Best of 2012

I just wanna start of by saying happy new year!

My posts will lack during January because of my exams so I thought I would do a pretty extensive blog post reviewing all my favourite products (as well as books, movies and music favourites) of 2012 today. Links are added to reviews :)

Best eyeshadows (palette): Urban Decay Naked 2
Best mascara: Rimmel Volume Flash Scandal Eyes or Clinique High Impact
Best pencil liner: Avon Supershock or MAC Stubborn Brown or Rimmel Scandal Eyes in Nude
Best liquid liner: Maybelline Master Precise
Best eyeshadow base: MAC Paint Pots
Best eye lash glue: Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive
Best eyebrow product: Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Ash

I'm not a lip product fan, the only lip products I use are MAC lipsticks. My favourites, and most used, during 2012 have been: Myth or Hue or Honeylove or Sunny Seoul.

Best liquid foundation: Esteé Lauder Double Wear in Fresco and Desert Beige
Best powder foundation: NARS Powder Foundation in Fiji
Best primer: Smashbox Photofinish
Best concealer: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection in Fair
Best bronzer: NARS Laguna
Best blush: Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed
Best powder: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus

Best volumising product: TRESemmé Volume and Lift Mousse
Best dry shampoo: TRESemmé Instant Refresh
Best heat protector: TRESemmé Keratin Smooth
Best treatment: Moroccan Oil or Leo Bancroft Instant Sleek or Kerastase Nectar Thermique or Macadamia Oil
Best straightening balm: Redken Power Tame 16 or Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum

Best self tanner: St Moriz Mousse in Dark
Best face moisturiser: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel
Best body moisturiser: Shea body butter from The Body Shop
Best hand cream: L'Occitane
Best universal cream: E45 or Sudocrem (not pictured)
Best acne/red skin treatment: Mario Badescu Control Cream

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Favourite books of the year

- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

- Unwind by Neal Shusterman

- Holy Bible (ESV)

- The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

Favourite movies (and shows) of the year

- Project X

- Ted

- Sherlock, both series

Favourite albums of the year

- Born To Die: Paradise Edition by Lana Del Rey

- Take Me Home by One Direction

- Life is Elsewhere by Little Comets

- Babel by Mumford & Sons

- Channel Orange by Frank Ocean

- What's The Story (Morning Glory)? by Oasis

So thats all of my favourite things of 2012. I hope you had an amazing year and I hope that the new year brings you happiness and lots of laughs.

Suzanna xo

Gold Series ghd Max Styler and the Remington Pearl Wand Review

My friends were a bit confused when I told them I bought a straightener - not a usual conversation topic but my friend Vanisha is a huge beauty fan. I have naturally straight hair so I didn't think I needed to buy one. Yet my hair is extremely thick and no matter how many products I had tried to tame it down, nothing worked. Three months ago, just after I finished some exams, my dad said he'd treat me to a present: I asked for the Gold Series ghd Max Styler. There are three options: mini, classic and max. It's all personal preference really and I wanted the biggest one possible. I ordered it from the website and it came the next day with free delivery. I paid £120 for them but currently they are on sale for £99!

Put in this way, I haven't stopped using them since. I know it's bad to use heat in your hair everyday even if you use heat protectant, but I just love the way it looks. I don't use heat on my hair on the weekend, but I do during the week. The ghds are amazing. It takes roughly 15 minutes to straighten all of my hair. Now that might seem like a lot, but my previous straighteners would take me over half an hour and the results were never as good as they are with the ghds. They help tame down frizz and make your hair feel extremely light weight. Overall, if you have the money to splurge on a new hair styling tool, I would definitely recommend the ghd range. Perfection.

Two weeks ago I got bored of straight hair and just simply wanted a change. Therefore, the next day I went out about bought the Remington Pearl Wand for £24.99 in Boots. I had read some extremely good reviews and thought I would share my own opinion. Being someone who has never owned a curling iron before, I didn't have that high of expectations yet I did know I wanted something that latest and didn't take that long to provide results. This wand is perfect for those who want effortless curls that are really quick to do. It takes around 6 minutes for me to curl all of my hair. It doesn't weigh my hair down and, from my experience, seem to last all day. Definitely worth the money in my opinion.

I thought I would just end the post there, but then I decided to include some of my favourite hair care products. I have done one of these before, but I thought I would show some new favourites of mine!

Best heat protectant: TRESemmé Heat Defence

Best frizz controler: Moroccanoil

Best hairspray: LO'real Elnett and Wella Shockwaves (not pictured)

Best straightening serum: Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum

Xoxo

Hair shenanigans

Hello there :)

This is the second time I've written this. I just finished writing this post and...my laptop crashed. I thought MacBooks are meant to be reliable!? I'm pissed off. Now I've got to try and remember what I wrote!

I'm sorry that I've only been posting twice a week - school is extremely hectic at the moment. I'm studying for sociology, science, maths and english exams whilst completing strenuous ICT and media coursework - all at the same time! Half term is coming up soon, so more posts will be available. Anyway, let's get started...

Story time! I was sitting down drinking tea whilst watching The Big Bang Theory and writing my weekend shopping list (multi-tasker!). So far on my list I have: new sports trousers, a Spanish dictionary and coloured post-it notes. Exciting, right? I glanced over at my hair-products to find that all of my *favourite* six miracle workers are empty. They must be pretty damn special if I've managed to finish all of them so...

