Tuesday 26 February 2013

OOTD: Dork




















An outfit post on Bamboozle Beauty? Really? I know! It's a rarity. I don't feel comfortable doing outfit posts all of the time but I bought this t-shirt yesterday and I just had to show it you. I've been after one for a while now but I couldn't justify spending nearly £20 on one from Topshop. So of course, I turned to my trusty Primark. This top cost me just £4! Unbelievable right?! I love these t-shirts because of the way that they fit, the sleeves and the colour. I'm not particularly fond of the writing/text but hey-ho, you win some and you lose some. The disco pants are off of eBay and I've been loving wearing them lately. My earrings are once again from Primark and they cost me just £1. The lipstick* is from KIKO and it's in the colour 03. It's a beautiful bright pink/purple colour and it lasts on the lips for ages. And finally, the nail polish* is also from KIKO and it's in the colour 423. I haven't taken this off of my nails since I received it. It's a stunning green colour with green flecks of shimmer/glitter running through it. Oh and my socks are from Primark in case you're wondering - I was too cold to take them off!
xxx

Monday 25 February 2013

KIKO Limited Edition Spring Collection


























The other day I was sent this wonderful package from KIKO. KIKO was established and founded in 1997 and it is an Italian cosmetic brand. It currently has over 500 stores throughout Europe. The brand features an extensive range of cutting-edge make up, face and body safe which are all safe and effective. The products that you can see above are all from their Limited Edition Spring Collection. "KIKO MAKE UP MILANO has created a truly stunning collection, showcasing amazing textures, brights to die for, yet all easy to wear whatever your skin tone or ethnicity." I'm currently having a lot of fun playing with the make up above and in the next few weeks I'll be posting about all of the products. However I could've resist showing you all how pretty they are! You can find KIKO's website here. Out of the above, which product looks the most appealing to you?
xxx

Saturday 23 February 2013

20% off at Boux Avenue



I want to say a big thank you to you all for voting for me in the Boux Avenue Valentine's Blogger competition. I ended up winning the competition for my entry which means that I've won a £250 giftcard and of course, a little something for you guys. Boux Avenue are offering you all 20% discount off of full priced products on their online store! To claim 20% discount all you have to do is use the code BAMBOOZLE at the 'Your Bag' stage of the checkout process. I've compiled a little wish list to help you all out decide in case you want to buy anything!

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Terms and Conditions: 
20% discount on full price lines at www.bouxavenue.com for Bamboozle Beauty Blog readers.
  1. This offer is valid from Saturday 23rd February 2013 - 11:59pm on Friday 8th March 2013
  2. This offer is valid online only at www.bouxavenue.com
  3. This offer is not available in any Boux Avenue store
  4. To claim a 20% discount on your order enter the code at the 'Your Bag' stage of the checkout process
  5. This offer is valid on full price products only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer
  6. Boux Avenue VIP Scheme and gift card terms and conditions apply
  7. Boux Avenue reserves the right to amend or cancel this offer at any time
  8. This offer is not open to Boux Avenue staff
  9. We are Boux Avenue Limited 22-24 Worple Rd, London, SW19 4DD
Also as promised, I will be giving away five Pink taffeta hand cream's soon as another thank you to you all. Thank you again and happy shopping :)!
xxx

Thursday 21 February 2013

WISHLIST: Boohoo Dress

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There's nothing I love more than browsing the web for clothes when I have no work and no money. Yes, it makes me pretty depressed knowing that I have no money to buy the clothes with but it also brings me so much joy. I love looking at pretty things and for me, there's nothing prettier than dresses (if you don't count make up of course). Boohoo are currently offering up to 50% off of some of their dresses and when I saw this, I immediately wanted to either attempt to extend my already huge student overdraft, take up three extra jobs or rob a bank - yes, I want clothes that badly. But instead of doing that, I resisted and decided to create a blog post so we can all swoon at pretty dresses together. As always, all of the dresses - apart from one - are fit and flare dresses. They just really suit my figure. The odd one out however - dress number 3 - is so beautiful and Barbie-fied and I want it right now. But I doubt it'd sit right on me. You can see the full range of up to 50% off dresses here. Which is your favourite?
xxx 

Recent hair care favourites + hair of the day

I'm someone who goes through stages when it comes to hair care. Sometimes, I'm really interested in it and other times, I'm not bothered at all. At the moment, I'm loving treating my hair and making sure it looks in tip top condition. I think it's since ombreing my hair and since I bought myself some new curlers. Here are a few products that I've been loving recently.

