layer you can achieve a really healthy looking and no cakey creases face. I’d say anymore layers without needing a top up it can begin to crease in areas creating oil build up. But a light dusting on top of my usual liquid foundation (mac studio fix fluid or mac face & body foundation) gives a really polished finish.

Glossy Box- January

Glossy Box - http://www.glossybox.co.uk/

'If you would like to receive 5 luxury product miniatures from high-end brands every month, then simply register to create an account and subscribe to receive your first GLOSSYBOX. Fill in your Beautyprofile to help us select products to complement your personal beauty and styling requirements.'

So here is my first glossy box! They cost £10 plus £2-3 P&P. Over all I think this is a brilliant concept. I think there could be issues with tailoring the boxes to the right audience but over all I really like the idea.

This month I received;

Brand - Clarins

Product Name - Extra Firming Day Cream

Price (RPS*) £46 / 50ml(Manufacturer Product Size)

 (Firstly I've always enjoyed clarins products, my nan gave me a pot of peachy coloured moisturiser a few months ago and I really loved the texture, scent, packaging etc. although I wish I had kept the pot as I don't remember the name of the product! Anyway - my understanding is that it is really aimed at older women and this ties in with what I'm saying above, the tailoring of the boxes etc. - it’s not really suitable for a 14 year old subscriber to be using firming anti-wrinkle crèmes but as far as I understand Glossybox are undergoing research into how to target different markets, which would benefit everyone including the cosmetic companies that are investing.)

Although I'm 19 and hardly in need of a firming day moisturiser, I've given this product a go. I like this product and the way it makes your skin look healthy, as if you've had a full 8 hour sleep. It has some rejuvenating qualities that make your skin appear a little brighter too. It doesn’t leave any sticky or greasy residue and has a lovely sophisticated scent. Although I don’t feel it moisturises anymore then my normal L’Oreal day cream which costs £40 LESS than the clarins pot. So over all I'd say this has been a trial and its a good product but I wouldn’t invest in the full 50ml pot as I get the majority of the same benefits from something a lot cheaper. By all means if I really wanted a reliable day and night crème clocking up £100 a month for both then I'd probably invest in these but I'd much rather spend it on a make-up ha!

Brand -Clarins

Product Name- Extra Firming Night Cream
Price (RPS*) £48 / 50ml(Manufacturer Product Size

My second product was the night crème that I am yet to trial so I'll fill this in a few days! I imagine my opinion being rather similar to the comments above as its really not specialised for young skin. Although I still stand by them being great products- scent texture and packaging are all spot on! Just wish they'd do a range for younger people!

Brand -FAB

Product Name -Body Moisturizer
Price (RPS*) £13 / 226.8g (Manufacturer Product Size

 I tested this against my favourite body moisturiser which is technically a body butter. Non the less it was up against the bodyshop body butter (Comes in various scents etc). I haven’t got particularly dry skin but I do find the body shop butters are the only thing that lasts a full 24 hours and really absorbs into my skin. I’ve tried a lot of moisturisers and I've always gone back to the bodyshop tubs so any that I test now have a lot to live up to! This really didn’t cut it. It smelt of old make up sponges, that old stale make up smell I’m sure a few of you have encountered in the past. (I understand people not wanting to use heavily perfumed moisturisers etc. but I feel the body shop ones have a balance and really aren’t over powering/damaging at all.) So this smells horrid, texture is comparable to some hand creams I've used before like not quite smooth and a little chunky. I do however like the finish, my skin did look a little more hydrated and supple after use but it last all of 5 mins so I was a little disappointed. Im not a huge fan of the packaging either.

Again if you are sensitive to colours perfumes etc maybe this would be a really great product to try but for anyone who enjoys a sexy incense of candied ginger (bodyshops Christmas body butter which im IN LOVE with) or lively cherry should probably go check out the body shop butters! (Which are a little cheaper than this moisturiser above.) I rate this at 1/5. The packaging isn’t doing anything for me.

