Konjac Sponge

The Konjac Sponges are the strangest, most intriguing face care accessories I have seen for a while. These completely natural, man made sponges are infused with different ingredients for certain skins, and are completely biodegradable so great for the environment. These sponges are so natural you could eat them as they are from the potato family!

With brands such as Liz Earle and Eve Lom, encouraging the use of a muslin cloth whilst cleansing, the Konjac Sponge is its own accessory, and can be used with cleanser or without.

These little sponges encourage gentle exfoliation so can be used daily, and the natural clays infused into the sponges can help every skin type. I have had two sponges from the company. The 'All skin Types' (pictured above) and the 'Dry and Sensitive' (pictured below)

The red clay sponge has Iron Oxide and helps the skin to regenerate and repair damaged skin. It is hydrating and helps reduce blemishes from damaged capillaries. The texture of the sponge is quite slimey at first, but do not let it put you off! The sponges last for about 3 months or longer depending on how well you look after it. 

I am currently using the 'All Skin Types' sponge and I can't imagine cleansing without one now! The shape of the sponge allows you to use different parts of the sponge to make sure you get the best cleanse possible. 

My skin type has dramatically changed recently and I have become more oily skinned, so when I replace my sponge I think I will try the Green clay sponge, which is for more normal to oily skin, and is the brands best seller. It removes oil and bacteria and deeply cleanses.

For only £7.00, I think these sponges are a great investment into improving your cleansing just that little bit more, and the brands newest additions are sponges for the body, which are larger and have a waved look to them.

For more information on these sponges, and to see what other types of sponges they do, click the link below

http://www.konjacspongecompany.com/

Tom Ford Lip Gloss

The department store I work at got a Tom Ford counter a few months ago. When it was going in I went in early to help, and this is what I got as a Thank You which was so worth getting up early for!

The counter where I work specialises in the fragrance of Tom Ford, and also sells the nail varnishes (which I have had my eyes on!). We do not sell any of the makeup, but the quality of the lip gloss is fantastic so I would be interested in trying it.

The gloss I received is called 'Lost Cherry' which is a very bright red colour which, as a lover of a red lip, I absolutely adore. You can apply it by itself for a very intense colour of over lipstick to add shine. I prefer to wear it by itself. I don't usually like gloss, but this is not sticky at all.

Here is a picture I posted on my Instagram a few weeks ago wearing it. As you can see it has a very strong colour. It such a great accessory for my handbag as the name is an accessory itself. The packaging and everything about it is so classy, and especially around this time of year, it has been one of my most used products.

Lip Care Regime featuring Lush and Bliss

Tis the season to wear red lipstick! I love red lipstick and have been wearing so much recently that even when I take it off, my lips are still a little bit stained and it looks terrible when my lips are dry cracked.
I have had a few lip treatments lying around so decided to finally try them out.

Firstly, I used the Bliss Fabulips foaming lip cleanser. It makes sense to cleanse your lips seeing as you cleanse your face everyday. This cleanser is made to lift impurities from the lips and to leave them clean. I would not apply this straight onto lipstick as it just smudges it round your face, so I'd suggest wiping of the lipstick best as you can, and then applying it after to remove the last stained bits. The foaming action of the lip cleanser gives you a tingling sensation, and once wiped of with water, there is not a trace of lipstick. I used this when wearing one of my darkest lipstick and it worked a treat!
The Fabulips cleanser retails at £12.

Next in my lip care regime, I used the Lush Santa lip scrub. Lush have lots of different flavours in the lip scrub such as popcorn and bubblebum. This festive flavour is meant to taste like Cola, but I think it smells slightly like that banana medicine you used to get when you were a child, which I loved so I'm not complaining. As Lush is a natural company, the scrub is nothing more than sugar, and is gentle enough to be used on the more delicate area.

This product is applied to dry lips, and then any excess should be washed off with water. This product tastes really nice, so you can afford to go to the inner bits of lip. This is a perfect product to gently remove dry flakes of skin on the lips. It doesn't hurt at all, and afterwards your lips feel so so smooth. This little scrub is only £2.75!