I love dry shampoo. As someone who has oily hair at the roots it's something that I'm in need of. I've stopped washing my hair every day and I now wash it every two days so dry shampoo is a must have. I really like this one. I don't just use it as a dry shampoo, I use it as a volumiser. If I'm going out for a night out then I will spray this into the roots of my hair and my hair is instantly refreshed and full of volume. It's wonderful.
As I mentioned above, I've stopped washing my hair every day so I do end up with a lot of product build up. I love this clarifying shampoo because it does the job, doesn't strip my hair and leaves it feeling nice and soft. I use this once or twice every fortnight and it's changed my hair completely. It's more healthy and full of life. I also have ombred hair and I don't find that this is a problem on my coloured ends.
These two were an absolutely bargain as they were on offer for two for £5. Since ombre-ing my hair, it's been really dry at the ends and these two products have helped to restore my hairs natural moisture. The hair masque is lovely and it really smooths the hair down and the heat protection is now my new favourite. It works in the same way as my usual TRESemme one but it adds shine and moisture and helps to reduce frizz.
This is the perfect "I can't be bothered to do my hair today" product. If I wash my hair and I know I have a lecture the next day, I will scrunch this into the ends of my hair, roughly blow-dry it and sleep with my hair 80% wet. When I wake up, my hair looks perfectly undone - as if I haven't tried too hard. It's such an amazing product and I doubt I'll be able to be without it.
This is pretty much my hair care baby! It's not like your regular, standard hair mask. I've included a picture below which shoes its consistency. It's more like a gel for your hair. I apply it to the roots of my hair for a few minutes, rinse it out and when I leave my hair to dry or blow dry it, there is so much more added volume. I was a little bit worried about using this at first as I thought it'd make my hair extra greasy but it didn't. And it's wonderful. It's seriously so good. My hair is full, thick and beautiful after using this.














So from the picture above, you can see that the TRESemme hair masque is your typical hair masque, the Umberto Giannini hair mask is clear and more of a gel formula and the TIGI Souffle isn't as smooth in consistency as the other two so it creates a more texturised look.

And here's a picture of my hair after using all of the products above. I apologise for the cat over my face but my skin was a mess and I didn't have any make up on but I still wanted to include the picture. And I love cats and I'd love to be a cat so why not! But anyway, you can see the amount of volume that's in my hair - I normally have really fine, flat hair so for me to have this much volume is amazing. There's a lot of texture in my hair and it really helps to hold the curls in place. What are your favourite hair care products?
xxx

Wednesday 20 February 2013

GIVEAWAY: Emjoi MICRO Pedi

I'm a big fan and an avid user of the Emjoi MICRO Pedi - you can see my review and how well it works for me here. So for Mothers Day, I've been given the opportunity to give a brand new one away to you guys! I don't know about your mothers, but my mum personally loves using things on her feet - foot spas, foot creams etc and she especially loves the MICRO Pedi. So I believe that this would be a great gift for mothers day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
All you have to do is completely the Rafflecopter form above to be in with a chance of winning. You have until the end of the month to enter and I will announce the giveaway on Twitter a couple of days later and email you afterwards. So there you have it! Good luck and as always, thank you for supporting my blog!
xxx

Steve Madden Playy-R Platforms

This is a "fashion" post that I couldn't resist doing. I've never been a shoe person - gasps all round I know - I've always been more of a make up person to be honest. But when I saw these beautiful Steve Madden shoes on offer in New Look, I couldn't resist buying them. In fact, I bought these early in January with my birthday money off of my dad. They're glitzy, glamorous and of course, Steve Madden! They're my first pair of designer heels and I'm in love with them. So in love with them that I haven't worn them out yet. And also because they are pretty high and I struggle to walk in them but we'll just ignore that part. They are a platform heel (as the name suggests) and the heel is so high for someone who's used to wearing 3 inches. The heels themselves are 5 inches but the platform is 1 inch. I bought these for £25.50 instead of £84.99 and you can see me wearing the shoes here. These shoes (in size 5) are still on sale in New Look and you can find them here. They're on sale in grey too which you can find here. However, if you're not a size 5 you can find them on eBay here. If you want to see more of the Steve Madden/New Look range then click here.
xxx

Tuesday 19 February 2013

A rant about my skin and Dior

If you follow me on Twitter then you will probably know how bad my skin is at the moment. I struggle to lay down as it's so painful and of course, I don't want to leave my flat. My skin hasn't been this bad in about 5 years. The only product that I've recently changed in my skin care routine is my serum. And this is from the No7 Protect and Perfect serum to the Dior Capture Total Multi Perfection Concentrated Serum.