Brand -Eyeko

Product- Name Skinny Eyeliner

Price (RPS*) £9.50 / per pencil(Manufacturer Product Size)

Next up is an eye liner pencil from Eyeko! I really like the design. Its rather clever claiming you can use the long silver end as a handle once you've sharpened it to the nib! which is rather practical and yet looks really stylish - reminds me of the L’Oreal Infinite lip liners which have a similar handle/ sleek look. ALTHOUGH for almost 10 quid look how much product you get! That’s at least a cm or two shorter than most good eye liner pencils I own. Next the product its self - I got sent a green one. I haven’t worn a coloured eye liner since I was 14. So testing this has been a little biased as I'm already against the grain due to the colour. It's not long wearing, although rather quite pigmented. Mine lasted 2 and a half hours before needing a top up, decent for a pencil liner but I wouldn’t advise using these on a night out. I suppose topped with a suited eye shadow it would hold in place for a considerable time. I just wish I'd received a black or brown one so I could wear them the same as I'd wear my normal make up and test it a little more vigorously! But any who. I'd give this a 2.5/5 I wanted to give it a 3 but the price dragged it down considering the length of the actual pencil.

Brand- Murad
Product Name- Hybrids Skin Perfecting Primer - Dewy
Price (RPS*) £29 / 30ml(Manufacturer Product Size)

 I must admit I haven’t tested this as much as I'd of hoped purely as I'm not use to incorporating a primer into my make up routine. I swatched this and was pleasantly surprised to find its the same colour as a medium tone concealer. All primers I've had in the past have been pinkie or cream based so to see this with skin coloured pigment excites me. As for the Dewy finish I'm really not as enthusiastic. I prefer more of a matte look with dewy cheeks, but looking at the rest of their range they do offer a matte version of this primer. I find matte products last on your skin a little longer so that’s probably where this preference comes from but I'm going to give this a good try. Regardless of what most people say -girls mostly always where a bit of make up to the gym and I find its a good place to test new products especially face products! So I'm going to put this primer through its paces tonight and leave my update. It has no scent and the packaging is pretty sleek and cute. You pop of the cap and there’s a small pump action top. I'll update this tonight probably after 9 with how the product performed! The price is a little more than what I'd want to pay for a primer but if it gives a really unbelievable make up base and a nice finish I could be swayed to invest.

So that’s it for now. I'll add in a bit more once I've had a week or so testing these products more consistently. I'm quite pleased I subscribed to glossy box I just wish I'd received an item of make-up rather than a cosmetic that I could use daily and feel a bit more like I’m getting proper use from. I've trialled so many moisturisers and body products- to then receive 2 face and 1 body moisturiser in my first box I feel a bit like I'm revisiting product groups I've already found really good personal matches for. I suppose there is always room for improvement and you never know you might find an absolute gem one month! If anyone else has subscribed to glossybox I'd like to hear what you thought of this month’s products?

Katie x

LUSH cosmetics

One of you lovely people asked me if I had used the bb seaweed mask from lush and to cut a short story shorter I decided to do a quick bit on what I'd recommend from lush. Obviously all of there heady, candy shop scented bath bombs ,massage bars and shower jellies are a given. I've ALWAYS got 2 or 3 laying in my underwear draw or on top of my wardrobe where I keep what is now becoming quite a large collection following Christmas. But the real question here was concerning skin care. So moving on..

I found the seaweed mask was pleasant it did what it said on the tub and made my skin soft. But the point in the mask I believe is to soften AND reduce redness ('calm' the skin). My problem was that I don't have uneven or blotchy skin there for when I used it I didn't notice any lasting difference to my skin. As for the texture scent look of the product I think it goes with out saying lush will always have this down to a t. My only issue (which isn't even an issue!) is that it wasn't suited to my skin type. I didn't benefit from it. Although I can imagine a lot of people do and that's why I hesitate to say it's a bad product because it's not- I would personally just choose something that enhances my skin a little more. But at £5.75 for a tub that you'll get 5-6 masks out of you can probably afford to try a new one each month - 6 quid is pretty darn good considering the amount of fresh ingredients they use in these masks compared to 'mudd' and other well known skin mask brands. So that being said I guess the next question is what would I recommend?