 The other product I have from Bliss is the Lip plumper.  This is just a clear gel form that has a peppermint taste and leaves a tingle on the lips to make them appear plumper. I've always been a bit skeptical about lip plumpers. I don't think lip plumpers actually work, I think the tingling feeling makes you pout slightly making them appear fuller, but they actually don't physically plump up the lips anymore. That said, this product leaves a nice gloss and feels very hydrating which makes the lips feel fresh and looking healthy. This retails at £16

Finally, the Lush Santa lip tint. This is perfect for giving your lips a rest from lipstick, but still gives you a bit of colour. The pigment in this product is actually really strong, and it can be built up to have a denser colour. A big fan of this product and at only £5.75 its perfect for the handbag.

Are there any lip products that you swear by? I would love to hear from you!

*one of the tags in this post is 'natural ingredients'  which only applies to the Lush products!

Christmas Nail Varnishes Design

If you follow my instagram account you would have seen on Christmas day, I uploaded a picture of the 3 nail polishes I received from family and friends. Luckily the 3 colours had purple tones, so I knew I could use them altogether to create some nail art.

 The O.P.I colour is called 'Lincoln Park at Midnight' which is a beautiful deep purple with a slight silver metallic running through it. The Purple Barry M polish is called 'Prickly Pear' from their Gelly collection, and the glitter Barry M is a limited edition exclusive to Superdrug.

I wanted to see what the glitter polish was like on lighter colours and darker ones so experimented with both, and then felt it needed something extra to make them pop, so I used my MoYou stamper and used the O.P.I colour to create the twirly effect. Its a very simple nail art design but I thought it was sophisticated and still festive!

Christmas Nails 3!

Sorry I have been so rubbish at posting this month, I am sure you have all been just as busy as me, and working in retail means you spend pretty much every hour in store in the run up to Christmas. A few days ago I did these nails! I think you'll agree they are pretty cute and festive. All the nail art was done free hand using Models's Own nail pens.

The green statement nail was done using the glitter effect from my Ciate Emerald collection which I reviewed a while ago. I highly suggest checking it out if you haven't already here.

I hope you all have the most fantastic Christmas! I shall be back very soon with lots of new products. Enjoy your day and relax!

Love Steph x

Organix Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner

I was drawn to Organix, because they're a cheap alternative to natural brands on the market. When low on cash, I went to the Organix section in Boots and had great fun sniffing all the Shampoos and Conditioners. Every range has the most amazing smell, but being a sucker for coconut, I finally settled on these two.

The nourishing coconut seemed the best option for my occasionally dry hair. When I started to use it, I noticed the Shampoo slightly foamed which shouldn't happen in a natural product. When I checked the bottle, I saw there was a foaming agent in the shampoo, which is not natural so I was a bit disappointed as I felt slightly mis-led. Luckily I'm not an uber hippy who would feel violated if I had such a thing on my head, but still, slightly false advertising. Anyway, the actual experience was nice, and for a while after my hair smelt lovely and coco-nutty even days after I washed it. The whipped egg whites add protein to the hair, but after a few weeks of using it, I swear I started to smell the eggy aroma on my head. I don't know whether it is because I got too used to the coconut smell. The actual condition of my hair was good, but now I have finished using these products and moved on to something else, I am preferring the new stuff. Not a huge success, but for a cheap product you can't complain. Both Shampoo and Conditioner were £5 and they left my hair in good condition. I want to try some of the other ranges within the brand so I won't write it off yet! Take a look here to see their other ranges

Nails Magazine Feature

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been so busy with Christmas shopping and work I have been using my spare time to relax and not blog. Apologies! 

Anyway, this is not a proper post, but a few months ago I saw Nails Magazine where looking for Nail bloggers to come forward for their 'readers issue'. I got in contact and have noticed today that the article with my feature is up now!

Please do have a read of the article, and I promise I will be back soon!

Christmas Nails 2!

Here is my second Christmas nail art. I said in my last Christmas nails post I wanted to use my 'Flashy Violet' colour by Mavala a bit more. I posted this picture on my Instagram a few days ago, and I think this colour is so amazing. I got so many comments when I wore this just plain on my nails. It shimmers between electric blue and a deep purple and I love it.