Since using this serum - which costs £140 by the way, not cheap - my skin has reacted incredibly badly. I don't have sensitive skin, I've never had sensitive skin and although I'm prone to breakouts and I have suffered with them in the past, my skin has never been this bad and this painful. It's as though this serum has completely ripped my skin apart. It's not just covered in spots, it's red, painful, itchy and quite frankly, a mess. I have emailed Dior about this product as I don't think a product from a respected company - and a product that's over £140 - should cause a person such distress.

Another note is that I've been to the doctors about my current break out. I hadn't been to the doctors for this reason in about 4 years. The reason for this is, to cut a long story short, the last time I went to see if there was anything they could do about my skin they were absolutely useless and shunned me away. I used to beg and beg for Roaccutane - now I've heard the "horror" stories surrounding this drug I'm quite glad I was never prescribed it but that doesn't mean they couldn't have tried me on something else.

I went to the doctors wearing make up because long story short, I can't step out of the house without wearing foundation. I'm not comfortable doing so. I did however show them a current picture of my skin without make up (as if they couldn't see how bad it is through make up anyway) and the response I received was... "Your condition isn't serious enough for us to do anything about it." They told me to carry on with my skin care routine and to come back in a week if it's still bad and they'll put me on something to clear it up. There have been many things I've missed out on because I haven't wanted to leave the house. I have spent many hours crying over my skin and it's definitely my number one insecurity. If someone wanting to be house bound constantly because of how much they can't stand their skin isn't serious enough than I don't know what is.

What I don't understand is how something like bad skin isn't taken seriously. Now, I don't want to offend anyone but if someone was to go to their doctors because they were obese they would be taken seriously. They would be offered many different options. I don't think this is fair. Yeah, obesity is serious and it comes with a lot of complications. But it seems that because bad skin doesn't come with health complications it's disregarded and thrown aside by health professionals. But they don't seem to understand the mental, emotional and even social risks that come along with bad skin.

I've now gone out and purchased a really strong skin care routine. A routine that I don't condone at all and one that I preach about not using. It's the "cheaper" Clean and Clear routine and I can already feel my skin hating me for it as it's going to be a dry mess! But at the moment, I'd take dry skin over this mess any day.

So yes, a bit of a negative post today. But I think blogging and social media are powerful platforms and I just want to get out there that firstly, this serum is shocking. I know I'm probably one out of millions who've had a bad reaction from it. But like I said, I don't react to products, I never have done and my breakouts have always been hormonal. And this isn't just a breakout; it's ripped my skin apart. And secondly, I want bad skin to be taken more seriously. It's not fair that countless amounts of people have had to suffer because it's not a serious "illness" yet. When in actual fact, it is very serious and many people have to put up with bullying and low self esteem issues because of it. I, for one, still haven't got my confidence back from when I suffered with spots when I was younger - I'm now 20.

Below, I'm going to insert a picture of the state my skin is currently in. I didn't want to put it onto this post straight away as I understand that some of you might not want to look at it. I personally can't look at this picture without bursting into tears and wanting to slice it off of my face.


Monday 18 February 2013

WISHLIST: Playsuits


1, 2, 3, 45, 6, 7.
Playsuits are my one true love at the moment. I think they're easy to wear and ridiculously cute. I currently only have two of them - this one from New Look and one which I recently purchased from Lashes of London after writing this blog post (a full blog post on the playsuit will be up soon). As you can see, there's a little theme running through these playsuits - I love dark colours, particularly black as I think it's the most flattering colour. I also love cute, ditsy playsuits with bows, collars, animal prints, sequins and lace. The playsuit that I need the most is the pinafore one from Topshop. However it's so expensive! So I'm currently searching all over eBay in the hopes of finding something similar for cheaper. Or if you've seen another brand do a similar version, please do let me know. When I met DollyBowBow at the Spice Girls event she was wearing it and she looked beautiful in it. It's such a staple piece and although it is expensive, I know I'd get a lot of wear out of it. But that doesn't persuade a cheap skate like me enough!
xxx

STORAGE: Wilkinsons Crystal Drawers

When it comes to finding the perfect way to store your make up collection, it can be hard. It's taken me a really long time to sort of, perfect mine - especially because I'm constantly moving from uni to home - but now I have done, I love it. My most recent additions are these beautiful crystal drawers from Wilkinsons*.


























