The Glueless Scr4pbook.

A couple of months ago I caved and finally treated myself to, I think, one of the most luxurious purchases ever, this £36 lipstick! Amazingly I don't regret it a bit.

I chose the Tom Ford Lip Color in the shade 12 'Nude Vanille' (3g, £36), the sheer summer editions were available in the gorgeous white packaging but I thought if I were going to indulge in such an expensive lipstick I would want to actually see it on my lips.

Of course, the packaging is stunning, it has the deep red (it looks black but it's red when the light hits it) and gold case with the embossed TF on both the lid and the lipstick, I'm actually surprised they don't come in a velvet pouch, it would actually be quite handy but anyway yeah, beautiful.

The product itself is equally beautiful, the shade I chose is perfect for me and I'm so happy I found it because apparently it's pretty hard to get hold of, the formula is soft and creamy, moisturising and has a satin finish, it's highly pigmented too so the colour pay off is great and they are lightly scented with vanilla. Perfect.

Over all I am so happy I purchased this, I have used it almost every day since so I am definitely getting my money's worth. Is it any better than a MAC lipstick for £15? Probably not, but would I buy it again because its gorgeous? Probably yes!

Being an owner and a lover of the original Kick Ass Concealer by Soap & Glory, when I saw the chubby stick version in stores a few weeks ago I had to pick it up for a try...

Sadly, I was disappointed, I put it straight in my drawer and forgot about it. Not good. 

It's the perfect idea, the original creamy, pigmented formula moulded into a mess free pencil version. Amazing. Unfortunately, I don't actually think this is the same formula, it says it is a 'blur and brighten concealer', the formula is ultra creamy which at first seems great but it's just too creamy, once you blend it in, it totally blends away leaving zero coverage whatsoever, I'm quite unimpressed considering I literally love every other S&G product I have ever tried.

I'm sorry that this was a negative review but I know the beauty world loves the original Kick Ass and I'm just trying to save a few of you some pennies, I would definitely buy the original instead :).

& Other Stories beauty has always intrigued me and while I was in the London recently I thought why not just pick some up. I love the vibe in that shop, it's so relaxed and calming, it's decor is clean, white and minimalistic which is gorgeous and everything is layer out and displayed perfectly. 

I only ended up with a few bits (but also ended up with a long list of 'wants') the packaging is so enticing, so minimal but somehow still so desirable.  

They also stock some other brands such as The Balm, Dr Bronner and Percy & Reed which is handy, I picked up a mini Session Hold Hairspray for my handbag (50ml, £4.50). I was staring at the body are shelves for at least 10 minutes trying to find a scent that was perfect, I finally came across Punk Bouquet, I only got the hand cream tube (30ml, £4) instore but as soon as I got home I ordered the entire range, it's so gorgeous!

The jewellery too, is another area of perfection, it's so chic, really simplistic in design but still really feminine, I had my eye on this ring which is brass with Rose Quartz and fell in love with it so I had to get it (£17).

Beauty wise I picked up a tinted lip balm in the shade Frieze Pink (4g, £5) which is soft and moisturising and smells of vanilla, a Lip Colour Matte Texture in the shade Conspicuous Pink (3.5g, £12) which is a perfect nude pink shade for my skin tone and isn't drying at all and lastly I thought I'd try one of their Eyebrow Pencils in the shade Tamin Brown (£6).

Swatches left to right: Eyebrow Pencil in Tamin Brown, Lip Colour in Conspicuous Pink and Lip Balm in Frieze Pink.

I recently popped in to Kiko on Regents Street for the first time and I picked up a few little gems that I thought I'd share since I have had time to try them all out now.

I had to get one of their nail polishes after hearing Lily rave about them so many times before, I decided to go for a nude since that is the shade I reach for most, it's actually quite a peachy nude but I like it (the lighting in the store is soooooooo poor considering its a make up store and people should be able to see what shades they are buying) it is shade 507 and the price is £2.50 for 11ml which is amazing. The colour pay off is great even with just one coat, but two is perfect, even with this light shade, I hate having to paint on 4 layers just to see the colour so I'm amazed at the price for the quality, it dried fast and lasted around 4 days without chipping.