This colour certainly does not need anything to make it look any better, but you know me! This colour reminded me of a dark, magical Christmas-y evening. I saw some reindeer inspired nail art in my latest Scratch magazine so I took inspiration from that.

My Father Christmas flying through the sky nail art, was done using a white nail pen. I realise silhouettes are usually black, but I played around with the contrast and I think you can tell what it is meant to be!?  Originally, I used a glitter top coat by Azature which claims to have real black diamond in it! I didn't realise that the base coat in which the glitter is held together, had a black/dark blue colour, so when I painted it over the white silhouettes it really died down the colour.

To rectify the problem, I used Mavala Pure Diamond which has chunkier glitter, and painted over the whole design to make the sky more starry. I then went over the white bits again with my pen again to make it pop against the dark background.

For the Rudolph red nose, I just dotted some pink nail art pen. Are there any other types of Christmas inspired nail art you'd like to see?

Christmas Nails 1!

It's that time of year!!! Get ready to see lots of Christmas nail art! I won't just do only nail art, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't going to do a lot!

The inspiration for this nail art came from my latest December issue of my Scratch magazine. I was instantly drawn to these festive Christmas jumper style nails. I misjudged the size of my blue panels on the edges so I couldn't fit the little reindeer which I'm a bit annoyed about, but I will make sure I do some next time!

For the red base I used 'Bright Red' by Barry M. The blue panels were done with 'Flashy Violet' by Mavala which is a stunning colour. I have't worn it on its own yet, but I can't wait for when I do. I used a dotting tool and a white nail pen.

Tartan Nails

If any of you follow me on instagram (please do, it is just whatalooker), you would have seen I posted some tartan nails yesterday. I was inspired by the Wah Nails Downtown Girls book again, and I am living in tartan at the moment. It's one of those granny chic trends I have always loved, and I am so happy it is currently acceptable to wear as it is in all the high street shops. 

My tartan nails are by no means my best ever. In fact I am slightly ashamed of how bad these have come out. The lines are just far too thick and gloopy, so I will have to practice some more! My boyfriend came up with a good idea of using an old credit card to print the lines onto the nail, so they are thin and straight. My thumb nail came out the best as I think it is a bigger canvas to work on.

Next time I think I will experiment with different colours and pattern styles. I used my nail art pens for his look, and used the striper end. Although I first started out with nail art pens, I think I am starting to grow out of them for the more technical looks I want to achieve. I will have to start practicing with big girl nail art brushes soon I think!

If you have any hints or tips I can use to improve this look then please leave a comment! Any suggestions are welcomed! What sorts of colours would you use too?

My 12 days Christmas Beauty Wishlist

It is getting so close to Christmas now and I thought I should share with you my top Beauty Christmas wishes!

Ciate Advent Calender

Image from 'SheSaidBeauty.com'

To start things off, I think it is fair to say that an apt advent calendar is needed on the countdown to a beauty bloggers christmas day?? That said, beauty advent calendars have rocketed this year, with a lot of brands bringing out a calendar with little goodies inside! However, as a nail varnish enthusiast, I have  had my eyes set on one calendar and one calendar only. The Ciate nail polish calendar is perfect! I am an avid Ciate fan, and with each window revealing either a colour, an effect, sequins or caviar, I think this would make me very happy for the whole of December! At £42.00, I would consider it a Christmas present in itself, but it really is quite exciting!

Aveda Curl Controller

Image from Johnlewis.com

I work opposite an Aveda counter, and as I have started to learn more about the brand, the more I love it. Aveda is a very earthy brand, very in to natural skincare (which I am now a great lover of) and also natural haircare. Not only do they strive to save the world, they also make great products. I have used the tester in the shop of this curl controller every day, where my hair has felt a bit wild.  It instantaneously lengthens the natural curl in my hair, but doesn't weigh it down, as the product contains no silicone. This product make my hair look less frizzy and matted, and more beach-hair and tousled. For only £19.00 it is an absolute must have for a mop head like me!