I use these drawers for storing my most loved lipsticks and my most used foundations. They're really sturdy and look absolutely beautiful. I also love how you can stack them up or place items on top of them as I have done in the images above. It's as if they're the ever-famous MUJI drawers but a lot cheaper (they retail for less than £10 each). In the smaller drawers I have my MAC Please Me, Costa Chic, Saint Germain, Kinda Sexy and Lazy Day lipsticks, my Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Candy*, my Lancome French Touch lipstick in Soft Marshmallow, my Barbara Daly lipsticks in Coral and Tiger Lily*, my Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Ambre Rose, my Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie* and my No7 Moisture Drench lipstick in Starstruck. In the larger drawers I have my Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation, Liz Earle Signature Foundation*, Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24Hr, MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation, Nip + Fab CC Cream*, Maybelline Fit Me Foundation, Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation and two different shades of Liz Earle's Sheer Skin Tint*. For reference, the cats on top of the drawers were gifts from my friends and they're from a lovely shop in Lincoln. I then have a 30ml bottle of Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck and a smaller 5ml bottle of the same perfume as it's my favourite. And finally, I have a bottle of Estee Lauder's Perfectionist CP+R Wrinkle Lifting/Firming Serum*. So there you have it - this is how I store my "most loved" products. And I definitely need to get a few more of them for when I move back home properly. I would get more now but at university I have my make up in drawers in my desk.
xxx
*PR Sample

Friday 15 February 2013

NEW! Models Own Ice Neon Collection

I have an exciting new product release for you today! Models Own are releasing a new collection that promises to keep fluoro neon shades as bright as Day-Glo by keeping them in the fridge. The only way to keep them bright is to keep them cold!

"Ice Neon is packaged in specially designed frosted bottles which withstand the cold and protect the pigments from fading." The polishes give off a matt finish but if you want a shiny finish, all you have to do is use a top coat.
Unfortunately, these aren't available until the 9th of March from the Models Own Bottleshop or Boots stores nationwide from the 22nd of March. You can also pre-order them online from the 1st of March here. They retail for £5 each.
Which colour out of the 5 do you have your eye on? I think I've fallen in love with the yellow!
xxx

REVIEW: Nip + Fab CC Range with Comparison Pictures

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of the Western BB creams. Before they were introduced into the UK, I was a fan of the Asian BB creams - moderate coverage and great skin care benefits. However the Western BB creams did absolutely nothing. They didn't even out my skin tone, they didn't do anything to my skin and they didn't brighten it. In fact, I think that they were a load of old rubbish with wonderful advertising campaigns to back them up. So when I first heard about CC creams I was intrigued. CC cream basically stands for either "Colour Control, Complexion Corrector or Colour Correction." Like BB creams they promise skin care and SPF but with better coverage as they aim to correct your skin tone.

So of course, I was very excited when I was given the opportunity to try out Nip + Fab's range of CC products. The first is a CC cream which has an SPF of 30. It promises to provide 24 hour moisturisation with a shine free finish and give a smoother application with a lighter texture. It also claims to correct and blend natural skin tone with light diffusing particles. It uses oat extract (to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and hold make up in place for longer), hyaluronic acid (for 24 hour moisturisation), light diffusing pigments (to improve texture, mattify and give an instant, natural looking improvement to the skin with a soft focus finish) and Soline® (to soothe the skin). Second up is the CC Eye Fix which is an eye cream and concealer in one. It combines Osilift® (to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, provide an anti-wrinkle effect and hold make up in place), glycerin (to moisturise and revive), beeswax (support moisturisation and protect and care for delicate skin) and light diffusing pigments (to improve texture and brighten and conceal dark circles).

Sounds good right? It promises a lot but so did BB creams. But regardless of this, I went into testing the products with an open mind. If anything, I was exciting and intrigued. I hope they'd change my mind on the famous Asian-turned-Western miracle products. I've actually really enjoyed using these products. Particularly the Eye Fix. I find them both very easy and comfortable to use. They blend really well into the skin and as the products promise, they do adapt to my skin tone. With a primer, they both last all day long and only after about 8 hours do I notice shine coming through the skin and I see the CC cream starting to separate a little bit.
Before and After from left to right