I've always been a huge fan of American cream conditioner it smells like I imagine a sweetie vanilla milkshake would smell like. And it lingers. Not the product but the scent, which results in your pillows smelling like it which is lovely. It's a little more then I'd spend on an every day conditioner but when you alternate between say a L'Oreal or Aussie (two of my fav high street conditioners!) and this it lasts well over a month or two in the medium bottle size.which costs just uner £9 I believe!

Anyway - Back to skin care! Herbalism is one of the first LUSH skin products I ever tried. I've never suffered with any skin problems which I suppose is quite lucky, even in my teen years. I tend to get combination skin all year round mostly dependent on weather. I found herbalism worked well with absorbing and cleaning out oilier areas and moisturizing the dry areas. The result after a few nights will be obvious to you even if you do have acute acne or break outs every so often I think this really could be something that would help any skin type. Again its just under £6 which yes you could spend on a tube of garnier scrub or something like that in boots but I cant stress how many fresh and vitamin rich ingredients go into lush products especially their face cleansers. Its really easy and kind of fun to use. I break of a walnut sized amount into wet warm hands crumble up and then spread around my face & jaw. Then rinse! I wrap the rest back up and keep it in the bathroom as its mostly humid in there and doesn't dry it out.

Something quite similar for anyone scared of trying the green mush above, is this. Its called Angels on Bare Skin. Lush claims;

'Angels on Bare Skin evens out skin tone, reduces redness and improves the health and appearance of your skin – giving a natural healthy glow.'

And hoorar it does. I'd say its a little bit more bland and boring compared to herbalism but if you have sensitive skin, or simply want something free of anything artificial then this is your pup! Every ingredient it contains is 100% natural so nothing to mess up the natural balance of your skin. Its quick and easy to use just like herb and makes your skin feel really smooth. Costs £5.95 and mine lasted me 5 weeks. So there's no excuse not to try it! Again I would suggest keeping it in the bathroom in the plastic pot provided so it doesn't dry out to much!

Other lush stuff I enjoy;


I LOVE their solid shampoo bars. I don't know weather its still the novelty reaction of people double taking - 'so its like soap? solid bar of soap? for your head?' or weather its because they are such great products, but either way I've been buying these since I was 14 and I have no intention of stopping. My favorites are probably Ultimate shine and Seanik. I use them along with the american cream conditioner. I think these are great when you're trying to give you're hair a rest from all the high end high perfumed and high chemical products. I keep mine in a shampoo tin shown in the picture. Its a lot more economical too, buying them the way they are with no plastic and then popping them in the tin when you're home. Also GREAT for travel I took Seanik (the bright blue seaweed one) on holiday with me and it worked wonders on pool hair! Really compact and easy to store. I even keep one in my gym bag! They range from £5-6 each and mine last around 2-3 months alternating them with other shampoos.

I hope you've enjoyed reading a bit about what I think of lush, its always a store I feel people are put off by because it appears so different but different can be good and in this instance IS good. They are producing some really great cosmetics and I think they deserve to be tried at least once! They do plenty more then what I've wrote about here including solid deodorant solid toothpaste shower jellies and the list goes on. Its like a willy wonker factory for bathrooms. Here's a little collection of bath bombs I currently have sitting in my room (not all lush..but mostly). There are plenty more I haven't opened yet but this is all I could fit in the box!

Katie x

Benefit - CORALista for S/S '12

Benefit claims:

Our warm coral-pink cheek powder is your "coral blush for a tropical flush"! This shade cheers up every skin tone in seconds.