Kiehl's Soy Milk and Honey Creme de Corps

Image from Vickyb.tv

This Kiehl's whipped body butter smells so amazing! I had a luxury sized sample of the stuff and I love applying just after I have showered as I find the smell really comforting and soothing. The whipped cream makes it really light so it absorbs quickly, so I can put my pajamas on straight after. It is also really good for the eczema on my arms. I find this a perfect winter warming body cream. The large size (which I would need!) is £45.00.

Aromatherapy Associates Hydrating Mask / Eve Lom Moisture Mask

Image from feelunique.com

image from beautybar.com

Both these masks come in a gel form which you leave on the skin for about 10 minutes. In that time, your skin will soak up exactly the amount of moisture it needs, and you can wipe away the excess.

The Aromatherapy Associates mask is made from hydrating rose and soothing aloe vera. The Eve Lom mask uses moisturising coconut extracts. Both are beautiful products that do a similar job. The Aromatherapy Mask is £36.00 and the Eve Lom mask is £65.00.

Ren Omega 3 Serum

image from harveynicols.com

This serum is the re packaged Omega 3 night serum from Ren, which for some reason looks so much more appealing in it's diddy little blue label. This serum was described to me as 'a vitamin smoothie for the skin'. In other words, it will give your skin exactly the amount of nutrients it will need to look healthy and radiant as well as boosting radiance and help to fight ageing. This serum does NOT smell of fish considering it is packed with omega 3. It does in fact smell of peaches as it is not derived from fish so therefore can be used by vegans and is totally addictive to smell. This serum costs only £23.00.

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

image from thisworks.com

This pillow spray is This Works' best seller. It absolutely flies of the shelves where I work and people absolutely swear by it. That said, I am a bit of a worrier and work myself up over small things, and due to this I find it hard to drift off sometimes. This spray uses Lavender and Vetivert - a natural sedative- to help ease you into the land of nod. At only £16.00, I think it is fantastic value for money, as a good nights sleep is priceless.

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser

image from Lizearle.com

This is another product that flies of the shelves where I work on the Liz Earle counter. The hot cloth cleanser is a best seller, as the cleanser removes makeup, the muslin cloths provided gently exfoliate the dead layers of skin. The Cocoa butter and Eucalyptus leave the skin fresh and hydrated using only plant extracts. This cleanser is £13.25

Bare Minerals Starter Kit 

image from grace-beauty.co.uk

Bare Minerals is the most natural form of makeup as it uses only minerals (funnily enough!). This american brand uses powders and cleverly crafted brushes to allow really amazing coverage. As my skin tends to be slightly red and uneven, I want to give this mineral makeup a go as it feels lightweight, but has all the coverage. The Bare Minerals starter kit comes with a foundation, a finishing powder, a foundation primer and three brushes to help apply the products. It also comes with a DVD to show you how to get the best out of your products. For £50.00, I think it is quite a worthy investment into the world of Bare Minerals.

Nail Art Book by Helena Biggs

Picture from bloglovin.com

I am currently subscribed to Scratch Magazine which I LOVE receiving every month. The deputy editor of the magazine, Helena Biggs has also brought out this book, which I would like to have a look at. Some of the nail designs in here are more technical, like putting on super long extensions and doing crazy designs. Although I wouldn't have nails like it myself, I love seeing what other nail technicians can create on such a tiny canvas!  

Pantene BB Cream for Hair

Picture from dailymakeover.com

We have all heard off BB creams for your face, but one for you hair?!? Pantene have brought out this BB cream which claims to do 10 things in one bottle. I first saw this on another beauty blog, and the author said she really liked the product so I want to give it a try! On their website it has five star reviews, and it claims to repair, soften, protect, smooth just to name a few of it's talents! I quite like an unusual product and this is one I want to try!

Michael Kors Watch

Picture from selfridges.com

Now I know I said this was a beauty Christmas list, but the last item on my list is this gold Michael Kors watch, I have wanted for so long now! So much so that I have started having dreams where I am trying on a selection of different watches from him. I already have a beautiful Marc Jacobs watch I got for my 21st birthday, but that is silver and the strap has got a bit tatty and needs replacing. I love big chunky watches and want a gold one to wear with gold jewellery and special occasions. At £229.00 I would not expect to get it from anyone, but this is a wish list remember! Its not a beauty product, but it is beautiful!