Secondly I picked up these Pencil Lip Glosses in shades 07 and 08 (£3.90 each), I was just drawn in by the beautiful nudes and cheap prices really! I loves these, they are so quick to apply and so easy to carry around, I wouldn't say they were really glossy to be honest which is fine by me, they are highly pigmented and give more of a sheen, they feel moisturising and aren't sticky at all, the only downfall is the smell which is really plasticky and kind of puts me off but I get over it.

Lastly I picked up a 'Skinny Fit Kajal' in shade 01, which is basically an extremely long nude eye pencil which was on sale by the till (rrp £4, I think I paid £2), and I actually use this for the area underneath my eyebrow for a brightening effect, it's creamy and blendable and so good for the money.

Overall I had a good Kiko experience, can you recommend anything?

The sales guy was more than helpful explaining how best to use products and what to use for my skin type which was great having never used any of their products before. 

I decided on 2 products that I had been dying to try and they were cutely packed into this little canvas bag.

Aesop Resurrection Rinse-free Hand Wash (£7) has been on my list since hearing about it on Tamiras blog (my biggest enabler), it is a bit pricey for a hand sanitiser but I have to say I'm loving it so far, the scent is herbal but not too strong or overpowering and not at all like that strong alcohol smell you get with most others, you only need a tiny bit to cover both hands and it isn't drying either.

Aesop Camomile Anti-Blemish Masque (£33) has been on my wanted list forever and I'm really glad I picked it up actually I will do a full review on it soon. The sales assistant said it can also be used topically just dabbed on to the affected area and left overnight, so the price tag is cancelled out by the fact that it is actually a 2-in-1 which is great.

He also gave me two samples because he said the masque is most effective if used on deep cleansed skin, he have me the Paraley Seed Facial Cleanser and the Tea Tree Leaf Facial Exfoliant both of which I have used and loved, especially the exfoliant and I think I'll have to purchase the full size next time I go.

Would you recommend any other great Aesop products for me to try?

I have been dying to try some of the Burberry Beauty range ever since I saw Tamira from Lipstickwithsomesunshine rave about the eyeshadows, so I recently made a trip to the Covent Garden Burberry Beauty Box and I have to say it was well worth it.

The staff were more than helpful, none of that snobby-sales assistant ish that is usually associated with high end boutiques, both girls who served me were lovely and even the security guard thanked me on my way out.

As you can see the attention to detail with the wrapping is second to none, even more effort put in that even more high end brands such as Chanel. Everything is individually boxed, tissue papered and put into a gift box and bagged up with ribbon, I'm a sucker for packaging and when expensive things are wrapped up like this I feel like I've really got my money's worth.

I chose 2 items (although I could have gone for about 20), the Sheer eyeshadow in the shade 02 Trench £22 which is a delicate nude beige with a light shimmer and comes with a little velvet pouch to protect it, the compact itself is a gunmetal silver with the Burberry check embossed on top and comes with the standard sponge applicator also embossed with 'Burberry'. The second product I chose was a Lip Mist in the shade 211 Nude Honey, which is a very sheer brown nude also in the gunmetal embossed packaging. The lids for both products are magnetic which is another cute detail.

Swatches: Top - Sheer Eyeshdow 02 Trench, Bottom - Lip Mist 211 Nude Honey.

I will do separate reveiws when I have had time to test them out properly.

The lady also have me a sample of their Velvet foundation and their newest scent Burberry Brit Rhythm (which smells amazing by the way). 

They create a profile for you to keep track of all the products you have bought in which shades (much like MAC and other brands) and all receipts are emailed to you which is handy, I was also pleased to see an extra email after my visit inviting me to a complimentary 60 minute Personalised Make Up session (rrp £25) which I have booked in for later in the month so I will report back on that soon.

Hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks for reading xxxx

Ahh the tasks of a Saturday morning, the cleansing of the brushes, so satisfying.

I just thought I'd share what I use to clean my brushes and how I do it, and of course show you the beautiful clean results.

I have been after the Jouer Bronzer for a good while now after repeatedly seeing it on Tamira's Lipstickwithsomesunshine, one of my top enablers, and I was planning to order it this month but as I was scrolling through some of Anna's previous posts I noticed she said they were now available in the Blow salon in Covent Garden so I headed there instead.

It was so tempting and I really struggled not to pick up some other bits, but I survived and left with only the product I came for, the bronzing powder in the shade Suntan, 7g for £22, but there was a 25% off sale so I managed to get it for £16.50, steal!

I love the Jouer packaging that all clips together so you can create whatever looks suit your need at the time, it's ingenious. As for the bronzer itself, I cannot give a professional review as I haven't tried it for long enough but I would say it is the perfect shade for light skintones, it's not orange or muddy it's a lively inbetween, I think some girls could even use this as a light contour. It is a matte bronzer but with no glitter or shimmer of any form yet manages to give of a beautiful natural looking glow once on the skin.

I can't wait to get my hands on some more Jouer products, the little glosses look gorgeous and the highlighting cream, the cream blushes, and the matte moisture tint.... I could go on... 

I recently decided it was time for a haircut , so I booked an appointment at Rush Hair in the town where I work (which also entitles me to 25% off. Lovely!). 

Rush uses Kerastase hair products, along with Redken and Loreal which I was glad to see when I was booking the appointment, I have never had the pleasure of using any Kerastase or Redken products before but I've read and heard so many good things.

I booked my appointment with one of he Consultants, Monika, and she just have me some long layers and took a bit off the length to make everything nice and healthy again. She then did a bouncy blow dry and finished it off with GHD curls. I am incredibly happy with it and really recommend Rush.

I opted for a Loreal treatment while I was there which stays in the hair for 7 days and was only £8 which I was pretty impressed by. While the very glamorous Monika was chopping at my locks we were talking about my haircare routine and she brought over some bottles for me to read (and google). 

I didn't want the Loreal Salon range just because I thought how different can it really be? And the Kerastase was too much of a price jump from my usual £5 per bottle so I went for the Redken All Soft range, shampoo 300ml (£14) and conditioner 250ml (£15) (the prices will probably vary as this is what the salon charged me not what they retail for). 

All I can say about these so far is WOW!! Monika said you only need a little bit but I thought this was a selling tactic, it wasn't. So you just take a 2p sized blob rub it into your hands and smooth it into your hair, then add a little more water and start to rub it in, I've never used so little product in my life, I usually cover my whole palm (bear in mind that my hair is pretty damn long), same goes for the conditioner which I only put on the ends, I love that they have actually thought about size practicality and made the conditioner smaller, it makes so much more sense. Results are exactly as it says All Soft, beautiful soft healthy shiny hair, salon results it would say. I will definitely be repurchasing this it's truly amazing stuff. 

Can you recommend any other Redken products?

If like me, you are one of the unfortunate ones that always gets a cold in the Summer then this post is for you. This is my little survival kit.

Firstly for the allergy sufferers Rhinolast nasal spray is like a Piriton but in spray form and its great when you get the sneezes, next for a blocked nose Sudafed nasal spray is a God send and I love a good throat sweet too, the Covonia Double Impact lozenges have a menthol vapour to help with breathing.

For cough syrup I always use Buttercup, my Nan introduced me to it and it works wonders. I tend to get ear problems when I have a cold so I use Olive Oil drops to clear them right up. Lastly some handbag must haves, Kleenex, of course, but specifically the Balsam Fresh variety and a little can of Anene water spray for the hot flushes and groggy times.