Pretty good results right? The coverage is definitely better than what Western BB creams have to offer. I'd say the CC cream provides light coverage which is easily built up to medium coverage. You can see from the images above that it covers up my redness and spots but not quite my scarring, although it does tame it down a little bit - nothing concealer can't fix. The Eye Fix is fabulous. It brightens the skin up and completely gets rid of dark circles. I think that I've found my "go-to" under eye concealer in this one. I've never tried the YSL Touche Eclat but I'd say it's the same kind of product - more brightening than concealing but doing a fantastic job.
In the above video, celebrity make up artist, Amanda Grossman shows you how to create a flawless, dewy look using the CC cream.
The CC cream retails for £14.99 for 40ml and the CC Eye Fix retails for £9.95. You can read more about the range here. What do you think of CC creams? Have you tried any before?
xxx
Want to advertise on Bamboozle Beauty? Find out how to here.
Don't forget to enter my giveaway to be in with the chance of winning some imPRESS nails!

Thursday 14 February 2013

My Perfect Day with Groupon


Groupon are currently running a competition which ends tomorrow - so get your entries in quickly - where you can win up to £500 in Groupon vouchers. Now, I'm a big lover of Groupon. My family in particular use it a lot as you can get some pretty good bargains on there. And for my dad's birthday, I used the site to book him an Indian meal at one of the best Indian restaurants in the country. So I just had to enter this. All you have to do is write a post about your ideal "perfect day." So here's mine.

























My perfect day would without a doubt be in London with my single best friends. Especially for Valentine's Day. I adore London. I love everything about it. But I don't get to go down there often. Once a year if that. But when I do, I walk off the train and my mood is instantly lifted. It's such a beautiful, bustling city that's bursting with life. The world is your oyster in London. You can do anything. So to go down to London with my best friends would be lovely - especially on the day of love. I've only been to London a few times with people - once if you take away the times I've been with college for the day - and that was with my sister. It was such a wonderful weekend and we went to Wembley, on The Eye, Madame Tussauds and the London Dungeons as well as seeing all of the beautiful sites. It was pretty magical. But this was in 2010 and since then, I've always been to London on my own. Now, although I love London, it can be quite lonely down there sometimes. People seem to be very business orientated and it's rare that people crack a smile. In fact, when I went down there the other week to meet the Spice Girls, I said "thank you" to somebody for holding the door open for me and he seemed very shocked that I was polite. So I'd love to take my best friends to London for a day - or weekend - away full of films, sights, wine, pampering and of course, lots of gossip. It'd be great to get away from university life and just relax for a weekend. Relax in a place where nothing matters. Where you can be free. And where I feel the happiest. That would be my perfect day. Well, weekend I guess.
What would be your perfect day consist of?
Love for shopping
xxx

Valentine's Day

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Although I'm single, it doesn't mean I'm not allowed to celebrate Valentine's Day, right? Well I guess I don't celebrate it. I'm not going out with a partner, probably just my single friends. But I do want to wish you all a happy Valentine's Day whatever you're doing. Whether that's going out for a meal with your loved one or going out on the town with your best friends. I hope you have a good day. Because isn't Valentine's Day all about love? So maybe for this one day (and hopefully past this day), we should love who and what we have. On the subject of love, one song that's been stuck in my head for this entire month is Pink's Try. 
"Where there is desire there is gonna be a flame. Where there is a flame someone's bound to get burned  But just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die. You've gotta get up and try."
This is a random post. But I guess what I'm trying to say is don't give up. Go for what you want. Whether it's a boy, a job or even a cake! Anything's possible, anything could happen and you'll never know unless you try. It's something that I've realised a lot this year so far. In order to achieve, you have to do. And you have to put the effort in. Most of the times, things don't just happen. You have to at least try, a little bit. So have a good Valentine's Day my darlings, whatever you're doing. And I will "see you" tomorrow.
As it's Valentine's Day and I love you guys, I'm offering up to 20% off of my advertising packages! You can view my stats and prices here.
xxx

Wednesday 13 February 2013

REVIEW: Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Make Up with comparison pictures

Mineral make up is something that I've never really got on with. I have badly blemished skin so I find that it never gives me enough coverage. However, I was extremely excited to try out the pressed mineral make up from Pur Minerals. Before this, I don't think I'd ever heard of a pressed mineral powder and seeing as mineral foundations tend to be messy, this product is pretty much ground breaking. I'm no good with science and ingredients so I'll let the brand themselves do the talking before I give you my verdict...