I must say the claims are true - that's why its my favorite blusher ever! And why I think this should be in everyones make up kit for spring! I know it's a way ahead but I'm bored of winter now. I think this work particularly well on fair-medium skin or tanned fair skin but I'm quite sure it will brighten all skin tones regardless. I will swatch this when I'm home tonight as I cant find the words to describe the warmth and peachyness it brings to my cheeks! Yet its so soft and subtle. Super pigmented and lasts forever. I bought my first box over 2 years ago and still havent hit the pan, although its getting close! I already have a 2nd box backed up that my lovely boy bought me for christmas, its smells amazing. It's the only blusher I own that doesn't smell like make up and instead like lightly perfumed powder. They have changed the packaging slightly from a pull of lid to a joined-to-box lid, and the newer boxes have mirrors which are useful but no change to amount of product I believe. They retail at £23.50 but like I said it lasts for a looooong time, the actual product contained is 0.28 oz, whereas a MAC blush contains 0.21 oz so I think this is a good indication you're getting more for your money. Like I said swatches to follow tonight but if you cant wait have a peek on google! its so pretty on!

Have a great day, Katie X

Smoked salmon, King prawn pasta in creamy white wine & garlic sauce

This is what I cooked last night! Under 500 kcal too! Enjoy!

Ingredients;
100g of smoked salmon - 117Kcals
100g of pasta spirals - 158Kcals
2 table spoons of philly light - 60Kcals
1/2 glass of white wine - 30kcals (reduced)
30ml of fresh single cream - 58Kcals
70ml of water
Half a chopped onion - 25Kcals
= 448kcals

Seasoning;
A few drops of lemon juice, salt, pepper, fresh chopped Dill & half a clove of garlic.

1.Cook the pasta till Al Dente, drain and leave to one side.

2.Reduce half a glass of white wine in the pan on a high heat till it smells sweet and there is no alcohol left in the reduction, throw in the chopped garlic & onion then season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour in cream, water, a squeeze of lemon and mix the ingredients. Then add two spoon fulls of reduced fat soft cheese. Let it melt on a medium-low heat and that is pretty much the sauce done. If it becomes to thick add a table spoon of milk or water.

4. Pour the pasta into the sauce, cook for a further minute in the sauce and add King Prawns. Remove from heat and dish it up!

5. Place the smoked salmon on top and sprinkle chopped dill over the top. Season to taste. Enjoy!

Katie X

Lee Stafford For hair that doesn't grow past a certain length

I've read a lot of good things about this product and I can now say I'm an addict! I've been using for almost 2 weeks and I must say my hair condition is improving with every use.

Lee Claims this product is:
"gorgeous, thick intensive treatment with Pro-Growth™ complex gives your hair strength from within by fertilising your follicles, creating a healthy environment on your scalp to help hair grow faster and reach its maximum potential length. Its soothing formulation reduces irritation and moisturises the scalp, helping to keep it healthy and improving the volume and feel of your hair".


As I've only been using for this short amount of time I haven't noticed colossal amounts of hair spouting from my head but the length of my hair and especially the end inches feel a lot stronger & maybe even a bit thicker? My hair isn't in bad condition but it is naturally thin and fine, this product seemed to make it feel a bit more luscious and conditioned then usual, with out adding any weighty-ness or oil to my hair. AND THE SCENT - I cant even begin. It smells like most of the other Lee Stafford products but because this is a masque it lingers in your hair. Smells heavenly. I will add an update after another week or so. A lot of the reviews I've read say you really need to use it 3-4 times a week to begin with to see any real growth but then after you've achieved a good length you just use it weekly so at the moment I'm using every other time I wash my hair. The result is what you'd expect from a decent hair mask, shiny, smooth (with out using any product or styling) and an improved state and this never fails to do those things. Even when I've let it dry naturally it seems all it needs is a brush before and after being left to dry and it turns out a dream.


At £7-£8 a pot its not cheap, and they advise you to use an 'egg sized amount' each time - I use maybe half that and its lasting well, looking like I'll get just over 3 weeks use out of 1 tub which I think is good enough. I'm eager to hear other peoples views and how it works on other hair types or if you know of any home hair conditioning recipes for me to try! I've heard tea rinse can be beneficial for hair growth because of the caffeine but I'm going to research it a little more before testing I think!!


Katie X

30 Min work out for people always on the go!

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! I have so many goodies to show you all! but first....