To cut a long story short, I'm going to share with you my favourite hair styling products of the moment!

L-R: TRESemmé Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo, TRESemmé Salon Sleek Straightening Spray, TRESemmé Heat Defence, John Frieda Frizz-Ease Heat Defeat, Avon Techniques Straightening Serum and Moroccan Oil.

     1. TRESemmé Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo for normal to oily hair
I literally do not know what I'd do with this. I use it religiously if my roots are beginning to show oil - it perfectly covers it up. If you're looking for a product to reduce oil and to use for "second day hair" then this is for you. However, the one problem I have with this is that it can leave a slight white cast if too much is applied to one area. To prevent this shake the can between sprays - it works.

     2. TRESemmé Salon Sleek Smooth Memory Frizz Controller Straightening Spray with Argan Oil
This stuff has an incredibly long name, yet it does everything it says. After washing my hair, I apply this before blow-trying as a heat-protectant. Whilst protecting my hair from heat rays, it tames frizz and fly away hairs to make it more soft and shiny. Personally, I don't use this before straightening or curling my hair as I find it takes too long to dry. If you straighten wet hair - obviously - it can damage your hair and I find using this product is just as worse. It's still great, though.

If you want a more in-depth review of this product, check out my previous blog post here!

     3. TRESemmé Heat Defence Styling Spray
Before straightening I use this product and spritz it everywhere. This is one of the best heat protectants I have used. It's a fine mist so it dries incredibly fast so you don't need to wait before straightening; this is the main reason why I was attracted to this.

     4. John Frieda Frizz-Ease Heat Defeat Protective Spray
I find this product to be the most universal out of them all. You can use this product for just about anything hair related. I use it before blow-drying AND straightening and I also use this in the summer when the weather is hot and humid. You wouldn't believe what magic it does; it tames frizz and keeps it controlled. I would definitely recommend this if you're hair is sensitive to heat or if you in general want to control frizz.

     5. Avon Techniques Smoothing Serum
OMG. I freaking love this stuff <3
I expect it to be rubbish after I saw it in one of my mum's Avon catalogues for only £3.50. However after only one test I fell completely in love. If I could only repurchase one thing hair related it would be this. You can use it on damp and dry hair. Personally, I use it on dry hair to make my frizz disappear and to tame fly aways. It's a thick gel formula yet doesn't make my hair greasy at all.

You don't have to be a subscriber to Avon to get this product, just head over to their website!

..and finally...

     6. Moroccan Oil Treatment
In a previous blog post I talked about how I wanted to try the Moroccan Oil Treatment. Literally 10 minutes after that post I placed an order on Feel Unique and purchased the small size. As soon as it arrived I was eager to see what the whole hype surrounding this product was about. My first thought: disappointment. It's not that great to be honest. Yes, it does tame frizz but that's about it really. It makes my hair extremely greasy looking, even after washing it. I genuinely am not a fan of this. Maybe it just suits different people. I'm going to let my mum try and I'll get back to you! I'm including this in this blog so it can count as a mini-review (also, it was in the picture I took!).

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I hope you found this helpful! And I hope you like the look of my new layout :)

Suzanna
XOXO

Tried & Tested: TRESemmé Salon Sleek Smooth Memory Straightening Spray

(***I'll be adding pictures soon! The ones I used originally were stock photos and looked horrible so I'll be doing my own shortly!!!***)


Wow, that is a mouthful.

This is going to be a review on the TRESemmé Salon Sleek Smooth Memory Straightening Spray. (I'm going to call it the straightening spray just to save time)

TRESemmé claim that:

"Salon Sleek Smooth Memory Frizz Controller Spraightening Spray contains Argan Oil from Morocco known for its nourishing and smoothing benefits. Use with heat appliances to train hair to become straighter, smoother and less frizzy over time."

So basically, they say that this product is the bees knees. But is it really that good?

Yes, it is. I purchased this from Boots around three weeks ago when I ran out of my Bed Head serum (which is uh-may-zing I hasten to add). To be completely honest with you, I picked this up expecting it to be mediocre. But how wrong was I? This product does exactly what it says, however I find the staying power of the product more on the bad side of the scale. After washing my hair, before I blow-dry, I spritz this all over and then dry it. After about 15 minutes, I have no frizz what-so-ever and my hair feels incredibly soft and hydrated. However, even if I straighten my hair afterwards, the spray doesn't keep it straight. I don't really see this as a "straightening spray" I see it more as a "control frizz and make your hair super soft" kind of spray. Being said, there's nothing wrong with that. I have other serums (which I'll mention in another post) that keep my hair straight. After all, I didn't expect this to be as good as it claims - it was only £4.99. I must add that, from personal experience, this product is much more effective is used alongside other TRESemmé products such as the shampoo and conditioner. I used it once using Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner and the results weren't as good.

Well, I hope this was helpful. I'll be doing a fashion type blog next which is fun.

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I've just ordered from Feel Unique the hyped up Moroccan Oil which I am super excited to try out - I'll definitely do a fair review after I've tried it out several times. If you would like, I could compared several hair treatments? 

Leave a reply if you'd like that!

Hope you enjoyed this,

Suzanna

XOXO