"Pur Minerals combine the finest ingredients in nature with the latest in skincare technology, the multi-tasking formulas work with the skin to correct, prevent and interrupt common concerns to radiant results you can see - even after the make up comes off. Pur Minerals contain NO harsh chemical dyes, petroleum-based oils, fragrance or fillers, just pure mineral pigments and nourishing ingredients that ALL skin types can enjoy. With a mix of plant-based and proprietary ingredients - like the breakthrough Ceretin Complex (make up's first proven anti-ageing technology) - Pur offers a full range of clinically proven skincare-enhanced make up and complexion care products to complement any regiment. Made for multi-tasking, the no-stress, no-mess collection, includes the award-winning 4-in-1 products, which are use by professional make up artists and celebrity stylists worldwide."















Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I have very blemished skin. Redness, spots, scarring - the lot. So I wasn't expecting miracles from the Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Make Up Compact* - £24.00 as I know that mineral make up tends to be very sheer. To my surprise, I found that when built up, this mineral make up provides medium coverage and if I use a concealer underneath, it's definitely suitable for me to wear during the day. And I have been wearing it pretty much every day for a week or so now. As always, below I've included a picture of the difference in my skin when wearing the mineral make up.
L-R No mineral make up, mineral make up alone, concealer and mineral make up

I like this powder because it comes with SPF15 and skin care ingredients which help to smooth the look of lines and wrinkles and plump, lift and firm the skin's appearance. So overtime, you should notice an improvement in your skin. Which is fabulous as make up normally doesn't agree with your skin. This feels lightweight on the skin and gives a radiant matte finish. It also leaves the skin smooth to the touch. I buff it in with the Pur Minerals Chisel Make Up Brush* - £13.00 which is one of my most reached for brushes at the moment. It's a flat top brush which means it's dense and easy to work with. It's completely natural and it's made from a cruelty-free, blend of goat, sable and pony hair which means the brush is very soft. I was also shocked by the price - cheap for how good the quality is. So overall, I would recommend to you my first mineral make up foundation. I love the coverage, I love the finish and I love how comfortable it is to wear. It's a great day time foundation.
You can view the entire Pur Minerals range here.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

RECREATE: Dancing on Ice's, Beth Tweddle's Look with Schwarzkopf OSiS+

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked whether or not I wanted to re-create Beth Tweddle's look from Dancing on Ice and as soon as I saw the glossy up-do pictures for myself, I jumped at the chance. I'm not someone who's very good with hair - I can simply straighten it, or curl it. But for work I do have to put my hair up which can sometimes be a nightmare on Sunday mornings. So here is my attempt at re-creating Beth's look...









As you can see from the images above, I'm definitely not a professional. But I really enjoyed creating this look. I could've sprayed the hair down more but I quite liked the strands flying around as it ended up looking less "done" and more messy which is a style that I like. I also like the effect that the ombre in my hair created. To create this look, I used the Schwarzkopf OSiS+ range which you can read more about here.














To create this look you need to start by blowdrying the hair smooth using a large round brush. I used my Kent large barrelled brush as I find that it's really good at smoothing down frizz and giving some lift to my hair. I applied the OSiS Body Me* first of all to give my hair more volume and also smooth frizz and add shine. I've used this product a lot since receiving it - not just for recreating this look - and I really do love it. I find it lightweight and non-greasy/sticky. It's a different consistency than what I'm used to - I tend to use mousse - but I like the change and find it smooths the hair down more than my usual mousse. Also, look at the packaging. Beautiful. After this, you need to brush your hair up into a high ponytail and secure it with a band. Make sure that you leave enough of your hair out at the front to create a fringe - a must have for me as I hate having my hair fully slicked back off of my face unless I'm alone! To secure the ponytail and keep it in place all day, spritz with OSiS Freeze*. I've been loving using this hairspray on my curls. I've been curling my hair a lot more recently and this hairspray is a key product that I use. It really does hold the hair in place whilst added shine - yet it doesn't weigh the hair down or make it nasty and scrunchy like a lot of other hairsprays. Once you've done this, add a tiny amount of OSiS Magic* to the ponytail to smooth down frizz and add shine. I've been reaching for this serum a lot recently; I may have to do a post on serums. After this, plait the ponytail into 7 fishtail plaits - I tried and failed at the fishtail plaits so in the end, I went for normal plaits. But if you can do them, do them because I love them. After this you want to wrap around 3 of your fishtail plaits and secure them using grips onto the crown. With the remaining 4 plaits, create a shape with them to give height on the crown of the head. Once again, make sure they're pinned in well using grips. You can see my grips as I wasn't very good at placing them. But I think it adds texture - I'll go with that excuse anyway. Finally, you want to use more OSiS Freeze* to keep the hair in place and finish by spraying OSiS Sparkler* all over the hair to leave a super glossy finish. And there you have it. It's pretty simple right?
What are your favourite up-do's? Have you used any products from the Schwarzkopf OSiS+ range?
If you want to find your nearest Schwarzkopf stockist then you can do so here or simply call 01296 314000.
xxx
*PR Sample
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Don't forget to enter my giveaway to be in with the chance of winning some imPRESS nails!

