Tip Tuesday: Dry Shampoo

For my first  Tip Tuesday I am going to talk about something that is almost a 'go-to' item for most girls and maybe even guys too - dry shampoo! I am not going to go into details about one particular dry shampoo as I am pretty sure this is the case for all dry shampoo spray products out there!

Has your dry shampoo ever just stopped working for no reason? There has been a few times when I have been in need that I have grabbed my dry shampoo and sprayed it to see that it makes no difference to my hair what so ever. Why? As I have been using dry shampoo for sometime I have noticed that if you leave the lid off of the spray can for a lengthy time and then try to use it, it simply will not work. As it is a pressurised container by leaving the lid off of you will cause the product to evaporate which means when you spray the product it will literally just spray air onto you hair. 

There have been a few times I have left a lid off of a bottle by accident after recently buying the can which means it is utterly useless and a waste of money. So if you have ever had this problem make sure you pop that lid back on so you can have your daily burst of freshness for your hair that you need!

Thanks for reading xo

How I Whiten My Teeth

Recently I have been asked the question 'how do you whiten your teeth?' .. So I thought I'd share my tips for keeping teeth white in the comfort of your own home without having to spend lots of money!

So first of all, I hate my smile. I have always hated my smile and used to always smile with lips closed and no teeth showing. There is no better way to combat this lack of confidence than by having nice glowing white teeth. Straight away this will brighten your smile, give you confidence, make you look healthy and let people know that you take good care of yourself. Nothing worse than horrid teeth right?

There are two main methods that I use to whiten my teeth. 

Method 1: Dial-a-Smile Professional Home Teeth Whitening Kit

This first method is more expensive than the next one that I will get round to. The kit costs around £50 on the web but I was lucky to recieve a package including the full kit, two Whitening Lightning lipglosses and two Whitening Lighting touch up whitening pens for $50 (£30 approx) with a discount code I came across on youtube - so definatley do your research before spending money on the package alone.

The kit comes with three treatments in where you have to swab your teeth first then apply the whitening gel with a brush. After doing so you then have to hold the small handheld UV light in your mouth for half an hour in order to complete the process. After half an hour you then brush your teeth and that is you done! The process does work BUT it is quite a lengthy process including what you have to do prior to applying the gel to your teeth.

Method 2: Crest Professional Whitening Strips

Crest Whitening Strips are a much simpler and more inexpensive way of whitening your teeth which has now became my go to routine. I buy the strips from ebay - 10 packets for approx £16 (within each packet is an upper and lower whitening strip). 

For this method all you do is open the packet and stick the top and lower strips to your teeth (they stick straight away) and fold them over your row of teeth in order to keep them in place. They are then left on for approx. 20 minutes before they are removed and you have to brush your teeth. I can't explain how easy this is, they cause no hinderance whilst in place as you hardly notice that they are there which is why the strips have become my preffered method of whitening. I mean pop them on before you jump in the shower or do your make-up and by the time you have finished you just take them off and brush your teeth then you are good to go! :)

*Note - Neither of these methods have cause me any sensitivity during the whitening process but that does not mean that it will be the same for each user so do your homework before using.

A few more tips:

It is important to have a good whitening toothpaste that will help maintain the pearly whites that you have, I use Blanx although it is a tad expensive for a toothpase. 

Try avoid any foods or drinks that may cause discolouration to your teeth such as fizzy drinks, coffees, harsh coloured foods (eg. curry) or if you do eat or drink any of the above make sure that you brush your teeth as soon after as you can in order to prevent your teeth from becoming stained.

That is all the tips that I have for keeping your teeth white. Disclaimer, I am by no means an expert on teeth whitening but this blog post is to share products and tips that have worked for me although this may not work for everyone. Teeth whitening can however, damage the tooth enamel so it is important to whiten your teeth safely and in moderation.

Make sure to comment below with any tips you have for teeth whitening!

'A smile is the prettiest thing you can wear...'

xo

Birthday Wishlist

Something a little bit different this post round people! It's one month today until I am 22, so I thought I would start a little collection here of things I'd like for my birthday or may spend my birthday money on :) 

Links -

Zoeva  Rose Golden Luxury  Makeup Brushes

Yellow Colour Block T-Shirt (Web Exclusive)

Mulberry Bayswater Bag in Oak

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

C&A Rose Gold Medallion Neck Chain

Gold Tone Bracelet Watch

Daisy Dream Perfume by  Marc Jacobs

Foxy Locks Deluxe Hair Extensions

xo

Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Instant Tan Review

Whether it is for a night out on the town, a bronzed summer glow or to keep that skin golden brown through the cold winter months, every girl need a good 'go-to' fake tan that they can rely on.