When people give up their new years resolution of going to the gym, staying fit or trying to loose weight they often blame everything but them selves- including not having the time. So if you're thinking about quitting already, suck it up! This 30 min circuit work out will kick your butt into better shape and improve your stamina after only 3 days. Depending on your weight height etc you could burn between 400-500 Kcals in just half an hour. Which is an episode of friends basically, so get up lazy bones!


Jump rope/skipping for 60 sec.

Crunches in reps of 12

Push ups in reps of 12

Box Jump with lightweight dumbbells for 60 sec.

Squat thrusts in reps of 12

Walking lunges with lightweight dumbbells reps of 12

Excluding rests you should aim to get through the circuit in 4-4.5 minutes, rest for up to 12 seconds after each exercise but try to push through to the next with out a break.

Repeat 5 times resting only in between repetitions and not in between circuit repeats. Make the circuit harder by jumping up from each squat thrust before getting back down. Also to tone your tummy try using a medicine ball in the crunches. Come half way up through a sit up and twist using the weight of the medicine ball to rock you right to left right to left then lower your self before coming up for another sit up. This will tone the sides of your abs as well as the front pack of muscles. If you don't have a med ball try touching your right elbow to your left knee and your left elbow to your right knee whilst doing the crunches.

Sweat it out!

Katie X

Question Time!

Hello. I love that you're reading it and thanks for the support, it was really nice to read your message :) as for your skin I would suggest mixing 2 table spoons of body moisturise with one table spoon of baking soda/ bicarbonate of soda and using it as a facial scrub. Try to do this in the morning and especially after your shift when you get home. Finish with an oil free facial moisturiser or a matt finish one. 2 moisturisers I would recommend for you are nivea daily essentials oil free day cream and skin system young skin matt finish moisturiser from asda, both great if you're on a budget! The matt finish one also makes a great make up base and the nivea one has SPF 8 which is always good (smells amazingly fresh too!) - And as for the body moisturiser you need for the scrub you could buy a huge bottle from boots for £1-2. The bicarb of soda you can probably pick up for a pound also! Its a really good deep cleaner and will cut through dirt and oil, make sure you work it into your pours for a really deep clean, when rinsing you'll notice you're skin is almost squeaking clean. I could recommend a home made face mask if I knew more about your skin type but for now I hope this helps :) TIP- Times the measurements by 5 and make enough to last the month & simply keep in a pot in the bathroom!

Basic Brush Care - Deep Clean

 Makeup brushes can harbor lots of dirt and bacteria, which can result in breakouts - but frequent washing of your makeup brushes can keep them - and your face - clean and healthy.Cleaning your makeup brushes will also make them last longer, but there is no need to be forking out ££ for a harsh brush cleaner that contains hard abrasive chemicals that can damage skin. Below I'll take you through step by step what I think is a really effective brush cleaner that you can make using house hold products.

You should be looking to deeply cleanse your brushes every month, and I lighting clean mine every other day. This below is a deep clean and you could do this twice monthly if you have the time or keep this mixture in the fridge and use weekly to save time.

You Will Need:

Tall Glass or Cup

Tea Towel

Washing up Liquid

Sunflower or Vegetable Oil

1/4 of a Lemon

Bicarbonate of Soda

1 Plate

Clean running water

 I've used a range of brushes to show this method isnt just for newer brushs. The kabuki brush is from no.7 I've had it around 4 years and its made from natural fibres/hair. The thin brush is 2 weeks old from ELF and its a non synthetic crease/blending brush. The blusher brush, 2nd from the left is from The body shop also natural fibres/hair and I've had this for 2 years and lastly my favorite brush I featured in my last post - ELF complxion brush made from synthetic anti bacterial materials. None have been washed in over 2 weeks (dont hate!) So here what you do!