Currently Loving... Yankee Candle Wax Tarts

One of my biggest obsessions is without a doubt home fragrances. I love it when people walk into my apartment and say that it smells nice. And 9 times out of 10 the reason for it smelling nice will be because of my Yankee Candle Wax Tarts.















My dad was actually the first in the family to try these out. We were browsing B&Q one day and I remembered The Sunday Girl mentioned wax tarts on her blog. We came across a Yankee Candle stand and I recommended them to my dad (as I know that he loves his oil burner). He immediately reported back how much he loved them to me and over Christmas he gave me one of his oil/wax burners. From that moment on, a day doesn't go by when I'm not burning some wax. I keep my wax tarts in an old Nutella jar so I can keep track of them. I don't have many at the moment but I do have the Christmas Cupcake, Red Velvet and Sweet Pea versions which all smell incredible. The wax tarts themselves really do last a long time. I burn them every single day, nearly all day and I find that they easily last me at least a month - and they're pretty cheap too! You can get many different variations on eBay or pop into Clinton's etc to find them.
Do you love candles? Have you ever tried wax tarts before?

Monday 11 February 2013

GIVEAWAY: imPRESS Nails

If you can remember back to last year, then you'll probably remember my rave review about imPRESS nails. You can see the review here. As a quick brief review again I'll just say that I love them. They are easy to use, last a long time and look beautiful and natural.


So I have a set of their nails in Starstruck to giveaway to you guys as a little thank you for standing by me these past 3 years! The print of the nails is gorgeous and they also have some glitter on them. You can enter using the form below and the giveaway closes on the 18th February! Happy entering :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
xxx

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Shortlisted in the Boux Avenue Valentine's Bloggers Competition!

Hey guys!
I hope that you're all well and the snow and Monday morning blues aren't getting you down too much. I'm just blogging to let you know that I've been shortlisted in the Boux Avenue Valentine Blogger's Challenge for my entry (which you can read here). I hate to beg but I'd really appreciate it if you could all vote for me - or your favourite of course. There is a little treat in there for you guys too if I win! You can vote for me here by voting for "Bamboozle Beauty."
Valentine's Day pink satin Victoriana lingerie set
If you vote for me, please leave a comment below and let me know as if I win, I will be buying and giving away FIVE Pink taffeta bubble bathsThank you! And I hope you enjoy the rest of your day! I do have "normal" a blog post coming later too.
xxx

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Saturday 9 February 2013

REVIEW: Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation with before/after comparison pictures


Back in January, before returning to university, I took a trip to the Nottingham Space.NK for the very first time. If it's possible to get starstruck by a store, then I was. It was incredible to see so many brands that I'd heard of but never actually seen and I was loving it. The reason for my visit was to try the ever-so-famous Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation as my mum agreed to buy it me for my birthday.
First of all, the lady in the shop was lovely. I explained to her about my skin condition and how I wanted a fuller coverage foundation that wasn't drying and I'd read so many reviews about this foundation. And as I guessed, she said this foundation would be perfect for me. She removed my make up, applied a primer and went on to put the foundation onto my skin. She then followed with concealer, powder, bronzer and blush and I immediately purchased the foundation. It was one of those love at first sight feelings. I've now been using this foundation for a month and unless I've fake tanned, I've been using it every day. It's medium/full coverage that's easily buildable and it sits so nicely on the skin. Although it's full coverage, it isn't heavy on the skin at all and blends into the skin like a dream - it's barely noticeable. It doesn't sink into pores or fine lines and it hydrates the skin throughout the day. It's extremely easy to blend and the colour (rose ivory) matches my skin tone perfectly. A lot of people think that this foundation is expensive but I don't think it is. I think it's worth every single penny and for me, once you've found the right base, everything else falls into place. I do have some comparison pictures however I am extremely insecure about my skin. I know it's a mess, I know it's badly scarred so no nasty comments please! But this is literally the only way I can show you how amazing this foundation is. Also, on the before picture there are a couple of spots which aren't there in the after picture, that's just because they were taken on different days however, nothing else has changed.