I have always been a dedicated of St. Moriz as it is so cheap (£2.99), easy to apply and has a great colour yet I decided to try the Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Instant Tan by Marissa Carter in order to see what the fuss is about.

Firstly there are a few reasons I would like to point out that made me so hesitant to try this product. Not only is it a little pricey at £7.99 at Superdrug (currently on sale for £5.32 - here), a 1 hour tan is not something that I have ever thought of trying. The thought of applying a product to have to sit around and wait for it to dry for an hour to then jump in a shower to wash it off is only good if you have the time to do so. BUT in saying that, after its application the product did dry quite quickly which meant I could shove on some pjs and twat around for a while, keeping busy whilst I waited on it drying.

The tan claims to: - Give beautifully bronzed, radiant skin in just 1 hour - Provide a tan that will last for 5-7 days - Have NO fake tan smell I tried the tan out for the first time last Friday and it is now Tuesday and the tan is going strong although I do feel the urge to top it up with another coat. It does contain NO fake tan smell much to my and my boyfriends surprise, which meant he was happy to help out on my back with those areas that we just cannot reach - even after trying in every yoga position possible! The colour does turn out really nice which I did not expect when the product came out onto my fake tan mitt; WARNING the product does come out quite quickly so make sure that you take note of this depending what area of your body you are applying it too so that none goes to waste! :) As you can see the product comes out quite light looking (excuse the state of my mitt! A new one is defo on my shopping list!). But don't be fulled as it does give a nice bronzed glow to even the palest of skin, and it is super easy to apply. It seems as though it dries super quick on your body but is still easy to blend leaving no harsh lines on areas that you have to go back to.  Overall I am quite happy with this product but I don't know if it worth paying the extra few pounds when the trustly old St. Moriz achives the same finish.. Yet I will more than likely nip out and grab a few now that they are on offer. One thing that I was disappointed with was the security label. Just look at this... Not only is it plastered over the information I like to have a good read of before using any product, it is also impossible to remove as you can see from my attempt :( Get it sorted Superdrug!!  If any of you have any favourite cheap go-to faketans please comment below and let me know as I am always on the lookout for new products to try. Any excuse for a splurge ae girlies??! Can't have too many faketans! ;) x

Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment

Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment is one of todays most talked about facial treatment masks. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this in order to see what all the hype is about! At first I was slightly reluctant due to the price of it.. (RRP £34.95 at www.allbeauty.com) for only 34g of product. Eeeek, I know, isn't the price tag totally off putting? But please, do not let the price fool you. 

The product comes in gorgoeus packaging (see above) and the gold and silver colour scheme immediatley makes the product feel luxurious. The product comes in a small yet heavy steel tin which again stores the mud mask in order to prevent it from drying out.  Defo not what you would like to happen after paying 35 bucks for it anyway!! Upon unboxing and taking off the lid of the box you are greeted with a 'HELLO SEXY' which I felt was a nice little extra touch, you go Glamglow!

The claims:

The product claims to be the world's most scientifically advanced Super-Mud clearing treatment to target, prevent, and heal problem skin leaving you with a beautiful and glowing Hollywood complexion.
This amazing detoxifying mud mask is fantastic for fighting all common skin concerns:
Helps brighten and even complexion
Creates a more youthful and smooth skin tone
Improves elastin and collagen
De-clogs and minimises pore size
Fights unwanted breakouts by reducing redness and super-speeding the healing process.
Super-Mud can be used as a full mask for the entire face or as a one-spot wonder solution! Once applied you can visibly see the congestion pull-out from your pores as it dries, giving immediate results in just one use.  

So what was my first impression of the product?

Upon opening the tub, it does have a very strong smell of all of the spot fighting goodness that it conceals. And yep, why is it called a supermud?  Because it is like mud boys and girls! Now as I said, do not let the price fool you.. I feel like even though it is a little pricey for a facemask the product really does go a long way. I just applied a little of the mask that had transferred onto the cover tub and it done my whole face, so a little really does go a long way. I honestly feel like this will last me a while, and again most people are willing to pay that little bit extra when it comes to their skin, and when it is paying for something that actually works. 

Once applied you could visibly see the mask working straight away as it begins to dry almost immediatley. As gross as it sounds you can also see the mask penetrating into each and every pore on your face (not nice) but it lets the user know that it is getting into everywhere that you want it too in order to get out all of the dirt and bacteria that has built up throughout the day.  Once applied all you have to do is leave it on for 5-20 minutes and wallah! you are done. I want to add in here how surprised I was at how easily the product came off with just warm water. Usually with masks you have to have a little bit of a scrub to ensure that all of the product is off but with this stuff a simple bit of warm water onto a facecloth and it comes off no problem at all! Your face is left feeling clean, fresh and your pores feel like they are able to breathe.