So there is my list! Is there anything on my list that you are wanting this Christmas?

Movember Nail Art

As I'm sure everyone knows, November is the month where men can decide to grow a moustache for awareness to prostate cancer. As a girl, I cannot participate (maybe when I'm old and my hormones have gone haywire), but I can certainly do the girly thing and paint little mustaches on my nails. I must now just explain that I haven't done them to raise money or anything, it's just a bit of fun. Sorry. I sound horrible now.

 For my design, I went to my 'Nail Candy' book by sisters Donne and Ginny Geer who started 'Hey, Nice Nails' salon in Long Beach.

Their design encorporates a full french manicure to go with a real french 'tash theme. I didn't do the french manicure but just used the Mava-white product I talked about in a previous post, which pretty much looks like a french manicure. I just used a black nail art pen for this design. I added some swirly corners to the mustaches to make them look a bit more jazzy.

And what is the huge apostrophe looking blob on my index finger I hear you ask?

Why it is so I can do this of course!!

September Glossy Box

This if my first GlossyBox  review in a very long time, and to be honest the reason is because I kind of couldn't be bothered anymore. The products I was getting were not really really good, or really really bad, and I felt there was nothing to really say about them of any interest, which is boring for me to write, and even more boring for you to read. You may notice I have skipped a box because the August box was just too drab. Now I have had a break, I am excited about GlossyBox again, and will backdate some boxes that I didn't review. So take a short jump back to September with me, and I will show you what I thought of my 'British Box'.

Eylure  Pre-Glued Lashes

To be completely honest, these eye lashes are the reason it has taken me so long to review this box. I do not do fake eyelashes, and I was trying to find a day where I could put them on to test them for a day, but also avoid going out. It's not that I dislike the look of them, when done well they can look really natural and pretty. I don't like the feel of them, the idea of them or the hassle they cause. I also have a huge fear of being that girl on a night out with a eyelash half way up her face. Anyway, now we have discovered why I hate them, lets find out why I actually didn't mind these!

Before

After

Before

After

These lashes were pre-glued which meant I didn't have to worry about the hassle of getting them on. They don't look to fake, they just add a small amount of length to my real lashes and they add a bit of 'oomph' to the volume making them look thicker. I still don't like the feel of them, and I am absolutely terrible at applying these things, so I carefully selected photos where you can't see the huge gap between my lash line and the eye lashes. Would I wear them again? If they looked this natural and someone else applied them for me I would consider wearing them for an occasion.

Elizabeth Arden 'Untold' Fragrance

Now I have tried reviewing perfume before, and it is safe to say that I am absolutely rubbish at describing a smell, but here goes. It is quite a sweet and floral scent but with a bit of spice too. It reminds me of autumn and feeling cosy at home. The size was really lovely and the box was cute too.

Toni&Guy Classic Shine Gloss Serum

Any hair product with the word 'shine' or 'gloss' instantly puts me off because all I can think is, 'how greasy is that going to make my hair look?' Unfortunately this applied to this serum too. I found it a bit to thick and slimy. As my hair is very thick anyway, I found it really dragged it down and made my hair feel very heavy and full of gunk. I used to use the John Freida 'Frizz-Ease' serum (which features in this post, here)which I really liked, so it isn't serums in general that I dislike, just ones that say they will add shine.

Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm

I was a little taken aback when I saw this product. A nipple balm was a little random I felt, but once I read it was a kind of 'everything' balm, I calmed down. I didn't really fancy describing how a cream felt on my nipples to you guys (I'm bad enough at explaining the smell of a perfume), and I doubt you would have liked reading it either. This is a really nice lip balm, especially good for this cold harsh weather we are getting at the moment, and it sinks in quite nicely as a cuticle butter too!

Bombshell Eyeliner

I had never heard of these 'felt tip pen' eye liners until very recently. The idea was quite strange to me at first, but now I have used one, I am quite fond of it. These pens are perfect for achieving the feline flick at the outer corners of your eyes. The precision of the pen makes it really easy, and if you make a mistake you can easily wipe it off again. My only problem with these is that they are not very dark. They are quite faint so I have been using mine as a guideline, and then going over it in something heavier to get the definition.