So there you have it. This foundation covers everything. Scarring, redness, spots, everything. It provides the most perfect coverage ever and you can see how beautiful it sits on the skin too. It fills in my pores (no primer was used in the after picture) which is amazing. This is now my favourite foundation and something that I will always have in my collection. It's just quite frankly, perfect. You can buy this foundation here for £33.
Have you tried this foundation before? What's your favourite foundation?
xxx

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COLLECTION: Updated Britney Spears Fragrance Collection & Island Fantasy

These are always my favourite posts to write. Any time I can merge Britney and blogging together, I do it. I'm a massive Britney fan (as you all know) so I obviously have all, but one, of her perfumes. Since my last Britney fragrance collection post I've added a new fragrance to my collection and a few other new bottle sizes. I've also added a Britney perfume stand too which was a very exciting day for me. I swear I'm not obsessed - just dedicated!

Fantasy Collection - Fantasy, Midnight Fantasy, Circus Fantasy, Fantasy Twist, Hidden Fantasy

Radiance Collection - Radiance, Cosmic Radiance

Believe

Curious Collection - Curious and Curious Heart
So since my last post, I've added another 30ml Curious (given to me by my sister), a 15ml Curious (which was my work Secret Santa gift - they know me so well), a 30ml Believe (my favourite! A Christmas gift off of my dad) and a 50ml of Curious Heart. Curious Heart was a limited edition version of Curious which was released in 2008. It's quite hard to get a hold of these days but my mum managed to get me a bottle for Christmas which I was extremely excited about. It smells similar to the original Curious - pear, lotus flower, magnolia, vanilla, morning tuberose, flowers, jasmine, musk and sandalwood and I love it. I don't use it very often though because I'm scared of it running out. I'm now only in need of one more Britney fragrance and that's Curious: In Control which is another limited edition fragrance which was released in 2006.




















This is my Britney fragrance stand which I love! My friend got it me from Superdrug after the Fantasy Twist promotion ended. They also gave me two pretty much full 50ml bottles of the Fantasy Twist fragrance which I was very grateful for. They are stuck onto the stand with wires so I tend to use them as room fragrances.

And finally, Britney has a new fragrance coming out in April called Island Fantasy which I'm extremely excited about. You can read more about the fragrance on Fleur's blog here. I will be rushing to Boots on its release date and buying a bottle!
What's your favourite Britney perfume?
xxx

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Friday 8 February 2013

WISHLIST: Lashes of London

I'm definitely having a 'fashion moment' at the moment and I'm loving the website Lashes of London so I thought I'd create a wishlist of my current favourite picks! If you want to create your own then you can enter the e-tail bloggers competition here.

Elwick Silk Butterly Blouse, £14.40 - Butterflies, collars, what's not to love?! I'm loving blouses tucked into disco pants/skater skirts at the moment and this one is beautiful. Quite frankly, I need it. So versatile too and such a bargain as it's in the sale!
Atlantis Sequin Mini Dress, £32.50 - Okay maybe I wouldn't wear this right now but after I've lost a couple more pounds then I would definitely wear this. I love sequins and I love pink and I think this is a beautiful dress.
Rococo Caviar Beaded Dress, £90.00 - This is the definition of my style! Skater dress, black and cute. I think it's adorable and I love these kind of dresses as they fit my figure really well. This one is beautiful and I'd pair it with a blazer for a night out.
Candy Cane Sequin Skater Dress, £37.50 - Just like the other sequin dress... how cute is this?! Once again I love skater dress, sequins, pinks and collars. Such a cute and girly, fun dress!
Nevada Skater Dress, £11.40 - I'm SO ready for summer and this dress would be perfect. I love the bright colours... Just looking at the stock picture makes me happy.
Trixie Black PU Circle Mini Skirt, £45.00 - I've been after a more structured skater skirt to wear on nights out for ages and I think this is perfect. I love skater skirts because they pull you in at the waist and skim over your thighs and bum. This one is so nice.
Palms Belted Playsuit, £14.70 - And finally, this picture is big because I NEED IT. I love playsuits and the fit of this is so perfect for my figure. It reminds me of my New Look/Kelly Brook playsuit which fits me perfectly. So tempted to snap this up right away but I'm currently locked out of online banking so I don't want to make myself poor just yet... Or maybe I do. IT'S PERFECT. UPDATE: I've now purchased the playsuit. Couldn't resist.
You can view the Lashes of London website here and if you use the code LUVU10 at the checkout you can get 10% off of your order! What's your favourite item from the clothes above?
xxx
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