I love this product and have already seen a difference in the condition of my skin since I have began using it. I cannot wait to see the end results once I have made it through this cute little tub (even though it may take a while!)

If you have tried this supermud clearing treatment please leave a comment below to let me know how you found it or if you have came across any dupes as I would love to hear your opinions or know if there are any products out there as good as this one!

:) x

But is it really ok to call a skinny girl skinny?

This is something that has been bothering me for a while now so I feel no better way to get off my chest how I feel than to share it with you lot.

I have always been slim.. All my life. No matter how much crap I eat including snacks and takeaways, and even working at McDonalds, my matabolism just won't let me put on weight. I have jumped on the scales many times after weeks of binging out and nope, not a difference what so ever. This is something I cannot help! I understand peoples concerns when the see a slim girl and it gets the talk going, 'is she ill', 'does she eat properly' bla bla bla. But it gets a bit much when they start to ask you blatantly.. 'Do you seriously eat though?'.

Yep this is something that has just happened to me. Infact in the last month at least three people have commented on my weight situation and I can assure each and every one of you that I am perfectly healthy. This has been going on since school (5 years ago!) where at least two teachers had taken me in on seperate occassions to discuss if I was ok or not. I really cannot stress how annoying it actually is for the fact that I CANNOT HELP IT. I eat like a pig and I know that my parents or my boyfriend would be the first to let me know if they had any concerns about my health or my eating habits. I am 8 stone, exactly. Never up nor down but it is a completely healthy weight for a girl of 5'4'' with no boobs and no booty!?

So why are people so critical, and not concerned about the way that they make a passing comment on a persons weight without thinking if it actually would affect said person?

It used to really upset me as I still to this day have no self confidence what so ever and this isn't helped by peoples blunt comments. Now I have started to wonder if it is other peoples own insecurities that cause them to be this way? I would NEVER dream of turning round and saying to someone, 'oh my god you're so fat, you really should eat less!' so why does it then make it okay for someone to turn to me and say, 'oh my god you're so skinny, you should eat more!'. It really is just as insulting. As I was saying before, maybe us skinny girls need to realise that people who are making these comments are insecure about their own bodies and wish that they could be skinnier. Although it is hard, I have learned that these people just have to be ignored as they thrive off of making you feel worse in order to feel better about themselves. 

I would also like to take the time to say though, if you do have any concerns about your weight or eating habits then talk to someone or seek help. There are so many people out there that can help so please do not suffer in silence. The same goes for if you have a concern about someone you know. You have to be extremely careful about the way you bring up a weight situation as you will never really know what is going on in that persons life if anything, so approach these dicussions with caution. 

But no matter your weight, big or skinny, flat or curvy, tall or small, big boobs, big butt or neither YOU ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL. In someones eyes you will be the most beautiful person that they have ever seen and as for those people than have not seen your beauty, maybe someone has yet to see theirs.

Please leave a comment telling me how you feel about this topic because I would love to know what other people think x

Life Changes

Recently there has been a log of big changes happening in my life and I feel that there is no better way to keep a record of what has been going on rather than a quick blog post.

I finally finished University *sigh of relief. I am not going to lie, it was not easy. There were many times throughout the year where I said to myself that I wouldn't be able to make it through or that I would never reach the end.. After becoming depressed and crying a lot over messing up one of my exams, I thought that I had flung away all of the hard work that I had done over the last four years. Patiently I waited for the final results to come through, and finally when they did I could not believe it. Not only had I managed to score a high B for the exam I had thought I had messed up, I also managed to achieve a First Class classification for my course!! This makes me feel extremely emotional and proud of myself, and I am far too excited to graduate next week with my First Class degree.  I cannot even begin to explain the overwhelming feeling of getting Uni results and knowing that I literally could not have gotten a better result.. AMAZING.

My time at Uni was difficult, through arguments, boy dramas, makeups and breakups, money problems, losing both of my papas and my cousin within the space of a through years. Not only has this been physically draining it has also been mentally draining. I cannot thank my family and friends for supporting me throughout the last four years of my life and although I have not always been easy to deal with at times of stress, with deadlines on my mind 24/7 I will never forget the emotional support that I have received. 

Asides from this, I have finally received the keys to me and Leon's flat! I am so excited and cannot wait to start taking all of my stuff through in order to get it just how we like it.. (pictures to come soon folks!). I cannot lie, I am tad nervous about moving in with Leon but fingers crossed that everything works out for the best and it is the right step for our relationship.

So many life changing and exciting things are happening this month and I cannot wait to see what the future holds.