Step 1 - Making the cleanser -

Pour equal parts washing up liquid and vegetable oil, 1 tea spoon of Bicarb and squeeze quarter of a lemon onto the plate. If you can buy anti bacterial washing liquid you wont need the lemon. The reason I'm using lemon in this cleanser is because its a natural disinfectant, you could use tea tree oil or vinegar if you don't have lemon juice. The bicarbonate of soda is great for dissolving dirt and oil, this is really vital for foundation brushes as most foundations are oil based, but its good to use it on all make up brushes as the natural facial oils will also harbor on the brushes which will cause break outs and 'grayer' looking skin, so its great for tackling oil & dirt build up. And finally the sunflower/veg oil is to re condition the brushes, using soap on its own will strip synthetic brushes of their anti bacterial coat and will cause natural hair brushes to dry out - so the oil combats this, conditioning the brushes so they will remain in top condition.

Brush your make up brushes forward and back through this mixture, careful not to 'swirl' to much as this will loosen the bristles.

Step 2 - Rinse

Rinse in warm water, trying not to tug at the bristles. Brush them forward and back like before in your palm for a good 2 minutes or until the water runs clear.

Gently squeeze of excess water once rinsed. Then use the tea towel and gently squeeze again. (You could use a normal towel but I wouldn't recommend tissue or kitchen towel as it can flake of into the bristles.)

Step 3 - Re-shape

This is the result, shiny, new looking brushes! There is no horrible scent or icky residue left they are simply clean and soft. To reshape place brush in palm of hand and squeeze, then with out tugging pull hand down the length of the bristles till they're all laying flat and straight.

Step 4 - Drying

To dry your brushes, place up right in a glass or cup. Do not lay them flat as any excess water will run to the root of the bristle and loosen the glue eventually making the bristles fall out. So always store upright, bristles downward facing, when wet. You may find a plastic brush protector will keep them in better shape but I find if you rest them gently in the glass with out ruining the reshape they'll look just as good!

So that's it! I will post a picture of them once they are dry in the morning or later tonight- I recommend doing this over night so they're ready to use the next morning. To dry them a little quicker leave the glass near a radiator but never on top/directly underneath as it'll make the bristles dry out and brittle.

I hope you've enjoyed this! Please do try this brush cleaner and let me know how you get on! I've used this method since I can remember and its worked wonders every time! I will eventually get round to doing a light cleaner for every day use but for now I hope this has helped.

Merry Christmas!

Katie x

My first ever post!

This is my new blog - Beaticles - The Beauty Articles. I'll try keep it as up to date as possible with cosmetic reviews, any new purchases, possibly some recipes here and there and an attempt to refrain from moaning about work, the weather or London traffic. So to kick things of here is a little look at my top 5 beauty buys over the last few months, Enjoy!

You will be able to tell with the more images I upload I am an INSTAGRAM fiend! You can find me Katie_gurr, Im also on twitter with the same name and I'll post my tumblr link some where also! 

This shade is called Gold Coin by Revlon and it is really pretty. I'm usually attracted to nude nails, pink/peach shades and warm tones so when I received this as a free gift from revlon for purchasing over £15 worth of make up, I didn't think much of it at the time. But it is now my no.1 Nail Polish! It is incredible. Carelessly, I swiped it on my nails after getting back from the shops (at work) and ran round the office exclaiming id only put the one coat on! its so pigmented and so easy. I'm also typically always on the go so when this chipped I just swiped over begging for no icky looking under cracks and it looked brand new again. I was on the tube as well ,surely that's proof of how easy and quick this is to use. This really is a fool proof nail polish it drys really quick, there's no rough texture which many glitter particle polish's dry to and in my opinion looks extremely classy! Price: £5-7 depending on where you buy from.

The Elf complexion Brush is THE best powder brush in my eyes. The density is just right, its super soft & made from anti bacterial synthetic materials. My worry when ordering this was that it would be TOO fluffy to pick up enough powder as I don't use loose powders but pressed ones. But like I said they've got the density down to a T so it picks up the right amount of product and it deposits so evenly on the skin. (Obviously its down to the product you're using too..but) Ive used High end compacts and £5 high street ones and the result has always been flawless when using this Brush. I've had a similar brush from the body Shop which has been put to shame after using this brush. Not to mention the price, the Body shop brush was well over quadruple the price of this one from elf!! The elf brush is £3.50! So I can't fault this Brush at all. 

The only things that I will have to look out for is the durability as I've only had a month but the way things are going I think I'll have it for just as long as any other brush if not longer. No bristles have fallen out bar the one or two during first use. And the other variable is that it is listed as a complexion brush for both wet and dry products and I cant say I've tried it with any of my liquid foundations but I've never used a brush for liquid application anyway. So for anyone that has this brush & used for liquid applications I'd be interested to know how it compares! 

My 3rd is actually one of my all time favorite perfumes that my boyfriend restocked for me in October (birthday pressie!) along with Gucci by Gucci and Armani Diamonds. I've chose this one to feature because I love using it in winter. I think it's probably the boldness of it. Top notes composed of jasmine, sweet orange, calabrian bergamot and   base notes of  sandalwood and amber, and ceda. I think its sophisticated but not old lady smell. Its confident and a little bit sweet smelling once its dry. Not to mention the bottle is so pretty, I'm not sure the picture does it justice but if you look hard enough at the bottle its like a reflective colour changing glass! I think this retails between £65-85 depending on which size you buy. But a tiny bit goes a long way!

I've still yet to find my all time favorite foundation but I think this is pretty close! Maxfactor Miracle Touch Foundation. The formula its self is really impressive I remember buying this right before a deadline, barely getting any sleep, looking haggard and just wasn't my self at the time so it was up against a great battle from the start but this completely became my best friend....for all of about 2 weeks. That was my only fault with this foundation - it lasted me 2 weeks! I'm not a packer-on-er, I dont encase my skin in an inch of foundation but I top up my make up maybe once in the day and again if I'm going out in the evening and I felt the formula wasn't particularly staying. I think with the right powder maybe I wouldn't of had to top up in the day or something but for me it just went to quickly. I've heard so much ranting & raving about MAC foundation and also a particular one by Chanel so watch this space as I'll definitely be reviewing one or the other in the new year.

 Any way the shade was spot on the coverage was amazing and the sponge applicator actually gave a really nice matte finish once the product has set but also felt satiny smooth to touch. But for the price ranging between £12-15, which only lasted me 2 weeks, I'd have to buy 2 just to get me through the month SO I thought its worth investing in the £20-30 Mac & Chanel ones I wanted to try which will hopefully last me 4-5 weeks. Some other foundations I really enjoy are Dream matte mouse, Clinique Even Better and Rimel 25 hour wear. (There was also a foundation released around 4 years ago which was my first ever real make up, Launched by YSL and had a built in foundation brush with a gold lid - quite similar to the Touche Eclat formula/packaging I reckon, which had been discontinued but I dearly loved the effects of that foundation and it seemed to last for a good while.)

And last but not least!

 

I really wanted to mention my favorite lipstick & mascara in here but I'm sure I'll get to rave about it in another post! So unexpectedly this 99p sachet has been in my head for a while I first bought it on a whim 5-6 months ago. My hair is natural fair thin and wavy, I get highlights or use L'Oreal home kits when I'm in a rush. I use a lot of heat styling blow dryers hot irons etc so it's fair to say its not in the best condition but I'd say its pretty healthy and soft. I bought this in hope it would look a little less dry and limp - the results where fantastic I've actually just picked one up on my lunch break now. I went out the same night I'd used this as a conditioner almost and the thing that surprised me was you can actually tell from the pictures my hair had been treated with something. It looked shiny thicker and radiant. I find recovery masques can be a little heavy and leave hair feeling weighed down and eventually greasy but I didn't feel this was at all.

So that's my top 5! I've got lots more to tell everyone about including 2 Rimmel products you'll never find me with out, a few reviews on my favorite Benefit bits I've picked up this season, the MAC products I picked up during my consultation and a big discussion about winter skin care! Oh I also forgot I'll be posting lots of tips & tricks on application, making your products last longer & how to keep your brush's clean & in great condition! 

Merry Christmas!

Katie x